FROM HEDONISM AND UTILITARIANISM TO ANTICIPATED ACTUAL BEHAVIOR: DO UK AND MALAYSIAN POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY TO MOBILE APPS?

Abstract

1.IntroductionThe purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, to examine the relationship between consumers' behavioral dimensions using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) of Ajzen (1991) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of Davis (1989) and Davis et al. (1989), and how these affect the intended usage of mobile apps. Secondly, it is also aimed to contrast the differences between UK and Malaysian mobile users largely from the approach of hedonism (e.g. social networking, games and music) and utilitarianism (e.g. navigation and news). The reasons for putting the TPB and TAM together is that both offer hitherto unexplored insights into the complexities of behavior intention in a (mobile phone) context where hedonism and utilitarianism prevail. Researchers have found that, just like many other types of information systems, technological factors such as technology advancement and availability do not automatically lead to actual use (Bruner and Kumar, 2000). Rather, cognitive constructs related to technology acceptance and adoption has been found to be better predictors of mobile technology and application use (Constantiou et al., 2007). Therefore, relatively few studies have extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to study the mobile environment (Chen et al., 2012). As Ajzen (1991) advocates, it is only at the level of specific beliefs, rather than a generic operationalization across applications, that we can learn about the unique factors that induce one person to engage in the behavior of interest. Specifically, the current study aims to explore the following research question: To what extent are consumers of both the UK and Malaysia behaving differently towards the intention of using mobile apps?As for choosing a UK and Malaysian comparison, according to Hofstede (2016), whilst both countries display similar scores for Indulgence (hedonism) they differ widely on their scores for Individualism. Malaysia is a collectivist society showing a greater commitment to the group whilst the UK has one of the highest individualist scores in the world, and so UK consumers are comfortable to be in an ambiguous situation. This is very important in the propensity to use apps as although both are equally influenced by internal and external influences (e.g. the constructs of the TPB) in their purchase intent and use of apps, the two societies should show a marked difference in the effect of these influences. This research explores this dimension. However, this study does not intend to examine the two countries solely and exclusively from the cross-cultural dimensions, but focuses more on the application of TPB and TAM in relation to the usage of mobile apps.In Malaysia, 26% of phone users are smartphone users (Malaysian Wireless, 2012). Smartphone penetration in the Malaysian mobile market currently stands at approximately 35.8% (Malaysian Wireless, 2013). On the other hand, the UK smart phone audience currently stands at 31.7 million users (60.4%). (UK Mobile Insights Report 2013). However, Malaysians lead the world in terms of mobile internet usage at 35% users using mobile phone as an internet device exclusively (Lim, 2015).2.Theoretical Underpinning and Hypothesis DevelopmentThis study examined the integration of TPB and TAM in relation to mobile apps and the behavioral intention of mobile users. Based on the relevant literature, we highlight the key past studies (see Table 1) followed by developing the respective testable hypotheses.3.TPB and Mobile ApplicationsThe TPB was derived from the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). The difference is that the TPB incorporated the additional dimension of perceived behavioral control (King & Dennis, 2003). The TPB focuses on the following factors. It postulates that individual behavior is determined by behavioral intention, which is in turn driven by attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Attitude reflects the total set of accessible behavioral beliefs. …