A number of models have been developed to investigate and understand the factors affecting the acceptance of computer technology in organisations such as the Theory of Reasoned Action - TRA (e.g. Fishbein & Ajzen 1975; Ajzen & Fishbein 1980), the Technology Acceptance Model - TAM (e.g. Davis 1989; Davis et al., 1989), the Theory of Planned Behaviour - TPB (e.g. Ajzen 1991; Mathieson 1991), the Model of PC Utilisation (Thompson, Higgins, & Howell 1991), the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (e.g. Taylor & Todd 1995), Innovation Diffusion Theory (e.g. Agarwal & Prasad, 1997; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1990; Rogers, 1995), and recently The Moguls Model of Computing (Ndubisi, Gupta & Ndubisi, 2005). Some of these studies were carried out at the individual level (e.g. Agarwal & Prasad, 1998), and some at the organisational level (e.g. Cooper & Zmud, 1990).
The theoretical model employed in this research is the technology acceptance model (TAM). The
study focuses on the TAM because it helps to understand the role of perceptions such as
usefulness and ease of use in determining technology adoption. TAM theorises that external
variables influence behavioural intention to use, and actual usage of technologies, indirectly
through their influence on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Two important TAM
constructs are perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Davis (1989, p320), defined
perceived usefulness as "the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system
would enhance his or her productivity", and perceived ease of use as "the degree to which a
person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort".
A significant body of TAM studies has shown that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are determinants of
usage (e.g. Davis 1989; Mathieson 1991; Adams et al. 1992; Segars & Groover 1993; Szajna
1994; Igbaria et al. 1997). Technology adoption decisions have been typically characterised by a
strong productivity orientation (Venkatesh and Brown, 2001). In many studies (e.g. Mathieson
1991; Agarwal and Prasad 1997; Igbaria et al. 1997), perceived usefulness, one of the constructs
related to the use-productivity contingency has emerged as one of the strongest predictors of
adoption and usage behaviour.
Although TAM is recognized for its parsimony and predictive power, it has also been reported
that while parsimony is TAM's strength, it is also the models salient constraint. For example,
Venkatesh (2000) asserted that while TAM is powerful in helping to predict acceptance, it does
not help understand and explain acceptance in ways that guide development beyond suggesting
that system characteristics impact usefulness and ease of use, thereby placing a limitation on the
ability to meaningfully design interventions to promote acceptance.
Mathieson (1991) believed that TAM is predictive but its generality does not provide sufficient understanding from the
standpoint of providing system designers with the information necessary to create user
acceptance of new systems. Furthermore, Straub et al. (1995) questioned intention as a predictor
of actual behaviour. Bentler and Speckart (1979), and Songer Nocks, (1976) earlier disagreed
with Fishbein and Ajzen's assertion (on which TAM is based) that attitudes and norms can
influence behaviour only indirectly through behavioural intention.
Nevertheless, the TAM is one of the most popular technology usage models with numerous
adaptations and replications. TAM has also been compared with other models (see for example,
Taylor and Todd 1995; Ndubisi 2005) and found to be more robust in predicting user acceptance
of different technologies. The model remains the most suitable for measuring usefulness and ease
of use perceptions which are salient constructs in this research. However, in response to the call
by past TAM researchers for future research to use actual usage instead of usage intention to test
the TAM, the present study tows this line of suggestion by investigating actual or current usage
as the dependent variable. Two hypotheses were framed to test the effect of perceptions on
computer technology adoption by women entrepreneurs in Malaysia.
Hypothesis 1a: There is a significant direct positive relationship between perceived usefulness
and computer technology adoption.
Hypothesis 1b: There is a significant direct positive relationship between perceived ease of use
and computer technology adoption.