QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM
7
remaining 20% have expressed no interest in the implementation of CRM technologies. This
study examines the TAM to understand where CES organizations are in their adoption of CRM
technologies, their perceptions and attitudes toward CRM adoption, and the perceived benefits
and risks of CRM implementation in CES organizations.
Background
The U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) has served the public since 1914,
providing research-based education primarily focused on agriculture, family life, economic
development, and youth engagement. CES is funded through a cooperative agreement between
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and every state and territory through the land-grant
university system. The land-grant university system funds county-level Extension offices
offering programs for local communities. Over the past several decades, public engagement with
the CES and its resources and programming has decreased. According to Gupta et al. (2019),
“long -term disinvestment in the Extension system, along with public skepticism of science,
threatens the system’ s ability to deliver the expertise and research-based information that it
promises.” Research has shown that advances in technology and new media allow for greater
possibilities for outreach and engagement across a variety of public and private sectors.
The U.S. CES is part of every land-grant university in the United States. According to the
USDA — NIFA, CES is a public service that provides farmers, ranchers, and communities of all
sizes with resources to meet the challenges they face, adapt to changing technology, improve
nutrition and food safety, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and protect the environment
(Cooperative Extension History, n.d.). Programs that are prominent within CES include
agriculture and natural resources, youth development, family and consumer sciences, workforce
and community development, food and nutrition, and health.
Powered by FlippingBook