Technology Acceptance Model in U.S. Extension: CRM Adoption

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

significantly enhanced by perceived mobility and viewing experience. The study concluded that

all traditional relationships from the TAM were supported.

In an interesting study by Wu et al. (2011), the researchers examined the impact of the

socio-psychological factor of trust on the TAM. The researchers define trust as the willingness of

one party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the latter

party perform actions of importance to the former (Wu et al., 2011). A meta-analysis of existing

research was conducted based on previous TAM studies to attempt to make statements on the

role of trust in TAM. A literature search produced 128 articles for analysis and coding, and the

results revealed a large correlation between perceived usefulness and attitude, attitude and

behavioral intention, and perceived ease of use and attitude. The study also suggests that it is

common for attitude to be excluded from the TAM model but highlights that attitude is a critical

factor because it represents user satisfaction with a system. Most importantly, the study found

strong relationships between trust and attitude, behavioral intention, perceived usefulness, and

perceived ease of use. The implications of this research highlight the importance of trust when

considering technology acceptance and have implications for practitioners involved in the

design, operation, and maintenance of technology services.

Theoretical Framework

One way of examining the role of CRM systems in the CES is through the TAM. Soon, et

al. (2016) explain the TAM as being rooted in the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of

use of a new technology. Soon et al. (2016) further define perceived usefulness as the degree to

which an individual can see the benefit of using a new technology or process as it relates to

improving job performance. The theoretical importance of perceived benefits for an individual or

an organization also helps determine successful technology acceptance or adoption; this is