The moderating role of self-construal on adoption of mobile data services: An empirical study

Based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this essay will analyze the consumers´ self-construal characteristics and introduce self-construal variable as the moderator to study mobile data services acceptance. Two studies will be conducted through empirical researches: (1) do a deeper research on key factors affecting consumers´ adoption of mobile data services; (2) find out whether consumers´ self-construal orientation plays a role in moderating the relationship among variables of mobile data services acceptance model. The researchers have led a questionnaire survey by withdrawing 398 effective questionnaires from 450 questionnaires to collect data. Additionally, with the help of Lisrel software Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and multiple groups analysis, we achieve the main conclusions: (1) Self-construal, as a cultural difference reflected in individual aspects, places an outstanding moderating effect on mobile data services adoption; (2) Perceived usefulness has a positive effect on consumers´ intention to use mobile data services; (3) Perceived ease of use and subjective norm have a positive effect on perceived usefulness, and on consumers´ intention to use mobile data services, indirectly; (4) Up till now, consumers´ perceived cost of mobile data services has no influence on consumers´ intentions.