Title: Adoption of technologies in industrial after-sales services across cultures

Authors: Siegfried Gudergan

Addresses: Faculty of Business, University of Technology, Sydney, City Campus Haymarket, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia

Abstract: The use of information and communication technologies in the provision of industrial after-sales services is of increasing importance. In this paper, we examine the impact of cultural factors on the adoption of such technologies in the after-sales setting. Drawing upon theories of technology adoption and aspects of culture, we propose that three dimensions of culture – individualism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance – affect the adoption of technology in industrial after-sales services. Moreover, we propose that the more individualistic people are, the more they will avoid uncertainty and that where the power distance between people is greater, the adoption of new technologies in industrial after-sales services will be lower.

Keywords: technology adoption; culture; industrial services; after-sales services; ICT; information technology; communication technology; individualism; power distance; uncertainty avoidance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2010.034331

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2010 Vol.14 No.2/3, pp.250 - 258

Published online: 01 Aug 2010 *

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