Integrating loss aversion into a technology acceptance model to assess the relationship between website quality and website user's behavioural intentions

Abstract

Incorporating the loss aversion concept into the technology acceptance model (TAM), this paper endeavours to investigate the relationship between website quality and website user's behavioural intentions in the travel agency sector. A statistical analysis of the collected questionnaires was computed based on the 1279 usable responses from the selected websites of travel agencies. Structural equation modelling is the essential analysis methodology used to examine the hypothesised relationships among the variables. Joining the loss aversion concept, the results indicate that a decrease in website quality from the website user's expectation will decrease the perceived use of ease and usefulness towards the website and then influence website user's behavioural intentions, but that an increase in website quality has no significant effects on these two TAM constructs. The results also suggest that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude are acting as important mediators within the model. This study demonstrates the effect of asymmetric response of website quality on website user's behavioural intentions. A discussion of the findings including managerial implications is also presented in this paper.