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Employees' technology adoption in the context of smart tourism development: the role of technological acceptance and technological readiness

Marija Cimbaljević (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia)
Dunja Demirović Bajrami (Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić”, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia) (South Ural State University (National Research University) Institute of Sport Tourism and Service, Celabinsk, Russian Federation)
Sanja Kovačić (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia) (South Ural State University (National Research University) Institute of Sport Tourism and Service, Celabinsk, Russian Federation)
Vanja Pavluković (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia)
Uglješa Stankov (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia)
Miroslav Vujičić (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia)

European Journal of Innovation Management

ISSN: 1460-1060

Article publication date: 21 March 2023

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Abstract

Purpose

The technology readiness and acceptance model were mostly employed as theoretical bases to analyze tourist behaviors of adoption of innovative technologies that are part of the smart tourism offer. This study attention now turns to the field of smart tourism human resource management and tries to establish a model to explain the relationship between general dimensions of personality with systematic specific dimensions toward ICT acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopted the TRAM model as a way to better understand and evaluate the causal relationships between the personality dimensions, factors of perception, attitudes and behavior of users regarding the acceptance and use of innovative technologies. Based on the empirical data of 478 employees operating in tourist organizations, travel agencies and hotels, the authors employed regression analysis as the basic method for examining the research hypotheses and causal relationships between variables in the presented model.

Findings

The analysis revealed that employees in the tourism sector are inclined to adopt new technology, and that technological readiness has an impact on attitudes and intentions toward the use of technologies. Moreover, the results show that the path between the dimensions of technological readiness and intention to use technologies is to a certain extent mediated through perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness.

Originality/value

This research is among the first empirical studies that examine technology readiness and adoption in the context of smart tourism development. Besides the findings extend the literature on the mediating effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use between technology readiness index and technology acceptance behavior.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by The Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, GRANT No. 7739076, Tourism Destination Competitiveness - Evaluation Model for Serbia -TOURCOMSERBIA.

Citation

Cimbaljević, M., Demirović Bajrami, D., Kovačić, S., Pavluković, V., Stankov, U. and Vujičić, M. (2023), "Employees' technology adoption in the context of smart tourism development: the role of technological acceptance and technological readiness", European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-09-2022-0516

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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