E-Finance Lab Team

Grid computing is a technology that offers the opportunity to share IT-resources between departments in organizations as well as between different organizations. Thereby adopters may obtain significant advantages like cost reduction and efficient IT-resource load balancing. Nevertheless this technology is not established in the industry by now. We developed an adoption model to measure the major factors which are influencing adoption of Grid computing in an organizational environment. As Grid computing is an inter-organizational system providing both inter- and intra-organizational linkages our adoption model accounts for both areas of influence factors. The inter-organizational influence factors were based on a model proposed by Teo et al. (2003) who reverted to the institutional theory. Mimetic-, coercive- and normative pressures exerted by surrounding organizations like suppliers, customers and competitors are representing the inter-organizational influence factors in our adoption model. Following the organizational capability-based theory we included intra-organizational influence factors which consist of IT-related factors, the innovativeness of an organization and the attitude towards outsourcing of IT-resources. Using structural equation modeling our adoption model identified mimetic pressures (emerging from competitors), the innovativeness and the attitude towards outsourcing of IT-resources as factors with significant positive influence on the adoption of Grid computing.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the use of online communities for information seeking in the financial products purchasing process and identify relevant usage antecedents.

Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is proposed based on the three dimensions community, environment and user characteristics. Subsequently, a representative survey among German consumers is described, illustrating the value of the framework.

Findings – The study validates the framework to analyze online community usage and identifies financial knowledge and employment status as main drivers of financial community usage among user characteristic.

Research limitations/implications – The present study was carried out in only one country, but provides a starting point for more international research.

Practical implications – The results identify community users as an interesting clientele, which should be considered in financial services providers' online strategy development, especially by encouraging word-of-mouth communication. Usage drivers should be considered in web site development to prevent churn. Providers of communities should be concerned about system usability, but also especially take measures to boost the social aspects of community experience.

Originality/value – The study is the first to explain online community usage in the economically highly relevant pre-purchase stage for financial services.