Technology Readiness among Consumers in Oman: The Case of Adopting E-Services

Abstract

The adoption and use of new technology have seen a rapid increase and evolution worldwide. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in developed countries. Therefore, this study examines the technology readiness in terms of e-Services adoption among Omanis. Based on the Technology readiness (TR) Index 2.0, the people’s propensity to embrace and use e-Services in Oman is explored. The TR involves understanding four-dimension optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity, explaining the readiness and use of e-Services in this study. Using a quantitative approach, SPSS performs fundamental descriptive analysis on 322 responses. Subsequently, further assessment is conducted using the Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) software. Thus, the analysis of this study consists of two stages: the assessment of measurement and the structural model. Findings suggest a strong relationship between optimism and innovativeness towards e-service adoption among Omanis, validating the proposed framework. Additionally, discomfort and insecurity are found to have no significant effect on the adoption of e-Services. These findings were then used as a basis to provide recommendations and facilitate government and other non-government agencies responsible for e-Services.