The Value of TAM Antecedents in Global IS Development and Research

Theoretical models are often conceived and tested in western countries. However, culture influences theoretical models, and the importance of evaluating models in non-western cultures has grown with the accelerating pace of globalization. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is no exception, and more TAM research is being conducted in non-western countries. TAM constructs of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are difficult to act on, which has led to several studies that identified valid antecedents to these constructs that make the model more practically actionable. These antecedents were conceived and tested in a western country but have yet to be evaluated in the context of a non-western country. In this paper, the authors evaluate these antecedents in Saudi Arabia and find that they function in the specific context of general computer use by Saudi knowledge workers.