UNDERSTANDING IS CONTINUANCE: AN IS COMMITMENT PERSPECTIVE By

By YE WANG, Ph.D. Washington State University August 2008 Co-Chair: Joseph S. Valacich Co-Chair: Traci J. Hess The adoption of information systems (IS) by individuals has been a focus of IS research for years. Although initial adoption has been extensively studied by many researchers, less is known concerning users’ psychological relationship with adopted information systems, especially when alternative systems are available. Along with the growing interest in understanding effective use of IS beyond adoption, continued use of IS attracted increasing attention in the IS field indicating a need for in depth understanding of user’s loyalty to adopted systems. To date, researchers have reported few attempts to identify an effective while parsimonious model of user loyalty and switching determinants. This research is carried out with a goal to fill this research gap by providing a theoretical framework along with empirical evidence that may contribute to both academic research and management practice. This dissertation incorporates commitment theories, which originated in social psychology, to the study of IS continuance and system switching intention. Integrating existing models of IS continuance, this dissertation proposes an IS commitment model that can help explain why some information systems enjoy sustained use while others diminish soon after initial adoption. Specifically, this dissertation suggests that IS