THE INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL CULTURE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT ADOPTION

Abstract

Empirical studies on the impact of national culture on Information Technology (IT) product adoption are rare. In this paper, it is postulated that national culture plays a significant role in IT adoption. Empirical evidence is provided based on IT product adoption data for thirty nations over a period of ten years. A 7-IT set (Computers, PC, Telephone, cell phone, Fax, the Internet, Pagers) is considered for this study. These ITs are most frequently used in industry. The results show that even after controlling for economic and other significant national indicators, national cultural dimensions play a statistically significant role in most IT product adoptions. The result has implications for IT vendors, multi-national firms and cross-cultural researchers.