Corporate mobile applications in Hungarian SMEs: Management challenges and employee adoption

Abstract

The ongoing process of digitalization presents both opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly when it comes to integrating corporate mobile applications into daily operations. This study examines the key factors that influence employees’ acceptance of, and their actual use of, employer-provided mobile applications. Primary data were collected via a structured questionnaire survey conducted between March and July 2024 in Hajdú-Bihar County, Hungary. The target population comprised employees of SMEs and micro-enterprises who had access to such applications. Non-probability purposive sampling was employed to ensure relevance, yielding a total of 161 valid responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using structural equation modelling via the partial least squares method. The results demonstrate that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and price value have a statistically significant positive impact on behavioral intention, which in turn is the strongest predictor of actual use. The model explains 69% of the variance in behavioral intention and 87.2% of the variance in actual use, which highlights the robustness of the findings. Conversely, social influence and effort expectancy played no meaningful role in this context, suggesting that adoption is shaped less by peer pressure or perceived ease of use and more by perceived benefits, organizational support, and motivational factors. From a management perspective, the findings emphasize the importance of investing in digital infrastructure, providing organizational support, and improving perceived value and user experience. Such measures are crucial for supporting effective implementation and fostering sustainable digital transformation in SMEs.