Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting the E-Book Adoption—Research Agenda

Advances in information technology encourage the development of e-books. The 2010 Horizon Report predicts that e-book will be one of the six technologies most likely to affect higher education in coming years. Despite the huge investment in developing the e-book market, customer take-up over the past decades is still far below expectations. The success of e-book adoption depends on the implementation of an educational model that addresses learner needs as well as content relevance. To understand customer behavior intention in adopting e-books and to address the lack of holistic approach in adoption research, this project is proposed to investigate the intention of college students in using e-books. This cross-sectional research utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and four additional variables, namely, personal innovativeness of information technology, social influences, perceived costs, and environmental consciousness. The study is expected to contribute to the literature by providing an empirically validated extended TAM regarding e-books. Moreover, the results will provide important and useful information for academicians and publishers.