THE ROLE OF DEFAULTS IN PREVENTING INNOVATION REJECTION

Innovation rejection remains a serious problem for companies introducing new products, as customers may overvalue products they already own and underestimate the innovation's advantage. Choice data from two experiments demonstrate that innovation rejection is determined by (dis)satisfaction with the status quo and that defaults are powerful instruments to overcome the status quo effect in innovation decision making. Innovation rejection decreases significantly if the innovation is implemented as a default, an option customers select unless they actively opt out. Furthermore, it is observed that implementing the innovation as the default significantly increases the perceived value and decreases the perceived risk of the innovation. Taking into account customer expertise, the authors detect that defaults are more effective in reducing innovation rejection for novices. The study derives managerial implications for new product launch management that aims at preventing innovation rejection.

THE NEGATIVE EFFECT OF A PERCEIVED LACK OF AN INSTALLED BASE ON TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

In this paper, I analyse the impact that a perceived lack of an installed base has on the adoption of technological products. I use the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which considers perceived usefulness and ease-of-use as the central drivers of adoption and propose that the perceived lack of an installed base influences these two drivers. Based on cue utilisation theory, I further suggest that a perceived lack of an installed base can serve as an extrinsic cue of product quality deficiencies and difficulties with obtaining help and advice. In order to verify the supposed effect of a perceived lack of an installed base, I survey 162 households. The data shows that a perceived lack of an installed base of thermal solar systems (1) decreases their perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use and (2) acts as a mediator of the perceived risk. The study implies that managers launching technical innovations should develop strategies to influence consumers' perceptions of the current and the future installed base and communicate the development of the installed base to trigger adoption.

Factors affecting the adoption of quality assurance technologies in healthcare

PURPOSE

In the light of public concern and of strong policy emphasis on quality and safety in the nursing care of patients in hospital settings, this paper aims to focus on the factors affecting the adoption of innovative quality assurance technologies.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Two sets of complementary literature were mined for key themes. Next, new empirical insights were sought. Data gathering was conducted in three phases. The first involved contact with NHS Technology Hubs and other institutions which had insights into leading centres in quality assurance technologies. The second phase was a series of telephone interviews with lead nurses in those hospitals which were identified in the first phase as comprising the leading centres. The third phase comprised a series of face to face interviews with innovators and adopters of healthcare quality assurance technologies in five hospital trusts.

FINDINGS

There were three main sets of findings. First, despite the strong policy push and the templates established at national level, there were significant variations in the nature and robustness of the quality assurance toolkits that were developed, adapted and adopted. Second, in most of the adopting cases there were important obstacles to the full adoption of the toolkits that were designed. Third, the extent and nature of the ambition of the developers varied dramatically - some wished to see their work impacting widely across the health service; others had a number of different reasons for wanting to restrict the impact of their work.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The general concerns about front-line care and the various inquiries into care quality failures emphasise the need for improved and consistent care quality assurance methodologies and practice. The technology adoption literature gives only partial insight into the nature of the challenges; this paper offers specific insights into the factors inhibiting the full adoption of quality assurance technologies in ward-based care.