Authors : Osama Isaac, Zaini Abdullah, T. Ramayah, Ahmed M. Mutahar and Ibrahim Alrajawy
Abstract: Internet technology has changed everyday life and significantly impacted every facet of operations in organizations. However, there are developing countries such as Yemen which have very low internet usage rates and which see little economic, social and cultural progress as a result. Many scholars have studied and proposed theories and models to predict and explain user behaviour with technology seeking to understand ambiguities in technology usage. In the context of its use by organizations, actual usage is not enough to give a full picture without taking into consideration whether the technology fits with tasks or not. This study addresses this and investigates the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and actual internet usage as a way to measure the effectiveness of information systems. It applies the TTF model as underpinning theory, extends it with two antecedent variables (i.e., organizational and social characteristics) and deals with the outcome variable (performance impact) as a second-order model containing four first-order constructs (i.e., job process, knowledge acquisition, communication quality and decision quality). A survey questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 530 internet users among employees within government ministries in Yemen. The analysis included Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via AMOS and the results showed that the data fit the extended TTF model well. The findings of the multivariate analysis achieved three main results: first, the antecedent variables (task, technology, individual and social characteristics) have a positive impact on TTF; second, the outcome variable (performance impact) is positively influenced by TTF and actual internet usage and third, the TTF has a strong positive impact on actual internet usage. Theoretical and practical implications were also examined.
Osama Isaac, Zaini Abdullah, T. Ramayah, Ahmed M. Mutahar and Ibrahim Alrajawy, 2017. Towards a Better Understanding of Internet Technology Usage by Yemeni Employees in the Public Sector: An Extension of the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) Model. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 12: 205-223.