Background and aims: The primary objective of the present study was to investigate which cell-phone activities are associated with cell-phone addiction. No research to date has studied the full-range of cell-phone activities, and their relationship to cell-phone addiction, across male and female cell-phone users. Methods: College undergraduates (N = 164) participated in an online survey. Participants completed the questionnaire as part of their class requirements. The questionnaire took 10 and 15 minutes to complete and contained a measure of cell-phone addiction and questions that asked how much time participants spent daily on 24 cell-phone activities. Results: Findings revealed cell-phone activities that are associated significantly with cell-phone addiction (e.g., Instagram, Pinterest), as well as activities that one might logically assume would be associated with this form of addiction but are not (e.g., Internet use and Gaming). Cell-phone activities that drive cell-phone addiction (CPA) were found to vary considerably across male and female cell-phone users. Although a strong social component drove CPA for both males and females, the specific activities associated with CPA differed markedly. Conclusions: CPA amongst the total sample is largely driven by a desire to connect socially. The activities found to be associated with CPA, however, differed across the sexes. As the functionality of cell-phones continues to expand, addiction to this seemingly indispensable piece of technology becomes an increasingly realistic possibility. Future research must identify the activities that push cell-phone use beyond its “;tipping point” where it crosses the line from a helpful tool to one that undermines our personal well-being and that of others.

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Examines the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction from two distinct methodological perspectives. Specifically, a study utilizing a sample of international private banking customers is conducted wherein service quality is operationalized via two distinct and well‐known measures – SERVQUAL and Technical/Functional Quality. These two service quality measures are subsequently compared and contrasted as to their ability to predict customer satisfaction. To further assess the validity of these findings, two moderators of the service‐quality/customer‐satisfaction relationship are introduced and evaluated. Finally, this research examines the potential utility of employing separate measures for customer satisfaction from the perspectives of both technical and functional aspects of the service delivery process. Overall, our findings are of importance to service managers as they strive to identify efficient and effective approaches for improving quality. The paper explores the theoretical and practical insights of the findings, including potential strengths and limitations of current service quality models with regard to their ability to define and explain the quality/satisfaction relationship.

PurposeThis paper explores the relationships between consumer innovativeness, self‐efficacy on the internet, internet attitudes and online banking adoption, while controlling for personal characteristics.Design/methodology/approachThe study integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and adoption of innovation framework to develop predictions of online banking acceptance. It distinguishes between innate consumer innovativeness, a generalized personality trait, and internet‐domain‐specific or actualized innovativeness in order to explore consumer characteristics' impact on adoption. Data are analyzed using logistic regression.FindingsWhile results confirm the positive relationship between internet related innovativeness and online banking they also surprisingly show that general innovativeness is negatively related to online banking.Research limitations/implicationsResults may or may not differ according to whether consumers are using online, telephone banking, electronic funds transfer (EFT) or direct bill payment. Our results may generalize to telephone banking and EFT as these products, like online banking, require an active consumer role in using the product. With direct bill payment, consumers need only set up the process initially and then monitor it on a semi‐regular basis.Practical implicationsFindings suggest that the type of consumer innovation matters in understanding the adoption of e‐banking processes. This supports the notion that online shoppers are distinct from traditional non‐online shoppers or highlight the unique nature of purchasing financial versus non‐financial products. Banks offering e‐banking need to recognize the importance of internet‐specific consumer innovation characteristics.Originality/valueThis paper closes a research gap as the model tested provides insights toward understanding the consumer‐based phenomenon of e‐banking, and serves to evaluate the TAM in this context. In contrast to previous research the study utilized an actual measure of e‐banking adoption versus a measure of intention to use the technology.