Assessing the acceptance of mobile phone technology in Tanzanian SMEs

Abstract

Purpose This study investigates the acceptance of mobile phone technology in Tanzanian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with a special focus on service quality.Design/methodology/approach The conceptual framework was designed by extending the TAM with an additional construct, service quality, before testing a model in a survey of 155 respondents and analysing using Smart PLS 4.Findings Service quality was found to be among the significant factors in the acceptance of mobile phone technology among SME employees.Research limitations/implications This implies that the higher the quality of service offered, the more employees accept and use mobile phone technology in their duties and improve the productivity of SMEs.Practical implications The aspects of quality of mobile phone technology usage such as call dropouts, network quality, speed, etc., must be improved significantly.Social implications The Mobile Network Operators and Regulators must understand that employees are offered the most accurate and reliable mobile phone services for its usefulness to be realised.Originality/value The originality is a modified version of a TAM that accommodates service quality that has been tested in the Tanzanian context.