Quality Evaluation Models - High Level Models and Methodologies for Information Systems - page 97

Fig. 6.5 Beliefs in uence
attitudes, which in uence
intentions, which determine
behaviors. Behaviors can
create new beliefs

people around the user have in relation to that behavior and the user ' s drive to act

accordingly (Chuttur 2009 ).
The relationships between beliefs and attitudes, attitudes and intentions, and
intentions and behaviors constitute a cycle and not a one-way progress. This is
because new beliefs are formed upon performing new behaviors, making the entire
process a

fluid and ever-evolving one. Changes within the process are arrived at
mainly through active participation and persuasive communication, two strategies
that expose individuals to information that can have determinant impact on either
individual or external beliefs, and ultimately affecting their behavioral choices. The
more discrepant that information is in relation to the existing beliefs, the more
dif cult it will be for it to affect behavior (Fishbein and Ajzen 1975 ).

TRA argues that individuals can have more than one reference when creating
normative beliefs. The usual referents are identi ed as partners, immediate family,

and friends. Nonetheless, in case of speci c behaviors, individuals turn to work

peers, public authorities, or doctors as referents. The subjective norm is the result of
the normative beliefs toward an individual

'

s referents. The subjective norm comes
from what a person perceives as being social pressure (Ajzen 2012 ). The fact that
TRA introduced the variable of social in

uence gave this theory an advantage over
other models of technology acceptance and usage (Sun et al. 2013 ).
Since the TRA has a strong base in user behavior, it is important to underline
that one of the most important aspects of external in s

attitude is cultural context. Hence, some authors argue that the TRA model should
account for cultural dissimilarities and be adapted to speci

uence over an individual '

c settings. Overview of
the body of research suggests that this model is useful for research in developed
countries, particularly the USA, but seldom (if at all) used in developing countries
or non-Western ones, thus suggesting that greater cultural flexibility is needed

(Albarq and Alsughayir 2013 ).