1. Introduction
The expected productivity gains and organizational
benefits delivered by information systems (IS) cannot
be realized unless they are actually used. Acceptance
and utilization of IS has been identified as one of the
critical issues by IS executives [33] and researchers
[9]. However, IS users are not likely to adopt or use a
system if they perceive it to be difficult to use. The
technology acceptance model (TAM) [8], the most
widely applied model among a variety that have been
advanced to date to explain user acceptance and usage
behavior of information technology, theorizes that
perceived ease of use is an important determinant
of an individual’s intention to use the system and a
significant body of research has accumulated empirical
support to show that it plays a critical role in
predicting and determining a user’s technology acceptance
behavior [42,44].
Users generally perceive a system easier to use as
they gain more knowledge and confidence through
direct experience in using the system. Social cognitive
theory [2] identifies enactive mastery attained through
direct experience as the most influential mechanism
that raises an individual’s confidence in attaining
effective performance levels. Prior studies of user