Understanding golfers’ acceptance behavior toward robotic golf caddies by merging the task technology fits theory and the perceived risk theory

Abstract

The current paper was designed to understand how to form the acceptance behavior of golfers toward robotic golf caddies, which conducted a hypothetico-deductive approach. The study focused on two questions: i) Can the TTF theory explain the acceptance behavior of golfers toward robotic golf caddies? ii) Do perceived risks negatively affect the acceptance behavior of golfers toward robotic golf caddies? Thus, the study postulated the impacts of task/technology characteristics and the five perceived risks (i.e. financial, time, privacy, performance, and psychological) on task technology fit, and the link between task technology fit and behavioral intentions. The data was collected from 387 golfers in South Korea, and the hypotheses tests were conducted by structural equation modeling. The results of the data analysis indicate that both task and technology characteristics increase task technology fit, and the four dimensions of perceived risks, which include time, privacy, performance, and psychology, have a negative influence on task technology fit. In addition, task technology fit also increases behavioral intentions. The study provides theoretical contributions by filling the acknowledged research gaps, and it also presents managerial implications in regard to commercializing robotic caddies in the golf industry.