Key Factors Affecting the Diffusion of Innovations

• Main Authors: TAYLOR,GREGORY, 桂格立
• Other Authors: WU,CHING-YAN
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/24609230612866282316

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 國際創業與經營管理學程碩士在職專班 === 104 === Throughout history, the diffusion of innovation theory has taught us that is typically takes much longer for proven concepts or programs to become part of practice. It wasn’t until 1975 that the British merchant navy introduced citrus fruits into the diets of their sailors aboard even though citrus juice was proven effective against scurvy in 1601. History continues to repeat itself and knowledge-practice gaps continue to persist in rural sociology, public health and even social media. So where does the diffusion process begin to diminish among adopters? In this paper, the author will analyze how adoption decisions are influenced by the characteristics of innovations, behaviors of adopters and the nature or extent of interpersonal and mass media factors. The decisions of adopters and change agents will help determine how the knowledge-practice gap is formed with regards to the role of settings and organizations. The big takeaway from this research is the high importance of considering the environmental context or setting when targeting potential adopters of a new innovation.