Behavior Change through Innovation Adoption: A Case Study of Alternative Mobility Solutions

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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Perustieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
Date
2016-04-06
Department
Major/Subject
International Design Business MAnagement
Mcode
TU 3007
Degree programme
Master’s Degree Programme in International Design Business Management (IDBM)
Language
en
Pages
98
Series
Abstract
The sustainability of urban transportation is becoming one of the biggest concerns in the field of mobility. Transportation behavior of urban citizens is highly car dependent. Alternative mobility solutions (AMS) like car-sharing services are seen as a potential innovative way to improve the environmental situation in cities. Despite AMS are present in the market, there are challenges for people to adopt this type of services and change their behavior towards more sustainable urban living. To address this challenge, it is important to identify What are the factors influencing an individual decision to adopt AMS innovation and change user behavior. There is no coherent framework to study innovation adoption in transportation related to AMS. This study aims at providing a fresh perspective on innovation adoption and behavior change in modern urban transportation with the focus on AMS. This includes synthesis of three theories to introduce a framework that presents factors which can be taken into account when developing an intervention in the transportation sector. The factors of the proposed framework are tested and validated in this research through multiple case studies in the form of interviews with transportation experts (N=8) in Finland. Findings demonstrate an importance of understanding influential elements in an ecosystem that affect innovation adoption. These elements include involvement of every stakeholder in addressing individual behavior change, particularly, peers that individuals trust, and government representation. As a part of this study, the innovation characteristics are specifically emphasized as factors with an important role in AMS innovation adoption decision. For instance, minimum complexity, opportunity to try an innovation before making the adoption decision, competitive pricing, and compatibility to prior experiences were listed as the most influential characteristics. The results of the study serve as a basis for the research on the development of interventions in the transportation sector with a particular focus on alternative mobility solutions (AMS).
Description
Supervisor
Vartiainen, Matti
Thesis advisor
Vartiainen, Matti
Keywords
behavior change, innovation adoption, sustainable transportation, innovation adoption
Other note
Citation