GALEF, BARRY; PHD
YALE UNIVERSITY, 1983
ECONOMICS, GENERAL (0501)
The aim of this dissertation is to identify the main influences on the diffusion
of new analytical
instruments, and to compare these influences to those for types of innovations
which do not share the
analytical instrument's feature of facilitating further innovation. In pursuit
of these objectives, a framework
for analyzing the adoption decision for instruments is developed. A crucial
element in the framework is
the description of the form that anticipated benefits from the instruments take
in the non-profit,
scientifically-oriented environment in which analytical instruments are commonly
used. Given this
framework, the patterns of diffusion in terms of the characteristics of the
adopting organizations, the
flows of communication from the adopters to potential adopters, and the time
required for different steps
in the adoption processes are analyzed statistically. Data for the analysis
was collected using a
questionnaire sent to purchasers of five types of instruments: high performance
liquid chromatographs,
amino acid analyzers, laser-raman spectroscopes, thermal analyzers, and nuclear
magnetic resonance
spectrometers. A principal finding is, as predicted through the use of the framework
for analysis of the
adoption decision, that the degree of orientation towards the goals of science
is an important
determinant of the rate of adoption. Other important conclusions are that early
adopters play a crucial role
in facilitating further adoptions; that awareness of the new instruments spread
slowly enough, in spite of
publicity by their manufacturers, to act as a significant check on the rate
of diffusion; and that awareness
spread more rapidly among those with greater innate need for the new instruments,
which supports the
hypothesis that potential adopters practice selective exposure to, and perception
of, messages
concerning the innovations.
Social
Systems Simulation Group
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