Potential applicants’ expectation-confirmation and intentions

• Published in: Computers in human behavior 2015-03, Vol.44, p.183-190
• Main Authors: Eveleth, Daniel M., Baker-Eveleth, Lori J., Stone, Robert W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Computer simulation; Contracts; Empirical analysis; Expectation-confirmation; Human behavior; Job applicant recruitment; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Samples; Students; Website usability; Websites
• ISSN: 0747-5632; 1873-7692
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.025

•Website engagement, content, and feedback influence website usability.•Website usability influences website perceived usefulness and satisfaction.•Website usability influences expectation confirmation of company after website use.•Expectation confirmation influences website perceived usefulness and satisfaction.•Website usefulness and satisfaction influence behavioral intentions to the company. Companies dedicate a substantial amount of financial resources and efforts toward recruiting potential employees. A company’s website plays an important role in this process, but little is known about how job-seekers’ experiences on the website affects their attitudes and intentions toward the company. This research examines the extent to which job-seekers’ expectations about the company are confirmed or disconfirmed by their experiences with the website and the degree that these expectations affect their intentions. The presented theoretical model is based on the expectation confirmation model adapted to include website usability and its determinants. Data to empirical test the model were collected by administering a survey to university students and WebTurk contract workers. The sample consisted of 199 usable responses. The empirical analysis used structural equations modeling. The fit of the measured theoretical model to the data was also good and all the paths in the measurement and structural models were statistically significant. The structural model shows that expectation-confirmation influences respondents’ intentions, indirectly, through satisfaction with the website and perceived usefulness of the site. Furthermore, engagement, website content and interactivity influence website usability while website usability influences expectation confirmation and perceived usefulness. Implications and conclusions based on these findings were also provided.