How Does the Choice of Technology Influence Reputation in the Trucking Sector? Empirical Evidence From India
研究结合有限理性与UTAUT理论，利用印度数据通过优化模型和定性访谈，分析卡车公司如何选择数字工具提升声誉，并给出短期与长期采纳策略。
This study integrates the concept of bounded rationality and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explain how trucking firms select digital tools for reputation enhancement. Reputation plays a critical role in the trucking sector, where persistent challenges such as delivery delays, accidents, theft, and mistrust between owners and drivers are common. Drawing on empirical data from India, this study employs a multi-stage approach that combines an optimization model with qualitative inquiry. While the optimization model yields (a) an optimal selection of tools aligned with specific reputation thresholds, and (b) a prioritization of reputation dimensions based on varying levels of expectation, the qualitative interviews with trucking firm owners and technology providers reveal areas of convergence and divergence between the model's outputs and practical realities. The findings suggest that as reputation expectations increase, firms should concentrate on a smaller set of key reputation dimensions. Our qualitative analysis reflects the realities of emerging economies, validating which combination of tools is more commonly adopted, and recommending short- and long-term adoption strategies for trucking firms. Research rigor is achieved by anchoring the reputation matrix in practitioner inputs and validating the optimization outcomes through qualitative inquiry.