| dc.description.abstract | This research explores the extent at which electronic publishing has diffused and been adopted by book and journal publishers in Kenya. It is guided by the Diffusion of (information) Innovations theory and specifically examines the extent and reasons why electronic publishing has spread and been adopted among the publishers. It also determines the role played by communication channels in the diffusion and adoption of electronic publishing; how organizational characteristics of book and journal publishers affect the decisions by publishers to adopt electronic publishing; how adoption attributes of electronic publishing influence the perception and adoption tendencies of book and journal publishers, to mention but a few.
The methodology used includes quantitative research approach and descriptive survey design. Using stratified random sampling technique, 20 respondent publishers have been drawn from a target population of 31 publishers in Kenya while purposive sampling procedure has been used to identify experts in electronic publishing. Questionnaire, interviews, website reviews and
documents reviews have been employed for data collection.
Findings emerging from this study show that only a few publishers have managed to produce ebooks and e-journals, the internet is slowly surpassing the traditional mass media in disseminating infonnation about new innovations and differences exist in the magnitude at which communication channels relay first information about an innovation and/or influence the decision to adopt an innovation. The study recommends introduction of security codes, increased access to the internet, pro-activity among publishers to embrace electronic book technology and increased expansion of electricity supply. | en_US |
