Service robots and initial trust dynamics: consumers’ ethical challenges in tourism and hospitality

Abstract

This study employs mixed methods to investigate the impacts of consumer perceived ethical issues regarding service robots in tourism and hospitality. The qualitative stage reveals ethical issues under two critical dimensions: interaction-based and robot feature-based. These findings establish a second-order structural model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Initial Trust Model. The results demonstrate that factors, except effort expectancy and interaction-based ethical issues, influence adoption. Initial trust mediates the impacts between ethical issues and adoption intention. Innovativeness moderates the relationship between initial trust and adoption intention, whereas age has no moderating effect.