Graduation Year
2016
Date of Submission
12-2016
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology
Second Department
Economics
Reader 1
Craig Bowman
Reader 2
Dean Peter Uvin
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2015 Reilly Jackson Umberger
Abstract
Autonomous, otherwise known as self-driving, vehicles represent the future of transportation. Vehicles that drive themselves offer far reaching benefits from increased leisure and productivity for individuals to significant improvements in congestion and infrastructure for governments. The autonomous car will radically change the way we look at transportation, and they are right around the corner. However, the question remains: are we ready? Are we, as a society, ready to hand over the steering the wheel and trust autonomous vehicles with our safety? This paper predicts how the autonomous car will spread through society by analyzing and applying the product qualities and consumer types described in Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Corporations, specifically Uber and Amazon, as opposed to individual consumers, will be the first to adapt, purchase and implement autonomous vehicles. Contrary to popular belief, these vehicles will not be successfully introduced as privately owned vehicles, and therefore, must be marketed towards corporations and organizations.
Recommended Citation
Umberger, Reilly Jackson, "Who Will Be the First to Buy Autonomous Vehicles? An Application of Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory" (2016). CMC Senior Theses. 1267.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1267
Included in
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