Context: Researchers in serious games area and professionals in stroke rehabilitation, working collaboratively in explorative interdisciplinary research studies in order to develop usable and effective applications. In this context, physiotherapists and occupational therapy are important elements of stroke rehabilitation. Applications from such exploratory development reflect motivational and easy to use features, which could be further designed and developed by serious games developers. Objectives: The research study aims to investigate the role and usefulness of Video Capture Virtual Reality Technology (VCVRT) in motor impairment rehabilitation, to identify and explore the importance of this technology in healthcare, specifically in motor impairment rehabilitation. Likewise, to analyze the acceptance of VCVRT among the physiotherapists in terms of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived intension to use. Methods: In this exploratory study literature review, workshop and survey including questionnaire and interview are used, taking Blekinge County Hospital (Karlshamn) as case study along with “TARGET” game as testing platform for introducing and evaluating VCVRT among physiotherapists. For exploring technology acceptance level among physiotherapists, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used in the research work. Results: Video capture virtual reality technology can be used as a complement to conventional physiotherapy. This technology is cheap, easy to use and is useful as a home based rehabilitation tool, but together with physiotherapist supervision or coaching. Moreover, VCVRT is motivational for weak patients and useful in motor rehabilitation in terms of quantity, i.e. intensity of exercise can be increased. Physiotherapist centered approach is necessary for game design process; effective game design suggestions and the idea of single gaming framework consists of different games acquiring multiple rehabilitation goals, are achieved from physiotherapists during the research. Technology acceptance value is high among physiotherapists. Conclusion: The research study provides a more detailed understanding of the factors involved in the implication of video capture virtual reality technology in motor impairment rehabilitation. The authors concluded from the research study that video capture virtual reality technology is applicable for motor impairment rehabilitation while considering following factors, i.e. Physiotherapist centered approach, a gaming framework where a portfolio of games can be assembled for individual patients, and video capture virtual reality technology is applicable for home based rehabilitation under the supervision of physiotherapist. Furthermore, physiotherapists’ concerns and importance in the intervention of serious games and healthcare area are highlighted by this research work.

Date: 05 June 2017 Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 ECTS Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Meier, Philip Soltani, Nazila Khodabandeloo (88/03/11) (93/07/05) Title: Understanding and Predicting Students’ Intention to Pay for Private Cloud Storage Services Tutour: Konstantin Lampou Keywords: cloud storage service, iCloud, technology acceptance model, information systems, user acceptance, intention to pay Research Question: What are students’ intention to pay for private cloud storage services and why? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ intention to pay for private cloud storage services, in order to find out how willing they are to pay for such services and for what reasons. Method: This study takes a qualitative approach, where both primary and secondary data are collected. Secondary data was collected through i.e. empirical studies and annual publications. Primary empirical data was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 21 students of Mälardalen University. The primary empirical data was analysed using a thematic analysis. Conclusion: Conducting this study showed, that most of the factors’ influences on students’ intention to pay for private cloud storages were positive, resulting in an overall high willingness to pay. The perceived monetary sacrifice was regarded as very low, hence not preventing potential customers from paying for the services. Considerable issues were however found in the perceived quality, more precisely in the perceived reliability and the lack of trust expressed in private cloud services. Finally, unused potential for private cloud service providers to positively influence students’ attitudes was found both in the perceived usefulness and subjective norm factors.

The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of students towards, and use of ICT in KHEIs (private- public), as well as identifying the factors that influence students‟ attitudes towards using ICT in their daily learning. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to examine the influence of the factors: type of university, gender, academic discipline, language of learning, students‟ ICT experience and ICT support, on the Perceive Ease (PEOU) of Use and Perceive Usefulness (PU), as internal components of attitude. This study employed mixed research methods to achieve its aims and objectives. The study sample consisted of 717 students from the sciences and humanities at both the Public University and the private University in Kuwait. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from students by distributing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The principal quantitative results of this study were: (1) the overall attitude of public university students towards using ICT in their learning are more positive than the attitudes of students at the private university; (2) the type of university, gender, level of ICT experience and ICT support factors have an influence on students‟ attitudes through the PEOU and PU; (3) the factor of academic discipline only influences students in terms of the PEOU and PU, and (4) learning English has a positive influence on students‟ attitudes towards ICT. At the same time, the qualitative results show that the use of ICT tools in their English version can improve students‟ English language skills. Another qualitative result shows that the social communication between students and the peer learning can positively influence their attitude towards ICT, as well as improving their ICT experience and skills. Recommendations were subsequently made to stakeholders and educators at both universities, based on the findings of the study. Further ideas were then identified for future research.

The influence of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on consumers’ purchase intentions has long been known. However, the emergence of social media has brought a new perspective to eWOM through enabling users to communicate with their existing networks on the Internet. On social media, conversely to the other online platforms, users are able to exchange their opinions and experiences about products or services with familiar people, which refers to people who they already know such as friends and acquaintances. This new way of eWOM has the potential for greater impact on consumers. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions. To do so, the research in this thesis involved two major phases. In the first phase, in order to explore the determinants of eWOM information on social media which influences consumers’ purchase intentions, a theoretical model was developed based on the integration of Information Adoption Model (IAM) and related components of Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). The new model, which is named as Information Acceptance Model (IACM), was validated through structural equation modelling (SEM) based on surveys of 384 social media users in the UK. The results have highlighted that quality, credibility, usefulness and adoption of information, needs of information and attitude towards information are the key factors for eWOM in social media which influence consumers’ purchase intentions. Furthermore, to provide better understanding of the influence of eWOM on social media, the second phase of this research was designed as a comparative study. To explore whether the eWOM between familiar people on social media or the eWOM between anonymous people on other online platforms was more influential on consumers’ purchase intentions, the data collected through survey was reanalysed with a different perspective; and a comparison was conducted based on multiple regression analysis. The results have revealed significant differences and found anonymous reviews to be more influential on consumers’ purchase intentions than friends’ recommendations on social media. However, since these results were contrary to expectations, 10 in-depth interviews were also administered to enlighten the insightful results found through the survey. The interview findings uncovered the survey results. Information quantity, information readiness, detailed information, and dedicated information were discovered as the factors which make online reviews superior than friends’ recommendations in terms of the influence of eWOM. This research contributes to theoretical implications through its validated model and found key dimensions. The research model, IACM, brings a new approach to information adoption by extending IAM and provides new insights to researchers who study Information Systems (IS). In addition, the model highlights the information adoption process as an antecedent of behavioural intention, which is a very important finding for the related literature. Future studies can build new models through considering this relationship between information adoption process and behavioural intention. Moreover, the second phase of this research provides new constructs for future studies through its qualitative findings. The findings reached through in-depth interviews, which explain why consumers prefer anonymous online reviews, can either be tested as components of new theories and models or they can be tested as inclusion of existing theories and models. Both types have potential to provide valuable results for the literature. On the other hand, in terms of practicality, this research provides marketers with a frame of reference to understand the influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions. Both the contextual and the comparative studies in this research offer valuable insights for marketers; marketers thus can develop better strategies for marketing on social media.

Increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, aging, and population growth pose significant sustainability challenges to health systems. Especially the health systems of low- and middle-income countries are more vulnerable to the risks related to non-communicable diseases and demographic changes. As the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrates, the quality of health systems is vital to save lives, and even the most developed countries are not immune to the consequences of global health crises. The World Health Organization estimates that non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes cause around 40 million deaths in a year, and 15 million people aged between 30 and 69 suffer from premature deaths mostly in low- and middle-income countries. The United Nations aim to address this problem through the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 that stresses to reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and promote mental health and well-being until 2030. Poor quality health systems and inadequate access to healthcare services by the most vulnerable groups are some of the main reasons for premature deaths. Improving the quality of health systems through innovation and digitalisation is strategic to deliver essential healthcare services to the most vulnerable people. Digital health technologies such as mobile health applications for chronic disease self-management play a key role in improving the health status of individuals and the accessibility of healthcare services. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (‘T2DM’) is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases suffered by almost half a billion people, and current developments in digital health technologies offer innovative methods for its treatment. Hence, this study investigates the effectiveness of a T2DM self-management smartphone application called DiaWatch and its potential benefits for the Sustainable Development Goals in terms of addressing the challenges of health systems. Methodology: Using the Technology Acceptance Model as an overall conceptual framework, a comprehensive literature review was performed to clearly define the objectives and methods for the study. Based on these findings, two sets of semi-structured qualitative interview questions have been prepared for collecting empirical data. Ten healthcare professionals working at a university hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, and ten T2DM patients using a T2DM self-management app called DiaWatch have been interviewed from mid-February to early-March. A thematic analysis has been carried out to analyse the empirical data collected through the semi-structured interviews. Results: Firstly, the results of the interviews with T2DM patients using the DiaWatch app suggest that the health status and chronic condition self-management experience of the majority of the interviewees improved since using the app and they adopted behavioural changes, such as being more adherent to the treatment, increased physical activity, having a healthier diet and measuring blood glucose level more regularly. The interviewees reported less dependency on healthcare facilities and increased accessibility of healthcare services, as they are tele-monitored by their physicians. Secondly, the results of the interviews with healthcare professionals highlight the benefits of digital health technologies for the health systems in terms of facilitating the job of healthcare staff, reducing the costs, and saving time. The interviewees state that tele-monitoring helps to decrease the number of redundant hospital admissions and screenings; however, data privacy and irreplaceability of face-to-face medical examinations are the main concerns before the acceptance of these technologies.

Thesis (M.Inf) --University of Limpopo, 2019. / The use of social media (SM) tools in both public and private institutions is growing remarkably. Academic libraries, in particular are confronted with serious challenges of becoming the leader in adopting various SM platforms to enhance the delivery of library and information services to their users. This study investigated the extent and ways in which librarians attached to the University of Limpopo library use SM platforms in the provision of library and information services to their patrons. The study examined types of SM tools used, purposes that SM tools are used for in academic libraries, factors that determine and impede the use of SM, as well as the attitudes of the library staff towards the use of SM in providing library and information services. The study adopted a qualitative research approach through the use of a semi-structured interview (administered face-to-face) with 10 academic librarians at the University of Limpopo (UL) as a data collection method. The findings of the study show that UL library staff largely use SM platforms such as Facebook to market and promote library services as well as Library-Blog to liaise with the schools or faculties. The study further revealed that librarians at UL are not in charge of SM applications. Instead the Marketing and Communication Department administrator is responsible for the management of SM in the university. The study notes that library personnel are aware of various SM platforms. Therefore, it has a direct influence on their use in work-related tasks. Moreover, the ease of use, low cost, high demand and usefulness of SM applications are contributory factors which motivated the librarians to want to use it. The study further reveals factors that inhibit the effective use of these applications and recommends that library management should create SM policies to boost the effective use of SM for the benefit of library patrons.

To achieve the widespread diffusion of autonomous electric buses (AEBs) and thus harness their environmental potential, a broad acceptance of new technology-based mobility concepts must be fostered. Still, there remains little known about the factors determining their acceptance, especially in the combination of vehicles with alternative fuels and autonomous driving modes, as is the case with AEBs. In this study, we first conducted qualitative research to identify relevant factors influencing individual acceptance of autonomously driven electric buses. We then developed a comprehensive research model that was validated through a survey of 268 passengers of an AEB, operated in regular road traffic in Germany. The results indicate that a mix of individual factors, social impacts, and system characteristics determine an individual’s acceptance of AEBs. Notably, it is important that users perceive AEBs, not only as advantageous, but also trustworthy, enjoyable, and in a positive social light. Our research supplements the existing corpora by demonstrating the importance of individual acceptance and incorporating it to derive policy implications.

As a result of covid-19, there has been an increase of digitalisation in society and remote-work has therefore also increased. Workplaces have sent employees home and meetings have taken place through video calls over the internet. Remote-work is not evenly distributed across different occupational groups, but within financial institutions, the majority of work can be performed in an independent location. The purpose of this paper is to gain an increased understanding of the experience of usability within digital conference tools. This paper examines the perceived usefulness of conference tools by applying the theories Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). This paper uses both a questionnaire and interviews to answer the research question. The result indicates that the experience of usability has a TAM score of 75,39 for the total average at financial institutions. One difference that the study found was the experience of usability based on the length of time the employee has used Microsoft Teams at financial institutions, the less time of use, the lower the score. This means that there may be a learning need of Microsoft Teams. Positive experiences for Microsoft Teams perceived usability, which can be generalized to more conference tools, are time-saving, efficient and good functionality. Negative experiences for Microsoft Teams perceived usability, which also can be generalized to more conference tools, are file management, resource-heavy and impersonal.

Artificiell intelligens (AI) är idag en mycket omdiskuterad teknik med många postulerade användningsområden inom en bred rad vetenskapliga principer. Inom medicin har datorer länge hjälpt till med att analysera data och hjälpa medicinska utövare. Idag är frågan mer relevant än någonsin då medicinsk AI håller på att lanseras i kliniska miljöer och många utövare tror att tekniken kommer att få ett stort genomslag i framtiden. Utifrån denna bakgrund har vi velat undersöka Sveriges läkarstudenters inställning till AI som ett hjälpmedel inom sjukvården. Detta har gjorts genom en kvantitativ enkätbaserad undersökning som bygger på en modifiering av modellen Technology acceptance model 2 (TAM2) för att mäta attityderna till tekniken. Resultaten från enkäten har analyserats med hjälp av t-tester och regressionsanalys för att besvara våra forskningsfrågor. Analysen av resultaten visar bland annat att Sveriges läkarstudenters inställning till AI inom sjukvård är positiv och att de vill använda sig av tekniken. / Artificial intelligence (AI) is today a much debated technology with many postulated uses in a wide range of scientific principles. In medicine, computers have for a long time helped to analyze data and helped medical practitioners. Today, the issue is more relevant than ever as medical AI is being launched in clinical settings and many practitioners believe that the technology will have a major impact in the future. Based on this background, we have wanted to investigate Sweden's medical students' attitude to AI as a tool in healthcare. This has been done through a quantitative survey based on a modification of the model Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM2) to measure attitudes to this technology. The results from the survey have been analyzed using t-tests and regression analysis to answer our research questions. The analysis of the results shows, among other things, that Sweden's medical students' attitude to AI in healthcare is positive and that they want to use the technology.

The shift towards automation and safer vehicles will increasingly involve use of technological advancements such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Nevertheless, these technologies need to meet users’ perceived needs to be effectively implemented and purchased. Based on an updated version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study analyses the main determinants of drivers’ intention to use an ADAS aimed at detecting cyclist and preventing potential collision with them through an auto-braking system. Even if the relevance of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and trust on the acceptance of a new system has been already discussed in literature, we considered the role of an external variable such as attitudes towards cyclists in the prediction of an ADAS aimed to improve the safety of cyclists. We administered a questionnaire measuring negative attitudes towards cyclists, trust, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and the behavioural intention to use the system to 480 Italian drivers. Path analysis using Bayesian estimation showed that perceived usefulness, trust in the system, and negative attitudes towards cyclists have a direct effect on the intention to use the ADAS. Considering the role of attitudes towards other road users in the intention to use new ADAS aimed to improve their safety could foster the user’s acceptance, especially for those people who express a negative representation of cyclists and are even more unlikely to accept the technology.