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In 1995, few retailers considered the Internet important to the future of their businesses. By 2000 the prevailing wisdom suggests that it has become almost imperative to incorporate the Internet into a company's business activities. However, whilst some areas of the U.K. retail sector are successfully integrating the Internet into their businesses others remain unconnected. This work is a study of Internet adoption amongst UK retailers from 1995 to 2000. It explores the level of adoption in terms of the technical progression and extent of adoption, in terms of the range of features included in retail Web-sites. Additionally, the project explores the factors that are likely to influence the retailers' Internet adoption progress. A multi-method research strategy was used combining qualitative and quantitative methods: an on-line survey of retail Web activities followed by in-depth interviews and finally, a postal survey. The results of the on-line survey reveal that Internet adoption varies according to retailer size and product assortment. Some retailers' Web-sites include a range of informational, interactive or transactional features, while others have yet to be developed sufficiently to be available via the Web. The results of the Interviews and postal survey indicate that some retail organisations may be better positioned to take advantage of the Internet than others. Indeed, nine critical factors are found to have a significant influence upon the retailers' level of Internet adoption. In particular, operating in an appropriate market sector and having a positive view of the viability of the Internet, in-conjunction with the development of an appropriate Internet strategy, can strongly facilitate a retailer's adoption progress. From the, researcher's perspective, this study is important as it identifies many new variables and factors, and provides insights into how to devise a robust, multi-faceted methodology.

O Brasil tem posição de destaque na produção agrícola mundial. A adoção de tecnologias que permitam preservar os recursos naturais e produzir alimento em quantidade e com qualidade é importante para o desenvolvimento do agronegócio. Dentre as tecnologias, destaca-se a Agricultura de Precisão – AP. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a adoção da AP e os fatores relacionados a tal decisão dos produtores rurais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Com este propósito, foram coletados dados através do envio de questionário para produtores rurais usuários da AP. A análise descritiva dos dados permitiu caracterizar os adotantes e a adoção das ferramentas de AP entre os produtores rurais, enquanto a análise fatorial seguida de regressão linear múltipla foram empregadas para verificar a percepção dos adotantes quanto aos atributos tecnológicos da AP. Os resultados mostram o crescimento da adoção da AP e que o tempo médio de adoção é de 4,3 anos. Os adotantes de AP possuem grau de escolaridade elevado, utilizam diversas fontes de informação, têm a renda predominantemente agrícola e cultivam grandes áreas de terra. As ferramentas de AP mais adotadas no cultivo de grãos (soja, milho e trigo) são a amostra de solo georreferenciada (ASG), a aplicação em taxa variada de corretivos e fertilizantes (ATV) e o sistema de direcionamento de barra de luz (BLZ). Constatou-se que a adoção da AP é altamente dependente da terceirização de serviços de AP. O número de ferramentas de AP adotadas está positivamente associado ao tamanho da área cultivada, anos de experiência com AP, renda agrícola e investimento em AP. Os atributos tecnológicos da AP – vantagem relativa, visibilidade, compatibilidade e experimentação – determinam 48% da satisfação do adotante de AP, sendo o fator de maior potencial explicativo a vantagem relativa da tecnologia. Evidenciado o crescimento recente da adoção da AP entre os produtores rurais no Brasil, emergem oportunidades de pesquisas que venham a contribuir com a indústria e instituições de fomento na difusão da AP. / Brazil plays an important role in world agricultural production. The adoption of technologies which allow the increase of food production with improving quality in addition to natural resources conservation is important for agribusiness development, and Precision Agriculture – PA stands out as an option to aid the achievement of these goals. The aim of this work was to investigate the Adoption of PA, as well as the factors related to its adoption by farmers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. With this purpose, an online survey was sent to PA adopters. Descriptive analysis allowed the characterization of the PA adopters and the identification of the most adopted PA tools, while factor analysis followed by multiple linear regression were used in order to verify users’ perception regarding PA technology attributes. The results show a PA adoption growth and an average time of adoption of 4.3 years. PA adopters have a high level of formal education, use several sources of information, have a predominantly agricultural income and cultivate large areas. The most adopted PA tools used for growing soybeans, maize and wheat are grid soil sampling, variable rate application and lightbar guidance. It was noted that PA adoption is highly dependent on PA services. The number of PA tools adopted is positive associated with the size of cultivated areas, years of PA use, agricultural income and investments in PA. PA technology attributes – relative advantage, observability, compatibility and trialability – determine 48% of the PA adopters’ satisfaction, being relative advantage of technology the factor of greatest explicative potential. The recent growth of PA adoption by Brazilian farmers shows emerging opportunities for research development which may contribute with industry and government institutions on PF diffusion.

Recent developments and hype around artificial intelligence (AI) have arisen as result of two main factors: increase in computational power and data. Although marketing is considered as one of the main business applications within AI today, there is a lack of literature combining the disciplines. Marketing management tools, which utilise AI in supporting decision making are referred to as knowledge-driven marketing management support systems (MMSS). These systems provide besides quantitative analysis, further qualitative facets into marketing management. Despite the willingness of many SMEs to engage with the technology that may foster competitive advantage, many adoption processes fail. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the factors influencing adoption of knowledge-driven MMSS in SMEs in Finland and Sweden. Qualitative primary data was collected from nine company representatives at top management level in Finnish and Swedish firms. Companies were classified in three categories, providers, adopters and non-adopters of knowledge-driven MMSS.   The findings show that there are several factors influencing adoption of knowledge-driven MMSS. The factors were grouped into technological, organizational and environmental factors, based on the TOE framework. Even though SMEs suffer from a lack of resources compared to large companies, this research suggests that they are at the forefront of adopting AI for marketing purposes. Additionally, it was found that the factors affecting adoption are dependent on whether the knowledge-driven MMSS is built in-house or outsourced.   This study has contributed to the identified gaps in literature by combining the disciplines of AI, marketing and SMEs, and by exploring the factors behind adoption of knowledge-driven MMSS. The authors of this thesis have the aspiration that the developed post-empirical framework will serve as a guiding tool for top management and marketing managers in SMEs looking to adopt knowledge-driven MMSS into their organizations.

O Brasil tem posição de destaque na produção agrícola mundial. A adoção de tecnologias que permitam preservar os recursos naturais e produzir alimento em quantidade e com qualidade é importante para o desenvolvimento do agronegócio. Dentre as tecnologias, destaca-se a Agricultura de Precisão – AP. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a adoção da AP e os fatores relacionados a tal decisão dos produtores rurais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Com este propósito, foram coletados dados através do envio de questionário para produtores rurais usuários da AP. A análise descritiva dos dados permitiu caracterizar os adotantes e a adoção das ferramentas de AP entre os produtores rurais, enquanto a análise fatorial seguida de regressão linear múltipla foram empregadas para verificar a percepção dos adotantes quanto aos atributos tecnológicos da AP. Os resultados mostram o crescimento da adoção da AP e que o tempo médio de adoção é de 4,3 anos. Os adotantes de AP possuem grau de escolaridade elevado, utilizam diversas fontes de informação, têm a renda predominantemente agrícola e cultivam grandes áreas de terra. As ferramentas de AP mais adotadas no cultivo de grãos (soja, milho e trigo) são a amostra de solo georreferenciada (ASG), a aplicação em taxa variada de corretivos e fertilizantes (ATV) e o sistema de direcionamento de barra de luz (BLZ). Constatou-se que a adoção da AP é altamente dependente da terceirização de serviços de AP. O número de ferramentas de AP adotadas está positivamente associado ao tamanho da área cultivada, anos de experiência com AP, renda agrícola e investimento em AP. Os atributos tecnológicos da AP – vantagem relativa, visibilidade, compatibilidade e experimentação – determinam 48% da satisfação do adotante de AP, sendo o fator de maior potencial explicativo a vantagem relativa da tecnologia. Evidenciado o crescimento recente da adoção da AP entre os produtores rurais no Brasil, emergem oportunidades de pesquisas que venham a contribuir com a indústria e instituições de fomento na difusão da AP. / Brazil plays an important role in world agricultural production. The adoption of technologies which allow the increase of food production with improving quality in addition to natural resources conservation is important for agribusiness development, and Precision Agriculture – PA stands out as an option to aid the achievement of these goals. The aim of this work was to investigate the Adoption of PA, as well as the factors related to its adoption by farmers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. With this purpose, an online survey was sent to PA adopters. Descriptive analysis allowed the characterization of the PA adopters and the identification of the most adopted PA tools, while factor analysis followed by multiple linear regression were used in order to verify users’ perception regarding PA technology attributes. The results show a PA adoption growth and an average time of adoption of 4.3 years. PA adopters have a high level of formal education, use several sources of information, have a predominantly agricultural income and cultivate large areas. The most adopted PA tools used for growing soybeans, maize and wheat are grid soil sampling, variable rate application and lightbar guidance. It was noted that PA adoption is highly dependent on PA services. The number of PA tools adopted is positive associated with the size of cultivated areas, years of PA use, agricultural income and investments in PA. PA technology attributes – relative advantage, observability, compatibility and trialability – determine 48% of the PA adopters’ satisfaction, being relative advantage of technology the factor of greatest explicative potential. The recent growth of PA adoption by Brazilian farmers shows emerging opportunities for research development which may contribute with industry and government institutions on PF diffusion.

O Brasil tem posição de destaque na produção agrícola mundial. A adoção de tecnologias que permitam preservar os recursos naturais e produzir alimento em quantidade e com qualidade é importante para o desenvolvimento do agronegócio. Dentre as tecnologias, destaca-se a Agricultura de Precisão – AP. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a adoção da AP e os fatores relacionados a tal decisão dos produtores rurais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Com este propósito, foram coletados dados através do envio de questionário para produtores rurais usuários da AP. A análise descritiva dos dados permitiu caracterizar os adotantes e a adoção das ferramentas de AP entre os produtores rurais, enquanto a análise fatorial seguida de regressão linear múltipla foram empregadas para verificar a percepção dos adotantes quanto aos atributos tecnológicos da AP. Os resultados mostram o crescimento da adoção da AP e que o tempo médio de adoção é de 4,3 anos. Os adotantes de AP possuem grau de escolaridade elevado, utilizam diversas fontes de informação, têm a renda predominantemente agrícola e cultivam grandes áreas de terra. As ferramentas de AP mais adotadas no cultivo de grãos (soja, milho e trigo) são a amostra de solo georreferenciada (ASG), a aplicação em taxa variada de corretivos e fertilizantes (ATV) e o sistema de direcionamento de barra de luz (BLZ). Constatou-se que a adoção da AP é altamente dependente da terceirização de serviços de AP. O número de ferramentas de AP adotadas está positivamente associado ao tamanho da área cultivada, anos de experiência com AP, renda agrícola e investimento em AP. Os atributos tecnológicos da AP – vantagem relativa, visibilidade, compatibilidade e experimentação – determinam 48% da satisfação do adotante de AP, sendo o fator de maior potencial explicativo a vantagem relativa da tecnologia. Evidenciado o crescimento recente da adoção da AP entre os produtores rurais no Brasil, emergem oportunidades de pesquisas que venham a contribuir com a indústria e instituições de fomento na difusão da AP. / Brazil plays an important role in world agricultural production. The adoption of technologies which allow the increase of food production with improving quality in addition to natural resources conservation is important for agribusiness development, and Precision Agriculture – PA stands out as an option to aid the achievement of these goals. The aim of this work was to investigate the Adoption of PA, as well as the factors related to its adoption by farmers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. With this purpose, an online survey was sent to PA adopters. Descriptive analysis allowed the characterization of the PA adopters and the identification of the most adopted PA tools, while factor analysis followed by multiple linear regression were used in order to verify users’ perception regarding PA technology attributes. The results show a PA adoption growth and an average time of adoption of 4.3 years. PA adopters have a high level of formal education, use several sources of information, have a predominantly agricultural income and cultivate large areas. The most adopted PA tools used for growing soybeans, maize and wheat are grid soil sampling, variable rate application and lightbar guidance. It was noted that PA adoption is highly dependent on PA services. The number of PA tools adopted is positive associated with the size of cultivated areas, years of PA use, agricultural income and investments in PA. PA technology attributes – relative advantage, observability, compatibility and trialability – determine 48% of the PA adopters’ satisfaction, being relative advantage of technology the factor of greatest explicative potential. The recent growth of PA adoption by Brazilian farmers shows emerging opportunities for research development which may contribute with industry and government institutions on PF diffusion.

Background: The intense growth of data that is continuously expanding has resulted in SMEs using cloud computing to store, process and analyze data. Thus, a critical element is for SMEs to understand the value of cloud computing and the factors influencing the adoption decision.  Problem: Due to the increased use of cloud computing, the importance of examining the factors that can affect and impact SMEs adoption has been highlighted. Cloud computing has been pointed out as a component for SMEs to stay competitive and sustainable in public crises and uncertain environments. Despite the importance among scholars, no research has studied cloud adoption factors among SMEs during 2020 - 2021 and the present of a public crisis. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate and explore SMEs cloud computing adoption factors in the turbulent time of a public crisis. The result of this research is expected to add knowledge and theoretical insights to existing literature and fill the gap within the underexplored context of cloud computing adoption factors during public crisis. Method: In this research, a qualitative research design was applied where six semi-structured interviews with people experienced of the phenomenon under study were conducted and eight customer cases with cloud users were collected from cloud providers' websites. Conclusion: The findings of this research declared ten significantly important factors; complexity, compatibility, relative advantage, cost savings, security, top management support, technology readiness, organizational culture, competition and trading partner pressure and supplier computing support, to influence SMEs cloud computing adoption. Although this research was conducted during the time of a public crisis, no conclusion of the crisis' impact on which factors influencing SMEs cloud computing adoption could be recognized.

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Internet voting (i-voting) has been researched since countries started trialing it two decades ago. Although several countries have abandoned their trials, some implemented i-voting in national elections. I-voting research discusses successful implementations of i-voting in countries such as Estonia, Switzerland, and Canada, which has generated many different factors for successful adoption. However, no systematic literature review (SLR) on i-voting adoption factors has been identified. The problem that this thesis addresses is the lack of a comprehensive overview on reasons why an individual decides to adopt an i-voting solution. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is “to identify i-voting adoption factors on the individual level”. This study aims to answer the following research question: “How can TAM be adapted to explain an individual’s intention to adopt i-voting?” A semi systematic literature review of 117 articles is used that contains articles spanning two decades of i-voting research. The scope is narrowed down to adoption factors on the individual level and include the non-technical factors: “Voter experiences and perceptions”, “Trust”, and “Education”, and the technical factors: “User experience”, and “Performance”. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is used to explain how the factors relate to Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usability (PU) within TAM. A suggestion of an extended model is also made that includes other factors which were identified to explain individual adoption. Thus, the conclusion of this thesis is that TAM can in part explain an individual’s intention to adopt i-voting, but that it should be adapted to include the following additional factors: “Trust”, “Demographics”, “Education”, and “Voter experiences and perceptions”. Recommendations for future research on i-voting, limitations, and ethical and societal consequences are also discussed.

No description available.