Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / In both developed and developing countries, small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) play a role in the economic growth of the country. The number of SMMEs and the contribution they make to national economies have been growing rapidly in recent years. The concept of trade globalisation has accelerated during this period from a national perspective to reaching international dimensions. This period is therefore a clear indicator for entrepreneurs to be more aware of new opportunities. In today’s information age it is important not only to obtain information, but also to use information effectively to create value. Information technology (IT) increases the importance of information. SMMEs need to consider IT as an important factor to achieve success in globalisation, competitiveness and innovation. Although some SMMEs use IT efficiently to improve their business and value adding processes to create a competitive advantage, SMMEs in Turkey do not effectively leverage their IT to create this advantage. This leads to low productivity among SMMEs and a subsequent low contribution to the Turkish economy. The aim of this research is to explore the challenges of adopting IT within Turkish SMMEs and the ways in which Turkish SMMEs can use IT to gain a competitive advantage. The research focuses on the importance of IT in the insurance sector in order to propose a set of guidelines to small insurance service providers on how to utilise IT to create a competitive advantage in their enterprises. The research objectives are to investigate the challenges of IT adoption and determine what role IT plays in creating a competitive advantage in Turkish SMMEs. This research consists of two basic components: firstly a qualitative methodology is used which includes employing a literature analysis, and secondly an empirical study is conducted which consists of primary research and interviews to collect data through an interview questionnaire. Qualitative data is collected from 25 SMME owners and managers in Southern Turkey through semi-structured interviews. Data is analysed using descriptive qualitative analysis. The research indicates a low usage level of IT software products by SMMEs because IT is not seen as an important tool to create a competitive advantage. Although IT enables the integration of business processes when used effectively, most SMMEs do not tap into the capabilities IT has to offer. The most common barrier for SMMEs wanting to use IT in their businesses is the high cost of IT adoption. Although there are free IT software products available for SMMEs and funding is provided by the government and other institutions, SMMEs seems not to be aware of this. The research suggests that the effective use of IT has a positive impact on SMMEs. IT provides enhanced product development and service quality to cultivate an improved level of productivity in SMMEs, and this enables SMMEs to secure a competitive advantage. As a result of using IT, SMMEs provide increased employment, grow their production, and make a significant contribution to the national economy. The outcome of the research is a set of guidelines to assist SMMEs in focusing on IT adoption and the effective use of IT to gain a competitive advantage. The research provides an improved understanding of how SMMEs adopt IT in order to gain this advantage. The challenges facing SMMEs wishing to adopt IT include a lack of information and resources to explore opportunities for IT adoption, managerial ignorance of IT, and a lack of qualified staff.

The aim of this research is to investigate the extent to which Open Source Software (OSS) adoption behaviour can empirically be shown to be governed by a set of self-reported (driving and inhibiting) salient beliefs of key informants in a sample of organisations. Traditional IS adoption/usage theory, methodology and practice are drawn on. These are then augmented with theoretical constructs derived from IT governance and organisational diagnostics to propose an artefact that aids the understanding of organisational OSS adoption behaviour, stimulates debate and aids operational management interventions. For this research, a combination of quantitative methods (via Fisher's Exact Test) and complimentary qualitative method (via Content Analysis) were used using self-selection sampling techniques. In addition, a combination of data and methods were used to establish a set of mixed-methods results (or meta-inferences). From a dataset of 32 completed questionnaires in the pilot study, and 45 in the main study, a relatively parsimonious set of statistically significant driving and inhibiting factors were successfully established (ranging from 95% to 99.5% confidence levels) for a variety for organisational OSS adoption behaviours (i.e. by year, by software category and by stage of adoption). In addition, in terms of mixed-methods, combined quantitative and qualitative data yielded a number of factors limited to a relatively small number of organisational OSS adoption behaviour. The findings of this research are that a relatively small set of driving and inhibiting salient beliefs (e.g. Security, Perpetuity, Unsustainable Business Model, Second Best Perception, Colleagues in IT Dept., Ease of Implementation and Organisation is an Active User) have proven very accurate in predicting certain organisational OSS adoption behaviour (e.g. self-reported Intention to Adopt OSS in 2014) via Binomial Logistic Regression Analysis.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-02T21:42:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thaisa Bechelli Yamanaka2.pdf: 1549749 bytes, checksum: 040f32a5a9d1704a5c0ae8060fc81262 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-25 / Several studies on the acceptance and use of information technology have been conducted by different conceptual models that seek to demonstrate the existence of factors that influence the intention and behavior of users on a particular information system. Some aspects that enhance the use of intentions can be essential for the individual to choose whether or not a particular technology. This study examined the background factors that can influence the intended use of the Virtual Library of an Institution of Higher Education. Among the conceptual models studying the adoption of information technology, it was decided in this study the use of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) proposed by Davis (1986). In this model the external variables were also added stimulus Professor and smoker in order to expand the power of explanation of the intended use of the users in question. Through a quantitative research approach, data were collected through a survey tool to obtain 406 questionnaires responses. The results of this research confirms that the influence of various factors positioned in different dimensions provide findings relevant to the adoption of virtual library. It concludes that the Teacher Incentive positively influences Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness and the Habit of undergraduate students on the intended use of the Virtual Library. Thus, it was found that the influence of the teacher becomes a determining factor in the use of virtual library intention, which emphasizes the importance of guidance and recommendation of teachers in the use of this technological tool. The study concluded that the perceived usefulness proved to be the factor that most influences the intention to use this technology because there is a perception that if the student will use the virtual library, you can improve your performance in studies, among others. The habit can also influence the adoption of a virtual library in parallel to perceptions about the benefits that can be obtained from the use of this technology. / Diversos estudos sobre a aceitação e o uso de tecnologias de informação têm sido realizados por diferentes modelos conceituais que buscam demonstrar a existência de fatores que influenciam a intenção e comportamento dos usuários sobre um determinado sistema de informação. Alguns aspectos que potencializam as intenções de uso podem ser fundamentais para que o indivíduo adote, ou não, uma determinada tecnologia. Este estudo analisou os fatores antecedentes que podem influenciar a intenção de uso da Biblioteca Virtual de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES). Dentre os modelos conceituais que estudam a adoção de tecnologias de informação, optou-se nesta pesquisa pelo Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) proposto por Davis (1986). Neste modelo ainda foram adicionadas as variáveis externas Estímulo Docente e Hábito a fim de ampliar o poder de explicação da intenção de uso dos usuários em questão. Através de uma abordagem de investigação quantitativa, os dados foram coletados por meio de um instrumento de pesquisa com obtenção de resposta de 406 questionários. Os resultados obtidos por esta pesquisa confirmam a influência de diversos fatores posicionados em diferentes dimensões e proporcionam conclusões relevantes à adoção da biblioteca virtual. Conclui-se que o Estímulo Docente influencia positivamente a Facilidade de Uso, Utilidade Percebida e o Habito dos alunos de graduação sobre a intenção de uso da Biblioteca Virtual. Com isso, constatou-se que a influência do professor torna-se um fator determinante na intenção de uso da biblioteca virtual, o que ressalta a importância da orientação e recomendação dos professores no uso desta ferramenta tecnológica. O estudo concluiu que a utilidade percebida revelou-se o fator que mais influencia a intenção de uso desta tecnologia, pois há a percepção de que, caso o aluno venha utilizar a biblioteca virtual, pode-se melhorar seu desempenho nos estudos, entre outros aspectos. O Hábito também pode influenciar à adoção da biblioteca virtual de forma paralela às percepções sobre os benefícios que podem ser obtidos com o uso desta tecnologia.