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Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities. The municipalities are responsible for many services that generates significant amount of CO2 emissions. For example; energy, waste management andstreetlights. This emission can potentially be reduced by using Green IT - smart IT solutions that optimise the processes or reduces the energy needed. One good example is adaptive street lighting that utilize sensors to identify when someone is nearby and light needs to be on. The utilization of Green IT differs a lot between the municipalities. Why is this the case? Municipalities are not competing with each other, and it seems like low hanging fruit to just “copypaste” a successful Green IT solution from one municipality to another. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism around diffusion of Green IT innovations related to Swedish municipalities. We applied a mixed method approach based on interviews and a questionnaire. Managers within the municipalities served as the source of empirical data. We found that there are several different types of factors that probably has an impact on the diffusion of Green IT innovation within municipalities and we investigated their relative importance. A high-level explanation of what factors that are considered to enable the diffusion of Green IT innovation is: Firstly, there need to be a willingness to change, for example by applying a policy or target settings. Secondly, superior Green IT solutions need to be identified and here the best forum is networking with other municipalities. Then innovation needs to be transformed to fit the specific municipality, which calls for the organisation’s own innovation capabilities. To finally implement the Green IT solutions there need to be available resources within IT and change management skills to successfully implement them. This study was made with mixed method approach based on a relatively small dataset and without measuring the actual rate of diffusion. The recommendation for future research is to further develop and validate our construct by testing the correlation between the factors identified in this study and the actual rate of diffusion of Green IT innovations within Swedish municipalities.

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E-government is the use of information technology, especially telecommunications, to enable and improve the efficiency with which government services and information are provided to its constituents. Internet voting is an emerging e-government initiative. It refers to the submission of votes securely and secretly over the Internet. In the United States some areas have already used Internet voting systems for local and state elections. Many researchers argue that one of the most important social impacts of Internet voting is the effect it could have on voter participation. Numerous studies have called for research on the impact of technology on voter turnout; however, existing literature has yet to develop a comprehensive model of the key factors that influence Internet voting adoption. In light of the gradual implementation of I-voting systems and the need for research on I-voting implications this study combines political science and information systems constructs to present an integrated model of Internet voter participation. The proposed model of Internet voting adoption posits that a combination of technical, political and demographic factors amalgamate to influence the adoption of I-voting services. The study was conducted by surveying 372 citizens ranging in age from 18-75. The findings indicate that an integrated model of I-voting adoption is superior to existing models that explore political science or technology adoption constructs in isolation. Implications of this study for research and practice are presented. / Ph. D.

Building on existing theories of diffusion of innovation and technology acceptance, the object of this study is to investigate how municipal officials' perceptions of key attributes of green infrastructure influence their attitudes toward adoption. In addition, this dissertation provide useful insights into the relationship between the diversity of green infrastructure tools that local jurisdictions across the US support with policies or programs, and the factors influencing adoption. A key feature of this study is a nationwide survey conducted among US city stormwater managers, planners and other public officials, whose responses were combined with secondary data and analyzed using multiple regression techniques. Findings indicate that municipal officials' perceptions of relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, and perceived resources are significant predictor of favorable disposition toward adoption, while perceived risk has a negative influence on attitudes. In addition, the level of environmental awareness and support has the greatest impact on the number of green infrastructure strategies jurisdictions have adopted. Based on the analysis in this study, proponents of green stormwater infrastructure will be better prepared to promote diffusion of these strategies at the local level. / Ph. D.

Change is a concept that has been studied for generations and continues to evolve in the literature. An area of change is diffusion of innovation which examines how new technologies or innovations are spread throughout a population. Using Ely's (1990) eight conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational technologies, this study was conducted to measure the influence of those conditions for the implementation of technologies in community college environments. Within this study, 634 participants from 18 community colleges across Virginia were surveyed and identified the conditions they perceived to be most influential in regards to their decisions to implement a specific technology. The perceived influence of Ely's eight conditions was analyzed for differences between various technologies, as well as within various demographic groups. The findings of this study identify those conditions with highly perceived influences which may lead practitioners to ensure the more influential conditions are in place prior to future technology implementations with the goal of more successful implementations. / Ph. D.

he purpose of this study was to examine faculty perceptions about attributes and barriers impacting diffusion of Web-based distance education (WBDE) at the China Agricultural University (CAU). Random and stratified sampling was used and 273 faculty participated in the study. About 70% of participants stayed in early stages in the innovation-decision process related to WBDE (no knowledge, knowledge, or persuasion) and about 30% were in later stages (decision or implementation). Faculty members' stage differed significantly by professional area, level of education, teaching experience, and distance education experience. Gender, age, and academic rank had no significant influence on faculty members' stage. CAU faculty tended to agree with the existence of the five attributes of WBDE (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability). Professional area, gender, age, level of education, and academic rank had no significant influence on the five perceived attributes. Teaching experience had no significant influence on the five perceived attributes, except compatibility. Distance education experience had no significant influence on the five perceived attributes, except compatibility and observability. CAU faculty perceived ten factors (concerns about time, concerns about incentives, WBDE program credibility, financial concerns, planning issues, conflict with traditional education, fear of technology, technical expertise, administrative support, and infrastructure) as moderate barriers to diffusion of WBDE. Age, level of education, academic rank, and teaching experience had no significant influence on faculty perception about the ten barriers. Professional area and gender had no significant influence on faculty perception about the ten barriers, except concerns about time. Distance education experience had no significant influence on faculty perception about the ten barriers, except conflict with traditional education. Faculty members' stage in the innovation-decision process had no significant influence on faculty perceptions about relative advantage of WBDE and nine of the ten barriers. Faculty members' stage in the innovation-decision process, however, did have a significant impact on faculty perception about compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability of WBDE, and WBDE program credibility as a perceived barrier. Relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and trialability were correlated with at least one of the ten barriers. Observability was not related with any of the barriers.

Magister Library and Information Studies - MLIS / The advent of the 21st century and its dynamic information environment have changed higher education considerably including the library spaces. Library patrons, namely undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics are placing heavy demands on academic libraries requiring support in research, teaching and learning. As a result, academic librarians globally have undertaken major re-evaluations of what they do and how they do it, to ensure relevance amongst their diverse user communities. The new information landscape is fraught with controversies that prompt opposing perspectives towards change acceptance amongst librarians. In Zimbabwe, academic libraries seemed to be lagging behind regarding changes presented by this information landscape. Given this context, the study sought to understand how librarians are adjusting to the 21st century environment against the expectations of the students and academics. The Diffusion of Innovation Theory crafted by Rogers (2003) and the McKinsey 7S model propounded by Waterman, Peters and Phillips (1982) were used as theoretical and conceptual frameworks. The research further applied a conceptual framework from the literature to determine the expectations of students and academics of the academic library in the 21st century. For data collection, the study adopted a case study design and a mixed methods approach using Web-based questionnaires, follow-up interviews and website content analysis. Data was collected from students, academics and librarians at three selected Zimbabwean universities. All data collecting tools were pre-tested amongst librarians, academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students prior to collecting data. Data collected using questionnaires was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel while interview data was analysed using thematic text analysis. Findings of this study revealed that the Midlands State University Library had to a larger extent embraced new trends which are in-line with the 21st century environment compared to the National University of Science and Technology and Lupane State University libraries. The Library and Information Science qualification remains important in service delivery among academic librarians. Inadequate funding, limited time due to multitasking, slow uptake of new concepts and limited knowledge and skills were barriers to keeping up with new trends amongst librarians. Academic librarians collaborated with academics in collection development, Information Literacy Skills (ILS) teaching and uploading theses and research papers into the Institution Repository (IR). / 2018-12-14

Within the commercial aviation industry, with its ever increasing global carbon footprint rising with consumer demand, the need for more sustainable forms of aviation has become more necessary than ever. With growing demands for emission reductions and better energy management practices across all industries in initiatives such as the Paris Agreement, there has never been a more pressing time to explore the existing and potential pathways towards more sustainable forms of aviation. While there are many new and innovative technologies aiming to reduce commercial aviation’s impact on the environment, there are other important aspects to consider, inherent to the commercial aviation industry. Key to the successful adoption and wide-spread usage of sustainable aviation technology is the consideration of passengers, their perspectives and perceptions of the industry in its current state, and their knowledge and opinions of these various new technologies. In order to contribute to this consideration of passengers and their importance, this thesis aims to investigate their perspectives on the industry and its sustainable transition, explore their perceptions of the environmental impact of air travel, as well as uncover how much passengers are willing to pay to support the incorporation of sustainable aviation fuels to reduce carbon emissions in the industry. To do this, a two-pronged approach was used, which combined a quantitative passenger survey along with qualitative interviews to collect data from a diverse group of respondents in Sweden. Applying Rogers’ theory on Diffusion of Innovation, this study investigates passenger perceptions, attitudes, levels of knowledge and trust, and willingness to pay to reduce their carbon emissions. The study also seeks to gain insights into and make sense of the different factors and barriers affecting the adoption rates of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) amongst passengers, and identify the characteristics of innovative passengers and early adopters. The results of this study showed that the current use of SAF, such as biofuels, amongst the population is still relatively early on in its adoption phase. However, the future looks bright for the future of sustainable aviation - at least from a passenger perspective. The actual amount passengers were willing to pay for reducing CO2 emissions was significant, and tools such as the Fly Green Fund can be of great help in providing a platform for passengers to minimize their carbon footprint when flying. / Inom den kommersiella flygindustrin med dess ständigt ökande globala koldioxidavtryck, som stiger med konsumenternas efterfrågan, har behovet av mer hållbara former av flygtransport blivit mer nödvändigt än någonsin tidigare. Med växande krav på utsläppsminskningar och bättre energihanteringsmetoder inom alla branscher, i initiativ såsom Parisavtalet, har det aldrig varit viktigare att utforska de befintliga och potentiella vägarna mot mer hållbara former av flygtransport. Samtidigt som det finns många nya och innovativa tekniker vars syfte är att minska kommersiell flygindustris påverkan på miljön finns det även andra aspekter, fundamentala för den kommersiella flygindustrin, att ta hänsyn till. En utbredd användning av hållbar flygteknik kräver hänsyn till passagerare, deras perspektiv och uppfattningar om branschen i dess nuvarande tillstånd, samt deras kunskap och åsikter om dessa olika nya teknologier. För att bidra till dessa övriga aspekter ämnar denna uppsats undersöka flygpassagerares perspektiv på branschen och dess hållbarhetstransformation, utforska deras uppfattningar om flygresors miljöpåverkan, samt även undersöka hur mycket passagerare är villiga att betala för att stödja införandet av hållbara flygbränslen för att minska koldioxidutsläppen i industrin. För att genomföra detta användes ett tvådelat tillvägagångssätt som kombinerade en kvantitativ passagerarundersökning baserat på en enkät, med kvalitativa intervjuer för att samla in data från en heterogen grupp av respondenter i Sverige. Passagerarenkäten distribuerades till både passagerare på väg till en flygplats, samt till studenter och anställda på Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan. Genom att med hjälp av Roger’s theory on Diffusion of Innovation analysera passagerarnas uppfattningar, attityder, kunskapsnivåer och förtroende, samt betalningsvilja, försöker denna studie skapa insikt och förståelse kring de olika faktorer och barriärer som påverkar graden av adoption av hållbara flygbränslen (Sustainable Aviation Fuels, SAF) bland passagerare, samt identifiera karaktäristika hos innovativa passagerare (innovators) och tidiga användare (early adopters). Denna studies resultat visade att den nuvarande användningen av SAF bland befolkningen fortfarande är i en relativt tidig fas av adopitonsprocessen. Framtiden ser dock ljus up för hållbarhet inom flygbranschen, åtminstone ur ett passagerar-perspektiv. Det faktiska beloppet som passagerare var villiga att betala för att minska CO2 utsläppen var betydande, och verktyg som Fly Green Fund kan vara till stor hjälp för passagerare genom att förse dem med en platform för att minimera sina koldioxidavtryck när de flyger.

Abstract   Hansson, C. (2015). Implementation of medical yoga as part of public health work . Bachelor thesis in Public Health science. Department of work- and public health science. The academy of health and working life. University of Gävle, Sweden.   Introduction This paper aimed to explore and describe the implementation of medical yoga in the health promotion sector in Sweden.   Method The method was of qualitative design, and telephone interviews were conducted with people working in public health promotion that was using medical yoga in their work with patients.   Result Results indicate that the implementation of medical yoga can be described by the theory Diffusion of innovation. The informants described high observability, simplicity (low complexity) and relative advantages and few obstacles and barriers with implementation of the innovation medical yoga. The channel that promotes medical yoga and the place where the innovation are implemented are the Swedish healthcare system. The people who work there seems to be the target group of the innovation. Medical yoga is spreading through the people who are practicing medical yoga in their work.   Conclusion Conclusions are that the five stages model and the key factors of Diffusion of innovations can be part of the explanation and identifying the cause of how and why the implementation of medical yoga has been made by the informants. The innovation is appreciated by the informants and has perceived health benefits and few barriers. / Sammanfattning   Denna uppsats undersöker och beskriver implementeringen av medicinsk yoga inom hälsosektorn i Sverige.   För att möta en ökad efterfrågan har Världshälsoorganisationen (WHO) gått ut med en rapport med uppmaning och strategier för införandet och kompletterande av konventionell medicin med traditionell- och/eller komplementärmedicin. De uppmuntrar till att göra kunskaperna och behandlingarna tillgängliga för fler. Med rapporten vill organisationen att traditionell medicin ska få större utrymme i hälso- och sjukvården. De uppmuntrar även till mer forskning inom ormrådet för att öka säkerheten kring och effektiviteten runt implementeringen.   Inom hälso- och sjukvården i Sverige eftersöks nya kostnadseffektiva, verksamma och säkra behandlingar som är vetenskapligt framtagna. Medicinsk yoga är en av metoderna i traditionell och komplementär medicin som är forskad på och bevisat kostnadseffektiv. Den används inom hälso- och sjukvården på 127 enheter som sjukhus, vårdcentraler och öppenvårdsmottagningar av personer utbildade via Mediyoga institutet som tillhandahåller utbildningen antingen på plats eller via lärare runt om i landet. Medicinsk yoga är utvecklad i Sverige och är en lugn och meditativ form av yoga. Den är utformad från kundaliniyoga och har rörelser som går att anpassas och utföras av friska och väldigt sjuka individer.   Undersökningens syfte var att beskriva implementeringen av medicinsk yoga utifrån två folkhälsoteorier för implementering av hälsokampanjer eller innovationer/ produkter. Teorierna som valdes ut var Social marketing och diffusion of innovation för att beskriva produkten, promotionen, spridningen och implementering av medicinsk yoga.   Undersökningen bygger på material inhämtat via telefonintervjuer med personer som arbetar inom hälsosektorn med medicinsk yoga.   Resultatet visar att informanterna upplevt och beskrivit implementeringen av medicinsk yoga som enkel, observerbar och med flera relativa fördelar och egenskaper. Endast ett fåtal hinder och barriärer beskrivs i samband med implementering. Med utgångspunkt i Diffusion of innovations är identifieringen av dessa nyckelfaktorer en förklaring till att implementeringen av innovationen lyckats. Promotion och spridning har skett inom hälso- och sjukvården till kollegor, chefer och patienter. Spridningen av innovationen sker genom personerna som arbetar med medicinsk yoga.   Slutsatsen är att femstegsmodellen och nyckelfaktorerna som beskrivs i teorin Diffusion of innovations kan ge förklaring till hur och varför implementeringen av medicinsk yoga skett inom hälso- och sjukvården genom informanterna. Medicinsk yoga tycks vara en uppskattad innovation, med flera upplevda hälsovinster och få hinder och barriärer.