Manufacturers have been hesitant to adopt Internet of things (IoT) due to a lack of understanding about the innovate characteristics, technology, organizational and environmental factors related to IoT adoption and how their organizations can apply IoT correctly. This quantitative, correlational study used a combination of diffusion of innovation theory and technology–organization–environment framework as the foundation to examine if a relationship exists between relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, technology readiness, top management support, firm size, competitive pressure, and regulatory support and IT leaders' intent to adopt IoT in U.S. manufacturing organizations. A sample of 168 information technology (IT) leaders from the U.S. manufacturing sectors was used. Multiple regression analysis indicated significant relationships between the intent to adopt IoT by IT leaders of manufacturing organizations and only 3 of the 8 independent variables: technology readiness, top management support, and competitive pressure. The model was able to predict approximately 44% of the variation of IT leaders' intent to adopt IoT. The results of this study might help IT leaders in the U.S. manufacturing sectors understand the factors that influence IoT adoption. The findings from this study might contribute to positive social change by contributing to economic growth that results from increased efficiency gained from the adoption of IoT in key business areas.

Our world today is facing unprecedented challenges in relation to creating a sustainable way of life. Urban areas have a significant potential to positively contribute to addressing these pressing challenges in sustainable development. The public sector plays a central role in ensuring a sustainable development of its municipality.This thesis presents a case study conducted on the example of Helsingborg municipality in Sweden, which is renowned for its approach to sustainable development as well as innovation.The authors have attempted understanding, why and how this Swedish municipality is so effective in its sustainable development by analyzing its use of the Concept Innovation of Quality of Life as a central component in its strategy.The Diffusion of Innovation Theory is used to analyze the adoption and potential of the Quality of Life Concept Innovation. Previous research is summarized and the findings from semi-structured interviews are presented and synthesized to develop a model that explains the diffusion and outcome of the Concept Innovation of Quality of Life. An interview guide for further use is also presented.

The use of AI has developed during the recent decades, and the application of it within different markets is continually growing. The application of it within marketing comes with different benefits that allow businesses to engage with the consumer and build a stronger relationship. The more AI is becoming applied in marketing, the more important it is to understand the consumers attitude towards its usage and effect of it on consumer purchase intention. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of consumer attitudes towards AI- generated content within email marketing on purchasing intention. Theory of planned behavior and diffusion of innovations theory are applied to formulate the hypotheses. The research was conducted using a quantitative method in an experimental context. An online survey divided into two parts was developed and distributed to participants in Sweden in ages from 18 and above. A total of 114 respondents were recorded in the first survey and of those, 71 respondents were recorded in the second survey. The data was then analyzed in SPSS. The results from the survey showed the element of compatibility within the theory of diffusion of innovation having a significant and positive effect on consumers attitude towards AI-usage in marketing. The relationship between the observability element and attitude was found to be non-significant. Additionally, no significant difference was found when comparing the experimental group and the control group. Lastly, attitude towards AI was found to have a significant and positive effect on purchasing intention in the experimental group.

Blended finance has the past decade become an increasingly popular way for development banks in Southeast Asia to invest in renewable energy projects with the aim of mobilizing additional private investments. Although definitions of the method differ among stakeholders, blended finance is a way of blending development loans with below-market-rate funds to lower risks experienced by private investors. This relatively unexplored financing approach could be one of the solutions to bridge the large private funding gap the region's renewable energy sector is currently experiencing. This paper investigates if and how blended finance contributes to the diffusion of renewable energy innovation in Southeast Asia, through the mobilization of further private investments. To do this, the de-risking effects of blended finance have been investigated, as well as which stage in the diffusion innovation process blended finance is relevant, and how it contributes to the innovation functions of an energy technology innovation system. Exploratory interviews were held with both regional climate finance experts, as well as with eight blended finance investment executives. The findings from this thesis show that blended finance helps renewable energy technologies in their product commercialization and market formation stage, by targeting first-mover projects. During this stage, renewable energy projects in Southeast Asia experience especially high barriers to attracting private investments, the so-called commercialization valley of death. Further, blended finance contributes to four out of seven innovation functions in the energy technology innovation system: Resource mobilization, knowledge diffusion, creation of legitimacy and market creation. The financial risks of renewable energy projects are being mitigated as the public loans and concessional funds lower costs and create increased returns, leading to projects being more financially attractive for private investors. The perceived risks among private investors are being mitigated through knowledge diffusion and the creation of legitimacy. Development banks spread the knowledge about investments in renewable energy projects, as well as the technology, and the very existence of blended finance investment brings a quality mark for renewable energy projects. The paper additionally found that the lack of a common definition of blended finance leads to a lack of common methodologies, data availability and evaluations of the approach. This in turn leads to little research and difficulties in collaboration among blended finance investors, ultimately resulting in the approach being hard to scale. / Blandfinansiering, eller "blended finance", har det senaste decenniet blivit ett allt populärare sätt för utvecklingsbanker i Sydostasien att investera i projekt för förnyelsebar energi. Blandfinansiering ett sätt att blanda vanliga utvecklingslån med lån med en lägre ränta än marknadsräntan. Syftet är att attrahera och mobilisera mer privata investeringar mot förnyelsebar energi, genom att minska riskerna privata investerare upplever. Denna relativt outforskade finansieringsmetod kan vara en av lösningarna för att överbrygga den stora privata finansieringsklyfta som den sydostasiatiska förnyelsebara energisektorn upplever. Denna uppsats undersöker om och hur bland finansieringbidrar till spridningen av innovationer inom förnybar energi i Sydostasien. Detta genom att undersöka de riskminimerande effekterna av blandfinansiering, i vilken fas in innovationsprocessen blandfinansiering är relevant och hur det bidrar till innovationsfunktionerna inom ett energitekniskt innovationssystem. Explorativa intervjuer hölls med både regionala experter inom klimatfinansiering och med åtta investerare inom blandfinansiering. Resultaten visar att blandfinansiering hjälper förnyelsebar energiteknik i produktkommersialiserings- och marknadsbildningsfasen i innovationsprocessen, genom att rikta in sig på "first-mover" projekt. I denna fas upplever projekt för förnyelsebar energi i Sydostasien särskilt höga hinder för att attrahera privata investeringar, den så kallade "commercialisation valley of death". Vidare bidrar blandfinansiering till fyra av sju innovationsfunktioner i det energitekniska innovationssystemet: Resursmobilisering, kunskapsspridning, legitimitetsskapande och marknadsskapande. Den finansiella risken för förnyelsebara energiprojekt sjunker då blandfinansiering sänker kostnaderna och ökar avkastningen, vilket leder till att projekten blir mer ekonomiskt attraktiva för privatainvesterare. De upplevda riskerna bland privata investerare sjunker genom kunskapsspridning och skapandet av legitimitet. Utvecklingsbanker sprider kunskapen om hur man investerar i förnyelsebara energiprojekt, och utvecklingsbankernas närvaro i projekten skapar trovärdighet. Rapporten fann dessutom att avsaknaden av en gemensam definition för blandfinansiering leder till en brist på gemensamma metoder, datatillgänglighet och utvärderingar av investeringsmetoden. Detta leder i sin tur till lite forskning och svårigheter i samarbetet mellan investerare, vilket resulterar i att blandfinansiering är svårt att etablera på en större skala.

Information is a powerful tool for enabling physicians to provide quality healthcare for their patients. Information use in the clinic is a skill that must be learned. If medical residency programs fail to impart this skill, then patients will suffer. The residents of the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine were surveyed as to their use of clinical information. Of the 217 residents of the 2005-2006 class who were surveyed, 105 returned the survey for a return rate of 48%. The clinical faculty was also surveyed in order to measure the responses of the residents against that of their instructors. ETSU residents frequently had a new information need in the clinic. The majority of the time they did not seek an answer, but when they did they were often successful in finding an answer. Therapy information was the most frequently sought after type of information. Most residents used the Quillen College of Medicine Library, but not at a desirable rate. Residents stated that information obtained from the library was helpful in caring for their patients. The most frequent source of information used by residents was electronic resources and the greatest barrier to the use of information was time. The majority of residents were PDA users, with Palm devices being the primary platform. The residents rated their PDA skills and evidence-based medicine skills as above average. Few were LoansomeDoc users. The majority of residents received information training from clinical faculty and from librarians and rated it highly. Residents indicated a desire for more training and the majority indicated that they would like a clinical medical librarian for their program. They rated the library service of the Quillen College of Medicine and the area teaching hospitals highly. Residents used Google and the Web frequently. PubMed was rated as a valuable resource. Online journals and the UpToDate database were important electronic resources for the residents. ETSU residents have many excellent resources and training opportunities in place. However, for ETSU residents to go out into community practice as true "Infomasters" an upgrading of their information training should be undertaken.

No description available.

This study is based on Partner X's challenges in launching an innovative replacement for rebar on the Swedish market. Swedish Construction Sales AB is working to introduce the product and the study aims to help Swedish Construction Sales AB develop an effective sales process to spread this innovation. Many companies face similar challenges, often due to a lack of sales experience. This research has focused on the application of diffusion of innovation theory in a sales process to see how it can help spread innovative products. To answer this question, one experiment with two parts was conducted and then analyzed and compared with each other. It turned out that offering the customer the opportunity to test the product, highlighting its benefits in a clear way, and demonstrating that the product is compatible in the customer's area of use and that it is not complex to use increases the commitment to the product. However, more research is needed to see if the increased response actually leads to increased sales over time. The researchers' study illustrates how theories can be applied practically to improve the sales process, contributing to a deeper understanding of how diffusion of innovation theories can be used to promote commercial success in spreading innovative products to new markets. / Denna studie grundas i Partner X:s utmaningar med att lansera en innovativ ersättning till armeringsjärn på den svenska marknaden. Swedish Construction Sales AB arbetar för att introducera produkten och studien syftar till att hjälpa Swedish Construction Sales AB utveckla en effektiv försäljningsprocess för att sprida denna innovation. Många företag står inför liknande utmaningar, ofta på grund av brist på försäljningserfarenhet. Denna forskning har fokuserat på tillämpningen av diffusion of innovation teori i en försäljningsprocess för att se om det kan hjälpa till att sprida innovativa produkter. För att få svar på denna fråga blev ett experiment genomfört med två delar som därefter analyserades och jämfördes med varandra. Det visade sig att genom att erbjuda kunden möjligheten att testa produkten, lyfta upp dess fördelar på ett tydligt sätt, visa att produkten är kompatibel i kundens användningsområde  och att den inte är komplex i användningen ökar engagemanget för produkten. Dock behövs det mer forskning för att se om den ökade responsen faktiskt leder till ökad försäljning över tid. Forskarnas studie ger en bra överblick för att se om teorier kan tillämpas praktiskt för att förbättra och underlätta försäljningsprocessen, vilket bidrar till att fördjupa förståelsen av hur teorier om diffusion of innovation kan användas för att främja kommersiell framgång för att sprida innovativa produkter till nya marknader.

Crime is a social problem and leads to many negative consequences, and it is therefore of interest to analyze how officials in The Prison and Probation Service implement the principles risk, need and responsivity, (RNR-model) in crime prevention measures to reduce the risk among incarcerated prisoners to relapse into crime based on the informants’ perceptions. Furthermore, differences in the official’s autonomy regarding the implementation of crime prevention measures will be analyzed based on the RNR-model and what consequences these differences have according to the officials. The RNR-model is an innovation that has been spread in The Prison and Probation service and will be analyzed by Rogers (2003) Diffusion of innovation theory. The officials' autonomy to implement the RNR-model will be analyzed by Lipsky's (1990) theory of street-level bureaucracy. In this case study, I have conducted eight individual semi-structured interviews and the sample consists of officials who have many years of experience working with treatment in The Prison and Probation Service. The results show that the informants take a similar approach to the RNR-model and that the RNR-model pervades the entire crime prevention measures. The conclusion is that the prevention measures consist of treatment programs combined with work management, adult education, and other structured activities and that these parts are interconnected. The crime prevention measures are characterized by helping the prisoners develop necessary skills to be able to get out of crime and get the best possible conditions to reduce the risk of relapsing into crime. The results also show that there are differences between the officials' autonomy regarding the implementation of the RNR-model in the crime prevention measures and that the officials' do not act from a common approach. The officials have, based on their autonomy, the opportunity to create their own interpretations of the RNR-model that can affect the outcome of the work, which can mean that the prisoners are treated differently depending on how the officials have chosen to implement the RNR-model. The conclusion is that the RNR-model contributed to clear structures and guidelines, but that there is a certain problem with implementing the receptivity principle in a similar way because of the officials' having difficulty understanding the meaning of the principle.

As public libraries increasingly turn to digital solutions to enhance their outreach activities, it is important to understand the use and perceptions of these new solutions. This thesis explores how new digital solutions are being used and perceived by library employees when working with library outreach activities. The study uses a survey method to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data from library employees in Sweden. Findings reveal that public libraries have implemented various new digital solutions to enhance their outreach activities, including digital versions of typically physical services such as ebooks and digital audiobooks. However, newer solutions like live streams are still in the trial stage. The most common advantages of using digital solutions for library outreach activities are increased accessibility, user flexibility, and improved access to information. However, the cost of providing digital solutions is a significant barrier for public libraries, limiting their ability to provide adequate access to information for all community members through digital means. Library employees exhibit a predominantly positive attitude towards digital development within library settings, recognizing the necessity of new digital solutions for the future of libraries. Nevertheless, a preference for personal meetings and skepticism concerning the advantages of digital service compared to physical service suggest a slower adoption rate in the later stages of the diffusion of innovations process.

No description available.