<p>This research work investigates and reports on the contribution of usability and perceptual frameworks towards understanding and ultimately increasing usage of a sales website and a corporate marketing website for a major insurance company in South Africa. It investigates whether the application of usability principles to the sales web positively influences the usage of the sales web system as a tool by intermediaries, and in so doing help the organisation recoup their investment and lower operational costs. This financial services (traditionally insurance) company, like many organisations, is in the process of migrating key operational systems onto web platforms to take advantage of benefits such as the ubiquity of web access and services orientated architecture among others. The research reviewed key frameworks in the area of technology acceptance or usage namely  Nielsen‟s usability attributes (Nielsen, 2003)  The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), (Davis, 1989)&nbsp /  The Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein &amp / Ajzen, 1975)  The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985) / and derived a theoretical summative model (the Conceptual Research Model) that combined both usability and perceptual dimensions. The applicability of this summative model was empirically tested using quantitative data relating to system&nbsp / usage and user perception. Empirical evidence was gathered to prove and refine the Conceptual Research Model (CRM), and the data substantiated the inclusion of the constructs in the CRM, as well as the efficacy of the model in a financial services organisation. Through testing of the CRM, this research has also confirmed which specific attributes of usability can be focussed on to bring about positive change in users‟ usage behaviour and adoption of a website or web application.</p>

隨著新興國家金融管制的鬆綁，國際間銀行業併購的標的已逐漸由美國、歐洲等已開發國家延伸至拉丁美洲、東南亞等新興國家。本論文以事件研究法對2005年到2014年，已開發國家銀行跨國併購新興國家金融產業的併購活動，共49個樣本進行分析，藉由迴歸分析的結果去觀察目標國家的經商環境對於併購績效的影響。 本研究的立論在於，過去文獻表示銀行跨國併購的主要動機之一為追隨客戶，而如今許多銀行的客戶為了降低勞動成本，紛紛前往新興國家設廠，而新興國家相較於已開發國家的其中一個特點為，其經商環境尚未發展健全，不如已開發國家穩定，故目標國的經商環境好壞很可能是影響主併銀行客戶決定是否進入或擴大投資的因素，進而成為影響主併銀行跨國併購的成敗因素之一。 而本論文的結果可分為三個層級。第一層是各別經商環境指標對主併銀行宣告效果的影響；第二層逐漸收斂為企業創立、企業擴建與企業經營三組指標對主併銀行宣告效果的影響；第三層則收斂為綜合性經商環境指標對主併銀行宣告效果的影響。在第一層級中發現：目標國家開辦企業程序的便利簡潔度、取得信貸的流程明確度與能否有效執行合約等排名，在事件窗口(-1,+1)呈現顯著負相關，亦即此三項經商環境指標排名越高（數字越小）對主併銀行的宣告效果有正面影響。在第二層級中則觀察到企業擴建層面的指標對主併銀行宣告效果的解釋力是最大的、其次是企業創立，最後為企業經營。在第三層面中發現收斂後的綜合經商環境指標確實對銀行的宣告效果1%的顯著水準，亦即當主併銀行選擇經商環境較佳的目標國家進行跨國併購時，市場的反應會較為正面。 / Prompted by financial liberalization and the expansion into emerging market economies (EME) by corporate customers, international banks increasingly penetrated EME. This research uses 49 cross-border M&A samples between 2005 and 2014 in which the acquiring banks is in developed countries and the targets is the financial industry of emerging countries. Using event study methods, the study establish whether the business environment of target countries explain returns to shareholders in acquiring banks from cross-border M&A. From the past study, we observe that one of the main motivations for the banks to cross-border M&A is following customers to new markets. Recently, in order to reduce labor costs, the customers of bank have more FDI in emerging countries. However, the feature of emerging countries is that the business environment is not as stable and clear as the developed countries. Therefore, the business environment will affect the customers of banks decide whether to enter or expand investment in EME and further affect the acquiring banks. The results of this research can be divided into three levels. (1) in the individual business environment indicators level, the study find when the target countries are easier starting a business, getting credit or enforcing contracts, the CAR of acquiring banks will significant negative in event window (-1, +1); (2) in the group of business environment indicators level, the study observe the explanatory power of the business expansion group is larger than the group of start-up and operations; (3) the composite business environment indicator have significant negative affect to the CAR of acquiring banks.

<p>This research work investigates and reports on the contribution of usability and perceptual frameworks towards understanding and ultimately increasing usage of a sales website and a corporate marketing website for a major insurance company in South Africa. It investigates whether the application of usability principles to the sales web positively influences the usage of the sales web system as a tool by intermediaries, and in so doing help the organisation recoup their investment and lower operational costs. This financial services (traditionally insurance) company, like many organisations, is in the process of migrating key operational systems onto web platforms to take advantage of benefits such as the ubiquity of web access and services orientated architecture among others. The research reviewed key frameworks in the area of technology acceptance or usage namely  Nielsen‟s usability attributes (Nielsen, 2003)  The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), (Davis, 1989)&nbsp /  The Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein &amp / Ajzen, 1975)  The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985) / and derived a theoretical summative model (the Conceptual Research Model) that combined both usability and perceptual dimensions. The applicability of this summative model was empirically tested using quantitative data relating to system&nbsp / usage and user perception. Empirical evidence was gathered to prove and refine the Conceptual Research Model (CRM), and the data substantiated the inclusion of the constructs in the CRM, as well as the efficacy of the model in a financial services organisation. Through testing of the CRM, this research has also confirmed which specific attributes of usability can be focussed on to bring about positive change in users‟ usage behaviour and adoption of a website or web application.</p>

Visual analytics of large amounts of spatio-temporal data is challenging due to the overlap and clutter from movements of multiple objects. A common approach for analyzing such data is to consider how groups of items cluster and move together in space and time. However, most methods for showing Spatio-temporal Cluster (STC) properties, concentrate on a few dimensions of the cluster (e.g. the cluster movement direction or cluster density) and many other properties are not represented. Furthermore, while representing multiple attributes of clusters in a single view existing methods fail to preserve the original shape of the cluster or distort the actual spatial covering of the dataset. In this thesis, I propose a simple yet effective visualization, FlockViz, for showing multiple STC data dimensions in a single view by preserving the original cluster shape. To evaluate this method I develop a framework for categorizing the wide range of tasks involved in analyzing STCs. I conclude this work through a controlled user study comparing the performance of FlockViz with alternative visualization techniques that aid with cluster-based analytic tasks. Finally the exploration capability of FlockViz is demonstrated in some real life data sets such as fish movement, caribou movement, eagle migration, and hurricane movement. The results of the user studies and use cases confirm the advantage and novelty of the novel FlockViz design for visual analytic tasks.

Technology has been an integral part of human life since the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution, and the advancement of technologies has continued into the 21st century. Of all new emerging technologies, the computer has been identified as the most important, most complex and fastest emerging technology. In order for businesses to compete and survive within the business world, they are compelled to adopt new computer technologies. However, computers alone cannot improve organisational performance. Computers need to be accepted, optimally used and utilised by employees in order for an organisation to succeed. One such technology is SAP AG’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system which is a real-time, fully integrated business system used by more than 170 000 organisations in 120 countries. Measuring information system success has been a concern since its inception due to its complexity and difficulty to appraise. Researchers traditionally attempted to measure success by the delivering of a functional information system product within certain monetary and time constraints. Subsequently, evidence suggested that a more accurate measure of success lies within the field of system use. One model of assessing and predicting user acceptance and which has gained popularity in recent years is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Apart from accepting the SAP ERP system, users should also be of the intention to continuously use it as a job requirement. The model for measuring user commitment is psychological attachment which determines whether the commitment is insincere and temporary, or long-lasting. Further, not only do users need to accept and continuously use an information technology like SAP ERP; they also need to be able to cope while using it. If not, psychological stress known as techno stress develops and prevents the optimal use of this system. With these three possible explanations for computer technology avoidance as a premise of departure, this study aims to determine the congruence, if any, between the sub-constructs of the TAM (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude toward using, behavioural intention to use and actual system use), psychological attachment (compliance, identification and internalisation), and techno stress (negative computer thoughts) within a South African SAP ERP user environment. A cross-sectional survey design was used rendering a convenience sample of N = 241 from among the SAP ERP user fraternity at a South African steel manufacturer. The measuring instruments used were the 23-item Technology Acceptance Questionnaire (TAM), the 10-item Psychological Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ) and the 20-item Computer Thoughts Survey (CTS-C). Study 1 which was a literature review confirmed conceptual congruence in that although the technology acceptance model was the most parsimonious, powerful and widely applied theoretical model, it was constrained due to the omission of social influence (psychological attachment) as a contributing factor in the processes of behavioural change towards technology acceptance. Furthermore, it was found that techno stress lowers employee efficiency and creates dissonance in the work environment, resulting in acceptance, hesitance or resistance towards the technology in question. Congruence was established between the system itself (technology acceptance), social relationships (psychological acceptance), and inherent psychological stress (techno stress). The aim of study 2 was to test the technology acceptance model within a South African SAP ERP user environment. Structural equation modelling confirmed that positive inter-construct relationships exist between all TAM constructs. Actual system use, which is the measurement for technology acceptance, was directly affected by behavioural intention to use and indirectly by perceived usefulness. In turn, behavioural intention to use was directly affected by perceived usefulness, attitude toward using and indirectly by perceived ease of use. Attitude toward using was directly affected by perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Perceived usefulness was directly affected by perceived ease of use. Study 3 revealed that internalisation had a direct positive effect on behavioural intention to use and an indirect effect on actual system use via behavioural intention to use. Furthermore, in this study identification had direct positive effects on internalisation, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and actual system use. Indirect effects emerged between identification and behavioural intention to use via internalisation as well as behavioural intention to use via perceived usefulness. Compliance, on the other hand, had negligible, negative direct effects on all TAM constructs of which the most prominent was that on attitude toward using. Results acquired from structural equation modelling in study four confirmed that weak negative relationships existed between techno stress and all TAM constructs. This finding is contrary to other studies and can be attributed to the fact that participants in this study were at large, proficient around SAP ERP and therefore experienced low levels of techno stress. Furthermore, aspects such as effective training, clear deadlines, effective teamwork, recurrent performance evaluations, job security, career development and realistic job load are all antidotes for techno stress which is believed to be current within the participant fraternity. In a concluding chapter the conclusions derived from the literature review, as well as the empirical research were presented and recommendations flowing from this research study were made. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Magister Commercii - MCom / The research focuses on the acceptance of new technologies within the telecommunications industry. The study examines three models namely Innovation theory, Theory of Reason Action (TRA), and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This study explores the technology acceptance models in order to explain why certain monitoring officers at ICASA would prefer specific technologies over others. Models of interest could be the innovation theory, TRA and TAM. After reviewing both models, the author will examine the TAM in detail as a model of interest in this study. In turn, this model is expected to assist us to understand why monitoring officer's at ICASA would prefer a particular frequency monitoring technology over the other. / South Africa

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / This research work investigates and reports on the contribution of usability and perceptual frameworks towards understanding and ultimately increasing usage of a sales website and a corporate marketing website for a major insurance company in South Africa. It investigates whether the application of usability principles to the sales web positively influences the usage of the sales web system as a tool by intermediaries, and in so doing help the organisation recoup their investment and lower operational costs. This financial services (traditionally insurance) company, like many organisations, is in the process of migrating key operational systems onto web platforms to take advantage of benefits such as the ubiquity of web access and services orientated architecture among others. The research reviewed key frameworks in the area of technology acceptance or usage namely Nielsen‟s usability attributes (Nielsen, 2003). The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), (Davis, 1989). The Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985); and derived a theoretical summative model (the Conceptual Research Model) that combined both usability and perceptual dimensions. The applicability of this summative model was empirically tested using quantitative data relating to system usage and user perception. Empirical evidence was gathered to prove and refine the Conceptual Research Model (CRM), and the data substantiated the inclusion of the constructs in the CRM, as well as the efficacy of the model in a financial services organisation. Through testing of the CRM, this research has also confirmed which specific attributes of usability can be focussed on to bring about positive change in users' usage behaviour and adoption of a website or web application. / South Africa

The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the reasons and consequences of failed implementations and poor adoption of CRM / SFA tools in sales teams, that have been recorded in recent years. Almost 70% of initiatives to introduce new technologies for sales teams have failed in the return on investments. The goal of the thesis is to create requirements for a new CRM / SFA, which will support salesmen and sales teams in a better way. It describes the way the sales team work, it describes business cases and determinates its key activities. Using perceived usefulness, I create a set of system requirements for CRM / SFA tool, which will support salesmen and improve their sales performance.

The main purpose of the study was to analyze whether age, gender and integrity affect the acceptance of self-driving cars. The theoretical framework TAM (Technology AcceptanceModel) is used as a starting point for acceptance where we set our variables against Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use that are the main variables in the model. A quantitative method has been applied and a survey was used for data collection. The survey was sent to 140 students. The response rate was 82 % involving a total of 116 respondents, of which 60 were women and 53 were men, where age ranged between 18-60 years old. The results of a T-test showed that there was a correlation between gender and acceptance of self-driving cars. The remaining variables could not be linked to acceptance in our study. The conclusion that we could make from this study was that there was a correlation between gender and acceptance of self-driving cars based on the cognitive mindset that is separated between the sexes. / Det huvudsakliga syftet med studien var att analysera ifall ålder, kön och integritet påverkar acceptans av självkörande bilar. Det teoretiska ramverket TAM (Technology AcceptanceModel) används som utgångspunkt för acceptans där vi ställde våra variabler gentemot den Uppfattade Användbarheten och den Uppfattade Användarvänligheten som är huvudvariableri modellen. En kvantitativ metod har använts och där ett frågeformulär skickades till 140 studenter. Svarsfrekvensen låg på 82% där totalt 116 respondenter, varav 60 kvinnor och 53 män i åldrarna mellan 18–60. Resultatet från ett T-test visade att det fanns samband mellan kön och acceptans av självkörande bilar. Resterande variabler kunde inte kopplas till acceptans i studien. Slutsatsen vi kunde dra utifrån denna studie var att det fanns ett samband mellan kön och acceptans av självkörande bilar, baserat på det kognitiva tankesättet som skiljs åt mellan könen.

With Virtual Reality (VR),   education can be made possible for people who work in hazardous situations or   in dangerous environments and that otherwise are difficult or impossible to   recreate. The problem is that the use of VR at the present time only seems to   have been studied in conjunction with training of hazardous situations within   physical work operations. As threats and violence in many workplaces   increases, staff also need to be trained to be able to handle and respond to   threatening and violent situations. The purpose of the study is to evaluate   the use of VR in conjunction with training of managing threats and violence   in the workplace through stress-reducing treatment, in order to elucidate   which factors are important to the users. Based on the Technology Acceptance   Model, the knowledge of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use is   used to investigate which factors are important. By doing a case study,   users' experiences were captured through observations, recording and interviews.     The result showed that   individual differences in the habit of using the technology affect the   perception of perceived usefulness. For the system properties, factors   related to communication, interaction, realism, scenario and individual   settings were most important to the perceived usefulness. Since the training   simulator was still under development, the study could only give an   indication of the influence of social influence and what kind of the facilitating conditions that would   be needed. The conclusion is that communication is the most important factor   for the perceived usefulness and that education and experience of using VR   are most important for the perceived ease of use for stress-reducing training using VR. / Med Virtual Reality   (VR) kan utbildning möjliggöras för personer som arbetar med riskfyllda   situationer eller i farliga miljöer och som annars är svåra eller omöjliga   att återskapa. Problemet är att användandet av VR för närvarande endast verkar ha   studerats i samband med träning av riskfyllda situationer inom de fysiska   arbetsmomenten. I och med att hot och våld på många arbetsplatser ökar   behöver personal även tränas för att kunna hantera och bemöta hotfulla och   våldsamma situationer. Syftet med studien är att utvärdera användningen av VR   i samband med träning av att hantera hot och våld på arbetsplatsen genom   stressreducerande bemötande, för att belysa vilka faktorer som är viktiga för   användarna. Utifrån Technology Acceptance Model används kunskapen om användbarhet   och användarvänlighet för att undersöka vilka faktorer som är viktiga. Genom att göra en fallstudie fångades användarnas upplevelser genom   observationer, inspelning och intervjuer.      Resultatet visade att individuella skillnader vad   gäller vanan av att använda tekniken påverkar uppfattningen av uppfattad   användarvänlighet. För systemegenskaperna var det faktorer som rör   kommunikation, interaktion, realism, scenario och individuella inställningar   som var viktigast för den upplevda användbarheten. Då träningssimulatorn   fortfarande var under utveckling kunde studien endast ge en indikation om det   sociala inflytandets påverkan samt vad för underlättande förhållanden  som skulle behövas. Slutsatsen är att kommunikation   är den viktigaste faktorn för den upplevda användbarheten samt att utbildning   och erfarenhet av att använda VR är viktigast för den upplevda   användarvänligheten för stressreducerande träning med VR.