Acceptance of information technology (IT) has remained a topic of interest for a last few decades. Several theories, specifically over the conceptualisation of the technology acceptance model (TAM) have emerged and they have been applied in different contexts to investigate new insights into the acceptance behaviour at individual and organisational levels. However, despite TAM’s maturity and validity in different contexts, very little published literature strives to extend its capability to predict individuals’ acceptance behaviour about an online banking information system (OBIS). A possible rational for this gap may be conceptualisation of the TAM under which individuals’ acceptance behaviour can only be predicted with two beliefs: perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). The evidence in literature shows that PU and PEOU beliefs are not sufficient; hence, they may not explain individuals’ acceptance behaviour in emerging contexts, such as online banking information systems, especially in developing economies such as Pakistan. There is therefore a need for inclusion of any additional factor that can enhance prediction of acceptance of online banking information system by potential users. Extending research on the TAM, this study developed and tested a model of OBIS acceptance. The proposed model integrated key constructs from the information systems acceptance research stream into the theoretical frame of the TAM and other theories from social psychology, such as the theory of reasoned action (TRA), theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the TAM2. According to the proposed conceptual model, OBIS acceptance was determined by eight main factors, which included perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust, technological self-efficacy, response time, output quality, accessibility, and terminology clarity. In this model, PU was hypothesised to be affected by PEOU, trust, technological self-efficacy (TSE), output quality (OQ) and response time (RT). In addition, PEOU was hypothesised to be determined by three external factors: TSE, accessibility and terminology clarity (TC). The model was tested on a sample of 353 Internet banking users in Pakistan. Using structural equation modelling with Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software, data analysis showed considerable support for the extended hypothesised model. The result indicated that, in order of importance, PU, PEOU and trust explained 45.7 % of the variance in the acceptance behaviour. The trust and the TSE predicted 28.1 % of the variance in the PU. However, the hypothesised relationships between the PU and the PEOU, OQ and RT were found to be not significant. While in the PEOU, 21.8 % of the variance was predicted by the TSE, accessibility and TC. TSE was found to be a more influential determinant of the PEOU than the PU. The consideration of factors that have a significant influence on the acceptance of OBIS, as identified in this research, is important for the managers in the banking sector, especially in developing countries, in order to increase wider acceptance and use of these systems, which provide benefits to both the customers and the service providers.

Idag är outsourcing av IT-funktioner något som är normalbilden i offentliga och privata verksamheter. Klienter efterfrågar att IT-outsourcing skall minska kostnader och samtidigt leda till innovation och mervärde för verksamheten. Det föreligger ett behov av att outsourcingrelationen klarar av att förändras i takt med verksamhetens utveckling. I dag är kunskapen låg, det är endast ett fåtal forskningsartiklar som behandlar ämnet innovation i IT-outsourcing som en helhet. Däremot finns en större mängd fragment av relevant forskning att inhämta och analysera. Publicerad forskning menar på att ämnesområdet är i sin barndom och behöver studeras vidare.   Syftet med denna C-uppsats är att identifiera och beskriva kritiska framgångsfaktorer för att möjliggöra innovation i outsourcing av IT-funktioner. Uppsatsen syftar till att studera innovation i generell bemärkelse, det vill säga hur en verksamhet förnyar, förändrar och skapar mervärde i de studerade fallen oavsett typ av IT-funktion.   Litteraturgenomgången har resulterat i en analysmodell som genomgående har använts som underlag i studiens genomförande. Vidare har studien genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med två olika verksamheter, var av en är ett stort internationellt företag i privat sektor, samt Karlstad kommun i offentlig sektor.   Denna studie visar att relation, kontrakt, kommunikation, kostnad och tidsperspektiv utgör de kritiska framgångsfaktorer som möjliggör innovation i IT-outsourcing. En verksamhet måste vara noggrann med vilka IT-funktioner som har potential att outsourcas och vilka som bäst behålls inom verksamheten, outsourcing skapar inte nödvändigtvis mervärde för alla IT-funktioner.   Denna studie visar att relationen är den i särklass mest framträdande kritiska framgångsfaktorn, relationen är av betydelse för att åstadkomma mervärdet för verksamheten. Samarbetet som krävs för att uppnå innovation förutsätter en nära relation mellan parterna där kunskapsöverföring sker kontinuerligt och under organiserade former. Studien har identifierat de kritiska framgångsfaktorer som utgör grunden för att möjliggöra innovation på IT-operativ, verksamhetsprocess och strategisk nivå i en IT-outsourcing.

IT is often seen as a solution to many problems concerning effectiveness in organizations. Information systems within the healthcare sector is often viewed as medical devices rather than just systems or services. These medical devices are thoroughly regulated by laws, standards and certifications. In this study I participated in an innovative project that aimed to bring new life and use to the old fashioned patient journal by giving it a visual representation through the use of an avatar. I aimed to study the effects of regulators connected with the patient journal as a source of information for the innovative project. I drew upon Actor-network theory as a theoretical lens to trace the patient journal and connect it with regulatory aspects important to innovative projects such as the studied scenario. I also aimed to research the possibilities and obstacles provided with today’s IT-climate in Swedish healthcare. I found that regulatory aspects according to Actor-network theory proved to be an actor that stabilizes the network that is the innovative project. Certain regulatory aspects such as quality management standards provided support for unifying the vision concerning the innovation. Further the regulatory aspects proved to be an actor that can shift power between project developers and external actors. The regulatory aspects did not show any significant effect on the innovation or its original vision. These aspects did however show proof of being a heavy provider of project complexity and experience concerning these aspects was shown to be hard to find. I also found that there are two distinct ways for an innovator to realize a vision within Swedish healthcare, the healthcare way and the patient way, these two ways are represented in a model framework for future research. Last but not least I presented a framework for future IT-architecture based on modern technology and the results found in this study.

The cyber world is growing as more information is converted from analogue to digital form. While convenience has been the main driver for this change little effort has been made on securing the data. Data breaches are growing in number and each breach is growing in severity. Combined with regulatory pressure organizations are starting to realize the importance of security. The increased threat level is also driving the security market for more potent solutions and artificial intelligence (AI) have in recent years been implemented to enhance the capabilities of security technologies.  The thesis aims to investigate the adoption of AI enabled cybersecurity technologies within the financial industry which is often perceived as the market leader regarding security. Using a qualitative method through a multiple case study, valuable insights were gained regarding how firms are working with security and what needs they have. To identify factors that influence the rate of diffusion of AI enabled security technologies the diffusion of innovation theory combined with the TOE framework was used in this study.  The thesis has contributed to the field of innovation management by enriching an area within IT innovation management by bridging the gap between security innovation and AI innovation. The study revealed that environmental factors, such as regulations and threat landscape, are forcing organizations to take action and control both how organizations work with security but also what technological attributes are perceived as advantageous. Detection and automation are two technological attributes that the companies are looking for to fill their needs. AI solutions are already being implemented to increase detection and automation we believe that the rate of adoption for AI enabled security innovation will only continue to grow. The results and findings contribute to an expanded understanding on the factors that affect adoption of AI security innovations within the financial industry. / Den digitala världen fortsätter att växa eftersom mer information omvandlas från analog till digital form. Medan bekvämlighet har varit den viktigaste drivkraften för denna förändring, så har lite ansträngning gjorts för att säkra upp den data som företagen besitter. Dataintrången växer i antal, och varje ny incident får allvarligare konsekvenser än den förra. Detta faktum kombinerat med strängare regelverk har fått företagen att inse vikten av att säkra sin miljö. Den förstärkta hotbilden driver också säkerhetsmarknaden framåt med nya lösningar, och artificiell intelligens (AI) har under de senaste åren i allt större utsträckning implementerats i säkerhetslösningar för att förstärka skyddet. Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka spridningen av AI-säkerhetsinnovationer inom finansbranschen, som ofta uppfattas som marknadsledande när det gäller säkerhet. Med hjälp av en kvalitativ metod genom en fallstudie på tre företag erhölls värdefulla insikter om hur företagen arbetar med säkerhet och vilka behov de har. För att identifiera faktorer som påverkar spridningshastigheten för AI-säkerhetslösningar användes ”diffusion of innovation”-teorin i kombination med TOE-ramverket i denna studie. Uppsatsen har bidragit till innovation management-området genom att berika ett område inom IT-innovation genom att brygga mellan säkerhetsinnovation och AI-innovation. Studien visade att miljöfaktorer, såsom regelverk och hotbild, kontrollerar både hur organisationer arbetar med säkerhet och vilka tekniska egenskaper som uppfattas som fördelaktiga. Detektion och automatisering är två tekniska egenskaper som företagen har stora behov av. AI-lösningar implementeras redan för att öka de egenskaperna. Vi argumenterar för att, utifrån de behoven som företagen har kombinerat med miljöfaktorerna, kommer spridningstakten att öka för AI-säkerhetsinnovation.

A fundamental process in many important research foci in information systems is the appropriation of IT artifacts in creative ways by users. The objective of this thesis is to develop a theoretical explanation of that process. An embedded multiple-case study of incidents in which users, in a variety of field settings, developed creative ways to apply IT artifacts, was conducted. Employing theoretical lenses drawn from cognitive science (dual-process theory, distributed cognition), and Markus and Silver’s (2008) variant of adaptive structuration theory, a novel theoretical framework was developed to analyze the data. This framework – Affordance Field Theory – was used to abstract away the context-specific details of each case, so that the events in each could be compared and analyzed using a common conceptual vocabulary. Applying critical realist assumptions, the initial retroductive analysis was done with narrative networks, then the cases were re-analyzed using framework matrices. The complementary logical forms (processual and thematic, respectively) of the analytic tools helped to provide empirical corroboration of the findings. A set of cognitive mechanisms was identified that describe the information-processing operations involved in creative user appropriation. Using assumptions from distributed cognition, it was demonstrated that these mechanisms can describe those operations at the individual and collective levels. An integrative model which shows how the mechanisms explain user creativity at the individual level was then developed. It is called the Information Cycle Model of creativity. This thesis makes several contributions to knowledge. It develops a theoretical framework for analyzing interactions between users and systems that is designed to represent the cycles of ideation and enactment through which creative appropriation moves are developed. It also presents a model of the cognitive mechanisms involved in the discovery of novel appropriation moves. The thesis also contributes to current debates within IS about representational metaphors for user interaction with IT.

This dissertation investigates the role of information technology (IT) in organizational strategy. Specifically, it examines how organizations can persist in turbulent competitive landscapes characterized by IT innovations. Underlying premises for this dissertation are that: (1) ubiquitous IT implies constant disruptions from digital innovation, (2) IT and practice are becoming fused, and (3) organizational strategies are dynamically linked with practice, i.e. they are reciprocally related through what organizations do rather than have. To investigate such IT strategizing processes, I outline a conceptual framework for analyzing how organizations can generate digital capability, i.e. a collection of routines for strategizing by leveraging digital assets to create differential value. Digital assets here refer to the complement of available resources and competencies for IT design and implementation. Based on the notion of dynamic capability and evolutionary theory, this framework emphasizes the importance of sensing, seizing and transforming abilities for generating digital capability. As organizational practices are becoming fused with IT scholars have argued that attempting to disentangle them analytically is futile. In a similar vein, organizational strategy is increasingly reliant on available IT resources for both formulation and execution. In the IS field it is widely acknowledged that IT has both enabling and inhibiting consequences for organizations. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm and theory on organizational capabilities, the notion of IT capability has been widely used as a conceptual tool for analyzing these dual strategic effects of IT. Considering the explosive advances in computing, network and interaction that have resulted in IT being ubiquitous and deeply embedded in contemporary practices, recent research argues for the need to move beyond the functional view of technology implicit in the IT capability notion. A key aspect to address for such broadening of the perspective is the coevolution of IT and business practices, i.e. who (or what) leads, who or what follows, and whether such a causal distinction is meaningful. Grounded in the outlined conceptual framework, this dissertation examines how organizations can build digital capability to both enable large variation and complexity of feasible competitive actions, and reduce inhibiting effects of IT. The empirical investigation is situated in three distinct domains: boundary spanning IT innovation, transformation of existing IT resources, and hybridization of technology through digitalization of production equipment. These investigations are presented in five research papers. The dissertation contribute to knowledge of IT strategy by: (1) explicating the construct of digital capability, (2) providing a framework for coevolutionary strategizing processes, (3) presenting an empirical illustration of the coevolution of IT and business strategies, and (4) offer specific insights on design and orchestration of processes for digital capability generation.

The banking industry has been a pioneer in adopting electronic markets with exchanges, clearinghouses, and multilateral trading facilities having become the backbone of today’s globally integrated financial transactions. While most banks use the services of these electronic markets to handle interbank processes, they still strive for bilateral relations in the field of customer-facing processes. This position paper argues that the financial crises, the changing behavior of customers, upcoming innovations based on information technology (IT) and financial services offered by non-banks are strong drivers towards more customer-orientation in the financial industry. A large variety of banking IT innovations has emerged and illustrates that traditional banks are expected to have less power to impede competition at the customer interface and in consequence need to re-position themselves. Building on these developments on the one hand and existing electronic market infrastructures in the banking industry on the other, the concept of a customer-oriented financial market infrastructure is proposed as a possible future solution. The impact is illustrated using a competitive analysis of the banking industry and analogies to the media industry where new entrants from the computing industry have caused disruptive changes. Besides describing the threat to existing banks, the position paper also discusses the perspectives for banks.

As more and more governments have embarked on the e-government path, providing digital interaction with its citizens has boosted the demand for trusted electronic identity solutions that can ensure an official match between an online identity and a physical one. Along with this trend, the affordability and diffusion of mobile devices has translated into a strong push for governments to diversify e-ID channels by developing digital identification on mobile devices also known as Mobile e-ID. Mobile e-ID offers citizens legally binding identification, authentication and qualified electronic signatures and it has been already successfully implemented by some countries at a nation-wide scale. Extant research has investigated mobile e-ID from a technical oriented perspective focusing on potential deployment models, however little is known about the challenges a country is facing in making mID adopted by a wider number of users/ citizens. Addressing this, I run a case study on Republic of Moldova’s nationwide mobile e-ID solution to investigate the barriers to Mobile e-ID. Accordingly, I identify 18 barriers which are organised into 5 categories.

The banking industry has been a pioneer in adopting electronic markets with exchanges, clearinghouses, and multilateral trading facilities having become the backbone of today’s globally integrated financial transactions. While most banks use the services of these electronic markets to handle interbank processes, they still strive for bilateral relations in the field of customer-facing processes. This position paper argues that the financial crises, the changing behavior of customers, upcoming innovations based on information technology (IT) and financial services offered by non-banks are strong drivers towards more customer-orientation in the financial industry. A large variety of banking IT innovations has emerged and illustrates that traditional banks are expected to have less power to impede competition at the customer interface and in consequence need to re-position themselves. Building on these developments on the one hand and existing electronic market infrastructures in the banking industry on the other, the concept of a customer-oriented financial market infrastructure is proposed as a possible future solution. The impact is illustrated using a competitive analysis of the banking industry and analogies to the media industry where new entrants from the computing industry have caused disruptive changes. Besides describing the threat to existing banks, the position paper also discusses the perspectives for banks.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to significant changes in the business environment and academic discussions. AI boosts productivity and positively impacts the competitive advantage of organisations. However, it also has its dark sides, such as prejudice, non-transparent processes, and people's fears that AI will be able to take their jobs in the future. The successful implementation of AI in organisations depends on several factors, including geopolitical, cultural, ecosystem, organisational, and individual factors. Geopolitical context and cultural differences can play an important role in the adoption and implementation of AI in organisations. This study examines the influence of geopolitical and cultural contexts on the decision-making process for the adoption and implementation of AI by managers from the fashion retail industry in Sweden and India. Given the extensive scope of these contexts, the authors narrowed their focus on specific factors. In the cultural context, the authors consider selected dimensions of the GLOBE project that reflect national culture. Within the Geopolitical context, particular attention is given to aspects such as data access and control, as well as the regulatory framework. In the course of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and additional secondary data was studied. The study showed that the specifics of data access and control, as well as governmental legislative regulation, directly affect the decision-making process regarding the adoption and implementation of AI. As for the cultural context, here the degree of influence is heterogeneous, and decision-making on the implementation of AI is not always subject to the direct influence of the national cultural factors.