In today’s world, we live in a technologically advanced environment where information access is huge and limitless. The advantage to this is that, people are able to create more information, share and communicate with each other instantly on the go regardless of where they are in the world. However on the downside, with endless information, it becomes confusing and difficult to filter which information is right for a person’s need. This goes hand-in-hand for business companies, as it requires strategic processes and tools to identify the information from the market, store and evaluate it into meaningful insights and lastly communicate it efficiently so that the value of it is not lost along the way. Therefore this study focuses on how augmented reality (AR) as an emerging digital technology is able to dissect and communicate information and bring value to those who are implementing it. What is more interesting in this study is to see the usefulness and ease of using AR from commercial and non-commercial aspects in B2B field. This study was conducted through a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interviews with five companies providing and using AR applications. In conclusion, AR brings value by transferring data faster and communicating it effectively through visualization of integrating computer-generated information with the real world as one. From commercial aspect, companies could use this technology in their marketing communication to increase customer involvement and perception of the brand. In contrast, from non-commercial perspective, companies could use AR as an internal resource to increase efficiency in operation process.

This study focuses on the implementation of Learning Management System (LMS) in the higher education sector in Iraq. Its aim is to develop a policy adoption framework for LMS implementation by scientifically investigating LMS adoption using a model that combines the principles of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. The research methodology comprises of seven stages that adopts the interpretive paradigm and a mixed-methods research design. A case study design is used to investigate LMS integration in the University of Al-Qadisiyah. A TAM-TOE questionnaire is developed for the academic staff of the University of Al-Qadisiyah, in which the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of LMS are analysed in the case organisation. The technological, organisational, and environmental aspects of LMS implementation are also examined. The survey received valid responses from 283 academic staff. In-depth semi-structured interviews of 8 academics, administrative staff and IT personnel contributed to the qualitative data. The survey respondents are selected using stratified sampling whilst purposive sampling is used to select the interview participants. The questionnaire data was analysed using correlation analysis, whilst thematic analysis is used for the interview data. The study identifies the barriers to LMS implementation as: Lack of or limited teachers’ training, lack of commitment to constructivist pedagogy, lack of experience to use the new technology, lack of technical support, and lack of appropriate educational software. These results feed into the policy framework design. The contribution to research knowledge includes the creation of a new adoption model derived from TAM and TOE to examine the LMS implementation barriers in a war recovering economy like Iraq. This approach the integration of academic users’ acceptance with macro-level factors like government support. The results lease to the development of the LMS policy framework to guide policy makers to prioritise their limited LMS investments. The novelty of the work is the bringing together the considerations of the individual users and the socio-economic context.

The growing popularity of the internet and its activities have opened a wide range of business opportunities especially in terms of e-business. Though, reports show that the adoption rate of e-commerce in developed countries seem to be striving, a lot of developing countries still struggle with slow e-commerce adoption rate. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one these countries where e-commerce adoption is still in its infant stages. However, because of the recent infrastructure improvements and the growth in telecommunication services in the country, internet penetration, more specifically, mobile Internet penetration is growing at a significantly fast pace. This could mean opportunities for e-business services in DRC. The objective of this research is to investigate the factors that could influence online shopping adoption in DRC. This investigation was carried out by adapting an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A quantitative approach was used in the collection of data and the data was edited and analyzed using the programming language, R. Also, the analytical techniques used in conducting this research include: Descriptive Statistical Methods (Cross tabulation, frequencies) and inferential Statistical Methods (Logistic Regression, ANOVA and Chi square tests). The results from this research show that contrary to the conceptualized model in the literature review where the main constructs included: Perceived Ease of Use(PEOU), Perceived Usefulness(PU) and Perceived Trust(PT), it appears that Perceived Ease of Use(PEOU) does not have any significance in a user’s intention to shop online(p>0.01). However, this research found that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Trust have a strong statistical significance to a user’s intention to shop online. Furthermore, we found that Gender, Income and Age do not have any moderating influence on the relationship between a user’s perception and their intention to shop online in DRC. However, when the relationship between VI perception and intention to shop online is moderated by experience, we find that there is a variation between users with prior online shopping experience and those without. While these research findings make for remarkable recommendations on a user’s intention to shop online, we recommend that further research on actual usage of e-commerce be examined in DRC to get a better understanding of consumer online behaviors.

This study investigates the 404 error and in what way feedback should be given to the user in an error message to generate a good user experience. To investigate this, data was gathered from 1) a literature review looking at previous studies in User Experience Design, as well as different models to evaluate ease of use and perceived usefulness, 2) a pre-study questionnaire with nine participants who were asked questions related to error messages and feedback in general, and 3) two user tests; the first including 16 participants and the second including 46 participants. During the user tests the participants interacted with a prototype of a website that included 404 error messages. In the first user test the participants' user experience was evaluated based on the TAM model, including perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The second user study focused more on text and illustrations and their effects on the user experience. Three versions of texts were tested, formal, apologetic and amusing. The illustrations either included a character or an object. The result showed that, in general, the users preferred formal texts, as well as illustrations that included a character. The result also suggested that there is not one type of feedback that fits all users, in order to generate a good user experience, it is important to know the audience.

In recent years, there has been an increased number of people that are engaged in gaming - a phenomenon connected to constantly developing internet infrastructure and a growing middleclass. The phenomenon of Cloud gaming has received increasing attention since it was introduced some years ago; in 2022 all Cloud gaming services combined had 31,7 million paying users. The number that is estimated to triple by 2025. Given this information, we proceeded to identify a gap in previous literature within the topic of Cloud gaming. Previous research within the topic of Cloud gaming has predominantly discussed Cloud gaming as a business model rather than focusing on consumers. We sought to seize the opportunity to fill this research gap by studying consumers' motivations to engage in this new technology and examine which factors can influence the customer's decision-making process in the path to purchase. We also wanted this study to contribute to marketing practice by examining important current research priorities within the field of marketing. In order to investigate our research purposes, we adopted an exploratory qualitative study where we, with the help of online focus groups, investigated the customers' perceptions of Cloud gaming as a service and their motivations to engage in it. Another purpose of this study was to find out how the gaming industry may be affected by the increased usage of cloud gaming, therefore we wanted to conduct a semi-structured interview with an industry representative. The most interesting result of this study indicates that a somewhat odd situation arises for the Cloud gaming companies where the respondents who spent the least amount of money and engage the least in traditional gaming, showed the greatest motivation to engage in Cloud gaming. Therefore we suggest that there are a number of different measures that must be kept in mind by marketers within the industry.

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During the past years, gamification has become an influential trend in technology and the promises are widespread. The definition of gamification is known as the implementation of game elements (leaderboards, badges, points) within a non-game context. The term emerged as a result of business digitalization showing potential in increasing employee engagement and productivity. As a result of its infancy, little is known about the factors that define the use intention of a prospective user. Moreover, the role that different demographic backgrounds might have on the use intention of potential users is largely unknown.  This study has specifically sought to uncover these factors by subjecting the constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model within the context of gamification. The study investigates the factors that define the intention of users to engage in platforms based on gamification. Furthermore, by exploring the link between demographic factors and gamification use intention, this study contributes to filling an important research gap. Where prior research has predominantly focused on examining the effects of age and gender, this study has aimed to propose new findings on the factors of educational background and IT literacy.  This research has employed a quantitative research method based on the collection of survey responses. For data collection, an online survey was conducted within the organizational context of Volvo CE, 93 survey responses have been taken into consideration for the analysis. The data analysis method of choice is based on PLS-SEM, with the analysis performed through the software programmes SmartPLS and SPSS. Through this method, the relevance of the constructs to Gamification Use Intention (GUI) could be investigated, whilst the controlling effect of demographics was also uncovered. The conclusions indicate that the two main defining technological acceptance factors for gamification use intention are perceived enjoyment, and perceived usefulness. Additionally, perceived ease of use has materialized as an indirect indicator of GUI through its positive effect on enjoyment and usefulness. In the case of the demographic factors, gender was found to have no effect, age decreases GUI as individuals are older, individuals with higher IT literacy experience higher GUI, and higher GUI is found for individuals with lower educational backgrounds.

Customers uses both offline and online channels before the final purchase, retailers that are operating and selling their products both online and offline can benefit from aligning the experiences on their channels by using an omni-channel strategy. The smartphone is becoming a natural part of our day-to-day life and keeping us connected, also when visiting abrick and mortar retailers. Mobile technology therefore possesses the opportunity to integrate in-store experience with the online world for creating value for customers. But many retailers are struggling in their integration efforts towards an omni-channel strategy due toall the possible technologies to invest. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the acceptance of mobile technologies in a brick and mortar retail setting, the chosen technologies are beacons and augmented reality.This research investigated the mediating effect of the four technology readiness dimensions:optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity, on the constructs of the technology acceptance model: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The research was carried out with a positivist research philosophy, inductive approach and lastly with an explanatory research design including a quantitative method. The data was collected through a survey, which got answered by 224 participants. The data was further statistically analyzed. The result showed that several of the dimensions of technology readiness had a significant effect on the constructs of technology acceptance model, especially the dimension: optimism. Thus, retailers that wants to introduce mobile technology into their stores should put emphasis on customizing their offerings towards the customers’ different level of technology readiness, especially optimism.

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Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networking sites and is attracting the interest of retailers as an effective way to interact with consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine: 1) determinants and impacts of Pinterest consumer experiences. Specifically, this study examined the impacts of retailer reputation, trust, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness on Pinterest consumer experiences on retailer SNS. 2) To identify the impacts of Pinterest consumer experiences on consumer satisfaction, behavioral intention, and online retailer relationship. The instrument used existing scales drawn from the literature. A consumer panel (n = 300) of Pinterest users that connect to apparel retailers was used to collect data through an online consumer panel. Reputation is positively related to trust and to perceived ease of use. Perceived ease of use and usefulness significantly affected retailer Pinterest consumer experiences. The impact of Pinterest consumer experiences on satisfaction and behavior intention was positive and significant. Satisfaction and behavior intention also are significantly related to online retailer relationship. Results and business implications are discussed, as well are limitations and future research.