Magister Public Health - MPH (Public Health) / Background and rationale: Telehealth is a collection of methods for enhancing health care, public health, and health education delivery and support using telecommunications technologies. Despite the many reported benefits of telehealth, there are challenges to its continued and widespread use in South Africa. It remains unclear what facilitates or hinders the integration of telehealth into routine clinical practice. Study aim and objectives: Drawing on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study investigated factors affecting healthcare workers' acceptance and use of telehealth in hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Specifically, it described the frequency and nature of telehealth use and the factors associated with technology acceptance; and evaluated the influence of socio-demographic factors (age, experience, profession, qualification) and acceptance factors on use and behavioural intention to use telehealth. Methods: A quantitative survey in seven hospitals (2 tertiary, 3 regional, 2 district) with telehealth facilities falling under the KZN Department of Health, was conducted. 177 medical, nursing, pharmacy and allied staff consented to complete an on-line, closed ended and structured self-administered questionnaire based on the UTAUT model. The responses to the individual likert scale items were assigned a score (1-4), and from this, total scores calculated for each construct. Respondent characteristics were converted into binary variables and associations with total scores on each of the UTAUT acceptance domains were tested using t-test. The associations between behavioural intention and actual use (as binary dependent variables); and the respondent profiles, scores for performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions (independent variables) were assessed in two multivariate logistic regression models.

Because of the popularity of the 3G mobile technology and the development of digital broadcasting technologies, the mobile television (TV) has become a potential killer application within the telecom industry. This research examines mobile user¡¦s intention to use and the use behavior of mobile TV. The theory underlying the study is the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) that takes performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating condition as independent factors and the intention and behavior of usage as dependent variables. Two online surveys were conducted to evaluate the theory. The result from the first survey shows that the performance expectancy, the effort expectancy and the social influence factors have significant influences on the mobile TV user¡¦s intention toward using mobile TV services. The facilitating condition has a positive significant relationship with the usage behavior. The result different from the previous studies is no significant relationship between the intention and use behavior. However, the follow-up survey conducted a year later shows that the facilitating condition and intension to use have positive significant impacts on the use behavior. This study can help firms to better understand the factors that affect the intention and behavior of using mobile TV.

Instant Messaging ¡]IM¡^ has becomes an important tool of communication. Currently, eighty percent of the Internet users use IM to communicate each other. This study uses the dimensions of performance expectancy and effort expectancy of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the interpersonal communication need to investigate factors that influence IM acceptance. There are 211 completed questionnaires were returned and analyzed. It¡¦s found that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and interpersonal communication show significantly positive and significant impacts on IM users¡¦ intention. The intention significantly and positively affects their IM usage. According to the results, it¡¦s suggestted that IM software should make the IM more user-friendly and the software interface is not too complicated, so that users might feel that IM software is easy to use.

With increasing merging of the Internet in our daily lives, online shopping becomes a new consumption model. The study subject was female customers who did shopping online. By means of performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence in terms of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as well as involvement degree, the study explored if those variations had influenced female customers¡¦ intentions and behaviors on online shopping. We issued 240 questionnaires by purposive sampling and analyzed by quantitative statistics. The result shows that performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence originating from UTAUT significantly influenced female customers¡¦ intentions. Moreover, their intentions also significantly influenced their behavior online.

Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have been an essential part of the e-Learning ecosystem since the 1990s. LMSs have been developed and widely adopted by higher education institutions around the world. Despite the instructional and financial benefits of using LMSs, the adoption and diffusion of LMSs by faculty members continues to be challenging in higher education institutions, and particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors influencing the adoption of learning management systems (LMSs) by faculty members in Saudi Arabian higher education. The study employed a mixed method approach and applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explore these factors. Specifically, the study aims to determine the extent at which Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), and Social Norms (SN) influence faculty members' Behavioral Intention (BI) to adopt the Blackboard LMS. It also examines the moderating roles of age, gender, experience, perceived voluntariness, and computer self-efficacy on Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Norms (SN), and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The results of the study revealed a strong and positive correlation between performance expectancy and behavioral intention for Blackboard usage. The study also found Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, and Social Norms to be significant predictors of Behavioral Intention for Blackboard usage. Additionally, the findings show no moderation effects of age, gender, perceived voluntariness, and computer self-efficacy on Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Norms, and Facilitating Conditions. Experience was found to have a moderation effect on the relationship between Social Norms and Behavioral Intention. / Doctor of Philosophy / Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have been an essential part of the Electronic-Learning ecosystem since the 1990s. LMSs have been developed and widely adopted by higher education institutions around the world. Despite the instructional and financial benefits of using LMSs, the usage rate of LMSs by faculty members continues to be challenging in higher education institutions, and particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors influencing the usage of learning management systems (LMSs) by faculty members in Saudi Arabian higher education. The study employed a mixed method approach and applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explore these factors. Specifically, the study aims to determine the extent at which Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), and Social Norms (SN) influence faculty members' Behavioral Intention (BI) to adopt the Blackboard LMS. It also examines the moderating roles of age, gender, experience, perceived voluntariness, and computer self-efficacy on Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Norms (SN), and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The results of the study revealed a strong and positive correlation between performance expectancy and behavioral intention for Blackboard usage. The study also found Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, and Social Norms to be strong predictors of Behavioral Intention for Blackboard usage.

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Purpose – The aim of this study is to investigate the factors affecting the net benefits and change in user behaviour in a technology push scenario in Smart Cities. Design/methodology/approach –The research was conducted using a quantitative approach. Hence, quantitative data was obtained by devising and distributing a questionnaire adapted from the literature to serve the purpose of this research. Data was analysed by using SmartPLS software, since this tool allowed for the creation of a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Contributions –The research is expected to help foster an understanding of the factors affecting citizens’ satisfaction with technology-supporting smart cities. The focus of this research was on the scenario where technology was introduced by the government to support the development of smart cities, and where citizens ‘do not have a choice’ and are ‘pushed’ to use them. The research contributes a model for assessing the role of satisfaction in enhancing the net benefits of smart city technologies on the lives of citizens, as well as the change in individuals’ behaviour towards smart city technologies when they are ‘pushed’ for use. The findings provided insights to enable policy makers to implement smart cities in developing countries while ensuring the satisfaction of the users. Originality/value – The originality of this research is centred around determining how satisfied citizens are with smart cities and the net benefit of smart cities within a developing country (Kuwait) context. The research is also unique in that it examines the role of citizens’ satisfaction in changing their behaviour towards ‘push’ technology within smart cities. Theoretical Contributions – This study examined the factors that led to acceptance of smart cities in Kuwait. Hence, this study used the theories related to user acceptance of technology and added to its trust in provider. Previous studies have examined trust as a broad concept. Moreover, this study incorporated the push theory and also examined the change in user behavior, which was not examined in earlier studies.

Wearables som teknologi inom träning är ett etablerat koncept och många använder sig av dessa bärbara enheter. Statistik från Världshälsoorganisationen (WHO) visar att 23% av alla vuxna inte är tillräckligt fysiskt aktiva och forskning visar även på att många slutar använda sina wearables. Samtidigt har det gjorts få studier som undersöker dem faktorer som får användarna att acceptera teknologin. Denna studie kommer med utgångspunkt i UTAUT-modellens konstrukt och demografiska variabler, studera svenskatalande användares acceptans av deras wearable i träning. Den data som studien bygger på samlades in genom en surveyundersökning och analyserades med statistiska metoder. Resultatet av den kvantitativa studien påvisade att intentionen till att använda en wearable i träning har störst påverkan på den faktiska användningen. Intentionen påverkas främst av förväntad prestanda. / Wearable fitness technology is a well known concept, with plenty of users. Statististics from the WorldHealthOrganization show that 23% of all adults do not exercise enough. Other studies have shown that many users stop using their wearable devices, as well as the fact that earlier studies have not focused on explaining acceptance and intention to use wearables in fitness. Following study is based on the constructs and moderating variables of the UTAUT-model and implies to investigate wearables acceptance in fitness of swedish speaking people. The data was gathered by a survey and was analysed using statistical methods. We found that Behavioral intention explained Use behaviour, and the intention to use wearable in fitness was mostly affected by Performance Expectancy.

This study examined the level of trust of information on social media. Specifically, I investigated the factors of performance expectancy with information-seeking motives that appear to influence the level of trust of information on various social network sites. This study utilized the following theoretical models: elaboration likelihood model (ELM), the uses and gratifications theory (UGT), the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model (UTAUT), the consumption value theory (CVT), and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Model to build a conceptual research framework for an exploratory study. The research investigated the extent to which information quality and source credibility influence the level of trust of information by visitors to the social network sites. The inductive content analysis on 189 respondents’ responses carefully addressed the proposed research questions and then further developed a comprehensive framework. The findings of this study contribute to the current research stream on information quality, fake news, and IT adoption as they relate to social media.