Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:53:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DanielaVCS_DISSERT.pdf: 2784677 bytes, checksum: 92d04378c89fb04477b80e9cf283f9cf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-09-10 / The study aims to identify the factors that influence the behavior intention to adopt an academic Information System (SIE), in an environment of mandatory use, applied in the procurement process at the Federal University of Par? (UFPA). For this, it was used a model of innovation adoption and technology acceptance (TAM), focused in attitudes and intentions regarding the behavior intention. The research was conducted a quantitative survey, through survey in a sample of 96 administrative staff of the researched institution. For data analysis, it was used structural equation modeling (SEM), using the partial least squares method (Partial Least Square PLS-PM). As to results, the constructs attitude and subjective norms were confirmed as strong predictors of behavioral intention in a pre-adoption stage. Despite the use of SIE is required, the perceived voluntariness also predicts the behavior intention. Regarding attitude, classical variables of TAM, like as ease of use and perceived usefulness, appear as the main influence of attitude towards the system. It is hoped that the results of this study may provide subsidies for more efficient management of the process of implementing systems and information technologies, particularly in public universities / O estudo tem como objetivo identificar os fatores que influenciam a inten??o de ado??o de um Sistema de Informa??es aplicado ao Ensino Superior (SIE), em um ambiente de uso obrigat?rio, a ser utilizado no processo de compras da Universidade Federal do Par? (UFPA). Para tanto, foi utilizado um modelo adaptado de aceita??o/uso da tecnologia da informa??o (TAM), considerando as cren?as normativas e comportamentais como antecedentes da inten??o comportamental de ado??o do referido sistema. Para a consecu??o do objetivo da pesquisa, foi realizado um levantamento de dados (survey) de natureza quantitativa, atrav?s da aplica??o de um question?rio estruturado em uma amostra de 96 servidores t?cnicos administrativos da institui??o pesquisada. Para a an?lise dos dados, foi utilizada a modelagem de equa??es estruturais (MEE), por meio do m?todo dos m?nimos quadrados parciais por modelagem de caminhos (Partial Least Square Path Modeling PLS-PM). Quanto aos resultados, os construtos atitude e normas subjetivas confirmaram-se como fortes preditores da inten??o comportamental, em uma fase de pr?-ado??o. Apesar do SIE ser de uso obrigat?rio, o construto voluntariedade percebida tamb?m prediz a inten??o de uso. Em rela??o ? atitude, as vari?veis cl?ssicas do TAM, como a facilidade de uso e a utilidade percebida, aparecem como principais influenciadores da atitude frente ao sistema. Espera-se que os resultados deste estudo possam prover subs?dios para uma gest?o mais eficaz do processo de implementa??o de sistemas e tecnologias de informa??o, particularmente em universidades p?blicas

Abstract The potential of information technologies to enable fundamental and enduring change in individuals’ health and well-being activities has recently gained significant research and policy attention. Moreover, there has been increasing interest in persuasive systems that are designed to induce and influence people to change their attitudes and behaviors. This dissertation consists of five studies, including two qualitative studies and three quantitative field studies (including 616 real users of such persuasive systems), that are closely related and successively build upon each other to jointly address the central research question: To what extent persuasive systems design has an influence on consumers’ intention to adopt health behavior change support systems? The foremost conceptual foundation is the work on persuasive systems design, which further elaborates the features, affordances, and capabilities of systems that can be effective in inducing short-term as well as sustained behavior. The focal point is on the four distinct categories of persuasive systems design: (i) primary task support; (ii) dialogue support; (iii) perceived system credibility; and (iv) social influence. The interplay between the categories and other related constructs, such as unobtrusiveness and design aesthetics, is investigated through rigorous statistical analyses, including partial least structural equation modeling. The results demonstrate that persuasive systems design has a significant impact on consumers’ adoption of health behavior change support systems in different stages of adoption. The work addresses a problem salient to research, policy, and practice and builds upon strong theoretical and conceptual foundations. The research also extends prior technology adoption literature in information systems in a useful way by examining questions related to the design of systems in a novel and consequential domain. / Tiivistelmä Informaatioteknologian rooli ja potentiaali yksilöiden terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin edistämisessä on viime aikoina saanut merkittävää huomiota sekä tutkimuskentällä että julkisessa keskustelussa. Kasvavaa kiinnostusta on osoitettu erityisesti vakuuttaviin tietojärjestelmiin, jotka ovat suunniteltu vaikuttamaan ihmisten asenteisiin ja käyttäytymiseen. Väitöskirja koostuu yhteensä viidestä tutkimuksesta, joista kaksi on laadullisia tutkimuksia ja kolme määrällisiä kenttätutkimuksia. Kenttätutkimuksissa järjestelmiä on tutkittu yhteensä 616 loppukäyttäjällä. Väitöstyön tutkimukset liittyvät läheisesti toisiinsa ja vastaavat yhdessä keskeiseen tutkimuskysymyksen: missä määrin vakuuttavien järjestelmien suunnittelumenetelmillä on vaikutusta kuluttajien aikomukseen ottaa käyttöön terveyskäyttäytymisen muutoksia tukevia järjestelmiä? Työn tärkein käsitteellinen perusta kytkeytyy vakuuttavien järjestelmien suunnitteluun, jossa käsitellään yksityiskohtaisesti järjestelmien ominaisuuksia, käyttömahdollisuuksia ja valmiuksia, jotka voivat olla tehokkaita sekä lyhyen aikavälin että pysyvän käyttäytymisen muutoksen tukemisessa. Väitöstyön keskeinen näkökulma on neljässä vakuuttavan suunnittelun kategoriassa: (i) ensisijaisen tehtävän tukemisessa; (ii) käyttäjän ja järjestelmän välisen vuoropuhelun tukemisessa; (iii) järjestelmän koetussa uskottavuudessa ja (iv) sosiaalisessa vaikutuksessa. Kyseisten kategorioiden vuorovaikutusta ja yhteyksiä on tutkittu tilastollisten analyysien ja rakenneyhtälömallien kautta. Sen lisäksi työssä on paneuduttu aiheeseen tiiviisti liittyvien tekijöiden, kuten teknologian “tunkeilemattomuuden” ja suunnitteluestetiikan merkitykseen teknologian käyttöönotossa. Väitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, että vakuuttavien järjestelmien suunnittelumenetelmillä on merkittävä vaikutus kuluttajien aikeisiin ottaa käyttöön ja käyttää terveyskäyttäytymisen muutoksia tukevia järjestelmiä. Väitöstyö perustuu vahvaan teoreettis-käsitteelliseen viitekehykseen ja käsittelee tutkimusongelmaa, joka on relevantti tutkimuksen, käytännön sekä julkisen päätöksenteon kannalta. Väitöstutkimus lisää hyödyllisellä ja uudella tavalla tietojärjestelmätieteen tietämystä teknologioiden käyttöönottoon liittyen.

Denna uppsats söker att undersöka svenska m-handelkonsumenters syn på m-handel, elektronisk handel på mobilen, i ett förtroendeperspektiv. Då 77% av Sveriges befolkning idag äger en smartmobil, är smartmobilanvändningen mer utbredd än tidigare (Svenskarna och internet, 2015). Men trots smartmobilernas tillväxt har inte m-handel följts upp i samma takt och många föredrar fortfarande ehandel. För att ta reda på vad som kännetecknar svenska konsumenters tankar kring m-handel när det gäller förtroende och få en inblick till vad som skapar förtroende för m-handel har denna undersökning skapats. För att besvara dessa frågor har en nätbaserad enkätundersökning genomförts med TAMmodellen som underlag för att avgöra vilka de mer bestämmande faktorerna är när det gäller acceptansen av m-handel. Baserat på denna empiri som samlats in från enkätundersökningen har sedan ett flertal fokusgruppsintervjuer genomförts med MoTEC-modellen som grund för att få fram konsumenternas inställning till m-handel i ett förtroendeperspektiv samt avgöra vilka faktorer enligt konsumenterna skapar förtroende. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att konsumenter i överlag har en positiv syn till förtroendet för mhandel, men att många använder sig av e-handel på datorn då vana skapar ökad trygghet. Säkra betalmetoder är centrala för upplevt förtroende och var det konsumenter tittade på först för att värdera upplevd säkerhet. Andra faktorer som skapar förtroende är goda gränssnittsegenskaper med tydlig och överblickbar layout, med en högre feltolerans. Samt välformulerat informationsinnehåll i kombination med gott rykte. / This paper aims to examine swedish consumers’ views on m-commerce, mobile commerce, while taking a focus on the trust perspective of these views. The expansion of smartphones have reached a higher level than before and today 77 percent of Sweden’s population owns a smartphone (Svenskarna och internet, 2015). However, the growth of smartphones can not be applied to m-commerce as the growth of m-commerce has not reached the same level, as many still prefers e-commerce over m-commerce. This study has therefore been conducted to get an understanding of what characterises consumers’ thoughts about the trust aspects of m-commerce and to get an overview of which factors are creating perceived trust. To answer these questions an online survey was created with the TAM model as an underlying source to determine which the more defining factors are when it comes to consumers’ acceptance of m-commerce. Based on the material gathered from the survey has a number of focus group interviews been carried out with the MoTEC model applied, to get more detailed information about consumers’ views on m-commerce from a trust perspective and determine which variables increase trust. The results indicate that consumers mainly have a positive view on the trust aspects of m-commerce, yet many still prefer e-commerce, arguing that habit has a big role for added perceived trust. Secure payment methods are central for perceived trust and was the first thing that consumers looked upon to estimate the level of security. Other central factors were good interface features including a simple and reviewable layout with a higher error tolerance, in combination with well-formulated informational content and a good reputation.

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.

Much academic research has studied the factors that increase adoption of online government services. However, the study areas have generally been relatively simple transactional environments focussed on specific consumer roles, and where "the computer can decide". However, this is not representative of all government services: many off-line services involve multiple government organisations or departments. Some services are used by a large range of different stakeholders who have different expectations and experiences of the administrative process concerned. Some require non-numeric elements to process the transaction. Some even involve humans to make a decision. All of these factors increase the complexity of supporting such services online and there is little literature either in the areas of stakeholder theory or technology adoption that examines how such services can be successfully deployed. This research addresses this void in the literature through an exploratory case study of the online planning application service in the UK as provided by the Planning Portal. A mixed methodology, both multi-phase and emergent, has been used to gather and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data to investigate how a single online service can successfully support a wide range of different stakeholders, what factors impact on uptake amongst those diverse stakeholder groups and how the service manages its relationships with stakeholders to ensure all are supported by the service. The pivotal complexities added by visual elements in the planning application and determination process, and by the central-local government interaction that is integral to the online planning service, are explored. The findings suggest that such a complex service can be very successful, but there are barriers outside the service provider's control that may ultimately affect the full provision of an end-to-end online service. Quantitative findings also suggest that there are factors other than those in the current models of technology adoption that may affect a more subjective and visually dependent service. This novel study of a distinctively complex and visual service provides insights that will be, and have already been, of use to real-world practitioners in supporting and developing complex online services.

No description available.

This exploratory study assessed attitudes and perceptions of smallholder farmers towards agricultural technologies in Kakamega County, Kenya. Through a mixed-methods sequential design, the study evaluated the key variables predicting farmer adoption of agricultural innovations. While social sciences provide a clear human-driven pattern explaining the process of choices and behaviors regarding technology use, there is still little clarity on the influences of adoption decisions among smallholder farmers in rural Kenya. Using the diffusion of innovations theory, the study explored the attitudes and perceptions of smallholder farmers toward technology adoption in seven sub-counties of Kakamega County (Lurambi, Ikolomani, Shinyalu, Mumias East (Shianda), Malava Butere, and Khwisero). The study design utilized a quantitative survey of 245 smallholder heads of households, followed by focus group discussions to further probe attitudes, values and practices that could influence technology adoption. The survey questionnaire tested two hypotheses: (H1) socio-demographic characteristics are related to agricultural technology adoption; and, (H2) farmer access to extension services was related to agricultural technology adoption. A binary logistic regression model was used to quantitatively estimate socio-demographic variables presumed to influence the adoption of agricultural innovations. Subsequently, four informal focus group discussions of 28 discussants was conducted across representative sub-counties (Lurambi, Shianda, Malava and Ikolomani), to elicit an in-depth understanding of farmers’ perspectives on technology adoption. The focus group participants included farmers recruited from among survey participants. The qualitative research instrument sought to answer three questions, (RQ1) what are farmer attitudes and perceptions towards agricultural technologies; (RQ2) what socio-cultural values influence farmers’ choice of agricultural technologies; and, (RQ3) what sources do farmers use for obtaining information on agricultural technology? Quantitative results included a principal component analysis (PCA) in which 14 attitudes questions were reduced to five conceptual clusters. These clusters included: challenges in accessing modern agricultural technologies (explained 19.09% of the total variance); effectiveness of agricultural technologies (11.88%); enjoyment of agricultural technologies (10.02%); social influence in use of technology (9.47%); and experience with agricultural technologies (8.13%). A logistic regression model indicated that independently age (.07), education (.10), and off-farm income (.08) were significantly associated with adoption of technology at the 90% confidence level when controlling for all other variables in the model. However, agricultural extension (.42) was not a significant predictor of agricultural technology adoption in this model. Qualitative results provided rich insights which enhanced findings from the survey data. Key insights in the thematic analysis included: farmers’ ambivalence about agricultural technologies; lack of trust in agricultural agents; low levels of agricultural technology knowledge; extension services as the main source of information dissemination to farmers; predominance of gender in determining agricultural technology adoption; and gender inequity in agricultural decision-making. In conclusion, the study results suggested that a mixed-methods approach was valuable in probing the nuances of farmers’ perceptions of agricultural extension and technology adoption among smallholder farmers. The results supported the following recommendations: the agricultural extension efforts could be more effectively structured in order to support the dissemination of agricultural information; the issue of gender should be adequately addressed by engaging male and female in collaborative agricultural efforts to help break the barrier of gender inequity; and future research would benefit from disaggregating public and private extension services as a more robust method for determining their individual effects in the promotion of agricultural innovations among smallholder farmers.

M.Tech (Department of Information technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Science), Vaal University of Technology. / The advancement of technology, particularly in the area of mobile computing, revolutionizes the way business is done in many industries such as the education sector, government sector, financial institutions, retail sector and the way people conduct their daily activities. The current technology provides influential tools for organisations and can significantly influence their operation, structure and approach. The development of mobile computing has created a new innovation for various industries by increasing the availability, frequency and speed of communication between the organisations and the individuals. However, users’ perceptions can play an important role towards the adoption of these new developments. The overriding purpose of this study was to investigate the users’ perceptions on the security of mobile computing in South Africa for adoption of e-applications. The literature review was concentrated on the process of progressive development occurring during the study. To accomplish that goal it became necessary to reach some essential objectives i.e. investigating the users’ perceptions models in literature. For the purpose of the study, it was important to propose a research framework for users’ perceptions on the security of mobile computing with the potential for the adoption of e-applications in South Africa. The research evaluated the proposed framework to establish if there is any relationship between the e-application adoption factors. Furthermore, the hypotheses were tested to determine which factors would influence the adoption of e-applications in South Africa. Technology Adoption Model 2 (TAM2) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) provide the theoretical basis for explaining how users perceive e-application services that they access and operate through mobile computing. To achieve that, a quantitative study was conducted with South African residents, with respect to mobile security perceptions; 476 valid questionnaires were received from the participants who were selected non-randomly. Questionnaires were developed from the proposed research framework derived from DOI and TAM2 and the items were adopted from other prior technology adoption studies. Through the use of the survey instrument developed for this study, data were collected in order to address the importance of this study based on the problem statement posed in the first chapter of this dissertation. The valid questionnaires were analysed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 24.0. Reliability analysis, principal component analysis, correlations and multiple linear regression tests were conducted. Among other things this study made sure that ethical considerations are adhered to. The findings revealed positive relationships between perceived usefulness of security mechanisms, perceived ease of use of security mechanisms, subjective norm on security mechanisms, relative advantage of security mechanisms, compatibility of security mechanisms, complexity of security mechanisms, aesthetics of security mechanisms interface and intention to adopt e-applications. Furthermore, subjective norm on security mechanisms was strongly correlated to intention to adopt e-applications, complexity of security mechanisms strongly correlated to perceived usefulness of security mechanisms, relative advantage of security mechanisms and aesthetic of security mechanisms interface strongly correlated to perceived usefulness of security mechanisms. In addition, subjective norm of security mechanisms strongly influence intention to adopt eapplications in South Africa. Also, aesthetics of security mechanisms interface strongly influence both perceived usefulness of security mechanisms and perceived ease of use of security mechanisms. The reason behind it may be interpreted as users nowadays seeing the beauty as the platform to attract and encourage them to use e-applications. Finally, the proposed model analysis and survey evaluation will enable South African organizations to make informed decisions about the use of e-applications services. These findings contribute to a road map for the education sector, government sector, financial institutions, and retail sector as well as to encourage their customers or clients to adopt e-applications.

<p></p><p>In this dissertation, I argue that there is value in treating students as implementors during processes of educational innovation. I lay the groundwork for this argument through a review of literature comparing best practices in the implementation of innovations in higher education with best practices from active learning, blended learning, and collaborative learning research. This is followed by a phenomenographic and narrative analysis: a deliberate combination of phenomenography and narrative analysis methods for the interpretation of data and representation of findings, leveraging the strengths of each approach to account for the other’s shortcomings. The result of this work is an outcome space containing a hierarchical framework typical of phenomenography describing the various ways in which the participating students experienced implementation within the context of a blended learning environment called <i>Freeform</i>. The presentation of this framework is followed by a series of constructed narratives which contextualize how the hierarchical framework may be evidenced in student experiences of implementation in higher education. </p> <p><br></p><p>The hierarchical framework contains six categories of description: Circumstantial Non-Adoptive, Circumstantial Adoptive, Preferential Non-Adoptive, Preferential Adoptive, Adaptive, and Transformative. Proceeding from Circumstantial Non-Adoptive and Circumstantial Adoptive to Transformative, each subsequent category of the model characterizes implementation experiences that are increasingly impacted by students’ own self-awareness of their personal learning needs and subsequent self-directed learning behavior. This represents a departure from previous implementation research in engineering education for a number of reasons. First, it demonstrates that there is value in considering students’ roles as implementors of educational innovations, rather than tacitly treating them as subjects to be implemented upon. Second, the use of the word “circumstantial” intentionally acknowledges that the external (environmental) factors that influence implementation can be distinct to individual implementors while remaining contextual in nature. Third, it demonstrates that the processes of implementation which students undergo can lead to concrete changes in learning behavior that extend beyond the scope of the implementation itself.</p><p><br></p><p>Narrative analysis is used to develop a series of narratives that embody the implementation experiences communicated by student participants. These narratives are constructed using disparate ideas, reflections, and tales from a variety of participants, emplotting representative characters within constructed stories in a way that retains the student perspective without adhering too closely to any individual participant’s reported experience. This approach serves two goals: to encourage readers to reflect on how the categories of the hierarchical framework can be demonstrated in students’ experiences, and to reinforce the fact that individual students can exhibit implementation experiences and behaviors that are characteristic of multiple categories of the framework simultaneously. It is important to remember that the categories included in the framework are not meant to characterize students themselves, but rather to characterize their interactions with specific pedagogical innovations. </p><p></p><p> </p><p><br></p><p>The study concludes by interpreting these results in light of literature on implementation and change, proposing new models and making suggestions to faculty to inform the future implementation of educational innovations. Faculty are encouraged to treat students as implementors, and to exercise best practices from implementation literature when employing educational innovations in the classroom. This includes adopting practices that inform, empower, and listen to students, intentionally employing strategies that allow students to exercise their own agency by understanding and utilizing innovations effectively. Prescribing specific innovations and forcing students to use them can be detrimental, but so can freely releasing innovations into the learning environment without preparing students in advance and scaffolding their resource-usage behaviors. Instructors and researchers alike are encouraged to consider implementation from a new perspective, students as implementors, and faculty as facilitators of change. </p><p><br></p>

<p>We followed up with about 2,000 smallholder households in Senegal, two years after these households participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed at reducing levels of aflatoxins in smallholders’ stored maize. In the initial intervention, treated households were provided with training on proper post-harvest practices, low-cost moisture meters for testing if maize was sufficiently dry to store, plastic tarps for drying maize of the ground, and hermetic (airtight) storage bags to mitigate aflatoxin development in stored maize. Using cross-sectional follow up data on aflatoxins levels and drying and storage practices from 2019 along with baseline demographic data from 2016, we estimate both the longer-term intention-to-treat (ITT) effects and the treatment on the treated (TOT) effects that the four inputs provided on households’ aflatoxins levels in stored maize. The ITT analyses estimate the intervention’s average effect by treatment group, but this may underestimate the true impact for households who complied with recommended post-harvest practices and adopted the recommended technologies. The TOT analyses estimate the local average treatment effects (LATE) of the intervention, that is its impacts on those who were driven by the intervention to follow best practices or use a given technology. Since the decision to follow these practices or adopt a technology was not random, we instrumented the usage decision with the exogenous, random treatment group assignment to get an unbiased estimate. Outside of our main models, we conducted a heterogeneity analysis to test if households with different characteristics benefit differently from the intervention. We interacted each treatment assignment with various household characteristics, including the woman’s level of involvement in the intervention. Additionally, we estimate the cost-effectiveness of providing training and a tarp, according to WHO guidelines for public health interventions. </p>