The rapid development of artificial intelligence has initiated debates regarding its eventual threats and opportunities in the labor market. There is currently an ongoing discussion about which jobs, within the HR-business, that could potentially be replaced by AI, with the recruiting profession being suggested as replaceable by AI. The sociological relevance of the study´s subjects lies in the intersection of human and technology. The purpose of the study is to examine how professionals in the field of recruitment experience AI. By studying this, emotions arising in relation to technological development can be elucidated with the aim of understanding the intersection between humans and technology. Latest research has shown that development of new technology may raise apprehension among people. The theoretical framework of this study is based on Blumers (1986) ideas about sense-making within symbolic interactionism and Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989). Blumers ideas are used to understand how recruiters' sense-making process affects their feelings towards AI. Technology Acceptance Model are used in purpose to understand recruiters potential for acceptance of AI. In this study, qualitative interviews were conducted with recruiters working at recruitment and staffing agencies. The study's results indicate that recruiters have a positive attitude towards using AI in their work, despite having difficulty understanding what AI is. The findings suggest that recruiters do not perceive AI as a threat to their occupational roles, as AI lacks the human capabilities required by their job roles. / Den snabba utvecklingen av artificiell intelligens (AI) har väckt diskussioner om dess potentiella hot och möjligheter på arbetsmarknaden. Just nu pågår en diskussion om vilka jobb inom HR som skulle kunna ersättas av AI, i vilken rekryteringsyrket framförs som ersättbart av AI. Den sociologiska relevansen i studiens ämne är mötet mellan människa och teknik och syftet med studien är att undersöka hur yrkesprofessionella inom rekrytering upplever AI. Genom att studera detta kan känslor som uppkommer i relation till teknikens utveckling synliggöras i syfte att förstå mötet mellan människa och teknik. Tidigare forskning visar exempelvis att ny teknik kan skapa oro hos människor. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår från Blumers (1986) teorier om meningsskapande inom symbolisk interaktionism och Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989). Blumers teorier används för att förstå hur rekryterares meningsskapande process påverkar deras känslor gentemot AI. Technology Acceptance Model används för att förstå rekryterares möjlighet till acceptans av AI. I denna studie har kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med rekryterare som arbetar på rekryterings- och bemanningsföretag. Studiens resultat visar att rekryterarna har en positiv attityd till att använda AI i sitt arbete trots att de har svårt att greppa vad AI är. Studiens resultat visar att rekryterarna inte upplever AI som någonting som kan hota deras yrkesroll, på grund av att AI saknar den mänskliga förmågan som deras yrkesroll kräver.

AI-generativa bildkonst verktyg använder sig av generative adversarial networks (GAN) för att skapa bilder. Generative adversarial networks blir desto bättre ju mer information den förses med. Denna studie undersöker hur teknologiskt accepterat det är med AI-genererade bildkonst verktyg med hjälp av modellen Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Syftet med studien är att undersöka om unga konstnärers syn och inställning på AI-genererad bildkonst och verktygets framfart samt om de anser att det är accepterat. Studien genomfördes med små n-studier med semistrukturerade intervjuer för att få en rik och detaljerad beskrivning om acceptansen kring AI-generativa bildkonst verktyg. Studiens intervjufrågor byggdes upp för att besvara TAM2s olika delar. Respondenterna var konstnärer från Sverige och valdes ut genom bekvämlighetsurval kombinerat med snowball sampling. Konstnärerna som intervjuades under studien var positivt inställda till att använda AI-bildverktygen som inspiration och hjälpmedel till deras egna konst, och de flesta konstnärerna ansåg inte att AI var ett hot för dem eftersom de höll på med fysiska konstverk, och såg AI mer som ett hot för digitala konstnärer. Dessutom tyckte de flesta konstnärerna i studien att även om det är en själv som har skrivit in instruktionerna till AI-bildverktygen för att få en genererad bild, så är det diskutabelt om man kan göra anspråk på verket. / AI generated visual art tools use generative adversarial networks (GAN) to create pictures and digital art. Generative adversarial networks get better the more information they are provided with. This study investigates how technologically accepted it is with AI generated visual art tools using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This study was carried out with small n-studies with semi-structured interviews to get rich and detailed description of the acceptance of AI generative visual art tools. The study’s interview questions were built to answer the TAM2-model different parts. The respondents were artists from Sweden and were selected through convenience sampling combined with snowball sampling. The purpose of the study is to investigate how young artists view and attitude towards AI generated visual art and the progress of the tool and whether they believe it is accepted. The artists interviewed during the study were positive about using the AI generated art tool as an inspiration and aid to their own art, and most of the artists did not consider AI as a threat to them because they were doing physical artwork, seeing AI more as a threat to digital artists. In addition, most of the artists in the study felt that even if one has entered the instructions to the AI generating tools themselves to get a generated image, it is debatable whether one can claim the work. This thesis is written in Swedish.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur användningen av AI-chatbotar hos Amazon påverkar kundnöjdheten. Metodvalet för denna studie är kvantitativ och baseras på data insamlad genom en enkätundersökning. Enkäten är utformad för att kvantifiera och analysera respondenternas åsikter, beteenden och demografiska variabler. Data analyseras med hjälp av SEM och AMOS. Studien har identifierat signifikanta samband mellan förtroende och kundnöjdhet samt uppfattad enkelhet och kundnöjdhet när det gäller Amazons AI-chatbot. Sambandet är positivt och ökad förtroende samt uppfattad enkelhet leder till ökad kundnöjdhet. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how the use of AI chatbots at Amazon affects customer satisfaction. The method chosen for this study is quantitative and is based on data collected through a survey. The survey is designed to quantify and analyze respondents' opinions, behaviors, and demographic variables. The data is analyzed using SEM and AMOS. The study has identified significant relationships between trust and customer satisfaction, as well as perceived simplicity and customer satisfaction regarding Amazon´s AI chatbot. The relationship is positive and increased trust and perceived ease of use leads to increased customer satisfaction.

Cette thèse a pour objectif d’étudier le fonctionnement des catégories de temps, aspect et mode (TAM) et l’interaction de ces trois catégories dans des phrases complexes en mandarin moderne à partir d’un corpus tiré principalement d’énoncés authentiques (oral et écrit). A travers cette étude nous cherchons à répondre à trois questions liées à l’interprétation de la temporalité en mandarin : (i) Comment les catégories temporelles, aspectuelles et modales se manifestent et interagissent dans des phrases complexes ? ; (ii) Quelles sont les différences entre les interactions du TAM dans la phrase complexe et celles dans la phrase simple ? ; (iii) Comment est exprimé l’ordre séquentiel en mandarin ? La théorie temporelle de Comrie (1985) et le modèle aspectuel élaboré par Tournadre (2004) sont utilisés comme cadre théorique de cette étude. Dans la première partie, nous présentons les théories du TAM utilisées en linguistique générale et introduisons les notions fondamentales que nous allons utiliser dans la thèse. Puis nous abordons les moyens linguistiques employés en mandarin pour véhiculer des valeurs temporelles, aspectuelles et modales, ainsi que le fonctionnement de ces trois catégories dans la phrase simple afin de comparer ce fonctionnement avec celui dans la phrase complexe. La seconde partie consiste à analyser l’interaction du TAM dans divers types de phrases complexes, comprenant des phrases subordonnées ou des constructions verbale en série. / This dissertation is a corpus-based study of the tense, aspect and mood (TAM) and the interaction between these three categories in complex sentences in modern Mandarin Chinese. It aims to answer three questions related to the interpretation of temporality in Mandarin: (i) How temporal, aspectual and modal categories are marked and how they interact in complex sentences? ; (ii) What are the differences between the interactions of TAM in complex sentences and those in simple sentences? ; (iii) How is temporal sequence expressed in Mandarin? The temporal theory of Comrie (1985) and the aspectual model developed by Tournadre (2004) will be used as the theoretical framework to analyze the data. In the first part, we first introduce the concepts and theories of TAM used in general linguistics. Then we discuss the linguistic means used in Mandarin to convey temporal, aspectual and modal concepts, and the functioning of these three categories in simple sentences in order to compare it with the functioning in complex sentences. The second part is devoted to the analysis the interaction of TAM categories in various types of complex sentences which include those in subordinate clauses and verbal construction in series.

The research investigated consumers' decision-making process during pre-adoption and consumption stages of consumer-based technologies via the context of mobile apps. In an attempt to integrate consumer resistance in predicting the end-decisions to adopt/not adopt or continue/discontinue the use of a technology, the study presented some interesting findings. Employing the theoretical framework of cognitive appraisal theory, the study integrated the TAM, paradoxes of technology, and coping strategies to propose and empirically validate a process-based model of decision-making.Data were collected via a self-administered web-based survey. Two versions of the questionnaire were used to elicit consumers' responses from adopters and non-adopters of mobile apps. A total of 646 smartphone owners responded to the survey, of which, 375 respondents had downloaded apps in the past and 271 respondents had not downloaded any apps. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.Results demonstrated that most part of the TAM3 framework is replicable in a consumer-based setting. Additional findings provided evidence for the strong role of goal relevance in the TAM framework. The study also supported the effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use on different technology paradoxes. The factor structure of the technology paradoxes suggested three distinct dimensions. Consumers' evaluation of control, freedom, newness, assimilation, and fulfillment of need as derived from the use of mobile apps was captured by Perceived Benefits. The construct, Perceived Apprehension, comprised of consumers' assessment of the chaos, enslavement, obsolesce, isolation, and creation of needs as a result of using mobile apps. Finally, the factor, Perceived Obscurity, investigated the confusion and/or ambiguity within individuals by measuring their perceived inefficiency and incompetence in using mobile apps.Most importantly, separate investigations of the pre-adoption and consumption stages highlighted consumers' use of varying degrees of resistance as influenced by their appraisal of the technology. The non-adopters resisted the use of mobile apps by either being indifferent towards it or postponing the decision to adopt. The adopters of mobile apps were also found to reject its use by distancing, abandoning, or neglecting the apps. The role of positive coping investigated the positive behavioral tendencies employed by consumers to overcome the challenges of using mobile apps. Managerial implications are discussed.

This study proposes a model of e-shopping continuance intentions that incorporate the revised technology acceptance model and expectation confirmation theory to measure continuance online shopping intentions within Saudi Arabia. Using structural equation modelling to confirm the model fit, and a 463-person sample, the author finds that perceived usefulness, enjoyment, and subjective norms determine online shopping continuance intentions, across male (30% of the sample) and female (70%) respondents. The structural weights are largely equivalent, yet the regression paths from site quality to perceived usefulness and perceived usefulness to continuation intentions are not invariant across the research sample. This research thus moves beyond consideration of online shopping intentions to include factors that may affect online shopping continuance. The research model is able to explain 61% of the variance in intentions to continue shopping online. Therefore, online strategies cannot ignore either direct or indirect differences in continuance intentions due to behaviour differences among shoppers in Saudi Arabia. With the high percentages of participants from the main populated regions in Saudi Arabia, the research model can be generalized across Saudi Arabia. Thus, the research has added to the limited literature on online repurchase intention or continuance intention by testing the proposed model in a context that has never before been tested. Furthermore, few prior studies use SEM as their methodological approach, and even fewer apply invariance analysis to verify behavioural differences based on gender, regional, education, e-shopping experience, and e-shopping spending with a sample obtained from Saudi Arabia. This study addresses these various knowledge gaps. Moreover, this thesis provides managers with useful and important information they can use to plan their Web sites and marketing strategies. The findings will help e-retailers to identify which web site attributes influence consumers’ e-shopping intentions, and thus improve the effectiveness of their e-shopping sites. A more thorough understanding of e-shopping continuance intention helps e-retailers to entice e-shoppers to shop online more, and entice non-online shoppers to shop online. Keywords: Internet shopping, e-shopping, technology acceptance, behavioural differences, continuance intentions, online shopping, Saudi Arabia.

Thesis (M.M. (Strategic Marketing))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2015. / The remarkable and apparent growth in the use of mobile technology in society is eccentric. Mobile technology brought about a swift change on how business is conducted and how individual communicate and interact. The increasing number of mobile applications available in app stores could be a challenge for developers as they will be required to stay innovative in order to acquire and maintain a competitive edge. For the mobile application businesses to succeed, owners of these applications need to know and understand their customers and their requirements to be able to meet their demands. Due to the currency of this trend, there seems to be scarcity in terms of academic literature and information intelligence for businesses on the subject. The purpose of the study is therefore to investigate the influence of systems quality, user trust and user satisfaction on purchase intention of mobile applications users in South African. A quantitative survey was conducted using a sample of 500 internet user in Gauteng Province. The survey questionnaire was designed on Qualtrics. A project manager was appointed to roll out the project that lasted two weeks. After collecting 353 responses, the survey was closed. The results were statistically analysed using the IBM SPSS to draw descriptive statistics. The construct reliability and validity was assessed by conducting Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using AMOS version 22. The model fit was also assessed by conducting path modelling. The results of the study indicated some level of significance on all the relationships. However, the results showed a very weak significance level between user satisfaction and purchase intention. In the concluding chapter, a number of recommendations are provided where it was suggested that business should invest and channel their resources towards building trust and reliance with their customers. The limitations of the study were highlighted and the chapter concluded by making suggestions for future research. Key Words: System Quality, user trust, satisfaction, purchase intension, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Modulation of the tumor microenvironment represents a possible way to inhibit cancer growth and enhance anti-cancer immune responses. In the presented work we employ two strategies for tumor microenvironment modulation. Firstly, we have constructed rVACV co-expressing the tumor suppressor gene insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP- 3) and the fusion gene encoding the immunogen SigE7LAMP. The expression of IGFBP-3 was regulated either by the early vaccinia virus H5 promoter or by the synthetic early/late (E/L) promoter. We have shown that expression of IGFBP-3 regulated by the H5 promoter yielded higher amounts of IGFBP-3 protein when compared with the E/L promoter. Immunization with P13-SigE7LAMP-H5-IGFBP-3 was more effective in inhibiting the growth of TC-1 tumors in mice and elicited a higher T-cell response against VACV-encoded antigens than the control virus P13-SigE7LAMP-TK- . We found that high-level production of IGFBP-3 enhanced virus replication both in vitro and in vivo, resulting in profound antigen stimulation. Production of IGFBP-3 was associated with a higher adsorption rate of P13-SigE7LAMP-H5-IGFBP-3 to CV-1 cells when compared with P13-SigE7LAMP-TK- . We have identified two structural differences between the IMVs of the IGFBP-3 expressing virus P13-SigE7LAMP-H5-IGFBP-3...

A computação em nuvem é um modelo que catalisa mudanças marcantes na forma com que a Tecnologia da Informação é distribuída. Como benefícios, sobressai-se a viabilidade de acesso rápido, de qualquer lugar, a recursos disponibilizados como serviços e utilizados sob demanda, subsidiando a criação de novos modelos de negócios. Entretanto, com os ativos da TI externos à organização, aumenta-se o interesse por estudos sobre adoção. A literatura retrata a utilização de vários modelos de adoção, entre eles o TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) e o TOE (Technology-Organizational-enviroment framework). Uma pesquisa que utilizou a combinação TAM-TOE revelou bom grau de previsão da adoção pelo modelo, porém indicou a necessidade de estudos de casos para aprofundar o tema em outros contextos, ensejando a questão: como ocorre o processo de adoção da computação em nuvem em relação às questões organizacionais e ambientais? Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura para confirmar lacunas de pesquisa e estender o modelo TAM-TOE, destacando-se elementos da teoria institucional no processo de adoção. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, descritiva e estruturada por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, com unidade de análise definida pelo estudo do processo de adoção de um serviço de nuvem em empresa de grande porte caracterizada como suporte no modelo de grade estratégica da TI. Sete unidades foram analisadas abordando-se influência das pressões institucionais sobre a alta gestão, as avaliações dos serviços e os termos de licenciamento dos contratos. O estudo contribui para a elucidação de comportamentos diferenciados das pressões institucionais sobre a alta gestão na decisão de adoção, destacando-se os mecanismos coercitivos. Expõe situações onde a gestão dos serviços requer a participação da TI sob o modo tradicional e discute aspectos contratuais sobre o licenciamento de serviços. Por fim, apresenta-se uma reflexão sobre a utilização do modelo, do método e limitações da pesquisa, com a indicação de estudos futuros para aprofundar as contribuições indicadas em outros contextos. / Cloud Computing is a model that has brought revolutionary changes in the way Information Technology (IT) is distributed. As benefits, it stands out the feasibility of fast access possible from anywhere to resources made available as on-demand services that help to create new business models. However, with IT assets outside the organization, interest in adoption studies have increased. The literature describes the use of several adoption models, among which are the Technology-Acceptance-Model (TAM) and the Technology-Organizational-environment (TOE). One research used the TAM-TOE combination and revealed a good degree of prediction to justify adoptions, but indicated the need for case studies to better understanding of adoptions in other contexts, raising the question: how should the process of adopting cloud computing occur regarding organizational and environmental questions? A systematic literature review was conducted to confirm research gaps and to broaden the TAM-TOE model, highlighting elements of institutional theory and its influence in the adoption process. This is a qualitative, descriptive and structured research using multiple case studies, with unit of analysis defined by the study of the process of adopting a cloud service in a large company characterized as support in the IT strategic grid model. Seven units were analyzed by addressing institutional pressures on top management, service evaluations and contract licensing terms. The study contributes to the elucidation of different behaviors of the institutional pressures on the top management in the decision making for its adoption, emphasizing the coercive mechanisms. It exposes situations in which the service management might require the participation of IT in the traditional way and the discussion of contractual aspects about the licensing of services. Finally, a reflection on the use of the model, method and limitations of the research is presented, indicating future studies.

Idag misslyckas en stor andel förändringsprojekt inom IT vilket är oroväckande med tanke på hur centralt IT är för verksamheter. En återkommande anledning till att så många projekt misslyckas anses vara svårigheten i att hantera människors tankar och attityder när de genomgår en förändring. Speciellt förändringar av system, som har en så påtaglig inverkan på de anställdas arbete. För att hantera dessa svårigheter förespråkar teoretiker att en användardeltagande strategi bör implementeras vid förändringsarbeten inom IT. Syftet med studien är därför att utreda hur organisationer använder sig utav användardeltagande och om det faktiskt har någon effekt på användarnas acceptans för systemförändringar. Detta då IT projekt fortsätter att misslyckas. Studien har grundats på tidigare forskning inom användardeltagande och användaracceptans för att sedan genomföra en undersökning på hur det går till i verkligheten. För att skapa djupare förståelse för hur användardeltagande kan ta form har intervjuer genomförts hos verksamheter som nyligen genomgått en systemförändring. Vidare har enkäter skickats ut till de anställda hos de studerade verksamheterna för att på ett tillförlitligt sätt avgöra acceptansen för systemen. Studien visar att användardeltagande utformas utefter vilken organisationsstruktur samt vilka maktförhållanden som råder i organisationer. Användardeltagande påverkar olika systemanvändare annorlunda då dessa har olika behov som behöver tillgodoses. Vissa användare är i behov av att användaranpassa system för att uppnå användaracceptans, samtidigt som andra är i behov av att ledas genom själva förändringen. Detta gör användardeltagande till ett bra val i syfte att öka användares acceptans för informationssystem, ifall det anpassas till användarnas behov samt rådande organisationsstruktur. / Program: Dataekonomutbildningen