New technologies are constantly introduced in our everyday life. Societies and people have reaped great benefits from integrating information technology into a plethora of societal and commercial functions. However, innovations are not unconditionally accepted by users. Since digital innovations constantly are introduced to aid us, there is an interest in understanding what factors would either influence us or make us prone to adopt new technologies. The main research question is to identify the key influences, both positive and negative, within technology adoption. The scope was limited to Scandinavian supermarkets and the technology of adoption intention was the Smart Cart; a seamless approach to make your shopping experience easier. Through a value-based acceptance model (VAM), a quantitative survey was conducted to explore consumers, attitudes towards Smart Cart through the factors perceived usefulness (PU), perceived enjoyment (PE), perceived privacy risk (PPR) and perceived difficulty to use (PDU), in relation to the perceived value (PV) of the product which can eventually lead to intention to adopt and use(IAU). The findings showed that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived enjoyment (PE) demonstrated a strong positive correlation to potential users’ perceived value (PV) of Smart Cart while perceived privacy risk (PPR) showed a weak negative and perceived difficulty to use (PDU) showed a medium-strong positive correlation to potential consumers’ perceived value (PV) of the product. Potential consumers’ perception of Smart Cart’s value (PV) showed a strong positive correlation with intention to adopt and use (IAU).

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of Zululand, 2016. / Information literacy is fundamental for lifelong learning, especially for the teaching profession, where information is critical for imparting knowledge to students who are expected to be creative, critical thinkers and lifelong learners. The study investigates the information literacy skills and personal abilities of secondary school teachers in Lagos, Nigeria and Durban, South Africa. The following research questions and hypotheses were pursued in the study: the teachers’ perceptions about the need for information literacy; the purposes for which they need information; the types of information resource they access for teaching purposes; the frequency of use of information resources; the search strategies employed in using online information resources; the level of teachers’ information self-concept; and metacognitive abilities employed in using information resources. The study also embarks on an analytical evaluation of information literacy in the contexts of the two cities of Lagos and Durban. A proposed conceptual model was also suggested to ensure the information literacy of teachers in secondary schools. The study was guided by null hypotheses and tested at a 0.05 level of significance, to ascertain whether there were any significant differences in teachers’ perceptions of the need for information literacy, and also whether there was any significant difference in the information literacy, frequency of use of information, information search strategy, and metacognitive abilities of teachers in Lagos and Durban. The study adopted a post-positivist research paradigm combining both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies largely through multi case study research design. Data were gathered through questionnaires, interviews, observation and document analysis that included a literature review. The target population was secondary school teachers in Lagos and Durban. The sample for the research was drawn from teachers in government secondary schools in Lagos and Durban. Lagos State has 20 local governments, and at the time of the research a total teacher population of 8 329. Durban is divided into four Circuits representing 16 wards. Excluding primary schools, independent schools and combined secondary schools, there are 41 secondary schools and 4 887 teachers. Face and content validity was achieved through the verification of and response to the research instruments by academics in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand. Dependability of the research instruments was achieved through a pilot survey that tested the instruments among 57 teacher-librarians at the University of Zululand. In addition, Cronbach alpha technique was used to determine the reliability of the instruments. The data collected for this research were subjected to reliability coefficient tests variable by variable. The outcome shows that the overall reliability coefficient, when all the items in the questionnaire were taken together, was .801 (r =.801). Therefore all the items in the questionnaire were found to be reliable, and hence the questionnaire was reliable, trustworthy and dependable. Interviews and observation were also used as instruments of data collection to triangulate and validate the research results obtained by the questionnaire. Multistage sampling technique was used in the first instance to purposively select samples from the two cities of Lagos and Durban in order to make comparisons. The second stage involved stratified random sampling, and the third stage applied simple random sampling. A sample of six local governments was selected from 20 in Lagos State, and referred to as primary sampling units (PSUs). Lagos State was divided into six educational districts (EDs). The first stage sampling involved selecting one local government out of three or four in each ED. The second stage sampling comprised a few secondary schools selected at random from all the schools in selected local governments, and the third stage was a selection of some teachers from all the teachers in the selected secondary schools. The selected local secondary schools were called secondary sampling units (SSUs). All the responding units in each SSU, i.e. the teachers, were given the questionnaires to fill in. Triangulation of three data gathering instruments enabled convergence measurement for confidence in the outcome of the research. Content analysis of the contextual setting relating to the information literacy environment in Nigeria and South Africa was done. The respondents were drawn from secondary school teachers in Lagos and Durban, with 368 valid questionnaires returned with useful responses, 193 (52.4%) in Lagos and 175 (47.6) in Durban. Eight librarians were also interviewed to validate the responses from the questionnaires, four in Lagos and four in Durban. The theoretical underpinning of this research was based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), which helps in understanding human-machine interface (HMI) through perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU). The rationale for TAM is to present a foundation for ascertaining the impact of external variables on internal beliefs, personal abilities, attitude, mind-set and intention in attaining information literacy (IL) skills. This study evaluated the TAM’s main variables for information literacy acquisition such as perceived usefulness (the intention to use, user training, computer experience, system quality) and perceived ease of use (computer self-efficacy, perception of external control, ease of use, internet self-efficacy, efficacy of library use, computer anxiety, information anxiety, perceived enjoyment and objective usability, behaviour and intention). The study also contextualises the TAM by analysing and explaining how the variables are applied in relationship to IL among school teachers. The outcome provided a deeper understanding of how TAM applies to information communication and technology for development (ICT4D) in general and IL research in particular. The study revealed that teachers in Durban had a higher level of perception of the need for information literacy than their counterparts in Lagos. The inference from the study showed that teachers in the countries of study need information on a regular basis mainly for the purposes of teaching, and administrative and professional development. The study also showed that electronic information resources were infrequently used by the teachers. Regardless of government regulation stating the qualifications of school librarians, many of those employed in the two cities were not professionally qualified librarians. The study shows a significant level of decline in information literacy in relation to the ages of teachers. Younger teachers tend to possess a higher level of information literacy than their older colleagues, which makes in-service training imperative. Female teachers are significantly more information literate than their male counterparts. Many of the school libraries seem to have been afterthoughts, and the specifications for library building and planning were not observed as itemised by IFLA library building guidelines. The library environments showed that most of the facilities were not specifically built for the teachers, in terms of space and furniture. Interaction and collaboration between teachers and librarians is limited. The information in the literature review, and contextualisation of information literacy in Nigeria and South Africa present new insights. The study recommended that continuous training for teachers in information literacy is essential. School authorities should establish relationships between teachers and librarians, and employ qualified librarians capable of competently handling modern information facilities in the school library. The quality of library facilities should be improved for better information access and services, and encourage change in teacher’s perceptions about information literacy and services. Adequate funding for school libraries is essential to acquire resources and ensure maintenance. It is also recommended that librarians should receive regular education to cope with changes in information access, usage and services required in modern libraries.

In the past several years, police-community relations have received enormous scrutiny based on several high-profile incidents involving the use of deadly force. Politicians, civil societies, and victims' families have called for law enforcement agencies to equip local officers with body-worn cameras to increase transparency and accountability. The purpose of the study was to investigate how law enforcement officers in a Sheriff's office in the Southern United States perceived ease of use and usefulness of body-worn camera technology and to identify if gender and years of service related to police officers' acceptance of body-worn cameras as a component of their regular uniform. The theoretical foundation for this study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis in 1989. Paper survey using TAM instrument was used to collect data from officers at the training center. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine which independent variables predicted the frequency of use of body-worn cameras. Analysis of data collected from 88 officers found that their perceptions of the ease of use of body-worn cameras were moderately and positively correlated with their perceptions of the cameras' usefulness and their attitudes toward the camera. The relationship between usefulness and years of service was negative, indicating that as officers' length of service increased, their perceptions of body-worn cameras usefulness decreased. However, officers' attitudes toward using body-worn cameras were a predictor of their reported frequency of use. Findings from the study could contribute to positive social change by providing policymakers with new tools to craft training policies to enhance police-community relations.

U.S. student enrollment in online classes in the higher education sector has grown rapidly since 2001. Researchers have found that student satisfaction often leads to higher student retention, yet more research was needed to understand reasons for student satisfaction with online education. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the relationship between students' early exposure to technology (i.e., before college) and their satisfaction with online education in college. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology were the theoretical framework. A convenience sample of 103 participants from the population of online students at colleges and universities in the United States took a survey on their past exposure to information and communication technology (ICT); their expectations for, and willingness to continue using ICT; and their satisfaction with online education. Several statistical tests, such as ANOVA, Spearman Rho correlation, and t-tests were conducted to analyze collected responses. Results indicated there was an indirect relationship between the early exposure to technology and student satisfaction based on the statistically significant correlation found between the early exposure to technology and effort expectancy, then between effort expectancy and use behavior and finally between use behavior and student satisfaction. By implementing study findings, educators and managers may be better able to bring positive social changes necessary to prepare all students and workers for the technology-driven education and the workplace regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Senior management decisions to foster innovation and adopt new technology solutions have serious implications for the success of their organization change initiatives. This project examined the issue of senior management decision or reasons of their decision to adopt new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as a solution to solve their business problems. This project investigated the degree that perceived ease of use and usefulness of the ERP system influenced decisions made by senior managers to innovate. Roger's diffusion of innovations theory and Davis technology acceptance model theory were used to predict when senior managers were open to innovation, and whether senior managers made decisions to adopt new technological innovations. Out of the 3,000 randomly selected senior managers of small to medium sized organizations in the United States who were invited via emails to participate, 154 completed the online survey. Binary logistic regression analysis on the collected data failed to produce statistically significant support for the claim that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and openness to innovation should impact the senior manager's decision to innovate. The conclusions of this study suggest further research may include a qualitative design to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying reasons, opinions and motivations on the emotive aspects of the decision-making process in the adoption of ERP software innovations. It also offers a positive social change to stakeholders who are potentially affected by technology innovation and adoption by providing empirically validated evidence for causes of senior management technology decisions.

Inadequate software development collaboration processes can allow technical debt to accumulate increasing future maintenance costs and the chance of system failures. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore collaboration strategies software development leaders use to reduce the amount of technical debt created by software developers. The study population was software development leaders experienced with collaboration and technical debt at a large health care provider in the state of California. The data collection process included interviews with 8 software development leaders and reviewing 19 organizational documents relating to software development methods. The extended technology acceptance model was used as the conceptual framework to better understand the social and cognitive influences on the perceived usefulness of collaboration in reducing technical debt. An inductive analysis of the data was used for coding, triangulation, and identifying themes related to the use of collaboration strategies to reduce technical debt. Prominent themes included using collaboration at all stages of development, using continuous verification processes, promoting a participatory culture, and using tools to support distributed teams. The study findings showed an environment that promotes collaboration, a culture that encourages participation, and accessibility to collaborative tools that may reduce technical debt in software projects. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by demonstrating how individuals with diverse backgrounds and different perspectives can work together to improve critical software that people depend on every day.

Hmong high school students struggle in science courses and have difficulty using technology, leaving them behind other ethnic groups in science performance. There is lack of research regarding Hmong students' struggle in technology-focused science courses, especially regarding the experiences of Hmong students with using science technology and teachers' experiences with these students. This single case study was designed to explore how technology innovations in high school biology courses impact science learning for Hmong students based on Gu, Zhu, and Guo's technology acceptance model. Both Hmong student and science teacher interviews as well as reflective journal data were collected to better understand students' opinions regarding usefulness and ease-of-use of technology in high school biology courses. Course document data were collected to determine technology integrations in lessons. Participants selected from a public high school in the Midwestern region of the United States included 8 Hmong students and 2 teachers. Data were analyzed within unit analysis and line-by-line coding to construct codes, then through cross unit analysis to develop themes. Results indicate that technologies have a positive impact on Hmong student science learning and aligned to the technology acceptance model. Key findings included positive use of technology, usefulness of technology and ease of use, and evidence of technology integration. The results can be used by teachers to improve support to minority students who learn biology using educational and scientific technology. The use of technology contributes to positive social change to advance Hmong students' acceptance of technology and biology learning, as well as the advancement of education to support all learners.

Problem: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that falls are the “leading cause of injury death and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admission for trauma among people ages 65 and older.”1 Falls can have significant economic consequences to the individual and payer sources. To address these consequences, telerehabilitation was hypothesized to be a suitable supplement for fall screening efforts. Several sources concluded that support for synchronous telerehab was underdeveloped in the literature. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the acceptability, feasibility, reliability, and validity of telehealth-delivered fall screening among community-dwelling older adults. Procedures: This investigation implemented an experimental, quantitative, cross-sectional design employing both pretest-posttest control group and quasi-experimental static group comparisons using non-probability sampling. This study assembled a panel of experts to provide content validation for a survey tool developed to quantify an older adult’s behavioral intension to use and attitudes towards a telerehabilitation delivery system. Seven fall screening tools were investigated for agreement among remote and face-to-face raters, and for comparison with the face-to-face reference standard (Mini-BEST). Results: All three null hypotheses were rejected. Results indicate that a telerehabilitation delivery system is a reliable and valid method of screening and determining fall risk in community-dwelling older adults. This study produced a content validated, internally consistent survey instrument designed to determine attitudes and beliefs about telerehabilitation. An experimental design was able to demonstrate a positive significant change in 4 of 7 survey constructs among the intervention group after exposure to telerehabilitation as compared to post-test controls. Overall, no significant difference was calculated between face-to-face or telerehab raters, and both environments produced equivalency with scoring, fall risk classification, and ability to discern fallers from non-fallers. Results from the telerehab STEADI fall risk conclusions were calculated to be concurrently valid with the face-to-face reference standard screening tool, the Mini-BEST. Conclusions: This investigation expanded the array of remote healthcare delivery options for clinicians and clients. Further investigation in residential and community settings are recommended.

Increasing socio-technological complexity and ongoing environmental and social changes make it difficult to choose suitable approaches in today's innovation endeavors. Explorative and agile methods are increasingly used to reach out for disruptive innovations under uncertainty. However, feasibility of pioneering projects in business-critical contexts faces limitations in regulated branches. This doctoral thesis aims at contributing to service innovation research using a mixed-methods approach, being applied to several domains. Strategic Service Innovation (SSI) aspires to create novel digital service concepts ranging from radical technical innovations to business model pivoting.

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