There is a lot of demand from society or the government to incorporate ICT into preschool and education in general. However, no research in this area has been found that specifically cites technology's capacity to address concerns connected to planning, and systematic quality work in the preschool context. Technology integration, on the other hand, has ramifications for teachers, who face first- and second-order barriers to technological acceptance. In this study, we identify the determinants of technology acceptance among preschool teachers in Sweden. This study follows a mixed-method approach that comprises 12 semi-structured interviews and a self-completion survey of 9 respondents. The qualitative results were analyzed by a thematic analysis process and the quantitative results with descriptive statistics. We identified that job relevance, external control,  result demonstrability, output quality and internal control are the main determinants that play a crucial role in technological acceptance. We also found the persistence of the first-order barrier to the acceptance of technology. This finding contradicts an earlier study where it was stated that the first-order barriers were decreasing in schools. It was, however, discovered that several first-order obstacles in the form of external control factors still exist. Furthermore, it was also found that social factors such as voluntariness, image and subjective norm did not play a crucial role in technology acceptance. Finally, our results show that the use of technology has helped teachers in the documentation and planning, as well as identify the benefits of systematic quality work.

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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.

This thesis explores the perception and trustworthiness of the users towards artificial intelligence (AI) -generated content on social media platforms. The study employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Framing Theory as theoretical frameworks to understand the factors influencing user attitudes and behaviours towards AI-generated content. The research explores three main areas: user trust in AI-generated content, the ability to differentiate between AI-generated and human-generated content and the ethical implications of AI-generated content use. The research employed an online survey with 100 participants to collect quantitative data on their experiences and perceptions of AI-generated content. The findings indicate a range of trust levels in AI-generated content, with a general trend towards cautious acceptance. The results also reveal a gap between the participants' perceived and actual abilities to distinguish between AI-generated content, underlining the need for improved media literacy and awareness initiatives. The thematic analysis of the respondent's opinions on the ethical implications of AI-generated content underscored concerns about misinformation, bias, and a perceived lack of human essence. The study connects these findings with the TAM and Framing Theory, suggesting that perceived usefulness and the framing of AI-generated content significantly impact user trust and acceptance. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on AI in media and communications, underlining the need for a more nuanced understanding and responsible AI ecosystem development. It highlights the crucial role of public perception, awareness, and ethical considerations in shaping the future of AI-generated content on social media platforms

The Unified theory of Technology Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model suggest that the user acceptance before adopting a technology will greatly affect how the technology is accepted, and in effect its impact and performance in the organisation. A technology that is having an increasing presence in organisations is Procure-to-Pay (P2P) systems. P2P systems have been shown to achieve performance gains after a successful implementation in the form of increased efficiency, higher quality and better control in the procurement process. Being able to assess beforehand the performance gains of a technology before adoption is a crucial step for organisations seeking to lower uncertainties. This research assesses the importance of user acceptance as a precondition for a successful implementation of a P2P system. The research was conducted as a multiple case study at three organisations; Jernhusen, Akademiska Hus and Specialfastigheter. Jernhusen is considering adopting a P2P system. Akademiska Hus and Specialfastigheter have undergone the adoption of a P2P system. By measuring the user acceptance at Jernhusen the performance of a P2P system was assessed from a theoretical standpoint. The performance of a P2P system, and how well the implementation had succeeded was measured at Akademiska Hus and Specialfastigheter and put in relation to the measured user acceptance before adoption. This provided data to assess to what extent user acceptance is a precondition for a successful implementation of a P2P system. The study found that the user acceptance at Jernhusen, Akademiska Hus and Specialfastigheter was low before adoption. The theory indicate that this would lead to low adoption of a P2P system at Jernhusen and few performance gains. However, performance measurements made at Akademiska Hus and Specialfastigheter indicated that the P2P systems have led to medium to high performance gains respectively despite of low user acceptance before adoption. The research therefore concluded that user acceptance is not an important precondition for a successful implementation of a P2P system. / Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) modellen menar att användaracceptans innan en teknologi implementeras i en organisation är en avgörande faktor på hur organisationen kommer ta till sig teknologin och i sin tur teknologins effekt på organisationen. En teknologi som är allt mer framstående inom större organisationer är Procure-To-Pay (P2P) system. Effekterna av ett P2P system efter en framgångsrik implementation har påvisats vara förbättrad kvalité samt ökad effektivitet och kontroll av ingående steg av inköpsprocessen. Att kunna utvärdera systemets inverkan på en organisation i förhand är avgörande för organisationer som ämnar att minimera osäkerheter och risk vid systemimplementation. Denna studie utvärderar vikten av användaracceptans som en förutsättning för en lyckat implementation av ett P2P system. Studien var genomför som en flertalig fallstudie hos 3 organisationer; Jernhusen, Akademiska Hus och Specialfastigheter. Jernhusen överväger införandet av ett P2P system. Akademiska Hus och Specialfastigheter har infört ett P2P system. Genom att mäta användarnas acceptans hos Jernhusen utvärderades effekterna av införandet av ett P2P system ur ett teoretiskt perspektiv. Effekterna av ett P2P system och hur framgångsrik implementationen varit utvärderades vid Akademiska Hus och Specialfastigheter, och dessa effekter sattes i förhållande till användarnas acceptans innan införandet av systemet. Detta tillgängliggjorde data för att utvärdera till vilken grad användaracceptans är en förutsättning för en lyckad implementation av ett P2P system. Studien fann att användaracceptans hos Jernhusen, Akademiska Hus och Specialfastigheter var låg innan införandet av ett P2P system. Teorin föreslår att detta är dåliga förutsättningar för en framgångsrik implementation samt svårt att uppnå de önskade effekterna av systemet. Dock visade data från Akademiska Hus och Specialfastigheter att P2P systemen hade lett till de önskade effekterna trots den låga användaracceptans. Därmed drar studien slutsatsen att användaracceptans inte är ett avgörande förutsättning för en lyckad implementation av ett P2P system.

The purpose of this thesis is to fill the previous research gap concerning automation in the horticulture industry by discovering the adoption of automation in the U.S. and Canada, exploring the possibilities of introducing autonomous solutions and provide recommendations as to how this could create opportunities for small robotics companies targeting the industry. A case company in the U.S. and Canada was used as an example of a small robotics company for the case study. Two research questions were formulated: RQ1: Which major tasks in the horticulture industry should a small robotics company aim to automate? RQ2: What are the barriers for companies in the horticulture industry to invest in automated solutions? A mixed methods research with a pragmatic, inductive and exploratory approach was employed. The primary source of data was gathered from surveys, due to the geographical diversity of the region studied. The surveys reveal that the average level of automation across all respondents averaged at 47%. Given the strategy of the case company, a small robotics company is argued to aim to automate the following tasks: placing plant liners, sticking cuttings and planting seed, spacing of plants and containers, plant pruning, harvesting and grading production, and pesticide application. The horticulture industry is showing low barriers to invest in automation. The relatively high levels of automation are leading to increased trust in automation and further investments in automation. This is shown in the technology being perceived as useful amongst 75-85% of respondents and perceived as easy to use amongst 94% of respondents. / Syftet med denna avhandling är att fylla det tidigare forskargapet om automatisering inom hortikultur, genom att utforska acceptansen av automatisering i USA och Kanada, utforska möjligheterna att införa autonoma lösningar och ge rekommendationer om hur detta kan skapa möjligheter för små robotföretag som riktar sig mot branschen. En fallstudie på ett robotföretag i USA och Kanada användes som ett exempel på ett litet robotföretag. Två forskningsfrågor formulerades: RQ1: Vilka stora uppgifter inom hortikultur bör ett litet robotföretag sträva efter att automatisera?RQ2: Vilka hinder finns för företag inom hortikultur att investera i automatiserade lösningar? En blandad metodforskning med ett pragmatiskt, induktivt och utforskande tillvägagångssätt användes. Den primära källan till data samlades från undersökningar, på grund av den geografiska mångfalden i regionen som studerades. Undersökningarna visar att den genomsnittliga automatiseringsgraden för alla svarande i genomsnitt uppgick till 47%. Med tanke på bolagets strategi rekommenderas ett litet robotföretag att automatisera följande uppgifter: rada upp plantor, stick och plantera frön, skapa avstånd mellan växter och behållare, beskära och kvalitetsgranska skördar, och applicera bekämpningsmedel. Hortikulturindustrin visar låga hinder för investeringar i automatisering. De relativt höga automatiseringsnivåerna leder till ökat förtroende för automatisering och ytterligare investeringar i automation. Detta framgår av tekniken som uppfattas som användbar bland 75–85% av de svarande och uppfattas som lätt att använda bland 94% av de svarande.

Bakgrund och problemformulering: Skiftet till digitala banktjänster innebär ett annat arbetssätt att bibehålla förtroendet hos sina kunder då servicen blir mindre personlig. Förtroende och service är en viktig del hos kunderna samtidigt som det ställs nya krav gällande bekvämlighet och automatiserade självtjänster. Mot denna bakgrund är möjliga problem som kan uppstå en bristande säkerhet samt riskerna kring integriteten.  Syftet: Studiens syfte är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan kundernas förtroende och bankernas digitala banktjänster. Utöver detta vill forskarna få en förståelse för bankkunders förtroende för sin digitala bank.  Metod: Undersökningen bygger på kvantitativ metod i form av en enkätundersökning som sedan används för att genomföra en korrelationsanalys och regressionsanalys. Teoretisk referensram: Technology Acceptance Model, Social Exchange Theory, Perceived Risk och Digitala Tillitsmodellen. Empiri: Empirin har fyra olika fokusområden: kontrollfrågor, förtroende, digitala banktjänster samt risk och säkerhet. Dessa sammanställs och testas i en korrelationsanalys och regressionsanalys för att undersöka samband och testa hypoteser.  Slutsats: Resultatet visar att det föreligger ett positivt samband mellan digitala banktjänsters användbarhet och förtroende för digitala banktjänster samt att upplevd integritetsrisk har ett negativt samband med förtroendet. Trots att det kan finnas ett samband mellan digitala banktjänsternas användarvänlighet och förtroende finns inte tillräckligt med stöd för att bevisa detta. / Background and problem formulation: The shift to digital banking services means a different way of working to maintain the trust of its customers, this as the service has become less personal. Trust and service are valued highly for the customers, while new demands are being made regarding convenience and automated self-service. Against this background, possible problems that may arise are a lack of security and the risks surrounding integrity. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether there is a relationship between customers' trust and the banks' digital banking services. In addition to this, the researchers want to gain an understanding of bank customers' trust in their digital bank. Method: The survey is based on a quantitative method in the form of a questionnaire which is then used to carry out a correlation and regression analysis. Framework: Technology Acceptance Model, Social Exchange Theory, Perceived Risk and Digital Trust Model. Empiricism: The empiricism has four different focus areas: control questions, trust, digital banking services and lastly risk as well as security. These are compiled and tested in a correlation and regression analysis to examine relationships by testing hypotheses. Conclusions: The findings show that there is a positive relationship between the usability of digital banking services and trust in digital banking services, and that perceived integrity risk has a negative relationship with trust. Although there may be a link between the ease of use of digital banking services and trust, there is not enough support to prove this.

The phenomenon of Virtual Power Plant (VPP) has gained increased attention in many parts of the world in recent years. In 2022 the European Union, in response to the rising energy prices as well as the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, set a goal of speeding up the process of creating a digital energy system (European Commission, 2022, p. 20). VPP is the/a solution to the problem, and the EU is set to start its deployment of a common European energy data space no later than 2024 (European Commission, 2022, p. 3).  Previous academic research on VPP has been conducted on the technical aspects of the phenomenon and the adoption of VPP has not been approached from a consumer standpoint. We therefore identified a research gap, since, to the best of our knowledge, no qualitative or quantitative research has been conducted in the area of acceptance of VPP by individuals or households. We could see that there is a need for this type of research due to the goals set by the European Union, and the lack of current research. To fulfill the purpose of our study, we draw on the literatures on supplier switching in homogenous markets, innovation adoption, and technology acceptance to develop a conceptual framework and further empirically extend it via a mixed-method approach. The qualitative component of the study consists of three online on-on-one interviews, conducted with the help of a discussion guide. The interviewees selected were considered to be appropriate participants, suited for our study. The interviews gave us a deeper understanding of how VPP came across to the Swedish consumer, as well as how it was perceived by them. The quantitative study was done by the means of a survey of 75 respondents, enabling us to conduct a set of linear regressions in order to test our hypotheses.  Through our mixed-method study, we were able to develop an integrative framework, showcasing factors related to Swedish consumers’ intention to partake in VPP. We could conclude that Swedish consumers see value in VPP, and that there is curiosity related to the topic which indicates that there is an interest to explore and partake in VPP. We further discuss a range of recommendations to policy-makers and energy providers, as well as the potential contributions of VPP to the two important social aspects: sustainability and energy security.

Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) has emerged into 3D object creation processes through the rise of 3D Generative Adversarial Networks (3D GAN). These networks contain 3D generative models capable of analyzing and constructing 3D objects. 3D generative models have therefore become an increasingly important area to consider for the automation of design processes in the manufacturing and defense industry. This case study explores areas of automation enabled by 3D generative models for an incumbent in the Swedish defense industry. This study additionally evaluates discovered types of implementations of 3D generative models from a sociotechnical perspective by conducting qualitative interviews with employees. This study applies the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) for understanding the adoption and intention to use 3D generative models. A description of 3D objects, CAD, 3D generative models, and point cloud data is given in this study. A literature review is additionally given in the three fields of AI, technology acceptance, and the defense industry to funnel the literature to the context of this study. 21 types of implementations are discovered and categorized into four distinct groups. In conclusion a lot of potential is found for the adoption of 3D generative models for especially AI simulation processes, but challenges with data collection and security are discovered as the most significant obstacle to overcome. / Framsteg inom artificiell intelligens (AI), maskininlärning (ML) och djupinlärning (DL) har resulterat i att 3D-objektskapandeprocesser har utvecklats genom framväxten av 3D Generative Adversarial Networks (3D GAN). Dessa nätverk innehåller 3D-generativa modeller som är kapabla till att analysera och konstruera 3D-objekt. 3D-generativa modeller har därmed blivit ett allt viktigare område att beakta för automatisering av designprocesser inom tillverknings- och försvarsindustrin. Denna fallstudie undersöker automatiseringsområden som möjliggörs av 3D-generativamodeller för en etablerad aktör inom den svenska försvarsindustrin. Studien utvärderar dessutom identifierade typer av implementeringar av 3D-generativa modeller ur ett socio-tekniskt perspektiv genom att genomföra kvalitativa intervjuer med anställda. Denna studie tillämpar Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) för att förstå acceptans och avsikt att använda 3D-generativa modeller. En beskrivning av 3D-objekt, CAD, 3D-generativa modeller och punktmolnsdata ges i denna studie. Dessutom ges en litteraturöversikt inom tre områden: AI, teknologianvändning och försvarsindustrin för att rikta in litteraturen mot denna studiens sammanhang. 21 typer av tillämpningar identifieras och kategoriseras i fyra distinkta grupper. Som slutsats finns det stor potential för antagande av 3D-generativamodeller, särskilt inom AI-simuleringsprocesser, men utmaningar med datainsamling och säkerhet identifieras som de mest betydande hindren att överkomma.

Internet voting (i-voting) has been researched since countries started trialing it two decades ago. Although several countries have abandoned their trials, some implemented i-voting in national elections. I-voting research discusses successful implementations of i-voting in countries such as Estonia, Switzerland, and Canada, which has generated many different factors for successful adoption. However, no systematic literature review (SLR) on i-voting adoption factors has been identified. The problem that this thesis addresses is the lack of a comprehensive overview on reasons why an individual decides to adopt an i-voting solution. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is “to identify i-voting adoption factors on the individual level”. This study aims to answer the following research question: “How can TAM be adapted to explain an individual’s intention to adopt i-voting?” A semi systematic literature review of 117 articles is used that contains articles spanning two decades of i-voting research. The scope is narrowed down to adoption factors on the individual level and include the non-technical factors: “Voter experiences and perceptions”, “Trust”, and “Education”, and the technical factors: “User experience”, and “Performance”. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is used to explain how the factors relate to Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usability (PU) within TAM. A suggestion of an extended model is also made that includes other factors which were identified to explain individual adoption. Thus, the conclusion of this thesis is that TAM can in part explain an individual’s intention to adopt i-voting, but that it should be adapted to include the following additional factors: “Trust”, “Demographics”, “Education”, and “Voter experiences and perceptions”. Recommendations for future research on i-voting, limitations, and ethical and societal consequences are also discussed.