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In a business to business context, the adoption of a disruptive technology can introduce great risks and benefits for all involved parties. In order to investigate the issues surrounding disruptive technology adoption, this dissertation analyzes the roles of buyers, suppliers, and employees within the adoption process. First, it is found that interorganizational trust has a positive impact on the likelihood of disruptive technology adoption, thus benefitting incumbent suppliers. Second, pre-existing interorganizational trust is shown to lead to lower quality adoption decisions from the buyers' perspective. Finally, employees are found to be less likely to accept disruptive technologies, as compared to incremental technologies. The influence of buyer, supplier, and employee relationships are complex and are explored in further detail in the following studies. / Business Administration/Marketing

Sharing of information between health care workers improves evidence dissemination and quality of care. One way to share information is through a community of practice (CoP), whereby members interact regularly towards a common goal. Advances in technology allow CoPs to exist virtually, removing the traditional barriers to information sharing. Virtual CoPs have been shown to be effective, but little is known about why health care workers choose to use them — warranting further investigation. This exploratory research consisted of 86 participants and took place in partnership with Health Quality Ontario. At the time of data collection, the organization was developing a virtual CoP for those in health care to learn from one another about quality improvement. The research utilized the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) — a theoretical model of persuasion that posits that one’s motivation and ability determines how information is processed — to guide the study of attitude formation. ELM distinguishes between Central Route information processing, whereby one is highly motivated and able and pays attention to argument quality, and Peripheral Route processing, whereby lower motivation and ability cause one to be persuaded by peripheral messaging cues. The sustainability of resulting attitudes is influenced by the route through which information is processed. Higher motivation to use a virtual CoP was found to be more strongly correlated to the central route than peripheral route, as expected. Post-hoc analysis found that argument quality had the greatest overall influence on attitudes towards virtual CoPs, regardless of the user’s experience level with them. Users with more experience were also influenced by peripheral cues. The chosen theoretical framework provided insight into the determinants of attitude formation, allowing for a better understanding of how to design and position a virtual CoP for those working in health care — a population yet to be studied through ELM. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people with a shared interest who regularly interact to share knowledge and increase their expertise. Virtual CoPs use information and communications technology to support these knowledge-sharing activities, and have been shown to effectively improve knowledge utilization, but researchers have not examined them from a health care practitioner point of view. The present research aimed to explore the factors affecting how attitudes towards virtual CoPs are formed. The elaboration likelihood model was used to guide this study and suggests that a person’s motivation and ability determine the route through which they process information and form attitudes, leading to their intention to use the system. By understanding what influences attitudes, we can better understand how to design and position a virtual CoP for health care practitioners.

E-government is the use of information technology, especially telecommunications, to enable and improve the efficiency with which government services and information are provided to its constituents. Internet voting is an emerging e-government initiative. It refers to the submission of votes securely and secretly over the Internet. In the United States some areas have already used Internet voting systems for local and state elections. Many researchers argue that one of the most important social impacts of Internet voting is the effect it could have on voter participation. Numerous studies have called for research on the impact of technology on voter turnout; however, existing literature has yet to develop a comprehensive model of the key factors that influence Internet voting adoption. In light of the gradual implementation of I-voting systems and the need for research on I-voting implications this study combines political science and information systems constructs to present an integrated model of Internet voter participation. The proposed model of Internet voting adoption posits that a combination of technical, political and demographic factors amalgamate to influence the adoption of I-voting services. The study was conducted by surveying 372 citizens ranging in age from 18-75. The findings indicate that an integrated model of I-voting adoption is superior to existing models that explore political science or technology adoption constructs in isolation. Implications of this study for research and practice are presented. / Ph. D.

The leadership traits necessary in today's military medicine learning environment involve recognition of the rapid changes in technology, and possession of the ability to ensure continuous transformation and adaptability to that change. Understanding the culture of military medicine is an essential leadership capability, coupled with effective communication and visionary skills (Chambers, 1991). Medical organizations that adopt new technologies in their training can expect better productivity and medical readiness (von Lubitz, Beier, Freer, Levine, Pletcher, Treloar, Wilkerson, & Wolf, 2001). United States medical school programs have recognized the need to introduce new technologies to allow clinicians to stay competent and reduce lethal medical mishaps (Elwyn & Lewis, 1998). The purpose of this study is to examine the adoption of instructional technology by faculty members at a military medical education program (Interservice Physician Assistant Program – IPAP). Within the case study, factors that facilitated or inhibited the adoption of instructional technology were examined. Additionally, IPAP program leadership behaviors were examined to describe its association with faculty member's adoption of instructional technology. Multiple methods were used to gather data including interviews, observations, and document analysis. This research used the grounded theory qualitative method approach to develop a theory deductively from the data. Fifteen faculty members participated in this study, 12 faculty members and three program leaders. The findings suggest that significant efforts and positive attitudes toward the use of instructional technology existed among faculty members. However, the process of instructional technology integration at this military medical training facility faced impediments that affected its adoption rate by faculty members. The impediments included unreliable infrastructure, lack of training and technical support of new technologies, time commitment constraints that hindered training accessibility, compatibility with existing instructional technologies, complexity of the technology, and inadequate technical support. The data analysis was based on Rogers' theory of diffusion and adopter categories (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability). The results of this study indicated that Roger's five variables of adoption of innovations were not effectively met. Moreover, the results identified specific issues from these categories that either influenced or inhibited the adoption rate of technology innovation at this training facility; such as organization factors, personal motivation, and social factors. The following recommendations were made: (1) emphasis on conducting faculty training and professional development on instructional technologies, (2) extending the physician assistant program curricula to accommodate built-in staff development training times, (3) encourage peer-to-peer mentorship training by supporting instructors with limited instructional technology experience, (4) develop a technology personnel qualification standards (PQS) check-in process for new faculty members, (5) provide sufficient infrastructure and technical support to meet the demands of an expanding technology-based curriculum, (6) an establishment of dialogue between organizations responsible for coordinating infrastructure, technical support, and training, and (7) provide competent technicians that are trained to troubleshoot all aspects of technology support. / Ph. D.

An urban tree canopy assessment (UTCA) is a new technology that can inform management decisions to optimize the economic, social and environmental benefits provided by urban forests. A UTCA uses remote sensing to create a comprehensive spatial snapshot of a locality's land cover, classified at a very fine scale (1 meter or less). Over the past decade, UTCAs have been conducted for numerous localities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW) as part of a strategy to enhance urban tree canopy (UTC) and reduce stormwater runoff that pollutes the Chesapeake Bay. Our research examined how local governments employ these UTCAs and identified barriers to and drivers of UTCA use for urban forest planning and management. We conducted a web-based survey of all localities in the CBW with populations over 2,500 for which a UTCA existed as of May 2013. We found that 33% of respondents reported being unaware that a UTCA existed for their locality. Even so, survey results showed that localities aware of their UTCA were using it to establish UTC goals, create and implement strategies to achieve those goals, and monitoring progress towards UTC goals. Survey localities were segmented based on how they reported using their UTCA to provide insight on possible outreach and technical assistance strategies that might improve future UTCA use. Overall, we found that larger localities with more developed urban forestry programs use their UTCA more frequently. However, we found several exceptions, suggesting that UTCAs could be an important catalyst for expanding municipal urban forestry programs. / Master of Science

MathWorlds is a piece of educational software that allows students to explore a variety of topics related to the mathematics of change and proportionality, utilizing dynamic graphs and animated "worlds". SimCalc is the package of MathWorlds software plus curriculum and teacher professional development, and has a history of significant success in single classroom studies. According to Simonsen and Kensing (1998), "users will not change the way they work to adapt to a computer system if the benefits are not significant and obvious." While researchers know SimCalc has a significant impact on student outcomes, is this obvious to the teachers? One powerful source of information about this question is the corpus of extensive phone interviews that my colleagues and I conducted with teachers after they completed the SimCalc curriculum. Many of our teachers recognized SimCalc as something that could be beneficial for their students. Besides raising test scores, teachers using SimCalc introduce more complex mathematical ideas to their students, which have ordinarily been considered outside a normal 7th grade math lesson. This was reflected in the phone interviews when treatment teachers mentioned more complex mathematical ideas than the control teachers. However, some treatment teachers struggled with using SimCalc because it was so different from their current teaching methods. In this case, SimCalc was not compatible with their current teaching methods. Also, for some teachers, using technology such as MathWorlds is a complex process with many hurdles to overcome. Future research must investigate ways to bridge the gaps in teaching methods and encourage more support for teachers using technology. By doing this researchers can make SimCalc more compatible for teachers with different teaching methods and reduce the number of obstacles teachers face when using technology in the classroom. With continued effort, research and support, we can look forward to the diffusion of more educational innovations such as SimCalc. / Master of Science

This study evaluates the effectiveness and impacts of USAID's IPM IL vegetable technology transfer subproject in Bangladesh. The effectiveness of the technology transfer is evaluated in four ways: IPM adoption rates and determinants of IPM adoption, measuring the impact of IPM adoption on vegetable yields, pest management costs, and the number of pesticide applications used, estimation of the economic impacts of IPM adoption and the technology transfer, and analysis of the relative efficiency of the various technology transfer methods used to transfer the IPM practices to farmers. Adoption determinants were identified using traditional and ordered probit regression analysis. Difference-in-difference models were used to identify the impacts of IPM adoption on yields, pest management costs, and the number of pesticide applications applied. Economic impacts of IPM technology adoption were measured using economic surplus analysis. Finally, to compare the relative efficiency of different technology transfer methods, adoption rates were identified for each transfer method and combined with the training cost per farmer to identify the cost per farmer adopting IPM practices. The results from the adoption analysis suggest the number of years of agricultural experience of the household head, the number of IPM adopters known by the household, and learning agricultural information from media sources and/or farm training events such as field days significantly increase the likelihood of IPM adoption. The impacts of IPM adoption on vegetable yields, pest management costs, and the number of pesticide applications were non-significant for vegetable crops. Analysis of the cost efficiency of the different IPM technology transfer methods suggests that media sources such as television, radio, and newspapers have the lowest cost per farmer. / Master of Science

Our American electric system doggedly follows the central station model developed in the late 1800s. Thomas Hughes says the system gained momentum by adding more alliances with educators, politicians, and other industries until the social network was so intertwined with the technology that deviating from the central station model would be extremely difficult. However, change can occur if a variety of components change, but Hughes does not specify which components. Another network model, actor-network theory, proposes that social relationships (the same ones that maintain system momentum) are actually dynamic relationships that either actively maintain or change the system configuration. But which relationships need to change in order for utilities to accept and interconnect renewable energy with their grid? This thesis focuses on the social relationships created around renewable technologies and the idea that they can be successfully integrated into the network. In each case, customers, utility executives, institutions, and technology worked together to bring about utility acceptance. Individuals, working within these institutions, can bring about change. In New York City, an urban windmill was installed atop an apartment building. In Sacramento, CA, the municipal utility, SMUD, broke from the system model to become a leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. In Texas, their renewables portfolio standard has become a standard for others to follow. / Master of Science