Submitted by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2011-10-06T12:09:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação RNascimento_08082011_rev67_Reduzido1.pdf: 2534408 bytes, checksum: a7782d7a921ecb5420ebfea130643146 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2011-11-25T18:01:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação RNascimento_08082011_rev67_Reduzido1.pdf: 2534408 bytes, checksum: a7782d7a921ecb5420ebfea130643146 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2011-11-25T18:02:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação RNascimento_08082011_rev67_Reduzido1.pdf: 2534408 bytes, checksum: a7782d7a921ecb5420ebfea130643146 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-11-25T18:03:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação RNascimento_08082011_rev67_Reduzido1.pdf: 2534408 bytes, checksum: a7782d7a921ecb5420ebfea130643146 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / This study aims to raise the relevant factors - both positively and negatively - to the adoption and diffusion of connected televisions in Brazil. The goal is to develop and test a meta-model, generated from existing models in the literature such as the 'TAM' (Technology Acceptance Model), Davis (1989) and diffusion of innovations 'DOI' (Diffusion of Innovations), Rogers (1995), together with the possibilities brought by this new connected television technology. / Este estudo objetiva levantar os fatores relevantes – tanto positiva quanto negativamente - para a adoção e difusão dos televisores conectados no país. O objetivo é desenvolver e testar um metamodelo, gerado a partir de modelos já existentes na literatura, como o 'TAM' (Technology Acceptance Model), de Davis (1989) e difusão de inovações 'DOI' (Diffusion of Innovations), de Rogers (1995), em conjunto com as possibilidades trazidas pela nova tecnologia dos televisores conectados.

The phenomenon of business value dissipation in mature organisations as an unintended by-product of the adoption and use of information systems has been a highly debated topic in the corporate boardroom awakening the interest of practitioners and academics alike. Much of the discourse tends to focus on the inability of organisations to unlock and realise the intended benefits to be harvested through large information systems investments. While the business case for investing in large technology programmes has been thoroughly investigated, the human agent that causes value erosion through his interaction with information systems (IS), has not received the studied attention it deserves. This study examines the use of technology in organisations by considering the dichotomy inherent in IS where its introduction for the purposes of creating new or sustaining existing business value subsequently also inadvertently dissipates value. The study proceeds to investigate the root people-induced causes resulting in the unintentional dissipation of value and presents an empirically validated model suggesting that human agents do not only create value for organisations through their use of IS, but at the same time, deliberately or inadvertently, dissipate value. The root people-induced causes resulting in the unintentional dissipation of value is delineated within a Theoretical Technology Value Framework that is constructed from a review of the extant literature, and delineates the overall unintentional value destroying causes and effects of IS on organisations. The Theoretical Technology Value Framework is forthwith applied as a basis for the development of a set of questions to support both qualitative and quantitative investigations from which an Archetypical Technology Value Model was derived. Finally, an Archetypical Technology Value Model is presented as a benchmark and basis to identify, investigate, mitigate and minimise or eliminate the unintentional value destroying effects of IS on Information Technology driven organisations. The study concludes with implications for both theory and practice and suggestions on how value erosion through the activities of the human agent may be identified, modeled and mitigated. Ultimately, recommendations are offered towards the crafting of more effective IS. / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Information Systems)

本研究對象為夜市利害關係人與消費者，欲探討夜市科技導入之使用者需求，以找出夜市科技需求為目的。本研究的研究方法，第一階段透過學理基礎分析為基礎，將夜市各領域文獻與產業現況進行整合，且實地走訪夜市，進行環境掃描，並透過質化的深度訪談，探討夜市利害關係人的需求，嘗試以不同使用者角度與參與治理觀點角度切入，找出目前產業現象所知的使用者需求之外，再找出其他潛在的使用者需求。 第二階段以質化深度訪談結果建立量化的網路問卷，以統計數據分析消費者心理，在相關分析中顯示影響夜市的科技應用與使用科技的知覺價值互為顯著正相關；而在多元迴歸分析中顯示影響夜市的科技應用對影響夜市消費者使用科技的行為態度、使用科技的知覺價值對影響夜市消費者使用科技的行為態度、夜市消費者使用科技的行為態度對夜市消費者使用科技的意願等三個路徑結果中皆有變數為顯著正相關，透過分析結果驗證消費者對於科技使用需求的心理特質，以提供符合夜市供需雙方之使用者需求設計。 第三階段彙整出夜市科技使用者動機與需求結果，提出對夜市具參考性的科技使用需求機制與功能規劃，並進行數位內容應用建置與規劃，設計夜市APP數位內容，呈現系統架構、流程規劃與介面建置，改善夜市遭遇之問題，供未來其他研究者參考或應用於數位內容應用開發與實務上。 總結，本研究成果為：（1）彙整出夜市產業對於數位科技應用的需求與想像。（2）依據使用者需求規劃出夜市科技的系統架構與流程，並設計出夜市數位內容應用介面。（3）最終，解決夜市產業面臨的困境，增加整體對於夜市發展的參與度，提昇夜市競爭能力，供未來研究者與開發設計者能參考。 / The subjects of this study are night market stakeholders and consumers; the study aims to explore user demand for the introduction of technology to night markets, and to determine the demand for night market technology. The research methods employed by this study are as follows: the first part of this study is based upon theoretical foundation analysis, and combines literature related to a variety of fields related to night markets with the current state of the industry. Furthermore, on-site interviews were conducted at night markets, and surveys of the night market environment were conducted; in addition, qualitative in-depth interviews were used to determine the demands of night-market stakeholders. These methods also attempt to determine known user demands according to current industry conditions, in addition to determining other potential user demands from different user and administrative perspectives. In the second part, the results of in-depth qualitative interviews are used to establish a quantitative online questionnaire; statistical data analysis of consumer psychology and correlation analysis reveal that there is a significant and positive correlation between night-market-influencing technology applications and the perceived value of technology use; furthermore, multivariate regression analysis shows the following: according to three pathway results, variables with positive and significant correlations exist for the effect of night-market-influencing technology applications on the behavioral attitudes of night market consumers to using technology, the effect of the perceived value of technology use on behavioral attitudes that influence technology use by night market consumers, and the effect of behavioral attitudes of night market consumers towards technology use on the willingness of night market consumers to use technology. An analysis of these results was used to verify the psychological characteristics of demand for consumer technology use, and to provide a user demand design that is compatible with supply and demand conditions of night markets. The third section of this paper summarizes results related to the motivations and demands of night market technology users, and proposes technology user demand mechanisms and functional plans with referential value for night markets. Furthermore, this section describes the establishment and planning of a digital content application, design of digital content for the night market app, the system framework, and conduction of process planning and interface set-up. In addition, it addresses how the issues encountered by night markets can be resolved, and provides reference for future researchers, which can be applied to digital content application development and practice. The results of this study are as follows: it summarizes the demands and vision of the night market industry with regard to digital technology applications. According to the demands of users, it plans a system framework and process for night market technology, and designs a digital content application interface for night markets. Finally, it resolves difficulties encountered by the night market industry, and improves the overall level of participation in night market development, in addition to improving the competitiveness of night markets. Furthermore, it provides a reference for future researchers.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / No organisation has an endless and unlimited supply of money, especially in a recessive economy, and therefore decisions have to be made as to which areas an organisation will invest in. As organisations, such as YZ1 financial services organisation, are focused on seeing returns on investment (ROI), implementing software that is not being used will not render any benefits to the organisation. Research problem: Project Managers (PMs) in YZ organisation’s IT department need to perform mandated processes, as defined in their centralised repository. PMs need to use Financial and Planning Software (FPS)2 software to perform certain project management activities, as required by their job function. However, it was found that MPP3 software, another tool, was used for more detailed project schedules, as well as activities that were not strictly enforced by management, the Project Office or the Quality Assurance team. Therefore, from this discovery, it was not clear whether the intended benefit of implementing this mandatory software (FPS) was being realised – since implementing software that is not being utilised fully would not deliver the intended benefits to the IT department (Devaraj & Kohli 2003), even if the software is termed ‘mandatory’. Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore and optimise the key success factors for an effective implementation of mandatory software in a department, in order to derive the intended business benefits. Literature Review: Literature was reviewed in the search for models or theories that explore the relationship between the use of mandatory software and the achievement of business benefits. The Information Management Body of Knowledge (IMBOK) was selected as this framework defines the relationship between IT and the realisation of business benefits, and ultimately the achievement of any business strategy. The literature review focused predominantly on the level of user involvement, change management, as well as factors that influence the usage of mandatory software by individuals. 1. The name of the organisation utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration 2. The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms 3. The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms. Focus was given to organisational factors affecting usage, such as top management support and organisational processes. A model was compiled using unique constructs in the Technology Acceptance Model (and TAM2), the Motivational Model (MM) and the Model of PC Utilisation (MPCU) – in order to test user acceptance of mandatory software. The literature study concludes with a review of an approach to benefits management including five stages, namely: identifying and structuring benefits, planning for the realisation of benefits, executing the plan, in addition to the evaluation and the review. Research design and methodology: A case study was used in this research, as it examined the phenomenon in its natural setting, employing multiple methods of data collection to gather information from a few entities (groups and data sources). In this way, it was not limited to only qualitative or quantitative approaches, but utilised mixed methods instead. A mixed methods approach was used in order to elaborate, enhance and clarify the results from the qualitative research through the results of the quantitative analysis. Findings: The main finding, based on the compilation of three models of user acceptance, proved that FPS was not being utilised as intended. There was also no evidence of an improvement in business operations. Therefore, benefits management was negatively impacted. Organisational processes were dentified as the most important organisational factor, influencing the usage of FPS software. Own technological capability was considered to be the least important factor, as respondents believed that they had sufficient IT skills in order to learn how to use FPS software. Change management was rated negatively; and as a result, it impacted the usage of FPS, as users were not involved in the decision to implement, and had limited interaction in the implementation process. In addition, there was no evidence found that benefits management was conducted in the IT department; and therefore, the impact of using alternative software could not be quantitatively assessed. Recommendations: In concluding this research, it is recommended that the “best practice”, derived from the pertinent literate should be followed more diligently if YZ organisation is to benefit from the implementation of mandatory software. For example, in this research, it was found that top management’s support of FPS (second most important organisational factor influencing use) was lacking, despite the literature suggestion that senior management involvement in changing technology is crucial for organisational commitment. It is suggested that a more formal approach to benefits management should be implemented. It is also recommended that further study should be conducted – in order to explore the applicability of the Japanese framing (achieving benefits from IT software through the concept of strategic instinct, rather than strategic alignment) in the context of a developing country (such as South Africa). / South Africa

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / No organisation has an endless and unlimited supply of money, especially in a recessive economy, and therefore decisions have to be made as to which areas an organisation will invest in. As organisations, such as YZ1 financial services organisation, are focused on seeing returns on investment (ROI), implementing software that is not being used will not render any benefits to the organisation.Research problem: Project Managers (PMs) in YZ organisation’s IT department need to perform mandated processes, as defined in their centralised repository. PMs need to use Financial and Planning Software (FPS)2 software to perform certain project management activities, as required by their job function. However, it was found that MPP3 software, another tool, was used for more detailed project schedules, as well as activities that were not strictly enforced by management, the Project Office or the Quality Assurance team.Therefore, from this discovery, it was not clear whether the intended benefit of implementing this mandatory software (FPS) was being realised – since implementing software that is not being utilised fully would not deliver the intended benefits to the IT department (Devaraj & Kohli 2003), even if the software is termed ‘mandatory’.Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore and optimise the key success factors for an effective implementation of mandatory software in a department, in order to derive the intended business benefits.Literature Review: Literature was reviewed in the search for models or theories that explore the relationship between the use of mandatory software and the achievement of business benefits. The Information Management Body of Knowledge (IMBOK) was selected as this framework defines the relationship between IT and the realisation of business benefits, and ultimately the achievement of any business strategy.The literature review focused predominantly on the level of user involvement, change management, as well as factors that influence the usage of mandatory software by individuals.1 The name of the organisation utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration 2 The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms 3 The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms Focus was given to organisational factors affecting usage, such as top management support and organisational processes. A model was compiled using unique constructs in the Technology Acceptance Model (and TAM2), the Motivational Model (MM) and the Model of PC Utilisation (MPCU) – in order to test user acceptance of mandatory software.The literature study concludes with a review of an approach to benefits management including five stages, namely: identifying and structuring benefits, planning for the realisation of benefits, executing the plan, in addition to the evaluation and the review.Research design and methodology: A case study was used in this research, as it examined the phenomenon in its natural setting, employing multiple methods of data collection to gather information from a few entities (groups and data sources). In this way, it was not limited to only qualitative or quantitative approaches, but utilised mixed methods instead. A mixed methods approach was used in order to elaborate, enhance and clarify the results from the qualitative research through the results of the quantitative analysis.Findings: The main finding, based on the compilation of three models of user acceptance, proved that FPS was not being utilised as intended. There was also no evidence of an improvement in business operations. Therefore, benefits management was negatively impacted. Organisational processes were identified as the most important organisational factor, influencing the usage of FPS software. Own technological capability was considered to be the least important factor, as respondents believed that they had sufficient IT skills in order to learn how to use FPS software.Change management was rated negatively; and as a result, it impacted the usage of FPS, as users were not involved in the decision to implement, and had limited interaction in the implementation process. In addition, there was no evidence found that benefits management was conducted in the IT department; and therefore, the impact of using alternative software could not be quantitatively assessed.Recommendations: In concluding this research, it is recommended that the “best practice”,derived from the pertinent literate should be followed more diligently if YZ organisation is to benefit from the implementation of mandatory software. For example, in this research, it was found that top management’s support of FPS (second most important organisational factor influencing use) was lacking, despite the literature suggestion that senior management involvement in changing technology is crucial for organisational commitment.It is suggested that a more formal approach to benefits management should be implemented. It is also recommended that further study should be conducted – in order to explore the applicability of the Japanese framing (achieving benefits from IT software through the concept of strategic instinct, rather than strategic alignment) in the context of a developing country (such as South Africa).

Aufgrund des gesellschaftlichen Wandels, globaler klimatischer und marktlicher Veränderungen sowie zunehmender Ressourcenknappheit sind landwirtschaftliche Betriebe immer mehr gefordert, ihre Produktionsverfahren anzupassen. Doch sind solche Innovationen häufig komplex und weisen einen systemischen Charakter auf. KMU sind häufig nicht in der Lage, diese oft mit höherem Risiko behafteten Innovationen voranzutreiben oder zu übernehmen. Zur Förderung ihrer Diffusion ist es notwendig, die äußeren und inneren Rahmenbedingungen der Innovationsumgebung zu kennen. Am Fallbeispiel der Innovationsprozesse zur Überwindung der Nachbauproblematik im Apfelanbau werden potenzielle Einflussfaktoren auf die Adoption neuer Maßnahmen mithilfe des sektoralen Innovationssystemansatzes nach Malerba und einem erweiterten Technology Acceptance Model erfasst. Hierbei wurde deutlich, dass trotz der günstigen natürlichen Rahmenbedingungen in der Untersuchungsregion, Faktoren wie sinkende Erzeugerpreise, Lohnsteigerungen, Wettbewerbsdruck, Klimawandel, die abnehmende Verfügbarkeit jungfräulicher Flächen sowie steigende Anforderungen des LEH und der Gesellschaft einen wirtschaftlichen Anbau zunehmend erschweren. Vor allem aber für Baumschulen sind die Folgen der Bodenmüdigkeit aufgrund des hohen Produktionswertes pro Hektar Kulturfläche besonders schwerwiegend. Maßnahmen, die bisher gegen Bodenermüdung ergriffen wurden, sind wenig effektiv, oder unwirtschaftlich. Die Analyse der Akzeptanzbefragung potenzieller Adopter zum Einsatz von Mikroorganismen gegen Bodenmüdigkeit ergab, dass die Nützlichkeit des Verfahrens positiv wahrgenommen wird und sich dies in einer hohen Übernahmeabsicht widerspiegelt. Eine Strukturgleichungsanalyse des in dieser Studie entwickelten Akzeptanzmodells mittels SmartPLS mit einem Bestimmtheitsmaß von 68% verdeutlichen, dass nicht vorrangig ökonomische Faktoren, sondern in erster Linie die Kompatibilität der Maßnahme, Einfluss auf eine potenzielle Übernahme ausüben würde. / Due to social change, global climatic and market changes as well as increasing scarcity of resources, agricultural enterprises are increasingly required to adapt their production processes. However, innovations often have a systemic character. SMEs are often not in a position to promote or adopt these innovations, which are often associated with higher risks. In order to promote their diffusion, it is, therefore, advantageous to know the external and internal framework conditions of the environment for innovation. Using the case study of innovation processes to overcome the problem of apple replant disease, potential influencing factors on the adoption of new measures are identified on the basis of the Sectoral Innovation System Approach according to Malerba and an extended Technology Acceptance Model. It became clear that, despite the favourable natural conditions in the study region, factors such as falling producer prices, wage increases, competitive pressure, climate change, the decreasing availability of virgin land and the increasing demands of food retailers and society are making commercial cultivation increasingly challenging. However, the consequences of soil fatigue are particularly severe for tree nurseries due to the high production value per hectare of cultivated land. Measures that have so far been taken to combat soil fatigue are ineffective or uneconomical. The analysis of the acceptance survey of potential adopters of microorganisms against soil fatigue showed that the usefulness of the method is perceived positively and that this is reflected in a high intention to adopt it. A structural equation analysis of the acceptance model developed in this study using SmartPLS and a coefficient of determination of 68% make it clear that not primarily economic factors, but primarily the compatibility of the measure, would influence a potential adoption.

Distance learning offered to students by Swedish universities has continued to increase, which has led to an increase in the use of learning management system (LMS). Recently, due to the pandemic, many universities have temporarily made university classes compulsory as distance through remote learning, and the importance of LMS is also emerging. However, there is a problem that the dropout rate of remote students is significantly higher than that of on-campus students. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to propose various suggestions to enhance students' learning experience by understanding their perception and experience of using Moodle, one of the popular LMS platforms, for the distance students of Information system master program of Linnaeus university. When evaluating the system as a model for this study, David (1989)'s Technology acceptance model (TAM), which has already been verified in many studies, was considered first, but this model does not take into account the feelings of system users. After that, Hassenzhal's UX model was finally adopted as a model for this study. However, this study shows that Hedonic attributes, one of the elements of Apparent product character of this UX model, does not play any role for evaluating UX in LMS platforms such as Moodle. The reason for this is that users think of Moodle as a learning information tool only for their study purpose, and their identification and social communication are significantly poor in the platform. Also, Moodle does not provide any stimulation to their feeling. As the research method, semi-structured interviews were conducted through Skype or Zoom with 7 Moodle users from 5 different nationalities who voluntarily applied for the interviews. As a result, it was found that 8 issues (Usability and design of the main page and dashboard, information distributed across multiple platforms, notification and landing issue, lack of awareness of students about some features of Moodle, presence of unnecessary features, slow website speed, low use of mobile applications, non-standardized course page design) on Moodle through their past experiences that could be detrimental to the user experience. Based on the findings, this paper will discuss various suggestions to improve Moodle's UX for distance students’ better learning experience.

It was analyzed if instructions on a head-worn Augmented Reality display (AR-HWD) are better for manual industrial assembly tasks than instructions on a stationary screen. A prototype was built which consisted of virtual instruction screens for two example assembly tasks. In a comparison study participants performed the tasks with instructions through an AR-HWD and alternatively through a stationary screen. Questionnaires, interviews and observation notes were used to evaluate the task performances and the user experience. The study revealed that the users were excited and enjoyed trying the technology. The perceived usefulness at the current state was diverse, but the users saw a huge potential in AR-HWDs for the future. The task accuracy with instructions on the AR-HWD was equally good as with instructions on the screen. AR-HWDs are found to be a better approach than a stationary screen, but technological limitations need to be overcome and workers need to train using the new technology to make its application efficient.

Poor health care delivery in rural communities is a major problem facing the health sector in Namibia. Patients who visit rural communities often wait on queues for several hours every day before they can be examined by a medical practitioner. This is detrimental to the health care process and impacts negatively on the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector. Mobile phones can however be employed as tools to improve work processes in such hospitals and as a result improve health care delivery in rural communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the health care services provided to patients at Outpatient Departments (OPDs) in rural hospitals through the use of data collection instruments such as interviews, questionnaires, document analysis, expert validation and photographs in order to compile a Mobile Health Service Framework (MHSF) to improve healthcare delivery processes in OPDs. From an interpretive paradigm perspective, the qualitative design was used together with a case study approach. Three hospitals in rural communities were used as case studies. These were Okuryangava Hospital, Katutura Hospital and Khomasdal Hospital. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires distributed to the participants. The findings revealed that there is a high concentration of mobile phone usage in rural communities and there is a high usage of the SMS feature on such mobile phones. / Computing / M. Sc. (Computing)

While FinTech is a relatively recent subject in academic literature, it is widely acknowledged as one of the most notable innovations within the financial industry. Despite the growing interest in FinTech, there is currently a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the exact implications it will have on established financial institutions. The introduction of FinTech solutions has brought about a significant transformation in the banking industry of Finland. Nevertheless, the influence of FinTech adoption on employee’s satisfaction and performance in banks remains uncertain. This has emphasized the need for a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by this form of technological innovation across all aspects of the financial industry. The purpose of this research is to bridge the existing gap in literature by examining the relatively unexplored area of how the adoption of FinTech solutions influences job satisfaction and performance among employees in the context of a Finnish bank. Specifically, this research centered on OP Bank, which is recognized as one of the largest banks in Finland. By conducting an in-depth exploration of the experiences of employees at OP Bank, this research will offer valuable insights into how the adoption of FinTech solutions influences employee’s behavior in the Finnish banking industry. To accomplish this, the study utilizes a qualitative exploratory research approach, employing semi-structured interviews as the data collection method, involving 8 middle-level employees from OP Bank. This methodology facilitates a deeper understanding of employees' experiences and perspectives, thereby generating rich and detailed data. The findings of our research reveal several key conclusions regarding the varying ways that the adoption of FinTech solutions influences employee’s job satisfaction and performance. The insights gained highlight the crucial role of FinTech in transforming traditional banking practices, driving innovation, and fostering a positive work environment for employees in the financial industry. Understanding the complexities linked to FinTech adoption is imperative for banks and financial institutions to effectively leverage the complete potential of these technological innovations, thereby steering employee’s satisfaction and performance in the desired direction. Through an in-depth examination of this phenomenon, we have gained a better understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with FinTech adoption, as well as its influence on employee’s job satisfaction and performance. Moreover, this study has provided crucial insights for improving employee’s satisfaction and performance in banks that have embraced FinTech solutions, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of successful FinTech adoption in the Finnish financial industry. Additionally, this research has contributed to the existing literature on FinTech, management of employee’s satisfaction and performance, employee behavior and technology adoption. These findings have offered practical theoretical, managerial and societal contributions.