Ph. D. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The use of technology in supply chain management has increased over the years. Procurement is one of the primary supply chain management areas where the use of technology has gained momentum. This has been realised through the use of e-procurement systems. However, the adoption and implementation of e-procurement can be achieved more effectively if available models of technology adoption are taken into consideration. This study tested a conceptual framework integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of the Acceptance and use of Technology (UTAUT) in the implementation of e-procurement practices in the South African public sector. Although there are several studies that have focused on procurement in the public sector in South Africa, there is no evidence of studies that extended the use of the TAM and the UTAUT within the public sector in South Africa. This study was conducted to fill this gap by proposing a framework combining the TAM and UTAUT and modelling their role in the adoption of e-procurement in the public sector. The study adopted a survey design and a quantitative research approach was used to evaluate relationships between different variables. The final sample for this study consists of 263 supply chain management (SCM) practitioners drawn from the public sector in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. A self-completion survey questionnaire was used to gather data to measure the eight constructs of the TAM and UTAUT. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) procedure was performed to assess the factor structure of the data collected in the study. Descriptive statistics were applied to examine the demographic profile of respondents and the perceptions of respondents towards the research constructs. Pearson correlations were used to test relationships and regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. In the EFA, two new factors, labelled as Personal Competence and External Assistance, were identified. The results of the hypotheses tests showed that five factors, namely: perceived use, self-efficacy, facilitating conditions, personal competence and external assistance significantly predicted attitudes towards the use of e-procurement systems. However, perceived ease of use was statistically insignificant. The results further show that attitudes towards system use significantly predict behavioural intention, which in turn significantly influences actual e-procurement system use. The theoretical framework fusing the TAM and UTAUT models provides useful insights for other researchers and adds valuable knowledge to the factors that might contribute to the adoption of e-procurement in the South African public sector. The study further makes significant contributions to SCM professionals in the public sector. It reiterates the challenges faced in SCM in the public sector and then demonstrates how the adoption of e-procurement could improve the system, while reducing service delivery inequality. By indicating the factors either promoting or impeding the adoption of e-procurement in the public sector, the study provides practitioners and other decision makers in SCM with suggestions on how to facilitate more rapid adoption and circumvent the influence of irrelevant factors. Among other things, the study recommends that to improve the adoption and continued use of e-procurement systems in the public sector in the Gauteng Province, it is necessary to customise the e-procurement system to ensure that it responds to the needs of users. In addition, it is important to increase the confidence and competence of users of the systems, providing the relevant technical infrastructure and support to users in order to positively influence their attitudes and behavioural intention towards the use of e-procurement systems.

The present empirical study examined factors that affect the acceptance and use of social media platforms by farmers and vendors in farmers’ communities in North Mississippi for marketing their small farm businesses. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), structural equations modeling was used to examine several relationships: (1) the influence of performance expectancy (PE) on behavioral intention (BI) to use social media; (2) the influence of effort expectancy (EE) on BI; (3) the influence of social influence (SI) on BI; (4) the influence of facilitating conditions (FC) on actual use (USE) of social media; (5) the moderating influence of gender on the PE–BI, EE–BI, and SI-BI relationships; (6) the moderating influence of age on the PE–BI, EE–BI, SI-BI, and FC–USE relationships; and (7) the moderating influence of experience using social media on the EE–BI, SI-BI, and FC–USE relationships. Results from 169 respondents who completed questionnaires indicated that PE, EE, SI, and FC (key constructs) did predict farmers and vendors’ BI to use social media and actual USE of social media for marketing their small farm businesses and agriproducts. Respondents’ characteristics (e.g., age, gender, social media experience) did moderate some of these relationships in different ways. Thus, the present study provided additional empirical support for UTAUT. Additionally, responses to questions that assessed constructs in UTAUT suggest that respondents are open to social media as a marketing tool for their small farm businesses. Other results indicated that farmers and vendors prefer to market their products through farmers markets and community supported agriculture groups as compared to retail outlets and noted barriers present in retail marketing channels. This study provides information that will be beneficial for the development of educational programs and contributes to the literature on the factors affecting farmers’ intention to use social media to promote agriproducts to connect new markets.

The relevance of this thesis is in addressing information systems business leadership HRIS use issues.The thesis explains acceptance and use issues central to Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) within South African State Owned Agencies (SOAs). Organisations typically deploy HRIS with a view to automate Human Resource (HR) service delivery and administrative functions. Among other values, HRIS produces useful data and information which optimises HR operations and improves decision-making. However, the use of HRIS, notably within SOAs, is poorly understood owing to inadequate literature and contextualised studies. Despite the tremendous amount of investment into such systems, SOAs continuously identify emerging challenges and issues pertinent to HR operations and administration. For instance, despite HRIS automation, job applications and recruitment are still manually processed, which means that the costly implemented HRIS is not effectively used, and is thus underutilised. The burning questions for business leadership remain - why is HRIS not optimally utilised given significant organisational investment on such systems, and the mixed return-on-investments? The other question relates to what the level of acceptance is and actual use of these HR systems. There is also a need to determine to what extent do these systems enable or improve the delivery of human resource services and administration. Moreover, what influences the use of HRIS? Previous literature and organisational practice inadequately addresses these questions. This thesis, therefore, addresses these key issues to bridge these preceding knowledge gaps. In order to explain the use and subsequent effective use of HRIS, the study triangulated three theories as theoretical lenses. These theories are the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), Self Determination Theory (SDT), and the Representation Theory (RT). These theories are employed to explore and explain the individual use, and subsequent effective use of HRIS. In this respect, the ontological stance for this thesis is that reality is objective. Thus, the study followed a positivist research paradigm, whilst the research the approach was deductive. A survey research strategy was employed during the study to obtain primary data. Survey participants included executives and individuals from speciality units e.g. HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Support departments (including IT and Help Desks) as well as other HRIS users. Participants were drawn from various South African SOAs. Structural equation modelling and hypothesis testing show that there are myriad of determinants influencing use and effective use of HRIS. The results further show that certain constructs are inconsistent with the existing literature. Nevertheless, this inconsistency speaks to the unique South African SOA contexts. The outcome of the study is a model which theoretically and practically explains those factors which must be considered to effectively use and utilise HRIS. That is, the theoretical, practical, methodological, and contextual contributions of the thesis is in explaining the determinants which are significant for effective use of HRIS. / Centre for Business Manangement / D.B.L.

Many low-income countries desire to implement and adopt digital government as a springboard for economic and social development but face many challenges. The United Nations identifies that Africa has especially lagged consistently in digital government development and adoption. Most scholars largely attribute the challenges to infrastructure and skills, and often rhetorically cite culture as playing a strong role. This study specifically examined the role of indigenous African culture (‘spirituality’, ‘communalism’ and ‘respect for authority and elders’) and internet access on the adoption of digital government services (e-filing and e-payment of taxes) by Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia, with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technologies (UTAUT) as the underpinning theoretical lens. Data analysis was done using Structural Equation Modelling with principal attention given to the moderating and mediating influence of indigenous African culture. The influence of internet access on the intention to adopt digital government was also examined. The findings from the cross sectional study of 401 tax registered SMEs suggests that ‘spirituality’, ‘African communalism’ and ‘respect for authority and elders’ have significant negative moderating effects on the adoption of e-filing but not on e-payment; and ‘spirituality’, ‘African communalism’ and ‘respect for authority and elders’ are all significant mediators of the intention to adopt both e-filing and e-payment. This means that indigenous African culture plays a significant role in explaining Africa’s position in digital government development and adoption. The findings also showed a negative influence of internet access on the intention to adopt digital government services despite the measures that government has put in place. These results make a novel contribution to Information Systems (IS) theory in identifying a critical yet often overlooked indigenous cultural influence on the adoption of digital innovations in low-income countries. The findings also calls for finding new or adapted IS theories that take into account such unique cultural constructs. The thesis recommends that the research is extended to other low-income countries as well as other contexts that exhibit strong indigenous cultural values. / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Information Systems)

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.

L’objectif général de cette recherche doctorale est l’étude des déterminants de l’intégration pédagogique des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) par les professeurs à l’Université de Ouagadougou (UO). Cela nous a conduit à étudier respectivement les compétences technologiques des professeurs, les facteurs de résistance contraignant l’intégration pédagogique des TIC par ces professeurs, l’acceptation et les usages spécifiques des TIC par les professeurs. Ce travail s’est bâti autour des concepts théoriques sur les usages éducatifs des TIC, les compétences technopédagogiques, les facteurs de résistance, l’acceptation des TIC et l’intégration pédagogique des TIC. Ces concepts se sont inscrits dans les cadres d’analyses des modèles d’intégration des TIC par les professeurs et des modèles d’acceptation et d’utilisation d’une nouvelle technologie. La stratégie d’analyse des données s’est construite autour des approches descriptives et analytiques notamment au moyen de l’utilisation de la psychométrie et/ou de l’économétrie des modèles à variables dépendantes limitées. Utilisant la recherche quantitative, le recrutement de 82 professeurs par avis de consentement à participer, a permis de collecter les données sur la base de questionnaires dont la majeure partie est bâtie autour de questions à échelle de Likert. L’étude des compétences technologiques des professeurs a permis d’une part, de dresser un portrait des usages des TIC par les professeurs. En effet, les usages les plus répandus des TIC dans cette université sont les logiciels de bureautique, les logiciels de messagerie électronique et de navigation dans Internet. Elle a aussi permis de faire un portrait des compétences technologiques des professeurs. Ceux-ci utilisent à la fois plusieurs logiciels et reconnaissent l’importance des TIC pour leurs tâches pédagogiques et de recherche même si leur degré de maîtrise perçue sur certaines des applications télématiques reste à des niveaux très bas. Par rapport à certaines compétences comme celles destinées à exploiter les TIC dans des situations de communication et de collaboration et celles destinée à rechercher et à traiter des informations à l’aide des TIC, les niveaux de maîtrise par les professeurs de ces compétences ont été très élevés. Les professeurs ont eu des niveaux de maîtrise très faibles sur les compétences destinées à créer des situations d’apprentissage à l’aide des TIC et sur celles destinées à développer et à diffuser des ressources d’apprentissage à l’aide des TIC malgré la grande importance que ceux-ci ont accordée à ces compétences avancées essentielles pour une intégration efficace et efficiente des TIC à leurs pratiques pédagogiques. L’étude des facteurs de résistance a permis d’ériger une typologie de ces facteurs. Ces facteurs vont des contraintes matérielles et infrastructurelles à celles liées aux compétences informatiques et à des contraintes liées à la motivation et à l’engagement personnel des professeurs, facteurs pouvant susciter des comportements de refus de la technologie. Ces facteurs sont entre autres, la compatibilité des TIC d’avec les tâches pédagogiques et de recherche des professeurs, l’utilité perçue des TIC pour les activités pédagogiques et de recherche, les facilités d’utilisation des TIC et la motivation ou l’engagement personnel des professeurs aux usages des TIC. Il y a aussi les coûts engendrés par l’accès aux TIC et le manque de soutien et d’assistance technique au plan institutionnel qui se sont révelés enfreindre le développement de ces usages parmi les professeurs. Les estimations des déterminants de l’acceptation et des usages éducatifs des TIC par les professeurs ont montré que c’est surtout « l’intention comportementale » d’aller aux TIC des professeurs, « l’expérience d’Internet » qui affectent positivement les usages éducatifs des TIC. Les « conditions de facilitation » qui représentent non seulement la qualité de l’infrastructure technologique, mais aussi l’existence d’un soutien institutionnel aux usages des TIC, ont affecté négativement ces usages. Des éléments de recommandation issus de ce travail s’orientent vers la formation des professeurs sur des compétences précises identifiées, l’amélioration de la qualité de l’infrastructure technologique existante, la création d’un logithèque, la mise en œuvre d’incitations institutionnelles adéquates telles que l’assistance technique régulière aux professeurs, l’allègement des volumes horaires statutaires des professeurs novateurs, la reconnaissance des efforts déjà réalisés par ces novateurs en matière d’usages éducatifs des TIC dans leur institution. / The general objective of this doctoral research is the study of the determinants of the pedagogical integration of information and communication technology (ICT) by teachers at the University of Ouagadougou (UO). This led us to study respectively the technological skills of teachers, the resistance factors forcing the integration of ICT by these teachers together with the driving forces of ICT acceptance and ICT educational uses by teachers at this university. This work is built around theoretical concepts of educational uses of ICT, techno pedagogical competences, factors of resistance to ICT use, acceptance and use of ICT and pedagogical integration of ICT. These concepts are included in frameworks for analysis of ICT integration models by teachers and acceptance and use of new technology models. The strategy of data analysis is built around descriptive and analytical approaches, including the use of psychometrics and / or econometrics models with limited dependent variables. Using quantitative research, the recruitment of 82 professors of this university by a notice of consent to participate to the survey, has allowed collecting data on the basis of questionnaires, most of which being built around Likert scale questions. The study of teachers’ technological skills enables on the one hand, to portray a picture of ICT use by teachers. The most common ICT uses at the University of Ouagadougou are the office software, software for email and Internet browsing. On the other hand, it allows a portrait of teachers’ technological skills. They use many softwares and most of them recognize the importance of ICT to their teaching duties and research, but their degree of perceived control on some of ICT applications remains at very low levels. The teachers presented very high control over the skills to exploit ICT in situations of communication and collaboration and also those intended to seek and process information using ICT. These skills reflect their use of electronic means of communication and search engines and the importance that teachers attach to these ICT applications. Moreover, despite the great importance that teachers give to some advanced skills in ICT, they were found at very low levels of mastery of these skills which are those to create learning situations in using ICT and those intended to develop and disseminate learning resources using ICT. Although teachers already use and combine several applications of ICT, their current level of technology skills and teaching does not allow them to effectively use these technologies in their teaching practices. They must necessarily acquire these essential advanced skills. The study of resistance factors helped to establish a typology of these factors. They range from material and infrastructural constraints to those related to computer skills and the availability of support and technical assistance at the institutional level to promote the use of ICT applications in education. It also assessed the compatibility of ICT with teaching duties and research faculty, the perceived usefulness of ICT for educational activities and research facilities, the motivation and / or personal commitment of teachers to use ICT and the influence of social conditions on such uses. There are also the costs of ICT access (Internet and computer equipment), which have shown a negative influence on teachers and violating the development of these educational uses of ICT. The empirical assessment of determinants of acceptance and educational uses of ICT by teachers reveals that, it is mainly the teachers’ "behavioural intention" to go to ICT and "the Internet experience" that affect positively these uses. The "facilitation conditions" that represent not only the quality of the technological infrastructure, but also the existence of institutional support to use ICT, have negatively affected these practices. The elements that can improve educational uses of ICT in the university have been identified from the results of this research: these recommend the teachers’ training on specific identified skills, the improvement of the quality of the existing technological infrastructure, the creation a software library, the implementation of adequate institutional incentives such as regular technical assistance to teachers, the reduction of statutory hourly volumes to innovative teachers, the recognition of the efforts already made by these innovative educational uses of ICT within their institution.

L’objectif général de cette recherche doctorale est l’étude des déterminants de l’intégration pédagogique des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) par les professeurs à l’Université de Ouagadougou (UO). Cela nous a conduit à étudier respectivement les compétences technologiques des professeurs, les facteurs de résistance contraignant l’intégration pédagogique des TIC par ces professeurs, l’acceptation et les usages spécifiques des TIC par les professeurs. Ce travail s’est bâti autour des concepts théoriques sur les usages éducatifs des TIC, les compétences technopédagogiques, les facteurs de résistance, l’acceptation des TIC et l’intégration pédagogique des TIC. Ces concepts se sont inscrits dans les cadres d’analyses des modèles d’intégration des TIC par les professeurs et des modèles d’acceptation et d’utilisation d’une nouvelle technologie. La stratégie d’analyse des données s’est construite autour des approches descriptives et analytiques notamment au moyen de l’utilisation de la psychométrie et/ou de l’économétrie des modèles à variables dépendantes limitées. Utilisant la recherche quantitative, le recrutement de 82 professeurs par avis de consentement à participer, a permis de collecter les données sur la base de questionnaires dont la majeure partie est bâtie autour de questions à échelle de Likert. L’étude des compétences technologiques des professeurs a permis d’une part, de dresser un portrait des usages des TIC par les professeurs. En effet, les usages les plus répandus des TIC dans cette université sont les logiciels de bureautique, les logiciels de messagerie électronique et de navigation dans Internet. Elle a aussi permis de faire un portrait des compétences technologiques des professeurs. Ceux-ci utilisent à la fois plusieurs logiciels et reconnaissent l’importance des TIC pour leurs tâches pédagogiques et de recherche même si leur degré de maîtrise perçue sur certaines des applications télématiques reste à des niveaux très bas. Par rapport à certaines compétences comme celles destinées à exploiter les TIC dans des situations de communication et de collaboration et celles destinée à rechercher et à traiter des informations à l’aide des TIC, les niveaux de maîtrise par les professeurs de ces compétences ont été très élevés. Les professeurs ont eu des niveaux de maîtrise très faibles sur les compétences destinées à créer des situations d’apprentissage à l’aide des TIC et sur celles destinées à développer et à diffuser des ressources d’apprentissage à l’aide des TIC malgré la grande importance que ceux-ci ont accordée à ces compétences avancées essentielles pour une intégration efficace et efficiente des TIC à leurs pratiques pédagogiques. L’étude des facteurs de résistance a permis d’ériger une typologie de ces facteurs. Ces facteurs vont des contraintes matérielles et infrastructurelles à celles liées aux compétences informatiques et à des contraintes liées à la motivation et à l’engagement personnel des professeurs, facteurs pouvant susciter des comportements de refus de la technologie. Ces facteurs sont entre autres, la compatibilité des TIC d’avec les tâches pédagogiques et de recherche des professeurs, l’utilité perçue des TIC pour les activités pédagogiques et de recherche, les facilités d’utilisation des TIC et la motivation ou l’engagement personnel des professeurs aux usages des TIC. Il y a aussi les coûts engendrés par l’accès aux TIC et le manque de soutien et d’assistance technique au plan institutionnel qui se sont révelés enfreindre le développement de ces usages parmi les professeurs. Les estimations des déterminants de l’acceptation et des usages éducatifs des TIC par les professeurs ont montré que c’est surtout « l’intention comportementale » d’aller aux TIC des professeurs, « l’expérience d’Internet » qui affectent positivement les usages éducatifs des TIC. Les « conditions de facilitation » qui représentent non seulement la qualité de l’infrastructure technologique, mais aussi l’existence d’un soutien institutionnel aux usages des TIC, ont affecté négativement ces usages. Des éléments de recommandation issus de ce travail s’orientent vers la formation des professeurs sur des compétences précises identifiées, l’amélioration de la qualité de l’infrastructure technologique existante, la création d’un logithèque, la mise en œuvre d’incitations institutionnelles adéquates telles que l’assistance technique régulière aux professeurs, l’allègement des volumes horaires statutaires des professeurs novateurs, la reconnaissance des efforts déjà réalisés par ces novateurs en matière d’usages éducatifs des TIC dans leur institution. / The general objective of this doctoral research is the study of the determinants of the pedagogical integration of information and communication technology (ICT) by teachers at the University of Ouagadougou (UO). This led us to study respectively the technological skills of teachers, the resistance factors forcing the integration of ICT by these teachers together with the driving forces of ICT acceptance and ICT educational uses by teachers at this university. This work is built around theoretical concepts of educational uses of ICT, techno pedagogical competences, factors of resistance to ICT use, acceptance and use of ICT and pedagogical integration of ICT. These concepts are included in frameworks for analysis of ICT integration models by teachers and acceptance and use of new technology models. The strategy of data analysis is built around descriptive and analytical approaches, including the use of psychometrics and / or econometrics models with limited dependent variables. Using quantitative research, the recruitment of 82 professors of this university by a notice of consent to participate to the survey, has allowed collecting data on the basis of questionnaires, most of which being built around Likert scale questions. The study of teachers’ technological skills enables on the one hand, to portray a picture of ICT use by teachers. The most common ICT uses at the University of Ouagadougou are the office software, software for email and Internet browsing. On the other hand, it allows a portrait of teachers’ technological skills. They use many softwares and most of them recognize the importance of ICT to their teaching duties and research, but their degree of perceived control on some of ICT applications remains at very low levels. The teachers presented very high control over the skills to exploit ICT in situations of communication and collaboration and also those intended to seek and process information using ICT. These skills reflect their use of electronic means of communication and search engines and the importance that teachers attach to these ICT applications. Moreover, despite the great importance that teachers give to some advanced skills in ICT, they were found at very low levels of mastery of these skills which are those to create learning situations in using ICT and those intended to develop and disseminate learning resources using ICT. Although teachers already use and combine several applications of ICT, their current level of technology skills and teaching does not allow them to effectively use these technologies in their teaching practices. They must necessarily acquire these essential advanced skills. The study of resistance factors helped to establish a typology of these factors. They range from material and infrastructural constraints to those related to computer skills and the availability of support and technical assistance at the institutional level to promote the use of ICT applications in education. It also assessed the compatibility of ICT with teaching duties and research faculty, the perceived usefulness of ICT for educational activities and research facilities, the motivation and / or personal commitment of teachers to use ICT and the influence of social conditions on such uses. There are also the costs of ICT access (Internet and computer equipment), which have shown a negative influence on teachers and violating the development of these educational uses of ICT. The empirical assessment of determinants of acceptance and educational uses of ICT by teachers reveals that, it is mainly the teachers’ "behavioural intention" to go to ICT and "the Internet experience" that affect positively these uses. The "facilitation conditions" that represent not only the quality of the technological infrastructure, but also the existence of institutional support to use ICT, have negatively affected these practices. The elements that can improve educational uses of ICT in the university have been identified from the results of this research: these recommend the teachers’ training on specific identified skills, the improvement of the quality of the existing technological infrastructure, the creation a software library, the implementation of adequate institutional incentives such as regular technical assistance to teachers, the reduction of statutory hourly volumes to innovative teachers, the recognition of the efforts already made by these innovative educational uses of ICT within their institution.