Inspired by the enormous technological advancements of previous decades, this doctoral thesis revolves around users’ perception of emotion-sensitive artificial intelligence (AI), with particular focus on the role of human likeness attributions. For the development of my hypotheses, I acknowledge both cognitive scientific as well as philosophical and cultural psychological literature. Eventually, my interdisciplinary review culminates in one central assumption: Since many people regard the recognition of mental and emotional states in other entities as a core component of their human uniqueness, affective technology with similar capabilities runs the risk of being seen as uncanny or aversive—turning into a discomforting ‘challenger’ of an inherently human domain. Indeed, a first empirical study (N = 92) provides evidence for the validity of my hypothesis. My findings show that empathically acting characters in a virtual environment are met with much stronger aversion if participants suspect them to be controlled by highly complex AI (autonomous agents) instead of other humans (avatars). Acknowledging statements from my participants which repeatedly hint towards the importance of threat perceptions, I turn this concept into the main subject of a second study. Based on additional literature research, I develop a “Model of Autonomous Technology Threat”, which combines two potential determinants of technology aversion: Whereas the model’s distal facet summarizes overarching attitudes about human uniqueness, I also postulate a strong influence of immediate (proximal) perceptions, including the experience of situational control or users’ concern about their immediate physical well-being. Using yet another virtual reality (VR) setting, I ask participants (N = 125) to interact with an allegedly autonomous—in fact remotely controlled—digital agent under different conditions, which allow for a statistical comparison of my proposed model. Although the yielded results do lend some support to the validity of the distal path, it is mostly the proposed proximal factor that connects to participants’ threat experience, which in turn emerges as a negative predictor of technology acceptance. Lastly, a third study is designed to investigate whether perceptions of human likeness possess any relevance in the context of disembodied emotion-sensitive AI. Moreover, I now focus on potential cross-cultural differences, inviting participants from different cultural backgrounds (N = 89) to familiarize themselves with automatic emotion recognition software. Whereas Chinese participants, whose cultural socialization encompasses a much broader understanding of ‘animacy’, only show brief arousal after feedback from the affective software, I observe a significantly longer increase in physiological activity among German participants. At the same time, the obtained subjective measures paint a surprising picture: The more participants attribute human likeness to the emotion-sensitive machine—an abstract mechanical box in this scenario—the higher they actually rate the technology’s attractiveness. By summarizing the three conducted studies, I reach the conclusion that only AI stimuli involving elaborate embodiments activated both paths of the developed threat model, which might be a requirement for a distinctly aversive reaction. The presentation of the abstract software in Study 3, on the other hand, did not influence participants’ immediate control perceptions—a possible explanation as to why attributions of human likeness turned out as a positive predictor for the subjective evaluations in this experiment. / Inspiriert von den enormen technologischen Fortschritten der letzten Jahrzehnte beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Dissertation mit der Wahrnehmung emotionssensitiver künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) und nimmt dabei vor allem die Bedeutung von erlebter Menschenhaftigkeit in den Fokus. Bei der Entwicklung meiner Hypothesen finden Befunde von kognitionswissenschaftlichen Studien ebenso Beachtung wie philosophische und kulturpsychologische Literatur. Tatsächlich gipfelt die interdisziplinäre Recherche in einer deutlichen Vermutung: Da das Erkennen von Geistes- und Gefühlszuständen in anderen Lebewesen von vielen Personen als Kernkomponente ihrer menschlichen Einzigartigkeit betrachtet wird, laufen affektive Technologien mit ähnlichen Fähigkeiten Gefahr, unheimlich oder abstoßend zu wirken – sie werden zu unliebsamen ‚Eroberern‘ einer urmenschlichen Domäne. In einer ersten empirischen Studie (N = 92) finde ich Hinweise auf die Gültigkeit der getroffenen Annahme. Es zeigt sich, dass empathisch agierende Figuren in einer virtuellen Umgebung deutlich stärkere Ablehnung hervorrufen, wenn Probanden dahinter keine Menschen (Avatare), sondern ein hochkomplexes KI-System (autonome Agenten) vermuten. Nachdem persönliche Beobachtungen und Aussagen der Versuchspersonen wiederholt auf die Rolle von Bedrohungswahrnehmnungen hindeuten, stelle ich diese Variable ins Zentrum einer zweiten Untersuchung. Mithilfe vertiefender Literaturrecherche entwickle ich ein „Model of Autonomous Technology Threat“ („Modell der Bedrohung durch autonome Technologie“), welches zwei potentielle Determinanten von Technologieaversion kombiniert: Während die distale Facette übergeordnete Einstellungen zu menschlicher Einzigartigkeit bündelt, wird zudem ein starker Einfluss von unmittelbaren (proximalen) Wahrnehmungen postuliert, etwa dem erlebten Ausmaß an situativer Kontrolle oder der Sorge um die eigene physische Unversehrtheit. Ein neues Virtual-Reality-Experiment, in dem Probanden (N = 125) mit einem angeblich autonomen – tatsächlich jedoch ferngesteuerten – Agenten interagieren, dient dazu, das Modell statistisch zu überprüfen. Obgleich sich durchaus Hinweise zur Bedeutsamkeit des distalen Pfades abzeichnen, erweisen sich vor allem proximale Faktoren als signifikanter Prädiktor von Bedrohungsempfinden und infolgedessen der Nutzerakzeptanz. Mit einer dritten Studie soll schließlich exploriert werden, inwieweit die Wahrnehmung von Menschenartigkeit auch bei nicht verkörperlichten, emotionssensitiven KIs Relevanz besitzt. Zugleich rücke ich nun Kultureinflüsse in den Fokus, indem ich Versuchspersonen verschiedener kultureller Herkunft (N = 89) eine automatisierte Emotionserkennungssoftware kennenlernen lasse. Während chinesische Probanden, deren kulturelle Sozialisation tendenziell ein breiteres Verständnis von ‚Beseeltheit‘ umfasst, nur kurzzeitig vom Feedback der affektiven Software in Erregung versetzt werden, lässt sich bei deutschen Versuchspersonen ein deutlich längerer Anstieg physiologischer Aktivierung feststellen. Zugleich zeichnet die Messung subjektiver Empfindungen ein überraschendes Bild: Die emotionssensitive Maschine – in diesem Fall ein abstrakter, mechanischer Kasten – wird umso positiver bewertet, je mehr Menschenhaftigkeit Probanden in ihr erkennen. Angesichts der drei durchgeführten Studien komme ich zu dem Schluss, dass lediglich Szenarien mit verkörperlichter KI im Sinne des entwickelten Bedrohungsmodells beide Pfade bedienen, was für eine eindeutig aversive Reaktion erforderlich sein könnte. Die Gestaltung der Software in Studie 3 spielte unterdessen für das unmittelbare Kontrollerleben der Versuchspersonen keine Rolle; eine mögliche Erklärung, warum sich Attributionen von Menschenähnlichkeit hier sogar positiv in den subjektiven Evaluationen niederschlugen.

The usage of “green” hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to empower vehicles is a promising option for the strongly required reduction of CO2-emissions in the transport sector. For the successful introduction of such new technology, user acceptance is known to be one crucial factor. The presented online survey (N = 207) investigated (1) potential barriers and drivers for the uptake of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and (2) the effect of prior knowledge about FCEVs. Generally, respondents reported aspects connected to environmental friendliness to be main drivers and infrastructural factors (e.g., missing hydrogen stations) as main barriers connected with FCEVs independently from prior knowledge. Besides, results revealed considerable differences between participants with little vs. considerable prior knowledge implying a negative effect of less knowledge in terms of more skeptical assessments. Hence, measures enhancing knowledge about and experience with FCEVs might positively affect perceived barriers and drivers of FCEVs. / Die Nutzung von „grünem“ Wasserstoff als eine nachhaltige Alternative des Antriebs von Fahrzeugen ist eine vielversprechende Möglichkeit für die dringend notwendige Reduktion von CO2-Emissionen im Transportsektor. Für den Erfolg der Einführung solch neuer Technologien ist die Nutzerakzeptanz von entscheidender Bedeutung. In diesem Zusammenhang untersuchte die vorliegende Onlinestudie (N = 207) (1) potentielle Barrieren und Motivatoren für die Akzeptanz von Brennstoffzellenfahrzeugen und (2) den Effekt von individuellem Vorwissen hinsichtlich Brennstoffzellenfahrzeugen. Unabhängig vom jeweiligen Vorwissen berichteten die Befragten Aspekte im Zusammenhang mit der Umweltfreundlichkeit der Fahrzeuge als Hauptmotivatoren und Faktoren hinsichtlich der Infrastruktur (z.B. fehlende Wasserstofftankstellen) als Hauptbarrieren. Daneben zeigten sich aber auch erhebliche Unterschiede zwischen Personen mit viel und wenig Vorwissen, die durch negativere Bewertungen von Personen mit wenig Vorwissen gekennzeichnet sind. Folglich können möglicherweise Maßnahmen, die den Erwerb von Wissen über und die Erfahrung mit Brennstoffzellenfahrzeugen unterstützen, wahrgenommene Barrieren und Motivatoren von Brennstoffzellenfahrzeugen positiv beeinflussen.

The impact of technology is increasing in the automotive industry resulting in user experience to have a significant role in the industry. Previous studies have researched the use of user experience in the automotive industry describing the importance of it. Studies have also described the user experience in connection to in-vehicle functions. Contrariwise, a gap has been identified in relation to the actual use and users’ preferences to these functions. The aim of this study is to analyze the users’ perspective in the automotive industry and how a high level of user experience can be achieved by identifying the preference of the users. This paper aims to identify if functions related to entertainment or functions related to functionality are preferred by the users. It is important to note that the study is not excluding any of the two different type of functions but investigates the preference of the users. Mixed method was used to respond to the research question. Two interviews with experts of the domain of automotive were conducted, where important aspects of the experts’ perspective were covered and was used to develop the survey. In order to achieve a full understanding of the user experience, a survey was sent to identify users’ preferences. The study proved user experience to be important for the organizations in the automotive industry. Moreover, it discovered a discrepancy between the experts’ perspective and the users’ perceptions. Experts expressed customer satisfactions and fulfillment of their demands to be of the primary aim of organizations in the automotive industry. Contrariwise, users expressed that organizations may consider the preference of the users but only to achieve economic and concurrent benefits. Additionally, users expressed a preference to in-vehicle functions related to functionality. More specifically, in-vehicle functions in relation to safety, connectivity and assistance in driving. As a result, this study suggests for organizations in the automotive industry to include the above functions to their vehicles in order to satisfy the demands of their customers and achieve high level of user experience but not exclude the functions related to entertainment.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are complex software packages that support an integrated real-time setting among the various business functions in an entire organization. ERP systems improve productivity, but only to the extent that employees accept and use the systems extensively to perform their duties. The leaders of many organizations have not been able to realize the expected benefits because of a lack of user acceptance. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional survey study was to examine the factors that influence user acceptance of ERP systems in the United States. Davis's technology acceptance model was the theoretical foundation used to relate the independent variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) to the dependent variable (user acceptance of ERP systems). The focus of the research questions was on the strength of the relationships between each of the independent variables and user acceptance of ERP systems in the United States. Data were from 97 purposively selected ERP system end users in the United States using the survey instrument based on the technology acceptance model. Regression and correlation analyses revealed a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and user acceptance, but no relationship was found between perceived ease of use and user acceptance. The findings indicated difficulties in using ERP systems for end users in the United States, which stakeholders could rectify to improve productivity in organizations. Positive social change implications include improving the standard of living, increasing the literacy rate, and reducing negative externalities to improve human and social conditions in society.

I takt med en ökad digitalisering har det blivit ett allt större fokus på IT-säkerhet. Det finns olika typer av lösningar för att stärka IT-säkerheten och att implementera multifaktorautentisering är en av dem. I organisationers säkerhetsarbete spelar användarna en viktig roll, samtidigt kan de betraktas som ett säkerhetshot snarare än en resurs. I den här intervjustudien undersöker vi hur en implementering av multifaktorautentisering påverkar användarnas digitala arbetsmiljö. För att förstå detta har studien använt en kvalitativ datainsamlingsmetod där tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med anställda från Malmö universitet har genomförts. I analysen av resultatet har bland annat Technology Acceptance Model, Protection Motivation Theory samt ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv använts som teoretiska utgångspunkter. Studien visar att det finns en oförutsägbarhet med multifaktorautentisering som skapar en kognitiv omställning och ett hinder i arbetsflödet. Det framgår även att användarnas medvetenhet om IT-säkerhet är en viktig faktor i acceptansen av säkerhetsåtgärder så som multifaktorautentisering. Studien lyfter fram att det krävs en bra användarupplevelse bland befintliga IT-system för att välkomna och anpassa sig till framtida implementeringar av säkerhetssystem. / As digitalization has increased, there has been a growing focus on IT security. There are various types of solutions to strengthen IT security, and implementing multi-factor authentication is one of them. In the security efforts of organizations, users play an important role, but they can also be seen as a security threat rather than a resource. In this interview study, we examine how the implementation of multi-factor authentication affects users' digital work environment. To understand this, the study used a qualitative data collection method, conducting ten semi-structured interviews with employees from Malmö university. In the analysis of the results, the study utilized theoretical frameworks such as the Technology Acceptance Model, Protection Motivation Theory, and a phenomenological perspective. The study reveals that there is unpredictability associated with multi-factor authentication, creating a cognitive adjustment and a hindrance in workflow. It is also evident that users' awareness of IT security is an important factor in accepting security measures such as multi-factor authentication. The study emphasizes the need for a good user experience in existing IT systems to welcome and adapt to future implementations of security systems.

Förändringar förändras och för att organisationer ska bevara sin konkurrenskraft kommer de att ställas inför tekniska utmaningar med en högre grad av komplexitet.  Informationssystem införs i verksamheter för att bistå med stöd till kommunikation mellan människor. En utmaning med införande av informationssystem är att de ofta anses misslyckade i något avseende, som att de inte uppnår förväntad affärsnytta. För att lyckas uppnå den förväntade affärsnyttan efter en införandeprocess är det viktigt att även behandla de socio- tekniska aspekterna. Det avser de individuella användarnas perspektiv av det nya systemet som ska införas och som i deras ögon ska uppfattas som stödjande. Detta för att de ska kunna acceptera det nya systemet och den förändring det medför, samt kunna använda det med goda intentioner på ett framgångsrikt sätt. En framgångsrik användning av informationssystemet kan resultera i att deras arbetsprocesser utförs mer säkert, ändamålsenligt samt produktivt. Som blir bidragande till att realisera affärsnyttorna inom organisationen.  Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats i informatik är att identifiera och beskriva de förhållanden i ett internationellt kredithanteringsföretag som uppfattas vara mest kritiska för framgångsrik användning av informationssystem efter en införandeprocess, ur ett individuellt användarperspektiv.  En kvalitativ forskningsmetodik har använts där en analys av publicerade studier har utförts och framställts i en analysmodell. Fallstudiemetoden har tillämpats för insamling av primära empiriska data, genom semistrukturerade intervjuer samt en deltagande observation. Fem personer har intervjuats som arbetar på fallföretaget, Intrum AB, om deras uppfattningar och inställning till användning efter införande av ett ersättande informationssystem.  Denna jämförande studie framhåller att de fyra viktigaste slutsatserna för en framgångsrik användning av informationssystem, ur ett individuellt användarperspektiv, är att: Systemutveckling föregår Verksamhetsutveckling, Förändringsledning påverkar primärt Användaracceptans, Användbarhet och Användaracceptans har en förstärkande effekt på varandra. Detta kan leda till Förhållanden där informationssystemet kan användas på ett framgångsrikt sätt, inte minst proaktivt, i företagets arbetsprocesser.

Ett införande av en digital hälsoplattform (DHP) i personalvård utformades utifrånorganisationsförändringar vars strategi och struktur slutligen påverkade resultatet avförändringsprocessen. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur digitala hälsoplattformarinvolverades i personalvård. För att uppnå detta genomfördes kvalitativa metoder, där åttaintervjuer genomfördes med medarbetare på olika avdelningar av ett företag inomdetaljhandeln där materialet sedan kategoriserades för mönsteridentifiering. Resultatetindikerade hur förarbetet med införandet och kommunikationen låg till grund för hur enDHP involverades i företagets personalvård. En ökad delaktighet av anställda vid införandethade även ökat förståelsen för DHP:n och hade gjort tjänsten tydligare att nyttja. En ökaddelaktighet av anställda vid införandet hade även ökat förståelsen för DHP:n och hade gjorttjänsten tydligare att nyttja. . Även en integrering av DHP:n med redan befintliga systemhade ökat medvetenheten och hade gjort involveringen av plattformen mer uppenbar.Bristande kommunikation, involvering och effektmätning från företagets centrala delskapade däremot en osäkerhet om vad som faktiskt erbjöds och ledde till deladeuppfattningar om användning och dess lönsamhet. / The introduction of a digital health platform (DHP) in personnel care was designed based onorganizational changes whose strategy and structure ultimately influenced the outcome of thechange process. The purpose of the study was to investigate how digital health platformswere involved in personnel care. To achieve this, qualitative methods were used, includingeight interviews conducted with employees in various departments of a retail company, wherethe material was then categorized for pattern identification. The results indicated how thepreliminary work with the implementation and communication formed the basis for how aDHP was involved in the company's personnel care. Increased involvement of employeesduring the implementation would also have increased their understanding of the DHP andmade the service clearer to use. Additionally, integrating the DHP with already existingsystems had raised awareness and made the involvement of the platform more evident.However, poor communication, involvement, and impact measurement from the company'scentral part created uncertainty about what was actually offered and led to divided opinionson its use and profitability.

Introduction: Les dispositifs d'auto-prélèvement sanguin permettent des échantillonnages à distance. L'étude explore (i) l'influence des sites de prélèvement et de l'analgésie topique sur le volume sanguin capillaire et la douleur, et (ii) la faisabilité, la sécurité et l'acceptabilité de l'autoprélèvement capillaire avec le dispositif Tasso-SST chez les adultes et les enfants. Méthodes: L'étude comportait deux phases avec la phase expérimentale comprenant deux études transversales conduit sur place, chez des adultes en santé (> 12 ans) et enfants (< 18 ans) en dyades enfant-parent. Les issues principales étaient: le volume capillaire sanguin et la perception de la douleur. La phase de mise en oeuvre portait sur deux essais multicentriques et ciblait les participants ayant opté pour des visites à distance. L’issu principal était le volume capillaire sanguin. Les issues secondaires des études incluaient l’échec du dispositif, les événements indésirables, la satisfaction et la volonté de réutiliser le dispositif. Résultats: L'étude a recruté 90 adultes et 9 enfants avec 7 parents (dyades) dans la phase expérimentale et 15 adultes et 2 enfants en phase de mise en oeuvre. Durant la phase expérimentale chez l'adulte, le dispositif a collecté une médiane (25%, 75%) de 450 (250, 550) μl de sang, sans différence significative entre les sites de ponction et l'usage ou non d’analgésie topique. L'analgésie topique a réduit la perception de la douleur de 0,61 (IC à 95 %: 0,97, 0,24 ; P <0,01) points sur l'échelle de 11 points, avec une réduction plus importante au bas du dos. Le volume médian collecté chez les enfants était de 450 μl avec un score médian de douleur de 0,5. En combinant toutes les études et phases, le volume médian collecté était de 425 (250, 500) μl, avec un taux d’échec de 4,4 % et des effets indésirables mineurs signalés chez 8,9 % des participants. Tous étaient prêts à réutiliser l'appareil. Conclusion: L'auto-prélèvement capillaire, avec un rendement d’un peu moins de 500 μl, est peu douloureux avec un bon profil d’innocuité, un haut degré de satisfaction et peu d'échec chez les adultes et les enfants. Le site de ponction et l'analgésie topique n'influent pas significativement sur le volume sanguin. L'utilisation d'une analgésie topique au bas du dos réduit légèrement la douleur, mais l’importance clinique de la réduction reste incertaine. / Introduction: Blood self-collection devices offer an opportunity to provide remote sampling. The study aimed to explore (i) the impact of puncture sites and topical analgesia on capillary blood volume and pain perception and (ii) the feasibility (volume, failure rate), safety, and acceptability of capillary self-collection using the Tasso-SST blood collection device among adults and children. Methods: The study consisted of two phases, with the investigational phase involving on-site cross-sectional studies in healthy adults (>12 years) and children (<18 years) as child-parent dyads. The primary outcomes were capillary blood volume and pain perception. The implementation phase involved two multicentre trials in participants opting for remote visits. Where the primary outcome was blood volume. Secondary outcomes of the study included device failure, adverse events, satisfaction, and willingness to re-use the device. Results: The study enrolled: 90 adults and 9 children with 7 parents (dyads) in the investigational phase and 15 adults and 2 children in the implementation phase. During the adult investigational phase, the device collected a median of 450 (interquartile range: 250, 550) μl of blood with no significant difference between puncture sites and topical analgesia. Topical analgesia reduced pain perception by 0.61 (95% CI: 0.97, 0.24; P <0.01) points on the 11-point scale, with a magnitude of reduction varying by puncture site, with the lower back showing the most decrease. The median volume collected among children in the dyads was 450 (400, 475) μl with a median pain score of 0.5. During the implementation phase, both participants and research staff expressed willingness to use the device again. Overall, combining all studies and phases, the median volume collected was 425 (250, 500) μl, and the device failure rate was 4.4%; minor adverse effects were reported in 8.9% of the participants, all were willing to use the device again. Conclusion: Capillary blood self-collection, yielding slightly less than 500 μl, proves to be minimally painful with a good safety profile, high satisfaction, and low failure rates for both adults and children. The puncture site and topical analgesia don't significantly affect blood volume, but using topical analgesia on the lower back slightly reduces pain, with unclear clinical importance.

<p>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&nbsp / will not render any benefits to the organisation. Research problem: Project Managers (PMs) in YZ organisation&rsquo / s IT department need to perform mandated processes, as&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / software (FPS) was being realised &ndash / since implementing software that is not being utilised fully would not deliver the intended benefits to the IT department (Devaraj &amp / Kohli&nbsp / 2003), even if the software is termed &lsquo / mandatory&rsquo / . Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore and optimise the key success factors for an effective&nbsp / 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&nbsp / theories that explore the relationship between the use of mandatory software and the achievement of business benefits. The Information Management Body of Knowledge&nbsp / (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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / (and TAM2), the Motivational Model (MM) and the Model of PC Utilisation (MPCU) &ndash / in order to test user acceptance of mandatory software. The literature study concludes with a&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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,&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / as intended. There was also no evidence of an improvement in business operations. Therefore, benefits management was negatively impacted. Organisational processes were&nbsp / dentified as the most important organisational factor, influencing the usage of FPS software. Own technological capability was considered to be the least important factor,&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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 &ldquo / best practice&rdquo / , derived from the pertinent literate should be followed more diligently if YZ organisation is to benefit from the&nbsp / implementation of mandatory software. For example, in this research, it was found that top management&rsquo / 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&nbsp / suggested that a more formal approach to benefits management should be implemented. It is also recommended that further study should be conducted &ndash / in order to explore&nbsp / 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&nbsp / developing country (such as South Africa).</p>

<p>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&nbsp / will not render any benefits to the organisation. Research problem: Project Managers (PMs) in YZ organisation&rsquo / s IT department need to perform mandated processes, as&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / software (FPS) was being realised &ndash / since implementing software that is not being utilised fully would not deliver the intended benefits to the IT department (Devaraj &amp / Kohli&nbsp / 2003), even if the software is termed &lsquo / mandatory&rsquo / . Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore and optimise the key success factors for an effective&nbsp / 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&nbsp / theories that explore the relationship between the use of mandatory software and the achievement of business benefits. The Information Management Body of Knowledge&nbsp / (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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / (and TAM2), the Motivational Model (MM) and the Model of PC Utilisation (MPCU) &ndash / in order to test user acceptance of mandatory software. The literature study concludes with a&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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,&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / as intended. There was also no evidence of an improvement in business operations. Therefore, benefits management was negatively impacted. Organisational processes were&nbsp / dentified as the most important organisational factor, influencing the usage of FPS software. Own technological capability was considered to be the least important factor,&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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&nbsp / 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 &ldquo / best practice&rdquo / , derived from the pertinent literate should be followed more diligently if YZ organisation is to benefit from the&nbsp / implementation of mandatory software. For example, in this research, it was found that top management&rsquo / 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&nbsp / suggested that a more formal approach to benefits management should be implemented. It is also recommended that further study should be conducted &ndash / in order to explore&nbsp / 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&nbsp / developing country (such as South Africa).</p>