Diss. Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2009.

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2003.

Aim: Banks’ settlement of handling cash and the technological developments of our payment services, leaves us guessing at the outlooks of consumers’ payment systems. One of the new payment options arising from this development is mobile payment. With access to internet, mobile payment can take over the role as the primary method of payment, as it can be used on any occasion. Questions are raised about which factors that are affecting the future users’ attitude to use mobile payment, and if the service can be a threat to the traditional card payments. Method: This study is based on a quantitative method by the means of a survey design. Questionnaires are used in order to collect a considerable amount of data. A deductive approach is used to formulate hypotheses from existing theory, which is tested with various statistic methods. Result & Conclusions: The study results display a significant relationship between the users’ attitude to start using mobile payment and compatibility and usefulness. The variable that showed no significant relationship was ease of use. The results also showed that the method of card payment is accepted and is therefore main competitor for mobile payment. Suggestions for future research: To investigate which factors future users value between the variables compatibility and usefulness is a possible suggestion for future research. When these two were found to have a relationship with attitude, it can affect the future users’ acceptance to mobile payment. It would also be interesting to examine a merchant’s perspective to identify who intends to offer such services. This is an important aspect, as the study results showed that the respondents had lower response rates regarding whether mobile payment could be associated with the availability for use in the market. Contribution of the thesis: The study highlights future users’ acceptance of mobile payment and which factors that can be driving for increased spread. The result can provide ideas on what incentives are neccessary to be focused on, to get more of the younger generation to develop a positive attitude towards this service and then apply it. The study results also provide an insight for card companies, as they seek knowledge whether the mobile payment is a threat in the current situation.

Regardless all the advantages of MPs, it has not reach the sizable customer base. In this paper, we examined the core drivers of using mobile payments (MPs) in restaurant industry from the consumers' perspective. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), we developed a six factor model to reveal the determinants of consumers' intention to use MPs in restaurant. Security, subjective norm, compatibility with lifestyle, and previous experience with MPs were added to the traditional two factor TAM model (usefulness and ease of use). 300 respondents were recruited from an online survey agency and 258 valid responses were included in the data analysis. The regression results suggested that consumers' intention to use MPs in restaurants is influences by compatibility with lifestyle, usefulness, subjective norm, security, and previous experience in MPs. Lifestyle compatibility was found as the strongest determinant of consumers' acceptance of MPs in restaurants. However, ease of use was not a significant predictor of MPs usage in restaurant. Based on the findings, the study provided several implications to the restaurant industry. Five factors (compatibility with lifestyle, usefulness, subjective norm, security, and previous experience in MPs) can serve as a guideline to encourage consumers' adoption of MPs in restaurant industry. Industry practitioners can develop advertisement catered to a trendy, innovative, tech-friendly generation who desires the flexibility that MPs give and is willing to have everything in one device. MPs should be developed to provide an added value to the user. It is also important to increase the source credibility of social information to improve communication campaigns. Finally, restaurant staff could be trained in guiding and assisting consumers in their first experience with MPs.

Background: The recent political agenda for health and social care requires more client-centred, personalised services. Self-Directed Support, encompassing Direct Payments and Personal Budgets, is designed to provide people with more choice and control over how their needs and outcomes are met. Personal budgets are available for eligible people however take-up is low in mental health services. Research Aims: The study was set in an NHS Health and Social care Trust covering a large predominantly rural area.The aims of this study were: (1) to develop Self-Directed Support within one mental health Trust and; (2) understand more fully service user and carer involvement in the process. Methods: This study used action research incorporating: a spiral methodological framework; a project steering group; and service user and carer co-researchers. Data collection took place between 2007 and 2011, and the project ran in three sequential spirals using qualitative methods to triangulate the findings and identify any divergence in data. Findings: Findings showed that organisational language, structures and power relations provide barriers to effective involvement of service users and carers. Action research is very relevant for researching projects involving transformational change in health and social care, and including service user and carer co-researchers adds rich and authentic data. Findings concerning Self-Directed Support concluded that it afforded people more choice, flexibility and control than previous policy, and an improved quality of life. Concerns about bureaucratic processes, lack of information and knowledge of Self-Directed Supportwere found. Workforce concerns about safety of service users under Self-Directed Support and cultural shifts to more democratic methods of working were reported. Conclusions: This study's results correspond closely with national studies: staff attitudes and culture need changing to empower people to take up Self-directed Support. Concerns about quality assurance and safety are prevalent. Mental health services pose additional obstacles in their structures and reliance on the medical model. Social care knowledge cannot be assumed for all mental health Trust practitioners.

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published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Στόχος της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι ο σχεδιασμός ενός συστήματος ασφαλούς μεταφοράς δεδομένων από κινητές τερματικές συσκευές όπως κινητά τηλέφωνα και PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Ένα τέτοιο σύστημα θα μπορούσε να χρησιμοποιηθεί για τη μετάδοση ευαίσθητων προσωπικών δεδομένων, όπως βιοϊατρικά δεδομένα που συλλέγονται από βιοαισθητήρες, ή για τη διενέργεια ηλεκτρονικών πληρωμών. Στην παρούσα εργασία κάνουμε μία σύνοψη των τελευταίων τεχνολογιών στην κινητή τηλεφωνία, τα πρωτόκολλα επικοινωνίας για διαδικτύωση σε περιβάλλον κινητών επικοινωνιών, καθώς και βασικών κρυπτογραφικών πρωτοκόλλων, ώστε να οδηγηθούμε ομαλά στο σχεδιασμό του επιθυμητού συστήματος. Τέλος, αναπτύξαμε και παρουσιάζουμε ένα σύστημα ηλεκτρονικών πληρωμών, που βασίζεται στο σύστημα για την ασφαλή ανταλλαγή πληροφορίας σε περιβάλλον κινητών επικοινωνιών, που σχεδιάσθηκε προηγουμένως, υλοποιώντας έτσι μια εφαρμογή του προταθέντος συστήματος. / The scope of this master thesis is the design of a system for secure data transfer from mobile terminal devices like cellular phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Such a system could be used for the transmission of critical personal data, like biomedical data collected from biosensors, or the completion of electronic payments. In this work we present the state of the art in mobile telephony and communication protocols for networking in a mobile environment, also we present some basic cryptographic protocols, in order to design the wanted system. Finally, we develop and present an electronic payments system, based on the system for the secure exchange of information in the mobile communications environment we designed before, implementing in this way an application for the suggested system.

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