The aim of this research is to investigate the extent to which Open Source Software (OSS) adoption behaviour can empirically be shown to be governed by a set of self-reported (driving and inhibiting) salient beliefs of key informants in a sample of organisations. Traditional IS adoption/usage theory, methodology and practice are drawn on. These are then augmented with theoretical constructs derived from IT governance and organisational diagnostics to propose an artefact that aids the understanding of organisational OSS adoption behaviour, stimulates debate and aids operational management interventions. For this research, a combination of quantitative methods (via Fisher's Exact Test) and complimentary qualitative method (via Content Analysis) were used using self-selection sampling techniques. In addition, a combination of data and methods were used to establish a set of mixed-methods results (or meta-inferences). From a dataset of 32 completed questionnaires in the pilot study, and 45 in the main study, a relatively parsimonious set of statistically significant driving and inhibiting factors were successfully established (ranging from 95% to 99.5% confidence levels) for a variety for organisational OSS adoption behaviours (i.e. by year, by software category and by stage of adoption). In addition, in terms of mixed-methods, combined quantitative and qualitative data yielded a number of factors limited to a relatively small number of organisational OSS adoption behaviour. The findings of this research are that a relatively small set of driving and inhibiting salient beliefs (e.g. Security, Perpetuity, Unsustainable Business Model, Second Best Perception, Colleagues in IT Dept., Ease of Implementation and Organisation is an Active User) have proven very accurate in predicting certain organisational OSS adoption behaviour (e.g. self-reported Intention to Adopt OSS in 2014) via Binomial Logistic Regression Analysis.

This degree project aims to explore the subject of forecasting, which is an ongoing and much alive debate within economics and finance. Within the forecasting field the available research is vast and even if restricted to real estate, which is the main focus of this paper, the available material is comprehensive. A large fraction of published research concerning the subject of real estate forecasting consists of post mortem studies, with econometric models trying to replicate historical trends with the help of available micro and macro data. This branch within the field of forecasting seems to advance and progress with help of refined econometric models. This paper, on the other hand, rather examines the fundamentals behind forecasting and why forecasting can be a difficult task in general. This is shown with an examination of the accuracy of 160 unique forecasts within the field of real estate. To evaluate the accuracy and predictability from different perspectives we state three main null hypotheses: 1. Correct forecasts and the direction of the predictions are independent variables. 2. Correct forecasts and the examined consultants are independent variables. 3. Correct forecasts and the examined cities are independent variables. 4 The observed frequencies for Hypothesis 1 indicate that upward predictions seem to be easier to predict than downward predictions. This is however not supported by the statistical tests. The observed frequencies for Hypothesis 2 clearly indicate that one consultant is a superior forecaster than compared to the other consultants. The statistical tests confirm this. The observed frequencies for Hypothesis 3 indicate no signs of dependence for the variables. The statistical tests confirm this. / Detta examensarbete ämnar att utforska ämnesområdet kring prognoser och prognosmakande, vilket är en högst levande debatt inom ekonomi och finans. Inom detta område är tillgänglig forskning mycket omfattande och även om materialet begränsas till fastighetsmarknaden, som är huvudspåret i denna uppsats, är mängden information ansenlig. En stor andel av publicerad forskning som berör prognoser av fastighetsmarkanden består ofta av studier av typen "post mortem", där man med ekonometriska modeller försöker efterlikna tidigare historiska trender med hjälp av tillgänglig mikro- eller makrodata. Denna gren av forskningen tycks vinna mark och fortsätter att utvecklas med hjälp av allt mer avancerade ekonometriska modeller. Denna studie fokuserar däremot snarare på de fundamentala elementen av prognosmakande och varför detta ibland kan vara en problematisk uppgift. Detta visas med hjälp av en undersökning gällande utfallet och träffsäkerheten av 160 unika prognoser på fastighetsmarknaden. 7 För att utvärdera träffsäkerheten hos prognoserna sätts tre olika nollhypoteser upp: 1. Korrekt prognos och riktning av prognos är oberoende variabler. 2. Korrekt prognos och konsult är oberoende variabler. 3. Korrekt prognos och undersökta städer är oberoende variabler. De observerade frekvenserna för Hypotes 1 indikerar att uppåtgående prognoser är enklare att förutspå än övriga prognoser. Detta kan dock inte stödjas av de statistiska testerna. De observerade frekvenserna för Hypotes 2 indikerar tydligt att en konsult är en överlägsen prognosmakare än övriga konsulter. Detta stöds av de statistiska testerna. De observerade frekvenserna för Hypotes 3 indikerar inget samband av beroende mellan variablerna. Detta kan dock inte stödjas av de statistiska testerna.

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User retention is a key factor for Software as a Service (SaaS) companies to ensure long-term growth and profitability. One area which can have a lasting impact on a digital product’s user retention is its user onboarding experience, that is, the methods and elements that guide new users to become familiar with the product and activate them to become fully registered users. Within the area of user onboarding, multiple authors discuss “best practice” design patterns which are stated to positively influence the user retention of new users. However, none of the sources reviewed showcase any statistically significant proof of this claim. Thus, the objective of this study was to: Design and implement a set of commonly applied design patterns within a digital product’s user onboarding experience and evaluate their effects on user retention Through A/B testing on the SaaS product GetAccept, the following two design patterns were evaluated: Reduce friction – reducing the number of barriers and steps for a new user when first using a digital product; and Monitor progress – monitoring and clearly showcasing the progress of a new user’s journey when first using a digital product. The retention metric used to evaluate the two design patterns was first week user retention, defined as the share of customers who after signing up, sign in again at least once within one week. This was tested by randomly assigning new users into different groups: groups that did receive changes related to the design patterns, and one group did not receive any changes. By then comparing the first week user retention data between the groups using Fisher’s exact test, the conclusion could be drawn that with statistical significance, both of the evaluated design patterns positively influenced user retention for GetAccept. Furthermore, due to the generalizable nature of GetAccept’s product and the aspects evaluated, this conclusion should also be applicable to other companies and digital products with similar characteristics, and the method used to evaluate the impact of implementing the design patterns should be applicable for evaluating other design patterns and/or changes in digital products. However, as the method used for data collection in the study could not ensure full validity of it, the study could and should be repeated with the same design patterns on another digital product and set of users in order to strengthen the reliability of the conclusions drawn.