This research studies normative pricing strategies for information technology (IT) used by suppliers to supplement an underlying primary good. Transactions with consumers and customer firms are considered. Characteristics of IT are divided into IT impacts on customers, and IT impacts on suppliers. IT impacts on customers include vertical differentiation or reduced turnover costs for the primary good, and positive IT adoption costs. IT impacts on suppliers include reduced production costs for the primary good, and the costs of IT. Optimal pricing for the IT and the primary good is modelled for monopoly, and Bertrand competition based on IT and the primary good is modelled for oligopoly. Two part tariffs are used for the IT and IT enhanced primary good. Results of pricing to consumers show that the fixed component of an optimal (or equilibrium) two part tariff can either be a net tax or a net subsidy, confirming the possibility of taxed or subsidized IT adoption. For the monopolist offering the IT and IT enhanced primary good only, the consumer's adoption/switching cost limits the possible subsidy. Consistent with previous economics research, in a duopoly where one supplier has IT, the IT supplier abandons the original primary good. Two suppliers with identical IT cannot attain a positive profit equilibrium. Analogous results obtain for a special case of pricing to customer firms. Empirical results support differential (premium) pricing for an IT enhanced primary good over an original good. / Business, Sauder School of / Operations and Logistics (OPLOG), Division of / Graduate

Bibliography: pages 183-200. / The fundamental question is not whether South Africa should have a National Information Technology Policy to exploit Information Technology (IT), but more fundamentally what kind of government policies and programs for IT make sense. In today's competitive world what kind of policies and programs will be for the betterment of South Africa's economic and social structures? How can the South African government use IT to increase international competitiveness, and at the same time enhance economic and technological progress and create social improvement in the country? These and many other fundamental questions are the basis for this investigation. The starting point of this research was to compare South African IT to that in other countries; Expert opinion was obtained to identify specific issues, goals and technologies, and to propose ideas for government policies to: i) increase the country's competitiveness, ii) enhance its economic and technological progress, and iii) uplift its people. The main points emerging from this research are that the South African government needs to formulate a National IT Policy in order to direct the development of IT. Competitiveness, progress and social upliftment are inseparable and must be balanced when positioning such a policy. The policy should be directed from a high level to ensure that its recommendations are followed.

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<p> U.S. organizations often employ deterrence mechanisms to regulate workers&rsquo; technology use, but such approaches are not always effective (Sommestad, Hallberg, Lundholm, &amp; Bengtsson, 2014). The theory of psychological reactance (Brehm &amp; Brehm, 1981) was explored as a potential explanation for the inconsistencies in the effectiveness of deterrence mechanisms. It was postulated that workers expect the freedom to use certain types of technology within the workplace and that restricting such use would result in opposition. This possibility was investigated in the context of intentions to use social media, a technology popular among U.S. workers. </p><p> A 3 (personal social media use restriction) x 3 (sanctions) between-subject experimental design was used to test the effect of restrictive personal social media use guidelines and sanctions on workers&rsquo; compliance and use intentions. U.S. workers (N = 715) recruited through MTurk completed an online survey in which they were randomly assigned to one of nine conditions. The IVs were manipulated through the use of vignettes. The DVs were measured using both scales modified from previous studies and newly constructed scales. </p><p> The results suggest that the average worker does not engage in freedom restoration when social media is restricted. Overall, participants were more compliant, had lower social media intentions, and social media&rsquo;s valence was lowest when social media was restricted and sanctions were used. Explanations for the findings are provided with extensions to conservation of resource, deterrence, and justice theories.</p>

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<p>ABSTRACT Electronic medical record (EMR) use has improved significantly in health care organizations. However, many barriers and factors influence the success of EMR implementation and adoption. The purpose of the descriptive qualitative single-case study was to explore health care professionals? perceptions of the use of EMRs at a hospital division of a major medical center. The study findings highlighted the challenges in transitioning from paper records to EMR despite the many benefits and potential improvement in health care. A description of the 16 health care professionals? perceptions of EMR use emerged by adopting the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model and NVivo 10 computer software to aid with the analysis of semi-structured, recorded, and transcribed interviews. Themes emerging from the analysis were in five categories: (a) Experience of health care professionals with a subtheme of workflow, (b) Challenges in transition from paper to EMR, (c) Barriers to EMR acceptance, with a subtheme of privacy, confidentiality, and security, (d) Leadership support, and (d) Success of EMR. The findings of the case study may inform health care industry decision makers of additional social and behavioral factors needed for successful EMR strategic planning, implementation, and maintenance.

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<p> User acceptance and usage of technology is an established field of academic inquiry with distinct applications to health information technology adoption. Healthcare systems lag behind in technological advancements related to information systems. The recent push toward health information exchange (HIE) systems to enable the sharing of electronic medical records (EMR) between healthcare organizations has many working to upgrade to the latest EMR system technology. Healthcare organizations strive to lower costs, improve patient care, streamline processes, and meet regulatory requirements. Leading EMR systems promise the realization of attaining these goals. User acceptance and usage of technology is a challenge when implementing new technology. In more recent years, a growing need appeared to study user acceptance and usage behavior in healthcare organizations. The central question of this study is: What deeper understanding can be developed when evaluating the similarities and differences of healthcare and business users&rsquo; experiences and behaviors through the lens of the unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT)? A subset of related research questions focuses on factors influencing users&rsquo; acceptance and usage, similarities and differences among healthcare users, and similarities and differences between healthcare and non-healthcare users. This study explores participants&rsquo; experiences using a comparative cross-case approach applying the theoretical framework of the UTUAT by Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis (2003). Twenty-one participants were interviewed to ascertain their lived experiences of learning and using computer systems. Areas of inquiry included new system implementations; the importance of factors in the UTAUT model such as effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, performance expectancy, and social influence; and the impact of these on users&rsquo; experiences. The majority indicated sub-elements of facilitating conditions and effort expectancy as critical factors. Training is dominant among the majority of cases, while ease to learn and use, process alignment, and time are interwoven with training and usage experiences. Social influence and voluntariness of use were seldom observed, with shared experiences being circumstantial and situational. The success of EMR systems hinges on how the foundational system is built, which involves understanding detailed clinical and business processes, and ensuring the new system is built on forward-thinking practices. </p>