Innovative technologies have aided in the evolution of communicative patterns betweenindividuals, organizations, and society at large. For businesses this means that marketingmust be integrated with emergent ICT in an effort to exploit available digital marketingtactics. Although there is an emerging body of literature that defines the elements of digitalmarketing there still remains a need for models grounded in theoretical and empiricalevidence that explicitly integrates Software as a Service business intelligence (SaaS BI)within the realm of digital marketing.The purpose of this study is to explore existing challenges for digital marketers and SaaS BIvendors in an effort to uncover common ground where marketing activities and SaaS servicescan be effectively integrated. Within this investigation a socio-technical systems perspective isemployed in which the function of digital marketing represents a social sub-system and theservice of SaaS BI represents a technical sub-system. Interconnectivity is established betweendigital marketing, SaaS BI, and diffusion of innovation through the exploration of existingchallenges. A design artifact is constructed as a result of the thesis, which is intended to aiddigital marketers when planning, implementing, or adjusting a marketing campaign thatutilizes SaaS BI as an intelligence source. Within the investigation of digital marketing andSaaS BI both a theoretical and empirical study are conducted that serve as a basis for thedesigned model. The empirical study consists of a case study of the MeltWater Group, a SaaSvendor, and attempts to capture an in-depth understanding of the target domain. Empiricaldata is generated through semi-structured interviews triangulated with documents.Subsequent to building the conceptual model a short questionnaire was sent to participantswith related knowledge of the domain problem to elicit feedback on the conceptual model’scorrectness and usefulness.The theoretical study serves the purpose of establishing a conceptual framework within theresearch phenomena. The subsequent empirical study was used to validate the relevance ofthe conceptual framework in addition to assist with the build and evaluate phase of theconceptual model design. As a result of the thesis investigation a conceptual model of thetarget domain was developed that maps the interrelated processes of digital marketing andSaaS BI.In conclusion, the conceptual model captures a closed information loop between the SaaSvendor, client-organization, internal/external stakeholders, and the client-organization’sdigital presence. The system domain processes are illuminated as seven sub-closed loops thatdepict the existing relationships between domain components. The integration of digitalmarketing and SaaS BI elucidates three core input/output processes (IOPs): a dual IOPinternal and external of the SaaS vendor and an IOP internal of the client-organization. / Program: Masterutbildning i Informatik

The increasing government and consumer interest in, and growing concerns about environmental issues have pressured businesses to adopt eco-innovative measures and activities. These pressures have been felt particularly by the food and drink sector in Scotland, a sector that is of considerable importance to the Scottish economy. To date, few studies have considered the challenges businesses in this sector face with regard to the adoption of eco-innovations. In particular, there has been little research on the challenges faced by the SMEs in the sector and how they are adopting eco-innovations. This study seeks to address this research gap through utilization of the diffusion of innovation theory to explore the adoption of eco-innovations by the Scottish food and drink SMEs. A qualitative survey of the website of 52 businesses was used to collect data and analysed using content analysis to generate five categories of eco-innovations namely; Waste, Energy, GSCM, Carbon and Embedding. This data collected informed the next phase of the research where in-depth interviews was conducted with 18 businesses to understand their eco-innovation adoption processes. The findings revealed two groups of attitudes among the participants namely; the positive and the sceptics. The main motivators to adoption were found to be; moral principles and beliefs, eco-consumer drive, cost saving, legislation and the creation of jobs and new opportunities. The major barriers to eco-innovation were more profound and found to include; non-recyclable waste, non-compliance by suppliers, cost of adoption, lack of interest, the challenge of finding credible and reliable sources, attitudes and behaviours, and a general lack of education and awareness. Using the categorisation of eco-innovations that emerged from the website data analysis, the research developed a scale of greenness reflecting the adoption of eco-innovation along with a classification of adopter types namely; advanced, intermediate and basic adopters. The thesis contributes to the theory of diffusion by illustrating ways to capture and evidence innovation adoption without dependency on the time element and enabled a classification of eco- innovation adopters. The contribution to methodology is viewed from the application of a qualitative approach that enabled the categorisation of the forms of eco-innovation which resulted in the model depicting eco-innovation adoption and the profiling tool for innovation diffusion. Practical contributions are offered to enable businesses to understand their adoption of eco-innovation through the use of the model, adopter type classification and the application of a best practice guide to facilitate adoption. Recommendations for policy, practice and further areas for research are also proposed within the thesis.

Instructional technologies can be effective tools to foster student engagement, but university faculty may be reluctant to integrate innovative and evidence-based modern learning technologies into instruction. It is important to identify the factors that influence faculty adoption of instructional technologies in the teaching and learning process. Based on Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory, this quantitative, nonexperimental, one-shot cross-sectional survey determined what attributes of innovation (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability) predict the probability of faculty adopting the audience response system (ARS) into instruction. The sample for the study consisted of 201 faculty who have current teaching appointments at a university in the southeastern United States. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the attributes of innovation that predict the probability of faculty adopting the ARS into instruction. The data indicated that the attributes of compatibility and trialability significantly predicted faculty adoption of ARS into instruction. Based on the results of the study, a professional development project that includes 3 full days of training and experiential learning was designed to assist faculty in adopting ARS into instruction. Because the current study only included the faculty at a single local university, future studies are recommended to explore a more holistic view of the problem from different institutions and from other stakeholders who may contribute to the process of instructional technology adoption. The project not only contributes to solving the local problem in ARS adoption, but it is also instrumental in promoting positive social change by fostering evidence-based teaching strategies and innovations that maximize student learning.

Workflow issues related to adoption of the electronic health record (EHR) has led to unsafe workarounds, decreased productivity, inefficient clinical documentation and slow rates of EHR adoption. The problem addressed in this quality improvement project was nurses' lack of knowledge about workflow changes due to EHR adoption. The purpose of this project was to identify changes in workflow and to develop an educational module to communicate the changes. This project was guided by both the ADDIE model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) and the diffusion of innovations theory. Five stages were involved: process mapping, cognitive walkthrough, eLearning module development, pilot study, and evaluation. The process maps and cognitive walkthrough revealed significant workflow changes particularly in clinical practice guidelines, emergency department treatment plan, and the interdisciplinary care plan. The eLearning module was developed to describe workflow changes using gamification, scenario-based learning, and EHR simulation. The 14-item course evaluation included a 6-point Likert scale and closed- and open-ended questions. A purposive sample of nurses (N = 30) from the emergency department and inpatient care areas were invited to complete the eLearning module and course evaluation. Data were collected until saturation was achieved (n = 15). Descriptive statistics revealed the participants' positive learning experience. This quality improvement project is expected to contribute to positive social change by facilitating the effective use of the new EHR which can improve the quality of patient care, promote patient safety, reduce healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes.

In recent years, the state of Illinois has joined the "ban the box" movement which typically prohibits employers from inquiring about a prospective employee's criminal history until it has been determined whether the candidate meets the core qualifications for the position. Little, however, is known whether this legislative change has impacted how private employers use criminal history information and to what extent knowledge of criminal history impacts final hiring decisions. Using Kingdon's policy streams concept as a guide, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand whether implementation of "ban the box" principles impacts final hiring decisions. Data were collected through interviews with 27 hiring authorities in the state of Illinois. These data were transcribed, inductively coded, and then subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. Findings revealed that when previously convicted applicants were hired for positions, the most common reasons were noted as the quality and presentation of the candidate during the interview, possession of relevant job-related skills, and the candidate appeared remorseful of past behavior. When candidates were rejected by employers, it was most commonly because of a perceived nexus between the convicting offense and essential job requirements. Implications for positive social change include recommendations policy makers to consider future policy development that focuses on balancing the positive consequences of successful offender reentry with concern for public safety. Doing so may encourage lower recidivism and prosocial behavior including improved employment sustainability for those convicted of crimes, thereby promoting overall public safety objectives.

The healthcare system in the US faces substantial challenges related to cost, access and quality. Health Information Exchange (HIE) has been widely viewed as a viable solution for dealing with those challenges. Despite the potential contributions to the healthcare system that HIE promises, adoption and use of HIE have always been difficult, and the past two decades have witnessed significant HIE implementation failures. The limited understanding of HIE is a major obstacle for HIE success. Only recently in-depth research about HIE starts to appear in top IS journals. In addition, the uniqueness of healthcare industry adds to the complexity to HIE. Our study attempts to address this research gap by systematically examining multiple factors that influence HIE adoption and use. Using social exchange theory (SET) and diffusion of innovations theory, a research model was developed to empirically test major factors that impact healthcare providers’ relative advantages and risks perceptions for adopting and using HIE. It is further proposed that relative advantages and risks in turn impact organizations’ intentions for adopting and continuously using HIE. As such, we posit that organizations’ assessments of relative advantages and risks associated with HIE mediate the impacts of organizational and technological factors on organizations’ adoption and use intentions. This study uses questionnaire surveys for data collection. Out of a total of 163 responses, 117 surveys were completed and were analyzed using Partial Least Square software SmartPLS 3. Data analysis finds that most of the relationships were in the hypothesized directions with some of the relationships being significant. Specifically, top management support, absorptive capacity, trust, and HIE innovation characteristics positively affect relative advantages and negatively affect risk. Furthermore, relative advantages positively affect adoption/continuance intentions, whereas risk negatively affects adoption/continuance intentions. This study contributes to the literature and offers important practical implications. It is one of the early empirical attempts to understand the key factors that affect HIE’s adoptions and use. The research can also serve as a starting point for more in-depth studies in the future. Moreover, practitioners can use the several newly-developed scales to empirically examine healthcare providers’ adoption and use intentions.

The purpose of this research is to study the role of information and communication technology (ICT) and information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) in Cambodian non-government organizations (NGOs). By focusing on a workshop on the ICT applications Unicode and Open Office, initiated by the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (the CCC), I intend to see how these applications were adopted, how they are used and what the future is for ICT and ICT4D in Cambodia. The research is based on qualitative, semi structured interviews with employees at CCC as well as NGO workers who were participants at the workshops. The theories that I have used are Amartya Sen’s capability approach, Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory and intercultural communication. This study shows that ICT is considered to be a very important tool for the development of Cambodia. Unicode has contributed with an easier way to type and read documents in Khmer and it is considered to promote the Khmer language. Open Office have not found its renaissance yet since people find it difficult to use although the NGOs sees its’ potential and wants to learn it. According to the NGO workers, ICT and ICT4D will play an important role for the Cambodian development in the future but because of a lack of infrastructure and proper knowledge about the new technology, it has not been used to its full capacity. In order for us to understand how ICT can reach its full potential within NGOs, there have to exist an understanding of Cambodian culture and history since the Khmer people’s values affect how the NGO workers look at development and the tools they are using.

This study aimed to investigate the innovation practices and the factors contributing to innovativeness in Bah&ccedil / eSehir Science and Technology High School (BSTHS). The study was designed as a case study and different qualitative data collection techniques were used to collect the data. 17 participants of this study were chosen among administrators, science and mathematics teachers and 4 students. The study documented both managerial and academic innovations at the School. Besides, the factors contributing to innovativeness at BSTHS were documented. Research findings show that the BSTHS was successful in establishing a place within the Turkish Education System as a new and original education institution. The BSTHS administration is working on, based on an effective leadership, providing most suitable conditions for education and learning, and they are doing that with a participatory administration approach. Beyond that, they constructed an effective network with the support of the Bah&ccedil / eSehir University towards the development of the school in line with its targets. According to the research findings, foremost aspects that make the BSTHS innovative and original are a new curriculum, an individual-based education system, application of new technologies in education and learning processes and the establishment of the institution as a self-learning organization. It is argued that different factors (e.g., leadership, participative management, social interaction, knowledge share) are combined with quality inputs (e.g., students, staff, technology, physical infrastructure) have contributed to the creation of a culture of innovation. Hence, it is concluded that extensive physical or financial resources are not enough to accomplish innovativeness. Besides, a culture of innovation needs to be cultivated in order to accomplish innovation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phases of change process of integrating a quality development model into an information technology company in Turkey. While the transformation phases were being examined by a qualitative study, the factors that affect the change process also were investigated. This study explores the process of traveling through the way to CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) level 3 certification by a company that gives information technologies service to banking sector. Since circulation of staff prevents us from obtaining what an exact number of workers, the company has about 450 employees. At the beginning, the company had no quality standards and most of the work processes were not documented, even documented processes were not consistent. After the commencement of the quality development project, work flows of processes were defined and documented. The company changed its organization according to the new process improvement model, called CMMI. In this case study, interviews performed with ten experts from inside of the company and three experts from outside of the company, observation diaries and assets of the company were data sources. Participant observation, questionnaire and document analysis were used as data gathering methods. Collected data were interpreted by descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, while resistance to change came out naturally, it is determined that transformation has four stages such as: &ldquo / motivation and adoption&rdquo / , &ldquo / adaptation&rdquo / , &ldquo / acceptance and implementation&rdquo / and finally &ldquo / use and improvement&rdquo / .

Abstract In order to cut down the management expense, the government must initiatively reduce the contact hours with people. Owing to the declination of people¡¦s daily time available and the decrease of expecting counter services, it is demanded that the services provided by the government be more timesaving and convenient. People's accepting degree on network and computerized government, an invisible customer services, is therefore elevated. In response to Territory Bureau's computerization exercise, the Ministry of Interior has founded a group, "management and research group for Territory Bureau's computer network", to work on the program since 1980. The prevalence of mobile communication and the application of in-time internet network these years have led to establishment of Territory Bureau's computerized system and led to transformation of the Bureau's exercise from manpower to computer network service. It is already a trend to deal work via Internet. It is urgent that government promotes computerization to the Bureau of Territory to make it more flexible and agile in order to provide people with more integral, convenient and versatile services. This study, from the users' viewpoint, explores the factors that influence the implement of Territory Bureau's computer network. The purpose is to understand the factors that influence the users and to provide further information for future expansion of the Bureau's program. Since the Territory Bureau's computer-network system is an innovative technology, the study of people's attitude and acceptation toward such technology is innovative as well. "Technology acceptance model" is the theoretical background in this study that explains users' behavioral intention in adopting the Territory Bureau's network information. By applying the theory of "diffusion of innovation", the influences of "relative advantage", "compatibility" and "complexity" for using the above system is investigated and discussed. Statistical questionnaires' survey is adopted in this study. The results show that the more "positive attitude" people have, the more "behavioral intention" they have in utilizing Territory Bureau's Internet information. The following factors are found to affect people's "positive attitude": more "relative advantage", "compatibility" and "complexity" people know about; more "perceived usefulness" and "perceived ease of use" people realize toward Territory Bureau's internet informatio