The adoption of personalized music services – Combining qualitative and quantitative research –

In the last decade the music industry has been developing different Internet based music services. Lately personalization via recommendation is gaining popularity. In this paper we investigate the adoption of personalized music services by a combined quantitative and qualitative research approach. We first deploy an adoption study by the use of an adapted TAM survey. Our quantitative findings confirm perceived enjoyment as influential factor for intention to use, higher than perceived usefulness. Instead of broadening the quantitative study to a wider group of users we investigate deeper with qualitative interviews based on diffusion of innovation and different adoption models. Firstly three hypotheses are formulated on basis of the survey. Secondly our qualitative results give a richer explanation and show our group of respondents value the quality of the music recommendation mechanism over extra other functionalities like social networking, blogging and scrobbling. The latter result is important for music service suppliers in their highly competitive market

Disrupting aviation: an exploratory study of the opportunities and risks of tablet computers in commercial flight operations

Commercial flight operational safety has dramatically improved in the last 30 years because of enhanced crew coordination, communication, leadership and team development. Technology insertion into cockpit operations, however, has been shown to create crew distractions, resulting in flight safety risks, limited use given policy limitations and difficulty in establishing standard operating procedures. With the recent introduction of tablet computers into the flight cockpit as a substitute for paper-based manuals and navigation charts, the risk of human error may be increased. Though portable electronics, known as electronic flight bags, have been present of the flight deck for a decade, introduction of tablet computers as their replacements offers unique challenges, given the ability to communicate and share information outside established aviation channels. This research explored the opportunities that this technology insertion offers to commercial aviation in areas such as knowledge sharing and operational performance improvement. The results indicate that the opportunities were not realized with the initial implementation because the pilots did not accept the technology due to inadequate training coupled with restrictive policies concerning use

Use of electronic security systems in academic libraries: experiences of selected universities in South-West Nigeria.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.This study investigated the use of electronic security systems in academic libraries in selected universities in South West, Nigeria. The study in particular, examined the different library security systems that are in use to curb theft and mutilation of library materials; the extent to which electronic security systems (ESS) are used in the academic libraries; how electronic security systems are used to discourage patrons from pilfering information resources from the library; the extent of loss of library materials through theft, mutilation and vandalism; the effectiveness of electronic security systems in curbing the menace of theft, mutilation and vandalism of library materials; and the factors influencing/motivating the use of ESS in the library. The population of the study was made up of 205 librarians and para-professional library staff, including the heads of libraries (University Librarians) and Information Technology personnel at the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Covenant University and Babcock University, in South West, Nigeria. These Universities were purposively selected for the study and a total enumeration method (census) was employed as the sampling technique. The research instruments used to elicit information from the respondents included survey questionnaires and structured interview guides. A response rate of 83.2% was recorded and use of frequency counts, percentages (%), mean ( ) and standard deviation (SD) were used to analyse the data collected. The quantitative and qualitative data obtained from the main study were coded and organised, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic content analysis to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency and reliability of the items in the questionnaire. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) developed by Vankatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis (2003) was used to underpin the study, and to investigate the factors influencing the use of ESS in academic libraries. The study also employed the post-positivist research paradigm as the theoretical lens to illuminate the research problem. The study further engaged a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods as well as the survey design. The study adhered strictly to the ethical protocols of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and permission was acquired from the relevant authorities of the Universities which were surveyed. The findings revealed that the universities in South West geopolitical region of Nigeria had implemented one form of electronic security systems or the other in their libraries. Findings further revealed how electronic security systems (ESS) are used to discourage patrons from pilfering information resources from the library. Additionally, the findings exposed the extent of loss of library materials through theft, mutilation and vandalism; the effectiveness the use of electronic security systems (ESS) in curbing the menace of theft, mutilation and vandalism of library materials; and the factors influencing/motivating the use of ESS in the library.The originality of this study lies in the fact that, extant studies carried out in Nigeria, as it relates to the security of materials in academic libraries, only investigated and recommended how library materials can be safeguarded manually (through the traditional methods); and therefore, only a few of the studies suggested the use of electronic devices to secure library materials. However, none have investigated how these modern technologies (electronic security systems) could be used to secure library materials from theft, mutilation and vandalism. Furthermore, no prior studies have employed the use of research paradigms or theory such as UTAUT to underpin their investigations. The study recommended among others, that university libraries in South-West, and Nigeria in general should enhance and encourage the maintenance of the electronic security systems (ESS) regularly; the heads of the libraries (University Librarians) should also ensure that the University Management is well educated and apprised on the importance of the use of electronic security systems (ESS) in the libraries and how adequate funds should be made available through the annual library budgets. It is also recommended that the heads of the libraries should solicit external funding to regularly upgrade the electronic security systems (ESS). The study further recommended that user education programmes should be carried out regularly. These findings are significant and have implications for policy, practice and theory in the field of library and information sciences

Investigating factors that hinder the adoption and use of primary healthcare information systems (phcis) in the western cape of South Africa

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM)In the past, the Western Cape Department of Health had no formal or technologically enabled system for patient administration. This resulted in an administrative burden, increased waiting times for patients and doctors who needed results back from other sections, and missing patient files within the community health institutions such as clinics and hospitals. The Primary Healthcare Information System (PHCIS) was developed to solve this problem. However, it was later discovered that even though the PHCIS had been installed across the Western Cape clinics, there was a limited adoption and use of the PHCIS. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the factors that hinder the adoption and use of PHCIS by healthcare workers in the public healthcare clinics in the Khayelitsha sub-district in the Western Cape Provinc

Adoption and use of electronic instructional media among academics in selected universities in South West Nigeria.

Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.This study was conducted to determine the adoption and use of electronic instructional media among academics in selected universities in South West Nigeria. The study addressed the following research questions: What is the extent of adoption and use of electronic instructional media in selected Nigerian universities? What factors influence adoption and use of electronic instructional media? How do media literacy skills influence adoption and use of electronic instructional media? What is the moderating effect of gender, age and teaching experience on adoption and use of electronic instructional media? What challenges are faced in the adoption and use of electronic instructional media by academics in selected Nigerian universities? The Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Use (UTAUT) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory were used as the underpinning theoretical lens. The philosophical perspective was based on post-positivism. Quantitative, complemented by qualitative methods were used with the survey research design. The target population of the study consisted of academics and management staff from two purposively selected Nigerian universities in the South West geopolitical zone. Academics were drawn from the faculties of Science, Arts and Technology in the universities that made up this study. From a population of 732 academics, a sample size of 267 was determined using a published table for selecting sample sizes as put forth by Israel (1992). Additionally, the census method was used to reach 11 university management staff members comprising deans of faculties, the university librarians and directors of the Centre for Information and Technology units. The survey questionnaires were used mainly to collect quantitative data from academics while interviews were used to collect qualitative data from university management staff. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was computed using Cronbach’s alpha (α) through a test-retest reliability method. A Cronbach’s alpha (α) value of r = 0.96 was obtained. Response rates of 80.5% and 90.9% were obtained from the data collected through quantitative and qualitative methods respectively. Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 21) to generate descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data was processed using the NVivo 10 package. The ethical aspect or the axiological component of this study was achieved by adhering to the ethical protocol of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Permission was obtained from the relevant authorities of the universities which fell under the ambit of this study. The findings revealed that though academics had adopted various types of electronic instructional media, this did not necessarily translate into extensive usage of such electronic instructional media. The majority of academics, however, regularly pursued innovative ways to incorporate electronic instructional media into their lectures. The findings further showed that academics used personal computers, MS Word, Internet, e- mail, mobile phones, mobile devices, Web resources, e-books and power-point presentations on a daily basis for teaching purposes. Academics used these electronic instructional media mainly for preparing lecture notes, presentation of lectures, producing assignments, course manuals, and communicating with students and colleagues. The findings also revealed that use of electronic instructional media such as LMS, plagiarism software, interactive whiteboard and social networking sites for teaching purposes was yet to be entrenched among Nigerian academics. The findings showed that facilitating conditions and effort expectancy were the strongest factors influencing adoption and use of electronic instructional media by academics for teaching purposes. The findings showed a significant relationship between media literacy skills and adoption and use of electronic instructional media. Gender and teaching experience, as moderating variables, influenced the adoption and use of electronic instructional media. Findings also revealed that behavioural intention was capable of explaining 8.6% of the variance in adoption and use of electronic instructional media. The study concluded that Nigerian academics are not using electronic instructional media as much as they should for the delivery of knowledge. The following recommendations were therefore proffered: 1) the universities need to develop a framework for the integration of electronic instruction media into the curriculum; 2) there is need to build capacity and create awareness among academics in relation to the integration of the interactive whiteboard, LMS and plagiarism software in their pedagogy; 3) universities are urged to develop institutional policy on adoption and use of electronic instructional media in order to provide clarity in areas such as as standards, strategies, best practices, staff training, infrastructural acquisition, gender equity and data/information security; 4) collaboration between faculty and subject librarians should be nurtured to create a vibrant and conducive academic and support environment that promote the use of electronic instructional media in teaching and learning. The originality and contribution of the study is situated in the domain of methodology, theory, practice and policy. For example in the area of methodology, this study’s point of departure from extant studies is that it employs the mixed method approach for data collection and stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the best predictor of technology adoption and use among academics. In this regard, the thesis makes a significant contribution towards developing a guideline for deploying instructional technology in universities or any educational setting. From the theoretical perspectives, the study validates UTAUT and DOI from the context of a developing country. The study, therefore, further advances the UTAUT and Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory in measuring the precursors of technology adoption and use in any contextual setting. With regard to practice and policy, the study provides an empirical baseline data that can be used as managerial guidelines for policy support, monitoring and evaluation in driving and promoting electronic instructional media adoption and use in Nigerian universities