Exploratory analysis of Internet of Things (IoT): revolutionizing the grocery retail industry

This dissertation has investigated the consequences of implementing Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in grocery retailing by analyzing customers' perceptions of eight prominent technologies. The objective was to investigate and explore to what degree implementing these technologies would impact the customer experience. Based on secondary research, this thesis focuses on eight prominent technologies that presumably will encounter an increasing utilization in the visible future; Self-Scanning, Smart Robots, Smart Shelves, Smart Shopping Cart, Smart Fridge, Just Walk Out, Personalized Promotion/Pricing, and Mobile Apps. The technology distribution varies across different stages in the customer journey, and research indicates that IoT has the most significant impact in the pre-purchase stage. A comprehensive exploratory survey was conducted through Amazon mTurk with a wide range of respondents (n=204), giving valuable insight into demographic differences' influence on each technology perception. The investigation uncovered vast differences in several areas such as age, attitude, and privacy. Among other findings, the age segment 35-44 is more confident towards IoT technology than the age segment 55+, and shoppers with a positive attitude towards grocery shopping have higher confidence towards the technologies than shoppers with a negative attitude. On a widespread basis, the findings revealed that all eight technologies would positively affect customer experience to a certain level. Keywords: Internet of Things, Grocery Retailing, Customer Journey, Customer Experience, Autonomous Retail

Lojalitet, tilfredshet og bytteintensjon i Norsk skadeforsikringsbransje

Skadeforsikringsbransjen er en bransje vi antar er preget av stor "turn-over". Kunder er ikke lengre like lojale til selskapene og jakter hyppigere enn før etter det billigste selskapet. Bakgrunnen for dette har med digitaliseringen å gjøre da det har blitt enklere for forbrukerne å sammenlikne priser fra de forskjellige selskapene. Dette studiet har som formål å kartlegge hvorvidt lojalitet og tilfredshet spiller inn på bytteintensjonen i bransjen Problemstillingen for denne oppgaven er om følger; “Er det en sammenheng mellom lojalitet, tilfredshet og bytteintensjon i norsk skadeforsikringsbransje?” Denne problemstillingen ble dannet med grunnlag i teori, artikler og tidligere forskning i form av en metaanalyse. Videre ble det dannet to hypoteser som skulle bekreftes eller avkreftes. Vi benyttet oss av en kvantitativ metode for å besvare denne problemstillingen. Med utgangspunkt i et utvalg av personer over 18 år i Norge, hentet vi inn data ved hjelp av spørreskjema. Funnene i undersøkelsen ga oss noen interessante funn. Det viste seg at hypotese 1; “Det er en negativ sammenheng mellom lojalitet og bytteintensjon” ikke fikk støtte for i denne undersøkelsen, noe som ikke stemte overens med det vi hadde sett for oss. Vi fikk derimot støtte for hypotese 2; “Det er en negativ sammenheng mellom tilfredshet og bytteintensjon”. Det viste seg i denne oppgaven at desto mer tilfreds kunder er, jo mindre er sannsynligheten for at de bytter, mens økt lojalitet fører til bytteintensjon. Vi ble derfor nødt til å forkaste hypotesen som omhandlet lojalitet og bytteintensjon

High incidence and prevalence of MS in Møre and Romsdal County, Norway, 1950–2018

Objective To determine prevalence and longitudinal trends in incidence of MS in Møre and Romsdal County, Western Norway, from 1950 to 2018. Methods Retrospective longitudinal population-based observational study. All patients diagnosed, or living, with MS in Møre and Romsdal were identified as incident or prevalent cases from local, regional, and national sources. We compiled the data in the Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Registry and Biobank and used the aggregated data set to calculate incidence and prevalence rates using population measures obtained from Statistics Norway. Results On January 1, 2018, the estimated prevalence was 335.8 (95% CI, 314.1–358.5) per 100,000 inhabitants, with a female:male ratio of 2.3. From 1950 through 2017, we observed a considerable (p < 0.001) increase in average annual incidence rates from 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3–3.3) to 14.4 (95% CI, 11.9–17.3) per 100,000. From 2005 through 2017, the incidence among women increased from 17.1 (95% CI, 14.0–20.7) to 23.2 (95% CI, 18.7–28.5) per 100,000, whereas the incidence among men declined from 10.3 (95% CI, 7.9–13.2) to 5.9 (95% CI, 3.4–8.8) per 100,000. Conclusion Møre and Romsdal County in Western Norway has the highest prevalence of MS reported in Norway. The incidence has steadily increased since 1950, and during the latest 15 years, we observed opposing trends in sex-specific incidence rates

High incidence and prevalence of MS in Møre and Romsdal County, Norway, 1950–2018

Objective To determine prevalence and longitudinal trends in incidence of MS in Møre and Romsdal County, Western Norway, from 1950 to 2018. Methods Retrospective longitudinal population-based observational study. All patients diagnosed, or living, with MS in Møre and Romsdal were identified as incident or prevalent cases from local, regional, and national sources. We compiled the data in the Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Registry and Biobank and used the aggregated data set to calculate incidence and prevalence rates using population measures obtained from Statistics Norway. Results On January 1, 2018, the estimated prevalence was 335.8 (95% CI, 314.1–358.5) per 100,000 inhabitants, with a female:male ratio of 2.3. From 1950 through 2017, we observed a considerable (p < 0.001) increase in average annual incidence rates from 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3–3.3) to 14.4 (95% CI, 11.9–17.3) per 100,000. From 2005 through 2017, the incidence among women increased from 17.1 (95% CI, 14.0–20.7) to 23.2 (95% CI, 18.7–28.5) per 100,000, whereas the incidence among men declined from 10.3 (95% CI, 7.9–13.2) to 5.9 (95% CI, 3.4–8.8) per 100,000. Conclusion Møre and Romsdal County in Western Norway has the highest prevalence of MS reported in Norway. The incidence has steadily increased since 1950, and during the latest 15 years, we observed opposing trends in sex-specific incidence rates

Mortality and cause of death in multiple sclerosis in western Norway 1950-2021: A registry-based linkage study

Background Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) have higher risk of mortality compared with the general population. Longitudinal studies are important for understanding the evolution of survival in pwMS. Objective Examine changes in mortality among pwMS during the past seven decades. Methods We followed pwMS from Hordaland and Møre and Romsdal in Western Norway, with disease onset from before 1950, identified from population-based epidemiological surveys and the Norwegian MS Registry and Biobank, until 1 January 2021. Data were linked to the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry to obtain underlying cause of death. We examined all-cause, and cause-specific mortality using standardised mortality ratios (SMR) and excess death rates (EDR). We calculated life expectancies and assessed survival stratified by sex, age and disease phenotype at onset. We compared hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality, in pwMS diagnosed before and after the era of disease-modifying treatment (DMT). Results Of 3624 pwMS, 964 (55.5% women) had died, predominantly of multiple sclerosis (49.0%). Median life expectancy for pwMS was 74.3 years (95% CI 73.3 to 75.3), compared with 83.1 years for the general population (p<0.001). From disease onset, pwMS survived 14.6 years shorter than the general population (p<0.001). Overall, SMR was 2.3 (95% CI 2.13 to 2.42) and EDR was 6.8 (95% CI 6.42 to 7.09) for pwMS. Treatment-eligible pwMS diagnosed in the DMT era had the lowest risk of mortality, HR 0.49 (95% CI 0.34 to 0.70,p<0.001). Conclusion Excess mortality among pwMS declined during the past seven decades, possibly due to improved diagnostics, better symptomatic treatment and access to DMTs.publishedVersio

Perinatal Depression and Anxiety in Women with Multiple Sclerosis: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Objective: To assess the occurrence of perinatal depression and anxiety in women before and after diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: 114,629 pregnant women were included in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort study 1999-2008. We assessed depression and anxiety by questionnaires during and after pregnancy. Women with MS were identified from national health registries and hospital records and grouped into 1) MS diagnosed before pregnancy (n = 140), MS diagnosed after pregnancy with 2) symptom onset before pregnancy (n = 98) and 3) symptom onset after pregnancy (n = 308). Thirty-five women were diagnosed with MS in the postpartum period. The reference group (n = 111,627) consisted of women without MS. Results: Women with MS diagnosed before pregnancy had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.0 (95% confidence interval 1.2-3.1) for depression in the third trimester. Risk factors were adverse socioeconomic factors, history of psychiatric disease and physical/sexual abuse. The risk of anxiety was not increased. Women diagnosed with MS in the postpartum period had especially high risk of postpartum depression. Women with MS symptom onset within 5 years after pregnancy had increased risk of both depression and anxiety during pregnancy, whereas women with more than 5 years until symptom onset did not. Conclusion: Women diagnosed with MS have increased risk of perinatal depression. Women with MS symptom onset within 5 years after pregnancy have increased risk of both depression and anxiety during pregnancy

A Service of zbw Returns-to-scale properties in DEA models: The fundmantal role of interior points Returns-to-scale Properties in DEA Models: The Fundamental Role of Interior Points Opium for the Masses? Conflict-induced Narcotics Production in Afghanista

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Abstract: Attempts can be found in the DEA literature to identify returns to scale at efficient interior points of the production possibility set on the basis of returns to scale at points of the corresponding reference sets. However, an opposite approach is put forward in this paper, advocating that returns-to-scale properties of efficient reference units should be found by identifying first returns to scale of an efficient interior unit that is a radial projection to the frontier of an inefficient unit. Returns-to-scale properties of both the corresponding reference units and units supporting the face in question can then be established. Terms of use: Documents i