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88 p.; Includes bibliographical references (pp. 85-88). ; "April 2017" This working paper describes a case study investigation of a city-wide digital storytelling initiative, called Love Your City, Share Your Stories (LYCSYS), led by two libraries and one municipal cultural department in Hamilton, Canada. Data collection comprised one-on-one interviews, document review, and participant observations with internal stakeholders from the two libraries and the municipal cultural department involved in the development and implementation of LYCSYS. Using Activity Theory as a conceptual lens, data were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. A variety of factors (e.g., motivations, goals, actions, tools, rules, divisions of labour) were found to shape digital storytelling outcomes. Congruencies – forces which promote stability and the carrying out of the digital storytelling activity – helped counterbalance contradictions and tensions that influenced change and the reshaping of the digital storytelling activity itself. Congruencies included cooperative partnerships, sufficient funding, senior management commitment/leadership, good governance, strong community support, and flexibility. Contradictions and tensions concerned the choice of cultural icons and stories, adherence to archival standards, the look and feel of developed outcomes, technical obstacles, and project management concerns. From this analysis, several recommendations are proposed for practitioners who plan to launch similar digital storytelling initiatives in their own cities. These recommendations emphasize the finding of a “sweet spot” in the development and implementation of a digital storytelling initiative led by city cultural organizations where congruencies mitigate any contradictions and tensions that may arise.

47 leaves : ; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-47). ; "June 2003"--Cover. A heartfelt thanks goes to Vivian Lewis (Business Librarian, Innis), Ines Perkovic (Reference Librarian, Innis), and Shelia Pepper (Associate Librarian, Reader Services), all at Mc Master University, in providing the requisite background information necessary to conduct an assessment of the McMaster Gateway by the students of the Winter 2003 class of K726 Information Retrieval and Intelligent Agents. Library portals are important vehicles by which to support the information needs and uses of library patrons. These systems provide users with convenient, personalized Web-based access to a comprehensive collection of information resources of relevance and authority. Moreover, library portals support a broad range of information seeking activity from browsing to search, provide mechanisms for communication and collaboration, and facilitate knowledge creation and sharing - all through a usable, intuitive interface. This report proposes an evaluation framework for library portals that assesses the overall robustness of library portals on five dimensions: (1) the usability of the system interface; (2) the ability of the portal to support a wide spectrum of information seeking activity; (3) the personalization of the interface in ways that match individual user needs; ( 4) the extent to which the portal fosters knowledge work; and (5) the degree to which intelligent agents are employed. To test the viability of the framework, a real-life library portal, the McMaster University Library Gateway, is assessed. Overall, the system is found to exhibit some good characteristics, however recommendations are suggested to improve the overall robustness of this specific library portal' s design. Immediate recommendations include the need: ( 1) to improve the terminology used on the library portal interface to limit or reduce library jargon; (2) to fix inconsistencies in the screen design; and (3) to clean-up some navigation problems. Short term recommendations include the need: ( 1) to provide an integrated library portal site design that does not mimic the physical structure of individual libraries; (2) to make the distinction between the library catalogue and other electronic resources transparent to users; and (3) to provide better Web log tracking metrics. Long term recommendations concentrate on: (1) personalizing the site to individual user needs; (2) offering communication and collaboration areas; (3) providing a single browse/search function that is immediately accessible from the portal' s homepage and does comprehensive searching across the entire library's resource collection; and ( 4) leveraging the use of intelligent agents. As such, the proposed evaluation framework proves to be an effective tool by which to assess the robustness of library portals and to elicit recommendations for enhancements and modifications.

43 p. : ; Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-43). ; "July, 2002." ; This paper is partially supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada. This report presents results from a recent research investigation on agent toolkits on the market and their use in post-secondary courses. Data collection comprised the download and trial use of 20 agent toolkits, as well as the completion of an online questionnaire on instructor satisfaction by 87 post-secondary course instructors from around the world. The report identifies four major categories of agent toolkits on the market. It appears that no single uniform toolkit satisfies the needs of all agent-related courses. Research findings also suggest that satisfaction levels are influenced primarily by user interaction with the toolkit, followed to a lesser extent by toolkit performance and functionality. The report identifies features an ideal agent toolkit should possess and concludes with ideas for future research.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making significant progress in recent times and is gaining a strong foothold in business. Currently, there is no generally accepted scholarly framework for the governance of AI-based information technologies within corporate environments. Boards of directors who have the responsibility of overseeing corporate operations need to know how best to govern AI technologies within their companies. In response, this dissertation aims to understand the key elements that can assist boards in the governance of AI-based information technologies. Further, it attempts to understand how AI governance elements dynamically interact within a holistic system. As AI governance is a novel phenomenon, an exploratory investigation was conducted via a qualitative approach. Specifically, the study adopted a grounded theory methodology, within the constructivist paradigm, with the intent of generating theory instead of validating existing theory. Data collection included in-depth interviews with key experts in AI research, development, management, and governance processes in corporate and academic settings. Data were further supplemented with data received from conference presentations given by AI experts. Findings from this dissertation elicited a theoretical model of AI governance that shows various AI governance areas and constituting elements, their dynamic interaction, as well as the impact of these elements in enhancing the organizational performance of AI-based projects and reducing the risks associated with those projects. This dissertation provides a scholarly contribution by comparing governance elements within the IT governance domain and the new AI governance domain. In addition to theoretical contributions, this study provides practical contributions for the benefit of the boards of directors. These include a holistic AI governance framework that pictorially represents twenty-two AI governance elements that boards can use to build their own custom AI governance frameworks. In addition, recommendations are provided to assist boards in starting or enhancing their AI governance journeys. Thesis Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to a set of technologies that seek to perform cognitive functions associated with human minds, such as learning, planning, and problem-solving. AI brings abundant opportunities as well as substantial risks. Major companies are trying to figure out how best to benefit from AI technologies. Boards of directors, with the responsibility of overseeing company operations, need to know how best to govern such technologies. In response, this study was conducted to uncover key AI governance elements that can assist boards in the governance of AI. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with AI experts and by attending AI conference presentations. Findings yield a theoretical model of AI governance that can assist scholars in enhancing their understanding of this emerging governance area. Findings also provide a holistic framework of AI governance that boards can use as a practical tool to enhance their effectiveness of the AI governance process.

This dissertation provides a context-specific theory to understand how city cultural organizations can best use digital stories and impression management to create a desired image or enhance public perceptions. The generated model describes how a digital storytelling information system can affect user impressions of a city and the outcomes of using such a system. The study responds to a growing interest among cultural organizations regarding how to use emerging information technologies in the communication of cultural content. An interpretive case study was conducted on the “Love Your City, Share Your Stories” digital storytelling initiative in Hamilton, Canada. Data collection included 95 one-on-one interviews with the general public, the gathering of documents, and the researcher’s personal observations of participants during the data collection process. A systematic approach of data analysis was utilized to capture participant opinions and visualize this information in a data structure. Theories from the literature on information systems, organizational impression management, and narrative transportation ground the study. Findings suggest that a digital storytelling information system can be a viable tool to share city cultural heritage information and positively affect people’s perceptions of a city. The overall outcome of creating/maintaining a positive favorable impression is shaped through a layered experience of benefits by the users. Users are first personally engaged and informed about a city’s cultural heritage (primary benefits), and then they are influenced and inspired positively towards the city (secondary benefits). Findings show that technology characteristics (i.e., media quality and story quality) are critical factors affecting outcomes of use, and that user characteristics and context of use both moderate this relationship. This research provides theoretical insights and practical recommendations for researchers and city cultural organizations wishing to explore the utilization of newer information technologies, such as digital storytelling, for impression management. Thesis Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) This dissertation aims to understand how city cultural organizations can best use digital stories and impression management to enhance public perceptions. The generated model describes how a digital storytelling information system can affect user impressions of a city. The study responds to a growing interest among cultural organizations regarding how to use emerging information technologies in the communication of cultural content. Findings suggest that a digital storytelling information system can be a viable tool to share city cultural heritage information and positively affect people’s perceptions of a city. Findings show that technology characteristics (i.e., media quality and story quality) are critical factors affecting outcomes of use and that user characteristics and context of use both moderate this relationship. Theoretical insights and practical recommendations are provided for researchers and city cultural organizations wishing to explore the utilization of newer information technologies, such as digital storytelling, for impression management.

Consumer behaviour has and may increasingly have a vital role to play in protecting personal data. Understanding the behaviours of consumers in preventing identity theft and detecting identity fraud is therefore key to creating programs that minimize exposure and potential loss. In this study, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), an exploratory study elicited salient beliefs about identity theft prevention and detection behaviours. These beliefs were then used to create a survey to measure the strength of the salient beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviours, which was administered online and produced 351 valid responses. Statistical analysis was performed on eight behavioural groups, based primarily on principal component analysis of twelve behaviours. The groups were: using physical security, practicing password security, monitoring bank accounts and credit cards, getting a credit report, checking the land registry, using 'remember my password', clicking on a link in an e-mail, and giving out personal information over the phone. Results showed that beliefs with a significant influence on consumer intentions for a given behavioural group were a mix of beliefs about identity theft in general and beliefs about the behaviours in that group. While attitudes towards behaviours of consumers in any specific group had a significant influence on the intent to perform behaviours peculiar to that group, they had virtually no impact on the intent to perform behaviours in other groups. The intent to perform identity theft prevention and identity fraud detection behaviours uniformly had a statistically significant influence on actual reported behaviour, but much of the variance in behaviour was unexplained. An analysis of qualitative responses showed that gender, language and age all had significant impacts on respondents' likelihood of mentioning specific vulnerabilities, and prevention and detection measures. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The overall goal of this dissertation is to predict and explain how information literacy instruction (ILI) influences the adoption of online library resources (OLRs) by business students. This dissertation has two other important goals. First, this dissertation aims to assess the efficacy of active ILI and passive ILI. Second, this dissertation seeks to examine the role that OLR self-efficacy and OLR anxiety play in influencing ILI learning outcomes and the adoption of OLRs. To achieve these goals, a theoretical model was developed that integrates research on ILI outcomes and technology adoption. To test this model, a web-based survey was developed and administered to 337 business students at McMaster University. This dissertation makes several important contributions to theory. First, the findings from the analysis of the structural equation model confirm that the Technology Acceptance Model is an appropriate tool for studying the adoption of OLRs. Second, the findings indicate that amount of ILI is not a significant predictor of the adoption of OLRs. Third, though the amount of ILI was not found to be a predictor of OLR self-efficacy or OLR anxiety in the quantitative analysis, results from the qualitative analysis suggest that ILI increases self-efficacy and reduces anxiety. Fourth, the findings suggest that OLR self-efficacy and OLR anxiety are significant determinants of the adoption of OLRs where OLR self-efficacy was the strongest determinant of the adoption of OLRs. Last, consistent with Bandura’s social cognitive theory, OLR self-efficacy and OLR anxiety were found to be significantly negatively correlated; a partial mediation effect of OLR anxiety on the relationship between OLR self-efficacy and the perceived ease of use of OLRs was supported. This dissertation makes a contribution to practice by revealing that instructors should focus on delivering higher quality ILI rather than higher amounts of ILI. In particular, training interventions should be designed to promote OLR self-efficacy among business students, especially among students who have received the least amount of ILI. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This dissertation addresses the issue of user adoption of interface agents for electronic mail (email). Interface agents are reactive, continuous, collaborative, and autonomous software entities that act on a user's behalf by communicating directly with a person offering assistance and advice in performing computer-related activities. The study presents and empirically validates a model that describes user adoption behavior, offers insights on important features of this technology from the end-user perspective, reports on critical incidents of agent usage, and offers recommendations for developers and marketers. As means of investigating this phenomenon, a survey of actual users of an interface agent-based email system was conducted. Emphasis was placed on identifying user needs and key factors that influence their adoption decisions. Data analysis involved quantitative and qualitative techniques (Partial Least Squares, descriptive statistics, classical content analysis). An extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model was introduced and tested, and the user context surrounding email agent adoption was explored. Survey findings suggest that existing management information systems and social sciences theories, models, and methodologies may be fruitfully applied to investigate user adoption of novel interface agent technologies. By combining and synthesizing results of a deductive and inductive analysis of the survey data, a new, grand model of interface agents adoption and use is suggested that is the central contribution of this research. According to this model, in voluntarily usage conditions, two general types of factors influence user adoption behavior - user perceptions and agent operability. User perceptions are either positive or negative mental reflections of several properties of an agent, such as perceived enjoyment, usefulness, ease of use, intrusiveness, and attractiveness. Agent operability embraces factors pertaining to operational characteristics of an agent, such as compatibility, system interference, reliability, and personalization. Findings also suggest that to foster the diffusion of highly useful agent systems, developers and marketers need to become aware of the importance of individual user characteristics, enhance their understanding of factors influencing people's adoption decisions, and demonstrate the functionality of interface agents through non-agent technologies. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)