Tuesday, 2/27/2024
The School of Economics and Management of the University of
Minho is proud to announce that its doctoral student has defended his doctoral
thesis entitled "Unlocking the Potential: An Investigation into the
Underutilization of Advanced Features in Standard Office Software Tools".
The thesis, defended on February 26, 2024, at the School of
Economics and Management of the University of Minho, addressed the problem of
the underutilization of advanced features in standard office software tools
(SOST).
According to the abstract presented below, the work,
consisting of an exploratory qualitative and quantitative study, aims to
identify the causes of this underutilization and explore the implications for
organizations, managers and employees.
"The study addressed the problem of underutilization of
advanced functionalities in standard office software tools (SOST), with the aim
of identifying its causes and exploring implications for organizations,
managers and employees. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
(UTAUT) model was adopted as the theoretical framework, and variables specific
to the SOST context were incorporated. A qualitative exploratory study was
carried out based on interviews with 43 employees from four medium and large
companies, followed by a quantitative study using a questionnaire with 142
employees from these companies. The results revealed a variable not documented
in the literature, awareness of the potential usefulness of advanced tools, and
highlighted its impact on the intention to use them. In addition, the study
highlighted the importance of the factors of personal innovation and the
development of the employee's strategic knowledge, as well as the support of
organizational leadership and middle management for the effective use of
advanced SOST functionalities."
Paulo Vaz's research highlights the impact of awareness of
the potential usefulness of advanced tools on the intention to use them.
His doctoral thesis was supervised by Professors Íris
Patrícia Barbosa and Carla Maria Freire, both professors in EEG's Management
Department.
EEG - School of Economics and Management congratulates Paulo
Vaz on his defense and wishes him every professional and personal success.
Gabinete de Comunicação
Escola de Economia e Gestão
Universidade do Minho
Telefone: 253 604541
Email: gci@eeg.uminho.pt
