Textilhögskolan i Borås startade projektet Knit On Demand i syftet att undersöka och utvärdera complete garment teknologin. Idén bygger på konceptet masskundanpassning inom området stickning. Huvudaktörerna i Knit On Demand projektet är Textilhögskolan i Borås, återförsäljaren SOM Concept i Stockholm samt Ivanhoe, tillverkare av stickade kläder. Målet med detta arbete är att identifiera och beskriva alla processteg, från den tidpunkt då kunden kliver in i butiken i Stockholm tills det färdiga plagget leverats. Vårt arbete går även ut på att hitta och beskriva förbättringsmöjligheter samt tillhörande kostnads kalkyleringar. För att frambringa relevant data utför och presenterar vi en simulering av hela processen. Metoden som har använts i arbetet bygger på observerade fallstudier från både SOM Concept och Ivanhoe. Den metod vi använder oss av är baserad på kvantitativ data och kvalitativa intervjuer med personer involverade i projektet. Hela processen beskrivs med hjälp av ett nutida och framtida flödesschema. I det nutida flödesschemat är den totala värdehöjande tiden för ett producerat plagg 129 minuter. Förslaget i ett framtida flödesschema visar att processen kan förbättras, bli mer effektiv och påvisar även hur stora förändringarna skulle bli med en snabbare garnleverantör. För att förbättringarna för Knit On Demand ska gå att genomföras måste ordervolymen ökas från 1 plagg till minst 5 plagg per vecka. Förbättringsförslagen är; nya och snabbare garnleverantörer, ny layout plan för Knit On Demand processen hos Ivanhoe, snabbare produktionstid, installation av ett datasystem som hanterar lagerhållning, bättre kommunikation mellan SOM Concept och Ivanhoe samt förbättrad ställtid. / <p>Knit On Demand started as a project at the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås with the aim of evaluating complete-garment-technology. It is a mass customization concept within knitting technology. The key players are SOM Concept store in Stockholm and Ivanhoe, a producer of knitted garments in Gällstad.The aim with this thesis is to identify and describe all processes in the concept from the moment when the client enters the store until the Knit On Demand garment is manufactured and delivered to the customer. The purpose is also to find and describe improvement opportunities as well as making an estimated cost calculation for them. To gather relevant data, a simulation of the whole process is performed. The method used is an action research case study of the Knit On Demand project based on quantitative data and qualitative interviews with key persons involved.The process is described with a Value Stream Map of the current state and the future “ideal” state. The current state shows that total value-added lead time for producing one garment is 129 minutes. The future or “ideal” state shows how the processes can be improved and be more efficient, it also shows the importance of improving supplier delivery times.To be able to improve the current Knit On Demand set-up, the order volume must increase from 1 to a minimum of 5 or more orders per week. The improvement suggestions are; new and better suppliers of yarn, new layout and improved down time, plan for the production, improved production time, inventory computer system, better communication between SOM Concept and Ivanhoe.</p><p>Program: Textilingenjörsutbildningen</p>

由於競爭環境的改變： 個人化的顧客需求、全球化激烈的競爭、產品生 命週期越來越短、資訊技術功能的進步， 許多學者對於 Porter 所提「 必須專注單一策略，以避免夾於策略中間 (Stuck In The Middle) 」的 說法產生質疑， 認為企業應追求大量顧客化的目標：以大量生產的低成 本，提供符合顧客個人化需求的產品或服務。本研究的研究目的在於探討 下列問題： 1. 了解一個大量顧客化的組織，可以經由採用哪些方法來實 行大量顧客化。 2. 當實行上述方法時，需要何種的組織型態與資訊技術 功能的最佳配合，才能確保大量顧客化目標的達成。本研究採用定性的個 案研究法， 特過文獻整理與國內個案公司的實地觀察，歸納出下列結論 ：結論一：根據對成功達成大量顧客化個案公司的觀察， 發現有三種大 量顧客化方法與組織型態、資訊技術功能的最佳組合， 可達成大量顧客 化。結論二：本研究以多樣化程度與需多種知識互動程度， 來區分顧客 需求的特性，發現不同的顧客需求特性，需採用不同的大量顧客化方法。 結論三：當所面對的顧客需求特性改變時， 必須隨之改變所採用的大量 顧客化方法，以確保大量顧客化競爭優勢的達成。

<p>Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems (ACTA) is world leader in industrial tools and assembly systems for safety-critical joints. One of the products the company sells is fixtured nutrunners, mainly to the motor vehicle industry. The margins on these highly customized products have been decreasing – much depending on changes in the purchasing behavior of the automotive industry.</p><p>Traditionally, the marketing of the fixtured nutrunners has been concentrated to the parts of the product instead of the final product. Today, there is a belief within the organization that many of the sold customized products could be replaced by more standardized applications. There is also a wish to turn the focus of the market offer from the parts towards the final application. These beliefs and wishes resulted in this thesis, with the purpose to propose a new market offer to increase profitability and give more customer benefits.</p><p>To reach this purpose we started out with theoretical studies of several different areas. Among those was mass customization, a strategy that combines the benefits of mass production with those of customization. We also performed a prestudy at the headquarters of ACTA in Sickla and visited major customers in Sweden. Using our collected knowledge from the theoretical studies and the prestudy, we conducted an in-depth case study by interviewing customers and people working at ACTA, both in Sweden and in the USA, in order to analyze today’s situation. In the analysis, we found several problems with today’s offer. For instance, we found that similar products are solved with unique solutions, which has lead to poor cost control and has made it difficult for ACTA to assure the quality of the ordered products. A further problem is the poor sales support and the lack of traceability of sold systems, which reduces sales and leads to unnecessary special solutions. A problem linked to that is the difficulties in getting accurate and sufficient information from the customer, which leads to extra errors and a lot of extra work.</p><p>To solve these problems, we recommend ACTA to implement a mass customization strategy. Of course, not all of ACTA’s products can be mass customized, but to a large extent it should be possible. To implement a mass customization strategy, we argue that ACTA should take three measures, namely design standard products, modularize the products, and implement a computerized configuration tool. We also suggest that the implementation of the new market offer should be done stepwise. With the proposed new market offer, we believe that ACTA can increase profitability in the area of fixtured nutrunners without losing the flexibility of the products.</p>

Some argue that we live in an “information age”; others claim that we live in a “knowledge society”. This research suggests we live in an era of adaptable and customizable widgets in which users are no longer passive receivers of ad hoc technological solutions, but active agents controlling the behaviour, content modalities, and multiple technological layers transforming the representation and interpretation of information. This study adopts a critical perspective and examines the meaning of access to information and the pertinence of customization. Specifically, it analyzes how the ISO standard AccessForAll (ISO/IEC 24751, 2008) conceptualizes the customization of e-learning environments. A qualitative approach and discourse analysis are used as a methodological strategy. The research analyzes responses to ten interviews conducted with a diverse group of participants. This foundation provides for a discussion about the challenges of customization design and recommendations for the future development of adaptive and flexible learning environments.

Some argue that we live in an “information age”; others claim that we live in a “knowledge society”. This research suggests we live in an era of adaptable and customizable widgets in which users are no longer passive receivers of ad hoc technological solutions, but active agents controlling the behaviour, content modalities, and multiple technological layers transforming the representation and interpretation of information. This study adopts a critical perspective and examines the meaning of access to information and the pertinence of customization. Specifically, it analyzes how the ISO standard AccessForAll (ISO/IEC 24751, 2008) conceptualizes the customization of e-learning environments. A qualitative approach and discourse analysis are used as a methodological strategy. The research analyzes responses to ten interviews conducted with a diverse group of participants. This foundation provides for a discussion about the challenges of customization design and recommendations for the future development of adaptive and flexible learning environments.

Atlas Copco Tools &amp; Assembly Systems (ACTA) is world leader in industrial tools and assembly systems for safety-critical joints. One of the products the company sells is fixtured nutrunners, mainly to the motor vehicle industry. The margins on these highly customized products have been decreasing – much depending on changes in the purchasing behavior of the automotive industry. Traditionally, the marketing of the fixtured nutrunners has been concentrated to the parts of the product instead of the final product. Today, there is a belief within the organization that many of the sold customized products could be replaced by more standardized applications. There is also a wish to turn the focus of the market offer from the parts towards the final application. These beliefs and wishes resulted in this thesis, with the purpose to propose a new market offer to increase profitability and give more customer benefits. To reach this purpose we started out with theoretical studies of several different areas. Among those was mass customization, a strategy that combines the benefits of mass production with those of customization. We also performed a prestudy at the headquarters of ACTA in Sickla and visited major customers in Sweden. Using our collected knowledge from the theoretical studies and the prestudy, we conducted an in-depth case study by interviewing customers and people working at ACTA, both in Sweden and in the USA, in order to analyze today’s situation. In the analysis, we found several problems with today’s offer. For instance, we found that similar products are solved with unique solutions, which has lead to poor cost control and has made it difficult for ACTA to assure the quality of the ordered products. A further problem is the poor sales support and the lack of traceability of sold systems, which reduces sales and leads to unnecessary special solutions. A problem linked to that is the difficulties in getting accurate and sufficient information from the customer, which leads to extra errors and a lot of extra work. To solve these problems, we recommend ACTA to implement a mass customization strategy. Of course, not all of ACTA’s products can be mass customized, but to a large extent it should be possible. To implement a mass customization strategy, we argue that ACTA should take three measures, namely design standard products, modularize the products, and implement a computerized configuration tool. We also suggest that the implementation of the new market offer should be done stepwise. With the proposed new market offer, we believe that ACTA can increase profitability in the area of fixtured nutrunners without losing the flexibility of the products.

<p>Today’s increasing information supply raises the needfor more effective and automated information processing whereindividual information adaptation (personalization) is onepossible solution. Earlier computer systems for personalizationlacked the ability to easily define and measure theeffectiveness of personalization efforts. Numerous projectsfailed to live up to the their expectations, and the demand forevaluation increased.</p><p>This thesis presents some underlying concepts and methodsfor implementing personalization in order to increase statedbusiness objectives. A personalization system was developedthat utilizes descriptions of information characteristics(metadata) to perform content based filtering in anon-intrusive way.</p><p>Most of the described measurement methods forpersonalization in the literature are focused on improving theutility for the customer. The evaluation function of thepersonalization system described in this thesis takes thebusiness operator’s standpoint and pragmatically focuseson one or a few measurable business objectives. In order toverify operation of the personalization system, a functioncalled bifurcation was created. The bifurcation functiondivides the customers stochastically into two or morecontrolled groups with different personalizationconfigurations. Bygiving one of the controlled groups apersonalization configuration that deactivates thepersonalization, a reference group is created. The referencegroup is used to measure quantitatively objectives bycomparison with the groups with active personalization.</p><p>Two different companies had their websites personalized andevaluated: one of Sweden’s largest recruitment servicesand the second largest Swedish daily newspaper. The purposewith the implementations was to define, measure, and increasethe business objectives. The results of the two case studiesshow that under propitious conditions, personalization can bemade to increase stated business objectives.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>metadata, semantic web, personalization,information adaptation, one-to-one marketing, evaluation,optimization, personification, customization,individualization, internet, content filtering, automation.</p>

The primary argument in favor of mass customization is the delivery of superior customer value. Using willingness-to-pay (WTP) measurements, Franke & Piller (2004) have recently shown that customers designing their own watches with design toolkits are willing to pay premiums of more than 100% (DWTP). In the course of three studies, we found that this type of value increment is not a singular occurrence but might rather be a general phenomenon, as we again found average DWTPs of more than 100% among customers designing their own cell phone covers, T-shirts, and scarves. Building on this, we discuss the sources of benefits that are likely to explain this tremendous value increment. We argue that compared to conventional standard products, a mass-customized product might render the following utilitarian and hedonic benefits: (1) First, the output might be beneficial as self-designed products offer a much closer fit between individual needs and product characteristics. In addition to this mere functional benefit, extra value might also stem from (2) the perceived uniqueness of the self-designed product. As the customer takes on the role of an active codesigner, there may also be two general 'do-it-yourself effects': (3) First, the process of designing per se is likely to allow the customer to meet hedonic or experiential needs (process benefit). (4) Customers may also be likely to value the output of self-design more highly if they take pride in having created something on their own (instead of traditionally buying something created by somebody else). This is referred to as the 'pride of authorship' effect. (author's abstract)

Background: The hospitality industry, especially the hotel business, is a relatively new, and rapidly growing industry in Lithuania. The last two decades resulted in a significant expansion of the local hotel market, as well as of operations of international hotel chains. Thus, competition among actors in the industry, along with the companies’ need to differentiate their offerings from those of competitors, has risen. Branding strategies are increasingly used by companies for achieving better positioning on the market, as well as for gaining a competitive advantage and customers’ loyalty. Knowing that global brands play an important role for firms’ visibility on the market, it is important to recognize, and understand the factors influencing marketing management- and branding-related activities. To accomplish this, an in-depth understanding behind the structure and branding strategies of international hotel chains should be developed. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand the rationale behind the structure, and operations of international hotel operators in Lithuania, with a focus on the hotels’ branding strategies. Furthermore, the thesis aims to investigate how companies use their brand identity to position themselves in the market. Methodology: This thesis relies on a qualitative research, with a main focus on discovery, and aim to expand current knowledge in the field of hospitality management and branding within the Lithuanian hotel industry. The study consists of an in-depth case study of three international hotel chains operating in Lithuania. The empirical data was gathered from semi-structured, and e-mail interviews with the chosen hotels’ representatives, as well as from secondary data such as annual reports and official websites.   Conclusion: Three key findings are presented in this thesis. First of all, the authors identify business travelers as the main target group of the selected international hotel operators in Vilnius. Secondly, the examined hotel operators are recognized to standardize their structure and operations, but at the same time to customize their marketing strategies to the local market. Finally, the findings indicate that some hotels completely incorporate the brand identity of the chain, which they belong to, while others develop their own brand identity, relying only partly on the identity of the chain. Contributions: This thesis positively contributes to the academic community, as it expands the theoretical knowledge about the Lithuanian hotels industry, with a main focus on the branding- and marketing activities of international hotel chains. The findings provide a practical insight on how companies are positioned in the market in relation to their competitors. Moreover, with an extensive choice of accommodation available in the market, the comparison of hotels is beneficial in helping customers choosing the best alternative according to their needs.

The Rigi research group has built an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) Graph Visualization Engine to visualize, interactively explore and annotate software structures. The biggest difficulty we experienced during the customization of this engine for different domains is that we need to create idiosyncratic generators every time. Each generator is created by different developers using different approaches. If the subject information model does not contain layout information, developers of the generator are also responsible for writing algorithms to calculate layout. In this thesis, we present a customization framework for our SVG Graph Visualization Engine to provide flexible customization using third party libraries to construct specific SVG Graph Generators. The customization framework consists of documentation for the existing graph engine and a componentized abstract generator that can be extended for a variety of information domains. We also created two reference implementations for the abstract generator and included them in the template solution project to exemplify the usage of the customization framework. We also validated the template solution with an end user to build a generator for a new domain. Our customization framework greatly eases the process of building SVG Editor Generators for domain-specific visualization engine.