The Free-to-play (F2P) model is the primary business model applied in indie mobile games nowadays. However, the fact that less than 5% of players are paying is still a big problem for developers. There is a theoretical gap in understandings of how to increase revenue without lowering the quality of the game and deliver more valuable and better gaming experience for players. Some assumptions and empirical methods need to be verified. The aim of this research is to understand a series of specific design and development questions of F2P games, including game inner mechanics, game structures, and monetization strategies. We attempted to find consensus between developers and players. In addition, this research also sought to find out how F2P mobile game can provide as a comprehensive service in order. It sought to find a sustainable and profitable business model for each game by integrating monetization organically inside of the game without sacrificing players’ enjoyment. We used a mixed methods research approach, including both interviews and surveys, to examine the opinions and behavior of developers and players based on the Acquisition-Retention-Monetization funnel.

Rapid growing population, urbanization, climate change, decreasing agricultural production, and soil degradation causes massive challenges for food production and supply chain in Southeast Asia, especially in urban areas. A sustainable food production and supply chain system is needed to produce and supply food for Southeast Asia urban areas. One potential solution to those challenges is introducing vertical farming. Vertical farming can produce high-quality crops locally and sustainably by reducing water and land use, decreasing pesticide use, reducing carbon footprint, and growing plants in any climate. This research aims to identify the current status of vertical farming startups in Southeast Asia, investigate the existing challenges and available opportunities in the Southeast Asia vertical farming industry, and analyze the sustainability practices and sustainable business model innovation implemented by Southeast Asia vertical farming startups. A literature review of vertical farming business typology, business model innovation, and sustainable business model innovation is used to create theoretical frameworks in this research. This research is an exploratory multiple case studies research with a qualitative method. The data in this research is collected through interviews with founders and managers from 10 vertical farming startups in Southeast Asia. The interview data is analyzed using vertical farming business typology, business model framework, and sustainable business model innovation archetypes. The research outcomes indicate that the vertical farming industry in Southeast Asia is an early growing industry, and Southeast Asia vertical farming startups are considered as early growing startups with small capital and small teams. Despite existing financial, operational, and market challenges, Southeast Asia vertical farming startups have considerable opportunities to grow with their effort to develop their vertical farming business into a more sustainable business by conducting various sustainability practices and adopting sustainable business model innovation. / Snabbt växande befolkning, urbanisering, klimatförändringar, minskad jordbruksproduktion och markförstöring orsakar enorma utmaningar för livsmedelsproduktionen och försörjningskedjan i Sydostasien, särskilt i stadsområden. En hållbar livsmedelsproduktion och försörjningskedja behövs för att producera och leverera mat till Sydostasiens stadsområden. En potentiell lösning på dessa utmaningar är att införa vertikalt jordbruk. Vertikalt jordbruk kan producera högkvalitativa grödor lokalt och hållbart genom att minska vatten- och markanvändningen, minska användningen av bekämpningsmedel, minska koldioxidavtrycket och odla växter i alla klimat. Denna forskning syftar till att identifiera den nuvarande statusen för vertikala jordbruks-startups i Sydostasien, undersöka de befintliga utmaningarna och tillgängliga möjligheter i den vertikala jordbruksindustrin och analysera hållbarhetspraxis och hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation som implementerats av vertikala jordbruks-startups. En litteraturgenomgång av vertikal jordbruksverksamhetstypologi och hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation används för att skapa teoretiskt ramverk i denna studie. I detta examensarbete tillämpas en kvalitativ forskning med flera fallstudier. Data samlas in genom intervjuer med grundare och chefer från 10 vertikala jordbruks-startups i Sydostasien. Intervjudata analyseras med hjälp av typologi för vertikal jordbruksföretag, ramverk för affärsmodeller och arketyper för hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation. Resultaten indikerar att den vertikala jordbruksindustrin i Sydostasien är en tidig växande industri, med tidigt växande startups med litet kapital och små team. Trots befintliga ekonomiska, operativa och marknadsmässiga utmaningar har vertikala jordbruks-startups i Sydostasien stora möjligheter att växa med sina ansträngningar att utveckla sin vertikala jordbruksverksamhet till en mer hållbar verksamhet genom att bedriva olika hållbarhetsmetoder och införa hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation.

С развитием цифровых технологий традиционная система ведения бизнеса была разрушена, и сейчас многие компании больше, чем когда-либо, должны реагировать на цифровизацию. Цифровая трансформация привносит инновации не только в поставку продукта, но и в то, как сегодня ведется бизнес. Очевидно, что пандемия COVID-19 изменила нашу жизнь, и можно точно сказать, что деловая деятельность и бизнес-модели в той или иной форме подверглись цифровой трансформации в связи с пандемией COVID-19. Основной целью данной исследовательской работы было определить, как цифровая трансформация, вызванная пандемией, изменила бизнес-модель выбранной компании в Екатеринбурге, Россия, уточнить определение цифровой трансформации, проанализировать структурированный подход к цифровой трансформации, а также подход, этапы, деятельность и результаты. Поскольку выбранная компания работает в сфере развлечений, данная исследовательская работа представляет собой тематическое исследование. Основные виды деятельности и элементы бизнес-модели выбранной компании до и во время пандемии будут определены с помощью Business Model Canvas, а подход компании к цифровой трансформации будет изучен и проанализирован, чтобы дать дальнейшие рекомендации для других компаний, стремящихся улучшить или изменить свою бизнес-модель посредством цифровизации из-за пандемии COVID-19. Знания, полученные в данном исследовании, показывают, как цифровая трансформация изменила/улучшила бизнес-модель выбранной компании. Выводы данной исследовательской работы предназначены в основном для других компаний, которые рассматривают возможность цифровизации. / With the evolution of digital technologies, the traditional system of doing business has been fractured and many companies now more than ever must react to digitalization. The digital transformation brings innovation not only into the delivery of the product but to the way businesses are conducted nowadays. It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives, and it is accurate to say that business activities and business models have undergone some form of digital transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main goal of this research paper was to identify how the digital transformation that was caused by the pandemic has changed the business model of a selected company in Yekaterinburg, Russia, clarify the definition of digital transformation, analyze the structured approach to digital transformation as well as the approach, phases, activities, and results. Because the selected company is operating in the entertainment sector, this research paper is a case study. The basic activities and elements of the business models of the selected company, before and during the pandemic will be identified using the Business Model Canvas, and the company’s approach to digital transformation will be examined and analyzed, in other to make further recommendations for other companies looking to improve or change their business model through the digitization because of COVID-19 pandemic. The knowledge gained in this research shows how the digital transformation changed/improve the business model of the selected company. The conclusions of this research paper are mainly for other companies that are considering their digitalization.

Circular economy (CE) is seen as a strategy to achieve sustainable development, requiring commitment and support from multiple actors on all system levels; from companies and products to governments and nations. Circular business models (CBMs) are regarded as an important leverage to implement circularity at an organizational level, and business support is considered an important enabler of these. Communication between practitioners and policy-makers, as well as understanding the barriers of CE in the local context, can facilitate the development of efficient business support. This thesis has from a company perspective explored barriers to circular business model innovation (CBMI) and the impact of firm-specific business support activities on this innovation process. This was done through a multiple-case study of ten Swedish SMEs who had received direct business support for circularity, and thus had initiated a circular project. The study has identified seventeen different barriers across five categories, spanning over the entire innovation process from idea to full implementation. Overall, economic viability appears to be an important factor which relates to and depends on several other barriers, and the novelty of CE contributes to the occurrence of many identified challenges. While some barriers are more common across all ten cases, often challenges related to market demand, financing and knowledge, others are more specific for each case and circular strategy. Furthermore, this study has found that coaching, training, and funding are firm-specific activities that can help SMEs overcome mainly internal barriers in the early stages of the CBMI process, addressing several of the most common barriers identified in this study. This research has also included a company perspective on the costs and benefits of the activities, and pointed at important factors to consider in the development of future business support. / Cirkulär ekonomi ses som en strategi för att uppnå hållbar utveckling, och kräver engagemang och stöd från flertalet aktörer på samtliga systemnivåer; från företag och produkter till regeringar och nationer. Cirkulära affärsmodeller betraktas som en viktig hävstång för att implementera cirkularitet på en organisatorisk nivå, och företagsstöd anses vara en viktig möjliggörare av dessa. Kommunikation mellan utövare och beslutsfattare, samt förståelse för barriärer till cirkulär ekonomi i det lokala sammanhanget, kan underlätta utvecklandet av effektiva företagsstöd. Denna uppsats har ur ett företagsperspektiv utforskat barriärer till cirkulär affärsmodellsinnovation och den inverkan som företagsstöd har på denna innovationsprocess. Detta utfördes genom en fallstudie av tio svenska små och medelstora företag som mottagit stöd för cirkularitet, och som således initierat ett cirkulärt projekt. Studien har identifierat sjutton barriärer inom fem kategorier, vilka sträcker sig över hela innovationsprocessen från idé till full implementation. Generellt framträder ekonomisk livskraft som en viktig faktor, relaterad till samt beroende av flertalet andra barriärer, och nymodigheten i cirkulär ekonomi bidrar till förekommande av flera identifierade barriärer. Medan vissa barriärer är mer vanligt förekommande bland de tio fallen, ofta utmaningar relaterade till marknadens efterfrågan, finansiering och kunskap, är andra mer specifika för varje fall och cirkulär strategi. Vidare finner denna studie att rådgivning, träning och finansiering är företagsspecifika aktiviteter som kan hjälpa små och medelstora företag att överkomma huvudsakligen interna barriärer i de tidiga faserna av cirkulär affärsmodellsinnovation, och som bemöter flertalet av de vanligaste barriärerna som har identifierats i denna studie. Denna studie har även inkluderat ett företagsperspektiv på aktiviteternas nytta och kostnader, samt belyst viktiga faktorer att ta hänsyn till i utvecklingen av framtida företagsstöd.

The contemporary global automotive industry has persisted, relatively unchanged, since its inception over a century ago. However, it appears that major changes may be underfoot with increasing environmental, social, and economic pressures to improve the industry's long-term sustainability. An alternative model, known as Micro-Factory Retailing (MFR), guided by the emerging field of Industrial Ecology (IE) has been proposed as a possible solution to the industry’s sustainability crisis. This thesis will explore the prospects of MFR in Canada and propose the use of 3D printed electric vehicles as a means to facilitate sustainable system innovation. To demonstrate the feasibility of this proposed technological pathway, three entrepreneurial firms attempting to disrupt the way in which cars are made, sold, and used will be studied. Although the timeline of such a major transition is currently unknown, Canada should act proactively to transition its role in the global automotive sector and lead the way towards a more sustainable automotive ecosystem through MFR. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Innovation has been considered the critical driver behind economic growth and value creation for a long time. However, in order to achieve an innovative status, the commercializing of an invention is required by injecting capital and strategy. While capital comes in many forms, this thesis focuses on the field of venture capital and how this type of financial backing can be analyzed and managed. Herein, the company characteristics continuum is presented, where business model innovation and technological innovation represent the two extremities. The purpose was then to investigate if there are significant differences in the venture capitalists' investment models as one moves along the aforementioned continuum. Semi-structured interviews were used and interpreted independently by the authors, with respect to coding units, in order to enhance objectivity. The thesis mainly targeted the information technology industry, where analysis was conducted on four of the largest actors on the Nordic venture capital market. The Nordic focus, combined with the rapidly moving industry, resulted in that significant differences, in the venture capitalists' investment models, were identified; giving implications both for theory and practice. These differences were identified as stemming from the initially adopted risk profiles, which then affected all other areas of the investment models. / Innovation har länge ansetts vara den kritiska drivkraften bakom ekonomisk tillväxt och värdeskapande. Emellertid, för att uppnå en innovativ status, krävs kommersialisering av en uppfinning genom att tillföra kapital och strategi. Kapital existerar i flera olika former, dock fokuserar denna uppsats på området riskkapital, och hur denna typ av finansiell backning kan analyseras och hanteras. Häri presenteras kontinuumet för företagskaraktäristik, där innovation inom affärsmodeller och teknik representerar de två ändpunkterna. Syftet var att undersöka om det fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan riskkapitalisters investeringsmodeller, när ett företag rör sig längs det ovan nämnda kontinuumet. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer användes och tolkades oberoende av författarna, genom att använda kodord, för att förbättra objektiviteten. Uppsatsen berör främst företag inom industrin för informationsteknologi, där analys har gjorts på fyra av de största aktörerna inom marknaden för riskkapital i Norden. Ett Nordiskt fokus, kombinerat med en hastigt utvecklande industri, resulterade i att signifikanta skillnader, i riskkapitalisters investeringsmodeller, identifierades; vilket gav implikationer för både teori och praktik. Dessa skillnader identifierades att härstamma från de initialt anammade riskprofilerna, som sedan påverkade alla andra områden inom investeringsmodellen.

Digital teknik används alltmer av företag för att utveckla sina erbjudanden, och framstegen inom området har haft en betydande inverkan på att företag omprövar och förändrar sina affärsmodeller. En viktig teknologi inom detta område är molntjänster (eng. Cloud Computing), som möjliggör lagring och tillhandahållande av information som en tjänst via internet. Inom molntjänster finns olika tjänstemodeller, och en av dem är Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). SaaS utgör en tredjedel av den totala mjukvarumarknaden och förväntas fortsätta växa inom industrin för internetbaserad mjukvara och tjänster. SaaS har potentialen att främja transformationen av affärsmodeller genom att introducera en ny logik för att skapa, leverera och fånga värde. För att lyckas med användningen av SaaS behöver tjänsteleverantören implementera och införa nya affärsmodeller. Trots att många företag strävar efter att utveckla digitala tjänster, upplever många företag svårigheter med att skapa verkligt kundvärde med sina digitala tjänster. Dessutom möter företagen utmaningar när det gäller att generera en lönsam intäktsström och bedöma vilken intäktsmodell som är lämpligast för tjänsten. Med grund i detta formulerades studiens syfte: att undersöka hur ett företag kan styra affärsmodellens utveckling mot ett SaaS-baserat erbjudande. En litteraturstudie genomfördes inom områdena affärsmodeller och affärsmodellsinnovation. I denna studie betraktas affärsmodellen som en modell bestående av tre komponenter: skapa, fånga och leverera värde, där varje komponent byggs upp av aktiviteter. Baserat på dessa teoretiska områden utvecklades en analysmodell. I litteraturstudien presenteras även tjänstefiering och digital tjänstefiering för att ge förståelse för drivkraften och relevansen av molntjänster. Studien utfördes som en flerfallsstudie av åtta företag som erbjuder en SaaS-lösning. Dessa företag är verksamma inom olika branscher och befinner sig på olika stadier i utvecklingen av sitt SaaS-erbjudande. Empirisk data samlades in genom 15 semistrukturerade intervjuer, där respondenterna var personer med relevant kompetens inom studieområdet. Studien visade att kunderna spelar en central roll i utvecklingen av affärsmodellen för en SaaS-baserad lösning. Kunden har särskild betydelse i de tidiga faserna av affärsmodellens utveckling, och deras påverkan på styrningen av affärsmodellens utveckling är av stor vikt. När det gäller affärsmodellens komponenter framkom det att komponenten för att fånga värde spelar en betydande roll i styrningen av affärsmodellens utveckling. Vidare har studien visat att mognadsgraden och vidareutvecklingen av affärsmodellens komponenter sker i en särskild ordning (skapa värde→leverera värde→fånga värde), där företagets mognadsgrad styr vilken affärsmodellskomponent deras utvecklingsaktiviteter fokuseras på. Studien visade också att utvecklingsprocessen mot en SaaS-baserad affärsmodell är en iterativ process, där det är svårt att undvika behovet av att aktivt iterera affärsmodellen mot kunder för att fortsätta utveckla den. / Digital technology is increasingly being used by companies to develop their offerings, and advances in the field have had a significant impact on businesses reconsidering and changing their business models. One important technology in this area is cloud computing, which enable the storage and provision of information as a service over the internet to customers. Within cloud services, there are different service models, and one of them is Software-as- a-Service (SaaS). SaaS accounts for one-third of the total software market and is expected to continue growing in the industry of internet-based software and services. SaaS has the potential to promote the transformation of business models by introducing a new logic for creating, delivering, and capturing value. To succeed in the use of SaaS, the service provi- der needs to implement and adopt new business models. Despite many companies striving to develop digital services, many of them struggle to create real customer value with their digital services. Additionally, companies face challenges in generating a profitable revenue stream and choosing the appropriate revenue model for their service. Based on this, the following purpose of the study was formulated: to investigate how a company can steer the development of its business model towards a SaaS-based offering. A literature review was conducted in the areas of business models and business model innovation. In this study, the business model is considered as a model consisting of three components: creating, capturing, and delivering value, where these components consist of activities. Based on these theoretical areas, an analytical model was developed. The litera- ture review also presents servitization and digital servitization to provide an understanding of the driving force and the relevance of cloud services. The study was conducted as a multiple case study of eight companies offering a SaaS so- lution. These companies operate in different industries and are at different stages in the development of their SaaS offering. Empirical data was collected through 15 semi-structured interviews, where the respondents were individuals with relevant expertise in the study area. The study showed that customers play a central role in the development of the business model for a SaaS-based solution. Customers have particular significance in the early stages of business model development, and their influence on the development of the business model is of great importance. Regarding the components of the business model, it emerged that the value capture component plays a significant role in guiding the development of the business model. However, the study has shown that the maturity and further develop- ment of the business model components occur in a specific order (value creation→value delivery→value capture), where the company’s maturity level determines which business model component their development activities focus on. The study also demonstrated that the development of a SaaS-based business model is an iterative process, where companies need to actively iterate their business model with customers to continue its development.

West Africa’s textile and clothing (T&C) industries have persevered through the decline following the economic liberalization policies in the 1980s. This thesis seeks to explore the sustainable and circular business models which exist in the West African region. It also explores the ways that businesses relate to the social conditions of poverty, a small T&C industry, strong competition from imports, and the concentrated levels of imported textile waste. Through a qualitative methodology, secondary data is collected on thirty T&C businesses in West Africa. These businesses are analyzed through the framework of the eleven sustainable business model (SBM) pattern groups by Lüdeke-Freund, et al. (2018). In the results, five main SBM pattern groups emerge: Supply Chain, Social Mission, Closing-the-Loop, Eco-design, and Cooperative pattern groups. Most of the businesses do not fall neatly into one pattern, but rather embody various hybrid sustainable business models. West Africa is unusual in facing both high poverty rates and textile waste landfills, which may influence the multi-dimensional approach to sustainability. By working with the local textile value chain and artisan communities, the thirty businesses contribute to poverty alleviation. They also pave the way for ‘artisan futurism,’ where handicraft is combined with circularity and eco-design initiatives, leading the West African T&C industry into the future.

Sustainability has become a critical issue due to global warming, scarcity of resources, and the high costs of raw materials. It is vital to reconsider linear business models and value creation processes and transition towards circularity. The growth of the electric vehicles market is promising; however, it comes with a major downside. Soon there will be a considerable number of used batteries without the original capacity and potentially hazardous that cannot go to landfill due to environmental and economic reasons. In this regard, the use of electric vehicle batteries in second life (EVBSL) is suggested as a solution. EVBSL comes with benefits such as the extension of the battery life cycle, extracting value from the remaining capacity of the battery, reduction in the upfront costs of the electric vehicle, and create new revenue streams for the companies. And since various actors are involved in EVBSL, it is essential to study this phenomenon from an ecosystem perspective. Despite the recent focus of researchers on EVBSL, there are several gaps in the current literature on this topic. The first gap concerns the challenges and enablers of implementing circular business models (CBMs) for EVBSL. The second gap concerns the second life operations of electric vehicles (EV). There is a lack of research on the solutions that can guide the ecosystem actors to manage EVBSL-related activities. And the third gap concerns the limited research on the preconditions of circular business model innovation for the EVBSL that focuses on the transition from linear business models to CBMs. Therefore, this thesis aims to develop knowledge of the factors that influence the implementation of CBMs for EVBSL from an ecosystem perspective. This study intends to address these gaps by conducting qualitative research. An exploratory research design has been deemed adequate due to its flexibility and compatibility. This research draws on the existing literature on the second life of EV batteries, and circular business models. In total, 20 interviews and 15 workshops have been conducted covering 15 companies in the EVBSL ecosystem. Purposeful sampling was employed to select the EVBSL ecosystem actors with the aim of covering the key actors such as OEMs, battery manufacturer, recycling companies, remanufacturers, energy utility companies, material supplier for battery parts, construction and housing company, and public transportation companies. The collected data was analyzed via qualitative methods such as thematic analysis.  The results of this study have led to the identification of nine key challenges and seven key enablers. Moreover, two dimensions (i.e., time frame and responsible entity) are identified from the empirical data, through which companies can structurally categorize and work with the identified key challenges and enablers. Based on this, a guiding framework is suggested that could support firms in the EV battery ecosystem to establish and manage various configurations for second-life operations in a series of phases such as firm-level initiation, ecosystem construction, firm-level optimization, and ecosystem orchestration. Finally, the current linear business models (traditional sales of products and services, product maintenance and support, R&D, consultancy, and services), upcoming CBMs (regenerating, looping, and sharing), and the preconditions (for value creation, capture, and delivery) for the circular business model innovation are extracted.  This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in several ways. It enhances the current literature on challenges and enablers of EVBSL by covering various actors in this ecosystem and extends the knowledge on the scope of these factors. Moreover, this study is the first one that suggests a guiding framework for the ecosystem actors through configurations for second-life operations while shedding light on the preconditions of circular business innovation for EVBSL. This study also provides interesting insights for practitioners and managers in the EVBSL ecosystem. / RECREATE project

<p>This dissertation focuses on the creation of a paradigm shift in building innovation. Challenges in achieving building energy-efficiency at scale highlight the complexity of the building performance problem, which is embedded with social, cultural, physical, environmental, and economic factors. Traditional approaches to building design have difficulty accounting for these multi-faceted variables and related longitudinal barriers and intangible impacts. Firstly, key stakeholders and their economic constraints change throughout time, and this variability is not traditionally considered upfront or addressed throughout a building’s operation. Secondly, buildings have social, cultural, environmental and economic implications that are difficult to quantify and evaluate against strictly functional design objectives. Therefore, current deeply technical and often system-specific building design strategies could benefit from whole-building solutions that account for this complexity and enable a paradigm shift in design toward human-centered outcomes (i.e., well-being, health, financial sustainability) and effective (i.e., equitable and sustainable) buildings. </p> <p>To drive this shift, an impact-based innovation framework was employed to pursue system-level and ecosystem-level strategies to optimize longitudinal building value assessment and distribution. First, a grounded theory study was pursued which identified gaps in current design practice that miss underlying building subsystem interactions which influence building performance. A system-level taxonomy of the building was then defined, linking identified sub-system synergies to functional, emotional and social building benefits for inhabitants. Then, an exploratory mixed-methods study was pursued, yielding a longitudinal building value framework that helps characterize key stakeholders, building design choices, and shared efficacy metrics. Building on these inputs, a multi-stakeholder, longitudinal building value assessment model was developed. The model was tested on two residential building development scenarios, highlighting its ability to capture the true impact of buildings on affected stakeholders over time in terms of tangible and intangible building costs and benefits. Finally, business model innovation concepts were employed to identify specific changes in stakeholder value delivery and capture strategies that could redistribute building costs and benefits over time, and thereby facilitate a shift in the paradigm of design and value capture in the residential building industry. </p>