Abstract Although the need for change was recognized a couple of decades ago, the construction industry is still struggling with its productivity development and customer satisfaction. Usually, construction improvement initiatives focus on developing practices related to project management and delivery processes. However, this study views the general underperformance of the industry from the perspective of how the construction business is managed and conceptualized in practice. The objective of this thesis is to understand the role of business models in construction business management. This objective is pursued by addressing specific research questions in four individual publications, two of which contribute to the research objective from a more conceptual and two from a more empirical viewpoint. The exploratory study follows the qualitative research tradition and exploits the case study approach. The primary method for data collection has been interviews. This study demonstrates the applicability of the business model concept to the analysis and development of the construction business. However, its use requires a comprehensive understanding of the concept and proper alignment of its elements in practice. The results of this study indicate that the current business models of construction companies are too similar to enable value-based competition. Indeed, the conventional business models neglect the customer perspective and thus revolve around internal efficiency rather than customer value creation. Consequently, construction businesses are usually managed on a project-by-project basis without the governing effect of specific customer-oriented business models and a clear long-term vision or business purpose that would go beyond the objectives of growing and surviving. A better understanding of business models provides a starting point for managers to reform the construction business and the whole industry. Explicitly defined business models provide a foundation for consistent management practice and process development. New possibilities for customer value creation can be exploited as the limitations of the current thinking are overcome and business models are approached from the viewpoints of the customer and value creation. / Tiivistelmä Rakennusalalla on edelleen vaikeuksia tuottavuuden kehittämisen ja asiakastyytyväisyyden parantamisessa, vaikka tarve muutokseen tunnistettiin jo pari vuosikymmentä sitten. Yleensä alan kehityshankkeet kohdistuvat projektien johtamiseen ja projektitoimituksiin liittyviin käytäntöihin. Tässä tutkimuksessa rakennusalan yleisesti heikkoa suorituskykyä tarkastellaan kuitenkin liikkeenjohdon näkökulmasta eli miten rakennusyrityksiä johdetaan ja miten liiketoiminta käsitteellistetään käytännössä. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena on ymmärtää liiketoimintamallien roolia rakennusliiketoiminnan johtamisessa. Tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi vastataan neljään tutkimuskysymykseen erillisten osajulkaisujen avulla. Kaksi näistä julkaisuista edistää ymmärrystä liiketoimintamallien roolista enemmän käsitteellisestä näkökulmasta ja kahdessa korostuu empiirinen näkökulma. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena, jossa hyödynnetään tapaustutkimusta. Aineistonkeruu on pääosin tehty haastatteluin. Tämän tutkimuksen mukaan liiketoimintamallikonsepti soveltuu myös rakennusliiketoiminnan analysointiin ja kehittämiseen. Tämä kuitenkin edellyttää liiketoimintamallikonseptin laaja-alaista ymmärrystä ja sen elementtien asianmukaista yhteensovittamista myös käytännössä. Tutkimustuloksista voidaan päätellä, että nykyiset liiketoimintamallit, joiden mukaan rakennusyritykset toimivat, ovat liian samankaltaisia soveltuakseen arvoperusteiseen kilpailuun. Nämä tavanomaiset liiketoimintamallit eivät sisällä asiakasnäkökulmaa ja täten ne keskittyvät etupäässä sisäiseen tehokkuuteen asiakasarvon tuottamisen sijasta. Näin ollen rakennusliiketoimintaa johdetaan yleensä projektiperusteisesti ilman, että päätöksentekoa ohjaisi määritellyt asiakassuuntautuneet liiketoimintamallit, selkeä pitkäntähtäimen visio tai kasvu- ja eloonjäämistavoitteita pidemmälle asetettu päämäärä. Liiketoimintamallien parempi ymmärrys antaa lähtökohdan rakennusliiketoiminnan ja koko alan uudistamiseen. Selkeästi määritellyt liiketoimintamallit luovat perustan liiketoiminnan johdonmukaisuudelle ja prosessien kehittämiselle. Monia huomiotta jääneitä arvonluonnin mahdollisuuksia voidaan puolestaan hyödyntää, kun vältetään takertumasta vallalla olevan ajattelutavan rajoitteisiin ja suunnitellaan liiketoimintamallit toimiviksi arvonluonnin ja asiakkaan näkökulmista.

The Internet of Things (IoT) enables opportunities to remotely sense and control objects via communication networks. We study services based on connected devices and the collaboration they generate between the ICT and the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing (HSCWB) industries. In HSCWB, IoT can support a change from episodic treatments of illness to preventive care and wellbeing solutions. The IoT can be a supporter in cost efficient and high quality health care. The objective is to achieve healthier life years and more efficiency in health and social care. Even if the potential of IoT in HSCWB has been proven in pilot projects and small-scale solutions, the benefits and opportunities for many actors are still unclear. There is a research gap in studying the roles and business opportunities for market-driven technology-based solutions enabled by connected devices. The research approach separates technological and business domains. On the technology side, the focus is on advances in connectivity for IoT. We present the technical details on a limitation to support IoT devices in cellular networks. We quantify the limitations in the Random Access Channel of the LTE air interface to support IoT devices. Moreover, we propose the adaptation of an access mechanism to enable massive number of simultaneous access attempt in cellular networks. On the business side, we identify and present how the conditions of the health and social care structure in Sweden affect the establishment of IoT solutions in HSCWB. We then show how these conditions have generated three distinctive development patterns—to innovate within the public sector, to develop solutions in the private care sector, or to target the wellbeing sector to avoid regulatory setbacks. Based on these patterns, we look closer into study cases to show how business opportunities have been addressed from a business network perspective. When deploying an IoT service, not all critical challenges can be appreciated at a single firm level. Therefore, we rely on a network-level business model framework to analyze emerging IoT services in HSCWB. The findings suggest that IoT components can improve an existing service by automating internal working processes, or they can enable new value propositions and convenience to end users. In general terms, the collaboration can be used (i) to improve the efficiency of existing services in health and social care without an original intention to change the service offering, or (ii) to create novelty and differentiation, without affecting the internal logics of existing HSCWB services. / <p>QC 20180828</p> / IoT Ecosystems (VINNOVA) / COIN-SWEAT / MTC2020 / M2MRISE

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This dissertation focuses on strategic partnership initiatives or ‘inclusive business model’ arrangements initiated between land restitution beneficiaries and private sector interests. It explores to what extent the introduction of strategic partnerships since 2005 reflects a dominant underlying land reform policy narrative premised on the superiority of large-scale commercial farming that contradicts other policy statements emphasizing support for small-scale farming. The effects of a hegemonic notion of “viability” – framed in terms of the large-scale commercial farm model - on partnership initiatives in the large Moletele claim in the Hoedspruit area of Limpopo Province is the primary concern of the study. I adopt a political economy perspective to examine both processes and the range of outcomes of the commercial partnerships established on Moletele land. Informed by this perspective, I explore the strategies pursued by, and the alliances formed between differently positioned actors that are engaged in contestations and negotiations over access to resources within these partnerships, which I conceptualize as “arenas of struggle”. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed (mixed method approach), by means of a small sample of claimant households and in relation to joint ventures established between claimants and different private sector partners

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-12T13:09:12Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Veronica Vargas.pdf: 5204634 bytes, checksum: 3ec7586f5e6c9ba277e9039225fe71a9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-12T13:09:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Veronica Vargas.pdf: 5204634 bytes, checksum: 3ec7586f5e6c9ba277e9039225fe71a9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-24 / CAPEs / Pesquisas recentes com empresas desenvolvedoras de jogos no Brasil mostram a dificuldade que elas enfrentam no que se refere à captação de recursos para financiar seus empreendimentos. Isso mostra a deficiência dos gestores em matéria de modelos de negócios. No aspecto acadêmico, os estudos da área de jogos, em sua maioria, também estão relacionados apenas ao artefato em si, carecendo de estudos sobre a forma como eles são inseridos no mercado de forma rentável e sustentável economicamente. Tratando aqui os jogos como um produto com foco no segmento dos casuais sociais mobile voltados para o mercado de entretenimento, entende-se que o desafio dos Game Designers vai além da configuração. A partir da ferramenta de concepção de jogos "Game Design Canvas" e com auxílio de Metodologias de Design, a apresentação de um novo Canvas é o objeto de estudo deste trabalho, com o intuito de auxiliar a concepção não apenas de jogos, mas a definição de sua cadeia de valor. Para tanto, são explorados os conceitos de: modelos de negócios, Metodologias de Design, jogos e um retrospecto sobre a evolução das estratégias de comercialização de jogos. Finalmente, para demonstrar a aplicação da extensão do Design Thinking Canvas, um exemplo prático do jogo Bubble Witch Saga 2 é apresentado. Como resultado deste trabalho, foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta com aplicação prática para construção de modelos de negócios de jogos. / Recent researches with companies developers of games in Brazil show the difficulty they face in relation to fund-raising to finance their ventures. This shows the deficiency of managers on business models. In the academic field, studies of the games area, mostly, are also related only to the artifact itself, lacking studies about how they are inserted into the market of an economically profitable and sustainable way. Considering here the games as a product with focus on the segment of social casual mobile facing the entertainment market, it is understood that the challenge of Game Designers goes beyond setting. From the design tool of games "Game Design Canvas" and with the help of Design Methodologies, the presentation of a new Canvas is the object of study of this work, in order to help the conception not only of games, but the definition of its value chain. For this, the concepts explored are: business models, Methodologies of Design, games and a retrospect about the evolution of marketing strategies of games. Finally to demonstrate the application of the extension of the Design Thinking Canvas, a practical example of Bubble Witch Saga 2 game is shown. As result of this work, a tool with practical application for building of game business models was developed.

A lógica do business case em que as organizações consideram aspectos sociais e ambientais apenas se trazem retorno econômico, historicamente, tem sido predominante e praticamente não questionada tanto na literatura quanto na prática. Recentemente, contudo, diante da piora de questões sociais e ambientais complexas, tem havido a conclamação para que as empresas adotem uma postura de não somente reduzir o impacto que geram como também tomar ações no sentido de que contribuam efetivamente com soluções para tanto. Ao assumirem tal postura, porém, as empresas precisam tomar decisões no cotidiano organizacional que envolvem lidar com paradoxos, isto é, situações em que ocorrem simultaneamente elementos contraditórios, ainda que relacionados. Isto porque, no caso da sustentabilidade corporativa, frequentemente, não é possível alinhar os três pilares da sustentabilidade, conciliar objetivos de curto, médio e longo prazo e atender simultaneamente o interesse de diversos stakeholders. Diante de tamanho desafio à prática organizacional, pesquisadores da área da sustentabilidade corporativa começaram a investigar a adoção de uma perspectiva integrativa da sustentabilidade, que pressupõe reconhecer a existência desses trade-offs, de forma a tentar gerenciá-los e acomodá-los. A presente pesquisa contribui para a literatura de sustentabilidade corporativa no que tange ao gerenciamento desses trade-offs ao propor como objetivo entender como as empresas significam e lidam com os trade-offs relacionados à sustentabilidade corporativa. Para atender tal objetivo, empregou-se uma estratégia de pesquisa baseada em estudos de casos múltiplos de dez empresas com modelos de negócios sustentáveis de dois setores diferentes. Como lente teórica de análise, adotou-se a perspectiva do sensemaking. A partir da análise das dez empresas estudadas, identificou-se 65 incidentes que envolviam um ou mais trade-offs em relação à sustentabilidade corporativa. Analisou-se, então, os incidentes com uma abordagem indutiva, gerando-se três resultados principais. Primeiro, identificou-se 13 vetores diferentes que abrangem os trade-offs relacionados à sustentabilidade corporativa, agrupados em quatro diferentes categorias. Segundo, propôs-se um modelo que ajuda a explicar como é o processo de construção de significado pelo qual as empresas passam ao se engajarem na acomodação dos trade-offs relacionados à sustentabilidade corporativa. Por fim, identificou-se 14 estratégias que as empresas podem se utilizar para acomodar os trade-offs agrupados em seis diferentes categorias. / The logic of business case in which organizations consider social and environmental aspects only if they bring economic returns has historically been predominant and practically unquestioned in both literature and practice. Recently, however, faced with the worsening of complex social and environmental issues, there has been a call for companies to struggle not only to reduce the impact they generate but also to take actions in order to effectively address solutions. When assuming such a position, however, companies need to make decisions in the organizational practice that involve dealing with paradoxes, that is, situations in which contradictory, yet related, elements occur simultaneously. This is because, in the case of corporate sustainability, it is often not possible to align the three pillars of sustainability, to reconcile short-, medium- and long-term objectives while simultaneously meeting the interests of various stakeholders. Faced with such a challenge to organizational practice, researchers in the area of corporate sustainability have begun to investigate the adoption of an integrative perspective of sustainability, which presupposes recognizing the existence of these trade-offs in order to accommodate and manage them. This research contributes to the corporate sustainability literature regarding the management of these trade-offs by proposing as aim to understand how companies make sense and deal with the trade-offs related to corporate sustainability. In order to achieve this, a research strategy based on multiple case studies of ten companies with sustainable business models from two different sectors was employed. As a theoretical lens of analysis, the sensemaking perspective was adopted. From the analysis of the ten companies studied, 65 incidents that involved one or more trade-offs in relation to corporate sustainability were identified. The incidents were then analyzed with an inductive approach, producing three main results. First, 13 different vectors that encompass trade-offs related to corporate sustainability were identified, grouped into four different categories. Second, a model has been proposed that helps to explain how the process of sensemaking occurs in companies engaged in the accommodation of trade-offs related to corporate sustainability. Finally, 14 strategies that companies can use to accommodate trade-offs were identified, grouped into six different categories.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore suitable end-of-life strategies for fashion retailers of custom-made products after they have been returned by the customer, by analysing and evaluating these strategies, and how to implement and conclude the viability of these. Method: The study follows an abductive explorative case study method. The exploratory design is structured as follows; a literature review is carried out, followed by interviews for collecting empirical data, which is analysed with the help of a conceptual framework. Thereafter, secondary data is collected to create an overview of the real-world context in the form of end-of-life strategies implemented by fashion retailers. Finally, the case was tested within a new proposed framework. Findings: The findings demonstrate the importance of the core values of the companies and inherent to that, the product characteristics and design in the decision-making of a suitable end-of-life strategy. For that reason, a second phase of data collection based on secondary data was implemented and juxtaposed the first finding from the interviews. The main insight this paper shows is that resell “as it is”, which is a common end-of-life strategy for regular fashion retailers, is a conflicting strategy for retailers of custom-made clothing. Introducing an adapted version of the Sustainable Value Analysis Tool as a conceptual framework gave a better insight in how to approach and analyse suitable end-of-life strategies and shows the relation between these parameters. Originality: It is difficult according to the findings of this study to conclude a generalisable, one-size-fits-all end-of-life strategy for returned custom-made products. However, the introduction of an adapted version of the Sustainable Value Analysis Tool can serve a purpose for all fashion retailers in this transformation process and which is not limited to fashion retailers of mass customised clothing.

Background - The textile and fashion industry is paving the way towards the circular economy to achieve economic and environmental value. Today the industry is mainly dependent on the linear production model of the take-make-dispose system. This linear model excels in making waste out of virgin raw materials that can utilize several lifetimes. In light of generating a wave for the future with the circular economy, the textile and fashion industry is implementing circular economy, business models. The organizations’ cascade use ability of recurrent and abundance resources leads to the circular economy future. Although the circular economy is rich in concept, academia and practitioners sense a lack of implementation of business models. Therefore, the organizations require to develop a unique set of capabilities to harness the benefits from circular economy business models. Purpose - To achieve successful circular economy business models, the organizations should develop capabilities that reinforce them to innovate their business models. Therefore, this study investigates the dynamic capabilities to gain competitive advantage while utilizing resources by cascade use to achieving economic and environmental values. This study provides the practitioners and academic guide to be a part of the wave of the circular economy. Methodology - This research conducts multiple case studies with an abductive reasoning approach to extend the theory of dynamic capabilities for cascade use in circular economy business models within the textile and fashion industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather primary data with three companies that practice cascade use in their businesses while strengthening the data gathered by reviewing company documents. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings - Results revealed dynamic capabilities facilitate cascade use in the circular economy business models. These dynamic capabilities undergirded by unique microfoundations. Sensing capability undergirded learning and knowledge creation on resources, information search on competencies, and market sensing to achieve the circular economy. Seizing undergirded microfoundations of business model innovation, collaborations, investments in innovations, and take-back systems. Transformation capability undergirded stakeholder engagement, revitalizing internal organization and transparency. The organizations gain maximum resources utility by these dynamic capabilities. Practical implications and research limitations - This thesis creates new insights on cascade use in circular economy business models facilitated by dynamic capabilities. The study assists the practitioners to understand and manage organizational activities to leverage cascade use in the circular economy business models to gain competitive advantage. The study limits by the selected interviewed companies with cascade use strategies implemented in their businesses, representing retailers in Sweden.

Le imprese sociali sono organizzazioni ibride che combinano missioni e processi del mondo profit e non-profit, spesso operando in ambienti con risorse limitate come i Paesi africani. A causa della loro doppia missione e dei processi divergenti che da essa derivano, gli ibridi affrontano continue sfide nella gestione e nella crescita delle loro attività, con il rischio di compromettere l'impatto sociale o limitare la sostenibilità finanziaria. Questa tesi mira a far luce sull’opportunità che la natura ibrida può offrire a queste imprese sociali. In particolare, il primo paper mostra come, attraverso strategie di hybrid harvesting, le imprese sociali possano superare specifiche carenze di risorse. Il secondo paper offre un contributo rilevante nella comprensione del processo di diversificazione ibrida nelle imprese sociali, che può essere considerato una forma di raggiungimento della doppia missione. Il terzo documento si concentra sulle strategie di crescita delle organizzazioni ibride differenziate, evidenziando le strategie per crescere l’impatto sociale verso i beneficiari e allo stesso tempo le vendite dai clienti. Infine, questa tesi offre una research agenda negli studi sulle organizzazioni ibride e imprenditorialità sociale, con particolare attenzione alla gestione della doppia missione e al contesto di ricerca rappresentato dalle economie africane. / Social enterprises are hybrid organisations that combine different missions and processes from the for-profit and non-profit domains, and they usually operate in a resource-scarce environment such as African countries. Due to their dual missions and logics, they face continuous challenges and tensions in the management and growth of their businesses, with the risk to jeopardize the social impact, or constrain the financial sustainability. This thesis aim to shed lights on the opportunity that the hybridity may bring to hybrid organizations, especially in the interesting research setting offered by social enterprises. In particular, the first paper shows how, through hybrid harvesting strategies, social enterprises can overcome specific resource constraints. The second paper offers a relevant contribution in understanding the hybrid-diversification process in social enterprises as hybrid organizations, which can be considered a dual mission achievement. The third paper focus on scaling strategies of differentiated hybrid organizations, highlighting the strategies to scale the social impact toward beneficiaries while also scaling the commercial revenues from customers. Finally, this thesis offer a research agenda in the field of hybrid organizations and social entrepreneurship, with the specific focus on dual mission management and exploiting the research setting of challenging environments as african economies.

Face à l'urgence dans la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique, la transition énergétique bas carbone est une transition sociétale constituant un véritable défi du fait de ses singularités. Les conditions de sa réalisation résident dans un pilotage politique multi-niveaux afin d'agir dès à présent sur les différents leviers d'action possibles. En effet les Etats interviennent d'une part lors des négociations internationales afin de parvenir à un accord universel sur le climat, et d'autre part dans la législation de leur cadre réglementaire national. Les collectivités locales interviennent également du fait de leurs compétences leur conférant un pouvoir d'influence conséquent sur les modes de production décentralisés et sur la consommation d'énergie. L'échelle locale joue un rôle de premier ordre car elle bénéficie des liens de proximités et de confiance qui favorisent l'action collective et constitue un véritable effet de levier. C'est au niveau des territoires que les projets de la transition énergétique émergent et que la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique se concrétise. C'est pourquoi il est nécessaire de comprendre quels types de projets locaux pour la transition énergétique émergent, et quelle est leur performance tant d'un point de vue économique, que social et environnemental. Cela permettra d'une part aux pouvoirs publics d'identifier les types de projets performants pour impulser leur développement, et d'autre part quels sont les freins à lever le cas échéant pour faire émerger des projets innovants. Sur le long-terme, il s'agit de comprendre quels types de projets se déploieront et se généraliseront dans le cadre de la transition énergétique en fonction du type de valeur qu'ils parviendront à générer. Pour répondre à cela, l'approche des business models est pertinente : elle constitue en effet une grille d'analyse permettant de déterminer les caractéristiques de chaque projet, en décrivant sa proposition de valeur et la configuration de cette valeur, et de déterminer sa viabilité et sa durabilité en fonction de la création (ou destruction) de valeurs (économique, financière, sociale, environnementale) qu'il génère. La thèse propose ainsi une typologie des business models de la transition énergétique à l'échelle locale, une grille d'analyse de projet adaptée à l'enjeu sociétal que représente la transition énergétique et propose enfin des recommandations pour la politique publique en matière d'évaluation de la performance économique, sociale et environnementale de projets locaux de transition énergétique. / To face the climate change, energy transition is required. Energy transition is a societal transition, which is really challenging because of its singularities. The multi-level governance is necessary in order to act now for the energy transition. Indeed States take action by negotiating international agreements for the climate on the one hand, and on the other hand by legislating their national regulatory framework. Local authorities intervene too owing to their competencies which give them a high influence power on decentralized production system and on energy consumption. The local scale plays a major role because they benefit from closed and trustful relationships which foster collective action and act as a real leverage. It is at the territories level that energy transition projects emerge and that fight against global warming become true. That's why it is necessary to understand what types of local projects for the energy transition arise, and what is their economic, social and environmental performance. This can allow public authorities to identify what are the performant projects and to encourage to replicate them on the one hand, and on the other hand to remove barriers in order to make arise innovant projects. In the long run, we must understand what kinds of projects will unfold and generalize as part of the energy transition depending on the value they will generate. To answer this, the business models perspective is highly appropriate: it constitutes an analytical framework which allows to describe the project features (its value proposition, its value configuration) and to determine its viability and sustainability according to the (economic, financial, social, environmental) values creation it builds. The thesis puts forward a typology of energy transition business models at the local scale, an analytical framework for projects adapted to the energy transition societal stake. Finally the thesis suggests some public policy recommandation in terms of assessment of the economic, social and environmental performance of the local projects for the energy transition.

The transport sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. A current solution to this problem is the introduction of electric vehicles into our transport fleets. However, this solution comes with its challenges; for instance, the environmental impact of batteries once they reach their end-of-life. The circular economy is an approach to manage ecological electromobility issues while providing economic and societal wellbeing. A starting point for the implementation of a circular economy can be found in the implementation of circular business models. Because the circular economy requires its actors to think in systems, the collaboration between multiple stakeholders is essential. However, most circular business model frameworks are focusing on the focal firm, which is not sufficient to encourage cross-collaboration between organizations. Therefore, this study outlines the development of a new framework that focuses on a multi-stakeholder perspective. I propose the “framework for multi-stakeholder circular business model innovation” to explore win-win-win scenarios for the management of 2LB. I conducted a study in collaboration with Svealandstrafiken, Mälarenergi and Västerås Stad. The organizations were involved in data collection via a series of interviews and the validation of the framework through a workshop. The proposed framework consists of a process of four phases subdivided into eight steps that meant to address key challenges organizations are facing to achieve circularity. Within these four phases, the framework encourages discussions on shared values and visions between all stakeholders at an early stage. As a consequence, better collaborations and relationships are formed, which positively benefits the development of circular business models.