Mass customization (MC) was developed to capitalize on the combined benefits of economies of scale and economies of scope. Balancing the tradeoffs involved in an MC system warrants the determination of the degree or the extent of customization. Most of the literature views the degree of customization as how early or how far the customer is integrated in the production cycle, which is defined as the order decoupling point. In this study we are addressing the degree of customization from a product structural perspective. There are two objectives in this research. The first is to develop a unit of measurement for the degree of customization of a product in an MC system. The second is to construct an optimization model to determine the level of customization that would best satisfy the organizational goals. The term "Magnitude of Customization" (MOC) has been introduced as a measuring unit for the degree of customization on a customization scale (CS). The MOC is based on the number of module options or the extent of customizable features per component in a product. To satisfy the second objective, an analytical model based on preemptive goal programming was developed. The model optimizes the solution as to how far an organization should customize a product to best satisfy its strategic goals. The model considers goals such as increasing the market share, and attaining a higher level of customer satisfaction, while keeping the risk or budget below a certain amount. A step-by-step algorithm is developed for the model application. A case study of an aluminum windows and doors company is used to verify and validate the model. A double panel sliding window is selected as the subject of our study. Information related to company goals and objectives vis-a-vis customization is gathered, through interviews and questionnaires, from the upper management including Operations, Marketing, and Finance Departments. The Window design and technical information are collected from the Manufacturing Department. The model and its solution provided specific recommendations on what to customize and to what degree to best satisfy primary strategic goals for the organization. Results from the model application shows that the company is able to meet the five goals that they had identified with two goals having a deviation of 4.7% and 6.6% from the targets. To achieve the stated goals, the model recommends an overall degree of customization of approximately 32.23% and delineates that to the component and feature levels. For validation, the model results are compared to the actual status of the company and the manufacturer's recommendation without prior information about the model outcome. The average difference, for attaining the same goals, is found to be 6.05%, at a standard deviation of 6.02% and variance of 36.29%, which is considered adequately close. The proposed model presents a framework that combines various research efforts into a flexible but encompassing method that can provide decision-makers with essential production planning guidelines in an MC setup. Finally, suggestions are provided as to how the model can be expanded and refined to include goal formulations that accommodate potential MC systems and technology advances. To the best of our knowledge, this research is a pioneer in quantifying customization in an MC environment and relating it to the organizational goals through modeling and optimization.

Online retailing has grown rapidly and nowadays consumers’ needs become more and more demanding. Mass customization satisfies the need of customers for individuality. However, in order for retailers to offer a satisfying shopping experience, they need to take into account their retail environment. In online retailing, atmospherics play a significant role in consumers’ attitudes towards the store. The present study aims to analyze the role of high task-relevant atmospheric cues, thus those atmospherics that are strongly connected with the shopping goal, such as verbal content, display methods and navigation aids. Furthermore, the author will analyze the effect of the above atmospherics on consumers’ response towards the online mass customization environment. In order for the purpose to be fulfilled, semi-structured interviews were conducted in a purposive sample of ten participants. The results were analyzed based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response model. Finally, high task-relevant atmospheric cues are strongly related to the consumers’ final response by provoking either positive or negative emotions. More specifically, verbal content and display methods have a crucial effect on consumers’ end response. On the other hand, navigation aids contribute to a pleasant online experience but they do not affect final consumers; response significantly. Conclusively, the present study aims to be considered as a useful tool for marketing purposes as it can provide knowledge on how consumers behave in a mass customization online environment in the fashion industry. Such knowledge may appear crucial for professionals who want to meet their customers’ needs directly and effectively.

<p><p>Through interaction with customers, companies can acquire knowledge about- and satisfy the needs of customers. In retailing, the ranges of products are standardized and staffing numbers are scarce. How do companies in retailing deal with adaptation towards their customers given the small staffing numbers? The purpose of this study is to examine if and if so, how companies in the Swedish retailing industry are making adaptations towards their customers and also why these adaptations are being made. To answer this purpose, observations in the retailing industry are conducted and the results show that companies adapt to customers’ needs. However, this is not done through personalization. Finally, this study shows that companies in the retailing industry adapt to their customers mainly through mass-customization.</p></p> / <p><p>Genom interaktion med kunder kan företag skaffa sig kunskap om kundernas behov och tillgodose dessa. Inom dagligvaruhandeln är sortimenten standardiserade och personalstyrkan liten, något som torde missgynna interaktionen mellan parterna. Hur arbetar företag i dagligvaruhandeln med anpassningar till sina kunders behov när personaltätheten är förhållandevis låg? Syftet med studien är att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur ett företag inom den svenska dagligvaruhandeln anpassar sig till sina kunders behov, samt varför detta sker. För att besvara syftet görs observationer inom dagligvaruhandeln och resultaten visar att anpassning görs, dock ej personlig anpassning till enskilda kunders behov. Avslutningsvis visar studien att anpassning sker inom dagligvaruhandeln och att detta främst sker genom massanpassning.</p></p> / Betyg: VG

How firms facing environmental uncertainty should organize their activities remains an important and challenging question for today's managers and organizational researchers. Proponents of contingency theory have argued that organizations must adjust their activities to fit the level of environmental uncertainty to ensure long-term survival. Although much work has been done on contingency theory, it is clear that our understanding of uncertainty is far from complete. One important aspect of today's organizations is their focus on service, mass customization, and continuous innovation. This focus often results in the customer being brought either into the organization or at least into closer contact with it. Even though the literature provides numerous evidences of the increasing customer focus, it is yet to empirically explain how the complications of customer-organizational interactions might create uncertainty for contemporary organizations. The traditional measure of uncertainty still considers customers as an environmental factor causing demand uncertainty while ignoring the complex nature of customer and organizational encounters. Seeking to further refine the concept of uncertainty and focusing on the contemporary business phenomena, this study develops measures aspects of customer induced uncertainty and examines their relationships with three organizational design variables. Specifically, this study explains the complicated nature of customer - organizational encounters that creates organizational uncertainty. Also, this study develops three operational measurement instruments for the three aspects of customer induced uncertainty. Finally, this study shows specific relationships between aspects of customer induced uncertainty and specific organizational design variables. This study conducted a mail survey of middle level managers. With a sample size of 118 the measurement instruments were shown to have validity and reliability using factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Regression analyses indicate the presence of specific rather than general relationship between customer induced uncertainty variables and organizational design variables. Regression results suggested that the relationships between customer induced uncertainty variable and design variables were depended on the specific combination. For example, Customer acquisitiveness was negatively related to formalization where as Customer importance was positively related to professionalism. Results also suggested a possible positive relationship between decentralization and customer induced ambiguity. Although not without limitations, this study improves our understanding of contemporary environmental uncertainty. Moreover, it provides preliminary measurement instruments of customer induced uncertainty variables for numerous future studies. Overall, this study is a preliminary step toward further understanding of the uncertainty-design contingencies of contemporary and future organizations.

The aim of this paper is to identify the enablers, barriers and benefits of implementing reconfigurable jigs in the off-site manufacturing of unique house elements. Due to de- mands on customization, volume and lowering the cost, there is a need to increase flex- ibility in the industry. The paper focuses on mainly two phases of implementation, which are manufacturing, design and engineering. The research questions are answered by applying a single case study method, taking place in a Swedish house manufacturing company. The study consists of four different techniques – interviews, time study, observations, and questionnaire which are sup- ported with an additional literature review. Hence, research questions are answered from a triangulation approach providing nuanced and dynamic perspectives. From observations and time study it is concluded that in current situation, changeover in manufacturing is time-consuming due to the difference in complexity of product var- iants, along with a complex and inefficient setup process that is not responsive to a changeable environment. Findings imply that the barriers in both phases include lack of knowledge about reconfigurability, communication, current capabilities of CAD sys- tems as well as training and education. Enablers are found to be awareness of the needs of improvements, long-term mindset and working with product platforms. The benefits of implementing reconfigurable jigs include a reduction of setup time in manufacturing, better storage and sharing of information along with a better interpretation of that in- formation, a better structure in the organisation.

A atual pesquisa faz parte do grupo de pesquisa, cadastrado no Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, sobre moda na cadeia têxtil, tendo como foco as questões sociais da cadeia produtiva da manufatura do vestuário de moda. O mercado de produto de vestuário de moda massificado enfrenta grandes dificuldades com consumidores que desejam produtos personalizados e serviços rápidos, eficientes e, ao mesmo tempo, conforme suas necessidades. Cada vez mais as empresas do setor de vestuário necessitam de gestões eficientes a partir de novas estratégias alinhadas com as novas tecnologias visando o desenvolvimento, a produção e a comercialização do produto com o objetivo de atender a demanda do mercado consumidor. As empresas que apostam nesses produtos personalizados estão descobrindo que as soluções convencionais poderão ser extintas e que há necessidades de novas práticas para estarem aptos a desenvolver os produtos e serviços que atendam às necessidades e aos desejos dos seus consumidores. O processo de diferenciação e personalização na manufatura do vestuário da moda ocorre de forma cada vez mais acelerada. Neste contexto, a indústria em seu processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos se antecipa buscando descobrir tendências, a fim de produzir de forma otimizada e atender a demanda de consumidores específicos que desejam ser percebidos de forma cada vez mais individualizada. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral estudar a diferenciação e personalização da produção através da customização em massa, atendendo a demanda de um determinado público-alvo. Em relação aos procedimentos metodológicos, foram realizadas pesquisas bibliográficas que resultaram na fundamentação teórica, a qual auxiliou na construção dos questionários com perguntas semiestruturas, a serem aplicadas nos estudos de casos com empresas que utilizam estratégias de diferenciação do produto, através da customização em massa. Após, foi possível analisar os casos, bem como comparar por meio de quadros, as estratégias e processos utilizados pelas por estas empresas. Os resultados permitiram confirmar quais estratégias e processos são necessários para prática efetiva do produto diferenciado e personalizado através da customização em massa. Portanto, este estudo se justifica pela importância social e econômica do setor têxtil e da moda e pela escassez de bibliografia acerca do tema. Espera-se assim que essa pesquisa possa lançar luz em um campo pouco pesquisado, além contribuir com referencial bibliográfico / The present research is part of the research group, registered with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, on fashion in the textile chain, focusing on social issues of the productive chain of manufacture of fashion apparel. The massiveness fashion apparel product market faces great difficulties with consumers who want customized products and fast, efficient and at the same time, as needed. More and more clothing sector firms need efficient efforts from new strategies aligned with new technologies for the development, production and marketing of the product in order to meet the demand of the consumer market. The companies that invest in these customized products are finding that conventional solutions may be extinct and that there is need for new practices to be able to develop products and services that meet the needs and desires of its consumers. The differentiation and customization process in the fashion garment manufacturing is increasingly accelerated rate. In this context, the industry in the development process of new products anticipates seeking to discover trends in order to produce optimally and meet the demand for specific consumers who wish to be perceived increasingly individualized. This research has the general objective to study the differentiation and customization of production through mass customization, meeting the demand of a targeted audience. Regarding the methodological procedures were conducted literature searches that resulted in the theoretical foundation, which helped build the questionnaires with semi-structured questions, to be applied in the case studies with companies using product differentiation strategies through mass customization. After it was possible to analyze the cases and compare through frameworks, strategies and processes used by these companies. The results confirm what strategies and processes are needed for effective practice of differentiated and personalized product through mass customization. Therefore, this study is justified by the social and economic importance of the textile sector and fashion and the lack of literature on the subject. It is hoped that this research will shed light on a little-researched field, besides contributing to bibliographic references

For this thesis, the concept of e-mass customization, supported through e-commerceand away from mass production is considered as an alternative and sustainable strategyfor fashion and textile companies of western markets. Since the need for selfactualization and individualization increases among western societies, in addition tosustainably conscious consumption patterns, mass customization is one strategicsolution to face current market trends. In accordance to that, it is aimed to find highlyflexible supply chain possibilities suitable for this volatile industry sector. This isaccompanied by exploring modern and innovative production and information andcommunication technologies to ease cost, location and risk advantages. The main effortis placed on digital textile printers since this technological integration is regarded as ahub that supports a digital, yet flexible supply chain setup, regardless of point ofproduction. / Program: Master programme in Applied Textile Management

O termo customização em massa se refere à habilidade de fornecer produtos diferenciados aos consumidores sem que haja um aumento significativo de custos e tempo de entrega. Esta estratégia vem sendo adotada com sucesso por um crescente número de empresas do setor de manufatura, entretanto, o mesmo não se observa no contexto de produção habitacional. No Brasil, as empresas de construção civil engajadas na produção de habitações por intermédio de programas governamentais vêm sendo criticadas pela falta de eficiência em lidar com a diversidade de necessidades e desejos dos clientes finais. A oferta de flexibilidade nesses programas tende a ser muito limitada, devido, principalmente, à adoção de um paradigma de produção em massa no desenvolvimento desses empreendimentos. Dessa forma, o objetivo principal deste trabalho foi propor diretrizes para a adoção da estratégia de customização em massa na realização de empreendimentos habitacionais para a baixa renda no Brasil. Foram realizados dois estudos de caso em diferentes programas habitacionais, esses estudos foram desenvolvidos em três etapas. Na Etapa A buscou-se compreender o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e identificar oportunidades para a adoção da customização em massa. Foram realizadas entrevistas com os agentes que participam do processo e analisados dados de fontes secundárias, previamente coletados por outros pesquisadores. A Etapa B teve como objetivo identificar os requisitos de customização. Para isto, foram analisados dados de fontes secundárias sobre o perfil dos clientes e avaliações pós-ocupação. Esses dados foram complementados com uma coleta sobre as adaptações realizadas realizadas pelos clientes durante o uso do imóvel. Por fim, a Etapa C caracterizou-se por uma reestruturação do PDP da empresa que participou desta pesquisa, na qual foram testadas as proposições sobre as oportunidades de adoção da customização em massa. As principais contribuições do presente trabalho dizem respeito não só a uma melhor compreensão da diversidade de requisitos do público-alvo desses programas, mas também à identificação de possibilidades de adoção da estratégia de customização em massa na realização de empreendimentos habitacionais para a baixa renda promovidos no âmbito de programas habitacionais Brasileiros. / Mass customisation stands for the ability to develop high value-added products within short time frames and at relatively low costs. This strategy is well known in manufacturing, where it has been widely used for competitive advantage. By contrast, the housing building industry in Brazil has been criticized for the lack of effectiveness in dealing with the diversity of customer needs. In low-income housing, for instance, product flexibility tends to be very limited, due to the fact that most housing programs adopt mass production core ideas in their conception. In this way, the main objective of this research was to propose guidelines for adopting a mass customization strategy in the provision of low-income housing in Brazil. Two case studies were carried out in different government housing programs. Both studies were divided into three phases. The first phase involved understanding the product development process and analysing opportunities to adopt a MC strategy. It was based on a set of interviews with product development participants and on the analysis of documents and secondary data previously collected by other researchers. The second phase consisted of mapping customization requirements, which was possible by analysing previously collected data regarding costumer’s profile and satisfaction. Also, data was collected to identify modifications made by users in their dwellings after occupation. Finally, in the third phase some propositions concerning the opportunities to adopt MC were tested. Some changes were implemented in the product development process of a house building company. Based on the main findings, guidelines for introducing a mass customisation in low cost housing are proposed. The main contributions of this research work are concerned with understanding the diversity of costumer’s requirements in low cost housing programs, and the identification of possibilities to adopt a mass customization strategy in the development of those programs in Brazil.

Atualmente, a customização apresenta-se como um importante diferencial competitivo para as empresas. No entanto, ao consumir bens customizados, o cliente está, em geral, sujeito ao pagamento de altos preços e à espera de longos tempos de entrega. Portanto, quanto mais as empresas desenvolverem soluções customizadas com altos níveis de eficiência, maior será a tendência de conquista do cliente. Nesse cenário, a customização em massa (CM), que está relacionada à produção de altos volumes de produtos e serviços customizados a um custo semelhante ao de itens padronizados, surge como solução. Verifica-se, porém, que, apesar da importância do setor de serviços no contexto atual, existe pouco conhecimento sobre a utilização da CM neste ramo de atividade. Dado isso, o objetivo desta dissertação é aplicar conceitos da CM, já difundidos na manufatura, no setor de serviços. Para atingir o objetivo, foram desenvolvidos três artigos. No primeiro artigo, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura a fim de identificar linhas de pesquisa já existentes sobre o tema e oportunidades possíveis de serem exploradas. No segundo artigo, foi proposta uma classificação para a customização de serviços, apresentando diversos tipos de customização possíveis de serem realizados nesse setor. No terceiro artigo, foi desenvolvido um dos tipos de customização apresentado no artigo anterior (mais especificamente, o tipo “Modularização e Plataforma de Serviços”) através da adaptação de um método de modularização, já utilizado para modularizar produtos, para o setor de serviços. Como conclusão geral, confirmou-se a expectativa de que a CM em serviços está em um nível baixo de maturidade, pois existem poucos estudos desenvolvidos sobre o tema. Além disso, verificou-se que as poucas soluções propostas pela literatura raramente são viáveis de serem utilizadas pelas empresas. Por fim, acredita-se que os habilitadores da CM em serviços devem considerar as características específicas desse setor, visto que, atualmente, os estudos introduzem no setor de serviços o que já foi desenvolvido para produtos, sem, no entanto, considerar as diferentes características desses dois setores. / Customization has been viewed as an important competitive advantage by companies. However, when consuming customized goods, customers are likely to pay higher prices and wait longer for the items purchased. Therefore, the more the companies develop customized solutions with high levels of efficiency, the greater the tendency to hold customers. In such context Mass Customization (MC), defined as the production of high volumes of customized products and services at mass production costs, arises as a solution. It is verified, however, that, despite the importance of the service industry, there is insufficient knowledge about the use of MC in such application context. The objective of this thesis is to apply MC concepts, already used in the manufacturing sector, in the service industry. We achieve that through the papers that compound this document. In the first paper, we present a literature review on MC in services and point to promising research opportunities. In the second paper, we propose a classification for service customization, presenting many types of customization feasible to be carried out in that sector. In the third paper we developed one of the customization types proposed in the second paper (namely, "Modularization and Platform of Services") by adapting a modularization method already used in manufacturing to the service sector. In general, we concluded that MC in the service industry is indeed at a low maturity level. Furthermore, it was found that the solutions proposed by authors are rarely applicable in practice. Finally, it is believed that MC enablers in the service industry should consider its specific characteristics instead of using solutions developed for products, without considering the specifics of the service industry.

Through interaction with customers, companies can acquire knowledge about- and satisfy the needs of customers. In retailing, the ranges of products are standardized and staffing numbers are scarce. How do companies in retailing deal with adaptation towards their customers given the small staffing numbers? The purpose of this study is to examine if and if so, how companies in the Swedish retailing industry are making adaptations towards their customers and also why these adaptations are being made. To answer this purpose, observations in the retailing industry are conducted and the results show that companies adapt to customers’ needs. However, this is not done through personalization. Finally, this study shows that companies in the retailing industry adapt to their customers mainly through mass-customization. / Genom interaktion med kunder kan företag skaffa sig kunskap om kundernas behov och tillgodose dessa. Inom dagligvaruhandeln är sortimenten standardiserade och personalstyrkan liten, något som torde missgynna interaktionen mellan parterna. Hur arbetar företag i dagligvaruhandeln med anpassningar till sina kunders behov när personaltätheten är förhållandevis låg? Syftet med studien är att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur ett företag inom den svenska dagligvaruhandeln anpassar sig till sina kunders behov, samt varför detta sker. För att besvara syftet görs observationer inom dagligvaruhandeln och resultaten visar att anpassning görs, dock ej personlig anpassning till enskilda kunders behov. Avslutningsvis visar studien att anpassning sker inom dagligvaruhandeln och att detta främst sker genom massanpassning. / Betyg: VG