This research examines the development of management innovation (MI) through resistance encountered in international settings. MI literature is at an embryonic stage and has been missing from the international business discipline even though it has been shown to be a sustainable competitive advantage for firms. This leads to the overarching research questions for this study: How is MI developed in international organizations? The underlying theoretical foundation is based on hybridization, which proposes mixing organizational climate and local culture creates mimicry and resistance. Resistance can be seen in adaptations of policies, practices, and procedures, also known as organizational climate. The initial study links the outcome of hybridization to the current MI process model. The second study delves into the attributes associated with resistance being converted to MI. These empirical studies show MI being created through resistance in international settings and lay the groundwork for additional discoveries. The methodological approach for these studies is nontraditional. The first study was a qualitative deductive case study with analysis including a priori coding, thematic analysis, and pattern matching. The results supported the proposition that resistance, through hybridization, can create MI in international organizations. Building on the initial findings, the second study used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which goes beyond linear regression analysis, to identify combinations of attributes that result in MI. Theoretical cues from innovation and cross-cultural literature were referenced to select relevant conditions. The study setting was not a private firm but instead the U.S. Department of State (DOS). The data was composed of reports generated through qualitative methods by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at 15 large embassies and consulates. This unique data source provides a plethora of rich context and a glimpse into the black box of resistance. The results of both findings contribute to the fledgling MI literature and create additional interdisciplinary research avenues. The theoretical contribution extends hybridization theory beyond simplistic outcomes of mimicry and resistance and further links it to the MI process and the creation model. This study also contributes to methodology literature since the methods of both studies are still scarce in business studies. The empirical findings build on proposed theories and bolster the methodological approaches. Practitioners will also find the results useful and operational. These findings support shifting the view of resistance as merely tolerated or as an obstacle to overcome, to a possible competitive advantage in developing MI. The overarching goal is to encourage a renewed look at resistance so that scholars and managers will embrace the forgotten view of “Vive la Résistance.” / Business Administration/International Business Administration

I studien har 12 elevgrupper från 10 kommunala skolor i Malmö studerats statistiskt frånläsåren 2005/06 till 2013/14. Utifrån elevernas socioekonomiska bakgrund undersöktes effekten av skolornas resursutbud för PISA-resultaten i årskurs 9. Genom teorier om skolan som arena för social reproduktion av medelklassens värden, visade analysen att skolan inte uppväger för arbetarklasselever utan eftergymnasialt utbildade föräldrar. Slutsatserna visade att observationsgruppernas höga lärarbehörighet kombinerat med ökad lärartäthet för utsatta elevgrupper, inte ensamt utjämnar bakgrundsrelaterad skolsegregation. Som insatskomplement bör skolornas elevsammansättning ses som en administrativt förändringsbar resurs, jämte utökat arbete för bredare konsensus mellan hem och skola kring utbildningens betydelse och form. / This study carries out a Qualitative Comparative Analysis [QCA] of 12 groups of studentsfrom 10 public schools in Malmoe. Based on students’ socioeconomic background, the study examines the effect of school resources across 9 years of elementary school; on PISA results in grade 9. Using the theoretical framework that school is an institution to promote social reproduction of middle-class values; the analysis demonstrates that school does not compensate working class students. The study's conclusions where that the observation groups generally high teaching qualifications; combined with increased teacher ratio for vulnerable student groups, not alone were sufficient resources to equalize background related school segregation. These need to be complemented with a broader consensus between home and school about the importance of education and its execution. Also the school pupil homogeneous composition should thereto be seen as an administrative opportunity to level the playing field in the present segregated school situation.

Over the last decades, studies have found that transformational drivers affect how firms innovate their business models (Chesbrough, 2010; Massa et al., 2016). In markets in which physical products become commodities, the servitization of business models is a transformational driver for firms (Wise & Baumgartner, 1999). For its part, digitalization increases the potential to reshape business models through novel use cases of technology (Yoo et al., 2010). Recently, digitalization was found to extend the opportunities from servitization through digital technologies as digital servitization (Paschou et al., 2020). Digital servitization describes a firm’s shift from product-centric offerings to service-centric offerings with the help of novel IT assets (Naik et al., 2020). The manufacturing industry provides promising examples of firms with portfolios of physical offerings that might undergo such a transformational shift (Baines et al., 2017). So far, digital servitization research focuses primarily on four topics: re-defining the notion of servitization in the context of digitalization, identifying digital servitization value drivers, linking the transformation to specific technologies, and deriving how novel service offerings arise (Paschou et al., 2020; Zhou & Song, 2021). Despite the breadth of digital servitization research, how firms can shift to service-centric offerings remains unclear (Kohtamäki et al., 2019). Specifically, research lacks studies on the prerequisites and mechanisms that link theory with evidence on achieving IT-enabled service innovation (Paschou et al., 2020). Further, how firms must organize to build and operate IT-enabled services around these technologies remains unclear (Paschou et al., 2020). In a recent report on the manufacturing industry, practitioners confirm these gaps and associate them with a lack of managerial and technical knowledge (Illner et al., 2020). A theoretical lens that helps to address these shortcomings is the knowledge-based theory. It suggests that knowledge is the primary rationale, so that a firm benefits from its assets (Grant, 1996b; Nonaka, 1994). The knowledge-based theory understands a capability as a directed application of knowledge in a firm’s activities (Grant, 1996b; Nonaka, 1994). In the context of digitalization, firms require IT capabilities based on knowledge of how to capitalize on IT assets (Lee et al., 2015). Digital servitization research finds that IT capabilities are critical for identifying, adapting, and exploiting IT-enabled service innovations (Johansson et al., 2019). Still, little extant research informs firms that undergo digital servitization about which IT capabilities can help to strengthen their competitive advantage (Coreynen et al., 2017). Even though IT capabilities may be necessary for success in innovating IT-enabled services, the required knowledge needs to be disseminated effectively throughout an organization (Foss et al., 2014; Grant, 1996a; Nonaka, 1994). The organizational control theory offers a theoretical perspective about knowledge dissemination mechanisms, which can be horizontal or vertical (Ouchi, 1979). Horizontal knowledge dissemination mechanisms depend on codifying processes in rules or measuring process outputs through indicators, while the locus of exerting these rules and indicators determines the vertical knowledge dissemination. The IT innovation and IT governance literature refers to these knowledge dissemination mechanisms as formalization of IT activities and centralization of IT decision-making (Weill, 2004; Winkler & Brown, 2013; Zmud, 1982). However, how to orchestrate knowledge, particularly for IT capabilities, in firms that undergo digital servitization is not yet clear (Kohtamäki et al., 2019; Münch et al., 2022; Sjödin et al., 2020). Against this background, this dissertation addresses how manufacturers organize their IT capabilities while encountering the transformational drivers of digital servitization by answering the following overarching research question: How can manufacturers organize their IT capabilities to capitalize on digital servitization? (References to be found in the full text):List of abbreviations in synopsis............................................................................................................V Part I: Synopsis of the dissertation..........................................................................................................11 Motivation.......................................................................................................................................12 Research design...............................................................................................................................22. 1Conceptual approach and research objectives....................................................................22. 2Research methodologies and methods................................................................................4 3Structure of the dissertation.............................................................................................................5 3.1Systematization of the papers.............................................................................................5 3.2Paper1: Revisiting the concept of IT capabilities in the era of digitalization....................7 3.3Paper2: Short and sweet –Multiple mini case studies as a form of rigorous case studyresearch...............................................................................................................................9 3.4Paper3: Linking IT capabilities and competitive advantage of servitized business models..........................................................................................................................................11 3.5Paper4: From selling machinery to hybrid offerings –Organizational impact of digitalservitization on manufacturing firms................................................................................11 3.6Paper5: Manufacturers’ IT-enabled service innovation success as a multifacetedphenomenon: A configurational study..............................................................................13 3.7Paper6: The missing piece –Calibration of qualitative data for qualitative comparativeanalyses in IS research......................................................................................................14 3.8Paper7: Prerequisites and causal recipes for manufacturers’ success in innovating ITenabled services................................................................................................................16 4Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................19 4.1Resultssummary...............................................................................................................19 4.2Contributions....................................................................................................................20 4.2.1Theoretical contributions......................................................................................20 4.2.2Methodological contribution................................................................................21 4.2.3Practical contribution............................................................................................21 4.3Limitations and future research........................................................................................22 5References.....................................................................................................................................24 Part II: Papers of the dissertation...........................................................................................................29 Paper1: Revisiting the concept of IT capabilities in the era of digitalization.......................................30 Paper2: Short and sweet –Multiple mini case studies as a form of rigorous case study research.......41 Paper3: Linking IT capabilities and competitive advantage of servitized business model..................64 Paper4: From selling machinery to hybrid offerings –Organizational impact of digital servitization on manufacturing firms......................................................................................................................80 Paper5: Manufacturers’ IT-enabled service innovation success as a multifaceted phenomenon: A configurational study...................................................................................................................108 Paper6: The missing piece –Calibration of qualitative data for qualitative comparative analyses in IS research........................................................................................................................................119 Paper7: Prerequisites and causal recipes for manufacturers’ success in innovating IT-enabled services.....................................................................................................................................................136 Overview of the digital appendix on CD.............................................................................................174

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With its central role in the development of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, procurement structure has a significant influence on the economic and policy success of privately-financed toll roads throughout their lifecycle. Following a review of PPP fundamentals and the public-policy differentiation between public interest and public objectives, several approaches for establishing the key contract strategies of toll pricing, concession length, and risk mitigation are explored. These underpinnings motivate the central research question: Given specific policy objectives for road pricing, how should public owners select PPP contract strategies which support these outcomes? Through qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a recently-developed method for evaluating qualitative data quantitatively, patterns of PPP contract strategies which correspond to three common policy objectives--achieving a specific toll rate, managing congestion, and minimizing state subsidy/maximizing revenue--are identified through evaluation of 18 domestic and international projects. Three practical decision-making tools resulting from this work are illustrated through application to current PPP procurements: (1) a traffic-risk worksheet, which provides a rapid estimate of a toll-financed project's viability; (2) analytical QCA results, which offer guidance for structuring PPP contracts based on the desired pricing objectives; and (3) case-library comparisons, which enable drawing parallels between proposed procurements and established PPP projects. Additional insights explore the nature of risk in this study, which concludes with thoughts on the appropriate role of PPPs in infrastructure delivery. / Ph. D.

Molecular-based quantum cellular automata (m-QCA), as an extension of quantum-dot QCAs, offer a novel alternative in which binary information can be encoded in the molecular charge configuration of a cell and propagated via nearest-neighbor Coulombic cell–cell interactions. Appropriate functionality of m-QCAs involves a complex relationship between quantum mechanical effects, such as electron transfer processes within the molecular building blocks, and electrostatic interactions between cells. The influence of structural distortions of single m-QCA are addressed in this paper within a minimal model using an diabatic-to-adiabatic transformation. We show that even small changes of the classical square geometry between driver and target cells, such as those induced by distance variations or shape distortions, can make cells respond to interactions in a far less symmetric fashion, modifying and potentially impairing the expected computational behavior of the m-QCA.

This thesis concentrates on the role of the European Union as a state-building power. It scrutinizes EU foreign policy in terms of state-building phenomena in three selected areas: Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Southern Neighbourhood. First, it presents the EU as an increasingly powerful international actor and a normative power. Then, it overviews the existing literature on state-building with a special focus on Francis Fukuyama's neoliberal approach and David Chandler's critical remarks. The thesis is methodologically grounded in the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), specifically the four-value fuzzy set QCA, which enables to bridge the quantitative and qualitative approaches. The analysis operates with 23 cases (countries) and five variables in order to assess the EU state-building practices in relation to the targeted states' resilience. Drawing on the moderate generalizations from QCA results, the thesis concludes that the EU is, indeed, a state-building power which strengthens the resilience of states through its state-building practices.

[ES] El mercado y las transacciones comerciales se desarrollan en la actualidad en un entorno cada vez más dinámico y cambiante, que obliga a las empresas a adaptarse a expectativas cada vez más específicas y exigentes por parte de los clientes, y a una competencia feroz por mantener y ampliar la ventaja competitiva para poder subsistir. La fidelización de los clientes, y el establecimiento de relaciones comerciales duraderas con ellos a largo plazo es una de las formas más eficientes a través de las cuales las empresas pueden conseguir estos objetivos. Para ello es fundamental tener la mejor información posible sobre los clientes, así como establecer estrategias coherentes para la gestión de las relaciones con ellos. Poner al cliente como foco y centro de toda la cadena de valor de las empresas asegura que, desde la toma de requerimientos para satisfacer las necesidades de los clientes, hasta la provisión de bienes y servicios que satisfagan dichas necesidades, pasando por todas las etapas de su proceso productivo, están diseñadas y orientadas a conseguir la máxima satisfacción del cliente y con ello su fidelidad y una relación comercial duradera y beneficiosa. Las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) son clave para cualquier estrategia dirigida a la consecución de estos objetivos, tanto por su potencia en el manejo de la información valiosa de gestión empresarial, como por el cambio cultural que introducen en las empresas que adoptan estos sistemas en su camino hacia la transformación digital. En las últimas dos décadas ha crecido especialmente el interés por una de estas tecnologías, en concreto los sistemas Customer Relationship Management (CRM), cuyo ámbito de trabajo es la gestión de las relaciones con los clientes. CRM nace en los años 70 con el objetivo de automatizar la fuerza de ventas de las empresas, es decir, sistematizar e informatizar los procesos comerciales en tres áreas: ventas, marketing, y servicios. El objetivo primero de CRM era que toda acción emprendida por cualquiera de los agentes de la empresa, en cualquiera de estas tres áreas de gestión de relaciones con los clientes, estuviera registrada y accesible para el resto de los agentes clave de la empresa. Con CRM se conseguía unificar y tener de forma coherente y consistente toda la información de gestión de relaciones con los clientes. El dinamismo y competitividad de los mercados, alentado por la globalización y el acceso a información y mercados diversos y dispersos, ha movido a las empresas a buscar estrategias de gestión que hagan sostenibles en el tiempo sus ventajas competitivas. CRM se ha mostrado como una de estas herramientas más valiosas, aportando expectativas no solo de beneficios de explotación actual por su gestión de la información relacionada con la gestión del conocimiento sobre los clientes, sino también de beneficios a futuro por su directo impacto en los procesos de innovación. Una vez definidos cuales son los beneficios esperados por parte de las empresas que deciden implementar sistemas CRM, se plantea la cuestión de saber en qué condiciones estos beneficios se suelen dar en la realidad. El presente trabajo de investigación ha pretendido comprobar cuáles son las condiciones que pueden hacer que el uso CRM por parte de las empresas venga acompañado consecuentemente de mejoras en los resultados empresariales, de modo que las conclusiones ayuden a las empresas a tomar sus decisiones sobre su adopción de dichos sistemas CRM. La conclusión general del estudio es la confirmación de que una buena cultura de gestión de la relación con los clientes ("customer relationship management") es clave para tener un buen resultado empresarial, ya que está en línea con las teorías modernas del marketing relacional que se enfocan en la gestión centrada en el cliente. A esta relevancia de la cultura de gestión centrada en el cliente, se agrega que el uso de tecnologías CRM puede y de / [CA] El mercat i les transaccions comercials es desenvolupen en l'actualitat en un entorn cada vegada més dinàmic i canviant, que obliga les empreses a adaptar-se a expectatives cada vegada més específiques i exigents per part dels clients, i a una competència feroç per mantindre i ampliar l'avantatge competitiu per a poder subsistir. La fidelització dels clients, i l'establiment de relacions comercials duradores amb ells a llarg termini és una de les formes més eficients a través de les quals les empreses poden aconseguir aquests objectius. Per a això és fonamental tindre la millor informació possible sobre els clients, així com establir estratègies coherents per a la gestió de les relacions amb ells. Posar al client com a focus i centre de tota la cadena de valor de les empreses assegura que, des de la presa de requeriments per a satisfer les necessitats dels clients, fins a la provisió de béns i serveis que satisfan aquestes necessitats, passant per totes les etapes del seu procés productiu, estan dissenyades i orientades a aconseguir la màxima satisfacció del client i amb això la seua fidelitat i una relació comercial duradora i beneficiosa. Les Tecnologies d'Informació i Comunicació (TIC) són clau per a qualsevol estratègia dirigida a la consecució d'aquests objectius, tant per la seua potència en el maneig de la informació valuosa de gestió empresarial, com pel canvi cultural que introdueixen en les empreses que adopten aquests sistemes en el seu camí cap a la transformació digital. En les últimes dues dècades ha crescut especialment l'interés per una d'aquestes tecnologies, en concret els sistemes Customer Relationship Management (CRM), l'àmbit de treball del qual és la gestió de les relacions amb els clients. CRM naix en els anys 70 amb l'objectiu d'automatitzar la força de vendes de les empreses, és a dir, sistematitzar i informatitzar els processos comercials en tres àrees: vendes, màrqueting, i serveis. L'objectiu primer de CRM era que tota acció empresa per qualsevol dels agents de l'empresa, en qualsevol d'aquestes tres àrees de gestió de relacions amb els clients, estiguera registrada i accessible per a la resta d'agents clau de l'empresa. Amb CRM s'aconseguia unificar i tindre de manera coherent i consistent tota la informació de gestió de relacions amb els clients. El dinamisme i competitivitat dels mercats, encoratjat per la globalització i l'accés a informació i mercats diversos i dispersos, ha mogut a les empreses a buscar estratègies de gestió que facen sostenibles en el temps els seus avantatges competitius. CRM s'ha mostrat com una d'aquestes eines més valuoses, aportant expectatives no sols de beneficis d'explotació actual per la seua gestió de la informació relacionada amb la gestió del coneixement sobre els clients, sinó també de beneficis a futur pel seu directe impacte en els processos d'innovació. Una vegada definits quals són els beneficis esperats per part de les empreses que decideixen implementar sistemes CRM, es planteja la qüestió de saber sota quines condicions aquests beneficis se solen donar en la realitat. El present treball de recerca ha pretés comprovar quines són les condicions que poden fer que l'ús CRM per part de les empreses vinga acompanyat conseqüentment de millores en els resultats empresarials, de manera que les conclusions ajuden les empreses a prendre les seues decisions sobre la seua adopció d'aquests sistemes CRM. La conclusió general de l'estudi és la confirmació que una bona cultura de gestió de la relació amb els clients ("customer relationship management") és clau per a tindre un bon resultat empresarial, ja que està en línia amb les teories modernes del màrqueting relacional que s'enfoquen en la gestió centrada en el client. A aquesta rellevància de la cultura de gestió centrada en el client, s'agrega que l'ús de tecnologies CRM pot i deu ajudar a millorar l'acompliment de l'empresa. / [EN] The market and commercial transactions are currently developing in an increasingly dynamic and changing environment, which forces companies to adapt to increasingly specific and demanding expectations from customers, and to a fierce competition to maintain and expand the competitive advantage in order to survive. The loyalty of customers, and the establishment of lasting business relationships with them in the long term is one of the most efficient ways through which companies can achieve these objectives. For this purpose, it is essential to have the best possible information about customers, as well as to establish coherent strategies for managing relationships with them. Putting the client as the focus and center of the entire value chain of companies ensures that, from the study of requirements to satisfy the needs of clients, to the provision of goods and services that satisfy said needs, passing through all stages of its production process, are designed and oriented to achieve maximum customer satisfaction and with it their loyalty and a lasting and beneficial business relationship. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are key to any strategy aimed at achieving these objectives, both because of their power in handling valuable business management information, and because of the cultural change they introduce in companies that adopt these systems on their way to digital transformation. In the last two decades, interest in one of these technologies has grown especially, specifically the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, whose scope of work is the management of customer relationships. CRM was born in the 70s with the aim of automating the sales force of companies, that is, to systematize and computerize business processes in three areas: sales, marketing, and services. The first objective of CRM was that any action taken by any of the company's agents, in any of these three areas of customer relationship management, be registered and accessible to the rest of the company's key agents. With CRM it was possible to unify and have in a coherent and consistent way all the information on customer relationship management. The dynamism and competitiveness of the markets, encouraged by globalization and access to information and diverse and dispersed markets, has prompted companies to seek management strategies that make their competitive advantages sustainable over time. CRM has proven to be one of these most valuable tools, providing expectations not only of current operating benefits due to its management of information related to customer knowledge management, but also future benefits due to its direct impact on processes of innovation. Once the expected benefits of companies that decide to implement CRM systems have been defined, the question arises of knowing under what conditions these benefits usually occur in reality. The present research work has tried to verify which are the conditions that can make the use of CRM by companies consequently accompanied by improvements in business results, so that the conclusions help companies make their decisions about their adoption of such CRM systems. The general conclusion of the study is the confirmation that a good culture of customer relationship management ("customer relationship management") is key to having a good business result, as it is in line with modern theories of relationship marketing that they focus on customer-centric management. To this relevance of the customer-centric management culture, it is added that the use of CRM technologies can and should help improve company performance. An adequate innovation strategy appears as the ideal complement to the strategies for the use of culture and CRM technologies in order to improve business results. / Guerola Navarro, V. (2021). Impacto del grado de implementación del Customer Relationship Management (CRM) y la Estrategia de Innovación en los resultados empresariales. Aplicación al sector vitivinícola español [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/166614 / TESIS

Le concept d'automate cellulaire quantique (QCA) introduit en 1993 représente un changement de paradigme dans la microélectronique moderne. Introduite en 1993, cette technologie utilise la position de quelques électrons plutôt que la quantité d'électrons dans un condensateur pour encoder l'information. Ce paradigme réduit grandement la consommation énergétique de ces dispositifs électroniques et pourrait permettre de repousser les limites rencontrées avec les technologies classiques. Plusieurs réalisations expérimentales de ce concept ont été réalisées, mais ne fonctionnent qu'à très basse température (1,5 K). Les développements réalisés à l'aide du procédé nanodamascène à l'Université de Sherbrooke ont permis de démontrer la faisabilité de fabrication des transistors monoélectroniques fonctionnant à haute température (> 400 K). Ces transistors sont sensibles à des variations de la configuration de charges plus faible que la charge d'un électron et peuvent donc servir de détecteurs de charge. Cette fonctionnalité en fait un outil indispensable pour la détection de l'état de sortie d'un circuit QCA. Les travaux de cette thèse portent sur la combinaison de ces deux technologies avec l'objectif de pouvoir élever la température d'opération des QCA électrostatiques. L'architecture d'une demi-cellule QCA bistable pour l'encodage de l'information binaire et des transistors monoélectroniques comme détecteurs de l'état de charge de la demi-cellule est conçue afin de fabriquer ces deux parties en utilisant le procédé nanodamascène. À terme, la combinaison des deux concepts pourrait donner une technologie compatible avec les technologies actuelles et fonctionnant à haute température. Le document présente une méthode de simulation innovante permettant d'utiliser la géométrie réelle du dispositif et d'obtenir les caractéristiques électriques en tenant compte des effets parasites. Cette méthode est utilisée pour optimiser le dessin du dispositif, pour corréler les résultats attendus avec les mesures expérimentales, puis pour en extraire certains paramètres comme les résistances tunnel et les permittivités diélectriques des matériaux de barrière tunnel. Une étude démontrant l'impact de l'utilisation de structures sacrificielles pour le polissage mécano chimique a permis d'optimiser leur taille et leur densité pour améliorer l'uniformité du polissage. Les résultats obtenus de jonctions tunnel MIM ont permis d'améliorer la stabilité dans le temps des dispositifs. Finalement, les caractérisations de transistors monoélectroniques individuels et couplés permettent de démontrer le fonctionnement des dispositifs, leur correspondance aux valeurs attendues et la possibilité de les utiliser comme détecteur de charge. Les résultats présentés dans ces travaux permettent de conclure que tous les éléments nécessaires sont en place pour permettre la fabrication d'une cellule QCA en procédé nanodamascène. Les travaux représentent un premier grand pas vers la démonstration de QCA nanodamascène fonctionnant à haute température.