“Good quality, local healthcare – A primary care reform (SOU 2018:39) was used as a contextual frame in this study with the aim of identifying spaces where patients, next of kin and healthcare personnel, through the use of design, can be supported in developing more collaborative ways of working in the two northernmost regions in Sweden. Qualitative methods such as semi structured interviews and workshops were conducted together with multimorbid patients, their next of kin and healthcare personnel. The data was analyzed using grounded theory. A key insight pointed towards a gap between care providers. The findings in relation to the reform suggested further exploration and so, through the use of design, lo- fi prototypes have been developed to support collaboration within certain spaces identified in the qualitative data. The prototypes are made to act as scaffoldings for conversations in multistakeholder settings.

Education and academic related services have become as important as manufacturing and, in some cases, even more important. Considering the importance of these services as it relates to manufacturing, a problem exists. Products such as education and academic services are far less specific in value when comparing with manufactured goods, even though their quality depends on resources which can be measured, such as funding. At the same time, we must be able to quantify them and compare their values with predetermined expected levels for each area of expertise, as well as with each other. The quality of the services provided, specifically academic services, is an intangible concept that can be assessed through various methods. This research study applies the Academic Services Experience Survey, a modified version of SERVQUAL, to solve a complex and multifaceted problem of assessing and improving the quality of academic services in higher education institutions.

Ett skifte har skett inom marknadsföring där fokus har skiftat från transaktioner till värdeskapande. Framväxten av digitala plattformar och sociala medier har inneburit att företag gått från traditionell marknadsföring till digital marknadsföring. Sociala medier innebär visserligen svårigheter men också möjligheter för företag att integrera med kunder och engagera dem i ett gemensamt värdeskapande. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om företag har implementerat ett värdeskapande fokus i deras marknadsföringsstrategier och använder sig av digitala plattformar för att skapa relationer med sina kunder. En frågeställning formulerades kring hur företag använder digitala plattformar för att skapa relationer genom gemensamt värdeskapande och engagemang. Den teoretiska referensramen består av teorier kring digital marknadsföring, relationer, lojalitet, service dominant logic, value co-creation samt engagemang. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio företag genomfördes och resultatet visar att majoriteten av företagen implementerat ett värdeskapande tänk och ser digitala plattformar som ett värdefullt verktyg för att skapa relationer med kunder.

Background: The emergence of technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and wireless communication drives the digital transformation of the entire society. Organizations can exploit these potentials by offering new data-driven services with innovative value propositions, such as carsharing, remote equipment maintenance, and energy management services. These services result from value co-creation enabled by smart service systems, which are configurations of people, processes, and digital technologies. However, developing such systems was found to be challenging in practice. This is mainly due to the difficulties of managing complexity and uncertainty in the innovation process, as contributions of various actors from multiple disciplines must be coordinated. Previous research in service innovation and service systems engineering (SSE) has not shed sufficient light on the specifics of smart services, while research on smart service systems lacks empirical grounding. Purpose: This thesis aims to advance the understanding of the systematic development of smart services in multi-actor settings by investigating how smart service innovation (SSI) is conducted in practice, particularly regarding the participating actors, roles they assume, and methods they apply for designing smart service systems. Furthermore, the existing set of methods is extended by new methods for the design-integrated assessment of smart services and service business models. Approach: Empirical and design science methods were combined to address the research questions. To explore how SSI is conducted in practice, 25 interviews with experts from 13 organizations were conducted in two rounds. Building on service-dominant logic (SDL) as a theoretical foundation and a multi-level framework for SSI, the involvement of actors, their activities, employed means, and experienced challenges were collected. Additionally, a case study was used to evaluate the suitability of the Lifecycle Modelling Language to describe smart service systems. Design science methods were applied to determine a useful combination of service design methods and to build meta-models and tools for assessing smart services. They were evaluated using experiments and the talk aloud method. Results: On the macro-level, service ecosystems consist of various actors that conduct service innovation through the reconfiguration of resources. Collaboration of these actors is facilitated on the meso-level within a project. The structure and dynamics of project configurations can be described through a set of roles, innovation patterns, and ecosystem states. Four main activities have been identified, which actors perform to reduce uncertainty in the project. To guide their work, actors apply a variety of means from different disciplines to develop and document work products. The approach of design-integrated business model assessment is enabled through a meta-model that links qualitative aspects of service architectures and business models with quantitative assessment information. The evaluation of two tool prototypes showed the feasibility and benefit of this approach. Originality / Value: The results reported in this thesis advance the understanding of smart service innovation. They contribute to evidence-based knowledge on service systems engineering and its embedding in service ecosystems. Specifically, the consideration of actors, roles, activities, and methods can enhance existing reference process models. Furthermore, the support of activities in such processes through suitable methods can stimulate discussions on how methods from different disciplines can be applied and combined for developing the various aspects of smart service systems. The underlying results help practitioners to better organize and conduct SSI projects. As potential roles in a service ecosystem depend on organizational capabilities, the presented results can support the analysis of ex¬ternal dependencies and develop strategies for building up internal competencies.:Abstract iii Content Overview iv List of Abbreviations viii List of Tables x List of Figures xii PART A - SYNOPSIS 1 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Motivation 2 1.2 Research Objectives and Research Questions 4 1.3 Thesis Structure 6 2 Research Background 7 2.1 Smart Service Systems 7 2.2 Service-Dominant Logic 8 2.3 Service Innovation in Ecosystems 11 2.4 Systematic Development of Smart Service Systems 13 3 Research Approach 21 3.1 Research Strategy 21 3.2 Applied Research Methods 22 4 Summary of Findings 26 4.1 Overview of Research Results 26 4.2 Organizational Setup of Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 27 4.3 Conducting Smart Service Innovation Projects 32 4.4 Approaches for the Design-integrated Assessment of Smart Services 39 5 Discussion 44 5.1 Contributions 44 5.2 Limitations 46 5.3 Managerial Implications 47 5.4 Directions for Future Research 48 6 Conclusion 54 References 55 PART B - PUBLICATIONS 68 7 It Takes More than Two to Tango: Identifying Roles and Patterns in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 69 7.1 Introduction 69 7.2 Research Background 72 7.3 Methodology 76 7.4 Results 79 7.5 Discussion 90 7.6 Conclusions and Outlook 96 7.7 References 97 8 Iterative Uncertainty Reduction in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 100 8.1 Introduction 100 8.2 Research Background 103 8.3 Research Approach 109 8.4 Findings 113 8.5 Discussion 127 8.6 Conclusions and Outlook 131 8.7 References 133 9 How to Tame the Tiger – Exploring the Means, Ends, and Challenges in Smart Service Systems Engineering 139 9.1 Introduction 139 9.2 Research Background 140 9.3 Methodology 143 9.4 Results 145 9.5 Discussion and Conclusions 151 9.6 References 153 10 Combining Methods for the Design of Digital Services in Practice: Experiences from a Predictive Costing Service 156 10.1 Introduction 156 10.2 Conceptual Foundation 157 10.3 Preparing the Action Design Research Project 158 10.4 Application and Evaluation of Methods 160 10.5 Discussion and Formalization of Learning 167 10.6 Conclusion 169 10.7 References 170 11 Modelling of a Smart Service for Consumables Replenishment: A Life Cycle Perspective 171 11.1 Introduction 171 11.2 Life Cycles of Smart Services 173 11.3 Case Study 178 11.4 Discussion of the Modelling Approach 185 11.5 Conclusion and Outlook 187 11.6 References 188 12 Design-integrated Financial Assessment of Smart Services 192 12.1 Introduction 192 12.2 Problem Analysis 195 12.3 Meta-Model Design 200 12.4 Application of the Meta-Model in a Tool Prototype 204 12.5 Evaluation 206 12.6 Discussion 208 12.7 Conclusions 209 12.8 References 211 13 Towards a Cost-Benefit-Analysis of Data-Driven Business Models 215 13.1 Introduction 215 13.2 Conceptual Foundation 216 13.3 Methodology 218 13.4 Case Analysis 220 13.5 A Cost-Benefit-Analysis Model for DDBM 222 13.6 Conclusion and Outlook 225 13.7 References 226 14 Enabling Design-integrated Assessment of Service Business Models Through Factor Refinement 228 14.1 Introduction 228 14.2 Related Work 229 14.3 Research Goal and Method 230 14.4 Solution Design 231 14.5 Demonstration 234 14.6 Discussion 235 14.7 Conclusion 236 14.8 References 237

Being influenced by advanced technology solutions, modern business is undergoing significant transformations. This is also true about the financial services sector, where innovative solutions are being actively used and new fintech companies are emerging. Against this background, the market share of large traditional banks reduces steadily. These trends are also observed in Sweden, which has one of the highest levels of digitalization of banking services in Europe. The described trends may indicate that Swedish traditional banks are unable to compete with fintech companies and adapt to the new business environment. Consequently, the purpose of the research is to assess the current and potential positions of large traditional Swedish banks in the financial services market. In particular, when considering the situation through the prism of service-dominant logic, it is necessary to understand the place that large traditional banks occupy in the overall process of value creation with the participation of the consumer. In this regard, the following questions have been examined within the research: RQ1. How can the largest traditional banks in Sweden preserve their market positions in the overall value creation process? RQ2. What services offered by the traditional banks are the most exposed to customer outflow? To answer the questions posed, the exploratory research has been carried out, which is based on a case study and an in-depth study of a specific example, namely the development of Swedbank in a changing market context. The research data has been mostly derived from the interview, although, to reduce its bias and subjectivity, the secondary data, providing an idea of market trends, has been also analyzed. As a result of the research, it has been determined that the main advantages of fintech companies are high specialization, seamless processes, and reduced government control. Against this background, traditional banks are losing market share, but in the future, the situation should stabilize. The reason is that traditional banks have the scale, infrastructure, and operant resources to deliver comprehensive financial services that require a customized approach and cannot be automated. In addition, large traditional banks could potentially act as a platform for the technological development of the entire industry. These circumstances determine the specific advantages and the development of incumbent banks in Sweden, although the involvement of consumers in the co-creation process through social media and mobile applications is still the problem.

This thesis has through a case study of the company Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB investigated, using customer-oriented marketing theories, how their customers perceive sustainability. Subsequently, looking into promotion tools it has examined what implications the customers’ opinions give for the communication channels the company use. For the case study secondary data has been collected, a survey addressing Eriksberg’s customers has been conducted and a semi-structured interview has been performed with the CEO of the company. The results have shown that the opinions of Eriksberg and their customers in many ways are congruent and that customers perceive sustainability to be important, which Eriksberg do too, but also that many customers are not aware of the company’s work in sustainability. The conclusion is that Eriksberg should communicate information about their sustainability work using communication channels in which their customers have the ability to respond and react. / Denna uppsats har genom en fallstudie av företaget Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB och genom att använda kundorienterade marknadsföringsteorier undersökt hur deras kunder uppfattar hållbarhet. Därefter har den genom att se till säljfrämjande marknadsföringsverktyg undersökt hur kundernas åsikter påverkar de marknadsföringskanaler företaget använder. För fallstudien har sekundärdata samlats in, en enkätundersökning riktad till Eriksbergs kunder har genomförts och en semistrukturerad intervju har gjorts med bolagets VD. Resultaten har visat att Eriksbergs och dess kunders åsikter i många fall är samstämmiga, att kunderna upplever hållbarhet som viktigt, vilket även Eriksberg gör, men också att många kunder inte känner till företagets hållbarhetsarbete. Slutsatsen är att Eriksberg bör kommunicera information om sitt hållbarhetsarbete till kunder genom kommunikationskanaler där kunderna kan svara och reagera.

This work offers a framework for researchers by linking service-dominant (S-D) logic to an intersubjective stream of philosophy of science. Service-dominant logic has resonated in marketing, but no existing research has attempted to link S-D logic with basic meta-theory to provide a framework. Since the range of philosophies of science (isms) referred to in the marketing literature is broad, varying from ‘realism’ to ‘relativism’, from ‘positivism’ to ‘constructivism’ and from ‘structuralism’ to ‘post-structuralism/postmodernism’, first the different isms are grouped into four main groups/streams and then S-D logic is analyzed and classified according to these streams. The four streams are: object-orientation (realism, positivism, empiricism, and so on); subject orientation (constructivism, interpretivism, and so forth); intersubjective orientation (social constructionism, pancritical rationalism, methodological constructivism, and so on); and sign orientation (post-structuralism, postmodernism, and variations). S-D logic is mainly underpinned by an intersubjective orientation and has a huge potential for further development both in and for marketing if seen from a sign-orientated, post-structural perspective and linked to the theory of practices.

Purpose – This article seeks to advance a novel service network perspective, based on the service-dominant logic, designated as service-dominant networks (SDN). Design/methodology/approach – Service-dominant logic components serve to build and describe SDN. Specifically, resources and actors are key components, combined with activities and the process by which they become resources. A case study details the features of SDNs. Findings – Service-dominant networks exhibit unique, previously unaddressed features. According to the service-dominant logic, components only become resources when they are integrated; thus, they disappear as resources after their integration, which means SDNs are fugacious: they (be-)come and go. In addition, SDNs comprise one or more main intended activities that explain their existence, though these intended activities do not necessarily initiate any particular SDN. Rather, other critical incidents can initiate SDNs. Research limitations/implications – The features of SDNs proposed in this article have not been a focus of prior research. In particular, the dynamics and fugaciousness of SDNs are challenges for research and management. Originality/value – This article offers the first proposal of a novel, service-dominant network perspective. In a very general and abstract form, it identifies the features of SDNs.

Service providers must understand that they have to provide customer-perceived value, if they want to stay in business. One of the best ways to determine customer-perceived value is to encourage customer complaint. This will make it easier to identify areas of the service process which the consumer believes must be improved. The ultimate goal of our thesis is to identify and establish the patterns of customer complaint behaviour in public transportation which is a part of the service sector. If patterns are identified, it will be much easier to encourage and predict customers‘ abilities and willingness to complain during a service process. Hence, service providers will be able to create an environment that can encourage and facilitate customer complaint processes. In this regard, service providers will obtain more information that will enable them to improve the quality of their services in order provide customer-perceived value. In addition, due to the fact that services are offered at the same time when the customer is there, this increases chances of customers seeing failures. Therefore, it is vital to make it easier for customers to be able to complain as soon as they perceive these failures so that they leave the service environment satisfied. Thus, understanding the pattern of customer complaint behaviour will make this process easier. By pattern, we mean sequence and therefore, there must be factors that influence this sequence. Our thesis shall focus on three main factors; cost, contextual resources and customer‘s competence, that influence the ability, willingness and the extent to which customers will engage in a complain process. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the following: What is the pattern of customer complaint behaviour in public transportation and how do cost, contextual resources and customer‘s competence impact this pattern?However, we shall also mention other external factors that may influence the pattern of customer complaint behaviour like market structure and service characteristics. It is imperative to understand customer complaint behaviour in service because through customer complaint, customers‘ quality expectations can be determined and met. Studies reveal that, although complaint channels may exist, some customers still do not complaint. In our survey, only 21.6% of respondents who encountered a service failure actually complained implying that 78.4% of the respondents who encountered an unfavourable service experience did not complain. What could be the reasons that customers who encounter problems do not complaint, although they would want to complain?2Above all, if there is something to be learnt from customer complaint behaviour, we think that it should be the patterns of customer complaint behaviour. This is because if patterns can be identified, then the right channels can be put in place by service providers in order to encourage and facilitate the complaint process. This will enable much information to be obtained from the customers and then used to make improvements in the service offerings and processes. In this regard service quality and customer satisfaction can be increased. This will lead to customer retention and higher profits for the company as well as prevent negative word-of-mouth.In this thesis, we identified patterns of customer complaint behaviour in service with a focus in public transportation by using data from the passengers of the public bus companies of Karlstad city and the intercity bus company (SWEBUS) as bases of our research. In our questionnaire we asked customers to indicate the strength of preference for a complaint channel they would use in order to make a complaint to the bus company in the event of a negative service experience. The results were ranked in order to determine the pattern of customer complaint behaviour in public transportation. We approached this topic by revealing the importance of understanding customer complaint behaviour and using this knowledge to improve service development. We proceeded by emphasising on the importance of viewing customer complaint behaviour from the perspective of service dominant logic. / The Service and Market Oriented Transport Research Group

The benefits of customer co-creation of value in the service delivery process have been well established through recent literatures. However, despite the fact that there has been an increase in the awareness of the importance of customer behaviors in the service delivery process, little research has been done to investigate the role of customers and their influence in co-creating the service climate within organizations. This study captures the impact and effects of customer behaviors on the perceptions of employees towards the service climate of their respective restaurant firms.The overall objective of this thesis is to deepen the understanding of the role of customers in co-creating the service climates inside restaurant firms where co-creation of services occurs. For conducting this study, I have used the semi-structured interviews for data collection from six respondents (three customers and three employees) from three different restaurants within the city. Results indicate that customers’ participative and citizenship behaviors such as giving feedbacks, employees’ job appreciation and praise during direct interactions, advocacy through word of mouth, and sharing of knowledge and seeking of information that could benefit the firm influenced employees’ perception of their work climate. The results also showed that employees transfer these positive attitudes to their fellow employees through affective group tone through which the overall working climate within restaurants is improved.I believe that this study will be helpful to future scholars and researchers who wish to conduct further research on this particular topic as the findings from this study have increased the understanding of the role of customers in the co-creation service climates within restaurant organizations. The paper also discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings from this research at the end of the paper.