This study surveys the theoretical literature dealing with the behavior of technology suppliers in the presence of network externalities with a focus on economies of compatibility setting and promotional pricing. Positive network externalities arise when a good is more valuable to a user because more users adopt the same good or compatible ones. There are two issues with network externalities: demand side and supply side. This paper focuses on the supply side, and it relates the way that technologies are chosen and promoted. On the supply side, product compatibility choice, technology sponsorship, penetration pricing, and product pre-announcement are the competing strategies of firms operating in a market with network externalities. Among these strategies, compatibility choice decisions and promotional pricing are presented in the two different subsections, which follows. / Master of Arts

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the role that environmental technology plays in the solution of environmental problems in cities, and discuss models and conditions that can facilitate the processes of selection, implementation and use of environmental technologies in and by cities. The technological component is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of modern cities. The dependence of humans on technology is in most cases a given, something that is not ignored in the sustainability debate. The development and implementation of new, “better” technologies is however hindered by the inertia that modern societies have and the influence of the dominant systems (e.g. economic systems based on growth, extraction of natural resources and environmental disturbance). So-called environmental technologies are not always able to efficiently compete against other technologies that are embedded in societies by lock-in mechanisms, e.g. learning by doing and using, scale economies, subsidies, and network externalities. Even with the “right” technologies, an exclusively techno-centered approach to sustainability can result in other problems, and it might reduce the sustainability debate and the cities’ role in it to discussions of an administrative nature. The actual role of local actors and their agency must be also considered in the models and frameworks directed at understanding sustainability transition processes. It is thus important to analyze the dynamics of technology selection, implementation, use and diffusion in cities from a stakeholders’ perspective as well. Not only is the availability of technology of interest for understanding the impact it has on the environment, but also the intensity of its use. This has resulted in increased attention from politicians and scholars on the so-called global cities (e.g. London, New York, Tokyo), which are characterized by their intense use of e.g. transport, security and surveillance, and information and communication. Paradigmatic models of sustainability can however be contested when the role of local actors, power and agency are considered in detail and not isolated from the context. Some authors recognize the need to address what they call “ordinary cities”, since focusing on the cities’ comparative level of development (be it political, economic or technological) hinders the possibility of bidirectional learning. In the end, sustainability is a “collective good,” which means that it is in everyone’s interest to coordinate efforts and learn from the best practices, regardless of where they come from. This thesis focuses on “ordinary cities,” and promises to offer conclusions that can contribute to a better understanding of how societies can learn from each other and how environmental technologies can have deeper and better results when implemented in different contexts than the ones where they were developed. Two questions related to the process of environmental-technology adaptation are addressed in this thesis: How do technology adaptation processes for the solution of urban environmental problems take place in cities? And how do cities benefit from environmental technologies? It is found that environmental technology is not only seen as a solution to environmental problems in cities, but every day more as a component of strategies to attract attention and compete for resources in national and international markets. Cities have different adaptation and learning strategies. This means that technological solutions have to be flexible and adaptive to local conditions, and allow for vernacular knowledge and past experiences to enrich their performance by facilitating their connection to existing systems. Learning between cities is important and necessary for global sustainability transitions. When it comes to environmental technology, this process is facilitated by strong proof-of-concept projects. Such projects are not only expected to be able to show their technical ability to solve a problem, but must also offer contextual connections to the problems faced by interested cities or potential implementers.

Introduction: The introduction presents concepts around hands-free interactions. Furthermore, topics of digitalization, value co-creation, and how technology suppliers and end-users co-create value through the application of eye-tracking is described. Problem discussion: Healthcare is a complex system and is becoming more accustomed to the value co-creation concept with all types of stakeholders. New technologies are needed in healthcare to ensure positive patient outcomes and sterility. These technologies appear in hands-free devices such as eye-tracking technology. Limited research is found on interactions between healthcare practitioners and/or researchers with technology providers with key actors as suppliers and practitioners. Looking further at value co-creation, to achieve hands-free healthcare, it is necessary to fully utilize nascent digital technologies while incorporating them into digitalized processes. Hence, additional study is needed to investigate how key actors co-create value and promote the full use of advanced technologies. Purpose and Research Question: The purpose of this study is to understand how value is co-created by the application of hands-free devices in healthcare settings. To do that, we explore the activities performed by technology suppliers and technology end-users (healthcare practitioners and researchers) that enable value co-creation through the application of eye-tracking devices in hands-free healthcare. This study seeks to answer the research question: How do technology suppliers and end-users co-create value through the application of eye-tracking in hands-free healthcare? Theoretical Framework: Theoretical Framework was established based on scientific literature. Furthermore, it is split between concepts of value-in-use, value co-production, and two stages of digitalization, where the first stage is digitalization of products and services, the second stage is digitalization of activities and decisions. Methodology: In this thesis, qualitative descriptive research with a deductive approach is followed. Empirical data was collected through three exploratory and ten semi-structured interviews, where six semi-structured interviews were conducted with suppliers (primary data) who are employed in an eye-tracking supplying company, and four end-users (supportive data), which are healthcare practitioners and/or researchers. Findings & Analysis: Here, findings gathered from primary (technology suppliers), supportive (end-users), and secondary sources (documents) were analyzed and compared to the literature and theoretical framework. Conclusion: Concluding, 20 activities were found for the value co-production part of the research and 23 activities for the value-in-use part. Some of the found activities could not be supported by scientific literature or framework and are explained as additional findings.