Due to digitalization as a technology shift, many incumbent manufacturing firms face challenges to maintain their position on the market. One solution to tackle this technology shift is by servitization, which has shown great opportunities for value creation in various industries. Services are harder to imitate and have therefore potential to create competitive advantage. However, because of the limited number of studies examining the transition from one business model to another in combination with servitization and digitalization, a gap is identified in the literature. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore how an incumbent manufacturing firm can create and obtain value by implementing servitization and digital services in its current business model. The purpose of this thesis is achieved through a single case study of an incumbent manufacturing firm within the dairy farming industry. The findings suggest that implementing digital services in an incumbent manufacturing firm improves competitive advantage as they increase the barriers of adoption to competitors and third-parties; thus, improve the customer loyalty and the customer lock-in effect. When conceptualising servitization and digitalization, it is important to establish a clear framework for digital services, which should be aligned with the company’s overall strategies and processes. To meet the growing demand for more efficiency and flexibility, it is proposed to lay additional focus on the construction and development of the digital platform. Further, this study investigates how the development of digital services for predictive maintenance affects the business model of an incumbent manufacturing firm. From the conceptual framework developed in this study, it is emphasised that five business model elements are important to focus on in the era of digitalization, namely: value proposition, revenue streams, channels, customer relationships and key partner networks. The findings suggest to use adapting services such as performance-based contracting with a subscription model and add-ons. In addition, co-creation with customers in an early stage of the innovation process is deemed key to develop suitable services, while improving the customer relationship. Moreover, it is important to have in mind that digitalization enhances the transparency of information; thus, it is crucial to develop standardised frameworks to retain a trustworthy customer relationship. Consequently, it is argued as important to update the revenue model for digital services with a cohesive pricing strategy worldwide. Furthermore, this study suggests moving step by step towards direct selling, while remaining a good relationship with the external dealers. Due to the fact that not all customers have the prerequisites for implementing digital services, the degree of digitalization and direct selling must be adapted to the unique situation and service provided. By analysing how servitization as an effect of digitalization affects the business model of an incumbent manufacturing firm, this thesis contributes to extant knowledge within the fields of servitization, digitalization and business models. Furthermore, this thesis contributes to managerial knowledge with an in-depth contextualised knowledge of a possible servitization transition as a business model innovation. / På grund av digitalisering som teknologiskifte tvingas många etablerade företag att kämpa för att behålla sin position på marknaden. En lösning till detta är tjänstefiering, vilket har visat på stora möjligheter för värdeskapande i olika industrier. Dessutom är tjänster svårare att imitera, vilket leder till ökad konkurrenskraft. Idag finns det ett begränsat antal studier som undersöker övergången från en affärsmodell till en annan i kombination med tjänstefiering och digitalisering, vilket har lett till ett gap i litteraturen. Därav syftet med denna masteruppsats: att undersöka hur ett etablerat tillverkningsföretag kan skapa och förädla värde genom att integrera tjänstefiering och digitala tjänster i den nuvarande affärsmodellen. Syftet med denna studie uppnås genom en fallstudie hos ett etablerat tillverkningsföretag inom mjölkproduktionsindustrin. Rapportens resultat indikerar att en implementation av digitala tjänster i ett etablerat tillverkningsföretag förbättrar konkurrenskraften då den ökar barriärer för konkurrenter och tredjeparter, därmed ökas kundlojaliteten och förhindrar kunden från att byta leverantör. Vid konceptualisering av tjänstefiering och digitalisering är det viktigt att skapa ett tydligt ramverk, vilket även bör anpassas till företagets övergripande strategier och processer. För att möta den växande efterfrågan av ökad effektivitet och flexibilitet bör ytterligare fokus läggas på konstruktion och utveckling av den digitala plattformen. Vidare undersöker denna studie hur utvecklingen av digitala tjänster för förebyggande underhåll påverkar affärsmodellen hos ett etablerat tillverkningsföretag. Utifrån det konceptuella ramverket, skapat i denna studie, har fem affärsmodellelements valts ut som anses extra viktiga för studien: värdeerbjudandet, intäkter, kanaler, kundrelationer och partners. Studiens resultat föreslår anpassade tjänster såsom prestationsbaserade kontrakt med prenumerationsmodell och tilläggsval. Dessutom anses samverkan med kunden i ett tidigt skede av innovationsprocessen vara en nyckel till att utveckla rätt tjänster, samtidigt som kundrelationen förbättras. Det är även viktigt att tänka på att digitalisering ökar informationstransparensen och därför är det viktigt att utveckla standardiserade ramverk för att bibehålla tillförliten i kundrelationer. Således argumenterar studien för att uppdatera inkomstmodellen för digitala tjänster med en sammanhängande prissättningsstrategi över hela världen. Vidare anses det viktigt med ett stegvist skifte mot direktförsäljning, samtidigt som det är nödvändigt att bibehålla en bra relation med de externa återförsäljarna. På grund av det faktum att alla kunder inte har samma förutsättningar att erhålla digitala tjänster måste graden av digitalisering och direktförsäljning anpassas till den unika situationen och tjänsten. Genom att analysera hur tjänstefiering som en effekt av digitalisering påverkar affärsmodellen för ett etablerat tillverkningsföretag bidrar denna avhandling till existerande kunskap inom tjänstefiering, digitalisering och affärsmodeller. Vidare bidrar denna avhandling till ledningskunskap för chefer med fördjupad kontextualiserad kunskap i en fallstudie genom att föreslå en tjänstefieringsövergång som en affärsmodellsinnovation för att anpassa sig till dagens digitala värld.

Blockchain is an emerging technology that has been gaining popularity in many sectors over recent years. Being a disruptive and innovative technology, it has the potential to revolutionize the supply chain sector due to the many benefits it brings, such as security and automation. This paper sets out to look into what value blockchain can bring to the supply chain. A literature review was conducted on existing research based on blockchain uses in the supply chain. This was done to better understand the literature gap on the subject. This led to an interview study where blockchain experts from different areas in the supply chain sector were contacted to get a better understanding of what values can be created and what benefits blockchain can bring. The findings demonstrate that blockchain has great potential in the supply chain sector and has already shown its benefits in somecases. The maincontributions blockchain brings to supply chains are the value of creating trust in data and providing automation, which leads to many major benefits throughout supply chains. Blockchain brings an increase in trust of data as it creates one source of information for everyone involved in the supply chain. Automation of the supply chain means many manual processes of the supply chain can be automated. In this paper we look at real-life cases where blockchain has been implemented in the supply chain and what values it creates. Nevertheless, it seems that there is a lack of knowledge about the benefits and the potential uses of the technology. / Blockchain är en ny teknik som har blivit allt populärare inom många sektorer under de senaste åren. Eftersom det är en störande och innovativ teknik har den potential att revolutionera försörjningskedjesektorn på grund av de många fördelar den medför, som säkerhet och automatisering. I den här artikeln vill vi undersöka vilket värde blockkedjan kan tillföra försörjningskedjan. En litteraturöversikt genomfördes om befintlig forskning baserad på blockkedjeanvändning i försörjningskedjan. Detta gjordes för att bättre förstå litteraturbristen i ämnet. Detta ledde till en intervjustudie där blockkedjeexperter från olika områden inom försörjningskedjesektorn kontaktades för att få en bättre förståelse för vilka värden som kan skapas och vilka fördelar blockkedjan kan medföra. Resultaten visar att blockchain har stor potential inom försörjningskedjesektorn och har redan visat sina fördelar i vissa fall. De viktigaste bidragen som blockkedjan ger till försörjningskedjor är värdet av att skapa förtroende för data och tillhandahålla automatisering, vilket leder till många stora fördelar i hela försörjningskedjan. Blockkedjan medför en ökning av förtroendet för data eftersom den skapar en enda informationskälla för alla som är involverade i försörjningskedjan. Automatisering av försörjningskedjan innebär att många manuella processer i försörjningskedjan kan automatiseras. I den här artikeln tittar vi på verkliga fall där blockchain har implementerats i försörjningskedjan och vilka värden det skapar. Trots detta verkar det som om det finns en brist på kunskap om fördelarna och de potentiella användningsområdena för tekniken.

Open government data, concerned with the opening and publishing of government data in a free, accessible, and machine-readable format, aims to encourage public participation in government affairs, increasing government transparency and accountability. It is also posited that open government data will inspire businesses, the public and government agencies to use it and contribute to economic growth and value creation. The Canadian federal, provincial, and local governments have been actively opening and releasing open datasets about multiple subjects of interest to the public. However, evidence of the benefits of using open government datasets by Canadian businesses is scant, with no empirical research undertaken in Canada to understand how the data are used and what value is being created. Based on a qualitative approach, this thesis focuses on the works and experiences of 17 professed open data intermediary firms in Canada. It aims to discover patterns and themes that provide insights into how open government data were used, the challenges facing open data intermediaries, the state of open government data, and the economic value created. The data collection is based on semi-structured interviews conducted virtually with the founder or company's executives. In addition, the findings highlight the key similarities and differences in the activities open data intermediaries performed and the importance of resources and capabilities in developing products/services that contribute to economic value creation. Finally, five critical challenges impacting the use of open government data are identified: awareness, quality of open government data, competencies of users, data standards, and value creation.

Business strategies for competitive succession have been captivating the attention of scientists and entrepreneurs from all over the world. As more competitive circumstances are reached within a market, the value perspective expressed by consumers becomes increasingly relevant. The manufacturing industry has somewhat been resistant to incorporating soft consumer values into their business models, as many of them are built up by traditional price- and firm-centric structures and belief systems. In this thesis, we explore how embracing these values can benefit manufacturers and how to strategically use value creation and value capturing processes. Previous research on the topic has found that the ability to create and capture soft values has grown in other industries, however, the manufacturing industry has not yet fully embraced this trend. The reason is mainly due to their traditional structure. If manufacturers do not act now, they are threatened by a decline in market share that might lead to a market exit.  This thesis performs a case study of a Nordic rock bolt manufacturer and investigates what soft values are and how they can be utilized in the manufacturing industry. A question to ask while researching this topic, is what does the consumer evaluate when purchasing rock bolts from the manufacturer? To collect the answers, 6 different methods were used, including a field visit to a mine in Finland and several semi-structured interviews with representatives and actors in the Nordic rock bolt manufacturing industry. The various methods were all applied to get a holistic view of the problematization.  The study identified 9 soft values among rock bolt consumers that can be utilized in different value creation and capture processes. These soft values are based on the needs and wants that matter in the purchasing decision. Manufacturers should seek new and innovative ways of meeting consumer needs and wants. This means engaging with consumers and opening up for value co-creating opportunities. In turn, consumer knowledge will be beneficial to the manufacturer’s competitiveness. Furthermore, service-centric strategies, such as servitization, are ways for product companies to capture consumer value. Moreover, to further gain purchasing interest, it is suggested that manufacturers could incorporate value-based pricing strategies. This can promote the benefits of the manufacturer’s product, leading to a price setting that primarily is based on consumer-perceived values.  All in all, this study has demonstrated the importance and opportunity of soft value identification, creation, and capturing in the manufacturing industry by showing how price can be trumped by other, softer, values influencing the decision-making process.

Global Alliance of Marketing and Management Associations (GAMMA). The purpose of this study was to propose and empirically test a sport spectator behavioral model. The model presented here is a micro-level perspective of value creation in the context of live sporting events. This study used directional hypotheses to compare the influence of different value dimensions on specific customer behaviors in the setting of North American professional sport. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine path coefficients for the hypothesized relationships in the model. Organization-related value propositions were found to be stronger predictors of perceived economic, hedonic, and social value. One exception to this was customer density, which negatively impacted certain value perceptions. The hedonic value was found to have the strongest influence on customer in-role and extra-role behavior. The behavioral model tested here can be used in future studies to examine how sport organizations and their customers can create value in the live event setting and how the roles performed by each stakeholder influence future behavior. Findings suggest there are several actions marketers and managers can take to increase customer perceived value and prompt spectators to attend future events or act as advocates for the organization.

No description available.

The world’s linear economic system, operating under the make-use-dispose philosophy, creates heavy environmental issues such as resource depletion and exuberant waste creation. One industry that is strongly affiliated with these issues is the construction industry. Responsible for around 25% of global waste creation, the industry is in need of changing and circular initiatives such as waste-to-resource ones offer pathways to such a change towards sustainability. For the materialization of these initiatives, inter-organizational collaboration is an effective tool that needs to be strengthened within the industry. It has shown its ability to create sustainable business models that are more aligned with the principles of the circular economy, yet, further research into collaborative value creation is needed.   Therefore, this thesis investigates the processes of value creation in inter-organizational collaboration as well as how the value created can help facilitate waste-to-resource initiatives within the construction industry. A theoretical framework based on the Stakeholder Value Creation model and Collaborative Value Creation framework is being used to analyze empirical material stemming from semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of the construction industry. Based on the findings, the framework is adjusted by including additional value creating collaborative processes and enabling forces for the creation of waste-to-resource initiatives. Ultimately, this thesis lays out the processes creating value in inter-organizational collaboration within the construction industry as well as the waste-to-resource initiative enablers stemming from the different types of collaborative value. This is contributing to the theoretical knowledge of collaboration and value creation as well as allowing for practical application.

Denna studie undersöker hur det teoretiska underlaget inom värdeskapande på offline marknader och e-företag kan appliceras på Internet of Things-marknaden. Detta genom att presentera resultaten från en multipel fallstudie tillsammans med Telenor Connexion av multinationella företag intresserade av att implementera IoT i deras verksamhet. Analys av data från tidigare forskning inom strategisk ledning och värdeskapande påvisar att tidigare teorier inte fullt förklarar den värdeskapande potentialen inom IoT. Från den breda databasen insamlad under intervjuer med representanter från fallföretagen tillsammans med data insamlad genom personliga observationer under event och konferenser inom IoT föreslår vi en ny modell för värdeskapande inom IoT. Modellen, som är formulerad från perspektivet av mobiloperatörer med ett fokus på kundbehov, föreslår global täckning, partner nätverk, proof of concept och bästa praxis som de primära värdeskapande faktorerna inom IoT. Dessa faktorer är nära kopplade till kundbehoven identifierade från data från fallföretagen samt de identifierade problemen som företagen som vill implementera IoT upplever. Dessutom identifierar vi de manageriella implikationerna denna studie presenterar för mobiloperatörer som önskar att maximera värdeskapande inom IoT samt företag som önskar att implementera IoT i sin verksamhet. Slutligen erbjuder vi den presenterade modellen som enhet för analys för framtida forskning på ämnet värdeskapande inom IoT. / In this thesis work, we explore how the theoretical foundations of value creation in offline markets and e-businesses apply to the context of Internet of Things. Specifically, we present the results from a multiple case study together with Telenor Connexion and five multinational companies in its network interested in implementing IoT in their own businesses. The analysis of collected data in this study and our literature review of strategic management and value creation indicate that the previous theories of value creation cannot fully explain the value creating potential of IoT. Furthermore, based on the rich database obtained from interviews at the case companies, together with data obtained through personal observations at events and conferences regarding IoT, we propose a new model for value creation in IoT. The model focuses on the perspective of Mobile Network Operators from a customer-centric approach, which contains global coverage, partner networks, proof of concept and best practice as the primary value creation drivers in IoT. These primary value creation drivers are tightly coupled with the customer needs identified during the analysis of the data gathered from interviews at the case companies as well as to the interpreted problems organizations wishing to implement IoT are facing. Furthermore, we identify the managerial implications this study presents to Mobile Network Operators striving to maximize value creation in the field of IoT, as well as businesses interested in implementing IoT. We offer the Value Creation Model in IoT for Mobile Network Operators as a unit of analysis for future research on value creation in IoT.

In 2011, the Swedish upper secondary school curriculum underwent a reform, which resulted in entrepreneurship being integrated into all subjects. However, entrepreneurship is not explicitly mentioned in the purpose or central contents of civics, raising questions about how it should be integrated within the subject. By mapping the existing research in the field, the objective of this study is to problematize and investigate opportunities and challenges regarding the implementation of entrepreneurship as part of the civics subject in Swedish upper secondary education.The research suggests that a type of learning called value-creating learning is beneficial for developing students' entrepreneurial skills and fits well with the dual purpose of civics education. In civics, one of the two main goals is to teach the fundamental scientific theories of the subject. Value-creating learning, which is practical and pragmatic in line with the theory of pragmatism, helps students connect these theories with real-life applications.From the perspective of the theory of situated learning, value-creating learning can offer a new social environment for students to cultivate entrepreneurial skills and adopt entrepreneurial norms through interactions beyond the classroom. Moreover, this approach fulfills the second goal of social studies, as it prepares students to become active and engaged citizens in a democratic society.

Due to rapid and major economic change in recent years, the need for more flexible, dynamic and innovative companies is widely recognized. Firms must clearly understand and translate customers’ needs in order to foster value creation. Many scholars have focused their attention on the entrepreneurial behavior of owners or top managers and their actions that encourage innovation, venturing and strategic renewal. However, rigorous empirical research examining the factors that support corporate entrepreneurship and lead to sustainable value creation is scarce. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that support corporate entrepreneurship and lead to sustainable value creation in a ship management company, using a case study approach. In this context, the following research question is addressed: -What factors support corporate entrepreneurship and lead to sustainable value creation in a ship management company? This research uses an interpretive paradigm and utilizes three methods for collecting data, consisting of observational technique, surveys and semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal the factors that support corporate entrepreneurship and lead to sustainable value creation in ship management. These are analyzed in relation to the literature and the ship management sector. The study concludes that corporate entrepreneurship, when conducted effectively, can be a significant contributor of sustainable value creation. However, this may or may not be applicable to other sectors.