Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore how AI providers ensure value creation and value capture dimensions when developing AI offerings. This by illustrating activities that builds the dimensions and to increase the understanding on how value creation and value capture interplay. Method – To fulfill its purpose, this study adopted an inductive exploratory single case-study approach, conducted at a market leading telecom provider of AI related services. In total, 23 interviews were held with the case company, and the results were generated by applying a three step process of thematic analysis, where the framework’s phases and its underlying activities were identified. Findings – This study’s findings are presented in a process framework, explicitly illustrating key activities for the value creation and value capture dimensions. The framework further suggests AI providers to design AI offerings by going through three phases, i.e. identifying prerequisites for value creation, connecting value creation with value capture opportunities and designing the value offering. It is also found that AI providers must develop multiple business models, and operate them simultaneously, to operationalize AI successfully. Theoretical and practical implications – This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of AI by identifying activities building the value creation and value capture dimensions. In addition, the process framework can be used by practitioners when developing or refining business model architectures for AI offerings. Limitations and future research – This study is limited by its scope, and future research is recommended to perform extended studies where both providers and its customers are included. In addition, this study’s findings highlights the importance of developing and operating multiple business model to operationalize AI successfully. However, this also induces risks of business model cannibalization, which calls for more research.

Conferencia realizada el 6 de setiembre de 2018 en el Auditorio Bancalari del Campus Monterrico en la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). / Webinar realizado por Dave Ulrich respecto como se puede crear valor de valor a través de los Recursos Humanos. Además contó con la participación de los expertos Bret Rogers, José Ascarza y Alejandra D'Agostino.

Conferencia realizada el 6 de setiembre de 2018 en el Auditorio del Campus San Miguel en la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). / Webinar realizado por Dave Ulrich respecto como se puede crear valor de valor a través de los Recursos Humanos. Además contó con la participación de los expertos Ana María Gubbins, Cristóbal Del Castillo y Regina Quintero.

Sammanfattning Studieobjekt: Anställda och kunder till ett värmepumpsföretag. Problemområde: Garanti är ett ämne som studerats mycket de senaste 40 åren. Inriktningen har gjorts mot garantier vid tjänsteerbjudanden och fokuserats på marknadsföringsaspekten. Garantier ger en adderad säkerhet för kunden och historiskt har garantin inkluderats i erbjudandet. Det saknas däremot undersökningar gällande hur kunder ser på alternativa sätt att erbjuda en garanti.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra med ökad förståelse för garantier som värdeskapande element i kundupplevelsen. Frågeställningar: Påverkar garantier kundupplevelsen samt en kunds val av tjänst? Hur ser kundperspektivet på en garanti i relation till priset på en tjänst ut? Hur ser kunden på möjligheten att välja nivå av garanti? Teori: Garanti, kundupplevelse och olika aspekter inom den, tjänstelogik samt värdeskapande utifrån tjänstelogiksperspektivet. Metod och genomförande: Uppsatsen utgår ifrån en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. Det empiriska materialet består av åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med kunder och anställda vid ett värmepumpsföretag. Vår insamlade data analyserades sedan gentemot de valda teorierna för att avslutningsvis resultera i våra slutsatser.  Slutsatser: Garantier påverkar en kunds val av tjänst samt kundupplevelse. Det genom att kunden ges en trygghet vad gäller framtida problem samt att företaget står bakom sin tjänst. Ur ett prisperspektiv ser inte kunden något problem i en något högre prislapp om erbjudandet innefattar någon sorts garanti. Vidare tolkas det positivt att ha möjligheten att utesluta en garanti. Liksom det positiva perspektivet på valmöjligheten att utesluta en garanti anses också nivåalternativ som positiva. Det till trots att ingen av de intervjuade ansåg att de önskat ett nivåalternativ tidigare. Grunden låg snarare i valmöjligheten och anpassningsbarheten ur sitt egna kundperspektiv. Nyckelord: Garanti, kundupplevelse, tjänstelogik, värdeskapande. / Abstract Title: Safety and security is everything! Subtitle: The possibility to customize the guarantee based on needs. Study: Employees and customers to a heat pump company. Problem area: Guarantee is a subject that has been studied frequently over the last 40 years. The orientation has been done towards guarantees in service offerings and has focused on the marketing aspect. Guarantees bring safety to the customer and historically the guarantee has been included in the offer. However, there is a lack of studies that focus on how customers perceive alternative ways on how to offer a guarantee. Object: The object of this study is to contribute with knowledge about guarantees as a value creating element in the customer experience. Problem statements: Does a guarantee affect the customer experience and the customer’s choice of service? How does the customer perspective view a guarantee in regards to the price of a service? How does the customer perceive the possibility to choose a level of guarantee? Theory: Guarantee, customer experience and different aspects of it, service logic and value creation based on the service logic theory. Method and implementation: The study is based qualitative research. The empirical material consists of eight semi-structured interviews with customer and employees at a heat pump company. The collected data was analyzed in regards to our chosen theories, resulting in our conclusions in regards to our problem statements. Conclusions: Guarantees affect a customer’s choice of service and their customer experience. This since the customer is given security regarding future problems and the fact that the company stand behind their service. From a price perspective the customer does not see a problem with a slightly higher cost if the offer contains some sort of guarantee. Furthermore, it is interpreted as positive to have the possibility to exclude a guarantee. As well as the positive perspective on the option to exclude a guarantee, level options regarding the guarantee is regarded as favorable, even though none of the interviewed felt the need of having level options before. Despite this, the basis was in the options and adaptability based on one’s customer perspective. Keywords: Guarantee, customer experience, service logic, value creation.

Background and Purpose: In the past years, Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) investments have substantially gained relevance. Corporations engage in this practice to reap strategic benefits that are usually only associated with entrepreneurial ventures and thereby drive innovation. While the success of CVC investments is undisputed, scholars have failed to provide a full description of the process that leads to the creation of strategic value for corporations. Therefore, we want to investigate the strategic value creation process in CVC and build a comprehensive framework thereof. The research question is thus: What is the process through which corporations create strategic value in CVC investments? Methodology: In line with pragmatism, we chose the methods best suited to answer the research question: Primary data will be obtained in face to face interviews with key individuals involved in the strategic value creation process in Husqvarna Group Ventures. Following methods from Morse (1994) and Alvesson & Kärreman (2011), we then analyse the data in a dialogue with our frame of reference. After the identification of a breakdown, an unexpected result that cannot be explained by current academia, we continue to build the framework applying two interpretive repertoires. To do so, we combine our findings with the fragmented existing literature to depict the strategic value creation process. Findings: We find that scholars have overlooked the complexity of the knowledge transfer, which is an integral part of strategic value creation. The CVC unit cannot directly access knowledge in their portfolio firms; instead, an active and involved effort needs to be made by the corporate to create learning opportunities, which can then be transformed into strategic value. The key to accessing knowledge can be found in what we call the knowledge sharing mechanism: An intricate interplay of relationships between the CVC unit and the portfolio firm. We find that corporates significantly commit to activities to build an environment that facilitates voluntary, reciprocal knowledge sharing. Conclusion: Business units must establish and maintain interpersonal relationships with their portfolio firms to meet corporate objectives of innovation and strategic value creation through CVC. The relationship acts a channel for the knowledge transfer, and by extension, as an enabler of strategic value creation. We fill a gap in the existing literature and provide an all-encompassing framework depicting the strategic value creation process of CVC investments with a focus on the relationships between the CVC unit and the portfolio firm. Researchers have neglected this aspect until now.

Archaeologists excavate to find out more about our prehistory. The more artifacts we dig up and preserve the more the potential to extract knowledge about the past from them grows. But some people are starting to get worried how we are going to be able to keep all the things we excavate. The museums are already filled to the brim, but the stream of new objects does not stop.  We are, according to those people, in a curation crisis. This study aims to investigate how the laws and regulations of disposal of the archaeological artifacts in museums collections translate to practice. Through interviews and analyzing laws and guidelines I aim to study how those in charge of disposal navigate between the need of more archaeological material versus the need to make more room in the collections, and how the guidelines over disposal gets implemented in practice. The conclusions of this paper is that Swedish museums employees generally thinks that the guidelines are easy to work with, however they rarely dispose of archaeological artifacts, instead they rely on it being done in the field.

Although M&A’s have the greatest probability of failure in organizations, the major reasons for this outcome is the integration process. M&As have been a popular strategy for accessing new markets, introducing new products, expanding their knowledge base, and enhancing competitive advantage. In this study, we explore a case of technology acquisition, and we propose a theoretical framework based on literature that identifies phases in post-acquisition process. The process involves three stages: knowledge absorption, operational phase and commercial phase that is explored and evaluated with the empirical data of the case study. Then, thematic analysis was utilized in this study to identify common themes related to the role of acquisition. The related functions and benefits were grouped under acquisition roles. Since the case study was a successful acquisition, it was easy to figure out the roles and dimensions of integration from it. Both the methods contribute in addressing, the necessary phases that need to be organized with integration and deriving different functionalities to achieve common goals. Finally, we present a discussion and bring out the relationships that emerged from this study from different themes and have been mapped to stages in the post-acquisition process, resulting in outcomes from each role. Thus, this study puts an emphasis on the range of factors that create value from successful technological acquisition and conclude as post-acquisition process with integration elements is the initial pivotal position for the consequences.

Background and Problem DiscussionA paradigm shift in retail is evident due to the increase of customers purchasing productsonline, where digitalization has created a concern regarding the existence of the physical storein today’s digitalized society. On the other hand, e-commerce has been seen as an opportunityfor retail stores to use as a strategy where physical and digital work together in a symbiosisfor creating unified messages and experiences for the consumers across channels. However,this creates a challenge for finding the right combination, where physical stores require otherdemands today because of e-commerce.Purpose and Research QuestionsThe purpose of this study is to investigate the value of the physical store in today’s digitalizedsociety from a company perspective. In order to answer the purpose, the following researchquestions have been formulated focusing on the Swedish fashion industry:• What role does the physical store have in today’s digitalized society?• How do fashion brands value the physical store?Research MethodologyIn this study, a qualitative method was conducted with a hermeneutic approach, utilizingsemi-structured interviews with key people at three traditional and three online-based fashionbrands, which are MarQet, H&M, Gina Tricot, Ellos, Jollyroom and Nelly.com.ConclusionThe physical store increases in value when working in a symbiosis with the online store. If thephysical and digital commerce are coordinated and run parallel with each other, together theycan produce greater value than individually. Traditional and online-based fashion companiesfind value in the physical store in attracting more customers, strengthening the brand,providing a holistic experience with personal service, events and added services. The storecan provide that little extra to the customer also by integrating with the online store in order tomove seamlessly across channels. The physical store is required in today’s digitalized societyin a symbiosis with the online store to create value for both customers and brands. This studycan in the long-term contribute to knowledge for fashion brands to understand and use thephysical store in the best way possible to create customer value.

As sustainability becomes a more prominent part of people’s lives, firms that embrace sustainability can create more value for customers. Value has traditionally been seen as being determined by the provider. However, recent theorisations have conceptualised value as being created by the customer with interactions as a key component. The primary way for customers to interact with firms is through indirect interaction – such as when reading labels on product packaging or taking part in advertising. In extant literature, there is a lack of research on how customers’ value creation is affected by interactions with firms – and more specifically – by indirect interaction. The purpose of this study has been to explore how customers’ value creation is affected by providers’ communication of sustainability efforts through indirect interaction. To gain this insight, 12 interviews with customers have been conducted and analysed in four dimensions – general, sustainability, communication and the value creation process. The study found that sustainability efforts were mainly communicated through indirect interactions. Sustainability efforts affected all respondents’ lives and consumption process. Customers valued communication of sustainability efforts that they perceived as being honest, could understand and was presented to them at an appropriate time.

Sustainability within wholesale is currently facing a significant challenge. Research has shown that sustainable solutions are most commonly achieved through win-win strategies. However, such strategies do not work when the push for sustainability is external, e.g. governmental. This study intends to review how stakeholders can be analysed to create shared value. Building on existing theories, it asks: How is the change towards sustainable transportation perceived by stakeholders and how does it affect the perceived value of the business? In this context, we define the studied stakeholders as customers and employees. Shared value is defined as an action that a business can take to add value for themselves and their customers, or for the society. Based on existing literature regarding sustainability and theories regarding stakeholders, a scenario-based online survey was distributed to customers of wholesale and employees (non-managerial) at Martin & Servera. Analysis of the responses demonstrate a significant disparity between what is expected, required and desired of the business from customers. The results indicate that the disparity between employees and customers complicate sustainable improvements. Therefore, sustainable improvements should be enhanced by reducing the disparity through e.g. communication between customers and employees. Further research is needed to distinguish if other stakeholders have a significant impact or not.