Cities cover 3% of the world’s surface but they emit 72% of all globally produced greenhouse gas emissions. Cities are therefore an essential part when trying to overcome climate change. To address this crisis Climate-City Contracts [Klimatkontrakt] was adopted in Sweden 2020 by nine Swedish cities, four governmental agencies and Viable Cities. The goal is to form climate neutral cities. To achieve this the cities will start co-creation processes together with its citizens. The processes will aim to find new solutions to combat climate change. This bachelor thesis provides a unique perspective of how that can be achieved in Umeå, which is one of the cities that signed the contract. The research aim is to examine public officials, in Umeå municipality, views of co-creation within the framework of Klimatkontrakt Umeå 2030. Thus creating a greater understanding of how public officials within Umeå perceive the possibilities for citizens to become a co-creating actor. To achieve the research aim interviews were conducted with four public officials in Umeå municipality. The interviews showed that the public officials can see many positive effects as a result of future co-creation processes. Different target groups will also become the focal point when Umeå will co-create with its citizens. The process can also take many forms, such as different kinds of dialogues, which may lead to a reorganization which allows Umeå to better co-create with its citizens.

Enligt Service-dominant logic perspektivet delges en konsument ett värdeerbjudande som denne sedan agerar på. Beroende på interaktionsutfall påverkas kundnöjdheten. Kopplingen mellan interaktionsutfallen no-creation och co-destruction samt deras påverkan på kundnöjdheten är outforskad. Studien syftar till att undersöka individers upplevda kundnöjdhet av värdeerbjudanden som presenteras via direkta- samt indirekta digitala marknadsföringsaktiviteter. För studien konstruerades en modell där värdeerbjudanden via direkta (mejl) och indirekta (Facebook) digitala marknadsföringskanaler studerades. Detta för att skapa förståelse kring vilket interaktionsutfall; co-creation, no-creation eller co-destruction värdeerbjudandet resulterade i baserat på konsumenternas upplevelse samt hur kundnöjdheten påverkades. Föreliggande studie använde sig av en kvalitativ forskningsansats där tolv semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes. Resultatet visar att vid direkta digitala marknadsföringsaktiviteter (mejl) var en lägre frekvens av värdeerbjudanden och mer information i mejlutskicken två faktorer som resulterade i co-creation med en ökad kundnöjdhet som följd. Utfallet no-creation uppkom om konsumenten hade en relation med värdeleverantören men saknade intresse vid tillfället för värdeerbjudandet, vilket resulterade i en oförändrad kundnöjdhet. Om frekvensen av värdeerbjudanden var för hög eller om värdeerbjudandena var icke-personliga uppkom utfallet co-destruction, vilket resulterade i en minskad kundnöjdhet. Vid indirekta digitala marknadsföringsaktiviteter (Facebook) visar resultatet att transparens från företagens sida gentemot konsumenten och anpassningen av värdeerbjudandet gentemot konsumentens preferenser var två faktorer som ledde till co-creation, med ökad kundnöjdhet som följd. Flertalet respondenter upplevde att de fick förväntade- eller icke intresseväckande värdeerbjudanden, vilka resulterade i no-creation, med en oförändrad kundnöjdhet som följd. Även vid indirekt digital marknadsföring ledde hög frekvens till co-destruction. Vilket även värdeerbjudanden som upplevdes göra personintrång gjorde. Dessa resulterade i minskad kundnöjdhet. Föreliggande studie styrker existerande forsknings slutsats; att co-creation leder till ökad kundnöjdhet. Vidare utökas förståelsen med en modell konstruerad av författarna för att tydliggöra det faktum att no-creation leder till en oförändrad kundnöjdhet och att co-destruction leder till en minskad kundnöjdhet. Därutöver visar studien vilka faktorer som påverkar konsumentens interaktionsutfall. / According to the Service-dominant logic perspective, a consumer is served a value proposition on which he or she then acts. Depending on the interaction outcome, customer satisfaction is affected. However, the link between the interaction outcomes no-creation and co-destruction and its impact on customer satisfaction is yet unexplored. This study aims to examine individuals' perceived customer satisfaction of value propositions that are presented via direct and indirect digital marketing activities. A model was constructed by the authors in which value propositions via direct (email) and indirect (Facebook) digital marketing channels were examined. To create an understanding of which interaction outcome (co-creation, no-creation, and co-destruction) different value propositions resulted in, based on consumers' experience and how this affected customer satisfaction. The study used a qualitative approach in which twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted.The results indicate that within indirect digital marketing activities (e-mail), a lower frequency of value propositions containing more information were factors that resulted in co-creation with increased customer satisfaction as a result. No-creation occurred if the consumer had a relationship with the value provider but lacked interest at the time of the value proposition, which resulted in unchanged customer satisfaction. If the frequency of value propositions was too high or the value propositions were non-personal, co-destruction occurred, which resulted in a reduction in customer satisfaction.In indirect digital marketing activities (Facebook), the results show that transparency from the company's side towards the consumer and the level of adaption of the value proposition towards the consumer's preferences led to co-creation, with increased customer satisfaction. No-creation occurred when the customers had received expected or uninteresting value propositions, resulting in unchanged customer satisfaction. Value propositions that had a high frequency or that were perceived to make personal infringement were factors that led to co-destruction, which resulted in reduced customer satisfaction.The present study supports existing research's results, that co-creation leads to increased customer satisfaction. The understanding is expanded with a model constructed by the authors which clarifies that no-creation leads to unchanged customer satisfaction and that co-destruction leads to reduced customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the study also examines which factors that affect the customer’s interaction outcome.

Music- and video consumption has rapidly changed during the last years and a growing number of consumers use different streaming services which allow for greater interaction with other users than was previously possible. Meanwhile a growing focus within the scientific world has been placed on consumers’ ability to co-create value with other users. A mixed method study was consequently conducted to investigate how streaming companies help consumers co-create value by facilitating customer-to-customer relationships. The qualitative approach showed that there was a clear ambition by streaming companies to utilize C2C relationships to market their products and help co-create value. The quantitative approach showed, however, that their efforts were not always effective and that focusing on other aspects of streaming services may provide more value for the consumer. / Video- och musikkonsumtion har snabbt förändrats de senaste åren och en växande andel konsumenter använder sig idag av streamingtjänster som erbjuder möjligheten att interagera med andra användare. Under samma period har ett växande fokus placerats på användares möjlighet att samskapa värde med andra konsumenter. En blandad metod användes för att undersöka hur olika streamingbolag främjar konsumentinteraktioner för att hjälpa samskapande-processen. Det kvalitativa tillvägagångssättet gjorde det tydligt att streamingbolag har en ambition att använda sig av C2C-interaktioner för att marknadsföra sina produkter och göra dem mer värdefulla för konsumenten. Det kvantitativa tillvägagångssättet visade däremot att deras strävan att skapa värde inte alltid var framgångsrik och att de sannolikt skulle kunna skapa mer värde på andra sätt.

<div>As part of an increasing interest in a "Turn to Practice," HCI scholars have investigated the felt design complexities and ethical concerns in everyday technology practice, calling for practice-led research approaches. Given the ethical nature of technology design work, practitioners have to often negotiate and mediate their personal values, disciplinary notions of ethics, organizational policies and values, and societal impact of their design work. To tease apart and describe practitioner accounts of ethical aspects of their design work, I used three different approaches to investigate what practitioners from different professional roles communicate about and participate in (potentially) strengthening their ethical engagement in their everyday design work within and across role boundaries: survey, design of co-creation activities, and deployment/pilot of these co-creation activities. </div><div><br></div><div>In the survey study, I identify and describe the differences in disciplinary values, responsibilities, commitments, and alignment in relation to ethics and social responsibility through captured data from 256 technology and design practitioners from a range of professional roles.</div><div><br></div><div>As a part of the design phase of co-creation activities, I design, iterate, and prototype three co-creation activities (A: Tracing the Complexity; B: Dilemma Postcards; and C: Method Heuristics) and sequences of these activities to engage a range of different professional roles to communicate about their ethical action and (potentially) strengthen their ethical engagement in everyday design work. I define design vocabulary/Schemas: 1) <i>A.E.I.O.YOU model</i> to investigate the landscape of ethics in practice and 2) <i>Classifiers</i> to codify the activities and potential variants.</div><div><br></div><div>As a part of the deployment phase of these designed co-creation activities, I piloted four sequences of these activities with twelve practitioners with three different professional roles per sequence, engaging in approx. 23 hours of facilitation, artifact creation, and conversation. I present the results of deployment of the co-creation sessions where practitioners articulated that the co-creation activities helped <i>expand</i> their ethical horizons through self-awareness, <i>learn</i> new approaches to ethics vocabulary, <i>become (re-)aware </i>of their current practice, and <i>imagine</i> trajectories of change in their practice. Practitioners also identified a preliminary set of ethics-related practices that could be better supported such as tools for performance, leadership support, ethics education, and resources for ethical decision making. </div><div><br></div><div>Based on the results from these three approaches, I propose contributions to HCI and design audiences. For HCI researchers, practitioners, and educators, the survey results describe differences in professional notions and valence of ethics, framing the need for translation and transdisciplinary approach to ethics in a practice context. For design researchers, the designing of the co-creation activities is a methodological contribution where I propose and illustrate opportunities for creating novel ways to engage practitioners in co-creation work as a means of communicating their felt ethical concerns and practices. For co-creation researchers and professional ethicists, the engagement of practitioners in the co-creation reveal: 1) complexities to facilitate different disciplinary roles and design a space for ``representing'' a range of practitioners; and 2) gaps and potential synergies in supporting practitioners through practice-resonant ethics-focused methods. </div>

Startups face a wide range of opportunities and challenges when it comes to building their brand value and by extension brand image, due to possessing both limited financial and human resources. Hence, developing a distinct and enduring brand is a critical competitive imperative for them. Evidence exists to suggest that co-creating brand value is an effective means of achieving this. This paper looks at how startups can co-create brand value, through the medium of social networks, that may lead to a favorable brand image. This thesis study adopts interpretivism as its main research philosophy. The thesis is based on inductive reasoning and qualitative research methods through multiple case study research, with a combined research design of explorative and descriptive. The study uses semi-structured interviews and a literature review to collect primary and secondary data. This study suggests that co-creation is a creative and innovative strategy. It is used by companies to co-create brand value through social networks, where factors such as trust, accessibility, flexibility, and commitment, play a substantial role for engagement and brand image building through co-creation.

For the last months, the Swedish e-commerce market has experienced impacted competitive dynamics followed by the entrance of the US giant, Amazon. This thesis investigated the competitive dynamics that developed after the entrance of Amazon on the Swedish e-commerce market. The research aimed to accentuate how the competitive dynamics developed, how Amazon was perceived on the Swedish market, and whether it was in fact unwelcome by Swedish firms. Suspicion of the unfamiliar giant resulted in various reactions from the Swedish players. The thesis conducted a case study of the competitive dynamics that developed from Amazon’s entrance into the Swedish market. A conceptual framework based on previous research was constructed to connect essential theories within competitive dynamics. The framework represents an industry’s competitive environment when an actor enters a new market. The empirical data was collected through qualitative research interviews with five Swedish firms operating within the book industry, children product industry, and marketplace industry. Findings showed that competitive dynamics is evidently impacted. The Swedish players are less threatened than expected, and many preparations were in store before the entrance. Findings additionally found that Amazon could help to drive customer consciousness of marketplaces. This thesis has contributed to additional insight in competitive dynamics from a firm perspective.

The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between city branding and community sport focusing on the role of citizens. Community sport means more than just organized sport events, covering all of physical activities, recreation, and leisure that are based on the region. Therefore, Community-based Sport and Recreational Physical Activity (CSRPA) is closely related to urban experience and quality of life of local residents. Specifically, the objectives of this research are to: (1) evaluate the perceptions of internal stakeholders of city branding through CSRPA; and (2) examine the possibility of considering CSRPA as branding opportunities. Participatory city branding theory provided the most relevant theoretical frameworks to shed light on co-creative image building process by leveraging citizens’ participation to CSRPA. The methodology used in the study was case study with the city of Ottawa, Canada. City representatives (n=17) took part in semi-structure interviews to elucidate their perceptions and lived experiences associated with Ottawa city branding. Citizens (n=127) participated in an online survey to express their voices surrounding city brands and sport participation. The findings of the study suggest that CSRPA constitutes an interesting opportunity to contribute to co-creative city branding by incorporating citizens’ voices and promoting collaborative public governance.

Supportive fan bases in live events are more than casual viewers. They are the result of an active audience who have shifted the power dichotomy between producers and viewers via their range of participation. Drawing from scholars like Jacques Ranciere, Henry Jenkins, and Adam Alston, this essay uses Evermore Park in Pleasant Grove, UT, as a case study to review levels of engagement within spectatorship, and particularly how fandom can lead to audience takeover of immersive spaces. Evermore Park is a unique site that sits at the intersection of all three performance genres--immersive theater, park studies, and live action role-play. It is ripe for takeover as the producers encourage audiences to participate in increasingly liberal ways. This paper specifically focuses on the powerful position of the "fan" to contest producers and take over the space through their influence over the narrative, costume design, and online presence.

The engagement of citizens in governmental actives is the future of publicsector reforms. The private sector has already started to leverage onlinetechnology to innovate and to reinvent businesses. The move towards servicesexchange instead of goods exchange is making producers, providersand users cooperate to recognize and exploit value co-creation opportunities.The degree to which collective intelligence is leveraged could be correlatedto the value an initiative generates in the public sector. Thereby open governmentimplies a focus on value co-creation in the public sector. This thesisargues that an important purpose of opening up governments towards citizensand private business is to leverage the potential of value co-creation in asimilar fashion to that already being explored in the private sector. To explorethis phenomenon this thesis addresses the following research question:How can local government use IT services to become more open and leveragethe potential of public value co-creation?Utilizing a design science approach with interpretive philosophical assumptions,the thesis contributes to knowledge on open government and value cocreationby designing artifacts that support open government in the form ofe- and m-services. It also investigates inhibitors of public value co-creationthat may arise from the design of the artifacts.

The study deals with the importance of strategic communication and the purpose of this thesis is to examine the challenges for strategic communication in a network organization. A network organization is an organizational form that arises increasingly as a result of today's rapid change and leads to a greater need to collaborate and exchange knowledge among stakeholders. Strategic communication has its basis in communication theory, organizational theory and management theory and therefore the theoretical reference framework is built from these areas. The research questions are as follows: What meanings do goals and vision have for strategic communication in a network organization? What are the challenges of strategic communication in a network organization? In order to investigate these research questions the study is based on a qualitative study and more specially a case-study. The study was conducted on Green Umeå which is a network organization and is particularly interesting as it is based on a co-creation logic. The interviews were conducted using semi-structured interviews on site and the selection of respondents was made with a snowball selection. The results of the study are as followings:  - Clear goals and a vision are important to be successful with strategic communication.  - Value creation has a significant role in network organizations and thus influences strategic communication.  - Conflicts of interest among actors within network organizations can lead to difficulties with common goals and visions.  - Communication has a crucial role for the strategic communication in a network organization.