In this dissertation, I study coordination or collaboration settings that are either within company or at inter-organizational levels in the form of three essays. In the first essay, I study the relationship between a client and a vendor in value co-creation environments such as knowledge intensive services. I consider that the client gets utility from the project throughout the development period. The output is contingent on the effort levels of each party and I allow these effort levels to be dynamic. Hence, the client needs to optimally decide the terms of the payment so as to maximize the project output and minimize its cost. In my second essay, I study another value co-creation environment. In this case, unlike the first essay, I assume that the effort levels are not observable but might be monitored. In both essays, I analyze the performance of different contracts and find the best one for the client in diverse settings. Among several other results, I derive the conditions under which the client chooses not to observe vendor’s effort level and operates in a double moral hazard environment. In addition, I show that the remaining time of the project and the client’s valuation of the project regulate the behavior of the effort levels and some other characteristics in the collaboration. In the third essay, I consider a subscription based rental organization, such as Netflix and Blockbuster. In these environments, the satisfaction of customers de- pends on the availability of requested products. Hence, it is important for these firms to satisfy as much demand as possible. Recommender systems, in a DVD- rental context, are typically used to help customers in finding the right movies for them. However, recommendations can be utilized to shift demand among movies considering the inventory level and future demand to increase the number of satisfied customers or profitability. I address this issue by considering inventory in the optimization of recommender systems. I present several results that could be utilized by managers in order to make important tactical and operational decisions. Results suggest that the proposed approach may improve profitability of the firms substantially.

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As Mennonites take up the challenge to clarify their stance vis a vis the creation, the question arises as to whether there are dimensions or tendencies in the writings of their eponym that can assist them in the articulation of a theology that is world-affirming. The teachings of Menno Simons regarding the Incarnation, "the world" and "the flesh" reflect the ambivalent attitude toward the world which has characterized the Christian Church over the centuries. In his doctrine of regeneration, however, there is evident a profound hope concerning the possibilities for "this world". His commitment to a faith which transforms life in this world supports a "worldly" theology, and his insistence on a certain separation of the church is necessary if the church is to be for the world.

Service innovation is increasingly becoming a basis for manufacturing firms to reach and sustain competitive advantages. While traditional product innovation typically includes how new technology can be utilized in new products, service innovation spans a broader area that is not exclusively focused on new technology, but rather how resources can be developed into value propositions and then integrated in the customer’s process in order to support customer value creation through realization. However, manufacturing firms that infuse services struggle with service innovation; this becomes especially evident in the realization phase. This thesis is a compilation of five papers discussing different aspects of service innovation realization and the inherited challenges. The study builds upon empirical data from four Swedish manufacturing firms that infuse services and develop new value propositions that include both products and services to support customer processes. The thesis illustrates realization as a phase in service innovation where the firm interacts with its customer in order to adjust, revise and further find new ways of improving the customer’s processes through for example customer training. Realization is characterized by a deployment phase and a post-deployment phase that represent the ongoing relationship between the customer and the firm. Depending on who has the competencies or ability to integrate the resources that are needed for service innovation, different interaction patterns are identified. Through indirect interaction, the firm facilitates the customer’s value creation through, for example, preventive maintenance, while through direct interaction the firm acts as a co-creator in the service innovation process and hence work jointly together with the customer in order to improve customer value creation. This thesis contributes to the literature by characterizing service innovation realization and by increasing the understanding for different interaction patterns in the service innovation process.

ServiceSketch is a collaborative tabletop tool for service design. It was developed to address some of the challenges designers face when developing service systems, including the dynamic, intangible nature of service and the complexity of coordinating multiple stakeholders over time and space. The concept for the tool draws from literature on service design, tangible user interfaces, and co-creation. It was also informed by user research sessions with graduate design students. The interface of ServiceSketch consists of a large multi-touch surface display that reacts to finger touches and a provided set of physical objects. Both the hardware and software development of ServiceSketch are described in this document. ServiceSketch was evaluated with groups of graduate design students who were asked to perform small group service design activities using the tool. These sessions showed that ServiceSketch was successful in supporting common service design processes and even inspired many participants to suggest possible future developments for the tool. ServiceSketch also seemed to encourage a playful, collaborative approach to service design. The results of the project hint at the possibilities for a new breed of service design tool, one that focuses on facilitating conversations about service through an engaging, interactive medium.

As humans and society have evolved, living has become more abstract and individualized. This report on the creative project discusses the artistic process and how each of the five works personalized or called attention to the abstractness of a beholder's existence. Each of the mixed-media works centered around a hand-built ceramic granary form which referenced the human drive to store resources. During exhibition at Ball State University, beholders would construct an association to storage by resolving the disparities caused by the mix of images and materials in each artwork.The artistic process was defined into three categories of experiences: personal investigation, experimentation and skill-building. A major component of personal investigation was the development of the Visual Vocabulary, a collection of devices, images and ideas from the artist's life experiences. The experimentation category occurred when the elements of the visual vocabulary were conceptualized into a scenario for an artwork. The physical work involved in making each artwork was part of the skill-building category. How each work was constructed and the exhibition was also discussed. / Department of Art

The creative project involved the exploration and to cone 06 in an development of eight large handbuilt ceramic vessels. False bottoms, double walls, and amorphous forms were constructed inside the vessels and textured with various implements. To create contrast on the exterior of the forms, a variety of experimental glazes, porcelain slips, and stains were applied. The pieces were then fired electric kiln. After this process, the outer surfaces were manipulated again with the use of a sandblaster and sandpaper.Each piece created for this project had a particular character and life of its own. A constant factor also remained in the work, which held it together as a whole. / Department of Art

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Thesis (MHSc--Health Science) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (175 leaves ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 153.35 BEL)