Manufacturing companies are increasingly serving customers through valuebased offers by adding and integrating more services in their businesses. Although, manufacturers mainly still use cost-based pricing, many are reconsidering their pricing strategies to capture a fair share of the value they create through value-based offers. Therefore, adopting to value-based pricing (VBP) becomes a necessity when competing value-driven. This study explores the barriers to VBP among servitising industrial manufacturers. Related concepts to VBP, such as value-based selling (VBS) and service-dominant logic (SDL) are also discussed in this thesis. The study implemented a qualitative multiple-case study. The case companies provided insights to their VBP journey and the barriers they face, where contextual factors are an important aspect to consider. In the findings, the discovered barriers are divided into internal and external barriers. It is evident that companies should work with SDL and VBS as means for overcoming barriers as they affect the outcome of VBP. Hence, this thesis contributes to the emerging research on VBP, and provides guidance to companies that are on their VBP journey.

Den digitala transformationen som genomsyrar många delar i samhället idag har inte bearbetatsi energibranschen i samma grad. Energibranschen står inför stora förändringar med mål av attvara fossilfria fram till 2040. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur ett kommunaltenergibolag arbetar med digitalisering för en marknadsstyrd energiförsörjning analyseratgenom tjänstedominant logiken. Referensramen till studien grundar sig i digital transformationsom ramas ner till den tjänstedominanta logiken. Studien genomfördes utifrån en kvalitativundersökning med semistrukturerade intervjuer av ett energibolag och ett IT-konsultbolag.Utifrån intervjuerna återfinns data som analyserades genom den tjänstedominanta logiken.Undersökningen bidrar med nya perspektiv genom tjänstedominant logik som energibranschenhar nytta av och som kan möjliggöra nya sätt att möta kunder. I resultatet blir det tydligt hurenergibolaget arbetar med en digitalisering men att kundinvolvering inte är där. En ökaddigitalisering och tjänstefiering i energisektorn driver fram kreativa lösningar för branschenskunder där decentraliserade och demokratiserade styrsätt möjliggörs. / The digital transformation that undergoes changes in many parts of society has not been asprocessed in the energy industry at the same degree. The energy industry is facing majorchanges with the goal of being fossil-free by 2040. The purpose of the study was to investigatehow a municipal energy company works with digitization for a market-driven energy supplyanalyzed through service-dominant logic. The theoretical framework of the study is based ondigital transformation which then narrows down to the service dominant logic. The study isconducted based on qualitative research through semi-structured interviews of an energy utilitycompany and an IT consulting firm. The research provides insights into a service-dominantperspective for the energy industry in enabling new ways to approach their customers. Theresult makes it clear how the energy company works with digitalization, but that customerinvolvement is not there. An increased digitalization and servitization in the energy sectorfacilitate new creative solutions for the industry's customers, where decentralized anddemocratized governance are made possible.

In recent years, AI has received increased attention in the field of marketing and is believed to grow even more in the future. It seems that the use of AI in marketing has a significant impact on consumer value creation. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how consumers experience the role of AI-marketing within the scope of the online customer journey, including how both positive and negative aspects of AI-based decision aids influence their value co-creation. Based on previous research, a conceptual model was created to determine whether consumers co-create or co-destroy value in the interactions with AI-based decision aids, as well as which types of values that are the outcomes. Three focus groups were used as a qualitative method to collect empirical data. Findings resulted in two main insights. Firstly, consumers experience the role of AI-based decision aids positively and can co-create values regarding economic and efficiency benefits, facilitation of information search, and more inspiring, personal and relevant experiences. Secondly, AI-based decision aids are also perceived negatively and contribute to co-destruction of value as well. Consumers experienced negative aspects regarding manipulation, limitations and loss of integrity and autonomy, as well as risks of overspending, being misled and distracted, and having irrelevant experiences. This thesis contributes with new insights into the consumer perspective of AI-marketing. Marketers can use these results to understand consumers’ value creation and avoid the negative aspects to achieve the best possible AI-marketing strategies.

Today's retail consumer market is characterized by global, intense competition. In times of intense competition, long-term customer relationships are described as the key to both profitability and survival, which is achieved by creating value together with customers through mutual dialogue. For e-commerce companies, the opportunities for human contacts and dialogue with customers are very few and are about to be completely absent due to the prevailing trend to implement technical elements in customer service. At the same time, a lot of research points to the fact that there are great values in offering human resources in customer service, but we know quite little about these values in an online context. We also do not know if these values are so important that companies should take them into account in their strategic decisions. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the importance of interpersonal encounters online. The purpose is fulfilled by studying and analyzing interactions in customer service to create an understanding of what values arise and what impact these have on customer relationships. This is done through a qualitative research design, with an exploratory case study of 92 email conversations between customer and customer service online, which have been processed through text analysis and coding according to social resource theory. The results show that customer service encourages different social exchanges with customers, depending on the goal of the interaction. Social exchanges of concrete resources such as money, goods and information are actions that give customers increased convenience and financial value, which strengthens the relationships if the customer is satisfied. Social exchanges of particular resources such as love, status and service form actions that give customers personal experiences and social and emotional value, which provides increased customer satisfaction but also strengthens relationships with customers even more. The exchange that takes place in interpersonal meetings online can be understood as important for developing customer relationships and competitive advantages. This study can be used to guide research in the field of research regarding service encounters and help retailers create sustainable business models and strategies. / Dagens konsumentmarknad och detaljhandel kännetecknas idag av en global, intensiv konkurrens. I tider med intensiv konkurrens beskrivs långsiktiga kundrelationer vara nyckeln till både lönsamhet och överlevnad, vilket uppnås genom att skapa värde tillsammans med kunderna genom ömsesidig dialog. För e-handelsföretag är möjligheterna till mänskliga kontakter och dialog med kunder idag väldigt få och på väg att utebli helt på grund av en rådande trend att implementera tekniska inslag i kundtjänst. Samtidigt pekar mycket forskning mot att det finns stora värden i att erbjuda mänskliga resurser i sin kundtjänst, men vi vet ganska lite om dessa värden i en online-kontext. Vi vet heller inte om dessa värden är så viktiga så att företag borde ta hänsyn till dem i sina strategiska beslut. Därför syftar vår studie till att undersöka betydelsen av mellanmänskliga möten online. Syftet uppfylls genom att studera och analysera interaktioner i kundtjänst för att skapa en förståelse för vilka värden som uppkommer och vilken påverkan dessa kan ha på kundrelationerna. Detta har gjorts genom en kvalitativ forskningsdesign, med en explorativ fallstudie av 92 mejlkonversationer mellan kund och kundtjänst online, vilka behandlats genom textanalys och kodning utefter social resursteori. Resultaten visar att kundtjänst uppmuntrar olika sociala utbyten med kunderna, beroende på typ av ärende. Sociala utbyten av konkreta resurser såsom pengar, varor och information utgör handlingar som ger kunderna ökad bekvämlighet och ekonomiskt värde, vilket stärker relationerna med dem om kunden är nöjd. Sociala utbyten av partikulära resurser såsom kärlek, status och service bildar handlingar som ger kunderna personliga upplevelser och socialt- och emotionellt värde, vilket ger en ökad kundtillfredsställelse men också stärker relationerna med kunderna ännu mer. Utbytet som sker i mellanmänskliga möten online kan förstås som betydelsefullt för att utveckla kundrelationer och konkurrensfördelar. Denna studie kan användas för att vägleda forskning inom forskningsfältet beträffande servicemöten och hjälpa detaljhandlare att skapa hållbara affärsmodeller och strategier.

No description available.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This study was conducted to address a distinct lack of knowledge regarding strategizing as a function of social interaction. Social researchers like Critchley contend that an organisation should essentially be regarded as an evolving product of people’s continuous interaction resulting in shared meaning. In subscribing to Critchley’s premise, and assuming that strategy inquiry is an empirically informed social science, the current study consequently set out to gain an understanding of how social interaction between practitioners shapes organisational strategizing and subsequent strategic outcomes. The strategy-as-practice perspective served as an integrative lens for the current research. This perspective that subscribes to the practice turn in social research, focuses on the actual practices (praxis) of strategy actors (practitioners) within unique organisational settings with unique strategizing tools, techniques and artefacts (practices). Informed by the philosophical underpinnings of a pragmatic worldview and a qualitatively driven mixed methods approach, a case study design allowed for in-depth analyses of multiple sources of empirical data to facilitate an understanding of the research phenomena. In addition to exploring social interaction during episodes of strategy practice, the current research investigated how practitioners’ motivations to interact shape and are shaped by ongoing interactions and meaning making. The current study also examined how external and internal organisational contexts, including organisational practices, influence and are influenced by ongoing social interactions. Two small private higher education institutions that reflect the typology of most private providers in the South African higher education landscape were selected for the case study. These private providers face numerous challenges in a tough current economic climate. Private providers further fulfil a pivotal role in the demand absorption of a growing need for higher education in South Africa. The main findings of the current research confirmed that strategizing at the two case study organisations is indeed mainly a function of social interaction. Strategizing is mostly shaped by people as emotional beings. Strategizing is the product of sometimes-irrational interactions and subsequent constantly evolving shared meanings and relationships between people. It is the social interaction between strategy actors during episodes of strategy praxis that serves as a social mechanism in transforming strategizing intent into strategy outcomes. Different strategy actors employ a wide array of techniques to get their ideas or views accepted during strategy-related interactions. Findings indicated that the selected strategies at the two case study organisations are mostly not based on objective reasoning linked to a clear plan or vision, but rather on strategy actors’ abilities in getting their ideas to be accepted by the group. Findings further suggested that the owners of the respective case study organisations strongly influence how things are done during episodes of strategy praxis. Strategizing at both companies is informal and comprises mostly of reacting to challenges and dealing with crises. Both organisations follow a differentiation strategy. Safety and security; employment prospects, as well as certain academic issues like small classes for better learning can be regarded as areas of competitive advantage for both. The proliferation of private providers, significant investment in private higher education, as well as private provision’s important demand absorption role suggest that there is a definite future for private higher education in South Africa. The intended main contribution of the current research is to facilitate an understanding of how social interaction as social mechanism shapes strategizing and resultant strategic outcomes. The understanding of the social world supposedly increases as the collection of the compatible causal mechanisms grows – where mechanisms reveal how the observed relationships between phenomena are created and are explained. The findings of the current research could thus serve as a building block in accumulating social science theory regarding this unexplored avenue of interaction-driven strategy research. To this end, a conceptual framework is proffered to guide similar future studies. The current study provided a glimpse into the strategy-workings of two small private higher education providers and ultimately contributes towards the growing body of knowledge regarding private provision within the South African higher education landscape / Hierdie studie is uitgevoer om die kennelike gebrek aan kennis oor strategie as ʼn funksie van sosiale interaksie aan te spreek. Sosiale navorsers soos Critchley beweer dat ʼn organisasie in wese beskou moet word as ʼn ontwikkelende produk van mense se deurlopende interaksie wat aanleiding gee tot gedeelde betekenis. In ooreenstemming met Critchley se veronderstelling dat strategiese ondersoek ʼn sosiale wetenskap is wat empiries ingelig is, was die uitgangspunt van die bepaalde studie gevolglik om te begryp hoe sosiale interaksie tussen praktisyns organisasiestrategie en gevolglike strategiese uitkomste bepaal. Die strategie-as-praktyk-perspektief het as ʼn integrerende lens vir die bepaalde navorsing gedien. Hierdie perspektief wat ooreenstem met die praktykomwenteling in sosiale navorsing, fokus op die werklike praktyke van strategierolspelers (-praktisyns) in unieke organisasie-omgewings met unieke strategie-instrumente, -tegnieke en -artefakte (praktyke). Ingelig deur die filosofiese ondersteuning van ʼn pragmatiese wêreldbeskouing en ʼn gemengde metodiek van kwalitatiewe benadering, het ʼn gevallestudieontwerp voorsiening gemaak vir indringende ontleding van verskeie bronne empiriese data om ʼn begrip van die navorsingsfenomene te fasiliteer. Bykomend tot die ondersoek van sosiale interaksie tydens episodes van strategiepraktyk, het die bepaalde navorsing ondersoek hoe praktisyns se motivering om in interaksie te wees deurlopende interaksie en betekenisgewing vorm en daardeur gevorm word. Die bepaalde studie het ook ondersoek hoe eksterne en interne organisasiekontekste, insluitend organisasiepraktyke, deurlopende sosiale interaksie beïnvloed en daardeur beïnvloed word. Twee klein privaathoëronderwysinstansies wat die tipologie van die meeste privaatverskaffers in die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwysomgewing weerspieël, is vir die gevallestudie geselekteer. Hierdie privaatverskaffers het te make met verskeie uitdagings in die bepaalde moeilike ekonomiese klimaat. Privaatverskaffers vervul ʼn kernrol in die vraagabsorpsie van ʼn toenemende behoefte aan hoër onderwys in Suid-Afrika. Die hoofbevindings van die bepaalde navorsing het bevestig dat strategie by die twee organisasies in die gevallestudie wel hoofsaaklik ʼn funksie van sosiale interaksie is. Strategie word meestal gevorm deur mense as emosionele wesens. Strategie is die produk van interaksie wat soms irrasioneel is asook gevolglike gedeelde betekenis en verhoudings tussen mense wat konstant ontwikkel. Dit is die sosiale interaksie tussen strategierolspelers tydens periodes van strategiepraktyk wat dien as ʼn sosiale meganisme wat strategievoorneme in strategiese uitkomste transformeer. Verskillende strategierolspelers gebruik ʼn wye verskeidenheid tegnieke om hulle idees of beskouings tydens strategieverwante interaksie aanvaarbaar te maak. Die bevindings het aangedui dat die geselekteerde strategieë by die twee gevallestudie-instansies meestal nie op objektiewe beredenering wat inskakel by ʼn duidelike plan of visie gebaseer word nie, maar eerder op strategierolspelers se vermoë om hulle idees vir die groep aanvaarbaar te maak. Bevindings het verder bevestig dat die eienaars van die onderskeidelike gevallestudie-instansies ʼn groot invloed het hoe dinge tydens episodes van strategiepraktyk gedoen word. Strategie by albei maatskappye is informeel en bestaan meestal uit reaksie op uitdagings en hantering van krisisse. Albei organisasies volg ʼn differensiëringstrategie. Veiligheid en sekuriteit, werkverskaffingsvooruitsigte asook bepaalde akademiese aangeleenthede soos kleiner klasse vir beter leer, kan beskou word as gebiede van mededingingsvoordeel vir albei. Die proliferasie van privaatverskaffers, beduidende investering in hoër onderwys, asook die belangrike vraagabsorpsierol van privaatverskaffers dui daarop dat daar beslis ʼn toekoms vir privaathoëronderwys in Suid-Afrika is. Die beplande hoofbydrae van die bepaalde navorsing is om ʼn begrip te fasiliteer van hoe sosiale interaksie as sosiale meganisme strategie en gevolglike strategiese uitkomste vorm. Begrip van die sosiale wêreld neem waarskynlik toe soos die versameling van die versoenbare kousale meganismes groei – waar meganismes openbaar hoe die waargenome verhoudings tussen fenomene geskep en verduidelik word. Die bevindings van die bepaalde navorsing kan dus dien as ʼn boublok om sosialewetenskapsteorie te akkumuleer oor hierdie onverkende baan van interaksiegedrewe strategienavorsing. Om hierdie rede, word ʼn konseptuele raamwerk aangebied as riglyn vir soortgelyke toekomstige studies. Die bepaalde studie het ʼn blik gebied op die strategiese werking van twee klein privaathoëronderwysverskaffers en uiteindelik bygedra tot die toenemende kennisgeheel van privaatverskaffing in die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwysomgewing. / Ucwaningo lwenzelwe ukubhekana nokusweleka kolwazi maqondana nokwenza isu njengomsebenzi wokusebenzisana kwabantu. Abacwaningi ngabantu, abanjengoCritchley, babeka ukuthi inhlangano kumele ithathwe njengento eguqukayo nenqubo yabantu yokusebenzisana kwabantu okunomphumela wokwabelwana ngencazelo Ngokulandela inqubo kaCritchley, kanye nokuthatha ngokuthi ukuphenyisisa isu yinto esekelwe ubufakazi obusekelwe yisayense ngabantu, ucwaningo lwamanje, ngakho-ke lufuna ukuthola ngokusebenzisana kwabantu phakathi kwemifanekiso yama-practitioner, ukwenza isu lenhlangano kanye nemiphumela ebalulekile elandelayo. Isu njengenqubo eyenziwayo nombono lisebenze njengesibuko esihlangane kucwaningo lwamanje. Umbono ohambisana nenqubo yokwenza kucwaningo ngabantu ugxila kwinqubo yokwenza yangempela (praxis) ngalabo abasebenza ngesu (practitioners) kwisimo esingavamile senhlangano enamathuluzi angavamile okwenza isu, amathekniki kanye nezinto ezenziwa ngezandla zama-artefact (practices). Ngokusekelwa kwisisekelo sefilosofi ngombono womhlaba wokwenza ngokubambekayo kanye nendlela exubene yokwenza ye-qualitative, idizayini yesifundo ngesibonelo, kuvumele ukuthi kwenziwe uhlaziyo olunzulu ngemithombo ehlukene yolwazi olutholakale ngobufakazi bophenyisiso, kusize ukuqondisisa ngento okwenziwa ngayo ucwaningo. Nangaphezu kwalokho, ukuphenya ngokusebenzisana kwabantu ngesikhathi sezikhawu zokwenzeka kwezinto, ucwaningo lwamanje luhenyisisa ngokuthi ngabe ama-practitioner agqugquzelwa yini ukwenza umumo wobunjalo kanye nokuthi lowo mumo nawu ube nomphumela kubo ngokuqhubekela phambili kanye nokuthi kube nencazelo. Ucwaningo lwamanje, lubuye luhlole nokuthi ngabe izimo zangaphakathi nezangaphandle kwenhlangano, ezibandakanya inqubo yokusebenza kwenhlangano, zinomthelela kanjani futhi nazo zibawumthelela kanjani kwezokuxhumana nokusebenzisana kwabantu. Izikhungo ezimbili ezincane zemfundo ephakeme ezibonisa ithayipholoji yabahlinzeki abaningi bangasese kwindawo yemfundo ephakeme eNIngizimu Afrika ziye zakhethwa. Laba bahlinzeki bangasese babhekene nezinselele ezihlukene kumkhakha onzima wamanje kwezomnotho. Abahlinzeki bangasese babuye badlale indima ebalulekile nokuthi badinga ukuthi banganyelwe kwisidingo esikhulayo semfundo ephakeme eNingizimu Afrika. Okuthokele kakhulu ngocwaningo lwamanje kuqinisa ukuthi ukwenza isu ngeziboniso ezimbili zocwaningo, kwinhlangano, kuyadingeka ikakhulukazi njengomsebenzi wokusebenzisana kwabantu. Ukwenza isu kuvamise ukusekelwa ngabantu njengabantu abanemizwa ngokomoya. Ukwenza isu kungumphumela wokuthi ngezinye izikhathi kuba nokusebenzisana okungenasizathu esibambekayo kanti imiphumela kuvamise ukuba ngeshintshayo nokwabelana ngesizathu sayo kanye nobuhlobo bayo phakathi kwabantu. Ukusebenzisa kwabantu phakathi kwalabo abenza isu ngezikhathi zenqubo yokwenza okusiza njengendlela yabantu ekuguquleni inhloso yesu ukuze libe yisu elinemiphumela. Abantu abenza amasu abehlukene basebenzisa amathekniki ehlukene ukwenza ukuthi imibono yabo kanye nezindlela ababona ngayo izinto kwemukeleke ngesikhathi sokuxhumana mayelana namasu. Imiphumela etholakele ikhombisa ukuthi amasu akhethiwe kwizifundo zezibonelo ezimbili zezinhlangano zisekelwe kwizizathu ezingatshekele ohlangothini oluthize, kodwa esihambisana nohlelo olucacile kanye nombono, kodwa kuncike kumakhono abenzi bamasu ekwenzeni ukuthi imibono yabo yemukeleke eqenjini. Okunye okuthokakele kubuye kwaphakamisa nokuthi abanikazi bezinhlangano okwenziwa ngazo iziboniso zesifundo banomthelela kakhulu ngokuthi izinto zenziwe kanjani ngezikhathi zenqubo ebambekayo yokwenza. Ukwenza amasu kuzo zimbili izinkampani kwenziwa ngendlela engahlelekile kakkhulu, kanti kuquka ekuncikeni ekuphenduleni kwizinselele kanye nokuphendula kwizimo ezisikazayo ezivelayo. Zombili izinhlangano zilandela amasu ehlukahlukene. Ukuphepha nokuvikeleka, amathuba emisebenzi kanye nezinto ezithile zesiakhademiki ezifana namaklasi amancane ukuze kufundeke kangcono nakho nngeminye yemikkhakha esiza kakhulu ekuphumeleleni. Ukubakhona ngobuningi kwabahlinzeki bangasese, ukutshalwa kakhulu kwezimali kwimfundo yangasese ephakeme, kanye nokuhlinzekwa kwmefundo yangasese kanye nesidingo sendima yokumuncwa ngokwenganyelwa, kuphakamisa ukuthi likhona ikusasa langampela lemfundo yangasese ephakeme eNingizimu Afrika. Inhloso eqondiwe ngokuthela esivivaneni kocwaningo lwamanje ukusiza ekutheni kube nokuqondisisa ngokuthi ukusebenzisana kwabantu njengendlela yokubumba amasu kanye nemiphumela kungasiza kanjani. Ukuqondisisa ngomkhakha wabantu kuyenyuka njengoba kukhula ukuqoqana kwezindlela zokwenza – lapho khona izindlela zokwenza ziveza ukuthi ngabe ubudlelwane obubhekiwe nobuqashelwayo bungabanjani uma kuqhathaniswa izinto ezenziwe futhi nokuthi zichazwa kanjani. Okutholakele ngocwaningo lwamanje kungasiza ngokuba yisakhelo ekuqokeleleni itiyori yesayense ngabantu maqondana nalo mkhakha ongakaphenyisiswa ngokwanele kwisu elixhumene ngokusebenzisana locwaningo. Maqondana nalokhu, uhlaka lombono luyahlinzekwa ukuba ngumkhombandlela kucwaningo lwangekusasa. Ucwaningo lwamanje luveze kancane ukusebenza kwesu kwizikhungo ezimbili ezincane zabahlinzeki ngemfundo ephakeme yangasese, kanti futhi luthela esivivaneni ekukhuleni kolwazi ngokuhlinzekwa kwemfundo yangasase emkhakheni wemfundo ephakeme eNingizimu Afrika. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

Den ökade närvaron på digitala plattformar har gett konsumenter möjligheten till ökat inflytande och påverkan längs hela värdekedjan. Genom att konsumera, bidra och skapa innehåll på digitala plattformar är User Generated Content (UGC) ett verktyg för användare att vara delaktiga i värdeskapandeprocessen. Genom teorier som den tjänstedominanta logiken med samskapande av värde som central del, upplevt värde, konsumtion, bidragande och skapande har tre hypoteser utformats. Utformningen gjordes för att mäta och undersöka hur upplevt värde vid konsumtion av UGC i form av funktionellt, socialt och emotionellt värde, påverkar användares tendenser att ytterligare konsumera, bidra och skapa UGC. Hypoteserna undersöktes genom korrelations- och regressionsanalyser med data från en enkätundersökning bestående av 95 respondenter. Resultatet av studien tyder på positiva samband mellan upplevt värde av UGC och ytterligare konsumtion, bidragande och skapande av UGC med undantag från upplevt funktionellt värde i relation till bidragande och skapande. / The increased presence on digital platforms has given consumers the opportunity for more significant influence and impact along the entire value chain. By consuming, contributing, and creating content on digital platforms, User Generated Content (UGC) is a tool for users to be involved in the value-creation process. Through theories such as the service-dominant logic with co-creation of value as a central element, perceived value, consumption, contribution, and creation, three hypotheses have been formulated. The design was made to measure and investigate how perceived value when consuming UGC in terms of functional, social, and emotional value, influences users' tendencies to further consume, contribute and create UGC. The hypotheses were investigated through correlation and regression analyses using data from a survey of 95 respondents. The results of the study suggest positive correlations between the perceived value of UGC and further consumption, contribution, and creation of UGC with the exception of perceived functional value in relation to contribution and creation.