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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.

In recent years, companies have increasingly built their businesses around network effects. Furthermore, ingredient branding has become a frequent occurrence in which companies develop their business model by incorporating their product into other products. During contact with the Swedish company Twiceme Technology and after investigating these phenomenon deeper, it appeared to be unique to have both network effects and ingredient branding in the company’s offering. That's where it was discovered a gap in the existing literature and the decision to learn more about how they're related by empirically studying companies that use network effects or ingredient branding in their business models. The overarching aim of the study is to look at characteristics among these phenomenon and analyze how network effects affect ingredient brands, and how they can be connected together. There were several phases in the empirical analysis method. A case sample group of four companies was analyzed in order to obtain a better understanding of the topic in practice. Following that, based on the previous results, the company Twiceme was evaluated as an ingredient brand with network effects. In order to address the research questions, the data extracted from the case sample group and Twiceme were analyzed and compared to theory.  From the study, it was found that achieving a strong market position for network effect companies is highly dependent on reaching the certain network size where the value of the network starts having an exponential increase. High brand equity in terms of brand awareness and reputation is needed to achieve a strong market position accelerated by network effects. Ingredient brands with network effects can generate synergy effects, allowing the network value to potentially grow even faster as a result of the increased brand equity from ingredient branding.  Based on the conclusions of the study and the proposed evaluation framework, this thesis aims to be useful for managerial decision-making and understanding of network effects and ingredient branding, and when they should explore new market opportunities. It also contributes to academia by presenting a novel research perspective in this field and provides material for future research to continue to investigate this subject. / Under de senaste åren har företag i allt högre grad byggt sina företag kring nätverkseffekter. Dessutom har ingrediensvarumärken blivit en vanlig förekomst där företag bygger sin affärsmodell på att integrera sin produkt i andra företags produkter. Under kontakten med det svenska företaget Twiceme Technology och efter att ha undersökt dessa fenomen, påvisades det vara unikt att både vara ett ingrediensvarumärke och ha nätverkseffekter i företagets erbjudande. Där upptäcktes ett gap i den befintliga litteraturen och beslutet att lära sig mer om hur de kan relateras till varandra genom att empiriskt studera företag som använder nätverkseffekter eller ingrediensvarumärkning i sina affärsmodeller. Studiens övergripande mål var att titta på egenskaper hos de bägge och analysera hur nätverkseffekter påverkar ingrediensvarumärken samt hur de kan sammankopplas. Det fanns flera faser i den empiriska analysmetoden. En fallgrupp med fyra företag analyserades för att få en bättre förståelse för ämnet i praktiken. Efter det, baserat på de tidigare resultaten, utvärderades företaget Twiceme som ett ingrediensvarumärke med nätverkseffekter. För att besvara forskningsfrågorna, analyserades data från fallprovgruppen och Twiceme och jämfördes med teorin. Från studien kan det konstateras att uppnå en stark marknadsposition för nätverkseffektföretag är mycket beroende av att uppnå en viss nätverkstorlek där företagets värdeerbjudande börjar öka exponentiellt. För att uppnå en stark marknadsposition som accelereras av nätverkseffekter behövs högt varumärkesmedvetenhet och anseende. Ingrediensvarumärken med nätverkseffekter kan generera synergieffekter, vilket gör att värdeerbjudandet potentiellt kan växa ännu snabbare till följd av det ökade varumärkeskapitalet från ingrediensvarumärken. Baserat på slutsatserna från studien och det föreslagna ramverket, syftar denna uppsats till att vara användbar för ledningsbeslut och förståelsen för nätverkseffekter och ingrediensvarumärkning, samt när de bör utforska nya marknadsmöjligheter. Det ämnar också till att bidra till akademin genom att presentera ett nytt forskningsperspektiv inom detta område och ge material för framtida forskning att fortsätta att undersöka detta ämne vidare.

The study shows that multi-sided markets pose difficulties when the relevant product market is to be defined. These difficulties pertain to two questions. The first question is whether one or several markets should be defined. In this regard, it is not easy to extract a coherent method from the cases examined. Instead, the methods applied give the impression of ad hoc-solutions, where similar circumstances result in dissimilar outcomes. Indeed, it is hard to reconcile the different market definitions in Visa International MIF and MasterCard MIF. The uncertainties are not limited to these two cases, as the methods applied in Google Shopping too give rise to ambiguities. Why was the market for general search engine platforms separated into two distinct product markets, but the market for comparison shopping services encompassed both sides? Unfortunately, this discussion was not present in the decision. This only serves to reinforce the impression that these questions are solved on an ad hoc-basis. A clear method of approaching multi-sided markets is desirable, not least because the enforcement of competition rules must be characterized by consistency and foreseeability. Hopefully, the judgement in Google Shopping will bring further clarity to this. Nonetheless, the conclusion is that one market should be defined when differences between competitive constraints on the two sides are absent. E contrario, this means that two markets should be defined when such differences are present. This is true regardless of the market in question being a transaction or a non-transaction market. This method seems preferable to strictly adhering to the division of multi-sided markets into transaction or non-transaction markets. If the Commission’s analysis is correct in that there are no differences in competitive constraints on the two sides of comparison shopping services, in combination with crossing network effects, the platform’s multi-sidedness is a necessary trait for both sides. This means that a substitute has to be multi-sided in order for it to be included on the relevant product market, which minimizes the risk for false negatives. Vice versa, the definition of two markets allows for one-sided products to be included on the relevant product market, which minimizes the risk for false positives. This is important not only for the binary finding of dominance or non-dominance, but also the degree of dominance. As concluded above, incorrectly defining one market may artificially inflate the degree of dominance into false super-dominance, and incorrectly defining several markets may artificially dilute the degree of dominance. The second question is how substitutability should be measured. It is obvious from the cases examined that qualitative measures are used and not quantitative measures. The products’ characteristics, intended use, purpose, functionalities, users’ perceptions of the product, etc. were given much attention. The SSNIP test was not applied in any of the cases. The first conclusion to be drawn from the examination above is therefore that the difficulties regarding measuring substitutability on multi-sided markets mainly concern quantitative measures. The arguments against applying a SSNIP test related to the cellophane fallacy (in two different forms, one of which was deceivingly similar to the reverse cellophane fallacy) and differences in price sensitivities between the two sides. Network effects present an additional difficulty, which may lead to exaggerated results when measuring substitutability. The second conclusion to be drawn is that there exists a reluctance to apply a SSNIP test in a way that is tailored for multi-sided markets. One method that has been proposed is to apply the test on the total sum paid by both sides, while allowing the intermediary to adjust the increase in price in accordance with its price structure. The categorical dismissal of applying the test in this way suggests that adapted versions have some time to wait before being introduced into case law and decisional practice. If they, as their proponents argue, are a robust way of broadening the evidence of possible substitutability, this is unfortunate. The risk of defining the market overly narrow or overly broad is of course present in this regard as well. A broader spectrum of evidence therefore minimizes the risk of incorrectly finding both dominance and non-dominance.

Europe is facing a climate and environmental crisis. To respond to this, the European Commission has launched several programmes, which aim to increase sustainability and environmental protection. This aim has been condensed into the policy document that is the European Green Deal. The European Green Deal sets out the aim of making the Union’s economy climate neutral, while improving environmental protection and protecting biodiversity. To this end, several different sectors of the economy need to be overhauled.  In EU Law, a key policy area is to protect free competition. Article 101 TFEU sets out that agreements between undertakings which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition are prohibited. Similarly, Article 102 TFEU prohibits abuse by an undertaking of a dominant position.  This thesis explores what happens when competition law thus intersects with the environmental policy of the Union. The thesis identifies two main situations  of interaction. Undertakings can invoke environmental protection to justify a restriction of competition. The Union may also rely on its antitrust provisions to enforce sustainability by holding unsustainable practices as restrictive agreements or abuses of dominant behaviour, respectively, and thus prohibited by the antitrust provisions.  Generally, the thesis concludes that there is not enough information on how the Commission and the CJEU will approach arguments relating to sustainability in its antitrust assessment. The Commission’s consumer welfare standard appears to limit environmental integration to points where a certain factor results affects the environment or sustainability on the one hand, and consumer welfare on the other. The lack of information, moreover, is in itself an issue as undertakings may abstain from environmental action if they believe they will come under scrutiny due to violations of the antitrust provisions. Therefore, a key conclusion in the thesis is that the Commission and the CJEU should set out clear guidelines for environmental action by undertakings, in relation to the antitrust provisions. Similarly, the Commission appears to be cautious to use antitrust as a tool against unsustainable practices. The Commission has, however, recently decided to open an investigation into agreements which limit sustainability, which shows that the picture may be changing.

Competition and data protection law are two powerful regimes simultaneously shaping the use of digital information, which has given rise to new interactions between these areas of law. While most views on this intersection emphasize that competition and data protection law must work together, nascent developments indicate that these legal regimes may sometimes conflict.  In the first place, firms faced with antitrust allegations are to an increasing extent invoking the need to protect the privacy of their users to justify their impugned conduct. Here, the conduct could either be prohibited by competition law despite of data protection or justified under competition law because of data protection. In the EU, no such justification attempt has reached court-stage, and it remains unclear how an enforcer ought to deal with such a claim. In the second place, competition law can mandate a firm to provide access to commercially valuable personal data to its rivals under a competition law remedy. Where that is the case, the question arising in this connection is whether an enforcer can and should design the remedy in a way that aligns with data protection law. If so, the issue remains of how that ought to be done. The task of the thesis has been to explore these issues, legally, economically, and coherently.  The thesis has rendered four main conclusions. First, data protection has a justified role in EU competition law in two ways. On the one hand, enhanced data protection can increase the quality of a service and may thus be factored in the competitive analysis as a dimension of quality. On the other, data protection as a human right must be guaranteed in the application of competition law. Second, these perspectives can be squared with the criteria for justifying competition breaches, in that data protection can be invoked to exculpate a firm from antitrust allegations. Third, in that context, the human rights dimension of data protection may entail that the enforcer must consider data protection even if it is not invoked. However, allowing data protection interests to override competition law in this manner is relatively inefficient as it may lead to less innovation, higher costs, and lower revenues. Fourth, the profound importance of data protection in the EU necessarily means that enforcers should accommodate data protection interests in designing competition law remedies which mandate access to personal data. This may be done in several ways, including requirements to anonymize data before providing access, or to oblige the firm to be compliant with data protection law in the process of providing access. The analysis largely confirms that anonymization is the preferable option.

SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund Elevers grupparbeten utgör en betydande del av HKK-undervisningen. Tidigare forskning kring elevers grupparbeten i allmänhet är omfattande, men forskning gällande elevers grupparbeten inom HKK är ytterst begränsad. Som utpräglat processämne är det av största vikt att eleverna ges möjlighet att träna på praktiska moment inom hem- och konsumentkunskap (HKK), för att eleverna ska kunna utveckla kunskap i handling vilket sedermera ska bedömas av undervisande lärare. Syfte Syftet med studien var att utforska lärares uppfattningar, upplevelser och erfarenheter av grupparbete i HKK. Metod Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med tio HKK-lärare runtom i Sverige. Intervjuerna analyserades med stöd av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat Det mest framträdande resultatet i studien var att arbetsformen grupparbete var dominerande i såväl praktiskt som teoretiskt arbete inom HKK. Ramfaktorer påverkade, styrde och begränsade undervisningen. Samarbete, kamratlärande, trygghet och praktisk träning var främsta syften med grupparbeten inom HKK. Det sociala klimatet, elevernaskunskapsnivå och särskilda behov var de faktorer som främst togs i beaktning vid sammansättning av elevgrupper. Lärarnas arbete kring elevgruppernas varaktighet skilde sig åt. Observationer var den vanligaste bedömningsformen när elever arbetade i grupp. Bedömning av elever som arbetade i grupp upplevdes vara svårt och utmanande bland lärarna i studien. Slutsats Grupparbete som undervisningsmetod framstår som rådande kutym inom ämnet. Studien påvisade brister med denna undervisningsmetod, främst utifrån bedömningsaspekten. Med mer noggrant uttänkta strategier för varför, hur och när det vore lämpligt att använda grupparbete som undervisningsmetod anser vi att HKK-läraren har möjlighet att höja kvaliteten på såväl undervisning som bedömning. / ABSTRACT  Background Students' group work constitutes a significant part of the teaching in Home and Consumer Studies (HCS). Previous research on students 'group work in general is extensive, but research on students' group work within HCS is extremely limited. As a distinct process subject, it is of the utmost importance that students are given the opportunity to practice practical elements in HCS, so that students can develop ”knowledge in action”, which will be assessed by the teacher.  Objective The aim of the study was to explore the teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding group work in HCS.  Method Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten teachers in HCS within Sweden. The interviews were analyzed on the basis of content analysis.  Results The most prominent result in the study was that group work was dominant in both practical and theoretical work within HCS. Framework factors influenced, controlled and limited teaching. Cooperation, peer learning, safety and practical training were the main purposes of group work within HCS. The social climate, the students' level of knowledge and special needs were the factors that were mainly taken into account when composing student groups. The teachers' work on the duration of the student groups differed. Observations were the most common form of assessment when students worked in groups. Assessment of students who worked in groups was perceived as difficult and challenging among the teachers in the study.  Conclusion Group work as a teaching method appears to be the prevailing custom within the subject. The study demonstrated shortcomings with this teaching method, mainly based on the assessment aspect. With more carefully thought out strategies for why, how and when it would be appropriate to use group work as a teaching method, we believe that the HCS teacher has the opportunity to raise the quality of both teaching and assessment.