Additive manufacturing (AM) is an immature manufacturing technology which is often considered to have the potential of disrupting the manufacturing industry and many industrial companies are currently investigating how they can position themselves within the AM market. Technological innovations alone are often insufficient to fully exploit the benefits of new technology and requires to be accompanied with business model innovation. Consequently, companies face challenges to find guidance related to the application of AM; what to offer and to whom (value proposition), how to deliver such offering (value creation) and how to capture the profit (value capture) – that is, how to structure an AM business model. Therefore, this research investigates how large incumbent manufacturing companies tackle the emerging AM market from a business model perspective. The research unpacks the common themes within three business model components (value proposition, value creation and value capture) in the context of an AM business model, where theme 5 is contradicted by theory and by several other themes: 1. Immature demand 2. Internal cases as a starting point 3. Knowledge offerings 4. End-to-end solutions 5. Broad customer focus 6. Start in a technology niche, then expand 7. Invest in machines to learn AM 8. Change in designer mindset required 9. Partnerships to drive the AM market forward 10. A shift in power 11. Close customer relations 12. It is a race to the market The research is based on a multiple-case study consisting of 16 interviews at six different companies and two universities. / Additiv tillverkning (AM) är en omogen tillverkningsteknik som anses ha potential att kraftigt påverka den tillverkande industrin och många företag närmar sig nu AM för att undersöka hur de kan ta en stark position på marknaden. Teknologiska innovationer i sig är ofta otillräckliga för att till fullo utnyttja fördelar med ny teknik och därför krävs även innovation av affärsmodeller. Det kan vara svårt för företag att hitta argument och stöd för hur en affärsmodell inom AM ska struktureras, det vill säga avgöra vad som ska erbjudas och till vem (value proposition), hur erbjudandet ska levereras (value creation) och hur vinsten ska tillvaratas (value capture). Därför undersöker den här studien hur stora tillverkande företag möter den växande AM-marknaden utifrån ett affärsmodellsperspektiv. Forskningen påvisar gemensamma teman inom tre affärsmodellskomponenter (value proposition, value creation, value capture) i en AM-kontext, där tema 5 motsägs både av teorin och av flera andra teman: 1. Omogen efterfrågan 2. Starta med interna uppdrag 3. Kunskapserbjudanden 4. Helhetslösningar 5. Brett kundfokus 6. Börja i en tekniknisch, expandera sedan 7. Investera i maskiner för att bygga kunskap 8. Behov av förändring i designers tankesätt 9. Partnerskap för att driva AM-marknaden framåt 10. Maktpositionen skiftar 11. Nära kundrelationer 12. Det pågår ett race till marknaden Forskningen är baserad på en multipel fallstudie som inkluderar 16 intervjuer på sex olika företag och två universitet.

Augmented reality (AR) has seen a rise in public and corporate interest in recent years and with Apple's announcement of the Vision Pro headset, it is an exciting time to study the technology. The question on many people's minds is if AR is the computing platform of tomorrow or if it is a fad. However, this uncertainty is generally the case for emerging technologies and challenges exist with adoption for it to go from interest to value creator. This research paper explores technology adoption and the current state of Augmented Reality (AR) adoption in a mobile context, by utilizing common innovation frameworks. These frameworks were Diffusion of Innovations, Hype Cycle, and Disruptive Innovations. There seems to be a disparity between the practical and theoretical understanding of technology adoption. Some concepts are misused or unused in practice but well understood in theory and the other way around. This ambiguity and disparity could lead to suboptimal theory development and practical application. The purpose of this paper is to explore emerging technology adoption and to nuance the academic and practical knowledge of technology adoption, by studying the AR. It is important to evolve understanding in this area to decrease resource waste and to increase societal and technological progress. This paper analyzed Google's ARCore data, search topic data, and research publications data and interviewed AR companies to answer the research questions. The results were first that the level of mobile AR adoption is at 40 percent of the total AR mobile market. Secondly, the current interest in AR is 50 to 60 percent compared to the peak interest in 2016 while research isincreasing exponentially. Finally, the study found that the technology is not disruptive to a high degree at the moment. / Argumented reality (AR) eller förstärk verklighet har fått ett ökat intresse bland allmänheten och företag under de senaste åren, och med Apples tillkännagivande av Vision Pro-headsetet är det en spännande tid att studera tekniken. Frågan som många ställer sig är om AR är morgondagens datorplattform eller om det är en modefluga. Denna osäkerhet är dock generellt sett fallet för ny teknik och det finns utmaningar med införandet för att den ska gå från intresse till värdeskapande. I det här forskningsdokumentet undersöks teknikadoption och det aktuella läget för Augmented Reality (AR) i en mobil kontext, genom att använda vanliga innovationsramverk. Dessa ramverk var Diffusion of Innovations, Hype Cycle och Disruptive Innovations. Det verkar finnas en skillnad mellan den praktiska och teoretiska förståelsen av teknikadoption. Vissa begrepp missbrukas eller används inte i praktiken, men är väl förstådda i teorin och tvärtom. Denna tvetydighet och skillnad kan leda till suboptimal teoriutveckling och praktisk tillämpning. Syftet med denna artikel är att utforska ny teknik och nyansera den akademiska och praktiska kunskapen om teknikadoption genom att studera AR. Det är viktigt att utveckla förståelsen inom detta område för att minska resursslöseriet och öka de samhälleliga och tekniska framstegen. I den här artikeln analyserades Googles ARCore-data, data om sökämnen och data om forskningspublikationer, och AR-företag intervjuades för att besvara forskningsfrågorna. Resultaten var för det första att användningen av mobil AR ligger på 40 procent av den totala mobila AR-marknaden. För det andra är det nuvarande intresset för AR 50 till 60 procent jämfört med toppen 2016, samtidigt som forskningen ökar exponentiellt. Slutligen visade studien att tekniken för närvarande inte är särskilt disruptiv.

Today, advances in the technological sector spurs invention toward new heights. What can be achieved today was just decades ago science fiction. Recent years, augmented reality has emerged which is explained by Kipper & Rampolla (2012, p. 1) as a technology that combines the real world with virtual objects which creates a supplement to reality. With its ability to strengthen the impressions of reality by weaving the physical and the digital world together, enables it to be used in various settings. The retail industry has been struggling as of late, with e-commerce flourishing on one hand but contrastingly classic brick-and-mortar stores foreclosing by the thousands. Thus, a technology that has the ability to combine these two channels would thus act as a mitigating force enabling customers to virtually try on their clothes or make furniture digitally appear in their living room. There are numerous possibilities with this technology, given that it can be used in different industries as well with examples from the marketing and gaming industries as the most prominent. What is evident is its ability to interact and engage, making it a usable tool for many activities. Thus, through this thesis we study if augmented reality can affect consumer engagement, and if so which attributes of it has significant positive relationships with the dimensions of consumer engagement. In this thesis, we first provide a framework in which to measure augmented reality in general settings quantitatively, through the use of attributes. These attributes consist of; Interactivity, Playfulness (Escapism & Enjoyment), Service Excellence, Aesthetics, Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness. We then hypothesize the attributes relationship with two dimensions of consumer engagement identified by Hollebeek et al. (2014); Affection and Cognitive Processing. However, Ease of Use and Service Excellence were not tested in this thesis, as a result of unsatisfactory loadings in the factor analysis. Through an online survey, 79 useful responses were collected and used in testing the hypotheses. Significant positive relationships were found for all tested attributes and Affection, and further significant positive relationships were found between Aesthetics and Perceived Usefulness with Cognitive Processing. It is our belief that this thesis further develops and solidify the current work with consumer engagement quantitively by validating the use of a known framework. Further, it adds to the literature by adopting a general definition of the concept of consumer engagement. This thesis also adds to quantitative work with augmented reality by creating and using a framework in which to study the attributes of augmented reality in a general setting, which has not been done previously. For practitioners, this thesis provides insight into which attributes of augmented reality systems should be emphasized in order to maximize consumer engagement. The thesis ends in suggestions for future research, where we call upon further testing on consumer engagement across different contexts with the use of Hollebeek et al.’s (2014) framework. Such work could lead to a universally accepted quantitative scale for measuring consumer engagement. Lastly, adopting the framework for augmented reality presented in this thesis and applying it to further contexts could yield valuable results, and further tests on Ease of Use and Service Excellence to validate their importance for consumer engagement would be of utmost interest.

This thesis is concerned with the analysis of Cloud Computing as a solution for corporate information system and also its component for customer relationship management as a separate application in small and medium-sized companies. This thesis is also engaged in the research of small and medium-sized companies on the Czech market and finds the attitude of companies to applications run due to Cloud Computing solutions and what they think about Cloud Computing as such. The main objective of this work is to analyze the possibilities of this relatively new platform and highlight the the benefits and potential risks of their use. The work is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the theoretical plane of Cloud Computing, where the basic concepts and limitations are defined and from which I will result my thesis. The second part is divided into four chapters. In the first subsection the ERP systems are compared, which are offered as a free version or as an Open Source suitable for use on Cloud Computing platform. In the second subsection the CRM systems are compared as a separate applications offered online as SaaS . The third section is devoted to the market research, which is focused on attitude and use of Cloud Computing applications in small and medium-sized companies . The final section offers the recommendations for MSP in the transition to Cloud Computing.

The Association for Educational and Communications and Technology (AECT) is the leading organization for educational-technology professionals and a leader in the definition of the field. Since the first AECT definition in 1963, definitional changes have represented a shift from using specific learning components and messages to control learning processes, to using these elements to facilitate and support teaching and learning. The changing definition has reflected the trends in the field and an ever-deepening theory base. Previous researchers have identified a gap between what theories project should happen and the actual design and practice—or what does happen—in technology-enhanced learning environments. In other words, there is often a disconnect between theory, design, and practice. This study addressed changes in theories selected in the field of educational technology. Examining the theories used in the past and how these have changed as AECT’s definition of the field has changed may prove useful in strengthening future connections between theory, design, and practice. Content analysis was used to examine the AECT conference proceedings from 1979 to 2013 to track theoretical shifts over the period studied. Observed changes in theory were further examined using the hype cycle. Systems theory informed the study.

Šių laikų muziejų lauko veikėjus – steigėjus, kuratorius ir lankytojus,– jų egzistavimo aplinką veikia tinklaveikos visuomenė ir virtualybės kultūra. Skaitmeninių medijų raiška muziejuje yra medijų sąveika, kurios pagrindu tyrimo metu apibrėžtos skirtingos muziejaus 0.0, 1.0 ir 2.0 sampratos. Muzealumas paveikus tik tada, kai visi muziejininkystės elementai pritaikomi atitinkamam kultūros lygmeniui ir muziejinė komunikacija vyksta atsižvelgiant į partnerių interesus. Išryškėję sisteminiai prieštaravimai rodo, jog skaitmeninių medijų raiškos kryptys Lietuvos valdžios institucijose, muziejuose ir visuomenėje nevisada sutampa. Tiriant nustatyta, kad sovietmečiu Lietuvos muziejų komunikacijoje vyravo komunistinio režimo kontrolės sustiprinta ir tradicinių medijų raiškos bei industrinės visuomenės poreikių suformuota muziejaus 0.0 samprata. Atgavus nepriklausomybę, skaitmeninių medijų taikymas Lietuvos muziejuose atitiko užsitęsusį Gartner metodologijos lūkesčių piką, kuris lėmė vėlyvą masinį skaitmeninių medijų taikymo etapą – produktyvumo plokštumą. Atliktas socialinės tinklaveikos įrankių Lietuvos muziejų svetainėse, apsilankymų jose ir paskyrose „Facebook“ socialinėje medijoje charakteristikų tyrimas, muziejų klasterizavimo rezultatai rodo, kad dauguma Lietuvos muziejų komunikaciją virtualioje erdvėje vykdo ne pagal tinklaveikos visuomenės poreikius atitinkančio dalyvaujamojo muziejaus 2.0, bet pagal pereinamajam laikotarpiui iš industrinės į tinklaveikos visuomenei artimą... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The modern museum field actors – the founders, curators and visitors – their existence environment is influenced by network society and virtuality culture. Digital media expression in the museum is the media interaction, according to which the different concepts of museum 0.0, 1.0 and 2.0 were defined in this research. Museality is effective only when all the elements of the museum are adapted to the appropriate cultural level of the museum and communication happens taking into account the interests of partners. Systemic contradictions which became obvious show that the trends of the expression in the digital media in Lithuanian government institutions, museums and society do not always match. The research revealed that during the Soviet times, the museum 0.0 concept was dominant in Lithuanian museums communication strengthened by the control of communist regime and formed by the traditional media expression, and the needs of the industrial society. After the restoration of independence, the application of digital media in Lithuanian museums corresponded to the prolonged expectations peak of Gartner methodology, which has resulted in late massive stage in the application of digital media – the plateau of productivity. The research concerning characteristics of social networking tools in Lithuanian museum websites, visits to them, and in Facebook social media accounts and museums clustering results show that the majority of Lithuanian museums perform the communication in... [to full text]

Šių laikų muziejų lauko veikėjus – steigėjus, kuratorius ir lankytojus,– jų egzistavimo aplinką veikia tinklaveikos visuomenė ir virtualybės kultūra. Skaitmeninių medijų raiška muziejuje yra medijų sąveika, kurios pagrindu tyrimo metu apibrėžtos skirtingos muziejaus 0.0, 1.0 ir 2.0 sampratos. Muzealumas paveikus tik tada, kai visi muziejininkystės elementai pritaikomi atitinkamam kultūros lygmeniui ir muziejinė komunikacija vyksta atsižvelgiant į partnerių interesus. Išryškėję sisteminiai prieštaravimai rodo, jog skaitmeninių medijų raiškos kryptys Lietuvos valdžios institucijose, muziejuose ir visuomenėje nevisada sutampa. Tiriant nustatyta, kad sovietmečiu Lietuvos muziejų komunikacijoje vyravo komunistinio režimo kontrolės sustiprinta ir tradicinių medijų raiškos bei industrinės visuomenės poreikių suformuota muziejaus 0.0 samprata. Atgavus nepriklausomybę, skaitmeninių medijų taikymas Lietuvos muziejuose atitiko užsitęsusį Gartner metodologijos lūkesčių piką, kuris lėmė vėlyvą masinį skaitmeninių medijų taikymo etapą – produktyvumo plokštumą. Atliktas socialinės tinklaveikos įrankių Lietuvos muziejų svetainėse, apsilankymų jose ir paskyrose „Facebook“ socialinėje medijoje charakteristikų tyrimas, muziejų klasterizavimo rezultatai rodo, kad dauguma Lietuvos muziejų komunikaciją virtualioje erdvėje vykdo ne pagal tinklaveikos visuomenės poreikius atitinkančio dalyvaujamojo muziejaus 2.0, bet pagal pereinamajam laikotarpiui iš industrinės į tinklaveikos visuomenei artimą... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The modern museum field actors – the founders, curators and visitors – their existence environment is influenced by network society and virtuality culture. Digital media expression in the museum is the media interaction, according to which the different concepts of museum 0.0, 1.0 and 2.0 were defined in this research. Museality is effective only when all the elements of the museum are adapted to the appropriate cultural level of the museum and communication happens taking into account the interests of partners. Systemic contradictions which became obvious show that the trends of the expression in the digital media in Lithuanian government institutions, museums and society do not always match. The research revealed that during the Soviet times, the museum 0.0 concept was dominant in Lithuanian museums communication strengthened by the control of communist regime and formed by the traditional media expression, and the needs of the industrial society. After the restoration of independence, the application of digital media in Lithuanian museums corresponded to the prolonged expectations peak of Gartner methodology, which has resulted in late massive stage in the application of digital media – the plateau of productivity. The research concerning characteristics of social networking tools in Lithuanian museum websites, visits to them, and in Facebook social media accounts and museums clustering results show that the majority of Lithuanian museums perform the communication in... [to full text]

This research work examines trends that affect information technology in the Czech retail banking. The main objective is the evaluation of IT trends adoption in retail banking. To achieve this goal, interviews with IT professionals in the Czech retail banks and IT consultants in the field of banking were taken. Specific objectives were identification and consolidation of IT trends in the banking sector through the analysis of relevant sources identified in the research. Consolidation is using the methodology mentioned in book Trend Management Toolkit by author Kjear. Analysis of IT trends in banking aimed to describe the identified trends and their position on the Hype Cycle curve. First part of work consist of introduction, goals, assumptions, limitations and expected benefits, specifying the current state by conducting research. The theoretical part describes the key bank characteristics and trends influencing retail bank sector. Based on an analysis of selected reports work identifies key IT trends in banking and their consolidation. The practical part discuss the results of in-depth interviews conducted with people with long lasting experience in IT in banks. Usefulness of the results can be seen in the identification of current IT trends in banking and the creation of an analytical procedure for finding the most significant trends of all currently mentioned. Furthermore, in evaluating the state of IT adoption trends, which is currently expected by retail banks and considering possible further steps in this area. Leading to decisions about future investments or to strategy review.

Working toward a sustainable environment and society has never been as high a priority as it is today. Numerous studies worldwide have concluded that if no actions are taken, it will be too late to ensure the survival of future generations. Sustainability entails fundamental changes in the way organizations and societies have been working, the way products and services have been produced, and the way environment, economy and society have been interacting with each other. Design consultancies operate at the initial stages of product development and can contribute significantly to design and production of sustainable goods. This thesis aims to understand and identify how design consultancies can be an active part of a system transformation required to achieve sustainability. It is a case study carried out at a design consultancy Prevas AB in Uppsala, Sweden. Sustainability is a complex topic and its integration into business practices is seldom easy. The objective of the study is to assist design consultancies in addressing this challenge of integrating sustainability. A comprehensive literature review on sustainability, sustainable design practices, role of design consultancies in product development is presented. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews is followed to understand the current situation in the market, the perception of sustainability by various stakeholders, and potential improvement areas. The thesis underlines the need and importance of making investments for integrating sustainability at design consultancies, along with some recommendations and practical suggestions to implement related practices. With an analytical approach, integrating sustainability at design consultancies is discussed as an innovation, and the business opportunities involved in adopting this innovation are identified. The results show that although design consultancies may not independently drive the sustainability in product development, they can surely play an important part in it and the current timeframe is critical for making related investments.