Weltweit führende Hersteller von Markenprodukten sind ihrem Anspruch verpflichtet, Benchmark der Branche für Qualität, Design, Innovation und Gebrauchswert ihrer Produkte zu sein. Dieses Ziel zu wettbewerbsfähigen Preisen und in immer kürzeren Innovationszyklen zu erreichen, ist kein zufälliges Ergebnis, sondern das Resultat visionärer Unternehmensstrategien, die schon früh auf standardisierte Produktentstehungsprozesse und durchgängige, unterstützende IT-Systeme im Rahmen eines konsequenten Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) setzen.

Products make substantial impact on environment. Design for Environment (DfE) is an approach to design where all the environmental impacts of a product are considered over entire products life. Since over 80% of the product costs are committed during the early stages, design can play a central role in reducing this environmental overloading by product. However, unlike cost and performance, use of environmental criteria and DfE is far from part of mainstream designing. Individual guidelines often exist for DfE but these are not integrated with design tools. There is a need for capture of the rationale in design process as a know how backup for later use. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is currently the most promising and scientifically proven technique for estimating environmental impacts of a product during its lifecycle. Current LCA tools are not well integrated with design process and CAD tools. Consequently, there is a need for an LCA tool integrated into the natural design process that can be applied to early as well as detailed design stages. Detailed LCA is critically dependent on high volumes of product specific data, time consuming, often unaffordable and used after the detailed stages of design. Current approximate LCA methods are either incomplete, inaccurate or require prior knowledge of what data is important There is substantial uncertainty involved in the environmental impact calculations in LC. While Literature discusses uncertainty of impact data, there is no discussion on how to calculate and represent the total uncertainty in the potential impact of a product proposal at any given stage in design with respect to LCA. There is a need for a method that can aid in decision making by supporting quantitative comparison of available alternatives to identify the best alternative, under uncertain information about alternatives. Often the likely performance, cost or environmental impacts of a product proposal could be estimated only with certain confidence, which may vary from one proposal to another. The overall objective of this thesis is to “Develop a support to the designers using which they can develop environmentally friendly product lifecycles in much the same way as they currently design products, at all stages of their design, while reusing information from their past design activities”. For this the specific objectives are to: 1.Understand how designers currently design products and what they need for developing environmentally friendly product design. 2.Develop a holistic framework for both generation and evaluation of environmentally friendly life cycle proposals. 3. Capture rationale as part of the design process. 4. Estimate uncertainty in the environmental impact assessment during design. 5. Evaluate product lifecycle proposals with multiple criteria under uncertainty. 6. Integrate design process with environmental impact assessment. 7. Apply environmental impact assessment through the design process. From the descriptive studies we found that there is substantial difference in the environmental impact among products having the same functionality generated during the same design process. Analysis of industrial products available in the market show similar results. This means that design can substantially affect the impact created by a product. In our studies, designers did not consider environmental impact as a criterion in evaluation and we also identified the typical activities performed by designers during An Interactive Support for Developing Environmentally Friendly Product Lifecycles designing that must be allowed, supported or taken into account while developing a support for environmentally friendly product lifecycle design (EFPLD). The requirements of the designer for support are: tools should be proactive, easy to learn, understand and use, allow understanding of design rationale, act as a checklist, reduce total time, store knowledge and experience as know‐how backup, useful in all stages of design, not require too much extra effort for analysis, integrated to CAD, aid in trade off between choices, show uncertainty analysis, aid in analysis & improvement, and consider all lifecycle phases. A holistic framework, ACLODS (is a acronym of the six dimensions) constituting the following six dimensions: a) Activities, b) Criteria, c) Lifecycle phases, d) Outcomes, e) Design stages, and f) Product Structure was proposed for development of environmentally friendly product lifecycle designs. Through descriptive studies we found mainly 4 categories and associated sub categories of uncertainty in information with respect to LCA in design. The four categories are uncertainty in product structure, lifecycle phases, data quality, and methodological choices. The sub categories are assemblies, sub- assemblies, parts, relations, and features in product structure, material, production, distribution, usage, and after‐usage in lifecycle phases, temporal relevance, spatial relevance and sample size in data quality, and temporal relevance, spatial relevance, and comprehensiveness in methodological choices. At any point of time, uncertainty in information available is an accrual of the combination of the individual uncertainties. A method called confidence weighted objectives method is developed to compare the whole lifecycle of product proposals using multiple evaluation criteria under various levels of uncertainty. It is compared with normal weighted objectives method and found to be better since it estimates the overall worth of proposal nd confidence on the estimate, enabling deferment of decision making when decisions cannot be made using current information available. A new integrated platform IDEA‐SUSTAIN is developed in this thesis for supporting synthesis in product development on a commercial CAD workspace, while also aiding automated capture and storage of the rationale behind the decisions for retrieval whenever required during design. It is extended to support life cycle assessment of product proposals created by automatically extracting the information already stored while designing and ask for other information required to model the lifecycle without much extra effort from the designer. Then it uses the method for uncertainty reasoning developed also as a part of this research to estimate the level of confidence on the impact value owing to the incompleteness in knowledge available. The estimation is possible at part, assembly or product levels, for a single lifecycle phase or multiple phases. Using in‐house design exercises and feedback questionnaire evaluation of support is done. The usage of Idea‐Sustain has been found to be the best for both generation and evaluation of product proposals. The two computer aided tools – software (LCA) and Idea-Sustain-are compared with each other for fulfilling the functional requirements by analysing the feedbacks given by the designers on these tools against these requirements. Idea‐Sustain fulfilled well most of the requirements while the software (LCA) fulfilled only some of the needs, that too less effectively.

This thesis describes implementation process of issue tracking systém in company Audatex Systems s.r.o. An analysis of company's processes has been performed and ideal state after implementation is proposed. The implemented system is going to be used not only for software defect tracking, but also for company's other needs like project management and internal communication. Output of company's analysis is a list of requirements for said system and a tender is performed -- along with setting up of test environments. Process of implementation and configuration is described along with experience from implementation proces. Each of shotlisted applications is configured for company's specific needs and is evaluated with an evaluation systém, that has been created for this specific tender. Situation after implementation is descibed in conclusion of this thesis. Main benefit of this thesis lies in comparision of applications and presenting their configurations for company's needs. Two free solutions are compared along with a comercial one. In conclusion this thesis answers a question, whether a comercial solution is really needed for this specific case.

Der Data Model Canvas (DMC) unterstützt methodisch und informationstechnisch den Aufbau der für ein durchgängiges und interdisziplinäres Engineering benötigten fachlichen Datengrundlage und deren Abbildung in den betreffenden IT-Systemen. Basierend auf konkreten Analyse-Szenarien erfolgt eine Modellierung der erforderlichen Datenvernetzung, die wiederum die explizit benötigten Datenquellen umfasst. Im Mittelpunkt dieses Ansatzes steht die Entwicklung eines fachlichen Verständnisses über die zur Analyse notwendigen roduktdaten. Unterstützt wird der Ansatz durch ein Softwaretool zur Erstellung der benötigten Datenmodelle.

Weltweit führende Hersteller von Markenprodukten sind ihrem Anspruch verpflichtet, Benchmark der Branche für Qualität, Design, Innovation und Gebrauchswert ihrer Produkte zu sein. Dieses Ziel zu wettbewerbsfähigen Preisen und in immer kürzeren Innovationszyklen zu erreichen, ist kein zufälliges Ergebnis, sondern das Resultat visionärer Unternehmensstrategien, die schon früh auf standardisierte Produktentstehungsprozesse und durchgängige, unterstützende IT-Systeme im Rahmen eines konsequenten Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) setzen.

Syfte – Syftet med denna studie är att underlätta implementeringen av produktlivscykelhantering (product lifecycle managmenet (PLM)) genom att öka förståelsen för vilka förmågor som krävs av organisationer när de ersätter ett produktlivscykelhanteringssystem (product lifecykle managament system (PLMS)) och vilka aktiviteter som realiserar dessa förmågor. Metod – Studien är en kvalitativ fallstudie och observerade en ersättning av ett PLMS på ett företag inom fordonsindustrin i Sverige. Intervjuer hölls med projektledare, affärsarkitekter, affärsanalytiker, utvecklare och användare, alla involverade i eller hade kunskap om den studerade systemersättningen. Totalt genomfördes 21 intervjuer och resultat genererades genom en tematisk analys. Resultat – Studien resulterade i sex domäner (1) business process and practice, (2) communication, (3) people, (4) user experience, (5) technology, och (6) system management bestående av förmågor som krävs av organisationer vid en PLMS-ersättning. Sammanlagt identifierades 15 förmågor underbyggda av 42 aktiviteter och samtliga domäner och förmågor är sammanfattade i ett utvecklat ramverk.   Teoretiska Bidrag och Praktiska Implikationer – Studien bidrar med en grundlig genomgång av den befintliga litteraturen inom PLMS-implementering, en empirisk studie av PLMS-ersättning samt vidareutveckling och upptäckt av domäner som presenteras i ett ramverk. Dessutom hjälper ramverket chefer att utvärdera om organisationer besitter de förmågor som gör att de kan utföra de aktiviteter som krävs för PLMS-ersättningar eller inte.  Begränsningar och Framtida Forskning – Studien begränsas av en fallstudie av en PLMS-ersättning i en tidig fas. Därför rekommenderas framtida forskning att validera och utöka studiens resultat i andra sammanhang. Det är också av praktiskt intresse att kartlägga aktörer inom en PLMS-ersättning och undersöka när, hur ofta och av vem aktiviteter som stöder förmågorna ska genomföras. Nyckelord – Product lifecycle management; Product lifecycle management system; Product data management; System implementation; System replacement. / Purpose – The purpose of this study is to facilitate the implementation of a product lifecycle management (PLM) approach by enhancing the understanding of what capabilities are required by organizations when replacing a product lifecycle management system (PLMS) and what activities realize these capabilities.  Method – The study employed an abductive single case-study approach, observing a PLMS replacement effort within the automotive industry in Sweden. Interviews were held with project managers, business architects, business analysts, developers, and superusers, all involved with or had knowledge about the studied replacement effort. In total, 21 interviews were conducted, and results were generated through a thematic analysis. Findings – The study resulted in six domains (1) business process and practice, (2) communication, (3) people, (4) user experience, (5) technology, and (6) system management consisting of capabilities that are required by organizations when replacing PLMS. In total, 15 capabilities underpinned with 42 activities were identified, and the domains and capabilities were summarized in a developed framework.  Theoretical Contribution and Practical Implications – The study contributes with a thorough review of the existing literature on PLMS implementation, an empirical study of PLMS replacement, and further development and discovery of domains presented in a framework. Furthermore, the framework assists managers in evaluating whether organizations possess the capabilities that allow them to perform the activities needed for PLMS replacements or not.  Limitations and Further Research – The study is limited by a single case study of a PLMS replacement effort in an early phase. Therefore, future work to validate and extend the study’s findings in other contexts is recommended. Also, mapping actors within a PLMS replacement effort and investigating when, how often, and, by whom activities underpinning the capabilities should be performed is of practical interest.   Keywords – Product lifecycle management; Product lifecycle management system; Product data management, System implementation; System replacement.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic became widespread around the world, the need to be able to work from home became clear to help reduce the spread of the virus, while at the same time showing that working from home could be successful in the future. While working from home can be positive, it also has drawback as reduce social interactions, hard to set working boundaries and more. This paper examines the viability to introduce a decentralized office space trough environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability for a reference apartment building and an energy renovated one compared to a centralized office space. This study shows that working from a decentralized office space will reduce emissions with better utilization of the apartment building, saving the companies money and having a reasonable payback period for investors, while giving employees better personaleconomic and more free time without compromising on the social sustainability from not meeting people and having a hard time to different on working hours and non-working hours.

This research investigates the environment and development issues of three stakeholders at multiple scales—global, national, regional, and local. Through the analysis of financial, social, and environmental metrics, the potential benefits and risks of each case study are estimated, and their implications are considered. In the first case study, the relationship of manufacturing and environmental performance is investigated. Over 700 facilities of a global manufacturer that produce 11 products on six continents were investigated to understand global variations and determinants of environmental performance. Water, energy, carbon dioxide emissions, and production data from these facilities were analyzed to assess environmental performance; the relationship of production composition at the individual firm and environmental performance were investigated. Location-independent environmental performance metrics were combined to provide both global and local measures of environmental performance. These models were extended to estimate future water use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions considering potential demand shifts. Natural resource depletion risks were investigated, and mitigation strategies related to vulnerabilities and exposure were discussed. The case study demonstrated how data from multiple facilities can be used to characterize the variability amongst facilities and to preview how changes in production may affect overall corporate environmental metrics. The developed framework adds a new approach to account for environmental performance and degradation as well as assess potential risk in locations where climate change may affect the availability of production resources (i.e., water and energy) and thus, is a tool for understanding risk and maintaining competitive advantage. The second case study was designed to address the issue of delivering affordable and sustainable energy. Energy pricing was evaluated by modeling individual energy consumption behaviors. This analysis simulated a heterogeneous set of residential households in both the urban and rural environments in order to understand demand shifts in the residential energy end-use sector due to the effects of electricity pricing. An agent-based model (ABM) was created to investigate the interactions of energy policy and individual household behaviors; the model incorporated empirical data on beliefs and perceptions of energy. The environmental beliefs, energy pricing grievances, and social networking dynamics were integrated into the ABM model structure. This model projected the aggregate residential sector electricity demand throughout the 30-year time period as well as distinguished the respective number of households who only use electricity, that use solely rely on indigenous fuels, and that incorporate both indigenous fuels and electricity. The model is one of the first characterizations of household electricity demand response and fuel transitions related to energy pricing at the individual household level, and is one of the first approaches to evaluating consumer grievance and rioting response to energy service delivery. The model framework is suggested as an innovative tool for energy policy analysis and can easily be revised to assist policy makers in other developing countries. In the final case study, a framework was developed for a broad cost-benefit and greenhouse gas evaluation of transit systems and their associated developments. A case study was developed of the Atlanta BeltLine. The net greenhouse gas emissions from the BeltLine light rail system will depend on the energy efficiency of the streetcars themselves, the greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity used to power the streetcars, the extent to which people use the BeltLine instead of driving personal vehicles, and the efficiency of their vehicles. The effects of ridership, residential densities, and housing mix on environmental performance were investigated and were used to estimate the overall system efficacy. The range of the net present value of this system was estimated considering health, congestion, per capita greenhouse gas emissions, and societal costs and benefits on a time-varying scale as well as considering the construction and operational costs. The 95% confidence interval was found with a range bounded by a potential loss of $860 million and a benefit of $2.3 billion; the mean net present value was $610 million. It is estimated that the system will generate a savings of $220 per ton of emitted CO2 with a 95% confidence interval bounded by a potential social cost of $86 cost per ton CO2 and a savings of $595 per ton CO2.

Context: Start-ups have recently emerged as an operational model for small and newly-founded firms globally. This increasing business acceptance is present within the European markets, as well as within the Greek. Researchers also complied to the ”commands” of the industry and startup research followed the same, to practice, increasing course. Although the increase in both research and practice is visible, and the fact that several start-up related topics are well-documented, the start-up literature still shows certain limitations that need to be answered. Theory: This study performs an extensive review of the start-up literature, provides definitions and descriptions of key start-up characteristics, and identifies the main streams, and limitations of start-up research, as long as cases of actual start-ups within the Greek business reality. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide insight on certain literature limitations by examining start-up customs towards collaboration and openness initiatives and activities. More in detail, the study aims to identify whether start-ups are able to collaborate (newness and smallness paradox), what is the extent (breadth and depth, partner variety, and collaboration content) of their collaboration and openness customs with different partners, but also the individual importance of specific partners, and the ways this importance changes through different phases of the start-up growth. Also, documented matters such as the determinants of collaborations and the internal organizational structure of start-ups towards openness and collaborations are also discussed. Design/Methodology/Approach: A multiple-case study that follows the replication logic is performed. The study focuses on six Greek online start-ups, and extracts information initially from the websites of the firms, and then by interviewing one key employee in each start-up. The combined information from each case are cross-analysed so as behavioural patterns to emerge and conclusions to be drawn regarding start-up initiatives and activities towards collaboration and openness. Findings: Start-ups are indeed able to collaborate and practice openness with external partners from the beginning, while the collaboration and openness is closely related to the desired outcome/collaboration content that fulfils a specific need. This desired outcome is connected to the extent – breadth and depth – of the collaboration, but also to the type of each partner. Thus, startups closely collaborate with few and selected partners of each kind (e.g. universities, supplies etc.), with the exception of customers and users. The collaboration with customers and users is wide and limited on their feedbacks due to their numbers. Customers, users, suppliers, innovation intermediaries, and universities were identified as the most important partners to start-ups. The importance of these partners is connected to the start-up growth lifecycle. Innovation intermediaries are the most important startup partners, while customers, users and suppliers are important from the stabilization phase and during the whole start-up lifecycle. Universities importance were not found to be clearly connected to the startup growth phases, but mostly to the collaboration content. Regarding the importance, some differences might occur amongst start-ups active in different industries. Those differences are industry specific and affect how and when each start-up collaborates with different partners. Finally, this study confirmed the propositions of previous studies regarding the determinants and internal organizational structure towards collaboration and openness with external partners. Research limitations and implications: Although the present study shows a set of limitations mostly regarding the number and distribution of the cases, it is the authors’ belief that it also shows a set of theoretical and practical implications. It provides managers and researchers with findings on uncharted territories in start-up literature, it connects its findings to prior start-up research, and provides insight on the almost undeveloped literature on Greek start-ups.