Recent developments and hype around artificial intelligence (AI) have arisen as result of two main factors: increase in computational power and data. Although marketing is considered as one of the main business applications within AI today, there is a lack of literature combining the disciplines. Marketing management tools, which utilise AI in supporting decision making are referred to as knowledge-driven marketing management support systems (MMSS). These systems provide besides quantitative analysis, further qualitative facets into marketing management. Despite the willingness of many SMEs to engage with the technology that may foster competitive advantage, many adoption processes fail. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the factors influencing adoption of knowledge-driven MMSS in SMEs in Finland and Sweden. Qualitative primary data was collected from nine company representatives at top management level in Finnish and Swedish firms. Companies were classified in three categories, providers, adopters and non-adopters of knowledge-driven MMSS.   The findings show that there are several factors influencing adoption of knowledge-driven MMSS. The factors were grouped into technological, organizational and environmental factors, based on the TOE framework. Even though SMEs suffer from a lack of resources compared to large companies, this research suggests that they are at the forefront of adopting AI for marketing purposes. Additionally, it was found that the factors affecting adoption are dependent on whether the knowledge-driven MMSS is built in-house or outsourced.   This study has contributed to the identified gaps in literature by combining the disciplines of AI, marketing and SMEs, and by exploring the factors behind adoption of knowledge-driven MMSS. The authors of this thesis have the aspiration that the developed post-empirical framework will serve as a guiding tool for top management and marketing managers in SMEs looking to adopt knowledge-driven MMSS into their organizations.

In 2011, Energy saving (mud) stoves were introduced in villages around the Kachung Forestplantation in rural Uganda as part of an effort to support local sustainable development. Initial fieldwork showedthat the stoves had not been adopted as much as the apparent benefits would suggest. This has been a commonissue with improved cooking stove projects around the world. In order to find out why the stoves are notadopted, 67 women in charge of the cooking were interviewed additionally participant observations of cooking,other daily work routines and building stoves conducted, as well as interviews with other relevant stakeholders.Results show that women struggle to find enough firewood and are bothered by the smoke produced whencooking, which makes them generally very interested in improved mud stoves. Indeed many women hadadopted a local version of the mud stove in order to ease the burden of firewood collection. The reason for notadopting a mud stove in general can be mainly attributed to work burden in constructing it. As for the moresophisticated energy saving mud stoves introduced, additional factors were that the implementation strategyshows weaknesses in how the knowledge on how to build the stove is supposed to spread. Further, the stoveintroduced is rather complex in the way it is supposed to be built, which makes it difficult to spread theknowledge of how to build it. The implementation strategy needs to be revised under consideration of the localcircumstances in order to achieve a higher adoption rate.

Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR), are increasingly being integrated into production training across various industries. As XR becomes more prevalent, ethical considerations surrounding its implementation become important. This research aims to explore the ethical dimensions of XR in production training, with a specific purpose of identifying potential ethical issues that may arise with the use of XR in production training.. The study then proposes a guiding framework that encompasses pre-adoption, adoption, and usage stages of XR implementation, addressing key ethical concerns and offering practical guidelines for organisations, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the manufacturing industry.  The research methodology involves a systematic review of existing literature on XR development, the need for production training and the ethics of XR. It also incorporates qualitative interviews with industry experts and practitioners to gather insights on the challenges and opportunities related to ethical XR implementation. The findings highlight the importance of appointing a champion for XR use cases, conducting risk assessments, establishing clear guidelines and policies, training trainers on ethical considerations, selecting appropriate XR devices, designing simulations with user experience in mind, obtaining informed consent, and monitoring employee well-being.  The implications of this research extend beyond manufacturing industry SMEs, as the proposed framework can be applied to other businesses utilising XR for training purposes. By integrating ethical considerations and promoting user involvement in XR implementation, organisations can unlock the full potential of XR technologies while ensuring inclusivity, equal opportunities, and ethical practices. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on XR ethics and offers practical guidance for practitioners and decision-makers in leveraging XR for production training in an ethical and inclusive manner.

The financial industry is currently undergoing radical change as a result of the increased implementation of digitalisation strategies. Due to pressure from a number of sources, finance firms, including asset managers, are looking to adopt technology solutions in their business processes. Through the introduction of new technologies and digitalisation strategies, the asset managers are hoping to secure their market segments in the future. Choosing which technology to implement is considered one of the most difficult decisions a manager has to make. Hence, this thesis proposes a framework to be used by asset managers in order to efficiently and swiftly evaluate a number of technologies when looking to digitalize manual processes. The largest bank in the Nordic region is Nordea, who have just recently announced that they will be looking to implement more digital solutions. This thesis was conducted in collaboration with Nordea Asset Management. The thesis explores three core areas: the future of the asset management industry, digitalisation strategies, and new technology adoption in order to produce the analytical framework. The framework is constructed using previously explored methods described in literature along with the key information gathered from experts at Nordea Asset Management. The result is a framework which combines expert knowledge of the asset management industry, successful methods regarding conceptual frameworks, technology life cycle and new technology adoption theory and digitalisation strategy concepts. In order for traditional asset managers to maintain their market position they will need to adapt new technologies. This is not only needed for efficiency and cost reasons but also because customers are starting to demand it. The sales channels, operations, personnel requirements and the business model as a whole are areas identified by this research project that will adapt through the introduction of digitalisation strategies being introduced. The framework constructed in this thesis provides the asset management firms with a method of successfully applying digitalisation strategies through new technology adoption. / Finansindustrin genomgår just nu radikala förändringar på grund av att digitaliseringsstrategier implementeras. Efter påtryckning från en rad olika håll, känner sig finansbolag, som inkluderar kapitalförvaltningsbolag, tvungna att implementera nya tekniska lösningar i sin verksamhet. Genom att adoptera nya tekniker och digitaliseringsstrategier hoppas kapitalförvaltare på att kunna försäkra sina marknadsandelar i framtiden. Men att välja vilken teknik som ska implementeras är ett av de svåraste beslut en ansvarig måste ta. Alltså, så föreslår detta arbete ett ramverk som kan användas av ett kapitalförvaltningsbolag för att, på ett effektivt och snabbt sätt, kunna evaluera en mängd tekniker när man vill digitalisera manuella processer. Den största banken i den nordiska regionen är Nordea, som just har informerat allmänheten att de kommer att börja implementera digitala strategier. Detta arbete skrevs i samarbete med Nordea Asset Management (NAM). Detta arbete koncentreras på tre centrala områden. Framtiden av kapitalförvaltningsindustrin, digitaliseringsstrategier, samt implementering av nya tekniker för att producera ett analytiskt ramverk. Ramverket är hopsatt genom att använda metoder från tidigare forskning tillsammans med nyckelinformation samlad av experter på NAM. Resultatet blir då ett ramverk som kombinerar expertkunskap från kapitalförvaltningsindustrin, lyckade metoder i relation till konceptuella ramverk, tekniklivscykel och ny teknikimplementationsteorier samt digitaliseringsstrategikoncepter. För att traditionella kapitalförvaltare ska kunna bibehålla sina nuvarande marknadspositioner, kommer de att behöva implementera nya tekniker. Detta behövs inte endast för effektivitet och kostnadsanledningar utan också för att kunden kommer att begära det. De områden som detta arbete har identifierat som kommer att behöva ändras på i och med implementeringen av digitaliseringsstrategier är: säljkanaler, operations, personalbehov och verksamhetsmodell. Ramverket konstruerat i detta arbete, förser kapitalförvaltningsbolag med en metod för att implementera digitaliseringsstrategier på ett effektivt och framgångsrikt sätt.

企業の新技術導入インセンティブと市場構造の関係を分析し、政府が行うべき経済政策を示す。分析には寡占市場モデルを使い、競争、新技術の導入費用、費用関数の違い、リーダー企業の存在が与える影響を分析している。また、3章では新技術の戦略的運用方法についての分析を行う。寡占市場では、政府は新技術導入に対して補助金または課税政策を行い、企業の新技術導入を促す、あるいは抑制することが望ましい。 / This paper analyzes the relationship between the incentive for the new technology adoption and the market structure and shows the optimal policy for the new technology adoption by using oligopoly models. The competitivenesss among firms, fixed cost for new technology adoption, the form of cost function and the existence of leader firm affect the incentive for new technology adoption and optimal policy. The concluding chapter analyzes the optimal strategic uses of new technology which include licensing to the other firm in the new market or entry to the new market or both of them. / 博士(経済学) / Doctor of Economics / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University