This paper explores the value propositions that exist within ecosystems comprised of organizational and individual actors. The concept of value in general and how value is cocreated in multi-actor networks is explored by using service-dominant logic. The ecosystem is further framed by the intrinsic traits of digital technology as portrayed in The Layered Architecture of Digital Technology. Together, both of these framing conventions create what the paper refers to as a digital service ecosystem. In order to understand the important characteristics of a digital service ecosystem this paper analyzes a case study involving several actors participating in an ecosystem project in northern Sweden. This paper identifies six overarching themes that serve as the basis for three value propositions. A model is introduced as a way to simplify the understanding of each value proposition and how they interact with one another.

Economy professor Kjell Nordström argued at the Nordic Business forum Sweden, that regions such as Värmland would turn into wastelands in the aftermath of digitalization and urbanization. Digitalization has rapidly changed service provision effecting the provider-user interaction and service options available. To stay competitive, a sustainability report on the region recommends local actors to find common goals to enhance the value-proposition providing advantages not offered by larger elsewhere controlled or e-commerce actors. Previous studies regarding value co-creation conclude that due to macro level influences such as digitalization, a systemic approach is vital. Hence, this thesis uses a service ecosystem, approach addressing the problem and research inquiries regarding relationship market influence in and among various levels and relationship construction for mutual member goals capturing value. The aim of this thesis is to explore how actors can increase their resilience towards macro level influences. The empirical data was gathered through conducting a qualitative exploratory case study using non-probability sampling to map the service ecosystem around a resilient actor. The data collection comprised of field observation, a brief document analysis and seven semi-structured interviews. Five interviews with different actors supported by two interviews with key customers. The data was processed and thematically analyzed through coding and grouping. Findings was then compared to the theoretical framework and discussed in relation to the background and problem. The study concluded that actors were unable of making an impact individually and essentially need goal alignment for institutional change. However, depending on actor size, type, level of digitalization, and market aim, the importance varies. Actors primarily targeting a regional market were considered dependent on goal alignment and institutional change for resilience. By accomplishing collective goals ecosystem members indirectly achieve individual goals increasing competitiveness, enhancing the business climate. Through institutional change members counteract and restructure the ecosystem adjusting to macro level changes affecting the meso and micro interaction creating resilience.

his dissertation advocates that value and its creation are often misunderstood concepts since both lack robust comprehensive conceptual foundations from which to advance rigorous theoretical development and analysis. Furthermore, this dissertation characterized value as the subjective assessment of the total worth of benefits received for the price paid or costs, i.e. money, time, energy, etc. The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct a holistic examination of value through the lens of service-dominant logic (S-D) and several historical economic periods of thought. I conducted a comprehensive S-D literature review in conjunction with a conceptual Boardman Soft Systems Methodology to develop a systemigram that captured the most critical S-D concepts and interrelationships to clarify its purpose and future research opportunities. During this process, value was recategorized and simplified into five primary dimensions, i.e. nature, perspectives, measures, storage, and creation. I employed Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory to illustrate that value at the lowest level of abstraction is the efficient satisfaction of human needs. I also investigated value creation and introduced a comprehensive value creation conceptual framework. Value creation is seen as a continuum of activity of key processes, i.e. value co-production, value in exchange, and value co-creation, and key procedural elements, i.e. actors, resource integration, ecosystems, services exchange, institutions and institutional arrangements as essentials to value creation. In addition, this dissertation also presented a Leyden value concept to the S-D lexicon. This concept complements use-value to capture associate upstream co-production activities and efforts as stored potential value. This dissertation then employed this conceptual framework to perform two survey based empirical studies. The first tested Lusch et al. (2007) value-co-production framework and incorporated other constructs such as transaction cost, satisfaction, and future purchase intent into a single testable model. This study leveraged covariance based structural equation modeling with 477 respondents to simultaneously test the proposed model and advance Self Determination Theory and Transaction Cost Economics within the realm of value creation and S-D Logic. This research found that most of Lusch et al. (2007) hypotheses were supported and found statistical support for the inclusion of transaction cost as a construct that influences value-co-production. In addition, this study illustrated that value-co-production has a positive statistical association with satisfaction and its impact on consumer future purchase intent. Managerial, this study highlighted those customer characteristics and behaviors necessary to maximize value generation during co-production opportunities. Finally, this dissertation empirically investigated the importance of benefits and equivalent cost reductions to entice consumer purchase intention across two different products and services scenarios. In total, this research gathered over 2,500 observations through a series of eight between subject survey experiments. This research found that consumers choose benefits such as warranty enhancements for new vehicle purchases and complementary desserts for dining experiences to enhance purchase intention. In addition, this research often revealed that consumers significantly decrease purchase intention when offered small value enhancements, i.e. 1% price reductions. This research also discovered that narcissism is negatively associated with those consumers who chose a donation to social causes. Finally, enhanced value offerings for expensive vacations, either through benefit enhancements or cost reductions, fail to significantly impact consumer purchase intention. The results of this research advance rational choice theory into the realm of value creation and S-D. Managerially, this research found that benefits, whether singular or offered as a menu, are powerful tools for retailers to employ to enhance consumer purchase intention.

Background and problem More and more companies are now developing from only delivering a single product to now also deliver services. These transformations into servitization bring both risks and benefits to companies making the transition. The benefits of servitization is a well-defined area in the academic literature. A few identified authors describe a gap in the literature around risk management of servitization, with special emphasis on how the role of leaders is important for servitization risk management. The study is based on the problematization of how leaders handle and act when incurring the risk that may arise in the implementation of service logic. Aim The purpose of this study is to investigate how business leaders within finance, strategy, and organizational development manage the risks associated with servitization in manufacturing companies. Method and Theory The theoretical framework is based on the current academic literature on risk management and leadership. The theory is based on two essential areas, risk management strategies and leadership styles. Where it provides a basic understanding of the subject and focuses on six main strategies and three essential leadership styles to manage the risks that may arise with servitization. Our conclusions have been reached by performing a qualitative study. The data collection was conducted through nine semi-structured interviews from seven different manufacturing companies. The data has been analyzed through thematic analysis which forms the basis for the study's conclusions. Findings The findings show that the risks that are identified in the study are categorized into five types, business risk, quality and competence, short-term customer relationship, brand, and culture. The result also shows that the most commonly used leadership style is participatory and relationship-based leadership style. The main risk management strategy was focused on the risks facing the sales team at the company and managing the customer relationship. The conclusion, therefore, justifies that participation- and relationship-oriented leadership is the most prevalent leadership, where all types of risk management strategies are represented. Educational- and integrative risk management strategies are most prevalent in all three leadership styles and are used to manage the greatest risk. / Bakgrund och problemdiskussion Att övergå från att vara ett produktbaserat företag till att även erhålla tjänster har en alltmer framträdande roll i samhället. Fördelarna med tjänstefiering finns representerade i litteraturen och är ett väl omskrivet område. Vissa av litteraturens författare skriver att de finner en saknad vid riskhantering av tjänstefiering, med särskild vikt för hur ledarnas roll är betydandeför tjänstefieringens riskhantering. Studien grundas i problematiseringen kring hur ledarna hanterar och agerar vid de risker som kan att uppstå vid en implementering av tjänstelogik. Syfte Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur företagsledare med uppgifter inom ekonomi, strategi eller organisationsutveckling hanterar risk vid tjänstefiering i tillverkande företag. Metod och teori Det teoretiska ramverket utformas efter en övergripande bild av riskhantering och ledarskap. Teorin utgår ifrån två väsentliga aspekter, riskhanteringsstrategier och ledarskapsstilar. Där en grundläggande förståelse inom ämnet delges, vilken inriktar sig på sex huvudsakliga strategier och tre väsentliga ledarskapsstilar för att hantera riskerna som kan uppstå vid en tjänstefiering. Studien genomförs med ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Datainsamlingen harutförts genom nio semistrukturerade intervjuer i sju tillverkande företag. Datamaterialet haranalyserats genom tematisk analys vilket vidare ligger till grund för studiens slutsatser. Resultat Studiens resultat visar på att de risker som identifierats kan kategoriseras till fem typer, affärsrisk, kvalité och kompetens, kortsiktig kundrelation, varumärke och kultur. Resultatet påvisar även att den ledarstil som används mest är deltagande- och relationsbaserad ledarstil. Den främsta riskhanteringsstrategin framgick till att vara inriktad på de risker som säljteamet på företaget står inför samt hur kundrelationer hanteras. Slutsatsen motiveras därför till attdeltagande- och relationsorienterat ledarskap är det mest förekommande ledarskapet, där allatyper av riskhanteringsstrategier är representerade. Utbildande- och integreranderiskhanteringsstrategier är mest förekommande i alla tre ledarskapsstilar och används för att hantera de största riskerna.

Styrsätt från privata sektorn såsom NPM har implementerats i den offentliga sektorn med syfte att förändra arbetssätten som styr aktörerna i de offentliga organisationerna. Arbetssätten har dock i många fall lett till ett detaljstyrt arbete för medarbetarna i offentliga organisationer, vilket hämmat aktörernas möjlighet att skapa värde för medborgarna. Ett större handlingsutrymme av styrningen för aktörerna skulle däremot kunna visa sig vara fördelaktigt för värdeskapandet. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur verksamhetsstyrningen inom hemtjänsten påverkar värdet som skapas och inte skapas mellan diverse aktörer. Studien implementerar ett tjänstelogiskt perspektiv vid undersökandet av brister eller möjligheter i värdeskapandet mellan aktörerna. En fallstudie har valts med utgångspunkt i en hemtjänstenhet i Karlstads kommun. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 12 deltagare i hemtjänsten i Karlstads kommun. Varav 5 var personal, 5 var kunder, en enhetschef och en gruppledare.  Resultaten visar på hur styrningen i hemtjänsten består av en detaljstyrning med fokus på tid och med lite handlingsutrymme för personalen. Tidsstyrningen skapar stress för personalen som också behöver balansera kundernas varierande behov med styrningen. Tack vare en bra samverkan i enheten lyckas dem utföra arbetsuppgifterna som de ska. Dock lämnar styrningen en hel del att önska för alla aktörer. Styrningen i hemtjänsten visar på att personalen inte ges rätt förutsättningar för fortsatt värdeskapande. Det ges lite möjlighet till att beakta diverse kundbehov som kan anses vara av värde.  Det handlingsutrymme som erbjuds personalen innebär däremot att de trots allt kan finna diverse vägar runt styrningen för att hantera denna, även om det inte alltid fungerar. Tjänstelogiken belyser hur brister i styrningen påverkar värdeskapandet mellan aktörerna, oftast på grund av tidsbrist. Logiken visar också på hur möjligheterna till att skapa värde sker när personalen kan använda sina resurser till fullo. Tjänstelogiken kan således ha en funktion att fungera som ett diagnostiskt verktyg av styrningen i offentliga organisationer. Däremot kan mer data och större tillgång till organisationen vara till hjälp för framtida studier. / Management concepts, such as NPM, has been implemented from the private sector to the public sector with the purpose to change the way the various people in the public sector are being governed. This way to work has in many situations led to the staff in the public sector to being micromanaged, which has led to complications in their possibilities to create value for the citizens. A bigger room by the governance for the staff to take their own action could show to be more beneficial for the value creation.  The purpose with this study is to examine how the governance of home care is affecting the value creation between different actors in the organization. This study implements Service-dominant logic as a perspective to examine the deficiencies and the possibilities in the value creation between the different actors.  We chose to do a case study based on the home care in Karlstad county. Semi-structured interviews were performed together with 12 participants from the homecare in Karlstad county. These consisted of 5 staff, 5 clients, 1 manager and 1 group leader.  The results show how the governance of home care consists of micromanagement, with the focus on managing time and offering little room for staff to take their own action. The management of time causes stress for the staff, who also must balance the various needs of the clients with a micromanaged governance. However, thanks to a good cooperation in the home car unit they manage to do this to a certain extent. Although, the governance of the organization leaves something wanting for all the involved actors.  The governance of home care show that the staff hasn’t been given the right basis for a continuous value creation. It leaves to little room for the staff to take the client’s needs into consideration. Although, the staff are offered some latitude in their work. Meaning they can find their ways around the governance to work with it, even if that doesn’t always work. Service-dominant logic emphasizes how the deficiencies in the management are affecting the value creation between the actors, mostly due to a lack of time. The logic also shows how the possibilities to create value happens when the staff can fully use their resources. Therefore, service-dominant logic could have a function as a tool for management in the public sector. However, more data and a bigger access to the organization itself could be helpful in further studies.

Background: To remain competitive in Industry 4.0, B2B suppliers must develop new and increasingly advanced digital services by incorporating AI. However, although being of interest to practitioners, academic research on successful AI implementation in B2B functional domains is lacking. Consequently, academics have stressed the importance of developing comprehensive frameworks within B2B marketing to accelerate the creation of strategic roadmaps for AI implementation. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how AI can be utilized to enhance digital servitization, according to the perspectives of one supplier and several of its customers. The aim is to provide a framework that can assist practitioners in implementing value-adding AI services. Method: To fulfill the exploratory purpose of this study, a qualitative single-case research design was applied. The empirical data was collected through twelve in-depth semi-structured interviews.  Utilizing an inductive approach, the data has been analyzed and interpreted through a thematic analysis. Conclusion: Incorporating a complete S-D logic mindset by implementing the AI solution based on all five axioms was found to enhance digital servitization. A model displaying various servitization activities connected to these axioms arose, emphasizing their collective impact. Additionally, suppliers may enhance digital servitization through the implementation of AI by engaging in three transformational mechanisms, namely customization, automation, and agile co-development.

“Good quality, local healthcare – A primary care reform (SOU 2018:39) was used as a contextual frame in this study with the aim of identifying spaces where patients, next of kin and healthcare personnel, through the use of design, can be supported in developing more collaborative ways of working in the two northernmost regions in Sweden. Qualitative methods such as semi structured interviews and workshops were conducted together with multimorbid patients, their next of kin and healthcare personnel. The data was analyzed using grounded theory. A key insight pointed towards a gap between care providers. The findings in relation to the reform suggested further exploration and so, through the use of design, lo- fi prototypes have been developed to support collaboration within certain spaces identified in the qualitative data. The prototypes are made to act as scaffoldings for conversations in multistakeholder settings.

Education and academic related services have become as important as manufacturing and, in some cases, even more important. Considering the importance of these services as it relates to manufacturing, a problem exists. Products such as education and academic services are far less specific in value when comparing with manufactured goods, even though their quality depends on resources which can be measured, such as funding. At the same time, we must be able to quantify them and compare their values with predetermined expected levels for each area of expertise, as well as with each other. The quality of the services provided, specifically academic services, is an intangible concept that can be assessed through various methods. This research study applies the Academic Services Experience Survey, a modified version of SERVQUAL, to solve a complex and multifaceted problem of assessing and improving the quality of academic services in higher education institutions.

Ett skifte har skett inom marknadsföring där fokus har skiftat från transaktioner till värdeskapande. Framväxten av digitala plattformar och sociala medier har inneburit att företag gått från traditionell marknadsföring till digital marknadsföring. Sociala medier innebär visserligen svårigheter men också möjligheter för företag att integrera med kunder och engagera dem i ett gemensamt värdeskapande. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om företag har implementerat ett värdeskapande fokus i deras marknadsföringsstrategier och använder sig av digitala plattformar för att skapa relationer med sina kunder. En frågeställning formulerades kring hur företag använder digitala plattformar för att skapa relationer genom gemensamt värdeskapande och engagemang. Den teoretiska referensramen består av teorier kring digital marknadsföring, relationer, lojalitet, service dominant logic, value co-creation samt engagemang. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio företag genomfördes och resultatet visar att majoriteten av företagen implementerat ett värdeskapande tänk och ser digitala plattformar som ett värdefullt verktyg för att skapa relationer med kunder.

Background: The emergence of technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and wireless communication drives the digital transformation of the entire society. Organizations can exploit these potentials by offering new data-driven services with innovative value propositions, such as carsharing, remote equipment maintenance, and energy management services. These services result from value co-creation enabled by smart service systems, which are configurations of people, processes, and digital technologies. However, developing such systems was found to be challenging in practice. This is mainly due to the difficulties of managing complexity and uncertainty in the innovation process, as contributions of various actors from multiple disciplines must be coordinated. Previous research in service innovation and service systems engineering (SSE) has not shed sufficient light on the specifics of smart services, while research on smart service systems lacks empirical grounding. Purpose: This thesis aims to advance the understanding of the systematic development of smart services in multi-actor settings by investigating how smart service innovation (SSI) is conducted in practice, particularly regarding the participating actors, roles they assume, and methods they apply for designing smart service systems. Furthermore, the existing set of methods is extended by new methods for the design-integrated assessment of smart services and service business models. Approach: Empirical and design science methods were combined to address the research questions. To explore how SSI is conducted in practice, 25 interviews with experts from 13 organizations were conducted in two rounds. Building on service-dominant logic (SDL) as a theoretical foundation and a multi-level framework for SSI, the involvement of actors, their activities, employed means, and experienced challenges were collected. Additionally, a case study was used to evaluate the suitability of the Lifecycle Modelling Language to describe smart service systems. Design science methods were applied to determine a useful combination of service design methods and to build meta-models and tools for assessing smart services. They were evaluated using experiments and the talk aloud method. Results: On the macro-level, service ecosystems consist of various actors that conduct service innovation through the reconfiguration of resources. Collaboration of these actors is facilitated on the meso-level within a project. The structure and dynamics of project configurations can be described through a set of roles, innovation patterns, and ecosystem states. Four main activities have been identified, which actors perform to reduce uncertainty in the project. To guide their work, actors apply a variety of means from different disciplines to develop and document work products. The approach of design-integrated business model assessment is enabled through a meta-model that links qualitative aspects of service architectures and business models with quantitative assessment information. The evaluation of two tool prototypes showed the feasibility and benefit of this approach. Originality / Value: The results reported in this thesis advance the understanding of smart service innovation. They contribute to evidence-based knowledge on service systems engineering and its embedding in service ecosystems. Specifically, the consideration of actors, roles, activities, and methods can enhance existing reference process models. Furthermore, the support of activities in such processes through suitable methods can stimulate discussions on how methods from different disciplines can be applied and combined for developing the various aspects of smart service systems. The underlying results help practitioners to better organize and conduct SSI projects. As potential roles in a service ecosystem depend on organizational capabilities, the presented results can support the analysis of ex¬ternal dependencies and develop strategies for building up internal competencies.:Abstract iii Content Overview iv List of Abbreviations viii List of Tables x List of Figures xii PART A - SYNOPSIS 1 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Motivation 2 1.2 Research Objectives and Research Questions 4 1.3 Thesis Structure 6 2 Research Background 7 2.1 Smart Service Systems 7 2.2 Service-Dominant Logic 8 2.3 Service Innovation in Ecosystems 11 2.4 Systematic Development of Smart Service Systems 13 3 Research Approach 21 3.1 Research Strategy 21 3.2 Applied Research Methods 22 4 Summary of Findings 26 4.1 Overview of Research Results 26 4.2 Organizational Setup of Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 27 4.3 Conducting Smart Service Innovation Projects 32 4.4 Approaches for the Design-integrated Assessment of Smart Services 39 5 Discussion 44 5.1 Contributions 44 5.2 Limitations 46 5.3 Managerial Implications 47 5.4 Directions for Future Research 48 6 Conclusion 54 References 55 PART B - PUBLICATIONS 68 7 It Takes More than Two to Tango: Identifying Roles and Patterns in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 69 7.1 Introduction 69 7.2 Research Background 72 7.3 Methodology 76 7.4 Results 79 7.5 Discussion 90 7.6 Conclusions and Outlook 96 7.7 References 97 8 Iterative Uncertainty Reduction in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 100 8.1 Introduction 100 8.2 Research Background 103 8.3 Research Approach 109 8.4 Findings 113 8.5 Discussion 127 8.6 Conclusions and Outlook 131 8.7 References 133 9 How to Tame the Tiger – Exploring the Means, Ends, and Challenges in Smart Service Systems Engineering 139 9.1 Introduction 139 9.2 Research Background 140 9.3 Methodology 143 9.4 Results 145 9.5 Discussion and Conclusions 151 9.6 References 153 10 Combining Methods for the Design of Digital Services in Practice: Experiences from a Predictive Costing Service 156 10.1 Introduction 156 10.2 Conceptual Foundation 157 10.3 Preparing the Action Design Research Project 158 10.4 Application and Evaluation of Methods 160 10.5 Discussion and Formalization of Learning 167 10.6 Conclusion 169 10.7 References 170 11 Modelling of a Smart Service for Consumables Replenishment: A Life Cycle Perspective 171 11.1 Introduction 171 11.2 Life Cycles of Smart Services 173 11.3 Case Study 178 11.4 Discussion of the Modelling Approach 185 11.5 Conclusion and Outlook 187 11.6 References 188 12 Design-integrated Financial Assessment of Smart Services 192 12.1 Introduction 192 12.2 Problem Analysis 195 12.3 Meta-Model Design 200 12.4 Application of the Meta-Model in a Tool Prototype 204 12.5 Evaluation 206 12.6 Discussion 208 12.7 Conclusions 209 12.8 References 211 13 Towards a Cost-Benefit-Analysis of Data-Driven Business Models 215 13.1 Introduction 215 13.2 Conceptual Foundation 216 13.3 Methodology 218 13.4 Case Analysis 220 13.5 A Cost-Benefit-Analysis Model for DDBM 222 13.6 Conclusion and Outlook 225 13.7 References 226 14 Enabling Design-integrated Assessment of Service Business Models Through Factor Refinement 228 14.1 Introduction 228 14.2 Related Work 229 14.3 Research Goal and Method 230 14.4 Solution Design 231 14.5 Demonstration 234 14.6 Discussion 235 14.7 Conclusion 236 14.8 References 237