Finn Rieken, Thomas Boehm, Mareike Heinzen and Mirko Meboldt
Corporates have recently invested in company-owned makerspaces with the goal to skim the potential of makerspaces as innovation driver. The purpose of this paper is to introduce…
Abstract
Purpose
Corporates have recently invested in company-owned makerspaces with the goal to skim the potential of makerspaces as innovation driver. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the first framework describing elements and the innovation-related impact on users of corporate makerspaces (CMSs).
Design/methodology/approach
The CMS framework is based on a critical review of 116 scientific articles on makerspaces and the embedding of the review findings into the corporate context.
Findings
A prototyping infrastructure, a community infrastructure and facilitators are proposed to be key elements of CMSs. Further, CMSs are suggested to have an impact on ideation, concept iteration during the innovation process and collaboration of its users.
Research limitations/implications
The framework on CMSs is based on a critical review of makerspace literature and not on empirical research data.
Practical implications
This paper sheds light on key elements and the expected innovation-related impact of a CMS on the users and thus contains useful information for corporate innovation management on how to plan, build and implement a CMS.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first review of makerspace literature with focus on their elements and innovation-related impact. Additionally, the review provides the first academic definition of the growing phenomenon of CMSs and describes elements and the innovation-related impact of CMSs on its users in companies, which paves the way for further research on CMSs.
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Rodrigo Rabetino, Willem Harmsen, Marko Kohtamäki and Jukka Sihvonen
The purpose of this paper is to organize and connect past research from different servitization-related scholarly communities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to organize and connect past research from different servitization-related scholarly communities.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviews more than 1,000 articles by combining author co-citation and qualitative content analyses.
Findings
The structure and boundaries of the field are mapped, and the characteristics of the three identified servitization-related communities are assessed qualitatively. These three communities are product-service systems, solution business, and service science. The findings demonstrate that a narrow range of theories and qualitative methods dominate in existing research.
Originality/value
Through the lens of the sociology of science, this review critically evaluates servitization-related research and offers a list of themes that are considered important to the future development of the field. Regarding future research, the main recommendations are as follows: increasing the use of well-established theories from adjacent mature fields, borrowing ideas from different research communities to stimulate knowledge accumulation within and across communities, and reducing the level of description while increasing the number of confirmatory, quantitative, and longitudinal research designs. Finally, the development of formal structures for socialization (e.g. conferences and special issues) could allow the field to achieve a greater degree of scientific maturity and would influence the direction and pace of the development of servitization-related research.
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Claudia Presti, Federica De Santis and Francesca Bernini
This paper aims to propose an interpretive framework to understand how machine learning (ML) affects the way companies interact with their ecosystem and how the introduction of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose an interpretive framework to understand how machine learning (ML) affects the way companies interact with their ecosystem and how the introduction of digital technologies affects the value co-creation (VCC) process.
Design/methodology/approach
This study bases on configuration theory, which entails two main methodological phases. In the first phase the authors define the theoretically-derived interpretive framework through a literature review. In the second phase the authors adopt a case study methodology to inductively analyze the theoretically-derived domains and their relationships within a configuration.
Findings
ML enables multi-directional knowledge flows among value co-creators and expands the scope of VCC beyond the boundaries of the firm-client relationship. However, it determines a substantive imbalance in knowledge management power among the actors involved in VCC. ML positively impacts value co-creators’ performance but also requires significant organizational changes. To benefit from VCC via ML, value co-creators must be aligned in terms of digital maturity.
Originality/value
The paper answers the call for more theoretical and empirical research on the impact of the introduction of Industry 4.0 technology in companies and their ecosystem. It intends to improve the understanding of how ML technology affects the determinants and the process of VCC by providing both a static and dynamic analysis of the topic.
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Pradeep Kesavapanikkar, R.K. Amit and Palaniappan Ramu
Product as a service (PaaS) is a method of business innovation for traditional product companies to make their offerings more attractive, move up the value chain and find more…
Abstract
Purpose
Product as a service (PaaS) is a method of business innovation for traditional product companies to make their offerings more attractive, move up the value chain and find more customers. However, the customer acceptance of PaaS depends on the market in which it operates. The purpose of this study is to understand, through an automotive lease PaaS evaluation and from an outside-in user perspective, the effects of the main intrinsic and extrinsic factors of a product, its design and brand, on the lease versus buy decision of automobiles by consumers in an emerging market, to help companies transition to a PaaS business model.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of actual car owners and lease car users was conducted. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the measurement model, followed by logistic regression for statistical modeling. As a practice evaluation of an existing PaaS example, this study further explored the expectations and experience of automotive lease users to link practical insights to analytical results and help businesses make a successful transition to PaaS.
Findings
The results of the study showed the effect of the brand as significant in lease versus buy decisions. Brand loyalty is more important when leasing than when buying a car. However, brand awareness/association is less important for leasing than buying. There was no significant difference in consumer expectations of product design in automotive lease PaaS. Customers who buy and lease cars have the same expectations of the overall product in terms of its key design attributes.
Originality/value
The literature on PaaS has mostly focused on strategies, frameworks and guidelines for implementation and empirical studies are limited. Comparative analyses between PaaS and traditional ownership models are also limited. It is unclear how consumers’ expectations differ between PaaS and traditional ownership models, especially in emerging markets, because PaaS’s success depends on the market in which it operates. This study addresses this gap in the literature.
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Allam K. Abu Farha, Osama Sam Al-Kwifi, Georgia Sakka, Phuong V. Nguyen and Zafar U. Ahmed
Research demonstrates that servitization can achieve competitive advantages for firms; however, many firms are unable to achieve their target values due to various challenges…
Abstract
Purpose
Research demonstrates that servitization can achieve competitive advantages for firms; however, many firms are unable to achieve their target values due to various challenges. This study proposes a new model in which open innovation and co-creation are utilized to access consumer knowledge during the servitization process when developing customized services for international markets.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was used to collect the data from 150 manufacturing firms. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) approach.
Findings
The results indicate that open innovation positively affects servitization strategy. Moreover, consumer co-creation moderates the impacts of servitization on firm performance.
Practical implications
This study confirms the significant role of open innovation and consumer integration in the servitization process, establishing that managers should effectively integrate different stakeholders from the service design stage (through open innovation) to the service delivery stage (through co-creation).
Originality/value
The paper's results prominently advance the present body of servitization literature by showing how the implementation of open innovation improves the servitization process, an issue that has been ignored in previous studies. Moreover, it seeks to resolve the inconsistent results on servitization's effect on performance by indicating the role of consumer co-creation in the servitization–performance link.
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Carlo Giua, Valentina Cristiana Materia and Luca Camanzi
This paper reviews the academic contributions that have emerged to date on the broad definition of farm-level management information systems (MISs). The purpose is twofold: (1) to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper reviews the academic contributions that have emerged to date on the broad definition of farm-level management information systems (MISs). The purpose is twofold: (1) to identify the theories used in the literature to study the adoption of digital technologies and (2) to identify the drivers of and barriers to the adoption of such technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature review was based on a comprehensive review of contributions published in the 1998–2019 period. The search was both automated and manual, browsing through references of works previously found via high-quality digital libraries.
Findings
Diffusion of innovations (DOIs) is the most frequently used theoretical framework in the literature reviewed, though it is often combined with other innovation adoption theories. In addition, farms’ and farmers’ traits, together with technological features, play a key role in explaining the adoption of these technologies.
Research limitations/implications
So far, research has positioned the determinants of digital technology adoption mainly within the boundaries of the farm.
Practical implications
On the practical level, the extensive determinants’ review has potential to serve the aim of policymakers and technology industries, to clearly and thoroughly understand adoption dynamics and elaborate specific strategies to deal with them.
Originality/value
This study’s contribution to the existing body of knowledge on the farm-level adoption of digital technologies is twofold: (1) it combines smart farming and existing technologies within the same category of farm-level MIS and (2) it extends the analysis to studies which not only focus directly on adoption but also on software architecture design and development.
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Surabhi Sakshi, Praveen Ranjan Srivastava, Sachin K. Mangla and Amol Singh
This study aims to uncover and develop explicit knowledge of existing smart communities (SCs) to guide services and business solutions for enterprises and serve community users in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to uncover and develop explicit knowledge of existing smart communities (SCs) to guide services and business solutions for enterprises and serve community users in a well-thought-out manner. These sagacious frameworks will assist in analyzing trends and reaching out to pre-existing setups with different degrees of expertise.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic overview is provided in this paper to unify insights and competencies toward building SCs; a hybrid analytical approach is used consisting of machine learning and bibliometric analysis. Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) are the primary databases for this purpose.
Findings
SCs implement cutting-edge technologies to enhance mobility, elevating information and communication technology (ICT) skills and data awareness while improving business processes and efficiency. This system of SC is an evolution of the conventional method. It provides a foundation for intelligent community services based on individual users and technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, cloud computing and big data. Manufacturing-based, service-based, retail-based, resource management and infrastructure-based SCs exist in the literature.
Originality/value
The paper summarizes a conceptual framework of SCs based on existing works around SCs. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic literature review that uses a hybrid approach of topic modeling and bibliometric analysis to understand SCs better.
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Eduardo de Senzi Zancul, Silvia M. Takey, Ana Paula Bezerra Barquet, Leonardo Heiji Kuwabara, Paulo A. Cauchick Miguel and Henrique Rozenfeld
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for adopting an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled product-service system (PSS) considering business model and product enhancements…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for adopting an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled product-service system (PSS) considering business model and product enhancements. The method focusses on business process implications of IoT. The paper also discusses a real application of the proposed method to the machinery industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the IoT technologies available, failure mode and effects analysis is applied to identify what should be monitored in the product to minimize potential product failures. In parallel, in order to assist the company in deciding which PSS strategy to be followed, a Configurator of PSS proposals is applied. The results are derived to define the IoT architecture and the business process design supported by the selected IoT technologies.
Findings
The main findings include the proposed IoT-enabled PSS adoption method, illustrated by the description of the application and its assessment. In addition, the identification of key process areas that are impacted by IoT is offered, namely: remote machine setup; corrective and predictive maintenance; material supply; product pricing; and information reporting.
Research limitations/implications
The application of the method proposed is limited to one company. Future work includes extending the application of the method to other units of analysis.
Practical implications
The method proposed can be considered by companies willing to increase product-service revenues based on IoT technologies.
Originality/value
The IoT-enabled PSS adoption method is an approach grounded on the intersection theories of PSSs and the more technology-oriented IoT developments.
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Aline Cervi Inhof, Paulo Augusto Cauchick-Miguel, Suzana Regina Moro and Thayla Tavares de Sousa Zomer
Product-service systems (PSS) are regarded as highly sustainable solutions. However, studies identifying and comparing the sustainable potential of product-service offerings by…
Abstract
Purpose
Product-service systems (PSS) are regarded as highly sustainable solutions. However, studies identifying and comparing the sustainable potential of product-service offerings by considering the three sustainability dimensions are still scarce. This paper aims to benchmark and analyse the sustainable potential of a use-oriented PSS, showing the influence of the context of implementation on the sustainable potential of the solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting a competitive benchmarking approach, six bicycle-sharing systems from different countries were selected for analysis. The main sustainability-related aspects in use-oriented PSS (the systems investigated) were identified through a literature review. Multiple secondary sources were used to collect data about the analysed PSS. A qualitative analysis was conducted through triangulation of the sources to identify and compare the systems by considering the selected sustainability aspects.
Findings
The main results show that use-oriented PSS provide a range of economic, social, and environmental benefits, confirming the sustainable potential of such solutions. Several similarities between the systems have been identified, along with some differences, especially regarding their integration with other transport systems and the use of renewable energy, which can affect users' acceptance, operation efficacy, and overall sustainable potential of the solutions.
Practical implications
This study identifies best practices that can be considered by other bike-sharing businesses to improve their sustainability potential.
Originality/value
This study identifies and explores the sustainable potential of bicycle-sharing solutions using a benchmark approach. It augments existing empirical knowledge on sustainable PSS and business models by revealing best practices, including the context that may enhance the sustainability potential of the solutions regarding environmental, economic, and social benefits.
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Aristotle's Politics provides an example of what a biopolitical science might look like. Three key elements stand out: (1) an account of political structure as a multilevel…
Abstract
Aristotle's Politics provides an example of what a biopolitical science might look like. Three key elements stand out: (1) an account of political structure as a multilevel society including kin and non-kin relationships; (2) an account of the human species that includes comparison with other social species that are capable of coordinated action; and (3) an emphasis on the human capacity to understand and communicate moral rules. Over the last 50 years, a number of research programs in evolutionary anthropology have provided the basis for a biopolitical science that maps onto the elements above. Schultz, Opie, and Atkinson describe the trajectory of human evolution from solitary to a pair bonded, familial species. Michael Tomasello's two-step account of the evolution of human cooperation shows how the ancestral humans went from merely gregarious to genuinely political animals. Christopher Boehm shows how the human capacity for moral emotions and decision making by consensus developed. Richard Wrangham provides evidence that the suppression of reactive aggression by ancestral human societies resulted in a self-domesticated species, a process that enhanced the human capacity for cooperation and communication. Bernard Chapais argued that the emergence of pair bonding among ancestral humans laid the foundation for both consanguineal and affinal kinship structures. That these bodies of research hold together can best be seen when they are viewed in light of Aristotle's biopolitical science.