A value proposition oriented typology of electronic marketplaces for B2B SaaS applications

In order to overcome the lack of transparency of the SaaS market, electronic marketplaces (EMs) emerge in practice. To the best of our knowledge, only little research has been carried out in this specific domain. As it is of outmost importance to understand the value offerings, the goal of this paper is to develop a typology of EMs considering the value proposition and other differentiating characteristics. An explorative multiple case study approach is employed analyzing 17 cases utilizing publically available data. We propose a five-step-typology, in particular: (1) Catalogue Listing, (2) Transaction-oriented Catalogue, (3) All-in-One Marketplace, (4) Development Platform Marketing Channel and (5) Industry Collaboration Development Platform. In addition, we analyze and discuss the general market situation of EMs for B2B SaaS applications. Based on our findings, we derive implications for practice and identify potential for further research

LEVERAGE ONCE, EARN REPEATEDLY – CAPABILITIES FOR CREATING AND APPROPRIATING VALUE IN CLOUD PLATFORM ECOSYSTEMS

Information technology (IT) advancements enabled new delivery models (i.e. Cloud Computing), thereby facilitating the emergence of new business models in the IT industry, such as Cloud platform ecosystems. With their growing acceptance and diffusion in practice, we need a deeper understanding of their IT capabilities in order to implement their business model, thereby creating and appropriating value. We draw on empirical data from four case studies of Cloud platform ecosystems utilizing a framework on IT-enabled business models for data analysis. We found four key motivations for inter-firm collaboration that each generated business model requirements specified in the context of Cloud platform ecosystems. These drive the development of unique B2B IT capabilities enabling value crea-tion and appropriation mechanisms. We propose three dyadic (relation-specific) IT customization and two network IT standardization (network-oriented) capabilities based on our cross case analysis. Fur-thermore, we describe prevalent value creation and appropriation mechanisms and suggest two addi-tional mechanisms grounded in the data: downstream capabilities and platform resourcing. We pro-vide a possible reasoning on the underlying logic of IT capabilities, value creation and appropriation of Cloud platform ecosystems

The Role of IS Capabilities in the Development of Multi-Sided Platforms: The Digital Ecosystem Strategy of Alibaba.com

Multi-sided platforms (MSP) are revolutionizing the global competitive landscape in the new networked economy. Yet, although these MSPs are underpinned by information systems (IS), there is currently little research on how the IS capabilities of the platform sponsor can influence, and co-evolve with, the development of the platform over time. The lack of knowledge in this area may account for the difficulties faced by a significant number of platform sponsors in developing their MSPs effectively. Using a case study of Alibaba.com, one of the world’s largest and most commercially successful online MSP, we inductively derive a process theory of MSP development from an IS capability perspective to address this knowledge gap. The process model reveals that the role of IS capabilities in MSP development is evolutionary in nature, and the antecedent IS capabilities, nature, and outcomes of MSP development can be dramatically different in the various stages of development

Digital Business Models

This book provides an overview of how digital players create, exchange and capture value thanks to digital technologies. It describes the key characteristics of various digital business models using different business archetypes. Each chapter is illustrated with examples or mini-case studies and also comprises a toolbox describing strategic tools, canvases and frameworks that help managers analyse a situation and formulate proactive solutions

Implementing inter-organisational information systems for the integration of construction supply chains

Two trends are currently driving the need for supply chain firms to form closely integrated relationships: collaboration and digitisation. One of the ways to achieve digitisation of supply chain operations is to implement Inter-Organisational Information Systems (IOIS) with selected supply chain partners for a much more efficient, streamlined and orchestrated supply chain operations. Whilst IOIS can be implemented to support various cross-functional business processes (ranging from operational information exchange to pursuing strategic initiatives such as sharing ideas, identifying new market opportunities, and pursing a continuous improvement approach), in the context of this thesis, the purpose of IOIS implementation is to facilitate the inter-firm procurement-related operations with downstream supply chain firms. The study undertaken in this research project was initiated in response to an industry requirement to investigate the implementation of IOIS against a backdrop of improved Supply Chain Management and integration practices by large contractor organisations. A case study research strategy was adopted to investigate the IOIS project related, IOIS (system) related issues encountered in ex-ante and ex-post implementation stages of the IOIS. The study concludes that it is the non-technical factors that are critical to the successful delivery of IOIS projects and provides a guideline on IOIS implementation by large contractor organisations. The findings of this research project have been published in a number of peer-reviewed papers

Ecosystem synergies, change and orchestration

This thesis investigates ecosystem synergies, change, and orchestration. The research topics are motivated by my curiosity, a fragmented research landscape, theoretical gaps, and new phenomena that challenge extant theories. To address these motivators, I conduct literature reviews to organise existing studies and identify their limited assumptions in light of new phenomena. Empirically, I adopt a case study method with abductive reasoning for a longitudinal analysis of the Alibaba ecosystem from 1999 to 2020. My findings provide an integrated and updated conceptualisation of ecosystem synergies that comprises three distinctive but interrelated components: 1) stack and integrate generic resources for efficiency and optimisation, 2) empower generative changes for variety and evolvability, and 3) govern tensions for sustainable growth. Theoretically grounded and empirically refined, this new conceptualisation helps us better understand the unique synergies of ecosystems that differ from those of alternative collective organisations and explain the forces that drive voluntary participation for value co-creation. Regarding ecosystem change, I find a duality relationship between intentionality and emergence and develop a phasic model of ecosystem sustainable growth with internal and external drivers. This new understanding challenges and extends prior discussions on their dominant dualism view, focus on partial drivers, and taken-for-granted lifecycle model. I propose that ecosystem orchestration involves systematic coordination of technological, adoption, internal, and institutional activities and is driven by long-term visions and adjusted by re-visioning. My analysis reveals internal orchestration's important role (re-envisioning, piloting, and organisation architectural reconfiguring), the synergy and system principles in designing adoption activities, and the expanding arena of institutional activities. Finally, building on the above findings, I reconceptualise ecosystems and ecosystem sustainable growth to highlight multi-stakeholder value creation, inclusivity, long-term orientation and interpretative approach. The thesis ends with discussing the implications for practice, policy, and future research.Open Acces

Understanding the Trends of European Startup Ecosystems

The world faces numerous crises, being the economic and financial crisis, the more worrying crisis and which people become more aware, to find solutions to various problems, namely unemployment, especially youth unemployment. Throughout the evolution of the world, entrepreneurship phenomenon went hand in hand with economic and technological development, providing new businesses with innovative concepts, responding to people's needs. Today, entrepreneurship continues to be important to the economies, as it adds new companies with value by presenting people with talent, with creative sense and innovative products and services. With technological development and financial assistance from investors or government, we have witnessed an exponential growth of startups over the past few years. Entrepreneurial education also encouraged this development, presenting conferences and workshops, calling students to innovation, creating your own startup. In reply to the growth and development of European ecosystems, this research work was developed to analyze the reality of European ecosystems. The aim is to understand whether there are trends in choosing economic sectors, business models and pricing models. This investigation is composed by an extensive literature review to startups and startup ecosystem and by an empirical study to startups’ perception concerning to this subject. To acquire empirical data it was conducted an online questionnaire directed to a sample of startups registered on online platform. This study confirmed the existence of trends by information gathered from online platform and the online questionnaire. It is proposed a recommendation, which will help to continue the investigations concerning to this subject

Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming – Workshops

This open access book constitutes papers from the 5 research workshops, the poster presentations, as well as two panel discussions which were presented at XP 2021, the 22nd International Conference on Agile Software Development, which was held online during June 14-18, 2021. XP is the premier agile software development conference combining research and practice. It is a unique forum where agile researchers, practitioners, thought leaders, coaches, and trainers get together to present and discuss their most recent innovations, research results, experiences, concerns, challenges, and trends. XP conferences provide an informal environment to learn and trigger discussions and welcome both people new to agile and seasoned agile practitioners. The 18 papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from overall 37 submissions. They stem from the following workshops: 3rd International Workshop on Agile Transformation 9th International Workshop on Large-Scale Agile Development 1st International Workshop on Agile Sustainability 4th International Workshop on Software-Intensive Business 2nd International Workshop on Agility with Microservices Programmin

Outcome-Based SaaS Pricing

Outcome-based pricing (OBP) refers to a contract where at least part of the payments are based on some indicator of the expected outcomes. OBP aims to meet the challenges of value-based pricing by providing tools for measuring value. The market's interest in performance-based pricing has been noticeable over the past few years, but there are hardly any studies on the topic available in the SaaS environment. The existing research investigates outcome-based pricing from the perspectives of the manufacturing industry, where instead of the traditional ownership of products and equipment, for example hours of use or the number of finished pieces, are purchased from the service providers. The objective of the study is to identify the benefits and challenges of OBP in a SaaS environment. The study focuses on examining B2B service providers in the Finnish market. In addition, the study aims to offer service providers a framework for the capabilities required for OBP to support the successful implementation of a complex pricing model. The study has been carried out as a single case study by interviewing employees of the organization ordering the study. To support the interview research, the characteristics of OBP have been collected with a literature review based mainly on studies of the manufacturing industry. The integrative literature review has also included the observations of commercial players studying the market. These findings are based on customer surveys conducted in the SaaS operating environment in recent years. The various sources of the literature review are found to support each other, especially in terms of risks and opportunities related to the pricing model. The close cooperation between the customer and the supplier creates the challenges and opportunities of the pricing model. Based on the analyzed materials, OBP is identified as a complex pricing model. To implement the pricing model, the service provider must evaluate both its own and potential customers' ability to participate in the collaboration. Focusing on studying only one case organization and the relatively small sample size of the interviews and the absence of customer interviews may weaken the general applicability of the results.Tulosperusteinen hinnoittelu (OBP) viittaa sopimukseen, jossa ainakin osa maksuista perustuu johonkin odotetun tuloksen indikaattoriin. OBP pyrkii vastaamaan arvopohjaisen hinnoittelun haasteisiin tarjoamalla työkaluja arvon mittaamiselle. Markkinoiden kiinnostus tulosperusteiseen hinnoitteluun on ollut havaittavissa viime vuosien aikana, mutta SaaS ympäristössä tehtyjä tutkimuksia aiheesta ei juurikaan ole saatavilla. Tarjolla oleva tutkimus tutkii tulospohjaista hinnoittelua valmistavan teollisuuden näkökulmista, joissa perinteisen tuotteiden ja laitteiden omistamisen sijaan ostetaan palveluntarjoajilta esimerkiksi käyttötunteja tai valmistuneiden kappaleiden määrää. Työn tavoitteena on tunnistaa OBP hinnoittelun hyötyjä ja haasteita SaaS toimintaympäristössä. Tutkimuksessa keskitytään tarkastelemaan B2B palveluntarjoajia suomalaisilla markkinoilla. Lisäksi työssä pyritään tarjoamaan palveluntarjoajille viitekehys OBP mallin vaatimista kyvykkyyksistä, jotta kompleksiseksi havaittu OPB malli voidaan implementoida onnistuneesti osaksi organisaatioiden hinnoittelustrategiaa. Työ on toteutettu yksittäistapaustutkimuksena haastattelemalla työn tilaajaorganisaation toimihenkilöitä. Haastattelututkimuksen tueksi OBP hinnoittelun erityispiirteitä on kerätty pääosin valmistavan teollisuuden tutkimuksiin pohjautuvalla kirjallisuuskatsauksella. Integroivaan kirjallisuuskatsaukseen on sisällytetty myös markkinoita tutkivien kaupallisten toimijoiden havaintoja. Nämä havainnot perustuvat SaaS toimintaympäristössä viime vuosina tehtyihin asiakastutkimuksiin. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen eri lähteiden havaitaan tukevan toisiaan varsinkin hinnoittelumalliin liittyvien riskien ja mahdollisuuksien osalta. Tiivis yhteistyösuhde asiakkaan ja toimittajan välillä synnyttää hinnoittelumallin haasteet ja mahdollisuudet. Analysoitujen materiaalien perusteella OBP tunnistettiin kompleksiseksi hinnoittelumalliksi, jonka implementointia varten palveluntarjoajan on arvioitava sekä omaa että potentiaalisten asiakkaiden kykyä osallistua kumppanuussuhteeseen. Työn sovellettavuuden rajoitteina voidaan pitää tutkimuksen keskittymistä yhden tapausorganisaation tutkimiseen. Lisäksi verrattain pieni haastatteluiden otoskoko ja asiakashaastatteluiden puuttuminen voi heikentää tulosten yleistettävyyttä

Role of digital content marketing in solo entrepreneurs’ pre-purchase process

Abstract. This Master’s thesis studies the role of digital content in the pre-purchase stage of the online purchasing process experienced by solo entrepreneurs in the business context of creative industries. The main research question is defined as follows: “What is the role of digital content during the pre-purchase phase of online purchasing behavior of the solo entrepreneurs?”. The aim of the study is to understand the solo entrepreneurs’ perspective on how different types of digital content influences their purchasing behavior during need identification, information search, and evaluation of alternatives stages. The main theoretical framework comprises several models for purchasing process with justification in favor of the customer journey framework for studying solo entrepreneurs as well as literature. Additionally, key concepts from digital content marketing are utilized. These aspects are adapted and combined in a novel framework in order to expand the understanding of the phenomenon of purchasing process experienced by solo entrepreneurs and the role of digital content during that. The research method used in the study is based on a qualitative case study as an empirical method to study the phenomenon of interest focusing on 12 solo entrepreneurs. The data collection is conducted by organizing semi-structured interviews with real estate photographers that comply with the solo entrepreneurs’ criteria. The interviewees are selected through a purposeful sampling approach in order to obtain empirical data from customers (solo entrepreneurs) activating in the United States. The thesis followed an abductive approach and thematic analysis throughout the research process. The findings from data analysis reveal that solo entrepreneurs’ purchasing process is seemingly adopting a non-linear buying structure instead of the traditional B2B buying process. However, some variables that are usually characteristic of the B2B buying processes such as long-term commitment, quality, and profitability were identified by solo entrepreneurs as relevant during the buying process. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence concerning types of digital content influencing the pre-purchase stage but also highlights types of customer journeys experienced by solo entrepreneurs: considered and balanced journey linking it to their response to customer demand. Conclusions as well as managerial implications are provided suggesting to company to find ways to encourage the creation of UGC as it is perceived as more trustworthy than CGC by solo entrepreneurs but also to provide informational content during the pre-purchase stage. Lastly, the quality of the research is evaluated, limitations are presented and suggestions for future research are provided as well