18,443 research outputs found
An Ontology for Product-Service Systems
Industries are transforming their business strategy from a product-centric to a more service-centric nature by bundling products and services into integrated solutions to enhance the relationship between their customers. Since Product- Service Systems design research is currently at a rudimentary stage, the development of a robust ontology for this area would be helpful. The advantages of a standardized ontology are that it could help researchers and practitioners to communicate their views without ambiguity and thus encourage the conception and implementation of useful methods and tools. In this paper, an initial structure of a PSS ontology from the design perspective is proposed and evaluated
Co-creative pricing (CCP) : a conceptual development of consumersâ participation in pricing practicing in services
Keskustelu yhteisestÀ arvonluonnista on saavuttanut yhÀ laajempaa huomiota niin nykypÀivÀn tieteellisteoreettisessa markkinointikirjallisuudessa kuin kÀytÀnnössÀ. Suosiosta huolimatta keskustelusta on jÀÀnyt miltei tyystin huomioimatta arvokÀsitteen erÀs varsin oleellinen ulottuvuus: hinta. SiitÀ syystÀ on ensiarvoisen tÀrkeÀÀ tutkia hinnan merkitys arvokÀsitteen, yhdessÀ tuottamisen ja hinnan muodostamassa suhteiden kolmiossa, sillÀ vaihdannassa hinta on yksi arvonmuodostuksen tÀrkeimmistÀ osatekijöistÀ.
Toissijaisia tutkimusmenetelmiÀ kÀyttÀen, tÀmÀn tutkimuksen tarkoitus on pyrkiÀ kÀsitteellistÀmÀÀn yhteinen hinnanluonti arvon lisÀÀjÀnÀ. NiinikÀÀn tutkimus tarjoaa mallinnuksen niistÀ vallitsevista olosuhteista, jotka ovat arvon muodostuksessa vÀlttÀmÀttömiÀ. Esitetty malli perustaa juurensa palvelumarkkinoinnin Service-Dominant Logic -ajattelusta, muodostaen fuusion yhdessÀ ARA-mallin ja markkinointikeskustelussa vallalla olevan elÀmysmarkkinointiajattelun kanssa.
Tutkimus edistÀÀ yhteisen arvonluonnin tieteellistÀ keskustelua syventÀmÀllÀ jo olemassa olevaa tietoa arvon muodostuksesta. LisÀksi, tutkimus edistÀÀ kÀytÀnnön tietÀmystÀ esittÀmÀllÀ eksploratiivisen avauksen hinnoittelun dynaamisesta yhteisajattelusta haastamalla markkinoijia ajattelemaan myös hinnoittelua uudesta innovatiivisesta yhteiseen arvonluontiin perustuvasta nÀkökulmasta. Nykyajan asiakkaat ovat yhÀ halukkaampia, pystyvÀmpiÀ sekÀ resursseiltaan rikkaampia osallistumaan hinnoittelupÀÀtöksiin kuin aikaisemmin.
YhdessÀ tuotettu arvo hinnoittelun kautta tarjoaa vaihtoehtoisen ajattelutavan pitkÀÀn vallinneelle yritysten sisÀÀnpÀin suuntautuneelle hinnoitteluajattelulle ja esittÀÀ, ettÀ kÀÀntÀmÀllÀ katse asiakkaan suuntaan, saavutetaan todellinen arvo, sellaisena kuin asiakas sen mÀÀrittelee. Tutkimuksessa esiin tuotu ajattelutapa tarjoaa uusia mahdollisuuksia vaihtoehtoisille hinnoittelumenetelmille sekÀ palveluinnovaatioille.Co-creation debate has increasingly become a key topic in the contemporary services marketing theory and practice. Domains of co-creation and value have thus far attracted plenty of academic interest, however, there is an evident deficiency of one essential dimension of value: price. In the triangular relation of co-creation, value and price, it is of high importance to research the role of price, as it is one of the prime components contributing to the formation of value in an exchange.
Using secondary research methods, this research works towards a conceptualization of CCP and offers a model of the conditions that need to be in place for value through CCP to occur. The model builds its foundations on Service-Dominant Logic debate. Combined together with the ARA model, and the prevalent thinking of experiential marketing, the work contributes to the academic co-creation literature by adding to the knowledge of value creation. Further, it presents an explorative opening of dynamic pricing thinking for practitioners by challenging the marketers to think their pricing from an innovative co-creation based view.
Co-created pricing offers an alternative logic to inwardly focused value creation of the firm and suggests that by turning the focus on the customer, the true value, as perceived by the customer, is captured. Todayâs customers are increasingly willing, capable and rich in their resources to participate in pricing decisions, thereby offering an opportunity for alternative pricing methods and service innovations
An AmI-Based Software Architecture Enabling Evolutionary Computation in Blended Commerce: The Shopping Plan Application
This work describes an approach to synergistically exploit ambient intelligence technologies, mobile devices, and evolutionary computation in order to support blended commerce or ubiquitous commerce scenarios. The work proposes a software architecture consisting of three main components: linked data for e-commerce, cloud-based services, and mobile apps. The three components implement a scenario where a shopping mall is presented as an intelligent environment in which customers use NFC capabilities of their smartphones in order to handle e-coupons produced, suggested, and consumed by the abovesaid environment. The main function of the intelligent environment is to help customers define shopping plans, which minimize the overall shopping cost by looking for best prices, discounts, and coupons. The paper proposes a genetic algorithm to find suboptimal solutions for the shopping plan problem in a highly dynamic context, where the final cost of a product for an individual customer is dependent on his previous purchases. In particular, the work provides details on the Shopping Plan software prototype and some experimentation results showing the overall performance of the genetic algorithm
Open semantic service networks
Online service marketplaces will soon be part of the economy to scale the provision of specialized multi-party services through automation and standardization. Current research, such as the *-USDL service description language family, is already deïŹning the basic building blocks to model the next generation of business services. Nonetheless, the developments being made do not target to interconnect services via service relationships. Without the concept of relationship, marketplaces will be seen as mere functional silos containing service descriptions. Yet, in real economies, all services are related and connected. Therefore, to address this gap we introduce the concept of open semantic service network (OSSN), concerned with the establishment of rich relationships between services. These networks will provide valuable knowledge on the global service economy, which can be exploited for many socio-economic and scientiïŹc purposes such as service network analysis, management, and control
MARKET SEGMENTATION PRACTICES OF RETAIL CROP INPUT FIRMS
While market segmentation and the associated idea of target marketing are not new, there are questions about how the strategy of market segmentation and target marketing is being used in retail agribusiness firms. Previous research has demonstrated that distinct groups of farmers/customers exist (Alexander). However, retail crop input firms tend to be of modest size and are geographically bound. Both lack of resources and confinement to a specific geographic market present challenges for successful implementation of a market segmentation/target marketing strategy (Stolp). In this study, market segmentation/target marketing practices were explored in two types of crop input retailers: independently owned and operated firms (9 firms) and agricultural cooperatives (11 firms). A number of questions related to market segmentation/target marketing strategy were assessed via a web-based survey and telephone interviews. Referencing Best's seven-step framework, market segmentation is compared and contrasted by firm type; gaps in market segmentation strategy execution are identified; and challenges to implementing a market segmentation strategy are considered. Results show that market segmentation/target marketing was employed by 85% of the crop input retailers in the sample. Key gaps identified in market segmentation strategy execution include measuring market segment attractiveness; evaluating market segment profitability; developing a product-price positioning strategy for a tailored offering; expanding the positioning strategy to include promotional and sales elements of the marketing-mix; and evaluating the progress/success with each target market segment. Addressing these key gaps will aid industry professionals as they work to serve the needs of a continuously evolving farmer/customer base.market segmentation, target marketing, crop inputs, distribution channel, retailer
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