Ethnographies of Collaborative Economies across Europe

“Sharing economy” and “collaborative economy” refer to a proliferation of initiatives, business models, digital platforms and forms of work that characterise contemporary life: from community-led initiatives and activist campaigns, to the impact of global sharing platforms in contexts such as network hospitality, transportation, etc. Sharing the common lens of ethnographic methods, this book presents in-depth examinations of collaborative economy phenomena. The book combines qualitative research and ethnographic methodology with a range of different collaborative economy case studies and topics across Europe. It uniquely offers a truly interdisciplinary approach. It emerges from a unique, long-term, multinational, cross-European collaboration between researchers from various disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, geography, business studies, law, computing, information systems), career stages, and epistemological backgrounds, brought together by a shared research interest in the collaborative economy. This book is a further contribution to the in-depth qualitative understanding of the complexities of the collaborative economy phenomenon. These rich accounts contribute to the painting of a complex landscape that spans several countries and regions, and diverse political, cultural, and organisational backdrops. This book also offers important reflections on the role of ethnographic researchers, and on their stance and outlook, that are of paramount interest across the disciplines involved in collaborative economy research

Ethnographies of Collaborative Economies across Europe

“Sharing economy” and “collaborative economy” refer to a proliferation of initiatives, business models, digital platforms and forms of work that characterise contemporary life: from community-led initiatives and activist campaigns, to the impact of global sharing platforms in contexts such as network hospitality, transportation, etc. Sharing the common lens of ethnographic methods, this book presents in-depth examinations of collaborative economy phenomena. The book combines qualitative research and ethnographic methodology with a range of different collaborative economy case studies and topics across Europe. It uniquely offers a truly interdisciplinary approach. It emerges from a unique, long-term, multinational, cross-European collaboration between researchers from various disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, geography, business studies, law, computing, information systems), career stages, and epistemological backgrounds, brought together by a shared research interest in the collaborative economy. This book is a further contribution to the in-depth qualitative understanding of the complexities of the collaborative economy phenomenon. These rich accounts contribute to the painting of a complex landscape that spans several countries and regions, and diverse political, cultural, and organisational backdrops. This book also offers important reflections on the role of ethnographic researchers, and on their stance and outlook, that are of paramount interest across the disciplines involved in collaborative economy research

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

Sustainability in design: now! Challenges and opportunities for design research, education and practice in the XXI century

Copyright @ 2010 Greenleaf PublicationsLeNS project funded by the Asia Link Programme, EuropeAid, European Commission

Industry 4.0 & Servitization: Role and impact of digital servitization strategies in international industrial markets

Il presente progetto di ricerca riguarda l'indagine di due fenomeni principali, la digitalizzazione e la servitizzazione, e la risultante ‘servitizzazione digitale’, all’interno dei mercati industriali. L'obiettivo principale di questo studio è contribuire alla generazione di nuova conoscenza circa i fenomeni indagati e fornire a manager e professionisti validi suggerimenti su come affrontarli con successo. La digitalizzazione e la servitizzazione digitale sono ambiti di ricerca recenti ma in forte crescita, attorno ai quali sta convergendo l'attenzione di numerose figure accademiche e professionali. Nonostante il grande dinamismo che caratterizza tali fenomeni, le imprese industriali si trovano ad affrontare ancora oggi diverse sfide nel tentativo di implementarli. In effetti, le aziende manifatturiere dimostrano di percepire barriere elevate all'investimento in strategie digitali. Adottando un approccio alla problematizzazione, è possibile notare come sia necessario sviluppare ulteriori conoscenze circa i processi di digitalizzazione e servitizzazione al fine di comprendere al meglio i vantaggi e le sfide ad essi connessi. Partendo dall’identificazione di una serie di nuove aree di ricerca ancora poco studiate, questa tesi analizza empiricamente i fenomeni di digitalizzazione e servitizzazione. A tal fine, il presente lavoro di ricerca è strutturato in cinque capitoli principali. Il Capitolo I – Fondamenti teorici e note metodologiche – passa in rassegna la letteratura disponibile su digitalizzazione e servitizzazione digitale e fornisce chiarimenti sulle note metodologiche adottate in questa tesi. Lo scopo del capitolo è fornire un'analisi teorica preliminare sulla digitalizzazione e la servitizzazione. Il Capitolo II – I meccanismi di diffusione della conoscenza di Industria 4.0 nei distretti industriali tradizionali: evidenze dall'Italia – indaga empiricamente la digitalizzazione a livello di analisi contestuale. Il capitolo esamina il contesto e i meccanismi attraverso i quali si stanno diffondendo le tecnologie di Industria 4.0. Il Capitolo III – Verso una prospettiva multilivello sulla servitizzazione digitale – studia empiricamente i percorsi di servitizzazione digitale di due aziende manifatturiere a livello intersettoriale. Il Capitolo IV – Tensioni intra e interorganizzative di una strategia di servitizzazione digitale: evidenze dal settore meccatronico in Italia – è uno studio empirico circa le tensioni emergenti legate alla servitizzazione digitale. In particolare, il capitolo implementa un'indagine approfondita su un'azienda industriale esplorando longitudinalmente le fasi del suo percorso di servitizzazione digitale al fine di districarne la complessità. Il Capitolo V – Osservazioni conclusive e percorsi di ricerca futuri – traccia le conclusioni della ricerca e fornisce linee di ricerca future. I principali contributi di questo lavoro di ricerca possono essere riassunti come segue. Questa tesi evidenzia la stretta connessione tra i fenomeni di digitalizzazione e servitizzazione e prova che la digitalizzazione può essere ‘un’arma a doppio taglio’. I risultati empirici raccolti descrivono la servitizzazione digitale attraverso la sua natura multilivello, che si manifesta su tre livelli: micro (individuale), organizzativo e di network. Inoltre, sottolinea l'impatto del networking nei processi di digitalizzazione e servitizzazione; nuovi attori entrano a far parte della catena del valore e possono influenzare l’andamento dei due fenomeni. Infine, la complessità dei processi di digitalizzazione e servitizzazione è provata empiricamente e si propone evidenza delle difficoltà incontrate dalle aziende manifatturiere nel tentativo di realizzarli

Knowledge-based trade, technical change and location environment: the case of small and medium sized enterprises engaged in advanced producer software services in the South East region

Technical change is the driving force behind modern economic competitiveness and the evolution of enterprise and industry. The process, however, is not insular; in particular the location environment is regarded as a key component of how technical change is derived, implemented and diffused. This research study explores this assumption in relation to knowledge-based trade via small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in the development of advanced producer service (APS) software in the South East Region (SER), a region that has been identified as being post-industrial in character and knowledge-based. As a result of the intangible nature of technical change associated with knowledge-based trade, the research objective is not only to understand the supply architecture, i.e. the location environment in the context of operation and trade, but also interaction including tacit knowledge transfer. This research study employs an interdisciplinary set of approaches including geography, economics, sociology and organisational management. It also takes a bottom-up research approach via use of a qualitative format to analyse the interrelationship between location environment and technical change. Whilst the evidence gathered suggests that agglomeration economies are important both in terms of demand and supply hierarchy, this also inhibits wider opportunities for technical change within the region. Established firms within the survey knew in general where and how to get appropriate knowledge and skills advice. In fact they were in a far better position than public referral entities because of their involvement and awareness of their own specific technologies and markets. Rather than attempt to go against the entrepreneurial nature found within SER (which is a key driver of endogenous growth and competitiveness), what emerges is the need to facilitate greater knowledge interaction, but in a way that does not seek to directly intervene, to impose unsustainable network or partnership structures. Further, the study suggests that development bodies should take a greater interest in the process of knowledge translations and incorporations, particularly using the ‘actor-network’ theory approach to map regional knowledge dynamics