Digital platform development: A service-oriented perspective

The traditional view of value is largely rooted in the material properties of physical goods. However, service-dominant logic tells us that value is not imbued in goods, but derived in its judicious application. A contextually bounded nature of value is highly relevant for the study of digital platforms given the reprogrammable nature of digital technology coupled with a necessity to serve several different stake-holders and applications. This paper applies servitization as a theoretical framework for illustrating the subjective and transitory value propositions that influence platform development. Based on a case study of a firm that has transitioned from product supplier to provider of a platform for digital services, it is evident that value propositions are ambivalent, yet vital components in the evolution of platforms. Furthermore, we may discern that platform providers are faced with value propositions that are multidirectional, multidimensional, and offered from a variety of sources

Platform Provider by Accident - A Case Study of Digital Platform Coring

Recent years have witnessed the rapid emergence of digital technology as not just an enabler, but indeed a material basis for platform development. However, extant platform literature does not adequately address strategies related to digital platforms. Specifically, the notion of platform coring does not consider how a core is to be identified or the nature of a core in relation to entangled physical and digital materiality. This paper presents a single-case study of a digital platform for business-to-business services. Results suggest that rather than a specific platform element, the core of a digital platform may be described as a capability to harness the potential of digital technology. Furthermore, platform coring may be aided by adopting value propositions as a means to conceptualize the process of negotiating mutual benefit among platform stakeholders. This study contributes to the understanding of digital platform establishment as it addresses the notion of coring and the emergent process related to the distributed ontology of digital technology and a situated perception of value

Towards an Internet of Things society: Perspectives from government agencies in Sweden

Digitalization in general, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in particular, is dramatically transforming societies, affecting both industry and the public sector. Government agencies have a role to play in how successful distribution and implementation of IoT technologies are. We conducted an explorative, qualitative study based on 16 interviews with key respondents from government agencies in Sweden to discover the public sector agencies’ current maturity. We focused on society as a whole and drilled down into individual sectors: energy, food, transportation, health care, financial services, information and communication, and security. Governance challenges are identified related to the complex ecosystem interplay of public and private actors, including lack of common guidelines, sparsity of expertise, and each respective agency’s evolving roles in an increasingly connected society

Here, there, but not everywhere: Adoption and diffusion of IoT in Swedish municipalities

The Internet of Things (IoT) brings with it promises of smart cities with improved efficiency, increased transparency, and enhanced public services. However, few studies have empirically and systematically investigated the reasoning behind the decision to adopt IoT within municipal organizations. In this paper we study the adoption and diffusion of IoT in Swedish municipalities. We outline areas of application and perceived value creation and conclude that the main reasons for adoption and diffusion can be traced back to 1) the simplicity of the IoT solution, and 2) clear incentives. Among the municipalities that have not embraced IoT, commonly cited barriers are economic factors and that other, more politically charged, issues take priority. This paper extends our understanding of public sector perception of IoT, as well as provides a comprehensive outlook on drivers for IoT-adoption

Framing Crisis Information Systems: The case of WIS

Relief efforts for natural and societal crises require a multitude of agencies to effectively and efficiently share information and coordinate their efforts. In 2009, The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency launched a Web-based Information System (WIS) for Information sharing in crisis management. The system has undergone two major revisions and is applied nation-wide with the intent of aiding inter-agency coordination. The study draws upon Orlikowski and Gash’s notion of technological frames to contrast the perspectives of technology users and technology promoters. The study revealed that both stakeholder groups agree on the potential benefits of the system, but differ in their view on the system itself as well as its application in practice. Furthermore, the study highlights the limitations of dedicated ICT for crisis management as users perceive WIS to be useful in coordinating slow-moving events that involve many different societal actors, yet unwieldy to deploy in a sudden crisis

Hard color-singlet exchange in dijet events in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Events where the two leading jets are separated by a pseudorapidity interval devoid of particle activity, known as jet-gap-jet events, are studied in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The signature is expected from hard color-singlet exchange. Each of the highest transverse momentum (p(T)) jets must have p(T)(jet) > 40 GeV and pseudorapidity 1.4 0.2 GeV in the interval vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1 between the jets are observed in excess of calculations that assume only color-exchange. The fraction of events produced via color-singlet exchange, f(CSE), is measured as a function of p(T)(jet2), the pseudorapidity difference between the two leading jets, and the azimuthal angular separation between the two leading jets. The fraction f(CSE) has values of 0.4-1.0%. The results are compared with previous measurements and with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics. In addition, the first study of jet-gap-jet events detected in association with an intact proton using a subsample of events with an integrated luminosity of 0.40 pb(-1) is presented. The intact protons are detected with the Roman pot detectors of the TOTEM experiment. The f(CSE) in this sample is 2.91 +/- 0.70(stat)(-1.01)(+1.08)(syst) times larger than that for inclusive dijet production in dijets with similar kinematics.Peer reviewe

Professionalism and IT - A study of Japanese healthcare

The purpose of this study has been to determine what role professionalism has in the introduction of IT. Theory suggest that professionalism is a potential cause for rational as well as irrational issues, encompassing a spectrum ranging from gaps in expertise to matters of professional pride. Rational or irrational, professionalism is said to be a potential barrier for collaborative efforts. This would, if true, be an impediment for the successful introduction of IT as its main purpose is communication and facilitating collaboration. The professional context chosen for the study was healthcare and the geographical context elected was Japan. The study was separated into two phases, the first of which consisted of a number of interviews with individuals knowledgeable of either healthcare in general or Japanese healthcare in particular. This study revealed a number of issues which directly or indirectly affect the introduction of IT into Japanese healthcare. The preliminary study also suggested a number of ways in which change efforts in healthcare may be facilitated. Following the preliminary study, a number of case studies were carried out at medical facilities in Japan. These were subsequently analyzed based on a synthesis of theoretical underpinnings and results of the preliminary study. The analysis shows that professionalism may have either detrimental or beneficial effects based on the situation. - Lone professionals focusing only on their own working environments tend to have a detrimental effect on the introduction of IT as they lack a comprehensive view of the organization. A strong management possessing an adequately holistic perspective is therefore needed to counter the myopic perspective of the single professional. - However, a large group of professionals able to reach a consensus or compromise tend to have a beneficial effect on the introduction of IT – even if they are still focused on a single issue. In this case, the need for management is reduced as the consensus reached among peers yield as sufficiently wide perspective. Also noted were distinctly different perspectives on how matters relating to IT were treated. The more common approach was to utilize special forums or meetings where technical issues were discussed. A less common approach was to process matters relating to IT through conventional channels – just like any other business. Empirical data is however insufficient to determine what – if any – impact these different approaches have on the professional workplace. This would, in the researcher‟s opinion, be a suitable area for future research

An inquiry into the nature and causes of digital platforms

While the shape and nature of platforms varies across different instances, they pursue common ambitions such as reduction of risk, complexity, or transaction costs. Although initially theorised in industrial contexts, subsequent theorising regarding platform development, platform ecosystems, and platform strategy has drawn upon studies of high-tech industries in general and IT-based platforms in particular. While the inherent malleability of digitised data and digital technology offers possibilities, they also make it difficult to pin down the locus of a low-variety platform core. As such, one of the fundamental properties of digital platforms is rather mundane: to provide stability. With that in mind, this thesis pursues the following research question: How can a digital platform maintain stability for its stakeholders in the face of constant technical change? This thesis utilises affordance theory as a means to operationalise a relational view of digital platform, where stability is assessed in relation to stakeholders rather than technical persistence. This dissertation is based on an interpretive case study, primarily using qualitative data in the form of interviews gathered as part of two separate projects that varied both in scope and orientation. The thesis offers two main contributions. First, the idea of platform stability as derived from low-variety components that are persistent over time is difficult to apply in relation to digital platforms. Rather, we need to approach stability as a composite property, based on the ability of the platform to satisfy technical-, informational-, and social expectations. Hence, stability should not be considered as a fixed or absolute property, but rather a moving target. Second, this thesis suggests that the existing notion of (technical) coring needs to be complemented with information coring and social coring when applied to digital platforms. The proposed concept of information coring expresses the ability to hide complexity and present bottom-line results to the user in a comprehensible manner. Social coring refers to the idea of aligning technical integration and social integration in a platform. A relational perspective applied to digital platforms offers a possible avenue for theorising digital platforms as information systems artefacts rather than the dichotomous relationship between platform-as-architecture and platform-as-marketplace found in extant literature

Exploiting Information : Seeking Long-term Preservation of organisational knowledge

Long-term preservation of organisational knowledge gives the business opportunities to reusestored knowledge. This preservation of knowledge is present both in the organisation as such,found explicitly in the organisational stock, and also in the individual workers, implicit intheir flow of action. Theoretically have the reuse of knowledge been named organisationalmemory and also been addressed in knowledge management. In a single case-study of amanufacturing company, the authors study the utilisation of product configuration information(PCI) and its role in meeting requirements on long-time preservation of product-relatedknowledge. This structured and standardised information is used throughout the organisation,serving as a base for both organisational and individual knowledge for the entire company.Since the information has been used in the same way for decades it is a part of theorganisation´s culture and influences structures and procedures connected to the informationbase. The result of the study implies that usage of PCI grants the individual worker a highdegree of task-related freedom as well as intra-organisational mobility. The downside for theindividuals is the long time period it takes to get familiar with PCI due to its complexity. Forthe organisation as such, PCI provides a stable stock of knowledge which is available overextended periods of time, drastically reducing dependence upon individual workers.Also known in the proceedings with the former title: The necessity of knowledge: from structured information to boundary objects</p