Alicja Fandrejewska, Monika Eisenbardt, Tomasz Eisenbardt
The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the functioning of contemporary consumers and services within the digital landscape, emphasizing the transition from traditional marketing and classical market models to customer-oriented approaches in online environments. It examines the impact of rapid technological development, data-driven processes, and the emergence of the information society on the evolution of digital services. Particular attention is given to key technological trends, including e-commerce, e-banking, e-health, e-learning, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, as well as to the opportunities and risks associated with these transformations, such as disinformation and increasing uncertainty. The chapter argues that contemporary consumers operate in a complex, dynamic, and highly digitized environment, in which services are increasingly intangible, personalized, and data-driven. It concludes by linking these considerations to the research approach and presenting selected empirical findings related to the issues discussed.
Cheuk Hang Au, Po-Hsu Shieh, Vladimir Nurbaev, Kris M. Y. Law · 5 authors
Digital platforms face a fundamental paradox: while expanding service variety is a dominant competitive strategy, it risks inducing a “paradox of choice” that confuses and deters users. This tension manifests with extreme clarity in the nascent, high-complexity market of cryptocurrency exchanges, creating a pressing empirical puzzle. To resolve this, we adopt the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) perspective in a three-stage mixed-method study to investigate how platforms can strategically manage this trade-off. Our qualitative exploration (Study 1) established a capital flow schema called “inflow, roll, and go” and identified key complexity-reduction mechanisms. A subsequent survey (n = 190, Study 2) validated that perceived innovativeness and scalability are critical stimuli for service variety, which in turn drives user continuance intention. A final survey (n = 140, Study 3) confirmed that users prioritise services that bridge to the traditional financial system, forming a minimal viable structure with a variety of functions. Our meta-inferences make several key contributions, including the resolution of the service variety paradox by introducing a theoretical distinction between value-adding “real-variety” and confusing “pseudo-variety” and the development of a strategic roadmap that guides exchanges in navigating the tension between service expansion and user confusion, offering actionable insights for platform strategy in any high-velocity digital market.
Purpose As retail undergoes digital transformation, the integration of emerging technologies offers new opportunities for delivering services sustainably. This study aims to identify and map the key technological enablers shaping sustainability in retail services. Design/methodology/approach A structured literature review, informed by service-dominant logic and activity theory, was used to identify relevant technological enablers. The interpretive structural modeling technique was used to develop a hierarchical structure of these enablers. Subsequently, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method was applied to analyze the causal relationships and interdependencies among them. Findings High-driving enablers include Mobile Payment Systems, Big Data Analytics and Social Media Engagement Platforms. These cascade toward dependent technologies such as Blockchain and Automated Inventory Management. Real-Time Sustainability Dashboards, together with these drivers, exert strong interrelated influence. They create the conditions for effective deployment of downstream technologies and facilitate value co-creation across the retail service ecosystem. Research limitations/implications The study provides a strategic roadmap for retail managers to prioritize technological investments that deliver sustainable outcomes and enhance customer experiences. This approach supports the creation of a more responsible and future-ready retail service system. Originality/value This study presents a theory-informed framework to guide retail managers and service designers in integrating technology for sustainable outcomes. It bridges the sustainability-technology gap in retail service literature.
Kemardo Tyrell, Khalid Ballouli, ALBERTO MAYDEU-OLIVARES, Andrew Goldsmith
Purpose This study examines adoption intentions for sports non-fungible tokens (NFTs) using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) as an analytical framework. Specifically, it investigates how established technology adoption constructs operate in the context of blockchain-enabled, fan-oriented digital assets among prospective non-users. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 350 prospective sports NFT non-adopters. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the influence of six UTAUT2 constructs—performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and price value—on behavioral intention. Habit was excluded due to the non-adopter sample. Findings Effort expectancy (β = 0.257, p = 0.010), facilitating conditions (β = 0.234, p = 0.048), and hedonic motivation (β = 0.296, p = 0.023) positively predicted behavioral intention, underscoring the importance of perceived usability, institutional support, and experiential appeal. Performance expectancy demonstrated a significant negative relationship (β = −0.254, p = 0.010), suggesting that strong functional expectations may generate skepticism in speculative digital asset markets. Social influence approached significance, while price value was not significant. Overall, prospective adopters prioritized emotional engagement and ease of interaction over economic considerations or normative pressures. Originality/value This study extends UTAUT2 to an emerging sport technology context and demonstrates how traditional adoption mechanisms recalibrate when applied to symbolic, blockchain-enabled fan assets. It contributes to sport management and technology adoption literature by highlighting the distinct motivational structure underlying early-stage sports NFT adoption.
<p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Amidst the rise of Web3, a technology transforming user interactions and challenging corporate control, this study uses a hybrid model of appreciative inquiry that matches the remote and decentralized nature of Web3 communities, to investigate the formation of a blockchain startup and its emergent culture and values. Despite limited resources, the company has built a diverse, global community via digital platforms, exceeding stakeholder expectations. This appreciative inquiry uncovers a community manifesting five core values: excellence, sustainable innovation, inclusivity, continuous learning, and creativity, challenging stereotypes often associated with the Web3 industry. This work advances participative research by introducing a hybrid model of appreciative inquiry tailored for remote and decentralized Web3 communities. By adapting appreciative inquiry to the unique dynamics of blockchain-dependent organizations, this study extends the methodology&rsquo;s applicability and demonstrates its effectiveness in uncovering and fostering core communal values within cutting-edge technological contexts.</span></p>
In decentralized digital economics era, consumer engagement has transitioned from platform-based loyalty to tokenized participation and co-creation. In Web2 brand communities, gamification often produce short-term loyalty due its reliance on external, platform regulated incentives (Deterding et al., 2011). The development of Web3 technologies has integrated verified ownership, tokenized incentives and decentralized governance, providing fresh pathways for sustained consumer engagement (Tapscott & Tapscott, 2016). This study introduces the Tokenized Co-Creation (TCC) Framework, which combines Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and Service-Dominant logic Theory (SDL) (Vargo & Lusch, 2004) to explain how Web3 powered gamification mechanics (NFTs, Token utilities and DAOs), satisfy intrinsic motivational needs and drive brand value co-creation (Hollebeek et al., 2019). This study contributes to the emerging literature of technological possibilities and human motivation under a overarching Tokenized Co-Creation(TCC) Framework, thus providing both theoretical advancement and managerial direction for developing a trust-based, participatory brand communities in decentralized setting.
Stefano Franco, Angelo Presenza, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli, Myung Ja Kim
How hotel chains are using immersive technologies (ITs), in particular the metaverse, remains an overlooked issue. This work aims at showing how ITs allow companies to create and capture value, integrating it into business models. Applying a qualitative method based on case studies, interviews, and observations, results show the mechanisms through which companies can integrate ITs in their business models to create and capture value. We found that these mechanisms are related to two areas, such as customer engagement and resource management. Metaverse can improve customer engagement by working as a means that allows pre-stay visualization, enriching tourism experience, MICE and events remote planning, new customer segment engagement, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) exploitation for loyalty programs, and events selling. It also works as a means to improve resource management by facilitating employee recruitment and training, integrating metaverse experiences, exploring novel offerings, and capturing web3 potentialities.
Purpose Previous research has identified numerous business applications for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), yet there is a dearth of studies exploring this phenomenon in managerial practice. This article fills this gap by employing service-dominant logic and examining multiple NFT projects to gain insights into how the deployment of NFTs can contribute to achieving companies’ strategic objectives. Design/methodology/approach Our research employs a diverse case selection strategy, focusing on 13 well-established brands using NFTs to transform their activities across various countries and sectors. We conducted a secondary data analysis, including press articles and social media content, to identify relevant NFT projects and develop five propositions that offer entry points for future studies in the broad field of crypto-marketing. Findings Five main areas are identified in which NFTs can help advance companies’ strategic objectives: (1) enhancing perceived quality, (2) driving innovation performance, (3) accessing funds with zero interest, (4) enhancing flexibility and (5) promoting sustainability. Originality/value This article is among the first to investigate and systematize current trends and applications of NFTs in relation to companies’ strategic objectives. It provides actionable insights for practitioners and specific propositions for further research by management scholars.
This paper sets out to explore how blockchain-based technologies, particularly non-fungible tokens (NFTs), are influencing future business models. Drawing on the relevant literature and a multiple case study of blockchain ventures, we demonstrate how the technology leads to new polyadic mechanisms of value creation and value capture. A clarification of NFTs and related concepts, together with their use values and exchange value determinants, led us to argue that the polyadic mechanisms differ from those in dyadic and triadic business models. Overall, we identify a total of 39 NFT technology affordances that fall into four types: utility, social, financial, and legal affordances. In addition, the NFT business ecosystem is mapped in terms of sources of generativity, mixed-side network effects, and the convergence of complementors within the ecosystem. Finally, this study explores three distinct mechanisms of stakeholder collaboration using NFTs: token distribution and fundraising, polyadic value creation and capture, and smart contract-enabled facilitation of stakeholder interactions. Based on the insights, we discuss the impact of NFTs and blockchain technology on society (illustrated by two cases of NFT ticketing and decentralized apps), and the implications for theory, practice, and policy. • Blockchain technology enables newly emerging business models with polyadic relationships. • Novel business models in Web 3.0 environments involve multiple use values and exchange value determinants. • NFT Technology affordances identified in terms of utility, social, financial, and legal affordances. • The emerging ecosystem is characterized by sources of generativity, mixed-side network effects, and convergence.
This conceptual paper contributes to the nascent Web3 marketing stream via offering a novel typology of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) as blockchain-enabled digital offerings. Grounded in a customer-centric approach to marketing strategy, our 2 × 2 typology suggests that NFTs vary in terms of the value on offer (i.e. value-in-use/value-in-exchange) and the strategic focus pursued by firms/creators (i.e. transactional/relational). Four main types of NFTs thus emerge: 1. Validation certificates; 2. Digital replicas; 3. Immersion enablers; and, 4. Digital upgrades. For each NFT type, we discuss their distinctive features, the opportunities they offer and their shortcomings, before detailing their strategic implications. Our typology offers researchers and practitioners who want to engage with the Web3 space a solid grounding for understanding the implications of deploying different types of NFTs from a strategic marketing perspective.
Open access
2 source records
Service and Product Innovation
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
Το Διαδίκτυο των Πραγμάτων (Internet of Things – IoT), όπου φυσικές συσκευές προσπελαύνονται μέσω του Διαδικτύου, επικοινωνούν μεταξύ τους και λειτουργούν αυτόνομα και χωρίς επίβλεψη, διαμορφώνει εκ νέου την κατάσταση του σύγχρονου Διαδικτύου και πολλών από τους υποκείμενους μηχανισμούς του. Το IoT αποτελεί ένα χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα που δέχεται αυξανόμενη προσοχή από την ερευνητική κοινότητα, λόγω του μεγάλου πλήθους σημαντικών και συχνά ευαίσθητων υπηρεσιών που παρέχει σε διάφορους τομείς. Ωστόσο, η εξάπλωση χρήσης του ΙοΤ, αυξάνει ραγδαία τον αριθμό των ΙοΤ συσκευών και εφαρμογών που απαιτούν συνεργασία μεταξύ ετερογενών συσκευών. Επίσης, αυξάνεται η ανταλλαγή (συχνά ευαίσθητων) πληροφοριών μεταξύ πολλαπλών οντοτήτων, που δεν εμπιστεύονται μεταξύ τους. Οπότε η ανάγκη για απρόσκοπτη διαλειτουργικότητα, ενισχυμένη εγγενή ασφάλεια, αποκέντρωση, καθώς και για αποτελεσματικό, αποκεντρωμένο και ευέλικτο έλεγχο πρόσβασης αυξάνεται. Επομένως, παρόλο που θεωρητικά το ΙοΤ φαίνεται να προσφέρει πολυάριθμα οφέλη, στην πράξη δημιουργούνται πολλά ζητήματα. Συγκεκριμένα, μία από τις πιο κρίσιμες προκλήσεις που καλείται να αντιμετωπίσει το IoT είναι η προστασία των συσκευών και των δεδομένων που παράγονται εντός αυτών των συστημάτων. Ωστόσο, οι περισσότερες συμβατικές λύσεις ελέγχου πρόσβασης, οι οποίες είναι σχεδιασμένες για κεντρικοποιημένα, λιγότερο δυναμικά περιβάλλοντα και για συσκευές χωρίς περιορισμούς πόρων, έχουν αποδειχθεί αναποτελεσματικές και ανεπαρκείς για τις απαιτήσεις και τις ιδιαιτερότητες του IoT. Καθίσταται, επομένως, σαφές ότι οι υπάρχουσες λύσεις για το ΙοΤ πρέπει να επανεκτιμηθούν και να αναπτυχθούν νέες λύσεις ελέγχου πρόσβασης. Η παρούσα διατριβή υποστηρίζει ότι οι τεχνολογίες των Αλυσίδων Καταχωρήσεων (Distributed Ledger Technologies – DLTs) μπορούν να ικανοποιήσουν τις απαιτήσεις για τον έλεγχο πρόσβασης στο ΙοΤ, αλλά και των ΙοΤ συστημάτων γενικότερα. Η συνεισφορά μας προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση είναι διττή. Αρχικά, αναλύουμε τη σχετική βιβλιογραφία και εντοπίζουμε βασικές απαιτήσεις που πρέπει να πληρούν οι μηχανισμοί ελέγχου πρόσβασης στο IoT. Με βάση αυτές, προτείνουμε καινοτόμες λύσεις ελέγχου πρόσβασης, βασισμένες σε Αλυσίδες Καταχωρήσεων, οι οποίες αξιοποιούν τα έξυπνα συμβόλαια (smart contracts) για την έκδοση και διαχείριση τεκμηρίων ελέγχου πρόσβασης (Access Control Tokens – ACTs). Επίσης, χρησιμοποιούμε τα έξυπνα συμβόλαια ως αποκεντρωμένα σημεία λήψης αποφάσεων (Policy Decision Points – PDPs) για τον έλεγχο πρόσβασης, προσφέροντας έτσι ισχυρά χαρακτηριστικά ασφάλειας. Για την επίδειξη της εφικτότητας των προτεινόμενων λύσεων, τις ενσωματώνουμε στο πρωτόκολλο OAuth 2.0. Επιπλέον, εξετάζουμε πως ο μηχανισμός συναίνεσης (consensus mechanism) του Hyperledger Fabric μπορεί να λειτουργήσεις ως σημείο λήψης απόφασης για έλεγχο πρόσβασης σε συνεργατικά ΙοΤ συστήματα. Στη συνέχεια, παρουσιάζουμε πώς η τεχνολογία των Αλυσίδων Καταχωρήσεων μπορεί να ενσωματωθεί σε συστήματα και αρχιτεκτονικές IoT, αναδεικνύοντας τα πλεονεκτήματά της σε περιπτώσεις, όπως τα ΙοΤ παιχνίδια και τα ψηφιακά δίδυμα (digital twins) συσκευών. Τέλος, δείχνουμε πώς αυτή η ενσωμάτωση, σε συνδυασμό με την αξιοποίηση του Ιστού των Πραγμάτων (Web of Things – WoT), μπορεί να ενισχύσει σημαντικά τα ΙοΤ συστήματα και τις εφαρμογές, ιδιαίτερα όσον αφορά την ασφάλεια και τη διαλειτουργικότητα.
Virginia Springer, Krithika Randhawa, Marin Jovanovic, Paavo Ritala · 5 authors
Industrial business-to-business (B2B) platforms are meta-organizations (i.e., organizations of organizations) that typically integrate digital assets with physical products such as machinery or equipment, often operating in specialized contexts with a limited network of complementors and end users. These characteristics distinguish B2B platforms from their business-to-consumer (B2C) counterparts, as they are defined by distinctive design features and governance drivers. Yet, the current platform literature predominantly focuses on B2C markets, leaving a critical gap in understanding the design and governance of B2B platforms in industrial contexts. We address this gap by adopting a meta-organizational perspective on B2B platforms in industrial markets to examine how the distinct design features of B2B platforms shape their meta-organizational governance. First, we uncover distinctive design features of B2B platforms across three dimensions: platform market, platform architecture, and cyber-physical integration. Building on these features and evidence from the emerging literature, we classify B2B platforms into five dominant archetypes: matchmaker, application marketplace, solution enabler, consortium, and decentralized autonomous platforms. Second, we theorize that the governance of these archetypes is shaped by their design features and revolves around two main dimensions: control rights (i.e., enforcement authority) and decision rights (i.e., autonomy over platform assets). These dimensions underpin distinct governance models, which we label unified, collaborative, regulated, and algorithmic governance. We consolidate these insights into an organizing framework of B2B platform governance and contribute to the literature in four ways: (1) providing a nuanced understanding of B2B platform design and governance, (2) identifying distinct archetypes and developing a framework for B2B platform governance, (3) explaining how B2B platform design features influence governance models, and (4) setting a research agenda to strengthen the design and governance of B2B platforms. By broadening our understanding of platforms as meta-organizations, we advance knowledge of how B2B platforms create and capture value in industrial markets. • We examine the distinct design features of B2B platform governance. • We identify five B2B platform archetypes based on their distinct design features. • B2B meta-organizational governance encompasses unique control and decision rights. • We identify unified, collaborative, regulated, algorithmic governance models. • Each governance model is characterized by different control and decision rights.
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), including blockchain, is increasingly used within industry ecosystems to create a high-integrity, single source of truth of shared data and business processes across diverse parties. A major challenge in adopting DLT is the conflicting demands on data transparency for improved integrity, against hiding commercially sensitive data. To address this, some industry ecosystems use multiple ledgers shared only between relevant parties rather than using a single distributed ledger across the entire ecosystem. The design problem for this is: What parties should share which ledgers, and what data should be on those ledgers? In this article, we propose a method employing a Design Structure Matrix (DSM) and Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) to derive candidate shared ledger combinations for industry ecosystems. The method also indicates, for certain data, centralized web services or point-to-point messages may be more suitable than shared ledgers. We discuss our experiences with applying this method while developing a prototype for an agricultural traceability platform. We also present a genetic-algorithm-based DSM and DMM clustering technique to derive candidate shared ledger combinations.
This thesis comprises four chapters. Chapter One provides a “meta-theoretical” agenda by revealing different paradigms or ways of thinking about platform ecosystems. Through the theoretical synthesis of existing research across management fields, Chapter One clarifies the onto-epistemological foundations of each paradigm and helps explain the varying expectations researchers place on the platform ecosystem construct. Chapter Two offers a conceptual framework that theorizes the nature of B2B platforms as meta-organizations. Building on a systematic review of existing literature, it uncovers five dominant B2B platform archetypes (matchmaker, application marketplace, solution enabler, consortium, and decentralized autonomous platforms). Further, it theorizes how the specific design features of B2B platforms shape their governance models. Chapter Three and Four empirically explore the dynamics of establishing B2B platforms. Drawing on a qualitative, single case study of a B2B solution enabler platform, Chapter Three shifts the focus from static platform attributes to the unfolding communication and coordination efforts that underpin the management of B2B platform establishment. Drawing on the framing concept, this chapter foregrounds the role of narratives and their strategic and temporal complexity in establishing a B2B platform, offering insights into the socio-cognitive nature of B2B platform establishment. Chapter Four builds on the same single case study, discusses the paradox of openness, the “black box,” that most platforms face, and shows how firms operationalize strategic openness throughout a platform’s lifecycle. It provides a process model of platform openness, shaped by highlighting how platform identity acts as both a driver and outcome of openness decisions across technical, economic, and socio-cognitive dimensions, indicating that B2B platform establishment is a pathdependent, multi-dimensional, and configurational process.