M2M - affecting organisations, offerings and relations

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Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is a phase in the digital revolution connecting computing devices with each other bringing along new business opportunities for companies. Although being a fast growing field it has not been researched to any greater extent, particularly not within the academical literature. Consequently, information on how M2M can affect organisations seems strongly needed. This thesis uses three perspectives, derived from already recognised business benefits of M2M, as an aid to select proper theoretical tools to investigate the phenomenon. The purpose of this thesis is to gain knowledge of how an M2M adoption affects a firm??s organisation, customer offerings and customer relations. The purpose is not to discuss in explicit monetary terms but rather on a conceptual level. A key word in the methodology used in this thesis is understanding. It is an explorative case study on the phenomenon of M2M, focusing on understanding it from three perspectives. The methodological approach used is abductive and the empirical observations are based on a qualitative study of six companies that use or have previously used M2M. The data collected was later analysed with tools collected from four different theoretical categories; industrial organisation, contractual theory, network theory and transactional marketing. In terms of the value chain, it has been found that service and firm infrastructure are the activities mostly affected by an M2M implementation. Furthermore, it seems as M2M offers considerable opportunities for strengthening the customer bonds and lowering the transaction...