Open this publication in new window or tab >>2025 (English)Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]
The energy transition has highlighted the need for consumer engagement to visualize the future power grids known as smart grids. However, the dynamics of consumer engagement in smart grids remain poorly understood, particularly in the context of the increasing role of smart service providers. Smart service providers digitalize how consumers engage with smart grids by leveraging smart technologies to provide services for consumers. Since smart services complicate the understanding of consumer engagement, especially by automating the service functionalities, this licentiate thesis aims to explore the role of smart service providers in digitalizing consumer engagement within smart grids. Adopting a case study as the research strategy, this qualitative and interpretive thesis investigates two service providers in Sweden as case organizations. Using interviews, observation, tweet analysis, documents, and literature review, this thesis answers three questions to shed light on the characteristics of smart technologies, smart service providers’ actions to enhance the potential for engagement, and challenges of engaging consumers from the perspective of smart service providers. In conclusion, this thesis depicts that digitalizing consumer engagement incorporates different initiatives taken by service providers besides characteristics of smart technologies that facilitate the provision of services. Moreover, this thesis suggests a definition of digitalized consumer engagement based on two aspects of delegation and supervision since service providers encourage consumers to configure and monitor smart services through provided technologies. The practical contributions of this thesis provide insights for smart service providers on designing smart technologies and strategies that enhance the potential for consumer engagement. The theoretical contributions extend the understanding of consumer engagement by framing it as a dynamic, co-constructed process influenced by the sociotechnical roles of service providers and the delegation of tasks to smart technologies.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Linköping: Linköping University Electronic Press, 2025. p. 123
Series
Faculty of Arts and Sciences thesis, ISSN 1401-4637 ; 136
Keywords
Smart service providers, Digitalizing, Consumer engagement potential, Smart services
National Category
Information Systems, Social aspects
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-211252 (URN)10.3384/9789180759946 (DOI)9789180759939 (ISBN)9789180759946 (ISBN)
Presentation
2025-02-28, TemCas, TEMA-building, Campus Valla, Linköping, 13:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Note
Funding: Part of the research in this thesis has been conducted in the research program “Smart grids for the many people” funded by The Kamprad Family Foundation
2025-01-302025-01-302025-01-30Bibliographically approved