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Purpose – Despite increasing focus among scholars and practitioners on the design of product-services systems (PSS), there exists no compilation of current knowledge on the role played by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in designing such systems. Thus, this paper sets out to identify and organise the existing research and suggest questions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach—A systematic literature review was performed to identify and provide in-depth details on key themes in the literature addressing the design of PSS in SMEs.

Findings – This paper identifies five themes in the literature on the design of PSS in SMEs: motives, challenges, SME characteristics, methods and digitalisation. The themes are interrelated, and SME characteristics seem to beat the core as they are related to all the other themes. Gaps in the current knowledge are identified, and questions for future research are suggested.

Originality/value – The suggestions for future research provide a starting point for expanding the research on PSS design and devising practical support for SMEs.

Background Digital assistive technology (DAT) may support time management in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but research on DAT for time management is limited. We aimed to explore how everyday could be supported by DAT for time management in persons with dementia or MCI from informal carers' perspectives. This study focused on a DAT device for time management called MEMOplanner (MMP).Method Using a mixed-methods design, we utilized the Time-Proxy (c) questionnaire and a study-specific interview guide to investigate the perspectives of informal carers (n = 8) regarding the use of MMP by individuals with dementia or MCI.Result The MMP was helpful in keeping track of time and activity. It helped to maintain an active lifestyle and facilitated communication. However, the MMP did not reduce the need for assistance from the informal carers, and it took time to learn the different functions of the device. Further research into employing a more extensive array of DAT for time management or other areas to assist individuals with dementia will yield valuable insights into enhancing and sustaining a higher quality of life despite cognitive decline.

In this paper, we explore how an educational programme can be designed to support managers in learning systematic innovation practices, contributing to the Innovation Management community. Using the community of practice (CoP) concept, we developed a programme to educate managers in systematic innovation practices, including systematic innovation work, innovation climate, and the creation of innovation teams. Our contribution builds on prior studies on the CoP construct. Using a case study with a mixed-methods design, we have explored the educational experiences of ten managers and the practical outcome of their organisations’ participation in the programme. Based on mixed data, we conclude that the educational programme “Management Education on Systematic Innovation Practices” (MEoSIP) supports managers’ understanding of systematic innovation practices in theory and in practice. It also contributes to practitioners who can support clients in improving innovation-related abilities. Agencies can develop training programmes using CoP for other educational purposes. Further research is proposed.

Manufacturing companies can contribute to a resource-efficient society by designing product-service systems (PSS). Despite the increased importance of PSS for the manufacturing industry in their efforts to become sustainable, few studies focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study presented in this article aims to add knowledge on how the characteristics of SMEs influence the challenges SMEs experience when designing PSS. It employs a multiple case study design where data are based on interviews, workshops, and internal archive documents from three contract manufacturing SMEs. The analysis suggests that nine SME characteristics influence the challenges SMEs experience when designing PSS. It also shows that SMEs’ different characteristics influence one or more challenges, and that SMEs have a short-term horizon and a reactive business approach which influences the overall challenge of designing PSS. 

The transition towards a circular economy (CE) is part of the solution to reduce the global consumption of natural resources and increase resource efficiency in society. Product-Service Systems (PSS) is seen as one of the effective ways of moving towards a CE. PSS leads to an increase in product use by sharing or renting, and by extending material and product lifecycles through repair, remanufacturing, reuse and recycling. Therefore, designing PSSs have great potential to facilitate the CE transition. Many SMEs show an increased interest in a CE transition; however, they fall short in taking the right path towards designing PSS. Designing PSSs involve a rearrangement of resources, and SMEs usually do not possess the same resources as larger firms. Previous research clarifies that the transition from traditional product design to designing PSS is challenging for SMEs. This paper adds insights to the PSS literature and industrial practices through a single-case study by identifying and describing the challenges an SME may face when intending to design PSS. The data is based on interviews, workshops, and internal archive documents. The findings show that an SME faces both internal and external challenges. The internal challenges related to time constraints, the current business model, lack of financial resources, organisational structure and internal processes, dedicated employees for business and service development, and competence. The external challenges relate to SMEs position in the value chain, customer interests in PSS solutions, and handling of reversed logistics.

Assistive and welfare technology (AT/WT) has been introduced as a way of facing an ageing population and providing support for older adults in their daily lives. There is much research concerning the assessment and recommendation of AT/WT to individual end-users. However, few studies have explored AT/WT decision-making from a managerial perspective. This study explores what aspects influence decision-making in assistive technology organizations concerning new technology procurements. The study is based on interviews with 24 managers engaged in assistive technology organizations, representing 13 of 21 regions in Sweden. The interview data consisted of the participants’ experiences deciding on AT/WT procurement. A reflexive inductive thematic analysis was used to identify aspects that influenced decision-making. The main findings show that decision-making is in the making, meaning that decision-making is a constant on-going managerial process. Furthermore, the findings show that managers experience uncertainty in the decision-making, sometimes make ad hoc decisions and request an evidence-based, person-centred approach to improve decision-making. The study concludes that supportive, technology, patient, and knowledge aspects influence managers’ decisions.

Researchers claim that experiential learning approaches (e.g., gamification) are well-suited to management and entrepreneurship education. However, this research has been conducted mostly in small classroom settings. With the increases in the number of university business students, many business courses have also increased in size. The large classroom setting introduces new pedagogic concerns, in particular regarding the complexity of the teaching–learning environment, as a result of students having diverse educational backgrounds, skills, and learning styles. This article explores this concern in its investigation of the ways in which business higher education can prompt various business behaviors among students in large classrooms.By utilizing the gamification of concepts, we created an experiential learning exercise—the Strategic Business Game. Questionnaire surveys conducted with the 126 university students enrolled into two majors during the game reveal that this educational learning experience prompts the students’ causation and effectuation behaviors. In this educational learning experience, the complexity of the large classroom is seen as an advantage and gives the educators an opportunity to increase the quality of the student interaction. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the appropriateness of experiential learning through gamification on individuals’ business behaviors as revealed in large classes in management and entrepreneurship education.