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Senior managers of two German mid-sized world market leaders in sensor electronics (ifm electronic) and mechanical engineering (GEA Group) discuss the opportunities and barriers of developing smart service innovations. The case study addresses different roles and patterns in ecosystems of multiple collaborating actors in different stages of development. The open-end discussion invites learners to evaluate the opportunities from different perspectives based on industry-specific experiences.

Imagine you are checking in to your hotel for a well-deserved holiday. You are looking forward to a break away from the modern connected world, but are greeted by a robotic dinosaur at the reception desk. Welcome to the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, the world's first fully manned robotic hotel.

To get accurate information returned from location-based services (e.g., LBS info on nearby restaurants, retail outlets, points-of-interest, etc.), the underlying map (spatial data) must be up-to-date. However, the built environment (e.g., roads, buildings, bike paths, etc.) can change quickly over time, either through planned developments or as the result of natural/manmade disasters. The problem is that keeping online crowdsourced maps like Open Street Map (OSM) updated is still very much a manual process. As such, it can take considerable time to sync the online maps used by LBS with up-to-date spatial data in "real-time". Our case study considers the Grangegorman area in Dublin city. It is a green/brownfield site that has seen much infrastructure change in the past decade due to its renewal as the new home for Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). New buildings have been built, car parks have changed size/location, and new roads have been constructed due to the recent expansion. Figure 2 and Figure 3 illustrate the difference/mismatch between the current OSM crowdsourced (vector) map and Google's satellite (raster) view of the Grangegorman area.

Graphic: Understanding the Rural in the context of Making Art today created in response to an online panel discussion called 'The Arts and Changing Rural Places' which was held as part of the Arts Council Biennial Conference, Places Matter. March 2022. Credits: Maia Thomas, Graphic Illustrator.

The science fiction genre has always been a hotbed for questions about the existence of life and what it means to be human. Food, like water and oxygen, is necessary to sustain life, but also is a key indicator of culture. One of the things that fascinates us about science fiction is how an imagined future culture might look. Blade Runner 2049, although not centred around food, interweaves food and agriculture into a dystopian narrative on evolution and a bio-engineered labour force, while asking us what it means to have memories and to be human.

The market of (temporary) access control is one example of an industry that is impacted by digitization and internationalisation. New possibilities come up and ask for reaction from suppliers, but require the re-specification of needs from customers as well. It is also an illustration how new regulation, in this case especially related to privacy and migration, influences industrial dynamics. Related to new technological possibilities and legislative conditions, the industry is in a process of consolidation. This case focuses on a small but innovative company, IQ-Pass, developing its growth strategy in Europe within its constellation of being a subsidiary of the regional champion Boels Rental. Students will gain an understanding of the challenges of the company, in stretching its technological leverage and customer intimacy on the one hand and expanding its sales to new (geographical) markets on the other hand.

The pandemic and labour market shortages in the Dutch healthcare sector have demanded much attention from managers. In many ways the situation has resulted in enormous challenges and dilemmas for everyone working in the healthcare sector, whether as a carer or board member. Healthcare institutions deal with regulations, complicated financial accountability, and social issues. It is not always easy to get recognition for how much the sector serves society. Henk is almost 59 years old and has been working with heart and soul in the sector for Nursing and Care Homes & Homecare (VVT) for decades. The last six years as Chairman of the Board of Exspectare Zorg (Healthcare). It’s an appropriate name for the organisation