Asiakaskannattavuus asiakkaan elinkaaren aikana

Tämän kandidaatintyön tarkoituksena on antaa lukijalle yleiskuva asiakaskannattavuudesta lyhyellä ja pitkällä aikavälillä sekä selvittää, mitä aiheista on tutkittu viime vuosien tieteellisissä artikkeleissa. Tutkielmassa myös kerrotaan, miten asiakkaan elinkaaren arvo voidaan määrittää, sekä miten siitä saatua tietoa voidaan hyödyntää. Työn läpi käsitellään, miten asiakaskannattavuuslaskenta eroaa yritysten sekä yrityksen ja kuluttajan välisessä liiketoiminnassa. Työ on kirjallisuustyö, eikä siten sisällä empiirisiä tutkimusmenetelmiä. Työssä esitellään asiakaskannattavuuteen liittyvät keskeisimmät käsitteet ja teoriat. Työssä kerrotaan, mihin aihepiireihin pitkän aikavälin asiakaskannattavuutta käsittelevä tutkimus on viime vuosina keskittynyt. Näitä aihepiirejä tullaan käsittelemään työssä tarkemmin. Työssä on kaksi kuvitteellista esimerkkiä asiakaskannattavuudesta; toinen esimerkki tarkastelee lyhyen aikavälin asiakaskannattavuutta ja toinen asiakkaiden elinkaarien arvoja. Esimerkit soveltavat työstä esiin nousseita teorioita käytännön päätöksentekotilanteissa. Työssä pohditaan myös asiakaskannattavuuden mittaamisen eroja eri toimialojen välillä. Asiakaskannattavuuteen liittyvä tutkimus on viime vuosina keskittynyt pitkän aikavälin asiakaskan-nattavuuslaskentaan. Tutkimuksissa on esitelty erilaisia laskentamalleja. Laskentamallien suurimmat erot liittyvät asiakkaan elinkaaren arvon mittaamisen aikaväleihin sekä laskelmiin otettaviin tuotto- ja kustannuseriin. Asiakkaan elinkaaren arvon laskemiselle on useita käytännön sovelluksia yrityksen strategisessa ja operatiivisessa päätöksenteossa. Viimeaikaisissa asiakaskannattavuustutkimuksissa yrityksen ja kuluttajan välistä liiketoimintaa on tutkittu yritysten välistä liiketoimintaa enemmän.

Generic Life Cycle Cost Model and Cost-effective Solutions

Life cycle costing (LCC) practices are spreading from military and construction sectors to wider area of industries. Suppliers as well as customers are demanding comprehensive cost knowledge that includes all relevant cost elements through the life cycle of products. The problem of total cost visibility is being acknowledged and the performance of suppliers is evaluated not just by low acquisition costs of their products, but by total value provided through the life time of their offerings. The main purpose of this thesis is to provide better understanding of product cost structure to the case company. Moreover, comprehensive theoretical body serves as a guideline or methodology for further LCC process. Research includes the constructive analysis of LCC related concepts and features as well as overview of life cycle support services in manufacturing industry. The case study aims to review the existing LCC practices within the case company and provide suggestions for improvements. It includes identification of most relevant life cycle cost elements, development of cost breakdown structure and generic cost model for data collection. Moreover, certain cost-effective suggestions are provided as well. This research should support decision making processes, assessment of economic viability of products, financial planning, sales and other processes within the case company.

Keskijänniteverkon maakaapeloinnin kannattavuus

Tämän työn tavoitteena oli löytää tekijöitä jotka vaikuttavat keskijänniteverkon maakaapeloinnin kannattavuuteen. 1950–1970 luvuilla verkkoa rakennettiin halvimmalla mahdollisella tavalla, eikä sähkönjakelun luotettavuuteen kiinnitetty huomiota. Tämä tuo verkkoyhtiöille haasteen vanhoja verkkoja saneerattaessa, sillä keskeytyskustannusten arvostus on noussut merkittävään asemaan. Työssä tarkoituksena oli vertailla avojohdon sekä maakaapeloinnin elinkaarikustannuksia kahden erilaisen johtolähdön avulla. Toisella johtolähdöllä oli suuri julkinen kuorma ja toinen johtolähtö oli pitkä maaseutulähtö jolla esiintyi paljon vikoja. Työssä tarkastellaan myös sähkönjakeluverkon käyttövarmuutta ja maakaapeloinnin ominaisuuksia. Elinkaarikustannuksiin vaikuttavia tekijöitä olivat investointikustannukset, keskeytyskustannukset sekä ylläpitokustannukset. Tuloksista voidaan huomata, että keskeytyskustannuksilla voi olla joissain tapauksissa hyvinkin suuri vaikutus johtolähdön elinkaareen. Pitkillä ja pienitehoisilla johtolähdöillä keskeytyskustannusten merkitys pienenee, eikä kaapeloinnilla saavuteta yhtä suurta hyötyä kuin suuritehoisemmilla lähdöillä.

The Design and Implementation of a Power Management Feature to a Configuration Management System

Green IT is a term that covers various tasks and concepts that are related to reducing the environmental impact of IT. At enterprise level, Green IT has significant potential to generate sustainable cost savings: the total amount of devices is growing and electricity prices are rising. The lifecycle of a computer can be made more environmentally sustainable using Green IT, e.g. by using energy efficient components and by implementing device power management. The challenge using power management at enterprise level is how to measure and follow-up the impact of power management policies? During the thesis a power management feature was developed to a configuration management system. The feature can be used to automatically power down and power on PCs using a pre-defined schedule and to estimate the total power usage of devices. Measurements indicate that using the feature the device power consumption can be monitored quite precisely and the power consumption can be reduced, which generates electricity cost savings and reduces the environmental impact of IT.

Integration in project business : mechanisms for integrating customers and the project network during the life-cycle of industrial projects

This thesis focuses on integration in project business, i.e. how projectbased companies organize their product and process structures when they deliver industrial solutions to their customers. The customers that invest in these solutions run their businesses in different geographical, political and economical environments, which should be acknowledged by the supplier when providing solutions comprising of larger and more complex scopes than previously supplied to these customers. This means that the suppliers are increasing their supply range by taking over some of the activities in the value chain that have traditionally been handled by the customer. In order to be able to provide the functioning solutions, including more engineering hours, technical equipment and a wider project network, a change is needed in the mindset in order to be able to carry out and take the required responsibility that these new approaches bring. For the supplier it is important to be able to integrate technical products, systems and services, but the supplier also needs to have the capabilities to integrate the cross-functional organizations and departments in the project network, the knowledge and information between and within these organizations and departments, along with inputs from the customer into the product and process structures during the lifecycle of the project under development. Hence, the main objective of this thesis is to explore the challenges of integration that industrial projects meet, and based on that, to suggest a concept of how to manage integration in project business by making use of integration mechanisms. Integration is considered the essential process for accomplishing an industrial project, whereas the accomplishment of the industrial project is considered to be the result of the integration. The thesis consists of an extended summary and four papers, that are based on three studies in which integration mechanisms for value creation in industrial project networks and the management of integration in project business have been explored. The research is based on an inductive approach where in particular the design, commissioning and operations functions of industrial projects have been studied, addressing entire project life-cycles. The studies have been conducted in the shipbuilding and power generation industries where the scopes of supply consist of stand-alone equipment, equipment and engineering, and turnkey solutions. These industrial solutions include demanding efforts in engineering and organization. Addressing the calls for more studies on the evolving value chains of integrated solutions, mechanisms for inter- and intra-organizational integration and subsequent value creation in project networks have been explored. The research results in thirteen integration mechanisms and a typology for integration is proposed. Managing integration consists of integrating the project network (the supplier and the sub-suppliers) and the customer (the customer’s business purpose, operations environment and the end-user) into the project by making use of integration mechanisms. The findings bring new insight into research on industrial project business by proposing integration of technology and engineering related elements with elements related to customer oriented business performance in contemporary project environments. Thirteen mechanisms for combining products and the processes needed to deliver projects are described and categorized according to the impact that they have on the management of knowledge and information. These mechanisms directly relate to the performance of the supplier, and consequently to the functioning of the solution that the project provides. This thesis offers ways to promote integration of knowledge and information during the lifecycle of industrial projects, enhancing the development towards innovative solutions in project business.

Proceedings of the PDM2013 conference, LUT 24.-25.4.2013

The 1st PDM Forum for Finland-Russia Collaboration was held at Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland, during 25.-26.4.2013. The forum brought together leading academics, practitioners, advisors, engineers, industrial experts, and software vendors from Finland and Russia. The forum can be seen as a new integrating element between Russian and Finnish industries and universities. Over border connections between Russia and Finland may also bring new contacts and ideas to develop and expand businesses. Meeting different universities professors, PhD students, and companies’ agents facilitates the sharing and discussion of current PDM (Product Data Management) issues.

Improving Product Information Management in Global Project Based Manufacturing

The transition of project based manufacturing business, even more into global networks, sets up challenges for companies to manage their business in this new operating environment. One way to tackle these challenges is the successful management of product information through an extended product’s lifecycle. Thus, one objective of this research is to find ways how product information management in global project based manufacturing can be improved. Another objective is to find a solution how the target company can improve its product information management in the offer-to-procurement business process. Due to the nature of the topic, the study follows constructive research methodology with qualitative methods. By combining literature related to this topic a framework is created to improve product information management in global project based manufacturing. The improvement process in this framework is based on a systematic approach from the current state towards target state. A general aim for improvements should be the integrated product and project lifecycle information management through Lean approach. This introduced framework is applied to the target company through two case projects. Data for building view of current state and analysis is collected mostly by theme interviews and also utilizing other material from the target company. Used tools help to analyzing was the BPMN and the Trace matrix for business chains. Results of the improvement process are collected in a solution proposal which contain the strategic target state as well as long and short term objectives. The strategic target state is defined as controlled customization. Also during the improvement process are created the Information requirements chart in the offer-to-procurement business process, and the Project related initial information questionnaire to customer.

The sources of complementary competitive advantages for systems’ manufacturers in the aircraft modernization market

Being a top of high technology industries, the aerospace represents one of the most complex fields of study. While the competitiveness of aircraft systems’ manufacturers attracts a significant number of researchers, some of the issues remain to be a blank spot. One of those is the after-sale modernization. The master thesis investigates how this concept is related to the theory of competitive advantages. Finding the routes in the framework of complex technological systems’ lifecycle, the key drivers of the aircraft modernization market are revealed. The competitive positioning of players is defined through multiple case studies in a form of several in-depth interviews. The key result of the research is the conclusion that modernization should be considered as an inherent component of strategy of any aircraft systems’ manufacturer, while the master thesis aims to support managerial decision making.

Startup IPR strategies: Why should startup companies protect their intellectual property?

This thesis studies intellectual property right (also: IPR) strategies from the perspective of high growth startup companies. Due to technology development and intellectualization of business, large part of companies’ assets are nowadays intangible. At the same time, the importance of protection instruments designed to protect these intangible assets, intellectual property rights, is increasing. Utilization of these instruments, however, requires understanding of the functioning of the IPR system, as well as financial resources. Startup companies aiming for growth need to be able compete with more established companies also in relation to intangible assets, but they might not have the required knowledge ot resources to fully utilize IPRs in their business. This research aims to understand what are the benefits a startup company can have from protecting their IPRs, and how can the company achieve those benefits. Based on a review of previous literature, altogether 11 benefits of IPR registration were recognized. To answer to the research questions, six half-structured interviews were conducted with experts form different fields, all with experience in working with startup companies and IPR issues. The interviews were analyzed using different methods of qualitative data analysis, mainly derived from grounded theory and case study methods. As a result, out of the 11 benefits recognized from earlier literature, 8 were recognized to be relevant for startup companies. The most central benefits were recognized to be linked with the financial lifecycle of the startup company, including increasing credibility of the startup and stimulating an investment. In addition it was noticed, that startup companies are mainly able to utilize these benefits at later stages of their lifecycle. However, to be able to utilize the benefits at later stages, the startup company needs to be aware of the functioning of the IPR system and might need to apply for appropriate protection already early on. As a result of this study, a three-step model was formed to describe different levels of IPR utilization. The first level of the model represents the minimum level of understanding that every startup company should have regarding IPRs. The second level views IPR strategy from a risk management perspective, including securing the minimum protection of the company’s own IPRs, contract management and establishing processes for handling IPR issues. The last stage reflects strategic use of IPRs. At this third stage intellectual property rights have a central role in the startup company’s business, and they are used in the company’s value creation.

The effects of location, feedstock availability, and supply-chain logistics on the greenhouse gas emissions of forest-biomass energy utilization in Finland

Forest biomass represents a geographically distributed feedstock, and geographical location affects the greenhouse gas (GHG) performance of a given forest-bioenergy system in several ways. For example, biomass availability, forest operations, transportation possibilities and the distances involved, biomass end-use possibilities, fossil reference systems, and forest carbon balances all depend to some extent on location. The overall objective of this thesis was to assess the GHG emissions derived from supply and energy-utilization chains of forest biomass in Finland, with a specific focus on the effect of location in relation to forest biomass’s availability and the transportation possibilities. Biomass availability and transportation-network assessments were conducted through utilization of geographical information system methods, and the GHG emissions were assessed by means of lifecycle assessment. The thesis is based on four papers in which forest biomass supply on industrial scale was assessed. The feedstocks assessed in this thesis include harvesting residues, smalldiameter energy wood and stumps. The principal implication of the findings in this thesis is that in Finland, the location and availability of biomass in the proximity of a given energyutilization or energy-conversion plant is not a decisive factor in supply-chain GHG emissions or the possible GHG savings to be achieved with forest-biomass energy use. Therefore, for the greatest GHG reductions with limited forest-biomass resources, energy utilization of forest biomass in Finland should be directed to the locations where most GHG savings are achieved through replacement of fossil fuels. Furthermore, one should prioritize the types of forest biomass with the lowest direct supply-chain GHG emissions (e.g., from transport and comminution) and the lowest indirect ones (in particular, soil carbon-stock losses), regardless of location. In this respect, the best combination is to use harvesting residues in combined heat and power production, replacing peat or coal.

Fyysisen kunnon ja suunnistustaidon merkitys Ilmavoimen kesäpelastautumisharjoituksesta selviytymiseen

Ilmavoimien ohjaajalle saattaa lennon aikana tulla ongelmia tai vikoja lentokoneeseen, jotka pakottavat lentäjän tekemään pakkolaskun tai poistumaan koneesta laskuvarjon tai heittoistuimen avulla. Kos ka poistumispaikkaa ei voi etukäteen valita, on mahdollista, että lentäjä joutuu kauaksi asutusalueelta. Suomen Ilmavoimissa koulutetaan ohjaajia juuri näitä tilanteita varten. Yksi osa tätä koulutusta on kesäpelastautumisharjoitus, jossa harjoitellaan selviytymistä normaalissa Suomen kesäisessä maastossa. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin vuoden 2004 kesäpelastautumisharjoituksen koulutettavien (n=19) fyysisen kunnon sekä suunnist ustaidon merkitystä harjoituksesta selviämiseen. Lisäksi tutkittiin harjoituksen energiankulutusta. Koulutettavilla oli harjoituksen aikana mukanaan GPS- paikannin, joka antoi henkilön sijainnin lisäksi tietoa hänen sydämensä syketasosta. Vertailuaineistona käytettiin Cooper-, polkupyörä- sekä lihaskuntotest ien lisäksi suunnistuskilpailuntuloksia. Tuloksissa ilmeni, että kesäpelastautumisharjoituksessa koulutettavilla oli suunnistustaidosta enemmän hyötyä kuin hyvästä fyysisestä kunnosta. Harjoitus on luonteeltaan peruskestävyysharjoitusta vastaavaa (keskisyke 114 bpm), jonka vuoksi ylikuormitusta ei havaittu. Heikko suunnistustaito osoittautui todennäköisemmäksi fyysistä kuormitusta aiheuttavaksi tekijäksi. Energiavaje harjoituksen aikana oli suurimmillaan 9000 kcal, jo ka vastaa noin 2-3 kilon pudotusta henkilön painossa. Tällä ei kuitenkaan ollut suurta merkitystä koulutettavien jaksamisen ja toimintakyvyn kannalta.

Tietojohtaminen projektissa: hankevastaavan ja projektipäällikön näkökulmia

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää miten tietojohtamisen eri osatekijät näkyvät projektin läpiviemisen aikana. Teoreettinen viitekehys kokoaa projektijohtamisen osatekijät ja tietojohtamisen kolme pääelementtiä (tiedon hankinta, tiedon säilyttäminen ja tiedon siirto) yhteen projektin elinkaaren ympärille. Tutkimus toteutettiin laadullisena tutkimuksena, jonka empiirinen osuus suoritettiin haastattelemalla projektin asiakkaan vastuuhenkilöitä sekä toimittajan vastuuhenkilöitä yksi kerrallaan. Näiden lisäksi suoritettiin ryhmähaastattelu kohderyhmän portfoliohallitsijoiden kesken. Empiriasta saadut tulokset mallinnettiin viitekehyksen mukaisesti tietojohtamisen pääelementeille. Tiedon hankinnassa projektijohtamisen kentästä korostui sidosryhmät ja riskit, tiedon säilyttämisessä korostui integrointi ja viestintä sekä tiedon siirtämisessä korostui aika ja HR. Projektin aikana luodun ja hankitun osaamisen ja oppien säilyttäminen koettiin haastateltavien mukaan tietojohtamisen osatekijöistä haastavimmaksi. Alatutkimuskysymyksenä selvitetyt esteet ja hidasteet tietojohtamisen menetelmille kulminoituivat haastatteluissa prosesseihin, vastuisiin ja systemaattisuuden puuttumiseen. Haastatteluiden ja kirjallisuustutkimuksen tuloksena tehtiin kohdeyritykseen suosituksia tietojohtamisen elementtien hyödyntämisessä projekteissa.

Project Management Tools in Agile Embedded Systems Development

Agile methods have become increasingly popular in the field of software engineering. While agile methods are now generally considered applicable to software projects of many different kinds, they have not been widely adopted in embedded systems development. This is partly due to the natural constraints that are present in embedded systems development (e.g. hardware–software interdependencies) that challenge the utilization of agile values, principles and practices. The research in agile embedded systems development has been very limited, and this thesis tackles an even less researched theme related to it: the suitability of different project management tools in agile embedded systems development. The thesis covers the basic aspects of many different agile tool types from physical tools, such as task boards and cards, to web-based agile tools that offer all-round solutions for application lifecycle management. In addition to these two extremities, there is also a wide range of lighter agile tools that focus on the core agile practices, such as backlog management. Also other non-agile tools, such as bug trackers, can be used to support agile development, for instance, with plug-ins. To investigate the special tool requirements in agile embedded development, the author observed tool related issues and solutions in a case study involving three different companies operating in the field of embedded systems development. All three companies had a distinct situation in the beginning of the case and thus the tool solutions varied from a backlog spreadsheet built from scratch to plug-in development for an already existing agile software tool. Detailed reports are presented of all three tool cases. Based on the knowledge gathered from agile tools and the case study experiences, it is concluded that there are tool related issues in the pilot phase, such as backlog management and user motivation. These can be overcome in various ways epending on the type of a team in question. Finally, five principles are formed to give guidelines for tool selection and usage in agile embedded systems development.

An Open Source, DDI-based Curation System for Social Science Data

Poster at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

The Purdue University Research Repository (PURR): An institutional data management service with a virtual research environment, data publication, and archiving

Poster at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014