Project Controlling and Management in IT Consulting Enterprise

Liiketoiminnan organisoiminen projekteiksi on erittäin yleistä nykyisin. Suuri osa projekteista erityisesti IT-alalla epäonnistuu kuitenkin saavuttamaan tavoitteensa. Projektin menestys on tyypillisesti mitattu budjetin, aikataulun, laadun ja sidosryhmien tyytyväisyyden perusteella. Tämän Pro Gradu -tutkielman tarkoituksena on etsiä tyypillisimpiä syitä projektien epäonnistumiseen ja löytää projektien seurannan ja mittaamisen avulla keinoja näiden epäonnistumisten ehkäisemiseen. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on laadullinen tapaustutkimus. Empiirinen aineisto on kerätty haastattelujen, eri materiaalien analysoinnin ja havainnoinnin avulla. Teoriaosuus tarjoaa kattavan yhteenvedon projektiliiketoiminnan ja yksittäisten projektien johtamiseen sekä projektien seurantaan ja mittaamiseen aikaisemman kirjallisuuden perusteella. Empiirisessä osiossa suoritetaan analyysi Case -yrityksen projektien seurantaan ja valittuihin projekteihin. Analyysien, haastattelujen ja havainnoinnin pohjalta tehdään johtopäätökset tyypillisimmistä, ongelmia projekteissa aiheuttavista tekijöistä sekä näiden esiintymisestä projektin elinkaaren eri vaiheissa. Mahdolliset ongelmia ehkäisevät keinot esitetään myös. Ehdotuksia kehityskohteiksi esitetään lopuksi teorian ja empirian pohjalta.

Demand forecasting process design and methods in medium sized enterprise

The purpose of this thesis was to study the design of demand forecasting processes and management of demand. In literature review were different processes found and forecasting methods and techniques interviewed. Also role of bullwhip effect in supply chain was identified and how to manage it with information sharing operations. In the empirical part of study is at first described current situation and challenges in case company. After that will new way to handle demand introduced with target budget creation and how information sharing with 5 products and a few customers would bring benefits to company. Also the new S&OP process created within this study and organization for it.

Fundraising and investor relations in social enterprise: Marketing your way out of the pioneer gap in African off-grid renewable energy

Social enterprises apply the best of business for the pursuit of social or environmental mission while also generating revenues. Globally, nearly 1,3 billion people lack access to electricity, as well as another billion having access to only low quality and infrequent electricity. Off-grid renewable energy, like solar, will increasingly have a key role in the solution of the energy access issue. The pioneer gap in off-grid renewable energy consists of financing (or funding) gaps and capacity gaps, to do with both the early stage of the enterprises in question, as well as the early stage of the whole industry. The gaps are emphasised by specific characteristics of off-grid renewable energy business models and the requirements of operating in bottom-of-the-pyramid markets. The marketing perspective to fundraising is chosen to uncover the possible role enterprises themselves have in bridging the pioneer gap. The purpose of this thesis is to study how social enterprises operating in off-grid renewable energy in Africa utilise marketing activities in their investor relations in bridging the pioneer gap. This main research question is divided into the following sub-questions:  How does the pioneer gap affect fundraising for these enterprises?  How are the funding needs for these enterprises characterised?  How do these enterprises build trust in their investor relations? The theoretic framework is built on relationship marketing and investor relations, with an emphasis on creation of trust. The research is conducted as a thematical case study. Primary data is gathered via semi-structured interviews with six solar energy companies and two accelerators. According to the findings, the main components affecting trust-creation are diminished information asymmetry and perceived risk, mission alignment as well as a personal fit or relationship with the investor. Therefore, an enterprise can utilise e.g. the following marketing activities in their investor relations to bridge the pioneer gap: ensuring investor material, the enterprise story and presenting of them is clear, concise and complete to “package” the enterprise as an investment; taking investor needs and motivations into account as well as utilising existing investors as ambassadors.

Production unit’s overhead cost allocation with activity-based costing in food industry enterprise

The main objective of this Master’s thesis is to develop a cost allocation model for a leading food industry company in Finland. The goal is to develop an allocation method for fixed overhead expenses produced in a specific production unit and create a plausible tracking system for product costs. The second objective is to construct an allocation model and modify the created model to be suited for other units as well. Costs, activities, drivers and appropriate allocation methods are studied. This thesis is started with literature review of existing theory of ABC, inspecting cost information and then conducting interviews with officials to get a general view of the requirements for the model to be constructed. The familiarization of the company started with becoming acquainted with the existing cost accounting methods. The main proposals for a new allocation model were revealed through interviews, which were utilized in setting targets for developing the new allocation method. As a result of this thesis, an Excel-based model is created based on the theoretical and empiric data. The new system is able to handle overhead costs in more detail improving the cost awareness, transparency in cost allocations and enhancing products’ cost structure. The improved cost awareness is received by selecting the best possible cost drivers for this situation. Also the capacity changes are taken into consideration, such as usage of practical or normal capacity instead of theoretical is suggested to apply. Also some recommendations for further development are made about capacity handling and cost collection.

Brand Identity of an Ecological Oriented SME

Tämän eksploratiivisen tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on tutkia yrittäjän persoonallisuuden roolia ekologisesti suuntautuneen brändin identiteetin ja assosiaatioiden rakentamisessa. Tutkimus on tehty yrittäjän näkökulmasta, jonka kontekstina ovat pienet ja keskisuuret yritykset. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii laajentamaan ja saamaan ymmärrystä keskeisistä käsitteistä, ja samalla edistämään PK-yrityksiin liittyvää kirjallisuutta. Tämän lisäksi tutkimus tarkastelee mitä assosiaatioita ekologisesti suuntautunut brändi korostaa identiteetissään. Tutkimus suoritettiin tapaustutkimuksena. Laadullista primääridataa kerättiin teemahaastattelemalla yrittäjää, havainnoimalla yhtä case-yrityksen messuosastoa, sekä keräämällä yrittäjän persoonallisuusattribuutteja. Jotta tutkimus saavuttaisi myös datan triangulaation, sekundääristä dataa kerättiin vahvistamaan aiempaa tutkimusta. Yhtenä sekundäärilähteenä toimivat kaksi artikkelia, jotka auttoivat vahvistamaan aiemmin esiin nostetut yrittäjän persoonallisuusattribuutit. Persoonallisuusattribuutteja verrattiin case-yrityksen brändin identiteettiin, jotta yrittäjän persoonallisuuden rooli brändin identiteetin rakentamisessa saataisiin selville. Tulokset osoittivat yhteyden brändin identiteetin ja yrittäjän persoonallisuuden välillä ekologisesti suuntautuneessa case-yrityksessä. Tulokset paljastivat myös joitakin yleisiä assosiaatioita joita luodaan ja vahvistetaan brändin identiteetin eri osa-alueiden avulla.

SME internationalisation from an emerging market to a developed market : a case study from Ghana

This study focuses on understanding the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from an emerging market to a developed market. In particular, it examines the internationalisation process of a firm in the clothing and textile manufacturing industry in Ghana. Theoretically, the study is limited to the network internationalisation approach (e.g. Johanson & Mattsson, 1988; Johanson & Vahlne, 2009) and the industrial network approach (Håkansson & Snehota, 1995). Methodologically, a qualitative abductive case study approach is employed. The research process relies on a longitudinal method involving primary and secondary data and critical event analysis. Primary data has been collected from relevant informants at two different times in the internationalisation process. The research findings highlight the significance of both domestic and foreign business relationships in the internationalisation of an SME from an emerging African market to a developed country market. They show the greater importance of exogenous critical events than has been found in the research regarding firms in developed countries. Institutional actors were essential in the network and as sources of exogenous critical events. In addition, the successful SME should possess unique resources in the form of an entrepreneurial spirit, sufficient knowledge of internationalisation, and specific product knowledge. Theoretically, the present study contributes to business network research through providing an understanding of the process of developing network relationships and their impact in an African context. By focusing on SMEs, a contribution has been made in relation to the advancement of SME research. This research reveals empirical insight into SME internationalisation in a setting where an SME is internationalising to a developed country market from a newly emerging African market. Methodologically, the study provides an example of longitudinal research based on abductive methodology. The results provide implications for firms, managers, and policy-makers within the industry, especially on how to manage and use network relationships to promote SME internationalisation from newly emerging markets.

Social-business tensions and their management in social enterprise: evidence from Finland.

This thesis aims to provide insight into the social-business tensions the social enterprises face in their operation and how they manage them. The social-business tensions are examined from four theoretical perspectives using triangulation approach. The theoretical lenses chosen are organizational identity, stakeholder theory, paradox theory and institutional theory. The theories aim to clarify, how the tensions are formed, how they appear and how they are managed in social enterprises. One viewpoint of this thesis is to examine the competence of these theories in explaining the social-business tensions in practise. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing persons from the management of two social enterprises. The empirical evidence of this thesis suggests that the appearing of social-business tensions varies between the social enterprises and they can be seen both as an advantage and as a challenge. Most of the social-business tensions arise from the enterprise’s multiple incoherent objectives, their stakeholders’ various demands and the differing understanding of the company’s central operation among the members of the organization. According to this thesis, the theories of organizational identity, stakeholder, paradox and institution are all able to provide unique insight into the identification and management of the social-business tensions. However, the paradox theory turned out to be the most abstract of the theories and thus being the farthest from the practise.

Acquisition Failure: The case of a multinational enterprise from an emerging market failing in Indonesia.

The escalation in the number of mergers and acquisition transactions involving emerging market firms is a relatively recent phenomenon; as a consequence academic research in such topic is rather limited. The purpose of this research study was to discuss the possible reasons that led the acquisition failure of an emerging multinational firm and an Indonesian player. Extensive theoretical research was performed and it had been achieved, based on this, the finding of a framework that facilitated to understand the way in which the concepts of cultural distances and relate liabilities of foreignness in the process of acquisitions of foreign companies in emerging markets. The theoretical background collects literature related to acquisitions, models of cultural studies between nations and liabilities of foreignness. It has been generated a variety of frameworks that aid to understand the way that the institutional distance and cultural factors together with the concept of liabilities of foreignness can affect the process of market entry of an emerging multinational company to the extent that the best way to stop losing money is to abandon the project. The empirical research consisted of selective semi-structured interviews and an extensive research in available public data on the chosen study case of this research. There were several factors that were identified as the cause of the failure in the market entry of a Mexican multinational firm in Indonesia. The weakness shown by the local government authorities was used by the local community leaders who rioted because of discomfort. These groups were the ones who made the government submit to the extent that the agreements reached at the beginning of the deal were either canceled or modified in a way that favored always the local community. The contributions of this study fall into the knowledge field of emerging multinational firms and market entry process.