Strategy and Superior Competence of Growth Company

This thesis is an examination of growth company and it's superior competence and performance which is based on existing theories and research findings. The theory framework is a basis for the processing part of the thesis that is utilized and combined into new thoughts and assumptions. The analysis is focused on the strategy's meaning, the content of strategy, strategy management, strategy planning, strategy tools and methods. The most important finding and discovery were that the strategy and superior competence / performance of successful growth company are rather a continuously improving process and a lifestyle than for example annual strategy project and/or separate strategy seasons.

Review of investment strategy, portfolio management, and scorecard based portfolio selection tool for direct property investments in Finland

The lack of research of private real estate is a well-known problem. Earlier studies have mostly concentrated on the USA or the UK. Therefore, this master thesis offers more information about the performance and risk associated with private real estate investments in Nordic countries, but especially in Finland. The structure of this master thesis is divided into two independent sections based on the research questions. In first section, database analysis is performed to assess risk-return ratio of direct real estate investment for Nordic countries. Risk-return ratios are also assessed for different property sectors and economic regions. Finally, review of diversification strategies based on property sectors and economic regions is performed. However, standard deviation itself is not usually sufficient method to evaluate riskiness of private real estate. There is demand for more explicit assessment of property risk. One solution is property risk scoring. In second section risk scorecard based tool is built to make different real estate comparable in terms of risk. In order to do this, nine real estate professionals were interviewed to enhance the structure of theory-based risk scorecard and to assess weights for different risk factors.

Investigating the Existence of Business-IT Alignment Trap in Finnish IT Organizations

The overall purpose of this master's thesis is to investigate the existence of business-IT alignment trap in Finnish IT organizations. The alignment trap refers to the inability of IT investments to deliver the expected business benefits. The basis for this investigation is due to the previous knowledge that high level of IT alignment practice with very low efficacy in an organization can lead to alignment trap. The theory which was established on the dimensions of IT-alignment and efficacy of IT as a whole with considerations for cost reduction and revenue growth benefits. This study explored the same dimensions with the previous study but identified additional benefit (profitability). The study was conducted using the Finnish IT barometer data from different IT organizations. A quantitative research method was used in conducting this study which was built on positivist philosophical stance. The empirical data is based on survey data, an excerpt from the Finnish IT barometer data that captured the annual survey results of IT significance to Finnish organizations as evaluated by business and IT professionals. The survey data comprised of 249 respondents and their responses were categorized into high and low IT intensive which form the basis of the statistical analysis conducted. Overall, five analyses were conducted using the variables of cost reductions, revenue growth and profitability in the 2x2 matrix dimensions of IT alignment and efficacy of IT, grouped into alignment trap, maintenance zone, well-oiled IT and IT-enabled growth. The empirical results, revealed a partial existence of alignment trap in Finnish IT organizations. This is due to a very minute number of organizations that were ensnared in the alignment trap zone on the analyses conducted. Although they recorded considerable high performances in terms of revenue growth rate with IT spending below the average companies, their profitability was considered very low. Generally it was observed that Finnish IT organizations with high efficacy of IT practices had good performances, while those with low efficacy of IT experienced low performances, especially in the aspect of profitability, regardless of the degree of IT alignment. The study proposes that organizations should improve on practices that enhance effectiveness of IT more in order for them to realize the full benefits of IT and to avoid alignment trap.