Service offering classification for logistics services

This thesis studies the development of service offering model that creates added-value for customers in the field of logistics services. The study focusses on offering classification and structures of model. The purpose of model is to provide value-added solutions for customers and enable superior service experience. The aim of thesis is to define what customers expect from logistics solution provider and what value customers appreciate so greatly that they could invest in value-added services. Value propositions, costs structures of offerings and appropriate pricing methods are studied. First, literature review of creating solution business model and customer value is conducted. Customer value is found out with customer interviews and qualitative empiric data is used. To exploit expertise knowledge of logistics, innovation workshop tool is utilized. Customers and experts are involved in the design process of model. As a result of thesis, three-level value-added service offering model is created based on empiric and theoretical data. Offerings with value propositions are proposed and the level of model reflects the deepness of customer-provider relationship and the amount of added value. Performance efficiency improvements and cost savings create the most added value for customers. Value-based pricing methods, such as performance-based models are suggested to apply. Results indicate the interest of benefitting networks and partnership in field of logistics services. Networks development is proposed to be investigated further.

The role of emotional branding in building brand personality from a consumer perspective

The purpose of this exploratory research is to study the role of emotional branding in building brand personality. The research is conducted from the perspective of the consumer, more specifically the Finnish Generation Y females. The aim of the thesis is to gain insights and understanding on the key concepts and contribute to the Generation Y literature. In addition, the research examines the effect of certain cultural implications on the process of building brand personality. The research was conducted as an embedded single-case study, in which qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with a sample of six consumers and personal observation within one of the concept stores of the case company. In order to triangulate the data, secondary sources were utilized to gain more information about the case company. The results indicated a connection between emotional branding and the formulation of brand personality, which can be manipulated according to the brand personality drivers. Congruence with consumer self-conceptualization and set of values were discovered to strengthen the emotional bonding. As the end result, the research was able to clarify the process-thinking behind emotional branding.

The radio frequency identification technology in the supply chain management: a case of a big logistics company

Nowadays global business trends force the adoption of innovative ICTs into the supply chain management (SCM). Particularly, the RFID technology is on high demand among SCM professionals due to its business advantages such as improving of accuracy and veloc-ity of SCM processes which lead to decrease of operational costs. Nevertheless, a question of the RFID technology impact on the efficiency of warehouse processes in the SCM re-mains open. The goal of the present study is to experiment the possibility of improvement order picking velocity in a warehouse of a big logistics company with the use of the RFID technology. In order to achieve this goal the following objectives have been developed: 1) Defining the scope of the RFID technology applications in the SCM; 2) Justification of the RFID technology impact on the SCM processes; 3) Defining a place of the warehouse order picking process in the SCM; 4) Identification and systematization of existing meth-ods of order picking velocity improvement; 5) Choosing of the study object and gathering of the empirical data about number of orders, number of hours spent per each order line daily during 5 months; 6) Processing and analysis of the empirical data; 7) Conclusion about the impact of the RFID technology on the speed of order picking process. As a result of the research it has been found that the speed of the order picking processes has not been changed as time has gone after the RFID adoption. It has been concluded that in order to achieve a positive effect in the speed of order picking process with the use of the RFID technology it is necessary to simultaneously implement changes in logistics and organizational management in 3PL logistics companies. Practical recommendations have been forwarded to the management of the company for further investigation and procedure.

Distribution network design and optimization

The objective of this thesis is to examine distribution network designs and modeling practices and create a framework to identify best possible distribution network structure for the case company. The main research question therefore is: How to optimize case company’s distribution network in terms of customer needs and costs? Theory chapters introduce the basic building blocks of the distribution network design and needed calculation methods and models. Framework for the distribution network projects was created based on the theory and the case study was carried out by following the defined framework. Distribution network calculations were based on the company’s sales plan for the years 2014 - 2020. Main conclusions and recommendations were that the new Asian business strategy requires high investments in logistics and the first step is to open new satellite DC in China as soon as possible to support sales and second possible step is to open regional DC in Asia within 2 - 4 years.

JNK regulates dendrite and spine architecture in the central nervous system influencing spatial learning and motor tasks

JNK1 is a MAP-kinase that has proven a significant player in the central nervous system. It regulates brain development and the maintenance of dendrites and axons. Several novel phosphorylation targets of JNK1 were identified in a screen performed in the Coffey lab. These proteins were mainly involved in the regulation of neuronal cytoskeleton, influencing the dynamics and stability of microtubules and actin. These structural proteins form the dynamic backbone for the elaborate architecture of the dendritic tree of a neuron. The initiation and branching of the dendrites requires a dynamic interplay between the cytoskeletal building blocks. Both microtubules and actin are decorated by associated proteins which regulate their dynamics. The dendrite-specific, high molecular weight microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) is an abundant protein in the brain, the binding of which stabilizes microtubules and influences their bundling. Its expression in non-neuronal cells induces the formation of neurite-like processes from the cell body, and its function is highly regulated by phosphorylation. JNK1 was shown to phosphorylate the proline-rich domain of MAP2 in vivo in a previous study performed in the group. Here we verify three threonine residues (T1619, T1622 and T1625) as JNK1 targets, the phosphorylation of which increases the binding of MAP2 to microtubules. This binding stabilizes the microtubules and increases process formation in non-neuronal cells. Phosphorylation-site mutants were engineered in the lab. The non-phosphorylatable mutant of MAP2 (MAP2- T1619A, T1622A, T1625A) in these residues fails to bind microtubules, while the pseudo-phosphorylated form, MAP2- T1619D, T1622D, Thr1625D, efficiently binds and induces process formation even without the presence of active JNK1. Ectopic expression of the MAP2- T1619D, T1622D, Thr1625D in vivo in mouse brain led to a striking increase in the branching of cortical layer 2/3 (L2/3) pyramidal neurons, compared to MAP2-WT. The dendritic complexity defines the receptive field of a neuron and dictates the output to the postsynaptic cells. Previous studies in the group indicated altered dendrite architecture of the pyramidal neurons in the Jnk1-/- mouse motor cortex. Here, we used Lucifer Yellow loading and Sholl analysis of neurons in order to study the dendritic branching in more detail. We report a striking, opposing effect in the absence of Jnk1 in the cortical layers 2/3 and 5 of the primary motor cortex. The basal dendrites of pyramidal neurons close to the pial surface at L2/3 show a reduced complexity. In contrast, the L5 neurons, which receive massive input from the L2/3 neurons, show greatly increased branching. Another novel substrate identified for JNK1 was MARCKSL1, a protein that regulates actin dynamics. It is highly expressed in neurons, but also in various cancer tissues. Three phosphorylation target residues for JNK1 were identified, and it was demonstrated that their phosphorylation reduces actin turnover and retards migration of these cells. Actin is the main cytoskeletal component in dendritic spines, the site of most excitatory synapses in pyramidal neurons. The density and gross morphology of the Lucifer Yellow filled dendrites were characterized and we show reduced density and altered morphology of spines in the motor cortex and in the hippocampal area CA3. The dynamic dendritic spines are widely considered to function as the cellular correlate during learning. We used a Morris water maze to test spatial memory. Here, the wild-type mice outperformed the knock-out mice during the acquisition phase of the experiment indicating impaired special memory. The L5 pyramidal neurons of the motor cortex project to the spinal cord and regulate the movement of distinct muscle groups. Thus the altered dendrite morphology in the motor cortex was expected to have an effect on the input-output balance in the signaling from the cortex to the lower motor circuits. A battery of behavioral tests were conducted for the wild-type and Jnk1-/- mice, and the knock-outs performed poorly compared to wild-type mice in tests assessing balance and fine motor movements. This study expands our knowledge of JNK1 as an important regulator of the dendritic fields of neurons and their manifestations in behavior.

Building a Roadmap for a Market Intelligence function in a Global B2B company

Tämän diplomityötutkimuksen tarkoituksena on luoda markkinaälyyn (MI) erikoistunut funktio suurelle, globaalisti toimivalle B2B-yritykselle. Tämän päivän muut-tuvilla markkinoilla, teollisuusyrityksen on oltava markkinalähtöinen selviytyäkseen. Markkinatiedon tehokas hyödyntäminen ei pelkästään luo tietoa markkinoista, vaan tuottaa kilpailukykyistä tietoa ja toimii strategisen päätöksenteon tukena pitkällä aikavälillä. Tämä tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen toimintatutkimus, joka sisältää kirjallisuuskat-sauksen, yritystapaustutkimuksen sekä syväanalyysin yrityksen MI-ympäristöstä. Kirjallisuuskatsaus pitää sisällään teoriaa liittyen markkinaälyyn useassa eri kon-tekstissa, asiakassuhteeseen, sekä prosessinmallintamiseen. Empiiriseen osaa seuraa tutkimusmenetelmäkappale, joka sisältää kaksivaiheisen tutkimuksen mukaan lu-kien 20 päällikkötason haastattelua sekä yhden laaja-alaisen työryhmätapaamisen. Työn tuloksena syntyy kolmivaiheinen tiekartta, jonka tarkoitus on toimia pohjana uuden MI-funktion rakentamiselle Case-yrityksessä. Tuloksen mukaan MI-funktio tulisi sijoittaa yrityksen asiakasrajapintaan sekä tukea yksiköiden välistä integraa-tiota. Markkinaälyn jakaminen yrityksen sisällä vaatii käytäntöjen, tarpeiden ja ta-voitteiden systemaattista viestintää eri organisaatiotasoille, jotta yritys voi edelleen saada asiakkaalta tarpeeseen vastaavaa tietoa. Viestintä yrityksen ja asiakkaan välil-lä on oltava molemminpuolista, jotta tulokset voisivat parantaa asiakassuhdetta. Kun asiakassuhde paranee, yritys voi oppia asiakkaalta arvokasta tietoa, markkinaälyä.

Map illustrating the site of the harbours for the proposed Obi-railway : the soundings are all calculated in feet and are based upon the data of the Russian Marine Ministry : the underlined figures are soundings taken by the scooner Bakan, 1887

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

A Phase Model for Building a Customer Value Based Sales Tool – Case Mining and Metals Industry

The objective of this research is to observe the state of customer value management in Outotec Oyj, determine the key development areas and develop a phase model with which to guide the development of a customer value based sales tool. The study was conducted with a constructive research approach with the focus of identifying a problem and developing a solution for the problem. As a basis for the study, the current literature involving customer value assessment and solution and customer value selling was studied. The data was collected by conducting 16 interviews in two rounds within the company and it was analyzed by coding openly. First, seven important development areas were identified, out of which the most critical were “Customer value mindset inside the company” and “Coordination of customer value management activities”. Utilizing these seven areas three functionality requirements, “Preparation”, “Outotec’s value creation and communication” and “Documentation” and three development requirements for a customer value sales tool were identified. The study concluded with the formulation of a phase model for building a customer value based sales tool. The model included five steps that were defined as 1) Enable customer value utilization, 2) Connect with the customer, 3) Create customer value, 4) Define tool to facilitate value selling and 5) Develop sales tool. Further practical activities were also recommended as a guide for executing the phase model.

Time to volume through efficient multi-site ramp-up

The aim of this thesis was to create a process for all multi-site ramp-up (MSRU) projects in the case company in order to have simultaneous ramp-ups early in the market. The research was done through case study in one company and semi-structured interviews. There are already processes, which are now in use in MSRU-cases. Interviews of 20 ramp-up specialists revealed topics to be improved. Those were project team set up, roles and responsibilities and recommended project organization, communication, product change management practices, competence and know how transfer practices and support model. More R&D support and involvement is needed in MSRU-projects. DCM’s role is very important in the MSRU-projects among PMT-team; he should be the business owner of the project. Recommendation is that product programs could take care of the product and repair training of new products in volume factories. R&D’s participation in competence transfers is essential important in MSRU-projects. Communication in projects could be shared through special intranet commune. Blogging and tweeting could be considered in the communication plan. If hundreds of change notes are open in ramp-up phase, it should be considered not to approve the product into volume ramp-up. PMTs’ supports are also important and MSRU-projects should be planned, budgeted and executed together. Finally a new MSRU-process is presented in this thesis to be used in all MSRU-projects.

Legitimacy Building in Public Disclosures on Strategic Energy Investments

Renewable energy investments play a key role in energy transition. While studies have suggested that social acceptance may form a barrier for renewable energy investments, the ways in which companies perceive and attempt to gain the acceptance have received little attention. This study aims to fill the gap by exploring how large electric utilities justify their strategic investments in their press releases and how do the justifications differ between renewable and non-renewable energy investments. The study bases on legitimacy theory and aims at contributing to the research on legitimation in institutional change. As its research method, the study employs an inductive mixed method content analysis. The study has two parts: a qualitative content analysis that explores and identifies the themes and legitimation strategies of the press releases and a quantitative computer-aided analysis that compares renewable and non-renewable energy investments. The sample of the study consists of 396 press releases representing the strategic energy investments of 34 electric utilities from the list of the world’s 250 largest and financially most successful energy companies. The data is collected from the period of 2010–2014. The study reveals that most important justifications for strategic energy investments are fit with the strategy and environmental and social benefits. Justifications address especially the expectations of market. Investments into non-renewable energy are justified more and they use more arguments addressing the proprieties and performance of power plants whereas renewable energy investments are legitimized by references to past actions and commonly accepted morals and norms. The findings support the notion that validity-addressing and propriety-addressing legitimation strategies are used differently in stable and unstable institutional settings.

Enhancing business-to-business relationship through value co-creation in traditional business sector: A case of building services engineering

This study discusses the significance of having service as a business logic, and more specifically, how value co-creation can be seen as an enhancing phenomenon to business-to-business relationships in traditional business sector. The purpose of this study is to investigate how value cocreation can enhance a business-to-business relationship in the heating, ventilation and airconditioning (HVAC) industry of building services engineering, through three sub-objectives: to identify what is value in the industry, how value is co-created in the industry, and what is value in a business-to-business relationship in the industry. The theoretical part this study consists of academic knowledge and literature related to the concepts of value, value co-creation and business-to-business relationships. In order to research value co-creation and business-to-business relationships in HVAC industry of building services engineering both, metaphorical and conceptual thinking of service dominant (S-D) logic and more managerial approach of service logic (SL), contributed to the theoretical part of the study. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on seven semi-structured interviews, which constituted the holistic, qualitative single case study method chosen for the research. The data was collected in September 2014 from CEOs, managers and owners representing six building services engineering firms. The interviews were analysed with the help of transcriptions, role-ordered matrices and thematic networks. The findings of this study indicate that value in HVAC industry consists of client expertise and supplier expertise. The result of applying client expertise and supplier expertise to the business-to- business relationship is characterized as value-in-reputation, when continuity, interaction, learning and rapport of the business relationship are ensured. As a result, value co-creation in the industry consists of mutual and separate elements, which the client and the supplier apply in the process, in addition to proactive interaction. The findings of this study, together with the final framework, enhance the understanding of the connection existing between value co-creation and business-to-business relationship. The findings suggest that value in the HVAC industry is characterized by both value-in-use and value-inreputation. Value-in-reputation enhances the formation of value-in-use, and consequently, value cocreation enhances the business-to-business relationship. This study thus contributes to the existing knowledge on the concepts of value and value co-creation in business-to-business relationships.

Developing construction site operations for EPC power plant projects

The purpose of this thesis is to find development areas for site operations in power plant construction projects delivered by Wärtsilä. The inspected operations are subcontractor management, site material management and work scheduling. The contractor's role in EPC project is to respond for engineering, procurement, and construction supervision. Geographical and cultural differences brings challenges for finding development areas as Wärtsilä delivers projects world-wide. Searching for development area is mainly made with survey, which answers were collected from the target company's site personnel. Based on the results, with good planning and preparation various problems would be avoided. An external view for the thesis was collected by an expert interview, which was held to three expe-rienced construction operating executives. Interviewees believed that with the se-lection of right site personnel and clearly defined areas of responsibility will great-ly affect the outcome of the project. Some of the theory has been collected from areas, which have helped to under-stand the inspected operations on site. Improving competence knowledge has been important due to the broad scope of work and the author’s inexperience of the topic. Also generally effective practices from construction projects has been col-lected to the theory part. Functionality of general practices have been reflected together with the results of empirically collected data for Wärtsilä's projects. As a result, a model was generated where development proposals and the benefits from new procedures were presented.