CORPORATE GRASSROOTS LOBBYING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union has gone through significant changes in the past 20 years. The importance of public opinion in politics has increased and the new technologies are empowering the wider public to express its opinions. The purpose of this study is to explore how corporations use the tactic of grassroots lobbying in the European Union environment. The research objectives were addressed through qualitative research methods. Six expert interviews were conducted to find new perspectives and to deepen the understanding of the research objectives. Following the data collection, the research material was transcribed and analysed. In the analysis, the data was organized based on concepts and themes found from the literature review. The empirical findings on grassroots lobbying in the EU were presented. It was found that when a company is selecting grassroots lobbying tactic, the familiarity of the tactic, organizational culture, financial resources and amount of stakeholders seem to have an impact to the selection. The issues that are successfully lobbied through the grassroots-lobbying tactic were seen to be those, which have high and direct impact on lives of people, arouse strong feelings and are not very complex. Furthermore, when deciding on the timing of a campaign, in the EU it was found that a company should take into account the long policy process and limited capabilities to mobilise people. Targeting the object of the campaign and selecting the channels used in a grassroots- lobbying campaign were seen to be in function of identifying the key decision-makers on the issue. The decisions of who to mobilise and the mobilisation channels were considered to be dependant on who the campaign is trying to influence. Also, it was found that when the implementing a grassroots lobbying campaign in the EU environment, the special features such as multiple cultures and languages should be taken into account. This study has provided novel practical insights for corporate grassroots lobbying in the EU environment and furthermore successfully contributed to the academic research in the field.

Exploring business models for medical games: Key components and challenges

The costs of health care are going up in many countries. In order to provide affordable and effective health care solutions, new technologies and approaches are constantly being developed. In this research, video games are presented as a possible solution to the problem. Video games are fun, and nowadays most people like to spend time on them. In addition, recent studies have pointed out that video games can have notable health benefits. Health games have already been developed, used in practice, and researched. However, the bulk of health game studies have been concerned with the design or the effectiveness of the games; no actual business studies have been conducted on the subject, even though health games often lack commercial success despite their health benefits. This thesis seeks to fill this gap. The specific aim of this thesis is to develop a conceptual business model framework and empirically use it in explorative medical game business model research. In the first stage of this research, a literature review was conducted and the existing literature analyzed and synthesized into a conceptual business model framework consisting of six dimensions. The motivation behind the synthesis is the ongoing ambiguity around the business model concept. In the second stage, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different professionals within the value network for medical games. The business model framework was present in all stages of the empirical research: First, in the data collection stage, the framework acted as a guiding instrument, focusing the interview process. Then, the interviews were coded and analyzed using the framework as a structure. The results were then reported following the structure of the framework. In the results, the interviewees highlighted several important considerations and issues for medical games concerning the six dimensions of the business model framework. Based on the key findings of this research, several key components of business models for medical games were identified and illustrated in a single figure. Furthermore, five notable challenges for business models for medical games were presented, and possible solutions for the challenges were postulated. Theoretically, these findings provide pioneering information on the untouched subject of business models for medical games. Moreover, the conceptual business model framework and its use in the novel context of medical games provide a contribution to the business model literature. Regarding practice, this thesis further accentuates that medical games can offer notable benefits to several stakeholder groups and offers advice to companies seeking to commercialize these games.

Sustainable Development – the Key to Competitiveness CSR as an added value to Alstom’s corporate performance

Corporate social responsibility or CSR is today a widely recognized concept which is receiving in- creasing popularity extremely rapidly, especially in the business world. The pressure on companies to carry out their business practices in ethical manners, which promote the wellbeing of the environment and society, is coming from all directions and all stakeholders. Alstom, a French multinational conglomerate operating in the rail transport and energy industry, is no exception to this norm. This company, which will be used as the case example in this thesis, is being brought to bay in terms of engaging in CSR practices and practicing business with high ethics. It is surely not a negatively conceived phenomenon that CSR is being put on a pedestal – quite the opposite. Instead of corporations practicing CSR only to meet their stakeholder requirements through practicing window dressing, many corporations actually strive to benefit from the practice of corporate social business. In addition to bringing benefit to externals a corporation such as Alstom itself can benefit from being involved in CSR. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the current strategic values and the future perspectives of CSR at Alstom and moreover the added value which the practice of CSR could bring Alstom as a business. A set of perspectives from a futures studies viewpoint is looked at, with critical examination of the company’s current corporate practices as well as the CSR related studies and theories written for corporations. Through this, some solutions and practices will be suggested to Alstom in order for it to fully utilize the potential of corporate social business and the value it can bring in the most probable futures that the company is expected to face. By utilizing the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a method mainly used in organizations to solve problematic issues in management and policy contexts, a process is developed to see what improvements could be of help in improving Alstom and its way towards involving CSR in its business practices even more than it currently does. Alstom is already deeply involved in the practicing of CSR and its vision has a strong emphasis on this popular concept of today. In order to stay in the game and to use CSR as a competitive advantage to the company, Alstom ought to embed corporate social practices even deeper in its organizational culture by using them as a tool to reduce risk and costs, increasing employee commitment and customer loyalty and to attract socially responsible investors, just to name a few. CSR as a concept is seen to have great potential in the future, an opportunity Alstom will not miss.

Organisaatioprosessin muutos

Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin sähköiseen arkistointiin siirtymisen muutosprosessia Lahden kaupungin organisaatiossa vuosien 2013 – 2015 välillä. Tavoitteena oli sel-vittää kunnallisen organisaation sähköiseen arkistointiin siirtymisen vaatiman muu-tosprosessin toteutuksen ratkaisut sekä muutoksen vaikutukset hallinnollisiin pro-sesseihin. Työ on metodologialtaan kvalitatiivinen tapaustutkimus, jonka tutkimus-aineistona käytettiin haastatteluja sekä organisaation sisäisiä asiakirjoja. Tutkimuk-sessa haastateltiin kohdeorganisaation muutoksen suunnittelun sekä toteutuksen avainhenkilöitä. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että muutosprosessi noudatti tieteellisen tutkimuksen kuvaamaa muutoksen vaiheittaista etenemistä, vaikkakin vaiheet me-nivät osittain päällekkäin. Muutosprosessissa tulisi tulosten perusteella kiinnittää huomiota muutoksessa ilmenevien vastakkaisten mielipiteiden vaikutukseen muu-toksen hidastavana tekijänä ja ottaa jo suunnitteluvaiheessa tämä huomioon esi-merkiksi miettimällä toimiva kannustinjärjestelmä tukemaan muutoksen toteutusta. Merkittävimmät havainnot prosessien muuttumiseen liittyen olivat, että arkistointia ei voi ajatella erillisenä prosessina asiakirjan elinkaaren lopussa, vaan sähköisessä toimintaympäristössä arkistointi sulautuu kiinteäksi osaksi organisaation kaikkea toimintaa. Arkistoinnin tapaa muutettaessa on otettava huomioon eri toiminnoille asetetut vaatimukset, kuten tietoturva, allekirjoitus, arkistointi, arkistossa asiointi se-kä hävitys. Sähköiseen arkistointiin siirtyminen muuttaa organisaation eri toimijoi-den rooleja ja jossain kohden tuo säästöjä, mutta toisaalta vaatii organisaatiolta muuttumiskykyä. Osaltaan muutos vauhdittaa myös erilaisten toimintojen keskittä-misen mahdollisuuksia.

Reputational Risk Management as a key element for business continuity and value maximization

This thesis reveals the topic of reputational risk management as a key element for business continuity and value maximization. The purpose of the work is to investigate reputational risk from the side of its definition, management (including legal requirements on this risk category) and measurement and to analyse reputational risk’s impact on business continuity and value maximization. To be able to do this, different respective articles, reports of financial institutions are gathered and constructive summaries and analysis are made. In order to deeply investigate the impact of reputational risk on business continuity and value maximization, it was chosen to study it from three aspects: 1) check the impact of stock valuation of 7 companies that experienced reputational catastrophe / risk, 2) analyse a case study on disagreements in management of reputational risk among case companies and impact on their respective performance, and 3) conduct a survey of financial sector companies in Liechtenstein to see how reputational risk management works in practice. The findings of the research showed a significant impact of reputation decadence on company’s value and trading volume, and showed crucial importance of post-crisis management for the company’s financial performance. The results of the qualitative research based on survey proved that companies consider reputational risk management as a one of the key elements for their business continuity and value maximization.

Choosing the service support model after a merger: Case Are Ltd.

The meaning of information technology (IT) and information systems have increased during the last few years. This is mainly because business is nowadays seen more and more as a service business and IT is one of the key elements to support those business services. Since the meaning of IT services has increased also the meaning of IT service support should be a factor paid more attention to. Especially after a merger and acquisition (M&A) it is more important than ever to consider service support. The purpose of this study is to discover the best practices for choosing a suitable service support model. The research question is How to choose a service support organization model for the ERP service desk function after a merger? A qualitative method is selected as a research method. This thesis includes two parts: a literature review and a case study. Theoretical part compiles an integrated model of previous research on the topic. It consists a collection of academic articles, publications and reports. The empirical part focuses on the issues in the case organization. That part tries to answer the question: what would be the most suitable service support model for the case organization? The empirical part is conducted by interviewing the employees of the case organization. This study finds that even though there are many ways of selecting a service support model it is difficult to define an unambiguous guidelines. However, there are few main objectives that should be taken into account regardless the case. Especially by using ITIL processes it is possible to implement a comprehensive service support and raise overall awareness of the existing service support models. The main functions that need to be taken into account are nature, industry and size of the organization. Also the business strategy, goals and resources need to be considered. These are the same factors that are noticed in the case study as well. The suggestions for the case organization are presented based on the interviews and the literature review.

Omnibus accounts to Finnish investors? – An analysis of the costs and benefits that omnibus account structure brings to Finnish account operators and investors

The Finnish Securities Markets are being harmonized to enable better, more reliable and timely settlement of securities. Omnibus accounts are a common practice in the European securities markets. Finland forbids the use of omnibus accounts from its domestic investors. There is a possibility that the omnibus account usage is allowed for Finnish investors in the future. This study aims to build a comprehensive image to Finnish investors and account operators in determining the costs and benefits that the omnibus account structure would have for them. This study uses qualitative research methods. A literature review provides the framework for this study. Different kinds of research articles, regulatory documents, studies performed by European organisations, and Finnish news reportages are used to analyse the costs and benefits of omnibus accounts. The viewpoint is strictly of account operators and investors, and different effects on them are contemplated. The results of the analysis show that there are a number of costs and benefits that investors and account operators must take into consideration regarding omnibus accounts. The costs are related to development of IT-systems so that participants are able to adapt to the new structure and operate according to its needs. Decrease in the holdings’ transparency is a disadvantage of the structure and needs to be assessed precisely to avoid some problems it might bring. Benefits are mostly related to the increased competition in the securities markets as well as to the possible cost reductions of securities settlement. The costs and benefits were analysed according to the study plan of this thesis and as a result, the significance and impact of omnibus accounts to Finnish investors and account operators depends on the competition level and the decisions that all market participants make when determining if the account structure is beneficial for their operations.

ETO-Tuotekehitysprojektin suorituskyvyn mittaaminen

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, mitä suorituskyvyn osa-alueita ETO (Engineer To Order) – tyyppinen tuotekehitysprojekti pitää sisällään, ja mitkä niistä ovat projektin onnistumisen kannalta tärkeimpiä, eli niin sanottuja menestystekijöitä. Edelleen näiden tunnistettujen menestystekijöiden pohjalta oli tavoitteena kehittää suorituskyvyn mittausmalli, jonka avulla voisi arvioida ja ohjata projektin ja projektinhallinnan suorituskykyä. Tärkeimmät suorituskyvyn näkökulmat tässä mallissa olivat projektin kannattavuuden -, asiakastyytyväisyyden - ja projektinhallinnan näkökulmat. Malli tehtiin rautatieliikenne toimialalla toimivalle yritykselle, joka asetti omat vaatimuksensa mallille. Tutkimus tehtiin kolmivaiheisesti. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa tutustuttiin aiempiin tutkimuksiin, joiden pohjalta pyrittiin löytämään projektin menestystekijät, sekä näiden suorituskyvyn analysointiin toimiviksi todetut mittausmenetelmät. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa tutustuttiin myös alaa ohjaaviin standardeihin, ja niiden asettamiin erityisvaatimuksiin projektien suorituskyvyn mittaukselle. Tutkimuksen toinen vaihe oli tapaustutkimus kohdeyrityksen sisäiselle projektiorganisaatiolle, joka toteutettiin survey-kyselynä. Kyselyn avulla pyrittiin löytämään ne menestystekijät, jotka projektiorganisaation itsensä mielestä olivat kaikkein tärkeimpiä projektin onnistumisen kannalta. Kyselyllä pyrittiin myös selvittämään sidosryhmien välisiä näkemyseroja projektin menestystekijöistä. Kysymykset muodostettiin synteesinä tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa löydetyistä menestystekijöistä ja standardien vaatimista pakollisista mitattavista tekijöistä. Tärkeimmäksi menestystekijäksi kyselyssä nousi projektipäällikön kompetenssi. Kyselyssä vastaajilta kysyttiin myös sitä, minkä menestystekijöiden suorituskykyä heidän mielestään tulisi mitata. Tärkeimmäksi mitattavaksi osa-alueeksi nousi aikataulun tarkka seuranta. Kolmannessa vaiheessa näiden kohdeyrityksen menestystekijöiden pohjalta luotiin mittausmalli, joka pyrkii mittaamaan projektin ja projektinhallinnan suorituskykyä tasapainoisesti valituista näkökulmista. Malli ottaa huomioon erityisesti projektinhallinnan suorituskyvyn vaikutuksen projektin lopputuotteena syntyvien hyödykkeiden laatuun. Kohdeyrityksen kokonaissuorituskyvyn kannalta on erittäin tärkeää parantaa projektien suorituskykyä, johon projektien suorituskyvyn mittaaminen on ratkaisu. Standardien asettamat vaatimukset antavat hyvät lähtökohdat kokonaisvaltaisen mittausjärjestelmän luomiselle.

Critical elements underpinning the emergence of the medical game ecosystem: gamifying traumatic brain injury rehabilitation in Finland

The healthcare sector is currently in the verge of a reform and thus, the medical game research provide an interesting area of research. The aim of this study is to explore the critical elements underpinning the emergence of the medical game ecosystem with three sub-objectives: (1) to seek who are the key actors involved in the medical game ecosystem and identify their needs, (2) to scrutinise what types of resources are required in medical game development and what types of relationships are needed to secure those resources, and (3) to identify the existing institutions (‘the rules of the game’) affecting the emergence of the medical game ecosystem. The theoretical background consists of service ecosystems literature. The empirical study conducted is based on the semi-structured theme interviews of 25 experts in three relevant fields: games and technology, health and funding. The data was analysed through a theoretical framework that was designed based upon service ecosystems literature. The study proposes that the key actors are divided into five groups: medical game companies, customers, funders, regulatory parties and complementors. Their needs are linked to improving patient motivation and enhancing the healthcare processes resulting in lower costs. Several types of resources, especially skills and knowledge, are required to create a medical game. To gain access to those resources, medical game companies need to build complex networks of relationships. Proficiency in managing those value networks is crucial. In addition, the company should take into account the underlying institutions in the healthcare sector affecting the medical game ecosystem. Three crucial institutions were identified: validation, lack of innovation supporting structures in healthcare and the rising consumerisation. Based on the findings, medical games cannot be made in isolation. A developmental trajectory model of the emerging medical game ecosystem was created based on the empirical data. The relevancy of relationships and resources is dependent on the trajectory that the medical game company at that time resides. Furthermore, creating an official and documented database for clinically valdated medical games was proposed to establish the medical game market and ensure an adequate status for the effective medical games. Finally, ecosystems approach provides interesting future opportunities for research on medical game ecosystems.

A service perspective to digital innovation: exploring the emergence of autonomous shipping

Current research describes digital innovation largely similar to product innovation. Digital innovation is seen as an object of coherent activities, however in reality digital innovation results from convergence of variant technologies and those related actors with versatile business goals. To account for the dynamic nature of digital innovation, this study applies a service perspective to digital innovation. The purpose of the study is to understand how digital innovation emerges within a service ecosystem for autonomous shipping. The sub-objectives of this study are to 1) identify what factors motivate and demotivate actors to integrate resources for autonomous shipping, 2) explore the key technology areas to be integrated to realise the autonomous shipping concept, and 3) suggest how the technology areas are combined for mutual value creation within a service eco-system for autonomous shipping. Insights from autonomous driving were also included. This study draws on literatures on service innovation and service-dominant logic. The research was conducted as a qualitative exploratory case study. The data comprise interviews of 18 marine and automotive industry experts, 4 workshops, 4 seminars, and observations as well as various secondary data sources. The findings revealed that the key actors have versatile motivations regarding autonomous shipping. These varied from opportunities for single applications to occupying a central role in an autonomous technology platform. Thus, autonomous shipping can be seen as an umbrella concept comprising multiple levels. In technical terms, the development of the concept of autonomous shipping is largely based on combining existing technology solutions, which are gradually integrated towards more systemic entities comprising areas of the autonomous shipping concept. This study argues that a service perspective embraces the inherently complex and dynamic nature of digital innovation. This is captured in the developed research framework that describes digital innovation emerging on different levels of interaction: 1. strategic relationships for new solutions, 2. new local networks for technology platforms, and 3. global networks for new markets. The framework shows how the business models and motivations of digital innovation actors feed the emergence of digital innovation in overlapping service ecosystems that together comprise an innovation ecosystem for autonomous technologies. Digital innovation managers will benefit from seeing their businesses as part of a larger ecosystem of value co-creating actors. In orchestrating digital innovation within a service ecosystem, it is suggested that managers consider the resources, roles and institutions within the ecosystem. Finally, as autonomous shipping is at its infancy, the topic provides a number of interesting avenues for future research.

Tuotehallinnan kehittäminen ICT-palveluyrityksessä

Tuotehallinta on yrityksissä keskeinen arvoa tuottava toiminto, joka hallinnoi ja johtaa tuotteiden elinkaarta aina ideavaiheesta tuotteiden lopettamiseen saakka. Tuotteiden hyvän kilpailukyvyn kautta yritys saa kilpailuetua markkinassa. Tutkimuksen kohteena oleva case-yritys haluaa kehittää tuotehallinnan toimintaa, jotta se kykenee toimimaan aiempaa tehokkaammin ja menestymään paremmin tiukasti kilpailluilla markkinoilla. Diplomityön päätavoitteena oli löytää keinoja kohdeyrityksen yritysliiketoiminnan tuotehallinnan kehittämiseksi. Tutkimus toteutettiin laadullisena tapaustutkimuksena. Tutkimuksessa käytiin läpi aihealueen tuoretta tutkimustietoa sekä aiempaa teoriaa. Työssä tutkittiin kohdeyrityksen tuotehallinnan nykytilannetta ja kehittämismahdollisuuksia. Saatujen tutkimustulosten pohjalta ja tunnistettua teoriaa hyödyntäen johdettiin konkreettisia kehitystoimenpiteitä. Työ tuotti kriittisen näkökulman tuotehallinnan nykytilanteeseen sekä esityksen tärkeimmiksi tunnistetuista kehittämistoimenpiteistä. Tutkimuksen keskeisimpänä tuloksena toimii johtopäätös tarpeesta rakentaa aiempaa vahvempi tuotehallinta. Tämän aikaansaamiseksi tulee tehdä joukko kehittämistoimenpiteitä, jotka jaettiin lyhyen ja pitkän aikavälin toimenpiteisiin. Kehitystoimenpiteiden toteut-tamiseksi esitetiin muodostettavan oma hallittu kehitysohjelma.

Key factors in U.S. Government support of business internationalization in Finland Case: U.S. Embassy in Helsinki

This study discusses the importance of government intervention for companies and the expansion of national innovation systems. The purpose of the study is to examine the impact which the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki can have on Finnish businesses through their business support programs and events. The embassy has shifted focus in recent years with the creation of an innovation center and increased business services. The study has sub-objectives to discover the critical factors for producing impact, host and home based factor interaction, and effects produced by these initiatives. The theoretical background of the study consists of literature relating to the concepts of national innovation systems and government intervention. The empirical research conduct for this study is based on interviews with experts from the environment surrounding the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland and participation in embassy events. The data was collected between March 2014 and September 2015. Seven interviews were conducted; five with representatives of the U.S. Embassy and two with related organizations. Thematic analysis was used to categorize and interpret interview and observation data. The use of an impact radar was implemented as a basis for analysis. This study finds that the internationalization of national innovation systems provides interesting opportunities and challenges for national governments. The opportunity to provide services to foreign companies by an embassy in a stable environment opens the possibility to create positive notice and relations with the host country. The increased connections and inputs to the national innovation system of the home country have the potential to increase knowledge absorption and create positive growth. The most effective way for governments to encourage businesses is to create incentives and reduce barriers. The services are best aimed at small to medium sized companies in the early stages of development. The findings of this report suggest that the most critical factors for producing impact on companies are the ability to disseminate information effectively, the ability to create a positive image of the country, the ability to foster effective networks between the two countries, and the ability to facilitate the internationalization of companies. In the best cases, the embassy is able to create incentives to internationalize to the United States and reduce barriers which are encountered by companies. Future research is necessary to fully understand the impact of business services provided by an embassy can have on the political and economic relations of countries, and on particular industry sectors. The institutional setting provided by the embassy’s focus on business relations provides a rich environment for further study in a number of areas.

Critical elements underpinning the emergence of the medical game ecosystem:gamifying traumatic brain injury rehabilitation in Finland

The healthcare sector is currently in the verge of a reform and thus, the medical game research provide an interesting area of research. The aim of this study is to explore the critical elements underpinning the emergence of the medical game ecosystem with three sub-objectives: (1) to seek who are the key actors involved in the medical game ecosystem and identify their needs, (2) to scrutinise what types of resources are required in medical game development and what types of relationships are needed to secure those resources, and (3) to identify the existing institutions (‘the rules of the game’) affecting the emergence of the medical game ecosystem. The theoretical background consists of service ecosystems literature. The empirical study conducted is based on the semi-structured theme interviews of 25 experts in three relevant fields: games and technology, health and funding. The data was analysed through a theoretical framework that was designed based upon service ecosystems literature. The study proposes that the key actors are divided into five groups: medical game companies, customers, funders, regulatory parties and complementors. Their needs are linked to improving patient motivation and enhancing the healthcare processes resulting in lower costs. Several types of resources, especially skills and knowledge, are required to create a medical game. To gain access to those resources, medical game companies need to build complex networks of relationships. Proficiency in managing those value networks is crucial. In addition, the company should take into account the underlying institutions in the healthcare sector affecting the medical game ecosystem. Three crucial institutions were identified: validation, lack of innovation supporting structures in healthcare and the rising consumerisation. Based on the findings, medical games cannot be made in isolation. A developmental trajectory model of the emerging medical game ecosystem was created based on the empirical data. The relevancy of relationships and resources is dependent on the trajectory that the medical game company at that time resides. Furthermore, creating an official and documented database for clinically validated medical games was proposed to establish the medical game market and ensure an adequate status for the effective medical games. Finally, ecosystems approach provides interesting future opportunities for research on medical game ecosystems