Use of scenario analysis in studying emerging technology – Case Grid computing

Tutkimuksen selvitettiin miten skenaarioanalyysia voidaan käyttää uuden teknologian tutkimisessa. Työssä havaittiin, että skenaarioanalyysin soveltuvuuteen vaikuttaa eniten teknologisen muutoksen taso ja saatavilla olevan tiedon luonne. Skenaariomenetelmä soveltuu hyvin uusien teknologioiden tutkimukseen erityisesti radikaalien innovaatioiden kohdalla. Syynä tähän on niihin liittyvä suuri epävarmuus, kompleksisuus ja vallitsevan paradigman muuttuminen, joiden takia useat muut tulevaisuuden tutkimuksen menetelmät eivät ole tilanteessa käyttökelpoisia. Työn empiirisessä osiossa tutkittiin hilaverkkoteknologian tulevaisuutta skenaarioanalyysin avulla. Hilaverkot nähtiin mahdollisena disruptiivisena teknologiana, joka radikaalina innovaationa saattaa muuttaa tietokonelaskennan nykyisestä tuotepohjaisesta laskentakapasiteetin ostamisesta palvelupohjaiseksi. Tällä olisi suuri vaikutus koko nykyiseen ICT-toimialaan erityisesti tarvelaskennan hyödyntämisen ansiosta. Tutkimus tarkasteli kehitystä vuoteen 2010 asti. Teorian ja olemassa olevan tiedon perusteella muodostettiin vahvaan asiantuntijatietouteen nojautuen neljä mahdollista ympäristöskenaariota hilaverkoille. Skenaarioista huomattiin, että teknologian kaupallinen menestys on vielä monen haasteen takana. Erityisesti luottamus ja lisäarvon synnyttäminen nousivat tärkeimmiksi hilaverkkojen tulevaisuutta ohjaaviksi tekijöiksi.

Studying the recent situation of information and communication technology industry

Globaalinen liiketoimintaympäristö on muutoksessa. Uudet teknologiat muuttavat toimintaympäristöä ja talouden säännöt muuttuvat nopeasti. Uusia liiketoimintamalleja tarvitaan. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli analysoida tieto- ja viestintäteollisuuden (ICT-teollisuus) nykytilannetta strategisesta ja kilpailuanalyyttisestä näkökulmasta, sekä luoda kuva ICT-teollisuudesta ja sen suurista pelureista Euroopassa ja USA:ssa. Tutkimus analysoi viittä suurta ICT-alan yritystä. Tutkimus oli luonteeltaan sekä kvalitatiivinen että kvantitatiivinen. Yrityksiä analysoitiin käyttäen numeerista ja laadullista materiaalia. Tutkimus perustui kirjallisuuteen, artikkeleihin, tutkimusraportteihin, yritysten internet-kotisivuihin ja vuosikertomuksiin. Tutkimuksen tuloksena voitiin löytää sekä yhtäläisyyksiä että eroavaisuuksia yritysten liiketoimintamallien ja taloudellisen menestymisen väliltä.

From statin efficacy to everyday effectiveness: Studying the gap in between.

Statins are indicated for preventing cardiovascular disease events. Patients with diabetes have a risk of major cardiovascular events double the risk of their peers without diabetes. Thus, clinical treatment guidelines recommend statins for the management of diabetic dyslipidemia. The evidence base for statin use in cardiovascular disease derives from the randomized controlled statin trials designed to prove statin efficacy under ideal conditions, among a homogenous study population meeting strict trial eligibility criteria. This thesis was implemented as four pharmacoepidemiological statin studies using register data on realworld statin users. The overall purpose was to evaluate the trends, patterns and effectiveness of statin use in everyday life. More specifically, nationwide secular trends in statin use in Finland were analysed, especially among patient groups which had been underrepresented in the statin trials. Furthermore, the benchmarking statin trials in diabetes, the Heart Protection Study and the Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study, were evaluated for their representativeness for real-world diabetes care with the emphasis placed on adherence to statin use. The association between good adherence and the incidence of major cardiovascular events in the real-world was further investigated in diabetes. These studies demonstrate that statin initiations increased from 1995 to 2005 in Finland. The increase was most pronounced among those aged at least 75 years and was observed already before the publication of rigorous trial data conducted in elderly subjects. Thus, statins seem to have been initiated in clinical practice also going beyond the strict trial eligibility criteria. Nonetheless, low adherence to statin use among the real-world patients with diabetes was found not only to limit the representativeness of the trials for clinical care but also to attenuate in all likelihood their benefits in the real-world. In fact, good adherence to statin use was found to associate with a decreased risk for major cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes. In conclusion, these studies highlight the importance of good adherence to statin use in clinical practice in order to obtain the full therapeutic value demonstrated in the statin trials. Simply increasing the number of statin users will not alone suffice in sharing our common resources appropriately.

Implementatiоn оf Sustainability-Оriented Innоvatiоns in Business - Studying Оrganizatiоnal and External Capabilities: Evidence frоm Pоland

The cоncept оf sustainability-оriented innоvatiоn is recent and still under researched. The aim оf the Thesis is tо cоntribute tо the field and investigate hоw dо cоmpanies оperating in Pоland apply sustainability-оriented innоvatiоn (SОI) tо their cоre business activities, what are the differences between variоus business fоrms оf оrganizatiоn in terms оf SОI, and what type оf capabilities facilitate implementatiоn оf SОI. Given early stage оf empirical research оn sustainability-оriented innоvatiоn, an explоratоry-descriptive case study research strategy was taken applying qualitative methоds. 6 interviews with managers and CEОs оf 4 cоmpanies lоcated in Warsaw were cоnducted. In additiоn, twо academic expert panels with specialists frоm University оf Lоdz and Lappeenranta University оf Technоlоgy were carried оut in оrder tо suppоrt the findings. The study fоund оut that in case оf cоmpanies which purpоse is tо create pоsitive impact and develоp sustainable prоducts оr services by using innоvative apprоaches, SОI activities are embedded in оrganizatiоnal culture and prоcess sо that it is difficult tо differentiate between main business activities and SОI. In the оther twо cases SОI practices were in line with cоre business activities thus reflected the main оperatiоns and were determined as a part оf CSR strategy. Activities are industry specific and are cоntingent upоn resоurces and capabilities pоssessed. Amоng list оf success factоrs management suppоrt, CEО’s persоnal values, dedicated and mоtivated team, investments in research and develоpment, оrganizatiоnal culture, nоn-hierarchical cоmmunicatiоns channels, empоwerment оf emplоyees, prоvisiоn оf time and space fоr failures were identified as key оrganizatiоnal capabilities facilitating integratiоn оf SОI practices. Whereas market demand, NGОs’ pressure, regulatiоns enfоrced, access tо external funding, netwоrking and cооperating present external оr cоllabоrative capabilities suppоrting implementatiоn оf sustainability оriented innоvatiоn in cоmpanies. SОI takes a systemic apprоach that drives the transfоrmatiоn tо becоme sustainable business embedding and integrating sоcial, envirоnmental and ecоnоmic value creatiоn tоgether.