Adoption of an E-service Innovation and its Effects on Customer Service Processes in Forest Industry

Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena oli selvittää miten asiakkaille suunnattu Internet –pohjainen palvelu muuttaa asiakaspalvelua metsäteollisuudessa, ja mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat tällaisen palvelun omaksumiseen. Tutkimuksesta ilmenee että muutokset asiakaspalvelussa ovat olleet asiakkaiden mielestä pääasiassa positiivisia. Selvisi, että uuden sovelluksen laatuun ollaan tyytyväisiä, mutta että kaikki asiakkaat eivät pidä sen etuja huomattavina verrattuna vanhoihin toimintatapoihin. Esimerkkiyrityksen oma henkilöstö ei keskimäärin koe sovellusta kovin hyödylliseksi oman työnsä kannalta. Jotta sovelluksen käyttöä ja mahdollisia hyötyjä esimerkkiyritykselle saataisiin lisättyä, on sovellukseen tehtävien parannusten lisäksi panostettava tehokkaampaan kommunikointiin ja lisäkoulutukseen asiakkaille. Lisäksi on löydettävä keinoja, joiden avulla asiakkaat kokisivat sovelluksen käytön itselleen edullisemmaksi kuin pitäytymisen vanhoissa toimintatavoissa. Edellä mainitun saavuttaminen edellyttää esimerkkiyrityksen asiakaspalvelu-henkilöstön ja operatiivisen johdon sitoutumista sovelluksen aktiiviseen markkinointiin asiakkaiden suuntaan. Tutkimuksen aineisto kerättiin haastatteluilla ja asiakkaille suunnatulla kyselylomakkeella käyttäen pääasiassa kvalitatiivisia menetelmiä. Haastatteluja tehtiin kahdessa esimerkkiyrityksen yksikössä, kolmessa myyntikonttorissa sekä kahden asiakasyrityksen yhteensä neljässä eri yksikössä. Kyselylomake lähetettiin 215 asiakaskäyttäjälle, joista 30 palautti lomakkeen. Palautusprosentiksi tuli 14.

Les déterminants de la prolongation des séjours en SSRG et les indicateurs du devenir des patients après leur sortie : Étude rétrospective au CHRU de Strasbourg [Determinants of prolonged stays in geriatric rehabilitation department and indicators of patient outcome after discharge: A retrospective study in Strasbourg university hospital]

Objectif. Analyser les déterminants de la prolongation des séjours hospitaliers en service de soins de suite et réadaptation gériatrique (SSRG) et identifier les indicateurs du devenir des patients après leur sortie. Méthode. Étude rétrospective au CHRU de Strasbourg de l'ensemble des séjours de durée supérieure à 90 jours entre le 1 janvier 2012 et le 30 septembre 2013. L'ensemble des données sociodémographiques, descriptives des séjours et de l'état de santé des patients ont été analysées. Les patients ont été suivis 9 mois après leur sortie. Les réhospitalisations, l'admission en institution et le décès ont été informés par un contact téléphonique auprès du médecin traitant ou de la famille. Résultats. Quarante-six séjours ont été analysés. Les patients étaient à 68,0 % des femmes. La moyenne d'âge était de 82,9 ± 5,8 ans. Quatre-vingt-dix-huit pour cent d'entre eux vivaient à domicile avant l'admission en milieu hospitalier. Les raisons justifiant la prolongation étaient d'ordre médical (60,8 %), psychique (45,6 %), social (65,2 %) et liées à la difficulté de trouver une solution d'aval (58,7 %). À la fin de leur séjour, 9 patients ont pu regagner leur domicile et 37 ont été admis directement en institution. Durant la période de suivi, 17 patients ont été réhospitalisés au moins une fois et 3 jusqu'à trois fois. Au 9e mois, 9 patients étaient décédés dans un délai moyen de 75 jours après la sortie du SSRG. Les résultats des analyses unifactorielles et multivariées ont permis d'identifier des indicateurs d'évolution défavorable (décès et/ou réhospitalisation). Aucune des variables sociodémographiques ou de syndrome gériatrique n'a été identifiée. Par contre un « motif d'hospitalisation pour une maladie infectieuse », ou pour « un trouble de la marche ou une chute », une « prolongation du séjour en SSRG pour raison médicale » et un « séjour prolongé en court séjour » étaient les facteurs identifiés. Conclusion. Dans la tendance actuelle à améliorer la rentabilité de l'utilisation des ressources de santé, ces résultats rappellent qu'il est important de maintenir un juste équilibre entre utilisation raisonnée des ressources et les besoins spécifiques des patients âgés.

Developing a new service business model for an industrial supplier

Project business companies are moving towards solution offering in order to avoid discontinuity of project business and to gain other advantages. An option to implement solution business could be BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) business model where a company is given the responsibilities to design, finance, build, own, operate and maintain for example production facilities of a client. The contract is made for 10-30 years, the client pays the solution during this period of time and after contract termination the facilities are transferred to the ownership of the client. The purpose of this study was to provide knowledge about BOOT business model for the company in question and its employees and to create a settlement of the advantages, disadvantages and risks of it. Furthermore, one of the main objectives was to create a description of the network needed to run a BOOT project. The objectives were met through a literature study and an explorative case study with appropriate interviews. Based on this study, the company should be able to evaluate the applicability of BOOT business model to their business environment better.

Teollisuuden suunnittelupalveluiden hankinta ja valintakriteerit sekä palvelutarjonnan suuntaaminen

Tavoitteena oli selvittää pohjoissuomalaisen teollisuuden suunnittelu- ja konsultointipalvelujen hankintaa ja valintaa ohjaavia kriteereitä. Kriteerien tunteminen antaa palveluntarjoajille paremmat lähtökohdat oman toiminnan ohjaamisessa. Samalla työssä tutkittiin palveluntarjoajien tietämystä asiakkaidensa hankintatoimen taustalla vaikuttavista seikoista. Työn tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää palvelun-tarjoajien, työn tilaajan ja teollisuuden asiakkaiden toiminnassa. Työ aloitettiin tutustumalla asiantuntijapalveluiden markkinoinnin ja hankinnan teoriaan. Teoriassa tutustuttiin myös teknisen suunnittelun- ja konsultoinnin toimi-alaan. Tämän jälkeen haastateltiin kymmenen teollisuuden asiakasyritystä ja viisi palveluntarjoajayritystä. Näiden haastatteluiden perusteella voitiin tarkentaa suunnittelu- ja konsultoinnin erikoispiirteitä ja asiantuntijapalveluiden markkinoinnin ja hankintatoimen teoriaa. Tulosten perusteella asiantuntijapalveluiden hankintatoimi on hyvin organisoitua isoimpien yritysten tai yksiköiden kohdalla. Pienempien yritysten resurssit, vuosittainen tarve ja kokemus ohjaavat hankintatoimintaa. Myös kriteerit ovat yrityksen kokoon nähden muuttuvat. Isommat hankkijat arvostavat henkilöstöä, heidän referenssejään ja osaamistaan. Pienemmät arvostavat edellisten lisäksi vastuunottoa, sitoutumista ja riskienhallintaa. Henkilökohtainen myyntityö nähtiin tärkeänä. Suunnittelutoimistojen tietämys hankintatoimesta ja valintakriteereistä oli vaihtelevaa, mutta pääasiassa keskinkertaista.

Harmonized performance measurement system for basic industry's service centers

The objective of this study is to create measurement system that is capable to measure performance in basic industry’s service centers. First it is examined what is performance and how it can be measured. The study also introduces commonly known measurement frameworks. After theory the study investigates how companies in the field of basic industry measure their operations in practise. The investigation is done examining three case examples and by analyzing survey results from basic industry companies. On the survey results focus is on what meters and measurement systems companies use. It is also viewed what measurement problems companies have faced. In the applied part of the study harmonized performance measurement system is created. The framework of the measurement system is introduced and measurement system for the target company is created. The target company felt that the harmonized performance measurement system has good potential and continues to develop it further.

Developing the service offering of an industrial company

The purpose of this thesis was to determine, what kind of service offering the case company should provide to its customers in the Australian market. For this, a model for analysing the competitive environment was developed. In the model, three players were considered: customers, competitors and the case company. Benchmarking was used in identifying competitors’ offerings currently available in the market. Experts inside the case company were consulted for determining the customer need. The competitors’ offerings were analysed on the basis of Pekkarinen et al.’s (2009) framework, dividing the offerings to services supporting the supplier’s product (SSP), supporting the client (SSC), supporting the client’s network (SSN), supporting mutual actions (SSM) and benefit and risk sharing elements. After this, they were compared to the competitive environment in order to identify areas where the case company can differentiate itself from its competitors in the Australian market. On the basis of the company’s key success factors, and the Finnish service concept currently in use, some additional offerings were suggested for the case company in order to further outperform its competitors in the market. Finally, on the basis of the suggested offerings and competitors’ offerings, a service concept was suggested for the case company to introduce in the Australian market.

External knowledge transfer mechanisms in service business acquisition

In knowledge-intensive economy an effective knowledge transfer is a part of the firm’s strategy to achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Knowledge transfer related to a variety of mechanisms depends on the nature of knowledge and context. The topic is, however, very little empirical studied and there is a research gap in scientific literature. This study examined and analyzed external knowledge transfer mechanisms in service business and especially in the context of acquisitions. The aim was to find out what kind of mechanisms was used when the buyer began to transfer data e.g. their own agendas and practices to the purchased units. Another major research goal was to identify the critical factors which contributed to knowledge transfer through different mechanisms. The study was conducted as a multiple-case study in a consultative service business company, in its four business units acquired by acquisition, in various parts of the country. The empirical part of the study was carried out as focus group interviews in each unit, and the data were analyzed using qualitative methods. The main findings of this study were firstly the nine different knowledge transfer mechanisms in service business acquisition: acquisition management team as an initiator, unit manager as a translator, formal training, self-directed learning, rooming-in, IT systems implementation, customer relationship management, codified database and ecommunication. The used mechanisms brought up several aspects as giving the face to changing, security of receiving right knowledge and correctly interpreted we-ness atmosphere, and orientation to use more consultative touch with customers. The study pointed out seven critical factors contributed to different mechanisms: absorption, motivation, organizational learning, social interaction, trust, interpretation and time resource. The two last mentioned were new findings compared to previous studies. Each of the mechanisms and the related critical factors contributed in different ways to the activity in different units after the acquisition. The role of knowledge management strategy was the most significant managerial contribution of the study. Phenomenon is not recognized enough although it is strongly linked in knowledge based companies. The recognition would help to develop a better understanding of the business through acquisitions, especially in situations such as where two different knowledge strategies combines in new common company.

Analysis of companies' software as a service adoption intention factors

The goal of this study is to develop managerial recommendations for international vendors and system integrators, which offer Software as a Service for enterprise information systems on the Russian market. Those recommendations can be used to develop marketing, sales, new product and service level agreement strategies. For those reasons factors affecting SaaS adoption were determined and their influence on intention to adoption was examined.

Commitment to military service among Finnish conscripts

This research establishes the primary components, predictors, and consequences of organizational commitment in the military context. Specifically, the research examines commitment to the military service among Finnish conscripts and whether initial affective commitment prior to service predicts later commitment, attitudes, behavior, and performance, and, furthermore, analyzes the changes in commitment and its possible outcomes. The data were collected from records as well as by surveys from 1,387 rank and file soldiers, immediately after they reported for duty, near the end of basic training, and near the end of 6 to 12 months of service. The data covered a wide array of predictor variables, including background items, attitudes toward conscription, mental and physical health, sociability, training quality, and leadership. Moreover, the archival data included such items as rank, criminal record, performance ratings, and the number of medical examines and exemptions. The measures were further refined based on the results of factor analysis and reliability tests. The results indicated that initial commitment significantly corresponded with expected adjustment, intentions to stay in the military, and acceptance of authority. Moreover, initial commitment moderately related to personal growth, perceived performance, and the number of effective service days at the end of service. During basic training, affective commitment was mostly influenced by challenging training, adjustment experiences, regimentation, and unit climate. At the end of service, committed soldiers demonstrated more personal growth and development in service, had higher-level expected performance, and less malingering during their service. Additionally, they had significantly more positive attitudes toward national defense. The results suggest that affective commitment requires adequate personal adjustment, experiences of personal growth and development, and satisfaction with unit dynamics and training. This research contributes to the theoretical discussion on organizational commitment and the will to defend the nation and advances developing models to support and manage conscript training, education, leadership, and personnel policy. This is achieved by determining the main factors and variables, including their relative strength, that affect commitment to the military service. These findings may also facilitate in designing programs aimed at reducing unwanted discharges and inadequate performance. In particular, these results provide tools for improving conscripts’ overall attachment to and identification with the military service.

The success factors of the Danish energy service industry

The objective of the research was to understand the success factors of the Danish energy service industry. The research phenomenon was studied greatly but the aim was to examine it from the service logic point of view. The research was threefold and it examined the phenomena from the company, industrial and national levels. The purpose of the multi-level study was to understand all the success factors and to examine how they are combined together. First, the research problem was approached through the literature review. After that, the empirical part of the study was conducted as a case study and the data was collected by theme interviews. The collected data was analyzed through theoretical point of view and compared with earlier studies. This study shows that the most important success factor was the country, because it has affected to the other aspects of the success. Because the actors of the industry are linked together tightly, communication and common understanding of business is essential to the industry success. The new energy technologies do not produce directly added value for the customers. This has sifted energy business towards service business, and the customers have been included in the value creation process.

Venäjän talouden vaikutukset venäläisten matkailuun Etelä-Karjalassa

Etelä-Karjala on viime vuosina saanut osakseen merkittävää kasvua venäläisistä matkailijoista. Tax free -myynti on Lappeenrannassa Suomen toiseksi suurinta, heti Helsingin jälkeen. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli selvittää, mitkä muuttujat vaikuttavat venäläisten ostoskäyttäytymiseen Etelä-Karjalan alueella. Muuttujien selvittyä niiden pohjalta rakennettiin neljä skenaariota, jotka kuvaavat vuoden 2014 tilannetta liittyen venäläisten matkailuun Etelä-Karjalassa. Työssä tutkittiin myös tax free -myyntitilastoja, etsien muutoksia ja trendejä venäläisten ostoskäyttäytymisessä. Tax free -myynnissä ja venäläisten yöpymismäärissä oli havaittavissa useita selviä ja toistuvia trendejä. Esimerkiksi ruokaa myydään vähemmän vuoden lopussa suhteessa käyttötavaroihin. Yöpymismäärät olivat selvästi korkeampia loppukesästä ja vuoden vaihteessa. Venäläisten matkailu Etelä-Karjalaan on kasvanut voimakkaasti vuoden 2005 jälkeen. Työssä havaittiin, että yksi merkittävin tekijä tälle on ruplan reaalinen vahvistuminen, joka alkoi vuoden 2005 aikana. Tämän jälkeen kasvu jatkui erittäin vahvana aina vuonna 2008 alkaneeseen taantumaan asti. Toinen merkittävä seikka, jonka vuoksi venäläiset ostosmatkailijat saapuvat Suomeen ostoksille, on tuotteiden ja palveluiden laatu. Näiden kahden asian pohjalta rakennettiin nelikenttämatriisi, jonka tuloksena oli neljä skenaariota.

The Effects of Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Perceived Value on Behavioral Intentions

The intent of this research was to develop a model that describes the extent to which customer behavioral intentions are influenced by service quality, customer satisfaction and customer perceived value in the business-to-business service context. Research on customer behavioral intentions is quite fragmented and no generalized model has been presented. Thus, there was need for empirical testing. This study builds on the services marketing theory and assesses the relationships between the identified constructs. The data for the empirical analysis was collected via a quantitative online survey and a total of 226 usable responses were obtained for further analysis. The model was tested in an employment agency service setting. The measures used in this survey were first assessed by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) after which the hypothesized relationships were further verified using structural equation modeling (SEM) in LISREL 8.80. The analysis identified that customer satisfaction played a pivotal role in the model as it was the only direct antecedent of customer behavioral intentions, however, customer perceived value showed a strong indirect impact on buying intentions via customer satisfaction. In contrast to what was hypothesized, service quality and customer perceived value did not have a direct positive effect on behavioral intentions. Also, a contradicting finding with current literature was that sacrifice was argued to have a direct but positive impact on customer perceived value. Based on the findings in this study, managers should carefully think of their service strategies that lead to their customers’ favorable behavioral intentions.

Spinal cord compression in cattle after the use of an oily vaccine

An outbreak of compressive myelopathy in cattle associated with the improper use of an oil vaccine is described. Neurological signs were observed in 25 out of 3,000 cattle after 60 days of being vaccinated against foot and mouth disease. The clinical picture was characterized by progressive paralysis of the hind limbs, difficulty in standing up, and sternal recumbency during the course of 2-5 months. A filling defect between the L1 and L3 vertebrae was seen through myelography performed in one of the affected animals. A yellow-gray, granular and irregular mass was observed in four necropsied animals involving the spinal nerve roots and epidural space of the lumbar (L1-L4) spinal cord; the mass was associated with a whitish oily fluid. This fluid was also found in association with necrosis of the longissimus dorsi muscle. Microscopic changes in the epidural space, nerve roots, and spinal musculature were similar and consisted of granulomas or pyogranulomas around circular unstained spaces (vacuoles). These spaces were located between areas of severe diffuse hyaline necrosis of muscle fibers and resembled the drops of oil present in the vaccine.

Drivers and barriers of mobile travel and tourism service adoption : a study of individual perceptions and business model development in a travel and tourism context

The Travel and Tourism field is undergoing changes due to the rapid development of information technology and digital services. Online travel has profoundly changed the way travel and tourism organizations interact with their customers. Mobile technology such as mobile services for pocket devices (e.g. mobile phones) has the potential to take this development even further. Nevertheless, many issues have been highlighted since the early days of mobile services development (e.g. the lack of relevance, ease of use of many services). However, the wide adoption of smartphones and the mobile Internet in many countries as well as the formation of so-called ecosystems between vendors of mobile technology indicate that many of these issues have been overcome. Also when looking at the numbers of downloaded applications related to travel in application stores like Google Play, it seems obvious that mobile travel and tourism services are adopted and used by many individuals. However, as business is expected to start booming in the mobile era, many issues have a tendency to be overlooked. Travelers are generally on the go and thus services that work effectively in mobile settings (e.g. during a trip) are essential. Hence, the individuals’ perceived drivers and barriers to use mobile travel and tourism services in on-site or during trip settings seem particularly valuable to understand; thus this is one primary aim of the thesis. We are, however, also interested in understanding different types of mobile travel service users. Individuals may indeed be very different in their propensity to adopt and use technology based innovations (services). Research is also switching more from investigating issues of mobile service development to understanding individuals’ usage patterns of mobile services. But designing new mobile services may be a complex matter from a service provider perspective. Hence, our secondary aim is to provide insights into drivers and barriers of mobile travel and tourism service development from a holistic business model perspective. To accomplish the research objectives seven different studies have been conducted over a time period from 2002 – 2013. The studies are founded on and contribute to theories within diffusion of innovations, technology acceptance, value creation, user experience and business model development. Several different research methods are utilized: surveys, field and laboratory experiments and action research. The findings suggest that a successful mobile travel and tourism service is a service which supports one or several mobile motives (needs) of individuals such as spontaneous needs, time-critical arrangements, efficiency ambitions, mobility related needs (location features) and entertainment needs. The service could be customized to support travelers’ style of traveling (e.g. organized travel or independent travel) and should be easy to use, especially easy to take into use (access, install and learn) during a trip, without causing security concerns and/or financial risks for the user. In fact, the findings suggest that the most prominent barrier to the use of mobile travel and tourism services during a trip is an individual’s perceived financial cost (entry costs and usage costs). It should, however, be noted that regulations are put in place in the EU regarding data roaming prices between European countries and national telecom operators are starting to see ‘international data subscriptions’ as a sales advantage (e.g. Finnish Sonera provides a data subscription in the Baltic and Nordic region at the same price as in Finland), which will enhance the adoption of mobile travel and tourism services also in international contexts. In order to speed up the adoption rate travel service providers could consider e.g. more local initiatives of free Wi-Fi networks, development of services that can be used, at least to some extent, in an offline mode (do not require costly network access during a trip) and cooperation with telecom operators (e.g. lower usage costs for travelers who use specific mobile services or travel with specific vendors). Furthermore, based on a developed framework for user experience of mobile trip arrangements, the results show that a well-designed mobile site and/or native application, which preferably supports integration with other mobile services, is a must for true mobile presence. In fact, travel service providers who want to build a relationship with their customers need to consider a downloadable native application, but in order to be found through the mobile channel and make contact with potential new customers, a mobile website should be available. Moreover, we have made a first attempt with cluster analysis to identify user categories of mobile services in a travel and tourism context. The following four categories were identified: info-seekers, checkers, bookers and all-rounders. For example “all-rounders”, represented primarily by individuals who use their pocket device for almost any of the investigated mobile travel services, constituted primarily of 23 to 50 year old males with high travel frequency and great online experience. The results also indicate that travel service providers will increasingly become multi-channel providers. To manage multiple online channels, closely integrated and hybrid online platforms for different devices, supporting all steps in a traveler process should be considered. It could be useful for travel service providers to focus more on developing browser-based mobile services (HTML5-solutions) than native applications that work only with specific operating systems and for specific devices. Based on an action research study and utilizing a holistic business model framework called STOF we found that HTML5 as an emerging platform, at least for now, has some limitations regarding the development of the user experience and monetizing the application. In fact, a native application store (e.g. Google Play) may be a key mediator in the adoption of mobile travel and tourism services both from a traveler and a service provider perspective. Moreover, it must be remembered that many device and mobile operating system developers want service providers to specifically create services for their platforms and see native applications as a strategic advantage to sell more devices of a certain kind. The mobile telecom industry has moved into a battle of ecosystems where device makers, developers of operating systems and service developers are to some extent forced to choose their development platforms.

Survival analysis of female dogs with mammary tumors after mastectomy: epidemiological, clinical and morphological aspects

Abstract: Mammary gland tumors are the most common type of tumors in bitches but research on survival time after diagnosis is scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between survival time after mastectomy and a number of clinical and morphological variables. Data was collected retrospectively on bitches with mammary tumors seen at the Small Animal Surgery Clinic Service at the University of Brasília. All subjects had undergone mastectomy. Survival analysis was conducted using Cox's proportional hazard method. Of the 139 subjects analyzed, 68 died and 71 survived until the end of the study (64 months). Mean age was 11.76 years (SD=2.71), 53.84% were small dogs. 76.92% of the tumors were malignant, and 65.73% had both thoracic and inguinal glands affected. Survival time in months was associated with age (hazard rate ratios [HRR] =1.23, p-value =1.4x10-4), animal size (HRR between giant and small animals =2.61, p-value =0.02), nodule size (HRR =1.09, p-value =0.03), histological type (HRR between solid carcinoma and carcinoma in a mixed tumor =2.40, p-value =0.02), time between diagnosis and surgery (TDS, with HRR =1.21, p-value =2.7x10-15), and the interaction TDS*follow-up time (HRR =0.98, p-value =1.6x10-11). The present study is one of the few on the subject matter. Several important covariates were evaluated and age, animal size, nodule size, histological type, TDS and TDS*follow up time were identified as significantly associated to survival time.