The role of business model in computer game development organizations

The computer game industry has grown steadily for years, and in revenues it can be compared to the music and film industries. The game industry has been moving to digital distribution. Computer gaming and the concept of business model are discussed among industrial practitioners and the scientific community. The significance of the business model concept has increased in the scientific literature recently, although there is still a lot of discussion going on on the concept. In the thesis, the role of the business model in the computer game industry is studied. Computer game developers, designers, project managers and organization leaders in 11 computer game companies were interviewed. The data was analyzed to identify the important elements of computer game business model, how the business model concept is perceived and how the growth of the organization affects the business model. It was identified that the importance of human capital is crucial to the business. As games are partly a product of creative thinking also innovation and the creative process are highly valued. The same applies to technical skills when performing various activities. Marketing and customer relationships are also considered as key elements in the computer game business model. Financing and partners are important especially for startups, when the organization is dependent on external funding and third party assets. The results of this study provide organizations with improved understanding on how the organization is built and what business model elements are weighted.

Threat modeling a factory environment using Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle methodology

The number of security violations is increasing and a security breach could have irreversible impacts to business. There are several ways to improve organization security, but some of them may be difficult to comprehend. This thesis demystifies threat modeling as part of secure system development. Threat modeling enables developers to reveal previously undetected security issues from computer systems. It offers a structured approach for organizations to find and address threats against vulnerabilities. When implemented correctly threat modeling will reduce the amount of defects and malicious attempts against the target environment. In this thesis Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) is introduced as an effective methodology for reducing defects in the target system. SDL is traditionally meant to be used in software development, principles can be however partially adapted to IT-infrastructure development. Microsoft threat modeling methodology is an important part of SDL and it is utilized in this thesis to find threats from the Acme Corporation’s factory environment. Acme Corporation is used as a pseudonym for a company providing high-technology consumer electronics. Target for threat modeling is the IT-infrastructure of factory’s manufacturing execution system. Microsoft threat modeling methodology utilizes STRIDE –mnemonic and data flow diagrams to find threats. Threat modeling in this thesis returned results that were important for the organization. Acme Corporation now has more comprehensive understanding concerning IT-infrastructure of the manufacturing execution system. On top of vulnerability related results threat modeling provided coherent views of the target system. Subject matter experts from different areas can now agree upon functions and dependencies of the target system. Threat modeling was recognized as a useful activity for improving security.

Business intelligence – enabling self-service: A case study in a global manufacturing company

Business intelligence (BI) is an information process that includes the activities and applications used to transform business data into valuable business information. Today’s enterprises are collecting detailed data which has increased the available business data drastically. In order to meet changing customer needs and gain competitive advantage businesses try to leverage this information. However, IT departments are struggling to meet the increased amount of reporting needs. Therefore, recent shift in the BI market has been towards empowering business users with self-service BI capabilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how self-service BI could help businesses to meet increased reporting demands. The research problem was approached with an empirical single case study. Qualitative data was gathered with a semi-structured, theme-based interview. The study found out that case company’s BI system was mostly used for group performance reporting. Ad-hoc and business user-driven information needs were mostly fulfilled with self-made tools and manual work. It was felt that necessary business information was not easily available. The concept of self-service BI was perceived to be helpful to meet such reporting needs. However, it was found out that the available data is often too complex for an average user to fully understand. The respondents felt that in order to self-service BI to work, the data has to be simplified and described in a way that it can be understood by the average business user. The results of the study suggest that BI programs struggle in meeting all the information needs of today’s businesses. The concept of self-service BI tries to resolve this problem by allowing users easy self-service access to necessary business information. However, business data is often complex and hard to understand. Self-serviced BI has to overcome this challenge before it can reach its potential benefits.

Business intelligence – enabling self-service: A case study in a global manufacturing company

Business intelligence (BI) is an information process that includes the activities and applications used to transform business data into valuable business information. Today’s enterprises are collecting detailed data which has increased the available business data drastically. In order to meet changing customer needs and gain competitive advantage businesses try to leverage this information. However, IT departments are struggling to meet the increased amount of reporting needs. Therefore, recent shift in the BI market has been towards empowering business users with self-service BI capabilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how self-service BI could help businesses to meet increased reporting demands. The research problem was approached with an empirical single case study. Qualitative data was gathered with a semi-structured, theme-based interview. The study found out that case company’s BI system was mostly used for group performance reporting. Ad-hoc and business user-driven information needs were mostly fulfilled with self-made tools and manual work. It was felt that necessary business information was not easily available. The concept of self-service BI was perceived to be helpful to meet such reporting needs. However, it was found out that the available data is often too complex for an average user to fully understand. The respondents felt that in order to self-service BI to work, the data has to be simplified and described in a way that it can be understood by the average business user. The results of the study suggest that BI programs struggle in meeting all the information needs of today’s businesses. The concept of self-service BI tries to resolve this problem by allowing users easy self-service access to necessary business information. However, business data is often complex and hard to understand. Self-serviced BI has to overcome this challenge before it can reach its potential benefits.

Developing cost of poor quality calculations with emphasis on business impact

The main aim of this research was to develop cost of poor quality calculation model which will better reflect business impacts of lost productivity caused by IT incidents for the case company. This objective was pursued by reviewing literature and conducting a study in a Finnish multinational manufacturing company. Broad analysis of the scientific literature allowed to identify main theories and models of Cost of Poor Quality and provided better base for development of measurements of business impacts of lost productivity. Empirical data was gathered with semi-structured interviews and internet based survey. In total, twelve interviews with experts and 39 survey results from business stakeholders were gathered. Main results of empirical study helped to develop the measurement model of cost of poor quality and it was tied to incident priority matrix. Nevertheless, the model was created based on available data. Main conclusions of the thesis were that cost of poor quality measurements could be even further improved if additional data points could be used. New model takes into consideration different cost regions and utilizes on this notion.

Data and Inventory Management in Spare Part Business: Developing Operations in the Case Company

After sales business is an effective way to create profit and increase customer satisfaction in manufacturing companies. Despite this, some special business characteristics that are linked to these functions, make it exceptionally challenging in its own way. This Master’s Thesis examines the current situation of the data and inventory management in the case company regarding possibilities and challenges related to the consolidation of current business operations. The research examines process steps, procedures, data requirements, data mining practices and data storage management of spare part sales process, whereas the part focusing on inventory management is reviewing the current stock value and examining current practices and operational principles. There are two global after sales units which supply spare parts and issues reviewed in this study are examined from both units’ perspective. The analysis is focused on the operations of that unit where functions would be centralized by default, if change decisions are carried out. It was discovered that both data and inventory management include clear shortcomings, which result from lack of internal instructions and established processes as well as lack of cooperation with other stakeholders related to product’s lifecycle. The main product of data management was a guideline for consolidating the functions, tailored for the company’s needs. Additionally, potentially scrapped spare part were listed and a proposal of inventory management instructions was drafted. If the suggested spare part materials will be scrapped, stock value will decrease 46 percent. A guideline which was reviewed and commented in this thesis was chosen as the basis of the inventory management instructions.

Development of internet-based value added services in housing estate business in Russia

Value added services are becoming increasingly popular as they increase the perceived value of the core product and can be a strong method of attracting customers and motivating them to make a choice. The purpose of this research is to develop internet-based value added services for housing estate business in Russia. The research is a case study of Russian housing estate market utilising a triangulation of methods for better results. For the qualitative data analysis, 7 interviews with heads of regional departments of construction companies from different regions of Russia were conducted. For the quantitative data analysis, a survey of 128 inhabitants of Saint-Petersburg housing estates was held. Factor analysis and descriptive statistics including cross-tabulations and chi-square tests for significance were used to analyse the results. In this study, a list 19 value added services that can be provided through online platforms in housing estate market was developed. These services fall into three big groups: social networking services, compulsory and additional services. Additionally, the question of monetisation of online platforms in housing estate market was discussed and three business models were suggested.

Managing Finnish-Russian Business Relationships and Networks During Conflicts

This thesis examines management of business relationships during conflicts. The context of this study is the international political conflict which started in 2013 and is still affecting international trade relations in 2016. More specifically, this study researches the effects of the conflict in Finnish-Russian trade. The research aim is to identify the implications of a political conflict in the Finnish-Russian business relationships and networks. Furthermore, the study will explore how does a company adapt or overcome the challenges and barriers posed by the international business environment. This research combines relevant theories in management of business relationships and networks in order to review the research data through a critical research frame. The theoretical frameworks are different structures of business relationship development processes, various stages of interaction, and characteristics and functions of business relationships. Moreover, this study will examine the effect of interdependency, commitment and trust in trade relations. Also, what are the important exchange processes and how do these processes affect business relationship and overall performance of joint business operations. Qualitative single case study method was used in this research. Case company was a Finnish multinational company. To understand the changes, the data was collected and analysed through process research approach by pattern-matching and drawing temporal bracketing over two different periods of time, first period in years 2011-2013 and second period in years 2014-2016. Empirical data was collected through a semi-structured interview and additional data was collected from internal and external secondary data sources. The findings of the study confirmed the relationship between trade and conflict. However, the effects are not significant for a company in grocery retail industry which has had earlier experience in Russia and has managed its business relationships and operations effectively. Macroeconomic factors affect companies operating in foreign dynamic markets and in order to sustain changes and to adapt, companies should invest in their business relationships. Trust-based relationships and a higher level of commitment allow companies to have more efficient and beneficial outcomes before and during uncertainty. Furthermore, well-maintained and coordinated business relationships provide the ability to adapt and overcome challenges during uncertainty. Such relationships have information, financial and social exchange processes which allow the partnering firms to have successful business relationship management in dynamic market environments.

Opportunity meets uncertainty. Towards sustainable business in the Arctic region

The Arctic region is experiencing a significant change in terms of climate change and a growing economic interest towards its natural resources and emerging business opportunities. The purpose of this study is to explore how can Finnish companies create sustainable business in the Arctic. This is done by examining the arctic business environment, identifying sectors with growth potential, addressing challenges related to operating in the Arctic and suggesting how to ensure sustainability and succeed in the globally competed arctic market. The theoretical framework is based on theories of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and the role of strategy in creating sustainable business. Empirical data was collected by using qualitative research methods: first, background knowledge was formed based on written documents and, secondly, six expert interviews were conducted in early 2014. The interviewees represented the viewpoints of companies, political decision makers and NGO’s. The analysis of the data was conducted using thematic categorization. The empirical findings of the study suggest that in order to create sustainable business in the Arctic companies should adopt a long-term perspective, embrace a holistic approach to sustainability, understand interdependencies between the dimensions of sustainability and aim at high-level engagement in responsible behavior. To succeed in the arctic market core competencies, customer needs, multivendor cooperation and long-term presence need to be invested in on a company level. In addition, to promote and advance arctic development on a national level support is needed in terms of investments in infrastructure, funding research and design, creating a regulative framework and removing barriers of trade.

Business modeling in turbulent environments

This study presents an agile tool set for the business modeling in companies, entering the turbulent environment. The study’s aim is to explore business modeling techniques and their tooling by utilizing a case study of a Finnish media monitoring company, expanding to the Russian market. This work proposes a tailored “two-approach” of business modeling development that analyzes both the past and future conditions of two key factors of business modeling for companies – internal and external environments. The study explores a case company by investigating the benefits and disadvantages of firm’s present business modeling tools, developing a new tooling and applying it to the case company. Among primary data utilization, such as interviews with media monitoring industry analysts and representatives of the competing companies, and academic experts, study leans up on the comprehensive analysis of Russian media monitoring niche and its players. This study benefits the business modeling research area and combines traditional analysis tools, such as market, PESTLE and competitor analyses, in a systemic manner, with the business modeling techniques. This transformation proceeds through applying of the integrated scenario, heat map and critical design issues’ analyses in the societal, industrial and competitive context of turbulent environments. The practical outcome of this approach is the development of agile business modeling tool set, customizable by company’s requirements.