Pankki- ja vakuutustoiminnan asiakaskannattavuus ja asiakkuuksien johtaminen

The main objective of this master’s thesis was to determine, what are the insights, challenges and problems related to differing business logics and principles of income generation and how can they be integrated in a financial group with insurance and banking operations from the perspective of customer profitability. Review of the industrial specific features had a high priority in the study. The study is a qualitative case study with empirical data collected from semi-structured interviews. Qualitative research method was chosen since it produces kind of data required to answer the research questions. Interviewees were chosen from different organizational levels to achieve a comprehensive big picture of the subject. The key result of the study is that the most important factor for the customer profitability on the financial sector is to find and fulfill the customer needs with a comprehensive service package. Also long-term customer relationships were considered significant and customer life cycle assessment essential. In the case-organization the most significant factors in this process were a strong local presence and the tacit knowledge of the customers’ business and activities, although there are major challenges in systematic exploitation of this information. The management of the customer profitability in case-organization faces great challenges because of the history of growth via acquisitions, which has led to so-called “problem of the two balance sheets”, conflict in corporate culture and establishment of the mutual goals and performance measurement.

Suunnittelun mahdollisuudet alumiiniveneen rungon valmistuskustannusten optimointiin mitoitusdirektiivi huomioiden

Tässä diplomityössä tutkittiin valmistuksellisia ja rakenteellisia mahdollisuuksia alumiiniveneen rungon valmistuskustannusten optimointiin vallitseva runkomitoitusdirektiivi huomioiden. Varsinaista kustannussäästötavoitetta työlle ei määritetty, mutta tavoitteena oli selvittää runkokonstruktion kustannusten painopisteiden mukaisesti kehityskohteet ja uusi kehitetty runkokonstruktio, joka täyttää mitoitusdirektiivin vaatimukset. Nykyistä ja kehitettyä runkokonstruktiota verrataan kustannusten sekä valmistettavuuden kannalta ja tehdään johtopäätökset. Kehityskohteiden löytämisessä sovellettiin valmistus- ja kokoonpanoystävällisen suunnittelun DFM(A)-periaatteita ja teoriaa, jotka esiteltiin työn teoriaosuudessa. Valmistuskustannusten määrittämisen tueksi teoriaosuudessa esiteltiin hitsauksen ja osavalmistuksen (laserleikkaus, särmäys) kustannusmallit, joita hyödynnettiin soveltuvin osin kustannuslaskennassa. Merkittävänä osana selvitystyötä oli myös SFS-EN ISO 12215-5-(6) runkomitoitusstandardin tulkitseminen ja referointi työn kannalta merkittäviin osa - alueisiin. Nykyisen runkokonstruktion kustannusanalyysin ja valmistettavuusarvion pohjalta päädyttiin rakenteellisiin ja valmistuksellisiin kehitystoimenpiteisiin, jotka täyttävät runkomitoitusdirektiivin rakenteelliset vaatimukset. Rakenteelliset toimenpiteet käsittivät mm. materiaalivahvuuksien, jäykisterakenteen ja osamäärän optimointia. Valmistukselliset toimenpiteet liittyivät mm. hitsauksen tuottavuuden tehostamiseen ja sen kustannusvaikutuksiin. Rakenteellisilla kehitystoimenpiteillä olisi mahdollista saavuttaa noin 6 % säästö ja valmistusmenetelmien kehittämisellä noin 17 % säästö valmistuskustannuksista.

Combining Productivity and Renewal in a Production Organization: a Case Study on Organizational Ambidexterity

This case study examined how productivity and renewal are combined in a production organization operating in process industry through the antecedents of organizational ambidexterity; structure, culture, and management. The empirical material consisted of semi-structured interviews, observations and case organization documents. The findings suggest that the case organization structurally separates exploitation and exploration to separate units. However, it was found that the units focusing on exploration also devote resources to exploitation. External networks, such as customers, suppliers, and other factories seemed to play a role in the exploration activities, as well as in learning activities, which were connected to renewal. Productivity was seen as a natural part of a production organization and pursued at manufacturing units. Process management techniques appeared to be spread across the organization and having positive impact on exploitation and negative impact on exploration. The managerial culture and management’s capability to communicate goals, vision and strategy was found to be unsatisfactory. This thesis contributes to the new research paradigm of organizational ambidexterity by providing unique results on how the antecedents of organizational ambidexterity are accomplished in a production organization. Furthermore, the thesis extends the previous research of organizational renewal capability by connecting it to the ambidexterity theory.

Smart homes as service platforms. Research report of ÄLYKOP sub-project “Competitive advantage from customer value”

In this report, we summarize results of our part of the ÄLYKOP-project on customer value creation in the intersection of the health care, ICT, forest and energy industries. The research directs to describe how industry transformation and convergence create new possibilities, business opportunities and even new industries.The report consists of findings which are presented former in academic publications. The publication discusses on customer value, service provision and resource basis of the novel concepts through multiple theorethical frameworks. The report is divided into three maim sections which are theoretical background, discussion on health care industry and evaluations regarding novel smart home concepts. Transaction cost economics and Resource- Based view on the firm provides the theoretical basis to analyze the prescribed phenomena. The health care industry analysis describes the most important changes in the demand conditions of health care services, and explores the features that are likely to open new business opportunities for a solution provider. The third part of the report on the smart home business provides illustrations few potential concepts that can be considered to provide solutions to economical problems which arise from aging of population. The results provide several recommendations for the smart home platform developers in public and private sectors. By the analysis, public organizations dominate service provision and private markets are emergent state at present. We argue that public-private partnerships are nececssary for creating key suppliers. Indeed, paying attion on appropriate regulation, service specifications and technology standards would foster diffusion of new services. The dynamics of the service provision networks is driven by need for new capabiltities which are required for adapting business concepts to new competitive situation. Finally, the smart home framework revealed links between conventionally distant business areas such as health care and energy distribution. The platform integrates functionalities different for purposes which however apply same resource basis.

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Foucault'n harharetki

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Väitöskirja ortodoksisen kirkon syntyvaiheista Suomen tasavallassa

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Välittäjäorganisaatioiden merkitys tutkimuslähtöisessä yritystoiminnassa

Referee-artikkeli