Strategian toimeenpanon haasteet - case SPY

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksensa oli luoda kokonaiskuva strategian toimeenpanoprosessista ja tuoda esiin case –yrityksen strategian toimeenpanon haasteet. Case –yritys toimii tietoliikennepalvelujen toimialalla, joka on ollut jatkuvassa muutoksessa. Yritys käynnisti strategiaprosessin vuonna 2002, jonka seurauksena liiketoiminnan painopistettä muutettiin palveluliiketoimintaan. Strategian toimeenpano ei sujunut haasteitta. Yritys on käynnistämässä uutta strategiaprosessia. Jotta edellisen strategian toimeenpanon ongelmat vältettäisiin, haluttiin tutkia, mikä on case –yrityksen strategian toimeenpanon taso tällä hetkellä ja tunnistaa case -yrityksen strategian toimeenpanemisen kehittämiskohdat. Tutkimus oli luonteeltaan kvalitatiivinen case –tutkimus, joka toteutettiin teemahaastatteluin. Tulokset osoittivat, että case –yrityksessä strategian toimeenpanoa voidaan kehittää erityisesti selkeyttämällä visio, lisäämällä johtajuutta ja visionäärisyyttä. Strategian toimeenpanossa johdolta vaaditaan myyntitaitoja: selkeää päämäärää, viestintää, luottamuksen tunteen luomista ja herkkyyttä kuunnella henkilöstön tuntoja. Johdon on itse omalla esimerkillään tehtävä tämä myyntityö. Hyvä visio poistaa muutosvastarintaa ja ohjaa oikeisiin päätöksiin. Ilman hyvää visiota, strategiasta voi tulla toimeenpanokelvoton. Strateginen johtaminen jatkuvana oppimisprosessina antaa hyvät mahdollisuudet tunnistaa toimintaympäristön muutokset. Strategiaprosessi kasvattaa koko yrityksen visionäärisyyttä samalla sitouttaen strategian toimeenpanoon. Lisäksi strategiaprosessi auttaa luomaan yritykseen joustavan oppivan organisaation kulttuurin, joka on edellytys kilpailukyvyn säilymiseen muuttuvassa toimintaympäristössä.

Why Women Rarely Rise to the Top: A Social Identity Model of Leader Prototypes.

Purpose We propose a social identity model of leader prototypes to address why the maleness of leader prototypes is more pronounced among men than among women (e.g., Schein, 2001). Specifically, we argue that individuals project their ingroup prototype (e.g., a male prototype) onto a valued other category (e.g., leaders) (e.g., Wenzel, Mummendey, Weber, & Waldzus, 2003) in order to maintain a positive ingroup (e.g., gender) identity. We hypothesized that both women and men engage in ingroup projection of their gender prototype on their leader prototype, and we expected this effect to be stronger for men than women. We also investigated intelligence as a moderator of ingroup projection. Methodology Participants (276 students, University of Lausanne) assessed to what extent attributes on a list of gender traits were characteristic of a successful leader. We computed relative ingroup similarity scores (e.g., Waldzus & Mummendey, 2004) representing the difference between how characteristic ingroup traits are for a successful leader, and how characteristic outgroup traits are for a successful leader. Results Results showed that men engaged in ingroup projection while women engaged in outgroup projection, and that men engaged in ingroup projection to a greater extent. We also found a small, but positive effect of intelligence on ingroup projection among men. Limitations The use of a student sample might limit the external validity of our findings. Implications Our findings contribute to research on the under-representation of women in managerial roles, and introduce intelligence as a predictor of ingroup projection. Value Our study allows for a more fine-grained understanding of the cognitive representations of leaders of men and women.

Varaosaliiketoiminnan analysointi ja kehittäminen teknologiayrityksessä

Palveluliiketoiminnan merkitys teollisten yritysten kasvusta ja kannattavuudesta kasvaa voimakkaasti. Palveluliiketoiminnan voidaan katsoa olevan asiakaslähtöisyyden perusta. Diplomityön toimeksiantajan yksi palveluliiketoiminnan muoto on varaosaliiketoiminta. Varaosaliiketoiminta muodostaa yrityksen palvelutarjonnasta merkittävän osan, mutta sen asema yrityksessä on ollut epäselvä, eikä yhtenäistä johtamistapaa ole ollut. Tästä syystä nähtiin olennaiseksi analysoida liiketoiminnan nykytilaa ja kehittää varaosaliiketoiminnalle uusi liiketoimintamalli. Nykytilan analysointiin käytettiin syksyllä 2007 käyttöönotettua liiketoimintatiedon hallinnan työkalua. Varsinainen tutkimusosa toteutettiin haastattelututkimuksella, jossa haastateltiin 15 henkilöä joiden toimenkuva liittyi varaosaliiketoimintaan. Haastattelujen tarkoituksena oli selvittää varaosaliiketoiminnan nykytilaa, löytää kehitysehdotuksia ja määritellä varaosaliiketoiminnan kriittiset menestystekijät. Liiketoiminnan analysointiin käytettiin teorioita palvelu- ja varaosaliiketoiminnasta sekä varaosista. Tutkimusmenetelmät perustuivat toimialarakenne-, strategia- ja kilpailija-analyyseihin. Työn tuloksista voidaan todeta, että varaosaliiketoiminnalla tulisi olla oma strategia ja kyseisen liiketoiminnan asema tulisi määritellä selkeämmin palveluliiketoiminnassa. Työn tuloksena esitetään varaosaliiketoiminnan uusi liiketoimintamalli, joka perustuu kriittisiin menestystekijöihin. Kriittiset menestystekijät ovat hankintatoiminta, palvelu, sisäinen prosessi ja liiketoiminnan kehittäminen. Kyseisille tekijöille esitetään kehitysehdotuksia sekä toimenpidesuositukset, joilla uusi liiketoimintamalli on mahdollista implementoida käytäntöön.

Development of a systematic computer vision-based method to analyse and compare images of false identity documents for forensic intelligence purposes-Part I: acquisition, calibration and validation issues

Following their detection and seizure by police and border guard authorities, false identity and travel documents are usually scanned, producing digital images. This research investigates the potential of these images to classify false identity documents, highlight links between documents produced by a same modus operandi or same source, and thus support forensic intelligence efforts. Inspired by previous research work about digital images of Ecstasy tablets, a systematic and complete method has been developed to acquire, collect, process and compare images of false identity documents. This first part of the article highlights the critical steps of the method and the development of a prototype that processes regions of interest extracted from images. Acquisition conditions have been fine-tuned in order to optimise reproducibility and comparability of images. Different filters and comparison metrics have been evaluated and the performance of the method has been assessed using two calibration and validation sets of documents, made up of 101 Italian driving licenses and 96 Portuguese passports seized in Switzerland, among which some were known to come from common sources. Results indicate that the use of Hue and Edge filters or their combination to extract profiles from images, and then the comparison of profiles with a Canberra distance-based metric provides the most accurate classification of documents. The method appears also to be quick, efficient and inexpensive. It can be easily operated from remote locations and shared amongst different organisations, which makes it very convenient for future operational applications. The method could serve as a first fast triage method that may help target more resource-intensive profiling methods (based on a visual, physical or chemical examination of documents for instance). Its contribution to forensic intelligence and its application to several sets of false identity documents seized by police and border guards will be developed in a forthcoming article (part II).

Image processing of false identity documents for forensic intelligence

Forensic intelligence has recently gathered increasing attention as a potential expansion of forensic science that may contribute in a wider policing and security context. Whilst the new avenue is certainly promising, relatively few attempts to incorporate models, methods and techniques into practical projects are reported. This work reports a practical application of a generalised and transversal framework for developing forensic intelligence processes referred to here as the Transversal model adapted from previous work. Visual features present in the images of four datasets of false identity documents were systematically profiled and compared using image processing for the detection of a series of modus operandi (M.O.) actions. The nature of these series and their relation to the notion of common source was evaluated with respect to alternative known information and inferences drawn regarding respective crime systems. 439 documents seized by police and border guard authorities across 10 jurisdictions in Switzerland with known and unknown source level links formed the datasets for this study. Training sets were developed based on both known source level data, and visually supported relationships. Performance was evaluated through the use of intra-variability and inter-variability scores drawn from over 48,000 comparisons. The optimised method exhibited significant sensitivity combined with strong specificity and demonstrates its ability to support forensic intelligence efforts.

Monitoring of the training load and recovery parameters in competitive swimmers

Nombreux sont les groupes de recherche qui se sont intéressés, ces dernières années, à la manière de monitorer l'entraînement des sportifs de haut niveau afin d'optimaliser le rendement de ce dernier tout en préservant la santé des athlètes. Un des problèmes cardinaux d'un entraînement sportif mal conduit est le syndrome du surentraînement. La définition du syndrome susmentionné proposée par Kreider et al. est celle qui est actuellement acceptée par le « European College of Sport Science » ainsi que par le « American College of Sports Medicine», à savoir : « An accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in long-term decrement in performance capacity with or without related physiological and psychological signs and symptoms of maladaptation in which restoration of performance capacity may take several weeks or months. » « Une accumulation de stress lié, ou non, à l'entraînement, résultant en une diminution à long terme de la capacité de performance. Cette dernière est associée ou non avec des signes et des symptômes physiologiques et psychologiques d'inadaptation de l'athlète à l'entraînement. La restauration de ladite capacité de performance peut prendre plusieurs semaines ou mois. » Les recommandations actuelles, concernant le monitoring de l'entraînement et la détection précoce du syndrome du surentrainement, préconisent, entre autre, un suivi psychologique à l'aide de questionnaires (tel que le Profile of Mood State (POMS)), un suivi de la charge d'entraînement perçue par l'athlète (p.ex. avec la session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method selon C. Foster), un suivi des performances des athlètes et des charges d'entraînement effectuées ainsi qu'un suivi des problèmes de santé (blessures et maladies). Le suivi de paramètres sanguins et hormonaux n'est pas recommandé d'une part pour des questions de coût et de faisabilité, d'autre part car la littérature scientifique n'a, jusqu'ici, pas été en mesure de dégager des évidences à ce sujet. A ce jour, peu d'études ont suivi ces paramètres de manière rigoureuse, sur une longue période et chez un nombre d'athlète important. Ceci est précisément le but de notre étude.

OERopoly : A Game to Generate Collective Intelligence around OER

Collective Intelligence (CI ) is a phenomenon that emerges at the crossroads of three worlds: Open Educational Resources (OER), Web 2.0 technologies and Online Learning Communities. Building CI for the OER movement means capturing the richness of information, experiences, knowledge and resources, that the movement is constantly generating, in a way that they can be shared and reused for the benefit of the movement itself. The organisation of CI starts from collecting the knowledge and experiences of OER's practitioners and scholars in new creative forms, and then situating this knowledge in a collective 'pot' from where it can be leveraged with new 'intelligent' meanings and toward new 'intelligent' goals. This workshop is an attempt to do so by engaging participants in a CI experience, in which they will contribute to, and at the same time take something from, the existing CI around OER, Web 2.0 technologies and Online Learning Communities.

Exploring the link between flexible working and organizational performance

The expansion of flexible work experienced since the 1980s in developed economies is consistent with a more generic trend towards organizational flexibility, which many authors see as essential in order to compete in the dynamic global environment (Volberda, 1998). From this point of view, the changing demands of the environment have forced organizations to seek the ability to adapt rapidly and effectively as a means to be successful or even to survive. In the quest for flexibility, every area of the organization has been scrutinized in order to render it as ¿agile¿ as possible. In the human resources arena, this analysis has led to the definition of diverse ¿flexible working practices¿ (FWP) that describe a wide range of employment practices, which differ from the traditional full-time job with a fixed salary and a permanent contract. These practices have been described using other terms, such as ¿alternative¿ (Polivka, 1996; Powell & Mainiero, 1999), ¿non-standard¿ (Kalleberg, 2000), or ¿atypical¿ (De Grip, Hoevenberg, &m Willems, 1997), which coincide in denoting their divergence from the most traditional forms of employment. This article will show that quite different practices have been embraced by the common term ¿flexible working practices.¿ Subsequently, the results of empirical research regarding the implications for organizational performance of a number of flexible practices will be commented on.

Identifying pedagogical, technological and organizational barriers in virtual learning environments

Virtual learning environments are online spaces where learners interact with other learners, teachers, resources and the environment in itself. Although technology is meant to enhance the learning process, there are important issues regarding pedagogical and organizational aspects that must be addressed. In this paper we review the barriers detected in a virtual university which exclusively uses Internet as the main channel of communication, with no face-to-face requirements exceptthose related to final evaluation.

Individual Perception of Organizational Values

The objective of this master’s thesis was to examine how corporate values come true among the white-collar employees in the case organization. It was also studied if values were perceived similarly in the different departments. Impact of organizational position and education on value orientation was tested through hypotheses based on earlier values research. There are only few value scales available for measuring organizational values. The empirical study results indicate that personnel’s perception of organizational values can be measured statistically. When defining the scale it is utmost important to link the questions and claims close to the employees’ daily working environment. In this study, Work ethic appeared as the strongest organizational value reflecting respondents’ commitment to their duties. Related to corporate values, Performance was perceived as the strongest value and Emphasis on people the weakest. Value consensus between the departments varied. According to the previous research organizational position and educational level has an impact on value perceptions. In this study, employees in superior position or with higher education perceived organizational values to come true better than subordinates or employees with lower education. Empirical data (N=229) was collected by a web-based survey questionnaire among white-collar employees in the case organization in April 2008. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS programme.

The use of future-oriented knowledge in regional innovation processes: Research on knowledge generation, transfer and conversion

The importance of the regional level in research has risen in the last few decades and a vast literature in the fields of, for instance, evolutionary and institutional economics, network theories, innovations and learning systems, as well as sociology, has focused on regional level questions. Recently the policy makers and regional actors have also began to pay increasing attention to the knowledge economy and its needs, in general, and the connectivity and support structures of regional clusters in particular. Nowadays knowledge is generally considered as the most important source of competitive advantage, but even the most specialised forms of knowledge are becoming a short-lived resource for example due to the accelerating pace of technological change. This emphasizes the need of foresight activities in national, regional and organizational levels and the integration of foresight and innovation activities. In regional setting this development sets great challenges especially in those regions having no university and thus usually very limited resources for research activities. Also the research problem of this dissertation is related to the need to better incorporate the information produced by foresight process to facilitate and to be used in regional practice-based innovation processes. This dissertation is a constructive case study the case being Lahti region and a network facilitating innovation policy adopted in that region. Dissertation consists of a summary and five articles and during the research process a construct or a conceptual model for solving this real life problem has been developed. It is also being implemented as part of the network facilitating innovation policy in the Lahti region.

Liiketoimintatiedon merkitys ja -hallinta yritysjohdon päätöksenteon tukena, case: kunnallinen energiayhtiö

Yritykset toimivat yhä enemmän dynaamisessa ja jatkuvasti muuttuvassa yritysympäristössä, joka asettaa erittäin suuria haasteita yritysjohdolle, tilanteet ovat yhä vaikeammin ennustettavissa ja päätöksenteosta on tullut entistä haasteellisempaa. Nykypäivän kilpailuympäristössä yritykset hakevat kilpailuetua tiedon avulla. Yritysten käytettävissä olevan tiedon määrä on jatkuvassa kasvussa ja oleellisen tiedon erottaminen epäoleellisesta on yhä vaativampaa. Yritystä on vaikea johtaa tehokkaasti, jos yrityksessä ei ole käytössä oikeanlaista tietoa oikeaan aikaan oikeilla ihmisillä. Työn tavoitteena oli tutkia sitä, että millaista informaatiota ja tietoa tulisi kohdeyrityksen johdolla olla nykyhetkellä yrityksen toiminnan ohjaamiseen, suunnitteluun ja päätöksenteon tueksi. Tutkimusta on tarkasteltu johdon laskentatoimen näkökulmasta ja työssä on keskitytty teorian ja empirian pohjalta kohdeyrityksen johdon strategisen päätöksenteon pohjalla olevan oleellisen liiketoimintatiedon kartoittamiseen ja sen hallintaan. Yritysten toimiessa informaatioähky yhteiskunnassa, liiketoimintatiedon hallinnalla voidaan saavuttaa merkittävää kilpailuetua. Liiketoimintatiedon hallinta on käytäntöjä, toimintoja ja prosesseja, joilla yrityksen tärkeää liiketoimintatietoa hankitaan, jalostetaan ja jaetaan sekä liiketoiminnan johtamista että päätöksentekoa varten. Liiketoimintatiedon hallinnan yhtenä tietolähteenä toimii yrityksen sisäinen tietopääoma, joka tehokkaasti yhdisteltynä yrityksen ulkopuoliseen tietoon mahdollistaa yritysjohdolle laadukkaamman ja kokonaisvaltaisemman tiedon saamisen päätöksenteon tueksi. Tutkituissa yrityksissä käytettiin päätöksenteon tukena erittäin paljon taloudellisia tunnuslukuja, ns. kovia mittareita. Hiljaisia ja heikkoja signaaleja pidettiin myös tärkeinä, mutta ongelmana koettiin niiden havaitseminen, keruu ja raportointi. Yrityksen sisältä ja yrityksen ulkopuolelta raportoitavat tiedot tulisi jatkossa kohdistua enemmän tulevaisuuteen kuin menneisyyteen.

Análisis de datos de accidentes de tráfico mediante soluciones big data y business intelligence

Este proyecto de final de carrera corresponde al área de inteligencia artificial y representa un caso de uso que pretende utilizar datos reales referentes a accidentes de tráfico (datos de accidentes, muertos, heridos, etc.) y analizarlas conjuntamente con datos que puedan tener una posible relación con los accidentes como el parque de vehículos, las temperaturas de la zona de los accidentes, etc. con la finalidad de poder obtener las posibles relaciones causa-efecto.

Development of tender information process by business intelligence in a global company unit

The purpose of this Thesis was to study what is the present situation of Business Intelligence of the company unit. This means how efficiently unit uses possibilities of modern information management systems. The aim was to resolve how operative informa-tion management of unit’s tender process could be improved by modern information technology applications. This makes it possible that tender processes could be faster and more efficiency. At the beginning it was essential to acquaint oneself with written literature of Business Intelligence. Based on Business Intelligence theory is was relatively easy but challenging to search and discern how tender business could be improved by methods of Busi-ness Intelligence. The empirical phase of this study was executed as qualitative research method. This phase includes theme and natural interviews on the company. Problems and challenges of tender process were clarified in a part an empirical phase. Group of challenges were founded when studying information management of company unit. Based on theory and interviews, group of improvements were listed which company could possible do in the future when developing its operative processes.

Creating Global Competitive Advantage by Global Product Technology Transfers

Globalization is the trend which is realized in all areas in today’s business world. Pressure for cost reduction, changes in market situation and available scale economies have changed business environment more global than ever. To respond to new situation, companies are establishing global strategies. In this thesis, available global competitive advantages in electrical machine industry are studied in context of gaining them by global technology transfers. In theory part, establishing global strategy and competitive advantage is considered with connection to global sourcing and supply chain management. Additionally, market development in 21st century and its impact on global strategies is studied. In practice, global manufacturing is enabled by technology transfer projects. Smooth and fast project implementation enables faster and more flexible production ramp up. By starting the production available competitive advantages can be realized. In this thesis the present situation of technology transfer projects and the risks and advantages related to global manufacturing are analyzed. The analysis of implemented technology transfer projects indicates that project implementation is in good level. For further development of project execution 10 minor suggestions could be presented with two major ones: higher level standardization and development of product information model to support better global manufacturing.