522 research outputs found

    The Finnish metal industry on the verge of the Industrial Internet as a setting for service design - Researching the digital and design maturity of the industry

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    This thesis examines the role of design within machinery and equipment manufacturing SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) of the Finnish metal industry. Design has traditionally been understood as a form giving activity, and often still remains so in companies of the metal industry. The industry is starting to produce an increasing amount of services partially driven by digitalisation and the Industrial Internet. Servitisation of the industry demands for new kinds of competences and service design approach could be used to support the transition from designing physical products to broader and in some cases immaterial entities. Service design approach however still remains unknown to many companies of the industry and an effort has to be made to spread the understanding of it. This research aims to gain better understanding on how digitally advanced the industry is, how familiar it is with the design approach, and how it sees it’s future in terms of digitalisation and design in practice. This study’s approach to the topic was to interview professionals from the design field and the metal industry. Eight SMEs of the industry were selected to this study and this thesis reveals how digitalisation and design are visible in practice in these companies. The research also includes one interview with a professor of the Industrial Internet at Aalto University. In addition to evaluating the maturity of the industry, the thesis seeks for successful ways of applying service design in the defined context of the study. The Industrial Internet has been described as the next Industrial Revolution and transformations at this scale affect the offerings of service providers such as design consultancies. This is also an attempt to better understand the expectations and opportunities for service design in response to the IIoT. This thesis contributes to the discussion of applying service design expertise in the metal industry under the demands of the Industrial Internet and this thesis can provide the SMEs with new ideas or answers to questions related to service design, servitisation and digitalisation. I hope that companies of the metal industry and the design community could benefit from the findings of this thesis and to create dialogue between the two of them.TĂ€mĂ€ tutkielma kĂ€sittelee muotoilun roolia suomalaisessa kone- ja metalliteollisuudessa, ja digitalisaation sekĂ€ teollisen internetin vaikutusta nĂ€iden toimialoihin. Metalliteollisuuden toimialat tuottavat kasvavia mÀÀriĂ€ palveluita, joissa digitalisaatiolla ja teollisella internetillĂ€ on osansa. Palvelumuotoilua voidaan hyödyntÀÀ liiketoiminnan laajentuessa fyysisistĂ€ tuotteista aina aineettomiin kokonaisuuksiin saakka. TĂ€mĂ€ tutkielma pyrkii löytĂ€mÀÀn ymmĂ€rryksen sille, kuinka digitaalisesti kehittynyt teollisuus on erityisesti teollisen internetin osalta, kuinka tietoisia yritykset ovat muotoilusta ja muotoilun metodeista, sekĂ€ kuinka yritykset nĂ€kevĂ€t tulevaisuuden digitalisaation ja muotoilun kautta. LisĂ€ksi tutkielma pyrkii löytĂ€mÀÀn toimivia tapoja palvelumuotoilun hyödyntĂ€miseen teollisuuden toimialojen yhteydessĂ€. OpinnĂ€ytteen aihetta lĂ€hestyttiin haastattelemalla muotoilun ja metalliteollisuuden ammattilaisia. Mukaan on valikoitunut myös teollisen internetin professorin haastattelu. Teollista internetiĂ€ on kuvailtu seuraavaksi teolliseksi vallankumoukseksi ja tutkimuksessa selvitetÀÀn, miten tĂ€mĂ€ nĂ€kyy kĂ€ytĂ€nnössĂ€ kahdeksassa suomalaisen metalliteollisuuden yrityksessĂ€. TĂ€mĂ€n mittakaavan muutokset vaikuttavat myös palveluntarjoajien, kuten muotoiluyritysten tarjoamaan. Tutkielma pyrkii myös paremmin ymmĂ€rtĂ€mÀÀn odotuksia ja mahdollisuuksia palvelumuotoiluun liittyen tĂ€ssĂ€ kontekstissa. TĂ€mĂ€ tutkielma osallistuu keskusteluun siitĂ€, kuinka palvelumuotoilua voidaan hyödyntÀÀ metalliteollisuudessa teollisen internetin vaatimukset huomioon ottaen. Tutkielmaan valittiin pieniĂ€ ja keskisuuria yrityksiĂ€ metalliteollisuudesta. Pk-yritykset voivat saada tĂ€stĂ€ tutkielmasta uusia ideoita tai vastauksia kysymyksiin, jotka liittyvĂ€t palvelumuotoiluun, palvelullistamiseen ja digitalisaatioon. Toivon, ettĂ€ teollisuus ja suunnittelijat löytĂ€vĂ€t tutkielmasta apua keskinĂ€iseen vuoropuheluunsa

    International Opportunities through Accelerator Networks: A Study of Startups Becoming Embedded in Edtech Context

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    This thesis examines edtech startups in the Finnish context. It focusses on the role of accelerator networks as embedding mechanisms for internationalising startups. The topic is pertinent because the role of accelerators in the internationalisation of startups has been understudied, despite growing interest in them. The characteristics of startups are decisive for this study, as startup ventures differ from other small and new ventures and continue to adjust and iterate to develop a scalable business model while internationalising. This study is positioned at the intersection of entrepreneurship, international entrepreneurship, and innovation. Conceptually, this study draws on the concepts of network embeddedness and on international opportunities defined as non-linear, iterative, and interactive development. This research was conducted as a single case study within the emerging edtech sector in the Finnish context and it adopts abductive approach. The extensive data consists of 46 interviews, observations, and documents, and the analysis is based on the method of constant comparison. The research identifies accelerator networks, which are relevant for international opportunity development, and thus, it enriches the literature on accelerators. The analysis demonstrates the mechanisms of international opportunity development through networks, resources, and collaboration. A typology is applied to classify internationalising startups in terms of accelerator networks, international opportunities, and product development. Finally, all findings are synthesised in a conceptual model. This study contributes to the emerging academic literature on accelerators by explaining the role of accelerator networks during the parallel process of venture creation and international opportunity development. Propositions are developed to advance future accelerator studies. Researching the community of internationally mixed startups in various locations and embedded in various environments challenges to reconsider the geographical location as an operationalisation of spatial dimension. Thus, this research joins the discussion on contextual dimensions in entrepreneurship studies

    Twelve meditations on venture capital

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    publication-status: PublishedAuthor's draft isued as working paper 09/06 by University of Exeter Business School. Final version published in Venture capital: investment strategies, structures, and policies; ed. Douglas J. Cumming. Wiley, 2012. ISBN 9780470499146This paper reflects on the policy formation process in the burgeoning area of venture capital finance. An important question is raised as to why so little extant academic research, of both rigor and relevance, is employed in policy formation. The authors argue that the long term, international and comparative perspective of the academic researcher is of increasing importance in government. The gap between policy practice and academic empiricism is illustrated by reference to contemporary policy interest in the creation of public/private (‘hybrid’) venture capital funds. The rubric of 12 Meditations is employed as a device to communicate across the academic/policy maker divide

    The First 25 Years of the Bled eConference: Themes and Impacts

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    The Bled eConference is the longest-running themed conference associated with the Information Systems discipline. The focus throughout its first quarter-century has been the application of electronic tools, migrating progressively from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) via Inter-Organisational Systems (IOS) and eCommerce to encompass all aspects of the use of networking facilities in industry and government, and more recently by individuals, groups and society as a whole. This paper reports on an examination of the conference titles and of the titles and abstracts of the 773 refereed papers published in the Proceedings since 1995. This identified a long and strong focus on categories of electronic business and corporate perspectives, which has broadened in recent years to encompass the democratic, the social and the personal. The conference\u27s extend well beyond the papers and their thousands of citations and tens of thousands of downloads. Other impacts have included innovative forms of support for the development of large numbers of graduate students, and the many international research collaborations that have been conceived and developed in a beautiful lake-side setting in Slovenia

    Networks in the Russian Market Economy

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    If Russia has become a market economy, how does it function on a grassroots level? In addition to market mechanisms, what kinds of social and moral principles are at work in the new Russian economy? Is the 'Soviet legacy' still present in post-Soviet business practices? This book searches for answers to these questions, by investigating the networking practices of the Russian software industry. It examines what kinds of resources are transmitted through the personal networks of Russian IT directors and managers, and which mechanisms govern this transmission. The volume opens a rarely available grassroots-level view into the business practices of the new Russian knowledge-based economy. This book is essential reading for all interested in Russian society, culture and economy

    Conglomeration Versus Strategic Focus: Evidence from the Insurance Industry

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    We provide evidence on the validity of the conglomeration hypothesis versus the strategic focus hypothesis for financial institutions using data on U.S. insurance companies. We distinguish between the hypotheses using profit scope economies, which measures the relative efficiency of joint versus specialized production, taking both costs and revenues into account. The results suggest that the conglomeration hypothesis dominates for some types of financial service providers and the strategic focus hypothesis dominates for other types. This may explain the empirical puzzle of why joint producers and specialists both appear to be competitively viable in the long run.

    Measurement of service innovation project success:A practical tool and theoretical implications

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    Nintendo vs. Its Competitors in Marketing Efforts: From the Point of View of Customers

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    Nintendo, the oldest company in the gaming console market, has currently lost its leading position in the industry, and the reason could be its marketing strategy. This research was conducted in order to study the perceptions of customers about marketing efforts of Nintendo and its main competitors, Sony and Microsoft. If Nintendo’s marketing efforts are deemed inferior by customers, the thesis would also attempt to figure out new paths that the company can take in order to improve the customers’ opinions and the effectiveness of their marketing activities. The research was completed based on two sources, reviewing academic papers written on past marketing strategies of the three companies and conducting a survey targeting console gamers in particular in order to find out how they judge Nintendo’s and its rivals’ marketing activities. The literature review presented a brief summary of the factors that contributed to Nintendo’s, as well as Sony PlayStation’s and Microsoft Xbox’s, previous successes. Meanwhile, the survey discovered that customers of Nintendo rated their marketing activities as less accurate and influential than those of Sony PlayStation’s; however, the difference was small and can easily be overcome. A more concerning issue was the fact that customers in general exhibit marketing-resistant behaviors, and many have been attracted to other gaming platforms. Consequently, it is suggested that Nintendo modify its current marketing strategies to combat the customers’ anti-marketing attitude, as well as improve the efficiency of its marketing activities. Specifically, social proof marketing and identity-based marketing, as well as a joint marketing campaign with Sony, Nintendo’s archrival, are the solutions that were recommended
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