It's Good to Talk: A Comparison of Using Voice Versus Screen-Based Interactions for Agent-Assisted Tasks

Voice assistants have become hugely popular in the home as domestic and entertainment devices. Recently, there has been a move towards developing them for work settings. For example, Alexa for Business and IBM Watson for Business were designed to improve productivity, by assisting with various tasks, such as scheduling meetings and taking minutes. However, this kind of assistance is largely limited to planning and managing user's work. How might they be developed to do more by way of empowering people at work? Our research is concerned with achieving this by developing an agent with the role of a facilitator that assists users during an ongoing task. Specifically, we were interested in whether the modality in which the agent interacts with users makes a difference: How does a voice versus screen-based agent interaction affect user behavior? We hypothesized that voice would be more immediate and emotive, resulting in more fluid conversations and interactions. Here, we describe a user study that compared the benefits of using voice versus screen-based interactions when interacting with a system incorporating an agent, involving pairs of participants doing an exploratory data analysis task that required them to make sense of a series of data visualizations. The findings from the study show marked differences between the two conditions, with voice resulting in more turn-taking in discussions, questions asked, more interactions with the system and a tendency towards more immediate, faster-paced discussions following agent prompts. We discuss the possible reasons for why talking and being prompted by a voice assistant may be preferable and more effective at mediating human-human conversations and we translate some of the key insights of this research into design implications

Strukturoitu menetelmä skenaarioiden identifioimiseksi ja visualisoimiseksi

To retain their competitive edge, companies and other organizations must develop methods to increase their understanding of changes in the future operational environment. These changes can be characterized with a set of scenarios, which provide plausible depictions of the future. Scenarios can be modelled as combinations of levels of uncertainty factors describing, e.g., alternative political or technological developments. However, the number of possible scenarios grows exponentially in the number of these factors. To date, there are few systematic methods to support the selection of a small set of plausible but mutually dissimilar scenarios from an exponentially large set of candidate scenarios. In this thesis, we develop a method for identifying a set of internally consistent and sufficiently dissimilar scenarios. The method filters an exponentially large set of candidate scenarios to a smaller set of most plausible scenarios, as assessed by the consistencies of the pairs of uncertainty factor levels in the candidate scenarios. By applying Multiple Correspondence Analysis to this set, the most consistent scenarios are visualized by a Scenario Map, from which a set mutually dissimilar consistent scenarios can be selected. As a part of this thesis, an interactive software tool was developed, which implements the scenario identification and visualization method. This thesis also presents a case study in which this tool was used to identify a set of plausible futures for a Finnish National Emergency Supply Organization to support their strategic decision making. Our method provides mathematically sound means for building scenarios efficiently based on numerous uncertainty factors. By guiding the building process through effective visualizations, the method leaves room for explorative thinking. Moreover, advancing in transparent and accessible steps, the method fosters trust in the developed scenarios. Based on the positive feedback from the case study, the method can provide valuable support in other scenario exercises as well.Kilpailukykynsä säilyttämiseksi yritysten ja muiden organisaatioiden on kehitettävä menetelmiä tulevaisuuden toimintaympäristön muutosten ymmärtämiseksi. Näitä muutoksia voi luonnehtia skenaarioilla, jotka kuvaavat uskottavia näkemyksiä tulevaisuudesta. Skenaarioita voidaan mallintaa kombinaatioina epävarmuustekijöistä, jotka kuvaavat esimerkiksi vaihtoehtoisia poliittisia tai teknologisia kehityskulkuja. Mahdollisten skenaarioiden määrä kuitenkin kasvaa eksponentiaalisesti tekijöiden määrän suhteen. Tähän mennessä on kehitetty vain vähän menetelmiä muutaman, mutta keskenään erilaisen skenaarion valinnan tueksi eksponentiaalisen monesta skenaariokandidaatista. Tässä diplomityössä kehitetään menetelmä sisäisesti konsistenttien ja keskenään erilaisten skenaarioiden tunnistamiseksi. Menetelmä suodattaa eksponentiaalisen suuresta määrästä skenaariokandidaatteja pienemmän joukon uskottavia skenaarioita, kun uskottavuutta arvioidaan skenaarioiden sisältämien epävarmuustekijöiden pareittaisten konsistenssien perusteella. Moniulotteista korrespondenssianalyysiä soveltamalla konsistenteimmat skenaariot voidaan kuvata Skenaariokartalla, josta voidaan valita joukko keskenään erilaisia skenaarioita. Osana diplomityötä kehitettiin menetelmän pohjalta ohjelmistotyökalu, joka tukee skenaarioiden identifiointia ja visualisointia. Tässä työssä esitetään myös tapaustutkimus, joss kehitetyllä työkalulla tunnistettiin onnistuneesti vaihtoehtoisia tulevaisuuksia Suomen Huoltovarmuusorganisaation strategisessa päätöksenteossa. Menetelmä tarjoaa matemaattisesti perustellun ja tehokkaan keinon useista tekijöistä muodostuvien skenaarioiden rakentamiseksi. Opastamalla rakentamisprosessia vaikuttavilla visualisoinneilla menetelmä edistää luovaa ajattelua. Lisäksi menetelmän läpinäkyvyys ja selkeys edistävät skenaarioihin kohdistuvaa luottamusta. Tapaustutkimuksesta saadun positiivisen palautteen perusteella menetelmä voi tarjota arvokasta tukea muissakin skenaariohankkeissa

Customer Experience Management in Business Markets : Strategic Roles of Target Experiences

Customer experience management (CXM) has the potential to be one of the most important tools for business-to-business (B2B) firms responding to the increased commoditization of goods and services. CXM holistically extends the traditional ways of differentiation, addresses the shortcomings of relationship management practice, and encourages firms to find new business opportunities along the customer journey. However, there is a lack of conceptual development showing how the strategic goals of CXM materialize into valuable business customer experiences. Therefore, this dissertation presents a study of target experiences, i.e., the different experiences that provider-firms aim for, and their roles in strategic CXM, through which firms aim to create value in business markets. In doing so, it draws attention to service providers’ deliberate participation in experience creation while acknowledging the multifaceted nature of customer experience. This study took an abductive approach, combining various theoretical preunderstandings of the phenomenon with empirical exploration. The empirical research took the form of an explorative field study of 41 B2B firms and their CXM efforts. Data was collected through in-depth interviews structured around the extant literature on B2B CX and CXM, with CX managers as the key informants. Data analysis was performed using an informant-centric coding method; thematic grouping of codes and further conceptual development were aided by the CX literature, different perspectives on value and customer value proposition, and the concept of strategy as an analytical lens. The findings highlight the different properties of target experiences set by B2B firms that are significant for strategic CXM, including: granularity, or how nuanced the articulated target experiences are; attribution, or which actor’ experiences within the customer firm are taken into account; and scopes, i.e., whether target experiences are considered at the touchpoint level, the customer journey level or the level of customer's business. Furthermore, the study deliniates providers’ CXM activities directed at facilitating CX, understanding CX, and structurally and culturally aligning the organization for CX, thus mapping out CX management in B2B firms. Finally, the findings elucidate the strategic roles of target experiences: they guide CXM actions; promote a shared CX mindset; and help create a beneficial position for the firm in the market. Moreover, the study finds that the granularity of employed target experiences drives CXM into either responsive or proactive cycles. This dissertation also links the study findings to a general model of value creation, connecting CXM activities of B2B firms to value co-creation processes and discussing target experiences in terms of experiential value propositions. Thus, it provides a new understanding of CX management as an experience-based competitive strategy in business markets. The present study contributes to the CX literature in three ways: by expanding the discussion on the qualities and especially granularity of target experiences set by B2B firms; by providing a robust and flexible representation of CXM; and by building an understanding of the roles of target experiences in strategic CXM. The study also highlights the link between CXM, target experiences, and value creation, with an emphasis on individual and noneconomic experiential value, thus contributing to the literature on value and value propositions and broadening the scope of value propositions considered in business markets. It also opens up avenues for future research into target experiences and the issues relevant to CXM in business markets. The findings of this study have important implications for CXM practice. First, the findings suggest that the use of nuanced target experiences can improve the outcomes and accountability of CXM efforts. Second, understanding how a firm can propose experiential value in business markets using target experiences can help B2B firms strategize and balance their resources in the face of a rapidly changing organizational environment. Moreover, in terms of societal implications, successfully implementing CXM can improve the social experience of work: making CX a priority allows for cultivating genuine care in business environment and can improve employee wellbeing. At the national level, the research findings constitute a starting point for the development of viable CX management strategies for international business markets, which can give Finnish B2B service providers a competitive edge.Asiakaskokemusjohtaminen yritysten välisessä liiketoiminnassa : Tavoitekokemuksen strateginen rooli. Yhä useammat B2B-yritykset hakevat kilpailuetua asiakaskokemuksella. Asiakaskokemuksen johtaminen onkin mahdollisesti yksi yritysten välisen liiketoiminnan tärkeimmistä työkaluista, sillä se laajentaa perinteisiä kilpailukeinoja, vastaa suhdejohtamisen puutteisiin ja auttaa yrityksiä löytämään uusia liiketoimintamahdollisuuksia asiakaspolun varrelta. Asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen käsitteellistämisessä on kuitenkin vielä puutteita B2B-markkinoinnin tutkimusalalla. Ymmärrystä puuttuu erityisesti siitä, kuinka yrityksen strategiset asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen tavoitteet toteutuvat ja kääntyvät arvokkaiksi yritysasiakaskokemuksiksi. Näin ollen tämä väitöskirja käsittelee tavoitekokemuksia, eli erilaisia kokemuksia joihin palveluntarjoajat tähtäävät, ja näiden tavoitekokemusten rooleja strategisessa asiakaskokemuksen johtamisessa osana arvon luontia B2B-markkinoilla. Näin tutkimus tunnustaa asiakaskokemuskäsitteen monimuotoisuuden ja kiinnittää huomion siihen, miten palveluntarjoaja tietoisesti osallistuu kokemusten luomiseen. Tutkimus noudatti abduktiivista lähestymistapaa, edeten vuoropuheluna teoreettisten ennakkokäsitysten ja empiirisen tutkimuksen välillä. Empiirinen tutkimus toteutettiin eksploratiivisena kenttätutkimuksena tarkastelemalla 41:n B2B-yrityksen asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen toimia ja tavoitteita. Tietolähteenä käytettiin yrityksissä toimivia asiakaskokemuksen johtajia. Aineisto kerättiin syvähaastatteluilla, jotka rakentuivat olemassa olevan B2B-asiakaskokemus-kirjallisuuden ja asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen kirjallisuuden ympärille. Data-analyysissa hyödynnettiin aineistolähtöistä koodausmenetelmää. Koodien temaattinen ryhmittely sekä käsitteellinen jatkokehitys pohjautui osaltaan myös asiakaskokemuskirjallisuuteen, arvon ja arvolupauksen käsitteiden analyysiin sekä strategian eri ulottuvuuksiin, joita käytettiin analyyttisenä linssinä. Tutkimuksen löydökset korostavat B2B-yritysten asettamien tavoitekokemusten erilaisia, strategisen asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen kannalta tärkeitä omi-naisuuksia. Näitä ominaisuuksia ovat: granulaarisuus, eli kuinka yksityiskohtaisesti tavoitekokemus ulottuvuuksineen on ilmaistu; kohdistuminen, eli miten asiakasyrityksen sisäisten toimijoiden kokemukset huomioidaan; sekä laajuus, eli rajautuuko tavoitekokemus kosketuspisteeseen, asiakaspolkuun vai asiakkaan liiketoimintaan. Lisäksi tulokset kartoittavat palveluntarjoajien asiakaskokemuksen fasilitointiin, ymmärrykseen ja organisaation rakenteelliseen ja kulttuuriseen yhdenmukaistamiseen suunnattuja toimia, ja siten tukevat systemaattista B2B-asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen kuvausta ja sen osa-alueiden tarkentamista. Tulokset myös tuovat uutta tietoa tavoitekokemusten strategisista rooleista: ne ohjaavat asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen toimia, edistävät yhteistä kokemuksellista ajattelutapaa ja auttavat luomaan yritykselle suotuisan aseman markkinoilla. Tässä väitöskirjassa empiirisen tutkimuksen tulokset linkitetään yleiseen arvonluontimalliin yhdistämällä B2B-yritysten asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen toimia arvon yhteisluontiprosesseihin ja tarkastelemalla tavoitekokemuksia suhteessa kokemuksellisiin arvolupauksiin. Siten tämä väitöskirjatutkimus tarjoaa uuden näkökulman asiakaskokemuksen johtamiseen kokemuspohjaisena kilpailustrategiana yritysmarkkinoilla. Tämä tutkimus edistää asiakaskokemuskirjallisuutta kolmella tavalla: laajentamalla keskustelua tavoitekokemusten ominaisuuksista ja erityisesti niiden yksityiskohtaisuudesta; tarjoamalla vankan ja joustavan kuvan asiakaskokemuksen johtamisesta yritysten välisessä liiketoiminnassa; ja rakentamalla ymmärrystä siitä, miten tavoitekokemukset toimivat strategisena osana asiakaskokemuksen johtamista. Tutkimus myös nostaa esiin asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen, tavoitekokemusten tavoitekokemusten, sekä arvonluonnin välisen yhteyden, painottaen yksilöllistä ja ei-taloudellista kokemuksellista arvoa. Tämä edistää arvoa ja arvolupauksia käsittelevää kirjallisuutta ja laajentaa käsitystä yritysmarkkinoilla toimivien arvolupausten ulottuvuuksista. Tutkimuksen tulokset myös avaavat oven tulevalle tutkimukselle tavoitekokemuksista ja B2B-yritysten kannalta oleellisista kysymyksistä asiakaskokemuksen johtamisessa. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset ovat merkityksellisiä myös asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen käytännölle. Ensinnäkin, tutkimuksen havainnot viittaavat siihen, että hyödyntämällä yksityiskohtaisia tavoitekokemuksia yritykset voivat parantaa asiakaskokemusten johtamisen toimien tuloksellisuutta ja jäljitettävyyttä. Toiseksi, ymmärtämällä miten yritys voi tarjota kokemuksellista arvoa yritysmarkkinoilla tavoitekokemusten avulla, B2B-yritykset voivat rakentaa kilpailukykyisiä strategioita ja onnistuneesti kohdistaa ne toivottuihin markkinarakoihin. Lisäksi tällä tutkimuksella on yhteiskunnallista vaikuttavuutta, sillä asiakaskokemuksen johtamisen kehittäminen voi parantaa työn sosiaalista kokemusta: asiakaskokemuksen asettaminen etusijalle mahdollistaa aidon huolenpidon sidosryhmistä yrityksen kilpailullisessa kasvuympäristössä ja voi parantaa sekä palveluntarjoajan että asiakasyrityksen työntekijöiden hyvinvointia. Kansallisella tasolla tutkimustulokset muodostavat lähtökohdan toteuttamiskelpoisten asiakaskokemusstrategioiden kehittämiselle kansainvälisillä yritysmarkkinoilla, joka voi antaa suomalaisille B2B-palveluntarjoajille kilpailuetua

Predictors of corporate environmental strategy: the role of environmental accounting systems and managerial perception

Choices of corporate environmental strategy differ among firms operating in similar social contexts and facing identical strategic issues. By linking enviromental accounting and strategic issues management literature, this work difenses and empirically evaluates the effects of environmental accounting systems and managerial perception on development of corporate envinromental strategyope

Mathematical Sensemaking Via Epistemic Games

In this thesis, I study some aspects of how students learn to use math to make sense of physical phenomena. Solving physics problems usually requires dealing with algebraic expressions. That can take the form of reading equations you’re given, manipulating them, or creating them. It’s possible to use equations simply according to formal rules of algebra, but most students also learn to interpret the equations and use the equations as ways to bolster their physical understanding. Here, I report on three years of studying this mathematical sensemaking an introductory physics for life sciences course at the University of Maryland. There are both qualitative and quantitative threads to this work. The qualitative work analyzes a series of problem-solving interviews. First, I use case studies from these interviews to survey the variety of rich cognitive tools students bring to bear on problems around use of algebraic expressions and equations and make observations on potential applications to instruction. Next, I draw a connection between the ontological metaphors students use for equations and the epistemic games they play while solving problems. I show that certain ontological metaphors are used significantly more often in playing certain e-games, and describe the significance of this finding for problem solving. The quantitative thread of this thesis describes how my collaborators and I created and analyzed the Math Epistemic Games Survey, a math concept inventory that studies how students’ uptake of problem-solving strategies such as “check the extreme cases” progressed over the year-long physics course. I show that students on average make little progress on the MEGS over a semester, which suggests that curriculum development in this area has great potential upside. Finally, I test several different methods of analyzing the multiple-choice test data that go beyond counting correct and incorrect answers to extract lessons from the distractors students choose. Using these methods on computer-simulated data and real data from the MEGS, I caution against drawing too-strong conclusions from their results

Mergers and Acquisitions : Post-acquisition integration success factors

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have been a fundamental part of the global economy since the end of the nineteenth century. There are many benefits for companies to engage in M&A activities. Moreover, there is a lot of research on the benefits of M&A’s, specific success fac-tors and on specific companies. However, there is little to none research on the factors of failure. Even though 70-90 % of M&A’s fail. Furthermore, there is no general model to under-stand the factors of post-acquisition integration. This studies aim is to examine the process and create a model with the help of transaction cost economics and organisational learning. Moreover, the study aims to clarify whether there are any general key performance indica-tors to help determine the success of post-acquisition integration and M&A’s in general. The data for the empirical analysis was gathered through semi-structured interviews. The people interviewed in the firms were contacted through email after which a Teams or Zoom meeting was set. The sample consisted of 6 interviewees of firms that operate international-ly. The results have helped create a general model with the success factors for the successful completion of post-acquisition integration. Furthermore, the result helped clarify that it is the factors of the entire M&A process that effect the success of post-acquisition integration

Tulevaisuuden tutkimuskeskuksen valittuja opiskelijatöitä 2018-2019

We have the pleasure inviting you to have look at the inspired and inspiring picks from the student essays written by students and student groups in the courses organised by Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC). This is already the forth volume of our Coolest Student Papers series. The reason for publishing student papers is that as teachers of the courses we have many times thought that with some edition of a student essay they could get a real article published, but students seldom do this, even if they would be encouraged. Such a shame! We established Coolest Student Papers as a lower threshold forum for publishing these very good texts, some of which are of scholarly calibre. Once again this year’s selection shows that brilliant new students arrive our courses. We wish to reward their hard work in their intellectual endeavour by publishing their essays. The topics range from sustainability transitions to corporate foresight, from ethics to methodology and cultural sustainability. Independent, constructively critical open deliberation of how futures studies should be carried out is one of the core goals of our education and a key to further development of the courses and the whole field of futures studies. The volume is divided to sections by the courses. Each section begins with an evaluation made by the teacher after which the student essay(s) follow(s). There are 16 essays in total of which four are written in Finnish language. The Sustainable Development minor and the Futures Studies minor are offered in Finnish. The essays in English at the beginning of the volume are from the international Master’s Degree Programme of Futures Studies. Our PhD programme essays are excluded as we expect postgraduates to aim directly at journal articles. Dear Reader, we wish you the joy of looking at the field of futures studies from the student viewpoint. Have a nice journey

Corporate Leadership and Mass Atrocity

With the last Holocaust survivors quietly passing away, one might also expect to see accountability debates slowing to a trickle. Surprisingly, however, recent years show an upswing in corporate World War II-related atonement debates. Interest in corporate participation in mass atrocity has expanded worldwide; yet what constitutes ethical corporate behavior during and after war remains understudied. This article considers these questions through a study of the French National Railways’ (SNCF) roles during the German occupation and its more recent struggle to make amends. This study demonstrates that ethical business leadership requires taking responsibility for past as well as current decisions. Most executives grappling with complex corporate histories work in isolation, in part because the scholarship on business ethics fails to provide guidance. Without such guidance, corporations often respond to accusations about their pasts with carefully crafted statements and legal strategies rather than deep expressions of moral leadership. To assist in remedying this tendency, this paper simultaneously encourages companies to engage in deeper reflection on corporate history, while urging scholars to help guide corporations through critical ethical conversations

Managerial interaction - Discussion practices in management meetings

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