Towards an interaction-based approach to entrepreneurship : Understanding the co-creation of new value

The co-creation of new value requires entrepreneurs to have insight into a new direction that might turn out to meet desires or needs that could not have been known before. Yet, entrepreneurs are just the beginning, because the co-creation of new value depends on the consumer environment. For entrepreneurs this means a request to interact with contemporary consumers who pursue new consumption experiences. Accordingly, it is evident that entrepreneurs should have a clear understanding of consumers and their social contexts, because collaboration between entrepreneurs and consumers has become the core of business. However, entrepreneurship scholarship has thus far paid only cursory attention to consumers, and scholarly interest has largely neglected the interactions between entrepreneurs and consumers. Unfortunately, this has led to a limited understanding of the essence of entrepreneurship, and, thus, to a limited understanding of where the new value truly emerges from. Therefore, the main aim of this dissertation is to suggest an interaction-based approach to entrepreneurship research. While conducting this research, I focus on the complex phenomenon of the co-creation of new value. I elaborate a theoretical framework of the co-creation of new value by synthesizing different theoretical debates. Using this theoretical framework, I provide novel insights into decision making, action and context, the key elements that must be taken into account to comprehensively understand the complex and dynamic co-creation of new value. Furthermore, this dissertation empirically provides some abstractions of reality to illuminate some new insights on whence new value truly emerges and how it is co-created. Based on the acquired theoretical knowledge and empirical studies, I have summarized my key findings into three subpropositions. First, I argue that when aiming to co-create new value, entrepreneurs capture relevant knowledge about their consumers by making sense of the multilayered consumer environment. Second, I claim that interaction practices, which involve multiple actors, construct legitimacy that at times enables and at others constrains entrepreneurial efforts and the co-creation of new value. Third, I state that consumers constitute the multilayered consumer environment that works as a context for the co-creation of new value by situating themselves in relation to the social environment and their situational self. These three subpropositions collectively illustrate that the co-creation of new value is a highly interactive event. Therefore, my main proposition, which answers the main research question and fulfills the main aim of this dissertation, is that, when co-creating new value, entrepreneurs can tap into the consumer environment by adjusting their sensemaking, judgment, and practices for the socially situated interplay of decision making, action, and context. Overall, I believe that, with this dissertation, I have been able to gain new insights on whence new value truly emerges and how it is co-created. Furthermore, with this dissertation I also foster some novel ways to break away from the process perspective and to capture time-sensitive descriptors of ongoing actions and the new value that is pursued. Thus, I consider that my propositions bend some boundaries of the existing entrepreneurship research and make some important contributions to the field of entrepreneurship. Moreover, I am certain that my findings provide some topical and practical knowledge for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurially minded managers, the advisers within the institutions who support entrepreneurs, and also for entrepreneurial education

If you can think it, why not design it? – Study of design thinking practices and challenges in three large Finnish companies

As the world around us continues to change and forces new kinds of restraints and pressure on companies, the organizations’ capability to innovate becomes ever more important. Some research suggests that design thinking could help organizations innovate their products and services, organizational processes, as well as customer experiences in new and better ways, and therefore create competitive advantage. In this study, I examined three large Finnish companies and their design thinking implementation. The overarching empirical goal of this study was to research how design thinking is perceived in these organization as well as in what ways design thinking has been implemented in them. In order to address this research problem, the following research questions guided this study: Why and how is design thinking implemented in large Finnish companies?, as well as What are the factors that enable or challenge the implementation of design thinking in large Finnish companies? To answer these research questions, the research followed a case study methodology, with each of the three companies forming a case. Empirical data was collected through ten semi-structured interviews with a total of eleven interviewees. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, allowing the formation of meaningful codes, sub-themes and themes from patterns of data. My study concludes that based on the experiences of these three case companies, there exists a process model for the design thinking implementation. This model includes four phases for the implementation of design thinking (Awakening, Dating, Honeymoon, Maturing), four gateways between these phases (Gateways of Understanding, Permission, Proof, and Acceptance), as well as a variety of factors that challenge and support the overall implementation process. Overall, the model provides an example of what the implementation of design thinking can be like in an organization. Organizational implementation of design thinking can still be viewed as a relatively unmapped area of research. While this study proposes that a certain process model can be formed regarding the general implementation process of design thinking, further research and cases should be examined to validate the findings of this thesis. The aims of this study are therefore to offer interesting findings and grounds for the further research, and through that commit to the overall discourse of design thinking

Mies seksuaalisen väkivallan kohteena

Miesten kokemaa seksuaalista väkivaltaa on tutkittu vähän sekä kansallisesti että kansainvälisesti. Vähäinen tutkimustieto ja ilmiöstä vaikeneminen näkyvät siten, että miesten kokemasta seksuaalisesta väkivallasta puhutaan vähän julkisesti. Yleiset käsitykset miesten kokemasta seksuaalisesta väkivallasta ovat myyttien värittämiä, mikä näkyy ihmisten suhtautumisessa ilmiöön. Tässä opinnäytetyössä oli tarkoituksena kuvata miehiin kohdistuvaa seksuaalista väkivaltaa ilmiönä. Opinnäytetyön tehtävänä oli selvittää, mitä on seksuaalinen väkivalta, mitä tiedetään miehiin kohdistuvasta seksuaalisesta väkivallasta ja siihen liittyvistä myyteistä sekä mitä tiedetään seksuaalista väkivaltaa kokeneiden miesten avun hakemisesta. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli koota tietoa ja saada aikaan keskustelua miesten kohtaamasta seksuaalisesta väkivallasta. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Kirjallisuuskatsauksesta saadun tiedon avulla seksuaaliväkivaltatyön parissa työskentelevät voivat pyrkiä kehittämään erityisesti miehille suunnattuja palveluja. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin yhteistyössä VÄLITÄ! Seksuaaliväkivaltatyön verkostohankkeen kanssa. Seksuaalinen väkivalta voi olla seksuaalissävytteistä koskettelua, painostamista tai pakottamista seksuaalisiin toimintoihin. Seksuaalista väkivaltaa ovat myös raiskaus ja seksuaalinen hyväksikäyttö. Ei ole tarkkaa tietoa siitä, kuinka paljon seksuaalista väkivaltaa kokeneita miehiä kaiken kaikkiaan on - tutkimusten arviot vaihtelevat 1,2–18 %:n välillä. Miesten kokemasta seksuaalisesta väkivallasta suurin osa on tapahtunut lapsuudessa, mutta on myös miehiä, jotka ovat kokeneet seksuaalista väkivaltaa ensimmäisen kerran vasta aikuisena. Mies joutuu lähes yhtä usein miehen kuin naisen tekemän seksuaalisen väkivallan kohteeksi. Seksuaalisen väkivallan kohteeksi voi joutua seksuaalisesta suuntautumisesta riippumatta. Seksuaalisen väkivallan uskotaan virheellisesti olevan täysin seksuaalinen teko, vaikka tutkimusten mukaan tekijän motiivina on useimmiten toisen ihmisen alistaminen tai nöyryyttäminen. Seksuaalista väkivaltaa koskevat myytit saattavat vaikuttaa sekä uhrin että avuntarjoajien toimintaan. Uhrin kokema häpeä ja pelko voivat olla esteenä sekä avun hakemiselle että rikosilmoituksen tekemiselle. Koska Suomessa ei ole juurikaan tehty miesten seksuaalista väkivaltaa koskevaa tutkimusta, olisi tärkeää saada aiheesta kattavaa tutkimustietoa ja hyödyntää asiantuntijoiden tietämystä aiheesta. Tutkimuksissa tulisi selvittää myös seksuaalista väkivaltaa kokeneiden miesten kokemuksia ja sitä, millaisia palveluita miehet kokevat tarvitsevansa ja miten niitä voisi kehittää.Research on sexual violence against men is limited. Sexual violence against men is not a subject which people discuss in public and there are many myths concerning this phenomenon which reflects to people’s attitudes towards it. The research method used in this thesis was literature review. The purpose of this study was to describe sexual violence against men as a phenomenon. The main research questions were: what is sexual violence, what is known about sexual violence against men, what is known about myths concerning sexual violence against men and what is known about sexually victimized men seeking help. The objectives of this thesis were to gather information and arouse discussion about this phenomenon. With this information about sexual violence against men, people who are working with this phenomenon can try to develop the services offered for men. The thesis was made in co-operation with VÄLITÄ! Seksuaaliväkivaltatyön verkostohanke –project. Sexual violence can be sexually orientated touching, pressurizing or forcing into sexual activities. Also rape and sexual abuse are sexual violence. It is not known how many men have experienced sexual violence – the estimates vary from 1,2 % to 18 %. Most of the sexual violence against men has happened in childhood, but there are also men whose first experience of sexual violence has happened in adulthood. Sexual violence is committed against men regardless of one’s sexual orientation. The results suggest that myths concerning sexual violence against men can affect the behavior of the victims and those who offer help. The victim’s feelings of shame and fear can inhibit help-seeking and reporting to police. Because there is not much research done about sexual violence against men in Finland, it would be necessary to obtain proper research about it. Especially the experiences of the sexually victimized men and their need for services should be looked into. Furthermore, it would be useful to research how services should be developed

Protective and Return-Seeking Parents : The Power of Language in Child Abduction Law

The aim of this chapter is to bring together two distinct regulatory spheres: child abduction law and the law of protection against violence against women and children. Using discourse analysis, we analyse how the key concepts of child abduction and protection against violence depict the actions and the parent, and what kind of effects these conceptualisations have on the lives of the parents. Focus is on the language of the central legal instruments, the Convention and the Brussels IIa Regulation, finding that their gender-neutral terminology of child abduction and swift return is ill-suited for cases in which there have been allegations of violence. The chapter also comments on the gendered terminology of Abducting mothers in the POAM project that does not fairly reflect the plight of mothers who are victims of violence. ‘In the language of international law on violence against women, protection against violence has become a key concept. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has in several cases tried to consolidate the requirements of the Haque Convention and the protection of private and family life according to the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), but due to different starting points this has been a difficult task.Peer reviewe

Matematiikan parhaat osaajat perusopetuksessa ja toisella asteella : pitkittäistutkimus matematiikan osaamisen ja asenteiden kehittymisestä vuosina 2005-2015

The importance of mathematical sciences is clearly of significance to society, but not enough students proficient in mathematics at school apply for university places and jobs in the field of mathematics, and especially women are underrepresented there. We need more national research about students who do very well in mathematics. This thesis provides valuable information about mathematically high-achieving students’ characteristic features, needs and educational choices, providing information that education policy can profit from. The study is based on the longitudinal data collected by the National Board of Education and the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. The data consist of pupils belonging to the same age group who were followed from the 3rd grade of primary school to the end of upper secondary level between 2005 and 2015. The data were collected through exams and surveys and consist of information about students’ mathematical competence, attitudes and background variables related to the individual and the social environment. The thesis examines mathematically high-achieving students who do very well in mathematics. The success is seen as a potential that develops according to a socio-cognitive model in the interaction of factors between the individual and the social environment. The definition of high-achieving students was based on success in the national examination of mathematics in the 9th grade (Study I and Study II) and success in the matriculation examination of advanced mathematics (Study III). The thesis focused on answering five main questions in three studies. The aims were to find out 1) what kind of students develop into high-achieving students and what kind of educational choices do they have, 2) what is the connection between mathematically high-achieving student’s mathematical competence and attitudes, 3) how does high-achieving students’ home background explain the development of mathematical competence and educational choices, 4) how do pedagogical teaching solutions explain the development of mathematically high-achieving student’s mathematical competence and attitudes, and 5) how do mathematically high-achieving boys and girls differ from each other. The relationships between the variables were analysed using multivariate methods. The most important methods were the different forms of regression analysis and decision tree analysis. These methods improved each other, recognizing both linear and nonlinear relationships between variables. According to the results, mathematical skills of high-achieving students in the 9th grade varied during primary school. About 40 % of high-achieving students in the 9th grade were in the top ten in the 3rd grade and about 65 % in the top ten in the 6th grade. Almost all high-achieving students (92%) applied to upper secondary general school and about 60 % of high-achieving students in the 9th grade were also highest achieving at the end of upper secondary school. The results indicated that the students’ previous competence, positive self-concept and the educational level of their parents explained the development into a mathematically high-achieving student. Teaching-related solutions did not directly contribute to the students’ development into a high-achieving student, but teaching-related solutions were relevant in reinforcing positive attitudes. The results indicated that special attention should already be paid to strengthening mathematically high-achieving girls’ attitudes in primary school. The attitudes of mathematically high-achieving girls developed to a higher level than mathematically high-achieving boys at the lower secondary level and upper secondary level. This study suggests that solutions related to student-centredness that take into account students’ individual needs were key to strengthening positive attitudes. However, more research is needed on how well the individual needs of mathematically high-achieving students can be supported when there are large differences in skill levels and the need for support between students in the same classroom.Matemaattisten alojen merkitys yhteiskunnalle on suuri, mutta aloille ei hakeudu tarpeeksi matematiikan huippuosaajia, ja erityisesti naiset ovat näillä aloilla aliedustettuina. Matematiikassa erinomaisesti menestyviä osaajia koskevaa kansallista tutkimustietoa tarvitaankin enemmän. Väitöstutkimus tarjoaa arvokasta koulutuspoliittisesti hyödynnettävää tutkimustietoa matematiikassa parhaiten menestyneiden osaajien piirteistä, tarpeista ja koulutusvalinnoista pitkällä aikavälillä. Tutkimus perustuu Opetushallituksen ja Kansallisen koulutuksen arviointikeskuksen keräämään pitkittäisaineistoon, jossa samaan ikäluokkaan kuuluvia oppilaita on seurattu kolmannelta vuosiluokalta toisen asteen loppuun vuosien 2005–2015 välisenä aikana. Aineisto käsittää matematiikan kokeilla ja taustakyselyillä kerättyä dataa oppilaiden matematiikan osaamisesta, asenteista ja erilaisista yksilöön ja ympäristöön liittyvistä taustamuuttujista. Tutkimus käsittelee matematiikan parhaita osaajia. Käsite määrittelee ma-tematiikassa erinomaisesti menestyvien oppilaiden joukkoa. Matematiikassa menestyminen nähdään potentiaalina, joka kehittyy sosiokognitiivisen mallin mukaan yksilön ja ympäristön välisten tekijöiden vuorovaikutuksessa. Matematiikan parhaat osaajat määritettiin tutkimuksessa yhdeksännen vuosiluokan kansallisessa kokeessa (I ja II osatutkimus) ja pitkän matematiikan ylioppilaskokeessa (III osatutkimus) menestymisen mukaan. Tutkimus keskittyi viiteen pääkysymykseen, joihin etsittiin vastauksia kolmessa osatutkimuksessa. Tavoitteena oli selvittää, 1) millaiset oppilaat kehittyvät matematiikan parhaiksi osaajiksi ja miten heidän opintopolkunsa muodostuu, 2) millainen yhteys matematiikan parhaiden osaajien asenteilla on heidän osaamiseensa ja miten heidän asenteensa kehittyvät, 3) miten matematiikan parhaiden osaajien kotitausta selittää osaamisen kehittymistä ja koulutusvalintoja, 4) millainen yhteys opetuksen pedagogisilla ratkaisuilla on matematiikan parhaiden osaajien osaamiseen ja asenteisiin, ja 5) miten matematiikassa parhaiten menestyneet pojat ja tytöt eroavat toisistaan. Muuttujien välisiä yhteyksiä analysoitiin monimuuttujamenetelmin. Keskeisimmät menetelmät olivat regressioanalyysin eri muodot ja päätöspuuanalyysi, jotka täydensivät toisiaan tunnistaen sekä muuttujien välisiä lineaarisia että epälineaarisia yhteyksiä. Tutkimustulosten mukaan yhdeksännen vuosiluokan parhaat osaajat menestyivät matematiikassa vaihtelevasti alakoulun aikana. Noin 40 prosenttia yhdeksännen luokan parhaista osaajista kuului parhaaseen kymmenykseen jo kolmannella luokalla ja noin 65 prosenttia parhaaseen kymmenykseen kuudennella luokalla. Parhaista osaajista lähes kaikki (92 %) hakeutuivat lukioon, ja noin 60 prosenttia yhdeksännen vuosiluokan parhaista osaajista oli parhaita osaajia myös toisen asteen lopussa. Tulosten mukaan oppilaan aikaisempi osaaminen, myönteinen minäkäsitys ja vanhempien suorittama ylioppilastutkinto selittivät parhaiten kehittymistä matematiikan parhaaksi osaajaksi. Opetukseen liittyvät ratkaisut eivät suoranaisesti edesauttaneet oppilaan kehittymistä matematiikan parhaaksi osaajaksi. Sen sijaan opetukseen liittyvät ratkaisut olivat merkityksellisiä myönteisten asenteiden vahvistamisessa. Tulosten mukaan erityisesti tyttöjen asenteiden vahvistamiseen tulisi kiinnittää huomiota jo alakoulussa. Matematiikassa parhaiten menestyneiden tyttöjen asenteet kehittyivät yläkoulussa ja lukiossa jopa parhaiten menestyneitä poikia korkeammalle tasolle. Oppilaskeskeisyyteen liittyvät ratkaisut, joissa otetaan huomioon muun muassa oppijoiden yksilölliset tarpeet, olivat tulosten mukaan keskeisiä myönteisiä asenteita vahvistavia ratkaisuja. Olisi syytä kuitenkin tutkia tarkemmin, miten hyvin matematiikan parhaiden osaajien yksilöllisiä tarpeita pystytään tukemaan sellaisessa opiskeluryhmässä, jossa oppilaiden väliset taitotasoerot ja tukitarpeet ovat suuria

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