Learning in Service Ecosystems : Conceptualizing Network Learning in Servitization

This study examines the phenomenon of network learning in servitization in the context of service ecosystem where product-based manufacturing firms transform towards offering integrated solutions involving different actors. It analyzes the literature on joint learning, knowledge management and servitization and their interconnectedness in explaining how network learning play a role in servitization and developing joint solutions. Based on theoretically informed inter-disciplinary research, this paper conceptualizes the perspective of co-evolvement by studying the delivery of the solutions through a process of joint learning that takes place between network actors, within the service ecosystem. The findings reveal that the network learning through knowledge sharing, joint sense-making and knowledge implementation in servitization relate to value co-creation for all ecosystem actors. There is a servitization paradox exist, however, by employing coping strategies, firms can avoid the servitization failures where network learning can also play a role as a facilitator. This paper contributes to servitization and joint learning literature by bridging the gaps between scattered scholarship, addressing the recent calls for further research and offers articulated research foundations to understand different dynamics of servitization. The conceptual framework is envisioned to establish a baseline for firms to understand and endeavor the important role of network learning.©2022 IEOM Society International.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Managing successful buyer-supplier relationships : Aligning the enabling roles of governance structure

Tämän väitöskirjan tarkoituksena on tutkia transaktiokustannusteoriaan ja sosiaalisen vaihdannan teoriaan perustuvia hallintamallien konsepteja menestyksekkäiden toimittajasuhteiden johtamisessa. Väitöskirjassa käytetään useita tutkimusmetodeja, kuten kirjallisuus-katsaus, laadulliset ja määrälliset tutkimusmetodit, joiden avulla päästään tutkimuksen tavoitteisiin viidellä tiedeartikkelilla. Laadullinen tieto kerättiin osittain strukturoiduissa haastatteluissa kansainvälisiltä case-yrityksiltä. Määrällinen tieto kerättiin kyselyiden avulla 170 pieneltä ja keskisuurelta yritykseltä. Tutkimuksen tulosten mukaan yhteistyökumppaneiden yhdenmukaisessa hallintamallissa, joka sisältää tavat organisoida kumppaneiden yhteistyötä, on tärkeää kehittää ostaja-toimittajasuhteiden suorituskykyä, koska se pienentää kustannusriskiä ja konflikteja. Toimittajien kehitysprosessi lisää luottamusta yritysten välillä, mikä kannustaa toimittajaa reagoimaan ostajan tarpeisiin. Yritykset haluavat osallistua investoimalla transaktiospesifisiin resursseihin, jolloin vaihtokustannus on suurempi. Yritysjohdon on analy¬soitava ja käytettävä sopivimpia suhteiden hallintamalleja, saman¬aikaisesti tai vaihtoehtoisesti, jotta saavutetaan pitkäaikaisia kustannus- ja suhde-etuja. Kattava tutkimusviitekehys selittää, kuinka yrityksen johto voi suunnitella tehokkaita ostaja-toimittajasuhteiden hallintamalleja, jotka perustuvat tutkimuksen tuloksiin ja löydöksiin.Based on transaction cost economics (TCE) and social exchange theory (SET), this dissertation aims to explore and investigate the determinants of governance structure and align their enabling roles in managing successful buyer-supplier relationships. By employing a mixed method approach as its research methodology, this dissertation attempts to achieve the research objectives by formulating five articles, approached through a systematic literature review, as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews from MNEs, whereas quantitative data were collected through survey questionnaires involving 170 SMEs. The results of the study suggest that an aligned governance structure, i.e., an approach to organizing and regulating the conduct of relationship partners, is crucial in order to improve firm performance because it can minimize the operational hazards of ex-post transaction costs as well as inter-firm conflicts. While supplier development processes enhance the level of confidence between firms that encourage suppliers’ response to buyers’ needs. Firms are eager to become directly involved in investing transaction-specific resources that have a lower alternative value. Further, based on relationship objectives, managers need to analyse and employ the most appropriate relationship governance mechanisms, whether simultaneously and/or alternatively, in order to achieve long-term cost as well as relationship performance. The comprehensive research framework explains how managers can craft effective buyer-supplier governance arrangements based on synthesized results and findings.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Cloud Robotics and Autonomous Vehicles

Recently, a good amount of research has been focused on the development of the autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles possess great potential in numerous challenging applications, for example, autonomous armoured fighting vehicles, automated highway systems, etc. To enable the usage of autonomous vehicles in such challenging applications, it is important to ensure the safety, efficiency, reliability and robustness of the system. Most of the existing implementations of the autonomous vehicles operate as standalone systems limited to onboard capabilities (computations, memory, data, etc.), which limit their potential and performance in real-world applications. The advent of the Internet and emerging advances in the cloud infrastructure suggests new methodologies where vehicles are not limited to onboard capabilities. Processing is also performed remotely on cloud to support different operations and to increase the proficiency of decision-making. This chapter surveys the research to date in the evolution of autonomous vehicles, cloud and cloud-enabled autonomous vehicles, with the limitations of existing systems, research challenges and possible future directions. The chapter can help new researchers in the field to understand and evaluate different approaches for the design of the autonomous vehicular systems

Digitalization of SMEs : an ecosystem-based perspective

Over the last decade, digital technologies have been able to strike disruptive changes in the contemporary business landscape and so affecting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs have limited R&D, financial and human resources to invest in their digitalization process. In this research, we contextualize that SMEs can enhance their digitalization by collaborating with different actors of the ecosystem i.e., competing SMEs, higher education institutions (HEIs), co-creating with customers and utilizing support and facilitation activities provided by intermediary organizations. Therefore, our main research question is “How do SMEs enhance their digitalization through engaging with ecosystem-based dynamic collaborations?” To answer the research question, we conducted qualitative multiple case study research based on semi-structured interviews with the Northern Finland innovation ecosystem actors. The results confirm that ecosystem-based interactions enhance SMEs’ digital competencies, and digital orientation and help them in emerging technology adoption which eventually leads them to maintain competitive advantage and achieve business model innovation.©2022 International Society for Professional Innovation management, Lappeenranta University of Technology.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Blockchain Technology for Renewable Energy : Principles, Applications and Prospects

Blockchain, or distributed ledger, is an innovative technology that is emerging in various sectors and industries across the globe. It has attracted the attention of different interest groups such as energy companies, SMEs and start-ups, information technology developers, financial institutions, national authorities, and the university community. Through, for example, the decentralization of authority in transactions, Internet of Things (IoT) implementation, and smart contracting, the improvement of the daily business operations is firmly forecasted. In the energy sector, digitalization is already present in solutions such as smart grids, smart meters, electric vehicles, etc. Moreover, a new concept of the Internet of Energy (IoE) has been introduced in the academic literature. In this article, the level of trust and maturity of Blockchain technology implementation is investigated through the Blockchain Maturity Questionnaire, developed by the authors. The database consists of responses from upper management professionals from the renewable energy industry. The analysis reveals the state of know-how about Blockchain, the main benefits and bottlenecks associated with its implementation as well as willingness to integrate this technology in the case companies’ future operations. The insight from the industry experts helped to provide a “Roadmap for Blockchain Adoption” in future energy systems. This curiosity study yields numerous applications not only for the renewable energy industry experts but also for the interest groups coming from different industries, as well as public authorities and researchers scrutinizing the fields taken into its scope.© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

The Impact of Treatment of Organic Manures on Future Soil Carbon Sequestration Under Different Tillage Systems in Pakistan

Funds provided by Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan for carrying out this Ph.D. research work under “Indigenous 5000 Fellowship Program” and “International Research Support Initiative Program” are highly acknowledged.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Systems physiology and nutrition in dairy cattle: applications of omics and bioinformatics to better understand the hepatic metabolomics and transcriptomics adaptations in transition dairy cows

Application of systems concepts to better understand physiological and metabolic changes in dairy cows during the transition into lactation could enhance our understanding about the role of nutrients in helping to meet the animal’s requirements for optimal production and health. Four different analyses focused on the liver were conducted, and dealt with a metabolic disorder or thermal stress. The first three analyses dealt with supplementation of methionine to prevent clinical ketosis development in high-genetic merit dairy cows. Four groups of cows were formed retrospectively based on clinical health evaluated at 1 week postpartum: cows that remained healthy (OVE), cows that developed ketosis (K), and healthy cows supplemented with one of two commercial methionine products [Smartamine M (SM), and MetaSmart (MS)]. The liver tissue samples (n = 6/group) were harvested at -10 d before calving, and were used for metabolomics (GC-MS, LC-MS; Metabolon Inc.) and transcriptomics (44K-whole-transcriptome microarray; Agilent) analyses. Therefore, the main goals of the analyses were to 1) uncover metabolome and transcriptome patterns in the prepartum liver that were unique to those cows that became ketotic postpartum, and to 2) uncover unique patterns affected by supplemental methionine. The data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. The metabolomics analysis (p ≤ 0.10) resulted in 13, 16, 26, 36, 13 and 43 biochemical compounds out of 313 identified for the comparisons K vs. OVE, SM vs. OVE, MS vs. OVE, SM vs. MS, K vs. SM and K vs. MS, respectively. The transcriptomics analysis (p ≤ 0.05 and fold change (FC) ≥ |1.5|) resulted in 3,065, 710, 786, 601, 1,021 and 771 number of differentially expressed genes (DEG) for the respective comparisons. The functional analysis of the data was performed using dynamic impact approach (DIA). The network reconstruction and data integration was performed with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). In the first analysis of K vs. OVE, the results indicated inhibition of several carbohydrate- and lipid-related metabolic pathways, while activation of ‘Selenoamino acid metabolism’, ‘Ribosome’, and ‘Replication and repair’ was predominant. In the second analysis of SM vs. OVE, ‘Nitrogen metabolism’, ‘Glycosaminoglycan biocynthesis-chondroitin sulfate’, ‘Synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies’ and ‘Selenoamino acid metabolism’ were induced while the ‘Cyanoamino acid metabolism’, ‘Taurine and hypotaruine metabolism’ and ‘Inositol phosphate metabolism’ were inhibited. The analysis of MS vs. OVE revealed activation of ‘Riboflavin metabolism’, ‘Bile secretion’ and ‘Vitamin digestion and absorption’, while inhibition of ‘Base excision repair’, ‘Cyanoamino acid metabolism’, and ‘One carbon pool’. The analysis of SM vs. MS indicated activation of ‘Intestinal immune network for IgA production’, ‘Antigen processing and presentation’, and ‘Riboflavin metabolism’, while the inhibition ‘Glycosaminoglycan degradation’, ‘Other glycan degradation’ and ‘Bile secretion’. In the third analysis of K vs. SM, among the top 10 affected pathways, most were inhibited. Examples include ‘Cynoamino acid metabolism’, ‘Fructose and Mannose metabolism’, ‘Erb signaling’ and ‘Pentose phosphate pathway’. In contrast, the analysis of K vs. MS revealed an induction of ‘Nitrogen metabolism’ among the top 10 pathways, while pathways such as ‘Riboflavin metabolism’, ‘Pentose phosphate pathway’ and other carbohydrate and glycan biosynthesis related pathways were inhibited. The fourth analysis dealt with the effect of thermal stress on the liver transcriptome as it is related to health and productivity. During this study, we used gene network analysis on transcriptome data to uncover transcription regulators and their target genes in the liver tissue harvested at -30, +3, and +35 d relative to parturition during spring (SP, n = 6) and summer (SU, n = 6). Statistical analysis (FDR ≤ 0.10) of data from SU vs. SP revealed a total of 618, 1,030 and 894 DEG at -30, +3 and +35 d, respectively. IPA was used for gene network reconstructions. A total of 6, 7 and 7 transcription regulators were identified at -30, +3 and +35 d, respectively during SU vs. SP. The evaluation of these results suggests that calving during SU vs. SP is associated with the molecular phenotypes of the liver

Evaluating the Spectacle of Social Exclusion in Pakistan

Social exclusion is blockage or denied access of people from various rights, resources and opportunities (democratic participation, employment, housing, employment etc) that are normally available to other members of society. The outcome of social exclusion is limited economic, political and social life creating a barrier in the way of potential growth and development. The social exclusion of people is a big challenge for policy makers and researchers now days. This study is an attempt to find out the effects of trade liberalization and tax revenues on socially excluded people of Pakistan covering the time span of 1980-2016. The auto regressive distributed lag model is applied to determine the long and short run relationship among the variables. The findings of the study reveal that trade liberalization and per capita income has vital role to decrease the level of social exclusion while increase in tax revenues is increasing the social exclusion. Further globalization of the economy is suggested for social inclusion of the people

Supplier development and buyer-supplier relationship strategies-a literature review

Academic and corporate interest in supplier development and buyer-supplier relationship has increased substantially in recent years. This paper provides a framework for analyzing the current understanding of supplier development strategies, its impact on performance, and buyer-supplier relationship approaches. There is an increased need for buyers and suppliers to strategically collaborate to build a stronger and long-term relationship. The goal is to get extended understanding in buyer-supplier relationship and supplier development strategies. Supplier development is a process of understanding including four steps 1) supplier assessment, 2) competitive pressure, 3) supplier incentives, and 4) direct involvement. Future research can be more empirical focused including multiple case study in global environment to validate the supplier development strategy approaches and help the organization to develop their supplier’s strategies. The presented literature review offers supplier development strategies for empirical case studies and a systematic way to build buyer-supplier relationships to improve the performance.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed