Eelis Rytkönen

The Business Model Canvas in university campus management

So far, university campus management models have been mainly based on the internal performance measurement tools. However, these types of management models are narrow considering the complex nature of university campuses. As physical campuses are increasingly expanding to virtual and social dimensions and shared by multiple stakeholders, the existing management models are no longer holistic enough to consider the complexity of campus environments. Since the emergence of e-business, there have been attempts to tackle these kinds of issues in business by applying a business model approach. Hence, the aim of this conceptual paper is to find out how a commonly utilized business modelling tool called the Business Model Canvas could contribute to university campus management. The theoretical base is constructed in a brief literature overview focusing on real estate management theories and business model theories. The similarities and the differences between the approaches of an integrated Corporate Real Estate Management model in university campus context and the Business Model Canvas are identified through a comparative analysis. The initiative is brought into academic discussion for utilizing the Business Model Canvas as a tool in university campus management.

Scaling Spatial Transformation: Smart Specialization of Urban Capabilities in the Helsinki Region

The digital paradigm and technological innovations are changing the way we interact with and understand our surrounding spaces. Castells (2004) argues that we are shifting from a space of static places to a space of flows where information and knowledge are exchanged globally in ever-denser networks. Building on similar thoughts, Mehaffy (2014) sees cities through the lenses of six fundamental elements: cities as spatial networks, as social networks, as partially decentralized and as partially generated by self-organizing agents, as partially scale-free, as partially scale-dependent, and as cognitive and symbolic systems. Nonaka (1998, 2000) introduces the concept of Ba in organizational settings as a shared physical, social, and virtual space that can facilitate knowledge creation between individuals. Multiple scholars argue that, as the cycles of change become ever denser in increasingly competitive markets, the capability of creating adaptable built environment is becoming more and more crucial (Finch, 2012).

University campuses in spatial transformation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of spatial transformation in the Network Society on facilities management principles in the context of an interdisciplinary university campus. Design/methodology/approach – This study reports a holistic case study with eight embedded units in one interdisciplinary university campus in Finland through a business model approach. Findings – The findings propose that spatial development projects should be examined holistically on three facilitation layers, namely, social, physical and virtual, through five business model lenses of Offering, Customers, Revenue Streams, Resources, and Cost Structure. Based on the findings, four main business model types can be identified and distinguished mainly in terms of collaborating with different partners and supporting a different core task of the university. Research limitations/implications – The cases are highly context-dependent, and their business models are ever evolving, which is why the dynamics of the...

Process dynamics of managing interdisciplinary, cross-organizational learning campus in change

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to characterize development processes of eight novel learning environment projects in one university campus in Finland. Design/methodology/approach – This study builds propositions on case study data in an attempt to characterize the distinguished cases. In total, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted as the primary data collection method. Supporting data includes archives, seminars and workshops. The data were analyzed in ATLAS.ti. Findings – The cases are unique in their processes constituting socio-technical change. They represent two main process types: agile, iterative bottom-up processes and slow, linear, top-down processes. The essence of each project is in balancing in five dimensions of approach, motivation, budget, type of outcome and added value (AMB to AV) process management model: approach scaling from strategic to operational, motivation scaling from space to activity, budget scaling from fixed to seed money, type of outcome scaling from slow and...

Campus management process dynamics – Finnish and Australian practices

Purpose This paper aims to outline campus management process dynamics that are affected by glocalization, changing funding structures and digitalization, and answer: How do glocalization, changing funding structures and digitalization challenge university campus management? and What implications do the challenges have on campus management processes? Design/methodology/approach Literature overview discusses how glocalization, changing funding structures and digitalization affect campus management. Empirical part explores how these forces affect management processes through 36 interviews on multiple embedded cases in the main campuses of Aalto University in Finland and the University of Melbourne in Australia. Findings Major challenges include future foresight, institutional sharing, economical paucity and functional flexibility. Heterogeneous user behaviors challenge absolute spatial measures as bases for designing learning and working environments. Finding a balance between long-haul portfolio maintenance for the university and future users and short-haul flexible pilots for the current user communities is crucial. Research limitations/implications The results derive from interviews of 36 campus management professionals from two campus management organizations limiting the validity and the reliability of the study. Further studies should be conducted by replicating the study in another context, by interviewing end users and clients and by investigating case investments and impacts over time. Practical implications Campus managers can answer the challenges through practical applications such as big data collection and sharing in physical environments, integrated service provision to thematic communities, cross-pollination of user communities and open access to information and infrastructure services. Originality/value This paper provides insights and tools to strategic alignment by comparing campus management of two fundamentally different systems in the context of higher education and on-going digitalization.

Towards responsive workplaces – identifying service paths for time- and place-independent work

Purpose The need to understand work processes and end-users has become an issue in corporate real estate and workplace management. Flexible work practices and technological advancement allow end-users to move outside the building boundaries. This influences workplace management to become more service-oriented and demand-driven, and better serve the needs of end-users. For that, this paper aims to investigate the ways in which new workplace services support the knowledge creation processes of mobile workers. Design/methodology/approach This study is exploratory and follows a multiple-case study strategy. Literature is reviewed on workplace and knowledge theories, and the market analysis consists of data from 57 firms that offer services to support the mobile knowledge worker. Findings Workplace services were categorized into three new groups that support knowledge creation processes for the mobile knowledge worker in various work environments. The analysis indicated that new services are driven by technological development and community formation around the physical or virtual place. Practical implications The proposed service groups can be examined as new business opportunities by workplace service providers, and the results suggest that the CRE managers should re-think their service portfolios, boost their collaboration with the service providers and invest in building a community. Originality/value This paper categorizes workplace services from a mobile knowledge worker perspective and follows a service-oriented approach to workplace management.

Urban vision - a static destination or a dynamic process?

Abstract Globalization forces cities and areas to compete with each other to attract talented and motivated inhabitants. In an attempt to differentiate in the competitive market, city officials are creating urban visions by collaborating with a variety of stakeholders. However, every stakeholder perceives the visions differently, and the implementation processes are slow. The capability to update the vision can decrease the uncertainty in the success of the overall implemented solution. Therefore, this paper strives to increase understanding of the processes behind areal vision creation and investigates the effects to the resulting area. The paper presents a single intrinsic case study and takes a qualitative approach by analyzing nine thematic interviews on Suurpelto case in Espoo, Finland. The interviewees represent different stakeholders of both vision building and implementation phases and of both private and public sector. The case represents a situation where economical recession radically changed the operational environment and an essential stakeholder backed up from the project during the operational process changing the dynamics and the implementation potential of the original vision. The results indicate that trust between all the stakeholders through out the vision and implementation phases is essential for succeeding in a project but also a means of gaining trust of the inhabitants. For the practitioners, this implies that more attention should be paid on trust building issues between the different stakeholders throughout the vision building process in order to create trustworthy environments for the potential inhabitants, businesses and other prospects. Potential future research could focus on analyzing the vision progress in a more detailed manner, especially from the perspective of inhabitants of the area.