Jouni Koivuniemi

New Perspectives on Mobile Service Development

The future development of mobile applications and services has to take into account the user needs more carefully than before. The investments in mobile telephony, which are made from the point of view of technology, disregard the fact that users are not interested in technologies; they are interested in possibilities to fulfil their needs. The main problem for the ICT industry in mobility concerns its business that is mainly based on the technology-oriented view, inadequate understanding of users’ needs, and the uninteroperable and isolated application and service perspective.

An information-exchange perspective on Supply-Chain Risk Management: systemic organisational motives and cognitive barriers

Disruptions in the supply chain are critical issues for many companies, and complexity and disintegration are emerging as one of the major challenges to risk management in this context. For the risk management to work on a proper level the actors in the supply chain need to collaborate and share information. In this paper we assess information exchange and the related risks in the supply chain between the Baltic States and Finland. We discuss methods of information exchange and the risks involved, and analyse the case in terms of the cognitive barriers and systemic motives.

Outcomes of public health reform – service availability in rural areas

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the availability and demanded locations of health care services in a rural context. The authors analyse subjective experiences because mobility and other individual factors influence the availability of public services. Design/methodology/approach – Results from a mail survey in southeastern Finland are presented. Data collection was conducted using a random sample of 3,000 people from age 60 to 90 years. A total of 1,121 valid responses were received. Findings – The acceptable distance to service sites depends on learned behaviour where differences exist between suburban and rural residents. The authors found that service networks can be sparser in rural areas if the service sites are located in the daily activity space of the residents and travel burdens caused by distance and time are adequately solved. However, continuous downscaling of the provision may lead to the loss of health benefits which is harmful for individuals and expensive for society. Re...

Strategic competence development and monitoring in a multi-disciplinary research institute

Strategy literature has approached corporate strategy and individual-based competencies as separate but linked issues. In the present innovation era, when competitive advantage is based on knowledge and dynamic capabilities, the individual capabilities of a knowledge worker needs to be integrated more tightly to the corporate strategy process. The measurement and monitoring of the organization-wide competencies derived from individual capabilities need to be done continuously and in relation to the dynamic environment. In this paper, we propose an analytic framework consolidating personal skills, capabilities and competencies, and the monitoring and measurement of their development with strategic performance management in a dynamic environment. Our empirical example is a research institute operating in the rapidly changing ICT (information and communications technology) sector. The paper contributes to the present literature and managerial practice by providing the missing link between performance measurement at strategic and individual levels, and by delineating the critical measurement issues in a rapidly changing environment needing multi-disciplinary capabilities with continuous monitoring.

Operations management in improving elderly home care

The roots of operations management (OM) in manufacturing context, but there has been a growing interest in applying OM approaches in different types of service contexts, including the non-profit sector. In this study, we explore what OM research can do to support the improving of elderly home care. A systematic literature review was done to find out the typical managerial implications of service operations management (SOM) research. Interviews and a group decision support system session during an improvement project were used to point out the operational-level problems and development targets in organising elderly home care. By comparing the research focus of SOM with the operational-level problems observed in the case context, the paper helps in bridging the gap between SOM theory and practice. This research helps both researchers and practitioners understand how SOM research can benefit different types of target organisations.

Networked Innovation Management: A Framework and Case Application

This paper presents a framework for networked innovation management from the point of view of the firm within its external innovation ecosystem. The framework binds together the concepts of competition, the dynamic capability view of the firm, and open innovation. The implementation of the model is illustrated with a case study to analyze the anticipated structural changes in the pulp and paper industry, and their respective potential effects on the firm-level innovation management and processes. The main argument of the paper is that the firm-level mechanisms for innovation need to be closely connected to the competitive environment of a firm in order to recognize the essential development needs and means of innovation processes under industry changes. This is the point of departure towards sustainable innovation capability in strongly networked business environment

A groupware tool for R&D project selection for distributed company environment

Summary form only given. The management of the early phases of R&D is one of the most challenging tasks the management of a company encounters. R&D project selection is even more challenging, since it is made in a distributed environment, where the departments of a company have their own divergent objectives and strategies. The scattered expertise inside the company needs to be collected and combined to an effective R&D project selection solution. This paper describes the development of a groupware tool for R&D project selection. The tool was developed by combining AHP (analytic hierarchy process) with the groupware abilities of LotusNotes/Domino. A GDSS-laboratory (group decision support system) was utilized during the planning phase of the development to define the requirements for the tool. The tool covers the whole R&D project selection process from idea gathering to the final analysis phase. The tool supports the cooperation of experts from different departments to synthesize their knowledge and to define the best projects in a distributed, global company environment.

Self-service technologies in health-care: Exploring drivers for adoption

Abstract Self-service technologies (SSTs) have gained in popularity in healthcare due to the expected improvement of service quality. Loss of direct contact, however, poses a challenge when customers must assume more responsibilities to produce satisfactory outcomes. We studied compare the adoption of various SSTs at the system level and observed customers’ perspectives, focusing on pragmatic reasoning, role readiness and expected accessibility to services. We distributed a cross-sectional survey to a sample of 4851 adults (aged 20–45 years) and received 1009 responses for a response rate of 22.5%. Logistic regression modelling was selected as the analysis method. We found that the maturity, purpose and voluntariness of using SSTs influenced adoption. We did not find an influence from general health attitudes on the adoption of SSTs. However, we found influences of awareness of technology, self-efficacy and facilitating conditions, which varied depending on the SST. Based on the findings, the expected benefits were clearly associated with particular types of SSTs. We show that services’ concept value is distinct from the utility of SSTs. More research on the role of perceived economic value in digitalised services is needed. Finally, service providers should adapt reasoning for each SST involved in the general concept.