Matti Muhos

Sustaining organisational innovation and learning through external knowledge

This research is on external knowledge or knowledge to be transferred from an external source. It focuses on identifying technical knowledge subjects for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in the automotive industry. Five considerably successful SMEs participated in the research. Top executives from these SMEs and staff from the Department of Industrial Promotion (DIP) under the Ministry of Industry, Thailand and Thailand Productivity Institute (TPI) took part in the interviews and discussions. Twenty external knowledge subjects transferred to participating SMEs over the span of three organisational life-cycle stages: start-up, growth and maturity. The aims of external knowledge are to minimise process variations, improve performance levels and sustain improvement in the three stages. In addition, it appears that gurus (as a transferring agent) are widely used during the start-up stage, while there are more roles from coaches and mentors when moving towards the maturity stage. The findings and interpretations are useful to SMEs and relevant public agencies. Finally, the limitations and shortcomings are discussed.

Business growth models: review of past 60 years

This study reviews growth configurations research published over the past 60 years. Numerous configuration models seek to clarify the management priorities in the early growth of companies. However, an extensive review is missing from the literature and the variability of attributes among the models leads to confusion. The study identifies 90 configuration studies, describes the common patterns and trends, and identifies well-covered areas and promising research challenges. This meta-analysis reveals increasing consensus on growth indicators, sharpening focus, increasing context and process specificity, and diversification. Future approaches are encouraged to provide context-specific empirical studies, and to open new viewpoints.

Rapid productisation: challenges and preconditions

The purpose this study is to provide tangible examples of the rapid productisation (RP) challenges in high-tech companies in a sales situation. The need to respond quickly to customer preferences in a changing business environment poses new challenges for companies. RP, a new concept originating from practical challenges, seeks to add customer value in the sales negotiation. When an existing product and service portfolio does not satisfy the customer, RP provides a faster alternative to a new product development process. This study supports managers considering RP as an option to better serve customers and to increase agility within the organisation. It explores RP and presents challenges and preconditions for RP in a sales situation.

The roles of external knowledge in organisational learning and development

The study addresses the importance of external knowledge for organisational learning and development. This study focuses on Thailand Productivity Institute (TPI), a not-for-profit organisation under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry. TPI is considered to be a successful organisation that has made a great deal of positive impacts on productivity, quality research and public awareness. The studys purpose is to illustrate the essential knowledge that is transferred from external sources throughout TPIs life cycle stages. The study shows that, when classifying external knowledge into technical (to be transferred to entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and companies), operational (part of TPIs public relations and social marketing) and administrative (for internal management), the level of emphasis is different throughout the life cycles four stages. This study has many potential benefits, including providing an understanding of designing and establishing a public or nonprofit unit that performs tasks similar to TPI at the provincial level.

Sales and R&D cooperation and integration in the rapid productisation process

Integration and cooperation between sales and research and development (RD it simply aims to form a conception of the requested gap product in a rational time frame to provide the customer with an answer. Four central phases were identified in the RPP: initiation, analysis, rapid offering and responsibility transfer. Sales-R&D cooperation (SRC) is the critical facilitator of the RPP since companies need to use RP in sales situations. Results also indicate that a company’s performance is positively associated with the use of RP.

Applying Interpretive Structural Modeling to the Planning of a Sequence of Marketing Strategies: A Case Study of the Architectural Tourism in Taiwan

Architectural tourism, the popular activity of visiting traditional buildings primarily for seeing and enjoying their architecture, offers opportunities for tourism industry. This study is focused on developing marketing strategies for architectural tourism in Taiwanese context. As a result of rapid development in Taiwan with the increasing population and higher residential density, most of the old houses in Taiwan have been replaced by the modern buildings. Despite this irreversible development, the remaining old styles can generate fresh business opportunities in the new age through adequate planning. Therefore, this study will use literature reviews and Interpretive Structural Modeling in order to determine an effective and scientific decision-making process to help develop marketing strategies for this sector. It will also be used as a reference for future researchers and as a benchmarking object for the other countries facing similar challenges.

Public business services fostering growth - case studies in northern sparsely populated areas

The aim of this study is to describe public business services (PBSs) for early-stage small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in northern sparsely populated areas (NSPAs) of Northern Finland. These areas face challenges of globalisation, structural changes and demographic change. PBSs of these areas face special challenges including limited resources, remoteness, heterogeneous customer base, and long distances. This study describes how PBSs are organised and what kind of services is available for early-stage technology intensive companies in the three case NSPAs. The focus is on analysis and comparison of the supply of public business services in the three subregions of Oulu South region. As a result of this multiple case study, the services for SMEs and especially for early-stage technology intensive SMEs within the NSPA context are clarified.

Early stages of service business - review and synthesis

Many stage models have been introduced to clarify management priorities during the early stages of business growth. However, many of these models are conceptual and universal, providing only limited benefits to specific industries and business contexts. The early stages of technology-based ventures have attracted interest, while little attention has been paid to the early stages of service-based firms. This study examines the early stages of growth in service-based firms. The following research questions are posed: What are the basic characteristics of recent empirical studies on the early stages of service-based firms? What are the themes and sequential patterns in the early stages of service-based firms as revealed in the recent empirical literature? This study provides a meta-analytical review designed to answer the research questions. A group of recent empirical-stage models of the early stages of service-based business were selected for meta-analysis and synthesis. The meta-analysis integrates the findings of these models and introduces a self-evaluation framework for the early stages of service-based companies.

Early stages of technology-intensive companies in Thailand and Finland

Numerous stage models have attempted to clarify management priorities during the early stages of companies. However, a need for more focused and context-specific studies exists. This study seeks to clarify the early stages of technology-intensive companies in Thai and Finnish contexts. To summarise the research questions, the authors ask: What early stages do technology-intensive companies face based on recent empirical literature? How do the experiences of managers in early-stage technology-intensive companies relate to assumptions of such stage framework? What viewpoints should be considered when using stage framework in Thai and Finnish contexts? To answer these questions, this study devises a four-stage framework describing early stages of technology-intensive companies and reflects it through ten case studies in the two contexts. The framework was found to be applicable in both contexts; moreover, an analysis of context-specific viewpoints is also provided. It is necessary to recognise these viewpoints when using this framework in the Thai and Finnish contexts.

Renewable energy in chemical industry – the case of formic acid production

This paper analyses the economical viability of replacing fossil energy by renewable sources by taking CO2 emission legislation into account. A single chemical industry case, formic acid production, is studied in a tangible manner to provide a concrete example for industrial managers and legislators. The practical case was supported by examining scientific and other databases. This study indicates that new environmental legislation makes it economically viable to replace fossil energy by renewable sources, such as wood biomass. However, the results indicate that the current and coming legislation do not cover the entire product life cycle of carbon dioxide releasing chemical products. The results of this paper can be utilised by managers of companies with high-energy consumption and/or high usage of fossil raw materials.