Rauno Rusko

Shopping centres and tourism destinations: similarities and differences according to cases in Finland

The characteristics of contemporary shopping centres and tourism destinations have become more uniform. Shops and stores in the context of tourism destinations have become common and, on the other hand, shopping centres have adopted several features, such as sportiness and spacious construction, from tourism destinations. Furthermore, experiences – typical outputs of tourism destinations – have been emphasized also in the context of shopping centres. In this article, which is based on a literature review and an enquiry, the focus is on the found differences and similarities between shopping centres and tourism destinations, and possibilities and benefits of combining some features of these two research subjects by using some destinations and centres as case study examples. The main finding is that by combining the features of these two forms of leisure centres, there are possibilities to increase their attraction. The study reveals that there already are several joint perspectives in the development activities and studies of these two forms of leisure centres, a fact which challenges to develop a new unified framework of research in the future.

Strategic Processes and Turning Points in ICT Business: Case Nokia

Nokia is one of the pioneering companies in ICT, especially in the mobile phone business. Nokia has 30 years experience in mobile phones. This research explores the strategic turning points of this history, providing applicable findings for other mobile phone companies and the needs of information communication technology (ICT) in general. This article shows that strategic turning points in this case follow technical turning points in the systems and platforms of mobile phones. Furthermore, the article considers and analyses the specific features of turbulence in the business and industry of mobile phones.

Supply Chain Management in the Context of Economic Area: Case Study for the Development of ICT Branch in the City of Oulu

This study introduces geographical viewpoints for supply chain management (SCM) focusing on the branch of information communication technology (ICT) in the case of city and region of Oulu. The City of Oulu is a remarkable planning and administration centre of ICT branch in Finland. In this study we—instead of using commonly used cluster or resource dependence theories—utilize SCM framework to describe the development and path-dependence of knowledge-intensive geographical area, which is specialized in high tech or actually ICT business. In the context of geographical analysis, or of geographical economics, SCM is less-used viewpoint. This case study shows that SCM, and especially strategic level SC endowment viewpoint (introduced initially in Rusko, KylA¤nen & Saari, 2009), is valuable and useful tool in analysing the geo-economic development and pathdependence of a high tech centre. As a result, we notice that the development of Oulu is based on the development of SC endowment connected with amounts of talents and also multi-dimensional coopetition. One essential result is the observed erosion in the SC endowment of high tech Oulu, which sets remarkable challenges for city planning.

Virtual Business Incubations: An Alternative Way to Develop and Service Peripheral Areas

This article examines possibilities to develop the service sector in a peripheral area by using virtual business incubations instead of traditional, location-based business incubations. The articleintroduces typical characteristics of physical business incubations and compares them with features that are possible to be provided also virtually. Then, using the tourism branch in Finnish Lapland as a basis for a case study, the article shows that virtual implementation of business incubations is in some cases either better or even the only possible way to provide services typical for business incubations. Furthermore, the article discusses how the logic of virtual business incubations provides a win-win or a win-win-win situation than a win-lose situation for the businesses involved: the establishment of a virtual business incubation between competing firms is able to create value in a way resembling the situation in multifaceted coopetition (Brandenburger & Nalebuff, 1996) without typical economic-geographical zero-sum game of traditional business incubations. The article shows both practical and theoretical importance of virtual incubations in business and in business research.

Educational and business co-operatives: the channels for collective creativity and entrepreneurial teams

One tendency among co-operatives is to establish co-operatives not only for the purposes of business but also for the purposes to teach collaboration practices in business education. This study investigates and compares traditional business co-operatives and educational co-operatives as the environments of entrepreneurial learning communities. The data, which consist of interviews with members of both types of co-operatives, have been analyzed using the content analysis method. The main outcomes show that in both types of co-operatives sense of community and creativity are manifested as the parts of the entrepreneurial learning process. When considering if the learning processes were manifested as singleand double-loop learning – and the development of collective creativity – some differences were observed between educational co-operatives and business co-operatives.

Technological disruption as a driving force for coopetition:: the case of the self-driving car industry

Coopetition is still a relatively new perspective and paradigm for considering relationships between networks, firms and organizations, and business units. The literature on coopetition focuses on developing several alternative perspectives of coopetition. Integrating theories on coopetition is an essential challenge for scholars of management and marketing. However, one possibility to challenge the contemporary field of coopetition is to introduce new topical themes of business and society and test their relationships with coopetition perspectives. The authors consider one technical disruption—self-driving cars—and its collaboration networks related to coopetition perspectives. Outcomes show the importance of lead users of this disruptive technology. Furthermore, coopetition, and especially competitive networks, seems to be an important strategy for developing new disruptive technologies according to the needs of markets. Technological Disruption as a Driving Force for Coopetition: The Case of the Self-Driving Car Industry

Interactive Online Learning: Solution to Learn Entrepreneurship in Sparsely Populated Areas?

This study is focused on the implications of the student voice in digital-based entrepreneurship education basing on the case study example from university-level schooling from Finland. Practice-based subjects, such as entrepreneurship, have been seen in literature as a problematic field for digital-based education. The studied education was implemented using the synthesis of two computer-mediated communication channels. Analysis based on the content analysis of individual portfolios (diaries), which were returned and stored in the asynchronous platform. In the case study environment, the decision of using use two-channel digital teaching platforms (synchronous and asynchronous) seemed to be successful, because dual channels enable wider forms of feedback and student voice activities during and after the lecture. The results of this study encourage educators to use multifaceted digital educational technology in education and as a channel for the student voice also in practice-based subjects, such as entrepreneurship.

Conflicts of supply chains in multi-channel marketing: a case from northern Finland

ABSTRACT Multi-channel marketing is a popular research theme of marketing management. Studying multi-channel marketing is a popular research theme of marketing management. The studies emphasise the necessity and advantages of multi-channel marketing. Despite these advantages, multi-channel marketing is also a source of conflicts in supply chains because the coordination of supply chain ecosystem is challenging. This study is based on a questionnaire and interviews of entrepreneurs. The large significance of dealer, large turnover and the intention to bypass middlemen in the supply chain are sources of conflicts. Variables, which seem to have decreasing effects on conflicts are ‘large number of employees’, ‘intentions to sell different products via different channels’ and slightly in the case ‘to achieve competitive advantage via online shop’. Successful exploitation of e-commerce and multi-channel marketing needs intensive adaptation of entrepreneurs in each step. Each marketing channels need their own planning and sub-strategies. The strategic decisions of e-commerce are part of the whole strategy of the entrepreneurs and the firm.