Aaltodoc Repository :: Browsing by Author "Asatiani, Aleksandre"

Browsing by Author "Asatiani, Aleksandre"

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Business value of XBRL to the financial report receivers in Finland
(2012) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Department of Information and Service Economy; Tieto- ja palvelutalouden laitos; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Economics
Objectives of the Study The main objective of this study is to find out the factors that may affect the business value of the XBRL standard to the financial report receivers in Finland. The other objective is to explore the role of network effects in creation of the value to the financial report receivers. The study is exploratory, as the goal is to discover the potential business value of the technological standard that has not been widely implemented in Finland at the moment of writing this paper. This thesis sets the basis for the further studies on the business value of XBRL, if and when the standard is implemented in the case organizations. Academic background and methodology Academic background includes the theories of productivity paradox, network effects and various theories on a business value of IT. The theoretical framework is built on the TOE framework and on the model of sources of value creation in e-business. The methodology includes the collection of qualitative data through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with representatives of the case organizations and subsequent cross-case analysis. Findings and conclusions Findings confirm the proposition presented in the theoretical part of the thesis. Results also show that the most important environmental factor in the potential business value of XBRL at the moment is “network effects” as EU integration of public organizations deepens. Efficiency and interoperability were two business value components that have a potential of influencing companies to adopt XBRL and yield significant benefits from it. On the other side results reveal smaller significance of the factor of technology usage and the business value component of value-added services.
Constructing continuities in virtual work environments
(Wiley, 2019-03) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Penttinen, Esko; Aston University; Department of Information and Service Management
In this paper, we study how continuities are constructed in virtual work environments by comparing two firms with differing degrees of virtuality. Using Organizational Discontinuity Theory and drawing on a qualitative study of two accounting firms operating in Finland, we observe virtual work discontinuities in the two firms and identify constructed continuities. We find that in constructing continuities, virtual organizations need to balance rigid and flexible approaches regarding governance structure, the role of technology, communication management, and workflow management. Our main contributions are an empirical application of Organizational Discontinuity Theory to the comparison of virtual work environments and a set of propositions regarding how firms approach continuity construction in different virtuality contexts.
Constructing continuity across the organisational culture boundary in a highly virtual work environment
(Wiley, 2021-01) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Hämäläinen, Julia; Penttinen, Esko; Rossi, Matti; Department of Information and Service Management; University of Gothenburg
Abstract While remote work allows organisations to offer their employees flexibility and harness global talent and markets for business growth, inability to rely on physical interactions between employees imposes challenges specific to operations in highly virtual work environments. Among these characteristic issues are challenges associated with organisational socialisation and organisational culture. Accordingly, an action design research project was carried out for building a socialisation substitute (an information artefact in the form of a digital organisational culture handbook) to support synthesis of symbolic and pragmatic components of organisational culture at case company Smartly.io, a highly virtual organisation experiencing rapid growth. The paper contributes to the literature on socialisation and organisational culture by demonstrating one approach to designing a surrogate for socialisation that acts as a conduit between the symbolic aspects of organisational culture (such as values) and the pragmatic ones (such as toolkits). The work contributes to organisational discontinuity theory also, via theory-generating descriptive analysis of the process of building continuity across the organisational culture boundary through creation of an information artefact. The resulting artefact was found to deliver practical utility to the case company and encapsulate generalisable design principles for this building process.
Constructing continuity for virtual work and new employee onboarding – case Smartly.io culture handbook
(2017) Hämäläinen, Julia; Penttinen, Esko; Asatiani, Aleksandre; Tieto- ja palvelutalouden laitos; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
This master's thesis focuses on the process of creating virtual culture handbook for case company Smartly.io to support onboarding of new employees. In the context of virtual organizations, there are several different organizational boundaries affecting work of virtual teams. Corporate culture can be one of these organizational boundaries. To enable efficient virtual work to happen globally, there needs to be continuity created for this organizational culture boundary. This is especially important in the context of new employee socialization where different supporting activities play a crucial role to build the needed continuity for the boundary. These socialization activities during onboarding should be supported by both face-to-face and virtual ways, which adds the complexity even more. This study uses Action Design Research method to examine the case in real-life context and to participate practitioners and end users from the company. It analyses in great detail the way the culture handbook was created to a form of digital artefact. It then uses this artefact to mitigate discontinuities on culture boundary arising during the process of new employee onboarding in organization with high degree of virtuality. Findings suggest that by creating explicit documentation about culture it is possible to support new employee onboarding and create continuities for virtual work in scalable way. Managerial contributions will shed light on ways how managers can mitigate the risks of discontinuities arising from cultural aspects through the creation of culture documentation and efficient propagation across the firm.
Deciding on the robotic process automation operating model: A checklist for RPA managers
(Elsevier Ltd, 2023-01-01) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Copeland, Olli; Penttinen, Esko; Department of Information and Service Management; Aalto University; University of Gothenburg
Robotic process automation (RPA) has emerged as a technology promising various quick wins: fast deployment, immediate efficiency gains, and low investment requirements. While these promises have resulted in large-scale deployment of RPA in diverse industries, the choice of operating model remains tricky. This article identifies three key decisions for RPA managers: (1) the who decision, pertaining to selection of internal versus external resources for RPA development; (2) the how decision, on whether the organization will pursue RPA deployment on-premises or through the cloud; and (3) the what decision, on whether to employ proprietary RPA tools or an open-source solution. To shed light on how these decisions are made and to pinpoint their interdependencies, seven organizations’ choices connected with these three decisions are presented. The study's main contribution is a decision checklist that can facilitate RPA managers’ navigation of the decision-making process, their gathering of relevant information, and their choice of the model best matching the organization's needs.
Fluid Socio-Technical (Trans)formation of an AI system
(2022) Ruissalo, Joona; Penttinen, Esko; Asatiani, Aleksandre; Department of Information and Service Management; University of Gothenburg
The paper applies a flow-oriented perspective to examine how temporal conditioning of the flows of people and digital technologies dynamically shape socio-technical formation and the transformation process of an AI (artificial intelligence) system. Drawing on an in-depth case study of a financial accounting services company that was developing and deploying an AI system in its work process enabled forming a flow-based genealogical account of the fluid process of socio-technical (trans)formation. This allows to explore how delays to AI system deployment can arise from impediments to the dynamics of creation, sensing, and undergoing of possibilities for action wherein the flows of practices and actions involved cannot reach favorable conditions to form correspondence along the (trans)formative system-development path.
Impact of Cloud Computing on Business Process Outsourcing - Case: Accounting in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
(Aalto University, 2016) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Penttinen, Esko, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Service Economy, Finland; Tieto- ja palvelutalouden laitos; Department of Information and Service Economy; Real-Time Economy competence center; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
Cloud computing is a model for providing on-demand access to a shared pool of computational resources in a cost-efficient and convenient manner, involving minimal interaction with the cloud provider. Within the last eight years cloud computing has evolved from a promising, emerging technology to a credible alternative for fulfilling organizations' IT needs. Previous research has addressed a variety of issues including cloud sourcing and implementation in organizations. However, there is a gap in our understanding when it comes to the implications of cloud-based information systems on business process outsourcing (BPO). The objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of how the introduction of cloud-based-information systems affects BPO arrangements. The context of this research is professional business-to-business (B2B) services outsourcing by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). This setting is depicted as an outsourcing triangle, which includes a client company, a professional service provider, and a cloud-based information system. The four essays included in this dissertation investigate the implications of cloud computing from the perspective of the three sides of the triangle. The first essay seeks to understand factors behind cloud computing adoption in organizations. The second and third essays investigate the outsourcing patterns of client companies and BPO decision-making in the context of cloud-based information systems. Finally, the fourth essay addresses changes in the organization of professional service providers. The main theoretical contributions of the dissertation include (1) a revised cloud computing adoption framework, (2) a conceptualization of the outsourcing continuum, (3) an enhanced understanding of transaction costs in the cloud context, and (4) a framework of virtual organization for professional B2B service providers. For practitioners, this dissertation offers a set of guidelines for the implementation of cloud-based information systems in BPO arrangements, and the reorganization of work to suit the technology.
Implementation of automation as distributed cognition in knowledge work organizations
(2020-01-01) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Penttinen, Esko; Rinta-Kahila, Tapani; Salovaara, Antti; University of Gothenburg; Department of Information and Service Management; University of Queensland; Professorship Nieminen M.; Department of Design
Knowledge work organizations are increasingly leveraging automation to enhance and transform their business processes. Many types of automation tools are being deployed in a large variety of information processing tasks, requiring effective management of human–automation co-operation. Yet, conceptual understanding of human–automation hybrid work remains thin and current literature lacks practical recommendations for managers. To address this gap, we synthesize findings from our three earlier case studies with organizations pursuing a wide array of automation tools and examine them through the lens of distributed cognition. We demonstrate how distributed cognition informs about the organizing for human-automation interaction when deploying automation. Our contribution lies in the presentation of six recommendations on three issues: human–automation task allocation, mitigation of the risk of deskilling, and management of collective knowledge across human and automation.
Late technology adopters and remote work - case COVID-19
(2021) Huuskonen, Pinja; Penttinen, Esko; Asatiani, Aleksandre; Tieto- ja palvelujohtamisen laitos; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
Technology and digitalization have significantly changed the way people work, especially in the past few years. Due to new communication technologies, remote work has become more available and prevalent. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and forced a significant part of the workforce to start working from home, whether they wanted to do it or not. The situation provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine how late technology adopters, who may not have been ready for the shift, adapted to the situation and adopted the daily use of communication technologies. The aim of this study was to examine three aspects of late adopters and technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first aspect was how late technology adopters had adapted to the enforced remote work and the use of remote work technologies during the pandemic, the second was whether the enforced remote work changed their views on the remote work communication technologies, and the third was how the employers’ actions affected the adaptation. The foundation of the theoretical research was the Diffusion of Innovations theory (DOI), accompanied by research and theories on remote work and communication technologies at workplaces. The empirical research consisted of semi-structured interviews with late technology adopters who had been forced to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to the research on remote work, communication technology and DOI by examining a situation where technology adoption is forced and abrupt from the viewpoint of late adopters and by providing insights on how such a situation can be navigated in order to make the shift more successful for late adopters. The results of the study indicate that late adopters adapt to remote work and using remote work technologies relatively well but do not get fully comfortable with the situation even after a few months of working remotely, and that the support from employers and managers is especially important for late adopters.
Managing the move to the cloud - analyzing the risks and opportunities of cloud-based accounting information systems
(2015) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Penttinen, Esko; Department of Information and Service Management
Managing the move to the cloud – analyzing the risks and opportunities of cloud-based accounting information systems
(Nature Publishing Group, 2015) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Penttinen, Esko; Tieto- ja palvelutalouden laitos; Department of Information and Service Economy; Real-Time Economy; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
The accounting industry is being disrupted by the introduction of cloud-based accounting information systems (AIS) that allow for a more efficient allocation of work between the accountant and the client company. In cloud-based AIS, the accountant and the client company as well as third parties such as auditors can simultaneously work on the data in real time. This, in turn, enables a much more granular division of work between the parties. This teaching case considers Kluuvin Apteekki, a small pharmacy business whose owner faces critical management decisions on how to embrace this new opportunity to move to the cloud. Students are guided to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of cloud computing in the specific context of accounting services. Also, the owner must make a set of critical decisions concerning which tasks to outsource The accounting process comprises of several tasks and sub-tasks, adding to the complexity of the decision making problem. The main learning outcome of the case is related to the development of the skills and competencies needed in creating a strong business case for implementing IT-enabled business processes.
Outsourcing of Disaggregated Services in Cloud-Based Enterprise Information Systems
(Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2014) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Apte, Uday; Penttinen, Esko; Rönkkö, Mikko; Saarinen, Timo; Tieto- ja palvelutalouden laitos; Department of Information and Service Economy; Real-Time Economy; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
In this paper, we examine outsourcing of disaggregated information-intensive services. Drawing on the theoretical streams of Global Information-Intensive Service Disaggregation and Transaction-Cost Economics, we formulate our research model to understand the phenomenon of disaggregation in the context of cloud computing. The model encompasses frequency, asset specificity, uncertainty, information intensity, and need for customer contact as characteristics of tasks that we use to explain the outsourcing of disaggregated services. We are especially interested in understanding the interplay between these characteristics and the increasingly popular cloud-based systems. Our results partially support previous research on the effects of characteristics on outsourcing. The main finding of the paper is impact of the cloud-based information systems on the interaction of these characteristics.
Security by envelopment: a novel approach to data-security-oriented configuration of lightweight-automation systems
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2023-05-25) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Hakkarainen, Tuuli; Paaso, Kimmo; Penttinen, Esko; University of Gothenburg; University of Liverpool; Wartsila Corporation; Department of Information and Service Management
Organisations’ increasing adoption of lightweight automation, such as robotic process automation (RPA), raises concerns about the associated systems’ robustness and security, with data-security concerns becoming further accentuated when tools of this sort are deployed for handling of potentially sensitive data. However, literature on designing these tools in a manner mitigating risks related to organisational data security has remained scarce. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a study in which RPA was successfully designed for a process wherein the software robot handles sensitive personal data. Informed by work on the mindlessness of automation, sociotechnical envelopment, and security by design, this empirical study, employing action design research at Wärtsilä Corporation, pointed to three design principles, related to envelopment, access rights, and audit trails. By adhering to these, Wärtsilä created envelopes around the robot that afford the automation’s safe operation and processing of the sensitive data. This research advances the theory of sociotechnical envelopment’s design and deployment by introducing a novel approach in security by envelopment to elaborate on the security-oriented envelopment of mindless automation agents. The paper also discusses the practical utility of the artefact designed, in terms of both design and evaluation.
Sociotechnical Envelopment of Artificial Intelligence: An Approach to Organizational Deployment of Inscrutable Artificial Intelligence Systems
(Association for Information Systems, 2021) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Malo, Pekka; Rådberg Nagbøl, Per; Penttinen, Esko; Rinta-Kahila, Tapani; Salovaara, Antti; University of Gothenburg; Department of Information and Service Management; IT University of Copenhagen; Department of Design
The paper presents an approach for implementing inscrutable (i.e., nonexplainable) artificial intelligence (AI) such as neural networks in an accountable and safe manner in organizational settings. Drawing on an exploratory case study and the recently proposed concept of envelopment, it describes a case of an organization successfully “enveloping” its AI solutions to balance the performance benefits of flexible AI models with the risks that inscrutable models can entail. The authors present several envelopment methods—establishing clear boundaries within which the AI is to interact with its surroundings, choosing and curating the training data well, and appropriately managing input and output sources—alongside their influence on the choice of AI models within the organization. This work makes two key contributions: It introduces the concept of sociotechnical envelopment by demonstrating the ways in which an organization’s successful AI envelopment depends on the interaction of social and technical factors, thus extending the literature’s focus beyond mere technical issues. Secondly, the empirical examples illustrate how operationalizing a sociotechnical envelopment enables an organization to manage the trade-off between low explainability and high performance presented by inscrutable models. These contributions pave the way for more responsible, accountable AI implementations in organizations, whereby humans can gain better control of even inscrutable machine-learning models.
To Reach the Clouds: Application of Topic Models to the Meta-review on Cloud Computing Literature
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2016) Upreti, Bikesh; Asatiani, Aleksandre; Malo, Pekka; Tieto- ja palvelutalouden laitos; Department of Information and Service Economy; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
Cloud computing remains an increasingly popular topic among practitioners as well as researchers. The literature spans across multiple disciplines, and the knowledge is fragmented and not systematized. To address this issue we apply topic models to conduct a meta-review on cloud computing. We identify twenty research topics across multiple disciplines, and demonstrate the use of the approach to conduct reviews in the field of information systems (IS). In additionally, we discuss multidisciplinary nature of cloud research, as well as research topics attracting contributions from various scientific fields.
Uncovering the nature of the relationship between outsourcing motivations and the degree of outsourcing
(Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., 2019-03) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Penttinen, Esko; Kumar, Ashish; Aston University; Department of Information and Service Management; Department of Marketing
Prior literature has identified several outsourcing motivations, such as cost reduction and access to expertise, and deciphered the influence of these variables on outsourcing decisions. In another stream of outsourcing studies, researchers have gauged the degree of outsourcing, unearthing how companies may choose to outsource a set or processes instead of the whole business function. In this article, we draw on both of these streams of outsourcing research to study the relationship between outsourcing motivations and the degree of outsourcing within a particular business function. We probe the effect of nine motivation items on outsourcing decision through an empirical study using survey data gathered from 337 small and medium-sized enterprises. We find that cost reduction, a focus on core competence and business/process improvements are all associated with a higher degree of outsourcing, but interestingly, access to expertise is negatively associated with the degree of outsourcing. This finding suggests that companies that outsource mainly to acquire external expertise outsource only a limited number of processes within a specific business function. Our main theoretical contribution lies in uncovering the dynamic nature of outsourcing motivations, meaning that as companies outsource a larger degree of their business processes, some motivation items become more accentuated and others fade in importance.
Unexpected Problems Associated with the Federated IT Governance Structure in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Deployment
(Aalto University, 2019) Asatiani, Aleksandre; Kämäräinen, Teemu; Penttinen, Esko; Tieto ja palvelujohtamisen laitos; Department of Information and Service Management; Real-Time Economy; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business
We investigate the federated IT governance structure in RPA deployment. Due to the inherent nature of RPA being an exemplary instantiation of lightweight IT, federated governance structure (avoiding fully centralized or fully decentralized modes) is arguably a viable option for governance. However, our case study in Telco with numerous RPA implementations reveals some unexpected problems associated with the federated governance structure. These problems emerge from difficulties in reusing the RPA components and elements across business units as well from difficulties in striking the right balance between centralization and local needs. Our study contributes to the literature on lightweight IT and IT governance by critically assessing the benefits and drawbacks associated with one specific mode (federated) of governing lightweight IT (RPA).

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