Browsing by Author "Ghanbari, Hadi"

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  • Action design research: Developing a robotic process automation tool for data migration
    (2024) Karhila, Joonas
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    Organizations undergoing digital transformation have a growing need for automation solutions. These solutions save time and resources by replacing human manual labour with automated workflows. One example of these solutions is Robotic Process Automation (RPA). The rising level of adoption in such technologies has realized the multitude of ways such technologies can be integrated to be leveraged in digital transformation. One of these use cases is data migration, a cornerstone in successfully upgrading digital systems. Since the research of the subject is minimal but there is a lot of potential for use case, this thesis will try to find out, if there is potential for more efficient processes in data migration via usage of RPA. In this thesis, an RPA tool is developed by using Action Design Research, a frame-work which dedicates itself to continuous improvement and close co-operation between stakeholders. This RPA tool is implemented in a client project, where data migration is done for Field Service Management-system transformation. The result was that there was a lot of processes inside data migration that could be made more efficient with RPA usage. It was also evident that the adoption of RPA was something that needed to be bought-in at an organizational level for the benefits to be fully realized. It was also discovered that continuous improvement during the development session was vital and stakeholders are essential to be kept in loop straight from the starting point. The findings of this research are also something that create multiple possibilities for further research around the subject, for example on how AI could be implemented to be part of RPA tools.
  • AI powered m-health apps empowering smart city citizens to live a healthier life –The role of trust and privacy concerns
    (2022) Klossner, Sara
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    The rapidly growing world population is concentrating increasingly in urban areas, creating the need for smart city innovations. Smart healthcare is a central part of smart city services. In smart healthcare, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is of growing importance, as it enables healthcare to be more personalized, as AI can collect and analyze vast amounts of data more effectively than a human physician is able to. AI powered mobile health (m-health) applications have the potential to lower healthcare cost and empower individuals to take better care of their health in a preventive manner. For the m-health applications to reach their full potential, they need to gather and analyze the users’ health data, which enables the offering of highly personalized services. However, with the continuous data collection from users to be able to offer personalized services, the question on privacy and trust concerns arise. In this Thesis I’m researching the privacy and trust concerns users have towards m-health apps to better understand people’s behaviors and the constructs affecting their behavior. The empirical part of the research was done conducting an online survey. The study confirmed TAM in a new setting. The privacy paradox was also present, as privacy concerns did not have a negative effect on behavioral intention or self-disclosure. The personalization-privacy paradox was partly present. Self-efficacy was found to have a significant impact on decreasing privacy concerns and increasing self-disclosure, while self-disclosure had a positive effect on behavioral intention. The main contribution of the research was testing the new constructs of self-disclosure and digital self-efficacy together with previously tested constructs in a new setting in Finland. The findings indicate that companies should concentrate creating easy to use, useful and trustworthy applications so people would adopt and use them. On a societal level, it is important to achieve a high level of digital self-efficacy and self-disclosure to facilitate the adoption and use of m-health apps.
  • Building Climate Resilience in Smart Cities Using Open Data Services
    (2023) Ahdekivi, Viljam; Ghanbari, Hadi; Rossi, Matti
     A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
    Climate change and its consequences are among modern societies' most critical challenges. To that end, cities have focused on using information technology in their climate mitigation efforts in smart cities. Considering the magnitude of the problem and its impact on our societies, the need for building climate-resilient smart cities is crucial. In this study, we aim to understand how smart cities can achieve climate resilience. Conducting an exploratory field study and using the urban climate resilience framework as a theoretical lens, we suggest that smart cities can leverage the potential of open data and citizen engagement to reach climate resilience. In particular, our results show that building climate-resilient cities requires structural changes in citizen engagement processes and climate considerations. To that end, open data services and tools can be used to improve citizen engagement processes and develop more sustainable smart city solutions.
  • Building smart sustainable cities – evaluating prerequisities for citizen engagement through the actor network theory
    (2021) Meriläinen, Una
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    The UN predicts that 68% of the population on Earth will live in urban areas by 2050. The current cities struggle in answering to the needs of the growing amount of people. Therefore, the ongoing shift towards urbanization around the world forms a need for new kinds of cities. Smart cities aim at solving problems such as rapid urbanization, climate change, and informal settlements. Currently, the issue is that smart cities inherently aim for economic sustainability rather than aiming at improving sustainability at all its aspects. Furthermore, smart cities are often firstly techno-centric rather than citizen-centric which leads to smart city solutions failing to place the citizens’ expectations. As developing smart city services is a sociotechnical process, it requires citizen participation to succeed. A city cannot deem itself sustainable if it cannot engage its citizens in sustainable behavior. There is evidence supporting the argument that by integrating collaborative means in designing smart cities, citizens can be more engaged in the city sustainability. This thesis investigates the mix of participatory design and urban analytics in building more engaging sustainable solutions in smart sustainable cities in the context of information systems (IS). The thesis aims to propose the best practices for designing more engaging solutions in smart sustainable cities. The current smart city best practices are reflected on the actor network theory (ANT) to assess how they could be combined to achieve a successful participatory process with the smart city actors. This thesis uses a design action research methodology through which a new approach (the actor engagement approach) is proposed based on theory and current best practices. The approach is further developed based on qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 10) conducted with smart city experts from the City of Helsinki, Forum Virium, Motiva, Aalto University, and the City of Voru. The findings of this research show that assessing the smart city actors as a part of the participatory process can indeed improve engagement in using sustainable solutions. This research confirms that the created approach is considered applicable for developing sustainable solutions in smart cities and the interview results verify that it is likely that using the approach does have some positive effect on engagement to use the created solution among citizens. The thesis provides practical value to city builders, governments, and companies working with governments through providing a concrete development model that has been validated with smart city experts. There is a research gap in IS in understanding the key features that drive engagement to use sustainable services, looking at the whole network rather than just focusing on citizen-centricity. This research fills that gap by looking at what are some key factors in successful sustainability development, focusing on all actors. In terms of originality, the paper combines the actor network theory in a novel way, by using ANT as a basis for a practical development model looking at participatory design and urban analytics in smart city networks.
  • Citizen participation in smart city initiatives: Understanding the citizen engagement and incentives for smart cities
    (2024) Leino, Joonas
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    As, the current world population continues to grow the, while the majority population is expected to reside in cities by 2050, the need for efficient and comprehensive smart city solutions becomes increasingly critical. For the smart city solutions to reach their full potential citizen involvement is needed in the development, implementation and finally as the end-users. As the citizen are ultimately the end users of the solutions it is vital to understand on what level the citizens are willing to participate to different smart city initiatives, and what is the key motivator for the citizens to participate. Therefore, this thesis explores the different levels of participation in the decision-making process, based on the “Ladder of Citizen Participation”, and the key incentives for civic participation trough “Theory of Planned Behavior”. Through literature review there is visible evidence for the need to explore the different incentives for civic participation, as it is often described as one of the biggest barriers to overcome in smart city development. The empirical part of this thesis was done by conducting an online survey. The study proved that TPB is robust basis for creating incentives for participation. These foundational theories and frameworks help to understand the human behavior and the level of participation citizen are willing to take. The results suggest that incentives related to personal intangible and social outcomes were the most regarded incentives for the participants. With a common objective of improving the own living environment of the citizen and contributing to the socio-economic and environmental development of their city. Furthermore, from the results it is evident that the responder’s value rather high level of participation within the decision making and overall involvement within smart cities. The findings also underscore the importance of education in enhancing the understanding of smart cities, which would eventually foster greater public interest in participating in these initiatives. Overall, citizen’s engagement in smart city initiatives is influenced by a combination of tangible, intangible and societal outcomes. By understanding and addressing these factors, enables different stakeholders to encompass more inclusive and collaborative approach to urban development. This ensures that smart cities are truly reflect and meet the needs and aspiration of their citizens.
  • Data Monetization Challenges in Established Organizations: A Systematic Literature Review
    (2022-08-09) Mirbagherimarvili, Sahar; Ghanbari, Hadi; Rossi, Matti
     A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
    Over the last decades, researchers and practitioners have looked at data as a valuable asset for improving business processes in organizations. However, nowadays, they see data more as a tradable asset that can be monetized. Data monetization here refers to generating revenue from selling data and data-based products and services. Despite providing opportunities for generating new revenue streams, data monetization is not without challenges, especially in established organizations. Previous research shows that an organization’s data monetization capability is constrained by its existing business model, infrastructure, and organizational culture. Although Information Systems (IS) research and practice have shown an increasing interest in data monetization, we lack a thorough understanding of its challenges. As a first step in addressing this gap, we set out to identify challenges that established organizations face in monetizing their data. To that end, we conducted a systematic literature review and identified 21 challenges reported in the extant literature. Based on their nature, we divided these challenges into five categories, including business model, legal & regulatory, security & privacy, organizational, and data management challenges. Our study has several implications for IS research and practice.
  • The design of online community group buying services
    (2024) Huang, Chenghao
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    This study examines user perceptions and opinions on the design of an online community group buying platform tailored for the fresh food market, in the context of the Finnish market. By employing a design science research (DSR) approach, the study formulated a practical business model and developed a community shopping platform. The platform provides design principles that enhance user motivation and participation in community-based group buying. This study not only contributes theoretical knowledge but also provides practical insights with the potential to have a positive impact on the Finnish food retail industry. This study is conducted within the backdrop of the challenging global scenario characterized by escalating food prices, which has placed an added strain on consumers' budgets. In response to these challenges, community group buying platforms have emerged as potential solutions. This research focuses on understanding user perceptions and preferences regarding the design of an online community group buying platform tailored to the fresh food market, particularly in the context of the Finnish market. Employing a design science research (DSR) approach, we not only crafted a comprehensive business model but also meticulously crafted an innovative prototype for a community shopping platform. This platform incorporates a set of well-defined design principles aimed at not only enhancing user motivation but also stimulating active participation in the process of purchasing fresh food. The significance of this study transcends theoretical contributions and extends into practical realms, potentially reshaping the landscape of Finnish food retail by mitigating the impact of surging food costs and increasing accessibility to fresh produce. It underscores the pivotal role played by user-centric design principles in the development of community group buying platforms. Although the study's findings are based on a UI prototype, future research endeavors could validate its applicability and effectiveness in real-world settings.
  • The Design Towards a News Aggregator Subscription Service: Results from An Online Experiment
    (2021-01-05) Kazan, Erol; Tuunanen, Tuure; Ghanbari, Hadi; Li, Mengcheng
     A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
    The newspaper industry is on a quest to discover sustainable business models. Digital subscriptions are stable revenue generators for most publishers. That being said, smaller publishers face challenges. By not having the same resource base to offset costs compared to larger ones, small publishers are in a constant state of financial unpredictability. Another persistent problem among them is the high churn rate of subscriptions (i.e., the cancelation rate), which suggests a value misalignment between readers and service. New services like news aggregators may promise publishers a large pool of paying readers, as readers have access to diverse content by different publishers and are willing to pay for pooled news content. But platform fees and the disintermediation of direct customer relationships enact barriers for many publishers. To address these shortcomings, this study conducts an online experiment based on design science research to test the performance of different payment plans for a collaborative news aggregator service. We identify preliminary design principles for value creation and capture, which can be utilized for designing a commercial and collaborative news aggregator service.
  • Error messages in relational database management systems: A comparison of effectiveness, usefulness, and user confidence
    (2021-11) Taipalus, Toni; Grahn, Hilkka; Ghanbari, Hadi
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    The database and the database management system (DBMS) are two of the main components of any information system. Structured Query Language (SQL) is the most popular query language for retrieving data from the database, as well as for many other data management tasks. During system development and maintenance, software developers use a considerable amount of time to interpret compiler error messages. The quality of these error messages has been demonstrated to affect software development effectiveness, and correctly formulating queries and fixing them when needed is an important task for many software developers. In this study, we set out to investigate how participants (N=152) experienced the qualities of error messages of four popular DBMSs in terms of error message effectiveness, perceived usefulness for finding and fixing errors, and error recovery confidence. Our results show differences between the DBMSs by three of the four metrics, and indicate a discrepancy between objective effectiveness and subjective usefulness. The results suggest that although error messages have perceived differences in terms of usefulness for finding and fixing errors, these differences may not necessarily result in differences in query fixing success rates.
  • The Essential Competencies of Software Professionals: A Unified Competence Framework
    (2022-11) Assyne, Nana; Ghanbari, Hadi; Pulkkinen, Mirja
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Context : Developing high-quality software requires skilled software professionals equipped with a set of basic and essential software engineering competencies (SEC). These competencies and the satisfaction levels derived from them change over a project's lifecycle, or as software professionals move from one project to another. Objective : Previous studies suggest a lack of means enabling SEC stakeholders to identify and assess competencies suitable for different projects. Additionally, previous research has mainly portrayed SEC to be static and overlooked their evolution over time and across projects. We investigate how we could effectively identify and match the competencies of software professionals necessary for different projects. Method : We follow a mixed-method approach to iteratively develop and evaluate a framework for identifying and managing SEC. In so doing, we use the results of an extensive literature review, focus group discussions with experts from academia and industry, and data collected through interviews with 138 individuals with a supervisory role in the software industry. Results : Drawing on the Kano model and Competency Framework for Software Engineers, we propose a Unified Competence Gate for Software Professionals (UComGSP), a framework for identifying and managing SEC. The UComGSP consists of 62 hard competencies, 63 soft competencies, and 25 essential SEC competencies. Additionally, we propose three stakeholders’ satisfaction levels for SEC assessment: basic, performance, and delighter. Furthermore, based on empirical observation, we report 27 competencies not mentioned in the reviewed literature; 11 of them are considered essential competencies. Conclusion : Competence development involves different stakeholders, including software professionals, educators, and the software industry. The UComGSP framework enables SEC stakeholders to (i) identify SE competencies, (ii) identify the essential SEC, and (iii) assess the satisfaction levels that can be derived from different competencies. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed framework across software development projects.
  • Exploratory study on psychological safety among software developers: Impact on requirements engineering practices in large-scale agile environments
    (2024) Halasi, Soma
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    In the past, research has identified the crucial role of requirements engineering (RE) in IS development projects. Despite the critical importance of effective RE processes, their implementation varies widely across companies and teams. Proper RE practices significantly influence team performance, similarly to psychological safety (PS), which has substantial potential to enhance job satisfaction and team efficiency. This study delves into the interplay between RE practices and software developer’s PS within large-scale agile (LSA) environments. The primary research question focuses on the establishment of PS and its potential influence on the effectiveness of RE practices in LSA projects. This investigation is particularly compelling as it explores whether PS can positively impact RE processes. Empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six software developers from various industries. These interviews provided diverse perspectives on existing RE practices, perceptions of PS, and the interplay between these two concepts. The data was analysed applying thematic analysis, which provided a robust framework to identify themes and patterns in the interview data. The findings suggest a potential bidirectional relationship where PS might enhance RE practices and, conversely, robust RE processes could positively affect PS, thereby improving team efficiency and performance. The study also indicates that maintaining high levels of PS, and consequently effective RE practices, requires continuous support from management and a culture that encourages learning and psychological well-being. These insights help to explore the dynamics between PS and RE and aiming to bridge a significant gap in the literature within LSA contexts. Managers can apply these findings to develop better RE practices by emphasizing the importance of PS, fostering open communication, and creating a company culture rooted in trust, respect, and recognition.
  • Exploring Data Monetization in Established Organizations: a Dynamic Capability Approach
    (2024-01-03) Mirbagherimarvili, Sahar; Ghanbari, Hadi; Rossi, Matti
     A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
    The exponential growth of data, together with the increasing importance of analytics in a wide range of contexts, has given rise to data monetization, a phenomenon in which data and data-based offerings are traded for monetary value. Data monetization is relevant for established organizations since they often generate significant amounts of data which provides them with many opportunities for added revenue streams. Previous research shows that incumbents are falling short in harnessing this potential either because of the lack of knowledge of data-based business models or insufficient resources and capabilities. There is a paucity of research on how incumbents could develop such capabilities to successfully sell data and data-based offerings. To fill this gap, we conducted a multiple case study to explore what kind of capabilities are required by established organizations to successfully sell data. The paper contributes to the evolving discourse on data monetization by providing a new understanding of the required capabilities for selling data from the dynamic capability perspective.
  • Exploring how Finnish startups approach information security
    (2023) Kiuru, Joakim
     School of Business | Master's thesis
  • Green software development - Challenges and implementation approaches
    (2024) Lohikoski, Aino
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    Software has a growing negative environmental impact, with great potential for im- provement. However, the scale of software emissions and the benefits of green software development are not widely understood. To increase green software development, a better understanding of the factors affecting it is required. This thesis studies the factors preventing and enabling green software development in ICT companies. Based on literature review, interviewing 10 IT professionals from five different companies and analysis, this study fills a research gap by providing practical insights and addressing the challenges that have not been adequately mapped or addressed previously. A key result is that there isn't a single solution to green software development. Instead, seven linked main factors were identified. By considering the challenges identified and potential solutions, leaders and individuals seeking to initiate green software development within their companies can take relevant action.The scientific community can explore identified areas of interest in more detail.
  • How do academic smart city centres operate in complex environments? A business model perspective
    (2024-09) Ghanbari, Hadi; Soe, Ralf Martin; Toiskallio, Kalle; Mora, Luca
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    In recent years, an increasing number of academic smart city centres have emerged globally. These centres play a crucial role in conducting cutting-edge research and proposing innovative solutions for cities; they often operate in a complex multi-purpose, multi-disciplinary, and multi-stakeholder environment, even as they struggle to secure enough resources for their core activities. Despite their important role in smart city projects and initiatives, we lack scientific understandings of how smart city centres generate and deliver value to city stakeholders. As a first step in addressing this gap, we studied seven smart city centres across Europe and North America through in-depth interviews. To complement those interviews, we conducted an online survey and collected responses from a larger sample of centres from several regions around the world. Consequently, we provide a fresh understanding of how these centres orchestrate their operations and capabilities to create and deliver value to smart city stakeholders. Inspired by recent research on business model innovation for non-profit organizations, we argue that academic centres can benefit from using business models to align their operations with their strategies to achieve their goals. Our study contributes to smart city and business model research while providing practical implications for smart city centres.
  • Implementation of Business Intelligence in SMEs
    (2023) Susi, Eva
     School of Business | Bachelor's thesis
    The rapid technological development and globalization of the past decades have had a significant impact on the business models of organizations. As technology develops, an ever-increasing amount of information becomes easily available to organizations. The question arises: how can SMEs best utilize the advantages offered by BI systems in data processing? While several academic studies have focused on the study of BI in large organizations, research on BI adoption in SMEs has been limited, and BI adoption by SMEs remains low, according to previous studies. This study focuses on SMEs, as they form the backbone of most economies and provide services to larger organizations. To address this research gap and support BI implementation in SMEs, this thesis examines the implementation of Business Intelligence (BI), its key success factors, as well as challenges and benefits related to successful BI adoption in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). The study also presents a framework that illustrates and clarifies the applicability of BI to SMEs.
  • Improving developer experience with virtualized development environments
    (2021) Terimaa, Tarmo
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    This master’s thesis focuses on improving the process of setting up local development environments. Local development environments are necessary for developing and testing software applications on developer’s local machine. This process often contains a lot of manual tasks and can also be time consuming and error prone. Thus, it causes friction for organizations conducting software development. Virtualization technologies enable developers to define environments with all the necessary tooling included for running a software application. This environment can be pre-defined and automatically started, always resulting in a consistent environment. The hypothesis of the thesis is that virtualization technologies could alleviate the pain points in the process of setting up development environments. In order to see the process and its pain points from developer’s perspective, the concept of developer experience is being used. Developer experience is a concept which encapsulates the thoughts, and the feelings developers are going through while developing software and can be used as a tool for improving software project environments. This study uses Action Design Research method for building and evaluating the theory- ingrained software artifact proposed in the literature review. After building the artifact the practitioners are interviewed about their experiences regarding the process of setting up their local development environments. The interview data is analyzed with qualitative methods and utilized for making insights about the process, it’s problems and possible solutions for these problems. Findings suggest that virtualization technologies can provide benefits for the process. The magnitude of benefits depends on the organizational context. The benefits are greatest in an organization where developers are frequently setting up and tearing down their environments. In some cases, the benefits are not as easy to achieve as in others because of the immaturity of the virtualization technologies for this specific use-case. While it’s not recommended for any company to adopt virtualized approach for software development, the results of this study suggest that industry leaders should keep an eye on the development of these technologies tools that support virtualized development.
  • The influence of Technical Debt on software developer morale
    (2020-09) Besker, Terese; Ghanbari, Hadi; Martini, Antonio; Bosch, Jan
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Context: Previous research in the Technical Debt (TD) field has mainly focused on the technical and economic aspects, while its human aspect has received minimal attention. Objective: This paper aims to understand how software developers’ morale is influenced by TD and how their morale is influenced by TD management activities. Furthermore, this study correlates the morale with the amount of wastage of time due to TD. Method: Firstly, we conducted 15 interviews with professionals, and, secondly, these data were complemented with a survey. Thirdly, we collected 473 data points from 43 developers reporting their amount of wasted time. The collected data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques, including thematic and statistical analysis. Results: Our results show that the occurrence of TD is associated with a lack of progress and waste of time. This might have a negative influence on developers’ morale. Further, management of TD seems to have a positive influence on developers’ morale. Conclusions: The results highlight the effects TD has on practitioners’ software work. This study presents results indicating that software suffering from TD reduces developers’ morale and thereby also their productivity. However, our results also indicate that TD management increases developers’ morale and developer productivity.
  • Internal carbon pricing in ICT companies
    (2023) Pirinen, Sini
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    Climate change currently stands as the leading megatrend, accompanied by an intensifying discourse and growing concern regarding both the issue itself and the rising emissions causing it. Therefore, discussions about various potential approaches to mitigate the effects of climate change and ways to decrease the emitted emissions are also gaining momentum. Internal carbon pricing is one of the methods that has gained significant attention in recent years as a mechanism to internalize the costs of carbon emissions within organizations. While considerable research has been conducted on internal carbon pricing in many sectors, there is little literature on its application, specifically in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. The ICT sector produces a substantial amount of emissions, but the climate impact of the sector has only recently become widely recognized as something that needs to be adequately addressed. This research sheds more light on the reasons and ways the ICT sector could utilize internal carbon pricing to mitigate its climate impact. This research was conducted as a qualitative case study. One quality case was used, and the findings were collected from whitepapers published by the case company. The findings from the case were analysed against the literature. The findings indicate that the motivations and implementation methods for the ICT sector align with those found in the literature.
  • Is the inclusion of a cryptocurrency miner in antivirus software a good idea?
    (2023) Kleinschrot, Martin
     School of Business | Master's thesis
    This thesis is using a qualitative research approach to answer the question, if the inclusion of an Ethereum crypto miner in Gen Digital Incorporated’s antivirus solutions Norton360 and Avira Antivirus is a good idea. There is a lack of scientific research on how users change their view about a software company that include a cryptocurrency miner in their antivirus software. With energy consumption concerns rising and cryptocurrencies being at a two year low it is important to analyze the effect this business practice has on users. The results can be used by companies for decision making and users to understand the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining. With semi-structured interviews of ten antivirus software users, data was collected about their views of antivirus software, cryptocurrencies, Gen Digital Incorporated and the environmental consequences of a cryptocurrency miner. The findings suggest that it is indeed a good idea, from a user and company perspective, even though we live in an energy crisis at the moment. The environmental consequences were not seen significant enough to raise consequences for Gen Digital Incorporated. A call for lawmakers is proposed to get companies to take responsibility for the emissions their software is causing. Also, limitations and future research are discussed.