[diss] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ

Permanent URI for this collection

https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/50

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 690

Leveraging the impact of analytics on organizational performance – a multi-method study
(Aalto University, 2024) Hirvonen, Marjut; Kauppi, Katri, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland; Liesiö, Juuso, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland; Tieto ja palvelujohtamisen laitos; Department of Information and Service Management; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Kauppi, Katri, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland; Liesiö, Juuso, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland
Today, companies are obliged to optimize their increasingly complex internal and supply chain operations to gain a competitive edge. It is commonly agreed that the use of analytics can benefit decision-making by, for instance, economizing on cognitive effort to solve even intractable problems and producing insights to maximize business value. Several methods are used for this purpose, including mathematical optimization, simulation, and statistical analyses. However, despite plenty of methodological research on analytics, few studies have focused on examining the practical benefits of analytics. Such benefits vary and their magnitude is unclear, as is the organizational path to achieving them. This dissertation studies the impact of analytics on organizational performance, its benefits, and its successful deployment. The approaches used move from a general to a more specific level. Essay I conducts a comprehensive meta-analysis of the impact of analytics on organizational performance. Essay II examines the reasons for the success and failure of analytics deployment based on interviews in multiple case studies. Essay III identifies, in a real-world case study, the benefits obtained from deploying advanced analytics for supply chain optimization of renewable fuels by using a quantitative comparative analysis between the analytics and legacy planning tool. The meta-analysis in Essay I provides evidence of a strong correlation between analytics capabilities/practices and organizational performance. The following terms for different analytics capabilities and practices were formed to describe the variety of analytics: analytics implementation, resourcing, management, use, quality, and skills. Their impact was then investigated on financial, market, and operational performance. The most significant effect was detected between analytics skills and market performance, as well as between analytics management and financial performance. Essay II identifies key enablers for the successful deployment of prescriptive analytics based on interviews with users, managers, and top management. These enablers are leadership and management support, sufficient resources, user participation, and a common dialogue. However, while end users tended to highlight user participation and skills, managers and top management emphasized more the importance of organizational changes. The findings showed that differences in views were smaller the more successful the case was, and vice versa. Essay III quantifies monetary benefits brought by analytics and also identifies less tangible benefits, such as improved data management. The results indicate the benefits of analytics and assist practitioners in ensuring that key enablers are in place to increase the likelihood of the successful deployment of prescriptive analytics. The results support the inclusion of analytics in a company's strategy, as well as improvement of the personnel's analytics skills to achieve more developed decision-making.
Environmentally and economically sustainable business via commercial and contract management as a leadership strategy instrument
(Aalto University, 2024) Hirvonen-Ere, Suvi; Kauppi, Katri, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland; Tieto ja palvelujohtamisen laitos; Department of Information and Service Management; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Kuula, Markku, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland
While the imperative to advance sustainability and fight the grand challenges of our time is widely acknowledged, effective response has been lagging. In parallel with companies thriving to meet their environmental sustainability targets, their leadership has to achieve economical business goals. As companies globally lose a sum equivalent to 9.2 % of their annual revenues due to poor contract management (International Association for Contract and Commercial Management, 2012; World Commerce and Contracting, 2020), a systemic framework and coherent corporate governance are required. As the company is as sustainable as its supply chain, the impact of greening supply chains can be immense. While battling value leakage, contract value erosion and cost of poor quality, and improving contractual quality, cost efficiency and risk management throughout the contract lifecycle, could commercial and contract management be used in an expanded and enhanced manner, outside of and in addition to its core functions, to help organizations achieve also their sustainability goals? This question illustrates the overarching theme of this thesis. First, Article I explores how businesses could promote (transport) sustainability and incentivize the green economy via contract management. Second, Article II explores how companies could move toward environmentally sustainable supply chains and how contract management can help them along in their transformation. Third, Article III examines how contract management could advance environmentally sustainable development. Here, the term 'sustainable business' is twofold: first, the term refers to environmental sustainability, and second, to producing economically sustainable, profitable business growth. Commercial and contract management is examined as the systemic and efficient business framework and coherent private governance to achieve both environmentally and economically sustainable business. The approach is multidisciplinary. Article I utilizes the goal-oriented teleological method under the socio-economic and socio-legal umbrella. Article II uses empirical qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews and a multiple case study. Article III draws from literature from sustainability practices. The findings indicate that while there is room for expanded utilization for commercial and contract management to accelerate sustainability in businesses, it already shows potential as a future success factor. The articles present several managerial implications for business practice. The gains are achievable, if companies started using contract management as proposed in this dissertation.
Beyond the Western Archetype: Intersectionality and Power in Women’s Entrepreneurship in a Poverty Context
(Aalto University, 2024) Ginting-Carlström, Euline, Carmelita; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Chliova, Myrto, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland
The Western archetype of women's entrepreneurship, grounded in neoliberal values, pervades the literature on women's entrepreneurship in poverty contexts. This dissertation critically examines the prior literature and highlights the limitations of a Western archetype as the standard for women's entrepreneurship and empowerment in poverty contexts. The dissertation employs intersectionality and post-structuralist feminist theory to examine how the interplay between power and intersecting identities contributes to the heterogeneity of women's experiences of, and struggles with, entrepreneurship in a poverty context. The three articles that constitute this dissertation problematize dominant assumptions in the literature by delving into the microprocess of women entrepreneurs' discourses. Article 1 examines the variety of interpretative repertoires leveraged by women entrepreneurs in a poverty context to legitimize their entrepreneurial activity. It demonstrates that intersecting identities grant women access to a distinct array of discursive resources that both challenge and maintain existing power structures. Article 2 delves into the process of subjectification through post-structuralist discourse analysis to understand how women make sense of their position as mothers who are also entrepreneurs. It shows that women draw on multiple, sometimes conflicting, discourses to negotiate their fluid positions. Article 3 employs a phenomenology of place to enhance the contextualization of research, including entrepreneurship research, in non-Western contexts. It incorporates 'place' as a dynamic and experienced concept, demonstrating that Western perspectives may not always align with local viewpoints. Collectively, these articles reveal a unique form of empowerment that diverges from the Western archetype. Instead, women's empowerment involves the skillful utilization of discursive resources derived from their intersecting identities and fluid, subjective positions. Accordingly, the dissertation proffers theoretical contributions for a more nuanced understanding of women's entrepreneurship in poverty contexts. It also provides methodological and critical reflections on conducting research in poverty contexts that pave the way towards a more inclusive type of theory development in women's entrepreneurship research.
Enterprise Social Media for Knowledge Brokering
(Aalto University, 2024) Leppälä, Mia; Mäkelä, Kristiina, Provost Prof., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Nurmi, Niina, Asst. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Finland
Increasing use of enterprise social media (ESM) for organizational communication and collaboration has fundamentally changed how knowledge is shared and created. Despite the benefits, the abundant availability of information within organizations can sometimes cause confusion, feelings of inadequacy, and even information overload. This doctoral dissertation focuses on knowledge brokering, as it bridges gaps between diverse domains and ensures that relevant information and insights are effectively used within organizations. Discussions on the ESM platforms of two knowledge-intensive organizations were examined to answer the main research question: "How does ESM influence knowledge brokering?" This dissertation comprises four essays. Essays 1 and 2 explore how knowledge brokers can be identified based on their ESM discussions. Essay 3 provides a comprehensive literature review on knowledge brokering and highlights the affordances of ESM for knowledge brokering. Finally, the empirical study reported in Essay 4 utilizes ESM data to uncover attention patterns within organizational communication. Overall, this doctoral dissertation sheds light on how knowledge brokering can leverage ESM to connect individuals, share knowledge, and create new insights, potentially mitigating information overload. It makes four main contributions. First, building on social network theory, this study extends knowledge brokering literature by demonstrating how knowledge brokers, both individuals and intraorganizational groups, can be identified through digital discussions on ESM based on their communicative actions. Second, it identifies the dual role of ESM affordances in both enabling and constraining knowledge brokering, and proposes a framework to analyze and understand the complex interplay of knowledge brokering and ESM. Third, it demonstrates how ESM reveals patterns in attention dynamics within organizational communication. Fourth, it presents innovative methodological approaches to analyze large sets of real-time ESM data, free from self-reflective bias, enabling the observation of individuals and teams in their authentic environments. Furthermore, by complementing qualitative analysis with computational techniques, it introduces a dynamic perspective to the traditionally static view of networks in social network theory, and reveals how organization level patterns are influenced by and influence individual actions over time.
Essays in Structural and Technological Change
(Aalto University, 2024) Stenhammar, Aapo; Mitrunen, Matti, Assist. Prof., University of Helsinki, Finland; Saarimaa, Tuukka, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland; Taloustieteen laitos; Department of Economics; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Sarvimäki, Matti, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland
In the first essay, I study the intergenerational effects of Finland's Field Reservation Policy introduced in 1969. In the analysis, I use variations in the eligibility to the policy and regional differences in the attractiveness to it. I find that the policy that incentivized farmers to stop farming did not improve the economic outcomes of the farmers, but it did have a significant impact on their children. They achieved higher levels of education, moved away from working in agriculture into administration and managing positions, and they earned more in adulthood. Surprisingly, the effects are driven by children with lower cognitive ability. In the second essay, I focus on the political effects of the same reform on the parliamentary elections of 1970. In particular, I study how the take-up of the policy contributed to the win of a populist agrarian Finnish Rural Party. By using exogenous mass above the eligibility threshold as an instrument in IV design, I show that a percentage-point increase in the field reservation share leads to a 1.1 percentage-point increase in the vote share of the populist party. I find both qualitative and quantitative evidence for two separate explanations for the political reaction. Identity-based backlash fueled by offended farmers who wanted to keep on farming, and negative externalities, like losing social communities and polluting fallow fields, arising from field reservation. I also show that while the policy decreased the local overall taxable income, it did not affect income per capita. The third essay studies the effects of a technology subsidy program on employment and skill demand in Finnish firms 1994–2018. In the main analysis, we compare close winners and losers of the subsidies. We find that while the program induced investments in new technologies like CNC machines and robots, it also increased employment but did not change skill composition. We find evidence that firms used the subsidies mainly to expand their production rather than automate their work. The results are also in line with broader associations between machine investments and skill shares in Finland while IT expenditure is associated with skill upgrading.
Essays on optimal environmental regulation and information economics
(Aalto University, 2024) Hokkanen, Topi; Välimäki, Juuso, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland; Taloustieteen laitos; Department of Economics; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Liski, Matti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland
This monograph studies optimal environmental regulation under asymmetric information and carbon leakage risk. I use tools from the fields of mechanism design and microeconomic theory to study how the possibility of firms' relocation to less regulated countries as a result of domestic regulation, i.e. carbon leakage affects incentive-compatible environmental regulation. To address this question, I build a stylized model of a single country which regulates global externalityproducing firms by way of incentive-compatible regulatory schemes, i.e. mechanisms. I allow the firms to possess private information on their costs of abatement and carbon leakage risk as typedependent outside options. In the first chapter of this monograph, I introduce my main model and derive the optimal secondbest regulatory mechanism for the monopolist country. I find that novel regulatory distortions arise from relocation risk and that the optimal second-best mechanism sometimes implements stricter regulation that would be socially optimal. Interestingly, I find that carbon leakage is also not necessarily an indication of a failed regulatory policy, but rather an optimally induced result of it. The second chapter of this monograph extends the basic model by relaxing the assumption that the domestic regulator cannot commit to cross-border transfers. I show that conditional crossborder transfers rectify the major drawback of the simple mechanisms discussed previously: the fact that the regulator is losing socially valuable firms and therefore also abatement. With crossborder transfers, the regulator is able to buy the otherwise leaked abatement directly from the relocating firms themselves, essentially outsourcing both the firms and their abatement. The second extension considers exogenous regulatory policies implemented in the other country. I show that the regulator benefits from any such policies - be they price or quantity-based, since they serve to decrease the outside options of the firms, thus making the firms more captive in the home country at the outset. The third and final chapter of this monograph analyzes a situation where two countries compete for externality-producing firms by way of incentive-compatible regulatory mechanisms. Using a simplified version of my main model, I show that a Bertrand-like race to the bottom results, where both countries' social welfare dissipates fully in the resulting equilibrium. The main cause of this is the lack of relocation frictions for the firm, pitting the countries against one another as Bertrand competitors. I extend the model to account for a fixed preference of a firm in favor of the other country and show that in this case, the preferred country reaps this preference for its own benefit in every resulting equilibrium.
Model-based approaches to decision making in healthcare delivery
(Aalto University, 2024) Dillon, Mary; Flander, Louisa, Dr. Principal Fellow, University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Australia; Tieto ja palvelujohtamisen laitos; Department of Information and Service Management; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Vilkkumaa, Eeva, Assist. Prof., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland
Healthcare systems worldwide face escalating pressures from aging populations, advancements in pharmaceuticals and technologies, strained services, and economic constraints. Hence, robust decision-making processes are imperative to maximise population health. Mathematical modelling has proven to be a valuable tool for addressing such healthcare challenges. Recent experiences, exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, have demonstrated the effectiveness of mathematical modelling in decision-making in healthcare delivery. This thesis contributes to the advancement of model-based decision-making in healthcare with a focus on practical applicability. It leverages two healthcare domains, colorectal cancer screening and the blood supply chain, to illustrate the benefit of model-based approaches in improving costeffectiveness and resource utilisation in public healthcare delivery. One avenue for informed decision-making aimed at achieving an equitable, efficient, and high-quality healthcare system is health technology assessment; a process that employs analytical methods to evaluate the value of healthcare technologies or interventions throughout their life cycle. In this thesis, the long-term evaluation of appropriate modal of colorectal cancer screening practices and resource allocation is considered through cost-effectiveness analyses. Second, given that healthcare systems are inherently fraught with uncertainty, there exists a necessity for day-to-day decisions that remain robust in the face of the unknown. This thesis employs mathematical optimisation models to address decision-making under uncertainty, particularly within the management of blood inventories. Optimisation entails the selection of the decision alternatives to maximise a specified objective. Stochastic programming is utilised to incorporate uncertain blood demand into models that define optimal blood inventory policies. Optimisation is a powerful tool when decisions made today must remain valid into the future. In conclusion, this thesis underscores the role of model-based approaches in healthcare decisionmaking. By applying these approaches in the contexts of colorectal cancer screening and the blood supply chain, this research contributes to enhancing the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall quality of public healthcare delivery.
Exploring interventions for relational knowing and caring in management and organization studies
(Aalto University, 2024) Lafaire, Ana Paula; Kuismin, Ari, Dr., University of Jyväskylä, Finland; Huopalainen, Astrid, Dr., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Management Studies, Finland; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Moisander, Johanna, Prof., Aalto University School of Business, Department of Management Studies, Finland
The dissertation engages with feminist theory, art, and materiality to approach knowing from a relational perspective. It is comprised of a summary and four essays that together answer the research question of 'How can a relational approach to knowing foster possibilities for organizing through empathy and care?'. The first essay delves into the realm of arts-based methods in management education, specifically examining how an artistic intervention can cultivate empathy as a form of relational knowing. Focused on addressing work-related uncertainty among doctoral students during the COVID-19 pandemic, the essay highlights the limitations of normative approaches and the significance of cultivating sensitivity towards ambiguity. The second essay explores collaborative collage writing as a methodological contribution to writing differently in management and organization studies. Engaging in poetic exchanges, this collaborative writing practice disrupts self-judgment and encourages vulnerable relations. The essay positions collage writing as an empathic practice fostering embodied reflexivity and self-compassion. The third essay challenges conventional perceptions of artistic interventions by embracing the concept of 'tinkering.' Framing tinkering as an artistic intervention, the essay promotes the idea that anyone can initiate and explore artistic expressions, contributing to feminist resistance within the business school. Tinkering is presented as a means of fostering vulnerable embodied reflections and attuning to both human and non-human elements. The fourth essay centres on the organizing potential of care for orienting agencies and relations in ways that nurture interdependencies. It departs from a post-human perspective on practice theory to direct attention to how caring orientations emerged through dialogical engagements between humans and non-humans. This essay identifies competing caring orientations and sheds light on the dominance of human-centric organization and theorizing. The dissertation offers three contributions to the feminist knowledge production in management and organization studies. First, it theorizes artistic interventions as activities capable of disrupting the dominant logico-rational approach and facilitating empathic knowing to address work-related uncertainty. Second, it extends the method of collaborative collage, presenting it as an experimental writing practice that fosters empathic and embodied reflexivity. Third, it elaborates on how care can be approached as a form of organizing based on an ongoing 'call-and-response' sensitivity to the relation with the other, where needs and interests emerge rather than being predefined. Overall, this work proposes a speculative approach to researching and theorizing organizations, challenging the hegemonic knowledge production practices within the business school, and advocating for space that embraces ambiguity, difference, and multiplicity.
Three Games of Asymmetric Information
(Aalto University, 2024) Mäenpää, Eero; Välimäki, Juuso, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland; Hauser, Daniel, Assist. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland; Taloustieteen laitos; Department of Economics; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Murto, Pauli, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland
This thesis is a collection of three essays that study three different economic settings in which asymmetric information has a central role. The first essay studies the externalities that employers' selective hiring policies cause for other employers. Employers match with workers in the unemployment pool, observe noisy signals about their productivity and hire candidates with good enough signals. A high (low) threshold for acceptable signals induce strong (slight) adverse selection into the unemployment pool which may rationalize adopting a high (low) threshold, resulting in multiple equilibria. Employers are better off in an equilibrium with a high threshold, in contrast to the workers who prefer a low threshold. The model can explain statistical discrimination between demographic groups and can be adapted to other applications such as the credit market. The second essay compares the first-price and the second-price auctions in a setting where the buyers receive random outside offers after bidding but before paying for the item. The winner of the auction can costlessly default on the payment if she is offered a cheaper price. The first-price auction collects more revenue and has lower optimal reservation price under standard assumptions. The seller can benefit from setting a price ceiling along with a reservation price. In the third essay (joint with Mikael Mäkimattila), we examine start-ups' incentives to innovate, enter and compete on a market occupied by an incumbent firm which is willing to eliminate competition with buyouts. When a start-up's innovation effort and success are private, it may achieve a successful sell-out without bringing technological advancements to the market. This weakens the incentives to innovate and encourages market entry without competitive advantage. To obtain a good buyout deal, a start-up with no innovation must enter and compete aggressively as to mimic an innovative start-up. We analyze the effects of competition policy: allowing buyouts decreases innovation to an inefficiently low level, increases socially wasteful market entry and leads to inefficient production by the non-innovative start-ups. However, allowing buyouts intensifies the initial competition before a buyout.
Three Essays in Behavioral and Corporate Finance
(Aalto University, 2024) Vacca, Matteo; Ungeheuer, Michael, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Finance, Finland; Rahoituksen laitos; Department of Finance; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Keloharju, Matti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Finance, Finland
This dissertation comprises three essays in behavioral and corporate finance. The first essay examines employees' open-market purchases of own-company call options. Using data from Finland, I show that employees play an important role in the retail option market and their purchases contain price-relevant information. The second essay focuses on employee stock option (ESO) grantees. Specifically, I analyze how their outside wealth influences their decisions. I find that employees with diversified stock portfolios tend to hold on to their options longer. My results underscore the importance of external wealth in shaping the decisions of ESO grantees. Finally, the third essay examines the effect of local COVID-19 pandemic experiences on sell-side analysts' earnings forecasts. I find that analysts in areas severely affected by the pandemic tend to conform more closely to consensus forecasts. The results point to a shift in risk attitudes driven by the crisis conditions, rather than an increase in forecast pessimism. Collectively, these essays provide novel insights on the decision-making processes of individuals in the financial sector, emphasizing the role of personal and external factors in shaping financial behaviors and market outcomes.
Struggles for refugee and migrant inclusion - An ethnographic study into the practices and politics of ‘doing’ inclusion in civil society organizations
(Aalto University, 2024) Kangas-Müller, Laura; Eräranta, Kirsi, Dr., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Moisander, Johanna, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland
This dissertation examines the 'doing' of inclusion in the context of civil society organizations (CSOs) promoting the social inclusion of refugees and migrants. Extending knowledge of how practices of inclusion can foster social change is ever more pressing, yet existing studies show how organizational inclusion efforts risk becoming complicit in the logic of exclusion they seek to eradicate. Thus, broadening our understanding of these contradictions is of crucial importance. Building on an ethnographic study of three CSOs promoting the social inclusion of refugees and migrants in Berlin, Germany, this dissertation delves into the challenges and complexities inherent in the organizational practices of inclusion, as well as the struggles of organizational actors in responding to them. I address this research aim through three empirical studies. The first paper focuses on the constitution of the subject of inclusion through organizational discourse and practice and demonstrates how the intersectionally differentiated struggles for recognition and redistribution shape the inclusion project. The second paper explores how organizational actors engage in resistance as the everyday struggle to "do inclusion differently" and to challenge the constraining relations of power embedded in practices of inclusion. The third paper turns attention to care relations and practices as a site of struggle in which refugees and migrants negotiate inclusion through transformative claims-making for societal membership. The dissertation makes three main contributions to organization studies and the emerging field of critical inclusion studies. First, it broadens our understanding of the dynamics of power and politics connected to the struggles for inclusion in the socio-political context of refugee and migrant inclusion. Second, it advances knowledge of the complexities emerging from the inclusion-exclusion boundary drawing inherent in the practices of inclusion. Third, it helps us better understand the conditions of organizing inclusion in ways that can foster social change.
How environmental irresponsibility is maintained in Russian multinational enterprises through their interactions with the national and global institutional contexts
(Aalto University, 2024) Villo, Sofia; Granqvist, Nina, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Halme, Minna, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland
Despite the increasing calls for businesses to behave responsibly, corporate irresponsibility, i.e., firms' actions that cause harm to humans or nature, still recurs in different parts of the world. Part of the reason why corporate irresponsibility continues to take place is the inability of business and society studies to produce critical knowledge on the mechanisms that give rise to and maintain corporate irresponsibility – the basis for understanding whether and how corporate irresponsibility could be prevented. One of the key factors limiting the impact of business and society studies is the over-reliance of business and society scholars on the economic view of the firm. In doing so, business and society scholars have tended to consider the sources of corporate bad acts to be located almost exclusively inside the firm. As a result, the insights of business and society scholars on how corporate irresponsibility can be prevented stemmed from analytical frameworks that do not account for the systemic origins of corporate bad acts. Recently, however, calls for a contextual turn in studies of corporate irresponsibility have arisen. Scholars have been pointing out the need to acknowledge the systemic nature of corporate irresponsibility and examine harmful corporate practices within broader institutional contexts in which firms are embedded. Therefore, aiming to advance an evolving understanding of corporate irresponsibility being more than a product of corporate greed, this dissertation addresses the following overall research question: How is corporate irresponsibility maintained in Russian MNEs through their interactions with the Russian national and global institutional contexts? Empirically, this dissertation examines the environmental irresponsibility of three Russian MNEs. The dataset for this study includes interviews, observations and archival materials. The findings demonstrate corporate bad acts as perpetuated through constellations of multiple actors and valuation logics of both national and international levels.
Essays in Economics of Education and Migration
(Aalto University, 2024) Kalmbach, Aino; Terviö, Marko, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland; Huttunen, Kristiina, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland; Taloustieteen laitos; Department of Economics; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Sarvimäki, Matti, Assoc. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Economics, Finland
In the first essay, I analyse the effects of changing a student admission system such that it prioritizes admission to more-preferred schools. A reform in 2004 changed the algorithm used to match applicants to secondary schools in Finland so that applicants were granted priority points for tracks they ranked first or second. I estimate empirically the effect of this reform and use simulations to corroborate my findings. I find that the reform increased the number of applicants who were admitted to the school they ranked highest on their application. This did not, however, decrease dropout rates. The findings suggest that admission mechanisms aiming to mechanically increase the likelihood to be matched with a higher-ranked program may make applying more difficult without having positive effects on educational outcomes. In the second essay, we examine the impact of exposure to immigrants during childhood on natives' marriage behaviour when they are adults. We use extremely high-resolution spatial data on where everyone in Finland born between 1977 and 1999 grew up to calculate the share of immigrants among each individual's immediate neighbourhood, and then use naturally exogenous acrosscohort within-location variation in immigrant shares to examine the impact of childhood exposure. We show that greater immigrant contact as a child significantly increases the probability that a native will marry an immigrant as an adult. Further results suggest that changes in attitudes or preferences are likely to drive at least part of this result. The third essay analyses the challenge of recruiting and retaining high-quality professionals in the public sector. In the essay, I examine this question by analysing careers of early childhood education (ECE) teachers in Finland. Leveraging comprehensive administrative data from 2007 to 2020, I analyse teacher shortages, regional disparities, career trajectories, and compensation trends. I find persistent shortages of qualified ECE teachers, with significant proportions pursuing alternative public sector roles despite similar compensation. In contrast to previous literature on the quality of public sector services, I find no evidence that ECE teacher quality is affected by changes in the business cycle. The results suggest that factors affecting shortages are not limited to wage gaps between relevant outside options or the availability of alternative employment.
Essays on the Implications of an Employee-empowering Agile Management Approach on Management Control Elements
(Aalto University, 2024) Niemelä, Antti; van der Kolk, Berend, Assoc. Prof., Vrije Universiteit, School of Business and Economics, Netherlands; Derichs, David, Senior University Lecturer, Aalto University, School of Business, Department of Accounting, Finland; Laskentatoimen laitos; Department of Accounting; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Malmi,Teemu, Prof., Aalto University, School of Business, Department of Accounting, Finland
Organizations must adapt to constant change to ensure viability. Evolving technology, the need for innovation, changing customer behavior, and unexpected events intensify the demand for responsiveness. To improve their responsiveness to changing circumstances, organizations are adopting new management approaches and practices that influence various management control (MC) elements. One such approach that has entered the mainstream of business management is the agile method. For instance, the adoption of agile methods calls for self-managing teams, a flatter hierarchy, and the delegation of decision-making authority. While agile methods suggest greater organizational agility and one of their key features is employee empowerment, they differ significantly from more hierarchical management methods and their MC configurations. Therefore, the adoption of agile methods has implications for MC elements, such as organizational structures, routines, performance measures, incentives, and value systems. Although agile philosophy and methods are attracting interest in business world and among researchers in various fields, accounting research has so far overlooked this management phenomenon. The three essays of this dissertation address following questions: How MC elements are designed and used to promote responsiveness within an employee-empowering agile context, how non-management employees deal with tensions arising from combinations of MC elements, and how different MC systems affect employees' work motivation.
Supporting decision making in complex multiobjective problems : Practical tools and experiences from the healthcare context
(Aalto University, 2024) Neuvonen, Lauri; Liesiö, Juuso, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland; Tieto ja palvelujohtamisen laitos; Department of Information and Service Management; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Vilkkumaa, Eeva, Assist. Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Service Management, Finland
In many countries, healthcare organizations face increasing pressure for providing more services while at the same time suffering from lack of resources, both problems exacerbated by aging populations. This development highlights the importance of resource efficiency. At the same time healthcare decisions often have to take into account multiple, potentially conflicting objectives and complex dynamics. These overlapping requirements make them an interesting application area for multiobjective optimization tools. Recent developments in both computing power and algorithms have made such tools viable in supporting decision making related to healthcare problems of practical scope. This Dissertation develops multiobjective optimization approaches and explores their use in three practical healthcare decision making problems: i) mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic, ii) improving the efficiency of the Finnish colorectal cancer screening program, and iii) designing a hospital network for carrying out hip and knee replacement surgeries. These approaches help accommodate robustness considerations as well as hidden or partial information about the decision-maker's preferences. The overall focus in the approaches is on modeling the problem setting in high enough accuracy for the solutions to provide practical insights, while at the same time being able to leverage multiobjective optimization techniques in finding the most promising solutions. The contributions of this Dissertation are two-fold: First, it presents multiobjective optimization approaches, supported by other analytical techniques, that can be used to develop decision recommendations for real-life, complex healthcare decision making problems. These approaches help generate insights that would have been difficult to obtain without the use of model-based tools. A second, more general contribution of the Dissertation is the demonstration of the usability, challenges, and benefits of multiobjective optimization in supporting decision making in problems of realistic scope in the field of healthcare.
The Changing Regulatory Landscape : Implications for Corporate Disclosure, Financial Discipline, and Auditor Reporting
(Aalto University, 2024) Pham, Ly; Huikku, Jari, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Accounting, Finland; Myllymäki, Emma-Riikka, Prof., Audencia Business School, France; Sihvonen, Jukka, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Accounting, Finland; Laskentatoimen laitos; Department of Accounting; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Niemi, Lasse, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Accounting, Finland
The dissertation consists of three essays that delve into the effects of regulatory changes in three different contexts. The first essay uses the Australian setting, where two governmental bodies implemented regulations pertaining to the disclosure of the financial impact of climate risks in financial reports. The essay investigates the relationship between auditor expertise and the quality of climate risk disclosures, revealing that companies audited by auditors possessing relevant expertise are more likely to provide higher-quality climate risk disclosures. The second essay explores the impact of a regulatory change aimed at enhancing the financial performance of European football clubs and addressing the soft budget constraint problem within the industry. The findings indicate that, following the issuance of the regulation in 2009, football club profitability improved, but losses persisted. Moreover, the owners continued to inject equity, and the financial position of football clubs remained weak. Consequently, while the regulation led to some financial performance enhancement, it did not completely resolve the soft budget constraint problem. The third essay examines the consequences of a new regulation extending audit reports to include the disclosure of critical audit matters (CAMs). Specifically, the focus is on whether this regulation has influenced the value relevance of intangible assets. The results reveal that intangible assets are more value-relevant in firms where auditors have disclosed CAMs related to intangible assets. In summary, the three essays collectively suggest that the effectiveness of regulatory changes is contingent on various factors. Furthermore, successful implementation of cross-national regulations requires careful consideration of differences in enforcement mechanisms across jurisdictions.
Unearthing Different Bodies Through Experiential Consumption
(Aalto University, 2023) Padhaiskaya, Tatsiana; Bhatnagar, Kushagra, Prof., Aalto University, School of Business, Dept. Marketing, Finland; Markkinoinnin laitos; Department of Marketing; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Weijo, Henri, Prof., Aalto University, School of Business, Dept. Marketing, Finland
Consumers are becoming increasingly detached from their physical bodies. The accelerated pace of life, the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle among contemporary knowledge workers, and the prioritization of visual appearance over internal sensations are the major drivers of such detachment. Past consumer research has extensively documented how consumers problematize, control, and enhance the appearance of their bodies. However, recent studies have also emphasized consumers' increasing desire for body re-discovery. This dissertation provides a more in-depth understanding of body-related matters in consumption and sheds light on how marketplace experiences help consumers discover various aspects of their bodies. This dissertation consists of three interrelated essays. The first essay builds on the ethnographic inquiry into ultra-running and showcases how consumers develop enhanced body awareness through using various marketplace resources. Such enhanced consumer body awareness challenges previously stable relationships with brands and preferences for marketplace resources. The second essay builds on the phenomenological inquiry into the lived experience of cold-water swimmers and illuminates the experiential elements of accelerated consumer deceleration. Moreover, it highlights the role of embodied intensity in consumption experiences. The third essay also builds on the ethnographic inquiry into ultra-running and showcases how service providers help consumers discover the entactogenic and empathogenic aspects of their bodies through the orchestration of slow servicescapes. Together, the findings of the three essays provide several theoretical contributions to the literature on consumer embodiment, body rediscovery, and orchestration of consumption experiences.
Strategiatyö ja digiherätys - Strategisen muutoksen diskursiivinen rakentuminen
(Aalto University, 2023) Kevätsalo, Jukka-Pekka; Tienari, Janne, Prof., Hanken Svenska handelshögskolan, Suomi; Vaara, Eero, Prof., University of Oxford, Iso-Britannia; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Schildt, Henri, Prof., Aalto-yliopisto, Johtamisen laitos, Suomi
In this study, I examine the discursive formation of strategic change in the wake of hegemonic discourse on digitalization. Research on strategy-as-practice has focused on who engages in strategy work, how they do it, and why. Discursive strategy studies have in turn further turned attention into linguistic phenomena, i.e., how language is used to create, repeat, and reinforce social norms, identities, power relations, and changes in strategy work. However, hegemonic discourses have received less attention in these research streams. To add, studies in these streams tend to examine change that has already occurred as opposed to shedding light on the emergence of strategic change. My research contributes to the literature on strategy as discourse with a qualitative case study on strategy work of a large Finnish financial organization in the mid-2010s. The primary data consists of interviews, media articles, and over a thousand pages of strategy documents. As secondary data, I use video materials and articles about digitalization talk in financial industry. With this research, I answer to the question of how the discourse on digitalization creates strategic change in an organization's strategy work. Based on my findings, I argue that the discourse on digitalization constructs strategic change through hegemonic local interpretations in strategy practices. The discourse on digitalization received four local interpretations: an external threat, customer power, customer-oriented development, and the need to diversify. Using these digitalization interpretations, strategic changes were constructed through three modes of operation, awakening, anchoring, and operationalization. These modes of operation constructed and legitimized strategic changes both in strategy work practices and in the strategy document. Based on my research, the modes of operation appear as a polyphonic and shared social process, where actors at different levels of the organization from top management to middle management and experts create and use digitalization interpretations together. The modes of operation affected both the nature of activity and the participation of actors in strategy practices, creating and enabling strategic changes. The modes of operation also served as linguistic means to justify changes in the strategy document. At the same time, digitalization as a large, hegemonic, ambiguous discourse that had gained a legitimate position in the organization seemed to provide an opportunity to divert the attention of strategic decision-makers away from organizationally challenging topics. Through these findings, my research broadens our understanding of how hegemonic discourses function within strategy work and in emerging strategic changes.
Twittering about Digital Human Resource Management:Digital field development in the context of social media
(Aalto University, 2023) Platanou, Kalliopi; Vuorenmaa, Hertta, University Lecturer, Aalto University School of Business, Department of Management, Finland; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Mäkelä, Kristiina, Provost, Aalto University School of Business, Department of Management, Finland
Social media have revolutionized communication for individuals and organizations, redeﬁning the spatial-temporal framework of interactions and amplifying diverse voices. However, their impact on institutional ﬁelds, i.e., communities of actors who interact frequently and share a common meaning system, has received little attention. To address this, I propose the term "digital ﬁeld" to describe institutional ﬁelds that emerge within social-media contexts. To enhance understanding of digital ﬁelds, I study the development of a digital ﬁeld centered around the issue of digital Human Resource Management (digital HRM) on Twitter. Digital HRM involves the use of digital technologies to improve efﬁciency, effectiveness, and strategic orientation of HRM, offering a rich context for investigating digital ﬁelds. This dissertation comprises three essays. Essay 1 underscores the signiﬁcance of incorporating online data alongside traditional qualitative and quantitative data for the study of HRM phenomena. It also introduces analytical methods like network-text analysis. The empirical part of the dissertation leverages social-media interactions and discourse among 473 individual and organizational actors within the identiﬁed digital HRM ﬁeld on Twitter, generating 818,302 tweets and retweets, and 93,626 dyadic relationships based on their retweets. Essay 2 examines the relational structure of the digital HRM ﬁeld through retweet interactions that facilitate the ﬂow of information, identifying four roles played by key actors: information leader, information disseminator, information broker, and information inﬂuencer. It also reveals the ﬂuid and permeable nature of digital ﬁelds, with leading actors often coming from outside the boundaries of the ﬁeld and assuming multiple roles. Essay 3 delves into the social-media discourse of these actors, identifying three discursive practices: i) raising awareness of digital HRM, ii) advocating digital technologies, and iii) practicing digital HRM using Twitter as a tool. It also reveals that ﬁeld actors use various discursive practices simultaneously to try to create favorable meanings aligned with their interests. This dissertation makes several contributions. First, it offers a fresh approach to studying HRM phenomena using social-media data and methods that combine computational and qualitative traditions. Second, it sheds light on the relational structure and discursive practices that deﬁne the digital HRM ﬁeld on Twitter, emphasizing its ﬂuidity, permeability, and emergence of novel central actors. Third, it advances HRM research by identifying a broader set of actors and practices shaping the development of digital HRM through relational and discursive means.
Business for Peace: A New Paradigm for Making a Collective Living - What is Business? What is Peace? How Can, and Why Should, Business Foster Peace? A Conceptual Treatise on How the Expanded Concept of Peace Paves the Way to a New Paradigm for the 21st Century.
(Aalto University, 2023) Bauer, Tilman; Takala, Tuija, Doc., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Häyry, Matti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Management Studies, Finland
This research is a philosophical treatise on the role of business as a force for peace. The topic falls within the field of business and society, the normative intention being to make business a force for good. This requires delving deep into the question of what the purpose of business is, as profit maximization, the traditional answer, is likely the cause of global problems that we face. Alternative answers have provided only weak and conceptually empty answers. The terms "positive impact", "sustainability", and "responsibility" are widely used as attempts to mitigate the negative impacts of business, but their adequacy in offering substantial solutions related to the complexities of the business-society relationship is questioned. While these terms acknowledge the need to contribute to societal wellbeing and environmental preservation, they ultimately fall short in capturing the broader scope and depth of the challenges we face. With an elaborate set of arguments deduced from peace research, we may state that peace can be seen as the substance of any positive impact. Therefore, if we want business to create a positive impact, we should study how business can foster peace. This research advocates for a paradigm shift toward a more holistic understanding of business that places peace at its core through the following research questions: 1) What is business? 2) What is peace? 3) How are the concepts of business and peace connected? 4) What are the main criteria for a new paradigm for business, if we accept that the purpose of business is to foster peace? 5) How can business foster peace? The study has shown that "business" and "purpose" are intrinsically connected. The key question comes down to the following: What is the purpose of business, and what does "creating positive impact" actually mean? The findings indicate that peace can be divided into three levels: weak, strong, and holistic peace. These levels can be construed as the substance of lower or higher levels of positive impact and as a "ladder of morality", where attention is shifted away from merely not being unethical to being more ethical. In view of the historical and contemporary nexus of business and peace, I argue that the idea that business is about maximizing profits is a misunderstanding, as historically the idea of business fostering peace was accepted. By addressing the contemporary role of business in fostering peace on the micro-level, i.e., from the perspective of individual companies and their multidimensional potential to contribute to peace, this study provides a framework for business to contribute meaningfully to the betterment of society, including nature, and promote a more sustainable and peaceful future. In doing so, the main hypothesis of the study, that peace is the purpose of business, is confirmed. Therefore, Business for Peace is proposed as a new paradigm within management theory. As for practical implications for management, a Business Peace Index is devised to answer the question of how business can foster peace.

Browse

Recent Submissions