Project Summaries

The summary includes a short description of the project as well as the name of the contact person and the time scale. Most completed projects have a link to the results. Links to other information resources are also provided. E-mail addresses are in name.surname -form, remove the a- and o-dots.

Agri-Food Roadmap, AFORO

Contact Person: Pauliina Lehtimäki

Aim of the project: EU –funded project, which aims to create a vision and a plan on how the latest communication- and informationtechnology can be utilized in the agriculture and foor industry.

Time scale: 2002 - 2003

Link to the project results: AFORO

AMI@Netfood

Contact Person: Mikko Ruohonen (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project: The purpose of this paneuropean research program is to support the creation of the European Research Area in the field of IT for agri-food. It has 13 european partners, with School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tampere as the main coordinator in Finland.

Time scale: 2005 - 2006

More information: AMI@Netfood

Attraction in online communities

Contact Person: Maria Mäntymäki (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project: This study represents a starting point in studying company online communities from the relationship marketing perspective. Since attraction is considered as a central concept enabling to understand reasons why visitors visit company online communities, this study concentrates on attraction in the online community context. Thus, the purpose of the study is to explore attraction in company online communities from both the maintainers’ and the visitors’ viewpoints.

Online communities are approached from the perspective of relationship marketing theories. Case study approach has been chosen due to the complexity and newness of the phenomenon.

Time scale: 2002 - 2006

Business Intelligence in Improving the Visibility of Business Processes (VisiPro)

Contact Person: Virpi Pirttimäki (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
At the beginning of 2004, the Institute of Business Information Management launched a new research project on 'Business Intelligence Processes and Technologies in Improving the Visibility of Business Processes and Value Networks' (VisiPro). In addition to the Institute of Business Information Management, the Institute of Transportation Engineering and eBusiness Research Center participate in the implementation of the research project.

The main objective of the research is to create a model of an effective business intelligence process. The research is based on a literature study and especially on case studies in six Finnish companies. The research project is mainly funded by Tekes (the National Technology Agency). Tekes is the main public financing and expert organization for research and technological development in Finland. In addition to Tekes, the case companies carry the part of costs. The research project extends two years.

Business intelligence (BI) plays a central role in producing up-to-date information for operative and strategic decision-making. In this research project, the business intelligence concept is understood as an organized and systematic process by which organizations acquire, analyze, and disseminate information significant to their business activities.

Time scale: 2004 - 2005

eBRC Research Report 21

Publications (pdf-format)

More information: VisiPro

Business ethics and stakeholder strategy

Contact Person: Johanna Kujala

Aim of the project:
The project discusses business ethics and moral from the perspectives of stakeholder theory and moral decision making. The key research question is, how managements attitudes towards moral issues change over time. In addition, the project aims to develop more comprehensive measures for moral decision making as well as framework for minding management to help companies to create and develop stakeholder strategy.

Time scale: 2003

Business Intelligence in Finnish large-scale enterprises 2002 - BI-study

Contact Person: Virpi Pirttimäki

Aim of the project:
The aim of this research was to clarify how broadly and in what ways Business Intelligence is applied at the moment in 50 large-scale enterprises in Finland. The outcome was that most of the companies collect and analyze business information systematically. Many of the companies have started Business intelligence because refined data is needed for development and decisionmaking.

Time scale: 2002

eBRC Research report 4

Publications (pdf-format)

Connect Baltic Sea Region Plus - CBSRPluss

Contact Person: Lea Vakkari (a)ledi.fi

Aim of the project:
The overall objective of CBSR is to stimulate new firms and job creation in knowledge intensive sectors, by linking entrepreneurs and innovators with R&D, service providers, venture capitalists and partners. CBSR seeks to reduce the transactions costs between the entrepreneur and venture capital (which increases with knowledge intensive start-ups). Connect organisations involved in CBSR seeks through their main activity, springboards (relevant experts evaluate business plans through panel discussions), to help the entrepreneur to develop business plans that satisfy and holds the standards needed in order to attract venture capital. A main objective is to develop the Connect concept to a brand which implies that any business plan presented to venture capitalists is perceived of having high quality. Companies present themselves in national and international events organised by the Connect organisations in partnership with public and private organisations. Major venture capitalists are present at these events. All experts involved in the Connect networks work on a voluntary basis.

Time scale: 2004 - 2007

Digital Business Ecosystem (DBE)

Contact Person: Tommi Rissanen (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
The aim of this EU-funded IP-project is to develop and implement new generation software infrastructures and services to form a dynamic and cost efficient eBusiness service platform for SMEs. The project facilitates the utilization of Internet technologies in SMEs and creates new ways to operate for European software industry.

Time scale: 2003 - 2006

More information: DBE

eAccounting

Contact Person: Kati Kouhia-Kuusisto

Aim of the project: Practical research and development project, which consists of two parts: national research project and local development project.

Time scale: Survey has been conducted November-December 2001 by mail. The survey was sent to approximately 4000 small and medium-sized enterprises.The development phase started in spring 2002 in cooperation with local small and medium-sized enterprises and Tampere Polytechnics.

Link to the project results: eAccounting

eBanking

Contact Person: Harri Kulmala

Time scale: 2002-2003

eBRF 2001, eBRF 2002, eBRF 2003, eBRF 2004, eBRF 2005, ICEB + eBRF 2006

Contact Person: Johanna Tommila

Aim of the project: e-Business Research Forum (eBRF) is an annual research conference which offers a forum for presenting work-in-progress reports of current research projects. eBRF also represents a new “border-crossing” e-business research conference: a platform to discuss the state of the art, present on-going reserch, and create new ways and means of co-operation with fellow researchers, practitioners, and research financers.

Time scale: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

eEnterprise

Contact Person: Jonne Karvonen

Aim of the project: The aim of this project is to create a business model for productive research and development environment of e-business. The project will generate a model company, eEnterprise, which operations include production, research and education. Its main purpose is serve the industry, research and educational institutions as well as regional commercial policy.

Time scale: 2002

E-Forum

Contact Person: Tommi Rasila

Aim of the project: eForum is a part of European Unions eContent-program, which is aimed at developing operational preconditions for digital content provider companies.

Time scale: 2001

eInsurance

Contact Person: Aki Ahonen (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:

1. Risks in e-business and managing these risks with insurances or other ways. New risks created by innovations and managing them.
2. e-business as a strategic competitive weapon in insurance business
3. laws and other juridical aspects in insurance e-business

Time scale: 2003->

More information: einsurance.ebrc.info

Electricity Network Business Development

Contact Person: Hannu Jungman (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
In the shift of measuring electricity consumption by traditional measures towards automated distance measurement, local electricity companies have to analyze the profitability of investing in new technology. Tampere University of Technology researchers build new cost calculation models for networked electricity production and measurement services. The project helps especially public sector electricity companies in analyzing the benefits and costs of outsourcing certain parts of their current customer service.

Time scale: 2004-2005

Electronization of Business - Present state, future challenges and need for national strategy in Finland

Contact Person: Tommi Rissanen (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:
Present state and future challenges of the electronization of business in Finnish companies. An initiative of the Ministry of Trade and Industry to resolve whether or not there is a need for national strategy in the field of electronization of business.

Time scale: 2004-2005

Project report:
Liiketoiminnan sähköistyminen: nykytila, tulevaisuuden haasteet ja tarve kansalliselle strategialle (pdf-format, in Finnish)

eManufacturing

Contact Person: Reijo Tuokko

Aim of the project: eManufacturing is a method which combines the operations models of e-business and company-level information technology in to a effective operations model of the future.

Time scale: 2001 - 2003

eYrityspalvelu (eBusiness Service)

Contact person: Teppo Sulonen (a)etampere.fi

Aim of the project:
The goal of eYrityspalvelu (eBusiness Service) is to increase the use of experts in order to facilitate the implementation of ebusiness. eYrityspalvelu increases the demans of electronic services and products and brings more customers and revenue for the producers.

Time scale: 2003->

More information: eYrityspalvelu

Financial controlling in integrated Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP)

Contact Person: Timo Hyvönen (a)uta.fi

Time scale: 2001 - 2005

IC Toolbox

Contact Person: Paula Mettälä (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
This project examines the management of intellectual capital (IC) and the role of IC in productivity development. The project is mainly funded by Tykes, the workplace development programme of Finnish Ministry of Labour.

Time scale: 2004 - 2007

More information: IC Toolbox

ICT innovations in commerce

Contact Person: Virpi Kaivonen

Aim of the project: A roadmap study to find the weigh points of innovative applications in the field of commerce. (especially mobile technology)

Time scale: 2005

eBRC Research report 20

Information system development in retailer´s value chain

Contact Person: Marko Mäkipää (a)uta.fi

Time scale: 2004 - 2005

Kehityksestä kasvuun (From Development to Growth)

Contact Person: Karri Ahonen

Time scale: 2004

LIVE - Verkostojen toiminnanohjauksen nykytilan analyysi

Contact person: Ilkka Kouri

Aim of the project:
The goal of this research was to clarify and analyze the current state of operations management and the future trends in Finnish productive parcelled goods industry.

Aikataulu: 2003

eBRC Research report 8

Managing Open Source Software as an Integrated Part of Business - OSSI

Contact Person: Maria Antikainen (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
Managing Open Source Software as an Integrated Part of Business (OSSI) is a multi-disciplinary research project between four Finnish universities and 10 companies, funded by Tekes - National Technology Agency of Finland.

OSSI aims to build a management framework providing answers to companies’ practical challenges such as how to optimally utilize Open Source Software and when should you go - or not go - into OSS business.

Time scale: 2005-2007

eBRC Research Report 33

More information: OSSI

Managing the crises 1900-2000

Contact Persons: Juha Näsi

Aim of the project:
The project aims to construct a firm level analysis of strategic problems in crisis. The focus is on the reactions and strategies of top level management. Three management competence patterns are focused on:

1. turnaround
2. institutional
3. technological management. The research subjects are some of the largest Finnish corporations in various branches of industries. These will be analyzed with long-term case studies and with comparative methods.

Time scale: 2003-2004

Mogame

Contact Person: Tommi Rissanen (a)uta.fi

Time scale: 2003-2004

Neighbourhood TV - Delivering local and community consumer services in digital television

Contact Person: Hanna-Elina Koskela (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:
The Neighbourhood TV (LähiTV) project incorporates regional and community-oriented services and programming content into a digital television service concept. In addition to local commercial and public content, citizens are invited to produce their own material. Services from different service providers are syndicated in a platform that enables their use with various terminal devices. The overall purpose is to create a useful local channel that combines topical and entertaining programming with easy-to-use services and attracts return viewers.

Time scale: 2004-2006

More information: Neighbourhood TV

Osaa eBisnes –development program

Contact Person: Mika Vainio

Aim of the project:
Enhancing of e-business knowledge level by education and consulting in the Pirkanmaa region. Methods: company-specific consultations of different scale, broad education programs (www.uta.fi/tyt/prokon/eliiktal.html ) and separate seminars.

Time scale: 2001 - 2003

Link to the project results: Osaa eBisnes

Outsourcing services of public organisations

Contact Person: Lea Ahoniemi (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:
e-business development, evaluation of core business models.

Time scale: 2003-2004

Overcoming the Competence Gap

Contact Person: Jussi Okkonen (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
In Finnish organizations, the largest age group is in the near future retiring and taking great amount of valuable competence and experience with them as they retire. This is a significant problem especially for the public sector organizations, because of the age structure of their workforce. The program examines the situation of this current topic in Finland in order to maintain the daily functions and competitiveness of public organizations. In this preliminary research project, the aim is to clarify the status and impacts of the threatening competence gap and possible solutions for it. Besides the project report, also a new research plan will be prepared. Hopefully this preliminary research will be continued and the solutions for competence management made more concrete in a forthcoming project with case organizations.

Time scale: 2005

Performance measurement in knowledge intensive organizations

Contact Person: Antti Lönnqvist

Aim of the project: The aim of the project is to develop practical performance measurement tools for knowledge intensive organizations

Time scale: 2001 - 2003

Link to the project results: OSKU

Publications (pdf-format)

Performance Measurement in Knowledge Work Context, ASMO

Contact Person: Jussi Okkonen (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
The aim is to examine performance measurement in knowledge work context and to create a model for measuring it and also to build a projectmodel for the building and implementation of these indicators.

Time scale: 2002 - 2005

eBRC Research report 9
eBRC Research Report 24
eBRC Research Report 32

Publications (pdf-format)

Students' on-line behaviour

Contact Person: Mika Hannula

Aim of the project: This study investigates the online purchase behavior of a key segment of the population, the university-aged students, from the two countries having the highest potential in e-commerce in the world: Finland and the United States.

Time scale: 2003

eBRC Research report 7

Revenue generation models in Digital Television

Contact Person: Tommi Pelkonen

Aim of the project: The aim of the project is to study the change in the competitive environment created by the new communications act in the business field of digital television production and related value added services

Partners: Ortikon Interactive Oy, Ministry of Transport and Communications Finland

Time scale: 2002

eBRC Research report 2

Revenue generation models in Digital Television

Contact Person: Tommi Rissanen (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:
This project is a further study for the project carried out in 2002. The goal is to reach the level of concrete costs, earnings and market potential.

Time scale: 2004

eBRC Research Report from the earlier project

Social Meanings Of Consumption

Contact Person: Minttu Lampinen (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:
Products acquire social meanings, because there is a relationship between society and products that individuals consume. With social meanings consumers communicate their association with objects both to self and others. The importance of consumption for social classification has been amply documented in previous research. However, the ways in which language is used to construct social meanings has received less attention. My research problem is: How consumers engage in linguistic activities to construct social meanings of consumption?

The research data is from five focus groups. The participants were both users and non-users of Nokia 9210 Communicator. The analytical concepts for data analysis stand at the centre of critical discursive psychology. The data analysis led to the construction of three interpretative repertoires, which are:

The consumption of communicator has dilemmatic social meanings. Social meanings are used to negotiate social acceptance for individual consumption of communicator. Discrepancies about the social meanings create social pressure for the consumption of the communicator.

Time scale: 2000 - 2004

Tampere University Dissertations

St. Petersburg - Tampere Knowledge Society Partnership

Contact Person: Esa Kokkonen (a)tt.tampere.fi

Aim of the project:
The aim of the program is to tighten the partnership between Tampere and St. Petersburg within the framework of eEurope, eRussia and Northern Dimension programs and as a part of eTampere and e-St. Petersburg programs. A concrete goal is to build a project portfolio of independent research, development and company projects, which have responsible actors from both private and public sectors and who with their interaction contribute to the information society development of both cities.

Time scale: 2002 - 2005

The current e-business state in the SMEs in the Pirkanmaa region

Contact Person: Eeva Salminen

Aim of the project: The aim of the porject is to increase understanding of the current e-business state, obstacles in adopting e-business strategies, attitudes towards e-business and opinions on possible e-business support concepts among the SMEs in the Pirkanmaa region.

Partners:

Time scale: 2002

The Forming of Business Strategy and Legal Models in ASP Business

Contact Person: Markku Lampola

Aim of the project: The aim of this research project is to clarify important factors concerning the understanding and control of a value network. A strategic view from the viewpoint of Finnish software industry will be created.

Time scale: 2002 - 2003

The Role of e-Business For Competitive Advantage in the Transforming European Food and Non-food Retail Business

Contact Person: Richard Windischhofer

Aim of the project:The aim of the project is to find out what effects the e-channels (internet and mobile business) have in the additional value created in retail trade.

Time scale: 2002

eBRC Research report 5

TIP Research Program

Contact Person: Professor Marjatta Maula (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
The central objective of TIP research program is to analyze the renewal capability of knowledge intensive service firms.

Time scale: 2003 - 2006

eBRC Research Report 14
eBRC Research Report 15
eBRC Research Report 16
eBRC Research Report 17
eBRC Research Report 18
eBRC Research Report 25
eBRC Research Report 26
eBRC Research Report 27
eBRC Research Report 28

Publications (pdf-format)

More information: TIP

Tupas

Contact Person: Tommi Rissanen (a)uta.fi

Aim of the project:
Development of a new instrument "TUPAS" which aims at transferral of the research results to SME's. The pilot is aimed for mobile business.

Time scale: 2004-

More information: Mobile-TUPAS (in Finnish)

Veikkonet

Contact Person: Tommi Rissanen (a)uta.fi.fi

Aim of the project:
The aim of this research project is to develop a web based culture and leisure information service for the city of Tampere

Time scale: 2004-2006

V2C - Building Business from Venture to Capital

Contact Person: Hannu Jungman (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:

New actors have emerged to bridge the gap between the increasingly knowledge-intensive new venture activity and increasingly capital-intensive venture capital industry. The players doing business from venture to capital – referred to herein as venture to capital or V2C players – include business angels, various advisors, incubators, government seed capital programmes, and other public sector initiatives. Despite these players, new business does not emerge from prospects to profitability according to expectations. In the V2C research programme, the dynamics among the stakeholders of the growth company is examined and new, more efficient V2C operating models – to breed new business – are developed and tested. The research programme seeks to clarify the terminology of the field and produce new tools to enhance co-operation between the stakeholders of the growth company process.

The study will utilise a wide range of methods from literature reviews, field interviews and quantitative analyses to case studies. The program is expected to result in, besides increased business competence and co-operation, 1) a book under the working name "From Idea to Venture, from Venture to Capital", 2) annual V2C Forum conferences, 3) V2C study course program benefiting both academy and practice, 4) doctoral dissertations, 5) new V2C operating models, 6) reports supporting economic policy-making, and 7) a global V2C network.

Time scale: 2003-2005

eBRC Research Report 23
eBRC Research Report 29
eBRC Research Report 30

Publications (pdf-format)

V2C definitions and models

Contact Person: Tommi Rasila

Aim of the project:The project aims at defining the Venture-to-Capital (V2C), setting its terminology and working models, hence opening it for further research as a new paradigm. As such, V2C combines the traditional disciplines of Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, Ownership and Management, while 'physically' V2C area lies in the early stage of a venture, starting from its foundation and until it is eligible for venture capital investment.

Time scale: 2001-2004

eBRC Research report 11

V2C Forum 2004

Contact Person: Hannu Jungman (a)tut.fi

Aim of the project:
V2C Forum is an annual meeting place for growth-oriented entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, various private and public sector V2C players, as well as policy makers and researchers dedicated to pushing ventures to capital.

More information: V2C Forum 2004

Time scale: 2004

V2C-Silicon Valley

Contact Person: Hannu Jungman

Aim of the project:The aim of this research is to compare the growth resource allocation of promising ventures, who are not yet investable (venture capital), in the Tampere and Silicon Valley areas. The resource allocation covers financial investments as well as investment related to business knowledge.

Time scale: 2002 - 2003