The University of Vaasa Management Institute

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MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

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All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they currently get. If you want different results, you must change the way the organi-zation thinks and does things. Our researchers and expertsmay be able to help.

Henri Hakala, Director of the Vaasa Management Institute

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The University of Vaasa

Management InstituteThe Vaasa Management Institute is an organization set up in 2012 to develop the quality of study and impact made by the University of Vaasa in the fi eld of manage-ment research and education. The Institute integrates the management research and education conducted within the different faculties, departments and research groups within the university. The Institute also builds links with the international research community and develops partner-ships with businesses and other organizations that could benefi t from its management research fi ndings.

The University of Vaasa is a multidisciplinary university offering degrees at all academic levels from Bachelor’s degrees to Doctorates. The waterside campus offers a modern study environment for 5000 students in three faculties: Business, Technology and Philosophy. The Uni-versity of Vaasa produces graduates who are experts and leaders with an international orientation. The research conducted at the university provides new knowledge that contributes to organizational leadership and process man-agement, as well as to the development of modern and sustainable practices.

The University of Vaasa is the second largest provider of university-level business education in Finland. The busi-ness and management studies elements feature increas-ingly in degrees in technology and philosophy, making

Vaasa a truly business oriented university. Management studies is a recognized strength and focus area of the research conducted within the university (others being fi -nance, energy technology and multilingualism).

The following pages will introduce the research groups, education and some other activities conducted under the umbrella of the Management Institute. The aim of this booklet is to introduce the main themes and interest areas affecting the Management Institute, rather than to serve as a report on its activities, and so inevitably a good deal of information has had to be omitted.

The function of the Vaasa Management Institute is to pro-mote research on management and education that spans faculty and organizational boundaries in cooperation with its Finnish and international partners. To do so the Institute draws its staff from all the university faculties and units working on management topics.

We arrange or coordinate numerous events, research projects and training programmes every year. Infor-mation on the latest developments, activities, projects and events is available on the university web pages at www.uva.fi and in the Institute’s dedicated section of the University of Vaasa website at www.vmi.fi .

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The Management Institute advances the development of the best management research, practice and training in Finland. This brochure offers some examples of how it does so.

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Research groups ...........................................6Human Resource Management Research Group .................................................................. 8

The Networked Value Systems Research Group ......10Personality Approach to Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Research Group ................12

SCR-Research ..................................................................13Practices and Discourses of Management -research group .................................................................14

The Deliberative Welfare Policy Research Group .....16

The International Marketing Research Group ............18The Consumption Research and Customer Value Creation Research Group ...................................19

Intangible Capital Research Group ..............................20Business Law, Information and Knowledge Research Group ..........................................22

Regional Development in a Globalizing World ..........24

Research into practice ..............................26

Into Practice Through Projects ............................... 28

LÄIKE ...................................................................................29

VIPSE ..................................................................................29

Future Centre for the Energy Cluster ...........................30

The Future of Industrial Services ...................................30

RESPONSE ......................................................................32

ADVENTURE .....................................................................32

Hybridization mergers public and private ....................32

The Citizens Voice ............................................................33

Public management and ethics .....................................33

Value Creation in growth .................................................33

VERA ...................................................................................34

Born Globals ......................................................................34

BoWer .................................................................................34

Commissioned research ........................................... 35

Into practice through education .............36

Degree Level Education ............................................ 38

Executive Education ................................................. 39

Short courses ............................................................... 40

MBA programmes ....................................................... 41

The MBA for the energy sector .....................................41

The Entrepreneurial MBA ................................................41

The Open University ................................................... 42

Table of contents

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Research groups

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Research areas: International HRM, Strategic HRM and Leadership

HRM And Performance

The Changing Role Of The HR Department

Organizational Learning And

Knowledge Management

Managing WorkforceDiversity

INTER-NATIONAL HUMAN

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIPLeadership Development

Leader-Follower Relationships and Their

Refl ections

Leadership in Complex Organizations

Managing Expatriation, Mobility and Global Careers

Managing Human Resources in

Multinational Firms

Managing Expatriation Mobility and Global

Careers

Human Resource Management Research Group

The Human Resource Management research group is Finland’s largest research group focusing on human resource management.

The group produces high quality research on a variety of human resource management (HRM) issues that compa-nies can utilize to improve their competitiveness, through the creation of a skilled and committed workforce, and via more effective HRM processes that support strategic ob-jectives. It also carries out research-based development programmes in companies and public sector organiza-tions.

The research group undertakes joint research projects with other prestigious domestic and international uni-versities, as well as with leading companies and profes-sional development networks. The projects combine both the group’s scientifi c expertise in HRM and a focus on practical relevance. The main focus areas of the group’s research are international HRM, strategic HRM and lead-ership.

The research on international HRM (IHRM) addresses the key issues that confront individuals and fi rms when operating in a globalized and diverse business environ-ment. In terms of fi rms and the international HR function, this includes responsibilities that extend from managing expatriation and cross-cultural teams to the management of strategic IHRM activities – for example, the global co-ordination of HRM practices and processes, the instilling of corporate values that provide meaning across different national cultures, and the nurturing of networks that facil-itate organizational learning, knowledge and talent fl ows across borders. In terms of individuals, the research on IHRM concentrates on the lived experiences of expatri-ates and issues such as careers, stress and work-life bal-ance that present signifi cant challenges to many for whom travel and living abroad is a large part of their work.

The group’s research on International HRM focuses on three key issues:

E Managing Human Resources in Multinational Firms

E Managing Expatriation, Mobility and Global Careers

E Managing Workforce Diversity

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Leadership development is a complex process, where knowledge accumulates through training and education, as well as through experiential learning and personal growth. Development involves changing skills, knowledge, attitudes or behaviour. There are different approaches to leadership development. They can be viewed as a con-tinuum between a process of acquiring skills with little emphasis on deeper understanding, and a process of constructing mental models appropriate for interpreting organizational phenomena with little importance attached to concrete skills. The core issues the group is interested in concern the relation between the learning process and the potential of different development methods to support this process.

The research group is headed by Professor Riitta Viitala.

The Strategic HRM (SHRM) research area focuses on the strategic role of HR and the changing role of HR profes-sionals. The research also focuses on core HRM practic-es, employee wellbeing, the HRM-performance relation-ship, and HRM measurement. The research on SHRM is takes a particular interest in HRM practices in a broader sense, which includes issues such as supervisory support and competence management.

The group’s research on Strategic HRM focuses on four key issues:

E HRM and performance

E The changing role of the HR function

E Job wellbeing

E Organizational learning and knowledge management

Research on leadership is embedded in the group’s HRM research, but extends to include collegial forms of leader-ship, shared leadership, the leadership practices of man-agers, leadership in complex and creative organizations and leadership development.

The group’s leadership research focuses on two main areas:

E Leadership in complex organizations

E Leadership development

The group understands leadership as an ongoing organi-zational process that involves both leaders and followers, and the organizational frames such as a leadership culture. Leadership is therefore a complex relational phenomenon that must be examined in social, cultural and historical contexts. The perspectives examined in the group’s lead-ership research include the levels of an individual leader, a dyadic relationship between a leader and a follower, a group, a community, an organization, an industry and also national and global contexts. Leadership culture is studied in the relationship between leaders and subordinates, in the work and behaviour of work communities, and through processes, power structures, language, and narratives.

Management comes with a great responsi-bility. People management - leadership,should be at the core of any successful organization.

Riitta Viitala Professor Faculty of Business Studies, Management

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The Networked Value Systems

The research programme studies strategies, processes and practices within industrial value systems, networks and fi rms. The programme also utilizes theories of stra-tegic and operations management, and aims to develop both theory and practice.

The group’s infl uence extends to the international scien-tifi c community through high quality publications, but its members also utilize and develop scientifi c knowledge in cooperation with their partners from industry. In addition, the NeVS research group are active educators, running Master’s and Doctoral degree courses on strategic man-agement, growth management and industrial manage-ment. The research group combines theory and practice in creative ways throughout its activities.

The NeVS programme has three focus areas:

E networks and interorganizational relationships

E strategy and strategy-making processes

E service business

Under the network theme, the main research interests add to our knowledge on:

E the role of relationship integration within industrial value systems

E the role of networking capabilities as part of a fi rm’s competence profi le

E the impact of early supplier involvement (ESI) in a customer’s new product processes

E cooperation vs. competition in business relationships

E decision-support systems and keyperformance indicators

E dispersed operations networks

With regard to strategy and strategy-making processes the main interests are:

E strategic capabilities

E strategy as practice

E strategic learning

E strategic orientations

The service business research stream addresses service business concepts in industrial companies:

E the scope of industrial service business

E service interactions in industrial networks and cus-tomer relationships

E servitization of industrial manufacturing businesses

E system integration and provision of solutions

The NeVS program is headed by Professor Petri Helo (Industrial Management) and Professor Marko Kohtamäki (Department of Management).

The Networked Value Systems (NeVS) research group runs a multidisciplinary research programme that combines both strategic management and operations management capabilities.

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Strategies are not crafted in isolation – but through participative processes involving intra- and interorganizational partners.

Marko Kohtamäki, ProfessorFaculty of Business Studies, Management

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The world has changed from the old, safe and stable management environmentand now the companies would need more diverse leadership material..

Vesa Routamaa, ProfessorFaculty of Business Studies, Management

The group is known both nationally and internationally for its application of Jungian typology and the MBTI in the fi elds of management, leadership, human resource man-agement, cross-cultural management, and entrepreneur-ship as well as entrepreneurial education. That is, the re-search is of practical use in developing the core themes of management and organization. The group’s fi ndings are valued by educational institutions in their teaching pro-grams and by a variety of other organizations.

In addition to having the only MBTI type indicator vali-dated the Finnish cultural context, the group a very ex-tensive repertoire of other validated methods to measure personality, leadership styles, learning styles, motivation and needs, team behaviour, stress, etc. The group also has a broad selection of other validated methods and in-dicators as well as applied studies in management and organization. Additionally, the group has long experience in research of to call upon entrepreneurial development in theory and practice, and has pioneered in entrepreneurial education in Finland.

The group’s research scope is international, and it has become a leading player and productive partner in the in-ternational research community in its core subject area. Members of the group organize conferences in their inter-national networks, contribute articles to scientifi c journals, and issue referee statements for those journals. In addition to postdoctoral and doctoral researchers from the Uni-versity of Vaasa, the group includes members from other Finnish universities and from universities abroad.

The theory based validated methods are constantly ap-plied by the group members in developing private and public sector organizations. That is, the research results are used in practice, and the experiences of practical de-velopment are relayed to university students, participants on training courses and client organizations.

Personality Approach to Leadership and Organizational Behavior Research Group

The Personality Approach to Leadership and Organizational Behavior (PALO) research group produces innovative and applied research in the � eld of organizational behavior.

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SCR-Research

SCR-Research is an innovation and industrial management research group of the University of Vaasa located in Lapua.

PALO’s ongoing research:

Research related to personality and organiza-tional behavior:

E Leadership, motivation, creativity, learn-ing styles, self-knowledge in general, recruiting, teams, stress and exhaustion, academic and career success, entrepreneurship, sustainable manage-ment.

Research related to cultures and personality:

E Cultural sensitivity

E Cultural intelligence

E Cultures, values and personality

E Managers’ personality types in different cultures

E Leadership in cultural contexts

E Expatriate integration

E Multicultural teams

E Psychological capital and personality in different countries

The research group is headed by Professor Vesa Routamaa.

The core research areas of SC-Research include service innova-tion, user driven innovation, innovation policy as well as IP protec-tion and management. In these areas SC-Research has established an international reputation as one of the leading research groups. The extensive partner network of SC-Research includes MIT Sloan School of Management, the Chinese Academy of Science, Aalto University, VTT, Helsinki University, and a number of other universi-ties, research centres and businesses. Major international corpora-tions and organizations such as the European Commission, several government agencies, the OECD, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are also among the research partners and sponsors.

The multidisciplinary SCR-team seeks to resolve a wide range of policy and business situations, with a special focus on innovation and technology studies in areas such as:

E Open- and user-innovation, value co-creation with users

E Innovation management tools and business model innovations

E Entrepreneurship and small business studies

E Knowledge intensive services and service innovations

E Technology-based services and manufacturing related services

E Intellectual property management and IP based business models

E Innovation policy and systemic innovations

The research group is headed by Dr Jari Kuusisto.

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SCR-Research

SCR-Research is an innovation and industrial management research group of the University of Vaasa located in Lapua.

The core research areas of SC-Research include service innova-tion, user driven innovation, innovation policy as well as IP protec-tion and management. In these areas SC-Research has established an international reputation as one of the leading research groups. The extensive partner network of SC-Research includes MIT Sloan School of Management, the Chinese Academy of Science, Aalto University, VTT, Helsinki University, and a number of other universi-ties, research centres and businesses. Major international corpora-tions and organizations such as the European Commission, several government agencies, the OECD, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are also among the research partners and sponsors.

The multidisciplinary SCR-team seeks to resolve a wide range of policy and business situations, with a special focus on innovation and technology studies in areas such as:

E Open- and user-innovation, value co-creation with users

E Innovation management tools and business model innovations

E Entrepreneurship and small business studies

E Knowledge intensive services and service innovations

E Technology-based services and manufacturing related services

E Intellectual property management and IP based business models

E Innovation policy and systemic innovations

The research group is headed by Dr Jari Kuusisto.

Innovation management

cannot ignore the challenges and potential of open- and user innovation

Jari Kuusisto, Director, SCR-Research

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Objectives of the research group

The research group understands management as human interaction that is framed by complex cultural and so-cial factors. As a result of New Public Management and New Governance, public sector management has gone through a transformation that has created closer links to the private sector. Generic management theories cannot encompass all the relevant aspects of public sector mana-gement. The link to politics, the great importance of legal norms, and public ethos as the motivational base of public activity are prime examples of the distinctiveness of pub-lic sector management. A key objective of the research group is to explain the form of public sector management,

its distinctive features and its outcomes. Most empirical research deals with rational practices in an environment characterized by uncertainty, imperfect information and the existence of demanding ethical challenges. The com-position of the research group enables it to concentrate on narratives and discourses as mechanisms of sense-making, and to challenge the assumption of mainstream management studies that rationality and purpose precede action. Members of the research group share the aspira-tion of social humanism to advance democratic, noncoer-cive and ethical practices in management.

Practices and Discourses of Management -research group

The Practices and Discourses of Management -research group combines theories, methods and approaches to the empirical study of management from the � elds of administrative sciences and languages and communication. The focus is on the study of public sector management and management of hybrid organizations.

Generic management theories are only partially usablein the study of public sector management.

Esa Hyyryläinen, ProfessorFaculty of Philosophy, Public Management

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Composition of the research group

The research group has been organized into four teams:

1. The Managerial Ethics Team concentrates on

E Ethical governance and leadership

E Integrity of public managers and

E Combating administrative corruption

The focus of the team is on issues and challenges specifi c to Finland and other countries with relatively low levels of “hard” corruption. The team deals mostly with ethical controversy. It evaluates for instance ben-efi cial networking versus “old boys’ networks” and other examples of distorted networking, the offering of hospitality and gifts versus bribery, and loyalty and commitment to an organization against the practice of whistleblowing. The group’s main objective is to es-tablish what constitutes good governance and ethical management practices in public organizations. The team is headed by Professor Ari Salminen.

2. The Comparative Administration and Organi-zation Research Team focuses on the demarca-tion of public administration and public management in a world where formal administrative borders and the jurisdictions based on them are less signifi cant than they once were. The team examines the interac-tion and dependencies between governments (e.g. the effects of the transnational public management reform discourse) and between public and private forprofi t or nonprofi t organizations (e.g. the emer-gence of different types of hybrid organizations). The team is headed by Professor Esa Hyyryläinen.

3. The Knowledge and Action in Specialized Com-munication Team aims to understand how knowledge is used in different organizational contexts. The team concentrates on that specialized knowledge created, used, maintained, and renewed by various profession-al communities. The research done by the team mem-bers underlines the growing importance of specialized knowledge and communication at all levels of modern society. The team is headed by Professor Merja Koskela.

4. The Bilingualism and Communication in Organi-zation Team concentrates on the bilingual and mul-tilingual communication practices of organizations. The team investigates the rationale behind language use in various organizational settings, and the bulk of research is on language use in state administration, regional and local government, and in nonprofi t organ-izations. The team is headed by Professor Nina Pilke.

The research group carries out basic research and de-velopment and assessment projects. Different teams have long-standing partnerships with ministries, government agencies, regional councils and municipalities. Key mem-bers of the research group are active members of research communities in their respective fi elds and sought-after research partners for international and national research cooperation projects.

The research group is headed by Professor Esa Hyyryläinen.

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Composition of the research group


1. The Managerial Ethics Team concentrates on

E Ethical governance and leadership

E Integrity of public managers and

E Combating administrative corruption

The focus of the team is on issues and challenges specifi c to Finland and other countries with relatively low levels of “hard” corruption. The team deals mostly with ethical controversy. It evaluates for instance ben-efi cial networking versus “old boys’ networks” and other examples of distorted networking, the offering of hospitality and gifts versus bribery, and loyalty and commitment to an organization against the practice of whistleblowing. The group’s main objective is to es-tablish what constitutes good governance and ethical management practices in public organizations. The team is headed by Professor Ari Salminen.

2. The Comparative Administration and Organi-zation Research Teamtion of public administration and public management in a world where formal administrative borders and the jurisdictions based on them are less signifi cant than they once were. The team examines the interac-tion and dependencies between governments (e.g. the effects of the transnational public management reform discourse) and between public and private forprofi t or nonprofi t organizations (e.g. the emer-gence of different types of hybrid organizations). The team is headed by Professor Esa Hyyryläinen.

The Knowledge and Action in Specialized Com-munication Team aims to understand how knowledge is used in different organizational contexts. The team concentrates on that specialized knowledge created, used, maintained, and renewed by various profession-al communities. The research done by the team mem-bers underlines the growing importance of specialized knowledge and communication at all levels of modern society. The team is headed by Professor Merja Koskela.

4. The Bilingualism and Communication in Organi-zation Team concentrates on the bilingual and mul-tilingual communication practices of organizations. The team investigates the rationale behind language use in various organizational settings, and the bulk of research is on language use in state administration, regional and local government, and in nonprofi t organ-izations. The team is headed by Professor Nina Pilke.

The research group carries out basic research and de-velopment and assessment projects. Different teams have long-standing partnerships with ministries, government agencies, regional councils and municipalities. Key mem-bers of the research group are active members of research communities in their respective fi elds and sought-after research partners for international and national research cooperation projects.


The research group carries out basic research and de-velopment and assessment projects. Different teams have long-standing partnerships with ministries, government agencies, regional councils and municipalities. Key mem-bers of the research group are active members of research communities in their respective fi elds and sought-after research partners for international and national research


management practices in public organizations. The team is headed by Professor Ari Salminen.

The Comparative Administration and Organi-zation Research Team focuses on the demarca-tion of public administration and public management in a world where formal administrative borders and the jurisdictions based on them are less signifi cant than they once were. The team examines the interac-tion and dependencies between governments (e.g. the effects of the transnational public management reform discourse) and between public and private

izations. The team is headed by Professor Nina Pilke.

The research group carries out basic research and de-velopment and assessment projects. Different teams have long-standing partnerships with ministries, government agencies, regional councils and municipalities. Key mem-

The Knowledge and Action in Specialized Com- aims to understand how knowledge

is used in different organizational contexts. The team concentrates on that specialized knowledge created, used, maintained, and renewed by various profession-al communities. The research done by the team mem-bers underlines the growing importance of specialized knowledge and communication at all levels of modern society. The team is headed by Professor Merja Koskela.

The Bilingualism and Communication in Organi- concentrates on the bilingual and mul-

tilingual communication practices of organizations. The team investigates the rationale behind language


concentrates on 3. The Knowledge and Action in Specialized Com-

munication Teamis used in different organizational contexts. The team concentrates on that specialized knowledge created, used, maintained, and renewed by various profession-al communities. The research done by the team mem-bers underlines the growing importance of specialized knowledge and communication at all levels of modern society. The team is headed by Professor Merja Koskela.

The Bilingualism and Communication in Organi-zation Team concentrates on the bilingual and mul-tilingual communication practices of organizations. The team investigates the rationale behind language

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The research group defi nes deliberative welfare policy as a system where the citizens have an active role in devel-oping and maintaining the welfare system. It is a dialogue and deliberation between citizens, patients, customers, political decision makers, administrators of the content and legal matters, as well as third sector and private sec-tor representatives. Through participation it is possible to become an active member of society, its services and sys-tems. The research includes new innovations in democ-racy, such as Citizen Juries and World Cafés. The group also focuses on juridical and operational questions related to the organization and production of welfare services and citizen rights. Other themes of interest are the manage-ment of complexity and wicked problems and analysis of the operations of welfare systems and basic human rights.

The group is divided into two teams, one focused on “wel-fare systems in a changing operational environment”, and the other on “good administration and basic rights”.

Drawing on an extensive range of organization and man-agement theories, the welfare service systems team con-centrates on how to organize, fi nance and produce those services effectively, effi ciently and while guaranteeing equal access in accordance with the relevant legislation. The central theoretical approaches applied by the team are complexity thinking and deliberative democracy, on the basis of which, diverse research themes including the fol-lowing are explored:

E Social and health management

E Complexity management

E Citizen, customer and patient participation

E Structural and functional changes in service systems

E Analysis of the characteristics of wicked problems

E Methods for and applications of assessment of public service effectiveness

The other team of the research group focuses on the ex-amination of good administration from the perspective of management by asking which legal factors must be taken into account in public operations today. Classic themes, such as fundamental questions related to administrative procedures and discretion, are explored, but as the op-erational environment changes, questions related to the status, participation and legal protection of individuals are becoming increasingly important. Cooperation between the public and private sectors has made public operations ‘contract-based’ in many ways. The boundaries between public and private operations have become blurred, as public services are also procured from private companies and through the use of service vouchers. This sets many challenges for management, since the legal environment cannot always keep pace with rapidly changing adminis-trative practices. This is evidenced by the numerous legal problems associated with public procurement.

The research group is headed by Professor Pirkko Vartiainen.

The Deliberative Welfare Policy Research Group

Deliberative Welfare Policy – promoting citizen participation

The deliberative welfare policy research group brings together enthusiastic and active researchers from the � eld of social and health management and public law.

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Our leaders adopt linear ways of thinking and traditional ways of operating. Instead, they should view future management problems through the lens of complexity and act accordingly.

Pirkko Vartiainen, ProfessorFaculty of Philosophy, Social and Health Management

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The research group analyses theories and research results in the � eld of international business, and conducts empirical research to identify successful operational models in the multicultural world.

The group’s research focuses on three areas: The fi rst of these is related to export and internationalization strate-gies, the second to strategies of international investment, joint ventures and foreign acquisitions and the third to marketing strategies in an international environment. Re-search is carried out using both quantitative and qual-itative methods, and is multidisciplinary in nature. The research group also arranges the bi-annual Vaasa IB Con-ference and International Doctoral Tutorial (www.uva.fi /ibconference).

The key focus areas in research related to the programme are as follows:

1. SME Export and internationalization behaviour, strategies and performance

In the fi rst focus area, the objective is to analyse the various strategic decisions and behaviour of SMEs at the start of their internationalization as well as at various subsequent stages of their international growth. Research focuses on various issues related to the operation mode, the market and marketing strategies and the various decisions rela-

ted to the planning and management of international net-working and strategic alliances. Furthermore, researchers examine how these decisions are linked with the perfor-mance of the companies in their international operations.

2. Foreign direct investment strategies and performance in investments

Foreign direct investments as single investments as well as the networks between them play a central role not only in large fi rms but more commonly also in SMEs. The sub-projects in this research focus area adopt many different research methods to analyse various strategic decisions connected with the planning and management of foreign subsidiaries and also the relationships between various fi rm, investment and target country specifi c issues and investment performance.

3. Marketing strategies in the international environment

The goal of the third key focus area is to analyse in more detail the various issues related to the planning and man-agement of international marketing strategies. The main focus areas are performance, especially in international advertising and distribution related decisions.

The research group is headed by Professor Jorma Larimo.

The International Marketing Research Group

Internationalization and foreign direct investments are often key drivers for the development of small and medium sized enterprises.

Jorma Larimo, Professor Faculty of Business Studies, Marketing

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The research group is built around a strong knowledge of consumer behaviour research.

The group examines relevant economic phenomena in dif-ferent cultural arenas using a diverse set of consumption research tools. The research is related to value creation for consumers (customer value), businesses (competitive advantage) and culture (cultural signifi cance).

The research programme focuses on the relationship be-tween knowledge of consumer behaviour derived from ba-sic research and the practical application of such knowl-edge. The objective is to understand consumers and the consumption culture in order to reinforce decision making and development activities in businesses. The key con-cept is value creation. A major aim is to identify sources of customer value, understand their cultural value (signifi -cance) and examine them as potential sources of value for companies (competitive advantage).

The research group sets itself the challenge of generating information, promoting understanding and devising appli-cation tools to support business management decision making. The current focus is on the following themes.

The Consumption Research and Customer Value Creation Research Group

1. CORE – Consumption Research

CORE (Consumption Research) reveals consumption patterns then analyses and interprets them to access their hidden meaning. It targets both individual consumers and local and international consumption cultures. The activi-ties are founded on a strong understanding of the con-cepts, theories and methodology of consumer behaviour research and solid basic research. Particular emphasis is being placed on the following sectors: retail sales, leisure time, energy, foodstuffs, design and communication. The objective of the research activities is to produce new sci-entifi c information and to apply it to support practical busi-ness operations.

2. Food Sector Marketing and Consumption

Research on the problems of marketing and consumption in the food sector is characterized by its multidisciplinary international nature and its applicability. In addition to pro-ducing high quality academic research related to the con-sumption and marketing of food, the aim is to improve the business and marketing skills of companies in the food industry.

3. Improving Customer Value to Gain a Competitive Advantage

A current research challenge is identifying opportunities to improve customer value and gain competitive advantage for a company. The research focuses on the user-driven development of new products, but attention is also paid to refi ning existing product and marketing concepts to increase customer value. The objective is to use critical case studies to improve understanding and create usable solutions in order to develop the operations of case com-panies and their respective sectors.

The research group is headed by Professor Martti Laaksonen.

Sustainable development is growing in importance.How do these criteria effect on consumer behaviour?Martti Laaksonen Professor Faculty of Business Studies, Marketing

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The Intangible Capital Research Group studies intangible capital in the national economy.

The research programme develops new methods for as-sessing the amount of intangible capital at the national level and business levels, while also evaluating the sig-nifi cance of intangible capital for business growth and the success of European economies. The research pro-gramme covers studies into intangible capital that are related to explaining economic growth using expertise, innovation and intellectual capital.

The research fuels the current debate in many EU coun-tries regarding the allocation of public funds to innovation policy and promotion. The research programme creates a foundation for formulating operational methods to rein-force growth and employment. The international perspec-tive will enable decision makers to compare different in-dustrial structures and ways of utilizing intangible capital to promote growth.

The intangible capital research programme examines

E Intangible capital in the business sector and in companies

E The performance of Finnish companies and their competitiveness

E The benchmarking of the competitiveness of Finland against other European countries

E Banking

E Economic forecasting

The research group is headed by Professor Hannu Piekkola.

Intangible Capital Research Group In my opinion, the basic element of competitiveness is an intangible asset. Labour productivity is higher when the company has a high intellectual capital.

Hannu Piekkola ProfessorFaculty of Business Studies, Economics

INTANGIBLES

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPITAL

R&D ICT CAPITAL

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Business Law, Information and Knowledge Research Group produces multidisciplinary research where business studies and law are combined. In addition to business studies like � nance, accounting and management, the programme collaborates closely with representatives of other scienti� c � elds. The research programme is therefore genuinely multidisciplinary.

The research conducted by the research group focuses on the signifi cance of information in various dimensions of corporate operations; both nationally and internation-ally. The goal is to examine the impact of the regulation of information on businesses and their owners. The research programme emphasizes the connection between the re-search on corporate law, tax law and business. The re-search produces tools to create a more effi cient business environment, manage risks and develop new business opportunities.

The programme’s societal objective is to meet the ever-growing need for information in the fi elds of information, corporate decision making and taxation in particular, and, more generally, in businesses and public administration, regarding the legal regulation of the fi eld and legislative development needs.

On the basis of scientifi c research, the programme aims to generate educational material and publications for the needs of businesses. A further goal is to educate teachers in order to implement an educational project and safe-guard continuity.

The research programme is headed by Professor Juha Lindgren.

Business Law, Information and Knowledge Research Group Most of our

research can be utilized. Dissertations are worn out in the hands of company consultants and lawyers.

Juha Lindgren Professor Faculty of Business Studies, Business Law

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Regional Development in a Globalizing World is a re-search team linked with the management institute with-in the Contemporary Cultural, Linguistic and Regional Phenomena Research Group. The group as a whole is connected by a multidisciplinary and multilingual interest in the cultural, linguistic and regional phenomena of our time. However, the agenda of the regional development research programme is strongly linked with that of the Management Institute, in attempting to explain the oper-ations and development dynamics of regional economies in a globalizing world.

The team analyses the operations of regional economies through changes in players and structures. Players in re-gional economies include companies, consumers, inhabit-ants, the public sector and other organizations. Examples of structures are corporate networks, traffi c networks, civic systems and systems of regional administration. The team also leads the Botnia-Atlantica project that aims to develop theories and methods of transnational learning in the Botnia-Atlantica region spanning parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway.

The main focus themes are:

E Integration of economic activities in different areas and at different regional levels

E Reform of regional economies and responses to the challenges of globalization

E Interaction between players in regional economies and economic structures from the perspective of ecological modernization

E Region building processes (The formation and crea-tion of regions)

E How people’s sense of place and regional identities develop

E Learning in regional communities and developing local modes of operation

E Methods and theories of transnational learning in regional development policies

The leader of the regional development research team is Professor Seija Virkkala.

Regional Development in a Globalizing World

The globalization and localization processes can be simultaneous, and even support each other.

Seija Virkkala, ProfessorFaculty of Philosophy, Regional Studies

2626

Research into practice

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Research into practice

28

We have a long tradition of cooperation with society and business. There are a growing number of signi� cant research projects that at the same time offer practical tools to help companies and organizations develop their management practice with new research information.

When compared to degree-level education, project-based collaboration with companies offers a far quicker way of transferring the latest research fi ndings into practice. While these projects are in most cases also partly fund-ed by the participating organizations, they offer not only a natural interface between academics and practitioners but also additional funding to conduct research.

Our collaborative projects in management research aim not only with to make an academic contribution but also to encourage the use of scientifi c fi ndings. Many of our researchers also have experience of the challenges fac-ing organizations, and have moved to academia because they are passionate about addressing those challenges in practice.

These are only examples of research projects conducted in close collaboration with external organizations or socie-ty as a whole. There is far more going on all the time.

Into Practice Through Projects

Many of our academic research projects are conducted in collaboration with companies; typically that collaboration involves over 300 private and public organizations each year.

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LÄIKE

The research project “LÄIKE” (Lähijohtamisen kehit-tämisellä työhyvinvointia ja tuloksellisuutta) is a typical in-tervention type of research project where statistical data is collected before, between and after interventions. The statistical data is collected by questionnaire surveys, by interviews and by evaluation forms. The research themes include: coaching-leadership, a dyadic relationship be-tween a leader and a follower, leadership development, wellbeing at work and how they relate to performance.

The intervention models studied are:

E “TIETO” (knowledge): a traditional well-designed classroom training day

E “TUUMA” (thought): a mix of work counselling and coaching with six group meetings led by qualifi ed work counsellors

E “TEKO” (action): based on problem-based learning and thinking

One of the objectives is to create a proposal for a suc-cessful development model. The project is headed by Liisa Mäkelä.

More information: blog.uwasa.fi /laike/ (in Finnish).

VIPSE

Valuable, Intangible and Prestigious Service Experiences a research project focusing on the role and nature of pres-tige experiences in the value creation process. Prestige is a socially constructed value that represents an image that is congruent with the norms of the customer’s associ-ates and/or with the social image that the customer wish-es to project. As it is one of the mechanisms that create customer value, understanding prestige could have major implications for the strategic management, and provide a viable alternative, or complement, to the cost or technolo-gy driven strategies of many Finnish fi rms.

Contact person: Dr Henri Hakala

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The Future of Industrial Services, FutIS, ProjectAs product manufacturing companies consider whether to increase the service orientation in their business models, the future of industrial services becomes more important. The FutIS project focuses on the performance enabling factors of industrial services, such as organization and the processes of service business. This major project has attracted both private sector and public funding worth 39 million euros from Tekes and research institutions, of which 2.5 million euros is allocated to the NeVS research program. This research project was launched in January 2011 in cooperation with 20 companies and 10 research institutions.

The FutIS programme investigates the future of industrial services in the metals and engineering industries in three major areas: the service business mindset; integrated ser-vice development and effi cient service operations. The programme promotes new competences and improved profi tability in the participating industrial fi rms’ service business and, furthermore, its signifi cant scope promotes the transformation of the entire industry. The long-term orientation of the programme means that ideas and op-portunities for novel businesses are explored by examining the futures of customers’ operations and environments. Methods, processes and practices are being developed to support the transformation of service business over the next 5 – 15 years. Bottlenecks and ineffi cient processes are being identifi ed and solutions to them proposed to equip the focal businesses for service business adoption and expansion. The programme promotes a readiness for future industrial services by integrating knowledge of ser-vice business logics with the unique requirements of the technology-based context. The theoretical approach in-forming the research is integrative in that FutIS simultane-ously covers the viewpoints of service strategy – market-ing, operations and innovations – promoting the interplay between them, and in so doing generates new knowledge for the international research community.

Future Centre for the Energy Cluster in the Vaasa RegionThe Future Centre can be described a collaboration-based, future-oriented, creative and sustainable innovation envi-ronment for companies and other organizations in the en-ergy technology cluster in the Vaasa region. The centre targets the creation of new sustainable and innovative fu-ture solutions (e.g. products, services, systems etc.) in the energy technology industry. The Future Centre includes prototyping (a hands-on approach), system-thinking, in-terdisciplinary collaboration, the human-centric approach, education and knowledge creation and the sharing points of view.

The project can be divided into the following three stages:

E Studying and analysing the present situation and the future development needs related to innovation processes of the companies and other organizations in the energy cluster in the Vaasa region

E Planning and organizing two workshops based on the needs revealed by interviews

E Developing and testing the Future Centre concept based on background research and workshops.

The Future Centre prestudy is funded by EAKR. The re-search project explores new ways to support the develop-ment of the energy technology cluster in the Vaasa region. This cluster is the biggest in its fi eld in Northern Europe. The Future Centre contact person is Dr Marja Naaranoja.

More information is available at: blog.uwasa.fi /im/future_center/ (In Finnish)

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FutIS brings together metals and engineering industry fi rms of different sizes and characteristics to promote in-dustry-level change. It also involves other types of fi rms to promote benchmarking and knowledge sharing across industries, encouraging cooperation even between com-peting fi rms. Finland’s main research institutes involved in international technology-centred industrial service business research will collaborate on this programme to strengthen the knowledge base, share their knowledge and introduce topical knowledge from their international partners. The unique network of FutIS will work together in an effort to make service business a signifi cant success factor in the Finnish engineering industry and the broader business network.

The contact person for FutIS is Professor MarkoKohtamäki.

More information: www.fi mecc.com/content/futis-future-industrial-services

FutIS brings together metals and engineering industry � rms of differ-ent sizes and character-istics to promote indus-try-level change.

The Future of Industrial Services,

FutIS, Project (2011 – 2015)

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ADVENTURE

ADaptive Virtual ENTerprise ManufacTURing Environ-ment (Adventure) is Small or Medium-Scale Focused Re-search Project (STREP) funded by the European Seventh Framework Programme in Virtual Factories and Enterpris-es. The goal of the project is the creation of a framework that provides the tools to combine factories in a modular way to manufacture a particular product. This includes the creation of manufacturing processes, fi nding partners as well as realtime monitoring of the processes established.

The concept of combining the power of several independ-ent factories to set up complex manufacturing process-es in so-called virtual factories is not new and has been addressed by several research projects in recent years. However, most of them limited their goals to creating vir-tual factories at a business level and in many cases they concentrated on the partner-fi nding and factory-building processes. There remain no proven tools and technologies in the market to provide valuable end-to-end integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in such environments. Adventure is coordinated by the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany and University of Vaa-sa NeVS team is working together with three technology partners, three scientifi c partners and three user partners including ABB, Azevedos Industries and Tanet UK.

www.fp7-adventure.eu/

Hybridization mergers public and privateThe aim of the project is to understand the positive and negative consequences of hybridization in public oper-ations. Hybridization is a blending of the functional and structural features in the public and private sectors. Hy-bridization may be a step mainly in changes from the pub-lic to the private, but it may also provide a permanent third main type of solution alongside those of public and private organizations. Some research papers have already been published in international journals but the project is still at an early stage. The research themes are:

Resilient and Proactive Utilization of Opportunities and Uncertainties in Service Business, RESPONSE, Project

The University of Vaasa and VTT are jointly managing a project aiming to develop and pilot a model for uncertainty awareness management in service business in an inter-national context. The key research question is: How can we create a resilient organization that engenders less vol-atility, greater predictability and fewer surprises when de-veloping new service concepts? The main predicted out-come of this project is a model of strategic management of business services that ensures business continuity and operational competitiveness.

The relevant contact person is Professor Josu Takala.

The goal of the project is the creation of a framework that provides the tools to combine factories in a modular way to manufacture a particular product.This includes the creation of manufacturing processes, � nding partners as well as realtime monitoring of the processes established.

ADVENTURE

33

Value creation in growth (VCIG)The goal of the project is to analyse in a variety of ways how to create value using foreign acquisitions (FAs) and international joint ventures (IJVs) as modes of growth. The team at the University of Vaasa focuses on the motives for using the two modes of international growth, on vari-ous ways to measure value creation, on methods of con-trolling the operation modes, on various forms of trust and trust building between partners in IJVs and FAs, on the strategies to solve confl icts between partners, and on the impact of the above motives, methods, and strategies on the value creation. The special focus in the project is on comparisons between strategies and performance – value creation – in IJVs and FAs established by Finnish and other Nordic fi rms in various developed and emerging markets – especially in Russia and other CEE markets and in China. The project has fi nancing from the Academy of Finland.

Contact person: Professor Jorma Larimo.

E Hybridization as a macro and micro level change

E New opportunities offered by managing a hybrid organization and the constraints to doing so

E Hybridization in discourses and narratives in organi-zations.

The relevant contact person is Professor Esa Hyyryläinen.

The citizens voice project: An analy-sis of the prospects for deliberative democracy in Finnish health care

Citizen’s Voice is a four-year research project, funded by the Academy of Finland. Its aim is to critically investigate the many-sided elements of deliberative democracy within the framework of complex health care issues, in the Finn-ish context.

The relevant contact person is Professor Pirkko Vartiainen.More information: blog.uwasa.fi /citizensvoice/

Public management and ethics research projectsThe aim of the research is to produce high quality empiri-cal and theoretical knowledge of key management ethics issues in the area of basic and applied science research.

The research themes are:

E Leadership ethics and good governance values

E The ethos of public service

E Responsibility of the public sector

E National integrity and the fi ght against corruption

E “Hyvä veli-verkosto” the old-boys-network as a form of corruption

E The ethical status of local government and develop-ment

E The ethical codes of local government

The relevant contact person is Professor Ari Salminen.

The aim of the project is to understand the positive and negative consequences of hybridization in public operations.

Hybridization mergers public and private

34

VERA

VERA (Tehokas verkostoituminen ja oikeudelliset ratkai-sut): Effective network governance demands managerial expertise in the means of coordination and contractual usage and the legislation related to network relationships. The VERA project addresses the multidisciplinary nature of network governance by combining knowledge of organ-izational theory and business law.

The relevant contact person is Professor Vesa Annola.

Born Globals.

The project aims to address the research problem of how innovative Born Globals (BGs) grow in a truly global man-ner and survive, given their limited resources to take ad-vantage of global market opportunities and the necessary holistic process management.

The relevant contact person is Professor Peter Gabriels-son. More information: https://sites.google.com/a/man-agementinnovationfi nland.org/mif/tutkimusprojektit/

BoWer – A consortium on Ostro-bothnia’s welfare research and expertise

The BoWer-consortium has been built to bring together Ostrobothnia’s versatile, but diverse welfare research and development organizations. The aim of the consortium is to collect and analyse information about welfare provision and to support management decision making and leader-ship. BoWer consists of an open network of professional experts and organizations. The project has multiple spon-sors.

The relevant contact person is Professor Pirkko Vartiainen.More information: www.welfarebower.fi

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Commissioned researchCommissioned research projects are delivered by the Levón Institute. While such projects rarely generate new scienti� c knowledge, they are an important vehicle of knowledge transfer and very useful for the organizations involved.

The emphasis of the commissioned research operations lies on management, energy, rural areas, regional devel-opment and evaluation research. The Levón Institute also conducts market research and other types of investigation with a highly practical applied focus. Sometimes these commissioned projects are also the initial introduction for a fi rm to the benefi ts of working to-gether with the university and often prompt subsequent cooperation on more academically oriented long-term research projects.

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Into practice through education

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Into practice through education

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The higher education available in management can be roughly divided into the three areas of Business Management, Public Management and Industrial Management.

Its origins as a school of economics mean the University of Vaasa has a long tradition as an education and research organization in the fi eld of business studies. The university is the second largest unit providing university-level educa-tion in business studies in Finland. The staff and courses have won numerous teaching awards and the university’s operational units have repeatedly been recognized as na-tional centres of excellence in education. The university offers a wide range of specialization options among its degree-level business management courses. The industri-al management programmes combine management with studies in technology and computer science whereas the relatively multilingual and multicultural environment of Vaa-sa is also a natural environment to combine multicultural and communication studies with management. In recog-nition of the unique challenges in the public sector and health services, Vaasa also offers specialized programmes for students interested in these areas.

Programmes:

Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

E Management and Organizations

E International Business

E Marketing

E Business Law

E Economics

E Administrative Sciences

E Industrial Management

E Computer Science

Master’s Degree Programmes

E Human Resource Management

E Strategic Management

E International Business

E Management for Growth Companies

E Marketing Management

E Strategic Business Law

E Business Law

E Economics

E Public Management

E Intercultural Studies in Communication and Adminis-tration

E Social and Health Management

E Computer Science

E Communication Technology

E Industrial Management

Doctoral Programmes for technology, business and public management.

Degree Level Education

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The Levón Institute offers management education for working managers. Our training programmes emphasize innovation and customer orientation.

We actively follow current trends in professional life and continuously develop new training products and meth-ods to meet changing needs. Rated as one of the leading executive educators in Finland by the Talouselämä-busi-ness weekly, over 6,000 students choose to study at the Levón Institute every year. The programmes are taught by teachers at the University of Vaasa as well as by visiting experts. In addition, many of the programmes utilize learn-ing process councillors, who mentor students throughout their time at the University. Participants come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wide range of different experi-ences, creating a unique foundation for rewarding discus-sions and exchanges.

The programmes focus on the following:

E Management and supervisor training (companies and public administration)

E Organization-specifi c training and development processes

E Development of entrepreneurship and SMEs

E Special programmes for different expert groups

The strongest fi elds of know-how are management and development of organizations. Other areas of expertise are growth of fi rms, public management and entrepre-neurship.

The Levón Institute arranges tailored management training programmes alongside MBA programmes and develop-ment projects for companies and organizations. The Ins-titute’s management training emphasizes innovative and creative management styles characterized by the spirit of entrepreneurship. Recognizing that any development should be backed by research, the Levón Institute offers tailor-made research services to foster the development of various organizations.

Executive Education

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The short course offering is continuously developing to meet the needs of the industry and public organizations.

Leadership and Management short courses (in Finnish):

E Supervisor training programme (6 – 8 days)

E Strategic management development (8 days)

E Working as a management team development pro-gramme (2 – 4 days)

E Developing as an HR-specialist (6 – 8 days)

E Change Management (6 days)

E The management of quality in public services (6 – 8 days)

E Project Management training (6 days)

E Product development in retail services (4 – 6 days)

E Skills assessments of the superior

The basic level management courses (in Finnish):

E Effective development discussions (0,5 + 0,5 days)

E Teamwork for results (2 days)

E The Balanced Score Card (2 days)

E Effective meetings (1 day)

E The role and duties of the supervisor (1 day)

JOKA - Leadership Growth

JOKA is a 9 month long leadership growth programme that has been very popular among managers for almost 30 years now. The core of the JOKA-programme centres on on developing the leadership skills and knowledge mana-gement. It provides excellent step for managers willing to improve their leadership skills before committing to a full-length MBA programme.

Short courses

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MBA programmesTwo MBA programmes have been developed for the unique needs of the surrounding businesses.

The Energy Business MBA taught in English focuses on the energy technology sector that encompasses the ma-jority of the larger international businesses in the region, while the Entrepreneurial MBA, taught in Finnish, is more focused on the needs of SMEs.

The MBA for the energy sector

The Vaasa Executive Energy Business MBA is the Univer-sity’s part-time MBA programme focusing on the energy business. The programme has been created to meet the specifi c requirements of professionals working in a variety of companies operating within the realm of the energy in-dustry and its related industries.

We have worked with many successful managers and have learned that great managers understand their indus-try, make effective strategic decisions and are capable of implementing ideas and changing the course of their busi-ness. The aim of the programme is to develop business knowledge specifi c to the energy industry and leadership skills and the programme is thus closely connected to the value chain of the energy business. Understanding the

industry environment, and being equipped to make effec-tive strategic decisions means taking into consideration a wide range of points of view from across the energy indus-try, but also from other industries. The programme is built on this essential foundation.

The Energy Business MBA is arranged in close coopera-tion with the Robert Gordon University’s Aberdeen Busi-ness School. Participants will also receive their MBA from the Robert Gordon University. The programme is accred-ited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).

More information: www.uva.fi /en/education/continuing/ebmba/

The Entrepreneurial MBA

The Entrepreneurial MBA is a recognized, entrepreneurial, management training programme that combines the latest research on practical management and decision-making situations. The programme provides an opportunity both for personal development and to develop the business or organization its participants work for.

The programme will provide a fi rm theoretical basis for ac-tion taken, and the opportunity to share experiences and to network with people from a range of organizations.

The programme is delivered in two phases. The fi rst phase addresses what is involved in becoming an effective lea-der and the second phase contains modules including strategic management, fi nancial management, internation-alization and a development assignment.

More information: www.uva.fi /fi /cooperation/pro-jects/entrepreneurial_mba/ (in Finnish)

More information: www.uva.fi /en/sites/levon/

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Management studies are also offered by the Open University for anyone interested, regardless of educational background or age.

Teaching is arranged during evenings and weekends, so that as many students as possible are able to participate. Open University education applies aims, contents and re-quirements that equate to those of the university proper.

The University of Vaasa Open University provides versatile study forms that to some degree enable people to study regardless of time and place. In addition to Vaasa, teach-ing is arranged in partner organizations in different parts of the Ostrobothnia province and other parts of Finland.

At the Open University, students can take various mod-ules in areas including management studies, but the Open University does not award degrees. However, students may gain the right to study for a degree after completing a certain amount of study, as recognized in the award of credits. It usually requires 60 credits to progress on to a degree programme, but the required number of credits may vary by subject.

Almost all teaching is conducted in Finnish. However, there are quite a number of courses and study programmes ar-ranged in English at the University of Vaasa.

More information: www.uva.fi /en/education/open/

The Open University

Vaasa Management Institute,

University of Vaasa

P.O. Box 700, Vaasa, Finland

tel. +358 (0)29 449 8000

fi [email protected]

www.vmi.fi

The University of Vaasa Management Institute

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