Jouni Hintikka, Kyllikki Taipale-Erävala, Ulla Lehtinen and Leena Eskola
The purpose of the study is to clarify Finnish youth’s attitudes toward entrepreneurship and evaluate both regional and background factors influencing those attitudes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to clarify Finnish youth’s attitudes toward entrepreneurship and evaluate both regional and background factors influencing those attitudes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a survey of 1,497 students aged 15 to 24 years and analyzed the data using descriptive statistical analysis.
Findings
The study’s results indicate positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship among the youth. One of the notable findings of the study was the number of students who had already worked as entrepreneurs. The study also revealed background factors that affected entrepreneurial attitudes, such as regional aspects, entrepreneurial background and gender.
Practical implications
The results of this study highlight the importance of regional-level entrepreneurial education activities for increasing the vitality and entrepreneurial intentions within remote areas of Finland. This study suggests to develop new teaching methods to further raise entrepreneurial attitudes and expand gender equal entrepreneurial education programs aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, especially in remote areas.
Originality/value
The study results reveal that the attitudes of young Finnish people toward entrepreneurship seem to be at a more positive levels than indicated by earlier studies. In previous Global Entrepreneurship Monitor studies, researchers evaluated Finnish youth’s attitudes toward entrepreneurship. By contrast, this study’s data was based on the opinions of youth in the region with the youngest population in Finland, and they described the entrepreneurial attitudes of themselves and their peers.
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Ulla E.E. Lehtinen, Petri Ahokangas and Jinghui Lu
This paper examines the role of export intermediaries in the internationalization of small and medium sized companies in Finland. The empirical study focuses on small Finnish food…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the role of export intermediaries in the internationalization of small and medium sized companies in Finland. The empirical study focuses on small Finnish food companies that export to German and Chinese markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The research method of this study is qualitative. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews with six respondents presenting exporting companies and export consultants.
Findings
The paper provides an empirical contribution to the food internationalization debate. First, the paper discusses the definitions of export intermediaries and their role in export based on the literature. Second, by examining how Finnish food companies experience the role of export intermediaries, the paper contributes to the current discussion on internationalization modes. The empirical results highlight that export companies need transaction-creating services from intermediaries especially when entering physically and culturally distant markets like China.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of the research generally relate to the use of a small case sample.
Practical implications
The paper holds a number of relevant insights for food companies seeking to enter to German and Chinese markets. Identifying the export services needed by small food companies might help export intermediaries and public policy agencies to better focus their supporting initiatives.
Originality/value
The findings add to the current body of knowledge on the key influence on internationalization modes within the food sector.
The aim of the paper is to present how sustainability as a concept supports the use of locally‐sourced food in public catering, and the issues that arise from that policy…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is to present how sustainability as a concept supports the use of locally‐sourced food in public catering, and the issues that arise from that policy objective and their implications for suppliers and purchasers.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the paper explains the characteristics of local food chains and the concept of sustainability based on a literature review. It then outlines the stages of the food procurement process in public food catering in Finland, focussing on the delivery of potatoes from a local producer to a public caterer providing school meals. The case study identifies the dimensions of sustainability.
Findings
First, the criteria defining sustainability remain unclear. Second, to overcome the cost disadvantages brought about by its small‐scale production and high delivery costs, locally‐sourced food should add some extra value. Short food supply chains have advantages over long ones, however, they are not sustainable per se.
Research limitations/implications
The research is descriptive in nature and rests on action research implemented during 2004‐2007. The study does not provide any quantitative analysis nor can it be statistically generalised.
Practical implications
Measuring the impact of sustainability in a public tendering process remains challenging, as an unambiguous definition of sustainability criteria is lacking. Further, sustainable procurement practices would improve collaborative relationships.
Originality/value
This paper complements the current discussion on sustainability and local food. Provision of free school meals is now a rare phenomenon, and has recently stirred widespread interest. Finland's continuing commitment to providing free school meals thus provides a very specific context in which to study the problems of food sourcing in the public sector.
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Hadiya Faheem and Sanjib Dutta
After discussing this case, students will be able to understand the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in starting a health-tech start-up in Africa; create and evaluate lean…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After discussing this case, students will be able to understand the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in starting a health-tech start-up in Africa; create and evaluate lean business models of health-tech companies as a social enterprise; evaluate how health-tech start-ups were developing innovative business models and supply chain networks to make prescription drugs accessible and available in Africa; understand how inorganic growth strategies can help health-tech start-ups scale up; and evaluate what promises investors were seeing while investing in social enterprises in the health-care sector in Africa and what social wealth they were creating.
Case overview/synopsis
In August 2022, Gregory Rockson (Rockson), social entrepreneur and founder of for-profit health technology (health-tech) social enterprise in Ghana, mPharma, stated that he had plans to replicate the company’s business model, which provided people access to drugs and at affordable prices, to other African nations, beyond the company’s existing footprint. However, analysts pointed out that the fragmented drug supply chain and poor regulation in the health-care market across Africa could act as a challenge for mPharma to replicate its business model successfully across the African continent. People in Africa were forced to pay higher prices to buy life-saving drugs due to the continent’s fragmented drug supply chain. To add to their woes, pharmacies struggled to keep life-saving and life-sustaining medicines in stock. Often, patients traveled miles to a pharmacy only to find out that the drugs they needed were not in stock. In addition to this, the markets were flooded with counterfeit drugs. And the Covid-19 pandemic only exacerbated the situation. mPharma managed the prescription drug inventory for pharmacies and drug suppliers using its proprietary vendor management information system. By using the technology infrastructure it had built, the company connected patients, pharmacies and hospitals through a cloud-based software. The system enabled doctors to track in real-time which drugs were available and at which location, thus giving patients reliable access to medicines. Patients registering with mPharma with their prescriptions and medical history received an alert on their mobile phones notifying them where the drugs they needed were available. mPharma bought drugs from major drug manufacturers such as Novartis International AG, Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) and Bayer AG, on behalf of the pharmacies. This enabled the pharmacies to save on the up-front costs of stocking the drugs, reduced supply constraints and ensured availability of drugs to consumers in these underserved markets. The company had a consignment model wherein member pharmacies had to pay only for what they sold. Most pharmacies forecast the number of drugs they needed and purchased them from mPharma at pre-agreed rates. The company took the inventory liability to prevent pharmacies from going out of stock. As mPharma used its purchasing power to buy drugs in large quantities from drug manufacturers and suppliers, it was able to help patients realize cost savings of 30% to 60% in the purchase of medicines. mPharma was focusing on achieving its ambitious goal of dominating the health-care market in Africa in future. However, analysts felt that the company would face challenges related to poor regulation in the health-care market, high prices of drugs and the fragmented pharmacy retail market in the continent.
Complexity academic level
This case is intended for use in MBA/MS level programs as part of a course on Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Business Model Innovation, Disruptive Business Models, and Supply Chain Management in the Drug Industry.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Ulla Saastamoinen, Lasse Eronen, Antti Juvonen and Pasi Vahimaa
Schools have a significant role in ensuring children's wellbeing as children spend a lot of time at school. Students need to have an active role in their learning and an…
Abstract
Purpose
Schools have a significant role in ensuring children's wellbeing as children spend a lot of time at school. Students need to have an active role in their learning and an opportunity to participate in issues concerning wellbeing and studying. This research examines students' wellbeing in an innovative learning environment. The classroom is built with professionals, teachers and students (aged 9). The authors call it Learning Ground.
Design/methodology/approach
Students' wellbeing was measured with smart device application for a six-week period. Students answered the questionnaire with a Likert scale of five (very poor – excellent) responses. Two weeks during the six weeks research period, students were able to use digital study aids, EEG-biosensor headsets, to observe the effectiveness of their learning, defined by NeurSky app. The EEG-biosensors enabled students to use a tool to recognise their own learning factors during the lessons. The effectiveness was available to students via tablets all the time.
Findings
The students at the Learning Ground are satisfied with wellbeing and the environment support for students' wellbeing experience is notable. They have “good vibes” before and after the school day. When wearing EEG-headsets “study aids”, which enabled them to observe their learning via tablets at lessons, the wellbeing experience in the mornings even increased.
Originality/value
Schools need to be visionaries concerning 21st century learning and children's wellbeing. Building flexible learning environments and bringing innovative technologies into schools to provide active support for students will enable 21st century learning. Wellbeing of children should become first when developing the future schools.
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The purpose of this study is to provide an analysis of the teacher education program focused on the development of the research competence of the preservice teachers, difficulties…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide an analysis of the teacher education program focused on the development of the research competence of the preservice teachers, difficulties they encountered in conducting action research and the need to provide them with realistic research opportunities.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study made use of data sources taken from observations, feedback sessions, presentations and follow-up written interview of 133 randomly selected preservice teachers.
Findings
Findings reported that the multicultural preservice teachers have novice research skills and that the real-world application of their research skills developed their research competence. However, they encountered difficulties creating their action research, such as in the literature review and the research conceptualization.
Research limitations/implications
Aside from the self-reported experiences of the students, the training on the action research mainly focused on the conceptualization, design formulation of interventions and proposal writing stage but were not implemented due to course constraints.
Practical implications
This study can assist policymakers to integrate a mandatory research course as part of the curricular offerings and for the university to create space for students to practice their research skills based on real-life problems in the basic level institutions.
Social implications
Understanding the challenges, difficulties, and basic competence in the research development of the preservice teachers would strengthen the research practice of the future teachers for evidence-based teaching in the schools.
Originality/value
The limited literature focus on the development of research competence on teacher education students using action research, including the difficulties that university students experience in doing research based on a societal context.