Global Signals, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Customer Magazine

20 17

PHENOMENON / SHARING ECONOMY

ARE OUR LIVES BECOMING COMMODITIES? CLOSE UP / KONSTANTINOS KARATSEVIDIS APPLIED SCIENCE

IMAGINEERING THE FUTURE SERVICESCAPES SIGNALS HAAGA-HELIA’S STAKEHOLDER MAGAZINE

PIONEER IN GROWDSOURCING HARDWARE

EDUCATION EXPORT

CALLS FOR INNOVATION AND CO-OPERATION

PICTURE THIS

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP FLYING A FLAG FOR THE FINNISH NATURE PHOTO JYRKI HÄMÄLÄINEN

Lonely Planet placed Finland among the top three destinations to visit in 2017.

One reason for this was the strong emphasis that nature has in Finland's centenary programme. As a part of the celebration Finland will become the first nation in the world to celebrate its unique nature with an official flag day. Flags will be flown on Finnish Nature Day, which is the last Saturday of August.

Finnish Nature Day, 28th of August, 2017 www.luonnonpaivat.fi/home-en-us

2017

SUURIJÄRVI, VIERUMÄKI, FINLAND

20 17

6

2 PICTURE THIS 5 EDITORIAL 6 PHENOMENON /

SHARING ECONOMY The winners and losers of the sharing economy Airbnb: My home, your castle?

Sharing City: Sharing is the new buying

12 CLOSE UP /

KONSTANTINOS KARATSEVIDIS Pioneer with a dream of doing something meaningful

16 APPLIED SCIENCE Future servicescapes are researched with sensorystimulating technologies

18 AROUND THE GLOBE

12

Mobile learning

20 EXPORTING EDUCATION Minister Grahn-Laasonen: Making education a new mainstay of Finnish export

22 MEETING POINT From Silicon Valley, with sisu

24 FIGURE OUT

16

Facts on Finland

25 HAAGA-HELIA 10 years of working together

26 SHORT AND SWEET

20 2017

EDITORIAL

WALK THE TALK! HAAGA-HELIA SIGNALS Publisher Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Ratapihantie 13, 00520 Helsinki, Finalnd, tel. +358 9 229 611, www.haaga-helia.fi Editor in Chief Ari Nevalainen, ari.nevalainen@haaga-helia.fi Editorial team Ari Nevalainen, Nina Finell, Sirpa Holmström, Kaija Lindroth, Harri Lähdekorpi, Pirkko Salo, Kaisa Alapartanen/ Recommended Finland Oy. Contributors Kaisa Alapartanen, Päivi Brink, Nina Finell, Eeva Puhakainen, Timo Sormunen, Tuija Toivola, Maria Velez.

Layout Recommended Finland Oy, Helsinki, Finland Cover image Jyrki Hämäläinen Paper Cover Galerie Art Silk 200g Pages Galerie Art Silk 115g Printing Newprint Oy, Raisio, Finland Print ISSN 2341-8117

ACCORDING TO OUR MISSION Haaga-Helia opens doors to future careers.

Our student body of more than 11,000 learns different things from various areas, with an emphasis on sales, services and entrepreneurship. In all our teaching we also include topics such as internationalisation, tolerance and responsibility – the ingredients of truly positive globalisation.

IN OUR THINKING responsibility is a mindset. It has to be integrated to all our activities and learning outcomes. The fundamental starting point is that all professionals graduating from Haaga-Helia understand the importance of responsible business and are capable of promoting responsibility through their own actions. Haaga-Helia is the first Finnish university of applied sciences that has signed the UN-accredited declaration Principles for Responsible Management Education – PREM (www.unprem.org).

RESPONSIBILITY IS EXPLICITLY MENTIONED in our value statement, where we promise to serve and revitalise the business community by working together, responsibly and sustainably. Operatively our approach to responsibility has been divided into four paths: Green Haaga-Helia, Happy Haaga-Helia, Developing Haaga-Helia and Degree Haaga-Helia. Green refers to environmental issues, Happy to well-being, Developing to promoting responsibility through research projects, and Degree to providing responsibility-supporting contents in our offering. The extensive approach reflects the perceived importance of responsibility in everything we do.

WE SUPPORT AND PROMOTE responsibility both operationally and strategically. We also highly value our partners doing the same. At the end of the day we all are in the same boat. As the president of Haaga-Helia I wish you invigorating moments with our renewed magazine Signals. I also take this opportunity to thank you for the co-operation so far and look forward to many common activities in the future. The year 2017 is a little bit special as Finland is turning 100 and Haaga-Helia celebrates its 10th anniversary – cheers!

TEEMU KOKKO Principal and CEO of Haaga-Helia

5

PHENOMENON / SHARING ECONOMY

THANKS FOR SHARING 6

2017

TEXT PÄIVI BRINK PHOTOS SHUTTERSTOCK AND UNSPLASH

Many believe that the sharing economy is good for the planet and the economy. But what are its effects on working life, education, ownership and consumption? We teach our children to share their toys. It’s time we adults learn to do the same.

T

he sharing economy is a very broad concept, including exchanges where money is used as compensation for the use of a resource, such as a car or an apartment, but also exchanges that are free of charge and based on recipro­ city. “In the media, the commercial aspect of the sharing economy has attracted more attention. Alternatively, we can talk about the gig economy when work is organised around small jobs for dif­ ferent employers,” says Airi Lampinen, Lecturer at The Mobile Life Centre at Stockholm University.

The basic idea behind the sharing eco­nomy is old, but in its current form the novelty is the digital platforms that enable supply and demand to meet easily.

There are both negative and positive aspects connected to this new economy.

“The companies offering the plat­ forms and their investors are benefitting from this new economy. Consumers also benefit from the new kinds of services that often even save them money,” Lamp­ inen says.

“But on the other hand, there are problems related to the labour rights of those who try to earn a livelihood through these platforms. Do they get a fair compensation for their work? Gig work is not yet compatible with the struc­ tures of Finnish working life and social security. Even if some companies like Uber claim to offer a platform for peers, the people using the service as passengers and those offering the service as drivers

are seldom equal in the end. Moreover, minorities may face discrimination both as service providers and as customers.”

CHANGING OUR IDEAS

Sharing your flat, car or anything you’re not using all the time means you’re put­ ting your assets to work. But how does this change your ideas and conceptions about your belongings?

“An early idea in the sharing eco­ nomy was to let somebody else use your belongings when you don’t need them.

This would be ecological, since everyone doesn’t need to own everything. But we have seen that people may choose a more expensive car or a bigger flat because they think it will be easier and more profitable to rent out. It is not clear that sharing reduces consumption or is eco­ logical. One might also start calculating the price of a night when one sleeps at home instead of letting it out on Airbnb.

What does it mean if your home becomes a commodity?”

The change can also be felt in work­ ing life.

“We might be at a turning point in terms of the skills or education that are needed to make a living. If you rely on gig work, then controlling your work life as a whole and managing your total income and its effects on state benefits can be quite demanding. In the future, we will need to train individuals in entrepreneurial skills and knowledge about the effects of extra income, as well

FIVE KEY SECTORS OF THE SHARING ECONOMY GENERATED PLATFORM REVENUES OF NEARLY

EUR4BN EUR28BN AND FACILITATED

OF TRANSACTIONS WITHIN EUROPE, IN 2015.

Future of the Sharing Economy in Europe 2016, PwC

as support the establishing of collabora­ tive networks so that people are not left to tackle everything on their own.”

Finland is a small nation of 5.5 mil­ lion inhabitants. Is this good or bad for Finland’s sharing economy?

“Small size is good for experimenting.

Finnish people have confidence in pub­ lic operators, and this, too, makes it eas­ ier to have an open conversation about the sharing economy between citizens and authorities. I would like to see Fin­ land pioneer in including Nordic values like equality and fair working relations in platform economies,” Lampinen con­ cludes. 

7

PHENOMENON / SHARING ECONOMY

DOERZ



COMMUNITY FOR SHARING EXPERIENCES WE CAN CREATE WORK AND MARKETS THAT WOULD NOT OTHERWISE BE THERE.

8

The sharing economy is a peer-to-peer passion economy for Tomi Virtanen, the founder of Doerz. The company offers an online platform where anyone can offer to share their interests or hobbies with local people or tourists.

There’s a family who offers to take you to their cottage and sauna in the Finnish archipelago. They are keen to show their knowledge of the surroundings and share their private cottage with locals and tourists. They charge just €20 per person per night. One person offers to write a song with you and record it for you for €99. Another offers wine tasting for groups.

All these people, these “doerz”, are passionate about their hobby and offer unforgettable experiences.

“You don’t need a company or a website or any entrepreneurial experience of selling your skills. You just sign in for free and try it out. When somebody pays for your services, we get 15%. As a buyer, you get to enjoy authentic experiences that wouldn’t otherwise be available. The Doerz platform brings together the supply and demand of experiences,” Tomi Virtanen says.

Doerz was launched in April 2016 and currently has two employees. Tekes, the Finnish funding agency for innovation, has funded Doerz’s international growth with a €50,000 grant.

Virtanen considers the sharing economy to be the economy of the future. He is not alone.

“The younger generation in Finland strives to make choices that are both ecological and economical. The sharing economy brings more choice and more personalisation to the selection of services. Nowadays people’s salary comes from several smaller streams. Sharing economy is just one of them. I firmly believe it will generate clear overall economic growth in the coming decades.”

Virtanen has a traditional commercial studies background: six years ago, he graduated from the Turku School of Eco­ nomics.

“I think for a person working in a company providing a platform for the sharing economy, the most important skills are the abilities to think out of the box, to look for information, and to work in a team. Also, since platforms are quite easily modified to serve international customers, it’s useful to speak foreign languages2 and know how to work with people from different cultures. With the sharing economy, we can create work and markets that would not otherwise be there,” Virtanen says. doerz.sharetribe.com Doerz Co /thedoerz /thedoerz /thedoerz

2017

COREORIENT

RESOURCE-WISE AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR COMMUNITIES The CoReorient team creates crowdsourcing-based sharing economy services to enable more comfortable and resource-wise lifestyles. The services are developed in co-operation with users and other organisations.

Helsinki-based CoReorient Ltd was born in 2012 from the passion of two men, Harri Paloheimo and Heikki Waris, who wanted to create concrete tools for resource-wise lifestyles. The start-up company runs a sustainable business to develop services that maximise the social and ecological benefits for the society.

“While we work, we create new methods to facilitate the co-operation between citizens, companies, NGOs and public institutions. Joining forces for user-friendly design and co-design brings many benefits,” says Henni Ahvenlampi, the Head of Marketing at CoReorient.

The company is best known for the social delivery service PiggyBaggy, which offers sustainable deliveries utilising existing traffic. People transport each other’s packages on their daily commute and shopping trips.

“Being able to get help in transport of a package is especially important for people who don’t own a car. When you need to take, for instance, a broken home appliance for repair cross town, you make a delivery request on PiggyBaggy service and the service finds your package a ride using crowdsourcing.

The deliveries are transported by private persons who would be driving or riding a bicycle or going by public transport to the same direction anyway. People do these tasks once in a while and get a small compensation for each delivery."

Ahvenlampi considers the Finnish society quite unprepared when it comes to making it possible to receive the benefits sharing economy can bring to it.

“For instance, the tax system is not equipped to receive micropayments from either citizens or businesses in a resourcewise way. Also, the labour unions are yet to wake up to the needs of the sharing economy workers. It’s totally possible to create sharing economy services that profit the society. To enable that development, it’s important to create public funding instruments that support development of services that aim for an especially large positive impact and benefit to the society,” Ahvenlampi says. coreorient.com

IT’S TOTALLY POSSIBLE TO CREATE SHARING ECONOMY SERVICES THAT PROFIT THE SOCIETY.

9

RESQ CLUB

REDUCING WASTE ONE MEAL AT A TIME A platform where surplus restaurant or café portions can be sold to nearby customers at a discount. Head of Business Development Oula Antere explains the company ideology: “We want to make the value chain of food more efficient so that people get better food products and less is thrown to waste!” resq-club.com

PHENOMENON / SHARING ECONOMY

MY HOME, YOUR CASTLE? TEXT TIMO SORMUNEN PHOTOS SHUTTERSTOCK

Letting apartments through Airbnb is gaining popularity all over the world.

How is this phenomenon changing the hospitality business?

10

AS SO MANY OTHER NATIONS, Finns are eagerly using Airbnb for their vacation or business accomo­ dation needs. In 2016, there were roughly 4,000 Air­ bnb listings in Finland, and the figure has been on a steady rise. Airbnb has become one of the most visible parts of the of the global phenomenon of sharing and peer exchange economies. And the popularity keeps on growing.

Tuuli Kaskinen, Executive Director of Nordic Think Tank Demos Helsinki, sees this as a result of the ser­ vice’s strong service layer.

“Airbnb is based on trust between people, and at best users can benefit from excellent local knowledge and personal service.”

DIFFERENT SET OF RULES

For the apartment owner, the platform offers a nice stream of additional income. For a traveller, Airbnb offers an easy and usually more affordable way to stay in a home-like environment anywhere in the world.

According to Airbnb, their travellers are mainly look­ ing for an experience: 91 percent of them want to “live like a local”.

Timo Lappi, CEO of the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, finds that renting out one’s home occa­ tionally is both natural and acceptable. Smaller cit­ ies have utilised this capacity for years during large events such as the Savonlinna Opera festival and Pori Jazz festival.

On the downside, Airbnb has also become a global business, where the game is played under two sets of rules. According to Lappi, the service provid­ ers are the ones who make the quick bucks. Tax pay­ ers, employers, local residents and hotels are dealt a bad hand. ”Hospitality industry is strictly regulated, but Airbnb doesn’t have to care about the legislation, per­ sonnel cost or taxes. This is distorting the competi­ tion.”

2017

SOCIETIES BEAR THE RISKS

At present, Airbnb have more than 2.5 million listings worldwide. The majority – 74 percent – are outside of main hotel districts. Operating in almost 200 countries, Airbnb has been dealing with some adverse develop­ ments in many of the largest cities in Europe. Rent levels have risen in city centres, which in turn has led to a shortage of apartments.

These challenges have led Airbnb to restrict the annual renting-out time to 90 days in London and to 60 days in Amsterdam. In Berlin Airbnb is banned, and the regulatory actions are getting stricter, for example, in Canada and Japan.

“Currently most of the beneficiaries of sharing econ­ omy are multinational companies. The international community has to step up to regulate this develop­ ment,” Kaskinen points out.

LESS REGULATION, MORE INNOVATION

Airbnb and other similar service platforms have brought with them new and partly unexpected challenges to the hospitality industry. Some experts believe that as a business model Airbnb is actually more likely to dis­ trupt online travel agencies than hotels. Hotels still offer a strong bonus for many travellers: anonymity and a guarantee of a certain quality.

“If hotels can keep their price per quality rates rea­ sonable, the phenomenon can offer positive lessons to learn on customer orientation, for example,” Kaskinen comments.

For Timo Lappi, the first step would be to relieve the strict regulations straining the industry. At present a big chunk of the entrepreneurs’ time goes into mak­ ing sure that all the laws and exhaustive official regu­ lations are followed. Less regulation would improve the customer experience through value and service. ”This is vital for the birth of new innovations – and growth to the whole industry,” Lappi sums up.

LESS REGULATION WOULD IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THROUGH VALUE AND SERVICE.

SHARING CITY: SHARING IS THE NEW BUYING TEXT TUIJA TOIVOLA ILLUSTRATION SHUTTERSTOCK

CONSUMER-TO-CONSUMER EXCHANGE and trading activities are challenging businesses and business models as we know them. Values have changed especially among young people under the age of 35: ownership is no longer considered trendy. Efficient use of resources, reduction of waste, environmental conservation and need-based consumption are rising models of consumer behaviour.

Haaga-Helia and Arcada University of Applied Sciences are involved in the Sharing City development project, whose aim is to map the benefits of sharing economy for cities and the measures needed to realise these benefits.

The project involves close co-operation with the city authorities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.

The benefits of sharing economy were investigated in the Sharing City project through case examples and existing research. Well-implemented models of sharing economy could provide clear positive effects from economic, environmental and societal points of view.

Crucial factors include careful consideration of the whole local environment and finding solutions in co-operation with the local administration.

The project was funded by the Helsinki Metropolitan Region Urban Research Program, a co-operation network for the region's higher education institutions, city authorities and two ministries.

FURTHER INFO Tuija Toivola, tuija.toivola@haaga-helia.fi

11

CLOSE UP / KONSTANTINOS KARATSEVIDIS

HIS KIND OF HAPPINESS TEXT KAISA ALAPARTANEN PHOTOS JONNE RÄSÄNEN (PHOTOS TAKEN AT ATENEUM ART MUSEUM IN HELSINKI) AND EVE-TECH

Young entrepreneur Konstantinos Karatsevidis is at home everywhere.

Also out of his comfort zone. Because that is from where he will change the world.

12

K

onstantinos Karatsevidis was born in Ukraine and lived his early years with his parents in a town called Mariupol. “In Ukraine I had a lot of friends, knew the culture, knew how everything works, and the career path before me looked clear. I would not question the status quo.”

Early on, he had a dream of doing something meaningful.

Working at his father’s company took him around the world and he grew hungry for something beyond his then current, comfortable live.

STEPPING OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE

Before making the move to study in Finland, Konstantinos had visited the Northern country a couple of times with his parents.

Besides a visit to the Arctic Circle in Lapland, he attended a summer camp somewhere in the middle of Finland.

“I was there for a whole month as a fourteen-year-old. It was a big international youth camp, and I also got to know a lot of Finns there.”

These trips and the good reputation of the Finnish educa­ tional system convinced Konstantinos to start his studies in Helsinki. The first months were difficult. Karatsevidis was 17 years old and felt totally out of his comfort zone. He had to choose whether to endure the difficulties or move on.

“I chose to stay and learn to understand the different cul­ ture and fully embrace the study opportunities Haaga-Helia had to offer.”

THE POWER OF TOGETHER

Konstantinos likes to keep learning all the time – at least of the things that he is passionate about.

“I like to read a lot and expose myself to different views.

2017

Learning something deeply is best done by studying on your own, but coming up with new ideas and implementing them requires interaction and discussions – teamwork.”

This ideology is at the core of his company, Eve-Tech.

Karatsevidis has, together with his partners, pioneered in crowd-sourcing hardware. They have developed a new tablet computer with the help of a global community.

“Crowd-developing functional software is not too difficult and it is pretty common nowadays. Developing hardware this way has not been done before. We had first launched our tab­ let Eve T1 in 2015 but were not satisfied. We wanted to create a tablet that is totally unbeatable!”

This venture has not gone unnoticed. At the start-up event Slush in November 2016, Eve-Tech was named by the CEO of Indiegogo (one of the world’s biggest crowd-funding platforms) Danae Ringelman as the name to follow. She also praised how the company had broken records and raised over 100,000 dol­ lars in a very short time for their new tablet Eve V. Karatsevidis started the company during the last years of his studies. Despite his young years, Konstantinos was already experienced in doing business overseas and knew the Asian markets where the tablets are produced. His partners were also experienced professionals of their trades. Still, entrepreneur­ ship did not come easy.

“We’ve come through so many difficulties at Eve-Tech!

Working with people is in a way the hardest part. You can develop a strategy, a plan, and even hardware – but manag­ ing people is tough. And also often the deal-breaker between winning and losing.”

Despite all the difficulties, giving up was never an option for Konstantinos.

“I am too young for quitting!” 

13

DEVELOPING HARDWARE THIS WAY HAS NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE .

CLOSE UP / KONSTANTINOS KARATSEVIDIS

14

Konstantinos Karatsevidis wast to have a broader view on life and explore many things like art.�My favourite period is Romantic. I am also familiar with Kalevala and find the Finnish mythology interesting.“

Eve V was growd-developed by the Eve-Tech community.

It is a hybrid between a tablet and a PC, as it comes with a detachable keyboard.

2017

MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME THE BALANCE BETWEEN CONFIDENCE AND EGOISM.  HOME IS WHERE?

The benefits of being located in Finland are clear to Karatsevidis. The ecosystem for startups and entrepreneurs is good, with solid support and funding opportunities especially in the early stages of entrepreneurship. Also the labour force in Finland is skilled – there are so many people with experience from Nokia, for example.

“Ukraine is my home country, but I have never really thought about going back. I visit Kiev every couple of months. I am currently travelling between our operations in Finland, Germany and China. I could consider staying in any one of them also for longer. Personal life has become very important for me here in Helsinki.”

At such a young age, Konstantinos Karat­ sevidis has accomplished a lot. He seems wise beyond his years. Where does he get it from?

“Best advice came from my parents.

They taught me the balance between confi­ dence and egoism. They encouraged me to be self-confident – but if I was overconfident, they told me off.”

When it comes to life advice, Karatsevidis prefers books over the digital world or the pseu­ do-information of the Internet. Marcus Aure­ lius’ diary, Meditations, has been an inspira­ tion for the young entrepreneur.

“Aurelius writes things like: don’t let other people define you. You are the only person responsible for your happiness. For me this means that I don’t tie my actions to other peo­ ple or companies but instead follow my own way and listen to my inner driver.”

DELIVERING RATHER THAN PERFECTING

Eve-Tech has also had some experienced men­ tors from the IT industry, who have given the company insights into the way the industry currently works. But when a company is try­ ing to do things differently or in a new way, there will always be doubters. Listening to that inner driver through all that noise is not easy.

“I try to focus on what I would feel like after a decision and make my mind based on that.

Our biggest mentor is actually our community, as users they have the need and they under­ stand what the product should be like.”

According to Karatsevidis, start-ups can be too fixed on getting investment and hiring a big team to do something that is in the end not vital.

“Perfectionism is also not good as it pre­ vents you from delivering. We’ve had many situations where we had to decide whether to deliver or take a few more months to refine the product.”

Karatsevidis and Eve-Tech decided to deliver – and to utilise the user feedback to iterate their product.

STAYING HUMAN

Konstantinos Karatsevidis cannot even imagine how his life would be if he had not started his own company.

“I would have really big problems. Maybe I would work for a huge multinational com­ pany, but I don’t think I could fulfil my vision of doing something truly meaningful” Eve-Tech is challenging the big players in the market and promises to deliver excep­ tional hardware at a lower price. They intend to do this by selling their products directly on the web. This also ensures transparency throughout the value chain.

“We promise to listen to all of our custom­ ers and stay human!”

In the next ten years, Konstantinos looks forward to working with people that share his passion for IT and changing the world.

“We wish to change the way that products are developed. In the longer run I also want to be the best person that I can. To follow that inner guide and see where it leads me.”

But first, the busy CEO has to get some rest. His Persian cat, Parmesan, has kept him awake for most of the night.

Konstantinos Karatsevidis Education: Bachelor of business administration, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Age: 22 Profession: CEO and co-founder of Eve-Tech Motto: Define your own kind of happiness.

Family: Parents in Kiev, girlfriend and a cat called Parmesan in Helsinki eve-tech.com

15

APPLIED SCIENCE

IMAGINEERING THE FUTURE SERVICESCAPES* TEXT EEVA PUHAKAINEN PHOTOS HAAGA-HELIA

Sensory experiences are the key to developing customer relationships. That is why the future servicescapes are developed and researched today with sensory-stimulating technologies.

16

S

ensory experiences are a great opportunity to increase the perceived customer value by deepening the rela­ tion that customers or visitors have with a brand.

Nearly all brand communication is done through two senses: seeing and hearing. This is in contrast with the fact that 75 percent of emotions are gen­ erated by what the consumer smell.

The more emotions are involved, the stronger the emotional connection to the product or service. Widening the sensory experience in a shopping centre or a restaurant, for instance, stimulates emotions and leads to a desired response from the consumer.

The Box is a project that explores and develops servicescapes with dif­ ferent sensory stimuli. Examples of such technologies include high-definition projection and 3D spatial image mapping, immersive soundscapes, and scents.

Simulations such as the hotel room of the future, Virtual Star­ bucks, Mixed Reality Santa Claus or Sensation dinner provide a vision of the possibilities of mixed reality environments.

The aim is to create a commercial, multisensory “walk-in mixed reality environment”, where disruptive headsets or goggles are not necessarily needed. Panoramic images from any location around the world can be projected on the walls and everything in the environmental ambience can be pro­ grammed.

ANIMALS IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT

Zoo is a servicescape that has stayed unchanged for centuries.

The Box research project took on to explore how the zoo experi­ ence could be enhanced virtually. During summer 2016, a vir­ tual zoo was built in Hotel Mesikämmen in co-operation with Ähtäri Zoo. Ähtäri is situated in mid­ dle of Finland and easily accessible to Finnish and international visitors.

With wall-to-wall video projec­ tions of animals in their natural hab­ itat, 360 VR footage of snow leopards and little pandas, and detailed info­ tainment on a touchscreen, the visitors could get a closer look at the wildlife and, most of all, learn new things in an entertaining way. The Virtual Zoo is evolving in many ways, and the best practices of the pilot will be introduced to the public in 2017.

This is part of the cultural phenomena where things and areas previously strictly unapproachable are now transformed so that they are open to everybody everywhere. VR and AR technology, goggles, and internet are like an all-access pass to a festival of museums, national parks, streets of ancient Rome etc. For instance, the Natural History Museum in London now provides VR content of nine exhibitions with over 300,000 digital specimens. One can meet a seven-meter-long predator reptile called the Rhomaleosaurus – which died out over 175 million years ago!

THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM IN LONDON NOW PROVIDES VR CONTENT OF NINE EXHIBITIONS WITH OVER 300,000 DIGITAL SPECIMENS.

2017

Pasi Tuomainen The Box, Project Manager

Eeva Puhakainen The Box, Project Communication thebox.fi /imagineeringbox /the_box_project /theboxfinland

Another area that has a lot of potential is the food service industry. The Box project visited a culinary festival for profes­ sionals in Estonia in September 2016. Providing the scenery, scents and sounds for culinary master classes and the Sensa­ tion Dinner, the professionals of the Box project immersed guests in the storyline and an ingenious culinary journey.

The feedback from the international culinary artists and the 400 visitors was promising, and plans are already being made for similar dinners around the world.

TEST GROUND FOR ALL SENSES

While visiting the industry locations, the Box simulation room at Haaga-Helia’s Haaga Campus has also been utilised in many ways by the research team and Haaga-Helia students. Built for rapid prototyping and research purposes, the Haaga Box serves as a showroom and a test ground for projects outside Haaga Campus.

So far, the Haaga Box has been turned into a Pirates of the Caribbean theme bar, Venetian Piadina sandwich parlour and a Vietnamese Street Food Kitchen serving Pho soup for 250 hospitality and food service managers. It has also served as a place for a white wedding, sauna experience and travel agency.

Besides increasing our understanding on how to build more multi-sensory and immersive services in the future, the Box also helps companies improve their customer experience.

The project team will keep on searching for the best solutions for the industry by finding alternative ways to enrich the cus­ tomer experience with multi-sensory stimuli.

*SERVICESCAPE is a concept describing the effect of the physical environment in which a service takes place.

Introduced in 1981 by Booms and Bitner, who defined a servicescape as "the environment in which the service is assembled and in which the seller and customer interact, combined with tangible commodities that facilitate performance or communication of the service".

Booms, BH; Bitner, MJ (1981).

"Marketing strategies and organisation structures for service firms".

Donnelly, J; George, WR. Marketing of Services. Chicago. American Marketing Association.

17

AROUND THE GLOBE

QUESTION: THE ROLE OF MOBILE IN LEARNING? EDITED NINA FINELL PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK

18

Mobile learning has taken the education world by storm. This phenomenon is changing the way we learn and teach by offering new ways to support the learning process through mobile techonology. The use and popularity of mobile devices differs from country to country. We asked some of our global partners their views and experiences.

Michel Kouadio Director, Technology Planning and Innovation, Ryerson University, Canada Mobile learning is on the rise across Canada. Almost all universities have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative, offer some online and distance education courses, etc. Still, the scale of those initiatives varies by institution. At Ryerson University, we have several mobile learning initiatives. Students may bring their mobile devices and access the free University WiFi (BYOD). Our Faculty of Communication and Design offers loaner devices and loans specialized software on a dongle. Other faculties have similar initiatives at varying degrees. Mobile learning will keep growing and transforming education, as it addresses some fundamental needs in course delivery and learning.

Mobile learning will also make it easier to develop peer learning networks that can be tapped into anytime.” www.ryerson.ca

William Helling Lecturer, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, United States Online education is a rapidly growing phenomenon in the United States, and Indiana University has embraced this model. We offer more than 100 online degrees and hundreds of classes from all eight campuses. I teach for the Department of Library and Information Science whose Master's program is entirely online. With our course management system and its various tools, we can conduct asynchronous or synchronous sessions. Mobile learning allows non-traditional and distant students the opportunity to begin or to continue their higher education.” www.iupui.edu

2017

Päivi Aarreniemi-Jokipelto Senior Lecturer, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland Mobile learning is used both in online and contact learning in Finland. At Haaga-Helia mobile devices are used e.g. to access educational resources, to connect with peers, and to create content. During contact days, mobile devices are used to participate in classroom activities by using e.g. quizzes (Todaysmeet, Answergarden, Polleverywhere), QR codes, co-creation activities (Padlet, Popplet, Google tools), games, digital notes, and photo collages. I believe that in the future more teachers will design learning situations where mobile learning has a role that enriches learning, enables it in different situations and activates learners.” www.haaga-helia.fi

19

Dr. Elias Estevão Goulart Professor and researcher, Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul, Brazil.

We can see in Brazil a huge insertion of mobile devices among students, almost in every age, and its presence inside classrooms. Some teachers are experimenting with approaches trying to figure out how to diminish its negative impact on learning and use this technology to make the learning process more attractive.

We have a long road in front of us and we ought to learn how to integrate mobile technology and use all of its potential. We believe that technology will not substitute teachers, but a teacher who does not know how to use it will be substituted by a teacher who knows.” www.uscs.edu.br

Teemu H. Laine Assistant Professor, Ajou University, Republic of Korea Mobile learning is not being applied to the fullest at Ajou University. A mobile app is available for accessing the student information system, but courses are still delivered mostly via traditional lectures. Students can be often seen to browse lecture notes and course information using their smartphones, but that is about as far as mobile learning gets. Having said that, mobile learning is a globally growing phenomenon, and thanks to the emergence of Internet of Things, we can expect to see more intelligent learning environments that promote learning experiences relevant to the learner's current situation.” www.ajou.ac.kr/en

EXPORTING EDUCATION

EDUCATION EXPORT CALLS FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION AND CO-OPERATION 20 TEXT TIMO SORMUNEN PHOTOS FINNISH GOVERNMENT AND SHUTTERSTOCK

The current government has taken on the task of dismantling the legislative restrictions on Finnish education export. According to Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the Minister of Education and Culture, Finland’s country brand is in good shape. Productisation and company co-operation are the areas that most require improvement.

FINLAND HAS FOR LONG BEEN RANKED

one of the top countries in education.

However, exporting this expertise has so far been limited to isolated projects.

The current government is now planning to take the bull by the horns.

The goal of a recently-drawn roadmap to year 2019 is to build development paths that make education one of the new mainstays of export alongside manufac­ turing industries.

The goal is challenging but according to Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the Minister of Education and Culture, totally realistic.

“This year I have made education export trips and met many colleagues from around the world. It has been great to see how well-known and well-respected our education expertise is,” the minister enthuses.

In addition to untangling the red tape, boosting the activities of the companies 2017

in education business will be in the heart of the development efforts. It has become clear that mediocrity will not bring suc­ cess in the highly competitive global edu­ cation market.

“We need to ask whether we have enough expertise in productising edu­ cation. There is also a lot of work to be done regarding the financing instru­ ments for supporting export,” the min­ ister says.

She believes Finland is an attractive country for students looking for a safe, clean and student-friendly alternative.

What’s more, we are already one of the international benchmarks in teacher education, vocational education and sev­ eral fields of expertise, from healthcare to cleantech.

“We will start experiments in upper secondary education and dismantle leg­ islation. It has truly been noted how much demand there is for advisory ser­ HELP FROM EXPERTS vices – and willingness to pay for them,” Grahn-Laasonen believes that Finland Grahn-Laasonen assures. needs to attract expertise that supports learning for individuals and communi­ STRENGTH FROM CO-OPERATION ties as well as national education systems. Finland has for a long time placed high “The more experts in the education in the PISA survey rankings. However, field we can get to Finland to test and the scores have been deteriorating already develop their new ideas, the better we can for a decade, which raises concerns. also develop our own education products Despite the drop in the rankings, Fin­ for the world,” the minister states. land is still one of the top PISA countries.

MAKING HEADWAY IN LATIN AMERICA TEXT MARIA VELEZ

WE AIM TO MAKE EDUCATION ONE OF THE NEW MAINSTAYS OF FINNISH EXPORT. Ms. Sanni Grahn-Laasonen Finland's Minister of Education and Culture

The success has brought here thousands of education experts, who have explored our system and professed admi­ ration for the level of our expertise.

“Our way of producing education services in fact encompasses a lot more than can even be measured with PISA,” the minister reminds.

In any case, interest in education export is on the rise.

Grahn-Laasonen believes the efforts should be organised in universities and schools in a more agile way.

As an example, she mentions the joint ventures set up for export efforts.

“EduCluster Finland Ltd has brought the education actors of Central Finland together, while Finland Uni­ versity has united the universities of Turku, Tampere and Eastern Finland. Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia are also strengthening their co-operation with new initiatives.

What those who succeed have in common is unique exper­ tise, knowledge of languages and cultures, a wide co-opera­ tion network, and pioneering technology.”

SINCE 2010, the Ministry of National Education of Colombia has been taking steps towards renewing the national vocational education system. In 2016, they launched the project SNET – National Tertiary Education System. A new model of institution was constructed and ready to be piloted, nourished by the input of different international partners.

One of the partners was Haaga-Helia, led by the Export of Education team, which was in charge of validating the proposed model and strengthening it.

“We got familiar with Colombian education systems, read reports and inquiries, gave feedback on the Colombian plans and ideas and organised working seminars in Bogota,” describes Jari Laukia, Teacher’s Director at Haaga-Helia.

The team of experts responsible for the task tackled the challenge of giving SNET a viable application in different disciplines, such as Vocational Teacher Education, Quality Assurance and Institutional Management, and Learning Environments and Curriculum Design.

The project was structured so that it not only contained theoretical information but practical, Mr. Jari Laukia, Teacher's two-week face-toDirector, Haaga-Helia face workshops in Colombia. The objective was to construct a solid system specifically tailored for the national context.

Haaga-Helia’s contribution was deemed crucial, guaranteeing a bright perspective for the future of education in Latin America.

As the first phase of the project ended in December 2016, Jari Laukia was invited as a keynote speaker. He painted a vision of the state of affairs from the international perspective for ministers, rectors, and other notable guests. “It was a privilege to work together with our Colombian partners to develop edu­cation in Colombia,” praises Laukia.

IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH OUR COLOMBIAN PARTNERS.

21

MEETING POINT

FROM SILICON VALLEY, WITH SISU

22

TEXT KAISA ALAPARTANEN ILLUSTRATION MIKA REUNANEN

Often called the mecca for start-ups, Silicon Valley is home to some of the best known companies in the world. Finland is also known for its vibrant start-up scene. What happens when these two worlds collide?

SOME QUOTATIONS FROM THE LANNISTUMATTOMAT BOOK:

PEOPLE IN SILICON VALLEY ARE NOT AFRAID TO QUESTION THINGS WITH THE STUBBORNNESS OF A THREE-YEAR OLD. Kai Bäckman

2017

SILICON VALLEY IS FOR AN ENTREPRENEUR WHAT THE NHL IS FOR THE HOCKEY PLAYER. Sam Inkinen

THE LEADERSHIP IN FINLAND IS MORE OPEN AND EQUAL THAN IN SILICON VALLEY. WORKERS HAVE A LARGER MANDATE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SILICON VALLEY COULD LEARN FROM FINLAND. Mårten Mickos

SILICON VALLEY IS MORE A STATE OF MIND THAN A PHYSICAL PLACE. EVERYTHING IS DOWN TO YOUR OWN ATTITUDE. Jani Penttinen

WSOY

FINNS HAVE A SPECIAL WORD FOR NOT GIVING UP: SISU. Persistence is certainly useful when

building up a start-up company. Are there other characteristics shared by the Finns who have made it as entrepreneurs? Liisa Jokinen and Hanna Artman are both long-term habitants of Silicon Valley. They have collected the experiences of Finnish entrepreneurs into a book, Lannistumattomat*.

For the book, Jokinen and Artman spoke to 14 Finnish start-up founders who have at least for a time lived in Silicon Valley. We asked the authors five questions on the topic of cultural differences.

1

ARE CULTURES SO DIFFERENT? HOW DO THEY AFFECT BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

Surely cultures differ, but we don’t feel that the differences are so big that they would affect co-operation. In Silicon Valley people are very tolerant towards different cultures, religions and minorities. This is seen as one of the many strengths of this area.

2

ARE CULTURES AN ISSUE IN SILICON VALLEY?

Cultural differences are approached with care. It is not considered polite to ask strangers about their religious background or home country. Small talk is opened with only a sub­ tle mention towards each other’s backgrounds – one might ask “where is your accent from”, rather than asking where you are from.

3

WHAT KIND OF CULTURE CLASHES HAVE YOU WITNESSED, OR HAVE YOU?

We have not noticed any culture clashes in Silicon Valley – different cultures are enriching! By encountering other cultures one sees oneself and one’s own culture from a different viewpoint and learns something new of those both. And perhaps also of the world.

4

WHAT DOES FINLAND LOOK LIKE WHEN LOOKING AT IT FROM A FAR?

* L oosely translated “The Indomitable”.

Finland appears considerably more interesting from afar than from within!

The nature, the level of civilisation, the age of the cities and architecture – just to name a few Finnish features that are really special.

History and culture are present everywhere, especially in the capital, Helsinki. People too are very stylish. Finnish design is the best in the world. Finland is actually a bet­ ter place than America to follow the Ame­ rican dream – because of the social welfare system as a safety net that helps the entre­ preneur through difficult times.

5

WHAT IS SPECIAL IN THE FINNISH CULTURE? WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS FOR AN ENTREPRENEUR IN SILICON VALLEY?

Finns are honest, international and good listeners. Because we Finns generally keep what we promise, doing business with us is easy. We Finns have a good reputation also here in Silicon Valley. Our culture sparks interest ranging from architecture all the way to the national ethos.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Liisa Jokinen is a freelance journalist and a photographer.

She moved to San Francisco in 2012 and is currently involved in various development projects for, among others, the Finnish fashion industry.

Hanna Artman is a marketing and communications professional. She moved to Silicon Valley in 2012 from Shanghai.

She lectures at the San Francisco City College.

For the term 2016, she is also a visiting lecturer at HaagaHelia.

Out of style?

LIISA JOKINEN STARTED A BLOG CALLED Hel Looks in 2005.

In the blog, she documents the everyday styles of ordinary people in the streets of Helsinki.

When she moved to San Francisco, the blogging followed her under the same idea but with a different name, SF Looks.

In a new city, photographing has been a way for Jokinen to get to know the place and its habitants.

“It has been such a great experience! In San Francisco, 99 percent of the people agree to having their picture taken with a smile.”

Are there any cultural differences stylewise?

“Finns are more aware of fashion than San Franciscans.

On the other hand, in San Francisco the streets are full of color and diversity. Different cultures are visible in a very interesting way in the way people dress.”

Jokinen is sure to keep on blogging, wherever she might move. The next chapter in her blogging venture is already in the pipeline: NY Looks. hel-looks.com

sf-looks.com

23

FIGURE OUT

FACTS ON

suomifinland100.fi SuomiFinland100

FINLAND

/suomifinland100 /suomifinland100 /suomifinland100, #suomi100

TRAVELER’S 21 “BEST OF THE WORLD” DESTINATIONS

1

ST

National Geographic 2017

GREENEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD Environmental Performance Index, Yale University

24

3

RD

188,000 LAKES WITH WATER GOOD ENOUGH TO DRINK!

UNMISSABLE TRAVEL DESTINATION

1

ST

Lonely Planet 2017

BEST PERFORMING COUNTRY IN HUMAN CAPITAL POTENTIAL

1906

FINLAND BECAME THE FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO GRANT BOTH WOMEN AND MEN FULL POLITICAL RIGHTS.

2017

Human Capital Report 2016

10 YEARS OF WORKING TOGETHER HAAGA-HELIA WAS FORMED AT THE BEGINNING OF 2007 with Finland’s first merger of institutions of higher education, as Helsinki Business Polytechnic and Haaga Institute Polytechnic joined forces.

This means that we are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year.

OUR ROOTS ARE DEEP IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND WORKING LIFE. We educate sales-, service- and entrepreneurship-oriented specialists for the needs of companies. Haaga-Helia is one of Finland’s most clearly profiled universities of applied sciences and a pioneer in education exports. Pioneering and innovation in networks have been the cornerstones of our operations from the very beginning.

IN OUR 10 YEARS OF OPERATIONS, we have found our mission in an open door approach – we are opening the doors to working life.

This reflects not only the opportunities provided by our studies and the high degree of employment of our students but also our dynamic co-operation with companies and keeping up with the times. We are enabling change in people, companies and the whole of society.

WE WILL CONTINUE REINVENTING THINGS by breaking the barriers between working life and institutions of higher education.

In the future, higher education will most of all be about networking.

Sharing one’s own learning is also an essential part of our staff’s development. We need skilled and enthusiastic employees to keep us going as effectively in the next decade, too.

After working together for 10 years, we will continue our journey together.

We will celebrate by working – come and join us!

PHOTOS MAREK SABOGAL

JUKKA FORDELL

Haaga-Helia – 10-year anniversary animation

SHORT AND SWEET COMPILED NINA FINELL AND ARI NEVALAINEN

BRAINSTORMING ON FUTURE EDUCATION

26

Over 30 international guests convened at Haaga-Helia for the International Co-Creation Workshop event in early November 2016. The idea was to brainstorm together how different services can be developed. On the opening day, the guests visited the Haaga and Porvoo campuses. On the second day, the guests participated in the Global Education Export seminar at the Pasila campus.

The purpose of the event was to bring together international actors from Haaga-Helia’s education export and brainstorm new solutions and models for the challenges of education export. At the event, the international partners had the chance to see the Haaga-Helia campuses and activities in their actual environment and to gain ideas for their own operations or future co-operation with Haaga-Helia.

NEW CONTRACT: INSTITUTE OF TOURISM STUDIES IN MALTA Haaga-Helia has signed a collaboration agreement with the Maltese Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) for training 20 teachers from ITS. The training started in modules in Malta, partly as e-learning with the lead of experts from Haaga-Helia. The training, which began in spring 2016, is designed for teachers in the tourism field who have a wide experience from the hotel and restaurant business. www.its.edu.mt

2017

THREEFOLD MORE CHOICE Green Card stimulates student mobility between Helsinki Metropolitan Area Universities of Applied Sciences.

Beginning from last autumn, the stu­ dents of Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metro­ polia have been able to take advantage of the teaching offering of the partner universities of applied sciences. Degree students can build individual learning tracks by choosing studies that are not available at their own university from the other two universities of applied sciences.

The online studies are offered in Finnish and English.

The aim of these Green Card studies is to promote student mobility between the three universities and add flexibil­ ity to studies. Students will also get the chance to graduate quicker and know different operating cultures.

Co-operation will deepen further in the 2017–2018 academic year when degree students will be given the opportunity to undertake a student exchange for a whole term or academic year at one of the other two universities of applied sciences.

“Our long-term goal is unrestricted mobility for the students by 2020.

Students will be able to build their entire degree from the study offering of Haa­ ga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia,” says Teemu Kokko, President, CEO of HaagaHelia, together with his colleagues Jouni Koski, President and CEO of Laurea, and Riitta Konkola, Managing Director, President of Metropolia.

Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia have formed a strategic alliance, the part­ nership agreement for which was signed this autumn. The aim is to strengthen co-operation in selected areas chosen on the basis of each university's profile.

The alliance's key areas of co-operation are education export, increasing the stu­ dents' studying opportunities, promoting entrepreneurship, and the digitalisation of education. haaga-helia.fi metropolia.fi laurea.fi

ERASMUS+ MOBILITY MANAGED IN AN EXCELLENT WAY AT HAAGA-HELIA

Mobile devices are transforming the way we commu­ nicate, live and learn. Mobile learning, or m-learning, offers modern ways to support the learning process through mobile devices, such as handheld and tab­ let computers, MP3 players, smartphones and mobile phones. We must ensure that this digital revolution becomes a revolution in education, promoting inclu­ sive and better learning everywhere.

Haaga-Helia’s School of Vocational Teacher Edu­ cation is co-ordinating a project related to mobile learning, business development and frugal innova­ tion. Called SCALA (Scalable mobile learning ser­ vices for global markets), it’s a Java programming and calculus platform, a virtual 3D classroom and business English e-learning content. The testing and piloting takes place in March 2017 within uni­ versities and secondary education in the Sao Paulo area in Brazil. As an outcome, the project will pro­ duce mobile learning research, development of con­ tent and a market strategy for the Finnish compa­ nies involved.

“Our strategy within the SCALA project is to primarily enter the market potential through mobile learning research in universities, and in sec­ ondary education in the Sao Paulo area. We foresee big potential for SCALA product content in Brazil after having adapted content to fit the local and scalable mobile learning market needs,” says pro­ ject co-ordinator Ms. Annica Isacsson.

FURTHER INFO Annica.Isacsson@haaga-helia.fi

SHUTTERSTOCK

THINK BIG, GO MOBILE IN BRAZIL

Center for International Mobility in Finland monitored Haaga-Helia´s Erasmus+ mobility activities and gave us a very good grade: activities are well integrated into the activities and in line with the institution´s goals.

Attention is also paid to the high quality of mobilities and mobility guidance.

Haaga-Helia emphasizes the importance of the learning outcomes in mobility. In the Connect 2.0 Intercultural Learning Network for Europe project we develop tools to strengthen the intercultural learning. The project brings together European practitioners and experts from the university and youth sector.

weconnecteurope.eu

27

HAAGA-HELIA INTRODUES TUITION FEES AND SCHOLARSHIPS Tuition fees are widely applied in the global higher education sector. After the recent legislative change mandated by the Finnish Parliament, tuition fees are also introduced in Finnish higher education institutions. The fees only apply to students who are not citizens of countries of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland.

While other higher education institutions introduce the tuition fees in August 2017, Haaga-Helia took the initiative of launching a degree programme already in January.

The Bachelor-level degree programme in Aviation Business has accepted the first students within the new scheme, which will start a new phase in the Finnish education field.

MEET HAAGA-HELIA AT THE MAREK SABOGAL

NAFSA Conference 28 May–2 June, 2017 in Los Angeles, US EAIE Conference 12–15 September, 2017 in Sevilla FURTHER INFO Sirpa Holmström, Head of International Relations, international@haaga-helia.fi

DID YOU KNOW...

Pallastunturi is a group of seven fells in Lapland, Finland. The highest peak, Taivaskero reaches 809 metres.

On 6th of July 1952, rays of the midnight sun were used to lit a flame on the top of Taivaskero. This second Olympic flame was later on joined to the main flame that had been lit in Olympia for the summer Olympics held in Helsinki in 1952.

SIGNALS HAAGA-HELIA’S STAKEHOLDER MAGAZINE 2017