Proactive guides for an international project : Guide creation for Arctic Business Corridor

• Main Authors: Karppinen, Atte, Kaihua, Elina
• Other Authors: Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu 2017
• Subjects: international virtual teamwork; stakeholder guide; project work; communication; fi=Liiketalous; hallinto ja markkinointi|sv=Företagsekonomi; förvaltning och marknadsföring|en=Business Management; Administration and Marketing|; Degree Programme in International Business; Arctic; The Guides
• Online Access: http://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/126651

This Bachelor’s thesis explores methods and identifies opportunities to improve the implementation of the Arctic Business Corridor (ABC) study project with the help of stakeholder guides. The project is a complex, multilateral, short-term international project. During the project, companies give students a task regarding internationalization and the students then complete the task with the teaching staff focusing on coaching the student teams. The aim of the ABC project is to advance the internationalization of companies by utilizing the international networks of universities as well as international university student teams, while simultaneously improving the students’ skills required in working life. Due to the complex nature of the project and multiple different organizations involved, the pilot implementations of the project faced numerous challenges. The aim of this thesis is to compile guides for each stakeholder group: the teaching staff, the students, and the companies. The guides will be used in future implementations to proactively mitigate common risks associated with the project. This thesis combines the experiences and insights of each stakeholder group with various theoretical frameworks concerning international project management, virtual teamwork, and marketing. Based on the literature and empirical research of this thesis, the critical improvement issues were identified as relating to recruitment of students and companies, communication, and time management. The primary research was done by conducting individual and group interviews, conducting a questionnaire, and analyzing previously collected participant feedback. Additionally, all of the theoretical and qualitative data was combined in a practical application in the form of stakeholder guides. The guides will be given to future participants and will provide the stakeholders with all of the necessary information to ensure successful execution of the project and provide optimal results for each stakeholder group.