Signals
Global
HAAGA-HELIA'S STAKEHOLDER MAGAZINE
2015
From traditional to digital
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Andreas Romar
Athlete and future entrepreneur
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Vocational education
Finland meets China
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Relying on the crowd
Photo: Magisso / Laura Mendelin
Magisso’s functional design products have become internationally known during the Finnish company’s seven-year lifespan. Last year the minimal yet beautiful kitchenware products were accepted into the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. More surprisingly, the company does not employ any designers. Their business model relies on crowd-sourcing ideas and perfecting them into design products for the global market. Magisso partnered up with Haaga-Helia in 2014 and will continue working with the students.
Fill the handy built-in filter with tea leaves and pour hot water in the cup. The Magisso tea cup received the Good Design Award in 2012.
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Design is a central strategic element in the activities of the most successful Finnish companies regardless of the branch. Finland is one of the few countries that have a national design policy. Finnish design education is high-quality and highly appreciated. www.teamfinland.fi 2
Global Signals 2014
CONTENTS
2 RELYING ON THE CROWD
Haaga-Helia globally Haaga-Helia is present on all continents. In this issue we stop by the following locations:
5 FROM THE PRESIDENT Finland
6 NEWS AND NOTES 8 - 13 DIGITAL DIALOGUE Space to learn Gaming gets students out of the classroom A user friendly tool for sales development
USA (p 26)
China (p 20)
Mexico (p 24) Colombia (p 18)
14 FINLAND Wolfpack all the way Designs that work like magic
Photo: Tommi Tuomi
18 GLOBAL EDUCATION SERVICES Motivated teacher students in Colombia Get to know IMBA Big steps in Shanghai 22 A land of growing dreams 24 FULBRIGHT Studying sales calls
Sports clubs can activate their fans to attend games, and the larger crowds show directly in the sposors’ input. Wolfpack fans Saara Wahlgren and Hanna Valkeinen show how to cheer. p
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From th e
Preside nt
Digital Haaga-Helia A smoke signal is a traditional digital communications device – this statement is one of many that can be found in Wikipedia, a source of digital information. And as we are at the source of digital information, it is no longer possible to simply think that the information is true, or correct. Instead, the statement immediately sparks questions: Is this true? Who is making this statement? What do they base the statement on? Why do they say this? In principle, digitalisation makes unlimited dissemination and use of information possible regardless of time and place. But the recipient remains responsible for determining whether the freely moving information is correct or not. For this reason, institutions of higher education and other “authorised” parties still play an important role in producing, compiling, and evaluating information. Information spreads when lectures, study material, seminars, and practical exercises can be stored in digital learning environments where they can be used by an unlimited number of students at different times, in different
environments and in different places in the world. Digitalisation also makes it possible to process, transfer, and transmit different types of information – text, sound, images, and video – with different devices. Digitalisation has been compared to the invention of printing. Printed books made the existing information available to an exponentially larger number of readers compared to books copied by hand. Now, electronically transmitted information can be transferred from the creator of the information to its users at almost a negligible cost. The digital world around us is expanding rapidly, and young people are becoming digital natives. At Haaga-Helia, we have already taken many steps further into the digital world. We offer more than 4,000 virtual courses. Our library brings more than 85,000 e-books and 14,000 e-magazines available to everyone. E-tenttis makes it possible to take examinations outside the regular schedule. Our communications serve people in the world of social media in many different ways: on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and
YouTube. All our personnel use the multi-purpose tool of the digital world: a smartphone. Dictionaries, calculators, cameras, video cameras, e-mail, calendars, information searches, applications, and the phone are always available. Lync makes it possible for the students and teachers to engage in digital dialogue in real time while they are mobile. We are working on a degree that can be entirely acquired online, and the services to support it. In the same way, we are developing knowledge management tools for the management of the university of applied sciences. In this edition of Global Signals, we present different examples on how we at Haaga-Helia have responded to the change and challenges presented by the digital world. Ritva Laakso-Manninen President and CEO Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
Signals
Global
Haaga-Helia Global Signals ▪ Publisher Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Ratapihantie 13, 00520 HELSINKI, Finland, tel. +358 9 229 611, www.haaga-helia.fi ▪ Editor in Chief Ari Nevalainen, ari.nevalainen@haaga-helia.fi ▪ Editorial team Lars Eltvik, Sirpa Holmström, Suvi Huovinen, Kaija Lindroth, Ari Nevalainen, Pirkko Salo; Anneli Frantti/Otavamedia Oy ▪ Layout Otavamedia Oy ▪ Paper G-Print 170 g/m2 and 130 g/m2 ▪ Printing Unigrafia Oy ▪ Cover Image Sampo Korhonen and Marjo Tynkkynen.
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NEWS and
NOTES
Texts Saija Sillanpää, Ari Nevalainen | Photos Haaga-Helia
International students ranked Haaga-Helia number one in a survey that measured quality and services among Finnish schools.
Haaga-Helia excels in international student satisfaction Haaga-Helia topped the list in StudyPortal’s Student Satisfaction survey 2014. All and all, Scandinavian countries stand out in the international ranking. International students appreciate the excellent services and high level of academics at Haaga-Helia. Finland’s top three universities 1. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences 2. University of Oulu 3. Tampere University of Applied Sciences Scandinavian countries outperform Southern Europe in student satisfaction, reveals a new
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study by StudyPortals. Scandinavia receives top scores in academic performance whereas southern European universities get noticed for their atmosphere, beautiful destinations, and vibrant student life. However, the actual studies are rated lower. Despite minor dissatisfaction with the weather, students appreciate Finland as the most satisfying country in Europe to study in. The study finds that 89 percent of the students would recommend their experience and almost seven out of ten international students would rate their experience as a 9 or 10 out of 10 when asked if they would recommend it to their friends.
Teemu Kokko elected president Haaga-Helia’s newly appointed President and CEO Teemu Kokko is a Doctor of Economic Sciences and an Adjunct Professor in marketing at the Univeristy of Helsinki. The selection process focused on finding a person with solid experience in both academia and the business world as well as the ability to lead a large-scale specialist organization. In addition, strategic competence and ability to network both regionally and internationally were requirements. According to Chairman of the Board Matti Niemi, Teemu Kokko meets these requirements with flying colors. “In its fields of education, Haaga-Helia is Finland’s leading university of applied sciences and it must continuously develop its operations in the changing operating environment. HaagaHelia’s new president needs to be able to look into the future and carry out even larger changes. Teemu Kokko’s background is ideal for developing Haaga-Helia’s successful teaching and RDI activities,” says Niemi. Ritva Laakso-Manninen who has been serving as Haaga-Helia’s president and CEO since its establishment 2007 will retire in early June 2015. “The starting point for further development of Haaga-Helia is excellent. Today, Haaga-Helia is functionally and financially in a great place,” says Niemi.
Teemu Kokko will start as the new President and CEO 1 June 2015.
Pia Hautamäki
Diva brings tools for B2B sales Digitalisation changes the way companies do business with each other, and competition gets more vigorous. Diva, a Haaga-Helia coordinated research project launched in January, produces important information and tools for B2B sales marketing. The Diva research project looks into what kind of information and tools are needed in B2B – a field revolutionised by the digital era. ”The whole B2B environment has changed. We no longer serve customers only in Finland but the whole world is open,” says Pia Hautamäki who works as a sales researcher in the project. According to Hautamäki, who is also a sales teacher at Haaga-Helia, customers and sellers meet each other more seldom than ever: often a company buyer has already made a decision before meeting the seller. Successful encounters require modern sales skills and tools. “Sales organisations should be able to produce value by adding elements online and in digital channels,” says Hautamäki. The work of a B2B seller has become increasingly demanding. The number of people working in sales has decreased and sales organisations in the customer companies have become more knowledgeable. Information about products or services is often readily available in social media or other digital channels. “Customer controls the sales process. If the seller is able to produce value for the customer, it enables long-term co-operation. In the future, only top people will make it in B2B sales work.” The Diva project produces valuable help, not only for customer companies but also for the sales people and sales management teaching of the participating universities. “One important mission is to produce information for future sellers,” says Hautamäki. The total budget of the research project is MEUR 1.25 of which HaagaHelia’s share is EUR 875,000. Besides Haaga-Helia, the project involves the University of Eastern Finland and Turku University of Applied Sciences as well as companies VTT, G4S, Martela, TeliaSonera, and Terveystalo. Research co-operation is conducted with the Belgian Vlerick Business School.
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DIGITAL
DIALOGUE
Space to learn Today, students take a leap backwards when they enter a classroom. With all knowledge always at their fingertips, how do we encourage them to learn and stay interested? Text Heini Santos | Photo Annika Rauhala
D
igital natives were born into the era of digital technology. They are no older than thirtysomething, always on their phones, always connected, and good at multi-tasking. Their reactions are fast and spatial perception highly developed, thanks to years of video games. “Digital natives are very impatient when it comes to sitting in long lectures. During their free time, even between classes, they indulge in mobile technology. It is part of their system, and they feel naked without it,” describes Kirsti Lonka, professor of educational psychology at the University of Helsinki. Yet when digital natives enter a classroom in 2015, they are generally expected to work with pen and paper, and listen passively. “That is not their way of learning – they get bored! The challenge is to find ways where the students would take mobile technology and use it for learning within the school
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environment. Right now, there is a huge gap between school and the real world.” More physical freedom Lonka is involved in the RYM Indoor Environment project, which is part of a new 25-millioneuro business concept around innovative construction in Finland. The pedagogical group focuses on planning school facilities that meet the requirements of the 21st century.
“It is about how to implement the innovative ideas in teacher education. Our teacher students are digital natives and we have to be able to teach them methods that work, she says.” Curriculums are quickly moving from teacher-centred thinking to project-based, and classrooms cannot keep up. The acoustics accommodate a situation where one person is talking and others listen quietly. Group
One way to encourage learning is to make the environment more engaging; people seem to learn better while using their motoric skills. Kirsti Lonka, professor of educational psychology at the University of Helsinki.
work causes unnecessary noise and stress. Students get restless when they have to sit too much; physical movement is restricted by old-school furniture. “Tables and chairs on wheels would enable quick changes. Even walls should be mobile,” Lonka says. “One way to encourage learning is to make the environment more engaging; people seem to learn better while using their motoric skills. They should be creating with their hands, playing, or composing music.” Putting ideas to test Lonka sees that vocational schools are well ahead of traditional universities in how they have arranged learning. For instance, Haaga-Helia’s entire curriculum
is based on courses, not subjects. Lonka is involved in an upcoming collaboration with Haaga-Helia in terms of designing future work places. “Offices, too, are often very boring, and open offices are filled with noise and distraction. Some positive examples of doing things differently include the headquarters of Microsoft, and the Finnish mobile operator Elisa. Haaga-Helia’s exiting work with the Porvoo campus serves as inspiration to us,” she complements. “The Department of Teacher Education at the University of Helsinki also has a living lab. We test our ideas and collaborate with different companies, such as lighting and furniture manufacturers, to see
how they make use of our ideas. We also do job crafting where people can redesign their work.” On the global scale, Lonka looks up to countries like Australia and the Netherlands. “Finns are known for pedagogy and the science of learning, yet we continue to wonder why things are not working as well as they theoretically should. Now we have to learn how to reform our physical environment to suite needs of the digital natives.”
More information www.rym.fi www.wiredminds.fi
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DIALOGUE
Gaming gets students
out of the classroom What if, instead of sitting in a classroom, students could head to the city centre and make simple surveys on the street. Then they could add photos and videos, and return to the classroom to give presentations. Sounds like more realistic learning? All this is bound together in an educational game. Text Päivi Brink | Photos Tommi Tuomi and Sampo Korhonen
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enior Lecturer Kevin Gore uses a game called Smart Feet in his classes at Haaga-Helia. The game was invented by a Finnish history teacher and his colleagues, and it is educational in a clever way. “Smart Feet is based on player types and identities. It encourages teamwork skills and utilises every team members’ skills. It has a competitive element to it, so the players get excited and want to win, but individuals will not feel that they were worse than others,” Gore explains. He usually has one game day in a semester. The first game day is in the autumn to kick off the semester and help people get to know each other, and the other one is at the end of the spring.
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Smart Feet is quite low-tech, but it has solid pedagogy behind it. “You can adapt the game for different amounts of people. It is a great way of getting out of the classroom. I use it in marketing communication studies so that students interact with the actual marketing materials in the city centre. They introduce the materials and review them. They interview people on the streets and take photos and video. They get extra points for speed and they can follow each other on the map with their phones.” Games still have a novelty factor and students find them fun and interesting. They can get physically active and study at the same time. “I like gaming because it is a new approach to learning. Friendly competition is also good. Electronic
platforms give new ideas to teachers as well. Interactivity should be added to all teaching. In order to be able to use gaming as a teacher, you need some basic technical skills but more importantly you need to be able to manage a certain level of chaos. Organisational skills are a must when you explain the rules and break things down into steps. You need to be very patient,” Gore says.
Debriefing is very important. Students need to understand why we did all this.
Digital natives still need help There is a common understanding that the generation of digital natives knows everything about computers and mobile devises. That is not always true. “I’m a bit sceptical when it comes to the concept of digital natives. We overestimate students’ skills in using digital tools in a constructive way. They do not always even have good skills in word processing or they do not know how to upload videos, track viewers, or find material online. All this needs to be taught,” Gore says. That is why it is important to start the game together in a classroom and go through all the basic digital skills. Then students play on their own, and in the end everyone comes together and goes through the results. “Debriefing is very important. Students need to understand why we did all this,” Gore concludes.
Marketing students put theory to test in a gaming environment and headed out to the streets to complete assignments on brand awareness and outdoor advertising.
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DIALOGUE
Project Manager Pirjo Pitkäpaasi and Senior Lecturer Johanna Vuori at Haaga-Helia were rewarded for sales culture innovation tool HH6K by the Finnish Quality Association.
A user-friendly tool for sales development is finally here Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences won the Quality Innovation of the Year 2014 Prize Text Päivi Remes | Photos Virpi M. Salmi, Canon
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Canon Finland was among the very first companies piloting the HH6K.
H
ow to sell is still one of the biggest challenges in Finland. HaagaHelia´s sales culture development tool - HH6K - is an award-winning, user-friendly tool suitable for different kinds of organisations developing their sales culture. The modification actions can be set in motion within one week after evaluation. In year 2012, Haaga-Helia together with its business partners launched a new project encouraging oganisations to improve their sales skills. As a part of this project, Haaga-Helia developed a brand new tool HH6K for assessing organisational sales culture. The tool combines the organisations’ self-assessment with external assessment and development dialogue in a fast and flexible manner. This new tool has already proven to be purpose-built in practise. Rapid process HH6K highlights key problem areas in sales and introduces new and concrete suggestions for sales development. ”It helps companies improve their competitiveness and allocate their development resources to functions in which sales and service organisations must excel in order to succeed in the future. Using the tool includes the following stages: company’s self-assessment, interviews with key stakeholders, development feedback, and process consultation. This process can be followed through in a week,” elaborates Johanna Vuori, Senior Lecturer at Haaga-Helia. She has been developing the new tool together with Project Manager Pirjo Pitkäpaasi.
The HH6K tool combines the organisations’ self-assessment with extternal assessment and development dialogue in a fast and flexible manner. Various benefits With the help of HH6K, companies can have a closer look at six critical requirements of the sales culture: leadership, offering, knowledge management, customer thinking, interaction as well as communication and networking. Canon Finland was among the very first companies piloting the HH6K. ”As a result of the evaluation, we realized that we can easily increase the appreciation of sales in our entire organization by promoting sales success stories in our internal social media networks. This is something we will commence immediately,” says Managing Director Harry Nyström from Canon. Significant acknowledgement With its new tool, HH6K, Haaga-Helia made an important achievement in January 2015 by winning the Quality Innovation of the Year 2014 prize in the Potential Innovations series. Hundreds of organisations from different sectors all around the world applied for the competition organized by the Fiinish Quality Association. ”Thanks to this victory, it will be encouraging for us to start selling this tool to companies,” Vuori concludes with excitement.
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FINLAND
Wolfpack, all the way Gathering facts about sporting events and fan behavior transforms excitement into loyalty. Text Heini Santos | Photo Tommi Tuomi
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ear 2014 was special in the Finnish sports scene. Fans went nuts after men’s national teams for both basketball and volleyball secured their spots in the world championship tournaments. And, as we know, excitement is contagious. In September, an estimated 8,500 fans flew to Bilbao, Spain, to cheer on the basketball team known as the Wolfpack, and another 4,000 to Katowice, Poland, to back up the volleyball team. “The Finnish colors, blue and white, were presented in a very positive light in Bilbao,” describes teacher Vili Nurmi from Haaga-Helia’s Sport Business School who also traveled to Spain to root for the Wolfpack. Nurmi coordinates a research and development project with the Finnish basketball and volleyball associations. The goal is to make regular season games more attractive and hence increase the financial resources of the local sports teams. All is well on the court, but finances are tight A survey conducted by Haaga-Helia Sport Business School in Bilbao revealed which factors fans value most in a sports event. Most importantly, fans want to see their favorite team play, followed by strong home team fan presence, good atmosphere, a sold-out venue, and – only fifth – excitement on the court. Basketball and volleyball are played in the same arenas, and the two sports face an almost identical situation:
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all is well on the court, but finances are tight and there could always be more spectators. Nurmi hopes that the partnership with Sport Business School Finland can help the sports combine and utilize their knowledge better than before. There is certainly potential. “Indoor sports create an atmosphere that is superior compared to even sports that are much bigger. Gyms are small and often packed. You should let people know about the good atmosphere. In terms of marketing, it is not taken advantage of,” Nurmi thinks. No one-timer Similar fan phenomena occur globally on a large and small scale every day. In Bilbao, things were put into perspective when the local football team Athletic Bilbao played during the Basketball World Championships, putting 60 000 local fans on the move. What makes the Finnish fan phenomenon special is that such a large group of fans traveled that far from home. Nurmi emphasizes that it was not just a temporary bliss caused by the success of the national teams. Fans do not emerge from nowhere. Through persistent and well-managed work, clubs can activate their fans to attend regular season games, and the larger crowds show directly in the sponsors’ input and available budgets.
What are fans made of? Rather than traditional demographic qualities, loyal fans share values and seek similar experiences. • FLAG OR LOGO Confirms who you are out to support. • COLORS Team colors show inclusion and can conquer entire stadiums. • MASCOT Face of the team, inspires fan gear. • HUMOR Fun is an essential part of the outfit. • SOMETHING EXTRA Surest way to be caught on camera. Effort speaks of importance.
Once in a lifetime Wolfpack fans Saara Wahlgren and Hanna Valkeinen found their well-fitted wolf outfits on eBay and added a Finnishing touch of blue and white. To complete the look, the girls wore icy blue contact lenses, which did not go unnoticed in Bilbao. The girls describe the unity among the thousands of Finnish fans as a once in a lifetime experience. “The absolute best moment of the tournament was when an arena full of Finns sang the national anthem together. I have never experienced anything like that – an incredible feeling,” says Valkeinen.
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Magisso’s cheese knife made of stainless steel shares a similar design with the cake server.
Juhani Sirén, CEO and one of the founders of Magisso.
Designs that work like magic Magisso cultivates ideas from the public into functional design products for the international market. Text Heini Santos | Photos Magisso / Laura Mendelin
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A
group of guys working for a magazine in Helsinki all were keen on solving problems. In September 2008, their interest materialized into a company called Magisso. “Our first product provided a solution to a typical everyday problem. People usually hang their dishcloths over the faucet, which is not very hygienic or nice to look at. One of the founders, Miika Mansikkamaa, came up with the idea of a dishcloth holder that attaches to the inside of the sink using two magnets,” explains CEO and one of the founders of Magisso Juhani Sirén. Seven years later, problem solving is still the bread and butter of Magisso. The company has a selection of almost 50 different kitchenware products sold in 30 different countries. Global moves From the get-go, the company’s focus was to go international. “We are growing fast in Germany and North America, and those are becoming our main market areas. Last year
Magisso relies on crowd-sourcing. Hundreds of product ideas come in every year. the Museum of Modern Art in New York accepted our products into their collection and the luxury department store chain Barneys New York sells Magisso. Just recently the Wall Street Journal wrote about our teacup,” Sirén lists. Magisso’s Finnish and Scandinavian background is essential in building the brand internationally. “In Japan we emphasize it a lot because people know to associate it with quality, reliability, and functionality. In other countries people may not be as familiar with Finland but they find it exotic.” Eureka filter The design prefix of Magisso products cannot be attributed to high price or a
big-name designer. The company does not employ any designers. Instead, it relies on crowd-sourcing the product ideas. Hundreds of ideas come in every year, some that have already been worked on and others that are just a thought or a pencil sketch. “One of the most memorable ones is a prototype built out of a milk carton. Of course, the more refined the idea is the easier it is for us to perfect it,” Sirén says. “We have a specific business model where we test the ideas on a group of people who evaluate them using certain parameters. If the results match our criteria, the product qualifies as a Magisso product. Most importantly, there has to be a eureka element.”
Internship is a two-way street In the process of expanding internationally, the company of seven employees is often in need of extra hands. In 2014, Magisso partnered up with Haaga-Helia. “We realized that they have students who already have some experience in different fields related to our business, and at the same time we could help teach hands-on how an international company like this operates,” Sirén says. Two fulltime interns, one in logistics and one in marketing, begun working at Magisso earlier in 2014. They both are
international exchange students, and very skilled. Thanks to the small organization, the students will be in the middle of everything that goes on and they can focus on the functions that they find most interesting. “We are also sponsoring Haaga-Helia; the school now has a classroom named and styled after Magisso, and we will be working with the students in certain courses and participating in school events. We want this to be a permanent affair,” Sirén concludes.
The pioneering idea of a dish cloth holder became the first Magisso product. Made of terracotta, the Magisso coolers are chilled by dipping in cold water for a couple of minutes.
The Red Dot awarded cake server enables you to cut and serve a neat slice of cake.
Magisso • FOUNDED in 2008 • REVENUE about 1MEUR • ABOUT 70 % of revenue comes from export • THE CUSTOMERS SAY: Unique products and experiences!
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Motivated teacher students in Colombia Excellent start and high motivation of the students are characteristic of pioneer project in Colombia.. Text and photo Irmeli Pietilä, David Mauffret
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Haaga-Helia School of Vocational Teacher Education and Colombia’s state owned vocational education provider SENA have combined forces to deliver vocational teacher education in Bogota, Colombia. Their contract encompasses a 60-credit programme which includes six week-long contact periods in Bogota, supported by intensive e-learning and guidance. A group of 15 motivated vocational teachers started their teacher studies with a contact period at the end of August. The first teachers from Haaga-Helia to arrive in Bogota were instructors David Mauffret and Irmeli Pietilä. Spanish-speaking David is also the programme coordinator. Although the programme is delivered in
English, David’s Spanish skills have helped a great deal in practical matters as well as guiding the students. Pekka Ihanainen, Mika Saranpää, Anu Moisio and Katri Aaltonen are specialist teachers, and Katri is also responsible for the pedagogic structure of the programme. Other experts are also involved in the project. Business Studies Teacher Matti Helelä participated in a contact period in October, carrying out a workshop in Spanish on problem based learning. So far, two of the contact periods in Bogota have been completed successfully. Teachers are especially impressed with the excitement and motivation of the Colombian students. The students are proud
During a contact period, a group of 15 Colombian teachers built a mind map through intense conversation.
Get to know IBMA The programme includes six contact periods supported by intensive e-learning and guidance.
of their school and feel that they are privileged to participate in the programme. This programme has also brought knowledge and new forms of cooperation. In October SENA’s top management took part in a workshop explaining the core themes of vocational teacher education in Finland. SENA’s management is committed to the cooperation and looking forward to the impact of Finnish teacher education on their work community. Other forms of future cooperation were also discussed in the workshop. The programme had an excellent start but it is still in its infancy. Haaga-Helia is a proud pioneer in exporting teacher training to Colombia.
IBMA is a part-time master’s degree programme, which means that the students work full-time and take classes in the evenings. The master’s thesis is project-oriented and carried out in collaboration with the students’ workplaces. Haaga-Helia launched the Master’s Degree Programme in International Business Management, better known as IBMA, in 2007. “We realized there is a need for such a programme because many bachelor’s degree students were looking for further studies,” says Principal Lecturer Maria Jakubik, head of the IBMA programme. The studies consist of 90 ECTS and the requirements include compulsory advanced professional studies (CAPS), elective advanced professional studies (EAPS), and free-choice studies. One entrance requirement is to have a minimum of three years of work experience after graduating. The aim for a student is to graduate in 1,5 years but in practice the studies take more than two years. The average participant of the programme is a 34-year-old Finnish female who holds a position middle management with about ten years of work experience. Nevertheless, male students’ representation is increasing. The student base is culturally diverse;
students come from at least 16 different countries, which makes the study environment truly international.
The learning approach is practical “Teaching is based on what the students want to know and which areas and industries they work for. I try to build the course so that the students are able to gain the knowledge that they want and that will support their thesis,” tells Senior Lecturer Madeleine Vakkuri who teaches a popular IBMA specific class called “Doing business in emerging markets”. The programme has grown to be quite popular even though it has mainly been marketed through word of mouth. “Actually the programme has not been promoted in any way yet we have more than 120 applicants every year. The annual intake has increased from 20 to 25 students. The level of the students is very good,” says Jakubik.
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Big steps in Shanghai Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences is entering the Chinese market as part of a Finnish education consortium.
Co-operation between Chinese and Finnish vocational education experts has been formalized by the establishment of the China-Finland Center of Excellence in Vocational Education in Shanghai. The centre aims to promote integration, development, excellence, and achievement of vocational education in China with experts from China and Finland. The opening ceremony took place on December 10th in Shanghai and key stakeholders from Finland and Shanghai attended the event. The Finnish consortium consists of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Omnia, a joint authority of education in the Espoo region, and EduCluster Finland, which is owned by Jyv채skyl채 Educational Consortium. The Finnish consortium initiated
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the collaboration with Shanghai education authorities in 2013. The activities are further enriched through cooperation with Finnish multinational companies operating in China, such as industrial partners KONE and Valmet. The centre is supported by state-level partnership between China and Finland.
The established cooperation is one of the most significant openings in Finland in exporting vocational education.
Opening of the centre is a result of two years of cooperation between Finnish expert organisations, Finnish multinational companies, and different Chinese organisations. A pilot training programme in vocational teacher training was successfully completed in the fall of 2014. The first 57 Chinese vocational teachers were awarded with certificates of achievement in the opening ceremony. After the first successful projects with Finland, the Chinese education authorities look forward to upcoming activities that lead to increased quality and attractiveness of vocational education in Shanghai and China. The established cooperation is one of the most significant openings in Finland in exporting vocational education.
The new Center strengthens cooperation between the countries. Members of the Finnish consortium together with officials from Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.
Jari Laukia, director of Haaga-Helia School of Vocational Teacher Education, and Lars Eltvik, managing director of Haaga-Helia Global Education Services Ltd, represented the school in Shanghai. 21
MEETING
POINT Andreas Romar is building his athletic career while also securing his future working life.
Athletes prepare for the long run Being a professional athlete helps you acquire exceptional skills. Haaga-Helia’s training programme refines those skills into a career that carries beyond the arenas. Text Terhi Rauhala | Photo Marjo Tynkkynen
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T
he first group of athletes sat down at their desks in Haaga-Helia during the autumn of 2013. Since then there has been a good chance of bumping into familiar faces on campus. One of them is a well-known Finnish alpinist Andreas Romar. His career as a skier is peaking but injuries are common in his line of sports. It is likely that he will have to spend time off the skies every now and then, so he decided to utilize that time by studying. During spring 2014, when he was supposed to be competing for Olympic medals in Sochi, Romar stayed home recovering from a nasty heel injury. As a forward-thinking guy, he filled his calendar with Haaga-Helia courses. Cold comfort, one might say, but Romar takes it easy. – It is very likely that injuries occur at some point in your career. With alpine skiing, speed is an obvious risk factor, Romar says.
Haaga-Helia’s training programme “From a top athlete to an entrepreneur” is very flexible and allows students to proceed with their studies when their schedule allows it. It accommodates to the special needs of top athletes who also find studying among peers is rewarding. That was the final push also for Romar to take on the studies. – I know I will not graduate during my active sports career, although I intend to complete my studies as fast as possible. With a career on the rise, attending to sponsors, media, and other interest groups takes up a lot of time in addition to training. It is exactly those kinds experiences and skills that the coordinator of the programme, Auli Pekkala wants the athletes to utilize after their sports career. – There are plenty of similarities in world class sports and entrepreneurship, she says. – An athlete learns to concentrate, set goals, market himself, and manage interest group relations. He develops problemsolving skills and is experienced in project work. For example preparing for the
I decided to utilize my time off the skies by studying.
Olympics is a huge project with set targets, Pekkala describes. Romar believes his future career will also revolve around sports. – This is my dream job and I enjoy every aspect of it. His first goal is to be the best downhill skier in the world. He has broken national records one after another and succeeded in the world championships. And things look promising for the 2015 World Cup . – The margins in this sport are small. With every start there are twenty or so potential winners.
“From a top athlete to an entrepreneur” training programme The programme is targeted at young men and women who are either building up their athletic career or preparing to ease off, and wish to secure their future in working life. The programme leads to a bachelor’s degree in business. The feedback from students has been very positive. Late last year, the programme was acknowledged by a Finnish foundation that focuses on helping top athletes get a professional education.
More information: Programme coordinator Auli Pekkala auli.pekkala@haaga-helia.fi phone +358 50 5455 888
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A land of growing dreams During an international traineeship in Mexico, journalism student Sofia Anton was introduced to the country’s social situation, indigenous population, as well as amaranth farming.
Text and photos Sofia Anton
S
itting on the back of a pickup truck, the sun is scorching my black trousers. Our convoy of cars is travelling over three kilometres above sea level in the region of Mixtecan, Mexico. A dog peering at us from the roadside suddenly bolts forward to bark at the tires of our vehicle. Swaying and bobbing on the bumpy gravel road, I tighten my grip on the side of the car as we climb towards our destination, a cluster of amaranth patches cultivated by small farmers. I am in the South Mexican state of Oaxaca for a four-day work trip to inspect two projects that have been funded by local cooperation allowances. I began my traineeship, which is part of my study programme in journalism, four months earlier at
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Global Signals 2014
the Embassy of Finland in Mexico City. The capital bustles with of over 20 million people. Two partner organisations, IMIFAP and Puente a la Salud Comunitaria, have worked for two years with the local populace to improve their standard of living and financial situation through the cultivation of amaranth and the implementation of communal banks. Women are making chocolate, farming and selling vegetables, earning and saving money for the first time in their lives. My task is to tell their story in words and pictures. Waiting for rain We arrive at our destination where sprouting saplings lend a smattering of colour to the narrow patch of
My task is to tell their story in words and pictures.
cultivation. Don Augustín plucks out weeds protruding from clumps of dirt as farmers Don Salvador and Don Porforio, having moved to the shade from the blistering sun, recount the early difficulties of the venture. Torrential rains have washed away seeds and time, and droughts have eaten away at their source of revenue. As my eyes linger on a withered plant dried out by the sun, the men assure me that it will spring to life once more the next time it rains. It has been a month since the last time it rained. The men have not lost their will to keep trying time after time. As arduous as the beginning may be, the end result will be that much more rewarding. On our way back to the city, visibility gets worse. Then comes the rain pouring down into the mountain pass, forcing us to slow down and eventually stop.
The women of communal bank Banco Corazon earn 400 pesos, approximately 23 euros, a week by preparing and selling chocolate.
Safe explorations Haaga-Helia’s various study programmes provide students with the opportunity to complete their traineeship in other countries. This serves the students’ desire to explore the international realm: create networks, experience new cultures, and improve their language skills. In the same way as student exchange, international traineeship is a safe way to go abroad for an extended period of time. The necessary support networks are in place back home and in the destination, financial aid ensures financial security, and working contributes to the studies.
The farmers sell amaranth seeds to receive income. Nothing goes to waste; the plant’s leaves are used to prepare a nutritional drink.
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FULBRIGHT
Fulbright grant, Professor Ellen Pullins expects to have enriching academic and cultural experiences.
Studying sales calls and crushing cultural stereotypes Professor Ellen Pullins has visited Finland five times before but now she is staying for a longer period. For three months she will be teaching at Haaga-Helia while also working on the MANIA sales research project. And she’s excited! Text and photo Virpi M. Salmi
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“M
y first trip to Finland and Haaga-Helia was in May of 2007 when the faculty were building the sales program here. I have been to Finland about five times but never more than a week,” says Ellen Pullins, professor of professional sales from the University of Toledo. She is staying in Finland for three months with her husband and three middle school aged children. Working in the MANIA project Pullins came to Haaga-Helia through the Fulbright program which enables American scholars to undertake teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her time here is divided between lecturing and working in the MANIA sales research which aims to build concrete tools and methodologies for training sales people. “I’m very excited about the MANIA project because it is research that has never been done with this kind of scope. We are actually recording real sales calls and doing qualitative interviews with the buyers and sellers, which is very unique. I think this project is going to offer something to both academic literature and businesses here in Finland,” Pullins explains. Cultural two-way street For Pullins, working with her Finnish colleagues and students gives an opportunity to expand cultural understanding in many ways.
MANIA project is going to offer something to both academic literature and businesses here in Finland.
“I want to become more culturally aware of what it is like here, as well as bring awareness of how things are in the U.S. It adds perspective and knowledge that may let the students see something they have not seen before,” she ponders. And despite the obvious generalizations about the Finnish reserved communication style, Pullins’ experience of her Finnish colleagues has been very positive. “I have found, as I meet new people, that the Finnish reserved stereotype does not seem to hold. People have come to ask me for lunch and they are helping me to find things that I need. And, for example, introducing me to colleagues who have kids the same age. So people have actually been very welcoming,” says Pullins. Family experiences
Besides work, Pullins has some plans for her personal time in Finland as well. “I think that a lot of my personal expectations are focused on the unique opportunities provided for my family, so we are going to do some travelling here. I am happy that my family has enjoyed this time in Finland and that my kids really like the school here. My youngest even said she wants to take the school with us back to the U.S.” Pullins laughs.
NB The Fulbright - Haaga-Helia Scholar Award Program The Scholar Award enables American scholars to undertake teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level at Haaga-Helia for a period of 3-10 months. The award can be applied by scholars of any field represented at Haaga-Helia: Business, Information Technology, Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, Tourism, Journalism, Sports and Leisure and Vocational Teacher Education. The application round for scholarships 2016-2017 continues until 1 August 2015.. Contact: sirpa.holmstrom@haaga-helia.fi, Head of International Services
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eMBA in SERVICE EXCELLENCE Continuous admission available throughout the year, apply now! Further information: www.haaga-helia.fi