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Family firms play a significant role in national economies worldwide, accounting e.g. for 85% of all enterprises in the OECD countries as well as for the majority of companies in Central Europe. Previous scholarly research on family firms has mostly focused on the question of how they differ from public corporations, describing family firms as being more conservative, less risk-raking, or reluctant to grow-in sum, as being less entrepreneurial than their non-family counterparts. Similarly, the existing literature often criticizes the lack of innovation in family firms. But since innovation has long been discovered as one of the key drivers to company success, it is surprising that its role in family firms has been mostly neglected in existing academic research so far. The aim of this article is therefore to study the role of (managerial and organizational) innovation in family firms compared to non-family firms on the basis of an empirical survey of 533 companies from Finland, using structural equation modelling (MPlus) for the statistical analyses.

In this study, we examine digital game preferences by identifying game dynamics, i.e. player-game interaction modes, of 700 contemporary digital games, and players' (N = 1717) desire to play games with specific types of dynamics. Based on statistical analysis of the data, 5 game dynamics preference categories ("assault," "manage," "journey," "care," and "coordinate") In this study, we aim to provide new knowledge on how players' gaming preferences and different types of digital games can be analyzed within a single research framework based on activity theoretical considerations and game design concepts. While earlier research has argued challenge and competition as the principal reasons to play digital games (Sherry et al., 2006) and social interaction, immersion, and achievement as the key human motivations to play online games (Yee, 2006), player preferences in specific types of games are still largely unknown. The approach presented in this study should not be equated to motivations to play studies (e.g. Yee, 2006;Sherry et al., 2006) or to the studies of player behavior types (e.g., Bartle, 2003) but rather taken as complementary work aimed at identifying player-game interaction preference types. The knowledge of what keeps players involved with gameplay is paramount for developing player-centric games with better market fit (see Adams, 2014).We start by discussing how our approach relates with prior studies on player typologies. We then set the analytical framework for our investigation by defining the theoretical concepts relevant to our study, and finally present our research questions of identifying (1) the core game dynamics of contemporary digital games; (2) players' game dynamics preferences; and (3) player types based on game dynamics preferences. The results are followed by a discussion that will bring our approach into dialogue with related prior research. Player Typologies and Preferences for Playing Digital GamesPrior player categorizations have focused on either motivations to play or behavioral dimensions of players' play styles (Hamari & Tuunanen, 2014, p. 34). Categorizations of players by play styles (e.g., Bartle, 2003;Mulligan & Patrovsky, 2003;Tseng, 2010) and motivations to play (e.g., Bateman, Lowenhaupt & Nacke, 2011;Przybylski, Rigby & Ryan, 2010;Sherry et al., 2006;Yee, 2006) have mostly analyzed gaming habits or players' personality traits instead of examining playing as a form of computer-mediated designed interaction. These categorizations also do not typically include different types of digital games in the analysis. Behavioral observations of players' play styles are usually based on only one game, most typically an online game, or at least on a set game genre, whereas studies on motivations to play aim to explore the reasons why people play, for example, mobile games, online multiplayer games, or digital games in general.In contrast, the shortcoming of genre categories as well as other design-oriented classifications, such as design patterns approach (Björk & Holopainen, 20...

In the present study, we validated Gameplay Activity Inventory (GAIN), a short and psychometrically sound instrument for measuring players' gameplay preferences and modeling player profiles. In Study 1, participants in Finland (N = 879) responded to a 52-item version of GAIN. An exploratory factor analysis was used to identify five latent factors of gameplay activity appreciation: Aggression, Management, Exploration, Coordination, and Caretaking. In Study 2, respondents in Canada (N = 1322) and Japan (N = 1178) responded to GAIN, and the factor structure of a 15-item version was examined using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results showed that the short version of GAIN has good construct validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity in Japan and in Canada. We demonstrated the usefulness of GAIN by conducting a cluster analysis to identify player types that differ in both demographics and game choice. GAIN can be used in research as a tool for investigating player profiles. Game companies, publishers and analysts can utilize GAIN in player-centric game development and targeted marketing and in generating personalized game recommendations.

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a critical public health problem. The recovery process for people with TBI is typically slow and dependent on complex and intensive assisted rehabilitation programs.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects and feasibility of digital games for cognitive functioning and general well-being among people with traumatic brain injury.MethodsThis is a single-site feasibility study conducted in Finland, which uses a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial with three arms, and will recruit patients from the Turku University Hospital, Division of Clinical Neurosciences in Finland. Participants must meet the following inclusion criteria: (1) a Finnish speaking adult, aged 18-65 years; (2) diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (diagnostic criteria ICD-10, S06.X, T90.5) in the University Hospital; (3) access to a TV, a computer, and the Internet at home; (4) not an active digital gamer (5 hours or less a week); (5) willing to participate in the study. Participants must have been discharged from the neurologic treatment period for traumatic brain injury for over 12 months before the commencement of the trial, and they may not have actively participated in cognitive rehabilitation during the 3 months prior to the trial. Written informed consent will be mandatory for acceptance into the trial. Exclusion criteria are as follows: (1) sensory, cognitive, or physical impairment (eg, severe cognitive impairment); (2) a deficiency restricting the use of computers or computer game control system unaided (eg, impairment in vision, severe astigmatism, hemiplegia, disorder in visuospatial perception, dysfunction of the central vestibular system); (3) apathy identified in previous neuropsychological evaluations; (4) diagnosed severe mental disorders (eg, schizophrenia or severe depressive disorders to be identified in medical records as the secondary diagnosis).ResultsThe preparatory phase for the study is fulfilled. Recruitment started in June 2015 and finished November 2015. Results will be reported in 2016.ConclusionsThe specific outcomes such as primary outcome measures were selected because they are widely used psychological tests and thought to be sensitive to changes in the cognitive functions related to TBI.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT02425527; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02425527 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6esKI1uDH)

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem that often requires intensive and long-term rehabilitation.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine whether rehabilitative digital gaming facilitates cognitive functioning and general well-being in people with TBI.MethodsA total of 90 Finnish-speaking adults with TBI (18-65 years) were recruited from an outpatient neuroscience clinic. The participants were randomly allocated to one of the three groups: a rehabilitation gaming group (n=29, intervention), an entertainment gaming group (n=29, active control), or a passive control group (n=32). The gaming groups were instructed to engage in gaming for a minimum of 30 min per day for 8 weeks. Primary and secondary outcomes were measured at three time points: before the intervention, after the intervention, and 3 months following the intervention. The primary outcome was cognitive status measured by processing speed and visuomotor tasks (The Trail Making Test; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition, WAIS-IV, symbol search, coding, and cancellation tasks). Secondary outcomes were attention and executive functions (Simon task), working memory (WAIS-IV digit span and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, PASAT), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), self-efficacy (General Self-efficacy Scale), and executive functions (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version). Feasibility information was assessed (acceptability, measurement instruments filled, dropouts, adherence, usability, satisfaction, and possible future use). Cognitive measurements were conducted in face-to-face interviews by trained psychologists, and questionnaires were self-administered.ResultsThe effects of rehabilitation gaming did not significantly differ from the effects of entertainment gaming or being in a passive control group. For primary outcomes and PASAT tests, the participants in all three groups showed overall improvement in test scores across the three measurement points. However, depression scores increased significantly between baseline and after 8 weeks and between baseline and after 3 months in the rehabilitative gaming group. No differences were found in patients’ self-efficacy between the three measuring points in any of the groups. Participants did use the games (rehabilitation group: 93%, 27/29; entertainment group 100%, 29/29). Games were seen as a usable intervention (rehabilitation group: 70%, 14/29; entertainment group: 83%, 20/29). The rehabilitation group was less satisfied with the gaming intervention (68%, 13/29 vs 83%, 20/29), but they were more willing to use the game after the intervention period (76%, 16/29 vs 63%, 15/29). Total time spent on gaming during the intervention period was low (15.22 hour rehabilitation gaming group, 19.22 hour entertainment gaming group).ConclusionsWe did not find differences between the groups in improvement in the outcome measures. The improvements in test performance by all three groups may reflect rehearsal effects. Entertainment gaming had ...

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There has been an increase in the knowledge and interest on nutrition, and functional foods have gained popularity over the last few decades, and the trend is increasing. Probiotics and prebiotics are among the most studied functional foods. Nutrition economics has been defined as the discipline dedicated to researching and characterising health and economic outcomes in nutrition for the benefit of society. The concept and its application to probiotics and prebiotics will be discussed in terms of health and economic benefits and their evaluation. Health economics and concrete applications showing how to maximise long-term nutritional benefits will contribute to motivate consumers in making food choices based on a rational understanding of their own interest. We present a model that shows that nutrition economics can be used as an analytical tool for product and service network development.