Digital transformation (DT) refers to the changes in ways of working and business offering caused by adoption of digital technologies in an organization. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling with this transformation because of their limited resources and know-how. Thus, SMEs need practical grassroots-level help for DT that allows the companies to analyze where they stand in digitalization, and how they should proceed. This article discusses how SMEs can be supported in their DT by utilizing the DT model consisting of four consecutive phases for supporting companies’ systematic development of digitalization. The article focuses on the first phase of the DT model, positioning, where company’s digitalization status is analyzed in detail, and development ideas are identified. The positioning phase was conducted for 19 SMEs in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. The results indicate that the used process and tools were suitable to support SMEs for analyzing their digitalization status and identifying areas for improvement. The DT model and piloted tools have been published as a free-of-charge ApuaDigiin.fi online service to facilitate their widespread use in the future. In this way, public regional business development authors or research organizations can utilize the online service while supporting the digitalization of SMEs.

This study explores the managerial perspectives towards open source software and networked innovation. We analysed six software companies who use open source software as a significant part of their product or service offering. The study found notable differences in managerial attitudes, expected benefits and key challenges related to open source software and its role in innovative activities. While all companies were using same pieces of software with open source communities, there were different levels of engagement in the development of the software and information flows between companies and communities. A deeper level of involvement enables the exchange of more than just the code: like ideas, influences, opinions and even innovations or parts of them. The differences in managerial views on open source and networked innovation may be explained by industry domains, value chain position and leadership styl

I n all developed economies, there is a mounting demand for effective solutions to elderly care stemming from an aging population and the high cost of resources needed. Hence, significant investments have been made in developed countries to stimulate the growth of information and communication technology-enhanced services for the home care markets. However, digital provisioning of home care services includes major challenges. This study uses an individual longitudinal case study that explores the collaborative development of a video-based elderly care service to deepen the understanding of these challenges. The findings emphasize the importance of analyzing the contextual value for a variety of relevant stakeholders and identifying the key persons who are personally committed to the long-term collaborative development. The observed challenges also call for actions by policy makers to increase the dynamicity of service development in long-term research and development projects. Our theoretical contribution suggests integrating new service development theories with service-dominant logic and systems theories. This integration provides a means to contextualize the value of the service for individual beneficiaries, and it also contributes to coping with the complexity of new service development. For business practitioners, we translate these insights into propositions about new service development in the context of health and social care service systems.

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