Public defence in Industrial Engineering and Management, M.Sc. Eero Aalto

Title of the thesis: Theorizing in strategy research with analytically structured history approach using a relational database method - Essays on Telecom Finland’s strategizing between 1981–1998
 

Thesis defender: Eero Aalto 
Opponent: Professor Johann Peter Murmann, University of St.Gallen, Switzerland
Custos: Professor Robin Gustafsson, Aalto University School of Science

Top management seeks to account for changes in the business environment—such as developments in technology, regulation, and competition—in its decision-making. Management research has developed a broad theoretical understanding of strategic decision-making within its wider context. Yet these environmental changes are complex, multi-level processes deeply rooted in unique historical contexts. In the research field, historical contextual analysis has been underutilized in theory development, due to the field’s emphasis on generalizability and methodological differences between history and management research.

The dissertation offers new insights into how strategic management research can integrate multi-level historical contextual analysis with theorizing process that aims to retain generalizability.

The dissertation is based on an analytically structured history approach in which a relational database method is utilized. With it, the corporate archival material containing over 54,000 pages used in the study is analyzed and managed. The three essays of the dissertation illustrate how this method can increase theoretical understanding. Essays examine strategic decision-making of Post and Telecom Finland’s (PTL) top management amid radical shifts in regulation, market structure, and technology.

The first essay examines the regulatory strategizing of PTL's management as markets open to competition. The essay addresses management's pursuit of competitive advantage, which is influenced by the historical regulatory environment and its changes. The second essay focuses on the internationalization strategizing of PTL's management. It observes a change in the evaluation of international projects as part of organizational change. The third essay examines PTL's strategic transformation from a state agency to an international listed company. It highlights how management can advance long-term radical change by gradually introducing new operating methods and strategic practices into the organization.

These insights can inform managerial decision-making and strategic thinking in the face of long-term or disruptive environmental shifts. They are particularly relevant for state-owned enterprises transitioning to market-driven operations.

Keywords: historical method, telecommunications, relational database, archival research, strategic decision-making

Contact information: eero.aalto@aalto.fi 

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aaltodoc.