The University of Helsinki believes and invests in interaction with society. We constantly seek new ways to create new connections and collaboration with different stakeholders. Science and research are an essential tool for renewal and finding solutions to complex problems. Master Class brings students, researchers, and business and societal actors together in a way that generates new wide-ranging insight, ideas and solutions.
The Master Class partnership is based on the idea of shared value and building sustainable solutions that benefit the whole of society. Positive energy, the spirit of getting things done and enthusiasm are the characteristic experiences of Master Class for both the organizers and participants. Master Class is a process throughout which everyone participates and everyone learns – to rethink, to do and solve.
Outotec has joined Master Class in order to gain from the unique combination of a multidisciplinary approach, a mix of students, researchers and professionals and co-creation methods that enable open dialogue and interaction. Outotec is confident that together these can create new thinking and new solutions.
Outotec Challenges
CHALLENGE 1: Context-driven risk evaluations
Risk-related problems are usually complex and nonlinear in their nature with multiple stakeholders. Still, managing them in a structured manner is highly important in sustainable business. Context-based political, environmental legal, religious, social and cultural factors impact the risk assessment process.
Develop a solution to better understand the risks related to local context (transparency, regulations, governance, environmental conditions, community) and stakeholders while taking into account possible conflicting worldviews.The focus is in particular on high-risk countries, such as Congo, Iran, Peru, the Philippines and Saudi-Arabia.
CHALLENGE 2: Opportunities and risks in shifting towards service-based business
There are both opportunities and risks when shifting from manufacturing business towards service business.
Create a process/tool/solution to identify them both while considering the global and local scales, as well as possible country level specific characteristics, regulations and profitability.
CHALLENGE 3: Managing reputational risks in value chains
Complex value chains are challenging to manage and they possess reputational risks.
Develop a mean/tool/way to make value chains more transparent and easier to communicate to a broader public while taking into account that communication needs to be based in strategic sustainability decisions in the company (taking into account environmental, societal and cultural factors).