As high-level technologies continue to evolve, considering how companies interact and perform with evolving high-level technologies remains a question to Daekwan Kim, the Spencer-Feheley MBA professor in the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing at Florida State University’s College of Business.
With experience in multinational business, information technology and marketing strategies, Kim traveled to the University of Vaasa in Finland last semester to work on his question and conduct the first phase of a new research project. He did so through the Fulbright-University of Vaasa Scholar Award, which allows U.S. scholars the opportunity to conduct high-quality research and teach at the university.
“I screened a lot of Fulbright programs, found the University of Vaasa program and thought, ‘Wow, I shouldn’t look any further,’” he said. “It was the perfect school.”
The Fulbright- University of Vaasa Scholar Award is open to scholars in the fields of accounting, communication, finance, management, marketing, and technology and innovation. Additionally, the University of Vaasa offers three multidisciplinary research platforms with Vaasa Energy Business Innovation Centre (VEBIC), Digital Economy and Innovation and Entrepreneurship InnoLab.
Kim chose to go international after realizing his course content and research interests could benefit from direct interaction with the topics they entail.
“I thought, before it’s too late, I’m going to go abroad to expand my perspectives and research base,” Kim said.
The trip did just that. Through the exploratory model of European research methods, Kim was able to interact with and learn from local managers in cutting-edge, high-technology startups — factors he highlights as key to choosing Finland as his location site of study.
“European schools are known for more exploratory studies rather than empirically based studies, so they do a lot of interviews and literature reviews to come up with new ideas,” Kim said.
The exploratory research model involves a qualitative approach to investigate areas in which there is little prior knowledge to gauge potential variables and solidify a research question. He found the method most equipped to handle his study.
Kim was especially attracted to the city of Vaasa’s emerging “Industry 4.0” startups. Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, refers to the next phase of industrial advancement with technology such as artificial intelligence and 3D printing. Traveling to Finland gave Kim easy access into a world of insight on Industry 4.0.
“Vaasa is a relatively small city, with about 70,000 to 80,000 people in the area, but the city has a lot of startups and companies doing business over there too,” he said. “Most of them are working on cutting-edge, very advanced technologies, and I could easily tap into Industry 4.0 industries in the Vaasa area and Finland more broadly. Given the population of the town and country, it was very impressive.”
Finally, the University of Vaasa’s emphasis on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship aligned with Kim’s research focus, cementing his choice to study at the institution.
“From the top to the bottom, everybody talks about those three things, so the University of Vaasa had a perfect culture that matched my research program,” he said.
In addition to gaining critical perspectives, Kim also broadened his own outlooks after becoming immersed in Finnish culture. He even experienced a shift in taste preferences after trying salmon soup, a popular cultural dish, despite previously disliking salmon.
“I could have salmon soup every day, three times a day, seven days a week, no problem,” Kim said.
Kim completed the first phase of research through his trip and now plans to create a research model for empirical testing.
“We can expand our experiences across different countries and different cultures,” Kim said. “It’s definitely a great opportunity for any scholars in any field, not just in business.”
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recently recognized FSU as aFulbright Top-Producing Institution among the colleges and universities nationwide with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
If you are a faculty member interested in applying for a Fulbright, contact Peggy Wright-Cleveland, director of Faculty Development, at mwrightc@fsu.edu. If you are an undergraduate student interested in applying for a Fulbright, contact Jesse Wieland, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships, at awieland@fsu.edu. If you are a graduate student interested in applying for a Fulbright, contact Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, at kmccall2@fsu.edu.
To learn more about the FSU College of Business, visit business.fsu.edu.
