Restaurant Day turns the logic of retail successfully on its head
Restaurant day in Helsinki 2011. Photo: Tuomas Sarparanta
Researchers from the Aalto University School of Business and from Stockholm Business School examined the logic of retail when it does not focus on the distribution of goods and striving for profit. Restaurant Day, a Finnish phenomenon, provided an excellent opportunity to do this.
The study revealed that economic exchange is deeply rooted in the western way of thinking and, in addition to striving for profit, these models of thinking can also be used for many other purposes. On Restaurant Day, they become instruments of the community spirit and self-expression.
‘It is very interesting that it is the logic of retail that is used in self-expression and creation of the community spirit,’ says Antti Sihvonen, researcher at the Aalto University School of Business.
At the same time, the researchers noticed that the carnevalesque atmosphere on Restaurant Day plays a central role as regards perceiving and experiencing new possibilities. Momentarily, it helps people see urban spaces, the community spirit and exchange in new ways. Consequently, as an event, Restaurant Day is a kind of optimistic and positive protest, whose influence can nowadays clearly be seen in the streets of Helsinki.
‘In the Finnish daily life, Restaurant Day is a good example of communal creativity and collective willingness to create a change that challenges normal practices in a positive spirit,’ states Joel Hietanen, researcher at Stockholm Business School at Stockholm University.
The study was published recently in the esteemed marketing research publication Journal of Retailing and it is based on three years of intensive participatory research.
Antti Sihvonen, Sammy Toyoki, John Schouten and Pekka Mattila from Aalto University participated in the study. Joel Hietanen from Stockholm University was also involved in the project.
Further information
Antti Sihvonen, Researcher
Aalto University School of Business
tel. +358 40 353 8350
[email protected]
Joel Hietanen, Researcher
Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University
tel. +46 72-318 38 70
[email protected]
- Published:
- Updated:
Read more news
Pengxin Wang: The internship was an adventure filled with incredible research, unforgettable experiences, and lifelong friendships.
Pengxin Wang’s AScI internship advanced AI research, fostered global friendships, and inspired his journey toward trustworthy AI solutions.
Major grant from the Kone Foundation for modern architecture research - Laura Berger's project equates building loss with biodiversity loss
Aalto University postdoctoral researcher Laura Berger and her team have been awarded a 541 400 euro grant from the Kone Foundation to study the effects of building loss on society and the environment.
Researchers aim to correct quantum errors at super-cold temperatures instead of room temperature
One of the major challenges in the development of quantum computers is that the quantum bits, or qubits, are too imprecise. More efficient quantum error correction is therefore needed to make quantum computers more widely available in the future. Professor Mikko Möttönen has proposed a novel solution for quantum error correction and has received a three-year grant from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation to develop it.