Artificial intelligence has accelerated the development of social robots for service environments, with adoption in the hospitality sector increasing after the COVID-19 pandemic due to rising demand for contactless yet high-quality services. Despite rapid global market growth, Finland remains a marginal player, accounting for only 0.20% of the hospitality robotics market. This raises a key question as to why adoption is slow despite Finland\u2019s strong digital infrastructure and technological capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior research has largely focused on customer acceptance, while implementation decisions are fundamentally organizational and strategic. Hospitality firms must assess costs, operational fit, managerial readiness, and market pressures before integrating new technologies. However, organizational-level barriers remain underexplored, particularly in smaller and emerging markets such as Finland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This postdoctoral study examines how AI-enabled social robots can support service innovation and strategic renewal in unmatured hospitality markets. It analyzes how technological capabilities, internal organizational factors, and external market conditions shape implementation decisions. The study aims to identify key barriers, draw lessons from more advanced markets, and develop a practical implementation roadmap for Finland. The project contributes theoretically by extending the Technology\u2013Organization\u2013Environment framework to social robot adoption in service industries and practically by providing evidence-based guidance to reduce uncertainty, mitigate risks, and align technology adoption with strategic objectives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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