Taustamusiikki markkinoinnin työvälineenä suomalaisissa tavarataloissa

The main research problem of this study was to explain how and why background music is used in Finnish department stores and how it is related to their marketing. The problem was investigated through the opinions, attitudes, and conceptions of the managers of Anttila, Sokos and Stockmann department stores. The data of study (N = 31) constituted of a www-survey to which the managers were asked to answer. In the first chapter of the study s theoretical section, the relationship between background music and an enterprise was examined. It was found that background music can serve as an aid in seeking competitive advantage. In the second chapter, the service encounter s environment and atmosphere in relation to marketing was examined and it was found that they are a part of customer s product or service experience. In the third chapter, the interaction process between service encounter atmosphere and consumer behaviour was examined and the essential finding was that atmospheric stimuli affects an individual through emotional, cognitive, and physiological processes, in which individual s personal characteristics are also in a great role. In the fourth chapter, the significance of background music s musical features was examined but the research results were found so contradictory that only the complexity of the studied phenomenon became clear. Findings from the study s empirical section showed that all examined department stores play background music and the usage of music is chain-controlled. The respondents considered background music in department stores as a fundamental element and they understood its significance in enterprise s marketing. The respondents also believed that customers consider background music important and pleasant. Respondents views on background music s effects to purchasing behaviour divided opinions more, but the majority however believed that background music has effects to purchasing behaviour. The main conclusion of the study was that background music is an important marketing tool, at least in a department store type service encounter.

Bysanttilaisten ja Akhaian ruhtinaskunnan väliset sotatoimet vuosina 1259-83 : Tapaustutkimus myöhäis-bysanttilaisesta sodankäynnistä

In my master thesis I analyse Byzantine warfare in the late period of the empire. I use military operations between Byzantines and crusader Principality of Achaia (1259–83) as a case study. Byzantine strategy was based (in “oriental manner”) on using ambushes, diplomacy, surprise attacks, deception etc. Open field battles that were risky in comparison with their benefits were usually avoided, but the Byzantines were sometimes forced to seek open encounter because their limited ability to keep strong armies in field for long periods of time. Foreign mercenaries had important place in Byzantine armies and they could simply change sides if their paymasters ran out of resources. The use of mercenaries with short contracts made it possible that the composition of an army was flexible but on the other hand heterogeneous – in result Byzantine armies were sometimes ineffective and prone to confusion. In open field battles Byzantines used formation that was made out from several lines placed one after another. This formation was especially suitable for cavalry battles. Byzantines might have also used other kinds of formations. The Byzantines were not considered equal to Latins in close combat. West-Europeans saw mainly horse archers and Latin mercenaries on Byzantine service as threats to themselves in battle. The legitimacy of rulers surrounding the Aegean sea was weak and in many cases political intrigues and personal relationships can have resolved the battles. Especially in sieges the loyalty of population was decisive. In sieges the Byzantines used plenty of siege machines and archers. This made fast conquests possible, but it was expensive. The Byzantines protected their frontiers by building castles. Military operations against the Principality of Achaia were mostly small scale raids following an intensive beginning. Byzantine raids were mostly made by privateers and mountaineers. This does not fit to the traditional picture that warfare belonged to the imperial professional army. It’s unlikely that military operations in war against the Principality of Achaia caused great demographic or economic catastrophe and some regions in the warzone might even have flourished. On the other hand people started to concentrate into villages which (with growing risks for trade) probably caused disturbance in economic development and in result birth rates might have decreased. Both sides of war sought to exchange their prisoners of war. These were treated according to conventional manners that were accepted by both sides. It was possible to sell prisoners, especially women and children, to slavery, but the scale of this trade does not seem to be great in military operations treated in this theses.

Matkalla suomalaiseksi ja hoiva-alan ammattilaiseksi? : Venäläis- ja virolaistaustaisten naisten ja suomalaisuuden kohtaamiset kuulumista rakentamassa

The research examines the process by which a sense of belonging to Finnish society is constructed among women of Russian and Estonian background who are multiply marginalised in Finnish society. It does so by analysing the encounters between their nationality and 'being Finnis'. Attention is focused on the question of what kind of "journey" they take after moving to Finland, how a sense of belonging is constructed especially along the paths followed in education and at work, and what kind of agency is available to them. The thesis is connected with post-colonial research and also draws from studies on citizenship and nationality as well as the social structures of interaction, when analysing careers. As the educational system forms the most central context of the research, the work is also focused on educational sociology. The research methodology includes life history and a narrative approach. The raw data is from thematic interviews concerning the life experiences of women of immigrant backgrounds. They were studying in Finland to be practical nurses or to complete Bachelor of Social Service degree. According to the study, the women had been encountered as alien, strange, and carrying a shade of "otherness". The experience of inclusion in Finnish communities and society turned out to be conditional, an inclusion based on the notion of a citizen worker, which is defined by national needs. The person from abroad is placed in the position of someone who fills gaps in the services of the welfare state. The choice of education in the care sector and the overall necessity of obtaining Finnish education turned out to be socially directed. Gendered structures of education and working life were found to act as a frame in which the decisions of the immigrant women were made. Although national education policy emphasis as an orientation to global labour markets, the immigrant student is placed above all in the position of an object to be made suitable for the Finnish labour market. Citizenship, a goal of education, requires consent to being "socialised" into Finnish society as well as learning to be Finnish. One s only option to negotiate appearing suitable as a member is to construct oneself into someone who adopts Finnish and Western cultural values, values which favour individuality. However, Finnish education is a resource to Finnishness. Finnish education enables a sense of being Finnish, and empowers the job applicant for example, and in addition to providing cultural, human and social capital strengthen inclusion as well. The study confirms the view that the encounter of an immigrant is still characterised by its colonial nature. It shows that encounters with Finns and Finnish society place the person of immigrant background, even one receiving a Finnish education, in the position of "the other". The journey as an immigrant continues. The immigrant has access only to certain predefined subject positions, which limits agency. When categorised as an immigrant, one becomes a per-son who is different and "other", while the sense of belonging as a member of Finnish society without conditions appears to be somewhat unreachable. Yet, new arrivals are capable of acting change. An immigrant woman can challenge the positions offered to her and present herself as strong. Her life story has often included struggle, and she has the fortitude strength to change her circumstances. Key words: life story, post-colonial encounter, nationality, citizenship, the career of immi-grant, position, agency

Effect of waiting time on health outcomes and service utilization : A prospective randomized study on patients admitted to hospital for hip or knee replacement

Although the principle of equal access to medically justified treatment has been promoted by official health policies in many Western health care systems, practices do not completely meet policy targets. Waiting times for elective surgery vary between patient groups and regions, and growing problems in the availability of services threaten equal access to treatment. Waiting times have come to the attention of decision-makers, and several policy initiatives have been introduced to ensure the availability of care within a reasonable time. In Finland, for example, the treatment guarantee came into force in 2005. However, no consensus exists on optimal waiting time for different patient groups. The purpose of this multi-centre randomized controlled trial was to analyse health-related quality of life, pain and physical function in total hip or knee replacement patients during the waiting time and to evaluate whether the waiting time is associated with patients health outcomes at admission. This study also assessed whether the length of waiting time is associated with social and health services utilization in patients awaiting total hip or knee replacement. In addition, patients health-related quality of life was compared with that of the general population. Consecutive patients with a need for a primary total hip or knee replacement due to osteoarthritis were placed on the waiting list between August 2002 and November 2003. Patients were randomly assigned to a short waiting time (maximum 3 months) or a non-fixed waiting time (waiting time not fixed in advance, instead the patient followed the hospitals routine practice). Patients health-related quality of life was measured upon being placed on the waiting list and again at hospital admission using the generic 15D instrument. Pain and physical function were evaluated using the self-report Harris Hip Score for hip patients and a scale modified from the Knee Society Clinical Rating System for knee patients. Utilization measures were the use of home health care, rehabilitation and social services, physician visits and inpatient care. Health and social services use was low in both waiting time groups. The most common services used while waiting were rehabilitation services and informal care, including unpaid care provided by relatives, neighbours and volunteers. Although patients suffered from clear restrictions in usual activities and physical functioning, they seemed primarily to lean on informal care and personal networks instead of professional care. While longer waiting time did not result in poorer health-related quality of life at admission and use of services during the waiting time was similar to that at the time of placement on the list, there is likely to be higher costs of waiting by people who wait longer simply because they are using services for a longer period. In economic terms, this would represent a negative impact of waiting. Only a few reports have been published of the health-related quality of life of patients awaiting total hip or knee replacement. These findings demonstrate that, in addition to physical dimensions of health, patients suffered from restrictions in psychological well-being such as depression, distress and reduced vitality. This raises the question of how to support patients who suffer from psychological distress during the waiting time and how to develop strategies to improve patients initiatives to reduce symptoms and the burden of waiting. Key words: waiting time, total hip replacement, total knee replacement, health-related quality of life, randomized controlled trial, outcome assessment, social service, utilization of health services

Service-based Requirements for Future Mobile Networks

The mobile phone has, as a device, taken the world by storm in the past decade; from only 136 million phones globally in 1996, it is now estimated that by the end of 2008 roughly half of the worlds population will own a mobile phone. Over the years, the capabilities of the phones as well as the networks have increased tremendously, reaching the point where the devices are better called miniature computers rather than simply mobile phones. The mobile industry is currently undertaking several initiatives of developing new generations of mobile network technologies; technologies that to a large extent focus at offering ever-increasing data rates. This thesis seeks to answer the question of whether the future mobile networks in development and the future mobile services are in sync; taking a forward-looking timeframe of five to eight years into the future, will there be services that will need the high-performance new networks being planned? The question is seen to be especially pertinent in light of slower-than-expected takeoff of 3G data services. Current and future mobile services are analyzed from two viewpoints; first, looking at the gradual, evolutionary development of the services and second, through seeking to identify potential revolutionary new mobile services. With information on both current and future mobile networks as well as services, a network capability - service requirements mapping is performed to identify which services will work in which networks. Based on the analysis, it is far from certain whether the new mobile networks, especially those planned for deployment after HSPA, will be needed as soon as they are being currently roadmapped. The true service-based demand for the "beyond HSPA" technologies may be many years into the future - or, indeed, may never materialize thanks to the increasing deployment of local area wireless broadband technologies.

A Floor Control Server in a Distributed Conference Service

The conferencing systems in IP Multimedia (IM) networks are going through restructuring, accomplished in the near future. One of the changes introduced is the concept of floors and floor control in its current form with matching entity roles. The Binary Floor Control Protocol (BFCP) is a novelty to be exploited in distributed tightly coupled conferencing services. The protocol defines the floor control server (FCS), which implements floor control giving access to shared resources. As the newest tendency is to distribute the conferencing services, the locations of different functionality units play an important role in developing the standards. The floor control server location is not yet single-mindedly fixed in different standardization bodies, and the debate goes on where to place it within the media server, providing the conferencing service. The thesis main objective is to evaluate two distinctive alternatives in respect the Mp interface protocol between the respective nodes, as the interface in relation to floor control is under standardization work at the moment. The thesis gives a straightforward preamble in IMS network, nodes of interest including floor control server and conferencing. Knowledge on several protocols – BFCP, SDP, SIP and H.248 provides an important background for understanding the functionality changes introduced in the Mp interface and therefore introductions on those protocols and how they are connected to the full picture is given. The actual analysis on the impact of the floor control server into the Mp reference point is concluded in relation to the locations, giving basic flows, requirements analysis including a limited implementation proposal on supporting protocol parameters. The overall conclusion of the thesis is that even if both choices are seemingly useful, not one of the locations is clearly the most suitable in the light of this work. The thesis suggests a solution having both possibilities available to be chosen from in separate circumstances, realized with consistent standardization. It is evident, that if the preliminary assumption for the analysis is kept regarding to only one right place for the floor control server, more work is to be done in connected areas to discover the one most appropriate location.

Service Composition on a Mobile Phone

With the recent increase in interest in service-oriented architectures (SOA) and Web services, developing applications with the Web services paradigm has become feasible. Web services are self-describing, platform-independent computational elements. New applications can be assembled from a set of previously created Web services, which are composed together to make a service that uses its components to perform a certain task. This is the idea of service composition. To bring service composition to a mobile phone, I have created Interactive Service Composer for mobile phones. With Interactive Service Composer, the user is able to build service compositions on his mobile phone, consisting of Web services or services that are available from the mobile phone itself. The service compositions are reusable and can be saved in the phone's memory. Previously saved compositions can also be used in new compositions. While developing applications for mobile phones has been possible for some time, the usability of the solutions is not the same as when developing for desktop computers. When developing for mobile phones, the developer has to more carefully consider the decisions he is going to make with the program he is developing. With the lack of processing power and memory, the applications cannot function as well as on desktop PCs. On the other hand, this does not remove the appeal of developing applications for mobile devices.

Clustering Users of Online Content Service

Online content services can greatly benefit from personalisation features that enable delivery of content that is suited to each user's specific interests. This thesis presents a system that applies text analysis and user modeling techniques in an online news service for the purpose of personalisation and user interest analysis. The system creates a detailed thematic profile for each content item and observes user's actions towards content items to learn user's preferences. A handcrafted taxonomy of concepts, or ontology, is used in profile formation to extract relevant concepts from the text. User preference learning is automatic and there is no need for explicit preference settings or ratings from the user. Learned user profiles are segmented into interest groups using clustering techniques with the objective of providing a source of information for the service provider. Some theoretical background for chosen techniques is presented while the main focus is in finding practical solutions to some of the current information needs, which are not optimally served with traditional techniques.

An XML Messaging Service for Mobile Devices

In recent years, XML has been accepted as the format of messages for several applications. Prominent examples include SOAP for Web services, XMPP for instant messaging, and RSS and Atom for content syndication. This XML usage is understandable, as the format itself is a well-accepted standard for structured data, and it has excellent support for many popular programming languages, so inventing an application-specific format no longer seems worth the effort. Simultaneously with this XML's rise to prominence there has been an upsurge in the number and capabilities of various mobile devices. These devices are connected through various wireless technologies to larger networks, and a goal of current research is to integrate them seamlessly into these networks. These two developments seem to be at odds with each other. XML as a fully text-based format takes up more processing power and network bandwidth than binary formats would, whereas the battery-powered nature of mobile devices dictates that energy, both in processing and transmitting, be utilized efficiently. This thesis presents the work we have performed to reconcile these two worlds. We present a message transfer service that we have developed to address what we have identified as the three key issues: XML processing at the application level, a more efficient XML serialization format, and the protocol used to transfer messages. Our presentation includes both a high-level architectural view of the whole message transfer service, as well as detailed descriptions of the three new components. These components consist of an API, and an associated data model, for XML processing designed for messaging applications, a binary serialization format for the data model of the API, and a message transfer protocol providing two-way messaging capability with support for client mobility. We also present relevant performance measurements for the service and its components. As a result of this work, we do not consider XML to be inherently incompatible with mobile devices. As the fixed networking world moves toward XML for interoperable data representation, so should the wireless world also do to provide a better-integrated networking infrastructure. However, the problems that XML adoption has touch all of the higher layers of application programming, so instead of concentrating simply on the serialization format we conclude that improvements need to be made in an integrated fashion in all of these layers.

Dental Service Utilization, Dental Health Production and Equity in Dental Care: the Finnish Experience

This thesis is grounded on four articles. Article I generally examines the factors affecting dental service utilization. Article II studies the factors associated with sector-specific utilization among young adults entitled to age-based subsidized dental care. Article III explores the determinants of dental ill-health as measured by the occurrence of caries and the relationship between dental ill-health and dental care use. Article IV measures and explains income-related inequality in utilization. Data employed were from the 1996 Finnish Health Care Survey (I, II, IV) and the 1997 follow-up study included in the longitudinal study of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort (III). Utilization is considered as a multi-stage decision-making process and measured as the number of visits to the dentist. Modified count data models and concentration and horizontal equity indices were applied. Dentist s recall appeared very efficient at stimulating individuals to seek care. Dental pain, recall, and the low number of missing teeth positively affected utilization. Public subvention for dental care did not seem to statistically increase utilization. Among young adults, a perception of insufficient public service availability and recall were positively associated with the choice of a private dentist, whereas income and dentist density were positively associated with the number of visits to private dentists. Among cohort females, factors increasing caries were body mass index and intake of alcohol, sugar, and soft drinks and those reducing caries were birth weight and adolescent school achievement. Among cohort males, caries was positively related to the metropolitan residence and negatively related to healthy diet and education. Smoking increased caries, whereas regular teeth brushing, regular dental attendance and dental care use decreased caries. We found equity in young adults utilization but pro-rich inequity in the total number of visits to all dentists and in the probability of visiting a dentist for the whole sample. We observed inequity in the total number of visits to the dentist and in the probability of visiting a dentist, being pro-poor for public care but pro-rich for private care. The findings suggest that to enhance equal access to and use of dental care across population and income groups, attention should focus on supply factors and incentives to encourage people to contact dentists more often. Lowering co-payments and service fees and improving public availability would likely increase service use in both sectors. To attain favorable oral health, appropriate policies aimed at improving dental health education and reducing the detrimental effects of common risk factors on dental health should be strengthened. Providing equal access with respect to need for all people ought to take account of the segmentation of the service system, with its two parallel delivery systems and different supplier incentives to patients and dentists.