Hautamuistomerkki elämän ja kuoleman tulkitsijana : Heikki Häiväojan, Kain Tapperin ja Matti Peltokankaan tekemät hautamuistomerkit 1952-2002

Grave sculpture as interpreter of life and death. Grave sculptures done by Heikki Häiväoja, Kain Tapper and Matti Peltokangas 1952-2002. The thoughts of Philippe Ariès and Erwin Panofsky on western funeral art constitute the starting point of this study. These scholars speak about the 20th century as a period of decline regarding western funeral art. The reason for this situation lies, according to them, in the fact that death has been rejected and become a private affair in modern society. Especially Panofsky sees an important reason for the decay of funeral art also in the separation of death from religion. In this study, I approach the view of Ariès and Panofsky from the angle of Finnish funeral art. The subject of the study is grave sculptures of three Finnish sculptors: Heikki Häiväoja, Kain Tapper and Matti Peltokangas, from 1952 to 2002. (The analysis of the grave sculptures has been performed with the Iconology of Erwin Panofsky. The analysis has been deepened by the ideas of a graveyard as a semiotic text according to Werner Enninger and Christa Schwens. In order to confirm their argumentation, they analyse the graveyard text with the model of communicative functions of Roman Jakobson and verify that the graveyard is a cultural text according to Juri Lotman.) Results of the study In the grave sculptures of the sculptors, different worldviews appear alongside Christian thoughts indicating a new stage in the tradition of funeral art. In the grave sculptures characterised as Christian, the view of life after death is included. In these memorials the direction of life is prospective, pointing to the life beyond. Death is a border, beyond which one is unable to see. Nevertheless the border is open or marked by the cross. On this open border, death is absence of pain, glory and new unity. In memorials with different worldviews, the life beyond is a possibility which is not excluded. Memorials interpret life retrospectively; life is a precious memory which wakens grief and longing. Many memorials have metaphysical and mystic features. In spite of democratization the order and valuation of social classes appear in some memorials. The old order also materializes in the war memorials relating the same destiny of the deceased. Different burial places, nevertheless, do not indicate social inequality but are rather signs of diversity. The sculptors' abstract means of modern funeral art deepen the handling of the subject matter of death and reveal the mystery of it. Grave sculptures are a part of Finnish and sacral modern art, and there is an interaction between funeral art and modern art. Modern art acquires a new dimension, when grave sculptures become a part of its field. Grave sculptures offer an alternative to anonymous burying. The memorial is a sign of the end of life; it gives death significance and publicity and creates a relation to the past of the society. In this way, grave sculptures are a part of the chain of memory of the western funeral art, which extends throughout Antiquity until ancient Egypt. (In this study I have spoken of funeral art as a chain of memory using the thoughts of Danièle Hervieu-Léger.) There are no signs of decay in the grave sculptures, on the contrary the tradition of funeral art continues in them as a search for the meaning of life and death and as an intuitive interpretation of death. As such, grave sculptures are part of the Finnish discussion of death.

Small State Cultures of Consensus : State Traditions and Consensus-Seeking in the Neo-Corporatist and Neutrality Policies in Post-1945 Austria and Finland

Austria and Finland are persistently referred to as the “success stories” of post-1945 European history. Notwithstanding their different points of departure, in the course of the Cold War both countries portrayed themselves as small and neutral border-states in the world dictated by superpower politics. By the 1970s, both countries frequently ranked at the top end in various international classifications regarding economic development and well-being in society. This trend continues today. The study takes under scrutiny the concept of consensus which figures centrally in the two national narratives of post-1945 success. Given that the two domestic contexts as such only share few direct links with one another and are more obviously different than similar in terms of their geographical location, historical experiences and politico-cultural traditions, the analogies and variations in the anatomies of the post-1945 “cultures of consensus” provide an interesting topic for a historical comparative and cross-national examination. The main research question concerns the identification and analysis of the conceptual and procedural convergence points of the concepts of the state and consensus. The thesis is divided into six main chapters. After the introduction, the second chapter presents the theoretical framework in more detail by focusing on the key concepts of the study – the state and consensus. Chapter two also introduces the comparative historical and cross-national research angles. Chapter three grounds the key concepts of the state and consensus in the historical contexts of Austria and Finland by discussing the state, the nation and democracy in a longer term comparative perspective. The fourth and fifth chapter present case studies on the two policy fields, the “pillars”, upon which the post-1945 Austrian and Finnish cultures of consensus are argued to have rested. Chapter four deals with neo-corporatist features in the economic policy making and chapter five discusses the building up of domestic consensus regarding the key concepts of neutrality policies in the 1950s and 1960s. The study concludes that it was not consensus as such but the strikingly intense preoccupation with the theme of domestic consensus that cross-cut, in a curiously analogous manner, the policy-making processes studied. The main challenge for the post-1945 architects of Austrian and Finnish cultures of consensus was to find strategies and concepts for consensus-building which would be compatible with the principles of democracy. Discussed at the level of procedures, the most important finding of the study concerns the triangular mechanism of coordination, consultation and cooperation that set into motion and facilitated a new type of search for consensus in both post-war societies. In this triangle, the agency of the state was central, though in varying ways. The new conceptions concerning a small state’s position in the Cold War world also prompted cross-nationally perceivable willingness to reconsider inherited concepts and procedures of the state and the nation. At the same time, the ways of understanding the role of the state and its relation to society remained profoundly different in Austria and Finland and this basic difference was in many ways reflected in the concepts and procedures deployed in the search for consensus and management of domestic conflicts. For more detailed information, please consult the author.

FGFR1 regulated gene-expression, cell proliferation and differentiation in the developing midbrain and hindbrain

The neuroectodermal tissue close to the midbrain hindbrain boundary (MHB) is an important secondary organizer in the developing neural tube. This so-called isthmic organizer (IsO) regulates cellular survival, patterning and proliferation in the midbrain (Mb) and rhombomere 1 (R1) of the hindbrain. Signaling molecules of the IsO, such as fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) and WNT1 are expressed in distinct bands of cells around the MHB. It has been previously shown that FGF-receptor 1 (FGFR1) is required for the normal development of this brain region in the mouse embryo. In the present study, we have compared the gene expression profiles of wild-type and Fgfr1 mutant embryos. We show that the loss of Fgfr1 results in the downregulation of several genes expressed close to the MHB and in the disappearance of gene expression gradients in the midbrain and R1. Our microarray screen identified several previously uncharacterized genes which may participate in the development of midbrain R1 region. Our results also show altered neurogenesis in the midbrain and R1 of the Fgfr1 mutants. Interestingly, the neuronal progenitors in midbrain and R1 show different responses to the loss of signaling through FGFR1. As Wnt1 expression at the MHB region requires the FGF signaling pathway, WNT target genes, including Drapc1, were also identified in our screen. The microarray data analysis also suggested that the cells next to the midbrain hindbrain boundary express distinct cell cycle regulators. We showed that the cells close to the border appeared to have unique features. These cells proliferate less rapidly than the surrounding cells. Unlike the cells further away from the boundary, these cells express Fgfr1 but not the other FGF receptors. The slowly proliferating boundary cells are necessary for development of the characteristic isthmic constriction. They may also contribute to compartmentalization of this brain region.

Regulation of Kinin receptor Expression in Heart Failure with a Focus on Vascular Endothelium

Accumulating evidence show that kinins, notably bradykinin (BK) and kallidin, have cardioprotective effects. To these include reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and progression of heart failure. The effects are mediated through two G protein-coupled receptors- bradykinin type-2 receptor (BK-2R) and bradykinin type -1 receptor (BK-1R). The widely accepted cardioprotective effects of BK-receptors relate to triggering the production and release of vasodilating nitric oxide (NO) by endothelial cells. They also exert anti-proliferative effects on fibroblasts and anti-hypertrophic effects on myocytes, and thus may play an essential role in the cardioprotective response to myocardial injury. The role for BK-1Rs in HF is based on experimental animal models, where the receptors have been linked to cardioprotective- but also to cardiotoxic -effects. The BK-1Rs are induced under inflammatory and ischemic conditions, shown in animal models; no previous reports, concerning BK-1Rs in human heart failure, have been presented. The expression of BK-2Rs is down-regulated in human end-stage heart failure. Present results showed that, in these patients, the BK-1Rs were up-regulated, suggesting that also BK-1Rs are involved in the pathogenesis of human heart failure. The receptors were localized mainly in the endothelium of intramyocardial coronary vessels, and correlated with the increased TNF-α expression in the myocardial coronary vessels. Moreover, in cultured endothelial cells, TNF-α was a potent trigger of BK-1Rs. These results suggest that cytokines may be responsible for the up-regulation of BK-1Rs in human heart failure. A linear relationship between BK-2R mRNA and protein expression in normal and failing human left ventricles implies that the BK-2Rs are regulated on the transcriptional level, at least in human myocardium. The expression of BK-2Rs correlated positively with age in normal and dilated hearts (IDC). The results suggest that human hearts adapts to age-related changes, by up-regulating the expression of cardioprotective BK-2Rs. Also, in the BK-2R promoter polymorphism -58 T/C, the C-allele was accumulated in cardiomyopathy patients which may partially explain the reduced number of BK-2Rs. Statins reduce the level of plasma cholesterol, but also exert several non-cholesterol-dependent effects. These effects were studied in human coronary arterial endothelial cells (hCAEC) and incubation with lovastatin induced both BK-1 and BK-2Rs in a time and concentration-dependent way. The induced BK-2Rs were functionally active, thus NO production and cGMP signaling was increased. Induction was abrogated by mevalonate, a direct HMG-CoA metabolite. Lovastatin is known to inhibit Rho activation, and by a selective RhoA kinase inhibitor (Y27632), a similar induction of BK-2R expression as with lovastatin. Interestingly a COX-2-inhibitor (NS398) inhibited this lovastatin-induction of BK-2Rs, suggesting that COX-2 inhibitors may affect the endothelial BK-2Rs, in a negative fashion. Hypoxia is a common denominator in HF but also in other cardiovascular diseases. An induction of BK-2Rs in mild hypoxic conditions was shown in cultured hCAECs, which was abolished by a specific BK-2R inhibitor Icatibant. These receptors were functionally active, thus BK increased and Icatibant inhibited the production of NO. In rat myocardium the expression of BK-2R was increased in the endothelium of vessels, forming at the border zone, between the scar tissue and the healthy myocardium. Moreover, in in vitro wound-healing assay, endothelial cells were cultured under hypoxic conditions and BK significantly increased the migration of these cells and as Icatibant inhibited it. These results show, that mild hypoxia triggers a temporal expression of functionally active BK-2Rs in human and rat endothelial cells, supporting a role for BK-2Rs, in hypoxia induced angiogenesis. Our and previous results show, that BK-Rs have an impact on the cardiovascular diseases. In humans, at the end stage of heart failure, the BK-2Rs are down-regulated and BK-1Rs induced. Whether the up-regulation of BK-1Rs, is a compensatory mechanism against the down-regulation of BK-2Rs, or merely reflects the end point of heart failure, remains to bee seen. In a clinical point of view, the up-regulation of BK-2Rs, under hypoxic conditions or statin treatment, suggests that, the induction of BK-2Rs is protective in cardiovascular pathologies and those treatments activating BK-2Rs, might give additional tools in treating heart failure.

Primary Dislocation of the Patella : A Clinical Study

A total of 177 patients with primary dislocation of the patella (PDP) were admitted to two trauma centers in Helsinki, Finland during 1991 to 1992. The inclusion criteria were: 1. Acute (≤14 days old) first-time lateral dislocation of the patella. 2. No previous knee operations or major knee injuries. 3. No ligament injuries to be repaired. 4. No osteochondral fractures requiring fixation. 50 patients were excluded. 30 of these excluded patients would have met the inclusion criteria, 19 patients received treatment by consultants not involved in the study, 7 refused to participate and 4 had an erroneous randomization. 127 patients including, 82 females, were then randomized to have either tailor-made operative procedure (group O) or conservative treatment (group C). The aftercare was similar for both groups. The mean age of the patients was 20 (9-47) years. All patients were subjected to analysis of trauma history (starting position and knee movement during the dislocation), examination under anesthesia (EUA) and arthroscopy. 70 patients (52 females) were randomized by their odd year of birth to operative group O and 57 patients (30 females) by their even year of birth to conservative group C. The diagnosis of PDP was based on locked dislocation in 68 patients, on dislocatability in EUA in 47 patients, and on subluxation in EUA combined with typical intra-articular lesions in 12 patients. In group O, 63 patients had exploration of the injuries on the medial side of the knee and tailor made reconstruction added with lateral release in 54 cases. The medial injury was operated by suturing in 39 patients, by duplication in 18 patients and by additional augmentation of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) with adductor magnus tenodesis in 6 patients. 7 patients, without locking in trauma history and only subluxation in EUA had only lateral release for realignment. In adductor magnus tenodesis the proximal end of the distal tendinous part was rerouted to the upper medial border of the patella. In the conservative group C, the treatment was adjusted to the extent of patellar displacement in EUA. Patients with dislocation in EUA had 3 weeks’ immobilization with the knee in slight flexion. Mobilization was started with a soft patellar stabilizing orthosis (PSO) used for additional three weeks. The patients with subluxation in EUA wore an orthosis for six weeks. The aftercare was similar in group O. The outcome was similar in both groups. After an average of 25 (20-45) months´ follow-up, the subjective result was better in group C in respect of the mean Hughston VAS knee score (87 for group O and 90 for group C, p=0.04, visual analog scale), but similar in terms of the patient’s own overall opinion and the mean Lysholm II knee score. Recurrent instability episodes occurred in 18 patients in group O and in 20 patients in group C. After an average of 7 (6-9) years´ follow-up, the groups did not show statistical difference either in respect of the patient’s own overall opinion, or the mean Hughston VAS and Kujala knee scores. The proportions of stable patellae was 25/70 (36%) in group O and 17/57 (30%) in group O (p=0.5). In a multivariate risk analysis, there was a correlation between low Kujala score (<90) as dependent parameter and female gender (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.4-9.0), and loose body on primary radiographs (OR: 4.1; 95% CI: 1.2-15). Recurrent instability correlated with young age at the time of PDP (OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.8-1.0/year). Girls with open tibial apophysis had the worst prognosis for instability (88%; 95% CI: 77-98). The most common mechanisms in trauma history of the patients were movement to flexion from a straight start (78%) and movement to extension from a well-bent start (8%). Spontaneous relocation of the patella had taken place in 13/39 of girls, in 11/21 of boys, in 26/42 of women and in 17/24 of men with skeletal maturity of the tibia. The dislocation in EUA was non-rotating in 96/126 patients followed by outward rotating dislocation in 14/126 patients. Operative treatment policy in PDP is not recommended. Locking tendency of the patella in PDP depended on the skeletal maturation. Recurrence rate after PDP was higher than expected.

Myoblast transplantation and adenoviral VEGF-C transfer in porcine model of coronary artery disease

Heart failure is a common and highly challenging medical disorder. The progressive increase of elderly population is expected to further reflect in heart failure incidence. Recent progress in cell transplantation therapy has provided a conceptual alternative for treatment of heart failure. Despite improved medical treatment and operative possibilities, end-stage coronary artery disease present a great medical challenge. It has been estimated that therapeutic angiogenesis would be the next major advance in the treatment of ischaemic heart disease. Gene transfer to augment neovascularization could be beneficial for such patients. We employed a porcine model to evaluate the angiogenic effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C gene transfer. Ameroid-generated myocardial ischemia was produced and adenovirus encoding (ad)VEGF-C or β-galactosidase (LacZ) gene therapy was given intramyocardially during progressive coronary stenosis. Angiography, positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and histology evidenced beneficial affects of the adVEGF-C gene transfer compared to adLacZ. The myocardial deterioration during progressive coronary stenosis seen in the control group was restrained in the treatment group. We observed an uneven occlusion rate of the coronary vessels with Ameroid constrictor. We developed a simple methodological improvement of Ameroid model by ligating of the Ameroid–stenosed coronary vessel. Improvement of the model was seen by a more reliable occlusion rate of the vessel concerned and a formation of a rather constant myocardial infarction. We assessed the spontaneous healing of the left ventricle (LV) in this new model by SPECT, PET, MRI, and angiography. Significant spontaneous improvement of myocardial perfusion and function was seen as well as diminishment of scar volume. Histologically more microvessels were seen in the border area of the lesion. Double staining of the myocytes in mitosis indicated more cardiomyocyte regeneration at the remote area of the lesion. The potential of autologous myoblast transplantation after ischaemia and infarction of porcine heart was evaluated. After ligation of stenosed coronary artery, autologous myoblast transplantation or control medium was directly injected into the myocardium at the lesion area. Assessed by MRI, improvement of diastolic function was seen in the myoblast-transplanted animals, but not in the control animals. Systolic function remained unchanged in both groups.

Tytöt, pojat ja sukupuolinen häirintä

In this research I ask what is interpreted as sex-based harassment by 15-16-year old girls and boys. By sex-based harassment I refer to one-sided, unwanted attention that is based on gender and that makes the target feel embarrassed, frightened, hurt or angry. My focus is not on the most overt cases of harassment but rather on everyday encounters. While young people differentiate between harassing and non-harassing attention, at the same time they define, assign value to and construct differences and power relations on the basis of gender, age and ethnicity, for example. My main data consists of essays (N 104, 54 girls, 54 boys) and thematic interviews (N 14; 20 girls, 3 boys) of ninth graders of a secondary school in Helsinki. In the essays and interviews, students construe the border between pleasant and unpleasant, tolerable and intolerable attention as clear in principle, but, they suggest that in practice this border is ambivalent, negotiable and contextual. The interpretations of incidents are justified by referring to features of the target, the scene or the perpetrator. Targets of harassment are most often construed as being girls who are characterized as thin-skinned, but at the same time they are expected to be understanding toward any sex-based attention they may get, particularly when it is not physical. On the other hand, girls are regarded as equal and even active participants in incidents of harassment. Such statements include considerations of how girls either reject or invite particular kinds of attention by their actions and outward appearance. Forms of harassment, ways of understanding it as well as overcoming it vary according to spatial context. By situating incidents in different spaces and places, young people contrast their experiences with ordinary and predictable non-harassment that takes place e.g. in discos and unusual and unexpected harassment that takes place e.g. in the city streets in the daytime. The behaviour of boys harassing a girls is naturalized by appealing to young masculinity and the childishness but also strong sexual drive which is seen as characteristic of teenage boys. On the other hand, sex-based harassment is racialized and pathologized in ways that separate the phenomenon from young, Finnish, normal masculinity. Both the material experiences of the young people and the definitions of the parties involved in harassing incidents are gendered. Girls encounter and deal with sexualized commenting and unwanted approaches much more often and in a more intensive way than boys. Furthermore, there is a vast cultural repertoire of acceptable accounts that can be mobilised in order to excuse male harassers, to critically evaluate the appearance or action of the female targets and to divide the responsibility between the female target and the male perpetrator.

Heme oxygenase-1 in cardiovascular diseases

Myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Treatment of MI involves early restoration of blood flow to limit infarct size and preserve cardiac function. MI leads to left ventricular remodeling, which may eventually progress to heart failure, despite the established pharmacological treatment of the disease. To improve outcome of MI, new strategies for protecting the myocardium against ischemic injury and enhancing the recovery and repair of the infarcted heart are needed. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a stress-responsive and cytoprotective enzyme catalyzing the degradation of heme into the biologically active reaction products biliverdin/bilirubin, carbon monoxide (CO) and free iron. HO-1 plays a key role in maintaining cellular homeostasis by its antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and proangiogenic properties. The present study aimed, first, at evaluating the role of HO-1 as a cardioprotective and prohealing enzyme in experimental rat models and at investigating the potential mechanisms mediating the beneficial effects of HO-1 in the heart. The second aim was to evaluate the role of HO-1 in 231 critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients by investigating the association of HO-1 polymorphisms and HO-1 plasma concentrations with illness severity, organ dysfunction and mortality throughout the study population and in the subgroup of cardiac patients. We observed in an experimental rat MI model, that HO-1 expression was induced in the infarcted rat hearts, especially in the infarct and infarct border areas. In addition, pre-emptive HO-1 induction and CO donor pretreatment promoted recovery and repair of the infarcted hearts by differential mechanisms. CO promoted vasculogenesis and formation of new cardiomyocytes by activating c-kit+ stem/progenitor cells via hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha (SDF-1a) and vascular endothelial growth factor B, whereas HO-1 promoted angiogenesis possibly via SDF-1a. Furthermore, HO-1 protected the heart in the early phase of infarct healing by increasing survival and proliferation of cardiomyocytes. The antiapoptotic effect of HO-1 persisted in the late phases of infarct healing. HO-1 also modulated the production of extracellular matrix components and reduced perivascular fibrosis. Some of these beneficial effects of HO-1 were mediated by CO, e.g. the antiapoptotic effect. However, CO may also have adverse effects on the heart, since it increased the expression of extracellular matrix components. In isolated perfused rat hearts, HO-1 induction improved the recovery of postischemic cardiac function and abrogated reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation, possibly in part via connexin 43. We found that HO-1 plasma levels were increased in all critically ill patients, including cardiac patients, and were associated with the degree of organ dysfunction and disease severity. HO-1 plasma concentrations were also higher in ICU and hospital nonsurvivors than in survivors, and the maximum HO-1 concentration was an independent predictor of hospital mortality. Patients with the HO-1 -413T/GT(L)/+99C haplotype had lower HO-1 plasma concentrations and lower incidence of multiple organ dysfunction. However, HO-1 polymorphisms were not associated with ICU or hospital mortality. The present study shows that HO-1 is induced in response to stress in both experimental animal models and severely ill patients. HO-1 played an important role in the recovery and repair of infarcted rat hearts. HO-1 induction and CO donor pretreatment enhanced cardiac regeneration after MI, and HO-1 may protect against pathological left ventricular remodeling. Furthermore, HO-1 induction potentially may protect against I/R injury and cardiac dysfunction in isolated rat hearts. In critically ill ICU patients, HO-1 plasma levels correlate with the degree of organ dysfunction, disease severity, and mortality, suggesting that HO-1 may be useful as a marker of disease severity and in the assessment of outcome of critically ill patients.

Att skapa en helhet av fragment Om översättningen av kohesiva element i Sjóns Stålnatt

Abstract (Creating a whole from fragments. On the translation of cohesive elements in Sjón's Steelnight): In this paper, I discuss the Swedish translation of the Icelandic writer Sjón’s debut novel Steelnight: a story (in Swedish Stålnatt – en berättelse). Steelnight is a fragmented novel which is located at the border between poetry and prose. At the beginning of the story, the writer introduces two main plots (with subplots). At first glance, it may seem as though the plots do not share much in common. However, a closer analysis of the text reveals that there are striking parallels between the plots which are created partly by the writer’s use of cohesive elements. Thus, despite the fragmented style, the writer creates cohesion in the text by using stylistic means such as repetition of certain nouns and adjectives and by a frequent use of personal and demonstrative pronouns. This use of cohesive elements creates a challenge for the translator.

Ihmissalakuljetus ja ihmiskauppa Helsingin Sanomissa ja Dagens Nyheterissä

Human smuggling and trafficking in human beings are phenomena that are often represented as global and growing problems. Human smuggling means that a person is taken to a country illegally which means that smuggling does not exist without states. Trafficking in human beings by contrast means the exploitation of persons which makes it a human rights violation. The news coverage about both phenomena, especially about human trafficking, has grown rapidly during the last decade. However, there has not been research on the news coverage about phenomena in Finland and the news coverage on trafficking in human beings is little researched even in European countries. In this thesis I am comparing critically the newspaper content on the phenomena in Finland and in Sweden from the viewpoint of political and moral geography. Besides the contexts of the news, I paid attention to how identities in different scales, including the scale of the body, were represented in the news and how the boundaries between different identities were drawn in the news. As a methodology I used content analysis to classify the context of the news and discourse analysis to analyze how the different scales and boundaries between them were represented. The results address that in Finland especially the human smuggling is considered as a border issue and Finland´s location between East and West is emphasized, which points out that Finland´s location is a crucial part of the Finnish identity. In addition the linkages between human trafficking and prostitution are often debated in the news from different aspects. In Sweden meanwhile its´ political activeness in the fight against trafficking in human beings and international crime especially in the EU level are emphasized. Trafficking in human beings likewise prostitution according to Swedish law is seen as violence against women and the news are strongly against buying of sex as well. The states themselves, the state authorities and the EU are represented as active actors in both countries whereas international crime is represented as a threat and regions outside EU as chaotic. Additionally, illegal immigrants and the victims of trafficking are stigmatised. According to the results, the news coverage of both phenomena are used in constructing a more integrated national and European identity.

Integration or disintegration? Human resource implications of a common corporate language decision in a crossborder merger

The primary purpose of introducing a common corporate language in crossborder mergers is to integrate two previously separate organizations and facilitate communication. However, the present case study of a cross-border merger between two Nordic banks shows that the common corporate language decision may have disintegrating effects, particularly at organizational levels below top management. We identify such effects on performance appraisal, language training and management development, career paths, promotion and key personnel. Our findings show that top management needs to work through the consequences of the language decision upon those who are expected to make such a decision work.

Cultural differences and postmerger problems: Misconceptions and cognitive simplifications.

Researchers and practitioners have increasingly explained post-merger organizational problems with cultural differences, especially in the context of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. It is suggested here that cultural differences have great explanatory power in the context of post-merger change processes. There are, however, problems with a number of superficial cultural conceptions that are common in research in this area and in managerial rhetoric. This critical article provocatively delineates misconceptions widely held by researchers and practitioners in this field, which not only disregard cultural differentiation, fragmentation, inconsistencies and ambiguities, but further, illustrate a lack of understanding of cultural permeability and embeddedness in the environment, an overemphasis on abstract values and lack of attention to organizational practices, an overemphasis on initial structural differences and lack of attention to the new cultural layer, a lack of recognition of the political dimensions and a failure to recognize cultural differences as sources of value and learning. In this article, the theoretical problems associated with these misconceptions are examined and new conceptual perspectives suggested. The risks at stake for decision makers are also discussed.

Intraday Dynamics of International Equity Markets

The increased availability of high frequency data sets have led to important new insights in understanding of financial markets. The use of high frequency data is interesting and persuasive, since it can reveal new information that cannot be seen in lower data aggregation. This dissertation explores some of the many important issues connected with the use, analysis and application of high frequency data. These include the effects of intraday seasonal, the behaviour of time varying volatility, the information content of various market data, and the issue of inter market linkages utilizing high frequency 5 minute observations from major European and the U.S stock indices, namely DAX30 of Germany, CAC40 of France, SMI of Switzerland, FTSE100 of the UK and SP500 of the U.S. The first essay in the dissertation shows that there are remarkable similarities in the intraday behaviour of conditional volatility across European equity markets. Moreover, the U.S macroeconomic news announcements have significant cross border effect on both, European equity returns and volatilities. The second essay reports substantial intraday return and volatility linkages across European stock indices of the UK and Germany. This relationship appears virtually unchanged by the presence or absence of the U.S stock market. However, the return correlation among the U.K and German markets rises significantly following the U.S stock market opening, which could largely be described as a contemporaneous effect. The third essay sheds light on market microstructure issues in which traders and market makers learn from watching market data, and it is this learning process that leads to price adjustments. This study concludes that trading volume plays an important role in explaining international return and volatility transmissions. The examination concerning asymmetry reveals that the impact of the positive volume changes is larger on foreign stock market volatility than the negative changes. The fourth and the final essay documents number of regularities in the pattern of intraday return volatility, trading volume and bid-ask spreads. This study also reports a contemporaneous and positive relationship between the intraday return volatility, bid ask spread and unexpected trading volume. These results verify the role of trading volume and bid ask quotes as proxies for information arrival in producing contemporaneous and subsequent intraday return volatility. Moreover, asymmetric effect of trading volume on conditional volatility is also confirmed. Overall, this dissertation explores the role of information in explaining the intraday return and volatility dynamics in international stock markets. The process through which the information is incorporated in stock prices is central to all information-based models. The intraday data facilitates the investigation that how information gets incorporated into security prices as a result of the trading behavior of informed and uninformed traders. Thus high frequency data appears critical in enhancing our understanding of intraday behavior of various stock markets’ variables as it has important implications for market participants, regulators and academic researchers.

Knowledge Transfer within Western Multinationals' Subsidiary Units in China and Finland - The Impact of Headquarter Control Mechanisms, Subsidiary Location and Social Capital (summary section only)

It is suggested that the ability and practices of how the multinational corporation (MNC) manages knowledge transfer among its geographically dispersed subsidiary units are crucial for the building and development of firm competitive advantage. However, cross-border transfer of valuable organizational knowledge is likely to be problematic and laborious, especially within diversified and differentiated MNCs. Using data collected from 164 western multinational companies’ subsidiary units located in China and Finland, this study aims to investigate cross-border knowledge transfer within the MNC. It explores a number of factors that influence the transfer of knowledge among units in the differentiated MNC. The study consists of five individual papers. Paper 1 investigates a range of organizational mechanisms that may positively influence a subsidiary’s propensity to undertake knowledge transfers to other parts of the corporation. Paper 2 explores the impact of subsidiary location on the motivational dispositions of knowledge receiving units to value and accept knowledge from subsidiaries located in economically less advanced countries. Paper 3 examines the influence of social capital variables on knowledge transfer in dyadic relationships between foreign-owned subsidiaries and their sister and patent units. Paper 4 provides some initial insights into potentially different effects of trust and shared vision in intra-organizational vs. inter-organizational relationships. Using a case study setting, Paper 5 explores means and mechanisms used in transferring human resource management practices to Western MNCs’ business units in China from a cultural perspective. The results of the study show that MNC management through choices regarding organizational controls can encourage and enhance corporate-internal knowledge transfer. It also finds evidence that more knowledge is transferred from subsidiaries located in an industrialized country (e.g., Finland) than subsidiaries located in a developing country (e.g., China). While the study has highlighted the importance of social capital in promoting knowledge transfer, it has also uncovered some new findings that the effect of trust and shared vision may be contingent upon different contexts. Finally, in Paper 5, a number of mechanisms used in transferring selected HRM practices and competences to the Chinese business units have been identified. The findings suggest that cultural differences should be taken into consideration in the choice and use of different transfer mechanisms.

The Impact of the EMU on International Portfolio Investments

This paper analyses the impact of the launch of the European Monetary Union (EMU) on the allocation of international portfolio investments. The initiation of the EMU provides an opportunity for comparison of competing theoretical explanations for investment behavior. Models stressing the diversification motive would predict that the increased dependence between countries participating in the EMU should reduce the attractiveness of portfolio holdings in other EMU countries. Models based on asymmetric information would instead emphasize the increased intensity in the flow of information resulting from an increase in cross border transactions between the EMU countries. The consequent decline in information asymmetry should increase, rather than reduce portfolio holdings in other EMU countries. Our results based on the allocation of Finnish foreign portfolio investment support the information-based explanation against predictions based on the diversification motive.