Indian laakerimetallit

kuv., 11 x 14 cm

Finnish buyers’ perceptions of Indian textile and clothing suppliers: Country of origin in focus

Choosing the right supplier is crucial for long-term business prospects and profitability. Thus organizational buyers are naturally very interested in how they can select the right supplier for their needs. Likewise, suppliers are interested in knowing how their customers make purchasing decisions in order to effectively sell and market to them. From the point of view of the textile and clothing (T&C) industry, regulatory changes and increasing low-cost and globalization pressures have led to the rise of low-cost production locations India and China as the world’s largest T&C producers. This thesis will examine T&C trade between Finland and India specifically in the context of non-industrial T&C products. Its main research problem asks: what perceptions do Finnish T&C industry buyers hold of India and Indian suppliers? B2B buyers use various supplier selection models and criteria in making their purchase decisions. A significant amount of research has been done into supplier selection practices, and in the context of international trade, country of origin (COO) perceptions specifically have garnered much attention. This thesis uses a mixed methods approach (online questionnaire and in-depth interviews) to evaluate Finnish T&C buyers’ supplier selection criteria, COO perceptions of India and experiences of Indian suppliers. It was found that the most important supplier selection criteria used by Finnish T&C buyers are quality, reliability and cost. COO perceptions were not found to be influential in purchasing process. Indian T&C suppliers’ strengths were found to be low cost, flexibility and a history of traditional T&C expertise. Their weaknesses include product quality and unreliable delivery times. Overall, the main challenges that need to be overcome by Indian T&C companies are logistical difficulties and the cost vs. quality trade-off. Despite positive perceptions of India for cost, the overall value offered by Indian T&C products was perceived to be low due to poor quality. Unreliable delivery time experiences also affected buyer’s reliability perceptions of Indian suppliers. The main limiting factors of this thesis relate to the small sample size used in the research. This limits the generalizability of results and the ability to evaluate the reliability and validity of some of the research instruments.

Fe y esperanza : women's road to leadership and ministry in the Lutheran church of El Salvador 1952-2009

The Lutheran Church of El Salvador made a decision, in 1986, to open the ministry to women. How was it possible in the midst of a Latin American macho culture and after having been influenced by the theologically conservative, North American mission work? This research examines the kinds of internal and external factors which led women to leadership and ministry, and the context in which this development occurred. The roles of women have been scrutinised during several time periods. During 1952-1974 the focus was on women as missionary wives and fundadoras (founding mothers). Women’s roles as laywomen grew in 1975-1985. After the outburst of the civil war in 1980, women advanced to lay leaders. The ministry was opened for women and the first deacon pastors were installed in 1986 and the first presbyter pastors were ordained in 1994. In 2009, more women than ever were working in different levels – from laywomen to leaders – in the Lutheran Church of El Salvador. The research shows that the reasons for the development and changes concerning women’s positions and roles lie in the impact of significant individuals, liberation theology, the feminist and women’s movement, civil war and the theology of life.

Russia, China, India Foresight for Small and Medium size Enterprises in Uusimaa : Changes forecast in the Russian, Chinese and Indian operating environments from the viewpoint of small and middle-sized enterprises in Uusimaa

The report describes those factors of the future that are related to the growth and needs of Russia, China, and India and that may provide significant internationalisation potential for Uusimaa companies. The report examines the emerging trends and market-entry challenges for each country separately. Additionally, it evaluates the training needs of Uusimaa companies in terms of the current offerings available for education on topics related to Russia, China, and India. The report was created via the Delphi method: experts were interviewed, and both Trendwiki material and the latest literature were used to create a summary of experts’ views, statements, and reasons behind recent developments. This summary of views was sent back to the experts with the objective of reaching consensus synthesising the differing views or, at least, of providing argumentation for the various alternative lines of development. In addition to a number of outside experts and business leaders, all heads of Finpro’s Finland Trade Centers participated in the initial interviews. The summary was commented upon by all Finpro consultants and analysts for Russia, China, and India, with each focusing on his or her own area of expertise. The literature used consisted of reports, listed for each country, and an extensive selection of the most recent newspaper articles. The report was created in January-April 2010. On 22 April 2010 its results were reviewed at the final report presentation in cooperation with the Uusimaa ELY Centre.

Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Post-transaction brand and model line-up integration in the automotive industry: Case studies of European companies as target of acquisitions by Chinese and Indian multinational corporations

Corporations practice company acquisitions in order to create shareholder’s value. During the last few decades, the companies in emerging markets have become active in the acquisition business. During the last decade, large and significant acquisitions have occurred especially in automotive industry. While domestic markets have become too competitive and companies are lacking required capabilities, they seek possibilities to expand into Western markets by attaining valuable assets through acquisitions of developed country corporations. This study discusses the issues and characteristics of these acquisitions through case studies. The purpose of this study was to identify the acquisition motives and strategies for post-transaction brand and product integration as well as analyze the effect of the motives to the integration strategy. The cases chosen for the research were Chinese Geely acquiring Swedish Volvo in 2010 and Indian Tata Motors buying British Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. The main topics were chosen according to their significance for companies in automotive industry as well as those are most visible parts for consumers. The study is based on qualitative case study methods, analyzing secondary data from academic papers and news articles as well as companies’ own announcements e.g. stock exchange and press releases. The study finds that the companies in the cases mainly possessed asset-seeking and market-seeking motives. In addition, the findings refer to rather minimal post-acquisition brand and product integration strategies. Mainly the parent companies left the target company autonomous to make their own business strategies and decisions. The most noticeable integrations were in the product development and production processes. Through restructuring the product architectures, the companies were able to share components and technology between product families and brands, which results in cutting down costs and in increase of profitability and efficiency. In the Geely- Volvo case, the strategy focused more on component sharing and product development know-how, whereas in Tata Motors-Jaguar Land Rover case, the main actions were to cut down costs through component sharing and combine production and distribution networks especially in Asian markets. However, it was evident that in both cases the integration and technology sharing were executed cautiously to prevent on harming the valuable image of the luxury brand. This study has concluded that the asset-seeking motives have significant influence on the posttransaction brand and model line-up integration strategies. By taking a cautious approach in acquiring assets, such as luxury brand, the companies in the cases have implemented a successful post-acquisition strategy and managed to create value for the shareholders at least in short-term. Yritykset harjoittavat yritysostoja luodakseen osakkeenomistajille lisäarvoa. Viimeisten muutamien vuosikymmenien aikana yritykset kehittyvissä maissa ovat myös aktivoituneet yritysostoissa. Viimeisen vuosikymmenen aikana erityisesti autoteollisuudessa on esiintynyt suuria ja merkittäviä yritysostoja. Koska kilpailu kotimaan markkinoilla on kiristynyt ja yritykset ovat vailla vaadittavia valmiuksia, ne etsivät mahdollisuuksiaan laajentaa länsimaisiin markkinoihin hankkimalla arvokkaita etuja kehittyneiden maiden yrityksistä yritysostojen avulla. Tämä tutkimus pohtii näiden yritysostojen olennaisia kysymyksiä ja ominaisuuksia casetutkimuksien kautta. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus oli tunnistaa sekä yritysostojen motiiveja ja brändi- ja mallisto-integraation strategioita että analysoida kyseisten motiivien vaikutusta integraatiostrategiaan. Tapaus-tutkimuksiksi valittiin kiinalaisen Geelyn yritysosto ruotsalaisesta Volvosta vuonna 2010 ja intialaisen Tata Motorsin yritysosto englantilaisesta Jaguar Land Roverista vuonna 2008. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen case-tutkimus ja siinä analysoidaan toissijaista tietoa sekä akateemisten ja uutisartikkeleiden että yritysten omien ilmoitusten, kuten pörssi- ja lehdistötiedotteiden, kautta. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että tutkittujen yritysten toiminnat perustuivat motiiveihin, joita ajoivat etujen and uusien markkinoiden tarve. Sen lisäksi tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että yritysoston jälkeinen brändi- ja mallisto-integraatio pidettiin minimaalisena. Pääasiallisesti kohdeyrityksille jätettiin autonomia tehdä omat liikkeenjohdolliset päätökset yritysstrategioihin liittyen. Huomattavimmat integraatiot koskivat tuotekehityksellisiä ja tuotannollisia prosesseja. Kehittämällä uudelleen tuotearkkitehtuureja, yritykset pystyivät jakamaan komponentteja ja teknologiaa tuoteperheiden ja brändien välillä. Tämä mahdollisti kustannusleikkauksia sekä kannattavuuden ja tehokkuuden parantamista. Geely-Volvo –tapauksessa integraatiostrategia keskittyi komponenttien jakamiseen yhteisten tuotearkkitehtuurien avulla ja tuotekehityksen ammattitaitoon, kun taas Tata Motors-JLR –tapauksessa päätoiminnat olivat kustannuksien leikkaus sekä tuotannon ja jakeluverkoston yhdistäminen erityisesti Aasian maissa. Yhteistä yrityskaupoissa oli, että brändi- ja mallisto-integraatio sekä teknologian jakaminen suoritettiin varoen ehkäistäkseen arvokkaiden luksus-brändien tuotekuvan vahingoittamista. Tutkimuksen lopputulokset osoittavat, että yrityskaupan motiiveilla on huomattava vaikutus brändija mallisto-integraation strategiaan. Toteuttamalla varovaista lähestymistapaa luksus-brändin hankinnassa ja integraatiossa, yritykset ovat onnistuneet luomaan lisäarvoa osakkeenomistajille vähintään lyhyellä aikavälillä.

Man and the Milieu: Ecocritical analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River” and “Indian Camp

Pro Gradu -tutkielmassani tarkastelen Ernest Hemingwayn alun perin vuonna 1925 julkaistuja kahta novellia ”Big Two-Hearted River” ja ”Indian Camp”. Molemmat teokset kuuluvat Nick Adams -tarinoihin, jotka ovat kokoelma novelleja, joissa Hemingway kuvaa Nick Adamsin elämää pojasta mieheksi. Nick Adams on usein tulkittu Hemingwayn alter egoksi ja monet tapahtumat ovatkin suoraa heijastusta Hemingwayn elämästä. Päähenkilön lisäksi monia Nick Adams -tarinoita yhdistää luonnon vahva läsnäolo ja Hemingwayn kuuluisan maalauksellinen miljöön deskriptiivisyys. Käyttämäni ekokriittisen teorian avulla pyrin osoittamaan tutkielmassani, että Nick Adamsin hahmo peilautuu miljöökuvauksessa syventyen dynaamiseksi hahmoksi ja että Hemingwayn luonto- ja ympäristökuvaus peilaa hahmon sisäistä maailmaa hyvinkin läheisesti. Tutkimukseni teoreettinen viitekehys, ekokritiikki, on kirjallisuudentutkimuksen suuntaus, joka tutkii ihmisen ja fyysisen ympäristön suhdetta toisiinsa. Lisäksi hyödynnän tutkielmassani dikotomioita, joiden avulla tarkastelen ja analysoin novelleista nousevia aiheita. Esimerkiksi seuraavat dikotomiat ovat keskeisiä molemmissa novelleissa: kulttuuri vs. luonto, pastoraali vs. erämaa, matka vs. oleskelu, keho vs. mieli, vesi vs. maa, tuli tai valo vs. vesi ja elämä vs. kuolema.

Stretching the drum skin : an analysis of power relations in leadership and succession in the Evangelical Lutheran church in Tanzania-Northern diocese 1942– 1993

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