An interaction framework for deploying the knowledge of diasporas: Using Finland as an example

This study discusses the importance of diasporas’ knowledge with regard to the national competitive advantage of Finland. The purpose of this study is to suggest an interaction framework, which illustrates how diasporas can benefit the host country via intentional knowledge spillovers, with two sub-objectives: to seek which features are crucial for productive interaction between a host government and diasporas, and to scrutinize the modes of interaction currently effective in Finland. The theoretical background of the study consists of literature relating to the concepts of diaspora and knowledge. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on expert interviews. The interview data was collected between September and November 2013. Eight interviews were made; five with representatives of expert organizations, and three with immigrants. Thematic analysis was used to categorize and interpret the interview data. In addition, thematic networks were built to act as a basis of analysis. This study finds that knowledge, especially new combinations of knowledge, is a significant input in innovation. Innovation is found to be the basis of national competitive advantage. Thus the means through which knowledge is transferred are of key importance. Diasporas are found a good source of new knowledge, and thus may aid the innovative process. Host country stance and policy are found to have a major impact on the ability of the host country to benefit from diasporas’ knowledge. As a host country, this study finds Finland to have a very fragmented strategy field and a prejudiced attitude, which currently make it difficult to utilize the potential of diasporas. The interaction framework based on these findings suggests ways in which Finland can improve its national competitive advantage through acquiring the innovative potential of diasporas. Strategy revision and increased promotion are discussed as means towards improved interaction. In addition, the importance of learning is emphasized. The findings of this study enhance understanding of the relationship between the concepts of diaspora and knowledge. In addition, this study ties the relationship to economic benefit. Future research is, however, necessary in order to fully understand the meaning of the relationship, as well as to increase understanding of the generalizability of the interaction framework.

Young Registered Nurses’ Intent to Leave the Profession in Finland - A Mixed-Method Study

The purpose of this study was to examine and expand understanding concerning young Finnish registered nurses (RN) with an intention to leave the profession and the related variables, specifically when that intention has emerged before the age of 30. The overall goal of the study was to develop a conceptual model in relation to young RNs’ intention to leave the profession. Suggestions for policymakers, nurse leaders and nurse managers are presented for how to retain more young RNs in the nursing workforce. Suggestions for future nursing research are also provided. Phase I consists of two sequential integrative literature reviews of 75 empirical articles concerning nurses’ intention to leave the profession. In phase II, data had been collected as part of the Nurses’ Early Exit (NEXT) study, using the BQ-12 structured postal questionnaire. A total of 147 young RNs participated in the study. The data were analysed with statistical methods. In phase III, firstly, an in-depth interpretive case study was conducted in order to understand how young RNs explain and make sense of their intention to leave the profession. The data in this study consisted of longitudinal career stories by three young RNs. The data was analysed by using narrative holistic-content and thematic methods. Secondly, a total of 15 young RNs were interviewed in order to explore in-depth their experiences concerning organizational turnover and their intent to leave the profession. The data was analysed using conventional content analysis. Based on earlier research, empirical research on the young RNs intention to leave the profession is scarce. Nurses’ intention to leave the profession has mainly been studied with quantitative descriptive studies, conducted with survey questionnaires. Furthermore, the quality of previous studies varies considerably. Moreover, nurses’ intention to leave the profession seems to be driven by a number of variables. According to the survey study, 26% of young RNs had often considered giving up nursing completely and starting a different kind of job during the course of the previous year. Many different variables were associated with an intention to leave the profession (e.g. personal burnout, job dissatisfaction). According to the in-depth inquiries, poor nursing practice environments and a nursing career as a ‘second-best’ or serendipitous career choice were themes associated with young RNs’ intention to leave the profession. In summary, young RNs intention to leave the profession is a complex phenomenon with multiple associated variables. These findings suggest that policymakers, nurse leaders and nurse managers should enable improvements in nursing practice environments in order to retain more young RNs. These improvements can include, for example, adequate staffing levels, balanced nursing workloads, measures to reduce work-related stress as well as possibilities for advancement and development. Young RNs’ requirements to provide high-quality and ethical nursing care must be recognized in society and health-care organizations. Moreover, sufficient mentoring and orientation programmes should be provided for all graduate RNs. Future research is needed into whether the motive for choosing a nursing career affects the length of the tenure in the profession. Both quantitative and in-depth research is needed for the comprehensive development of nursing-turnover research.

Professionalization of controllers in Finland

Professions are a special category of occupations that possesses exclusive rights over its domain of expertise. Professions apply expert knowledge in their work by using professional discretion and judgment to solve their clients’ problems. With control over their expert knowledge base, professions are able to control the supply of practitioners in their field and regulate the practice in their market. Professionalization is the process during which occupations attempt to gain the status of a profession. The benefits of becoming a profession are extensive – professional autonomy, social and financial rewards, prestige, status, and an exclusive community are only a few of the privileges that established professions possess. Many aspiring occupations have tried and failed to gain the status of a profession and one of these groups is the occupation of controllers in Finland. The objective of this study to uncover, why controllers have not professionalized, which properties of the occupation correspond with the elements generally regarded to pertain to professions, and which aspects of the occupational group may hinder the professionalization project. The professionalization project of controllers is analyzed using a multi-actor model of professionalization, in which practitioners, clients, the state, training institutions, and employing organizations are considered to affect the project. The properties of the occupation of controllers are compared to features generally associated with professions. The research methodology for this thesis is qualitative, and the study is conducted as an exploratory research. The data is primarily gathered using semi-structured interviews, which were conducted between March and May 2013 lasting from 40 minutes to an hour. In total, four controllers were interviewed, who worked for different companies operating in different industries, and whose experience of working as a controller varied between a few years to nearly 15 years. The data in this study indicates that although controllers possess qualities that distinguish professions from other occupational groups, the professionalization of controllers may not be plausible. Controllers enjoy considerable autonomy in organizations, and they possess a strong orientation towards serving their clients. The more profound problem with the occupation is its non-exclusive, indistinct knowledge base that does not rely solely on a single knowledge base. Controllers’ expertise is relatively organization-specific and built on several different fields of knowledge and not just management accounting, which could be considered as their primary knowledge base. In addition, controllers have not organized themselves, which is a quintessential, but by no means a sufficient prerequisite for professionalization.

State of logistics and transport in the Baltic Sea region in 2025

The world’s pace of change is accelerating and new innovations, inventions and technologies come about every day. Change is unavoidable. It is difficult to keep up and even more difficult to prepare for the future. Even though it is not possible to know exactly what will happen in the future, by studying futures people can better anticipate what might lie ahead. By making decisions and realizing the consequences of their choices today, people and governments are able to actively decide how they will act in the future. Both opportunities and pitfalls lie ahead, which encourages actors to make more farsighted decisions. The Baltic Sea region is an interesting area for futures studies. It comprises 11 nations and more than 100 million inhabitants and entails countries with advanced, high-income economies, like Finland, Germany and Denmark, and developing economies, like Russia, Latvia and Lithuania. The western, eastern, northern and southern parts of the region are separated by the Baltic Sea, which at the same time represents a barrier and a facility for trade and travel between the countries belonging to the region The purpose of this study was to uncover the most probable future of transport and logistics in the Baltic Sea region in 2025 by using the Delphi method. Altogether 109 responses were collected in two separate instances from experts in all the Baltic Sea region countries, 56 of whom were defined as academic respondents and 53 of whom business respondents. Only minor differences in the opinions of academic and business experts were discovered, and the larger differences lie between eastern and western response groups. The Baltic Sea region is a very heterogeneous region and the division is clearest between East and West, which differ in political, economic, social, technological and environmental aspects. The probable future of the Baltic Sea region presented in this study is coherent with previous studies on the same subject. The future of the Baltic Sea region in terms of logistics and transport looks quite bright according to the experts who participated in the study. Trade volumes will grow and the importance of logistics and transport to the competitiveness of the region will increase. Respondents from eastern countries seemed to be more optimistic about the future in general. Most differences between opinions could be explained by the gap in technological and infrastructural development between the East and West. As eastern countries are less-developed in some parts of their economies, it is easier for them to improve the technical condition of infrastructure by merely catching up with the western countries.

Slutrapport över projektet Bitar av samma pussel? Intersektionella perspektiv på det svenska i Finland

Slutrapport

ELY Centre for Southwest Finland - Sustainable Growth with Us

The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Southwest Finland (ELY Centre for Southwest Finland) is a diverse and broad-ranging development and service centre created during the Government’s Reform Project for Regional administration. Our goal is to strengthen well-being in the regions of Varsinais-Suomi and Satakunta. Networking with other actors in the region is the starting point for our activities. The best ways to achieve impact and reach targets are good co-operation and effective use of resources.

The ELY Centre for Southwest Finland is involved in everyday life

The ELY Centre for Southwest Finland is a diverse and broad-ranging development and service centre. Our goal is to strengthen wellbeing in Southwest Finland and Satakunta. The aim of our operations is to ensure sustainable wellbeing, a vibrant business community, attractive municipalities and the wider environment, and a satisfied population through clustered collaboration.

Med i vardagen NTM-centralen i Egentliga Finland

NTM-centralen i Egentliga Finland är en branschövergripande utvecklings- och servicecentral. Vårt mål är att stärka en hållbar välfärd i Egentliga Finland och Satakunta. Utgångspunkten för vår verksamhet är att med ett nätverksbaserat samarbete trygga en hållbar välfärd, ett aktivt näringsliv, attraktiva landskap och en attraktiv miljö samt nöjda invånare.

Limits of Meritocracy. How Fields of Study and Gender Segregation Affect Social Stratification in Finland

This dissertation critically reviews the idea of meritocracy from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective. Based on a discussion of classical texts of social philosophy and sociology, it is argued that meritocracy as a concept for social stratification is best compatible with the sociological tradition of status attainment research: both frame social inequality in primarily individualistic terms, centring on the role of ascribed (e.g., gender, social background) and achieved (e.g., educational qualifications) characteristics for determining individuals’ socioeconomic rewards. This theoretical argument introduces the research problem at the core of this dissertation: to what extent can the individualistic conception of social stratification be maintained empirically? Fields of study and their interaction with educational attainment levels play a prominent role in the analysis of this question. Drawing on sociological versions of segmented labour market theory, it is assumed that fields of study may channel individuals into heterogeneous political-economic contexts on the labour market, which potentially modify the socioeconomic benefit individuals derive from their qualification levels. The focus on fields of study may also highlight economic differentials between men and women that derive from the persisting segregation of men’s and women’s occupational and educational specializations rather than direct gender discrimination on the labour market. The quantitative analyses in this dissertation consist of three research articles, which are based primarily on Finnish data, but occasionally extend the view to other European countries. The data sources include register-based macro- and microdata as well as survey data. Article I examines the extent and the patterns of gender segregation within the Finnish educational system between 1981 and 2005. The results show that differences between men’s and women’s field specializations have for the most part remained stable during this period, with particularly high levels of gender segregation observed at lower educational levels. The focus in Article II rests on the effects of gender-segregated fields of study on higher education graduates’ occupational status. It is shown that fields of study matter for accessing professional jobs and avoiding low-skilled positions in Finland: at the early career stage, particularly polytechnic graduates from female-dominated fields are less likely to work in professional positions. Finnish university graduates from male-dominated fields were more likely than their peers with different specializations to work as professionals, yet they also faced a greater risk of being sorted into lowskilled jobs if they failed to make use of this advantage. Article III proceeded to analyse the joint impact of educational qualification levels and fields of study on young adults’ median earnings in Finland between 1985 and 2005. The results show that qualification levels do not confer a consistent benefit in the process of earnings stratification. Advanced qualifications raise median earnings most clearly among individuals specializing in the same field of study. When comparing individuals with different field specializations, on the other hand, higher-level qualifications do not necessarily lead to higher median earnings. Overall, the findings of this dissertation reveal a heterogeneous effect of education for achieving social positions, which challenges individual-centred, meritocratic accounts of social stratification and underlines the problematic lack of structural and institutional dimensions in the dominant account of social status attainment.

Violations of children's rights in armed conflicts : international treaties, observations by peacekeepers and crisis management training in Finland

Ninety-nine Finnish peacekeepers, who had been serving in 15 different operations around the world, participated in the study (8 women, 27-52 years old, m = 37.4, SD = 8.9; and 91 men, 21-69 years old, m = 41.4, SD = 10.2). Three military crisis management trainers from the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre also participated in the study. The data was collected with two webbased questionnaires. In addition two interviews were made with specialists of civilian crisis management in Finland. The study also provides an overview of international treaties concerning children’s rights in armed conflict. The results show that 48.7 % of dangers for children in conflicts reported by the peacekeepers were related to physical injury (e.g. landmines and traffic), and 27.4 % were related to social problems (e.g. poverty, child soldiers, and trafficking). 24.1 % of the peacekeepers had made observations of children’s rights violations either often or very often during peacekeeping operations. 49.6 % of the observations were related to social problems (e.g. child labour or being forced to beg), and 33.0 % were related to physical injury (e.g. assault). Frequency of observation of children’s rights violations was not associated with either sex or military degree of the peacekeepers; instead it was significantly correlated with the peacekeepers’ degree of knowledge of EU’s child protection guidelines. On the basis of the results, it is recommended that knowledge about children’s rights and protection should be included in the training of Finnish crisis management personnel to a much higher degree than at the present.