From emerging opportunities to successful business networks – evidence from bioenergy

Increasing renewable energy utilization is a challenge that is tried to be solved in different ways. One of the most promising options for renewable energy is different biomasses, and the bioenergy field offers numerous emerging business opportunities. The actors in the field have rarely all the needed know-how and resources for exploiting these opportunities, and thus it is reasonable to seize them in cooperation. Networking is not an easy task to carry out, however, and in addition to its advantages for the firms engaged, it sets numerous challenges as well. The development of a network is a result of several steps firms need to take. In order to gain optimal advantage of their networks, firms need to weigh out with whom, why and how they should cooperate. In addition, everything does not depend on the firms themselves, as several factors in the external environment set their own enablers and barriers for cooperation. The formation of a network around a business opportunity is thus a multiphase process. The objective of this thesis is to depict this process via a step-by-step analysis and thus increase understanding on the whole development path from an entrepreneurial opportunity to a successful business network. The empirical evidence has been gathered by discussing the opportunities of animal manure refinement to biogas and forest biomass utilization for heating in Finland. The thesis comprises two parts. The first part provides an overview of the study, and the second part includes five research publications. The results reveal that it is essential to identify and analyze all the steps in the development process of a network, and several frameworks are used in the thesis to analyze these steps. The frameworks combine the views of theory and practical experiences of empirical study, and thus give new multifaceted views for the discussion on SME networking. The results indicate that the ground for cooperation should be investigated adequately by taking account of the preconditions in all the three contexts in which the actors operate: the social context, the region and the institutional environment. In case the project advances to exploitation, the assets and objectives of the actors should be paired off, which sets a need for relationships and sub-networks differing in breadth and depth. Different relationships and networks require different kinds of maintenance and management. Moreover, the actors should have the capability to change the formality or strategy of the relationships if needed. The drivers for these changes come along with the changing environment, which causes changes in the objectives of the actors and this way in the whole network. Bioenergy as the empirical field of the study represents well an industrial field with many emerging opportunities, a motley group of actors, and sensitivity for fast changes.

Children at psychiatric risk and their families in Bucharest, in the context of 25 years of changes after December 89’ Romanian Revolution

The aim of the present dissertation was to capture a picture of child and adolescent mental health in Romania, in the context of almost 25 years of changes following the Romanian Revolution of December ’89. A three-part study was carried out in order to provide consistent answers to the pre-defined objectives: to appraise the development of child and adolescent mental health services in Romania (Part I), to explore the characteristics of clinically-referred patients in a Romanian child and adolescent psychiatry department (Part II), to examine the children’s mental health state and its connections with family functioning and associated risk factors (Part III). A multi-method research approach was used, comprising one qualitative analysis and two quantitative research studies. Part I consisted of a comparative qualitative analysis of the answers given by 10 mental health professionals at a 12-questions open ended interview about the current situation in child and adolescent mental health in Romania, on three topics: changes, challenges, solutions. Part II involved a descriptive quantitative analysis of certain variables (e.g. age, gender, primary diagnosis, co-morbidities, time of hospitalization) conducted on the patients who had been admitted to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia” Psychiatry Hospital, Bucharest in 1991 and in 2013. Part III was conducted on 342 subjects enrolled in two clinical groups and one school group, this study being performed through a cross-sectional analysis on multi-informant child and adolescent mental health problems and competencies (CBCL, YSR, SDQ P, SDQ SR) and their interrelation with household information (HQ) and family functioning (FAD). Outlining the results it can be stated that: 1) The CAMH System in Romania is definitely set on the path of reorganization, including a higher involvement of beneficiaries and of the community. 2) The characteristics of the admitted patients have changed significantly during the last almost 25 years since `89 December Revolution, under the influence of word wide trends in child psychiatry and of administrative aspects of the mental health network in Romania. 3) The rates of main diagnoses and co-morbidities confirm the reports in literature, with Autism Spectrum Disorder being the most frequent childhood psychiatric disorders in this study. 4) The children’s mental health problems in the psychiatry group are comparable to those reported for other clinical populations. 5) Significant score differences were observed according to various household features and also meaningful associations between a child’s clinical status and different aspects of family functioning. The Romanian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has started to adopt the norms and standards of the European Union. In the 25 years that have elapsed after the 1989 Revolution, many changes have occurred in Romanian CAMH, but many unresolved issues have also risen. Therefore, the major contribution of this thesis is that it provides a coherent and updated overview of the present-day situation from three different perspectives- those of mental healthcare professionals, the one observed in clinical patients and the one reported by children’s families.

The multicultural moment : the history of the idea and politics of multiculturalism in Sweden in comparative, transnational and biographical context, 1964–1975

The emergence of the idea of multiculturalism in Swedish public discourse and social science in the latter half of the 1960s and introduction of official multiculturalism in 1975 constituted a major intellectual and political shift in the post-war history of Sweden. The ambition of the 1975 immigrant and minority policy to enable the preservation of ethno-cultural minorities and to create a positive attitude towards the new multicultural society among the majority population was also incorporated into Swedish cultural, educational and media policies. The rejection of assimilationism and the new commitment to ethno-cultural diversity, the multicultural moment, has earned Sweden a place on the list of the early adopters of official multiculturalism, together with Canada and Australia. This compilation thesis examines the origins and early post-war history of the idea of multiculturalism as well as the interplay between idea and politics in the shift from a public ideal of homogeneity to an ideal of multiculturalism in Sweden. It does so from a range of conceptual, comparative, transnational, and biographical perspectives. The thesis consists of an introduction (Part I) and four previously published studies (Part II). The primary research result of the thesis concerns the agency involved in the break-through and formal establishment of the idea of multiculturalism in Sweden. Actors such as ethnic activists, experts and officials were instrumental in the introduction and establishment of multiculturalism in Sweden, as they also had been in Canada and in Australia. These actors have, however, not previously been recognized and analysed as significant idea-makers and political agents in the case of Sweden. The intertwined connections between activists, social scientists, linguists, and officials facilitated the transfer of the idea of multiculturalism from a publically contested idea to public policy via the way of The Swedish Trade Union Confederation, academia and the Royal Commission of Immigration. The thesis furthermore shows that the political success of the idea of multiculturalism, such as it was within the limits of the universalist social democratic welfare state, was dependent on whom the claims-makers were, the status and positions they held, and the way the idea of multiculturalism was conceptualised and used. It was also dependent on the migratory context of labour immigration in the 1960s and 1970s and on whose behalf the advocates of multiculturalism made their claims. The majority of the labour immigrants were Finnish citizens from the former eastern half of the kingdom of Sweden who were net contributors to the Swedish welfare state. This facilitated the recognition of their ethno-cultural difference, and, following the logic of universalism, the ethno-cultural difference of other minority groups in Sweden. The historical significance of the multicultural moment is still evident in the contemporary immigration and integration policies of Sweden. The affirmation of diversity continues to set Sweden apart from the rest of Europe, now more so than in the 1970s, even though the migratory context has changed radically in the last 40 years.

Consumer online communication of corporate social responsibility in the sin industry context: Cases in the global online gambling industry.

So-called sin industries are often related to harmfulness, unethical business, and unproductiveness. Nowadays, the alcohol, gambling, and tobacco industries are most often considered to be part of sin industries, which is also the context of this study. However, the definition of a sin industry is always related to time and culture. Despite the controversies of sin industries, there are studies that have shown that corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement is even more important for sin industries than for normal industries and that CSR has a positive effect on firm value in sin industries. With CSR this study refers to an ideology where company takes mostly voluntary actions towards various groups of stakeholders and the environment. In other words, the company goes beyond the legal norms and regulations. In particular, the purpose of this thesis is to find out how companies, operating in the online gambling industry, communicate about their CSR actions to consumers at their web pages. The online environment is essential for this study as online gambling environment is a source of many controversies in comparison to the traditional gambling halls and casinos. These include, for example, greater accessibility, anonymity, and availability of the service. This study uses qualitative textual analysis as its approach, more precisely the discourse analysis. In addition, as this study focuses on large international companies and their actions, also case study approach will be presented. The cases studied are Mybet, Unibet, and Bwin.Party. In order to study the subject, elements from discourse analysis are combined with insights of essential CSR theories, and the specific characteristics of the online gambling industry. As a background for the framework, this study uses the framework of Du & Vieira (2012). After analyzing the discourses of CSR communication and CSR practices, it seems that all of the case companies still do not use all the potential that the online environment provides in terms of CSR or stakeholder communication. There are large differences between different communication tools used at different web pages (gambling pages vs. corporation pages) and between the firms’ CSR profiles. Moreover, there are large differences in the CSR practices used in the web pages of the case companies. The findings of this study are partially alarming as the case companies represent the largest companies in the industry. There are major varieties between the companies’ CSR communication and clear shortcomings in some parts of the online communication. Moreover, the trust of the consumer was broken in some places. If this is the standard that the biggest players in the industry have set with regards to CSR communication, it is probable that the smaller players are performing even worse. Moreover, the regulators are most likely concentrating on the larger companies, so the smaller companies might have fewer incentives and pressure to perform according to the regulations or exceeding the legislation. The conclusions of this thesis provide insights to managers, regulators, and scholars. Suggestions for future studies are provided as well.

Transition management in action within the context of nutrient economy

Tämä työ tutkii ja tarkastelee transitio-kokeilua ravinnetaloudessa. Transitio-kokeilu on toimintatutkimusprojekti, joka toteutetaan systeemisen muutoksen ajattelun mukaisesti alhaalta ylöspäin. Ravinnetalous määritetään tarkemmin työn kautta sekä analysoidaan monitaso-perspektiivin näkökulmasta. Ravinnetalous on terminä varsin tuntematon ja tarvitsee enemmän tunnettavuutta laajemman yleisön edessä. Transitio-areenan ja transitio-visioiden kehittäminen ovat työn keskipisteessä, koska ne ovat tärkeimpiä vaiheita transition alkuvaiheessa. Joukko sidosryhmätoimijoita osallistuu transitio areenaan sekä visioiden jatkokehittelyyn. Visio(t) luodaan ensisijaisesti backcasting-menetelmällä, jota myös täydennetään tavanomaisella ennustamisella. Backcasting- menetelmä on osin osallistava ja siinä käytetään ravinteiden planeettarajoja kvantitatiivisina pääperiaatteina, minkä tuloksena myös visiot ovat osin kvantitatiivisia. Transitio areenan kokoaminen ja fasilitointi aiheuttavat hankalia kysymyksiä, jotka tarvitsevat jatko-tutkimusta. Alhaalta-ylöspäin organisoitu transitio-arena houkuttelee niche-toimijoita, mutta epäonnistuu sitouttamaan julkisen vallan toimijoita. Toimintamallin voimasuhteet, politiikka ja transition vakiinnuttaminen tulisivat olla jatko-toimenpiteinä niin tutkimuksessa kuin toiminnassakin.

Suorituskyvyn johtamisjärjestelmän jalkauttamisen ja tehokkaan käyttämisen edistäminen bioenergia- ja lämpöliiketoimialalla

Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää suorituskyvyn johtamisjärjestelmän jalkauttamisen, tehokkaan käyttämisen ja jatkuvan parantamisen kulttuurin luomisen edistäviä tekijöitä bioenergia- ja lämpöliiketoimialalla. Tämä tutkimus tukee kohdeorganisaation suorituskyvyn johtamisjärjestelmän implementointiprosessia. Tutkimuksen mukaan suorituskyvyn johtamisjärjestelmän jalkauttamista tukee kolme tärkeää tekijää: johdon ja henkilöstön sitoutuminen, mittariston hyödyllisyyden näkeminen ja mittariston rakenne ja sisältö. Johdon ja henkilöstön sitoutumista sekä mittariston hyödyllisyyden näkemistä edistävät oikeanlainen viestintä, mittariston ymmärtäminen ja liiketoimintaa tukevat mittarit. Mittareiden käyttöönottoa edistävät ymmärrettävät ja luotettavat mittarit sekä kannustimet. Tutkimuksen mukaan suorituskykymittariston tehokasta käyttämistä tukevat mittareiden ajantasaisuus ja mittaustiedon hyödyntäminen liiketoiminnassa. Mittariston tehokasta käyttämistä edistävät mittariston muutosherkkyys, käyttäjäläheinen kehittäminen ja mittareiden liittäminen palkitsemiseen. Jatkuvan parantamisen kulttuurin luomista edistävät mittaristoon ja organisaatioon liittyvät tekijät mm. organisaatiokulttuuri ja johtamistyyli sekä mittariston muutosherkkyys.

The impact of industrial context and institutional factors on innovation and internationalization of Russian companies

Innovation and internationalization nowadays play significant role in formation of the competitive advantage for the companies and it is important to explore these processes deeply and use their potential. Such parameters, as industrial context and institutional factors, are essential parts of the business life and their influence may be crucial for the company’s performance. The Master’s Thesis explores impact of industrial context and institutional factors on innovation and internationalization of Russian companies. This research is quantitative and based on the analysis of the relevant scientific literature and results of the survey, conducted among Russian manufacturing companies. Findings show positive influence of industrial context factor “international threat” and institutional environment factor “lack of resources and the market imperfections” on internationalization of innovative Russian companies.

eWOM communication in social media: A study of its antecedents in higher education context

The aim of this master’s thesis was to examine antecedents of eWOM communication in social media in the higher education context. In order to achieve this goal, eWOM communications of the students’ of international master’s programmes at Lappeenranta University of Technology were studied. The main research question was formulated as follows: What kind of effect do service-, brand-related antecedents, contextual antecedents and moderating factors have on LUT’s international master’s degree students’ eWOM communication in social media regarding their studies? The theory part of the master’s thesis was focused on the discussion of service- and brand related eWOM antecedents, contextual antecedents, as well as moderating relationships between them. The empirical part of the master’s thesis was based on quantitative research method. A web-based survey was carried out among current students of international master’s degree programmes at LUT. Out of 712 e-mail invitations sent, 159 responses were received in total. Thus, response rate was 22%. The results of the study showed that satisfaction, commitment, virtual brand community commitment, need for an advice, positive altruistic concerns, negative altruistic concerns, and attitude towards eWOM communications have an effect on eWOM in higher education context. Several moderating effects on eWOM were determined in the present study as well. On the other hand, it was found that dissatisfaction, loyalty, brand identification, desire to help the organization, need for positive self-enhancement, and social risk perception do not have an effect on eWOM in higher education context.

Defining Contexts in Context-Free Grammars

This thesis introduces an extension of Chomsky’s context-free grammars equipped with operators for referring to left and right contexts of strings.The new model is called grammar with contexts. The semantics of these grammars are given in two equivalent ways — by language equations and by logical deduction, where a grammar is understood as a logic for the recursive definition of syntax. The motivation for grammars with contexts comes from an extensive example that completely defines the syntax and static semantics of a simple typed programming language. Grammars with contexts maintain most important practical properties of context-free grammars, including a variant of the Chomsky normal form. For grammars with one-sided contexts (that is, either left or right), there is a cubic-time tabular parsing algorithm, applicable to an arbitrary grammar. The time complexity of this algorithm can be improved to quadratic,provided that the grammar is unambiguous, that is, it only allows one parsefor every string it defines. A tabular parsing algorithm for grammars withtwo-sided contexts has fourth power time complexity. For these grammarsthere is a recognition algorithm that uses a linear amount of space. For certain subclasses of grammars with contexts there are low-degree polynomial parsing algorithms. One of them is an extension of the classical recursive descent for context-free grammars; the version for grammars with contexts still works in linear time like its prototype. Another algorithm, with time complexity varying from linear to cubic depending on the particular grammar, adapts deterministic LR parsing to the new model. If all context operators in a grammar define regular languages, then such a grammar can be transformed to an equivalent grammar without context operators at all. This allows one to represent the syntax of languages in a more succinct way by utilizing context specifications. Linear grammars with contexts turned out to be non-trivial already over a one-letter alphabet. This fact leads to some undecidability results for this family of grammars

The role of auditors in the Finnish limited liability companies as to solvency test in the context of asset distribution

Suomen osakeyhtiölain mukaan varoja ei saa jakaa, jos jaosta päätettäessä tiedetään tai pitäisi tietää yhtiön olevan maksukyvytön tai jaon aiheuttavan maksukyvyttömyyden. Ongelmallista on, että maksukykyä ei ole selvästi määritelty laissa tai hallituksen esityksessä. Tilintarkastuslain mukaan tilintarkastajan on siten huomautettava, jos maksukykytestiä on rikottu, mutta tilintarkastaja joutuu yleensä määrittelemään tällaiset huomauttamista vaativat tilanteet itse. Maksukykytestistä on kirjoitettu suomalaisessa yhtiöoikeuden ja laskentatoimen kirjallisuudessa melko kattavasti. Kuitenkin tilintarkastajaa koskeva näkökulma on saanut osakseen suhteellisen vähän huomiota. Tästä näkökulmasta on kirjoitettu vain joitakin korkeakoulujen tutkielmia sekä lyhyehköjä ammatillisia seminaariesityksiä. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on ollut koota laaja yleiskuva siitä, miten tilintarkastajat itse kokevat asemansa ja tehtävänsä yllä kuvatuissa tilanteessa. Tutkielmassa on käyty läpi aikaisempaa yhtiöoikeuden ja laskentatoimen kirjallisuudessa ja seminaariesityksissä esitettyä aineistoa. Lisäksi tutkielmaa varten tehtiin suomalaisille tilintarkastajille kohdennettu Internet-pohjainen kysely. Tutkielma selkeyttää kuvaa siitä, miten tilintarkastajat toimivat yllä kuvatussa tilanteessa ja miten he ovat sopeuttaneet toimiaan yhteiskunnan institutionaalisen asetelman muututtua. Kirjallisuuden pohjalta tapahtuva teoreettinen analyysi on yhdistetty kyselyyn siitä, miten tilintarkastajat käytännössä toimivat. Tutkimuksen perustana olevaa tietoa on analysoitu pääosin kyselytutkimuksen menetelmin, mutta myös tilastollisen tutkimuksen menetelmiä on käytetty. Tutkielman tuloksena tutkielmassa selvitetään tilintarkastajan tehtäviä maksukykytestin yhteydessä. Tuloksena voidaan myös todeta, että tilintarkastaja ei suorita varojenjaossa tarvittavan maksukyvyn arvioinnin kannalta keskeisiä tarkastustoimenpiteitä ainoastaan tilikauden päättymisen jälkeen. Päinvastoin, tällaisia tarkastustoimenpiteitä suoritetaan enemmän tai vähemmän koko tilintarkastuksen aikana. Lisäksi vaikuttaisi siltä, että tilintarkastajan oma suhtautuminen maksukykytestiin on ainakin jossain määrin merkityksellinen sen kannalta, kuinka paljon tarkastustoimenpiteitä tehdään ja kuinka paljon maksukyvystä ja siihen liittyvistä puutteista raportoidaan yhtiön johdolle.