Monte Carlo Hypothesis Testing with The Sharpe Ratio

The purpose of this master thesis was to perform simulations that involve use of random number while testing hypotheses especially on two samples populations being compared weather by their means, variances or Sharpe ratios. Specifically, we simulated some well known distributions by Matlab and check out the accuracy of an hypothesis testing. Furthermore, we went deeper and check what could happen once the bootstrapping method as described by Effrons is applied on the simulated data. In addition to that, one well known RobustSharpe hypothesis testing stated in the paper of Ledoit and Wolf was applied to measure the statistical significance performance between two investment founds basing on testing weather there is a statistically significant difference between their Sharpe Ratios or not. We collected many literatures about our topic and perform by Matlab many simulated random numbers as possible to put out our purpose; As results we come out with a good understanding that testing are not always accurate; for instance while testing weather two normal distributed random vectors come from the same normal distribution. The Jacque-Berra test for normality showed that for the normal random vector r1 and r2, only 94,7% and 95,7% respectively are coming from normal distribution in contrast 5,3% and 4,3% failed to shown the truth already known; but when we introduce the bootstrapping methods by Effrons while estimating pvalues where the hypothesis decision is based, the accuracy of the test was 100% successful. From the above results the reports showed that bootstrapping methods while testing or estimating some statistics should always considered because at most cases the outcome are accurate and errors are minimized in the computation. Also the RobustSharpe test which is known to use one of the bootstrapping methods, studentised one, were applied first on different simulated data including distribution of many kind and different shape secondly, on real data, Hedge and Mutual funds. The test performed quite well to agree with the existence of statistical significance difference between their Sharpe ratios as described in the paper of Ledoit andWolf.

Yliopiston reunalla. Tutkimus suomalaisen avoimen yliopiston muotoutumisesta

Avoin yliopisto on koulutusmuoto, johon kuka tahansa voi osallistua ja jossa voi suorittaa yliopistotasoisia opintoja. Avoimen yliopiston ideassa keskeistä on koulutuksellisen tasa-arvon edistämisen tavoite. Tämän tutkimuksen tehtävänä on kuvata ja analysoida suomalaisen avoimen yliopiston muotoutumista. Tutkimuksella etsitään vastauksia kolmeen kysymykseen: 1. Millaisten vaiheiden kautta avoin yliopisto on muotoutunut? Mitä avoimen yliopiston historiassa on tapahtunut ja millaista keskustelua näistä tapahtumista on käyty? 2. Millaisia diskursseja avointa yliopistoa koskeneessa keskustelussa voidaan tunnistaa ja miten eri toimijatahot ovat näihin puhetapoihin kiinnittyneet? 3. Millaisena koulutuksellisen tasa-arvon toteuttajana avoin yliopisto näyttäytyy tutkimusaineiston valossa? Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu erilaisista julkisista teksteistä. Aineistossa on mukana useita erilaisia tekstityyppejä: komiteanmietintöjä ja työryhmäraportteja, korkeakoululaitoksen kehittämissuunnitelmia, muita suunnitteluasiakirjoja, tutkimuksia, selvityksiä, puheenvuoroja ja esitelmiä sekä lehtikirjoituksia. Täydentävänä aineistona on lisäksi käytetty tilastoja. Tutkimusaineistoa on analysoitu diskurssianalyysillä. Keskeisenä lähtökohtana analyysissa on, että tekstien avulla tuotetaan avointa yliopistoa koskevia käsityksiä ja merkityksiä. Nämä merkitykset myös muuttuvat ajassa. Aineiston analyysin tuloksena avoimen yliopiston historiassa voidaan erottaa erilaisia vaiheita ja näiden vaiheiden välisiä taitekohtia. Ensimmäiseksi murrokseksi avoimen yliopiston historiassa voidaan paikantaa avoimen yliopiston synty, joka ajoittui 1970-luvun alkupuoliskolle. Avoin yliopisto sai vakiintuneet puitteensa vasta 1980-luvun puolivälissä, jolloin se organisoitiin osaksi yliopistojen täydennyskoulutusta. Tämä voidaan nähdä avoimen yliopiston historian toisena murroksena. Kolmas murros ajoittui 1990-luvulle, jolloin avoimen yliopiston resursointi muuttui ja nuoret tulivat sen näkyväksi opiskelijaryhmäksi. Tämä murros problematisoi avoimen yliopiston ja tutkintokoulutuksen suhteen aiemmasta poikkeavalla tavalla ja avoimen yliopiston tutkintoväylä nousi keskeiseksi keskusteluteemaksi. Tämä jännite purkautui tultaessa 2000-luvulle, ja tutkinnonuudistuksen yhteydessä avoimen yliopiston väylä sai paikkansa suhteessa kahden syklin tutkintoihin. Nyt elämme tutkinnonuudistuksen jälkeistä aikaa, jolloin avoimen yliopiston väylä vertautuu paljolti maisterikoulutuksiin. Kysymys aikuisten asemasta suhteessa tutkintokoulutukseen on kuitenkin edelleen ajankohtainen. Esillä ovat etenkin kysymykset aiemmin opitun tunnustamisesta, aikuisten ohjauksesta sekä avoimen yliopiston suhteesta työ- ja elinkeinoelämään. Keskustelussa avoimesta yliopistosta on paikannettavissa erilaisia positioita, jotka määrittävät avoimen yliopiston merkitystä ja tehtävää. Näitä positioita voidaan nimittää diskursseiksi, jotka konstituoivat avoimen yliopiston paikkaa yliopistokoulutuksen kentällä. Aineistosta on paikannettu neljä eri diskurssia: (1) akateemisia arvoja painottava yliopistollinen diskurssi, (2) osallistumisen tasa-arvoa korostava sivistyksellisen demokratian diskurssi, (3) yksilöllisiä mahdollisuuksia ja innovatiivisuutta korostava joustavuuden diskurssi sekä (4) työelämää, taloudellisuutta ja statusta korostava tehokkuuden diskurssi. Nämä diskurssit käyvät aineiston teksteissä keskinäisiä neuvotteluja ja kantavat merkityksiä suhteessa toisiinsa. Diskurssien välisiä suhteita voidaan kuvata kahden eri dimension kautta. Yhtäältä vastakkaisiksi arvoiksi asettuvat akateeminen eksklusiivisuus ja koulutuksellinen tasa-arvo. Toisena ulottuvuutena on koulutuksen arvottaminen sivistyksen versus hyödyn näkökulmasta. Avoimen yliopiston tehtävä tasa-arvon edistäjänä on eri aikoina mielletty eri tavoin. Avoimen yliopiston historiassa sen merkitystä ja tehtävää on kehystetty erilaisin puhetavoin, ja eri diskurssipositioiden vuoropuhelun kautta myös avoimen yliopiston tasa-arvotehtävästä on eri aikoina keskusteltu eri tavoin. Avoimen yliopiston alkuvaiheessa sen tehtävänä näyttäytyi sivistyksellisen demokratian turvaajana toimiminen. Kun avoimen yliopiston kurssit käynnistyivät, määrittyi toiminta selkeästi aikuisten koulutukseksi. Avoin yliopisto määrittyikin nyt aikuisten toiseksi mahdollisuudeksi hankkia koulutusta, jota vaille he olivat nuorempina jääneet. Avoimen yliopiston puitteiden lukkoonlyömisen jälkeen keskustelussa nousi vahvasti esiin toiminnan ja opetusmuotojen kehittäminen. Avoin yliopisto määrittyikin nyt aikuisten monipuoliseksi ja joustavaksi koulutusmahdollisuudeksi. Tasa-arvoisten mahdollisuuksien luominen näyttäytyi innovatiivisena, dynaamisena ja eteenpäinpyrkivänä toimintana, jossa otettiin huomioon aikuisten erilaiset tarpeet. Relander-ohjelman myötä avoimen yliopiston julkilausuttu tehtävä nimenomaan aikuisten kouluttajana kuitenkin muuttui. Avoin yliopisto näyttäytyi nyt yksilöllisiä tarpeita palvelevana mahdollisuuksien talona, jossa oli sijaa kaikille. Tärkeäksi määrittyi myös opiskelun tavoitteiden ja motiivien moninaisuus. Tutkinnon suorittamisen avoimen yliopiston opintojen kautta tuli olla realistisesti mahdollista. Viimeisimmän murroksen jälkeen avoin yliopisto määrittyy yhä selvemmin työelämän sekä alueellisten tarpeiden kautta. Avoin yliopisto näyttäytyy joustavana ja erilaisia tarpeita palvelevana opiskelufoorumina. Avoin yliopisto palvelee paitsi yksilöiden, myös työelämän ja yritysten tarpeita sekä on osaltaan turvaamassa alueiden kilpailukykyä ja elinvoimaisuutta. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan avointa yliopistoa, sen historiaa ja siitä käytyä keskustelua erityisesti tasa-arvon näkökulmasta. Yhtenä keskeisenä tuloksena on, että avoimen yliopiston paikka on ollut aina jollakin tavalla marginaalissa. Tätä ilmentää mm. yliopistollisuuden ja tasa-arvon välinen jännite, jonka ympärille avointa yliopistoa koskeva keskustelu paljolti on järjestynyt. Ylipäätään aikuisten asemaa yliopistossa määrittää tietty epämukavuus ja täyden legitimiteetin puute erityisesti suhteessa tutkintokoulutukseen. Aikuisten koulutuksesta puhutaan yliopiston yhtenä perustehtävänä ja retorisesti voidaan todeta tämän tehtävän tärkeys. Aikuinen opiskelija aiempine osaamisineen ja osaamistarpeineen positioituu kuitenkin yliopistokoulutuksen ja työelämän väliselle rajapinnalle. Aikuisen paikka määrittyykin yliopiston ytimeen nähden selvästi marginaaliin.

Cross-cultural knowledge transfer within a multinational company

The ability to share knowledge efficiently is vital in day-to-day operations of multinational companies. Therefore, the tools for the effective knowledge sharing along with the transfer knowledge models are of a primary interest for the companies. Knowledge transfer often involves participants of different cultural background. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the cross-cultural knowledge transfer in a multinational corporation takes place and how the successful knowledge transfer is ensured. The four sub-questions will help to answer the research question. Firstly, the author will try to identify what difficulties might occur while transferring knowledge in a multicultural environment. Secondly, the cultural differences’ impact on cross-cultural communication will be explored. Thirdly, the tools and models for effective tacit knowledge transfer will be covered by the author. Lastly, the methods of assessing if a knowledge transfer was successful or not will be discussed. The focus of this thesis is on knowledge transfer within a multinational setting. A multinational corporation is used as a practical example for this study; namely the Training Centre of the multinational corporation. The study was carried out by using a qualitative research approach. The four employees of the Training Centre were interviewed in order to obtain the answers to the research questions. The complete idea of the data gathering process can be obtained by reading through the first part of the methodology section Furthermore, the matters of transferability, confirmability, trustworthiness and objectivity were discussed in the methodological section. The study indicates that in order to carry out the successful and efficient knowledge transfer several requests have to be met. Mutual motivation, e.g. the motivation of both knowledge sender and knowledge receiver is one of the most important determinants of knowledge transfer. Sufficient and bearable workload for the knowledge senders is important to ensure the quality and involvement of the knowledge sender into knowledge transfer process. Course contents, infrastructure and other matters will be discussed further on in relation of successful knowledge transfer. Influences of cultural differences on knowledge sharing were studied in this thesis. At the end of the empirical study- a model used to transfer knowledge in Training Centre will be presented. The model created proves to be functional and appropriate for transferring knowledge to representatives of different cultures.

Collaborative information behaviour : a case study of two research groups

The aim of the licentiate thesis is to examine researchers' information practices in research groups. The researchers were involved with study communication and media related issues within Social Sciences and Humanities Faculties. The theoretical framework of the study comprises the new holistic models of information seeking (for example: Meho and Tibbo, 2003; Seldén, 1999) and the collective aspects of information behaviour (Prekop, 2002 ; Talja, 2002; Talja and Hansen, 2006). The research questions are: 1. How do scholars seek information in research groups? 2 What kind of collaborative information behaviour occurs in the research groups? The research data was gathered by interviews and observations. Three meetings of a research group at the University of Tampere were observed during the autumn of 2004. The group members and the group leader of the research group were interviewed in the spring of 2005. The research group members and the group leader of a research group at the University of Jyväskylä were interviewed in the autumn of 2005. Altogether, two research group leaders and eight researchers were interviewed. The significance of the research group for information seeking is more important in closeknit research groups than in rather loose research groups. The significance of the research group for information seeking can be at least threefold. First, research group members can inform the group about relevant information resources and potential library or other information services. Second, the research group can to some extent compensate for the information seeking systems of libraries by distributing material and information resources. Third, information seeking can be carried out in collaboration in research groups. The significance of the research group was found to be most important in informing about new information services and marketing library systems. Recommendations from colleagues were often needed to mobilize researchers into using new library services. The significance of colleagues in informing about library services is in line with earlier studies. The present study showed that sometimes information from colleagues was regarded as more important than information distributed directly by the local library. A culture of information sharing, including mutual trust, seemed mainly to be reflected in collaboration and collaborative information seeking in the research groups studied. The timing of the onset of individual research seemed to be related to the information sharing culture and social networks in research groups. The simultaneous onset of the research work by group members seemed to promote the growth of unbiased collaboration, also in information seeking.

Exploring relationship between marketing and sales - a case study of B2B ICT solution sales

Following the current trend of companies in changing and developing their businesses from transactional approach to relationship and solution oriented approach has set new requirements to internal cooperation of companies too. The relationship between marketing and sales has been identified to be critical to company's success here, but surprisingly little is known about it. The purpose of this study was to deepen understanding of the relationship between sales and marketing in business-to-business sales from operative sales employees' perspectives in solution selling context. The aim was to develop an explorative analytical construction and framework of the interface. The study was conducted as a literature review and an empirical qualitative explorative single case study. The data was collected by conducting six thematic interviews with sales employees of the case company. Observing sales and marketing, written documents and other materials used in sales were used as secondary source of information. The data was analyzed using qualitative case study analysis methods. The findings of the study support previous research findings of the interface between marketing and sales but also bring new propositions as analytical framework to construct the interface. As such, the interface was found to be a multi-dimensional and complex dynamic construction. As results of this study, there was an exploratory framework constructed. The construction consists of three explorative contexts of the interface: internal context, relationship emphasizing context and solution selling context. These contexts are further divided into lower levels as an outcome of the analysis. In addition the identified contexts, there are also conceptual domains identified, which are common to all the contexts. The role of mutual, cross-functional knowledge creation was found to be central in the interface.

Innovation in a Non-Formal Adult Education Organisation – Multi-Case Study in Four Adult Education Centres

More than ever, education organisations are experiencing the need to develop new services and processes to satisfy expanding and changing customer needs and to adapt to the environmental changes and continually tightening economic situation. Innovation has been found in many studies to have a crucial role in the success of an organisation, both in the private and public sectors, in formal education and in manufacturing and services alike. However, studies concerning innovation in non-formal adult education organisations, such as adult education centres (AECs) in Finland, are still lacking. This study investigates innovation in the non-formal adult education organisation context from the perspective of organisational culture types and social networks. The objective is to determine the significant characteristics of an innovative non-formal adult education organisation. The analysis is based on data from interviews with the principals and fulltime staff of four case AECs. Before the case study, a pre-study phase is accomplished in order to obtain a preliminary understanding of innovation at AECs. The research found strong support for the need of innovation in AECs. Innovation is basically needed to accomplish the AEC system’s primary mission mentioned in the ACT on Liberal Adult Education. In addition, innovation is regarded vital to institutes and may prevent their decline. It helps the institutes to be more attractive, to enter new market, to increase customer satisfaction and to be on the cutting edge. Innovation is also seen as a solution to the shortage of resources. Innovative AECs search actively for additional resources for development work through project funding and subsidies, cooperation networks and creating a conversational and joyful atmosphere in the institute. The findings also suggest that the culture type that supports innovation at AECs is multidimensional, with an emphasis on the clan and adhocratic culture types and such values as: dynamism, future orientation, acquiring new resources, mistake tolerance, openness, flexibility, customer orientation, a risk-taking attitude, and community spirit. Active and creative internal and external cooperation also promote innovation at AECs. This study also suggests that the behaviour of a principal is crucial. The way he or she shows appreciation the staff, encouragement and support to the staff and his or her approachability and concrete participation in innovation activities have a strong effect on innovation attitudes and activities in AECs.

The Influence of Network Competence on Internationalization of SMEs

This study focuses on the relationship between organizational network competence and the internationalization process of small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Over recent decades, the global business environment has become increasingly conducive to internationalization of small firms. A central facilitating factor in the process has been the emergence of networked business relationships between internationalizing firms. Research on SME internationalization has found that certain types of structures and dynamics of business networks allow SMEs access to the resources they need to enter foreign markets. This consequently means that their internationalization often becomes to depend on the networks they are embedded in. However, research so far has mostly ignored the possibility that the organizational ability to develop and manage business network relationships, network competence, may be a major underlying factor in determining how well SMEs can leverage their network relationships to enter foreign markets and consequently may determine in large part how successful their internationalization process turns out to be. This study aims to respond to those gaps, by empirically examining how the development of network competence in internationalizing SMEs influences the internationalization outcomes that they can expect, and how such network competence is conceptualized and developed. Using a mixed methods approach, survey data collected from 298 Finnish SMEs across five industry sectors is first used to examine how levels of network competence are related to internationalization propensity of SMEs and their subsequent international performance, growth and profitability as internationally operating firms. In order to illustrate in more detail the ways in which network competence is conceptualized and how it develops during the internationalization process of an SME, qualitative data from internationally operating Finnish SMEs are used. Longitudinal interview data of an internationalizing Finnish SME is accompanied by data gathered through a series of semistructured interviews of Finnish and Russian managers involved in mutual business relationship dyads. Structurally, this thesis examines the research issue as an article-based dissertation, consisting of five journal and conference publications. Three of these publications are based on the quantitative data, and the remaining two apply the qualitative interview data. The results find several aspects where network competence has a positive influence on the success of internationalizing SMEs, how it develops and what it entails conceptually in this context. Quantitatively, the level of network competence is found to have a positive relationship to various internationalization outcomes, including the propensity of SMEs to enter foreign markets and on their subsequent international performance, their growth and their profitability. Additionally, the positive relationship is divided between the relationship-specific and cross-relational dimension of network competence, in that the influence of the former is relevant for the propensity to internationalize, while the latter is for the growth and profitability of the already internationalized SMEs. Qualitatively, the results suggest, firstly, that the development process of network competence does not necessarily precede the start of the internationalization process, but may occur through a gradual learning process alongside it. And secondly, the results also imply that the conceptualization of network competence by Finnish managers of internationally operating Finnish SMEs is structurally distinct from that of their culturally distinct partner managers in Russia. This study contributes to the literature on SME internationalization in several ways. Firstly, it introduces operationalized organizational competencies to the literature on internationalization of SMEs, which has so far mainly examined the influence of business networking on the internationalization process without having such an organizational viewpoint. Furthermore, this study provides a multi-level analysis of the determinants of successful SME internationalization, by examining various strategic and performance outcomes across the process. These results also contribute to the literature on organizational strategy of internationalizing SMEs, by clarifying how different dimensions of business networking may be optimal in different phases of the internationalization process. Conceptually, the results of this study contribute to the literature on competence development and SME internationalization, by illustrating how the development process of network competence may occur during internationalization process. Thus, they also contribute to the discussion on how SMEs are able to influence the dynamics and structures of their business networks over time. Finally, this study contributes to the literature on the role of culture in the internationalization process, by implying that the cultural background of the manager of the SME may determine whether business networking and network competence is seen as an organizational-level or an individual level capability. The study also includes some additional contributions to the literature on dynamic capabilities in strategic management, and on that of strategic business networks. These include further clarifying the exact nature and tangibility of dynamic capabilities, and being one of the first studies to introduce constructs from both dynamic capabilities and business network literature to the field of international entrepreneurship. And finally, the study also has some contribution on the two streams of literature, in illustrating how both dyadic and network-level capabilities may be relevant, depending on the current strategic goals and market position of the firm. Keywords: network competence, internationalizatio

Accounting for competition, governance and accountability during institutional change in not-for-profit and public sector organisations

Purpose The aim of this thesis1 is to analyse theoretically how institutionalisation of competitive tendering2, governance and budgetary policies cannot be taken for granted to lead to accountability among institutional actors3. The nature of an institutionalised management accounting policy, its relevance as a source of power in organisational decision making, and in negotiating inter-organisational relationships, are also analysed. Practical motivation The practical motivation of the thesis is to show how practitioners and policy makers can institutionalise changes which improve the power of management accounting and control systems4 as a mechanism of accountability among institutional actors and in negotiating relationships with other organisations. Theoretical motivation and conceptual approach The theoretical motivation of the thesis is to extend the institutional framework of management accounting change proposed by Burns and Scapens (2000) by using the theories of critical realism, communicative action, negotiated order and the framework of circuits of power. The Burns and Scapens framework needs further theorisation to analyse the relationship between the institutionalisation of management accounting and accountability; and the relevance of management accounting information in negotiating in inter-organisational relationships. Methodology and field studies Field research took place in public and not-for-profit health care organisations and a municipality in Finland from 2008 to 2013. Data were gathered by document analysis, interviews, participation in meetings and observations. Findings The findings are explained in four different essays that show that institutionalisation of competitive tendering, governance and budgetary policies cannot be taken for granted to lead to accountability among institutional actors. The ways by which institutional actors think and act can be influenced by other institutional mechanisms, such as inter-organisational circuits of power and intraorganisational governance policies, independent of the institutional change process. The relevance of institutionalised management accounting policies in negotiating relationships between two or more organisations depends on processes and contexts through which institutional actors use management accounting information as a tool of communication, mutual understanding and power. Research limitations / implications The theoretical framework used can be applied validly in other studies. The empirical findings cannot be generalised directly to other organisations than the organisations analysed. Practical implications Competitive tendering and budgetary policies can be institutionalised to shape actions of institutional actors within an organisation. To lead to accountability, practitioners and policy makers should implement governance policies that increase the use of management accounting information in institutional actors’ thinking, actions and responsibility for their actions. To reach a negotiated order between organisations, institutionalised management accounting policies should be used as one of the tools of communication aiming to reach mutual agreement among institutional actors.

Modeling and Parameter Estimation of Double-Star Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines

The power rating of wind turbines is constantly increasing; however, keeping the voltage rating at the low-voltage level results in high kilo-ampere currents. An alternative for increasing the power levels without raising the voltage level is provided by multiphase machines. Multiphase machines are used for instance in ship propulsion systems, aerospace applications, electric vehicles, and in other high-power applications including wind energy conversion systems. A machine model in an appropriate reference frame is required in order to design an efficient control for the electric drive. Modeling of multiphase machines poses a challenge because of the mutual couplings between the phases. Mutual couplings degrade the drive performance unless they are properly considered. In certain multiphase machines there is also a problem of high current harmonics, which are easily generated because of the small current path impedance of the harmonic components. However, multiphase machines provide special characteristics compared with the three-phase counterparts: Multiphase machines have a better fault tolerance, and are thus more robust. In addition, the controlled power can be divided among more inverter legs by increasing the number of phases. Moreover, the torque pulsation can be decreased and the harmonic frequency of the torque ripple increased by an appropriate multiphase configuration. By increasing the number of phases it is also possible to obtain more torque per RMS ampere for the same volume, and thus, increase the power density. In this doctoral thesis, a decoupled d–q model of double-star permanent-magnet (PM) synchronous machines is derived based on the inductance matrix diagonalization. The double-star machine is a special type of multiphase machines. Its armature consists of two three-phase winding sets, which are commonly displaced by 30 electrical degrees. In this study, the displacement angle between the sets is considered a parameter. The diagonalization of the inductance matrix results in a simplified model structure, in which the mutual couplings between the reference frames are eliminated. Moreover, the current harmonics are mapped into a reference frame, in which they can be easily controlled. The work also presents methods to determine the machine inductances by a finite-element analysis and by voltage-source inverters on-site. The derived model is validated by experimental results obtained with an example double-star interior PM (IPM) synchronous machine having the sets displaced by 30 electrical degrees. The derived transformation, and consequently, the decoupled d–q machine model, are shown to model the behavior of an actual machine with an acceptable accuracy. Thus, the proposed model is suitable to be used for the model-based control design of electric drives consisting of double-star IPM synchronous machines.

Creating an open-books implementation framework for a maintenance-related value-based life-cycle model

This study is a qualitative action research by its nature with elements of personal design in the form of a tangible model implementation framework construction. Utilized empirical data has been gathered via two questionnaires in relation to the arranged four workshop events with twelve individual participants. Five of them represented maintenance customers, three maintenance service providers and four equipment providers respectively. Further, there are two main research objectives in proportion to the two complementary focusing areas of this thesis. Firstly, the value-based life-cycle model, which first version has already been developed prior to this thesis, requires updating in order to increase its real-life applicability as an inter-firm decision-making tool in industrial maintenance. This first research objective is fulfilled by improving appearance, intelligibility and usability of the above-mentioned model. In addition, certain new features are also added. The workshop participants from the collaborating companies were reasonably pleased with made changes, although further attention will be required in future on the model’s intelligibility in particular as main results, charts and values were all reckoned as slightly hard to understand. Moreover, upgraded model’s appearance and added new features satisfied them the most. Secondly and more importantly, the premises of the model’s possible inter-firm implementation process need to be considered. This second research objective is delivered in two consecutive steps. At first, a bipartite open-books supported implementation framework is created and its different characteristics discussed in theory. Afterwards, the prerequisites and the pitfalls of increasing inter-organizational information transparency are studied in empirical context. One of the main findings was that the organizations are not yet prepared for network-wide information disclosure as dyadic collaboration was favored instead. However, they would be willing to share information bilaterally at least. Another major result was that the present state of companies’ cost accounting systems will definitely need implementation-wise enhancing in future since accurate and sufficiently detailed maintenance data is not available. Further, it will also be crucial to create supporting and mutually agreed network infrastructure. There are hardly any collaborative models, methods or tools currently in usage. Lastly, the essential questions about mutual trust and predominant purchasing strategies are cooperation-wise important. If inter-organizational activities are expanded, a more relational approach should be favored in this regard. Mutual trust was also recognized as a significant cooperation factor, but it is hard to measure in reality.

„Und frei erklär' ich alle meine Knechte“ : Höflichkeit als Ausdruck sozialer Utopie in Schillers Drama Wilhelm Tell.

My dissertation is an interdisciplinary study of the relationship between the Swiss peasants and nobles in Friedrich Schiller’s play Wilhelm Tell (1804). Changes to this relationship are of particular interest. Communication in the play is examined via a micro-analysis based on Penelope Brown’s and Stephen C. Levinson’s theoretical framework Politeness: Some universals in language usage. (1978, 1987). Brown and Levinson distinguish between positivepoliteness and negative-politeness strategies and their distinction is useful for my argument, since they claim that the use of positive-politeness strategies reflects the speaker’s intention to minimize the distance between the interlocutors (Brown and Levinson 1987: 103). Negative-politeness strategies, by contrast, result in social distancing (Brown and Levinson 1987: 130). In accordance with Brown’s and Levinson’s theory, it can be argued that the distribution of positive-politeness and negative-politeness strategies reflects changes in the distance between the fictional interlocutors as representatives of their social classes in Wilhelm Tell. The analysis of the communication in the play highlights that existing conflicts within the social groups are resolved and replaced with solidarity (cf. ‘Claim ’common ground’ and ‘Claim in-group membership with H’) before the peasants and noblemen appear on stage simultaneously in III, 3. In the scene in question, Geßler forces Tell to shoot the apple off his son’s head. Although both nobles and peasants are present, they do not communicate with each other. Thus, communication between the social classes occurs for the first time in IV, 2. This scene is crucial with regard to the changes in the relationship between the social classes in the play. The younger generation, with Rudenz as a representative of the nobility and Melchthal as a representative of the peasants, break with the prevailing conventions and initiate a new type of cooperation based on mutual helping and equality in the right and the duty to protect the country from the violent oppressors representing Habsburg (cf. ‘Convey that S and H are cooperators’, ‘Claim reflexivity’ and ‘Claim reciprocity’). The linguistic analysis reveals the crucial role of the Swiss nobility in the development of the social utopia, as well as the non-contribution of Wilhelm Tell. In fact, Tell never communicates with the Swiss noblemen. The role of the nobility and the role of Wilhelm Tell are further investigated in a comparison between Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell and four of Schiller’s historical sources. These sources, which contain earlier, non-dramatic versions of the establishment of the Swiss Confederation, are the following: Kronica von der loblichen Eydtgnoschaft compiled by Petermann Etterlin (1507), Gemeiner loblicher Eydgnoschafft Stetten Landen vnd Völckeren Chronik wirdiger thaaten beschreybung (1548) written by Johann Stumpf, Chronicon Helveticum of Aegidius Tschudi (the publication of Iselin from 1734 and 1736) and Johannes von Müller’s Geschichten schweizerischer Eidgenossenschaft (1786). Thecomparison sheds light on the fact that both Tschudi and von Müller emphasize unity among the Swiss and cooperation in their attempt to defeat the enemy. However, Schiller has reinforced the role of the nobility in the cooperation. In addition, the comparison between Schiller’s play and the historical sources reveals profound differences with regard to the role of Wilhelm Tell. In all of Schiller’s sources, Tell is present at Rütli, whereas he is absent from Rütli in Schiller’s play. In the play in general, Tell is conspicuously separated from the other peasants. Explanations of my linguistic results, which correspond to the above mentioned differences between the roles of the figures in Wilhelm Tell and the depictions in Schiller’s sources, are found by comparing the path of Schiller’s Swiss towards an egalitarian perspective with the kind of social evolution depicted by the German philosopher Johann Benjamin Erhard in his essay Über das Recht des Volks zu einer Revolution (1795). Aiming at considering Schiller’s social utopia within the larger cultural framework of the German response to the French Revolution, the comparison suggests that both authors depict the need for social change in terms of a change in social hierarchies (Erhard 1970: 95-96, cf. Foi 2005: 225). Erhard’s essay thus helps explain the political intention of Schiller’s play to keep the ideals of the French Revolution as crucial aims but profoundly change the means towards freedom and equality. In his attempt to claim the political resistance of the nobles and peasants as just, however, Schiller sacrificed the figure of Wilhelm Tell. Guilty of the murder of Geßler, Tell was no longer suitable for the righteous revolution imagined by Schiller (cf. Bloch 2008: 215 and Schulz 2005: 228). This explains Tell’s absence in the Rütli scene, his isolation in the plot, as well as his non-contribution to the social utopia. Together, the linguistic analysis and contextualisation of Schiller’s play support my hypothesis that Wilhelm Tell describes a process of change in the relationship between peasants and nobles. The interdisciplinary approach to the topic proved to be fruitful for all areas of the research involved.

Kysyntä-toimitusketjun synkronointi epävarman kysynnän ja tarjonnan toimintaympäristössä

Kysynnän ja tarjonnan epävarmuudet ovat nykyisin arkipäivää useilla toimialoilla. Elämme epävarmuuden suhteen ennen näkemättömiä aikoja, minkä on arvioitu jatkuvan myös tulevaisuudessa. Yritysten tilauskannat ovat lyhyitä, ja tilaukset viivästyvät tai peruuntuvat kokonaan. Toisaalta tarjonnan epävarmuudet aiheuttavat asiakasyrityksille haasteita esimerkiksi toimitusmyöhästymisten muodossa. Tuotannon ollessa hajaantunut verkostoihin yksittäisten yritysten toiminta ja päätökset vaikuttavat toisten verkostoyritysten toimintaan. Tämän takia epävarmuuden aiheuttamista muutoksista ja poikkeamista tulisi tiedottaa kumppaniyrityksiä, jotta kaikki pysyisivät samalla kellotaajuudella. Operatiivisen ja taktisen tiedon jakaminen on nykyisissä toimitusketjuissa jo arkipäivää, mutta yritysten välisistä rajapinnoista löytyy edelleen kehitettävää. Riittävästä ei kiinnitetä huomiota vastaanottajan kykyyn ja tapaan hyödyntää informaatiota – varsinkaan muutostilanteissa. Ajan/nopeuden ollessa yhä tärkeämpi kilpailutekijä informaation ajoituksella on kriittinen merkitys kysyntä-toimitusketjujen kokonaissuorituskykyyn. Toisin sanoen, millä ajanhetkellä tietoa tulisi jakaa, jotta kumppani pystyisi hyödyntämään saamaansa tietoa mahdollisimman hyvin. Kysyntä-toimitusketjun synkronoinnilla tarkoitetaan tässä väitöstutkimuksessa nimenomaan aikatekijään keskittymistä yritysten välisessä päätöksenteossa ja informaation jakamisessa toimitusketjun kokonaissuorituskyvyn parantamiseksi. Tutkimus kytkeytyy toimitusketjukoordinoinnin tieteelliseen keskusteluun. Koordinointiteorian keskeinen osa ovat riippuvuussuhteet, joita johdetaan koordinointimekanismien avulla. Kysyntätoimitusketjun synkronointia on mallinnettu aikaisemmin VOP-OPP-mallin (Value Offering Point – Order Penetration Point) ja sen johdannaisten avulla. Näissä malleissa asiakasyrityksen kysyntäketju ja toimittajayrityksen toimitusketju ovat keskinäisessä riippuvuussuhteessa, jota johdetaan päätöksenteon synkronoinnin ja informaation jakamisen koordinointimekanismeilla. VOP-OPP-malli johdannaisineen eivät kuitenkaan huomioi epävarman toimintaympäristön vaikutuksia synkronointiin. Näissä malleissa informaation ainoana laatudimensiona tarkasteltava aikatekijä on liian kapea-alainen näkökulma synkronointiin epävarmassa ympäristössä. Lisäksi nämä mallit keskittyvät vain yksisuuntaiseen, kysyntälähtöiseen, synkronointiin jättäen huomioimatta tarjontalähtöisen synkronoinnin. Aikatekijä- ja kokonaissuorituskykypainotustensa takia VOP-OPP-malli tarjosi kuitenkin hyvän lähtöfilosofian uusien synkronointimallien kehittämiseen. Väitöstutkimus toteutettiin hypoteettis-deduktiivisena tapaustutkimuksena, jossa ensin luotiin kirjallisuuden perusteella uudet teoreettiset synkronointimalliehdotukset. Tämän jälkeen ehdotusten toimivuutta arvioitiin käytännön kysyntä-toimitusketjuissa. Tutkimuksen uutuusarvo liittyy kysyntä-toimitusketjun synkronoinnin keskeisten piirteiden systeemiseen mallintamiseen epävarmassa toimintaympäristössä. Kontribuutiona esitetään kysyntä-toimitusketjun synkronoinnin moniulotteinen kokonaismalli, joka sisältää koordinointimekanismeina päätöksenteon synkronoinnin, informaation läpinäkyvyyden sekä asiakas- ja toimittajapään joustot. Tiedon vaihtoa mallissa tarkastellaan kaksisuuntaisesti – kysyntä- ja tarjontalähtöisesti. Informaation laatudimensioina mallissa ovat informaation ajoitus, luotettavuus ja tarkkuus. Kokonaismalli sisältää kolme alimallia: Demand Visibility Point – Demand Penetration Point (DVP-DPP) on kysyntälähtöisen synkronoinnin malli, Supply Visibility Point – Supply Information Penetration Point (SVP-SIPP) on tarjontalähtöisen synkronoinnin malli ja Integroitu DVP-DPP - SVP-SIPP-malli kytkee edellä mainitut mallit toisiinsa. Näissä alimalleissa informaation eri luokkia ovat tilausta edeltävä, tilaukseen liittyvä, tilauksen jälkeinen ja sovitun toimitusajankohdan jälkeinen kysyntä- ja tarjontatieto. Käytännön hyödyntämisen näkökulmasta mallit toimivat ns. mentaalitason koordinointimekanismeina, joiden tarkoitus on herättää toimitusketjukumppanit tavoittelemaan kokonaissuorituskyvyn parantamista oman edun tavoittelemisen sijasta. Tutkimuksen päärajoitteena on sen keskittyminen ainoastaan kahdenvälisiin yhteistyösuhteisiin, mikä tarjoaa nykyisessä verkostoituneessa toimintaympäristössä varsin kapean kuvan käytännön synkronointihaasteisiin.

Assessment of Young Learners’ English Proficiency in Bilingual Content Instruction CLIL

This applied linguistic study in the field of second language acquisition investigated the assessment practices of class teachers as well as the challenges and visions of language assessment in bilingual content instruction (CLIL) at primary level in Finnish basic education. Furthermore, pupils’ and their parents’ perceptions of language assessment and LangPerform computer simulations as an alternative, modern assessment method in CLIL contexts were examined. The study was conducted for descriptive and developmental purposes in three phases: 1) a CLIL assessment survey; 2) simulation 1; and 3) simulation 2. All phases had a varying number of participants. The population of this mixed methods study were CLIL class teachers, their pupils and the pupils’ parents. The sampling was multi-staged and based on probability and random sampling. The data were triangulated. Altogether 42 CLIL class teachers nationwide, 109 pupils from the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade as well as 99 parents from two research schools in South-Western Finland participated in the CLIL assessment survey followed by an audio-recorded theme interview of volunteers (10 teachers, 20 pupils and 7 parents). The simulation experimentations 1 and 2 produced 146 pupil and 39 parental questionnaires as well as video interviews of volunteered pupils. The data were analysed both quantitatively using percentages and numerical frequencies and qualitatively employing thematic content analysis. Based on the data, language assessment in primary CLIL is not an established practice. It largely appears to be infrequent, incidental, implicit and based on impressions rather than evidence or the curriculum. The most used assessment methods were teacher observation, bilingual tests and dialogic interaction, and the least used were portfolios, simulations and peer assessment. Although language assessment was generally perceived as important by teachers, a fifth of them did not gather assessment information systematically, and 38% scarcely gave linguistic feedback to pupils. Both pupils and parents wished to receive more information on CLIL language issues; 91% of pupils claimed to receive feedback rarely or occasionally, and 63% of them wished to get more information on their linguistic coping in CLIL subjects. Of the parents, 76% wished to receive more information on the English proficiency of their children and their linguistic development. This may be a response to indirect feedback practices identified in this study. There are several challenges related to assessment; the most notable is the lack of a CLIL curriculum, language objectives and common ground principles of assessment. Three diverse approaches to language in CLIL that appear to affect teachers’ views on language assessment were identified: instrumental (language as a tool), dual (language as a tool and object of learning) and eclectic (miscellaneous views, e.g. affective factors prioritised). LangPerform computer simulations seem to be perceived as an appropriate alternative assessment method in CLIL. It is strongly recommended that the fundamentals for assessment (curricula and language objectives) and a mutual assessment scheme should be determined and stakeholders’ knowledge base of CLIL strengthened. The principles of adequate assessment in primary CLIL are identified as well as several appropriate assessment methods suggested.

Making the impact on research and society : a case study: crowdsourcing solutions developed for the linguistic research and citizen science

Can crowdsourcing solutions serve many masters? Can they be beneficial for both, for the layman or native speakers of minority languages on the one hand and serious linguistic research on the other? How did an infrastructure that was designed to support linguistics turn out to be a solution for raising awareness of native languages? Since 2012 the National Library of Finland has been developing the Digitisation Project for Kindred Languages, in which the key objective is to support a culture of openness and interaction in linguistic research, but also to promote crowdsourcing as a tool for participation of the language community in research. In the course of the project, over 1,200 monographs and nearly 111,000 pages of newspapers in Finno-Ugric languages will be digitised and made available in the Fenno-Ugrica digital collection. This material was published in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s, and users have had only sporadic access to the material. The publication of open-access and searchable materials from this period is a goldmine for researchers. Historians, social scientists and laymen with an interest in specific local publications can now find text materials pertinent to their studies. The linguistically-oriented population can also find writings to delight them: (1) lexical items specific to a given publication, and (2) orthographically-documented specifics of phonetics. In addition to the open access collection, we developed an open source code OCR editor that enables the editing of machine-encoded text for the benefit of linguistic research. This tool was necessary since these rare and peripheral prints often include already archaic characters, which are neglected by modern OCR software developers but belong to the historical context of kindred languages, and are thus an essential part of the linguistic heritage. When modelling the OCR editor, it was essential to consider both the needs of researchers and the capabilities of lay citizens, and to have them participate in the planning and execution of the project from the very beginning. By implementing the feedback iteratively from both groups, it was possible to transform the requested changes as tools for research that not only supported the work of linguistics but also encouraged the citizen scientists to face the challenge and work with the crowdsourcing tools for the benefit of research. This presentation will not only deal with the technical aspects, developments and achievements of the infrastructure but will highlight the way in which user groups, researchers and lay citizens were engaged in a process as an active and communicative group of users and how their contributions were made to mutual benefit.

University Institutional Repository and its Place in the University Information Infrastructure

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014