Osaamisen johtaminen - käytäntöjä ja kehittämistarpeita henkilöstön näkökulmasta

Tämän pro gradu -tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia osaamisen johtamisen käytäntöjä ja kehittämistarpeita kohdeorganisaatiossa henkilöstön näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, miten tehtyjä henkilöstötutkimuksia on hyödynnetty kohdeorganisaatiossa ja näkyykö tämä hyödyntäminen käytännön johtamisessa henkilöstön mielestä. Tutkimus suoritettiin laadullisena tapaustutkimuksena ja empiirinen aineisto kerättiin kuudella teemahaastattelulla, jotka analysoitiin sisällönanalyysimenetelmällä. Tutkimuksessa kartoitettiin, millaisia osaamisen johtamisen käytäntöjä kohdeorganisaatiossa on. Tutkimuksen tuloksien perusteella osaamisen johtamisen peruselementit ovat olemassa: säännölliset palaverit koettiin tärkeiksi, mutta koulutuksien ja kehityskeskusteluiden järjestämisessä sekä jälkiseurannassa henkilöstö näki parannettavaa. Myös hiljaisen tiedon siirtäminen ja hyödyntäminen koettiin merkittäväksi tekijäksi organisaation onnistuneen toiminnan ja jatkuvuuden kannalta. Tutkimuksessa todettiin osaamisen johtamisen kehittämisen ja osaamisen kehittämisen menetelmien linkittyvän vahvasti toisiinsa ja tutkimuksen tuloksena esitettiin konkreettisia toimenpide-ehdotuksia osaamisen johtamisen kehittämisestä kohdeorganisaation johdolle. Tutkimuksen mukaan osaamisen johtaminen ja henkilöstöjohtaminen sulautuvat toisiinsa, eikä niitä voida tarkastella erikseen. Johdon ja henkilöstön välisellä vuorovaikutuksella on suuri merkitys onnistuneelle osaamisen johtamiselle. Keskeistä on kytkeä osaamisen johtaminen organisaation käytäntöihin ja varata sen implementointiin riittävästi resursseja.

Production, isolation and characterization of bioactive peptides with antihypertensive properties from rapeseed and potato protein

Consumers’ increasing awareness of healthiness and sustainability of food presents a great challenge to food industry to develop healthier, biologically active and sustainable food products. Bioactive peptides derived from food proteins are known to possess various biological activities. Among the activities, the most widely studied are antioxidant activities and angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity related to blood pressure regulation and antihypertensive effects. Meanwhile, vast amounts of byproducts with high protein content are produced in food industry, for example potato and rapeseed industries. The utilization of these by-products could be enhanced by using them as a raw material for bioactive peptides. The objective of the present study was to investigate the production of bioactive peptides with ACE inhibitory and antioxidant properties from rapeseed and potato proteins. Enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation were utilized for peptide production, ultrafiltration and solid-phase extraction were used to concentrate the active peptides, the peptides were fractionated with liquid chromatographic processes, and the peptides with the highest ACE inhibitory capacities were putified and analyzed with Maldi-Tof/Tof to identify the active peptide sequences. The bioavailability of the ACE inhibitory peptides was elucidated with an in vitro digestion model and the antihypertensive effects in vivo of rapeseed peptide concentrates were investigated with a preventive premise in 2K1C rats. The results showed that rapeseed and potato proteins are rich sources of ACE inhibitory and antioxidant peptides. Enzymatic hydrolysis released the peptides effectively whereas fermentation produced lower activities.The native enzymes of potato were also able to release ACE inhibitory peptides from potato proteins without the addition of exogenous enzymes. The rapeseed peptide concentrate was capable of preventing the development of hypertension in vivo in 2K1C rats, but the quality of rapeseed meal used as raw material was found to affect considerably the antihypertensive effects and the composition of the peptide fraction.

Asiantuntijuuden hyödyntäminen pk-yritysten hallitustyössä

TIIVISTELMÄ Tekijä: Kirsi Mikkilä Tutkielman nimi: Asiantuntijuuden hyödyntäminen pk-yritysten hallitustyössä Tiedekunta: Kauppatieteellinen tiedekunta Pääaine: Yrittäjyys ja pk-yrityksen johtaminen Vuosi: 2014 Pro gradu -tutkielma: Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto 103 sivua, 9 kuvioa ja 2 liitettä. Tarkastajat: KTT, prof. Timo Pihkala ja KTT, prof. Markku Ikävalko Hakusanat: hallitus, pk-yritys, asiantuntijuus Pk-yrityksen hallitustyö on yksi keskeisimmistä johtamisen välineistä, jonka avulla yritys voi mahdollistaa kasvunsa ja tuottaa omistajien sijoittamalle pääomalle parempaa tuottoa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tarkastella asiantuntijuuden käyttöä pk-yritysten hallitustyöskentelyssä. Tutkimuksella etsittiin vastauksia kysymyksiin, missä yrityksen kehitysvaiheissa asiantuntijuutta lisätään hallituksessa, mitä sillä halutaan saavuttaa ja miten prosessiin valmistaudutaan. Tavoitteena oli täydentää tietämystä pk-yrityksen hallitustyön muuttumisen ja hallituksen laajenemisen mahdollisuuksista ja syistä. Tutkimus toteutettiin haastattelututkimuksena. Tutkimuksen kohdeorganisaatioiksi valittiin viisi teollisuudenalan koneiden, laitteiden ja tuotteiden toimittajayritystä Päijät-Hämeen alueelta. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin keväällä 2014 teemahaastatteluina. Tutkimus vahvisti resurssiperustaisen näkökulman nousevan vahvasti esiin pk-yrityksien muutosvaiheista. Hallitustyö ja hallituksen jäsenten osaaminen korostui kasvuhakuisuuden lisääntyessä. Agenttiteoria sai vahvistusta omistajajäsenten valvonnan tarpeen painottuessa ja stewardship -teorian mukaisesti hallitusammattilaiset katsoivat osaamisensa hyödyntämisen olevan palkitsemista tärkeämpää.

Superkondensaattoreiden valmistus selluloosageeleistä ja hiilimustasta

Tässä työssä tavoitteena oli selvittää selluloosageelien soveltuvuutta superkondensaattorien elektrodimateriaaliksi. Superkondensaattoreiden elektrodit valmistetaan yleensä hyvin huokoisesta hiilimateriaalista. Näin ollen selluloosageeliin joukkoon sekoitettiin sähkönjohtavuutta parantamaan hiilimustaa. Kirjallisessa osassa keskityttiin superkondensaattorin toimintaperiaatteeseen, rakenteeseen ja yleisimmin käytössä oleviin elektrodimateriaaleihin. Yksityiskohtaisemmin paneuduttiin selluloosan käyttöön superkondensaattorien rakennemateriaalina. Kokeellisessa osassa valmistettiin erilaisia selluloosageelejä ja tämän jälkeen elektrodeja hiilimusta-selluloosageeli-seoksesta. Eri sekoitustapojen vaikutusta elektrodin sähköisiin ominaisuuksiin tarkasteltiin sekoittamalla hiilimustaa selluloosageeliin kahdella eri tavalla; korkeapainehajottajalla ja sekoittimella. Tämän lisäksi selvitettiin myös eri kuivaustapojen ja kuivauslämpötilojen vaikutusta elektrodiarkkien ominaisuuksiin. Arkkien sähköiset ominaisuudet määritettiin syklistä voltammetriaa (SV) käyttäen. Saavutetut tulokset osoittivat, että selluloosageelin valmistus on yksi kriittisimmistä kohdista elektrodimateriaalin valmistuksessa. Riittävä entsyymikäsittely vaaditaan, jotta saadaan muodostettua sopiva geeli, johon hiilimusta-partikkelit saadaan takertumaan. Hiilimustan sekoitustavalla sekä elektrodiarkin kuivauslämpötilalla ja – tavalla on myös suuresti vaikutusta elektrodin sähköisiin ominaisuuksiin.

Utilization of AMI-Technology in a Multilayered Demand Response Service Environment

This thesis studied the performance of Advanced metering infrastructure systems in a challenging Demand Response environment. The aim was to find out what kind of challenges and bottlenecks could be met when utilizing AMI-systems in challenging Demand Response tasks. To find out the challenges and bottlenecks, a multilayered demand response service concept was formed. The service consists of seven different market layers which consist of Nordic electricity market and the reserve markets of Fingrid. In the simulations the AMI-systems were benchmarked against these seven market layers. It was found out, that the current generation AMI-systems were capable of delivering Demand Response on the most challenging market layers, when observed from time critical viewpoint. Additionally, it was found out, that to enable wide scale Demand Response there are three major challenges to be acknowledged. The challenges hindering the utilization of wide scale Demand Response were related to poor standardization of the systems in use, possible problems in data connectivity solutions and the current electricity market regulation model.

Vedyn käytön tarkastelu Kemira Chemicals Oy:n Joutsenon tehtailla

Kemira Chemicals Oy:n Joutsenon tehtailla valmistetaan lipeää, suolahappoa, natriumhypokloriittia sekä natriumkloraattia. Lipeää, suolahappoa ja natriumhypokloriittia valmistetaan lipeätehtaassa. Natriumkloraattia valmistetaan kloraattitehtaassa. Kloraatti- ja lipeätehtaan tuotteet valmistetaan elektrolyysimenetelmällä. Elektrolyysien sivutuotteena syntyy vetykaasua, joka voidaan käyttää suolahapon valmistukseen, vetyvoimalaitoksen polttoaineena tai myydä asiakkaalle. Työn tavoitteena oli tarkastella vedyn käyttöä Joutsenon tehtailla. Tarkastelun tavoitteena oli löytää mahdollisia kehitys- tai jatkotutkimuskohteita vety- ja höyryjärjestelmästä. Koska vetyä käytetään myös vetyvoimalaitoksen polttoaineena, joka tuottaa tehtailla tarvittavan prosessihöyryn, tarkasteltiin työssä myös höyryn käyttöä tehtailla. Tarkastelua varten tehtiin Microsoft Excel-pohjainen taselaskentamalli, jolla simuloitiin vedyn ja höyryn käyttöä tehtailla. Työn tuloksena saatiin Excel-pohjainen simulointimalli, jolla pystyttiin tutkimaan vedyn ja höyryn käyttöä. Vedyn ja höyryn käyttöä tutkittiin viidessä eri skenaariossa. Skenaariossa yksi määritettiin pienimmät mahdolliset elektrolyysiin syötettävät sähkövirran arvot, joilla tehtaita on turvallista käyttää. Skenaariossa kaksi määritettiin pienimmät mahdolliset elektrolyysiin syötettävät sähkövirran arvot, joilla voimalaitoksen turbiini pysyisi ajossa. Skenaariossa kolme määritettiin tehtaiden tämän hetkinen maksimi kapasiteetti. Skenaarioissa neljä ja viisi tutkittiin, miten mahdollinen tehtaiden tuotantojen kasvattaminen vaikuttaisi vety- ja höyryjärjestelmään. Työn tuloksien perusteella kehitys- ja jatkotutkimuskohteita olisivat lipeän haihdutuksen höyryn kulutuksen pienentäminen, turbiinin käyttöajan kasvattaminen sekä eri lähteistä saatavan hukkalämmön parempi hyödyntäminen kaukolämmön tuotannossa. Tehtaiden tuotantoja kasvatettaessa on syytä kiinnittää huomioita myös voimalaitoksen pääkattilan ja turbiinin kapasiteettiin.

Energy and raw material consumption analysis of powder bed fusion: case study: CNC machining and laser additive manufacturing

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM), known also as 3D printing, is a powder bed fusion (PBF) type of additive manufacturing (AM) technology used to manufacture metal parts layer by layer by assist of laser beam. The development of the technology from building just prototype parts to functional parts is due to design flexibility. And also possibility to manufacture tailored and optimised components in terms of performance and strength to weight ratio of final parts. The study of energy and raw material consumption in LAM is essential as it might facilitate the adoption and usage of the technique in manufacturing industries. The objective this thesis was find the impact of LAM on environmental and economic aspects and to conduct life cycle inventory of CNC machining and LAM in terms of energy and raw material consumption at production phases. Literature overview in this thesis include sustainability issues in manufacturing industries with focus on environmental and economic aspects. Also life cycle assessment and its applicability in manufacturing industry were studied. UPLCI-CO2PE! Initiative was identified as mostly applied exiting methodology to conduct LCI analysis in discrete manufacturing process like LAM. Many of the reviewed literature had focused to PBF of polymeric material and only few had considered metallic materials. The studies that had included metallic materials had only measured input and output energy or materials of the process and compared to different AM systems without comparing to any competitive process. Neither did any include effect of process variation when building metallic parts with LAM. Experimental testing were carried out to make dissimilar samples with CNC machining and LAM in this thesis. Test samples were designed to include part complexity and weight reductions. PUMA 2500Y lathe machine was used in the CNC machining whereas a modified research machine representing EOSINT M-series was used for the LAM. The raw material used for making the test pieces were stainless steel 316L bar (CNC machined parts) and stainless steel 316L powder (LAM built parts). An analysis of power, time, and the energy consumed in each of the manufacturing processes on production phase showed that LAM utilises more energy than CNC machining. The high energy consumption was as result of duration of production. Energy consumption profiles in CNC machining showed fluctuations with high and low power ranges. LAM energy usage within specific mode (standby, heating, process, sawing) remained relatively constant through the production. CNC machining was limited in terms of manufacturing freedom as it was not possible to manufacture all the designed sample by machining. And the one which was possible was aided with large amount of material removed as waste. Planning phase in LAM was shorter than in CNC machining as the latter required many preparation steps. Specific energy consumption (SEC) were estimated in LAM based on the practical results and assumed platform utilisation. The estimated platform utilisation showed SEC could reduce when more parts were placed in one build than it was in with the empirical results in this thesis (six parts).

Hygro-elasto-plastic behavior of planar orthotropic material

The mechanical and hygroscopic properties of paper and board are factors affecting the whole lifecycle of a product, including paper/board quality, production, converting, and material and energy savings. The progress of shrinkage profiles, loose edges of web, baggy web causing wrinkling and misregistration in printing are examples of factors affecting runnability and end product quality in the drying section and converting processes, where paper or board is treated as a moving web. The structural properties and internal stresses or plastic strain differences built up during production also cause the end-product defects related to distortion of the shape of the product such as sheet or box. The objective of this work was to construct a model capable of capturing the characteristic behavior of hygroscopic orthotropic material under moisture change, during different external in-plane stretch or stress conditions. Two independent experimental models were constructed: the elasto-plastic material model and the hygroexpansivity-shrinkage model. Both describe the structural properties of the sheet with a fiber orientation probability distribution, and both are functions of the dry solids content and fiber orientation anisotropy index. The anisotropy index, introduced in this work, simplifies the procedure of determining the constitutive parameters of the material model and the hygroexpansion coefficients in different in-plane directions of the orthotropic sheet. The mathematically consistent elasto-plastic material model and the dry solids content dependent hygroexpansivity have been constructed over the entire range from wet to dry. The presented elastoplastic and hygroexpansivity-shrinkage models can be used in an analytical approach to estimate the plastic strain and shrinkage in simple one-dimensional cases. For studies of the combined and more complicated effects of hygro-elasto-plastic behavior, both models were implemented in a finite element program for a numerical solution. The finite element approach also offered possibilities for studying different structural variations of orthotropic planar material, as well as local buckling behavior and internal stress situations of the sheet or web generated by local strain differences. A comparison of the simulation examples presented in this work to results published earlier confirms that the hygro-elasto-plastic model provides at least qualitatively reasonable estimates. The application potential of the hygro-elasto-plastic model is versatile, including several phenomena and defects appearing in the drying, converting and end-use conditions of the paper or board webs and products, or in other corresponding complex planar materials.

Intensification of hemicellulose hot-water extraction from spruce wood by parameter tuning

The growing population on earth along with diminishing fossil deposits and the climate change debate calls out for a better utilization of renewable, bio-based materials. In a biorefinery perspective, the renewable biomass is converted into many different products such as fuels, chemicals, and materials, quite similar to the petroleum refinery industry. Since forests cover about one third of the land surface on earth, ligno-cellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable resource available. The natural first step in a biorefinery is separation and isolation of the different compounds the biomass is comprised of. The major components in wood are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, all of which can be made into various end-products. Today, focus normally lies on utilizing only one component, e.g., the cellulose in the Kraft pulping process. It would be highly desirable to utilize all the different compounds, both from an economical and environmental point of view. The separation process should therefore be optimized. Hemicelluloses can partly be extracted with hot-water prior to pulping. Depending in the severity of the extraction, the hemicelluloses are degraded to various degrees. In order to be able to choose from a variety of different end-products, the hemicelluloses should be as intact as possible after the extraction. The main focus of this work has been on preserving the hemicellulose molar mass throughout the extraction at a high yield by actively controlling the extraction pH at the high temperatures used. Since it has not been possible to measure pH during an extraction due to the high temperatures, the extraction pH has remained a “black box”. Therefore, a high-temperature in-line pH measuring system was developed, validated, and tested for hot-water wood extractions. One crucial step in the measurements is calibration, therefore extensive efforts was put on developing a reliable calibration procedure. Initial extractions with wood showed that the actual extraction pH was ~0.35 pH units higher than previously believed. The measuring system was also equipped with a controller connected to a pump. With this addition it was possible to control the extraction to any desired pH set point. When the pH dropped below the set point, the controller started pumping in alkali and by that the desired set point was maintained very accurately. Analyses of the extracted hemicelluloses showed that less hemicelluloses were extracted at higher pH but with a higher molar-mass. Monomer formation could, at a certain pH level, be completely inhibited. Increasing the temperature, but maintaining a specific pH set point, would speed up the extraction without degrading the molar-mass of the hemicelluloses and thereby intensifying the extraction. The diffusion of the dissolved hemicelluloses from the wood particle is a major part of the extraction process. Therefore, a particle size study ranging from 0.5 mm wood particles to industrial size wood chips was conducted to investigate the internal mass transfer of the hemicelluloses. Unsurprisingly, it showed that hemicelluloses were extracted faster from smaller wood particles than larger although it did not seem to have a substantial effect on the average molar mass of the extracted hemicelluloses. However, smaller particle sizes require more energy to manufacture and thus increases the economic cost. Since bark comprises 10 – 15 % of a tree, it is important to also consider it in a biorefinery concept. Spruce inner and outer bark was hot-water extracted separately to investigate the possibility to isolate the bark hemicelluloses. It was showed that the bark hemicelluloses comprised mostly of pectic material and differed considerably from the wood hemicelluloses. The bark hemicelluloses, or pectins, could be extracted at lower temperatures than the wood hemicelluloses. A chemical characterization, done separately on inner and outer bark, showed that inner bark contained over 10 % stilbene glucosides that could be extracted already at 100 °C with aqueous acetone.

Biomass Utilization in PFC Co-firing System with the Slagging and Fouling Analysis

Master’s thesis Biomass Utilization in PFC Co-firing System with the Slagging and Fouling Analysis is the study of the modern technologies of different coal-firing systems: PFC system, FB system and GF system. The biomass co-fired with coal is represented by the research of the company Alstom Power Plant. Based on the back ground of the air pollution, greenhouse effect problems and the national fuel security today, the bioenergy utilization is more and more popular. However, the biomass is promoted to burn to decrease the emission amount of carbon dioxide and other air pollutions, new problems form like slagging and fouling, hot corrosion in the firing systems. Thesis represent the brief overview of different coal-firing systems utilized in the world, and focus on the biomass-coal co-firing in the PFC system. The biomass supply and how the PFC system is running are represented in the thesis. Additionally, the new problems of hot corrosion, slagging and fouling are mentioned. The slagging and fouling problem is simulated by using the software HSC Chemistry 6.1, and the emissions comparison between coal-firing and co-firing are simulated as well.

Wooden packaging waste reuse and refining

The aim of the thesis was both to study wooden packaging waste reuse and refining generated in the forestry machine factory environment, and to find alternative wooden packaging waste utilization options in order to create a new operating model which would decrease the overall amount of waste produced. As environmental and waste legislation has become more rigid and companies' own environmental management systems’ requirements and control have increased, companies have had to consider their environmental aspects more carefully. Companies have to take into account alternative ways of reducing waste through an increase in reuse and recycling. A part of this waste is from different forms of packaging. In the metal industry the most heavily used packaging material is wooden packaging, as such material is heavy and the packaging has to be able to bear heavy stress. In the theoretical part of the thesis, the requirements of packaging and packaging waste legislation, as well as environmental management systems governing companies’ processing of their packaging waste, are studied. The theoretical part includes a process study of systems, which direct packaging waste and wooden packaging waste refining. In addition, methods related to the continuous improvement of these processes are introduced. This thesis concentrates on designing and creating a new operating model in relation to wooden packaging waste processing. The main target was to find an efficient model in order to decrease the total amount of wooden packaging waste and to increase refining. The empirical part introduces methods for approaches to wooden packaging waste re-utilization, as well as a description of a new operating model and its impact.

Optical spectroscopy of organic material based on C60

The structure and optical properties of thin films based on C60 materials are studied. Reproducible vacuum method of thin fullerene films production with Cd impurity on Si, glass and mica surfaces is developed. Surface morphology of the films are investigated by AFM and SEM methods. The ab initio quantum - chemical calculations of the geometry, total energy and excited energy states of complex fullerene- cadmium telluride supramolecules are performed. Photoluminescence spectra of composite thin films based on C60 before and after X-ray irradiation were measured. The intensity of additional peaks is defined as the charge composition due to the type of substrate. These results are interpreted as an appearance of the dipole-allowed transitions in the fullerene excited singlet states spectrum cause of an interference with cadmium telluride. X-ray irradiated films were investigated, and additional peaks in photoluminescence spectra were detected. These peaks appear as a result of molecular complexes formation from C60CdTe mixture and dimerization of the films. Density functional B3LYP quantum-chemical calculations for C60CdTe, molecular complexes, (C60)2 and C120O dimers were performed to elucidate some experimental results.

The Utilization of Chinese Social Media in Internationalization into China: Perspective of a Western Company

The purpose of this qualitative research is to analyze western-based companies’ social media usage in internationalization into China and to identify social media presence’ impact on the internationalization process. Additionally, the benefits and challenges a western company may face while using social media in China will be illustrated. Competitive advantages, knowledge, networks and relations, and costs and risks could be identified as the key antecedents for successful internationalization. A great social media presence could create a competitive advantage for a western company while competitive advantages may be communicated in social media marketing, knowledge and networks can be enhanced and utilized in internationalization via social media two-way communication. The biggest benefit for internationalization resulted from decreased marketing costs due to cost-effectiveness of social media. The results revealed that cost effective brand awareness was the main benefit from the social media usage in internationalization into China. However, companies struggled with the limited resources and despite of understanding the importance of Chinese social media, lacked sufficient resources for the social media operations. Companies should determine clear strategy and goals that they are willing to achieve via social media in internationalization process, and allocate required resources according to the social media strategy. Localization of the social media operations is important in China, and business-to-consumer companies tend to benefit more from the social media presence. Business-to-business companies may increase the brand’s credibility by successful Chinese social media operations.

Utilization of recycled mineral wool as filler in wood plastic composites

The impact of a recycled mineral wool filler on the various properties of wood plastic composites was studied and the critical factors affecting the formation of the properties were determined. An estimation of the volume of mineral wool fiber waste generated in the European Union between the years 2010-2020 was presented. Furthermore, the effect of fiber pre-treatment on the properties of the wood plastic composites were studied, and the environmental performance of a wood plastic composite containing recycled mineral fibers was assessed. The results showed that the volumes of construction and demolition waste and new mineral wool produced in the European Union are growing annually, and therefore also the volumes of recycled mineral wool waste generated are increasing. The study showed that the addition of recycled mineral wool into composites can enhance some of the mechanical properties and increase the moisture resistance properties of the composites notably. Recycled mineral wool as a filler in wood plastic composites can also improve the fire resistance properties of composites, but it does not protect the polymer matrix from pyrolysis. Fiber pre-treatment with silane solution improved some of the mechanical properties, but generally the use of maleated polypropylene as the coupling agent led to better mechanical and moisture resistance properties. The environmental performance of recycled mineral wool as the filler in wood plastic composites was superior compared to glass fibers. According to the findings, recycled mineral wool fibers can provide a technically and environmentally viable alternative to the traditional inorganic filler materials used in wood plastic composites.