Kansainvälisen kaupan arvoketjujen sääntely. Yhteiskuntavastuun ja ennakoivan oikeuden tarkastelua

Tausta Kansainvälinen kauppa on globaalia toimintaa, jossa tavaroiden ja palveluiden tuottaminen ja kuluttaminen on jakautunut maapallon eri osiin. Arvoketjukäsitteellä korostetaan eri toimijoiden panosta lopputuotteen valmistamiseksi, sekä yhteisten tavoitteiden merkitystä. Toimijaverkostot ovat moni-ilmeisiä ja monimutkaisia. Globaalin kaupan toinen tärkeä piirre on yhteiskuntavastuu, joka tulee esiin niin yksityisen kuin julkisen sektorin toiminnassa. Sen toteuttaminen asettaa suuria haasteita sekä yksityisen että julkisen sektorin toimijoille. Kansallisvaltion mahdollisuudet hallita globaaleja kaupan arvoketjuja julkisella sääntelyllä on osoittautunut ongelmalliseksi. Tutkimuskysymykset Tämä tutkimus on oikeustieteen alaan kuuluva sääntelytutkimuksen artikkeliväitöskirja, joka on tutkimusotteeltaan poikkitieteellinen. Tutkimus pyrkii kaikkiaan valaisemaan yksityisen sääntelyn käyttömahdollisuuksia ja rajoituksia elinkeinotoiminnassa. Keskeisessä roolissa oikeustieteen rinnalla on liiketaloustieteen tutkimus. Tutkimuskysymykset ovat ensinnäkin, mistä nousee kansainvälistä kauppaa koskeva yksityisen sääntelyn tarve ja toiseksi, mikä motivoi yrityksiä yksityiseen sääntelyyn tai itsesääntelyyn. Lopuksi pohditaan, miten lainsäätäjän tulisi suhtautua yksityiseen sääntelyyn. Tutkimuskysymyksiin vastaamalla syvennetään ja täsmennetään oikeustieteen piirissä tehtävää tutkimusta ennakoivasta oikeudesta. Menetelmät ja aineistot Tutkimus on oikeusvertaileva tutkimus, jossa pääpaino on yksityisessä sääntelyssä. Tutkimusaineisto nojautuu eri tieteenaloilla tehtyihin sekä kvalitatiivisiin että kvantitatiivisiin empiirisiin sääntelyjärjestelmien käyttöä ja toimivuutta koskeviin tutkimuksiin sekä tutkijan tekemään 42:en, metsäsektorin, elintarvikealan, vaatetusalan sekä vähittäiskaupan piirissä käytössä olevan sääntelyjärjestelmän analyysiin. Johtopäätökset Yksityisen sääntelyn tarve nousee tarpeesta hallita globaaleja arvoketjuja kohti yhteisiä tavoitteita. Tulevan lainsäädännön uhan sijasta yrityksiä motivoi yksityiseen sääntelyyn kilpailuedun tavoitteluun liittyvät tekijät. Koska kilpailuetuun yhä yleisemmin sisältyy yhteiskuntavastuullisuus, ovat yritysten tavoitteet ja julkisen sektorin tavoitteet lähentyneet. Erilaisten kansalaisjärjestöjen rooli kasvaa koko ajan. Ne osallistuvat vahvasti niin yksityisen sääntelyn laadintaan kuin myös sääntöjen valvontaan. Yksityisen sääntelyn tavoitteet ovat aiemmin liittyneet ympäristönsuojelun painottamiseen ja elintarviketurvallisuuteen erityisesti metsäsektorilla ja elintarvikealalla, myöhemmin sosiaalisen vastuullisuuden parantaminen on myös tullut painokkaammin esiin. Kansainvälisen kaupan piirissä syntynyttä yksityisen sääntelyn ilmiötä kuvataan tässä ennakoiva oikeus –käsitteellä. Aiempi tutkimus rajoittui tarkastelemaan ilmiötä vain ennakoivana lähestymistapana oikeuteen. Tässä painopiste on sen sijaan ennakoivan lähestymistavan avulla aikaansaaduissa sääntelyn välineissä ja lopputuloksissa: mahdollistavassa, valtaistavassa, dynaamisessa ja käyttäjäystävällisessä oikeudessa, jonka avulla luodaan mahdollisuuksia, ennalta ehkäistään ja hallitaan riskejä eikä pelkästään ratkaista jo syntyneitä ongelmia. Käsitteen sisältöä avataan tutkimuksessa sekä sääntelyjärjestelmien sisällöllisen tarkastelun että prosessiin liittyvän tarkastelun avulla.

Tietopääoman hallinta johtamisessa - kansainväliset järjestöt

Tiivistelmä, Tämä pro gradu tutkielma tutkii ja mallintaa tietopääoman hallinnan sekä johtamisen välineitä kansainvälisissä järjestöissä. Tutkimus on vertaileva tutkimus. Tutkimusaineistona käytetään valittujen yhdeksän kansainvälisten järjestön tuottamia raportteja sekä selontekoja. Tutkimuksen tavoite on tunnistaa ja kuvata kansainvälisissä järjestöissä sekä järjestöjen välisissä ekosysteemeissä nykyisellään käytettäviä tietopääoman johtamisen sekä hallinnan välineitä. Tutkimusaineistoon valikoitui seitsemäntoista tietopääoman hallintaan ja johtamiseen liittyvää kansainvälisten järjestöjen laatimaa raporttia sekä selontekoa. Tutkimuksen tulos on, että kansainvälisille järjestöille on muotoutunut validit kvantitatiiviset sekä kvalitatiiviset menetelmät mitata, hallita, johtaa ja raportoida tietopääomaansa osana globaalia toimintaansa.

A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of a Prefabricated Appliance and a Stabilization Appliance in the Treatment of Myofascial pain and Headache

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the short- and long-term effectiveness of a prefabricated occlusal appliance (R) on patients with myofascial pain and headache by comparing it with the treatment of the stabilization appliance (S). Another aim was to evaluate the effect of appliance treatment on stress-related salivary parameters like cortisol and IgA, as well as on flow rate values in these patients. Sixty-five patients diagnosed with myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain, of whom 94% suffered concomitantly from headache, at two centres for Stomatognathic Physiology, one in Sweden and one in Finland, were included in this randomized controlled trial using Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD), with history questionnaires and clinical examinations performed at baseline and at 6- and 10-weeks, and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Patients were randomly assigned either to the R or the S group. Treatment outcome was measured according to IMMPACT (Initiative on Methods, Measurements, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials), i.e. four chronic pain outcome domains: pain intensity, overall improvement, physical and emotional functioning. Changes in frequency and intensity of headache were recorded. Thirty-nine patients participated in the saliva study. Salivary analyses were performed at 6 and 10 weeks. The results revealed no differences between groups at baseline. At all follow-ups, all four outcome measures, as well as frequency and intensity of headache, showed statistically significant within-group improvement compared to baseline, without significant differences between groups. No treatment-induced changes in saliva parameters could be registered. In conclusion, the effectiveness of the prefabricated appliance seemed to be similar to that of the stabilization appliance in alleviating myofascial pain, and frequency and intensity of headache, in the short as well as the long term. However, no changes in salivary parameters were observed during treatment.

The effectiveness of financial innovation support tools. Comparative study of Latvia and Finland

In the Innovation Union Scoreboard of 2011, Latvia ranked last amongst the EU countries in innovation performance. Even though there is sufficient scientific and technological basis, the results remain modest or low in most of the indicators concerning innovations. Several aspects influence the performance a national innovation system. In Latvia, the low effectiveness is often attributed to lack of financial support tools. As a comparison, Finland was chosen because of its well-established and documented innovation system. The aim of this study is to research the efficiency and effectiveness of the current financial innovation support tool system in Latvia from the point of view of an innovating company. It also attempts to analyze the support tool system of Latvia and compare to the relevant parts of the Finnish system. The study found that it is problematic for innovative companies in Latvia to receive the necessary funding especially for start-ups and SMEs due to the low number of grant programs, funds and lacking offer from banks, venture capital and business angels. To improve the situation, the Latvian government should restructure the funding mechanisms putting a bigger emphasis on innovative start-ups and SMEs. That would lay a foundation for future growth and boost research and scientific activities in Latvia.

Social class as a factor for the construction of a musician’s identity : The Musician’s social background and identity questionnaire (MSBIQ) – a cross-sectional comparative quantitative online survey research study of music students at two higher education institutions in Finland

There is currently little empirical knowledge regarding the construction of a musician’s identity and social class. With a theoretical framework based on Bourdieu’s (1984) distinction theory, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) theory of ecological systems, and the identity theories of Erikson (1950; 1968) and Marcia (1966), a survey called the Musician’s Social Background and Identity Questionnaire (MSBIQ) is developed to test three research hypotheses related to the construction of a musician’s identity, social class and ecological systems of development. The MSBIQ is administered to the music students at Sibelius Academy of the University of Arts Helsinki and Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, representing the ’highbrow’ and the ’middlebrow’ samples in the field of music education in Finland. Acquired responses (N = 253) are analyzed and compared with quantitative methods including Pearson’s chi-square test, factor analysis and an adjusted analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study revealed that (1) the music students at Sibelius Academy and Metropolia construct their subjective musician’s identity differently, but (2) social class does not affect this identity construction process significantly. In turn, (3) the ecological systems of development, especially the individual’s residential location, do significantly affect the construction of a musician’s identity, as well as the age at which one starts to play one’s first musical instrument. Furthermore, a novel finding related to the structure of a musician’s identity was the tripartite model of musical identity consisting of the three dimensions of a musician’s identity: (I) ’the subjective dimension of a musician’s identity’, (II) ’the occupational dimension of a musician’s identity’ and, (III) ’the conservative-liberal dimension of a musician’s identity’. According to this finding, a musician’s identity is not a uniform, coherent entity, but a structure consisting of different elements continuously working in parallel within different dimensions. The results and limitations related to the study are discussed, as well as the objectives related to future studies using the MSBIQ to research the identity construction and social backgrounds of a musician or other performing artists.

Release Process Effectiveness - Case of Operating Room Management Software

Työn päätavoitteena oli tuoda esiin tärkeimmät julkistamisprosessin tehokkuuteen vaikuttavat tekijät. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin aihetta julkistamisprojektien vetäjän näkökulmasta. Kirjallinen selvitys kattaa keskeisimmät ohjelmistoprosessin, palvelun laadun sekä projektihallinnan teoriat. Kokeellisena aineistona käytettiin asiakkailta ja myynnin sekä käyttöönoton organisaatioilta tullutta palautetta ja asiantuntijahaastatteluita. Case-tuotteena tarkasteltiin suuren kansainvälisen yrityksen jälleenmyymää leikkaussalihallinnan ohjelmistoa. Tärkeimpiä julkistamisprosessin tehokkuuteen vaikuttavia tekijöitä ovat tiekartan ja julkistamispakettien sisällön hallinta, projektin aikataulujen pitäminen, rehellinen ja nopea kommunikaatio myyntikanavaan ja asiakkaille, sekä hyvin toteutettu testaus. Työssä käydään läpi esimerkkistrategioita kehittymiseen näillä alueilla.

Profiles of Second Language Learners in Bilingual Education: A Comparative Study of the Characteristics of Finnish and American Students

The purpose of this comparative study is to profile second language learners by exploring the factors which have an impact on their learning. The subjects come from two different countries: one group comes from Milwaukee, US, and the other from Turku, Finland. The subjects have attended bilingual classes from elementary school to senior high school in their respective countries. In the United States, the subjects (N = 57) started in one elementary school from where they moved on to two high schools in the district. The Finnish subjects (N = 39) attended the same school from elementary to high school. The longitudinal study was conducted during 1994-2004 and combines both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A Pilot Study carried out in 1990-1991 preceded the two subsequent studies that form the core material of this research. The theoretical part of the study focuses first on language policies in the United States and Finland: special emphasis is given to the history, development and current state of bilingual education, and the factors that have affected policy-making in the provision of language instruction. Current language learning theories and models form the theoretical foundation of the research, and underpin the empirical studies. Cognitively-labeled theories are at the forefront, but sociocultural theory and the ecological approach are also accounted for. The research methods consist of questionnaires, compositions and interviews. A combination of statistical methods as well as content analysis were used in the analysis. The attitude of the bilingual learners toward L1 and L2 was generally positive: the subjects enjoyed learning through two languages and were motivated to learn both. The knowledge of L1 and parental support, along with early literacy in L1, facilitated the learning of L2. This was particularly evident in the American subject group. The American subjects’ L2 learning was affected by the attitudes of the learners to the L1 culture and its speakers. Furthermore, the negative attitudes taken by L1 speakers toward L2 speakers and the lack of opportunities to engage in activities in the L1 culture affected the American subjects’ learning of L2, English. The research showed that many American L2 learners were isolated from the L1 culture and were even afraid to use English in everyday communication situations. In light of the research results, a politically neutral linguistic environment, which the Finnish subjects inhabited, was seen to be more favorable for learning. The Finnish subjects were learning L2, English, in a neutral zone where their own attitudes and motivation dictated their learning. The role of L2 as a means of international communication in Finland, as opposed to a means of exercising linguistic power, provided a neutral atmosphere for learning English. In both the American and Finnish groups, the learning of other languages was facilitated when the learner had a good foundation in their L1, and the learning of L1 and L2 were in balance. Learning was also fostered when the learners drew positive experiences from their surroundings and were provided with opportunities to engage in activities where L2 was used.

The effects of social networks on work-team effectiveness

This is a study of team social networks, their antecedents and outcomes. In focusing attention on the structural configuration of the team this research contributes to a new wave of thinking concerning group social capital. The research site was a random sample of Finnish work organisations. The data consisted of 499 employees in 76 teams representing 48 different organisations. A systematic literature review and quantitative methods were used in conducting the research: the former primarily to establish the current theoretical position on the relationships among the variables and the latter to test these relationships. Social network analysis was the primary method used in identifying the social-network relations among the work-team members. The first and key contribution of this study is that it relates the structuralnetwork properties of work teams to behavioural outcomes, attitudinal outcomes and, ultimately, team performance. Moreover, it shows that addressing attitudinal outcomes is also important in terms of team performance; attitudinal outcomes (team identity) mediated the relationship between the team’s performance and its social network. The second contribution is that it examines the possible antecedents of the social structure. It is thus one response to Salancik’s (1995) call for a network theory in that it explains why certain network characteristics exist. Itdemonstrates that irrespective of whether or not a team is heterogeneous in terms of age or gender, educational diversity may protect it from centralisation. However, heterogeneity in terms of gender turned out to have a negative impact on density. Thirdly, given the observation that the benefits of (team) networks are typically theorised and modelled without reference to the nature of the relationships comprising the structure, the study directly tested whether team knowledge mediated the effects of instrumental and expressive network relationships on team performance. Furthermore, with its focus on expressive networks that link the workplace to a more informal world, which have been rather neglected in previous research, it enhances knowledge of teams andnetworks. The results indicate that knowledge sharing fully mediates the influence of complementarities between dense and fragmented instrumental network relationships, thus providing empirical validation of the implicit understanding that networks transfer knowledge. Fourthly, the study findings suggest that an optimal configuration of the work-team social-network structure combines both bridging and bonding social relationships.

The relationship between first-order capabilities and online innovations. A comparative case study on the publishing sector.

The objective of this thesis was to study the relationship between firstorder capabilities and online innovations. First-order capabilities can be divided into market and technology capabilities, and they play an important role in the production of innovations. The study was carried out in publishing industry, where many changes have taken place in the online environment during the last few years. In the empirical research, four companies were studied, two magazine publishers and two newspaper publishers. The analysis was done in two phases; first every case was analyzed alone and then the cases were compared in cross-case analysis. The most important finding was the positive impact of market capability to the production of online innovations. The study also increased understanding about the relationship between market and technology capabilities and online innovations in general.

The effectiveness of short-term literacy skills intervention on children at risk of reading and writing difficulties in Tanzania : a study of grade one children with dynamic assessment approach

The aim of the study was to create and evaluate an intervention programme for Tanzanian children from a low-income area who are at risk of reading and writing difficulties. The learning difficulties, including reading and writing difficulties, are likely to be behind many of the common school problems in Tanzania, but they are not well understood, and research is needed. The design of the study included an identification and intervention phase with follow-up. A group based dynamic assessment approach was used in identifying children at risk of difficulties in reading and writing. The same approach was used in the intervention. The study was a randomized experiment with one experimental and two control groups. For the experimental and the control groups, a total of 96 (46 girls and 50 boys) children from grade one were screened out of 301 children from two schools in a low income urban area of Dar-es-Salaam. One third of the children, the experimental group, participated in an intensive training programme in literacy skills for five weeks, six hours per week, aimed at promoting reading and writing ability, while the children in the control groups had a mathematics and art programme. Follow-up was performed five months after the intervention. The intervention programme and the tests were based on the Zambian BASAT (Basic Skill Assessment Tool, Ketonen & Mulenga, 2003), but the content was drawn from the Kiswahili school curriculum in Tanzania. The main components of the training and testing programme were the same, only differing in content. The training process was different from traditional training in Tanzanian schools in that principles of teaching and training in dynamic assessment were followed. Feedback was the cornerstone of the training and the focus was on supporting the children in exploring knowledge and strategies in performing the tasks. The experimental group improved significantly more (p = .000) than the control groups during the intervention from pre-test to follow-up (repeated measures ANOVA). No differences between the control groups were noticed. The effect was significant on all the measures: phonological awareness, reading skills, writing skills and overall literacy skills. A transfer effect on school marks in Kiswahili and English was found. Following a discussion of the results, suggestions for further research and adaptation of the programme are presented.

Effectiveness of Pilotage

The objective of the pilotage effectiveness study was to come up with a process descrip-tion of the pilotage procedure, to design performance indicators based on this process description, to be used by Finnpilot, and to work out a preliminary plan for the imple-mentation of the indicators within the Finnpilot organisation. The theoretical aspects of pilotage as well as the guidelines and standards used were determined through a literature review. Based on the literature review, a process flow model with the following phases was created: the planning of pilotage, the start of pilo-tage, the act of pilotage, the end of pilotage and the closing of pilotage. The model based on the literature review was tested through interviews and observation of pilotage. At the same time an e-mail survey directed at foreign pilotage organisations, which included a questionnaire concerning their standards and management systems, operations procedures, measurement tools and their attitude to the passage planning, was conducted. The main issues in the observations and interviews were the passage plan and the bridge team co-operation. The phases of the pilotage process model emerged in both the pilotage activities and the interviews whereas bridge team co-operation was relatively marginal. Most of the pilotage organisations, who responded to the query, also use some standard-based management system. All organisations who answered the survey use some sort of a pilotage process model. According to the query, the main measuring tools for pilotage are statistical information concerning pilotage and the organisations, the customer feedback surveys, and financial results. Attitudes to-wards passage planning were mostly positive among the organisations. A workshop with pilotage experts was arranged where the process model constructed on the basis of the literature review was tuned to match practical pilotage. In the workshop it was determined that certain phases and the corresponding tasks, through which pilo-tage can be described as a process, were identifiable in all pilotage. The result of the workshop was a complemented process model, which separates incoming and outgoing traffic, as well as the fairway pilotage and harbour pilotage from each other. Addition-ally indicators divided according to the data gathering method were defined. Data con-cerning safety and traffic flow is gathered in the form of customer feedback. The pilot's own perceptions of the pilotage process are gathered through self-assessment. The measurement data which is connected to the phases of the pilotage process is generated e.g. by gathering statistics of the success of the pilot dispatches, the accuracy of the pi-lotage and the incidents that occurred during the pilotage, near misses, deviations and accidents. The measurement data is collected via the PilotWeb at the closing of the pilo-tage. A separate project and a project group with pilots also participating will be established for the deployment of the performance indicators. The phases of the project are: the definition phase, the implementation phase and the deployment phase. The purpose of the definition phase is to prepare questions for ship commanders concerning the cus-tomer feedback questionnaire and also to work out the self-assessment queries and the queries concerning the process indicators.

Developing the measurement and management of knowledge: applying the constructive research approach in a knowledge intensive service environment

Intellectual assets have attained continuous attention in the academic field, as they are vital sources of competitive advantage and organizational performance in the contemporary knowledge intensive business environment. Intellectual capital measurement is quite thoroughly addressed in the accounting literature. However, the purpose of the measurement is to support the management of intellectual assets, but the reciprocal relationship between measurement and management has not been comprehensively considered in the literature. The theoretical motivation for this study rose from this paradox, as in order to maximise the effectiveness of knowledge management the two initiatives need to be closely integrated. The research approach of this interventionist case study is constructive. The objective is to develop the case organization’s knowledge management and intellectual capital measurement in a way that they would be closely integrated and the measurement would support the management of intellectual assets. The case analysis provides valuable practical considerations about the integration and related issues as the case company is a knowledge intensive organization in which the know-how of the employees is the central competitive asset and therefore, the management and measurement of knowledge are essential for its future success. The results suggest that the case organization is confronting challenges in managing knowledge. In order to appropriately manage knowledge processes and control the related risks, support from intellectual capital measurement is required. However, challenges in measuring intellectual capital, especially knowledge, could be recognized in the organization. By reflecting the knowledge management situation and the constructed strategy map, a new intellectual measurement system was developed for the case organization. The construction of the system as well as its indicators can be perceived to contribute to the literature, emphasizing of the importance of properly considering the organization’s knowledge situation in developing an intellectual capital measurement system.

Service innovation development and knowledge integration practices - a comparative case study on KIBS sector

Academic research on services and innovations on services has significantly grown during recent years. So far research concerning management of knowledge intensive work on service development activities is very limited. The objective of this study was to examine knowledge integration practices that support service innovation development and to the best of knowledge such studies have not been previously published in academic literature. In the theoretical part of the study a review of state‐of‐the‐art literature was conducted, research gap was indicated and a framework for analysis was built. In the empirical part an explorative comparative multi‐case study was carried out in KIBS sector. Four companies were selected and four service development projects were inspected. The service development activities and knowledge integration practices were identified. The cases were carefully compared and results formed. The empirical results indicated that service innovation development is partly linear and partly incremental flow of activities where knowledge integration practices have important role supporting the planning and execution of tasks. Knowledge integration practices supporting planning and workshops are close interaction, interpretation, project planning and sequencing of work tasks. The identified knowledge integration practices supporting building service solution were careful role and competence management, routines and common knowledge. The main implication is that to manage knowledge intensive service innovation development a firm should carefully develop and choose relevant knowledge integration practices to support the service development activities.