Strategic communication : practice, ideology and dissonance

This dissertation approaches the manifestations of ideology in U.S. Strategic Communication. The discussion approaches Strategic Communication by relating it to the Enlightenment narratives and suggesting these narratives maintain similar social and political functions. This dissertation aims to address the key contents and mechanisms of Strategic Communication by covering the perspectives of (i) communication as leadership as well as (ii) communication as discourse , i.e. practice and contents. Throughout the empirical part of the dissertation, the communication theoretical discussion is supported by a methodological framework that bridges Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and functional language theory. According to the principles of CDA, Strategic Communication is treated as ideological, hegemonic discourse that impacts social order. The primary method of analysis is transitivity analysis, which is concerned with how language and its patterns construe reality. This analysis is complemented with a discussion on the rituals of production and interpretation, which can be treated as visual extensions of textual transitivity. The concept of agency is the key object of analysis. From the perspective of leadership, Strategic Communication is essentially a leadership model through which the organization defines itself, its aims and legitimacy. This dissertation arrives to the conclusion that Strategic Communication is used not only as a concept for managing Public Relations and information operations. It is an esse ntial asset in the inter-organization management of its members. The current developments indicate that the concept is developing towards even heavier measures of control. From the perspective of language and discourse, the key narratives of Strategic Communication are advocated with the intrinsic values of democracy and technological progress as the prerequisites of ethics and justice. The transitivity patterns reveal highly polarized agency. The agency of the Self is typically outsourced to technology. Further, the transitivity pa tterns demonstrate how the effects-centric paradigm of warfare has created a lexicon that is ideologically exclusive. It has led to the development of two mutually exclusive sets of vocabulary, where the desc riptions of legitimate ac tion exclude Others by default. These ideological discourses have become naturalized in the official vocabulary of strategic planning and le adership. Finally, the analysis of the images of the captures and deaths of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi bring the discussion back to the themes of the Enlightenment by demonstrating how democracy is framed to serve political purposes. The images of democracy are essentially images of violence. Contrary to the official, instrumental and humanitari an narratives of Strategic Communication, it is the grammar of expressive, violent rituals that serve as the instrument of unity.

Organizational creativity – Hegemonic and alternative discourses

SUMMARY Organizational creativity – hegemonic and alternative discourses Over the course of recent developments in the societal and business environment, the concept of creativity has been brought into new arenas. The rise of ‘creative industries’ and the idea of creativity as a form of capital have attracted the interests of business and management professionals – as well as academics. As the notion of creativity has been adopted in the organization studies literature, the concept of organizational creativity has been introduced to refer to creativity that takes place in an organizational context. This doctoral thesis focuses on organizational creativity, and its purpose is to explore and problematize the hegemonic organizational creativity discourse and to provide alternative viewpoints for theorizing about creativity in organizations. Taking a discourse theory approach, this thesis, first, provides an outline of the currently predominant, i.e. hegemonic, discourse on organizational creativity, which is explored regarding themes, perspectives, methods and paradigms. Second, this thesis consists of five studies that act as illustrations of certain alternative viewpoints. Through these exemplary studies, this thesis sheds light on the limitations and taken-for-granted aspects of the hegemonic discourse and discusses what these alternative viewpoints could offer for the understanding of and theorizing for organizational creativity. This study leans on an assumption that the development of organizational creativity knowledge and the related discourse is not inevitable or progressive but rather contingent. The organizational creativity discourse has developed in a certain direction, meaning that some themes, perspectives, and methods, as well as assumptions, values, and objectives, have gained a hegemonic position over others, and are therefore often taken for granted and considered valid and relevant. The hegemonization of certain aspects, however, contributes to the marginalization of others. The thesis concludes that the hegemonic discourse on organizational creativity is based on an extensive coverage of certain themes and perspectives, such as those focusing on individual cognitive processes, motivation, or organizational climate and their relation to creativity, to name a few. The limited focus on some themes and the confinement to certain prevalent perspectives, however, results in the marginalization of other themes and perspectives. The negative, often unintended, consequences, implications, and side effects of creativity, the factors that might hinder or prevent creativity, and a deeper inquiry into the ontology and epistemology of creativity have attracted relatively marginal interest. The material embeddedness of organizational creativity, in other words, the physical organizational environment as well as the human body and its non-cognitive resources, has largely been overlooked in the hegemonic discourse, although thereare studies in this area that give reason to believe that they might prove relevant for the understanding of creativity. The hegemonic discourse is based on an individual-centered understanding of creativity which overattributes creativity to an individual and his/her cognitive capabilities, while simultaneously neglecting how, for instance, the physical environment, artifacts, social dynamics and interactions condition organizational creativity. Due to historical reasons, quantitative as well as qualitative yet functionally- oriented studies have predominated the organizational creativity discourse, although studies falling into the interpretationist paradigm have gradually become more popular. The two radical paradigms, as well as methodological and analytical approaches typical of radical research, can be considered to hold a marginal position in the field of organizational creativity. The hegemonic organizational creativity discourse has provided extensive findings related to many aspects of organizational creativity, although the con- ceptualizations and understandings of organizational creativity in the hegemonic discourse are also in many respects limited and one-sided. The hegemonic discourse is based on an assumption that creativity is desirable, good, necessary, or even obligatory, and should be encouraged and nourished. The conceptualiza- tions of creativity favor the kind of creativity which is useful, valuable and can be harnessed for productivity. The current conceptualization is limited to the type of creativity that is acceptable and fits the managerial ideology, and washes out any risky, seemingly useless, or negative aspects of creativity. It also limits the possible meanings and representations that ‘creativity’ has in the respective discourse, excluding many meanings of creativity encountered in other discourses. The excessive focus on creativity that is good, positive, productive and fits the managerial agenda while ignoring other forms and aspects of creativity, however, contributes to the dilution of the notion. Practices aimed at encouraging the kind of creativity may actually entail a risk of fostering moderate alterations rather than more radical novelty, as well as management and organizational practices which limit creative endeavors, rather than increase their likelihood. The thesis concludes that although not often given the space and attention they deserve, there are alternative conceptualizations and understandings of organizational creativity which embrace a broader notion of creativity. The inability to accommodate the ‘other’ understandings and viewpoints within the organizational creativity discourse runs a risk of misrepresenting the complex and many-sided phenomenon of creativity in organizational context. Keywords: Organizational creativity, creativity, organization studies, discourse theory, hegemony

Kustannusten ja ajan sitoutuminen tuotteeseen elintarviketeollisuuden arvoverkostossa

Tämä pro gradu -tutkielma käsitteleekustannusten ja ajan analysointia elintarviketeollisuuden arvoverkostossa. Teoriaosuuden kantavia käsitteitä ovat arvoverkosto, Lean Management -ideologia, Value Stream Mapping ja Supply Chain Time and Cost Mapping. Tutkimus toteutetaan case - tutkimuksena, ja siinä on piirteitä niin kvalitatiivisesta kuin kvantitatiivisesta tutkimusasetelmasta. Teoriaosuuden lähteinä on käytetty tieteellisissä julkaisuissa ilmestyneitä journal -artikkeleita sekä alan kirjallisuutta. Tutkimus liittyy olennaisena osana Elintarviketeollisuuden Uudistuva Liiketoiminta -projektiin ja antaa tätä kautta kontekstin muille tutkimuksille sekä konkreettisenesimerkin kyseisestä arvoverkostosta. Empiirisen osan case-yrityksinä ovat Saarioinen Oy, Tuoretie Oy ja Ruokakesko Oy. Analyysin kohteena onLiha-Saarioisten valmistama karjalanpiirakka-tuoteryhmä. Konkreettisena tutkimustuloksena on karjalanpiirakan prosessikuvaus koko arvoketjun matkalta, kustannuskertymä, aikaperusteinen analyysi ja kustannus-aika-kuvaaja. Lisäksi arvoketjun matkalla tehdyistä haastatteluista on kerätty kehitysehdotuksia sekä samalla etsitty hukkatoimintoja. Tuloksista voi tehdä sen johtopäätöksen, että karjalanpiirakka on tyypillinen elintarvike, jonka kustannuksista suurin osa on raaka-aineita ja tuotannon työtä. Aikaa arvoketjussa kuluu eniten kaupan hyllyllä. Organisaatioidenyhteistyöllä aikaa ja sitä kautta kustannuksia olisi kuitenkin mahdollisuus vielä karsia.

Value added logistical support service: logistics cost structure and performance in the new concept. Part 3

The aim of this study is to present an Activity-Based Costing spreadsheet tool for analyzing the logistics costs. The tool can be used both by customer-companies and logistics service providers. The study discusses the influence of different activity models on costs. Additionally this paper discusses about the logistical performance across the total supply chain This study is carried out using ananalytical research approach and literature material has been used for supplementing the concerned research approach. Cost structure analysis was based on the theory of activity-based management. This study was outlined to spare part logistics in machine-shop industry. The outlines of logistics services and logisticalperformance discussed in this report are based on the new logistics business concept (LMS-concept), which has been presented earlier in the Valssi-project. Oneof the aims of this study is to increase awareness of different activity modelson logistics costs. The report paints an overall picture about the business environment and requirements for the new logistics concept.

Order-flow Standardization with Product Data Management Ideology

Tämän diplomityön päämääränä oli kuvata tilaus-toimitusprosessin eri toimintojen työnkulku, kun tuotetiedonhallintajärjestelmä on osa työympäristöä. Työn teoreettisessa osassa tarkasteltiin liiketoimintaprosessien uudistamista ja prosessien määrittämistä sekä esiteltiin tuotetiedonhallinnan (PDM) keskeiset osa-alueet. Kohdeyrityksen tausta ja strategiat esiteltiin, minkä jälkeen muutoksia arvioitiin suhteessa teoriaosuuden tuloksiin. Nykyisten toimintatapojen määrittämistä varten haastateltiin henkilöitä jokaisesta tilaus-toimitusprosessin vaiheesta tuotantoyksikön sisällä. Lopuksi kuvattiin yrityksen tuotetiedonhallintaperiaatteet ja määritettiin työnkulku prosessin eri vaiheissa. Samalla kuin uusi tuotetiedonhallintajärjestelmä otetaan käyttöön, on yrityksessä omaksuttava tuotetiedonhallinnan ajatusmalli. Tuoterakenteen hallinta jakautuu nyt eri toimintojen kesken, jolloin suunnittelun rakenne, tuotannon rakenne ja huoltorakenne ovat eri ihmisten vastuulla. Näiden eri rakenteiden konfigurointi tilaus-toimitus prosessin aikana määrää missä järjestyksessä toiminnot on suoritettava eri järjestelmien välillä. Monikansallinen suunnitteluorganisaatio on myös otettava huomioon tilauksenkulun aikana. Tuotetiedonhallintajärjestelmää käytetään yhdessä tuttujen suunnitteluohjelmien sekä toiminnanohjausjärjestelmän (ERP) kanssa. Työnkulkukaaviossa määritellään koko yritystä koskeva malli siitä, miten ja missä järjestyksessä tehtävät on suoritettava eri järjestelmissä tilaus-toimitus prosessin aikana. Tässä työssä tutkittiin tuotteen määrittelyn ja suunnittelutiedon hallinnan kannalta oleellisimmat tilaus-toimitusprosessiin kuuluvat toiminnot; myynti, myynnin tuki, tuotannon ohjaus, sovellussuunnittelu ja dokumentointi. Tulevaisuudessa on suositeltavaa pohtia tuotetiedonhallintajärjestelmän käyttöönottoa myös tuotannossa ja ostoissa. Tilaus-toimitusprosessiin liittyvät kehitysmahdollisuudet kannattaisi seuraavaksi kohdistaa tilauksen määrittelyvaiheeseen myyjä-asiakas rajapinnassa, jossa tehdyt virheet kertautuvat jokaisessa prosessin vaiheessa.

Tautomerism and Fragmentation of Biologically Active Hetero Atom (O, N)-Containing Acyclic and Cyclic Compounds Under Electron Ionization

In this thesis a total of 86 compounds containing the hetero atoms oxygen and nitrogen were studied under electron ionization mass spectrometry (EIMS). These compounds are biologically active and were synthesized by various research groups. The main attention of this study was paid on the fragmentations related to different tautomeric forms of 2- phenacylpyridines, 2-phenacylquinolines, 8-aryl-3,4-dioxo-2H,8H-6,7-dihydroimidazo- [2,1-c][1,2,4]triazines and aryl- and benzyl-substituted 2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-5,7-(1H,6H)-diones. Also regio/stereospecific effects on fragmentations of pyrrolo- and isoindoloquinazolinones and naphthoxazine, naphthpyrrolo-oxazinone and naphthoxazino-benzoxazine derivatives were screened. Results were compared with NMR data, when available. The first part of thesis consists of theory and literature review of different types of tautomerism and fragmentation mechanisms in EIMS. The effects of tautomerism in biological systems are also briefly reviewed. In the second part of the thesis the own results of the author, based on six publications,are discussed. For 2-phenacylpyridines and 2-phenacylquinolines the correlation of different Hammett substituent constants to the relative abundances (RA) or total ion currents (% TIC) of selected ions were investigated. Although it was not possible to assign most of the ions formed unambiguously to the different tautomers, the linear fits of their RAs and % TICs can be related to changing contributions of different tautomeric forms. For dioxoimidazotriazines and imidazopyrimidinediones the effects of substituents were rather weak. The fragmentations were also found useful for obtaining structural information. Some stereoisomeric pairs of pyrrolo- and isoindoloquinazolines and regiomeric pairs of naphtoxazine derivatives showed clear differences in thir mass spectra. Some mechanisms are suggested for their fragmentations.

Competence Development and Capacity Building of Sawmill Enterprises in Kenya – A Human Resources Development Approach

The Kenyan forestry and sawmilling industry have been subject to a changing environment since 1999 when the industrial forest plantations were closed down. This has lowered raw material supply and it has affected and reduced the sawmill operations and the viability of the sawmill enterprises. The capacity of the 276 registered sawmills is not sufficient to fulfill sawn timber demand in Kenya. This is because of the technological degradation and lack of a qualified labor force, which were caused because of non-existent sawmilling education and further training in Kenya. Lack of competent sawmill workers has led to low raw material recovery, under utilization of resources and loss of employment. The objective of the work was to suggest models, methods and approaches for the competence and capacity development of the Kenyan sawmilling industry, sawmills and their workers. A nationwide field survey, interviews, questionnaire and literature review was used for data collection to find out the sawmills’ competence development areas and to suggest models and methods for their capacity building. The sampling frame included 22 sawmills that represented 72,5% of all the registered sawmills in Kenya. The results confirmed that the sawmills’ technological level was backwards, productivity low, raw material recovery unacceptable and workers’ professional education low. The future challenges will be how to establish the sawmills’ capacity building and workers’ competence development. Sawmilling industry development requires various actions through new development models and approaches. Activities should be started for technological development and workers’ competence development. This requires re-starting of vocational training in sawmilling and the establishment of more effective co-operation between the sawmills and their stakeholder groups. In competence development the Enterprise Competence Management Model of Nurminen (2007) can be used, whereas the best training model and approach would be a practically oriented learning at work model in which the short courses, technical assistance and extension services would be the key functions.

The governmental organization's role in railway freight market's liberalization -building knowledge through Swedish and Polish operators' experiences

Globalization has increased transport aggregates’ demand. Whilst transport volumes increase, ecological values’im portance has sharpened: carbon footprint has become a measure known world widely. European Union together with other communities emphasizes friendliness to the environment: same trend has extended to transports. As a potential substitute for road transport is noted railway transport, which decreases the congestions and lowers the emission levels. Railway freight market was liberalized in the European Union 2007, which enabled new operators to enter the markets. This research had two main objectives. Firstly, it examined the main market entry strategies utilized and the barriers to entry confronted by the operators who entered the markets after the liberalization. Secondly, the aim was to find ways the governmental organization could enhance its service towards potential railway freight operators. Research is a qualitative case study, utilizing descriptive analytical research method with a normative shade. Empirical data was gathered by interviewing Swedish and Polish railway freight operators by using a semi-structured theme-interview. This research provided novel information by using first-hand data; topic has been researched previously by utilizing second-hand data and literature analyses. Based on this research, rolling stock acquisition, needed investments and bureaucracy generate the main barriers to entry. The research results show that the mostly utilized market entry strategies are start-up and vertical integration. The governmental organization could enhance the market entry process by organizing courses, paying extra attention on flexibility, internal know-how and educating the staff.

Marketing culture of Finnish research libraries : an analysis of marketing attitude, knowledge and behaviour

The aim of the present dissertation is to investigate the marketing culture of research libraries in Finland and to understand the awareness of the knowledge base of library management concerning modern marketing theories and practices. The study was based onthe notion that a leader in an organisation can have large impact on its culture. Therefore, it was considered important to learn about the market orientation that initiates at the top management and flows throughout the whole organisationthus resulting in a particular kind of library culture. The study attempts to examine the marketing culture of libraries by analysing the marketing attitudes, knowledge (underlying beliefs, values and assumptions), behaviour (market orientation), operational policies and activities, and their service performance (customer satisfaction). The research was based on the assumption that if the top management of libraries has market oriented behaviour, then their marketing attitudes, knowledge, operational policies and activities and service performance should also be in accordance. The dissertation attempts to connect all these theoretical threads of marketing culture. It investigates thirty three academic and special libraries in the south of Finland. The library director and three to ten customers from each library participated as respondents in this study. An integrated methodological approach of qualitative as well as quantitative methods was used to gain knowledge on the pertinent issues lying behind the marketing culture of research libraries. The analysis of the whole dissertation reveals that the concept of marketing has very varied status in the Finnish research libraries. Based on the entire findings, three kinds of marketing cultures were emerged: the strong- the high fliers; the medium- the brisk runners; and the weak- the slow walkers. The high fliers appeared to be modern marketing believers as their marketing approach was customer oriented and found to be closer to the emerging notions of contemporary relational marketing. The brisk runners were found to be traditional marketing advocates as their marketing approach is more `library centred¿than customer defined and thus is in line of `product orientation¿ i.e. traditional marketing. `Let the interested customers come to the library¿ was appeared to be the hallmark of the slow walkers. Application of conscious market orientation is not reflected in the library activities of the slow walkers. Instead their values, ideology and approach to serving the library customers is more in tuneof `usual service oriented Finnish way¿. The implication of the research is that it pays to be market oriented which results in higher customer satisfaction oflibraries. Moreover, it is emphasised that the traditional user based service philosophy of Finnish research libraries should not be abandoned but it needs to be further developed by building a relational based marketing system which will help the libraries to become more efficient and effective from the customers¿ viewpoint. The contribution of the dissertation lies in the framework showing the linkages between the critical components of the marketing culture of a library: antecedents, market orientation, facilitators and consequences. The dissertationdelineates the significant underlying dimensions of market-oriented behaviour of libraries which are namely customer philosophy, inter-functional coordination,strategic orientation, responsiveness, pricing orientation and competition orientation. The dissertation also showed the extent to which marketing attitudes, behaviour, knowledge were related and impact of market orientation on the serviceperformance of libraries. A strong positive association was found to exist between market orientation and marketing attitudes and knowledge. Moreover, it also shows that a higher market orientation is positively connected with the service performance of libraries, the ultimate result being higher customer satisfaction. The analysis shows that a genuine marketing culture represents a synthesis of certain marketing attitudes, knowledge and of selective practices. This finding is particularly significant in the sense that it manifests that marketing culture consists of a certain sets of beliefs and knowledge (which form a specific attitude towards marketing) and implementation of a certain set of activities that actually materialize the attitude of marketing into practice (market orientation) leading to superior service performance of libraries.

Soldiering and the making of Finnish manhood : conscription and masculinity in interwar Finland, 1918–1939

Military conscription and peacetime military service were the subjects of heated political, social and cultural controversies during the early years of national independence in Finland. Both the critics and the supporters of the existing military system described it as strongly formative of young men’s physical and moral development into adult men and male citizens. The conflicts over conscription prompted the contemporaries to express their notions about what Finnish men were like, at their best and at their worst, and what should and could be done about it. This thesis studies military conscription as an arena for the “making of manhood” in peacetime Finnish society, 1918–1939. It examines a range of public images of conscripted soldiering, asking how soldiering was depicted and given gendered meanings in parliamentary debates, war hero myths, texts concerned with the military and civic education of conscripts, as well as in works of fiction and reminiscences about military training as a personal experience. Studying conscription with a focus on masculinity, the thesis explores the different cultural images of manliness, soldiering and male citizenship on offer in Finnish society. It investigates how political parties, officers, educators, journalists, writers and “ordinary” conscripts used and developed, embraced or rejected these notions, according to their political purposes or personal needs. The period between the two world wars can be described as a fast-forward into military modernity in Finland. In the process, European middle class gender ideologies clashed with Finnish agrarian masculinities. Nationalistic agendas for the militarisation of Finnish manhood stumbled against intense class conflicts and ideological resistance. Military propaganda used images of military heroism, civic virtue and individual success to persuade the conscripts into ways of thinking and acting that were shaped by bourgeois mentality, nationalistic ideology and religious morality. These images are further analysed as expressive of the personal experiences and emotions of their middle-aged, male authors. The efforts of these military educators were, however, actively resisted on many fronts, ranging from rural working class masculinities among the conscripted young men to ideological critiques of the standing army system in parliament. In narratives about military training, masculinity was depicted as both strengthened and contradicted by the harsh and even brutal practices of interwar Finnish military training. The study represents a combination of new military history and the historical study of men and masculinities. It approaches masculinity as a contested and highly political form of social and cultural knowledge that is actively and selectively used by historic actors. Instead of trying to identify a dominant or “hegemonic” form of masculinity within a pre-determined theoretical structure, this study examines how the meanings ascribed to manhood varied according to class, age, political ideology and social situation. The interwar period in Finland can be understood as a period of contest between different notions of militarised masculinity, yet to judge by the materials studied, there was no clear winning party in that contest. A gradual movement from an atmosphere of conflict surrounding conscription towards political and cultural compromises can be discerned, yet this convergence was incomplete and many division lines remained.

"We Are Neither Visionaries Nor Utopian Dreamers" : Willi Münzenberg, the League against Imperialism, and the Comintern, 1925-1933

On 10 February 1927, the "First International Congress against Imperialism and Colonialism" in Brussels marked the establishment of the anti-imperialist organisation, the League against Imperialism and for National Independence (LAI, 1927-37). The complex preparations for the congress were though initiated already in 1925 by Willi Münzenberg, a German communist and General Secretary of the communist mass organisation, Internationale Arbeiterhilfe (IAH, 1921-35), together with the Communist International (Comintern, 1919-43). Berlin was the centre for the LAI and its International Secretariat (1927-33), a city serving the intentions of the communists to find colonial émigré activists in the Weimar capital, acting as representatives for the anti-colonial movement in Europe after the Great War. With the ascendancy to power of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) on 30 January 1933, the LAI reached an abrupt, but nonetheless, expected end in Berlin. This doctoral thesis examines the role, pu rpose and functions of a sympathising communist organization (LAI): to act as an intermediary for the Comintern to the colonies. The analysis evaluates the structure and activities of the LAI, and by doing so, establish a complex understanding on one of the most influential communist organisations during the interwar period, which, despite its short existence, assumed a nostalgic reference and historical bond for anti-colonial movements during the transition from colonialism to post-colonialism after the Second World War, e.g. the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955. Fredrik Petersson’s study, based on archives in Moscow, Berlin, Amsterdam, London, and Stockholm, uncovers why the Comintern established and supported the LAI and its anti-imperialist agenda, disclosing a complicated undertaking, characterised by conflict and the internal struggle for power, involving structural constraints and individual ambitions defined by communist ideology and strategy.

Effect of additives, precursors and process conditions on particle morphology

The objective of the thesis was to develop methods to manufacture and control calcium carbonate crystal nucleation and growth in precipitation process. The work consists of experimental part and literature part that addresses theory of nucleation, crystallization and precipitation. In the experimental part calcium carbonate was precipitated using carbonization reaction. Precipitation was carried out in presence of known morphology controlling agents (anionic polymers and sodium silicate) and by using different operation conditions. Formed material was characterized using SEM images, and its thermal stability was assessed. This work demonstrates that carbon dioxide feeding rate and concentrations of calcium hydroxide and additives can be used to control size, shape and amount of precipitating calcium carbonate.

Possibilities and challenges in utilization of information provided by Industrial Internet applications

Global digitalization has affected also industrial sector. A trend called Industrial Internet has been present for some years and established relatively steady position in businesses. Industrial Internet is also referred with the terminology Industry 4.0 and in consumer businesses IoT (Internet of Things). Eventually, trend consists of many traditionally proven technologies and concepts, such as condition monitoring, remote services, predictive maintenance and Internet customer portals. All these technologies and information related to them are estimated to change the rules of business in industrial sector. This may result even a new industrial revolution. This research has its focus on Industrial Internet products, services and applications. The study analyses four case companies and their digital service offerings. According to this analysis the comparison of these services is done to find out if there is still space for companies to gain competitive advantage through differentiation with these state of the art solutions. One of the case companies, Case Company Ltd., is working as a primary case company and a subscriber of this particular research. The research and results are analyzed primarily from this company’s perspective and need. In empirical part, the research clarifies how Case Company Ltd. has allocated its development resources through last five years. These allocations in certain categories are then compared to other case companies’ current customer offering and conclusions are made how the approach of different companies differ from each other. Existing theoretical knowledge of Industrial Internet is about to find its shape. In this research we take a look how the case company analysis and findings correlate with the existing knowledge and literature of the topic.

How CSR and stakeholder engagement encourage the development of Industrial symbiosis from the management viewpoint?

The thesis aims to understand how CSR and stakeholder engagement can contribute to the development of industrial symbiosis. Theory suggests that corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement theories have many similar aspects that correlate with the development of industrial symbiosis. This study is qualitative and empirical suggestions are derived from integrative analysis of literature, secondary data and case study analysis. The empirical findings from the interviews support the framework that is created from the findings of the literature review. The results discovered throughout the thesis research suggest that CSR functions as a theoretical background for industrial symbiosis and stakeholder engagement helps develop more thorough understandings of it from the management viewpoint. Empirical findings and literature review also suggest that in the developing of industrial symbiosis the key aspect are the social characteristics such as a robust management structure, trust between partners and long-term commitment to the common goals that support the development of these symbioses. Also, communication and transparency supports the development of industrial symbiosis. For managerial contribution, this thesis presents organizational practices that can help managers to understand how they can engage in effective engagement with stakeholders in the development of industrial symbiosis.