The Middle East in the American quest for world order : ideas of power, economics, and social development in United States foreign policy, 1953-1961

Doctoral dissertation, University of Tampere

The competitive position of the Nordic wood industry in Germany : intangible quality dimensions

Abstract

Financial Analysis of the Pulp and Paper Industry: Performance and value creation of the world's pulp and paper companies

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on analysoida 74 sellu- ja paperiyrityksen taloudellista suorituskykyä kannattavuutta, maksuvalmiutta, vakavaraisuutta ja arvonluontikykyä kuvaavilla tunnusluvuilla. Tutkimuksen teoriaosa esittelee liiketoiminta-analyysin välineet, jonka jälkeen esitellään taloudelliset tunnusluvut. Empiriaosassa käydään läpi vuoden 2005 tunnusluvut yritystasolla. Jotta voidaan tarkastella tunnuslukujen muutoksia pitkällä aikavälillä, yritykset ryhmitellään maantieteellisen sijainnin sekä liiketoimintaorientaation mukaan. Tutkimus on kuvaileva. Tunnusluvuista voidaan todeta sellu- ja paperiteollisuudessa meneillään oleva toimialan rakennemuutos. Eteläamerikkalaiset yritykset, jotka hyötyvät uudesta ja kustannustehokkaasta raaka-aineesta, ovat siirtyneet lähemmäs arvonluontia, kun taas suurin osa pohjoisamerikkalaisista yrityksistä, jotka olivat toimialan johtavia arvonluojia, ovat nyt arvon tuhoajia. Toimiala kärsii myös alhaisesta kannattavuudesta, joka vaikuttaa eniten pohjoisamerikkalaisiin yrityksiin. Samaan aikaan eteläamerikkalaiset yritykset ovat nostaneet kannattavuuttaan, mikä puolestaan korostaa meneillään olevaa muutosta.

Modeling and measuring organizational renewal capability

Globalization and new information technologies mean that organizations have to face world-wide competition in rapidly transforming, unpredictable environments, and thus the ability to constantly generate novel and improved products, services and processes has become quintessential for organizational success. Performance in turbulent environments is, above all, influenced by the organization's capability for renewal. Renewal capability consists of the ability of the organization to replicate, adapt, develop and change its assets, capabilities and strategies. An organization with a high renewal capability can sustain its current success factors while at the same time building new strengths for the future. This capability does not only mean that the organization is able to respond to today's challenges and to keep up with the changes in its environment, but also that it can actas a forerunner by creating innovations, both at the tactical and strategic levels of operation and thereby change the rules of the market. However, even though it is widely agreed that the dynamic capability for continuous learning, development and renewal is a major source of competitive advantage, there is no widely shared view on how organizational renewal capability should be defined, and the field is characterized by a plethora of concepts and definitions. Furthermore,there is a lack of methods for systematically assessing organizational renewal capability. The dissertation aims to bridge these gaps in the existing research by constructing an integrative theoretical framework for organizational renewal capability and by presenting a method for modeling and measuring this capability. The viability of the measurement tool is demonstrated in several contexts, andthe framework is also applied to assess renewal in inter-organizational networks. In this dissertation, organizational renewal capability is examined by drawing on three complimentary theoretical perspectives: knowledge management, strategic management and intellectual capital. The knowledge management perspective considers knowledge as inherently social and activity-based, and focuses on the organizational processes associated with its application and development. Within this framework, organizational renewal capability is understood as the capacity for flexible knowledge integration and creation. The strategic management perspective, on the other hand, approaches knowledge in organizations from the standpoint of its implications for the creation of competitive advantage. In this approach, organizational renewal is framed as the dynamic capability of firms. The intellectual capital perspective is focused on exploring how intangible assets can be measured, reported and communicated. From this vantage point, renewal capability is comprehended as the dynamic dimension of intellectual capital, which consists of the capability to maintain, modify and create knowledge assets. Each of the perspectives significantly contributes to the understanding of organizationalrenewal capability, and the integrative approach presented in this dissertationcontributes to the individual perspectives as well as to the understanding of organizational renewal capability as a whole.