Euroopan keskuspankin julkaisut

Euroopan keskuspankin (perustamisvuosi 1999) tehtävänä on ylläpitää hinta- ja rahoitusjärjestelmän vakautta ja toteuttaa rahapolitiikkaa euroalueella. Euroalueeseen kuuluvat kaikki euron käyttöönsä ottaneet jäsenmaat, joita on 17. Euroopan rahapoliittinen instituutti (EMI) toimi EKP:n edeltäjänä ja sen tehtävänä oli keskuspankkien välisen yhteistyön lujittaminen, rahapolitiikan yhteensovittaminen ja yhteiseen valuuttaan siirtyminen. Kokoelma sisältää Euroopan keskuspankin ja Euroopan rahapoliittisen instituutin (EMI) julkaisuja vuodesta 1994 lähtien. Tutkimusjulkaisuja on mm. EU-maiden hintavakaudesta, rahapolitiikasta, rahoitusmarkkinoista, maksujärjestelmistä, valuuttapolitiikasta, yhdentymisestä ja finanssivalvonnasta. Kokoelmassa on vuosikertomuksia, kuukausikatsauksia (Monthly Bulletin), lehtiä, tilastoja, työpapereita, raportteja ja tutkimusjulkaisuja. Kokoelmassa on n. 1655 nimekettä, ja painettu kokoelma kasvaa Euroopan keskuspankin julkaisuilla. Euroopan rahapoliittisen instituutin julkaisut loppuivat v. 1999. Kokoelman julkaisuista n. 80 % on ilmestynyt v. 2000 - 2009. Valtaosa on englanninkielisiä, mutta julkaisuja on myös suomeksi ja ruotsiksi. Painettu kokoelma on Suomen Pankin kirjaston avokokoelmassa vapaasti käytettävissä ja kopioitavissa maksutta. Suurin osa on saatavana myös verkkojulkaisuina Euroopan keskuspankin sivuilta http://www.ecb.int.

Financial integration and TARGET2-Securities – A stakeholder approach

The purpose of this study was to analyze how different stakeholders, such as the European Central Bank, the European Commission, the European Central Securities Depositories Association, the Bank of International Settlements and the International Monetary Fund, have influenced the European financial integration in the area of securities clearing and settlement since the introduction of the single currency. The results show that the contribution differs from stakeholder to another and can take the form of standards and recommendations, legislation, research and publications, risk analysis etc. The Eurosystem has been particularly active in this area by proving and planning central bank services, such as TARGET2, CCMB2 and T2S. Along the way the development has and continues to face challenges that need to be solved by European authorities. Coordination is a key factor for the future as we have seen during the recent financial turmoil.

Kansainvälisen valuuttarahaston (IMF) julkaisut

International Monetary Fund (IMF) eli Kansainvälinen valuuttarahasto perustettiin v. 1945 valvomaan 187 jäsenmaansa rahoitusjärjestelmiä ja edistämään rahoitusmarkkinoiden vakautta ja kansainvälistä kauppaa. IMF julkaisee kansainvälisiä maksutasetilastoja n. 200 maasta, ulkomaankaupan tilastotietoa, aikasarjoja v. 1948 lähtien ja valtiontalouden rahoitustilastoja sekä maakohtaisia raportteja. Painettuun kokoelmaan kuuluu vuosikertomuksia, kausijulkaisuja, tilastoja ja monografioita. Ne käsittelevät makrotaloutta, taloudellista kehitystä, rahoitusmarkkinoita, kansainvälistä taloutta ja valuuttamarkkinoita. Kokoelmassa on yhteensä n. 4342 nimekettä ja se karttuu jatkuvasti. Kokoelman vanhin julkaisu on vuodelta 1944. Suurin osa kokoelman julkaisuista on ilmestynyt v. 1995 - 2011. Sitä uudempia ei ole enää hankittu painettuina. Kokoelmaan kuuluu erilaisia vuosikirjoja pitkältä ajanjaksolta, kuten Annual report (1948 -), Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements (1990 -), Balance of payments statistics yearbook (1938 - ), Direction of trade statistics yearbook (1958 - ), Government finance statistics yearbook (1952 - ) ja International financial statistics yearbook (1991 - ). Kokoelma sisältää myös kausijulkaisuja kuten Economic review (1951 - ), IMF staff papers (1951 -) ja International financial statistics (1948 -). Kokoelmaan kuuluvat myös elektronisia julkaisuja sisältävät IMF E-Library ja AREAER -tietokannat. AREAR-tietokannassa on Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements -julkaisut sähköisessä muodossa. Tietokannassa on dataa mm. IMF:n jäsenmaiden valuutta- ja kauppajärjestelyistä. IMF E-Library, sisältää elektronisia julkaisuja sekä tilastotietokannat: International financial statistics (IFS), Balance of payments statistics (BOP), Direction of trade statistics (DOT) ja Government finance statistics (GFS). Julkaisuja on yhteensä n. 11 806. Kokoelman uudempaa osaa säilytetään Suomen Pankin kirjaston avokokoelmassa ja vanhempaa varastokokoelmassa. Painetut julkaisut ovat käytettävissä kirjastossa ja lainattavissa lukuun ottamatta tilastojulkaisuja, kausijulkaisuja ja vuosikirjoja. Elektronisia tietokantoja voi käyttää vain organisaation henkilökunta.

A Bridge Builder or a Raconteur? How Japan Manoeuvres the Global Development Discourse within the TICAD Process

Japan has been a major actor in the field of development cooperation for five decades, even holding the title of largest donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA) during the 1990s. Financial flows, however, are subject to pre-existing paradigms that dictate both donor and recipient behaviour. In this respect Japan has been left wanting for more recognition. The dominance of the so called ‘Washington Consensus’ embodied in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank has long circumvented any indigenous approaches to development problems. The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) is a development cooperation conference that Japan has hosted since 1993 every five years. As the main organizer of the conference Japan has opted for the leading position of African development. This has come in the wake of success in the Asian region where Japan has called attention to its role in the so called ‘Asian Miracle’ of fast growing economies. These aspirations have enabled Japan to try asserting itself as a major player in directing the course of global development discourse using historical narratives from both Asia and Africa. Over the years TICAD has evolved into a continuous process with ministerial and follow-up meetings in between conferences. Each conference has produced a declaration that stipulates the way the participants approach the question of African development. Although a multilateral framework, Japan has over the years made its presence more and more felt within the process. This research examines the way Japan approaches the paradigms of international development cooperation and tries to direct them in the context of the TICAD process. Supplementing these questions are inquiries concerning Japan’s foreign policy aspirations. The research shows that Japan has utilized the conference platform to contest other development actors and especially the dominant forces of the IMF and the World Bank in development discourse debate. Japan’s dominance of the process is evident in the narratives found in the conference documents. Relative success has come about by remaining consistent as shown by the acceptance of items from the TICAD agenda in other forums, such as the G8. But the emergence of new players such as China has changed the playing field, as they are engaging other developing countries from a more equal level.

Structural dynamics in the global pulp and paper industry

The pulp and paper industry is currently facing broad structural changes due to global shifts in demand and supply. These changes have significant impacts on national economies worldwide. Planted forests (especially eucalyptus) and recovered paper have quickly increased their importance as raw material for paper and paperboard production. Although advances in information and communication technologies could reduce the demand for communication papers, and the growth of paper consumption has indeed flattened in developed economies, particularly in North America and Western Europe, the consumption is increasing on a global scale. Moreover, the focal point of production and consumption is moving from the Western world to the rapidly growing markets of Southeast Asia. This study analyzes how the so-called megatrends (globalization, technological development, and increasing environmental awareness) affect the pulp and paper industry’s external environment, and seeks reliable ways to incorporate the impact of the megatrends on the models concerning the demand, trade, and use of paper and pulp. The study expands current research in several directions and points of view, for example, by applying and incorporating several quantitative methods and different models. As a result, the thesis makes a significant contribution to better understand and measure the impacts of structural changes on the pulp and paper industry. It also provides some managerial and policy implications.

Operational Reliability Analysis of a Three-Tiered Thin-Client ERP-system in an International Corporate Environment

Internationalization and the following rapid growth have created the need to concentrate the IT systems of many small-to-medium-sized production companies. Enterprise Resource Planning systems are a common solution for such companies. Deployment of these ERP systems consists of many steps, one of which is the implementation of the same shared system at all international subsidiaries. This is also one of the most important steps in the internationalization strategy of the company from the IT point of view. The mechanical process of creating the required connections for the off-shore sites is the easiest and most well-documented step along the way, but the actual value of the system, once operational, is perceived in its operational reliability. The operational reliability of an ERP system is a combination of many factors. These factors vary from hardware- and connectivity-related issues to administrative tasks and communication between decentralized administrative units and sites. To accurately analyze the operational reliability of such system, one must take into consideration the full functionality of the system. This includes not only the mechanical and systematic processes but also the users and their administration. All operational reliability in an international environment relies heavily on hardware and telecommunication adequacy so it is imperative to have resources dimensioned with regard to planned usage. Still with poorly maintained communication/administration schemes no amount of bandwidth or memory will be enough to maintain a productive level of reliability. This thesis work analyzes the implementation of a shared ERP system to an international subsidiary of a Finnish production company. The system is Microsoft Dynamics Ax, currently being introduced to a Slovakian facility, a subsidiary of Peikko Finland Oy. The primary task is to create a feasible base of analysis against which the operational reliability of the system can be evaluated precisely. With a solid analysis the aim is to give recommendations on how future implementations are to be managed.

The Russian National Innovation System - an International Perspective

Russia inherited a large research and development (R&D) sector from the Soviet times, and has retained a substantial R&D sector today, compared with other emerging economies. However, Russia is falling behind in all indicators measuring innovative output in comparison with most developed countries. Russia’s innovation performance is disappointing, despite the available stock of human capital and overall investment in R&D. The communist legacy still influences the main actors of the innovation system. The federal state is still the most important funding source for R&D. Private companies are not investing in innovative activities, preferring to “import” innovations embedded in foreign technologies. Universities are outsiders in the innovation system, only a few universities carry out research activities. Nowadays, Russia is a resource-depended country. The economy depends on energy and metals for growth. The Russian economy faces the challenge of diversification and should embrace innovation, and shift to a knowledge economy to remain competitive in the long run. Therefore, Russia has to tackle the challenge of developing an efficient innovation system with its huge potential in science expertise and engineering know-how.

Suomen kartta 1:1000000 (kansainvälinen järjestelmä) Karta över Finland 1:1000000 (internationellt system) = Carte du Finlande au 1:1000000 (systeme international)

1 kartta :, vär. ;, 65 x 81 cm

Tutors as mediators of exchange student experiences: evaluation of the international student tutor system at the University of Turku

As academic student mobility is increasing, improving the functionality of international operations is recognised as a competitive advantage at tertiary education institutions. Although many scholars have researched the experiences of exchange students, the role of student tutors and their contribution to exchange students’ experiences is still an unknown factor. This research examines international tutoring at the University of Turku, and aims to understand better the way tutoring contributes to exchange experiences and to explore the functionality of the tutor system and discover areas for improvements. To achieve these goals, the research seeks to answer the fundamental research question: What is the role of tutors in mediating exchange experiences? The theoretical framework combines literature on mediating exchange experiences, the phenomenon of studying abroad, the process of adaptation, the importance of cross-cultural communication, and the role of student tutors as mediators. Based on the literature review, a theoretical model for studying the mediation of exchange experiences is introduced. The model’s applicability and validity is examined through a case study. Three methods were used in the empirical research: surveys, participant observations, and interviews. These methods provided extensive data from three major parties of the tutor system: tutors, exchange students, and the international office. The findings of the research reveal that tutoring – instrumental leading and social and cultural mediating – generates both negative and positive experiences depending on the individuals’ expectations, motivations, relationships, and the nature of the tutoring. Although functional, there are a few weaknesses in the tutor system. Tutors tend to act as effective instrumental leaders, but often fail to create a friendship and contribute to the exchange students’ experience through social and cultural mediation, which is significantly more important in the exchange students’ overall experience in terms of building networks, adapting, gaining emotional experiences, and achieving the stage of personal development and mental change. Based on the weaknesses, three improvements are suggested: (1) increasing comprehensive sharing of information, effective communication, and collective cooperation, (2) emphasising the importance of social and cultural mediation and increasing the frequency of interaction between tutors and exchange students, and (3) improving the recruitment and training, revising the process of reporting and rewarding, and finally, enhancing services and coordination.

Solid and liquid biofuels markets in Finland - a study on international biofuels trade

This study considered the current situation of solid and liquid biofuels markets and international biofuels trade in Finland and identified the challenges ofthe emerging international biofuels markets for Finland. The fact that industryconsumes more than half of the total primary energy, widely applied combined heat and power production (CHP) and a high share of biofuels in the total energy consumption are specific to the Finnish energy system. One third of the electricity is generated in CHP plants. As much as 27% of the total energy consumption ismet by using wood and peat, which makes Finland the leading country in the use of biofuels. Finland has made a commitment to maintain greenhouse gas emissions at the 1990 level at the highest during the period 2008-2012. The Finnish energypolicy aims to achieve the target, and a variety of measures are taken to promote the use of renewable energy sources and especially wood fuels. In this study, the wooden raw material streams of the forest industry were included the international biofuels trade in addition to biomass streams that are traded for energy production. In 2004, as much as 45% of the raw wood importedinto Finland ended up in energy production. The total international trading of biofuels was evaluated at 72 PJ, of which the majority, 58 PJ, was raw wood. About 22% of wood based energy in Finland originated from imported raw wood. Tall oil and wood pellets composed the largest export streams of biofuels. The annual turnover of international biofuels trade was estimated at about ¤ 90 million fordirect trade and at about ¤ 190 million for indirect trade. The forest industryas the biggest user of wood, and the producer and user of wood fuels has a central position in biomass and biofuels markets in Finland. Lately, the international aspects of Finnish biofuels markets have been emphasised as the import of rawwood and the export of wood pellets have increased. Expanding the use of biofuels in the road transportation sector would increase the international streams ofbiofuels in Finland. In coming years, the international trading of biomass for energy purposes can be expected to continue growing.

Agent-augmented process automation system in a panel board factory

Kiristyvä kansainvälinen kilpailu pakottaa automaatiojärjestelmien valmistajat ottamaan käyttöön uusia menetelmiä, joiden avulla järjestelmien suorituskykyä ja joustavuutta saadaan parannettua. Agenttiteknologiaa on esitetty käytettäväksi olemassa olevien automaatiojärjestelmien kanssa vastaamaan automaatiolle asetettaviin uusiin haasteisiin. Agentit ovat itsenäisiä yhteisöllisiä toimijoita, jotka suorittavat niille ennalta määrättyjä tehtäviä. Ne tarjoavat yhtenäisen kehyksen kehittyneiden toimintojen toteutukselle. Agenttiteknologian avulla automaatiojärjestelmä saadaan toimimaan joustavasti ja vikasietoisesti. Tässä työssä selostetaan agenttiteknologian ajatuksia ja käsitteitä. Lisäksi selvitetään sen soveltuvuutta monimutkaisten ohjausjärjestelmien kehittämiseen ja etsitään käyttökohteita sen soveltamiselle levytehtaassa. Työssä käsitellään myös aatteita, jotka ovat johtaneet agenttiteknologian käyttöön automaatiojärjestelmissä, sekä selostetaan agenttiavusteisen esimerkkisovelluksen rakenne ja testitulokset. Tutkimuksen tuloksena löydettiin useita kohteita agenttiteknologian käytölle levytehtaassa. Esimerkkisovellus osoittaa sen sopivan hyvin kehittyneiden toimintojen toteutukseen automaatiojärjestelmissä.

Clustering and International Competitiveness of Information Technology Industry in the Saint Petersburg Area

The main objective of this study is to assess the potential of the information technology industry in the Saint Petersburg area to become one of the new key industries in the Russian economy. To achieve this objective, the study analyzes especially the international competitiveness of the industry and the conditions for clustering. Russia is currently heavily dependent on its natural resources, which are the main source of its recent economic growth. In order to achieve good long-term economic performance, Russia needs diversification in its well-performing industries in addition to the ones operating in the field of natural resources. The Russian government has acknowledged this and started special initiatives to promote such other industries as information technology and nanotechnology. An interesting industry that is basically less than 20 years old and fast growing in Russia, is information technology. Information technology activities and markets are mainly concentrated in Russia’s two biggest cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and areas around them. The information technology industry in the Saint Petersburg area, although smaller than Moscow, is especially dynamic and is gaining increasing foreign company presence. However, the industry is not yet internationally competitive as it lacks substantial and sustainable competitive advantages. The industry is also merely a potential global information technology cluster, as it lacks the competitive edge and a wide supplier and manufacturing base and other related parts of the whole information technology value system. Alone, the industry will not become a key industry in Russia, but it will, on the other hand, have an important supporting role for the development of other industries. The information technology market in the Saint Petersburg area is already large and if more tightly integrated to Moscow, they will together form a huge and still growing market sufficient for most companies operating in Russia currently and in the future. Therefore, the potential of information technology inside Russia is immense.