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.

Decentralized management of organic household wastes in the Kathmandu Valley using small-scale composting reactors

The sustainable management of municipal solid waste in the Kathmandu Valley has always been a challenging task. Solid waste generation has gone rapidly high in the Kathmandu Valley over the last decade due to booming population and rapid urbaniza-tion. Finding appropriate landfill sites for the disposal of solid wastes generated from the households of the Kathmandu Valley has always been a major problem for Nepalese government. 65 % of total generated wastes from the households of Nepal consist of organic materials. As large fractions of generated household wastes are organic in na-ture, composting can be considered as one of the best sustainable ways to recycle organ-ic wastes generated from the households of Nepal. Model Community Society Development (MCDS), a non-governmental organization of Nepal carried out its small-scale project in five households of the Kathmandu Valley by installing composting reactors. This thesis is based on this small-scale project and has used secondary data provided by MCDS Nepal for carrying out the study. Proper man-agement of organic wastes can be done at household levels through the use of compost-ing reactors. The end product compost can be used as soil conditioners for agricultural purposes such as organic farming, roof-top farming and gardening. The overall average organic waste generation in the Kathmandu Valley is found to be 0,23 kg/person/day and the total amount of organic household wastes generated in the Kathmandu Valley is around 210 Gg/yr. Produced composts from five composting reac-tors contain high amount of moistures but have sufficient amount of nutrients required for the fertility of land and plant growth. Installation of five composting reactors in five households have prevented 2,74 Mg of organic wastes going into the landfills, thus re-ducing 107 kg of methane emissions which is equivalent to 2,7 Mg of carbondioxide.

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.

Corporate responsibility guaranteed by dialogue? Examining the relationship between nongovernmental organizations and business

The main objective of this doctoral dissertation is to examine the relationship between non-governmental organizations and business in the context of academic discourse, corporate responsibility discourse, and stakeholder dialogue. More specifically, motivated by the increasing emphasis on stakeholder dialogue as a tool for corporate responsibility and accountability, the aim is to critically assess the role of stakeholder dialogue as a self-regulatory mechanism, in particular from the perspective of foreign direct investments. The study comprises two parts; an introductory essay containing the research objectives, theoretical foundations and methodological choices, and four research articles that address one sub-objective: 1) to review the literature on NGO-business relations in business and society, management, and international business journals from 1998–2007; 2) to critically analyze the academic discourse on NGO-business relations; 3) to analyze the problematic aspects of sustainable foreign direct investments as a conceptual construct; and 4) to analyze the problematic aspects of stakeholder dialogue in connection with a foreign direct investment. The ontological and epistemological foundations of this dissertation build on the social constructionist view of reality. The dialogue in this study is viewed as a legitimacy bargaining process that is actively shaped by societal parties in discourse. Similarly, articulations of ‘partnership’ and ‘adversarial’ in NGO-business relations in academic business and society discourse are viewed as competing hegemonic interventions in the field. More specifically, the methods applied in the articles are literature review (Article 1), discourse theory (Article 2), conceptual analysis (Article 3), and case study with document analysis (Article 4). This dissertation has three main arguments and contributions. First, it is argued that the potential of stakeholder dialogue as a tool for corporate responsibility and accountability is inherently limited in both contexts. Second, the study shows the power implications of privileging partnership oriented NGO-business relations over adversarial ones, and of placing business at the centre of governance discourse. The third contribution is methodological: a new way to analyze academic discourse is presented by focusing on the problem setting of an article.

The revival of international solidarity : the Internationale Arbeiterhilfe, Willi Münzenberg and the Comintern in Weimar Germany, 1921-1933

The aim of the study is to write the first comprehensive history of the Internationale Arbeiterhilfe (International Workers’ Relief) and its message of international solidarity during the Weimar Republic, 1921–1933. The Arbeiterhilfe was the Communist International’s (Comintern) primary international solidarity organisation of the time. The work is identified as a contribution to the transnational history of the interwar period as its main focus is not on governmental politics or intra-state relations, but is focused on the transnational world of an international organisation. The history of the Arbeiterhilfe provides the main springboard from which to write a contextually-based analysis of international solidarity during the Weimar Republic. The study highlights for the first time the importance of the German communist Willi Münzenberg (1889–1940), as the leader of the Arbeiterhilfe, in the history of international solidarity. The main question of this study is how an explicit use of language coupled with the visualisation and practices of solidarity were created through the Arbeiterhilfe. How was solidarity actually envisaged, organised and brought to life by the Arbeiterhilfe in Weimar Germany? How did its expressions of solidarity change over time? Throughout the thesis, the changing and complex character of solidarity is analysed. How was the Arbeiterhilfe’s message of solidarity created and changed in relation to the Comintern and the Soviet Union’s policies? How did the Arbeiterhilfe create a new culture of international solidarity thought film, cinema, illustrated newspapers and the organising of mass spectacles of international solidarity? The Arbeiterhilfe had its international headquarters in Berlin which functioned as the base, one could argue, for some of the inter-war period’s most spectacular solidarity campaigns. The Arbeiterhilfe constitutes a significant case study of an early international organisation as it was one of the first international organisations for global (albeit not universal) international solidarity which had unparalleled prospects to develop new transnational identifications and social ties. It could consequently be suggested that the Arbeiterhilfe in several ways could be perceived as a predecessor to several post-1945 transnational solidarity organisations and International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs).

Social entrepreneurship – Believe in it or not!

The practice of social entrepreneurship already exists for a long time but the concept is quite new and has more recently raised a growing interest among academics. However, the majority of researches and considerations about the subject have taken a strong positive concern by omitting some sort of a critical reflection. The idea of this study is to consider the gap between the very optimistic and the more precautious concerns about social entrepreneurship. It means presenting the advantages and downsides connected to the topic in the business, public and third sector. The aim is to help the reader building his/her own belief on social entrepreneurship by considering the positive and negative sides of social entrepreneurship. Hence, the research is intended to take a critical step and aims to answer to the following research questions:  Shall we believe in social entrepreneurship?  What are the reasons for believing or not in social entrepreneurship taking into account the advantages and possible risks of it in the business, public, and third sector? The theoretical framework consists of the comparison between the promising and precautious sides about social entrepreneurship for private, public and non-governmental organizations including the actors or participants inside these sectors. The empirical part is conducted using a qualitative method. Personal interviews of experts in the fields of business, public and third sectors were handled. The purpose of this approach is to compare the critics in theory with the experience of persons dealing with social entrepreneurship. The results from the interviews revealed that in general, reasons for believing in social entrepreneurship prevail over critics about the subject. Social entrepreneurship may not yet represent a full performing business. Concerns for weakening the public power and putting aside the interests of communities in need may exist too. Furthermore, naïve and extra liberal ways of thinking or doing can lead to practices going in opposition with initial social objectives. Nevertheless, problems about social entrepreneurship would be mainly due to the young age of the movement. Time and experience would give better foundations and results to social entrepreneurs. Critics about social entrepreneurship could also easily be done to any sorts of business. Overall, the positive considerations of social entrepreneurship with skillful, motivated and responsible actors could represent some useful tools for enterprises, governments and charities. Some tools among many other possibilities to help people in need.

AQUAREL CONCEPT Aquatic resources for green energy realization

The AQUAREL project studied the availability and optional utilization methods for fish processing side streams and other aquatic biomaterial in the Republic of Karelia. Additionally processing aquatic biomaterial with manure and sewage sludge was studied. Based on the results, the most feasible option today is to process fish side streams to fish oil and dewatered oil-free residue and to use them for fish or animal feed production. However, it is necessary to highlight, that changes in e.g. economic environment, energy prices and demand may require re-evaluating the results and conclusions made in the project. Producing fish oil from fish processing side streams is an easy and relatively simple production process generating a valuable end product. The functionality of the process was confirmed in a pilot conducted in the project. The oil and solids are separated from the heated fish waste based on gravity. The fish oil separating on top of the separator unit is removed. Fish oil can as such be utilized for heating purposes, fish meal or animal feed production, but it can also be further processed to biodiesel. However, due to currently moderate energy prices in Russia, biodiesel production is not economically profitable. Even if the fish oil production process is not complicated, the operative management of small-scale fish oil production unit requires dedicated resources and separate facilities especially to meet hygiene requirements. Managing the side streams is not a core business for fish farmers. Efficient and economically profitable fish oil production requires a centralized production unit with bigger processing capacity. One fish processing unit needs to be designed to manage side streams collected from several fish farms. The optimum location for the processing unit is in the middle of the fish farms. Based on the transportation cost analysis in the Republic of Karelia, it is not economically efficient to transport bio-wastes for more than 100 km since the transportation costs start increasing substantially. Another issue to be considered is that collection of side streams, including the dead fish, from the fish farms should be organized on a daily basis in order to eliminate the need for storing the side streams at the farms. Based on AQUAREL project studies there are different public funding sources available for supporting and enabling profitable and environmentally sustainable utilization, research or development of fish processing side streams and other aquatic biomaterial. Different funding programmes can be utilized by companies, research organizations, authorities and non-governmental organizations.

Voittoa tavoittelemattoman organisaation asiakashankinnan suorituskyvyn mittaaminen

Tutkimuksen ensimmäinen tavoite on kaksiosainen. Aluksi pyrittiin selvittämään, kuinka voittoa tavoittelemattomalla sektorilla voidaan mitata asiakashankinnan suorituskykyä. Toiseksi tutkittiin, mikä on mittauksen tila Suomen voittoa tavoittelemattomassa sektorissa. Toinen tavoite oli rakentaa suorituskykymittaristo suurehkon järjestön asiakashankintaan ja pohtia asiakashankinnan tavoitteiden jalkauttamista mittareiden avulla. Ensimmäinen tavoite toteutettiin kirjallisuuskatsauksen ja kyselytutkimuksen avulla. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen perusteella rakennettiin kyselylomake, jota jaettiin suomalaisiin voittoa tavoittelemattomiin organisaatioihin. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa selvisi, että suorituskyvyn kannalta tärkeintä olisi mitata kontaktien määrää siinä, missä kontaktien laatu ja prosessin sujuvuus toimivat täydentävinä mittauskohteina. Kyselytutkimuksen perusteella noin puolet vastaajaorganisaatioista mittasi toimintaansa ylipäätään. Käytetyt mittarit painottuivat asiakashankinnan laatuun. Toisen tavoitteen osalta mittaristo luotiin hyödyntämällä LUT:issa rakennetun SAKE-sovelluksen implementointiprosessia. Mittaristo kattaa sekä puhelimitse että kentällä tehdyn asiakashankinnan ja sähköisen markkinoinnin määrä- ja laatumittarit. Lisäksi on arvioitu, asiakashankinnan tavoitteet voidaan jalkauttaa käytännön työhön. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla tehdyt johtopäätökset toimivat ohjenuorana, kun pohditaan vastaavan toiminnan mittaamista. Tehtyä mittaristoa ei ole tarkoituksenmukaista soveltaa muualla sellaisenaan, vaan mittaristo tulee aina sovittaa kohdeorganisaatioon. Kyselytutkimuksen tuloksia ei voida pienen vastaajamäärän takia yleistää järjestökenttään.

Johtamisen, kommunikaation ja organisaation oikeudenmukaisuuden vaikutus sitoutumiseen ICT-alan organisaatiossa ja sitouttamisen keinot

Organisaatioon sitoutuminen on organisaation kannalta kriittinen ilmiö. Sen nähdään vähentävän henkilöstön vaihtuvuutta ja aineettoman pääoman katoa organisaatiosta. Tässä työssä tutkittiin erään valtionhallinnon laitoksen henkilöstön organisaatioon sitoutumisen tasoa ja siihen vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Tutkimuksessa organisaatioon sitoutumista tarkasteltiin johtamisen, kommunikaation ja organisaation oikeudenmukaisuuden näkökulmasta. Kaikkia tutkittavia tekijöitä tarkasteltiin sekä globaalista, että lokaalista näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin ainoastaan globaalin tason vaikuttajilla olevan merkittävä vaikutus organisaatioon sitoutumisessa, ainoana poikkeuksena lokaali oikeudenmukaisuus. Organisaatioon sitoutumisen havaittiin perustuvan sitoutumisen tunneperäiseen elementtiin, velvollisuudentunnon ja jatkuvuusperäisen komponentin jäädessä heikommiksi. Merkittävä havainto oli tutkimuksissa havaittujen demografisten vaikuttajien korreloivan joko ainoastaan heikosti tai ei lainkaan organisaatioon sitoutumiseen. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin myös kriittisten asiantuntijoiden ja perusasiantuntijoiden sitoutumisen eroja. Kriittisten asiantuntijoiden havaittiin olevan heikommin sitoutuneita ja sitoutumisen tekijöiden globaalin tason vaikutuksen olevan merkittävästi vahvempi heihin, kuin perusasiantuntijoihin. Perusasiantuntijoiden havaittiin kiinnittyvän lokaaleihin tekijöihin, joilla on heikompi, tai ei juurikaan vaikutusta organisaatioon sitoutumiseen. Vaikuttavimmiksi organisaatioon sitoutumista vahvistaviksi tekijöiksi tunnistettiin johtamisen ja kommunikaation laadukkuus, ja organisaation osoittama oikeudenmukaisuus.

Integrating corporate social responsibility into business in Finnish consumer goods companies

The motives for this study originated from the notion that surprisingly little academic literature is found on actually managing and putting corporate social responsibility (CSR) into practice, in comparison with the definitions and frameworks of the concept itself. Regardless of the author, CSR has been considered consisting of three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. The question behind the three dimensions has always been whether socially and environmentally responsible behavior can lead to increased economic performance and improve the competitiveness of a company. Most of the current CSR development has related to the quantification of environmental and social performance in order to review these along with the established financial key ratios, which are based on the law and the reporting obligation of the companies. However, the previous research has mainly focused on US companies whereas studies with a European viewpoint, let alone Nordic, have been mostly lacking. Furthermore, it has been discovered recently that the integration of corporate responsibility into business is identified as the greatest challenge in CSR management in Finnish large companies. Therefore the integration of CSR into business in Finnish consumer goods companies provided an interesting, topical and somewhat obscure purpose for this study. This was further divided into three research questions concerning the reasons for CSR engagement, the role of the stakeholders and the practice of corporate responsibility. This study did not aim to build a new theory; instead an explorative viewpoint was regarded more appropriate. Accordingly, qualitative research approach and case study design were adopted in the study. Semi-structured theme interviews were used as a primary data collection method and complemented with secondary data such as websites, responsibility reports and another recent CSR study. There were four Finnish managers as interviewees of whom three presented companies and one non-profit organization. The results were somewhat convergent but differences arose as a result of the companies being at different stages as regards corporate responsibility. However, this provided only more insight into the implementation of CSR. The voluntary CSR initiatives, responsibility reporting, stakeholders and CSR management were identified as the most important viewpoints on the practical side of CSR, besides a key requirement for the integration of CSR into business to be credible was found to be a favorable management attitude. Based on the findings of this study it was admitted that giving concrete advice on CSR management is really a challenge and there is no one generally accepted and right manner to integrate corporate responsibility successfully into business.

Verenluovuttajien rekisteritiedon hyödyntäminen ja kontaktoinnin kehittäminen CRM-järjestelmän avulla

Diplomityön tavoitteena on kartoittaa Suomen Punaisen Ristin Veripalvelun verenluovutustoiminnan luovuttajahallinnan nyky- ja tavoitetilaa haastattelujen, havainnoinnin sekä dokumentaation perusteella. Kartoituksen ja kuiluanalyysin avulla voidaan arvioida Microsoftin asiakassuhteiden hallintaan tarkoitetun järjestelmän soveltuvuutta Veripalvelun käyttöön. Lisäksi arvioidaan strategisen CRM-viitekehyksen soveltamista Veripalvelun luovuttajasuhteiden hallintaan, joka tarjoaa kokonaisvaltaisen ja poikkifunktionaalisen näkemyksen kriittisiin prosesseihin ja aktiviteetteihin. Asiakassuhteiden hallinta pitää nähdä kokonaisvaltaisena, koko organisaatiota koskevana jatkuvan kehittämisen kohteena olevana toimintona joka tuo lisäarvoa sekä organisaatiolle itselleen että sen asiakkaille. Voittoa tavoittelemattoman organisaation toimintaympäristössä Veripalvelulla ei ole suoraa kilpailua, joka on otettava huomioon luovuttajasuhteiden hallinnassa. Tulevaisuuden tavoitteet kartoittamalla voi kohdeorganisaatio huomioida strategisesti tärkeä osa-alueet, jotka takaavat kilpailukyvyn ja mahdollistavat arvonluonnin asiakasprosesseissa.