Coping with Technology: A Study on Economic Methodology and Strategic Management of Technology

There is a broad consensus among economists that technologicalchange has been a major contributor to the productivity growth and, hence, to the growth of the material welfare in western industrialized countries at least over the last century. Paradoxically, this issue has not been the focal point of theoretical economics. At the same time, we have witnessed the rise of the importance of technological issues at the strategic management level of business firms. Interestingly, the research has not accurately responded to this challenge either. The tension between the overwhelming empirical evidence of the importance of technology and its relative omission in the research offers a challenging target for a methodological endeavor. This study deals with the question of how different theories cope with technology and explain technological change. The focusis at the firm level and the analysis concentrates on metatheoretical issues, except for the last two chapters, which examine the problems of strategic management of technology. Here the aim is to build a new evolutionary-based theoreticalframework to analyze innovation processes at the firm level. The study consistsof ten chapters. Chapter 1 poses the research problem and contrasts the two basic approaches, neoclassical and evolutionary, to be analyzed. Chapter 2 introduces the methodological framework which is based on the methodology of isolation. Methodological and ontoogical commitments of the rival approaches are revealed and basic questions concerning their ways of theorizing are elaborated. Chapters 3-6 deal with the so-called substantive isolative criteria. The aim is to examine how different approaches cope with such critical issues as inherent uncertainty and complexity of innovative activities (cognitive isolations, chapter 3), theboundedness of rationality of innovating agents (behavioral isolations, chapter4), the multidimensional nature of technology (chapter 5), and governance costsrelated to technology (chapter 6). Chapters 7 and 8 put all these things together and look at the explanatory structures used by the neoclassical and evolutionary approaches in the light of substantive isolations. The last two cpahters of the study utilize the methodological framework and tools to appraise different economics-based candidates in the context of strategic management of technology. The aim is to analyze how different approaches answer the fundamental question: How can firms gain competitive advantages through innovations and how can the rents appropriated from successful innovations be sustained? The last chapter introduces a new evolutionary-based technology management framework. Also the largely omitted issues of entrepreneurship are examined.

Social capital, coping and information behaviour of long-term unemployed people in Finland

Avhandlingen studerar hur långtidsarbetslösa klarar av sin situation, hurdant socialt kapital och informationsbeteende de har, samt granskar hur de ovannämnda faktorerna är relaterade till varandra. Därtill undersöks om det finns skillnader mellan finsk- och svenskspråkiga långtidsarbetslösa på de här tre livsområdena. I undersökningen består socialt kapital av sociala relationer, deltagande i organisatoriska aktiviteter samt känslan av tillhörighet med olika grupper och samfund. Gällande informationsbeteende är fokus på vardaglig informationssökning, vilka källor som används, och hurdana problem man stöter på när man söker information. Som mest påfrestande upplevdes arbetslösheten av män, som var i början eller mitten av sin arbetskarriär. De äldre (över 55 år) verkade på många sätt klara av arbetslöshetssituationen bättre än de yngre, som drabbades hårdare av ekonomiska problem och stress. Kvinnor kunde bättre än män bibehålla en positiv inställning, de hade t.ex. starkare sociala nätverk som stöd, medan mäns sociala relationer i högre grad verkade vila på en arbetsgemenskap, som blev allt svagare i och med utdragen arbetslöshet. Yngre män upplevde också ofta att deras hälsa hade försämrats, när den för kvinnor och äldre arbetslösa i genomsnitt blev bättre. När arbetslösas bemästring av arbetslöshetssituationen, sociala relationer och informationssökning granskades, framgick att människor som var aktiva på ett livsområde också var aktiva på andra livsområden. I de flesta fall framkom inte några större skillnader mellan finsk- och svenskspråkiga arbetslösa. Beträffande informationssökning var de upplevda problemen ändå av diametralt motsatt karaktär – för svenskspråkiga åsamkade för lite tillgänglig information ofta problem, medan problemet för de finskspråkiga var att hitta det väsentliga i informationsflödet. Finskspråkiga kände sig också mera fast anknutna till sin boendemiljö och det finska samhället i stort, svenskspråkiga hade däremot i genomsnitt bredare och tätare sociala nätverk.

Coping with international atrocities through criminal law : a study into the typical features of international criminality and the reflection of these traits in international criminal law

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Paul and death : a study in psychological coping

The present investigation looks into the attitudes toward death in Paul’s authentic letters, and puts them in relation to modern theories of psychological coping. Drawing on psychologically-oriented hermeneutic theory, and theories about psychological coping in particular, I argue that each case of psychological coping must be understood in its historical situation as strategies emanating from a specific person’s subjective appraisal (cf. Pargament, Lazarus and Folkman). Paul’s letters frequently refer to persecution and violent death. To aid in psychological coping is often integral to the purpose of the letters, which makes the perspective of psychological coping akin to their genre. In the course of a tentatively assumed chronological order of 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon, Paul moves from the perception of Jesus dying for the faithful to the understanding of dying with Jesus. His coping strategies concerning death are gradually transformed from conservative and deferring coping styles, to a more self-directing coping style, to collaborative and transformative coping styles, and finally to a new sense of deferring coping style in prison. The last case of deferring coping carries the traits of generosity and flexibility even in the face of death, which is in contrast to his previous letters. Through his correspondence, we see Paul’s attitude toward death transformed from denial to reaction, to processing, to acceptance (cf. Lindemann, Kübler-Ross, Bowlby, Parkes, among others). His strategies also shift in accordance with these understandings. Denial is accompanied by diversion, threat by aggression, processing by rumination, and acceptance by joy. The study shows the hermeneutic benefits of reading Paul’s letters as the rhetorically framed expressions of a person in a particular historical situation. The letters open small windows through which we can glimpse the coping process of a person of antiquity. In adopting the method of psychological exegesis, the study shows that the variety of attitudes toward death in Paul’s letters makes sense from the perspective of psychological coping. The psychological aspect of these letters is an underexamined richness that can extend into areas of contemporary individual and group identity, and from there to public policy and ethics.

Students’ Self-Report of Motivational Orientation and Teacher Evaluation on Coping and Motivational Orientation Related to Elementary Students’ Mathematical Problem Solving and Reading Comprehension

The present study examined the correlations between motivational orientation and students’ academic performance in mathematical problem solving and reading comprehension. The main purpose is to see if students’ intrinsic motivation is related to their actual performance in different subject areas, math and reading. In addition, two different informants, students and teachers, were adopted to check whether the correlation is different by different informants. Pearson’s correlational analysis was a major method, coupled with regression analysis. The result confirmed the significant positive correlation between students’ academic performance and students’ self-report and teacher evaluation on their motivational orientation respectively. Teacher evaluation turned out with more predictive value for the academic achievement in math and reading. Between the subjects, mathematical problem solving showed higher correlation with most of the motivational subscales than reading comprehension did. The highest correlation was found between teacher evaluation on task orientation and students’ mathematical problem solving. The positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and academic achievement was proved. The disparity between students ’ self-report and teacher evaluation on motivational orientation was also addressed with the need of further examination.

Test Anxiety, Coping, Gender and Academic Performance in English Exams: A Study of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students

In this MA thesis, test anxiety related to English exams among Finnish upper secondary school students was studied. In addition, the ways students try to cope with test anxiety were investigated. The purpose of the study was to investigate gender differences in test anxiety, the effects of test anxiety on academic performance and relationships between test anxiety, academic performance and coping strategies. Test anxiety and coping strategies were analysed as scores of questionnaire responses. Coping strategies comprised of three categories – task-orientation and preparation, seeking social support and avoidance. Academic performance was analysed as teacher ratings of general performance in English exams. In total 67 subjects were studied. The subjects were Finnish general upper secondary school students. The data were collected by using online questionnaires. This data were mainly quantitative, but also qualitative elements were included. The quantitative data were analysed by using statistical methods. The results showed that females experienced statistically significantly more test anxiety than males. In addition, a statistically significant correlation was found between test anxiety levels and academic performance ratings of the subjects: the higher the test anxiety score, the lower the academic performance rating. A meaningful correlation was found between test anxiety and seeking social support as a coping strategy: a higher test anxiety score was related to using social support as a coping strategy. However, no relationships were found between academic performance and the three coping strategies when quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. Therefore, different coping strategies per se did not seem to be related to academic performance, but instead it was assumed that the effectiveness of coping strategies is dependent on individual differences. In order to obtain more generalisable results and to gain more understanding of test anxiety and coping with it, a larger number of subjects form different areas of Finland and of different ages could be examined in future studies. Moreover, cross-national and cross-cultural studies could provide valuable information. As a practical recommendation for educational purposes, the results of this study indicated that a more individualised approach is needed.

Konstikas kirjoittaminen ja kirjoittamisen konstit

Opinnäytteemme aiheena on kirjoittamisen kehittyminen, vaikeudet ja tukikeinot 1. ja 2. luokan oppilailla. Työelämän yhteistyökumppanit opinnäytetyössämme olivat Tikkurilan terveysaseman toimintaterapeutit. Opinnäytetyömme tarkoitus oli tehdä yhteistyökumppaneiden käyttöön kirjallista materiaalia konsultaation tueksi kirjoittamisen vaikeuksista kärsivien lasten koulutyöskentelyyn. Työ on rajattu käsittelemään kirjoittamista käden taitona. Rajauksesta johtuen käsittelemme työssämme kirjoittamista pääosin käsialan tuottamisen näkökulmasta, mutta emme perehdy kirjoitetun tekstin sisällön tuottamiseen. Toimintaterapeuttien tarkoituksena on luovuttaa työstä heidän mielestään tarpeellinen tieto eteenpäin opettajille oppilaan kirjoittamisen arvioinnin jälkeen. Opinnäytetyömme muoto on teoreettinen, kirjallisuuskatsauksen tyyppinen työ. Työmme lähteinä käytimme pääosin toimintaterapia-alan lasten kirjoittamista käsittelevää kirjallisuutta ja tieteellisiä tutkimusartikkeleita. Löysimme opinnäytetyötämme tehdessämme runsaasti kirjoittamisen tukemisen keinoja toimintaterapian näkökulmasta. Kirjoittamisen tukemista koululuokassa käsittelimme lapsen koulunkäynnistä selviytymisen näkökulmasta coping-viitekehystä hyödyntäen. Ennen kirjoittamisen tukemiseen liittyvien keinojen selvittämistä työssä oli tarpeellista selvittää kirjoittamisen kannalta olennaisia asioita. Näitä olivat kirjoittamisen kehittyminen käden taitona, kirjoittamiseen vaadittavat taidot ja valmiudet, kouluympäristön vaatimukset kirjoittamiselle, sekä kirjoittamisessa ilmenevät vaikeudet ja niiden vaikutukset oppilaan toimintaan. Kirjoittaminen on vaativa ja monimutkainen taito. Se on arvokas, koulunkäyntiä ja oppimista mahdollistava välinetaito. Vaikeudet kirjoittamisessa voivat johtua useista eri syistä, joten yhtä oikeaa keinoa tai menetelmää kirjoittamisen tukemiseen ei ole. Kirjoittamista koululuokassa voidaan pyrkiä tukemaan toimintataterapian näkökulmasta vaikuttamalla oppilaan sisäisiin voimavaroihin, ja/tai kouluympäristön voimavaroihin. Oppilaan suoriutumista kirjoittamisesta voidaan tukea myös toiminnan vaatimuksia muuttamalla. Toivoisimme, että tulevilta opinnäytteen tekijöiltä löytyisi kiinnostusta jatkaa työtämme. Ehdotuksiamme jatkotyön aiheiksi ovat Opas kirjoittamisen tukemiseksi opettajille, tai Opas kirjoittamisen tukemiseksi toimintaterapeuteille.

Iäkkäiden potilaiden selviytyminen päivittäisistä toiminnoista keskisuomalaisessa erikoissairaanhoidossa

English summary: Elderly patients' coping with activities of daily living in Jyväskylä Central Hospital

Ikääntyvät 1990-luvun Virossa: selviytyminen työssä ja elämässä

Summary: Elderly people in Estonia in the 1990s: works and coping

Kun työ haastaa koko elämän : selviytymisvalmiuksien dialoginen arviointi

Summary: When work challenges one's whole life : dialogical assessment of coping competencies

Miten selvitä fundamentalismin kanssa - Oppitunteja Alankomaista

Abstract: Coping with fundamentalism - lessons from the Netherlands