Pienyrityksen investointiprosessi. Case: STL-Partners Oy

Tutkielman tavoitteena oli tutkia pienyrityksen investointiprosessia ja seurata sen edistymistä kohdeyrityksessä. Tavoite pyrittiin saavuttamaan kirjallisuustutkimuksen avulla ja STL-Partners Oy:n toimitilainvestoinnin suunnitteluprosessia seuraamalla. Tutkimus toteutettiin pääasiassa tapaustutkimuksena, mutta se sisältää myös päätöksentekometodologisia osia. Tutkielman alussa esitettiin kirjallisuuten pohjautuva investointiprosessin malli. Kohdeyrityksen investointiprosessia seurattiin esitetyn mallin vaiheiden mukaisesti. Loppuosassa selvitettiin investoinnin eri rahoitusvaihtoehdot ja tehtiin kohdeyritykseltä saatujen tietojen pohjalta laskelma investoinnin kannattavuudesta. Tutkimuksessa todettiin, että myös pienessä yrityksessä investointien kannattavuuden arvioinnissa voidaan hyödyntää investointiteorian malleja. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin myös perusteet investoinnin kannattavuuden arvioinnille. Tutkimuksessa selvitettyjen tietojen avullalla kohdeyritys voi tehdä lopullisen investointipäätöksen.

IN DUBIO PRO NATURA? A Philosophical Analysis of the Precautionary Principle in Environmental and Health Risk Governance

In this book, I apply a philosophical approach to study the precautionary principle in environmental (and health) risk decision-making. The principle says that unacceptable environmental and health risks should be anticipated, and they ought to be forestalled before the damage comes to fruition even if scientific understanding of the risks is inadequate. The study consists of introductory chapters, summary and seven original publications which aim at explicating the principle, critically analysing the debate on the principle, and constructing a basis for the well-founded use of the principle. Papers I-V present the main thesis of this research. In the two last papers, the discussion is widened to new directions. The starting question is how well the currently embraced precautionary principle stands up to critical philosophical scrutiny. The approach employed is analytical: mainly conceptual, argumentative and ethical. The study draws upon Anglo-American style philosophy on the one hand, and upon sources of law as well as concrete cases and decision-making practices at the European Union level and in its member countries on the other. The framework is environmental (and health) risk governance, including the related law and policy. The main thesis of this study is that the debate on the precautionary principle needs to be shifted from the question of whether the principle (or its weak or strong interpretation) is well-grounded in general to questions about the theoretical plausibility and ethical and socio-political justifiability of specific understandings of the principle. The real picture of the precautionary principle is more complex than that found (i.e. presumed) in much of the current academic, political and public debate surrounding it. While certain presumptions and interpretations of the principle are found to be sound, others are theoretically flawed or include serious practical problems. The analysis discloses conceptual and ethical presumptions and elementary understandings of the precautionary principle, critically assesses current practices invoked in the name of the precautionary principle and public participation, and seeks to build bridges between precaution, engagement and philosophical ethics. Hence, it is intended to provide a sound basis upon which subsequent academic scrutiny can build.

Esiopetuskirjojen harjoitukset kielellisen tietoisuuden kehittäjinä

Tutkimus oli kasvatustieteellinen varhaiskasvatuksen alan tutkimus, jossa hyödynnettiin kielitieteellistä käsitteistöä. Tutkimuksen kohteena olivat esiopetuskirjojen kielellisen tietoisuuden harjoitukset. Aineistona oli 12 esiopetuksen harjoituskirjaa ja opettajan opasta. Kirjoissa oli yhteensä yli 2000 sivua ja yli 1300 harjoitusta. Tarkemmassa analyysissä olleiden harjoitusten määrä oli noin 460. Analyysimenetelmänä käytettiin sisällönanalyysiä, jonka avulla tutkittiin, millaisia kielellisen tietoisuuden harjoituksia esiopetuskirjoissa oli ja miten harjoitukset etenivät. Kielellisen tietoisuuden harjoitukset luokiteltiin fonologisen, morfologisen ja syntaktisen tietoisuuden harjoituksiin. Fonologinen tietoisuus käsitettiin lapsen kyvyksi havaita ja käsitellä kielen äännerakennetta. Morfologisella tietoisuudella tarkoitettiin kykyä havaita ja käsitellä kielen morfeemeja eli pienimpiä merkityksellisiä osia. Syntaktisella tietoisuudella tarkoitettiin lapsen tietoisuutta siitä, miten lauseet rakentuvat. Olennaisiksi piirteiksi fonologisen tietoisuuden harjoituksissa identifioituivat harjoitusten edellyttämä tai harjoittama tietoisuuden taso, harjoitusten kohteena olevien lingvististen yksiköiden taso ja harjoitustyyppi sekä morfologisen ja syntaktisen tietoisuuden harjoituksissa tietoisuuden taso ja harjoitustyyppi. Tutkimuksessa luotiin aikaisempien tutkimusten pohjalta mallit siitä, miten eri harjoitukset etenisivät optimaalisesti lapsen kielellisen tietoisuuden kehittymisen kannalta. Eri harjoituskirjojen harjoitusten etenemistä verrattiin näihin malleihin. Fonologisen tietoisuuden harjoituksista voitiin tunnistaa viisi päätyyppiä, joista useat jakautuivat vielä alatyypeiksi. Harjoitusten alatyypit ilmaisivat yleensä harjoituksissa käytettävän kognitiivisen operaation – käytettiinkö harjoituksessa tunnistamista, yhdistämistä vai osiin jakamista. Tämä samoin kuin harjoituksessa käytetty lingvistinen yksikkö (sana, loppusointu, tavu tai äänne) ja tietoisuuden taso olivat yhteydessä harjoituksen vaikeuteen. Tutkimuksissa ja interventioissa esiopetusikäisilläkin käytettyjä muunteluharjoituksia, joissa sanasta tai tavusta poistetaan osa, siihen lisätään osa tai osaa siirretään, harjoituskirjoissa ei ollut. Morfologisen tietoisuuden harjoitukset kohdistuivat yhdyssanoihin, taivutuspäätteisiin tai johdoksiin. Syntaktisen tietoisuuden harjoituksista identifioitui yhdentoista harjoituslajin alatyypin kautta kuusi päätyyppiä. Tutkimusta voidaan hyödyntää esiopetuskirjojen arvioinnissa ja laatimisessa sekä varhaiskasvatus- ja esiopetuspedagogiikassa.

Innovation Process and Organizational Adoption of Disruptive Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Finnish Bio-Economy Companies.

The thesis aims to build a coherent view and understanding of the innovation process and organizational technology adoption in Finnish bio-economy companies with a focus on innovations of a disruptive nature. Disruptive innovations are exceptional hence in order to create generalizations and a unified view of the subject the perspective is also on less radical innovations. Other interests of the thesis are how ideas are discovered and generated and how the nature of the innovation and size of the company affect the technology adoption and innovation process. The data was collected by interviewing six small and six large Finnish bio-economy companies. The results suggest companies regardless of size consider innovation as a core asset in the competitive markets. Organizations want to be considered innovators and early adopters yet these qualities are limited by certain, mainly resource-based factors. In addition the industry, scalability and Finland’s geographical location when seeking funding provide certain challenges. The innovation process may be considered relatively similar whether the idea or technology stems from an internal or external source suggesting the technology adoption process can in fact be linked to the innovation process theories. Thus the thesis introduces a new theoretical model which based on the results of the study and the theories of technology adoption and innovation process aims on characterizing how ideas and technology from both external and internal sources generate into innovations. The innovation process is in large bio-economy companies most often similar to or a modified version of the stage-gate model, while small companies generally have less structured processes. Nevertheless the more disruptive the innovation, the less it fits in the structured processes. This implies disruptive innovation cannot be put in a certain mould but it is rather processed case-by-case.

Litteracitet i fem högstadieungdomars en-till-en-datorpraktiker

The study focuses on five lower secondary school pupils’ daily use of their one-toone computers, the overall aim being to investigate literacy in this form of computing. Theoretically, the study is rooted in the New Literacy tradition with an ecological perspective, in combination with socio-semiotic theory in a multimodal perspective. New Literacy in the ecological perspective focuses on literacy practices and place/space and on the links between them. Literacy is viewed as socially based, in specific situations and in recurring social practices. Socio-semiotic theory embodying the multimodal perspective is used for the text analysis. The methodology is known as socio-semiotic ethnography. The ethnographic methods encompass just over two years of fieldwork with participating observations of the five participants’ computing activities at home, at school and elsewhere. The participants, one boy and two girls from the Blue (Anemone) School and two girls from the White (Anemone) School, were chosen to reflect a broad spectrum in terms of sociocultural and socioeconomic background. The study shows the existence of a both broad and deep variation in the way digital literacy features in the participants’ one-to-one computing. These variations are associated with experience in relation to the home, the living environment, place, personal qualities and school. The more varied computer usage of the Blue School participants is connected with the interests they developed in their homes and living environments and in the computing practices undertaken in school. Their more varied usage of the computer is reflected in their broader digital literacy repertoires and their greater number and variety of digital literacy abilities. The Blue School participants’ text production is more multifaceted, covers a wider range of subjects and displays a broader palette of semiotic resources. It also combines more text types and the texts are generally longer than those of the White School participants. The Blue School girls have developed a text culture that is close to that of the school. In their case, there is clear linkage between school-initiated and self-initiated computing activities, while other participants do not have the same opportunities to link and integrate self-initiated computing activities into the school context. It also becomes clear that the Blue School girls can relate and adapt their texts to different communicative practices and recipients. In addition, the study shows that the Blue School girls have some degree of scope in their school practice as a result of incorporating into it certain communicative practices that they have developed in nonschool contexts. Quite contrary to the hopes expressed that one-to-one computing would reduce digital inequality, it has increased between these participants. Whether the same or similar results apply in a larger perspective, on a more structural level, is a question that this study cannot answer. It can only draw attention to the need to investigate the matter. The study shows in a variety of ways that the White School participants do not have the same opportunity to develop their digital literacy as the Blue School participants. In an equivalence perspective, schools have a compensational task to perform. It is abundantly clear from the study that investing in one-to-one projects is not enough to combat digital inequality and achieve the digitisation goals established for school education. Alongside their investments in technology, schools need to develop a didactic that legitimises and compensates for the different circumstances of different pupils. The compensational role of schools in this connection is important not only for the present participants but also for the community at large, in that it can help to secure a cohesive, open and democratic society.

Adapting to a team of host culture domination: Experiences of Finnish and British expatriates

International teams are permanent features of the global market, and multinational companies cannot ignore them. This thesis discusses an individual’s adaptation to a team of host culture domination by looking at the experiences of Finnish and British expatriates. The research question is: How does a foreigner adapt to a Finnish-British team where all the other members are from the local culture? The theoretical framework of this thesis consists of theories on multicultural teamwork and Finnish and British cultures. Based on theories, the impact of diversity on teamwork and whether it improves or deteriorates a team’s performance is unclear but the idea of multicultural teams is not just to live with cultural differences but to use and benefit of them. The main differences between Finnish and British cultures are in management styles and level of hierarchy. Still, these two cultures seem to be very similar. This is a qualitative study and expert interviews were used as a method for data collection. The results of the empirical research showed that Finns and Brits have differences in decision-making, level of hierarchy and communication. None of the informants saw the challenges that they have faced to result from being the only representative of a foreign culture – they only perceived them resulting from the characteristics of the host culture. In addition, all the informants had to change their habits and behaviour in the host culture in order to fit into the new culture and to become a part of the team. However, all the informants saw advantages in cross-cultural teams. Based on this thesis, team members from the host culture do not value cultural differences and they seem to be an issue only for the team member from the minority culture. It seems that a Finn or a Brit adapts to a Finnish-British team where the host culture dominates by changing their own behaviour in order to become a part of the team – even though people often see their own culture’s methods and habits as the right ones. Finnish and British cultures seem to be similar in fundamental issues like views and attitudes, which could mean that it is fairly easy for a Finn to get used to working in a British team and vice versa. Even though there are many challenges in cross-cultural and bi-cultural teams, there are even more advantages.

Knowledge Sharing between Generations in an Organisation - Retention of the Old or Building the New?

The study explores knowledge transfer between retiring employees and their successors in expert work. My aim is to ascertain whether there is knowledge development or building new knowledge related to this organisational knowledge transfer between generations; in other words, is the transfer of knowledge from experienced, retiring employees to their successors merely retention of the existing organisational knowledge by distributing it from one individual to another or does this transfer lead to building new and meaningful organisational knowledge. I call knowledge transfer between generations and the possibly related knowledge building in this study knowledge sharing between generations. The study examines the organisation and knowledge management from a knowledge-based and constructionist view. From this standpoint, I see knowledge transfer as an interactive process, and the exploration is based on how the people involved in this process understand and experience the phenomenon studied. The research method is organisational ethnography. I conducted the analysis of data using thematic analysis and the articulation method, which has not been used before in organisational knowledge studies. The primary empirical data consists of theme interviews with twelve employees involved in knowledge transfer in the organisation being studied and five follow-up theme interviews. Six of the interviewees are expert duty employees due to retire shortly, and six are their successors. All those participating in the follow-up interviews are successors of those soon to retire from their expert responsibilities. The organisation in the study is a medium-sized Finnish firm, which designs and manufactures electrical equipment and systems for the global market. The results of the study show that expert work-related knowledge transfer between generations can mean knowledge building which produces new, meaningful knowledge for the organisation. This knowledge is distributed in the organisation to all those that find it useful in increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the whole organisation. The transfer and building of knowledge together create an act of knowledge sharing between generations where the building of knowledge presupposes transfer. Knowledge sharing proceeds between the expert and the novice through eight phases. During the phases of knowledge transfer the expert guides the novice to absorb the knowledge to be transferred. With the expert’s help the novice gradually comes to understand the knowledge and in the end he or she is capable of using it in his or her work. During the phases of knowledge building the expert helps the novice to further develop the knowledge being transferred so that it becomes new, useful knowledge for the organisation. After that the novice takes the built knowledge to use in his or her work. Based on the results of the study, knowledge sharing between generations takes place in interaction and ends when knowledge is taken to use. The results I obtained in the interviews by the articulation method show that knowledge sharing between generations is shaped by the novices’ conceptions of their own work goals, knowledge needs and duties. These are not only based on the official definition of the work, but also how the novices find their work or how they prioritise the given objectives and responsibilities. The study shows that the novices see their work primarily as maintenance or development. Those primarily involved in maintenance duties do not necessarily need knowledge defined as transferred between generations. Therefore, they do not necessarily transfer knowledge with their assigned experts, even though this can happen in favourable circumstances. They do not build knowledge because their view of their work goals and duties does not require the building of new knowledge. Those primarily involved in development duties, however, do need knowledge available from their assigned experts. Therefore, regardless of circumstances they transfer knowledge with their assigned experts and also build knowledge because their work goals and duties create a basis for building new knowledge. The literature on knowledge transfer between generations has focused on describing either the knowledge being transferred or the means by which it is transferred. Based on the results of this study, however, knowledge sharing between generations, that is, transfer and building is determined by how the novice considers his or her own knowledge needs and work practices. This is why studies on knowledge sharing between generations and its implementation should be based not only on the knowledge content and how it is shared, but also on the context of the work in which the novice interprets and shares knowledge. The existing literature has not considered the possibility that knowledge transfer between generations may mean building knowledge. The results of this study, however, show that this is possible. In knowledge building, the expert’s existing organisational knowledge is combined with the new knowledge that the novice brings to the organisation. In their interaction this combination of the expert’s “old” and the novice’s “new” knowledge becomes new, meaningful organisational knowledge. Previous studies show that knowledge development between the members of an organisation is the prerequisite for organisational renewal which in turn is essential for improved competitiveness. Against this background, knowledge building enables organisational renewal and thus enhances competitiveness. Hence, when knowledge transfer between generations is followed by knowledge building, the organisation kills two birds with one stone. In knowledge transfer the organisation retains the existing knowledge and thus maintains its competitiveness. In knowledge building the organisation developsnew knowledge and thus improves its competitiveness.

Essays on auditor independence

Auditor independence is a cornerstone of the auditing profession and the basic principle that underpins the reputation of the auditing profession in the public eye. Indeed, it is the attribute most demanded from auditors by the public. Therefore, the sustainability of the auditing profession depends on how auditors can protect this principle. This dissertation consists of four interrelated essays concerned with auditor independence. Specifically, it examines situations that can threaten and impair auditor independence. In addition, this dissertation also examines several variables that may enhance and protect auditor independence. The first essay aims to examine the impact of social pressures occurring within audit firms on auditors’ judgment in the setting of a society with “high power distance” and “low individualism” cultural dimensions. The social pressures consisted of obedience pressure exerted by an auditor’s superior and conformity pressure exerted by an auditor’s colleague. Moreover, two moderating variables—a multi-dimensional professional commitment and locus of control—were included as moderator variables in the relationship between the social pressures faced by auditors and their judgment. The findings show that obedience and conformity pressures influence auditor judgment. Auditors who face the social pressures will make a judgment that may be even diametrically opposite to the independence principle. The findings also indicate that a multi-dimensional professional commitment and locus of control may potentially influence auditor judgment in a situation with social pressures. The second essay aims to investigate the association of advocacy and familiarity threats caused by auditor fee dependence and auditor tenure on auditor independence based on Finnish data, law, and auditing environment. This essay was motivated by the Green Paper on Audit Policy, published by the European Commission in 2010 that questions whether the maximum fee collected from a client should be regulated and whether consecutive assignments should be limited, among others. Contrary to popular belief, this essay does not find evidence that audit fees and long auditor tenure will jeopardise auditor independence. Therefore, the findings do not support policies to regulate auditor fees or limit auditor tenure in Finland. The third essay aims to examine the effect of client intimidation on auditor independence in an audit-client conflict situation. Intimidation threat is one of five independence threats that are explicitly referenced in the IFAC’s independence framework. Client intimidation was manifested in the client threatening to replace the auditor if the auditor did not adopt the client’s position. In addition, this essay examines the role of auditor’s perceived pressure and multi-dimensions of professional commitment as moderator variables. The findings suggest that auditors who experience client intimidation in an audit conflict situation are more likely to have their independence impaired than those who are in a similar situation but without client intimidation. Moreover, auditors who experience client intimidation perceive higher pressure than those who do not experience intimidation. Finally, auditors’ affective and continuance professional commitment dimensions moderate the relationship between auditors’ perceived pressures and auditor independence. The aim of the fourth essay is twofold. First, it aims to develop a scale for measuring auditors’ reputation awareness. Second, it aims to examine the correlation between the levels of auditor reputation awareness and auditor independence. A seven-item scale was developed as the reputation awareness scale. The findings indicate that the scale consists of one dimension. It also has a level of satisfactory reliability and a high level of validity. The findings show that there is a positive correlation between the level of auditors’ reputation awareness and auditor independence.

My repository is being aggregated: a blessing or a curse?

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Inclusion or Exclusion? Trade union strategies and Labor migration

Inclusion or Exclusion? Trade Union Strategies and Labor Migration This research identified and analyzed immigration-related strategies of the Finnish Construction Trade Union (FCTU) and the Service Union United (SUU); e.g. how the unions react to labor immigration, whether unions seek to include migrants in the unions, and what is migrants’ position in the unions. The two unions were chosen as the focus of the research because the workforce in the sectors they represent is migrant-dense. The study also analyzed the experiences that migrants who work in these sectors have with trade unions. The Estonian labor market situation –including the role of Estonian trade unions– was also examined as it has a considerable impact on the operating environment of the FCTU. The results of the study indicate that immigration is a contradictory issue for both unions. On the one hand, they strive to include migrants as trade union members and to defend migrants’ labor rights. On the other hand, they, together with their umbrella organization the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), seek to prevent labor immigration from outside the EU and EEA countries. They actively defend current labor immigration restrictions by drawing atten- tion to high unemployment figures and to the breaches of working conditions migrants encounter. In contrast, the employer organizations promote a more liberal state policy on labor immigration because they see it as a boost for business. Both the unions and the employer organizations ground their arguments on national interest. However, the position of the trade union movement is not uniform: unions belonging to the Confederation of Unions for Professionals and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava) embrace more liberal labor immigration stances than the SAK. A key trade union strategy is to try to guarantee that migrants’ working condi- tions do not differ from those of the natives. The FCTU and the SUU inform migrants about Finnish collective agreements and trade union membership in the most common migrant languages. This is important for the unions because it is not in their interest that migrants’ working conditions are undercut. The interviewed migrants said that natives had more negotiating power with employers, which is often negatively portrayed in migrants’ working conditions. Migrants perceive that trade unions have an important role in protecting their working conditions. However, they stressed that migrants’ knowledge of unions is often very limited. The number of migrants in both two unions studied here is increasing. Espe- cially in the SUU, a considerable proportion of the new members are migrants. The FCTU is in a more challenging situation than the SUU because migrant construc- tion workers often work only for short periods in Finland and are consequently not interested in becoming union members. The unions’ strategies partly differ: the FCTU was the first Finnish trade union to establish a trade union branch/lo- cal for migrant members. The goal is to facilitate migrants’ inclusion in the union and to highlight the specific problems they face. The SUU, for its part, insists that such a special strategy would exclude migrants within the union organization. Despite the unions’ strategies, migrants are still underrepresented as union members and officials, which some of the interviewed migrants saw as a problem. Immigrants’ perception of trade unions was pragmatic: they had joined unions when membership yielded concrete benefits. In spite of the unions’ strategies, migrants –and temporary migrants– encoun- ter specific problems in terms of working conditions. Both unions demand more state intervention to protect migrants’ labor rights because overseeing working conditions consumes union resources. However, without the unions’ intervention, these problems would be more common than is currently the case. For instance, some of the interviewed migrants had received trade union assistance in claim- ing unpaid wages. The study demonstrated with the help of building on Walter Korpi’s power resources theory, that immigration is a power resource issue for the unions: suc- cessful immigration-related strategies strengthen unions –and vice versa. The research also showed how the unions’ operating environments constrain and enable their immigration-related strategies. This study has illuminated a previously ignored dimension: the immigrant- inclusive strategies of the Finnish trade unions. The research material consists of 78 qualitative interviews, observation in trade union events, and trade unions’ and employer organizations’ public state- ments.

Tehohoitopotilaan siirtotiedote hoitotyön päätöksenteon tukena - retrospektiivinen asiakirja-analyysi vuosilta 2001-2013

Tuija Lehtikunnas: Intensive care patient handover document in support of decision-making in nursing work - Retrospective document analysis for the period 2001–2013 University of Turku, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing Science Annales Universitatis Turkuensis Turku 2016 ABSTRACT The continuity of care and flow of information must be ensured when transferring the responsibility of care, whether this is done within an organisation or from one organisation to another. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the nursing handover documents of long-term intensive care patients and changes to these documents during the years 2001–2013. Research data comprehended long-term intensive care patient handover documents (N = 250). Data was gathered from one university hospital intensive care unit and subjected to a content analysis of technical implementation, structure and content at five different time points. In addition to this, the nursing handover documents were analysed from a nursing decision-making standpoint. Sub-data (n = 5 x 50) from the years 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2013 was gathered. The first sub-data was manual, written on paper with a pen. The rest of the sub-data obtained was entered in a dedicated intensive care information system. The study developed an intensive care patient nursing handover document analysis framework, which was used to deductively analyse the research data. The results indicated that the transitioning to electronic records reinforced structure and identification improving the reusability of data was increased. Although intensive care nursing was recorded on nursing handover documents more comprehensively in more recent sub-data, it was done selectively with regard to overall patient care, e.g. there are no entries concerning the psychological support and counselling of patients or family members. Nursing handover documents do not contain a systematic description of the patient's communication and functional capacity at the moment of transfer. The patient's condition at the moment of transfer is not clearly indicated on the handover documents. Plans for follow-up treatment are not recorded at all. Nursing decision-making is difficult to find on the nursing handover documents used as research data. The study developed a handover document model for intensive care nursing that supports nursing decision-making and the continuity of care. Developmental recommendations focus on the management of co-operation within organisations for ensuring the continuity of care and enhancing each area of nursing in recording nursing handover documents by planning nursing for the patient, taking follow-up treatment resources into consideration. Keywords: Intensive care nursing, nursing decision-making, nursing records, information flow, nursing handover document, continuity of care