Purchasing and supply management capabilities in Finnish medium-sized enterprises

Purchasing and supply management (PSM) has become increasingly important for companies to survive in current highly competitive market. Increased outsourcing has extended the role of PSM, making external resource management and supplier relationships critical success factors in business. However, the recent research has mainly concentrated on large enterprises. Therefore the PSM issues related to medium-sized enterprises represent a significant research area. The thesis aims to explore the status and role of PSM in Finnish medium-sized firms, understand how strategic companies consider PSM to be, clarify what are the competence requirements for PSM professionals, and increase the understanding of PSM capabilities needed from the points view of individual competence and organisational capabilities. The study uses data that was collected in 2007 from purchasing executives at the director/CEO level representing a sample of 94 Finnish firms. 54 % of the respondent enterprises had a supply strategy. The total supply cost was on average 60 % of firms' turnover. Centralisation of PSM and outsourcing of logistics will increase in Finnish medium-sized enterprises. The findings point out that Finnish medium-sized enterprises had strategical features of PSM. However, Finnish firms have not concentrated on making strategies that relate to PSM. The elements that explain the existence of a supply strategy could be found in this study. It can be concluded from this study that there is an advantageous base for the development of strategic PSM, because nearly all the enterprises were of the opinion that PSM capabilities have an effect on business success. When reviewing the organisational capabilities, the five most important development elements were supplier relationships, both operational and strategic processes, time management, and personnel's competence. Training in internationalisation, strategic management, and communication could help to improve competences of PSM personnel.

The effects of ICT on school: teachers��� and students��� perspectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on school from teachers��� and students��� perspectives. The focus was on three main subject matters: on ICT use and competence, on teacher and school community, and on learning environment and teaching practices. The study is closely connected to the national educational policy which has aimed strongly at supporting the implementation of ICT in pedagogical practices at all institutional levels. The phenomena were investigated using a mixed methods approach. The qualitative data from three cases studies and the quantitative data from three statistical studies were combined. In this study, mixed methods were used to investigate the complex phenomena from various stakeholders��� points of view, and to support validation by combining different perspectives in order to give a fuller and more complete picture of the phenomena. The data were used in a complementary manner. The results indicate that the technical resources for using ICT both at school and at homes are very good. In general, students are capable and motivated users of new technology; these skills and attitudes are mainly based on home resources and leisuretime use. Students have the skills to use new kinds of applications and new forms of technology, and their ICT skills are wide, although not necessarily adequate; the working habits might be ineffective and even wrong. Some students have a special kind of ICT-related adaptive expertise which develops in a beneficial interaction between school guidance and challenges, and individual interest and activity. Teachers��� skills are more heterogeneous. The large majority of teachers have sufficient skills for everyday and routine working practices, but many of them still have difficulties in finding a meaningful pedagogical use for technology. The intensive case study indicated that for the majority of teachers the intensive ICT projects offer a possibility for learning new skills and competences intertwined in the work, often also supported by external experts and a collaborative teacher community; a possibility that ���ordinary��� teachers usually do not have. Further, teachers��� good ICT competence help them to adopt new pedagogical practices and integrate ICT in a meaningful way. The genders differ in their use of and skills in ICT: males show better skills especially in purely technical issues also in schools and classrooms, whereas female students and younger female teachers use ICT in their ordinary practices quite naturally. With time, the technology has become less technical and its communication and creation affordances have become stronger, easier to use, more popular and motivating, all of which has increased female interest in the technology. There is a generation gap in ICT use and competence between teachers and students. This is apparent especially in the ICT-related pedagogical practices in the majority of schools. The new digital affordances not only replace some previous practices; the new functionalities change many of our existing conceptions, values, attitudes and practices. The very different conceptions that generations have about technology leads, in the worst case, to a digital gap in education; the technology used in school is boring and ineffective compared to the ICT use outside school, and it does not provide the competence needed for using advanced technology in learning. The results indicate that in schools which have special ICT projects (���ICT pilot schools���) for improving pedagogy, these have led to true changes in teaching practices. Many teachers adopted student-centred and collaborative, inquiry-oriented teaching practices as well as practices that supported students' authentic activities, independent work, knowledge building, and students' responsibility. This is, indeed, strongly dependent on the ICT-related pedagogical competence of the teacher. However, the daily practices of some teachers still reflected a rather traditional teacher-centred approach. As a matter of fact, very few teachers ever represented solely, e.g. the knowledge building approach; teachers used various approaches or mixed them, based on the situation, teaching and learning goals, and on their pedagogical and technical competence. In general, changes towards pedagogical improvements even in wellorganised developmental projects are slow. As a result, there are two kinds of ICT stories: successful ���ICT pilot schools��� with pedagogical innovations related to ICT and with school community level agreement about the visions and aims, and ���ordinary schools���, which have no particular interest in or external support for using ICT for improvement, and in which ICT is used in a more routine way, and as a tool for individual teachers, not for the school community.

TransPromo communication as a part of company���s marketing communications when the e-bill is a medium

The goal of this thesis was to research what TransPromo is, why companies want to implement TransPromo communication, and what the elements of effective Transpromo communication are. Furthermore, the goal was to develop a TransPromo communication strategy and a normative model for TeliaSonera Finland, which depicts the elements of effective TransPromo communication when the electronic bill is a medium. Abductive reasoning was utilized in this thesis, which means that empirical and theoretical worlds are alternating in researcher���s reasoning process. This thesis didn���t rely on any specific theory nor did it utilize any previous theoretical model. However, certain theoretical connections existed so this thesis cannot be considered purely inductive. The empirical part of this thesis was conducted by examining secondary industry data and by conducting specialist interviews at TeliaSonera Finland and Str��lfors. Grounded Theory approach was utilized in the analysis of the interview data and content analysis was used in the analysis of secondary industry data. This thesis increases knowledge in the area of TransPromo communication, and provides one definition of TransPromo communication. As a result of this thesis, a TransPromo communication strategy and a normative model for TeliaSonera Finland was built. The model depicts the elements of the effective TransPromo communication when the e-bill is a medium. The TranPromo communication objective is to utilize transaction documents, such as bills, in order to deliver targeted and personalized marketing messages to current customers. The aim is to strengthen the customer relationship, and to enforce up-sell and cross-sell opportunities and cost savings.

Exploring Adaptive Implementation of On-Chip Networks

As technology geometries have shrunk to the deep submicron regime, the communication delay and power consumption of global interconnections in high performance Multi- Processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoCs) are becoming a major bottleneck. The Network-on- Chip (NoC) architecture paradigm, based on a modular packet-switched mechanism, can address many of the on-chip communication issues such as performance limitations of long interconnects and integration of large number of Processing Elements (PEs) on a chip. The choice of routing protocol and NoC structure can have a significant impact on performance and power consumption in on-chip networks. In addition, building a high performance, area and energy efficient on-chip network for multicore architectures requires a novel on-chip router allowing a larger network to be integrated on a single die with reduced power consumption. On top of that, network interfaces are employed to decouple computation resources from communication resources, to provide the synchronization between them, and to achieve backward compatibility with existing IP cores. Three adaptive routing algorithms are presented as a part of this thesis. The first presented routing protocol is a congestion-aware adaptive routing algorithm for 2D mesh NoCs which does not support multicast (one-to-many) traffic while the other two protocols are adaptive routing models supporting both unicast (one-to-one) and multicast traffic. A streamlined on-chip router architecture is also presented for avoiding congested areas in 2D mesh NoCs via employing efficient input and output selection. The output selection utilizes an adaptive routing algorithm based on the congestion condition of neighboring routers while the input selection allows packets to be serviced from each input port according to its congestion level. Moreover, in order to increase memory parallelism and bring compatibility with existing IP cores in network-based multiprocessor architectures, adaptive network interface architectures are presented to use multiple SDRAMs which can be accessed simultaneously. In addition, a smart memory controller is integrated in the adaptive network interface to improve the memory utilization and reduce both memory and network latencies. Three Dimensional Integrated Circuits (3D ICs) have been emerging as a viable candidate to achieve better performance and package density as compared to traditional 2D ICs. In addition, combining the benefits of 3D IC and NoC schemes provides a significant performance gain for 3D architectures. In recent years, inter-layer communication across multiple stacked layers (vertical channel) has attracted a lot of interest. In this thesis, a novel adaptive pipeline bus structure is proposed for inter-layer communication to improve the performance by reducing the delay and complexity of traditional bus arbitration. In addition, two mesh-based topologies for 3D architectures are also introduced to mitigate the inter-layer footprint and power dissipation on each layer with a small performance penalty.

Perinteisen kustannuslaskennan ja toimintolaskennan soveltuvuus ICT-palveluja tuottavassa yrityksess��

Diplomity�� tehtiin julkisomisteiseen osakeyhti����n, joka tuottaa julkiseen terveydenhuoltoon ja kuntien toimintaan liittyvi�� tieto- ja viestint��teknologian sek�� l����ketieteellisen tekniikan (ICMT) palveluja. Ty��n tavoitteena oli rakentaa yritykseen perinteisen kustannuslaskennan ja toimintolaskennan mallit, joita vertaamalla pyrittiin l��yt��m����n soveliain kustannuslaskentaratkaisu ICT-alalle. T��t�� tavoitetta tuettiin haastattelututkimuksella suomalaisiin ICT-toimialan yrityksiin, heid��n k��yt��ss����n olevista kustannuslaskennan ja hinnoittelun menetelmist��. Teoriaosuudessa esitet����n kustannustenlaskenta ja hinnoittelumenetelmi�� ja k��yd����n l��pi niiden periaatteet sek�� soveltuminen ICT-sektorille. Empiirisess�� osuudessa kuvataan perinteisen kustannuslaskentamallin rakentaminen sek�� toimintolaskentaprojektin eteneminen kohdeyrityksess��. ICT-toimialalle suoritettavan haastattelututkimuksen avulla kartoitetaan suomalaisten k��rki ICT-yritysten kustannustenlaskentamenetelmi�� ja toimitapoja, sek�� k��yt��ss�� olevia hinnoitteluperiaatteita. Perinteinen kustannuslaskennan menetelm�� osoittautui tutkimuksessa soveltuvimmaksi kohdeyrityksen k��ytt����n. Haastattelututkimuksen tulokset tukivat t��t�� perinteisen kustannuslaskennan k��ytt����. P����osalla haastatteluun osallistuneista yrityksist�� oli k��yt��ss����n kustannusperustainen laskentaj��rjestelm��. Yleisin laskentamenetelm�� suomalaisissa ICT-alan yhti��iss�� oli katetuottolaskenta. Hinnoittelu perustui niin ik����n ensisijaisesti tuotekustannusten laskentaan.

Power-line-communication-based data transmission concept for an LVDC electricity distribution network ��� Analysis and implementation

Communications play a key role in modern smart grids. New functionalities that make the grids ���smart��� require the communication network to function properly. Data transmission between intelligent electric devices (IEDs) in the rectifier and the customer-end inverters (CEIs) used for power conversion is also required in the smart grid concept of the low-voltage direct current (LVDC) distribution network. Smart grid applications, such as smart metering, demand side management (DSM), and grid protection applied with communications are all installed in the LVDC system. Thus, besides remote connection to the databases of the grid operators, a local communication network in the LVDC network is needed. One solution applied to implement the communication medium in power distribution grids is power line communication (PLC). There are power cables in the distribution grids, and hence, they may be applied as a communication channel for the distribution-level data. This doctoral thesis proposes an IP-based high-frequency (HF) band PLC data transmission concept for the LVDC network. A general method to implement the Ethernet-based PLC concept between the public distribution rectifier and the customerend inverters in the LVDC grid is introduced. Low-voltage cables are studied as the communication channel in the frequency band of 100 kHz���30 MHz. The communication channel characteristics and the noise in the channel are described. All individual components in the channel are presented in detail, and a channel model, comprising models for each channel component is developed and verified by measurements. The channel noise is also studied by measurements. Theoretical signalto- noise ratio (SNR) and channel capacity analyses and practical data transmission tests are carried out to evaluate the applicability of the PLC concept against the requirements set by the smart grid applications in the LVDC system. The main results concerning the applicability of the PLC concept and its limitations are presented, and suggestion for future research proposed.

Viral marketing in a Finnish medium sized gaming company: discovering, analyzing and building an improved management process for viral marketing campaigns, case: Nitrogames

The goal of this thesis is to build a viral marketing management framework for a Finnish medium sized gaming company. This is achieved by first finding and building a theoretical five step management process framework based on literature, analyzing current model and giving recommendations for the case company to develop its own management process. In addition, viral marketing research is still in early stage resulting this study to propose its own take on the definition in the theory part. Empirical part is based on qualitative interviews, campaign material and secondary sources and is aimed to find out and analyze the case company���s current viral marketing state and to give recommendations to it. The final outcome of the study is a general, theoretical management framework for viral marketing campaigns and specified recommendations for the case company.

Demand forecasting process design and methods in medium sized enterprise

The purpose of this thesis was to study the design of demand forecasting processes and management of demand. In literature review were different processes found and forecasting methods and techniques interviewed. Also role of bullwhip effect in supply chain was identified and how to manage it with information sharing operations. In the empirical part of study is at first described current situation and challenges in case company. After that will new way to handle demand introduced with target budget creation and how information sharing with 5 products and a few customers would bring benefits to company. Also the new S&OP process created within this study and organization for it.

��tudiants universitaires du Cameroun et les technologies de l���information et de la communication : usages, apprentissages et motivations

Cette ��tude porte sur les usages des TIC des ��tudiants universitaires du Cameroun. Elle se situe dans un contexte de l���enseignement sup��rieur camerounais en pleine mutation par les TIC. Elle vise donc �� mieux comprendre les utilisations des TIC qui influencent l���apprentissage et la motivation acad��mique chez les ��tudiants universitaires du Cameroun. Pour atteindre cet objectif, quatre principaux axes d�����tude sont envisag��s : -Les usages des TIC des ��tudiants universitaires camerounais; -Les perceptions des ��tudiants sur l���usage des TIC dans leur formation; -L���impact des TIC sur l���apprentissage des ��tudiants universitaires du Cameroun ; -L���impact des TIC sur la motivation acad��mique des ��tudiants universitaires en apprentissage. La typologie de De Vries (2001) adopt��e, qui est b��tie sur plusieurs variables d���apprentissage en lien avec les TIC (lire, faire des exercices, dialogue, jouer, explorer, manipuler, observer, construire et discuter), a facilit�� l�����laboration d���un portrait des usages des TIC des ��tudiants universitaires camerounais. Pour v��rifier si les TIC ont un lien avec l���acquisition du savoir vis��e par un cours chez les ��tudiants camerounais, nous avons eu recours �� la taxonomie de Bloom (1956) r��vis��e par Lorin (2001). Cette taxonomie est constitu��e des verbes d���action qui d��crivent des op��rations cognitives d���apprentissage et sp��cifient des activit��s d���apprentissage li��e aux TIC en terme de �� capacit�� �� ��. Aussi, les r��sultats de Barrette (2005) sur les effets des TIC sur l���apprentissage (am��lioration des r��sultats acad��miques, d��veloppement des op��rations cognitives, am��lioration de la motivation et int��r��t des ��tudiants) nous ont servi de balises pour mieux comprendre les influences des TIC sur l���apprentissage des ��tudiants universitaires. La litt��rature sur l���impact des TIC sur la motivation acad��mique a r��v��l�� que les sentiments d'autod��termination, de comp��tence et d'affiliation influencent la motivation des ��tudiants. Ainsi la th��orie retenue de l'autod��termination de Deci et Ryan (1985, 1991, 2000) nous permet de mieux cerner le concept de la motivation dans cette ��tude. Cette recherche se fonde sur une m��thodologie de type mixte, comportant plusieurs sources de donn��es collect��es (Savoie-Zajc et Karsenti (2000)): entrevues individuelles semi dirig��es avec des ��tudiants (n = 9), observations participantes d�����tudiants (n=2), observations participantes de groupes d�����tudiants (n = 3), questionnaire (n=120). La th��se suit un mode de pr��sentation par articles, chacun des articles ��tant en lien avec l���un des objectifs de la recherche. Les r��sultats obtenus confortent l���hypoth��se d���une utilisation des TIC �� des fins acad��miques par des ��tudiants dans le campus ainsi que dans les cybercaf��s. Autrement dit, la recherche dresse un portrait des usages des TIC des ��tudiants universitaires camerounais en mettant en ��vidence les types d���utilisation multivari��s rencontr��s. Les r��sultats font aussi ressortir que les TIC sont des outils didactiques efficaces pour faciliter la compr��hension des situations complexes des cours suivis par les ��tudiants. Cette recherche a donn�� lieu �� l���adaptation de l�����chelle de mesure EMITICE, un instrument de mesure de la motivation lors de l'int��gration des TIC dans l'enseignement, qui a permis de d��terminer les variations de la motivation des ��tudiants et de mettre en ��vidence une comparaison de l'��volution du type de leur motivation.

Simple Low-cost Planar Antenna for Indoor Communication under the Bluetooth Protocol

A single-feed rectangular-ring microstrip antenna is proposed for indoor communication under the Bluetooth protocol. The dimensions of the antenna together with the location of the feed point are optimized through field simulations in order to cover the Bluetooth bandwidth and to avoid linear polarization. The performance and the efficiency of the antenna are illustrated in a real indoor environment

Impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) on Professional Development and Educational Needs of Library Professionals in the Universities of Kerala

The shift from print to digital information has a high impact on all components of the academic library system in India especially the users, services and the staff. Though information is considered as an important resource, the use of ICT tools to collect and disseminate information has been in a slow pace in majority of the University libraries This may be due to various factors like insufficient funds, inadequate staff trained in handling computers and software packages, administrative concerns etc. In Kerala, automation has been initiated in almost all University libraries using library automation software and is under different stages of completion. There are not much studies conducted about the effects of information communication technologies on the professional activities of library professionals in the universities in Kerala. It is important to evaluate whether progress in ICT has had any impact on the library profession in these highest educational institutions. The aim of the study is to assess whether the developments in information communication technologies have any influence on the library professionals��� professional development, and the need for further education and training in the profession and evaluate their skills in handling developments in ICT. The total population of the study is 252 including the permanently employed professional library staff in central libraries and departmental libraries in the main campuses of the universities under study. This is almost a census study of the defined population of users. The questionnaire method was adopted for collection of data for this study, supplemented by interviews of Librarians to gather additional information. Library Professionals have a positive approach towards ICT applications and services in Libraries, but majority do not have the opportunities to develop their skills and competencies in their work environment. To develop competitive personnel in a technologically advanced world, high priority must be given to develop competence in ICT applications, library management and soft skills in library professionals, by the University administrators and Library associations. Library science schools and teaching departments across the country have to take significant steps to revise library science curriculum, and incorporate significant changes to achieve the demands and challenges of library science profession.

Re-engineering and Re-defining University Libraries in the context of modern Information and Communication Technologies: a study with special reference to the University Libraries in Kerala

Information and communication technologies are the tools that underpin the emerging ���Knowledge Society���. Exchange of information or knowledge between people and through networks of people has always taken place. But the ICT has radically changed the magnitude of this exchange, and thus factors such as timeliness of information and information dissemination patterns have become more important than ever.Since information and knowledge are so vital for the all round human development, libraries and institutions that manage these resources are indeed invaluable. So, the Library and Information Centres have a key role in the acquisition, processing, preservation and dissemination of information and knowledge. ln the modern context, library is providing service based on different types of documents such as manuscripts, printed, digital, etc. At the same time, acquisition, access, process, service etc. of these resources have become complicated now than ever before. The lCT made instrumental to extend libraries beyond the physical walls of a building and providing assistance in navigating and analyzing tremendous amounts of knowledge with a variety of digital tools. Thus, modern libraries are increasingly being re-defined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources.The research was conducted in the university libraries in Kerala State, India. lt was identified that even though the information resources are flooding world over and several technologies have emerged to manage the situation for providing effective services to its clientele, most of the university libraries in Kerala were unable to exploit these technologies at maximum level. Though the libraries have automated many of their functions, wide gap prevails between the possible services and provided services. There are many good examples world over in the application of lCTs in libraries for the maximization of services and many such libraries have adopted the principles of reengineering and re-defining as a management strategy. Hence this study was targeted to look into how effectively adopted the modern lCTs in our libraries for maximizing the efficiency of operations and services and whether the principles of re-engineering and- redefining can be applied towards this.Data��� was collected from library users, viz; student as well as faculty users; library ,professionals and university librarians, using structured questionnaires. This has been .supplemented by-observation of working of the libraries, discussions and interviews with the different types of users and staff, review of literature, etc. Personal observation of the organization set up, management practices, functions, facilities, resources, utilization of information resources and facilities by the users, etc. of the university libraries in Kerala have been made. Statistical techniques like percentage, mean, weighted mean, standard deviation, correlation, trend analysis, etc. have been used to analyse data.All the libraries could exploit only a very few possibilities of modern lCTs and hence they could not achieve effective Universal Bibliographic Control and desired efficiency and effectiveness in services. Because of this, the users as well as professionals are dissatisfied. Functional effectiveness in acquisition, access and process of information resources in various formats, development and maintenance of OPAC and WebOPAC, digital document delivery to remote users, Web based clearing of library counter services and resources, development of full-text databases, digital libraries and institutional repositories, consortia based operations for e-journals and databases, user education and information literacy, professional development with stress on lCTs, network administration and website maintenance, marketing of information, etc. are major areas need special attention to improve the situation. Finance, knowledge level on ICTs among library staff, professional dynamism and leadership, vision and support of the administrators and policy makers, prevailing educational set up and social environment in the state, etc. are some of the major hurdles in reaping the maximum possibilities of lCTs by the university libraries in Kerala. The principles of Business Process Re-engineering are found suitable to effectively apply to re-structure and redefine the operations and service system of the libraries. Most of the conventional departments or divisions prevailing in the university libraries were functioning as watertight compartments and their existing management system was more rigid to adopt the principles of change management. Hence, a thorough re-structuring of the divisions was indicated. Consortia based activities and pooling and sharing of information resources was advocated to meet the varied needs of the users in the main campuses and off campuses of the universities, affiliated colleges and remote stations. A uniform staff policy similar to that prevailing in CSIR, DRDO, ISRO, etc. has been proposed by the study not only in the university libraries in kerala but for the entire country.Restructuring of Lis education,integrated and Planned development of school,college,research and public library systems,etc.were also justified for reaping maximum benefits of the modern ICTs.

Knowledge Building in Landscape Architecture

The objective of this study was to develop an internet-based seminar framework applicable for landscape architecture education. This process was accompanied by various aims. The basic expectation was to keep the main characteristics of landscape architecture education also in the online format. On top of that, four further objectives were anticipated: (1) training of competences for virtual team work, (2) fostering intercultural competence, (3) creation of equal opportunities for education through internet-based open access and (4) synergy effects and learning processes across institutional boundaries. This work started with the hypothesis that these four expected advantages would compensate for additional organisational efforts caused by the online delivery of the seminars and thus lead to a sustainable integration of this new learning mode into landscape architecture curricula. This rationale was followed by a presentation of four areas of knowledge to which the seminar development was directly related (1) landscape architecture as a subject and its pedagogy, (2) general learning theories, (3) developments in the ICT sector and (4) wider societal driving forces such as global citizenship and the increase of open educational resources. The research design took the shape of a pedagogical action research cycle. This approach was constructive: The author herself is teaching international landscape architecture students so that the model could directly be applied in practice. Seven online seminars were implemented in the period from 2008 to 2013 and this experience represents the core of this study. The seminars were conducted with varying themes while its pedagogy, organisation and the technological tools remained widely identical. The research design is further based on three levels of observation: (1) the seminar design on the basis of theory and methods from the learning sciences, in particular educational constructivism, (2) the seminar evaluation and (3) the evaluation of the seminars��� long term impact. The seminar model itself basically consists of four elements: (1) the taxonomy of learning objectives, (2) ICT tools and their application and pedagogy, (3) process models and (4) the case study framework. The seminar framework was followed by the presentation of the evaluation findings. The major findings of this study can be summed up as follows: Implementing online seminars across educational and national boundaries was possible both in term of organisation and technology. In particular, a high level of cultural diversity among the seminar participants has definitively been achieved. However, there were also obvious obstacles. These were primarily competing study commitments and incompatible schedules among the students attending from different academic programmes, partly even in different time zones. Both factors had negative impact on the individual and working group performances. With respect to the technical framework it can be concluded that the majority of the participants were able to use the tools either directly without any problem or after overcoming some smaller problems. Also the seminar wiki was intensively used for completing the seminar assignments. However, too less truly collaborative text production was observed which could be improved by changing the requirements for the collaborative task. Two different process models have been applied for guiding the collaboration of the small groups and both were in general successful. However, it needs to be said that even if the students were able to follow the collaborative task and to co-construct and compare case studies, most of them were not able to synthesize the knowledge they had compiled. This means that the area of consideration often remained on the level of the case and further reflections, generalisations and critique were largely missing. This shows that the seminar model needs to find better ways for triggering knowledge building and critical reflection. It was also suggested to have a more differentiated group building strategy in future seminars. A comparison of pre- and post seminar concept maps showed that an increase of factual and conceptual knowledge on the individual level was widely recognizable. Also the evaluation of the case studies (the major seminar output) revealed that the students have undergone developments of both the factual and the conceptual knowledge domain. Also their self-assessment with respect to individual learning development showed that the highest consensus was achieved in the field of subject-specific knowledge. The participants were much more doubtful with regard to the progress of generic competences such as analysis, communication and organisation. However, 50% of the participants confirmed that they perceived individual development on all competence areas the survey had asked for. Have the additional four targets been met? Concerning the competences for working in a virtual team it can be concluded that the vast majority was able to use the internet-based tools and to work with them in a target-oriented way. However, there were obvious differences regarding the intensity and activity of participation, both because of external and personal factors. A very positive aspect is the achievement of a high cultural diversity supporting the participants��� intercultural competence. Learning from group members was obviously a success factor for the working groups. Regarding the possibilities for better accessibility of educational opportunities it became clear that a significant number of participants were not able to go abroad during their studies because of financial or personal reasons. They confirmed that the online seminar was to some extent a compensation for not having been abroad for studying. Inter-institutional learning and synergy was achieved in so far that many teachers from different countries contributed with individual lectures. However, those teachers hardly ever followed more than one session. Therefore, the learning effect remained largely within the seminar learning group. Looking back at the research design it can be said that the pedagogical action research cycle was an appropriate and valuable approach allowing for strong interaction between theory and practice. However, some more external evaluation from peers in particular regarding the participants��� products would have been valuable.

An��lisis del Espacio Schengen en materia de seguridad como base para la implementaci��n del Protocolo sobre la Facilitaci��n del Movimiento de Personas de la Comunidad para el Desarrollo de ��frica Austral (SADC)

El fin de la Guerra Fr��a supuso no s��lo el triunfo del capitalismo y de la democracia liberal, sino un cambio significativo en el Sistema Internacional; siendo menos centralizado y m��s regionalizado, como consecuencia de la proximidad y relaciones de interdependencia entre sus actores (no s��lo Estados) y permitiendo la formaci��n de Complejos Regionales de Seguridad (CRS). Los CRS son una forma efectiva de relacionarse y aproximarse a la arena internacional pues a trav��s de sus procesos de securitizaci��n y desecuritizaci��n consiguen lograr objetivos espec��ficos. Partiendo de ello, tanto la Uni��n Europea (UE) como la Comunidad para el Desarrollo de ��frica Austral (SADC) iniciaron varios procesos de securitizaci��n relacionados con la integraci��n regional; siendo un ejemplo de ello la eliminaci��n de los controles en sus fronteras interiores o libre circulaci��n de personas; pues consideraron que de no hacerse realidad, ello generar��a amenazas pol��ticas (su influencia y capacidad de actuaci��n estaban amenazadas), econ��micas (en cuanto a su competitividad y niveles b��sicos de bienestar) y societales (en cuanto a la identidad de la comunidad como indispensable para la integraci��n) que pondr��an en riesgo la existencia misma de sus CRS. En esta medida, la UE cre�� el Espacio Schengen, que fue producto de un proceso de securitizaci��n desde inicios de la d��cada de los 80 hasta mediados de la d��cada de los 90; y la SADC se encuentra inmersa en tal proceso de securitizaci��n desde 1992 hasta la actualidad y espera la ratificaci��n del Protocolo para la Facilitaci��n del Movimiento de personas como primer paso para lograr la eliminaci��n de controles en sus fronteras interiores. Si bien tanto la UE como la SADC consideraron que de no permitir la libre circulaci��n de personas, su integraci��n y por lo tanto, sus CRS estaban en riesgo; la SADC no lo ha logrado. Ello hace indispensable hacer un an��lisis m��s profundo de sus procesos de securitizaci��n para as�� encontrar sus falencias con respecto al ��xito de la UE. El an��lisis est�� basado en la Teor��a de los Complejos de Seguridad de Barry Buzan, plasmada en la obra Security a New Framework for Analysis (1998) de Barry Buzan, Ole Waever y Jaap de Wilde y ser�� dividido en cada una de las etapas del proceso de securitizaci��n: la identificaci��n de una amenaza existencial a un objeto referente a trav��s de un acto discursivo, la aceptaci��n de una amenaza por parte de una audiencia relevante y las acciones de emergencia para hacer frente a las amenazas existenciales; reconociendo las diferencias y similitudes de un proceso de securitizaci��n exitoso frente a otro que a��n no lo ha sido.