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

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

Yritysten sosiaalisen vastuun tarkastelua vuosina 2000 ja 2006/Corporate Social Responsibility year 2000 and 2006

Tutkimuksen tarkoitus on selvittää, miten yritysten ajattelutapa sosiaalisesta vastuusta on muuttunut vuodesta 2000 vuoteen 2006. Lisäksi vastataan kysymyksiin, mistä osa-alueista sosiaalinen vastuu muodostuu, miten kirjoittelu sosiaalisesta vastuusta on muuttunut määrällisesti ja sisällöllisesti. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan laadullinen ja analyysimenetelmänä on käytetty diskurssianalyysiä. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu johtavien talousalan lehtien Talouselämä ja Kauppalehden artikkeleista vuosilta 2000 ja 2006. Artikkeleista saatua tietoa peilataan teoriatietoon ja näin pyritään hahmottamaan tutkimuksen tulokset. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että vuonna 2000 lehdet ovat kirjoittaneet jonkin verran enemmän sosiaalisesta vastuusta kuin vuonna 2006. Molempina vuosina sijoittavat arvostavat vastuullista toimintaa. Yrityksen arvot ovat usein määritelty ”ylhäältä-alas”. Työntekijöiden pahoinvointi on lisääntynyt entisestään vuodesta 2000 vuoteen 2006. Syynä tähän kirjoitusten mukaan ovat esimerkiksi huono johtaminen ja työtehtävien organisointi. Sosiaalisen vastuun mittaaminen on hankalaa ja ikääntyviä työntekijöitä yritetään pitää yrityksissä mahdollisimman pitkään. Tulospalkkausjärjestelmät ovat käytössä muutamassa yrityksessä. Työn, perheen ja vapaa-ajan sovittaminen yhteen on vuodesta 2000 muuttunut entistäkin tärkeämmäksi vuonna 2006. Lopputulos on, että sosiaalisen vastuun kanto on huonontunut vuodesta 2000 vuoteen 2006.

Corporate governancen raportointi, case Osuuskauppa Hämeenmaa

Tämän tutkielman tarkoitus oli tutkia corporate governancen raportointia suomalaisen normiston mukaan. Suositus listayhtiöiden hallinnointi- ja ohjausjärjestelmästä (corporate governance) tuli voimaan vuonna 2004, ja se on tarkoitettu Helsingin Pörssissä listattujen yhtiöiden noudatettavaksi. Listaamattomien yhtiöiden hallinnoinnin kehittämisestä (corporate governance) Keskuskauppakamari julkaisi vuonna 2006 asialuettelon. Laajasti omistetut osuuskunnat Keskuskauppakamari huomioi vuonna 2006 erillisessä kannanotossa, jonka mukaan laajasti omistettujen osuuskuntien tulisi noudattaa nykyistä listayhtiöille annettua suositusta siltä osin, kuin se on mahdollista. Tutkielman teoreettinen viitekehys käsittelee corporate governancen ja sen raportoinnin taustateorioita sekä corporate governancen suomalaista normistoa. Corporate governanen ja sen raportoinnin taustateorioita ovat tässä tutkimuksessa agenttiteoria, stewardship - teoria, stakeholder -teoria, legitimacy -teoria ja transaktiokustannusteoria. Corporate governancen raportointia käytännössä on tutkittu benchmarking-tutkimuksen avulla. Tutkielman empiirisen osan case-tutkimus on tehty Osuuskauppa Hämeenmaassa. Case-tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli löytää kohdeyrityksen corporate governancen raportoinnista kehityskohteita. Tutkimuksen tuloksissa näkyy corporate governancen raportoinnin vapaaehtoisuus sekä osuuskuntamuotoisen yrityksen erityispiirteet.

Automobile Corporate Networks in Europe : Sectoral Specialization of Central and Eastern European Cities

The global automobile industry is made up of very large corporations and their various subsidiaries containing different functions that create complex locational structures. The networks formed by the 19 largest automobile transnational corporations constitute an automobile "oligopoly" representing more than 90% (OICA, 2012) of the world's production. Since the mid-1990s, Central and Eastern European cities have become attractive for transnational corporations and particularly for the production functions in the automobile sector. This leads to a crucial question. Are strategic functions (such as R&D) within these networks also located in Central and Eastern Europe, or is the region still manufacturing-oriented in the automobile industry? This paper focuses on the patterns and the main factors influencing the role of some of these new central and Eastern European cities that have become integrated in the global value chain of the automobile industry. By analysing the various locations of the specialized functions within the corporations, this study aims to extend the research on global value chains (Gereffi and Korzeniewicz; 1994, Sturgeon, 2000; Krätke, 2014). The spatial patterns of the various functions and the ownerships networks of the automobile industry are constructed in order to identify the cities supporting it. In particular, the way that national metropolises bring their national territories into the globalization of the automobile industry is addressed. For example, are there some specific advantages of capital cities compared to cities that have less integration in globalization terms?

Wide Area Network Acceleration in Corporate Networks

There are several factors affecting network performance. Some of these can be controlled whereas the others are more fixed. These factors are studied in this thesis from the wide area network (WAN) perspective and the focus is on corporate networks. Another area of interest is the behavior of application protocols when used through WAN. The aim is to study the performance of commonly used application protocols in corporate networks. After identifying the performance problems in corporate WANs the thesis concentrates on methods for improving WAN performance. WAN acceleration is presented as a possible solution. The different acceleration methods are discussed in order to give the reader a theoretical view on how the accelerators can improve WAN performance. Guidelines on the installation of accelerators into a network are also discussed. After a general overview on accelerators is given, one accelerator vendor currently on market is selected for a further analysis. The work is also a case study where two accelerators are installed into a target company network for testing purposes. The tests are performed with three different application protocols that have been identified as critical applications for the target corporation. The aim of the tests is to serve as a proof of concept for WAN acceleration in the target network.

Development of corporate social responsibility in Finnish forest industry

The main objective of this thesis was to map the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Finnish forest industry. The aim was to describe the development and find factors that explain the development. Another objective was to understand the influence of different stakeholders on the development as well as examine the development of CSR reporting. This qualitative case study used thematic interviews as the research method. The research data were collected by conducting 11 interviews among the case company representatives and stakeholders. Based on the research results, no single factor in the background of the phenomenon could be showed. Instead, CSR has developed in stages through its different dimensions. The main drivers of CSR turned out to be environmental organizations, customers and local communities. It can be concluded that the forest industry has taken CSR seriously for a long time, which has benefited the forest companies in many ways.

IT architecture for category driven corporate procurement measurement

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate creating and improving category purchasing visibility for corporate procurement by utilizing financial information. This thesis was a part of the global category driven spend analysis project of Konecranes Plc. While creating general understanding for building category driven corporate spend visibility, the IT architecture and needed purchasing parameters for spend analysis were described. In the case part of the study three manufacturing plants of Konecranes Standard Lifting, Heavy Lifting and Services business areas were examined. This included investigating the operative IT system architecture and needed processes for building corporate spend visibility. The key findings of this study were the identification of the needed processes for gathering purchasing data elements while creating corporate spend visibility in fragmented source system environment. As an outcome of the study, roadmap presenting further development areas was introduced for Konecranes.

Web-based corporate social responsibility reporting

Due to concerns regarding globalisation and sustainable development, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is topical in the business context and in the field of accounting. The main objective of this study was to review previous academic literature in the field of CSR reporting and develop an insight into CSR reporting in the Web-based environment. The main purpose was to find out what Web-based CSR reporting is like and how companies are utilising the Internet to communicate on responsibility issues. I did not, however, collect empirical research data but limited my study into theoretical and descriptive examination. In order to create an insight into Web-based reporting, I examined the development, motives and current practices of CSR reporting. I concluded that the Internet is a unique, interactive communication channel that is used differently compared with annual reports. The amount of companies engaging in Web-based CSR reporting is increasing and the reporting practices in terms of e.g. content and accessibility of information vary. I also concluded that many companies have not yet discovered the true potential of the Web as an interactive communication medium.

Developing A Knowledge Management Process Model for Internal IT Organization, Case: Stora Enso Oyj, Corporate IT

The objectives of this Master’s Thesis were to find out what kind of knowledge management strategy would fit best an IT organization that uses ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework for IT Service Management and to create a knowledge management process model to support chosen strategy. The empirical material for this research was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews of a case organization Stora Enso Corporate IT. The results of the qualitative interviews indicate that codification knowledge management strategy would fit best for the case organization. The knowledge management process model was created based on earlier studies and a literature of knowledge management. The model was evaluated in the interview research and the results showed that the created process model is realistic, useful, and it responds to a real life phenomenon.

Venäläiset instituutiot corporate governancen kentässä

Tutkielma rakentaa puitteet venäläisen toimintaympäristön ymmärtämiselle. Institutionaalisen ympäristön on oltava vahva tukeakseen yritysten corporate governancen mukaista toimintaa. Venäjän tapauksessa instituutiot ovat vielä osin kehittymättömiä ja vahvasti peräisin Neuvostoliiton ajoilta. Niiltä ajoilta on jäänyt myös suuri kulttuurinen perintö, joka vaikuttaa venäläisten toimintaan vielä tänäkin päivänä. Yrityksillä on monia mahdollisuuksia toimia venäläisillä markkinoilla lainmukaisesti, vaikka se onkin välillä hankalaa. Yritykset ovatkin kehittäneet keinoja, joilla regulatiiviset puitteet voidaan kiertää ja oikaista. Tässä niitä avustavat usein myös valtion kontrollit. Valtion on kehitettävä lainsäädäntöä, jotta yritysten olisi helpompi toimia sen mukaan. Lisäksi korruptiota on vähennettävä, jotta yrityksillä ei olisi mahdollisuutta toimia laittomasti ja viranomaisilla olisi mahdollisuus suorittaa työtehtäviään.

Corporate Governance: Osakeyhtiön johdon velvollisuudet ja vastuu

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää, millainen Corporate Governance -järjestelmä ja sääntely-ympäristö Suomessa on voimassa. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan lisäksi osakeyhtiön johdon fidusiaarisia velvollisuuksia ja johdon velvollisuuksien tehosteena olevaa vastuujärjestelmää. Corporate Governance -järjestelmää analysoidaan perinteisestä oikeustieteellisestä näkökulmasta poiketen oikeustaloustieteen metodein. Tutkimuksen teoriapohja perustuu koti- ja ulkomaiseen oikeustaloustieteelliseen kirjallisuuteen, muutoin tutkimuksessa tukeudutaan suurimmilta osin kotimaiseen oikeuskirjallisuuteen ja virallislähteisiin. Suomalainen Corporate Governance -järjestelmä minimioi tehokkaasti transaktiokustannuksia ja tarjoaa osakkeenomistajille tehokkaan, informaation epäsymmetriaa rajoittavan valvontamekanismin. Jos johto toimii velvollisuuksiensa vastaisesti, osakkeenomistajat erottavat johdon, joka ei nauti sen luottamusta tai johto joutuu vastaamaan toimistaan vahingonkorvausvastuun tai rikosoikeudellisen vastuun kautta.