Maantieliikenteen mitta- ja massauudistuksen hyödyntämismahdollisuudet metsäteollisuustuotteiden kuljetuksissa

Työn tavoitteena oli tuottaa selvitys kohdeyrityksen kotimaan kuljetusten nykytilasta sekä toimenpidesuositus perusteluineen, onko tarpeellista kannustaa nykyisiä kuljetusalihankkijoita hankkimaan uutta kuljetuskalustoa. Lisäksi tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää ne tilanteet, joissa korkeampien kuormien hyödyntäminen olisi kaikkein kannattavinta kohdeyrityksen kannalta. Tutkimuksen teoriaosiossa käytiin läpi kuljetustoimintojen merkitystä yrityksissä, kerrottiin taustatietoa 1.10.2013 voimaantulleesta mitta- ja massauudistuksesta sekä kuljetuspalveluiden hinnoitteluun liittyviä seikkoja. Työn empiriaosiossa käsiteltiin tutkimukseen valittujen case – tehtaiden kotimaankuljetusten nykytilaa ja tehtaisiin liittyviä kuljetuskustannuslaskelmia tuloksineen, sekä nykytilan mukaisia että aiempaa suurempia sallittuja kuormia hyödynnettäessä. Lisäksi empiriaosiossa esitettiin laskelmiin perustuen toimenpidesuosituksia työn toimeksiantajalle. Työn keskeisin tulos oli, että mitta- ja massauudistusta kannattaa hyödyntää tilanteissa, joissa kuljetettavat määrät ovat mahdollisimmat suuria, välimatkat pitkiä ja joissa kuorma puretaan esim. satamassa. Käytännössä tämä toteutuu Pohjois-Suomesta Etelä-Suomeen suuntautuvissa kuljetuksissa ja se on myös kuljetusyritysten näkökulmasta kannattavin vaihtoehto.

Accurate Carte der Upländischen Scheren mit der Situation und gegend umb die Königl. Schwedische Haupt und Residentz Stadt Stockholm

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Comparison of Pavlovian serial conditional discrimination in rats and hamsters in the same experimental situation

The present study compares behavioral changes between two distinct rodent groups, hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and Wistar rats, when submitted in the same homogeneous experimental situations to a serial conditional discrimination procedure which involves water deprivation and the processing of temporal variables. Both hamsters and rats acquired serial positive conditional discrimination as indicated by higher frequencies of magazine-oriented behavior during the tone followed by reinforcement (T+) and preceded by the feature stimulus light (L) and during the empty interval, than during the tone alone not followed by reinforcement (T-). Rats' frequencies of magazine-oriented behavior were high during T+ and T-, initially during training, and decreased during T- as the training progressed. However, the hamsters' frequencies of magazine-oriented behavior started very low and increased only during T+ as the training progressed. Comparison of the frequencies of magazine-oriented behavior during the empty interval in relation to the frequencies during the preceding L period showed that rats' frequencies remained very high and hamsters' frequencies increased during training. These results suggest that rats and hamsters have different behavioral strategies for the acquisition of a conditional discrimination. The results of the comparisons made in these experiments support the view of the importance of an ecological psychology approach to the understanding of complex learning in animals.

Influence of the test situation on pup retrieval behavior of normal and undernourished lactating rats

Undernutrition of dams and pups disrupts the retrieval efficiency of mothers. However, if the mothers are assessed in their home cages, they spend more time with their litters. In the present study the effect of test conditions on pup retrieval behavior of mothers receiving a 25% (well-nourished group) and 8% casein diet (undernourished group) was examined. In agreement with previous studies, undernourished mothers spent more time with their litters than well-nourished dams as lactation proceeded. Pup retrieval behavior varied with test conditions. In the first experiment, the maternal behavior of dams was assessed by the standard procedure (pups were separated from their mother and scattered over the floor of the home cage). The mother was then returned and the number of retrieved pups was recorded. From day 3 to 8, the retrieval efficiency of undernourished dams decreased, while the retrieval efficiency of well-nourished mothers did not vary. In the second experiment, mothers were subjected to a single retrieval test (on day 9 of lactation) using the procedure described for experiment 1. No difference between well-nourished and undernourished mothers was observed. In the third experiment, seven-day-old pups were separated from the mothers and returned individually to a clean home cage. Dietary treatment did not affect the retrieval efficiency. However, undernourished dams reconstructed the nest more slowly than did well-nourished dams. Taken together, these results suggest that pup retrieval behavior of the undernourished mother is not impaired by dietary restriction when the maternal environment is disturbed minimally.

Developing purchase invoice processing through workflow automation

The aim of this master’s thesis is to research and analyze how purchase invoice processing can be automated and streamlined in a system renewal project. The impacts of workflow automation on invoice handling are studied by means of time, cost and quality aspects. Purchase invoice processing has a lot of potential for automation because of its labor-intensive and repetitive nature. As a case study combining both qualitative and quantitative methods, the topic is approached from a business process management point of view. The current process was first explored through interviews and workshop meetings to create a holistic understanding of the process at hand. Requirements for process streamlining were then researched focusing on specified vendors and their purchase invoices, which helped to identify the critical factors for successful invoice automation. To optimize the flow from invoice receipt to approval for payment, the invoice receiving process was outsourced and the automation functionalities of the new system utilized in invoice handling. The quality of invoice data and the need of simple structured purchase order (PO) invoices were emphasized in the system testing phase. Hence, consolidated invoices containing references to multiple PO or blanket release numbers should be simplified in order to use automated PO matching. With non-PO invoices, it is important to receive the buyer reference details in an applicable invoice data field so that automation rules could be created to route invoices to a review and approval flow. In the beginning of the project, invoice processing was seen ineffective both time- and cost-wise, and it required a lot of manual labor to carry out all tasks. In accordance with testing results, it was estimated that over half of the invoices could be automated within a year after system implementation. Processing times could be reduced remarkably, which would then result savings up to 40 % in annual processing costs. Due to several advancements in the purchase invoice process, business process quality could also be perceived as improved.

Role of food safety in procedures adopted for the purchase of minimally processed and fresh vegetables by foodservices

This research was designed to analyze whether the procedures adopted by foodservice establishments for the purchase of minimally processed and fresh vegetables favor the acquisition of safe products. This research investigated the purchasing policies of such establishments, whether self-managed or administered by foodservice contractors, in the municipality of Campinas and its outlying districts. A random sample of thirty-nine establishments participated in the research. The instruments for data collection were pre-tested, and the actual interviews were conducted by trained personnel. Comparative analyses were made using various statistical tests. All of the participating establishments purchase fresh vegetables, although only six of them use minimally processed ones. For most of the establishments, price is at least one of the most important criteria for the selection of a supplier, and they do not normally monitor the safety of the fresh products purchased (51.3%), nor do they make regular technical visits to guarantee quality (46.2%); moreover, most do not carry out a supplier development program. It is suggested that routine technical visits to suppliers should be adopted, as well as the creation of courses, such as those dealing with the safety of vegetables and supplier development, to be offered to foodservices.

Sähkönmyyntiyhtiöiden riskienhallinnan haasteet ja kehittäminen

Diplomityön tavoitteena on esitellä sähkökaupan ja erityisesti sähköyhtiöiden kokemia sähkönmyynnin riskejä sekä kuvata sähkönmyyntiin liittyvää riskienhallinnan problematiikkaa. Tarkastelun näkökulmana on tietojärjestelmien ja saatavissa olevan tiedon hyödyntäminen energiayhtiöiden riskienhallinnassa. Toinen päätavoitteista on tutkia, kuinka saatavilla olevaa tiedon hyödyntämistä voidaan kehittää sähkönmyynnin hinnoittelussa sekä suojausten suunnittelussa. Työ toteutettiin työskentelemällä asiantuntijana energia-alaan keskittyneessä ohjelmistoyrityksessä sekä haastattelemalla yhdeksän suomalaisen sähkönmyyntiyhtiön henkilöitä riskienhallinnan haasteiden sekä tietojärjestelmien näkökulmasta. Saatavilla olevien tietojen nykyistä parempi hyödyntäminen ja automatisointi voivat auttaa pienentämään yhtiöiden riskitasoa ja parantaa menestymisen edellytyksiä sähkönmyynnin vähittäismarkkinoilla. Lisäksi kulloiseenkin markkinatilanteeseen sopivat sähkön hankintahinnan suojausstrategiat sekä monipuoliset dynaamiset hinnoittelumallit auttavat pienentämään yhtiön kokemia riskejä tai niiden vaikutuksia. Näiden hyödyntäminen vaatii laajaa ymmärrystä sähkö- ja johdannaismarkkinoiden toiminnasta sekä usein myös nykyisten tietojärjestelmien kehittämistä. Tulevaisuudessa yhä yleistyvä hajautettu tuotanto sekä kysynnän jousto asettavat tietojärjestelmille uusia vaatimuksia, jotka toteutuessaan mahdollistavat uudenlaisten palveluiden käyttöönoton sekä voivat tuoda tilaa myös alan uusille toimijoille. Työssä käsitellään energiayhtiöiden kokemia riskejä sähkönmyynnin näkökulmasta, esitellään alan yleisimmät riskit sekä keinot ja työkalut niiltä suojautumiseen. Työn lopuksi tarkastellaan sähkönmyynnin ja –hankinnan oleellisimpia prosesseja riskienhallinnan kehittämisen näkökulmasta.

Construction de l'Est et de l'Ouest : vers des compétences interculturelles. Un exemple de recherche à Hong-Kong en situation de mobilité académique

Numerous scholars have already stressed the need to prepare students prior to academic mobility (Abdallah-Pretceille, 2003; Jackson, 2013, for example) in order to face hypermodernity (Aubert, 2004). As per the new mobilities paradigm (Urry, 2007), this implies considering individuals at the centre of political and institutional issues. Furthermore, the multiplicity of terminology of references towards academic mobility, and intercultural competences, justifies this research. The theory, for this doctoral dissertation, applies “renewed interculturality” (Dervin, 2012), a move away from a culturalist approach. Intercultural competences are therefore defined as a stepping back from discourses on the Other that may emerge during encounters. In order to collect the data, six focus groups have been organised with two batches of students from a Higher Education Institution in Hong-Kong, an “education hub” (Dervin & Machart, 2014) that is striving to be competitive particularly in increasing the number of incomingand outcoming students. Training and education to interculturality have been implemented prior to academic mobility in order to observe the impact on participants’ discourses before and after the mobility. Theories of enunciation and dialogism represent the methodology allowing us to compare and analyse the reported voices in the participants’ discourse and their prosodic realisation (Martin & White, 2005) before and after the experience of academic mobility. I have attempted to observe the dialogic space available to welcome the Other during encounters in the participants’ discourse. The results seem to underline the increased number of reported voices in participants’ discourse after study abroad, but as the space opened for negotiation is instable and depends on the interlocutors and the voices addressed, consequently, further research appears necessary to study the influences of a preparation prior to mobility on the contraction or expansion of heteroglossia. All in all, this doctoral dissertation aimed to renew preparation

The outtermost or the fartheste parte of the Easterne Sea eastwardly, the which lyeth inclosed with in the coastes of East Finland, Rusland, & Lyffland, and wherein lye the Narve and Wyburgh the twoo furthermost places or marchante townes of the whole Easterne Navigation, with all the circumstances of the situation, the isles and Swedish rockes called Schares

Janamittakaavat: Englishe leagues 20 in a degree ; Spanische leagues 17 1/2 in a degree ; Dutche leagues 15 in a degree.

Consumer’s purchase intention of ethical fashion. Examining beliefs about fashion industry and attitudes towards ethical fashion

Globalization and the developments of supply chain have made inexpensive labor and the low production costs of developing countries available to businesses worldwide. Unfortunately, these developments have also led to the exploitation of human and natural resources. The increasing supply of cheap and fashionable clothing has created a contradiction between consumers’ concerns for sustainability and their purchase behavior in the fashion industry. Since the uncovering of several sweatshop scandals in the 1980’s and 1990’s ethical fashion brands have started to emerge. Ethical fashion has sparked the interest of consumers and studies have shown promising positive attitudes towards it. However, these attitudes have failed to translate into action and purchase behavior of ethical fashion has not reached the expectations. In order to translate the positive attitudes into buying companies must understand consumer’s motivations and reasons behind the purchase decision. The objective of this study is to understand the antecedents behind young consumer’s purchase intention of ethical fashion. The study is based on the theory of planned behavior which has been widely used to study consumer behavior and purchase decisions. The theory has also been used in ethical decision-making and fashion context before. According to the theory, in order to understand purchase intentions consumer’s attitudes toward buying ethical fashion were studied. The theory also states that attitudes are formed from beliefs, thus, consumer’s beliefs about the fashion industry were studied. To contribute to existing research, the effect of sweatshop issues and environmental issues were compared. The data was collected from university students (n=617) with an online survey. The results were analyzed by statistical methods and they revealed that young Finnish consumers hold positive attitudes towards buying ethical fashion as well as positive purchase intentions of ethical fashion. A strong relationship was found between positive attitudes and positive purchase intentions. Also, the more negative consumers’ beliefs of the fashion industry were the more positive their attitudes toward buying ethical fashion were. In contradiction to previous research this study revealed that environmental issues had greater effect on attitudes than sweatshop issues. Interesting differences between consumers were found depending on their field of education. Students from humanities and social sciences held the most negative beliefs as well as most positive attitudes and purchase intentions of ethical fashion.