Russia, China, India Foresight for Small and Medium size Enterprises in Uusimaa : Changes forecast in the Russian, Chinese and Indian operating environments from the viewpoint of small and middle-sized enterprises in Uusimaa

The report describes those factors of the future that are related to the growth and needs of Russia, China, and India and that may provide significant internationalisation potential for Uusimaa companies. The report examines the emerging trends and market-entry challenges for each country separately. Additionally, it evaluates the training needs of Uusimaa companies in terms of the current offerings available for education on topics related to Russia, China, and India. The report was created via the Delphi method: experts were interviewed, and both Trendwiki material and the latest literature were used to create a summary of experts’ views, statements, and reasons behind recent developments. This summary of views was sent back to the experts with the objective of reaching consensus synthesising the differing views or, at least, of providing argumentation for the various alternative lines of development. In addition to a number of outside experts and business leaders, all heads of Finpro’s Finland Trade Centers participated in the initial interviews. The summary was commented upon by all Finpro consultants and analysts for Russia, China, and India, with each focusing on his or her own area of expertise. The literature used consisted of reports, listed for each country, and an extensive selection of the most recent newspaper articles. The report was created in January-April 2010. On 22 April 2010 its results were reviewed at the final report presentation in cooperation with the Uusimaa ELY Centre.

Determination of collector chemicals from flotation process waters using capillary electrophoresis

Vaahdotusprosessia käytetään yleisesti erottamaan arvokkaita mineraaleja malmeista. Toimiakseen tehokkaasti prosessi tarvitsee kokoojakemikaaleja, joiden tehtävänä on sitoa halutut mineraalit ilmakupliin. Jotta näiden kemikaalien käyttäytymistä prosessissa voitaisiin ymmärtää paremmin ja prosessin ohjausta tehostaa, pitää kokoojia pystyä analysoimaan prosessivesistä. Työn kirjallisuusosassa on koottu ja vertailtu erilaisia kirjallisuudesta löytyneitä analyysimenetelmiä kokoojakemikaaleille. Kokeellisessaosassa on kehitetty kaksi kapillaarielektroforeesimenetelmää näiden kemikaalien tutkimiseen. Menetelmien toteamisrajat tutkituille kemikaaleille olivat seuraavanlaiset: natrium diiosobutylditiofosfaattille (DTP) 2,7 mg/L puhtaassa vedessä ja 6,7 mg/L prosessivedessä; natrium diisobutyldithiofosfinaatille (DTPI) vastaavasti 4,5 mg/L ja 6,7 mg/L; etyyli ksantaatille 0,025 mg/L ja 0,16 mg/L; ja isobutyyli ksantaatille 0,41 mg/L ja 0,62 mg/L. Näitä menetelmiä voidaan tulevaisuudessa kehittää kokoojien hajoamistuotteiden analysointia varten sekä prosessien on-line mittauksiin.

Interpreting marine benthic ecosystem functioning in coastal waters: validating the biological trait concept

Coastal areas harbour high biodiversity, but are simultaneously affected by rapid degradations of species and habitats due to human interactions. Such alterations also affect the functioning of the ecosystem, which is primarily governed by the characteristics or traits expressed by the organisms present. Marine benthic fauna is nvolved in numerous functions such as organic matter transformation and transport, secondary production, oxygen transport as well as nutrient cycling. Approaches utilising the variety of faunal traits to assess benthic community functioning have rapidly increased and shown the need for further development of the concept. In this thesis, I applied biological trait analysis that allows for assessments of a multitude of categorical traits and thus evaluation of multiple functional aspects simultaneously. I determined the functional trait structure, diversity and variability of coastal zoobenthic communities in the Baltic Sea. The measures were related to recruitment processes, habitat heterogeneity, large-scale environmental and taxonomic gradients as well as anthropogenic impacts. The studies comprised spatial scales from metres to thousands of kilometres, and temporal scales spanning one season as well as a decade. The benthic functional structure was found to vary within and between seagrass landscape microhabitats and four different habitats within a coastal bay, in papers I and II respectively. Expressions of trait categories varied within habitats, while the density of individuals was found to drive the functional differences between habitats. The findings in paper III unveiled high trait richness of Finnish coastal benthos (25 traits and 102 cateogries) although this differed between areas high and low in salinity and human pressure. In paper IV, the natural reduction in taxonomic richness across the Baltic Sea led to an overall reduction in function. However, functional richness in terms of number of trait categories remained comparatively high at low taxon richness. Changes in number of taxa within trait categories were also subtle and some individual categories were maintained or even increased. The temporal analysis in papers I and III highlighted generalities in trait expressions and dominant trait categories in a seagrass landscape as well as a “type organism” for the northern Baltic Sea. Some initial findings were made in all four papers on the role of common and rare species and traits for benthic community functioning. The findings show that common and rare species may not always express the same trait categories in relation to each other. Rare species in general did not express unique functional properties. In order to advance the understanding of the approach, I also assessed some issues concerning the limitations of the concept. This was conducted by evaluating the link between trait category and taxonomic richness using especially univariate measures. My results also show the need to collaborate nationally and internationally on safeguarding the utility of taxonomic and trait data. The findings also highlight the importance of including functional trait information into current efforts in marine spatial planning and biomonitoring.

Crystallization of selected anions and cations from mine waters

The aim of this Master’s thesis was to review some methods that are already being utilized in a field of mine water purification and to find and study possible new methods and chemicals for mine water purification by precipitation. The target was also to list the optimal process conditions for these precipitating chemicals. Separation methods were reviewed for several anions and cations, but being a real topical issue, sulphate removal was selected to be in the main focus. Sulphate salts e.g. Na2SO4 are relatively soluble in water, which makes the separation processes difficult. Eutectic freeze crystallization was studied more closely in laboratory tests for sodium sulphate removal. Gravimetric solubility tests were made for three cases of mixed electrolyte solutions: Na2SO4 – NaOH, BaSO4 – NaOH and Na3PO4 – NaOH. The aim of these experiments was to study the effect of NaOH addition on solubility of the studied salt. These phenomena were however noticed to be difficult to see in the used laboratory tests. Thus mathematical modelling was utilized to contribute the laboratory experiments and to bring additional information of the influence of NaOH presence on solubility of selected electrolytes, Na2SO4 and Na3PO4. The results from mathematical modelling of activity coefficients suggest Na2SO4 and Na3PO4 to be precipitated rather with presence and with higher concentrations of NaOH, since the raise of NaOH concentration decreases the solubility of these electrolytes in water.

Treatment of Fe-containing Acid Mine Waters in Fixed Bed Adsorption Column with Calcite Side-Stone

The acid mining drainage is considered the most significant environmental pollution problem around the world for the extensive formation acidic leachates containing heavy metals. Adsorption is widely used methods in water treatment due to it easy operation and the availability of a wide variety of commercial adsorbent (low cost). The primary goal of this thesis was to investigate the efficiency of neutralizing agents, CaCO3 and CaSiO3, and metal adsorption materials with unmodified limestone from Company Nordkalk Oy. In addition to this, the side materials of limestone mining were tested for iron adsorption from acidic model solution. This study was executed at Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland. The work utilised fixed-bed adsorption column as the main equipment and large fluidized column. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine ferric removal and the composition of material respectively. The results suggest a high potential for the studied materials to be used a low cost adsorbents in acid mine drainage treatment. From the two studied adsorbents, the FS material was more suitable than the Gotland material. Based on the findings, it is recommended that further studies might include detailed analysis of Gotland materials.

Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Maximizing of water recovery in nanofiltration of mine process waters by using antiscalants

Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are among the most effective and widely used desalination and water softening technologies. They can also be used to treat mining wastewaters and are capable of producing water of extremely high purity, regardless of the high concentrations of toxic heavy metals and extreme pH and salinity. However, challenges with recovering the salts and metals from mining wastewaters in exploitable form, as well as problems with scaling still limit the process efficiency and the ratio of purified water recoverable from process waters. To address the problem of membrane scaling caused by calcium sulfate, batch filtration experiments with the Desal-5 DL nanofiltration membrane, three commercial antiscalants and actual mine process water from a copper mine were performed. The aim of these experiments was to find process conditions where maximum water recovery would be achieved before significant scaling or irreversible membrane fouling would occur and to further improve water recovery by addition of antiscalants. Water recovery of 70 % was reached with the experimental setups by optimizing process conditions. PC-504T antiscaling agent was determined to be the most effective of the three antiscalants used and the addition of 5 ppm of PC-504T allowed the water recovery to be further increased from 70 % to 85 % before major scaling was observed. In these conditions 92 % calcium rejection was achieved.

Prediction of exposed domains of envelope glycoprotein in Indian HIV-1 isolates and experimental confirmation of their immunogenicity in humans

We describe the impact of subtype differences on the seroreactivity of linear antigenic epitopes in envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1 isolates from different geographical locations. By computer analysis, we predicted potential antigenic sites of envelope glycoprotein (gp120 and gp4l) of this virus. For this purpose, after fetching sequences of proteins of interest from data banks, values of hydrophilicity, flexibility, accessibility, inverted hydrophobicity, and secondary structure were considered. We identified several potential antigenic epitopes in a B subtype strain of envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1 (IIIB). Solid- phase peptide synthesis methods of Merrifield and Fmoc chemistry were used for synthesizing peptides. These synthetic peptides corresponded mainly to the C2, V3 and CD4 binding sites of gp120 and some parts of the ectodomain of gp41. The reactivity of these peptides was tested by ELISA against different HIV-1-positive sera from different locations in India. For two of these predicted epitopes, the corresponding Indian consensus sequences (LAIERYLKQQLLGWG and DIIGDIRQAHCNISEDKWNET) (subtype C) were also synthesized and their reactivity was tested by ELISA. These peptides also distinguished HIV-1-positive sera of Indians with C subtype infections from sera from HIV-negative subjects.

Spatial and temporal variation in fish populations and assemblages in coastal waters of the northern Baltic Proper

The distribution and traits of fish are of interest both ecologically and socio-economically. In this thesis, phenotypic and structural variation in fish populations and assemblages was studied on multiple spatial and temporal scales in shallow coastal areas in the archipelago of the northern Baltic Proper. In Lumparn basin in Åland Islands, the fish assemblage displayed significant seasonal variation in depth zone distribution. The results indicate that investigating both spatial and temporal variation in small scale is crucial for understanding patterns in fish distribution and community structure in large scale. The local population of Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis L displayed habitat-specific morphological and dietary variation. Perch in the pelagic zone were on average deeper in their body shape than the littoral ones and fed on fish and benthic invertebrates. The results differ from previous studies conducted in freshwater habitats, where the pelagic perch typically are streamlined in body shape and zooplanktivorous. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen differed between perch with different stomach contents, suggesting differentiation of individual diet preferences. In the study areas Lumparn and Ivarskärsfjärden in Åland Islands and Galtfjärden in Swedish east coast, the development in fish assemblages during the 2000’s indicated a general shift towards higher abundances of small-bodied lower-order consumers, especially cyprinids. For European pikeperch Sander lucioperca L., recent declines in adult fish abundances and high mortalities (Z = 1.06–1.16) were observed, which suggests unsustainably high fishing pressure on pikeperch. Based on the results it can be hypothesized that fishing has reduced the abundances of large predatory fish, which together with bottom-up forcing by eutrophication has allowed the lower-order consumer species to increase in abundances. This thesis contributes to the scientific understanding of aquatic ecosystems with new descriptions on morphological and dietary adaptations in perch in brackish water, and on the seasonal variation in small-scale spatial fish distribution. The results also demonstrate anthropogenic effects on coastal fish communities and underline the urgency of further reducing nutrient inputs and regulating fisheries in the Baltic Sea region.

Spatiotemporal Features of Coastal Waters in Southwest Finland

In coastal waters, physico-chemical and biological properties and constituents vary at different time scales. In the study area of this thesis, within the Archipelago Sea in the northern Baltic Sea, seasonal cycles of light and temperature set preconditions for intra-annual variations, but developments at other temporal scales occur as well. Weather-induced runoffs and currents may alter water properties over the short term, and the consequences over time of eutrophication and global changes are to a degree unpredictable. The dynamic characteristics of northern Baltic Sea waters are further diversified at the archipelago coasts. Water properties may differ in adjacent basins, which are separated by island and underwater thresholds limiting water exchange, making the area not only a mosaic of islands but also one of water masses. Long-term monitoring and in situ observations provide an essential data reserve for coastal management and research. Since the seasonal amplitudes of water properties are so high, inter-annual comparisons of water-quality variables have to be based on observations sampled at the same time each year. In this thesis I compare areas by their temporal characteristics, using both inter-annual and seasonal data. After comparing spatial differences in seasonal cycles, I conclude that spatial comparisons and temporal generalizations have to be made with caution. In classifying areas by the state of their waters, the results may be biased even if the sampling is annually simultaneous, since the dynamics of water properties may vary according to the area. The most comprehensive view of the spatiotemporal dynamics of water properties would be achieved by means of comparisons with data consisting of multiple annual samples. For practical reasons, this cannot be achieved with conventional in situ sampling. A holistic understanding of the spatiotemporal features of the water properties of the Archipelago Sea will have to be based on the application of multiple methods, complementing each other’s spatial and temporal coverage. The integration of multi-source observational data and time-series analysis may be methodologically challenging, but it will yield new information as to the spatiotemporal regime of the Archipelago Sea.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms predisposing to asthma in children of Mauritian Indian and Chinese Han ethnicity

Our objective was to investigate the distributions of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) MS4A2 E237G, MS4A2 C-109T, ADRB2 R16G, IL4RA I75V,IL4 C-590T, and IL13 C1923T in Mauritian Indian and Chinese Han children with asthma. This case-control association study enrolled 382 unrelated Mauritian Indian children, 193 with asthma and 189 healthy controls, and 384 unrelated Chinese Han children, 192 with asthma and 192 healthy controls. The SNP loci were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism for the Chinese Han samples and TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR for the Mauritian Indian samples. In the Mauritian Indian children, there was a significant difference in the distribution of IL13 C1923T between the asthma and control groups (P=0.033). The frequency of IL13 C1923T T/T in the Mauritian Indian asthma group was significantly higher than in the control group [odds ratio (OR)=2.119, 95% confidence interval=1.048-4.285]. The Chinese Han children with asthma had significantly higher frequencies ofMS4A2 C-109T T/T (OR=1.961, P=0.001) and ADRB2 R16G A/A (OR=2.575, P=0.000) than the control group. The IL13 C1923T locus predisposed to asthma in Mauritian Indian children, which represents an ethnic difference from the Chinese Han population. TheMS4A2 C-109T T/T and ADRB2 R16G A/Agenotypes were associated with asthma in the Chinese Han children.

Influence of depectinization in the ultrafiltration of West Indian cherry (Malpighia glabra L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Meer) juices

West Indian cherry (Malpighia glabra L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Meer)juice clarification by cross-flow UF, using polysulphone hollow fiber and ceramic tubular membranes with, respectively, nominal molecular weight cut off values of 100kDaltons and average pore diameters of 0.01mm, were studied. The influence of enzymatic treatment using enzyme concentrations of 20, 100 and 300mg/L, a time of 90min and a temperature of 40ºC for depectinization was verified. The juices were then clarified in a laboratory scale filtration unit, with an effective filtration area of 0.12m² for the polysulphone hollow fiber membrane and of 0.005m² for the ceramic tubular membranes. The influence of enzymatic treatment on viscosity, turbidity and total pectin of the juice, before ultrafiltration, is reported. Membrane performance was evaluated in terms of flow rate and clarity of the permeate. The permeate flow rate of depectinized pineapple juice was higher (30 - 60%) for both membranes. Depectinized West Indian cherry juice presented a lower permeate flow rate for the polysulphone hollow fiber membrane. The increase in permeate flow rate, with the use of the 300mg/L and 100mg/L enzyme concentration was not significant, so it is economically advantageous to ultrafilter depectinized juice, treated with an enzyme concentration of 20mg/L.

“Good night, dear Lake of Shining Waters”. Luonto L. M. Montgomeryn Anne of Green Gables –teoksessa

Kanadalaisen kirjailijan L. M. Montgomeryn tunnetun ja rakastetun Anna-sarjan ensimmäinen osa Anne of Green Gables -teos (1908) kertoo orvosta tytöstä, joka pääsee Prinssi Edwardin saaren Avonlean kylään asumaan naimattoman sisarusparin Marilla ja Matthew`n kasvattilapseksi. Luonto on keskeisellä sijalla teoksessa: Anna on luontoa rakastava ja luonnon keskellä viihtyvä tyttö ja myös teoksen kertoja kuvaa paljon luontoa. Tutkimukseni käsittelee luontoa Anne of Green Gables -teoksessa. Tutkin luontoteemaa teoksessa seuraavista näkökulmista: Analysoin, kuinka luonto kuvataan teoksessa ja millainen on teoksen luontokuva. Luontokuvaa käsittelen pastoraalin käsitteen kautta, ja kysyn teokselta, voidaanko se tulkita pastoraaliksi ja kuinka teos asettuu pastoraalin traditioon. Lisäksi erittelen, millainen on päähenkilön Annan luontosuhde. Millaisen arvon hän antaa luonnolle ja mitä merkityksiä hän liittää luontoon? Tutkimus asettuu ekokriittiseen viitekehykseen, ja pohdin myös sitä, minkälainen on teoksen representaatio luonnosta ekokriittisesti tarkastellen. Amerikkalaisen transsendentalistin Ralph Waldo Emersonin luontofilosofia kulkee myös taustajuonteena tutkielmassa ja erittelen, mitä yhtymäkohtia hänen luontofilosofiassaan on Anne of Green Gables -teokseen. Anne of Green Gables -teoksen luontokuvaa voidaan luonnehtia romantisoiduksi ja idealisoivaksi. Luonto kuvataan kauniiksi, ja sen kauneutta ylistää niin Anna kuin teoksen kaikkitietävä kertojakin. Teoksen luontokuva on pastoraalinen, sillä siinä esiintyy vahvasti pastoraaliin liittyvä diskurssi maaseudun ja kaupungin vastakkainasettelusta siten, että maaseutu assosioituu positiivisesti, kun taas kaupunki nähdään negatiivisessa valossa. Luonnonläheinen Avonlean kylä näyttäytyy teoksessa niin idealisoidussa valossa, että se muistuttaa jo jonkinlaista myyttistä paratiisia. Näin ollen teoksen pastoraalisuus saa pejoratiivisiakin piirteitä. Annan luontosuhdetta värittää voimakas kunnioitus ja arvostus luontoa kohtaan. Hänen luontoon liittämistä arvoista keskeiselle sijalle nousee luonnon kauneus. Luonnon kauneuden arvostaminen toimii kuitenkin porttina luonnon toiseuttamiseen, mistä syntyy pieni arvoristiriita. Toisaalta kuitenkin Anna samaistuu luontoon tavalla, joka hämärtää perinteistä subjekti–objekti-dikotomiaa. Anna näyttäytyy vihreän maailman arkkityyppinä, lapsena, joka sulautuu luontoon ja kokee sen kodikseen. Luonto edustaa Annalle vapautta ja herättää myös hänen mielikuvituksena ja taiteellisen inspiraation. Lisäksi luonto on Annalle paikka, jossa voi saavuttaa autenttisen yhteyden Jumalaan.

Post-transaction brand and model line-up integration in the automotive industry: Case studies of European companies as target of acquisitions by Chinese and Indian multinational corporations

Corporations practice company acquisitions in order to create shareholder’s value. During the last few decades, the companies in emerging markets have become active in the acquisition business. During the last decade, large and significant acquisitions have occurred especially in automotive industry. While domestic markets have become too competitive and companies are lacking required capabilities, they seek possibilities to expand into Western markets by attaining valuable assets through acquisitions of developed country corporations. This study discusses the issues and characteristics of these acquisitions through case studies. The purpose of this study was to identify the acquisition motives and strategies for post-transaction brand and product integration as well as analyze the effect of the motives to the integration strategy. The cases chosen for the research were Chinese Geely acquiring Swedish Volvo in 2010 and Indian Tata Motors buying British Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. The main topics were chosen according to their significance for companies in automotive industry as well as those are most visible parts for consumers. The study is based on qualitative case study methods, analyzing secondary data from academic papers and news articles as well as companies’ own announcements e.g. stock exchange and press releases. The study finds that the companies in the cases mainly possessed asset-seeking and market-seeking motives. In addition, the findings refer to rather minimal post-acquisition brand and product integration strategies. Mainly the parent companies left the target company autonomous to make their own business strategies and decisions. The most noticeable integrations were in the product development and production processes. Through restructuring the product architectures, the companies were able to share components and technology between product families and brands, which results in cutting down costs and in increase of profitability and efficiency. In the Geely- Volvo case, the strategy focused more on component sharing and product development know-how, whereas in Tata Motors-Jaguar Land Rover case, the main actions were to cut down costs through component sharing and combine production and distribution networks especially in Asian markets. However, it was evident that in both cases the integration and technology sharing were executed cautiously to prevent on harming the valuable image of the luxury brand. This study has concluded that the asset-seeking motives have significant influence on the posttransaction brand and model line-up integration strategies. By taking a cautious approach in acquiring assets, such as luxury brand, the companies in the cases have implemented a successful post-acquisition strategy and managed to create value for the shareholders at least in short-term. Yritykset harjoittavat yritysostoja luodakseen osakkeenomistajille lisäarvoa. Viimeisten muutamien vuosikymmenien aikana yritykset kehittyvissä maissa ovat myös aktivoituneet yritysostoissa. Viimeisen vuosikymmenen aikana erityisesti autoteollisuudessa on esiintynyt suuria ja merkittäviä yritysostoja. Koska kilpailu kotimaan markkinoilla on kiristynyt ja yritykset ovat vailla vaadittavia valmiuksia, ne etsivät mahdollisuuksiaan laajentaa länsimaisiin markkinoihin hankkimalla arvokkaita etuja kehittyneiden maiden yrityksistä yritysostojen avulla. Tämä tutkimus pohtii näiden yritysostojen olennaisia kysymyksiä ja ominaisuuksia casetutkimuksien kautta. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus oli tunnistaa sekä yritysostojen motiiveja ja brändi- ja mallisto-integraation strategioita että analysoida kyseisten motiivien vaikutusta integraatiostrategiaan. Tapaus-tutkimuksiksi valittiin kiinalaisen Geelyn yritysosto ruotsalaisesta Volvosta vuonna 2010 ja intialaisen Tata Motorsin yritysosto englantilaisesta Jaguar Land Roverista vuonna 2008. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen case-tutkimus ja siinä analysoidaan toissijaista tietoa sekä akateemisten ja uutisartikkeleiden että yritysten omien ilmoitusten, kuten pörssi- ja lehdistötiedotteiden, kautta. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että tutkittujen yritysten toiminnat perustuivat motiiveihin, joita ajoivat etujen and uusien markkinoiden tarve. Sen lisäksi tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että yritysoston jälkeinen brändi- ja mallisto-integraatio pidettiin minimaalisena. Pääasiallisesti kohdeyrityksille jätettiin autonomia tehdä omat liikkeenjohdolliset päätökset yritysstrategioihin liittyen. Huomattavimmat integraatiot koskivat tuotekehityksellisiä ja tuotannollisia prosesseja. Kehittämällä uudelleen tuotearkkitehtuureja, yritykset pystyivät jakamaan komponentteja ja teknologiaa tuoteperheiden ja brändien välillä. Tämä mahdollisti kustannusleikkauksia sekä kannattavuuden ja tehokkuuden parantamista. Geely-Volvo –tapauksessa integraatiostrategia keskittyi komponenttien jakamiseen yhteisten tuotearkkitehtuurien avulla ja tuotekehityksen ammattitaitoon, kun taas Tata Motors-JLR –tapauksessa päätoiminnat olivat kustannuksien leikkaus sekä tuotannon ja jakeluverkoston yhdistäminen erityisesti Aasian maissa. Yhteistä yrityskaupoissa oli, että brändi- ja mallisto-integraatio sekä teknologian jakaminen suoritettiin varoen ehkäistäkseen arvokkaiden luksus-brändien tuotekuvan vahingoittamista. Tutkimuksen lopputulokset osoittavat, että yrityskaupan motiiveilla on huomattava vaikutus brändija mallisto-integraation strategiaan. Toteuttamalla varovaista lähestymistapaa luksus-brändin hankinnassa ja integraatiossa, yritykset ovat onnistuneet luomaan lisäarvoa osakkeenomistajille vähintään lyhyellä aikavälillä.

Man and the Milieu: Ecocritical analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River” and “Indian Camp

Pro Gradu -tutkielmassani tarkastelen Ernest Hemingwayn alun perin vuonna 1925 julkaistuja kahta novellia ”Big Two-Hearted River” ja ”Indian Camp”. Molemmat teokset kuuluvat Nick Adams -tarinoihin, jotka ovat kokoelma novelleja, joissa Hemingway kuvaa Nick Adamsin elämää pojasta mieheksi. Nick Adams on usein tulkittu Hemingwayn alter egoksi ja monet tapahtumat ovatkin suoraa heijastusta Hemingwayn elämästä. Päähenkilön lisäksi monia Nick Adams -tarinoita yhdistää luonnon vahva läsnäolo ja Hemingwayn kuuluisan maalauksellinen miljöön deskriptiivisyys. Käyttämäni ekokriittisen teorian avulla pyrin osoittamaan tutkielmassani, että Nick Adamsin hahmo peilautuu miljöökuvauksessa syventyen dynaamiseksi hahmoksi ja että Hemingwayn luonto- ja ympäristökuvaus peilaa hahmon sisäistä maailmaa hyvinkin läheisesti. Tutkimukseni teoreettinen viitekehys, ekokritiikki, on kirjallisuudentutkimuksen suuntaus, joka tutkii ihmisen ja fyysisen ympäristön suhdetta toisiinsa. Lisäksi hyödynnän tutkielmassani dikotomioita, joiden avulla tarkastelen ja analysoin novelleista nousevia aiheita. Esimerkiksi seuraavat dikotomiat ovat keskeisiä molemmissa novelleissa: kulttuuri vs. luonto, pastoraali vs. erämaa, matka vs. oleskelu, keho vs. mieli, vesi vs. maa, tuli tai valo vs. vesi ja elämä vs. kuolema.