CREATING A MODEL FOR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Tutkielman tarkoituksena oli mallintaa varastonhallintajärjestelmä, joka olisi sopiva case yritykselle. Tutkimus aloitettiin case yrityksen varastonhallinan nykytilan kartoituksella, jonka jälkeen tutkittiin varastonhallinnan eri osa-alueisiin. Varastonhallinnan osa-alueista käsiteltiin varastotyyppejä, motiiveja, tavoitteita, kysynnän ennustamista sekä erilaisia varastonhallinnan työkaluja. Sen lisäksi tutkittiin erilaisia varaston täydennysmalleja. Teoriaosuudessa käsiteltiin lisäksi kolmea erilaista tietojärjestelmätyyppiä: toiminnanohjausjärjestelmää, sähköisen kaupankäynnin järjestelmää sekä räätälöityä järjestelmää. Tutkimussuunnitelmassa nämä kolme järjestelmää rajattiin vaihtoehdoiksi, joista jokin valittaisiin case yrityksen varastonhallintajärjestelmäksi. Teorian ja nykytilan pohjalta tehtiin viitekehys, jossa esiteltiin varastonhallintajärjestelmän tieto- ja toiminnallisuusominaisuuksia. Nämä ominaisuudet priorisoitiin neljään eri luokkaan ominaisuuden kriittisyyden mukaan. Järjestelmävaihtoehdot arvioitiin viitekehyksen kriteerien mukaisesti, miten helposti ominaisuudet olisivat toteutettavissa eri vaihtoehdoissa. Tulokset laskettiin näiden arviointien perusteella, jonka jälkeen tulosten analysoinnissa huomattiin, että toiminnanohjausjärjestelmä sopisi parhaiten case yrityksen varastonhallintajärjestelmäksi.

Value at Risk in measuring market risk: Historical simulation

In this study the theoretical part was created to make comparison between different Value at Risk models. Based on that comparison one model was chosen to the empirical part which concentrated to find out whether the model is accurate to measure market risk. The purpose of this study was to test if Volatility-weighted Historical Simulation is accurate in measuring market risk and what improvements does it bring to market risk measurement compared to traditional Historical Simulation. Volatility-weighted method by Hull and White (1998) was chosen In order to improve the traditional methods capability to measure market risk. In this study we found out that result based on Historical Simulation are dependent on chosen time period, confidence level and how samples are weighted. The findings of this study are that we cannot say that the chosen method is fully reliable in measuring market risk because back testing results are changing during the time period of this study.

δ15N value does not reflect fasting in mysticetes.

The finding that tissue δ15N values increase with protein catabolism has led researchers to apply this value to gauge nutritive condition in vertebrates. However, its application to marine mammals has in most occasions failed. We investigated the relationship between δ15N values and the fattening/fasting cycle in a model species, the fin whale, a migratory capital breeder that experiences severe seasonal variation in body condition. We analyzed two tissues providing complementary insights: one with isotopic turnover (muscle) and one that keeps a permanent record of variations in isotopic values (baleen plates). In both tissues δ15N values increased with intensive feeding but decreased with fasting, thus contradicting the pattern previously anticipated. The apparent inconsistency during fasting is explained by the fact that a) individuals migrate between different isotopic isoscapes, b) starvation may not trigger significant negative nitrogen balance, and c) excretion drops and elimination of 15N-depleted urine is minimized. Conversely, when intensive feeding is resumed in the northern grounds, protein anabolism and excretion start again, triggering 15N enrichment. It can be concluded that in whales and other mammals that accrue massive depots of lipids as energetic reserves and which have limited access to drinking water, the δ15N value is not affected by fasting and therefore cannot be used as an indicatior of nutritive condition.

User-driven community-based service development

This final thesis project was carried out in the Industrial Management department of University of Applied Sciences Stadia for Forum Virium Helsinki. The purpose of this study was to answer to the question of how companies can use online customer community of co-creation in service development and what is the value gained from it. The paper combines a range of recently published theoretical works and ongoing customer community case development. The study aims to provide new information and action approaches to new service developers that may increase the success of the community building process. The paper also outlines the benefits of the use of online customer community and offers practical suggestions for maximizing the value gained from the community in service development projects. The concepts and suggestions introduced in the study appear to have notable new possibilities to the service development process but they have to be further tested empirically. This paper describes the online consumer community of co-creation to an important organizational process of innovation management suggesting that it possesses a great value to business. Online customer communities offer a potential of improving the success of new services or products enabling early, penetrable market entry and creating sustainable competitive advantage.

Multi-institutional validation of the prognostic value of Ki-67 labeling index in patients treated with radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Several smaller single-center studies have reported a prognostic role for Ki-67 labeling index in prostate cancer. Our aim was to test whether Ki-67 is an independent prognostic marker of biochemical recurrence (BCR) in a large international cohort of patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS: Ki-67 immunohistochemical staining on prostatectomy specimens from 3,123 patients who underwent RP for prostate cancer was retrospectively performed. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the association of Ki-67 status with BCR. RESULTS: Ki-67 positive status was observed in 762 (24.4 %) patients and was associated with lymph node involvement (LNI) (p = 0.039). Six hundred and twenty-one (19.9 %) patients experienced BCR. The estimated 3-year biochemical-free survivals were 85 % for patients with negative Ki-67 status and 82.1 % for patients with positive Ki-67 status (log-rank test, p = 0.014). In multivariable analysis that adjusted for the effects of age, preoperative PSA, RP Gleason sum, seminal vesicle invasion, extracapsular extension, positive surgical margins, lymphovascular invasion, and LNI, Ki-67 was significantly associated with BCR (HR = 1.19; p = 0.019). Subgroup analysis revealed that Ki-67 is associated with BCR in patients without LNI (p = 0.004), those with RP Gleason sum 7 (p = 0.015), and those with negative surgical margins (p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: We confirmed Ki-67 as an independent predictor of BCR after RP. Ki-67 could be particularly informative in patients with favorable pathologic characteristics to help in the clinical decision-making regarding adjuvant therapy and optimized follow-up scheduling.

The predictive value of preoperative B-type natriuretic peptide in children undergoing cardiac surgery

Introduction: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a biomarker of myocardial stress. In children, the value of preoperative BNP on postoperative outcome is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of preoperative NT-proBNP on postoperative outcome in children after congenital heart surgery. Results: Ninety-seven patients were included in the study with a median age of 3.3 years [0.7-5.2]. Preoperative median NT-proBNP was 412 pg/ml [164-1309]. NT-proBNP was above the P95 reference value for age in 56 patients (58%). Preoperative NT-proBNP was significantly higher in patients who had mechanical ventilation duration of more than 2 days (1156 pg/ml [281-1951] vs. 267 pg/ml [136-790], p=0.003) and who stayed more than 6 days in the pediatric intensive care unit (727 pg/ml [203-1951] vs. 256 pg/ml [136-790], p=0.007). However, preoperative NT-proBNP was not significantly higher in patients with an increased inotropic score, a prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time or an increased surgical risk category. Conclusions: An elevated preoperative NT-proBNP reflects hemodynamic status and cardiac dysfunction, and therefore is a valuable adjunct in predicting a complicated postoperative course. ___________________________________ Introduction: Le peptide natriurétique type B (BNP) est un marqueur reflétant le stress myocardique. Dans la population pédiatrique, la signification des valeurs préopératoire de BNP, en particulier sur l'évolution postopératoire, n'est pas clairement établie. Le but de l'étude est de déterminer la valeur prédictive de la partie NT sérique du BNP (NT-proBNP) sur l'évolution post opératoire d'enfants porteur d'une cardiopathie congénitale et ayant eu une chirurgie cardiaque. Résultats: Nonante-sept enfants ont été inclus dans l'étude, avec un âge médian de 3.3 ans [0.7-5.2]. La valeur médiane du NT-proBNP préopératoire était de 412 pg/ml [164-1309]. Le NT-proBNP préopératoire était supérieur au P95 des valeurs de référence pour l'âge chez 56 patients (58%). Le NT-proBNP préopératoire était significativement plus élevé chez les patients ayant eu plus de deux jours de ventilation mécanique dans la période postopératoire (1156 pg/ml [281-1951] vs. 267 pg/ml [136-790], p=0.003) et ayant été hospitalisés plus de 6 jours dans l'unité de soins intensifs pédiatrique (727 pg/ml [203-1951] vs. 256 pg/ml [136-790], p=0.007). Par contre, le NT-proBNP préopératoire n'était pas significativement plus élevé chez les patients ayant eu un score d'inotrope élevé pendant leur hospitalisation aux soins intensifs, un temps de circulation extracorporelle prolongé ou ayant subi une chirurgie avec un risque chirurgical élevé. Conclusions: Un NT-proBNP sérique élevé en préopératoire reflète l'importance du stress myocardique induit par l'hémodynamique et la dysfonction myocardique, il est un marqueur qui permet d'améliorer l'identification des patients à risque d'avoir une évolution post opératoire compliquée.

Beyond Value-at-Risk : GlueVaR Distortion Risk Measures

We propose a new family of risk measures, called GlueVaR, within the class of distortion risk measures. Analytical closed-form expressions are shown for the most frequently used distribution functions in financial and insurance applications. The relationship between Glue-VaR, Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Tail Value-at-Risk (TVaR) is explained. Tail-subadditivity is investigated and it is shown that some GlueVaR risk measures satisfy this property. An interpretation in terms of risk attitudes is provided and a discussion is given on the applicability in non-financial problems such as health, safety, environmental or catastrophic risk management

Järjestelmätoimittajan kehityspolkuja kansainvälistymisen tiellä

Tutkielman tavoitteena oli kuvata ja lisätä ymmärrystä siitä, miten järjestelmä-toimittaja verkostoituu ja kansainvälistyy. Tutkielman teoriaosassa tarkasteltiin järjestelmätoimittajuutta, kansainvälistymistä ja kansainvälistymisvalmiuksia aikaisempien tutkimusten, kirja- ja artikkelilähteiden pohjalta. Näiden lähteiden pohjalta luotiin se teoreettinen viitekehys, jota vasten case-yritysten haastatteluissa saatuja tuloksia verrataan. Tutkielman kokeellinen osuus koostui Lahden lähialueilla toimivien neljän järjestelmätoimittajan edustajien teemahaastatteluista. Näissä haastatteluissa kartoitettiin kyseisten järjestelmätoimittajien kehityspolkuja ja kansainvälistymisprosesseja. Ensisijaiseksi tutkimusmenetelmäksi valittiin teemahaastattelu ja sen tukena käytettiin lyhyttä teemahaastattelurunkoa. Lisäksi apuna käytettiin muuta yrityksistä löydettyä materiaalia, kuten asiakaslehtiä, lehtiartikkeleita ja yritysten internetsivuja. Johtopäätöksissä todettiin, että tutkittujen yritysten kansainvälistyminen on edennyt jokseenkin eri tavalla. Samoin niiden verkostoituminen on ollut eriasteista ja eri lailla hallittua. Toiset toimijat olivat verkostoitumisen alkutaipaleella, kun taas toiset olivat luoneet sekä asiakas- että toimittajasuhteisiin pitkälle organisoidun arvoverkoston. Kansainvälistymisen alkuvaiheessa yritykset käyttivät rinnakkain erilaisia vientimuotoja. Resurssien kasvaessa yritykset saattoivat perustaa oman ulkomaisen yksikön vastatakseen paremmin alalla olevaan kilpailuun. Lisäksi kansainvälistyminen haastateltujen yritysten eräs kansainvälistymismuoto on ollut ulkomaisten alan yritysten osto, jolla laajennettiin omaa osaamista.

Impact of Investment Strategies on Performance in Pulp and Paper Industry

The main objective of this study was to examine, what kind of investment strategies the leading European and North American pulp and paper industry companies (PPI) used in 1991-2003, and how the selected strategies affected their performance. The investment strategies were categorised in three classes including mergers and acquisitions, investments in new capacity and investments in existing capacity. The results showed that mergers and acquisitions represented the largest share of total investments in 1991-2003 followed by investments in existing capacity. PPI companies changed investment strategies over time by increasing the share of mergers and acquisitions, which decreased investments in new capacity especially among North American companies. According to the results, good asset quality and investments in new and existing capacity provided better profitability than often expensive acquisitions. Also the capacity decreases had a positive impact on profitability. Average asset quality and profitability were higher among European companies. The study concluded that in the long term the available value creating investment opportunities should limit capital expenditure levels, not the relation of capital expenditure to depreciation.

Asiakasarvoa korostavan liikkeenjohdon konsulttiyrityksen kasvumahdollisuudet

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena on selvittää asiakasarvoa luovat kasvumahdollisuudet eräälle suomalaiselle liikkeenjohdon konsulttiyritykselle. Yrityksen kasvun tulee tapahtua pitkällä aikavälillä kannattavasti ja tukea sen toimintaa sekä liiketoiminnallisia tavoitteita. Työn teoreettiset aihealueet käsittelevät liikkeenjohdon konsultoinnin toimialaa, arvon luomista ja menestymisen edellytyksiä, asiakaspohjaa ja yhteistyömahdollisuuksia sekä kasvun johtamista. Työn empiirisessä osassa näitä aihealueita tutkittiin yrityksestä saatavien havaintojen, asiakaskyselyn sekä osakashaastattelujen avulla. Asiakasarvoa luovien kasvuvaihtoehtojen määrittämisessä käytettiin apuna analyyttistä hierarkiaprosessia. Tutkimuksen keskeisimmät havainnot olivat, että konsultointipalveluiden asiakasarvoa eniten luovat tekijät tärkeysjärjestyksessä ovat lopputuloksen laatu, ihmisten sitouttaminen kehitykseen, toimialaosaaminen, asenne, uudet näkökulmat ja osaaminen sekä hinta. Kohdeyritykselle tutkittiin viittä kasvuvaihtoehtoa ja niiden asiakasarvon tuottamiskykyä. Suositeltavat kasvuvaihtoehdot kohdeyritykselle tärkeysjärjestyksessä ovat asiakaspohjan säilyttäminen, uusien asiakkaiden hankkiminen sekä verkostojen ja allianssien hyödyntäminen.

International STakeholder NETwork (ISTNET): creating a developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) testing road map for regulatory purposes.

A major problem in developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) risk assessment is the lack of toxicological hazard information for most compounds. Therefore, new approaches are being considered to provide adequate experimental data that allow regulatory decisions. This process requires a matching of regulatory needs on the one hand and the opportunities provided by new test systems and methods on the other hand. Alignment of academically and industrially driven assay development with regulatory needs in the field of DNT is a core mission of the International STakeholder NETwork (ISTNET) in DNT testing. The first meeting of ISTNET was held in Zurich on 23-24 January 2014 in order to explore the concept of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) to practical DNT testing. AOPs were considered promising tools to promote test systems development according to regulatory needs. Moreover, the AOP concept was identified as an important guiding principle to assemble predictive integrated testing strategies (ITSs) for DNT. The recommendations on a road map towards AOP-based DNT testing is considered a stepwise approach, operating initially with incomplete AOPs for compound grouping, and focussing on key events of neurodevelopment. Next steps to be considered in follow-up activities are the use of case studies to further apply the AOP concept in regulatory DNT testing, making use of AOP intersections (common key events) for economic development of screening assays, and addressing the transition from qualitative descriptions to quantitative network modelling.

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.

The motivation to learn as a self-presentation tool among Swiss high school students : The moderating role of mastery goals' perceived social value on learning

Although it has been assumed that the motivation to learn - or mastery goal endorsement - positively predicts learning achievement, most empirical findings fail to demonstrate this relationship. In the present research, conducted in a Swiss high school, we adopted a social value approach to test the hypothesis that adolescent students' mastery goals do in fact predict learning, but only if these goals are perceived as highly useful for scholarly success (high social utility), and are not endorsed as a means to be appreciated by the teachers (low social desirability), a finding that has previously been observed among college students and on teacher-graded achievement measures only. Results demonstrate that in spite of potential peculiarities of an adolescent population, individual differences in mastery goals' perceived social utility and desirability moderate the mastery goal endorsement-learning achievement relation. Findings are discussed with regard to both theory development and educational practice.

Stochasticity in economic losses increases the value of reputation in indirect reciprocity.

Recent theory predicts harsh and stochastic conditions to generally promote the evolution of cooperation. Here, we test experimentally whether stochasticity in economic losses also affects the value of reputation in indirect reciprocity, a type of cooperation that is very typical for humans. We used a repeated helping game with observers. One subject (the "Unlucky") lost some money, another one (the "Passer-by") could reduce this loss by accepting a cost to herself, thereby building up a reputation that could be used by others in later interactions. The losses were either stable or stochastic, but the average loss over time and the average efficiency gains of helping were kept constant in both treatments. We found that players with a reputation of being generous were generally more likely to receive help by others, such that investing into a good reputation generated long-term benefits that compensated for the immediate costs of helping. Helping frequencies were similar in both treatments, but players with a reputation to be selfish lost more resources under stochastic conditions. Hence, returns on investment were steeper when losses varied than when they did not. We conclude that this type of stochasticity increases the value of reputation in indirect reciprocity.

Keskisuuren teknologiayrityksen logistiikkaratkaisujen arviointi

Asiakkaat ovat nykyisin yhä tietoisempia tuotteen tuomasta arvosta. Uusiksi kilpailutekijöiksi ovat hinnan sijasta muodostumassa asiakaslähtöisyys, toiminnan laadukkuus ja yrityksen kyky synkronoida liiketoimintaprosesseja yhteistyössä asiakkaiden kanssa. Toimitusketjun hallinta on avainasemassa, kun pyritään saavuttamaan kilpailuetua uudessa kilpailutilanteessa. Yrityksien haasteeksi muodostuu koko arvoketjun kattavan strategisen yhteensopivuuden saavuttaminen sekä tasapainon löytäminen reagoivuuden ja tehokkuuden välille. Diplomityö käsittelee kohdeyrityksen nykyistä toimitusketjua ja kartoittaa kuinka eri logistiikkaratkaisut vaikuttaisivat yrityksen toimitusketjun materiaalivirtoihin ja kustannusrakenteeseen sekä kilpailukykyyn tulevaisuudessa. Työssä pyritään arvioimaan myös eri ratkaisujen vahvuuksia ja heikkouksia sekä käyttöönottoon liittyviä haasteita. Muutoksia on pyritty arvioimaan luomalla nykytilakuvauksen pohjalta simulointimalleja, joiden avulla voidaan mallintaa sekä materiaalivirtojen että kustannuksien muutoksia. Empiriaosassa on kuvattu eri logistiikkaratkaisujen vaikutukset materiaalivirtoihin ja logistiikkatoimintojen kokonaiskustannuksiin, sekä niiden edut ja haitat. Tämä mandollistaa eri logistiikkaratkaisujen arvioinnin ja tuo esille kuinka nykyistä toimitusketjua olisi kehitettävä, jotta kohdeyritys pystyy tulevaisuudessa parantamaan kilpailukykyään kustannustehokkaasti.