Vanhusten hyvä kotona asuminen: tutkimusta kuntatuottavuudesta, älykodeista ja apuvälinepalveluprosesseista

The purpose of the research was to investigate operational processes related to home care of the elderly as well as use of assistive devices in smart home environments, and operational processes that are generally related to use of assistive devices – from the point of view of productivity improvement. The themes were looked into from the points of view of both the elderly and care personnel. In addition, perspectives of near relatives of the elderly, of the larger service system as well as of companies that provided assistive devices to the smart homes were taken into consideration. In the study of home care processes, 32 customer interviews and 17 employee interviews were carried out. This report contains a summary that is based on a separate report of the home care study. The study of home care was conducted in 2006. The use of technological and mechanical assistive devices and the related operational processes were investigated with the help of the smart home pilot in 2007–2008. The study is described in this report. The smart home pilot was implemented in four different housing service units for elderly people at Lahti, Nastola and Hollola. They were in use during short-term housing periods related to, for instance, end of hospitalisation, holidays of caring relatives and assessment of living and housing conditions. More than 60 different assistive devices and technologies were brought to the smart homes. During the pilot period, experiences of customers and personnel as well as processes related to the use of assistive devices were investigated. The research material consisted of 20 survey questionnaires of personnel and customers, four interviews with customers, five interviews with personnel, feedback survey responses from 14 companies, and other data that were collected, for instance, in orientation events. The research results highlighted the need for tailored services based on an elderly person’s needs and wishes, while taking advantage of innovative and technological solutions. As in the earlier home care study, also assistive device-related operational processes were looked into with the help of concepts of ‘resource focus’, ‘lost motion’ and ‘intermediate landing’. The following were identified as central operational processes in assistive device-related services (regardless of the service provider): (1) acquisition process of technologies and assistive devices as well as of rearrangement and rebuilding works in the home, (2) introduction and orientation process (of the elderly, their relatives and care personnel), (3) information and communication process, and (4) service and monitoring process. In addition, the research focused on design and desirability of assistive devices as well as their costs, such as opportunity costs. The process-based points of view gave new knowledge that may be used in the future to develop service processes and clarify their ownership so that separately managed cross-functional processes could be built with participants from different sectors to operate alongside organisations of elderly care. Development of functionality of assistive device-related services is a societally significant issue.

Performance benchmarking and incentive regulation – considerations of directing signals for electricity distribution companies

After the restructuring process of the power supply industry, which for instance in Finland took place in the mid-1990s, free competition was introduced for the production and sale of electricity. Nevertheless, natural monopolies are found to be the most efficient form of production in the transmission and distribution of electricity, and therefore such companies remained franchised monopolies. To prevent the misuse of the monopoly position and to guarantee the rights of the customers, regulation of these monopoly companies is required. One of the main objectives of the restructuring process has been to increase the cost efficiency of the industry. Simultaneously, demands for the service quality are increasing. Therefore, many regulatory frameworks are being, or have been, reshaped so that companies are provided with stronger incentives for efficiency and quality improvements. Performance benchmarking has in many cases a central role in the practical implementation of such incentive schemes. Economic regulation with performance benchmarking attached to it provides companies with directing signals that tend to affect their investment and maintenance strategies. Since the asset lifetimes in the electricity distribution are typically many decades, investment decisions have far-reaching technical and economic effects. This doctoral thesis addresses the directing signals of incentive regulation and performance benchmarking in the field of electricity distribution. The theory of efficiency measurement and the most common regulation models are presented. The chief contributions of this work are (1) a new kind of analysis of the regulatory framework, so that the actual directing signals of the regulation and benchmarking for the electricity distribution companies are evaluated, (2) developing the methodology and a software tool for analysing the directing signals of the regulation and benchmarking in the electricity distribution sector, and (3) analysing the real-life regulatory frameworks by the developed methodology and further develop regulation model from the viewpoint of the directing signals. The results of this study have played a key role in the development of the Finnish regulatory model.

Yhteiskuntavastuuraporttien ulkoinen varmentaminen

Tutkimuksen päätavoitteena oli tutkia miten suomalaiset suuret pörssiyritykset ulkoisesti varmentavat yhteiskuntavastuuraporttinsa. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli tutkia miten yritykset arvioivat varmentamisen vaikuttavan raporttien luotettavuuteen. Työn teorian muodosti kansainväliset ja kotimaiset kirjat ja artikkelit. Empiirinen aineisto kerättiin yritysten yhteiskuntavastuuraporteista, yritysten internetsivuilta ja haastatteluilla. Teemahaastatteluja tehtiin neljälle yrityksen edustajalle ja kahdelle tilintarkastusyhteisön ulkoi-selle varmentajalle. Tutkimusmenetelmä oli kvalitatiivinen ja kuvaileva. Yhteiskuntavastuun huomioiminen ja siitä raportoiminen on yleistynyt Suomessa ja maailmalla 2000-luvulla. Yritykset koetaan tänä päivänä merkittäviksi tekijöiksi yhteiskunnassa ja näin ollen yrityksiltä vaaditaan vastuullista ja ehdottoman luotettavaa toimintaa. Vastuun kantamista vaa-ditaan erityisesti kansainvälisiltä yrityksiltä. Sidosryhmät odottavat yritysten yhteiskuntavastuuraporttien tarjoavan luotettavaa tietoa päätöksenteon tueksi. Luotettavuuden ja uskottavuuden lisäämiseksi, jotkut yritykset ovat alkaneet käyttää yhteiskuntavastuuraporttien ulkoista varmennusta. Ulkoisella varmentamisella tarkoitetaan sellaista toimintaa, jossa kolmas riip-pumaton taho varmentaa yrityksen ei-taloudellisen raportin.

Tukkumyyjästä valikoimaneuvojaksi - toimenkuvan määrittämisen vaiheet

The goal of this research was to describe what are the stages to determining the job describtion of Category Adviser, what are the main tasks and compe¬tences of the Category Adviser and how the co-operation with his interest groups was build. The title of Category Adviser was greated in Rautakesko Ltd. in year 2001 and it is partly comparable with the work of a Sales Representa¬tive. The goal of a Category Adviser is to support retail sales and act between wholesales and retail sales. The theoretical portion of this thesis was done as a study of existing literature of ECR and Category Management, individual competencies, job description and the work of Sales Representatives. The theoretical framework of the thesis is named as "stages to determining the job description of Sales Representative who follows the practices of Category Management". The empirical approach was qualitative and the data was collected by theme interviews and the existing written documents from the company. The empirical findings supported mainly the theoretical framework and a model of "stages to determining the job description of Category Adviser" was build. It created new information because the job title is not being used in other compa¬nies and the environment where Category Adviser acts at the same time as member of retail chain and a supplier is quite unique in Finland. The stages to determining of job description are being governed by the changes in retail sector, Category Management and the retail chain business strategy. The goals of ECR-model and its demands for competence, tasks and organiza¬tional structure also affect the stages to job description. One should also follow the guidelines of job analysis and rules of defining the tasks in written job desciption. The most significant thing affecting the process was retail chain business strategy. It started the process and it affects the environment where Category Adviser works. The study also proved that the co-operation between the interest groups is vey importand but it must be defined in a better way. Through that the co-operation will be better and the work of Category Adviser will be more efficient.

Co-opetition: Coexistence of cooperation and competition in public sector – A case study in one city’s public companies

Business actions do not take place in isolation. Complementary competencies and capabilities are the most important resources in the exponential knowledge growth. These resources are partially accessed via business partners. A company needs partners and the capability to cooperate, but also the awareness of the competitive tension, when operating in the market with multiple actors. The co-opetition research studies the occurrence and the forms of simultaneous cooperation and competition between companies or their units. Public sector’s governmental and municipal organs have been transformed into companies over the past years. Despite of their non-profit nature, public sector and public companies are adopting business doctrines from private sector towards efficient business operations. This case study aims to show, how co-opetition concept can be observed within public sector companies and in their operations with others, how public companies cooperate but also compete with others and why this happens. This thesis also explicates advantages and disadvantages of the co-opetition phenomenon.

Estudi tècnic-econòmic de l'adaptació a la Llei de Benestar Animal d'una explotació porcina de la comarca d'Osona i posterior valoració de la seva implementació

Des de la publicació de la Llei de Benestar Animal RD 1135/ 2002, de 31 d’octubre que regula els tres aspectes clau de la producció porcina‐ sistemes d’estabulació i construccions permeses; formació obligatòria dels ramaders i maneig dels animals‐ totes les granges de nova construcció han estat projectades seguint els seus preceptes. Mentre que les granges existents han hagut d’adaptar‐hi les seves instal∙lacions sota amenaça de tancament si no es complien els requisits. L’objectiu d’aquest treball ha estat l’elaboració de l’estudi tècnic‐ econòmic per a l’adaptació a la Llei de Benestar Animal d’una explotació porcina de la comarca d’Osona. Després d’avaluar la situació inicial de les instal∙lacions, establir les línies de previsió de creixement i analitzar els avantatges i inconvenients de cada sistema i model, s’opta pel sistema d’alimentació electrònic model Nedap en grup dinàmic de truges sobre sòl amb jaç de palla. Una decisió no massa extesa en granges del sud d’Europa on se sol preferir l’slat de formigó i/o superfície pavimentada, però imprescindible perquè aquesta explotació pogués aconseguir una millor gestió de les dejeccions ramaderes i assegurar una millora agronòmica de les terres de conreu. El treball conclou amb el seguiment del desenvolupament de l’alternativa escollida i una valoració dels canvis derivats de l’adaptació al Benestar Animal després del primer any i mig en ús. Les millores obtingudes en termes de maneig, funcionament de la granja, salut dels animals i índex productius són remarcables. D’una banda, cal destacar el fet de tenir un nombre de coixeres molt menor respecte les granges amb superfície dura, així com la facilitat i rapidesa en els parts degut al benestar. De l’altra,la reducció del volum de purí, l’increment de la fracció sòlida i la disponibilitat de compost per al camp. Per això, no és exagerat observar el jaç amb palla com una de les solucions més adequades i equilibrades per aquesta explotació que combina boví, porcí i terra per a la producció de cultius.

Interleukin-6 and chondrocyte mineralisation act in tandem to promote experimental osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystal and interleukin 6 (IL-6) have been implicated in osteoarthritis (OA). We hypothesise that these two factors may be linked in a reciprocal amplification loop which leads to OA. METHODS: Primary murine chondrocytes and human cartilage explants were incubated with hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals, a form of BCP, and the modulation of cytokines and matrix-degrading enzymes assayed. The ability of IL-6 to stimulate chondrocyte calcification was assessed in vitro. The mechanisms underlying the effects of HA on chondrocytes were investigated using chemical inhibitors, and the pathways mediating IL-6-induced calcification characterised by quantifying the expression of genes involved in chondrocyte mineralisation. The role of calcification in vivo was studied in the meniscectomy model of murine OA (MNX), and the link between IL-6 and cartilage degradation investigated by histology. RESULTS: In chondrocytes, BCP crystals stimulated IL-6 secretion, further amplified in an autocrine loop, through signalling pathways involving Syk and PI3 kinases, Jak2 and Stat3 molecules. Exogenous IL-6 promoted calcium-containing crystal formation and upregulation of genes involved in calcification: the pyrophosphate channel Ank, the calcium channel Annexin5 and the sodium/phosphate cotransporter Pit-1. Treatment of chondrocytes with IL-6 inhibitors significantly inhibited IL-6-induced crystal formation. In meniscectomised mice, increasing deposits of BCP crystals were observed around the joint and correlated with cartilage degradation and IL-6 expression. Finally, BCP crystals induced proteoglycan loss and IL-6 expression in human cartilage explants, which were reduced by an IL-6 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: BCP crystals and IL-6 form a positive feedback loop leading to OA. Targeting calcium-containing crystal formation and/or IL-6 are promising therapeutic strategies in OA.

Traducció i adopció a l'Índia: Hindu Adoptions And Maintenance Act, 1956

L’objectiu principal d’aquest treball de fi de grau és fer-se càrrec d’una traducció jurídica amb tot el què això implica: documentar-se a través de fonts fiables, emprar les eines adequades, lliurar-lo dins el termini establert, entre d’altres. En aquest cas, és una traducció de les lleis que regulen les adopcions a l’Índia. A més, en aquest treball també s’explica breument el dret civil a Catalunya i es compara amb el de l’Índia, ja que es basen en idees molt diferents. Aquests tipus de traduccions exigeixen precisió i claredat perquè els conceptes i les estructures sintàctiques acostumen a ser molt complexes. A continuació, hi ha detallat cada pas que s’ha seguit per tal d’assolir l’objectiu principal.

HouSI: Heuristic for delimitation of housing submarkets and price homogeneous areas

This paper seeks to address the problem of the empirical identification of housing market segmentation,once we assume that submarkets exist. The typical difficulty in identifying housing submarkets when dealing with many locations is the vast number of potential solutions and, in such cases, the use of the Chow test for hedonic functions is not a practical solution. Here, we solve this problem by undertaking an identification process with a heuristic for spatially constrained clustering, the"Housing Submarket Identifier" (HouSI). The solution is applied to the housing market in the city of Barcelona (Spain), where we estimate a hedonic model for fifty thousand dwellings aggregated into ten groups. In order to determine the utility of the procedure we seek to verify whether the final solution provided by the heuristic is comparable with the division of the city into ten administrative districts.

Mentoring in the acquisition of professional skills through practices in companies by degree students

Abstract This work has had as objective to analyze the skills acquired through internships in business companies by students of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University Pompeu Fabra. The internship is a basic item in order to obtain a hard connection between the University and social-economic world where University and Enterprises develop their activity. In this study we want to know about two aspects. The first one, we want to know the profit that is obtained from the Student as a consequence of internship and mentoring. Also, we want to study about the importance of mentoring as a principal element that establishes the relationship between the Student and the Company. Moreover, it has sought to analyze if certain factors such as the size of the company where the practices has been performed, the study rank level that was achieved or the fact of being a man or a woman, were among the determining factors at the time of acquiring the skills. The results presented here indicate that the size of the company that have been making the practices and the gender of the student are related to the acquisition of certain skills. There was not a statistically significant relationship related to the rank level have by the students in the practice. In the future we are going to study if the labor market Integration is easier if the Student has performed work placement. Keywords Skills; employability; internship; meatoring.

An integrated model of adoption and development of e-commerce in companies

Since the mid-1990s researchers have sought to understand why some firms embark on e-commerceoperations on the Internet while others prefer to wait and see how events unfold. We still have todetermine which variables contribute to explaining the extent to which firms use e-commerce, giventhat to date the literature has not yet offered conclusive evidence on this question. The current workaims to provide an integrated vision of the set of factors influencing the e-commerce adoptionprocess. We use a sample of 2,038 firms of all types that trade their products either with otherorganizations or with end-consumers.

The practical application of e-Portfolio at the Open University of Catalonia : assessment of competence based learning

The paper presents the results of the piloting or pilot test in a virtual classroom. This e-portfolio was carried out in the 2005-2006 academic year, with students of the Doctorate in Information Society, at the Open University of Catalonia. The electronic portfolio is a strategy for competence based assessment. This experience shows the types of e-portfolios, where students show their work without interactions, and apply the competence-based learning theories in an interactive portfolio system. The real process of learning is developed in the competency based system, the portfolio not only is a basic bio document, has become a real space for learning with competence model. The paper brings out new ideas and possibilities: the competence-based learning promotes closer relationships between universities and companies and redesigns the pedagogic act.