The role of knowledge management and renewal in building innovation performance

T��m��n ty��n tavoitteena oli selvitt���� tietojohtamisen eri k��yt��nt��jen vaikutusta oppimiseen, uudistumiseen sek�� yrityksen innovaatiokyvykkyyteen. Ty��ss�� on keskitytty erityisesti sellaisiin tietojohtamisen k��yt��nt��ihin, jotka edist��v��t oppimista ja uusiutumista yrityksiss��. Ty��ss�� on k��ytetty tilastollisia menetelmi��, muun muassa faktorianalyysia, korrelaatioanalyysia sek�� regressiota, analysoitaessa 259 suomalaisesta yrityksest�� ker��tty�� kyselydataa niiden tietojohtamisen k��yt��nt��ihin ja aineettomaan p����omaan liittyen. Analyysi osoittaa, ett�� useat tietojohtamisen k��yt��nn��t vaikuttavat positiivisesti yrityksen uudistumiseen ja sit�� kautta innovaatiokyvykkyyteen. Henkil��st��n kouluttaminen sek�� parhaiden k��yt��nt��jen ker����minen ja soveltaminen yrityksess�� ovat positiivisesti yhteydess�� innovaatiokyvykkyyteen. Henkil��st��n kouluttamisella on merkitt��vin suora vaikutus innovaatiokyvykkyyteen ja t��ss�� ty��ss�� on esitetty, ett�� koulutuksen tarjoamisen suurin vaikutus on oppimismy��nteisen kulttuurin kehittyminen yrityksiin sen sijaan, ett�� koulutuksella pyritt��isiin vain parantamaan teht��v��kentt����n liittyvi�� taitoja ja tietoja. Henkil��st��n kouluttaminen, parhaat k��yt��nn��t sek�� sosialisaatiossa tapahtuva tiedon vaihto ja suhteiden solmiminen vaikuttavat positiivisesti uudistumisp����omaan. Ty��n tulosten perusteella uudistumisp����omalla on merkitt��v�� rooli innovaatioiden syntymisess�� yrityksiss��. Uudistumisp����oma medioi koulutuksen, parhaiden k��yt��nt��jen ja mahdollisesti my��s sosialisaation vaikutusta innovaatiokyvykkyyteen ja on n��in merkitt��v�� osa innovaatioiden synty�� yrityksiss��. Innovaatiokyvykkyyden osatekij��iden ymm��rt��minen voi auttaa johtajia ja esimiehi�� keskitt��m����n huomionsa tiettyihin tietojohtamisen k��yt��nt��ihin edist����kseen innovaatioiden syntymist�� yrityksess�� sen sijaan, ett�� he pyrkisiv��t vain vaikuttamaan innovaatioprosessiin.

Heritage Language Maintenance and Biliteracy Development for Immigrants' Children: A Study of Chinese Immigrants' Family Language Policy and Biliteracy Practices

This study reports on research that examines the family language policy (FLP) and biliteracy practices of middle-class Chinese immigrant families in a metropolitan area in the southwest of the U.S. by exploring language practices pattern among family members, language and literacy environment at home, parents��� language management, parents��� language attitudes and ideologies, and biliteracy practices. In this study, I employed mixed methods, including survey and interviews, to investigate Chinese immigrant parents��� FLP, biliteracy practices, their life stories, and their experience of raising and nurturing children in an English-dominant society. Survey questionnaires were distributed to 55 Chinese immigrant parents and interviews were conducted with five families, including mothers and children. One finding from this study is that the language practices pattern at home shows the trend of language shift among the Chinese immigrants��� children. Children prefer speaking English with parents, siblings, and peers, and home literacy environment for children manifests an English-dominant trend. Chinese immigrant parents��� language attitudes and ideologies are largely influenced by English-only ideology. The priority for learning English surpasses the importance of Chinese learning, which is demonstrated by the English-dominant home literacy practices and an English-dominant language policy. Parents invest more in English literacy activities and materials for children, and very few parents implement Chinese-only policy for their children. A second finding from this study is that a multitude of factors from different sources shape and influence Chinese immigrants��� FLP and biliteracy practices. The factors consist of family-related factors, social factors, linguistic factors, and individual factors. A third finding from this study is that a wide variety of strategies are adopted by Chinese immigrant families, which have raised quite balanced bilingual children, to help children maintain Chinese heritage language (HL) and develop both English and Chinese literacy. The close examination and comparison of different families with English monolingual children, with children who have limited knowledge of HL, and with quite balanced bilingual children, this study discovers that immigrant parents, especially mothers, play a fundamental and irreplaceable role in their children���s HL maintenance and biliteracy development and it recommends to immigrant parents in how to implement the findings of this study to nurture their children to become bilingual and biliterate. Due to the limited number and restricted area and group of participant sampling, the results of this study may not be generalized to other groups in different contexts.

Multi-Agent Simulation and Management Practices

Intelligent agents offer a new and exciting way of understanding the world of work. Agent-Based Simulation (ABS), one way of using intelligent agents, carries great potential for progressing our understanding of management practices and how they link to retail performance. We have developed simulation models based on research by a multi-disciplinary team of economists, work psychologists and computer scientists. We will discuss our experiences of implementing these concepts working with a well-known retail department store. There is no doubt that management practices are linked to the performance of an organisation (Reynolds et al., 2005; Wall & Wood, 2005). Best practices have been developed, but when it comes down to the actual application of these guidelines considerable ambiguity remains regarding their effectiveness within particular contexts (Siebers et al., forthcoming a). Most Operational Research (OR) methods can only be used as analysis tools once management practices have been implemented. Often they are not very useful for giving answers to speculative ���what-if��� questions, particularly when one is interested in the development of the system over time rather than just the state of the system at a certain point in time. Simulation can be used to analyse the operation of dynamic and stochastic systems. ABS is particularly useful when complex interactions between system entities exist, such as autonomous decision making or negotiation. In an ABS model the researcher explicitly describes the decision process of simulated actors at the micro level. Structures emerge at the macro level as a result of the actions of the agents and their interactions with other agents and the environment. We will show how ABS experiments can deal with testing and optimising management practices such as training, empowerment or teamwork. Hence, questions such as ���will staff setting their own break times improve performance?��� can be investigated.

Supply Chain Adaptation of Finnish Companies in Chinese Institutional Environment

Within the last few decades of operations and supply chain management, the field has seen the rise of so called best practices, methods that will help supply chains obtain their business goals and gain a competitive edge. These methods were thought to be universal. This however is not always the case, as the surrounding business environment could have a significant impact on what will be effective in gaining competitive edge. Contingency theory states that the success of a supply chain is determined by both internal capabilities, as well as external context aligning. This creates a strategic fit, which is a major determinant of success. In order for supply chains to reach this strategic fit, they must adapt. As China has seen rapid growth and over the last few decades become one of the major economies of the world, Western companies have tried to establish themselves there, only to find that the Chinese market is extremely difficult to operate in. The aim of this thesis was to investigate from contingency theory perspective, what are the institutional factors that affect supply chain management of Finnish companies operating in China, and how do Finnish companies adapt their supply chains to better fit the Chinese institutional environment. A theoretical model was created for this thesis, in which supply chains possess resources, which can be combined in a meaningful manner to create capabilities. Both resources and capabilities are affected by the surrounding institutional environment, which forces supply chains to adapt in order to find a better strategic fit. A total of six Finnish managers from three large and three small companies operating in China were interviewed. The results indicated that the Chinese business environment is significantly different, than that of Finland or Western countries in general. Three institutional factors were identified: Confucian though, fast-paced business environment, and managing labor force. These three institutional factors made the relationship and delivery capabilities particularly important, as well as human resources, reputation, physical resources and technological resources. In conclusion, it was discovered that the Chinese institutional environment is heavily affected by Confucian thought, as well as the rapid market growth. These are the two most important institutional factors that shape the Chinese market. If supply chains wish to be successful in China, adaptation regarding these two institutional factors should yield good results.

Knowledge and practices related to sexually transmitted infections among women of reproductive age living in Katanga slum, Kampala, Uganda.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) still stand as one of the commonest health problems affecting women of reproductive age. The knowledge and practices of STIs, among susceptible populations such as women of reproductive age, living in slums like Katanga in Kampala Uganda need to be established. Methods: This was a cross- sectional study with 339 participants in Katanga slum. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire, entered and analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Data was summarized using frequencies for categorical data and medians for continuous data. Results: Majority of the participants (71.9%) were ���25years with a mean age of 28.0(SD ��7.0) years. The commonest symptoms known to the participants were genital itching (60%) and genital rash (14.5%). Most mentioned multiple partners (63.7%) and unprotected sex (50.7%) as predisposing factors to STIs. Knowledge on methods of prevention was high (92.3%) however, 18.8% were found positive for STIs using the syndromic approach and 82% mentioned having suffered from STIs in the past 6 months more than once. Conclusion: Most participants did not know about the systemic effects of STIs to their health and did not follow the appropriate behavior patterns despite being knowledgeable about the various methods of prevention of STIs.

Governmentality and exclusion in post-disaster spaces : conducting the conduct of the survivors of Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines

Lorsque les al��as naturels se d��roulent en catastrophes, les r��ponses des religieux, de l���Etat, et d���autres acteurs puissants dans une soci��t�� r��v��lent �� la fois les relations complexes entre ces parties et leur pouvoir dans la production des espaces auxquelles les survivants acc��dent. La r��ponse en cas de catastrophe comprend la cr��ation d���espaces post-catastrophes, tels que des centres d�����vacuation, des logements de transition et des sites de r��installation permanente, qui ciblent sp��cifiquement un sous-ensemble particulier de survivants, et visent �� les aider �� survivre, �� faire face, et �� se remettre de la catastrophe. Les acteurs puissants dans une soci��t�� dirigent les processus de secours, de r��cup��ration et de reconstruction sont des acteurs puissants qui cherchent �� probl��matiser et �� rendre un probl��me technique dans des termes qu���ils sont id��alement plac��s pour aborder �� travers une vari��t�� d'interventions. Ce projet de recherche vise �� r��pondre �� la question: o�� les survivants d'une catastrophe reconstruisent-ils leurs vies et leurs moyens de subsistance? Il enqu��te sur un cas sp��cifique de la migration environnementale dans laquelle des dizaines de milliers d'habitants ont ��t�� d��plac��s de fa��on permanente et temporaire de leurs r��sidences habituelles apr��s le typhon Sendong �� Cagayan de Oro, Philippines en 2011. La recherche est bas��e sur des entretiens avec les acteurs puissants et les survivants, des vid��os participatives r��alis��es par des survivants pauvres urbains, et des activit��s de cartographie. L�����tude se fonde sur la th��orie f��ministe, les ��tudes de migration, les ��tudes dans la gouvernementalit��, la recherche sur les changements de l���environnement plan��taire, et les ��tudes r��gionales afin de situer les diverses exp��riences de la migration dans un contexte g��ographique et historique. Cette th��se propose une topographie critique dans laquelle les processus et les pratiques de production d���espaces post-catastrophe sont expos��s. Parce que l���espace est n��cessairement mall��able, fluide, et relationnelle en raison de l'��volution constante des activit��s, des conflits, et des exp��riences qui se d��roulent dans le paysage, une analyse de l'espace doit ��tre formul��e en termes de relations sociales qui se produisent dans et au-del�� de ses fronti��res poreuses. En cons��quence, cette ��tude explore comment les relations sociales entre les survivants et les acteurs puissants sont li��es �� l���exclusion, la gouvernementalit��, la mobilit��, et la production des espaces, des lieux et des territoires. Il constate que, si les trajectoires de migration de la plupart des survivants ont ��t�� confin��s �� l'int��rieur des limites de la ville, les exp��riences de ces survivants et leur utilisation des espaces urbains sont tr��s diff��rentes. Ces diff��rences peuvent ��tre expliqu��es par des structures politiques, ��conomiques, et sociales, et par les diff��rences religieuses, ��conomiques, et de genre. En outre, il fait valoir que les espaces post-catastrophe doivent ��tre consid��r��s comme des ��espaces d���exclusion�� o�� les fiduciaires exercent une rationalit�� gouvernementale. C���est-��-dire, les espaces post-catastrophe pr��tendument inclusives servent �� marginaliser davantage les populations vuln��rables. Ces espaces offrent aussi des occasions pour les acteurs puissants dans la soci��t�� philippine d'effectuer des interventions gouvernementales dans lesquelles certaines personnes et les paysages sont simplifi��es, rendues lisibles, et am��lior��s.

Development of business processes and sales reporting - Case recovered paper

The purpose of this research is to discover development points for business processes and sales reporting in the recovered paper sourcing organization. The processes under development are both sales and sourcing processes that were determined by the commissioning company. All of these processes have in common that there are used sales orders to organize the money flows correctly. Although the main objective is to source only recovered paper, the sourcing also brings by-products that cannot be utilized and are thus sold. As the purpose of the sales function is to only support the sourcing strategy, it should be organized as efficiently as possible. Investigating the current status of the processes and finding development points help in building proposals for enhanced process descriptions. In order that sales function could be analyzed, should the sales reporting be accurate and present the needed key figures. The current status of the processes as well as the possible problems and development ideas were researched with the help of interviews. Best practices could also be brought from other business lines in the commissioning company. The theory part was build according to relevant literature and scientific articles. The research indicates, that processes have shaped differently in sourcing organization���s business units. Local infrastructure and legislation sets certain limitations to the sourcing of recovered paper, and these circumstances cannot be changed. Customer-supplier power relations also affect to the formulation of business processes. In order to steer the processes, there has to be more internal controls. Still, the enterprise resource planning system also sets boundaries how the processes can be made more efficient.

INVESTIGATING THE USE OF MAZE-CBM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Recent legislation and initiatives set forth high academic expectations for all high school graduates in the area of reading (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010; Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015). To determine which students need additional support to meet these reading standards, teachers can conduct universal screening using formative assessments. Maze Curriculum-Based Measurement (Maze-CBM) is a commonly used screening and progress monitoring assessment that the National Center on Intensive Intervention (2013) and the Center on Instruction (Torgesen & Miller, 2009) recommend. Despite the recommendation to use Maze-CBM, little research has been conducted on the reliability and validity of Maze-CBM for measuring reading ability for students at the secondary level (Mitchell & Wexler, 2016). In the papers included in this dissertation, I present an initial investigation into the use of Maze-CBM for secondary students. In the first paper, I investigated prior studies of Maze-CBM for students in Grades 6 through 12. Next, in the second paper, I investigated the alternate-form reliability and validity for screening students in Grades 9 and 10 using signal detection theory methods. In the third paper, I examined the effect of genre on Maze-CBM scores with a sample of students in Grades 9 and 10 using multilevel modeling. When writing these three papers, I discovered several important findings related to Maze-CBM. First, there are few studies that have investigated the technical adequacy of Maze-CBM for screening and progress monitoring students in Grades 6 through 12. Additionally, only two studies (McMaster, Wayman, & Cao, 2006; Pierce, McMaster, & Deno, 2010) examined the technical adequacy of Maze-CBM for high school students. A second finding is that the reliability of Maze-CBM is often below acceptable levels for making screening decisions or progress monitoring decisions (.80 and above and .90 and above, respectively; Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2007) for secondary students. A third finding is that Maze-CBM scores show promise of being a valid screening tool for reading ability of secondary students. Finally, I found that the genre of the text used in the Maze-CBM assessment does impact scores on Maze-CBM for students in Grades 9 and 10.

Forming the link between strategic performance and operational success: The development of a balanced scorecard at Lisbon Consulting Group

Directed internship

The challenges of a social enterprise with a broker model: The case of Plugged-in

The existing sources on the creation of new business are limited in providing assistance when it comes to specific challenges that the foundation team of an enterprise may face. Likewise, in the case of the social enterprise Plugged-in, there are key challenges with regard to the business model. In this work project, a benchmarking approach was chosen to address these challenges and to derive implications from the practices established by successful sample enterprises. Besides several best practices, potential approaches to solutions were identified and suggestions for further examination were given.

Ergonomics as authoritarian or libertarian: Learning from colin ward's politics of design

Ergonomics is intrinsically connected to political debates about the good society, about how we should live. This article follows the ideas of Colin Ward by setting the practices of ergonomics and design along a spectrum between more libertarian approaches and more authoritarian. Within Anglo-American ergonomics, more authoritarian approaches tend to prevail, often against the wishes of designers who have had to fight with their employers for best possible design outcomes. The article draws on debates about the design and manufacturing of schoolchildren's furniture. Ergonomics would benefit from embracing these issues to stimulate a broader discourse amongst its practitioners about how to be open to new disciplines, particularly those in the social sciences.

COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES (KAP) ON FLUOROSIS AND ITS MITIGATION IN ENDEMIC AREAS OF ETHIOPIA

Optimum fluoride intake plays an essential role in the prevention of dental caries while fluoride consumption above recommended level interferes with the normal formation of tooth enamel and bones and may increase risk of dental and skeletal fluorosis. The knowledge and practices of endemic communities on etiology of fluorosis will help in its mitigation and prevention. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practices of endemic community on fluoride contamination, fluorosis and prevention practices in order to devise coordinated and targeted prevention mechanisms. Focus group discussions (FGD) and key-informant interview were conducted in three dietary areas to collect knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the endemic community in July 2013.The results indicated that health consequences of fluoride contaminated water are fairly understood. None of the discussants mentioned the word ���fluoride���. The knowledge and perception of the community on fluoride ingestion is poor. Health extension workers (HEWs) did not teach about fluoride and related health consequences. Dental fluorosis was reported to start at early ages and not commonly perceived as a major problem. However, adolescents worried and felt that they might be singled out when going to other areas. Older people have a skeletal fluorosis, which interferes with their day to day activities. In severely affected people, the teeth were weak and fragile and thus create difficulty in chewing hard foods like unfermented dry flat bread, sugar cane and toasted grains. People prefer rain water rather than water from borehole because of the inconvenient taste of the latter. The endemic communities have no sufficient knowledge and skills on potential sources of fluoride intake, the debilitating effect of high fluoride ingestion, and preventive and mitigatory measures to reduce fluoride intake. The effect of fluoride contamination and mitigatory methods should get sufficient attention by the community, health workers and concerned governmental bodies. The trend of harvesting and using rain water should be encouraged as it reduces fluoride intake. Future studies should focus on information communication on possible fluoride risks, intervention and evaluation studies on defluoridation, rain water harvesting and mitigatory techniques.

A REVIEW OF THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROGRAM

Members of the General Assembly requested that we conduct an audit of the Small Business Development Centers program. We planned to review the accuracy of the program���s reporting of its effectiveness, expenditures, and structure. The audit objectives were listed as follows: Determine if the SBDC program���s reporting, including the program���s effectiveness, is in compliance with the U.S. Small Business Administration���s guidelines and is accurate and complete ; Determine if the current structure of the SBDC is the most beneficial to the small business clients, provides appropriate oversight to SBDC staff, and allows for necessary sharing of best practices throughout all SBDC offices ; Review a sample of SBDC���s use of funding to ensure that the program is efficiently handling federal, state, and other funds for expenditures, including technology upgrades and training conferences.

Sustainable tourism practices through the eyes of the tourist: a case study of a tour operator

This internship report aim was to find out the importance of sustainable tourism practices from a tourist point of view. The research study and internship took place at Back-Roads Touring - a tour operator (based in London) that specializes in small group touring for seniors travellers from Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. Google Forms online questionnaire was used in order to answer the objectives of the study. In total 1322 clients received an online questionnaire out of which 182 filled in the survey. The study had four objectives, however the main focus was to find out which tourism practices ( out of 15 choices) were the most important to the respondents during a Back-Roads Tour and which tourism options (using the same 15 choices) the respondents identify as sustainable tourism options ( objective 2 and 3). The results showed that the respondents valued the most small group touring and having an experienced tour leader, which are the core practices of the company. Furthermore, the respondents were not seeking for more sustainable tourism practices neither willing to donate money to local charities/non- profit organizations. This finding shows that the clients are content with a current model of a tour, are willing to return, however price and quality will be play a key role in the decision. The respondents�� lack of wish to support or donate money to charities /non-profit organizations, could be due to the fact that most of the clients were from middle class thus they did not have enough disposable income. Moreover, one of the objectives of this study was to find out if the clients valued sustainable tourism certification. The results showed that the respondents��� were not aware of the sustainable tourism certification that the company obtained, however slightly over half of the respondents said that the knowledge of the certification has positively influenced them to travel again with a company.

Evaluation of Iowa's public mental health system : task two report, 1998

The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the performance of Iowa's mental health system in relation to current standards, benchmarks and best practices found in public health systems in the United States.