Kelirikon vaikutukset liiketoimintaan Venäjällä

Venäjän lainsäädäntö mahdollistaa erilaisten rajoitusten asettamisen liikenteelle kelirikkoajan aikana ja alhaisten painorajoitusten asettaminen on tällöin yleistä. Kelirikon aikaisiin rajoituksiin liittyvä lainsäädäntö on pääosin tarkoituksenmukainen, mutta sitä sovelletaan tavalla, jolla vaikeutetaan huomattavasti yritysten toimintaa ja tarvittavien kuljetusten järjestämistä. Diplomityössä tutkitaan kelirikon vaikutuksia liiketoimintaan erityisesti caseyksikössä, joka on metsäteollisuusyhtiön Venäjällä sijaitseva tuotantoyksikkö. Venäläinen liiketoimintaympäristö eroaa huomattavasti suomalaisesta, ja kelirikon aikana korostuvat etenkin korruption ja henkilökohtaisten suhteiden merkitys. Suuri osa havaituista sallitun painon ylityksistä hoidetaan kelirikon aikana maksamalla epävirallisia maksuja suoraan tarkastajille. Myös virallisia kulkulupia myydään, mutta niiden hankinta on kallista ja aikaa vievää. Työn lähtökohta kiteytyy lainsäädännön, viranomaisten tulkinnan ja todellisen tilanteen välisten ristiriitojen avaamiseen ja selvittämiseen, ja tavoitteena on ollut mahdollisimman objektiivisen kokonaiskuvan luominen tilanteesta. Case-yksikössä on kehitetty vaihtoehtoisia toimintamalleja kelirikkoajan kuljetusten varmistamiseksi. Rautatiekuljetusten määrää on lisätty huomattavasti ja välivarastointiterminaalin rakentamista on suunniteltu. Vaihtoehtoiset toimintamallit aiheuttavat kuitenkin huomattavia lisäkustannuksia. Tutkimuksen tuottamien tietojen avulla case-yhtiössä voidaan jatkossa arvioida todellisia riskejä sekä vaihtoehtoisten toimintamallien tarpeellisuutta ja kustannustehokkuutta aikaisempaa tarkemmin.

Potentials of process intensification in the Finnish petrochemical industry

This research was motivated by the need to examine the potential application areas of process intensification technologies in Neste Oil Oyj. According to the company’s interest membrane reactor technology was chosen and applicability of this technology in refining industry was investigated. Moreover, Neste Oil suggested a project which is related to the CO2 capture from FCC unit flue gas stream. The flowrate of the flue gas is 180t/h and consist of approximately 14% by volume CO2. Membrane based absorption process (membrane contactor) was chosen as a potential technique to model CO2 capture from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit effluent. In the design of membrane contactor, a mathematical model was developed to describe CO2 absorption from a gas mixture using monoethanole amine (MEA) aqueous solution. According to the results of literature survey, in the hollow fiber contactor for laminar flow conditions approximately 99 % percent of CO2 can be removed by using a 20 cm in length polyvinylidene fluoride (PDVF) membrane. Furthermore, the design of whole process was performed by using PRO/II simulation software and the CO2 removal efficiency of the whole process obtained as 97 %. The technical and economical comparisons among existing MEA absorption processes were performed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of membrane contactor technology.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Mining Industry

Corporate Social Responsibility is company’s interest and actions towards its environment and the society that the company takes from its free will, to give back to the community and environment. Corporate Social Responsibility is current topic as companies are challenged to take responsibility for their action, due to the constant tightening environmental legislations and raising pressure for transparency from the public. The objective of this Master’s Thesis research is to study if Corporate Social Responsibility affects suppliers’ brand image and mining companies’ buying decisions within global mining industry. The research method is qualitative and the research is conducted with secondary and primary research methods. The research aims to find out what are the implications of the research for the case company Larox. The objective is to answer to the question; how should case company Larox start to develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program of its own, and how the case company could benefit from CSR as a competitive advantage and what actions could be taken in the company marketing. Conclusions are drawn based on both the secondary and primary research results. Both of the researches imply that CSR is well present in the global mining industry, and that suppliers’ CSR policy has positive effect on company image, which positively affects company’s brand, and furthermore brand has a positive effect on mining companies buying decision. It can be concluded that indirectly CSR has an effect on buying decisions, and case company should consider developing a CSR program of its own.

Defining the location factors of new manufacturing site in chemical industry

The objective of this thesis is to examine the factors that have an impact on the location decision of new manufacturing site and to create the relative order of importance of these factors by analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The decision making process especially related to the location selection and the measurement of the location factors are also examined. In theoretical part the character of decision making process and the relevant methods are introduced. Based on the previous studies of other researchers, the location factors are examined and the main research method, analytic hierarchy process, is also introduced. The empirical part of the study mainly follows the phases of decision making process and is emphasized on the main stages of analytic hierarchy process; building the hierarchy, defining the priorities and analyzing the results. The hierarchy is constructed from seven main criteria which all have several sub criteria. The evaluation of the hierarchy is implemented at the group decision making –laboratory and there can be seen significant differences between the importance of criteria. The final stage in the study is to create the appropriate measurement scales to the chosen criteria.

Venäjän tehtaan toimintamallin kehittäminen puusepänteollisuuden yrityksessä

Rakennusteollisuus on ollut kasvava teollisuudenala Venäjällä, joka on kasvattanut kysyntää myös ikkunateollisuudessa. Vuoden 2008 syksyllä alkanut maailmanlaajuinen talouskriisi vaikutti merkittävästi myös Venäjän talouteen, jonka seurauksena rakennusala oli Venäjällä vaikeuksissa. Asuntojen kysyntä Venäjällä on kuitenkin lähtenyt kasvuun uudelleen vuoden 2009 loppupuolella ja markkinatilanne on paranemaan päin. Suomalaiset rakennusalan yritykset toimivat pääasiassa Pietarin ja Moskovan alueella, jonka vuoksi Fenestra Oy on suunnitellut ikkunatehtaan perustamista Pietarin lähistölle. Työssä esitellään Venäjän ikkunamarkkinat sekä Fenestra Oy:n lähtökohdat ja suunnitelmat kokoonpanotehtaan perustamiseksi. Ikkunoiden puiset komponentit on tarkoitus valmistaa Suomessa, josta ne kuljetetaan kasattaviksi Venäjällä sijaitsevaan kokoonpanotehtaaseen. Työn tarkoituksena on kuvata Venäjän tehtaan toimintamalli prosessikuvauksien avulla, selvittää tullauskäytäntö Venäjälle vietäessä sekä määrittää toimintamalliin sisältyvät riskit. Teolliseen toimintaan ja varsinkin Venäjälle suuntautuvaan toimintaan liittyy riskejä, joiden toteutumiseen on mahdollista varautua riskienhallinnan avulla. Riskien tunnistamiseksi on käytetty vaarojentunnistusmenetelmää, HAZOP –poikkeamatarkastelumenetelmää. Menetelmässä nimettiin mahdolliset poikkeamat, niiden syyt ja seuraukset. Poikkeamat luokiteltiin eri luokkiin niiden vakavuuden ja todennäköisyyden perusteella. Lisäksi tarkastelussa annettiin ehdotuksia varautumiseen ja toimenpiteiksi poikkeaman estämiseksi tai riskien pienentämiseksi.

Harmonized performance measurement system for basic industry's service centers

The objective of this study is to create measurement system that is capable to measure performance in basic industry’s service centers. First it is examined what is performance and how it can be measured. The study also introduces commonly known measurement frameworks. After theory the study investigates how companies in the field of basic industry measure their operations in practise. The investigation is done examining three case examples and by analyzing survey results from basic industry companies. On the survey results focus is on what meters and measurement systems companies use. It is also viewed what measurement problems companies have faced. In the applied part of the study harmonized performance measurement system is created. The framework of the measurement system is introduced and measurement system for the target company is created. The target company felt that the harmonized performance measurement system has good potential and continues to develop it further.

The oxygenation in biological wastewater treatment of pulp and paper industry

The UPM-Kymmene Oyj Pietarsaari pulp and paper Mill biological wastewater treatment plant was built in the 1980's and the plant has been in use ever since. During the past years there have been problems with deviations. The wastewater treatment plant needs update, especially the aeration basin, where the old surface aerators cannot produce enough mixing and indroduce oxygen enough to the wastewater. In this thesis how extra aeration with oxygen affects the wastewater treatment plant effluent was studied. In the literature part the main focus is in aeration devices, which can be used in biological wastewater treatment. The target is to compare different kind of aerators, which are suitable for pulp and paper wastewater treatment. Studies show, that EDI-aerators are commonly used and also most suitable. In the experimental part, the focus is on the Pietarsaari Mills wastewater treatment plant and oxygen aeration during autumn 2008. This thesis presents the results of the trial run. Studies show, that extra oxygen devices can produce lot a of mixing and the oxygenation capacity was more than what the micro-organisms needed. The effect on sludge quality could not been seen during the trial runs.

Utilization of Incident Reporting in The Finnish Maritime Industry

Marine traffic is expected to increase rapidly in the future, both in the Baltic Sea and in the Gulf of Finland. As the number of vessels in the area increases, so does the risk of serious marine accidents. To help prevent such accidents in the future, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has put forth the International Safety Management Code (the ISM Code), which aims to improve the safety of the vessels. The second work package of the Development of maritime safety culture (METKU) project investigates the effects of the ISM Code and potential areas of improvement in maritime safety. The first phase in the work package used a literature review to determine how maritime safety culture could be improved. Continuous improvement, management commitment and personnel empowerment and motivation were found to be essential. In the second phase, shipping companies and administrators were interviewed. It was discovered that especially incident reporting based on continuous improvement was felt to be lacking. This third phase aims to take a closer look at incident reporting and suggest improvements based on the findings. Both the IMO and national legislation encourage shipping companies in incident reporting, and on the national level a shared incident reporting system (ForeSea) is being pushed forward. The objective of this research project was to find out the IMO’s attitude towards incident reporting, to establish a theoretical framework of reference in incident reporting, and to observe how reporting is actually being employed on the seas. Existing incident reporting systems were also researched. The study was carried out using a literature review and the results previously gathered in interviews. The results of phase two were elaborated further for themes relating to incident reporting. According to the findings of this research, the theoretical background of incident reporting dates back to the early 20th century. Although some theories are widely accepted, some have also received criticism. The lack of a concise, shared terminology poses major difficulties in maritime incident reporting and in determining its efficiency. A central finding is the fact that existing incident reporting focuses mostly on information flow away from the ship, whereas the backward information flow is much less planned and monitored. In incident reporting, both nationally and internationally, stakeholders are plenty. The information produced by these parties is scattered, however, and thus not very usable. Based on this research, the centralizing of this information should be made a priority. Traditionally, the success of incident reporting has been determined statistically, from the number of reported incidents. Yet existing reporting systems have not been designed with such statistical analysis in mind, so different methodologies might yield a more comprehensive view. The previous findings of seafarers and management (including shipping companies and administration) having differing views on safety work and safety management were backed up by the results of this study. Seafarers find seamanship and storytelling important, while management wants a more systematic and broad approach on safety matters. The research project was carried out by the Centre for Maritime Studies of the University of Turku, in the Kotka unit (Maritime Logistics Research), with coordination by the Kotka Maritime Research Centre. The major financiers of the project were the European Union and the city of Kotka. The financing authority was the Regional Council of Päijät-Häme. Partners in the project were the shipping companies Finnlines Oyj, Kristina Cruises Oy, Meriaura Oy and VG-Shipping Oy, and the ports of Helsinki, Kotka and Hamina. The partners provided both funding for the project and information for the research.

Cultural aspects of globalizing university-industry knowledge interaction in China

Previous studies of the local involvement of multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries focus on host-country firms and local business partners such as suppliers and customers. The role of host-country universities in the same context of innovation networks is neglected. Furthermore, there are many organizational culture- and knowledge-related differences between universities and companies, and this is likely to pose additional challenges for successful collaboration. Early university-industry (U-I) studies have primarily been limited within a national boundary, being concerned with a single level of culture (i.e., at an organizational level) and one-way knowledge transfer from university to industry. Research on more dynamic knowledge interaction in multinational settings is lacking. This is particularly true in the business context of China. In today’s globalizing and rapidly changing organizations, addressing cultural differences and clashes is an everyday reality, and inter-cultural U-I collaboration is becoming a key asset for gaining global competitiveness. This study deals with Finnish MNC subsidiaries’ research collaboration with Chinese universities. It aims to explore the essence of such U-I collaboration and knowledge interaction, uncovering the deep functioning mechanisms of culture underlying effective collaborative knowledge creation and innovation. The study reviews critically different bodies of literature including knowledge management theories and studies, U-I collaboration and knowledge interaction, and cross-cultural research in terms of organizational knowledge generation and utilization. It adopts a case study strategy with qualitative research methods, and data is collected through in-depth interviews and participant observation. The study presents the following major findings: 1. In the light of a comprehensive analysis of U-I collaboration, an effective matching strategy is proposed, in the assumption that good alignment of knowledge interaction strategies and approaches with their corresponding knowledge type, capability development and research task may greatly enhance the effectiveness of cross-cultural U-I collaboration and knowledge interaction. 2. It is proposed that in the Chinese MNC context more dynamic types of knowledge interaction like knowledge co-creation should be of key concern particularly when dealing simultaneously with multi-disciplinary applied research of human factors and technologies. U-I knowledge interaction, otherwise, pays attention only to the study of one-way technology and knowledge transfer. 3. It is posited that the influence of culture on collaborative knowledge interaction can be studied in a valuable way when knowledge-related variables are simultaneously taken into account. A systematic analysis of the role of knowledge in cross-cultural knowledge interaction could best be approached from multi-aspects of knowledge including not only nature, characteristics and types of knowledge but also the process of knowledge (e.g., intensifications of knowledge interaction). 4. The study demonstrates the significant role of aspects of the host-country culture (e.g., Chinese guanxi) in U-I collaboration and knowledge interaction. This is evident, for instance, in issues related to interpersonal relationships and trust, true interest and the relatedness of the research, mutual commitment and learning, communication intensity and interaction, and awareness of cultural and knowledge-related differences between collaboration partners. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are suggested and discussed.

Growth through internationalization of Russian SMEs in Finland

The study examines Russian SMEs motives, needs, prospects and constrains to enter Finland through Lappeenranta. Russian entrepreneurship is a young phenomenon in Finland. The present research becomes a first guide in understanding of Russian SMEs’ capabilities for establishing their subsidiaries in Finland. The extensive model of different theoretical approaches was created for evaluating Russian SMEs growth and internationalization opportunities. The findings of the research indicated that Russian growing companies chose the internationalization to continue their development. Many Finland’ positive conditions were evaluated as important for the Russian entrepreneurship. Finland was the first European country of the expansion to the European Union, for the Russian SMEs established the subsidiaries in Lappeenranta. Their motives for entering Finland were usually based on market and resource views. Generally, the Russian SMEs establish a new company in Finland only when they have sufficient capabilities and resources for internationalization. Entering Finland the Russian firms make better the allocation of their natural, financial and human resources.

Russian market entry decision for an e-business company, the case Ampparit Inc.

The aim of the study was to examine foreign operation methods and suggest the entry mode for the Russian E-business market. Ampparit Inc. was chosen as a case company, as it operates in the e-commerce B2B type of the business by providing Witpik - media monitoring service. The concept of foreign operation method was clarified with a specific focus on Russian market peculiarities and E-business. The main focuses of the present work were to figure out the most applicable entry mode for the Russian market in case of e-business company and factors affecting the decision about entry, including risks, barriers and other aspects.