Comovement of stock price risk in strategic alliance — Case: mobile internet

The focus of this study has been comovement of stock price risk level between two companies as they form strategic alliance. Thus the main reason has been to shed more light to possible increased risk level that the stockholder confronts when a company he owns forms a strategic alliance with another company. This study has centralized to interfirm cooperation between mobile and internet companies, which have furthered the development of mobile internet. The study has been divided into theoretical and empirical part. In theoretical part the main concepts riskiness of a stock (volatility), comovement and strategic alliance have been run through. In empirical part seven strategic alliances formed by mobile internet companies have been examined. Based on this, strategic alliance seems to increase comovement of stock price risk in some degree. This comovement seems to be stronger when core businesses or operating environments of cooperating companies differ more from each other.

Managing the Front End of Innovation in a Networked Company Environment - Combining Strategy, Processes and Systems of Innovation

The objective of the thesis is to enhance the understanding about the management of the front end phases of the innovation process in a networked environment. The thesis approaches the front end of innovation from three perspectives, including the strategy, processes and systems of innovation. The purpose of the use of different perspectives in the thesis is that of providing an extensive systemic view of the front end, and uncovering the complex nature of innovation management. The context of the research is the networked operating environment of firms. The unit of analysis is the firm itself or its innovation processes, which means that this research approaches the innovation networks from the point of view of a firm. The strategy perspective of the thesis emphasises the importance of purposeful innovation management, the innovation strategy of firms. The role of innovation processes is critical in carrying out innovation strategies in practice, supporting the development of organizational routines for innovation, and driving the strategic renewal of companies. The primary focus of the thesis from systems perspective is on idea management systems, which are defined as a part of innovation management systems, and defined for this thesis as any working combination of methodology and tools (manual or IT-supported) that enhance the management of innovations within their early phases. The main contribution of the thesis are the managerial frameworks developed for managing the front end of innovation, which purposefully “wire” the front end of innovation into the strategy and business processes of a firm. The thesis contributes to modern innovation management by connecting the internal and external collaboration networks as foundational elements for successful management of the early phases of innovation processes in a dynamic environment. The innovation capability of a firm is largely defined by its ability to rely on and make use of internal and external collaboration already during the front end activities, which by definition include opportunity identification and analysis, idea generation, profileration and selection, and concept definition. More specifically, coordination of the interfaces between these activities, and between the internal and external innovation environments of a firm is emphasised. The role of information systems, in particular idea management systems, is to support and delineate the innovation-oriented behaviour and interaction of individuals and organizations during front end activities. The findings and frameworks developed in the thesis can be used by companies for purposeful promotion of their front end processes. The thesis provides a systemic strategy framework for managing the front end of innovation – not as a separate process, but as an elemental bundle ofactivities that is closely linked to the overall innovation process and strategy of a firm in a distributed environment. The theoretical contribution of the thesis relies on the advancement of the open innovation paradigm in the strategic context of a firm within its internal and external innovation environments. This thesis applies the constructive research approach and case study methodology to provide theoretically significant results, which are also practically beneficial.

Osaamisen johtaminen Suomen kunnissa

Kunnissa eletään muutosten aikaa, ja osaamisen johtamisella pyritään vastaamaan kehityksen mukanaan tuomiin haasteisiin. Osaamisen johtamista pidetäänkin tärkeänä asiana kuntien kehittämisessä. Viime vuosina osaamisen johtaminen on ollut voimakkaasti esillä myös yksityisellä sektorilla, jossa se on nähty tärkeänä elementtinä kilpailukyvyn kehittämisessä. Osaamisen johtaminen on toimintaa, jolla kehitetään yksilöiden ja organisaation osaamista sekä organisaation yhteistyövalmiutta. Osaamisen johtamisessa huomioidaan myös organisaatiolle asetetut strategiset tavoitteet. Tässä tutkimuksessa osaamisen johtaminen ankkuroidaan tietojohtamisen, henkilöstövoimavarojen johtamisen (HRM:n) ja oppivan organisaation viitekehyksiin. Tutkimusotteeksi on valittu kvantitatiivinen tutkimusote. Kvantitatiivinen tutkimusote mahdollistaa osaamisen johtamisen rakenteellisen analyysin ja kuvaamisen. Tutkimuksen kohderyhmänä ovat kaikki Suomen 444 kuntaa vuonna 2004. Tutkimuksen tiedonkeruu suoritettiin lomakekyselyn avulla, ja tutkimus kohdistettiin kuntien henkilöstöasioiden asiantuntijoille. Tutkimuksen keskeisenä tavoitteena oli mallintaa ja kuvata osaamisen johtamista Suomen kunnissa. Tutkimusongelma liittyy kuntien osaamisen johtamisen nykytilaan ja tavoitteisiin sekä siihen, missä vaiheissa kunnat ovat osaamisen johtamisessaan. Kyselyn avulla tutkittiin myös kuntien halukkuutta kehittää osaamisen johtamistaan. Vastausten pohjalta analysoitiin lisäksi, mitkä asiat kunnissa vaikuttavat osaamisen johtamiseen. Tutkimuksen tuloksissa tulevat esille neljä erilaista kunnissa vallitsevaa osaamisen johtamisen orientaatiota: Strategiaohjattu yhteisöllinen orientaatio, Innovatiivinen orientaatio, Teknologinen orientaatio ja Strategialähtöinen järjestelmäorientaatio. Nämä neljä orientaatiota ovat tunnistettavissa myös taustakirjallisuudessa. Kunnat ryhmiteltiin orientaatioiden perusteella neljään ryhmään, jotka nimettiin seuraavasti: Innostuneet aloittelijat, Tekniset aloittelijat, Edistyneet ja Kehittyvät. Innostuneiden aloittelijoiden ryhmässä korostuu innovatiivinen orientaatio, mutta muut osaamisen johtamisen orientaatiot tulevat esille heikosti. Teknisten aloittelijoiden ryhmässä korostuu teknologinen orientaatio, mutta muut osaamisen johtamisen orientaatiot tulevat esille heikosti. Edistyneiden ryhmässä kaikki osaamisen johtamisen orientaatiot tulevat hyvin esille. Kehittyvien ryhmässä korostuvat sekä innovatiivinen että teknologinen orientaatio. Kuntien osaamisen johtamisen nykytilanne on murroksessa. Osaamisen johtaminen on suuressa osassa kunnista hyvässä vauhdissa, mutta kehitettävääkin on. Tietotekniset välineet osaamisen johtamisessa ovat hyvät useimmissa kunnissa. Tulevaisuuden osaamistarpeina pidetään erityisesti vuorovaikutustaitoja ja oman ammattialan osaamista. Kunnissa on myös huomioitu ainakin tavoitteiden tasolla tulevaisuus ja sen tuomat haasteet.

Study of spin polarized nuclear matter and finite nuclei with finite range simple effective interaction

The properties of spin polarized pure neutron matter and symmetric nuclear matter are studied using the finite range simple effective interaction, upon its parametrization revisited. Out of the total twelve parameters involved, we now determine ten of them from nuclear matter, against the nine parameters in our earlier calculation, as required in order to have predictions in both spin polarized nuclear matter and finite nuclei in unique manner being free from uncertainty found using the earlier parametrization. The information on the effective mass splitting in polarized neutron matter of the microscopic calculations is used to constrain the one more parameter, that was earlier determined from finite nucleus, and in doing so the quality of the description of finite nuclei is not compromised. The interaction with the new set of parameters is used to study the possibilities of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic transitions in completely polarized symmetric nuclear matter. Emphasis is given to analyze the results analytically, as far as possible, to elucidate the role of the interaction parameters involved in the predictions.

Membrane interaction of a new synthetic antimicrobial lipopetide sp-85 with broad spectrum activity

Antimicrobial peptides offer a new class of therapeutic agents to which bacteria may not be able todevelop genetic resistance, since their main activity is in the lipid component of the bacterial cell mem-brane. We have developed a series of synthetic cationic cyclic lipopeptides based on natural polymyxin,and in this work we explore the interaction of sp-85, an analog that contains a C12 fatty acid at theN-terminus and two residues of arginine. This analog has been selected from its broad spectrum antibac-terial activity in the micromolar range, and it has a disruptive action on the cytoplasmic membrane ofbacteria, as demonstrated by TEM. In order to obtain information on the interaction of this analog withmembrane lipids, we have obtained thermodynamic parameters from mixed monolayers prepared withPOPG and POPE/POPG (molar ratio 6:4), as models of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, respec-tively. LangmuirBlodgett films have been extracted on glass plates and observed by confocal microscopy,and images are consistent with a strong destabilizing effect on the membrane organization induced bysp-85. The effect of sp-85 on the membrane is confirmed with unilamelar lipid vesicles of the same com-position, where biophysical experiments based on fluorescence are indicative of membrane fusion andpermeabilization starting at very low concentrations of peptide and only if anionic lipids are present.Overall, results described here provide strong evidence that the mode of action of sp-85 is the alterationof the bacterial membrane permeability barrier.

The interaction between mercury(II) and sulfathiazole

The interaction of mercury(II) with sulfathiazole has been analyzed. IR and NMR spectral studies suggest a coordination of Hg(II) with the Nthiazolic atom, unlike related Hg-sulfadrugs compounds. The complex was screened for its activity against Escherichia coli, showing an appreciable antimicrobial activity compared with the ligand.