Potential for enterprise cooperation between Southeast Finland and Northwest Russia

Tutkimus käsittelee Kaakkois-Suomen ja Luoteis-Venäjän yritysten nykyistä yhteistyötä ja arvioi sen tulevaisuuden mahdollisuuksia. Raportissa käydään läpi useita toimialoja, jotka ovat tärkeitä paikalliselle elinkeinoelämälle tai joissa Venäjän merkitys on korostunut. Tutkimukset kattamat alat ovat metsäteollisuus, elintarviketeollisuus, metalliteollisuus, tieto- ja viestintäteollisuus, logistiikka, matkailusekä energia ja ympäristö. Kaakkois-Suomen ja Luoteis-Venäjän väliset kauppa- ja taloussuhteet ovat perinteisesti olleet vilkkaat maantieteellisestä läheisyydestä johtuen. Pääpaino kanssakäymisessä on ollut kaupalla, mutta Neuvostoliiton hajottua yritysten välille on kehittynyt myös muita yhteistoiminnan muotoja kutenyhteistuotantoa ja alihankintaa. Kaakkois-Suomen yritysten näkökulmasta Venäjänedullinen kustannustaso houkuttelee siirtämään tuotannollisia toimintoja rajan taakse. Tuotannollisen yhteistoiminnan aloittamista ja menestyksellistä toteuttamista hankaloittaa kuitenkin yritysympäristön kehittymättömyys Venäjällä ja usein myös osapuolten näkemyserot toiminnan tavoitteista ja liiketoimintakäytännöistä. Raportin ensimmäisessä osassa arvioidaan yhteistyöpotentiaalia valituilla toimialoilla analysoimalla alojen nykytilaa Kaakkois-Suomessa ja Luoteis- Venäjällä. Nykytilakartoituksen avulla selvitetään yhteistyön motiiveja suomalaisten yritysten kannalta ja sen tuottamaa mahdollista kilpailuetua. Toisessa osassa kuvataan Luoteis-Venäjän muodollista liiketoimintaympäristöä, mukaan lukien lainsäädäntö, hallinto ja liiketoiminnan tukiorganisaatiot. Kolmannessa osassa esitetään suomalais-venäläistä yritysyhteistyötä koskevia kokemuksia ja odotuksia, verrataan eri osapuolten näkemyksiä keskenään ja kuvataan yhteistyön yleisimpiä rajoitteita ja ongelmia. Tutkimustulosten valossa vaikuttaa siltä, että Luoteis-Venäjällä tuotannosta saatu kustannushyöty on pienenemässä palkkojen ja energiakustannusten noustessa. Luoteis-Venäjän merkitys markkina-alueena on vastaavasti kasvussa. Tavaroiden viennin lisäksi talouskasvu ja paikalliset investoinnit esimerkiksilogistiikka- ja energiainfrastruktuuriin tarjoavat mahdollisuuksia suomalaisille palveluiden ja teknologian viejille. Toisaalta monikansallisten yritysten etabloituminen Luoteis-Venäjälle (esim. Ford ja IKEA) luovat kysyntää paikallisille alihankkijoille. Suomalaisyritykset voisivat ottaa siitä osansa investoimalla paikalliseen tuotantoon. Palvelualoilla, kuten logistiikkasektorilla ja matkailussa Luoteis-Venäjän merkitys Kaakkois-Suomen kilpailijana on kasvussa paikallisen infrastruktuurin kehittyessä. Näillä aloilla tulisikin keskittyä ei ainoastaan Suomen kilpailukyvyn ylläpitoon vaan myös liiketoimintayhteistyön kehittämiseen venäläisten toimijoiden kanssa.

Market Potential of Northwest Russia for Telemedicine Applications

The level of health care in Russia is mostly still below the western standards, but lately it has been developing quite positively. Many ICT solutions (telemedicine applications) have been developed for health care in Finland, but since the domestic market is so small, it’s necessary to expand to foreign markets to make the Finnish R&D projects more profitable. Telemedicine applications are not yet widely used in Russia, but since the health care system is going through fast changes, leapfrog effects can be expected and new modern applications and technologies will be implemented. This will open numerous business opportunities for Finnish technology developers. This thesis aims to be the first evaluation of the market and form an outlook of the health care system and telemedicine applications already utilized in Russia. The results of this study can be used for focusing further research ultimately aiming at technology implementation. The study showed that there is potential for many types of telemedicine solutions, e.g. electronic patient records and home monitoring systems; providing that further research in this field is needed.

Market Potential of Northwest Russia for Telemedicine Applications

The level of health care in Russia is mostly still below the western standards, but lately it has been developing quite positively. Many ICT solutions (telemedicine applications) have been developed for health care in Finland, but since the domestic market is so small, it’s necessary to expand to foreign markets to make the Finnish R&D projects more profitable. Telemedicine applications are not yet widely used in Russia, but since the health care system is going through fast changes, leapfrog effects can be expected and new modern applications and technologies will be implemented. This will open numerous business opportunities for Finnish technology developers. This thesis aims to be the first evaluation of the market and form an outlook of the health care system and telemedicine applications already utilized in Russia. The results of this study can be used for focusing further research ultimately aiming at technology implementation. The study showed that there is potential for many types of telemedicine solutions, e.g. electronic patient records and home monitoring systems; providing that further research in this field is needed.

Forest inventory information needs in Northwest Russia

This thesis applies the customer value hierarchy model to forestry in order to determine strategic options to enhance the value of LiDAR technology in Russian forestry. The study is conducted as a qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews as a main source of the primary data. The customer value hierarchy model constitutes a theoretical base for the research. Secondary data incorporates information on forest resource management, LiDAR technology and Russian forestry. The model is operationalised using forestry literature and forms a basis for analyses of primary data. Analyses of primary data coupled with comprehension of Russian forest inventory system and knowledge on global forest inventory have led to conclusions on the forest inventory methods selection criteria and the organizations that would benefit the most from LiDAR technology use. The thesis recommends strategic options for LiDAR technology’s value enhancement in Russian forestry.

Forest inventory information needs in Northwest Russia

This research report applies the customer value hierarchy model to forestry in order to determine strategic options to enhance the value of LiDAR technology in Russian forestry. The study is conducted as a qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews as a main source of the primary data. The customer value hierarchy model constitutes a theoretical base for the research. Secondary data incorporates information on forest resource management, LiDAR technology and Russian forestry. The model is operationalised using forestry literature and forms a basis for analyses of primary data. Analyses of primary data coupled with comprehension of Russian forest inventory system and knowledge on global forest inventory have led to conclusions on the forest inventory methods selection criteria and the organizations that would benefit the most from LiDAR technology use. The report recommends strategic options for LiDAR technology’s value enhancement in Russian forestry. This work has been conducted as a part of the project ‘Finnish-Russian Forest Academy 2 - Exploiting and Piloting’, which has been supported financially by the South-East Finland- Russia ENPI CBC 2007-2014 Programme.

(Table 1) Age determination of Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, northwest Russia

Depositional environments, stratigraphic relations, and 35 new AMS 14C dates at Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, help constrain the late Pleistocene glacial and environmental history of the southern Kara Sea region. Fifteen- to fifty-meter-high coastal exposures reveal a complex package of shallow marine, fluvial, glacial, and postglacial deposits, and are documented here in a 19-km-long cross-section and eight vertical sections. The shallow marine (Unit A), estuarine or prodeltaic (Unit B), and fluvio-deltaic (Unit C) deposits contain an interglacial molluscan fauna, yield radiocarbon dates greater than 40 ka, and may correspond with a regional sea-level highstand during the Eemian. These units are overlain by a diamicton (Unit D), and are pervasively deformed by folds and low- to high-angle faults into a stacked glaciotectonic accretionary complex. The diamicton (Unit D) is a subglacial till, and associated massive ground ice with deformed debris bands (Unit E) appears to be relict glacier ice. Glaciotectonic structures document both southward- and northward-directed glacier movement. Above the till and associated glaciotectonic horizons lies 0- to 11-m-thick postglacial deposits of peatland, eolian, fluvial, and primarily lacustrine origin (Unit F). The postglacial deposits yield radiocarbon ages of 12.8 to 0.8 ka. Thus, at least one regional glaciation is prominently represented in the stratigraphy, and occurred probably after the Eemian but before 12.8 ka. We infer that the bulk of the glacial record corresponds with southward advance by an early Weichselian Kara Sea Ice Sheet, in agreement with other recently documented, regional records from Yamal Peninsula and the Pechora Basin. The timing and source of northward-directed glacier ice are less well constrained. Across the broad expanse of the Eurasian Arctic, Quaternary stratigraphy is still sparsely documented. The new data from Cape Shpindler fill a spatial gap in paleoenvironmental research.

Constraints on community participation in salmon fisheries management in Northwest Russia

Acknowledgements Many parties contributed to making this paper a reality. This research was supported by the European Social and Research Council, grant ESRC ES/K006428/1. The author is particularly grateful to the grant’s holder, Professor David Anderson from the Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen, for his various support throughout this research. The Barents Center of the Humanities at Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Apatity provided important institutional support. Officials from several fisheries management institutions of Arkhangelsk oblast, including Shiriaev Igor Alekseevich from Dvinsko-Pechorskoe Territorial Management Board, Skovorod’ko Artem Aleksandrovich from the Northern Basin Directorate of Fisheries and Water Biological Resources Conservation (Sevrybvod) and Korotenkov Aleksei Anatol’evich from the Fishing Industry Agency of Arkhangelsk oblast were very supportive and shared their knowledge wherever possible. Scholars Studenov Igor Ivanovich and Stasenkov Vladimir Aleksandrovich at Northern branch of the Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (SevPINRO) in Arkhangelsk provided their invaluable expertise on marine fisheries. Chairmen of several fishing collective farms – Tuchin Sergei Viktorovich, Samoilov Sergei Nikolaevich and Seliverstova Marina Nikolaevna – offered a great administrative support. Local residents of several villages in Mezen region were extremely generous and hospitable, providing places to stay, warm clothes, food, endless cups of tea, and most valuably, sparing their time. Finally, Natalie Wahnsiedler was a regular companion during fieldwork and a great source of inspiration for this research.

Constraints on community participation in salmon fisheries management in Northwest Russia

Acknowledgements Many parties contributed to making this paper a reality. This research was supported by the European Social and Research Council, grant ESRC ES/K006428/1. The author is particularly grateful to the grant’s holder, Professor David Anderson from the Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen, for his various support throughout this research. The Barents Center of the Humanities at Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Apatity provided important institutional support. Officials from several fisheries management institutions of Arkhangelsk oblast, including Shiriaev Igor Alekseevich from Dvinsko-Pechorskoe Territorial Management Board, Skovorod’ko Artem Aleksandrovich from the Northern Basin Directorate of Fisheries and Water Biological Resources Conservation (Sevrybvod) and Korotenkov Aleksei Anatol’evich from the Fishing Industry Agency of Arkhangelsk oblast were very supportive and shared their knowledge wherever possible. Scholars Studenov Igor Ivanovich and Stasenkov Vladimir Aleksandrovich at Northern branch of the Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (SevPINRO) in Arkhangelsk provided their invaluable expertise on marine fisheries. Chairmen of several fishing collective farms – Tuchin Sergei Viktorovich, Samoilov Sergei Nikolaevich and Seliverstova Marina Nikolaevna – offered a great administrative support. Local residents of several villages in Mezen region were extremely generous and hospitable, providing places to stay, warm clothes, food, endless cups of tea, and most valuably, sparing their time. Finally, Natalie Wahnsiedler was a regular companion during fieldwork and a great source of inspiration for this research.

Pollen record and age determination of profile CS98-10 at Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, northwest Russia

New pollen and radiocarbon data from an 8.6-m coastal section, Cape Shpindler (69°43' N; 62°48' E), Yugorski Peninsula, document the latest Pleistocene and Holocene environmental history of this low Arctic region. Twelve AMS 14C dates indicate that the deposits accumulated since about 13,000 until 2000 radiocarbon years BP. A thermokarst lake formed ca. 13,000-12,800 years BP, when scarce arctic tundra vegetation dominated the area. By 12,500 years BP, a shallow lake existed at the site, and Arctic tundra with Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Salix, Saxifraga, and Artemisia dominated nearby vegetation. Climate was colder than today. Betula nana became dominant during the Early Preboreal period about 9500 years BP, responding to a warm event, which was one of the warmest during the Holocene. Decline in B. nana and Salix after 9500 years BP reflects a brief event of Preboreal cooling. A subsequent increase in Betula and Alnus fruticosa pollen percentages reflects amelioration of environmental conditions at the end of Preboreal period (ca. 9300 years BP). A decline in arboreal taxa later, with a dramatic increase in herb taxa, reflects a short cold event at about 9200 years BP. The pollen data reflect a northward movement of tree birch, peaking at the middle Boreal period, around 8500 years BP. Open Betula forest existed on the Kara Sea coast of the Yugorski Peninsula during the Atlantic period (8000-4500 years BP), indicating that climate was significantly warmer than today. Deteriorating climate around the Atlantic-Subboreal boundary (ca. 4500 years BP) is recorded by a decline in Betula percentages. Sedimentation slowed at the site, and processes of denudation and/or soil formation started at the beginning of the Subatlantic period, when vegetation cover on Yugorski Peninsula shifted to near-modern assemblages.

Competitive Analysis of the Northwest Russian Transport Logistics Cluster – Finnish Perspective

Tutkimus tarkastelee Luoteis-Venäjän liikennelogistiikkaklusteria. Tarkoitus on selvittää klusterin nykyinen rakenne ja kilpailukyky sekä klusterin tarjoamat liiketoimintamahdollisuudet suomalaisille logistiikkayrityksille. Työssä käsitellään neljää perusliikennemuotoa: rautatie-, maantie-, meri- ja sisävesi-, sekä ilmaliikennettä. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty tutkimusta varten laadituista kyselyistä, haastatteluista sekä aiemmin julkaistusta materiaalista. Venäjä on suunnitellut kehittävänsä voimakkaasti liikenneinfrastruktuuria, mm. julkaisemalla protektionistisen liikennestrategiasuunnitelman. Ongelmana ovat olleet toteutukset, jotka ovat jääneet yleensä puutteellisiksi. Tällä hetkellä todellista kilpailukykyä löytyy ainoastaan rautatieliikenteestä, muut kolme liikennemuotoa omaavat potentiaalisen kilpailukyvyn. Venäjällä on mahdollisuus hyötyä laajasta pinta-alastaan Aasian ja Euroopan liikenteen yhdistäjänä. Yksi konkreettisimmista esimerkeistä on Trans Siperian rautatie, joka kaipaisi vielä lisäkehitystä. Suomi on toiminut Venäjän liikenteessä arvotavaran kauttakulkumaana, vuonna 2003 noin 30–40 % Venäjän tuonnin arvosta kulki Suomen kautta. Venäjälle tullaan tuomaan arvotavaraa vielä useita vuosia, mutta reittien osalta kilpailu on tiukentunut. Suomalaisten yritysten liiketoimintamahdollisuuksiin esitetään kaksi mallia: kauttakulkuliikenteen lisäarvologistiset (VAL) operaatiot Suomessa tai etabloituminen Venäjän logistisiin ketjuihin. Suomalaisten olisi syytä parantaa yhteistyötään yritysten ja yliopistojen ym. koulutuslaitosten välillä. Myös yhteistyökumppaneiden hakeminen esimerkiksi Ruotsista voisi tuoda merkittäviä etuja. Suomalaista osaamista voitaisiin hyödyntää parhaiten etabloitumalla Venäjän markkinoille, esimerkiksi keskittymällä Venäjän logististen ketjujen johtamiseen. Myös VAL palveluiden johtamiseen Venäjällä olisi erittäin hyvä tilaisuus, koska Venäjän oma tietotaito logistiikassa ei ole vielä kehittynyt kansainväliselle tasolle, mutta kustannustaso on alhaisempi kuin Suomessa.