Are strategies created differently based upon TMT gender diversity? : Examining the role of TMT gender diversity in strategy work

This thesis explores the role of top management team (TMT) gender diversity in firm’s strategy creation and strategy work. The aim is to explore whether differences exist between different managerial groups in this context. The study is conducted by using a multiple-case research design. The theoretical framework starts with introducing strategy process research stream continuing to strategy-as-practice perspective (SAP), which was applied in this study. Second, existing literature of top management team research is provided to create a basis for studying top management teams. Next, existing literature of TMT diversity is provided continuing to TMT gender diversity related literature. The empirical part of the study was conducted by using a multiple-case research design. The study consisted of three different cases. One, representing TMTs consisting mostly of women, second representing TMTs consisting mostly of men and third diverse group representing TMT consisting half of women and half of men. The data was collected by using a semi-structured interview technique and analyzed by using qualitative content analysis methods. As a result, although cases had many similarities, few differences existed. First, each case described themselves differently from each other by using different adjectives. Slightly more subtle adjectives were used by women compared to men’s more decisive word choices. Second, the differences existed in the participation of personnel in the strategy creation. The findings show that the participation was emphasized the most in the case representing gender diverse TMT in which personnel was strongly engaged with the strategy creation. Findings also indicate that decision-making in homogeneous TMTs, which consists of either men or women stood out more agile compared to diverse case. All cases stood out with their collective way of making decisions. Last, findings also pointed out that all cases utilized many different sources of data for strategic decision-making, emphasizing financial means. In addition, TMTs consisting mostly of women pointed out also the support of feelings and personal beliefs in decision-making

Hoitaja sukupuolitautitartunnan saaneen asiakkaan ohjaajana : haaste hoitotyön ammattihenkilöille

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää, mitä tutkimukset kertovat hoitohenkilöstön valmiuksista ohjata sukupuolitautitartunnan saanutta asiakasta ja miten hoitajien ohjausvalmiuksia tulisi kehittää. Opinnäytetyö on osa Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulun hanketta Naisten kokemuksia kohdunkaulan solumuutosten hoitoprosessista ja vaikutuksista elämään. Tätä opinnäytetyötä voidaan myös hyödyntää Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulun hankkeessa Seksuaaliterveyden edistämisen osaamisen kehittäminen metropolialueella ja hoitotyön koulutuksessa. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin systemaattista kirjallisuuskatsausta soveltaen. Systemaattista kirjallisuuskatsausta varten tehtiin hakuja Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulun kirjaston tietokannoista, kuten Medicistä ja Ovidista. Aineisto koostui 10 alkuperäistutkimuksesta, kahdesta asiantuntija-artikkelista ja yhdestä systemaattisesta kirjallisuuskatsauksesta. Systemaattiseen kirjallisuuskatsaukseen valittu aineisto koostui pääasiassa kansainvälisistä tutkimusartikkeleista ja ne käsittelivät mm. eri-ikäisten sukupuolitautitartunnan saaneiden asiakkaiden kohtaamista ja hoitajan antamaa ohjausta. Systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla saatu aineisto analysoitiin soveltaen induktiivista sisällönanalyysia. Aineiston hakuprosessista laadittiin lisäksi taulukko ja valittu aineisto koottiin havaintomatriisiin. Katsauksessa tarkasteltujen tutkimusten mukaan hoitajilla on hyvät ohjausvalmiudet mutta kohdennetun lisäkoulutuksen avulla niitä voitaisiin kehittää edelleen. Erityisesti nuorten ja erityisryhmien, kuten huumeidenkäyttäjien ja maahanmuuttajien, kanssa työskennellessä kohdennetun lisäkoulutuksen tarve korostuu. Tulosten mukaan hoitajat kokivat seksuaaliterveyttä koskevien asioiden puheeksi oton vaikeaksi erityisesti nuorten asiakkaiden kohdalla. Lisäksi monikulttuurisuus asettaa haasteita terveydenhuoltoalan henkilöstölle sukupuolitautitartunnan saaneen asiakkaan ohjauksessa nyt ja tulevaisuudessa. Jatkossa suomalaisten sukupuolitautia sairastavien asiakkaiden ohjauksesta olisi hyvä tehdä tutkimusta koska suomenkielistä tutkimusta aiheesta löytyi niukalti. Lisäksi olisi hyvä perehtyä keski-ikäisen, sukupuolitautia sairastavan asiakkaan kokemuksiin saamastaan ohjauksesta.The purpose of this study was to find out what Finnish and International studies told about the competency of nursing staff when they provide counselling for clients with sexually transmitted disease (STD) and how their abilities to give counselling should be developed. This final project was part of a Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences project which handled women’s experiences of cellular changes in the cervix, treatment and effects on life. Moreover this final project may be utilised in another Metropolia project which handled development of know-how in sexual health promotion education and in the Helsinki Metropoli Area, Finland. As for methods, an applied systematic literature review was carried out. Searches were done by using databases of Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The material consisted of ten original researches, two specialist articles and one literary review. The material consisted mostly of international studies and dealt with subjects such as how to meet clients of different ages with STDs and counselling given by registered nurses. The material was analysed by applying the method of inductive content analysis. According to the results of the systematic literature review registered nurses had a good competency in counselling but, with further focused training, it could be improved further. Especially, when working with adolescents and special groups, such as drug abusers and immigrants, a need for focused education became more obvious. The registered nurses felt it was hard to begin conversations concerning sexual health issues with adolescents, especially. In addition, multiculturalism will increase challenges to health care professionals working with STD clients now and in future. Further research on the counselling that Finnish STD clients have received is needed because there is too little Finnish researches available at the moment. In addition, for health care workers, it would be good to familiarise with middle-aged clients’ experiences of received counselling

Yhteistoiminnallinen työskentely ja poikkitieteellisen asiantuntijuuden kehittyminen

Peer reviewe

Powerful disciplinary knowledge and the status of geography in Finnish upper secondary schools : Teachers' views on recent changes

The article examines the status of geography education within Finnish upper secondary schools. During the past few years, there have been many reforms which have affected how much geography ought to be taught and the teaching methods for doing so. In this article, the general aims of the upper secondary geography and content of the compulsory geography course are analysed from the perspective of powerful disciplinary knowledge. The empirical data set was collected through an online survey, which was filled out by 63 Finnish geography teachers in September 2017. The results show that even though the compulsory course in geography was regarded as being important and student-oriented, teachers felt that there were too many geographical phenomena to teach and too many time-consuming digital methods to be used. Teachers highlighted the importance of critical reflection and geographical thinking in the aims of geography curriculum, and they had a positive attitude towards emphasis on current issues in the compulsory course. Many respondents expressed their concern about the fragmented character and the illogical structure of the course. The compulsory course has its focus on global risks and therefore, students have to study the consequences before the causes. The required information on physical and human geography is studied later in optional specialisation courses, which the respondents saw as a major problem. Overall, even when the aims of the curriculum support the ideas of powerful geographical knowledge relatively well, limited time for studies in geography threatens students’ access to powerful knowledge in geography education.Peer reviewe

Perceptions of interconnected sustainability : Students’ narratives bridging transition and education

As sustainability becomes a focal point and important aspect of educational development in several disciplines and universities globally, it is important to critically reflect on the different utilisations of sustainability education. Research on educational aims and the potential transformative impact of sustainability courses is quite timely. Among several others, the theory of interconnected learning has been gaining traction as an approach to transformative sustainability education, as it employs a distinct approach to systemic sustainability awareness. This approach aims to further express the plurality of sustainability, with the aim to foster a deeper comprehension beyond the dichotomous thinking often typical in disciplined science. The aim of our research was to study the efficiency of employing the pedagogy of interconnected learning on the types of sustainability transition narratives produced by the students attending an online sustainability course. The sustainability transition narratives, as expressed through fifty-eight students’ course assignments, were studied pre- and post-course, and analysed against a collection of established narratives drawn from transition studies. The comparison from the pre-to post-course answers revealed that while some of the student narratives remained unchanged, the majority of the narratives were expanded during the course experience. Our analysis revealed that while most of the students’ answers referenced a single type of transition narrative, some students produced narratives that hybridised two or more types of narratives. Additionally, some of the students produced elements of a pathway for a transition narrative that are currently unarticulated in the transition narrative framework employed herein. The elements of this newly articulated narrative focused on changes in the societal mindset, achievable through sustainability education.Peer reviewe

Yhteyksien pedagogiikka kohtaa ilmastonmuutoksen viheliäisenä kestävyysongelmana

Climate change is a wicked problem of our time. It is a phenomenon that is difficult to combat with prevailing ways of thinking and behaving related to a modern understanding of humanity and education. In this article, the challenges of sustainability education are explored from the theoretical perspective of modern dichotomies. The article argues that to combat wicked problems of sustainability, awareness of interconnectedness is vital. In order to increase the understanding of what kind of dismantling of thinking in dichotomies and why the awareness of interconnectedness and pedagogical approaches are crucial in promoting sustainability, the literature of environmental philosophy, sociology and education are brought together with the literature of sustainability sciences and sustainability education. The principles of pedagogy of interconnectedness define the critical awareness of interconnectedness vital for sustainability education dealing with the wicked sustainability issues such as climate change. The pedagogy of interconnectedness underlines the essentiality of understanding of the world and humans as relational: recognizing the interdependence of society and nature, the local and global, and seeing the common reality as socially constructed and humanness and learning in a holistic way. A case of university pedagogy, the Climate.now online course material is presented and analysed as an example of interconnecting climate change education, how to implement the principle of pedagogy of interconnectedness in practice.Climate change is a wicked problem of our time. It is a phenomenon that is difficult to combat with prevailing ways of thinking and behaving related to a modern understanding of humanity and education. In this article, the challenges of sustainability education are explored from the theoretical perspective of modern dichotomies. The article argues that to combat wicked problems of sustainability, awareness of interconnectedness is vital. In order to increase the understanding of what kind of dismantling of thinking in dichotomies and why the awareness of interconnectedness and pedagogical approaches are crucial in promoting sustainability, the literature of environmental philosophy, sociology and education are brought together with the literature of sustainability sciences and sustainability education. The principles of pedagogy of interconnectedness define the critical awareness of interconnectedness vital for sustainability education dealing with the wicked sustainability issues such as climate change. The pedagogy of interconnectedness underlines the essentiality of understanding of the world and humans as relational: recognizing the interdependence of society and nature, the local and global, and seeing the common reality as socially constructed and humanness and learning in a holistic way. A case of university pedagogy, the Climate.now online course material is presented and analysed as an example of interconnecting climate change education, how to implement the principle of pedagogy of interconnectedness in practice.Peer reviewe

Neoconservative Ideology and the Use of Torture in the "Global War on Terror" : Morally Right, in perfect denial, or in persistent cognitive dissonance?

The weight of neoconservative ideology in world politics is generally identified and acknowledged. In spite of this, more profound studies are found wanting. I attempt to make the ideology more understandable and approach it from a distinct point of view, examining neoconservatism's attitude to torture in the United States' 'Global War on Terror'. In so doing, my aim is also to clarify the thus far often somewhat vague distinction between the current U.S. administration and neoconservatism in political and academic writing. I have utilized the theory of cognitive dissonance created by Leon Festinger to study the mechanisms in play concerning the different attitudes toward the use of torture. The theory has so far found very few applications in the study of international relations, but I believe there to be significant potential in its future use. On a more concrete level, I undertake to examine whether the core values of neoconservatism (human rights, liberal democracy, 'American values' and 'moral use of power') on the one hand, and condoning attitudes toward the use of torture on the other, give rise to an intolerable inner conflict that could be called cognitive dissonance. The use of torture is absolutely prohibited in international law, standards and norms. The most central internationally binding legal obligation prohibiting the use of torture is the Convention against Torture from 1984. The convention prohibits the use of torture in all cases and without exception. My study examines the question of torture in the context of the 'War on Terror' and the relation of torture to the individual. The individual rises in fact to become one of the most salient levels of analysis in the paper: each of neoconservatism's core values can be said to be based on defending the rights of the individual while torture can simultaneously be defined as being the ultimate denial of the individual's worth and dignity. I conclude my study by asserting that neoconservatism's attitude toward torture has led to severe conflicts with its own core values. Although accurate definitions of the mechanisms used in alleviating the dissonance are impossible to find, the study gives evidence indicating that denial of responsibility and a rearranging of the hierarchy of internal values can have been included in the reduction of dissonance. I deem the observation made in the study that attempts to reduce dissonance typically 'spill over' to other seemingly unattached areas of decision-making highly important. What this means is that in addition to influencing core values or the fundamental level of ideology, past decisions also influence future decisions.Uuskonservatiivisen ideologian painoarvo maailmanpolitiikassa tunnistetaan ja tunnustetaan yleisesti. Tästä huolimatta sen syvällinen tutkimus ei ole ollut laajaa. Pyrin työssäni tekemään ideologiaa omalta osaltani ymmärrettävämmäksi ja lähestyn sitä tarkasti rajatusta näkökulmasta selvittäen ideologian suhtautumista kidutukseen Yhdysvaltojen 'terrorismin vastaisen sodan' aikana. Samalla selvennän tieteellisessä ja yhteiskunnallisessa keskustelussa usein epäselväksi jäänyttä eroa Yhdysvaltain nykyhallinnon ja uuskonservatismin välillä. Selvittääkseni niitä mekanismeja, joita suhtautuminen kidutukseen voi pitää sisällään olen käyttänyt työssäni Leon Festingerin kehittämää kognitiivisen dissonanssin teoriaa. Teorian käyttö on ollut kansainvälisten suhteiden tutkimuksessa erittäin vähäistä, mutta uskon sillä tulevaisuudessa voivan olla alalla merkittäviä sovelluksia. Astetta konkreettisemmalla tasolla pyrin selvittämään, aiheuttaako yhtäältä uuskonservatismin perusarvojen (ihmisoikeudet, liberaali demokratia, 'amerikkalaiset arvot' ja 'moraalinen voimankäyttö') ja toisaalta kidutukseen sallivasti suhtautuminen Yhdysvaltain 'terrorismin vastaisen sodan' viitekehyksessä kestämättömän sisäisen ristiriitatilanteen, mitä voitaisiin kutsua kognitiiviseksi dissonanssiksi. Kidutuksen käyttö on kansainvälisten ihmisoikeusnormien mukaan ehdottomasti kiellettyä. Yhdysvaltoja sitovista kansainvälisistä velvoitteista tärkein on YK:n kidutuksen ja epäinhimillisen kohtelun kieltävä sopimus (Convention against Torture) vuodelta 1984. Sopimus kieltää kidutuksen käytön kaikissa tapauksissa. Tarkastelen työssäni kidutuksen käyttöä 'terrorismin vastaisessa sodassa' sekä kidutuksen suhdetta yksilöön. Yksilön rooli nouseekin työssä selkeästi esille edellä mainitun kognitiivisen ristiriidan ilmentäjänä: uuskonservatismin perusarvoista jokainen perustuu juuri yksilön oikeuksien puolustamiseen, kun samalla kidutuksen voidaan todeta loukkaavan yksilön ihmisarvoa perimmäisellä tavalla. Päädyn työssäni toteamaan uuskonservatiivisen ideologian asenteen kidutukseen johtaneen vaikeisiin ristiriitatilanteisiin suhteessa ideologian omiin perusarvoihin. Vaikka tarkkoja dissonanssia lievittäviä mekanismeja on mahdotonta määrittää, voidaan tutkimuksen perusteella arvioida vastuun kieltämisen ja arvohierarkian sisäisen uudelleenjärjestelyn sisältyneen uuskonservatismin käyttämiin keinoihin. Pidän tärkeänä huomiona sitä, että kognitiivisen dissonanssin vähentämispyrkimykset tällä yhdellä aihealueella ovat vaikuttaneet ja vaikuttavat myös uuskonservatismin tuleviin päätöksiin

The Grand (Ducal) Finale

The San Lorenzo Basilica in Florence is renowned for its Medici-infused Renaissance program, but there is a lesser-known phase of the Medici family's history in the basilica that unfolded in the 18th century. Between 1738 and 1743, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, the last surviving member of the Medici line, oversaw extensive architectural and decorative interventions within the San Lorenzo complex. Her efforts to maintain the cultural heritage of her ancestors were heavily shaped by the imminent end of the Medici bloodline and the difficult transition of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. This article explores Anna Maria's motivations for her elaborate renovation projects in the basilica, with a particular focus on two of her most notable commissions: Vincenzo Meucci's cupola fresco in the nave of the basilica and the new bell tower designed by architect Ferdinando Ruggieri. These two projects, the only ones completed by Anna Maria before her death, demonstrate her ambitions within the San Lorenzo and help to uncover several underlying premises for their conceptions