Itäisen Suomen ja Venäjän liiketaloudellisen yhteistyön mahdollisuudet

Eastern Finland, Northwest Russia, economic cooperation, over-the-border networking

Effects of ventilation improvement on measured and perceived indoor air quality in a school building with a hybrid ventilation system

Ventilation system design and operation may significantly affect indoor air quality (IAQ). The aims of this case study were to investigate the functionality of a supply air fan-assisted hybrid ventilation system in a newly built school building with reported IAQ problems and to determine the effects of ventilation improvement on measured and perceived IAQ. The ventilation system function was researched simultaneously with IAQ measurements, with an analysis of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), single volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and indoor mycobiota, and with questionnaires about perceived IAQ. At the baseline, an operational error of the ventilation system was found, which prevented the air from coming into the classrooms, except for short periods of high carbon dioxide (CO2 ) concentrations. After the ventilation operation was improved, a significant change in indoor mycobiota was found; the dominant, opportunistic human pathogenic species Trichoderma citrinoviride found in settled dust in the classroom before the improvement was no longer detected. In addition, the concentrations of CO2, TVOC, and some single VOCs, especially toluene and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, decreased. The analysis of the questionnaire results indicated that the perceptions of unpleasant odors and stuffy air decreased, although a statistically significant improvement in perceived IAQ was not observed. The results provided evidence that the properly controlled hybrid ventilation system operating in mechanical supply mode provided adequate ventilation and was effective in decreasing the concentrations of some indoor-generated pollutants. With simple ventilation adjustments, microbiological exposure from building structures might be prevented.Peer reviewe

Kehitettyjä menetelmiä huonon sisäilmanlaadun terveysvaikutusten arvioimiseksi ja vähentämiseksi

The public defence will be organized remotely via Zoom https://aalto.zoom.us/j/64200192570In Finland, problems with indoor air quality (IAQ) are common in both residential and public buildings. The adverse health effects, especially respiratory symptoms due the moisture and mold damage have been well known for a long time. However, it is still unclear which mechanisms results in adverse health effects. Studies regarding IAQ in school buildings have typically carried out specific investigations, such as microbial measurements, and few have collected broad, simultaneous data of perceived and measured IAQ. This thesis aims to improve and develop the available methods for assessing the health-related exposures to and reported IAQ in moisture damaged residential and school buildings with and without IAQ problems and complaints. Research data are from the following four projects: HOTES (I publication of the thesis), Indoor Air Police, EURA, and TOXICPM (II-IV publications of the thesis). In HOTES, exposure assessments of fungi and bacteria (incl. actinomycetes) on health effects (reported and measured: peak expiratory flow, PEF and fractional exhaled nitric oxide, FeNO) were conducted in 41 severely moisture damaged homes. In Indoor Air Police, the exposure and health effects among the occupants of school buildings with (24 classrooms) and without (12 classrooms) IAQ problems were characterized based on a new method to collect real-time information of perceived IAQ using a developed online questionnaire. In third publication, the efficiency of improved ventilation to reduce exposure and reported perceived IAQ was tested. The fourth publication involved conducting a comprehensive characterization of IAQ in school buildings with and without reported IAQ complaints and detecting measurable differences between these buildings. This thesis showed that increased microbial growth in building structures is associated with poorer perceived health and increases in respiratory tract and general symptoms, especially among adults. The developed online questionnaire enables collecting real-time data on a large scale in schools and can be a useful extra tool as a first step in screening IAQ problems. Even relatively small changes in the airflow and pressure differences can have an effect on the measurable and perceivable parameters of IAQ. The concentration of airborne culturable fungi and the occurrence of fungal species in dust demonstrated most clearly the differences between the problem and the reference schools, especially of Trichoderma. This thesis provides novel results on tools to assess and improve IAQ, including a new questionnaire, determination of microbial growth from building materials, and use of indoor positive pressure.Erilaiset sisäilmaongelmat ovat yleisiä suomalaisessa rakennuskannassa, niin julkisissa kuin yksityisissäkin rakennuksissa. Kosteus- ja homevaurioiden haitalliset terveysvaikutukset, etenkin hengitystieoireet, ovat olleet jo pitkään tiedossa. Edelleen on kuitenkin epäselvää, mitkä tekijät ovat haitallisten vaikutusten takana. Koulurakennusten sisäilman laatua koskevat tutkimukset ovat tyypillisesti keskittyneet tiettyjen altisteiden tutkimuksiin, kuten mikrobimittauksiin. Laajaa, samanaikaista tietoa havaitusta ja mitatusta sisäilman laadusta on vain vähän saatavilla. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli kehittää menetelmiä sisäilman laadun terveydellisen merkityksen arviointiin ja testata menetelmiä, joiden avulla voitaisiin parantaa terveydellisen merkityksen arviointia. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli selvittää vakavasti kosteusvaurioituneiden kotien mikrobialtistusta ja haitallisia terveysvaikutuksia sekä sisäilmaongelmaisten koulujen haitallisia terveysvaikutuksia uudenlaisen nopeasti täytettävän kyselylomakkeen avulla. Tämän väitöskirjan aineisto on kerätty neljässä eri tutkimushankkeessa: HOTES (julkaisu I), Sisäilmapoliisi, EURA ja TOXICPM (julkaisut II-IV). HOTES tutkimuksessa oli mukana 41 vakavasti kosteusvaurioitunutta kotia ympäri Suomea. Kodeista otettiin rakennusmateriaalinäytteet vauriokohdista sieni- ja bakteerimäärityksiä (mukaan lukien aktinomykeetit) varten. Asukkaiden terveydentilaa kartoitettiin kyselylomakkeella sekä PEF- ja FeNO-mittauksilla (uloshengityksen huippuvirtaus ja uloshengitysilman typpioksidimittaus). Sisäilmapoliisi-tutkimuksessa kerättiin osallistujien raportoimaa ja mitattua dataa yhteensä 24 sisäilmaongelmaisesta ja 12 sisäilmaongelmattomasta luokkahuoneesta. Raportoinnissa käytetiin tätä tutkimusta varten kehitettyä sähköistä kyselyä. Lievän ylipaineistuksen vaikutusta sisäilman laatuun ja sisäilman laadun raportointiin testattiin. Tutkimuskouluissa tehtiin sisäilman laadun kokonaisarviointi ja tarkasteltiin eroja koulujen välillä, joissa oli ja ei ollut havaittu sisäilmaongelmia. Tämä väitöskirja osoitti, että lisääntynyt mikrobikasvu rakenteissa on yhteydessä heikentyneeseen terveyteen ja hengitystie- sekä yleisoireiden lisääntymiseen, etenkin aikuisten keskuudessa. Tässä tutkimuksessa kehitetyn onlinekyselyn avulla voidaan kerätä suuri määrä reaaliaikaista tietoa, jota voidaan käyttää hyödyllisenä työkaluna sisäilmaongelmien kartoittamisessa. Ilmanvaihtoon liittyvä interventiotutkimus osoitti, että suhteellisen pienillä paine-eromuutoksilla voi olla vaikutusta sekä mitattavaan että koettuun sisäilman laatuun. Pölynäytteistä mitatuissa mikrobipitoisuuksissa (erityisesti Trichodermapitoisuudet) oli eroja vaurio- ja vertailukoulujen välillä. Tässä väitöskirjatutkimuksessa kehitettyjä ja testattuja menetelmiä – uutta kyselylomaketta, mikrobikasvun määrittämistä rakennusmateriaaleista sekä paine-erojen säätöä – voidaan hyödyntää sisäilman laadun arvioimisessa ja parantamisessa

The role of talent management in strategic renewal

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the role of talent management (TM) in strategic renewal. Furthermore, the authors extend the existing knowledge on the process of TM implementation by underlining particular activities, which are involved in this process during strategic renewal. Design/methodology/approach: The authors report a qualitative study of a TM program in a Finnish–Swedish Multinational corporation undergoing major strategic renewal. The data consist of 46semi-structured interviews and secondary data. Findings: The role of TM in the context of strategic renewal is to provide the conditions for the self-initiation and identification of potential change agents and for the development of the talented employees to perform in their roles of change agent. In the context of strategic renewal, TM process consists of identification of key projects to address critical business opportunities and challenges, the identification of talented employees to execute them, and the identification and creation of key positions. Research limitations/implications: The authors encourage scholars to explore the empirical settings characterized by change and unpredictability in more detail, and thus examine the role of talented employees and TM in other specific contexts. Future studies are also encouraged to study other cultural settings and examine to what degree the process of TM implementation may positively influence attitudes and behaviors of talented employees and, consequently, the overall organizational performance. Practical implications: This study offers practical advice for top management and HR managers. First, the process of TM implementation during strategic renewal should start with the identification of “must-win-battles” that can have a more profound impact on change. Furthermore, top management should allow and enable motivated potential talented employees to volunteer for the job of aiding company-wide changes. Next, top management should provide the talented employees with the space to come up with novel ideas and conceive new business opportunities. Finally, the importance of transparent and spot-on evaluation criteria should be emphasized. Originality/value: The study contributes to advancing our understanding of TM and strategic management in practicepeerReviewe

Organization of Knowledge Ecosystems: Prefigurative and Partial Forms

This paper provides a unique perspective on knowledge ecosystems by studying their organization. Grounded in empirical evidence, we propose that knowledge ecosystems consist of users and producers of knowledge that are organized around a joint knowledge search. A distinction is drawn between knowledge ecosystems searching for a knowledge domain and those searching within an identified knowledge domain, respectively characterized as prefigurative and partial forms of organizing. In a knowledge ecosystem organized in prefigurative form (to identify a knowledge domain), actors whose participation is affiliated, self-resourced, and unobliged probe that domain to identify and establish shared knowledge as a basis for collective actorhood, with no formal rules or coordination mechanisms. In a knowledge ecosystem organized in partial form (where a knowledge domain has already been identified), actors search and reveal problem- and solution-related knowledge, participating though formal membership and access to resources, and their contributions are monitored. The present study contributes to the literature by 1) specifying the distinct types of joint search performed by knowledge ecosystems; 2) considering how the nature of joint search affects how knowledge ecosystems are organized; and 3) distinguishing two forms of organizing knowledge ecosystems, with a focus on participation and coordination.peerReviewe

Winner does not take all : Selective attention and local bias in platform-based markets

We model how macro-level dynamics of platform competition emerge from micro-level interactions among consumers. We problematize the prevailing winner-take-all hypothesis and argue that instead of assuming that consumers value the general connectivity of an entire network, they are selectively attentive and locally biased. We contrast several alternative agent-based models with differing sets of assumptions regarding consumer agents' behavior and compare their predictions with empirical data from the competition between Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. The results show that only when consumers are assumed to be selectively attentive and locally biased is it possible to explain real-life market sharing between the given platforms. In effect, it is shown how a late-entrant platform can get adopted by most consumers in the market, despite the fact that an early entrant has greater initial installed base, greater pool of complementary products, and lower initial price.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Gamecloud - A Platform for Connecting Video Games

The growing video game markets, especially the mobile market, have caused problems in terms of new game products being found by players. Cross-promotion and in-game advertising have been used to promote video games inside each other. However, the digital nature of video games as an interactive medium enables deeper collaboration between video games, and could be used in a more profound manner. We interviewed Finnish video game companies to understand if they were interested in creating deeper collaboration between their game products, and how such collaboration could take place. Based on the results, we built a platform called Gamecloud for connecting games together. We present the platform architecture and demonstrate it in use, with examples of connecting games with other games and connecting games with the real world, alongside an example of physical exercising.peerReviewe

Partial de-organization for innovation and renewal

The idea of partial organization has not been fully explored. Relatively little attention has been paid to organization within organizations or to the possibility of partial de-organization. We explore this possibility in the context of business firms for which innovation and strategic renewal are imperatives. The firm’s top management created conditions for autonomous action in the form of a dedicated internal development program for strategic renewal. Thus, it attempted to partially deconstruct its organizational hierarchy and other elements of its decided order. Employees from all over the organization were invited to participate in the program and to present proposals for new strategic initiatives. The contribution of the paper is in the introduction of the concept of partial de-organizing and in the argument that partial organization is also observable within, and not just without, the boundaries of formal organizations

Online questionnaire as a tool to assess symptoms and perceived indoor air quality in a school environment

School environments are a complex entirety where various different exposure factors are related that contribute to the indoor air quality (IAQ) and may affect occupants' health and well-being. Indoor air questionnaires are useful for collecting information about the occupants' experiences and perceptions of the indoor air and for evaluating the results of the measures taken. A common way to implement health questionnaires is to ask the respondents to describe symptoms at certain time points, such as weeks or months. The aim of our study was to develop a short and easy online questionnaire to assess symptoms and perceived IAQ. We also aimed to test the usability of the questionnaire in school buildings and assess the differences between the online measurement data (CO2, T, and RH) and the IAQ complaints and symptoms reported by the pupils. A total of 105 teachers and 1268 pupils in 36 classrooms at six schools answered the questionnaires over a two-week period. The participants completed the questionnaire always after the lesson in the studied classroom. We received 719 answers from the teachers and 6322 answers from the pupils. The results demonstrated that the teachers reported more IAQ problems and symptoms than the pupils did. Differences between classrooms were observed in both the IAQ problem and reference schools. The most common significant differences (p-value > 0.05) between the classrooms were among humidity, too cold air, and stuffy air, and among symptoms, dry/sore throat, tiredness, headache, and skin symptoms. Maximum values of CO2 measurements and the highest prevalence of stuffy air were relatively consistent. The testing process demonstrated that such a questionnaire was suitable for adults and children aged at least 12 years. The results of our study suggest that a quick and easy online questionnaire that is completed within a short period may be useful for gathering valuable knowledge about perceived IAQ. It could be used in combination with other indoor environment investigations to produce detailed results and restorative measures.Peer reviewe