TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Knowledge dynamics and innovation:case studies in a sparsely populated area

Abstract This study describes the sources of essential knowledge and analyses the knowledge dynamics in innovation cases of four micro-sized companies. This study seeks to answer the following questions: What are the sources of essential knowledge for the cases selected? What kind of knowledge is required, and what phases can be identified? What kind of features of knowledge anchoring can be identified in the innovation processes? This study will serve as an interesting benchmarking object for public business services. The findings suggest that public actors should pay more attention to the case-specific needs of innovative micro-sized companies while developing their services

Pohjois-Suomen mikroyritykset:tilastokatsaus

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of enterprises, especially microenterprises, in Northern Finland based on the statistical data. The report is based on the year 2015 data and it is part of the Micro-enterprise Growth Platform project that is financed by the Council of Oulu Region as a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project. This report presents statistical information of the enterprises in Northern Finland. Statistical data was purchased from Bisnode Finland Ltd. The data (collected 27 Oct 2015) consists of 49 411 business identity codes registered in Northern Finland in one of the following regions: Kainuu, Lapland and North Ostrobothnia. Closer analysis include business identity codes of the companies that had key information (industrial classification, number of personnel, sales) in the statistical data. The final data contains 47 519 business IDs, which were analyzed in this report using the following variables: legal form, number of employees, turnover, industry, import and export activities and registration year. In Northern Finland almost 96% of companies are micro-enterprises having less than 10 employees. Majority of the micro-enterprises (95.5%) employ less than 5 persons. The share of SMEs in Northern Finland is 99.94%. There are just a few big companies (having 250 or more employees) in Northern Finland (0.06 %). The most common category (25.5 %) of activity (SIC 2008) is a forestry and logging (SIC 02). Approximately 82% of the companies have less than EUR 200 000 sales per year. Almost 43% of the companies having over one million euros turnover are micro-sized enterprises, and 24.4% of the companies having over two million turnover are micro-enterprises. There are 1 724 import companies and 585 export companies in Northern Finland. Almost 52% of the export companies and almost 68% of the import companies are micro-sized in Northern Finland. The average age of the companies in Northern Finland is about 11.5 years. The most common form of the Northern Finland businesses is Private trader (60% of the companies), as well as a Limited company (31%). Almost 88% of Limited companies are micro-sized companies. There were approximately 71.3 companies per 1 000 inhabitants in Northern Finland in 2015. In Northern Finland approximately 3.9 new enterprises were founded per 1 000 inhabitants in 2015 (5.15 per 1 000 inhabitants in Finland as total). In the same year about 3.54 companies per 1 000 inhabitants were closed in Northern Finland (4.68 per 1 000 inhabitants in Finland). A good example of the potential that exists in micro-enterprises in Northern Finland, is the fact that about 96% of the companies that do not export are micro-sized companies. It is necessary to have the micro-enterprises as the essential target group in the enhancing activities of export.Tiivistelmä Tässä raportissa esitetään tilastotietoihin pohjautuvat perustiedot Pohjois-Suomessa toimivista yrityksistä ja erityisesti mikroyrityksistä. Raportti pohjautuu vuoden 2015 tietoihin (poimintapäivä 27.10.2015) ja on osa Mikroyritysten kasvualusta -hankkeen toteutusta, jota Pohjois-Pohjanmaan liitto rahoittaa Euroopan aluekehitysrahaston (EAKR) hankkeena. Tilastoaineiston tietolähteet ovat Kaupparekisteri, YTJ-tietokanta ja Tilastokeskus. Pohjois-Suomen 47 519 yrityksestä lähes 96 % (45 532 kpl) on alle 10 henkilöä työllistäviä mikroyrityksiä. Valtaosa mikroyrityksistä (95,5 %) työllistää alle 5 henkilöä (43 500 yritystä). Pk-yritysten osuus Pohjois-Suomen yrityksistä on 99,94 %. Suuria yrityksiä Pohjois-Suomen yrityksistä on 0,06 %. Yritysten yleisin toimialaluokka on Metsätalous ja puunkorjuu, johon on luokiteltu noin 25,5 % Pohjois-Suomen yrityksistä. Noin 82 %:lla yrityksistä liikevaihto on alle 200 000 euroa. Yli miljoonan euron liikevaihdon omaavista yrityksistä lähes 40 % on mikroyrityksiä. Yli 2 miljoonan euron liikevaihdon omaavista yrityksistä lähes neljännes (24,4 %) on mikroyrityksiä. Pohjois-Suomessa on Tilastokeskuksen määritelmän mukaisia tuontiyrityksiä 1 724 kpl ja vientiyrityksiä 585 kpl. Pohjois-Suomen vientiyrityksistä lähes 52 % ja tuontiyrityksistä lähes 68 % on mikroyrityksiä. Pohjois-Suomen yritysten keski-ikä on noin 11,5 vuotta. Pohjois-Suomen yritysten yleisimpiä yhtiömuotoja ovat toiminimi, joita on noin 60 % yrityksistä sekä osakeyhtiö, joita on noin 31 % yrityksistä. Osakeyhtiöistä lähes 88 % on mikroyrityksiä. Pohjois-Suomessa oli vuonna 2015 keskimäärin 71,3 yritystä 1 000 asukasta kohti. Vuonna 2015 Pohjois-Suomessa aloitti 1 000 asukasta kohti keskimäärin 3,9 yritystä ja koko Suomessa 5,15 yritystä. Samana vuonna Pohjois-Suomessa lopetti 1 000 asukasta kohti keskimäärin 3,54 yritystä ja koko Suomessa 4,68 yritystä. Mikroyrityksissä olevaa potentiaalia kuvaa hyvin esimerkiksi se, että niistä yrityksistä, jotka eivät Pohjois-Suomessa harjoita vientiä, noin 96 % on mikroyrityksiä (45 230 kpl). Suomen kilpailukyvyn kannalta onkin välttämätöntä nostaa mikroyritykset vienninedistämistoimien keskeiseksi kohderyhmäksi

Knowledge dynamics and innovation:a case study

Abstract This single case study describes the progress of an innovation and analyses the knowledge dynamics involved in the process. This is done by analysing the process from idea to product, identifying necessary knowledge types and knowledge phases, and identifying features of knowledge anchoring in the innovation process. Using the biography technique, this process was tracked and the related knowledge dynamics were described. This study will serve as an interesting benchmarking tool for both managers and public development agencies. The findings suggest that public actors should pay more attention in their service development to the case-specific needs of innovative start-ups

Knowledge dynamics and innovation:case studies in a sparsely populated area

Abstract Purpose: This study describes the sources of essential knowledge for the innovation cases in three micro companies and analyses the knowledge dynamics in these cases. This study seeks to answer the following questions: What are the sources of essential knowledge for the innovation cases in the three micro companies selected? What kind of knowledge is required in these cases, and what phases can be identified in these innovation cases? These questions are answered through a multiple case study that uses the knowledge biography technique. Method: This is a multiple case study with holistic strategy. The unit of analysis is the innovation case. We analyse innovation cases in three micro companies operating in the Oulu South region. At the heart of the study is the knowledge biography technique, an innovative approach that provides a deeper understanding of knowledge dynamics in firms and regions. The empirical data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and public archives related to the case company. The interviews with key informants were mainly conducted face-to-face during fieldwork in 2013. The data was analysed using an inclusive and iterative process, and the main findings were summarised. Findings: We tracked the sources of essential knowledge for the three innovation cases and the knowledge dynamics of these cases were described by using the knowledge biography method. This study will serve as an interesting benchmarking tool for any public organisation that offers business services to companies. The findings suggest that public actors should pay more attention to the case-specific needs of innovative micro companies while developing their services. Value: In the future studies, it would be interesting to analyse more innovation cases using the knowledge biography technique and make comparisons among these cases

Knowledge dynamics in innovation:from idea to product

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe the progress of an innovation from an idea to the product in a micro company and analyse the knowledge dynamics of the process. This case study seeks to find answers to the following research questions: What is the progress of an innovation from an idea to the product like in a micro company? What kind of knowledge is needed for the innovation and what kind of phases can be identified in the progress? These research questions are answered through a single case study of the innovation. Method: This is a single case study with holistic strategy. The unit of analysis is the innovation case of a micro company operating in Oulu South Region. At the heart of the case study was the knowledge biography method that is an innovative approach providing a deeper understanding of knowledge dynamics in firms and regions. The empirical data was gathered via semi-structured interviews and public archive related to the case company. The interviews with key informants were mainly conducted face-to-face during fieldwork in 2008 and 2009. In an inclusive and iterative process the data was analysed and the main findings were summarised. Findings: The progress of a single innovation case and its knowledge dynamics was described by using the knowledge biography method. The phases of the innovation case were analysed through knowledge types and knowledge phases. This study provides an interesting bench-marking case for the managers of innovative micro companies and public development agencies. The findings support public actors to ask essential questions in developing their services. Value: In the future studies it would be interesting to open more innovation cases using the method of knowledge biography and make comparisons. In this case even the company found the findings useful for its purposes

Micro-enterprises as exporters in northern sparsely populated areas

Abstract The majority of the total value of exports comes from small, medium-sized, and large companies for the reason that they tend to be the principal target group in public-support actions related to exports. However, micro-sized enterprises are the numerically dominant group in every economy. During recent years, micro-enterprises’ barriers for exports have lowered due to global digitalization. As a result, micro-enterprises’ share of total exports has increased rapidly in many countries. The aim of this explorative case study was to investigate micro-enterprises’ share of exporters in one northern sparsely populated area (NSPA). The micro-enterprises located in NSPAs tend to face context-specific challenges as they develop their business. This study seeks to provide context-specific knowledge needed to strengthen business ecosystems and develop business support services. The data in this study consists of publicly archived statistical data from 2015 of all active business identity codes registered in Northern Finland (49,411 pieces) were analysed. Based on this study, in total, 585 exporting enterprises are located in Northern Finland, of which almost 52% are micro-enterprises (302 pcs). In addition, the variation of micro-enterprises’ share of exporting enterprises at provincial, subregional and municipal levels is clarified. It is necessary to have micro-enterprises as a target group of export support actions. This study is limited to official enterprise statistics from 2015. The results of this study can motivate policy makers and public business service providers to consider micro-enterprises to be an essential target group of export support actions

Oulun Eteläisen alueen yrityskuva

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of enterprises, especially micro-enterprises, in Oulu South region based on the statistical data. The report is based on the year 2011 data and it is part of the Micro Entrepreneurship Research and the Development of RDI in the Oulu South Region (MikroY) project. In the future, the report serving Oulu South region is to be published on a regular basis. This report presents statistical information of the enterprises in Oulu South region. Statistical data was purchased from Bisnode Finland Oy. The data (collected 28 Oct 2011) consists of 12 178 business identity codes registered in Oulu South region in one of the following municipalities: Alavieska, Haapajärvi, Haapavesi, Kalajoki, Kärsämäki, Merijärvi, Nivala, Oulainen, Pyhäjärvi, Pyhäntä, Reisjärvi, Sievi, Siikalatva ja Ylivieska. Closer analysis include business identity codes of the companies that had key information (industrial classification, number of personnel, sales) in the statistical data. The final data contains 4 597 business IDs, which were analyzed in this report using the following variables: legal form, number of employees, turnover, industry, import and export activities and registration year. The most common form of the Oulu Southern businesses is Private trader (53 % of the companies), as well as a Limited company (30 %). Almost 95 % of companies are micro-enterprises having less than 10 employees. Approximately 74 % of the companies have less than EUR 200 000 sales per year. Almost 44 % of the companies having over one million euros turnover are micro-sized enterprises. The most common category (10 %) of activity (SIC 2008) is a specialized construction activities (SIC 43). There are 241 import companies and 80 export companies in Oulu South region. Almost 34 % of the export companies and over 64 % of the import companies are micro-sized in Oulu South region. The average age of Oulu South region's companies is about 13 years. Characteristics of enterprises is described by comparing the data of three sub-regions in the Oulu South region. The characteristics of enterprises in the sub-regions is very similar. Variation in terms of industrial classification, number of personnel and sales of the companies is low between the sub-regions. The variation is higher at the municipal level.Tiivistelmä Tämän työn tavoitteena oli selvittää tilastotietojen pohjalta Oulun Eteläisen alueella toimivien yritysten ja erityisesti mikroyritysten perustiedot. Raportti pohjautuu vuoden 2011 tietoihin ja on osa Mikroyrittäjyyden tutkimus ja Oulun Eteläisen TKI-toiminnan kehittäminen (MikroY) -hankkeen toteutusta. Jatkossa Oulun Eteläisen aluetta palveleva yrityskuva on tarkoitus julkaista säännöllisesti. Tässä raportissa esitetään tilastotietoihin pohjautuvat perustiedot Oulun Eteläisen alueella toimivista yrityksistä. Yritysaineisto hankittiin MikroY-hankkeelle kilpailutuksen jälkeen Bisnode Finland Oy:ltä. Aineisto sisältää 12 178 Y-tunnusta, joiden pääpaikka sijaitsee Oulun Eteläisen alueella, eli jossakin seuraavista kunnista: Alavieska, Haapajärvi, Haapavesi, Kalajoki, Kärsämäki, Merijärvi, Nivala, Oulainen, Pyhäjärvi, Pyhäntä, Reisjärvi, Sievi, Siikalatva ja Ylivieska. Yritysaineiston poimintapäivä on 28.10.2011 ja sen tietolähteet ovat Kaupparekisteri, YTJ-tietokanta ja Tilastokeskus. Tarkempaa analyysia varten yritysaineistosta karsittiin pois 1 466 ei-yritysmuotoista y- tunnusta sekä 6 115 sellaista yritysmuotoista (avoin yhtiö, osuuskunta, kommandiittiyhtiö, osakeyhtiö tai toiminimi) y-tunnusta, joilta puuttui yksi tai useampi seuraavista keskeisistä tiedoista: toimialatieto, henkilöstötieto ja liikevaihtotieto. Karsinnan jälkeen aineistoon jäi jäljelle 4 597 yritysmuotoista y-tunnusta, jotka on tässä raportissa analysoitu seuraavien muuttujien avulla: yhtiömuoto, henkilöstömäärä, liikevaihto, toimiala, tuonti- ja vientitoiminta ja rekisteröintivuosi. Oulun Eteläisen alueen yritysten yleisimpiä yhtiömuotoja ovat toiminimi, joita on noin 53 % yrityksistä sekä osakeyhtiö, joita on noin 30 % yrityksistä. Lähes 95 % yrityksistä on alle 10 henkilöä työllistäviä mikroyrityksiä. Noin 74 %:lla yrityksistä liikevaihto on alle 200 000 euroa. Yli miljoonan euron liikevaihdon omaavista yrityksistä lähes 44 % on mikroyrityksiä. Yritysten yleisin toimialaluokka on erikoistunut rakennustoiminta (TOL 43), johon on luokiteltu noin 10 % Oulun Eteläisen alueen yrityksistä. Aineiston tietojen mukaan Oulun Eteläisen alueella tuontia harjoittaa 241 yritystä ja vientiä 80 yritystä. Oulun Eteläisen alueen vientiyrityksistä lähes 34 % ja tuontiyrityksistä yli 64 % on mikroyrityksiä. Oulun Eteläisen alueen yritysten keski-ikä on noin 13 vuotta. Oulun Eteläisen alueen seutukunnissa on hyvin samankaltainen yritysrakenne. Yritysten henkilöstö-, liikevaihto- ja toimialaluokkien seutukunnittainen vaihtelu on vähäistä. Kuntatasolla vaihtelua on selvästi enemmän

Characteristics of exporting micro-enterprises in northern sparsely populated areas:statistics overview

Abstract In European countries, the majority of the total value of exports comes from small, medium-sized and large enterprises, because they tend to be the principal target groups of public-support actions related to exports. However, micro-sized enterprises are the most numerous in every European economy. In recent years, global digitalization has lowered the barriers to exporting for micro-enterprises, and as a result, their share of total exports have increased rapidly in many countries. In addition, their share of the total number of exporting enterprises has increased. For example, in Northern Finland, more than 50 percent of exporting enterprises are micro-enterprises. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of exporting micro-enterprises in one northern sparsely populated area (NSPA). The micro-enterprises located in NSPAs tend to face context-specific challenges as they develop their businesses. Therefore, this study sought to provide context-specific knowledge, which is needed to strengthen business ecosystems and develop business-support services. To this end, the study focused on the 2015 statistical data from public archives and analysed all 49,411 active business identity codes registered in Northern Finland. The present study described how exporting micro-enterprises in Northern Finland differ a) from larger exporting enterprises and b) from non-exporting micro-enterprises. Differences in turnover, age, form of company, standard industrial classification (SIC 2008) and import status were analysed. The results showed that it is necessary to make micro-enterprises a specific target group of export-support actions, and as such its results can motivate policy-makers and providers of business services to specifically target micro-enterprises for export-support actions. This study was limited to official enterprise statistics from year 2015