Towards a Helsinki Approach to Global Political Economy : Integrating Pluralist Economic Theorisation and Critical IPE

IPE is in need of critical self-reflection. Many or most scholars fail to be persuaded by the Open Economy Politics framework, which has informed the bulk of IPE research especially in the US since the late 1990s. A key reason for the apparent lack of an effective alternative to this conventional approach is that critical IPE has thus far failed to address satisfactorily two key deficiencies from which it has arguably suffered from its very beginning. These two deficiencies are the paucity of economic theorisation and lack of philosophical depth. We make four claims: (1) there is a limit to how far IPE can go without addressing explicitly the problems of economic theory; (2) the mainstream of economics has insulated itself from the concerns of social scientific IPE, but there are several economic theoretical traditions from which IPE can draw insights and explanatory hypotheses; (3) systematic engagement with different traditions requires an explicit metatheoretical framework such as critical scientific realism or pragmatism; and (4) IPE should illuminate structures, mechanisms and processes that are not confined by state borders or limited to interactions of national states. It follows from (4) that the field should be called World or Global PE rather than IPE

ASIAKASSUHTEEN HOITO, PALVELUN LAATU JA TUOTTEISTUS TILITOIMISTOSSA

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli tutkia, millaiseksi AJ-Laskennan asiakkaat kokevat AJ-Laskennan laadun. Tutkimuksessa haluttiin saada selville, millaiseksi asiakkaat kokevat AJ-Laskennan asiakassuhteiden hoitamisen, miten asiakkaat kokevat AJ-Laskennan palvelun laadun, miten asiakkaat kokevat AJ-Laskennan tuotteistuksen ja hinnoittelun ja miten tyytyväisiä AJ-Laskennan asiakkaat ovat asiakassuhteen hoitamiseen, palvelun laatuun, tuotteistukseen ja hinnoitteluun. Tutkimus toteutettiin kvalitatiivisena. AJ-Laskennan kymmenelle avainasiakkaalle tehtiin teemahaastattelu. Haastattelujen ajankohta oli helmi-maaliskuu 2011. Tutkimus osoitti, että AJ-Laskennan asiakkaat ovat todella tyytyväisiä ja uskollisia. Asiakkaat kokevat, että AJ-Laskennan palvelut ovat hyviä ja vastaavat hyvin asiakkaiden tarpeisiin. Tuotteistuksesta asiakkailla on niukka ja osin epämääräinen käsitys, mutta heidän mielestään tuotteistuskin on AJ-Laskennalla heidän tarpeitaan vastaavalla tasolla. AJ-Laskennan palveluiden hintoja asiakkaat pitävät korkeina, mutta uskovat hintojen vastaavan AJ-Laskennan korkeaksi koettua laatua. Tutkimuksen tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää esimerkiksi kehitettäessä AJ-Laskennan palveluita. AJ-Laskenta voi poimia tutkimuksesta esimerkiksi niitä asioita, joihin asiakkaat ovat tyytyväisiä. Näitä asioita painottamalla asiakastyytyväisyys voi kasvaa entisestään. Tutkimuksesta voi löytää myös asiakkaiden antamia kehitysehdotuksia tai AJ-Laskennan toiminnassa olevia puutteita. Näitä asioita huomioimalla AJ-Laskenta voi jatkossa parantaa palvelujaan entisestään.The objective of the study was to study how the customers of AJ-Laskenta feel about the quality of AJ-Laskenta. One wanted to find out, how the customers feel about the customer relationship management and how the customers feel about the quality of the service of AJ-Laskenta. In addition was wanted to study what the customers think about the commodification and the pricing of AJ-Laskenta and how satisfied the customers are with the customer relationship management, the quality of the service, the commodification and the pricing. The study was carried out from a qualitative approach. A theme interview was made to ten key customers of AJ-Laskenta. The interviews were made during February-March 2011. The study showed that the customers of AJ-Laskenta were really satisfied and loyal. The customers considered that the services of AJ-Laskenta were good and responded well to their needs. The customers had a partly poor and obscure understanding of the commodification. In their opinion the commodification was at the level which met their needs. The customers considered the prices of the services of AJ-Laskenta high, but they thought that the price-quality ratio was good. The results of the study can be utilized for example in developing the services of AJ-Laskenta. For example, AJ-Laskenta can pick up on matters which the customers were satisfied with. By emphasizing these matters, the customer satisfaction can improve. In the study can be found both shortcomings and development proposals given by the customers. AJ-Laskenta can improve its services by paying attention to these matters further in the future