Returning home : A study on individual and organizational aspects affecting repatriate knowledge transfer

During their expatriation assignments, repatriates have often gained skills and knowledge that can be beneficial to their company after their return. Gathering and sharing this knowledge can be referred to as repatriate knowledge transfer also known as RKT. Though RKT can be beneficial for a company battling in a global business environment, RKT is not researched extensively. Additionally, companies often tend to overlook the value repatriate knowledge can offer for them. Prior studies have argued that both organizational and individual level aspects affect RKT. Individual level aspects consists of ability and motivation. Organizational level aspects include career management, repatriation support, organizational culture and managerial attitudes. Moreover, prior studies have argued that RKT often depends on repatriates’ own motivation and efforts to actively find and utilize RKT opportunities. Organizational level aspects can enhance repatriates’ ability and motivation to engage in RKT. The aim of this thesis is to gain more information regarding what aspects affect RKT and how it can be enhanced. A qualitative research is conducted with nine repatriates, who all work in the same Finnish company. The results indicate that RKT is not actively practiced in the company. Additionally, it is found that repatriate support practices are not actively utilized in the company. The results high-light that repatriates’ ability to engage in RKT is tightly connected to the position or role they have in the organization. However, regardless of the current state of repatriation support practices in the company, a majority of the repatriates appear to be motivated to engage in RKT. Instead, the lack of suitable knowledge sharing platform and a clear need for knowledge, which originates from the company itself, appear to have a greater impact on why RKT has not been an active part of the company’s functions

Are Patents Impeding Medical Care and Innovation?

This month's debate examines whether the current patent system is crucial for stimulating health research or whether it is stifling biomedical research and impeding medical care. Background to the debate: Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers argue that the current patent system is crucial for stimulating research and development (R&D), leading to new products that improve medical care. The financial return on their investments that is afforded by patent protection, they claim, is an incentive toward innovation and reinvestment into further R&D. But this view has been challenged in recent years. Many commentators argue that patents are stifling biomedical research, for example by preventing researchers from accessing patented materials or methods they need for their studies. Patents have also been blamed for impeding medical care by raising prices of essential medicines, such as antiretroviral drugs, in poor countries. This debate examines whether and how patents are impeding health care and innovation

Universe of a searcher

Maisterin opinnäytetyö Etsijän universumi koostuu kirjallisesta ja taiteellisesta osasta. Taiteelliseen osioon kuuluu neljä taiteilijakirjaa ja kolme esinekoostetta. Taiteellisen osan dokumentaatio löytyy erillisenä kuvaliitteenä kirjallisen työn lopusta. Työn lähtökohtana toimii kiinnostus keräilemistä kohtaan. Työssä selvitetään keräilyn hyödyntämistä taiteen tekemisen metodina. Aihetta lähestytään haastattelemalla sähköpostitse seitsemää suomalaista nykytaiteilijaa. Alan/aihealueen kansainvälisiin taiteilijoihin perehdytään taidekirjallisuuden kautta. Opinnäytteessä pohditaan keräilyä monista eri lähtökohdista. Siihen tutustutaan taiteilijoiden lisäksi kaunokirjallisuuden ja ammattijärjestelijän näkökulmista. Esille nousee kysymyksiä tavaroiden liiallisen säästämisen ja pois heittämisen ongelmista. Työssä pohditaan myös luonnonmateriaaleista tehtyjen taideteosten säilymiseen ja tuhoutumiseen liittyviä asioita. Kirjallisen osion lopussa mietitään vielä muistojen ja muistelun merkityksiä. Taiteellinen osio selvittää erilaisia teosmuotoja, joihin kerätty materiaali taipuu. Taiteilijakirjat sisältävät kuivattuja kasveja, pieniä esineitä, maasta poimittuja objekteja, joiden lisäksi käytetään piirustuksia, kollaaseja, kirjoitettuja muistoja ja valokuvia. Esinekoosteissa hyödynnetään valmiita materiaaleja, kuten laatikoita ja kirjankansia.The master thesis Universe of a Searcher consists of written and artistic sections. Four artist’s books and three assemblages form the artistic section. The visual documentation of these artefacts can be found in a separate attachment following the written section. The basis for this thesis is an interest towards gathering. In this thesis I examine how gathering can be utilised as a method for artistic work. The subject is been approached by interviewing seven finnish contemporary artist via e-mail. By investigating visual art books I provide an insight on international artists in the field. In this thesis, gathering is being considered from various points of view. In addition to the introduction of artists, the subject is being introduced from aspects that literature provides and views of a professional organiser. From this, emerges questions regarding problems of excess saving of items, as well disposing those. Preservation and decaying of artworks made from natural materials is also studied within this thesis. At the end of the written section the meaning of memories and reminiscing is being considered. The artistic section examines different forms of art that gathered materials could be ap-plied to. Artist’s books include dried plants, small objects and objects found from ground, as well drawings, collages, written memories and photographs. Ready-made materials, like boxes and book covers, are being used with assemblages

Tavoittelin valokuvan lumoa

Pohjimmiltaan kandidaatin opinnäytetyössäni on kysymys tunteista, tykkäämisestä ja onnellisuudesta. Työn lähtökohtana oli aiemmin kuvaamani kaksoisvalotettu muotokuva. Tuossa kuvassa toteutui valokuvan lumo. Halusin kokea uudelleen kuvan aikaansaamat tuntemukset toistamalla siinä käytettyjä metodeja. Kandidaatin opinnäytetyöni sisältää kirjallisen osion, Tavoittelin valokuvan lumoa ja taiteellisen osion Lumimarja ja yhdeksän muuta muotokuvaa. Kirjallisessa työssä tarkastelen tunteita, jotka toimivat halun ja tavoittelun taustalla. Pohdin laajemmin valokuvan lumoa ja kerron taiteellisen osion valmistumisprosessisista. Taiteellinen osio koostuu kymmenen muotokuvan sarjasta

Users\u27 Guides to the Medical Literature: How to Use an Article about Mortality in a Humanitarian Emergency

The accurate interpretation of mortality surveys in humanitarian crises is useful for both publichealth responses and security responses. Recent examples suggest that few medical personnel andresearchers can accurately interpret the validity of a mortality survey in these settings. Using anexample of a mortality survey from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we demonstrateimportant methodological considerations that readers should keep in mind when reading amortality survey to determine the validity of the study and the applicability of the findings to theirsettings

COVID-19's implications on agri-food systems and human health in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has put agri-food systems and resultant human health under serious pressure and this has thus become a priority concern for the country and its development partners. To understand, describe and analyse the impacts of COVID-19 on agri-food systems, human health issues and related SDGs, this study used systematic rapid literature review, analysis of blogs and news and engagement with key informants. The analysis reveals impacts that can be addressed through a set of recommendations for a coordinated effort to minimize the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on agri-food systems and related health issues in Bangladesh

Health and Historical Levels of Freedom

Background: The link between political freedom and health is unclear. We aimed to determine the association byexploring the relationship of historical and cumulative freedom levels with important health outcomes. Methods: We obtained countrywide health indicators for life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality ratio, %low birth weight babies, Gini coefficient (a measure of wealth inequality) and various markers of freedom based onpolitical rights and civil liberties. We applied multivariable logistic regression to examine the association betweenhealth indicators and within-country years of freedom as determined by Freedom House rankings. Results: The total proportion of free years from 1972-2005, the duration of current freedom level, and the Ginicoefficient show independent positive associations with health indicators, which remain after the adjustment fornational wealth, total government expenditure, and spending on health. Countries identified as having high totalproportion of free years demonstrated significantly better health outcomes than countries with low levels of freedom(life expectancy, Odds Ratio [OR] 7.2, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 2.3-22.6, infant mortality OR 19.6, 95% CI, 5.6-67.7,maternal mortality ratio, OR 24.3, 95% CI, 6.2-94.9, and % low birth weight babies OR 3.8, 95% CI, 1.4-10.8). This was alsothe case for infant mortality (OR 3.4, 95% CI, 1.0-8.4), maternal mortality ratio (OR 4.0, 95% CI, 1.2-12.8), and % low birthweight babies (OR 2.6, 95% CI, 1.0-6.6) among countries considered as having medium levels of freedom. Interpretation: We found strong associations between country-level freedom and important health outcomes. Thecumulative level of freedom over time shows stronger associations with all health indicators than the duration ofcurrent freedom level