Global Integration and Local Flexibility: Managing Contradictions in a Global Company - A Case Study of a Multi-National Service-Oriented Manufacturing Company

This dissertation addresses strategic change from the viewpoint of managing strategic dualities in the growth and internationalization of a company. The theoretical framework builds on theories of international business, organizational capabilities, and managing contradictions in organizations. The overarching theme of this research is the management of strategic dualities. Based on a cross-theory review, I frame a qualitative single case study, which produces a research narrative of a long-term strategic change, introducing various perspectives to provide a description of the research phenomenon in its context: a multinational service-oriented manufacturing company going through a strategic change. The data for the single case study were drawn primarily from a set of documentary data. The documentary data consisted of in-house employee magazines, company internal presentations and memos, annual reports, and articles and books on the company. This monograph starts with a review of existing literature. The literature review draws a line from traditional internationalization theories and managing the liability of foreignness to globalization and the needs to balance between global integration and local flexibility. A historical single case study follows the Finland-based multinational service-oriented manufacturing company and its growth and change. The research interest lies in the company’s attempts to harmonize its ways of working globally across the company. The results describe the various harmonization efforts and their impact on the growth and productivity of the company. The results shed light on how the company has managed tensions arising from the conflicting demands between global integration and local flexibility, between productivity and innovation, and between company internal and external views. These contradictions are addressed from three different aspects: structures and processes and adaptation thereof: technologies and products and innovation thereof: and short-term and long-term view and renewal thereof. The findings of this study explicate how the case company has developed its global operating model, the “company way” and what choices the company has made in managing tensions it has faced in the integration efforts. The key findings of this case study are the following. First, involving geographical business areas in global decision making has been helping the prioritization and allocation of scarce global resources across the network of local companies. Involving these businesses has also supported the global strategy – and the global mindset – of the company. Second, technological innovations have had a key role in developing global products and have thus supported the renewal from local to global business, differentiating the case company from many of its competitors. Third, harmonized ways of working are seen as key for agility and renewal, because the harmonized baseline enables faster changes. Fourth, the case company have chosen different approaches to manage the conflicting demands between global and local requirements. In many cases, the question has been about choices between global and local, and therefore about accepting possible trade-offs. However, in the case of an exceptional market situation in the emerging China market, local demands and pressure led to conflicts that in turn led to transformation and creation of even better ways of working by combining the global and local views. Finally, the results indicate how the drivers for harmonization have changed over time. The focus appears to have shifted from ensuring operational efficiency and economies of scale, towards making it possible for the company to integrate with external networks, especially as technological development has accelerated, and the locus of innovation has been moving outside companies. The main theoretical contribution of this dissertation is to examine international management theories with a historical long-term case study, where the need for harmonization remains but the drivers for a global strategy change. Through an empirical case study, this dissertation demonstrates the role of harmonization in a global company. It applies the existing theories to practice and illustrates how the case company has been managing the tensions that it has faced during the harmonization programs. This research complements existing international business research with a real-life case study on the global integration process of one company operating in a traditional industry

Tuuliturbiinin metallisen eroosiosuojuksen suunnittelu ja analysointi

Erosion on wind turbine blades is an ever increasing problem, as more wind power is built and the average size of turbines is growing. Especially when most of the unused capacity is in offshore, where rain erosion is a large issue. Currently issued erosion protective solutions are at their limits and offering only a limited time of protection. Metallic solutions have grown interest in the field, but still no commercial solution has been developed. Objective of this thesis is a preliminary design of such solution and analyses for it are done. For the structural analyses a wind turbine blade FEA model was recreated and validated. This was done to provide a realistic attachment for the designed shield to do the structural analyses. The blade was put under loading resembling operational conditions and the results of the shield was then observed. An ultimate load and fatigue life cases were defined for the structural analyses. For the aerodynamic analysis, a 2D CFD case for representative airfoil with added shield was defined. Both the linear-elastic 3D FEA and the 2D CFD analyses were done using the commercial software package ANSYS. In more detail ANSYS Mechanical and Composite PrepPost were used for the structural analyses and ANSYS Fluent for the CFD. The analyses yielded that the designed solution would structurally be a lifetime solution, handling the worst cases of ultimate and fatigue loads. All the stresses for respective cases were under the yield and endurance limits of the selected material. Additionally, the solution only had a minor effect on the structural response of the wind turbine blade. For the aerodynamic analysis the shield has a small, but noticeable effect on the lift coefficient of the airfoil. No changes in the drag coefficient was observed.Eroosio on kasvava ongelma tuulivoimaloiden lavoissa, kun lisää tuulivoimakapasiteettia rakennetaan ja voimaloiden keskimääräinen koko kasvaa. Etenkin kun valtaosa käyttämättömästä kapasiteetista on merellä, jossa vesisade on iso ongelma. Nykyisin käytetyt ratkaisut eroosiolta suojautumiseen ovat kohdanneet rajoitteensa ja tarjoavat vain väliaikaisen suojan. Metalliset ratkaisut ovat kasvattaneet kiinnostusta alalla, mutta yhtään kaupallista ratkaisua ei silti ole vielä kehitetty. Työn tavoite on luoda alustava malli tällaisesta ratkaisusta ja analysoida se. Rakenneanalyysejä varten olemassa oleva tuulivoimalan lavan elementtimalli uudelleenmallinnetaan ja validoidaan. Tätä mallia käytetään realistisena kiinnityspisteenä suunitellulle kilpimallille rakenneanalyysejä varten. Lapaan kohdistetaan voimia, jotka kuvastat oikeita olosuhteita tuotannon aikana ja kilpeen aiheutuneita muodonmuutoksia ja jännityksiä havainnoidaan. Kuormitustapaukset maksimikuormalle ja väsymiselle määritellään erikseen analyysejä varten. Aerodynaamista analyysiä varten tehdään 2D virtaussimulaatio sopivalle siipirpofiilille lisätyllä kilvellä. Kaikki analyysit suoritetaan kaupallisella ANSYS-ohjelmistolla. Tarkemmin, rakenneanalyyiseissä käytetään ANSYS Mechanical- ja Composite PrepPost-ohjelmia, ja virtaussimulaatio suoritetaan ANSYS Fluentilla. Analyysien tulokset näyttävät, että suunniteltu kilpi olisi rakenteellisesti elinikäinen ratkaisu selviytyen määritellyistä maksimi- ja väsymiskuormista. Kaikki jännitykset kullekin tapauksille olivat alle käytetyn materiaalin myötö- ja väsymisrajojen. Lisäksi, metallisella kilvellä oli vain pieni vaikutus lavan mekaanisiin ominaisuuksiin. Aerodynaamisesti kilvellä on pieni, mutta havaittava laskeva vaikutus nostovoimakertoimeen. Mitään muutosta vastuskertoimeen ei havaittu

Anatoxin-a and odorous metabolites in cyanobacteria : molecular detection of the producers

Cyanobacteria produce variety of secondary metabolites that may be toxic or cause odor problems in water environments. Taste and odor problems occur worldwide in freshwater, drinking water, and in the fish industry. Cyanobacterial mass occurrences pose a threat to users of water due to hepatotoxic or neurotoxic strains. Toxins are also a risk to recreational water use and have caused number of animal poisonings. Anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a are alkaloid neurotoxins produced by strains of several cyanobacterial genera. Cyanobacteria also produce strong odorous metabolites that cause musty and/or earthy odor and taste in water. The best known of these odorous metabolites are geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). These odorous metabolites cause problems in extremely low concentrations due to the very low odor threshold of humans. Producers of bioactive metabolites and non-producing strains can occur in the same species and thus cannot be distinguished morphologically by microscopy techniques. The aims of this study were: I) to identify the ana gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of anatoxin-a from the strain Anabaena sp. 37; II) to develop molecular detection methods (PCR, quantitative PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism RFLP) for the detection of potential anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a producers, and apply methods to environmental samples; and III) to develop a PCR-based molecular method for the detection of the producers of geosmin and MIB in cyanobacteria. Of the genomic sequence of Anabaena sp. 37, the gene cluster responsible for anatoxin-a biosynthesis (ana) was identified based on the comparison to the gene cluster from cyanobacteria Oscillatoria sp. PCC 6506. While the organization of the genes differed, the anatoxin-a synthetase genes were highly similar with Oscillatoria sp. PCC 6506 genes. PCR and qPCR detection methods were developed for anatoxin-a producing cyanobacteria. General primers were used to identify all the producer genera at the same time and genus-specific primers for Anabaena or Oscillatoria producers. Primers were designed to recognize the anaC gene and tested with anatoxin-a and/or homoanatoxin-a producing strains in PCR and qPCR. In addition, RFLP analysis of the anaC amplicons was used to simultaneously identify three anatoxin-a producer genera Anabaena, Oscillatoria, and Aphanizomenon. Molecular methods for anatoxin-a producers were also applied to environmental samples. With developed PCR and RFLP methods, the presence of Anabaena and Oscillatoria as potential anatoxin-a producers in Finnish freshwaters and the Baltic Sea was observed. The developed qPCR method was used to quantify the anaC gene copy numbers in Lake Garda during February-November 2013. The gene copy numbers correlated positively with the anatoxin-a concentration measured in lake samples. Thus, the developed method could be used for the detection of potential anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a producers in cyanobacterial strains and to predict the amount of anatoxin-a producers from lake water samples. A hundred cyanobacterial strains were studied with solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) in order to identify the producers of geosmin and MIB. Geosmin was found in 21 strains out of the 100 studied, representing Nostoc, Oscillatoria, Calothrix, Planktothrix, Aphanizomenon, and Cylindrospermum genera. MIB was found in two strains, Planktothrix and Oscillatoria, both also producing geosmin. Cyanobacteria-specific primers were designed to detect biosynthetic genes of geosmin (geoA) and MIB (MIB synthase) and tested with the odorous metabolite-producing strains. Molecular detection by PCR was consistent with chemical detection by SPME GC-MS. Molecular detection methods developed in this study to detect anatoxin-a or odorous metabolites producing strains could be used in surveys to identify possible producers among cyanobacterial strains and in environmental samples.Syanobakteerit tuottavat useita erilaisia sekundaarimetabolian tuotteita. Nämä yhdisteet saattavat olla myrkyllisiä ja aiheuttaa maku- ja hajuhaittoja vesistöissä. Näiden yhdisteiden aiheuttamia maku- ja hajuhaittoja esiintyy maailmanlaajuisesti juomavesissä ja kaloissa. Syanobakteerien massaesiintymät aiheuttavat riskin juomaveden käytölle hepatotoksisten ja neurotoksisten syanobakteerien vuoksi. Syanobakteerien tuottamat myrkyt haittaavat veden virkistyskäyttöä ja ne ovat myös aiheuttaneet useita eläinkuolemia. Anatoksiini-a ja homoanatoksiini-a ovat neurotoksiineja, joita tuottavat useat eri syanobakteerien suvut ja lajit. Syanobakteerien tuottamat voimakkaat maku- ja hajuaineet aiheuttavat mudan/maan maun ja hajun veteen. Parhaiten tunnettuja hajumetaboliitteja ovat geosmiini ja 2-metyyli-isoborneoli. Nämä hajumetaboliitit aiheuttavat ongelmia jo hyvin pieninä pitoisuuksina. Hajumetaboliittien ja toksisten yhdisteiden tuottajia ei voi erottaa niitä tuottamattomista saman lajin kannoista mikroskopoinnilla. Työn tavoitteena oli identifioida anatoksiini-a:n tuotosta vastaava ana geenijoukko Anabaena sp. 37 -kannasta. Lisäksi tarkoitus oli kehittää molekuularisia havainnointimenetelmiä (PCR, qPCR, katkokirjoanalyysi RFLP) anatoksiini-a:n tuottajien tunnistamiseksi ja soveltaa niitä luonnonvesinäytteisiin. Myös geosmiinin ja 2-metyyli-isoborneolin tuottajien havainnointiin syanobakteereista kehitettiin PCR-pohjainen osoitusmenetelmä. Anabaena sp. 37 -kannan genomisekvenssistä identifioitiin ana-geenijoukko vertailemalla sitä Oscillatoria sp. PCC 6506 kannan ana-geenijoukkoon. Vertailussa havaittiin, että geenien organisaatio biosynteesigeenijoukossa on erilainen, mutta Anabaena-kannan anatoksiini-a syntetaasigeenit ovat hyvin samankaltaiset Oscillatoria-kannan kanssa sekvenssitasolla. PCR- ja qPCR-menetelmät kehitettiin anatoksiini-a:n tuottajien havainnoimiseksi. Yleiset alukkeet suunniteltiin tunnistamaan tuottajia kaikista tuottajasuvuista samanaikaisesti ja sukuspesifiset alukkeet tunnistamaan Anabaena- ja Oscillatoria-sukujen tuottajat erikseen. Alukkeet suunniteltiin osoittamaan anaC-geeniä ja niiden toimivuus testattiin anatoksiini-a:n ja homoanatoksiini-a:n tuottajakannoilla. Lisäksi RFLP-menetelmä kehitettiin tunnistamaan yhtä aikaa kolmen eri tuottajasuvun anaC-geeniä, Anabaena, Aphanizomenon ja Oscillatoria. Kehitettyjä molekulaarisia menetelmiä sovellettiin luonnonvesinäytteisiin ja Anabaena sekä Oscillatoria havaittiin mahdollisina anatoksiini-a:n tuottajina suomalaisissa järvivesissä ja Itämeressä. Kehitetyn qPCR-menetelmän avulla kvantitoitiin anaC-geenikopiolukumääriä Italian Garda-järvestä helmi-marraskuussa vuonna 2013. Menetelmän avulla havaittiin, että geenikopiolukumäärät korreloivat positiivisesti järvinäytteiden anatoksiini-a:n konsentraation kanssa. Näin ollen tässä työssä kehitetyt menetelmät toimivat erinomaisesti mahdollisten anatoksiini-a:n ja homoanatoksiini-a:n tuottajien havainnoimiseksi syanobakteereista, ja niiden avulla voidaan arvioida anatoksiini-a:n tuottajien määrää luonnonvesinäytteissä. Sata syanobakteerikantaa tutkittiin kiinteäfaasimikrouutto ja kaasukromatografia -menetelmällä (SPME GC-MS), jotta voitiin tunnistaa geosmiinin ja 2-metyyli-isoborneolin tuottajia. Geosmiinin tuottajia löydettiin 21 kannasta ja kuudesta suvusta (Nostoc, Oscillatoria, Calothrix, Planktothrix, Aphanizomenon ja Cylindrospermum). 2-metyyli-isoborneolia löydettiin yhdestä Planktothrix- ja yhdestä Oscillatoria-kannasta. Molemmat 2-metyyli-isoborneolin tuottajat tuottivat myös geosmiinia. Syanobakteeri-spesifiset alukkeet suunniteltiin tunnistamaan geosmiini- ja 2-metyyli-isoborneolisyntaasi-geenit (geoA ja MIB syntaasi). Työssä kehitetyllä PCR-menetelmällä havaittiin kaikki kemiallisella menetelmällä tunnistetut hajumetaboliittien tuottajat. Tässä työssä kehitettyjä molekulaarisia havainnointimenetelmiä voidaan käyttää tutkittaessa anatoksiini-a:n ja hajumetaboliittien potentiaalisia tuottajia syanobakteerikannoista ja ympäristöstä

Effect of peracetic acid on geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol levels in recirculating aquaculture system raising rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

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Cyanobacteria and Their Metabolites in Mono- and Polidominant Shallow Eutrophic Temperate Lakes

Monodominant (one species dominates) or polidominant (multiple species dominate) cyanobacterial blooms are pronounced in productive freshwater ecosystems and pose a potential threat to the biota due to the synthesis of toxins. Seasonal changes in cyanobacteria species and cyanometabolites composition were studied in two shallow temperate eutrophic lakes. Data on cyanobacteria biomass and diversity of dominant species in the lakes were combined with chemical and molecular analyses of fifteen potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria species (248 isolates from the lakes). Anatoxin-a, saxitoxin, microcystins and other non-ribosomal peptides formed the diverse profiles in monodominant (Planktothrix agardhii) and polidominant (Aphanizomenon gracile, Limnothrix spp. and Planktolyngbya limnetica) lakes. However, the harmfulness of the blooms depended on the ability of the dominant species to synthesize cyanometabolites. It was confirmed that P. agardhii produced a greater amount and diverse range of MCs and other NRPs. In the polidominant lake, isolates of the co-dominant A. gracile, L. planctonica and P. limnetica synthesized no or only small amounts of cyanometabolites. In general, the profile of cyanometabolites was greater in cyanobacteria isolates than in environmental samples, indicating a high potential for toxic cyanobacteria bloom

The Biosynthesis of Rare Homo-Amino Acid Containing Variants of Microcystin by a Benthic Cyanobacterium

Microcystins are a family of chemically diverse hepatotoxins produced by distantly related cyanobacteria and are potent inhibitors of eukaryotic protein phosphatases 1 and 2A. Here we provide evidence for the biosynthesis of rare variants of microcystin that contain a selection of homo-amino acids by the benthic cyanobacterium Phormidium sp. LP904c. This strain produces at least 16 microcystin chemical variants many of which contain homophenylalanine or homotyrosine. We retrieved the complete 54.2 kb microcystin (mcy) gene cluster from a draft genome assembly. Analysis of the substrate specificity of McyB1 and McyC adenylation domain binding pockets revealed divergent substrate specificity sequences, which could explain the activation of homo-amino acids which were present in 31% of the microcystins detected and included variants such as MC-LHty, MC-HphHty, MC-LHph and MC-HphHph. The mcy gene cluster did not encode enzymes for the synthesis of homo-amino acids but may instead activate homo-amino acids produced during the synthesis of anabaenopeptins. We observed the loss of microcystin during cultivation of a closely related strain, Phormidium sp. DVL1003c. This study increases the knowledge of benthic cyanobacterial strains that produce microcystin variants and broadens the structural diversity of known microcystins

Cloning, expression, and characterization of novel thermostable family 7 cellobiohydrolases

Peer reviewe

Screening of glycoside hydrolases and ionic liquids for fibre modification

BACKGROUNDThis study elaborates the possibility to apply combined ionic liquid (IL) and enzyme treatments for pulp fibre modification. The approach involves swelling of fibre surfaces with IL followed by enzymatic modification of the disrupted fibre surface using carbohydrate active enzymes. RESULTSThe capacity of seven cellulose-dissolving or cellulose-swelling ionic liquids to swell pulp fibres was compared. In addition, thirteen cellulases and five xylanases were screened for their IL tolerance, which determines their applicability in combined or sequential IL-enzyme treatments of fibres. Among the studied ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate ([EMIM]DMP) and 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethylphosphate ([DMIM]DMP) had the strongest effect on fibre swelling. These solvents were also found to be the least inactivating for the studied enzymes. CONCLUSIONEnzyme compatibility and cellulose-dissolving capability are not two conflicting properties of an ionic liquid. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical IndustryPeer reviewe