Yrityksen kansainvälistyminen - Case PolarHouse Oy

Tämän opinnäytetyön toimeksiantajana toimii PolarHouse Oy. Teemme kaksiosaisen hankkeistetun opinnäytetyön, jonka ensimmäinen osa tehdään PolarHouse Oy:lle markkinaraporttina, ja toinen osa keskittyy markkinaraportin teoriaan. Markkinaraportin tavoitteena on tutkia Ruotsin ja Norjan omakotitalo- ja vapaa-ajantalomarkkinoita. Tutkimuskysymykset markkinaraportissa käsittelevät yrityksen kansainvälistymistä, Ruotsia, Norjaa, jakelukanavia, kansainvälistä markkinatietoa sekä vientimuotoja. Näiden aiheiden kirjallinen tutkimusaineisto muodostaa teoriaosan viitekehyksen. Markkinaraportti, eli tutkimusosuus sekä teoriaosuus on tehty käyttäen sekä kvalitatiivista että kvantitatiivista tutkimusmenetelmää. Tutkimusosuuden aineisto on koottu lähdekirjallisuutta käyttäen pääasiassa Internet-lähteistä, kun taas teoriaosuuden aineisto on koottu käyttäen pääasiassa kirjallisia lähteitä. Lisäksi opinnäytetyössä on käytetty case -yritykseltä saatua yritystietoa. Markkinaraportin tulokset ovat salaisia. Tutkimuksessa selvisi, miten kohdemaiden talomarkkinat ovat kehittyneet viime vuosina, ja pystyimme selvittämään kohdemaissa potentiaalisia markkina-alueita. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa selvisi, mitä kansainvälistyvän yrityksen täytyy ottaa huomioon lähtiessään ulkomaisille markkinoille.This thesis work is made for PolarHouse Oy, a manufacturer of residential and leisure houses. We produce a two-part thesis. The first part is made for PolarHouse Oy and it is a market report, and the second part of the report focuses on market theory. The objective of the market report was to study the Swedish and Norwegian residential and leisure house markets. The research questions in the market report cover internationalization processes of the company, Sweden, Norway, distribution channels, international market data and forms of export. The written research material of these topics forms the framework of the theory part in this thesis. The market report and the theory part were implemented by using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The data of the market report was collected mainly from Internet sources, while the theoretical data was collected mainly from written sources. Furthermore, the thesis includes information given by the case company. The results in the market report are confidential. The study showed how the house markets in the target countries have developed in recent years, and we were able to identify potential markets in the target countries. The study also showed what companies going international must take into consideration when beginning exports to the foreign markets

Natural Antimicrobials from Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) Seeds by Sanding and Hydrothermal Extraction

We have developed an organic solvent-free process to enrich natural antimicrobials from the important Nordic Rubus berry species, especially from cloudberry. The process utilizes industrial berry byproducts as raw-material, and it is based on seed sanding technology and water-based extraction. The extracts showed strong antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A concentration of 5 mg/mL totally eliminated these bacteria in 24 h. Effects against Gram-negative bacteria were modest. Polyphenol analysis of the hydrothermal extracts showed that the antimicrobial activity is correlated to ellagitannins, mainly dimeric sanguiin H-6 and sanguiin H-10 isomers. Sanguiin H-10 is not commonly found in intact cloudberry seeds, but it is formed from the dimeric and trimeric ellagitannins, during the extraction. Surprisingly hydrothermal extracts had no or minor effects on beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus rhamnosus. This interesting finding might offer an application potential in controlling skin microbial pathogens, for example, in wound healing.</p

Voimaa taiteesta: hyvinvointia tuottamassa

Julkaisun ovat tuottaneet HUMAKin erikoistumisopintojen opiskelijat. Se sisältää eri alojen ammattilaisten, mm. opettajien, lastentarhanopettajien, mielenterveystyössä ja kehitysvammaisten parissa työskentelevien työn tuloksia. Julkaisu sisältää esimerkkejä siitä, miten luovia menetelmiä voidaan käyttää oman työyhteisön analysoinnissa

Amine Surface Modifications and Fluorescent Labeling of Thermally Stabilized Mesoporous Silicon Nanoparticles

Mesoporous silicon (PSi) has been shown to have extensive application opportunities in biomedicine, whereas it has frequently failed to produce complex systems based on PSi due to the lack of surface functional groups or the instability of the unmodified PSi surface. In the present study, PSi nanoparticles, stabilized by thermal oxidation or thermal carbonization, were successfully modified by grafting aminosilanes on the surface. The modifications were performed by covalently bonding 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine (APTES) or 3-(2-aminoethylamino) propyldimethoxymethylsilane (AEAPMS) on thermally oxidized PSi (TOPSi) and thermally carbonized PSi (TCPSi). These materials were systematically characterized with N₂ ad/desorption, TEM, contact angle, zeta potential, FT-IR, ²⁹Si CP/MAS NMR, and elemental analysis. To evaluate their application potentials, a fluorescent dye, fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate (FITC), was coupled on the surface of amine-modified nanoparticles. The effects of PSi matrix and surface amino groups on FITC coupling efficiency, fluorescent intensity, and the stability of fluorescence in simulated body fluid (SBF) were investigated. The nanoparticles modified with AEAPMS had higher FITC coupling efficiency than those modified with APTES. FITC-coupled TOPSi nanoparticles also possessed brighter fluorescence and better fluorescent stability in SBF. Furthermore, due to the protection caused by the mesoporous structure of PSi nanoparticles, the FITC-coupled TOPSi nanoparticles showed superior photostability in photobleaching experiment