Implementing Mass Customization Strategy to Enhance Customer Value - Findings from eBusiness Research of Finnish Metal and Electronics Companies

Today’s business environment is characterized with extremely tight competition. Companies are forced to constantly reduce costs and outperform when pursuing efficiency. At the same time, companies are struggling to reach effectiveness to retain customer loyalty. Combining these two aspects is difficult at best and requires reasonable trade-off between variety, functionality, and price of the products and services. In this research we are concentrating to understand how companies are utilizing e-Business and mass customisation strategies when pursuing efficiency and effectiveness using multiple case study in Finnish metal and electronics industries. Results implies that companies are pursuing efficiency first inside their own company and then moving to enhance the fluency of the whole supply chain community. This development creates background for effectiveness seeking and enables companies to implement more customeroriented strategies, like mass customisation

OnCreate and the virtual teammate: an analysis of online creative processes and remote collaboration

This paper explores research undertaken by a consortium of 10 universities from across Europe as part of an EU Erasmus Strategic Partnership project called OnCreate. Recent research and experiences prove the importance of the design and implementation of online courses that are learner-centred, include collaboration and integrate rich use of media in authentic environments. The OnCreate project explores the specific challenges of creative processes in such environments. The first research phase comprises a comparative qualitative analysis of collaboration practices in design-related study programmes at the ten participating universities. A key outcome of this research was in identifying the shortcomings of the hierarchical role models of established Learning Management Systems (such as Moodle or Blackboard) and the tendency towards evolving 'mash-up' environments to support creative online collaboration

Systemic Dosing of Thymosin Beta 4 before and after Ischemia Does Not Attenuate Global Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Pigs

The use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and aortic cross-clamping causes myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I-RI) and can lead to reduced postoperative cardiac function. We investigated whether this injury could be attenuated by thymosin beta 4 (TB4), a peptide which has showed cardioprotective effects. Pigs received either TB4 or vehicle and underwent CPB and aortic cross-clamping for 60 min with cold intermittent blood-cardioplegia and were then followed for 30 h. Myocardial function and blood flow was studied by cardiac magnetic resonance and PET imaging. Tissue and plasma samples were analyzed to determine the amount of cardiomyocyte necrosis and apoptosis as well as pharmacokinetics of the peptide. In vitro studies were performed to assess its influence on blood coagulation and vasomotor tone. Serum levels of the peptide were increased after administration compared to control samples. TB4 did not decrease the amount of cell death. Cardiac function and global myocardial blood flow was similar between the study groups. At high doses a vasoconstrictor effect on mesentery arteries and a vasodilator effect on coronary arteries was observed and blood clot firmness was reduced when tested in the presence of an antiplatelet agent. Despite promising results in previous trials the cardioprotective effect of TB4 was not demonstrated in this model for global myocardial I-RI.Peer reviewe

Roadmap for implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) and other molecular monitoring methods in Finland – Vision and action plan for 2022–2025

Roadmap for implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) and other molecular monitoring methods in Finland – Vision and Action Plan for 2022-2025 Technological development in molecular methodology has been extremely fast in the past two decades, and groundbreaking new approaches have been introduced. It is now possible to detect and quantify DNA or RNA of target species or even map the whole species community in environmental samples of water, sediment, soil, air or assemblages of whole organisms. Moreover, the costs of high-throughput sequencing and other advanced molecular methods have decreased and methodological pipelines from sampling to data analysis developed sufficiently to allow large-scale, routine application of the new methods in environmental monitoring. This presents a huge opportunity to improve the coverage, accuracy and cost-efficiency of monitoring, enabling a much more complete picture of biodiversity and the state of the environment and their trends. As the new European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and other international policies to halt biodiversity loss and the degradation of habitats are translated into concrete measures, the quality of the monitoring data will play a crucial role in determining their success or failure. In this roadmap commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, we assess the state-of-the-art in molecular monitoring methods in Finland within the international context, identify challenges and development areas that remain to be addressed and propose an action plan for promoting the coordinated implementation of molecular methods in national monitoring programs. Apart from the most recent scientific literature, our analysis is based on survey results, direct enquiries and interviews. Participation of the national community of experts from different sectors was enabled and invited at several stages of the roadmap preparation. Internationally, molecular monitoring methods are being actively developed and are routinely implemented in monitoring across different taxa and ecosystems. In Finland, molecular monitoring methods have been tested and piloted by all major institutions responsible for environmental monitoring, and the methods are already applied routinely in the monitoring of individual game species such as the wolf and European and Canadian beaver. However, other areas such as the monitoring of biodiversity, threatened species, non-mammalian invasive species or emerging plant or animal pests remain less developed, and national efforts and expertise are scattered across different organizations. Funding and know-how are perceived as the most important factors limiting molecular monitoring method implementation. We estimate that extensive, routine implementation of a wide range of molecular monitoring methods is conceivable in Finland before 2030. As the primary development areas for reaching this goal, we identify (i) international coordination and standard development, (ii) networking across sectors, (iii) education, (iv) infrastructure, (v) reference sequence libraries and the mapping of whole genomes, and (vi) modelling and analysis tool development. For concrete actions in 2022–2025, we propose (1) a cross-governmental funding instrument, (2) a permanent working group responsible for national and international coordination, (3) a national network and (4) an online platform to enhance interaction and knowledge transfer, as well as (5) a national data management system with collectively agreed data and metadata formats and standards. ---------- Kansallinen tiekartta ympäristö-DNA:n ja muiden molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien käyttöönotolle – visio ja toimenpidesuunnitelma vuosille 2022-2025 Molekyylibiologisten menetelmien teknologinen kehitys on ollut ennennäkemättömän nopeaa kahden viime vuosikymmenen aikana. Uudet menetelmät mahdollistavat kohdelajien DNA:n tai RNA:n havaitsemisen ja runsausmäärityksen tai koko eliöyhteisön kartoittamisen esimerkiksi vesi-, sedimentti-, maaperä- tai ilmanäytteistä tai kokonaisia yksilöitä sisältävistä kokoomanäytteistä. Massiivisen rinnakkaissekvensoinnin ja muiden menetelmien kustannukset ovat merkittävästi laskeneet ja menetelmäketjut näytteenotosta tulosten tulkintaan kehittyneet asteelle, joka mahdollistaa niiden laajamittaisen, rutiininomaisen käytön ympäristön seurannassa. Uusien menetelmien avulla voimme parantaa seurannan kattavuutta, tarkkuutta ja kustannustehokkuutta ja siten täydentää seurannan kautta muodostuvaa kuvaa luonnon monimuotoisuudesta ja sen muutoksista. Tälle tiedolle on suuri tarve – laadukas seuranta on keskeinen edellytys sille, että EU:n uuden biodiversiteettistrategian ja muiden luontokadon ja elinympäristöjen tilan huonontumisen pysäyttämiseen tähtäävien kansainvälisten sitoumusten toimeenpano onnistuu. Tässä ympäristöministeriön tilaamassa tiekartassa arvioimme molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien nykytilaa Suomessa osana laajempaa kansainvälistä kenttää, tunnistamme huomiota vaativia haasteita ja kehityskohteita ja ehdotamme konkreettisia toimenpiteitä molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien koordinoidun käyttöönoton edistämiseksi lähivuosien aikana. Selvityksemme perustuu uusimman tieteellisen kirjallisuuden lisäksi kyselytutkimukseen sekä suoriin tiedusteluihin ja haastatteluihin. Yhteiskunnan eri sektoreita edustava kansallinen asiantuntijayhteisö osallistui tiekartan valmisteluun työn eri vaiheissa. Molekyylibiologisia seurantamenetelmiä kehitetään parhaillaan aktiivisesti ympäri maailmaa eri eliöryhmille ja ekosysteemeille, ja yksittäisiä menetelmiä on useissa maissa otettu myös rutiininomaiseen käyttöön. Suomessa menetelmiä on kehitetty ja pilotoitu kaikissa keskeisissä ympäristön seurantaa koordinoivissa laitoksissa, ja yksittäisten riistaeläinten kuten suden ja kanadan- ja euroopanmajavan seurannassa ne ovat jo rutiinikäytössä. Biodiversiteetin, uhanalaisten lajien, vieraslajien (nisäkkäitä lukuun ottamatta) ja muiden haitallisten lajien kansallisessa seurannassa molekyylibiologisten menetelmien käyttö on kuitenkin vielä kokeiluasteella, ja kehittämishankkeiden ja asiantuntijuuden kenttä on hajanainen. Riittämätöntä rahoitusta ja osaamista pidetään alan asiantuntijoiden keskuudessa tärkeimpinä menetelmien käyttöönottoa rajoittavina tekijöinä. Arviomme mukaan laaja kirjo molekyylibiologisia seurantamenetelmiä olisi mahdollista ottaa laajamittaiseen rutiininomaiseen käyttöön vuoteen 2030 mennessä. Tärkeimmiksi kehityskohteiksi nousivat (i) kansainvälinen koordinaatio ja menetelmien standardointi, (ii) organisaatioiden ja sektoreiden välinen verkostoituminen, (iii) koulutus, (iv) infrastruktuuri, (v) referenssisekvenssikirjastot ja kokonaisten genomien kartoittaminen sekä (vi) malli- ja analyysityökalujen kehittäminen. Konkreettisiksi toimenpiteiksi vuosille 2022-2025 esitämme (1) poikkihallinnollista rahoitusohjelmaa molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien käyttöönottoa edistäville tutkimus- ja kehityshankkeille, (2) pysyvää työryhmää kansallisen ja kansainvälisen koordinaation edistämiseksi, (3) olemassa olevan kansallisen asiantuntijaverkoston laajentamista, (4) internet-pohjaista alustaa vuorovaikutuksen ja tiedonjaon tehostamiseksi sekä (5) kansallista, yhdessä sovittuja data- ja metadatastandardeja noudattavaa molekyylibiologisten seuranta-aineistojen tiedonhallintajärjestelmää

Roadmap for implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) and other molecular monitoring methods in Finland–Vision and action plan for 2022–2025

Technological development in molecular methodology has been extremely fast in the past two decades, and groundbreaking new approaches have been introduced. It is now possible to detect and quantify DNA or RNA of target species or even map the whole species community in environmental samples of water, sediment, soil, air or assemblages of whole organisms. Moreover, the costs of high-throughput sequencing and other advanced molecular methods have decreased and methodological pipelines from sampling to data analysis developed sufficiently to allow large-scale, routine application of the new methods in environmental monitoring. This presents a huge opportunity to improve the coverage, accuracy and cost-efficiency of monitoring, enabling a much more complete picture of biodiversity and the state of the environment and their trends. As the new European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and other international policies to halt biodiversity loss and the degradation of habitats are translated into concrete measures, the quality of the monitoring data will play a crucial role in determining their success or failure. In this roadmap commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, we assess the state-ofthe-art in molecular monitoring methods in Finland within the international context, identify challenges and development areas that remain to be addressed and propose an action plan for promoting the coordinated implementation of molecular methods in national monitoring programs. Apart from the most recent scientific literature, our analysis is based on survey results, direct enquiries and interviews. Participation of the national community of experts from different sectors was enabled and invited at several stages of the roadmap preparation. Internationally, molecular monitoring methods are being actively developed and are routinely implemented in monitoring across different taxa and ecosystems. In Finland, molecular monitoring methods have been tested and piloted by all major institutions responsible for environmental monitoring, and the methods are already applied routinely in the monitoring of individual game species such as the wolf and European and Canadian beaver. However, other areas such as the monitoring of biodiversity, threatened species, non-mammalian invasive species or emerging plant or animal pests remain less developed, and national efforts and expertise are scattered across different organizations. Funding and know-how are perceived as the most important factors limiting molecular monitoring method implementation. We estimate that extensive, routine implementation of a wide range of molecular monitoring methods is conceivable in Finland before 2030. As the primary development areas for reaching this goal, we identify (i) international coordination and standard development, (ii) networking across sectors, (iii) education, (iv) infrastructure, (v) reference sequence libraries and the mapping of whole genomes, and (vi) modelling and analysis tool development. For concrete actions in 2022–2025, we propose (1) a cross-governmental funding instrument, (2) a permanent working group responsible for national and international coordination, (3) a national network and (4) an online platform to enhance interaction and knowledge transfer, as well as (5) a national data management system with collectively agreed data and metadata formats and standards

Theoretical approaches for enhancing IS-related learning in organizations

Organizational change and learning processes are often related to the development of information systems (IS). The theoretical groundings for management and organizational learning should be recognized in order to foster learning via IS. Learning theories must be examined for quaranteeing a feasible scientific ground for design of learning, education and development processes. In this paper Kolb's research on experiential learning provides an excellent view of how people learn through experience. Models for understanding the social reality of people are required to understand the cultural and social qualities of the working environment. The cultural context of learning should be noted, learning should be learner-centered, not teacher- or material-centered. The key word is mediation. We can ask, what are we mediating and how? Cognitive theories in addition to theories about cultural mediation set us a new approach for developing IS and re-organizing organizational activities. An attempt..