CRM system implementation and firm performance : the role of consultant facilitation and user involvement

Purpose The current research aims to answer the following question: To what extent and under what conditions does hiring consultants to implement a customer relationship management (CRM) system produce performance gains for companies? To answer this question, this research delves into the critical interdependent roles of CRM consultant resources (CR) and user involvement (UI) in overcoming CRM’s technological and organizational implementation challenges. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative field study methodology was used to empirically test the research hypotheses. Cross-sectional data (N = 126) were collected from large client companies using CRM technology. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to estimate the significance levels of the structural model. Findings The findings indicate that the extent to which CRM consultants improve CRM system quality (SQ) and, ultimately, firm performance, largely depends on UI, which acts as the key facilitating mechanism to cope with application complexity (APP) and requirements uncertainty (REQ). Originality/value This research probes into the largely unexplored interactions between CRM CR, UI, APP and REQ. Using these parameters, this model successfully predicts CRM SQ and firm performance.© Samppa Suoniemi, Alex Zablah, Harri Terho, Rami Olkkonen, Detmar Straub and Hannu Makkonen. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence maybe seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcodefi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

CRM system implementation and firm performance: the role of consultant facilitation and user involvement

PurposeThe current research aims to answer the following question: To what extent and under what conditions does hiring consultants to implement a customer relationship management (CRM) system produce performance gains for companies? To answer this question, this research delves into the critical interdependent roles of CRM consultant resources (CR) and user involvement (UI) in overcoming CRM’s technological and organizational implementation challenges.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative field study methodology was used to empirically test the research hypotheses. Cross-sectional data (N = 126) were collected from large client companies using CRM technology. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to estimate the significance levels of the structural model.FindingsThe findings indicate that the extent to which CRM consultants improve CRM system quality (SQ) and, ultimately, firm performance, largely depends on UI, which acts as the key facilitating mechanism to cope with application complexity (APP) and requirements uncertainty (REQ).Originality/valueThis research probes into the largely unexplored interactions between CRM CR, UI, APP and REQ. Using these parameters, this model successfully predicts CRM SQ and firm performance.</p

Metsäisten valuma-alueiden vesistökuormituksen laskenta

Metsät vaikuttavat vesistöjen veden laatuun. Luonnontilaisilta metsä- ja suoalueilta vesistöihin kulkeutuvia ainevirtoja kutsutaan taustakuormaksi. Metsissä tehtävät toimenpiteet kuten päätehakkuut, maanmuokkaukset, lannoitukset ja ojitukset lisäävät vesistöihin tulevaa kuormitusta. Tässä julkaisussa esitellään metsätalousmaalta tulevaan luonnon taustakuormaan ja eri metsätaloustoimenpiteiden aiheuttamaan kuormituksen lisäykseen perustuva typpi-, fosfori- ja kiintoainekuormituksen laskentamenetelmä, KALLE. Laskentamenetelmän kuvauksen yhteydessä esitetään taustakuormitusluvut ja kivennäis- ja turvemaiden metsänuudistamisen ja lannoituksen sekä turvemaiden kunnostusojituksen ominaiskuormitusluvut. Ominaiskuormitusluvut on tuotettu olettaen, että vesiensuojelusta on huolehdittu uudistamishakkuiden yhteydessä jättämällä suojakaistoja vesistöjen varteen ja kunnostusojituksissa tekemällä laskeutusaltaita. Laskentamenetelmä ottaa huomioon toimenpiteiden pitkän vaikutusajan. KALLE-laskentamenetelmä on kehitetty valtakunnallisia, vesistöalueryhmittäisiä ja vesienhoitoalueittaisia laskelmia varten. Julkaisussa esitetään myös esimerkkilaskelmien tuloksia

Long-range activation of FKBP51 transcription by the androgen receptor via distal intronic enhancers

Androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-controlled transcription factor frequently deregulated in prostate carcinomas. Since there is scarce information on the action of AR on the chromatin level, we have elucidated the molecular mechanisms underlying the androgen-dependent regulation of immunophilin FKBP51 in prostate cancer cells. In comparison to the canonical AR target PSA, FKBP51 is more rapidly and strongly induced by androgen, with the regulation occurring merely at the transcriptional level. FKBP51 locus harbors 13 in silico-predicted androgen response elements (AREs), with most of them located downstream from transcription start site (TSS) and capable of binding AR in vitro. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in VCaP and LNCaP prostate cancer cells indicate that activation of the locus by the AR relies on four major intronic sites, with the compound ARE-containing sites ≥90 kb downstream from the TSS playing critical roles. Binding of agonist-loaded AR onto these sites in vivo was accompanied with significant recruitment of RNA polymerase II and BRM-containing chromatin remodeling complexes to the FKBP51 locus, which resulted in changes in the histone density of the locus. Our results indicate that very distal AREs act as genuine and robust enhancers, highlighting the importance of long-range regulation of transcription by the AR

HUUMAUSAINEIDEN VAARAT – Terveyden edistämistä nuorille

Huumausaineiden käyttö on Suomessa kasvava ongelma. Nykyisin yhä nuoremmat ihmiset ovat löytäneet huumeet, ja niiden kokeilu sekä käyttö aloitetaan jo nuorella iällä. Vuonna 2013 lukion ensimmäisellä ja toisella luokalla olleista 13 prosenttia ja ammattiopistojen opiskelijoista 21 prosenttia oli kokeillut huumeita ainakin kerran elämänsä aikana. Tähän ongelmaan tulisi kiinnittää enemmän huomiota ja kehittää terveyden edistämistä. Terveyden edistäminen on toimintaa, joka antaa keinoja ihmiselle parantaa omaa ja ympäristönsä terveyttä sekä siitä huolehtimiseen. Lisäksi se parantaa terveyden edellytyksiä. Tämä toiminnallinen opinnäytetyö tehtiin toimeksiantona Pohjois-Karjalan kansanterveyden keskukselle. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on lisätä nuorten tietämystä huumausaineiden vaaroista ja terveydellisistä ongelmista. Opinnäytetyön tehtävänä oli tuottaa Pohjois-Karjalan kansanterveyden keskukselle esittelymateriaalia nuorille huumausaineiden vaaroista ja terveyshaitoista. Esittelymateriaali sisältää tietoa huumausaineista ja niiden vaaroista. Lisämateriaalina on testi, joka testaa tekijän tietoa aiheesta ja samalla opettaa häntä. Jatkokehitysideana olisi materiaalin laajentaminen toimeksiantajalle. Lisäksi tulisi kehittää ja toteuttaa terveyden edistämispäiviä kouluille huumausaineisiin liittyen.The use of drugs is a growing problem in Finland. Nowadays more and more younger people have found drugs and they start trying them at an even younger age. In 2013, 13 % of the first and second grade students in the upper secondary school and 21% of vocational school students had tried drugs at least once in their lives. We should focus more on this problem and develop health promotion. Health promotion consists of activities that give people tools to improve and take care of their own as well as of the environment’s health. In addition, it strengthens the prerequisites for health. This practice-based thesis was commissioned by North Karelia Centre for Public Health. The aim was to increase awareness among young people about the dangers and health problems caused by drugs. The assignment was to produce presentation material for North Karelia Centre for Public Health about the dangers and health hazards of drug use. The presentation material, which is aimed at young people, contains facts about drugs and their dangers. In addition, there is a test that tests the reader’s knowledge of the subject and is also educational. An idea for further development would be to expand the material for the client. In addition, special health promotion days focusing on drugs should be developed and implemented in schools

Narrow-clawed crayfish in Finland:

The narrow-clawed crayfish (Pontastacus leptodactylus) is an alien species in Finland with only a few populations reported from the southeastern region during the last century. We discovered a productive population in the lake Jängynjärvi, which is upstream from the previously reported wild narrow-clawed crayfish population in that region. Preliminary studies indicated that this population is not infected with Aphanomyces astaci. We collected narrow-clawed crayfish samples from the lake Jängynjärvi population for both infection challenge and genetic studies, in order to investigate possible A. astaci resistance among this Finnish population and to evaluate their phylogenetic position that would enable us to speculate different scenarios of distribution pathways or origin of the population. The infection studies indicated that the narrow-clawed crayfish in this population were more resistant against A. astaci infection (B haplogroup A. astaci) compared to the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) from the lake Rytky in North Savo, while all crayfish of both species in the B haplogroup A. astaci challenged groups died within 58 days post-infection. Results of the phylogenetic reconstruction indicate that the lake Jängynjärvi narrow-clawed crayfish are closely related to narrow-clawed crayfish from the lake Bolshoye near Krasnoye, located on the White Sea island of Solovestky and also populations from Tyumen region, both in Russia. This could confirm previous speculations about introduction of the narrow-clawed crayfish from Russia into Finland or could indicate previous hydrological connection