Resilience in supplier management in energy industry

Abstract. Currently, there is variation and development need in Finnish companies how prepared and resilient they are against crisis and disruptions. In the energy industry, supply chain resilience (SCRes) is a critical part of strategic management due to its critical role in society and effect on competitiveness. Disruption effects to supply chain (SC) performance are minimized by proactive risk management and ensuring business continuity by different capabilities in buyer company and suppliers. Crisis and disruptions are not completely predictable or preventable and different capabilities ensure fast recovery from disruptions and crisis. The aim of this research is to define how SCRes can be managed and developed by supplier relationship management in the energy industry in Finland. The research consists of a literature review and empirical study implemented as qualitative research using a semi-structured interview. The research target is achieved by research questions defined below: RQ1: How can SCRes be defined in an energy industry context? RQ2: How to manage SCRes? RQ3: What capabilities are critical to be considered to ensure high SCRes in the energy industry in Finland? RQ4: How to improve SCRes in the energy industry in Finland? The key findings indicate that SCRes needs to be continuously assessed and improved by several intra-organizational and inter-organizational collaborative capabilities. Business Continuity Plan needs to be implemented proactively in collaboration with suppliers and other networks. SCRes is managed through the whole SC by systematic and proactive supplier relationship management (SRM). As the research is a wide interview study, the findings of this research can be utilized for other industrial fields by management and improvement of SCRes. It needs to be considered that the findings are subjective as done by one researcher.Alihankkijoiden resilienssiarviointi energiateollisuudessa. Tiivistelmä. Toimitusketjun resilienssi vaihtelee suomalaisissa yrityksissä ja siinä on kehitettävää sen mukaan, miten varautuneita ja kriisinkestäviä yritykset ovat. Energiateollisuudessa toimitusketjun resilienssi on kriittinen osa strategista johtamista yhteiskuntakriittisyyden ja kilpailukyvyn vaikutuksen vuoksi. Häiriöiden vaikutukset toimitusketjuun minimoidaan proaktiivisella riskienhallinnalla ja varmistamalla liiketoiminnan jatkuvuus erilaisilla kyvykkyyksillä. Kriisejä ja häiriöitä ei voida täysin ennustaa tai estää, joten erilaisia kyvykkyydet varmistavat nopean toipumisen kriiseistä. Tämän diplomityön tavoite oli selvittää, miten toimitusketjun resilienssiä voidaan johtaa ja kehittää toimittajasuhteiden hallinnan kautta energiateollisuudessa Suomessa. Tutkimus koostuu kirjallisuuskatsauksesta ja empiirisestä tutkimuksesta, joka on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena puolistrukturoitujen haastatteluiden avulla. Tutkimuksen tavoitteet saavutetaan seuraavilla tutkimuskysymyksillä: TK1: Miten toimitusketjun resilienssi määritellään energiateollisuudessa? TK2: Miten toimitusketjun resilienssiä johdetaan? TK3: Mitkä tekijät ovat kriittisiä toimitusketjun korkean resilienssin varmistamisessa energiateollisuudessa Suomessa? TK4: Miten toimitusketjun resilienssiä voidaan kehittää energiateollisuudessa Suomessa? Keskeisimmät löydökset osoittavat, että toimitusketjun resilienssiä tulee parantaa jatkuvasti yritysten sisäisten kyvykkyyksien ja yritysten välisten, yhteistyöllä vahvistettavien kyvykkyyksien kautta. Liiketoiminnan jatkuvuussuunnitelma otetaan käyttöön proaktiivisesti yhteistyössä toimittajien ja muiden sidosryhmien kanssa. Toimitusketjun resilienssiä johdetaan koko toimitusketjun matkalla systemaattisen ja proaktiivisen toimittajahallinnan kautta. Koska kyseessä on laaja haastattelututkimus, löydöksiä voidaan soveltaa myös muille teollisuuden aloille toimitusketjun resilienssin johtamiseen ja kehittämiseen. On otettava huomioon, että löydökset ovat subjektiivisia yhden tutkijan tekemiä löydöksiä

White boots marching in a yellow land:representations of war and their linguistic conveyance in anti-Vietnam war song lyrics

The Vietnam War and its counter phenomenon, i.e., the Peace Movement in the United States in the 1960s and early 1970s, form the context of this thesis. The peace movement produced a substantial number of anti-war songs. The material of this thesis consists of 25 songs written by the three most prominent singer-songwriters of the movement: Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Phil Ochs. This thesis is based on two research questions related to the persuasiveness of the lyrics: firstly, how do the songwriters represent war in their songs to argue against it; and secondly, what kinds of linguistic means have they used to make their songs persuasive? The questions are examined through some ideas of classical rhetoric, as well as the more modern approach of stylistics. As for the representations of war, four main categories are detectable in the songs. The songwriters justify their protest by representing the war as a crime against humanity, as unnecessary sacrifice, as a display of power, and as a betrayal of the American values. This is often done through lyrics that are likely to stir emotions (e.g. compassion, anger, or guilt), which, according to classical rhetoric, enhances the persuasive power of the songs. According to a stylistic approach, the linguistic features of a text contribute to its effect. The songs examined in this thesis draw some of their persuasiveness e.g. from the use of particular personal pronouns, clause types, and rhetorical devices such as satire, irony, parody, metaphor, allegory, and simile. These features are employed for example to create an illusion of verisimilitude, to construct roles of power, to highlight evils, and to create associations. These effects are likely to appeal to the emotions and to the sense of justice of the audience.Tämän pro gradu -työn aihepiiri liittyy Vietnamin sotaan sekä rauhanliikkeeseen, joka nousi 1960-luvulla vastustamaan sitä Yhdysvalloissa. Rauhanliikkeen piirissä syntyi suuri määrä sodanvastaisia lauluja. Tämän tutkielman aineisto koostuu kahdestakymmenestäviidestä laulusta, joiden tekijöinä ovat yhdysvaltalaisen rauhanliikkeen kolme merkittävintä laulaja-laulutekijää: Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan ja Phil Ochs. Lähtöoletuksena on, että lauluntekijät pyrkivät vaikuttamaan lauluillaan kuulijan mielipiteisiin ja taivuttelemaan hänet puolelleen. Tutkielma rakentuu kahden tutkimuskysymyksen ympärille: Ensin kuvataan, millaisena lauluntekijät ovat esittäneet sodan lauluissaan; toiseksi tarkastellaan, millaisia kielellisiä keinoja he ovat käyttäneet saadakseen kuulijan vakuuttuneeksi asiastaan. Tutkimuskysymyksiä lähestytään klassisen retoriikan sekä modernimman stilistiikan kautta. Sodan kuvaukset voidaan jakaa neljään ryhmään. Lauluntekijät perustelevat sodanvastaisuuttaan esittämällä sodan rikoksena ihmisyyttä vastaan, tarpeettomana uhrauksena, voimannäyttönä sekä amerikkalaisten perusarvojen pettämisenä. Näiden ajatusten välittämisessä lauluntekijät käyttävät usein tunteisiin (myötätunto, suuttumus, syyllisyys) vetoavia tekstejä, mikä klassisen retoriikan mukaan lisää laulujen vaikuttavuutta. Stilistiikan näkemyksen mukaan tekstin synnyttämä vaikutelma on osittain seurausta sen kielellisistä ominaisuuksista. Tässä pro gradu -työssä tutkittujen tekstien tehokkuuteen vaikuttavat mm. tiettyjen persoonapronominien käyttö, lausetyypit sekä retoriset tehokeinot kuten satiiri, ironia, parodia, metafora, allegoria ja vertaus. Näiden tyylikeinojen avulla mm. luodaan illuusiota todenmukaisuudesta, konstruoidaan valtarooleja, korostetaan epäkohtia ja luodaan mielleyhtymiä. Tällä tavoin pyritään vetoamaan kuulijoiden tunteisiin ja oikeudentajuun

The increased trend of medical treatment for thyroid diseases during pregnancy:a 13-year national study

Abstract Objective: Thyroid dysfunction affects up to 5–7% of all pregnancies. The rates of thyroid hormone use in nonpregnant population have substantially increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to assess possible changes in the use of levothyroxine substitution and antithyroid drugs over time in pregnant women. Methods: The study data consisted of all singleton pregnancies (N = 736,873) between 2004 and 2016 in Finland collected from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. The Prescription Register and Special Refund Entitlement Register provided information on levothyroxine and antithyroid drug purchases. The annual rates of levothyroxine and antithyroid drug prescription redemptions were explored to estimate changes in exposure rates to thyroid medication from 2004 to 2016. Joinpoint regression analyses were performed to explore interannual variability in levothyroxine and antithyroid drug treatment. Results: There was more than a five-fold increase in levothyroxine use during the study period; in 2004, 1.1% of pregnant women had levothyroxine treatment, and by 2016, the prevalence increased to 6.2%. In addition, we observed a slight increase in antithyroid medication during pregnancy, but antithyroid drug use during pregnancy overall was very rare. In 2004, 0.05% of pregnant women used antithyroid drugs, and by 2016, this percentage had increased to 0.14%. Conclusions: Our study shows that the rate of levothyroxine use in pregnancy has markedly increased. This suggests that tracing and screening relevant patients and awareness of thyroid disorders on pregnancy and their significance for the pregnancy outcome have increased and the threshold to treat thyroid disorders has declined

Indications for intensive care unit treatment among neonates born to mothers with thyroid disease:a population-based cohort study

Abstract Introduction: Thyroid diseases in pregnancy are relatively common and are associated with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, increasing a neonate’s risk of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate the indications for increased risk of NICU admission among the neonates of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid mothers. Material and methods: The study data consisted of all singleton deliveries (n = 734 773) between 2004 and 2016 in Finland collected from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. The odds of NICU admission (with 95% confidence intervals) were compared between the neonates of hypothyroid or hyperthyroid mothers and of mothers without any thyroid diseases by specified neonatal characteristics and morbidities using logistic regression analysis. The studied neonatal characteristics were preterm birth (<37+0 gestational weeks), low birthweight (<2500 g), the rate of small- and large-for-gestational age infants, and eight disease-specific neonatal outcomes: asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, meconium aspiration syndrome, pneumothorax, cardiovascular problems, infections, jaundice and hypoglycemia. Results: The most common indications for NICU care were principally the same in the neonates of the mothers with and without thyroid disease: respiratory distress syndrome, infections, preterm birth, low birthweight and neonatal hypoglycemia. The preterm neonates, neonates with low birthweight, and large-for-gestational-age infants had increased odds of NICU admission if their mother had hypothyroidism. Also neonates with cardiovascular problems, jaundice or hypoglycemia associated with maternal diabetes had increased odds of NICU admissions if their mother had hypothyroidism. Further, the preterm neonates, large-for-gestational-age infants, and term infants with jaundice had increased odds of NICU admission if their mother had hyperthyroidism. Conclusions: The most common indications for NICU care were similar for the neonates of the mothers with and without thyroid disease. However, the neonates of the mothers with thyroid diseases were more likely to need NICU care. The neonates of the mothers with thyroid diseases had higher odds of NICU treatment in cases of preterm birth, large for gestational age, and hypoglycemia

Maternal hyperthyroidism and pregnancy outcomes:a population-based cohort study

Abstract Objective: Maternal hyperthyroidism and antithyroid medications have been associated with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. This nationwide register-based study investigated the association of maternal hyperthyroidism and antithyroid drug (ATD) use with pregnancy outcomes and included all singleton births in Finland between 2004 and 2013 (N = 571 785). Design, patients and measurements: Hyperthyroid mothers were identified in the Medical Birth Register, and data on ATD use before and/or during pregnancy were collected from the Prescription Register. The odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals, for adverse outcomes among hyperthyroid mothers and mothers without thyroid disease were compared using logistic regression. Results: In total, 2144 (0.37%) of all the women had diagnoses of hyperthyroidism, and 580 (27%) of these women had used ATDs before and/or during pregnancy. Compared to the mothers without thyroid disease, maternal hyperthyroidism was associated with older age, multiparity, smoking, previous miscarriages, and overweight or obesity. The mothers diagnosed with hyperthyroidism also had increased odds of gestational hypertensive disorders, caesarean sections, placental abruptions, preterm births, small-for-gestational-age newborns and neonatal intensive care unit treatment. The odds of pregnancy and/or perinatal complications were higher among those who had used ATDs (indicative of active disease), but those who had not received ATD treatment also had increased odds of such complications compared to the mothers without thyroid disease. Conclusions: Women with active hyperthyroidism and those with histories of hyperthyroidism should be considered at risk of developing pregnancy and perinatal complications and should therefore be monitored during pregnancy