Risto Tainio

Value efficiency analysis of academic research

We propose a systematic approach to analyzing academic research performance at universities and research institutes. The analysis of research performance based on a set of (abstract) criteria which are relevant from the decision makers point of view. The scales for these criteria are defined by means of concrete indicators. All indicators, are, however, not necessarily quantitative. Qualitative information is quantified using appropriate analytical tools. Once the criteria and indicators have been agreed upon and quantified, data on the research units is collected and a Value Efficiency Analysis is performed. The efficiency of research units is defined in the spirit of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), complemented with a decision makers (Rector in the European university system) preference information. This information is obtained by asking the decision maker to locate a point on the efficient frontier having the most preferred input and output values. Our approach and the accompanying Decision Support System enables a university to allocate resources more efficiently for its research units. Using data from the Helsinki School of Economics, we describe how our approach can be used.

Governance structures in Finnish corporations

The competitive advantage of nations is closely related to how the governance of resources is accomplished under increasing competition and globalization of business. This paper describes the governance structures of large Finnish companies and their recent changes. Old regulatory and corporatist governance structures are in crisis. The future challenges are to balance: long-term and short-term ownership production and finance orientation outside and inside expertise in management

Changing Managerial Competitive Practices in the Context of Growth and Decline in the Finnish Banking Sector

In this chapter we examine changes in managerial competitive practices in Finnish banks during the period of deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s. ‘Deregulation’ here refers to the process of removing various institutional barriers, namely protective banking regulations.

Adjusting to Macro-Economic Reforms in Russia: The Crisis Case of the Svetogorsk Mills

This article describes the transformation process of the Svetogorsk paper mills in 1988-1992 under conditions of perestroika, and the subsequent eco nomic reforms in the former Soviet Union. The study was carried out as a piece of action research, which means that crucial knowledge about the transformation was generated in the actual process of changing the produc tion and maintenance management of the mills. The decentralization of the planning system generated enthusiasm, opti mism and energy in the ranks of management. The results of the initial change efforts proved to be positive, and the most acute production prob lems were successfully resolved. But technical improvements and new main tenance practices were not enough. The instability and unpredictability of the institutional environment had destroyed the prerequisites for profitable business. The study provides some insight into the difficulties of organiza tional change under the conditions of a constantly changing environment and a weak internal resource base. It is a study of an organizational crisis under systemic collapse.

Progress and pathology in managerial practice: An evolutionary perspective

Abstract The progressive or pathological nature of routinization has been recognized by several scholars. This paper emphasizes the dual nature of routinization in managerial practice. The traps and potential are simultaneously present. The article briefly reviews the literature where routines have been recognized either as progress or pathology. It gives some examples of how routines change their nature over time. Finally, the article develops an argument that the interplay of progressive and pathological processes can be understood through the replicative model of evolution.