Diss. Helsinki : Univ.

Bachelor's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

Title: Jaunty Vaasa-lads and lazy boys – a study of masculinity and patriotism in the Civil Guard in Vaasa in relation to the Finnish Civil War of 1918. This paper deals with the subject of expressions of masculinity in relation to patriotism and nationalism as a part of the mobilisation of the so called white side in the Finnish Civil War of 1918. With regards to how this was expressed in the local Civil Guard in the town of Vaasa. The focus   lies on the construction of an ideal masculinity within this specific Civil Guard as expressed            in the Guards own documents of different varieties, during the events in the spring of 1918 and at the one year anniversary of its outbreak. The study is first and foremost based on Joan W. Scott's theory of gender and it's constitutive and interrelated elements, particularly that of culturally available symbols and subjective identities. It also takes into consideration views on masculinity, nationalism, and patriotism as described by George L. Mosse and others. This paper argues that the whites presented a desirable masculine ideal of the ultimate warrior that resonated in different ways in the examined material. This ideal may have been one way to keep mobilising the white forces against the real but also at times exaggerated threat posed by the red forces. There has also been a discussion in earlier research regarding this mobilisation and whether or not the whites mislead the Ostrobothnian volunteers and soldiers into believing that they were fighting russians instead of their own compatriots. This paper has found some evidence of the exaggerated demonization of the reds, and therefore also some tendensies of presenting them as Russians and Bolsheviks. This study has also shown that to be willing to sacrifice oneself for the nation and stand strong against its enemies, both internal and external, seems to have been what the ideal man was perceived to be by the whites in the examined Civil Guard. As well as it was also how he should act if he had the nations best interest in mind and fought for the continued Finnish independence. Keywords: Finnish Civil War, Civil Guard, Finland, masculinity, patriotism, 20th century, nationalism, gender

Banks represent one of the most important parts of the economy in the world. As a result, decisions of bank management affect not just the direct bank stakeholders but the state of the economy and society as a whole. This became evident during the latest financial crisis in 2007 where the failure of one bank resulted in the domino falling that affected banks globally. The regulators increase their attention to the risks that bank face and their measures and requirements. Therefore, the research within the banking area has important consequences from both theoretical and practical side.   The purpose of this project is to investigate whether there is a relationship between dividends that Nordic banks pay and different types of risks such as market, credit (including default), liquidity and operational. The results of the research will contribute to the knowledge in finance and help different stakeholders to understand possible reasons for different dividends level.   The methodological position works as a foundation for the conduction of the research. The epistemological and ontological views applied in this project are positivism and objectivism. The deductive research approach and quantitative research strategy are used for the research and thus the collection and analysis of the archival data of 19 Nordic banks over five year time horizon. The research can therefore be described as a panel study.   Based on the previous research papers the following proxies for risks have been used in the research: market risk – capital requirement for market risk to total assets, credit risk – loan loss provisions to total assets, default risk – Altman Z-score, liquidity risk –liquidity coverage ratio, operational risk – economic capital (capital requirement) for operational risk to total asset.   Ordinary Least Square regression analysis is performed over the collected data in order to fulfil the purpose of the project. The tests results identify that there are no statistically significant relationship between dividends and market, credit, default and liquidity risks and the statistically significant negative relationship between the dividends and operational risk in Nordic banks. These findings contribute to a new knowledge within the finance and banking area in particular. Additionally, this project might be used as a foundation for the further research within the field. The findings are also useful for stakeholders in understanding banks risk level.

Bicycles offer an efficient, emission-free mode of transportation, particularly ideal for shorter distances in urban areas. Consequently, bicycling is increasingly being perceived as a viable and important part of the urban transportation mix. Despite increased progress and attention, few cities have successfully incorporated cycling as a key feature of their urban policy, or substantially increased cycling’s modal share. Meanwhile, research suggests that climate and weather influence cycling and transportation in urban areas, with cold climates in particular reducing the likelihood of cycling. This research examines how bicycling can be mainstreamed in winter cities, thereby improving cycling conditions and increasing modal share. Oulu, Finland serves as a case study. Located at 65 degrees latitude, Oulu has a twenty percent modal share for cycling. A close examination how cycling was mainstreamed is presented and synthesized. The goal is to present Oulu’s experience in bicycle planning as a model for other winter cities, particularly in Canada.

Fornföreningen Fibula on the Aland Islands contacts the author because its members want to create a museum.The purpose of this two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies is to shed light on what a museum really is. The research question I have answered is “what is a museum and is this what Fibula really wants in their reconstructed Viking village?”. Based on interview material, ethnographic field studies, relevant research in the subject and documents from Fibula, I have answered the research question. My theory is grounded and the methods are qualitative.The result of the analysis is that a museum is a non-profit, permanent institution mediating knowledge. It is a heritage value protector and a museum is obligated to take care of and conserve its museum objects and to safeguard the heritage professionally. A museum has to respect and understand the heritage it manages. Research anddocumentation of the museum collections is the key to maintain professionalism. A museum is always active and it can be a participating museum where visitors are included in the museums democratic processes. Fibula is a heritage entrepreneur and the association will find it difficult to manage a museum professionally due to that reason. Fibulas members have an existing sense of place for the Viking village in Kvarnbo and its surroundings. To bring attention to this fact in the future a museum, a visitor center, a walking trail or a development of the Viking village into a living history museum or an (archaeological) open air museum could be relevant. At the moment it seems doubtful however that Fibula and its members got the time, the commitment, the resources and the knowledge it takes to run a museum. Perhaps a museum can be created in the future if respect and understanding of heritage value will come to pass. Entrepreneurship and the sense of place alone don’t lead all the way to a museum.

Bicycles offer an efficient, emission-free mode of transportation, particularly ideal for shorter distances in urban areas. Consequently, bicycling is increasingly being perceived as a viable and important part of the urban transportation mix. Despite increased progress and attention, few cities have successfully incorporated cycling as a key feature of their urban policy, or substantially increased cycling’s modal share. Meanwhile, research suggests that climate and weather influence cycling and transportation in urban areas, with cold climates in particular reducing the likelihood of cycling. This research examines how bicycling can be mainstreamed in winter cities, thereby improving cycling conditions and increasing modal share. Oulu, Finland serves as a case study. Located at 65 degrees latitude, Oulu has a twenty percent modal share for cycling. A close examination how cycling was mainstreamed is presented and synthesized. The goal is to present Oulu’s experience in bicycle planning as a model for other winter cities, particularly in Canada.

Sverige har förbundit sig att följa europeiska konventioner om minoritetsrättigheter i sin minoritetspolitik sedan år 1999 men både Europarådet och bland annat regeringens utredare Lennart Rohdin har nyligen kritiserat Sverige för att inte leva upp till dem.                       Sverigefinnar är den största av de fem nationella minoriteter som finns i Sverige men minoritetspolitiken fungerar inte felfritt ens för deras del. Det finns brister speciellt på kommunalnivå men till exempel minoritetslagstiftningen är också missledande. Syftet med mitt arbete är att visa hur sverigefinnarnas minoritetsrättigheter följs eller inte följs idag. Dessutom har jag försökt gräva i vad det kan bero på att minoritetsrättigheter inte realiseras som de ska.                       Arbetet består av fem journalistiska artiklar som grundar sig på den svenska minoritetslagstiftningen och en av dem på friskolefrågan bland sverigefinnar samt en reflektionsrapport där jag resonerar kring mina undersökningsmetoder, källkritik och genre. I rapporten berättar jag också om tankar kring de etiska funderingar som jag hade under arbetets gång och beskriver sverigefinnarnas och minoritetsrättigheters bakgrund i Sverige. Meningen har varit att belysa även den svenskspråkiga majoriteten om sverigefinnarnas angelägenheter eftersom den största delen av minoritetsnyhetsbevakning för sverigefinnarnas del nuläget är på finska och inte når den svenskspråkiga minoriteten. Istället för att skriva korta nyheter har jag också velat gräva och kartlägga situationer mer grundligt och sätta de enskilda fallen i en bredare kontext.

The effects of lichen ground cover (predominantly Cladina stellaris) on the growth of Picea mariana at Schefferville, Quebec and Pinus sylvestris at Kevo, Finland, was investigated in situ. Effect on seedling establishment was inferred through examining status quo conditions. While contiguous mat cover precluded establishment, its margins provided ameliorated conditions suitable for establishment. Moss covered areas were the most preferred sites. At Schefferville, ten perturbations involving fertilization, lichen removal, polyethylene overlays, and aqueous lichen extract application were effected on sixteen experimental plots. Branch elongation, needle nitrogen and bole diameter were statistically analyzed as functions of various monitored edaphic conditions. Leader elongation and needle nitrogen was measured at Kevo. Lichen presence over the term of both studies showed net beneficial effect on the trees; lichen extracts had significant detrimental effects. Seed germination was suppressed by lichen presence but enhanced by lichen induced low soil pH when in contact with the soil.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.