Effective Rates of Sectoral Productivity Change

In effective rates of sectoral productivity change, some of the inputs are treated as produced. Here, this is extended to cover all the inputs. All the sectoral rates of productivity growth based on a static input–output (IO) framework are shown to be equal to the corresponding rates of decrease in the production price. For the direct rate, all the input prices are treated as exogenous constants. For the effective rates, prices of the inputs, which are treated as produced, are determined by production technology. The fully effective rate is derived from the price equations of the closed dynamic IO model. It is equal to the rate of decrease in the production price when the prices of all inputs, human capital and human time included, depend on production technology. The overall rate, obtained as a weighted sum of the fully effective sectoral rates, is equal to the rate of growth in the growth potential of the economy.     

Sustainability perspectives on Oulanka National Park,Finland: mixed methods in tourism research

This paper positions mixed methods as a complement to traditional qualitative and quantitative research. It provides an example of conducting mixed methods research by analysing the sociocultural sustainability of tourism as perceived by local stakeholders nearby Oulanka National Park in north-eastern Finland. Semi-structured interviews were linked concurrently to survey data from the same respondents. First, four discourses were identified based on 40 interviews with respondents about tourism development pertinent to the Protected Area Network (PAN) Parks international certification. Second, the differences between the representatives of the discourses were examined using non-parametric statistics. Results of the qualitative and quantitative analysis supplemented each other. The survey results supported the identification of four discourses and provided information about the representatives using the discourses. The discourse groups differed according to length of residence in the area, distance from the park, gender, employment in tourism, familiarity with PAN Parks, benefit from PAN Parks status, belief in the benefits of PAN Parks, satisfaction with tourism and park development, importance of the environmental dimension and satisfaction with various dimensions of sustainability. The study demonstrates that a better understanding of a problem may be acquired by using a mix of survey methods and interviews.     

The SNA93 Values as a Consistent Framework for Productivity Measurement: Unsolved Issues

The SNA93 as a source of a consistent set of values for productivity accounting is studied. In the valuation of intermediate inputs and outputs the main problems relate to the treatment of taxes and subsidies on products. In labor share the main problem is the separation of the labor compensation of the self-employed. As to the value of capital input, the exact relationship between depreciation, efficiency decline and obsolescence is missing in the SNA93. All relevant assets are not allocated to industries. Treatment of the services of financial intermediaries is also problematic     

Production Prices of Human Capital and Human Time

It follows from the definition of production as a circular process that human capital and human time are also products. Production prices calculated as the balanced growth price vector of the dynamic input–output model provide a consistent basis of valuation. For the inclusion of the production of heterogeneous human capital and human time in the dynamic input–output model the production of human capi tal is partitioned into phases and special non-linear coefficients, applicable to a variety of different human careers, are derived to take care of the replacement of human capital as well as of the consumption of persons in retirement.     

Local discourses and international initiatives: sociocultural sustainability of tourism in Oulanka National Park,Finland

National parks have become important tourist attractions and tools for regional development. New international initiatives, such as PAN (Protected Area Network) Parks in Europe, now promote sustainable tourism in protected areas. This paper examines the sociocultural sustainability of tourism perceived by local stakeholders of Oulanka National Park in northeastern Finland. The central question concerns the role of PAN Parks certification in community and tourism development. Four discourses were identified, based on 40 semi-structured interviews exploring different views on sociocultural development pertaining to tourism in the national park: (1) integrating nature-based tourism and conservation, (2) defending the rights of local people, (3) stressing the economic utilization of nature and (4) accepting tourism development and the national park. Although local stakeholders mostly have a positive perception of tourism in the park, it cannot be concluded whether the park facilitates development in a sustainable manner or not. Key problems identified are lack of participation opportunities and contradictions with traditional subsistence economies. The various positions of stakeholders in these discourses tend to influence their views on sustainability. Findings imply the necessity to monitor the distribution of benefits and burdens of park development holistically to multiple stakeholders.     

Cognitive Maps and a Hyperknowledge Support System in Strategic Management

Strategic management is defined as the system of action programs which form sustainable competitive advantages for a corporation, its divisions, and its business units in a strategic planning period.We have developed a system called Woodstrat to serve as a support system for these action program activities on both the corporate, the divisional, and the business unit levels. The system is modular and is built around the logic of strategic management, i.e., the main modules cover the market position; the competitive position; the production position; and the profitability, investment, and financing positions. The innovation in Woodstrat is that these modules are linked together, i.e., when a strong market position is built into some market segment, it will have an immediate impact on profitability through links running from the assumptions on an expected development to the projected profit/loss statement. There are similar links making the competitive position interact with the market position, and the production position interact with both the market and the competitive positions, and with the profitability and financing positions.The intermodular links are based on expert knowledge of strategic management; expert knowledge is also worked into the modules such that the logic of strategic management guides the user through the process of working out sustainable competitive advantages. The process is made user-supportive with a hyperknowledge user interface. The support is made intuitive and effective with the use of object-oriented expert system technology. The basis for this is rather unusual: the Woodstrat system was built with Visual Basic, in which the objects to create a hyperknowledge environment were built.It is shown that the conceptual constructs which form strategic management can be described with cognitive maps, and that these can be adequately represented with our hyperknowledge objects. It is also shown that the knowledge formation which takes place in a management team when strategic plans are formed can be described and validated with a hyperknowledge support system. It is finally shown that a support system with hyperknowledge features, which are close to the cognitive maps of a management team, will have a profound impact on the depth and the structure of its strategic management processes.     

Consumer participation in sustainable technology development

The article discussed consumer participation in the assessment and development of sustainable innovations, i.e. new technologies and services that have the potential to radically reduce natural resource use. Needs and contexts for consumer involvement were identified, and three case studies that each adopted a different approach to consumer participation were presented. The discussion included lessons learned from these case studies, and it identified priorities for future research and development.