Browsing by department "Metsäekonomian laitos"
Now showing items 21-27 of 27
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(2009)Political incentives often have a central role in bioenergy production. Influence of these incentives is expected to increase, because conventional fossil fuels are draining and the climate change forces policy makers to react. Hence, the demand for biofuels is also expected to grow. Woodbased fuels are the most important biofuel and renewable energy source in Finland. Woodbased fuels are almost equally divided into liquid byproducts of the pulp industry and solid woodbased fuels. This study focuses on solid woodbased fuels, because these solid fuels have markets unlike e.g. black liquor and because these shares increase. In this study, the solid woodbased fuels include forest chips, bark, sawdust, industrial chips, recycled wood and pellets. One aim of the study is to formulate a general view of the Finnish woodbased fuel markets. The demand is analysed by using the statistics of The Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) and the supply by using existing literature. Metla compiles statistics about the utilization of woodbased fuels from over 700 energy facilities, comparing several categories of woodbased fuels. This study overwiews the period from 2003 to 2007. Energy facilities are divided into four different so that the specifics of the demand can be identified. Another aim of the thesis is to study the impact of emissions trading on woodbased fuel utilization. Emissions trading is the most important instrument for improving the competitive advantage of renewable energy production for energy facilities that belong to the scheme, producing heat or electricity with over 20 MW nominal effect. The growth in the credit price of 2 co emissions increases the demand for biofuels and reduces the demand for fossil fuel in energy facilities of over 20 MW. Empirical analysis are carried out for different energy facility categories. Large community facilities are more sensitive to the changes of credit price than the forest industry`s plants. Energy facilities with 520 MW nominal capacities reduce the woodbased fuel utilization, when the credit price rises. This flux diminishes the effect of the emissions trading. On the other hand, it seems that changes in credit price do not affect the woodbased fuel consumption in energy facilities of less than 5 MW. The utilization of woodbased fuels will change due to the stuctural changes in the forest industry. The production of byproducts, such as bark, decreases with diminishing quantaties of traditional forest industry products. If the increasing demand was met, forest chip utilization should be added. However, especially the restriction of production in the sawmill industry decreases the supply of harvesting residues chip and forest chip production shifts more towards energy wood thinning. Also, the use of woodbased fuels among different energy facilities is changing. The utilization of woodbased fuels has traditionally been centralized in the forest industry units using industrial byproducts. Nowadays, it is also an important energy source for the energy production facilities of the communities due to different policy instruments. This has affected that the trade of woodbased fuels has increased.
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(2009)The phenomenal globalization of business is the main incentive for the study of business ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). With an increase in transnational trade over the past decades, an understanding of acceptable business practices across cultural boundaries is particularly important. Public concern for global issues such as climate change, raw material procurement, human rights, labor policies and corporate governance has significantly increased. Business corporations are obligated to operate as members of communities, organization as such is not allowed to exist if it does not gain acceptance and support from those in its environment. Furthermore, CSR can be seen as a competitive advantage – one dimension of corporate reputation and image. As future managers and consumers the current students are shaping the construct of corporate responsibilities. The future of CSR depends much on the attitudes of coming generations. The purpose of this study was to investigate how and to what extent the personal values and perceptions of CSR differ among Chinese, Finnish and American students. The theoretical frame of reference suggests that perceptions of CSR are affected by background variables – gender, nationality and study major – both directly and through personal values. The nature of the study was quantitative and the sample consisted of altogether 1547 students from Finland, China and USA. The data has been gathered using questionnaires. The results of the study support previous findings of significant cultural and gender related differences in personal values and perceptions of CSR. Generally, female respondents and students majoring in forest ecology and environmental sciences possessed softer values and accepted or supported NGOs’ activity and governmental regulation in business life. The Chinese represented harder and more masculine values, whereas the American respondents emphasized soft values and stakeholder welfare. Overall, the Chinese data was the most homogenous, whereas the difference between genders was the most significant in Finland. Further research would be needed to find out if and how the values and perceptions are evolving over time. It remains to be seen, whether the ongoing globalization will decrease cultural differences in values and CSR orientation.
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(2009)Suomen sahateollisuus elää pitkästä ja hienosta historiastaan huolimatta vuonna 2009 vaikeaa aikaa. Maailman-talouden taantumaan johdosta vientivetoinen teollisuus joutuu leikkaamaan tuotantoaan huippuvuosiin verrattuna lähes puolella. Sahatavaran kysyntä on romahtanut uudisrakentamisen pysähdyttyä kuin seinään. Lisäksi tilannetta on hankaloittanut sahatavaran ylituotanto muualla Euroopassa ja Itä-Euroopan maiden sahateollisuuden kasvu. Kotimaassa tuontipuun hinnat karkasivat liian korkeiksi Venäjän asettamien puun tuontitullien myötä, jonka johdosta myös muun metsäteollisuuden rakennemuutos on saanut uutta vauhtia. Selluteollisuuden siirtyessä kiihtyvällä tahdilla halvempien kuituraaka-aineiden lähteille ja vanhojen tehtaiden sulkeutuessa myös kotimaisen puukaupan tasapaino on järkkynyt. Perinteisen sahateollisuuden tulevaisuus näyttää synkältä, jonka vuoksi sen tulevaisuutta on päätettyä tutkia mm. tässä työssä. Painotus on ollut sahateollisuuden kysynnän ja asiakasrakenteen tulevaisuuden skenaarioissa. Tutkimusta lähdettiin toteuttamaan kvalitatiivisena työnä, jonka primaaridata hankittiin asiantuntijateemahaastatteluin joissa asiantuntijoina toimivat sahateollisuudessa tai alaan liittyvissä työtehtävissä toimivat henkilöt. Tutkimuksen teoreettisena viite-kehyksenä toimi Nordin (2005) sahateollisuuden arvoketjusta muokattu kehys, johon yhdistettiin PESTEK-analyysi. Nordin arvoketjun valittujen osien tutkiminen PESTEK-analyysillä ja teemahaastatteluilla synnyttivät kolme sahateollisuuden skenaarioita vuoteen 2020 asti. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin myös sovellettua delfoi-menetelmää muun muassa hankkimalla skenaarioiden dataa kahdessa vaiheessa. Ensin asiantuntijahaastatteluin ja myöhemmin skenaarioista saatiin palautetta Helsingin yliopiston, Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen ja Euroopan metsäinstituutin järjestämässä skenaariotyöpajassa. Useamman menetelmän käyttämisellä eli triangulaatiolla pyrittiin parantamaan tutkimuksen validiteettia. Tutkimuksen tuloksena syntyi sekä sahateollisuuden nykytilan kuvaus, että sahateollisuuden kolme tulevaisuuden skenaariota. Nykytilan kuvaus tarvittiin, jotta tiedettäisiin lähtökohta skenaarioille. Skenaariot kuvaavat sahateollisuuden kolmea erilaista tulevaisuutta riippuen sen toimijoiden oletetuista toimintamalleista lähtötilanteessa ja matkalla kohti vuotta 2020. Ensimmäisessä skenaariossa sahateollisuuden kehittyminen rajoittuu kovaan hintakilpailuun perustuotteissa ja toiminta on vahvasti markkinoiden syklisyyden armoilla. Toisessa skenaariossa osa sahateollisuuden toimijoista on lähtenyt kehittämään yhteistyötä puunjalostusteollisuuden kanssa vertikaalisen integraation voimin. Tuotteet ovat pitkälle jalostettuja ja markkinat pääosin kotimaassa ja lähialueilla. Kolmannessa ja viimeisessä skenaariossa sahateollisuus hakee ketteryyttä toimintaansa horisontaalisella integraatiolla bioenergiaklusterin kanssa. Tuotannossa jalosteet ovat aiempaa suuremmassa roolissa perustuotteiden rinnalla ja monialaosaamisella taistellaan markkinoiden syklisyyttä vastaan. Vaikeasta tilanteesta huolimatta suomalaisella sahateollisuudella on mahdollisuudet selvitä, mutta se voi vaatia yksittäisten yritysten kohdalla perusteellisia muutoksia liiketoimintamalleihin ja ajattelutapoihin.
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(2010)The European Union has stated the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions as one of the major goals in its energy policy. The Emission trading system that started in year 2005 was established to create an efficient market for emission permits and to direct the emission reductions to areas where they are most cost-efficient. Finland has committed to follow the guidelines of the emission trading system and to make notable reductions to the total level of CO2 emissions. The goal of this study is to examine how the emission trading system has affected the fuel choices in the energy sector. The purpose is to find out whether there has been substitution between the different fuel types. The substitution effects were estimated by three different methods. Also this study tries to explain what type of price elasticities the different fuels have. Additionally the effect of emission permit on the allocation of different fuels is studied. The data used in this study were gathered from 67 plants over four years. The studied fuels were aggregated into three categories: wood, peat and other fuels the fourth studied variable was the price of emission permit. The data were edited in to a panel form and were analysed in statistical program EViews. Translog function form was used to solve the elasticities for different fuel types. The results indicate that during the observation period peat acted as a base load fuel with wood and other fuels acting as peaking fuels. Peat counted for half of the total fuel consumption with wood and the other fuels both having a share of about 25%. Wood and other fuels were more price sensitive and had a higher price elasticity than peat. The increase in the price of emission permits decreased the use of peat but had only minor effect on wood and other fuels. During the first period of emission trading system the fluctuation of the permit’s price was intense and the increase in the price did not have a major effect on the fuel choices in the Finnish energy sector. The second period started in 2008 and only one year of that period was included in this study, so it is still to yearly to make any further interpretations of how the second period has effected on the fuel choices. For future studies, in the field of interfuel substitution and price elasticity, a longer time period and a data set with more plants and more fuel types could offer more accurate results and would give more insight to how the plants react to the changing conditions.
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(2009)Forest industries of many forest-rich Nordic nations have traditionally been highly export oriented, where domestic demand is not sufficient to guarantee the existing production capacity. Under these circumstances the exchange rate, the value of the domestic currency relative to that of the trading partners, becomes then one of the most important macroeconomic considerations. In the short run it determines the profitability and competitiveness, and thus each firm’s survival. In the long run, firms may e.g. hedge against unfavourable currency fluctuations or anticipate future currency developments and stipulate them in their long-term sales contracts. Firms also have the possibility to act strategically by absorbing some or all of a currency change in export prices and this way affecting traded quantities. Although theoretical contributions to the literature fail to conclusively validate this hypothesis and the results of empirical estimations are widely mixed, studies concerning forest products trade have often found evidence of exchange rate effects on traded quantities. Previous studies concerning Finnish forest product exports have reported the use of exchange rate changes to alter prices in the buyer’s currency, especially as a consequence of deliberate currency fixing. For example devaluations, often used to downsize the effect of a rising domestic cost level, have increased the price competitiveness and export quantities of Finnish forest industry firms. Realization of the third phase of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on the beginning of 1999 merged the participating countries’ currencies into the euro at an irrevocable fixed rate, which then eliminated the possibility to independently realign the currency value. Moreover, exchange rate effects, and hence exchange rate risks, have exclusively been vanished from intra-EMU trade. This has meant the opening of a whole new market for many small open economies. At the same time, a change in the business environment could have caused severe adaptation problems to some Finnish forest industry firms. The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of Finland’s EMU participation on its sawnwood exports to the main export markets in United Kingdom and Germany. As Finland’s most important competitor Sweden decided to remain outside the monetary union, it was chosen to serve as a reference point for the possible effects the loss of an independent monetary policy has had. Weakening of the krone against the euro for the past years has brought additional interest on the topic. The emphasis is on studying relative prices and its effects on traded quantities through the long-run exchange rate pass-through phenomenon for the period 1995- 2008. The empirical estimation is carried out by applying Johansen’s cointegration method for the separate partial equilibrium model systems, for each bilateral trade of Finland and Sweden to both destination markets. The results give evidence that Finnish sawnwood exports have been affected to a great extent by currency movements. Depreciations of the euro have boosted export demand, whereas appreciations have, in turn, dampened imports from Finland. The pricing strategy exploited by Swedish exporters has been somewhat opposite to Finnish exporters’. This has meant both a more stable price for Swedish sawnwood importers and export demand faced by Swedish exporters. These findings further suggest only minor negative effects of Swedish krone depreciations on Finnish sawnwood firms’ price competitiveness. Nevertheless, Swedish exporters have been able to achieve higher profits, which seems to have been an important consideration behind some recent shifts of production from Finland to Sweden.
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(2008)During recent years the use of forest fuels such as felling residues has increased in Finland, mainly due to the emission trade system and the inflation in fossil fuel prices. The procurement area of forest fuels must be diversified and enlarged to get sufficient amount of fuel from the forest to the major customers (CHP, combined heat and power production). There may be a need for different type of logistical and longdistance transportation methods in future. The use of forest fuels is important in mitigating climate-change. The reductions in CO2-emissions can be achieved due to its greenhouse gas neutrality but also from better procurement. The procurement of forest chips has usually been based on truck transportation and comminution at the landing sites using mobile chippers (roadside chipping). Truck transportation from longer distances is however expensive because of the low energy density of forest chips. An alternative procurement system based on waterway transportation from satellite terminals and chipping at the terminal could be more costefficient, and produce less CO2 in large-scale procurement of forest fuels. The loading and unloading places at terminals could also be used as buffer storage. The alternative procurement could be suitable for power plants next to large inland water areas such as the Lake Saimaa region. The study was based on Stora Enso Varkaus' increasing use of forest fuels, which could reach 2 TWh (1 milj. m3 forest chips) in future for the CHP-plant and the new biorefinery. The maximum procurement distance around the city is 80 km due to the demand from neighbouring cities. The comparison of the CO2- emissions indicated that the alternative procurement produced 3-18 % less CO2, depending on the transportation distance in traditional method (60-120 km). If crushing (electricity) instead of chipping was deployed the difference grew to 28-39 %. The alternative method became favorable after 52 km distance in traditional procurement. The decrease in CO2 is a consequence of less diesel-fuel needed in the procurement chain and thus can be connected with the costs of procurement. However, for a complete cost-analysis much more information is needed, such as the variable and fixed costs and the indirect emissions.
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(2009)Finnish round wood industry is reliable on Finnish nonindustrial private forest owners (NIPF) wood sales. More than half of the raw material that Finnish round wood industry uses comes from NIPF’s. Therefore, it is important for the Finnish round wood industry and for the whole economy to know the issues that have an effect on NIPF’s wood supply. This paper examines the supply of round wood in Finland using the theoretical approach of Fisherian consumption-saving model. This research examines the price elasticity of wood supply in Finland at regional level. To examine the regional markets Finland is divided to six price areas. The monthly price- and quantity data from year 1987 to 2007 is gathered from the Finnish forest research institute (METLA). This paper examines standing sale supply and delivery sale supply separately. The results show that usually price elasticity of wood supply is positive in both short-run and in long-run. The expected price variable’s effect on wood supply is negative. The results indicate that estimated short-run elasticities of supply are much greater than in earlier studies. This is because this research uses monthly data where as earlier studies have used quarterly or annual data. The estimated long-run elasticities of supply witch describe the reactions to economic trend are in the same magnitude with earlier studies. There were remarkable differences between standing sale models and delivery sale models. In the short-run delivery sale models price elasticities of supply were much smaller than in standing sale models. In the long-run the results were opposite. The results also show that there are remarkable differences between the supplies of round wood on different price areas. This result strengthens earlier research results on regional market differences in Finnish pulpwood supply.
Now showing items 21-27 of 27