EARLY this month, a massive new railway tunnel opened for the first time. It was finished six months early and nearly 10% under budget. So by now you know this didn't happen in America (or Britain, for that matter.) No, this feat of modern engineering (and good government) was completed in the Swedish city of Malmö, just across the Oresund bridge from Copenhagen, Denmark.
The project transformed Malmö Central Station, which is actually in the northern part of the city, from a dead end where trains had to reverse course into a through station. The former terminus is now just a stop on a large circular route that cuts underground through the center of Sweden's third-largest city. The construction of the tunnel was accompanied by the construction of two new stations—one in the actual city centre, and another south of the city, in an area targeted for future development. Here's a map:
Official travel times aren't much reduced, but commuters who work in the city centre will no longer have to disembark at Malmö Central. Instead, they can use the new underground station at Triangeln, cutting a transfer to a bus or cab out of their daily grind. And as the area around the new, southernmost Hyllie Station develops, the benefits of the project should become even more apparent. Railzone's Daniel Sparing explains:
"This new link virtually makes Malmö and Copenhagen a single conurbation, [making] commuting from one city to another even easier. Copenhagen airport is also extremely well connected to central Malmö and the new development area [south of the city]"
When's the last time a rail project of this size was completed ahead of time and under budget in America? And if the Swedes can do it, why can't the Americans? The answer to the second question, at least, was in The Economist earlier this month.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/12/malm%C3%B6_rail_tunnel
Nordic countries business
martes, 25 de enero de 2011
miércoles, 19 de enero de 2011
Book released on Innovation in Finland
NOKIA AND FINLAND IN A SEA OF CHANGE 10.05.2010
Ali-Yrkkö, Jyrki (Ed.)
In the 1990s, Nokia became a leader in the global cell phone market. The stellar growth of Nokia contributed significantly to the Finnish national economy, especially to GDP growth, exports and the R&D system.
The first years of the 21st century have witnessed a massive relocation of electronics manufacturing from Europe and the U.S. to Asia and other low-cost regions via the emergence of global supply chains. The Finnish ICT cluster and the national economy as a whole have been influenced by this transformation in many ways.
This book offers four complementary perspectives on the global ICT transformation and the role of Nokia in the Finnish economy:
- What is Nokia’s contribution to the growth and restructuring of the Finnish economy?
- How have the manufacturing supplier networks of Nokia changed during the 2000s?
- Is the innovative dominance of Nokia in Finland a unique phenomenon in international comparison?
- Where is the value added of high-tech products such as mobile phones created, and who captures the value?
2010 108 p.
price: 32 €
ETLA B 244
OnLine orders from:
http://www.etla.fi/eng/julkaisuhaku.php?type=details&id=1748&link=fp
Ali-Yrkkö, Jyrki (Ed.)
In the 1990s, Nokia became a leader in the global cell phone market. The stellar growth of Nokia contributed significantly to the Finnish national economy, especially to GDP growth, exports and the R&D system.
The first years of the 21st century have witnessed a massive relocation of electronics manufacturing from Europe and the U.S. to Asia and other low-cost regions via the emergence of global supply chains. The Finnish ICT cluster and the national economy as a whole have been influenced by this transformation in many ways.
This book offers four complementary perspectives on the global ICT transformation and the role of Nokia in the Finnish economy:
- What is Nokia’s contribution to the growth and restructuring of the Finnish economy?
- How have the manufacturing supplier networks of Nokia changed during the 2000s?
- Is the innovative dominance of Nokia in Finland a unique phenomenon in international comparison?
- Where is the value added of high-tech products such as mobile phones created, and who captures the value?
2010 108 p.
price: 32 €
ETLA B 244
OnLine orders from:
http://www.etla.fi/eng/julkaisuhaku.php?type=details&id=1748&link=fp
Ministry of Employment and the Economy - Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread
Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread
The availability of financing for enterprises eased substantially in 2010 compared to the recession year 2009. This is shown by the annual Business Finance Survey conducted by the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the Bank of Finland and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
About 15–25% of all businesses seeking new finance found it difficult to tap external sources, as compared to 25–35% in 2009. Financing problems eased most in respect of microenterprises with less than ten employees. Despite the easing, it is clear that financing problems are still more widespread than in the years prior to the recession.
Interest rate margins on new corporate loans widened
Interest rate margins on new loans widened for almost every second medium and large business, but only for a fifth of the microenterprises. Interest rate margins on new loans to medium and large businesses also increased relatively more than those on loans to smaller enterprises.
Caution in seeking finance
Aggregate business demand for funding does not appear to be increasing. Compared to the survey for 2009, a slightly larger portion of micro and small enterprises intend to seek new funding. Medium and large businesses plan to acquire less funding than before.
Interest in securities-based and venture capital funding is increasing
Medium and large businesses are increasingly seeking funding via securities market instruments, such as commercial paper and other bonds. Securities issuance is gaining in importance as a source of funding for large enterprises, also as measured by intentions to seek funding.
Interest in venture capital funding has also increased slightly for businesses of all sizes, even though the portion of enterprises that received funding from venture capital investors was smaller than in the previous survey.
Efficiency gains from electronic billing
Very few enterprises use electronic billing extensively, even in business-to-business invoicing. Slightly less than 5% of enterprises pay the majority (over 60%) of their bills via electronic invoices and just over 5% send the vast majority of their bills as electronic invoices.
The Business Finance Survey gives a comprehensive picture of enterprises’ financing situation. The survey conducted in September 2010 drew responses from 997 enterprises from different provinces and industrial classification groups. The survey has been conducted since 1994. The survey was carried out by Statistics Finland on behalf of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, Bank of Finland and Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
See original link:
Ministry of Employment and the Economy - Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread
The availability of financing for enterprises eased substantially in 2010 compared to the recession year 2009. This is shown by the annual Business Finance Survey conducted by the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the Bank of Finland and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
About 15–25% of all businesses seeking new finance found it difficult to tap external sources, as compared to 25–35% in 2009. Financing problems eased most in respect of microenterprises with less than ten employees. Despite the easing, it is clear that financing problems are still more widespread than in the years prior to the recession.
Interest rate margins on new corporate loans widened
Interest rate margins on new loans widened for almost every second medium and large business, but only for a fifth of the microenterprises. Interest rate margins on new loans to medium and large businesses also increased relatively more than those on loans to smaller enterprises.
Caution in seeking finance
Aggregate business demand for funding does not appear to be increasing. Compared to the survey for 2009, a slightly larger portion of micro and small enterprises intend to seek new funding. Medium and large businesses plan to acquire less funding than before.
Interest in securities-based and venture capital funding is increasing
Medium and large businesses are increasingly seeking funding via securities market instruments, such as commercial paper and other bonds. Securities issuance is gaining in importance as a source of funding for large enterprises, also as measured by intentions to seek funding.
Interest in venture capital funding has also increased slightly for businesses of all sizes, even though the portion of enterprises that received funding from venture capital investors was smaller than in the previous survey.
Efficiency gains from electronic billing
Very few enterprises use electronic billing extensively, even in business-to-business invoicing. Slightly less than 5% of enterprises pay the majority (over 60%) of their bills via electronic invoices and just over 5% send the vast majority of their bills as electronic invoices.
The Business Finance Survey gives a comprehensive picture of enterprises’ financing situation. The survey conducted in September 2010 drew responses from 997 enterprises from different provinces and industrial classification groups. The survey has been conducted since 1994. The survey was carried out by Statistics Finland on behalf of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, Bank of Finland and Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
See original link:
Ministry of Employment and the Economy - Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread
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