Anne Toppinen | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)
Papers by Anne Toppinen
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2014
Politics increasingly introduces initiatives supporting a shift towards a bioeconomy aiming at a ... more Politics increasingly introduces initiatives supporting a shift towards a bioeconomy aiming at a society relying strongly on renewable biological sources while achieving economic growth efficiently and sustainably. However the agenda of bioeconomy comprises different "shades of green", in the sense that different actors stress different aspects of the concept, when embracing it in communication. This conceptual paper aims to present policy and socio-economic theoretical frameworks and research areas relevant for a more holistic understanding of the bioeconomy concept applied to the forest sector, and identify a core set of potential contributions from social sciences for enhancing the bioeconomy in the forest sector. The paper focuses on studies within policy analysis, economics and business administration disciplines. Thus it presents diverse disciplinary perspectives on the forest sector in a 3 bioeconomy. Furthermore innovation and sustainability have been identified as issues relevant to be approached across these disciplines.
This paper reports estimations of models of the long-run demand-supply structure in the Finnish p... more This paper reports estimations of models of the long-run demand-supply structure in the Finnish pulpwood and sawlog markets. The methodology is based on Johansen’s multivariate cointegration method. Cointegration tests between the elementary variables in the two markets indicate cointegration in both VAR systems. Weak exogeneity of wood price and quantity variables for both sawlogs and pulpwood is rejected, as was expected. On the other hand, weak exogeneity is accepted for the pulpwood import price, sawnwood and pulp export prices, and the interest rate. Identification of economic structure in the models is successful for both demand relations, whereas further work is called for in modelling short-run private timber supply.
Forest Policy and Economics, 2011
The growing public interest in and global consciousness of environmental and social issues have i... more The growing public interest in and global consciousness of environmental and social issues have intensified pressures on forest industry companies in their efforts to effectively balance potentially conflicting stakeholder demands. In this paper, we conceptually analyze corporate responsibility (CR) in forest-based industry by theoretically differentiating between three approaches driving CR: the “trade-off” hypothesis, the “profit-maximizing” corporate responsibility conjecture, and the “corporate social impact” hypothesis. We use a survey of existing studies to assess the current stage of CR adoption in forest-based industry and to form a basis for evaluating the wider importance of CR in business, as well as to formulate hypotheses for future research. In conclusion, companies covered in previous research in this study appear to have adopted CR activities mainly with the profit-maximizing assumption. As the continued growth of ethical markets and socially responsible investment (SRI) presents both a threat and an opportunity for forest industry companies, a lasting case for CR in business could only be made by embracing CR principles with radical changes in the fundamental values, policy principles and operational procedures through double-loop organizational learning.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research-revue Canadienne De Recherche Forestiere, 2007
... 1Corresponding author (e-mail: anne.toppinen@efi.int). ... The STSM method is commonly used i... more ... 1Corresponding author (e-mail: anne.toppinen@efi.int). ... The STSM method is commonly used in economics (eg, Burmeister et al. ... 4 The RMSE is defined as 1 2 1 h y y t a t f i k ( ) − = ∑ where h is the number of forecast periods, yt a is the realized value, and yt f is the forecasted ...
Journal of Forest Economics, 2008
The business environment of Finnish sawmill industry has changed notably since the 1990s. As a re... more The business environment of Finnish sawmill industry has changed notably since the 1990s. As a result of these changes, maintaining competitiveness and acceptable business success in sawmilling is more challenging than before. Manufacturing higher-priced value-added timber products has been highlighted as the main option for achieving sustainable financial performance, but its outcome has not been studied previously. In this paper, the effects of cost- and value-added components on the firm-level financial performance of 27 large- and medium-sized Finnish sawmills in 2000–2004 are evaluated by using regression analysis. The proportions of material and salary expenses of turnover are applied as measures of relative cost-efficiency. The commitment to value-added creation is assessed by the share of investments and value-added of the turnover. The results indicate that cost-efficiency indicators explain shorter-term financial performance better, than value-added creation, which affects longer-term financial performance and future turnover growth. Thus, from the managerial point of view, in the short term, cost-efficiency is a prerequisite for the business, while in the long term, value-added creation is also needed to support the economic sustainability of the business.
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2014
Politics increasingly introduces initiatives supporting a shift towards a bioeconomy aiming at a ... more Politics increasingly introduces initiatives supporting a shift towards a bioeconomy aiming at a society relying strongly on renewable biological sources while achieving economic growth efficiently and sustainably. However the agenda of bioeconomy comprises different "shades of green", in the sense that different actors stress different aspects of the concept, when embracing it in communication. This conceptual paper aims to present policy and socio-economic theoretical frameworks and research areas relevant for a more holistic understanding of the bioeconomy concept applied to the forest sector, and identify a core set of potential contributions from social sciences for enhancing the bioeconomy in the forest sector. The paper focuses on studies within policy analysis, economics and business administration disciplines. Thus it presents diverse disciplinary perspectives on the forest sector in a 3 bioeconomy. Furthermore innovation and sustainability have been identified as issues relevant to be approached across these disciplines.
This paper reports estimations of models of the long-run demand-supply structure in the Finnish p... more This paper reports estimations of models of the long-run demand-supply structure in the Finnish pulpwood and sawlog markets. The methodology is based on Johansen’s multivariate cointegration method. Cointegration tests between the elementary variables in the two markets indicate cointegration in both VAR systems. Weak exogeneity of wood price and quantity variables for both sawlogs and pulpwood is rejected, as was expected. On the other hand, weak exogeneity is accepted for the pulpwood import price, sawnwood and pulp export prices, and the interest rate. Identification of economic structure in the models is successful for both demand relations, whereas further work is called for in modelling short-run private timber supply.
Forest Policy and Economics, 2011
The growing public interest in and global consciousness of environmental and social issues have i... more The growing public interest in and global consciousness of environmental and social issues have intensified pressures on forest industry companies in their efforts to effectively balance potentially conflicting stakeholder demands. In this paper, we conceptually analyze corporate responsibility (CR) in forest-based industry by theoretically differentiating between three approaches driving CR: the “trade-off” hypothesis, the “profit-maximizing” corporate responsibility conjecture, and the “corporate social impact” hypothesis. We use a survey of existing studies to assess the current stage of CR adoption in forest-based industry and to form a basis for evaluating the wider importance of CR in business, as well as to formulate hypotheses for future research. In conclusion, companies covered in previous research in this study appear to have adopted CR activities mainly with the profit-maximizing assumption. As the continued growth of ethical markets and socially responsible investment (SRI) presents both a threat and an opportunity for forest industry companies, a lasting case for CR in business could only be made by embracing CR principles with radical changes in the fundamental values, policy principles and operational procedures through double-loop organizational learning.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research-revue Canadienne De Recherche Forestiere, 2007
... 1Corresponding author (e-mail: anne.toppinen@efi.int). ... The STSM method is commonly used i... more ... 1Corresponding author (e-mail: anne.toppinen@efi.int). ... The STSM method is commonly used in economics (eg, Burmeister et al. ... 4 The RMSE is defined as 1 2 1 h y y t a t f i k ( ) − = ∑ where h is the number of forecast periods, yt a is the realized value, and yt f is the forecasted ...
Journal of Forest Economics, 2008
The business environment of Finnish sawmill industry has changed notably since the 1990s. As a re... more The business environment of Finnish sawmill industry has changed notably since the 1990s. As a result of these changes, maintaining competitiveness and acceptable business success in sawmilling is more challenging than before. Manufacturing higher-priced value-added timber products has been highlighted as the main option for achieving sustainable financial performance, but its outcome has not been studied previously. In this paper, the effects of cost- and value-added components on the firm-level financial performance of 27 large- and medium-sized Finnish sawmills in 2000–2004 are evaluated by using regression analysis. The proportions of material and salary expenses of turnover are applied as measures of relative cost-efficiency. The commitment to value-added creation is assessed by the share of investments and value-added of the turnover. The results indicate that cost-efficiency indicators explain shorter-term financial performance better, than value-added creation, which affects longer-term financial performance and future turnover growth. Thus, from the managerial point of view, in the short term, cost-efficiency is a prerequisite for the business, while in the long term, value-added creation is also needed to support the economic sustainability of the business.