Rikard Jonsson, Lotta Woxblom, Rolf Björheden, Eva-Maria Nordström, Bosko Blagojevic, Ola Lindroos. (2022). Analysis of decision-making processes for strategic technology investments in Swedish large-scale forestry. Silva Fennica vol. 56 no. 3 article id 10755. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10755

Keywords: information needs; qualitative analysis; harwarder; forest technology development; semi-structured interviews; unstructured decision processes

Highlights: When making development decisions, respondents representing six relatively large users of forest technology aimed to maximize economic criteria without falling below threshold values for criteria such as operator well-being, soil rutting, and wood value; Collaboration between users, manufacturers, and researchers was found to be important; Decision-making could be improved by using tools such as problem-structuring methods, simulations, and optimization.

Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Technological development gives forest companies opportunities to maintain competitiveness in the highly cost-sensitive market for forest products. However, no previous studies have examined the technological development decisions made by forest companies or the support tools used when making them. We therefore aimed to describe and analyze 1) the processes used when making such decisions, 2) the associated decision situations, and 3) the use of and need for decision support tools in these processes, with a harwarder concept as case. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from six forestry organizations. Two theoretical frameworks were used to analyze the interviews, one for unstructured decision processes and one for decision situations. The respondents’ descriptions of their decision processes were consistent with those observed in other industries, and it was shown that decision-making could potentially be improved by investing more resources into diagnosing the problem at hand. The main objective in decision-making was to maximize economic criteria while satisfying threshold requirements relating to criteria such as operator well-being, soil rutting, and wood value. When facing large uncertainties, interviewees preferred to gather data through operational trials and/or scientific studies. If confronted with large uncertainties that could not be reduced, they proceeded with development only if the potential gains exceeded the estimated uncertainties, and implemented innovations in a stepwise manner. These results indicate a need for greater use of existing decision-support tools such as problem-structuring methods to enable more precise diagnoses, simulations to better understand new innovations, and optimization to better evaluate their theoretical large-scale potential.

Jonsson, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: rikard.jonsson@skogforsk.se
Woxblom, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: lotta.woxblom@skogforsk.se
Björheden, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: rolf.bjorheden@skogforsk.se
Nordström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: eva-maria.nordstrom@slu.se
Blagojevic, University of Novi Sad, Department of Water Management, Trg D. Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia E-mail: bosko.blagojevic@polj.edu.rs
Lindroos, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: ola.lindroos@slu.se

article id 126, category Research article

Anders Roos, Lotta Woxblom, Denise McCluskey. (2010). The influence of architects and structural engineers on timber in construction – perceptions and roles. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 5 article id 126. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.126

Keywords: timber-frame building; qualitative analysis; specifiers; stakeholders; timber design

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

This study considers structural engineers’ and architects’ perceptions of structural timber in multi-story construction contexts. Qualitative approaches – interviews and focus groups – were used to investigate attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived factors that hamper or facilitate the prescription of wood use in construction. Wood was perceived as an appropriate building material. Architects’, and even more so engineers’, perceptions of negative aspects of wood focused on decay, instability and sound transmission. Although wood-based construction was seen as a required professional skill, it was not expected to improve one’s professional status. Positive aspects of wood in construction included its strength, environmental friendliness, simple handling and appropriateness for use in conjunction with industrial methods, whereas knowledge gaps and weak support from the wood industry have reduced the use of wood among structural engineers and architects. Both professions perceived their influence on material selection to be weak. They sensed that most of the influence over material selection rested with developers and contractors. The paper contains suggestions on how to make these two professions more influential advocates for wood in construction.

Roos, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products, P.O. Box 7008, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: anders.roos@sprod.slu.se
Woxblom, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products, P.O. Box 7008, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: lw@nn.se
McCluskey, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products, P.O. Box 7008, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: dm@nn.se

Click this link to register to Silva Fennica.

If you are a registered user, log in to save your selected articles for later access.

Contents alert

Your selected articles

Follow @SilvaFennica