The Governments and workers have put in a great effort in regularizing the working hours and working week over the course of last one and a half century. The average work week in the world stands at 40 hours. With unemployment among all the work force in Sweden almost hitting 11 percent and in youth aged 15-24 hitting almost 27 percent. It’s definitely alarming and requires measures to reduce. Different political forces in Sweden including Green Party and left party have joined forces in reducing the working week to 30 hours. The reduction in the working hours certainly presents a solution to different issues like work life balance, quality of life and work satisfaction but is it a solution to reduce unemployment at the same time source of motivation? That is the fundamental question we have tried to answer in the pages to follow. The reduction in working hours, during the economic downturn of 2008, supported financially by Government of Germany actually helped save at least half a million jobs. Volvo Power Train saved a number of jobs in Sweden by reducing the working hours of all the employees, so did Scania, and Saab in Sweden. Toyota reduced the working hours of its employees in 1990s to increase motivation, job satisfaction and quality of life. Our research has shown that if working hours are reduced then jobs can not only be saved, but can be created as well. In the following pages you will come across information obtained through number of information sources and printed material which directly aims at looking into how reduction in working hours can reduce unemployment. Our research presents different scenarios where reduction in the hours can generate employments. The debate however is open for future researchers to test these scenarios and see if they are viable proposals and can help reduce the employment.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to identify and also compare dynamic issues in different business models. Findings: The thesis explored seven components of the business model including goals, scope, key activities, key resources, value proposition, customer relationship and channels. It thoroughly assessed how the sensing, seizing and transforming capabilities of the firm could be used to bring dynamism to each component and to the overall organisation’s business model. A review of the practical circumstances of three big corporations was conducted. The results included the discovery of interconnectivity and mutual dependence of the business model components, as well as some potentially linear and iterative relationships. Some components were found to foster dynamism, while some others were discovered to have the potential to impede dynamism. While the complexity and diversity of organisations’ business models was recognized, a simple framework for a dynamic business model was formulated. Research Implications: This research contributes to the understanding of dynamism of business models especially in regards to the dynamic and non-dynamic aspects of individual components. It also further highlights the need for further research on how organisations can practically make their business models dynamic through exploiting their dynamic capabilities. Practical Implications: These findings could be applied to multinationals in various industries. While companies of all sizes and in all industries could also find it useful, it should be noted that the empirical studies were conducted on multinationals. The findings could be useful in mapping out the business models through components that are easy to understand and assessing their related aspects of dynamism. Thus managers should be able to identify components of the business model that fosters dynamism, those that could hamper dynamism and how their dynamic capabilities could be exploited. Key Words: Business Model Innovation, Dynamic Capabilities, Strategy

The natural-step framework is used by over 100 organizations, including many global corporations in Europe and the United States, to provide strategic direction for their sustainability initiatives. The framework is built on the concept of simplicity without reduction. Out of respect for complexity we designed it to provide a compass, a guide for strategic direction. The framework consists of a backcasting planning process for sustainable development based on four principles (system conditions) for sustainability. The framework does not prescribe detailed actions. Once an organization understands the framework it identifies and specifies the detailed means by which to achieve the strategy, because it knows its business best. The steps in the planning process are understanding and discussing the system conditions for sustainability, describing and discussing how the company relates to the system conditions in today's situation, creating a vision of how the company will fulfill its customers' needs in the futur e while complying with the system conditions, and specifying a program of actions that will take the company from today's situation to the future vision.

A qualitative Method for Sustainable Product Development (MSPD) is presented. It consists of three tools: an Integrated Product Development Model (IPDM), a strategic planning process based on backcasting (ABCD-analysis), and a matrix containing hierarchically ordered and guiding questions. This Sustainability Product Analysis (SPA) matrix has conditions for sustainability along one axis and the life cycle of the product along the other axis. The SPA-matrix is used in the ABCD-analysis, which in turn is used in the IPDM. Integrating the tools in this way and using overall conditions for sustainability is unique compared to many other tools and methods for design for the environment. The MSPD is being developed in discussions with ten small- and medium sized enterprises.

This study aims to discover the use and benefit of business models in the early stages of startup businesses. The researchers focused on the professional services and retail sales industry and interviewed entrepreneurs from two countries as their case study in order to assess the success of business models through the first hand experiences of the entrepreneurs as they applied business models in their startup companies. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to find out how the business model framework is used by small firms in the startup stage. This academic work also aims to increase the significance of the theory described here with the help of a qualitative study of a particular situation: the study of the business model structure built by entrepreneurs in the startup stage of their small firms, all of them belonging to the service sector. Will be taken as an example two developing countries, considering that their economies are tightly hinged on the success of small firms in the service sector, which accounts for about 60% of their economy. The aim is to explain among the main elements of a business model, which are the most relevant when starting a company, for a further value creation and to what extent does the business model framework benefit them. Research Implications: This study also continues the pathway of research on business models and entrepreneurship, in conjunction with the empirical investigation of companies willing to be measured in terms of their performance, study that might require time and resources but could be done as future research to answer the question on whether there is a connection between performance and the architecture of the business model. Practical Implications: The practical implications of this study contribute to the way entrepreneurs would do business in the startup stage in their firms. The use of business models may have a huge impact in the overall success of the firm in its startup stage, thereby contributing positively in the economy of a country.

The paper proposes a framework for analysing the performances of product-service systems (PSSs) development processes using a balanced scorecard (BSC) as an instrument to guide the implementation and the evaluation of new methods and tools. Emerging from a case study in the aerospace industry, the paper discusses the main challenges in PSS development and proposes a performance measurement framework for PSS development based on multi-criteria indicators. Finally, the benefits of a framework for PSS development performance measurement are discussed.

The Product-Service System (PSS) paradigm is recognized as a means for companies to increase the value perceived by the customers, thus gaining competitive advantage beyond traditional ‘pure product’ offerings. Researches have shown the necessity to rethink design processes in a PSS context, in order to drive the successful integration of product and service features in early design phases. In the last few years, several new approaches have been proposed, however little attention has been paid on how to translate these approaches into action and on how to evaluate their performances and effectiveness. This paper proposes a framework for analysing the performances in PSS development process using a Balanced Scorecard approach, as a tool to guide the implementation and the evaluation of new methods and tools in the early design phases. The paper starts with discussing the main challenges encountered when designing PSS, and then, adopting an aerospace industry as an example, to propose an application of the Balance Scorecard for the implementation and measurement of PSS development. Finally, the main pros and cons are discussed in relation to strengths and weaknesses of using balanced scorecard in PSS development. The framework developed in this paper can provide a useful guidance for the managers in measuring the performances of the PSS development process.

Purpose: Within managerial coaching research, no-one has specifically explored the relationship between managerial coaching and leader development for the manger. Does the manager derive beneficial outcomes from coaching others? Do these outcomes help develop the manager to be a better leader? The Authors ask What is the relationship between managerial coaching and leader development from the perspective of the coaching manager? In answering, two objectives are addressed. First, establish if there is a relationship. Second, seek to understand the linkage between applying managerial coaching skills and any resulting perceived and/or actual leader development. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed methods embedded research design was applied to a branch of Motorola Solutions in Colombia. For the first objective (embedded), the authors adapted managerial coaching and leader development questionnaires from current models to determine a quantitative correlation between the two activities. For the second objective, paucity of directly relevant research forced an exploratory search of disparate topics to better understand the phenomenon of coaching and its workings. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were developed and administered. Findings: For the first objective, quantitative data supports a strong positive correlation between managerial coaching and leader development. For the second objective, the authors developed a new taxonomy for describing the components of the managerial coaching - leader development relationship. The components consist of outcomes, pathways and mechanisms. The mechanisms identified help explain why and how coaching outcomes occur. Pathways help explain from where outcomes arrive - through the primary act of coaching itself or via secondary routes. With an understanding of pathways and mechanisms, potential outcomes for the manager are more readily identified - for example the circuitous relationship between managerial coaching, employee development and leader development. Originality/value: The aim is to develop a more complete picture of managerial coaching as a method of development for the manager and others. The quantitative method for the correlation between managerial coaching and leader development is original. The proposed taxonomy, used to explain the inner workings and routes of coaching outcomes, is original and provides building blocks for further research. Examples of key facilitating mechanisms for coaching and development are given. The pathways concept is unique within managerial coaching and supports positive leader development outcomes for the manager, not only from superiors, but from oneself and from those coached.

The emergence of a knowledge based economy facilitated by the globalisation has changed the rules of the game for many organisations. The most valuable assets within many organisations are no longer the physical resources but the knowledge capital. In contrary to the era of industrialisation, these assets are no longer owned and controlled by the companies but by the employees. The largest challenge for management in the knowledge economy is the need to increase the productivity of the knowledge workers. The most effective approach to increase knowledge worker productivity is by improving their level of motivation. The question for how to best motivate people in an organisation is neither new nor does it have a single clear answer. To create a situation characterised by satisfaction and motivation, focus should be on the motivator, the factors with the potential of creating long time sustainable results. Factors influencing motivation can be described as either intrinsic or extrinsic relating to their nature of effect. Traditionally, most organisations have been focusing on extrinsic motivators such as monetary incentives to increase motivation. Intrinsic motivators include factors relating to the work itself as autonomy, mastery and purpose. This study has included a survey where 355 knowledge workers have ranked 29 different motivational factors. The results show the top five factors all are typical intrinsic factors which indicate employees’ true commitment and motivation originates in the intrinsic nature of the task being performed. Another important finding from this study is each of the factors investigated can play a role in order to motivate the individuals in a group of knowledge workers. As a result of that insight, all organisations with the aim to increase knowledge worker productivity have to take the time to find out how to best motivate each single employee. One way for an organisation to increase individual employee motivation is to start paying attention to personal interests and try to direct different work tasks in accordance with that.

Sustainability criteria used for decision support in the product innovation process and aligned throughout the design process is one key element to efficiently introduce a sustainability perspective early in product development. The aim of this paper is to present an approach for identifying such sustainability criteria and to suggest a process for how these can be developed in any manufacturing company. The sustainability criteria are presented in a set of matrices, separating the criteria into product life-cycle phases and socio-ecological sustainability principles. In addition the paper presents a qualitative measurement scale for the criteria, called a sustainability compliance index that indicates to what degree a product or process concept performs in relation to a sustainable solution. The sustainability criteria were tested in different settings at a case company within the aerospace industry to give a first indication and evaluation of the ability to give guidance and support in bringing in a sustainability perspective when developing, evaluating and selecting different concepts in the early phases of product development.

Next generation jet engine technologies are typically driven by performance, value and environmental challenges, and appropriate technologies are developed in international research programs. One on-going engine component technology project at an aerospace component manufacturer aims to develop an engine with less fuel consumption. A likely consequence is higher pressure in the core engine, which leads to higher temperature. One way to handle the higher temperature is using a more advanced Ti-alloy for the product component, which will render a different sustainability profile. One weakness in current decision situations is the inability to clarify and understand the “value” and “sustainability” implications compared to e.g. performance features of concepts. Both “value” and “sustainability” include a rich set of features important for successful introduction of new products and product-service solutions to the market. The purpose with this research is to provide decision support for companies in early development phases for assessment of value and sustainability consequences over product-service system lifecycles. A workshop was held with the aerospace component manufacturer and a value chain partner focusing on material handling, to: i) get a better understanding of activities, flows and ownership related to the studied materials at the two companies, ii) to understand the companies’ perspective at new suggested scenarios with regard to these materials, and iii) define relevant scenarios to look into more in depth from asustainability and value perspective. Three different scenarios were developed with differences in ownership, responsibilities and value streams. It is therefore essential to be able to quickly assess and optimize consequences of such alternative scenarios. Based on the workshop experiences and scenarios, a modeling and simulation approach to assess sustainability and value consequences for the scenarios is proposed. The sustainability consequences are based on a sustainability life cycle assessment and a risk assessment. Key features of the proposed tool include: consideration of the time dimension, societal sustainability consequences, risk assessment, company value assessment, and cost/revenue perspectives.

People, process and IT are amongst the most important assets of any organization. Optimal utilization of these resources has been the question of research in business and academia for many decades. The business world have responded by inventing various methodologies that can be used for addressing problems of quality improvement, efficiency of processes, continuous improvement, reduction of waste, automation, strategy alignments etc. Some of these methodologies can be commonly called as Business Process Quality Management methodologies (BPQM). In essence, the first references to the process management can be traced back to Frederick Taylor and scientific management. Time and motion study was addressed to improvement of manufacturing process efficiency. The ideas of scientific management were in use for quite a long period until more advanced quality management techniques were developed in Japan and USA. One of the first prominent methods had been Total Quality Management (TQM) which evolved during 1980’s. About the same time, Six Sigma(SS) originated at Motorola as a separate method. SS spread and evolved; and later joined with ideas of Lean manufacturing to form Lean Six Sigma. In 1990’s due to emerging IT technologies, beginning of globalization, and strengthening of competition, companies recognized the need for better process and quality management. Business Process Management (BPM) emerged as a novel methodology that has taken all this into account and helped to align IT technologies with business processes and quality management. In this thesis we studied various aspects of above mentioned methods and identified their relations. An extensive amount of information exists on these methodologies and they have been commercialized by various consulting firms. However, a comprehensive understanding of what these methodologies can do and deliver is missing. Purpose of the thesis is to study these three related methods in business process quality management; identify their relation to each other and how they have developed. An extensive literature review has been done prior to data collection to understand theory behind each methodology. Research data was collected by studying existing case studies describing implementation of above mentioned methodologies. Below are some of our key findings • BPQM methodologies evolved with time either by becoming more focused or through better integration of people and Information Systems • Processes are key for operations of any organizations. Processes need to controlled and developed over time. As BPQM methodologies evolved, they became more process centric. • Quality can be achieved as outcome through increasing process performance. Quality and processes are very closely linked to each other. It is impossible to expect high quality end-results without understanding what needs to be done to get a desirable output from various inputs. • Management support is vital for any BPQM methodology implementation. • Modern organizations are result oriented. Therefore the choice of BPQM methodologies is heavily influenced by their ability to improve bottom line performance.

The purpose of this thesis was to analyse the relationship between being an employee of a family firm and transition to self-employment. It was ascertained empirically whether being employees of family firms have a positive influence on the phenomenon of spin-offs in Sweden. Using a data set of individuals as well as firms for the whole of Sweden, the thesis applied a logistic regression model to analyse the influence of family firms on spin-off processes. Specifically I examined how employees of firms as at 2007 transitioned to self-employment in 2008. I also examined the characteristics of employees who spin-off and the choice of industry of operation of spin-offs. Disagreements between owners of family firms and employees about the strategic focus of the business arise as a result of the long-term horizon of family firms, coupled with agency issues as well as organisational culture that encourages the direct involvement of owners of family firms in the routines. Employees who discover innovative and risky ideas are likely to exploit them outside the company due to the reluctance of the family firm to implement them, due to its long-term orientation. The paper established a nexus between family firms and spin-off processes. The results suggest that being an employee of a family firm has a positive and significant influence on the decision to transition to self-employment. The results also indicate that employees in relatively higher occupational categories are less likely to spin-off as compared to employees in relatively lower occupational classifications. In terms of the choice of industries of operation, it is found that spin-offs are less likely to be established in the same industry as their parent firms. Increasingly, spin-offs are carving their own images in their respective new industries. Last but not least, contrary to evidence that employees of smaller firms are more likely to spin-off, our results show otherwise.

Emerging digital transformation in industry is noticeable among others in Supply Chain Management (SCM). For instance, applying new-generation digitalized technologies in the Dairy Supply Chain (DSC) enables an increase of manufacturing productivity, improves planning and forecasting, and also enhances competitive capabilities according to Industry 4.0 assumptions. It is worth mentioning, that in modern DSC, high visibility of raw materials, components, products, and processes by all contributors on all stages of DSC is crucial. This article focuses on the transparency aspect of the DSC supported by IoT-based technologies enabling interoperability among all DSC participants. The paper addresses the problem of effective integration of heterogeneous data sources, i.e., deployed new technological IoT solutions with traditional SCM systems and a third-party software component. The main objective of this report is to propose the IoT-based DSC model comprising four chain stages: milk production, milk transportation, milk processing, and dairy products distribution. Moreover, the comprehensive DSC domain ontology as a knowledge model is formulated and described. The ontology aims on improvement of the DSC management efficiency by facilitating interoperability within DSC. The applicability of the proposed ontological model is verified using a sustainable-oriented case study, which estimates the environmental footprint at the milk transportation stage of the DSC. © 2021 Kauno Technologijos Universitetas. All rights reserved.

This paper investigates decision making in the stage-gate process used by an aerospace manufacturer. More specifically, it focuses on the way decision makers deal with uncertainties and ambiguities when making decisions. The stage-gate model was found to be a discussion trigger - a boundary negotiating artefact - through which stakeholders bring issues to the table, reflect on uncertainties, and decide in what areas more knowledge is needed. Managers should be aware that the knowledge base might not always be perfect and should make use of the sensemaking capabilities of the stage-gate model and the gate meeting to mitigate and improve the knowledge base. This paper elaborates on formalized knowledge-based criteria so as to support this evaluation of the knowledge base.

The paper will reflect on Stefan Karlsson’s process of developing the business plan Poker E-­‐‑ Sports. This paper is intended to be read by (1) nascent entrepreneurs, (2) students in the end of their education whom is about to create a link between the academic learning’s and the first job, (3) university personnel involved in this development process and (4) stakeholders whom are about to read the business plan Poker E-­‐‑Sports. This reflection will chronology describe the development process with the decisions made and reflect upon how practical decision making connects with entrepreneurship theory. This paper describes the process at six headlines; (1) Business Idea, (2) Business concept (3), Business plan first version (4) Business plan middle version, (5) Business plan is it done? and (6) conclusion. This paper describes the process to create this business plan from the start of the idea to the complete business plan. In the conclusions I will reflect on the big picture and highlight what I will consider being my key leanings from this turbulent process.

Background: This study focused on the motivation of human resource for health in urban public health facilities in Tanzania. Motivation is defined in this study as an individual's degree of willingness to exert and maintain an effort towards organizational goals. Motivation of health workers was studied based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Purpose: The overall purpose of this study was to study job motivation and associated factors among urban health workers in public hospitals in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. Methods: The study employed predominantly qualitative research methods. Data was collected from three municipal hospitals and one referral hospital, the Muhimbili National Hospital. Some information was also collected from key informants in the Municipality Administration, the Non – Governmental Organisations and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. A combination of direct observation, key informants interviews, Focus Group Discussions and a desk review of key documents was done. Sampling of participants was done using purposive methods with representative, intensity and sometimes snow-ball sampling done in different stages and at different environments. Data analysis was done following the principles of grounded theory. Results: This study established that a number of extrinsic or ‘hygiene’ factors (dissatisfiers) which match with those proposed by Herzberg et al, are important and necessary for maintaining human resource for health in urban health facilities. The study also found that intrinsic factors (satisfiers) when available would increase job motivation among the healthcare workers in government-owned health facilities in Dar es salaam and that when are not available would not cause any dissatisfaction. Conclusion: Although the theory did not provide a fit in all circumstances, it formed a firm foundation on which to study job motivation and associated factors among urban health workers in public hospitals in Tanzania.

Value-based selling is broadly discussed in today’s business world. Selling value is not just about selling a product/solution by adjusting price and negotiating contract terms. It requires detailed and deep understanding of customer needs, acting in proactive manner and delivery of product value in terms of improvement of customer’s business and elimination of his problems. However, it has been shown in academic literature that there is a lack in understanding of value in the offerings submitted to the customers, thus there is an existing need to identify key elements of value proposition that make it comprehendible for the customers. The objectives of this thesis aim to add knowledge about how to make value proposition understandable for the customers. Theoretical framework built on the basis of literature review serves as a tool for narrowing down the discussion topic and to design insightful questions for interviews. Case study as a research method has been selected for this thesis where two companies delivering energy and fuel saving solutions to marine industry are interviewed. Data was collected through 10 semi-structured interviews with employees in different sales management positions, a Bricolage analysis approach was thereafter applied on the material. Our findings show that there are several important elements for making an offering more comprehendible. The result points toward that both tangible and intangible form of value are important elements to include in offerings. The choice of value forms and value elements, to be included in the offering, depends on customer segments, but price associated with low acquisition cost is, in general, mostly utilised and found to be best understood by customers. It is shown that quantification of value elements is another important aspect and that resonating focus is the most suitable method for presenting benefits. Our findings also show that reference cases in combination with value calculators are a fruitful approach for making offering´s value understandable by the customers. Finally, the study shows that sale force plays an important role in value-based selling and that the advising role of sale force is a key element attributable to better value understanding of the offerings. Thus, this study contributes to the knowledge about elements for making customers to comprehend product value in offerings in value based selling, both from practitioners’ point of view and from theory perspective.

The purpose: Both academics and practitioners have demonstrated a keen interest in the topics of leadership style and employee performance within research and development (R&D) organisations. Much of the interest in these topics centres on claims that leadership style and local culture are linked to R&D performance. However, while the links between leadership and performance, leadership and culture, and work performance and employee satisfaction have been examined independently, few studies have investigated the association between all of these concepts. This study examines the relationship between leadership study and employee satisfaction in European R&D settings and provides empirical evidence that the leadership style is influenced by the national culture that is present. The paper presents a number of implications for theory and practice. Methodology: A quantitative study was carried out across a number of European R&D organisations, with the primary source of data obtained through the use of established surveys distributed to researchers and R&D leaders. Findings: Transformational leadership was found to be positively correlated with employee satisfaction in European R&D organisations and the scales of individualised consideration and inspirational motivation to exhibit the highest correlations with the researchers’ satisfaction among all of the leadership dimensions. Transactional leadership was found that does not support employee satisfaction, although the dimension of active management by exception contributes to researchers’ satisfaction. Leadership style and its individual dimensions were found to be dependent on the geographic location around Europe as a result of the effect of national culture. Whilst in Northern and Central European R&Ds transformational and transactional leaders have equal share, in the Southern European R&Ds the dominant leadership style was the transaction one, due to the higher power distance and the less flat structure in the society. In Southern European R&Ds the prevalent transformational dimension was idealised influence, while individualised consideration was the dominant one in Northern and Central European R&Ds. Research Implication: This study contributes to the body of knowledge on cross-national effects of leadership styles on employee satisfaction in European R&D organisations since the existing studies focus primarily on leadership style and performance. Practicality of the work: This work provides useful information about the effective leadership style, which brings satisfaction to researchers in European R&D organisations, and the prevalent leadership style in a given country as a result of the influence of national culture. Thus, it provides the knowledge required for a R&D organisation to set up appropriate training programs which will produce leaders who will be able get the best out of their researchers by ensuring high levels of employee satisfaction.

Studien har fokuserat på tidiga startups och hur dessa arbetar med marknadsföring och varumärkesbyggande, och hur en otydlig affärsmodell påverkar. Resultaten pekar på vikten av att involvera kunder så tidigt som möjligt för att hitta en fungerande affärsmodell och få feedback på produkterbjudandet. Vidare pekar studien på vikten av det egna och det utökade nätverket, som finns såväl fysiskt som digitalt, samt intresset för att användning av lågkostnadsmedier där det går att kvantifiera resultatet.

Motivation and innovativeness are both included in the complex business processes that organizations need to use to ensure value to customers. There are circumstances where innovativeness is required, companies need the participation of their employees for a successful execution. Employee innovativeness is required to ensure successful service delivery. The employees may have the ability, knowledge, and skills but few may be willing to do more than what their tasks require them to do. The willingness of employees to be innovative highly depends on the factors that motivate them. In the current study, it is aimed to examine the ways motivation affects innovativeness in service industries. A review of literatures is performed to gain insights on the concepts of motivation and innovativeness and to examine the relationship that exist between the concepts. Results from the current study is significant since the existing literature is providing only a few number of articles referring to the relationship of motivation factors to quality services delivery and its effects on organizational progress. Even today, there is no significant progress on the literature with refers to innovativeness within the service industry. The current study will show there is a gap in this area which may lead to further studies related to the field.

The company’s pricing is often highly impacted by the estimation of competitors’ project costs, which also is the main scope in this degree project. The purpose is to develop a pricing model dealing with uncertainties, since this is a main issue in the current pricing process. A pre-study has been performed, followed by a model implementation. An analysis of the model was then made, before conclusions were drawn. Project cost estimation foremost, but also probability distribution functions and pricing as a general concept, were investigated in the mainly literary pre-study. Two suitable methods for project cost estimation were identified; Monte Carlo simulation and Hierarchy Probability Cost Analysis. These lead to a theoretical project cost estimation model. A model was implemented in Matlab. It treats project cost estimation, but no other pricing aspects. The model was developed based on the theoretical one to the extent possible. Project costs were broken down in sub costs which were included in a Monte Carlo simulation. Competitors’ project costs were estimated using this technique. To analyse the model’s accuracy was difficult. It differs from the theoretical one in terms of how probability distribution functions and correlations are estimated. These problems depend on projects with shifting characteristics and limited data and time. A solid framework has been created though. Improvement possibilities exist, e.g. more accurate estimates and a model handling other pricing aspects. The major threat is that nobody maintains the model. Anyway, estimates are not more than just estimates. The model should therefore be viewed as a helpful tool, not an answer.

Abstract Lahore, Pakistan is one of the most populated and hottest regions of the world. Due to long summers beverages consumption is generally high leading to an increase in consumption of beverage PET bottles. There is a huge amount of municipal waste which is not being recycled and as a result it ends up in land refills. Through a survey I have tried to figure out that how different factors like income level, educational level, recycling facility, knowledge and incentives influence recycling behavior of 124 individuals in Lahore, Pakistan. The research conducted shows us a positive relationship between recycling and low income level and also shows an increase in recycling trend with an increase in financial incentive to the general public. However a negative relationship can be observed among the recycling trend and an increase in private cost in terms of effort and time. According to the study one of the major factors which demotivates the public sector from recycling is the shabby condition of junk shops. Furthermore it seems lower recycling rates are due to lack of awareness in general public regarding importance of recycling, people want a clean environment but are unaware of the fact that recycling is a key component in preserving the environment. So, the appended study below shows that effort needs to be done to create awareness and start an effective and planned collection system which can reduce private cost of recycling, similarly efforts should be made for advertising and campaigning about the benefits of recycling and encouraging individuals to feel proud of the fact that they are contributing towards the betterment of society by recycling.

Market competition and a desire to gain advantages on globalized market, drives companies towards innovation efforts. Project overload is an unpleasant phenomenon, which is happening for employees inside those organizations trying to make the most efficient use of their resources to be innovative. But what are the impacts of project overload on organization’s innovation capabilities? Advanced engineering teams (AE) inside a major heavy equipment manufacturer are suffering from project overload in their quest for innovation. In this paper, Agent-based modeling (ABM) is used to examine the current reality of the company context, and of the AE team, where the opportunities and challenges for reducing the risk of project overload and moving towards innovation were identified. Project overload is more likely to stifle innovation and creativity inside teams. On the other hand, motivation on proper challenging goals are more likely to help individual to alleviate the negative aspects of low level of project overload

Effectively applying model mix and assembly sequencing can result in smooth part usage and balanced workloads on the automotive assembly line. I have studied the problem of production planning in automotive industry in terms of scheduling various models on an assembly line using SAP APO over a time horizon. The trends in automotive industry are moving from built to stock to built to order since more customers are demanding cars specific to their requirements. This shift of interest creates a big challenge on the whole supply chain and specifically on the shop floor in automotive industry. As the number of car variants increase, the amount of products to be ordered and cars to be made specific to customer requirements creates an additional challenge on the shop floor regarding resources (Labour, Material and Equipment) optimization. The resources optimization can be done by implementing a model mix and assembly sequencing concept based on the integrated Product and Process Engineering (iPPE) structure. Using iPPE structure and takt based scheduling in SAP APO give consistent results and make the planning process simpler as the number of car variants increases though the absence of model mix percentage calculating module and lack of flexibility in editing the iPPE structure are some of the weaknesses of the system. Sequencing between departments in automotive industry using SAP APO can be investigated further.

Innovation performance measurement has developed from focusing on issues of control and monitoring towards a more supportive role for managers on a strategic, informative and motivational level. Despite its potential to facilitate innovation management measuring provides a challenge in practice not the least when a company has the ambition to manage both radical and incremental innovation. This paper, based on literature review with empirical illustrations from three case studies, argues that these issues derives from the need to manage a number of dichotomies which are present due to the essential differences associated to each type of innovation. These dichotomies are related to time, uncertainty, flexibility and control. The implications on the design and use of an innovation performance measurement system are explored and analyzed through the lens of dichotomies. The study contributes to the innovation measurement theory and provides basis for an analytical framework aiming to support the design and implementation of innovation performance measurement in practice.

The health care is a very important sector in Nigeria. Continuous observations of medical practitioners changing to, and picking up employments in other field for example, banking, insurance, oil and gas, marketing etc, pose a question if the problem has to do with Human Resources Management in the health institution where majority of the medical personnel get employed. This study was carried out to determine what effect this would have on staff performance and in turn health service delivery. This study adopted the simple random sampling technique to select one hundred and twenty (120) medical practitioners. The Likert scale was used to assess the opinion of the respondents. The data gathered through the questionnaires was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). More than half of the respondents: 54 (52.9%) confirmed their uncomfortable office conditions, 62 (60.4%) their insufficient benefits and allowances, 61 (59.8%) do not agree that they were being paid fairly for their responsibility. A vast majority of the respondents: 60 (58.8%) attested that employees are not recognized for good performance. Most of the respondents: 69 (67.6%) agreed that they were growing as a professional in the hospital. Quite a number of the respondents: 63(61.8%) confirmed that there is no policy that covers hazard related to their jobs. This study highlighted the overall Human resources management challenges in the health sector and confirmed the relationship between poor pay structure, lack of facilities, infrastructures, safety at work – and attitude to work. The Government and Health managers should address those factors that affect attitude to work. Improving the work environment so that it provides a context congruent with the aspirations and values systems of health workers is more likely to increase a better attitude to work and consequently have a positive effect on individual, organizational and health outcomes.

This paper presents a computer-based approach for conceptual design that aims to enhance collaborative supply chain development in the automotive sector when dealing with product-service development or radical innovations. The focus of the research has been to design a simulation approach that will enable designers and managers to simulate and evaluate the value of different design options for the different stakeholders involved in the development process and to have insights about the implications between business model innovation and the engineered aspects of the solutions early in the conceptual phase. The approach is presented using a case study within the current project, after following a team responsible for the car cockpit. Four possible scenario have been simulated and evaluated using a commercial simulation software. The main advantage of the proposed approach is to enhance the awareness among designers and managers of the value of different design options, and allow them to explore further how business and design aspects profoundly affect each other, in order to support early decision-making in the design process.

Many articles have been written about women and what kind of barriers they face – whether it being a glass ceiling or a labyrinth - as they are progressing in their careers; gender stereotyping, double-binds, lack of role models, “old boys club”, different leadership styles, and so forth. And many others have talked about how to navigate or mitigate any obstacles that might face women due to their gender. Purpose of Research: This report aims to give insight into another aspect of this topic, namely through the lens of a cultural standpoint: do women that live and work abroad face yet another obstacle by being foreigners in addition to the gender specific ones that previously have been thoroughly identified in academic research. Research Question: How do successful female managers overcome attitudinal and cultural barriers in a foreign country? What strategies have they used? Method: The main research data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured, qualitative Skype interviews with women who have chosen to work and live abroad on a local level (i.e. not expats on time limited assignments). The collected empirical data was subsequently analysed using a matrix containing key words obtained from an in-depth, two-level academic literature search. The key words supported the discussion of the empirical findings and the analysis where the barriers were identified together with the subsequent strategies these women have used in order to progress their careers. Conclusions: As the study shows, a majority of the interviewed women have experienced positive response due to them being from a foreign culture, allowing them additional lee-way in making decisions that is considered to be non-stereotypical or norm “because-she-is-not-from-around-here” or using – very consciously – the excuse “this-is-the-way-we-do-it-in-my-home-country” to overcome attitudinal [gender] barriers. Most interviewed women also acknowledge that being a woman – in a male dominated environment such as a higher management position – differentiates them from the “crowd”, and it can be utilized as an advantage – providing that you want to stand in the spotlight. A common thread among the interviewed women was that women themselves are their own worst enemies – they often create their own internal barriers that prevent them from advancing their careers. However, the higher the women climb on the corporate ladder, the less advantage they have from being a foreigner and a woman, and the more they have to conform to the “norm” that in many places still is an “old boys club”.

Purpose The purpose with this research is to explore what management is doing in order to successfully manage the diversity needs in their workplace and to put up a conceptual model of the initiatives needed in order to reach a successful diversity strategy implementation. The questions are aimed at finding the barriers for managers to implement a successful diversity strategy. Our goal is to understand where the real practitioners of workplace diversity stand in the subject and which areas they wish could be taken a closer look by the researchers. We would also like to explore how mature the companies really are regarding the subject of diversity. Method The method for our thesis was to begin with an exploratory approach in order to gain a better knowledge of the subject and to learn where the literature stands today. To this we have added the collection of qualitative data through interviews made in eight different companies with a total of eleven managers in different levels of the organizations. Once all the data was collected and reviewed we ranked each manager and the company they work for to produce a picture of the diversity maturity present in these companies. Conclusions We have come to the following conclusions - Diversity is a strength and value for companies acting on a global market. - Diversity within a team make the team more productive, solutions are better since the input are from various angles. - To successfully maintain a diverse team puts more demands on the manager to realize that everyone is different and not to handle everyone the same. - There is a high level of maturity found in Swedish managers when it comes to diversity, but areas like training and recruitment policies need to be improved. - Swedish managers have a vast knowledge of what diversity means to their organizational process.

Background: Today’s fast-paced product development cycles and increasing complexity of automotive products require new processes, methods and tools to manage product development organizations. Besides that, reduced cost and higher product quality calls for increased product development effectiveness and efficiency since product development stands for significant part of the quality costs. This implies a need for holistic approach by sharing and creating new knowledge and faster problem solving in projects. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to examine the factors that affect product quality, development cost and development time in automotive product development organizations. This thesis reviews existing literature in fields of quality management, lean product development and knowledge management with special focus on the factors that affect product quality, cost and development times. Three factors that affect product quality, cost and time are identified as:  Cross functional teams  Knowledge Integration  Knowledge Flexibility Method: A qualitative research case study is performed at a major automotive manufacturer in Sweden. Semi structured interviews are used to collect as much information as possible from respondents at two automotive product development companies. Collected data is analyzed using pattern matching techniques where the theoretical model is tested against the observed or actual model. Member checking and peer reviews are used to further enhance the credibility of this study. Main findings: The outcome of this study is that product quality can be improved by using the cross-functional teams, work force with knowledge in multiple fields and by integrating previous product knowledge during the product development. Knowledge creation and sharing are fundamental in innovative product development. As such organizations need to develop processes to facilitate knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. Information integration may not be effective during innovative product development due to the lack of previous product knowledge. Both cross functional teams and knowledge integration appears to have strong influence on product quality and development cost. However, knowledge flexibility is not fully supported for development of innovative products. It appears that both generalists and specialists are needed to not end up in quality issues or loss of innovations. Project leaders with skills in more than one field will improve correct and timely decision making as well as integrating different views in cross functional teams which will lead to improved product quality and lower development cost and time.

Background Small and medium businesses (SME) are important elements in the strategies of economic growth and improvement. The SME have played a great role in regional and global economic recovery during many years and thus they are very desirable. Small business leaders have to fulfil a wide range of roles and responsibilities however, the most important role being the leader role. Valdiserri (Valdiserri and Wilson, 2010) stated that poor leadership is one of the main failure reasons for small businesses. Furthermore, different countries may have different leadership styles and culture. Aim The purpose of this thesis is to identify the differences between the leadership styles in small technical companies in Sweden, an industrialized country, and Jordan, a developing country Method We adopted the study case method to study the leadership style in small companies. Through pre-defined questionnaire surveys, the leaders of eight small businesses (four companies in Sweden and four in Jordan) were asked to answer multifactor questions. We then studied the answers based on three situational leadership models. The situational methods used in our study were the Fiedler model, the normative model and the SLII model. The answers were then analysed in order to determine the current as well as the appropriate leadership style based on the models. Results In brief, our study identified several examples of different leadership styles in various situations in small companies and presented the most suitable leadership in those situations. The thesis also shed light on differences in small technical company leadership in Sweden and Jordan. The analysis of the case studies of the studied companies showed that the situational leadership methods could be used in small companies. The study concluded that in order to identify the leadership style, more than one model had to be used. In general, the leadership style in the Swedish companies matched the recommended leadership style. The Jordanian companies’ leadership style however did not match the recommended leadership style. The models in our framework also revealed the reasons behind and also proved to be valuable tools in recommending the suitable leadership style for all companies. The used models in our thesis however lacked the appropriate tools to explain the differences between the Swedish and Jordanian companies. The differences are thought to be due to cultural aspects, however, these models does not take in account the cultural aspect nor the size of the companies, an issue pointed out by Gary (Yukl, 2002). Conclusion The situational leadership style model was shown to be fully applicable in our case study as in previous literature. The conducted study suggested that more than one model had to be used in order to identify the suitable leadership style. Interestingly, the models used were clearly applicable in Middle East companies. This was, to our knowledge, the first time these models were used in Middle East countries when studying leadership style. Furthermore, the studied situational leadership style showed a clear difference in leadership between Sweden and Jordan. The models recommended a participative style in the small technical companies both in Sweden and Jordan. However, the current practiced leadership style in the Jordan companies were not exhibiting the recommended leadership style. Interviewing the leaders in the Jordanian companies gave us a hint that this difference could be due to cultural differences. The cultural differences must thus be born in mind when interpreting the data and trying to understand the reasons behind the results when studying these models. The Jordanian companies used more power leadership (telling leadership) than their Swedish counterparts who exhibited a participating leadership. According to (Hofstede, 1991) leadership in Arab culture show higher power distance than in Nordic companies. Our results thus coincide with previous studies. However more studies need to be made in order to draw conclusions on whether this is a common phenomenon in all Jordanian or Middle East companies and our thesis present an interesting pilot study in this regard.

Employee commitment has been in the center of growing interests and studies for several decades. During this time different approaches and theories have been developed regarding this concept. In the same way the concept of employee performance related to the latter’s work has been the focus of attention due to a potential improvement that this term offers to an organization. A review of scientific literature explores how important it is to have committed employees and describes its impact on a company’s competitive advantage expressed through customer satisfaction, productivity, low employee turnover, tolerance to changes, low absenteeism, etc. Moreover, managing employees’ performance is also crucial related to the motivational theory with positive outcomes, such as employees’ relations, productivity, quality of the service or product, as well as financial performance of an organization. Besides, a number of authors have drawn attention to the need of exploring conceptually and empirically the relationship between employee commitment and performance. Even though, research has identified both positive and negative relationships between these two concepts, there still remain confusing points. In this thesis the relationship between employees’ commitment and performance in Information and Communications Technology industry in Armenia has been investigated. To note, no research related to this subject has been carried out in Armenia before. The critical review is followed by a field study in three ICT companies with an email-based interview conducted among 14 employees. As mentioned in the findings not only the importance of employee commitment to the firm but also the relationship and effects it has on employees’ performance as a key outcome have been identified. The findings are analyzed and discussed and conclusions are drawn at the end of the report.

The aim of this paper is to sketch out a proposal for master thesis in the area management control. This thesis focuses on how managers should use the management control systems to enforce strategic transformation. These ideas are currently subject of academic and industrial research. As theoretical and practical foundation, this thesis will be inspiring for project oriented corporate specializing in service delivery especially in the field of Telecom sector. Considering today’s global rivalry, with continuous emerging complex projects, relating matrix organizations and customers, alongside with human factors drawn in; makes Service Delivery companies particularly unstable. In the era of information technology the service delivery companies are subject to continuous strategic transformation to be able to create sustainable competitive advantages and stay in the business. [1] framework is used as starting point of this paper. This framework proposes two excessive points of reference to categorize management control systems i.e. interactive versus analytical systems and level of management control. This thesis intends developing two novel ideas; firstly, that the framework of interpretation could be dragged out to cover parameters such as control system, and incentive system, management tool, and organizational structure; secondly, it investigates how these parameters would link up rationally in a combined manner. The organizational factor arises from the literature on project management that bringing together the issues for driving new product lines and related service deliveries. Management literature on control systems has inspired the idea of the tool for supporting a smooth strategic transformation. Among other things, it stresses the importance of matrix coordination for the service delivery organizations. Furthermore incentive factor could take part in enforcing transformation on strategic level even healthier. As a foundation for empirical study, a case study has been performed to explore the significance of above mentioned management control method. The studies represent several years of research with focus of strategic transformations. The studies suggested how these transformations were setup and interpreted in a framework of above mentioned parameters. A more efficient arrangement would contribute to a better interactive and analytical features. This approach, which is characterized for service delivery organizations, tenders an gripping idea to be explored in future researches.

This thesis project is aimed to investigate how gaps in the form of mistakes and flaws can be identified and minimized during customer service interactions. The Service Concept model by Goldstein et al. (2002) is used to create strategic alignment and to minimize the gap between customers’ needs and the company’s intentions of the delivered service. Also, Watkinson’s (2013) principles on how to create satisfied customers and enhancing the customer experience is used as well as Chien et al. (2002) framework for customer satisfaction. The GAPS Model by Parasuraman et. al. (2004) is also used to identify service quality gaps. The study is designed following the case study methodology. Data was collected through a qualitative means, interviewing a mix of employees at three levels (back-office, front-end and managers) at the service department at company Services1. Major findings were that customer expectations, quality and objectives, alignment of service strategy and execution, communication, relationships, customer satisfaction knowledge, motivation and engagement, and sharing customer feedback of the customer service were not unified and clear for all the levels. There are mismatches in the previous topics at Services1 that influence performance in customer satisfaction.

This thesis studies financial performance data for Swedish publically traded information technology companies over five years beginning 2008 to 2012. This thesis examines performance for two types of business models: so called direct business models and indirect business models. The performance data is used to determine if there are any differences in financial performance. The analysis shows that companies using direct business models have a significantly lower financial performance than companies using indirect business models. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the difference can be explained by the type of right sold. Selling asset ownership rights or selling matching rights have a significant negative impact on performance while selling usage rights have a positive impact on performance. This thesis offers support to the notion that more and more information technology companies adopt indirect business models.

In software engineering, the objective function of human decision makers might be influenced by many factors. Relying on historical data as the ground truth may give rise to systems that automate software engineering decisions by mimicking past suboptimal behavior. We describe the problem and offer some strategies. ©IEEE.

As today’s companies are growing their international reach, its managers increasingly need to manage teams overseas. The United States and Sweden have extensive trade and as American companies are increasing their involvement in the Swedish market, American managers relocate to Sweden to manage teams and projects. Knowing how to prepare an American manager for this change is crucial for the success of a project, product, and/or company in Sweden. It was found that, even though two cultures might seem similar (in this case, US and Sweden), companies need to prioritize both pre-departure and post-arrival training as well as selection of expatriates with respect to cultural intelligence.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate necessity of ambidexterity for organizations. The main interest of this thesis is to investigate why organizations should be ambidextrous and how organizations can reach ambidexterity under the pressure of limited resources and competitive market condition. Findings: This thesis explored relations and tensions between exploitation and exploration in organizational and individual aspects. Findings in the research show that communication skill of the subunits in the case company need to be strengthened. Subunits need to be independent from each other. However, they should be aware of other subunits’ actions. In this sense, there is need for strong information flow between all units in the case company. Participation of employees and teamwork should be promoted by leaders. This thesis suggests that establishing special subunits for explorative activities would not only leverage explorative processes in the organizations but it would also leverage exploitative activities. This issue causes time management and scheduling problem for the employees and also individuals are distracted by focusing on conflicting dimensions such as explorative and exploitative tasks. Behavioral integrity is one of the most important subjects. Behavioral integrity is the key factor to provide consistency between subunits. Independent subunits with common vision lead firms to ambidexterity. Implications: The implications of this study contribute to achievement of organizational ambidexterity in companies. This thesis was started with introduction to importance of ambidexterity, organizational ambidexterity, exploration and exploitation in case of long and short term organizational performance in sight of knowledge based and managerial perspective. It also explored relations and tensions between these dimensions such as exploration and exploitation in terms of organizational and individual aspects, contextual and structural ambidexterity, social support and performance management, dynamic and ambidextrous capabilities with implication of case study research.