Researchers and practitioners have recognized the need for ?transforming? every policy of the company into a competitive advantage tool. Thus, both the pricing approach and the supply chain practices of the firm have emerged as an important determinant of success. In this study, however, we are not only interested in these two aspects, but also in a third one-namely cultural conflicts as an obstacle and challenge. The interaction of the tree factors is extensively presented against the backdrop of Skanska and four of their closest Polish suppliers.

I dagens samhälle är det viktigt för företag att ha en effektiv försörjningskedja. En kedja blir ineffektiv när den innehåller mycket osäkerhet som t.ex. brister i informationsflöden, vid lagerhantering, skapandet av prognoser eller produktion. IT stöd finns, vilka ger möjlighet att minska dessa osäkerhetsfaktorer. Automatik i form av mjukvaruagenter är ett sätt att bidra till minskad osäkerhet.

In this master?s thesis the problem of simulating conditional Bernoulli distributed stochastic variables, given the sum, is considered. Three simulation methods are considered, namely the acceptance/rejection technique, Bondesson?s method and the Markov chain Monte Carlo method.To compare the three methods the bias and the standard deviations of the simulated variables are evaluated. The results of the simulation study shows that the Markov chain Monte Carlo method is not the best method for this type of simulation.

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the situation for independent hotels. With a thorough case study of ?The Grand Hotel in Lund? ,our intentions is to gain knowledge about the demands a hotel must keep up with in order to be a successful independent hotel, in a market dominated by chain-constellations. Methodology: An abductive method is used as the study form the basis for hypothesis. The first part of the thesis, which describes the line of business, is based primary on secondary data.

The purpose of the essay has been to clarify why and how small companies, whose major resource is knowledge, establish strategic alliances and which opportunities it brings. We have increased our understanding for the concept of strategic alliances through empirical search and through well-known scientist work. The method, which has been used in the essay, is principally qualitative interviews and gathering secondary data from articles from well-known authors. Our study has given that we have found that entering strategic alliances can make growth and by that way create competitive advantages for the company in question. We also found that there are risks with strategic alliances and the company can protect themselves by legal actions.

Logistikens vikt för företag blir allt större. En mängd faktorer i företagens omvärld tvingar företag att följa med i utvecklingen för att behålla sin konkurrenskraft. Den ständiga förändringen som sker inom logistikområdet präglas av en mängd tidstypiska trender. Företag med en betydande logistik tvingas därför ta ställning till dessa trender, som på olika sätt sätter avtryck i organisationer då de väljer att implementera tillhörande arbetssätt och metoder från trenderna.Studien undersöker hur företag påverkas av logistiska trender. Detta sker genom att beskriva hur de ser på utvecklingen inom logistik och de trender som utvecklas inom området, samt att se till hur trenderna har satt spår i företagens verksamheter.

The supermarkets are taking more and more market shares for potted plants the last years, and a greater part is bought without prior planning. Signals from several European countries, for example Denmark and UK, indicate that potted plants with added value have become more and more popular and the added value is based on present trends. The meaning of added value in this thesis is fancy pots, packaging, pins or arrangements. Potted plants with added value sold in supermarkets offer the consumer the advantage of getting a ?ready product? quick and easy.

When the Swedish Forestry Act was changed in 1994, brushing of young stands became non mandatory. Since then the annual need for brushing in the country has increased by about 100 000 hectares per year. In later years the price for biomass energy has increased to the same level as pulp wood. The high price on biomass energy and the large areas of stands in the need of brushing has created a new market with its own technical, economical and environmental conditions. There is a development of various techniques to manage the forestry stands with late brushing.

The taste of the dairy product is probably the main factor determining consumer?s dairy products choice. Consequently it is of great importance that the product tastes good and as expected every time. Off-flavors in milk can be caused by for example oxidation of the milk fat. Since copper is a prooxidant, a high copper content in the milk can cause oxidation.

The four grocery chains Axfood, Bergendahls, Coop and ICA, all providing private labels, dominate the Swedish grocery market. Through private labels, it may be possible to convey an image about the grocery chain's overall brand. Furthermore, it is important that the grocery chain's employees have a fairly consistent understanding regarding the company's image to achieve success.The main purpose of this study is to examine how the intended image the Swedish grocery chains head offices will communicate through private labels is perceived among the store employees. The study intends to provide an expanded view among the grocery chains' work on internal communications regarding the image of private labels. The research method is qualitative.

In order to measure the quality of the logs, one can with help of Fast Fourier Transform technique get the signals resonance peaks. With help of these peaks you can see whether the quality of a tree is good or bad. This report contains the work of a where a program has been developed to be able to process a vibration created by an automatic hammer hitting on a log of wood. From the processed signal the program should be able to show both the raw wavesignal and the processed measured data from the resonance peaks. Beyond the raw wavesignal and resonance peaks the program should also be able to control the automatic hammer.

Bakgrund: Utvecklingen inom redovisningssystem går mot att använda alltfler kompletterande icke finansiella styrmått. Genom att koppla ihop det tankar som finns inom Balanced Scorecard konceptet med ett värdekedjetänkande som finns inom Supply Chain Management kan en horisontell styrning skapas.Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och förklara hur företag kan utveckla lönsamhetsrelaterade mått för kompetens och prestationer samt att ge förslag på en process- och värdekedjeanpassning av Balanced Scorecard modellen.Avgränsningar: Uppsatsen behandlas utifrån Balanced Scorecard och Supply Chain Management teorin där fokusering framför allt sker på måttframtagningen. De personer som intervjuats är verksamma inom Svedala Industri i Sverige, Tyskland och Frankrike. Genomförande: Uppsatsen bedrevs som en fallstudie där intervjuerna skedde på med personer på divisionsnivå, marknadsnivå samt försäljarnivå med återkommande intervjuer vid behov. Intervjuresultaten användes för att testa den egna modellen i verkligheten.Resultat: Uppsatsen visar att incitament föreligger för användning av kompletterande styrnyckeltal för att förbättra företaget.

In modern society globalisation is a fact within all industries, the textile industry included. Due to improvement in areas such as logistics and communication international trade have developed fast. As changes occur rapidly on the global market and companies must adjust and revise their processes in order to stay competitive.Because of the global price reduction consumers around the world expect low-price products, which mean that the companies have to find new ways to produce in a cost-efficient way. To maximize profit most of the textile production is situated in low-cost countries due to its labour-intensive character. It is crucial for fashion companies to allocate their activities in their value-chain effectively in order to reduce lead-times.

Under det senaste decenniet har den svenska elektronikhandeln präglats av en allt hårdare konkurrenssituation och lägre lönsamhet. Det har lett till att stora butikskedjor gått i konkurs. För att vända trenden måste företagen hanterar sina butiksverksamheter effektivt. Det blir därmed avgörande hur butikschefen sköter butiken. Av den anledningen är det intressant att underso?ka butikschefers arbetssätt för att se vad som leder till hög lönsamhet.

AbstractTitle: Strategic Communication within franchising, a case study of GallerixNumber of pages: 60 (65 with enclosures)Author: Charlotta Babington ThorszeliusCourse: Media and Communication DPeriod: Spring 2008University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University, SwedenPurpose/Aim: To find out, by doing a case study, how communication between the two parties in a franchising relationship works, and how communication can strengthen the concept and brand. By analysing the communication, identify strengths and weaknesses and make suggestions for improvement.Material/Method: Qualitative method by using interviewsMain results: The understanding of the concept and the relationship between franchiser and franchisees are vital for the success of the franchising chain. The main internal communication channel today is the Intranet, and more personal contacts and meetings are requested. The yearly meetings are appreciated by the franchisees, but the content of the meetings are of varied quality. The chains value words, which are important for how the brand is perceived by the customer, are slightly different from how the franchiser and the franchisees sees them.