Access to correct and updated intelligence about our environment is in an increasingly degree considered important in the private as well as in the public sector. At Mälardalens University, competitive intelligence as an area of research is closely related to Information Design - a multidisciplinary consideration which goal is to improve the receiver´s understanding of intended messages. This study was conducted in order to find out how Information Design was representedin different kinds of literature regarding Competitive Intelligence. Also, it describes the main focus areas concerning Competitive Intelligence in the same literature. Through an explorative "pearl-growing" method combined with searches through referrals, 60 different sources provide a broad basis for analysis.

While conducting our practical training we experienced how the structure and the complexity of the municipal administration could, from a white-collar workers perspective, become a limitation and burden for efficient work. Deriving from this experience we found an interest in how politicians reasoned with regards to their relationship with supervisor in municipal old-age care. Kouzes och Micos (1979) ?Theory of organizational behavior in human service? became our point of departure. Their framework was therefore the foundation for our research and work throughout this paper. Our aim with this research was to examine how politicians viewed their relationship with supervisor in municipal old-age care.

The thesis is about exploring possibilities for developing a standardised system solution for micro businesses, this since most of the micro business lack proper system solutions, a contributing factor of this is price and also incompatibility between the solution and the business itself. The system solutions we will refer to are solutions which task is to cover the most important needs that a micro business might have on their system. The main goal with this research is to see if this is possible, and if so, how the developers should think to take it further. We chose to do this by identifying the most significant of needs a micro business has when it comes to this type of system solution.In this thesis we will present three needs which were evaluated and brought forth through the analyses of various interviews and observations we had done during the study. The interviews took place at respective company with their employees and consisted both closed and open questions with our main focus on the open questions because we wanted to obtain as much information from the respondents as possible from several viewpoints.

Laws, regulations and generally accepted accounting principles hold options on how companies should recognize revenue. Generally accepted accounting principles are determined by standard-setting bodies as the Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Supervisory Authority, which is influenced by international standard-setting bodies as the IASB. Service revenue is generally recognized when performance is completed, but there are variations in when a performance is considered complete. The different accounting options available create difficulties in comparing companies over time and between companies, which in turn creates difficulties to achieve a true and fair view. By clarifying what methods and principles in accounting for service income the unlisted companies in Sweden are using and why these differences exist, we have been able to study how the comparability and the true and fair view is affected by these differences. The aim was to study the underlying factors that companies do their financial report differently.

 Date                   May 28, 2009Level                  Bachelor thesis in Business Administration/Information TechnologyAuthors             Jennie Andersson, Niklas Fridell, Visar HoxhaTutor                  Marie MörndalDepartment    HSTTitle                    ERP-solutions in small to medium sized enterprises ? possibilities and problemsSummary          ERP-solutions have penetrated the market for SME: s, offering the same advantages larger enterprises have enjoyed for years. For a significantly cheaper price, SME: s can nowadays acquire ERP-solutions and become more effective and increase their profit.  The authors have examined five SME: s in both the production and service company segment and have come to the conclusion that an ERP-solution would indeed benefit these companies in many levels but also induce certain obstacles the examined companies must overcome, both financial and organizational.Purpose            The purpose of this thesis is to examine if and how SME: s can become more efficient and developed and increase their profit by implementing an ERP-solution. Further, the purpose is to discuss which conditions that exists for the examined SME: s in order to implement an ERP-solution.Method            The thesis consists of a qualitative research where the authors have interviewed either the owner or employees at management level by using semi-structured interviews.

Problem discussion:To be competitive in a changeable environment, as the video surveillance market, in a time when the company and the market grow with almost 40% yearly, the sales organization must be well trimmed and effective. Knowledge about customers? needs and what makes success are essential parts of the progress. Sales Product Management (Sales PM) is a new group at Axis with the main task to support local sales offices around the world in their work with different sales projects. Because of the number of ongoing projects Sales PM needs to be able to screen among these and focus on those where their help will be most valuable for the company.

Abstract ? ?Aggregate complaints in banks MIS?Date:                       June 8th 2012Level:                      Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 ECTSInstitution:                School of Sustainable development of society and technology, Mälardalen UniversityAuthors:                  Abdulla Ahmed Ibrahim         Alexis AnderssonTitle:                       Aggregate complaints in MIS ? A case study of Nordea BankTutor:                      Carl G ThunmanKeywords:               Aggregate, complaint, dissatisfaction, content analysis, Nordea, MIS.Purpose:                  The paper aims to develop a model of how Nordea Bank can monitor customer dissatisfaction through aggregated dissatisfaction analysis. Furthermore, the study aims to identify improvement proposals in Nordea based on the developed model and conducted interviews.Method:                  This thesis consists of qualitative interviews. Personnel at the local office in Västerås has been interviewed as well as Nordea?s customer ombudsmen, former office employee at Nordea, data analyst, head of customer inquiries, Professor of database technology and also a researcher in language technology.

The purpose of this thesis is to study how Swedish independent record labels, or indie labels, fared on the Japanese market. The research questions were based on how Swedish independent record labels establish themselves on the Japanese market and how the cultural differences between the nations affect the business relationship. It was decided to execute a case study on two Swedish independent record labels and the Swedish export council for music. The ones chosen as study objects were B & B Records, Razzia Records and Export Music Sweden. The conclusions were that the indie labels need to understand the importance of personal business relationships when trying to get established on the Japanese market.

The aim of this thesis is to examine what factors that influences the management control in a family business operating in a sector in which they are under-represented. We have therefore conducted a case study of a family business in the finance sector, E. Öhman J: or Fondkommission AB (Öhman). The first conclusion is that the management control in Öhman is influenced by the environment and the increasing size of the company. We have found, however, that it is to an even larger extent affected by the fact that it is a family business even though the company is operating in a sector in which family businesses are not the norm.

Syfte:1. Att redogöra bakgrunden till varför praktiska utbildningar behövs, och varför det satsas på en sådan utbildningsfilosofi.2. Att granska två koncept med två tillhörande program för att påvisa viktiga likheter och skillnader, genom utbildningsplaner, intervjuer och enkäter.3. Att ta reda på vad meningen med de två koncepten är, med hänsyn till vad respondenterna säger och med mina egna tankar och åsikter.Metod: En kvalitativ undersökning bestående av intervjuer och enkätundersökningar kombinerad med vissa kvantitativa delar i enkätundersökningen.Teoretiska perspektiv: Kommunikation, lärande, teoretiskt lärande, praktiskt lärande.Empiri och analys: Meningen med utbildningskoncepten har diskuterats fram med hjälp av egna åsikter och med hjälp av svar från enkäter, personliga intervjuer och ifrån övriga respondenter.Slutsatser: Det finns flera meningar med båda utbildningskoncepten och deras respektive utvalda utbildningar. För en KY-student kan det vara att få en skräddarsydd utbildning, och för en co-op student kan det vara möjligheten till betalda arbetsperioder..

Bachelor thesis in Business administration, School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University, Controller, 2FE13E, spring semester 2014Title: Capital budgeting in Municipal-real estate companies - A study of the law of public housing company impact on capital budgeting.Authors: Axel Erlandsson, Caroline Hellman and Niklas LundqvistTutor: Anders JerrelingBackground: Municipal owned real estate companies  has in the past been obliged to take responsibility for providing housing to Swedish municipal inhabitants. Municipal owned real estate company?s has in the past been prohibited to act in profit purpose. In January 2011 the previous law of public housing was replaced with the new law on public municipal housing companies. The municipality may not provide the municipal owned company with any financial advantages against a private owned real estate company.

Shorter hospital stays increases the need for well functioning post hospital aftercare. Persons close to the patient are often involved in the aftercare and need information about self-care. This need is frequently not satisfied. The aim of this study was to investigate if the next-of-kin of patients cared for at the thoracic clinic at Uppsala University hospital, have received information about self-care and how they perceive the information they have been given. METHOD: To investigate this, questionnaires were sent out by mail.

The Swedish business cycle is in a strong position at the moment, leading to great results and larger profits. This strong business posture has encouraged companies to increase both their liquidity and revenue. Now there is a dilemma, what actions should or could a respectable business take on these newfound liquid assets.The purpose of this paper is to deliver a clear picture of what options there are for such companies listed on the Swedish stock-market, and how the market wants them to act. To these means we have studied the basic theories linked to this subject and reviewed the cause and effects that motivates them. We have also conducted interviews with the people representing the market through their line of business.In the theory we found several options on what companies in similar situations tend to do.

This study has investigated what makes a business relation satisfactory. The purpose is to distinguish the factors that are relevant to a functioning cooperation relationship between sawmills and DIY-stores. The theoretical framework is primarily based on long-term business relationships. The study is based on two case companies and their relations with wood-suppliers. - Case company 1 is a relatively new established and still growing company.

A great number of empirical researches show that hedging is associated with higher firm value, particularly hedging interest rate and exchange rate. However, there is no clear support for value-added risk management hypothesis in the case of producers of commodities. Moreover, according to Shrand and Unal (1997), there are two types of risks, core business risks (or core risk) and homogeneous risks (or non core risks), which are based on a firm's comparative advantages with respects to the source of risk. Firm can earn economic profits for bearing core risks in which it has a comparative information advantage. Firm earn a zero economic rents for bearing non-core risks, where it has no advantage information than its competitors.