This thesis serves to examine how manufacturing SMEs consider outsourcing. Furthermore, we aim to identify the main characteristics and patterns for these types of companies that can explain their rationale in such a decision. The chosen method for this thesis is abduction and selected research approach is multiple case studies. Seven case studies have been conducted at EAB AB, Esbe AB, Hörle Automatic AB, Pelly Industri AB, SGV Industrier AB, Swede-Wheel AB and Wulkan AB. Our findings have illustrated that although traditional outsourcing theory provides a good platform for explaining the rationale behind outsourcing decisions in SMEs, we have identified additional considerations that SMEs, operating as 2, 3 or 4-tier suppliers towards OEM-corporations, make.

The aim of this two-year masters thesis is to look for the Swedish public library´s core business, using theories about competence. The approach is qualitative. It is done by studying the Unesco Public Library Manifesto, the Swedish library legislation, the education in library and information science, two important Swedish library related journals and by asking public librarians about their work and point of view regarding competence.The research shows mainly two sides of the core competence of public librarians: information technology competence and literature knowledge. The conclusion is that the two meet in the idea of mass education, which could therefore be called the Swedish public library´s core business..

S2 CRM is a Customer Relations Management system built in classic ASP that runs on a web server servicing customers with varying needs. The purpose of this thesis work is to convert parts of the system to the web development environment ASP.NET. The purpose is also to gain knowledge of the framework itself. The ASP.NET environment is compared with another framework, JBoss Seam, in order to understand the differences and to evaluate the possibility of using another framework than ASP.NET, when building the new system. The outcome of this comparison is that although JBoss Seam is just as good, and in some aspects better than ASP.NET, the use of ASP.NET simplifies the continuation of development on the S2 CRM product.

How do we match our education with the needs of the construction line of business and the requirementsof the Swedish National Agency for education? Is there something that we have to change?In this study I have asked our former students about their opinion of our education and I have also asked them to give me their view on what a good teacher is like. I have been able to benefit a lot from their answers in my efforts to be that good teacher. This survey took place at Facebook.The answers showed that we carry on a piece of solid workmanship. But you can always improve, try harder.

This thesis attempts to clarify the impact of cultural differenceson customer expectations of service level. Furthermore, wewant to determine whether or not expectations of service differenough to be quantifiable between two countries, Sweden andthe US, mostly regarded as similar in business practices. The conclusion showed that higher ratings on four of Hofstede?s five cultural indexes were associated with higher customer service expectations overall, and in all four SERVQUAL dimensions. This research contributes to retail internationalization and customer expectations theory.

Title:Pecking-order i små tillverkande företag Level of thesis:Master´s dissertation in banking and auditing Authors:Mathias Klasén and Maria Waderoth Advisor:Joakim Winborg Background:The area of business financing has been well studied during the 1900´s. Many studies and theories are made with big corporations in mind, and the importance of small businesses wasn?t enlightened until the end of the 1900´s. Business financing has created a number of theories, among them Myers pecking-order theory. This theory implies that business managers prefer internal equity in front of debt and external equity.

This study is made in cooperation with the insurance company, Skandia. Skandia is a part of Old Mutual group?s Nordic division and is one of Swedens largest insurance companies with a total of 1.9 million customers. The company offers traditional life assurance, unit-linked insurance, private healthcare insurance and banking services. Insurance companies such as Skandia operate in a highly competitive environment.

E-business innebär att företag använder Internetteknologier eller nätverksteknologier för att skapa större affärsnytta i deras affärsprocesser. För att kunna genomföra automatiserade affärsprocesser krävs att de olika system som används är interoperabla, d v s kan kommunicera och fungera ihop på ett effektivt sätt. Målet med Web Services är att skapa hög interoperabilitet, vilket gör denna teknik lämplig för e-business. Företag kan specialicera sig på att skapa specifika Web Services. Dessa Web Services kan sedan vara byggstenar åt andra företags tjänster. Det krävs då att Web Services kan integreras på ett bra sätt så att de verkligen bildar en affärsprocess. Därför är även frågor kring hur integration mellan Web Services ska gå till, viktigt ur ett e-bussiness perspektiv. Det vi kommit fram till är att det går att minimera integrationsproblemen genom att anvä nda de mest standardiserade protokollen och följa vissa riktlinjer vid skapandet av Web Services.

Business valuation is something that is carried out on a daily basis and relevant to both small and large businesses. Valuations are often long and complex processes that may be difficult to understand, even for those who have received an education in the field. In this thesis, we try to create a better understanding of how this process works.   Since we are aware of many aspects of the theory behind business valuation, but very little insight into the practical activities, we have chosen a deductive approach, i.e. to go from theory to empirical data.   The conclusion is that the methods presented in the theory is largely used in practice, and that the process of valuation mighty seldom differ between valuations. For the seller to be able to charge a higher value for their companies, it is important to have knowledge of, and review the value-creating factors in the company.

Internet commerce is nowadays a well known phenomenon. There is awareness that a lot of newly created companies operate their business through the Internet. You can see a tendency where many young people try to establish an Internet business with the hope of success and expansion on today?s fierce market rivalry. To achieve success, companies have to consider factors like business concept, logistic knowledge, future vision, resources and contacts when initializing their business.Having this in mind, we can clarify the purpose with this paper: ?To analyze in what way On-line shopping companies that sell consumer electronics, cell phones and music/entertainment products, have expanded? The paper is based on telephone interviews with three On-line shopping companies.

Abstract Title:                               Goodwill ? differences and similarities between how IFRS and U.S. GAAP treats goodwill Level:                              One year master, 15 credits Author:                           Oscar Larsen and Thomas Karlsson Supervisor:                     Leif Carlsson Examiner:                      Cecilia Lindh Year of publication:      2011 The main issue:              What are the differences and similarities of the treatment of goodwill between the U.S. GAAP and IFRS? What can the transition from U.S.

The field of the social economy and of the work integration social enterprises (WISE) in particular, is for many a more or less unknown area. Unlike ordinary enterprises the WISE's are different due to their aim of integrating disadvantaged people through work. In comparison with other small enterprises earlier research has shown that the WISE's are dealing with challenges regarding recruitment, participation, leadership, sustainable business ideas but above all, the access to funding. The purpose of this essay has therefore been to examine and analyze the financial situation of eight WISE's located in the Stockholm County. The results indicate that half of the enterprises perceive their economic situation as very unstable and as an obstacle to their further development.

The European Union is struggling to maintain democracy and tries to increase the participation among the citizens in Europe. The European Citizens? Initiative, ECI, is a platform established by the European Commission to allow citizens to propose new legislation. ?Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity!? is the first ECI that has met the requirements.

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the extent to which Swedish compulsory school tends to rely upon, and to further reinforce, ideologies that from a theoretical platform of deep ecology can be identified as ?ecologically unsustainable conceptions of reality?. Mainly, this will purport to an examination of the (explicit as well as implicit) prevalence of anthropocenthrism, individualism, ethnocenthrism and rationalism in a) the Swedish National Curriculum; and in b) biology text books. Methodologically, the study makes use of Fairclough´s approach to, and method for, critical discourse analysis (CDA). The main results are that the National Curriculum indeed expresses a high level of individualism, as well as (although to a lesser extent) traces of rationalism and ethnocenthrism.

Detta examensarbete har genomförts på företaget Navigate Consulting Business Solutions AB, ett konsultbolag som erbjuder tjänster inom affärssystem, såsom val av affärssystemslösning, implementering och förvaltning.Företaget vill utöka sitt framtida affärssystem, Oracle E-Business Suite R12, genom att lägga till tidrapporteringsmodulen Oracle Time and Labor. För att ta reda på om tidsrapporteringsmodulen möter verksamhetens krav och förväntningar är det nödvändigt att företaget får en uppfattning hur systemet möjligtvis kan lämpa sig, innan de bestämmer sig för att implementera.Med detta som bakgrund och utgångspunkt syftar detta examensarbete till att visualisera den tidrapporteringsprocess och de krav som Navigate har för Oracle E-Business Suite R12, genom användning av prototyp.En inkrementell och iterativ arbetsmetod har tillämpats vid utveckling av denna prototyp. Resultatet av detta examensarbete är en interaktiv prototyp över företagets tidrapporteringsprocess. Stora delar av deras krav har visualiserats, och det har totalt producerats femton skärmbilder för att utveckla prototypen. Dessa har kopplats samman och tillförts med interaktivitet genom prototypverktyget Justinmind Prototyper.Trots att det har inneburit en tidskrävande process för utveckling av prototypen har man funnit potentiella fördelar.