In the fall of 2014 a literature review and a scientific study of the topic; "... in the extent to which companies in the industry applies the evaluation of continuous improvement? was conducted at Mälardalen University. These studies are the foundation of this thesis.A strategic improvement is often divided into smaller steps of improvements at each hierarchical level from the top down through the organization. But if there is no response system that can confirm the results of these improvements back through the organization it is very hard to see if the improvements really are improvements or just changes and a waste of resources.

Successful diversity management has become an increasingly pressing concern for companies and organisations, as the workforce has grown more diverse over the past few decades. Research on whether increased work group diversity has a generally positive or negative impact on results remains inconclusive. It has, however, been established that good diversity management is pivotal in creating conditions for the successful performance of diverse work groups. Although much attention has been directed towards explaining the translation of work group diversity into positive results, less attention has been given to the processes that underlie this translation and the way it is expressed in everyday leadership behaviour. This thesis revolves around a case study, at the Swedish bank Swedbank, which combines qualitative and quantitative elements to explore the successful leadership in nine diverse work groups at the local branch level.

Background and problemThe Swedish mobile market is highly competitive despite the oligopoly that currently exists. A short product life cycle together with fads and new innovations puts pressure on the operators to respond to the ever changing environment and to develop and adapt their strategies after it.As a previous study regarding a specific operator?s strategy was cancelled due to the extensive confidentiality surrounding it, an interest was sparked to perform an industry analysis as this is clearly something the actors spend a great deal of time on developing. The launch of the 4G network will offer new opportunities for the operators regarding products services. It may also impact the competition on the overall market.PurposeThe purpose of this thesis is to present a deep analysis of the industry and give the reader a comprehensive picture of existing conditions.

Detta arbete har tagit fokus på en ännu outforskad företeelse i svensk kommunal planeringspraktik, nämligen något som här kallas ?konsultplanering?, det vill säga konsultmedverkan i den kommunala planeringen. Uppsatsen har avgränsats till att handla om ?planeringskonsulter? och konsultuppdrag som konkret handlar om planering och inte olika utredningar etc. som i och för sig också ingår i planeringsprocessen och ofta utförs av konsulter.

Title: The way to successLevel: Final assignment for a Master?s Degree in Business AdministrationAuthors: Larisa Glazkova and Veronika LarssonSupervisor: Jonas KågströmDate: 2011 ? JanuaryAim: Many companies are started each year, but only some of them are successful and generate worthwhile profits. Many new companies do not survive the first few years. The purpose of this thesis is to identify factors that can lead to success for small and medium-sized enterprises in Gästrikland.Method: We analysed 559 interview surveys that were collected during the years 2004-2010 and success factors were defined. Additionally, financial reports from the database Retriever were analysed.

I have studied the suburban municipality of Botkyrka, south of Stockholm, from a rural perspective. Through that I`ve compared how countryside comes into being with the planning and building of suburbs. I have looked for a definition of Countryside, and found that it is often explained or defined in negative terms, as what it is not. In that it says nothing about what it really is, or about the qualitiies it has to it. Botkyrka is a suburb, but it does in large parts consist of countryside. Apart from defining countryside and rural I´ve been searching for a definition of suburbia, of it´s structure and the mental picture we have of it as a cultural phenomena. In order to understand the role that suburbs have in planning I describe their history from Italian renaissance villas to sprawl. By opposing urban and rural, modern urban planning and how rural areas are created, I´ve come to a definition of rural planning and the making of countryside. To make countryside, planning and building should come from individual needs and desires. A relationship to the surroundings based on continous interaction between the human beeing and it´s environment, a constant process of shaping and reshaping. To put my thoughts to the ground I have collected examples of projects and ideas, that fits into my view of what rural planning and making countryside is all about. They are put in different categories according to the possibilities of influence and to what degree it is put into private hands. The first category is ?allemansrätten?, every mans right. That is the rigt to use private land as long as you don´t disturb or destroy.

Today we see a fast developing of the market for mobile communication, both in an increased and changed mobile use, but also in the development of new technologies and services. Much that can be performed on Internet/Intranet today with a PC will in some years also be possible to do with a mobile terminal. Mobile Internet will probable take place when new technologies as GPRS, EDGE and UMTS will be in use. These technologies in combination with the development of new terminals and services will bring new capabilities for both companies and private users. This report describes how a portal should be designed in order to meet the needs on the market.

Uppsatsen syftar till att belysa de sociala drivkrafter som påverkar kvinnor att söka sig till managementkonsultbranschen. Ett grundläggande antagande i uppsatsen är att det är det sociala som primärt formar en individs upplevelse av mening i sin tillvaro. Mening definieras här utifrån ett weberianskt och socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv, d.v.s. att mening är den subjektiva innebörd som socialt har framförhandlats mellan aktörer i samhället. Fem kvinnors karriärval studeras genom ett empiriskt fenomenologiskt angreppssätt, vilket har används i syfte att nå fram till studiedeltagarnas meningsstrukturer och därmed komma närmre ?kärnan? i deras subjektiva upplevelser av vad som påverkat deras karriärval.

Abilia utvecklar, tillverkar och säljer tekniska hjälpmedel till personer som antingen har en fysisk eller psykisk begränsning som påverkar deras vardag. För att dra ner på kostnaderna och få en bättre enhetlighet vill Abilia att ytterförpackningarna ska standardiseras samt att ett flexibelt inrede som ska kunna anpassas till många av företagets produkter utvecklas.En förstudie lade grunden för projektet där många olika områden och metoder undersöktes. De existerade förpackningarna utvärderades, deras och produkternas livscykel kartlades varpå det framgick vilka som var projektets huvudanvändare. Dessa intervjuades och en kravspecifikation kunde sedan fastställas. Förstudien resulterade i att det fanns två grupper av produkter som lösningen måste kunna anpassas till.

Aim: This paper aims to produce a serviced office concept adjusted to Statens fastighetsverk. The concept will make SFV:s properties more attractive for renting. Method: Information has been collected from interviews with 13 different serviced office companies, one serviced office agent and eleven government authorities. Also litterateur, reports and internet have been used in gathering information.I will use following questions:¨      How is the serviced office concept designed?¨      Which customer segment should SFV direct to and what need does the segment have?¨      How shall a marketing plan look like for the concept?¨      How should a concept designed for SFV look like? Result & Conclusions: Serviced office space is a company that letting functional workspace with access to shared facilities e.g. reception, office machines, internet, phone and more.

Ett nytt produktionskoncept på Saab Automobile AB ? Lean Automation ? är under implementering och utveckling. Inriktningen är att utveckla automationslösningar som stödjer principer och arbetsätt inom Lean Produktion. En gemensam nämnare är automation som byggs upp av enkel, standardiserad och modulariserad utrustning och som kan omkonfigureras av egen personal.Två pilotinstallationer har gjorts under 2010: Transport med enkel AGV (Lean AGV) samt Lean Automation Robot Cell (LARC). Dessa komponenter ingår i denna studie som inriktar sig på förändringar i det totala produktionssystemet med sikte på en konstant hög produktivitetsnivå även vid frekventa förändringar i volym och produktinnehåll.Studien pekar på vikten av att samla produktionspersonalen för att underlätta balansering, men även för att skapa en visuell process där fel snabbt kan upptäckas och åtgärdas.

Detta arbete har tagit fokus på en ännu outforskad företeelse i svensk kommunal planeringspraktik, nämligen något som här kallas ?konsultplanering?, det vill säga konsultmedverkan i den kommunala planeringen. Uppsatsen har avgränsats till att handla om ?planeringskonsulter? och konsultuppdrag som konkret handlar om planering och inte olika utredningar etc. som i och för sig också ingår i planeringsprocessen och ofta utförs av konsulter. Ämnet är intressant eftersom det idag är vanligt i de flesta av Sveriges län att kommunerna använder sig av konsulter. Studiens syfte är att studera den ökande konsultplaneringen i den svenska kommunala planeringspraktiken, samt dess positiva respektive negativa konsekvenser för planeringssystemet.

Byggbranschen anses vara en konservativ bransch både vad gäller teknik och samarbetsformer. Det oerhörda trycket på byggbranschen och det stora antalet byggprojekt som utförs idag gör att en del komplikationer uppstår. Detta kan bl. a. bero på tidsbrist, kompetensbrist och samarbetsproblem.I vissa projekt fungerar samarbetet utmärkt mellan projektets olika parter men i allt för många projekt är samarbetet mellan parterna bristfällig.

During the last couple of years many sectors and markets have had an increase in the competitive situation, this has meant that being cost effective have become more essential if organizations want to stay in business and be competitive. Thus, one crucial issue has become how to utilize the resources already available within the organization. Organizations can thoroughly plan and control personnel resources in order to become more efficient. But to become more cost effective also means taking into consideration several key figures, productivity being one of the more important figures.Onninen, a wholesaler which has one of its two central warehouses in Örebro has experienced this issue, i.e. an increase in competitive situation in their market.

The idea for the project emerged when Nilorn wanted to get better control over their supplychain and improve operational efficiency. The company also want to reduce their expenses inthe continuous process of improving profitability. By choosing the right option oftransportation and mode of transport there are large potential savings for the company. Thisenables Nilorn to reduce the transportation costs and strengthen the environmentalresponsibilities by reducing their environmental impact.The flow of goods within Nilorn has over the past years increased significantly and most ofthe gods today is transported by air. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the supply chain of thecompany and evaluate the potential economic savings in this area.