During the last decade, the construction industry has focused on improving and optimising its production process. The construction industry is now facing larger changes regarding efficiency in their supply chain for the next decade. Many companies are now trying to optimise its supply chain together with its supplier. JM AB, which is one of the biggest construction companies in Sweden, is looking at different options to improve its own logistics together with their suppliers. One option is to use a terminal between JM and the suppliers to solve problems such as quality, custom service and inventory for the in production.

The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of how venture capitalists can use their network in order to reduce information asymmetries between themselves and the venture management team. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews, consisting of open questions, have been used to receive gradate information in order to reach our explorative purpose. Our theoretical framework consists of relevant studies made on the dynamics of networks and the problems that can arise in the complex relationship between a principal and an agent. We have been interviewing two venture capital firms and therepresentatives from two business angel networks. We also made an additional interview with an influential financial actor in order to try to verify our conclusions Our conclusions are that an extensive network can be used by venture capitalists in order to; verify ventures? technologies, complement the competences in the venture management team, and arrange co-investments, resulting in reduced information asymmetries between themselves and the venture management team.

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the factors that drive efficiency and effectiveness in technical development projects performed at A?F?s department of product development. In addition to identifying and analyzing these factors, the thesis also analyzes what needs to be taken in to account in order to implement a measurement system that is able to both monitor and control the identified factors.The thesis has been performed in a qualitative manner. It is based on interviews with people from several different technological companies, within different lines of business, all of which are customers to A?F?s department of product development.The results show that there are seven critical factors for project efficiency and effectiveness.

The telenursing service deals with offering the public guidance as what to do with their health and illness concern. More specifically this service includes triage, support, advice, education, referral, information and coordination. To conduct telephone advice is a complicated task to perform and put specific demands of the nurse?s communication skills.The purpose of this study was to critically review the impact of telephone counseling focused on context of implementation, perspective, design and clinical relevance by a sample of studies within the field.The critical review focused on inconsistencies in the material. Strengths and weaknesses of the studies were explored, with emphasis on detecting areas of skill gaps.Twelve of thirteen studies were made in the context of telenursing.

The law firm industry has during the last years met new demanding conditions and one tool to handle these new conditions has been to implement a Knowledge Management system. Large investments have been made in these Knowledge Management systems but the implementations have met many challenges from within the organizations.With a multiple study, based on interviews with Knowledge Management Managers included in a Knowledge Management network, this thesis aims to study the challenges with Knowledge Management and the underlying causes. The result, based on McDermott's theories shows challenges within technical, personal, social and management areas where the law firm need to shift a focus from Information to Knowledge Management, create a culture of trust and integration and use the informal powerbase.The causes for these challenges are found in the base of Mintzbergs theories of Professional bureaucracy where the Knowledge Management is affected by strong self-regulated individualist, a divided organizational structure and industry conditions..

The purpose of this study was to identify the positive and negative aspects of the work and dynamics of a management team and from that recommend how the team can improve. The aim was also to investigate whether there was a gap between how the members of the management team comprehend themselves and how the project, section and team managers comprehend the management team. The management team contains of seven core team members and is the head function of a research and development site in central Sweden. The results are based on interviews with the present members of the management team and three former members, a survey among the project, section and team managers and by participating observation on meetings with the team. The results show that the management team is an overall well-functioning team that with some changes and improvements, especially concerning communication and information, can reach even further.

The purpose of this study was to compile when and why piglets die during the suckling peri-od. Piglet mortality is an important factor influencing the profitability of piglet production. There are many factors that play a role and interact whit each other. This study summarizes when the piglets die during the suckling period and reasons why the piglets die. The infor-mation given is crushed, illness, management/environmental, genetic influence and piglet birth weight/farrowingprocess.

PR appears to be an indistinct division and a complicated resource for companies to value. The current circumstances are negative to the credibility and reliability of PR. This study emphasizes how an application of return on investment contributes to a more strategic use of PR and increases the status and credibility for the division.We experience that measuring the economic value of PR is of great importance and of current interest with few prior studies made. The purpose of this study is to find out how a PR-agency and one of its clients relates to and works with evaluation of PR-activities and to which extent the economic contribution of the activity is measured.The foundation which the theoretical reference grounds on is theories of Delusions of PR and the use of benefit-cost analyzes, Stages and Levels for Evaluating Public Relations Programs, Marketing Return on Investment and PR Return on Investment. The theoretical reference serves as a base during the analyze of the study.The conclusion, based on the empirical body of information, is that an application of return on investment could contribute with a higher status and credibility for the PR-division.

AbstractTitle:A study of the internal communication at The Swedish Department of Taxes (En studie av den interna kommunikationen på Skatteverket)Number of pages: 36 (52 including enclosures)Author: Emma KreüTutor: Peder Hård af SegerstadCourse: Media and Communication Studies CPeriod: Atumn 2006University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Sciense,Uppsala UniversityPurpose/Aim: To resarch the internal communication within The Swedish Department of Taxes and the relationship between information sender and reciver.Material/Method: By contedning critical discourse analysis on The Swedish Department of Taxes? policy for internal communication and accomplish interviews with co-wokers in position of reciving information, in position of sending information and section managers.Main Results: The co-workers in position of reciving information felt they had a good communicational relastionship with their closest section manager, but not with the upper management.Keywords: Internal communication, communicational leadership, organizational communication..

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka diskurser inom det sociala välfärdsarbetet utifrån ideologiskt politiska aspekter. Studien grundar sig på artiklar och publikationer från ideologiskt förankrade tidskrifter och organisationer. I arbetet har vi inspirerats av Faircloughs (2003) kritiska diskursanalys, då den inte enbart fokuserar på diskurs utan även strukturerna som påverkar den. I studien kan vi se hur liberala och socialistiska ideal är dominerande inom välfärdsdebatten. Dessa har kommit att bilda två olika diskurser som konkurrerar med varandra om att bli dominerande gällande hur välfärden ska bedrivas.

We were commissioned by Bulten Stainless AB to identify and analyze their customer order flow. Because the company had problems with delays in the production and deliveries to the customer, the task also included investigation of how the company work with prevention and management of delays. The purpose of the project also included to identify critical factors for effective order flow in smaller workshop companies.The information about the flow and how the work takes place within the company were collected through observations on the company and interviews with the staff. This information was used to draw maps over the customer order flow and to write a description of the current situation within the company. Both strengths and weaknesses of the companies work could be identified through analysis of the present situation.

Background: In the eighties the debate concerning the declining relevance of the traditional calculation started. The reason was that the method of calculating not had been changed despite that the costs and manufacturing had changed in many companies. This led to the development of activity-based costing. Management by means of activity information is called activity-based management, but there is no general accepted definition of what the term com- prises. Neither are there any studies which describe within which areas activity information is used as a base for decisions.

The research within the management control systems-field and more specifically performance management has been rather shallow and not much has happened the last decades besides the balanced scorecard. The researchers see a lack of studies focusing on the effects of an integrated performance management system and also how it affects the different hierarchical levels and the tasks to perform.We decided to perform an essay with case study-characteristics by looking at both the strategic and tactical level at Volvo Group, or more specifically Group Trucks. We performed three different interviews, one at the group level and two at the division level. The aim was to see what effect an integrated performance management system had on the tactical level (i.e. the divisions).Our findings and corresponding analysis suggested that Volvo was a rather centralized company in order to get the performance management system to work by enabling a ?weekly control?.

The use of environmental management systems, and objectives-led corporate management have become a widespread phenomenon today. Identification and assessment of an organisation?s significant (environmental) aspects is crucial within this work. Identification and especially assessment of significant aspects is often considered as a problematic step in many organisations. There are no generally accepted methods how to undertake this crucial step.

Course: Master's Thesis in Business AdministrationPurpose: The purpose with this paper is to give an insight, and to compare, the project management of two IT-projects ? one which product was implemented and put into use, and one, which was implemented but no longer exists on the market. Furthermore also examine the critical success factors that influence the success respectively the failure of the IT-projects. Method: To attain the purpose with our study we have chosen a qualitative method. We have carried out interviews with two of the project managers of the IT-project of the two large companies.Result: A couple of problems occurred within the IT-projects of the large companies.