The purpose of this study is to identify the points-of-difference that should form the basis for Bryggarsalen?s future marketing efforts. Bryggarsalen is a newly established conference business in Stockholm. To be able to identify these points-of-difference, Bryggarsalen?s marketing problems have been studied from the resource-based view, claiming that the source of sustained competitive advantage derive from a firm?s unique bundle of resources.

There is a tough competition in food-stores these days. Storeowners have been forced to try something new to attract customers. One way to accomplish that is to add private labels to the assortment. There are several benefits with these labels; its higher margins for this type of brand and the brand can also strengthen the stores image in the customers mind. When private labels first entered the market, the customer had a relatively low attitude towards the brands.

This paper aims to investigate the systematic risk exposure of Swedish hedge funds using a modified Fung & Hsieh (2004) asset-based style factor model. The results show that the average Swedish equity hedge fund and fund of funds had a significant positive exposure to the equity market portfolio and the spread between small cap and large cap stocks (SMB) during the sample period. This is consistent with our a priori expectations and previous international studies. We do not find the expected systematic fixed-income related risk exposure for the fixed-income hedge funds and fund of funds in the sample. The empirical material used in this study is taken from a publicly available fund database maintained by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen).

AbstractTitle: How has IAS 38 affected accounting in small and large companies?A study of the differences in the accounting of financial ratios between small and large companies.Authors: Jasmine Choudrey & Rana QadriMain Course: Business EconomicsThe aim of this study is to make a comparative examination between small and large companies in Sweden and to analyse how accounting of intangible assets has been affected or changed due to the introduction of the new accounting recommendations and IAS 38.Main theory: There are no theories available on these type of researches due to the fact that the introduction of the IFRS is relatively new. Instead the essay discusses facts about the financial ratios and IFRS as a starting point for the study.Method: The examination will be a combination of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative part will be based on statistics and financial ratios from the different companies annual reports. These financial ratios will be analyzed by performing a confidence interval.

The aim of this thesis is, from a business perspective, to examine how the pharmacy chain Medstop is working with their positioning in order to achieve competitiveness in the re-regulated pharmacy market. This is studied through a theoretical framework that demonstrates five forces that affects the competitiveness in an industry, the five-force model by Michael Porter.The thesis is a qualitative case study where data collection was done through interviews, literature, articles, websites and internal information from Medstop. The data was then complied into the theoretical perspective the authors have chosen for this paper, the five-force model by Michael Porter. This model was chosen because it gives a broad description of the competition a company faces by describing five different forces that affect the competition within a branch. The fact was collected on the basis of the marketing strategy positioning, and the essay is written from a business perspective.Our cunclusions are that the pharmacy chain Medstop are in their initial positioning and has chosen to position itself on the basis of their core values; credibility, safety and security.

The manufactory industry, due to decline in profit margins, is seeking new business opportunities by moving towards servitization and value-adding services in after-sales. We have therefore conducted a case study to investigate a manufacturing company in their current transformation towards servitization. By studying the management perspective, we aimed to understand how Information Technology, by adding value, could play a role in the transformation process. This study shows that information technology can take an integrating role, by supporting new value-adding services to provider and customer, as well as a co-creating role, where both provider and customer benefits by learning from each other, in the changing work process initiated by new services. The study has also shown that Information Technology, together with organization, information and people, are crucial components in the manufactory industry?s transformation towards servitization.  Furthermore, the study has also shown that the value chain has the potential to drastically change due to the value-adding that the information technology brings to the progress of servitization..

Fordonsbranschenpräglasidagavkraftigkonkurrensdärprodukternaalltmerefterliknarvarandra.Samtidigtharkundernasbeteendekraftigförändratsochsammasakereftersträvasinteavkundernasomförbaraettparårsedan.Förattskiljasigmotkonkurrenternaidaggällerdetattjobbamedmjukavärdensomtillexempelkundhantering.FörVolvoPersonvagnarSverigeABinnebärdettaettenormtarbetesomSverigesstörstabilmärkeattbehållasinnuvarandemarknadspositionochsamtidigtfinnaenvägattgåpådenrådandemarknaden.DettavillmannugöragenomattinföraettCRM-­?systemsomskahjälpaåterförsäljarnaattlättarehanterakundernaochskapavärdefördem.FörattbrytanerbegreppetCRMharvianväntossutavfyratemansomgenomsyrarhelastudienvilkaär,kundbeteende,kundlojalitet,kundvärdeochCRM.SyftetmedstudienvaratttaframenkommunikationsmodellsomhjälperföretaginombilbranschenförmedlautsinCRM-­?strategi.GenomattutgåifrånVolvohoppadesvikunnahjälpatillmedattklargörastrategiskanyckelfaktorerfördetta.Dethärskahjälpademattsevilkariskermanskaundvikasamtvartfokusbörliggavidutformandeavsinstrategi.StudienäravkvalitativartochbyggerpåintervjuerfrånVolvoochtreolikaåterförsäljaredärviäveninkluderatsäljareförattskapaenhelhetsbildöverproblemet.Vårtempiriskamaterialhartillsammansmedvårteoretiskareferensramhjälptossattbesvaravårafrågeställningar.UtifrånstudiensinsamladematerialharvifåttredapåattbehovetavCRMärstort.Återförsäljarnapratarmycketkringteorinmenansersamtidigtmycketintevaragenomförbartfördempågrundavotillräckligaresurserochtidsbrist.Detärävensvårtfördemattkommunicerautstrategintillverksamhetendåförändringärsvårattgenomföra.Idagfinnerviettglappmellandeolikaavdelningarnainomverksamheten,vilketskaparentydliggränsdragningomvadsomärpraxispådeolikanivåerna.SlutsatsenavstudienpåvisarCRM:sförmågaatthjälpaVolvohanterasittkundfokusgenomattblandannatunderlättainformationshantering.Dettaledertillattmankanökaförståelsenomkunderna,stärkarelationerochhjälpatillattöverträffaderasförväntningar.DetviävenkunnatseärattCRMkanhjälpaallanivåerinomettföretagochblirdärförenangelägenhetförallainomverksamhetenattjobbaefter.FörattlyckasfåutsinCRM-­?strategitillåterförsäljarnagällerdetattVolvoärnogamedhurdekommunicerarutsinstrategisamtskaparenhetlighetiåterförsäljarnasinternaprocesser..

Företag befinner sig i en konkurrenskraftig värld och för att lyckas överleva måste de ta handom sina befintliga kunder såväl som attrahera nya. Med hjälp av dagens teknologi, har företagmöjlighet att lagra information om sina kunder och kan därför få en ökad förståelse förkunders beteende och önskemål. CRM-system (Customer Relationship Management-system)är ett hjälpmedel i detta arbete och har därför blivit en prioriterad investering för företag dåkunder betraktas som dess viktigaste tillgång. CRM-system är en kostsam investering,samtidigt som chansen för att misslyckas vid implementering är stor. Därför är det av stor viktför företag att efter implementeringen kunna hantera, använda och ha förståelse för CRMsystemetsolika funktioner för att lyckas stärka kundrelationer och erhålla tänkta fördelar somsystemet syftar till.Studien tillämpar kvalitativa undersökningstekniker där ett fallföretag har undersökts genomintervjuer.

Background: Within real estate companies assets according to IFRS/ IAS 40 should be valued at fair value, to compare with previous valuation criteria according to which real estate should valued at cost. Two models can be used within IAS 40, these are value at cost and fair value. When valued at cost the real estate value in the balance sheet should be specified at cost. The method chosen by the company should be used for all real estate within the company except for the premises used by the company. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyse and evaluate how real estate companies experienced the problems that arose when converting to IAS 40, and to analyse the effects on the companies key ratios as a result of the change of accounting method.

Title: Valuing Real Estate FCFE and interest coverage under macroeconomic uncertainty with scenario analysisAuthors: Marcus Ewerstrand, Jakob MattssonAdvisor: Gert SandahlBackground and problem: After the collapse in the Swedish economy in the beginning of the 1990-ties, the company Secerum was launched. Securums objective was to handle unsecured credits from Nordbanken by transferring a large portfolio of properties and to setup a number of companies who would be in charge for the prospects of these assets. One company that was established during this remarkable period was Castellum, in the year of 1994. After a successful process of raising capital to its development of corporate strategies and formation of several affiliated companies which operates locally, Castellum was publish on the Stockholm stock exchange 1997/1998. Now, thirteen years later after its establishment, the credit crunch in the US.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to test four different hypotheses from the aspect of the title of this paper. H 1 Consumers trust the pharmacy employees? advice and suggestions for their purchase decisions more than the brand awareness they have received through the companies marketing communication H 2 Consumers are enough affected of a company?s marketing communication to choose their brand even if the pharmacy employees recommend other brands. H 3 Building brand equity through pharmacies can only be successful if the company has built up a trust for their brand among the pharmacy employees. H 4 Without building brand equity the marketing communication strategy for Ferrosan cannot increase their brand value and create loyalty.

Då TV-reklam idag är ett frekvent inslag i de kommersiella TV-kanalerna ville vi ta reda på vilken typ av reklamfilm som uppfattades som mest lämpad vid varumärkesbyggande. För att ta reda på detta valde vi att genomföra kvalitativa djupintervjuer med sex personer, tre kvinnor och tre män, i åldrarna 18 - 65 år. Vi valde att avgränsa oss till de tre genrerna humorreklam, känsloreklam och kändisreklam, och valde ut två reklamfilmer inom varje genre som vi ansåg representativa för respektive genre. Vi valde att använda oss av semiotik och brand equity som teoretisk ansats då vi ansåg att de passade väl in i vår studie.Under intervjuerna visade vi reklamfilmerna för intervjupersonerna och ställde därefter frågor utifrån två förutbestämda frågeområden; varumärke och reklamfilmsgenre. Majoriteten av intervjupersonerna ansåg att humor var den genre som var mest lämpad vid varumärkesbyggande, men när det gällde personligt tyckande visade det sig att humor och känsloreklam var lika mycket uppskattade.

This essay addresses the subject social interaction in the social network named Facebook. The studied interaction took place between the Swedish clothing company H&M and the active visitors on the company page in the social network. The subject of social interaction in social media is an interesting field to study due to its vast range, the largely amount of people involved and it is of interest to see how the company and customers interact. The purpose of the essay was to study the interaction between the company and visitors. The statement of the problem is divided into four questions which is processing a deeper analysis of how the company page is used.

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze how companies offering tailor made products on the internet, can work with their marketing and their customer relationships. The study will answer the purpose from a service management perspective and there will also be presented theories from an Electronic Commerce perspective.The starting point for this study was the qualitative method. The essay builds its empirical material from interviews with knowledgeable persons in the subject and the owner of the company whose products are tailor made and sold on the internet. It was conducted seven interviews, four of which were face-to-face, two conducted by mail and finally there was made a telephone interview.Conclusions have been drawn based on the empirical material and theory. The study has been able to identify three concepts that are central to this type of product: Site-building, customer involvement and promotion & relationship management..

The consumer today is affected by a considerably larger number of world surrounding factors than she used to be, borders between different cultures and other consumer differences are being erased to a growing extent. The consumer can easily get its inspiration from many different directions which become clear in the common life. We eat sushi for lunch, we?re driving German cars and we?re having dinner with international business partners. The community also exposes the consumer for a more intense noise from offers, impact and marketing.