This master thesis concerns whether Swedish non-financial listed firms act in accordance with the optimal capital structure theory and/or pecking order theory. The examined period is 1998-2004 and we discover that Swedish companies neither follow optimal capital structure theory nor pecking order theory. From our results we conclude that there exists no single point of the capital structure which is optimal. Rather it seems as if the optimal point lies in-between an interval from 0 to the industry average, where firms tend to be indifferent to their debt-ratios. Our results show that Swedish companies prefer internal financing followed by equity and as last choice debt issuance..

This study examines the effects of credit risk and information disclosure in the new bank regulating system Basel II on bank and bank customer. The effects are then discussed in a perspective of the economic man and information asymmetric theories. Furthermore is the Basel II effects on the capital adequacy of Andelsbanken för Åland examined.The approach of the study is qualitative and several interviews with individuals on different levels of the examined bank, Andelsbanken för Åland, have been carried out during the collecting of empirical facts about the effects of the regulating change from the Basel I system to Basel II.The research findings are as follows:Andelsbanken för Åland have increased its capital adequacy ratio from 12,7 percent to 14,4 percent, mostly due to lower risk weights on housing mortgages compared to Basel I. Andelsbanken för Åland have started to use a completely new credit risk and customer assessment system which classifies every customer and gives them a credit rating. The system cause a much heavier information gathering of the customers profile as well as a much better assessment of risk than the previous system, which the bank finds positive.

This study is intended to identify which factors that influence the success of initiatives in Customer Relationship Management, usually abbreviated as CRM. In the course of this study we have been in contact with forty-two companies operating in Sweden within eleven different sectors in order to find out how they operate regarding CRM initiatives, particularly initiatives within marketing and promotions. Against the data collected during the study it was concluded that the companies working with CRM believed that the CRM initiatives resulted in higher profitability and created more loyal customers. At the same time it was evident that the companies had different views on CRM as a method and its benefits. The majority of the companies could not present any tangible results from CRM-initiatives. It was also revealed that decisions regarding CRM initiatives were based on subjective assessments and without theoretical foundation.

With the advent of a range of social networks, librarians all over the world have startedto ask themselves how this new technology can be used as a way to market theirlibraries. Today's information websites and search engines are difficult competitors forlibraries and information centers, and are forcing traditional information institutions tomarket themselves in new ways.Marketing theories have traditionally concerned themselves with money transactionsand marketing of specific services and/or products. Relationship marketing theories, onthe other hand, focus more on the relationship between the customer and the companythat produces the product or service. These two parties are seen as co-producers, andrelationship marketing theories tend to focus more on a win-win situation, than on thecompany gaining power of the customer. The relationship is the important thing, and thetheories concentrate to a great extent on how to nourish these relationships.This paper is a discussion about whether Facebook as a social network is a usable toolfor library marketing.

Denna kandidatuppsats är skriven i syfte att analysera hur väl företaget ONOFF i Södertälje informerar sina kunder om deras konsumentköprättigheter och hur missnöje vid okunskap kan förebyggas. Uppsatsens problemformulering är därmed hur väl informerar företag sina kunder och hur de kan klara av diskussionen med kunder om deras rättigheter enligt konsumentköplagen.Genom enkätundersökning mättes kundernas kunskaper om konsumentköplagen samtidigt som ONOFFs chef intervjuades för att få information om hur ONOFF informerar sina kunder om deras rättigheter. Dessutom undersöktes informationskällor från ONOFF som broschyrer och deras hemsida.Genom undersökningen har det framkommit att kunder inte alls är speciellt medvetna om vilka rättigheter de har. Personalen utbildas för att kunna informera korrekt men informationskällorna är inte fullständiga och kunder verkar inte angelägna att vilja ta emot juridiska kunskaper. Genom bland annat använda sig av teorier om Word of mouth och Customer delight kan ONOFF eventuellt minska missnöje..

This examination work aims to describe how a supply chain around the biggest pellets factory in Sweden will be configured in a logistic perspective. The plant and associated infrastructure are in the building phase and will have production start on the 2 November 2009. The key question that is set in this examination work is to recognize the logistic processes which are essential for an effective flow of materials and information that link the source of supply with the ultimate customer. In order to get the answer, a flowcharting of these supply chain processes is required for understanding the pipeline activities such as input and storage of raw material, the production system and the output of pellets to the customers. The basis for this supply chain map is a model-based representation of these logistic processes and activities that are involved around the pellets factory.

Online shopping is growing and its turnover increases each year. Internet hastherefore become an important retail location for companies. Web shops lack thephysical room for marketing as well as face-to-face interaction between customer andsalesperson. Therefore there is a need to develop marketing and customercommunication methods for this way of shopping. In physical shops the customer hasthe ability to try on the garments and be pampered by the staff.

Due to increasing international competition and new technology IT-consultants has been forced to oversee their business models lately. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the process and consequences of a shift in business model for a consultant by using a methodology based on action research. The empirical foundation consists of a field study with observations, notes, interviews and business related documents. The case describes a consultant?s process of shifting business model from profits based on man-hours to selling a standardized system.

Thesis purpose: The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the expectations of roles between supplier sales representatives and retailer store personnel in relation to in-store campaigns, this in order to enhance effectiveness of these functions creating an increase in consumer response. Methodology: The researchers believe that social phenomenon and their meanings are continually being accomplished by social actors, hence a study of individuals? expectations must have a point of departure in these people?s social reality. Store personnel and supplier sales representatives are to a certain degree affected by the structural power relationships within the organizational network, thus the researchers combine an interpretative and radical structuralist paradigm. Theoretical perspective: The researchers investigate expectations of roles through examining interaction between parties involved.

Media society is under a constant development and in line with this change, firms must adapt to the market. We have investigated what fashion companies in fact are doing to communicate in the dynamic market. We wanted to find out how to communicate and how they can market themselves in a new and innovative way to create long-term customer relationships. We have used a theoretical frame of reference based on marketing communication, fashion marketing, branding and relationship marketing theories. We have assumed four themes throughout the survey which are: customer contact and relationships, emotion in communication, branding and relational communication.

Marketers of today are confronted by the fact that it is increasingly difficult to gain the customer's attention, as they first have to break through the ad clutter. In a landscape where the general attitude towards advertising is negative, one way to successfully deliver the message to the customer involves communicating through personal impact. By using stimuli containing identical information with different senders, this thesis seeks to quantitatively explore whether brands can make use of the personal networks of its employees, in their social media marketing strategy. The purpose of the study is to investigate if communication via the employees could enhance traditional communication effects, such as buying intention and electronic WOM intention. Furthermore, the study aims to examine which role the employee should hold when communicating on behalf of the brand, and if the communication effects vary with the degree of product involvement.

The most dominating channel for communication, connecting companies and customers, during the 1900 century was those who included either physical contact or phone contact. However, when Internet started to make its way as a channel for communication, a whole new opportunity opened up for the companies. Since then Internet has grown to be an important part for any company that wants to gain market shares. One of those markets is the market of travelling.This paper discusses the Swedish industry of travelling, and different travel organizers use of Internet as a mediate for long-term relationships. The paper is built on a comparison between three companies that all distributes journeys, this is to examine the Internet communications effect on the electronic relationship (e-relation) with customers.Three travel organizers with similar visions and objectives are compared in this paper, these are Apollo, Fritidsresor and Ving.

Every year 67000 tons of food is wasted by Swedish retail stores. The waste implies financial losses for the retailer and it has a huge impact on the global environment. Reducing in-store food waste is thus a win-win situation for both retailers and society. The most effective way to reduce waste is primarily by optimizing the logistics of supply, but customers expect a store with a wide range of products and stuffed shelves. Thus there will always be products about to expire.

This report describes the work of developing a specification of requirements for Waste Heat Recovery Units. The main part of the paper describes how the work with the specification of requirements has been performed. One specific question to be answered is:What are the customer?s demands in case of properties for the Waste Heat Recovery Units and how is that information collected as an order documentation to suit the business area Oil & Gas?The report begins with a description of the assignment and continues with the aim and background. A theoretical part describes the different areas and methods that have been important during the process.

The retail industry is complex and when it comes to the in-store environment conventional marketing tools seldom find their way. The impacts of in-store atmospherics on customers and the psychological impact the store environment has on their decision-making are rather remarkable. An in-store atmospheric that often is used in order to affect customers is music, in fact it is one of the in-store elements that has been investigated more carefully. Nevertheless, in spite several studies on music and its impact as an in-store atmospheric on customers, it is not yet obvious what applies. To bring some clarity on the subject this study is aspiring to explain what applies when it comes to playing music in grocery stores.