The purpose of this study is to analyse how a distribution and sale-network for quality softwood lumber should be designed to fit sawmilling companies? business concepts, and at the same time satisfy customer needs regarding delivery time and quality aspects. This thesis work is a case study based on a sawmilling and retail company in Sweden. AB Karl Hedin is a private owned sawmilling company with 500 employees. The company?s turnover is 1500 million SEK, it includes 4 sawmills, 16 builders merchants stores and a packaging company.

Farmers Cooperative has in recent years developed from national markets to cross-border, international, collaborations. One example is the merger between the Swedish dairy company Arla and Danish MD Foods, where the companies collectively are sought to reduce transaction costs and thus improve efficiency. The Swedish market for commodities (fertilizers and pesticides) in agriculture has for many years been dominated by a few large players, with little opportunity for grain associations and local grain companies to offer their customers a varied range of commodities with a competitive pricing.To change this state, a majority of Swedish and Danish grain associations and local grain companies have established a trans-national cooperation. Through the establishment of the organization DLA Agro, they offer their customers a good variety of products with competitive prices. This study investigates thus according to the theory of cooperative models to what extent and how the DLA Agro helps to create benefits for the Swedish member companies.

The purpose of this master?s thesis is to contribute to the development of business relationships between a supplier and its customers. The research area and research problem was further developed into three research questions. The research questions concerns the following subjects: the substance of business relationships and dimensions within relationships management that can be used in order to contribute to the development of a company?s business relationships.

This Master Thesis within Marketing and Strategy investigates the values customers perceive within the Real Estate market in the inner City of Stockholm. The dependent variable is customer satisfaction, and it could be explained by 1) the feeling of light and uniqueness of the apartment, 2) that the apartment is of a satisfying size, 3) the address of the apartment, 4) and the economics, the common areas of the building, and the bidding process. The feeling of light and uniqueness, combined with the number of square meters, and the monthly fee of the apartment, are also identified as the price driven functions of this market. A quantitative method is used to investigate the market, where 107 apartment buyers completed a survey..

The general contract law principle of loyalty between negotiators, in deliberation, leads to a duty of disclosure for negotiators. The extent of this duty of disclosure is influenced by many different factors; amongst others the type of agreement, the negotiators knowledge and opportunity of procuring knowledge. The general duty of disclosure is both a part of the contract law principle of loyalty between negotiators in negotiating a contract, and an indirectly statutory obligation, that, if neglected will lead to nullification of the agreement. The legislator has stated that the general contract law, Lag (1915:218) om avtal och andra rättshandlingar på förmögenhetsrättens område (avtalslagen), should be used to regulate negotiating of contracts, including the negotiation of contracts of employment. In arbetsdomstolens judging, additional factors have been weighed in, and the judgement is done also through the use of a concept taken from employment law, the concept of ?saklig grund för uppsägning?.

Globalization has lead to evolvement of teamwork between companies and their customers. One reason for this change is the growth of the IT community and the propagation of the Internet. This in turn has lead to faster communication within business networks and also a higher degree of integration between companies.The purpose of this thesis is to describe IT can be used to develop and support networks formed around IT corporations. IT also aim at describing what impact usage of IT within personal networks has on usage of IT within business networks. The thesis is limited to IT-companies using IT artifacts, not only for communication within its organization, but also communicating with its customers and other IT-companies.

Abstract Apple Computers Inc. is known for their loyal and passionate followers. This study focuses on the brand communities and brand loyalty that is frequently seen among Apple customers. It focuses on the factors that create an apparent deep-set loyalty and passion towards their computers among Mac-users. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of why some consumers feel such a strong attraction to a company, its brand and its products.

In recent years, customer profitability has become a focal point of academic discussions on business performance. However, researchers remain divided as to how evaluation of customers ought to be conducted, resulting in uncertainty of how accounting systems should be adapted to prevailing conditions. This paper aims to investigate the application of customer accounting techniques and the role they play in the organisational and commercial context in which they take place. In a case study of Billerud, a Swedish company providing materials and services for packaging solutions, the interplay between customer accounting techniques and customer relationship characteristics has been examined through the application of a theoretical framework developed by Lind and Strömsten. Particular emphasis has been put on deviations from the prescribed pattern of the framework.

ABSTRACTTitle: Challenges in the implementation of internal marketing in the real estate brokerage businessLevel: Bachelor, Business AdministrationAuthor: Markus BylundAnna IsakssonSupervisor: Agneta SundströmDate: 2013, MayIntroduction: For businesses to succeed and to get satisfied customers, they need to meet their expectations. The companies make promises to customers through external marketing, internal marketing needs to ensure that personnel have the tools required to deliver what is promised. Competition is increasing and hence the customer requirements have to be met. Through the implementation of internal marketing, companies can strengthen staff skills and motivation to perform a more committed and effective work, both internal and during customer contacts.Aim: The aim of this paper is to understand the implementation and the importance of internal marketing in service companies. Through our in-depth knowledge of the subject, from a theoretical and practical perspective, we will hopefully be able to convey the challenges businesses face when implementing internal marketing.Method: This paper is to achieve a greater understanding of the studied subject.

The study of the French market for softwood has been done in collaboration with VIDA AB. The aim of the study was to investigate important product quality and service quality dimensions, the customers? perception of the offering and generally describe the French market and present actors. The market for softwood around the world changes over time and new markets can mean opportunities for the sawmilling industry. The French market is the second biggest European market for softwood, has had presence of actors with sourcing of raw material from the Nordic countries for decades and there is a growing interest for building with wood. Theory being used is about the different dimensions that make up the total quality of softwood, together with intangible dimensions making up the total offering that helps the sawmilling industry to create positive perceived value for the customers. Methodological approach in the study was a case study research design, aimed at providing knowledge about one specific subject in one context. The general description was mostly carried out by literature studies and data from various statistics sources.

The purpose of this study was to examine how local producers in the food and confectionery segment in Västernorrland, Sweden, working to communicate that the product is locally produced through its packaging design. We have chosen to look at how they work with the right packaging design because it is such an important part of the product marketing. A further aim was to examine how consumers perceive the packaging design of the locally produced products and how they consider that the packaging design communicates the product as locally produced. We have also analyzed the graphical elements contained in the locally produced product packaging through a semiotic analysis.The theoretical framework is based on theories in brand communication and Visual Communication, specializing in packaging design?s visual elements.The method used in this study is a qualitative method.

The purpose of this study was to examine how local producers in the food and confectionery segment in Västernorrland, Sweden, working to communicate that the product is locally produced through its packaging design. We have chosen to look at how they work with the right packaging design because it is such an important part of the product marketing. A further aim was to examine how consumers perceive the packaging design of the locally produced products and how they consider that the packaging design communicates the product as locally produced. We have also analyzed the graphical elements contained in the locally produced product packaging through a semiotic analysis.The theoretical framework is based on theories in brand communication and Visual Communication, specializing in packaging design?s visual elements.The method used in this study is a qualitative method.

The purpose with this thesis is to illustrate companies? way of using Key Account Management in the organization. We developed the four following research questions: Why do companies choose to use Key Account Management? How do companies identify and choose their key customers? How does a key account manager work? How do the skills needed by a key account manager look like? The results showed that KAM offered several important benefits, mainly of economical characteristics. Identification of the key accounts was mainly conducted through certain economical criteria the customers had to fulfil.

Mobile TV ? is the introduction on the Swedish market about content and customer relationship? This study explores and defines key factors of decisive importance for the introduction of mobile TV in Sweden, using the TAIDA model. In order to summarize and analyze the factors, four interviews with key actors have been carried out. The answers have been compared to generate the two different criteria that are used for presenting four different scenarios. The purpose of the study is to constitute data in the decision making process.

Background: Nespresso is a part of the Nestlé group and was founded in 1986, in the liaison of the revolutionary new method of brewing coffee. The idea was that everyone should be able to brew themselves a cup of espresso that would taste as if a professional barista had done it. Nespresso has now turned in to a new coffee culture. From the beginning Nespresso only sold their products via their club, Nespresso Club, but in year 2000 they opened their first store in Paris. The first store in Sweden opened year 2006 in Stockholm, followed by one in Malmö year 2012.