This study examined the factors influencing dairy farmers´ decisions to invest in automated milking systems (AMS). The problem studied involves uncertainty, information and complexity for dairy farmers in specific decision contexts. The frame of reference in the thesis combines contingency theory and decision theory and is used in a qualitative analysis of a set interview with dairy farmers who have recently bought an AMS and salespersons from Delaval, one of the AMS suppliers.The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of the decision making processes of dairy farmers, and in particular to identify which types of factors influence the outcome of an investment decision in the technological development of a farm.The study uses Thompsons` (1967) theory about the structure that organizations develop to handle the input of information. Thus, interest is focused on how a farm business structure handles information in the AMS decision, investigating the differences in information with Delaval?s "feed first principle" system and Lely?s "free cow traffic" system.The results of the qualitative interviews with the dairy farmers who bought an AMS show that there are three important factors that influence the outcome: employees, suppliers and the owner.

Survey's purpose is to illustrate why and how the process happened when Piteå relocated its commercial port away from Skuthamn to the new construction on Haraholmen 1950-1973. How decision-makers worked to achieve their goals, how the work changed and what incentives motivated them to act. The results showed that the decision was taken not to retain the existing commercial port in large part due to Skuthamns physics attributes, which made it impossible to ship large deep vessels from there. The reason that the decision about the port took such a long time was due to a local political conflict which was based on interest in the ownership of Haraholmen. The reason for the location of the trading port became Haraholmen had political backgrounds.

Foreign invested SMEs have recently become increasingly interested in China. The enterprises are in this report categorized as second wave companies since they follow the footsteps of previous pioneers, of which mostly were larger companies. The ambitions of the SMEs are either to sell products on the ever expanding Chinese market or to utilize the potential of low cost production for global markets. The existing literature is fragmented and solely based on the experience of larger companies. We believe that SMEs are facing new and different challenges, and thus a new generic theoretical frame work is desirable.

In light of the coming workforce shortage in Sweden the competition for human capital will be intensified on the market where employers compete in order to attract skilled labor. The competition will be most noticeable in the knowledge-intense industries, where the employees are seen as the companies? most valuable asset. The purpose of this paper is to examine how small knowledge-intensive companies can improve their position in the labor market by using the HR-model People Capability Maturity Model in order to affect their companies' Employer Brand. We take the basis of the theoretical framework in which we examine and identify the key dimensions of the Employer Brand concept and present the People Capability Maturity Model more closely.

The level of help and support given to elderly people over the age of 65 has been regulated by two separate laws; 1-the Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS) and 2- Act of Social Services (SoL). Recent changes in the legislation could cause local authorities to deal with these issues in different ways. The aim of this study was to examine and evaluate possible differences in the level of support for the elderly, dependant on which of the two laws was used in the decision process.The questions raised in this paper are· What are the major differences in the purposes of the two legislations?· How will the decisions be influenced dependant on what law is used? Do the decisionmakers identify the difference between the quality levels "good" and "fair"?· How is the process of care organised and managed within each of these legislations and how is the personnel used?· Are there differences in quality regarding freedom of choice, your own right to decide, influence, comprehensive view and continuity in the efforts given?· What development can you see in these fields of care.As a method I have used a case study involving four big cities in Scania. The most interesting and essential knowledge in the study was obtained from qualitative interviews with eleven decision-makers in the four communities.The result of this study indicates that there are more similarities than differences in the purposes of these laws.

This thesis analyses the cost accounting system KPP and its use within the Swedish health care. KPP is designed to calculate and assign health care costs to individual patients. This would facilitate evaluations and comparisons of the costs for certain diagnosis, patient groups or clinics with a different mix of diagnosis. The study investigates the following questions: 1. Does the KPP-model theoretically work as a cost accounting tool for health care purposes? 2.

Umbrella organizations, organizations that have other organizations as members, are in previous research described as arenas of conflicts with problematic decision-making and contradictory parallel action towards political decision-makers. However, the research within this subject is limited, and therefore the aim of this paper is to add knowledge to how such organizations in fact work. After conducting a case study at the trade association ESTOC this thesis challenge previous statements about umbrella organizations and conclude that there, under certain circumstances, may exist harmony within an umbrella organizations. The main implication, thus, is that we have to readdress umbrella organizations in quite another way to be able to make a more realistic interpretation of collaborations in umbrella organizations..

Sweden is usually seen as a role model when it comes to integration and diversity, but at the top of the pyramid there is little ethnical diversity to be found. This paper investigates how existing economical and sociological theory explain the lack of swedes with foreign background in leading positions in large Swedish companies. Our findings show that none of the theories applied in this paper can explain the phenomenon in isolation. Thus it is not only taken for granted norms, contacts in one's network or cost minimizing under asymmetric information that lie behind the phenomenon, but an interaction of these aspects. Conflicting demands lead the recruiters to separate talk from decision, the search frame is narrow and no or small efforts are made to increase the diversity.

The thesis tries to answer how a combination of financial metrics and marketing metrics can improve strategic decision making. The purpose is to develop a strategic working method for general dealers. The method is based on the two theoretical frameworks "The strategic resource model" and "The importance-performance matrix". The suggested method is being tested in a small retail store environment on the Swedish market. The result of the test shows that a better suited strategy can be developed when this strategic method, which combines financial metrics with marketing metrics, is being used.

The aim of this essay is to study the decision making process and implementation of the principle of political participation and influence for Roma minority in Sweden. The results regarding the decision making process is structured through a discourse influenced policy analyses. Problem picture and recommended measures in the political documents representing the decision making process are analysed through theories of minority rights and equality. The implementation is seen through, by the author given minority discourse and the work in the roma council and analysed by the same theories already mentioned.The results show that regarding the decision process the aim of art.15 in the framework convention is based on the idea of equality while the Swedish documents relates more to an idea of the right to speak for the group. Regarding recommended measures, the framework convention gives several recommendations on specific measures for political participation while the Swedish documents focuses on the general politics of the state.

Aim: The analysis model was introduced after several audit-scandals in order to enhance the confidence in the auditors? independence. Our purpose with this essay is to find out if the auditors experience that the stakeholders? confidence in their review of the financial information has increased as a result of the analysis model. We also strive to describe the function of the analysis model in order to give the reader a deeper understanding in this subject.Method: The scientific approch we have used in this essay is a qualitative survey method, in order to find out the auditors opinion and attitude regarding the analysis model and whether the stakeholders? confidence in the financial information has increased as a result of its introduction.

This report is about changes in an organization. Changes is something that every organization sooner or later is bound to do. In many cases the changes leads to problems and conflicts. I have chosen to study one change process in the home help service of the municipality of Bollnäs. The change process I have chosen to study is about changes in the day-to-day work for the employees at the home help service.

Construction and maintenance of forest truck roads are a necessary element of industrial forestry. Payment for contracting services in this context can be done according to a number of payment models. This study will focus on the methods and consequences associated with a change of Holmen Skog?s payment model from per hour to per metric ton for ballast hauling. The aim of this study is to improve the economic efficiency of Holmen Skog?s ballast hauling in construction and maintenance of forest truck roads. This is done by formulating and evaluating a proposal for a payment model based on crowns per ton.

In the pulp industry, digesters are used to disolve lignin in wood chips. The concentration of lignin is measured and is called the Kappa number. In this thesis, the question of whether an online Kappa sensor, taking samples from the mid-phase of the digester, is useful or not is analyzed. For the samples to be useful, there has to be a relationship between the measured Kappa at the mid- phase and the measured Kappa in the blowpipe at the bottom of the digester. An ARX model of the lower part of the digester has been estimated.

Large companies in today?s business environment are to a great extent depending on their credit score by rating institutes like Moody?s and Standard & Poor?s. There is however indications that these big institutes are not always rating companies accurately. This is why this thesis aims at developing a new credit rating model, CRITA-Score, with the objective of determining a company?s financial health more accurately.