In this paper we investigate 67 Swedish buyouts in the manufacturing and retailing sector between the years 2004-2012. The purpose is to measure changes in a set of financial key ratios to see if private equity firms are able to improve performance in their portfolio companies compared to a peer group consisting of other firms within the same industries. Furthermore, we examine if there is a difference in the change of the financial key ratios between private equity-owned firms in the two sectors. The key results are that the private equity owned firms have not outperformed their peers with respect to the chosen key ratios. We also conclude that there is no significant difference in the change of the financial key ratios between private equity-owned firms in the two sectors..

 This thesis aims to through certain parts of the brand equity investigate the trust of consumers for a brand that recently experienced a product-harm crisis. It also wants to investigate why this trust exist, if it does. Structured interviews were carried out at 60 respondents in Uppsala. The results show that the respondents have positive associations with ICA, they think that ICA maintains a high quality on their products and services and that 50% more often choose to do their grocery shopping at ICA. The conclusion of the study is that ICA has a strong brand equity resulting in brand trust from consumers, which is founded in the brand reliability and brand intentions of the company. .

 This thesis aims to through certain parts of the brand equity investigate the trust of consumers for a brand that recently experienced a product-harm crisis. It also wants to investigate why this trust exist, if it does. Structured interviews were carried out at 60 respondents in Uppsala. The results show that the respondents have positive associations with ICA, they think that ICA maintains a high quality on their products and services and that 50% more often choose to do their grocery shopping at ICA. The conclusion of the study is that ICA has a strong brand equity resulting in brand trust from consumers, which is founded in the brand reliability and brand intentions of the company. .

A majority of Swedish consumers have a positive attitude towards organic production and the number of organic products on the market is increasing. Despite these positive trends, there are still relatively few consumers who choose to buy organic produced products. According to statistics, only 3% of the total sales of food consist of organic products. The aim with this essay is to understand what is needed, both from the grocery store and the consumer's point of view, to increase the consumption of organic food. Information has been collected partly through questionnaire with consumers and partly through analysis of sales statistics for a selected numbers of products. Then the empirical material have been analysed in the light of a combination of the Behavioural Perspective Model (Foxell, 1997) and Kotler's Four P:s (Kotler, 2002). Consumer's willingness to buy organic products is influenced by a number of different factors. One important thing is if the grocery store offers a behaviour setting that stimulates the consumers positive attitude and facilitates their possibilities to collect new information. Furthermore, the store needs to offer a broad and well-visualised selection of organic products.

Technology based self-service (TBSS) used in supermarket self-scanning checkouts is a relatively new phenomenon in Sweden. Studies on TBSS as a self- checkout device have been formerly carried out but with focus on the customer perspective. The authors therefore saw a challenge in covering the self-scan checkout concept, from a company perspective. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate, through a management perspective, the changes brought about by implementing an innovative TBSS system in Swedish supermarkets, and its effect on the competitiveness of the company. This is done by presenting and linking the theoretical framework and empirical study in the research.

Motivation, in an organizational context, is about whether the employees feel that their work is worthwhile, satisfactory and that there are opportunities for further development within the organization. However, motivation can be affected by a number of factors that originate from the employees? characteristics, the characteristics of the situation and the individuals perception of that situation. A factor that could lead to a low level of motivation is if the employee feels that his work is monotonous.Thus the purpose was to study the factors that lead to motivation and job satisfaction in a working environment that generally is considered monotonous and dull by investigating the target group cashiers at two Swedish grocery stores called Ica Kvantum and Coop Forum.In this study a quantitative method was used by the design of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was used to get a general idea of the factors that the respondents consider motivating in their work.The results and the analysis of the questionnaire show that you really cannot make any general conclusions since there are many different factors that lead to motivation depending on who you are as an individual and in what phase of life one finds oneself.

Too much attention has been given to mainstream approaches in performance management and management accounting research, without taking in to account changes in the environment with the rapid growth of online retailing. This paper evaluates how and/or if performance management differs in online contexts by using a conceptual model developed by Ferreira et al (2009). The model and its components are tested on three multichannel- and six e-commerce businesses. The result and its analysis is commented on by two e - commerce experts. The result shows that the operation method of the models twelve components do not differ in terms of work methods in online and offline contexts.

Title: How does the buying decision process really function within e-commerce? - A qualitative study of consumer behavior when they consume on Internet.Institution: School of Economics, Linnaeus University, Va?xjo?.Course code: 2FE16E.Authors: Sara Hja?rne, Mathilda Perem, Ewelina Wallin.Tutor: Dan Halvarsson.Examiner: A?sa Devine.Key words: Buying decision process, purchase decision process need recognition, information search, evaluation, purchase decision, postpurchase behavior, consumer decision making, E-commerce, E- commerce channels, online shopping, online purchase, e-retail, internet shopping, electronic shopping, consumer behavior, online appereal shopping, social media, decision making, online retailing, website design, customer satisfaction, webshopping, perceived risk, convinience, price, online consumption behavior.Background: Buying decision process is a model that marketers use to get a better understanding of their customers and their behavior when purchasing a product. This process consists of five different steps; need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and evaluation. Buying decision process has for a long time been an accepted model but scientists argue that the introduction of Internet as a channel for consumption has changed this process. The Internet has also led to a change of power in which customers today have greater influence, which greatly affects the buying decision process in e-commercePurpose: The purpose is to explore how consumers perceive their behavior when they consume through e-commerce.Research questions:How do consumers perceive the buying decision process they experience when they consume through e-commerce?How do consumers perceive different factors that are important to them when they consume through e-commerce?Methodology: Qualitative study, cross-sectional design, semi-structured interviews.Conclusion: This thesis shows that the traditional model of the buying decision process is not consistent with consumers' perception of how they are undergoing the process when applied to an e-commerce context.

Strong relationships are something that is really important for companies to succeed with, in purpose to increase and protect their market shares. After major research on the subject, it has been found that variables like exchange of relationship, trust, control mutability, satisfaction and commitment are important in the establishment of measuring a relationship. The purpose with this thesis was to: increase the knowledge on how companies measure, and then consequently evaluate, their relationships. To answer the purpose of the study we chose to do a case study at Stadium AB, which is a retailing concern with a high level of customer contact on a daily basis. The conclusion is that trust most likely is the key variable in measuring relationships.

It has been found that customers in the home market perceive the retailer?s store image more positively than customers in the host market, even though this study has found that theretailer?s store image is generally perceived very positively by customers in both examined markets. In addition, this thesis has found that there is a significant difference in how IKEA?smanagement and customers perceive its store image. It can also be concluded that IKEA management perceived store image more positively than customers.

Increased consciousness about environmental and sustainable issues has led to consumers and companies who are more in favor of reuse and recycle. Even though this is a fact, people today are buying new things more often compared to before. For instance for a mobile phone the functionality lifecycle is eight years which can be related to the economic lifecycle today which is 1.5 years compared to 3 years in 1995. Only 1-2 percent of the mobile phones thrown away in Sweden today are handed in for recycling. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether an international company within the recycling and reuse of mobile phone industry has a market in Sweden.

Att ha lojala kunder är något att sträva efter. Men vad gör en kund lojal? Den har studien försöker att ta reda på det genom att intervjua tio olika svenska personer för att få deras syn på lojalitet som fenomen och vad det innebär att vara en lojalkund för dem. Slutsatsen är att kundlojalitet är en relevant term men när det kom till att vara lojal visade det sig att de flesta av respondenterna inte var lojala, även om de hade ett lojalt beteende. En av de viktigaste faktorerna för deras köpbeteende var den geografiska platsen affären låg på i förhållande till deras eget boende.

Almost every commercial in television nowadays aim to sell a product or service. This researchpresents two big actors in the grocery chain and their respective commercials. The two actors thatare presented in this research are Lidl and Coop. Both Lidl and Coop are among the largest grocerychains in Sweden. By examine two commercials from each company we aim to find how theircommercials are structured.

This research project is based on observing and Analyzing the Role of a textile merchandiser in managing the supply chain of the Home Textiles In The Buying or retailing, in the Mill and with the Agents. The project also "highlights the comparative analysis of the practices by Followed merchandisers into the retailer side, mills and Those In The Agents', on the basis of the Functions Which Supports the supply chain. In the discussion, We Have highlighted Importance Of The Role Played by an agent and by the merchandisers of Buyer and Supplier in Different situation. By our research work we find out The Challenges face by merchandisers And Then we come up with sometime suggestions.This Research Project Has Been Developed by Contacting and Visiting Hemtex, Brink Textiles, by interviewing the merchandisers working in the Industries like Al-Abid Silk Mill . By Analyzing the data & the data through the visits and the interviews, this Research Project Has Been Combined to give in-depth knowledge about the Activities Which merchandisers performer in a mill and into buying a house..

En sammanfattning av uppsatsen på maximalt 8000 tecken.The purpose of this study was to analyse if there are in-store consumer behaviour differences between the consumers that use ASF and the consumers that not use ASF in store. More precisely this study had two objectives. The first objective was to create a conceptual model depicting the various behavioural effects that the use of ASF may result in. These variables were tested empirically in order to analyze if the use of ASF influence in-store consumer behaviour. The second objective was to analyze if there are differences in the routes taken by the consumers in store, in relation to whether the consumers use the ASF or not..