Title: Diversities of diversity - fluctuating talk, meaning and practice of diversitySeminar date: 06.02.08 Course: Masters thesis in Business Administration, Programme for Managing People, Knowledge and Change, 15 University Credit Points (15 ECTS). Authors: Björt Ólafsdóttir & Clarissa Sia Choon YenAdvisors: Mats Alvesson & Susanne LundholmFive key words: Diversity, Discourses, Hypocrisy, Comparison, National contextPurpose: To identify and compare discourses around diversity within two companies operating in two distinct national contexts. One originated from and still situated in Iceland, while the other is a subsidiary for Asia-Pacific market in Singapore with American values from its headquarters in United States. We wish to explore what are the meanings and implications of diversity for the employees of each company, how their discourses on diversity reflect hypocrisy in the organizations and if and how national context has an impact on discourse on diversity.Methodology: Interviews were conducted, transcribed and codified. Comparison and evaluation of the different discourses were examined around diversity and in the talk of interviewees within the two companies.

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This study focuses on the internal marketing and how it affects the complaints by companies? communication control. Our purpose with this subject is to increase the understanding of which components affects the relation between internal marketing, communication control and complaints. We have chosen the subject, internal marketing because it caught our interest in an earlier course. On the basis of the literature of costumer complaint there have not been so much research about it and that is why we have chosen this perspective on internal marketing.This study is based on a qualitative approach.

A major issue that has been a subject for quite some time is whether there will be a scarcity of metals in the bedrock in the future and whether or not we might end up with a problem similar to that of the big oil crisis in the mid-seventies. Following the oil crisis many oil companies started up with risk management to control future risks. This work presents how Swedish mining companies work with risk management to handle risks that might come up in the future due to metal scarceness. How Swedish mining companies look at the possible metal scarceness and if they use risk management in their decision-making process is studied. By doing interviews with Swedish owned mining companies it was found that the mining companies did not see the future metal scarcity as a risk, even though 2/3 of the companies acknowledged the scarceness to be a reality.

The valuation of an asset is one of the most important thing with accounting, though one of the most difficult thing as well. However, in deciding useful service life for an intangible asset and property, plant and equipment, there are quite a margin for the companies, which creates a difference between companies and industries. When computing the value of the inventories there are a few possibilities available for the companies, which also can generate differencesbetween companies and industries. Although these differences can occur, there might be some similarities in the companies? estimates.

The Swedish Accounting Standards Board has developed rules of simplification to unlisted companies in Sweden. This project is called the K-project and is divided into four different categories, K1-K4, after the different companies? size and legal form. The K-project was put together to develop how the ongoing reporting should be ended with an annual report. 2013 is the year to choose between K2 and K3-regulations in smaller, unlisted companies.

The workplace has a direct impact on the physical, psychological, economic and social well-being of the workers. A healthy workplace leads to increased health among the employees which also makes the employees more productive (Källestål, 2004). A poor working environment can have negative consequences for individuals, companies and society (SOU, 2009:47).This is a qualitative study that investigates companies? view of health promotion and how they practice health promotion in working life. Five private and five public companies, with representatives from the management were interviewed.

Previously studies have shown that the way companies explain outcome in their annual report is not totally trustworthy. Studies show that the management has a self serving bias when they explain the result to give a positive image of the company. Our study is based on investigations into this phenomenon in the telecom market in Sweden. Turbulent market conditions with, among other, deregulation of the monopoly of fixed telephony and a huge technical evolution, which has led to an increase in competition, is the reason to why we have chosen to study the telecom market in Sweden. As a benchmark in our study the attribution theory will be used.

Prior research on the ability of financial ratios to predict bankruptcies has shown a significant difference between the companies that went into bankruptcy and those that survived. This paper investigates whether there is a difference in the prediction ability of financial ratios during the last financial crisis compared to relatively normal macroeconomic environments in which most previous studies have been conducted. We use univariate analysis to compare companies that went into bankruptcy during 2010 and 2011 with companies that remained active. Our dataset consists of 51 failed companies that are matched with 102 companies that remained active. All companies were Swedish limited companies with more than 50 employees and the comparison is made with 26 financial ratios.

Background: With the removal of audit requirement for companies in Sweden from the first of november 2010, a lot of companies has chosen not to keep the audit requirement. So far 57 percent of the small companies has chosen to keep the audit, in spite of that they don´t need to which led us to the problem statement: Which are the factors that affect a small limited company to choose to keep the audit, in spite that now there is a possibility to choose not to use audit anymore?Purpose: The purpose of the essay is to examine why small limited companies choose to keep the audit, in spite that now there is a possibility to choose not to use audit?Method: This research founds itself in a qualitative study with a deductive research approach. We have been studying secondary data in books and articles and preformed 29 phone interviews with small ltd company owners in Sweden. The selection consisted of 14 companies with credit debts and 15 companies without credit debts.

This study is about to see whether the two models representing the strategies of lean production is to use and apply in different companies. The models are structured in two different ways in which one of them is checking the softer elements of lean production in the form of leadership and strategies. This model is called Lesat and is based on interviewquestions. The second model, called "learning to see" is about identifying flows. This, together shall then give an idea of how mature companies are when it comes to a whole in the concept of lean production, and susceptibility to use these models to their respective companies. The study is conducted in two companies, SKF couplings systems and AQ parkoprint.

This Bachelor-paper is an investigation of organisational flexibility in Swedish andPolish television companies. The essay is based on four main questions which is thananalysed by looking at different categories that defines a flexible organisationalstructure.The questions are:? What is the internal and external perceived judgment about the TV-channelsorganisational flexibility?? What are the differences regarding Public service channels in Sweden andPoland as well as the differences between commercial channels?? What are the differences regarding public service- and commercial TVchannelsin Sweden as well as in Poland? Which of the companies are considered being the stronger and the weakest inan organisational flexibility point of view?In order to answer these questions have we used following main theories.? Readiness for business process reengineering - Abdolvand, N. & Albadvi, A.& Ferdowsi, Z (2008)? Decisionprocess - Jacobsen D.I.

Since 1983 all Swedish companies are legally obliged to allow themselves to be audited. Recently the question of whether small companies should be subject to this or not has frequently been discussed. Many find it superfluous and think it ought to be abolished. In England small companies no longer have to be audited. However, in a study by Jill Collis it has been shown that a large number of companies choose to be audited although there is no obligation for them to do so.

The purpose of this report is to compile and examine the cost of renovation of moisture-damaged bathrooms, to derive a target price. The target price can then be used by insurance companies to estimate the ultimate cost of future bathroom renovations.       The method is based on the compilation and comparison of the cost of repairs of previous water damage in bathrooms. The calculations compiled based on repair estimates for different insurance losses from one of the leading insurance companies in Sweden.       The result shows the average price per square meter of floor area for different sizes of bathrooms. The average price is the basis for the estimate of future renovation costs of bathrooms. The results further show that the bathroom finishes, area and the distance between the entrepreneur and the location of the renovation have great impact on the final repairing cost.

Background: It has been shown that EDI can yield positive effects within companies. Which effects are possible for a company to direct assign to the introduction of EDI and is it possible to estimate the total effect.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate and analyze the effects of using EDI in electronic business. We also want to contribute with a model for measure and estimate the effects of EDI.Accomplishment: We have studied literature concering EDI and realized a preliminary studie in form of interviews with experts to establish deeper knowledge of EDI. We have also tried to estimate the effects obtained in companies in three different businesses, power, government and transport industry.Result: To obtain as good effects as possible it is important that the co- oporation is built on trust and engagement. Before implementing the EDI-system a thorough overhaul of the processes in the company should be done, involving both the top managers and the staff.