This master thesis concerns itself with the actual work of knowledge workers, consultants to be specific. We have through interviews and observation tried to get inside of the ?black box? of the consultants firm Consult in an effort to describe their way of working through a theoretical framework. In this framework we attempt to combine knowledge work theory with that of organizational development, OD. We try to introduce the situation of the individuals we study, the consultants, through Alvesson (2004) and Løwendahl (2005).

The aim of this study was to investigate the production of knowledge that can emerge in the use of Practice Research by Mirror method. This by finding out what it is in the practical work that leads to the production of knowledge and how knowledge production takes form. The empirical data that form the basis for this study is recorded group within the Mirror method discussions and a focus group interview with social workers who participated in the discussions. Those who have participated are social workers with experience from working with financial aid support and only real cases have been used in the discussions. The results have been analyzed according to Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy and their discretion and Fook and Gardner´s theory of critical reflection.

The purpose of this thesis is to understand the reasons to why management consultants choose to leave their positions at large and established management consultant companies. The empirical data are made up of eleven interviews with men and women, both management consultants that have left their previous positions as well as a consultant who has chosen to stay with her first company and a representative from one of the large companies active within the management consultant industry. We have used the Job Embeddedness Theory combined with theories about identity, legitimacy, institutional norms and gender in order to understand the thoughts and reasoning behind the management consultants´ resignation. We have found that issues with the work itself and characteristics of the industry prevent the management consultants from being embedded within the management consultant company. Rather, some of the characteristics of the industry such as ?up or out? and the need to constantly perform work as a ?pushing-out mechanism?.

Purpose: Exploring the relatively new technology of convolution reverb, to gather knowledge on its limitations when used practically in the production of pop music, and from these findings to learn about applications in other performing arts and sound design. Methodology: This is a case study of creating convolution reverb by doing impulse responses (IR) and then applying them to studio recorded pop music. The empirical data consists of the final song results, notes and journals from during the process and the comparisons, as well as established litterature on acoustics, psycho-acoustics and music production. Results: Convolution reverb can widely and freely be used in the production of music and other audio-based art forms, since our study shows that the result of a well-made impulse response from a particular room is indistinguishable from music that is actually played and recorded in the same space..

The purpose of this study is to contribute with new knowledge of  how Talent Management can be seen as a an opportunity or threat for organizational development, concerning competence, on the basis of HR. The research questions asked are: Out of wich aspects can Talent Management be seen as an opportunity or threat on the basis of HR-employees? How can it affect the work of HR? To answer these questions qualitative interviews with five employees within HR from four different companies has been executed. The essay has been investigated on the basis of an explorative aim and with a qualitative method. The empirical results has indicated common themes such as director support, HRs view of Talent Management, HRs development and shifts of generations.

Syfte: Att undersöka om ledningsfilosofin The Toyota Way och verktygslådan LEAN;? Stödjer lärande i en organisation, samt? Om ledarens roll för lärande är en viktig kompetens, utifrån teorier om lärande och ledarens roll för lärande i organisationer. Specifika frågeställningar är; ? Stödjer Volvokoncernens ledarkompetenser ett LEAN ledarskap, samt? Är ledarens roll för lärandet en viktig kompetens och hur uppfattar ledarna de faktiska förutsättningarna för ett LEAN ledarskap?Teori: Wengers, teori om Communities of Practice, Targama & Sandbergs teori om Ledning och förståelse. Teorier om ledarskap av Svenningsson/Alvesson och Yukl, samt studier på framgångsrikt ledarskap genomförda av Lombardo/ Eichinger.

The aim of this study is to investigate the problematisation of the swedish railwaysector during the early 1990?s from a New public management-perspective. The method of approach is a ?What is the problem represented to be?-analysis as advocated by Carol Bacchi. By applying this method to the official investigation aimed at providing suggestions for increasing competition in the railway sector it has been shown that the process of deregulation has strong connections to the ideas and models suggested by the New public management-ideology of organisational theory. .

It is of increasing importance to in the most effective possible way, manage and control all the transactions of raw materials, products and information that are exchanged between an organization and all its operators. These flows and the need for strategy and managing the processes of planning, implementing and control of the supply chain, has given name to the concept supply chain management. Supply chain management involves all movement and storage of raw material, and all the processes that is needed to manufacture a product from origin to consumption. Globalization, technology and increasing time and quality-based competition are all driving forces behind the concept and reasons for an increasing interest in supply chain management.The purpose of this essay is to by using a qualitative case study examine which decisive success factors that can be identified for effective supply chain management. We have compiled different theories on the subject to use for analyzing a case study Li & Fung, who is a successful supply chain management company.

This examination work is performed at the institution of industrial economy and production at Jonkoping technical university, for JELD-WEN Door Solutions plant in Forserum.Today the focus in the company is on to reduce their inventories binding of capitals as well as inventory of products and that includes to get a good control of the supply and handling of material which is of great importance.JELD-WEN Door Solutions is one of the worlds leading producers of windows and doors and the head-office is located in Oregon, USA.A great number of wooden doors are manufactured by the company in varying of constructions, classifications and performance.The production of the plant in Forserum has a project- and customer focus manufacturing where only internal doors are produced. The overall market they are concentrated on is to different institution such as schools, hospitals etc.The purpose of this work is to investigate possibilities to improvement of material- and production control at JELD-WEN. The report will handle the master production schedule to and from the production divisions within manufacturing industry. Focus will be on the way for information- and material flows from arrival, transport within the company and further on to customers.Further a map of the flow was performed which gave a clearer picture of the connection between the flow of information- and material for the manufacturing process. On the basis of the mapping of the flow, the group discovered that the flow of material had some improvement potential.

AbstractToday, too many construction projects are delayed and deviates from the budget. Agood project management is the basis for successful construction project. The mostcommon planning methods in the construction industry is currently Gantt chart andCPM. The problem with these is that focus is only at the time of the project anddoesn?t handle the budget.

Background: As companies are operating in more globally and complex environments, the need for risk control is accelerating. In an ever-changing environment, companies cannot merely focus on traditional risks, which include financial and insurable risks. To maintain competitiveness, companies need to extend their risk management to include all risks, traditional as well as operational and strategic risks. Purpose: The purpose is to describe and position risk management for Telecom operators, in comparison with the risk management literature, with regards to structure, processes, learning process, visions and benefits. In addition, our aim is to link risk management perspectives with the different strategies for knowledge management.

Problem: What are the characteristics of Polykemi?s management control system and how is it affected by growth? Purpose: To describe and analyse the management control system of a medium-sized family-owned company from the perspective of Simons? Levers of control. Research design: An abductive, interview-based case study of Polykemi AB. Conclusion: Polykemi?s management control system is primarily a traditional one which is rather strong in terms of Levers of control.

The goal of this project was to make the requirement process at the Swedish Coastguard more effective. The first step to achieve this was done by locating bottle necks in the process with value stream mapping method. The result of this study showed that the biggest restriction in the requirement process was while examining older requirement documents to understand what elements were suitable for the particular project. This was followed by a study of literature, interviews and theory of Lean Production with the ambition to investigate how the requirement process was handled on other companies and how to improve the process on the Swedish coast guard. This led to a number of potential enhancements of the process which later was evaluated.

A growing issue in the construction industry is how production can become moreefficient by using logistical solutions. Companies can minimize the cost of a project byreducing the time to perform the work.The purpose of this report was to examine the logistics related to pipe trenches forSIAAB. The report's focus has been on solving problems and planning that wouldfacilitate the work of the project Vaksala-Lunda Etapp 3.The case study consists of interviews with SIAAB's employees and an observationwhere the progress of a traditional pipe trench has been documented using checklists.Questions to the report?s case study come from the theoretical part, which is basedon literature on construction management and logistics in general. The observationlasted five weeks and the biggest time-consuming events that affected the pipe trenchduring this time, has received most attention.

At the farm Fride, in Lojsta at the Southern part of Gotland, my family runs a pig production with 80 part-integrated sows in a ?Familybox-system?. The main parts of the facilities are from the early 90´s and have done their job. The production results have the last years decreased because of new infections so we have to do something before shifting ownership! This degree thesis is meant to answer the question about which the optimal extension would be today. By studying literature, use my own experience and make lots of calculations, I try to find out different opportunities.