AbstractThis study aims to investigate the applicability of well-recognized supply chain strategies based on product characteristics. Choosing the right supply chain strategy can be the difference between winner and loser in today?s competitive climate and science offers several recommendations as to which aspects that should be considered. Fisher (1997) and Christopher and Towill (2002) suggest that supply chain strategies should be based on what kind of product the company is handling and that, in order to know which strategy is the most appropriate, the products must be categorized. Some criteria developed for the categorization are lead time, forecast in demand and profit margin.

The present study concerns a concept development of a product idea that Bengt Magnuson, associate professor, had when a heavy storm caused a widespread power failure of long duration. With a basic power-producing unit one should be able to get through a power loss. The product could also be useful for other tasks if different modules are connected, e g grass mower or snow-blower.According to the product idea the basic unit will be able to produce electric power enough for a fridge, freezer, TV, and a few electric lamps. Normally the basic unit can be used e g as a mower, when such a module is attached. An increased number of tasks would make the contraption useful and tempting for those who do not own an electrical power set in reserve.

In 1993 the internal market within the European Union was formed and ensured free movement of goods, services, capital and people. This led to the removal of trade barriers between members of the European Union. When opening up for competition, price differences between countries decreased and more jobs were created. A single currency was introduced by eleven countries in 1999 with the goal of reducing transaction costs, eliminating exchange rate risk and to further simplify trade. In 2001 Greece joined the collaboration and introduced the euro.

The purpose of this study is to examine in what way a strong corporate culture can have an effect on the ways that individuals perceive their own identity based on different social aspects, thereby meaning the influence of personalities in relation to the environment. In this essay I have used the theory of employer branding in an analysis of the corporate culture at Ikea Barkarby, with the purpose to answer the following questions: How does the relation between the employee and the corporate culture appear from an identity perspective, i.e can an individual?s identity be affected by the influence of a strong corporate culture? If the corporate culture has an influence on the individual?s identity, what rhetorical tools are part of this? How can the surrounding corporate cultures possibly influence the employee?s process of becoming a part of the corporate culture? The method of research that was used in this study is a framing analysis and a semistructured interview method. In the discussion of the influence of social environment on identity I have used the rhetorical term doxa. The material that was examined was an advertisement for employment from the Ikea Barkarby website as well as the response from my interviews of some of the employees.The result of the analysis shows that it is possible for an individual to negotiate with himself about his identity in relation to the actual situation and environment, meaning a possible transformation of the individual?s behavior in different social contexts, in this example the corporate culture at work.

Syftet med vårt examensarbete var att undersöka teorier om platsmarknadsföring i en svensk kommun och även undersöka vilken roll invånarna hade i utvecklandet av kärnvärden, som är grundläggande för platsmarknadsföringen. Vi gjorde en kvalitativ studie där vi intervjuade två respondenter och åtta invånare i den skånska kommunen Östra Göinge för att lokalisera information kring vilka kärnvärden kommunen skulle kunna grunda sin platsmarknadsförnig på. Intervjuerna jämfördes sedan med varandra och även med tidigare teoretiska studier inom platsmarknadsföring för att lokalisera tre kärnvärden som vi kunde använda som bas i en riktig marknadsföringskampanj, närmare bestämt en mässmonter. Studiens resultat visade att invånarna och respondenterna hade mycket lika åsikter kring hur Östra Göinge uppfattades och att en platsmarknadsföringskampanj måste grundas i invånarnas åsikter för att kunna lyckas optimalt..

Bakgrund: Vikten av att attrahera rätt personal är stor då företag söker långsiktiga konkurrensfördelar och stora resurser läggs idag på arbetet med denna viktiga uppgift. För att attrahera potentiella arbetstagare använder sig företag idag framförallt av direkt och riktad information till de individer och formella grupper av individer som bedöms som intressanta. Denna typ av kommunikation kan ses utelämna stora delar av den omgivning som inom socialpsykologin anses ha stor påverkan på individens val och agerande. Syfte: Att söka förståelse för och vidareutveckla teorin kring hur talent attraction kan ske genom att tilltala individen emotionellt, via den sociala omgivningen och genom att se till individens identitetsskapande. Metod: Genom ett expert- och snöbollsurval har 8 experter inom det valda ämnesområdet identifierats och intervjuats.

This thesis was developed as an assignment from Ludosity Interactive where the goal was to develop a copy of the Xbox Live Indie Games-marketplace from the Xbox 360. Ludosity Interactive had a necessity to easily test a game's attractiveness to potential customers using testing people from outside the company in a simulated Xbox Live Indie Games test environment; excluding this developed system there is no other way to do such an analysis without actually releasing the game on the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace and then analyze the resulting sales from the product.The finished system had to be similar to the original system to the degree that a user could see past the interface itself and use the system just as he/she would have used the real marketplace. It also had to be easy to change and add games to the system so that Ludosity Interactive easily could show the games and the data that they deemed interesting for their tests. The final product was developed using C#, XNA and XML together with an Agileinspired development method in combination with Pivotal Tracker. This report describes how this product was developed..

In order to increase the independence in everyday life of the elderly population, we have developed a lifting aid for loading in the private car trunk. Independence from outside assistance affects self-esteem in a positive direction and can help increase the quality of life for a large group of individuals. As people age and experience changes in performance, it is important that aids and support is available, particularly to reduce the experience of aging and it?s increasing physical limitations. The aim was to develop a function prototype characterized by simplicity, which facilitates loading of the private cartrunk.The project was conducted at the request of Autoadapt AB, which is one of the leadingactors in car adaptations for individuals with disablilities.

Syfte: Syftet är att skapa en ökad förståelse för hur offentliga verksamheter i mindre kommuner uppfattar och hanterar utmaningarna vid chefsrekrytering samt vad som ligger till grund för hur de hanterar det. Metodik: En tvärsnittsstudie på offentlig sektor i Kalmar Län har använts som forskningsstrategi med en induktiv ansats. Genom en kvalitativ metod med åtta semi-strukturerade intervjuer har vi producerat fram data. Slutsats: Studien har visat att offentliga verksamheter i mindre kommuner upplever ett problem i att finna lämpliga kandidater till chefstjänster, men ser inte det som krisartat. För att hantera rekryteringssvårigheterna utnyttjar offentliga verksamheter i mindre kommuner både operativa och strategiska åtgärderna.

Sigill Quality Systems has been certifying beef since the autumn of 2006 using the brand name label Swedish Sigill. IP Sigill (the certifying system for integrated production) encompasses the values: animal ethics, food safety, free range and environmental concerns. Product quality is not yet one of these values, and there is a variation in the quality of Swedish beef. Swedish Sigill wanted to investigate the factors that influence product quality, review which of the present regulations that have an influence on product quality and formulate new regulations with the purpose of enhancing the product quality (sensorial, technological and nutritional quality). A survey of quality parameters and factors that influence product quality was done in order to establish a scientific foundation to work from.

In the spring of 2009 Silva Sweden AB was contacted for a collaboration within the scope of a MasterThesis project. The company had discussed the possibility to develop a device that monitors usermovement during different types of exercise. The objective of this Master Thesis has therefore been todevelop and design a multi training device that records the user?s physical performance during severalactivities. The purpose of the thesis project has been to use scientific methods for product development inorder to design a multi device that supplements Silva?s range of products.The project followed a product development process divided into four phases; Market Analysis, ConceptCreation, Concept Development and Construction.

The project was carried out in cooperation with the department of product development IOS at IKEA. The work included improvements of a new existing product that Ikea soon will release on the market, Observatör, a wall bracket for flat screens. The product is supposed to fulfil the needs within this market for IKEA. However, since Ikea was not satisfied with it, our work was to carry out the improvements that were specified in the beginning of the project. Another task in the project was to develop a side-product that is supposed to be used together with Obeservatör for storage of DVD/decoders.The project included labour as problem definition to final technical drawings and a prototype.

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.

Smartphone applications, or apps, are an increasingly important part of omnichannel retailing. While the adoption and usage of apps for communicating with consumers has grown exponentially over the past few years, there is little academic research in this area. The primary purpose of this thesis is to describe how the involvement in a product category affects consumers' intention to use a retailer-branded smartphone application during their shopping trip. Drawing upon recent IS-literature with models TAM and UTAUT, our results indicate that product category involvement constitutes an important factor on the intention to use a retailer-branded smartphone application. By viewing involvement as a multidimensional construct, our study shows that the degree of hedonic and expressive value a product cateogry provides consumers with has important effects on intention, and these relationships are not moderated by consumers' age.

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.