Big data analytics (BDA) has become an increasingly popular topic over the years amongst academics and practitioners alike. Big data, which is an important part of BDA, was originally defined with three Vs, being volume, velocity and variety. In later years more Vs have surfaced to better accommodate the current need. The analytics of BDA consists of different methods of analysing gathered data. Analysing data can provide insights to organisations which in turn can give organisations competitive advantage and enhance their businesses. Looking into the necessary resources needed to build big data analytic capabilities (BDAC), this thesis sought out to find how Swedish organisations enable and use BDA in their businesses. This thesis also investigated whether BDA could lead to performance enhancement and competitive advantage to organisations. A theoretical framework based on previous studies was adapted and used in order to help answer the thesis purpose. A qualitative study was deemed the most suitable for this study using semi-structured interviews. Previous studies in this field pointed to the fact that organisations may not be aware of how or why to use or enable BDA. According to current literature, different resources are needed to work in conjunction with each other in order to create BDAC and enable BDA to be utilized. Several different studies discuss challenges such as the culture of the organisation, human skills, and the need for top management to support BDA initiatives to succeed. The findings from the interviews in this study indicated that in a Swedish context the different resources, such as data, technical skills, and data driven culture, amongst others, are being used to enable BDA. Furthermore, the result showed that business process improvements are a first staple in organisations use of benefiting from BDA. This is because of the ease and security in calculating profits and effect from such an investment. Depending on how far an organisation have come in their transformation process they may also innovate and/or create products or services from insights made possible from BDA. / Big data analytics (BDA) har blivit ett populärt ämne under de senaste åren hos akademiker och utövare. Big data, som är en viktig del av BDA, var först definierad med tre Vs, volym, hastighet och varietet. På senare år har flertalet V framkommit för att bättre uttrycka det nuvarande behovet. Analysdelen i BDA består av olika metoder av analysering av data. Dataanalysering som görs kan ge insikter till organisationer, som i sin tur kan ge organisationer konkurrensfördelar och förbättra deras företag. Genom att definiera de resurser som krävs för att bygga big data analytic capabilities (BDAC), så försökte denna avhandling att visa hur svenska organisationer möjliggör och använder BDA i sina företag. Avhandlingen försökte också härleda om BDA kan leda till prestandaförbättringar och konkurrensfördelar för organisationer. Ett teoretiskt ramverk, baserat på tidigare studier, anpassades och användes för att hjälpa till att svara på avhandlingens syfte. En kvalitativ studie utsågs vara den mest passande ansatsen, tillsammans med semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Tidigare studier inom området visade på att organisationer kanske inte helt är medvetna om hur eller varför BDA möjliggörs eller kan användas. Enligt den nuvarande litteraturen så behöver olika resurser arbeta tillsammans med varandra för att skapa BDAC och möjliggöra att BDA kan utnyttjas till fullo. Flera olika studier diskuterade utmaningar såsom kulturen inom organisationen, kompetens hos anställda och att ledningen behöver stödja BDA initiativ för att lyckas. Fynden från studiens intervjuer indikerade, i ett svenskt sammanhang, att olika resurser såsom data, tekniska färdigheter och datadriven kultur bland annat, används för att möjliggöra BDA. Fortsättningsvis påvisade resultatet att affärsprocessförbättring är en första stapel i användandet av fördelarna från BDA. Anledningen till det är för att det är lättare och säkrare med beräkning av förtjänst och effekt från en sådan investering. Beroende på hur långt en organisation har kommit i deras transformationsprocess kan de också innovera och/eller skapa produkter eller tjänster som möjliggjorts av insikter från BDA.

Yes / Research shows that big data analytics capability (BDAC) is a major determinant of firm performance. However, scant research has theoretically articulated and empirically tested the mechanisms and conditions under which BDAC influences performance. This study advances existing knowledge on the BDAC–performance relationship by drawing on the knowledge-based view and contingency theory to argue that how and when BDAC influences market performance is dependent on the intervening role of disruptive business models and the contingency role of competitive intensity. We empirically test this argument on primary data from 360 firms in the United Kingdom. The results show that disruptive business models partially mediate the positive effect of BDAC on market performance, and this indirect positive effect is strengthened when competitive intensity increases. These findings provide new perspectives on the business model processes and competitive conditions under which firms maximize marketplace value from investments in BDACs.

Yes / This study looks at the relationship between big data analytics capability and market performance and how this relationship can be facilitated by adopting disruptive business models in competitive environments.

I will look at what impact big data have had on the managerial strategic decisions in the food and beverage industry. This in order to understand the complexity and theory of organizational strategic management, an effort to define the contemporary strategic theory into a holistic conceptual model is done through a literature review on organizational strategy. This literature explicitly proposes four distinctly different types of strategies that management need to consider in the organizational context. Namely, long-term strategy, internal business strategy, external corporate strategy, and competitive strategy. The study analyzed the food and beverage industry over a decade (2005-2014), where the three of the largest actors in the industry were selected, Nestlé S.A, PepsiCo Inc, and Unilever. The choice of method was content analysis, where three structured categorization matrixes were developed which each analyzed parts of the annual reports. The study propose the role of big data as a strategic tool for managerial decision from a theoretical standpoint. The content analysis show that hypothesis 1, could be confirmed, big data have an impact on all the proposed four managerial strategic decisions. Second hypothesis could not be confirmed, since decentralization does only occur for one of the organizations, but increased external environment turbulence could be concluded for the industry in general. The third hypothesis could be confirmed, which show that there is an increase in individualization due to increased customer involvement and demand. The analysis discovered three distinct time periods during the last decade, namely pre- economic instability period (2005-2007), economic instability period (2008-2011) and finally the post-paradigm period (2012-2014). Where the year 2011 was the most turbulent in terms of economy and technology for the industry. The study clearly show that customers are now involved in the production process, customers are co-creators of the products. There is now a two-way communication and increased social responsibility awareness. This study shows that the old traditional approach of looking at markets in order to position yourself to stay competitive are obsolete as this study predicted. customers demand to be a part of the organizational culture. This conclude that big data is an important tool for all strategic managerial decisions.

L’objectif de la thèse est d’abord d’analyser les rapports croisés existant entre modélisation d’entreprise et gestion des connaissances (modélisation comme explicitation des connaissances et connaissances comme une vue en modélisation) et ensuite de déboucher sur un ensemble méthodologique unifiant les deux approches. L’apport de nos travaux est décomposé comme suit : 1.Une étude comparative conceptuelle et théorique de ces méthodes. 2.Une chaîne de valeur ajoutée de la création des connaissances nommée VCKC. 3.Un cadre générique pour la mise en place de gestion des connaissances en entreprise nommé I2CE. 4.Un cadre d’ingénierie d’entreprise basé sur la connaissance nommé KBEE. / The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the relation between enterprise modeling and knowledge management (modeling as a way of knowledge externalization and knowledge as a view in modeling) and next to propose a global framework which will be able to unify two approaches. The contribution of this research is divided into four major axes: 1. To propose a conceptual and theoretic comparison study of two approaches. 2. To propose a value chain of knowledge creation in a value added way to unify the basic terminology in the context of knowledge in the organizations. This proposition named Value Chain of Knowledge Creation (VCKC). 3. To propose a reference model as the theoretic foundation of implementing knowledge management approach in the organizations named Intent-Content-Context-Evolution (I2CE). 4. To propose a knowledge engineering framework in the enterprises named Knowledge Based Enterprise Engineering (KBEE).

Background: Most of the existing literature regarding innovation and innovation strategies focus on high-tech industries. In contrast low- and medium-technology industries are receiving very little attention despite the category is making up the largest part of the manufacturing industries in OECD countries. The phenomenon could be the result of misconceptions regarding innovation process in low- medium-tech industries and existing pre-eminence of linear model of innovation. Investigating the realities of innovation strategies in the low- and medium technology industries would help crystallise the understanding of innovation strategies within low- and medium technology industries uncovering key factors for innovation under the industry category. Research question: How do organisations under low- and medium-technology industry category innovate and what is the impact the chosen innovation strategy or a combination of innovation strategies have on the organisation? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand which innovation strategies (open, closed, exploitative, explorative or a combination of these strategies) organisations under low- and medium technology industry implement and how such innovation strategies impact the organisation. The aim of the study is to crystallise the understanding in how LMTs innovate, which innovation strategies they select and what influences the selection of innovation strategy. Method: Abductive research approach is used for the study. Qualitative research method is a primary source of data gathered from 8 organisations operating under low- and medium- technology industry category. The data was gathered via semi-structured interviews with C- level executives and management responsible for innovation initiatives. Theoretical framework: The literature will present knowledge based view and outline the link between knowledge and open, closed, exploitative and explorative innovation strategies. Findings & conclusion: Ability to identify relevant knowledge and assimilate it drove innovation within the LMTs assessed. Innovation strategies were selected based on understanding of additional information requirements and market environment in their respective markets. Various combinations of innovation strategies were used at the assessed organisations. Some of the assessed organisations used more open or more closed innovation strategies based on business circumstances. Open innovation strategies enabled fast knowledge accumulation and problem solution discovery. Organisational cultures influence the choice of innovation strategies. Peoples’ knowledge drives performance.

Prior research suggests that industry 4.0 could bring numerous benefits to firms manufacturing operations. Despite industry 4.0’s overwhelming popularity, there is considerable confusion surrounding how to approach a transformation, and additionally how it will affect organizations. Bus manufacturing has seen minor advancements in initiating change towards industry 4.0 due to characteristics with low volumes, high product varieties, high complexity and a large variety of customer adaptations. This thesis intends to give clarity to the opportunities and challenges that industry 4.0 technologies entail for bus manufacturing operations. Furthermore, contribute with a roadmap for how to manage a transformation towards industry 4.0 directed for bus manufacturing. The thesis was conducted studying a case using the process of systematic combining. Qualitative methods were applied to address the research questions, collecting data from ten interviews with operational- and manufacturing managers. Empirical findings indicate that the characteristics of bus manufacturing influence the industry 4.0 technologies that are applicable and suited for implementation. The findings suggest opportunities in terms of increased production efficiency, improved flexibility and reduced takt times with data management and real-time capabilities from adapting data management, cloud technology and sensors. Other opportunities such as virtualization with digital twin and virtual training were also suggested to enable factory simulations and virtual representations of manufacturing stations. Prominent challenges identified were lack of knowledge regarding industry 4.0 technologies, data analytics, how to motivate investments, system integration and using robotics in the bus manufacturing operations. Furthermore, the proposed roadmap for how bus manufacturing can manage a transformation towards industry 4.0 consists of eight steps that include important factors identified from the study such as vision, determination, barriers, responsibility, consistency and working in small steps. This study’s theoretical contribution is providing knowledge about industry 4.0 in the context of bus manufacturing operations. The findings suggest that knowledge is a primary factor for managing a transformation towards industry 4.0, where educating and engaging personnel could facilitate the change work. Further, the results of this study lend support to the argument that approaching industry 4.0 is dependent on the organization and industry. The study also emphasizes that future research should focus on establishing a uniform definition of industry 4.0, and further examine what the costs for a transformation towards industry 4.0 could necessitate for bus manufacturing operations. / Tidigare forskning tyder på att industri 4.0 kan ge många fördelar för företag som bedriver tillverkningsverksamhet. Trots industri 4.0’s överväldigande popularitet finns det betydande förvirring kring hur man närmar sig en transformation, samt hur det kommer att påverka organisationer. Busstillverkningsindustrin har sett en obetydlig utveckling i förändringsarbetet mot industri 4.0 på grund av dess egenskaper med låga volymer, stora variationer, höga komplexitet samt många kundanpassningar. Denna uppsats har för avsikt att klargöra de möjligheter samt utmaningar som teknologier inom industri 4.0 innebär för verksamheten inom busstillverkning, då industri 4.0 anses medföra stora förändringar inom produktionen. Studien bidrar vidare till en färdplan för hur man kan hantera en omvandling mot industri 4.0 inriktad för busstillverkning. Studien genomfördes genom att studera ett fall med tillvägagångssätt enligt “systematic combining”. Kvalitativa metoder tillämpades för att kunna behandla forskningsfrågorna med datainsamling från tio intervjuer med operativa- och produktionschefer. Empirin indikerar att kännetecknen för busstillverkning påverkar vilka teknologier inom industri 4.0 som är tillämpbara och lämpliga för implementering. Analys av empirisk data tyder på möjligheter i form av ökad produktionseffektivitet, flexibilitet samt reducerad takttid genom datahantering och real-tidsfunktioner från användning av artificiell intelligens, molnteknik samt sensorer. Ytterligare möjligheter antyddes inom virtualisering med digitala tvillingar samt virtuell träning för att simulera fabriken och produktionsstationer i virtuella miljöer. Framträdande utmaningar som antyddes var brist på kunskap om teknologierna inom industri 4.0, att analysera stora mängder data, att kunna motivera investeringar, systemintegration samt tillämpningen av robotik i produktionen. Den föreslagna färdplanen för hur busstillverkning kan hantera en omvandling mot industri 4.0 består av åtta steg som inkluderar viktiga faktorer som identifierades från studien såsom vision, beslutsamhet, hinder, ansvarighet, kontinuitet samt att arbeta i små steg. Det teoretiska bidraget från studien är kunskap om industri 4.0 i kontexten för busstillverkning. Resultatet tyder på att kunskap är en primär faktor för att hantera en förändring mot industri 4.0, där informera och engagera personal kan underlätta förändringsarbetet. Resultaten av denna studie ger stöd till argumentet att hur man närmar sig industri 4.0 är beroende av organisationen samt inom vilken industri som verksamheten bedrivs inom. Studien understryker även att framtida forskning bör fokusera på att skapa en enhetlig definition av industri 4.0, samt att vidare undersöka de kostnader som bussproduktion kan kräva vid en förändring mot industri 4.0.

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Background: “Scale-ups”, characterised by their high growth and significant contribution to economic development, receive increasing attention in today's economies. They are often young and innovative SMEs that grow rapidly across international borders. “Scale-ups” achieve growth and improved performance through an accelerated organisational development process, which is based on their knowledge resources. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore and theorise what constitutes a scaling capability. Specifically, we will study knowledge acquisition and integration in SMEs that scale across international markets. Method: This study has an abductive research approach that considers the current theories on scaling and the knowledge-based view on strategic management and international business. To this end, we completed a multiple-case study of 4 innovative and internationalising scale-ups to accomplish our purpose. Conclusion: The study contributes with a view of scaling as a “scaling capability” that captures how innovative scale-ups manage the internal organisation of experiential knowledge. We develop frameworks that give a generalised understanding of how scale-ups in this particular context acquire and integrate knowledge resources during episodes of growth and improved performance. These frameworks show how scale-ups start their scaling journey with a full acquisition of specialised resources in technical, business and internationalisation knowledge, which they integrate through providing direction and organisational routines to organisational members. We address the importance of having different knowledge capital in symmetry to increase the common knowledge, and we suggest that the scaling capability enables a scale-up to adapt for their changing organisational needs, which is why we liken scaling to developing organisational capability. / Contexto: Las "scale-ups", caracterizadas por su elevado crecimiento y su importante contribución al desarrollo económico, reciben cada vez más atención en las economías de hoy. Suelen ser PYMES jóvenes e innovadoras que crecen rápidamente más allá de las fronteras internacionales. Las scale-ups logran crecer y mejorar su rendimiento mediante un proceso acelerado de desarrollo organizativo, basado en sus recursos de conocimiento. Propósito: El propósito de este estudio es explorar y teorizar lo que constituya una capacidad de escalamiento empresarial. En concreto, estudiaremos la adquisición e integración de conocimientos en las PYME que escalan por los mercados internacionales. Método: Este estudio tiene un enfoque de investigación abductiva que considera las teorías actuales sobre el concepto de escalamiento empresarial, o "scaling", y la teoría de la gestión estratégica y los negocios internacionales basada en el conocimiento. Para lograr nuestro propósito, realizamos un estudio de casos múltiples de cuatro scale-ups innovadoras que se internacionalizan. Conclusiones: El estudio contribuye con un enfoque del escalamiento como "capacidad de escalamiento" que capta cómo las scale-ups innovadoras gestionan la organización interna del conocimiento experiencial. Desarrollamos modelos que ofrecen una comprensión generalizada de cómo las scale-ups en este contexto adquieren e integran recursos de conocimiento durante los episodios de crecimiento y mejora del rendimiento. Los modelos muestran cómo las scale-ups inician su proceso de crecimiento con una adquisición completa de recursos especializados en conocimientos técnicos, empresariales y de internacionalización, que integran proporcionando dirección y rutinas organizativas a los miembros de la organización. Abordamos la importancia de contar con diferentes capitales de conocimiento en simetría para aumentar el conocimiento común, y sugerimos que la capacidad de escalamiento permite a una scale-up adaptarse a sus necesidades organizativas cambiantes, razón por la cual vemos el escalamiento como el desarrollo de la capacidad organizativa.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Antonio Thomaz Pacheco Lessa Neto.pdf: 3151767 bytes, checksum: d39f096f36e24de37a2e846d245fa19e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-05 / Knowledge flows, especially in subsidiaries of multinational corporations, now have an increasing importance in organizations and therefore the discussion of research in the field. The aim of this work is to analyze flows not only through transfers, but also conversions of knowledge between the three families of intangible assets (external structure, internal structure and individual competence), since, for the creation of value, the key lies in the fact that such transfers and conversions be effective (SVEIBY, 2001). Concerning the method, this dissertation presents an empirical study through a survey applied along the Brazilian subsidiaries of multinational corporations, from a theoretical construct Knowledge-based view (KBV) where makes an analysis of the assets of individual competence, internal structure and external structure, and having for its object of study brazilian companies in Brazil listed in data collection known as the best and biggest from business magazine EXAME covering the year 2012. The study indicates, for the sample data (nine respondents) removed of the universe effectively researched (140 companies and not the initial 565), that there is the maximization of value creation from knowledge flows in two directions only by knowledge transfers and conversions of Individual Competencies for External Structure, within the Internal Structure, of Internal Structure for Individual Competencies and within the External Structure / Os fluxos de conhecimento, de modo especial em subsidiárias de corporações multinacionais, passam a ter uma importância crescente nas organizações e por consequência nas discussões de pesquisas no campo. O objetivo deste trabalho é a análise dos fluxos, não somente através das transferências, mas também das conversões, de conhecimento entre as três famílias de ativos intangíveis (estrutura externa, estrutura interna e competência individual), uma vez que, para a criação de valor, a chave reside no fato de tais transferências e conversões serem eficazes (SVEIBY, 2001). Quanto ao método, esta dissertação apresenta um estudo empírico desenvolvido através de uma survey aplicada junto às subsidiárias brasileiras de corporações multinacionais, a partir de um construto teórico da visão baseada no conhecimento (VBC) - ou Knowledge-based View (KBV) - onde se faz uma análise dos ativos de competência individual, de estrutura interna e de estrutura externa, e tendo por objeto de estudo as empresas do Brasil listadas no levantamento de dados conhecido como Melhores e Maiores da Revista EXAME referente ao ano de 2012. O estudo indica, para a amostra dos dados (nove respondentes) retirada do universo efetivamente pesquisado (140 empresas e não as 565 iniciais), que existe a maximização de criação de valor a partir dos fluxos de conhecimento em duas direções somente pelas transferências e conversões de conhecimento de Competências Individuais para a Estrutura Externa, dentro da Estrutura Interna, da Estrutura Interna para as Competências Individuais e dentro da Estrutura Externa