The initial aim of the roll out of smart electricity meters in Sweden was to allow remote readings of the households’ monthly electricity consumption for billing purposes. Since then the transition towards a smart grid has become a more prioritized matter. In the roll out of next generation smart meters more attention is therefore given to how the Distribution System Operator (DSO) can benefit from the meter through different smart grid applications. This study uses a qualitative research method to identify three general fields of application and 15 specific concepts corresponding to ways in which the DSO can create added value from the information provided by the smart meter. The benefits of one of these concepts, the so-called “last gasp” and “first breath” functionality, are assessed in a business case. The study concludes that the three main areas of smart meter applications are operating the grid, planning the grid and utility in the customers’ household. The study also shows that the outcomes of the business case on the “last gasp” and “first breath” functionality are highly dependent on the cost of the functionality, however the investment can still be motivated through increased customer satisfaction andimproved outage management. The general conclusion is that the smart meter will play an essential role in providing the control and information needed in the transition to a smarter grid.

Problem:      Companies need to maintain a competitive position in the market to financially perform, and in order to do so, the companies need to have a good corporate governance structure. In the latter years, the ethical discussion about gender diversity has gained a lot of attention in society, which influence norms, standards and legislations, and also the business. Today, Swedish and Danish firms are obligated to strive for gender diversity in their corporate boards according to the corporate governance codes in the respective countries. However, the financial aspects should be taken into concern, since a company needs to financially perform to keep its operations. It is not established whether an increased gender diversity is related to financial performance, since studies on the field are contradictive. Due to the different results, it is interesting to see what the relationship looks like in the Nordic countries, especially in Sweden and Denmark where quota-based legislation has not yet been established. This thesis investigates the issue to provide evidence for the companies in similar countries if an increased gender diversity is financially supportable.   Purpose:      The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the gender diversity in the board of directors and its relationship with the financial performance of a corporation. Further, the study will investigate the financial performance dependency on the gender diversity in the board of directors.   Method:       A sample of 104 Swedish and Danish companies was chosen as observation objects. To investigate the relationship between the gender diversity and the financial performance, a Pearson correlation analysis was made. To identify the financial performance dependency on the gender diversity regression analyses were performed. Hypotheses that were built on agency theory, resource dependency theory, upper echelons theory and previous research were tested in the statistical analyses.   Results:        The statistical analyses show that there is no statistically significant relationship between gender diversity and financial performance, neither that the financial performance is dependent on the gender diversity. This evidence implies that increased gender diversity in board rooms should be motivated for other reasons than strictly financial success. Companies should consider these findings in the attaining process of directors and focus on other factors than financial progress in the proceeding involvement of women in the board. Thus, a company cannot increase its financial performance only by attaining more women to the board room. / Problem:      För att prestera finansiellt behöver företag bibehålla konkurrenskraft, och för att göra det är företagsledningen viktig. På senare tid, har den etiska diskussionen kring könsdiversitet fått stor uppmärksamhet i samhället, vilket påverkar normer, standarder och lagstiftning. Svenska och danska företag är förpliktigade att sträva efter könsdiversitet enligt den svenska och danska koden för bolagsstyrning, men även de finansiella aspekterna av könsmångfald bör tas i beaktning eftersom ett företag behöver prestera finansiellt för att kunna fortsätta sin verksamhet. Ännu är det inte fastslaget att en ökad könsdiversitet är relaterat till finansiella framsteg, då studier på området säger emot varandra. Därför är det intressant att se hur denna relation ser ut i de nordiska länderna, speciellt i Sverige och Danmark där kvoteringslagar ännu inte har införts. Denna uppsats undersöker frågan för att skapa bevis för företagen i länderna om en ökad könsdiversitet är finansiellt försvarbar.   Syfte:            Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka könsdiversitet i bolagsstyrelser och relationen till finansiella prestationer av företaget i fråga. Dessutom ämnar studien undersöka de finansiella prestationernas beroendeförhållande till könsdiversiteten i bolagsstyrelserna.     Metod:         Ett urval av 104 svenska och danska företag valdes som observationsobjekt. För att undersöka relationen mellan könsdiversitet och finansiella prestationer görs en Pearson korrelationsanalys. För att upptäcka om finansiella prestationer är har ett beroendeförhållande till könsdiversiteten i bolagsstyrelserna gjordes regressionsanalyser. Hypoteserna som testades baserades på agentteori, resursberoendeteori, och övernivåteori och tidigare empirisk forskning.   Resultat:      De statistiska analyserna visar att det inte finns något signifikant samband mellan könsdiversitet och finansiella prestationer, och inte heller att finansiell prestation har ett beroendeförhållande till könsdiversitet i bolagsstyrelsen. Dessa resultat indikerar att en ökad könsdiversitet i styrelserummen bör motiveras av andra faktorer än strikt finansiell framgång. Företag bör ta ställning till resultaten från denna forskning i tillsättandet av styrelseledamöter och inte förvänta sig en förbättrad finansiell ställning enbart genom att tillsätta fler kvinnor till styrelsen.

The goal of this thesis is to produce a tool that allow fast, conclusively calculate impacts of problems caused by poor data quality. Before making the tool is necessary to be familiarize with problems related to data quality like what is data quality, how to manage data quality, how to evaluate data quality and finaly how to choose right solution. First chapter is about Data Quality and shows it in different views. There is an explanation of the Data Quality meaning there, its state in companies is shown on research done by specialized organizations. The way how to solve Data Quality mananagement through the whole company is described in chapter two, which deals with Data Governance. The third chapter explains what is a Business Case and why should a Business Case be written. Otherwise shows key elements of a Business Case and provide approach how to calculate costs and benefits of the project. The fourth chapter describes potential threat which is related with decisions and how to minimize them. The fifth chapter shows examples of problems of Data Quality in an organization. There is an attempt to find evaluation of the problem and its causes. Suggestions of potential solutions towards disponsible finacial sources is made at the end. Comparison of the quality of solutions is also done.

Thesis. 1975. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alfred P. Sloan School of Management. / by John Clement Avallon and David Owen Stolper. / M.S.

Thesis (PhD) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (xiii, 265 leaves ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 338.47910688 BHA)

The subject of thesis Process management and its use in optimization is drafting process change in real company and its subsequent implementation. The work focuses on the steps important to the change process, their explanation and subsequent use in practical part. Thesis is divided into two main parts. First part is a theoretical background of the process management and a development of this sector, explanation of key concepts closely related with process management to a description of a specific methods, which play a role in the process of company management.Next part is a practical part where most of the theoretical background was used. Practical work itself is a real-world example of the banking environment, where was actually implemented. Because of a limited possibility to publish the practical part, I do not mention a particular company and the data used for the preparation example are type data - these are not real data. However, the implementation of process changes was set this way and works now, and since it was the optimization, it is therefore expected that this change will bring its savings in the future. Since the implementation of the changes has already occurred, even this assumption was fulfilled and set change of process still generates its savings.

Problematisering: Frustration hos ledare växer till följd av ökade krav på hållbarhet och en upplevd oförmåga att leverera värdeskapande som är i enlighet med förväntningar på ekonomisk prestation och ökade krav på hållbarhet. Innovation av affärsmodeller har identifierats som väsentligt för att möjliggöra hållbarhet som en plattform för framgång. Affärsmodeller som ledningsverktyg har kritiserats kring det faktum att dessa teorier och ramverk till stor del utesluter aspekter av ekologiskt och socialt ansvarstagande och således ifrågasätts tillämpandet av affärsmodeller för att bemöta utmaningar relaterade till hållbarhet. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur mer utvecklade ramverk affärsmodeller, som inkluderar aspekter av hållbarhet, kan underlätta för ledare och organisationer att möjliggöra hållbarhet som en plattform för framgång. Metod: Genom en systematisk litteraturgenomgång identifierades fyra operationaliserade ramverk, i form av en affärsmodell-kanvas, som inkluderade aspekter av social och ekologisk hållbarhet. Ett ramverket kallat Ekokritisk Affärsmodell-kanvas bedömdes och valdes ut för tillämpning i fallstudie. Genom en fallstudie på ett produkt- respektive tjänsteföretag kunde ramverkets praktiska egenskaper. Resultat: Undersökningen påvisar att en ekokritisk affärsmodell-kanvas visar tecken på fördelaktig användning då den utgör ett underlag för att diskutera och förmedla organisationers unika möjligheter att erhålla egennytta genom hållbara aktiviteter.

Throughout the past decades, global institutions and private actors have stepped into action in order to determine how a more sustainable development can be achieved in the future. The role of private organizations in this process, is still subject to ongoing debate in both research and practice. How individual managers perceive and integrate sustainability into their business, can be assessed with cognition theory. It is assumed that cognitive frames play a role, when dealing with this complex topic. One approach to evaluate such frames is to develop several characteristics that define the way these frames are shaped. Those indicate whether someone perceives sustainability as a mere business case or rather as a more complex, paradox issue that needs to integrate several, often conflicting demands. The aim of this thesis is to develop a better understanding for how specific cognitive frames are present in the perception of social, environmental and economic sustainability demands and their relation to the respective organization by individual managers. Through a quantitative study a theoretical framework, which is differentiating managers along thetypology of the ‘Business Case Frame’ and opposed to that the ‘Paradoxical Frame’, is tested and analyzed. The study is conducted in the agricultural sector in Germany. Finally, it is suggested to extend the existing framework by two additional cognitive frames to contribute to the ongoing debate around business sustainability. Consequently, a differentiated understanding of the role of cognitive frames for sustainability in practice is encouraged.

This master thesis is focused on financial management of commercial innovative project in Plzensky Prazdroj, a.s. Introduction of the thesis is dedicated to the theoretical and methodological background of project management. The company, its general and financial management are presented in following parts. The authoress of the thesis presents project management and related processes using real business case and compares theoretical and methodological background with company's approach. Conclusion of the thesis focus on proposal of processes related to the implementation of new innovative products to standard portfolio in perspective of financial management and financial tools.

Cuando la demanda de viviendas inició un proceso constante de crecimiento, gracias a la necesidad de obtener una vivienda, se vio la oportunidad de poder implementar un proyecto elevando la productividad a través de la dirección de proyectos, utilizando los estándares globales del PMI a la construcción de un edificio de 15 pisos llamado Edificio Multifamiliar la Costanera ubicado en la ciudad de Lima. En el presente trabajo de investigación se desarrolló el Caso de Negocio, que revisa la implicancia del rubro construcción y determina su impacto en el proyecto. El principal objetivo del proyecto fue implementar una metodología bajo los estándares globales del PMI, que se adecue al proyecto y genere un óptimo resultado relacionado a la rentabilidad e indicadores de gestión. Adicionalmente, se incluye la propuesta de llevar a cabo el control del proyecto mediante la metodología Last Planner que nos permite optimizar los tiempos de ejecución del proyecto con la herramienta Look Ahead. El proyecto obtuvo una facturación de S/ 5, 329,651.24 y un costo de S/ 4, 966,689.00, con un adelanto del 15% y un plazo de ejecución de 10 meses, como resultado de este servicio de construcción y el flujo de caja de los pagos, se ha estimado obtener una de VAN de S/ 376,479.07. El desarrollo del caso de negocio nos ha permitido realizar el análisis para la factibilidad técnica y económica del proyecto, teniendo en cuenta que toda estrategia del proyecto debe estar alineada a los objetivos estratégicos de la organización. Asimismo, debe considerarse a los interesados como parte importante del proyecto, transformando sus expectativas como requisitos específicos del proyecto. Finalmente, el presente trabajo de investigación demuestra que los estándares globales de PMI permiten incrementar la probabilidad de éxito de este tipo de proyectos en el rubro de la construcción. En función a ello, nuestro trabajo de investigación recomienda para la empresa JJGH la implementación de una PMO. / When housing demand began a constant process of growth, thanks to need to get a home, the opportunity was seen to be able to implement a project by raising productivity through project management using the PMI global standards to build a 15-story building called La Costanera Multifamily Building located in Lima city. In this research work, the Business Case was developed, which reviews the implication of the construction sector and determines its impact on the project. The main project objective was to implement a methodology under the PMI standards, which adapts to the project and generates an optimal result, related to profitability and management indicators. Additionally, the proposal to carry out project control through the Last Planner methodology that allows us to optimize the project execution times with the Look Ahead tool is included. The project obtained a turnover of S / 5,329,651.24 and a cost of S / 4,966,689.00, with an advance of 15% and a lead-time of 10 months, as a result of this construction service and the cash flow of payments, it has been estimated to obtain a VAN of S / 376,479.07. The business case development has allowed us to perform for the technical and economic feasibility analysis of the project, taking into account that all project strategies and the organization strategic objectives must be aligned. Likewise, stakeholders should be considered as an important part of the project, transforming their expectations as specific project requirements. Finally, this research work shows the global PMI standards allow increasing the success probability of this projects type in the construction sector. Accordingly, our research work recommends for the JJGH Company a PMO implementation. / Trabajo de investigación