This thesis is about the quest to build effective strategies to support the development of enterprise on the margins of the economy, to create jobs and reduce poverty. A core part of this challenge includes grappling with the role of markets in development, and of markets as a critical part of the context in which enterprise development in rural and peri-urban areas can either provide a path out of poverty – or instead serve to lock people into poverty. The thesis explores these issues by tracking the experience of the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA) as it attempted to grapple with this challenge. MDA is the development wing of South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) , and was set up to create jobs and support enterprise development for communities affected by the loss of jobs on the mines. The thesis covers a fourteen-year period in MDA’s history, from its inception in 1988 until 2002. It tracks the learning process across several phases in the development of MDA’s approach. These included the development of worker co-operatives, the establishment of business service centres, value-chain work in the craft sector, and the commercialization of a juice product from the indigenous marula berry. In the process, MDA engaged with an emergent paradigm in the development sector called ‘Making Markets Work for the Poor’. Can markets really be made to work for the poor? Or even just made to work ‘better’ for the poor? Or is the process of inclusion in markets inexorably and inevitably one of making the poor work for markets? The thesis explores these issues in the context of MDA’s experience, locating this within a wider set of theoretical concerns over the role of markets in society, and the ways in which societies have protected themselves from the negative impacts of the development of market economies. It draws on wider political economy approaches to argue that markets are institutions that are socially constructed, and explores what scope there might therefore be to construct them differently. While recognising the importance of social protection, the thesis argues that there is a need to go beyond defensive strategies aimed at protecting society from markets, to identify new terms of engagement within markets to shape markets, and to harness their wealth-creating potential in ways that have different distributional consequences, as part of a long-term agenda of eradicating poverty.

För att kunna vara konkurrenskraftig i dagens föränderliga samhälle krävs att organisationer anpassar sig till kundernas behov och kliver på resan mot digital transformation. Detta kan underlättas genom att organisationen arbetar med kvalitetsutveckling (Ponsignon m fl. 2019). Studiens syfte var att belysa chefer och ledares syn på styrkor respektive utmaningar inom digital verksamhetsutveckling utifrån ett systemsynsätt, i relation till offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. En kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer med 12 chefer och ledare vid tre svenska myndigheter genomfördes. Detta för att belysa vilka styrkor respektive utmaningar som de såg vid digital verksamhetsutveckling i relation till offensiv kvalitetsutveckling och hur de använde utmaningarna respektive styrkorna för att utveckla verksamheten. Empiriska data analyserades samt kopplades till en teoretisk referensram. Studien sammanfattade styrkor, utmaningar och ageranden i följande teman: Styrkor: Uppskattade digitala tjänster, Processer och arbetssätt, Fokus på kunden, Engagerad ledning och chefer, Kultur, kompetens och engagemang samt Extern samverkan Utmaningar: Kompetensförsörjning, Styrning och uppföljning, Prioriteringar, Intern organisation samt Extern samverkan Ageranden: Underlätta verksamhetsutveckling, Reda ut kundbegreppet, Planera och prioritera, Förhållningssätt som chef och ledare, Arbeta med systemfaktorer, uppföljning och ständiga förbättringar Studien visade på att det fanns en stark relation till offensiv kvalitetsutveckling och Bergman och Klefsjös hörnstensmodell (2020) när de styrkor, utmaningar samt ageranden som cheferna och ledarna belyser i studien analyserades. Den största utmaningen som belystes var kompetensförsörjning vilken dock inte direkt kunde relateras till hörnstensmodellen. I studien framkom också att det skiljer sig åt hur långt olika myndigheterna har kommit i den digitala verksamhetsutvecklingen, liksom andelen verksamhetensutveckling som har digitala inslag. / To be competitive in today’s changing society, organisations need to adapt to customer needs and step on the journey towards digital transformation. This can be facilitated by the organisation working with quality development (Ponsignon et al. 2019). The aim of the study was to highlight managers and leaders’ views on strengths and challenges in digital organisation development based on a system approach, in relation to offensive quality development. A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews with 12 managers and leaders at three Swedish authorities was conducted. This is to highlight the strengths and challenges they saw in digital business development in relation to offensive quality development and how they used the challenges and strengths to develop the business. Empirical data were analysed and linked to a theoretical frame of reference. The study summarised strengths, challenges and actions in the following themes: Strengths: Appreciated digital services, Processes and working methods, Focus on the customer, Engaged management and managers, Culture, competence and engagement and External collaboration Challenges: Competence supply, Management and follow-up, Priorities, Internal organisation and External collaboration Actions: Facilitate business development, Clear customer concept, Plan and prioritise, Approach as manager and leader, Work with system factors, follow-up and continuous improvement The study showed that there was a strong relationship with offensive quality development and Bergman and Klefsjö’s “hörnstensmodell “(2020) when the strengths, challenges and actions highlighted in the study were analysed. The biggest challenge highlighted was competence maintenance, which could not be directly related to the “hörnstensmodell”. The study also revealed that it differs in how far different authorities have come in the digital organisation development, as well as the proportion of The study showed that the different authorities have come at different stages in the digital organsational development and that it differed from the proportion of organsational development that had digital elements. / <p>20220605</p>

The survival and sustainable development of construction contractors depends on their own capacity as well as their ability to cope with the ever changing environment. Hong Kong was once a large construction market by the world standards; but in the period 1998 to 2007 has suffered from long term market shrinkage. This shrinkage in the work load available in the market has demanded that Hong Kong contractors change their business strategy and consider expanding their construction business to the international marketplace. From surveys and studies of Hong Kong contractors, it is noted that traditionally the majority of contractors organizations were not active in participating in the international construction markets. The prime reasons were that the Hong Kong domestic market was large enough to sustain the contractors and that Hong Kong construction professionals are reluctant to work overseas. However due to the continuous shrinkage of the market, Hong Kong contractors were being forced to consider expanding their construction business to the overseas markets in order to survive. This thesis reviews existing theories and previous studies in overseas con-struction business development. It analyzes surveys of Hong Kong con-struction contractors and conducts a scientific study of a Hong Kong based contractor organization which expanded its construction business to overseas markets. This study was conducted through an integrated action research methodology. Based on the problems, impacts, difficulties and success this organization faced during its practical experience in the overseas business expansion, this thesis explores and recommends a structured approach for Hong Kong contractors to re-define and develop their business overseas. The focus of study is the pre-contract award stage of business development. It focuses on the entry modes, strategic planning, risk management and tender management of the organization. The author also presents various models for use in attaining width and depth of understanding of overseas knowledge. These include preliminary entry selection model, dynamic management, and a spiral model (a learning & knowledge based business development model), for use in the management of international construction business development at the pre-contract stage. The groundwork laid down in this thesis will form the basis for further studies and the development of theories / models. It is the expectation of the author that other contractors in Hong Kong and other nation s contractors may make use of this research as assistance to their overseas business development. The ultimate aim of the author has been to change the goal of contractors from being companies able to compete with international contractors in their domestic market to contractors that are able to compete in the international market place.

Background – Inertia describes a state whereby companies develop slower relative the pace of change experienced by their environment, something most organizations experience at least once in their lifetime. Being in the state of inertia and consequently failing to adapt to change cause new businesses to replace old ones. Therefore, it is important for firms to be dynamic, which enables them to quickly recognize opportunities and threats. A way for companies to answer to these changes is to possess dynamic capabilities, which is found to be a solution for inertia. Digital innovation has played a key role in the evolution of dynamic environments. In order for companies to adapt to changing environments, the need for digital adaptation is becoming increasingly crucial. As a result, digital and social platforms have rapidly emerged throughout society, forcing companies to act to avoid stagnating in their development.   Purpose - This thesis aims to analyze how the utilization of Facebook as a dynamic capability can prevent inertia through the microscope of the Dynamic Capability Framework.   Method - Empirical data was collected through an interview study with employees at strategy and digital media consultancy firms. The participants possess extensive knowledge in the field of strategic implementation of social media. Primary data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and was analyzed in relation to the reviewed theory within inertia, dynamic capabilities, and digital innovation, by a thematic analysis. Findings - The findings of this thesis indicate that by dynamically utilizing Facebook, companies can extensively explore markets. This allows companies to continuously align existing resources by adapting and acting on identified trends within markets. Since these are actions within the Dynamic Capability Framework, a conclusion can be drawn that the usage of Facebook can be a dynamic capability. The usage of Facebook can therefore prevent organizations from entering the state of inertia. The findings further show that in order for the utilization of Facebook to be a dynamic capability, companies must possess extensive user skills and competencies. This research adds to the existing theory of digital media and business development by examining the usage of the social media platform, Facebook, through the lens of the Dynamic Capability Framework.

It has been showed that COO of product has an effect on consumers purchase decisions. Companies are trying to find ways to differentiate their brands from those of their competitors. In many cases the use of COO is considered difficult and is not understood to the level where it would add to the brand value of those companies. Academic areas such as nation branding, COO (country of origin), brand positioning and brand communications work as a base for the investigation of our research problem. The study uses Finland as a study objective to investigate how companies aiming for international markets can use their COO in smart ways when creating and developing their brand identities. The knowledge in these areas is deepened through semi structured interviews with six experts from different fields. The previous academic areas acknowledge that the communication needs to be directed for the right consumers, in a way that suits the recipient. Since consumers in international markets often share multiple/different perceptions and associations, when communicating the origin of a brand, a customer centric approach in the communications is vital. The study finds that country of origin, when used in corporate branding often needs to be explained through storytelling, that emphasizes why the origin adds value. This is done by translating aspects about the COO in to a form which consumers are able to understand and appreciate. An additional finding the study makes is the symbiosis between the companies and their country of origin. The companies have the ability to shape the nation brand of their origin, and hence, aid their own branding capabilities. Marketers need to understand the value of their COO and see the possibilities it may offer. This realization creates a symbiance between the brand and its origin which will create long term positive implications.

Under de år som gått sedan 1970-talets krisår har textilbranschens utseende förändrats. För att hitta nya nischer att utmärka sig i, har företagen velat se ett mer affärsmässigt tänkande i sin organisation, något som snappades upp av Textilhögskolan. På skolan såg man att det fanns ett kunskapshål som varken ekonomer, ingenjörer eller designers fyllde upp. Resultatet blev den tvååriga utbildningen Affärs- och produktutveckling med inriktning mot textila produkter, som sedan döptes om till Textil produktutveckling med entreprenörs- och affärsinriktning . Sedan starten 2006 har ett påbyggnadsår lagts till, och ett namnbyte skett, för att förtydliga utbildningens innehåll. Under en föreläsning uppkom dock frågan om huruvida studenterna känner att de egentligen lär sig det som utbildningen strävar efter att lära ut, och om de verkligen blir förberedda för arbetslivet. En förvirrad gästföreläsare frågade ett helt klassrum fullt med studenter från TPU vad de egentligen blir när det är färdigutbildade, och ingen kunde svara.Denna förvirring har gett upphov till den här rapporten som har som syfte att ge förslag för att förbättra och förtydliga utbildningen så att alla parter förstår vad den innehåller, samt ge en tydlig bild av vad som är tanken med de examinerade studenternas framtid. För att göra en fullständig belysning av programmet valde vi att titta på det ur tre synvinklar; studenternas, utbildningsledningens och branschens, samt även undersöka hur TPU står sig i konkurrens med andra utbildningar på Textilhögskolan. Denna information fick vi fram genom att göra intervjuer med studenter, ansvariga på skolan samt företag i branschen som arbetar med produktutveckling. Vi gjorde även en jämförelse mellan programinnehållet i TPU och två andra utbildningar på Textilhögskolan.Resultatet blev ett förändringsförslag som delades upp i kategorierna undervisning och marknadsföring. Vi fann att utbildningen inte gav ett tillräckligt underlag för att arbeta med det som teorin och empirin visade att en produktutvecklare gör, och det var tydligt att studenterna inte heller kände sig som produktutvecklare. Detta ledde i sin tur till ett förslag på namnbyte, vilka kurser som bör ändras för att passa in under det nya namnet samt ett förslag på hur skolan kan marknadsföra programmet. Vidare kom vi även till slutsatsen att om skolan vill behålla det nuvarande namnet får man göra en total omstrukturering av innehållet, men att man då riskerar att förlora det som var grundtanken med utbildningen. / <p>During the years since the textile crisis of the 1970’s, much has altered within the textile industry. In order to find new markets in which to succeed, a more businesslike approach has been sought after by the industry. This was picked up by the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås, who saw that there was a gap of knowledge that neither the economists nor engineering nor design students filled. The schools solution to this gap was the educational program Business and Product Development focusing on Textile products, later known as Textile Product Development focusing on Entrepreneurship and Business, TPU. Since the start in 2006, an additional year has been added, and the change in name was made in order to further emphasize the fundamental nature of the program. However, during a lecture the question arose to whether or not the students felt that they were actually learning the things that the education is striving to teach. A confused guest professor asked a room full of students from TPU what they were supposed to be working with after their education was finished. Equally confused, none of the students could answer this question.This confusion was the starting point of this essay, which has the purpose to improve and clarify the education in a way so it becomes clear to all involved parties what the aims and goals of the education are. Furthermore, the report also aims to give a clear picture of the intended roll of the students of TPU in the working life. In order to do this, we chose to look at the educational program from three different perspectives; the students’, the industry’s and the school management’s, and also investigate how competitive TPU are compared to other educational programs. To get these different perspectives, we interviewed the students, the school management and companies within the textile industry, who are working with product development. We also did a comparison between TPU and two other educational programs given at the Swedish School of Textiles. The result of the evaluation was that a change was needed. Thus, a proposition containing suggestions of change and improvement, divided in to the categories education and marketing was created. We found that the program TPU did not build the foundation that is needed in order to work with the things that the theory and empirics said that a product developer do. It also became clear that the students of TPU did not feel like product developers, nor were they becoming one. Consequently, we propose a change in title of the educational program, courses which should be included in order to fit the new title, and also a suggestion to how the school management can market the program. Furthermore, we also reached the conclusion that if the school decides to keep the original title, a complete restructuring of the study courses needs to be done, but doing this imposes a risk of losing the original aim and idea of the program.</p><p>Program: Kandidat inom Magisterutbildning i fashion management med inriktning modemarknadsföring</p>

The subject of the dissertation 'Regional Differentiation in the Level of Development of Small and Medium-Scale Businesses in the Czech Republic' is the definition, evaluation and analysis of those development factors that influence the development of small and medium-scale businesses in the Czech Republic at different levels of public administration. The factor analysis focuses on four regions which each represent a specific regional type. Therefore the subjects of the analysis are one developing region, two regions with a low growth dynamic and one region in recession. The current and potential possibilities for growth of small and medium-scale businesses in these types of regions have been summarised in the SWOT analyses. The results of these analyses suggest that the particular development factors appear in each region with a different frequency and it is important to determine their further potential. Individual chapters of the dissertation focus on the definition of the concept, the development and the current state of SME in the Czech Republic. They also aim to detect and identify the development factors influencing businesses within individual types of regions. An example study on the issue of regional advisory and information centres revealed that their elimination could lead to slower development SME at the regional and local levels of exposure.

<p>Titel: Översättning av Nöjd Kund Index - Verksamhetsutveckling med kundfokus på JM AB</p><p>Författare: Grundström, Johan; Åberg, Filip</p><p>Handledare: Blomgren, Maria</p><p>Kurs: Kandidatuppsats, 15hp, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, VT 2010</p><p>Bakgrund: I samhället cirkulerar mängder av managementidéer. För att en organisation ska kunna använda en idé så måste den översätta idén till organisationens förutsättningar. Kundfokus har kommit att spela en allt viktigare roll för företagens lönsamhet vilket har lett till ett ökat kundfokus de senaste decennierna. JM AB, ett företag verksamma inom bostadsutveckling, införde år 2002 Nöjd Kund Index för att kunna mäta deras kunders nöjdhet. Hur har idén om Nöjd Kund Index översatts på företaget?</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att genom en studie av JM AB beskriva hur Nöjd Kund Index översätts och hur konceptets funktioner utvecklas.</p><p>Metod: En kvalitativ metod valdes, där såväl intervjuer genomförts och dokument från JM använts.</p><p>Resultat: Studien visar att översättningsprocessen är en process vilken tar form och ändrar karaktär beroende på faktorer både inom och utanför företaget. Dessa processer kan pågå samtidigt och ta olika lång tid. Anledningen till att olika delar av processen tar olika långt tid beror på individers mottaglighet och referensramar. I JM:s fall har översättningen av Nöjd Kund Index medfört att konceptet fått nya funktioner vilka ännu inte institutionaliserats i företagets verksamhet.</p> / <p>Title: Translation of Customer Satisfaction Index - Business development with customer focus at JM Ltd</p><p>Authors: Grundström, Johan; Åberg, Filip</p><p>Tutor: Blomgren, Maria</p><p>Course: Bachelor thesis, 15hp, Department of Business Studies, VT 2010</p><p>Background: In society, many management ideas circulate. For an organization to be able to use an idea, the organization has to translate the idea to its conditions. Customer focus has come to play an increasingly important role in organizations’ profitability which has led to an increased customer focus in recent decades. In 2002, JM Ltd, a company active within housing development, introduced Customer Satisfaction Index in order to be able to measure their customers’ satisfaction. How is Customer Satisfaction Index translated at the company?</p><p>Objective: The objective of this thesis is to, through a study of JM Ltd, describe how Customer Satisfaction Index is translated and how the concept´s field of application has developed at the company.</p><p>Method: A qualitative method was chosen, where both interviews conducted and documents used.</p><p>Results: The study shows that the translation process is a process which takes shape and changes its character depending on factors both within and outside the company. These processes can run simultaneously and take various lengths of time. The reasons for this depend on individuals’ susceptibility and frames of reference. In the case of JM, the translation of Customer Satisfaction Index has led to new functions for the concept which not yet has been institutionalized in the company’s activities.</p>

Titel: Översättning av Nöjd Kund Index - Verksamhetsutveckling med kundfokus på JM AB Författare: Grundström, Johan; Åberg, Filip Handledare: Blomgren, Maria Kurs: Kandidatuppsats, 15hp, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, VT 2010 Bakgrund: I samhället cirkulerar mängder av managementidéer. För att en organisation ska kunna använda en idé så måste den översätta idén till organisationens förutsättningar. Kundfokus har kommit att spela en allt viktigare roll för företagens lönsamhet vilket har lett till ett ökat kundfokus de senaste decennierna. JM AB, ett företag verksamma inom bostadsutveckling, införde år 2002 Nöjd Kund Index för att kunna mäta deras kunders nöjdhet. Hur har idén om Nöjd Kund Index översatts på företaget? Syfte: Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att genom en studie av JM AB beskriva hur Nöjd Kund Index översätts och hur konceptets funktioner utvecklas. Metod: En kvalitativ metod valdes, där såväl intervjuer genomförts och dokument från JM använts. Resultat: Studien visar att översättningsprocessen är en process vilken tar form och ändrar karaktär beroende på faktorer både inom och utanför företaget. Dessa processer kan pågå samtidigt och ta olika lång tid. Anledningen till att olika delar av processen tar olika långt tid beror på individers mottaglighet och referensramar. I JM:s fall har översättningen av Nöjd Kund Index medfört att konceptet fått nya funktioner vilka ännu inte institutionaliserats i företagets verksamhet. / Title: Translation of Customer Satisfaction Index - Business development with customer focus at JM Ltd Authors: Grundström, Johan; Åberg, Filip Tutor: Blomgren, Maria Course: Bachelor thesis, 15hp, Department of Business Studies, VT 2010 Background: In society, many management ideas circulate. For an organization to be able to use an idea, the organization has to translate the idea to its conditions. Customer focus has come to play an increasingly important role in organizations’ profitability which has led to an increased customer focus in recent decades. In 2002, JM Ltd, a company active within housing development, introduced Customer Satisfaction Index in order to be able to measure their customers’ satisfaction. How is Customer Satisfaction Index translated at the company? Objective: The objective of this thesis is to, through a study of JM Ltd, describe how Customer Satisfaction Index is translated and how the concept´s field of application has developed at the company. Method: A qualitative method was chosen, where both interviews conducted and documents used. Results: The study shows that the translation process is a process which takes shape and changes its character depending on factors both within and outside the company. These processes can run simultaneously and take various lengths of time. The reasons for this depend on individuals’ susceptibility and frames of reference. In the case of JM, the translation of Customer Satisfaction Index has led to new functions for the concept which not yet has been institutionalized in the company’s activities.

Förutom ekonomiska aspekter är hänsyntagandet av miljömässiga och sociala aspekter står nu i fokus i många organisationers affärsverksamhet. Mer och mer företag inför strategier som använder olika metoder och verktyg för att åstadkomma hållbarhet. En serie av internationella miljöstandarder, den s.k. ISO 14000-familjen har utvecklats sedan 1996 för att stödja arbetet av komplexa miljöfrågor för olika typ och storlek av organisationer. Syftet med denna uppsats, under ramen av en fallstudie, är att beskriva och analysera hur aspekterna av miljömässigt hållbar utveckling är integrerade i Riksbyggens organisation samt hur de kan utvecklas med hjälp av miljöledningssystem-standarden ISO 14001. Litteraturgenomgång består av teori om kooperativa organisationer, strategi, hållbar affärsutveckling med fokus pp mijömässiga aspekter, och roll av standarder med fokus på miljöledningssystemstandarden ISO 14001. För att stödja analys om företaget utfördes två intervjuer på Riksbyggen; en med Miljö- och kvalitetchefen, samt en med en Specialist på Miljö och kvalitet med syfte på att ta fram kvalitativ data om företagets miljö- och hållbarhetsarbete, samt att utreda ledningssystemet. Sedan relevanta intärna företagsdokument analyserades med vägledning av Miljö- och kvalitetchef. Resultatet av studien visade att ISO 14001 ärett nyttigt ledningsverktyg för att kunna integrera hållbarhetsprinciper i organisationen, eftersom det hjälper till att harmonisera de olika dokumenten beträffande företagets miljöarbete med ledningssystemet. Genom att följa standardens struktur påpekades brist i Riksbyggens hållbarhetsarbete samt det visade tydligt vilka delar behövs kompletteras och utvecklas i framtiden. Dessutom belyste studien följande förbättringsområde inom själva Hållbathetsplanen: integrering avmiljöaspekter i Hållbarhetsplanen genom att koppla ihop dem med aktiviteterna; sätta upp en prioritering bland aktiviteterna med en tidsplan och nämna ut ansvarige. Dessutom föreslås införandet av mättal i Hållbarhetsplanen, eftersom det är ett nödvändigt element för uppföljningen. Däremot genomförandet av hållbarhetsaspekter i praktiken tillhör inte ISO 14001:s befattning. Därför skulle en analys av implementeringen av Riksbyggens hållbarhetsmål vara rekommendarad för framtiden för att se dess effektivitet och måluppfyllnad i verkligheten.