Micro and small enterprise (MSE) owners in Kenya are faced with a myriad of constraints that affect their survival for longer than the first 5 years. Owners of MSEs who are unable to identify and implement strategies may not succeed in sustaining their businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of MSEs in Nairobi, Kenya, used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The conceptual framework for the study was the theory of constraints. Data were collected from 4 purposefully selected MSE owners in Nairobi, Kenya, through face-to-face, semistructured interviews, and review of field notes and company documents. Using thematic data analysis, the major themes that emerged were customer service, access to capital, and nearness to market. The implications of this study for positive social change include strategies for MSE owners to generate stable income for employees, new employment opportunities for job seekers, improved standards of healthcare and education for the community, and a positive lifestyle for the residents of Kenya.

Since the mid-eighties, progress in European economic integration has contributed to changing conditions for the conduct of business in many sectors of the economies. Such is the case in Sweden, whose commitment to the formal integration process also has changed in recent years, from a free trade arrangement (EFTA) via the European Economic Area (The EFTA states' affiliation to the European Union's Internal Market), to membership in the European Union. A theoretical point of departure for this thesis was the finding that although economic integration entails strategic consequences for firms, studies treating economic integration with a general business strategy perspective were rare. Hence, the main purpose has been to achieve knowledge about the European Internal Market's strategic consequences for Swedish firms, with the focus on manufacturing SMEs. Empirically, it is examined how integration has been experienced in firms through two questionnaires, sent in earlier and later stages of the formal integration process. Although the responses indicate a limited impact from the Internal Market, they present some arguments for an increased internationalisation. There are, however, reasons to believe that factors other than political initiatives were behind such a development. In the theoretical part of this thesis, obstacles to international competition, and the corresponding competitive advantages, are seen as being central for understanding integration effects as well as for the possibilities to respond to them. An essential distinction is made between different types of obstacles, based on origin or main causes. One or other of these categories may be crucial for a firm when defending a strategic market position, or may hinder the firm from competing in other markets. Furthermore, obstacles in the different categories are in principle influenced by integration measures to a varying degree, and the survey indicated that the type of obstacle that is primarily influenced by integration measures is the one with the least perceived influence on firms' competitive strength. In the last part of the thesis, and with several different points of departure - trade and integration theory, international business, strategic management, and the Internal Market's institutional framework - a model for analysis of integration effects in business strategy terminology is developed and presented. The model is constituted by a geographic dimension and a dimension concerning the product and distribution in a broad sense. For firms with strategic positions which are affected according to the analysis, two principal strategic responses are discussed: to re-establish former competitive advantages or to adapt to the new situation by re-orienting the business. / digitalisering@umu

For the purpose of survival and maintaining excellent performance, the hospitals are seeking to adopt suitable strategies to fulfill organization development. By the uprising speed of economic development in China with the increasing demand of medical care, it is eager for us to understand what proper strategies the hospitals should take in order to fit the external environment and internal environment. Moreover, linking human resource development strategies such as training and career development with hospital business strategies to examine if there is any relationships. The result of research is pointed out: According to different inside and outside environment, the medical organization can develop a suitable operation style by itself. For example, the large-scale comprehensive tertiary hospital can choose the tactics trends of the difference or grouping strategies, and the medium and small-scale clinic or the section hospital can choose to refine the tactics specially. In human resource development, with the difference of the domestic and foreign environment, the medical organization also different methods. Especially on the employing mechanism, the public hospital has sounder system, bigger development space and brand benefit, but comparatively speaking, the private hospital has more flexible wages and promotion system. However, this research was conducted in qualitative method which case details were collected from two different government owned hospitals in Shanghais area in regard to investigate the linkage between hospital business strategies and human resource development strategies they apply. Since they are both owned by the government, this research found specific phenomenon for business practices and future research implications.

In the face of globalization, the restaurant industry has to quickly develop chain stores that feature delicious food, rapid service, and uniqueness in order to create advantages in this traditional industry. Because of the highly labor-intensive nature of restaurant chain stores and the ever-increasing demand on high quality services from consumers for convenience and time efficiency in the competitive environment, integrating modern management concepts with a variety of information technologies to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the restaurant has become winning tools for businesses. This research includes several main portions. First, we use the Formosa Chang as a case to analyze the competitive situation of restaurant chain stores, including the five forces analysis, SWOT, and critical success factors for restaurant chain stores to form the four management strategies of the case study company for store expansion, marketing, products, and service. Then, the E-business status of the chain store and its upstream and downstream E-business status are investigated. Finally, the mechanism for deployment the system is reported, which includes system investigation to confirm organizational preparations and resources allotment and determine the priorities in the development of the E-business system. This is followed by system analysis, system design, system hardware and software configuration and installment. Finally, the performance of the system is evaluated. Analysis of the key performance indicators (KPI) of the case study company shows high effectiveness of e-business in improving and simplifying its operational procedures.

Inspired by the way nature cycles waste in an ecosystem, the circular economy was developed as an alternative to the linear take-make-dispose model and designed to decouple economic growth from resource use. After developing a framework for what it means to be a business pursuing circularity, this thesis examines six different companies to explore the tension between the strategies and business models in theory and what business are implementing in practice today. This exploration continues with an in-depth analysis of the circular success of IKEA, finding that the gains from the circular economy for a large corporation are found within their own operations. With the company’s scale, IKEA is able to act as a transfer hub of technology and best practices, ultimately allowing the company to make a global impact.

Small businesses play a key role in the health of the U.S. economy; however, approximately 50% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years of operation. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by owners of small businesses to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The conceptual framework used was the resource-based theory. The population of this study consisted of 3 owners of small businesses in North Carolina who sustained their businesses for at least 5 years. The data sources included semistructured interviews of the participants as well as business websites, social media pages, and documents. The data analysis process included data cleaning, uploading transcribed interviews into qualitative data analysis software, organizing, and coding. Member checking and triangulation with the data sources helped ensure methodological saturation and trustworthiness of interpretations. The thematic analysis led to the identification of 5 major themes contributing to company sustainability: strategic business planning and financial planning, risk management and cost control strategies, networking and relationship building, innovation and niche marketing, and environmental scanning. The results of further analysis indicated that the 3 strategies needed for success by owners of small businesses were strategic business planning and financial planning, networking and relationship building, and niche marketing. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to improve the competence of small business owners and business sustainability, increase small business profit, and provide a better quality of life to employees and better welfare for their communities, benefiting the entire U.S. economy.

Los negocios necesitan transformar los datos que generan sus diversos procesos en información, que pueda ser comprendida por diferentes públicos, quienes necesitan conocer de la situación de la empresa desde múltiples perspectivas. Con el fin de poder consultar, analizar y así poder tomar decisiones estratégicas para la organización en el momento oportuno. Las tecnologías de información proporcionan mecanismos que permiten satisfacer la visualización de los datos. Es necesario recalcar que todo el proceso de obtener y centralizar los datos de diferentes fuentes, debe estar automatizado ya que esto permite asegurar que la información se pueda obtener de manera confiable y en el tiempo oportuno. El presente proyecto comprende el análisis y diseño de una propuesta tecnológica para la implementación de una solución de inteligencia de negocios, la cual se desarrolla para una empresa consultora de software orientada para su proceso de Gestión de Proyectos. La solución contempla el uso de tecnologías Microsoft Azure para de la arquitectura y Power BI para la herramienta de visualización de datos. Este proceso es de vital importancia para la organización debido que, no sólo comprende la etapa de desarrollo de un proyecto sino también involucra la gestión de la plataforma de la empresa llamada GeoPoint. Lo antes mencionado repercute en la rentabilidad del proyecto por lo que es necesario para la Junta Directiva pueda conocer el estado de una oportunidad de negocio y en base a ello determinar acciones que aseguren de manera positiva la rentabilidad económica y la imagen de la empresa. / Businesses need to transform the data generated by their various processes into information that can be understood by different audiences, who need to know the situation of the company from multiple perspectives. In order to consult, analyze and thus be able to make strategic decisions for the organization at the appropriate time. Information technologies provide mechanisms to satisfy the visualization of data. It should be emphasized that the entire process of obtaining and centralizing data from different sources must be automated, as this ensures that the information can be obtained reliably and in a timely manner. This project includes the analysis and design of a technological proposal for the implementation of a business intelligence solution, which is developed for a software consulting company focused on its Project Management process. The solution includes the use of Microsoft Azure technologies for the architecture and Power BI for the data visualization tool. This process is of vital importance for the organization because it not only includes the development stage of a project but also involves the management of the company's platform called GeoPoint. The abovementioned has an effect on the project profitability so it is necessary for the Board to know the status of a business opportunity and based on this determine actions that positively ensure the economic profitability and image of the company. / Tesis

M&A is a strategy with a process that greatly revolves around achieving an approved merger, and subsequently being ready to act upon an approval. The strategy’s focuses are on the preparation and the analysis of the merger. A firm that is consistently up-to-date on the information available and on the status of the market, can prosper when opportunities reveal themselves. This paper studies business strategies from the point of view of what might bring growth to firms, based on theory and empirical evidence. Moreover, a case study is used of the firm Smile Tandvård, who actively uses M&A. The study is consisting of a research of the theoretical background, to enable links from several of these theories into the case study, as well as into the analysis. Additionally, was an interview conducted with the accounting manager of Smile Tandvård to get a clear insightinto the firm’s processes. The qualitative part showed the theories, the empirical evidence and the case study aligning in their characteristics, where I could pinpoint certain aspects of Smile Tandvård to the choices a firm has on a market, according to the theories. Moreover, showed the research there being plentiful ways in which you could examine the success of a merger or an acquisition. The direct result or direct returns not being the sole aim when deciding on M&A, and there were competitive advantages to gain. The quantitative test showed there being a correlation between business cycles and the amount of mergers and acquisitions. / Fusioner & Förvärv som strategi, har en process som till stor del handlar om att få förvärvet godkänt, och sedermera kunna agera vid godkännandet. Strategins fokus är på förberedelsen och analysen inför förvärvet. Ett företag som är konsekvent uppdaterat på den tillgängliga informationen och statusen på marknaden, kan uppnå framgångar genom detta när möjligheter uppstår. Denna studie undersöker företagsstrategier från perspektivet av vad som kan ge företag tillväxt, via en bas av teori och empiri. Utöver det, används en fallstudie av Smile Tandvård, som aktivt använder sig av strategin av fusioner & förvärv. Studien består av en research av befintligt teori, för att möjliggöra flera kopplingar till fallstudien, såväl som till analysen. Adderat till det, utfördes en intervju med redovisningschefen hos Smile Tandvård, för att kunna få en klar inblick i företagets processer. Den kvalitativa studien visade att teori, empiri och fallstudien följer och knyter an till varandra i sina kännetecknande drag, vilket möjliggjorde att jag kunde precisera aspekter hos Smile Tandvård som följer de val ett företag ställs inför på en marknad, enligt teorin. Därtill, visade undersökningen att det finns åtskilliga sätt att tolka och granska fusionen eller förvärvets framgång. Med det direkta resultatet eller den direkta avkastningen icke varande det enda ett företag siktar mot vad gällande fusioner och förvärv, det fanns även konkurrensfördelar att vinna. Det kvantitativa testet visade att det fanns en korrelation emellan konjunkturcykler och antalet fusioner & förvärv.

Economic sanctions can result in more than a 70% decrease in business activities in a sanctioned country. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to identify the strategies import and export small business owners use to sustain businesses under economic sanctions. The population for this study was import and export small business owners in the state of Khartoum, Sudan. General systems theory served as the conceptual framework and underpinned the study. The data collection included semistructured interviews and government financial reports. Adhering to an interview protocol, conducting transcript reviews of participants' interviews, member checking, and methodological triangulation represented the measures to ensure dependability, trustworthiness, creditability, transferability, and confirmability of the research. The thematic data analysis involved data cleaning, uploading the transcribed interviews into qualitative data analysis software, reorganizing the data, coding relevant information, and methodological triangulation against financial reports from the Central Bank of Sudan and the World Development Bank Indicators. The results from the thematic data analysis led to the identification of some major themes, notably, innovative strategies to secure funding and increase business sustainability despite the unfavorable economic climate consequent to the prevalent economic sanctions. The consensus among participants denoted that creative strategies presented the only choice to overcome the adverse business climate. The study findings may contribute to positive social change as the knowledge from it may aid in the improvement of employment, the living standards, and the prosperity of small businesses and societies in Sudan.

Yes / Purpose – The management of reputation and status is central to creative professional service firms (CPSFs) rendering the internationalisation process a particular challenge. We build on arguments that internationalisation requires moving from outsidership to insidership within client networks and focus on how CPSFs build signals about quality to start this process. Design/methodology/approach – The exploration draws from the international business, professional services and organizational status bodies of literature. A multiple case study design is developed comprising ten Irish architecture firms. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings - The findings clarify how relationships start in the internationalisation process through signal building. This allows firms to join client networks moving from outsidership to insidership. Our findings systemise three different approaches for CPSFs: from outsidership to insidership within a local market network, within a global industry network and within a global project network. Research Limitations/Implications – Research within other sectoral and geographical contexts could support transferability of the findings. Practical implications – The study has implications for CPSF’s international business strategies as it identifies multiple paths to gaining network insidership and the tactics employed to achieve this.