The target of the thesis is to propose an appropriate information system that ensures the implementation of the business strategy for the garden division of the company AGRO CS a.s. Specifically it targets evaluating the use of enterprise information systems and the application of business intelligence according to the information base describing the company's business strategy. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first one is the theoretical part that outlines the methods used for analysing the business strategy and the theory background about business strategy itself. It also contains information system theory. The second part, the analysis part, presents the company and is based on the theoretical part. It also implements methods used for analysing the business strategy and analysing the appropriateness of the use of EIS systems or business intelligence applications. In the last part, the proposal part, an appropriate EIS or BI system is chosen based on consultations, requirements and targets that are the outcome of the previous part.

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Due to digitalization, companies face a wide range of opportunities and challenges when it comes to attracting, recruiting and retaining talents. To meet these, companies need to present and achieve originality regarding values and corporate culture. One possible solution to this may be customized Human Resource tools.  Co-creation is an increasingly common product development strategy to create customized tools. It is based on collaboration and joint production of value between a supplier and customer. Cocreation may be a favorable strategy for early stage companies to gain customers and enter the market. While there are a variety of market entry strategies, this study is based on the insufficient attention among these to the customer as a possible collaborator when entering. This lack of attention is noteworthy since theory shows that the customer is gaining increased power over a supplier’s business decisions, largely due to digitalization.  There is a need to introduce a strategy that defines how companies co-create with their customers and regards them as an allied. This close relationship provides mutual benefits, sustainable relationships and networks. Consequently, this study aims to investigate if a co-creation strategy can be used to enter a market for an early stage company. The study is based on inductive reasoning and qualitative research methods. It uses semi- structured interviews, active participating observations and a literature study to collect primary and secondary data. The study proposes that co-creation is a new type of market entry strategy and suggests three key areas to consider for an early stage company when entering. These areas are: development approach, ownership and product protection, and expectation and communication. / Digitalisering har skapat både möjligheter och utmaningar för företag när det gäller att locka, rekrytera och behålla talanger. För att möta dessa måste företag presentera och uppnå originalitet kring företagskultur och värderingar. En lösning till detta kan vara företagsanpassade Human Resource-verktyg. Co-creation är en allt vanligare produktutvecklingsstrategi för att skapa företagsanpassade lösningar. Det bygger på samarbete och gemensamt utvecklande av värde mellan leverantör och kund. Co-creation kan vara en gynnsam strategi för ett företag i tidigt stadie att bygga kundrelationer och komma in på marknaden. Baserat på den akademiska litteraturstudien identifierades bristfälligt fokus på kunden som en möjlig samarbetspartner vid marknadsinträde. Detta är anmärkningsvärt eftersom teorin visar att kunden har fått en ökad makt över leverantörens affärsbeslut, till stor del tack vare digitalisering.  Det finns ett behov av att införa en strategi som definierar hur företag samverkar med sina kunder och anser dem som allierade. Denna nära relation ger ömsesidiga fördelar, hållbara relationer och nätverk. Följaktligen syftar denna undersökning till att undersöka om en strategi baserad på co-creation kan användas för att komma in i en marknad för ett företag i tidigt stadie. Studien bygger på induktiva resonemang och kvalitativa forskningsmetoder. Den är baserad på semistrukturerade intervjuer, aktivt deltagande observationer samt en litteraturstudie för att samla primär- och sekundärdata. Studien föreslår att co-creation är en ny typ av marknadsinträdesstrategi och föreslår tre viktiga områden att överväga för ett företag i tidigt stadie. Dessa områden är: produktutvecklingsmetod, ägande och skydd av produkt samt förväntan och kommunikation.

Digital innovation is a key to solve problems of future healthcare. Medical Technology (MedTech) firms will have to employ successful digital business strategies (DBSs) to become innovative and increase the efficiency to solve the problems in healthcare. This thesis aims to outline important aspects when employing a DBS in a MedTech firm. The results are based on empirical data from consultants working with digital strategies as well as professionals working in the MedTech industry. I conduct semi-structured interviews with 11 professionals of different backgrounds to gain their perspectives and insights on how to successfully implement a DBS in an organisation. I discuss and conclude their opinions concerning the business model and change management aspects of a DBS. The focal point of this thesis was partially led by my commissioner, Human Care. From the literature review and interviews, I introduce several interesting findings which can be helpful for both management of MedTech firms as well as consultants working with DBSs. Some of the findings contributing to successful DBSs includes improving the organisation’s innovative ability and creating opportunities for new innovations. This can be done by working more agile, introducing new competences and co-innovating with customers of the firm. Furthermore, the DBS can change firms’ business models. Interviewees find that the impact can be minor or extensive depending on the DBS employed and can ultimately lead to entire new business models being created. The DBS can have disruptive impact on incumbent firms’ current business and create completely new products or services. Management must correctly evaluate their current position and future desired state to develop a strategy fit for their specific firm. Finally, I find that there is a clear correlation between the changes in the business model and the change management work when implementing a DBS. I present some areas that management of MedTech firms must attend in order to increase the chances of success in their DBS. / Digital innovation är nyckeln till att lösa problem inom sjukvården. Medicinteknikbolag måste använda sig av digitala affärsstrategier för att öka effektiviteten och lösa problem som sjukvården väntas möta i framtiden. Denna rapport syftar till att delge viktiga aspekter när man använder sig av och utformar digitala affärsstrategier inom medicinteknikbolag. Resultaten är baserade på empiriska data från konsulter som jobbar med digitala strategier samt personer yrkesverksamma inom medicinteknik. Jag har genomfört 11 intervjuer med personer med olika bakgrund för att få deras perspektiv och insikter om hur man framgångsrikt använder sig av digitala affärsstrategier i en organisation. Jag diskuterar och sammanfattar deras åsikter rörande affärsmodeller och förändringsledningsarbete relaterat till digitala affärsstrategier. Denna rapports utformning är delvis ledd av min uppdragsgivare, Human Care. Resultaten från litteraturgenomgången och intervjuerna visar att företags innovationsförmåga och att skapa förutsättningar för innovation är viktiga aspekter för framgång. Detta sker genom att ändra organisationens sätt att arbeta på, genom agila arbetsmetoder, nya kompetenser och kan leda till att helt nya affärsmodeller skapas. Strategin kan vara disruptiv för företags nuvarande affär och skapa helt nya produkter och/eller tjänster. Ledningen måste utvärdera sin nuvarande situation och framtida målbild för att utforma väl anpassade strategier för bolaget. Jag finner att det finns en tydlig koppling mellan ändringar i affärsmodellen och förändringsarbetet när man implementerar en digital affärsstrategi. Jag introducerar några områden som ledningen måste se över för att öka chansen till framgång i strategin.

D. Tech (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are economic drivers and key in job creation in emerging economies. In the past, the difficulties faced by women have deprived them of opportunities to establish and run successful businesses. Previous research reveals that women’s involvement in businesses creates sustainable economic growth, thereby reducing poverty. Women-owned SMEs in South Africa receive minimal government support, and many women lack the resources required to run a business successfully. Ensuring growth and profitability in women-run enterprises can alleviate the extent to which women have been disadvantaged in South Africa. In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women have a significant role in creating jobs, which can grow the South African economy. This study aimed to determine the influence of strategy implementation in women-owned SMEs in South Africa, specifically Gauteng Province. The study considered constructs such as strategy implementation, financial performance and SME survival in women-owned SMEs. Against this background, a deductive reasoning based quantitative approach was adopted using a cross-sectional survey design to assess the connection between the constructs under consideration. The final sample consisted of 347 women entrepreneurs and managers and employees of selected SMEs in various regions of Gauteng Province. The data collected were analysed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Scientists (SPSS) version 25.0 software. Statistical analyses techniques applied in the study included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, person correlations and regression analyses. The results of the study showed that corporate and business strategies exert a significant influence on SME financial performance. However, operational strategy was statistically insignificant. Financial performance, in turn, influenced SME survival. Additionally, all three strategies, namely, corporate, business and operational, significantly influenced SME survival. Thus, the financial performance and ultimate survival of women-owned SMEs in South Africa are both dependent on strategy formulation and implementation. The research is practical in that its results may be used as a reference source for ideas in strategy formulation and implementation in stakeholder committees. The results may then be directed towards alleviating the challenges facing women-owned SMEs in South Africa and stimulate their chances of success. The study, therefore, has implications in generating employment, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of women-owned SMEs. Theoretically, the study contributes by closing the gap in literature within the area of the nexus between strategy implementation, financial performance and SME survival in the context of South Africa.

Direct-to-consumer genomics (DTCG) health testing offers great promise to humanity, however to date adoption has lagged as a result of consumer awareness, understanding, and previous government regulations restricting DTCG companies from providing information on an individual's genetic predispositions. But in 2017 the broader DTCG market which also includes genealogical testing demonstrated exponential growth, implying that DTCG is starting to diffuse as an innovation. To better understand the sociocultural forces affecting diffusion, adoption, and satisfaction, qualitative ethnographic research was conducted with DTCG genealogy and health consumers. The data was qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis to understand the similarities and differences in beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and mediating factors that have influenced consumers. Design anthropology theory and methods were used to produce ethnographically informed insights. The insights were then translated into actionable product management and business strategy recommendations.

For smaller niche companies in an oligopoly market to survive and grow, they need to focus on either having unique products and/or unique, more efficient internal processes compared to their larger competitors. One possible success factor for these smaller companies is to exploit the business potential found in an increasingly digitalized world. To fully utilize this potential, it is necessary for companies to ensure that their business models and strategies include performing a digital transformation as one of their key focus areas. This study focuses on the benefits that a company can derive from creating a digitalized back-end product management system that is integrated with a front-end, online user interface. The two research questions answered in this study are related to the interrelationship between business model and strategy and the creation of a digitalized product management system. In order to answer these questions, two case studies of three smaller, niche companies operating on the Swedish oligopoly markets of telecommunication and power distribution were performed. Interviews were held with representatives from these companies and the results of the interviews were coded by utilizing a Research Framework created for this study. The Research Framework was created based on the performed literature review including the dynamic capabilities concept that encompasses a company’s ability to sense, seize and transform itself to create a successful business model. The results of the case studies showed the benefits of digitalization in designing and utilizing a product management system that is integrated with a front-end user interface. Such an integrated platform should support in achieving increased customer satisfaction, as customers increasingly expect their suppliers to have a platform that enables them to online make their product choices, administrate their own accounts and retrieve historical data. This is part of a societal trend that smaller niche companies can utilize in their business model and strategy to in an agile manner meet the competition from their larger competitors. Besides increasing customer satisfaction, a well designed, digitalized product management system integrated with an online user interface makes it possible to decrease the need for manual administrative processes. This results in an increase in efficiency and reduced costs within a company or gives the employees the opportunity to focus on more value added activities. In this manner, the product management system has shown to be an important bridge between customers, product offerings, internal business management processes and a company’s business model and strategy. / För att mindre nischföretag på en oligopolmarknad ska kunna överleva och växa måste de fokusera på att ha unika produkter och/eller unika, effektivare interna processer jämfört med sina större konkurrenter. En möjlig framgångsfaktor för dessa mindre företag är att dra fördel av den affärspotential som finns i en alltmer digitaliserad värld. För att fullt ut kunna utnyttja denna potential är det nödvändigt för företag att se till att deras affärsmodell och strategi inkluderar att genomföra en digital omvandling som ett av dess viktigaste fokusområden. Denna studie fokuserar på de fördelar som ett företag kan få av att skapa ett digitaliserat produkthanteringssystem som är integrerat med ett online kundanvändargränssnitt. De två forskningsfrågorna som besvaras i denna studie är relaterade till sambandet mellan affärsmodell och strategi och skapandet av ett digitaliserat produkthanteringssystem. För att svara på dessa frågor utfördes två fallstudier av tre mindre nischföretag som verkar på de svenska oligopolmarknaderna för telekommunikation och kraftdistribution. Intervjuer hölls med representanter från dessa företag och resultaten av intervjuerna kodades genom att använda ett ramverk som skapats för denna studie. Ramverket skapades baserat på den utförda litteraturstudien, inklusive konceptet om dynamisk kapabilitet som omfattar ett företags förmåga att känna, agera och förändra för att skapa en framgångsrik affärsmodell. Resultaten från fallstudierna visade värdet av en digitalisering i utformningen och användningen av ett produkthanteringssystem som är integrerat med ett online kundanvändargränssnitt. Dessa fördelar inkluderar ökad kundnöjdhet, eftersom kunder i allt högre grad förväntar sig att deras leverantörer har produkthanteringssystem som gör det möjligt för dem att online göra sina produktval och administrera sina egna konton. Detta är en del av en samhällelig trend som mindre nischföretag kan använda i sin affärsmodell och strategi för att på ett agilt sätt möta konkurrensen från sina större konkurrenter. Förutom ökad kundnöjdhet gör ett väl utformat och digitaliserat produkthanteringssystem integrerat med ett online kundanvändargränssnitt det möjligt att minska behovet av manuella administrativa processer. Detta resulterar i en effektivitetsökning och minskade kostnader i ett företag och ger medarbetarna möjlighet att fokusera på arbetsuppgifter som ger mervärde. På detta sätt har produkthanteringssystemet visat sig vara en viktig bro mellan kunder, produktutbud, interna affärshanteringsprocesser och företagets affärsmodell och strategi.

Le aziende a controllo familiare sono considerate in molti Paesi la struttura proprietaria dominante, e la ricerca accademica si è progressivamente concentrata negli ultimi decenni sugli aspetti peculiari che differenziano le aziende familiari dalle altre strutture proprietarie. Nonostante questa convergenza, molti studi hanno sviluppato teorie contrastanti, in modo particolare sulla capacità delle aziende familiari di generare performance finanziarie superiori. Di converso, pochi studi hanno concentrato l’attenzione sulle scelte strategiche che posso spiegare il (maggiore o minore) differenziale di performance delle aziende familiari. Partendo dall’assunto che punti di forza e di debolezza possano coesistere nelle aziende familiari, identificare se siano gli uni o gli altri a prevalere è una sfida complessa se non si prendono in considerazione le scelte strategiche effettuate dalle aziende familiari. Partendo da questo gap nella letteratura, il presente lavoro cerca di misurare l’impatto che la proprietà familiare può avere sulle performance aziendali concentrandosi su tre aspetti principali della strategia d’impresa: il livello di conformità strategico alla media di settore (mediante la creazione di un indice che approssima le principali determinanti della business strategy), l’avvio di un processo di internazionalizzazione attraverso investimenti diretti esteri (IDE), e le implicazioni delle strategie di acquisizione. / The family business is widely considered the dominant property structure around the world and the research on this field has increased rapidly in the last decades to understand whether and in which aspects family firms differ from other organizations. Despite this convergence, the actual body of research on family firms is populated by conflicting theories and findings, especially on the relationship with financial performance. On the other hand, few studies focus their attention on which strategic choices may explain the financial differences between family firms and non-family peers. Starting from this research gap, we think that both positive and negative aspects may coexist in family firms, and it would be difficult to identify which predominate without considering how family principals frame strategic decisions. In our thesis, we try to disentangle the effect of family ownership on firm performance focusing on three main aspects of firm strategy: the level of strategic conformity through the creation of a composite index (in which we incorporated six items that can be considered as key determinants of the business strategy), the departure of the internationalization process through foreign direct investments (FDI), and the implications of acquisition strategies.

本研究以策略管理理論「策略形態分析」法與「策略矩陣分析」法為基礎，發展出新的分析架構–「價值單元展開分析」法，並與策略矩陣整合成為策略系統模型。藉由個案研究，驗證此策略系統模型如何使管理者能更精確地衡量未來策略規劃之選擇，最佳化公司未來競爭策略方向。 筆者以個案探討新創科技公司在持續變動與競爭之產業中，競爭策略分析與規劃之方法。以3D感測產業作為分析與研究之個案產業，並以其中一新創科技公司–L科技公司作為個案探討之對象，提出一以新創科技公司為出發點，在衡量現有與發展未來競爭策略時，可供利用與權衡的分析方法。 「價值單元展開分析」法追尋理性與系統化思考，為公司導入嚴謹明確、量化、及標準化的度量衡工具，使公司得以更加周詳完備與深入地分析其條件前提，將策略最佳化。且此架構具高度延展性，得充分配合公司進行各種思考面向之分析。此外，「價值單元展開分析」法亦可完全結合與相容於「策略矩陣分析」法之中，形成易於溝通與同步的策略系統模型，利用此特點解決公司在策略規劃時可能遭遇之混沌與困難，將效率、效益、及效能用在得當之處，使公司未來發展更符合目標。 / This study investigates the methods of analyzing and planning competitive strategies, with a case study of a technology startup company – “L Company” in the 3D sensor industry. Based on strategy analysis and Strategic Matrix Analysis, this study developed a new analytic framework – “Value Unit Expansion Analysis” which is a systematic model integrated into Strategic Matrix Analysis. By verifying the systematic model through the case, this study proposed a more precise and optimization–capable method to form a company’s future competitive strategies. Value Unit Expansion Analysis is a clarifying, quantifying, and standardizing method for the company to pave the path for factor condition analysis and strategic optimization. The structure was designed with a high flexibility in correspondence to different considerations and changing aspects; it is compatible and can be built within Strategic Matrix Analysis. The systematic model is liable for communication and synchronization during the process of strategy planning and, therefore, setting higher efficiency, benefit, and utility for pertinent strategies that fit into companies’ goals.