Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

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Authors have identified that there are a number of researches concerning on only individualdriving factor of the business network in the SME, mostly done in a single context. Apartfrom that, there is also a lack of researches focusing on the comparison of the businessnetwork‘s driving factors, especially for SMEs.The purpose of this study is to explore and investigate the driving factors that drive SMEsto engage with the business network by focusing on two different contexts, Cambodia andFinland.The thesis adopts the inductive approach and employs a quantitative research method. Inthis study, the survey questionnaire is chosen to obtain the relevant data. The authors alsoextend the method by including four interviews to have better understanding andinterpretation of the content of the collected data. The primary data are collected through asemi-structured interview with two Cambodian companies and two Finnish companies. Thesource of secondary data such as articles, textbooks, scientific journals and websites arealso used in this thesis.The thesis first concludes that the five chosen factors (obtaining resources, cooperation,internationalisation, cost reduction, and lobbying government policies) play an essentialrole in driving SMEs to take part in the business network. Secondly, the study alsoconfirms that there are some different perceptions on the level of importance of eachdriving factor which the SMEs in Cambodia and Finland conceive that drive them toengage with the business network. Cost reduction factor has been perceived more critical inFinnish context compared to the Cambodian; while in Cambodia SMEs discern thelobbying government policies factor has a higher degree of importance than that in Finland.Lastly, the study has identified the influential aspects of the differences such as the culturalaspect, the definition and size of SMEs, and the private sector development support in thesetwo contexts.For the managerial implications, first partaking in the business networks could providevarious benefits to firms rather than just single aspect. Second, management could decidein which direction they should drive their company by having a better understanding ofSMEs behaviour toward the participation in the business network. Last, different factorscan be crucial to a different kind of SMEs.

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The decision-making process (DMP) is based on two elements: Organizational and technical (Poleto et al., 2015). The organizational element is related to managers’ everyday decisionmaking based on the organization strategy (Poleto et al., 2015). Its aim is to set up specific actions for the planned objectives for the business (Rouse, 2018). The second element is the technical DMP. According to (Poleto et al., 2015), it is related the set of tools that are used as an aid in the DMP, which includes information technology and big data. Business intelligence (BI) is the decisionmaking helping system (Ali et al., 2017). Consequently, BI helps make better decisions, and it has become popular in many organizations. As a result, it is important to show BI’s power over DMPs and to show how the tools used in BI facilitate the DMP. “Higher education institutions worldwide are operating today in a very dynamic and complex environment” (Kabakchieva 2015, p. 104). As a result, universities that are within higher education are threatened because competition is serious (Barrett, 2010). Moreover, higher education is another area that will potentially impact big data research (Ong, 2016). Consequently, the application and use of big data in higher educational institutions may result in better quality education for students and a better experience for the university staff (Ong, 2016). As a result, HEI is adopting new technologies with the aim of sustaining its position on the market. DMPs at higher academic institutions require structured data from a sophisticated system, which can be only done through efficient and effective use of BI tools. This thesis will investigate how the BI system is used at Linkoping University (LIU) and how its benefits have changed DMPs. We studied the BI tool (Qlikview) that has been used at LIU for 10 years. 10 To answer the research question, a theoretical framework was developed that was based on two models: Simon’s (1997) and Huber’s (1980) DMP models. The two models were combined with the BI benefits that were based in El Bashir et al.’s (2008) model. The research is done through a qualitative method of data collection and data analysis. At LIU, seven interviews were conducted with BI users and with strategic decision-makers. The findings show that the BI system, alongside Qlikview, has a positive effect on DMPs at LIU as a public HEI. The factors affected are the information gathering time, the quality of data provided and the accessibility to information by all BI users.

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This study will fill out the research gap that exists by conducting a study that investigates, based on the employees’ viewpoint, how the role of bank employee has been affected and how the digitization has affected the bank employee's job satisfaction. This, by doing a qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews where the researcher has interviewed 10 employees at Nordea. Bank employees are aware that the professional role has changed, as the increased digitalization in society has increased. The employer has been clear with the organization’s changes in digitalization, which has let to an approval and an acceptance by the employee. This study shows that the bank somehow needs to be adapted and also develop the digitization within the bank, by describing and explaining bank employees' views on the digital changes within the role of bank employee.

Bakgrund: Idag har en ny typ av modesamarbeten växt fram som ett resultat av den ökade användningen av sociala medier. Modeföretag har insett den stora tillväxtpotentialen i att bilda designsamarbeten med influencers för att marknadsföra sina produkter, och överger därmed allt oftare traditionella marknadsföringsmetoder. Denna praxis kallas influencer marketing, och tycks vara mer effektivt än traditionella marknadsföringsverktyg. Influencers kan därmed spela en stor roll för konsumenters köpbeslut genom råd och rekommendationer kring olika produkter och tjänster. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka unga svenska kvinnliga konsumenters attityder till modekollektioner skapade genom influencersamarbeten och hur detta påverkar deras köpintentioner. Forskningsfrågor: Hur är konsumenters attityder till modeföretag som utformar modekollektioner genom influencersamarbeten? Har influencers en påverkan på konsumenters köpintentioner? Metod: En kvalitativ studie genomfördes i form av individuella semistrukturerade intervjuer med unga svenska kvinnliga konsumenter. Intervjuguiden innehöll frågor om konsumenters uppfattningar kring influencer marketing och modeföretag som utformar modekollektioner med influencers. Slutsats: Utifrån det empiriska materialet går det att dra slutsatsen att attityden till influencerkollektioner är mestadels positiv, eftersom influencers för många är stora inspirationskällor och kan liknas med trendanalytiker som kan hjälpa modeföretag att ta fram nya kollektioner till sitt sortiment. Det har även visat sig att influencers har en påverkan på konsumenters attityder och köpintentioner beträffande modekollektioner utformade med modeföretag. De två av mest avgörande variablerna som påverkade köpintentionen var Source attractiveness och Source credibility. / Background: ​Today, a new sort of fashion collaborations have emerged as a result of the increased use of social media. Fashion companies have recognized the great growth potential of forming design collaborations with influencers to market their products, which has resulted in more companies abandoning traditional marketing methods. This practice is called influencer marketing, and new studies have shown that it can be more efficient than traditional marketing methods. Influencers can thus play a major role in consumers' purchasing decisions through advice and recommendations on various products and services. This paper is written in swedish. Research questions: How do young, swedish, female consumers perceive fashion companies who create fashion lines with influencer collaborations? Do influencers have an impact on consumer purchase intentions? Purpose: ​The purpose of this study is to examine young swedish female consumer attitudes towards fashion lines created through influencer collaborations and how this affects their purchase intentions. Method: ​A qualitative study was conducted in the form of individual semi-structured interviews with young swedish female consumers. The interview guide included questions about consumer perceptions about influencer marketing and fashion companies that design fashion lines together with influencers. Conclusion: ​Based on the empirical material, it can be concluded that the consumer attitude to influencer fashion lines is mostly positive. Influencers are thought of as great sources of inspiration and can be compared to trend analysts that can help fashion companies to develop new fashion pieces to their range. It has also been concluded that influencers have an influence on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions regarding fashion lines designed together with fashion companies. The two most crucial variables that influenced the purchase intent were Source attractiveness and Source credibility.

The growth of firms is a complex but relevant subject for different stakeholders, such as owners, who want returns on their investment, and society, where firms are vessels for jobs and job creation. Despite the vast amount of research conducted on firm growth and factors associated with firm growth, there is no coherent body of knowledge, and the average firm is not growing. This research focuses on growth in established small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), i.e. firms that have passed the startup phase and have established themselves on the market. The purpose is to investigate the characteristics of high-growth established SMEs with special focus on the entrepreneur’s growth ambitions and the role of innovation activities for firm growth. The data was collected from 88 established SMEs in which interviews were conducted with CEOs, owners, managers, and employees. A questionnaire was used which included questions regarding factors previously linked to firm growth such as resources, market factors, organizational factors, innovation, and attitude toward firm growth. The results show that growth ambitions have a limited impact on firm growth, and that growth ambitions alone are not a good predictor of firm growth. When high-growth firms were compared to the average established SME, there was no difference in the level the managers of the firms were seeking growth. Neither lack of growth, nor high growth, can be explained by the managers’ perception of the firm’s possibility to grow. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the difference in growth rates is attributed to different levels of growth opportunities. Instead, this research shows that what distinguishes high-growth firms from the average, non-growing firms are factors associated with innovation, the market, and customer knowledge. The high-growth firms were found to be significantly better at identifying and delivering on unfilled demands. However, no evidence suggests that the high-growth firms had exclusive access to new technology they could leverage as a means to grow faster, and both groups believed there to be plenty of market opportunities and possibilities to create growing niches. If the difference between high growth and no growth in established SMEs is associated with external factors related to innovation, market and customers, it is interesting that when growth ambitions increase, so does the internal focus on organizational structures and systems. Ambitious entrepreneurs who seek firm growth should therefore not lose sight of external factors, and strive to quickly deal with increased internal complexity that accompanies firm growth. / Tillväxt i företag är ett komplext forskningsområde, ofta utan enkla svar och ibland med motstridiga resultat. Samtidigt är tillväxt relevant både för företagets ägare som strävar efter avkastning, och för samhället då växande företag skapar sysselsättning. Trots omfattande forskning är kunskapen om tillväxt fortfarande spretig, och ett genomsnittligt företag växer inte. Denna studie fokuserar på tillväxt i etablerade små och medelstora företag (SMF), d.v.s. företag som har passerat uppstartsfasen och lyckats etablera sig på marknaden. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad som utmärker snabbväxande etablerade företag med ett speciellt fokus på entreprenörens tillväxtambitioner och innovationers påverkar på tillväxt. Det empiriska underlaget består av intervjuer genomförda i 88 etablerade SMF där de tillfrågade har varit VD, ägare, mellanchefer, och anställda. De intervjuade har besvarat frågor knutna till tillväxt, såsom resurser, marknad, organisation, innovation, och attityden till tillväxt. Studien visar att tillväxtambitioner har en begränsad påverkan på tillväxt. Det är därmed problematiskt att använda tillväxtambitioner för att förklara tillväxt i SMF. När snabbväxande företag jämfördes mot genomsnittliga SMF var det ingen skillnad i hur dessa två grupper strävade efter tillväxt. Varken utebliven tillväxt, eller snabb tillväxt, kan alltså förklaras av företagsledarnas syn på företagets möjligheter att växa eller mängden tillväxtmöjligheter. Istället visar denna studie att det som särskiljer snabbväxande etablerade SMF från genomsnittliga, icke växande, företag är faktorer knutna till innovation, marknad, och företagens kunskap om sina kunder. De snabbast växande företagen var betydligt bättre på att identifiera nya krav och utnyttja den efterfråga som fanns. Noterbart är att de snabbväxande företagen inte hade exklusiv tillgång till ny teknik som de kunde utnyttja för att växa, utan de båda grupperna var jämförbara avseende denna. Båda grupperna ansåg också att det fanns gott om möjligheter på marknaden och att det gick att skapa växande nischer. Om skillnaden mellan tillväxt och icke tillväxt i etablerade företag till stor del kan förklaras av externa faktorer relaterade till innovation, marknad och kunder är det intressant att konstatera att företagen med högst tillväxtambitioner istället fokuserar internt på strukturer och system. Ambitiösa entreprenörer som söker tillväxt bör prioritera externa faktorer och sträva efter att snabbast möjligt hantera den ökade komplexiteten som tillväxt för med sig.