This thesis focuses on the faunal remains from a sequence of 11 Epipalaeolithic and ten Neolithic sites in the eastern Jordanian steppe, with the aim of investigating the subsistence practices of hunters and herders between 20,000bp and 7,500bp, and their temporal and geographic variability within the study region. The first section outlines the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental background of the southern Levant; reviews subsistence evidence and models for the periods concerned; and describes the study area and sites. The second section concerns methodological approaches. A model of gazelle ethology for prehistoric eastern Jordan is presented, since this taxon is dominant in many of the study assemblages. Eleven modern case studies are used to predict population structure, demography and mobility, drawing on the principles of behavioural ecology. The archaeozoological methodologies used in the thesis are explained. The third section presents the results of the analyses. Taxonomic identification, quantification and faunal diversity are described and discussed for each assemblage, and broad temporal and geographical trends highlighted. Whether the assemblage compositions reflect the environmental changes discussed earlier is considered. It is demonstrated that the size diminution observed in both gazelle and hare between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene is probably attributable to climatic change. The question of selectivity in the taxa killed by prehistoric hunters is investigated. This is approached through ecological modelling and it is concluded that no strong selective biasses are observed. The nature of gazelle hunting is then further explored; the age profiles and sex ratios of the animal culls are compared to the model of gazelle social composition, and seasonal hunting times are proposed. The results suggest that none of the Epipalaeolithic assemblages shows signs of selective culling. Two Neolithic assemblages contain high proportions of juveniles, and interpretations relating to herd management practices, intensive hunting, and the targetting of vulnerable animals are discussed. The treatment of carcasses of the hunted animals is investigated. Body part representation, butchery and processing evidence, and taphonomic factors are considered, in order to present a picture of the activities undertaken at each site. The appearance of domestic caprines in eastern Jordan is considered. An assessment is made of their wild/domestic status, the management of herds and of carcass treatment. The results of the faunal remains analysed are integrated with other forms of archaeological evidence to discuss issues of mobility, contact and exchange, and to consider the changing and varied use of this area in prehistory.

Purpose - The purpose of this thesis is to describe and explain how Swedish gazelle firms, as representatives of high growth SMEs, respond to challenges in their economic and social contexts in sustaining growth. Furthermore, the purpose is to provide relevant and valuable recommendations to managers of rapidly growing companies. Finally, this thesis aims at providing suggestions for further research. Method - This research was conducted following a multiple case study research design, constituting four companies. Data derives particularly from semi-structured interviews, held with the owners/CEOs of the four case companies. Findings – Taking a combined resource-based and institution-based view, the study shows that even though the importance of commitment to social issues for SMEs increases through periods of rapid growth, the importance is still somewhat limited for the overall success of the firm. Hence, mainly focusing on the economic context is essential for the firm‘s success, albeit the social context becomes an increasingly important factor to bear in mind for runners of SMEs, particularly when it comes to future expansion. Practical implications - For owners and managers of rapidly growing SMEs, it is vital to form a profound understanding of the challenges that can emerge after a period of rapid growth as well as how to how to most adequately respond to those challenges. For this, it greatly helps if a long-term vision on how and how much to grow is developed before the firm enters its period of rapid growth. Moreover, firm owners need to have or develop significant leadership capabilities in order to deal with the increasing amount of and diversity regarding employees. Keywords - Rapid growth firms, Gazelles, Strategic management, CSR, Growth, SMEs

Gaseller kallas företag som växer i en enormt snabb takt. Det finns idag ingen allmänt vedertagen definition av vad ett gasellföretag är, men vanligtvis brukar man inom forskningen säga att ett gasellföretag har en säljökning med minst 20 % per år i 2-5 år. Trots att dessa företag endast utgör 2-10 % av alla små och medelstora företag fast de endast utgör en så liten del så utgör det till mer än 40 % av alla nya jobb som skapas på arbetsmarknaden. Problematiken för dessa företag som kallas för gaseller är att en stor del av dessa företag inte har någon längre livscykel. Lika snabbt som de kommer in på marknaden lika snabbt försvinner de igen. Skillnaden mellan företagen är dock stor och vissa lyckas mycket bättre än andra.Just det faktum att vissa gasellföretag lyckas så mycket bättre än andra är en intressant sak att undersöka. I denna studie undersöks om det kan vara så att ett företags strategiska val kan påverka ett gasellföretags möjlighet att utvecklas och förbli ett gasellföretag och i så fall på vilket sätt det kan påverka. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i Mintzbergs (1993) superstruktur och använder sig även av de tankar och idéer som Markiewicz (2011) har utvecklat angående barriärer som kan tänkas finnas vid ett strategiimplementerande i organisationer.Studiens syfte att undersöka hur ett företags strategival påverkar dess möjlighet att utvecklas och förbli ett gasellföretag har fordrat en kvalitativ metod. Därför bygger det empirska materialet på observationer på det utvalda företaget samt intervjuer med personer på de olika nivåerna i företaget.Uppsatsen visar hur ett speciellt företag som har en brant tillväxtkurva som ett gasellföretag agerar för att på ett så bra sätt som möjligt implementera en strategi som ska göra det möjligt för företaget att förbli ett gasellföretag. Mintzbergs (1993) superstruktur och Markiewicz (2011) fyra barriärer angående strategiimplementering i organisationer har varit det teoretiska stödet i uppsatsen. / Gazelles are companies which have an annual increase in sales of at least 20 %, for a running period of 2 to 5 years. Despite all this these companies only stands for 2-10 % of the entire market of small to medium sized business. Despite this small number they are accounted for more than 40 % of all the new jobs who are created. The problem these companies are experiencing is that their lifecycle are short. As fast as they enter the market they disappear. The differences between the companies are large and some of them succeed better than the others.The fact that some gazelles do better than others is an interesting subject to investigate. This study investigates if a company’s strategic decisions may affect it´s possibilities to evolve into a gazelle company and how it does it. The study has its base in Mintzbergs (1993) superstructure and it uses the thoughts and ideas of Markiewicz (2011) resolving around his implementation barriers.The purpose of this study is to investigate how a company´s strategic choice affects their capability of sustaining the levels required to be called gazelles, this have steered the study in the direction of a qualitative study. That is why the empirical studies are built up from observations and interviews with individuals from different hierarchical levels.This essay shows how a specific gazelle company acts to implement strategies to make sure that they will remain a gazelle. Mintzbergs (1993) superstructure and Markiewicz (2011) four barriers regarding strategy implementation has been the theoretical support in the essay.The essay itself is written in Swedish.

Kandidatuppsats (2FE24E), Civilekonomprogrammet – Controller Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet i Växjö, VT 2017 Titel: Hur styrs gaseller? – Verksamhetsstyrning i snabbväxande företag Författare: Joel Johansson och Victor Lindgren Handledare: Anders Jerreling Examinator: Elin Funck Bakgrund: Gasellföretag har visat sig vara betydelsefulla för jobbskapandet i en ekonomi. Dessa företag präglas av en hög tillväxt och det har visat sig att flera av dem inte klarar att hantera detta under en längre tid. Det finns flera utmaningar som dessa gaseller står för gällande deras verksamhetsstyrning, för att bibehålla sin tillväxt är denna styrning en viktig aspekt för företagets fortsatta överlevnad.  Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att öka kunskapen och förståelsen kring hur gasellföretag arbetar med verksamhetsstyrning för att stödja snabb tillväxt och vad som påverkar styrningen i detta läge. Vårt bidrag med detta arbete är att identifiera vilka verktyg som blir aktuella och vad som är kritiskt att styra och följa upp för att kunna hantera dessa verksamheter i hög tillväxt. Metod: Uppsatsen är strukturerad kring en kvalitativ metod där en flerfallstudie har lagt grunden för det empiriska materialet. Vi har i studien intervjuat fyra olika företag där intervjuerna har ugått från en semistrukturerad intervjuform. Det empiriska materialet har sedan analyserats med hjälp av de teorier vi valt ut. Slutsats: Gasellernas verksamhetsstyrning påverkas av flera olika faktorer beroende på företagens situation, några av de mest påverkande faktorerna är miljö och storlek. Dessa faktorer påverkar hur företaget arbetat med verksamhetsstyrning, exempel på viktiga styrverktyg är rapportering och uppföljning för att kunna ha kontroll över verksamheten och dess kostnader. / Bachelor thesis (2FE24E), Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics, School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University, spring 2017 Title: How gazelles are managed – Management Accounting Systems in rapig growth companies Authors: Joel Johansson and Victor Lindgren Advisor: Anders Jerreling Examinator: Elin Funck Background: Gazelles have shown to be important job creators in economies. These enterprises are characterized by rapid growth and according to studies, many of them fail to manage this in the long term. There are several challenges for the gazelles in terms of management control, which is something that becomes an important aspect for the gazelles in order to maintain its growth. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to increase the knowdledge and understanding about how gazelles use management control systems to support their rapid growth and what affects them at this stage. Our contribution with this thesis is to identify what management tools that becomes important and what is critical in order to control and manage these enterprises in high growth. Method: The paper consists of a qualitative research strategy where a multiplecase study works as the foundation for our empirical data. We have interviewed four different enterprises using a semi-structured method. The empirical data has then been analyzed with the help of our theoretical framework. Conclusion: The management control systems in the gazelle companies are affected by several factors depending on their situation, the greatest factors we found were size and environment. These factors affects the way the companies use their management control systems. Examples of important control systems in high growth are reports, follow-ups and to control the business and its costs.

Empreendedorismo tem sido objeto de incentivo no mundo e no Brasil, dada a sua significante contribuição para o desenvolvimento econômico e social de uma nação. Observa-se que a maioria das empresas, existentes ou novas, evolui de forma lenta e gradual; no entanto, reduzida parcela apresenta um padrão diferente, com crescimento elevado em faturamento ou número de colaboradores: são as empresas de alto crescimento (EACs). Tais empresas são as responsáveis por grande parte da geração de empregos (Birch, 1981; Coad, Daunfeldt, Holzl, Johansson, & Nightingale, 2014; Henrekson & Johansson, 2010; OECD, 2010). A presente tese procurou identificar as variáveis que ajudam a explicar o desempenho das EACs no Brasil, classificadas conforme critério da OECD (2007). Foi conduzida uma pesquisa com 470 empresas brasileiras, que coletou mais de 30 variáveis preditoras categóricas ou métricas, utilizadas no modelo Regressão Logística. Foram identificadas algumas variáveis alinhadas com a literatura e outras menos intuitivas e documentadas. Comprovou-se o aumento da probabilidade de EACs quando se relacionavam com aceleradoras, recebiam premiações ou eram spin-offs de outras empresas. Em função das altas taxas de juros bancários e da cultura empreendedora no Brasil, surpreendeu o impacto positivo de empréstimos bancários e a percepção dos empreendedores sobre registrar marcas comerciais, bem como o impacto negativo da percepção sobre propaganda em mídia digital e doações de instituições de fomento, relacionadas às EACs. Análises adicionais com o subgrupo de EACs caracterizadas como gazelas foram feitas. Embora apresente limitações de surveys e outras, a tese confirmou parte dos resultados da literatura sobre empreendedorismo e identificou avenidas para futuras pesquisas. / Entrepreneurship has been object of encouragement in the world and in Brazil, given its significant contribution to the economic and social development of a nation. It is observed that the majority of companies, existing or new, are developing slowly and gradually; however, small share presents a different pattern, with high growth in sales or number of employees: they are the high growth firms (HGFs). These firms are responsible for a large part of job creation (Birch, 1981; Coad, Daunfeldt, Holzl, Johansson, & Nightingale, 2014, Henrekson & Johansson, 2010, OECD, 2010). This thesis aimed to identify the variables that help to explain the performance of HGFs in Brazil, according to OECD (2007) criterion. A survey with 470 Brazilian companies was conducted, collecting more than 30 categorical or metric predictor variables, used in the Logistic Regression model. Some identified variables were aligned to literature, but others less intuitive or documented. It was confirmed the increase in the probability of HGFs when they related to accelerators, received awards, or were spin-offs of other companies. As a consequence of the high banking interest rates and the entrepreneurship culture in Brazil, surprised the positive impact of bank loans and the entrepreneurs\' perception of trademark registration, as well as the negative impact of perception on advertising in digital media and donations from development institutions, related to HGFs. Additional analyzes with the subgroup of HGFs characterized as gazelles were made. Although it presents limitations of surveys and others, the thesis confirmed part of the results of the literature on entrepreneurship and identified avenues for future researches.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the life cycle stages of the chosen gazelles in Sweden and identify their effectiveness related to the stages. Furthermore, we study whether the given characteristic of the gazelle companies correspond to the suggested characteristics of the given theoretical framework. Gazelles, as the outstanding performers of both financial profits and job creators of our society, they are always struggling to sustain growth and satisfy market needs in order to maintain their prestigious status. Therefore, it is critical for them to access their abilities as well as constraints of the current organizational structures and we seek the solutions to these problems through the organizational life cycle theory perspective. Our study focuses on the Dagens Industri’s gazelle award winners that are carefully evaluated by the strict criteria it provides. Also, we revisit the various previous studies in the field of the organizational life cycle and effectiveness in order to provide the foundation for our analysis. In order to serve our purpose, we study 26 gazelles from Sweden in dept by reviewing their annual reports and official websites and provide the reader with quantities data research that are self-administrated concerning the different attributes of the life cycle stages and effectiveness. In conclusion, we find that the majority of the Swedish gazelle companies we have studied correspond to the second stage of the life cycle model which focuses on human relations model as an effectiveness area. However, these firms demonstrate unique effectiveness that genuine SMEs do not have, such as high focus on R&D and harmony between flexibility and control in their organizational structure.

Tillväxt och ekonomistyrning förstärker varandra simultant då en växande företagsstorlek har en positiv inverkan på utvecklingen av ekonomistyrning. Samtidigt möjliggör en välanpassad ekonomistyrning en fortsatt hög tillväxttakt via dess förmåga att hantera tillväxthämmande faktorer. Utvecklingen av ekonomistyrning påverkas av en kombination av interna och externa drivare. / Growth and management control systems influence each other. The emergence of management control systems are driven by both external and internal factors. Management control systems do not stimulate growth in itself, but is necessary for enabling continued growth.

Empreendedorismo tem sido objeto de incentivo no mundo e no Brasil, dada a sua significante contribuição para o desenvolvimento econômico e social de uma nação. Observa-se que a maioria das empresas, existentes ou novas, evolui de forma lenta e gradual; no entanto, reduzida parcela apresenta um padrão diferente, com crescimento elevado em faturamento ou número de colaboradores: são as empresas de alto crescimento (EACs). Tais empresas são as responsáveis por grande parte da geração de empregos (Birch, 1981; Coad, Daunfeldt, Holzl, Johansson, & Nightingale, 2014; Henrekson & Johansson, 2010; OECD, 2010). A presente tese procurou identificar as variáveis que ajudam a explicar o desempenho das EACs no Brasil, classificadas conforme critério da OECD (2007). Foi conduzida uma pesquisa com 470 empresas brasileiras, que coletou mais de 30 variáveis preditoras categóricas ou métricas, utilizadas no modelo Regressão Logística. Foram identificadas algumas variáveis alinhadas com a literatura e outras menos intuitivas e documentadas. Comprovou-se o aumento da probabilidade de EACs quando se relacionavam com aceleradoras, recebiam premiações ou eram spin-offs de outras empresas. Em função das altas taxas de juros bancários e da cultura empreendedora no Brasil, surpreendeu o impacto positivo de empréstimos bancários e a percepção dos empreendedores sobre registrar marcas comerciais, bem como o impacto negativo da percepção sobre propaganda em mídia digital e doações de instituições de fomento, relacionadas às EACs. Análises adicionais com o subgrupo de EACs caracterizadas como gazelas foram feitas. Embora apresente limitações de surveys e outras, a tese confirmou parte dos resultados da literatura sobre empreendedorismo e identificou avenidas para futuras pesquisas. / Entrepreneurship has been object of encouragement in the world and in Brazil, given its significant contribution to the economic and social development of a nation. It is observed that the majority of companies, existing or new, are developing slowly and gradually; however, small share presents a different pattern, with high growth in sales or number of employees: they are the high growth firms (HGFs). These firms are responsible for a large part of job creation (Birch, 1981; Coad, Daunfeldt, Holzl, Johansson, & Nightingale, 2014, Henrekson & Johansson, 2010, OECD, 2010). This thesis aimed to identify the variables that help to explain the performance of HGFs in Brazil, according to OECD (2007) criterion. A survey with 470 Brazilian companies was conducted, collecting more than 30 categorical or metric predictor variables, used in the Logistic Regression model. Some identified variables were aligned to literature, but others less intuitive or documented. It was confirmed the increase in the probability of HGFs when they related to accelerators, received awards, or were spin-offs of other companies. As a consequence of the high banking interest rates and the entrepreneurship culture in Brazil, surprised the positive impact of bank loans and the entrepreneurs\' perception of trademark registration, as well as the negative impact of perception on advertising in digital media and donations from development institutions, related to HGFs. Additional analyzes with the subgroup of HGFs characterized as gazelles were made. Although it presents limitations of surveys and others, the thesis confirmed part of the results of the literature on entrepreneurship and identified avenues for future researches.

This thesis is about firm dynamics, and relates to the size and growth-rate distribution of firms. As such, it consists of an introductory and four separate chapters. The first chapter concerns the size distribution of firms, the two subsequent chapters deal more specically with high-growth firms (HGFs), and the last chapter covers a related topic in distributional estimation theory. The first three chapters are empirically oriented, whereas the fourth chapter develops a statistical concept. / <p>QC 20130215</p>

Bakgrund: Kraven på Corporate Social Responsibility i företag ökar till följd av ökad medvetenhet i samhället. Högst är påtryckningarna på stora företag, men det innebär inte att små- och medelstora företag inte ställs inför krav. Utmaningar med implementering av CSR har dock en tendens att påverka mindre företag mer. Eftersom gasellföretag är mindre företag som dessutom karaktäriseras av en otroligt snabb tillväxttakt har det väckt ett intresse att studera hur dessa typer av företag upplever krav kring CSR samt hur de arbetar med detta. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om gasellföretag engagerar sig i CSR-aktiviteter och i sådana fall i vilken utsträckning. Vidare är syftet att öka förståelsen kring hur en snabb tillväxttakt kan komma att påverka ett företags CSR-arbete i en sådan föränderlig omvärld och vad det huvudsakliga syftet bakom ett sådant engagemang är. Metod: Studien utgår från ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv med en induktiv ansats. Datainsamlingen är gjord genom en kvalitativ flerfallstudie där fem gasellföretag har intervjuats. Detta har kompletterats med olika dokument i form av hållbarhetsredovisningar och företagens hemsidor. Slutsats: Studien visar att gasellföretag arbetar med CSR, men i olika utsträckning. Storleken på engagemanget beror främst på ett personligt engagemang och en vilja från ledningsnivå. Den snabba tillväxttakten gör att det kan vara svårt att ägna tid och pengar till ett integrerat CSR-arbete. Studien visar dock att det är väsentligt att börja sitt CSR-arbete redan från start för att sedan låta det växa med storleken av företaget. / Background: The demand on Corporate Social Responsibility in corporations is increasing due to increased awareness in society. The pressure is especially high on large corporations, but this does not mean that the pressure on small and medium enterprises is non-existing. However, challenges with implementation of CSR tends to affect smaller companies more. Since gazelles are smaller companies with an extraordinary high growth rate, it is interesting to study how these types of companies experience the demand on CSR and how they approach this. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine whether gazelles engage in CSR and to which extend. Furthermore, the purpose is to increase the understanding as to how a high growth rate can affect a company’s CSR-work in such a changing world and what the main purpose is behind such an engagement. Research Method: This study rest on a hermeneutic perspective with an inductive approach. The data collection has been conducted through a qualitative multiple case study where five different gazelles have been interviewed. These interviews have been supplemented with document studies in terms of each company’s website and sustainability report. Conclusion: The study shows that gazelles engage in CSR, but to which extend varies. The size of the engagement mainly depends on a personal engagement and a will from top management. The high growth rate makes it difficult to dedicate time and money to integrate CSR in the organization. However, the study shows that it is substantial to begin the CSR-work from the start to let it grow in the same pace as the company.