Bachelor Thesis Music & Event Management School of Economics at Linneaus University of Kalmar, Economics, 2FE40E, Spring 2013 Author: Johan Hagelberg, Sofia Prins & Oskar Sjögren Supervisor: Petter Boye Examinator: Thomas Karlsson Titel: Det svåraste som finns är att tänka i nya banor - En studie kring personalhantering och effektivisering av arbetet på svenska musikfestivaler. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how different music festivals in Sweden can work to increase the efficiency by managing the workforce and internal knowledge. Method: The study was based on a qualitativ method with an abductive approach. The majority of the data comes from qualitativ interviews with persons in the industry. Conclusion: The music festivals in Sweden are acting under a constant economic pressure which leads to an experienced need for a larger workforce - mosty non-profit. The result of this study shows that the larger workforces are both unmotivated and decreases the effeciency of the work. The study aims to highlight the diffrenses between non-profit and commersial festivals and the way they work with human resource management and personal in different levels of the organization.

The overall topics within the research are Human Capital and Leadership and my aim has been to examine two knowledge-intensive companies and scrutinize in what way these companies practise leadership. The purpose has among other things been to examine which challenges arises when manage/lead the employees within knowledge-intensive companies, how the knowledge-intensive companies can develop and retain their employees and which needs and requirements exists regarding leadership within these. The empirical data has been collected through interviews, both personal interviews and telephone interviews; therefore, I have interviewed one manager and seven employees from two knowledge-intensive companies. The companies which have been scrutinized are two knowledge-intensive companies; accordingly two case studies have been conducted. The thesis partly consists of two cases and these two companies will be presented within the appendix of the thesis. Besides, the introduction chapter, the methodology chapter, the chapter which is called the Frame of Reference and a conclusion chapter, a fourth chapter consists of the empirical study, analysis and renderings. The empirical study is presented in a flowing text connected with the analysis and renderings.   My aim has also been to study literature and theory regarding knowledge-intensive companies since knowledge-intensive companies constitute a major part of my study. Moreover, the organisational structure called adhocracy has been examined as Alvesson (1995) portray, that it is a characteristic of knowledge-intensive companies and which seems to play a big role for how leadership is executed within these. Knowledge Management, Human Resources Management, Human Capital Management, Talent Management and some criticism towards Talent Management are four concepts as well as one important part regarding critique towards one of the concepts that has been scrutinized. Why I have chosen to write about these concepts is because I think these are suitable for my study regarding knowledge-intensive companies and leadership. Another concept that has been examined is whether there is a new trend within leadership according to what some authors promote. I have examined the issue and I have made a comparison between my collected empirical material and the studied theory. A figure that I have used is the figure illustrated at page 18, by Alvesson (2000) and by implementing the figure a comprehension and illustration can be set forth based on where the examined knowledge-intensive companies turn out to be positioned.   A fifth chapter contains the conclusions and the empirical findings reveal that a knowledge-intensive company might encounter varying challenges as well as I state which leadership style is convenient within knowledge-intensive companies. The concepts of Knowledge Management, Human Resource Management, Human Capital Management and Talent Management are utilized within knowledge-intensive companies as the employees within these are rather autonomous. Social features as well as the outcome of knowledge-intensive companies are reflected, to sum up.            Knowledge-intensive companies are considerable in our society today as Seo et al. (2011) explain. Thus, I think it is crucial for potential leaders as today’s leaders and managers to gain an insight in what way leadership is practised within knowledge-intensive companies as these companies are composed of or made up by an immense part Human Capital. I, as well as many other people, hold competencies in the form of for example experiences and education and although these are valuable resources for a company, especially for a knowledge-intensive company, these companies can never own this kind of resources. This is consequently a fundamental issue within companies. Hence, my thesis aim is to support people with deep knowledge and interesting aspects regarding the research question, consequently I have endeavoured at creating a valuable thesis which can be of significance for me and for others. I want individuals to gain a deep knowledge and thereby enhance their knowledge about knowledge-intensive companies and leadership within these by reading my thesis, as I have.

ABSTRACT This study employed components drawn from Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the person agency and environment, to investigate the determinants of career-relevant knowledge/skills learning. Three types of psychological contract (PC) and self-efficacy (SE) were represented the person agency, and the job availability in free labor market (FLM) and commitment-oriented human resource management (HRM) were represented environment components. Based on the data from 990 employees from 62 firms analyzing, the findings revealed that relational and balanced PCs are positively related to firm-specific knowledge learning aspiration (KLA), whereas transactional one has negative relation with firm-specific KLA. FLM is positively correlated with self value-added KLA. SE is positively related to both KLAs. The three way interaction of relational and balanced PC, FLM, and SE has significant impacts on self value-added KLA. HRM has no direct impact on KLAs , but moderates the relationship between relational/balanced PC and firm-specific KLA. This study contributes to the psychological contract and SCCT researches, and the findings enhance the understanding of employees¡¦ concerns about their learning decisions which assist employer to consider their knowledge management strategy and practices.

Two of the most important issues in knowledge age are knowledge management and innovation. Companies that is able to control knowledge, able to develop the ability of innovation. Therefore, understand how to acquire, encode, diffuse, storage knowledge, and how to match knowledge and management system, is very important for organizations. Knowledge workers are the most important carrier of knowledge. They are the one who actually learn, share, use, and create knowledge. Thus, understand and pay attention to knowledge worker and the management of knowledge worker should be considered one part of knowledge management. Moreover, knowledge management should match corporation¡¦s competitive strategy. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the relationship among organizational characteristics, knowledge management, strategy of knowledge management, organizational innovation, and consider the influence of the strategy of knowledge management and organizational characters to knowledge management and organizational innovation. The results of the research indicate that: The lifecycle of a company has significant difference on organizational innovation. The scale of a company has also significant difference on organizational innovation. In addition to difference analysis, relation analysis indicates that ¡§connect performance and reward¡¨, ¡¨improve knowledge which is already there¡¨, ¡§leadership of knowledge¡¨, ¡§institutionalize the measurement of knowledge¡¨, ¡§organic organization structure¡¨, and ¡§culture of learning¡¨ has significant influence on organizational innovation. As the result, the suggestions are: companies should develop their manager¡¦s ability of leadership of knowledge; connect performance and reward; improve knowledge which is already there; institutionalize the measurement of knowledge; establish organic organization structure; and create the culture of learning.

Take service employees of financial industries for example, the purpose of this study is to discuss the effects of human resource systems on service employees¡¦ organizational commitment and role performance. Moreover, the result of this study will be the reference for service industries to make their human resource management policies. The questionnaire survey was adopted for the study. The samples are the front-line service employees of financial industries of Taiwan. There were totally 480 questionnaires were released, and 401 of them are valid samples. Through statistics analysis, the main results of the study are: 1. Except profit sharing, other practices of high performance work system have positively influential effect on value and effort commitment, effort commitment or both of value and effort commitment and effort commitment. Moreover, except profit sharing, other practices of high performance work system have positively influential effect on commitment of service employees. 2. Job descriptions have positively influential effect on in-role behavior. Therefore, Job descriptions could make service employees easy to follow the code of conduct and operation processes. One of this research result is one practice of high performance work system has positively influential effect on in-role behavior. 3. Job descriptions have positively influential effect on OCBI-behaviors that immediately benefit specific individuals and indirectly through this means contribute to the organization. On the other hand, job descriptions could make service employees easy to achieve the requests of organization. Moreover, it could make service employees get positive attitude and free-will to help colleagues. One of this research result is one practice of high performance work system has positively influential effect on organizational citizenship behavior. Based on the above conclusions, this study offers some suggestions as the references for the service industry.

Since last year 2008, the economy has started going down and the unemployment rate has risen uncontrollably. Our government promised to take the citizens out of this bad condition. To improve the citizen satisfaction, the government should lead the whole government team to progress. And before doing so, understanding the attitude of civil servants is very important, because the higher satisfaction the civil servants have, the harder they will work. However, the issue about employment satisfaction is widely researched by many scholars. As a result, this research will focus on the six HRM practice practices , which are selecting , training and development, performance appraisal, organization structure and process , communication and rewards. In this study, the main research intends to understand the difference between the perception of the civil servants on the current stage and their perception of the ideal condition. And the personal characteristics impact on the employment satisfaction. This study concluded the main results as follows: 1. There appears significant difference in HRM practices between civil servant¡¦s actual and ideal perception. 2. Person characteristics will affect the satisfaction of civil servants in different HRM practice dimensions.

This research explores the nature and extent of management development and training of senior and middle managers working in Palestinian telecommunication organizations using a basic trichotomous (three-stage) model: needs assessment, training development, and evaluation. A critical review of the literature is presented to identify the different approaches and key principles that make up the field of training and development. Using the survey approach, primary data were collected to answer the research question. A total of 142 questionnaires were distributed among senior and middle managers with 110 questionnaires being completed and returned (77 per cent response rate). Field work was also supported with 10 selected interviews with high ranking officials in the surveyed organizations to help corroborate the results. Thereafter, data was analysed using SPSS and spread sheets, and then compared with data available from literature. Despite the presence of a rather systematic approach to training, the findings show that the current status of training in the surveyed organizations is inadequate with heavy emphasis on traditional methods throughout the three stages; the current system does not offer a holistic perspective to training and development. This study presents an exploratory investigation into the training status in telecommunication organizations. It provides a fundamental foundation for future research aimed at expanding the available knowledge within the context of the study. In addition, specific strengths and weaknesses in the current system are identified using the trichotomous model in a more practical manner. Overall, this thesis offers both professionals and academics a fresh perspective on training in Palestinian telecommunication organizations; it not only highlights the importance of training but also stresses that future initiatives and programs are more carefully designed and implemented.

Enhancing of internationalisation in Higher education institutions is investigated in the dissertation, with the priority given to human resource management. The intercultural competence is identified as an instrument for complex improvement of internationalisation: its perspectives quantitative and qualitative results. The theoretical and empirical research results are summarised in the concept of HEIs’ internationalisation proposed, which is based on the idea of human resource intercultural competence development. / Darbe nagrinėjamos aukštojo mokslo institucijų veiklos internacionalizavimo tobulinimo problemos, prioritetizuojant žmonių išteklių vadybą. Analizuojama aukštojo mokslo institucijų internacionalizavimo samprata, subjektai ir veiksniai sąlygojantys internacionalizavimo plėtrą, bei kokybinius ir kiekybinius parametrus. Atliktų teorinių ir empirinių tyrimų rezultatai yra apibendrinami pateikiamoje aukštojo mokslo institucijų internacionalizavimo koncepcijoje, grįstoje aukštojo mokslo institucijų žmonių išteklių tarpkultūrinės kompetencijos formavimu. Darbe patiekiami sprendimai siūlomai koncepcijai realizuoti.

The improvement of human resources management is of crucial importance in assuring successful implementation of public sector reforms. Different aspects and factors of strategic human resource management (hereinafter – SHRM) are analyzed in foreign scientific literature. However personnel specialists receive poor attention in this context. Therefore the scientific problem analyzed in this thesis is composed of two main questions: what functions form the system of SHRM in public organization, and is the implementation of the system of SHRM functions related to practice characteristics of personnel specialists? While analyzing scientific literature, the main attitudes of SHRM concept were formulated, systems of functions relevant to SHRM was composed. Also there were distinguished practice characteristics of personnel specialists, which might be related to implementation of system of SHRM functions. The peculiarities of implementation of SHRM functions and significant practice characteristic of personnel specialists were revealed while analyzing the finding of empirical research accomplished in municipalities’ administrations. In order to implement the system of SHRM functions in Lithuanian municipal administrations, recommendations for improvement of functions implemented by personnel specialists and formation of their practice characteristic are given in the end of dissertation. / Užtikrinant sėkmingą viešojo sektoriaus reformų įgyvendinimą, ypatingai svarbus yra žmogiškųjų išteklių valdymo tobulinimas. Užsienio literatūroje nagrinėjami strateginio žmogiškųjų išteklių valdymo (toliau – SŽIV) veiksniai ir aspektai, tačiau personalo specialistams šiame kontekste dėmesys neskiriamas. Todėl darbe nagrinėjamą mokslinę problemą sudaro du pagrindiniai klausimai: kokios funkcijos turi sudaryti SŽIV sistemą viešojoje organizacijoje; kaip SŽIV funkcijų sistemos įgyvendinimas yra susijęs su personalo specialistų veiklos charakteristikomis. Analizuojant mokslinę literatūrą suformuluotos pagrindinės SŽIV nuostatos, sudaryta šią koncepciją atitinkančių funkcijų sistema bei išskirtos personalo specialistų veiklos charakteristikos, galinčios turėti sąsajų su SŽIV funkcijų sistemos įgyvendinimu. Savivaldybių administracijose įvykdyto empirinio tyrimo duomenys atskleidė SŽIV funkcijų sistemos įgyvendinimo šiose institucijose ypatumus bei reikšmingas personalo specialistų veiklos charakteristikas. Darbo pabaigoje pateikiamos personalo specialistų įgyvendinamų funkcijų tobulinimo bei veiklos charakteristikų formavimo rekomendacijos, siekiant savivaldybių administracijose įgyvendinti strateginį žmogiškųjų išteklių valdymą.

Problem: Stress at the workplace has become an increasing phenomenon due to external factors such as technological advancement, changes in the economy of a country which might lead to becoming redundant and so on. Stress can be considered as an inevitable condition at least at one point in time or another; however it can also be minimized to the extent that the productivity and health of the employee is maintained which could lead to a productive organization. Stress is also bound to occur in multinational companies where operation is global and employees have different cultural background.Purpose: Our purpose for this study is to have a clear understanding of the causes of stress at a multinational company such as Volvo Trucks AB Umeå, and how Stress by the employees as well as the company’s management are managed or handled.Methodology: This thesis has been made using qualitative approach, with a descriptive and exploratory case study approach. The data used are collected through conducting semi-structured interviews with 6 different employees from Volvo Trucks AB, Umeå one of whom works as a therapist at the company.Findings: The causes of stress at the work place range from personal problems to work overload, physical working environment, work situation and conflicts among colleagues and managers. Many employees struggle with stress, in worst cases leading to uncertainties and severe impairments on health and performance. The main situations that generate stress are likely uncontrollable, unpredictable, and some are not known. But alternatively there are several resources available like personal awareness in coping skills. For example: time management, assertiveness, ways to higher up self-confidence and so on. Management can also utilize some resources for reducing the stress level of the employees by providing services and facilities such as health facilities at the company, giving easy and on time access to therapist and also having free time activities and entertainment. Stress is related between the employee and the employer as the performance of the employee is affected by his/her stress level which intern affects the company’s productivity. Therefore stress management is Vital for both. The most successful stress management mechanisms found was time management, sharing of feelings and leisure activities.