<p>E-commerce is far more common in large firms than in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a result SMEs risk competitive disadvantages. A growing body of research has attended to this problem but few studies examine the adoption of e-commerce from a broader contextual perspective. To be able to understand SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce it is desirable to study their contextual preconditions, approaches and effects.</p><p>The purpose of this study is to contribute to the theory building in the e-commerce area by forming a conceptual framework over SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce: the ECA (Electronic Commerce Adoption) framework. A central starting point for the study is Pettigrew’s (1985) contextual framework for strategic changes. The analysis dimensions in Pettigrew’s framework − content, context and process − are adapted to adoption of e-commerce. Thus, the ECA framework consists of analysis models that focus on a) the content, b) the context and c) the process of e-commerce adoption in SMEs. Further, the ECA framework includes an analysis model over the interplay between content, context and process and a typology over adoption situations. The SME in its role as a supplier is the unit of analysis. The study uses an abductive approach where results from previous studies in areas such as e-commerce, information systems and decision making are used as sources for forming the ECA framework. The ECA framework is then applied to the collection, interpretation and analyze of empirical data from the case studies of two small and one medium-sized enterprise. The case studies lead to the identification of additional elements that are added to the analysis models.</p><p>One contribution from the study is the typology over adoption situations. The typology, which builds on studies of Junghagen (1998) and Engsbo et al. (2001), divides the adoption of e-commerce in SMEs into five categories of adoption situations: proactive adoption situations, adaptive adoption situations, pragmatic adoption situations, forced adoption situations and enabled adoption situations. An adoption situation describes what is being adopted (content), why (context) and how (process).</p><p>Another contribution is the so called adoption guides. These are contextual conditions whose states indicate if a SME will adopt e-commerce or not and if so, which adoption situation they are likely to find themselves in. The adoption guides are: the relative dependence on individual customers, the degree of customer pressure, the strategic needs of e-commerce, the information complexity and, the CEO’s extent of aversion towards risk-taking. Consequently two major conclusions from this study are that SMEs’ e-commerce adoption can be divided into five different adoption situations and a small number of contextual conditions – here called adoption guides – determine which of them a SME tend to go through. The typology enables organizations that educate SMEs or support their development of e-commerce to design their efforts more efficiently and researchers to diversify the studied population. As the study is theory building the contributions and conclusions are propositions that need to be tested empirically in future studies.</p>

E-commerce is far more common in large firms than in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a result SMEs risk competitive disadvantages. A growing body of research has attended to this problem but few studies examine the adoption of e-commerce from a broader contextual perspective. To be able to understand SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce it is desirable to study their contextual preconditions, approaches and effects. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the theory building in the e-commerce area by forming a conceptual framework over SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce: the ECA (Electronic Commerce Adoption) framework. A central starting point for the study is Pettigrew’s (1985) contextual framework for strategic changes. The analysis dimensions in Pettigrew’s framework − content, context and process − are adapted to adoption of e-commerce. Thus, the ECA framework consists of analysis models that focus on a) the content, b) the context and c) the process of e-commerce adoption in SMEs. Further, the ECA framework includes an analysis model over the interplay between content, context and process and a typology over adoption situations. The SME in its role as a supplier is the unit of analysis. The study uses an abductive approach where results from previous studies in areas such as e-commerce, information systems and decision making are used as sources for forming the ECA framework. The ECA framework is then applied to the collection, interpretation and analyze of empirical data from the case studies of two small and one medium-sized enterprise. The case studies lead to the identification of additional elements that are added to the analysis models. One contribution from the study is the typology over adoption situations. The typology, which builds on studies of Junghagen (1998) and Engsbo et al. (2001), divides the adoption of e-commerce in SMEs into five categories of adoption situations: proactive adoption situations, adaptive adoption situations, pragmatic adoption situations, forced adoption situations and enabled adoption situations. An adoption situation describes what is being adopted (content), why (context) and how (process). Another contribution is the so called adoption guides. These are contextual conditions whose states indicate if a SME will adopt e-commerce or not and if so, which adoption situation they are likely to find themselves in. The adoption guides are: the relative dependence on individual customers, the degree of customer pressure, the strategic needs of e-commerce, the information complexity and, the CEO’s extent of aversion towards risk-taking. Consequently two major conclusions from this study are that SMEs’ e-commerce adoption can be divided into five different adoption situations and a small number of contextual conditions – here called adoption guides – determine which of them a SME tend to go through. The typology enables organizations that educate SMEs or support their development of e-commerce to design their efforts more efficiently and researchers to diversify the studied population. As the study is theory building the contributions and conclusions are propositions that need to be tested empirically in future studies.

Bakgrund: Globalisering har gjort försörjningskedjan till ett komplicerat nätverk med många påverkande faktorer. I försörjningskedjan är valet av anläggningars position viktigt för att företag ska behålla sin konkurrenskraft. Valet av lagerlokalisering har stor påverkan på ett företags framgång.   Problem: Lagerlokalisering är en komplex process med många faktorer som påverkar, att praktiskt tillämpa existerande modeller är komplicerat. Det saknas ett konceptuellt ramverk för lagerlokalisering.  Syfte: Syfte med examensarbetet är att skapa en konceptuell modell för beslutsfattandet för lagerlokalisering för mindre företag, att finna relevanta faktorer samt att praktiskt göra en förstudie för ett företag med verksamhet i Norra Europa. Beräkningar i rapporten är på transportkostnad, lagerkostnad, personalkostnad. Transporttid och kultur är två inre faktorer som tas hänsyn till.  Metod: Metodiken i arbetet sker genom en omfattande litteraturstudie, kvalitativa intervjuer med företaget och externa företag för förståelse och beräkningar. Beräkningar grundas i tyngdpunktsmodellen. Avgränsningar: Casestudien är en förstudie med jämförelse mellan Sverige, Polen och Holland. Fokus ligger på lagerlokalisering, således är inte lagereffektivitet inkluderad. Resultat: Ett konceptuellt ramverk presenteras med 3 huvudfaktorer; Strategi, Ekonomi och Miljö som leder till att beslut kan tas kring lagerlokalisering och flera inre faktorer. Huvudfaktorerna visar generella faktorer som lagerlokalisering måste ta hänsyn till. De inre faktorerna är faktorer som ett företag måste prioritera vilka som ska analyseras.  Resultatet av casestudien visar att transportkostnad är den största kostnadsposten samt att personalkostnad och lagerkostnad är stora poster i Sverige men relativt sett små vid lagerlokalisering i Polen. Optimala platsen för Hydroscand att placera ett centrallager är i nuläget, enligt tyngdpunktsmetoden, i Örebro men med hänsyn till omsättningstillväxt i Östeuropa förflyttas tyngdpunkten mot Stockholm. Det är stor skillnad i kulturen mellan Polen och Sverige vilket visar på att det krävs annat ledarskap i Polen.  Slutsats: Ett konceptuellt ramverk har gjorts som är applicerbar även praktiskt. Ramverket står inte för sig själv utan kräver kompetens inom lagerlokalisering samt övriga modeller. Den ger en bra grund för lagerlokalisering. Casestudien resulterar i material som ger grund till beslut om fortsatta analyser med lagerlokalisering. Praktisk påföljd: Studien resulterar i ett ramverk som är praktiskt användbart för personer och företag som ska se över lagerlokalisering samt redovisar en jämförelse mellan tre olika länder. Ramverket och studien ger en bra grund för fortsatta analyser.   Fortsatta studier: Fortsatt forskning bör ske inom praktiskt tillämpbara metoder för valet av lagerlokalisering. Att reda i vilka modeller som lämpas i olika stadier för företag? Vilka modeller används praktiskt av företag?. / Background: Globalization has made the supply chain into a complex network with many different factors involved. The design of the supply chain and warehouse location is important for the competitiveness of a business. Choosing warehouse location has a major impact on a company’s success. Problem: The decision-making of the warehouse location is a complex process with many influential factors which implicates that effectively applying existing models is complicated. There is lack of a conceptual framework for the decision-making of choosing warehouse location. Objective: The aim for this study is to create a conceptual model for decision-making of choosing warehouse location, finding the key factors and to do a real-life feasibility study for a company with operations in Northern Europe. Calculations are made on the transportation cost, inventory cost, personnel cost. Transportation and culture are two internal factors also taken into account. Methodology: The methodology of the study is through a literature review, qualitative interviews with the case company, and other companies for understanding and calculations. Calculations are based on the gravity model. Boundaries: The case study is a feasibility study with comparisons between Sweden, Poland and Holland. The focus is on warehouse location, thus warehouse efficiency is not included. Results: A conceptual framework is presented with three main factors: Strategy, Economics and Environment. The main factors are general factors whereas the internal factors are more specific. The main factors are always taken into consideration while the internal factors must be prioritized, since there are too many.  The further a company is to making the decision; more internal factors must be taken into account.  The outcome of the feasibility study shows that the transportation costs are the largest cost unit for all of the countries. Personnel and inventory cost are major cost units in Sweden, but relatively small in Poland. The Optimal location for a central warehouse to the case company is currently Örebro, according to the gravity model. As sales grow in Eastern Europe, the optimal location is moved towards Stockholm. There are differences in culture between Poland and Sweden, which indicates the need for different leadership style in Poland. Conclusion: A conceptual framework has been made that can be applied to a real case.  The framework requires some understanding of the process of choosing location for a warehouse since it does not stand on its own. There are other models to be use by combining this framework with others. The framework gives a good basis in the decision-making process of choosing warehouse location. The case study results in material that provides the basis for decisions on further analysis of warehouse location. Practical implications: The study results in a framework that is practical for individuals and companies to review warehouse location, and presents a comparison of three different countries. The framework and the study provide a good basis for further analysis. Further research: Further research should be done within practically applicable methods for the selection of warehouse location. To find out which models apply at different stages of business? What models are used in practice by companies?

Två grundläggande paradigm inom datavetenskap är objektorienterad programmering och relationsdatabasteknik. En kombinering av applikationer gjorda i ett objektorienterat programmeringsspråk med den beständighet och funktionalitet som ges av relationsdatabaser är en möjlig vidareutveckling av ens kunskaper inom dessa områden. Kombinationen av dessa båda förutnämnda paradigm innebär åtminstone ett problem som uppkommer då en relationsdatabas lagrar data i tabeller och en objektorienterad applikation lagrar data i objekt. Detta problem kallas objekt/relations paradigmens missanpassning. På grund av detta problem så måste kopplingen mellan paradigmen skötas av ett ramverk av något slag. I vår rapport så undersöker vi två av de ramverk som behandlar kopplingen mellan paradigmen. Specifikt i våran studie kommer vi att fokusera på kvalitetsattributet användbarhet. De ramverk som vi undersöker heter Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) och Hibernate. Båda dessa verktyg är skapade för det objektorienterade programmeringsspråket Java. / Two of the fundamental paradigms within computer science are object oriented programming and relational databases. A combination of an object oriented application with the persistence and functionality provided by relational databases is a further development of one’s knowledge within these areas. The combination of the two aforementioned paradigms will yield at least one problem, which occurs because in a database data is stored in tables whereas an object oriented application stores data in objects. This problem is called the object/relational paradigm mismatch. Because of this problem the connection between the paradigms must be handled by some kind of framework. In our report we investigate two of the frameworks which handle the connection between the paradigms. Specifically in our study we will focus on the quality attribute usability of the two frameworks and conduct a comparison between these two. The frameworks we investigate are called Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Hibernate. Both of these tools are created for the object oriented programming language Java.