Diss.--European Business School, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Die Entwicklung von Technologien sowie die Veränderung von rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen haben die Handlungsmöglichkeiten von Industrieunternehmen im Zusammenhang mit der Energiebereitstellung seit der Jahrtausendwende deutlich erhöht: Neben dem klassischen Einkauf, d. h. dem Fremdbezug elektrischer Energie, können Industrieunternehmen eigene Kraftwerkskapazitäten aufbauen, um elektrische Energie selbst zu erzeugen. Ferner schafft die Liberalisierung des Energiemarktes die Voraussetzungen dafür, dass diese Unternehmen ihre selbst erzeugte elektrische Energie auch verkaufen bzw. ins öffentliche Netz einspeisen können. Zukünftig ist außerdem zu erwarten, dass Speichertechnologien eine immer größere Rolle spielen, um die Versorgungssicherheit unabhängig vom öffentlichen Stromnetz zumindest kurzzeitig aufrecht erhalten oder Lastspitzen abfangen zu können. Mit den skizzierten Entwicklungen geht eine zunehmende Komplexität der von Industrieunternehmen im Rahmen der Energiebereitstellung zu treffenden Entscheidungen einher. Die vorliegende Arbeit strukturiert diese Entscheidungen, arbeitet Handlungsalternativen und daraus zu bildende Handlungsbündel systematisch heraus und entwickelt schließlich ein Bewertungskonzept, mit dem auf Basis eines sukzessiven Vorgehens eine unter monetären Gesichtspunkten vorteilhafte Bereitstellungsalternative identifiziert werden kann. Das Bewertungskonzept stützt sich dabei auf Methoden der Investitionsrechnung und erfasst differenziert Produktions- sowie Transaktionskosten der jeweiligen Bereitstellungsalternativen.

Background: Make or buy decisions is the most fundamental part in a company’s manufacturing strategy. The decision is complex and involves sacrifices whichever strategy is chosen, and before making the decision the firm should understand and evaluate the trade-offs and comparative costs of manufacturing or outsourcing. The uniqueness of family firms is that they often operate their business with non-financial goals at the centre. This study will investigate the make or buy decisions at Väderstad AB, a family owned firm that deals with decisions of make or buy on a large scale, with many thousands of parts included in their final machines, and decisions made daily whether to make or buy. There is no existing research looking at the qualitative non-financial goals and factors in family firms and how it affects the make or buy decision. Purpose: This master thesis studies the make or buy decision at a family firm. The aim is twofold, namely, to explore the potential uniqueness of family firms within the context of the make or buy decision and then to create a make or buy decision model for a family firm. This aim is explorative, i.e. to generate theory, in the realm of family firm research. Method: This is a qualitative study performed by conducting a single case study methodology. 12 Semi-structured interviews with 14 employees from all parts of the case company and the use of documents from archival records were collected as data.  The data was analyzed with the technique of 1st order concepts, etc. as developed by Gioia. Conclusion: Our analysis showed that in the context of family firms, the primary factors influencing make or buy decisions at the case company were not financial goals. Instead drivers were goodwill for customers, innovation, quality, flexibility and control which are non-financial goals. However, financial goals were not neglected, but rather costs were measured after a decision had been made, proving that it was not in the centre of their operations before and during the decision and thus, it was secondary. As a result, non-financial goals played a larger role than financial goals in the make or buy decision.

Many multinational corporations find themselves frequently in the dichotomous question of whether to make or buy a given component; but when those companies are operating with a global purchasing strategy, oriented to high levels of centralization and dealing simultaneously with the implications of purchasing and producing the same item, the approach to take the decision becomes difficult to find, even with the current literature and practitioners knowledge This master thesis addresses in a comprehensive proposal the way to undertake this kind of make-or-buy decisions. Through the literature review done, regarding global purchasing strategy, purchasing models, supplier selection methods and make-or-buy frameworks; it was found a convenient model to merge those concepts with the empirical experiences of a single case study in the Italcementi Group, one of the largest Cement producers in the world. The model proposed considers both strategic and economic elements and is designed as an iterative algorithm that evaluates several alternatives in order to arrive to the best make-or-buy approach. The methodologies selected and combined to solve the problem are mostly quantitative, but keeping the importance of qualitative elements within the analysis. The outcome of the thesis is a contribution to academicians and practitioners aiming to turn the existing knowledge about make-or-buy decisions into practical solutions for business management.

<p>Cardo AB is an international corporate group that has performed major organizational changes the last few years. These changes utilize possible synergies that exist in a corporate group. One of the initiatives is that Cardo wants to develop a model for make-or-buy decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is stated as:</p><p><em>The study’s purpose is to develop a generic model for make-or-buy decisions at Cardo.</em></p><p>To develop the model, a theoretical study was conducted, where four main aspects were identified: core capability, risk, cost and relationship. For each aspect, a tool to define what the aspects consist of was identified. The aspects were combined together into a model, called model version 1. To enhance and adjust the model to suit Cardo’s situation, an empirical study was conducted. In the empirical study, it was investigated how different sites within Cardo are currently working with make-or-buy decisions. Moreover, in the empirical study it was also revealed how Cardo is dealing with each of the aspects identified in theory. The combination of theory and empirical study formed the enhanced model, called model version 2. The last step in the procedure was to let several end-users review the model and suggest improvements. After this step, the final model was formed, called model version 3.The model combines the best practices from Cardo with the latest theoretical aspects. Using this model will help Cardo deal with make-or-buy decisions in a structured way. The model highlights the importance of connecting business strategy with the core capabilities of Cardo and provides a tool to identify this connection. Furthermore, the model highlights risks connected to outsourcing and provides tools to identify these risks. The model also applies a total cost approach. To calculate the different costs, a model is presented that functions as a guide when quantifying costs. Lastly, the model shows the importance of developing a proper relationship with the supplier according to the strategic importance of the product.Cardo AB is an international corporate group that has performed major organizational changes the last few years. These changes utilize possible synergies that exist in a corporate group. One of the initiatives is that Cardo wants to develop a model for make-or-buy decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is stated as:The study’s purpose is to develop a generic model for make-or-buy decisions at Cardo.To develop the model, a theoretical study was conducted, where four main aspects were identified: core capability, risk, cost and relationship. For each aspect, a tool to define what the aspects consist of was identified. The aspects were combined together into a model, called model version 1. To enhance and adjust the model to suit Cardo’s situation, an empirical study was conducted. In the empirical study, it was investigated how different sites within Cardo are currently working with make-or-buy decisions. Moreover, in the empirical study it was also revealed how Cardo is dealing with each of the aspects identified in theory. The combination of theory and empirical study formed the enhanced model, called model version 2. The last step in the procedure was to let several end-users review the model and suggest improvements. After this step, the final model was formed, called model version 3.The model combines the best practices from Cardo with the latest theoretical aspects. Using this model will help Cardo deal with make-or-buy decisions in a structured way. The model highlights the importance of connecting business strategy with the core capabilities of Cardo and provides a tool to identify this connection. Furthermore, the model highlights risks connected to outsourcing and provides tools to identify these risks. The model also applies a total cost approach. To calculate the different costs, a model is presented that functions as a guide when quantifying costs. Lastly, the model shows the importance of developing a proper relationship with the supplier according to the strategic importance of the product.</p>

Cardo AB is an international corporate group that has performed major organizational changes the last few years. These changes utilize possible synergies that exist in a corporate group. One of the initiatives is that Cardo wants to develop a model for make-or-buy decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is stated as: The study’s purpose is to develop a generic model for make-or-buy decisions at Cardo. To develop the model, a theoretical study was conducted, where four main aspects were identified: core capability, risk, cost and relationship. For each aspect, a tool to define what the aspects consist of was identified. The aspects were combined together into a model, called model version 1. To enhance and adjust the model to suit Cardo’s situation, an empirical study was conducted. In the empirical study, it was investigated how different sites within Cardo are currently working with make-or-buy decisions. Moreover, in the empirical study it was also revealed how Cardo is dealing with each of the aspects identified in theory. The combination of theory and empirical study formed the enhanced model, called model version 2. The last step in the procedure was to let several end-users review the model and suggest improvements. After this step, the final model was formed, called model version 3.The model combines the best practices from Cardo with the latest theoretical aspects. Using this model will help Cardo deal with make-or-buy decisions in a structured way. The model highlights the importance of connecting business strategy with the core capabilities of Cardo and provides a tool to identify this connection. Furthermore, the model highlights risks connected to outsourcing and provides tools to identify these risks. The model also applies a total cost approach. To calculate the different costs, a model is presented that functions as a guide when quantifying costs. Lastly, the model shows the importance of developing a proper relationship with the supplier according to the strategic importance of the product.Cardo AB is an international corporate group that has performed major organizational changes the last few years. These changes utilize possible synergies that exist in a corporate group. One of the initiatives is that Cardo wants to develop a model for make-or-buy decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is stated as:The study’s purpose is to develop a generic model for make-or-buy decisions at Cardo.To develop the model, a theoretical study was conducted, where four main aspects were identified: core capability, risk, cost and relationship. For each aspect, a tool to define what the aspects consist of was identified. The aspects were combined together into a model, called model version 1. To enhance and adjust the model to suit Cardo’s situation, an empirical study was conducted. In the empirical study, it was investigated how different sites within Cardo are currently working with make-or-buy decisions. Moreover, in the empirical study it was also revealed how Cardo is dealing with each of the aspects identified in theory. The combination of theory and empirical study formed the enhanced model, called model version 2. The last step in the procedure was to let several end-users review the model and suggest improvements. After this step, the final model was formed, called model version 3.The model combines the best practices from Cardo with the latest theoretical aspects. Using this model will help Cardo deal with make-or-buy decisions in a structured way. The model highlights the importance of connecting business strategy with the core capabilities of Cardo and provides a tool to identify this connection. Furthermore, the model highlights risks connected to outsourcing and provides tools to identify these risks. The model also applies a total cost approach. To calculate the different costs, a model is presented that functions as a guide when quantifying costs. Lastly, the model shows the importance of developing a proper relationship with the supplier according to the strategic importance of the product.

Die Entwicklung von Technologien sowie die Veränderung von rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen haben die Handlungsmöglichkeiten von Industrieunternehmen im Zusammenhang mit der Energiebereitstellung seit der Jahrtausendwende deutlich erhöht: Neben dem klassischen Einkauf, d. h. dem Fremdbezug elektrischer Energie, können Industrieunternehmen eigene Kraftwerkskapazitäten aufbauen, um elektrische Energie selbst zu erzeugen. Ferner schafft die Liberalisierung des Energiemarktes die Voraussetzungen dafür, dass diese Unternehmen ihre selbst erzeugte elektrische Energie auch verkaufen bzw. ins öffentliche Netz einspeisen können. Zukünftig ist außerdem zu erwarten, dass Speichertechnologien eine immer größere Rolle spielen, um die Versorgungssicherheit unabhängig vom öffentlichen Stromnetz zumindest kurzzeitig aufrecht erhalten oder Lastspitzen abfangen zu können. Mit den skizzierten Entwicklungen geht eine zunehmende Komplexität der von Industrieunternehmen im Rahmen der Energiebereitstellung zu treffenden Entscheidungen einher. Die vorliegende Arbeit strukturiert diese Entscheidungen, arbeitet Handlungsalternativen und daraus zu bildende Handlungsbündel systematisch heraus und entwickelt schließlich ein Bewertungskonzept, mit dem auf Basis eines sukzessiven Vorgehens eine unter monetären Gesichtspunkten vorteilhafte Bereitstellungsalternative identifiziert werden kann. Das Bewertungskonzept stützt sich dabei auf Methoden der Investitionsrechnung und erfasst differenziert Produktions- sowie Transaktionskosten der jeweiligen Bereitstellungsalternativen.