<p>Frequently discussed in different contexts, corporate strategy and strategic planning is something</p><p>which importance hardly will diminish over the coming years as competition grows harder. The needs</p><p>for companies to think ahead of their business operations have grown increasingly during the</p><p>decades.</p><p>From the viewpoint of an independent researcher I have decided to look at Swedish companies</p><p>operating in Sweden and abroad. I want to know how the strategic planning process takes place in</p><p>these companies, in order to give an insight to what the process could look like in Sweden today.</p><p>My research question has been: How is strategic planning perceived in Swedish companies?</p><p>I have selected some different theories from the university library’s collection of databases,</p><p>respectively dealing with leadership, outsourcing, business intelligence et cetera.</p><p>These theories are the foundation of the semi-structured and by telephone, in-person and internet</p><p>performed interviews with seven different managers at some selected companies in different</p><p>businesses, mainly located in northern Sweden. Asking questions based on the underlying theories I</p><p>have been able to draw some conclusions about the planning processes in the studied companies.</p><p>The study shows that almost all companies have some kind strategic planning process and that more</p><p>or less all of them to some extent consider some of the theories employed in the theory chapter.</p><p>While only two companies seemed to be quite strict, the rest had some emergent semi-structured</p><p>strategic plan with much flexibility, which is not necessarily wrong.</p>

Frequently discussed in different contexts, corporate strategy and strategic planning is something which importance hardly will diminish over the coming years as competition grows harder. The needs for companies to think ahead of their business operations have grown increasingly during the decades. From the viewpoint of an independent researcher I have decided to look at Swedish companies operating in Sweden and abroad. I want to know how the strategic planning process takes place in these companies, in order to give an insight to what the process could look like in Sweden today. My research question has been: How is strategic planning perceived in Swedish companies? I have selected some different theories from the university library’s collection of databases, respectively dealing with leadership, outsourcing, business intelligence et cetera. These theories are the foundation of the semi-structured and by telephone, in-person and internet performed interviews with seven different managers at some selected companies in different businesses, mainly located in northern Sweden. Asking questions based on the underlying theories I have been able to draw some conclusions about the planning processes in the studied companies. The study shows that almost all companies have some kind strategic planning process and that more or less all of them to some extent consider some of the theories employed in the theory chapter. While only two companies seemed to be quite strict, the rest had some emergent semi-structured strategic plan with much flexibility, which is not necessarily wrong.

Sustainability issues have become increasingly high-profile and important in recent decades. In addition, quality issues have come to play a central role in corporate marketing, strategy and management. The word quality can be defined differently in different contexts. This paper focuses on the concept of quality, based on the Total Quality Management perspective, which in Swedish has come to be known as Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling has been described as a theoretical framework in which an organization continually strives to meet and preferably exceed customer needs and expectations at the lowest cost through continuous improvement, and in which all members of the organization are committed and focused on the organisation's processes. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to clarify the applicability of the theoretical model Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling as a theoretical explanatory model. Second, to explore how Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB performs according to the values in Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. A multiple case study was conducted in order to explore these topics. The results showed that Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB is working in a dedicated and value-driven manner, aligned with the values ​​that form the basis for Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. The results also showed that the model for Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling could serve well as a theoretical explanatory model, but that the model would benefit from being developed, enriched or integrated with other models. This is true, particularly if the aim is to study organisations that emphasize social responsibility. / Hållbarhetsfrågorna har blivit allt mer uppmärksammade och viktiga under de senaste decennierna och kvalitetsfrågorna har även kommit att få en central roll i företagens marknadsföring, strategi och ledning. Ordet kvalitet kan definieras på olika sätt. Uppsatsen fokuserar på kvalitetsbegreppet utifrån Total Quality Management perspektivet, som på svenska har kommit att benämnas Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. Den Offensiva kvalitetsutvecklingen, som teoretisk referensram, innebär i korthet att en organisation ständigt strävar efter att uppfylla och helst överträffa kundernas behov och förväntningar till lägsta kostnad genom ett kontinuerligt förbättringsarbete där alla är engagerade och som har fokus på organisationens processer. Syftet med denna uppsats är att redogöra för tillämpligheten av Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling som teoretisk förklaringsmodell och att undersöka hur Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB arbetar enligt värderingarna i Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. En flerfallsstudie genomfördes i syfte att finna svar. Resultatet visade att Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB arbetar på ett dedikerat och värderingsstyrt sätt, väl i linje med de värderingar som utgör grunden för Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. Uppsatsen visade även på att Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling fungerar som teoretisk förklaringsmodell men att den kan utvecklas eller kompletteras med andra modeller om syftet är att studera verksamheter som betonar sitt sociala ansvar.