The paperless office is a concept that has been around for decades. The concept concerns digital technology replacing paper as a medium within the office, but so far a completely paperless office has yet to be achieved. In this study, we have reviewed previous research in order to understand potential reasons for this. We interviewed local offices, to find out how they used paper around the office, and information about what properties a replacement might need. The research questions that guided us through our study were: In what way do local offices store and index data? What themes can we find in their practices that help us further the paperless office? Can we use our findings to create a concept design? Using the information we gathered we designed a conceptual prototype styled after a common binder, to associate the mental models used when working with paper, and imbuing it with digital technology.

Trots att datorer har funnits en längre tid och används mer och mer kvarstår användningen av papper på kontor. En förklaring är att det inte finns tillräckligt bra digitala verktyg för att få bort papper från arbetet. I denna kvalitativa fallstudie undersöks kontorsavdelningen på ABB Components om hur implementeringsprocesser för pappersfria informationsflöden kan införas på ett sätt som genererar fördelar med att arbeta digitalt. Resultatet från denna studie har baserats på data som har blivit insamlad från intervjuer och observationer som har genomförts på kontoret. Genom att identifiera vilka processer som använder papper på kontoret har olika datorprogram tagits fram för att underlätta implementeringen. Resultatet i denna studie tyder även på att implementeringen av pappersfriainformationsflöden bör vara en väl planerad förändringsprocess där verktyg tas fram för att kompensera för den tidigare pappersanvändningen. Vid införandet av pappersfria informationsflöden kan användandet av förbrukningsinventarieratt minska och platsen det tar att lagra papper försvinner. Detta kan leda till ett mer kostnadseffektivt arbete och mindre slöseri rent pappersmässigt. För att detta ska leda tillfördelar med användandet av konceptet måste arbetsrutiner göras om för att införandet ska fungera. / Although computers have been around for a long time and are used more and more, the use of paper inoffices remains. One of the reasons is that there are not good enough digital tools to get rid of paper from work. In this qualitative case study, the office department of ABB Components is investigating on how the implementation processes for a paperless information flows can be introduced in ways that generate benefits of working digitally. The result of this study will be based on data collected from interviews and observations carriedout in the office. By identifying which processes using paper in the office, different tools have been developed to facilitate the implementation. The result of this study suggests that the implementation of a paperless information flows must be a well-planned change process where tools are developed to compensate for the earlier use of paper. With the introduction of paperless information flows, the use of consumables will decrease and the location it takes to store these papers will disappear. This leads to more cost-effective work and less waste paper. In order for this concept to lead to a more beneficial routine it needs to be redesigned for the implementation.

Technologists predict that electronic information dissemination will create a paperless work environment. In spite of such predictions, paper-based internal communication will remain the primary medium for disseminating information in organizations for decades to come. However, electronic technology will have an impact on paper information production that may be more profound than changes following word processing's introduction. Previously unavailable for everyday production to enhance word meaning, certain graphic techniques now can be used to access readers' preconditioned symbol meanings to increase comprehension of routine correspondence and information internalization. This quasi-experimental field study examines interactions among laser-printer graphic treatment and communication variables as contributors to explaining variance in comprehension. Set Multiple Regression/Correlation analysis identifies significant variance explained by conditional relationships between near-typeset quality text and readers' self-interest and between near-typeset quality text and text's readability. The conditional relationship of near-typeset quality and self-interest shows increase in reader comprehension at a greater rate than the comprehension increase rate attributed to the reader's self-interest increase alone. This suggests that conditional relationships may be accessing an internal judgment process interpreting greater self-interest in near-typeset printed text. The conditional relationship between near-typeset quality and readability reveals that at more difficult reading levels comprehension is greater for near-typeset text. The significance of this relationship indicates that an internal judgment process is involved rather than the difference being attributed to legibility treatment. The strength of these conditional relationships suggests that planning for communication policies and practices should be a part of organizational strategic planning in the same ways as are financial analysis, operations planning, or human resource management.

The consumer society exploits the earth’s resources more than the earth itself has capability to produce. This over-consumption causes a mass production of products, which mean that more greenhouse gases are being emitted to the atmosphere. This is one of the reasons why the earth’s temperature is rising, where the result of it is worldwide disasters. The paper consumption is part of the causes to climate change, but this is something we can prevent by just changing little things in our everyday lives. Our question is: What does it actually take for us to stop wasting paper as we do? Is it possible at all? We decided to study what the IT-center of Jonkoping county council need to do to reduce their office paper printing. A survey and interviews were made to get to know the employees way to work. Many are very positive towards electronic documents and do not mind a change, as we can see in the results. But many admitted that they have a way to work that is hard to break. With these studies and previous cases, we found a solution for the IT-center. The solutions are reported in an electronic brochure.

<p>The consumer society exploits the earth’s resources more than the earth itself has capability to produce. This over-consumption causes a mass production of products, which mean that more greenhouse gases are being emitted to the atmosphere. This is one of the reasons why the earth’s temperature is rising, where the result of it is worldwide disasters. The paper consumption is part of the causes to climate change, but this is something we can prevent by just changing little things in our everyday lives. Our question is: What does it actually take for us to stop wasting paper as we do? Is it possible at all? We decided to study what the IT-center of Jonkoping county council need to do to reduce their office paper printing. A survey and interviews were made to get to know the employees way to work. Many are very positive towards electronic documents and do not mind a change, as we can see in the results. But many admitted that they have a way to work that is hard to break. With these studies and previous cases, we found a solution for the IT-center. The solutions are reported in an electronic brochure.</p>

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / Over the last few years there have been many changes to the container export industry. There are a variety of reasons for these changes including exchange rate fluctuations, fuel and energy price fluctuations and their effects on bulk freight rates. The pressure to enhance and remain competitive has also increased amid these rapid changes. An effective strategy is for companies to focus attentions on costs they can control. In the container freight industry, one of these costs is reducing the “paper” aspects of operations and increasing its “electronic” aspects. This thesis focuses specifically on evaluating FileBound®, document management software, for the purpose of going “paperless” in a Container Freight, Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) and freight forwarding company. Going paperless has many advantages: increased efficiency, paper and printing cost savings, time savings, storage cost savings, environmental benefits, efficient file retrieval, and enhanced customer service. By adopting the FileBound® technology, the case study company hopes to achieve most of these benefits, allowing it to reduce overall costs, and especially, reduce the number of employees managing physical documents and move people into sales and marketing. The critical assumption of the study was that the electronic processes contributed to time savings and it is from these time savings that most of the other benefits emanated. Therefore, a time study was conducted to determine the time savings resulting from using FileBound® in comparison to the current method in the file completion process. The data collected was analyzed using regression analysis to determine the factors that influenced time savings, if any, and their statistical significance. There are three specific activities involved with the process of completing a transaction in the container freight business: booking, instruction and bill of lading. The analysis was conducted for each of these steps in the process. The results show that the different methods, FileBound® or manual, were not statistically significant on determining the time it took to complete the file. That being said, this thesis recommends that a mixture of both the FileBound® and manual method be used to take advantage of the potential cost savings.

This master´s thesis discusses the introduction of a paperless office in manufacturing companies. The main goal of our work is to create a general framework for implementing paperless offices in such enterprises. The theoretical part presents the needs of today´s information society, focusing on the requirements of manufacturing companies. Next, the thesis describes the closely related topics such as company documentation and document archivation. The key chapter of the theoretical part deals with the subject of paperless office itself by discussing the current knowledge about different approaches, digitization, benefits, risks and suitable tools of information systems. The outcome of our work - and its main contribution - is the newly proposed general framework, which may serve as a guide for implementing paperless office solutions in the manufacturing companies. The practical part of the thesis demonstrates an application of the suggested framework to propose a solution for the company called Mi-King s.r.o.

The master thesis deals with the issue of proposing a solution which eliminates negative effects in an automotive company. The solution suggested is processed on the basis of a theoretical part (modern trends in production) and a detailed analysis. The final solution is a new operational layer of production management, using the implementation of MES system.

This master thesis has the purpose to analyse and identify smart efficient future solutions within the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) process for aircraft. The efficiency solutions, in form of new technologies and tools, should present a foundation that MRO suppliers can continue to develop to enhance and streamline their maintenance processes. The project was performed as a case study at the aerospace and defense company Saab AB in Linköping, where the company's MRO process was investigated. Through identifying possibilities and alternative technologies available today and in the near future, one continues to have a competitive and future-proof position in the market.  Through an own constructed course of action influenced from established methods, the thesis' purpose and aim was attained. The method was based on authentic approaches for case studies but also inspired by the so-called "Requirement Engineering". The combination of the methods resulted in a precise focus on the relevant subjects, together with a clear structure of the requirements on the technologies to reach a successful implementation. Through a detailed data collection comprised of study visits, interviews, literature studies, market analyses, and document reviews, multiple relevant technologies and requirement-lists for utilization were identified.  To concretize the use and potential improvements with the technologies, the project had the objective to develop a demonstrator with one of the technologies presented. The demonstrator should focus on minimizing the use of paper, which is a common problem among many market actors today. The most promising technology was considered to be a tablet application with an accommodated application. The selection of the tablet solution was based on the motivation that it is a well-established technology and a favorable first step from paperwork.  To conclude this master thesis, a tablet application was developed in Novacura Flow Studio, where the majority of the identified requirements were fulfilled. Beyond the demonstrator, an introduction and analysis of technologies, such as AR-glasses, voice guidance, additive manufacturing, and a digital twin, was presented.

For almost five decades, since the advent of the first computers for commercial use, the dream of the Paperless Office, a.k.a. total Information flow automation, has eluded the industry. Now, with the emergence of Internet- and Web-based technologies, daily we see examples of organizations like eBay and Amazon that perform their business in a fully automated manner without the use of paper or pen. However, bigger and older organizations that have more complex functions, like government organizations, have not been very successful in harnessing the latest technological innovations to completely automate their Information flow. We propose a Structured Information Flow (SIF) framework that provides the conceptual infrastructure to automate small and big, new and old organizations alike. The ease of the transformation is due to three key features of SIF that set it apart from any other Information flow automation scheme. First, SIF utilizes the attributes of the organization, such as the existing reporting structure, to model the automated Information flow. The rules governing the flow of Information are based on the hierarchy already in place, for example: A senior can view any Information owned by any of his/her direct subordinates. Second, SIF characterizes external organization entities as a special case of internal organization entities, allowing for seamless integration of the Information flow to and from them. Third, the SIF framework is independent of platform, method, organization, or technology. This gives it a generic nature that makes it applicable as a platform to implement multiple types of automated e-systems such as e-commerce, e-education, e-training, e-governance, etc. In this body of work, we formally define the SIF framework using state transformation language and a visual representation scheme specifically developed for this purpose. We also define the Information Interfaces, which are the mechanism for implementing rules- and constraint-based Information flow in SIF. / Master of Science