The study investigates the influence of politics over technology to then deepen the relevance of semiconductors as part of the defence realm in the case of China. To this end, the importance of technology in warfare and the entailed trade-offs are illustrated along with the efforts to regulate the export flow. The theoretical framework focuses on finding local validity rather than a universal one, bridging politics and technology via the time factor. Hence, semiconductors are included in the Chinese defence sector showing the relevance given them by Beijing's plans for military modernisation. An overview of the supply chain allows for a better understanding of the implications stemming from its global structure, underscoring the autarky-efficiency challenges any state needs to address. Consequently, China embodies a favourable case study because of its domestic power structure, modernisation ambitions, and imposed export controls directing its choices. A thorough analysis of policies and procurement means is employed to confirm the securitisation of the technology, gauging domestic prospects, international responses, and hindrances. Finally, two scenarios structure the main drivers into plausible outlooks, sketching development in the short term and suggesting further research avenues.

Indirect procurement is becoming one of the most challenging function in food processing organizations, which need strategies to enhance supply chain sustainability. Food processing organizations could expect more than 50% maverick indirect costs out of the 80% procurement cost from total annual costs. The focus of the research question was on strategies procurement managers responsible for food processing indirect procurement could use to enhance supply chain sustainability. The conceptual framework for this study was resource dependency theory, and the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies some procurement managers responsible for food processing indirect procurement could use to enhance supply chain sustainability. Face-to-face semistructured interviews were used from 2 procurement managers from food processing organizations in Nairobi, Kenya, who were recorded and gave responses to 9 interview questions. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed into themes. Data were triangulated and then subjected to member checking to ensure reliability and strengthen credibility of collected data. The data revealed 2 major themes, which included, indirect procurement strategies, and resource availability. The identification of indirect procurement strategies was important because participants believed stakeholder partnering and collaboration in formulating procurement strategies could enhance value for money in indirect procurement. The resource availability was important to enhance supply chain sustainability. Implications for social change include cost reduction in the supply chain, increasing organization profits, lower products costs, which could improve economic, and social benefit.

No description available.

Public administrators continuously look for ways to improve administrative support processes, including the procurement of goods and services. The system of management developed by the late Dr. W. Edwards Deming has been advanced as a candidate to accomplish such improvements. His "System of Profound Knowledge" is a robust, theoretically based framework which provides the means to analyze these processes using data and facts and advances an interdependent set of activities designed to liberate and use human capital to effect continuous improvement. Included in Dr. Deming's framework is a theory for procuring goods and services which results in cooperation and trust between the supplier and the customer. In contrast, the Federal procurement system is perceived to rely heavily on competition and embody a lack of trust between the suppliers and the government. This research examined the relationships four Federal organizations implementing versions of continuous improvement are establishing with their suppliers in order to illuminate government's ability to apply Dr. Deming's theory. / Ph. D.

This study applies a theoretical framework from institutional organization theory (Scott, 2001) to examine the problem of managing government contracting, conceptualized as the "smart buyer problem" by Kettl (1993). Kettl argued that, while embracing the market-based promises of contracting, governments have failed to develop the capacity to address even the most fundamental contracting questions, such as what to buy, who to buy from and what was bought? He suggests that the problem is partly attributable to bureaucratic barriers to information sharing in government agencies that prevent them from becoming learning organizations. This study explores the proposition that institutional characteristics within acquisition organizations may contribute to this problem. Governments do not behave as a single buyer with clearly defined buying objectives. Multiple organizations, each shaped by institutional factors, lay claim to processes relating to Kettl's smart buyer questions. As key organizational participants become aligned with their own regulative, normative, and socio-cognitive institutional "pillars," smart buying behavior may become confounded by institutional factors and constraining organizational structures. For this study, an organizational field consisting of the program office, contracting office, and budget office was selected as the level of analysis. A qualitative multi-approach methodology was developed to analyze data from public sources, including government policy documents, audit reports, and other published information related to five individual cases. Data from autoethnographic accounts, interviews, content analyses, and the case studies helped frame the institutional characteristics of these offices. The study confirmed that the three offices are key participants in acquisition programs, although their roles are not always formally recognized. Strong evidence was found that they each possess unique institutional characteristics. These differences could be creating conditions of divergence and misalignment with the acquisition objectives, raising the possibility of conflicting institutional demands, competing challenges for legitimacy, and institutional change. Policy initiatives to formally recognize the roles and responsibilities of these offices and the use of working-level oversight boards, project teams, and interagency contracting may help mitigate these institutional differences. The study points to the importance of recognizing participants' institutional characteristics when planning and managing an acquisition program. / Ph. D.

No description available.

No description available.

Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

Bakgrund och problem: Bakgrunden till denna studie är Statistiska Centralbyråns uppmärksammande om att kommunala gymnasieskolor har 7000 kronor dyrare kostnad per elev än den fristående gymnasieskolan. En av de bidragande faktorerna till att kostnaden är lägre hos fristående skolor kan vara att de har en mer effektiv inköpsprocess. Tidigare studier beskriver fristående skolornas situation som mer flexibel medan de kommunala skolorna präglas av mer byråkrati. Den problemformulering vi förhållit oss till var: Vad finns det för skillnad i inköpsprocessen vid kommunala respektive fristående skolor som leder till att kommunala skolor har en högre kostnad per elev? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att utifrån en komparativ fallstudie finna de likheter och skillnader som återfinns i inköpsprocessen hos de olika skolverksamheterna. Därefter analyseras orsaker till inköpsrelaterade olikheter fram. Metod: Vi har gjort en komparativ fallstudie av inköpsprocesser i gymnasieskolor som bedrivs av offentlig sektor och privata aktörer. Vår empiri bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med nyckelpersoner som berörs av hur inköpen går till på skolorna. Empiri: Det empiriska resultatet visar att de aktiviteter som skiljer sig åt i inköpsprocessen är val av leverantör och tilldelning av kontrakt. De fristående skolorna har ett relationsfokus i sitt arbete med leverantörerna, något som de kommunala skolorna inte har möjlighet att skapa på grund av att de är tvingade att följa Lagen om offentlig upphandling. De fristående skolorna är mer flexibla vid val av leverantör då deras ramavtal inte är bindande. Det kan även konstateras att de fristående skolorna har ett större fokus på att hålla ner sina kostnader då de har ett vinstsyfte med sin verksamhet, medan de kommunala skolorna endast behöver sträva efter att hålla sin budget och att bedriva bra undervisning. Slutsatser: Den största uppmärksammade skillnaden vi kunnat urskilja i studie är att friskolorna arbetar på ett mer flexibelt sätt. Friskolorna bygger sina ramavtal på en kostnadsorientering där relationen till leverantören ligger i fokus. De kommunala skolorna har istället en prisorientering vid val av produkt. / Background and problem: The drawn much attention to that community schools' have 7000 Swedish Crowns higher cost per pupil than independent schools', published by Statistics Sweden, is the background to this study. One of the contributing factors to the fact that the cost is lower in independent schools' may be that they have a more efficient purchasing process. Previous studies describe the independent schools' situation more flexible, while the municipal schools' are characterized by bureaucracy. The issue to relate to was: What is the difference in the purchasing process at the municipal and independent schools, which leads to the municipal schools have a higher cost per pupil? Purpose: The purpose of the study is based on a comparative case study to find the similarities and differences found in the purchasing process of the independent school operations and the activity in municipal schools, to consequently analyze purchases related causes to differences. Method: We have made a comparative case study of the purchasing processes in secondary schools' run by the public sector and private operators. Our empirical data is collected through semi-structured interviews with key people involved in the purchasing process. Empiricism: The empiric results show that the activities that differ in the purchase process are supplier selection and contract award. The independent school has a relationship focus in its work with suppliers, something that public schools' do not have the option to create because they are forced to follow the Public Procurement Act. The independent schools' are more flexible in the choice of provider as their framework agreement is not binding. It may also be noted that the independent school has a greater focus on keeping down their costs since they have a profit with their business while municipal schools' only need to strive to keep their budget and to pursue good education. Conclusions: The biggest noticeable difference we have been able to identify in our comparative study of independents schools' purchasing process and the municipal schools' purchasing process is that independent schools' are working in a more flexible way. Independent schools are building their framework agreement on the modern approach of purchasing theory, that is through a cost-orientation, where the relationship with the supplier is in focus.

<p>The Swedish defence has, during the last couple of years, been under major restructuring that has influenced defence procurements as well. Cost-efficiency has become increasingly important in defence procurement due to higher demand from shrinking defence budgets. The purpose of this study has been to compare the view on cost-efficiency between Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Ministry of Defence and to discuss the potential differences. In order to compare the views, the study has looked at what is considered as cost-efficiency in Swedish defence procurement and how it could be achieved. The study has also considered the importance of Swedish defence industry in achieving cost-efficient procurements. For collecting data to make the comparison, focus group interviews were used as data collecting method. The use of focus groups has the advantage of allowing discussion and interaction between the participants. The study includes three focus group interviews, two were made at FMV and the third one was made at the Ministry of Defence.</p><p>When comparing the view on cost-efficiency in Swedish defence procurement between the three groups, there are no clear definition of what cost-efficiency is. However, a definition is suggested that combines the view of the three groups into the following definition; cost-efficient procurements should be good enough in order to satisfy the demand of the Armed Forces throughout the systems entire lifecy-cle. The study also concludes that the objective of becoming more cost-efficient is shared between the Defence Materiel Administration and the Ministry of Defence. However, there are differences on how this objective is to be achieved. The Ministry of Defence wants to use economical measures to make the organization around defence procurement more efficient and thus more cost-efficient procurement. The Defence Materiel Administration on the other hand would like to increase the per-sonnel since that would make it possible to utilize the market in a better way through competitive procurement.</p><p>The role of the Swedish defence industry is considered by all three groups as important for international cooperation and is said to contribute to cost-efficiency in procurements since the defence materiel market is characterised by barter transactions. With the intention of involving the industry in more parts of the system lifecycle through Public Private Partnerships, the importance of the defence industry will in-crease in order to make cost-efficient procurements.</p>