The goal of this thesis is to create a dependency treebank for Yorùbá, a language with very little pre-existing machine-readable resources. The treebank follows the Universal Dependencies (UD) annotation standard, certain language-specific guidelines for Yorùbá were specified. Known techniques for porting resources from resource-rich languages were tested, in particular projection of annotation across parallel bilingual data. Manual annotation is not the main focus of this thesis; nevertheless, a small portion of the data was verified manually in order to evaluate the annotation quality. Also, a model was trained on the manual annotation using UDPipe.

Background: Females are underrepresented in Swedish boards, and in 2016 females represented 29 % of all board members. Many researchers have studied the relationship between the gender composition of company boards and company performance, but they have not managed to reach consensus in explaining the relationship. Pure shareholder theory suggests that the company philosophy is to focus on profitability and shareholder maximization. If the gender distribution in the board affects the performance of the company, some companies may underperform because of their board composition. If so, this is an issue that should be solved according to the shareholder theory and some adjustments to the composition should be done.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether or not companies with female directors on their boards perform better than companies without female directors on their boards. The target group of the study is Swedish listed companies with a statutory domicile in Sweden.   Method: For conducting this research, data for a period of three years (2013-2015) are collected from a sample of 94 Swedish listed companies. The performance measurements investigated are the ratios; ROE, profit margin, ROCE, EBIT margin and EPS. As for control variables, the board size and company size are used. An independent samples t-test is conducted, as well as a correlation matrix analysis and a regression analysis, to fulfil the purpose of this study.   Conclusion: The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between female representation in the boardroom and the ratio EBIT margin. However, the correlation strength is so weak that it is not fair to draw the conclusion that female representation has a positive effect on the financial performance of the companies. Also, the regression analysis shows no relationship between the two variables. However, this study contributes by showing that there is no negative correlation between the presence of females on boards and the financial performance of the companies.

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Yes / We adopt a resource dependence approach to explain the effect of state participation on the dissolution of international joint ventures (IJVs). While resource dependence theory has been used to explain the formation of IJVs, we propose an extension of the theory to explain their dissolution. We do so by highlighting the match between foreign firms’ resource needs (resource hierarchy) and the resource provision roles of state-controlled versus private local partners (resource profiles). We further argue that the effect of state participation on the dissolution of IJVs is moderated by foreign firms’ host country experience and IJV age. We test our hypotheses by using data on 623 IJVs in China. Our results show that state participation reduces the risk of IJV dissolution and that the strength of this effect differs depending on the type of state-controlled actor that is involved in an IJV. We also find that host country experience and IJV age moderate the effect of state participation on IJV dissolution. These findings enhance our understanding of IJV dissolution and contribute to the development of resource dependence theory.

Familjeföretag står inför nya utmaningar i en föränderlig värld, vilket ökar kompetensbehovet inom  styrelsen. Tidigare forskning visar att tillsättandet av externa ledamöter kan tillgodose detta behov, men det råder oklarhet kring vilka specifika kompetenser som prioriteras. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur familjeföretag värderar och rekryterar externa styrelseledamöter, med fokus på professionella och personliga egenskaper. Studien utgår främst från resursberoendeteorin och baseras på sex kvalitativa intervjuer med ägare i familjeföretag samt experter inom området. Resultatet indikerar att familjeföretagen värdesätter integritet, engagemang och mjuka värden, vilket bidrar till att nya perspektiv tas upp i styrelserummet. Därtill diskuteras vikten av tydliga kravspecifikationer samt valet av rekryteringsmetod. Studien fastslår att åldersmångfald, generell kompetens och erfarenhet i kombination med integritet och engagemang prioriteras, vilket betonar vikten av ett tydligt samspel mellan de professionella och personliga egenskaperna. / Family businesses face new challenges in a dynamic environment, which increases the need for skills on the board. Previous research shows that the appointment of outside directors can meet this need, but it is unclear which specific competencies are prioritized. This study aims to investigate how family firms value and recruit outside directors, focusing on professional and personal characteristics. The study is mainly based on the Resource Dependency Theory and has involved six qualitative interviews with family business owners and experts in the field. The results indicate that family businesses value integrity, commitment and soft values, which contribute to new perspectives being brought into the boardroom. The importance of clear specifications and the choice of recruitment method are also discussed. The study states that age diversity, general competence and experience combined with integrity and commitment are prioritized, which emphasizes the importance of a clear interplay between the professional and personal characteristics.

Master of Technology: Public Relations Management in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / The aim of this study was to explore the benefits and potential of improved inter-organisational collaboration as compared to non-collaboration between the identified stakeholders in this research. This research established the level of current inter-organisational collaboration and satisfaction between the identified Western Cape Province stakeholders and verified whether this collaboration could be seen as contributing to tourism growth in the region. It also determined how improved inter-organisational collaboration and communication can be achieved to ensure tourism marketing effectiveness. In the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, regional stakeholders formed strategic partnerships to ensure a successful soccer event. The researcher sees such a collaborative approach as limited to major events or projects such as the 2011 bid for the Design Capital 2014. Inter-organisational collaboration is not clearly visible in the destination and tourism marketing of the region and this lack of collaboration has been highlighted. For the purpose of this study, the Resource Dependency Theory of Collaboration was utilised to highlight the inter-dependency between the identified regional stakeholders with vested interest in the Western Cape Province and Cape Town's tourism industry. The researcher conducted qualitative research which is situated in an interpretivist paradigm with its emphasis on experience and interpretation. The qualitative research is seen as being suitable for this research as detailed information has to be sourced through interviews. A qualitative exploratory approach, comprising face-to-face interviews with key informants in the industry was undertaken. The key informants engaged were drawn from a range of organisations engaged or who have a vested interest in the tourism industry which is a key economic driver in the Western Cape Province and Cape Town. The outcome of this study firstly was to establish the current levels of inter-organisational collaboration between the identified stakeholders and how this affects tourism growth. A closer look was taken to look at the current overlapping in the marketing initiatives embarked upon by the destination and tourism marketing organisations in the Western Cape Province, namely Wesgro and Cape Town Tourism and how these can be avoided. Secondly, the study explored how higher inter-organisational collaboration can ensure the achievement of effective tourism marketing of the region. As per the research findings, the researcher compiled recommendations on optimising inter-organisational collaboration among key regional stakeholders. These recommendations should contribute towards streamlining resources and redirecting some of the allocated funds from tourism marketing to other socioeconomic activities that can benefit the citizens of the region, such as developing emerging small to medium tourism enterprises and entrepreneurs.

IKEA is probably one of the most well known Swedish companies in the world. During thepast decades millions of people all across the globe have decorated their homes according tothe style of IKEA. But just exactly how big and influential are they? Many, if not to say all,municipalities in Sweden wants IKEA to establish and build their famous stores in one oftheir towns. But at what cost? When deciding on a municipality to establish in, IKEAnormally tends to have an advantage when it comes to controlling the conditions and terms ofthe establishment.To undertake this dissertation I use a theory based upon the inter-organizational theoriescalled resource dependency theory. The theory stresses the importance of controlling andobtaining resources as an organization among other organizations in order to survive. Fromthe theory one can see a pattern that organizations with a lot of resources tend to have biggeradvantage when dealing with other organizations.The question I want to answer was if the municipality of Karlstad has eroded its dominantplane when dealing with strong financial actors like IKEA?This is a case study of IKEA and their establishment in Karlstad. Unfortunately IKEA choosenot to be a part of the thesis due to lack of time. The method used in the dissertation is basedupon interviews with high senior officials that were involved in the establishment in one wayor another. To supplement the interviews a document study was performed.The result of the study is surprising in two ways. First of all the fact that IKEA has been sucha strong actor during the negotiations which gave them nearly whatever they asked for. Thesecond reason is the fact that the municipality has eroded its dominant plane in such anobvious way. If IKEA did want to, they could have built a store where ever they wanted.IKEA is probably one of the most well known Swedish companies in the world. During thepast decades millions of people all across the globe have decorated their homes according tothe style of IKEA. But just exactly how big and influential are they? Many, if not to say all,municipalities in Sweden wants IKEA to establish and build their famous stores in one oftheir towns. But at what cost? When deciding on a municipality to establish in, IKEAnormally tends to have an advantage when it comes to controlling the conditions and terms ofthe establishment.To undertake this dissertation I use a theory based upon the inter-organizational theoriescalled resource dependency theory. The theory stresses the importance of controlling andobtaining resources as an organization among other organizations in order to survive. Fromthe theory one can see a pattern that organizations with a lot of resources tend to have biggeradvantage when dealing with other organizations.The question I want to answer was if the municipality of Karlstad has eroded its dominantplane when dealing with strong financial actors like IKEA?This is a case study of IKEA and their establishment in Karlstad. Unfortunately IKEA choosenot to be a part of the thesis due to lack of time. The method used in the dissertation is basedupon interviews with high senior officials that were involved in the establishment in one wayor another. To supplement the interviews a document study was performed.The result of the study is surprising in two ways. First of all the fact that IKEA has been sucha strong actor during the negotiations which gave them nearly whatever they asked for. Thesecond reason is the fact that the municipality has eroded its dominant plane in such anobvious way. If IKEA did want to, they could have built a store where ever they wanted.

The purpose of the study is to examine if the gender composition of a board has an effect on a company’s financial performance by analyzing their operating margin and return on capital employed (ROCE). The study is based on a quantitative method, studying companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Previous research has not been studying the gender composition of boards of Swedish companies and its effect on the company's financial performance in regard to their operating margin and return on capital employed. Therefore, this study has examined that in order to draw a conclusion regarding its possible effects. The data that is collected will be used as support in the analysis in order to understand how the current composition and effects are connected. This study will contribute with knowledge for companies in Sweden regarding gender composition of boards and the possible effects on their financial performance. But also, as support for the ongoing discussion regarding board composition and the current inequality in gender representation. In conclusion the study shows that return on capital employed and the proportion of women in the board has a positive relationship. Meaning that the bigger proportion of women in a board, the better return on capital employed the company has. However, for operating margin there was not a significant relationship and therefore a conclusion regarding that cannot be made.

The purpose of this study is to in depth examine how two companies in retail business work with investments in AI and similar technology and to investigate what role these investments had for the two companies. Retail plays an important role in the Swedish economy and accounts for one tenth of Sweden's GDP. The industry has undergone extensive digital development in recent years, which has led to companies being forced to make large investments in new technology such as AI in order to maintain their competitiveness. Through a qualitative interview study, two case companies in the retail business that target clothing are studied. The results show that both companies at different levels work with investments in AI technology. They both find great benefits with these investments mainly in the form of increased value for their customers. They also see that these investments are necessary to maintain their competitiveness in the market. The risks that emerge through the survey are mainly based on an integrity perspective when collecting data and the employees' barriers to change. / Syftet med denna undersökning är att på djupet studera hur två företag inom detaljhandeln arbetar med investeringar i AI och liknande teknik samt undersöka vilken roll dessa investeringar haft för de två företagen. Detaljhandeln fyller en viktig funktion inom den svenska ekonomin och står för en tiondel av Sveriges BNP. Branschen har de senaste åren genomgått en omfattande digital utveckling vilket lett till att företag tvingats genomföra stora investeringar i ny teknik som AI för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft. Genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie studeras två fallföretag inom detaljhandeln som riktar sig mot konfektion. Resultatet visar på att båda fallföretagen på olika nivåer arbetar med investeringar i AI-teknik. De finner båda stora fördelar med dessa investeringar främst i form av ökat värde för sina kunder. De ser även att dessa investeringar är nödvändiga för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft på marknaden. De risker som framkommer genom undersökningen grundar sig främst i integritetsperspektiv vid insamling av data samt de anställdas förändringsbarriärer.