This study is to investigate how acquiring firms within the Swedish construction industry work towards successful post-acquisition integration during the early stages of post-acquisition and which factors they consider when doing so. When researching the five cases, the study adopted a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with five managers from acquiring firms to gather in-depth, first-hand data for thematic analysis. The empirical findings highlight the significance of corporate culture, organizational structure, and leadership structure in the integration process. Acquiring firms prioritize cultural compatibility, recognizing that differences can hinder successful integration. They also emphasize the positive impact of similar business models and the creation of new leadership groups combining resources and capabilities. Supportive leadership plays a crucial role in smoothening the integration process. To achieve a successful post-acquisition integration, firms in the Swedish construction industry focus on assessing corporate culture compatibility, restructuring leadership, and effective integration planning. They aim to integrate cultures, develop thorough integration plans, and ensure employee satisfaction and financial success. The studied cases challenges theories that emphasize organizational structure as the main obstacle in acquisitions, suggesting that cultural factors are more critical. Similarly, it contradicts theories highlighting directive leadership, emphasizing the importance of supportive leadership instead. The study contributes to the understanding of integrating human resources, cultural factors, and clear integration plans as essential elements for acquisition success.

Background: Globalization has created new opportunities for firms to import and export goods across the world, international trade has gained significant importance to many. Although global trade between countries has many positive aspects, it has also demanded the right type of warehousing to store the goods as cost-efficiently as possible. Warehousing is the second largest cost within a company’s logistics areas after transportation. One way of lowering logistics costs is to implement a bonded warehouse. A bonded warehouse is a storage location where companies can store imported goods where the payment of duty costs to be postponed as long as needed, which provides companies with more liquidity and yield many cost-saving benefits. However, bonded warehouse operations and implementation are more complex than that of a non-bonded warehouse because special requirements for monitoring and auditing must be followed and executed correctly. It is, therefore, vital to choose a suitable strategy and proper implementation in order not to waste valuable resources. Manufacturers and retailers could as a result benefit from a resource and implementation framework to mitigate the risk of an inadequate implementation process. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the requirements for implementing a bonded warehouse from a resource-based perspective. The aim is to derive a set of resources that are necessary for the implementation of a bonded warehouse. Further, the study will examine both tangible and intangible resources. Lastly, a framework that will illustrate the steps and requirements to implement a bonded warehouse is created. Method: This study takes on a qualitative research method, guided by a constructionist perspective this exploratory study uses a multiple case study approach to obtain thorough knowledge on the topic. Through semi-structured interviews with several companies, the topic of bonded warehouse implementation is explored. Moreover, the analysis was consistent with a grounded analysis approach where themes could emerge and provide answers to our research questions. Conclusion: The results illustrate the ten key resources required for bonded warehouse implementation: 1) Bonded Warehouse Project Plan 2) Bonded Warehouse Administration 3) Bonded Warehouse Reporting 4) Bonded Warehouse Layout Specifications 5) Bonded Warehouse Project Team 6) Bonded Warehouse Process Knowledge 7) Customs Knowledge 8) Customs IT-system.

Micro-multinational is a relatively new term and there are still very few studies about how micro-multinationals choose their foreign entry market modes when internationalizing. This thesis attempts to add new knowledge filling the gap between the internal resources of a company and the foreign entry market mode selected for its internationalization process. Furthermore, a systematic methodology that combines internal resources with the selection of the foreign entry market mode will be developed with the goal of aligning the competitive advantages of the company along its international structure. The methodology that this research employs will show how to combine the internal resources of the case study company and its needs when internationalizing based on the characteristics of each foreign entry market mode. The first step of the methodology is determining the variables that categorize each foreign entry market mode that companies implement. Then, the application of the Resource-based View will show the possible competitive advantages of the case study company. Lastly, accounting for the requirements that the case study company has when internationalizing, the possible competitive advantages, derived from the Resource-based View, will be combined with the characteristics of each foreign entry market mode to determine effective recommendations for the case study company to implement in its internationalization strategy. The results of this research show that when a company wants to enter into a foreign market, it should evaluate that decision based on its internal resources. Only then will the company be able to exploit its competitive advantages and be successful in the new market. The decision to internationalize is influenced by requirements such as the level of control, commitment, risk and flexibility that the parent company is willing to have in the new foreign market. Hence, these requirements must be taken into consideration carefully during the entire decision process. / Micro-multinationals är en relativt ny term och det finns för tillfället få studier kring hur dessa företag ska bedriva sin utlandsexpansion när de internationaliserar verksamheten. Syftet med denna uppsats är att bidra med ny kunskap kring ämnet och medverka till att fylla kunskapsgapet som existerar i hur man kombinerar företagets interna resurser och valet av internationaliseringsstrategi. Vidare utvecklas en systematisk metodologi som kombinerar interna resurser med valet av internationaliseringsstrategi för att anpassa företagets konkurrensfördelar med dess internationaliseringsprocess. Metodologin som används i denna rapport visar hur interna resurser hos företaget i den aktuella fallstudien kan kombineras med dess behov för internationalisering baserat på egenskaperna hos varje enskild typ av utlandsexpansion. Första steget i metodologin är att avgöra vilka variabler som karaktäriserar varje enskild strategi för utlandsexpansion som företag planerar att implementera. Nästa steg är att applicera en “Resource-based View” som visar de möjliga konkurrensfördelarna för företagen i fallstudien. Slutligen kombineras kraven som företagen har ställt för sin internationalisering samt de konkurrensfördelar som de visades ha enligt “esoruce-based view” med de olika typerna av utlandsexpansion som finns tillgängliga med syftet att avgöra lämpliga rekommendationer för fallstudieföretagen rörande hur de ska gå till väga i sin internationalisering av verksamheten. Resultaten visar att när ett företag vill etablera sig på en utländsk marknad bör de evaluera beslutet med hänsyn till sina interna resurser. Först då kan företaget utnyttja sina konkurrensfördelar och bli framgångsrika på den nya marknaden.  Beslutet av hur internationaliseringen ska gå till påverkas av krav som moderbolaget har för den nya marknaden såsom behov av kontroll, grad av åtagande, risk och flexibilitet. Dessa krav måste tas i noggrann beaktning under hela beslutsprocessen.

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Syftet med denna studie är att förklara och skapa förståelse för varför företag väljer att hyra in personal samt vilka för- och nackdelar detta medför för företag. Utifrån att studiens syfte är att skapa förståelse passar en kvalitativ studie in. Valet föll specifikt på att göra en kvalitativ fallstudie. Empiriinsamlingen genomfördes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio väl utvalda respondenter på fallföretaget.Studien visar inte några tydliga resultat om en jämförelse görs mot tidigare forskning. Fallföretaget ser andra för- och nackdelar än den generella forskningen menar på. Detta kan tyda på att motiven bakom beslutet att hyra in personal är individuellt och helt enkelt varierar mellan företag. En annan anledning att det inte samspelar med tidigare forskning kan vara att det är annan tid nu när denna studie genomförts än vad det varit då tidigare forskning genomförts.Inhyrning av personal rymmer många aspekter och denna studie har egentligen bara berört några av dem. Framtida forskning skulle kunna fokusera mer på exempelvis arbetsmiljö eller studera kostnaderna kring inhyrning av personal ytterligare. Intressant vore även att se på detta fenomen från andra vinklar, den inhyrde konsultens eller varför inte bemanningsföretagets. / The aim with this study is to explain and search for understanding in why companies chose to hire temporary agency workers, and which pros and cons this bring to the company. Based on the purpose of the study, to search for understandning, a qualitative study suits. The choice fell on doing a qualitative case study. The empirical collection was implemented through semi-structured interviews with ten well selected respondents from the case company.The study doesn’t show any distinct results comparing to previous research. The case company sees other pros and cons then the general research has shown. This could indicate that the reason for hiring extra staff is individual and simply varies from company to company. Another reason could be that it’s another time of living now than when previous research were accomplished.The use of temporary agency workers contains many aspects and this study only refer to some of them. Future research could for example focus on work environment or look further into the costs of hiring staff. It would also be interesting to look att this phenomenon from different point of views, maybe the hired consult or why not the staffing company.

<p>The processes that link High Performance Work System (HPWS) practices and organizational performance are not fully understood. Using resource-based theory, this research focuses on training, by separating it from other HPWS practices, and human capital development as a source of sustained competitive advantage. The first purpose of my research is to examine the relationships between the HPWS practice of training, innovation, and organizational performance, and look at the mediating effect of innovation over time at the workplace level. The results indicate that the temporal pathway from training to innovation to organizational performance is positive and significant even after controlling for reverse-causality. Strategic activity is also explored and is found to be a significant moderator. This study contributes to knowledge by identifying the importance of aligning business strategy with training, as well as other HPWS practices and innovation to achieve improved organizational performance outcomes. The second purpose of this research is to explore the factors that act to expand or limit the HPWS practice of training, with a focus on the outcomes of employers' decisions to offer training, employees' decisions to accept or decline training, and the job-related training received by employees. The results indicate that the employee-level factors: participating in HPWS practices, use of technology, and using new technology are significant contributors to employers' decisions to offer and employees' receipt of training. Further, employees' perception of the existence of a gap between the skills required for the job and their current skills contributes to employees accepting employer offers of training.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The hospitality industry has experienced significant changes in its competitive environment over the past 30 years, driven by the growth of alternative accommodations, the widespread use of the internet for searching and booking accommodations, and the adoption of asset-light business models. In this new competitive landscape, hospitality firms struggle to gain a competitive advantage, particularly as they lack rare and inimitable resources, which are considered crucial for achieving competitive advantage according to resource-based view literature. This dissertation explores three sets of strategies that enable hotel firms to attain a competitive edge despite their resources being non-rare and easily imitated by competitors. The first essay examines the potential for hotel firms to benefit from competitors' resources by co-locating with them. Although this strategy has been widely studied in organizational research, recent developments in the competitive market, such as internet adoption and the growth of short-term leases, have not been considered. Evidence suggests that internet adoption decreases the likelihood of low-level hotels entering markets with high-level hotels and negatively moderates the positive effect of branded hotels on independent hotels' performance, as well as nullifying the effect of low-level hotels on high-level hotels' performance. Additionally, short-term leases impact hotels' decisions and performance, as hotels tend to avoid co-locating with short-term leases with similar price points, and short-term leases can appropriate positive agglomeration externalities created by high-level hotels. The second essay investigates whether hotels can outperform competitors by gaining an advantage in resource appropriation through entering the market with a dual-branded hotel. Results indicate that a competitive advantage is achieved when at least one brand in the composition possesses better resources than competitors. Lastly, the third essay concentrates on the potential for hotels to leverage tacit knowledge transmission to increase the difficulty for competitors to imitate them. Findings reveal that the closer a hotel or short-term lease is to the nearest accommodation managed by the same hotel management company or host, the higher the chances of achieving a competitive advantage. Moreover, short-term leases can base their competitive advantage on idiosyncratic knowledge transferred from the platform, and they can compete in size with incumbent hotels if they have a high concentration of ownership in the market. / Doctor of Philosophy / The lodging industry has undergone numerous changes in the past 30 years, with the widespread adoption of the internet, the growth of the short-term lease market, and the implementation of asset-light strategies significantly impacting how hotels compete locally. This dissertation examines various market-entry strategies that can enable hotel firms to achieve a competitive advantage in local markets. The first essay explores the advantages of co-locating with competitors. Results indicate that previously identified benefits, such as reduced search costs for customers leading to higher performance for clustered competitors, have been diminished or nullified by the extensive use of the internet for searching and booking hotels. Independent hotels may still gain agglomeration advantages by co-locating with branded hotels, but the benefits are substantially reduced due to internet usage. Furthermore, the presence of different levels of short-term leases in the market affects hotels' entry patterns, which tend to diverge from short-term leases. Additionally, low-level short-term leases tend to capture agglomeration benefits created by high-level hotels, resulting in decreased performance for low-level hotels. The second essay investigates the optimal strategy for entering the market with a dual-branded hotel. Results show that, overall, adopting a vertically diversified strategy (i.e., where one of the two brands in the composition is of a higher class compared to the other) is preferable, with the higher class above the market's average class and the lower class below it. Conversely, the least effective strategy is to adopt a vertically diversified approach where both brands are below the market's average class. The third essay examines knowledge sharing among hotels and short-term leases managed by the same hotel management company or short-term lease host. Findings suggest that accommodations should be located near other properties managed by the same entity to facilitate operating knowledge transmission through face-to-face interactions, coordination among units, and the easy transfer of key personnel. Additionally, the study found that hotels should carefully consider entering a market with a high concentration of short-term lease ownership, as a higher concentration of short-term leases owned by the same host leads to lower hotels' RevPAR in the market.

This thesis investigates the impact of digitalisation on sustainability performance within manufacturing firms in Northern Europe from 2010 to 2023 at the age of Industry 4.0. It explores how digital technologies like IoT, cyber-physical systems, and big data have transformed production processes, enhancing sustainability across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. The research employs a quantitative approach, utilising regression analyses of data sourced from the Refinitiv database to assess the influence of digitalisation on ESG performance in manufacturing firms across Northern Europe.  The theoretical underpinnings of this study are grounded in an integration of shareholder and stakeholder theories, which offer a detailed examination of how digital transformations are reshaping corporate governance dynamics. It also encompasses a discussion on agency theory and legitimacy theory, highlighting how differences in corporate governance outlooks impact sustainability initiatives. Moreover, the research evaluates the potential benefits and challenges associated with digitalisation through the lens of the resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities framework. This analysis elucidates how digitalisation provides a competitive advantage, for example, by promoting efficiency and decreasing energy consumption while acknowledging the possibility of increased resource use, a phenomenon referred to as the Jevon Paradox.  Findings indicate that digitalisation facilitates improved sustainability outcomes to enhance financial performance by optimising resource utilisation, reducing waste, and improving operational efficiencies. However, variations exist depending on the type and intensity of digitalisation. The results highlight that while digital technologies drive significant improvements in environmental management and operational efficiency, the benefits are not uniformly experienced across all firms, suggesting a differentiated impact based on company size and digital maturity.  This research significantly contributes to the academic literature by providing empirical evidence of digitalisation’s role in enhancing sustainability within the manufacturing sector. Importantly, it offers practical insights for policymakers and business leaders, equipping them with the knowledge to leverage digital transformation to meet sustainability goals effectively. Future research must delve deeper into the long-term effects of digital technologies on sustainability, investigate the impacts across different industrial contexts, and examine the role of regulatory frameworks in shaping digital transformation strategies. This thesis underscores the urgent need for manufacturing firms to harness digital innovations responsibly to foster sustainable development in the digital age.

Yes / This research aims to design a green Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (PSC ) that reduces preventable pharmaceutical waste and effectively disposes of inevitable pharmaceutical waste. The main output of this study is the formulation of an integrated green PSC model involving all critical stakeholders, leading to improved environmental, economic and safety performance in medication management and delivery. The research is based on literature and on secondary resources. To green the PSC, every producer of waste is duty bound to facilitate the safe handling and disposal of waste. A Cross boundary Green PSC (XGPSC) approach is proposed to identify participants’ contribution to the PSC. Peripheral influences are also recognised from professional and regulatory bodies. This study focuses solely on community PSC in the UK where patients receive medication from local community pharmacies and thus may be limited. The proposed XGPSC approach also needs to be tested and validated in practice. It may also be difficult to transfer some of the environmental practices proposed in this research into practice. The environmental practices and actions proposed provide invaluable insight into various PSC activities, including purchasing, product design, prescription patterns and processes, medication use review, and customer relationship management. The proposed environmental actions encourage firm commitment from everyone to reduce, recycle or effectively dispose of pharmaceutical waste, with patients becoming stewards of medication rather than only consumers. A cross boundary approach is developed to green the PSC, and it encourages total involvement and collaboration from all participants in PSC.

Open innovation is a phenomenon that has gained vast attention since its introduction in 2003. It has been identified that organizations are experiencing a shift from the innovation process towards an open innovation approach. However, research on open innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has shown to require more attention in the literature. This study investigated the effect of resources and capabilities in Swedish SMEs to address the challenges of liability of smallness. The purpose of this research is to investigate the challenges that Swedish SMEs in the high-tech industry face while opting for an open innovation approach. For that, the following research question was answered: How do resources and capabilities affect Swedish SMEs in engaging in open innovation to overcome the liability of smallness?  A resource-based theory has been implied in this study which examines from five distinct perspectives namely, strategy, process, corporate structure, cross-company network, and culture.  This thesis paper is a qualitative study that has been conducted by semi-structured interviews with five Swedish SMEs. The empirical data was then thematically analyzed and seven themes have been developed from the data analysis. The findings reveal that firstly, Swedish SMEs in the high-tech industry are open to external collaboration and accepting innovative ideas coming from both internal and external sources. Therefore, empirical evidence shows that Swedish SMEs are not always reluctant to make a shift towards open innovation. Rather it has been found that SMEs are open to opportunities to tackle the obstacle of smallness. Secondly, resources and capabilities have a positive effect on the performance of the SMEs. Allocation of resources both financial and human resources results in the successful commercialization of a project, thus by gaining a competitive advantage the performance of the firm improves significantly. Thirdly, whilst the liability of smallness has shown to have an impact on Swedish SMEs in the high-tech industry, it has also been identified how smallness also can be viewed as an asset. Smallness as an asset has been found to make an impact on Swedish SMEs in the high-tech industry and the unique opportunities that they possess. Leveraging open innovation and capitalizing on flexibility, linear corporate structure, inclusive culture, and leveraging formal and informal networks to engage in external collaboration has been shown to have an effect on SMEs and contribute to smallness as an asset. Therefore, a comprehensive conceptual framework has been developed in this study that integrates insights gained from the research.