The current patterns of consumption are threatening the availability of natural resources. These natural resources, such as raw materials and biomass, are critical for different economic activities. ProductService System (PSS) has received attention as a solution to drive resource efficiency by extending the life cycle of products. Given the many barriers to shifting from product to PSS-based offering, the literature has acknowledged the importance of partnerships to support Small and Medium-SizedManufacturers (SMMs) during the life cycle of PSS. However, the role played by the partner in supporting the SMM, as well as how are they supporting to overcome existing barriers, remains unclear. To address this gap, the present thesis to aims comprehensively identify the multifaceted role of external partners throughout the life cycle of PSS developed by SMM. The research follows a cross-sectional design to investigate three industry sectors located in Finland, Norway, and Sweden: forestry, farming, and mining machinery manufacturers. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews with CEOs and directors, data was collected and analyzed by thematic analysis. The results show the existence of eight key partners along the life cycle of PSS: Dealers, Suppliers, End Customers, Service Providers, Industry Hubs, Parent Company, New Partners (such as KIBS firms),and Other, such as the ones associated with delivery. These partners were found to support SMMs by co-creation (joint activities involving the exchange of resources between the partner and SMM), education (knowledge sharing from the partner to the SMM), market-related roles (activities associated with the end user, such as sales, marketing, and service provision), and supply chain (roles liked to supply of components and logistics). Partners can drive the shift from current product-oriented PSStowards use- and result-oriented ones, which have a higher potential of creating environmental benefits. The findings of this thesis contribute to the existing literature in many ways. First, it clarifies how partners are supporting SMMs along the life cycle of PSS. Second, it shows that some partners, such as dealers, are more important through the life cycle than other partners. Third, it shows that SMMs opt for different partners to perform the same role. Therefore, it opens the opportunity for future research questions to investigate the causes behind such choices. In terms of practical implications, the thesis support SMMs to optimize and diversify their network of partners by considering partnership alternatives. From the partner’s point of view, it shows the expectations of the SMMs for their partners. Therefore, it can be used to improve the existing solutions aiming to better address the SMMs’ needs.

Research from the international business field have demonstrated that firms operating both in domestic and foreign markets have a greater exposition to market turbulences and disturbances. The literature has established that dynamism, flexibility and agility are crucial capabilities. In fact, firms displaying the previously listed capabilities have a greater chance to survive to turbulent and disturbing market events. Given the current Covid-19 crisis impacting the global market, this paper is further justified by the need for diverse and deeper research on how firms develop so-called “resilience” to survive to disruptive events such as the current pandemic. Furthermore, Business Model Innovation is proposed by the literature as a way to build that organizational resilience. Especially, the adaptation of the Business Model to a more Digital Business Model. The literature presented Digital Business Model as a way for firms to build flexibility and agility capabilities. More specifically, the study aims to analyze how Swedish international manufacturing SMEs develop organizational resilience. Thanks to the four semistructured interviews carried out with four top manager part of Swedish international manufacturing SMEs, this qualitative study has been able to answer the given research question: “How can international manufacturing SMEs develop resilience through adapting a digital business model in order to survive during disruptive market changes?” The primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed according to the constructed conceptual framework. In conclusion, it can be noticed that the findings, based on empirical data, are aligned with the literature and demonstrate that in order to navigate in those turbulent international market environments firms need have a flexible and agile organizational structure. Furthermore, those findings highlight that the implementation of a Digital Business Model enables firms to develop that flexibility and agility, therefore leading to organizational resilience. However, surprisingly, the data shows that if most of the firms did implement Digital Business Model, those Business Model Innovation are not permanent but rather temporary.

The emergence of digitalization and its prevalence is constantly changing the environment inwhich business operates, and consequently the firm’s way of conducting business. Having theability to work with digital maturity is thus a prerequisite for a firm that wants to survive thecompetitive market that prevails today. Despite Sweden's strong infrastructure and greataccess to digitalization skills, Swedish manufacturing SMEs demonstrate an alarmingly lowdegree of digital maturity in their international work. Through a qualitative interview studywith an abductive research approach, this research has explored and unpacked existingtheories on digital maturity, to recommend a proposal for further development of existingframeworks and how Swedish SMEs can work with digital maturity to utilize digitalization intheir internationalization process through export. Furthermore, this study has throughsemi-structured interviews from eight companies, explored Swedish manufacturing SMEs’digital maturity to understand how they use digitalization in their export process.The findings of this study indicates that Swedish SMEs need to stay up to date with the latestdigitalization strategies for internationalizing through export and that the most critical keyfactor is to have human resources with the right competence and capabilities to managedigital change management and work with digital maturity. Hence, to enable Swedishmanufacturing SMEs to utilize digitalization in its export processes and consequently, gaincompetitive advantages necessary to survive in the fast-changing digitalized internationalenvironment.

Background: CSR has become an integral part of most businesses during the years, however, it has not necessarily happened by choice for every company. Stakeholders have become aware of the negative impact ofcorporations’ operations and actions on the planet and on society, consequently, they started to pressure companies to be more responsible when conducting business. However, facing financial shortages might interfere with the accomplishment of these practices and corresponding activities. Furthermore, as differently sized and differently located companies might practice CSR in a different way, size and geographical location might also have an influence on these CSR practices and activities. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the influence of size and geography on CSR practices and activities adopted by SMEs and large corporations in Sweden and in Hungary when facing shortage in their financial resources. Method: In order to achieve the purpose, a qualitative research method has been used. Multiple case studies were conducted with two Hungarian SMEs, a Hungarian large enterprise, a Swedish SME and a Swedish large firm. The empirical data was collected with the help of semi-structured interviews as well as data from corporate websites, annual reports, sustainability reports and social media. Conclusion: The results of this thesis show that the approach each company takes to practicing CSR seems to influence all of their activities. The size of the company appears to influence fewer practices, while geography comes across as having the least influence among these factors.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is established among a majority of small and medium sized companies in Kista Science City and seems to have a positive effect on organizational effectiveness. Kista Science City is Sweden’s largest corporate centre, with more companies and employees in a limited area than anywhere else in Europe. This study looks at the level of adoption of ERP functions, perceived organizational effectiveness and critical success factors. The most common use of ERP is for financial control and reporting, followed by order entry and purchasing. A significant relationship between the level of adoption and organizational effectiveness was found. Although Enterprise Resource Planning has become an established phenomenon the investments in ERP software are far from fully utilized. Most companies have started to use ERP to integrate functional areas but few companies have moved to extended ERP (ERPII). The adoption of functionality for customer relationship management seems to have started, but the use of e-commerce, business intelligence and supply chain management is very low. Different reasons for the low level of adoption are discussed and it is suggested that the interrelationship between SMEs and ERP-consultants be investigated further. ERP-consultants are important change agents and knowledge transfers for ERP and one way to interpret the data is that ERP-consultants are caught in a negative spiral where they focus on installations and technical maintenance of core ERP, which prevents them from developing new, extended ERP competence. An analysis of critical success factors showed that although technical competence was important socially oriented factors such as project teamwork and composition as well as communication had a greater effect on organizational effectiveness. Surprisingly enough, project management did not have any effect on organizational effectiveness. Common implementation methods for ERP focus on project management. It is suggested to further analyse if these methods could be improved by an increased adaptability to differences in company settings and requirements as well as through a better use of critical success factors. Organizational effectiveness can be measured in many ways and it was found that the success factors varied in terms of how they correlated with different measures. In the next step, the doctorial thesis, it is suggested that a prototype environment is developed to stimulate an increased use of extended ERP among small and medium sized companies. Several actors, such as SMEs, consultants, vendors and students would be involved. The prototype environment could facilitate enhancements of implementation methods and reduction of implementation costs through the development of reusable objects such as add-on solutions, process maps and system configurations. It could also help small and medium sized companies to investigate the business benefits of ERP by increasing involvement and familiarity while on the same time decrease costs and risks. / QC 20100713

Purpose: Due to the current climate crisis and the fact that the food industry accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, it is more important than ever that green initiatives in the food industry flourish. In recent years new food sources (NFS) have emerged as a consequence of trying to shift the world's consumption behaviours and making the food industry more sustainable. However, NFS companies are generally small companies with scarce resources and difficulties in expanding. Thus, the purpose of this report is to investigate which capabilities are necessary in order to succeed with a sustainable expansion within the New Food Sources industry, and to develop a framework that puts the capabilities in relation to different stages of sustainable expansion.  Method: In order to investigate these main areas, a multiple case study in the NFS sector has been conducted where several companies have been interviewed to enable the identification of success factors that enable a sustainable expansion. A total of 21 interviews were held with the case companies, people from the traditional source companies (e.g., traditional dairy corporations), and people with expertise within the field of NFS were interviewed. The interviews were later on analyzed through a thematic method.  Findings: The study resulted in identifying five stages of sustainability work that acts as drivers for sustainable expansion. Further, eight categories of capabilities were identified in order to reach the driver for sustainable expansion. The capabilities were then ranked in a gradual manner, from fundamental to gaining competitive advantage. Lastly, the five stages of sustainable expansion were linked to the capabilities, providing a roadmap for what capabilities that are necessary in each stage in order to proceed with a sustainable expansion.  Theoretical and managerial contributions: This study provides a sustainable perspective on expansions within NFS companies, meaning that the focus is not only economic growth but also how the company contributes to the society as a whole and how it affects the world. Furthermore, these insights have resulted in a roadmap that can be applied by managers in NFS- producing companies to get a better understanding of what capabilities that are essential in each stage of sustainability work. This will help managers in NFS companies to navigate through expansions and will help them understand what to focus on.

This study examines the digital transformation landscape for Japanese SMEs (Small Medium-size Enterprises) in 2023 and the challenges faced in digitalization. Key obstacles faced in adopting digital technologies include limited digital literacy, budgetary constraints, and a risk-averse culture, which hinder widespread digitalization among SMEs. Despite these challenges, the study highlights the importance of digital transformation for sustainable growth and competitiveness. The study emphasizes the value of enhancing digital skills, addressing industry-specific challenges, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing data security and privacy. Recommendations include investing in employee training, improving access to financing, developing industry-specific strategies, facilitating collaboration and ecosystem development, promoting customer-centric approaches, and evaluating digital strategies regularly. By implementing these recommendations, Japanese SMEs can enhance their innovation, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Collaboration among governments, industry associations, universities, and SMEs is essential to create an environment conducive to digital transformation. / Denna studie undersöker det digitala transformationslandskapet för japanska små och medelstora företag år 2023 och de utmaningar som digitaliseringen står inför. Viktiga hinder för att ta till sig digital teknik inkluderar begränsad digital kompetens, budgetrestriktioner och en riskvillig kultur, vilket hindrar en utbredd digitalisering bland små och medelstora företag. Trots dessa utmaningar belyser studien vikten av digital transformation för hållbar tillväxt och konkurrenskraft. Studien betonar värdet av att förbättra digital kompetens, ta itu med branschspecifika utmaningar, främja samarbete och prioritera datasäkerhet och integritet. Rekommendationer inkluderar att investera i personalutbildning, förbättra tillgången till finansiering, utveckla branschspecifika strategier, underlätta samarbete och ekosystemutveckling, främja kundcentrerade tillvägagångssätt och utvärdera digitala strategier regelbundet. Genom att implementera dessa rekommendationer kan japanska små och medelstora företag förbättra sin innovation, produktivitet och kundnöjdhet. Samarbeten mellan regeringar, branschorganisationer, universitet och små och medelstora företag är avgörande för att skapa en miljö som främjar digital transformation.

Yes / This article examines the mediating mechanism of the relationship between institutional voids (IVs) and inter-firm cooperation and the moderating role of economic adversity in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in emerging markets. The hypotheses are tested using time-lagged survey data from 214 SMEs from Ghana. The findings provide support for the hypotheses by showing that (1) IVs positively influence the use of government research and development (R&D) support, (2) the use of government R&D support mediates the relationship between IVs and inter-firm cooperation, and (3) economic adversity positively moderates the relationship between IVs and the use of government R&D support. The findings contribute to understanding the role of IVs in inter-firm cooperation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

This paper examines how internal communication strategies in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) during COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on employee intrinsic motivation. By analyzing experiences of managers and employees in Sweden, it identifies effective communication methods that enhance morale and engagement. It also explores how these strategies align with Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and provides practical recommendations for crisis management communication. Through analysis of communication channels, frequency, and styles, it offers insights for organizational communication and crises management. This qualitative study employs thematic analysis of interviews with managers and employees in Swedish SMEs during COVID-19. It evaluates internal communication strategies such as channels, frequency, and styles, and their impact on employee motivation, aligning findings with SDT. To conlcude, this thesis illuminates the interplay between internal communication strategies and employee motivation within Swedish SMEs during COVID-19 pandemic. Through qualitative analysis, the study underlines the importance of flexible communication approaches, digital channels, and transparent styles in fostering resilience and engagement. The findings suggest that aligning communication strategies with SDT princibles can enhance organizational effectiveness during crises. Practical recommendations are provided to empower leaders in cultivating supportive work environments and promoting employee well-being.

Структура магистерской диссертации включает в себя введение, три главы, заключение, библиографический список. В первой главе рассмотрены теоретические аспекты организации кредитования субъектов малого и среднего предпринимательства. Во второй главе проанализировано современное состояние рынка кредитования субъектов малого и среднего бизнеса в России и на примере кредитной организации. В третьей главе выявлены основные проблемы в области кредитования субъектов малого и среднего бизнеса в России и представлены пути их решения. В заключении сформированы основные выводы проведенного исследования. / The structure of the master's thesis includes an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, a bibliography. The first chapter examines the theoretical aspects of the organization of lending to small and medium-sized businesses. The second chapter analyzes the current state of the lending market for small and medium-sized businesses in Russia and on the example of a credit institution. The third chapter identifies the main problems in the field of lending to small and medium-sized businesses in Russia and presents ways to solve them. In the conclusion, the main conclusions of the study are formed.