The aim for this study is to identify the critical factors for an implementation of Lean for a micro company in the start-up phase, as well as to identify which Lean practices that are most applicable for a distribution strategy in a micro company. The aim was divided into two research questions: • RQ1: Which factors of a Lean implementation is critical for a producing micro company in the start-up phase? • RQ2: How applicable are lean tools and practices for a micro company’s distribution strategy? The research approach used to answer the aim and research questions were a literature review and a case study. A solid literature review was performed to understand the subject in a broader context as well as to compensate for the empirical findings. The case study was conducted at a micro company in the construction industry in Sweden, which currently has no distribution strategy. Since there is limited information related to micro companies, the study has been expanded to also include SMEs. Several factors were identified as critical for an implementation for a micro company. The factors were categorized as critical, favorable, hindering and driving. The identified most relevant critical factors for micro companies was the leadership and management as well as financial capabilities. This was found to be in line with the theoretical framework. Furthermore, an identification was that the Lean tools and practices that were the most applicable for a micro company were those that focus on the internal processes and the involvement of the workforce, such as 5S, PDCA and visual management. These tools were the most applicable because of the financial aspects as well as the lack of influence that a micro company has over its supply chain. It is recommended to perform a similar case study in a micro company with a higher level of maturity and has started their distribution of goods to further analyze tangible empirical data. Lean concerning micro companies need further research if it should become attractive and achievable for micro companies.

No description available.

O transporte de minérios através do bombeamento de polpa é relevante em escala mundial. No Brasil este modo de transporte é muito importante devido à enorme produção mineral e suas distâncias continentais. E, o bombeamento de polpa em planta é ainda mais importante pois é uma operação diária que afeta a todos os envolvidos. A motivação para este estudo foi providenciar para a Escola Politécnica uma estação de bombeamento capaz de levantar os parâmetros do escoamento necessários para o correto dimensionamento das linhas de polpa. Esta dissertação descreve a montagem de dois loops (3\'\' e 4\'\'), devidamente instrumentado e com a aquisição direta dos dados via computador. Os loops foram dimensionados, os componentes, bomba e instrumentos adquiridos, o loop montado, calibrado e colocado em marcha. Esta dissertação registra esta experiência e discute as dificuldades encontradas, na expectativa de que este sistema de bombeamento venha a ser útil para futuros pesquisadores. A Escola Politécnica agora dispõe de um loop de bombeamento de polpa mineral adequado para a determinação de parâmetros hidráulicos, pesquisa e suporte para futuros projetos. / Ore transportation via slurry pumping is relevant in a world scale. In Brazil, due to its huge mineral production and continental distances, mineroducts are an important transportation mode. And, in plant slurry pumping is still more important as it is a dayby- day operation that affects everybody. The motivation for this study was to provide Escola Politécnica (USP) of a convenient pumping station (loop) able to measure the necessary flow parameters for proper design of slurry lines. This dissertation describes the design of two loops (3\'\' and 4\'\') full instrumented and with direct data acquisition via computer. The loops have been sized, components, pump and instruments purchased, erected and started-up. This dissertation registers this experience and discusses the difficulties found, in the expectative can become useful for other researches. Escola Politécnica has now a proper slurry pumping loop for hydraulic determinations, research and for support of future projects.

A presente dissertação faz um estudo dos tipos de inovação promovidos por 11 empresas apoiadas pelo programa PIPE da FAPESP. Seu objetivo é descrever os tipos de inovação promovidos pelas empresas em seus primeiros dez anos de existência. Pretendeu-se aqui responder à pergunta \"Que tipo(s) de inovação as empresas de sucesso paulistas, intensivas em conhecimento, promovem nos dez primeiros anos de suas existências?\". Para tanto, o autor utilizou, em um primeiro nível de classificação, a tipologia do Manual de Oslo (2005), que estabelece e denomina a inovação como a) em produto b) em processo c) em marketing d) organizacional. Em um segundo nível de classificação, este só para a inovação em produto, o autor utilizou a tipologia de Garcia e Calantone (2002), que estabelece e denomina a inovação em produto como a) incremental b) realmente nova c) radical. Para desenvolver a pesquisa, qualitativa, de perfil exploratório-descritivo, o autor enviou email convite a 603 empresas beneficiárias de apoio do programa PIPE da FAPESP, apoio este obtido entre maio de 2002 e dezembro de 2009. Com as informações fornecidas pelos respondentes, denominadas ações empreendedoriais, o autor preencheu a parte inicial do instrumento de pesquisa, concluindo assim a primeira etapa do trabalho. A segunda etapa constituiu-se de entrevista, quando as ações empreendedoriais descritas pelos respondentes foram classificadas por tipo de inovação. Os resultados obtidos descrevem os tipos de inovações promovidos pelas empresas constantes da amostra em seus dez primeiros anos de existência. / The present dissertation studies the innovations promoted by 11 companies supported by the program PIPE of FAPESP. It aims at describing the types of innovations promoted by those companies in their first ten years of existence. One intended to answer the question \"What types of innovation successful companies of São Paulo state promoted in their first ten years of existence?\" At the first level, the typology of Oslo\'s Manual (2005) was used to classify the innovations in product, process, marketing and organizational. At the second level, this one only for products, the typology of Garcia e Calantone (2002) was used to classify the innovations in radical, really new and incremental. In order to develop this study, the author contacted companies supported by the program PIPE of FAPESP. Eleven companies were interviewed. The results do describe the type of innovations promoted by the companies in their first ten years of existence.

Background: Companies nowadays cannot differentiate efficiently enough through their products, therefore require strong brand identities. Especially start-up companies without fully developed products rely on the brand identity to communicate efficiently with its potential customers. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the brand identity of a start-up by applying commonly used models of brand identity and to see the extent of applicability of these models in the case of a start-up. Design/Methodology/Approach: Qualitative research that includes semi-structured interviews with seven participants, where five interviewees work within the company and two interviewees who have a close working connection to it. Findings: The models used are to a small extent applicable in terms of brand personality and brand culture. A brand identity has been described from the same perspectives. Theoretical and Managerial Implication: Adjustment of existing models according to changes in business related settings is argued. Further establishment of the components of brand culture is recommended.

The Diploma thesis deals with beginnings of entrepreneur, who is going to set up his first company. The objective of thesis is checking hypothesis that visionary company is viable, with economic potencial and possibilities for growth. Theoretical part descripes major factors, which are important for health and strength of the enterprise. In these factors belong demands on entrepreneur's personality, knowledge and skills. Further protection of company -- how protect company and its own know-how before rivals. Chosing suitable legal form and choise of compaion. Thesis also saying about usefulness to have a mission. Practical part shows how the business is conceived for real market. Thesis also thinking about growth of the business and how to do it to not be such a little company with one branch. Financial statements show economical potencial, which the business is able to generate to all investors and companions in this concept of the business. The conclusion is dedicated to commentary related to objectives of this Diploma thesis.

La thèse vise à expliquer la dynamique de l’évolution des projets de création d’entreprises de haute technologie à travers les différentes configurations empruntées par le développement technologique et organisationnel. La revue de littérature dans le domaine de l’entrepreneuriat technologique a montré une grande richesse de facteurs explicatifs de l’évolution des projets de création d’entreprises mais aussi des déficiences du rôle attribué à la technologie qui lui confèrent un statut d’artéfact et non celui de processus à part entière. Une approche conceptuelle de la création de l’entreprise de haute technologie fondée sur la théorie de l’acteur réseau permet de dépasser les approches déterministes afin de s’intéresser au développement conjoint de la technologie et de l’organisation. Le cas d’une innovation de hautes technologies de l’invention à son exploitation est analysé en profondeur selon une démarche de recherche-intervention. L’analyse conduit a l’élaboration d’un outil d’aide à la décision (le dispositif d’intervention) et d’un modèle dynamique de la création de l’entreprise de haute technologie différent de ceux présentés dans la littérature entrepreneuriale. Les principaux apports résident dans l’aide à la prise de décisions stratégiques et à celui de la construction de l’organisation. Cette aide, au départ fondée sur les pratiques de l’intervention, s’est transformée peu à peu en un processus d’apprentissage collectif basé sur une modélisation rationnelle de la construction de l’entreprise technologique en favorisant l’émergence de nouveaux savoirs partageables et durables dans le temps. / This research aims to explain the dynamics of the evolution of the projects of high-technology new business start-up through the various configurations derived from by the technological and organizational development. The review of literature in the field of the technological entrepreneurship shows a vast amount of explanatory factors of the evolution of the projects of new business start-up but also the lack of the role granted to the technology which confers it a status of artefact and not that of the full process. A conceptual approach on the high-technology company based on the theory of the network actor allows to overtake the determinist approaches to be interested in the joint development of the technology and the organization. The case of an innovation of high technologies of the invention in its exploitation is analyzed in deeply according to the research-intervention methodology. The analysis leads the elaboration of a decision-making tool (le dispositif d’intervention) and of a dynamic high-technology model of the creation of the company different from those presented in the entrepreneurial literature. The main contribution lives in the assistance to the strategic decision-making and to that of the construction of the organization. This assistance, at first established on the practices of the intervention, was transformed progressively into a process of collective learning built on a rational modeling of the construction of the technological company by favoring the emergence of new shared and long-lasting knowledge in the time.

<p>Many authors (refer: Swayne and Tucker, 1973; Kahneman and Lovallo, 1994; Baron, 1998; Stewart et al., 1998; Simon et al., 1999; Simon and Houghton, 2003; Baum and Lock, 2004; Mathews, 2008) have examined the traits and skills of the entrepreneur. Others have been more interested in their behaviors (refer: Bhave, 1994; Byers et al., 1997; Sarasvathy, 2001; Shook et al., 2003; Baron, 2007; Davidsson, 2008), trying to describe the entrepreneurial processes on the initial stages of venture development. However, studies that try to define how an entrepreneur reacts when facing changes have not been found in the literature. The focus of this research is thus, to explore the attitude of the entrepreneur towards changes throughout the development of the start-up project.</p><p>The theoretical background is divided into three main parts: the entrepreneurial attitude, the attitude towards change, and the relation between perceptions of organizational climate and attitudes. The first section reviews the literature about the traits and behaviors that define an entrepreneur. The second section concentrates on research papers concerning the attitude towards change for middle managers in well-established firms. Finally, the third section, through a review of the relevant literature, emphasizes the importance of the impact of the working environment perception on people’s attitude towards work.</p><p>The approach of this qualitative study is inductive at first, but also incorporates a deductive approach during the data analysis using a grounded theory method. The data were gathered through seven semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs from Cyprus, India, Mexico, United Kingdom, and Sweden.</p><p>The outcome of the present study is a model emphasizing the main results of the research. It presents three main reasons (interest/work experience in the business area, definition of the gap in the market, and desire to create) that lead to the decision to initiate the project. The market and future perception, as they have an impact on the actual start of the process, are presented and discussed as well. Concerning the attitude towards changes occurring during the process, four different reactions have been found to be relevant (adaptation, search for assistance, determination/commitment, and passion/persistence). Furthermore, the help provided by the learning experience, the social networking, and the future planning to overcome changes were also identified. Finally, the perception by the entrepreneur of the change and the overall process are explained.</p>

<p><strong>Problem:</strong> How do the born global firms overcome challenges and sustain performance in international markets through their competences, routines, and corporate governance structure?</p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this thesis is to explore the competences, routines, and corporate governance structure of born global companies, and understand their role in overcoming challenges of early internationalization and sustaining performance in international markets from early days.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> This research is conducted as multi-disciplinary, consisting of literature from International Business and Strategic Management. Relevant data is collected through six in-depth interviews with executives of born global companies from Sweden and Norway. Qualitative analysis has been used at data analysis stage.</p><p><strong>Originality: </strong>This study contributes to literature by examining relatively neglected areas of born global companies; competences, routines, and corporate governance structure. It is also original in distilling a wide literature to explore challenges of born globals.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our research reveals that despite their small size and limited resources, born global companies engage in competence building and leveraging activities, establish early international routines, and construct flexible governance structures to overcome challenges and achieve performance in the global arena.</p>

PROBLEM DISCUSSION: Vaggeryd is a small municipality Småland. In addition to its strategic position along the main traffic route E4, Vaggeryd is very interesting also because of its advanced view on growing of the business sector, in both short and long-term per- spective. To meet that goal the municipality of Vaggeryd started to invest in “Egenföretagareutbildningen” EFU in cooperation with Jönköping International Business School (JIBS). The main idea is that students attend the courses that are held by JIBS and during their studies start their own business in a local business incubator called Fenix. PURPOSE: To host such education requires a huge amount of energy and resources from the municipality, which consequently would like to get answers to questions like “Is it worth investing in the education?” or “What are the results of such education?” The aim of this paper is to give the answers to those crucial questions though I believe that the time that has passed from the beginning of the education is too short and that the number of the students was not large enough to get definitive answers. This paper concentrates on a narrow part of the qualitative research methods – an inter- view. It is divided into two parts, a theoretical part and the empirical findings. FINDINGS: The research showed that six students out of a total of ten from generation 2005 started a new venture, three will take over a family business, and one has not decided to start a business yet. Of six students in generation 2003 four have started a business and one of them finished in bankruptcy, one plans to start a business in the future and one does not have a good business idea. RECOMMENDATIONS: Answers that the interviews returned gave interesting sugges- tions to both the municipality of Vaggeryd and JIBS about how to improve EFU. I would emphasise two, I believe, the most important recommendations. First municipality has to attract neighbouring municipalities in the EFU project. In addition, a greater effort should be made to help students build a spider’s web of business contacts.