This thesis analyses the conflict resolution process between Israel and Egypt and provides a new angle for explaining the signing of the first Arab-Israeli peace treaty. Author uses a case study research method that facilitates an in-depth analysis of the topic and answers to three selected research questions: Why did long-lasting hostile countries engage in the negotiations to resolve their conflict?, How did Jimmy Carter mediate the Camp David Summit? and What persuaded Israel and Egypt to finalize the peace treaty?. The thesis is divided into two main analytical parts, according to the theoretical model used for its examination of the research questions. The first part makes use of William I. Zartman's theory of ripeness and its concept of a "mutually hurting stalemate" to explain why two opposing parties might become gradually open towards finding a "way out" from their protracted conflict. By analysing these conditions to reach a "ripe moment", the third-party may produce substantial proposals to resolve their dispute. The second part of this thesis focuses on the mediation process of the U.S. President Jimmy Carter between September 1978 and March 1979. The umbrella theory of third-party mediation is employed to elucidate the mediation strategies, potential biases and leverage of Jimmy...

Titel: Implementering av RFID i tredjepartslogistik (TPL) - En fallstudie av RFID inom lagerverksamhet i TPL med fokus på implementering och kostnadskalkyler i in- och utleveransprocessen på PostNord TPL  Kurs: 4FE19E Examensarbete i Supply Chain Management för Civilekonomprogrammet, 30 hp.  Författare: Jacob Holm & Amer Basic Examinator: Helena Forslund Handledare: Hana Hulthén  Bakgrund: PostNord TPL i Ljungby är en av de aktörer som har fått upp ett intresse för RFID och det hela började med ett önskemål om RFID-tekniken från deras största kund (Kund X). Kund X efterfrågar en RFID-märkning på artikelnivå för att bland annat dra fördelar av en sådan teknik vid lagerinventering. För att PostNord TPL:s största kund ska kunna ta steget mot att implementera en RFID-lösning ute i butikerna, så krävs det att lagret i Ljungby implementerar tekniken först. PostNord TPL:s tanke, utefter kundens önskan att erbjuda dem denna tjänst, är att all RFID- märkning av Kund X artiklar sker på lagret i Ljungby. Denna studie är unik i sitt slag dels för att det förekommer ett stort forskningsgap i den existerande forskningsteorin med användning av RFID-teknik inom TPL, men att studien också fokuserar på RFID-märkning på artikelnivå.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att föreslå riktlinjer för en implementering av RFID inom TPL i in- och utleveransprocessen. Riktlinjerna innehåller kategorisering av relevanta variabler för RFID-implementering samt implementeringsprocessen och kostnadskalkyl.  Metod: Denna studie är en fallstudie på företaget PostNord TPL i Ljungby. Forskarna har tillämpat en mönsterjämförelse där teorin och empirin har jämförts. Empirin har samlats in genom målstyrt urval och snöbollsurval, där semistrukturerade och ostrukturerade intervjuer med ett flertal olika aktörer har genomförts. Studien grundar sig i en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med ett deduktivt angreppssätt.  Slutsats: Studien har analyserat tre forskningsfrågor, där den första är mer generell inom TPL och de andra två riktar sig mot PostNord TPL förutsättningar. Studien har tagit fram förslag på vilka variabler som är relevanta vid implementering av RFID inom lagerverksamhet i TPL och hur de kan kategoriseras. Vidare har studien visat i vilken lagerhanteringsprocess RFID kan implementeras hos PostNord TPL och hur en sådan implementeringsprocess kan se ut. Slutligen har även tre olika kostnadskalkyler utvecklats för en RFID-implementering i in- och utleveransprocessen hos PostNord TPL. / Title: Implementation of RFID in third-party logistics (TPL) - A case study of RFID in warehousing operations in TPL with a focus on implementation and cost calculations in the inbound and outbound process at PostNord TPL  Course: 4FE19E Degree Project in Supply Chain Management for the Master of Business Administration Program, 30 hp. Authors: Jacob Holm & Amer Basic Examiner: Helena Forslund Tutor: Hana Hulthén  Background: PostNord TPL in Ljungby is one of the actors that has developed an interest in RFID, and it all started with a request for RFID technology from their largest customer (Customer X). Customer X requests an RFID tag at the item level, among other things, to take advantage of such technology during stock inventory. In order for PostNord TPL:s largest customer to be able to take the step towards implementing an RFID solution in the stores, it is required that the warehouse in Ljungby implements the technology first. PostNord TPL:s idea, according to the customer's desire to offer them this service, is that all RFID labeling of Customer X items takes place at the warehouse in Ljungby. This study is unique in its kind, partly because there is a large research gap in the existing research theory using RFID technology within TPL, but also because the study focuses on RFID labeling at article level.  Purpose: The purpose of the study is to propose guidelines for an implementation of RFID within TPL in the inbound and outbound process. The guidelines contain a categorization of relevant variables for RFID implementation as well as the implementation process and cost calculation.  Methodology: This study is a case study at the company PostNord TPL in Ljungby. The researchers have applied a pattern comparison where the theory and empiricism have been compared. The empirics have been collected through goal-directed selection and snowball selection, where semi-structured and unstructured interviews with a number of different actors have been conducted. The study is based on a qualitative research method with a deductive approach.  Conclusion: The study has analyzed three research questions, where the first is more general within TPL and the other two focus on PostNord TPL conditions. The study has produced suggestions on which variables are relevant when implementing RFID within warehousing operations in TPL and how they can be categorized. Furthermore, the study has developed in which inventory management process RFID can be implemented at PostNord TPL and what such an implementation process can look like. Finally, three different cost calculations have also been produced for an RFID implementation in the inbound and outbound process at PostNord TPL.

The purpose of the study is to: 1. develop a model for studying the strategies of third-party providers, and 2. preparing empirically supported hypotheses regarding the TPL providers strategies. Empirical data has been gathered from 21 Australian, European, and North- American targeted TPL providers, all recognized as large, innovative or influential industry representatives. The thesis propose an empirically supported model for studying positions or for positioning of TPL providers, based on both served markets and internal industry variables. Further, the TPL providers expected development, the values delivered to clients, and activity and capability for supply chain integration are explored. The results of the study indicate that the TPL providers in general have similar strategies, and expect to develop in similar ways. The main values provided to clients are Cost and the possibility to Focus on Core, and the main mechanisms for creating that value are Operative Competence and Systems Development.

The construction industry is associated with problems such as low productivity and high costs. This has been highlighted in several government-funded reports in both Sweden and in the UK during the course of over two decades. The construction industry is a large industry sector employing hundreds of thousands and a large contributor to a country’s GDP. The problems therefore have a large impact on society. Some of the problems are rooted in the organizational structure of the construction industry. Compared to other manufacturing industries, the construction industry is organized in temporary organizations. The temporary organizations cause temporary supply chains, fragmentation among construction industry actors and adversarial relationships between those actors. Partnering has been but forward as a solution to overcome the temporariness and the adversarial relationships in the construction. Another solution to mitigate the problems suggested in the reports is supply chain management (SCM). Both concepts have been taken from the manufacturing industries and partnering has been more successful compared to SCM in the construction industry. In the construction industry the progress towards SCM has focused on logistics. In recent years dedicated third-party logistics (TPL) solutions have emerged in the Swedish construction industry, where a company is hired to manage the logistics in a construction project. The purpose with the research presented in this licentiate thesis is to explore how client initiated TPL solutions and partnering can be facilitators for SCM in the construction industry. Being a new phenomenon in the construction industry TPL solutions provide a logistical competence not necessarily included in a traditional construction project. Therefore, TPL solutions are of particular interest when studying the realization of SCM in the construction industry. In the process of realizing SCM in the construction industry, the construction clients have been put forward as having a crucial and important role. The clients are the initiator and funder of construction projects and as such the client can influence the course of a construction project. Therefore, it is of interest to study how the client can take an active role in this process. Initiating a TPL solution in a construction project is one way for a client to take an active part in the realization of SCM in construction. However, in order to study how clients can take an active role towards the realization of SCM in the construction industry, there have to be an understanding of how SCM is to be adopted to the construction industry context. SCM that derives from the manufacturing industry is designed to be used in long-term relationships with permanent organizational structures. The construction industry on the other hand is associated with short-term relationships and a temporary organizational structure. Partnering that is designed to mitigate the temporariness and establish long-term relationships have been quite successful in the construction industry, and could therefore be used as a facilitator for SCM in construction. To study the use of client initiated TPL-solutions in construction and the realization of SCM in the construction industry the following research questions have been addressed: RQ1: To what extent can a third-party logistics solution be a facilitator for client driven SCM in the construction industry? RQ2: How will upstream and downstream tiers be affected when a thirdparty logistics provider is used in a construction project? RQ3: How can partnering be used a mean to facilitate the realization of SCM in the construction industry? To answer the research questions two main methodologies have been used; case study for the empirically grounded research and conceptual studies for the analysis of the case studies as well as for comparing the two concepts of partnering and SCM. All questions have been grounded in literature and previous research. The findings of this research is therefore grounded in both theory and in practice. The main findings of this research is that TPL solutions are not a quick fix for realizing SCM in the construction industry. However, if used right a TPL solution can be an effective tool to address logistical issues in a construction project and to establish an interface between the supply chain and the construction site. By initiating a TPL solution the client addresses the importance of logistical competence in a construction project. A TPL solution does not have a purpose of its own; a TPL solution is a service function to the construction project, providing expertise on logistics management. There are also a number of driving forces and concerns that have been identified, if they are addressed prior to a TPL solution is implemented, the likelihood of its success will increase. Furthermore, both partnering and SCM rely on high trust and share several key components and issues that have to be addressed. Partnering on strategic level with several suppliers included can even be hard to distinguish from SCM. Wherefore, partnering is considered a facilitator for the realization of SCM in construction. By addressing the necessary issues in both concepts a good foundation for SCM is established.

Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) managers struggle to stay competitive. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies SME managers located in Canada use to engage third-party logistics (3PL) providers to improve their supply chains. Porter's value chain theory formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 3 managers from 3 different SMEs in the province of Ontario and a review of the documents related to the use of 3PL providers. Member checking was conducted to enhance credibility of interpretation of the data collected. Data analysis was used to identify key themes, and data triangulation was performed on data from interviews and relevant company documents. Main themes that indicated the benefits of 3PL providers were identified through data analysis. The main themes included access to resources, competitive advantage, and enhanced customer service. Study findings may contribute to social change by helping SME managers improve their survival rate in Canada, maintain or create employment, and generate more personal income and taxes.

I byggsektorn genomförs just nu stora framsteg gällande logistik och externa stödfunktioner. Senaste åren har stort fokus lagts på bygglogistik och många av de större byggföretagen har internt börjat ta fram logistikverktyg i ett sätt att systematisera sin logistikhantering. Det här examensarbetet syftar därför till att undersöka möjligheterna med en intern logistiklösning, och hur entreprenören kan utöka användningsområdet för en sådan lösning. Examensarbetet har vidare tittat på tredjepartslogistik (TPL), om det går att systematiskt definiera olika typer av TPL samt vilka behov en entreprenör har av en sådan lösning. Den interna logistiklösningen är väl förankrad och omtyckt på NCC - dess ytterligare utvecklingspotential är således stor. Den interna logistiklösningen skulle kunna utnyttjas vid externa mellanlager, där mellanlagret skulle kunna representeras av en materialzon. I TPL-lösningar där flera entreprenörer arbetar under gemensam logistiker är den interna logistiklösningen mer svårapplicerad då gemensam logistikplan gäller, och då ofta med tillhörande verktyg. Gällande systematisering av TPL-lösningar har det framkommit att man kan dela in lösningarna efter fyra teoretiska typer. Det har konstaterats att de TPL-lösningar som NCC använder sig av kan kategoriseras enligt någon av dessa fyra typer. Beroende på omfattningen av den tjänst som logistikern tillhandahåller blir upplägget från NCCs perspektiv olika. En kategorisering av lösningarna bidrar således till ett standardiserat tillvägagångssätt för NCCs logistikhantering.  Entreprenörens behov av en TPL-lösning har visat sig vara relativt okomplicerat formulerade, men svårare att faktiskt tillämpa. Det entreprenören behöver ha ut av en TPL-lösning är en flexibel plan som kan revideras under projektets gång. Det krävs även att TPL-lösningen har kapacitet att hantera materialflödet under hela projektet, vilket varierar stort under projektets gång. Bygglogistik är som ovan nämnt ett aktuellt ämne och en av de främsta anledningarna är den förbättrade arbetsmiljön som visat sig tillkomma vid en genomtänkt logistikplan. Genom att ha en strukturerad och ordningsam arbetsplats förbättras arbetsmiljön för samtliga projektdeltagare. Att väl utförd bygglogistik kan bidra till förhöjd arbetsmiljö skapar en potentiell konkurrensfördel då säkerhet många gånger är A och O i byggbranschen. / A lot of progress is today made in the Construction Industry regarding logistics and external support functions. A large focus has the last year been put on building logistics and a lot of the larger Contractors has internally developed logistic tools as a measure to systematize their logistics process. This master thesis therefore aims to reflect over the possibilities with such an internal logistic tool, and how the field of application can augment. The master thesis has further investigated third party logistics (TPL) and if it is possible to systematize different types of TPL-solutions and what the entrepreneurs needs are of a solution as such.  It has been found that the internal logistic solution can be used further by adding external stores as material zones. The internal logistic solution is well anchored and appreciated at NCC – its’ development potential therefor big. In TPL-solutions where more than one contractor is working with a common logistician, it has shown that the internal logistic solution is more difficulty applied due to the common layout of the logistics, with the belonging logistic tools.  Regarding systematization of TPL-solutions, some categorization can be made. It has also shown that NCC internally uses several of these types. Depending on the extent of the service the logistician provides, the setup for NCC is different and a categorization contributes to a standardized approach for NCCs own logistic management.  The contractors needs in a TPL-solution has shown to be rather uncomplicated to phrase, but more difficult to actually apply. What the contractor needs of a TPL-solution is a flexible plan that can be modified during the project. It is also a demand that the TPL-solution has the capacity of managing the flow of material throughout the entire project, which may vary greatly during the project.  Building logistics is as mentioned above a very current and up-to-date topic, and one of the premier reasons is the improved work environment that has shown to be a result of a carefully prepared layout of the logistic. By having a structured and orderly project site, the work environment is improved for all project members. That a well conducted logistic layout can contribute to improved work environment creates a big competitive advantage since safety many times is vital in the construction industry.

INTRODUCTION: Despite evidence showing that tinnitus can have a detrimental impact on significant others (SOs), no standardized self-reported measure is currently available that specifically assesses the presence of third-party disability for tinnitus. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a newly developed self-reported measure for SOs of tinnitus and assess how scores could be meaningfully interpreted. METHODS: The research consisted of two phases. During Phase I, the Consequences of Tinnitus on Significant Others Questionnaire (CTSOQ) was developed using the The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidance. Phase II included the assessment of psychometric properties of the CTSOQ including the construct validity, internal consistency, interpretability, and responsiveness. Pairs of 194 individuals with tinnitus and their SOs completed a series of online questionnaires. SOs completed the CTSOQ measure while individuals with tinnitus completed measures related to tinnitus distress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and quality of life. RESULTS: A 25 item CTSOQ was developed using a formative model. The questionnaire validation process indicated good psychometric properties with an internal consistency of 0.93 and inter-item correlation of 0.60. Support was found for the construct and discriminative validity of the measure. Floor and ceiling effects were negligible. Scores can be meaningfully interpreted to indicate mild, significant, or severe effect of tinnitus on SOs. The questionnaire was also found to be responsive to treatment-related changes. CONCLUSIONS: The CTSOQ was found to have sufficient measurement properties suggesting that it is a suitable measure of third-party disability for SOs of individuals with tinnitus. Further research should be initiated to measure face validity and what scores reflect clinically meaningful change.

Research has begun to focus on the role third-party diplomatic intervention plays in the length of civil conflicts. Diplomatic interventions by a third-party actor are assumed to help resolve or alleviate violence over time. Is this really the case? Hypotheses relating to these aspects of civil wars are proposed to test this long-standing assumption. This thesis uses statistical analysis to observe the relationship between diplomatic interventions and civil war duration and then observe the relationship between duration and civil war violence. The data incorporates approximately 150 civil wars from 1945 to 1999, 101 of which had outside interventions. This thesis finds that, contrary to ex ante expectations, diplomatic interventions are a significant contributing factor to civil war length. Furthermore, longer civil wars are not associated with more civil war intensity in the aggregate, suggesting that longer civil wars do not mean more violent or intense ones.

How supply chain visibility could benefit the field of supply chain management is well-known, both within academia and among practitioners. However, less is known about the challenges that supply chain visibility may be coupled with, especially when it comes to organisational challenges for a broader market presence where actors may have conflicting incentives. This thesis tries to explore this issue and does so through a case study by analyzing organisational challenges for supply chain visibility to see greater presence in the third-party logistics market. Most importantly, the findings suggest that an ecosystem perspective is necessary inorder to fully comprehend the organisational challenges. By applying an ecosystem perspective, previously known challenges can be better understood by connecting them with market dynamics, and it also revealed previously unknown challenges related to regulatory challenges. The purpose of this thesis is not to provide definitive theory, but rather show the promise of utilizing an ecosystem perspective in the contemporary supply chain visibility field. This could prove helpful within academia as well as for practitioners. / Det är välkänt hur supply chain visibility kan gynna supply chain management, både inom akademin och för yrkesverksamma. Däremot är det mindre känt vilka utmaningar som är förknippade med marknadsetablering av supply chain visibility, särskilt när det gäller organisatoriska utmaningar. Denna uppsats syftar till att utforska dessa utmaningar genom en fallstudie, med fokus främst på de organisatoriska utmaningar som supply chain visibility skulle kunna innebära inom tredjepartslogistik. Den viktigaste insikten från denna studie är att ett ekosystemsperspektiv är nödvändigt för att fullt ut förstå de organisatoriska utmaningarna. Genom att tillämpa ett ekosystemsperspektiv kan tidigare okända utmaningar bättre förstås genom att kopplas samman med marknadsdynamik. Dessutom upptäcktes en ny kategori av utmaningar som tidigare forskning inte har redogjort för, nämligen juridiska utmaningar. Syftet med denna uppsats var inte att skapa ett definitivt ramverk utan att visa möjligheterna med tillämpning av ett ekosystemsperspektiv inom det för närvarande heta ämnet supply chain visibility. Detta kan vara till nytta både för forskare och yrkesverksamma.

Trust in information systems stem from two key properties of responses to queries regarding the state of the system, viz., i) authoritativeness, and ii) unbiasedness. That the response is authoritative implies that i) the provider (source) of the response, and ii) the chain of delegations through which the provider obtained the authority to respond, can be verified. The property of unbiasedness implies that no system data relevant to the query is deliberately or accidentally suppressed. The need for guaranteeing these two important properties stem from the impracticality for the verifier to exhaustively verify the correctness of every system process, and the integrity of the platform on which system processes are executed. For instance, the integrity of a process may be jeopardized by i) bugs (attacks) in computing hardware like Random Access Memory (RAM), input/output channels (I/O), and Central Processing Unit( CPU), ii) exploitable defects in an operating system, iii) logical bugs in program implementation, and iv) a wide range of other embedded malfunctions, among others. A first step in ensuing AU properties of geographic queries is the need to ensure AU responses to a specific type of geographic query, viz., point-location. The focus of this dissertation is on strategies to leverage assured point-location, for i) ensuring authoritativeness and unbiasedness (AU) of responses to a wide range of geographic queries; and ii) useful applications like Secure Queryable Dynamic Maps (SQDM) and trustworthy redistricting protocol. The specific strategies used for guaranteeing AU properties of geographic services include i) use of novel Merkle-hash tree- based data structures, and ii) blockchain networks to guarantee the integrity of the processes.