Abstract Title: Recruiting Through the Grapevine - The relevance of employee referral programs within the field of employer branding   Date: 2016-06-03   Authors: Mikaela Löjdqvist & Isabella Nilsson   Course: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration (FOA214), 15 HP   University: Mälardalen University   Academia: School of Business, Society and Engineering   Supervisor: Magnus Hoppe   Examiner: Eva Maaninen-Olsson   Co-assessor: Konstantin Lampou ____________________________________________________________________________   Research question: How do employee referral programs, as a part of the recruitment process, connect to the employer brand of a company?     Purpose: Understanding the correlation and connection between the two concepts, employer branding and employee referral programs, may help companies recognize the importance of using such programs as a stable foundation of their recruitment process. Thus concurrently, identifying the consequences that the employer brand presents, has on the employees and their willingness to recommend. This leads to the purpose of this thesis, which is to examine the connection between employee referral programs and a company's employer brand.     Methodology: Answering the purpose and research question was approached by using a mixed method, based on the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative method was used in the two semi-structured in-depth interviews, while the quantitative approach was used in construction and analysis of the survey. Both methods provide a foundation to strengthen the arguments not only for the results of the survey, but also for drawing conclusions when trying to answer the research question. By using a case company, a real-life understanding of how the connection between employer branding and the employee referral program correlates.     Conclusion: A connection between employee referral programs and the employer brand can be denoted from the conducted research within the chosen case company. However, if this connection is true for all companies, needs to be further investigated.     Keywords: employer branding, employee referral programs (ERP), employee value proposition (EVP), recruitment, staff-word-of-mouth (SWOM), word-of-mouth (WOM)

Escritórios de arquitetura possuem um modelo de negócios ultrapassado, no qual grande parte dos clientes questiona o alto valor cobrado pelos profissionais ao mesmo tempo em que os arquitetos reclamam da má remuneração dos serviços prestados. No intuito de romper com essa realidade, este estudo tem como principal objetivo encontrar uma alternativa para o ganho de escala, utilizando como laboratório, a empresa do autor, um escritório de arquitetura de pequeno porte, situado na cidade de São Paulo. Valendo-se do referencial teórico de modelo de negócios, proposta de valor, customização em massa e inovação no setor de construção civil, o trabalho, uma pesquisa-ação, com a participação dos dois sócios da empresa e um integrante externo, seguiu a jornada de criação de um novo modelo de negócios composto por três ciclos: (1) problema (identificação e validação do problema enfrentado pelo público-alvo em questão); (2) solução (definição e validação da solução proposta ao problema); (3) modelo de negócios (conformação e viabilidade econômica do modelo proposto). Na primeira etapa do trabalho foi possível identificar o potencial do segmento de mercado de residências recém entregues pela construtora (unidades no contrapiso), composta por uma média de 23,6 mil unidades comercializadas por ano na cidade de São Paulo, permitindo a padronização dos processos e da produção com ganho de escala, através da customização em massa. A solução proposta na dissertação, baseada na principal necessidade do cliente, de tornar o apartamento habitável, foi a de produtizar os serviços da reforma através de pacotes, comercializados a um preço fixo, compostos por projetos de arquitetura pré-idealizados. Ao final dos ciclos e de estabelecer os onze componentes do modelo de negócios, a proposta da dissertação se mostrou com grande potencial de aplicação e ganho de escala, resultando em um fluxo de caixa positivo a partir do primeiro ano de atuação, onde o volume de clientes determinado foi de apenas 18 unidades / Architecture offices, in general, present an outdated business model, a reason why a great amount of the clients question the high prices charged by the architecture professionals. Meanwhile, the architects themselves complain about the poor remuneration for the provided services. In order to break with this reality, this study has as main objective to find an alternative to the gain in scale, using as a laboratory, the company of the author, a small architecture office, located in the city of São Paulo. Using the theoretical framework of business model, value proposition, mass customization and innovation in the civil construction sector, the work, a practical research, with the participation of the two partners of the company and an external member, followed the journey of creating a new business model composed of three cycles: (1) problem (identification and validation of the problem faced by the target public in question); (2) solution (definition and validation of the proposed solution to the problem); (3) business model (conformation and economic feasibility of the proposed model). In the initial part of the research, it was possible to identify the potential of the newly delivered houses market segment, by the construction companies (units in the sub-floor), composed of an average of 23.6 thousand units sold per year in the city of São Paulo, allowing the standardization of processes and production with gain in scale, through mass customization. The solution proposed in the present dissertation, based on the main need of the client to make the apartment habitable, was to produce the services of the reform through packages, commercialized at a fixed price, composed by pre-idealized architectural projects. At the end of the cycles and to establish the eleven components of the business model, the dissertation proposal presented a great potential of application and gain in scale, resulting in positive cash flow from the first year of operation, where the volume of determined customers was only 18 units

Companies within the manufacturing industry is undergoing changes in their business models to adapt to changing external environments and trends – whereas one general trend is toward servitization, the transition from hardware products to software services. These software services have shown to have an increasingly impactful role for former productbased firms to ensure future reliable profits and revenues. This thesis aims to contribute to the academical field of servitization and business model literature, within the context of a non-disruptive industry with a slow technological development rate. This is done by addressing the following purpose: to understand how hardware manufacturing companies can integrate software services in their existing business model. In order to fulfill this thesis’ purpose, the research questions answered address how a hardware manufacturing company’s business model can be affected by servitization, but also how the process of business model innovation can be facilitated in the organization. This master’s thesis is anchored in a qualitative, interpretive case study – where the empirical data has been gathered from semi-structured interviews and internal case company documents. The findings from this thesis show that servitization can affect company business model in several ways. The first one is the shift towards customercentricity, both in terms of the design of the value proposition and the way of working with the customers. However, the findings show that companies in this context may experience difficulties with designing a value proposition that is desirable to the customer. Problems with demonstrating the benefits of the servitized value proposition might also arise. Furthermore, this thesis also concludes that there can be issues in translating a manufacturing company’s value proposition into concrete revenue streams and moving from traditional cost-based pricing methods to value-based pricing strategies. Also, manufacturing companies in this context might struggle to realize its value proposition if there is not a sufficient amount of dedicated resources, competences and activities dedicated to completing the transition. This thesis also concludes that in order to facilitate the process of business model innovation within the organization, there needs to be a supportive culture to the innovation, but also clear goals and strategies that fits the overall strategies of the company. These strategies also need to be appropriately communicated within the organization. Companies might experience difficulties in rooting the business model in the overall strategy, and failing to do so can affect the internal perception of the innovation in a negative manner. This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of the concepts of the business model and innovation of the business model in the context of servitization. This study is performed as a context-specific study within a non-disruptive industry with a slow technological development, which differs the study from earlier research within this research field.

I en allt mer konkurrenskraftig vardag måste dagens arbetsgivare lägga större fokus på̊ att sticka ut. Endel gör det genom innovativa produkter och samarbeten, andra genom en aggressiv marknadsföringsstrategi. Humankapitalet har därför blivit ett betydelsefullt konkurrensmedel där efterfrågan på rätt kompetens har ökat. Därför har Employer Branding idag blivit ett av de hetaste ämnena inom organisatoriska kompetensförsörjning. Men hur tillämpar man Employer Branding mest effektivt enligt praktiker och teoretiker? Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka med hjälp av en diskursanalys hur Employer Branding-praktikers idealbilder ser ut. Genom denna frågeställning har jag satt praktiken i relation till de teoretiska grundpelarna inom Employer Branding. Vilket har resulterat i nyckeltal och tydliga framgångsfaktorer inom ämnet. Studien ger även en bredare insyn av självbegreppet och hur du kan tillämpa strategin för bästa möjliga effekt.

The development and complexity of the e-commerce sector has increased the demand forcompanies to grasp and develop their business models, as well their credit risk managementfunctions, in order be profitable and create value. This thesis examines how credit riskmanagement can be integrated in a business model, in terms of a customer value proposition,profit formula, key processes and key resources. Theories about business models state that abusiness model should give a holistic view of the company and how it operates. Features for asuccessful model should include functions that create value and increase competitiveness, as wellas generating valuable cost and risk structures to ensure the company’s profitability. The empiricaldata was collected through interviews and secondary data at Klarna, a company that operates withpayment solutions in the e-commerce, a market where the risk of credit losses is high and to haveproper credit risk functions is a necessity. The result revealed that credit risk management is afundamental part of a business model in the e-commerce, since effective credit risk managementfunctions ensure that the elements of a business model are functional and complement each other.The study further found that there are certain prominent functions in each one of the four elementsthat enable the integration of credit risk management in the business model.

The premise of this thesis is to conduct a research regarding the connection of brand image, brand identity, brand positioning with brand adapting management. The significant purpose of this thesis is for better understanding how a Chinese auto corporation can effectively manage and adapt an acquired foreign brand in Chinese market. In order to reach this purpose, a case study of Geely/Volvo’s acquisition has been carried out which entailed company visit (Volvo Brand Experience Center), interviews with Volvo brand specialists, Volvo dealer and Chinese market expert. The Theoretical Framework describes the general concepts of brand, brand management, company acquisition and three brand adapting concepts of brand image, brand identity and brand positioning. The Empirical Data Collection deals with the Volvo’s brand identity and value proposition, Chinese customers’ perceptions on Volvo brand image and Geely’s brand positioning strategy on Volvo. The Analysis related the theory framework with the empirical results. It discussed and analyzed how Geely can adapt Volvo in Chinese automotive market through dealing with Volvo’s core values, brand image and brand positioning. The Conclusion summarized the Chinese auto corporation needs to concern on three factors for adapting an acquired brand: value proposition of acquired brand, Chinese customers’ perceptions on acquired brand image and brand positioning strategy. Finally our recommendation presents the limitations of this study, suggestions for future research in this field, and managerial implications for the case company.

In the field of product development, many organizations struggle to create a value proposition that can overcome the headwinds of technology change, regulatory requirements, and intense competition, in an effort to satisfy the long-term goals of sustainability. Today, organizations are realizing that they have lost portfolio value due to poor reliability, early product retirement, and abandoned design platforms. Beyond Lean and Green Manufacturing, shareholder value can be enhanced by taking a broader perspective, and integrating sustainability innovation elements into product designs in order to improve the delivery process and extend the life of product platforms. This research is divided into two parts that lead to closing the loop towards Sustainable Value Creation in product development. The first section presents a framework for achieving Sustainable Lifetime Value through a toolset that bridges the gap between financial success and sustainable product design. Focus is placed on the analysis of the sustainable value proposition between producers, consumers, society, and the environment and the half-life of product platforms. The Half-Life Return Model is presented, designed to provide feedback to producers in the pursuit of improving the return on investment for the primary stakeholders. The second part applies the driving aspects of the framework with the development of an Adaptive Genetic Search Algorithm. The algorithm is designed to improve fault detection and mitigation during the product delivery process. A computer simulation is used to study the effectiveness of primary aspects introduced in the search algorithm, in order to attempt to improve the reliability growth of the system during the development life-cycle. The results of the analysis draw attention to the sensitivity of the driving aspects identified in the product development lifecycle, which affect the long term goals of sustainable product development. With the use of the techniques identified in this research, cost effective test case generation can be improved without a major degradation in the diversity of the search patterns required to insure a high level of fault detection. This in turn can lead to improvements in the driving aspects of the Half-Life Return Model, and ultimately the goal of designing sustainable products and processes.

Employees with the right skills give competitive advantages. It is therefore important to retain existing staff with the right skills but also to attract new talent. In the IT industry, there is currently lack of competence and the need will increase in the future. Companies that create a strong employer brand will perform better when it comes to the war of the talents. With the lack of competence in the labor market, the younger, more technologically skilled generation has developed an unfair attitude towards employers who desperately try to persuade competent people to choose their company through generous job offers. The employers must work on their employer brand to seem more attractive to employees and potential employees in order to attract, retain, develop and motivate them to choose or stay at the company. The purpose of this paper is to create an understanding of motivation, talent acquisition and employee retention in markets where there is a lack of specialized personnel. Motivation is achieved through internal and external attributes, where internal motivation is created by work satisfaction while external motivation is fulfilled by monetary and material motivational factors. Talent acquisition involves a clear recruitment strategy where the company's brand is used as an attraction channel of a certain skill and personality. It also applies to retaining talent within the company through employee retention where a stimulating and evolving employment experience is maintained by the company. The essay shows that young people in the IT industry are well aware of the lack of competence and make their demands accordingly. They want a high level of workplace flexibility to balance jobs and private life, as well as independence in the way they solve tasks. Furthermore, they want the freedom to choose work equipment as this is central to their daily work. Development opportunities such as attending conferences are valued as one of the crucial factors in choosing employers. If the younger generation's personal values as well as sustainability and ethical views do not match the company's actions, it will most likely lead them to leave the company in the long term. / Anställda med rätt kompetens ger konkurrensfördelar. Det är därför viktigt att behålla befintlig personal med hög kompetens men också att attrahera nya talanger. Inom IT-branschen råder det i dagsläget brist på kompetens och behovet kommer öka i framtiden. Företag som skapar starka arbetsgivarvarumärken kommer klara sig bättre än företag med ett svagt när det kommer till kriget om talangerna. Den yngre mer teknologiskt skickliga generationen har i och med kompetensbristen utvecklat en mer illojal attityd mot arbetsgivare som desperat försöker övertala kompetenta personer att välja deras företag genom generösa anställningserbjudanden. Arbetsgivaren måste marknadsföra sig till medarbetare och potentiella anställda för att attrahera, behålla, utveckla och motivera dem att välja eller stanna kvar på företaget. Syftet med uppsatsen är att skapa förståelse för motivation, talent acquisition och employee retention på marknader där det råder brist på specialiserad personal. Motivation uppnås genom inre och yttre attribut, där inre attribut är det som skapas av en personlig arbetsglädje medan yttre attribut innebär monetära och materiella motivationsfaktorer. Talent acquisition innebär en tydlig rekryteringsstrategi där företagets varumärke utnyttjas som attraktionskanal av en viss kompetens och personlighet. Det gäller även att behålla talang inom företaget genom employee retention där en stimulerande och utvecklande anställningsupplevelse ska upprätthållas av företaget. Uppsatsen visar att unga inom IT-branschen är väl medvetna om kompetensbristen och ställer sina krav utefter detta. De vill ha en hög flexibilitet i sitt arbetsschema för att kunna balansera jobb och privatliv, samt självständighet i sättet de löser arbetsuppgifter. Vidare vill de ha friheten att välja arbetsutrustning då detta är centralt för deras dagliga arbete. Utvecklingsmöjligheter som exempelvis att få delta vid konferenser värderas som en av de avgörande faktorerna vid val av arbetsgivare. Om den yngre generationens personliga värderingar samt hållbarhets- och etiska synpunkter inte stämmer överens med företagets agerande kommer det med stor sannolikhet leda till att de lämnar företaget på sikt.

This research thesis has researched about how employer branding and its relationship to person - organization fit. It focuses on personality traits of applicants and how it can impact their attractiveness of the organization advertised in job adverts. The purpose of this research thesis is to explain what relationship employer branding via job advertisements has when it comes to establishing P - O fit. In this case between future business students and organizations. The thesis had a deductive approach a cross - sectional research design was applied. A quantitative research method (logistic regression) was used and came from primary data. The research findings show that employer branding has a positive relationship to creating attractiveness of firms and also has an impact upon person-organization fit. Our findings also indicated that personality characteristics is hard to categorize in order to see what specifically in employer value proposition can attract a specific employee preference. The limitations were the number of respondents, a larger sample unit could have impacted the results more. Also, using a qualitative method in terms of semiotics could give a more detailed output on respondents’ personality traits. The original value of the research thesis is that it focused specifically on business students and to what degree employer value proposition is related to person-organization fit.

Background - In pace with increased work-related stress and the difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled staff, companies find new ways to rationalize the organization. Working-time reduction is one of these strategies in connection to an effective employer branding attribute. Purpose - The aim is to examine the rationale behind the six-hour workday and how it is used as an employer branding strategy. Additionally, the aim is to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the six-hour workday as an employer branding strategy as well as the future prospects. Method - This study has applied a qualitative method with an inductive approach and a multiple case study. Six semi-structured interviews were performed with five case companies and an additional interview was conducted with a consultancy firm. Conclusion - Organizations choose the six-hour workday because of work-life balance and well-being for employees. Also, the findings show that employers adopt the six-hour for the purpose of attracting and retaining staff. Advantages include happier staff, increased productivity and efficiency. A major disadvantage is the lost hours because of working-time reduction. The empirical findings indicate that the six-hour workday is suited in every organization, however, adjustments might be necessary.