<p>The aim of this thesis is to describe the customer’s attitudes toward the contracting for availability, i.e., which factors are from the customer’s perspective necessary for the fulfilment of a supplier-customer agreement? Furthermore, the objective is to describe and analyse a supplier-customer relation in the Defence Industrial sphere.</p><p>The present study has been carried out as a case study using an abductive approach. The thesis is based on a practical problem, i.e. which factors will be important to the customer when a contractor in the Defence Industry wants to increase its commitment of service, and how will their relationship change? The thesis is above all focused on generating knowledge that can lead to rapid and concrete measures and that can be used in the analysis of an increased industrial commitment but also as a case study of a problem of a more general nature in the Defence Industry. The paper studies a dyad, the relation between a buyer and a seller, where the buyer is the Swedish Armed Forces and the seller is the defence division of Ericsson. It should however be noted that on September 1st 2006, while the final work on this thesis was under way, this specific division of Ericsson, was acquired by Saab AB. The thesis is based on several different sources of information of which the main empirical data has been gathered from individual interviews with representatives from both seller and buyer organisations. The theoretical framework is based on two main currents, the first being service management within service marketing, including the customer focused business, and the second, the interaction approach by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group within industrial marketing. The central idea in this framework is to create an added value for the customer, in which the customer takes an active part in the process of a long-term relation.</p><p>The following factors have been identified as crucial for the conclusion of an agreement and essential for Ericsson to consider in their continued customer-focused business development: Availability, a clearly defined framework and one interface for business communication, a holistic approach, the cost efficiency factor, configuration management, a supplier supervision of spare parts from sub-contractors, agile chain of command and shorter lead times, transfer of knowledge from the industry and to the supplier.</p><p>In connection with a potential increased commitment of service in the defence industrial sector, and in conjunction with the restructuring of the Swedish Armed Forces, it is possible to discern a closer and more extensive collaboration between supplier and customer. We can also see a shift of responsibility between the different defence authorities and Ericsson but also towards the industry in general. The responsibility of the Swedish Defence Material Administration to support and maintain the armaments and equipments of the Swedish Armed Forces is likely to disappear as well as its predominance in the area of technical know-how. The future role of the Swedish Defence Material Administration will probably be in the area of negotiating business agreements, as well as being responsible for the follow-up of the agreements with the industry. Instead it will be the Swedish Armed Forces Management Offices Ground Equipment, and also to a certain degree the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics Unit, who will shoulder the responsibility of being the link to Ericsson in regards to matters concerning technical support and maintenance. Should the Swedish Armed Forces decide on Ericsson’s contracting for availability, the role and responsibility of Ericsson will be considerably larger at the lower system levels. This will also mean a closer dialogue with the Swedish Armed Forces Management Offices Ground Equipment, the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics Unit and the military units, which has not been the case before.</p>

The aim of this thesis is to describe the customer’s attitudes toward the contracting for availability, i.e., which factors are from the customer’s perspective necessary for the fulfilment of a supplier-customer agreement? Furthermore, the objective is to describe and analyse a supplier-customer relation in the Defence Industrial sphere. The present study has been carried out as a case study using an abductive approach. The thesis is based on a practical problem, i.e. which factors will be important to the customer when a contractor in the Defence Industry wants to increase its commitment of service, and how will their relationship change? The thesis is above all focused on generating knowledge that can lead to rapid and concrete measures and that can be used in the analysis of an increased industrial commitment but also as a case study of a problem of a more general nature in the Defence Industry. The paper studies a dyad, the relation between a buyer and a seller, where the buyer is the Swedish Armed Forces and the seller is the defence division of Ericsson. It should however be noted that on September 1st 2006, while the final work on this thesis was under way, this specific division of Ericsson, was acquired by Saab AB. The thesis is based on several different sources of information of which the main empirical data has been gathered from individual interviews with representatives from both seller and buyer organisations. The theoretical framework is based on two main currents, the first being service management within service marketing, including the customer focused business, and the second, the interaction approach by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group within industrial marketing. The central idea in this framework is to create an added value for the customer, in which the customer takes an active part in the process of a long-term relation. The following factors have been identified as crucial for the conclusion of an agreement and essential for Ericsson to consider in their continued customer-focused business development: Availability, a clearly defined framework and one interface for business communication, a holistic approach, the cost efficiency factor, configuration management, a supplier supervision of spare parts from sub-contractors, agile chain of command and shorter lead times, transfer of knowledge from the industry and to the supplier. In connection with a potential increased commitment of service in the defence industrial sector, and in conjunction with the restructuring of the Swedish Armed Forces, it is possible to discern a closer and more extensive collaboration between supplier and customer. We can also see a shift of responsibility between the different defence authorities and Ericsson but also towards the industry in general. The responsibility of the Swedish Defence Material Administration to support and maintain the armaments and equipments of the Swedish Armed Forces is likely to disappear as well as its predominance in the area of technical know-how. The future role of the Swedish Defence Material Administration will probably be in the area of negotiating business agreements, as well as being responsible for the follow-up of the agreements with the industry. Instead it will be the Swedish Armed Forces Management Offices Ground Equipment, and also to a certain degree the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics Unit, who will shoulder the responsibility of being the link to Ericsson in regards to matters concerning technical support and maintenance. Should the Swedish Armed Forces decide on Ericsson’s contracting for availability, the role and responsibility of Ericsson will be considerably larger at the lower system levels. This will also mean a closer dialogue with the Swedish Armed Forces Management Offices Ground Equipment, the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics Unit and the military units, which has not been the case before.

The main aim of this thesis is to develop a framework that allows an equipment manufacturer to forecast the demand of its aftermarket user-replaceable parts and prepare the challenges it may face from third party manufacturers. Some business practices ensuring the performance against third party part manufacturers are suggested in this thesis as a reference for a manufacturer to retain its customer and optimize its performance in aftermarket. The first part of this thesis focuses on the framework of a forecasting model for an equipment manufacturer which needs to provide aftermarket consumers to end users through the service or sales channels of the manufacturer. The forecasting model is carried out using the data from annual sales quantity of one model of equipments(known as install base) during the product life cycle. Each year during the product life cycle would have a different Rate of Replacement. The forecasting model aggregates the data from the install base and the rate of replacement to come up with an annual demand of the aftermarket replacement parts needed for the equipment. The second part of this thesis focuses on some practical business practices for the manufacture to ensure its performance in aftermarket. The designs of the products, logistics arrangement and selection of channels are also curial to its performance.

<p>This paper analyses the pricing on spare parts. Empirical studies have showed that manufacturers of durable goods make an unproportional large profit on its spare parts in relation to the revenue it generates. It is first showed that according to the standard economic model the price on spare part ought to be zero since the producer include an insurance in the price of the main good. Further it is showed that moral hazard alone do not explain the pricing found in the studies. Finally an analysis of whether consumers with present-biased preferences could be a possible explanation is made. The analysis finds that it is a possibility however somewhat unlikely.</p>

This paper analyses the pricing on spare parts. Empirical studies have showed that manufacturers of durable goods make an unproportional large profit on its spare parts in relation to the revenue it generates. It is first showed that according to the standard economic model the price on spare part ought to be zero since the producer include an insurance in the price of the main good. Further it is showed that moral hazard alone do not explain the pricing found in the studies. Finally an analysis of whether consumers with present-biased preferences could be a possible explanation is made. The analysis finds that it is a possibility however somewhat unlikely.

With its core competence on bus chassis, Scania determined in the mid-2000s to co-produce coach products with two external bus body manufacturers, Lahden Autokori and Higer. However, after a decade’s cooperation, well-functioning work processes were not established and problems still existed. With this study, problems within Scania’s operations system and Scania’s supply chain management strategies towards these two partners have been identified and illustrated, by applying an abductive research method. With this study it has been evidenced that Scania’s bus operations management is affiliated with truck and the truck operations system does not fit the request from the collaborations with Lahden Autokori and Higer. Moreover, it has also been shown that even though the relationship with these two partners is by nature long-term, Scania’s attitude has been characterized by short-term thinking. This ambiguous supply chain management strategy has been causing problems. Furthermore, aside from problems within operations system and supply chain management, the third studied area is organizational identity. Due to the fact that some organizational identity issues caused by reorganization have largely influenced both of the collaborations, the formation of these identity issues as well as the impacts on the cooperation has been studied. Finally, some recommendations for improvements have been made based on the findings of this study.

p. 1-136 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-03-06T17:26:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 222.pdf: 997405 bytes, checksum: cdc07eae0b3761b0efe49713456044a1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima(tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2013-03-14T18:28:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 222.pdf: 997405 bytes, checksum: cdc07eae0b3761b0efe49713456044a1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-03-14T18:28:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 222.pdf: 997405 bytes, checksum: cdc07eae0b3761b0efe49713456044a1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / O objetivo desse estudo de caso é analisar a relação entre os diversos elementos da estratégia da Xerox do Brasil e o crescimento da participação de mercado dos fornecedores paralelos de insumos xerográficos. Os fabricantes originais investem parte considerável do seu faturamento em pesquisas para desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e produtos, que são rapidamente reproduzidos, através de engenharia reversa, ou simplesmente copiados e lançados no mercado com uma estratégia agressiva de preços baixos, refletindo seu menor custo de desenvolvimento. A receita continuada com a venda de insumos, para as suas impressoras instaladas no campo, é considerado pelos fabricantes originais como remuneração aos investimentos feitos em pesquisa e desenvolvimento e como combustível para novas pesquisas. O estudo de caso foi realizado através de análise documental e entrevistas semi-dirigidas. Inicialmente, foi realizada uma pesquisa sobre o histórico, modus operandi e tendências do Aftermarket (mercado paralelo). Em seguida, foi utilizado o modelo de Michael Porter para análise estrutural da indústria de insumos xerográficos e os princípios de vantagem competitiva, principalmente a vantagem em custo, diferenciação, substituição e tecnologia, associados à cadeia de valor, para caracterização e comparação das estratégias dos diversos players. A pesquisa indicou que a flexibilidade, a responsividade, a proximidade ao cliente e a estratégia de baixo custo têm sido os propulsores do crescimento da participação de mercado das empresas do Aftermarket. / Salvador

The aftermarket stock price performance of micro-capitalized IPOs with penny stock status is an often-neglected subsample in the IPO research literature. As the markets in which these IPOs are often traded are subject to lower listing and disclosure requirements, there is a higher degree of asymmetrical information between issuers and investors than on more regulated exchanges. Another characteristic of micro-capitalized IPOs is the investor base, which is dominated by retail, or irrational, investors, causing the aftermarket trading to be driven by irrational behavior. With this in mind, this paper studies 139 IPOs made on the Swedish fringe marketplace Aktietorget, over the period 2007-2015, and their 15 months’ aftermarket price performance. The study adopts an event time approach to compare the returns on the IPOs to returns on a market index used as benchmark. Using a Student’s t-test and a Wilcoxon signed rank test, there are no conclusive evidence of abnormal returns that would question the Efficient Market Hypothesis. Results from multiple linear regression models, evaluating IPO price performance over a 15-month period, provide evidence for positive hot period and hot industry effects, and negative underpricing and offer price effects. Furthermore, a positive effect of post-issue company market value is evident for 3-, 6- and 12-months aftermarket periods. This paper provides evidence of return predictability of micro-capitalized IPOs using factors surrounding the IPO date, but requests additional evidence from other geographical samples, with precise definitions of normal returns.

This thesis examines the performance of IPO firms in the Swedish markets during their first three years of trading to investigate what effects different factors have on the short- and long-term performance. The level of underpricing on Swedish IPOs are also investigated to detect any abnormalities from previous studies on larger markets in the US and Europe. A total of 175 IPO firms included in the sample in the period between 2000 and 2015. The method used to calculate the aftermarket performance is the buy-and-hold abnormal returns method in an event-time portfolio approach. These returns are used as a dependent variable in a multivariable linear regression analysis. The main findings from this study are that IPO firms in the Swedish markets underperform the OMX market index one month and three years after the offering. Conversely, IPO firms in the Swedish markets overperform after 18 months compared to the OMX market index. The results show that Swedish IPOs are on average underpriced and that underpricing has a significant effect on short-term performance. Firm age, offer size and the technology industry also have a significant effect on the first month’s performance of IPO firms; however, there is little support for these factors to affect the longterm performance.

<p>Assignment:</p><p>The mission of the assignment is to map the four return flows with respect to returning volume, weight, frequency, pick up- and delivery points. Today Volvo CE has a lack of information that concerns their own Reverse logistic processes. It is hard for Volvo CE to see where changes need to be done, due to limited reliable sources.</p><p>Purpose:</p><p>The purpose with the study is to make the return flows easier, less expansive and more manageable for both Volvo and their dealers. Further, environmental issues have to be considered in order to find improvements of the returning routines. The analysis is done to bring forth a proposal that will contribute to less unnecessary transports and that also will make it possible to reduce cost.</p><p>Result:</p><p>A couple of improvement areas have been discovered, some of them are radical while others are incremental. The one thing they have in common is to make sure that the return flows are being handled and seen as one common flow rather then separately treated. Among the improvements these are some recommendations to Volvo CE:</p><p>- Appoint special delivery point for warranty returns and make sure that the warranty routines are followed so that unnecessary transports can be reduced. - Store less cores for remanufacturing at the Core Hub. Cores that are not needed are not necessary to transport to the Core Hub. - Make better cost registrations and cost follow ups and evaluate customer satisfaction to be able to find improvement areas in the future.</p>