This bachelor thesis in business economics raises the topic about Corporate Responsibility (CR), this topic is currently being discussed in a variety of channels and today an increasing number of companies are involved in corporate responsibility. How do Skanska work with sustainability and why are they doing this? It is also important to see the results of the work with sustainability will lead to. We will go into more depth in one of Skanska's projects, project M25, to investigate the CR strategies they use and see how they actually work with sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how and why Skanska is working to implement CR policies in their operations and more specifically from the M25 project in order to achieve sustainable business development. Our main questions is; how and why does Skanska implement sustainability in their business and in the project M25 and what can the outcome of this sustainability lead to? The study is based on a qualitative method, we performed both an unstructured personal interview and a semi-structured interview. This is to get a deeper understanding of how and why the company Skanska is working on sustainability. We have done a literature study and we selected different theories and also used various documents from Skanska. Our conclusion is that Skanska uses several different strategies to achieve sustainable business development, for example, they have developed their own voluntary rules, follow different directives and standards and they have developed various techniques and tools. The conclusions we have drawn is that Skanska is working actively to identify its stakeholders and also takes account of stakeholders who do not have a direct link to the business. They work in a proactive manner through education, investigation and monitoring to achieve a sustainable business. Skanska has agreed that they are part of a larger context in which they affect individuals and agents. Skanska and the society will receive various benefits depending on which CR strategies Skanska uses.

This thesis aspires to advance understanding of how start-up firms’ and small and medium sized firms’(SMEs) network relationships affect acquisition of financing and information necessary to achieve firmbusiness development through the exchange in business relationships. It contributes to research on socialstructure by clarifying how network relationships that facilitate exchange have a positive effect on firmbusiness development, defined as subjective and objective enhancement of firm performance. The empirical setting consists of case studies in entrepreneurial start-up firms and of quantitative researchin SMEs. The findings show that in the start-up phase of firm development, network relationships that areembedded in social attachment and shared cognitive schemes constitute means to acquire informationcontaining referrals to new business partners, thus affecting the structural development of start-ups firms’business network. Findings further show that relationships to banks are important in order to fund thisstructural development. The thesis also shows the effects of banks, as institutional actors, on SMEs’investments in international business relationships and the effects of such investments on SMEs’ businessdevelopment. It is shown that relationships to domestic and local banks in different ways affect SMEs’specific investments in international business relationships. A local bank relationship decreases the SME’srelationship specific investments, while a domestic bank relationship increases relationship specificinvestments. There is however an indirect positive effect of a local bank relationship on the SME’srelationship specific investments, mediated by a positive effect of the SME’s relationships to other localinstitutional actors. The results further show that increases in relationship specific investments promoteSMEs’ business development. Findings made in this thesis also show that institutions, experiencedthrough interaction in the international business relationship, positively affect relationship specificinvestments and the performance enhancement of such investments. A general conclusion drawn fromthe findings presented in this thesis is the relevance of a type of actor - actors that facilitate exchangesamong firms and their business partners who are, or wish to be, independent - to the businessdevelopment of start-ups and SMEs. This thesis challenges banks to increase cognitive alignment with customers of start-up firms and toconsider corporate customers in view of their business relationships and network structure. Theseapproaches are suggested to facilitate bank’s assessment of firm creditworthiness. / <p>QC 20100722</p>

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The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies forests that have been grown in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. It attempts to increase market share for certified paper via a Business Development Plan (BDP). This thesis provides analysis of the FSCs marketing using a survey and case study approach. The survey of institutional paper buyers reveals trends that suggest that the market for FSC and other certified papers is gaining popularity with institutional buyers, even though final consumers remain price sensitive. Components of institutional behavior that might cause an organization to adopt FSC are analyzed. This analysis reveals that adoption is more likely if it is important to an institution’s stakeholders and if reputation can be increased, even given increased costs. However, much of the growth in market share of FSC remains unexplained by the BDP. Hence the market for FSC and certified paper may be expanding independent of FSC and BDP. / Agricultural and Resource Eonomics

Cílem této diplomové práce je návrh rozvoje obchodních aktivit vybrané společnosti. Práce obsahuje podrobné analýzy vnějšího a vnitřního prostředí společnosti, které jsou následně shrnuty a vyhodnoceny ve SWOT analýze. Na základě výstupů z provedené analýze jsou vypracovány návrhy pro rozvoj obchodních aktivit za použití Lean Startup metodiky. Uskutečnění popsaných návrhů povede ke zvýšení tržeb a konkurenceschopnosti společnosti na trhu.

Cette thèse est composée de quatre chapitres. Le chapitre 1 analyse comment les différentes interventions publiques impactent l'octroi des microcrédits. Nous montrons que la garantie des prêts peut avoir un effet contreproductif en réduisant le nombre d'entrepreneurs bénéficiant de l'accompagnement offert par l'Institution de Microfinance (IMF). Alternativement, nous montrons que les subventions visant l'accompagnement peuvent être plus efficaces relativement à la garantie des prêts.Le chapitre 2 étudie comment les décisions d'une IMF concernant l'accompagnement peuvent impacter le comportement des emprunteurs. Nous montrons que l'asymétrie d'information renversée peut conduire à une relation non-monotone entre le type de l'emprunteur et l'offre de l'accompagnement. Cet équilibre apparaît suite à l'effet "soi-miroir". Notre modèle probit bivarié confirme l'existence d'un tel équilibre.Le chapitre 3 s'intéresse aux seuils de crédit imposés aux IMFs. Nous montrons que les seuils de crédit peuvent générer l'éloignement de la mission en facilitant le co-financement avec les banques classiques des projets les plus larges au détriment des projets les plus petits. Notre modèle probit différence-en-différences confirme l'existence de cet effet pervers à partir des données d'une IMF française.Le chapitre 4 compare les prêts octroyés aux entrepreneurs hommes et femmes par une IMF française avant et après l'introduction du seuil de crédit. Nous montrons que, sans le seuil, l'IMF choisit les femmes avec les demandes de crédit les plus élevées. Cependant, cela n'est plus le cas après l'introduction du seuil de crédits qui détériore la situation des entrepreneurs femmes. / This thesis is organized in four chapters.Chapter 1 theoretically analyses how various forms of state intervention impact microfinance institutions' (MFIs') lending behavior. We show that loan guarantees can have a counterproductive effect on financial inclusion triggered by unsubsidized business development services (BDS). Alternatively, we show that, BDS subsidization can do better in terms of financial inclusion than the loan guarantee. Chapter 2 analyses how decisions of an MFI on BDS provision can impact borrowers' behavior. We show that, reversed asymmetric information can lead to a non monotonic relationship between borrowers' type and assignment to BDS. In this equilibrium the MFI does not train the lowest and the highest type borrowers. This relationship occurs due to the "looking-glass self" effect. Our empirical bivariate probit model confirms the existence of such equilibrium. Chapter 3 tackles the issue of loan ceilings imposed to MFIs. We show that loan ceilings can trigger mission drift by facilitating the co-financing of large projects with regular banks at the expense of small projects. We test this prediction by exploiting the natural experiment of a French MFI. Difference-in-differences probit estimations show that the risk of the mission drift is real.Chapter 4 compares the loans granted to male and female entrepreneurs by a French MFI before and after the enforcement of the loan ceiling. We find that the ceiling free MFI selected women with larger requested amounts. However, under ceiling enforcement this was no longer the case, suggesting that female entrepreneurs are worse off after ceiling enforcement.

The definition of environmental sustainability has emerged strongly in the past decades. Industrial organizations worldwide have gone through a number of changes to take their social responsibilities and maintain sustainability by, among other things, replacing the conventional energy-based applications by renewable energy-based solutions. A so-called hybrid power system for electrification, consisting of wind turbines and solar panels, was developed by Vertical Wind AB to be installed on rooftops of residential buildings. The present thesis project analyzed the willingness of the large real estate companies in Uppsala region to adopt the new concept for electrification and conducted a market research on the new developed wind turbines, by Vertical Wind AB, in addition to solar- and wind resources in the target locations. It turned out that the willingness of having such a power system for electrification was high but not extremely high as expected and the hybrid power system was perceived as any other product or investment on the market where profitability is the vital decision parameter while the environmental aspect was slightly considered.

Abstract Although the need for change was recognized a couple of decades ago, the construction industry is still struggling with its productivity development and customer satisfaction. Usually, construction improvement initiatives focus on developing practices related to project management and delivery processes. However, this study views the general underperformance of the industry from the perspective of how the construction business is managed and conceptualized in practice. The objective of this thesis is to understand the role of business models in construction business management. This objective is pursued by addressing specific research questions in four individual publications, two of which contribute to the research objective from a more conceptual and two from a more empirical viewpoint. The exploratory study follows the qualitative research tradition and exploits the case study approach. The primary method for data collection has been interviews. This study demonstrates the applicability of the business model concept to the analysis and development of the construction business. However, its use requires a comprehensive understanding of the concept and proper alignment of its elements in practice. The results of this study indicate that the current business models of construction companies are too similar to enable value-based competition. Indeed, the conventional business models neglect the customer perspective and thus revolve around internal efficiency rather than customer value creation. Consequently, construction businesses are usually managed on a project-by-project basis without the governing effect of specific customer-oriented business models and a clear long-term vision or business purpose that would go beyond the objectives of growing and surviving. A better understanding of business models provides a starting point for managers to reform the construction business and the whole industry. Explicitly defined business models provide a foundation for consistent management practice and process development. New possibilities for customer value creation can be exploited as the limitations of the current thinking are overcome and business models are approached from the viewpoints of the customer and value creation. / Tiivistelmä Rakennusalalla on edelleen vaikeuksia tuottavuuden kehittämisen ja asiakastyytyväisyyden parantamisessa, vaikka tarve muutokseen tunnistettiin jo pari vuosikymmentä sitten. Yleensä alan kehityshankkeet kohdistuvat projektien johtamiseen ja projektitoimituksiin liittyviin käytäntöihin. Tässä tutkimuksessa rakennusalan yleisesti heikkoa suorituskykyä tarkastellaan kuitenkin liikkeenjohdon näkökulmasta eli miten rakennusyrityksiä johdetaan ja miten liiketoiminta käsitteellistetään käytännössä. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena on ymmärtää liiketoimintamallien roolia rakennusliiketoiminnan johtamisessa. Tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi vastataan neljään tutkimuskysymykseen erillisten osajulkaisujen avulla. Kaksi näistä julkaisuista edistää ymmärrystä liiketoimintamallien roolista enemmän käsitteellisestä näkökulmasta ja kahdessa korostuu empiirinen näkökulma. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena, jossa hyödynnetään tapaustutkimusta. Aineistonkeruu on pääosin tehty haastatteluin. Tämän tutkimuksen mukaan liiketoimintamallikonsepti soveltuu myös rakennusliiketoiminnan analysointiin ja kehittämiseen. Tämä kuitenkin edellyttää liiketoimintamallikonseptin laaja-alaista ymmärrystä ja sen elementtien asianmukaista yhteensovittamista myös käytännössä. Tutkimustuloksista voidaan päätellä, että nykyiset liiketoimintamallit, joiden mukaan rakennusyritykset toimivat, ovat liian samankaltaisia soveltuakseen arvoperusteiseen kilpailuun. Nämä tavanomaiset liiketoimintamallit eivät sisällä asiakasnäkökulmaa ja täten ne keskittyvät etupäässä sisäiseen tehokkuuteen asiakasarvon tuottamisen sijasta. Näin ollen rakennusliiketoimintaa johdetaan yleensä projektiperusteisesti ilman, että päätöksentekoa ohjaisi määritellyt asiakassuuntautuneet liiketoimintamallit, selkeä pitkäntähtäimen visio tai kasvu- ja eloonjäämistavoitteita pidemmälle asetettu päämäärä. Liiketoimintamallien parempi ymmärrys antaa lähtökohdan rakennusliiketoiminnan ja koko alan uudistamiseen. Selkeästi määritellyt liiketoimintamallit luovat perustan liiketoiminnan johdonmukaisuudelle ja prosessien kehittämiselle. Monia huomiotta jääneitä arvonluonnin mahdollisuuksia voidaan puolestaan hyödyntää, kun vältetään takertumasta vallalla olevan ajattelutavan rajoitteisiin ja suunnitellaan liiketoimintamallit toimiviksi arvonluonnin ja asiakkaan näkökulmista.

The thesis deals with the issue of support for small and medium-sized businesses in the Czech Republic focusing on one of the market-based forms of such support in terms of networking. Specifically, the work is aimed at reference networking, and describes it in detail using an example of its representative in the Czech market. Within its theoretical part, the work defines the concept of small and medium-sized business. Further it explains the concept of promoting entrepreneurship in terms of public and market support. In the framework of this distinction, examples of some of the forms of such support have been listed. On the example of Switzerland, local representative forms of public support of entrepreneurship have been presented and compared to those in the Czech Republic. Further, networking concept has been introduced, and some principles of its operation have been defined. Different kinds of networking have been described. In the practical part, functioning of reference networking in particular, has been described more in detail on the example of the company Business for Breakfast Česká republika s.r.o. Using a questionnaire survey among the members of this concept, its benefits for both the members of the concept, as well as for the state budget have been investigated. The analysed benefits are examined in terms of both budget revenues, as well as in terms of cost savings. Fields of business, for which reference networking seems to be most beneficial, have been mentioned. In the end, benefits of representative public forms of business support with reference marketing have been compared. The study has confirmed that reference networking is an effective form of market-based support for small and medium-sized businesses, and has a positive impact on both the state budget, as well as on creating a favourable business environment in the Czech Republic. Despite public forms of business, these benefits are demonstrable and measurable.

Thesis is focused on analysis of current state of selected company and its environment. Using strategic analysis, the competitive advantage and place on market is determined. Strategic goals of company and its vision are designed in accordance with its development and it encompasses individual functional strategies together with schedule of implementation.