Categories are semantic objects that create order in markets. By categorization, market actors and products become comparable and understandable to various audiences. This thesis examines the construction of the product category of public relations (PR) consultancy in Sweden; a market that has arisen, become economically successful and gained  recognition over the past thirty years, but which still lacks the legitimacy and clarity normally thought of as basic criteria of market categories. Using a semiotic framework and a mixed-method approach, I explore category construction 1) over time, and 2) in practice. In generalized terms, my findings suggest that market categorization processes cannot be understood without taking into account the characteristics of the product being categorized. Whereas ambiguity around labels, denotations and connotations is normally regarded as incompatible with categorization, such fuzziness should be expected to be intrinsic in markets for professional service products like PR consultancy, where the product itself is often thriving on, as well as continuously creating, ambiguity. For instance, the lack of clarity and lack of legitimacy in the Swedish PR consultancy market are found to be both logical outcomes, and enablers, of visibilization and amalgamation, referring to PR consultants’ conscientious management of visibility, and tendency to span boundaries in constructing their services, respectively. Categorization in the traditional sense is further hampered by the dominant label of “PR consultancy” being stigmatized, i.e. suffering from “sticky” negative connotations. In the cultural context of Sweden, the emergence of a PR consultancy market has al-so meant commodification, i.e. the introduction of something hitherto not sold into a sphere of exchangeable things. In this process, PR consultancy seems to have gotten “stuck” between the sphere of salable and unsalable things, as the product is widely sold but continues to be contested across various audiences. Again, my analysis puts this difficulty of PR consultancy finding legitimacy in relation to the product category’s actual content, i.e. rendering legitimacy to others. Finally, I argue that the emergence of PR consultancy, by providing a market place for corporate legitimacy, might be under-stood as a case of a cognitive-cultural market logic on the rise, characterized by struggles for organizational visibility and semiotic sophistication.

In this thesis an aid financed attempt to transfer technical training know- how in the form of consultancy support is described and analysed. Between 1992 and 1996 Swedish consultants acted as advisers during the establishment phase of the Aswan training centre. The primary aim of the centre was to supply the hydro power plants on the Nile with skilled staff. The general aim of the study was to describe, analyse and explain issues shaping the training at the centre and the influence of the consultants. The organisation of work at plants in Sweden and Egypt was investigated, as was the Swedish training centre where the consult­ants worked. Theories about development, aid and technology transfer are used to explore the theoretical base underpinning decisions to use aid resources in the form of consultancy services. Data was collected through participatory research during eight months. The empirical ana­lysis is inspired by Basil Bernstein's conceptual framework on the reconstruction of society, while the wider perspective relies on a world system theory. The findings reveal that a gap theory with a presumed trickle down effect justified the use of aid-resources. The use of con­sultants is explained by a market oriented approach, both in the Swe­dish aid authority and the Swedish training centre. In Sweden, the work was earned out by autonomous groups under market conditions with explicit time control. In Egypt, work was hierarchically organised with a plan economy system and strict control of material. In both countries the focus was on reliable production and optimal maintenance of equip­ment. In Egypt, creation of employment opportunities and staff social security was emphasised. Courtesy rules, the local staff's view of the consultants presence as a gift, the consultants view of themselves as salesmen and the contractual stipulation positioning them as advisers contributed to disguising inherent conflicts. Although the operational goals were reached, the training developed into a system where the local order of work was recreated. The findings indicate that dependency decreased regarding planning and implementation of training while it increased with respect to training equipment and learning material. / digitalisering@umu

Background: Starting up a business is not an easy task; it requires the translation of an idea into reality and requires discipline and a clear goal setting. Moreover with the increasing need of professionalism for outstanding web development and information technology, the plan of an enterprise with high end development and low cost is generated. Purpose: This thesis has a dual purpose; firstly it sets the basis of understanding the terms of entrepreneurship and the environment where a business is created; moreover it explains the acquirement of resources and the structure of the business plan. The second objective is to develop a path for creating a web related business. This document will help to establish the goals and objectives for the performance of the company. Method: The theory presents the relevant information that has to be considered inside the firm. After the theory a business plan was created with the objective of setting the direction of the company over the next years. It is important to mention that business plans are evolving documents that have to be updated according to changes in the environment or changes in the objectives.

Companies acquiring ERP systems are often dissatisfied with the project and therefore consultancy firms wish to make use of project models in order to achieve success in implementations. Since research on ERP implementations in service companies is limited, there is a need for mapping of critical activities in implementation projects in this line of business. Under these premises, the purpose of our master thesis is to develop a model for implementation of ERP systems, specified in activities, which can be used by mid-sized consultancy firms with mid-sized qualified service companies as customers. A literature study including project models, modern models and methodologies for ERP implementation, commonly existent activities, success factors and system development methods was carried out. Starting out with this, a theoretical model for ERP implementation was generated. In excess of this, a case study was conducted, where the implementation of the ERP system Microsoft Dynamics AX at the service company Eurostep, performed by the consultancy firm Medius, was studied. A comparative analysis was performed, where the theoretically deduced model of ERP implementation was complemented and revised. The result of the master thesis is a consultancy model with four phases, with related activities, for ERP implementation in service companies. In order to fulfill the needs identified in the study, the model includes the following: - Clear responsibility distribution - Milestones as ending criteria - Suitable ways of work within the phases During the study the need for an anchoring and commitment process, and the need to consider the customer’s features, emerged. This can contribute to consultancy firms getting enough involvement in the project from their customers, which is important in order to achieve desired quality and to finish the project within the given time frame. / Företag som anskaffar affärssystem är ofta missnöjda med projektet och konsultbolag önskar därför använda sig av projektmodeller för att lyckas med införanden. Eftersom forskningen kring affärssysteminföranden i tjänsteföretag är begränsad, finns ett behov av kartläggning av kritiska aktiviteter i införandeprojekt hos denna typ av företag. Mot bakgrund av detta är syftet med vårt examensarbete att utveckla en modell för införande av affärssystem, konkretiserad i aktiviteter, som kan användas av medelstora konsultbolag med medelstora kvalificerade tjänsteföretag som kunder. En litteraturstudie innefattande projektmodeller, moderna modeller och metodiker för affärssystemimplementering, vanligt förekommande aktiviteter, framgångsfaktorer och systemutvecklingsmetoder genomfördes. Med utgångspunkt i denna togs en teoretisk modell för affärssysteminföranden fram. Utöver detta gjordes en fallstudie där implementeringen av affärssystemet Microsoft Dynamics AX hos tjänsteföretaget Eurostep, som genomförs av konsultbolaget Medius, studerades. En komparativ analys genomfördes av det studerade fallet, där den teoretiskt framtagna modellen för affärssysteminförande kompletterades och reviderades. Resultatet av examensarbetet är en konsultmodell med fyra faser, med tillhörande aktiviteter, för affärssysteminförande i tjänsteföretag. För att uppfylla de i studien identifierade kraven inkluderar modellen följande: - Tydlig ansvarsfördelning - Milstolpar i form av avslutskriterier - Lämpligt arbetssätt inom faserna Under studien framkom att en förankrings- och engagemangsprocess behövs, samt att hänsyn behöver tas till kundens egenskaper. Detta för att konsultbolag ska få sina kunder tillräckligt involverade i projektet, vilket är viktigt för att nå önskvärd kvalitet och för att kunna slutföra projektet inom dess givna tidsramar.

Companies that want to compete in the actual business environment need to be innovative. The shortening of product life cycles and the increasing competition force the companies to successfully come up with new ideas. In previous research some quantitative studies have been done on small companies using design management, notably in Italy and Spain. Sweden is both known for its small companies and its design. The purpose of the study is to explore design management in small Swedish companies.  This thesis aims to continue exploring the field of design management especially in small companies. We outline the following research questions: “How do small companies using design management generate their ideas?” and “How do small companies using design management select their ideas?”. To find an answer, we reviewed relevant literature concerning this topic and based on this we developed a theoretical frame including our own research platform.  Concerning our methodological approach, we choose the abductive approach since it enables us answering our research questions by extending our theoretical framework for this complex topic. Our research strategy is a qualitative study and our research design is a multiple case study using semi-structured interviews.  Our empirical findings consist of four interviews divided in two sets. The interviews were conducted in London, Gothenburg and Skellefteå. The first set of interviews addressed design management consultancies with the aim to have an overview of how small companies generate and select their ideas. The second set of interviews addressed small companies in Northern Sweden. Our findings are a synthesis of the broad view of the consultants and the case specific views of the small companies’ managers.  From these interviews, we have concluded that the design management knowledge in Swedish small companies varies and is rather rare. Nevertheless, small companies can follow design management principles without knowing the term design management (what we call silent design management). Also, the small companies we have interviewed do not use always their network to innovate but also sometimes innovate to maintain and develop their network, even ending sometimes with a joint venture with external partners. Relationships between external partners and small companies’ representatives are consequently a very important factor while finding and selecting ideas. We have analyzed design as a strategic tool and design management as a way to have a long-term strategy. We have deduced from our interviews that design management can be considered as a dynamic capability, acquired in our cases by a corporate culture or internal processes. The design process seems to be more iterative in small companies because they seem to guess more and less estimate their expected outcomes. However, a clear vision streamlines the design process, especially in small companies using design management.  We gladly recommend further research in this field, to check if the results of our research are generalizable or to look for new research gaps.

This essay outlines the problems in the cross-cultural communication between SKB International and the Korean market. After interviews with the vice president of SKB International and their representative in Korea I compare their strategy to cross-cultural communication theories and Korean business culture facts to see how their communication to Korea could be improved. In the results I state that the problem with getting a continuous dialogue is created by the big cultural difference between Sweden and Korea. If these differences can be tackled SKB International will be able to sell their public acceptance package to Korea to enable the project of a final repository. The biggest problems seem to be the difference of time horizons, way of building relations, hierarchy vs. flat organization and the Korean group dynamics in clash with Swedish individualism. As conclusion I state that the isolation of Korea has created a unique culture that needs special attention for successful cross-cultural communication. This calls for SKB International to develop a strategy for understanding Korean culture within the whole organization. The image of Korean culture needs to be continuously discussed through meetings or an intranet forum to get a correct image of how to communicate with Koreans. Also I find that SKB International need more staff to take care of all the Korean delegations that come on spontaneous visits. The best gateway into the Korean hierarchies was found to be through inter-governmental communication.

Den traditionella marknadsföringen med sin marknadsmix har länge varit den dominerande marknadsstrategin där fokus har vilat på att placera produkten på bästa plats och till ett så förmånligt pris som möjligt. När det rör sig om tjänster finns inte samma möjligheter; företagen måste ta till sig nya markandföringsmetoder för att på bästa sätt marknadsföra sina tjänster. Är tjänsterna dessutom ”osynliga”, måste konsulten skapa ett löfte och kunden måste känna förtroende. Ömsesidiga relationer blir då av högsta vikt, och fokus läggs istället på kundens behov snarare än på företagets egenintressen. Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka hur managementkonsulter effektivast marknadsför och säljer sina tjänster. Vidare var syftet att se hur stora konsultbolag skiljer sig mot små. Teorier inom traditionell- respektive relationsmarknadsföring användes för att få en djupare inblick kring ämnet. Inledningsvis intervjuades 4 konsulter för att kunna konstruera en enkät som senare skickades ut till 25 olika konsultbolag. Resultaten analyserades sedan för att få fram vilka marknadsföringsmetoder som var de mest frekvent använda och vilka faktorer som påverkade valet av metod. Likaså studerades och analyserades likheter och skillnader mellan stora och små företag. Forskningsnivån inom ämnet är inte markant utbrett, och tanken var därför att testa teorierna och eventuellt bekräfta eller opponera dem. Resultaten från studien visade sig stämma hyfsat bra med teorierna. Slutsatserna är att ju mindre produktifierade tjänsterna är desto mer relationsbaserad marknadsföring bör tillämpas. De företag som endast arbetade med lösningsbaserade konsulttjänster tenderade att lägga mycket tid på att involvera kunden i processen. Dessa konsultbolag ansåg att rekommendationer och referenser var det mest effektiva sätten att nå nya kunder samt fortsätta med nuvarande. Traditionella marknadsföringsaktiviteter användes till en mycket mindre grad, och ansågs vara tidskrävande och ineffektivt. Skillnaderna mellan stora och små konsultbolag var färre än likheterna. Ett svar på detta kan vara att konsultbolag konkurrerar på ett annorlunda men mer jämlikt sätt än företag som säljer produkter. Det är inte det största, och det mesta kända konsultbolaget som blir starkaste konkurrenten, utan det är de som skapar bäst förtroende hos kunden. På så sätt spelar företagets storlek mindre roll, och valet av marknadsstrategi påverkas ej. / The traditional marketing with its marketing mix have for long been the dominating marketing strategy, where focus have been on placing the product at the best place with the best possible price. When it comes to services, the possibilities are not the same; the firms must adapt new marketing methods in order to sell and market their services effectively. If the services are “invisible” as well, the consultant must create a promise and the client must feel secure. Mutual relations then become important, and focus is instead put on the client’s needs rather than the firm’s own interests. The purpose of this thesis was to examine how management consultants most effectively sell and market their services. Further the purpose was to discover how big consultancy firms differ from small. Theories within the traditional - respectively relationship-based marketing were used in order to get a deeper insight in the subject. By way of introduction four consultants were interviewed to facilitate the construct of a questionnaire, which was later sent out to 25 different consultancy firms. The results were analyzed with the objectives of finding out which marketing methods that were most often used and which factors affected the choice of method. In addition, similarities and dissimilarities between big and small firms were studied. The state of the art within this subject is not very broad, and the thought was therefore to test the emerging theories and thereby support or oppose them. The results from the study showed to support the theories to a high extent. The conclusions are that the less productified the services are, the bigger effort is needed on relationship-based marketing. Those firms who only sell solution-based consulting tend to put much time on involving the client in the project process. These firms considered recommendations and references to be the most effective ways of reaching new clients and continue with existing ones. Traditional marketing activities were used to a much smaller extent, and were considered to be time-demanding and ineffective. The differences between big and small firms were less than the similarities. An answer to this might be that within the consultancy business the effectiveness is not made through the market share or the numbers of clients, i.e. how big the firm is; instead it is the special expertise and unique knowledge that every consultant keeps that makes them compete equally on the market no matter the firm size.

Increased globalization has come with it increased competition, multitude of international competitors, dramatic and frequent changes in customer tastes, shorter product life cycles, and frequent and rapid technological/product upgrading. Resultant competitive pressures have led to the emergence of two trends among some firms and industries. Firstly, there is an increased premium placed on the role of continuous learning and knowledge accumulation as the most dependable base for sustainable competitive advantage in today’s dynamic global markets. Secondly, there is increased trend towards organizing more economic activities as distinct projects. The above two trends provides both opportunities and challenges for any firms, especially project-based firms (PBFs). A number of past researches have emphasized the importance of investment in interproject learning as a means to foster continuous upgrading of project competencies. This is equally applicable to more knowledge intensive project-based firms in the Consultancy services sector. However, no study had been done in Sweden on Consultancy firms, from the perspective that they are project-based firms. This study explores, describes and analyzes the various characteristics of interproject learning mechanisms and project competencies found in a sample of consulting firms in Sweden. The study focuses on the perceived importance of different interproject learning mechanisms and their perceived impact in developing project competencies in consulting firms. The study interrogates the ‘perceptions’ of ‘key’ informed project management practitioners, who have experience of managing consulting projects. Their perceptions about project activities in their respective firms helped capture a ‘managerial’ view, as well as, provide ‘expert’ opinion. The study find that the most highly ranked and valued interproject learning mechanisms involved some degree of face-to-face interactions. Learning mechanisms that enable the capture, storage and transfer of explicit knowledge, though important, were not ranked highly in importance as person-to-person communication. The difference might be due to the efficient way the latter mechanisms have in transferring socially embedded and context-dependant tacit knowledge, which comprise a large part of knowledge applied in projects. Most of the respondents seem to indicate that their respective firms emphasized development of project competencies that were underpinned by ‘product knowledge’, which emphasize capabilities to deliver short-term project goals (i.e., delivering a particular service/product on a certain date). Respective firms didn’t seem to invest more in project competencies that are underpinned by ‘process knowledge’. The latter is aimed at long-term continuous improvement of project processes, which in turn has impact on developing dynamic competitive advantage. With regard to organizational learning infrastructure needed to support interproject learning and the development of project competencies, the results from the survey provides a mixed picture. While some firms had put in place a series of well implemented organizational structures, procedures, processes and routines to support interproject learning, some other learning supporting infrastructure were not that well implemented (i.e., explicit scheduling of time to do ‘reflections’ during project execution, emerging of a ‘no blame’ culture, instilling a culture of experimentations). Based on our research findings, a number of recommendations are outlined.

<p>Den traditionella marknadsföringen med sin marknadsmix har länge varit den dominerande marknadsstrategin där fokus har vilat på att placera produkten på bästa plats och till ett så förmånligt pris som möjligt. När det rör sig om tjänster finns inte samma möjligheter; företagen måste ta till sig nya markandföringsmetoder för att på bästa sätt marknadsföra sina tjänster. Är tjänsterna dessutom ”osynliga”, måste konsulten skapa ett löfte och kunden måste känna förtroende. Ömsesidiga relationer blir då av högsta vikt, och fokus läggs istället på kundens behov snarare än på företagets egenintressen.</p><p>Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka hur managementkonsulter effektivast marknadsför och säljer sina tjänster. Vidare var syftet att se hur stora konsultbolag skiljer sig mot små. Teorier inom traditionell- respektive relationsmarknadsföring användes för att få en djupare inblick kring ämnet. Inledningsvis intervjuades 4 konsulter för att kunna konstruera en enkät som senare skickades ut till 25 olika konsultbolag. Resultaten analyserades sedan för att få fram vilka marknadsföringsmetoder som var de mest frekvent använda och vilka faktorer som påverkade valet av metod. Likaså studerades och analyserades likheter och skillnader mellan stora och små företag.</p><p>Forskningsnivån inom ämnet är inte markant utbrett, och tanken var därför att testa teorierna och eventuellt bekräfta eller opponera dem. Resultaten från studien visade sig stämma hyfsat bra med teorierna. Slutsatserna är att ju mindre produktifierade tjänsterna är desto mer relationsbaserad marknadsföring bör tillämpas. De företag som endast arbetade med lösningsbaserade konsulttjänster tenderade att lägga mycket tid på att involvera kunden i processen. Dessa konsultbolag ansåg att rekommendationer och referenser var det mest effektiva sätten att nå nya kunder samt fortsätta med nuvarande. Traditionella marknadsföringsaktiviteter användes till en mycket mindre grad, och ansågs vara tidskrävande och ineffektivt. Skillnaderna mellan stora och små konsultbolag var färre än likheterna. Ett svar på detta kan vara att konsultbolag konkurrerar på ett annorlunda men mer jämlikt sätt än företag som säljer produkter. Det är inte det största, och det mesta kända konsultbolaget som blir starkaste konkurrenten, utan det är de som skapar bäst förtroende hos kunden. På så sätt spelar företagets storlek mindre roll, och valet av marknadsstrategi påverkas ej.</p> / <p>The traditional marketing with its marketing mix have for long been the dominating marketing strategy, where focus have been on placing the product at the best place with the best possible price. When it comes to services, the possibilities are not the same; the firms must adapt new marketing methods in order to sell and market their services effectively. If the services are “invisible” as well, the consultant must create a promise and the client must feel secure. Mutual relations then become important, and focus is instead put on the client’s needs rather than the firm’s own interests.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis was to examine how management consultants most effectively sell and market their services. Further the purpose was to discover how big consultancy firms differ from small. Theories within the traditional - respectively relationship-based marketing were used in order to get a deeper insight in the subject. By way of introduction four consultants were interviewed to facilitate the construct of a questionnaire, which was later sent out to 25 different consultancy firms. The results were analyzed with the objectives of finding out which marketing methods that were most often used and which factors affected the choice of method. In addition, similarities and dissimilarities between big and small firms were studied.</p><p>The state of the art within this subject is not very broad, and the thought was therefore to test the emerging theories and thereby support or oppose them. The results from the study showed to support the theories to a high extent. The conclusions are that the less productified the services are, the bigger effort is needed on relationship-based marketing. Those firms who only sell solution-based consulting tend to put much time on involving the client in the project process. These firms considered recommendations and references to be the most effective ways of reaching new clients and continue with existing ones. Traditional marketing activities were used to a much smaller extent, and were considered to be time-demanding and ineffective. The differences between big and small firms were less than the similarities. An answer to this might be that within the consultancy business the effectiveness is not made through the market share or the numbers of clients, i.e. how big the firm is; instead it is the special expertise and unique knowledge that every consultant keeps that makes them compete equally on the market no matter the firm size.</p>

The purpose of this DBA is to develop a Customisation Blueprint so that consultancies can provide a more tailored, responsive service to clients. This study seeks to find out what matters to clients when purchasing consultancy, how clients substantiate this and how it affects their decision-making. This study also seeks to establish if the factors influencing buyer’s evaluation of the consultant can be favourably influenced by the consultants. By fulfilling client requirements more precisely and effectively, consultants are able to better serve their clients. In this way they are also able to enhance both ongoing relationship and reputation. The history of consultancy is examined to establish the unfurling and growth of the industry and to understand the forces which have shaped its evolution. Relational and Operations literature is examined to establish what previous research is able to contribute to this quest for understanding what consultants need to do to better serve their clients. Financial Services and Utilities are the two largest private-sector buyers of consultancy. Managers involved in the purchase of consulting services from a selection of these companies were interviewed to capture how consultants are engaged and what selection criteria are the most important. A combination of guidance from the literature and an understanding of what matters to clients is used to develop a systematic approach for consultants to more clearly identify and articulate client needs and thereby serve them better. The outcome is the development of a Customisation Blueprint, a framework to personalise responsiveness and thus enhance customer satisfaction.