The public-sector organizations have been in limelight for research work about the implementation of various quality management approaches with the evolution of process management ideology into this sector. The awareness among the citizens regarding their rights and demand for qualitative service has been increased which led to the focus on the quality management approaches like Six Sigma and Lean. The public-sector organizations such as municipalities, health care, social administrators and others are not driven by profits unlike private sectors making it complex to implement these approaches. This led to the purpose of the thesis to research on proposing a process improvement strategy for increased customer satisfaction in the public sector. Seven tools from Lean and Six Sigma methodologies have been chosen to propose the strategy and they are – Process Mapping, Voice of the Customer, Critical to Quality, Cause & Effect Analysis, 5 Why’s, Benchmarking and Standardization. To execute this research, a qualitative case study methodology has been conducted at MoS department of Linköping Municipality on one of their ground process – customer request handling process. The research questions were designed to understand how to map the process, the customer orientation and process efficiency specific to the case and finally grasp the effectiveness of the selected tools for public sector. Various data sources were collected for this study. The empirical findings led to interesting analysis and discussion on the case study in relation to the previous literatures reviewed in this area. Moreover, the usefulness of these tools has been clearly identified and the strategy for process improvements has been proposed. From the overall discussion, major conclusions on the thesis work have been made with respect to the research questions. Firstly, while mapping the process it is important to consider the customer perspective and identify the process steps which lead to customer satisfaction. Further, communication with the customers and considering their feedback for future improvements is identified to be vital. Finally, the selected tools contribute majorly for the process improvements in public sector where the numerical data availability is limited and the importance of the strategic order for the tools has been highlighted. Key Words: Process Improvements, Six Sigma, Lean, Public Sector, Municipal Organizations, Customer Orientation, Customer Satisfaction.

The dissertation introducec individual tools of marketing communication in the energy company E.ON. According to research MAC/BRAND, diskussions with the company managers and own consideration was solved the efficiency of individual tools and potential improvement suggestions.

L’objectif de la recherche est d’étudier, dans une optique partenariale de la firme, l’efficacité des stratégies d’alliance dans le secteur financier français en termes d’amélioration de niveau d’orientation client des entreprises partenaires. Nous nous fondons, d’une part, sur l’approche par les connaissances et en particulier celle de l’apprentissage organisationnel, et d’autre part, sur la littérature portant sur le management des relations interentreprises. D’un point de vue théorique, des différentes approches traitant du management des alliances, notre recherche instrumentalise celle concevant ces stratégies comme un processus d'apprentissage organisationnel. L’analyse causale, étudie l’influence des modes de coordination des stratégies d’alliance sur le niveau d’orientation client des entreprises partenaires : Il s’agit des deux variables : confiance et contrôle. Cette influence s’exerce par le biais d’une variable centrale à savoir la qualité d’apprentissage organisationnel. Cette analyse explicative est réalisée grâce aux méthodes d’équations structurelles, de type PLS. Trois principaux résultats sont obtenus : quand les rapports entre les partenaires sont basés sur la confiance, la qualité d’apprentissage organisationnel dans l’alliance se retrouve meilleure ; l’exercice du contrôle dans l’alliance n’affecte pas la qualité d’apprentissage organisationnel ; et l’alliance, par l’apprentissage organisationnel qu’elle permet, améliore le niveau d’orientation client des entreprises partenaires. / Based on the perspective of the partnership of the firm we aim to study, alliance strategies in the French financial sector, in terms of the improvement of the level of customer orientation business partners. We are based, firstly, on the approach by the knowledge and especially that of organizational learning, and secondly, on the linkages’ management literature. From a theoretical point of view, in terms of the various approaches dealing with the management of alliances, our research exploits those which designing these strategies as a process of organizational learning. Causal analysis, studies the influence of the modes of coordination of alliance strategies on the level of customer orientation of companies: These are two variables: trust and control. This influence is exerted through a central variable namely the quality of organizational learning. Such explanatory analysis is performed using the methods of structural equation of PLS. Three main results are obtained: when the relationship between the partners is based on trust, quality of the organizational alliance learning is found best ; the exercise of control within the alliance does not affect the quality of learning organizational and The alliance allows organizational learning and improves the level of customer orientation business partners.

Todays digitized society have open up for new types of office arrangements and possibilities of working from home in a higher extend. This thesis is based on the flexible working culture that is increasing, which means more personal responsibility regarding ergonomic and environment conditions as well as artifacts needed for a well equipped workplace outside the traditional office. Furniture dealers are having a new approach as open office hubs and home office environment are increasing with new needs. This project contains of a small investigation of which artifacts are needed and wanted from a customer perspective in the home environment due to these new behaviors.  This thesis will as well show the outcome and process of one product in a collection of 5 stationary objects. The name of the project is as well the name of the collection. This project consists of two main objectives, customer orientation and product development.

Frågeställningar:  Vad är förhållandet mellan intern marknadsföring och kundorientering inom den svenska banksektorn? Vad finns det för kunskapsgap i förhållandet mellan intern marknadsföring och kundorientering? Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är tvådelad. För det första syftar studien till att bidra med förståelse för hur förhållandet mellan intern marknadsföring och kundorientering kan studeras genom empirisk granskning av teorier på en oprövad kontext. För det andra ämnar studien upptäcka förhållandets framtida forskningsfokus genom en systematisk litteraturgenomgång. Metod: Genom brukandet av en deduktiv ansats har kvantitativa data insamlats från anställda inom svenska banksektorn. En webbenkät distribuerades till flertalet lokala bankkontor vilket resulterade i 66 fullständiga svar som ligger till grund för studiens första slutsats. Genom en systematisk litteraturgenomgång har framtida forskningsområden identifierats och presenterats.  Slutsatser: Det finns ett signifikant samband mellan anställdas uppfattning av praktisk intern marknadsföring och deras vilja att agera utefter kundorienterat beteende inom den svenska banksektorn. För att fastställa generaliserbarhet av relationen mellan variablerna har ett framtida forskningsfokus identifierats. Vidare studier bör tillämpa flermetodsforskning när fenomenet studeras. / Research questions:  What is the relationship between internal marketing and customer orientation within the Swedish banking industry? What are the knowledge gaps in the relationship between internal marketing and customer orientation?  Purpose: The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, the study aims to contribute with an understanding of how the relationship between internal marketing and customer orientation can be studied through empirical examination of theories in an untested context. Secondly, the study intends to discover the relationship's future research focus through a systematic literature review. Method:  By using a deductive approach, quantitative data has been collected from employees in the Swedish banking industry. An online survey was distributed to a number of local bank branches, which resulted in 66 complete responses that form the basis of the study's first conclusion. Through a systematic literature review, future research areas have been identified and presented. Conclusions:  There is a significant correlation between employees' perceptions of internal marketing practices and their willingness to act according to customer-oriented behaviours in the Swedish banking industry. To establish generalizability of the relationship between the variables, a future research focus has been identified. Future studies should apply multi-method research when studying the phenomenon.

This report combines theoretical and empirical findings to create a holistic framework for market oriented practices within professional service firms. Changes in the business environment of technology consultancy firms, has developed a need to adopt more structured procedures in assessing the market place and in responding, both through external activities as well as through internal optimization. An assumption was made that the market orientation concept was of relevance in addressing this need. A qualitative empirical investigation was conducted at a large professional service firm mainly operating within the construction consulting industry in Sweden. The result provides a conceptual framework for practising market orientation, based largely on empirical findings, which in the conclusion is summarized into a model to visualize the interconnection of the different parts of market orientation. The framework developed is ‘The Market Orientation Model’ which is made up four stages; (1) ‘Assess Current State’ in which the goal is to understand the current state of the firm; current market, current services and current competences. (2) ‘Collect Intelligence’ where the collection of market intelligence, using a set of different processes, about the needs and demands of current, new and internal customers should be gathered. (3) ‘Create Insight’ which is the process of identifying the Market Potential or the Market Demand through processes of organization wide dissemination and analysis of the gathered intelligence. (4a) ‘Create Response Initiative’ where the aim is to create new, or develop existing service offerings to meet the demand or need of the market. (4b) ‘Create Sales Initiative’ which is the initiation of a sales attempt of existing services to new or existing customers. The model creates a summarized picture of what constitutes market orientation and how it can be adapted to an organization. It can be used to create a standardized approach for an entire organization in building a market oriented firm. By continuously following this model in a market oriented firm, greater alignment with market should be achieved. / Denna rapport kombinerar teoretiska och empiriska resultat för att skapa ett helhetstäckande ramverk för marknadsorienterad verksamhet inom professionella tjänsteföretag. Förändringar i dessa företags omvärld har utvecklat ett behov av att införa mer strukturerade rutiner för att bedöma marknaden och genom både marknadsinsatser och interna processförbättringar möta dessa förändringar. Ett antagande gjordes att marknadsorientering var ett relevant koncept för att bemöta detta behov. En kvalitativ empirisk studie genomfördes på ett större professionellt tjänsteföretag på den svenska teknikkonsultmarknaden med inriktning mot byggbranschen. Resultatet består av ett konceptuellt ramverk för marknadsorientering, som till stor del bygger på empiriska resultat. Detta sammanfattas i en modell för att visualisera kopplingarna mellan de olika delarna av marknadsorientering. Ramverket benämns som "The Market Orientation Model" som består  av fyra steg; (1) "Utvärdera aktuellt läge" där målet är att förstå den nuvarande situationen för företaget, den aktuella marknaden, nuvarande tjänster och nuvarande kompetenser. (2) "Samla information" med  målet  att  samla  in  marknadsinformation  om  befintliga,  nya  och  interna  kunders tjänstebehov med hjälp av en uppsättning processer. (3) 'Skapa ins ikt’, som är processen för att  identifiera  marknadens  potential  eller  efterfrågan  genom  processer  för  organisatorisk spridning och analys av informationen som erhållits i steg två. (4a) ’Bemötande’ där syftet är att skapa nya, eller utveckla befintliga tjänsteutbud för att möta efterfrågan eller behov på marknaden.  (4b)  'Försäljningsinitiativ’  där  man  skapar  en  riktad  säljinsats  av  befintliga tjänster till nya eller befintliga kunder. Modellen ger en sammanfattad bild av vad som utgör marknadsorientering och hur den kan anpassas   till   en   organisation.   Det   kan   användas   för   att   skapa   ett   standardiserat tillvägagångssätt för en organisation att bygga ett marknadsorienterat företag. Genom att följa denna modell inom ett företag bör en bättre anpassning till marknaden uppnås.

The grocery trade is part of the food industry, which is Sweden's third largest industry. It is obvious that it is an industry with a high market concentration where the market share of the three largest companies corresponds to almost 87%. In addition to the high concentration in the market, the industry is undergoing a structural change in new store formats that are more adapted to the customer's needs, among other things through geographical location, opening hours, service, price and design. Each individual has their own preferences when it comes to where to shop. At present, the supply of grocery stores is large and there is a tough level of competition throughout the country. It is therefore important for the various chains in the grocery trade to create and maintain a loyal customer base in order to remain relevant but also to survive the tough competition. The purpose of the study is to create an understanding of which marketing techniques the various chains in the Swedish grocery trade use to create and maintain a loyal customer base. To be ableto investigate this, a qualitative study was conducted consisting of four interviews with three different chains. The respondents who have participated have either had a central and high-ranking role within the chain or in the stores. This is because it is important for the study that the respondents have insight into how the organization works. The chains that have participated are: ICA, Hemköp and Coop. Based on the theoretical framework and the empirical evidence that has been collected, ananalysis has been carried out in order to be able to draw a conclusion. The conclusion that is drawn is that there are many and important factors that come into play to maintain and create aloyal customer base. But the marketing technique that stands out and that is of utmost importanceis loyalty programs followed by customer relationship management, relationship management and corporate store image.

In an ever-evolving digital landscape, the way we do business changes rapidly.  In this landscape, B2B companies are confronted with challenges that demand adaptation and reevaluation of their business models, such as exploring innovative approaches to resource utilization and streamlining workflows. The topic of interfunctional coordination is of utmost relevance today as it serves as a prerequisite for optimizing work processes, sustaining resources, and nurturing a customer focused collaboration across the entire organization. The primary objective of this study is to enhance our understanding of the practices and trends that certain B2B companies see around the go-to-market strategy. Furthermore, it seeks to examine the potential impact of interfunctional coordination on improving go-to-market strategies and fostering enhanced customer experiences. The study also explores the role of digital tools as strategic drivers for facilitating interfunctional coordination within these companies. By addressing these objectives, the research aims to provide valuable insights on go-to-market trends and on digital tools that can drive successful interfunctional coordination and enhance customer satisfaction. The study was done through a qualitative deductive approach, which involved initially exploring the researched theories, collecting empirical data through interviews and finally analyzing the results. The study shows that there is a correlation between interfunctional coordination and a successful go-to-market strategy. The study also presents which digital tools are best suited to facilitate cross-functional work within a complex B2B organization. The study shows that achieving interfunctional coordination within an organization requires a significant degree of commitment and a strong driving force towards a common vision. For the most part, the empirical evidence strengthens the theoretical discussion, but there are some deviations. The deviations could be due to the gap between academia and the marketing industry.

Denna fallstudie har syftat till att undersöka hur samverkan mellan region och kommuner i framtagandet av en regional utvecklingsstrategi kan uppnås och främjas. Studiens syfte är också att undersöka hur kvalitetsteknikens teorier kring kund- och leverantörssamverkan samt teorier kring partnerskap kan användas för att förstå relationen mellan region och kommun i arbetet med den regionala utvecklingsstrategin. Studien undersöker arbetet med att ta fram en ny regional utvecklingsstrategi för Gävleborgs län. Datainsamlingen består av kvalitativa intervjuer med kommunala politiker och tjänstepersoner med ett övergripande ansvar för kommunernas verksamhet. Resultatet visar att Region Gävleborg har skapat förutsättningar för kommunerna att påverka arbetet med och utformningen av den regionala utvecklingsstrategin. Upplevd otydlighet kring ansvar och förväntningar på deltagande har gjort att kommunernas organisation av och deltagande i arbetet med den regionala utvecklingsstrategin inte har varit optimal. Det gör att arbetet inte når upp till de krav som ställs på samverkan utifrån de teorier som presenterats. Genom att använda sig av modeller för partnerskap och leverantörssamverkan skulle regioner kunna åstadkomma en bättre samverkan inom det regionala utvecklingsarbetet i allmänhet och arbetet med att ta fram en ny regional utvecklingsstrategi i synnerhet. / This case study aims to examine how a fruitful cooperation between county councils and municipalities can be achieved and promoted when they set out to develop a regional development strategy. This case study also explores how theories concerning customer- and supplier cooperation within quality management can be used to understand the relationship between county councils and municipalities in relation to regional development. The case study concerns the creation of a new regional development strategy for Gävleborg County. Data collection consists of qualitative interviews with politicians and officials from municipalities in Gävleborg County with an overall responsibility for within the municipalities. The results show that Gävleborg County has managed to create the prerequisites needed for the municipalities to influence both the process and the regional development strategy. Ambiguity concerning roles and responsibilities led to a less efficient organization and participation from the municipalities’ side in shaping the regional development strategy, with the consequence that the commitment doesn’t meet the criteria for cooperation in the presented theories. By using the models for partnership and supplier cooperation counties could achieve a better cooperation within regional development, including the commitment of shaping a new regional development strategy. / <p>2021-06-06</p>

Titel: Kunden har alltid makt – En studie av Customer Empowerments inverkan på företag inom retailbranschen.    Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi    Författare: Jacob Cedergren och Christin Rampeltin Molin    Handledare: Anna Ljung och Akmal Hyder   Datum: 2021– januari      Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka och analysera företagens uppfattning av Customer Empowerment och dess inverkan på företag inom retailbranschen.   Metod: Vi har valt att använda oss av ett induktivt tillvägagångssätt. Det empiriska materialet har inhämtats genom en kvalitativ intervjuundersökning, med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Företagsrepresentanter inom retailbranschen har utgjort studiens urval, då vi anser att deras kundkontakt och möte slutkunden är viktigt för att kunna besvara studiens frågeställningar.   Resultat &amp; slutsats: Studien visar att respondenterna uppfattar att de idag styrs av kunden och kundens behov. Intervjupersonerna beskriver att internet har ökat kundens inflytande och makt, på grund av tillgången till en obegränsad mängd information. Respondenterna beskriver en maktförskjutning från företag till kund. Studien visar att begreppet Customer Empowerment, CE, har förändrats från en företagsinitierad strategi för att skapa kundengagemang och nöjdhet, till en okontrollerbar kundmakt, vilket innebär att kunden har övertagit flera av företagens roller. Ett koncept vi har valt att namnge omvända roller då kunderna, enligt respondenterna, styr och innehar makt över företagen medan företagen försöker anpassa sig efter kundens behov och önskemål.    Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar då den beskriver begreppet Customer Empowerment, CE, och dess inverkan på retailföretag, utifrån företagens perspektiv. Tidigare forskning av begreppet CE har framhållit dess fördelar. Denna studie beskriver att kunden idag inte bara erbjuds inflytande utan även har övertagit makt och kontroll från företagen. Denna maktförändring leder till negativa effekter, vilket beskrivs i två teoretiska figurer. Det praktiska bidraget är att studien beskriver de negativa effekterna som kundens makt kan inneha på företag, inom retailbranschen.    Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Denna studie bygger på 10 intervjupersoner, från retailbranschen, vilket gör att studiens generaliserbarhet endast speglar en del av retailbranschen samt en liten del av svenska företag. Det vore intressant att undersöka företagens syn på CE inom andra branscher, exempelvis inom B2B- branschen.    Nyckelord: Customer Empowerment, Kundmakt, Kundfokus, Kundorientering, Retail, Retailbransch / Title: The customer always has power - a study of how Customer Empowerment affects companies in the retail industry.   Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration    Author: Jacob Cedergren and Christin Rampeltin Molin   Supervisor: Anna Ljung and Akmal Hyder    Date: 2021 - January     Aim: The study aims to investigate and describe companies' perceptions of Customer Empowerment, CE, and its impact on companies in the retail industry.   Method: We have chosen to use an inductive approach. The empirical material has been obtained through a qualitative interview survey with semi-structured interviews. Company representatives in the retail industry have made up our selection, as we believe that their customer contact and meeting the end customer are essential to answer the study's questions.   Result &amp; Conclusions: The study shows that the respondents perceive that they are governed by the customer and the customer's needs. The interviewees describe that the internet has increased the customer's influence and power due to the unlimited amount of information. The respondents describe a shift in power from the company to the customer. The study shows that CE's concept has changed from a company-initiated strategy to create customer engagement and satisfaction, to an uncontrollable customer power, which means that the customer has taken over several of the companies' roles. This concept we have chosen to name reverse roles, as the customers, according to the respondents, control and hold power over the companies while the companies try to adapt to the customer's needs and wishes.   Contribution of the thesis: The study contributes as it describes Customer Empowerment, CE, and its impact on retail companies, from the companies' perspective. Previous research on the concept of CE has highlighted its benefits. This study describes that the customer today is offered influence and has also taken over the companies' power. This change in control leads to adverse effects, which are described in two theoretical figures. The practical contribution is that the study describes the damaging effects of the customer's power on companies in the retail industry.   Suggestions for future research: This study is based on ten interviewees, from the retail industry, which means that the study's generalizability only reflects a part of the Swedish companies. It would be interesting to investigate whether this view of customer power is also valid in other industries or, for example, in the B2B industry.   Key words: Customer Empowerment, Customer Power, Customer Focus, Customer Orientation, Retail, Retail Industry