During recent years, digitalization has had an increasing impact in the society. It has gone frombeing an isolated part of an organization into something that can instead transform the business as awhole. Many businesses have experienced this change, and traditional retail banks are no exception.The digital climate has enabled new digital operators to enter the financial market and these havemanaged to claim market space. At the same time, a new, less loyal and more digital generation ofcustomers, i.e. Generation Y, will have an increasingly important role on the market. However, it iscurrently not well known how traditional Swedish retail banks should manage this, and whatimplications the behavior of Generation Y will have on the banking industry.The purpose of this study was to provide insights and implications for traditional Swedish retailbanks on how Generation Y’s banking behavior can affect their future business, in an increasinglydigital environment. The behavior of Generation Y and how banks address their needs, anddigitalization as a whole, were investigated separately. The findings were then compared in order toprovide insights into where gaps between the banks and Generation Y could be found. Toinvestigate Generation Y’s behavior, a qualitative questionnaire was distributed and thenquantitatively analyzed. Furthermore, in order to investigate how the traditional banks addressGeneration Y’s needs, qualitative interviews were conducted with representatives from the four largeSwedish retail banks. By comparing the findings, the purpose of the study could be addressed.Through comprehensive data collection, gaps could be identified. The most important gaps werefound in the areas of financial advisory and aggregation of services. Customers did not perceivethese areas as important when choosing a particular financial service provider, whereas the banksconsidered these as competitive advantages in relation to other competitors. These findings providevaluable insights for traditional retail banks in particular, and for the financial market as a whole,since they provide implications on the sustainability of the operators’ strategy. Moreover, this studycomplements the digital customer behavior literature connected to virtual distribution channels andthe retail banking industry as a whole. One main finding was that Generation Y’s, otherwise trendseeking behavior is limited in the banking industry, and instead, habituation and security concernsare far more important. Therefore the findings suggest that Generation Y’s behavior might be moreconservative in the banking industry than in general.

Sales is one of the oldest professions and is still a vital part of any business. It keeps evolving because of digitalization and from the impact of covid-19. The covid-19 outbreak has had tremendous influence on multiple levels in organizations and for business all over the world. Consequently, there is also an opportunity in a crisis. Furthermore, the firms have rapidly picked themselves up and continue pursuing for survival. Today, management has started restructuring their business models and including hybrid work models for their employees. In this study, the authors will investigate how this old profession is functioning in a modern and evolving business environment. Digitalization has accelerated at an alarming rate during the pandemic. It benefits and challenges many professions on a daily basis, including the B2B sales process.

Digitaliseringen fortsätter att utvecklas inom kommuner genom den nya föreskriften för digitaliseringen av detaljplaner. Studien syftar till att analysera äldres förutsättningar att ta del av kommuners planarbete med hänsyn till digitaliseringen av planprocessen. Detta görs med utgångspunkt i tre kommuner och med fokus på tillgänglighet. Digitaliseringen öppnar upp nya sätt att inkludera kommunernas medborgare men samtidigt riskerar de äldre som samhällsgrupp att hamna i ett digitalt utanförskap. Studien genomfördes genom intervjuer med planarkitekter från Varbergs kommun, Trollhättans Stad och Karlskronas kommun samt en projektledare från Pensionärernas Riksorganisation (PRO). Studien visar att kommunerna arbetar med tillgänglighet genom digitalisering på olika sätt. Kommunerna menar att de inte fokuserar på tillgängligheten specifikt för äldre, vilket resulterar i slutsatsen att det finns en risk att de äldre exkluderas från planprocessen, när allt fler delar av den digitaliseras. / Digitization continues to develop within municipalities through the new regulation for the digitization of detailed plans. This study aims to analyze the pre-conditions of the elderly to take part in municipalities' planning work regarding digitization. This is done based on three municipalities, with a focus on accessibility. Digitization creates new ways of including the citizens of the municipalities, but it also creates the risk of exclusion of the elderly as a social group. The study was carried out through interviews with planning architects from Varbergs kommun, Trollhättans Stad, and Karlskrona kommun, as well as a project manager from the Pensionärernas Riksorganisation (PRO). The study shows that the municipalities work with accessibility through digitization in different ways. The municipalities mentioned that they do not focus on accessibility specifically for the elderly, which leads to the conclusion that the elderly may risk exclusion from the planning process, as it becomes digitized.

Background: How business is conducted is constantly developing and the design of the business model is a crucial part to have a clear vision of the company’s goals. Simultaneously, technologies are developed which generate new business opportunities. To fully exploit these opportunities, companies need to innovate their business model. The description of digitalization within previous literature has been mainly holistic, without much reference to specific mechanisms and activities enabling business model innovation. Little is known about the mechanisms of digitalization and their effect on business model innovation.  Purpose: The purpose of this is to understand how digitalization affects business model innovation in firms. It aims to identify mechanisms of digitalization and how they affect the underlying dimensions of business model innovation.  Method: An exploratory research design was applied within this qualitative study to fulfill the purpose. The data collection was done through nine semi-structured interviews with employees at manufacturing companies with good insight of the company’s digitalization process. Using an inductive approach, the data has been analyzed through a thematic analysis.  Conclusion: This study has shown what mechanisms of digitalization affect each of the dimensions of the business model. Further, it has contributed with an understanding of how the dimensions are affected by the mechanisms. The analysis resulted in the development of an emergent framework which depicts what the mechanisms are and how they can lead to a perceived positive effect on business operations.

Background: The third revolution, also called the digital revolution, has challenged the traditional way of publishing and the existing business models. Digitalization has become the center of this development and with innovations such as the internet and computers, a whole new world of possibilities for authors have opened up, including self-publishing.  Purpose: This thesis aims to advance the knowledge on the influence of digitalization in the self-publishing book industry in general and for self-publishing authors in particular. This information will further the current understanding of self-publishing practices and guide future digital development. Method: This study was conducted with an inductive qualitative approach under the interpreventism paradigm, additionally, this study is conducted with a case study approach that was chosen to best capture the phenomenon. The primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with self-published authors, and a thematic analysis was applied to interpret the empirical findings and relate them to the theory presented.  Conclusion: The findings shows that digitalization has been having a large influence in the positive direction on the publishing industry in general and self-publishing authors in particular. In addition, the findings show that digitalization has enabled people to become self-publishing authors and thereby create their own lucrative businesses. The findings also highlighted the major development the digitalization has created with networking since the digitalization has enabled new digital social media channels to establish and thereby ease the networking and marketing process for businesses.

Purpose: To explore the influence of marketing AI on marketing managers' attention allocation to leverage customer relationships in different business-to-business contexts. Method: Abductive approach and multiple case study, data collection was made by qualitative semi-structured interviews and secondary data collection. Conclusion: The study identified both similarities and differences within three main categories across two industrial clusters where marketing AI effect marketing managers’ attention allocation in B2B relationships. Marketing AI is shown to affect B2B relationships through marketing managers’ attentional selection towards efficiencies and/or new opportunities. Marketing AI is shown to influence marketing managers’ attention allocation by distorting the focus of attention on relational dynamics by introducing automated or augmented marketing AI solutions into the relationship.

Date: 2022-06-01 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Rahaf Alkhadra  & Jessika Melander  Title: Organisational Change in The Pervasive Digitalization Era Supervisor: Konstantin Lampou Research question: How is digital transformation as an organizational change implemented in organizations and how is it perceived by the individuals within the organization? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic digital changes within organizations, by investigating the process of implementing digital transformation and how it impacts organizational structure on both organizational and individual levels. Therefore, the practice of digital transformation, in which it is manifested as individuals’ perceptions of the change process will be pursued to better equip the notion of contemporary organizations when addressing organizational change. Method: Since the goal is to interpret a pervasive phenomenon, an abductive approach along with a qualitative design were followed to enable an accurate clarification of the subject. The data has been collected from 16 participants through semi-structured interviews with different organizations. Conclusion: The implementation process of DT contains three main phases (sensing, sizing, and transforming), where the transforming phase is where individuals’ perceptions can be comprehended since it is the key element of ensuring the goals of digitalization. Also, the duality of individuals’ perceptions manifested in the reasoning and sensemaking of the change and not in the digitalization per se.  Keywords: Organizational change, digitalization, digital transformation, contingency theory, individuals perceptions.

Background This research study is in collaboration with the Blekinge Institute of Technology and Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC). VCBC is a car manufacturer that manufactures car body components in Olofström, Sweden. VCBC is also a supplier for Volvo Cars production sites around the world, which puts more responsibility on VCBC and their work process. One of the limitations of this research will be a focus on a production line for nut welding, where various projection welding features are present.   Objectives The objectives of the study are to investigate the problems with the production line and present a conceptual solution which can make the process more efficient and effective in terms of e.g. the cycle time, value-adding activities, improvements of traditional work processes or equipment, ergonomics safety, reduction of frequent errors, etc. Most of the objectives are influenced by principles in lean manufacturing theory but will be compiled and integrated with new innovative solutions that are influenced by digitalization and industry 4.0. Methods The methods and tools which will be used for this research will be primarily from process engineering and systems engineering. Autodesk AutoCAD, Siemens Process Designer PLM and Robot Load are some of the software that will be used. Some tools and strategies used for the methodological approach are e.g. The design thinking process, Six Sigma, FMEA, Question-Method-Matrix, Material flow analysis, and Value stream analysis. Results A concept layout solution was generated, which consists primarily of a model in Autodesk AutoCAD and a simulated prototype in Siemens Process Designer PLM. Through several analyzes, based on the objectives of the research, it has been conducted that the concept is more efficient than the current process. Specifications such as cycle time, production line area, value-adding activities, etc. have been improved drastically. Several innovative idea solutions based on digitalization and industry 4.0 were also generated by implementing them as a way of tackling the challenges with lean theories and develop the traditional work process in a factory. Conclusions The contribution of the research analysis is the implementation of lean theories together with modern strategies, tools and software are from systems engineering and process engineering together with ideation and problem-solving techniques. This itself has contributed to all goal objectives of the research study being achieved, assessed and validated.

Purpose - The aim of this study is to bridge the gap regarding digital transformation challenges and common pitfalls for low-tech SMEs. In doing so, we provide a framework presenting common pitfalls in digital transformations for low-tech SMEs and five mitigation strategies to aid in avoiding them and thus, enabling a higher success rate of digital transformations. Method - To answer the research questions, a thematic analysis was conducted based on data collected through three waves of semi-structured interviews. In total, 17 interviews were held with informants such as industry experts, the case company, and low-tech SMEs that had already successfully performed a digital transformation. Findings - The analysis resulted in 22 common pitfalls within four areas: Strategy, digital maturity, resources, and resistance to change. These built the foundation of the five mitigating strategies: Create mutual goals, break down changes into steps, spread the competence, change to improvement, and prioritize business development. Theoretical contribution - This study adds to existing literature by identifying the low-tech perspective of a digital transformation and presenting that SMEs’ difficulties are closely related to their size, lacking digital maturity, and an absence of transformational strategies. Furthermore, our findings enhance previous studies in suggesting a shift in perspective where digital transformation should be viewed as a business development method rather than only a change of the daily processes. Practical implications - This study maps out key risks and common pitfalls for managers in low-tech SMEs about to perform a digital transformation. Moreover, five mitigation strategies are presented aiming to aid organizations in their strategic work. Limitations of the study - The research has focused on one low-tech SME in the automotive industry. Data collection focused on gathering depth rather than quantifying findings, and thus, the generalizability might be limited. Future studies could benefit from validating the findings in another industrial context. / Syfte - Målsättningen med denna studie är att minska gapet gällande utmaningar vid digitala transformationer och addressera vanliga fallgropar för lågteknologiska SMEs. Därigenom presenterar vi ett ramverk som kartlägger vanliga fallgropar vid digitala transformation för lågteknologiska SMEs samt fem förebyggande strategier för att undvika fallgropar. Därmed bidrar studien till att bolag ökar sina chanser att lyckas med sin digitala transformation. Metod - För att besvara forskningsfrågan har en tematisk analys används på data från tre vågor av intervjuer. Totalt genomfördes 17 intervjuer med informanter som exempelvis industriexperter, case-företaget och lågteknologiska SMEs som redan lyckats med sin digitala transformation. Upptäckter - Analysen resulterade i 22 vanliga fallgropar inom fyra områden: Strategi, digital mognad, resurser samt förändringsmotstånd. Dessa utgjorde grunden för de fem förebyggande strategierna: Skapa en gemensam målbild, genomför förändring stegvis, sprid kunskap, gå från förändring till förbättring samt prioritera affärsutveckling. Teoretiskt bidrag - Denna studie bygger vidare på existerande litteratur genom att identifiera ett lågteknologiskt perspektiv för digitala transformationer och presenterar att SMEs problem är nära besläktade med deras storlek, bristande digital mognad samt avsaknad av strategi för digitala transformationer. Vidare har resultatet byggt på tidigare studiers bidrag om att föreslå ett perspektivskifte där digitala transformationer bör ses som affärsutveckling snarare än bara en förändring i de dagliga processerna. Praktiskt bidrag - Studien kartlägger kritiska risker och vanliga fallgropar för ledare i lågteknologiska SMEs inför genomförandet av en digital transformation. Vidare har fem förebyggande strategier presenterats med målet att hjälpa organisationer i deras strategiska arbete. Studiens begränsningar - Studien har fokuserat på ett lågteknologiskt SME i bilindustrin. Datainsamlingen fokuserade på att nå djup snarare än kvantifiering av fynd och därför kan generaliserbarheten vara begränsad. Framtida studier skulle med fördel kunna validera resultatet i en annan industriell kontext.

Due to today’s digital transformation, traditional ways of communication are increasingly replaced by virtual and digital communication channels. The challenge for leaders in this digital environment is consequently to reach out to their followers to the same extent as in physical meetings. Leadership is about influencing people to strive towards a desired direction and leaders’ aims are thereby to impact their followers both cognitively but also emotionally in order to stimulate motivation. Emotional intelligence revolves around the necessity of understanding and reading others’ emotions and how to act upon that in order to successfully interact with others. By reason of the current Covid-19 pandemic, we have the rare opportunity to explore the interaction between leaders and followers during the time of a global pandemic and understand how the accompanying social distance may impact the emotional aspects in leadership. The research question for this thesis is thereby: How can emotional value be created in the interaction between leaders and followers in today's digitalized world? The theoretical framework that constitutes the basis of the thesis is divided into four main concepts which are: the relational perspective of leadership, emotional intelligence, creating emotional value and the digital transformation in the business world. The study has an exploratory purpose and is of a qualitative approach. In order to collect empirical data, semi-structured interviews were held with eight participants whereof four leaders and four followers. The findings could be divided into four themes which are: Human touch and individual need, Social skills and individual adaptation, Work satisfaction and motivation and Future strategies. The result of the study shows that emotional value is highly important in the interaction between leaders and followers in order to maintain engagement, satisfaction and motivation in a digital work environment. The conclusion is however that emotional value indeed can be created through digital communication but that it has to be created in a quite different way than in physical meetings.