<p>Almost everyday we can read about or listen to the radio the creation of a new company, which is of course successfull and just started several months ago. One succeed but for how many other failures. In our everyday life we only know the companies which exist. We never consider all the high number of companies that have failed. In addition to that, by analyzing some cases, we can notice that some"good"companies, with good team, good concept can failed too. In order to understand the views that exist, one needs to elucidate this problem. The early stage of a new-created company is the most important phase of the firm´s life, according to the fact that it will determine the evolution of its whole structure, and therefore will deeply affect its future. All the more so a firm in order to be successful must be able to growth in the long run. With this thesis, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of the key- success factors ofyoung companies. Therefore we will try to clarify issues concerning this early stage. In particular we will highlight and describe that the early development in a firm is a very important phase in its life. And to determine which factors must be take in consideration in order to avoid future difficulties.</p>

Almost everyday we can read about or listen to the radio the creation of a new company, which is of course successfull and just started several months ago. One succeed but for how many other failures. In our everyday life we only know the companies which exist. We never consider all the high number of companies that have failed. In addition to that, by analyzing some cases, we can notice that some"good"companies, with good team, good concept can failed too. In order to understand the views that exist, one needs to elucidate this problem. The early stage of a new-created company is the most important phase of the firm´s life, according to the fact that it will determine the evolution of its whole structure, and therefore will deeply affect its future. All the more so a firm in order to be successful must be able to growth in the long run. With this thesis, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of the key- success factors ofyoung companies. Therefore we will try to clarify issues concerning this early stage. In particular we will highlight and describe that the early development in a firm is a very important phase in its life. And to determine which factors must be take in consideration in order to avoid future difficulties.

Thesis (MScEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Any growing system is by definition in a transient phase, and consequently exhibits transient-, non-steady state-, unstable behaviour. Accordingly, this form of instability (systemic growth) is by and large conducive to the prosperity of said system. From a Control Systems perspective, transient behaviour that is not subjected to an adequate damping mechanism, does however lead to unavoidable adverse instability. Within the context of business systems, four distinct, yet interconnected entities (raw material, market demand, internal capability to deliver, and cash funds) serve as the damping mechanism to protect companies as a whole, against variation in any of the aforementioned entities. The level of damping afforded by the aforementioned entities is governed by its ability to decouple variation in one entity from undue variation in other entities. The higher the level of instability, the higher the associated level of damping required. The Thesis focuses on core instigators of negative instability within the context of Fast Growing Manufacturing Companies (FGMCs), and ultimately proposes a solution to prevent the regression from positive instability towards negative instability. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Enige groeiende stelsel is per definisie in ’n oorgangsfase en vertoon gevolglik verbygaande-, niestabiele oorgangsgedrag. Dienooreenkomstig is hiérdie vorm van onstabiliteit (sistemiese groei) in die algemeen bevorderlik vir die welvaart van genoemde stelsel. Vanuit ’n Beheerstelsels oogpunt, lei oorgangsgedrag wat nie onderworpe is aan ’n voldoende dempingsmeganisme nie, egter tot onafwendbare negatiewe onstabiliteit. Binne ’n besigheidstelsel konteks dien vier afsonderlike, tog onderlingverbonde entiteite (roumateriaal, markaanvraag, interne bekwaamheid om te lewer, en kontantfondse) as die dempingsmeganisme om besighede holisties te beskerm teen variasie in enige van die voorgenoemde entiteite. Die dempingsvlak wat deur die voorgenoemde entiteite gegun word, word bepaal deur dié se vermoë om variasie in een entiteit te ontkoppel van variasie in ander entiteite. Hoe hoër die vlak van onstabiliteit, hoe hoër die vereiste vlak van demping. Die Tesis fokus op kern aanstigters van negatiewe onstabiliteit binne die konteks van VinnigGroeiende Vervaardigingsbesighede en stel uiteindelik ’n oplossing voor om die regressie vanaf positiewe onstabiliteit na negatiewe onstabiliteit te verhoed.

The dissertation analyzes the work technology in the processing of fast growing poplar trees and similar trees. In the experimental section were described two different methods of processing the lines of fast-growing poplar trees. It was further verified by the performance and suitability of use Doppstadt AK 450 shredder processing fast-growing poplars and similar trees.

Pour répondre à la demande croissante de bois et pour préserver les forêts primaires, les méthodes de sylviculture les plus dynamiques ont été privilégiées de manière générale sur la planète.. Les objectifs de la recherche étaient 1) déterminer le point de démarcation/ âge de transition entre le bois juvénile et le bois mature sur sengon (Falcataria moluccana), jabon(Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), peuplier (Populus sp) et douglas (Psedotsuga menziesii); 2) analyser l'effet de la juvénilité sur un fissuration cyclique, la rugosité et de mouillage; 3) analyser l'effet de la fissuration cyclique et juvénilité sur la résistance à l'adhérence de la colle et les propriétés mécaniques du LVL en flexion; et 4) appliquer un nouveau modèle analytique pour estimer la variation du module d'élasticité du lamibois (sengon et jabon) depuis la moelle vers l'écorce. A partir de la longueur des fibres, le point de démarcation entre le bois juvénile et le bois mature ont été estimés. Pour les essences sengon and jabon, les placages obtenus à partir du cœur des arbres, réputés juvéniles, sont plus fissurés plus rugueux et avec une haute mouillabilité comparativement à ceux obtenus à partir du bois près de l’écorce (plus mature). Une phase d’étuvage préliminaire des bois dans un bain d’eau chaude à 75°C pendant 4 heures a permis d’améliorer sensiblement la qualité des placages en diminuant la fissuration, la rugosité et s’accompagne d’une augmentation de la mouillabilité. La résistance à l'adhérence de la colle, et les modules élastiques et de rupture spécifiques (SMOE et SMOR) du LVL (jabon et sengon) diminuent à mesure que la fréquence de fissure augmente ou en partant de l'écorce vers la moelle. L'avantage de l'utilisation de placages en peuplier de bois mature a été prouvé avec une amélioration de 15 à 20% en moyenne pour les propriétés mécaniques, pour un poids de panneau comparable. Pour le douglas, l'utilisation de placages de bois mature dans la constitution des panneaux de LVL permet également d’améliorer les performances en flexion (de 7 à 22 % sur el MOR). Le modèle analytique a été utilisé afin de prédire les variations du module élastique allant de la moelle à l’écorce. Il permet à partir d’un grand nombre de combinaisons d’estimer le potentiel issu d’une ressource donnée. Pour le contexte de l’étude qui représente bien le potentiel sylvicole de l’Indonésie, la proportion de bois juvénile étant quasi-totale (100%), l’action de trier les placages n’est pas apparue comme pertinente. / The development of plantation and community forest to meet wood demand in society has produced fast growing wood species. The research objectives were 1) to determine demarcation point/transition age between juvenile and mature wood on sengon (Falcataria moluccana), jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), poplar (Populus sp) and douglas fir (Psedotsuga menzii); 2) to analyze the effect of juvenility on lathe check, surface roughness and wettability; 3) to analyze the effect of lathe check and juvenility on glue bond strength and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) bending properties; and 4) to apply a new analytical model to determine the variation of specific MOE LVL values of sengon and jabon from pith to bark. Based on fiber length trait, the demarcation point between juvenile and mature wood were approximately at segmented rings 17th (sengon) and at segmented ring 24th (jabon). While, transition age of poplar cultivars and douglas-fir, transition age happened approximately at 12 years old and 18 years old, respectively. The results showed that wood near pith on sengon and jabon resulted veneers with higher lathe check, rougher surface and high wettability, while wood near bark resulted veneers with lower lathe check, smoother surface and low wettability. Glue bond strength, Specific MOE (SMOE) and Specific MOR (Modulus of Rupture) of sengon and jabon LVL were decreased as the frequency of lathe check increased or those strength values increased from pith to bark. The advantage of using poplar veneers from mature wood was proved with an improvement of 15 to 20% on average for mechanical properties, while for douglas-fir, was 7 to 22%. An analytical model was used to predict the variation of the LVL mechanical characteristics using different scenarios. According to the context of this study assumed to be close to the Indonesian resource there is no need to sort veneers since most of the tree is juvenile wood for logs no older than 7.

Bakgrund och problem: Snabbväxande företag befinner sig ofta i en position där kapital inte räcker till för att fortsätta växa och ett av alternativen är då att involvera riskkapitalbolag. Riskkapitalbolag investerar i utbyte mot en förväntan på avkastning och mer kontroll i företaget. Riskkapitalbolaget ställer således krav på det snabbväxande företaget samt tar olika roller för att uppnå önskad avkastning. När ett företag växer behöver ekonomistyrningen utvecklas, men vad som inte har studerats är hur de krav och roller som riskkapitalbolaget har och tar kan komma att påverka den formella ekonomistyrningen i ett snabbväxande företag. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att redogöra och systematisera för vilka krav riskkapitalbolag ställer på snabbväxande företag samt vilka roller riskkapitalbolag tar när partnerskap ingåtts för att förklara hur dessa krav och roller påverkar utvecklingen av den formella ekonomistyrningen i det snabbväxande företaget. Detta för att utveckla en teoretisk modell vilken påvisar ett riskkapitalbolags ställda krav och tagna rollers koppling till utvecklingen av den formella ekonomistyrningen i det snabbväxande företaget. Metod: Utifrån studiens forskningsfråga och syfte valdes kvalitativ flerfallsstudie som lämplig forskningsmetod. Studien är tvådelad och fallen har definierats som relationerna mellan riskkapitalbolagen och portföljföretagen. Semistrukturerade intervjuer valdes som primär datainsamlingsmetod. Slutsats: De övergripande kraven som ställs av riskkapitalbolag är: krav på styrelserepresentation, krav på ökad rapportering och information samt krav på ordning. Ett riskkapitalbolag som gjort en private equity investering konstateras även ställa krav på ökad uppföljning samt krav på nyckelpersoner. Rollerna som utövas är främst bollplank, rådgivare, övervakare och kontrollant. Utveckling i den formella ekonomistyrningen sker främst i beslutsunderlag, rapportering, uppföljning, beslutsuppdelning och ansvarsenheter. En snabbare utveckling från informell till formell styrning har identifierats samt att det konstaterats att en utveckling från endast scorekeeping till utökad scorekeeping samt attention direction och problem solving skett, samt att de snabbväxande företagen snabbare tar sig från en tillväxtfas till en annan. / Background and problem: Fast-growing companies are often in a position where capital is insufficient for continued growth and one of the options is to involve venture capital companies. Venture capital companies invest in exchange for an expectation of return and control in the company. The venture capital company thus have demands on the fast growing company and takes different roles to achieve the desired return. When a company grows, the management control needs to develop, but what has not been studied is how the requirements and roles of the venture capital company can affect the formal management control in a fast-growing company. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to account for and systematize the requirements for venture capital companies on fast-growing companies and the roles of venture capital companies when partnerships were concluded to explain how these requirements and roles affect the development of formal management control in the fast-growing company. This is to develop a theoretical model which demonstrates the requirements of a venture capital company and the role of taken roles in the development of formal management control in the fast-growing company. Method: Based on the research question and purpose of the study, a qualitative multiple case study was chosen as the appropriate research method. The study is divided into two parts, and the cases have been defined as the relationships between venture capital companies and portfolio companies. Semi-structured interviews were chosen as primary data collection method. Conclusion: The overall requirements set by venture capital companies are: requirements on board representation, requirements on increased reporting and information as well as requirements on creating order. A venture capital company that has made a private equity investment is also found to require increased follow-up and requirements on hire key employees. The roles exercised are mainly sounding board, adviser, supervisor and inspector. Development in the formal management control  takes place primarily in decision making, reporting, follow-up, decision-sharing and responsibility units. A faster development from informal to formal management has been identified as well as a development from only scorekeeping to increased scorekeeping as well as attention direction and problem solving, as well as the fast-growing companies moving faster from one growth phase to another.

This thesis deals with the business plan to establish plantations of fast-growing poplar on agricultural land for the production of energy. The target is to create and analyze a business plan for the production of fast-growing trees in the region Vysočina. Theoretical part deals with general information of fast-growing trees, energy conception of the Czech Republic and of course also instructions for writing a quality business plan. The practical part contains an extended version of the business plan for the establishment of plantations of fast-growing poplar, strategic analysis, economic aspects and evaluation of the whole project. In this thesis are also suggestions to improve the project.

This study examines how the organizational structure affects New Product Development (NPD) in mature companies that enter a fast-growing phase. A case study with interviews and a workshop was conducted in a company in south of Sweden in addition to studying the current literature. This company is currently experiencing fast growth and is therefore facing new challenges. The fast growth in the recent years has affected the NPD processes, organizational structure, culture, and communication according to its employees. The literature argues that there must be a balance between the NPD and organizational structure to ensure performance. Each organization must have a structure that complements the NPD processes to maintain high performance.   Furthermore, communication affects NPD projects' performance, and for organizations experiencing fast growth, communication has an even more significant effect on performance. Mature organizations tend to hold on to existing organizational structures and processes, which can become troublesome when entering a fast-growing phase, as fast-growing companies need to invest in the future. As the research is lacking regarding fast-growing companies, this in-depth study explores the correlation between NPD, organizational structure, communication and culture for fast-growing companies. This case study found that the internal culture positively impacts innovation, along with the need to modify the organizational structure and NPD processes as it grows, and when growing fast, communication plays a vital role. In conclusion, we can see an interconnection between organizational structure, culture, and communication, for facilitating NPD performance, where communication is the red thread that facilitates or hinders, depending on its quality.

Bakgrund: För nystartade företag är vägen till framgång sällan okomplicerad. Resan präglas ofta av motgångar, hinder och utmaningar, framför allt för företag som växer snabbt. Många har bildenav att företag som växer mycket och snabbt enbart är förenade med framgång och att tillväxt ärvad alla entreprenörer drömmer om. Dock är det en komplex och krävande uppgift att styrasnabbväxande företag. Tidigare forskning har visat hur företag förändras när de växer, däremotsaknas forskning om vilka styrverktyg som är lämpliga vid snabb tillväxt, hur styrningen förändrasöver tid i snabbväxande företag samt hur företag bör styras när de växer snabbt med förvärv. Denna studie kommer därför att undersöka styrningens förändring på ett snabbväxande företag där tillväxten utgjorts av många förvärv. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för vilka styrverktyg som använts och hur styrningen förändrats över tid i ett snabbväxande företag där tillväxten utgjorts av många förvärv. Vidare ämnar studien identifiera vilka kritiska händelser som främst bidragit till styrningens förändring. Metod: Denna studie har använt sig av en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi, en induktiv forskningsansats samt en fallstudie som forskningsdesign. Insamlingen av empiriska data har baserats på primärdata från intervjuer samt sekundärdata ifrån års- och delårsrapporter, data från pressmeddelanden på företagets hemsida samt interna dokument. Slutsats: Studien visar att de kritiska händelser som påverkat styrningen mest i fallföretaget är börsnoteringen, ett ledningsbyte och en omorganisation. Bland de styrverktyg som har använts i studien har kulturkontroll varit det styrverktyg som förändrats mest och därmed haft störst påverkan på företagets tillväxtresa. Vidare har tre viktiga faktorer identifierats som i kombination med styrningen bidragit till en lyckad förändringsresa: dynamiken mellan grundarna och företagskulturen, dynamiken mellan grundarna och tillväxten och slutligen dynamiken mellan företagskulturen och tillväxten. / Background: For startups, the road to success is rarely straightforward. The journey is often characterized by setbacks, obstacles, and challenges, especially for fast-growing companies. Many people have the idea that fast-growing companies are only associated with success and that growth is the dream of all entrepreneurs. However, managing fast-growing companies is a complex and demanding task. Research has previously studied how firms change as they grow, but there is a lack of research on which management controls are appropriate for rapid growth, on how governance changes over time in fast-growing firms, and on how firms should be governed whenthey grow rapidly through acquisitions. Therefore, this study will investigate the change in governance in a fast-growing company where acquisitions have been a large part of the growth. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of which management controls have been used and how governance has changed over time in a fast-growing company,where acquisitions have been a large part of the growth. Furthermore, the study aims to identify the critical events that mainly contributed to the change in governance. Methodology: This study has used a qualitative research strategy, an inductive research approach and a case study as a research design. The collection of empirical data has been based on primary data from interviews and secondary data from annual and interim reports, data from press releases on the company's website and internal documents. Conclusion: The study shows that the critical events that most affected governance in the case company are the IPO, a change of management and a reorganization. Among the management controls used in the study, cultural control was the type of control that changed the most and thus had the greatest impact on the company's growth journey. Furthermore, three important factors have been identified that, in combination with governance, have contributed to a successful change journey: the dynamics between the founders and the corporate culture, the dynamics between the founders and growth, and finally the dynamics between the corporate culture and growth.

During the last decade, there has been a progressive shift towards a more modularized and distributive way of developing software to faster react to the changing environment, with the use of Microservices. This has forced companies to adjust their software organization in order to utilize the full capabilities of microservices. However, this process is no easy task. The way teams are formed, their size, communication methods, and the level of freedom they have to innovate can highly impact the code produced. Furthermore, there is, however, during the time of this research, still very limited qualitative research on how the companies work with autonomy and how this affects the transferring of knowledge within the company. Therefore, the purpose of this study was from an industrial perspective to investigate how fast-growing companies work with microservices on an organizational level and how team autonomy affects knowledge sharing within the organization. In order to achieve this purpose a multi-case study was conducted across 9 different companies. The result shows that companies are trying to achieve as much team autonomy as possible by forming self-manage cross-functional teams. However, autonomy needs to be balanced with the challenges that arise from growing fast. This can force the company to move to a functional team. In order to compensate for this lack of natural communication as well as improve knowledge sharing, in general, the participating companies had implemented several activities. The weekly session was one type of activity that was frequently used among companies. / Under det senaste decenniet har det skett ett progressiv skift mot ett mer modulariserat och distribuerande sätt att utveckla mjukvara för att snabbare reagera på den förändrade miljön med hjälp av Microservices. Detta har tvingat företag att anpassa sin mjukvaruorganisation för att utnyttja de fulla kapaciteten för mikroservicen. Men denna process är ingen enkel uppgift. Hur team bildas, deras storlek, kommunikationsmetoder och den frihet teamen har kan starkt påverka koden de producerar. Dessutom finns det, under tiden för detta arbete, fortfarande mycket begränsad kvalitativ forskning om hur företagen arbetar med självständiga team och hur detta påverkar kunskapsöverföring inom företaget. Därför var syftet med denna studie från ett industriellt perspektiv att undersöka hur snabbväxande företag arbetar med mikroservices på organisatorisk nivå och hur självständiga team påverkar kunskapsdelning inom organisationen. För att uppnå detta syfte genomfördes en fler-fallstudie med nio olika företag. Resultatet visar att företag försöker uppnå så självständiga team som möjligt genom att bilda självstyrande tvärfunktionella team. Självständigeten måste dock balanseras med de utmaningar som uppstår av att växa snabbt. Detta kan tvinga företaget att flytta till ett funktionellt team. För att kompensera för denna brist på naturlig kommunikation och förbättra kunskapsdelningen hade de deltagande företagen i allmänhet genomfört flera aktiviteter. Veckosessionen var en typ av aktivitet som ofta användes bland företagen.