Background Strategic alliances grant access to rare know-how, inimitable resources and valuable capabilities otherwise out of reach for a single firm. Existing alliance management literature focuses on the transfer of technical know-how between alliance partners. The intra-organizational learning process with the aim to build a firm-level alliance management capability to become better at managing strategic alliances has received little attention. Especially striking is the lack of extensive research on the barriers to this process. Aim This paper aims to shed light on the existence of learning barriers to the building of a firm-level alliance management capability. Methodology A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Ten individuals with varying degrees of experience in managing strategic alliances were interviewed. The ten respective sample firms were spread across seven different countries and six different industries. Findings The analysis revealed 38 learning barriers existent to the building of a firmlevel alliance management capability both confirming common organizational learning barriers and revealing context-specific learning barriers. They originate either in the firm member’s thinking and behavior, the firm’s processes and structures or in the specific learning environment. Categorized in thematical clusters, they show problem areas such as a lack of top management support. Some of the found learning barriers like the tendency of alliance managers to prioritize the relationship to the alliance partner are findings that have not received attention in theory yet. Those contributions can support a deeper understanding of what individual firms and the field of alliance management is missing in building a firm-level alliance management capability.

The purpose of this study was to examine parental actions to finance higher education. Data were analyzed from the 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS: 96). Results of this study indicated that gender, race, housing status, and attendance status of students were factors in the amount of loans that was assumed by parents. Further results indicated that parent'9s marital status, total parent contribution, parent income, the cost of attending, and institutional control were also factors in the amount of loans that were assumed by parents. The age of students and the amount of parent savings did not effect the percentage of parents who assumed loans nor did it effect the amount of loans that were assumed by parents. Recommendations for future research include a continued focus on how families, as a whole, are financing higher education, repayment practices and default rates of parents who assumed loans to pay for higher education, specific types of loans that parents use to fund higher education, parental debt and what ratio of their debt is due to educational loans. / Master of Arts

Företagshemligheter åtnjuter skydd enligt lag (1990:409) om skydd för företagshemligheter (FHL). Det centrala begreppet i definitionen av företagshemligheter är “information”, vilket medför att know-how kan åtnjuta skydd av FHL, förutsatt att den uppfyller lagens krav. För att harmonisera skyddet för företagshemligheter inom Europeiska unionen (EU) har direktivet om företagshemligheter antagits som senast ska träda i kraft den 9 juni 2018. Ändringarna som direktivet kan bidra till är främst att FHL tydliggörs i viktiga avseenden. Varken FHL eller direktivet ålägger någon part som har tagit del av företagshemligheter tystnadsplikt. I avtalsrelationer mellan företag tillämpas därför sekretessklausuler, vilket i regel avses ge ett starkare och effektivare skydd för företagshemligheter. Rättsläget om möjligheten att avtala om sekretess är emellertid osäkert, vilket kvarstår i direktivet. I uppsatsen framkommer att det i begreppet “know-how” innefattas kunskap och erfarenheter som finns hos företag men som ofta är kopplad till individer, framförallt teknisk know-how. Know-how konstateras innefatta kunskap som kan vara en del av grundstommen i ett företag eller optimera något som redan existerar i det, exempelvis en process. Den är inte underkastad några formkrav, bortsett från definitionen i Tekniköverföringsförordningen, och kan existera utan att företag har vidtagit åtgärder. Know-how kan således uppstå i det tysta. I begreppet “företagshemligheter” kan all information som cirkulerar i ett företag innefattas, förutsatt att informationen hålls hemlig och är kopplad till dess förmåga att konkurrera. Begreppen “know-how” och “företagshemligheter” skiljer sig således åt eftersom know-how i princip är knuten till individer medan “företagshemligheter” är knutet till företag. Det framkommer även i uppsatsen att direktivet, jämfört med FHL, inte medför ett ökat skydd för know-how i Sverige eftersom begreppet “information” i FHL inte vidgas. Direktivet medför emellertid ett ökat skydd för know-how i EU. Slutligen framkommer i analysen att proaktiva åtgärder och utvärdering av information är viktiga åtgärder för företag för att i framtiden skydda sin know-how. Sekretessklausuler är en möjlighet för företag att skydda know-how som inte omfattas av direktivet, och sedermera kommande FHL, i avtalsrelationer. En risk som företag borde ha i åtanke framöver är att åtgärder för att hemlighålla information kan komma att tillmätas olika betydelse beroende på i vilket land, och i enlighet med vilket lands lagstiftning, dessa vidtas i. / Trade secrets are protected by the Act on the Protection of Trade Secrets (1990:409) (PTS) in Sweden. The key notion to this law is “information”, which makes it possible for know-how to be covered by this law, provided that it fulfils the requirements of PTS. In order to harmonize the protection of trade secrets within the European Union (EU) the directive about Protection of Trade Secrets has been adopted, which is due to take effect latest by the 9th of June 2018. The amendments that the directive contributes to the PTS are primarily to clarify the PTS in important aspects. Neither the PTS, nor the directive imposes confidentiality upon any party who has granted trade secrets. Therefore, companies are adapting non-disclosure clauses in their business relationships, which generally mean a stronger and more effective protection of trade secrets. The legal situation about the possibility to arrange confidentiality is unclear. This unclearness remains in the directive. It appears that all knowledge and experience that exists in a company can be included in the concept “know-how”, but it is mostly connected to individuals, especially technical know-how. It is also noticed that know-how can form part of the ground in a company or optimize something that already exists in it, e.g. a process. Know-how is not subject to any formal requirements, apart from the requirements in the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation, and may exist without any actions taken by companies. Thus, know-how can occur in the silence. Any information that is circulating in a company can be included in the concept “trade secrets”, provided that the information is kept secret and is linked to its ability to compete. The concepts “know-how” and “trade secrets” differ since know-how is mostly connected to individuals and trade secrets to companies. Furthermore, it appears that the directive, compared to the PTS, will not increase the protection of know-how in Sweden, since the directive does not enlarge the concept “information” in the PTS. However, the directive will increase the protection of know-how in the EU. Finally, it appears that proactive arrangements and evaluation of information will be important arrangements for companies in the future in order to protect their know-how. Non-disclosure clauses are a possibility for companies to protect their know-how that is not covered by the directive, and subsequently the forthcoming PTS, in contractual relations. A risk that companies should keep in mind in the future is that arrangements to keep information secret may be given different significance depending on the country, and in accordance with which country’s legalisation, in which they are taken.

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyse the significance of economic thinking and arguments in the treatment of licence agreements in EC competition law. A central question is to what degree the concept of competition in EC law reflects an economically realistic approach to competition. The study also investigates to what degree the economic functioning of intellectual property is considered in competition regulation and how much the economic functioning of the licence agreement is considered. The investigation mainly consists of a comparative analysis of EC competition law and American antitrust law concerning the economic arguments and their importance. The treatment of territorial restrictions, field of use restrictions, quantity clauses, tie-outs, tie-ins, grant back, no-challenge clauses and price restrictions are of special interest here. </p><p>This study shows that an economically realistic view of competition has influenced current EC competition law, especially in the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER). Exceptions from this development in the EC law are mainly due to the goal of integration of the common market. Territorial restrictions are strictly regulated in the TTBER even when the parties’ market shares are below the market thresholds defined in the regulation.</p><p>The function of intellectual property rights are not much considered in EC competition law but there are general remarks about the economic functioning of patents in the Guidelines for the TTBER. However, it is difficult to find evidence for economic reasoning about patents in the formation of concrete rules. On the contrary, patents are weakened by the widened concept of exhaustion presented in the Guidelines.</p><p>The economic functioning of the licence agreement is considered in the rules of TTBER and the economic arguments for clauses which create incentives for making investments or give the possibility of control are acknowledged. However, the free riding argument has a weak position when applied to territorial restrictions, which are more formalistically regulated.</p><p>The EC competition law has become more similar to American antitrust law. The decisive difference consists in the judicial treatment of territorial restrictions, where the goal of integration is still of central importance in EC law.</p>

Knowledge as company resource which brings competitive advantage is frequently discussed topic. And managing of knowledge pays increasing attention, because it is possible to maximize utility and minimize losses of knowledge by using appropriate knowledge management. This paper is focused on analysis of Knowledge management process in the context of Unicorn ES Powered Company methodology and on suggestion of possible form of management of the process and its parts, which is the overall goal of this paper.

The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyse the significance of economic thinking and arguments in the treatment of licence agreements in EC competition law. A central question is to what degree the concept of competition in EC law reflects an economically realistic approach to competition. The study also investigates to what degree the economic functioning of intellectual property is considered in competition regulation and how much the economic functioning of the licence agreement is considered. The investigation mainly consists of a comparative analysis of EC competition law and American antitrust law concerning the economic arguments and their importance. The treatment of territorial restrictions, field of use restrictions, quantity clauses, tie-outs, tie-ins, grant back, no-challenge clauses and price restrictions are of special interest here. This study shows that an economically realistic view of competition has influenced current EC competition law, especially in the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER). Exceptions from this development in the EC law are mainly due to the goal of integration of the common market. Territorial restrictions are strictly regulated in the TTBER even when the parties’ market shares are below the market thresholds defined in the regulation. The function of intellectual property rights are not much considered in EC competition law but there are general remarks about the economic functioning of patents in the Guidelines for the TTBER. However, it is difficult to find evidence for economic reasoning about patents in the formation of concrete rules. On the contrary, patents are weakened by the widened concept of exhaustion presented in the Guidelines. The economic functioning of the licence agreement is considered in the rules of TTBER and the economic arguments for clauses which create incentives for making investments or give the possibility of control are acknowledged. However, the free riding argument has a weak position when applied to territorial restrictions, which are more formalistically regulated. The EC competition law has become more similar to American antitrust law. The decisive difference consists in the judicial treatment of territorial restrictions, where the goal of integration is still of central importance in EC law.

Univ., Diss--Leeds, 2001.

In the Swedish Armed Forces there is a discussion whether the officer education is teaching the right things. The right things are often considered to be practical skills. However, the Swedish Defense University mostly teaches theoretical analyzing and critical approach. This study focuses on how well this approach is received by the Armed Forces, with their view of the officer needing practical skills. It does so through a survey sent to the officers in the ground forces, asking how the newly graduated second lieutenants are perceived by the organization. The result in this survey shows that this focus on theoretical knowledge has been perceived by the second lieutenant and the officers in the organization have trust in the graduates, both in character and knowledge. However, the lack of practical knowledge is considered dire and the first time after graduation is primarily focused on becoming an instructor which is considered the NCOs specialty. Because of this discrepancy the second lieutenants may have a hard time translating the theoretical knowledge to practical.

En av lärarens allra viktigaste uppgifter är att lära alla elever att läsa. Tyvärr finns det alltid elever som stöter på problem i sin läsinlärning och som av en eller annan anledning utvecklar lässvårigheter. Forskning har visat att tidiga insatser är mest verkningsfulla vilket innebär att lärare måste klara av att tidigt identifiera de elever som kan komma att behöva extra stöd. Syftet med detta arbete är att synliggöra lärares åsikter kring tidig identifiering av de elever som riskerar att utveckla lässvårigheter samt att undersöka hur en eventuell identifiering går till i praktiken.   För att uppnå detta har kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med sju lärare verksamma i förskoleklass. Intervjuerna har berört lärarnas syn på tidig identifiering, om möjligheter och svårigheter med tidig identifiering samt hur eventuell identifiering går till i praktiken. Resultatet visar att lärare anser att tidig identifiering av lässvårigheter är fördelaktigt och viktigt. Genom informella observationer av elevers språkutveckling och resultat från mer formella kartläggningar anser lärarna att de klarar av att identifiera de elever som ligger i riskzonen för att utveckla lässvårigheter. / One of the most important tasks teachers have is to teach all students how to read. Unfortunately, there are always students who encounter difficulties in their reading development and who, for one reason or another, develop reading difficulties. Research has shown that early intervention is most effective, which means that teachers need to identify these difficulties in students at an early stage. The purpose of this study is to highlight teachers’ opinions about early identification of those at risk of developing reading difficulties and investigate how teachers manage to conduct these identifications in practice.   This study consists of qualitative interviews with seven teachers in preschool class. The interviews have been focused around teachers’ views of early identification, on advantages and difficulties with early identification and how early identifications are done in practice. The results show that teachers believe that early identification of reading difficulties is advantageous and important. Through informal observations of students’ language development and results from more formal tests teachers believe that they are able to identify students who are at risk of developing reading difficulties.

12 pp.