<p>There is a lack of universally applicable team leadership models for cross-cultural work teams. The research on cross-cultural team leadership has mostly been conducted with an ethnocentric or culturally comparative approach. Therefore, the purpose of this study has been to discover a universal leadership theory, leading to high cross-cultural team performance. </p><p>This dissertation describes the prior research bound to the research topic and the development of a universal, cross-cultural team leadership style. The new, created leadership style, the Integration Oriented Leader, was designed to bring forth high cross-cultural team performance. The suggested theory was empirically tested in a laboratory experiment and received strong support. The conclusion of the conducted research is that the Integration Oriented leadership style may very well be the most suitable leadership style to implement in cross-cultural work teams.</p>

<p>In most market places today competition has become stronger, not only between single companies but between networks of linked partners, known as supply chains. Consumer demands are changing more often and companies have to react quickly when new trends and consumer requirements appear, thus the competition becomes more time-sensitive. This is especially true in the apparel fashion industry because time is a crucial factor and can make the difference between the success or failure of a company in this business. This dissertation deals with the development of a supply chain model for a fashion apparel retailer with focus on short lead-times through the entire supply chain. The basis for this model constitutes on the one hand various theoretical models and time concepts from the literature and on the other hand a case from the succesful fashion retailer Zara. Furthermore, the authors of this dissertation conducted interviews with several store managers before and after they created the model. In the last section an analysis of the interviews conducted after the creation of the model is presented and evaluated. Based on the results of the interviews the authors did some modifications in their supply chain model.</p><p>The newly created model should give an international fashion apparel retailer ideas to improve parts or even the whole supply chain of it.</p>

<p>The entrance of Poland to the European Union (EU) will attract Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) to the country. These MNEs will invest in Poland and this will have its consequences for the local companies. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how these foreign investments will affect the local companies in the construction industry in Poland. </p><p>To describe the influence of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the Polish construction sector we divided the possible effects of FDI in: employment, competition, process innovation and resource-transfer effects. </p><p>To collect primary data, we sent questionnaires and interviewed strategic managers of medium and large construction companies. The results indicate that companies in the construction sector expect to benefit from MNEs. The main problems in the construction sector are currently: a lack of financial resources, insufficient management skills and outdated equipment. The number of jobs in the sector is decreasing and the competition is fierce. </p><p>In the short term, FDI will not be beneficial for all local companies in the sector. Many companies will have to implement new innovations or cooperate with other companies to stay in business. However, in the long term the construction sector will be more efficient and more productive. </p><p>This dissertation contains a model, which has been created through literature, primary and secondary data and shows in detail how FDI will affect and be beneficial for the Polish construction sector. </p>

<p>Islamic banking is an investment and financing system which expands globally. The Islamic banks have only been established for some 30 years but the banking system is based on long-going traditions within Islamic finance. The system is founded on ethical values and emphasises the well-being of society as a whole. </p><p>Islamic banking is different from conventional banking in most aspects, since its close tie to religion is very important. The system is not based on interest, as it is prohibited in Islam. Instead Islamic banks offer various kinds of accounts and a range of financing alternatives all complying with the Islamic Law – Shari’a. To work according to Shari’a is crucial for the banks and their activities are controlled by a special Religious Supervisory Board working within the bank. </p><p>The implementation of the Islamic banking system varies to some extent between Islamic countries. It has been influenced by its connections to politics of and the history in the countries where the system operates. As a result to the variations between the states’ implementation, the need for harmonisation increases as the expansion of Islamic banks continues. Several organisations work to achieve international standardisation and harmony to make the banking activities more transparent and attractive. The achievement of harmonisation as well as the performance of the banks is crucial for the future of Islamic banking. </p><p>The dissertation is based on extensive literature review and a personal interview with a professional within an Islamic bank in Lebanon.</p>

<p>This study was conducted at Glimek AB, a company that has chosen to decentralize its central storage unit in order to increase production efficiencies. The purpose of the study was to identify the problems in the production cycle that lead to the decision to decentralize the central storage unit, as well as identifying what the decentralization entails. The effects of the decentralization have not been analyzed in the study, and consequently neither financial nor production disadvantages have been considered.</p><p>Appropriate questions were formulated based on the chosen underlying theories, and were asked to selected individuals with relevant knowledge. The study is based on the information that was gathered from interviews with management as well as staff within the company. In addition, supporting information such as flowcharts, drawings, orders and decision support documents were supplied by the company. The study was conducted in close cooperation with the employees of the company. The bases from which the conclusions were derived are the information gathered from the interviews and the authors’ documentation efforts.</p><p>The assessment concludes that the problems that arose in the production cycle were the results of insufficient supply of input material. These shortcomings arose from several different underlying factors, such as degree of work in the central storage unit and relocation of material. Previously existing problems within the production cycle could not be resolved with the implementation of a JIT-methodology. The decentralization of the central storage unit implied that all specific material would be present at each manufacturing plant. The decentralization also resulted in the fact that the manufacturing personnel would get the main responsibility for selecting and reserving input material from the computer system. The study also showed that no one among the production staff had been assigned the ultimate management responsibility for this process.</p>

<p>Investigations indicate that there is an economic gain in being mobile in the Sound Region. The economic theory assumes that people are utility maximizers and should, in this case, be more mobile. The purpose of this dissertation is therefore to investigate the reasons for the immobility in the Sound Region and try to explain them with existing rationality theories. An empirical study is carried out in both Sweden and Denmark in order to reveal people’s reasoning about moving and commuting. Further the rationality theories are applied to the situation in the Sound Region and a model is constructed. At last it is concluded that the neo-classical theory fails to explain peoples’ behaviour while the three other theories can partly explain peoples’ behaviour and the reasons for mobility.</p>

<p>In today’s world where one has to be efficient in every way to stay as an actor on the market, companies have to make choices to be competitive. By moving the production abroad the companies can often reduce their cost of production and remain competitive.</p><p>We found it to be an interesting phenomenon that established Swedish companies are increasingly moving their core production abroad, mainly to low cost countries, here after referred by us as relocation of production. The idea behind our topic, relocation of production, came from the increased attention of the subject in the media lately.</p>

<p>In order to be successful on the market it gets more and more important to have a good relation to your customer. Without a good relationship to your customer you are just one among many other competitors. A healthy relationship in which both parties are satisfied is probably based on many different reasons. Many researchers in this field believe that power/dependence and commitment/trust are essential cornerstones in a business relationship. However, the researchers all stresses different factors that they believe influence these cornerstones. Our work is based on power, commitment and trust, and our intention is to point out the different factors that we believe are influencing our cornerstones. Furthermore we have constructed a model and created hypotheses that are tested through a survey conducted on Medical Rubbers customers. </p>

<p>The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate if and why food retailers in Sweden use Category Management. It also examines how food retailers perceive and apply this American concept in Sweden. Further the theories about Category Management are tested with the help of a created model. This dissertation is based upon a qualitative method. The dissertation includes interviews with the four largest food retailers in Sweden and two supermarkets in the US. The interviews are divided as follows: Three interviews with headquarters in the Swedish food retailing industry, four interviews with specific supermarkets in Sweden and two interviews with specific supermarkets in the US. </p><p>Furthermore literature studies give a theoretical frame of reference. The theoretical perspectives of the dissertation are the ECR theory, theories from ACNielsen and The Partnering Group Inc. The conclusions are that Category Management is used by the three largest food retailers in Sweden. However it is not used in every detail as the theories suggest, but the food retailers in Sweden plan to implement more elements of the concept in the future. Another conclusion is that Category Management is a consumer oriented concept.</p>

<p>The dissertation aims to identify and investigate factors involved in direct sale in relation to Chinese culture. Direct sale is one form of direct marketing, which can include door-to-door, office-to-office, home party selling, etc. For a salesperson to be able to do business with people from various cultures, he/she needs to understand the differences in their values and in their consumer needs. Cultural values have implications for marketing communication and direct selling activities. </p><p>After a literature review of the two areas, direct sale and Chinese culture a theoretical model was developed. This model will be helpful for companies when entering the Chinese market through direct sale. The model consists of twelve factors involved in direct sale; communication, commitment, trust, collective, friendship, empathy, respect, conflict avoidance, loyalty, functionality, behaviour, and home party. The aim is to show how important each of the factors is for direct selling in China. From the interpretations of the research review we came to the conclusion that all factors are considered to be of importance in relation to Chinese culture. </p><p>In order to test the model we conducted a survey. Our population consisted of Chinese exchange students at Kristianstad University in Sweden. The result of the survey became the base of a new model. The new model showed that all factors were of importance but with different degrees. In order to see if our model might be useful in real life we chose to include a case study of Oriflame. All the factors in our model supported Oriflame’s strategy. </p>