The medical device manufacturing industry has a deficiency in determining how to improve supplier performance for the components and systems they purchase. Many complex medical devices require components from superb suppliers. But how does a medical device manufacturer (MDM) impartially assess supplier performance to know which suppliers to continuing with (or even boost purchase volumes) and which suppliers they should exit? This study describes which supplier-specific metrics are most important to medical device manufacturers (MDMs) so they can utilize this supplier performance scorecard backed by real-world inputs. This research will focus on five categories to measure MDM supplier performance (Quality, Price, Delivery, Customer Service, and Partnership) across twenty-three (23) metrics. Because this is a focus of MDM supplier performance, we are not focusing on analysis of device sales to the final customer (e.g., distributors or group purchasing organizations {GPO}). The study will follow a framework including research analysis of supplier performance management in other industries, methods to attain data from MDMs via survey, results and analysis of the data, conclusions, and an easily understandable MDM supplier performance scorecard. In the survey, 135 MDM professionals replied when asked to rate twenty-three (23) supplier performance metrics, across five (5) categories aggregated from nine (9) different industries. The survey yielded a myriad of results including, weighting factors of each of the metrics, and those data results were used to compile an MDM supplier performance scorecard utilizing real-world feedback. The analysis revealed the ratings of importance of the categories as: Quality (43%), Delivery (24%), Customer Service (4%), Partnership (13%), Price (8%) and associated weights for the twenty-three (23) metrics that matter most to an MDM when creating a performance scorecard for their supplier base. Three contributions that this research will add to the body of knowledge: An in-depth review of supplier performance across many different industries (i.e., non-healthcare and healthcare) for contrasting/comparing evidence. A detailed MDM survey and statistical analysis on the topic of supplier performance management. An easily understandable and useable MDM supplier performance scorecard (via MS Excel) for MDM supply chain and/or operations users and/or managers.

With six major truck companies holding similar market shares in Europe, advancements and improvements are crucial to avoid falling behind. However, knowing what aspects to improve is paramount, as focusing on the wrong areas can lead to wasted resources and time. At the operational level, collecting accurate data and utilizing it effectively is essential for learning and progress. One effective method is to gather data on process losses and measure effectiveness accordingly. Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and overall process effectiveness (OPE), originating from total productive maintenance (TPM), are commonly used metrics for this purpose.   To ensure comprehensive assessment, three main effectiveness measurements are necessary. OEE evaluates machine effectiveness, total effective equipment performance (TEEP) considers planned maintenance, and OPE encompasses all losses, internal and external.   In this thesis, all three effectiveness measurements are applied to Scania's pallet disassembly process. Due to its high variability, traditional TPM methods cannot be directly applied. Therefore, adaptations were made. Time became the common factor for measurement, eliminating the need for cycle times and unit outcomes. Additionally, the aspect of quality was excluded, given the nature of the disassembly process and its minimal quality loss.   The implemented method involves two solutions: one currently in use and one proposed for the future. The current approach involves data entry by an operator into an Excel sheet at the end of each shift. This data is then transformed into OEE, TEEP, and OPE pie charts, allowing for weekly analysis of shift, day, and week effectiveness. As for future recommendations, replacing the programmable logic controller (PLC) would enable real-time effectiveness monitoring and process simulations.

Grenada is 1 of 15 developing countries in Caribbean Community known as CARICOM. The infrastructure capital projects in these developing countries are plagued with an array of issues: unethical practices, inadequate supervision, lack of transparency and accountability, inadequate monitoring and evaluation, cost overruns, and inefficiencies. In the 1980s and 1990s, the International Monitory Fund and World Bank introduced a balanced scorecard engineered under the structural adjustment program, but it was unable to improve infrastructure project efficiencies. This qualitative case study sought to understand the role of management key performance indicators (KPIs) on public sector infrastructure capital project efficiency on the island of Grenada. An institutional assessment and development framework and a classical management theoretical framework methodology were used to explore the effects of management KPIs on public sector infrastructure capital projects efficiencies in developing countries. The research incorporated a constructivist philosophy that underpins the evaluation and perception of the government, the National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA), project teams, systems, and stakeholders. A purposive sampling strategy with elements of snowballing was used to obtain 12 representative participants for interviews, and a systematic approach of transcribing, coding, and thematic analysis was done. Findings indicate inadequacies in the BSC performance measure system on infrastructure projects, which justifies the use of comprehensive management KPIs. Positive social change implications of this study include recommendations for comprehensive management KPIs and policies to improve public sector infrastructure project efficiency in Grenada.

This study determined whether local manufacturers of light vehicles in South Africa employ supply chain best practices and strategies. The research design employed was a combination of exploratory and descriptive research design using qualitative and quantitative approaches based on a survey of light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa. A face-to–face, semi-structured interview questionnaire was used, based on purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics using SPSS software were used for the data analysis and interpretation. The findings of the study revealed that across the supply chain, best practices were implemented to a large extent by all manufacturers. Light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa, however face supply chain challenges, which include technological, infrastructural, cost, market/service and production/skills challenges. The most important supply chain performance indicator that contributes to optimisation of performance is quality, followed by final product delivery reliability, and then cost and supplier reliability. All the manufacturers followed a lean strategy for their inbound supply chain and some had a lean supply chain strategy for their outbound supply chain. A number of them also had an agile supply chain strategy in the outbound supply chain which suggests a leagile supply chain strategy. It was also found that in some instances there was a mismatch between strategies and practices in the area of product characteristics, manufacturing characteristics and the decision drivers of supply chain. One of the conclusions of the study was that local manufacturers of light vehicles do not always make decisions and implement practices in line with their chosen supply chain strategies. The study concluded by developing a framework for determining supply chain best practices in line with a chosen strategy that could guide supply chain managers (in locally manufactured light vehicles) in the automotive in South Africa in their decision making. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

Inom ekonomistyrning utgår ekonomer oftast från att målöverensstämmelse existerar och att de anställda arbetar utifrån de uppställda målen med perfekt information. Men informationsasymmetri finns överallt och kan leda till ökade kostnader, att fel uppstår och försenade leveranser. Detta är särskilt intressant inom gruvindustrin eftersom den karakteriseras av komplexitet vilket ökar svårigheter med att förmedla styrningen. Frågan blir; under vilka förutsättningar uppstår informationsasymmetri inom styrning och målöverensstämmelse samt hur kan asymmetrin reduceras inom gruvindustrin? Syftet med examensarbetet blir därmed att öka förståelse och analysera hur informationsasymmetri påverkar ekonomistyrning och målöverensstämmelse inom gruvindustrin samt hur asymmetrin kan reduceras. Arbetet utgår ifrån principal-agent teorin som grundas på antaganden om informationsasymmetri och egen nyttomaximering. Utifrån den målkonflikten grundas hypoteserna om de begrepp som ökar och reducerar målöverensstämmelse genom ökad och minskad informationsasymmetri. De olika teoretisk begreppen som undersöktes var missanpassad information, opportunism, återkoppling, internutbildning och tid. Examensarbetet utfördes genom att använda oss av Cavaye (1996) modell för flerstudieansats (eng. Multifaceted research approach) där vi har först gjort Studie 1 som grundas på kvalitativa intervjuer för att få mer information om företaget och industrin. Sedan i Studie 2 testas begreppen genom en kvantitativ enkät som skickades ut till personer inom företaget utifrån ett strategisk urval. Resultatet från undersökningen var att hypoteserna bekräftades och att agenterna anser att målen är viktiga och internutbildning var de starkaste faktorerna för att reducera informationsasymmetri och öka målöverensstämmelse. / In management control systems economist usually assume perfect information and goal congruence from the top to the bottom of the organization. But information asymmetry is everywhere and often leads to increased costs, missed deadlines and other mistakes. This is particularly interesting in the mining industry as it’s characterized by complexity which increases the difficulty of communicating the control system throughout the organization. The research question then becomes; under which circumstances does information asymmetry occur in control systems and goal congruence and how can the asymmetry be reduced in the mining industry? The purpose of the study is therefore to increase the understanding and analyze how information asymmetry impact control systems and goal congruence in the mining industry and how the asymmetry can be reduced. The study is based on the principal-agent theory is based on the assumptions of information asymmetry and self-interest between the two parties. Based on that goal conflict our hypothesis of the variables that increase and reduce goal congruence through increased and decreased information asymmetry is formed. The investigated variables were miss adapted information, opportunism, feedback, workplace education and time. The study was conducted by using Cavaye (1996) model for multifaceted research approach by starting off with Study 1, which was based on qualitative interviews to get more information about the company and the mining industry. Study 2 later tested the variables impact by conducting a quantitative study though the use of a survey that was sent to people of interest within the company though a strategic selection. The result of the study was that the hypotheses were confirmed and that workplace education training and valuing the importance of the goals where the most important variables to reduce information asymmetry and increase goal congruence.

I en hårdnande marknad för tillverkande industrier krävs det att förbättringar och effektiviseringar av produktionen hela tiden prioriteras, det gäller även Scanias växellådstillverkning. I takt med att antalet växellådsvarianter ökar, ökar utmaningarna kopplat till styrning och planering av produktion. Denna studie syftar till att ta fram ett förslag på det bästa sättet att styra produktionsflödet genom testningen av växellådor i de testriggar som finns samt att ge ett förslag på hur uppföljningen av produktionen ska gå till. Syftet mynnade ut i en teoretisk och en praktisk frågeställning. Den teoretiska frågeställningen behandlar sekvenseringen, vilka mätetal som ska användas i produktionen och hur de ska presenteras samt om takttid eller cykeltid ska användas som styrningsmetod vid testriggarna. Den praktiska formuleringen behandlade de praktiska hinder som uppstår vid de existerande systemen på grund av de nya förslagen. Studien avgränsade sig från implementering av förslagen. För att uppfylla syftet och besvara frågeställningarna skapades två simuleringsprogram i Python som undersökte sekvenseringen och jämförde takttid och cykeltid som styrningsmetod för testriggarna. Verklig data från produktionen användes för att kunna simulera skillnaderna mellan styrningsförslagen på ett tillförlitligt sätt. I testriggarna utförs arbetet av maskin och operatör parallellt med varandra. Simuleringsprogrammen fokuserade främst på maskinarbetet, därför utfördes kompletterande tidsstudier över operatörsarbetet vid testriggarna. För att få ytterligare perspektiv gjordes dessutom två benchmark i form av besök vid motortillverkningen och bearbetningen av pinjonger och kronhjul på Scania i Södertälje. Studien visade att cykeltidsstyrning är att föredra framför takttidsstyrning vid testriggarna. Vid en övergång från takttidsstyrning till cykeltidsstyrning kommer kapaciteten att förbättras och stopptidsmätningarna bli mer tillförlitliga. De fördelar som annars finns vid en takttidsstyrning fungerar inte vid testriggarna på grund av hur de är utformade. Den stora variationen i cykeltider vid testriggarna medför stora problem vid en takttidsstyrning. Från operatörstidmätningen framgick att det går att förbättra arbetet med standardiserat arbetssätt. Simuleringsprogrammet för sekvenseringen visade att en förbättrad sekvens inte ger något i nuläget, men att det kan komma att förändras framöver. Nya mätetal definierades, både i den dagliga produktionen och för vidare analys i ett IT-system. Framförallt utvecklades mätetal för stopptid som även visar vad för typ av stopptid som uppkommer.

Intäktsredovisning är av stor vikt för företag och bedöms i de flesta fall vara en av de största bokföringsposterna. Olika redovisningsmetoder kan ge upphov till olika utfall vilket kan påverka de intressenter som företaget interagerar med. Sedan den 1 januari 2018 har en ny redovisningsstandard för intäktsredovisning trätt i kraft - IFRS 15. Den nya standarden har utvecklats av IASB i ett led för att uppnå konvergens genom en enda uppsättning av redovisningsstandarder internationellt. För noterade företag inom EU är det obligatoriskt att upprätta koncernredovisning i enlighet med IFRS. Ur ett svenskt perspektiv kommer således noterade koncerner att påverkas av den nya intäktsstandarden. För moderbolagen i noterade koncerner blir utfallet samma eftersom dessa företag måste tillämpa regelverket RFR 2 för redovisning. RFR 2 följer IFRS, men med anpassning för ÅRL och dess upplysningskrav. För dotterbolagen i noterade koncerner finns dock möjlighet att välja mellan regelverken RFR 2 och K3 vid upprättande av den finansiella rapporteringen. K3 är utvecklat av BFN och följer enbart de upplysningskrav som följer av ÅRL. Syftet med studien är att redogöra för hur intäktsredovisningen och utfallen skiljer sig åt vid tillämpning av K3 och RFR 2. Vidare syftar studien till att undersöka hur de olika tillämpningarna påverkar nyckeltal, beskattning och utdelningsmöjligheter ur ett intressentperspektiv. För att uppnå syftet har tre typfall konstruerats som berör entreprenadavtal, tjänsteuppdrag och försäljning av varor. Typfallen har analyserats genom att tillämpa respektive regelverk avseende recognition av intäkter, nyckeltal, inkomstskatt och utdelningsmöjligheter med hjälp av en modifierad intressentmodell. Den metod som tillämpats för studien är en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av abduktiv karaktär. Typfallens utfall ger slutsatsen att recognition av intäkter möjliggörs vid ett tidigare stadie vid tillämpning av RFR 2 och den nya intäktsstandarden IFRS 15 avseende försäljning av varor. Vid entreprenadavtal ges dock en senareläggning av recognition i jämförelse med K3 och vid tjänsteuppdrag görs ingen åtskillnad mellan regelverken. Vår slutsats är vidare att dessa skillnader även ger effekt på både nyckeltal, inkomstskatt att betala och utdelningsmöjligheter. / Revenue recognition is of great importance to companies and is, in most cases, considered to be one of the largest accounting posts. Different accounting methods can give rise to different outcomes, which may affect the stakeholders that the company interacts with. Since January 1, 2018, a new accounting standard for revenue recognition is effective - IFRS 15. The new standard has been developed by the IASB as a step to achieve convergence through a single set of accounting standards internationally. For listed companies within the EU, it is mandatory to prepare consolidated accounts in accordance with IFRS. Thus, from a Swedish perspective, listed groups will be affected by the new revenue standard. For parent companies in listed groups, the outcome will be the same as these companies must apply the RFR 2 regulatory framework. RFR 2 complies with IFRS, but with adaptation for ÅRL and its disclosure requirements. However, for subsidiaries in listed groups there is the option to choose between the RFR 2 and K3 regulations when preparing the financial reporting. K3 is developed by BFN and only complies with the disclosure requirements that follow from ÅRL. The purpose of the study is to explain how the income statement and outcomes differ when applying K3 and RFR 2. Furthermore, the study aims at investigating how the various applications affect key performance indicators, taxation and dividend opportunities from an interest-rate perspective. To achieve this objective, three types of cases have been designed concerning contractual contracts, service assignments and sales of goods. The cases have been analyzed by applying the respective rules regarding recognition of revenues, key performance indicators, income tax and dividend opportunities using a modified stakeholder model. The method used for the study is a qualitative content analysis of abductive nature. The outcome of the cases gives rise to the conclusion that recognition of revenue is possible at an earlier stage when applying RFR 2 and the new revenue standard IFRS 15 regarding the sale of goods. However, in the case of a contractual contract, a retrenchment of recognition is given in comparison with K3 and in the case of service assignments, no distinction is made between the rules. Our conclusion is further that these differences also affect both key performance indicators, income tax to pay and dividend opportunities.

This study determined whether local manufacturers of light vehicles in South Africa employ supply chain best practices and strategies. The research design employed was a combination of exploratory and descriptive research design using qualitative and quantitative approaches based on a survey of light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa. A face-to–face, semi-structured interview questionnaire was used, based on purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics using SPSS software were used for the data analysis and interpretation. The findings of the study revealed that across the supply chain, best practices were implemented to a large extent by all manufacturers. Light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa, however face supply chain challenges, which include technological, infrastructural, cost, market/service and production/skills challenges. The most important supply chain performance indicator that contributes to optimisation of performance is quality, followed by final product delivery reliability, and then cost and supplier reliability. All the manufacturers followed a lean strategy for their inbound supply chain and some had a lean supply chain strategy for their outbound supply chain. A number of them also had an agile supply chain strategy in the outbound supply chain which suggests a leagile supply chain strategy. It was also found that in some instances there was a mismatch between strategies and practices in the area of product characteristics, manufacturing characteristics and the decision drivers of supply chain. One of the conclusions of the study was that local manufacturers of light vehicles do not always make decisions and implement practices in line with their chosen supply chain strategies. The study concluded by developing a framework for determining supply chain best practices in line with a chosen strategy that could guide supply chain managers (in locally manufactured light vehicles) in the automotive in South Africa in their decision making. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are now adopting the management styles that are being practised in profit-making organisations in the private sector. The top management in HEIs embark on monitoring performance of all categories of their employees, including academic staff. This has become necessary in order to encourage and enhance quality in teaching and also to achieve increased research productivity. This means that the same principles involved in managing the private sector, such as introducing performance management systems, are now applied in the public sector. Empirical evidence from previous studies suggests that the introduction and implementation of performance management systems in academic institutions often result in tension between academic employees and management, thereby heightening the age-long debate on the necessity for academic freedom in institutions of higher learning globally. The present study evaluated the perception of academic staff members regarding the implementation of a performance management system in an open distance learning institution in South Africa. The study adopted a survey research design, using a quantitative research approach. The total sample of the study comprised of 492 academic staff members of the institution. A structured self-administered web-based questionnaire that was tested for high reliability and validity content was used to collect primary data from the respondents. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential (one-way sample t-test) statistics. The research findings indicate that academic staff members at the institution are satisfied with the performance management system implemented by management. The study further found that academics do not consider the resultant performance bonus from the implementation of the performance management system sufficiently motivating and that it should therefore be reviewed by management. Overall, the outcome of the present study was to a large extent inconsistent with the empirical evidence presented by previous studies. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

This thesis focuses on prices, quality & risks of the Facility management. In the theoretical part there are explained points referring to the Facility management, it’s contributions, ways of securing them, important fields and it’s targets. Also individual levels of cooperation and the job description of the management. There is also a mention of an important standardization, of which the Facility management couldn’t function without. Also the example of service contract and lastly, a very important chapter is dedicated to the quality of work provision and Facility management services. The practical part of this thesis is the case study based on a questionnaire of how to support services of the two different subjects, hotels and construction companies. The case study also describes the cost of these services, ways of controlling the quality provided and contracts with appointed workers. The result of this thesis is a detailed description of potential risks which can appear in the individual type of services. There is a suggested optimization for all the risks mentioned.