Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explore how forecasting techniques can be combined in linear programming (LP) as a tool to optimise the parameters of forecasting methods in order to ensure sufficient capacity of logistic infrastructure exist for future growth. This study will use greenfield and brownfield projects from Sasol, a petrochemical company from South Africa, to test the methodology on. The methodology followed in the study was to firstly look at previous literature studies on logistical infrastructure and how to create sufficient capacity. Secondly, understandings of supply chain planning principles in general as well as supply chain planning in context of Sasol were investigated. Thirdly, different forecasting methods like; qualitative include judgemental, life cycle, Delphi method, market research etc. and quantitative methods including time series and causal methodologies had been investigated. Fourthly, decision making tools to incorporate multiple forecasts were investigated to understand why Sasol decided to use i2. Fifthly, the current capital project approach in Sasol had been investigated to fully understand where room for improvements would be possible. Finally the theory from the study was applied on two different projects in Sasol, one greenfield and one brownfield project. The results found that by using sound supply chain planning methodologies, sound supply chain design principles and multiple forecasts being combined by using LP decision making tools a better decision can be made with regards to logistical infrastructure investment as well as ensuring sufficient logistical infrastructure capacity. The two case studies have shown that this approach is flexible enough, apart from a few minor changes and can be adopted for both scenarios and that great results can be achieved. Logistical infrastructure could be optimised due to collaboration and the overall costs and performance of a supply chain improved. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe lineêre programmering ( LP ), as n hulpmiddel, gebruik kan word om vooruitskattingstegnieke te kombineer om sodoende die vooruitskattingsmetodes te optimaliseer en te verseker dat voldoende kapasiteit van logistieke infrastruktuur bestaan vir toekomstige groei. Hierdie studie se metodes sal getoets word op groenveld- en bruinveldprojekte van Sasol , 'n petrochemiese maatskappy van Suid –Afrika. Die metode gevolg tydens die studie, was eerstens om te kyk na vorige literatuurstudies oor logistieke infrastruktuur en hoe om voldoende kapasiteit te skep. Tweedens, om ‘n breë oorsig van die beginsels van voorsieningsketting-beplanning te bekom sowel as voorsieningsketting-beplanning in die konteks van Sasol te ondersoek. Derdens, verskillende vootuitskattingsmetodes soos kwalitatiewe metodes (insluitend veroordelende-, lewensiklus- en Delphi-metode en marknavorsing) en kwantitatiewe metodes (insluitend die tydreeks- en oorsaaklike metodes) is geondersoek. In die vierde plek is besluitnemingshulpmiddels, wat verskeie vooruitskattings kombineer, geondersoek om te verstaan waarom Sasol besluit het om i2 aan te koop. In die vyfde plek is die metode van Sasol se kapitaalprojekte geondersoek om te verstaan of daar nie moontlik ruimte vir verbeterings sou wees nie. Laastens is die studie se metode op twee projekte van Sasol toegepas, een groenveld- en een bruinveldprojek. In die studie is gevind dat beter besluite geneem kan word aangaande beleggings in logistieke infrastruktuur en om te verskere daar is voldoende logistieke infrastruktuur kapasiteit - deur gebruik te maak van optimale metodes in voorsieningsketting-beplanning en voorsieningskettingontwerp. Die twee gevallestudies het getoon dat hierdie benadering buigsaam genoeg is, afgesien van 'n paar klein veranderinge, om vir beide moontlikhede gebruik te kan word en goeie resultate te behaal. Deur die samewerking van verskeie besigheidseenhede kon logistieke infrastruktuur geoptimaliseer word terwyl die kostes en algehele prestasie van voorsieningsketting verbeter kon word.

This thesis deals with identification and analysis of weak points of current management of National museum's collections and aimes to apply selected logistic technologies and to propose efficient logistic network operating in actual situation of Central depository Terezín II. The issue is handled in connection with moving of the museum collection, which represents not only unique project in the history of modern museum praxis but also an appropriate opportunity for reengineering and improving of existing procedures connected with legal mission of the most important and largest museum institution in the Czech Republic.

O tema desta pesquisa consiste na política externa do governo Dilma Rousseff para a América do Sul. Dessa forma, adotando-se como marco teórico-conceitual os padrões de conduta e os paradigmas da política externa de Amado Luiz Cervo (2008), o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar se há uma continuidade em relação ao governo Lula da Silva nas relações regionais. Mais especificamente, a pergunta que guia essa pesquisa é se a política externa sob o governo Rousseff mantém ou não o paradigma do Estado logístico para a integração sul-americana. Como hipótese, considera-se que a política externa do governo Rousseff para a região, em relação ao governo anterior, não representa completa continuidade e, sim, um ajuste. Esse ajuste devido à redução da intensidade da política externa seria o suficiente para descaracterizar o paradigma logístico observado ao longo do governo Lula. Para cumprir seus objetivos, esse trabalho está dividido em três partes. A Parte I aponta a intersecção entre a Análise de Política Externa e os Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais, a fim de esclarecer as bases para o trabalho que segue adiante A Parte II consiste no artigo científico sobre o tema, no qual residem os objetivos e hipóteses da pesquisa. Nessa parte, os padrões de conduta e paradigmas da Política Externa Brasileira (PEB) são analisados em uma perspectiva histórica. Além disso, são apresentados os indicadores que medem a intensidade do Estado logístico brasileiro para a América do Sul, através das viagens presidenciais e da promoção de infraestrutura regional. Por fim, são apontados os condicionantes internos, regionais e globais para o recuo do paradigma logístico no governo Dilma Rousseff. Conclui-se que o contexto adverso descaracteriza o Estado logístico brasileiro na atuação regional, o que deveria ser recuperado para os objetivos de inserção internacional autônoma e de integração sulamericana. Ao final, a Parte III sugere uma agenda para futuras pesquisas em relação ao tema abordado no trabalho. / The theme of this research is the Dilma Rousseff government's foreign policy to South America. Adopting as a theoretical and conceptual framework the standards of conduct and the paradigms of foreign policy from Amado Luiz Cervo (2008), the purpose of this study is to assess whether there is a continuity in relation to the Lula da Silva government in regional relations. More specifically, the question that guide this research is whether the foreign policy under the Rousseff government maintains, or not, the Logistical State paradigm for South American integration. As a hypothesis, it is considered that the Rousseff government foreign policy for the region, in relation to the previous government, is not a complete continuity, but rather, an adjustment. This adjustment because the reduced intensity of foreign policy would be enough to disfigure the logistical paradigm observed along Lula government. To meet its goals, this study is divided into three parts. Part I shows the intersection between the Foreign Policy Analysis and the International Strategic Studies, in order to clarify the basis for the study that goes on Part II consists of the scientific paper on the subject, in which reside the objectives and hypotheses of the research. In this part, the standards of conduct and paradigms of Brazilian foreign policy are analyzed in a historical perspective. In addition, the indicators are presented to measure the intensity of the Brazilian Logistical State to South America, through the presidential trips and the promotion of regional infrastructure. Finally, the internal, regional and global constraints for the decline of the logistics paradigm in government Dilma Rousseff are pointed. It concludes that the adverse context decharacterizes the Brazilian Logistical State in regional performance, which should be recovered for the purposes of independent international insertion and South American integration. Finally, Part III suggests an agenda for future research regarding the topic covered at the study.

Bakgrund: Sedan internet uppfanns 1990 har samhället digitaliserats. I modern tid innebär det att människor kan göra nästan allt med hjälp av en smartphone eller dator, bland annat handla konsumentprodukter via en e-handel. De senaste åren har e-handeln i Sverige ökat och allt fler företag har implementerat e-handel som komplement till sina fysiska butiker. Vid en implementering av e-handel är det många faktorer som påverkas och förändras i företag. Studien kommer därför undersöka hur företag upplever förändringarna som sker på ett marknadsmässigt, organisatoriskt och ett logistiskt plan. Syfte: Studien syftar till att undersöka och förklara vilka förändringar företag upplever vid skiftet att gå från “Bricks” till “Bricks and Clicks” på olika plan; marknadsmässigt, organisatoriskt och logistiskt. Studien syftar även till att studera vad förändringarna kan leda till i form av möjligheter och utmaningar för företag och om förändringarna är gynnsamma i förhållande till hur de upplever att framtiden för e-handeln och fysiska butiker ser ut. Genomförande: Studien är en tentativ flerfallsstudie med kvalitativ karaktär. Empiri har samlats in från sju detaljhandelsbolag som upplevt övergången från “Bricks” till “Bricks and Clicks” och som valts ut genom en målinriktad urvalsprocess. Slutsats: Studien resulterar i att företag inom detaljhandeln som går från “Bricks” till “Bricks and Clicks” upplever flertalet förändringar på ett marknadsmässigt, organisatoriskt respektive logistiskt plan. Förändringarna har i sin tur gett upphov till möjligheter och utmaningar beroende på företagets förutsättningar där faktorer som storlek och resurser har en inverkan. En majoritet av förändringarna skulle gynna företaget inför framtiden om de scenarion som presenteras i den teoretiska referensramen och empirikapitlet blir verklighet. / Background: Ever since the internet was invented in 1990, society has been digitized. In modern days, people can do almost anything using a smartphone or a computer, including shopping for consumer products via e-commerce. In recent years, e-commerce in Sweden has increased and many retail companies have implemented e-commerce as a complement to their physical stores. When implementing e-commerce, there are many factors that are affected and changed in companies. This study will therefore provide an understanding on how companies experience the changes that occur on a market, organizational and logistic basis. Purpose: The study aims to explain what changes retail companies experience when transitioning from “Bricks” to “Bricks and Clicks” within different areas; market, organization and logistics. The purpose is also to understand what opportunities and challenges these changes might result in. Further, the aim is to study if the perceived changes will benefit the companies in the future. Completion: The study is a tentative, multiple case study characterized by a qualitative approach. The empirical data has been collected from seven retail companies that have experienced the transition from “Bricks” to “Bricks and Clicks” and have been selected through a target-oriented selection process. Conclusion: The study results in several perceived changes within the areas market, organization and logistics for retail companies that transfer from “Bricks” to “Bricks and Clicks”. The changes has led to opportunities and challenges depending on the preconditions of the companies where factors such as size and resources can affect the outcome. A majority of the changes would benefit the company in the presented future scenarios.

O tema desta pesquisa consiste na política externa do governo Dilma Rousseff para a América do Sul. Dessa forma, adotando-se como marco teórico-conceitual os padrões de conduta e os paradigmas da política externa de Amado Luiz Cervo (2008), o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar se há uma continuidade em relação ao governo Lula da Silva nas relações regionais. Mais especificamente, a pergunta que guia essa pesquisa é se a política externa sob o governo Rousseff mantém ou não o paradigma do Estado logístico para a integração sul-americana. Como hipótese, considera-se que a política externa do governo Rousseff para a região, em relação ao governo anterior, não representa completa continuidade e, sim, um ajuste. Esse ajuste devido à redução da intensidade da política externa seria o suficiente para descaracterizar o paradigma logístico observado ao longo do governo Lula. Para cumprir seus objetivos, esse trabalho está dividido em três partes. A Parte I aponta a intersecção entre a Análise de Política Externa e os Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais, a fim de esclarecer as bases para o trabalho que segue adiante A Parte II consiste no artigo científico sobre o tema, no qual residem os objetivos e hipóteses da pesquisa. Nessa parte, os padrões de conduta e paradigmas da Política Externa Brasileira (PEB) são analisados em uma perspectiva histórica. Além disso, são apresentados os indicadores que medem a intensidade do Estado logístico brasileiro para a América do Sul, através das viagens presidenciais e da promoção de infraestrutura regional. Por fim, são apontados os condicionantes internos, regionais e globais para o recuo do paradigma logístico no governo Dilma Rousseff. Conclui-se que o contexto adverso descaracteriza o Estado logístico brasileiro na atuação regional, o que deveria ser recuperado para os objetivos de inserção internacional autônoma e de integração sulamericana. Ao final, a Parte III sugere uma agenda para futuras pesquisas em relação ao tema abordado no trabalho. / The theme of this research is the Dilma Rousseff government's foreign policy to South America. Adopting as a theoretical and conceptual framework the standards of conduct and the paradigms of foreign policy from Amado Luiz Cervo (2008), the purpose of this study is to assess whether there is a continuity in relation to the Lula da Silva government in regional relations. More specifically, the question that guide this research is whether the foreign policy under the Rousseff government maintains, or not, the Logistical State paradigm for South American integration. As a hypothesis, it is considered that the Rousseff government foreign policy for the region, in relation to the previous government, is not a complete continuity, but rather, an adjustment. This adjustment because the reduced intensity of foreign policy would be enough to disfigure the logistical paradigm observed along Lula government. To meet its goals, this study is divided into three parts. Part I shows the intersection between the Foreign Policy Analysis and the International Strategic Studies, in order to clarify the basis for the study that goes on Part II consists of the scientific paper on the subject, in which reside the objectives and hypotheses of the research. In this part, the standards of conduct and paradigms of Brazilian foreign policy are analyzed in a historical perspective. In addition, the indicators are presented to measure the intensity of the Brazilian Logistical State to South America, through the presidential trips and the promotion of regional infrastructure. Finally, the internal, regional and global constraints for the decline of the logistics paradigm in government Dilma Rousseff are pointed. It concludes that the adverse context decharacterizes the Brazilian Logistical State in regional performance, which should be recovered for the purposes of independent international insertion and South American integration. Finally, Part III suggests an agenda for future research regarding the topic covered at the study.

O tema desta pesquisa consiste na política externa do governo Dilma Rousseff para a América do Sul. Dessa forma, adotando-se como marco teórico-conceitual os padrões de conduta e os paradigmas da política externa de Amado Luiz Cervo (2008), o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar se há uma continuidade em relação ao governo Lula da Silva nas relações regionais. Mais especificamente, a pergunta que guia essa pesquisa é se a política externa sob o governo Rousseff mantém ou não o paradigma do Estado logístico para a integração sul-americana. Como hipótese, considera-se que a política externa do governo Rousseff para a região, em relação ao governo anterior, não representa completa continuidade e, sim, um ajuste. Esse ajuste devido à redução da intensidade da política externa seria o suficiente para descaracterizar o paradigma logístico observado ao longo do governo Lula. Para cumprir seus objetivos, esse trabalho está dividido em três partes. A Parte I aponta a intersecção entre a Análise de Política Externa e os Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais, a fim de esclarecer as bases para o trabalho que segue adiante A Parte II consiste no artigo científico sobre o tema, no qual residem os objetivos e hipóteses da pesquisa. Nessa parte, os padrões de conduta e paradigmas da Política Externa Brasileira (PEB) são analisados em uma perspectiva histórica. Além disso, são apresentados os indicadores que medem a intensidade do Estado logístico brasileiro para a América do Sul, através das viagens presidenciais e da promoção de infraestrutura regional. Por fim, são apontados os condicionantes internos, regionais e globais para o recuo do paradigma logístico no governo Dilma Rousseff. Conclui-se que o contexto adverso descaracteriza o Estado logístico brasileiro na atuação regional, o que deveria ser recuperado para os objetivos de inserção internacional autônoma e de integração sulamericana. Ao final, a Parte III sugere uma agenda para futuras pesquisas em relação ao tema abordado no trabalho. / The theme of this research is the Dilma Rousseff government's foreign policy to South America. Adopting as a theoretical and conceptual framework the standards of conduct and the paradigms of foreign policy from Amado Luiz Cervo (2008), the purpose of this study is to assess whether there is a continuity in relation to the Lula da Silva government in regional relations. More specifically, the question that guide this research is whether the foreign policy under the Rousseff government maintains, or not, the Logistical State paradigm for South American integration. As a hypothesis, it is considered that the Rousseff government foreign policy for the region, in relation to the previous government, is not a complete continuity, but rather, an adjustment. This adjustment because the reduced intensity of foreign policy would be enough to disfigure the logistical paradigm observed along Lula government. To meet its goals, this study is divided into three parts. Part I shows the intersection between the Foreign Policy Analysis and the International Strategic Studies, in order to clarify the basis for the study that goes on Part II consists of the scientific paper on the subject, in which reside the objectives and hypotheses of the research. In this part, the standards of conduct and paradigms of Brazilian foreign policy are analyzed in a historical perspective. In addition, the indicators are presented to measure the intensity of the Brazilian Logistical State to South America, through the presidential trips and the promotion of regional infrastructure. Finally, the internal, regional and global constraints for the decline of the logistics paradigm in government Dilma Rousseff are pointed. It concludes that the adverse context decharacterizes the Brazilian Logistical State in regional performance, which should be recovered for the purposes of independent international insertion and South American integration. Finally, Part III suggests an agenda for future research regarding the topic covered at the study.

This master thesis in media and communication studies explores the concept of the smart home, which by various industries within communication, information and energy business alongside property developers is expected to be the model for future living, housing and infrastructure development. Departing from a theoretical framework highlighting media and infrastructure as temporal and spatial phenomena, the analysis shows how the smart home arranges and manages both means of time and space due to its saturation of information technologies in the form of sensors, applications and data visualizations. The result of the study suggests that the smart home could be understood as a logistical medium, although the temporal bias present in the expectations on future living suggests that the purpose of the smart home is to sustain a flow of logistics and capital both over space and over time; the latter in terms of sustainability.

Exploateringsområdet Barkarbystaden är Nordens nuvarande största pågående exploateringsprojekt. Här väntas 14 000 nya bostäder vara klara till 2032. En beräknad mängd på ca 488 000 leveranser förväntas under byggtiden. Under denna byggtid verkar flera kvarter och olika byggherrar samtidigt. För att lyckas hantera allt detta ställs ett stort fokus på en fungerande logistiklösning med bra planering och framförhållning.Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur logistiklösningar påverkar produktionens effektivitet genom att undersöka och studera hur leveransplaneringen i Barkarbystaden fungerar. Målsättningen med arbetet är att komma fram till data och studier som bidrar till en effektivare och mer lönsam produktion i Barkarbystaden och för byggbranschen i helhet.Frågeställningarna examensarbetet utgår ifrån är följande: Hur skiljer sig leveransplaneringen gentemot det verkliga utfallet, hur har entreprenören anpassat leveransplaneringen och hur kan logistikplaneringen förbättras?För att uppnå ett resultat som besvarar examensarbetets frågeställningar har det genomförts intervjuer, en litteraturstudie samt en fallstudie. Examensarbetet är genomfört i samarbete med företaget Prolog som är involverade i logistiklösningen på projektet Barkarbystaden. Prolog har givit arbetet möjligheten att komma i kontakt med relevanta nyckelpersoner för intervjuer samt delat med sig av kunskap om projektet Barkarbystaden som varit till nytta för att genomföra fallstudien.Fallstudien resulterade i att planerad ledtid är nästan fyra gånger längre än den faktiska ledtiden. Vid mätningarna noterades klockslaget när transporterna anlände och när de lämnade. 39% av leveranserna lämnar efter planerad avfärdstid.Logistiklösningen i Barkarbystaden är endast dryga ett år gammal och är inte för alla entreprenörer ett tidigare känt arbetssätt. Entreprenörerna har haft olika stora utmaningar när det gäller att anpassa sig till logistiklösningen. Vissa entreprenörer ser utmaningar med ett annat arbetssätt men det blir med tiden. Entreprenörer som jobbat med liknande logistiklösningar på andra projekt har en fördel när de ska anpassa sig till Barkarbystadens logistiklösning.Logistikansvariga bör bli mer noggranna när dom bokar in respektive leverans med avseende på vad det är för transport och lossningsmetod som ska användas. Samt att korta ned den planerade ledtiden i bokingssystemet. Då skillnaden var markant mellan planerad respektive faktisk ledtid.Vid kontraktsskrivning mellan entreprenör och leverantör bör entreprenören kravställa att de ankommer inom angivet lossningsfönster och reglera konsekvenserna av för sen ankomst parterna sinsemellan. / The Barkarbystaden development area is the Nordic countries currently largest ongoing development project. Here, 14,000 new homes are expected to be ready by 2032. An estimated amount of approximately 488,000 deliveries is expected during the construction period. During this construction period, several blocks and different contractors operate simultaneously. In order to succeed in handling all this, great focus is placed on a working logistics solution with good planning and foresight.The purpose of the work is to investigate how logistics solutions affect production efficiency by examining and studying how delivery planning in Barkarbystaden works. The aim of the bachelor’s thesis is to obtain data and studies that contribute to a more efficient and profitable production in Barkarbystaden and for the construction industry as a whole.The questions the degree project is based on are the following: How does the delivery planning differ from the actual outcome; how has the contractor adapted the delivery planning and how can the logistics planning be improved?In order to achieve a result that answers the bachelor’s thesis questions; interviews, a literature study and a case study were conducted. The bachelor’s thesis has been carried out in collaboration with the company Prolog, which is involved in the logistics solution for the Barkarbystaden project. Prologue has given the work the opportunity to get in touch with relevant key people for interviews and shared knowledge about the Barkarbystaden project that has been useful for conducting the case study.The case study resulted in the planned lead time being almost four times longer than the actual lead time. During the measurements, the time was noted when the transports arrived and when they left. 39% of deliveries leave after the planned departure time.The logistics solution in Barkarbystaden is only just over a year old and is not a previously known way of working for all contractors. This means that the contractors have had various challenges when it comes to adapting to the logistics solution. Where some have said that from the beginning it was difficult with a different way of working but that it got better and better with time. While some of the respondents said that they had worked with a similar logistics solution on previous projects, which obviously means an advantage when they have to adapt to Barkarbystaden's logistics solution.Logistics managers should be more careful when booking lead times for each delivery. By careful it is meant that logistics managers should take more account of what kind of transport and unloading method is to be used and to generally shorten the planned lead time in the booking system. This is because the difference was significant between the planned and actual lead time. When writing a contract between contractor and supplier, the contractor should require them to arrive within the specified unloading window and regulate the consequences of late arrival between the parties.

This study utilized hedonic pricing models and regression analysis to evaluate if, and to whatextent distance to certain logistics nodes impact the transactional value of warehouses andlogistics properties. The study is conducted in Sweden, using data collected from transactionsthat have been conducted in the three largest cities in Sweden between the years 2016 - 2022.The logistical nodes that are tested within the study are the biggest seaports, airports andhighways in the big city regions. Furthermore, the distances to the central business districts ineach respective city are included in the analysis as well. The distances are collected bymeasuring the shortest road travel routes using Google Maps. Aside from the aforementionedlocational attributes that were tested, physical variables and dummy variables were includedin the model to investigate their effect on the transaction value of the logistics properties.Furthermore, these were included to prove the robustness of the proposed models. The results from the study indicate that all the logistical nodes tested are significant for thevalue of the industrial properties. Proximity to seaport, central business district and highwayshave a negative gradient, indicating a higher value of the logistics properties if in proximityto these nodes. While the distance to the airport is significant for the value of the logisticsproperties, the proximity to the airport does not induce a higher transaction value. The studyconcluded that the distance to seaport had an effect of -0,50%, CBD -0,83%, Highway-0,62% and Airport 0,47% per kilometer of change. This study aims to contribute to theexpanding literature on the topic of optimal warehouse location and to inform propertyowners of what attributes to consider when constructing logistic properties. / Denna studie använder hedoniska prismodeller och regressionsanalys för att utvärdera om,och i vilken utsträckning avstånd till logistiknoderna hamn, flygplats och motorväg påverkartransaktionsvärdet för lager och logistikfastigheter. Studien genomfördes i Sverige med hjälpav data insamlad från transaktioner som har genomförts i de tre största städerna i Sverigemellan åren 2016 - 2022. Transaktionsdatan samlades in genom Datscha. Vidare utreds ävenhuruvida avstånd till central business districts har en inverkan på transaktionspriset.Avstånden mäts genom att mäta de kortaste transportsträckorna mellan fastighet och nod.Avstånden i fråga har samlats in med hjälp av Google Maps. Resultaten från studien tyder påatt alla logistiknoder som testats har betydelse för fastighetens värde. Närhet till hamn, CBDoch motorvägar har en negativ koefficient, vilket indikerar ett högre transaktionsvärde påfastigheten i de fall de är belägna i närheten dessa noder. Avståndet till flygplatsen har ocksåbetydelse för värdet på fastigheterna. Denna variabel har dock en positiv koefficient, vilketindikerar att närhet till denna logistiknod har en negativ inverkan på transaktionspriset.Slutsatsen från analysen indikerar att avståndet till hamn hade en effekt på -0,50%, CBD-0,83%, motorväg -0,62% och flygplats 0,47% per kilometer av förändring. Denna studiesyftar till att bidra till den växande litteraturen om ämnet optimal lagerlokalisering och attinformera fastighetsägare om vilka attribut som ska beaktas när de bygger logistikfastigheter.

This thesis explores the cultural history of microfilm and microphotography during the period 1900–1970, thus contributing to the broader field of research on the history of 20th century information management in the era before digital technology. The aim is to study how microfilm repeatedly, in various contexts and over time, was described and perceived as a new medium. To this end the book examines and analyses the plans, dreams and visionary prognostics put forth by various historical actors with an interest in microfilm – using case studies situated at different junctures and periods (1904–1910, 1937, 1940–1952, 1950–1970), while also ranging geographically from the United States to Europe and Sweden. From a theoretical and methodological point of view the thesis seeks to understand the historical formation of microfilm by developing the notions of configuration and reconfiguration, employing a perspective which emphasizes the continuous ontological interplay and interdependence of materiality and discourse in the formation of media. Thus, at the empirical level, the analysis takes into account realized technological materialities as well as unrealized imaginary articulations, dreams and expectations integral to the configuration of microfilm within a broader culture of paperwork. As a result of this approach the study draws on scientific texts and articles in journals, as well as newspaper reports, commercial messages, ads, handbooks and various archival documents. The analysis reveals a close relationship between microfilm and experiences of entropy connected to information systems based on paper and paperwork. It is argued that, within the dreams and plans that are studied, the most important function of microfilm was to regulate noise, decay and disorder associated with the materiality of paper – through ordering, operating on and modifying the capacities of paper media. It is also noted that microfilm was perceived and articulated as a new medium over a long period of time, even though very little changed at the technological level. From a historiographical point of view, it is thus argued, microfilm can be characterized as a simultaneously continuous and discontinuous phenomenon, taking part in a history that unfolded through repetitions, returns and non-linear steps rather than along an uninterrupted, linear path.