The clothing retail industry has developed globally and is today one of the world’s largest industries. In recent years, Sweden has developed a competitive fashion industry, where the new trend in e-commerce is clear. Since e-commerce is a suitable strategy for rapid growth, it is especially important for managers to understand the impact e-commerce has on their businesses. To be able to have the ability to survive in the long-term industrial competitiveness, firms have to continuously improve their knowledge base about the factors that must be considered when choosing sales channels in the clothing retail industry. In this master thesis we have studied and analysed factors that must be considered when choosing sales channels. A literature review was done, where eleven initial factors that affect the choice of sales channels were identified. Thereafter, to conduct a comprehensive empirical study, we conducted eight case studies with semi-structured interviews with companies in the Swedish clothing retail industry, founded no longer than approximately a decade ago to cover the recent developments in the industry. The empirical study resulted in that six factors from the literature were reinforced and that four new factors were identified. These ten final factors were thereafter analysed from two main perspectives: company focus and consumer focus. Finally, the impact of the final factors on the three different sales channels; online, brick-and-mortar and retailing, was discussed. The ten final factors are: Marketing and Customer Loyalty, High Costs, Customer Behaviour, Outsourcing or Insourcing, Managerial Productivity, Intangibility and Tangibility, Fill a Gap, Customer Experience Control, Spread of Distribution and Type of Assortment. Our contribution to previous research is that this study has a more distinct company focus, and due to the development of e-commerce this study has captured the new characteristics of the industry.

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Efter att e-handelsandelen av detaljhandeln har ökat har en förväntad och grundläggande förändring inom detaljhandeln ägt rum. Den framtida rollen för traditionell butikshandel i den byggda miljön är oklar. Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur och i vilken utsträckning detaljhandelssektorn har och kommer att förändras när förutsättningar och strategier för detaljhandeln ändras. I uppsatsen undersöks också på vilket sätt stadsplanering kan användas i syfte att möta utvecklingstrender och säkra butikshandelns fortsatta verksamhet. Efter genomförandet av en teoretisk studie, granskning av två detaljhandelskärnar i Reykjavík och genomförande och analys av semistrukturerade intervjuer presenteras tio planeringsåtgärder i ett strategiskt förslag. De viktigaste resultaten visar på att butikshandeln och e-handeln har börjat knytas samman på flera sätt. I stället för att se på e-handeln som ett problem som stör status quo, bör den betraktas som en utmaning som, om korrekt hanterad, kan förvandlas till en möjlighet. Att säkerställa fortsatt stadsförnyelse, reglera balansen mellan olika typer av verksamheter samt att uppmuntra till kreativ användning av stadens lokaler och platser är bland resultaten i det strategiska förslaget. Även i en tid av sociala medier, artificiell intelligens och det till synes oändliga flödet av information, kvarstår behovet av social kontakt – kanske viktigare nu än någonsin. / A foreseen fundamental change in retail following increased e-commerce share of retail sales has begun. The future role of traditional brick-and-mortar retail in the built environment is unclear. The aim of this thesis is to study how and to what extent the retail sector has and will change, in times of transforming retail practices, and by which means urban planning can be used for responding to the trend in order to ensure and sustain continued operations of brick-and-mortar retail. After carrying out a theoretical study, examining two retail cores in Reykjavík and conducting and analysing semi-structured interviews, ten planning actions are presented in a strategic proposal. The main findings suggest that brick-and-mortar retail and e-commerce have begun to merge in several ways. Rather than looking at e-commerce as a problem disturbing the status quo, it should be seen as a challenge that can be turned into an opportunity if handled appropriately. Ensuring ongoing urban regeneration, regulating moderate balance between operations and encouraging creative placemaking are among results listed in the strategic proposal. Even in the age of social media, artificial intelligence and the seemingly endless flow of information, the need of social contact remains – perhaps more important now than ever.

Betong är ett material som används dagligen och finns i allt från skyskrapor och tunnlar till skulpturer och möbler. Tryckhållfastheten är en av betongens viktigaste egenskaper och med en konstant utvecklande bransch där det byggs mer och mer är det avgörande att betongen som används håller. Normhållfastheten hos cement kontrolleras regelbundet och visar i vissa fall variationer utanför cementens normala spann. Cementillverkare upptäcker dessa avsteg genom att granska varje leverans som produceras samt genom egna produktkontroller på fabriken. Vid upptäckta felmarginaler finns krav på att berörda kunder i branschen måste informeras för att exempelvis få en möjlighet till att kunna korrigera recept inför betongblandningen. Vid en lägre normhållfasthet i cement skapas generellt en lägre hållfasthet i betong och för att justera avvikelsen ökar betongtillverkare mängden cement i recepten för att kunna leverera en produkt med utlovad hållfasthet till kund. Slutresultatet kommer att hjälpa betongtillverkare att förutse hur betongen kan påverkas av en variation i cementens hållfasthet och vara ett hjälpmedel för hur receptet ska hanteras för att täcka upp eventuella variationer så att kunderna inte påverkas i lika stor grad. Arbetet innefattar tre betongrecept med separata vct som testas med cementen Anläggningscement Slite i en grov-, mellan- och finmald version. Gjutningen sker i Cementa Research laboratorium i Liljeholmen och sammanlagt utförs 18 gjutningar med 22 liter betong per gjutning. Totalt gjuts 216 kuber som sedan trycktestas vid 7 respektive 28 dygn i samma lokal. Data har sedan sammanställts för att kunna jämföras mot cementens normhållfasthet som har testats i Cementas lab i Slite. Arbetet har utförts åt Cementa AB och Thomas Concrete Group AB för att kontrollera sambandet mellan normhållfastheten i cement och den färdiga betongens hållfasthet. Sambandet är av stor vikt i den dagliga produktionen och är något som efterfrågats under lång tid. Resultatet från gjutningarna visar att det finns ett samband till en viss grad men på grund av komplikationer under gjutningarna har vissa värden inte blivit som förväntat. / Concrete is one of the world's most important building materials and is used in everything from skyscrapers, tunnels to sculptures and furniture. The strength of concrete is important and with a constantly developing industry where more and more is being built, it is vital that the concrete that is used holds. The work is performed on behalf of Cementa AB and Thomas Concrete Group AB to investigate the relation between the strength of cement and the strength of the concrete. The relation is of great importance in daily production and is something that has been requested for a long time. The standard strength of cement is checked regularly and shows in some cases deviations outside the normal range of the cement. Cementa detects these deviations by controlling shipped cement and by the product controls at the factory. If margins of error are discovered, there are requirements for those involved in the industry that they must inform the customers in order for them to correct their concrete mixes accordingly. At a lower standard strength in cement, a lower strength in concrete is generally created and to correct the deviation, the affected amount of cement in the recipe increases in order to be able to deliver a promised product to the customer. The end result will help concrete manufacturers predict how the concrete can be affected by a deviation of the strength of the cement and be a tool for how the recipe should be handled to cover any deviations so that customers are not affected to the same extent. The work includes three concrete recipes with separate w/c-ratios that were tested with the cement CEM I 42,5 N SR3 MH/LA in a coarse, medium and finely milled version. The casting took place in Cementa Research's laboratory in Liljeholmen and in summary, 18 castings were performed with 22 liters of concrete per casting. A total of 216 cubes were cast and then pressure tested at 7 and 28 days. The data has then been compiled to be able to be compared with the cement's standard strength that has been tested in Cementa's lab in Slite.

No / The setting of Roman cement is so rapid as to make the use of retardation essential in most practical mortars. This work reports an approach to retardation of Roman cement mortars by means of a pre-hydration process in which pre-determined amounts of water (de-activation water) are added to the cement prior to subsequent mortar formation. It is shown that this process yields both monocarboaluminate and a carbonated AF(m) phase, the balance of which is modified by storage time; the belite phases are not affected. Increases in both de-activation water and pre-hydrated mix storage time yield a longer workable life and slightly lower strength of the mortar. An increase in de-activation water also yields an increase in shrinkage whilst an increase in storage time results in a reduction in shrinkage. Other parameters such as mixing protocol and re-mixing affect workable life without compromising the strength. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

For decades, cement mortar relining has been used successfully to extend the life of drinking water pipelines, although, few quantitative data exist on the short-term water quality impacts of this process. This study investigated mortar lining impacts on disinfectant by-product formation, alkalinity, metal leaching, pH and disinfectant consumption, and odor generation shortly after in-situ installation. The experimental design used a 30-day, coupon immersion procedure that simulated a relined 4-inch diameter pipe located in a low-flow system. Four water regimes were utilized; no disinfectant, chlorine (2 mg/L at pH 6 .5 and 8), and chloramines. Flavor Profile Analysis panels evaluated odors of samples and controls. Additionally, the affects of three different phosphate-based corrosion prevention additive regimes were evaluated. Cement mortar leachates impacted water quality significantly during the first week of exposure. Alkalinity, hardness and pH increased dramatically after initial exposure, rising to approximately 600 mg/L as CaCO3 alkalinity, 770 mg/L as CaCO3 hardness, and pH 12 in the first two days. Sharp declines in alkalinity and hardness did not occur until after day 9 when the cement mortar was substantially cured and release of calcium hydroxide lessened. Chlorinated water residual disinfectant decay rate was increased substantially during the initial 24 hours and remained elevated until day 9. After day 1, there was not a significant increase in the formation of regulated haloacetic acids or trihalomethanes. Significant levels of aluminum (< 700 ug/L) and chromium (< 75 ug/L) were released at various times during the test period but their concentrations did not exceed USEPA water quality standards. Cement odor intensity levels were significantly higher than controls, persisted for 14 days, and were of an intensity that would be readily noticeable to consumers. The polyphosphate-based corrosion preventative resulted in less severe water quality effects than other phosphate additives or water without added phosphate. / Master of Science

Yes / Abstract Purpose: The best possible way for brick-and-mortar retailers to maximise engagement with personalised shoppers is capitalising on intelligent insights. The retailer operates differently with diversified items and services, but influencing retail atmospheric on personalised shoppers, the perception remains the same across industries. Retail atmospherics stimuli such as design, smell and others create behavioural modifications. The purpose of this study is to explore the atmospheric effects on brick-and- mortar store performance and personalised shopper’s behaviour using cognitive computing based in-store analytics in the context of emerging market. Design/methodology/approach: The data are collected from 35 shoppers of a brick-and-mortar retailer through questionnaire survey and analysed using quantitative method. Findings: The result of the analysis reveals month-on-month growth in footfall count (46%), conversation rate (21%), units per transaction (27%), average order value (23%), dwell time (11%), purchase intention (29%), emotional experience (40%) and a month-on-month decline in remorse (20%). The retailers need to focus on three control gates of shopper behaviour: entry, browsing and exit. Attention should be paid to the cognitive computing solution to judge the influence of retail atmospherics on store performance and behaviour of personalised shoppers. Retail atmospherics create the right experience for individual shoppers and forceful use of it has an adverse impact. Originality/value: The paper focuses on strategic decisions of retailers, the tactical value of personalised shoppers and empirically identifies the retail atmospherics effect on brick-and-mortar store performance and personalised shopper behaviour.

No / Produttion control methods allow factory produced mortars to be supplied to a more consistent formulation than site produced mortars. However, there is scope to enhance their "sustainability" credentials by addressing the methods of drying the wet sand and the use of lower energy hydraulic components. This paper describes the development of a technique in which quicklime is added in controlled quantities to remove free water by both chemical combination and evaporation. The slaked lime so generated is porous and a third mechanism of absorption is suggested which, however, might have adverse effects during storage of the pre-blended mortar. The principal process-control factors are lime addition based upon a ratio of the stoichiometric requirements for complete slaking of the quicklime, free moisture content of the sand, mixing time of the combined sand and quicklime, and storage of the mixed material. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

No / The presence of free water in mortars destined for silo or bagged storage can lead to the degradation of the binder phase. Such water may be present as a result of using wet, as-delivered sand or as a consequence of prior processes such as de-activation of Roman cement. Thus, water must be removed from the system prior to storage. Part 1 of this paper describes the control of a technique by which quicklime is added to the wet system which principally dries it by both slaking the quicklime and evaporation as a consequence of the exothermic slaking reaction. Two examples of mortars are presented in which excess water is removed from the system by the inclusion of quicklime. In the first, the water is present in the as-delivered sand and the binder is a combination of the slaked lime and ggbs. In the second, the water remains after pre-hydration of a Roman cement which is a process to retard its rapid setting characteristics. It is shown that optimally dried mortars are not subject to degradation following storage of both mortar types. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yes / The principal aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of sand grading, surface morphology, and content on the rheological properties—that is, yield stress and plastic viscosity—of fresh mortar. Mortars were produced from four different types of sand at two volumetric cement-sand ratios of 1/0.9 and 1/0.6. Each blend was prepared with five water-cement ratios of 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, and 0.40. The rheometer was used to determine yield stress and plastic viscosity parameters of each cement paste and mortar. Test results show that the relative yield stress and plastic viscosity of mortar to cement paste is inversely proportional to the excess paste thickness up to low values, below which the surface texture of sand particles becomes significant.