In the recent decades, individual industries and whole sectors have been transformed due to the digital revolution. A combination of disruptive technologies and innovative business models, leading to new market opportunities and bringing unique values to customers. Companies that are primarily focused on the digitalization are able to scale their businesses faster and gain leading market positions. This thesis explored the impact of digitalization on the rail industry based on a business case by Bombardier Transportation (BT). Deregulation of the rail market and a focus on passengers’ experience was identified by BT as a business opportunity. Bombardier’s strategy was to extend products and services beyond those of a train operator, toward passengers. Bombardier initiated a project with code name “ON: BOARD” that was aimed at increasing journey experience by providing digital entertainment. However, the problem was the lack of knowledge regarding the passengers’ interest towards services provided under the scope of the project ON: BOARD, in particular in the Urban Area. The goal of this thesis was to observe passengers’ interest towards services of the project ON: BOARD traveling with Commuter trains in the area of Stockholm city. In order to meet the research goal and answer research questions, a qualitative method was selected. To be more precise, a survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted within a heterogeneous population. Non-probability quota-based sampling technique was selected. The collected data was analyzed based on descriptive statistical method, in particular, using one-way and cross-tabulation methods. Based on the research result the conclusion was following: passengers in the Urban area, in particular, commuter trains, were highly interested in the connectivity functionalities provided under the scope of project ON: BOARD. Thus, Bombardier was recommended to enter Urban Transport as the part of the market expansion strategy. / Under de senaste decennierna har individuella industrier och hela sektorer transformerats på grund utav den digitala revolutionen. En kombination av omvälvande teknologier och innovativa affärsmodeller har lett till nya marknadsmöjligheter och unika värden för kunder. Företag som är primärt fokuserade på digitalisering har möjligheten att snabbt skala deras affärsverksamhet och erhålla ledande marknadspositioner. Detta examensarbete har undersökt digitaliseringens effekt på järnvägsindustrin baserat på ett affärsfall av företaget Bombardier Transportation (BT). Avreglering av järnvägsmarknaden och fokus på passagerarupplevelse identifierades av BT som affärsmöjligheter. Bombardiers strategi var att utöka sina produkter och tjänster utöver det vanliga utbudet hos en tågoperatör, mot passagerare. Bombardier initierade ett projekt med kodnamn ”ON: BOARD” som syftade till att förbättra passagerarupplevelsen med hjälp av digital underhållning. En problematik uppstod dock på grund utav en bristande vetskap angående passagerarnas intresse om de tillhandahållna ON: BOARD-tjänsterna, speciellt i stadsområden. Målet med detta examensarbetet var att observera passagerarnas intresse av tjänster tillhandahållna via ON: BOARD, begränsat till pendeltåg runtom Stockholmsområdet. För att uppnå detta och att besvara de upprättade forskningsfrågorna valdes ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Det vill säga, en strukturerad enkätundersökning genomfördes inom en heterogen population. En icke-sannolikhetsbaserad och andelsbaserad samplingsteknik valdes som metod. Den insamlade datan analyserades med hjälp av statistiska metoder, framför allt användes ”one-way” och korstabulerings metoder. Baserat på resultaten och den efterföljande analysen tillhandahölls ledningen av BT rekommendationer. Utöver detta kartlades användarnas onlinebeteende med hjälp av resultaten och förslag till framtida forskning presenterades.

Studien grundar sig i ett uppdrag från Trafikverket där syftet var att undersöka hur en bransch kan arbeta strategiskt med att skapa attraktivitet och hur employer brand-arbete kan bedrivas. Fokus låg på järnvägsbranschen med anledning av att det är en bransch som upplever kompetensförsörjningssvårigheter och kan därför anses ha tappat i attraktivitet. Resultatet visar att det finns svårigheter avseende attraktivitetsarbete därför att en generell definition är komplex till följd av att individer efterfrågar olika saker. Det som är viktigt är dock att ett employee value proposition upprättas och att det som förmedlas även är det som levereras till medarbetarna. Attraktivitetsarbetet är därför kopplat till employer branding. Vid employer brand-arbete är det även viktigt att definiera målgrupp och att använda sig av kreativ marknadsföring där sociala medier med fördel kan användas. Resultatet visar även att järnvägsbranschen upplevs som en anonym bransch som inte når ut med tillräckligt mycket information om vad de kan erbjuda. Medverkande intervjupersoner menar att järnvägsbranschen behöver bli bättre på att synliggöra sig bland annat genom att visa upp sig på skolor och sända material till studie- och yrkesvägledarna med information om vilka utbildningar som finns. Employer brand-specialister från fyra olika företag samt fem studie- och yrkesvägledare har deltagit i studien via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den kvalitativa metoden har bidragit till att ge ett djup och förståelse för studiens frågeställningar. En analys gjordes utifrån teorier kring "det förändrade arbetslivet", employer branding, attraktivt arbete och marknadsföringsstrategier. Analysen visar att det föränderliga samhället ställer andra krav på arbete, men samtidigt belyses att kraven skiljer sig åt beroende på vem som tillfrågas. Att använda sig av väl uttänkta marknadsföringsstrategier kopplat till vad det är en organisation vill nå ut med är därför en viktig del i bedrivandet av ett employer brand-arbete, och särskilt viktigt för järnvägsbranschen. / The study is based on an assignment from Trafikverket, where the purpose was to investigate how an industry can work strategically to create attractiveness and how employer brand work can be done. The focus was on the rail industry due to the fact that it is an industry experiencing skills supply difficulties and can therefore be regarded as having lost in attractiveness. The result shows that there is difficulty in attractiveness work because a general definition is complex due to individuals asking for different things. What is important, however, is that a employee value proposition is established and that what is conveyed is also what is delivered to the employees. Work attractiveness is therefore linked to employer branding. In the case of employer branding, it is also important to define target groups and to use creative marketing where social media can be used to advantage. The result also shows that the rail industry is perceived as an anonymous industry that does not reach out with enough information about what they can offer. Contributing interviewees mean that the rail industry needs to be better at visibility, for example by showing up at schools and sending materials to the study and career counsellors with information about which courses are available. Employer brand specialists from four different companies and five study and career counsellors have participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative method has contributed to deepening and understanding the study's questions. An analysis was made based on theories about "the changed work life", employer branding, attractive work and marketing strategies. The analysis shows that changing society places other demands on work, but at the same time it is emphasized that the requirements differ depending on who is asked. Using well-thought-out marketing strategies linked to what an organization wants to accomplish is therefore an important part of the pursuit of an employer's brand work, and especially important for the rail industry.

M. Tech. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The rail industry in South Africa performs an important role in the transportation of goods and people. It also contributes in various ways to the socio-economic success of the country’s economy. However, the industry faces various performance-related challenges in areas such as maintenance of rail lines, poor train availability and non-operation of long-distance rail service, decline in fleet availability and accidents, most of which are linked to ineffective supply chain management. To resolve these challenges, this study proposes the implementation of supply chain integration as a method to improve the resilience and performance of the rail supply chain in South Africa. Hence, the aim of the study was to investigate the connection between supply chain integration, resilience, and performance in the rail industry. To achieve the objectives of the study, a quantitative approach based on the positivist paradigm and deductive reasoning was followed. The sample consisted of 300 purposively selected supply chain management professionals including other departments working with supply chain, for example the industrial department and engineering department drawn from the rail industry in Gauteng Province. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The results of the study indicated significant positive relationships for the three components of supply chain integration, namely internal integration (β=0.132), supplier integration (β=0.369), customer integration (β=0.596) and supply chain resilience. Among these three independent constructs, customer integration emerged as the most significant predictor of supply chain resilience. Significant and strong positive relationships were also observed between supply chain resilience and the tangible (β=0.781) and intangible (β=0.673) dimensions of supply chain performance. Among other things, the study recommends the training of professionals on the importance of supply chain integration, improvement of communications within the rail industry, adoption of relevant technologies and the nurturing of organisational cultures that promote both intra and inter-organisational collaboration. The study is significant in that it contributes new knowledge to the exiting literature in the South African rail industry. It also directs supply chain management research to the rail industry, which is an important economic sector and where there are many emerging issues that require empirical attention. Practically, the study shows that if rail industries improve supply chain integration there will be benefits to the firm in the form of enhanced resilience and performance of the supply chain.