The purpose of the study is to examine if the gender composition of a board has an effect on a company’s financial performance by analyzing their operating margin and return on capital employed (ROCE). The study is based on a quantitative method, studying companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Previous research has not been studying the gender composition of boards of Swedish companies and its effect on the company's financial performance in regard to their operating margin and return on capital employed. Therefore, this study has examined that in order to draw a conclusion regarding its possible effects. The data that is collected will be used as support in the analysis in order to understand how the current composition and effects are connected. This study will contribute with knowledge for companies in Sweden regarding gender composition of boards and the possible effects on their financial performance. But also, as support for the ongoing discussion regarding board composition and the current inequality in gender representation. In conclusion the study shows that return on capital employed and the proportion of women in the board has a positive relationship. Meaning that the bigger proportion of women in a board, the better return on capital employed the company has. However, for operating margin there was not a significant relationship and therefore a conclusion regarding that cannot be made.

The purpose of this study is to in depth examine how two companies in retail business work with investments in AI and similar technology and to investigate what role these investments had for the two companies. Retail plays an important role in the Swedish economy and accounts for one tenth of Sweden's GDP. The industry has undergone extensive digital development in recent years, which has led to companies being forced to make large investments in new technology such as AI in order to maintain their competitiveness. Through a qualitative interview study, two case companies in the retail business that target clothing are studied. The results show that both companies at different levels work with investments in AI technology. They both find great benefits with these investments mainly in the form of increased value for their customers. They also see that these investments are necessary to maintain their competitiveness in the market. The risks that emerge through the survey are mainly based on an integrity perspective when collecting data and the employees' barriers to change. / Syftet med denna undersökning är att på djupet studera hur två företag inom detaljhandeln arbetar med investeringar i AI och liknande teknik samt undersöka vilken roll dessa investeringar haft för de två företagen. Detaljhandeln fyller en viktig funktion inom den svenska ekonomin och står för en tiondel av Sveriges BNP. Branschen har de senaste åren genomgått en omfattande digital utveckling vilket lett till att företag tvingats genomföra stora investeringar i ny teknik som AI för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft. Genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie studeras två fallföretag inom detaljhandeln som riktar sig mot konfektion. Resultatet visar på att båda fallföretagen på olika nivåer arbetar med investeringar i AI-teknik. De finner båda stora fördelar med dessa investeringar främst i form av ökat värde för sina kunder. De ser även att dessa investeringar är nödvändiga för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft på marknaden. De risker som framkommer genom undersökningen grundar sig främst i integritetsperspektiv vid insamling av data samt de anställdas förändringsbarriärer.

No description available.

Cette recherche porte sur le financement public de l’enseignement supérieur au Pérou et ses impacts dans une perspective longitudinale couvant la période 1993-2003. Cette période est importante parce qu’elle a été témoin, dans ce pays, de changements majeurs aux plans du financement public et de la configuration du système d’enseignement supérieur. La recherche consiste principalement dans des analyses secondaires de données pertinentes publiées par des organismes nationaux et internationaux. Les analyses sont structurées à partir d’un schéma d’inputs et outputs. On considère comme inputs les ressources financières et les ressources humaines, lesquelles comprennent les professeurs et les étudiants, et comme outputs les taux de diplomation (efficacité interne) et la demande de diplômés par le marché du travail (efficacité externe). La théorie de la dépendance de ressources sert de cadre pour interpréter les rapports entre le financement public et ses incidences sur les réponses institutionnels et ses conséquences. Dans la période retenue, le financement du secteur public a décru de 32% en raison d’un désengagement progressif de l’État. Une conséquence majeure de la diminution du financement public a été la croissance rapide du secteur privé de l’enseignement supérieur. En effet, alors qu’en 1993 il y avait 24 institutions privées d’enseignement supérieur, il y en avait, en 2003, 46 institutions. La baisse du financement public et la croissance du secteur privé d’enseignement supérieur ont eu des incidences sur la sélectivité des étudiants, sur le statut des professeurs, sur l’implication des universités en recherche et sur les taux de diplomation. Le taux de sélectivité dans le secteur public a augmenté entre 1993 et 2003, alors que ce taux a diminué, dans la même période, dans le secteur privé. Ainsi, le secteur public répond à la diminution du financement en restreignant l’accès à l’enseignement supérieur. Le secteur privé, par contre, diminue sa sélectivité compensant ainsi l’augmentation de la sélectivité dans le secteur public et, par le fait même, augmente sa part de marché. Également, tant dans le secteur public que dans le secteur privé, les professeurs sont engagés principalement sur une base temporaire, ce qui se traduit, particulièrement dans le secteur privé, dans un moindre engagement institutionnel. Enfin, les universités publiques et privées du Pérou font peu de recherche, car elles favorisent, pour balancer leurs budgets, la consultation et les contrats au détriment de la recherche fondamentale. Paradoxalement, alors que, dans le secteur privé, les taux de sélectivité des étudiants diminuent, leurs taux de diplomation augmentent plus que dans le secteur public. Enfin, les formations avec plus d’étudiants inscrits, tant dans le secteur public que privé, sont les moins coûteuses en infrastructure et équipements. Dès lors, la pertinence de la production universitaire devient problématique. Cette recherche révèle que les organisations universitaires, face à un environnement où les ressources financières deviennent de plus en plus rares, développent des stratégies de survie qui peuvent avoir des incidences sur la qualité et la pertinence de l’enseignement supérieur. / This research deals with public financing of higher education in Peru and its impacts in a longitudinal perspective. It covers a ten-year period from 1993 to 2003. This period is important since this country witnessed major changes in public financing of higher education and in the configuration of its higher education system. The research is based mainly in secondary analyses of relevant data published by national as well as international agencies. Analyses are conducted within an input-output scheme. Financial and human resources (professors and students) are considered inputs, and graduation rates (internal effectiveness) and market labour demands as outputs (external effectiveness). Dependency theory is used as framework for the interpretation of the relationships between public financing and institutional responses and its consequences. In the period considered, public financing diminished by 32% resulting from a progressive disengagement of the State. A major consequence of this disengagement was the rapid growth of the private sector of higher education. While in 1993 there were 24 private institutions of higher education, ten years later there were 46 institutions. The decline in public financing and the growth of the private sector of higher education had measurable consequences on selectivity rates, professorial status, research involvement, and graduation rates. Selectivity rates in the period considered increased in public institutions but decreased in the private ones. Thus the public sector reacted to the decline in financing by becoming more selective; the private sector responded to the increase in selectivity in the public sector by decreasing its rates which translates into a higher student market share. Also, in both sectors, professors are hired on a part-time basis which impacts on participation to academic life and on research production. Moreover, universities, both public and private, favoured applied contractual research as a means of gaining alternative funding to compensate for scarce financial resources. Paradoxically, whereas in the private sector selectivity rates diminished in the decade considered, graduation rates increased and so more than in the public sector. Finally, training programs with higher enrolments in both public and private sectors are those which require less investment in infrastructure and equipments without consideration of societal relevancy. This research reveals that higher education organisations which face an environment with diminishing financial resources devise survival strategies which might have a negative impact on the quality and relevance of higher education.

Due to the nature of globalization, new strategies have been designed to break into new markets. Joint Venture is a common strategy to enter new markets and by using a Joint Venture, companies share risks and establish new contacts with local knowledge. Brazil is a market where foreign investors gain more and more interest. Brazil's economy is growing fast and made well during the global financial crisis. The middle class in Brazil is constantly growing and for the first time, poverty is not a majority in Brazil.In an International Joint Venture (IJV), it is usually a foreign company establishing a partnership with a local company. Often, IJVs fail because companies have problems collaborating, depending on different variables. In this thesis, we chose to analyze the cultural barriers in a Brazilian-Swedish IJV on the Brazilian market. The purpose of this thesis is to gain an understanding and describe cultural barriers in an IJV partnership, and high-light those to increase the chances for successful IJVs between Brazilian and Swedish companies in the future.This thesis is qualitative, with an abductive approach, in order to gain a deeper and better understanding of experienced barriers. We have chosen to see culture from both a national and an organizational perspective as earlier research has showed that national culture affects the organizational culture within an IJV. Using Hofstede's (1991) four dimensions of national culture as a supplement to Wilson’s (2001) four factors influencing the organizational culture, we have conducted four interviews in two Swedish-Brazilian IJV companies located in São Paulo, Brazil. The companies we have chosen to interview have been small or medium-sized manufacturing. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in a comfortable environment for all respondents. In our analysis, we used matrices to make it easier to see what differences and/or similarities there are between the case-companies.Results of this study, demonstrate that the experiences from the two case-studies are well in line with each other. The organizational structure in Brazil has been perceived as more hierarchical than the Swedish vertical and more open structure. This in turn, has strengthened the differences in communication between managers and employees, which been perceived as more top-down in Brazil than in Sweden. Our conclusion is that cultural barriers have been perceived, in the perception of the leaders’ expected behavior, language barriers, differences in planning and management of uncertain situations, Brazil's more family-oriented society and close relationship between private life and work in the Brazilian market.Several of these barriers have been experienced during the early start-up of an IJV, something we believe increases the importance of being well prepared for cultural barriers that may arise. The importance of an agreement upon the structure and policies at the company at an early stage is crucial, to reduce future possible conflicts. Show mutual respect and understanding for one's partners’ culture and experienced cultural barriers, use these to avoid any negative effects, and instead create a positive impact for the IJV. / Minor Field Study

Cette recherche porte sur le financement public de l’enseignement supérieur au Pérou et ses impacts dans une perspective longitudinale couvant la période 1993-2003. Cette période est importante parce qu’elle a été témoin, dans ce pays, de changements majeurs aux plans du financement public et de la configuration du système d’enseignement supérieur. La recherche consiste principalement dans des analyses secondaires de données pertinentes publiées par des organismes nationaux et internationaux. Les analyses sont structurées à partir d’un schéma d’inputs et outputs. On considère comme inputs les ressources financières et les ressources humaines, lesquelles comprennent les professeurs et les étudiants, et comme outputs les taux de diplomation (efficacité interne) et la demande de diplômés par le marché du travail (efficacité externe). La théorie de la dépendance de ressources sert de cadre pour interpréter les rapports entre le financement public et ses incidences sur les réponses institutionnels et ses conséquences. Dans la période retenue, le financement du secteur public a décru de 32% en raison d’un désengagement progressif de l’État. Une conséquence majeure de la diminution du financement public a été la croissance rapide du secteur privé de l’enseignement supérieur. En effet, alors qu’en 1993 il y avait 24 institutions privées d’enseignement supérieur, il y en avait, en 2003, 46 institutions. La baisse du financement public et la croissance du secteur privé d’enseignement supérieur ont eu des incidences sur la sélectivité des étudiants, sur le statut des professeurs, sur l’implication des universités en recherche et sur les taux de diplomation. Le taux de sélectivité dans le secteur public a augmenté entre 1993 et 2003, alors que ce taux a diminué, dans la même période, dans le secteur privé. Ainsi, le secteur public répond à la diminution du financement en restreignant l’accès à l’enseignement supérieur. Le secteur privé, par contre, diminue sa sélectivité compensant ainsi l’augmentation de la sélectivité dans le secteur public et, par le fait même, augmente sa part de marché. Également, tant dans le secteur public que dans le secteur privé, les professeurs sont engagés principalement sur une base temporaire, ce qui se traduit, particulièrement dans le secteur privé, dans un moindre engagement institutionnel. Enfin, les universités publiques et privées du Pérou font peu de recherche, car elles favorisent, pour balancer leurs budgets, la consultation et les contrats au détriment de la recherche fondamentale. Paradoxalement, alors que, dans le secteur privé, les taux de sélectivité des étudiants diminuent, leurs taux de diplomation augmentent plus que dans le secteur public. Enfin, les formations avec plus d’étudiants inscrits, tant dans le secteur public que privé, sont les moins coûteuses en infrastructure et équipements. Dès lors, la pertinence de la production universitaire devient problématique. Cette recherche révèle que les organisations universitaires, face à un environnement où les ressources financières deviennent de plus en plus rares, développent des stratégies de survie qui peuvent avoir des incidences sur la qualité et la pertinence de l’enseignement supérieur. / This research deals with public financing of higher education in Peru and its impacts in a longitudinal perspective. It covers a ten-year period from 1993 to 2003. This period is important since this country witnessed major changes in public financing of higher education and in the configuration of its higher education system. The research is based mainly in secondary analyses of relevant data published by national as well as international agencies. Analyses are conducted within an input-output scheme. Financial and human resources (professors and students) are considered inputs, and graduation rates (internal effectiveness) and market labour demands as outputs (external effectiveness). Dependency theory is used as framework for the interpretation of the relationships between public financing and institutional responses and its consequences. In the period considered, public financing diminished by 32% resulting from a progressive disengagement of the State. A major consequence of this disengagement was the rapid growth of the private sector of higher education. While in 1993 there were 24 private institutions of higher education, ten years later there were 46 institutions. The decline in public financing and the growth of the private sector of higher education had measurable consequences on selectivity rates, professorial status, research involvement, and graduation rates. Selectivity rates in the period considered increased in public institutions but decreased in the private ones. Thus the public sector reacted to the decline in financing by becoming more selective; the private sector responded to the increase in selectivity in the public sector by decreasing its rates which translates into a higher student market share. Also, in both sectors, professors are hired on a part-time basis which impacts on participation to academic life and on research production. Moreover, universities, both public and private, favoured applied contractual research as a means of gaining alternative funding to compensate for scarce financial resources. Paradoxically, whereas in the private sector selectivity rates diminished in the decade considered, graduation rates increased and so more than in the public sector. Finally, training programs with higher enrolments in both public and private sectors are those which require less investment in infrastructure and equipments without consideration of societal relevancy. This research reveals that higher education organisations which face an environment with diminishing financial resources devise survival strategies which might have a negative impact on the quality and relevance of higher education.

A computação em nuvem é considerada um paradigma computacional da atualidade. Sua adoção vem crescendo nos últimos anos, contudo ainda é incipiente nas organizações brasileiras. Por ser uma tecnologia inovadora, a computação em nuvem vem recebendo maior atenção da academia nos últimos anos, contudo a abordagem do assunto na literatura de Sistemas de Informação ainda é considerada baixa, apesar de crescente. A presente dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar os fatores de adoção da tecnologia, estabelecendo uma relação entre elementos de teorias de base e fatores de adoção. Foram identificados na literatura elementos teóricos e fatores relacionados à computação em nuvem, sendo realizadas associações entre tais fatores e elementos. Os elementos teóricos identificados na revisão da literatura são oriundos da teoria dos custos de transação, teoria da dependência de recursos e teoria de difusão da inovação. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter exploratório, por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, realizados em três empresas que já adotaram computação em nuvem. O estudo utilizou como fontes de evidências entrevistas semiestruturadas, documentos e consulta a sites corporativos das organizações pesquisadas. Para análise das entrevistas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software MAXQDA10. Os resultados do estudo apresentaram como fatores de adoção de computação em nuvem: confiabilidade, escalabilidade, economia, privacidade e segurança. A pesquisa também contribui para o preenchimento da lacuna na literatura de Sistemas de Informação, oferecendo subsídios para estudos quantitativos que confirmem os fatores levantados. / Cloud computing is considered a new computational paradigm for many researchers and practitioners. The adoption of this technology has been arisen in the last few years by the organizations, nevertheless it is still emerging in Brazil. As considered an innovative technology, cloud computing adoption has been gathering more attention in the academy. However, this subject in the Information Systems literature still has little attention, although increasing. This dissertation intends to analyze the adoption factors of cloud computing and establish associations between technology adoption factors and theory elements. Initially were identified in the literature of economic and organizational theories some elements related to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependency Theory. Then, the technology adoption factors were related directly to the cloud computing features. Consequently the theory elements were associated with the technology adoption factors. This research was exploratory, through multiple case studies in three companies that already adopted cloud computing. The data collection was made by interviews and documents analysis. To analyze the seven interviews this research used the content analysis method, using the software MAXQDA10. Thereafter, was conducted an association between the theory elements and the technology adoption factors. As main results, were confirmed as adoption factors in cloud computing: reliability, scalability, security, privacy and economy. This study also contributes for fill in a lack in the literature, as well as offer information for future quantitative researches about the technology adoption factors.

A computação em nuvem é considerada um paradigma computacional da atualidade. Sua adoção vem crescendo nos últimos anos, contudo ainda é incipiente nas organizações brasileiras. Por ser uma tecnologia inovadora, a computação em nuvem vem recebendo maior atenção da academia nos últimos anos, contudo a abordagem do assunto na literatura de Sistemas de Informação ainda é considerada baixa, apesar de crescente. A presente dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar os fatores de adoção da tecnologia, estabelecendo uma relação entre elementos de teorias de base e fatores de adoção. Foram identificados na literatura elementos teóricos e fatores relacionados à computação em nuvem, sendo realizadas associações entre tais fatores e elementos. Os elementos teóricos identificados na revisão da literatura são oriundos da teoria dos custos de transação, teoria da dependência de recursos e teoria de difusão da inovação. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter exploratório, por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, realizados em três empresas que já adotaram computação em nuvem. O estudo utilizou como fontes de evidências entrevistas semiestruturadas, documentos e consulta a sites corporativos das organizações pesquisadas. Para análise das entrevistas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software MAXQDA10. Os resultados do estudo apresentaram como fatores de adoção de computação em nuvem: confiabilidade, escalabilidade, economia, privacidade e segurança. A pesquisa também contribui para o preenchimento da lacuna na literatura de Sistemas de Informação, oferecendo subsídios para estudos quantitativos que confirmem os fatores levantados. / Cloud computing is considered a new computational paradigm for many researchers and practitioners. The adoption of this technology has been arisen in the last few years by the organizations, nevertheless it is still emerging in Brazil. As considered an innovative technology, cloud computing adoption has been gathering more attention in the academy. However, this subject in the Information Systems literature still has little attention, although increasing. This dissertation intends to analyze the adoption factors of cloud computing and establish associations between technology adoption factors and theory elements. Initially were identified in the literature of economic and organizational theories some elements related to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependency Theory. Then, the technology adoption factors were related directly to the cloud computing features. Consequently the theory elements were associated with the technology adoption factors. This research was exploratory, through multiple case studies in three companies that already adopted cloud computing. The data collection was made by interviews and documents analysis. To analyze the seven interviews this research used the content analysis method, using the software MAXQDA10. Thereafter, was conducted an association between the theory elements and the technology adoption factors. As main results, were confirmed as adoption factors in cloud computing: reliability, scalability, security, privacy and economy. This study also contributes for fill in a lack in the literature, as well as offer information for future quantitative researches about the technology adoption factors.

A computação em nuvem é considerada um paradigma computacional da atualidade. Sua adoção vem crescendo nos últimos anos, contudo ainda é incipiente nas organizações brasileiras. Por ser uma tecnologia inovadora, a computação em nuvem vem recebendo maior atenção da academia nos últimos anos, contudo a abordagem do assunto na literatura de Sistemas de Informação ainda é considerada baixa, apesar de crescente. A presente dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar os fatores de adoção da tecnologia, estabelecendo uma relação entre elementos de teorias de base e fatores de adoção. Foram identificados na literatura elementos teóricos e fatores relacionados à computação em nuvem, sendo realizadas associações entre tais fatores e elementos. Os elementos teóricos identificados na revisão da literatura são oriundos da teoria dos custos de transação, teoria da dependência de recursos e teoria de difusão da inovação. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter exploratório, por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, realizados em três empresas que já adotaram computação em nuvem. O estudo utilizou como fontes de evidências entrevistas semiestruturadas, documentos e consulta a sites corporativos das organizações pesquisadas. Para análise das entrevistas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software MAXQDA10. Os resultados do estudo apresentaram como fatores de adoção de computação em nuvem: confiabilidade, escalabilidade, economia, privacidade e segurança. A pesquisa também contribui para o preenchimento da lacuna na literatura de Sistemas de Informação, oferecendo subsídios para estudos quantitativos que confirmem os fatores levantados. / Cloud computing is considered a new computational paradigm for many researchers and practitioners. The adoption of this technology has been arisen in the last few years by the organizations, nevertheless it is still emerging in Brazil. As considered an innovative technology, cloud computing adoption has been gathering more attention in the academy. However, this subject in the Information Systems literature still has little attention, although increasing. This dissertation intends to analyze the adoption factors of cloud computing and establish associations between technology adoption factors and theory elements. Initially were identified in the literature of economic and organizational theories some elements related to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependency Theory. Then, the technology adoption factors were related directly to the cloud computing features. Consequently the theory elements were associated with the technology adoption factors. This research was exploratory, through multiple case studies in three companies that already adopted cloud computing. The data collection was made by interviews and documents analysis. To analyze the seven interviews this research used the content analysis method, using the software MAXQDA10. Thereafter, was conducted an association between the theory elements and the technology adoption factors. As main results, were confirmed as adoption factors in cloud computing: reliability, scalability, security, privacy and economy. This study also contributes for fill in a lack in the literature, as well as offer information for future quantitative researches about the technology adoption factors.

以科技業而言，由於近來創業風潮蔚為風行，同時新創企業的數目也蓬勃增加，但是要如何永續發展，成為穩定生存的企業，還有很多需要努力及進步的地方。另外一方面，台灣各個科技大廠多數面臨創新動力及幅度不足的困境，始終處在代工的階段，毛利無法提升，故近來也有許多科技大廠積極找尋新創企業標的購併或合作，以期提升企業未來之競爭力。 本論文旨在研究新創企業及大型科技企業於供應鏈上的互動，大型科技企業該如何找尋正確之標的並且不影響原業務內容以及新創企業須具備哪些核心技能以期公司持續發展。本研究個案以Q公司以及N公司為個案案例，其中大型OEM/ODM系統廠Ｑ和硬體新創企業N的合作是為研究重點，因兩者的合作並不符合一般的直覺思維，Q公司必須要犧牲規模經濟才得以進行Q公司之產品製造，所以本研究透過資源觀點的學說，如資源基礎理論、資源優勢理論、資源相依理論等進而從外部環境到內部資源分析，可以發現因為環境因素的促使，導致Q公司與N公司形成互利的相依共生關係。 / Recently in technology industry, due to the recent upsurge of entrepreneurship, the number of start-ups has also increased vigorously. However, how to achieve sustainable development and become a stable and viable enterprise has a lot to do with efforts and progress. On the other hand, most of the Taiwanese technology firms are faced with the lack of margin and innovation power. They are still in the stage of foundry work and the gross profit can not be improved. Recently, many technology companies are keenly searching for the merger or cooperation of the new startups in order to maintain the future competitiveness of enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to study the interaction between start-ups and large-scale technology enterprises in the supply chain. How can large-scale technology enterprises find the right target and do not affect the original business content and what core skills the start-up enterprises should have in order to keep the company going. The research case is based on the case of Q company and N company. The cooperation between the large OEM / ODM system Q and the hardware start-up enterprise N is the focus of the research, because the cooperation between these two is not in line with the general intuitive thinking. It is necessary to sacrifice the Q’s scale economy to carry out the N company's product manufacturing, so this study will go through the resource point of view, such as resource-based theory, resource advantage theory, resource-dependency theory to analyze the external environment to internal resources. Simply saying the result can be conclude because of the relationship between environmental factors, resulting in Q company and N company to form a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.