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RNA is essential for the transfer of genetic information, as the central dogma of biology dictates. The role of RNA, however, is not limited to serving as an information shuttle between DNA and fully functional protein. Indeed, RNA has experienced a surge of interest in the field of chemical biology for its other critical roles in biology including those in control of transcription, translation, splicing, genetic replication, and catalysis. RNA has proven to be a difficult and complex target for the design of small molecular ligands because of its structural heterogeneity and conformational flexibility. Yet, the highly folded tertiary structures of these oligomers present unique scaffolds which designed ligands should be able to selectively target. To that end, two branched peptide libraries ranging in size from 4,096–46,656 unique sequences were screened for their ability to bind HIV-1 related RNA structures, the transactivation response element (TAR) and the Rev response element (RRE). In addition to discovering a mid-nanomolar branched peptide ligand for TAR, the first branched boronic acid peptide library designed to target RNA was screened for binding to RRE. Each of these efforts resulted in the identification of selective binders to their respective RNA targets, and the unnatural branching of these compounds was demonstrated to provide a multivalent binding interaction with the RNA. Furthermore, these compounds were shown to be cell permeable and displayed little to no cytotoxicity in HeLa and A2780 cells. / Ph. D.

This study examines the digital transformation landscape for Japanese SMEs (Small Medium-size Enterprises) in 2023 and the challenges faced in digitalization. Key obstacles faced in adopting digital technologies include limited digital literacy, budgetary constraints, and a risk-averse culture, which hinder widespread digitalization among SMEs. Despite these challenges, the study highlights the importance of digital transformation for sustainable growth and competitiveness. The study emphasizes the value of enhancing digital skills, addressing industry-specific challenges, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing data security and privacy. Recommendations include investing in employee training, improving access to financing, developing industry-specific strategies, facilitating collaboration and ecosystem development, promoting customer-centric approaches, and evaluating digital strategies regularly. By implementing these recommendations, Japanese SMEs can enhance their innovation, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Collaboration among governments, industry associations, universities, and SMEs is essential to create an environment conducive to digital transformation. / Denna studie undersöker det digitala transformationslandskapet för japanska små och medelstora företag år 2023 och de utmaningar som digitaliseringen står inför. Viktiga hinder för att ta till sig digital teknik inkluderar begränsad digital kompetens, budgetrestriktioner och en riskvillig kultur, vilket hindrar en utbredd digitalisering bland små och medelstora företag. Trots dessa utmaningar belyser studien vikten av digital transformation för hållbar tillväxt och konkurrenskraft. Studien betonar värdet av att förbättra digital kompetens, ta itu med branschspecifika utmaningar, främja samarbete och prioritera datasäkerhet och integritet. Rekommendationer inkluderar att investera i personalutbildning, förbättra tillgången till finansiering, utveckla branschspecifika strategier, underlätta samarbete och ekosystemutveckling, främja kundcentrerade tillvägagångssätt och utvärdera digitala strategier regelbundet. Genom att implementera dessa rekommendationer kan japanska små och medelstora företag förbättra sin innovation, produktivitet och kundnöjdhet. Samarbeten mellan regeringar, branschorganisationer, universitet och små och medelstora företag är avgörande för att skapa en miljö som främjar digital transformation.

Yes / This article examines the mediating mechanism of the relationship between institutional voids (IVs) and inter-firm cooperation and the moderating role of economic adversity in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in emerging markets. The hypotheses are tested using time-lagged survey data from 214 SMEs from Ghana. The findings provide support for the hypotheses by showing that (1) IVs positively influence the use of government research and development (R&D) support, (2) the use of government R&D support mediates the relationship between IVs and inter-firm cooperation, and (3) economic adversity positively moderates the relationship between IVs and the use of government R&D support. The findings contribute to understanding the role of IVs in inter-firm cooperation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

This paper examines how internal communication strategies in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) during COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on employee intrinsic motivation. By analyzing experiences of managers and employees in Sweden, it identifies effective communication methods that enhance morale and engagement. It also explores how these strategies align with Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and provides practical recommendations for crisis management communication. Through analysis of communication channels, frequency, and styles, it offers insights for organizational communication and crises management. This qualitative study employs thematic analysis of interviews with managers and employees in Swedish SMEs during COVID-19. It evaluates internal communication strategies such as channels, frequency, and styles, and their impact on employee motivation, aligning findings with SDT. To conlcude, this thesis illuminates the interplay between internal communication strategies and employee motivation within Swedish SMEs during COVID-19 pandemic. Through qualitative analysis, the study underlines the importance of flexible communication approaches, digital channels, and transparent styles in fostering resilience and engagement. The findings suggest that aligning communication strategies with SDT princibles can enhance organizational effectiveness during crises. Practical recommendations are provided to empower leaders in cultivating supportive work environments and promoting employee well-being.

Структура магистерской диссертации включает в себя введение, три главы, заключение, библиографический список. В первой главе рассмотрены теоретические аспекты организации кредитования субъектов малого и среднего предпринимательства. Во второй главе проанализировано современное состояние рынка кредитования субъектов малого и среднего бизнеса в России и на примере кредитной организации. В третьей главе выявлены основные проблемы в области кредитования субъектов малого и среднего бизнеса в России и представлены пути их решения. В заключении сформированы основные выводы проведенного исследования. / The structure of the master's thesis includes an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, a bibliography. The first chapter examines the theoretical aspects of the organization of lending to small and medium-sized businesses. The second chapter analyzes the current state of the lending market for small and medium-sized businesses in Russia and on the example of a credit institution. The third chapter identifies the main problems in the field of lending to small and medium-sized businesses in Russia and presents ways to solve them. In the conclusion, the main conclusions of the study are formed.

Businesses' demand for information technology-(IT) capacity and IT solutions are growing daily. As available services and products expand, users require more convenience, cost savings, user-friendliness and reliability. Manufacturers of mobile devices have always been motivated to develop mobile devices which are more flexible and reliable. As a consequence of the above mentioned, the importance of business in the modern technological environment was greatly overestimated as a result of development in mobile technology. Mobile technology breaks the limitations of mobility in businesses which provides innovative possibilities Mobile distance-based services have attracted much attention because of the growing potential that it offers. Businesses need mobile options that deal with specific needs. A mobile accounting system will provide adaptability and flexibility to an entity, which at this stage has not been possible. An improved adaptability and flexibility of enterprises will have a positive impact on productivity and innovation as a result. The rapid growth and development of mobile technology creates the opportunity for the development of many innovative mobile applications. From the above it is clear that there is an existing trend that companies want to implement more mobility in their business. From an accounting perspective, small-to medium-sized businesses have simpler rules and regulations that must be obeyed (IFRS for SMEs). Thus, the point of entrance of this study will focus on the feasibility of a mobile accounting system for small to medium sized entities (SME). On a global scale, should the importance of small-to medium-sized entities (SMEs) not be overlooked. SMEs are the mainstay of most national economies and represent between 30 to 60 percent of the economy's gross domestic product. A mobile accounting system will provide managers and business owners the option to have “anytime anywhere” access to the entity's financial information. This will also allow businesses to be more mobile. Thus, invoices can be issued, receivables added, payments entered (creditors and so on) and all this can be done without physically being on the business premises. The mobile system will therefore communicate in real time with the database on the business premises which is stored electronically and so information for everyone who uses it will be updated and correct. / MCom (Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Businesses' demand for information technology-(IT) capacity and IT solutions are growing daily. As available services and products expand, users require more convenience, cost savings, user-friendliness and reliability. Manufacturers of mobile devices have always been motivated to develop mobile devices which are more flexible and reliable. As a consequence of the above mentioned, the importance of business in the modern technological environment was greatly overestimated as a result of development in mobile technology. Mobile technology breaks the limitations of mobility in businesses which provides innovative possibilities Mobile distance-based services have attracted much attention because of the growing potential that it offers. Businesses need mobile options that deal with specific needs. A mobile accounting system will provide adaptability and flexibility to an entity, which at this stage has not been possible. An improved adaptability and flexibility of enterprises will have a positive impact on productivity and innovation as a result. The rapid growth and development of mobile technology creates the opportunity for the development of many innovative mobile applications. From the above it is clear that there is an existing trend that companies want to implement more mobility in their business. From an accounting perspective, small-to medium-sized businesses have simpler rules and regulations that must be obeyed (IFRS for SMEs). Thus, the point of entrance of this study will focus on the feasibility of a mobile accounting system for small to medium sized entities (SME). On a global scale, should the importance of small-to medium-sized entities (SMEs) not be overlooked. SMEs are the mainstay of most national economies and represent between 30 to 60 percent of the economy's gross domestic product. A mobile accounting system will provide managers and business owners the option to have “anytime anywhere” access to the entity's financial information. This will also allow businesses to be more mobile. Thus, invoices can be issued, receivables added, payments entered (creditors and so on) and all this can be done without physically being on the business premises. The mobile system will therefore communicate in real time with the database on the business premises which is stored electronically and so information for everyone who uses it will be updated and correct. / MCom (Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Dagens konkurrensutsatta marknad ställer stora krav på organisationer och deras användning av hjälpmedel för att överleva och skapa konkurrensfördelar. Business intelligence är en samlingsteknik som för varje dag får allt större uppmärksamhet och som för många organisationer blivit ett måste för överleva. Tyvärr är implementationen av BI-tekniker problematisk och över 50 % av alla BI-initiativ misslyckas. Därför har en del studier forskat kring de kritiska framgångsfaktorerna för implementation av BI, som anses som en nyckel för att lyckas med implementationen. I den stora majoriteten av studierna utgår de kritiska framgångsfaktorerna dock från stora företag. De har andra förutsättningar än små och medelstora företag (SMF) som 99.9% av alla företag i Sverige består av. Studien har därför skapat en ram med kritiska faktorer speciellt uttagna för SMF med frågeställningen: Vilka är de kritiska framgångsfaktorerna för implementation av ett business intelligence system i SMF? Ramen skapades med litteraturstudie i kombination med expertintervjuer. Studiens ram visar att faktorerna inte skiljer sig nämnvärt efter företagsstorleken, utan efter projektets storlek. Nyckelord: Business intelligence, Kritiska framgångsfaktorer, Implementation, Små och medelstora företag / Today’s competitive market places great demands on organisations and their use of means to survive and gain competitive advantages. Business intelligence (BI) is an umbrella term of technologies that has become necessary for many organisations to survive the competitive market, and it gets more attention for every passing day. Unfortunately, the implementation of BI technologies is problematic and statistics show that more than 50% of all BI-initiatives fail. Therefore, some studies have identified critical success factors (CSFs), crucial for the implementation of BI, which is considered as a key for the success of a BI-project. However, the majority of the CSFs are based on large, international enterprises. Which differ from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which 99.9% of all Swedish companies consist of. Thus are the identification of relevant CSFs for SMEs crucial. The study has therefore with the research question: Which are the CSFs for implementation of BI-systems in SMEs created a framework with CSFs specially designed for SMEs, based on a literature review combined with expert interviews. The analysis and result of the study shows that the CSFs do not differ in terms of the organisation size, rather it differs depending on the size of the project. However, the study has also identified previously unidentified critical success factors crucial for the implementation of BI-systems. Keywords: Business intelligence, Critical Success factors, Implementation, Small and medium-sized enterprises

I dagsläget är det svårt för företag att behålla en stark marknadsposition och utmaningen ligger dels i att regelbundet presentera nya produkter på marknaden och ständigt skapa nya innovationer. Genom att använda sig av Lean Product Development i produktutvecklingsprocessen kan företagen anta utmaningen. Det kan dock vara svårare för små och medelstora företag då de kan ha begränsade resurser. Syftet med denna studie var därför att ta fram en projektmodell för produktutvecklingsprojekt i små och medelstora företag. Studien bygger på kvalitativa forskningsmetoder där sekundärdata samlades in genom både bibliotekskatalogen vid Mittuniversitetet och sökningar i forskningsdatabaser på Internet. Därefter samlades primärdata in via intervjuer för att göra en fallstudie och ett teoretiskt applicerbarhetstest. Resultatet som genererades visade att det som karakteriserar produktutvecklingen i små och medelstora företag var främst att chefen eller ägaren ofta påverkar produktutvecklingen och nyckelfaktorerna för en framgångsrik produktutveckling är processer, resurser, strategier och en god kommunikation. Den slutgiltiga projektmodellen baseras i stora drag på den generella projektmodellen och genomgick inga större förändringar efter det att det teoretiska applicerbarhetstestet hade genomförts. Projektmodellen består av fem stycken faser: förstudie, planering, genomförande, avslut och effekthemtagning. Samtliga presenterade projektmodeller skulle kunna fungera för att skapa processer, resurser, strategier och en god kommunikation. De nämnda projektmodellerna skiljer sig något i utformning och fokuserar på olika saker. Det som skiljer projektmodellerna åt är både roller och ansvarsbeskrivningar, beslutspunkter samt projektmodellernas olika faser. Det nyhetsvärde som denna studie har bidragit med är hur små och medelstora företag kan arbeta med projekt inom produktutveckling, och en fråga som har väckts är hur denna projektmodell skulle kunna se ut för att främja hela organisationen och inte endast produktutvecklingsavdelningen. / Today it is hard for companies to keep a strong market position and one part of the challenge is to regularly present new products on the market and constantly create new innovations.  The companies can accept that challenge by using Lean Product Development in the product development process. It can however be more difficult for small and medium sized enterprises as they may have limited resources. The purpose with this study was therefore to develop a project model for product development in small and medium sized enterprises. The study was built on qualitative research methodologies, first secondary data was collected through both the Mid Sweden University’s library catalog and searches in research databases on the Internet. Then, the primary data was collected through interviews to create a case study and a theoretical applicability test. The generated result showed that it characterizes the product development in small and medium sized enterprises primarily was that the manager or owner often affect the product development and the key factors for a successful product development was processes, resources, strategies and a good communication. The final project model are in general based on the general project model and did not underwent any major changes after the theoretical applicability test had been carried out. The project model consists of five phases: feasibility study, planning, implementation, closing and effect transfer. All of the presented project models could work to create processes, resources, strategies and a good communication. The mention project models differ slightly in the design and they are focusing on different areas. The differences in the models are the roles and responsibilities descriptions, decision points and the models different phases. The newsworthy this study has contribute with is how small and medium sized enterprises can work on projects in product, and one question that has been raised is how this project model could look like to promote the whole organization not only the product development departure.