Collaboration is a potential for companies to mitigate risk and use different competencies to create possible solutions. This paper identifies that the automotive industry is going through a rapid transformation and needs collaboration as a way to keep up with the fast pace of change. Using a case study based on the automotive industry in the Stockholm region and with a focus on small and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs, companies with less than 250 employees), this paper aims to address how the regional government can facilitate cooperation 1) within the automotive industry and 2) between the regional government and the automotive industry to keep up with the industrial transformations in the year 2030, by identifying the needs of the industry, highlighting potential collaboration engagement practices, and addressing how the regional government can facilitate collaboration. The paper has identified the needs based on product and production development, business model development, and skill development. For product and production development, SMEs need to create new products or find new markets, adapt products to environmental pressures, produce new products quickly, work closer to the customer, move production closer to the customer, and digitalize and automate production. For business model development, companies need to use sustainability as the core of the business model and include services as part of their portfolio. Finally, for skill development, SMEs need to find skills that meet the market, upskill continuously, develop more problem-solving and analytical skills. This study concludes that there are various activities that the regional government can perform, but need assistance from other actors. Firstly, they could strategize with other regional stakeholders, simplify collaboration within the industry, and increase communication and transparency with all industry actors to facilitate collaboration within the industry. Secondly, they could contribute to infrastructure, foster cluster expansion, and contribute to international competitiveness to aid collaboration between the regional government and the industry. The regional government should aim to execute these activities, but need support from relevant stakeholders, to help with the transition to a different industrial environment. / Samarbete är en möjlighet för företag att mildra risker och använda olika kompetenser för att skapa möjliga lösningar. Denna studie identifierar att fordonsindustrin genomgår snabb omvandling och behöver samarbete som ett sätt att hålla jämna steg med den snabba förändringstakten. Med hjälp av en fallstudie baserad på fordonsindustrin i Stockholmsregionen och med fokus på små och medelstora företag (SMF, företag med färre än 250 anställda) syftar denna studie till att undersöka hur den regionala verksamheten Region Stockholm kan underlätta samarbete 1) inom fordonsindustrin och 2) mellan regionala myndigheten och fordonsindustrin. För att industrin ska kunna hålla jämna steg med de industriella omvandlingarna mot 2030, görs detta genom att identifiera branschens behov, lyfta fram potentiella samarbetsaktiviteter och föreslå hur den regionen kan underlätta samarbete. Studien har identifierat behoven i fordonsindustrin baserat på produkt- och produktionsutveckling, utveckling av affärsmodeller och kompetensutveckling. För produkt- och produktionsutveckling måste små och medelstora företag skapa nya produkter eller hitta nya marknader, anpassa produkter till miljöpressen, producera nya produkter snabbt, arbeta närmare kunden, flytta produktionen närmare kunden och digitalisera och automatisera produktionen. För utveckling av affärsmodeller måste företag använda hållbarhet som kärna i affärsmodellen och inkludera tjänster som en del av sin portfölj. Slutligen, för kompetensutveckling, måste små och medelstora företag hitta färdigheter som möter marknaden, fortlöpande utveckla kompetens samt utveckla mer problemlösnings- och analytiska färdigheter. Denna studie drar slutsatsen att det finns olika aktiviteter som regionen kan utföra, men att de behöver hjälp från andra aktörer. För det första kan de skapa strategier med andra regionala intressenter, förenkla samarbetet inom industrin och öka kommunikationen och transparensen med alla branschaktörer för att underlätta samarbete inom fordonsindustrin. För det andra kan bidra till infrastruktur, främja klusterutveckling och bidra till internationell konkurrenskraft för att underlätta samarbete mellan den regionala verksamheten och industrin. Regionen bör sträva efter att genomföra dessa aktiviteter, men behöver stöd från relevanta intressenter för att hjälpa till med övergången till en förändrad industriell miljö.

Compared to other industries, the construction industry is slow to take advantage of the benefits of digitalization. There are many different parties involved in projects, which makes it a versatile but also fragmented industry, which in this case is not to its advantage. Building information modeling (BIM) is a tool that could improve the cooperation between these parties and which has many other benefits associated with it, such as time- and cost savings. Quantity take-off in BIM is something that can be carried out at a low degree of maturity and is considered to be one of the most useful working methods that BIM enables. Despite the many benefits that studies have shown, many companies in the construction industry have still not fully implemented a working method where BIM is used for quantity take-off.The purpose of the project is to investigate the BIM use among parties in the Swedish construction industry. More specifically, this study will examine the working methods of medium-sized construction companies with quantity take-off. Since the work with quantity take-off has been shown to be linked to more basic BIM use, this factor can be seen as a good indicator for the development of BIM within companies. Medium-sized construction companies have been chosen as they are a good representative of the large mass of parties in the construction industry who have both the capacity and the finances to implement BIM. Furthermore, this project also aims to locate the difficulties in using these digital working methods for quantity take-off.The study is performed as a qualitative case study where ByggDialog AB exemplified a medium-sized construction company in the construction industry. In semi-structured interviews, employees were asked to answer questions concerning the subject of the study.The results of the study have shown that the willingness to develop working methods with BIM at medium-sized construction companies exists, but that visions and ambitions are limited by the adjustment costs that a BIM-implementation would entail. The fact that there are no requirements or demands from customers is another factor that contributes why BIM is not used more today. As a result of the fact that the customers today are not prepared to finance a BIM-implementation, the development is not driven further within the studied company.In this case study, we have identified that the studied medium-sized construction company does not use BIM for quantity take-off. This is not due to that the contractors do not want to, but because it is difficult to motivate that a BIM-implementation would cover the costs involved. This study therefore indicates that in the short term it is not profitable to implement BIM as it entails large conversion costs for companies. / Byggbranschen är jämfört med andra branscher långsam på att utnyttja de fördelar som finns med digitalisering. Det är många olika aktörer inblandade i projekt vilket gör det till en mångsidig men även fragmenterad bransch, vilket i det här fallet inte är till dess fördel. Building information modeling (BIM) är ett verktyg som skulle kunna förbättra samarbetet mellan dessa aktörer och som har många andra fördelar kopplat till sig såsom tids- och kostnadsbesparing. Mängdavtagning i BIM är något som kan genomföras vid en låg mognadsgrad och anses vara en av de mest användbara arbetsmetoderna som BIM möjliggör. Trots de många fördelar som studier påvisat har många företag inom byggbranschen fortfarande inte fullt ut implementerat ett arbetssätt där BIM används vid mängdavtagning.Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka BIM-användningen hos aktörer i den svenska byggbranschen. Mer specifikt kommer detta examensarbete att granska medelstora entreprenörers arbetssätt med mängdavtagning. Eftersom mängdavtagning har visats vara kopplat till mer grundläggande BIM-användning kan denna faktor ses som en god indikator för utvecklingen av BIM inom företag. Medelstora entreprenadföretag har valts då dessa är en god representant för den stora massan av aktörer inom byggbranschen som både har kapaciteten och ekonomin att implementera BIM. Vidare syftar detta examensarbete också till att lokalisera svårigheterna vid användning av dessa digitala arbetssätt för mängdavtagning.Studien är utförd som en kvalitativ fallstudie där ByggDialog AB fått exemplifiera ett medelstort entreprenadföretag i byggbranschen. Medarbetare har i semistrukturerade intervjuer fått svara på frågor som berör studiens ämne.Resultatet i studien har visat att viljan att utveckla arbetssätt med BIM hos medelstora entreprenadföretag finns men att visioner och ambitioner begränsas av de omställningskostnader som en BIM-implementering skulle medföra. Att det inte finns någon efterfrågan eller krav från beställare är en annan faktor som spelar in i varför BIM inte används mer idag. Som en följd av att beställarna idag inte är beredda att finansiera en BIM-implementering så drivs inte utvecklingen vidare inom det studerade företaget.Vi har i denna fallstudie identifierat att det studerade medelstora entreprenadföretaget ej använder sig av BIM vid mängdavtagning. Detta beror inte på en ovilja hos entreprenörerna, utan för att det är svårt att argumentera för att en BIM-implementering skulle täcka de kostnader som det innebär. Denna studie indikerar därför att det på kort sikt inte lönar sig att implementera BIM då det innebär stora omställningskostnader för företagen.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is currently widely used within the architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry. However, BIM and specifically 3D-modelling is mainly only used by large scale construction enterprises while smaller and medium sized construction enterprises are still using outdated methods such as 2D-drawings. This thesis is carried out in cooperation with Multibygg Entreprenad i Stockholm AB, a small sized construction enterprise. The purpose of this thesis is to understand their perception on the usage and implementation of 3D modelling, what the reasons are for not having already invested in 3D modelling and, finally, to understand how 3D modelling would relate to the core process. The work consists of a literature review to give a better understanding of the chosen subject. A case study is also included and is limited to analysing the organisation of Multibygg. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with members associated with the company either directly or indirectly based on the type of work that is conducted. The results show that the small sized construction enterprise has a positive perspective on the usage of 3D modelling but that implementing it is difficult to realise due to expensive subscription costs and a lack of usefulness to the small construction enterprise. / Building Information Modelling (BIM) används mycket inom byggbranschen idag. Däremot används BIM, och specifikt 3D-modellering, främst av större entreprenörer medan mindre utförande entreprenörer fortfarande använder sig av utdaterade metoder som 2D-ritningar. Denna kandidatuppsats är utförd med hjälp av Multibygg Entreprenad i Stockholm AB, en mindre utförande entreprenör. Syftet med denna uppsats är att förstå deras uppfattning om 3D-modellering, vilka faktorer som har hindrat en investering i 3D-modellering och hur 3D-modellering kan bidra till deras kärnprocess. Arbetet består av en litteraturöversikt för att ge en djupare förståelse av det valda ämnet. En fallstudie är också inkluderad för att analysera Multibygg som organisation. Som empiri samlades intervjuer med aktörer som relaterar till Multibygg baserat på den typen av arbetet som utförs. Resultaten visar att den mindre utförande entreprenören har en positiv syn på användningen av 3D-modellering, men att det är svårt att implementera den på grund av höga abonnemangskostnader och att det kommer bidra för lite till deras projekt och kärnprocess.

Titel: Kapitalstruktur i en lågkonjunktur – En kvalitativ studie av medelstora tillverkande företags kapitalstruktur. Forskningsfråga: Hur påverkas kapitalstrukturen i medelstora tillverkande företag av en lågkonjunktur? Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att få en förståelse för hur medelstora tillverkande företag resonerar gällande att finansiera sig med eget kapital kontra med skuldfinansiering i en lågkonjunktur. Metod: Studien har genomförts genom en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv ansats, en kombination av deduktiv och induktiv ansats. Genom denna kombination av metoder har vi tagit del av vetenskapliga artiklar och analyserat vår insamlade empiriska data för att undersöka hur verkligheten stämmer överens med teorin. Slutsats: Studien visade på tre resultat. Det första resultatet visade på att det finns en tydlig koppling mellan ägarstruktur och kapitalstruktur i tillverkande medelstora företag. Privatägda företag tenderar att vara mer flexibla i sina finansieringsval medan koncernägda företag föredrar intern finansiering eller lån under gynnsamma marknadsförhållanden. Det andra resultatet visade på att en gemensam nämnare för alla företagen var betydelsen av en god relation med banken, särskilt i tider av lågkonjunktur eftersom bankens tillgång till likviditet och flexibla avbetalningsplaner kunde bli avgörande. Det tredje resultatet visade på att trots företagens medvetenhet om riskhantering så tolkades begreppet finansiell stress på olika sätt, vilket visar att begreppet är subjektivt. Däremot visade de sig att företagen är flexibla i sina finansieringsval och anpassar sig efter marknadsförhållanden i pressade ekonomiska tider. / Title: Capital structure in a recession – A qualitative study of medium-sized manufacturing companies' capital structure Problem statement: How is the capital structure of medium-sized manufacturing companies impacted by a recession? Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to gain an understanding of how medium- sized manufacturing companies’ reason regarding financing the firm with equity versus debt during a recession. Method: The study has been conducted through a qualitative method with an abductive approach, combining deductive and inductive approaches. With this combination of methods, we have reviewed scientific articles and analyzed our collected empirical data to gain an overview of how reality aligns with theory. Conclusion: The study showed three main findings. The first finding showed a clear link between ownership structure and capital structure in medium- sized manufacturing companies. Private-owned firms tend to be more flexible in their financing choices, whereas group-owned firms prefer internal financing or loans under favorable market conditions. The second finding highlighted a common denominator among all companies, emphasizing the importance of a strong relationship with the bank, particularly during economic downturns, as the bank's access to liquidity and flexible payment plans became crucial. The third finding demonstrated that despite companies' awareness of risk management, the concept of financial stress was interpreted differently among them, indicating its subjective nature. However, it was observed that companies are flexible in their financing choices and adapt to market conditions during economically challenging times.

Since the emergence and the subsequent evolution of lean manufacturing concepts, numerous enterprises of different scale and specialties have adopted lean tools and techniques in their facilities with varying success. In general, lean manufacturing related studies have been conducted on large manufacturing firms, such as the automotive industry. Yet, lean manufacturing tools and techniques are also suited for small enterprises. Thus, the main concern of this study is to investigate the success of set-up time reduction efforts (one of the steps needed to achieve 'one-piece flow') in secondary wood products manufacturing facilities on four woodworking machines (moulder, shaper, table saw, and band saw) based on firm size. The first objective of this research is to explore the results of the implementation of set-up time reduction efforts on selected woodworking machines in enterprises of varying size. It is assumed that company size is a major factor influencing the rate of set-up time improvements. To that end, the first hypothesis, which states that 'Small firms are less successful in reducing set-up time through set-up time reduction efforts than are large firms,' has been developed and supportive questions have been corresponding created. While statistical testing of the hypotheses created for this is not possible due to the limited number of participants, speculations about the possible outcome can be made. Thus, for hypothesis one, the data obtained does not show any sign of a relationship between a firm size and the success rate of set-up time reduction efforts. The second objective of this study is to investigate how a firm's productivity is affected by set-up time reduction efforts as related to firm size. With regards to some of the weaknesses of typical small manufacturing firms (e.g. having limited budget and resources, intuitive management strategies including lack of strategic planning), large firms, by and large, are expected to be more successful in increasing productivity through set-up time reduction. To that end, the goal is to investigate results of the set-up time reduction efforts in terms of productivity improvement in manufacturing facilities. With this in mind, the second hypothesis was proposed, which reads 'Small firms achieve lower productivity gains through set-up time reduction than do large firms.' For the second hypothesis, while no conclusive proof can be offered, no sign of a relationship between firm size and productivity gain through set-up time reduction could be found. Another objective of this study is to explore the success rate of set-up time activities on the four types of woodworking machines in industry facilities considering the training activities provided by manufacturers. The aim is to compare set-up time improvement performance of manufacturers between enterprises which trained their workers/operators and enterprises which did not train their employees. To understand the relationship between the scale of firms (and/or facilities) and training activities to improve set-ups, the third hypothesis, which reads 'Small firms are less concerned with set-up time reduction through training than are large firms,' has been developed. For the third hypothesis, while testing is not possible, it appears that there is no relationship between firm size and the level of concern for set-up time reduction through training activities. The final objective of this research is to investigate whether the secondary wood manufacturing firms studied experienced a bottleneck in their production due to the long set-up actions of machines. In order to accomplish this objective, the final hypothesis, 'In both, large and small firms, bottlenecks occur at machines with high set-up times,' has been developed. The final hypothesis cannot be accepted or rejected due to the limited number of responses obtained, set-up time was a frequently indicated explanation for the occurrence of production bottlenecks in secondary wood products manufacturing firms. / Master of Science

The Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 is halfway to the finish line, underscoring the urgency for engagement of all stakeholders to accomplish its overarching objectives. The private sector, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, play a crucial role, with a significant potential to advance sustainable development. Nevertheless, they frequently abstain from sustainable endeavours due to several constraining factors such as lack of resources or knowledge. This thesis aims to explore strategies for sustainable business practices that SMEs implemented despite these limitations. These strategies can consequently enhance their contribution to the Agenda 2030. Building on the theoretical concepts of dynamic capabilities and transformational leadership, a case study was developed including eight semi-structured interviews with SME leaders from the food and beverage industry in Skåne, Sweden. In addition to the interviews, data from three documents provided by the interviewed SMEs were reviewed. The main findings of this thesis illustrate that SMEs can develop essential capabilities and strategies to address sustainability. Moreover, the owner-managers’ perceptions of sustainability and leadership style influence the organisational commitment towards sustainability. The strategies SMEs employ are focused on developing a long-term, holistic perspective towards sustainability, focusing on sustainable product development, adjusting their operational processes, and enhancing integration of resources of external stakeholders by maintaining collaborative efforts, partnerships, and networks.

Yes / Most research on Employee Involvement (EI) has focused on large or 'mainstream' organizations. By adopting those schemes which 'appear' to work well in larger organizations, then smaller firms assume there will be enhanced employee commitment beyond formal contractual requirements. The main question in this paper is whether EI schemes designed by management will suffice under the 2004 Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations. It focuses on SMEs which tend to favour informal and direct EI, and it remains unclear how these methods will be played out under the new regulatory environment. Evidence from four case studies is presented here and it suggests that the ICE Regulations impose new challenges for smaller firms given their tendency to provide information rather than consult with employees. It also appears organizational factors, workplace relations history and the way processes are implemented at enterprise level may be far more important than size itself.

Yes / In the simulation of a chain of manufacturing processes, several finite element packages can be employed and for each process or package a different mesh density or element type may be the most suitable. Therefore, there is a need for transferring finite element analysis (FEA) data among packages and mapping it between meshes. This paper presents efficient algorithms for mapping FEA data between meshes with different densities and element types. An in-core spatial index is created on the mesh from which FEA data is transferred. The index is represented by a dynamic grid partitioning the underlying space from which nodes and elements are drawn into equal-sized cells. Buckets containing references to the nodes indexed are associated with the cells in a many-to-one correspondence. Such an index makes nearest neighbour searches of nodes and elements much faster than sequential scans. An experimental evaluation of the mapping techniques using the index is conducted. The algorithms have been implemented in the open source finite element data exchange system FEDES.

Las MYPES son consideradas el motor de la economía, pues contribuyen al crecimiento y desarrollo del país, en donde el financiamiento formal es importante, debido a que se necesita de un capital sólido para invertir. Aunque, las entidades financieras suelen denegar los créditos por falta de información financiera de los negocios, siendo este un problema para los comerciantes. Los cuales deben poseer habilidades que les permiten tomar decisiones financieras adecuadas. Por ende, el presente trabajo de investigación se centraliza en evaluar la incidencia del financiamiento formal en el crecimiento económico de las MYPES comerciales del segundo sector del mercado Moshoqueque, contando con una metodología que ha sido de tipo aplicada y el diseño de investigación descriptivo con un corte transversal, pues se realizó en un solo periodo la recolección de información. Como población de estudio se ha tenido a la Asociación San Antonio del Segundo sector del Mercado Moshoqueque, conformada por una muestra de 121 comercios, obteniendo resultados por medio de un cuestionario. Evidenciando que el 56.20% de los negocios han sabido manejar los servicios financieros obtenidos y con ello han podido crecer, sin embargo, el 43.8% de MYPES no han obtenido un financiamiento formal, lo que ha llevado a que exista un estancamiento operativo por la falta de capital de trabajo. Ante esta situación, lo que se buscó con la investigación fue diseñar estrategias para que las MYPES Comerciales puedan conseguir un adecuado financiamiento, tomando en cuenta la cultura financiera, que conlleve que los comerciantes puedan elegir el producto financiero adecuado, permitiendo el crecimiento económico de las MYPES. / MYPES are considered the engine of the economy, as they contribute to the growth and development of the country, where formal financing is important, because solid capital is needed to invest. Although, financial institutions usually deny credit due to lack of financial information about the businesses, this being a problem for merchants. Which must possess skills that allow them to make appropriate financial decisions. Therefore, this research work focuses on evaluating the impact of formal financing on the economic growth of commercial MYPES in the second sector of the Moshoqueque market, using a methodology that has been applied and a descriptive research design with a cross-sectional, since the information collection was carried out in a single period. The San Antonio Association of the Second Sector of the Moshoqueque Market was used as the study population, made up of a sample of 121 businesses, obtaining results through a questionnaire. Demonstrating that many of the businesses have known how to manage the financial services obtained and with this have been able to grow, however, 43.8% of MYPES have not obtained formal financing, which has led to operational stagnation due to lack of capital. of work. Given this situation, what the research sought was to design strategies so that Commercial MYPES can obtain adequate financing, taking into account the financial culture, which means that merchants can choose the appropriate financial product, allowing the economic growth of the companies. MYPES.

Denna studie undersöker hur små och medelstora företag i Sverige implementerar EU:s NIS-direktiv genom sina cybersäkerhetsstrategier och -policyer. Syftet är att identifiera de huvudsakliga utmaningarna och framgångsfaktorerna i denna process. Genom intervjuer med ledande personer inom dessa företag framkommer det att ledningens fulla engagemang är avgörande för att integrera NIS-direktivens krav i den dagliga verksamheten. Studien identifierar tvångsmässig och mimetisk isomorfism som viktiga faktorer för anpassning, där företagen påverkas både av regulatoriska krav och av att efterlikna framgångsrika strategier från andra företag. Resultaten visar att proaktiv riskhantering, inklusive regelbundna utbildningar och användning av standarder som ISO 27001 och NIST, stärker företagens motståndskraft mot cyberhot. Användning av externa konsulter är en effektiv strategi, trots de höga kostnaderna. Studien betonar behovet av skräddarsydda cybersäkerhetsstrategier som tar hänsyn till varje företags unika förutsättningar och behov / This study investigates how small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden implement the EU's NIS Directive through their cybersecurity strategies and policies. The aim is to identify the main challenges and success factors in this process. Interviews with key individuals within these companies reveal that strong leadership engagement is crucial for integrating the NIS Directive requirements into daily operations. The study identifies coercive and mimetic isomorphism as significant factors for adaptation, where companies are influenced both by regulatory demands and by mimicking successful strategies from other firms. The findings show that proactive risk management, including regular training and the use of standards such as ISO 27001 and NIST, enhances companies' resilience against cyber threats. The use of external consultants is an effective strategy, despite the high costs. The study emphasizes the need for tailored cybersecurity strategies that consider each company's unique conditions and needs.