Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'SMT industry'

Tecnologia de montagem de superfície (SMT) é um método para construção de circuitos eletrônicos, nos quais os componentes são montados diretamente sobre a superfície da placa de circuito impresso. Tais dispositivos eletrônicos são chamados de dispositivos de montagens de superfície ou SMDs. Paralelamente, as vantagens oferecidas pelo componente eletrônico LED SMD têm causado uma grande aplicação desse dispositivo em substituição ao LED convencional. O presente trabalho apresenta um sistema inteligente baseado em sistemas de inferência fuzzy para estimar valores de intensidade luminosa de equipamentos automotivos a partir de dados de projeto. Embora o trabalho esteja direcionado para a aplicação de LEDs SMD em lanternas traseiras, o trabalho aqui desenvolvido pode ser generalizado e usado em outras aplicações industriais, tais como semáforos de trânsito, painéis eletrônicos de mensagens ou qualquer outra aplicação onde use LEDs SMD em conjunto. Resultados de protótipos são apresentados para validar a técnica proposta. Por meio desses resultados, pode-se observar que a aplicação de sistemas inteligentes é uma abordagem atrativa para este tipo de problema.
Surface mount technology (SMT) is a method for making electronic circuits in which the components are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards. Such electronic devices are called surface-mount devices or SMDs. The advantages offered by the electronic component SMD LED (Light Emitting Diode) have caused a wide application of this device in replacement of conventional LEDs. This work shows an intelligent system using fuzzy interference systems to estimate values of luminous intensity in automotive equipments from design data. Although this work is aimed to the application of SMD LEDs in rear lights, methods hereby developed and described can also be used in other applications, such as traffic lights, electronic panels of messages or any other application where SMD LEDs are used in groups. Results of prototypes are presented to validate the proposed technique. From these results, it can be observed that the application of intelligent systems is an attractive approach to this type of problem.

The subject of this diploma thesis is the design of a conveyor superstructure of a collaborative mobile robot MiR. The first part is a theoretical research basis focused on mobile collaborative technologies and information related to Mobile industrial Robots. The following is a practical part built on previous acquired knowledge. The key issue of the solution is the logistics transport of the PCB magazine in the field of SMT industry. There are created two structural design variants of the superstructure arrangement for the transport of two binders and the most suitable variant is selected on the basis of the multicriteria basic method. The selected alternative of the conveyor top module is then subjected to design calculations. In order to obtain a comprehensive overview of the prototype production, the following section contains drawing documentation, including relevant comments, an economic cost estimate and a risk analysis.

Sjöfartshögskolan i Kalmar har kurser i bl.a. programmerbara styrsystem. För att undervisningen ska ta steget in i Industri 4.0 vill skolan först ha utlåtande om svårighetsgraden att implementera en IO-linkgivare i befintlig process. Syftet med arbetet var att installera och konfigurera en IO-linkgivare i skolans ånganläggning för att på så sätt kunna utvärdera implementeringsarbetets svårighetsgrad. Detta sattes sedan i relation till att istället installera en traditionell analog tryckgivare. Genom att göra en installation och konfiguration implementerades IO-linkgivaren och för kontroll av funktion genomfördes en provning mot befintlig mätutrustning som referenser. Resultatet visade på en relativt komplicerad implementering men ett noggrant mätvärde samt många möjligheter utöver det.
The Maritime Academy in Kalmar wanted to learn about how the implementation of IO-link sensors in a steam process could be used in teaching. The work aimed to investigate how an IO-link sensor works and provide input to develop the content of the school's programming courses. This was done by first implementing a new pressure sensor (IO-Link) in a steam process and then performing the electrical installation in the existing automatic cabinet. In the control cabinet, the existing PLC system was expanded with an IO link master for communication between sensor and PLC system. The result was a fully functional IO link sensor that transferred the vapor pressure in the system to the PLC system. As the IO link sensor for this purpose does not use many of the functions that may be sought in an IO link sensor, it becomes an expensive and complicated installation. If the teaching and course content are developed to use more of the IO link donor's competence, it can justify a higher purchase price and a more complicated implementation.

Collaborative robots, cobots, are seen as an alternative to traditional industrial robots since they are more flexible, less space-consuming, and can share the workspace with human operators. For small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, the adoption still is in an early stage. This study aims to examine the challenges for manufacturing SMEs when introducing collaborative robots in the business. A literature review is conducted as well as a case study, where managers and operators from five Swedish companies are interviewed about their experiences regarding the introduction of collaborative robots. Additional interviews with international researchers in the field are conducted as well. Since the aim is to understand the challenges in a rather new field, which human-robot collaboration still is for SMEs, this is a qualitative explorative study, with the purpose to gather rich insight about the field. The data has been analyzed in an inductive qualitative analysis. The results show that the biggest challenges for manufacturing SMEs when introducing collaborative robots are related to safety, performance, strategy, involvement, and training. Safety aspects are crucial since human operators work closely with collaborative robots and risk serious injuries even though the managers and operators in the case study do not seem to worry since they perceive the robots as quite slow and safe. Proper safety assessments are important as well, even though there is a concern about the lack of proper safety regulations. Other challenges are related to performance and strategy, e.g how to achieve cost-effectiveness with small production volumes and get the robotic investment to pay off in the long turn, but also to choose a proper cobot solution and a reliable supplier, find suitable work tasks, and obtain quality if the cobot fails to recognize a defective product or skewed inputs on the production line. The recommendation from the companies in the case study is to start with an easy task and to see it as a long-term investment. One important key to success is to find a flexible cobot solution that suits the company's individual needs. Employee involvement is another success factor since involving the operators from the beginning leads to better acceptance and understanding of the new technology and the changed work situation. There is a need for skilled, educated workers as well, although the case study shows that the SMEs highlight the importance of choosing a robot system that is easy to learn and easy to use for everyone. The researchers in the study highlight the need for smarter solutions equipped with enabling technologies and the SME managers call for flexible removable solutions with sensors and vision systems for quality control and the ability to handle surprises on the way.

Acteurs majeurs de l’industrie, les PME (Petites et Moyennes Entreprises) doivent répondre à des exigences toujours plus complexes de leurs clients. L’une des solutions est l’amélioration du pilotage des processus industriels qui comprend la planification et l’exploitation des ressources, le contrôle de la production, la mesure et l’évaluation de la performance. Récemment est né le concept d’industrie 4.0 qui vise au pilotage de la chaîne logistique par la synchronisation en temps réel des flux pour tendre à la fabrication unitaire et personnalisée. Ce concept se base sur l’émergence de nouvelles technologies telles que l’internet des objets et le cloud computing. Notre objectif est d’identifier les risques, les opportunités et les facteurs critiques de succès de l’industrie 4.0 concernant la performance industrielle des PME. Nos premiers travaux montrent que les PME présentent des caractéristiques managériales propres qui peuvent venir à l’encontre des prérequis nécessaires à l’exploitation de l’industrie 4.0. Notre revue de la littérature montre d’une part des disparités dans les cas d’application de l’industrie 4.0 dans les PME, et d’autre part que ces cas sont peu documentés. La difficulté inhérente à l’identification de cas concrets ne nous a pas permis d’organiser une étude statistique de l’application de l’industrie 4.0. Afin de répondre à nos objectifs, nous avons ainsi organisé une étude prospective par consultation d’experts. Cette étude a montré que le manque d’expertise et la stratégie à courte vue sont les risques les plus importants de l’industrie 4.0 dans les PME. L’étude montre également que la formation est le facteur de réussite le plus important, que le dirigeant joue un rôle prépondérant dans la réussite et/ou l’échec d’un projet industrie 4.0 et qu’il est conseillé de se faire accompagner par des experts pour tout projet d’industrie 4.0. Enfin, l’industrie 4.0 est une opportunité exceptionnelle de repenser les processus de production, mais également de proposer de nouveaux modèles d’affaires pour les PME. Les PME présentent des atouts majeurs face à cette révolution industrielle et elles doivent en tirer profit pour ne pas perdre leur avantage concurrentiel vis-à-vis des grandes entreprises
The SMEs, predominant actors of the industry, have to reach customer expectations that are more and more complex. One of the solutions is to improve the management of the industrial processes which includes production planning and control, performance measurement and evaluation. Lately the concept of industry 4.0 has emerged. This new approach allows the control of production processes by providing real time synchronization of flows and by enabling the production of unitary and customized products. This concept is based on emerging new technologies such as cloud computing and Internet of Things. Our research goal is to identify the industry 4.0 risks, opportunities and critical success factors regarding SMEs industrial performances. Our first work shows that the SMEs have their own specific managerial features that may undermine the adoption of the industry 4.0 concept. Our review of the scientific literature also shows that there are disparities between industry 4.0 business cases in SMEs. These business cases are also poorly documented a provide only few insights for SMEs managers. The inherent difficulty to identify detailed examples prevented us from conducting a statistical study of the industry 4.0 cases within SMEs. In order to reach our research goal, we conducted a prospective study by consulting experts. Our study shows that the major risks facing the adoption of the industry 4.0 concept in SMEs is the lack of expertise and the short-term strategy mindset. The study also shows that training is the most important success factor, that managers have a prominent role in the success and/or the failure of an industry 4.0 project, and that SMEs should be supported by external experts. Lastly, industry 4.0 offers a unique opportunity to redesign SMEs production processes and to adopt new business models. SMEs have decisive advantages toward this industrial revolution that they must use in order to keep their competitive advantages against large company

This research investigates the ways in which firms in the cluster approach the process of internationalization through exploring the influence of business clustering and how it benefits firms in entering foreign markets. The purpose was to understand this process to enable firms to develop successful international strategies to expand in foreign markets. The focus of the study is on the Yarra Valley Wine Industry Cluster, the oldest wine growing region in Victoria, Australia. This research examined of Australian wineries to join together in order to achieve greater competitiveness in collaboration when entering foreign markets due to ever increasing global competition. This paper was an exploratory study that used qualitative information gathered from the case study firms to provide practical framework for the execution of the research using a multiple-case study design. The findings show the following: first, some of the wineries gain their perceptions of the foreign markets from their relationships with, as well as, by the input and suggestions of the distributors, agents, and partners in a particular market, while others seem to distance themselves from their international environments and only focus on serving domestic/local markets exclusively. Second, personal networks play an important role when it comes to the internationalization process of the wineries because they provide access to market knowledge. Third, cooperation among cluster firms plays a very limited role in assisting wineries in foreign market expansion; it has only been of benefit when it came to dealing with local issues. The cluster has played only a minor role, if any, when it comes to the internationalization of the cluster firms. Clustering has been identified as a place where wineries exchange knowledge, and techniques, in regards to wine production, or come together in a joint effort to sort out local issues. However, the cluster does not provide assistance to individual wineries entering international marketplaces. In conclusion there was a distinctive lack of active support and organization from the cluster with regard to the international expansion due to the lack of leadership and joint direction among cluster members. This is where local government could take more proactive role to facilitate better usage of geographical clusters. The findings could improve the company decision-making process. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of clustering as a means for the future international expansion can be useful in helping to develop international strategies for firms. This would be of great significance to business practitioners because this may have a crucial impact on the competitive advantage of firms in foreign markets. In addition to having significant implications for practice, the investigation has implications for international business research because it provides a better understanding of the role of a cluster in the internationalization.

Industri 4.0, den fjärde industriella revolutionen, kommer att förändra industriell tillverkning. Ofta diskuteras fördelar och stora företag som är en drivande kraft i industrin; men i denna rapport undersöks utmaningarna som små och medelstora företag ställs mot vid införandet av smart teknik. Dessa företag representerar över 90% av svensk industri och är extremt viktiga för ekonomin vilket är anledningen till varför dessa valdes att undersöka. Rapporten består av ett teoriavsnitt och en empirisk studie. Teorin har tillhandahållits från ett flertal tekniska publikationer och sammanfattningar av tekniska konvent. Empirin är baserad på två intervjuer genomförts och en artikel. En intervju med en civilingenjör och chef vid ett mindre tillverkande företag som producerar belysning. Den andra med en expert inom området för införandet av smart teknik inom SMF, engagerad i olika projekt för detta ändamål och arbetserfarenhet inom ABB Robotics. Artikeln är en stor empirisk studie med flertal chefer inom tillverkningsindustrin. Resultatet är att för Industri 4.0 krävs det att resurser i form av kompetens, ekonomi och maskiner finns. Att produktionsprocessen är standardiserad, det ska finnas tjänster som hjälper företag att införa och utveckla smart teknik och att det finns en hög IT-säkerhet. I dagsläget är det en extrem brist på kunskap och kompetens hos SMF gällande smart teknik och industri 4.0. Intresset för det är vagt om ens existerande. Produktionsprocesserna är intestandardiserade. Slutsatsen är att utmaningarna är bristen på kompetens, processerna inte är standardiserade, och att det är svårt att kunna integrera den teknik som finns med de maskiner som finns. Dessa problem är svåra att undvika men lätta att ta sig förbi. Hjälp med kompetens  finns ochautomatiserade robotar för en produktionsprocess som inte är standardiserade är på marknaden. Det viktigaste är att företagen i största möjliga mån har en vilja att utvecklas.
Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, will change industrial production as we know it. Too often are the pros along with big companies who are a driving force of this revolution discussed; however, in this report the challenges small and medium sized enterprises face when implementing smart technology will be scrutinized. These companies represent over 90% of the Swedish industry and are extremely important for the economy, which is why this was chosen to be examined. The report is based on one theory chapter and one empirical study. The theory has been obtained from several technical publishes and summaries of technical conventions. The empirical study is based on two interviews and one article. One interview with a boss in a smaller industrial company, that focuses on lightning, who has a Master’s of Science in Engineering. The other interview was conducted with an expert in the area for implementing smart technology in SME, engaged in different projects for this purpose and work experience within ABB Robotics. The article is a large empirical study with multiple managers within manufacturing companies. The result is that for Industry 4.0 it is necessary that resources in the shape of competence, economy and machinery exists. That the manufacturing process in standardised, there must be services that helps companies to implement and develop smart technology, and that  there is high IT-security in place. Today there is an extreme lack in knowledge and competence at SME concerning smart technology and Industry 4.0. The interest in the subject is weak if even existing. The manufacturing processes are not standardised. The conclusion is that the challenges are the lack of competence, the processes are not standardised, and that it's hard to integrate he technology with the existing machines. These problems are hard to avoid but easy to overcome. Assistance with competence are available and automated robots are on the market. The most important aspect is that the companies have, in the greatest extent possible, a will to evolve.

Den industriella utvecklingen har genomgått tre olika revolutioner och den fjärde indust-riella revolutionen är på gång, industri 4.0. Denna revolution rör sig mot automatiserade och självorganiserande tillverkningsfabriker där digitaliseringen spelar en central roll i dess utveckling. Företag som riskerar att hamna efter med sitt digitaliseringsarbete kan utkonkurreras och slås ut. Detta skapar ett hinder i Sveriges utveckling mot att bli en in-ternationell ledande aktör inom digitalisering och försvagar den nationella konkurrens-kraften. Då detta projekt är ett bidrag till projektet Fordonsdalen Stockholm så är syftet att undersöka vilka digitala teknologier de stora företagen arbetar med inom produk-tionen, vad som krävs för att få teknologierna att fungera och hur SMF:erna kan imple-mentera dessa teknologier. Projektets genomförande grundar sig i den kvalitativa metoden som möjliggör data-insamling via intervjuer och akademiska artiklar. Artiklarna erhölls via internetbaserade databaser som exempelvis Google Scholar, KTH Primo, Diva-portal, Scopus och Science-Direct. Därefter genomfördes åtta intervjuer med fordons- och tillverkningsföretag, varav tre stora företag och fyra små- och medelstora företag. Detta för att skapa en djupare för-ståelse för industrin och de krav och utmaningar som SMF:erna ställs inför. Det resultat som arbetet medfört är följande. Flesta stora företag använder sig oftast av alla teknologier som presenteras i avsnitt 4.3, och att kompetensnivån bland SMF:erna måste höjas för att de ska kunna implementera dessa teknologier på samma sätt som de större företagen. Kompetensbristen inom ett företag lyfts fram till att vara den största utmaningen alla företag ställs inför och är gemensamt både för SMF och för större företag. Ytterligare utmaningar som tas upp är resursbegränsningar och bristen på standarder inom respektive bransch. Med hjälp av standarder underlättas digitaliseringsarbetet och skapandet av en uppkopplad fabrik. Avsaknaden av standarder kring informationsutbytet och hur fabriker och maskiner ska kopplas upp är ett problem som behöver lösas.Tillverknings- och fordonsindustrin bör ta lärdom av elektronikindustrin som har lyckats införa sådana standarder.
The industrial development throughout history has undergone three different revolutions and the fourth industrial revolution is underway, industry 4.0. This revolution is moving towards automated and self-organizing manufacturing plants where digitalization plays a central role in its development. The fact that companies fall behind with their digitali-zation work can result in them being outcompeted and eliminated. This creates an obstacle in Sweden's development towards becoming an international leading player in digitalization and weakens national competitiveness. As this project is a contribution to the Fordonsdalen Stockholm Project, the purpose is to investigate which digital technol-ogies the large companies work with in production, what is required to make the technologies work and how SMEs can adopt these technologies. The project's implementation is based on the qualitative method that enables data collection via interviews and academic articles. The articles were obtained from internet-based databases such as Google Scholar, KTH Primo, Diva-portal, Scopus and ScienceDirect. Eight interviews were made with vehicle and manufacturing companies, of which three large companies and four small and medium-sized companies. This is to create a deeper understanding of the industry and the requirements and challenges that SMEs face. The results obtained from this work is that most large companies use all the technologies, which are presented in section 4.3, and that the level of competence among SMEs must be raised to be able to work with these technologies, as all companies, including large companies, mentions this as the biggest challenge. Other challenges that are addressed are resource constraints and the lack of standards in the industries. With the help of standards, the digitization work and the creation of a connected factory are facilitated. The lack of standards on how factories and machines should be connected and how the exchange of information should be made is a problem that needs to be solved. The man-ufacturing and automotive industries should learn from the electronics industry, which has succeeded in introducing such standards.

Corporate entrepreneurship has gained renewed interested in research since global markets are evolving and industries become more and more competitive. Information is transferred across the globe rapidly so that products and processes can be copied quickly. In order to be competitive, companies need to enhance creativity, their technological knowledge and market know-how. This high competitiveness leads to a dilemma where innovation is a key to survive whilst the size and administration may signify barriers to replicate entrepreneurial behavior through the entire business.   Considering the relevance of corporate entrepreneurship in the rapidly changing market of the 21st century, our purpose was to develop a deeper understanding of how corporate entrepreneurship can be used by companies. We then looked deeper into the subject of organizational transformation and decided to do a case study. The aim of the research was to make a theoretical contribution by examining the subject in the context of a medium-sized enterprise in a specific environment where corporate entrepreneurship is vital. Therefore, we chose a medium-sized German company that operates in the increasingly complex and competitive process automation industry. The Gefeba Elektro GmbH was found to be an interesting case for a case study for several reasons. The company was situated in a highly competitive market, in the heart of the industrial ‘Rurhgebiet’, with numerous competitors. However, and despite the lack of resources faced by this SME, Gefeba is an important actor in the automation industry.   Although researchers have examined various factors that promote corporate entrepreneurship, the literature has focused on defining factors in isolation without linking them to architectural factors, especially when it comes to SMEs. These factors are defined in our study as leadership, culture, structure and strategy. Acting within the extremes of small businesses and large corporations, we focus our study on a single medium-sized company that enables us to reach different levels of the organization and grasp a holistic understanding of this specific organization in relation to its use of CE. In accordance to this, the main research question is: How does Gefeba Elektro GmbH use corporate entrepreneurship in the automation sector industry?   The study was conducted using a qualitative research method. One of the major findings is that the Gefeba Elektro GmbH is using a balance between the organizational antecedents of common values and flexibility to build a mechanism that aligns the organizational architecture towards the development of corporate entrepreneurship. Another aspect is the fact that every architectural factor is used for the development of CE, even if some architectural factors such as leadership and culture seem to have more importance in this development. Thereby, the findings about organizational antecedents and architectural factors are relevant for the managerial implications in others SMEs facing the same context as Gefeba Elektro GmbH, which are willing to implement corporate entrepreneurship without knowing exactly how to do it. Indeed, the lack of resources of an SME could however allow developing organizational transformation through a sensitive equilibrium between the common values and beliefs for the control and the flexibility for the innovation. Moreover, another point highlighted in our findings is the crucial role of the individual in the implementation and development of corporate entrepreneurship.

Tax compliance has been brought into sharp focus by SARS and other tax authorities around the world. Non-compliance causes tax leakages and this situation is detrimental to an economy since it is deprived of resources necessary for growth and public infrastructure development. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are recognised for the value they add to growing economies, stimulating economic growth and job creation. Similarly, the construction industry in South Africa and the world over is recognised for its contribution to public infrastructure development and economic growth. The majority of construction companies operating in South Africa are SMEs. SARS is clamping down on SMEs and the construction industry as it has identified these two categories of taxpayers as high-risk groups in terms of tax non-compliance. The structural and operational nature of SMEs presents opportunities for the avoidance of paying tax. On the other hand, they experience complying with tax and other regulations as a heavy burden. SARS's focus on the construction industry is prompted by the fact that it receives state funding, and corruption in the industry has been found to be rife. A substantial number of studies provide evidence that tax education improves compliance. Therefore, the current study investigates the level of tax knowledge and the possible lack of tax knowledge of SME owners in the construction industry in order to determine their tax education needs. The study involved a qualitative analysis in the form of face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 10 SME owners in the construction industry based in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, South Africa. In the interviews, use was made of structured and open-ended questions. The results confirmed that the owners of very small enterprises had the least amount of tax knowledge whereas the owners of medium-sized entities had the most tax knowledge. Further findings were that most of the entities relied on external tax advisors for tax advice, that the majority of the respondents did not understand the special tax incentives available to SMEs and companies operating in the construction industry and that almost 80% of the respondents believed SARS was not doing enough to educate them about the incentives available. The majority of the respondents felt that improving tax knowledge would improve tax compliance.
Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
Taxation
MCom
Unrestricted

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have grown steadily in recent years.  SMEs generate 59.7 % of value-added and 65.5 % of employment in the ‘non-financial business economy’ in Sweden. It's important for the success of SMEs to be ready to provide high product availability to customers at minimal operation costs. The challenges faced by SMEs are tougher in global competition. There is a rapid growth in the industrial revolution to deal with the challenges as well as competition. This work mainly focuses on implementing resource planning (RP) and adapting to the latest technologies of Industry 4.0 into SMEs to face the challenges. But incorporating Industry 4.0 in a major struggle in the SMEs.  The thesis provides a view of Resource Planning implementation. The authors describe the resource planning implementation techniques and define the requirements for its successful implementation. Resource Planning (RP) adoption factors have been studied quite extensively over the years. However, this master thesis tries to investigate the less explored area of resource planning. Relatively a smaller amount of research has been conducted, when it comes to implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies especially in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).  Industry 4.0 provides new paradigms for the industrial management of SMEs. Supported by a growing number of new technologies, this concept appears more flexible and less expensive than traditional enterprise information systems. This paper presents a literature review of existing applied research covering different Industry 4.0 issues about SMEs. Furthermore, the analysis is done to understand the correlation between the identified factors of Industry 4.0 technologies. The research findings indicate that the use of IoT and Cloud computing are major advantages for resource planning in an SME. The results from the analysis are presented in a framework designed for the future adaptation of these technologies. Despite the research limitations, the findings show a high advantage. Finally, the author suggests a future scope of research.

This thesis is a research about how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be integrated within Small to medium sized enterprises (SME) inside the fashion industry. It examines the drivers for fashion companies to take social and environmental responsibility and what difficulties and opportunities that they might face in their work towards a more sustainable supply chain. There is no doubt about that the fashion industry needs to re-think their strategies in order to be ethical and environmentally friendly, however focus usually lies on the large chains and their impact. In this report, focus lies on fashion companies that belongs to the category “SME”. SME plays a significant role to the economy and have a great impact on the society yet there is little research and empirical findings on how SME can contribute in a profitable way to a sustainable future. A literature review was made to find the current status of how small companies work with CSR together with relevant theories on how to apply it in reality. Three companies chose to participate in an interview in order to get empirical findings and to connect the literature review with reality. The main barrier for SMEs within the fashion industry to involve in CSR is the financial aspect however there is many advantages such as improved stakeholder relationships as well as improved brand reputation that will generate profit in the long run. This study tries to motivate fashion companies to engage in CSR in order to build a stable business.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy Program, 1998.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-211).
by Joshua I. Bernstein.
M.S.

Product development is a crucial leverage point to move our society towards sustainability. The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge on how a selected strategic tool for sustainable product development (SPD), namely the Method for Sustainable Product Development (MSPD), can be adapted to integrate sustainability aspects into the Product Development Process (PDP) of an organization. A Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) in the manufacturing industry with customers and office locations worldwide is used as a case study. A participatory action research approach is used throughout the study. It is shown in the case that the MSPD triggers thinking in product development by raising sustainability-related questions. In order to be answered most questions, however, require additional sustainability education in the organization and further investigation in long-term, company-wide projects, which the current PDP of the organization was not designed to provide. It was concluded that iterations of the process with the integrated MSPD tool and additional tools to supplement the MSPD are necessary to further move product development at the organization towards sustainability.

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics
In 2001 and 2004, two multinational companies (MNC) of the pharmaceutical industry, respectively Bayer and Janssen, left its manufacture operations in Portugal. From its exit, other two Portuguese small and medium enterprises (SME) were born: Bluepharma and Lusomedicamenta. These companies have been highly successful due to the representativeness of exports, contract-manufacturing and generic production. This report intents to study the exit of the MNC and the implementation of the Portuguese SMEs.

In manufacturing, supplier selection is viewed as the foundation of supply chain management, as the choice of the supplier will inherently affect all other aspects of business. This study explores the supplier selection decision-making process within Malaysian manufacturing firms. Previous studies in supplier selection have focused on company performance and quality management. Preceding research in this field, offers evidence that the application of information technology tools, business intelligence tools and artificial intelligence tools can be beneficial to the supplier selection decision-making process. In particular, the study explores the presence and usage of the information technology tools, business intelligence tools and artificial intelligence tools, to support the supplier selection decision making process in Malaysian SME manufacturing companies. Data for this research has been collected from six cases located in Malaysia, and was lead through semi-structured interviews. The findings present online global marketplaces as a supplier sourcing method, unstructured evaluation methods and supplier selection process. Information technology supports the supplier selection process by the usage of mobile applications and online communication tools to increase the speed of information exchange. Business intelligence presents tools developed in Malaysia, in alignment with the needs of Malaysian SME manufacturers. Artificial intelligence tools presented no usage or presence in these cases. Finally, this study uncovers the impact of Malaysian culture on the supplier selection process and their supporting tools. Amongst the contributions are: an understanding of the supplier selection process in the Malaysian SME manufacturing, shedding light on the supplier evaluation process, supplier selection criteria and supplier sourcing methods. Adding a new dimension to the existing body of literature is the use of ICT and BI tools, which support the supplier selection process. The contributions are of benefit to practitioners, as the components of the study sheds light into a non-western context.

The purpose of this master thesis is to point out possibilities for reducing the inventory of semi-finished products based on the example of a German SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) in the steel rope industry. Inventory reduction increases the flexibility of the company and decreases tied up capital. Therefore it is necessary to identify the factors which are influencing the inventory level. Theory provided market related, product related and pro-duction related factors. These factors have been analysed by collecting empirical data and comparing these results with theory. Product delivery strategy, decoupling point strategy and postponement strategy are the theo-retical frame work used to answer the main research question: How can the decrease of inventory of semi-finished products be exemplified without reducing the ability to deliver based on product delivery strategies? The main result of this thesis is that Drako is not able to move the decoupling point dramatically because this change would increase the set-up times. Therefore postponement strategies have to be applied to delay the point of product definition. This can be achieved on the one hand by ensuring that components are useable for other products. Nowadays this point of product definition occurs in the first production step when the chosen wire is fixed in the stranding machine. On the other hand it is easily possible to use free capacity so that the production process can be split up on more machines. The utilisation of the relevant machines for producing elevator steel wire rope is very low. Based on the value stream analysis, which was the major source for collection of the empirical data, waste in the production has been identified. Quality checks at the end of a process are not sufficient, because it is not possible to repair errors. Also the rewinding of the wire is wasted time for the company because the supplier is able to deliver the raw material also on bobbins, which avoids the rewinding process. All in all it can be said that the current production strategy of Drako allows many proposals for inventory reduction.

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Bestandsreduzierung von Zwischenprodukten dargestellt am Beispiel eines Klein- und Mittelunternehmens aus der Stahlseilbranche. Bestandsreduzierungen erhöhen die Flexibilität eines Unternehmens, indem nur das auf Lager liegt, was auch benötigt wird, und reduzieren somit das gebundene Kapital. Um eine Bestandsreduzierung durchführen zu können ist es nötig die Einflussfaktoren zu identifizieren. In der Literatur findet man drei Gruppen von Faktoren – marktbezogene, produktbezogene und prozessbezogene – auf, welche im Rahmen der Diplomarbeit identifiziert, analysiert und diskutiert werden. Dazu werden die empirischen Daten mit der Theorie verglichen. Methoden zur Erfüllung des Kundenbedarfs wie MTS, ATO, MTO und ETO, Theorien über den Entkopplungspunkt und Möglichkeiten zur Verschiebung des Variantenbildungspunktes bilden die theoretischen Grundkonzepte der Diplomarbeit um die folgende Hauptforschungsfrage zu beantworten: Wie kann der Bestand von Zwischenproduktion beispielhaft mit Produktionsmethoden reduziert werden ohne die Liefertreue zu verschlechtern? Das Resultat der Arbeit ist, dass man den Entkopplungspunkt nicht wesentlich verschieben kann, da sich sonst die Rüstzeiten dramatisch erhöhen würden. Deshalb ist es nur möglich mit ausgewählten Methoden den Variantenbildungspunkt zum Kunden hin zu verschieben. Dafür muss gewährleistet sein, dass die selben Zwischenprodukte auch für andere Fertigprodukte verwendet werden können. In dem Unternehmen ist der Variantenbildungspunkt ganz am Anfang der Wertschöpfungskette, d.h. im ersten Bearbeitungsschritt ist das fertige Produkt schon definiert. Ebenso wurde festgestellt, dass die Auslastung der Maschinen sehr niedrig ist. Deswegen ist es leicht möglich Arbeitsschritte aufzuteilen um so eine Verkürzung der Produktionsdurchlaufszeit zu ermöglichen. Mittels einer Wertstromanalyse, welche als Grundlage für die empirische Datenerhebung verwendet wurde, wurde festgestellt, dass sich im Produktionsablauf Verschwendungen ein-geschlichen haben. Zum einen gibt es am Ende der Produktion eine Qualitätskontrolle. Bei dieser „Leichenbeschau“ ist es nicht mehr möglich Fehler zu korrigieren, deshalb muss die Prozessstabilität erhöht werden um die geforderte Qualität sicherstellen zu können. Zum anderen wird der Draht von machen Lieferanten ohne Spulen geliefert. Das führt dazu, dass das Unternehmen einen Umspulvorgang einführen muss, welcher keine wertschöpfende Tätigkeit ist und somit vermieden werden sollte.

In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes more and more popular not only in  academic world but also in practical world. Many transnational companies adopted CSR practices base on kinds of motivations. There is also a rising trend on CSR program among Chinese SME. Moreover we noticed that, despite the challenges and misunderstandings, some Chinese textile SME successfully created competitive advantage with strategic CSR. However, there are few previous researches try to study on Chinese company in field of strategic CSR, especially on Chinese SME. This research intends to discover how the competitive advantage was created by strategic CSR in Chinese textile SME and try to explain the process by the existing theories. A case study approach was adopted in the study. From the case study and interview results, we aim to explain the behaviours of case firm by existing theories and conclude a Chinese SME specific CSR strategy. In the end, differentiated corporate social strategy, special CSR concept and CSR communication were concluded as the key factors influencing the success in the Chinese textile SME.

Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis and financial ratios are all managerial accounting and financial accounting tools that can help managers to make informative business decisions within their organisations. In addition, certain strategic tools such as Porters five forces, SWOT analysis, identifying of core principles, the compilation of the vision and mission statement will empower the small to medium business to be successful as an entrepreneurial venture. The problem arises in many small to medium business (SMEs), that once growth occurs and important decisions needs to be made, which may include relocation of the business and buying of capital equipment. The owners of these ventures struggle to make informative decisions. The general objective of this research is to apply financial and managerial accounting principles as well as strategy principles to a small business called Envirocare Laboratories. The aim of this research is to empower the small business owner with these tools to ensure success in future ventures. Literature on financial, managerial and strategic principles advises that the objectives, measurements and targets should be aligned with the SMEs long-term goals and performance. An empirical study done with the owner of the SME called Envirocare, has indicated serious shortcomings in terms of understanding how long-term goals are defined and the objectives achieved. The most important conclusion includes that certain capital expenditure projects have been viable, that the SME has been adding value to the economy and that the current strategy needs to be revised to include long-term goal planning.
Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Thesis (MTech (Marketing))--Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, 1997
The quality of service that is currently being offered by restaurants in the southern suburbs of Cape Town does not consistently meet with the service expectations of consumers. This results in the formulation of a negative perception of service quality. A knowledge of customer expectations is critical in delivering quality service and largely determines the success or failure of service-oriented organisations. One of the maj or challenges facing restaurants is meeting or exceeding the everincreasing expectations of consumers as this determines whether consumers are satisfied or not. It is therefore important to assess the current state of service quality within restaurants. In this study the Servqual model, which is one of the most widely used tools in measuring service quality, was used· to assess the service quality within restaurants. The Servqual model is a questionnaire which can be modified in order to measure service quality within a specific service industry. The model consists of a set of twenty-two statements measuring the expectations of consumers and a matching set of twenty-two statements measuring the perceptions the consumers have of the service quality that they have been exposed to. The consumers then indicate their responses on a Likert-type scale, which accompanies each statement. There is no immediate solution to improving the poor perception of service quality that exists, as any service quality programme is a long-term process that needs to be systematically implemented.

The participation of a new Rosetti’s Nigerian subsidiary in a new business project for the most important Oil Company in Nigeria, requires the setting of a new HSE Management System (HSE-MS), which considers Nigerian legal requirements, different type of hazards, risks and opportunities as well to the employment of local personnel. The purpose of this thesis is to identify, define and stablish the main requirements to consider in a new country when a new HSE-MS for an organization, which provides Engineering, Procurement and Construction services to the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry as Rosetti Marino Group, must to be implemented. This involves the identification of external and internal factors at specific conditions for understanding the context and needs of the HSE-MS organization to identify additional hazards and risks that under different conditions would be irrelevant or even not considered. For that purpose, in this work are considered the International Standards ISO 45001 “Occupational health and safety management system” and ISO 14001 “Environmental management systems”, as well to IOGP Standards, contractual requirements and previously experience of Rosetti Marino in other countries in this field. The set-up of the HSE-MS for three different countries (Kazakhstan, Mexico and Nigeria), will be compared to have a better understanding on how these internal and external factors could affect and change the planning and implementation of it. In the case of Kazakhstan, it will be described the HSE-MS that is already implemented at Kazakhstan Caspian Offshore Industries LLP (KCOI), which is another Subsidiary of Rosetti’s Group. This to compare it with the ones to be implemented at Nigeria and the hypothetical case of Mexico.

This thesis presents guidelines for how eco-design methods can be adapted to facilitate the introduction of ecologically responsible manufacturing in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Indian electronics industry. It also investigates the major opportunities and obstacles for eco-design to become a natural part of product design. This is urgent both from environmental and economic perspectives since the SMEs pollute a lot in proportion to their share of the total industrial production, and at the same time they are vulnerable for the increasing environmental demands on product design. The European Union recently introduced their directive on the Restriction of the Use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) which bans certain hazardous chemicals in electric and electronic device. For many producers that supply to the European market this was a wake up clock to start thinking about environmental aspects related to production.

The study was carried out as an interview and questionnaire study at three SMEs in the electronics industry. Additional interviews were held with informants in different organisations. It was concluded that for SMEs in the Indian electronics industry qualitative and semi-quantitative eco-design methods should be chosen before quantitative methods. Eco-design methods should resemble traditional methods that are already used in the companies. For the product developers to be able to work with eco-design more education and other solutions are needed to raise the environmental knowledge. Support and commitment from top management is also imperative. Methods should be developed to encourage the establishment of multi functional teams and early integration of environmental aspects in design projects.

The external demands on environmentally responsible manufacturing are expected to increase in the future. This will most likely have a positive influence on the environmental awareness in the industry, just as the RoHS directive has had. However, there are still economic and technical barriers that need to be bridged for SMEs in India to be able to work with eco-design. More cooperation and communication between academics, policy makers and the industry is needed to make it happen.

Profit and growth are the pillars of all business enterprises. The Swedish wood industry has historically been characterized by pressured margins and marginal growth, and in particular SME's have had many challenges in regard to long-term success. It is thus interesting and essential to understand more specifically how SMEs in the Swedish wood industry can navigate the challenges in the industry, and thus generate profitability and growth. Against this background, this study aimed to describe and analyze what strategies and associated key activities SMEs in the wood industry can work with to generate profitable growth.  In order to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts of growth and profitability, a literature study was first conducted to establish influencing factors for these. With a clear basis for strategy and market influence as main drivers, a theoretical basis for strategic positioning and growth strategies were then identified, strengthened by research showing how industry factors affect the context and how SMEs specifically are affected. For strategic positioning, cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies were examined. Furthermore, the growth strategies were divided into organic and non-organic. Market penetration, market development, product development and diversification were investigated for organic growth strategies. The non-organic strategies dealt with two different types of acquisitions: consolidating acquisitions and diversifying acquisitions. These types of acquisitions were then supplemented with further studies on resource and synergy perspectives in acquisitions.  Based on these theoretical areas, an analytical model was created with associated research questions to enable answers to the purpose of the study. In order to nuance the theoretical perspective, qualitative interviews were conducted with company executives with backgrounds in different parts of the wood industry. A variable-based cross-sectional analysis of collected empirical data was conducted to compare the different interview subjects' perspectives on the established theoretical concepts, in order to put these growth strategies in context with SME's in the Swedish wood industry.  The study showed that the theoretical frameworks were not fully applicable in the wood industry, which resulted in an updated framework that considers the specific conditions of the wood industry. The study shows that it is essential that SMEs work with clear niches as a foundation and as a target for strategic positioning. This position is usually achieved through customer engagement, value adding and market knowledge. The study shows that it is essential, especially from a long-term perspective, that SMEs have clear organic growth strategies. In addition, companies can supplement the organic operations with non-organic strategies, which aim to strengthen the strategic position and create better conditions for future organic growth.  Organic growth strategies fall into two categories for the wood industry: sales-oriented and value adding-oriented, where value adding strategies are the leading strategies for successful SMEs today. Sales-oriented strategies place requirements in the categories of raw material supply, market segmentation, and the correct use of sales channels. Value adding strategies place demands on customer engagement, ensuring raw material quality and establishing refined products in new markets.  Non-organic strategies, both consolidating and diversifying, are well-used and potentially successful for SMEs in the wood industry. Furthermore, it is clear that diversification and consolidation through acquisitions are not necessarily separate, but should instead be encouraged to be carried out in symbiosis. Acquisition strategies have specific activities linked to the establishment of acquisition strategy, target search, analysis of identified targets and ensuring key personnel.

The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries worldwide with vast impacts on all three pillars of sustainability – ecology, society and economy. Recently there has been increased interest in improving sustainable practices in the clothing industry. These practices look to tackle the negative impacts from emissions, pollution and synthetic or man-madematerials (i.e. those made from fossil fuels). Popular approaches are transparency, supply chain traceability and product certifications. This research aims to evaluate these different approaches with a multi-criteria analysis using a developed evaluation framework and applying the framework at a case study at ASKET AB, a menswear brand from Sweden. Research included seven different certifications common in the clothing industry. Due to a different focus not on a product but rather on a company management level, one of the certifications is excluded in the evaluation process. To ensure the relevance of the framework, the common approaches in sustainability research of the Planetary Boundaries and the Doughnut Economy are combined with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Thus, the evaluation framework covers an environmental as well as a social dimension, including 18 impact categories in total. The evaluation results in a score for each certification according to the ranking per impact category for each certification. The results showed a clear advantage for certifications covering impact categories from the environmental as well as the social dimension. The results from the evaluation are accompanied by semi-structured interviews with seven experts from within the apparel and sustainability industry. The interviews support most of the findings from the literature research and evaluation. The combination of evaluation and interviews concludes that there is a necessity to take different factors into account before choosing a certain certifications scheme. There is no one fits all approach due to the fact that each organisation adopts its own sustainability practices. Key factors to take into consideration include values and focus areas of the company as well as the rigour of the certification. Consequently, depending on the circumstances, a combination of different certifications and ecolabels might be the best approach. The results are applied to a case study at ASKET AB, a Stockholm-based menswear brand focussing on high-quality and timeless wardrobe essentials. Applicability of different traceability approaches and certifications for ASKET considered different factors including limited monetary and personnel resources of a small- to medium-sized enterprise to a micro-company. Furthermore, a comparison to other approaches of supply chain traceability and transparent communication are taken into account in the assessment. Overall, a different focus depending on the supply chain processes is the most suitable option for ASKET since a full certification of the company, or specific products are not applicable at the current stage of the company.
Textilindustrin är en av världens mest förorenande industrier med stor påverkan på alla tre delar inom hållbarhet – ekologiskt, social och ekonomist. På senare tid har intresset för mer hållbara metoder inom klädindustrin ökat. Målet med dessa metoder är att minska de negativa effekterna från utsläpp, föroreningar samt material från fossila källor. Populära tillvägagångssätt inkluderar transparens, spårbarhet i leverantörskedjan och produktcertifiering. Denna studie utvärderar dessa tillvägagångssätt via en multikriterieanalys utförd med ett framtaget utvärderingsramverk. Studien innehåller sju, för klädindustrin, vanliga certifieringar varav en av dessa exkluderades i utvärderingsprocessen på grund av annat fokus. Ramverkets relevans säkerställs genom att kombinera de vanligaste metoderna i hållbarhetsforskning inom Planetary Boundaries och Doughnut Economy med FN:s mål för hållbarutveckling (FN:s SDGs). Därmed täcker utvärderingsramen såväl miljö- som sociala aspekter innehållandes 18 olika påverkningsbara kategorier. Utvärderingen ger varje certifiering en poäng enligt ranking per påverkningsbar kategori. Certifieringar innehållandes miljö- och sociala aspekter fick bästresultat. Utvärderingsresultaten åtföljdes av semistrukterande intervjuer med sju experter som stöder mestadels av litteraturforskningen och utvärderingen. Utvärderings- och intervjuresultaten visar vikten av att ta olika faktorer i beaktning innan ett certifieringsschema väljs. Dessa inkluderar företagsvärden, fokusområden samt kriteriets strikthet. Det existerar således ingen universell metod och i vissa fall kan en kombination av olika certifieringar och ekomärkningar vara den bästa metoden. Resultaten applicerades på en fallstudie hos ASKET AB, ett Stockholmsbaserat herrklädesmärke med fokus på högkvalitativa och tidlösa ”wardrobe essentials” (garderobsnödvändigheter). Tillämpbarheten av olika spårbarhetsmetoder och certifieringar för ASKET innehöll faktorer så som begränsade monetära- och personalresurser för ett litet till medelstort bolag till ett mikroföretag. I bedömningen beaktas även en jämförelse av andra tillvägagångssätt för spårbarhet i leveranskejdan och kommunikationstransparens. Sammanfattningsvis ärolika fokus beroende på leveranskedjeproncessen mest användbar för ASKET eftersom en fullständig certifiering av företaget eller en specifik produkt i nuläget inte är applicerbar.

Tough market situation from one side and global competition from another side are persuading companies to search for new manufacturing concepts and try to stay competitive. But “how” to consider “new” manufacturing systems is still a big question mark.This thesis aims to analyze reconfigurability as an enabler for competitiveness in manufacturing systems. The frame of work in this study is “Reconfigurable Manufacturing System” or briefly RMS. In first chapter, some background about reconfigurability has been stated. Then it will continue with research questions, delimitations and expected results.Then the research methodology and challenges for applying RMS have been stated. This chapter explains researchers’ method for data reviewing and data collection. Another focus area in this thesis is SME (Small and Medium size Enterprises). So this report tries also to examine reconfigurability challenges in SMEs. There is a big gap between “ideal” production system and “designing” of this ideal production system. So this thesis tried to increase the knowledge about design of reconfigurable manufacturing systems.In empirical study chapter two case studies have been analysed and as a result a list of challenges for implementing reconfigurable system has been proposed. Then some solutions and methods are proposed in order to answer to challenges. This solutions and methods are then discussed and evaluated.Finally, in last chapter, challenges and prerequisites for implementing reconfigurable manufacturing system in general and for SMEs in specific have been stated. This chapter was ended by expressing future works.

Inom området hållbarhetsledning så finns det många verktyg som har utvecklats för att hjälpa företag att adressera och hantera olika delar av hållbarhet. Mängden verktyg som finns tillgängliga innebär att det är en utmaning i sig att välja det bästa möjliga verktyget för ett givet företag. För små och medelstora företag finns ytterligare svårigheter inom de flesta delar av hållbarhetsledning, framför allt på grund av begränsade resurser. En av dessa utmaningar är att hitta och implementera lämpliga och användbara hållbarhetsledningsverktyg. Många hållbarhetsledningsverktyg fokuserar på olika områden av hållbarhet, indelade i indikatorer. Olika industrier har olika verktyg som är utvecklade för och passar dem, och lägger olika vikt vid indikatorer baserat på vilken påverkan industrin har inom hållbarhetsområdet. Utöver detta har företag olika krav på hållbarhetsledningsverktyg, baserat på deras unika omständigheter, påverkan, resurser och existerade hållbarhetsarbete. En metod för att hantera valet av verktyg är därför att matcha verktyg och företag baserat på indikatorer och faktorerna beskrivna ovan. Detta projekt försöker förenkla processen att välja verktyg genom att skapa en strukturerad modell för urvalsprocessen, baserad på hållbarhetsindikatorer, och att testa den genom att skapa en verktygslåda med kombinationer av verktyg för två fallstudieföretag. Verktygslådan framtagen i projektet innehåller verktyg företaget använder i nuläget, verktyg som föreslås som komplement, och verktyg som är onödiga att fokusera på då använda verktyg täcker ekvivalenta indikatorer. I det här projektet utfördes två jämförande kartläggningar av verktyg och indikatorer för att testa modellen. Detta baserades på information om verktyg och vilka indikatorer de täcker, tillsammans med information om nuläge och hållbarhetsarbete hos två medelstora svenska företag. De båda företagen är Houdini, som arbetar med produktion och försäljning av kläder, och Jämtkraft, från energisektorn. Den utvecklade modellen kunde användas för att generera förslag på verktygslådor för de båda fallen. Dock visade dessa verktygslådor även modellens begränsningar och brister, såsom exkluderingen av verktyg som inte använder indikatorer, och antagandena att verktygen passar medelstora företag lika bra och producerar lika bra resultat om de täcker samma indikatorer. Projektets slutsats är därför att det är möjligt att använda den här modellen för att välja verktyg baserat på indikatorer, men dess användning begränsas av vad som exkluderas. Dock bör fortsatt vidareutveckling av modellen kunna lösa dessa problem.
Within sustainability management, there are several sustainability management tools which have been developed to help companies address disparate aspects of sustainability. This multitude of options means that selecting the best possible tool for companies is a challenge in and of itself. In the case of small- and medium sized companies, there are additional difficulties in regard to most aspects of sustainability management, primarily due to a lack of resources. Among these challenges are finding and implementing suitable and useful sustainability management tools. This project attempts to simplify the tool selection process, by creating a structured tool selection model based on sustainability key performance indicators. A large number of sustainability management tools are focused on different areas of sustainability, often divided into some form of indicators. Different industries have different tools available and suitable for them, and different priorities among sustainability performance indicators, based on which impacts and effects the industry has on sustainability. Individual companies have differing requirements on sustainability management tools as well, based on unique circumstances, impacts, available resources, and existing sustainability measures. One way to handle tool selection is thus to match tools to companies, based on indicators and the factors described above. The intention for this project is to create a model for simplifying tool selection, and to test it by creating suggested combination of tools, a “toolbox”, to use for two case companies. The toolbox includes which tools are currently used, suggestions for which additional tools should be implemented to cover indicator gaps, and which tools are unnecessary to focus on, since used tools cover equivalent indicators. In this project, two mappings of tools and indicators were performed to test the model. This was based on information gathered about the tools and which indicators they cover, combined with information about the conditions and sustainability work from two Swedish medium sized companies. The selected companies were Houdini, from the Swedish clothing retail industry, and Jämtkraft, from the Swedish energy sector. The model can be used to generate toolbox suggestion for these cases. However, there are several limitations to this model, such as the exclusion of non-indicator focused tools, and the assumptions that these sustainability tools produce equal results and are useful for medium sized companies. The conclusion is reached that a decision-making process based on indicators is possible, but there are several important considerations not included within this specific model which limits its potential use. Further development of this model can be done to remedy these shortcomings.

Background

Internationalization is a rapidly increasing trend of firms and markets in today’s business

environment where fashion companies have evolved to be one of the most successful and

dynamic international retailers. Though a majority of SMEs in the retail fashion industry have

the potential to become international, many never do due to a number of barriers. When

making decisions regarding international strategies, it is important for companies to analyze

and understand the foreign market to determine if there is an opportunity for success on the

market. However, many SMEs fail to do a thorough market analysis prior to

internationalizing and never reach their full potential on the market.

Purpose

The purpose of this thesis is, through a market analysis, to determine if Sweden is a suitable

market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry.

Method

A qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper where data was

collected through a single case study of the company Phresh Image. Primary research was

conducted through interviews with the CEO of Phresh Image as well as focus group meetings

to collect data regarding the company and the potential customers. The interviews were

structured after the theoretical framework and included participants described by Phresh’s

target group. Secondary data was collected regarding Sweden and the Swedish retail industry

and used to compare the domestic market to the foreign market.

Conclusion

By answering the research questions, the thesis found that Sweden is a suitable market for a

Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Branding, quality design were among the

most influential characteristics for Swedish consumers and retail companies in the fashion

industry must take these into consideration when internationalizing to Sweden. Canada’s and

Sweden’s economic, political and cultural environments proved to be rather similar though

some adaptation of a company’s marketing mix may be required. In addition, exporting was

shown to be the most suitable way for retails to enter into Sweden providing limited barriers

and low risk.

The field of SME marketing has been identified as an area of marketing research that is requiring attention. Much of the existing research is based on the assumption that SMEs are naturally disadvantaged in the area of marketing due to their size (McGrath, 2008, p15). However their less structured and informal approach to marketing can actually give SMEs a competitive edge (Gilmore & Carson, 1999, p.36) as they are often closer to their customers. This is particularly true for Biotechnology SMEs, because they often target a very small group of customers, enabling them to be closer to these group of customers. In recent years, various researchers have explored the use of marketing networks for SMEs to overcome some of the challenges the face (Carson, Gilmore & Rocks, 2004, p. 370; McGrath, 2008, p.48). This thesis has developed a model of marketing networks particularly tailored to Biotechnology SMEs in the UK using a mixed method approach combining case studies with a survey. The addition of a survey alongside seven case studies provides a stronger and more robust methodology. The research has an exploratory nature as no previous marketing research has been undertaken that is specific to the Biotechnology industry, 69 British Biotechnology SMEs were sampled and thus, this study has been able to secure a much larger sample than previous studies in this field. The findings from research and the model development suggest that Biotechnology SMEs in the UK already actively engage in marketing networks. They do so to achieve a number of strategic objectives such as business development, gaining access to R&D capabilities, marketing capabilities and funding. It was also established that marketing networks can contribute to the overall performance of Biotechnology SMEs. Market orientation of the SMEs also impacts performance and acts as a partial mediator between marketing network and performance.

Thesis (MScEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has potential to grow extensively as a country supplying components to the global aerospace industry supply chains, as well as directly to OEMs like Airbus, Boeing and Cessna which are first tier suppliers. The economic crisis had a significant impact on the growth of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), also in aerospace companies. Before the recession, SMEs did not see the necessity to become certified with internationally accredited quality standards, because there were an abundance of business opportunities. In the current restricted business climate SMEs are increasingly realising the importance of certification. The standard that aerospace companies need to comply with, is the AS 9100 standard. Compliance to AS 9100 was previously considered as a competitive advantage (order winner) but has become a necessary prerequisite (order qualifier) to be considered for a contract. In the aerospace industry accountability, traceability, documentation and quality of parts are of critical importance. Quality of products according to specification is crucial as it has a profound effect on safety. The tendency in improving of a company's processes is to scale down on superfluous documentation. In the case of aerospace companies, this is an extremely challenging goal because traceability is of such crucial importance in this sector in terms of aircraft structural system and –operational integrity. For the purpose of this study, a small to medium manufacturer of aircraft and defence system parts was studied and considered to be representative of the aerospace industry in South Africa. The research gap amongst SMEs was investigated by means of a case study at an SME in South Africa where an IT-based AS 9100 quality management system was designed, developed and implemented. The investigation includes the analysis of the research partner's quality documents, the steps in the design and development of the quality management system (QMS) and a description of the implementation thereof. This study aims to provide the focus group (SMEs) with more knowledge when developing their quality management systems for implementation of the AS 9100 requirement to compete in the aerospace industry. It describes the historic background and current use of the AS 9100 standard as background. The objective of the case study will be to determine the generic validity of the method to be able to implement AS 9100 at a small to medium sized aerospace supplier when using the same guidelines which are followed in this specific case. The method's value and success are determined by means of an external audit (certification audit) of the company used in the case study. The method makes specific use of an IT-based infrastructure to facilitate the reduction of unnecessary documentation. Experiences gained by the author in applying AS 9100 to upgrade local manufacturing companies to aerospace suppliers to Volvo Aero Company in Sweden are briefly discussed as well as the validity to make use of these generic steps.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika het die potensiaal om betekenisvol te groei as ʼn land wat komponente lewer aan internasionale lugvaart verskaffersnetwerke. Die ekonomiese krisis het 'n beduidende impak op die groei van klein tot mediumgrootte ondernemings gehad, asook in die lugvaart-industrie. Voor die resessie, het hierdie ondernemings nie die noodsaaklikheid om akkreditasie tot internasionale kwaliteitstandaarde te verkry na waarde geag nie, weens die genoegsame beskikbaarheid van sakegeleenthede. In die huidige ekonomiese klimaat word die belangrikheid van akkreditasie egter toenemend besef. Die standaard waaraan maatskappye in die lugvaartindustrie moet voldoen is die AS 9100 kwaliteitsbeheerstelsel. Voorheen is die akkreditasie tot hierdie standaard gesien as ʼn mededingende voordeel wanneer daar getender is vir ʼn kontrak. Deesdae word dit as ʼn noodsaaklike voorvereiste beskou, voordat die besigheid se aansoek om ʼn kontrak te verkry eers oorweeg sal word. In die lugvaartnywerheid is aanspreeklikheid, naspeurbaarheid en dokumentasie van kardinale belang. Die tendens in die verbetering van 'n maatskappy se prosesse is om af te skaal ten opsigte van onnodige dokumentasie. In die geval van lug- en ruimtevaartmaatskappye, is dit 'n uiters uitdagende doel, omdat naspeurbaarheid gedurende die komponent se leeftyd van deurslaggewende belang is in hierdie sektor. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is 'n klein- tot mediumgrootte vervaardiger van lugvaartkomponente wat dien as navorsingsvennoot, bestudeer. Hulle is beskou as verteenwoordigend van die lugvaartnywerheid in Suid-Afrika vir die doel van die studie. Die navorsingsgaping is geïdentifiseer as die implementering van ʼn gehaltebeheer stelsel wat voldoen aan die AS 9100 kwaliteitsbeheer standaard. Die gevallestudie van hierdie lugvaartvervaardiger sluit die bestudering van die ontwerp, ontwikkeling en implementering van ʼn IT-gebaseerde AS 9100 gehaltestelsel in. In die studie word die navorsingsvennoot se kwaliteitstelsel en dokumente ontleed, en die stappe in die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van die nuwe stelsel verduidelik. Die implementering en die validering van die stelsel deur die outeur, word beskryf en getoets deur middel van ʼn eksterne sertifiseringsliggaam. Hierdie studie poog om as riglyn te dien vir die fokus groep (klein- tot mediumgrootte ondernemings) en hul kennis van die AS 9100 standaard te verbreed. Hierdie kennis dra potensieel by tot die ontwikkeling van hul eie gehaltebestuur stelsels en die implementering van AS 9100 vereistes sodat akkreditasie tot die standaard verkry kan word en hul die lugvaartnywerheid kan betree. Die dokument beskryf die historiese agtergrond en huidige gebruik van die AS 9100 standaard. Die doel van die gevallestudie is om die generiese waarde van die metode vas te stel sodat ander klein tot mediumgrootte ondernemings in staat sal wees om dieselfde metode te volg om AS 9100 te implementeer. Die metode se geldigheid en sukses word bepaal deur middel van 'n eksterne oudit (sertifiseringsoudit) van die navorsingsvennoot in die gevallestudie. Die metode maak gebruik van 'n spesifieke IT-gebaseerde infrastruktuur om die vermindering van onnodige dokumentasie te fasiliteer. Ervarings en bevindings van ʼn soortgelyke studie in Swede, waar die outeur lid van die implementeringspan was, word ook kortliks bespreek om die geldigheid van die generiese stappe te bepaal en te beklemtoon.

A company's need for an effective and suitable corporate strategy is higher than ever due tofierce and increasing competition in the current business landscape. In order for companies tofinance their chosen corporate strategy, as for instance conduct investments for growth, theyneed proper funding. Moreover, the capital structure defines and outlines a company’s availablemix of debt and equity. Financial theories and studies further conclude that it is paramount forcompanies to understand the relationship between the corporate strategy and the capital structurein order to remain competitive. However, the current amount of empirical studies that have beenconducted in this area is very limited. Therefore, this study has analysed and examined therelationship between the corporate strategy and the capital structure for small and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs) in the Swedish manufacturing industry. Indeed, the purpose of the study is toexamine this relationship. The study has been executed by conducting five case studies where five different SMEs in theSwedish manufacturing industry have been analysed. The companies represent both familyownership as well as ownerships via external investors. The five case studies consisted of semistructuredinterviews with the CEO of each firm. A questionnaire was also provided to the fiverespondents, which enhanced the possibility to benchmark the results from the companies. The results of the study indicate that the relationship between the corporate strategy and thecapital structure differs depending on a company’s type of ownership. In conclusion, forexternally owned companies (e.g. owned by private equity companies), the corporate strategytends to drive the choice of capital structure. On the other hand, for companies owned by thefounding families, the relationship seems to be inverted where the capital structure rather drivesthe choice of corporate strategy.
Ett företags behov av en effektiv och passande företagsstrategi är högre än någonsin på grund avhård och ökande konkurrens på den nuvarande marknaden. För att ett företag skall kunnafinansiera sin valda företagsstrategi, som exempelvis att genomföra investeringar för tillväxt,krävs det en väl avvägd finansiering. Vidare definierar och beskriver kapitalstrukturen ettföretags tillgänglighet gällande dess mix av skulder och eget kapital. Samtidigt visar finansiellteori och studier på området att det är av största vikt för företag att de förstår sambandet mellandess företagsstrategi och kapitalstruktur för att de skall kunna förbli konkurrenskraftiga. Dock ärantalet studier som är gjorda på området mycket begränsade. Således har denna studie analyseratoch undersökt sambandet mellan företagsstrategin och kapitalstrukturen för små och medelstoraföretag (SMEs) inom den svenska tillverkningsindustrin. Studien har utförts genom att genomföra fem fallstudier där fem olika små och medelstoraföretag inom den svenska tillverkningsindustrin har analyserats. Företagen representerar bådefamiljeägda företag samt företag ägda av externa investerare. De fem fallstudierna bestod avsemistrukturerade intervjuer med VDn för respektive bolag. Ett frågeformulär distribueradesockså till de fem respondenterna för att kunna möjliggöra en jämförelse av resultaten från bolagen. Resultaten av studien indikerar att sambandet mellan företagsstrategin och kapitalstrukturenvarierar beroende på typ av ägarskap av ett bolag. Sammanfattningsvis så tenderar valet avföretagsstrategi att driva valet av kapitalstruktur för bolag ägda av externa investerare(exempelvis bolag ägda av private equity-företag). Å andra sidan tenderar förhållandet snararevara inverterat för företag ägda av sina grundarfamiljer, där kapitalstrukturen snarare driver valetav företagsstrategi.

Mestrado em Finanças
O objectivo desta investigação é estudar a intensidade exportadora das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PME) em Portugal. A relação entre a intensidade exportadora e o desempenho financeiro é analisado em detalhe. A análise empírica é baseada na amostra das PME da indústria transformadora obtida através dos dados contabilísticos do Sistema de Contas Integradas das Empresas (SCIE). São analisados dois modelos de intensidade exportadora das PME, linear e probit, tendo em conta dois tipos de variáveis dependentes: (i) a percentagem das vendas no mercado externo (considerando-se; e (ii) uma variável binária que mede a predominância exportadora (valor 1 para percentagens de vendas externas superiores a 50%). Como variáveis explicativas foram testadas variáveis relacionadas com as características das empresas (por exemplo, dimensão, nível tecnológico, custos salariais) e com o desempenho financeiro (por exemplo, endividamento, autonomia financeira). Os resultados são mistos dependendo do modelo e da amostra estudada, no entanto, no geral, o retorno sobre os activos, a produtividade, o resultado líquido e o rácio da dívida têm uma relação positiva com a intensidade exportadora. A dimensão e o nível tecnológico também têm um impacto positivo. O salário médio por trabalhador tem um efeito negativo na intensidade exportadora, sugerindo uma competitividade internacional baseada nos custos.
The purpose of this investigation is to explain the export intensity of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in Portugal. The relation between export intensity and financial performance is analyzed in detail. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of SME firms from the manufacturing sector obtained from the firm-level accounting data Sistema de Contas Integradas das Empresas (SCIE). Two models of export intensity of SMEs are analyzed, linear and probit, considering two kinds of dependent variables: (i) the percentage of foreign sales (considering; and (ii) a binary variable that measures the predominance (value 1 for percentages of foreign sales higher than 50%). As explanatory variables are tested variables related to company characteristics (e.g. size, technological level, wage costs) and to financial performance (e.g. debt, financial autonomy). Results are mixed depending on the model or sample studied, however, in general, return on assets, productivity, net result and debt-to-equity ratio have a positive relationship with the export intensity. Size and technological level also impacted positively. Average wage has a negative effect on export intensity, suggesting an international competitiveness based on costs.

We have all read about the rapid development of today’s business landscape as well as the increase in globalization. Companies are forced to operate in new ways in order to stay competitive. At the same time, globalization has opened up new business opportunities for companies. This has lead to the emergence of born global companies, which carry out rapid internationalization processes from an early stage, and challenge traditional internationalization models such as the Uppsala model. According to existing literature, there are several challenges with adopting a born global strategy, and international entrepreneurship orientation becomes an important aspect in order to succeed. Finding a balance between innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness is the key in order for born global companies to succeed in their internationalization process. This study investigates how international entrepreneurship orientation affects the internationalization process of born global companies in Sweden. I have, with the help of a qualitative study, looked into how Swedish SME born global companies in the ear-and headphone industry have managed to take on several international markets in their internationalization process and in what way international entrepreneurship orientation in combination with other factors have played a crucial role.
Vi har alla läst om den snabba utvecklingen av dagens affärslandskap samt den ökade globaliseringen. Företag tvingas idag att hitta nya sätt att arbeta på för att förbli konkurrenskraftiga. Globalisering har i sin tur skapat nya möjligheter för företag, vilket har lett till uppkomsten av born global-företag. Dessa företag karaktäriseras av att genomföra snabba internationaliseringsprocesser från ett tidigt skede och utmanar på så sätt mer traditionella modeller så som Uppsalamodellen. Enligt existerande litteratur finns det ett flertal utmaningar när det kommer till att ta sig an en born global-strategi och internationell entreprenörskapsorientering blir därmed en viktig aspekt för att lyckas. Att hitta en balans mellan innovativitet, proaktivitet och risktagande är nyckeln för att ett born globalföretag ska lyckas i sin internationaliseringsprocess. Den här studien undersöker hur internationell entreprenörskapsorientering påverkar internationaliseringsprocessen hos born global-företag i Sverige. Jag har med hjälp av en kvalitativ studie undersökt hur svenska SME born global-företag inom hörlursbranschen har lyckats ta sig an flera internationella marknader i deras internationaliseringsprocess och på vilket sätt internationell entreprenörskapsorientering i kombination med andra faktorer har haft en kritisk roll i processen.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.
Nowadays, SME industries in the plastics sector fail to work with their maximum installed capacity, among the main factors are lack of market, normal or inevitable and conventional or technical stops, will be dealt with in this investigation. The problem is evident in 71.45%, the average percentage of capacity used in the plastics industries in Peru. Therefore, this article proposes the development of a three-phase production model and complements the Planned Maintenance pillar with Lean tools that seek to improve the capacity used by 17% in industries in the sector. The model starts with the 5S as a basis and support to standardize the ordering and cleaning habits to continue with SMED and Planned Maintenance of TPM. The model was validated with an implementation, an 18% increase in the production capacity used, so it can be concluded that the proposal for improvement presented serves as a reference for future research.

Kapitalstrukturen för ett företag är en sammansättning av dess egna kapital och skulder som används för att finansiera företaget. Uppsättningen av ett företags kapitalstruktur skiljer sig mellan företag eftersom varje företag själv väljer hur den ska se ut. Idag består 99 % av Sveriges alla företag av SMF. SMF:s kapitalstruktur skiljer sig gentemot större företag då de är mer beroende av extern finansiering än de större företagen. Generellt sett är SMF beroende av externt kapital för att finansiera verksamheten och vid en konjunkturnedgång minskar möjligheten att få tillgång till externt kapital. Kapitalstrukturen och dess företagsspecifika faktorer kan komma påverkas av en kris vilket studien syftar till att studera, om en specifik branschs kapitalstruktur påverkades av finanskrisen 2008. Det finns tidigare studier kring ämnet men det anses vara ett relativt outforskat forskningsområde.Studien omfattar ett urval på 763 SMF inom byggnadsbranschen i Sverige som varit verksamma under och efter finanskrisen 2008. Tidsperioden som studeras är mellan 2008 och 2015. För att kunna svara på om finanskrisen påverkade kapitalstrukturen hos de utvalda företagen användes deskriptiva, korrelations- och regressionsanalyser för att se sambandet mellan de beroende- och oberoende variablerna i studien. Studiens beroende variabler bestod av långfristiga-, kortfristiga- och leverantörsskulder och de oberoende bestod av storlek, ålder, lönsamhet, tillväxt samt en dummyvariabel som stod för den ekonomiska finanskrisen. Regressionsanalyserna utfördes för att se om kapitalstrukturen hade påverkats av finanskrisen. Analysernas resultat indikerar på att det förekommer en skillnad mellan tidsperioderna, attföretagens kapitalstruktur till viss del har påverkats av konjunkturnedgången. Resultatet tyder på att skuldsättningen minskade bland företagen då finanskrisen pågick.
The capital structure of a company is a composition of its equity and liabilities used to finance the company. A company's capital structure differs between companies as each company chooses its own capital structure. Today, 99% of companies in Sweden consists of SME:s. Capital structure also differs from larger companies as SME:s are relatively more dependent on external funding. Generally speaking, SMEs are dependent to external capital to finance the business, in case of a recession, the possibility to gain access from external capital reduces. The capital structure and its company-specific factors may be affected by a crisis where this paper aims to study as how a specific industry's capital structure was affected by the financial crisis in 2008. There are earlier studies on the subject, but it is considered a relatively unexplored research area.The study comprises a sample of 763 SMEs active in the construction industry in Sweden during and after the financial crisis in 2008. The study period is between 2008 and 2015. In order to answer if the financial crisis affected the capital structure of the selected companies, descriptive, correlation and regression analyzes were used to see the relationship between the dependent and independent variables in the study. The dependent variables of the studyconsisted of long-term, short-term and supplier debt and the independence consisted of size, age, profitability, growth and a dummy variable that accounted for the financial crisis. The regression analyzes were conducted to see if the capital structure had been affected by the financial crisis. The results of the analyzes indicate that there is a difference between the periods of time that the capital structure of the companies had been influenced to a certain extent by the economic downturn. The results indicates that debt decreased among companies when the financial crisis continued.

SMF är viktiga för den svenska finansmarknaden då de utgör 99 % av de totala företagen i landet. Dessa företag anses vara mycket bankberoende och mer känsliga för externa ekonomiska fluktuationer än större företag. Oavsett hur den globala ekonomin ser ut så måste företag kunna finansiera sin verksamhet med kapital. Kapitalstruktur är ett omdebatteratforskningsämne som saknar en generell teori för majoriteten av företag, vilket skapar en stor forskningsyta för ämnet. Sverige har en omfattande export med en finansmarknad som är väl integrerad med den globala ekonomin. Den svenska exporten föll avsevärt under finanskrisen 2008 vilket ger en indikation om att exportberoende företag drabbades hårt av finanskrisen,inte minst SMF. Ett minskat kreditutbud i kombination med en finansiell kris kan förmodas ha gett upphov till finansieringsproblem för dessa företag.Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka sambandet mellan företagsspecifika faktorer och kapitalstrukturen i metallbranschens företag, där den primära aspekten för studien är att utreda hur företagens kapitalstruktur förändrades i samband med finanskrisen 2008.Studien utgår från en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. För att besvara studiens syfte och forskningsfrågor genomförs regressions-, korrelations- och deskriptiva analyser för att kunna analysera sambandet mellan de utvalda beroende variablerna och de oberoende variablerna. Flertalet regressionsanalyser och ANOVA-tester genomförs för att kunnaundersöka om en signifikant skillnad i företagens kapitalstruktur föreligger mellan tidsperioderna. Resultatet visar att det finns en signifikant skillnad i de utvalda företagens kapitalstruktur mellan perioden under finanskrisen och efter krisen. De kortfristiga skulderna stod för den största förändringen som minskade markant under krisperioden i metallbranschens företag. De oberoende variablerna som påvisar det största sambandet förskuldsättningsgraden är lönsamhet och materiella anläggningstillgångar. Studien finner ett negativt samband mellan lönsamhet och samtliga skuldsättningsgrader, samt ett negativt samband mellan materiella anläggningstillgångar och den långfristiga skuldsättningsgraden.Ett motsatt förhållande observeras dock för den kortfristiga skuldsättningsgraden som enligt resultatet har ett negativt samband med materiella anläggningstillgångar. Studien finner även ett mindre positivt samband mellan tillväxt och samtliga skuldsättningsgrader.
SMEs have become significantly important for the Swedish economy since they account for 99 % of all the businesses in Sweden. These firms rely heavily on bank credits and are more sensitive to external economic fluctuations relative to larger firms. Regardless of the events in the global economy, firms must be able to finance its operations with capital. Previousresearch on capital structure indicates a difficulty to find a general theory that can be applied for the majority of firms, which provides more scope for further research in the subject. Sweden is a very export-dependent country and is highly integrated into the global economy. The Swedish export decreased substantially due to the financial crisis 2008, which indicates that export-dependent firms was suffering during the given time period. The combination of a decline in credit supply and a financial crisis gives us the assumption of financial problems in these firms. The purpose of this study is to examine whether or not the recent financial crisis had an impact capital structure in the iron- and steel industry. The importance of different determinants that affects the capital structure will also be reviewed.A quantitative method with a deductive approach will be used for the study. To fulfil the purpose of the study, regression-, correlation- and descriptive analysis will be performed in order to analyse the relation between the dependent variables and the independent variables. Several regression analysis and ANOVA-test will be carried out in order to determine whether or not there is a significant difference in the firms capital structure between the two time periods. The study finds a significant change in capital structure between the two time periods. The short-term debt ratio accounted for the greatest change and decreased substantially during the financial crisis. In addition, the result suggests that profitability and tangible assets are the most important determinants explaining the capital structure of Swedish SMEs in the iron- and steel industry. The study finds a negative relation betweenprofitability and leverage, and a negative relation between tangible assets and short-term debt. Contradictory, a positive relation can be observed between tangible assets and long-term debt. Additionally, a small positive relation can be found between growth and leverage during both time periods.

Betyg B, 170612

There is currently no strategic marketing plan for stud or commercial breeders of the Drakensberger breed of cattle in South Africa. This study aims to determine what strategic marketing plans can be employed that could be successful for the different levels of Drakensberger cattle farmers. The analysis set off by a literature review of the beef industry in South Africa. Currently domestic production serves 85% of the local beef market. The literature review showed that, irrespective of breed or geographical area, specific characteristics, such as fertility, adaptability and temperament, could be identified as critical success factors for the beef industry. The Drakensberger as competitive breed of cattle, is also analysed within a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), while the beef industry is analysed by means of Porter's 5-forces model. From the results conclusions were made on the farming profile of the Drakensberger farmers, their marketing orientation, as the important elements relevant to a marketing plan of the Drakensberger breed of cattle. This includes attractive promotional and advertising possibilities, pricing and product promotion activities. A number of marketing recommendations are also made to improve the market share of the Drakensberger breed of cattle in South Africa.
Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Intresset för elkvalitet har ökat då elektrisk utrustning, såsom omriktare, numera ger upphov till mer störningar. Elektrisk utrustning har också blivit mer känslig mot störningar samtidigt som industrier har blivit mindre toleranta mot produktionsstörningar. Traditionellt har felhantering i elnät skett när problemet redan uppstått och utgått från historiska data. Metrum har dock genom sin applikation PQ4Cast introducerat mönsterigenkänning för att prognosticera elkvalitetsparametrar samt aktiv effekt och i och med det bidra till ett proaktivt underhåll. Applikationen skapar en prognos för kommande vecka utifrån data för de senaste veckorna, under utveckling är även en funktion för trendanalys av bland annat effektförbrukning och spänningsnivå. Syftet med implementeringen av PQ4Cast är att få en högre tillgänglighet och minimera kostnader för underhåll och oplanerade avbrott. Ett andra syfte är att skapa ökad kontroll över variationer i effektuttag. Målet med detta examensarbete är att avgöra vilka avvikelser som är viktiga för Sandvik att ha kontroll över, ta fram metoder för att utvärdera applikationens funktionalitet samt ge underlag till hur prognoser från applikationen bör hanteras. Utöver det ska även nyttan med funktionen för trendanalys avgöras. Sandvik ser störst nytta med att få kontroll över framtida värden för aktiv effekt, reaktiv effekt samt variationer i spänningens effektivvärde. Av dessa borde variationer i aktiv samt reaktiv effekt vara mest lämpad för PQ4Cast att identifiera. För undersökning av överensstämmelse mellan prognos och verkligt utfall rekommenderas användning av korrelationskoefficient, determinationskoefficient samt signifikansnivå på fem procent. Användning av MAPE, Mean Absolute Percentage Error, rekommenderas också att användas för att kvantifiera prognosfelet. Vid god överensstämmelse rekommenderas prognoserna för aktiv effekt från PQ4Cast användas för veckoprognos till elhandelsbolaget Statkraft i kombination med temperaturprognos samt prognos över produktion kommande veckan. Trendanalysfunktionen visar ett medelfel med några procent för den aktiva effekten. Ytterligare undersökningar av funktionen rekommenderas och vid god överensstämmelse rekommenderas denna användas som grund för prognoser som ges till Statkraft samt används som grund för nytt effektavtal med Vattenfall i kombination med produktionsprognos. För analys av trend för spänningens effektivvärde är avvikelsen från prognosvärdet endast några tiondels procent och här rekommenderas fortsatta undersökningar och då specifikt vid del i nätet där installation av solcellsanläggning planeras. Applikationen PQ4Cast samt trendanalysfunktionen förväntas kunna leda till ekonomiska fördelar i form av minskade kostnader för inköp av el samt minskade elnätsavgifter och även betydande besparingar om störningar som kan leda till avbrott kan upptäckas i tid och avstyras. Kortvariga störningar, såsom spänningsdippar, är dock svåra för PQ4Cast att upptäcka i dagsläget.
Interest in power quality has increased as electrical equipment, such as inverters, nowadays emits more disturbances. Electrical equipment has also become less tolerant to disturbances, while industries have become less tolerant to disturbances in the production. Traditionally, fault diagnosis and handling have been performed when the fault has already arisen and has been based on historical data. Through its application PQ4Cast, Metrum have introduced pattern recognition to forecast power quality parameters and active power, and thereby contribute to proactive maintenance. The application creates a forecast for the coming week based on data for the last few weeks. Under development is also a function for trend analysis of, among other things, power consumption and voltage level. The objective with the implementation of PQ4Cast is to achieve higher availability and minimize costs for maintenance and unplanned interruptions. A second objective is to increase the control over variations in power consumption. The aim of this thesis is to determine which deviations are important for Sandvik, develop methods for evaluating the application’s functionality and provide a basis for how forecasts from the application should be managed. The aim is also to determine the usefulness of the trend analysis function. For Sandvik, the greatest benefit is seen in gaining control over future values for active power, reactive power and variations in the RMS value of the voltage. Of these, variations in active and reactive power should be most suitable for PQ4Cast to identify. For examination of the conformity between prognosis and actual outcome, the use of correlation coefficient, determination coefficient and significance level of five percent is recommended. Use of MAPE, Mean Absolute Percentage Error, is also recommended to quantify the forecast error. In the event of good conformity, the forecasts for active power from PQ4Cast are recommended for weekly forecasts to the electricity trading company, Statkraft, in combination with temperature forecasts and forecasts of production following week. The trend analysis function shows MAPE at a few percent for the active effect. Further investigations of the function are recommended and in case of good conformity, the prognosis is recommended as the basis for forecasts given to Statkraft and as the basis for new power agreements with Vattenfall in combination with production forecast. For analysis of the trend for the voltage's RMS value, the deviation from the forecasted value is only a few tenths of a percentage. Here further studies are recommended and then specifically at area in the grid where installation of solar power is planned. The application PQ4Cast and the trend analysis function are expected to lead to economic benefits, such as reduced costs for purchase of electricity, reduced electricity grid charges and significant savings if disturbances that may lead to interruptions can be detected and prevented. Disturbances of short duration, such as voltage dips, are however hard to detect with the current setup of the application.

Companies need capital in order to run their business, do necessary investments and grow larger. These actions are combined with high costs where both internal and external financing might be appropriate. Capital structure is the relation between debt and equity.

In this thesis we have focused on the decision behind the capital structure. We have focused on the road freight industry and we have tried to find out how management reason about their decision. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to describe and analyze SMEs’ decision of capital structure within the road freight sector in the Jönköping region. Emphasise is put on the different aspects that influence the capital structure decision and to what extent this is a strategic issue coloured by personal beliefs.

To fulfill the purpose mainly a qualitative approach with primary data from structured interviews has been used. The interviews were conducted face-to-face with six owner and/or managers. Further on, secondary data from the firms’ annual reports were used and analyzed.

The pecking order theory explains that firms, especially SMEs, prefer to finance their businesses with internally generated funds. Focus of the theoretical part are on theories of what factors that affects the capital structure decision, how this can be argued to be a strategic question for SMEs, how risk affects the capital structure decision and how this decision is made in a family business. These theories are presented to shed light on the capital structure decision making process of SMEs.

From this study it is found that the majority of the companies’ prefer internal financing i.e. reinvested earnings, and as a second alternative to use debt in form of bank loans. The study also shows that the reasons behind this preferred order are the will of being independent, previous experience and managements’ risk-taking propensity. We believe that these factors combined with beliefs about debt and realized need for debt works as a base for how a capital structure strategy is discussed, formed and developed. From this study it can also be concluded that risk indirect affects the capital structure decision and that a restrictive view on debt leads to a restrictive desire to grow since a fast growth in most cases needs to be financed by debt. Last, the study concludes that even though the studied firms prefer to finance with retained earnings they all use debt more or less.

The IT industry is characterised by rapid changes and an increased level of consolidation and competition. Hardware and software developers are moving away from proprietary technologies to open-standards based technology. This makes it more difficult for large hardware vendors, such as Hewlett Packard (HP) and IBM, to lock their customers and partners to proprietary solutions. Therefore, in order to keep and increase its market share, HP needs to improve its collaboration with partners. The partners, especially local and regional independent software vendors (ISV), are important due to their applications focused on solving business problems, their ability to provide industry relevance to HP’s products and their ability to influence what kind of hardware and software platforms the end-customers will choose.

We have identified key market characteristics, the ISVs’ key needs and challenges, as well as what they consider crucial in order for them to recommend a certain vendor’s hardware platform. Companies in the IT industry face several unique challenges; one is that there often exist conflicting interests between the different industry members, e.g. competitors collaborating with each other. This puts extra pressure on clarifying the rules of engagement between the collaborating parties. The ISVs are generally agnostic to which hardware platform the customers buy as long as their applications run on the specific platform, therefore the ISVs’ vendor preference is often based on more intangible relationship factors. Factors that affect and decide the ISVs’ preference are e.g. their existing vendor relationships, ease of doing business, clear point of contact and clear rules of engagement. Furthermore, many of the ISVs are interested in having joint- business planning and go-to-market strategies with HP. In order to leverage hardware, we recommend that HP tries to tie the ISVs to them and form closer relationships with the ISV community. (HP must however carefully evaluate the value of the individual ISVs and what they can offer.)

The recommendations consist mainly of how to select the relevant ISVs and, after the selection, how the ISVs should be categorised and managed by utilising HP’s partner portal for developers. This would enable HP to engage more efficiently with key partners, which in turn would lead to increased leverage of HP hardware.

Kamaxeln är en mekaniskt roterande komponent som återfinns i de flesta motorer och somtillverkas på avdelningen DM på Scania Södertälje. Scania lägger stor vikt vid produktivitet och trots goda resultat når linan ännu inte upp till de av företaget uttalade produktivitetsmålen. Arbetets syfte var att undersöka detta och föreslå produktivitetshöjande åtgärder. Centralt för arbetet var de tre måtten OPE, OEE samt JPH. De två tidigare är mycket lika varandra och är representationer av hur väl linan producerar mot sin teoretiska kapacitet medan det senare är ett mått på denna kapacitet. Vikt lades även vid principerna för Scania Production System verktyg så som Lean och Value stream mapping. Det nuvarande systemet för loggning av störningar diskuteras även mot det under implementering. De tre måtten OPE, OEE och JPH beräknas för de senaste 12 månaderna. Utöver detta genomförs verkstadspraktik, litteraturstudie och intervjuer för att sammanställa den information som krävs för analysen. Data från de olika källorna sammanställs för att sedan diskuteras i relation till produktiviteten. Resultaten tyder på tre tydliga slutsatser. Mer tid än nödvändigt planeras för produktionen vilket leder till lågt utnyttjande av produktionstiden. Standard för ett flertal arbetsmoment är otillräcklig eller efterföljs ej vilket försvårar analys och sänker produktivitet. Därutöver kommer det nya systemet förenkla loggning av störningar förutsatt att tydlig standard sätts upp för hur detta ska användas. Slutligen rekommenderas att man höjer planeringskapaciteten, att standard ses över och omarbetas samt att åtgärder tas för att säkerställa att det nya systemet utnyttjas på bästa sätt. Det föreslås även framtida arbete att göra om analysen efter att det nya systemet implementerats samt om planeringskapaciteten höjs.
The camshaft is a mechanically rotating component found in most engines and manufacturedat one of the lines at Scania Södertälje. Scania highly values productivity and despite some of the better results the Camshaft-line still does not live up to the productivity goals of the company. The purpose of this thesis project was to evaluate why that is and to bring forth suggestions of how higher productivity can be achieved. Integral to the work were the three productivity measures OPE, OEE and JPH. The first two measure the productivity of the line against its capacity while the latter measures said capacity. Actions were also taken to ensure that the Scania Production System guidelines were followed and tools such as Lean and Value Stream Mapping were used to help guide the work. The current software for logging stops was also analysed and discussed in relation to the new system currently undergoing implementation, EBBA. The three productivity measures OPE, OEE and JPH were calculated for the last twelve months. The information received from this was then supplemented with workshop practice, a literature study as well as interviews with Scania employees. All data was compiled and discussed in relation to its effect on productivity. The result was three clear conclusions. More production time than necessary is planned, resulting in low utilization. Many of the day to day standards are not sufficient or respected, resulting in difficulties in analysis and lower productivity. Also, the new system will simplify logging of stops assuming clear standards are set up for how this is to be used. Finally recommendations are made that the planning capacity is increased, that the standards are reworked and efforts are made to ensure the new system is used to its full potential. It is also suggested that further work is done by redoing the analysis after implementation of the new system as well as if the planning capacity is increased.

The research is focusing on small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the German Medical Technology (MedTech) industry and investigates the antecedents and the effects of organizational capabilities on their strategy regarding international ventures. Although there is various research in the field of strategy, internationalisation and SMEs, the impact of existing research in the specific field of German Medtech SMEs is relatively poor while theoretical and empirical findings obtained in another particular institutional context are not yet applicable in other countries or industries. As a consequence, a systematic review of the literature has been conducted. An initial conceptual model was developed, in which significant findings regards country, industry and firm-specific aspects could be identified. The philosophical stand of the researcher and his ontological view as a post-positivist allows both, a qualitative and a quantitative approach. By applying a mixed method approach a focus group discussion provided in depth-knowledge in order to sharpen the initial model. Antecedents, as well as the most important factors related to strategy, were emphasized and further important aspects that focus on capabilities were revealed. With these results, constructs and relationships were modeled and quantitative data from a survey with more than 60 German MedTech SMEs were collected and assessed. This approach led to the finding that factors such as ́market potential ́, ́physical capital ́, ́medical regulations ́ and ́product competitive-ness ́ have the highest influence on the firm ́s strategic approach. ́Organizational learning ́ and ́coordination mechanism ́ have particularly an impact on strategy development, whereas relationship capabilities mediating effect on the strategy-competitive advantage relationship. Firm size and firm ́s experience in international ventures influence a firm ́s internationalisation. The results will serve as a strategic input for SME’s in the German MedTech industry. This research provided a contribution to knowledge that is relevant from an academic as well as from an economic point of view. The findings should help academics, MedTech SMEs, and governmental institutions to understand the decisive factors for internationalisation and the importance to develop specific organizational capabilities in this context. This understanding contributes towards a sound development of German MedTech SMEs in their future internationalisation.

This thesis explores in depth the factors influencing growth in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from a supply chain perspective and examines how entrepreneurship affects them in Omani SMEs. The study is undertaken in order to complement the scarce literature on SMEs related to supply chains and improve the understanding of what factors are crucial in determining growth in them. The research is focused on the role of entrepreneurial qualities and behaviours for the growth of SMEs in developing countries, as their economies are more dependent on smaller companies. The context of this research is within Oman, which represents a typical developing economy containing a large number of active SMEs. The main factors for SMEs growth are identified through a literature review of past and contemporary research studies on supply chain networks, SMEs, growth and entrepreneurship. The factors are divided into areas related to the positions of the company (market position of the firm, negotiating power, Supply chain relationships and firm's image), and to SMEs' value-adding capabilities (cost optimisation, and innovations). The review also reveals that the critical entrepreneurial traits are: managers' culture and motivations, strategic thinking, sense for opportunities, risk-taking, continuous learning, their leadership abilities and networking skills. Based on the literature review findings a conceptual framework is proposed. This research is exploratory and explanatory in nature and relies on a qualitative approach to find out how entrepreneurship relates to growth in SMEs. Primary data is collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews with managers in 25 Omani SMEs from various industrial and service sectors 10 representing different supply chain positions. The data is processed through content analysis using the factors identified from the literature review as initial themes. The findings affirm the importance of SMEs' supply chain positions and their value adding capabilities for growth. Furthermore, all elements of entrepreneurship are found to affect growth factors. Results show positive attitude and growth aspirations lead to more proactive market behaviour, while strategic thinking helps managers choose more sustainable market positions. Results indicate leadership improves company costs by increasing employees' motivation and productivity and also facilitates the implementation of innovations. Learning orientation is stated to be crucial for exploring new ideas for innovations, while a good sense for opportunity helps managers evaluate them and choose the right ones. Finally, risk-taking propensity emerges as instrumental in the actual undertaking of innovation projects as it is needed for initiating them.