| 1. |
- Andersson, Dan, 1966-
(författare)
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Third Party Logistics : Outsourcing Logistics in Partnerships
- 1997
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute the body of knowledge of the outsourcing of logistics services in integrated relationships between a shipper ( e.g. a manufacturer) and a logistics service provider (e.g. a transport firm).My two studies cover the scope of third-party logistics and the interaction between the shipper and the service provider as well as the set-up of the partnerships. The focus of the dissertation could be expressed by the following questions:• Why do service buyers outsource logistics activities in the form of partnerships?• What are the long-term effects of logistics partnerships?• How are the effects of the logistics partnerships achieved?• Which factors influence the success of a logistics partnership?The method used has been a combination of four case studies and surveys of 47 European shippers and 59 US shippers. The empirical material has been analysed primarly by the use of transaction cost theory.Expected positive cost and service effects are important driving forces for the outsourcing of logistics. Linked to the cost aspects is also a desire to reduce investments. It could be a question of transforming fixed costs to variable, or to facilitate fast and radical restructuring of supply chains. Finally one of the single most important driving forces is the shipper's ambition to concentrate on core business.Logistics partnerships have been observed to have a positive effect on the following four areas at the shippers: cost, service, restructuring of supply chains, and control. The shippers believe that efficient operations, economies of scale and scope, and provider knowledge, have had positive effects on costs and service. A structural change could be achieved in a short time, as the shipper has to make only small investments in the distribution system, which can facilitate greater changes, also gaining the shipper flexibility in capacity. By outsourcing logistics activities it might also be possible to improve the measurability of cost and service performance.The success of logistics partnerships will, according to the shippers' opinions, be positively influenced by well-defined requirements and procedures, and by communication on all levels. From an operational point of view, the success of logistics partnerships is positively influenced by a low level of uncertainty and/or a high dedication of resources used.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Hans, 1962-
(författare)
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Organisering för individualitet : transparenta och opaka aspekter i utvecklingsprocesser
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The doctoral dissertation 'Organising for individuality - transparent and opaque aspects of development processes' deals with the relationship between a company's ability to develop new products and its ability to change the way it organises its product development activities. The dissertation is based on a real time study of two product development and two organizational change processes at Orrefors Kosta Boda AB.The company has a tradition of innovative product development based on a high degree of individuality. In this study, individuality refers to situations where differences between individuals' (i.e. designers') distinctive features are important for a company's success and not to individuals talents or capabilities per se.In studying and analysing the product deveopment processes an (opaque) underlying thought structure appears in terms of a tension between 'a separating and a unifying logic of effectiveness'. The two logics of effectiveness constituted underlying assumptions and answers to the question of how to be an innovative and commercially successful company in the high quality glass industry.The product development was conducted in an "inescapable" tension of separating and unifying, indicating that the separating and unifying logics of effectiveness should - in the context of product development - be viewed as a 'neccessary relation of incompatibility' rather than mutually exclusive.In spite of two attempts to change the organising of the product development in the company, the measures taken did not alter any fundamental conditions of the product development within the company, and therefore not the problems the change initiatives were designed to address.In the literature on product development and innovation scholars require research with an approach that links structural conditions to action and interaction. Using Archer's (1995) morphogenetic perspective to relate product development to organizational change, this dissertation is an attempt to do this.
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| 3. |
- Aronsson, Håkan, 1961-
(författare)
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Three perspectives on supply chain design
- 2000
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As companies increasingly cooperate with and rely on other companies to compete on a global market, the concept of supply chain management and logistics is gaining interest, from practitioner as well as researchers. Studies of high-performing companies, such as Benetton, Toyota and Nissan report that these organizations take a strategic view of the whole process of supply from original sources of material to end customers, achieving more efficient operations management and more effective strategic management.Supply chain management has received an increased interest during the last 10 years, similar concepts such. The study identifies a need for design studies in the area of supply chain and logistics, partly because few studies has been made with a design approach and that traditional methods for design are often focused on design of one function or the formal organizational aspects of logistics. Supply chains are more complex than these types of design, since several companies and several different functions are included. The study is based on a systems approach and is theory generating. The focus of the study is on identifying design variables that can be used to understand the logistics content of a supply chain design and to generate alternative design solutions. The study builds on the -assumption that it is not enough to measure efficiency or effectiveness of a system. It is also necessary to understand the logic under which the system operates. It is only based on that understanding that a new design can be made.To handle the increased complexity in supply chain design the system is analysed using three perspectives, process, function and organization. Design variables are identified in each of the perspectives, in the form of a number of constructs and concepts. The constructs are tested in two case studies. The study is theory generating and the results can therefore not be said to do more than suggest the importance of a number of design variables, and the importance to in supply chain design to use several perspectives. The three identified perspectives have been found relevant as well as the theory generated constructs. This does however not mean that these are the only three possible perspectives or the only important design variables. Further research is needed in the area of supply chain design before a design model can be suggested. This study suggests a structure for how to organize design variables using three perspectives (process, function, and organization) and three levels of abstraction (construct, concept, and activity). It is also suggested that to generate design solutions these have to be addressed in a certain order. The complexity makes it impossible to address all questions at the same time. The methodology follows what is suggested when using a saticficing approach in systems theory.The first step is to clarify the aim of the new design by using the conceptual level. The concepts are often based on best practice studies and often suggest a design solution that has been found useful. The next step is to define the content of the system that is to be designed by defining the activities that are included. To uphold the supply chain focus it is suggested that the constructs in the process perspective are addressed in the next step. The last two steps are to address the constructs in the functional and the organizational perspectives in that order.
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| 4. |
- Berglund, Magnus, 1968-
(författare)
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Strategic Positioning of the Emerging Third-Party Logistics Providers
- 2000
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The dissertation deals with the so-called Third-Party logistics Provider (TPLP) with the purpose of explaining strategic positions of the emerging TPLPs. The development of Third-Party Logistics (TPL) can be said to have occurred during the last 15 - 20 years and have created a new kind of service, i.e. the management and execution of logistics process. These services have created a new market and consequently a new type of service provideris emerging. These service providers predominantly originate from traditional offerings in the logistics area, e.g.transportation and warehousing activities. However, previous works on TPL have neglected the provider's situation especially by not explicitly recognizing the shifts from single activity services to comprehensive and coordinated multiple activity offerings and from a functional support orientation to a process approach.Strategic positioning is an established perspective on strategy, but the use varies considerably. In this dissertation strategic positioning is connected to how TPLPs create value for their clients which links positioning to skills or capabilities. Furthermore, the position is regarded as a result of the fit between activities, resources and strategic positioning. This theoretical frame of reference, based on strategic positioning and value creation for service organizations, is new in the literature on TPL. The general methodological approach of the study is alternation between empirical findings and theoretical analyses in a stepwise pattern. Since the organizations studied had not been theoretically analyzed before, empirical observations were instrumental in describing the novel phenomena. The empirical foundation of the dissertation is two studies executed during 1996-7 and 1998-9. The first study contains 21 Australian, European, and North-American TPLPs. The second study is based on 53 European TPL buyers. Both studies used a combination of questionnaires and interviews for collecting data of both quantitative and qualitative character. The empirical analysis is best described as a qualitative approach supported by statistical techniques whenever possible.The dissertation presents a comprehensive empirical description of the current status and anticipated change of both the TPLPs and their customers. The main contribution of this dissertation is however: tools for describing TPLPs, a model of the value system that connects providers and buyers of TPL, and a position model for TPLPs. The conclusions of this dissertation include that the TPL industry shows signs of strategic differentiation along the two strategic dimensions operational vs. conceptual focus and range of activities. Of these two the operational vs. conceptual focus is strong enough to promote as a position model, with the main positions standard services and solutions. A hypothesis is proposed that states that the strategic position of the TPLPs depends on which set of value creation modes they use, which results in differences in the required capabilities, skills and resources. In short the standard service providers should focus on operations whereas the solution ones needs exceptional conceptual skills in analyzing logistics requirements and developing solutions. The results should however be considered as hypotheses due to the research design used and thus need further empirical testing which is suggested as important future research.
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| 5. |
- Bergstedt, Johan, 1953-
(författare)
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Boreal vegetation responses to forestry as reflected in field trial and survey data and the quality of cover estimates and presence/absence in vegetation inventory
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Den här avhandlingen belyser hur avverkning och markberedning påverkar markfloran i den svenska barrskogen. Dessutom utvärderas två inventeringsmetoder som används inom växtekologin. Vid arbetet har både rikstäckande inventeringsdata och fältförsök använts och de likartade resultaten tyder på att rikstäckande inventeringar är en underutnyttjad resurs i forskningen.Ju större andel av träden som avverkas desto större blir förändringen av markflorans sammansättning. Vissa arter, som lingon, ljung, etc., verkar dock inte påverkas i nämnvärd omfattning, medan andra, som blåbär, minskar i relation till hur mycket som avverkats. Gräs och mjölkört ökar efter avverkning, dock visar sig vissa gräs och mjölkört inte reagera om inte avverkningen överskrider ett tröskelvärde på ca 80 %. Avverkning har en liten, men signifikant, effekt på antalet arter, medan artomsättning, d.v.s. arters etablering på och/eller försvinnande från provytorna, framförallt påverkas av andel gran innan avverkning, markens produktionsförmåga och först därefter av hur stor andel av träden som avverkas. Det var också uppenbart att markberedning har en stark effekt som skiljer sig från avverkning. Framförallt gynnas björnmossor av markberedning men även vårfryle, kruståtel och mjölkört. Arter som missgynnas av markberedning var bl.a., en levermossa, lingon, väggmossa och kråkbär.I växtekologi är visuell täckningsbedömning, d.v.s. hur stor del av en provyta som täcks av en växtart, och registrering av förekomst/icke förekomst, d.v.s. finns en växtart på en provyta eller inte, de två vanligaste metoderna vid vegetationsinventering.Vid registrering av förekomst/icke förekomst missas upp till en tredjedel av förekomsterna, vanligaste orsaken till missade registreringar verkar vara att man inte upptäcker arten snarare än att den inte kan identifieras. Det var stora variationer mellan arter, där arter med få exemplar på provytan missas oftare.Både den visuella täckningsbedömningen och förekomst/icke förekomst visar sig ha personberoende fel, d.v.s. att olika personer genomgående ger högre eller lägre värden än andra. Trots det personberoende felet visar sig täckningsbedömningar ha ett större informationsvärde än registrering av förekomst/icke förekomst när det gäller att särskilja olika typer av vegetation. Erfarenhet har en förvånansvärt liten effekt på kvaliteten av täckningsbedömningar.
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| 6. |
- Björklöf, Sune, 1935-2012
(författare)
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Byggbranschens innovationsbenägenhet : En studie om den svenska byggbranschens inställning till innovationer och branschens beredskapatt hantera innovationsfrågor
- 1986
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The attitude of the building sector towards innovation and its intellectual and organizational preparedness for dealing with the issues of innovation is the aim of this study. The core question can be formulated as follows: Why does a building company accept certain innovations but not others? The fundamental ideas of the study are rooted in the central European tradition of the historico-qualitiative school of thought. Another basic idea for the thesis is Dewcy’s and Bcntley's theory of transactional cognition introduced in Sweden by Hanssen under the term ""field concept" according to which the content and object of knowledge are seen as an entirety. The reason for approaching the problem qualitatively. that is through not highly structured interviews based on the author's long personal experience in the sector, is its compound and many face ted nature a long with the fact that verbal discussion is firmly grounded in building sector tradition.Innovations has to pass trough three different filters. These filters are at the point where the innovation enters the company, during the bid preparation process and upon the absorption of the innovation into the project. Important factors influencing the passage through these filters arc papyrophobia, the old boy network (OBN) and the structure of the production system. Papyrophobia is expressed in a general reluctance to deal with theoretical issues and documentation. OBN denotes an informal communication network. Production is run by and within project organizations. i.e. repetitive ad hoc aggregates independent of the parent organization. These factors in combination with time and financial pressure obstruct the possibility of creating a research tradition.Characteristic features of the socio-cultural tradition of the sector are that it is male dominated, that the educational system classifies those working in the field according to trade and profession, and that the strong position of production aspects have brought to the forefront the energetic practitioner. His values are strictly professional. Information is to a great extent transmitted orally. There is strength in the ability of Swedish construction firms to plan and improvise within an established frame. However, a certain streak of marginalism with the potential of inhibiting innovation does exist in their pattern of action. Also typical of the tradition is the ideal of the free entrepreneur and the organization of large companies as confederations of a number of small and medium size firms. Finally, a fundamental cultural feature of the construction industry is openness. News spreads rapidly to a competitor.Innovations are disseminated in several ways, but one dominant pattern persists that cannot be seen in other industries. While the projects are important for testing and diffusion of innovations, the companies arc more intrumental in propagating information of innovations. The building materials industry's R&D work follows a pattern similar to that of production companies in other sectors.The building sector's readiness to follow and work with innovation issues can generally be rated as low. The confinement of interest to production aspects combined with the marked open· ness provides ample room for the materials manufacturers and companies outside the sector to introduce new products and materials. In the long run, it is the gradual change in this assortment that will transform building techniques and technology. Change is generated by other sectors.
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| 7. |
- Brehmer, Per-Olof, 1964-
(författare)
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Towards a Model of Lean Freight Transport Operations
- 1999
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Freight carrier operations are increasingly squeezed between intensified competition, a changed market structure, increased customer preferences, financial pressure from the owners and the influences from technological innovations. Despite an extensive work to coordinate individual resources, the results are not satisfactory. Freight carrier planning today mainly relies on estimated demand and fixed production plans, while the customers' ever faster changes in transport relations and in frequency lead to overcapacity in assets as well as overtransport. Emerging solutions to this problem is addressed in this dissertation.This dissertation contributes to the knowledge on the management of freight transport operations through developing a conceptual model of lean freight transport operations. With 'lean' we here mean physical and information value processes, which flow without overcapacity or other 'slacks', that are customer driven, and with the aim to pursue perfection. These issues have previously mainly been addressed in manufacturing of goods. The design of transport operations and its management, planning, control, coordination, and measurements are hence studied.The methodology is theory generating case studies. Five international freight carriers, two rail, two intermodal and one road, with a door-to-door responsibility for the transport have been studied. Two different, but related, patterns have been identified; the cost and the service pattern. The service pattern has many similarities to the characteristics of lean production of goods. We have discussed how other parts of the lean production paradigm can be adapted to freight transport operations. However, none of the studied carriers has fully implemented the lean production paradigm in their operations management. Implementing the lean production paradigm could be beneficial but the differences between transport and manufacturing have to be considered.Transport operations, as well as other services, have open-ended characteristics involving parallel production processes. Transport production is also geographically spread out and involves many parties, including customers sending and receiving the goods. Service products and production processes therefore have to match perfectly in real time and space. This calls for more extensive design considerations and systems for planning and control of demand and supply.To summarise, we have extended the empirical findings with lean manufacturing theory into a proposed lean transport operations model with the following characteristics:• long term partnering, extensive real time executive communication, and coordination with customers and partners in the transport chain instead of arm's length transactional relations,• geographically decentralised cross functional units with high controllability through innovative use of information technology, which leads to high flexibility in time and space, cost effective operations and high service quality in contrast to centralisation,• core competencies and skills supporting dynamic design and production management enabling frequent changes based on high built-in flexibility in the transport network through the use of partners instead of own assets and only functional skills,• resource coordination that focuses on the 'role' of resources and assets in the services and production processes rather than as something solved by computer algorithms for each resource separately,• physical and informational processes which handle strategic considerations and operational activities as a dynamic entity in contrast to static ones.
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| 8. |
- Carlsson, Jan, 1964-
(författare)
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Logistiskt förändringsarbete : olika ansatser för operativ utveckling
- 2000
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- During the last decade organizations have been under an increasing pressure to master change, where some key words are increased variability, competition, insecurity and complexity. The new competitive situation sets new and increasing demands on logistical development work and those who conduct it.An analysis of the logistic research from a perspective of change indicates that the research has primarily met the new !ogistical challenges with systematic knowledge development regarding the change content. The research answers questions of what and why, but the contributions about how changes are implemented have traditionally been very weak. Because of this, there is a need for research focusing on the mere process of change and that develops knowledge about how we can effectively conduct change. The overall purpose is to develop knowledge about how work for !ogistical change can be rendered more efficient.In the theoretical frame of reference it becomes clear that the logistical research is primarily founded in the linear model of change. Through the borrowing of theories from the two research areas Strategic Change and Learning Organization, two additional models of change can be identified. The first model regards changes as social processes and is hence called "the process model". The second model views change as circular and is therefore called "the circular model".The analysis shows that the linear model best reproduces the mechanisms in less extensive changes, where such changes occur within the frame of existing mental models. When the extension of changes increases, the process mode! captures the mechanisms of the processes better, especially the political aspects concerned. The circular model best depicts the processes in the most extensive changes, where new mental models are developed and converted to the operational level.The research results indicate that the outcome of change depends on the correlation between a change's context, content and process over time. Consequently there is no best approach to operational development; rather every kind of change has to be dealt with differently. In the dissertation three approaches of change are typified, each grounded in one of the three models of change. The first approach is termed "solution driven" and is based on the linear model. The second approach, named "programmed process", is grounded in the model of process and the third, called "learning approach", views changes as circular learning processes. Rendering more effective logistical change implies that it needs to be based on the model or models of change that can best live up to the demands and mechanisms of change.
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| 9. |
- Dadfar, Hossein, 1946-
(författare)
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Industrial buying behavior in the Middle East : a cross national study
- 1990
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study tackles industrial buying behavior in a socio-cultural context. The main purpose is to explore the influence of socio-cultural forces on industrial buying behavior in the Middle Eastern selected countries: Iran, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, called triangulation (integrative) approach is used. The empirical data upon which the study stands, consists of: 108 in-depth interviews, 7 case studies, 4 document analysis and 279 questionnaires. Qualitative and quantitative analysis are carried out as complementary. Factor analysis and regression analysis are the statistical techniques used for quantitative analysis.A conceptual and analytical model for analysis of socio-cultural characteristics in Islamic nations has been developed. Accordingly, socio-cultural traits of Islamic nations consist of values from: tribalism, Islamic religion and westernization systems-TIW model. Each system, in turn, consists of three dimensions. Tribalism consists of macrocosmic perception, microcosmic perception and familism; Islam consists of practicality, determinism and time horizon; westernization consists of Western techniques and technology, Western life style, and male/female equality.A multidimensional process model for purchasing industrial capital goods has also been developed. This model includes the stages of purchasing process as well as technical, commercial and social dimensions. The process includes stages for "decision-making" and for implementation of purchasing decision.Socio-cultural characteristics and industrial buying behavior in the studied countries are analyzed and compared; similarities and differences are discussed. These similarities and differences are found to be related to variations of their socio-cultural traits.The influence of socio-cultural forces on industrial buying behavior has been examined. Tribalism has been found to have influence on all dimensions of buying behavior; westernization has influence on technical dimension. However, Islam, surprisingly proves to have limited influence on the commercial and technical dimensions. Tribalism (familisrn dimension) has dominated the social dimension. This is why business in the Middle East is generally based upon interpersonal relationships.
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| 10. |
- Dahlgaard, Su Mi Park, 1960-
(författare)
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The human dimension in TQM : learning, training and motivation
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this dissertation is to study and to explore the human dimension in TQM with focus on learning, training and motivation. The exploration of the evolution of TQM depict the theory of TQM as shaped from a narrow mechanistic apporach to a more humanistic apporach with focus on the human dimension thgough Japanese managerial practices inspired by ideas from western theoreticians.One contribution of this dissertation lies in a discussion and identification of TQM as an ongoing process of fusion between western and eastern ways of seeing, interpreting, understanding, thinking and doing. As a result of this ongoing process of fusion, the synthetic theory of TQM came to embrace both a rationai/logical approach and a holistic/dynamic approach. The rationai/logical approach is a heritage from the western tradition transmitted by western theoreticians' ideas, and the holistic/dynamic/ humanistic approach is a heritage of eastern tradition, transmitted by Japanese practices. The strength of TQM, which at the same time can be a disadvantage, lies in this dual or multiple frameworks of an objectivist-rationalistic and a subjectivist-relativistic view. The framework of TQM is, thus, holistic as well as atomistic/reductionistic, human as well as mechanistic, and dynamic as well as static.Another contribution of this dissertation is the development of an alternative model for understanding human motivation. The 'Trinity model'¨is a step to incorporate spiritual needs into models of human motivation inspired by, my interpretation of, the view of learning and training in the TQM framework. The proposed motivaton model is in accordance with three overall and innate desires, and portrays human motivation as driven by biological, psychological and spiritual desires/need. The spiritual dimension comprises ethical elements, like trust, faurness, openness, helpfulness, searching for and creating meaning, which earlier have not been explicit recognized in models for human motivation.
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