| 1. |
- Long, Vicky, et al.
(author)
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An Indigenous Innovation : An Example from Mobile Communication Technology
- 2016
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In: Oxford Development Studies. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1360-0818 .- 1469-9966. ; 44:1, s. 113-133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper explores the processes of indigenous (global South) innovation, particularly of the “high-tech” and “radical” kind, which have spurred technological catch-up, using the example of a third-generation (3G) Chinese mobile communications technology standard. Three hypotheses were generated from this study: (a) modularity-in-design opens new windows of opportunity for technological catching-up; (b) the lack of essential intellectual property rights acts as a key inducement, or a factor-saving bias, that influences the rate and direction of indigenous innovation in the global South; and (c) the long tail of an old technology affects the take-off of a new indigenous innovation, essentially by shortening the technological distance to be covered.
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| 2. |
- Akram, Asif, 1978, et al.
(author)
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AEOLIX Living Labs Operational ImpactsAssessment
- 2019
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This document provides the AEOLIX impact assessment of living labs at the operational level. It is based on three main impacts namely business, environment, and socio-economic impacts. The three impacts are sub-divided further into sub-categories. The report collects data from twelve living labs involved in with AEOLIX. One of the main goals of AEOLIX was to reduce the costs for various logistics activities as implemented in twelve living labs. The expected benefits in the business area are from reducing the consumption of different resources, reducing the time used for various activities, and from increasing the productivity in certain areas. The economic or business benefits came along two dimensions: (i) in terms of time and (ii) in terms of money. In terms of time, AEOLIX facilitated reducing the time spent on various activities at the companies. In terms of money, AEOLIX helped to save the costs of specific logistics activities within the living lab. For the environmental aspect an overall value of 20% was set as target value for reduction in CO2 emission using AEOLIX. Only one of all living labs reached this target value, but there was anyhow a reduction found in all living labs. AEOLIX and its functions have also helped in reducing noise pollution at some of the living labs. In some cases, there was quite a considerable reduction. For the socio-economic aspects the job creation, SME empowerment, and the improved quality of life are addressed. This study has explored the impact of AEOLIX on job creation in terms of drivers’ and operators’ jobs. Since the AEOLIX implementation is still in its initial phases, respondents were unable to estimate how many jobs (drivers and/or operators) were created in the long run. SME Empowerment was measured as the increase in SMEs’ market share and the increase in direct collaboration between SMEs and large organizations. The results were meager both with regard to the market share and the extent of collaboration. The improved quality of life is measured in the way AEOLIX puts more focus on work, the less stress at work and a positive attitude towards people using it. The results reflect that AEOLIX has greatly helped employees to put more focus on work and to reduce stress levels. Managers consider this as a positive side of the return on investment (ROI) as the business processes are improved. AEOLIX impact on various socio-economic aspects is in principle positive but as this process is very slow to emerge it takes time to observe any changes in social aspects. Acceptance and trust on AEOLIX can be captured as a majority of the evaluation managers of the living labs found the AEOLIX functions (dashboard, connectivity engine and toolkit) useful to a great extent. The willingness to continue using AEOLIX functions and their usefulness are directly related to each other. This means that the more useful a function is, the more users are willing to continue using it. The AEOLIX platform, through various services and functions, has a positive impact on society in general and on workers in particular. Although this impact cannot be evaluated financially for the first year of the AEOLIX implementation, numerous studies show that a more satisfying and less stressful job, together with a more welcoming and stimulating environment, have an important economic impact in the long-term period. Therefore, the fact that AEOLIX has a positive impact on society will also prove to be an economic benefit for the different companies.
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| 3. |
- Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph, et al.
(author)
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United We Stand, Divided We Fall. : Historical Trajectory of Strategic Renewal Activities at Scandinavian Airlines System, 1946-2012.
- 2017
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In: Business History. - Oxon, United Kingdom : Routledge. - 0007-6791 .- 1743-7938. ; 59:4, s. 572-606
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although the second half of the twentieth century saw the rise and fall of ‘multi-flag companies’ (MFCs) in the civil aviation industry, our understanding of how some managed to buck the trend and achieve longevity remains limited. This article advances business history and strategic management research by examining the strategic renewal activities of Scandinavian Airlines (formerly Scandinavian Airlines System [SAS]) during the period 1946–2012. The study sheds light on the key roles of private and state owners, rivals as well as banks, in critical financial phases are discussed in terms of longevity in the company. The longevity of the business stems from the leaders’ ability to develop as anticipated and respond to change in their competitive arena in close interaction with the owners. Thus, incumbent firms that strategically renew themselves prior to or during market reform, such as deregulation, enhance their chances of developing the size of their networks and revenue streams. Our main contribution to business history and strategic management literatures is the development of context-specific stages, which shed light on the evolution of strategic renewal activities and shifts from older processes and routines towards customer service and efficiency.
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| 4. |
- Olausson, Inger, 1969-
(author)
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Competition on a local market : a historical study of market gardens in Stockholm
- 2016
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In: XVIII INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON HORTICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT. - 9789462611115 ; , s. 135-140
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the period 1880-1930, the interest in gardening products rose substantially on the Swedish market. Import of horticultural produce as well as domestic production increased 20 times. The competition on the horticultural market significantly increased from the 1930s. The costs of fuel and labor rose, and imports took a larger share of the Swedish market as the century progressed, except during the wars. Competition was stiff from countries with lower production costs. After World War II, a series of measures were introduced to stabilize the world economy and kick-start trade. These included the first General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), intended to boost international trade by reducing customs duties and trade quotas. At the negotiating table Sweden was particularly anxious about the export opportunities for major industries. This meant easing imports for some products for the sake of the balance of trade, and one category sacrificed was horticultural products. This became a backlash for the market gardens, and the number of companies decreased or the production rationalized and specialized. But there are examples of small-scale family businesses that survived competition from largescale, modern companies in southern Sweden, and increasing imports and rising costs of fuel and labor. These businesses adapted their production to the demands on local markets. Two of these have provided case studies: Nilsson's market garden on Runmarö in the Stockholm archipelago, founded in 1929, and Nora market garden in Danderyd, founded in 1938 and run by the Welander family. Nilsson had a focused strategy, providing a custom range of products to wealthy summer visitors in the Stockholm archipelago. Welander had a differentiated approach, selling products of superior quality, with customers including a delicatessen in Stockholm.
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| 5. |
- Olausson, Inger, 1969-
(author)
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Market gardens in Sweden 1900-1950 with four case studies from Stockholm County
- 2015
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In: ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1108XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): V International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture and International Symposium on Sustainable Management in the Urban Forest. - : International Society for Horticultural Science. - 9789462611023 ; 1108, s. 123-129
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The links between market gardens and cities were symbiotic until the mid-1900s. In my thesis about market gardens in Sweden 1900-1950, four market gardens in Stockholm County are investigated, trying to find out how different resources and strategies contributed to the businesses competitiveness. Two of the market gardens belonged to mansions with all the staff employed. The other two were established as family businesses by entrepreneurs without employees. Garden products are sensitive to bumps, heat, low temperatures, etc. Due to this, the access to a nearby market was necessary at that time. The development of the trade with garden products was linked to a fast-growing population in the cities, the growing demand for garden products, and the development of the transport sector. From the growing city, gardeners bought horse manure, garbage, or anything that produced heat to the hotbeds when it decomposed. Most of the market gardens were small family businesses situated on small plots. In the 1930s and 1940s in 75% of the businesses a maximum of three people were engaged. The production was both resource-demanding and labour-intensive. The use of hotbeds and greenhouses extended the growing season and made it possible to grow all year around. The gardenerRSQUOs dependence on merchandises increased like an avalanche to beat the growing competition on the market. The import, often of high quality products, was growing very fast and affected the interest for garden products. It forced the domestic horticulture industry to increase the quality and effectiveness of the production.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, David, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Estimating car use rebound effects from Swedish microdata
- 2019
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In: Energy Efficiency. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1570-646X .- 1570-6478. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The direct rebound effect for private car transport was estimated by following a large sample of Swedish households (28,876) that acquired a new car in 2009. For some households, this resulted in an improvement in fuel efficiency, whereas others acquired a less or similarly fuel efficient car. The households' travel distances were measured and analysed for a period of 3 years before and 3 years after the car was replaced. This approach differs from previous econometric analyses in which fleet-average changes in distance travelled were studied, often using fluctuations in fuel cost as a proxy for changes in fuel efficiency. No significant bivariate relationship was found between changes in fuel efficiency and annual distance travelled but a multivariate analysis that also included changes in income, number of cars in the household, car weight and car power, resulted in a significant rebound effect of 24 %. Households who bought a car that was labelled 'green' did not exhibit any rebound effect, while households who bought a 'normal' car displayed a rebound effect of 32 %. This could indicate that households that buy a car with improved fuel efficiency for environmental reasons also avoid the economically induced rebound effect. The analysis did not indicate any significant differences in the rebound effect between different socio-demographic groups.
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| 7. |
- Carlsson, Bo, et al.
(author)
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The Swedish industrial support program of the 1970s revisited
- 2018
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In: Journal of evolutionary economics. - : Springer. - 0936-9937 .- 1432-1386. ; 28:4, s. 805-835
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The economy-wide dynamic cost-benefit study of the Swedish industrial subsidy program 1976 through 1984 (Carlsson et al. Res Policy 10(43):336-354 1981; Carlsson J Ind Econ 32(1):9-14, 1983a, b) is revisited in light of later economic development. Since the Swedish Micro to Macro model (Eliasson Am Econ Rev 67(1):277-281 1977a, 2017a) was used for quantification, this article is both (1) a study on the calibration of high dimensional micro-based and nonlinear economic systems models, and (2) a post inquiry into the empirical credibility of the cost-benefit calculations performed. We find that the Micro-based Macro model represents the minimum of detailed resolution necessary for the dynamic cost benefit calculations of the micro interventions in the Swedish economy we study. Even though the increased model complexity meant significant parameter calibration difficulties, a thoroughly researched model specification with exactly defined policy interfaces (with the markets of the economy) should take priority over parameter estimation problems, and always be preferred to estimating the parameters of a wrongly specified model perfectly. The oil price shocks of the 1970s caused radical market disorder in the western economies, bankrupting some 35% of Swedish manufacturing and threatening the Swedish government with massive unemployment. We confirm the earlier results that the government choice of a radical employment rescue policy came at enormous social cost in the form of economic stagnation, and still did not prevent the unemployment of the rest of OECD Europe from hitting Sweden a decade later, and persisting well into the next millennium. According to an alternative simulated policy scenario on the model, had the subsidies been replaced with a general lowering of the payroll tax of the same magnitude and the consequent increase in unemployment taken immediately during 1976-1980, production structures would have been radically and rapidly reorganized, normal employment would have been rapidly restored, and neither the stagnation nor the radical increase in unemployment of the early 1990s would have occurred. In retrospect we see no reason to worry about the empirical credibility of this computed dynamic trade off between Keynesian demand and Schumpeterian supply effects (caused by resource reallocations and endogenous structural change due to the price change), as we did then. We conclude with certainty that this trade-off would not even have been discovered as a possibility had we used a traditional model that did not embody these micro-macro linkages.
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| 8. |
- Lygnerud, Kristina, 1976-
(author)
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Challenges for business change in district heating
- 2018
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In: Energy, Sustainability and Society. - : Springer Verlag. - 2192-0567. ; 8:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The Swedish district heating sector is successfully transitioning to a low-carbon energy system. The industry has expanded since the 1950s and currently meets more than half the Swedish heat demand. The heat market was deregulated in 1996, and thereafter, companies have been exposed to an increasing number of challenges related to technology, institutional factors and market. Since municipal ownership dominates, municipal companies must manage these challenges to ensure future competitiveness. However, theory suggests that business change is difficult when the current model is still working. To date, Swedish district heating companies have revisited their price models and customer perceptions. There is limited knowledge on how the business challenges are managed and on the management strategy’s impact on the business. In this paper, new knowledge is generated regarding how the customer and resource-oriented sides of the municipally owned district heating business in Sweden are changing. Methods: A case study approach was adopted. Data were collected by interviews and by review of the national research programme on district heating (Fjärrsyn). The programme served as a proxy for frontline research on Swedish district heating. The data were analyzed through the business model canvas framework. Results: Changes to meet external pressures are identified on the customer side of the business model, but changes are also spreading to other parts of it. However, the key resource component (distribution networks and production unit) and its logic of economics of scale are unchanged and dominate. The logic is not compatible with shrinking heat demand; nevertheless, it is preferred. Conclusions: It is concluded that external challenges have resulted in changes in the customer side of the business model. However, the largest challenge is the transformation of key resources. Accounting for external challenges extends the life of the current business model, but it is not increasing competitiveness. The prolonged life creates a window of opportunity for the companies to begin the needed transformation of their key resources. If the transformation is successful, district heating will have a role in the future energy system. If the transformation is not undertaken, the future is less certain. © 2018, The Author(s).
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| 9. |
- Münzel, Christiane, et al.
(author)
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How large is the effect of financial incentives on electric vehicle sales? – A global review and European analysis
- 2019
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In: Energy Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0140-9883 .- 1873-6181. ; 84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), both as battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles have noteworthy potential to reduce global and local emissions. However, several barriers still hinder a fast market diffusion of this new technology. Governments around the world have implemented monetary and non-monetary policies to accelerate PEV market diffusion. Their effectiveness is established in the literature, yet the effect size has been only scarcely estimated empirically and only for the US. Here, we review econometric studies on the effect size of purchase incentives and analyse data on PEV sales from 32 European countries from 2010 to 2017 with respect to the effect of financial incentives. We apply panel data regressions and control for other factors such as income and fuel prices. We find energy prices and financial incentives to influence PEV adoption positively. The range of point estimates for the effect of incentives is 5–7% relative sales share increase in different model specifications. Methodologically, the inclusion of a trend variable proved important to capture overall changes in the diffusion of this new technology. Our findings indicate that financial incentives have an impact on PEV sales and thus can facilitate their diffusion.
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| 10. |
- Forsemalm, Joakim, 1973, et al.
(author)
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Urban Qualities: ett kunskapsområde
- 2013
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Den här kunskapsöversikten är ett försök att utkristallisera relevant forskning såväl som praktisk kunskap för Mistra Urban Futures om urbana kvaliteter. Översikten är kopplad till ett arbete som genomförts under vår och höst 2011 med syfte att skapa underlag för den Strategiska plan som utgör grunden för Mistra Urban Futures planering och aktiviteter. Under våren 2011 arbetade sex grupper med varsitt kunskapsfält – urbana kvaliteter, urban förändring (”transitions”), urbana kulturer, urbana rättigheter, urban tillgänglighet och urban uthållighet. Tanken var att dessa skulle utgöra de sex bärande fokusområdena för centrets verksamhet. Sedermera kom dessa sex områden att slås ihop till tre - FAIR, GREEN och DENSE – vilka nu utgör de tre övergripande problem- och kunskapsområdena för Mistra Urban Futures.
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