Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how women entrepreneurs are building embeddedness into male-gendered fields and how they are creating embedding in such fields in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative methodology and three indicative case stories within gastronomic industry are illustrated and analysed.

Findings

The contribution of this study lies in the examination of the multifaceted embedding building process from dis-embedded, marginalised and suppressed position by women entrepreneurs. This was achieved with the help of building embedding through two strategies: sameness, that is, becoming one of the boys and then becoming a challenger, thereby enhancing their professional position.

Research limitations/implications

The study is subject to limitations; a small sample is not suited for the generalizability of results. The most important implication of this study is the identification of the process of building embeddedness as the most critical resource for women’s entrepreneurship that should be supported by the scholarly and business community.

Originality/value

The theoretical framework developed for this study laid the foundation for developing literature on the embeddedness of women’s entrepreneurship and how the process of creating embedding becomes instrumental in business ownership.

Small and large sport clubs, in big cities or in the countryside, need to respond to external pressures created by social, financial and environmental factors. These pressures may come from the commercial environment, communities, national governing bodies, or political stakeholders. This chapter introduces the reader to the current pressures faced by Nordic sport clubs and the entrepreneurs’ role in the clubs’ development through the lens of entrepreneurship, and especially social entrepreneurship. This chapter addresses the role of the entrepreneur in relation to the triple bottom line of corporate social responsibility (CSR)—economy, environment, and society—in the context of Finnish and Swedish team sport clubs by using two football clubs as examples.

The purpose of the study is to contribute to an increased understanding of the application of Lean service management in the production and monitoring phase of the construction process within real estate companies. The research questions investigate how Lean service management can improve customer satisfaction and efficiency, what obstacles can arise during implementation, and how Lean can develop in the future. Real estate companies must offer high-quality services while streamlining their operations to increase profitability as the industry has become increasingly service-focused.

This study uses a qualitative, deductive method with a comparative research design to analyze how Lean service management is applied in real estate companies. Collected data consists of a literature review and semi-structured interviews with three respondents from different companies.

The results show that Lean service management can streamline the production and monitoring phase of the construction process by identifying and eliminating waste of resources. The study emphasizes the importance of measuring improvements and using digital tools to create a holistic project approach. Implementing Lean requires management commitment, Lean training, and the involvement of the entire organization. With proper application, Lean service management can create win-win situations where the company, its employees, and the customer benefit.

Future development of Lean service management in the production and monitoring phase of the construction process may include increased digitization and the use of AI models to streamline more processes. The study also concludes that a more efficient construction process is necessary to meet future environmental requirements and create sustainable solutions.

Omnichannel is a term that aims to clarify the customer perspective by integrating processes so the customer can interact through all available channels seamlessly. Common channels used are such as physical stores, websites or apps, where the integration of multichannel systems strives for a friction-free and a seamless shopping experience. 

The purpose of this study was to examine and discuss how IKEA:s e-commerce has developed from an omnichannel perspective by describing the logistical processes for physical distribution. This was carried out using a qualitative method containing interviews, a webinar and secondary data to compose the empirical findings and was carried out as a case study. 

The result displays that IKEA:s approach to omnichannel and logistical processes is in a procedure of change and adaptation to the growing e-commerce. The transformation is done to maintain flexibility and accessibility towards their consumers. The study notice that IKEA have had to deal with the increase of e-commerce by using rapid actions to be able to manage the logistical challenges, which sometimes cause long-term solutions to be de-prioritized to secure customer orders. Finally, the results show that IKEA:s delivery system is a flexible and customer centric part of their logistical processes. 

Keywords: Omnichannel, E-commerce, Distribution-system, Order-system, Delivery-system 

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to improve our understanding of the nature of social responsibility in actual practices and, specifically, the influence of individuals on these processes.

Design/methodology/approach

An abductive approach is applied (Alvesson and Sköldberg 1994), i.e. theory is developed by moving between theory and four empirical cases. The stories highlight the importance of the individual and closeness to local stakeholders and the presence of overlapping rationales.

Findings

The individuals’ simultaneous roles – as owners, managers and community members – influence how they are held or see themselves as accountable and how they account for the firms’ engagement in the community. The activities are conducted in the name of the firm but originate from private as well as business-oriented concerns. Our conclusions encourage an extension of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) construct to approach it as an entangled phenomenon resulting from the firm and the individual embeddedness in internal and external cultures.

Originality/value

This study brings the individual managers and owner-managers into focus and how their interplay with the surrounding context can create additional dimensions of accountability, which impact on the decisions taken in regard to CSR. A micro-perspective is applied. Corporate community responsibility, particularly in smaller and rural communities, contributes to recognize and understand how individuals influence and are influenced by CSR.

Internships provide opportunities for an understanding of the real estate brokerage industry and the skills required to be active in the profession in question. The Swedish Estate Agents Inspectorate(FMI)has set a requirement that a 10-week internship must be completed before the student can be active as a real estate agent in Sweden. However, this requirement is unspecified in comparison with the internship that, for example, nurses have, which leaves room for real estate agencies to shape the internship. At the same time, there are a number of newly registered real estate agents who choose to change careers according to statistics. This study has been designed to try to understand how real estate agencies transform the FMI’s general advice into practice, and how trainees have experienced the internship. A qualitative survey was conducted through interviews with 7 different respondents. 

The study showed that the internship period looks different depending on where the student does the internship despite the FMI’s general advice for the design of the internship, which in turn affects the trainee. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge after the internship period for all interns, at the same time as the quality development regarding the internship structure in the real estate agencies, is lacking

This master thesis highlights employees’ perceptions and experiences of working remotely in the presence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of the thesis is to understand how remote work during pandemic times impacts employees’ perception of their overall working life. In addition to that, it highlights employees’ experience of their social interaction, impression exchange, feedback sharing, trust-building, and performance at work. It strives to illuminate employees’ impression of their work-life balance and the specific company’s organizational culture when working remotely in pandemic times. The research problem is built upon possible reductions of informal interaction between employees when working remotely, which further on can cause separation of teams and a decreased employee identification with the organization. The research problem also has its foundation in the possible blurring of boundaries between two components, personal- and professional life, when working from home. The thesis was formed by a qualitative research approach where the empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews with employees at a specific company. The analysis illuminates insightful findings with support from previous research, theories, and concepts. The empirical results show that employees have a variety of opinions about their work situation. Some argued for positive work-life balance, workflow, and collaboration, whereas other interviewees pointed out that informal interaction, trust-building, and feedback-sharing suffer when working remotely. Empirical data claim that remote work influences employees’ identification and sense of belonging within organizations, especially for new employees. Additionally, work-life balance became more balanced for some but challenging for others. Another finding shows that the perception and experience about the overall work life and organizational culture might not only be impacted by Covid-19 but also by the fast-growing company size.

The Swedish government introduced a state rent rebate support for vulnerable industries in the first quarter of 2020, as a quick solution to dampen market turmoil. The support has been criticized by both tenants and property owners. It has been a controversial issue with various opinions on how the distribution of state subsidies should be constructed to best fit the current situation.The study is based on examining the state subsidized rent rebate that was distributed to the most affected industries. The purpose of the study is to clarify how the state-subsidized rent rebate during the corona pandemic has been used in practice.To answer the study's questions and to achieve the purpose of the study, a qualitative research method has been used. The purpose of the qualitative research interview is to understand the topic explored from the interviewee's own perspective and experience.The results show that the main reasons to why a rent discount was given to tenants, was to act as a helping hand to those most effected by the pandemic, but also to avoid vacancies. The rent discount resulted in a clear financial advantage for both the property owners and the tenants, where the majority of the tenants have been able to continue their business. The property owners have avoided high renovation costs to adapt premises for new tenants.Criticism has been leveled at the very structure of the rent rebate support, as the administrative part was complicated. The propery owners have partly been acting as an intermediary and solely shoulder the responsibility in terms of allocating the rent rebate.

This paper examines the requirements that are needed for companies to invest in new development. We go into different rental compensation systems that are used in existing rental apartments and how the state has tried to stimulate the production of rental apartments with the help of presumptive rents and investment support. The subject of no rent regulations or market rents has been a hot topic of debate that even caused the government to resign in 2021. Therefore, the paper continues to investigate whether the strict rent setting system that exists in Sweden prevents the new production of rental properties and whether a free rent setting could have changed this.

A qualitative method has been used to fulfil the purpose of the paper. The paper is based on scientific articles, literature and interviews with people from various real estate companies. The result of the study is that this is a sensitive issue where opinions vary between private and municipal companies. It can be stated that new developments have decreased and prices for new construction have risen sharply as a result of inflation and the increased interest rate. In order to increase the incentive for new construction of rental apartments, a clearer structure and action plan from the municipalities is required, as well as more granting of building permits, but in the long term, a new reform of the rent compensation system is required.

This chapter discusses the mutual interests of social enterprises (SEs)/social entrepreneurs and neo-liberal policy-makers/stakeholders. It offers a brief historical discussion of the evolution of SEs in Western Europe from the nineteenth century to the 1970s. The chapter focuses on how these institutions changed from 1980 to the present. It also focuses on the role political institutions at all levels played in reshaping the sector. The chapter discusses the connections between SEs and market forces, and how these connections produced dramatic changes. It addresses how our cross-temporal analysis can help understand contemporary SEs and welfare regimes. The chapter describes the historical evolution of solidarity in the context of the sweeping changes that have been made to various welfare regimes. It provides a fair assessment of the evolution and growth of the welfare sector across Europe, as well as how these predecessors have affected current SEs.

Organizations carry an important role in transforming sustainable systems, not least their leaders as they can influence the well-being of employees. Implementing Mindfulness Practices (MPs) within organizations could therefore have a positive influence on several levels throughout the organization for making sustainable change.  As meetings are the playing field for decision-making in organizations, mindfulness is a way to engage people in meetings, to help participants rise to the opportunity of making sustainable decisions. Building on the existing research on organizations and mindfulness, this study aims to provide a descriptive account of the perceptions and experiences of individuals within a team when a short MP is incorporated at the beginning of meetings, resulting in a Mindfulness Meeting (MM). The research took a multi-method qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observations on two teams from different organizations. Two interviews were conducted, on both leaders and followers, one focusing on general meeting perceptions, and a second focusing on the perceptions of the MMs. The findings of the research indicate that a MP, when conducted in the right format, helps cultivate and strengthen the cognitive processes critical for work environments. In particular the factors perceived as positive for achieving meeting goals were a sense of being present, aware, having clarity of thought, and regulating interactions with others. However, this study is just a starting place for the future of MM within organizations and the work they must do to transition towards sustainable systems.

The ongoing integration of Internet of Things (IoT) within Fifth-generation (5G) mobile ecosystem promises to provide smart and intelligent services meant to foster vertical industry digitalization. 5G-IoT private networks have become a popular choice of adoption by industry verticals in accelerating digital transformation across various sectors, thereby culminating in Industry 4.0. Research and development on 5G-IoT private networks has mainly focused on the technical aspect with less attention on the business side. This paper discusses viable business model options for 5G-IoT private networks for applications in diverse industry sectors and the attainment of economic value in terms of revenue maximization, cost minimization and sustainability.

Investments in transport infrastructure are expensive and require planning, even then it does notalways work as intended. This study aims to see the relationship between an investment intransport infrastructure in the Öresund region and regional attractiveness as well as economicgrowth. The Öresundsmetro is still a vision which is planned and discussed in Malmö City andCopenhagen City. Since the 19th century companies in the western world have changed theirproduction which has increased the demand for good transport infrastructure. Previous studieshave shown that investments in transport infrastructure can increase the economic growth andattractiveness through localization- and urbanization economies. Previous studies have alsoshown that companies have a similar mindset as they have had historically when choosinglocalization, but as companies and society change, the demand and choice of localization haschanged. When the western world could not compete with the production efficiency which wasdeveloped in Asia, the western world’s companies developed from an industry toknowledge-intensive companies. Before the industrial revolution, raw materials andtransportation costs were the company's highest cost, when replacing the industrial productionwith skilled labor the salaries became companies highest cost. Companies want to be locatedwhere they have the lowest costs. Here, the Öresund region has a chance to attract companies byincreasing its attractiveness through, among other things, a good infrastructure that enablescompanies to have access to a higher educated workforce, the creative class. We have used aqualitative method where the empirical data consists of articles in newspapers, a motion in theSwedish Parliament, a survey of Demoskop and an interview with the Project Manager for theÖresundmetro. This empiric data has been analyzed based on previous research and theoreticalmodels. The results shows that the Öresundmetro can lead to increased attractiveness andeconomic growth, for the region in Öresund, by attracting companies and labor to the region,with the conditions that existing infrastructure works as it should where the Öresundsmetrocomplements rather than replaces.

Studiens syfte har varit att studera svenska fastighetsföretags fokus på service och vilka medelsamt metoder som används för att mäta, uppnå och förbättra sin servicekvalite.Metoden har varit av kvalitativ ansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer av sex fastighetsföretag ochen kompletterande innehållsanalys över fastighetsföretagens årsredovisningar har genomförts.Intervjuerna genomfördes på tre fastighetsförvaltare, en affärschef, affärsansvarig ochregionchef.Studiens slutsats är att såväl bostadsföretagen som de fastighetsföretag som hyr ut kontor- ochlogistiklokaler arbetar mer med servicekvalite idag jämfört med tidigare. Dock anser vi att dekommersiella fastighetsföretagen arbetar mer proaktivt och har ett större fokus på aktivakunddialoger, jämfört med bostadsföretagen som mer arbetar med social hållbarhet ochtrygghetsskapande frågor. Vi har fått viss indikation på att outsourcing av fastighetstekniker kanleda till försämrad transparens och brister i återkopplingen, vidare verkar fysiska besök framfördigitala möten hos de kommersiella aktörernas vara av vikt för ett gott relationsskapande.Ytterligare kan de kommersiella aktörernas NKI-undersökningar var bristfälliga då ofta enplatschef eller kontaktperson besvarar enkäterna, framför de som vistats mer frekvent i lokalen.Studiens bidrag är att undersöka svenska fastighetsbranschen och hur sex privatafastighetsföretag ser på service. Studien är lämplig för andra studenter inom service managementoch för andra fastighetsföretag för att synliggöra hur deras kollegor i branschen arbetar medservicekvalite och vilka förbättringsåtgärder det finns.

Drawing on Freire, this article elaborates on how pictures and artefacts benefit processes of ‘prise de conscience’ and ‘conscientization’ among those with powerful voices. Wor(l)d-making was unfolded in the Swedish think-and-do tank, ‘the Smithy’, emphasizing the intrinsically political nature of promoting ‘societal entrepreneurship’ (SE). New words for SE were formulated and a more inclusive world was discerned where all had a role, not just as ‘helpers’, but as equal members of SE practices. Pictures and artefacts enabled hitherto silenced stories to be told and created a common understanding of how SE contrasted with traditional entrepreneurship. When new words were added to entrepreneurship, it was possible to reflect on the actions taken within the Smithy in a deeper sense, not only focusing on actions for the entrepreneurs ‘out there’, but also initiating self-reflection on the roles all had in the Smithy, or in other settings, to promote SE. 

Implementing and conducting sustainability management in businesses today presents an urgent but also complex challenge for large German companies. To react to the fast-changing regulations and demands on the market and to reduce the complexity of sustainability, organizations have introduced sustainability departments as well as sustainability experts and managers. However, the question remains as to what the motives of companies have to conduct sustainability management, and what roles sustainability managers and experts have in the process of sustainable development. The main research question therefore examines how large German companies can achieve sustainable organizational change. In 15 semi-structured interviews with sustainability experts and managers, the motives of companies for conducting sustainability management were analyzed, thereby further exploring the role and influence of sustainability managers and experts in the change process. The results demonstrate that companies pursue a variety of motives which combine economic, legal, ethical, social, environmental, as well as philanthropic and discretionary factors. In addition, the research outlines that sustainability managers and experts embody different roles in order to support the process of integrating sustainability into the organization. Moreover, through their personal involvement and enthusiasm they can partly influence sustainable organizational change. The key results also highlight the complexity of sustainability within large companies. Based on these key results of this study practical implications could be derived in the form of ten correlating factors for achieving sustainable organizational change.

This master thesis is inspired by St. Pierre’s post qualitative inquiry and the philosophy of immanence, which support the creation of concepts through immersion in theory, philosophy, and practice. This serves as a guide of thought for the inquirer´s journey of exploration and creativity. This research departures in Latour´s concept of the Terrestrial, enriched by Haraway´s addition to the concept; and in Haraway´s theory of string figures, which is the foundation for exploring how to enact the change that is needed to survive in a world of climate destruction and business as usual. Haraway says that not all humans observe the Terrestrial from above (as Latour suggests) and invites us to go out there and find the people that never took off. For this purpose, I went to Costa Rica and had non-structured conversations with six Costa Rican leaders, who have been working for and with social and environmental causes for years. This inquiry aims to get a deeper understanding of how these stories, combined with the concept of the Terrestrial and SF theory, may help us create new concepts and develop a philosophy of Terrestrial Leadership. From a magic island to banana women, these stories tell us about how these leaders have gone through constant metamorphic processes of inner development, the discovery of their response-ability, the enactment of collaborations, and the politics of staying with the trouble in a chaotic world; in the Chthulucene. Finally, with the help of storytelling, I attempt to offer a first ontological and epistemological perspective on the concept of Terrestrial leadership and how we might benefit from it.

Sammanfattning

Arbetet syftar till att belysa (1) ämnesspråkliga svårigheter vid undervisning i företagsekonomi på gymnasieskolan samt (2) vilka multimodala arbetssätt som används och hur dessa i så fall främjar förståelsen för budgetbegreppen. Undersökningen utgör en kvalitativ studie där semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med fyra lärare i företagsekonomi på fyra olika skolor.

Arbetet har utgått ifrån de två frågeställningarna samt baserats på de didaktiska frågorna vem, vad, hur och varför, som återfinns i den didaktiska triangeln. Vi har undersökt vilka kopplingar till Deweys kontinuitetsprincip och Vygotskijs sociokulturella perspektiv som kan identifieras samt använts Cummins fyrfältsmodell för analys i syfte att kunna besvara studien frågeställningar. 

De viktigaste slutsatserna som vi dragit av studien är följande:

• Förförståelse från eleverna när det gäller begrepp och modeller kring budget är begränsad till vardagsfrågor och eleverna saknar helt kunskap kring det företagsekonomiska ämnesspråket när de påbörjar sin gymnasieutbildning.
• Eleverna har idag sämre ordförråd när det gäller det svenska språket, vilket bidrar till försvårande omständigheter för ekonomilärarna, och det blir mer utmanande för lärarna att skapa en fördjupad kunskap för företagsekonomiska begrepp hos eleverna.
• Lärarna använder sig genomgående av multimodala arbetssätt för att nå eleverna genom olika sinnen och vikten av varierade lektioner framhålles.
• Genom användandet av olika multimodala verktyg baserat på elevens utvecklingsstadier enligt Cummins fyrfältsmodell, främjas inlärningen.

It is a known fact that small real estate companies’ access to external financing and consequently growth is more limited than what it is to larger firms. The capital is limited today and new regulations appear all the time which additionally raises the barriers for entry to the real estate sector. Even though the same rules apply to all, there are some factors that smaller firms can pay attention to in order to have a better chance in this competitive market.

The purpose of this study is thus to examine which factors could be definitive for small real estate companies' ability to gain access to capital, focusing on bank financing.

The purpose has been achieved by applying a qualitative method based on six semi structured interviews, which also constitutes the empirical chapter. Five respondents are small real estate firms where of three are established, and two relatively new. A sixth respondent is a local bank in order to include that perspective as well.

Bank loans are still the most common source of financing in real estate and this market is all about relations and trust. Risk is another relevant factor since there is a lot of capital in the real estate business and this risk can be minimized in a number of ways. To have a track record in the real estate industry strengthens your chances of getting a bank loan significantly and proof of repayment is according to the bank the most important. The market's condition is also an important aspect, it can create better, or worse conditions for obtaining financing depending on activities in the close environment. The findings consist of five main aspects: bank relations, risk, experience, repayment ability and the market, where a small real estate firm’s success ultimately depends on how well they can find a balance between the factors.

Studien undersöker hur ledare på digitala bolag lärt sig och utvecklat självledarskap. Digitala bolag är bolag vars primära motiv är att tillhandahålla digitala tjänster och produkter. Studien ämnar ge en inblick i hur ledare som befinner sig på bolag som är i ständig förändring, leder sig själva i sitt arbetsliv och privatliv. Forskningsfrågan för studien är Hur ledare för digitala bolag leder sig själva, och hur har de utvecklat sina sätt att leda sig själva. Syfte: Studien undersöker fenomenet självledarskap bland ledare inom digitala bolag i syfte att bidra till insikter om hur ledare leder sig själva och hur de har utvecklat den kompetensen. Målet är att bidra till mer kunskap inom fenomenet självledarskap. Samt, genom att förstå hur självledarskapet utvecklas, bidra till mer insikter kring tillvägagångssätten ledare på digitala bolag använder för att utveckla självledarskap. 

Metod: Studien ämnar att undersöka ett fenomen och därför har en fenomenologisk och kvalitativ studie valts. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med individer som är eller varit ledare. De semistrukturerade intervjuerna gjorde att ledarnas upplevelser, förnimmelser och livsvärlden kunde fångas. Den insamlade empirin analyserades och presenteras tillsammans med ett urval av teorierer. Avslutningsvis ges en slutsats kring forskningsfrågan. 

Resultat: Ledare inom digitala bolag har självledarskapskompetens i olika hög grad. Bland intervjupersonerna hade hälften utvecklat självledarskap och samtliga av dem hade lärt sig kompetens själva på olika sätt. De hade också applicerat olika strategier och metoder för att lära sig, anpassat de metoderna och strategierna över tid, samt anpassat de till sig själva. De ledare som hade självledarskapsfärdigheter hade skapat strategier för att reglera sina egna beteende och reglera sina känslor. De hade en hög medvetenhet om sina egna behov samt för hur de tar hand om sig själva. Studien har bidragit till att skapa mer insikt kring hur ledare lär sig och utvecklar självledarskap. 

Purpose

Warehouses are of crucial importance to manage increased e-commerce. This study will explore and analyse the warehouse as a relational business model.   

Design/methodology/approach

The complex reality of warehouse business development is researched by a qualitative approach analysed in terms of service logic business models. Theoretically, service innovation literature is used to develop understanding of value creation related to e-commerce warehousing.  

Findings

Facility location and warehouse management relies of theoretical premises that business is foreseeable. The business model innovation in which real estate actors and logistics actors co-create flexible warehouse solutions is in development. A substantial contribution to logistics and supply chain efficiency and effectiveness is from real estate actors. Logistics actors need logistics facilities to create value for their customers and their competences are related to their network, relations and solution making. Real estate actors’ competences are in developing logistics facilities, which is a way of servitizating service providers. The relationship between real estate actors and logistics providers thereby become of strategic importance for both.  

Research limitations/implications

The warehouse as a relational business model opens up for future research by exploring use of and need of new sets of competences.

Practical implications

Logistics service providers’ may further develop and broaden their core competences. 

Original/value

Business model considerations are of value to e-commerce logistics actors.

Contemporary (third-party logistics providers) TPLs are in danger of being stuck in the middle, unable to perform customer adaptation as well as before and unable to achieve sufficient economies of scale. This conceptual paper aims to explore challenges facing the strategic development of TPLs within a context of increased digitalization, e-commerce and servitization. There are two apparent strategic paths. Under circumstances of strong price pressure, there is demand for standardized TPL services offering simplicity, minimalism and functionality based on digitalization, e-commerce and servitization. Alternatively, with market developments responsive to supply chain complexity, digitalization, e-commerce and servitization enable development towards innovation and change. We conclude that these developments do not invalidate existing frameworks for TPL strategies but contribute alternative strategies. We formulate three propositions for each strategic path. To avoid being stuck in the middle, TPLs are encouraged to either develop efficient services through servitized logistics chains and digital solutions or develop advanced solutions to integrate the consumer into the logistics network system through competencies to control increased levels of complexity.

Service innovation is the nexus between the growing e-commerce in urban areas and the ongoing Corona pandemic and seasonal peaks like Christmas. The growing market of urban e-commerce logistics needs solution-driven freight and urban logistics, which is an assumption of this study. Consumer-oriented urban logistics services enable consumers in their everyday and enable a well-functioning urban logistics market are a co-operation between consumers and urban service providers. A service-logic perspective may offer service innovation and value co-creation for the urban logistics challenge that includes last mile logistics.

This conceptual paper aims to develop strategic logistics service provision literature and service innovation literature to facilitate collaborative development between consumers and service providers. Central aspects are consumer's everyday routines and available solutions in terms of urban deliveries and returns, available interaction points between consumers and service providers in daily practices, and knowledge and resources of urban service provider (related to e-commerce logistics) for innovative offerings. 

The everyday consumption practice and its logistics are key in co-created service innovations. In-depth understanding of consumption practices and production practices is the basis to align resources for a differentiated urban logistics solution. Such a process develops both urban service consumption practices and production practices. Urban service providers like logistics firms, commercial real estaters, and e-retailers have complementary types of competencies to facilitate urban service innovation. 

The study will generate implications to the urban e-commerce logistics research area and benefit both academia and business. 

Road freight competition is playing out in deregulated markets. The EU single market is a market with abundant responses in terms of haulier strategic actions. This chapter situates the crucial role of road haulier strategies in the logistics service supply chain and industrial supply chain to achieve sustainability. Competitive and sustainable transport depends on effective transport services, vehicles and transport infrastructure, and conditions that foster the development of transport and logistics services. By examining how four case firms develop competences and make use of available resources we develop insights into road haulier competition and its implications. The chapter contributes to understanding how road hauliers are part of logistics service chains as well as industrial supply chains and how the many links and relationships increase the magnitude and implications of hauliers’ performances.

This study explores the impact of organizational leadership and structure on sustainabledevelopment in financial organizations. It utilizes a deductive qualitative researchapproach with semi-structured interviews as the data collection method, collaboratingwith six large and prominent financial organizations in Sweden.The findings suggest that leadership and structure significantly impact sustainabledevelopment in financial organizations. The study found that leadership plays a crucialrole in promoting sustainability, while the organizational structure affects theimplementation and success of sustainable practices. The results also indicate that usingsustainable frameworks and integrating sustainability into the organizational culture isessential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.The study contributes new knowledge to organizational study on sustainable developmentin financial organizations. It also provides valuable insights for organizations,sustainability professionals, policymakers, scholars, and students interested insustainability, organizational structure, and leadership, as it could contribute to thetheoretical understanding of sustainable practices and provide a base for future researchin the field.

Research on minimalism on the individual level shows the concept to be linked to ecological sustainability by applying methods such as reduction of consumption and valuing of product quality over quantity. In the fashion industry, concepts like ‘capsule wardrobe’ propose a reduced but high-quality, timeless wardrobe. It challenges the complex and fast-paced fashion industry with its numerous collections, overproduction and overconsumption. The application of minimalism on the business level in the fashion industry has not been researched yet. Therefore, we aimed to explore how minimalism is perceived and applied on the organisational level in the fashion industry and its contribution to ecological sustainability. Based on a developed theoretical framework and data gathered through eleven semi-structured interviews, a practical framework for minimalism as a business strategy is presented. It represents a value-based approach to business by incorporating customers, the organisation and the supply chain. Furthermore, organisational minimalism is not only efficiency-increasing and waste-reducing but also a way to do as little harm as possible, to consume critically while still operating in the existing system. The practical framework can be used to guide companies to implement minimalism as a driver for sustainability in business-making. With this outcome, we contribute to making the fashion industry more sustainable and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, and 12.

Collaborating with public or private sector organizations in project-based courses equips design students with key skills to future-proof their careers, but this gives only one side of the story as the key feature of these partnerships is that they are mutualistic collaborations. However, the benefits to organizations of collaborating are not fully explored. This paper presents a case study of partnerships with four different public organizations in a service design course over a five-year period. It argues that collaborating in project-based courses serves as risk-free experimentation and paves the way for organizational learning. The paper first reviews the existing research on collaboration in design education and organizational learning. Then, three types of learning that emerged from the data are analyzed. Next, the steps to successful collaboration are discussed, noting the ups and downs of managing the project partnerships. Finally, the challenges of teaching a collaborative project-based design course are discussed.

The impact of the current food system on the climate crisis challenges its actors to takeactions towards sustainability. The increasing pressure in transforming the food system requires changes at the organisational level, which sparks research interest in understanding what factors influence the integration and strengthening of sustainability in food-producing companies. This study aims to explore the organisational change process of sustainability implementation and the influence of organisational and external factors. This thesis should contribute to the field of research by analysing food-producing companies on their sustainability transition to conclude what factors drive the sustainability integration and strengthening in their organisations. Reflections on organisational change management and corporate sustainability lay the theoretical foundation for this thesis. The research follows a qualitative methodology that explores change drivers for sustainability change by conducting semi-structured interviews with six sustainability professionals. A thematic analysis of the data highlights the different approaches to sustainability of the organisations. The findings are summarised in a sustainability change framework presenting influencing factors on organisations’ sustainability transition and key drivers for sustainability change. The key findings indicate that a sustainability-oriented culture, passionate leadership, long-term commitment to sustainability, sustainability training and education, collaborative communication, sustainability measurements, the inclusion of sustainability in daily work, and a sustainable and professional brand are the key drivers to sustainability integration and strengthening.

Technology-based business improvements characterize the so-called digital transformation (DT). For non-profit organizations (NPOs), with their unique value creation structure and specific preconditions in terms of staff and resources, keeping up with the DT is challenging. Still, opportunities for the DT are unknown. Thus far, there are no comprehensive guidelines for DT strategy development in NPOs. Both digital value creation and digitally supported communication with customers can lead to competitive advantages. Therefore, NPO decision-makers must understand the opportunities and the challenges of DT. In our research approach, we aim to answer the research question: What are the fields of action for the digital transformation in NPOs? Following a grounded theory approach, we have developed a theoretical framework including fields of action and guidance for the strategic advancement of DT in NPOs. The results show that NPOs need to be aware of their digital communications channels with volunteer staff, customers and donors. A clear DT vision and new roles help NPOs meet this challenge.

The growing interest in sustainability amounts pressure on organisations to operate in more environmentally friendly ways, sparking the need for radical sustainable change. The purpose of this study is to discover what factors and conditions facilitate and hinder organisational learning for sustainability transitions (ST), a topic that has caught recent academic attention and thus needs further interdisciplinary research. The conceptual framework derives inspiration from the Four Factors of Learning for ST whilst the Competing Values Framework and the Three Loops of Learning are used as additional lens to better understand the conditions of learning for ST. The thesis will take a qualitative approach through conducting a content analysis of three company documents and seven semi-structured interviews with employees from a public service agency in Scandinavia currently implementing a transition lab. A descriptive analysis of the coded data highlights the levels of understanding and acceptance towards sustainability transitions from the case organisation and the conditions that facilitate and hinder organisational learning. The results show that the most prominent of the Four Factors of Learning for ST in the early phase of a sustainability transition is interpersonal, followed by material, institutional and intrapersonal. Within these factors, the discussion further highlights the most prevalent sub-codes and themes that reoccur in the data. Moreover, five key findings under the themes of flexibility versus control, resource availability through digitalisation, communication, collaboration and facing complexity using institutional logics were identified as the primary facilitating and hindering factors that promote learning for STs. Finally, recommendations are presented to inform both theory, and practice, as further analysing learning for ST is of high relevance to better understand and design these learning journeys and a more sustainable (organisational) future.

LdB FC, a women football club in Malmö, stands out as a good example of the increasing commercialisation and its impact on the conditions for a swedish women football club.

Competitive tendering has been the preferred approach for public procurement in publictransport, whose purpose is to reach a better customer experience and more cost effectivetraffic solutions through increased competition between different operators. The contracts inpublic procurement mainly contain two different types: net-cost contract and gross-costcontracts. The contracts also contain incentives, which should motivate the operator tomaintain a high quality of their operation.The purpose of the study was to investigate and achieve an understanding of what theoperator’s strategy includes and what it means for Go-Ahead Nordic as an operator in publicprocurement.

The study also processes Swedish and Norwegian public procurements, fromthe bidder’s perspective.The results of the study shows that Go-Ahead Nordics´s contracts differ depending on whattype of contract is being used in different public procurements. In the various differentcontracts, Go-Ahead Nordic faces advantages and risks that the operator must take intoaccount in their operation. Incentives play a part in a number of Go-Ahead Nordics’scompetitive tenders, where the operator appreciates a few specific incentives in the contracts.Incentives in Go-Ahead Nordics contracts have contributed to a greater risk for the operatorafter the Covid-19 pandemic. A great difference between public procurement in Norway andSweden exists in that the state carries out the procurements in Norway. However in Swedenthe procurements are managed by the regional public transport authorities.

The largest generation on earth, Generation Z, holds substantial market power. They were born onto a planet that is overheating, in a society characterized by high growth and technological advancements at an accelerated speed, and are inheriting substantial sustainability, socio-economic, and climate change challenges. Given this, they are aware of the importance of incorporating sustainability into their purchasing decisions. Since the contemporary topic of sustainable decision-making of Gen Z is still in its nascent stage, this research further investigates the process an individual goes through when deciding what aspects guide them in decisions as well as what could possibly hinder Gen Z to turn sustainable purchasing intentions into behavior. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with individuals of Europe’s Gen Z cohort and subsequently processed using thematic analysis. Based on the EBM customer decision model, the information integration theory, and the green intention-behavior gap model, three categories focusing on rational, value-based, and intentional themes were derived. Results show that Gen Z goes through a complex decision process which is based on their strongly held values. Their intention to act sustainably is prevalent throughout the process, where they often combat internalized consumerism, search for authentic and honest information, rely on family, friends, their sustainability education and knowledge, their favorite brands, and are skeptical about claims made by companies. Even if individuals desire to purchase sustainably all the time, price, availability and accessibility, missing aesthetics as well as skepticism and the lack of transparency and regulations in terms of sustainability terminology hinders them to turn intentions into actions. 

This study investigates the correlation between Millennial workers' sense of belonging and a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Bearing in mind the gap in academic research on the introspective impact CSR has on a company’s employees, this study aims to explore how the Millennial workers at one of the biggest banking and insurance companies operating in Bulgaria understand and relate to companies’ philanthropic endeavours. To do so, this paper has used a theoretical framework, which combines four pillars that interact with and amplify one another. Two of them are empirical and present CSR and the Millennials as a generation. The other two are theoretical with social identity theory (SIT), which explains the sense of belonging innate to the Millennials, and corporate citizenship and shareholder value theory, which represent the polar opposites of what CSR should be about. As such, the thesis probes the hypotheses that, on one hand, if a company engages in genuine CSR initiatives, this will lead to an increased sense of belonging from the Millennial employees. However, on the other hand, if the company engages in greenwashing instead, this will lead to a diminished sense of belonging in the target group. 

The findings infer that the Millennial workers at the banking and insurance company have strong opinions favouring their company utilizing genuine CSR practices. In addition, the majority of them have shared that if the company started utilizing CSR as means of greenwashing, this would lead to their overall disappointment and a diminished sense of association with the employer. However, the data has also shown that there might be different reasons for why people are joining CSR initiatives.

These findings were produced with the help of mixed-method research combining quantitative survey plus qualitative semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. 

This study aims to examine banks’ approaches in regards to granting mortgage loans to first-time buyers. Furthermore, first-time buyers’ perceptions and experiences throughout the process of getting approved for a mortgage will be studied. The study approaches the issue that refers to a theoretical framework of behavioral economics and discrimination theories. This study is conducted through a total of nine semi structured interviews. It is conducted with a qualitative method and a deductive approach. Furthermore, the study includes five first-time buyers' experiences and four banks’ guidelines when it comes to the process of approving loans to first-time buyers in south-west Sweden.  

To answer the aim of the study, banks’ requirements and criterias, and first-time buyers perception has been studied. It has been made clear from previous studies that young people are being denied mortgage loans in more than half of the larger cities in Sweden. To study this conclusion, the approach of mortgage loans to first-time buyers has been researched. The results of the study showed that the banks’ approach and requirements differ from what first-time buyers perceive and the reality of  how the banks work. It has also been made clear that the respondents feel unfairly treated due to the majority of them being denied and not receiving an explanation. 

During the execution of this study, it was explained by a mortgage loan officer that there is a confidentiality agreement within the bank sector. All answers have therefore not been fairly answered. Furthermore, the results showed that the fact that first-time buyers are being denied mortgages is evident. This study is of use for both younger people and banks, as well as anyone who is entering the housing market for the first-time. 

The Enabling the Flourishing and Evolution of Social Entrepreneurship for Innovative and Inclusive Societies (EFESEIIS) project addressed several Innovation Union priorities on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, which shows that it is serious about drawing up a wide range of policies relating to social entrepreneurship. European policy has focused on the related concept of social innovation. Since social entrepreneurship is a relatively new phenomenon, building both a partnership and a methodology required a great deal of attention. The cooperative methodology employed by the partnership inspired controversy, consensus, and ambivalence. European welfare systems play an important role in improving the living conditions of its citizens, most notably in the areas of childcare, health prevention services, employment services, and benefits for the elderly. The chapter discusses some ambivalences, divergences, convergences, and unifying concepts. From a methodological point of view, the EFESEIIS project is full of interesting tensions and ambivalences.

Globalisation and outsourcing have exacerbated the complexity of supply chains (Christopher, 2016). As a result, new business models have emerged to reduce the complexity of the supply chain by utilising supply chain management solutions. These business models serve as links in the supply chain that facilitate the integration of the functions of the primary organisation with those of other organisations. When disruptions occur in the supply chain, several parties are impacted. In this situation, supply chain and risk management methodologies can assist in assessing internal and external aspects during disruptive events. To understand the perspective of logistics service providers, this thesis examines Schenker Dedicated Services and Samskip's perceptions of disruptive events, the effects of these events, and how resilience plans are developed. In this context, a logistics service provider is an underlying link that helps its clients by applying supply chain management strategies such as coordinating, integrating, establishing connections, and cooperating. 

We assembled a panel of supply chain practitioners with different roles at third-party and fourth-party logistics companies to investigate these factors. This panel had a role in our qualitative investigation and expressed their perspectives. It was discovered that their views of interruptions in the supply chain are comparable but slightly different. These discrepancies may be attributable to the company's business style, logistical networks, and geographic location. 

Humanity is faced with another revolution now: “Industry 4.0”. In addition to economic elements, other dimensions of societal structures are also fundamentally reorganized by this novel revolution. As a natural consequence of this development, digital transformation became a substantial issue for business organizations, the crucial players of the economy in society. Several studies have investigated the antecedents, processes, and consequences associated with digitalization in organizations. However, the overwhelming majority of these studies discussed the issue from the perspective of white-collar employees, who are the decision-makers or decision developers. Thus, it could be suggested that there is a significant gap in digitalization literature about the views of blue-collar employees, who are bound by the consequences of the decisions by the white collars. Therefore, the current study aims to emphasize the “non-tackled” conditions of blue-collar workers during organizational digital transformation. Furthermore, only a few studies solidified (or warranted) their claims with a theoretical approach. Thus, the present study also aims to discuss whether the textures of Scandinavian Institutionalism and digital transformation are consistent to test Scandinavian Institutionalism as an alternative theoretical foundation for future studies that will search for an adequate theory to understand this phenomenon better. Finally, the current study also aims to recommend certain research avenues to combine the digital transformation of blue-collar employees and Scandinavian Institutionalism.

The study focuses on creating greater understanding around how real estate companiesorganize their technical management, and how they use external suppliers to provide differentservices instead of keeping them in-house. We also examine what the selection process lookslike when choosing an external supplier and how service quality is maintained towardscustomers, when the work is in the hands of an external actor. In order to reach a result, wehave designed an interview guide based on our theoretical frame of reference. In thetheoretical frame of reference, we address various theories on core competence, transactioncosts, relationships and the agent theory. In addition to the theories, the theoretical frame ofreference consists of sections on outsourcing historically, the outsourcing process, contractwriting and quality dimensions. The interviews consist of five representatives from fourdifferent real estate companies of different sizes and focus areas. The study is conductedusing a qualitative method and the interviews are semi-structured. The interviews provided uswith empirical material, which we then connected with our theoretical frame of reference toreach a conclusion. What we found was that the selection process when choosing an externalsupplier was not as extensive as we thought. Instead, respondents preferred to collaboratewith actors they had established relationships with, largely because of the predictability itprovides and reduced transaction costs. The technical management services that were not keptin-house and instead were outsourced were mostly craft work such as plumbing, carpentryand painting. While more service-oriented and day-to-day tasks are kept in-house. To ensurethat external actors delivered good service quality, the work is monitored and evaluated bothduring and after implementation. If the quality did not meet the agreed upon, new players onthe market who were sifted through careful due diligence work.

This research addresses the decision making process for ESG procurement investments within organizations. Since the decision making process for ESG procurement investments, particularly the consideration of environmental, social, and governance, is not clearly understood or documented, this research aims to investigate the roles, activities, and stakeholders involved in each stage of the decision making process, while exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with using ESG considerations for ESG procurement investments. The research design employs qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews with sustainability managers and a comprehensive analysis of findings. The key findings indicate that the decision making process follows Herbert Simon's three steps, involving the intelligence, design, and choice stage. Throughout this process, various stakeholders, including management teams, finance teams, and sustainability departments, assume specific roles. Furthermore, the involvement of additional stakeholders can vary from stage to stage, with their roles adapting accordingly. In the intelligence stage, the activities encompassed identifying the situation and problems at hand, as well as collecting data through collaborative efforts. Moving into the design stage, activities involved developing business cases and exploring potential alternatives. Finally, in the choice stage of the decision making process, the activities involved evaluating the best alternative, presenting it to the management team, and making the final decision. Challenges identified using ESG in procurement investments include among others aligning costs and sustainability, limited awareness and competences, and data availability, while opportunities lie in risk reduction, enhanced sustainability, collaboration, and cost reductions. The research contributes to existing literature by providing empirical evidence, development of an analytical framework, and shedding light on the decision making process. In practical terms, this research provides valuable insights for sustainability managers, procurement professionals, and organizational leaders. It highlights the importance of understanding the decision making process and the roles of different stakeholders, which can lead to improved collaboration and coordination among departments involved.

The work with sustainability has mostly focused on the environmental and economic aspects, while the social dimension has been neglected. There is no definitive definition of what social sustainability work entails and there is a lack of financial measurement tools to assess social investments.

The purpose of the essay is to report on the measurement challenge when investing in social sustainability. To achieve this, real estate actors have been interviewed, the people have shared the organization's social sustainability work and its view on measurement challenges. In total, seven operators have been interviewed who have a very varied property portfolio and ownership structure.

A recurring measurement tool that the majority of the interviewed real estate operators use is survey measuring tool. These measurement tools can only measure the customer's individual experience and cannot directly demonstrate financial profitability of the investment. The essay has found a variation in terms of existing measurement tools but has also managed to identify challenges in these, such as the lack of comparability, subjective assessments, and misleading values.

Financial profitability can arise in many ways from an investment in social sustainability. A common way is through cost savings or an increased willingness to pay in the form of increased market value and attractiveness. The essay has shown that a well-thought-out management can in many ways create large cost savings but also function as preventive measures that contribute to social sustainability, which in turn can generate indirect financial profitability.

Sweden is one of the leading countries when it comes to the game developing and has for over a decade been a European epicentre for both companies and employees within the industry. However, at the beginning of 2023, the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) pointed out some challenges that the industry faces in terms of creating diverse and inclusive organizations, which could ultimately be an obstacle to continued growth. Along the same line, global statistics of the industry do prevail over an overall lack of diversity and inclusive organizational environments. As for the Swedish context, statistics are not as accessible and extensive, although there are signs of similar patterns. Looking at the statistics both nationally in Sweden and globally, researchers are in unison that one reason for the lack of diversity within the industry could be pointed towards the lack of women applicants for STEM careers. 

Regardless of the source of the problem, there is a strong consensus amongst scholars within the field of diversity and inclusion concerning the positive outcomes that it has on business when it comes to both performance and organizational well-being. To some degree, the gaming  industry in Sweden has demonstrated apparent attempts throughout recent decades to increase the amount of women, and other minoritised groups and introduce efforts of inclusion measurements. But what is rather unexplored within the research of the Swedish context is what the understanding of the phenomena of diversity and inclusion amongst the employees within the industry looks like. This thesis argues that in-depth knowledge about employee perception could be considered a potentially important puzzle bite in supporting organizations in their development and innovation regarding the subject. Hence, this thesis will explore the subjective perception of diversity and inclusion amongst employees within the Swedish gaming industry by using the theoretical framework of inequality regimes by Joan Acker. 

Det miljömässiga hållbarhetstänket inom inköpsorganisationer har idag snarare blivit en skyldighet än en valmöjlighet. Både externa och interna drivkrafter förmår företag att integrera ett miljötänk i sin upphandlingsprocess. Upphandlingsenheten inom organisationer har samtidigt fått en större roll inom organisationer och spelar idag en ledande roll i att integrera miljömässig hållbarhet i organisationer. Detta miljötänk i upphandlingsprocessen benämns idag som gröna upphandlingar. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med fem stycken chefer inom inköp och upphandlingar syftar denna studie till att analysera gröna upphandlingar inom organisationer med produktion och förädling i den privata sektorn. Intervjupersonernas upplevelser och erfarenheter används som utgångspunkt i studien och jämförs sedan med teorin. Resultatet av studien visar bland annat organisationernas arbete med miljöledningsstandarder och certifieringar ligger till grund för valet av leverantörer. Definitionerna av uttrycket gröna upphandlingar varierar, men i grunden arbetar samtliga studerade organisationer med just detta. Tryck från kunder i form av miljökrav och transparens samt ett gott anseende av omvärlden upplevs som de största drivkrafterna till att genomföra gröna upphandlingar. Barriärerna av gröna upphandlingar består i sin tur dels av en oförståelse, men framförallt av finansiella hinder både internt och externt. 

BACKGROUND: Co-production of health is defined as 'the interdependent work of users and professionals who are creating, designing, producing, delivering, assessing, and evaluating the relationships and actions that contribute to the health of individuals and populations'. It can assume many forms and include multiple stakeholders in pursuit of continuous improvement, as in Learning Health Systems (LHSs). There is increasing interest in how the LHS concept allows integration of different knowledge domains to support and achieve better health. Even if definitions of LHSs include engaging users and their family as active participants in aspects of enabling better health for individuals and populations, LHS descriptions emphasize technological solutions, such as the use of information systems. Fewer LHS texts address how interpersonal interactions contribute to the design and improvement of healthcare services.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the literature on LHS to clarify the role and contributions of co-production in LHS conceptualizations and applications.

METHOD: First, we undertook a scoping review of LHS conceptualizations. Second, we compared those conceptualizations to the characteristics of LHSs first described by the US Institute of Medicine. Third, we examined the LHS conceptualizations to assess how they bring four types of value co-creation in public services into play: co-production, co-design, co-construction and co-innovation. These were used to describe core ideas, as principles, to guide development.

RESULT: Among 17 identified LHS conceptualizations, 3 qualified as most comprehensive regarding fidelity to LHS characteristics and their use in multiple settings: (i) the Cincinnati Collaborative LHS Model, (ii) the Dartmouth Coproduction LHS Model and (iii) the Michigan Learning Cycle Model. These conceptualizations exhibit all four types of value co-creation, provide examples of how LHSs can harness co-production and are used to identify principles that can enhance value co-creation: (i) use a shared aim, (ii) navigate towards improved outcomes, (iii) tailor feedback with and for users, (iv) distribute leadership, (v) facilitate interactions, (vi) co-design services and (vii) support self-organization.

CONCLUSIONS: The LHS conceptualizations have common features and harness co-production to generate value for individual patients as well as for health systems. They facilitate learning and improvement by integrating supportive technologies into the sociotechnical systems that make up healthcare. Further research on LHS applications in real-world complex settings is needed to unpack how LHSs are grown through coproduction and other types of value co-creation.

This study investigates what impact the voice picking-system has on the efficiency of the order picking process and how the work environment is affected with Baxter as a case company. Over the past decade, new information technology has had a major impact on the logistics industry. One of these new technologies is the voice picking-system. In this study will factors such as efficiency and productivity, bottlenecks, human error, picking principles, warehouse structure and routes, working environment and pros and cons that businesses should consider when using a voice picking system be treated. It turned out that the voice picking-system is effective, but that there are also disadvantages to consider. The method used in this survey is a qualitative case study. During the study, one observation and eight interviews were accomplished with employees who had different roles at Baxter's warehouse in Lund. All data was then analyzed using the study's theoretical framework and the empirical evidence to determine the impact of the voice picking system. The study's results show that a voice picking system can contribute to a more efficient order picking process. However, it can also lead to reduced work motivation due to a lack of opportunities for decision-making and responsibility for the employees.

Breaking the glass ceiling of boards of directors has been a hot topic globally for over a decade without any significant results. With an increase in demand for sustainable companies, the current composition of most of the boards of directors is contradictory, where homogeneous boards of directors are more a rule than an exception. Contradicting the fact that diverse teams are proven to make better, long-termed, and more sustainable decisions. Small and medium-sized enterprises are often neglected in the debate to increase diversity in boards of directors, even though they hold most of all boards of directors’ positions. Investigating the small and medium-sized enterprises this paper aims to explore how to break the glass ceiling of the boards of directors in Denmark. Similar to Norway where quotas with boardrooms have been introduced in 2008, this study also wants to reexamine the general attitude towards hard legislation or find alternatives in form of other legislation in Denmark. Therefore, it is essential to understand the dynamics and habits of the boards of directors. This study has through semi-structured interviews investigated the culture of boards of directors to find the barriers of the boardrooms and how to break them down. A recruitment company has tried to offer a new way of recruiting for boards of directors through open positions. Here has the researchers conducted qualitative research to investigate their impact on gender and age in boards of directors, to see if the open positions can exhilarate the implementation of diversity in the board rooms. The results of the study show that there is a need to educate small and medium-sized enterprises on the benefits of diverse boards of directors. The boards of directors are primarily recruited through networks of its members, making it difficult to increase diversity. The reason for recruiting through networks is primarily due to a lack of understanding of both the function of boards of directors and a wish to keep the information of the company close to themselves. The overall attitude towards legislation is mixed with a small overweight against quotas. Mainly from an individual point of view is quotas are seen as an undesirable means for increasing diversity in boards of directors. The recruitment company has been proven cable of recruiting younger candidates. However, not significantly change the percentages of female representations where only a slight increase of women in some positions is seen.