This report initially asks the question of why Robotic Vacuum Cleaners are not a regular part of our everyday lives. The concept of a completely automated robotic aid to help us with our chores seems, at glance, an attractive proposition. Interviewing various groups of users suggests that most robotic vacuum cleaners do have some technical problems like limitations in suction power and inability t

Science parks are the facilitators of innovation, hosting new high-technology businesses. There are thousands of SMEs in Science Parks all around the world. This thesis is looking at an environmental initiative addressing these firms, IDEON‘s Lightfoot Academy. The science parks around the world have several approaches addressing sustainability. These approaches are outlined in the thesis, includi

Smart grid technology is promising significant increases in efficiency for the electricity industry, savings for end-consumers and associated reductions in CO2 emissions for society. Yet smart grids in Europe are developing slower than expected. This work describes the drivers and barriers for the development of the smart grid in Europe and investigates how to increase the value creation for utili

Syfte: Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att ge en klarare bild av gasellföretagen, vilka tillväxtstrategier de använder för att nå tillväxt. Finns det något unikt hos gasellföretagen som gör att når en så hög tillväxt? Metod: Med en kvalitativ undersökning genom intervjuer av företag på Dagens Industris lista över gaseller i Skåne vill vi undersöka förhållandet mellan tillväxt och strategi genom at

The purpose of our thesis is to, based on theory, investigate if venture capital investment generates value by increasing the credibility of Swedish start-up firms. If so, we continue by studying which factors influence the credibility value added in Sweden. The methodology is based on the concept of non-financial value added (NFVA) and we use primary data collected through a survey. We conclude t

Purpose: The current thesis assignment aims to quantitatively verify systematic character of default risk and the statistical quality of the competing three- and four-factor asset pricing models. Method: The experimental design applied to this study is premised on the three-factor model of Fama and French enhanced by default risk factor. The study utilizes the factor mimicking portfolio technique

Objectives: In this thesis we studied the performance of active extension portfolios constructed by using momentum/contrarian strategies. Fundamentally, the difference between the 130/30 and the long-only asset classes is the relaxation from the long-only constraint. The main implication of this study is to find out whether the 130/30 strategy is value adding, in comparison to other actively manag

In the past two decades the European banking industry has undergone an intense process of reshaping, fostered by a junction of reasons. Consolidation of the industry has been increasing at an accelerating pace. However, continental literature in the field is still not thorough or conclusive. While European banking M&As have been up to now judged as creating more value than their US counterpart

The present research is aimed at analyzing spirituality according to the way it is presented in academic management literature. To uncover comprehensively way this phenomenon is described, a thorough scientific analysis of the selected articles was performed including coding the materials, systematically categorizing them as well as critically investigating particular aspects. While conducting the

Purpose: The thesis purpose is to examine how investors values differences in sales growth and profitability, as well as reacts to reported changes in these variables. In addition, the authors evaluate whether it is possible to earn abnormal returns, using Jensen´s alpha, by investing in stocks after reported improvements in these variables. Methodology: Due to the quantitative nature of the thesi

The purpose with our thesis is to describe and analyse how the Swedish universities can make their audit education relevant and in line with the requirements for the future external audit market. The thesis has an abductive approach and we use a qualitative method in our research, this to get more dept in our study. This has been done by a number of semi-structured interviews, both by phone and in

This paper compares credit pricing on the bond market and the credit default swap market with focus on countries of the Euro zone and in particular on Greece. For the period 2006 to 2008 we find that the two markets are closely related and that the CDS market is the main forum of price discovery. After 2008 the relationship loosened, however we find evidence that the bond market still is affected

To discuss the current liquidity in inter-bank bond market, this paper uses high-frequency date of bond trading, and selects a series of liquidity measures to evaluate liquidity in the market respectively. Then correlation analysis is applied between liquidity measures, and the result reveals that some liquidity measures are highly correlated. Based on the correlations between liquidity measures,

Title: The Nucleus of CSR – Creating and Communicating a Strategic Corporate Responsibility Agenda in a Controversial Industry Authors: Karin Andersson and Anne Frandsen Supervisors: Martin Blom – Department of Business Administration, Lund School of Economics and Management Per Svenningsson – Department of Technology and Society, Envi-ronmental and Energy Systems Studies, Lund Institute of Techno

The aim of this master thesis is to create a better understanding for what factors that affect a switch of professional audit firm in the municipal sector in Sweden. Methodology: In order to achieve the purpose of this thesis, we adopted an abductive approach and a qualitative method was used. Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework includes theories and previous research about factors

This paper aims to examine the value creation and earnings management from acquisitions in Scandinavian biopharmaceutical industry from 1999 to 2008. In our study we do not find any evidence that acquirers in general make any abnormal return in the 3 and 11 days around the announcement date. However, when splitting the result according to their size we do find statistical proof that large firms wi

Given the influence of the crisis on worldwide financial markets, the aim of this work is to empirically study the effects of the current financial crisis on the time-varying beta of industries in the Scandinavian region. The paper will consider such countries as Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Gathering data for 14 Scandinavian industries during the 10 year period. Then, quantitative tools s

Thesis Purpose: This thesis aims to study how a business school’s brand is built in the mind of prospective students and examine the role of internet communication plays in the brand building process. Methodology: Qualitative research method is mainly used in the thesis, several focus group interviews and individual interviews have been done with master students and administration officials to col

“Recruitment as a Part of the Dialogue – an Exploration of Different Experiences and Views of Social Media in the Recruitment Process”. The thesis you’re about to read is based on the new possibilities of communication that social media can enable in the recruitment process. The aim of the study has been to explore the relatively unexplored area of social media connected to HR. Theories used conce