Co-ordination within the Swedish deer meat industry : feasible organisational model on the basis of New Zealand experiences

Det importeras hjortkött till Sverige till ett värde av ca 135 miljoner SEK om året. Merparten kommer från Nya Zeeland. Köttet säljs främst till restauranger via grossister. Den svenska hjortnäringen består av ca 400 hägn av varierande storlek med en mycket heterogen grupp av uppfödare. Det finns stora skillnader mellan de svenska och de nyzeeländska uppfödarnas mål med sin verksamhet. De flesta svenska uppfödare sköter hela värdekedjan själva, medan den nyzeeländska näringen till stor del samordnas genom stora traditionellt organiserade kooperativa företag. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka organisationsformer, som vore lämpliga att implementera i den svenska hjortnäringen utifrån lärdomar hämtade från Nya Zeeland. Tre organisationsformer analyseras, nämligen traditionell kooperation, internentreprenöriell kooperation och investerarägda företag. Analysen av dessa organisationsformer sker utifrån de båda ländernas rådande marknadssituation. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom kvalitativa intervjuer i Nya Zeeland och i Sverige. Intervjuobjekten var utvalda hjortuppfödare och branschtjänstemän. Frågorna syftade till att få en bild av intervjuobjektens syn på näringen för att kunna applicera dessa kunskaper på de teoretiska organisationsmodellerna. Studien bygger främst på transaktionskostnads-, agent- och äganderättsteori. Teorierna används för att belysa skillnader i de olika organisationsformerna. Resultatet av studien visar att de nyzeeländska volymerna lämpar sig för traditionell kooperation med bulkvaran hjortkött. Sverige har svårt att med sina små volymer konkurrera med Nya Zeeland. Därför måste den svenska näringen, om den ska vara slagkraftig, eftersträva en vertikal integrering, där uppfödarna äger produkten så långt som möjligt i värdekedjan och därmed erbjuder produkter direkt till konsumenten. För att äga produkten genom hela kedjan krävs högre kapitalinsatser, vilket medför osäkerhetskostnader men även möjligheter till ökade intäkter. Studien visar att de organisationsformer, som vore lämpligast för Sverige, är den internentreprenöriella kooperationsformen och den investerarägda företagsformen. Båda formerna bygger på individuellt ägande. Sådant ger ofta incitament till ett ökat ansvarstagande för företaget. Ansvarstagandet uppkommer genom att uppfödaren i dessa system har investerat kapital och har en möjlighet att ta del av en framtida värdestegring på företaget. Det individualiserade ägandet minskar de agent- och äganderättskostnader, som uppstår vid samordning. Dessa ägandeformer har en potential att ge hjortnäringen en möjlighet att öka produktionen och utvecklas på ett konkurrenskraftigt sätt.The value of venison imported yearly to Sweden amounts to 135 million SEK, with New Zealand being the largest supplier. The venison is primarily sold to restaurants through wholesalers. The Swedish deer industry is composed of 400 fenced areas of differing size, with a highly heterogeneous group of breeders. As to the goals of breeders, there exist large differences between breeders from New Zealand and Sweden. While the former breeders operate through large, traditional co-operatives, most of the latter are fully vertically integrated. This thesis aims to investigate co-ordination within the Swedish deer meat industry on the basis of New Zealand experiences. The following three organisational models are analysed: traditional cooperative form, new generation cooperative business form and investor-owned companies. The analysis of these models is conducted from the perspective of the current market situation in the respective countries. The empirical data was gathered through qualitative interviews in New Zealand and in Sweden. The interviewees were selected deer breeders and industry employees. Interview questions were aimed at obtaining accurate knowledge of their views on the industry and its prospects, and this knowledge was applied to the theoretical organisational models. The study is based primarily on transaction cost theory, agency theory, and property rights theory which are used to illuminate the differences between the various organisational models. The study shows that New Zealand is best suited for traditional cooperation, with the bulk produce of venison. In contrast, Sweden, with its significantly smaller volumes, would have great difficulty competing with New Zealand on a volume basis. Consequently, for the Swedish industry to remain competitive it should strive for vertical integration, where breeders control the entire value chain and sell products directly to the consumer. With such a vertical integration, higher capital stakes are required. Although this may result in higher costs of uncertainty, there is still a higher revenue potential. The study concludes that the most suitable organisational models for the Swedish deer meat industry are the new generation cooperative business form as well as the investor-owned form. Both are based on individual ownership, which can lead to an increased responsibility within the company. This increased responsibility arises because the breeder, under these structures, has invested capital and is allowed to have a share of the future value of the company. The individual ownership reduces the agency and property rights problems, which occur during coordination in traditional cooperatives. Finally, these ownership structures may give the Swedish deer meat industry an opportunity to increase production and develop in a competitive way

Harnessing the Power : Exploring Opportunities and Challenges for Successful AI Adoption in Organizations

ABSTRACT Date: 2023-05-31 Level: Bachelor/Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society, and Engineering, Mälardalens University Authors:  Axel Bodén   Gustav Dahlstedt   (99/08/12)   (99/03/01) Title: Harnessing the Power: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges for Successful AI Adoption in Organizations Supervisor: Ali Farashah Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Management, Adoption, AI Implementation Research Questions: 1. What are the key challenges and opportunities faced by organizations when adopting Artificial Intelligence technologies? 2. How can they effectively navigate this process to achieve positive outcomes? Purpose  The purpose of this article is to examine and explore the different opportunities and challenges that organizations face during the implementation phase of artificial intelligence (AI) whilst also exploring how organizations can navigate through the potential challenges. Furthermore, this article aims to answer the two research questions that are (1) “What are the key challenges and opportunities faced by organizations when adopting Artificial Intelligence technologies?” and   (2) “How can they effectively navigate this process to achieve positive outcomes?”. AI has recently attracted a large amount of attention with the release of chatbots like ChatGPT, many now perceive the immense usefulness of AI and dream of the opportunities that come with it. However, few understand that AI is more than just chatbots, and even fewer understand or know how to implement it in their organizations, therefore, this article aims to provide necessary research that can provide businesses with knowledge of how to successfully implement AI. Method  In this research paper, the authors aim to provide primary data through academic and qualitative research. 10 interviews were conducted primarily over Zoom with managers in the business that have experience working with AI either daily or occasionally. The interviews were semi-structured and synchronous. These can be found in Appendix A. The authors decided upon interviews via online platforms mainly due to convenience for managers, time zones, and physical distances. Conclusion  In conclusion, it is highlighted that the largest challenges that organizations face are related to AI implementation and the authors suggest strategies for navigating through the challenges to successfully implement AI by proposing partnerships or government-funded research institute projects. Furthermore, it is argued about the practical and the theoretical implications

Harnessing the Power : Exploring Opportunities and Challenges for Successful AI Adoption in Organizations

ABSTRACT Date: 2023-05-31 Level: Bachelor/Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society, and Engineering, Mälardalens University Authors:  Axel Bodén   Gustav Dahlstedt   (99/08/12)   (99/03/01) Title: Harnessing the Power: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges for Successful AI Adoption in Organizations Supervisor: Ali Farashah Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Management, Adoption, AI Implementation Research Questions: 1. What are the key challenges and opportunities faced by organizations when adopting Artificial Intelligence technologies? 2. How can they effectively navigate this process to achieve positive outcomes? Purpose  The purpose of this article is to examine and explore the different opportunities and challenges that organizations face during the implementation phase of artificial intelligence (AI) whilst also exploring how organizations can navigate through the potential challenges. Furthermore, this article aims to answer the two research questions that are (1) “What are the key challenges and opportunities faced by organizations when adopting Artificial Intelligence technologies?” and   (2) “How can they effectively navigate this process to achieve positive outcomes?”. AI has recently attracted a large amount of attention with the release of chatbots like ChatGPT, many now perceive the immense usefulness of AI and dream of the opportunities that come with it. However, few understand that AI is more than just chatbots, and even fewer understand or know how to implement it in their organizations, therefore, this article aims to provide necessary research that can provide businesses with knowledge of how to successfully implement AI. Method  In this research paper, the authors aim to provide primary data through academic and qualitative research. 10 interviews were conducted primarily over Zoom with managers in the business that have experience working with AI either daily or occasionally. The interviews were semi-structured and synchronous. These can be found in Appendix A. The authors decided upon interviews via online platforms mainly due to convenience for managers, time zones, and physical distances. Conclusion  In conclusion, it is highlighted that the largest challenges that organizations face are related to AI implementation and the authors suggest strategies for navigating through the challenges to successfully implement AI by proposing partnerships or government-funded research institute projects. Furthermore, it is argued about the practical and the theoretical implications

Understanding of Blast Furnace Performance with Biomass Introduction

The blast furnace still dominates the production and supply of metallic units for steelmaking. Coke and coal used in the blast furnace contribute substantially to CO2 emissions from the steel sector. Therefore, blast furnace operators are making great efforts to lower the fossil CO2 emissions and transition to fossil-free steelmaking. In previous studies the use of pre-treated biomass has been indicated to have great potential to significantly lower fossil CO2 emissions. Even negative CO2 emission can be achieved if biomass is used together with carbon capture and storage. Blast furnace conditions will change at substantial inputs of biomass but can be defined through model calculations when using a model calibrated with actual operational data to define the key blast furnace performance parameters. To understand the effect, the modelling results for different biomass cases are evaluated in detail and the overall performance is visualised in Rist- and carbon direct reduction rate (CDRR) diagrams. In this study injection of torrefied biomass or charcoal, top charging of charcoal as well as the use of a combination of both methods are evaluated in model calculations. It was found that significant impact on the blast furnace conditions by the injection of 142 kg/tHM of torrefied biomass could be counteracted by also top-charging 30 kg/tHM of charcoal. With combined use of the latter methods, CO2-emissions can be potentially reduced by up to 34% with moderate change in blast furnace conditions and limited investments

Outcome of transcranial magnetic intermittent theta-burst stimulation in the treatment of depression-A Swedish register-based study

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an established treatment of depression. The more recently introduced intermittent Theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) has shown significant superiority over sham-stimulation and equal effect sizes to a 10 Hz protocol in one clinical trial. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness and tolerability of iTBS in a naturalistic, clinical setting. Further, we explored demographical and clinical predictors of response. Methods: Data was collected from seventeen rTMS-sites in Sweden between January 2018 and May 2021, through the Swedish National Quality register for repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Q-rTMS). We included 542 iTBS-treated patients with unipolar or bipolar depression. Outcome was assessed with Clinical Global Impression Severity and Improvement scores in an intention to treat analysis. Results: The response rate was 42.1 % and 16.1 % reached remission. The response rate was significantly larger in the oldest age group compared to the youngest (odds ratio 3.46, 95 % confidence interval 1.65-7.22). Less severe level of depression (Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale self-assessment < 36) at baseline predicted response and remission. Only <1 % were much or very much worse after treatment. Drop-out rate was 10.9 %. No serious adverse events were reported. Limitations: Retrospective analysis of register data. No comparison group. Conclusions: In a clinical setting, iTBS was shown to be safe and tolerable and the response rate was similar to that reported from clinical trials. Older age-group and less severe illness predicted response

Response to electroconvulsive therapy in treatment-resistant depression : nationwide observational follow-up study

Background: Previous studies have not investigated response rates after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with non-psychotic treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Aims: To assess and compare the response rate of ECT for patients with TRD and non-TRD, in a large and clinically representative patient sample. Method: Patients aged >= 18 years, who were treated for a unipolar, non-psychotic depressive episode with at least one ECT session as part of a first-time, index ECT series between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2017 were included from the Swedish National Quality Register for ECT. Patients who had initiated a third consecutive trial of antidepressants or add-on medications before start of ECT were classified as having TRD. Patients not meeting criteria for TRD were classified as non-TRD. The main outcome was response to ECT according to the Clinical Global Impressions - Improvement Scale (CGI-I), scored as 1 or 2 ('very much' or 'much improved' after ECT, respectively). Logistic regression was used to compare outcome measures between TRD and non-TRD, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: A total of 4244 patients were included. Of these, 1121 patients had TRD and 3123 patients had non-TRD. The CGI-I response rate was 65.9% in the TRD group compared with 75.9% in the non-TRD group (adjusted odds ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.54-0.75). Older age and more severe depression were predictors of response in patients with TRD. Conclusions: A clear majority of patients with TRD, as well as patients with non-TRD, responded to ECT, although the response rate was somewhat lower for TRD