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Businesses are expected to be responsible in terms of social, environmental and economic sustainability. They are increasingly met with expectations from stakeholders and demands to report on their impact and advances, but this mainly applies to larger companies. However big their collective impact, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have mostly been exempted from such demands. This is now expected to change, and calls to report may reach Norwegian SMEs in the foreseeable future. United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is a member-based initiative of the UN, working as a change agent together with businesses to achieve common goals for sustainable and responsible business. Annually, all members submit UNGCs sustainability report, the «Communication on Progress» (CoP). Their member base largely consists of SMEs, giving the initiative the unique aspect of SMEs, a group otherwise lagging in the sustainable shift and largely exempt from these demands, having voluntarily committed to sustainability reporting. This thesis is based on an internship at UNGCs network in Norway (UNGCN). Through a qualitative case study, this thesis aims to contribute to sustainability science, and the Social Environmental Accounting (SEA) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) literature by exploring the following research questions: How does UN Global Compact Norway function as a change agent for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through their sustainability reporting tool «Communication on Progress» (CoP)? 1. What are the challenges, opportunities and experiences faced by SME-members of the UN Global Compact Norway using CoP? 2. What is the relation between the use of CoP as an external tool for sustainability reporting, and the internal sustainability work of the SME-members? The study concludes that UNGCN as an external change agent succeeds in getting more SMEs to commit and report on sustainability, through shared ambitions, providing CoP as a manageable reporting tool and promoting business opportunities by doing so. As the SME- members are already focused on sustainability, the results do not credit UNGCN with «creating» more responsible SMEs. Still, the sum of member commitments and actions may lead to positive effects, and CoP seems to help SMEs identify areas for improvement and where to focus their sustainability efforts. The findings indicate a weak link between CoP and actual sustainability efforts or results in the SMEs. However, the results may be limited by the sample size and the fact that the participating SMEs have only submitted CoP a few times. Praksisbasert masteroppgave SDG351 MAHF-SDG

The article considers the consequences of the increasing volume of import substitution and state defense orders for small and medium-sized businesses in Russia. The results of research on the level of implementation of CRM systems are represented. The conclusion about the importance of implementing automation programs for the structural business development is given. В статье рассмотрены последствия увеличения объёмов импортозамещению и гособоронзаказов на работу малого и среднего бизнеса в России. Представлены результаты исследований об уровне внедряемости CRM-систем. Дан вывод о важности внедрения программ автоматизации для развития структурного бизнеса.

Simulated moving bed (SMB) is one of the most successful technologies in chromatographic separation, which is widely used in chemical industry and food industry. There are many parameters that can affect the separation effect of SMB, and the sensitivity is very strong, so the effective control is always a difficulty problem for SMB. In this paper, a self-tuning advanced fuzzy controller is proposed to control the purity of the SMB outlet, and the study finds it has smaller steady-state error and better adaptability of in SMB when compares with the traditional and advance fuzzy type controller.

This study aims to determine the effect of six-factor (market return, firm size, value, profitability, investment, human capital) on excess return in companies with shares listed in LQ45 for the 2015-2019 period. The population of this study consists of 45 LQ45 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The purposive sampling method is the sample selection method that is used in this study. As a result, it shows that there are 26 companies that fit the criteria and taken as samples. Furthermore, the data analysis method that is used in this study is the panel data regression model. Based on the results of this study, it is showed that partially, market return (X1), firm size (X2), profitability (X4), and investment (X5) have a significant positive effect on the excess return of companies listed in LQ45 for the 2015-2019 period. Whereas, value (X3) and human capital (X6) do not have a significant effect on the excess return of companies listed in LQ45 for the 2015-2019 period partially. Another result also shows that simultaneously or as a whole, six-factors (market return, firm size, value, profitability, investment, human capital) have a significant effect on the excess return of companies listed in LQ45 for the 2015-2019 period.

Nadolol is a nonselective beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist (beta-blocker) pharmaceutical drug, widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease (angina pectoris), congestive heart failure and certain arrhythmias. This drug is still being marketed as a mixture of four stereoisomers in spite of the clear evidences that only one of its four stereoisomers has the desired therapeutic effect. Preparative liquid chromatography is actually an accepted route in industry to obtain enantiomeric pure drugs. Today, the combining of different chromatographic technologies, such as fixed-bed and simulated moving bed together with the use of achiral and/or chiral adsorbents are an important improvement in performance of preparative separation of multicomponent chiral drugs into its single pure stereoisomers. This work confirms this improvement using the referred strategy with mobile phase composition optimization at both normal and reversed-phase mode. Different separation strategies were designed and optimized, enlarging the packing materials possibilities, from fully chiral (Chiralpak) to achiral (C18) combined with chiral separation. For each separation step, the optimization of the solvent composition was carried out with pure alcohol, alcohol-hydrocarbon and alcohol-water mixtures, all with a basic modifier (diethylamine), taking into account the strong basic nature of the nadolol. This work was financially supported by: Base Funding - UIDB/00690/2020 of CIMO - Centro de Investigação de Montanha and Base Funding - UIDB/50020/2020 of the Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM, both supports by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). This work is also a result of: Project “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Rami S. Arafah is supported by a PhD Grant of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/137966/2018). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

[ES] Se ha diseñado un sistema híbrido formado por una «Raspberry PI 4B» que actúa como servidor VPN y un ordenador de sobremesa que se ha configurado como servidor NAS y multimedia. Este diseño surge para solucionar el cuello de botella que se origina en la «Raspberry PI 4B» al transferir grandes cantidades de datos a altas velocidades, en caso de que la «Raspberry PI 4B» actuara como servidor NAS, es por esto que se plantea el uso de un ordenador más potente. Además para no aumentar el gasto energético innecesariamente se ha diseñado un software que permite desde la Raspberry PI encender y apagar el ordenador tanto de forma automática, dependiendo de la VPN, como de forma manual. Se han instalado y configurado todos los elementos necesarios en ambos equipos para dotar el sistema de una seguridad adecuada y se han hecho pruebas del rendimiento de la NAS y de la red local dando como resultado que el cuello de botella es, en ambos casos, la velocidad de transmisión de las redes., [EN] A hybrid system has been designed consisting of a «Raspberry PI 4B» that acts as a VPN server and a desktop computer that has been configured as a NAS server and multimedia server. This design arises to solve the bottleneck that originates in the «Raspberry PI 4B» when transferring large amounts of data at high speeds, in case the "Raspberry PI 4B" acted as a NAS server, which is why the use of a more powerful computer is proposed. Moreover, in order to not increase energy consumption unnecessarily, a software has been designed that allows the computer to be turned on and off from the Raspberry PI both automatically, depending on the “VPN”, and manually. All the necessary elements have been installed and configured on both computers to provide the system with adequate security and the performance of the "VPN" and the local network have been tested, resulting in the bottleneck being, in both cases , the transmission speed of the networks., [CA] S’ha dissenyat un sistema híbrid format per una «Raspberry PI 4B» que actua com a servidor VPN i un ordinador de sobretaula que s’ha configurat com a servidor NAS i servidor multimèdia. Aquest disseny sorgix per a solucionar el coll de botella que s’origina en la «Raspberry PI 4B» al transferir grans quantitats de dades a altes velocitats, és per açò que es planteja l’ús d’un ordinador més potent. A més per a no augmentar el gasto energètic innecessàriament s’ha dissenyat un programa que permet des de la Raspberry PI encendre i apagar l’ordinador tant de forma automàtica, depenent de la VPN, com de forma manual. S’han instal·lat i configurat tots els elements necessaris en els dos equips per a dotar el sistema d’una seguretat adequada i s’han fet proves del rendiment de la VPN i de la xarxa local donant com resultat que el coll de botella és, en els dos casos, la velocitat de transmissió de les xarxes.

Denne studien utforsker samfunnsansvaret til små og mellomstore bedrifter innen software i Norge, og forsøker å svare på følgende problemstilling: Hvilken tilnærming har små og mellomstore bedrifter til CSR, og hvordan kan dette forstås i sammenheng med utfordringene som SMB-er står overfor? Vår kvalitative casestudie består av åtte individuelle dybdeintervjuer med fire forskjellige bedrifter. Vi har forsøkt å plassere bedriftene i fire tilnærminger til CSR: overfladisk, utilstrekkelig, strategisk og genuin, basert på hvordan bedriftene forstår og utøver sitt samfunnsansvar, tiltakene som er implementert og motivasjonen bak. Med unntak av èn bedrift, finner vi at SMB-ene i hovedsak retter oppmerksomheten mot den sosiale dimensjonen av samfunnsansvaret, og til interessentene som er de nærmest: lokalsamfunnet og ansatte. Mindre oppmerksomhet gis tiltak rettet mot miljøet, og vi finner tegn på at det er mindre bevissthet rundt klimaavtrykket til softwarebedrifter. Det foreligger en forventning om at bedriftenes utfordringer har bakgrunn i sin størrelse eller manglende ressurser. Denne studien avdekker derimot at de største utfordringene er fraværet av viten om hvordan ansvaret skal utøves, og manglende eksisterende veiledning med SMB-er som utgangspunkt. Det er enighet blant bedriftene i studien at å forstå hva samfunnsansvar er, og hva det innebærer for egen bedrift, er et stort hinder i seg selv. Vi finner at dette kan hindre at CSR påvirker bedriftenes kjerneaktiviteter, samt kan holde bedriftene tilbake fra å utøve ansvaret på en adekvat måte overfor deres respektive interessenter. Av vår kunnskap eksisterer det mindre forskning på CSR i små og mellomstore bedrifter, og enda mindre av bedrifter i den norske konteksten. Denne studien er skrevet med et ønske om å bidra til mer kunnskap og innsikt i hvordan SMB-er opplever deres samfunnsansvar, og deres bidrag mot en mer bærekraftig utvikling. Funnene og konklusjonene speiler et behov for mer forskning, men også mer veiledning og bevisstgjøring av samfunnsansvaret. Hvordan SMB-er skal forstå CSR må tydeliggjøres slik at forventningene til deres interessenter kan oppfylles, fordelene høstes, og også de minste kan være med på å ta sin del av samfunnsansvaret. This study explores how small and medium sized enterprises within software in Norway, approach their corporate social responsibility and the barriers that go along with it. Our qualitative case study consists of eight individual in-depth interviews with four different companies. By looking at their understanding of the concept, the activities implemented in their business and their motivation for doing so, we tried placing the businesses within four categories of CSR: CSR as window dressing, impotent, strategic and genuine. With the exception of one business, we find that these enterprises devote their attention mainly to the social dimension of CSR, and to the stakeholders closest to home in proximity: their local community and their employees. We found there to be less of an awareness of their environmental impact and environmental practices were less prominent of the activities that the businesses implement as part of their CSR agenda. There is an expectation that the challenges that SMEs face are due to their size or sheer lack of resources. However, by the results of this study we discover that the biggest challenges of them all are the absence of guidance, and knowledge on how-to. There is a consensus among the enterprises in this study that grasping the concept of corporate social responsibility is a challenge in itself, and we find that this can hinder the enterprises from fulfilling their responsibility in an adequate manner to their respective stakeholders. Due to these barriers we find that these businesses are approaching CSR in different ways, and that the challenges identified can contribute to explain their approach to CSR and to the extent that their practices affect their core activities. Within our knowledge there is far less research on CSR in small and medium sized enterprises and even less of enterprises in the Norwegian context. This study was written on the basis of gaining more knowledge and insight as to how SMEs are experiencing their responsibility and their contribution to society and sustainability. The findings of and the conclusion of this study calls for more research, but also more guidance as well as awareness of the business case for corporate social responsibility in SMEs so that the expectations of the businesses stakeholders can be met and the benefits of this responsibility can be reaped.

I denne studien undersøker vi hvordan små og mellomstore norske bedrifter utvikler strategier for å oppnå konkurransefortrinn. Studien er innrettet som en komparativ casestudie. Den anvender tre bedrifter med ulike strategiske forutsetninger som undesøkelsesenheter. Undersøkelsen samler inn og analyserer både kvalitative og kvantitative data. Studien anvender et teoretisk utgangspunkt om at strategier kan utvikles tilsiktet eller fremvoksende. Her defineres tilsiktet strategiutvikling som en sekvensiell og analytisk prosess forankret i et overordnet mål med nedbrutte målsettinger som styrer virksomhetens utvikling og implementering av planer. Dette operasjonaliseres gjennom strategisk planlegging som teoretisk rammeverk. På motsatt side betraktes fremvoksende strategiutvikling som en tilnærming hvor bedrifter anser analyser og prediksjoner som usikkerhetskilder, og derfor i liten grad forplikter seg til langsiktige strategiske handlemåter. Studien viser at to av tre undersøkelsesenheter utvikler strategi tilsiktet. Undersøkelsens minste bedrift er den eneste som praktiserer en fremvoksende strategiutvikling. Denne er samtidig den eneste som innenfor analyseperioden har oppnådd konkurransefortrinn. Vi finner derfor ingen sammenheng mellom tilsiktet strategiutvikling og konkurransefortrinn. Bedriftene fremhever at strategiutvikling har verdi, men kommuniserer samtidig at det primært anvendes i møte med markedsendringer. Ser vi dette i sammenheng med virksomhetenes finansielle prestasjoner, tyder mye på at strategiutvikling primært gjennomføres for å unngå konkurranseulemper – ikke for å skape konkurransefortrinn.

Much of the research to understand the ice mass changes of Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) has focused on detecting linear rates and accelerations at decadal or longer periods. The transient (short-term, non-secular) mass changes show large variability, and if not properly accounted for, can introduce significant biases into estimates of long-term ice mass loss rates and accelerations. Despite the growing number of geodetic observations, in terms of spatial coverage, types of observables, and the extent of the time series, studies of the transient mass changes over GrIS are lacking. To address this limitation, we apply multi-channel singular spectral analysis to the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mass concentrations (mascon), surface mass balance (SMB) model output, and ice discharge data, to determine the transient mass changes over Greenland over the decade (2007 to 2017). The goal of this analysis is to elucidate the spatio-temporal variability of the ice mass change. For the entire GrIS, both the mascon and SMB transient mass changes are characterized by a sustained mass gain from late 2007 to early 2010, a sustained mass loss from early 2010 to early 2013, and a mass gain from early 2013 to mid-2015. Global Positioning System sites deployed along the coast of Greenland showed uplift from early 2010 to early 2013 and subsidence from early 2013 to 2015, consistent with the corresponding ice mass loss and gain of the entire GrIS. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the transient mass change was estimated to be −294 ± 27 Gt from GRACE mascons and -252 ± 16 Gt from the SMB where the latter value includes the effect of ice discharge. The transient mass change due to ice discharge accounted for less than 10% of the total transient mass change. Our regional assessment reveals that the central-west, southwest, northeast, and southeast regions display similar time-varying patterns as we found for the entire GrIS, but the north and northwest regions show different patterns. Atmospheric circulation anomalies as measured by the Greenland Blocking Index (GBI) are able to explain most of these transient anomalies. More specifically, high-GBI-associated high temperature was one of the main reasons for the transient mass loss of the entire GrIS during 2010-2012 while low GBI can explain the transient mass gain during 2013-2015. Contrasting behaviors of precipitation anomalies in east and west Greenland under abnormally high or low GBI conditions may explain the different patterns of the transient mass change in the northwest and the rest of Greenland.

Covid-19 blir omtalt som vår tids mest inngripende krise, en krise som i over et år har rammet enkeltpersoner og virksomheter med ulik karakter og styrke. Hvordan har egentlig denne krisen påvirket små og mellomstore bedrifter (SMB) i Norge og hvordan håndterer SMB en krise av slik karakter når de brått befinner seg i sentrum av en? Disse spørsmålene utgjør kjernen av hva vi ønsker å studere og danner videre grunnlag for denne studien. Til tross for SMB sitt betydelige bidrag til økonomisk vekst er det en underprioritering av forskning på denne typer virksomheter sammenlignet med de store, og spesielt når det kommer til krisehåndtering. Denne studien har som formål å bidra til kunnskap om sammenhengen mellom sentrale faktorer innen ledelse, strategi og kultur, og hvordan disse relaterer seg til krisehåndtering. Dette er et unikt perspektiv i norsk SMB-sammenheng, da man i dag mangler forskning på disse forholdene. Vi har valgt å gjøre en kvalitativ, induktiv og eksplorativ studie, noe som åpner opp for å tolke og systematisere personlige beskrivelser fra informantenes egne opplevelser av virksomhetens krisehåndtering. Studien indikerer hvordan SMB med sin flate struktur og sterke organisasjonskultur finner styrke i tillit mellom medlemmene i virksomheten, men at det er en gjennomgående mangel på strategi og kommunikasjonskanaler. Dette er elementer som bidrar til å skape unødig uro og engstelse blant de ansatte i en krisesituasjon, men samtidig har virksomhetens kultur, krisens unike karakter og forhold i de øvrige omgivelsene bidratt til at opplevelsen av virksomhetens krisehåndtering er god. Fra et ledelsesperspektiv har manglende strategisk forankring i SMB kombinert med en operativ leder og forhold i kulturen har ført til at målet med krisehåndteringen handler om overlevelse og kopiering av konkurrenter i markedet. Der hvor krisen gjennom fokus på strategi og utvikling kunne vært en katalysator for nye muligheter og differensiering, viser vår studie at SMB i hovedsak kun ser utfordringer. Studiens viktigste teoretiske bidrag er innsikt i den styrken og sårbarheten som foreligger i SMB, med tanke på hvordan faktorer innen kultur, ledelse og strategi påvirker en virksomhets handlekraft i en krisesituasjon. Bidraget fra denne studien kan anvendes i praksis av ledere for bedre krisehåndtering gjennom forståelse og bevissthet rundt betydningen av kritiske interne prosesser. For videre forskning vil det være spesielt interessant å kunne gjennomføre en større kvantitativ studie, for å studere nærmere sammenhengen mellom strategi og krisehåndtering i SMB, med tanke på evne til å tenke langsiktig og å oppnå vekst gjennom utvikling av eksisterende tilbud. Abstract Covid-19 is described as the most intrusive crisis of modern time, a crisis that affects individuals and businesses in different manners and level of impact. How does small and medium sized enterprises (SME) react when they suddenly find themselves standing in the center of a global crisis? This question forms the core of what we want to study and creates the framework for this study. Despite SMEs impact on economic growth there has been a lack of research in this type of businesses, compared to bigger business, this also applies to SMEs’ crisis management. The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge about the connection between key factors in leadership, strategy, and culture, and how these relate to crisis management. This is a unique perspective in the Norwegian SME context, as there is currently a lack of research about these elements. We have chosen to do a qualitative, inductive and exploratory study, which opens up for interpreting and systematizing personal descriptions from the informants’ own experiences of the company’s crisis management. This study indicates that SME with its flat structure and strong organizational culture find trust between the members of the business, but that there is a general lack of strategy and communication channels, which contributes to creating unnecessary disruption and anxiety among employees in crisis. The combination of low strategic anchoring and high focus on operational management has led to the goal of managing Covid-19 in SMEs being more about survival and copying competitors, rather than looking for opportunity in the crisis. Through focus on strategy and development the crisis could have been a catalyst for new opportunities, however our study shows that SMEs mainly see challenges. The study’s theoretical contribution is insight to the strength and vulnerability that exists in SMEs, focusing on how culture, leadership and strategy affects a company’s ability to act in a crisis. The contribution from this study can be applied in practice by managers for better crisis management through understanding and awareness of the importance of critical internal processes. For further research, it will be interesting to conduct a quantitative study, with the goal of accomplish a broader approach in the understanding of the connection between strategy and crisis management in SMEs. Specially related to the company’s ability to think long-term and achieve growth through the development of existing services.

The separation and purification of high added value products by liquid chromatography is a very popular technique. The development of more stable and efficient stationary phases, together with the design of innovative and more flexible separation processes, enhanced the use of chromatographic processes, particularly at preparative and industrial scales through fixedbed and simulated moving bed (SMB) technologies. Fixed-bed and SMB techniques are more and more used in the separation of a wide range of products for the pharmaceutical, fine chemistry, biotechnology and food industries. In this context, one of the actual main challenges concerns the design and optimization of these chromatographic processes for challenging multicomponent separations. This includes the development of new and innovative chromatographic processes, combining different design strategies and modes of operation, with different types of stationary and mobile phases. This work was financially supported by: Base Funding - UIDB/00690/2020 of CIMO - Centro de Investigação de Montanha - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), and Base Funding - UIDB/50020/2020 of the Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). This work is also a result of: Project - Advanced Industrial Processes and -01- 0145-FEDER-000006, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Rami S. Arafah is supported by a PhD Grant of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/137966/2018). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Covid-19 blir omtalt som vår tids mest inngripende krise, en krise som i over et år har rammet enkeltpersoner og virksomheter med ulik karakter og styrke. Hvordan har egentlig denne krisen påvirket små og mellomstore bedrifter (SMB) i Norge og hvordan håndterer SMB en krise av slik karakter når de brått befinner seg i sentrum av en? Disse spørsmålene utgjør kjernen av hva vi ønsker å studere og danner videre grunnlag for denne studien. Til tross for SMB sitt betydelige bidrag til økonomisk vekst er det en underprioritering av forskning på denne typer virksomheter sammenlignet med de store, og spesielt når det kommer til krisehåndtering. Denne studien har som formål å bidra til kunnskap om sammenhengen mellom sentrale faktorer innen ledelse, strategi og kultur, og hvordan disse relaterer seg til krisehåndtering. Dette er et unikt perspektiv i norsk SMB-sammenheng, da man i dag mangler forskning på disse forholdene. Vi har valgt å gjøre en kvalitativ, induktiv og eksplorativ studie, noe som åpner opp for å tolke og systematisere personlige beskrivelser fra informantenes egne opplevelser av virksomhetens krisehåndtering. Studien indikerer hvordan SMB med sin flate struktur og sterke organisasjonskultur finner styrke i tillit mellom medlemmene i virksomheten, men at det er en gjennomgående mangel på strategi og kommunikasjonskanaler. Dette er elementer som bidrar til å skape unødig uro og engstelse blant de ansatte i en krisesituasjon, men samtidig har virksomhetens kultur, krisens unike karakter og forhold i de øvrige omgivelsene bidratt til at opplevelsen av virksomhetens krisehåndtering er god. Fra et ledelsesperspektiv har manglende strategisk forankring i SMB kombinert med en operativ leder og forhold i kulturen har ført til at målet med krisehåndteringen handler om overlevelse og kopiering av konkurrenter i markedet. Der hvor krisen gjennom fokus på strategi og utvikling kunne vært en katalysator for nye muligheter og differensiering, viser vår studie at SMB i hovedsak kun ser utfordringer. Studiens viktigste teoretiske bidrag er innsikt i den styrken og sårbarheten som foreligger i SMB, med tanke på hvordan faktorer innen kultur, ledelse og strategi påvirker en virksomhets handlekraft i en krisesituasjon. Bidraget fra denne studien kan anvendes i praksis av ledere for bedre krisehåndtering gjennom forståelse og bevissthet rundt betydningen av kritiske interne prosesser. For videre forskning vil det være spesielt interessant å kunne gjennomføre en større kvantitativ studie, for å studere nærmere sammenhengen mellom strategi og krisehåndtering i SMB, med tanke på evne til å tenke langsiktig og å oppnå vekst gjennom utvikling av eksisterende tilbud. Abstract Covid-19 is described as the most intrusive crisis of modern time, a crisis that affects individuals and businesses in different manners and level of impact. How does small and medium sized enterprises (SME) react when they suddenly find themselves standing in the center of a global crisis? This question forms the core of what we want to study and creates the framework for this study. Despite SMEs impact on economic growth there has been a lack of research in this type of businesses, compared to bigger business, this also applies to SMEs’ crisis management. The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge about the connection between key factors in leadership, strategy, and culture, and how these relate to crisis management. This is a unique perspective in the Norwegian SME context, as there is currently a lack of research about these elements. We have chosen to do a qualitative, inductive and exploratory study, which opens up for interpreting and systematizing personal descriptions from the informants’ own experiences of the company’s crisis management. This study indicates that SME with its flat structure and strong organizational culture find trust between the members of the business, but that there is a general lack of strategy and communication channels, which contributes to creating unnecessary disruption and anxiety among employees in crisis. The combination of low strategic anchoring and high focus on operational management has led to the goal of managing Covid-19 in SMEs being more about survival and copying competitors, rather than looking for opportunity in the crisis. Through focus on strategy and development the crisis could have been a catalyst for new opportunities, however our study shows that SMEs mainly see challenges. The study’s theoretical contribution is insight to the strength and vulnerability that exists in SMEs, focusing on how culture, leadership and strategy affects a company’s ability to act in a crisis. The contribution from this study can be applied in practice by managers for better crisis management through understanding and awareness of the importance of critical internal processes. For further research, it will be interesting to conduct a quantitative study, with the goal of accomplish a broader approach in the understanding of the connection between strategy and crisis management in SMEs. Specially related to the company’s ability to think long-term and achieve growth through the development of existing services.

The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is losing mass at a rate that represents a major contribution to global sea-level rise in recent decades. In this study, we use the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data to retrieve the time series variations of the GrIS from April 2002 to June 2017. We also estimate the mass balance from the RACMO2.3 and ice discharge data in order to obtain a comparative analysis and cross-validation. A detailed analysis of long-term trend and seasonal and inter-annual changes in the GrIS is implemented by GRACE and surface mass balance (SMB) modeling. The results indicate a decrease of &minus, 267.77 &plusmn, 8.68 Gt/yr of the GrIS over the 16-year period. There is a rapid decline from 2002 to 2008, which accelerated from 2009 to 2012 before declining relatively slowly from 2013 to 2017. The mass change inland is significantly smaller than that detected along coastal regions, especially in the southeastern, southwestern, and northwestern regions. The mass balance estimates from GRACE and SMB minus ice discharge (SMB-D) are very consistent. The ice discharge manifests itself mostly as a long-term trend, whereas seasonal mass variations are largely attributed to surface mass processes. The GrIS mass changes are mostly attributed to mass loss during summer. Summer mass changes are highly correlated with climate changes.

The article is aimed at studying the basis of formalized approach to the management of small and medium-sized business (SMB) according to the principles of social and ecological responsibility. The fundamental modules of the ethical code of SMB management are formed, becoming a reflection of causal relations between the global goals of sustainable development and the prospect of Ukrainian business in the foreign economic activity, as well as its initiative on the world stage. The content modules of regulation of the basic relations between the key subjects of SMB and their orientation to a qualitatively new level of business are defined. The key provisions of the code, regulating social responsibility of SMB, are proposed as follows: guarantee of favorable and safe working conditions; support for cultural diversity versus discrimination and harassment; regulation of the recruitment and employment process; motivation to increase intellectual capital through training and development. During the self-regulation of the SMB ecological responsibility it is proposed to adhere to such provisions of the code: compliance with ecological policy; optimality of strategies and instruments in accordance with the environmentally friendly goals; ecological orientation in relations with contractors.

Electron–electron interactions can be useful for realizing new nontrivial topological phases of matter. Here, we show by means of a tight-binding model and mean field theory how electron–electron interactions can lead to a topological phase transition. By externally adding or removing electrons from the system a band inversion between two bands with different parity is induced. This leads to a topological nontrivial phase if spin–orbit coupling is present. Besides the toy-model illustrating this mechanism, we also propose SmB6 as a possible playground for experimentally realizing a topological phase transition by external tuning.

Due to copyright restrictions, the access to the full text of this article is only available via subscription. We find that the order flow differential (OFD), a flight-to-quality measure constructed as the difference between large- and small-cap stock order flows, strongly and negatively forecasts output growth and interest rates in the U.S. The predictive ability of OFD for future macroeconomic fundamentals is robust to the inclusion of return factors and business cycle predictors, and it is thus a state variable candidate in the spirit of Merton (1973). Consistent with this view, we document that OFD commands a statistically significant negative risk premium in cross-sectional asset pricing tests.

Denne avhandlingen baserer seg på et utvalg av Norske små og mellomstore bedrifter (SMB), og omhandler konseptet Åpen innovasjon (ÅI). Formålet med dette casestudie var å finne ut hvorvidt utvalget av SMBer fører aktiviteter i likhet med- , og har lignende tankesett med -teori om Åpen Innovasjon. Dette gir grunnlaget for vår problemstilling: “ Hvilke likheter er det mellom teori om åpen innovasjon og norske bedrifters innovasjonsaktiviteter?“ Forskningsopplegget benyttet seg av eksplorativ metode, hvor utvalget bestod av 7 bedrifter som er medlem av en norsk næringsklynge. This thesis is based upon a selection of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and focuses on the concept of Open Innovation (OI). The purpose of this case study was to find out whether the selection of SMEs conducts activities in the same way, and has a similar mindset with the theory of Open Innovation. This provides the basis for main topic question. “What are the similarities between the theory of Open Innovation and the innovation activities of Norwegian companies?” M-EI

This paper focuses on place-based entrepreneurs as regionally anchored companies that rely on regional resources to generate a sustained competitive advantage, but are increasingly challenged by a seemingly placeless and highly-globalized marketplace. Although there are numerous cases of successful place-based entrepreneurs, the role of place for their competitiveness is an understudied research field. This paper presents an illustrative case study to explore the competitive advantage of small regional banks from Germany, which are prototypical place-based entrepreneurs that successfully compete in the market, but meet important external challenges. By focusing on a relational perspective on the idiosyncratic co-operative relationships of the banks with regional SMEs, the paper finds that the place-based entrepreneurship of the small regional banks is determined by the interplay of static/dynamic proximities in the relationships, which leads to their strength and resilience. These relational and proximity-based benefits result in a strategy of investments by the banks in the relationships with regional SMEs, and the investments, in turn, support the building of a strong regional identity that is shared with the banks and their customers.

Monitoring and logging is fundamental in systems. Today, these techniques are widely used to detect functionality issues as well as malicious event. This thesis compares and evaluates two techniques commonly used for this purpose: the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and the Syslog protocol. The protocols are evaluated with regard to their vulnerability to traffic pattern analysis, impact on network load and performance of the system, and the attack surface of the technique. Each protocol’s applicability is investigated on a modelled system, containing a data diode, using experiments and analysis of their individual features. We observe only small differences in traffic load and performance of the two techniques. The findings suggest that each of the two techniques can successfully be applied on the modelled system, and the decision on which technique should be used at each instance can therefore be left to the customer of each specific system implementation instance.

Att slå marknaden har varit ett kontroversiellt ämne inom akademin under en väldigt lång tid.Enligt EMH, en grundläggande finansteori, är det inte möjligt att “slå marknaden” under enlång tid utan att ta högre risk. Hedgefond-förvaltaren Joel Greenblatt publicerade år 2006 enformel som ska kunna prestera över marknaden till lägre risk, även långsiktigt, The MagicFormula. Denna studie utvärderar en Magic Formula-portfölj på den svenska marknaden i syfteatt undersöka om den kan generera en abnormal avkastning i perioden år 2000-2020. Dettagenomförs genom en kvantitativ analys. Resultaten visar att Magic Formula-portföljensintercept är signifikant skiljt från 0 i Fama & Frenchs trefaktormodell som inkluderar enmarknads-, storleks- och värdefaktor. Eftersom de riskpremier som testats för inte förklararavkastningen dras slutsatsen att antingen är trefaktormodellen bristfällig, eller så existerar enanomali kopplat till strategin.

Lantibiotics are a type of bacteriocin produced by Gram-positive bacteria and have a wide spectrum of Gram-positive antimicrobial activity. In this study, we determined that Mutacin I/III and Smb (a dipeptide lantibiotic), which are mainly produced by the widespread cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans, have strong antimicrobial activities against many of the Gram-positive bacteria which constitute the intestinal microbiota. These lantibiotics also demonstrate resistance to acid and temperature. Based on these features, we predicted that lantibiotics may be able to persist into the intestinal tract maintaining a strong antimicrobial activity, affecting the intestinal microbiota. Saliva and fecal samples from 69 subjects were collected to test this hypothesis and the presence of lantibiotics and the composition of the intestinal microbiota were examined. We demonstrate that subjects possessing lantibiotic-producing bacteria in their oral cavity exhibited a tendency of decreased species richness and have significantly reduced abundance of the phylum Firmicutes in their intestinal microbiota. Similar results were obtained in the fecal microbiota of mice fed with S. mutans culture supernatant containing the lantibiotic bacteriocin Mutacin I. These results showed that lantibiotic bacteriocins produced in the oral cavity perturb the intestinal microbiota and suggest that oral bacteria may be one of the causative factors of intestinal microbiota dysbiosis.

This study examines the long term relationship of risk premium and fundamental factors in emerging stock markets of China, India and Pakistan keeping in view leading contribution of Fama and French (1992) and Carhart (1997) models. Contrary to the macroeconomic multifactor models, this study incorporates firm-specific risk factors related to the market premium; size (SMB), value (HML), momentum (WML) and growth (UMD) as determinants of risk premium. The firm-specific growth factor is incorporated based on evidence from Ho, Strange, and Piesse (2008) by employing (UMD) which is based on assets to market equity of the firm. Sample of 1198 companies from the three emerging markets for the period of 2001-2013 depicts market risk premium as the leading factor affecting risk premium in Indian and the Pakistani markets. Results reveal market momentum being high enough to overestimate coefficients in the short run. However, the relationship is stabilized and adjusted in the long run. Chinese markets, where all the risk factors seem to play their role to determine risk premium, are relatively much stable and grown-up and clearly represent maturity of the Chinese markets. Distinction between the short run and long run might be useful for the investors of the three emerging economies. According to the principle of high risk associated with high returns, small value happens to deliver higher returns with higher volatility. The growth stocks outperform value stocks in these economies.

We present spatiotemporal mass balance trends for the Antarctic Ice Sheet from a statistical inversion of satellite altimetry, gravimetry, and elastic‐corrected GPS data for the period 2003–2013. Our method simultaneously determines annual trends in ice dynamics, surface mass balance anomalies, and a time‐invariant solution for glacio‐isostatic adjustment while remaining largely independent of forward models. We establish that over the period 2003–2013, Antarctica has been losing mass at a rate of −84 ± 22 Gt yr−1, with a sustained negative mean trend of dynamic imbalance of −111 ± 13 Gt yr−1. West Antarctica is the largest contributor with −112 ± 10 Gt yr−1, mainly triggered by high thinning rates of glaciers draining into the Amundsen Sea Embayment. The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a dramatic increase in mass loss in the last decade, with a mean rate of −28 ± 7 Gt yr−1 and significantly higher values for the most recent years following the destabilization of the Southern Antarctic Peninsula around 2010. The total mass loss is partly compensated by a significant mass gain of 56 ± 18 Gt yr−1 in East Antarctica due to a positive trend of surface mass balance anomalies., Key Points Simultaneous estimate of ice dynamics, SMB and GIA for the Antarctic Ice Sheet,The total mass loss of the AIS is −84 ± 24 Gt yr−1 over 2003–2013West Antarctica is the largest contributor triggered by high thinning rates of glaciers in the ASE

β-adrenergic antagonists (β-blockers) with at least one chiral center are an exceedingly important class of drugs used mostly to treat cardiovascular diseases. At least 70 β-blockers have been investigated in history. However, only a few β-blockers, e.g., timolol, are clinically marketed as an optically pure enantiomer. Therefore, the separation of racemates of β-blockers is essential both in the laboratory and industry. Many approaches have been explored to obtain the single enantiomeric β-blocker, including high performance liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography and simulated moving bed chromatography. In this article, a review is presented on different chromatographic methods applied for the enantioseparation of β-blockers, covering high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and simulated moving bed chromatography (SMB).

Significance The recent deglaciation of Greenland is a response to both oceanic and atmospheric forcings. From 2000 to 2010, ice loss was concentrated in the southeast and northwest margins of the ice sheet, in large part due to the increasing discharge of marine-terminating outlet glaciers, emphasizing the importance of oceanic forcing. However, the largest sustained (∼10 years) acceleration detected by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) occurred in southwest Greenland, an area largely devoid of such glaciers. The sustained acceleration and the subsequent, abrupt, and even stronger deceleration were mostly driven by changes in air temperature and solar radiation. Continued atmospheric warming will lead to southwest Greenland becoming a major contributor to sea level rise., From early 2003 to mid-2013, the total mass of ice in Greenland declined at a progressively increasing rate. In mid-2013, an abrupt reversal occurred, and very little net ice loss occurred in the next 12–18 months. Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and global positioning system (GPS) observations reveal that the spatial patterns of the sustained acceleration and the abrupt deceleration in mass loss are similar. The strongest accelerations tracked the phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The negative phase of the NAO enhances summertime warming and insolation while reducing snowfall, especially in west Greenland, driving surface mass balance (SMB) more negative, as illustrated using the regional climate model MAR. The spatial pattern of accelerating mass changes reflects the geography of NAO-driven shifts in atmospheric forcing and the ice sheet’s sensitivity to that forcing. We infer that southwest Greenland will become a major future contributor to sea level rise.

The purpose of this project is to experimentally validate a newly developed chromatographic platform for (bio)purification based on a novel single-column device that mimics the operation of multicolumn chromatography through ingenious management and recycling of mixed fractions. The newly developed platform shares the benefits of simulated-moving-bed (SMB) chromatography in that it not only gives significantly higher yields of purer product, but also enables processing more feed and thereby increasing the overall throughput. However, the proposed process uses a single chromatographic column. The process is based on the realization that the periodic state of an SMB process can be mimicked by a single-column chromatographic process with a recycle lag of (N−1)τ time units, where N is the number of columns of the equivalent SMB unit and τ is the switching interval (time interval between consecutive switches of the inlet and outlet ports). The recycle lag is implemented in practice by means of a special type of plug-flow tube (recycle piston) that includes a moving piston to compensate for the difference between inlet and outlet flow rates. The proper operation of inlets and outlets of such device implements an approximate “first in, first out” method of organizing and manipulating the fractions of fluid collected from the chromatography column, where the oldest (first) amount fluid, or “head” of the fraction, is the first to exit the plug-flow tube. Using the separation of nucleoside mixtures by reversed-phase chromatography as a case study, it is demonstrated that the single-column chromatographic process can mimic the operation of recent multicolumn capture and polish processes designed for the efficient separation and purification of biomolecules.

In this study, the purification of an extract from Artemisia annua L. using chromatographic methods is studied. In a first step, a screening of different phases and solvents using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was performed. Then, a laboratory-scale high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and transferred to a pilot scale. A reproducibility study based on 120 injections was carried out. The batch process that was developed and the results from a designed continuous simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography were compared based on characteristic process numbers and economy.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative, inherited disease caused by an insufficient amount of functional Survival of Motor Neurone protein (SMN), though the exact mechanism underlying this is not fully understood. The primary function of SMN is assembling a ring of Sm proteins around small nuclear RNA (snRNA) in an early, cytoplasmic stage of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) biogenesis, a process essential in eukaryotes. SMN, together with several mRNA binding proteins, has been linked to neural transport of mRNA towards areas of growth in Motor neurons for local translation of transcripts. Previous research in our group has found that this may involve Coatomer protein-containing vesicles transported by Dynein and requiring the Sm family protein, SmB, for maintenance. Little is known, however, about what other proteins are also present and required for correct transport and localisation of these vesicles. To further investigate this, we have produced plasmids expressing each Sm protein tagged to fluorescent proteins to help track their behaviour, in some cases for the first time, and developed a detergent-free fractionation protocol to enrich for SMN containing vesicles, providing tools that can be used to further probe behaviour and interactions in the future. Using these approaches, SmN, a neural specific Sm protein, was identified to also be present in SMN-containing vesicles similarly to SmB. Analysis of the interactomes of different Sm proteins identified a novel interactor of SMN, Neurochondrin (NCDN), that appears to be required for the correct localisation of SMN in neural cells. NCDN was found to not associate with snRNPs, indicating an snRNP-independent interaction with SMN. NCDN and SMN both independently associated and co-enriched with Rab5, indicating a potential endocytic and cell polarity role for the interaction. This interaction has the potential to be key in SMA pathology and may have therapeutic potential.

Frente a la dinámica económica que afrontan las distintas organizaciones en Colombia como consecuencia de factores como la competitividad, la globalización, la innovación, entre otros se presenta la necesidad de generar estudios que profundicen sobre la importancia de la mejora continua de organizaciones como las Pyme, particularmente por el alto porcentaje de este tipo de empresas que hacen parte de la economía del pais. Consecuentemente se busca identificar el papel que cumple el proceso de preparación de los colaboradores de las Pymes como parte no solo del crecimiento y desarrollo de la organización, sino también como aspecto fundamental para potenciar las capacidades de los trabajadores, lo cual eventualmente redundara en el alcance de más y mejores resultados para la empresa. Faced with the economic dynamics faced by different organizations in Colombia as a result of factors such as competitiveness, globalization, innovation, among others, there is a need to generate studies that deepen the importance of the continuous improvement of organizations such as SMEs, particularly by the high percentage of this type of companies that are part of the country's economy. Consequently, it seeks to identify the role played by the process of preparation of SME employees as part not only of the growth and development of the organization, but also as a fundamental aspect to enhance the capabilities of workers, which eventually will result in the scope of more and better results for the company. Pregrado

Simulated moving bed chromatography (SMBC) has emerged as a significant separation technology in the process industry. SMB operating parameters are chosen to satisfy various performance objectives such as maximization of purity or productivity and the choice of the objective is generally guided by process economics. From an industrial perspective, the SMB must be operated flexibly, so that the same unit can be operated to satisfy different objectives. Transiting from one objective to another entails large transition periods, resulting in an economic loss. We propose use of optimal transitions as an approach to minimizing transition time, reducing use of feed and desorbent during transition as well as reduction in off-specification product relative to a non-optimal, step change approach. Optimal transitions can also be used in recovering from feed upset scenarios. The above methods are demonstrated using simulations on a benchmark SMBC process for separation of glucose and fructose using Ca++ exchange resin. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2018 I denne bacheloroppgaven har vi tatt for oss næringsklynger. Næringsklynger er betegnelsen på en geografisk konsentrasjon av bedrifter innenfor samme næring. Vi har fokusert oppgaven mot NCE Media, som er medieklyngen lokalisert i Bergen Media City i Lars Hilles gate, i Bergen Sentrum. NCE står for Norwegian Center of Expertise, og er et kvalitetsstempel for klynger med ekspertstatus. NCE-programmene er fokusert på: Økt innovasjon, internasjonalisering, vertskapsattraktivitet og tilgang på skreddersydd kompetanse. Hensikten med oppgaven var å kartlegge hva en god klynge er. Hvordan NCE Media tilrettelegger klyngeorganiseringen for å skape innovasjon og verdiskapning for små og mellomstore bedrifter, og hvordan dette oppleves av medlemsbedriftene. Problemstillingen blir da følgende: “Hvordan styrker NCE Media små og mellomstore bedrifters innovasjon og konkurranseevne?” Vi har valgt å skrive oppgaven med forankring i Porters diamantmodell, som tar for seg mikroøkonomiske omgivelsesfaktorer og oppgraderingsmekanismer for å øke verdiskapingen i regionale næringer. I lys av Porters diamantmodell ønsket vi også å se på klassisk økonomisk teori hva gjaldt innovasjon og strategiske allianser for å få et mer sammensatt svar på vår problemstilling. Vi har brukt eksplorativt design med kvalitativ metode for å få en bedre forståelse av temaet. Det var også viktig for oss å gå i dybden på hvordan medlemsbedriftene oppfattet klyngen og de tiltakene som blir satt til verks av ledelsen i den norske medieklyngen. Vi utviklet en intervjuguide hvor vi undersøkte de ulike temaene vi ville belyse oppgaven med. Vi foretok intervju med ledelsen av NCE Media, som hjalp oss å finne forskningsspørsmål, samt å utvikle intervjuguiden slik at vi enklere ville få svar på de spørsmålene vi hadde. Intervjuene hadde en semi-strukturert oppsett, slik at vi alltid kunne tilpasse oss ny informasjon rundt klyngens forhold til medlemsbedriftene. I undersøkelsen vår kom det frem at respondentene hadde gode eksempler på hvordan NCE Media stryket innovasjons og konkurranseevnen deres. De var også veldig positive til sammensetningen av klyngen. Våre resultater viser til at NCE Media styrket små og mellomstore bedrifters innovasjon og konkurransevne.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2018 Vi har i denne oppgaven samarbeidet med KLP Banken, en strategisk forretningsenhet i KLP-konsernet. Formålet med oppgaven har vært å undersøke hvordan banken jobber for å oppnå sine egne mål, og samtidig operere i samsvar med konsernets verdier. Vi har avgrenset oppgaven til å omhandle privatmarkedet, og har arbeidet ut i fra problemstillingen «Hvordan kan KLP Banken øke antallet kunder?». Oppgaven følger IMRoD-oppsettet, og består av en innledning, teori, metode, presentasjon av data, diskusjon og konklusjon. Innledningen har som formål å presentere generell informasjon om både bedriften og konsernet. Videre følger oppgavens teoretiske forankring hvilket bygger fundamentet for resten av oppgaven. Teoridelen består hovedsakelig av tre ulike temaer; forretningsmodell, tjenesteyting og innovasjon. Vi ser på Osterwalders forretningsmodell og gjennomgår hele lerretet, i tillegg til forretningsmodellens design og strategi. I tjenesteyting tar vi for oss Gap-modellen og servicepyramiden, mens innovasjon tar for seg seks av Keeleys ti innovasjonstyper. Etter den teoretiske forankringen følger metodedelen, her forklares hvordan utarbeidelsen av kvalitative og kvantitative analyser har foregått for å belyse problemstillingen fra ulike interessenters perspektiver. I resultater og funn presenteres den viktigste informasjonen fra analysene våre og avdekker informasjon vi vil ta for oss i diskusjonsdelen. Basert på teori og funn konkluderer vi med konkrete tiltak og ser på deres konsekvenser i oppgavens avslutning.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2018 Hovedformålet med denne oppgaven har vært å undersøke i hvilken grad små og mellomstore bedrifter legger til rette for helse og trivsel for sine ansatte. Ved å benytte oss av teoriene Krav-Kontroll-Støtte modellen og Effort-Reward Imbalance modellen forsøker vi å gi et så klart bilde som mulig over hvilke faktorer som spiller inn på et individs trivsel og helse på arbeidsplassen. Vi har utført dybdeintervjuer med ansatte fra bedrifter innen flere sektorer, og undersøkt data publisert av Statens arbeidsmiljøinstitutt. Vi har tatt i bruk teori og empiri for å finne ut om informasjonen vi hentet inn via de kvalitative og kvantitative metodene kan forklares og tolkes. Etter å ha tolket og undersøkt informasjonen fant vi ut at trivsel og helse hører tett sammen, og at et godt arbeidsmiljø kan føre til god trivsel, som igjen påvirker helsen til de ansatte positivt. I tillegg fant vi ut at trivsel også påvirker hvor villig den enkelte arbeidstaker er til å gå på jobb når de føler seg “småsyke”. Vår forskning fant ut at SMB’er i Norge til en viss grad legger til rette for god trivsel og helse på arbeidsplassen, men at det er forbedringspotensiale også her.

FinTech er en raskt voksende industri som har ført til fremvekst av nye systemer, blant annet innen feltet økonomistyring. Flere av disse systemene retter seg mot SMB. I Norge står SMB- er for store deler av verdiskapningen og sysselsettingen. Samtidig opererer de med små marginer, og kun en av tre virksomheter overlever etter fem år. Intensjonen med denne oppgaven er derfor å undersøke hvordan en FinTech-løsning kan ha effekt på norske SMB-er. Til dette har vi brukt teori om arbeidskapital da dette har vist seg å kunne påvirke lønnsomheten i SMB-er. Vi har utviklet problemstillingen: "Hvordan påvirker implementerte FinTech-løsninger styringen av arbeidskapitalen i små og mellomstore bedrifter?" For å svare på problemstillingen har vi tatt for oss skybaserte regnskapssystemer og gjennomførte en eksplorativ casestudie med utgangspunkt i et teoretisk rammeverk. Vi hentet inn og analyserte data om systemene og gjennomførte intervjuer for å tilegne oss perspektiver fra ulike brukerroller knyttet til de skybaserte regnskapssystemene. Vi fant at teori om arbeidskapital var egnet til å undersøke hvordan FinTech-løsningen skybaserte regnskapssystemer kan ha effekt i SMB-er. Likevel erfarte vi at eksisterende teori er mangelfull med tanke på hvordan ny teknologi kan påvirke og videreutvikle løsninger og hvordan effektene kan oppstå. Vi ønsket at vår oppgave skulle være et bidrag for å aktualisere videre forskning på dette. Konklusjonen vår er at FinTech-løsninger for skybaserte regnskapssystemer kan ha effekt på de tre arbeidskapitalvariablene som utgjør det dynamiske målet på arbeidskapital, CCC. Vi fant også at effektene er avhengig av hvilke funksjoner systemene tilbyr og hvordan de blir brukt. Vi fant også at bruken av disse funksjonene blir påvirket av både interne og eksterne faktorer. Forhåpentligvis har arbeidet vi har lagt ned gjennom oppgaven bidratt til å gi en systematisk gjennomgang av hva skybaserte regnskapssystemer er, hva de kan tilby og hvordan de kan brukes. Vi håper denne oppgaven kan være av interesse for leverandører, brukere og partnere av skybaserte regnskapssystemer. I tillegg har vi et ønske om å være interessant lesning for de FinTech-nysgjerrige. Fintech is a fast growing industry that has given birth to a range of new systems and solutions, also in the field of financial management. Some of the systems are directly targeted at SMEs. In Norway SMEs stand for a large percentage of the wealth creation and employment. At the same time, they are working on small margins and only one in three businesses are expected to survive the first five years. Therefore, the intention of this thesis has been to investigate how a Fintech-solution can contribute to Norwegian SMEs. In this study we have employed the theory of working capital since this has shown to effect profitability of SMEs. We have therefore developed the following research question: How does an implemented FinTech solution effect working capital in small and medium enterprises? To answer this question we have looked at cloud based accounting systems and preformed an explorative case study grounded in a theoretical framework. We gathered and analysed data about the systems and made interviews to get the different perspectives from the different user roles associated with the cloud-based accounting systems. We found that the theory of working capital was suited to explore how the FinTech-solution cloud based accounting systems can effect SMEs. But we did find the existing theory to be insufficient when it came to describing how new technology can effect and develop solutions and how these effects may occur. We hope this thesis can contribute to actualize further research on this matter. Our conclusion is that the FinTech-solution cloud-based accounting systems may have effect on the three variables of working capital that make up the dynamic measurement of working capital, CCC. We also found that the effects are reliant on what functions the system has and how these functions are used. We also found that the use of these functions are effected by both internal and external factors. Hopefully our work has contributed by a systematic walkthrough of what cloud-based accounting systems are, what they can offer and how they can be used. We hope this paper can be of interest to suppliers, users and partners of cloud- based accounting systems as well as the FinTech curious. M-ØA

International audience; Industry 4.0 provides new paradigms for the industrial management of SMEs. Supported by a growing number of new technologies, this concept appears more flexible and less expensive than traditional enterprise information systems such as ERP and MES. However, SMEs find themselves ill-equipped to face these new possibilities regarding their production planning and control functions. This paper presents a literature review of existing applied research covering different Industry 4.0 issues with regard to SMEs. Papers are classified according to a new framework which allows identification of the targeted performance objectives, the required managerial capacities and the selected group of technologies for each selected case. Our results show that SMEs do not exploit all the resources for implementing Industry 4.0 and often limit themselves to the adoption of Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things. Likewise, SMEs seem to have adopted Industry 4.0 concepts only for monitoring industrial processes and there is still absence of real applications in the field of production planning. Finally, our literature review shows that reported Industry 4.0 projects in SMEs remained cost-driven initiatives and there in still no evidence of real business model transformation at this time.

Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) is a cementitious compositereinforced by the addition of alkali-resistant glass fibers. GFRC is widelyused for various types of precast products in civil engineering industries.GRFC mixes generally include silica sand to produce precast concrete elements;however, silica sand was replaced with barite sand at the ratios of 5%, 10 %and 15 % of wt. in order to reveal its applicability and potential fordifferent engineering purposes. The flexural strength and the freeze-thaw(F&T)resistance of the composites were studied. The experimental results showed thatthe replacement of silica sand with barite sand up to 15 % of wt. enhances themechanical properties of the composites in respect to flexural strength andF&T resistance properties.

The main goal of this thesis involves the development of a refined methodology toseparate the mass change signals associated with glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA)from those of surface ice/firn by exploiting the strengths of independent data sets,such as those from gravimetry, altimetry, climate data, and others. To achieve this,various research efforts were conducted addressing specific aspects of the methodology and subsequent data processing. This led to a number of new contributions to the topic

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited neurodegenerative condition caused by a reduction in the amount of functional survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. SMN has been implicated in transport of mRNA in neural cells for local translation. We previously identified microtubule-dependent mobile vesicles rich in SMN and SNRPB, a member of the Sm family of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP)-associated proteins, in neural cells. By comparing the interactomes of SNRPB and SNRPN, a neural-specific Sm protein, we now show that the essential neural protein neurochondrin (NCDN) interacts with Sm proteins and SMN in the context of mobile vesicles in neurites. NCDN has roles in protein localisation in neural cells and in maintenance of cell polarity. NCDN is required for the correct localisation of SMN, suggesting they may both be required for formation and transport of trafficking vesicles. NCDN may have potential as a therapeutic target for SMA together with, or in place of the targeting of SMN expression. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper., Highlighted Article: The essential neural protein neurochondrin interacts with the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) protein SMN in cell lines and in mice. This might be relevant to the molecular pathology of SMA.

This study is a comparison and contrast of the predictive powers of two asset pricing models: CAPM and seven factor risk-return adjusted model, to explain the cross section of stock rate of returns in the financial sector listed at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). To test the models daily returns from January 2013 to February 2014 have been taken and the excess returns of portfolios are regressed on explanatory variables. The results of the tested models indicate that the models are valid and applicable in the financial market of Pakistan during the period under study, as the intercepts are not significantly different from zero. It is consequently established from the findings that all the explanatory variables explain the stock returns in the financial sector of KSE. In addition, the results of this study show that addition of more explanatory variables to the single factor CAPM results in reasonably high values of R2. These results provide substantial support to fund managers, investors and financial analysts in making investment decisions.

Using an international Thomson Reuters Datastream database where size coverage is unusually wide and data errors have been reduced to a low level, we show that some speci fication decisions, and especially those related to size, may have a signi ficant impact on asset pricing test results. We also show that, in data with wider coverage with respect to size, the Fama-French factor portfolios need to be adjusted and their number increased. Specifi cally, (i) standard asset pricing models leave pricing errors for the ten percent smallest stocks, and (ii) two additional risk factors (i.e. one micro-stock factor and one extreme book-to-market factor) are needed to capture this mispricing. This holds both in US and international data. Further research is needed to measure the separate relevance of the possible economic interpretations and to identify more economic explanations for the additional risks associated with the smallest stocks.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2017 Denne bacheloroppgaven er skrevet på bakgrunn av faget Bedriftsutvikling for små og mellomstore bedrifter, hvor jeg har valgt Meland Elektro AS som min bedrift. Bedriften befinner seg i dag i et marked hvor det er viktig å skille seg ut da kampen om kundene er hard. Det gjelder å følge med på endringene som skjer og holde kostnadene så lave som mulig, uten at det går utover driften. Kampen om å tilby kvalitet til de laveste prisene er stor og sikkerhetsmarginene er derfor ikke de største. Jeg har derfor valgt å fokusere på hvordan bedriften kan redusere ressursbruken sin, og skape mer flyt i den daglige driften. Jeg har innledet oppgaven med en kort presentasjon av bedriften hvor jeg tar for meg historikken og hvordan det står til i dag. Videre presenterer jeg min valgte problemstilling hvor jeg kommer med en begrunnelse for valget og hvordan jeg har valgt å avgrense oppgaven. «Hvilke tiltak kan Meland Elektro AS gjøre for å redusere ressursbruken og skape mer flyt i bedriften?» I teorikapittelet av oppgaven har jeg beskrevet ulike teorier og modeller som er relevant for min videre vurdering av bedriften. Noen av disse er lean, ulike ledelsesteorier, kommunikasjon, både internt og ved ledelse, og svinn. Videre i oppgaven tar jeg for meg metodene jeg har brukt og påliteligheten av disse, før jeg presenterer resultatene rundt dette og relevante funn jeg har gjort. Til slutt i oppgaven tar jeg for meg alle aktuelle ledd i bedriften hvor jeg kommer frem til ulike tiltak jeg mener bedriften kan tjene på å iverksette og argumentasjonen bak disse. For å kunne besvare problemstillingen best mulig har jeg benyttet meg av kvalitative metoder hvor jeg har observert og hatt samtaler med de ansatte og ledelsen i bedriften. Sekundærkildene jeg har brukt har vært hentet fra pensum fra min tid på BI Bergen, og annen litteratur som jeg fant relevant for å kunne besvare min oppgave.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2017 I denne oppgaven har vi tatt for oss organisasjonen Ezinne Athletics, som per dags dato er en veldedig organisasjon som har som mål å få økt antallet av jenter med minoritetsbakgrunn i friidretten, da det tilbudet som finnes i dag ikke oppleves som inkluderende nok. De tilbyr jenter med minoritetsbakgrunn i alderen 10-16 år et gratis treningsopplegg på Gran skole i Oslo, hvor ideen er at jentene skal oppleve gleden av samhold og aktivitet i skjønn forening, samt at noen ønsker å satse videre på idretten og på sikt utvikles til å bli toppidrettsutøvere. Det er idag 105 jenter som er medlem av Ezinne Athletics. I vår tidligere prosjektinnlevering var vi interesserte i å se om organisasjonen hadde potensiale til å etablere seg globalt så vel som nasjonalt, men vi har videre valgt å utelukke et globalt fokus i denne oppgaven, da vi innser at det krever allerede mye ved etablering på landsbasis. Formålet med denne oppgaven har derfor vært å kartlegge hvordan Ezinne Athletics på best mulig måte kan etablere seg i flere deler av landet og dermed vokse seg større i markedet. Ved å ha forslagene som kom fram i den tidligere prosjektoppgaven i bakhodet, vil denne bacheloroppgaven vise til løsninger som er tatt et steg videre når det gjelder analyse og derfor er mer realistiske med tanke på gjennomføring. Problemstillingen oppgaven har tatt utgangspunkt i er: Hvor stort er behovet for en organisasjon som Ezinne Athletics på landsbasis og hva slags endringer bør/kan organisasjonen gjøre for å lykkes best mulig i ekspanderingsfasen? I løpet av prosjektforløpet har det dukket opp ulike spørsmål, slik som: • Lønner det seg for oss å heller satse på å levere et tilbud som inkluderer alle jenter i alderen 10-16 år, uansett om de har minoritetsbakgrunn eller ikke, for å kunne treffe flere? • Bør vi fortsette på egenhånd eller bør det inngås et samarbeid med eksisterende institusjoner og skoler, ved ekspandering på landsbasis? • Om samarbeid med eksisterende tilbud viser seg å ikke fungere, bør vi da satse på å ekspandere ved å lage et årlig idrettsevent på skoler landsbasis i samarbeid med ulike bedrifter organisasjonen allerede jobber tett med? For å kunne besvare problemstillingen vår og spørsmålene ovenfor har vi tatt kontakt med jenter i målgruppen rundt om i landet for å kartlegge behovet for tilbudet slik det er per i dag og deres ønsker om endringer som kan gjøre at vi lykkes i større grad videre. Vi har snakket med skoler, friidrettslag, fritidsklubber og frivilligsentraler for å høre om mulighetene rundt et eventuelt samarbeid og vi har snakket med bedrifter om mulighetene rundt å etablere et årlig nasjonalt aktivitetsevent for skoleelever i samarbeid med disse.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2017 Vi har i denne oppgaven tatt for oss utfordringer knyttet til innhenting av kompetanse og rekruttering for gründerbedrifter i overgangen mellom oppstart og vekst. Formålet med oppgaven er kartlegge hvordan profilerings- og tekstiltrykkbedriften Uniprint AS kan møte denne prosessen på best mulig måte. I vårt arbeid har vi oppdaget at forskningen i skjæringspunktet mellom gründervirksomhet og kompetanseinnhenting er mangelfull. Et delmål med denne oppgaven er derfor å bidra med empiri og oppmerksomhet til emnet. Uniprints spesifikke utfordring skapte grunnlaget for problemstillingen: “Hvordan bør gründerbedriften Uniprint AS håndtere rekruttering og innhenting av kompetanse i en vekstfase?” For å besvare problemstillingen har vi presentert teori som vi har funnet som relevant for å kunne belyse problematikk i forbindelse med rekruttering og kompetanseinnhenting. Vi har så supplert eksisterende teori med empiri fra seks dybdeintervju av gründere som selv har vært gjennom en rekrutteringsprosess i en vekstfase. Drøfting av teori og funn fra dybdeintervjuene ble videre brukt som grunnlag i analysen av Uniprints situasjon. Analysen skapte så grunnlaget for den helhetlige strategiske planen vi har utarbeidet for Uniprint. I likhet med oppgavens informanter er Uniprints største bekymring å binde kapital ved faste ansettelse. Flere av informantene opplyser at de har tatt i bruk atypisk arbeidskraft for å sikre større fleksibilitet når det er behov for kompetanse i tider med usikker økonomi. Våre funn støtter opp teori som sier at nettverk er den vanligste rekrutteringskilden for små bedrifter i oppstarts- og vekstfasen. Dette fordi det er enkelt og lite ressurskrevende. Nettverksrekruttering blir mindre vanlig etter hvert som bedriften får behov for mer spesialisert kompetanse og økonomien bedres. Det viser seg videre at både Uniprint og informantene er svært opptatt av at ansattes holdninger og verdier sammenfaller med bedriftens. Det kan tenkes at Uniprint ikke opplever samme vekst som vi har tatt utgangspunkt i for denne oppgaven. Vår vurdering er likevel at oppgaven som helhet vil gi Uniprint verdifull innsikt i hvordan de bør håndtere prosessen.

Nadolol is one representative beta-blocker pharmaceutical drug prescribed worldwide for relieve of several diseases mainly related with the cardiovascular system. However, like other pharmaceutical drugs, it is also related with some severe risks, such as depression, insomnia and cardiovascular failure, among others. Some authors refer that this problem is related, or could be related, to the fact that nadolol drug is still marketed as a mixture of equal amounts of its four stereoisomers. In the pharmaceutical industry and in terms of preparative scale, there are two main strategies to obtain pure enantiomer drugs. The first strategy is based on traditional methods of selective organic synthesis that allows the attainment of large amounts of a single product but with the disadvantage of being large time consuming. The other preparative strategy makes use of continuous separation processes based on multicolumn and cyclic adsorptive liquid chromatographic techniques to achieve the resolution of a racemic mixture. The use of such technologies allows, in a short period of time, the obtaining of enough amounts of pure enantiomers needed to perform the main pharmacological studies in the first steps of drug development. Lately, our research group reported the pseudo-binary separation of RSR-nadolol stereoisomer, referred in the literature as being the one responsible of the nadolol drug therapeutic action, by means of simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography using both coated Chiralpak AD and Chiralpak IA immobilized chiral stationary phases (CSP).1,2 This technology is generally based on the use of chiral adsorbents which must have enough recognition for all the chiral species. In this work it is proposed an alternative strategy, implementing a first achiral separation step, to be followed by two subsequent parallel chiral separation steps.3-5 In this first achiral step, C18 columns are used to perform the separation of the two pairs of nadolol enantiomers (“racemate A” from “racemate B”) under reversed-phase mode. The C18 achiral adsorbent allows the separation of the two pairs of nadolol diastereomers, i.e., the first racemate (composed by the nadolol compounds 2 and 3) co-eluting in the raffinate, and the second racemate (composed by the nadolol compounds 1 and 4) to be obtained in the extract SMB stream. After this preliminary achiral separation step, two parallel SMB runs must be carried out using a chiral stationary phase to achieve the complete separation of all the four nadolol stereoisomers. Extensive experimental and simulation results will be presented including solvent screening, measurement of equilibrium adsorption isotherms, breakthrough measurements, and both fixed-bed (Azura prep LC unit) and SMB (FlexSMB-LSRE unit) preparative separations using C18 columns. This work was financially supported by: Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984- Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020- Programa Operational Competitividade e lnternacionalização (POCI) -and by national funds through FCT- Fundação para a Ciência ea Tecnologia info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2017 Bacheloroppgaven er et resultat av kurset Bedriftsutvikling for små og mellomstore bedrifter. I besvarelsen har vi tatt for oss markedsføringsbyrået Sølvrev og formulert følgende problemstilling: • Hvordan kan Sølvrev skape en sterkere posisjon i B2B markedet med bruk av digital markedsføring? Sølvrev har et sterkt kjerneprodukt i form av video, men mangler synlighet i digitale kanaler. Konsekvensen er at de ikke blir funnet i søk, gir et dårlig digitalt førsteinntrykk og mister potensielle kunder. Vi ønsket derfor å belyse dette problemet og presentere en løsning. Vi starter med å utlede en problemstilling ved å forklare bedriften og markedet. Videre blir det tatt utgangspunkt i teoretisk forankring for å begrunne viktigheten av et digitalt salgskonsept, samt kartlegge nåværende kundereise for Sølvrev sine kunder. Deretter brukes det en kombinasjon av teori og sekundærdata for å få innsikt i hvordan digital markedsføring kan anvendes. For å få en dypere forståelse for tema og situasjonen til Sølvrev gjennomfører vi intervjuer med eksperter og ledelsen i Sølvrev. Vi sammenligner deretter Sølvrevs kunnskap og erfaring om digital markedsføring opp mot teori og ekspertuttalelser for å finne gapet mellom faktisk og optimal situasjon. Ut fra dette anbefales det en overordnet strategi, samt konkrete tiltak vi ser på som nødvendige å implementere i kundereisen. Det viktigste funnet er at implementering av mange små tiltak kan endre kundereisen og vesentlig forbedre det digitale salgskonseptet. Resultatet ved å utbedre den digitale kundereisen vil være at arbeidskraft som i dag anvendes til prospektering og kaldt salg kan omrokeres til andre områder som inngår i det nye B2B-konseptet.

Bacheloroppgave i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2017 Denne bacheloroppgaven i Bedriftsutvikling for SMB ble skrevet våren 2017 i samarbeid med matkasseleverandøren Godtlevert. I starten av semesteret kom vi tidlig i samtaler med bedriften om hva slags utfordringer de hadde, og hva de ønsket å vite mer om. Økonomisjefen, Christopher Ludt Parmo, var vår desidert største kontaktperson i Godtlevert. Han var svært klar på at lønnsomhet var et viktig fokus for Godtlevert fremover, og ikke kundevekst. Og etter å ha tatt dette i betraktning kom vi til slutt frem til en problemstilling: "Hva kan Godtlevert gjøre for å beholde kundemassen sin, og samtidig øke lønnsomheten?" Denne problemstillingen ble videre delt opp i fire delproblemstillinger, som til sammen løser hovedproblemstillingen. Disse problemstillingene dreide seg om kunnskap om markedet, kundelojalitet, mersalg og økonomi. I begynnelsen hadde vi liten kunnskap om trender, bransjen, kundene, konkurrentene og distribusjonen, og ønsket derfor å gjennomføre en markedsanalyse. Et av de åpenbare funnene var at matkassebransjen er i en regelrett enorm vekst. Kundeantallet har steget voldsomt de siste årene, og konkurrentene til Godtlevert øker omsetningen enormt. Godtlevert ønsket som nevnt ikke fokusere på å øke kundeandelen deres i markedet nevneverdig, og ønsket gjerne heller å øke mersalget fra nåværende kundemasse. Derfor foretok vi oss en spørreundersøkelse for å kunne se hva kundene mente om de ulike matkasseleverandørene, samt for å se om de hadde noen forslag til nye produkter. Godtlevert kom relativt godt ut av spørreundersøkelsen, og frokost og snacks var nye tilbud kundene ønsket. Godtlevert har nylig begynt med tilbudet "ukestart", så dette var noe Godtlevert allerede hadde tatt tak i. Videre delte vi inn kundene i ulike segmenter, og fant ut at Godtlevert ikke har et studenttilbud. Dekningsbidraget per matkasse ligger ifølge Christopher Ludt Parmo i gjennomsnitt på ca. 30 %, og en studentrabatt på 15-20 % kan dermed være lønnsom. Deretter analyserte vi økonomien og finansieringen til Godtlevert. Flere av funnene viste til svak lønnsomhet. Videre så kom vi med et forslag om å innføre en differensiert fraktkostnad som kunden betaler. Dette er et påfunn som kan møte motstand hos kundene, og ca. 53 % av respondentene i spørreundersøkelsen motsatte seg tiltaket. Dette konkluderte vi med at var lønnsomt antagelig på kort sikt, og høyst sannsynlig på lang sikt. Deretter drøftet vi kundelojalitet og hvilke faktorer som fremmer akkurat dette. Her ble det klart at god kundebehandling og kundetilfredshet på lang sikt vil føre til kundelojalitet. Derfor er det også viktig å ha dyktige og lojale medarbeidere som følger visjonen til ledelsen og Godtlevert. Videre så drøftet vi viktigheten av å ha fokus på riktige kunder, da dette er mest lønnsomt. Til slutt drøftes også belønninger i forhold til kundelojalitet. Den siste delproblemstillingen, mersalg, dreier seg om å få nåværende kunder til å handle for mer enn de alt gjør. Dermed drøftet vi tilleggsprodukter, rabatter, gratis fraktpris over 900 kroner og andre tiltak for å øke mersalget i en nettbasert forretning hvor kunden ikke kan bli overtalt av selgerne. Til slutt ble funnene i analysene, undersøkelsene og diskusjonen oppsummert i konklusjonsdelen. Her ble det også foretatt videre anbefalinger for Godtlevert.

Hensikten med denne oppgaven har vært å kartlegge bærekraft blant små bedrifter i Innlandet. Vi valgte å kartlegge dette fenomenet ved å se på det i forhold til den tredelte bunnlinjen. For å samle inn data til undersøkelsen valgte vi å reise ut til ti bedrifter, og intervjue dem. Datagrunnlaget har blitt benyttet for å se hvilke sammenhenger som eksisterer mellom små bedrifter og den tredelte bunnlinjen. Vi har også undersøkt hva bedriftene gjør for å ivareta økonomiske, miljømessige og sosiale forhold i dag, samt deres oppfatning av hva som er deres samfunnsansvar. Undersøkelsene viser at bedriftene stort sett ivaretar disse tre forholdene, men flere av bedriftene vektlegger økonomiske og sosiale forhold i sin bedrift. Resultatene fra denne oppgaven skal benyttes som et bidrag til et videre forskningsprosjekt ved NTNU i Gjøvik. Vi har derfor også utarbeidet forslag til spørsmål som fagmiljøet ved NTNU i Gjøvik kan benytte seg av ved videre forskning. The purpose of this task was to identify sustainability among small businesses in Oppland and Hedmark. We chose to identify this phenomenon by looking at it according to the triple bottom line. To collect data for the survey, we chose to visit ten companies, and interview them. The data have been used to see the relationships that exist between small businesses and the triple bottom line. We have also examined what companies do to ensure the economic, environmental and social issues today, as well as their perception of what their responsibility is in this matter. The surveys shows that companies generally meet these three conditions, but most of the companies emphasize economic and social conditions. The results of this thesis will be used as a contribution to a broader research project at NTNU in Gjøvik. We have therefore also drafted some questions that researchers at NTNU in Gjøvik can benefit from in their further research.

In this thesis we have used a high-resolution regional atmospheric climate model (RACMO2.3) to simulate the present-day climate (1979-2014) of Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. We have evaluated the model results with several observations, such as in situ surface energy balance (SEB) observations by automatic weather stations and stake measurements of surface mass balance (SMB). After a recent physics update within the model, we show that the model is now better capable of realistically simulating the complex climate of the Antarctic ice sheet than a previous version of the model. The most important update is the inclusion of a scheme that allows for super-saturation of ice clouds, leading to the transportation of more clouds into the interior of the continent. As a result, modelled snowfall rates and downwelling longwave radiation have increased, and the model better represents the SEB and the SMB in East Antarctica. We have specifically applied RACMO2.3 to the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). For this purpose, the model is for the first time used at a high spatial resolution of 5.5 km in order to accurately represent the complex AP topography. RACMO2.3 is coupled to a sophisticated firn densification model that calculates processes in the snowpack such as meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff into the ocean. By a comparison with weather stations and weather balloons, we first show that the model is capable of simulating AP wind and temperature. Secondly, we present a high-resolution estimate of the climatological (1979-2014) SMB of the AP. We show that the model is capable of resolving the distinct differences in snowfall rates between the western AP (WAP) and the eastern AP. For instance, the WAP receives nearly 80% of all AP snowfall, including snowfall rates of up to 40 meter per year. When integrated over the AP including ice shelves (an area of 410000 km2), the model calculates an average SMB of 351 gigaton per year (with an interannual variability of 58 gigaton per year) from 1979 to 2014, which mostly consists of snowfall (363 ± 56 gigaton per year). The other SMB components, sublimation, drifting snow erosion and meltwater runoff, are small in comparison (11, 0.5 and 4 gigaton per year, respectively). Finally, we applied the model to the northwestern AP, one of the most rapidly changing regions on Earth. In order to provide improved insight in the effects of these changes, we present the characteristics of the WAP meteoric freshwater budget. This budget consists of snowfall, rainfall, meltwater runoff and glacial discharge into the ocean. Changes in these processes have implications for the marine ecosystem, the surrounding sea-ice, ocean circulation and, ultimately, sea-level rise. Here, we present modelled estimates of the spatial and temporal variability of the freshwater budget, including a first estimate of glacial discharge into the ocean, assuming balance between snow accumulation and glacial discharge. We find that due to this process, locally between 2 and 11 gigaton of ice is lost to the ocean per year.

In this thesis we have used a high-resolution regional atmospheric climate model (RACMO2.3) to simulate the present-day climate (1979-2014) of Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. We have evaluated the model results with several observations, such as in situ surface energy balance (SEB) observations by automatic weather stations and stake measurements of surface mass balance (SMB). After a recent physics update within the model, we show that the model is now better capable of realistically simulating the complex climate of the Antarctic ice sheet than a previous version of the model. The most important update is the inclusion of a scheme that allows for super-saturation of ice clouds, leading to the transportation of more clouds into the interior of the continent. As a result, modelled snowfall rates and downwelling longwave radiation have increased, and the model better represents the SEB and the SMB in East Antarctica. We have specifically applied RACMO2.3 to the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). For this purpose, the model is for the first time used at a high spatial resolution of 5.5 km in order to accurately represent the complex AP topography. RACMO2.3 is coupled to a sophisticated firn densification model that calculates processes in the snowpack such as meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff into the ocean. By a comparison with weather stations and weather balloons, we first show that the model is capable of simulating AP wind and temperature. Secondly, we present a high-resolution estimate of the climatological (1979-2014) SMB of the AP. We show that the model is capable of resolving the distinct differences in snowfall rates between the western AP (WAP) and the eastern AP. For instance, the WAP receives nearly 80% of all AP snowfall, including snowfall rates of up to 40 meter per year. When integrated over the AP including ice shelves (an area of 410000 km2), the model calculates an average SMB of 351 gigaton per year (with an interannual variability of 58 gigaton per year) from 1979 to 2014, which mostly consists of snowfall (363 ± 56 gigaton per year). The other SMB components, sublimation, drifting snow erosion and meltwater runoff, are small in comparison (11, 0.5 and 4 gigaton per year, respectively). Finally, we applied the model to the northwestern AP, one of the most rapidly changing regions on Earth. In order to provide improved insight in the effects of these changes, we present the characteristics of the WAP meteoric freshwater budget. This budget consists of snowfall, rainfall, meltwater runoff and glacial discharge into the ocean. Changes in these processes have implications for the marine ecosystem, the surrounding sea-ice, ocean circulation and, ultimately, sea-level rise. Here, we present modelled estimates of the spatial and temporal variability of the freshwater budget, including a first estimate of glacial discharge into the ocean, assuming balance between snow accumulation and glacial discharge. We find that due to this process, locally between 2 and 11 gigaton of ice is lost to the ocean per year.

In this thesis we have used a high-resolution regional atmospheric climate model (RACMO2.3) to simulate the present-day climate (1979-2014) of Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. We have evaluated the model results with several observations, such as in situ surface energy balance (SEB) observations by automatic weather stations and stake measurements of surface mass balance (SMB). After a recent physics update within the model, we show that the model is now better capable of realistically simulating the complex climate of the Antarctic ice sheet than a previous version of the model. The most important update is the inclusion of a scheme that allows for super-saturation of ice clouds, leading to the transportation of more clouds into the interior of the continent. As a result, modelled snowfall rates and downwelling longwave radiation have increased, and the model better represents the SEB and the SMB in East Antarctica. We have specifically applied RACMO2.3 to the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). For this purpose, the model is for the first time used at a high spatial resolution of 5.5 km in order to accurately represent the complex AP topography. RACMO2.3 is coupled to a sophisticated firn densification model that calculates processes in the snowpack such as meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff into the ocean. By a comparison with weather stations and weather balloons, we first show that the model is capable of simulating AP wind and temperature. Secondly, we present a high-resolution estimate of the climatological (1979-2014) SMB of the AP. We show that the model is capable of resolving the distinct differences in snowfall rates between the western AP (WAP) and the eastern AP. For instance, the WAP receives nearly 80% of all AP snowfall, including snowfall rates of up to 40 meter per year. When integrated over the AP including ice shelves (an area of 410000 km2), the model calculates an average SMB of 351 gigaton per year (with an interannual variability of 58 gigaton per year) from 1979 to 2014, which mostly consists of snowfall (363 ± 56 gigaton per year). The other SMB components, sublimation, drifting snow erosion and meltwater runoff, are small in comparison (11, 0.5 and 4 gigaton per year, respectively). Finally, we applied the model to the northwestern AP, one of the most rapidly changing regions on Earth. In order to provide improved insight in the effects of these changes, we present the characteristics of the WAP meteoric freshwater budget. This budget consists of snowfall, rainfall, meltwater runoff and glacial discharge into the ocean. Changes in these processes have implications for the marine ecosystem, the surrounding sea-ice, ocean circulation and, ultimately, sea-level rise. Here, we present modelled estimates of the spatial and temporal variability of the freshwater budget, including a first estimate of glacial discharge into the ocean, assuming balance between snow accumulation and glacial discharge. We find that due to this process, locally between 2 and 11 gigaton of ice is lost to the ocean per year.