Kompetensutveckling som konkurrensmedel : En kvalitativ intervjustudie med fokus på förskollärarstudenters och förskollärares uppfattning av kompetensutveckling som konkurrensmedel

Studiens syfte handlar om huruvida kompetensutveckling kan fungera som konkurrensmedel när en kommun har för avsikt att attrahera och behålla förskollärare. Bakgrunden inleds med vilka kompetenshöjande insatser kommunen arbetat med för att bli en attraktiv arbetsgivare. Det efterföljs av en teoretisk beskrivning om hur kompetensutveckling kan fungera som konkurrensmedel samt skolan som attraktiv arbetsgivare. Metoden som användes vid insamlandet av data var semistrukturerade intervjuer. Forskningsansatsen inspirerades av fenomenologin och styrde sedan arbetet med insamlandet av data samt val av analysmetod. Då urvalet innefattade två grupper; förskollärare och förskollärarstudenter skapades en intervjuguide för respektive grupp som utformades efter studiens syfte och frågeställningar. I studiens resultat framkommer samtliga intervjupersoners upplevelse av att kompetensutveckling är något positivt. Förskollärarna såg det som en avgörande faktor vid val av arbetsgivare medan förskollärarstudenterna värderade exempelvis lön som en faktor av större betydelse. I resultatet lyfts andra övergripande faktorer som exempelvis arbetsklimat, stöd från chef och storlek på barngrupper vilka även styr intervjupersonernas val av arbetsgivare. Det lyfts också möjliga kommunspecifika utvecklingsområden samt generellt för förskolor. 

Investigation of managerial capabilities and challenges of a core plant role

The competiveness within the global market has forced large manufacturing companies to reorganize their global operations. To act proficiently abroad is therefore no longer a choice but an important prerequisite. In global production networks, there are different plant roles that serve different purposes. One of the important roles within these networks is the core plant role. There are limited amount of the researches done regarding the core plant role. There is also a lack of consistency regarding the definition of the core plant role. It is also evident that there is a knowledge gap regarding the managerial aspects of this plant role both in the academia and in the industry. Managing a core plant requires certain capabilities. It is important to target this knowledge gap since global manufacturing is becoming a common norm for large enterprises and the importance of the core plant role is getting more evident. There is also a lack of understanding towards the challenges that a core plant must deal with both within the organization and globally towards the other plants within the manufacturing network. To address this knowledge gap further, two research questions were created ―What key capabilities are required in order to manage the core plant role?” (RQ1) and ―What are the main challenges in managing the core plant role?” (RQ2). Case study was chosen as the research method for this study since it is the most appropriate method when investigating a phenomenon in its own context. Interviews were the main research technique used to collect data. 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted in eight different cases. A literature review was conducted and was the foundation for the interview guide used in the interviews and for the data analysis. The results show that various capabilities are important for the management of the core plant role. Proximity to R&D and knowledge were the most emphasized factors. For the main challenges in terms of managing a core plant, the communication, cooperation and coordination where the most challenging aspects. Based upon finding, two frameworks have been proposed a concluding generalization and contribution of this research study. The study provides a generalization based upon data that has been collected from companies from different industries. These findings are a contribution towards both the large enterprises operating globally and the academia.