Digitalization in small-sized companies : Higher profitability with the help of digitalization in Swedish small-sized companies?

Allt fler företag har insett att digitalisering är en möjlighet, om inte ett krav, för att ta steget in i framtiden. Digitalisering, vilket beskrivs som vår tids industriella revolution, är en central del i vårt samhälle för både privata och statliga organisationer. Till små företagare erbjuder leverantörer lösningar som lovar att både förenkla och effektiviseraolika processer och funktioner, men hur dessa digitala verktyg faktisktpåverkar lönsamheten har hittills varit oklart.Introduction: More and more businesses have realized that digitalization is a possibility, if not a requirement, to take a step into the future. Digitalization, having been described as the industrial revolution of our times, is a central part of our community for private and public organizations alike. Small businesses are offered digital solutions from providers promising to both simplify and streamline different processes and functions, but how these digital tools actually have affected profitability has until now remained unclear. Purpose The purpose of the study is to investigate how digitalized Swedish small-sized companies are and what profitability these companies achieve. Method The study is of quantitative nature and has been performed using a deductive approach, meaning that the hypotheses have been formulated with the support of existing literature and theories. The study is of a cross-sectional design, showing variation in digitalization and profitability at a given time. To investigate a degree of digitalization a survey has been sent to companies across the country. The responses from the survey has been compared to financial data. Conclusion The result of the study does not show a significant correlation between the degree of digitalization and profitability. However, a significant correlation could be seen with general attitude towards digitalization, primarily measured by the presence of a strategy for digitalization. The companies with positive attitudes towards digitalization have a somewhat higher profitability than companies with negative attitudes