Urbanisation has increased the distance between the urban and the rural. Urban agriculture can be a solution to overcome that distance. The characteristic of urban agriculture is the intensive production in intra urban and peri-urban areas. Until 1950s food production in cities was an important part of the urban economy and the urban food supply. Since the 1950s the urban located production of food has almost ceased in Sweden, partly as a result of cheap food imports.

The aim of this study is to investigate how Swedish listed real estate companies use quantitative sustainability measures - mainly sustainability index with a financial focus. Sustainability management is a controversial issue that is used more and more constructive. A sustainable management approach in corporate cunduct is complex and based on a number of aspects of business visions, objectives and daily procedures. The study identifies aspects that are considered relevant in real estate companies where the selection of sustainability indicators is based on the support of scientific research in this field. The study intendeds to clarify how Swedish listed real estate companies have selected aspects and indicators of sustainability management and how these work towards a sustainable development.

This Master degree project has been performed at the Braviken paper mill on papermachine 53 (PM53) which produces newsprint paper. The current economic situationhas contributed to declining demand for newsprint, which means it is extra important tobe competitive by high energy efficiency. Particularly as energy prices are expected torise when the economic growth returns.One way to increase energy efficiency is by reducing the water use in paper and pulpmills and consequently save energy through reduced heating of water. The thesis's maintask is to evaluate whether a water purification plant (microflotation plant) forpurification of process water in PM 53 is profitable. The microflotation plant enablesreuse of warm process water instead of losing the energy to receiving waters.

Den naturliga process där stoet avvänjer sitt föl strax innan hon ska föla igen ger den unga hästen möjlighet att gradvis ändra sitt val av föda och mogna till en självständig individ. Den tidigare och mer abrupta avvänjningen som ofta sker av domesticerade hästar är mycket stressande för fölet. Negativa effekter som kan ses är en ökad skaderisk, försämrat immunförsvar och utveckling av onormala beteenden som stereotypier. Eftersom hästägare och uppfödare vill ha friska och sunda hästar är det viktigt att börja med en god välfärd för fölet som kan ligga till grund för den framtida hästens välmående. Det finns i dagsläget studier som redovisar avvänjningsmetoder som orsakar fölet mer eller mindre stress.

Vattenfall hedge its future electricity production in order to decrease fluctuations in theresult. Hedging can in a simplified way be described as selling the future electricity deliveriesin long-term contracts so that the future price of the delivery becomes fixed. The contractsused are electricity forwards traded at the Nordic electricity market Nord Pool. Animbalance between buyers and sellers can lead to a situation where the forward price notequals the expected spot price. The difference between the forward price and the expectedspot price is referred to as the market risk premium.

Background: Investors have several options to choose from when the goal is to achieve the highest yield at the lowest cost and risk. Stocks are a common investment options, but is also associated with risks. Portfolios are usually constructed with several different assets to reduce the unsystematic risk of investment. Funds are similar to composite stock portfolios, the big difference is that they dealt with in their entirety and investors may not affect the fund's content. The problem remains that whether you choose stocks or mutual funds there is still uncertainty as to how the future will unfold.

By limiting our horse?s freedom of movement, we restrict their opportunity to forage, which is one of their most important needs. If their need of forage is not fulfilled it can lead to frustration, which might manifest itself in abnormal behaviour, like the oral stereotypies for example crib-biting. It is a held belief that the horse swallows air while crib-biting, which they don?t, and that swallowed air causes colic, and the belief that other horses can copy the behaviour, leads to the use of many methods to prevent the behaviour.

The aim of this study was to compare activity, lying down and getting up behaviour, weight gain and cleanliness in heifers in cubicles versus on deep-litter. The study was conducted from autumn of 2005 until autumn of 2006 in a commercial organic dairy herd with 340 cows. In 2005 the farm rebuilt half of the young stock accommodation from deep-litter pens to cubicles. The experiment used 150 heifers of the breeds Swedish Red, Swedish Holstein and crossbreeds between these, all born on the farm. The animals were divided into three blocks based on breed and within each block they were sorted after increasing age. The youngest heifer in each block was randomly allocated to one of two groups, cubicle or deep-litter pen.

Handling product returns has become a critical activity for organizations as the volume of gods flowing back through the supply chain rapidly increases. Few research studies have published specific empirical data concerning the reverse logistics practices of companies. Information technology and information support has long been recognized as a competitive weapon ? capable of enhancing company performance and achieving efficient reverse logistics. Reverse logistics is very unlike the forward, as it is more reactive and also has less visibility.

Many participants in the Swedish timber market procure raw material from private forest owners. They often also offer forest services to ensure reforestation after final felling. Selling silviculture services can be a part of creating a long term relationship with the landowner for future timber purchases. The Swedish Forest Agency monitors forest rejuvenation results in the entire country. In the latest survey (2006 - 2008) the proportion of approved regeneration area was 78%.

Bakgrund: Den 20:e april 2010 inträffade en explosion på BP:s oljeplattform Deepwater Horizon i Mexikanska Golfen. Explosionen uppstod på grund av metangas som under högt tryck expanderade på plattformen och sedan antändes. Detta ledde senare till att oljeplattformen sjönk och ett stort okontrollerat oljeläckage uppstod på cirka 1500 meters djup.          Att explosionen i den mexikanska golfen har påverkat BP negativt och varit mycket kostsamt för företaget är uppenbart, börskursen hade som mest sjunkit med cirka 60 procent. Det kan vara intressant att undersöka huruvida denna katastrof, utlöst av en enskild aktör, också har spridit sig över till andra aktörer i Olja & Gas sektorn.Syfte: Syftet med denna C-uppsats är att undersöka huruvida BP:s katastrof i den Mexikanska golfen har påverkat andra aktörer i samma sektor (Olja & Gas sektorn).Metod: Sekundärdata presenteras som en kvantitativ ansats i form av siffror och för att kunna dra slutsatserna använder vi oss av en deduktiv ansats.I denna studie tillämpas en metodikteknik i form av en eventstudie, där beräkningar av den abnorma och förväntade avkastningen baseras på marknadsmodellen. Vidare har två hypoteser testats, där syftet med Hypotes I är att pröva huruvida information om händelsen i den Mexikanska Golfen påverkar andra företag i samma sektor som BP.

During an investigation of animal welfare in animal production, the focus has for a long time been focused on the absence of stress, suffering and injuries, and positive emotions have not been prioritized. However, in recent years that has been drastically changed. The public interest have increased for buying animal products from animals that have had a decent life, which have led to that play, exploratory behavior and other positive behaviours has come to play a significant role in welfare assessment. The welfare of cattle is difficult to assess since there is currently no ancestors to study, it is thus difficult to determine which behaviors can be regarded as natural and thus positively related, acordingly the welfare of cattle have been forgotten and research on positive emotions of cattle have not been prioritized. The aim of this study was to observe which behavior growing cattle performe, and if there was any differences of which kind of behavior that was observed, if the cattle is keept on slatted floor or on a deep straw bedding. Furthermore, antoher purpose was to investigate if the observed behaviours indicate a positive, negative or natural welfare, and if it is possible to use the observed behaviours in a welfare assessment.

Intense competition among companies and luck or unavailability of certain resources in country of company?s origin force last to cross the borders, and start to hunt for new markets and cheaper inputs. However, by investing abroad the company is not only facing and dealing with cultural differences and new regulatory framework, but also becomes dependent on decisions and actions of different and to large extend unknown government. Moreover, the majority of the investments? flows are directed to developing countries, where power and capabilities of state authorities are considered to be more extensive than in countries of developed economies.

Half of Sweden?s 140 000-150 000 sows are culled and replaced by 75 000 gilts annually. Culling of old sows is necessary and allows new breeding material to enter the herd. However, many of the culled sows are young, and have not yet become profitable at the time for culling. Therefore, it is an important question for the pig industry, how to raise gilts to sows with a high and sustainable production level.

Ett av de viktigaste beslut som en företagsledning står inför är hur de ska gå tillväga för att finansiera företagets framtida investeringar. En mycket vanlig finansieringsväg är genom nyemissioner, vilket innebär att man ökar aktiekapitalet och antalet aktier i ett bolag genom att erbjuda aktieägarna eller andra investerare att mot betalning teckna aktier i bolaget. Kapitalanskaffningen genom nyemissioner på börsen har ökat i takt med att intresset för aktiemarknaden ökat. Det har gjorts många undersökningar av framstående forskare som testat den priseffekt som uppstår vid nyemissioner. Majoriteten av dessa undersökningar visar på att annonseringar av nyemissioner har negativ effekt på aktiekurserna.Det problem vi undersökt lyder på följande sätt:Sker en kursreaktion hos aktier noterade på OM, Stockholmsbörsen, vid annonsering av nyemissioner och i så fall i vilken riktning? Gör det någon skillnad om nyemissionen är öppen eller riktad?Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka om förändringarna är signifikanta samt undersöka om det finns något samband mellan ett företags risk (beta) och avkastningen på annonseringsdagen.Avsikten med studien har varit att beskriva och förklara resultaten.