The aim of this study was to map the prevalence of aeolian sand dunes in Västerbotten, northern Sweden to find dunes formed during earlier deglaciation phases, which was then preserved in cold-based conditions during the youngest stadial of the Weichselian glaciation. These preserved dunes were expected to be covered by a layer of till and have a rather faint morphology compared to dunes formed during the Holocene. Consequently, high resolution LIDAR-derived images from the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority (Lantmäteriet) was used to detect the dunes throughout an area covering most of Västerbotten, above the highest coastline and below the mountain range. The analysis resulted in several new findings of aeolian dunes compared to the findings in the quaternary soil map created by the Geological Survey of Sweden. Despite the fact some of the dunes at the LIDAR-derived image had a strange faint appearance, it was quickly evident during the fieldwork that the aeolian sand was not covered by till on any of the dunes visited.

This essay is about how the aesir are used as an ideal image of the original Nordic aspects and as a symbol of heroism and pure strength. The main subject of this essay is to look at how this ideal of masculinity is represented in the art produced during the era of romantic nationalism. The choice of focusing on this era in particular is made due to the fact that it was during this time that the modern images of the aesir and the Vikings were made. The purpose of this study is to examine how the ideal of masculinity reflects upon the artistic interpretations of the Norse mythology in a selected group of art work produced during the 1800?s.

The purpose of this essay was to examine how youths are described in certain written statements that are produced by the social services. The statements that this study has focused on, are those written with the purpose of serving the court with suggestions of treatment-measures when a person between 15 and 18 is suspected of having committed a crime. The main issues were: How is the content in these statements described and what do these descriptions tell the reader? Do the images of youths in the statements differ, depending on the degree of intervention for the suggested treatment-measure? The essay is based on a qualitative content-analysis of 50 statements and the material has been analysed from a social-constructive theoretical perspective.The study shows that the youths in the statements are described through descriptions that reinforces a positive or a negative image of the youth, and that these descriptions are described as either utterances or facts. Depending on the degree of intervention for the suggested treatment-measures, the information in the statements differ in that descriptions that are likely to reinforce a positive image of the youth are more frequent in the statements where no or less intervening treatment-measures is suggested.

The purpose of this essay is to examine how gender rolls influences the culture of substance abuse among women and their social situation. To demonstrate this we have concentrated our research to relate how scientists and the media describe problems of abuse among women. The method we used in our research was qualitative and we gathered information through literature, reports and articles.Our main questions are:Do the social attitude toward women and men differ and how does it affect problems of abuse among women? Do women use alcohol in a different way than men? How do social reactions and restrictions influence women? We also want to examine what position women substance abusers have in society. What similarities or differences are there between the image of women in general and women with substance abuse?The main result of the study is that we found discursive connections that show a rectification among scientists concerning substance abuse among women.

The visual representation of management (board of directors, chief executive officer and executive management) in annual reports is an area of scholarship that has not been explored much. In the present study a sample of 87 annual reports from business enterprises within a Swedish context, comprising about 300 photographs, was analyzed using an explorative method of analysis based on semiotics and grounded theory. The influence of the context on images raises a question discussed in the study: Should the photographs in the annual report be categorized as portraits, advertisements and others or should the annual report be regarded as a genre of its own? The photographs showed patterns of homogeneity regarding gender, dress, gestures, colours, pictorial compositions et cetera. The position of the (male) CEO is privileged, but he is also connected to the group through various means like dress and style, thereby further underscoring management as a male enterprise and demonstrating the importance of the suit and necktie in creating homosocial bonds.

The aim of this paper is to illuminate and discuss the political and ideological aspects of Early Medieval Nordic music. Due to shortage of sources, this issue has been overlooked until now. Did Early Medieval Nordic music meet the requirements for political and ideological use? In what ways could music potentially be used politically and ideologically? Was music used as a political and ideological tool? This is examined by a contextual analysis combining music history and historical archaeology. The survey consists of a background account, focusing on the potential of music and some requests for political use, and three case studies, where musical reflections of societal tensions is investigated in folk music lyrics, Icelandic sagas and church art.

This thesis focuses on immigrant fathers and the specific situation they face arriving in Sweden. The purpose of this study is to examine various systemic obstacles and eventual possibilities these fathers may encounter in the new country and how they affect their fatherhood. The paper is based on four interviews, with three men and one woman, who work with immigrant fathers partly in parenting educational programs. The informants? professional background varies.

Title The User Created Fire ? Risks and Opportunities with Crisis Communication in Social Network SitesAuthor Charbel SaderCourse Master Thesis in Media? and Communication Studies, Department of Journalism and Communication, University of GothenburgSemester Spring semester of 2013Tutor Nicklas HåkanssonNumberof pages 75Purpose To find a deeper understanding of the digital media?s role in Swedish society in relation to crisis communication.Method Qualitative approach using focus group interviewsMaterial Semi structured focus group interviews with a total of 18 participants in five groups. The focus group sessions were made during February, March and April 2012.Main results The main findings in this study are that users expect the communication flow in social network sites (SNS) during a crisis is to be a shortcut to information without a detour through organizations or traditional media. Although we find personal gratification, like interpersonal communication, quick information and sharing feelings and experience with others by using SNS during a crisis, users also tend to be hesitant about the credibility of the shared information. Alongside the user created content, we look to professional media experts and organizations as a guarantee for the veracity of the shared information.

The interest for food and cooking has probably never engaged the people of Sweden as much as it does today. Especially cookbooks are selling better than ever which has been a quite constant trend since the mid 90's. This study explores the connection between visual communication in Swedish cookbooks and the post-modern values which have influenced the market climate and the visual culture. I have used a theoretical framework as reference consisting of theories of semiotics, visual rhetoric, marketing communications and postmodernism. I have been studying six cookbooks, three from the late 00's and three from the early 90's, from the two separate angles of their graphic design and photographic material.

The concept of function represents a major part of mathematics and becomes more significant in school during high school. Throughout history, it has been a difficult concept to define and may create challenges for contemporary students. This literature study aims to identify students' difficulties with the concept of function, as well as to account for how the definition of a function has evolved historically. The literature study has been conducted through database searches in ERIC, Education Research Complete and MathSciNet via EBSCOhost, as well as through chain searching. The study results in identifying that students' difficulties with the concept of function primarily include the graphical and algebraic forms of representation.

"Adapt or Die" handlar om mobila webbplatser. Populariteten av mobila enheter växer ständigt och en intressant fråga var hur användarna upplever webbplatser genom mobila enheter. Arbetet hade som sitt mål att undersöka i fall användarna uppskattar att webbplatser anpassas till deras media; om det är viktigt för användarna att känna igen sig på en webbplats samt om man kan ta bort viss information från en webbplats när den presenteras via en mobil enhet. I uppsatsen förklaras begrepp som responsive web design samt mobildedikerad webbplats vilka är populära metoder för att anpassa webbplatser till mobila enheter. Den snabbt ökande användningen av mobila enheter gör denna problemställning mycket aktuell och intressant.

My main purpose with this paper of John Steinbecks Of mice and men is to both analyze the long-lived structures and the unique individual destinies of the novel. I employ the method of the historical Annales-movement and use three divided levels in my analysis to try to capture these high structures and low moments of humanity in Structure, Konjuncture and the Individuality. The first level, Structure, is used to see how long-lived almost invisible geographic structures set the human act of condition. The second level, Konjuncture, is easier to grasp in understanding of time and embraces for example economic structures as the industrialism. The last level of Individuality is the fastest in time and easiest to understand but in the long run also the least important.

This essay is a product of the author?s interest in silent films from Soviet, especially, documentary films. Before the 1920?s documentary filmmaking had mostly been limited to newsreels and short scenes. Only occasional feature-length documentaries had been made.

This essay deals with the various difficulties that can arise in conversations and meetings with parents and colleagues in the preschool world. The essay is based on two self-perceived stories that culminate in dilemmas that are difficult to assess, where our own actions come into question.The purpose of this essay is to gain a greater understanding and awareness of why we become insecure when our communication with others fails. Our research questions assist us in gaining an understanding that our own and others' behavior in meetings and conversations can be influenced by past experience, ourvalues and our emotions. This means, for example, that we must be aware that our values - ideal images, functions as both our guide and trip wires. We must also bear in mind that our ability to manage our own emotional reactions is  significant when it comes to facing our own and others' feelings.

Title: A study about conditions for leadership in knowledge-intensive firms.Authors: Cecilia Ekström and Niklas SandbergKeywords: Leadership, knowledge-intensive firm, hierarchies, followers.Background: Leadership is becoming one of our greatest social myths and is considered a total solution for many problems that occur in an organization. The view of leadership is usually from a top-down perspective, which contributes to an often underestimated view of the follower. Just as it is important to understand the leader's view of leadership, it is important to understand how employees view the structure from which the leader derives its legitimacy. The existing conditions in knowledge-intensive firms, such as autonomy, place special demands on the formal leadership.Purpose: The purpose of this study takes an employee perspective, to understand what the conditions are for formal leadership in knowledge-intensive firms.Method: A qualitative research method was used and empirical material was collected through interviews with employees in knowledge-intensive firms. The empirical material was analyzed by the respondents? mental images which were set against the theoretical framework of the thesis.Conclusions: The conditions for formal leadership in knowledge-intensive firms make it advantageous to have a leader with a withdrawn role.