The main purpose of this essay is to investigate if Latvia´s pattern of trade has become more similar to the mature market economies, after Latvia´s independence 1991.Today, the intra-industry trade (IIT) dominates the trade of mature market economies. One of the pioneers of intra-industrial trade is Paul Krugman, who was the first to emphasize the importance "of scale and consumers' desire for variety" in explaining the basis for modern commerce. Customers get more variety and usually cheaper goods when the market gets bigger. I mainly use the modern trade theories to explain the trade pattern in Latvia. To measure how Latvia has developed its intra-industry trade, and thereby is approaching the mature market economies´ trade pattern, I use the Grubel-Lloyd index (GL-index).

Since the beginning of the new millennium, China has opened itself to the outside world and in an enormous pace increased its contacts and relationships with other countries. The trigger to these dramatic changes of economic and foreign policies is the insight that China can no longer sustain its rapid economic growth, largely based on industrial production, on energy and raw materials from China alone.Good relations with African countries have been of highest priority in China?s strategy of ?Going global?. The new African policy is based on the two principles of mutual benefit and non-interference in internal affairs ? as opposite to the West?s strategy of structural adjustment programmes (SAP), which include massive interference in internal affairs.

Syftet med detta projekt är att med grafisk design upplysa om hälsorisker vi utsätts för genom kemiska tillsatser och bekämpningsmedel i maten. Jag vill förändra uppfattningen om den mat vi äter idag som inte är ekologisk, det val som man oftast gör på grund av att de är det billigaste alternativet. Med på köpet får vi en rad olika hälsorisker. Idag får allt fler barn diagnosen ADHD när de egentligen är glutamatförgiftade. Glutamat är en kemisk tillsats som används som smakförstärkare i livsmedel.

I detta Examensarbete har en ny lyftutrustning till gasturbin SGT-600/700 olika moduler tagits fram. Examensarbetet har utförts på Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB i Finspång på avdelningen GPTP (leverans gasturbin teknik package installation).Målet med arbetet har varit att skapa en lyftutrustning som är mer flexibel än den befintliga lyftutrustningen och klarar samlyft (lyft med hjälp av två kranar).Arbetet har utförts med hjälp av olika metoder som QFD, funktionsmedel-träd och morphologisk matris, där kundorienterad konceptkonstruktion är basen för arbetet. En studie av teori inom området har genomförts. Den befintliga lyftutrustningen undersöks för att skapa förståelse, sedan undersöks problemet för att skapa en lösningsrymd. Flera konceptuella lösningar genereras, till sist väljs det bästa konceptet och ritningar för den nya lyftutrustningen tas fram.Den befintliga lyftutrustningen kräver anpassning med extra komponenter för lyft av de olika modulerna.

High brand equity is a great asset for companies that operate their business in a free and competitive market. Brand equity can arise from both product-related and non-product related attributes and may be viewed from many different perspectives. This study examines which different attributes that contribute to enhance brand equity from customers point of view at the Swedish market for agricultural machinery. The study have been developed using a comprehensive literature search in order to investigate the field regarding brand equity and brand image. The literature review results in one product specific and one non-product specific approach in order to examine factors that contribute to enhanced brand equity. This takes the form as one survey-based approach regarding the non-product related attributes which is examined by interpreting the extra value added by different attributes.

In the beginning of the 1860s, an important railway was built between Malmö and Stockholm. The railway became one of the most important projects that would influence the entire southern Sweden. The railway line was located to areas outside the ordinary routes and a number of communities were built up along its way.Älmhult was one of the communities that was built up due to the railway. In the beginning there were only a few farms and a station, but a community developed and the village grew. In 1901 the village became a small market town, which was an important event.

Kevin Roberts has extended the comprehension of strong consumer brands to a higher level where loyalty beyond reason is established. He calls this new status Lovemarks. As the concept of Lovemark has only been applied in B2C markets, this thesis is directed to find out the applicability of Lovemarks in B2B context. In order to fulfill the research purpose, three main questions are answered based on a cross-sectional research approach: What role do intangible factors play in B2B branding? Is the idea of B2C Lovemarks transferable to B2B context? How should a B2B Lovemark be characterized? The results of the qualitative interviews indicate insights of high investment and involvement, integrated brand communication, balance between function versus emotion, brand?s trustworthy personality, customer partnership, and finally, the potential establishment of B2B Lovemarks.

Over the past one hundred years, there has been an increasing globalization and industrialization of the food systems. As a result, the distance between the production and the consumption of food has increased, both in time and space and in the minds of people. There is also an increasing concern for the environmental effects of industrial farming and the long distance transportation of food. Sustainable agriculture and efforts to build more sustainable food systems has emerged in opposition to the global food market. The definitions of sustainability usually include environmental, social and economical aspects. To build more localized food systems is seen as one way towards increased sustainability.

There have been changes in Earth?s climate system on both global and regional scale since the pre-industrial era and some of these changes are due to human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels. This calls for the development of engines with a higher efficiency and less harmful emissions. One interesting concept is the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine, which has the advantages of potentially low emissions combined with high efficiency. However, HCCI with diesel fuel requires a relatively long fuel/air mixing time to ensure a "homogenous" charge.

The economic development and industrialization that has taken place in many parts of the world during the past century has brought about a huge increase in economic welfare. During this process, it has repeatedly been debated whether the gains from economic development are shared by everyone or just a few. In the field of economics, vast research has been conducted on this particular subject ever since the 1950?s. The most famous contribution might be said to be Simon Kuznets article, Growth and Income Inequality from 1955 and the ?inverted U?-hypothesis that was formulated on the basis of that article.

The economic development and industrialization that has taken place in many parts of the world during the past century has brought about a huge increase in economic welfare. During this process, it has repeatedly been debated whether the gains from economic development are shared by everyone or just a few. In the field of economics, vast research has been conducted on this particular subject ever since the 1950?s. The most famous contribution might be said to be Simon Kuznets article, Growth and Income Inequality from 1955 and the ?inverted U?-hypothesis that was formulated on the basis of that article.

Master Thesis in Business Administration, School of Business Administration, Linaeus University, Finance 4FE03E, Spring 2011Authors: Benni Hansson, Axel SandquistTutor: Christopher von KochExaminer: Sven-Olof CollinTitle: Compensation as a means of monitoring or recruiting ? a study on ownership structure in Swedish listed companies.Keywords: CEO compensation, compensation structure, ownership structure, ownership types, ownership concentration, agency theory, resource dependence theory, managerial theoryBackground: There has been extensive research on CEO compensation, however not a lot on Swedish listed firms. Many studies have an agency theoretical perception on CEO compensation. In accordance with this, compensation is used as a means to solve monitoring and incentives problems.Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the role of CEO compensation, by studying ownership structure.Method: To examine the role of CEO compensation we use a multi-theory approach, based on agency theory, resource dependence theory and managerial theory. The companies examined are Swedish listed firms the in years 2005 to 2009.

European cities of today are under the challenge to find ways to stay competitive and flourish in a rapidly changing world, where the old patterns of centrality and periphery not necessarily holds true. New and improved communication networks, a changed political geography in Europe, and the globalisation of not only the financial and industrial markets but also to a certain extent the globalisation of people, have all led to great challenges for cities and regions.In a changed spatial reality the classic monocentric models are challenged by newer models of urbanisation. The polycentric urban region is one such model which has been used to describe urban regions like the Randstad in the Netherlands and the Rhein-Ruhr region in Germany. Regions which lack the single dominant central city of the monocentric models of old, and instead shows a high degree of more equal-sized and sometimes more specialised cities in regional cooperation. The polycentric urban region is in that aspect a possible model for how other urbanised regions in Europe may act to be able to position themselves as attractive urban regions and regional hubs in the European urban network.Polycentric urban regions are not a universal solution, though.

SAMMANFATTNING Det borde vara en självklarhet att alla barn har någonstans att leka oavsett om de har någon funktionsnedsättning eller inte. Man pratar idag mycket om tillgänglighet men min uppfattning är att det då oftast handlar om de vuxna. Vart tog barnen vägen i denna diskussion? Det finns krav på att lekplatser skall göras tillgängliga, men hur? Det är denna fråga som jag kände mig lockad att söka svar på och som är huvudsyftet med denna rapport. Det finns lagar och förordningar som ställer krav på lekplatsens tillgänglighet. Dessa är FN:s standardregler, FN:s konvention om barns rättigheter och Boverkets föreskrifter.

Bakgrund: En familj som lever med ett barn som har autismspektrumtillstånd påverkar dem och hela deras livssituation. Barnet behöver särskilt stöd av föräldrarna under hela deras levnadsår. Barn med autismspektrumtillstånd är personer som har individuella behov och dessa kan variera stort. Enligt tidigare studier som inkluderats i denna litteraturstudie framkom det att dessa individuella behov kan ha negativ påverkan på föräldrarna. Autismspektrumtillstånd är en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning där personen har ett annorlunda sätt att ta in, bearbeta och tolka information.