This thesis examines why working time preferences differ between workers and nations, and explains the effect of working time regulation and working time flexibility on negotiating work-life balance. In five separate sections the following working time issues are examined: the number of hours worked by workers in Europe; factors affecting individual working time preferences; how working time preferences are negotiated in the national industrial relations systems of Sweden, France and the United Kingdom; how the institutions of the European Union have influenced working time negotiations through the Working Time Directive; and the benefits and practices available to organisations implementing working time flexibility. Broadly this paper views working time preferences as being a highly personal and influenced by factors such as wages, taxation, culture (national and workplace) and non-work responsibilities. It is argued that negotiating a preferred working time pattern is essential to achieving work-life balance and when such a balance is achieved, workers are more healthy, motivated and committed to their employer. Essentially this provides an incentive for businesses to voluntarily implement working time flexibility beyond the regulatory standards..

Mindfulness, som ett akademiskt begrepp, har ökat i popularitet och betydelse på senaretid, och av intresse är, mer specifikt, det ökade stödet för dess samband med anknytningsteorisom har observerats. Detta motiverar djupare inblick i vad som beskriver och förklarar dettasamband ytterligare. Studien syftade till att undersöka förklaringar av sambandet mellananknytning och mindfulness. Medierande analyser inom området är få till antalet, dock hartidigare studier påvisat att emotionsreglering utverkar en medierande effekt mellananknytning och mindfulness. Litteraturen ger även anledning att undersöka ifall sambandetmellan anknytning och mindfulness är dubbelriktat.

The purpose of the thesis was to map the hydraulic load on the Knivsta river from stormwater runoff, and build a platform for further studies of pollution loads on the rivers ecosystems. New residential areas are planned to be built in Knivsta municipality and it will have an impact on stormwater flows to Knivsta river. To examine the impact this will have, simulations were made in the area as it stands today and after expansion work. The work includes calculation of flows from the populated areas but also from the catchment area around it consisting of woodlands and fields. Because of expected climatic changes which may affect rainfall, the simulations have been performed with different return periods for rainfall data.

In Sweden, detailed development plans (DDPs) go through a screening process to decide whether their implementation could cause significant environmental impact or not. The criteria in the legislation were studied to see if an environmental impact assessment was needed. This study also investigated 26 DDPs from 12 out of 13 of the municipalities in Östergötland and how they meet up to the demands in relevant legislation, for example the rules for Environmental Impact Assessments. Plans that concerned suburban communities and new housing were selected. The environmental issues highlighted in the plan documents were compared to selected topics from the GIS data base 'Östgötakartan' to see if the assessments made by the municipalities were reasonable judged.

The commercial real estate market makes up a large part of Sweden's property portfolio, as well as other open, free markets in the real estate market it is regulated by supply and demand. There are several factors that affect the supply and demand in the commercial real estate market, for instance the price, type of real estate and the condition of the real estate. In order to achieve success in the commercial real estate market it requires that real estate agents have a certain expertise and flexibility in their thinking to adapt commercial real estates to supply and demand. Active investors on the commercial real estate market are for instance private real estate agents, their knowledge and experience will help increase the value of commercial real estate in the long run. In order to provide the market flexibility in its real estate portfolio, vacancy is a factor that can be used.

This paper examines the interpersonal and intercorporate networks of interlocking boardmembers among Sweden's 50 largest publicly traded companies in 1985 and 2005. We find that both the interpersonal and intercorporate networks of 1985 are considerably more coherent and densely connected than those of 2005. The observed changes in social network structure are compared to changes in company ownership in Swedish publicly traded companies during the same period, and it is found that the observed changes in network density and cohesion can be related to a notable increase in the number of foreign board members. These results imply that the social organization of the Swedish system of corporate governance has changed notably during the period. Social network theory suggests that these changes can explain the greater demand for external regulation, decreased homogeneity of board members and increase in board member compensation observed under the period.

? Does Karlstad municipality have adequate institutional conditions to make the best use ofthe citizens? proposals??The purpose with the thesis is to investigate if citizens? proposals lead to a broader politicalinfluence. To answer that, I have done a case study about how Karlstad municipal administers citizens? proposals. The research assignment is: Does Karlstad municipal have adequate institutional conditions to make the best use of the citizens? proposals? The perspective is a democracy perspective and the theory is institutional theory and policy process theory.A selection of citizens? proposals that have arrived to Karlstad municipal between 2008 and 2010 have been studied in detail to analyze how the proposals have been administered and if it matters how the proposals are phrased.

The Hunter?s Bend project is about how our personal possessions affect our perceived identity and in what way the value of an object may increase with the relationship that is built up towards the user. I have looked upon traces of time as an extension of an existing object. The outcome is a series of leather cases made out of one piece of folded leather, hardened and locked within itself. The history contained in leather, as a living material has been an important part of the project as well as how its features are used in the making and then allowing the product to change after use..

This study is an assignment from the council of Södra Småland county to investigate how equality between boys and girls progresses at compulsory schools in Kronoberg county. The study was undertaken to find suggestions on how work with equality could best be stimulated.The key question was to elaborate how a decentralized rule and structural context of an organisation can affect an implementation of political decisions. The methodological approach adopted can be defined as inductive, it was analysed how the respondents from some selected schools in Kronoberg county themselves relate to the concept of equality between men and women and their experience and understanding of how the concept of equality between sex is understood in their work at school.School-legislation today demands that active measures are undertaken to promote equality between boys and girls and in general almost all the respondents of my study describe equality as an utterly important question. My findings although, at the same time, indicate a gap between rhetoric and practice. The findings of my study suggest that structural relations and a decentralised organisation can constitute a hindrance for implementing equality between men and women in schools.

The competitive situation for businesses has experienced drastical changes as an effectof globalization and changes in consumer demands. Product related competitive advantages arerisking to quickly become presumptions for competition. The demand for increased innovationpace, along with the intense price competition, has led to buisnesses trying to find new ways todifferentiate themselves and Corporate Social Responsibility has became one way of doing so.The bad working conditions associated with the textile industry have rised a debate about thebusinesses? Corporate Social Responsibility. The future is heading towards more and morecompanies choosing to take their social responsibility, many of those experiencing this to be anadvandage in the relation with the consumers.

Introduction:By insight in the company and by monitoring the management, the board has an important function in creating trust in governance of the company. Furthermore, the board reduces the asymmetry of information between the owners and the management, which also is the function of the auditor, by auditing how the board governs the company and the accounting. In case the board does not effectively monitor the management, the auditor has to extend its monitoring, which increases the owners agency costs through the audit fee. The board composition can affect how effectively the board practices the monitoringProblem: How is the audit fee affected by the board composition?Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain how the board composition affects the audit fee.Method: The study uses a quantitative method, where the data was collected from the annual reports of 112 limited companies listed on the NASDAQ OMX Large and Mid Cap lists on January 2, 2012.

The product structure of the fuel tank installation is one of the most complex product areas at Scania. Caused by the number of parameters, which affect the fuel tank installation, a product structure is created which is very difficult to handle. Knowledge exist that the structure in a nearby future will be considerable more complex. The purpose of the study has been to understand in why this complexity exist and find ways to break the trend of a growing product structure. The goal was to achieve a more standardized fuel tank installation.A theoretical study was performed in order to bring knowledge in relevant areas both in general theory but also in documentation at Scania.

Title: Culture?s Affect on the Determinants of Customer Satisfaction in Retailing: The Case of a European Retailer in the U.S. and China Date of the Seminar: 29th of May 2007 Course: BUS 809 Master thesis in International Marketing Authors: Lisa Bustamante Chesley Norman Charlotte Valind Advisors: Johan Anselmsson Cecilia Cassinger Keywords: International Retailing, Determinants of Customer Satisfaction, Culture, United States, China Thesis purpose: Our study aims to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction of two national cultures in a global retail setting, in order to clarify what role culture has, if any, in customers? satisfaction with an international retailer. Further, this will uncover if a Western perspective of determinants of satisfaction is a universal means of capturing what satisfies customers across cultures in a retail setting.

Title:Chillchain for cut flowers ? how the distribution works.Author:Anna-Maja Svarén, student at Lund Institute of Technology, mechanical engineering.Supervisors:Annika Olsson, Department of Design Sciences.Bengt Sahlberg, Bioett AB.Problem:How does the distribution of cut flower works regarding temperature, losses, responsibility, complaints, packaging and weak points?Purpose:The purpose is to map the distribution of cut flowers, with focus on losses in the temperature, from farm to store. The goal is to identify weak points in the chillchain and to se how wrong temperatures affect the flowers. The results can be a help to secure the chillchain.Method:The work started with a problem; map the distribution of cut flowers with focus on temperature losses. Data was collected on the basis of this problem, then analysed, and finally conclusions were drawn.Conclusions:The affect handling and distribution has on a cut flower is very complex.

From a postcolonial and feminist perspective this paper examines how gender, ethnicity and the Other is being created in documentary films about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. When and in what way are gendered metaphors and subtexts used? Are stereotypes of gender and ethnicity being empowered or enforced? When and in what way are boundaries created between Israel and Palestine and against Sweden? The aim of this study is to point at how postcolonial imaginations affect stories about the Other..