Asset management in insurance companies differs from conventional asset management to the extent that respect has to be taken to both assets and the commitments the insurance company has towards its customers. A model that has proven to fit well regarding the matching of assets and liabilities is the Asset Liability Management Model (ALM model). In addition to the matching in the balance sheet, the ALM model can be used in a company's work with strategic portfolio allocation by applying it as a basis for analyzing investment strategies with expected risk and return. From this, the ALM model also becomes relevant for calculating key figures according to the legal framework Solvens II which includes laws and regulations regarding the demands on economical strength (solvens) of insurance companies.Hence, the goal of this masters thesis has been to, on behalf of Bliwa Livförsäkring, create an ALM model to support the asset management department of Bliwa in their work with defining a credible way of analyzing the future risk and return of Bliwa's asset portfolio and insurance undertakings.The ALM model generally consist of four submodels, the scenario model, the liability model, the asset model and the company model, where the scenario model often is named as the core of the ALM model. The course of action has been to develop these submodels individually, with focus on the scenario model.

This master thesis concerns itself with the actual work of knowledge workers, consultants to be specific. We have through interviews and observation tried to get inside of the ?black box? of the consultants firm Consult in an effort to describe their way of working through a theoretical framework. In this framework we attempt to combine knowledge work theory with that of organizational development, OD. We try to introduce the situation of the individuals we study, the consultants, through Alvesson (2004) and Løwendahl (2005).

IT has become more evident in most organisations and has grown to be a part of the infrastructure rather than a tool for competitiveness. Therefore focus should now lie on how IT is adjusted to the business rather than on the usage of IT. To make the best use of IT in the business the CIO needs to start think more business-oriented instead of as before, technology-oriented. To develop the IT-department in that direction the IT-staff need to start cooperate with the business and gain knowledge about stakeholders, markets and the way of working for other staff members in the business.With this as a basis, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate attitudes regarding cooperation between the IT-department and the business and if there is any difference if the CIO has business related background or not.To fulfil the purpose a quantitative investigation with the help of surveys was conducted. The sample consisted of 18 companies with 100-200 employees in the area of Jönköping.

This Masters thesis is concerned with the complex planning process of setting up a citizen bureau in a public library. The aim is to find out how citizen bureaux are designed and to suggest a simplified model of strategic planning. The planning process is studied from a business perspective in the library context, and this perspective is also used to study citizen bureaux and their written plans elsewhere. A combination of qualitative methods are used: observations, focus group discussions and interviews. Observations in the public library showed a great need for an environmental analysis as well as structure to the planning process.

Changes in the workplace have led to new ways of organizing and structuring organizations. Organizations? desire to increase competitiveness, efficiency and flexibility has resulted in new conditions in the field of human resources. The new conditions have also created new roles and changing responsibilities for those working within human resources.The purpose of this study was to investigate how the implementation of Ulrich's model for HR transformation can impact on the human resource departments managerial support to first-line managers in the municipality of Uppsala. Today the municipality of Uppsala organizes its human resources based on the Ulrich's model, which divides the work into the units service center, the expert unit and business partners.

Denna uppsats handlar om Generation X och upplevelsen av att handla mat. Generation X innefattar individer som är födda mellan åren 1961 och 1981. Uppsatsen fokuserar på den yngre halvan av generationen, det vill säga personer födda mellan 1971 och 1981. Generation X framställs som individualister, något som även uttrycker sig konsumtionsmässigt. De väljer att lägga sina pengar där de har sina intresseområden istället för att köpa det som alla andra har.

The neo-classical conception of the market place does not provide a framework to account for ethical or moral action. As a result, the neo-classical model is unable to explain the impact of ethical and moral issues on business sustainability present in the modern economy. To address this limitation, this thesis investigates whether theories of ethics can help explain the motivations and actions of stakeholders within the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In addition, the thesis explores whether theories of ethics are presented differently within aspects of the stakeholder model. Semi - structured interviews were conducted with various stakeholders within the CSR sector, including a NGO, a commercial firm and a CSR consultancy firm.

Habitat mapping was conducted in the main stem of River Vindelälven in the autumn of 2009 along the salmon distribution area. The aim was to estimate the quantity of potential reproduction areas, including spawning and juvenile rearing habitats. The mapping included 61 km of various stream sections along the river length of 269 km. The total area of stream habitats was estimated to 647 ha of which 396 ha (61%) were considered as either potential or optimal juvenile nursery habitats. The area of these two habitat classes were used to estimate the smolt production in the river by using electro fishing densities of juveniles (0+ per 100 m2).

In the spring of 2006 we had our first outbreak of avian influenza of highly pathogenic H5N1 (HPAI) among wild birds in Sweden. This disease have impact on poultry industries world wide. Sporadically the virus infects other species than birds and we now know it can even cause fatal infection of humans. There are not yet any confirmed cases of transmission of the disease between humans though a suspected case in an Indonesian family is under investigation. If a mutation occurs that changes the pathogenicity and host affinity to humans we are at a risk of a new pandemia, perhaps like the Spanish flu in 1918-1920.

The environmental debate is more intensive than ever before and the demands on companies increase. There are a number of methods to make it easier for the companies to fulfil the demands. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) end ecodesign are some of the methods that can be used. Syntronic AB has the possibility to reduce the products´ environmental impact in the design phase. Therefore it is important for the company to make it possible to visualize the negative environmental impacts a product can cause in an easy way. It is also important to visualize for there clients if any improvement is possible. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a simplified model.

Hur kan B2B-byråer anpassa sina tjänster efter konjunkturläget, utan att kompromissa med kvalitet och genomslag?Vi har genom intervjuer med elva Business-2-Business företag i Skåne, och tre B2B-byråer samlat information till undersök-ningen. Detta i ett försök att kartlägga företagens och byråer-nas arbetssätt. Denna information har sedan legat till grund för den analys som gjorts av den generella bild vi skapat oss av företagens och byråernas arbetssätt, för att utifrån den kunna föreslå ett mer tillfredsställande arbetssätt för alla parter..

This paper aim to present a model for evaluating what we choose to call HTML-frameworks, a framework that contains a set of CSS layouts and occasionally JavaScript support, based on the characteristics of the software quality standard ISO/IEC 9126-1. The methods used to produce this model is based on a field study that involved making a web portal with the help of a HTML-framework, some relevant literature and an analysis of the framework based on the characteristics of the ISO/IEC 9126-1 standard. The result was a model based on twelve different characteristics; functionality, web browser compatibility, collaborative skills, user-friendliness, documentation, visuals, graphic layout, performance, activity, professional support, replaceability and license. This model should be viewed upon as a suggestion to what a model for choosing HTML-framework could look like, because we haven?t had the time to test it in a real situation, so further studies are needed, and we believe there could be improvements made in the objectivity of the assessments of the characteristics..

The purpose of this paper is to study the processes of identity and feelings of connectedness among first and second generation of Kurds in the Swedish society.In previous research I assumed that this sense of belonging to a nation includes identity and language. As regards the theory part, I have chosen to use a number of studies to elucidate this issue. The theories used in the study focuses primarily on the understanding of identity. Identity in this context can include linguistic, religious, cultural acts, even nationality or that claiming membership to a particular group.I have implemented twenty-four depth interviews with first and second generation of Kurds in the ages 21?58.

The purpose of this essay is to examine Banverket?s problems with its current financial model as it relates to reporting on operations and maintenance work, and to propose measures to simplify the model..

The first company to send TV-commercial was the American company NBC, it was in the year of 1941. In Sweden, TV-commercials were first shown in 1987/88. TV 4 was the first channel to send commercial in Swedish television.TV has the advantage of showing both sound and picture, which makes TV the strongest channel of communication to mediate a message between a company and the consumer. Although TV-commercial is the most expensive choice to mediate a message, it is also the most effective one. (Persson, 1993)Almost everyone is exposed to TV-commercial daily.