On the first of January 2012, a new public authority was formed in Värmland, due to a new legislation on public transport. The first task for the new public authority was to produce a plan for the development of public transport. In order to do so, it had to execute an extensive consultation process about the long-term goals of public transport. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how a public authority can use a consultation process as a means to clarify accountability and produce unified goals. To answer that, I have done a case study about how the new regional public authority in Värmland for public transport has acted in the process of writing a plan for the development of public transport.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine Skogsstyrelsens event Skogens Dag as an information channel by looking at information use and information behaviour during the communication process of the event. This is done by examining the aims of Skogsstyrelsens information distribution during the event in relation to its outcomes. The evaluation is focused on long term effects on the target group and it is restricted to Skogens Dag in Borås 2005. The question this thesis intends to answer is: How does the event Skogens Dag function as a tool for information distribution? The theoretical background gives an account of the communication process as well as the relevant aspects of marketing, social marketing, campaigns and public relations, as these are communication attempts that can use an event as a medium.

This report is the outcome of an exam work made in interaction design, bachelor degree, at the School of Arts and Communication, Malmö University. Working in collaboration with the childhood obesity unit, Region Skåne, our aim was to fulfill their request of a web based application preparing the children for treatment at their facility. Furthermore the application intends to give the children knowledge concerning obesity as well as teaching them how to obtain a healthier lifestyle in terms of provision and activities. The application concerns children in different ages and therefore different stages of their learning abilities. Our conclusions are that they need to be challenged and obtain feedback in different ways to get motivated.

Pupil achievement and behaviour in schools was earlier seen as given by socioeconomic and biological factors. But since the late 1970s the school effectiveness research has come to give school factors a much greater role for pupils? attainments. Research has shown that schools´ pedagogical and social climate, which is to be seen as a complex product of deeply felt values and norms held by school principals and teachers and developed through practical actions, can explain variations in effectiveness between schools. Effectiveness is here to be seen as a higher mean cognitive and non cognitive student outcome than is expected with regard to initial attainment or family background.

The focus of this essay is set on a number of processes that affect the challenges of the tourist trade, to be more precise ? an analysis of the attitudes towards tourism and sustainability within this line of business ? from an ethical and moral as well as social view. These issues are examined with reference to the concept of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Thus, acquaintance with theories of social constructivism, post colonialism, globalisation and global civil society is essential in order to understand the analysed material. The essay is mainly based on the outcome of qualitative interviews with various kinds of persons working with CSR related questions.

Projects is the most common work model within the cultural area, but what is a cultural project? The definition of cultural projects is ambiguous. There are also no compiled information about what it means for culture to be pursued in project form. Scientific research about traditional project management and success criterias are wide-ranging. So is the scientific research about cultural studies and cultural policy.

This Master Thesis has been carried out in cooperation with Silva Sweden AB. A companywhich manufactures products like compasses, pedometers, headlamps, hiking poles and otherequipment for the out door life and navigation. The purpose of the project has been toassemble methods and models which support user involvement in Silva?s design process.Thus, to increase the number of products with purchasing power, enhance product quality aswell as increase foundation for new product ideas.The focus through out the project has been to assemble a pallet with methods for userinvolvement and from this select a few methods that will fit the company. The purpose of thepallet is to be accessible for the company during their work of change with the design processthat has been going on and will be in the future.

This paper examines dialect as a rhetorical means of persuasion. A survey containing inquires about four different Swedish dialects have been handed out mainly in Södertörn University and Stockholm University, in order to research the values and connotations of theese dialects. The four chosen dialects are as following: Göteborgska, Stockholmska, Norrländska and Skånska. The results of the survey are processed and compiled to see which attitudes these values and connotations may indicate to each dialect. These attitudes and values are then discussed in correlation with five rhetorical theories: Attitude as a means of persuation, Ethos, Persona, Rhetorical Agency and Pierre Bourdieu?s theory of Field and Habitus.

Facial expressions are a part of our body language that helps us to clarify the verbal communication between humans. We use our facial expressions every day, both consciously and unconsciously, to express emotions and attitudes depending on the situation. The hypothesis of the study is: Given a facial expression, how well can Microsoft Kinect, as an input method, determine a person?s feelings with the two algorithms Naive Bayes and Sequential Minimal Optimization? The feelings are limited to happy, sad, surprised and disgusted. With the help of Kinect, a person?s facial data, both coordinates of the face and parameterized data, were saved and used for machine learning.

Background: Sleep-disturbances in persons with Alzheimer´s disease are prevalent. They are characterized as increased frequency and duration of awakenings, decreased slow-wave sleep, REM-sleep and increase of day-time napping. Depression and lower quality of life are associated with sleep-disturbances. Altogether a significant source of stress for caregivers and an important factor in institutionalization. Non-pharmacological treatment alternatives are rare.Method: Single-case A-B-C design, with non-concurrent multiple baselines, a pilotstudy.Aim: To explore if an educational program on sleep, sleep disturbances and behavioural change directed towards caregivers improved sleep, depression and quality of life in persons with Alzheimer´s disease living at home.

This survey aims to investigate and analyze how six teachers on a high school in Stockholm reflect on pedagogical aspects of problem based learning( PBL). The survey focuses on ana-lyzing how the teachers relate to the benefits and problems of PBL and how they reflect on the students development. The survey was conducted on a high school and the method used for the study was interviews, each taking 30-45 minutes. The outcome of the survey indicates that the teachers sees problem based learning as an alternative to what they define as tradi-tional education regarding its epistemology. They indicate that PBL allows the students to define their own questions, to be carriers of knowledge and to evolve analytic skills in relation to the basegroup.

 Collaboration is a tool many organizations use to achive a certain goal. In previous research it can be read about both advantages and disadvantages of collaboration and also that a well-functioning collaboration is difficult to achieve. In previous research there is a shortage of scientific researches illustrating the outcome of collaboration. I have chosen to examine the cooperation between the social services and schools of the municipality of Växjö. The purpose of this essay is to understand what experiences staff working with children/young people in school and social services have of collaboration between each others organizations.

The demand for shopping centers has increased in recent time and more shopping centers have been built. To become competitive shopping centers has evolved to become more than just a place for shopping. In the recent past Galleria Duvan in Karlstad has been run by foreign owners who has not been involved or renovated the shopping center. During the spring of 2011 AlbérFastigheter bought Galleria Duvan and they are now renovating and negotiating new deals with the tenants. Our problem has led us to the following question: How can a centrally located shopping center, such as Galleria Duvan, develop a strategy to strengthen their position on the market.

Introduction: Basic Body Awereness Therapy (BBAT) is a treatment developed to treat different kinds of psychiatric diagnoses, but also to prevent the emergence of any other unhealthy conditions. The treatment is aimed to increase the body control and conscious breathing but also requires mental awareness.Aim: The aim of this study is to, based on social cognitive theory, describe patients' experiences of BBAT performed as group therapy.Method: The study design was qualitative with an inductive approach. Five people were interviewed after a BBAT group treatment in primary care. The data was collected by individual interviews with semi-structured questions and the interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis.Result/Conclusion: The participants experienced increased body awareness and implemented BBAT strategies even though the treatment frequency was insufficient. BBAT was described as helpful used to regulate intensity level, stress management and facilitate breathing.

Problem. With the Swedish public sectors problem with efficiency in mind, several reforms have beeninitiated during the last decades. These reforms go, in academic contexts, under the name?New public management?. The reforms have resulted in, among other things, an increasedcompetition, privatization and goal-orientation in the public sector.