The aim of this two-year masters thesis is to look for the Swedish public library´s core business, using theories about competence. The approach is qualitative. It is done by studying the Unesco Public Library Manifesto, the Swedish library legislation, the education in library and information science, two important Swedish library related journals and by asking public librarians about their work and point of view regarding competence.The research shows mainly two sides of the core competence of public librarians: information technology competence and literature knowledge. The conclusion is that the two meet in the idea of mass education, which could therefore be called the Swedish public library´s core business..

On the third of August 2002, in the middle of the ongoing Swedish election campaign, Lars Leijonborg beeing the leader of Folkpartiet (the Peoples Party) presented the partys new intergration programme for foreign nationals. One of the proposals was to instigate a language test for all immigrants seeking to obtain Swedish citizenship. This thesis addresses the medial debate that followed the proposal in the daily press. Using discourse analysis and postcolonial theory this thesis looks into the fact that there were not unity in the wake that followed the language test proposal resulting in one medial and one popular discourse. The newspapers investigated were largely negative in their tone, whereas on the opinion pages, the view of the people seemed much more positively inclined.

How do we match our education with the needs of the construction line of business and the requirementsof the Swedish National Agency for education? Is there something that we have to change?In this study I have asked our former students about their opinion of our education and I have also asked them to give me their view on what a good teacher is like. I have been able to benefit a lot from their answers in my efforts to be that good teacher. This survey took place at Facebook.The answers showed that we carry on a piece of solid workmanship. But you can always improve, try harder.

This thesis attempts to clarify the impact of cultural differenceson customer expectations of service level. Furthermore, wewant to determine whether or not expectations of service differenough to be quantifiable between two countries, Sweden andthe US, mostly regarded as similar in business practices. The conclusion showed that higher ratings on four of Hofstede?s five cultural indexes were associated with higher customer service expectations overall, and in all four SERVQUAL dimensions. This research contributes to retail internationalization and customer expectations theory.

Title:Pecking-order i små tillverkande företag Level of thesis:Master´s dissertation in banking and auditing Authors:Mathias Klasén and Maria Waderoth Advisor:Joakim Winborg Background:The area of business financing has been well studied during the 1900´s. Many studies and theories are made with big corporations in mind, and the importance of small businesses wasn?t enlightened until the end of the 1900´s. Business financing has created a number of theories, among them Myers pecking-order theory. This theory implies that business managers prefer internal equity in front of debt and external equity.

E-business innebär att företag använder Internetteknologier eller nätverksteknologier för att skapa större affärsnytta i deras affärsprocesser. För att kunna genomföra automatiserade affärsprocesser krävs att de olika system som används är interoperabla, d v s kan kommunicera och fungera ihop på ett effektivt sätt. Målet med Web Services är att skapa hög interoperabilitet, vilket gör denna teknik lämplig för e-business. Företag kan specialicera sig på att skapa specifika Web Services. Dessa Web Services kan sedan vara byggstenar åt andra företags tjänster. Det krävs då att Web Services kan integreras på ett bra sätt så att de verkligen bildar en affärsprocess. Därför är även frågor kring hur integration mellan Web Services ska gå till, viktigt ur ett e-bussiness perspektiv. Det vi kommit fram till är att det går att minimera integrationsproblemen genom att anvä nda de mest standardiserade protokollen och följa vissa riktlinjer vid skapandet av Web Services.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of the discipline Design Thinking in a project that aims to strengthen Sweden as a brand. The study will generate knowledge about Design Thinking, with the purpose to increase the understanding of how the discipline can be used as a strategic tool in the processes of strengthening Nation Branding. The authors have used a descriptive and qualitative approach where the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 was examined. The theoretical framework contains previous research in the field, data has been analysed in relation to Lockwood's ten principles of how an organization can become more design-minded and Anholt?s hexagon, which features the parameters that creates a country's Nation Branding.

Business valuation is something that is carried out on a daily basis and relevant to both small and large businesses. Valuations are often long and complex processes that may be difficult to understand, even for those who have received an education in the field. In this thesis, we try to create a better understanding of how this process works.   Since we are aware of many aspects of the theory behind business valuation, but very little insight into the practical activities, we have chosen a deductive approach, i.e. to go from theory to empirical data.   The conclusion is that the methods presented in the theory is largely used in practice, and that the process of valuation mighty seldom differ between valuations. For the seller to be able to charge a higher value for their companies, it is important to have knowledge of, and review the value-creating factors in the company.

Abstract Title:                               Goodwill ? differences and similarities between how IFRS and U.S. GAAP treats goodwill Level:                              One year master, 15 credits Author:                           Oscar Larsen and Thomas Karlsson Supervisor:                     Leif Carlsson Examiner:                      Cecilia Lindh Year of publication:      2011 The main issue:              What are the differences and similarities of the treatment of goodwill between the U.S. GAAP and IFRS? What can the transition from U.S.

The field of the social economy and of the work integration social enterprises (WISE) in particular, is for many a more or less unknown area. Unlike ordinary enterprises the WISE's are different due to their aim of integrating disadvantaged people through work. In comparison with other small enterprises earlier research has shown that the WISE's are dealing with challenges regarding recruitment, participation, leadership, sustainable business ideas but above all, the access to funding. The purpose of this essay has therefore been to examine and analyze the financial situation of eight WISE's located in the Stockholm County. The results indicate that half of the enterprises perceive their economic situation as very unstable and as an obstacle to their further development.

Sweden is known to be one of the world?s most equal countries. Nevertheless, out  of  Sweden?s 262 listed companies, only seven  of  them  has  a  female  president, which  is  equal  to  3,4  percent. To  counteract  these  numbers  there  are  several  possibilities.  One  arrangement  that  is  highly  controversial     is  affirmative  actions.  But  there  are  other  options,  for  instance  more  and  more female  networks  are  starting  to  rise  and  many  of  them  also  offers  a  mentoring  program  where  the  mentee  gets  the  opportunity  to  learn  from  someone  with  more  experience.The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  examine  what  difference  the  female  network  Q80,  with  focus  on  its  mentoring  program,  is  doing  for  the  mentee.  As  an  underlying  purpose  the  study  is  also  examining  what  visions  and  attitudes  the  management  and  the  mentors  is  communicating  within  Q80.  The  focus  is  mainly  on  the  visions  of  Q80,  menas  mentors  and  business  exceeding mentorship.  A  survey  has  been  carried  out  among  mentees  from  three  different  seats of mentoring  programs  where  they  have  answered  19  different  questions  regarding  their  time  as  a  mentee.  Furthermore  interviews  have  taken  place  with the management  of Q80  and  two  mentors.  The  results  are  analyzed  based  on  theories  about  gender,  women  in   management,  leadership,  mentoring  program  and  organizational structure.  The  result  shows  that  Q80i  as  a  source  of  inspiration  and  a  support  for  the  category  of  "career  women"  with  its  core  mission  to  strengthen  the  participation of  individuals  on  a  personal  level  more than  to  work  to  even  out  the  gap  in  the  Swedish  labor market.

The purpose of this thesis is to historically describe how Fédération Internationale deFootball Association (FIFA) interprets how the discourse of anti-racism has developed withintheir own organization throughout the years. In doing so, the thesis lands in a present timeperspective and then aims to identify the norms which FIFA, according to the organizationitself, stands for in regard to anti-racism within world football. That standard of behavior isthen put in contrast with the hidden ideological conceptions which, with the applying of apost-colonial perspective, can be found in the rhetoric used by FIFA in expressing themselvesabout their anti-racism stand.The methodology used in this thesis builds upon a qualitative text analysis approach inwhich solely primary sources available through the official website fifa.com are considered.The study finds that anti-racism is a relatively young concept within FIFA and that the communicatedideal standard of behavior circles around terms such as unity, diversity, solidarityand equality. Further on, FIFA clearly articulates how the universal power of football as suchcan unite people and that FIFA, as the administrator of this the world?s greatest sport, can setan example for the rest of the world to follow when it comes to notions of tolerance and solidarityin preventing racism in the future.In following the terminology provided by the post-colonial theorists Homi Bhabha andGyatri Spivak, and applying the concepts of fixity and essentialism on the rhetoric aroundanti-racism, the study discovers that FIFA, in sharp contrast to the articulated norms, in factexpress ideological conceptions of skin as a barrier of difference between people, and thatFIFA on good grounds can be accused of reproducing racist stereotypes rather than bridgingthem.The study concludes that its findings clearly demonstrates the increased need of consideringsports, and more specifically international sport organizations, as a basis for researchwithin the academic field of International Relations, and that a postcolonial perspective verymuch can provide alternative understandings of how these actors operate and what influencethey might have in the international system..

A radical change is taking place in the world today: some former colonies are now booming economically while several former colonizers are suffering from economic crisis. Postcolonial theory states that old structures from the colonization are keeping the South poor and the North rich. Today there?s a shift in these structures as former colonizers Spain and Portugal are forced to ask for economical support from their former colonies.The colonial discourse separated white from black and depicted the population in the colonies as the absolute antithesis of the Europeans. In Portugal circulated also lusotropicalism, an ideology that claimed Portugal as absolutely free of racism, a statement with great influence in the postcolonial Portugal.On the basis of semi-structured focus groups I will in this paper do a discourse analysis of young, university educated Portuguese identity/ies in relation to the former colonies and the changing relations to these countries.

During the course of history, the world have come to see powerful nations rise and fall, religions spread and diminish ? and all too often there have been violent struggles between religious groups and secular forces, a fact that we still see in our world today. In the West, we often hear about the violent and fundamental dimensions of Islam. Buddhism is rarely a part of the equation in a western context, regarding violence. A common perception is the picture of Buddhism as a guardian of non-violent principles and values.

The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent the senior level Swedish school can be viewed as supporting, or counteracting, a colonial discourse that legitimizes global and national injustices. The study is executed through a discourse analysis of five textbooks in social science for senior level Swedish schools.Using elements from Foucault and Edward Said a theoretical framework is constructed, in which a colonial discourse is perceived as structured around four clusters of ideas, namely (i) the use of dichotomies, (ii) the concept of progress and civilization, (iii) the construction of -we- as synonymous with (ii), and (iv) the construction of -the others- as the opposite of (ii) and, therefore, the opposite of -us-.The results show that a colonial discourse is still highly present in the textbooks, in that the texts are structured around dichotomies such as tradition/modernity and democracy/dictatorship. Sweden and the Western world are perceived as closely associated with democracy, freedom, and modernity, whereas -the others- of the world are being associated with e.g. poverty, conflict, tradition, and ignorance. -The others- within Sweden, i.e.