The purpose of this essay is to investigate and discuss the current state of game research and its potential usage in didactic situations. The essay is divided in two parts. Part one consists of an attempt to comment preceding contemporary game research and address possible myths that have been established. Part two aims to discuss games narrative capacity and function in education using the theories and terms laid down by Wolfgang Iser and Gérard Genette.Contemporary game research tends to focus on classic retro games, trying to form theories for a general understanding of the media. This is a useful method as long as the purpose of the study is to define how game mechanics and layout are formed.

The aim of this study is to look closer at collection development and the use of collection development policies in Swedish public libraries, with the help of a few examples. Through interviews with three librarians in three different public libraries and an analysis of these libraries? collection development policies, the authors try to find out how the creation of collection development policies takes place in these libraries, how these librarians use the policy, how these policies have been followed up and revised, and also to see what the policies of these libraries include. The material of the study suggests that a lot of work is required to write the policies, and that the written policy itself is seldom used by the librarians. The interviewed librarians still find the policies useful because the writing of them gave a detailed understanding of what the collection of the library contains.

Background: Resources that are hard to put a value on and cannot be classified as assets in the balance sheet as well as the development towards the information society has led to an increasing need and use for voluntary information in the annual reports. The increase of voluntary information can foremost be seen in the field of human resources.Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the development of voluntary information about human resources in the annual report of a number of Swedish quoted companies. The purpose is also to see if there is a difference in the development between manufacturing companies and service companies.Method: Six manufacturing companies and six service companies were chosen from the Stockholm exchange A-list. Using both a qualitative and quantitative research method the annual reports of the chosencompanies were studied for the years 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003. A model consisting of seven categories; health, diversity, recruitment, staff turnover and comfort, benefits and motivation, education and competence development, was developed to clarify were the development took place.Conclusions: After finishing the study one can tell that the amount of voluntary information about human resources in the annual report has increased even though the percentage share of the total annual report only has increased appreciably for manufacturing companies.

Environmental problems are accelerating with energy consumption and the release of greenhouse gases as the major issues. This affects landscape planning mostly through environmentally hazardous transportation and heating of buildings. In environmental work, the term "Sustainable development" is often used. This term was coined in the Bruntland report in 1987. A number of frameworks have been developed to clarify the term and to remind the user about relevant aspects of sustainability.

The  change that has occurred during the past few decades concerning the development of electronic records, information technology and the constantly increasing quantity of information, have confronted the archival discipline with new challenges. In the digital world, the concept of ?record? has changed from representing something lasting and physical to something much more abstract and transient. The way to approach archival description has also changed, from focusing on the static preservation of archival records, to documenting the transactions of organisations, and to clarify operational processes. The discussion about the general purpose of the archival discipline, and its place in a changing world, has led to a new approach to archival description.

A qualitative interview study how the normative gender images affects on women, their roles and positions in a drug abuse. The purpose of this study aims to shed a light at the consequences that the normative gender scenario inflicts on women with drug abuse and how these prejudices affects these women. Based on interviews with four different women who all lived with a drug abuse we have problematized how the gender system and the normative gender images affected them. We have used gender perspectives and social constructivism theories while analyzing the empirical basis. More specifically we use the theories of Butler about how gender constructs through performative actions and Hirdmans theories of the gender system.

New innovation and technology have influenced the development of product development processes and the four largest banks in Sweden have more or less been forced to adapt their products and services along new customer requirements. It may therefore be considered appropriate to involve customers in this process. This by collecting customer information and allow customers to influence the process to a greater extent. The payment solutions of Sweden?s largest banks' continue to evolve and to pay with electronic money has come to change banks' product development processes of payment solutions.

The purpose of this thesis is to study five pedagogue?s view of the free play and their view of the importance of the free play for children´s learning and development. I have chosen to use a qualitative research method in the form of interviews with five pedagogue´s from a preschool. The main research questions asked were:What have the pedagogues of view on the free play? How important believe the pedagogue that the free play is for children?s learning and development? What has emerged in the study is that educators have a positive view of the free play. They believed that the free play is important for children´s skills.

In this study I have compared two different development methods of reading and writing. I have done this by interviewing five first grade teachers in elementary schools and it is based on qualitative research interviews. The aim of the study was to immerse myself in which methods these five teachers describe that they have used. They got to describe how they work and how they have tought the students to read and write. I have investigated if the teachers think that the computer is a good tool. The investigation also shows if the teachers believe that the students´ writing skills deteriorate if they can use the keyboard instead. I came to the conclusion that four of the teachers used Arne Trageton´s method (2005) which means that the students learn how to write by using to computer.

Läroplanen är föränderlig över tid och har kunnat återspegla sin samtid samhällets rådande grundintentioner. Piaget, Dewey och Vygotskij har alla påverkat den svenska läroplanens utformning på olika sätt och skapat olika förutsättningar och svårigheter för individen och dennes utveckling. En undersökning som byggde på 15 lärares upplevelser fokuserade på huruvida den senaste läroplanen skapade problem för eleverna och hur de i så fall uttrycktes. Resultaten visade att läroplanen i sig inte var den avgörande, utan att yttre faktorer såsom media, samhällets struktur och föräldrar hade en större betydelse för hur eleverna fungerade i skolan. Flera lärare kommenterade nya fenomen som råare attityder mellan flickor, lustbarn och starkt präglad individualism vilka alla kan ses som vidare underlag för framtida forskning..

Abstract The planning of landscapes and towns has changed from a top-to-bottom perspective, including a focus on common interests, towards an inclusion of dialogue between planners and inhabitants of the planning area. In the countryside areas there are many interests which could be incorporated in such a dialogue. Still, the landowners have the final right to make the decisions for his or her property. The purpose of this paper is to examine how a dialogue for countryside development works and could be working, what participators of such dialogues are thinking about their right to direct and transform the landscape, and which roles the planners may take in such a context. With this background in mind, I also look back into the history with the intention to understand the situation of today.

We were accepted to the field study Dignity and therefore chose to write our thesis in connection with it. Our subject is the oasis of Siwa in Egypt. The society has long been isolated, and therefore, the city has been able to preserve their handicraft methods and values. We chose to study the Ecological and Handicraft Development Center, which is a newly opened center for craft production. We wanted to see how the centre could use storytelling as a marketing strategy.

Background: The development of the IT-industry, where new technologies and new services continually arise, has led to new players with different specializations. The increased degree of specialization means that these players need to cooperate with each other in different types of projects.Problem definition: What factors are important in a project to achieve the objectives as quickly as possible? More players should lead to cooperation difficulties, how can you coordinate in the best possible way? Today, it is desirable for all parties in the project to shorten down the lead time.Purpose: The main purpose is to explore the different factors that affects the project's lead time concerning broadband installation. The part purpose, is to analyze and assess the conditions for cooperation between different players in the project for broadband installation and to provide a recommendation.Method: In order to answer the problem definition, the paper is structured around a qualitative approach with interviews to obtain data. Mostly, the used data comes from primary sources with an extension of secondary sources.Theories: Theories that are used in the paper are: Communication Process, Communication Plan, Project Planning & Project Plan, Efficiency through collaboration, Communication in a network.Empiric: Empirical data consists of primary data collected through interviews.Analysis: The analysis is based on the variables from the theoretical frame of reference; Communications, Planning, Interaction & Information.

The project has involved the development of two kinds of shooting targets in partnership with Marcus Bergkvist and Christopher Åkerblom. The project from the client was divided into two parts. This thesis discusses solutions for hands-on transport, development of tripods and an overall design. The second thesis affect resetting systems for the products.The work was done with a process and methodology based on design perspectives. This process has involved the search of relevant data which has provided the platform and opportunity for appropriate and purposeful design work.Concept development has been done using hand sketches and Photoshop, where a simple visualization of different concepts for the tripods has been produced.

The research of organizational structure and control in the audit profession suggest that there is a contradiction in that auditors should both nurture collegialities while they at the same time have their own responsibility for their individual development and career. This creates a competitive situation among colleagues who in return are expected to maintain a good social relationship and team spirit with each individual. Subsequently, being part of the collegiality and being highly individualistic, gives rise to a theoretical dilemma where these opposing forces are supposed to coincide with each other.The purpose of this paper is to create a bigger understanding of how auditors at major accounting firms can handle the conflict that arises. In order to explore this dilemma, we conducted a qualitative study based on an abductive approach. We have made seven semi-structured interviews from a localistic view.