Aim: A business ratio is a measuring instrument that companies use in their financial report to show profit and progress. As it is today, there are no standards to follow that shows which business ratio to present in a companies annual report. Our aim with this report is to see if there are any trends in the use of business ratios by looking into how thirty growth companies are applying them.Method: To see what business ratios are used in practice, we have collected information from the thirty companies? annual reports. With help from the literature, we have created an understanding about the most frequently used business ratios.

The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate issues concerning lifelong learning and the role of the public librarian. This is done by examining LärForum Forum for Learning, a project initiated at a public library located outside of Stockholm, with the aim of supporting adults lifelong learning. The major questions raised in this study are: How do the seven librarians interviewed define lifelong learning and how do they perceive their own role in relation to lifelong learning in the public library? Do they work with adult learners in a different way than they do with "ordinary" users of the library? Has their conception of their own role as a public librarian changed as a result of LärForum, and do they find it necessary to acquire new skills because of the project? Data was collected through interviews and observation, and the study is a qualitative case study. The main results are that the librarians see their role in lifelong learning in the public library as self-evident, and they see lifelong learning mostly as learning for an individuals personal development.

This paper aims to describe and discuss psychotherapy in rhetorical terms; in particular how psychotherapists can use their ethos, or person, as a means for convincing the patient, and subsequently discuss how these insights in turn can be useful for other rhetors.Classical rhetoric is commonly associated with one speaker exercising influence on an audience of many, but modern rhetoric is broader, and includes all situations where someone is attempting, by speech or in writing, to affect anyone, including the rhetor himself. With this broader definition, psychotherapy may also be considered a form of rhetoric. Psychotherapy does, however, highlight the aspect of power distribution, in that it is clear that it is up to the patient to determine whether the rhetoric will achieve its purpose or not, that is, if he will be influenced by it. In psychotherapy, it is also important to differentiate between persuading and convincing: for a permanent change to occur in the patient?s thoughts and actions, the deeper, "internal" form of conviction is necessary for change to take place.When attempting to convince an audience, it is important for the speaker to establish a credible ethos, that is, present a trustworthy persona.

The reason why this study has been made is the fact that a substantial part of students in the upper secondary school changes their field of study, during or after their first year. The aim of this study is to find out the reasons behind such changes as well as finding out the affecting factors. The study has been made in two steps, first quantitatively by a poll study and the second step is qualitative by interviews. This research has been made in both private schools and municipal schools, with the ambition to search for differences between these two separate school forms. The study shows that no general differences can be found in a comparison between them.

The main purpose of this Master?s thesis is to do a benchmarking study of the marketing activities at the public library of Valdemarsvik. The purpose is also to describe and get a deeper understanding of benchmarking as a method for improving library activity. Four major problem areas are addressed: How can one use benchmarking as a tool to achieve change? How can one learn with benchmarking? What similarities and differences are there between benchmarking and other similar methods for competence development? Is benchmarking better than other similar methods for competence development? The empirical approach was qualitative and the method chosen was action research.

Internet and the digital channels for distribution have meant big changes for the musicindustry. The physical record that has been symbolising this market for a long time is slowlybeing replaced by digital based music. The technical progress during the last ten years has ledto a democratization of music production. The amateur musicians of today can produce highquality music on their laptops and later distribute it via free music sites. MySpace andYouTube are two of the biggest sites for this free distribution and is therefore my main choiseof study.The purpose of this essay was to find out how and if these changes have made a difference formusicians without a record deal to reach an audience by themselves.

The study was performed based on a qualitative method using a hermeneutical approach used to interpret the semi-structured interviews. The study aimed to investigate the Multisystemic therapy (MST) team in Halmstad municipality perceptions on the treatment method multisystemic therapy for youths from the ages of 12-18 years old.The questions were: Does the MST therapists experience that the MST is a method that leads to an improved situation for young people who receive the method? What do the MST therapists describe as opportunities and obstacles in the work with the method?The study builds on previous research on MST and empowerment based on MST. The study shows three therapists and an MST leader's experiences of the treatment and how it is aimed at influencing the parents and the youth for a change. From therapists statements it highlights how the MST method is designed for the young people?s motivation to change by means of the internal and external networks.

The first Debt Relief Act was introduced in 1994 into Swedish law. The old Debt Relief Act was replaced on 1 January 2007 by the current Debt Relief Act. The current law is in many ways similar to the older law. The main change is the debt settlement process.The Debt settlement Act's main purpose is to financially rehabilitate over-indebted individuals. This aim should be balanced against the creditors' interest in getting paid for their claims.

This paper studies the Swedish Alien?s Act regulations regarding individuals in need of international protection. The purpose of the essay is to examine the differences between the three grounds of protection that are found in the Swedish Alien?s Act. Central questions have been whether the origins of protection statuses granted in this act are national or international, as the UN convention relating to the status of refugees and also the progress of the European Union?s Common European Asylum System both are affecting the Swedish legislation.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate the working conditions of professional photographers at the start of the 20th century. The aim of this essay is to provide a glimpse into this specific time-period with the main question: How were the working conditions for professional photographers? More specifically, this essay will provide a detailed picture that focuses on the difficulties women encountered, when attempting to make photography a legitimate professional career and combined with the traditions as wife and woman.The essay is divided into three main parts. By looking at statistical databases such as Swedish National Archive?s and other recourses, the first part establishes what Swedish society was like after the reforms that had taken place by the end of the 19th Century.

Titel: Rockmusic preferences in the rock programme. Popular culture, music preferences and repertoire inside a teaching institution. This paper raises some questions about the popular music that exists outside as well as inside institutions. From the example of popular music and rockmusic the students of a music teacher education programme based on rock music are asked for their taste for music in a brief questionnaire. The answers are compared to those concerning the music they used to like before they entered the education as well as the music played on the ensemble lessons at the programme.

Media has power and impact. It is therefore important for managers to be able to handle media storms when they arise. If not, the brand can be affected negatively. It is managers who should learn to handle media storms because the managers constitute an important part of the external face of the company. Because it is managers who should learn to handle media storms it is interesting to study how media storms should be handled from a theoretical management-perspective.

The gaming market is growing and the number of people, men and women, who play computer games, is also increasing every day. In addition, computer games are also interactive media which leads to the fact that product placement in computer games attracts and is used more frequently by marketers. It is therefore important for marketers and game developers to understand how product placement in computer games affects players' attention and attitude towards the brand or product that is product placed. We therefore examine how product placement in computer games affects players' recall of and attitude towards the brand. The aim is to help companies and game developers to see the effect of product placement in computer games on players and thus product place more efficiently.

The purpose of this thesis work is to formulate a model with methods that describe key success factors to get understanding and awareness in organizational change projects. We have used a project within the township of Gothenburg as a case and connected to this single project the purpose is to identify key success factors to get understanding and awareness among employees within the township of Gothenburg. We hope that our result will be useful in other large organizational change projects. Theoretic basis for our study have been models and methods, while our purpose have been to construct a model with suitable methods for anchoring. Theories about coaching and process management are examples of methods to get understanding and awareness among employees in change projects.

Aim: Culture exists in every organization, whether you actively work with it or not. Old cultures often carry traditions and are hard to change. The purpose of this thesis is to describe Gävle Galvan from an organizational point of view and also to investigate the culture from a gender point of view.Method: The thesis is written with a qualitative and narrative approach. I have taken part in three person?s stories through interviews and thereby created picture of their everyday work on Gävle Galvan.