In this paper we investigate 67 Swedish buyouts in the manufacturing and retailing sector between the years 2004-2012. The purpose is to measure changes in a set of financial key ratios to see if private equity firms are able to improve performance in their portfolio companies compared to a peer group consisting of other firms within the same industries. Furthermore, we examine if there is a difference in the change of the financial key ratios between private equity-owned firms in the two sectors. The key results are that the private equity owned firms have not outperformed their peers with respect to the chosen key ratios. We also conclude that there is no significant difference in the change of the financial key ratios between private equity-owned firms in the two sectors..

I begin my essay with a story that illustrates how a preschool activity organized on a modular work can be perceived. I describe how the environment has been rebuilt and modified to accommodate one large group of children instead of two smaller groups as before. Management´s justification for the change is that it is carried out to give the children better conditions for their learning, but my understanding is that it also hampers preschool-teachers´ abilities to implement their assignment.I try to understand what benefits module work by examining what well-known researchers believe is important for children´s learning in environmental and preschool teacher´s importance. When I use what I have learned to analyze my story, my opinion is that the change of the preschool activity not have just a positive impact but also entails that preschool teachers find it difficult to be present and in interaction with the children as several well-known researchers notes is important for children´s learning. I discuss how a large and rich environment at the same time can be perceived as incalculable for teachers, which can result in not all of the children being paid attention to in the preschool activity.

AbstractThe main purpose of this study is to examine which essential traits floorball coaches for men?s and women?s team require. One issue was to see if there was any distinction between which leader traits and behaviors the players and the coaches regarded as essential. Another issue was to see if the coaches? behaviors differed whether he was coaching men or women.

The purpose of this essay is to examine Swedish HR-managers who have either received, or been nominated for, the award ?HR-manager of the Year?. We investigate the managers? personalities, how they think about their own role and HR?s function in the organization, all in an environment that can be characterized by some skepticism towards HR. We find the HR-managers to be ?winners?; strong individuals that are confident, communicative, and driven.

Motives and reasons behind a decision to change the asylum process in Sweden are the central concern for this thesis. A symbolic political perspective will be applied in order to elucidate the symbolic factors that have influenced the decision process.The Aliens Appeal Board in Sweden will close down at the end of March 2006 and all pending and future cases will henceforth be decided by three administrative courts. This will be done in order to enhance the principles of legal certainty by making the process more transparent and oral. It is an extensive reform, but since very few amendments are made to the applicable substantive law it raises questions about the actual motives behind the change.One reason that seems to have had a major impact on the decision to close down the Aliens Appeal Board is the fact that the board is perceived as a symbol for an inhuman asylum policy. Transferring the process to the courts might ease the attempt to increase the legitimacy of the asylum process.

Zakrisdal and the west coast region of Karlstad was at one time a protected area where the ammunition factory AmF Zakrisdal 1941-1994 was situated. This factory manufactured explosives for the Swedish armed forces and for export. In this context it is an interesting paradox that the production of ammunition, mines and armorpiercing grenades for more than 50 years has preserved the environment surrounding the factory.The factory is now gone and the production is moved to Karlskoga. Plans are being made to build housing for 3-4000 residents and other enterprises within the area. The area now stands before yet another change, most likely the most profound to date.The inspiration for this work comes from the economic historic Jan Jörnmark.

ESAB is a world leader in production of welding consumables and equipment. The company manufactures, among other things, welding electrodes. A roller straightening unit is used in the cutting process to straighten the wire, which the welding electrode consists of, by adjusting some of the rollers during operation. According to ESAB?s standard and the European machinery directives, moving parts of machinery, such as rollers of the roller straightening unit, must be out of the operator?s reach.

The study explored how a model for conversation partner trainingworked for family members of people with Parkinson's disease. Participants inthe study were three dyads consisting of persons with PD and their carers. Thepurpose of the study consisted in finding out whether the participantsexperienced a change in communication after the intervention, and in findingout if this potential change could be observed in the conversation. The resultsshowed that 4/6 participants experienced an improvement in communicationafter the intervention. This improvement was however not observed in theconversation.

In recent years more countries have started to blur out their national boundaries to create andrely on international collaborations. China is one of the fastest growing markets in the worldand play an important role on export and import of commodities across the globe. ManySwedish companies have more business collaborations with China than ever. Differencesbetween the cultures can lead to many difficulties for both the employees and the employer.There is both a challenge and a necessityto find ways to communicate, and to get moreknowledge in how to follow and lead people from different background and perspectives. Theaim of this study is to investigate how leaders through their leadership deal with contextualdifferences between China and Sweden and which effect these differences can have.

 The 1st of July 2006 Sweden made a change of authorities in the system concerning the reception of separated asylum seeking children. Prior to the change, the Swedish Board of Migration was held completely responsible for the reception of these children, who arrives in Sweden without their parents or any other relatives to care for them. Since the alteration of the law (1994:137) the responsibility for the housing of these children now lies within the Swedish municipalities, while the Board of Migration still handles their legal commissions. The change was intended to fundamentally improve the conditions under which these children were taken care of. However the implementation took a severe wrong turn when the municipalities weren't prepared for their new responsibilities and the immediate result was alarming. This qualitative study is based upon interviews with the people responsible for the reception of the separated asylum seeking children in the municipalities of Kronobergs County, as well as one of the two people in charge of the new system at the Swedish Board of Migration.

Abstract - A business to change the world- An analysis of norms Textbooks for International Economics, in Upper-secondary Schools, Sweden 1994-2008 In this paper textbooks, for International Economics in Upper Secondary Schools in Sweden1994-2008, are analyzed with regard to norms related to taking moral responsibility for environment and society. A method for making discourse analysis, previously illustrated by Östman (2008), is used to deconstruct the knowledge content regarding norms about taking responsibility in relation to different social roles. The first question is: what different norms about taking responsibility can be found, in relation to different social roles? Different social roles that can be found in the studied material are: business-people, consumers, politicians/civil servants and citizens. Norms of taking responsibility in relation to the environment and society are studied in this paper in relation to these different roles. The second question is whether a discursive change in the material can be found. One case of discursive change can be found which is related to the role of a business.

The DuPont formula is one of the most well known and basic tools used for financial statement analysis and is highly useful for understanding firms strategies and operating environment. Previous studies on American listed companies have also shown that analysis of the changes in the DuPont components is useful in forecasting contexts. In this thesis we test whether disaggregating the change in return on net operating assets provides incremental information about future performance for Swedish listed and not listed companies. We find that the change in asset turnover is a leading indicator of increased profitability for both listed and private companies, regardless of size. We also find evidence that the usefulness of the disaggregation for understanding future performance is greater in capital intense industries and lesser in service industries..

This bachelor thesis examines the activities and values associated with automation and technical development at four Swedish research libraries. It does so by applying textual analysis to annual reports and job advertisements from the respective libraries. The study also questions whether some assumptions of automation have changed or remain over time, and includes a short historical discussion in relation to the contemporary analysis. As an added perspective it introduces the methods and philosophies of French sociologist Bruno Latour. The author reflects on the merits of Latour in research of library automation.

To lead is to communicate, a main part of the leadership. 80 % of leaders working tasks involve communication of some kind. The ambition of this study is to analyze how four leaders of an international technique consulting company experience and handle community and technical development during their professional courses. The leaders have a various experience of leadership which adds depth and width to this study. To perform the study qualitative method has been used in the form of personal interviews.The result indicates that change is not always beneficial in every aspect of communication.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a rapidly increasing disease worldwide. The disease is connected to lifestyle. Making lifestyle changes is hard. When suffering from Diabetes mellitus type 2 it is necessary to live healthy to prevent secondary diseases. Lifestyle changes includes for example changing dietary habits, become psychically active or losing weight.