The aim of this study was to gain insight into how two enterprises work with competence development and thereby study how the relationship between competence development and workers, employees, look like. The focus was on the workers motives and motivation towards a participation in a competence development course, their attitude to education, and how the transfer of skills gained from the course, into the workplace looks like. Further on, the work situations influence on the workers competence development has been taken into account.In the study, six people were interviewed in the role of either manager, coach or course participant who are employed in two different enterprises in the south of Sweden.The results showed that the participants were motivated by a strive for personal development or that the participants viewed education implementation as a part of the professionalcareer, which has resulted in a positive attitude towards the competence development course. The managers? motive for decisions about education was to change the prevailing attitude among the staff for the better and thereby strengthen the company?s brand. The work situation has encouraged the desire to participate in developmental education as the feeling of control has encouraged the workers to further development.

 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.

By identifying effects that a buyout-firm has on management control systems in its portfolio companies, the aim of this thesis is to explain how such effects differs between the companies and finally to explain why the effects differs even though the companies are owned by the same buyout-firm. The study is conducted as a qualitative case study based on interviews with representatives from the studied buyout-firm and three of its portfolio companies.By analyzing the empirical findings with frameworks and theories within management control systems and value creation, we cannot only identify effects that are common for all portfolio companies but we can also observe differences between the portfolio companies.The identified effects that are common for all portfolio companies are: increased internal reporting burden, increased perceived risk of getting laid off among managers and co-workers and replacement of the board immediately after acquisition.The effects that are observed only for two portfolio companies are: increased focus on short-term planning, higher financial targets, replacement of company management upon acquisition and moving of decision authorities to higher organizational levels. Differences are observed although the portfolio companies are owned by the same buyout-firm due to: differences in management and co-workers equity stake in the portfolio companies, differences in business complexity and differences in planned exit-horizon..

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.

This report is a description of a developed educational simulator over rail vehicles and its components. The simulator is a hardware-based prototype over a door system on rail vehi- cles. System specialists and technicians will use the prototype. The Simulator should give the user a technical demonstration on how components work in a door system. The proto- type consists of motor, switch, relay and sensor.

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..

Problem: In society of today corporate competence is an important factor for survivor and development. IT is developing rapidly and can not be ignored by companies. Then need for people with IT-competence is conquent increasing. A survey of corporate IT-competence is therefore of interest for companies as well as for local authorities. To determine the IT competence within an organisation, this competence has to be measurable.

The purpose of this study was to examine people's experiences of self-medication with cannabis in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder and professions? opinions of cannabis for medical use. The study focuses on norms and values as well as its impact on individuals. A qualitative approach was used with thematically open interview questions, in order to gain an insight into the interviewees? reality and their experiences.

Ett företag kan behöva förändra sin strategi för att bli mer effektivt. Vid förändring av ett företags strategi står företaget ofta inför ett förändringsarbete som kan påverka hela eller delar av verksamheten. Därav borde en analys av ett företags nuläge i förhållande till ett önskat läge göra att företag relativt enkelt skulle uppnå bättre resultat. Så enkelt är det emellertid inte: företag skall dessutom transportera sig från nuläget till önskat läge. Syftet med denna uppsats var att beskriva ett förändringsarbete och de kritiska framgångsfaktorerna vid byte av ekonomiskt styrsystem i ett storföretag.

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.

The effect of inoculation on containerized pine and spruce seedlings in a nursery with two ectomycorrhizal fungi was investigated in regard to the development of mycorrhiza and plant growth. The fungi were Elaphomyces muricatus and Elaphomyces granulates and the inoculated seedlings were compared to an uninoculated control. These seedlings were all fertilized with arginine. Five mycorrhiza species were found after DNA sequencing of the mycorrhizal root tips with different found morphotypes on seedlings from all treatments. Thelephora terrestris was the type which had the greatest distribution on pine seedlings and Tylospora asterophora was found at big extent on spruce seedlings. The inoculated species was not found, if it was due to the species hadn?t colonized the roots or if the DNA sequencing failed we can only speculate about.

With the elevated oil prices of today it is necessary to look for other heating alternatives. If the oil price continues to develop in the same way it has done the last years it will soon be impossible for many producing garden companies to survive. The purpose of this diploma work is to compare three different fuel options in order to find the most economic one considering the conditions of Katrinebergs Handelsträdgård AB. In relation to oil it is profitable to change to any of the three alternatives: wood chips, wood pellets and grain. The most profitable option is to change to wood chips. This alternative has a payoff time less than three years and after that the annual saving compared to the oil is relatively high. The annual cost is 65 % of the cost of the oil alternative.

The purpose of this study was to examine work related stressors and related coping strategies among case managers at a domestic violence shelter in the United States. We further wanted to examine whether locus of control among the participants could be related to work related stress and coping strategies. Qualitative interviews were performed with eight case managers to gain knowledge about the stressors and coping strategies they used by examining their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The result showed that the case managers experience a number of stressors in their work environment such as system problems (e.g., lack of re¬sources and time pressure) and emotional stress. Coping responses among the case managers included efforts to alter the problem, so called problem focused coping, efforts to control emo¬tions, so called emotions focused coping and social support from colleagues.