The structural rationalization of rural firms in Sweden has led to many new creative ways of developing companies. The agriculture sector is characterized by the need of capital in form of buildings, labor and inventory. The rationalization process has led to free capacity in rural firms when new technology make buildings and inventory not longer necessary for the production process. To get a better cost coverage this free capacity can be used to start-up new business areas that help the rural firm to growth.The study aims to identify factors that motives entrepreneurs in rural firms to develop new business areas. The purpose is also to analyze driving forces that lies behind development of rural firms and the forces that support or not support development in rural firms.The study is built upon five cases that all can be categorized as firms with different size and orientation.

The aim of this study about wind power planning in forest was to examine the factors and restrictions, which represent technical limitations, biodiversity, tourism and amount of energy for wind farms in Kronoberg County. Suitable areas for wind power were identified from the collected information about planning principles and potential conflicts. From the suitable areas the potential energy gain is calculated. Methods used were mainly a literature review, interviews with experts and practitioners, GIS analysis and a rough calculation of the energy gain. The section of information and facts describes in general wind power planning and possible conflicts.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether youth novels contained informationconcerning our society. We reviewed youth literature and its history in brief, including itscommencement and development from separate boys' and girls' novels to a common youthnovel after the Second World War.To obtain a clearer picture and a better understanding of youths, we read non-fiction, such asbooks, magazines and articles, concerning youth culture, its meaning and content. We decidedto review the period 1990-1994 more closely. We therefore set up selection criteria whichfinally resulted in 56 youth novels. We examined these novels to determine if and/or how theymatched the nine preselected areas that we felt were typical for the 1990's.

In Scandinavia, capercaillie are often associated with pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) in winter, with pine needles as the main diet. Few dietary studies have been conducted in Sweden and winter diet is subject to little debate. The interesting thing is that this "pine specialist? is also found in spruce (Picea abies) forest habitats where pine is scarce or unavailable. In many studies outside Sweden (primarily Central Europe) spruce is regularly observed in the winter diet, but I have found no reports on the selection of the diet in spruce forest areas in Sweden.

There are several thousands shallow bays along the Swedish east coast. Most of them are disturbed by different human activities, and undisturbed bays can be considered as quite unique. In the sheltered shallow bays water warms up more rapidly than adjacent water favoring the growth of vegetation, which in turns is beneficial to spring spawning fish species like perch and pike. It is nowadays more common that coastal habitats are inventoried to facilitate future preservation and planning. The aim of this study was to investigate the shallow bay Utanåfladen (59° 53`31.38 N 19°00`44.90 E) in the north Stockholm archipelago and evaluate its habitat value.

Under 1990-talet accelererade avvecklingen av det fasta kustartilleriet. Det skedde samtidigt med implementeringen av Revolution in Military Affairs(RMA)-konceptet i Sverige, snabb militärteknisk utvecklingen och Försvarsmaktens omställning från en stor organisation med lång mobilisering till insatsförsvar med hög beredskap. Syftet med studien är att med hjälp av argumentationsanalys och kvalitativ textanalys, studera relationen mellan RMA och avvecklingen av fasta kustartilleriet, genom analys av Kungliga Krigsvetenskaps Akademiens Handlingar och Tidskrifter. Resultatet visar att fast kustartilleri spelar en viktig roll även i en värld präglad av RMA och modern teknologi. Det fasta kustartilleriet ersattes av rörligt.

Nature-like plantations are areas that, by today?s maintenance procedure usually gains low prioritiy and are forgotten. Most nature-like plantations are currently disadvantaged and have in many cases grown up and formed dense,impenetrable and brushwoody green volumes. These green volumes is rarely used, but usually only fills out gap surfaces. With proper care nature-like plantations can become health promoting environments in the increasinglyhardened urban environments.How vegetation systems work and how trees and shrubs interact is dependent on many factors.

The employer is obligated to call for negotiation on his own initiative, before he makes decisions in questions, which constitute important changes of the employer?s business or of the worker?s working conditions and terms of employment. The obligation to negotiate is reserved to the organisations, which the employer has collective agreements with. But what does the concept of important changes mean? What areas are included in the concept of important changes, according to legal framework and case law? How extensive is in fact the employer?s obligation to negotiate? The purpose of this report has been to seek answers to the above-mentioned questions, through partly describing how the employer?s obligation to negotiate has developed, and partly describing how the codes of negotiations in the Employment (Co-Determination in the Workplace) Act of 1976 are raised and applied.

The essay describes the bachelor project by Marie Hanås, in collaboration with Skälsö Arkitekter. Skälsö Arkitekter are currently developing an area in the north of Gotland, Bungenäs; previously home to lime stone quarries and military bases.The brief was to design a set of outdoor furniture to complement the new development. The main effort of the project was in designing furniture that would fit the environment visually but construction issues were a major secondary concern, to ensure the easiest possible manufacturing. A reference group of coastal house owners were interviewed, and their feedback, together with an analysis of functions, trends and target groups, were the base for the ideas.Of the five concepts presented, Skälsö Arkitekter chose one to develop further. This was done through sketches, models and 3D models and led to the final result which is lightweight furniture of Gotlandic pine wood with an industrial touch.

This thesis deals with local identity and the workplace. We have taken part of stories dealing with local identity and the workplace, by using a qualitative method. We interviewed eleven men working at the same company. The group contained of men from urban areas as well as rural areas. The data from our interviews have been applied to theories of local identity and social theories by sociologists such as Durkheim, Simmel and Tönnies.

The degree project at hand investigates how large areas of older forest (80 plus years) suitable for clear cutting there is on the Swedish island of Gotland. Large areas of older forest on Gotland are situated on land with shallow soil depths which are economically uninteresting and often unsuitable for clear cutting forestry. Other forests hold big nature conservation values and should not, or cannot, be used for forestry purposes. The survey is made as a GIS analysis based on the old but carefully made ?Brief forest inventory? (ÖSI) made in the 1980s and early 1990s. A sample from the inventory is combined with studies of orthophotos, satellite photos and other GIS layers that display estimated soil depth and nature conservation values. Partly contrary to common belief, the survey shows that there are still large areas of older forest suitable for clear cutting forestry on the island.

Many jobs in rural areas have historically been linked to the agricultural sector. The restructuring that has been implemented in agriculture has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of jobs in rural areas. A consequence of this is that many people have moved to cities to earn a living. To maintain a living countryside in Sweden, it is therefore essential to create alternative livehoods in rural areas. An industry that can have a major impact in the future is rural tourism.

The purpose of the thesis was to map the hydraulic load on the Knivsta river from stormwater runoff, and build a platform for further studies of pollution loads on the rivers ecosystems. New residential areas are planned to be built in Knivsta municipality and it will have an impact on stormwater flows to Knivsta river. To examine the impact this will have, simulations were made in the area as it stands today and after expansion work. The work includes calculation of flows from the populated areas but also from the catchment area around it consisting of woodlands and fields. Because of expected climatic changes which may affect rainfall, the simulations have been performed with different return periods for rainfall data.

The discrepancy in the rights for healthcare between undocumented migrants and the citizen in Sweden is a prerequisite for the existence of Läkarkliniken. Because of the chosen patient group the clinic stands outside the regulations from the National Board of Health and Welfare. The aim of this study was, from an institutional perspective, to investigate how such a unique player is designed and where the influences to the design origin from. The task was conducted thorough a qualitative case study with base in depth interviews. High levels of isomorphism were observed between Läkarkliniken and the general healthcare, however differences were seen as well.

Outdoor recreation habits in metropolis and rural areasThis study aims to examine the perception of nature and outdoor recreation habits from an urban-rural prospective. The urbanization process continues in Sweden and the populations of the cities are growing continuously. Trends to build more compact and ?climate smart? reigns and with this a risk that green areas and areas where outdoor recreation can be practiced are situated further and further away from the urban population. Analyzing the responses from a survey made by the research program Friluftsliv i förändring 2007 we have examined if and which differences exists between urban and rural areas regarding their perception of nature, outdoor recreation habits and factors influencing the practice of outdoor recreation.