Due to globalization, decentralization and the capitalist system's need to physical location cities have become increasingly important economic spheres during thee last decades. City mayors are seen as increasingly important actors, who can shape the future economic development of their cities through networking with businesses and strategic policy development. Therefore several European countries have introduced mayor reforms to enable mayors to take a bigger responsibility for the local development. These reforms raise interesting questions concerning what leadership changes they produce at the local level and if there is a difference between local leaders and leadership in different countries. This paper further explores the connection between the local leader and the locality since this relationship often has been neglect in studies concerning mayor reforms.

The main purpose of this study is to analyse how the main themes of alienation and the search for identity is portrayed by Swedish author Inger Edelfeldt. I have applied the theories of Rita Felski concerning feminist novels of self-discovery, in which the development of the female identity is the main question. As Edelfeldt?s writing consists of literature for the young as well as adults, I have included material from both of these genres. I have also taken use of Ulla Lundqvists theories about Swedish juvenile books when examining aspects of the main character?s feelings of alienation and identity searching.The results of my analysis show that the reading of my material as feminist novels of self-discovery has revealed pervading charachteristics of alienation, love, friendship and psychological development.

The big change is a project where I created patterns on fabric. It is a collaborative project with Lotta Niemi. She studied fashion and textile designers and tailors from the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås and University of Technology in Sydney. The collaboration was to create designs on fabric for her upcoming clothing line for women, Fall / Winter 2013. The clothes will be sold online, in stores in Sweden and Japan.For Lotta Niemi?s clothing line, I wanted to create exclusive designs, rich patterns that worked out handmade and digital.

This study is a value chain analysis for timber in East Africa. It was commissioned by Vi Agroforestry, a nongovernmental organisation registered in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania engaged in a rural development program that involves promoting tree planting and enterprise development (Vi Agroforestry, 2012). The purpose of the study was to identify and describe common value chains for timber in the countries where Vi Agroforestry operated. Value chain is a concept and a framework describing how to structure information regarding activities included in satisfying a certain customer need, e.g. procurement, logistics, transactions, production and marketing.

Jag har i mitt examensarbete gjort en kollektion kläder till den fiktiva Madame Brilliant, baserad på färgstarka personligheter som bl. a Anna Piaggi och Elsa Schiaparelli. Slår man upp ?glamourös? i en svensk-fransk ordbok finner man glamourös heta brilliant och det är just glamour mitt examensarbete handlar om, vardagsglamour.Jag har till Madame Brilliant skapat drömgarderoben. De plagg den excentriska kvinnan alltid drömmer om men aldrig hittar ute i butikerna; Färgstarka feminina kappor, klänningar och hattar att bära till vardags.Jag har i mitt arbete lagt stor vikt på färgkombinationerna, därför är stylingen och de små detaljerna mycket viktiga.

In a time where many Asian metropolises experience an expansive development new urbanconditions are created and the already existing disappears or being replaced. Asian cities develop ata pace that is unprecedented in our history and which, through a western perspective can seemharsh. By focusing on an urban complex in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province ofSichuan China, the study asks; is it possible to see this rapid urbanization from another perspective?The study examines the local and global dimensions of Raffels City, and how concepts such asnostalgia and authenticity, related to the city, can be understood in an urbanization that is so markedby massive demolitions. The study shows that these concepts can be expressed in several ways, andthat an awareness of them does not necessarily control the view of the city..

In this report presents a thesis by Frida Altskog performed in collaboration with Askersunds Kakelmakeri. The project?s goal has been to produce a ceramic ledge after the company?s specifications. The company?s desire and production facilities have been in focus.

Titel: RIX-systemet och dess påverkan på finansinstitutens marknadsmaktFörfattare: Tom Douglas och Eric NarfströmHandledare: Evert KöstnerKurs: NEG300, kandidatuppsats Nationalekonomi fördjupningskurs, 15 hp, HT-2013Nyckelord: marknadsmakt, oligopol, räntabilitet, riksbanken, RIX-systemet, konkurrensSyfte: Denna studie syftar till att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellanmedlemskap i RIX-systemet och räntabilitet på eget kapital beträffande företag vilka är aktiva på den svenska finansmarknaden.Metod: I denna studie används både en kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod med insamling av kvantitativ sekundärdata från framförallt Svenska Bankföreningen. Kvalitativ data har främst hämtats från Riksbanken.Teori: Structure-conduct-performance paradigm (SCP) samt Porters femkraftsmodell ligger till grund för den teoretiska referensram som ligger till grund för studien att tillägga till detta används även konventionell konkurrensteori.Slutsats: Studien visar på att det föreligger ett statistiskt signifikant sambandmellan ett deltagande i RIX-systemet och räntabilitet på eget kapital. Title: The RIX-system and its impact on financial institutions market power.Author: Tom Douglas and Eric NarfströmAdvisor: Evert KöstnerCourse: NEG300, Bachelor thesis in Economics, 15 hp, fall 2013Keywords: Market power, oligopoly, return on investment, central bank, the RIX-system, competitionPurpose: This study aims to investigate whether there is a correlation betweena membership within the RIX-system and return on investment regarding companies with in the financial industry of Sweden.Method: In this study, both a quantitative and qualitative approach has been used. Regarding the collection of quantitative data, it has been retrieved mainly from Swedish Bankers' Association. Collection of qualitative data has been collected mainly from The Swedish central bank Riksbanken.Theory: Structure-conduct-performance paradigm (SCP) and Porters five-forces framework underpin the theoretical framework underlying the study.

The relationship between free trade and the environment is often considered conflicting and the debates surrounding it are infected. My thesis deal with this conflict and how environmental concerns are integrated in three regional free trade agreements, North American Free Trade Agreement, The common market of the southern cone (MERCOSUR) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). I point out how the organizations differ from each other in this respect and I present a possible explanation to why they differ. The explanation is founded on the theory of the environmental Kuznets curve and that environmental concerns will depend on which level of development the member states in the organizations have. To judge and rank the organizations I have composed a model based on a pre-existing description of the trade and environment conflict.

This essay deals with children?s and adolescents? use of interactive media as a tool for doing relations with each other. The purpose is to increase the understanding of the impact interactive media has on pupils? relations and identity development both in school and on their spare time. The school system?s mission is not only to teach formal knowledge and facts but also to train children?s social skills and abilities.

This Master of Science thesis was completed at the Department of Machine Design at the Royal Instituteof Technology in Stockholm in collaboration with Lund Faculty of Engineering, Luleå University ofTechnology and Stanford University. At Stanford University a global product development project wasrealized as part of the course ME310. The project was initiated by the American company ImmerseGlobal whose vision was to develop a new type of Atmospheric Water Generators, a machine that absorbsthe moisture in the air and via a water system transforms it to pure drinking water. The project was partlyfinanced by the Product Innovation Engineering program, a Swedish research and development programfor increased innovation capability in organizations.In parallel with the global project in the ME310 course the product development process was studied inorder to compare it with a product development course at the Royal Institute of Technology, IPU. Thetwo courses are similar to each other in several aspects.

This study investigates in what respects Celtic mythology influenced J. R. R. Tolkien when writing the sagas incorporated in the mythopoeic compilation of The Silmarillion. Through narrative and comparative analysis, stories from the Irish prose collection Lebor Gabála Érenn, as well as the Welsh medieval manuscript Mabinogion, are collated to the tales of The Silmarillion in order to illuminate possible influences.

AbstractSeveral of researchers have reflected that the school ought to be developed to a learning organization. A method as proceed from such a perspective and should be able to match a local child- and educations administration is problembased school development. To investigate in which ways a child- and educations administration prosecute a problem based learning inside the organization a case study was used as research strategy. The question this report gives answer to is:In what/which way works a child- and educations administration in a rural district with a method to fulfil a problembased learning.To collect empiric data a canvassing inquiry was accomplished among the child- and educations administrations group of management. According to the research result it can declares that there are good conditions for the organization to prosecute problem based school development, but there is yet a great deal to do before it´s can be said totally fulfilled.

Abstract This study is an evaluation of a development project, seeking to work for entrepreneurial learning, starting from John Hattie's findings on the significant factors for visible learning. The study is based on action research a method together with a questionnaire, focused interviews and observation, by the issue of How do students perceive entrepreneurial learning? The results show that the methodology contributes to a more active learning and greater work satisfaction among students. The results also reinforce the thesis of the formative assessment and the importance of reflection for increased metacognition. The work identifies the project's educational shortcomings and strengths, and lays the foundation for further development towards full implementation of entrepreneurial learning in a secondary activity that works to prepare students with special needs for the labor market..

Ella Mathematics is a web portal that will completely replace the printed math text book in the Swedish elementary school. When the math education is moved in to the digital world the flexibility and adaptability will increase.In 2011 the Swedish government revised the Swedish school system, which contained a whole new curriculum for the elementary school math education. This has been the foundation for the development of Ella Mathematics and the design of the three different users; student, teacher and parent. The development has been done with Dynamic Product Development methods from the project start in September 2011 until the final exam in May 2012.Ella Mathematics has been developed with the pupil?s math knowledge in focus.