Usability studies are not a central field of research in library and information science. Although literature in library and information science treats the importance of usable user interfaces quite extensively, the literature does not significantly treat potential problems in measuring usability. The aim of this master thesis is to investigate, through a critical analysis, the methods used when conducting usability studies in library and information science. The critical analysis is based on potential problems in measuring usability identified through a literature review from the field of studies Human-Computer Interaction, the concept of usabilitys original domain. The material which is to be analysed, is chosen from one library and information science journal Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

Det är en ständigt pågående debatt om huruvida belöningssystem fungerar som motivationsinstrument eller inte. Många, främst inom den psykologiska skolan, är kritiska till belöningssystem, trots detta finns de i alla organisationer. Kan denna förekomst förklaras av att det finns en annan skola, den ekonomiska, som är det dominerande synsättet hos företag? Syftet med denna uppsats är att ställa den psykologiska skolans motivationsuppfattning emot den ekonomiska i en analys, och utifrån denna se om det går att dra slutsatsen att det ekonomiska tankesättet är det som dominerar och därmed ge en förklaring till varför belöningssystem förekommer som motivationsverktyg i ett företag. För att kunna utreda detta har vi valt att göra en fallstudie på företaget Tempur och dess säljare, samt tagit hjälp av teorier ur såväl den psykologiska motivationsuppfattningen, Maslow och Herzberg, som den ekonomiska, economic man.

This bachelor thesis explores the conditions for a harmonized EU gender equality policy. Recently the maternity leave directive has been introduced by the European commission and seeks to improve the conditions for pregnant workers. The controversial subject of this maternity leave has illustrated many of the problems connected to the development of a social dimension in EU. First of all, the debate concerning the maternity leave directive in the European Parliament has shown that both sides in the parliament seem positive towards creating legislation in this matter on EU level. However, parties at the right tend to disagree to many of the amendments in the proposal, such as the maximum entitlement.

The case method is a relatively new pedagogical method in Sweden that is based on students exercising their skills in the analysis of complex situations and problems that are based in reality and that help students to see a broader perspective and context.The purpose of this study has been to investigate, through interviews with students and teachers, the advantages and disadvantages of the case method in teaching geography.The results of the study show that both teachers and students share almost the same opinion. The conclusion is that the case method is a didactic method that is well suited for teaching geography, as it is based on reality and develops the students? ability to analyze, argue and find solutions in several areas within the subject of geography. If a student is strong in these skill areas they can really benefit from the application of the case method in the teaching of geography, but for students who are weaker in these skills, the case method can be a disadvantage.

This essay deals with the ideas of social change in the Iron Gates Gorge site of Lepenski Vir during the Mesolithic. The change from a mainly fish-based subsistence strategy to a strategy that came to rely more on hunting and later domesticated animals could have been the onset of the social change that is noticeable in the material culture from the site. Theessay is divided in two main segments. The first consists of a case-study based on three themes that describes and searches for changes in the subsistence-, settlement- and burialpractises during the Mesolithic and beginning of the Neolithic phases, and the second part analyses the results from the case-study. It is primarily the idea of transformations and reproductions of traditions that will be dealt with in the analysis which is facilitated by a theoretic structure based on and inspired by the works of Emilé Durkheim and Anthony Giddens..

Virtual Communities is an increasingly common phenomenon on the Internet. Most of the Virtual Communities are operated and maintained on a non-profit basis with a direction towards entertainment. However, as more state administrated and commercial services become web-based, we believe that the number of Virtual Communities with a community-based or commercial direction will increase in a near future. In this thesis, we describe our participation in, and studies of, a number of Virtual Communities with focus on the IRC-channel ?3dfxsweden?. On the basis of our experiences, we describe the social elements that form the foundation on which the Virtual Community rely on.

Computer based information systems play an important role in modern military combat vehicles. The crew needs to be able to quickly get information about both the vehicle and its outer surroundings in order to quickly make the correct decisions. In this report, we describe the development of a prototype new information system for the BvS10 vehicle, manufactured by BAE System Hägglunds AB in Örnsköldsvik.An important aspect of the system is the time it takes from the point that the information is generated by the vehicle sensors until it is presented to the user. The system must be able to ensure that it never displays information that is out of date. Thus, it is important to create a layer and component based architecture for the solution, making it possible to control, in detail, the information?s age as it moves through the system.

As the title insinuate, this essay illustrate Event Marketing as a marketing instrument, and how it can be used as a tool to facilitate brandbuilding and improve relationships. We have come to the understanding that Event Marketing is in the course of constant development. It seems like Event Marketing as a marketing tool is starting to get its well-merited position in the marketing mix throughout the world, since companies and other organisations have realized that Event Marketing is a powerful tool for differentiation. We have also seen that Event Marketing in the business world lately has come to be more important for building and maintaining relationships, as well as carrying marketing messages.In this essay we discuss Event Marketing in three sections; brand, relationships, and customer experience. Among these topics, inter alia Integrated Marketing Communications, Sensory Marketing, and Service-dominant Logic are presented.

It appears from today's debate about the quality of social work and addiction treatment that largely focuses on the impact of recent various interventions in the hope of being able to alter social work's role in society and also the organizational structure. The debate points to a part of the 1970s social welfare debate. Today's aspirations to establish an evidence-based practice can hardly be expected to solve the social services basic dilemmas is that it always have to do something, despite the many times you cannot get clear instructions on which funds should be used by law or science. Even if you follow the rules and practices based on scientific studies should the importance of various key initiatives to remedy deficiencies in social service work with addicts in large part depend on how, in these initiatives define the term "evidence-based practice" and what steps will be indicated for to develop practice. My starting point was to explore how evidence-based social work in connection with medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction look, which evidence-based interventions Social Services currently uses in connection with medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction, as well as how to work with it in the ordinary course of business. The study showed that social services have become better at using these methods in recent years and that today there are more tools available than before.

Resignations are common in all business sectors and can also be found among forest machine operators in the forest business. As the industry today faces a lack of forest machine operators it is justified to determine why machine operators choose to quit their jobs. The aim of this study was to a) find out the number of machine operators that have resigned b) identify and analyse the cause for these resignations c) identify the reasons why the machine operators started to work in the forest and d) give suggestions on different measures that will limit resignations amongst forest machine operators. A questionnaire was sent to machine operators who have quit working as employees, contractors or as employees for contractors with Holmen Skog during 2003-2007. 32 machine operators responded to the questionnaire. Interviews were made with 10 machine operators who had answered the questionnaire to gather more qualitative data. The results of the study indicate that fewer forest machine operators change profession than employees in other occupations in Sweden.

The essay focuses on the blacklisted restriction of passive sales in the block exemption to Article 101 TFEU on vertical agreements. It confirms the authors' thesis that the distinction between active and passive sales do not cause any problems in the theory, but that the reality shows the opposite. The analysis further shows that more detailed guidelines probably would not solve the problem but rather it is the objectives behind the rules and practice that causes confusion.The essay questiones whether the changes in the new guidelines for the block exemption also involves a change in the Commission's approach to the restrictions on passive sales when the same purposes as before lies behind the rules, where the goal of an integrated market is the most important. The impact of the so called "economic approach" within practice since the 1990s, when it was first introduced, suggests that changes are slow. The essay requests a greater openness to the fact that the realization of a single market and the desire to move closer to the commercial reality of companies collide.One proposed solution is given, where the rules would be designed so that 'absolute territorial protection' is prohibited, contractually and de facto, and that it is left open for companies to determine if their actions lead to this.

The purpose of this study was to examine if women's career was affected by becoming a mother after 35 years old. It was also our intention to discover if it was an intentional or an unintentional choice to postpone giving birth just for the sake of the career. We have read articles that are implying that women´s career possibilities, combined with children, is difficult and of current interest in today's society. Science has shown that it no longer appears to be women's main life objective to give birth but they now also wants a career. We wanted to shed some light on the subject from two different angles, so we looked both from the women's perspective and from the employer's perspective.

The topic of this essay is whether the private owned ammunition factory Norma Projectile AB was a part of a war economy system from 1938 to 1943. This is done by analyzing specific documents from the company´s archives that expose the connection with Swedish authorities. The selection and analysis of these documents are based on four main criteria?s of the concept war economy. These criteria?s are based on Ivan T.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how two students at intermediate level in reading and writing disabilities and two special education teachers perceive the use of assistive tools in school. The questions used to answer the purpose was how assistive tools are used based on students´ perceptions, the purposes for which assistive tools are used based on special education teachers´ perceptions, what opportunities and/or barriers pupils and special education teachers experiences with assistive tools and how it works when assistive tools are implemented based on students´ and special education teachers´ perceptions. Data were collected by interviews. The results show that the assistive tools are mainly used for writing assignments and to ?read-with-ears?, primarily to facilitate the learning process in the classroom.

AbstractAt the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 the nations stated that traditional environmental policies were not sufficient to handle the multidimensional challenges posed by sustainable development. Governments needed to broaden their political decision making procedures in order to coordinate and integrate environmental, social and economic policies. Therefore a new tool was introduced in Agenda 21, National Strategies for Sustainable Development (NSDS). The aim of an NSDS would be to bring together actors from all parts of society to jointly reach a consensus on how to work towards the vision of a sustainable society. An NSDS would be seen as a strategic tool to help focus national policies for SD.