Syftet med denna studie är att mäta och analysera detaljhandlares uppfattningar om konkurrenshot utifrån fyra olika hypotetiska valsituationer, ett Choice Experiment. Urvalsgruppen bestod av cityhandlare inom ett geografiskt definierat område i Gävle stad i Sverige. Resultatet indikerar att cityhandlare uppfattar konkurrens mellan marknadsplatser i viss utsträckning. Dock indikerar resultatet att konkurrens uppfattas inom marknadsplatsen i högre utsträckning i jämförelse med konkurrens mellan marknadsplatser..

Counter-Strike has established itself as one of the most popular computer gaming phenomenon the last decade with a major online community and loyal fan base. Within the world of e-sports it has also become one of the most lucrative games to compete in. In order to keep up with the competition it has always been important to use the best hardware available for the task. This thesis is about these tools that gamers use to play - gaming gear - and how pro gamers train to increase their chances of winning. We investigate various factors that might be important in their choice of gaming gear when they play, and how they train to use these artifacts more efficiently to get maximum performance.

In today?s IT-community, consumers use the internet in a increasing rate to find information or to purchase products and services. This has led to a growth in the market, but also a greater competition between e-stores and web shops. To separate yourself from the masses has become more important, the question is; what strategy should the IT-salesman use? The meaning of this scientific study is to find and focus on witch the primary factors/aspects are, that controls and is the very foundation for the consumer making a purchase, by using the internet. The purpose is to give companies a clear view of what it is that influence the consumer into buying theirs products, and how this group responds to different strategies and factors.

Uppsalahem is the leading housing corporation in Uppsala with its over 160 real estate properties. Uppsalahem is owned by the municipality of Uppsala, which has a climate and energy goal that aims for 100 MW of solar energy to be installed in Uppsala by 2030. The 100 MW goal, combined with Uppsalahem?s environmental policy, is a strong incentive to investigate the possibility of installing PV modules on the many available roof areas that Uppsalahem possesses. The objective of this thesis is to create a foundation for future decisions regarding PV systems for Uppsalahem.

Kina har haft en exceptionell utveckling tiden efter den ekonomiska reformen 1979 då den kinesiska regeringen började öppna upp den interna marknaden för internationell konkurrens. Resultatet har visats sig i växande valutareserv och bytesbalans och framförallt i tilltagande BNP tillväxt. Under de senaste åren har det framkommit hård kritik från omvärlden (läs USA och EU) där budskapet har varit att den kinesiska regeringen skall revalvera sin valuta och därmed närma sin jämviktsväxelkurs. Den här uppsatsen undersökte vad den nominella växelkursen skulle ha varit i Kina när budgetrestriktionen är uppfylld. Detta sker när Kina möter sitt initiala överskott (underskott) med ett nuvärdesberäknat underskott (överskott).

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if there exists a superiority between developed and developing countries, which then in turn effects the negative consequences, for the local inhabitants of Thailand, that follow from mass tourism.To be able to answer the questions that we have selected for this thesis, we chose to perform open interviews with six respondents which were all involved in the tourism industry in Thailand. Four of the interviews were carried out on location in Thailand. In order to deepen our understanding of the selected questions even further literary studies have been made as well. The theories we have chosen concern the topics of imperialism and figurations.Our empirical material gave significant results. It showed that there is indeed an imbalance of power between the western world and Thailand.

Competing is a well established work model among Swedisharchitects as well as in the international architect work force.Through this study we set out to get better acquainted with thiswork model in theory and in practice, and to hopefully gainknowledge that will be of use to us and to others working in thefield of architecture.Techniques, materials as well as the artistic expression ofcontemporary architecture is international and today?s architectsoperate on a global labour market. Architects often commit to workon assignments far away from where they are based. Therefore,to physically visit the site of interest may be time consuming,expensive as well as harmful to the environment. Is it possible fora designer to accomplish relevant proposals on how to develop andimprove a place that he or she has never visited? May there evenbe situations in which the outsiders point of view is preferable?These are questions that we aim to investigate, and we do sothrough participation in an international design competition.

In subsequent to Post-colonialism the African nations have dilated into different political directions. While some nations have established well-functioning democracies, others are still under authoritarian regimes. The aim of this thesis is to examine if civil society has an impact on democratic development in West Africa. Therefore the theoretical starting point is Putnam?s theory of social capital, but this study will also examine other possible causal explanations for democratic transition.This study will be based on a comparative analysis of Ghana and Guinea.

Garden center and market gardens are a growing trade, undergoing great changes with new actors and purchasing habits. The interest in gardens and plants is steadily increasing, official statistics show an increase of garden plants and flower consumption, of an annual 3 per cent. Garden centers and market gardens are in great need of development to be able to tackle the prevailing competition, and maintain a steady growth. Many companies are heading for a generation shift and are founding it difficult to find and employ younger managers. The aim of this report is to examine different strategies of garden centers and market gardens through the manager/ owner?s views and opinions about competition, growth and success.

The purpose of this study is to examine how Viking Line, Tallink Silja and Birka Cruises work with economic and environmental sustainability, and also to see how they work with new environmental legislations. In 2015 a new environmental legislation will be introduced, by the name Sulphur directive. The Sulphur directive entails a reduction in Sulphur dioxide emissions from ships where the emissions cannot exceed 0,1 percent. There are three alternatives to achieve the new environmental legislation, the use of Marine Gas Oil, LNG or scrubbers. All three alternatives will lead to increasing costs for the shipping industry.

In Sweden the real estate sector accounts for 33 % of energy consumption and just below 10 % of the emission of carbon dioxide. As a consequence of the external pressure from climate change it?s in everybody?s interest to reduce the energy consumption and thus reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. An additional incentive to reduce the energy consumption is the substantial increase of the energy price since the deregulation of the electricity market in 1996.In this study the techniques that exist to build multi-storey residential buildings with high energy performance will be investigated. Further the study intends to investigate the optimal energy performance from a real estate economic perspective.In order to investigate the optimal energy performance a model has been created with the parameters investment cost, rental revenues, operation and maintenance cost, discount rate and investment horizon.The result shows a relationship between a high investment cost and a high energy performance for newly constructed multi-storey residential buildings.

Sustainable development is a concept that has been interpreted in a multitude of ways in different contexts. This essay argues that the discourse of "ecological modernization" has strongly influenced the way in which the concept of ?sustainability? has been constructed in Swedish environmental policy. This interpretation of the concept of sustainability offers the possibility of combining economic growth with ecological sustainability which stands in contrast to the assumptions of Deep Ecology and Green Theory. The aim of this essay is to explore how the concept of sustainability is being formulated in environmental policy both on a national level and in the city of Malmö.Considering these issues in a specific context, this essay focuses on city planning that is as an important instrument to promote urban sustainability both on national and local levels.

The main reason for this project is my interest of our environment. What are our two largest grocerychains doing to maintain our environment? The aim of the project is to show the consumer which similarities and differences there are between ICA and Coop. My questions are: What are ICA and Coop doing to satisfy the demands to preserve our environment, are they going further than they have to? What do they think is important? Environment, price, consumer friendly? Answers: ICA and Coop are working to keep up with the demands, but are they doing more than they have to? The branch is a close world; it's hard to get impartial information. They are turning towards different consumer groups. ICA and Coop has different ways to interest consumers, ICA points out the importance of the meals, while Coop points at the environment. New questions has risen during my work: How far will their own brandnames go? Will ICA, Coop and others have their own farms, producers and suppliers? How can the consumer be protected? The competition will decrease with an increase of their own brandnames..

Svartedalens nature reserve a social richness worth develop. The nature reserve of Svartedalen is an area of high biological and social values. The reserve is located close to several densely populated areas. The reserve has been classified as a national area of interest for nature conservation and outdoor life, and as a Natura 2000 area according to both the bird- and habitat directions. The reserve is the largest landarea in Västra Götaland, 3 410 hectares, where a resolution has been made about all these forms of protection. The foundation Skogssällskapet owns 1 956 hectares of the reserve, at 1 384 hectares of the property they pursue FSC-certified silver culture, according to current management plan.

The crisis on Wall Street. This essay is a comparative study of how two business newspapers report on the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings in September 2008. Seven articles from the Swedish European financial newspaper Affärsvärlden (Business World) and five articles from the Chinese-Asian news agency XINHUA FINANCE are examined. The aim is to analyze, understand and evaluate from a rhetorical perspective. My thesis is that rhetors storytelling can tell us more about how we cope with crisis in the global economic discourse. The texts can portray man as a narrative creature when identification as a rational actor is not enough. The analytical methods used are linguistic analysis with an emphasis on metaphor analysis, narrative analysis based on pentad - Critical dramatism, and discourse analysis with doxological outlook. The results show that both newspapers seek to defend the global economic discourse, but they do so in different ways. Affärsvärlden advocates calmness and conveys a cautious attitude. The heart of the crisis, as well as its solution, is on Wall Street. XINHUA advocates control and expresses confidence in authorities and the system. Asia is presented as Wall Street's savior..