Production requires the input of capital and labour. Hence, economic growth can be assumed to follow from increased levels of these two factors. Policies aimed at increasing production may consequently successfully be focused on facilitating the accumulation of capital and labour. However, even when an economy has managed to reach the same quantities of input factors as a more prosperous neighbour, the level of the production might still differ. The explanation of this lies in what economists refers to as expression embracing the characteristics of the input factors and the conditions in which they operate.In this thesis a calculation of total factor productivity is carried out, using existing data on the Swedish FA-regions between 1990 and 2005 and the method the economist Robert Solow in the 1950?s.

The purpose of the thesis is to compare Sweden's and Great Britain's total costs for their systems regulating producer responsibility for waste packages. Producer resonsibility is a strategy implying that producers are responsible for their waste also after its use. Sweden and Great Britain introduced different systems systems after an EU directive was adopted in 1994 (94/62/EC), and they have resulted in entirely different recycling levels in the two countries. In the Swedish system, responsibility has been delegated to the industry who are responsible for reaching the determined goals. The economic instrument used is a fee, set and managed by the industry. The British system is more centrilised, and the economic instrument used to finance recycling of waste is a system based on transferable permits. The thesis compares the four different alternatives: delegated and centralised methods, and fees and transferable permits analytically.

This master thesis has been a pilot study preceding a forthcoming project of a larger scale with the long term objective to separate the direct effect of added nitrogen on soil processes from indirect effects via trees. The aim of this study has been to investigate the allocation of nitrogen following direct injection of liquid solutions into the xylem of 40 year old Norway spruce. The field site is located at Flakaliden (64°07?N, 19°27?E), approximately 60 km northwest of Umeå, Sweden. A total of 18 trees were selected for treatment, equally divided between three treatments, potassium nitrate, glutamine and water (control).

Background: It has been a common perception in the media in recent years that external shopping malls extinguish the trade in Swedish downtown areas. Factors that promote external shopping malls are that customers become more and more indolent and more people buy cars. Despite this fact, downtown areas have a great deal to offer when it comes to creating a pleasant atmosphere. Furthermore, customers are becoming more demanding and want something extra while doing their shopping. More and more shopkeepers therefore realize the importance of events as an instrument to offer experiences to the customers.Purpose: To investigate whether shopkeepers in downtown Linköping consider the external shopping mall in Tornby a competitor or not and, if so, in what ways the trade in the downtown area has been affected by Tornby.

Background and problemThe Swedish mobile market is highly competitive despite the oligopoly that currently exists. A short product life cycle together with fads and new innovations puts pressure on the operators to respond to the ever changing environment and to develop and adapt their strategies after it.As a previous study regarding a specific operator?s strategy was cancelled due to the extensive confidentiality surrounding it, an interest was sparked to perform an industry analysis as this is clearly something the actors spend a great deal of time on developing. The launch of the 4G network will offer new opportunities for the operators regarding products services. It may also impact the competition on the overall market.PurposeThe purpose of this thesis is to present a deep analysis of the industry and give the reader a comprehensive picture of existing conditions.

Developed model for easier animal welfare assessment- with examples from dairy cows in loose housingAnimals in captivity are completely dependent on human care. If captive animals are prevented from exhibiting their natural behavior, they may suffer. Animal welfare inspectors, who insure that the animal welfare legislation is followed, use a checklist to assess the situation in the husbandry. This checklist contains only two levels of assessment, which may result in a lack of detail in the assessment of the husbandry. The objective of this report was to develop a more detailed model that provides an overview of the situation in husbandry.

Some theorist, like George Ritzer and Max Weber, claim that everything has its optimal process and that all companies therefore will strive towards standardization. Researchers like Paco Underhill and Pine & Gilmore on the other hand, claim that an increasingly global competition forces businesses to focus more on consumer demands, experiences and differentiation. This thesis challenges these statements with empirical data by looking at shopping malls and their strategies as well as consumer preferences. It arrives at the conclusion that output is primarily driven by customer demand, and that consumers value a certain part of predictability..

The jetengines of today are growing in complexity. Reliability for aircraft engines are of extreme importance, mainly due to safety reasons but also economical ones. This master thesis deals with faultdiagnosis in the turbine section of RM12, the engine used in Saab/BAe's Gripen. Three different faults which can occur in the turbine section was studied. These faults are: clogged fuel nozzle, hole in outlet guide vane and sensor fault.

Many companies choose to position themselves in New York. The city is one of the main cities when it comes to advertising. The competition is strong and for new companies, it is hard to survive on the market.In our thesis we have investigated how Swedish people, who open new advertising agencies in New York, should market themselves to be successful on the market in New York.To gain as much information as possible about this subject, we traveled to New York and interviewed three advertising agencies, who were started by Swedes, and also the Consulate General of Sweden, and Swedish Trade Council.Our investigation resulted in that the best way to be successful on the American market is to differentiate your work from what the market has to offer. By doing this potential customers may find your work interesting and thereby chose to work with your company..

Today it is mandatory for every college or university student to pay a union fee to their student?s union. The fee is mandatory and is a payment for writing examinations, receiving grades. The fees purpose is also intended to secure the education quality and student influence. In the presence of the abolishment of the union fee the Swedish student?s unions stand before an uprising competition between themselves and most likely a decrease in membership.

Thermia Värme AB is one of the market leading manufactures of heat pumps. In order tomaintain this position, the company wants to improve the vibration characteristics of theirproducts. The aim of this thesis is to develop product design changes that lead to a reductionof vibrations in the heat pump Thermia Diplomat 8.The main cause for vibrations in the system is flow pulsation and mechanical forces inducedby the scroll compressor. Vibration is transmitted through the compressor piping and receivedby the heat exchangers, from where it is further transmitted to the connection points for theradiator and heat source circuits.A number of design changes in order to improve the vibration characteristics have beenevaluated through calculations and practical experiments. The changes have included thecompressor and heat exchanger mountings, the compressor suction and discharge line pipingand also pulsation dampening.The results of the experiments show that the vibration levels in the connections for the heatingand brine circuits can be decreased strikingly through changes in suction and discharge linepiping.

Today, Sweden has about forty companies owned by the government. These are active on markets with variable competition. Some have been given special areas of responsibility that in a practical notion make them monopolists. The period when most public companies where formed (and with that the following subjection to competition) during the nineties and early 2000's, forced the formerly protected businesses to act on the terms of the open market. Parallel to this development the brand has for the last twenty years evolved into something great strategic importance for the business, including the business-to-businesses (B2B).

Husaberg Scandinavia AB is a company producing and developing a range of motorcycles for both on- and off-road use. Husaberg provided the project group with a task of developing an entirely new way of operating the sequential transmission that can be found in today?s motorcycles. The target was to bring the product from idea to a functional prototype ready for further tests. Operation of the motorcycles transmission is today made by a foot pedal placed on the left hand side of the bike.

The idea of using algae in different areas and exploring its possibilities is nothing new. Already in the early 1950s microalgae was explored as a possible food resource because of its high protein content. Lately there has been an increased interest in its potential for industrial use. Wastewater treatment is a possible use of algae since the algae grow well on the nutrients present in the water. This offers the possibility to grow algae for nutrient reduction and use the biomass for energy or animal feed since many alga species has a good nutritional value. Approximately 800-1000 m3 water is applied per 1000 m2 of greenhouse area during one season in a tomato production.

Stressful routines for animal handling can reduce immune function and productivity of animals. If stakeholders are handling animals aversively, animals will show increased expressions of fear for humans and higher stress levels which lead to the compromise of animals? welfare. In Ethiopia, there are no legislations to protect animals from suffering or discomfort. The main objective of this study was therefore to analyse welfare of cattle on animal markets in Ethiopia and map out supply chains of animals to these markets.