Through geopolitical theory this thesis explores how conflicts within states can be read and understood according to an analytical model determining one or several possible causes for the conflict.  The model is created by the author and reflects geopolitical theory by giving three possible explanations to an intrastate conflict: culture, economy or territorial construction. The aim of the thesis is testing this model on two selectively chosen case studies ? i.e. two intrastate conflicts ? namely: the upcoming referendum in Scotland and the terror attack at Tiananmen Square in China.

Vid Volvo construction equipment AB, Component division i Eskilstuna, har nedväxling i förpackningsstorlekar genomförts som en del i en omfattande omställning mot Volvo Production System och Lean. Genom att producera med mindre satsstorlekar och hemtagningskvantiteter, vill Component division sänka sin kapitalbindning och bli flexiblare mot variationer i produktionen. Dessvärre påverkar nedväxlingen förpackningskostnaden till följd av ytterligare hantering, transport och administration. För Component division är det viktigt att få en god uppfattning om hur alla förpackningskostnader utvecklas med tiden. De vill i framtiden följa ett lämpligt nyckeltal för att se hur effektiva de är inom förpackningslogistik samt hur beslut och förändringar påverkar kostnaden.

This study sets out to investigate how the roll of the teacher is constructed in the Swedish Teachers? Unions trade publication. Based on the theory of social constructionism we have used the method of critical discourse analysis to establish dominant trends and patterns in how the roll of teacher is constructed in editorials in Swedish Lärarnas Tidning. We have established that the conflict between a modernist school tradition and a postmodern society has resulted in a dominant, traditional teacher discourse which is being simultaneously challenged by both a market-orientated discourse and a professionalization discourse. Furthermore, we attempt to highlight how these ?ideal? constructions can create problems in terms of identity construction for teachers.

Due to a constantly increasing competitive pressure it is of great importance to constantly strive for improvements in order to gain competitive advantages. Lean Production is a concept that has been introduced with the aim to minimize waste and increase profitability. The purpose of this report is therefore to investigate how to perform effective planning according to the principles of Lean Production, in companys with customer exclusive products, through a case study at Sandvik Mining and Construction (SMC), and to investigate how SMC kan improve their planning of drifting rods at the production unit in Sandviken.The study started by creating a theoretical framework, to describe the subject planning and planning based on Lean Production. This frame work constituted the base for the case study which took place at Sandvik Mining and Construction, and also for the model and planning tool that has been introduced.The result of the study is partly a general model with factors that contribute to a more effective planning. These factors has beed identifed as SMED, which focuses on reducing set up times and in the end to facilitate the planning.

As a school welfare officer you are often alone of having your perspective and must struggle to preserve that perspective. At the same time, there are very little defined what role a social worker should have in a school. This makes it nessesary to form and develop your role of profession independently. According to the Swedish school law, the schools are not required to employ a welfare officer. This makes the school welfare officer inferior to the other branches of occupation in school.

This qualitative study treats the construction and maintenance of balance between work and private life and how flexibility in the workplace is perceived. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and these have been conducted in five large companies around Gothenburg. The analysis and results are based on the phenomenographic method approach and the final results were four themes: Balance, Flexibility, Combining family and work and lifelong learning with related subcategories. The result shows that the construction and maintenance of balance between work and personal life is something that is tied to the indi-viduals and the current situation in life. Two of the most common strategies to maintain a dis-tinction proved to be planning as well as other activities, in order to move the focus away from the work.

In Stockholm there are currently five women, out of a total of 102 employees, working in public sports arenas. In sports arenas men are numerically superior amongst the workers as well as the visitors. These arenas are in many ways male dominated, masculinized environments. In this essay I investigate the reasons behind the uneven distribution, in terms of gender, among sports arena workers. I do this by interviewing seven female sports arena workers (the five current and two former), and by observing their workplaces.

Malmö, like many other bigger cities in Europe, faces a double undertaking when facing the challenges the future. Not only must the municipal be able to provide its citizens with welfare and a high standard of living, it must also establish a level of economic growth that allows the city to act as catalyst for the surrounding area. In order to provide the population with welfare and the economy with a qualified working force, these two challenges have been combined into one plan for the future called Welfare for Everybody. As part of this plan, new organisations have been created with the purpose collaborating with the social services office and support people in their transaction from welfare recipients to self-providing workers. The purpose of our thesis is to build on Michael Lipsky's classic work "Street-level Bureaucracy" and by conducting interviews with a number of front line workers study how they view their role, the client group and how they motivate the working line.

The psychosocial work environment in hard professions is hardly studied and this study was implemented to observe port workers psychosocial work environment in ports of Västerås and Köping. There are two purposes with this study: firstly, to examine how ports of Västerås and Köping, Mälarhamnar AB, can improve and develop their business by using psychosocial methods. To do this, a questionnaire study and three interviews with workers were done and the results were used in a SWOT- analysis. Secondly, the aim is to be able to use the results and make a difference in the business development by adjusting the psychosocial work environment. The results show that the employees are happy at work and are happy with their work colleagues.

Construction accounts for about 35 percent of the total Swedish energy consumption and most of the energy is used by the large housing stock from the so-called ?Million program?. In the national action plan the government has put forward in energy efficiency. It is mentioned that existing buildings account for more than 90 percent of what is expected to be the housing stock within the coming 50 years. In order to meet environmental objectives its required that the existing stock be reviewed for energy efficiency. The goverment is now initiating a national framework with a budget of SEK 300 million Swedish crowns per year for five years, starting in 2010 to achieve the goal on energy efficient buildings. Energy efficiency of buildings in both new construction and above all within the existing stock are addressed.

The construction and use of buildings in the EU accounts for half of the EU?s extracted materials and energy consumptions, and a third of greenhouse gas emissions. In the past decade, the construction sector has responded to such concerns by focusing on post production energy efficiency. However, new findings indicate that upstream construction processes influence emissions significantly ? necessitating a shift in focus to include material choices and building processes.

The purpose of this text is to show how the mother motif is portrayed in four selected novels by Alfred Kämpe, but the thesis also serves the purpose of emphasizing the fact that the mother motif can be seen interacting with the class motif.This text will account for a new insight into the motifs in Alfred Kämpe?s Trälar. Known as one of the first authors to write in the genre of working-class literature in Sweden Kämpe?s texts provide motifs common for this genre such as class, identity and solidarity. As this thesis shows there is yet another motif that should be included among these typical Swedish working class literature motifs: the mother motive.

This thesis has evaluated environmental classifications of projects and the lessons learned to explore what the possible ramifications of implementing this in the construction and infrastructure are. Companies today are looking to develop methods to demonstrate their environmental commitments, but there is an uncertainty regarding the contribution of environmental classifications in this aspect.The literature review presents the theory of environmental classification, which provides a general knowledge of its function. The empirical data is based on an analysis of existing classification methods and qualitative interviews. The analysis shows specific environmental classification system for the area of construction and infrastructure. CEEQUAL is currently the only environmental classification applicable to Swedish projects and therefore serves as the basis for the continued analysis.

Detta examensarbete utreder frågeställningen om den såkallade "olyckskorpen" ? alltså yrkesarbetaren som är inblandad i flertalet arbetsplatsolyckor ? verkligen existerar. Frågan är lite av kontroversiell typ och har diskuterats sedan 1940-talet, utan något avsevärt utslag eller dokumenterat alster.Samarbetspartner blev NCC Construction och två av deras stora arbetsplatser i Stockholmsområdet valdes som mätfält; Söderby samt Frösunda.Undersökningen baserades på datainhämtning genom enkätformular till yrkesarbetare och ledning på de utvalda arbetsplatserna, genom erfarenhetsinhämtning från platschefer och lagbasar inom NCCs organisation samt från YTH-studenter på byggprogrammet. Författarnas egen erfarenhet från branschen har också vägts in i bearbetningen.Resultatet gav ingen olyckskorp att sätta fingret på, men en indikation från samtliga håll att egenskaper som kan knytas till olyckskorpen förekommer i branschen. Detta gav upphov till en teoretisk modell att användas för att ringa in olyckskorpar på individuell nivå i en vidare undersökning..

Purpose: To explore how the changes in work life, here represented and depicted through the concepts of knowledge work and knowledge worker, have been incorporated in the official psychosocial work environment discourse in Sweden. Methodology: Critical discourse analysis, contrasting the official psychosocial work environment discourse to literature on knowledge work and knowledge worker, to explore how employees, employers and their relations are constructed within these two discourses; focusing identity, autonomy and power. Using the constructions to make visible how they are articulated, used and dealt with in a real life case from the Work Environment Authority. Theoretical perspectives: Our social world is socially constructed and language is the main tool for constructing it. Discourse analysis is thus not just a tool for deconstructing texts but also for enhanced understanding of our construction of the world and our ability to communicate about it.