This thesis? objective is to evaluate the recently proposed Shy (2002) approach of estimating consumer switching costs. We apply Shy?s method for estimating switching costs on the Swedish markets for bank deposits and telecommunications. The evaluation has been achieved by comparing estimated results to economic theories, related empirical studies, and our expectations.

Purpose: To examine how a tour operator works to implement sustainability in the development of the business, as well as what significance it has to consumers in selecting a tour operator. Furthermore, the purpose is to provide recommendations on how tour operators should work to communicate their commitments.Methodology: The research strategy applied is a case study which follows an abductive approach. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to complement each other. A semi-structured interview with a tour operator and a consumer survey constitute the empirical foundation.Conclusion: The conclusion of the study is that consumers show a positive attitude towards CSR, but do not see it as a determinant when choosing a tour operator. Thus, CSR does not constitute a competitive advantage against competitors.

Syftet med uppsatsen a?r att underso?ka hur lojala konsumenterna pa? apoteksmarknaden i Katrineholm a?r. Eventuella samband mellan ko?n och lojalitetstyp samt a?ldersgrupp och lojalitetstyp underso?ktes a?ven. Fo?r att uppna? syftet genomfo?rdes en kvantitativ underso?kning med hja?lp av enka?ter, da?r 240 svar samlades in.

Our purpose with this research has been to obtain a deeper insight and understanding for the phenomenon and term ?weekday-luxury.?Through our research, we have found a link between value, service, brands and consumer behaviour into a relationship that we termed ?weekday-luxury.? This link of values is particularly interesting to us and we are curious about the underlying motivation to ?weekday-luxury? and the driving forces underlying the phenomenon. We have noticed in society that people need something extra in their daily lives and we attempt to speculate where their perceived value lies through the concept of ?weekday-luxury." Our goal is to determine a deeper understanding and insight into this phenomenon and how it meets our needs through an identifiable pattern. We also analyze the nature of ?weekday-luxury? and its meaning.

 An analysis in the work of Martin Kellermans comic ?Rocky? of the interaction between the male and female characters and of how each of their gender are portrayed. We are going to find out if it is probable for young adults to be affected by any eventual gender-stereotypes that we can find in ?Rocky? or if ?Rocky? consolidates a stereotypical image of men and women that young adults might have developed through different media. We conduct this analys by first reading through random seleceted ?Rocky? books and present some of the comic strips where men and women interact with each other or discuss the opposite sex..

 An analysis in the work of Martin Kellermans comic ?Rocky? of the interaction between the male and female characters and of how each of their gender are portrayed. We are going to find out if it is probable for young adults to be affected by any eventual gender-stereotypes that we can find in ?Rocky? or if ?Rocky? consolidates a stereotypical image of men and women that young adults might have developed through different media. We conduct this analys by first reading through random seleceted ?Rocky? books and present some of the comic strips where men and women interact with each other or discuss the opposite sex..

»Does it have to be so green?« is a visual communication project focused on packaging design. I attempted to challenge the clichés of graphic design for organic products and designed a packaging concept for a fictional food brand. The project had a special objec¬tive which was to explore ways to use the package as carrier for in¬formation about the enviromental impact of the packaging itself.The process included research about packaging design and its ef¬fect on the consumer, an investigation of the Swedish market for organic foods, creating and defining a brand, and designing a cohe¬rent packaging concept for a product line which communicates the brand?s values and appeals to the intended target group.The project resulted in prototypes for a muesli package, tea car¬ton and honey jar, as well as a manual that explains the application of the graphic program..

Cultural organizations set on capitalizing on artistic ideas are subject to an industry specific economic condition that requires a balance of art and commerce; two opposites reflecting credibility and non-credibility. Hence, commercialization of the cultural industries implies non-credibility in an industry insisting on symbolizing the opposite.This study aims to demonstrate how cultural industries can attract a wide audience, while maintaining credibility. This is done through the perspective of folksiness since its context indicates the existence of credible commercialism.The study demonstrate that credible commercialism is part of folksiness and is possible thanks to the folksiness context that 1) utilizes attributes that balance and disarm "negative attributes" creating an atmosphere of acceptance and 2) meets the consumer's need fulfilment of identity through individualism and belonging, and 3) contains attributes that increases loyalty..

This thesis is about the interaction between composition, notation and interpretation and what occurs between the fields with an extended notation.The purpose of my thesis is to examine the possibilities tothoroughly describe and map the sounding samples through composition prototypes.The thesis has a qualitative approach, and the empirical material consists of different documents about notation and from interviews with musicians and students about the instruments used in the thesis.It also consists of 17 compositions recorded at Örebro University School of Music as an appendix.The analysis shows that the context in which the symbols are found, play an important role in performing them. It also shows that the performers are rooted in a traditional way of performing..

The purpose of this developmental research was to test the new way of working when the students were to take part in planning of cooking during the lessons in home and consumer studies, because the aim of the school is to teach the students to take the responsibility for their studies. The two first lessons should be used by students in the group to plan and organize their meal. During the third lesson the students must be responsible for cooking ready their meal and afterwards they must evaluate the results. The results of this new way of working was new for the students and they thought it was fun to be responsible for cooking during these lessons in home economics. The students in the groups were of wixed ability and they developed their knowledge from the levels of their ability.

The out-of-town retail establishments are part of the dramatic structural changes in the retailing of food and groceries. There are however strong indications suggesting these establishments result in negative externalities concerning areas such as pollution and urban environment. The purpose of this study is to describe and, from an economic perspective, analyse the Swedish political regulations and planning policies concerning the out-of-town supermarkets. The analysis establishes that the current regulations regarding out-of-town retailing do not, due to the occurrence of market failures, produce an optimal situation. It might therefore be necessary to change the planning policies in a more restrictive direction.

The purpose of this essay was to examine the packaging design´s communications related to the colloquially brand's symbolic capital and how they became meaningful through experience and perceptions that led to the identification processes in the consumer society. There were eight interviews of snuff users who became my main collections materials. My theoretical framework was discourse psychology´s emphasis on language and Bourdieu´s concept provided important tools in the analysis of the material.I could highlight that packaging design and the brand had influenced the informants and given them symbolic beliefs and what it meant to sniff a certain brand. Color, brand awareness and price were crucial in choosing where the informants attributed themselves the cans symbolic values to their identity. It could be inferred high and low status perceptions based on stereotypes in the design itself..

The fashion industry in Kenya is slowly growing. The middleclass is getting bigger and theinterest for fashion among these consumers is increasing. One major problem for the growthof the industry is the extensive second hand trade, which has given several problematicaffects. The textile production has almost disappeared, the western influences are evident andthe consumer?s price sensitivity is prominent.The aim of this thesis is, by conducting a field study; to qualitative examine how to develop astrong domestic fashion brand on the Kenyan market and to give a foundation for a brandingstrategy for people involved within fashion in Kenya.

The purpose with this study was to elucidate the pros and the cons with a sale support system. This has been narrowed down into two questions: ?What are the pros and cons for a company that have a sale support system? and what are the pros and cons for a company that does not yet have a system?? Configurator that is a sale support system has been studied. It is a system that presents products by accepting different functions, qualities or parts that are possible to match. It can be used in business-to-business or business-to-consumer situations, through different sale channels, namely direct sale, indirect sale and online sale.

This paper explores the emic use of ?Internet trolls" and trolling behaviour in one specific Internet community. The findings are compared with, and put in relations to the conventional definition of Internet-trolls as individuals who deliberately, typically anonymously, antagonize other users of online common spaces.A forum dealing with matters of relationship issues in the Swedish online community Message Board of Familjeliv.se, was the subject of field-work that provided the basic empirical material for the research; three comparable threads on the subject of infidelity. These could all be said to contain suspected trolling, and such suspicions were also ascribed participants throughout the discussions. The analysis was undertaken mainly in terms of quality of narrative, performance and interaction.A comparative method and a genre analysis out of a holistic and functionalistic perspective is used to shed some light on how forum participants organize themselves and steer narratives towards desired outcomes.