In this paper we have examined why seniors do not use e-business to the same extent as other age groups. Seniors belong to the age group that, according to statistics from Statistics Sweden (SCB) in 2011, utilizes e-business the least in relation to the number who use the internet. To understand how seniors reason and perceive the possibility to shop on the internet, we have conducted four interviews with people from 65 years and older. We have let the respondents answer questions regarding utility aspects, e-business interfaces, general shopping habits, risks, and whether or not they usually shop online. We also found out how seniors reason when they sell products and services.

The aim of this thesis is to get a better understanding of how the management control system works at V&S Distillers. V&S Distillers went through an organizational change in the beginning of 2005. The marketing function went from being a country-driven to a category-driven organization. Among other things this resulted in increased cooperation between employees in different geographical locations. We aim to analyze how a geographical distance affects relations and the use of management control.

When a helicopter is flying, the dynamics vary depending on, for example, speed and position. Hence, a time-invariant linear model cannot describe its properties under all flight conditions. It is therefore desirable to update the linear helicopter model continuously during the flight. In this thesis, two different recursive estimation methods are presented, LMS (Least Mean Square) and adaptation with a Kalman filter. The main purpose of the system estimation is to get a model which can be used for feedback control.

Traditionally, mining has been performed mechanically with implementation ofyesterdays (and older) data. Several mining companies have started to useautonomous technology and robotics in the production areas although the harshmining environments make it unsuitable for today's electronic equipment. Despite allthe obstacles along the way of digitization, there seems to be no end in sight as thisdevelopment continues. This thesis focuses on what the mining industry is aiming forand why the mining companies are interested in these technologies. The actors of themining industry can be found to have a vision for the future mine, a production with ahigher degree of digitization and resemblances to a factory.

When traffic in large cities increases, it becomes more vulnerable to disturbances such as accidents, stalled vehicles or construction; therefore, traffic jams are more likely to occur. For better control of the traffic at a disturbance the Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA) has traffic equipment which can be controlled from a command centre. This traffic equipment consists of gates and signs with variable messages. This report will discuss the system used for traffic control in Stockholm. It will present proposals designed to improve it.

During our formative years, technology has always had a natural part of everyday life, and for us technology has never been particularly gendered. If this depends on the climate and the attitude of our homes, ourselves, the combination of both or something completely different is a question we have asked ourselves at times. But our approach to technology does not seem as obvious to all women, and today the IT industry is heavily dominated by men. This has meant that we have asked the question whether there is any underlying reason why so few women opt for IT courses? Is there a link between how different IT organizations profiles and the prevailing gender ratio? The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is any connections between how IT organizations are related to gender issues and how the structures, attitudes and gender actually looks like in the IT industry today, and how this can be seen in their branding efforts.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the possible effects of an unstable ventilation system and its influence on energy use and thermal comfort. The report also explores how qualified personal working with HVAC view and handles system control.In order to meet the requirements in energy efficiency and a comfortable indoor climate control regulation is a prerequisite. With optimized increased complexity of the climate systems, it becomes more challenging to control the system and the risk of unstable control increases. No previous studies about what affect an unstable system can have on energy use and thermal comfort have been found.The report is based on several tests were the controlling variable has been increased until the system becomes unstable. Two different types of unstable systems have been investigated.

Ett högt ohälsotal i arbetslivet innebär stora kostnader för samhället, arbetsgivare och även för de anställda. Forskningen inom detta område har flyttat fokus från att studera ohälsa till att istället studera hälsa och vilka faktorer som befrämjar hälsa i arbetslivet, de så kallade friskfaktorerna. Föreliggande studies övergripande syfte var att studera om upplevelsen av organisationsrättvisa och personlighets¬faktorn work locus of control predicerar upplevd hälsa hos kollektivanställda män och kvinnor. Studien genomfördes utifrån ett kvantitativt perspektiv med 103 deltagare som besvarade en enkät. Svarsfrekvensen var 22,5 % och resultatet visade att work locus of control predicerar upplevd hälsa för männen och procedural rättvisa predicerar upplevd hälsa för kvinnorna.

In this thesis, a computer program that in a simple way can calculate the performance of control loops at the refinery Preemraff Lysekil has been created. The computer program has been adapted to the environment at Preemraff Lysekil. Theories for evaluation has been studied in aspect of reliability and of automatic implementation. The evaluation has been carried out from data collected directly from control loops at the refinery and from simulated control loops with implemented errors. Among the studied methods are Harris index and Stattin´s oscillation index.

Powdery mildew is a serious problem in both field and greenhouse cucumber production and can cause serious infection and radically reduced yields. Today, powdery mildew is the main disease in greenhouse produced cucumber. Disease control should preferably be both efficient and environmentally friendly, which is not easy to achieve at all times. Alternatives to chemical control of powdery mildews are biological control, physical control, non-fungicide control and cultivation of resistant or tolerant varieties. Biological control can be described as the suppression of damaging activities inflicted of a harmful organism by one or more other organisms, which are called antagonists or natural enemies. In Sweden, there are currently no registered biological control products available to control cucumber powdery mildew. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two biological control products in order to evaluate their ability to prevent or reduce powdery mildew infection to an acceptable level in greenhouse produced cucumber. In the experiments, different application regimes were also studied.

Mergers and acquisitions are common phenomenon in today´s society in order to increase shareholder value. Two years ago a fusion of Sweden´s two largest companies in the industry of real estate took place and even though three out of four mergers and acquisitions financially fail this certain case turned out highly successful. The aim of this thesis is to examine how the organizational structure and the management control have been designed and characterized the organizational performance and furthermore what are the success factors of the integration. By studying an acquisition and its potential effects on organizational structure and management control parallel to a model that describes the best practice guidelines for managers to successfully deliver value from their acquisitions, it can be shown that an acquisition has direct effects both on the acquirer and the acquired company and thus the new organizational structure. The main results, thus, is that through active leadership, increased specialization, and more decentralized and thus efficient management control a new organization has emerged consisting of the best features of two separate worlds..

Municipalities must establish budget annually but they are free to decide how the governance should be designed, this can lead to lack of consistency and measurability within and between municipalities. The purpose of this thesis was to present a proposal for a unified and more measurable financial structure of a municipality where this was lacking. In our theory we describe the issues of traditional management control and we introduce an alternative control with non-financial ratios included, called the Balanced Scorecard. In the empirical data it is investigated how the governance of a municipality could be designed, according to the respondents. In the analysis the information gathered to reach the answers to what are considered to be useful governance in municipality, are examined. In the conclusion, we design Balanced Scorecards with both financial and non-financial ratios to the councils of the municipality..

This study examinates technology's traumatic impact on the male subject in The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard. In my analysis I show how the protagonist uses a fetischistic strategy in order to make sense of the trauma that technology embeds. Paradoxically it proves to be the agent of his trauma, but also functions as his shield. The machine is thus in a position of the hinge, the point in a structural system that both enables and deconstruct the system.

The market is developing and a growing competition increases pressure on companies to maintain their competitive advantage. Working with cost savings is a way to enhance earnings in a short term but also in a longer perspective. Volvo Powertrain Production Köping has an overall goal; to reduce costs by nine percentages in three years. To achieve the goal, Volvo Powertrain Production Köping works with World Class Manufacturing where the Department of Processing Technology constitutes an important part.Volvo Powertrain Production Köping lacks a standard for how savings within the metal cutting tool area are to be calculated. This makes it difficult to control and monitor their business outcome but it also causes difficulties in controlling the tool suppliers? outcome.

This study focuses on the transfer between a product-oriented to a service-oriented perspective regarding marketing activities in companies due to the development of information technology. It illustrates how this very transfer has been, and can be, contemplated through the eyes of organizations working with marketing in a digital world on a daily basis. Technology has turned several industries - their price-setting, communication channels and supplying possiblities - upside-down. This turnpoint brings out a new way of observing and working with marketing. Therefore, we find it interesting to gain a better understanding of how actors within industries where the turnpoint is a fact observes marketing, and how this service perspective can be seen in their various organizations and daily.