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.

The base for the study is laid during an internship at a regional office in Brussels. The study initially concentrates on the function and activities of different regional offices located in Brussels, in order to answer the core question.The main focus is to reveal an eventual change of cooperation patterns between different regional offices, and in particular the eventual redirection away from a main cooperation between offices deriving from the same national state.Through an empirical material, based on a series of interviews, an analysis is made using three hypotheses concerning the patterns of cooperation among regional offices.The notion of a coming change stated by, in particular, two older studies is used as a theoretical steppingstone with the conclusion that a change, in the way offices collaborate, has taken place..

The kimono is a simply cut costume with a very advanced tradition of the wearer, which Ihope to communicate through this essay. The long historical bakground of the kimono cangive a better understanding of its construction and its contexts as well as its individualconditions, all is to be taken in consideration before exhibiting the kimono. Relevantstudies in litterature has been applyed within these subjects, which are accounted forprimarily in the second and third chapter of this essay. The essay contains a study of thekimono with a strict delimitation towards four symbolic wearers, the subject is thenfurther discussed in relation to the different kind of installations at exhibits. In the fourthpart of the essay two educational study visits will function as a supplementary study forthe litterature studies meantioned earlier.

In writing this study, I wanted to examine which principles of organization that are possible for Swedish public libraries to use, and what these principles mean for the libraries customerorientation. This is done by examining a number of written sources, as well as studying the organization of six public libraries. I found several possible principles, but a number of principles have been more commonly used than others. Historically most public libraries were organized according to the functions needed to be carried out within the organization, but today it is much more common to use subject-based organizations, with some examples of organizing according to user-groups and needs. I have also encountered the possibility of organizing according to the sources that are to be handled, or the way in which these sources are used by the customers.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the usability of the Umeå University library catalogue Album. The aim is to evaluate the catalogue in order to establish if there are any problems that could be solved by modifying the catalogue. The following questions are answered: How should a good catalogue be designed? Which problems are common when using a library catalogue? Is Album user friendly? Are there any problems that occur when using Album and how can the catalogue be changed to avoid the problems? To answer these questions I have performed a usability test in which five persons, all students, got to carry out twenty tasks in the catalogue and talk about what they were doing and thinking while doing the test. This method is a usability method called Think Aloud.

The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge about the representation of fiction authors who have written in languages other than Swedish in educational school books within the Swedish subject. This is done in relation to the school's promotion of cultural diversity, a globalized world and to the Swedish curriculum. The study is a combination of a qualitative and a quantitative analysis that takes its starting point in six educational books for the courses Swedish 1 and 2. The analysis shows that all study materials include a broad representation of authorships from Europe and the USA. The selection of authors from other parts of the world is, however, limited.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate the construction of sexuality in Swedish school libraries through the lens of Foucault?s concept of power/knowledge. Five libraries were investigated, using two kinds of method: discourse analysis of titles, classification codes and subject headings of sex education materials, and qualitative interviews with librarians working at each of the libraries. Most sex education materials were classified within the medicine section, illustrating the continued authority of medical discourse in matters concerning sexuality. Books for younger audiences were often written for either boys or girls, reproducing a binary understanding of gender.

This work has treated the subject of gender, with demarcation against the norms regarding appearance and beauty, conveyed by the media and how it affects society. This is expressed through social satire cartoons. This work has also led to an exploration of the importance of a personal drawing style and how it manifests itself..

Abstract:Perennials in public areas have during the latest decades been more and more popular. This group of plants has become a more accepted komponent when creating pleasant public places, and people begin to see the functional aspects. Perennials do also give a colour- and senceexperience in a more detailed way than can be achieved with only trees and shrubs. One of the ojects of this essay is to give more examples of motives for using perennials in urban areas.Having in mind the increasing use of perennials, you can expect a growing need for better understading of how to create successfull perennial plantings. In spite of the increasing interest it is hard to find any written information in this subject.

Business unit Cylinder at ASSA AB in Eskilstuna are having problem with frictions in their production process. Changes are occurring and older products along with machineries are phased out and transferred to low-cost countries. This opens up possibilities to at a larger extend customize physical flows after production flows. The authors where given the task to analyze the production and find problem areas to improve and to give suggestion on how Business unit Cylinder can work to optimize their production flow.The aim of the thesis work is to come up with suggestions on how to reduce the lead time in production and how the tied up capital can be reduced. In more detail the task included to find problem areas that are counteracting an effective flow, give solutions on new flows for the production of the cylinder core, give suggestions for new stock points for the production and how the production shall be managed and controlled.During the last twelve months ASSA AB has sold over 700 different types of cylinder cores, and the product range is very wide.

This work has treated the subject of gender, with demarcation against the norms regarding appearance and beauty, conveyed by the media and how it affects society. This is expressed through social satire cartoons. This work has also led to an exploration of the importance of a personal drawing style and how it manifests itself..

The purpose of this study is to discuss various approaches to group work and the importance of different approaches in relation to group work in schools. The study also looks at the results of the children working in different groups and constellations.This study is based on what previous research, literature and the tree teachers say about the subject group work and group divisions. Issues: Is there any kind of group work that always works? Does the structure of the tasks have any effect on the outcome? Is there any good reason to choose the teamwork approach that? The method I chose is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach to the analysis. Three teachers were interviewed; result is presented in themes and concludes with a brief summary.

This thesis is a case study that examines what political decisions have been taken and how these policies have been implemented. Further this thesis discusses how legitimacy of local policy makers and implementors is affected. The subject studied have been the social service of Jönköping municipality and the intervention of safe-housing aimed at women who have been, or are subject to violence by person close to them. In our study we have examined local policy within the territory of the intervention and how this policy is implemented. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was used in combination with quantitative methods to examine protocols from the social welfare board and an action program named "Skydd och stöd för misshandlade kvinnor och deras barn? [Protection and support for abused women and their children].The purpose of this study has been to highlight how the social services implemented the local policy of safe-house accommodation in Jönköping municipality from the legitimacy and discretion perspectives.

This essay examines through a sociological perspective how physical objects in Ted Kooser?s poetry collection "Delights & Shadows" can be used to depict the characters? social environment. This is done by examining the physical objects found in 25 poems, the relationships between subjects and objects, and how this relationship can describe the social environment. The essay also examines how the relationship between subjects, objects, and the presence of the social environment within the text affects the reader experience. The physical objects are examined with Bill Brown?s Thing Theory as "things" that stop working for humans, when their flow within the circuits of production and distribution, consumption and exhibition is arrested, however momentarily.

The study of the French market for softwood has been done in collaboration with VIDA AB. The aim of the study was to investigate important product quality and service quality dimensions, the customers? perception of the offering and generally describe the French market and present actors. The market for softwood around the world changes over time and new markets can mean opportunities for the sawmilling industry. The French market is the second biggest European market for softwood, has had presence of actors with sourcing of raw material from the Nordic countries for decades and there is a growing interest for building with wood. Theory being used is about the different dimensions that make up the total quality of softwood, together with intangible dimensions making up the total offering that helps the sawmilling industry to create positive perceived value for the customers. Methodological approach in the study was a case study research design, aimed at providing knowledge about one specific subject in one context. The general description was mostly carried out by literature studies and data from various statistics sources.