This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using different benchmarking models to measure and compare the efficiency of Swedish gas distributors. It also discusses to which extent the results of a benchmarking study should influence the revenue-cap which will be implemented in the gas distribution sector in Sweden from year 2011. The discussion is based on arguments from both theory and practical applications of benchmarking. The results suggest that benchmarking Swedish gas distributors against distributors in another country using a parametric model is most favorable, but the reliability will be increased if non-parametric models are used also. Partial and total productivity measures could be used to confirm results of other benchmarking analyses.

The aim of this study is to investigate how Swedish listed real estate companies use quantitative sustainability measures - mainly sustainability index with a financial focus. Sustainability management is a controversial issue that is used more and more constructive. A sustainable management approach in corporate cunduct is complex and based on a number of aspects of business visions, objectives and daily procedures. The study identifies aspects that are considered relevant in real estate companies where the selection of sustainability indicators is based on the support of scientific research in this field. The study intendeds to clarify how Swedish listed real estate companies have selected aspects and indicators of sustainability management and how these work towards a sustainable development.

This thesis examines organisations as mediators and how different kinds of organisations have different prerequisites to act as mediators. Global, regional and subregional organisations are often asked to mediate in conflicts, but considering the circumstances, who should mediate?In a mediating process the mediator should be considered as important an actor as the disputing parties and should hence be scrutinized as one. Mediation is a complex subject to study and theoretically the opinions differ on what characterises a good mediator. I have taken many of the different views in consideration and constructed a model from which organisations and their prerequisites can be compared and evaluated.

The purpose of this report is to analyze the advantages of using programme software to monitor masshauling instead of using the conventional method. A comparsion between different programs will also be conducted in an attempt to determine the most affordable. This report is written for NCC Construction AB to help them choose a software most fitting for future projects.The report is based upon literature such as information taken from the developers website, existing reports with similar context, interviews with sellers of the software and interviews with people working in the building sector.The result of this report shows that there are several advantages with investing in a software that helps the management of a project and that it is something that should be taken under consideration instead of the existing method. Topcon is a clear favorite following the inquiries comparisons as done, when they deliver a complete system and not only a supplement to the current approach. Scanlaser are just in the beginning of its development, and is so far only out with an early version of the software, while Topcon has been brought further in development and therefore has more features in the program.

Investmentföretag har funnits sedan urminnes tider men har under senare år ofta fått stå tillbaka som investeringsalternativ till fördel för aktiefonder. Detta är lite motsägelsefullt då svenska investmentföretagen historiskt har haft en högre avkastning än den svenska aktiefondförvaltaren. Större delen av forskningen kring investmentföretag har fokuserat på substansrabatten. Vi fann väldigt få studier som berört investmentföretagens risktagande, speciellt ur ett portföljperspektiv. För att underlätta för den individuella investeraren ville vi använda ett riskmått som är lätt att förstå.

This masters thesis takes the providers perspective on public library story times for children. The main questions are: What perspectives can the providers have? How does the perspective affect the content and how is the story time drawn up? Five story time providers were interviewed about the purpose of their story times, the methods they used and the content they chose. A model with four criteria was used to analyze the result of the interviews. The criteria were: adult criteria, consideration of the childrens view, pedagogical criteria and literary/story time criteria.

This work is done to try to solve a scientific computer problem and its basis derived from the web, as there are a variety of ways to program to it. The most common languages used by developers, both private and corporate are PHP, .NET and Ruby. But why do companies or a private developer choose a specific programming language? Is it because it is better and has more features than the others, or because they are forced? This essay uses a questionnaire and through tests sees which is best and which one is the most popular/used. To illustrate the problem, a survey is conducted and sent to several companies and asked them to answer the questions regarding the issue.

Previous research in the area of leadership and stress has shown that the leader plays an important role but in what way is still an issue to explore. A qualitative approach was used in this study to develop an increased understanding of the leader's experience of stress using four themes; leadership, stress, control and organizational factors. A total of 12 semi-structured and un-structured interviews were carried out with 6 leaders, three females and three males. The data was transcribed and thematic as well as narrative analysis was conducted.The results indicates that leadership stress is caused by a lack of control and that factors intrinsic to the role as a leader both facilitates and complicates the leaders situation when facing stress..

Syftet med studien är att genom textanalys undersöka om svenska kommersiella företag använder riktlinjer för klarspråk i sina hållbarhetsrapporter. Vidare undersöks om riktlinjerna, som är utvecklade för myndighetsspråk, även är lämpliga att tillämpa på hållbarhetsrapporter. Analysmodellen för textanalysen består av Språkrådets klarspråkstest. Hållbarhetsrapporter är ett sätt för företag att visa att och hur de arbetar med Corporate social responsibility/ansvarsfullt företagande, och de slumpmässigt utvalda företagen blev Atrium Ljungberg, Getinge och NCC. Genom textanalysen drogs slutsatserna att svenska, stora företag i hög grad arbetar med klarspråk och att det vore lämpligt med ett speciellt klarspråkstest för hållbarhetsrapporter..

EU har under lång tid sökt lösa de problem som finns på den inre marknaden avseende direkt beskattning. En rad riktade åtgärder har förverkligats genom praxis. Jämte riktade åtgärder har även kommissionen arbetat med en långsiktig lösning där bolag ska ges möjlighet att använda sig av en gemensam bolagsskattebas för hela unionen. Den 16 mars 2011 presenterade kommissionen slutligen ett förslag till direktiv om en gemensam konsoliderad bolagsskattebas. .

We have seen a revolution in the area of communication on a worldwide scale. We begin talking about terms as globalisation, integration and deregulation of the financial market. Companies have been tax planning for decades, the questions is if Internet has made an increase of companies than uses tax planning and which roll Internet plays. It is hard to really pinpoint all the effects of the Internet because of the relatively new area of research. This thesis will take various factors under study such as globalisation, development of the offshore industry and the fight against harmful taxation by the OECD and other organisations in order to describe the effects of Internet.

In 1994 a new Forestry Act was accepted in Sweden. One of the aims of the law is to raise consideration forpreservation of biodiversity. Since the new law got accepted and some time has passed, there now lie someinterest in examining whether the law has been effective towards its purpose. Methods suitable for analysishave been examined during this study. The content of this pilot study is based around five parameters whichcan be used to validate the effects of the new law.

erspective [80][upps-01.gif] This is a thesis on the Swedish Public Lending Right PLR, from a historical perspective. Some of the questions which are investigated in this thesis are: why did the State decide to introduce a PLR and why did it take about 20 years to make the decision? The question why the PLR was not introduced on a copyright basis is also discussed. The focus of this study is during the period of 1934-1956 and it is a literature-study. Mainly there are four reports made by different committees that have been examined.

There are many factors in a building project that has to collaborate with one another in order to reach the desired end result, how you work with moisture issues in timber is a very important one. While constructing Varbergs Hospital, the building company Skanska came in contact with the issue of extra high demands on the moisture content in timber. What they requested from us was a moisture program in which you clearly could follow the routines regarding work with moisture in timber. The aim is to use this program as a help during the work, in order to achieve a good result.We have developed this study in addition to the moisture program. The aim is that this study will give you a deeper understanding of the important factors to consider.

The purpose of the study was to look into bilingual parents?perspectives on their own and their children?s communication andcommunication disabilities. Furthermore the study aimed to examine theseparents? needs regarding education in augmentative and alternativecommunication (AAC) and whether ComYoung communication course hadmet the needs. ComYoung address parents of school-aged children withextensive communicative disabilities and intend to give them increasedknowledge in communication and AAC.