The study set out to find how artists organize and use their personal collections from a Personal Information Management (PIM) perspective, and how that use affects their practice and their art production. A secondary object of the study was to articulate the ways that personal collections are utilized as tools by creative users.  The empirical data consisted of five qualitative, semi-structured interviews with Swedish and Norwegian sound artists. The constant comparative method was used for analysis, and Activity Theory was used as a theore- tical framework for the study. The study concluded that artists? personal collections, while diverse in content and structure, serve the same functions as tools in creative processes, and that attention to the uses of personal collections highlight needs that could be better met by integrated PIM-functionality.

Previous research has shown that there is a relationship between trust and organizational commitment. Our research questions were if the three trust-variables ability, benevolence and integrity predict organizational commitment differently. Further we examined if the length of employment affected the relationship between benevolence and organizational commitment. Due to the fact that past studies has shown that benevolence develop during a longer period of time than do the other trust-variables. We made a survey using questionnaires (n=50) in a ?caretaking facility? and using a multiple regression analysis we found that ability was a significant predictor (p=0.032) for organizational commitment.

Musical improvisation is an infinite artistic well. It helps the musician to make a personal performance and lets the music reflect the inner feelings. It is a language with which the performer can adapt the formulation to the specific situation. Yet so many have fear and respect when facing the phenomenon. In this study Dan Alkenäs discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using musical improvisation as a pedagogical method in school education.

Since the brain is an important prerequisite for human language there is a great interest to gain more knowledge about healthy brain activity during language mediated communication. This study examines variations in high level language ability relating to demographic factors like gender and age and relates language ability to neural activity.Eighteen individuals in ages between 22 and 64 were included and divided into groups in relation to gender and age. The material used to assess language ability was derived from Testbatteri för Bedömning av Subtila Språkstörningar (Laakso, Brunnegård, Hartelius & Ahlsén, 2000), Swedish Lexical Decision Test (Almkvist, Adveen, Henning & Tallberg, 2007) and a reading test (Högskoleprovet). The results were correlated with measured brain activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and language paradigms. ANOVA was applied to discover possible demographic variances in language ability as well as in brain activity.The results showed no significant differences in language ability.

This thesis is a cultural theoretical case study of the art project (O)önskad samhällsförbättring.Via an analysis of the project, that is based on theories of power, resistance and contemporaryurban development, it examines the construction of urban space, its impact on public art including the ability of art to initiate evolvement of the urban public space.The last decades art has plaid an important role in what is called the creative city; to become attractive nodal points of the global economy, larger cities increasingly invest in art,culture and creative industry. Simultaneously the urban public space is limited to activitiesand expressions of art that are presumed to create economic growth. This introduces animpression of what is allowed and what is not allowed, possible and not possible, wished andnot wished which, as a consequence, evolves the public space. The events during the artproject and the reactions that followed enlightened these limitations. This tells a story, not only about the structuring process of the local urban space, but also important changes that are created as a simultaneous effect at different levels in society, as well locally as globally.

The Master Thesis has been carried out in cooperation with Silva Sweden AB and the objective was to develop a new product concept within the product category for everyday exercise. The purpose of the thesis was to use and analyze methods and tools which aid creativity and concept creation in order to make method recommendations for future projects.During the thesis a number of customer needs were identified, which in turn were translated into 20 concepts. On a concept decision meeting a pedometer-based concept was chosen for development. The new pedometer is in addition to counting steps also able to measure and calculate the user?s total climbed height during a day and present this graphically in comparison to famous monuments or distances.

The purpose of this degree thesis is to investigate what the English teachers in an upper sec-ondary school, think about teaching students in ability grouped classrooms. The questions that I have set out to investigate include what the teachers think about ability grouping in English, the school?s current organisation of ability groups, the pros and cons of ability grouping in English, differentiation in teaching and if students get more individualized teaching with abil-ity groups, how the teachers cooperate and what would be the optimal teaching situation in an English learning classroom.I did a lot of theoretical research on the subject and studied old essays on similar subjects. I also did some classroom observations to use as background information for my interviews. I interviewed five teachers of different sex, age, and teaching experience.

The aim of this essay is to examine if the attitudes and the experiences of Ability Grouping are the same on different levels of the school organisation.I have chosen to answer the following two questions:· Have the teachers, the students and the headmaster the same idea concerning the educational model at the school, that is, the pros and cons of Ability Grouping?· Does the intentions of the curriculum agree with this educational model?I knew what I thought about the educational model at the school that is the object of this essay, after spending ten weeks at it as a trainee, but I felt that I would be interesting to know what the people who are part of that system everyday think about it.In order to be able to answer my questions, I used both the qualitative and the quantitative method. I interviewed the headmaster and five teachers to find out what they thought about Ability Grouping. I also distributed inquiries to 70 students from 6th to 9th grade to get their point of view. In the theoretical discussion I explain the meaning of different conceptions that I use throughout this essay.

In the fragmented network economy of toady remote work for creative designers becomes mor eand more prevalent. This is good for a number of reasons. Mainly, creative designers can find work inside and outside of their region irrespective of where they choose to live. However, competing for jobs in a global market is harder, and the online presence of the creatives becomes their main shopping window. We have conducted a study, interviewing digital creatives in Västerbotten.

The Swedish armed forces has for many years educated squad leaders by letting them start their training two and a half months before the soldiers start their training. 2007, this system was used for the last time. I went trough this system myself in 2005 and had a positive experience and when I did my internship I experienced a slight difference in the attitude of the squad leader. I talked with my colleges at the company and they had felt the same. This essay will try to analyse if the squad leaders has lost any of there ability and if so, what could be the cause? To analyze the ability of the squad leader in this essay it will first analyze their ability through the Direct leadership theory, which is the theory that is presently used in the Swedish armed forces.

My working process is craft based and influenced by devotion for the textile material and techniques, but the concept is just as important. I mainly do sculptural objects where I treat fascination, frustration and disgust for the human body from a personal perspective. I am also deeply fascinated with Michael Jackson; an iconic figure that I adore above all else. A man with an inner musical ability, dedicated his entire life to tame and signify it through his body. My master work is an investigation where I look upon similarities and connections between my fascination with the body and the admiration and fascination with Michael Jackson.

The title of this project: "Istället för träd" translates as "Instead of trees" or "Replacing trees". By looking at different ways of replacing trees in the urban environment through functionality analysis, I study the creative process. To achieve this, I present eleven different ideas, and follow and analyse the process of sketching. One conclusion about the creative process is that it is a non-linear chain of events influenced by factors like method, external impressions and chance. A complete design, "Trasmattan" ("The rag") is presented. It consists of a colourful striped carpet made from rubber surfacing covering part of the sidewalks of the central street "Dragarbrunnsgatan" in Uppsala, Sweden. .

The purpose of this work was to observe fifth grade students in their creative work, how they act and how gender roles appear in the creative work. The background to this work is that I want to examine whether there is any difference in gender roles, when students are working creatively and on their compliance with, the sexes, typical similarities and differences that exist.Observational study showed that girls and boys in the class I observed, in general, has followed traditional gender patterns that exist in our society. With typical gender patterns, I mean that girls are expected to be quiet, talented and helpful and the boys are expected to speak loud and more often than the girls. The girls were, on balance, quieter and more tranquil than the boys who had difficulties to sit still and wanted to be seen and heard more widely..

This degree project deals with the concept of creativity and the creative output based on howSwedish upper-secondary design teachers within the Technical Engineering Programexperience this from a student's perspective. The project discusses how the concept creativityis interpreted and how the creative output is regarded by educationalists and professionaldesigners and how this then can be related to literature on the subject and in the steeringdocuments. The purpose of this degree project is to visualize the interviewees' viewpoint oncreativity and the significance of experience, skills, and environment for the creative outputand within the field of design. This in order to, in the pedagogic and didactic situation, enablethe improvement of teaching so that creativity and its output come to show. Moreover, theproject aims to create a ground for discussion of the view of the importance of these skills inthe pedagogic/didactic situation.In order to reach this aim, I have read literature on creativity from several perspectives andcarried out eight qualitative structured interviews: both with three educationalists withoutexperience within the design profession, and with two educationalists who are or have beenactive within the design profession, as well as with three professional designers.

In today?s society, people do not solely purchase a product for its promised use. Instead, a brand is purchased and along with that brand comes a variety of associations. The associations of a product?s brand are what contributes to the added value that, according to this study, is what distinguishes a brand?s power.