AbstractOur purpose for making this study is to study the implementation, the use of and the effects of Lean within our case objects.  We chose to make this thesis by case studies. The three themes mentioned above is also the main research questions that we aim to find an answer to by this study. We have chosen to do a cross section analysis where we conducted structured interviews to find answers to these questions. The theoretical reference frame consists partly of traditional theoreticians within Lean but also more recent research within the subject as well as theory specifically for Lean within the Health Care sector.The result of this study shows in all our case studies that the Management has been supporting the implementation, but that the implementation process proceeds faster if also the professionals are involved in the process.  To succeed with the implementation there is a great need for good reasons and strives that can benefit the professionals. By the use of Lean our case studies have evaluated its processes, with the main intentions being to reduce waste activities and to create flows with ?pull systems?.

There are an increasing number of pupils leaving school with incomplete grades. Research indicates that the causes to this phenomenon may be individual- as well as school related and complicated to illuminate. The purpose of the study is to examine the processes of exclusion that have resulted in pupils´ incomplete degrees. Two research problems have been formulated. The first one is about the identification of exclusion and branding factors for pupils with incomplete degrees.

The purpose of this study was to get a client perspective of the different ways to exit from a different role as a drugabuser, and furthermore, how to maintain a drugfree life.The questions of issue were:- What kind of social-psychological conceptions rules the process?- Which motive powers are essential to maintain drug-independence?- Are there any difficulties on the path to social adaptation?Our research was based on interviews with eight persons; five men and three women, from a treatment home in the south of Sweden. The method we used was semi-structured and with a thematic questionnaire. We chose this form due to the fact that we did not want to influence the interviews, as we wanted to know the persons opinions.The result of our study showed that the interviewed persons have some difficulties to adjust in the society and to find new friends especially the interviewed persons with maintenance treatment. Marginal problems as, for example, the lack of not having a work or a home can complicate a further development for the group with maintenance treatment.

Due to increasing international competition and new technology IT-consultants has been forced to oversee their business models lately. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the process and consequences of a shift in business model for a consultant by using a methodology based on action research. The empirical foundation consists of a field study with observations, notes, interviews and business related documents. The case describes a consultant?s process of shifting business model from profits based on man-hours to selling a standardized system.

How effective is consumer power? Can consumers regulate corporate behavior?And if so is the case, could the mechanisms where consumers regulate corporatebehavior have any democratic value to contribute with? These are the questionsthat this master's thesis comprehends with. The purpose of this writing is toconstruct a theory of consumer power that is compatible with democratic theory,this in order to contribute to the ongoing discussion within the discipline ofpolitical science about the third democratic transformation. A discussion that hasbeen actualized due to the democratic deficit created by the growing corporatepower and the shift of power from state to private enterprises. Besides showingfor a parallel between the democratic mechanisms that exists in the relationbetween citizens and state on the one hand, and the consumers and corporationson the other hand, this paper argues that consumers do have a great potential inregulating corporate behavior towards a higher social responsibility andawareness.

The importance of good information security and safety grows larger and larger for each day in the information society of today. This concerns citizens, companies and public authorities. At the Swedish Transport Administration, the operation of an information security and safety process has evolved over the years to guarantee that the public authority can be trusted by its citizens, cooperating companies and other public authorities. This responsibility has been assigned to the Information Security and Safety Department (Informationssa?kerhetsavdelningen, ITsa?).In this thesis the aim is to review to what extent ITsa? achieves any business benefits for the Swedish Transport Administration, and to analyze, streamline and come up with solutions to improve their workflow.

The purpose of this study is to examine web-based recruitment to short term summer jobs at the SocialServices Department in Luleå municipality in Sweden. Recruitment goals, selection options on therecruitment homepage Offentliga Jobb and recruitment practices were analysed in order to reach a deeperunderstanding of the interactions between these three levels in the selection process. Pre-selection throughOffentliga Jobb was a special concern of the study. Different consciousness levels in the selection process areemphasised according to Anthony Giddens' structuration theory. Ten recruiters from different parts of thedepartment were interviewed.

Konkurrensen inom klädbranschen är hård och det finns många stora aktörer på marknaden. Småföretag har begränsade resurser till skillnad från de stora aktörerna, det blir därmed viktigt för dem att använda sig av kostnadseffektiva metoder för att kunna nå ut till kunderna. Marknadsföring är en avgörande del när det gäller överlevnad och expandering. Många aspekter spelar in när det handlar om företagens framtid, allt från hur man positionerar sig till hur effektivt man använder sig av marknadsföringsmixen. Det gäller att synas och att få kundens uppmärksamhet samt få kunderna till återköp.

Purpose of this study is to investigate whether BBIC had an effect on the interaction between social services and schools. To find this out, a comparative study carried out between two municipalities in southern Sweden who has worked with the BBIC system different lengths of time. The empirical data is based on six qualitative interviews with heads of unit in social services, principals in secondary schools, and social workers who work with children- and youth investigations. The theoretical framework consists of Bronfenbrenners Ecology model, systems theory as organizational theory and the theory of autopoiesis, and Danermark model of collaboration. The results of the survey show that respondents do not find that their inter-organizational collaboration has been significantly affected by the implementation of BBIC, but that BBIC provides a good basis for collaboration due to the logic and structure of the system..

The thesis objective was to study the partnership between the municipality of Gothenburg and three nonprofit organizations concerning the mobile EU-citizens. The study examines how the EU-enlargement affected Sweden and eventually the municipality of Gothenburg, and how Gothenburg responded to the new situation regarding the target group. The thesis contains one case study and the empirical data are based on semi structured interviews with politicians and officials from both the public- and the nonprofit sector. The results were screened with New Institutional Theory, Resource Dependence Theory and Decision Making Theory: Rule Following. The theories were used to locate any type of isomorphism, resource dependence and rule following in the partnership.

This paper investigates the science fiction novels of Swedish crime writer Per Wahlöö, most famous for his collaboration with his writing partner Maj Sjöwall on the ten Martin Beck mysteries. During two important years, 1964 and 1968, Wahlöö wrote the novels Murder On the 31st Floor and The Steel Spring, set in a near future land ruled by a social fascist power structure where political opposition is eradicated. The pretexted notion of this paper is that these novels consists of extensive quantities of criticism against the Swedish welfare state and the monopoly-capitalistic Swedish press during the sixties. Through the lens of science fiction theory and the notion of the novels as historical sources this paper concludes that PerWahlöö´s science fiction becomes a bridge between the classic Swedish detective novel and the new social critic crime fiction in the style of Sjöwall-Wahlöö and others. The novels are also representations of the historical process in the mid-sixties during the radical turn: the sci-fi novels as social criticism of the contemporary society ? an utopian flare.

In order to respond to a more complex community planning with increased cooperation and public participation, a common language and a common model to be used as a base for the communication process is needed. The thesis behind this dissertation for a master's degree is that a virtual 3D planning portal would respond to this need. Why and how are explained and described through studies of communication- and perception theory as well as technology and recent research. The introduction concludes that a broad participation and a transparence towards underlying information are important foundations for the coming work with the model. The first four chapters of the theory part show the benefits of using natural signs in our mixed cultural society, instead of the more arbitrary symbols. Using visual landscapes for storing information is motivated by the flexibility of our visual memory and its ability to understand complex connections.

The topic of our thesis is Packaging Design as a Brand Building Tool and we are presenting the Scandinavian perspective. We found the topic interesting because, from a theoretical point of view, we identified a scarcity in research focusing on packaging design as a brand management tool, and from a practical point of view, we found out that businesses use packaging design at different levels in their communication efforts. Thus we wanted to provide both academia and business world with a clear picture to what extent and how businesses use packaging design in their brand-building process. Therefore the aim of our thesis is to provide practitioners and academicians alike with a better understanding of how packaging design can be used to create strong brands in the FMCG sector in the Scandinavian market. To reach the stated aim first we provided a solid theoretical background of packaging, its elements and its role in the marketing mix.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the young caregivers thoughts of the elderly caretaker. A qualitative method was chosen when interviewing young caregivers in order to get an insight of how they perceive and speak of the elders. The main questions of the study are: How do the caregivers believe that the elders perceive their day-to-day life and situation? Is it possible to distinguish if the young caregiver?s thoughts about the elders affect their work with the elderly caretaker? Is it possible to notice any common factors that the young caregivers perceive as important in their work with the elderly caretaker? The criteria for inclusion in this study are caregivers aged 18 to 25, who are working with elderly at special accommodation. The theories chosen for this study are the salutogenetic perspective, the activity theory and the theory of gerotranscendence.

The aim of this study is to go into depth and analyze the identity ?immigrant? (invandrare) and how it is constituted in Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet and Sydsvenska Dagbladet. An investigation (SOU 2006:21) by Swedish authorities concludes that immigrants are portrayed in an unfavorable way in Swedish media, whilst Gunnar Sandelin in a debate article in Sweden?s biggest morning newspaper (Dagens Nyheter) meant that Swedish media lies about immigrants, creating an image of them that is too favorable that is not in touch with reality. This gives this thesis momentum to further investigate the identity immigrants are given in Swedish media.The theory and method used in this thesis is Laclau?s and Mouffe?s discourse theory.