In order for any society to exist there must be a sense of belonging. In other words "We" need to be made distinctive and differentiated from "the Others". The aim of this thesis is to examine the processes behind the making and upholding of collective identities and the consequences of doing so. Theories regarding stereotypes, enemy images, power over the discourse and glocalization have therefore been applied to an empirical example in the form of a case study.The study is made on the municipality of Laxå in Sweden. Representatives on assumed key positions have been interviewed on their and Laxå's inhabitants views on the asylum seekers in the community between the years 1986 and 2005.Yet another aim of the thesis is to examine the possible connection between the perceived collective identity and the decision to close down the asylum facility in Laxå.

We have studied the effects that blogs have on the society through interviews with influential bloggers, a news director and the founder of Sweden?s largest blogprovider.Existing theoretical work by other researchers have been used as a starting point to our thesis. Via a deductive method we then proceeded to test these existing models and viewpoints on the reality.Through our research we have concluded that blogs, if they co-operate, have an agenda-setting function, and that they can affect newspapers to write about certain topics.We have also discussed blogs role as media watch dogs. Gunilla Sax, news director, questions the blog world?s ability to fully cover all media, and to deliver a systematic and just review of the media.

The purpose of this essay was to examine how childless homosexuals (men and women) were looking at family formation and parenthood. The essential questions were how the homosexuals felt about their own parenthood in the future and about different family constellations. We also wanted to examine how they experienced reactions from the society and what they thought about the current Swedish laws in force of adoption and insemination.We have chosen to work with a qualitative method and interviewed nine childless homosexual men and women in the age between 21 - 39 years to get some answers about the questions above.The main result from the interviews was that the homosexuals had the same thoughts like any other future parent but with a more complicated engagement. Even though they some times felt a resistance in the society against homosexual parenthood it was not a thing that would stop them from getting children..

I Sverige drabbas ungefär var sjätte person av en inflammerad blindtarm, akut appendicit. Detta gör att blindtarmsoperationer, appendektomier, är en av de vanligaste kirurgiska åtgärderna som genomförs runt om på landets sjukhus. Idag kan appendektomier genomföras på två olika sätt, antingen som en öppen appendektomi eller som en laparoskopisk appendektomi. Vid en öppen appendektomi avlägsnas blindtarmsbihanget genom ett snitt i bukens nedre högra del och vid en laparoskopisk appendektomi avlägsnas blindtarmsbihanget med hjälp av titthålskirurgi. Många randomiserade och kontrollerade prövningar har gjorts där de båda operationsmetoderna har utvärderats, men trots detta så har man fortfarande inte kommit fram till något definitivt resultat angående vilken metod som, med hänsyn till både kostnader och effekter, är den bästa.

Håller Sveriges statsfinanser över tiden? Annika Lignell och Oskar BuhreInledning: Om några år har vi anledning att misstänka att den svenska välfärden kommer att försämras om inget görs den närmast tiden. När 1940- talets baby-boom går i pension kommer troligtvis underskottet i Sveriges statsfinanser att vara högt och framtidens arbetskraft, alltså vi, får betala för 50 procent fler pensionärer än idag. Med fler sjukskrivningar, ett nytt pensionssystem och fler förtidspensionärer är det intressant att följa utvecklingen eftersom finansieringen av välfärdssystemet baseras på skatteintäkter. Syfte: Vi avser att analysera om Sveriges statsfinanser är hållbara i framtiden genom att beräkna kostnaderna för de åtaganden som kan bli följden med dagens politik och beräkna en eventuell obalans i statsbudgeten.

In the last decade the Italian authorities have tried to adapt themselves to a united European asylum system, in the European Union, through the adoption of legal reforms, intended to improve the conditions of asylum seekers in Italy. Despite these reforms, asylum seekers and refugee?s living conditions are far from covered. The aim of this study is to explore the different functions of social work in the Italian reception process regarding unaccompanied minors and their implications on the wellbeing of the unaccompanied minors. This study was conducted through several interviews with both social workers, which in some way worked with unaccompanied minors, and the unaccompanied minors themselves.

This essay attempts to examine the discourse of the Sweden democrats in relation to thevalue system of the Swedish national school.To analyse the political texts I use discourse analysis and especially the method and approachconducted by Judith Lee Bacchi. Bacchi focuses on the construction of a problem in variouspolitical discourses. When performing this kind of analysis the main question is (accordingto Bacchi): ?What is the problem represented to be??I find that the Sweden democrats construct the ?migration politics? and the ?multiculturalpolitics? that is guiding the society as the cause of most problems in our society. To solvethe ?problems? they promote a nationalistic and a cultural racist discourse especiallypinpointing the ?Muslims? as being a problem.Since the Sweden democrats are striving to implement their discourse in the society andschool, and since their discourse already are reproduced by solar students in the classroom,I find it important to examine the essence of their particular discourse and contrast it withthe current value system of the Swedish schools.I don´t find the nationalistic and racist discourse of the Sweden democrats to correspond tothe value system of the Swedish school, mainly due to their strive to create alienation, andby labeling individuals in a reductive manner, instead of using apparent differences as asource for democratic discussions in the classroom.

Syfte Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om spekulationer före delårsrapport påverkas av börshumöret och således genererar abnormal avkastning i samband med att rapporten levereras. Teori Här presenteras teroin om den effektiva marknadshypotesen men det ges även en översikt av ämnet behavioral finance idag och dess utveckling och intåg på den ekonomiska arenan. Metod Undersökningen har gjorts på de bolag som är noterade på a-listan mest omsatta utifrån riktlinjerna för en Event Study. Efter formulering av hypoteser testas dessa med ett t-test varav resultatet pesenteras i tabell såväl som diagram form. Analys Efter formulering av hypoteser testas dessa med ett t-test varav resultatet pesenteras i tabell såväl som diagram form.

Uppsatsen undersökte en alternativ metod att kreditbetygsätta företagsobligationer. Metoden är baserad på en modell ursprungligen skapad av Merton (1974) och har modifierats av Byström (2003). Undersökningen utformades som en jämförelsestudie mellan kreditbetyg från kreditvärderingsföretaget Moody?s och mått på konkursavstånd beräknade ur Byströms modell. Modellen gör antagandet om effektiva kapitalmarknader och använder aktiekursinformation och mått på skuldsättningsgrad som enda informationskälla.

Accounting for financial instruments can either be based on a transactions approach or an eco-nomic approach. Under a transactions approach instruments are reported at cost whereas under an economic approach instruments are reported at fair value. Hence, under a transactions approach realization becomes a criterion for recognizing fair value fluctuations as revenue whereas under an economic approach it does not. A mixed model is defined as a combination of the transactions approach and the economic approach insofar it records some accounting items at cost and other items at fair value. The mixed model gives rise to an issue commonly referred to as an accounting mismatch.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and increase the understanding of a present function of today´s public library, namely the function of meeting place; here called the social function or social space. Two small town libraries are included in the study, and the questions examined are:How is this function described at the two libraries and what similarities and differences are there between the two? How can one describe the relation between how the library as social space is described in research and at the libraries? The theoretical framework used in examining these questions, consists of three different discourses in culture policy (the discourse of state, market and civil society) and theories on civil society and the public library. A summary of current research makes visible eight different aspects of the public library as a social space. These aspects functions as parts of the theoretical framework as well.

The main purpose of this master thesis is to investigate how six elderly individuals, 65-75 years old, use and perceive Internet in their everyday life. The focus in this study is to enlighten elderly people as Internet-users.In 2010 many elderly people are still digital excluded. In Europe and in Sweden efforts are made to educate citizens to use the Internet, and that benefits of the digital society should be available to all.This study is based on the following questions: what made the informants take an interest in the Internet in the first place? How and for what purpose do they use it? And how do the informants regard to their own Internet usage and its importance in society?We interviewed six people aged 65-75 years old, using semi-structured questions. The data was analyzed by using the theory developed by Hektor concerning Internet and information behaviour in everyday life.

This thesis investigates if a system for small scale electricity production located in anurban environment can be profitable. The work has been divided up into two parts,one extensive literature study and one case study. The purpose of the literature studywas to investigate the area, resulting in a choice of which technology to be studied indepth in a case study.In the case study a system containing small scale wind turbines and photovoltaicsmounted on Gränby Centrums roof was examined. From data containing wind power,wind direction and total irradiation, possible production from a system weresimulated. Three products of each technology were examined in the simulations.From the simulated production an economic analysis was carried out, this toinvestigate if a system is profitable.

The aim of this Master?s Thesis is to examine the importance of literacy and reading in a country like Jamaica. What role do public libraries and bookmobiles play in promoting literacy, and how does this work correspond with the UNESCO public library manifesto?To answer this, interviews were conducted with nine Jamaican librarians, and study visits were made to libraries and bookmobiles. In addition, development plans, policy and other relevant documents were analyzed.

This master thesis is a study of a new electronic library reference service-project called Speak instantly to a librarian and the purpose of the thesis is to investigate a new electronic reference service and how the librarians who work with it experience it. This should be seen from an informational society point of view. The study is conducted from two questions: - What needs do the libraries have and how do they argue for the project and the chat-reference service Speak instantly to a librarian? - How do the librarians experience the personal work situation in the new reference service, and its use of chat technology? Together with interviews of a selected group of librarians from the public libraries of Göteborg, Malmö, Nacka and Stockholm, this thesis includes aspects such as the theory of the informational society by Manuel Castells, as well as literary studies of the history of library reference, the development of electronic reference service and the virtual library, and the background and the beginning of the studied project Speak instantly to a librarian. The thesis also contains an overlook of other similar library projects in the United States of America.