From the customer?s perspective the only reason for a firm to exist is the value it creates. However, a problem within manufacturing companies is that of the total lead time, only a small part can be considered as value adding. It has further been discovered that when working with improvements businesses often sub-optimizes single processes instead of considering what benefits the entire company. Thus, when improving processes and activities it is important to have knowledge about and understand which factors that affect how the flow can be designed.Several studies have been performed with a wide perspective on process flows in order to obtain a more resource-efficient and value added flow.

The main aim of the thesis is, first, to present a theoretical and methodological perspective for the study of postmodern theory in historiography; second, to discuss and evaluate earlier research on the subject; and third, to show that historians must be more self-reflexive about their explicit as well as implicit theoretical and philosphical premises. My theoretical and methodological inspiration comes mainly from three directions: first, the discourse analytic theory propagated by the political theorists Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe; second, concepts from Lacanian psychoanalysis as propagated by the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek; and, finally, the later Ludwig Wittgensteins theory of language.Using this perspective a minor case study is made based on five dissertations in history at Lund University from 1999 to 2006 as source material. This in order to indicate a strong influence of postmodern theory in Swedish historiography. It is further argued that it is legitimate to speak of one postmodernism, not in spite, but because of the fact that postmodernism is a semantically highly paradoxical, contradictory and unstable phenomenon. The main results of the analysis can be summarized as follows: (i) earlier research on the subject is simplified and unreflected and must be abandoned, because (ii) postmodernism seen as a discursive whole, i.e.

One of sociology´s to assess the effects of political decision. According to sociologist Anders Persson the society is changing, and in that change social fear appear. In the reaction of social fear some people are being excluded. In that more narrow frame for normality laws are created that makes some parents and their children ?the other?. Nine years ago the sociologist Eva Kärfve published a book that was very critical to the newborn psychiatrics diagnosing of children as a way of segregating groups in society.

Health is a complex concept and therefore difficult to define. The concept today playsan important role in society as well as in school, due to the inactivity of today?s youth. Thelatest curriculum for the compulsory school, Lpo 94, has increased the focus on the concept ofhealth, as a part of the physical education, but how the teacher chooses to construct theeducation is still up to each individual, which leads to a vast room for personal interpretation.This is the starting-point of our qualitative, ethnographical, study, that has resulted inthis composition. By passively participating during four lessons as well as interviewing twoteachers in physical education we have been able to analyse how the education regarding theconcept of health was constructed.

När befolkningen blir allt äldre, samhället förväntas bli effektivare, hemtjänstens ansvarsområde breddas och konkurrensen från privata aktörer växer; så behöver hemtjänsten anpassa sig, vilket kräver fler resurser. Frågan är dock hur det fungerar och hur effektiv vår hemtjänst är? Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en förståelse för effektiviteten inom hemtjänsten i området Örnsberg/Aspudden i stadsdelsförvaltningen i  Hägersten/Liljeholmen i Stockholms stad. Detta har undersökts utifrån ett personal- respektive brukarperspektiv, genom en enkätundersökning för personalen och en semistrukturerad intervju med en brukare.Uppsatsen har främst en kvalitativ ansats och grundar sig på teorier kring effektivitet och kvalitet.Studien har visat att både personalen och brukaren känner en hög nöjdhet till hemtjänsten i Hägersten/Liljeholmen. De känner båda att arbetet som ska göras hinns med och personalen upplever ingen stress.

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 main purpose of this study is to investigate and with it clarifying what is meant by a dismissal for personal reasons must be based on valid reasons. More specifically, what is valid reason and what is required for that demand to be regarded as fulfilled.To my help to achieve this I have asked questions such as what kind of behavior from the employee can be the basis for a valid termination of the employment, what factors do the court put emphasis on in a trial and what is the requirements for the employer during the dismissal.The study has further objectives which are to illustrate the phenomenon of valid reason from a diversity perspective and from an international perspective. To achieve those objectives following questions have been asked: Is some groups covered in a greater extent than others by the requirement that a termination of employment must have valid reasons and are there international counterparts to the Swedish requirement that a dismissal must be factually based.What emerged from the study judicial inquiry is that the phenomena to which the employee is guilty of first is to see as valid reason when the employee are aware of the obligations undertaken in the employment but acting against them and inflicts some sort of damage for the employer.With regard to the employer's obligations in a termination proceeding are they to see as comprehensive and can be summed up to the fact that the employer should do everything in his power to avoid a dismissal.When it comes to the factors a court should take into account is this also a matter of major proportions. The court shall take into account all of the circumstances relating to the dismissal, which means that, with absolutely certainty, determine in advance what the court will decide is an almost impossible task.Furthermore, it emerged from the study that the requirement that a dismissal for personal reasons must be based on valid reasons may come to certain groups of workers to a greater extent than others. The study's investigation also indicates that the Swedish legislation, as it reads today, probably in breach of regulations enacted by the European Union.   .

The aim of the study was from preschool teachers perspective to describe, analyz and understand how teachers in preschool works with children in special needs in image and drama. I have done eights interviews with preschool teachers. From a theoretical base, i use the Nilholms perspectives. I have also Antonovsky and Vygotskijs perspectives. The resultat showed that the majority of preschool teachers have see that image and drama has a great significance over childrens learning in preschool..

ABSTRACT Poverty, and in particular child poverty, is a serious social problem. Statistics show that the number of children living in poverty has increased over the last ten years. Earlier research shows that there are huge gaps in our knowledge of how the actors in civil society handle child poverty. With this study we hope to help fill this gap. The aim of our study is to look at how four different organisations working in the civil society in Uppsala perceive and handle child poverty.

Swedish municipals schools have been given an assignment to convey basic values to pupils. The assignment is to bring up the pupils through transmitting and developing a heritage such as values, traditions, language and knowledge. Together along with the lasting knowledge which constitutes the community frame of reference everybody needs. There by is the purpose of this study through a qualitative method to investigate how the schools assignment to create a community national identity of the pupils is interpreted by the teachers in introduction classes. Even how the teachers in this study response to ?Swedish? culture by presenting and educate the pupils in this.

The focus of this thesis is the group as a pedagogical tool. It investigates whether and how what is known of group size can help further schools in fulfilling knowledge and democracy goals and moreover how such knowledge can influence the principals? management. The mission of school education is to provide the basis for each pupil?s individual development and in the end it is pupils? individual performances which are graded.

Title: Culture?s Affect on the Determinants of Customer Satisfaction in Retailing: The Case of a European Retailer in the U.S. and China Date of the Seminar: 29th of May 2007 Course: BUS 809 Master thesis in International Marketing Authors: Lisa Bustamante Chesley Norman Charlotte Valind Advisors: Johan Anselmsson Cecilia Cassinger Keywords: International Retailing, Determinants of Customer Satisfaction, Culture, United States, China Thesis purpose: Our study aims to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction of two national cultures in a global retail setting, in order to clarify what role culture has, if any, in customers? satisfaction with an international retailer. Further, this will uncover if a Western perspective of determinants of satisfaction is a universal means of capturing what satisfies customers across cultures in a retail setting.

The purpose of the study is to investigate into professional knowledge of the bilingual teachers, compared to monolingual, and what benefits they give to pre-school. Qualitative method was used to get an understanding of informant´s perspective on bilingual teachers. The informants believe that bilingual teachers are able to understand all the children. A bilingual teacher can make the children feel secure. If one has a positive attitude toward bilingualism, the bilingual children also show a positive attitude that in turn contributes to learning and development of the language..

SammanfattningSyftet med studien var att utvärdera hur barnperspektivet beskrivs och tar sig uttryck på det skyddade kvinnoboendet Siri i Uppsala, ur personalens perspektiv. Verksamheten riktar sig primärt till våldsutsatta kvinnor, men även kvinnornas barn är i behov av stöd och skydd. Av tidigare forskning framgår att barn som har upplevt våld löper risk att utveckla psykiska och sociala problem, vilket därmed innebär att de kan ha särskilda behov som Siri försöker tillgodose. Utvärderingen präglas av en kvalitativ ansats och har genomförts med hjälp av utvärderingsmetoden programteori. Programteorin beskriver hur barnperspektivet är tänkt att genomföras i Siris verksamhet.

From a postcolonial and feminist perspective this paper examines how gender, ethnicity and the Other is being created in documentary films about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. When and in what way are gendered metaphors and subtexts used? Are stereotypes of gender and ethnicity being empowered or enforced? When and in what way are boundaries created between Israel and Palestine and against Sweden? The aim of this study is to point at how postcolonial imaginations affect stories about the Other..