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.

There is no doubt about the significance of nature on the health of human beings. Not only is the tree an element of nature that is of great value to our survival, it also serves as a valuable object and symbol of human beings? enjoyment and appreciation of the environment. The purpose of this study is to present the relationship that a person may have with a specific tree. Three women and two men are interviewed about their trees and the places where they are located.

This field study examines how politically active radical feminists have reached their position in a group called Sällskapet. The aim of the study is to examine different paths, with the purpose to gain understanding of how to become a politically active radical feminist. Also, processes of social recognition on the field are examined; what is recognized and what taste preferences and behaviors gain a lower value? The different paths to the feminist position have been examined through a qualitative method consisting of a mixture of interviews and participant observations. The question if the position in Sällskapet requires specific experiences has been analyzed through Pierre Bourdieu?s theoretical framework, with a particular emphasis on the concept of habitus, symbolic- and cultural capital.

Mastitis is the most common disease of dairy cows. Mastitis can be painful for the dairy cow and causes economical losses for the farmer. These losses are due to decreased milk production, more working hours for the farmer, treatment costs and possible costs due to culling of the cow. The udder inflammation, mastitis, is often caused by bacteria infection. One of the most common bacteria found to cause mastitis in Sweden is Staphylococcus aureus (S.

This thesis deals with the goods classification of the Nordic alcoholmonopolies, viz. Alko in Finland, Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins in the FaroeIslands, Systembolaget in Sweden, Vínbúðin in Iceland, andVinmonopolet in Norway. The focus of the study is the web pages of thecompanies (as they appeared April 10th 2011) and the printed pricecatalogue of Alko, from which information on class division has beenexcerpted. The emphasis lies on the division into product groups and theinformation about origin. Within these facets, which partly overlap insome of the classification systems, the principles of division and thehierarchical relations between classes are studied.

Most major companies today have a visual identity. It answers questions like: which font do I use? and when can I use the logo or not? Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel in Västerås have a visual identity but no guidelines for the employees to follow. Further-more, rollups and rollup handouts produced by Westinghouse are not mentioned in the visual identity. ?erefore the external information from Westinghouse is someti-mes, both by employees and customers, perceived as not uniform.

Background: The business market today is characterized by tough competition amongst the competitors to capture consumers? interest and money. One marketing tool companies can use to achieve this is the company?s image. The customer buys not only a product, but also the image that the company or the product is associated with.

Denna uppsats behandlar svenska börsnoterade fastighetsbolags tillvägagångssätt att värdera sitt fastighetsbestånd. Både när det kommer till metod och typ av värdering (graden av intern kontra extern).Vidare undersöks faktorer som står till grund för dessa och hur företagens värdering har förändrats sen en kortare tid tillbaka.Uppsatsen kombinerar analyser av finansiella årsredovisningar från svenska börsnoterade fastighetsbolag med ett par kvalitativa intervjuer med några av de högst respekterade och uppsatta personerna i fastighetsvärlden.Analyserna visar på att en majoritet av fastighetsbolagen använder en hög grad extern värdering tillsammans med avkastningsbaserade värderingsmetoder. Även en förändring av fördelningen mellan intern och extern värdering under de senaste fyra åren konstateras och reflekteras över.I intervjuerna jämförs bland annat interna och externa värderingars riktighet och trovärderighet ur två väldigt olika perspektiv. Här tas även problematik upp och skillnader i teori och praktik..

The purpose for this study is to look at the Pink Caravans, which is a Swedish travel company that started in the beginning of the seventies. The company today has a unique profile within the travel industry which made us curious about how they have managed to keep their distinctiveness over such a long period of time. We have chosen to focus on how they work with the market in this ever changing world, including aspects regarding for example the customer being more demanding today than before. We have also looked at a potential future for the company considering new trends popping up like the environmental issues. The study is based on a qualitative approach and a case study research regarding the Pink Caravans.

This thesis aims to investigate SAAB AB´s possibilities to use synthetic instruments in their test systems. The reason for this is reducing costs and the risk of obsolescence which is common when test systems operate for several decades.The market around synthetic instruments has been explored in the search for suitable hardware and software. Software has been developed in LabVIEW and synthetic instruments have been created with the help of IVI-drivers. The hardware consisted of PXI-instruments (Waveform generator and Digitizer), connected to a computer using a fiber optic link and PXI-chassi. The created instruments was then compared to common instruments used today, and the comparison turned out well.

Real-time systems are required to answer to external stimuli within a specified time-period. For this to be possible, the systems behaviour must be predictable. The use of active databases in real-time systems introduces unpredictability in the system, e.g. due to their use of active rules. The behaviour in active databases is usually specified in ECA-rules.

I vår produktion har vi tagit fram ett system för order- och lagerhantering, med vikt på realtidsuppdateringar, åt en extern mottagare där infrastrukturen inte hängt med i företagets utveckling. Vi valde detta projekt i syfte att bredda våra kunskaper inom både programmering och projekthantering. Denna slutreflektion tar upp den förundersökning vi gjorde för att kunna besluta om vilka verktyg vi använde i utvecklingen, den tar även upp vårt sätt att hantera och planera projektet. Under projektet har vi arbetat med en egenutformad arbetsprocess vilken även beskrivs här. --- Our production has been to design a system for ordering and supply management with emphasis on realtime updates to an external recipient, where the infrastructure has not kept pace with the development of the company.

The use of ERP in organisations is very popular and many companies have embraced this paradigm without really questioning why. Problems therefore often arise and cause high costs which is a result of poor planning. The paradigm also has its origin in the traditional architectural design that creates a system that has difficulties to adapt to organizations that are constantly evolving. The purpose of this study is to provide a different view of how IT-systems can operate within an organization and show how standard systems can be structured. We emanated from a case study at Linköping University Library, where we studied the implementation and integration of a standard system called Symphony.

The problems caused by the current engine casing in aluminum for Volvo Buses Corp. are the mainfoundation for this degree project. Lack of maintenance combined with a construction poorlyadjusted for assembly has resulted in the fact that the engine casings rarely get reassembled whenthe service is completed.The degree project has mainly been following ?Olssons. F, Principkonstruktion, Compendium, Lund?and ?Olssons.

The Thesis purpose is in the context of system development validate the Scrum Methodology. Projects concerning information technology are difficult to manage and tend to fail in quality, time or costs. Scrum presents a new view of the system development. Better cooperation between customers and developers, continuous follow-up on daily basis and extensive communication in the development team are all characteristics of Scrum. Scrum is described as a new paradigm by its founders but has been criticized by experts of system development too.