The aim of this thesis is to accomplish a user study on how e-book users experience the electronic book, the e-book, as an instrument for reading fiction. The study is based upon qualitative interviews with twelve e-book users and a small survey carried out at the Stockholm City Library. The purpose is to identify the users' incentive for choosing the e-book as a medium for reading fiction, elucidate if and how the interface of the e-book affects the reading experience, and distinguish if there are any factors common to the users in their choice of reading e-books. How the users look upon the future of the e-book is also discussed. Among the people asked in the survey we note little if any demand for the e-book as an instrument for reading fiction.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore and analyze the processes and efforts involved in rebuilding the war-torn state of Afghanistan. The examined period span from the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, to the elections in 2005. This period, commonly known as the Bonn-process, sets out the initial time for the reconstruction of the state.A theoretical framework, which considers the necessary mechanisms for successful state-building, will be used to analyze Afghanistan's re-building process. The mechanisms include the prerequisite of a stable security environment, emerging from a cease-fire, together with the development of a well-functioning economy, re-introduction of rule of law and rejuvenating civil society.The failure to establish a secure environment has had a devastating impact on all analyzed aspects of the re-building process. It is therefore crucial that the international society continuing to assists the Afghan government in its efforts to strengthen its capacity, in order to improve the security situation.

Cumulative effects are seldom treated in Swedish Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). This report treats these questions and which procedures and methods that can be used when assessing cumulative effects in EIA. This report is a literature study where also a case study is a part. The case study shows how existing methods for cumulative effects can be used in practice. The report is concentrated on biology and treats cumulative effects on premises of biodiversity and roads. Cumulative effects include both direct and indirect effects.

Vår utgångspunkt för uppsatsen var att erbjuda en fördjupning i bankens, enligt vår mening, intressanta affärsmodell. Utifrån vår fallstudie presenterar vi hur bankföretaget integrerar externt producerade finansiella produkter och vi studerar modularitetstänkandets eventuella tillämpbarhet på externt producerade finansiella produkter. Vidare ska vi identifiera möjliggörare, interna resurser som möjliggör strategisk flexibilitet och dynamisk förmåga.I det förändrade konkurrenslandskapets spår följer ett behov av att komplettera den resursbaserade ansatsen med begrepp som strategisk flexibilitet, dynamisk förmåga. Strategisk flexibilitet och dynamisk förmåga ställer ytterligare frågor om hur dessa skall hanteras varvid begrepp som absorption capacity och modularitet ytterligare definierar hur detta uppnås. Vi skall i denna studie analysera vilka interna resurser, möjliggörare, som är centrala för att integrera externa leverantörers resurser som sina egna..

The fast growing economy of India has experienced fundamental structural changes in recentyears. The share of the service sectors output has more than doubled since 1950 and is todayestimated to make up almost 60 percent of India?s total output. In terms of total employmentwe have not yet seen a similar transformation. The observed discrepancy between sectorialshares of employment and output in the service sector raises questions about sustainability.This report aims to investigate the capacity of the Indian service sector in terms ofemployment creation in order to answer the question whether the recent GDP growth withinthe service sector can be considered as ?jobless? or not.

This thesis has been performed at Scania CV AB Technical Centre in Södertälje and its aim hasbeen to study the causes and effects of deformations in the interface between the rear axlehousing ADA1100 and the central gear house R780 during operation. Design changes that wouldincrease the sealing capability of the studied interface are also suggested. Finite element (FE)and CAD software have been the primary tools in this study.Finite element (FE) simulations are used in the industry to predict and develop engineeringdesigns. The main motive for FE simulations has traditionally been to identify weak spots in thedesign, regarding high tensions and large deformations.The FE model is an aggregation of submodels and interface models that represents the rear axlehousing, suspension, central gear, central gear housing, wheels, bolts and weldings, and theirinteractions. The submodels have different material properties and they are connected withcontact interface models.Boundary conditions are defined on the bushings in front of the rear axle and on the air bellowsbehind the rear axle.

Syftet med studien var att kartlägga sjundeklassares fysiska kapacitet och livsstil. Försökspersonerna rekryterades på Sandenskolan i Boden kommun. Sammanlagt 24 elever, varav 8 flickor och 16 pojkar, deltog i studien. Fysisk kapacitet bedömdes med ett steptest där försökspersonerna fick kliva upp och ner på en 30 cm hög låda under 6 minuter. Puls och skattad ansträngning enligt Borgs RPE-skala registrerades.

This thesis in social anthropology is based on a field study on the Internet exploring Tibetan identity. With a post-modern approach the thesis explores the possibility fora non-tibetan to create a Tibetan Internet identity and become a part of the Tibetan community that exist on the Internet..

The company LightLift Esystems AB manufactures patented motorized lift systems for the illumination of halls with high ceilings. The company wants a new design for singular heavy lights in order to be more competitive.This project consists of the development of the new design under the requirements and specifications imposed by the company. The new design must support lights up to 300kg and keep the overall dimensions as low as possible without modifying the driving unit.This document contains all the designing steps followed to reach the final solution as well as the material selection, manufacturing process and assembly of all the parts that form it.The solution obtained shows to be very competitive with other alternative products, since this new design triples their maximum load capacity while the dimensions are very similar.In this context, the optical appearance was also very important to the company and so it was another main objective of this project. From an aesthetical point of view, the final solution proves to be very compact and versatile since it can either be hidden behind a false ceiling or covered by a plastic case that gives the design a very nice look.Finally, the solution achieved fulfils all the requirements and specification previously imposed. It is reliable, compact, cheap to manufacture, easy to assembly and it has a good optical appearance. .

Background: Heart failure is a complex condition which means that the hearts capacity topump blood is reduced. The aim of this study was to investigate how patients with heartfailure considered their knowledge and the information they received about their disease andself-care.Method: Patients suffering from heart failure, hospitalized at section 30 E (n=13), andpatients visiting the nurse led heart failure clinic (n=4) at Akademiska sjukhuset in Uppsala,were requested to participate in the study. The patients answered questions about knowledgeand information concerning self-care and their disease. Data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0.Results: The patients valued their knowledge about the disease as lower than their knowledgeabout self-care. The study showed that all the patients found the information they hadreceived about their self-care better than the information they had received about theirdisease.

The Innovation- and Design Engineer program at Karlstad university is a three year long engineer education. In the last phase a final piece is to be done and in this case Boda Borg in Skellefteå is the company in need of product development. Boda Borg is a company in the experience industry and they are located in nine cities from Gällivare in the north of Sweden to Karlskrona in the south. Boda Borg is a franchise company where every facility is their own. As a visitor you will experience physical challenges as well as intellectual in adventure rooms which are serial linked.

The structures of organizations have gone through a dramatic change over the last years; as a result customer service is no longer a small side activity but a critical part in customer relationship management. Development in information technology has created opportunities as well as challenges for organizations when it comes to providing a customer service with capacity of sensing and responding to customers' needs. Previous research shows a relationship between customer response capability and customer knowledge processeses, this study investigates and confirms this relationship. However, findings show that dedication and understanding for customers needs has a direct impact on both customer response capability and customer knowledge processeses, this result indicates that customer knowledge processes and customer relationship management are difficult to differentiate. Furthermore, this study explores IT-related resources impact on customer response capability and customer knowledge processes.

The Innovation- and Design Engineer program at Karlstad university is a three year long engineer education. In the last phase a final piece is to be done and in this case Boda Borg in Skellefteå is the company in need of product development. Boda Borg is a company in the experience industry and they are located in nine cities from Gällivare in the north of Sweden to Karlskrona in the south. Boda Borg is a franchise company where every facility is their own. As a visitor you will experience physical challenges as well as intellectual in adventure rooms which are serial linked.

This thesis in social anthropology is based on the essence of Scottishness i.e. Scottish identity and Scottish clans. The thesis intends to raise the meaning of Scottish history for the Scottish identity and to analyse the relation between Scots and Englishmen. It is also meant to study how Geertz and Lewellen?s theories work in the Scottish field.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to investigate if the reading habits of teacher students are influenced by merit and descent. The empiric material consists of six questionnaires answered by students at the teacher training with Swedish at the upper secondary school as their first topic. The questionnaire comprised questions about reading habits in the childhood and today and information concerning merits and descent.Pierre Bourdieu?s sociological ideas about cultural capital transmitted from parent to child and the concept of habitus are used as a theoretical framework regarding descent.