The main purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent municipalities in Sweden use democratic innovations to include citizens in the decision making process. Along there are three research questions:? What different forms of democracy innovations are Swedish municipalities applying in order to increase the civic participation between elections and what forms are dominant?? What potential influence in decision-making are citizens getting through these democratic innovations based on the results?? Based on the results ? in what ways is the democracy innovations used in municipalities challenging representative democracy? The method used to fulfill the purpose and answer the research questions is a web survey including 287 of 290 (in total) municipal websites. The theoretic framework includes a model which is called ?Smith?s ladder of participation? and is influenced by the research of Graham Smith and Sherry Arnstein.

This thesis examines the possible beneficial effects of a temporary cooperation between a national brand and a private brand. The main hypothesis suggests that if a national brand wants to make a category extension to a remote product category, it should be able to decrease its risk by affiliating itself with a private brand. The national brand should through such a brand alliance be able to borrow some of the flexible characteristics that a private brand possesses to increase its associations with the new category. The survey consisted of 800 questionnaires with different cooperations between a private brand (ICA) and two national brands (Tropicana and Bravo). These were handed out to students in the universities of Stockholm.

Aim: The aim is to create a review that examines different forms of massage therapy and their effects on hypertension.Method: Literature review of 10 scientific articles on the subject of massage and its effects on blood pressure. The literature searches were made with PubMed and Cinahl using the keywords "massage therapy", "effects" and "blood pressure".Results: The articles showed that massage had a positive effect in lowering blood pressure. This could be explained by greater extent of relaxation in the participants investigated and an increased activity of parasympaticus and reduced secretion of stress hormones. The articles do not agree on what form of massage therapy is most effective in lowering blood pressure and it is uncertain for how long the effect can remain.Conclusion: Massage is usually seen as a treatment without scientific basis. There is evidence that suggests that massage therapy is an effective treatment for lowering blood pressure.

ABSTRACTTitle: Challenges in the implementation of internal marketing in the real estate brokerage businessLevel: Bachelor, Business AdministrationAuthor: Markus BylundAnna IsakssonSupervisor: Agneta SundströmDate: 2013, MayIntroduction: For businesses to succeed and to get satisfied customers, they need to meet their expectations. The companies make promises to customers through external marketing, internal marketing needs to ensure that personnel have the tools required to deliver what is promised. Competition is increasing and hence the customer requirements have to be met. Through the implementation of internal marketing, companies can strengthen staff skills and motivation to perform a more committed and effective work, both internal and during customer contacts.Aim: The aim of this paper is to understand the implementation and the importance of internal marketing in service companies. Through our in-depth knowledge of the subject, from a theoretical and practical perspective, we will hopefully be able to convey the challenges businesses face when implementing internal marketing.Method: This paper is to achieve a greater understanding of the studied subject.

Aim: The aim is to create a review that examines different forms of massage therapy and their effects on hypertension.Method: Literature review of 10 scientific articles on the subject of massage and its effects on blood pressure. The literature searches were made with PubMed and Cinahl using the keywords "massage therapy", "effects" and "blood pressure".Results: The articles showed that massage had a positive effect in lowering blood pressure. This could be explained by greater extent of relaxation in the participants investigated and an increased activity of parasympaticus and reduced secretion of stress hormones. The articles do not agree on what form of massage therapy is most effective in lowering blood pressure and it is uncertain for how long the effect can remain.Conclusion: Massage is usually seen as a treatment without scientific basis. There is evidence that suggests that massage therapy is an effective treatment for lowering blood pressure.

This examination intends to find out what thoughts children in around 12 years of age thinks about their own television consumption. To examine this, the questions in issue is: ?What does the children watch on television?? ?Why do they watch the programs they do?? ?How do the children speak about their own consumption?? ?What does the children learn from TV?? ?Are the children concious of the impressions they take from TV?? ?Do they speak critical about TV?? ?Is there anything indicating on some kind of influence from the childrens television consumption?? .To answer these questions I have chose to hold qualitative interviews, to let the children?s own thoughts be the foundation of the examination. The theories in this examine are that the person who does the consumption from different forms of television takes the information personally out of her own reality. Meaning that the person watching is the judge of how she applies the information to herself.

Sustainable destination development has in recent years become an increasingly important concept for tourism destinations. A destination must take into account the environment if it wants to continue being a successful tourism destination in the future. This essay investigates what needs to be developed on theislandofSandhamnfor that the destination can be more attractive in the off season and how the players on Sandhamn integrate to develop Sandhamn in a sustainable manner. One market research and interviews with five different players were made. Through these interviews grew an understanding for how the cooperation between the municipal and the private party looks like and how the history of Sandhamn is the foundation for the islands tourism development.

The concept of sustainable development has been pervasive in recent years and many organizations choose to implement sustainability and adapt their activities accordingly. The purpose of this study have been to explore how a collaboration on the use of waste materials may look to analyze what influences cooperation. A case study has been carried out examining a Swedish state regional project aimed at creating partnerships between actors and utilizing textile waste with the help of design. The study was conducted using qualitative methods and the collection of data has been done through interviews and by examining documents. The results show that there are seven key factors that affect cooperation: expectations, commitment, internal communication, a strong non-profit actor, individual treatment, personal networks and the diversity of actors.

The tourism industry is growing and with its growth competition between destinations rises. In competition, cooperation and collaboration between tourism operators seem beneficial when creating an attractive and dynamic tourist destination.The purpose of this study is to describe and discuss the significance and influence of tourist related networks at a tourist destination, and therefore this study aims to examine the question: What significance do the tourist related networks have at a tourist destination?This study focuses on seven networks on Gotland that are tourism related, and the representatives of the networks were interviewed in order to get their view on the network and its significance to the destination. The study shows that networks have an important role in creating a unified tourist product of the destination, and in reaching out to the potential visitors through joint destination marketing. The study also shows that the tourism related networks helps to improve the reception of the tourist at a destination and to secure the quality of the tourist destination and its tourist products..

Background: The stress in the society seems to having become more amplified and more trying. Statistics show that the appearance of stress related industrial diseases have increased strikingly. What can be stressing at the workplace? The work conditions are not the only thing that causes stress but no matter what the causes are employers have to restore the employees to their former positions. How are companies dealing with the problems of stress in reality? Do they have formulated strategies for how to manage the problems? Purpose: The purpose with this essay is to try to see pattern in how companies manage and treat stress and stress related industrial diseases.

The progress of the health among the elderly has a major meaning for the needs of care, nursing and social services. The health of the elderly has improved but fall and fall accidents are a major problem. Acute diseases, activities and environment risks are often related to fall accidents. The aim of the study was to describe health care staffs? opinions about fall risk and fall prevention.

The present study sought to examine the collaborative role of the student organization Here 4 U and the impact of this collaboration on the organization and its partners. As a point of departure a questionnaire was distributed to supervisors, principals and other cooperation partners of Here 4 U, the most prominent quantitative results of which were related to previous research, new institutional theory and empowerment theory. It turned out that partners interacting with Here 4 U felt that the collaboration was necessary and wanted to continue with it. The respondents to the questionnaire were asked to define the concept of collaboration. Factors emphasized by respondents included feeling of community, security, and common goals.

Career counselors in schools have for a long time reported a feeling that their work is not as important as teachers work. According to the Swedish Curriculum for the compulsory schools, all staff is responsible for viable counseling for pupils. Therefore, this study focuses on teachers, headmasters and a school executive director view of school career counseling, how they experience the fulfillment of curriculum goals and how it interferes/interacts with their work. To analyze the empirical material we collected from interviews, we used theoretical terms of organizational theory with focus on social structures, differentiation and integration. We also used the career theory of Super.

The thesis examines the relationship between consumer attitudes and a scented shopping environment. A relationship and phenomena concerning scent marketing, which could be seen as one of the more provocative forms of marketing since the human sense of smell, is connected to the limbic system where motivation and attitudes are created. The use of scent marketing has, so far, been proven effective in sales increasing whereas it is one of the less explored forms of marketing.The purpose of the thesis is to answer the following question: Is it possible to find differences in consumer attitudes in a scented buying environment compared to a nonscented buying environment, and thereby create new basis for segmentation?The thesis is based on a quantitative study where data has been gathered in a scent manipulated buying environment through structured interviews with consumers. The thesis applies a deductive approach to the main theories in the area of interest.The findings suggest new theory discussing that it is difficult to use consumer attitudes, towards a scented store environment, as a foundation for market segmentation.

AbstractBachelor thesis in political science by Alexander Hassan, autumn 2008, ?Effects of external factors on a nations democratisation process during the transition from authoritarian to electoral democratic rule ? A categorical analysis?Supervisor: Tomas SedeliusIn recent years globalization has become a hot topic in understanding the world we live in today. Globalization has indeed had a great impact on international relations and with it a great influence on the domestic conditions that determine a nation?s possibilities. It is therefore rational to hold true that this also would apply to a nation?s democratic process.