The overarching goal of this paper is to explain the intensive occurrence of partnerships ? regarded as a specific organizational structure ? in the formulation and implementation of Regional Growth Programs.By using theoretical concepts from new institutionalism, the paper tries to examine the explanatory capacity of this theory in the specific case of partnerships. The basis is a skeptical stance towards the conventional interpretation that views partnerships as rational organizational tools. Hence, the purpose of the paper is also to compare our own institutional explanation with the conventional.The paper finds that the occurrence of partnerships can be understood as the effect of an intensive institutional pressure. The government has, in what we regard as the institution for regional development, prescribed the partnership as a rational solution ? a rationalized myth - to the regional growth problem.

Previous research has discussed how voluntary disclosure relates to the cost of equity capital. Theories of estimation risk support a negative association between disclosure and cost of equity capital, as empirically documented by Botosan (1997) among others. In this Bachelor thesis we investigate whether such a relationship exists on the Swedish capital market. Using the CAPM to estimate the cost of equity capital and a disclosure index based on Aktiespararen?s annual evaluation of corporate disclosure, we test a model where disclosure explains cost of equity capital.

The purpose of this Master?s thesis is to examine how the gender system is described in chick lit. The analysis is based upon seven chick lit novels. The primary theoretical point of departure is Yvonne Hirdman?s theory about the gender system, the hierarchical order and the separation of the sexes.

Studien avser att undersöka om det finns någon skillnad mellan män och kvinnors arbetstillfredsställelse definierat som aspekter av arbetssituationen enligt Hackman och Oldhams (1976, 1980 i Arnold et al., 1998) Job Characteristics Model, och om det finns några skillnader i ålder vad gäller arbetstillfredsställelse utifrån JCM. Det var en explorativ undersökning eftersom mycket av tidigare forskning har fått varierande resultat, och vi ville se vad vi skulle få för resultat. Metoden som har använts är kvantitativ och syftet har undersökts med hjälp av en enkät. Som teoretisk bakgrund användes Hackman & Oldhams ?Job Characteristics Model? (JCM) (1976, 1980) och den användes även vid utformningen av enkäten.

The purpose of this thesis was to look at the relationship between the experiences of work related stress among male bank employees and how they dealt with potential stress. The thesis focused on male bank employee?s experiences and management of work related stress with the control requirements and support model as a starting point. Work related stress is a phenomenon that has become a serious problem with economic impact for both the individual and organizations. Increased absence from work due to medical issues is one example of such consequences.

The background to this report is the author?s ambition to understand individuals? work situation, how it?s formed in interaction between the individual and factors in the work-setting. Such an ambition is well in line with the concept of Human-Technology-Organization (HTO), a cross-scientific approach that puts a system-oriented perspective on how human, technolog-ical and organizational factors interact within work systems.The aim of this report was to explore managers? work-situation and generate an understanding of it from an HTO-perspective by using an organizational model as a framework for an interview guide and to analyze the work situation from an HTO-perspective following the ques-tions at issue:1. How does the managers experience their work situation?2.

The aim of this paper is to examine whether the theory of cosmopolitan democracy provides a satisfactory solution to the boundary problem in democratic theory. I argue that David Held's version of cosmopolitan democracy rests on two incompatibleprinciples: the all-affected principle and the all-inclusive principle. However, the theory does not need to presuppose both these principles; it requires only one of them.Furthermore, I try to show that both of these principles fail to provide an adequate solution to the boundary problem. The all-inclusive principle suggests that all citizens of the world should be included in a global democratic unit. I argue that such an ideal is not desirable since it conflicts with the principle of subsidiarity and withdraws from regional political communities their sovereignty.

When a person arrives at the emergency ward at the Uppsala University Hospital with his or her symptoms he or she explains the problems and then a priority process starts. The staff evaluate at which emergency level the patient is located in a model called Triage. The Triage model helps to decide the priority need and is based upon templates which point out in which of the 5 categories a patient is to be placed, to eliminate any future risk regarding his or her health. A lower triage level means lower priority but implies better health when the evaluation takes place. To obtain optimal effect of the Triage model the evaluation of symptoms must be reproducible so that patients with the same symptoms are placed at the same triage level regardless of whom among the staff conducts the evaluation. The purpose of the study was to see if the resources are allocated based on priority level of the patients.

Drinking water is produced from raw water and is either from groundwater or surface water. This thesis aims to find out if the cleaning process of raw water is sufficiently effective. This is important because consumers are otherwise at risk of waterborne infection caused by pathogens. There are three groups of pathogens; bacteria, virus and parasite. These have different characteristics which mean that they require different water treatment to be separated.

The purpose of this dissertation is to create an understanding of how a personal idea in the mind of an entrepreneur becomes an outspoken vision in one biotech company. More specifically, for what purpose the vision is used at different stages, how it is communicated, its content and what impact previous visions have on future vision work and in order to reach a deeper understanding of how vision develops over time and how it is used we have employed a qualitative approach based on a case study. The theoretical framework starts with the concept of vision and related concepts. Furthermore, the entrepreneur?s and manager?s usage of vision is examined.

Learning Resource Centre, or LRC, is an international phenomenon and a response to the changing society that came with the development of information technology. The LRC concept spread internationally during the 1990s and began to influence Swedish collage libraries at the end of the decade. The main purpose of this study is to analyze if and how Swedish college libraries have incorporated the LRC concept. Is there a Swedish LRC model? Is the LRC concept still interesting or was it a trend that is now out of date? Interviews with eleven people from six college libraries aim to show how they define the concept LRC and how it has been integrated in to their organisations.

Just how far is it possible to make learning of new parts for recognition and robot picking autonomous? This thesis initially gives the prerequisites for the steps in learning and calibration that are to be automated. Among these tasks are to select a suitable part model from numerous candidates with the help of a new part segmenter, as well as computing the spatial extent of this part, facilitating robotic collision handling. Other tasks are to analyze the part model in order to highlight correct and suitable edge segments for increasing pattern matching certainty, and to choose appropriate acceptance levels for pattern matching. Furthermore, tasks deal with simplifying camera calibration by analyzing the calibration pattern, as well as compensating for differences in perspective at great depth variations, by calculating the centre of perspective of the image.

This study is about information needs and library habits among newly retired people. The purpose of this master thesis is to examine the affective and cognitive needs that come with retirement. In what way do the information needs of this group change due to retirement? In order to answer this question we make use of two theoretical models; Role theory and Wilson?s model of information needs. When it comes to library habits, we use Andersson and Skot-Hansens model to examine how newly retired people use the library now and how they could use it on basis of their needs in their new role.

The purpose of this study was to examine how people experience being in debt, what they consider was the reason for being in debt and how they experienced economic counselling. The empirical data was based on five semi-structured interviews with people having experiences from being in debt and experiences of economic counselling. The data was analysed by using theoretical perspectives from a model called economic-shame created by Bengt Starrin. The model shows how being in debt and the feelings of shame influence health. The conclusion shows that the reasons for being in debt often is due to several sudden and tragic events happening at the same time or due to each other.

This paper examines the texts written on shards from wine-jars found at El-Amarna, Tutankhamuns tomb (KV 62) and Deir el-Medina. Information concerning the administration of wine and its production, found in these texts, is examined. Wine was an important element in Egyptian society and a common iconographic motif in tombs at Thebes during New Kingdom.A survey on previous research on the subject is presented. This is followed by analysis of the different reoccurring elements found in the texts. A definition of the standard formulation of the wine jar label texts is given and the minimal level of information needed for the administration of wine production and distribution is identified. The chapter of the analysis deals with the various types of information given in the label texts, such as date, wine classification, and function.