During the last couple of years the focus for many businesses have moved from just being price oriented to include such factors as quality, flexibility, service, delivery precision and environmentally friendliness. The shift in viewpoint arises from the increasingly competition on the market and the hard economic atmosphere. It has become more important to differentiate the company and its products to be able to increase market share. The purpose with this master?s thesis was to get a better understanding on how companies (customer to DHL) are reasoning and prioritizing when choosing Swedish carriers.

A tendency of impaired oral health has lately been seen among children and adolescents. The consumption of soft drinks and fruit juices is rising and at the same time many children and adolescents skip breakfast and lunch at school. That in combination with a frequent snacking increases the risk of caries. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge of caries, oral hygiene- and dietary habits and experience of tobacco among 12-year-old schoolchildren. The study was performed in 5th grade in four different schools in the North East of Skåne in cooperation with the dental health board clinic in Näsby, Kristianstad.

This is a report on the development and implementation of the web shop ?Urballa Ur?, a web application developed by nine students at Linköping university. The report illustrates the methodology and process with intention to answer the question ?How can an online watch store be implemented to increase sales??. During the process the agile method scrum has been used as a working method.

This report was an outcome of a cooperation between ?The Visitor and Knowledge Project Carl von Linné? and SLU, the Swedish University of Agricultural Science. The aim with the cooperation was to create a garden and to suggest suitable plants for an orangery already built. All species suggested should have a documented relationship with Carl von Linné. The project is located in the southern part of Sweden at an estate named Möckelsnäs not far away from Linné?s birthplace.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the most important factors that affect Swedish perennial growers when designing their assortment. The study describes how herbaceous perennials are produced in Sweden today and try to give an answer to the question how growing method and choice of assortment are affecting the possibilities of Swedish producers to compete on the market. Seven perennial growers in the southern and western parts of Sweden have been interviewed about their production methods and on what basis they design the assortment of perennials. During the interviews five factors seem to be the most important when the growers choose which species to grow ? profitability, the characteristics of the species, the sales channel/customer, the growing environment/growing facility and the grower?s interest and knowledge. It is often a combination of these five factors deciding if a cultivar will be grown or not. .

During the autumn 2009, a 15 hp degree project was accomplished. The objective of the study was to describe different equipment alternatives, suitable for fresh market apple harvest. A field study was conducted during the harvest period to evaluate the efficiency (kg / person/ hour), using the different equipment. Four different systems are described in the study; Pick-ing-bag, Picking-train, Pluk-O-Trak and the Conveyor Harvester. The information about the systems is based on interviews with growers together with previous studies.

Is it possible that by planning in a more sustainable way when building a new area, we can improve our environment?Most environmental problems are created in cities and therefore they should hold the solution. Through a more ecological urban planning a better foundation for sustainable housing could be created.This report follows the process in coming up with a proposal for a master plan for an area in Odense, Denmark. By going through principles for sustainable urban planning made by different organizations and persons and from these extract main principles, a background is founded to continue the proposal from.Denmark works a lot on expanding their green areas, maintain the existing ones and recreate what?s being destroyed as cities expand.

This thesis examines the underlying components that affect consumer behavior regarding organic food. The thesis theoretical framework is based on Ajzen and Fishbein?s The Theory of Reasoned Action combined with theories regarding involvement and routine purchases. The empirical material is based on a desk research with 19 research papers between the years 1994 till 2009 and sales statistics over organic food.  The thesis conclusion shows that the underlying components when looking at attitude towards conventional food are price, taste, expiration-date and healthfulness. While the components for involvement in organic food is the environment, personal health and supply.

Denna kandidatuppsats ämnar att utreda ämnesområden motivation och belöningssystem påNordeas telefonbank i Uppsala. Undersökningen är gjord på anställda av den lägre nivån iorganisationshierarkin. För att få medarbetare engagerade till att nå företagets krav och målanvänder sig organisationer av system för att motivera och belöna sina medarbetare. Undersökningav de anställda på telefonbanken ska ta reda på huruvida de motivationstekniker ochbelöningssystem som enheten tillämpar verkligen motiverar. Undersökningen grundar sig påpersonliga intervjuer.

Abstract Cucumber is the second most frequently consumed vegetable after tomatoes, 33 % are eating cucumber every day. The purpose of this work is to examine if there is any product development of cucumber in Sweden, and if so in what way. A questionnaire was used with a number of questions regarding quality, origin, supply and the way cucumbers were used, and the person was also asked to choose between the normal large cucumber and the minicucumbers. This was answered by totally 100 persons in two different stores, ICA Maxi in Löddeköpinge and a discount store with a large supply of fruit and vegetables and where a large share of customers are immigrants, Özen All Frukt in Malmö. The results from questionnaire show that in some of the issues the results vary a lot between the two stores.

The business cycle of the wood flooring branch is currently high however that situation may not be sustainable. In a possible future weaker business climate, the importance of marketing becomes accentuated for firms that aim to maintain their sales levels. We can see trends that competition among the Swedish and foreign manufactures is already stepping up. The intent of this study is to establish marketing guidelines for floor- and molding manufacturers, so they can establish a clearer brand image in DIY retail outlets. By comparing the approach of sports- and DIY stores to brand and product placement, this study aims to bring new knowledge to the DIY branch for improved consumer and product handling.

The purpose of this master thesis is to, with the strategies of the organization and the preferences of the co-workers in mind, explore how reward systems can be designed in heterogeneous organizations. This is done by interviewing store managers and sales personnel in a heterogeneous organization. The frame of reference deals with theoretical approaches on reward systems and is divided in the following sections, individual or group based, differentiated or not differentiated rewards systems and goals, measurements and rewards. These sections are highlighted from the following aspects, equity, implementation possibilities and finally environment. The theoretical discussion ends in the conclusion that heterogeneous organizations should have several different reward systems, but not if a restructuring process is in progress or the system becomes too costly.

There is a tough competition in food-stores these days. Storeowners have been forced to try something new to attract customers. One way to accomplish that is to add private labels to the assortment. There are several benefits with these labels; its higher margins for this type of brand and the brand can also strengthen the stores image in the customers mind. When private labels first entered the market, the customer had a relatively low attitude towards the brands.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Earnings Management (EM) and certain characteristics of management forecasts, among a sample of Swedish listed companies. The forecast characteristics studied are: 1) Forecast venue: How explicitly is the forecast presented? 2) Forecast precision: How detailed is the estimated number? 3) Forecast measure: Which measure(s) are forecasted? We use a sample of 68 annual management forecasts, obtained from year-end reports between the years 2007-2011. EM during the forecasted year (2008-2012) is estimated using the cross-sectional modified-Jones model. The forecast characteristics are then related to the degree of EM during the forecasted period.

Background: Sporting events conveyed by the TV medium affect people and can give many unforgettable experiences. Sport may be synonymous with excitement and drama or just serve as entertainment. Through TV broadcasts from different sporting events, millions of televiewers all over the world have enjoyed athletic feats of extreme top class. TV broadcast sport always attracts a great number of viewers, also in Sweden. The prices of broadcasting rights to sporting events have risen strongly during the last decade, much as a consequence of the increasing competition between different TV companies both internationally and in Sweden.