This thesis investigates the dynamics of the relationship between a leader and the followers within a chosen organization. The research on leadership has generally been focused on the leader, and consequently treating the followers like passive subordinates. We pursue a more multidimensional view of the subject, meaning that leadership descends from an interaction between leaders and followers, which makes it relevant to study the dynamics of the relationship from both perspectives. We chose to do a qualitative case study on a middle- and preschool which has won a price for being an ideal place to work at. This price peaked our interest to investigate why the relationships are highly functional in this particular organization.

When studying the voting behaviour of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) concerning the Services Directive within the EU, what patterns can be observed? With a starting point in previous findings about voting behaviour, this study analyses the results of the given Roll-call votes in the European Parliament in regards to the Services Directive. Here I focus on the division of votes within and between the member states and the parliamentary political groups; with the aim to identify patterns that might show clash of opinion concerning this issue. I found that ideology seems to play a role in the MEPs voting behaviour. Parties on the far left reach the highest level of cohesion and together with the party on the far right, they voted against the Directive, but due to different reasons.

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the participants experiences of a parent support group and the effect of their participation on their parental role from a learning perspective. As the parent support group takes place as a group activity, the focus was on the individual learning processes which, in turn, are influenced by both the group itself as well as the leaders of the group. The empirical data was collected from a focus group interview with four mothers, and analyzed using empowerment and coping theories. Based on the participants´ narratives, the result showed that the parent support group had a great social and pedagogic effect on the participants. As a result of the received knowledge in the group from both leaders as well as from other participants, they felt less stressed and more confident in their parental role.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka samband mellan lagsammanhållning och upplevt motivationsklimat i fotboll, samt skillnaden mellan kvinnliga och manliga fotbollsspelare i lagsammanhållning och upplevt motivationsklimat. I studien deltog 101 fotbollspelare mellan 15 år och 19 år (m=17.05, sd=0.93) från olika gymnasier med fotbollsinriktning i Halland. Lagsammanhållning mättes med ?Group Environment Questionarie? och motivationsklimat med ?The Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionaire-3?. Studiens resultat visade att såväl positiva som negativa samband mellan lagsammanhållning och upplevt motivationsklimat, samt att män och kvinnor skiljer sig i vissa kategorier av lagsammanhållning och motivationsklimat.

The purpose of this Master Thesis was to study the reader in the informal reading group. To fulfil our purpose we have used the following questions: how did the reader become a reader and what does her reading look like, why do people choose to participate in a reading group, how may the group influence the individual member in her reading and interpretation of a book, does the reading group have a therapeutic function, how does the informant find the group dynamics and different roles in the reading group, and finally how does the informant experience the discussion in the reading group. We have used two studies about reading groups, one by Elizabeth Long and one by Jenny Hartley. Our theory is divided into reading and group psychology. We have interviewed seven women belonging to different reading groups.

At first glance, the group CEO's (koncernchefens) legal position looks easy. It is the CEO?s responsibility to lead and make decisions on matters which affect the entire group, all while defending the company?s best interests. However, when one looks closely at how the Companies Act (Aktiebolagslagen) regulates how a company should organize itself, as well as the options available to manage the group, one rea-lizes that simply appointing a group CEO does not necessarily make the company compatible with the Companies Act. A group CEO threatens to reduce both the Board and CEO's legal administrative districts which are not in accordance with legal and commercial principles.In order to introduce a group CEO it requires a detailed investigation of the group's legal relationships.

In today's society there is a trend in progress that it is positive and effective to have working groups or teams in organizations. But is it really all good? This essay explores this question through the concept "group weariness". Group weariness is defined as a negative attitude towards working in groups based on previous experiences of the working form. The aim of this study is to explore the concept of group weariness through a quantitative study.

In 2007 the Prevention Unit at Södermalm in Stockholm started a group activity for parents and children. The group activity?s intention is to offer families support in their early interaction. This study is a part of providing knowledge about this intervention. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the stories which are produced by five participants in a support group for parents and children.

In modern dairy production, the newborn calf generally is separated from its mother and put in a single pen for some time before it is introduced to group housing. Group housing is becoming more and more common because it saves the farmer a lot of valuable time. Even thought group housing has a lot of benefits it is often associated with a higher morbidity and mortality in the young calves. Therefore, knowing the optimal way to use the group pen lies in many farmers? interests and the importance of different factors such as the optimal age of introduction is important to evaluate. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of age at introduction to group housing on the health of the calves in the group pen.

Having the right executive group is vital for the success of a company. The complex context, in which the company operates, makes it difficult to create a well functioning and high performing group. This study aims to investigate how the executive group should be composed in terms of externally and internally recruited people, in order to take full advantage of the positive aspects associated with each one. Furthermore, we will discuss why and when a company chooses to recruit people to the executive group either externally or internally..

The use of group contribution between consolidated firms is a common phenomenon in Sweden where taxation is not based on the return on the consolidated level but on the return on the individual firms. However, the process of handling the group contribution does not work without problems. This thesis analyzes three main issues where group contributions oppose the Swedish Companies Act. ? The Swedish Companies Act enacts the decision regarding group contributions to be made at a shareholder?s meeting.

Storbritannien har traditionellt sett bejakat kulturell mångfald som en del av det brittiska samhället, ?en gemenskap av gemenskaper?. De våldsamheter som uppstod mellan asiatiska och vita ungdomar, polis och medlemmar ur högerextrema organisationer i flera nordengelska städer sommaren 2001 markerade emellertid en brytpunkt i den brittiska diskursen om integration och kulturell mångfald, vilken förstärktes ytterligare i de politiska svaren på självmordsbombningarna i Londons tunnelbana 2005. En rad utredningar och rapporter publicerades som signalerade ett tydligt politiskt skifte från fokus på antirasism och skillnadstänkande till en betoning av en gemensam nationell identitet över de kulturella skillnaderna och vikten av att skapa sammanhållning kring en uppsättning ?brittiska värden?.Med hjälp av Laclau och Mouffes teorier identifikation, gruppbildning och makt och Foucauls fokus på problemformulering, analyserar jag hur makt på olika sätt aktiveras i den nya sammanhållningsagendan och problematiserar de processer genom vilka den brittiska regeringen försöker skapa en förstärkt nationell gemenskap.

This research is about six pedagogue´s and their reflections about the size of the children´s group in the preschools. Then I will discuss the pedagogue?s recommendation on the significance of the size of a children´s group learning and development and it´s practical significance for the preschool function. The pedagogue?s statements will be discussed in relation to The Swedish National Agency for Education (TSNAE) guidelines on group size.The theoretical framework of this essay will take an overview of the social cultural perspective, the group size and its significance for both the children´s learning and development, for interaction and communication and TSNAE advice and guidelines.

Syftet med den här undersökningen är att studera vilken relation som finns mellan sammanhållning och motivation, prestation och kommunikation i en arbetsgrupp. För att undersöka detta har vi utgått ifrån två frågeställningar: vilken relation finns mellan gruppsammanhållningen och individens upplevelse av prestation och motivation i ett IT-företag? och vilken relation finns mellan gruppsammanhållning och kommunikation? Vi har svarat på våra frågeställningar utifrån nio semistrukturerade intervjuer gjorda i en arbetsgrupp på företaget Hewlett-Packard (HP) i Göteborg. Resultatet vi har fått fram genom intervjuerna har sedan analyserats utifrån relevanta, socialpsykologiska teorier och vi har i vår uppsats kommit fram till att sammanhållningen i stor utsträckning påverkar de enskilda individernas motivation, prestation och kommunikation. Vi har även kommit fram till att motivation, prestation och kommunikation i sin tur påverkar hur sammanhållningen utvecklas..

The purpose of this work is to create more knowledge about the teacher's perceptions of group dynamics and its impact on school activities. How do teachers opportunities and obstacles in order to influence group dynamics among students. The questions I have answered is how the teachers see the importance of a functioning group dynamics in school, how teachers work with group dynamics and how teachers describe the opportunities and obstacles for effective group dynamics. The method I am using at work is a qualitative research method that involves obtaining the teachers' own thoughts, feelings and experiences around the right questions. I have interviewed three teachers in primary schools in the county of Stockholm to find out their particular approach.