From a historical perspective, Sweden is a classic example of a social democratic state in view ofits early development of labor movements, democracy and focus on the welfare state. Today, as amember state of the EU, Sweden has however come to be influenced by America?s neoliberalpolities, where companies need to deliver more and better products/services while the consumerawareness and sensitivity has increased about company?s way to invest. Research shows thatScandinavian companies, primarily in Denmark and Sweden, has a leading position when it comesto responsible corporate behavior which has been the reason to our choice of studying howSwedish companies do to achieve success in CSR. To carry out this study, we have usedqualitative analysis, using semi-structures to interview companies in different industry sectors.

In this thesis I analyse civilizations in South America. I construct civilizationalnarratives through the method of emplotment, to build a historic continuity, whichI subsequently connect to the theoretical framework. The theory emphasise that,when confronted with globalization and free market capitalism, civilizationsembark on different strategies to challenge the power of transnational marketforces. I find that South America is a polarised continent, and is divergingconcerning the relationship towards the USA and free trade agreements. On thesame time the issues that concern the social movements are not being reproducedin a significant matter at state level.

To be able to protect themselves from credit risk, the banks must constantly check the performance of  the companies they have lent money to. There are many mathematical models for predicting financial distress. These models use accounting-based ratios, which often are historical and not representative for the present situation. This study describes how the banks do in practice to find signals of insolvency in time and the variables they are observing for doing that.In addition to financial reports which the company sends in to the bank at least once a year, also the relationship between them and information from different information  agencies are of great importance to track  signals of insolvency. Poor profitability is the primary cause of insolvency.

This thesis explores how three contemporary Mexican women artists, Teresa Margolles, Julieta Aranda, and Minerva Cuevas navigate and critically engage with the global art world through a postcolonial and transnational feminist lenses. The study investigates how their artistic practices address issues of gender, identity, power and violence by examining six artworks by their aesthetic and material strategies, revealing how these artists challenge dominant Western narratives. Drawing on theoretical frameworks by Marsha Meskimmon, Ania Loomba, and Homi K. Bhabha, among others. The thesis discusses concepts of cultural hybridity, the ?third space? and gender to analyze the complex intersections between the local and the global spaces in contemporary art.

The aim of this thesis is to study how the recent introduction of video games in Swedish public libraries compares to past introductions of other medias, namely music records, sequential art, manga (Japanese comics), and films on video. In what ways does the introduction of video games differ from the other examples of introductions and in what ways are they alike? In what manner have the medias been introduced? How does the librarians views on video games differ from their views on other medias? The purpose of doing this is that by investigating how new medias have been evaluated in the past, we might gain an understanding of how the introduction of video games links into that tradition. Theoretically, this thesis is grounded in Sanna Talja?s theory of the interpretative repertoires of the music library.

At the turn of the century 18/1900 Swedish law looked upon young people as being adults at about the age of 15. At 15, the young person had left school, had his first employment and provided for himself and also had been confirmed to full membership of the Swedish State Church. Thus he was to be considered an adult and responsible for his actions. Parents, society/school and Church had done what was expected of them and now it was up to the 15-years old to live according to the laws and to be punished if the laws were broken. Over the following hundred years, at the time of the millennium, Swedish society changed a lot.

The purpose with the essay is to point out how the main differences of the Helsinkicommission, Helcom and Baltic 21 can be explained from a general perspective and with a specific focus on two of their ongoing projects: Baltic 21 Lighthouse projects and The Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Plan. And to investigate how the organisations them selves formulates the purpose of the two projects. This will be an indication on why environmental problems are handled with in a traditional matter although the rhetoric of the environmental politics is permeated by the concept of Sustainable Development.This dilemma is being treated from the theoretical approaches of Ecological Modernisation and Sustainable Development and linked to how these organisations actually carried out their work and how the historical heritage have a role to play in this complex of problems. The results of the essay shows that concrete differences exists in the way that the two organisations are constructed and how their ongoing projects are designed and formulated. These differences can be derived to the theoretical platforms Ecological Modernisation and Sustainable Development and be explained by in witch political context the organisations were created.

The purpose of this thesis is to study the attitude towardscomics among librarians as well as their personal image ofthe overall attitude towards comics among librarians and themanner in which the attitude of the librarians affects how thecomics are treated in the library.I have performed this study with a qualitative approach andhave interviewed a total of five librarians working in twodifferent libraries.I have founded the theoretical base for my research in anumber of historical attitudes towards comics and thencompared these attitudes towards the answers given in theinterviews as well as prior research found in three theseswritten by Magnus Johansson, Sarah Johansson and KarinEsaiasson.The results of the study is that traces of most of thehistorical attitudes can be found among all of the interviewedlibrarians but that none of them are harboring any negativeattitudes towards comics themselves. On the other hand thestudy does imply that the image of the librarian who onlythinks that comics are meant for children is still very muchalive in the collective subconscious of the librarians.The study also shows that while librarians of today tend tohave a neutral outlook in comics the historically subpartreatment of comic in the libraries and the subsequent lack ofacademic support on the subject have made it necessary forthe librarian in charge of the comic-section to have apersonal interest/liking for comics to be able to do a goodjob..

This essay deals with the weak and unstable urbanization process of the town Falkenberg. The aim has been to explore how a new town could be established just a kilometre away from the town (Old) Falkenberg and what kind of meaning the town had in relationship to the towns Halmstad and Varberg. This was made through the study of the political situation in Denmark and Sweden during the 15th century and through a comparison of the town churches. The archaeological material of Falkenberg is very small and thus I had to trust the available historical literature about the town.Not much of the oldest history of the town is known, but a conflict between the landed aristocratic family Thott and the king Kristian I in Denmark has been interpreted as a reason to the establishing of the town. In conclusion the survey showed that the king probably established New Falkenberg in purpose to limit the trading possibilities of Thott and to, at the same time, increase his own power in the district.

Utgångspunkten för vårt arbete har varit att undersöka om ekologisk mat används som ett verktyg till undervisning i miljöhistoria. Dagens didaktiska forskning kring miljöhistoria motiverar ämnets betydelse på flera plan. I skolans verksamhet är det tänkt att ämnet ska kunna användas för tolkning av de lokala och globala förhållandena i världen. Vi börjar arbetet med att lyfta fram olika forskares motiv för miljöhistoria i skolans verksamhet. På fältet intervjuar vi verksamma lärare och elever för att se hur stora deras kunskaper kring ekologisk mat och svensk jordbrukskultur är.

The intention of this final thesis is to look into the improvement of small and run down railway stations. Many railway stations are today derelict and decaying. The purpose of this essay is to propose alternative strategies of action by discussing the ecology, the history and the social function of the railway station. There is also an overview of projects already completed. In the analysis part of the thesis, the genius loci or the spirit of place is put forward as means of reaching a solution.

This essay intends to provide an understanding of the developments in the right of public access and recreational activities in the forests of Sweden, and which factors and prerequisites that have affected this development. The forest and its history, along with recreational development has in many ways shaped today?s rights of public access, but there is also an age-old tradition of public access that has affected how we have used the forest, and that also has enabled the development of outdoor recreation. Many are unaware of this, which causes misunderstanding to appear around the rights of public access and how it is supposed to be used.The essay opens with historical descriptions of public access, the Swedish forest and outdoor recreation, to thereby provide a picture of how these three fields have influenced each other over the centuries. This is followed by a description of the current access rights and the problems associated with those, and a description of other countries' equivalent of the right of public access.

The aim of this paper is to examine the American movie trailer particularly its history, marketing and functions, presented as an historical overview from the serials of the early 1910s to the trailers of today. A trailer from each decade of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries is selected which represent typical trends and shows how trailers historically functioned, including their formal, generic differences.The introduction focuses on the market in which the trailer operates, and raises the issue of the entertainment value of art or marketing, how the film industry works and to role of advertising. The second part of the introduction focuses on the development of film stars, and their importance in trailer campaigns. This brings in the question of the growth of Hollywood and new media forms/technologies. The manner in which new media also create a new type of audience is considered, which demonstrates how the trailers capture audience attention in new ways.The second part of the paper focuses on the history of the trailer and examines typical structures, of the different periods.The third part analyses how different trailers operate, and how the trailer industry stands at the beginning of a new era, the so-called Post-interactive era, which is discussed with regard to Spider-Man 2 and The Da Vinci Code..

In this report listed buildings, according to the Swedish Heritage Conservation Act, have been studied with a focus on cases where economical compensation has been given to the owner of the building and cases where the listing of the building has been appealed by the owner. In order for a building to become listed it needs to be particularly valuable from a cultural and historical standpoint. The listed buildings are protected through a list of regulations that determines which parts of the building can or cannot be changed, what methods and materials should be used for changes and repairs, and how the building should be maintained. These regulations should as far as possible be formulated in agreement with the owner, but a building can become listed against the owners will. To decrease the damage this causes the owner he can in some cases have the right to economical compensation. There is also a possibility for the owner to appeal the listing of the building.

The works of crime fiction writer Edogawa Rampo are largely unknown in the West, but have had a considerable impact upon literature and popular culture in his home country of Japan. Rampo?s works are threading on the line between between distinctively Western and distinctively Japanese writing styles and thematic realms, embodying a cultural fusion which acts as a mirror of the societal and cultural changes that occured in the author?s contemporary Taish? era Japan. This thesis is an attempt to explore Rampo?s literary mindset, and more specifically to attempt to picture and describe Rampo?s self-image as an author of crime fiction active during this time period.