Over the last few years, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the aid sector have grown and become important economic, social and political actors in Sweden. However this sector has also been hard criticized in terms of aid effectiveness. Church of Sweden (CoS), a well established organization in this sector, has faced new challenges in form of demands from their environment regarding reporting aid work. These demands have pushed the International Department of Church of Sweden into a process for adapting the structure in order to meet the new effectiveness requirements. Using both, Contingency Theory and Resource Dependence Theory as theoretical framework and a single case study as research strategy, this master thesis goes in deep into the description of the change of the structure of the International Department. This work shows how the different parts of the organization functions and what impact will these changes in the structure mean for the future of the organization. The analysis of the empirical evidence related to the theoretical framework shows that the organization responds to external demands through a more centralized structure than before.

SammanfattningI kunskapssamhällets nuvarande form är kompetensutveckling ett dominerande begrepp i sammanhang för vuxnas lärande. Kompetensutvecklingsinsatser kan ses som ett av de sätt genom vilket lärande sker för organisation, verksamhet och individ. Dock finns ingen given relation mellan en kompetensutvecklingsinsats och lärande. Kompetensutveckling är ett sätt att utveckla verksamheten och medarbetarnas lärande. Detta sker både med formella och informella insatser utifrån varierande syften samt mål.Utvärderingar undersöker ofta resultaten och medarbetarnas utveckling genom lärande samt kunskap i relation till avsatt mål för kompetensutvecklingsinsatsen utifrån ett företagsperspektiv.

Syftet med studien var att belysa hur motivation på arbetsplatsen kan betraktas från ett inre och yttre perspektiv, med utgångspunkt från ett antal specifika faktorer såsom samhörighet, kompetens, autonomi och kontroll i tillvaron. 126 respondenter, 99 kvinnor och 27 män besvarade en enkät som bestod av demografiska frågor, frågor kring chefens stöttande av autonomi, frågor om samhörighet, kompetens och arbetsmotivation samt ett testbatteri bestående av IMI scale, Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale och Locus of Control. Studiens resultat visar att chefens stöttande av autonomi påverkade de anställdas inre arbetsmotivation positivt. Studien visar även på att det finns ett svagt samband mellan inre arbetsmotivation och tillfredsställelsen av de anställdas behov av autonomi och samhörighetAbstractThe purpose of this study was to see how work place motivation can be seen from an intrinsic and extrinsic perspective, with starting point from specific factors such as relatedness, competence, autonomy and control. The 126 respondents of the study, 99 women and 27 men, answered a questionnaire that consisted of a few demographic questions, questions about if the boss is supportive of autonomy, questions about relatedness, competence and work place motivation.

The master's thesis investigates how the concept traditional knowledge is represented by international organizations that are influential in development work and policy making. Departing from a theoretical framework drawing on Michel Foucault, constructed aspects of knowledge and the power relations knowledge production implies are highlighted.A recent interest within library and information science and practice to document this kind of knowledge raises questions about how traditional knowledge differs from other forms of knowledge and how knowledge organizational tools can be applied. Investigations, which critically explore the concept traditional knowledge, the power relations the concept creates as well as the interests and purposes it serves, have been surprisingly absent within the discipline. The focus in this master's thesis is how traditional knowledge is conceptualized by international organizations. A discourse analytical approach reveals the power relations that are inherent in their descriptions of traditional knowledge and how they describe the relevance of the concept for their work.

Sweden experienced a decline in exports of 16 percent in the period after the financial crisis. The decline has created a lot of question marks regarding the traditional exports which has started a process with the aim of finding Sweden?s next cash cow in export.Sweden adopted stringent environmental laws early which positioned them as a strong nation in environmental awareness. The stringent environmental legislation meant that the Swedish companies were required to minimize the environmental impact, which created a demand for eco-efficient products. Despite the early demand for eco-efficient products, the international success of the Swedish cleantech companies has been modest.The government can increase firms international competitiveness by encouraging, supporting and promoting activities on the domestic market.

This essay focus on the European Union and its democracy both from a national perspec­tive and from an international perspective. Furthermore, the essay center on the con­cept of democratic deficit, this in order to study the European Union´s status regarding the democratic legitimacy. This study intends to nuance the problems that previous research and previous researchers have de­fined as democratic deficits in the European Union and ends up in conducting a textual anal­ysis of the latest European Union treaty, the Lisbon Treaty.The aim is that by using previous research on the democratic deficit in the European Union examine whether the Lisbon Treaty has enhanced the EU's position regarding democratic legitimacy. In other words, my study aims to identify what the deficit is and if it exists.The results show that the Lisbon Treaty has been trying to improve the democratic legitimacy and that some practical adjustments have been made, but it also show that there is much that still can be improved before citizens have full democratic rights..

Bakgrund: Arbetet på en intensivvårdsavdelning ställer stora krav på de nyutbildade intensivvårdssjuksköterskornas kompetens. Den första tiden i yrket innebär att i socialiseringsprocessen förvärva de kunskaper och färdigheter som krävs i yrket. Nyutbildade intensivvårdssjuksköterskors kompetens anses inte motsvara vårdens kompetenskrav. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva nyutbildade intensivvårdsjuksköterskors uppfattningar om sin yrkeskompetens. Metod: Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ metod och intervjuer valdes som datainsamlingsmetod.

Background: Many companies have outsourced their IT-operations and their expectations of what this IT-outsourcing will contribute to the business are high. Cost cuts are not always a natural outcome of IT-outsourcing. Many companies that have outsourced their IT-operations consider it to be problematic and complex to exercise management control and reach cost control which was the purpose of the IT-outsourcing. Purpose: To describe and analyze what affect IT-outsourcing has on a company?s management control system and a company?s possibility to exercise cost control.

Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka och beskriva kuratorers arbete med döva och hörselskadade klienter. Frågeställningar som undersöktes var: - Hur beskriver kuratorerna sitt arbete med döva och hörselskadade klienter? - Vilka arbetsmetoder används av kuratorerna i arbetet med döva och hörselskadade klienter? - Vad innebär en kulturkompetens och en bikulturell kompetens enligt kuratorerna? Författaren ville belysa ämnet utifrån ett perspektiv där den professionella är teckenspråkig då hon anser att detta perspektiv saknas i litteraturen. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med tre kuratorer som är teckenspråkiga och verksamma inom dövområdet. Resultatet visar att kuratorernas arbete består av praktiska åtgärder och stödsamtal.

The financial crisis in 2008, effected companies around the globe and forced them to change their operational strategies, in order to survive. Companies with international links needed to consider external effects and due to that adapt their strategies on a global level. Demands for goods and service were decreasing and companies could only manage the cost during a recession to not face bankruptcy. Organisations need to reconsider their optimal strategy as this will determine their future outcome when managing a crisis as the one in 2008. British Airways - Air Cargo is a global company with an international network which serves about 80 countries, with about 200 destinations.

The aim of this thesis is to map the intellectual base, and identify the general research interests, of Cultural Policy studies. In addition to this the thesis also aims to trace the uses of theoretical and conceptual approaches within the identified research interests. This is done by analysing citations from 130 articles published in the leading scientific journal International Journal of Cultural Policy between the years 2002-2007 using the bibliometric method author cocitation analysis (ACA). The results of the ACA confirm the overall notion that the research field of cultural policy studies is an ambiguous one, even when it?s studied with a quantitative method specialised in uncovering hidden structures within a given field as ACA.

Dementia may cause impairment of linguistic abilities, affecting both production and comprehension, which in turn affects communication (Mahendra & Hopper, 2012: Perkins, Whithworth & Lesser, 1998). The aim of the present study was to investigate and describe the communication strategies in everyday conversations between people with dementia and their interlocutors, and to describe the identified interaction phenomena based on a participatory perspective.The study was conducted at a home for people with dementia. Three people with known dementia and two health professionals participated in the study. Everyday interactions were filmed, and then transcribed and analyzed according conversation analytic principles. The transcribed data was also analyzed with ideas from positioning theory.The present study highlights the presence of trouble sources in communication between the person with dementia and carers and how these are handled by the participants in terms of strategies, competence and positioning.

This study examines the cultural place and status of video and computer games in the Swedish public library. Using works on popular culture and the theories of Pierre Bourdieu, this study employs quantitative methods, as well as textual analysis, to analyze the results of an online questionnaire with 19 questions focusing on selection criteria, shelf placement, perceived competence, as well as reasoning for having or not having these games in the library. 286 out of the 440 libraries contacted is participating in the study, and the libraries consist exclusively of public libraries in Sweden that are found in the database of the Royal Library.The results of this study show that a larger number of libraries than previously indicated have started to provide electronic games to their patrons. At the same time, patterns in the data and comments suggests that these games in many cases still do not enjoy the same level of cultural recognition as other media. Indicative of this is the way most libraries seem to focus on the medium being exclusively for their young patrons, with seem-ingly very little in the way of investment for adults.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the concept of empowerment and its meaning in the political document "En Förnyad Folkhälsopolitik" from the present Swedish government, containing guidelines and politics in the area of public health. The underlying question was if it could be considered as representative for some kind of general "empowerment approach" since the concept is central to the very definition of social work by the International Federation of Social Workers IFSW and International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW).By comparing its definition and consequences in the document with a historical review of different contexts of empowerment the conclusion was made that such a common approach doesn´t exist at all. The meaning of empowerment in the central document showed some similarities with the "northamerican" version of the concept represented by the social scientist Charles Murray, which is just one of the political meanings of empowerment. Alternative ways of understanding the concept was also presented such as being a tool of a constant conflict between central political principles or as a fashionable but not important word. Another alternative was to consider it a means of power through witch different political discourses tries to dominate the world..

År 2004, införde Sverige revisionsstandarden RS, Revision i Sverige, vilket grundade sig i det dåvarande ISA (International Standards on Auditing) som gavs ut av det internationella revisorsorganet IFAC, International Federation of Accountants. Från om med den 1 januari 2011 införde Sverige tillämpningen av den internationella revisionsstandarden ISA (International Standards on Auditing) fullt ut. Denna standard innebär en del förändringar som måste införas i revisionen. Vi har i denna studie främst fokuserat på de förändringar som skett i revisionsberättelsen.  Dessa förändringar innebär att revisionsberättelsen fått ett annorlunda utseende och att revisorernas term, ?hög men inte absolut säkerhet?, ersatts med termen ?rimlig säkerhet?.