Title: A study about the purchasing process of ITLevel: Master thesis in Information Technology and Business Administration, 15 hp, EIK024Authors: Emelie Johanson and Mikael LindströmTutor: Peter Ekman, Mälardalens HögskolaKeywords: IT-investment, purchase, decisionProblem: In the last decades the amount of IT investments increased and has become an important resource within most organizations. IT gives the ability to compete and could also be a condition for many to be able to compete. In different businesses it could vary in where they put their focus when they choose an IT investment. This thesis examines how the purchase process of IT looks. How does processes differs in a bigger company versus a smaller company? From these two perspectives this study examined these research questions: Who makes the decisions whether or not an IT solution should be purchased? What aspects decide when companies are to choose between different IT solutions? Where in the purchase process do problems usually emerge?Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze the purchasing process of IT from a business perspective.

The market for biofuels from the forests have had a positive development and the job initiators for this master´s thesis wanted to examine the profitability of a method for harvesting forest fuel, which was unfamiliar to them. The method was the ?long tree tops-method?, here called the LT-method. The LT-method is characterised by the fact that timber is harvested as the only roundwood assortment while the rest of the stem, which in other cases would become pulpwood, is harvested as forest fuel together with the logging residues. The method is based on the assumption that advantages in handling of the forest fuel assortment such as increased load weights for forest hauling and truck transportation, should compensate for the lower price for pulpwood when sold as forest fuel. The aim of the study was to compare the profitability of the LT-method with the GROT-method (harvest of timber, pulpwood and logging residues) and conventional logging without any harvest of forest fuel, and aslo to try to identify factors affecting the profitability of the different methods.

Sexturismär ett brett begrepp som mestadels förknippas med västerländska äldre män som reser till utvecklingsländer för att köpa sex. Detta har uppmärksammats sedan början av 1970-talet men på senare år har den kvinnliga sexturismen uppmärksammats allt mer i den svenska media. Studien redogör för den svenska kvinnliga sexturismen utomlands, med Gambia som fallstudie. När svensk media talar om fenomenet används förskönande beskrivningar, där kvinnornas beteender omantiseras i jämförelse med männens sexturism. Problematiseringen med detta är att två lika handlingar med samma syfte, beskrivs på två olika vis, beroende på kön.

The production of ferrochromium alloys at Vargön Alloys AB contributes to formation of unwanted ferrochromium dust, which contains toxic Cr(VI). The dust is since summer 2005 treated with an iron-sulphate solution to reduce Cr(VI) to the non-toxic Cr(III). A year later the treatment technique was improved and disposal occurs in cells on the landfill. The cells can be up to 300 m3 and the edges can be made out of fro example concrete. Tests are conducted on the treated dust when it is disposed.

Biofuels are getting more important as EU plans to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. Because of that Sveaskog has chosen to invest in developing the handling process of logging residue. The company has a joined organisation for handling both round wood and logging residue. They are also working at integrating the forwarding of the logging residue with the rest of the harvesting team. Sveaskog is currently extracting 44 % of the available amount of logging residue.

For an outdoor environment to function optimally as a playarea requires that it is flexible, that is, contains places and elements that give room for the imagination and for own interpetretations, and also that the children in some way can influence and change their surroundings. It is also important to have variety, both in the sense that the playground has a unique character that distinguishes it from other places, and that it allows many different games and activities. There should for example be room for both wild games of running and moving around where many children can participate, and calm corners to withdraw to for rest or quiet play. A good playground should surprise, challenge and encourage children to discover their surroundings. One way to achive this is to use plants and materials from nature, whose irregular forms and structures can become interesting elements to explore. Vegetation also gives sence-experiences of various kinds, materials like twigs and leafs to play with and a place to play house.

BT is a global company within the lift truck industry. The main office is located in Mjölby. In Europe all sales and service activities are carried out by fully owned sales companies. I North America, BT RAYMOND develop and distribute trucks under a different brand. For the rest of the world BT works together with a distributor network, most of them are fully independent others BT has a small ownership in.

Broad beans are becoming a larger crop in Sweden. This is probably due to the current discussion about the cultivation of soya beans that are imported to be used as protein fodder. Broad beans are a good break crop in a small grain intensive crop rotation and works as a protein source for animals together with for example ley. At present little research has been done on broad beans and more knowledge is needed. This study is about fungal communities and diseases on broad beans and the impact of these fungi on seed germination.

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the possibility to use sampling of faeces, urine and plasma, and measurements of blood pressure as methods of discovering hypomagnesemia in horses, as well as the application handiness of these methods. The most commonly used method of checking the magnesium status of a horse is to analyze samples of serum or plasma. The trial was of a switch-back design, in which the horses were used as their own controls. The animal material was five Swedish warm blooded trotters between six to ten years old, and weighing between 485-620 kg. The trial consisted of three periods that were two months each.

Bakgrund. Miljön på intensivvårdsavdelningen är fylld av olika stimuli i form av ljud och ljus. Sjuksköterskorna arbetar bedside och täta omvårdnadsåtgärder är nödvändiga för dessa kritiskt sjuka patienter. Denna miljö lämnar en liten möjlighet för sömn och vila. För att patienterna ska få möjlighet till vila under dagtid har vissa intensivvårdsavdelningar lagt in en period med mindre aktivitet, tysta timmen, också kallat patientvila.

SUMMARY This pilot study tried to answer the question however the present animal welfare regulations for horses regarding lying hall area requirements are adequate for horses older than 24 months. The study was carried out at one of the largest stud farms for standard bred horses in Sweden. Mares in late pregnancy with an initial mean age of 10 years was used in a behaviour study. The influence of varying space per animal in a loose-housing system on behaviours like the horses' lying hall use, standing, resting, moving behaviour and threats was studied. The behaviour at three different horse densities ? 18 mares, 13 mares and 8 mares (7.4 m2, 10.3 m2 and 16.7 m2 per mare, respectively) ? was recorded by use of video.

A growing need to strengthen ones position on the market, even as a city in competition with other cities, has resulted in an increasing number of municipalities developing brand platforms. When the city of Umeå developed their platform, they identified decision makers and investors as one of four important target groups.The aim of this study is to explore the portrayed image of the city of Umeå in two Swedish trade journals which addresses the specific target group decition makers and investors in both public and private sector. The aim is also to compare the image of Umeå in the two papers, to the ambition of the municipality, expressed in the brand platform.In order to make the observations as firmly established as possible, the method of the study is a combination of a quantitative content analysis and a qualitative text analysis. The study draws on the theories of Eli Avraham and Philip Kotler, concerning how to improve city images and how to market a specific city among others. The study shows that the city of Umeå in large extent is portrayed in accordance to the ambition which the municipality expressed in the brand platform.Umeå is displayed as an expanding city.

A growing need to strengthen ones position on the market, even as a city in competition with other cities, has resulted in an increasing number of municipalities developing brand platforms. When the city of Umeå developed their platform, they identified decision makers and investors as one of four important target groups.The aim of this study is to explore the portrayed image of the city of Umeå in two Swedish trade journals which addresses the specific target group decition makers and investors in both public and private sector. The aim is also to compare the image of Umeå in the two papers, to the ambition of the municipality, expressed in the brand platform.In order to make the observations as firmly established as possible, the method of the study is a combination of a quantitative content analysis and a qualitative text analysis. The study draws on the theories of Eli Avraham and Philip Kotler, concerning how to improve city images and how to market a specific city among others. The study shows that the city of Umeå in large extent is portrayed in accordance to the ambition which the municipality expressed in the brand platform.Umeå is displayed as an expanding city.

Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka svenska ungdomars motiv till att emigrera till andra länder i världen, där resesyftet inte är arbete, studie eller relation - relaterat. För att skapa en grund till undersökningen så har sekundär data i form av en rapport från SOM-institutet vid Göteborg Universitet analyserats, där statistik och fakta på svensk emigration under de senaste decennierna presenteras. Med detta som bakgrund har vi sedan gjort en kvalitativ undersökning genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem olika respondenter som alla har spenderat en tid utomlands utan att ha rest med arbete, studier eller en relation som motiv. Det vi menade att ta reda på genom att intervjua respondenterna var kortfattat deras motiv till emigration, med frågor som om hur idén uppstod, vilka andra drivkrafter fanns samt vilka mål och förväntningar respondenterna hade och om dessa uppfylldes. Det vi har fått fram har sedan ställts mot teorier på bland annat resemotiv, emigration, mobilitet samt den resandens identitet.Resultatet vi fick fram från den sekundära datan visade att Sverige likt resten av världen är på väg in i en emigrations-era och att vi likt många andra nordiska länder har en stigande siffra vad det gäller emigration, och att denna siffra till stor del består av unga personer.

This study aims to examine the way of teaching swim lessons. In addition, the study also examines the actual swimming proficiency of pupils in the 9th grade in different areas in Sweden.These are the question specifics which this study wishes to examine.How do teachers define the ability to swim?How do swim lessons differ, regarding to which area they are conducted in? How many of the 9th grade pupils in each examined community passes the bar for swimming proficiency?What does PE teachers do if one or several of the 9th grade pupils fails to show an adequate swimming proficiency?How do results in swimming proficiency differ regarding to different schools in different parts of the country?MethodThis study consists of two major surveys, one based on material gathered from qualitative interviews and the other on material gathered from observations. Four PE teachers and one swimming instructor were interviewed, as well as six different 9th grade classes, with a total of 145 pupils. In the observation the pupils participated in a swim test, where they should swim 200 meters from which 50 meters must be on their back and were categorized in three categories.