Handling product returns has become a critical activity for organizations as the volume of gods flowing back through the supply chain rapidly increases. Few research studies have published specific empirical data concerning the reverse logistics practices of companies. Information technology and information support has long been recognized as a competitive weapon ? capable of enhancing company performance and achieving efficient reverse logistics. Reverse logistics is very unlike the forward, as it is more reactive and also has less visibility.

Background: Patients with borderline personality disorder represent a large group in healthcare who are struggling with painful emotions in life. Caring should be based on strengthening health processes by focusing on the patients, but research made by the patient's perspective has shown that this population rather felt that their health processes was counteracted, than promoted. The patients felt that the nurses displayed a negative attitude towards them. Attitudes are defined as a system of values, emotions and actions towards others. Aim: the purpose of this study was to highlight the attitudes and experiences of nurses towards caring for people with borderline personality disorder  Methods: A study on the literature based on nine scientific papers was performed. The articles have been analyzed, systematically coded and compiled into a new unit. Results: This study shows that nurses have an overall negative attitude towards patients with borderline personality disorder.

Fluids are important to the Visual Effects Industry but extremely hard to control and simulate because of the complexity of the governing equations. Fluid solvers can be divided into two categories, those of the Eulerian point of reference and those of the Lagrangian. Both categories have different advantages and weaknesses and hybrid methods are popular. This thesis examines Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, a Lagrangian method for physically based uid simulations. To allow the artist the exibility given by shorter simulation times and increased number of iterations, the performance of the solver is key.

To United Minds, large-scale surveys are an important offering to clients, not least the public opinion poll Va?ljarbarometern. A risk associated with surveys is satisficing ? sub-optimal response behaviour impairing the possibility of correctly describing the sampled population through its results. The purpose of this study is to ? through the use of multivariate outlier detection methods - identify those observations assumed to be non-representative of the population.

The purpose of this study is to explain the development of the first higher technical education in Trollhättan, with the added perspective of Trollhättans strong industrial profile as a city. The interesting thing being that the city did not try to first and foremost get a regular higher education, but a technical higher education instead. The study describes the political twists and turns the question took from its most early stage in the year 1940 and how the city's industrial profile did indeed have an impact on the development of the first higher technical education. Especially because there was a need for educated engineers in the city, as well as the country of Sweden in large during this time. The study also tries to explain the problems related to such a development, primarily by describing the lack of sufficient housing for schools during the 1950's, this meant that the higher regular school and the higher technical school had to cooperate in finding said housing.

The purpose of this study was to describe how women with fibromyalgia experienced their quality of life. The method used was a literature study with a descriptive design. The search for scientific articles was done by the databases Academic Search Elite, CINAHL, Medline via PubMed and Cohrane Library. The articles were quality-tested and the content studied, resulting in four categories as follows. Research involving the physical aspects of the quality of life showed that sleeplessness, tiredness and pain was commonly occurring symptoms in women?s daily life which affected their life-situation.

It is a common view that companies should focus on building brands to increase profitability and stabilize cash flows. However, building and keeping brands alive is costly. Many firms spend large sums on branding only because they are supposed to, without knowing if they will actually gain from it. Up to date, there is limited convincing evidence that branding actually contributes to shareholder value creation. This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between brand strength and profitability and shareholder value.

Based on phenomenological hermeneutics and narrative theory the study explored how parents experience and create meaning when the child receives the diagnosis of autistic disorder. Interviews were conducted with eight parents and the analysis concerned both contents and form in their stories. The resulting aspects of the contents is presented in seven areas: stories about the time before the diagnosis, seeking help, receiving the diagnosis, the meaning of the diagnosis, coping, living with autism and stories about the future. The six resulting aspects of form included: chronology of the stories, creating order out of chaos, cultural norms, rewriting the story about the child, aspects of metaphors and changing perspective. The conclusion of the study is that the diagnosis serves as a way for the parents to transform experiences into a meaningful whole.

The interest in businesses active on the countryside and their funding situation has increased in recent years. In a survey, conducted by Leif Berndtsson (2003), it was reported that there is a lack of external capital in rural areas. According to Berndtsson (2003) the lack of external capital inhibits the rural firm?s growth. The essay attempts to answer whether the shortage of external capital is a factor that inhibits development for rural businesses.

Environmental management officers ? leadership and employeeship in local environmental health authorityThe purpose of this study was to illustrate the working situation of municipal environmental health management officers. This is a qualitative study where I have interviewed ten environmental officers in ten municipalities in Sweden. The interviews were based on a half structured interview guide with questions. I have interpreted the interviews through different leadership theories.

This report describes a final thesis done during the spring of 2008 as part of the bachelor degree in computer engineering degree at the School of Engineering in Jönköping.The client is working in the consulting business and is involved in, amongst others, work regarding information security. Within this field they perform so called Threat, Risk and Vulnerability assessments. Today these assessments are done by a predefined method, but many details are controlled by the person documenting the project. A wish was made that the implementation was standardized, it should also ease the task of estimating the need for time and money. The solution for this seems to be a software tool.

The purpose of this thesis is to present a review of research themes and practice in the field of art image registration. The objectives of the review are twofold. The primary task is to distinguish which problems, in regard to theory and practice, that have been dealt with in the field of art image registration and the secondary task is to investigate which discursive, institutional and tool-related factors have had an impact on theoretical discussions and practice in the art image domain. The empirical content in the review is structured according to four epistemological viewpoints and is analyzed with a domain analytical approach. The result of the study is that two major problems are frequently discussed in the art image domain, namely lack of standardization and which discourse is the best suited for registration of art images.

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is the definition for using BIM in the construction process to simulate and analyse the building. Resulting use of the technology will according to proponents lead to fewer construction errors, a better understanding between stakeholders for the construction project, less communication problems and a smoother construction process. Although BIM has according to researchers a big potential, few companies have succeeded in broad and continues implementation. The study aims to identify the factors affecting the implementation. More precisely identify what factors influencing the decision to adopt VDC and potential barriers in the diffusion process. The empirical findings are based on a case study of NCC Construction Sweden.

Every year approx. 110 billion SEK is being used In Sweden to finance research. The government contributes with 22 percent, i.e. approx. 25 billion SEK.

The purpose with this essay is to get a deeper insight into why there is a lack of male educators in Swedish preschools. I also want to know which role the male educators have in comparison to the female educators. This essay builds on four questions, which covers:The cause of the lack of males in Swedish preschoolsIf there are any gender bound expectations on male educators in the Swedish preschoolsWhat the woman educators perceive about the roles of the male educators in the Swedish preschoolsHow the male educator experience his own work in a workplace dominated by womenThe method I have used is a qualitative interview study in which I have interviewed four male educators and two woman educators from three different preschools. The result of this study shows that male educators gave different reasons to why there is a lack of male educators in Swedish childcare. According to the male educators the reason for this situation is that there is a worry to be seen as a feminine person, get singled out as a pedophile and that the childcare sector has low status.