This paper explores a model for self-assessment of purchasing maturity in large companies. The author adapts contemporary purchasing theory and further enhances existing tools and procedures to create a survey based instrument for maturity measurementThe paper also explores potential methodological challenges associated with conducting a more extensive study of purchasing maturity via the proposed model. A preliminary study is made and the learnings discussed.The preliminary findings of the survey indicate that the purchasing maturity varies with industry. The purchasing function average score was found to be 3,4 out of 6 with samples spread across the whole spectra ? agreeing with previous theories stating that the purchasing maturity is highly varied between different industries..

This essay examines how the conflict in Libya in 2011 was reported by the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and the American newspaper The New York Times. The purpose is to examine how the conflict is portrayed and what similarities and differences that exist between the two newspapers. We have used a quantitative content analysis and critical discourse analysis to get our results. In conclusion, both newspapers polarize the conflict to a large extent, resulting in a one-sided and biased account. However The New York Times is more objective and neutral in its portrayal of the conflict..

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the workgroup and I developed and construc­ted an Intranet at Pharmacia & Upjohn, Helsingborg. The Intranet was constructed by the help of WWW-technique. The intention was to increase and improve the distribution of infor­mation in the large company. Some of the employees were interviewed and asked what they could gain by using the Intranet for information distribution instead of the usual papers. They also got a chance to tell us what they thought about the whole idea with the Intranet.

This paper analyses the pricing on spare parts. Empirical studies have showed that manufacturers of durable goods make an unproportional large profit on its spare parts in relation to the revenue it generates. It is first showed that according to the standard economic model the price on spare part ought to be zero since the producer include an insurance in the price of the main good. Further it is showed that moral hazard alone do not explain the pricing found in the studies. Finally an analysis of whether consumers with present-biased preferences could be a possible explanation is made.

Swedish sawmills of today suffer from unsatisfying economy with high costs and low benefits. The economical result depends on how well the sawmill can use their raw material. Iggesund Timber AB, a sawmill in the Holmen group, produces a large amount is enduse orientated products for the woodworking industry. Therefore the aim of this student thesis was to investigate the possibility of automatic enduse orientated quality grading of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) saw logs by using a gamma-ray log scanner. Iggesund Timber AB has the possibility to grade logs automatically with TINA, a two way gamma-ray log scanner. Grading and classification of Scots Pine logs in Sweden today are mainly manual but can in some rare cases be automatic.

This degree project studied surface waters on Kåbo Golf Course in Uppsala, Sweden, with the aim of determining the status of the water and how it is affected by the activities of the golf club, and to obtain suggestions of measures to create better conditions for the water environment on and around the golf course. The project forms part of the environmental protection work of Kåbo Golf Club, which is working towards achieving environmental certification from the Swedish Golf Association (SGF). The study is based on literature studies and quantitative and qualitative field studies of water on the golf course, with the focus on environmental factors identified as being important for the golf industry and on strategic environmental goals developed by SGF. The number of open water bodies in the Swedish landscape has substantially declined during the past 200 years, so it is important to save those that remain. This study showed that the surface water at Kåbo Golf Course is an important element in the surroundings since the area contains few wetlands, which can be a habitat for large numbers of species. The stream and ponds on Kåbo Golf Course also have the important function of serving as water hazards in the game and adding difficulty and variety to the course. Since Kåbo Golf Club wants its surface waters to look aesthetically appealing, extensive algal growth and drying up of ponds during parts of the year are regarded as problems.

Bakgrund och Problem: Den internationella redovisningen blir allt mer harmoniserad, vilket märktes genom att Sverige införande IFRS 2005. Vid införandet var IFRS-redovisningen i företagens finansiella rapporter ?minst sagt rörig?. Det blev tydligt att företagen var i behov av att anpassa sig för att kunna applicera de nya kraven. Eftersom företagen behövde en inkörningsperiod kunde detta medföra att företagen brast i sina upplysningar.

Two field experiments were conducted in central Sweden in order to: 1) Determine a relationship between the number of approaching pine weevils (Hylobius sp.) and the number of attacks by pine weevils, in relation to the size of seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). 2) Determine if application of methyljasmonate (MJ) on seedlings of Scots pine will result in higher resistance towards attacks by pine weevils and/or have any effect on the number of approaching pine weevils. The field experiments were designed with two separate parts in close vicinity on the same clear cuttings: a) pitfall traps placed in patches of scarified soil that caught approaching pine weevils at 2.5 cm from the bait, which consisted of different sized seedlings of Scots pine some of which were subjected to application of MJ and b) the same type of seedlings planted out in patches of scarified soil. The first field experiment was conducted on a 1-year old clear cutting outside Uppsala in east central Sweden and the trapping part of the experiment consisted of 8 blocks with 6 treatments: 1) control, 2) small over-wintered seedling, 3) medium sized seedling, 4) medium sized seedling treated with 0.5 ml 100 mmol MJ 4 days prior to start of experiment, 5) large seedling, 6) vial with 9.5 ml of ?-pinene. The trapping experiment lasted for 6 weeks in the early summer.

In many biomedical contexts, e. g. when evaluating hearing disorders, the data obtained can be described as pairs (x1, y1), ?, (xn, yn) where x is a quantitative variable and y a 0/1 variable whose probability of taking the value 1 is a monotonic function of x. One way of analysing such data is to perform probit regression; thereby two parameters, b0 (= the constant) and b1 (= the slope) are estimated; the interest centres around m = -b0/b1, i.

The purpose of this master thesis was to explore and develop prototypes for visualization of trade statistics in a market surveilance application. In such an anapplication a large amount of information is processed. This information is then summarized and presented to the market surveillance staff. The practical part of this thesis was done at Scila AB in Stockholm. Three prototypes were developed based on modern visualization methods.

Bakgrund: Under hösten 2008 drabbades hela världen av en finanskris som hade sin grund på den amerikanska bostadsmarknaden. Några år tidigare hade IASB infört en ny standard för redovisning av rörelseförvärv som benämns IFRS 3. Denna standard behandlar goodwill som efter införandet numera ska skrivas ner istället för att skrivas av som den gjordes tidigare. Eftersom finanskrisen har varit väldigt omfattande är det många företag som har blivit lidande till följd av sämre resultat och bristande försäljning. Vi anser att det är intressant att undersöka huruvida företag som är under en lågkonjunktur väljer att redovisa sin goodwill eftersom det påverkar ett företags anseende utåt.

On a request from the water sewage plant Gryaab in Gothenburg a power quality survey was performed. The voltages and currents have continuously been sampled in the incoming 10 kV substation HSP01 from April-August 2008. Power quality measurements were also performed in Gryaabs other 10 kV substation HSP04 fed from HSP01 and at the terminals of the induction motor IN_PU4040 of 1.3 MW which controls one of the four large inflow pumps to the plant. The reason for the latter measurement was due to registered negative transients each time the motor was connected to the grid. The cause of the transients could be explained by the coupling in the substation, the ageing of the motor which could result in damage of the bearings or resonance in the motor circuit which amplifies high frequency harmonics.

Business valuation is something that is carried out on a daily basis and relevant to both small and large businesses. Valuations are often long and complex processes that may be difficult to understand, even for those who have received an education in the field. In this thesis, we try to create a better understanding of how this process works.   Since we are aware of many aspects of the theory behind business valuation, but very little insight into the practical activities, we have chosen a deductive approach, i.e. to go from theory to empirical data.   The conclusion is that the methods presented in the theory is largely used in practice, and that the process of valuation mighty seldom differ between valuations. For the seller to be able to charge a higher value for their companies, it is important to have knowledge of, and review the value-creating factors in the company.

This report describes an investigation of the indoor climate in two different workspaces. Since we a big part of our lives are staying indoors in artificial environments, and more particularly in our workplaces, we think it would be interesting to do this investigation. The technical solutions for air treatment systems began with simple natural systems without fans and where the thermal rise of the air applied. In modern time is technical air treating systems used to take care of the fresh air supply. This type of units can supply filtered air with the right temperature to the building. Well-functioning ventilation is essential to bring clean fresh air to the room and effectively remove impurities without sound- or draught problems. The indoor climate is relevant for the output capacity.

A common phenomena in descriptions of Western mission initiatives to the South is theoverrepresentation of depictions of the missionaries and underrepresentation of theindigenous people. It is fair to say that there is a need for new perspectives. This thesisinvestigates the agency of the indigenous people in the Scandinavian Pentecostal mission inTanganyika 1932-1945. It highlights roles and areas of their participation which seldomoccur in western mission biographies, but were tanganyikan people played a crucial part,such as evangelisation, church planting and the forming of contextualized theology. Thepentecostal theology and mission praxis contributed to a large degree to shape that agency..