Multi-branch companies are facing many challenges in order to become successful. Competitive advantages can be gained through a unified strong brand, standardised products and economies of scale. This normally calls for centralisation. On the contrary is decentralisation, which is said to improve work motivation and local market orientation, which are also competitive advantages. The focus of this thesis is to study how local branch managers want their companies to be structured in accordance with this dilemma.

Forces of innovation alter the course of many industries. Currently there is a restructuring of the Swedish energy sector due to deregulation. This in combination with advanced technologies generates an innovative and a highly changeable environment. The result is differentiation of services and products. New actors are emerging and corporations grow larger.

In today?s Europe, migration has become a security issue rather than a humanitarian issue. Previous research highlights how migrants have become prisoners of bureaucracy in Europe by their mobility being hindered. The present study critically analyses the migration governance in Europe by highlighting labour market integration in Sweden. The study highlights migrants with a specific focus on foreign-born women. The research questions chosen to examine this phenomenon is: How does migration governance in Europe affect member states' policies for labour market integration, with a particular focus on Sweden? How do foreign-born women in Sweden experience labour market integration processes within the framework of the governance mechanisms that exist in Europe? Foucault?s theory of power and the theoretical concept of choking composes a theoretical framework which is used to analyse focus group data and text analysis data.

In this essay we try to find explanations as to why Denmark went to war, to-gether with the United States and other nations, against Iraq. We have exam-ined several factors which we believe to be the most important for Denmark`s decision to go to war. In particular, we have looked at Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his belief system, Denmark`s recent domestic policies especially the immigrations policies, relevant parts of Denmark`s past foreign policies and Denmark`s role within international organizations like UN, NATO and EU. Throughout the essay our attention is focused on Rasmussen as a main actor in forming and pushing through Denmark`s policies..

This essay deals with Swedish unemployment politics during the period 1918-1932, and can be seen as a contribution to earlier research of how the policies, established by the State Unemployment Commission, was carried out at a local level. This study bears upon  Uddevalla municipality, a town in the southwestern part of Sweden, which had about 13,700 inhabitants in 1920.The research was conducted in Uddevalla municipality archives, and the sources used are above all municipal records and documents from the local unemployment committee. The measures taken by the local committee to reduce the effects of unemployment have then been compared with the directives of the State Unemployment Commission.The survey shows that the local unemployment committee, at least during the first half of the 1920s, was very keen to follow the directives of the State Unemployment Commission, and they also tried to charge the municipality's economy as little as possible. The local policy was often even more restrictive than the demands from the State Unemployment Commission. During a few years in the middle of the 1920s, when the unemployment was relatively low, most of the unemployed did not recieve any help at all.The restrictive policy, however, led to an increasing distress among the unemployed, and the poor relief had to give financial help to a lot of unemployed and their families.

Denmark, Germany and Sweden are along with 24 other countries members of the European Union. Being part of the European Union also means being part of a European market. Within the union barriers for trade has been abolished in order to create more open market. This open market has also contributed towards a more globalized market for dairy products. What used to be a domestic market has become globalised with increasing trade among the members.

Title: Establishing in China?s ?good-enough? market - A benchmarking study on Scandinavian engineering industries? further establishment in China. Problem discussion: The Chinese market is gaining importance for Scandinavian engineering industries and is by many considered a crucial market to be successful in. These companies have a tradition of producing premium products for premium customers. However, in China many are currently experiencing the threat from local competitors producing products of somewhat less quality aimed at the vast Chinese middle market - the good-enough market.

On December 1th 2009 the Lisbon Treaty entered into force, and through Article 13, the recognition of animals as sentient being was given a more visible part in the very core of EU law. This was an effect of a political decision to commit to the issue, partly because of the will to further harmonize the EU market, but also due to increased societal concern for the wellbeing of animals. Over the last decades, ethical awareness is growing in many countries, one reason being new scientific discovery. This influences legislators and policy makers to take proper action, and in this way, ethics and science often work together as the very basis for the development of new legislation and policies. There is yet to be seen what the actual consequences of Article 13 will be, since the legal obligation remains the same and there are still some reservations in it.

AbstractThis thesis is a qualitative study that provides an insight into the Nordic offshore market, focusing on the North Sea and investigates indications of how the near future may develop in the area and how these developments may affect the Nordic seafarers. Questions central to the work are aimed primarily at how shipping companies, agencies and seafarers active in the offshore industry look at future activity in the North Sea, Nordic seafarers' status in the global labor market, and how today's employment conditions look like for seafarers in the global offshore industry. The majority of the information was collected through interviewes and questionnaires. The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how the expected development in the North Sea, in terms of availability of oil and gas, may have effect on the Scandinavian seafarers' future work prospects and employment conditions in the global offshore labor. The conclusions that have been drawn are that competition among seafarers in the offshore industry is higher 2015 than previous years (2000-2014) and are expected to increase.

This bachelor thesis explores the conditions for a harmonized EU gender equality policy. Recently the maternity leave directive has been introduced by the European commission and seeks to improve the conditions for pregnant workers. The controversial subject of this maternity leave has illustrated many of the problems connected to the development of a social dimension in EU. First of all, the debate concerning the maternity leave directive in the European Parliament has shown that both sides in the parliament seem positive towards creating legislation in this matter on EU level. However, parties at the right tend to disagree to many of the amendments in the proposal, such as the maximum entitlement.

Pregnant workers are considered at risk in the labor market and therefore need extra protection from employment discrimination . The purpose of this essay is to investigate what protection of pregnant workers against discrimination in employment situations and  if  there  is  no  corresponding  protection  for  female  workers  claim  the  right  to parental leave.The essay describes the national and EU rules on applications and practice, showing how pregnant women and workers on parental leave are treated in the labor market. Through Sweden's accession to the EU , we must apply the requirements nationally EU imposes on its member countries.The essay shows that pregnant employees have a strong legal protection from discrimination in employment , from both DL and by EU directives . Employers who deny workers employment because of pregnancy is guilty of direct discrimination on grounds of sex, because it is only women who may become pregnant. It is not important whether it is a temporary or permanent position .

The European Union has been working to promote equality between women and men for a long time. Despite this, Sweden still have a gender segregated labor market where men generally has the leading positions. According to European law the member states shall promote gender equality and to take all appropriate measures. Statutory gender quotas for company boards is one such measure that some of the European member states have implemented in national law. The Swedish law has no provisions governing gender quotas and therefore the purpose of this study is to explain how gender quotas for company boards relate to current law, both of European law and national legislation.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the second home sector in Sweden and Denmark, in a comparative study of regulations for the second home market, and residence requirement. Two attractive second home island destinations is being compared in Ven, Landskrona and Gudhjem, Bornholm. The study addresses issues such as the local effects of a regulation of the second home market get at a local level, and the effects generated by deregulation, as well as local people's opinions about second home regulation in a popular second home area in southern Sweden. This has been examined using a mix between qualitative method and quantitative methods, and the study is based on six semi-structured interviews from informants from Ven, Bornholm, and Gudhjem which has been analyzed throughout a thematic analysis. In addition to the interviews, diagrams from the Central Bureau of Statistics of Sweden and Statistics Denmark, and various real estate websites, and a field observation from Ven and Gudhjem will be presented.The result shows that show that the discussion on residence requirement has been going on for a long time in Sweden and Ven, but the local organizations found more disadvantages than advantages and are now looking in to other solutions, while other locals believes that there are more advantages with a residence requirement. In Denmark it?s revealed that there is recently started discussion between municipal decision-makers and local organizations about the regulations, and if it should be abolished or not.

During the last 15 years the Swedish media market has developed a great deal, thanks to the rise of new media. Literature, articles and investigations have contributed to producing the chapter of background of this essay. How the local newspaper and its organization has changed over time is being accounted in this essay. From the newspaper being the only product on the market to now having a spread out product portfolio. By doing the qualitative interview with research representatives of six local newspapers the aimis to answer the following questions: Who were your competitors 15 years ago? Who are your competitiors today? In what way has the increased competition changed your way of working at the division of advertisement and how do you consider the the increase of mediachannels having affected the customer? How do you see the future? The main results show that all six representatives agree on the fact that the competition has increased during the last 15 years.

Örebro UniversityThe Department Behavioural, Social, and Legal SciencesEducation of social workC-essay 41-60 pAbstractTitle: Work for everyone? An interview study of how three professions within the introduction programme in the local-government in Falköping looks at structural obstacles and discrimination in immigrants? access to the Swedish labour market.Authors: Emma Gustavsson and Sandra TjärnbergTutor: Rúna Baianstovu Deniz and Urban KarlssonToday many immigrants stand outside the labour market. To get established on the labour market and to get self-sufficient are important factors to a rapid integration process. The main purpose of this study is to investigate how three professions within the integration work in the local-government of Falköping looks at structural obstacles and possibilities with immigrants? access to the Swedish labour market.