This dissertation aims to explore how an investment appraisal differs depending on if it is conducted by a municipal or a private real estate company. Municipal and private real estate companies are not performing on totally equal terms in the property market. A municipal company in Sweden has a public service mission. The consequence due to that mission is that they have limited yield potential but on the other hand the right to certain subsidies. They are also limited by the law of public purchasing (in Swedish: Lag om offentlig upphandling) in the investment process.

Aim: The aim of this thesis is to through a survey, gain information about the tenant owners knowledge concerning their own and the real estate agents rights and obligations, this to elucidate one of the factors we think play a big part in the general publics dissatisfaction about the real estate agents and the negative picture painted of them in media today. By throwing light on the assumed lack of knowledge in this area we hope to contribute to improve the information communicated to the customers so that they can feel safer when consulting a real estate agent in this matter.Our main question in this thesis is: How much knowledge does tenant owners and tenant owners to be have concerning the division of responsibilities when it comes to selling and buying a tenant owned flat and what problems can the presumed lack of knowledge in this area lead to?Method: We have used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Data has been collected through a survey which we have put together and analyzed both based on the results we got from the survey but also based on the reactions we received from the participants. The results are presented both in text and in diagrams.Result & Conclusions: The results we got from the survey indicate that the knowledge among our participants is much worse than what would be desired.

Real options analysis is a method for assigning value to flexibility in decisions, coming from uncertainty in future outcomes. This thesis ascertains to what degree this method is superior to traditional net present value analysis, with regards to ease of implementation in relation to the benefits from being able to measure the total value. Real options analysis is evaluated with a case study of the Swedish online gambling market, and conducted with the binomial framework of Copeland and Antikarov (2003). The authors find the sensible use of real options dependant on the specific situation to which it is applied, i.e. a certain degree of future uncertainty and managerial flexibility is necessary for justification of the increased workload.

Smarttelefoner med applikationer har öppnat upp för nya kommunikationsmöjligheter. Denna studie undersöker den kontaktskapande applikationen Tinder, utifrån användarnas upplevelse av applikationen.Tinder är en positionsbaserad kontaktskapande realtidsapplikation som har flera miljoner användare världen över. Varje användare måste koppla upp sin profil mot Facebook, varifrån profilbilder, namn, ålder och gemensamma vänner hämtas. I studien undersöktes hur unga vuxna i åldern 18-30år, bosatta i Stockholm förhåller sig till hur Tinders funktioner och gränssnitt bidragit till applikationens genomslag.Studien baseras på Normans sex designprinciper, enkätsvar från 120 personer samt intervjuer med användare inom målgruppen. Resultatet visade att anledningen till Tinders framgång är en kombination av tre faktorer.

Can landscape architecture be seen as an economical asset rather than as a cost? Can well designed outdoor environments affect real estate values? This study investigates the economical value of landscape architecture and its influence on real estate prices. Research results on the relation between landscape architecture and real estate values are here compiled together with a survey made among players on the Swedish real estate market of their attitudes towards the problem. This study shows that the players on the Swedish real estate market often are unaware of the economical effects of landscape architecture pointed out in the compiled research. The study also shows that to use this information in actual projects several steps need to be taken: better knowledge of the problem, more and better compilations of research results, effective channels to spread the compiled information, proper employment and implementation of the knowledge. Extended knowledge of the relation between landscape architecture and real estate values will result in new ways of making money on outdoor environments. This would in turn have consequences for how the real estate business treat outdoor environments and how landscape architects work. The study is divided into four main questions: 1: Is there a relation between good landscape architecture and real estate prices? 2: What is the view of the players on the real estate market in this matter? 3: Is there more knowledge, research and practical models at hand? 4: What future steps can be taken to broaden the knowledge and apply it to real situations?.

The aim of our master thesis is to study the way valuation of real estate is conducted by real estate companies. Furthermore we want to identify the factors that affect the relevance and reliability of the valuation. The reason for this is the introduction of IFRS, in 2005, and the application of the IAS 40 rules stating that real estate are to be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet. To do this we have performed a case study on 10 Swedish real estate compa-nies listed on the Stockholm stock exchange, OMX, Large Cap and Mid Cap list to see how the share value has performed in relation to the reported net asset value since 2005 and how they value their collection of properties. We also studied the assumptions made by real estate company analysts.

Background: During a house demonstration a real estate agent have the chance to make new contacts which is of big importance to spread the word about the agency and keep up with the competition. If the realtor makes a good impression on the customers, it increases the chance for making the customers return to the same realtor when time comes to sell their own house. The interpretation of this non-verbal communication has been shown to have a fundamental effect on the participant?s perception of the encounter. This makes the study aim regards investigating which non-verbal signals a real estate agent express.Purpose: This study has a two-parted purpose whereas the first part intends to point out similarities and differences in a realtor?s non-verbal communication.

Swedish school children exhibit deteriorating knowledge results in terms of reading comprehension. Previous research shows that a method to increase the level of knowledge is the use of evidence-based learning techniques. Test based learning generates what is commonly referred to as a test effect, which proved to strengthen the relationship between learning and memory, as well as being applicable to various test formats. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether test based learning, in terms of learning english words leads to increased performance in a reading comprehension test, more specifically a cloze test. The study was based on a within-group design and was conducted three times over four weeks.

The new accounting standards IFRS and IAS was implemented in January 2005, the purpose was to harmonize accounting standards world wide. As a result of these new rules the real estate companies are allowed to appraise real estates assets at market value. It has long been debated whether this appraisal fulfils the requirements for relevance, reliability and comparability.The paper attends to how banks control the information given by the real estate companies in the process of credit granting. As an introduction we describe the purpose of accounting and the problematic´s about appraisals with market values. Further on there is a discussion on which factors are taken into consideration when banks grant credits.The study is built on interviews at three different commercial banks.

2013. The brave new time.We constantly look forward in time. There is a need today to constantly renew, replace and update almost everything in our lives. Although often stressful, these continual changes and upgrades can open up new possibilities and even be seen as enjoyable and stimulating.Values, opinions, and everything we create, is based on an experience of the past and predictions of what the future might be. I want to take advantage of these thoughts and find out how they relate to our exchangeable culture.

This paper is finishing part of the two-year master programme in Industrial Engineering and Management.Initially there was an inquiry of studying the queue-times that Fläkt Woods uses when they break down internal working orders. These times were assumed to be too generalised and does not apply to the actual value of the queue-times which generates incorrect data and delivery delays. During the work of this paper it has been established that it is not the queue-times that is the biggest problem. The problem is the shop floor control and the lack of manufacturing the right products at the right time. Therefore an analysis of the production planning process was made to bring forward the real problems.

It has become increasingly common for cities and municipalities to take greater account of the place marketing, and to see the physical location as a brand. An early step in this process is to make the image measurements of the place, in order to develop better marketing strategies. A method often used in tourism research for this type of measurements is Etchner and Ritchie's theoretical framework. The framework is initially designed to measure visitor's image of a tourist destination.Almost all previous research in this area is based on the visitor's perspective, but Olofsson and Skredsvik have used this framework to measure a location's image among the residents. They feel that the residents of a place can be seen as ambassadors of the place because they know the site well.

 Genotyping can be used to link genetic variation among individuals to certain diseases or conditions. Some known disorders and states that are dependent on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) are lactose intolerance, venous thrombosis, hereditary hemochromatosis and the difference in sensibility among people to metabolise drugs.In this project a new kit, TaqManÒ Sample-to-SNP KitÔ for extraction of DNA and preparation of the extract for genotyping with real-time PCR and allelic discrimination, was evaluated. QIAamp® DNA Blood Biorobot® MDx Kit was used as the reference method.The purpose of the comparison was to find a method that makes DNA extraction from blood samples cheaper and faster, but with the same reliability as the reference procedure.The results of the evaluation showed a complete agreement of the genotype results between the methods tested, which means that the new method was as reliable as the reference method. The costs of reagents and material would be reduced with 52% if the new method is adopted, that alone would result in a cost reduction of 144 000SEK a year with a sample volume of 650 samples/month. The time for DNA extraction would also be reduced with the new procedure. .

Reliable methods to analyze food for the presence of almond are important ? not only for those allergic to almond, but also for monitoring the compliance with labelling regulations (EG directive 2003/89). Until now the Swedish National Food Administration has used methods like rocket immunoelectrophoresis and real-time PCR to detect almond in food. These methods are, however, not sensitive enough for protecting the most sensitive individuals. Therefore, the performance of a commercial ELISA kit was tested with regard to specificity/cross reactivity and limit of detection for almond both in solution and in different matrixes.The limit of quantitation was at least 3,1 ppm (mg/kg) in solution and similar concentrations were measured in bisquits and chocolate.

This essay reviews the situation for real estate agencies within the Stockholm area. In this essay we assume that costumer loyalty is a requirement for survival on the competitive estate market. Two actors have been compared; A well known national Internet-based agency, Skandia Mäklarna, and a smaller local traditional agent Mäklarfirman Grönberg. These actors have been analyzed up on theories on loyalty, relationship marketing, service marketing, quality and involvement .The conclusion of the essay is that it is possible for small estate agencies to compeed with larger Internet based agencies by building loyal relationships with their customers. This can be achieved if the right strategic decisions are made.