The objective of this thesis is to map the resources and methods used at the department OPPC, at AstraZeneca, and derived from that give suggestions on possible solutions that will increase their productivity.Mapping of the product flow, as well as gathering of process data, has mainly been done using observations, but consultation with the process technicians has also played a great role. Further have theoretical methods been used, based on literature studies, within the areas of Lean production and statistics.The work has incrementally gone forward since the steps taken has been restricted by the irregularity of production which led to the need of creating a fictive production flow. This has affected the lead-time calculations in the way that they are meant to give an indication, rather than an absolute truth, on how different methods described shall be used.The current state analysis showed multiple areas of improvement when defining capacity as value adding time in relation to total throughput time. Using the "standard scenario" as a basis showed that the actual production flow only constituted 50% of the total project time. Further it showed that the workflow contained more non-value adding activities than value adding activities, which is a result of how the work is distributed within the department as well as in the different projects.

Since 2004, wind power has had the largest installation of new capacity compared to other energy sources in Sweden. Accommodating new wind power may require strengthening or rebuilding of the existing grid in areas where the grid is already loaded to maximum capacity. This master thesis examine the possibility of a new 400/130 kV substation in Yttermalung, Sweden, with a connection to the two neighboring regional grids in Dalarna and Värmland owned by Fortum. This substation would provide a new connection point to the Swedish transmission system as well as an interconnection of the two, currently separated, regional grids. Different expansion scenarios where a substation with and without series compensation or a phase shifting transformer (PST) to control active power flow were studied.

This paper analyzes the auditor choices for a sample of 300 predominantly small Swedish firms, all located in Umeå. Our hypothesis was based on the complexity of a firm, the need of external financing, leverage, and the need of extra consultance from the auditfirm. Our definition of auditor quality is based on prior studies, and is frequently used by authors in this area. The assumption is based on that the auditor quality increases with the size of the auditfirm and the degree of the auditor. The auditor quality is therefor depending on the choice between an auditor from the group ?Big 5? or not, and the choice of an auditor with an higher degree.

The thesis that follows is performed in collaboration with Nitator in Oskarström.The factory in Oskarström focuses on laser cutting, robotic welding and surfacetreatment of steel for the automotive industry.The project aims to streamline the flow of materials in production by automatingthe movements of the forklifts, running to and from the interlayer, and betweenworkstations.The project started with a systematic literature search. The literature searchshowed the research position around the AGV-system. Also a review of studentliterature was made, so that a suitable method for practical implementation couldbe developed and applied. Selected method uses both quantitative and qualitativeapproaches, which is analyzed by using triangulation.The work has resulted in a modified layout of the current facility in Oskarströmthat can be used for the implementation of the AGV-system. It has also resulted inthe tender documents and profitability calculation from several of AGV-suppliers..

In the year of 2009 the conditions for managing primary healthcare in the region of Västra Götalandchanged. The decision was taken by the regional assembly and resulted in that the citizens since thenhave had the opportunity to choose which health care provider they preferto stay with. Along with thisdecision a new market for private health careproviders was established, which resulted inincreasedcompetition between the providers.In order to manage the competition, the health care providers arenow forced to be more efficient in their operations andalso to beeven more focused on their patients.Backa Läkarhusgruppen is an example of a private healthcare provider in the region of Västra Götaland.In the same way it is also an example of anorganizationin need of analysing their operations to seehowit can be further optimized to meet patient needs and expectations.The aim of this study is to analyse Backa Läkarhusgruppen?s organization and its operationsin the hopeoffinding suggestions whichwill improve the patient flow.To allocate and solve the problems thatBacka Läkarhus suffer from,an approach inspired by Lean Healthcare is used throughout the report.Some of themost significant problems that were identified within the organization are:?The synchronization of demand and capacity is inadequate.?Absence of standardized routines.?Absence of present leadership.To be able to improve the patient flow Backa Läkarhus needs to handle these identified problem areas.By synchronizing the staffing level in relation to the trends in demand a reduction in the patient?swaiting times and throughput time will be possible. Creating clear responsibilities and routines for thestaff will contribute to a higher degree of patient focus and thus lead to a more efficient patient flow.

In the last decades, lean production has proven to be one of the most important organizational paradigms in manufacturing. The lean concept has also spread into the service industry where it is applied within a range of different areas. The wide applicability of lean principles has spurred the authors of this study to apply the principles in the context of the operations of a Swedish remand prison. The thesis examines the process a client of the remand prison Häktet Kronoberg goes through from the time of arrest until he/she is released or convicted and transferred to jail. Based on lean tools and principles, the thesis maps and analyses this process.

A district heating plant has the advantage that it can take advantage of the waste heat from industries and use of cheap fuels to produce heat. But for the long term is competitive requires that energy is also saved in district heating plants. One way to save energy in a district heating system is to increasing cooling to the return temperature. This leads to less power needed to drive the distribution pumps,  and that more energy could be extracted from the same amount of fuel by an improved flue gas condensation.In Karlskoga the return temperature into the district heating plant is high. They would therefore reduce the return temperature in order to extract more energy from the flue gases.

Male piglets have been castrated for centuries to avoid contamination of their meat with boar taint, a strongly unpleasant odour that makes the meat inedible. Today boar taint can be prohib-ited by vaccination against gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) using Improvac®. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of vaccination on growth performance and behaviour of vaccinated male pigs compared to surgically castrated male pigs. The effect of two feeding regimes, restricted (SLU-norm) and semi ad libitum, was also included in the study. At birth, pigs (n=206) were randomly allocated to the two treatment groups; surgically castrated and vaccination.

Over a long period of time, there has been a rich debate in the academic and financial world if active management can generate an excess return. Many experts say that the current active management strategies is nothing more than a money grab that produces large gains, for banks and investment firms, through high management fees while producing no excess value for the individuals buying their service. In short, an effective market makes it almost impossible for fund managers to produce value for their clients in the long run.No argument has only one side though, other experts say that active management has a role to play because not all investors are rational. This irrationality can lead to mispricing on financial assets in the marketplace and in turn lead to an ineffective market where active management can fill a much needed role. The purpose of this study is therefore to see if active management strategies can create a higher risk adjusted return, taking management fees into consideration, during times of high volatility when the uncertainty is at its peak.

Dogs presenting with vomiting and abdominal pain, are common patients at the small animal clinic, and the reason for these symptoms can have various aetiologies. One common reason for these symptoms is obstruction of the small intestine caused by a foreign body. Obstruction of the small intestine is best diagnosed by using radiography, contrast-study if needed, and ultrasound. To avoid further examinations, diagnosis from plain radiographs is preferable. One of the signs of illness one can detect from these examinations is a dilation of the small intestine proximal of the obstruction, caused by gas or fluid; ileus.

Ericsson?s factory in Kumla, Modules Kumla, became a hub for radio modules and micro base stations, which enables mobile communication through radio base stations, in 2004. Because of this the factory focuses more on the logistics operations. This has led to a need to be able to plan the capacity for the materials handling system. This master thesis has therefore been performed at Modules Kumla to develop a capacity calculation model for the material handling flow during the autumn of 2005.The work has contained a mapping of the material handling flow regarding to which activities was performed and how much time they consumed.

Together with NCC and Sweco we measured the air-flow on a semi-detached house in Jönköping. When a pressure measurement is made, the house gets exposed to over- and under pressure. This is done in order to examine the houses climate shell. The climate shell of the semi-detached house we tested exceeded the required air thickness in BBR-2002, hence, measures have to be taken.This report also displays the importance of building air thick houses and what consequences a non air-thick house can have for the ones residing the house. A discussion of different measures is on for the addressed problems with the flow-measurement and the alternative construction-solutions.Furthermore we have described in this report of how to account for the performance of the air pressure, what kind of equipment we used and how we came up with the results.

 This study was conducted in autumn 2008 on the Company AB, which is currently in a growth phase. The company manufactures hydraulic systems for the heavy vehicle industry and has annual sales of approximately 250 MSEK with 165 employees.The rapid growth and unchanged planning is the starting point for this report. It all began in 2005 when the company received an unusually large order. During this period, the first priority was to satisfy customers and all other focus was disregarded. This has primarily resulted in a messy production and long throughput times.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att utreda vilka faktorer som påverkar de svenska småhuspriserna, och i så fall hur och i vilken utsträckning. Med stöd av tidigare studier som enhetlig pekar ut bolåneräntan och disponibel inkomst som de faktorer vilka har tydligast inverkan på fastighetspriserna i Sverige, utökas de förklarande variablerna i denna studie med hjälp av en stock-flow modell. Tidsseriedata från 1993-2013 behandlas för enhetsrötter och kointegration för att skattas i en regressionsanalys i form en "Error Correction Model", med avsikten att utreda både ett kort- och långsiktigt samband. Resultatet bekräftar reporäntan och disponibel inkomst som två viktiga faktorer för att förklara det långsiktiga sambandet med priserna på småhus i Sverige, tillsammans med ytterligare faktorer såsom BNP, hushållens skuldsättning och arbetslösheten. På kort sikt är dels den historiska utvecklingen av huspriserna en nyckelfaktor, men faktorer som disponibel inkomst, ränta, BNP och hushållens skuldsättning är också viktiga krafter för att förklara småhuspriserna.

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.