The Swedish agricultural sector is currently experiencing substantial structural changes, where the number of agricultural enterprises continuously decreases and the average farm size increases. In order to maintain competitiveness, it is important to be aware and adapt to changes concerning the surroundings of the company (Johnson et al., 2011). Agricultural commodity prices sharply fluctuate on the global market in recent years, affecting the profitability of farmers. High volatility market requires tools to reduce price variations and increases the need of decision-making (Bouder & Beth, 2003). Farm-based grain handling facilities increases the sale options regarding agricultural commodities; a flexible strategy to get additional compensation for the storing the grain produced on the farm (Edling, 2002; Edwards, 2013).

This thesis aims to open the Pandora?s Box of hedge fund styles through an index-based style analysis. This information asymmetry is due to both less strict disclosure requirements and inherent nature of hedge funds. We employ a multiple unconditional linear regression model wherein 23 Swedish hedge funds are regressed on 10 style indices. In addition to the increased interest in hedge funds and their performance drivers, our unique approach with regressing return on return motivates this study.

Bakgrund/problem: Fastighetsmäklare ersätts idag främst genom provision för sitt huvuduppdrag fastighetsförmedling. Ett lagförslag vill tillåta ersättning för förmedling av sidotjänster som exempelvis bolån. Risken med lagförslaget är att mäklarens roll som oberoende mellanman försvinner om ersättningen för sidotjänstförmedling är uteslutande provisionsbaserad. Ledningen måste därför utforma välfungerande styrsystem för att undvika negativa effekter.Syfte: Att utforma ett förslag till hur företag kan undvika negativa effekter vid provisionsbaserad ersättning för sidotjänster.Metod: En kvalitativ fallstudie har genomförts med individuella, semistrukturerade intervjuer, enkätundersökning samt sekundärkällor.Resultat: Företagsledningen bör använda sig av ett kombinerat ersättningssystem med både fast och rörlig lön för sidotjänstförmedling. Vidare bör även hänsyn tas till åtgärder inom beteendestyrning, såsom utformning av välfungerande processer för de anställdas arbetssätt, samt inom social styrning, såsom utbildning av de anställda..

This is a qualitative study aiming to study stepparents? view of the relationships within the stepfamily and their thoughts about what makes it work. It is based upon three stepmothers? life stories focusing on their relationships with their stepchildren. The study is based on a symbolic interactionistic theory and explores the experiences and unique perceptions of these women in their life as stepparents.

With inspiration from Bitzers situational analysis a phenomenografic method has been used, influenced by Brown & Levinsons´s theory of politeness, to find perceptions concerning constraints (in Bitzer´s sense in his model of the rhetorical situation) in Internet-based communication. Based on three qualitative interviews, this essay has found that the perceptions are closely linked to views of what constitutes formal and informal contexts, varying due to the gender or age of the informant. Netspeak is not considered appropriate, with some exceptions, in any formal situation. However, the perceptions regarding decorum in informal situations differ in nature, based mainly on what kinds of associations and connotations are produced by elements found in netspeak. Since perceptions regarding informal situations vary, there is a large risk of misunderstanding, which this essay aims to survey..

The main purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge in biology by immigrant pupils. My investigation is based on the pupil and I have focused on positive and negative factors that affect their performance in biology.The study is based on marks in year 2006/2007, a survey and interviews made with four immigrant pupils at a compulsory school in Västra Götaland.The study indicates that the result in biology of immigrant pupils is lower compared to Swedish.Difficulties in language, the commitments by their parents and their surroundings are the main factors that affect their results negative..

This essay was written at Södertörn University during the spring semester of 2010, in the field of Business Administration, and more precisely within management and organization. The essay is based on a case study of the management of the staff working at the commuter train stations in Stockholm. The study consists of a number of interviews with the management staff and with the personnel working at the stations, where the aim of the study is to describe how management works within ISS Trafficare AB and what the personnel working at the stations think of it. ISS Trafficare AB is the entrepreneur who runs the commuter train stations in Stockholm by an agreement met with Stockholmståg KB.The study is based on information from the interviews with the personnel and other material from ISS Trafficare AB. Research on the area of management have been used to put data into perspective and to further deepen our analysis and conclusions from the case.The essay shows that the management has tried to implement several changes on the organization in order to provide more service to the travelers.

Det nya arbetslivet har blivit alltmer komplicerat och kravfyllt. Nya kunskapskrav har växt fram i takt med arbetsmarknadens strukturomvandling och samhällets individualisering (Allvin, 2006). Individer förväntas bli ?sin egen agent? och ständigt sträva efter att hålla sig anställningsbara och ?anställningsbarhet? har således blivit ett policybegrepp som används flitigt inom den politiska debatten kring utbildning och arbete (Berglund & Fejes, 2009). Som blivande karriärvägledare är det relevant att förstå vad det innebär att vara anställningsbar för att på bästa sätt se till individens behov.

This is a study of democracy on the local level. It?s a comparison between the municipalities of Mo?rbyla?nga and Mo?nstera?s in the region of Kalmar in Sweden based on most similar design. The question is if the structure of the political organisation affects the quality of democracy, with focus on the reorganisaton in Mo?rbyla?nga and the quality of the political process.

Syfte & frågeställningar: Studiens syfte var att studera effekten på medieanvändares attityder. För att få en djupare förståelse och uppfattning om effekter på attityden så användes barnläkarfallet som ett exempel av anmälningsfall.Hur och på vilket sätt kan media komma att ha effekt på användarnas attityder?Metod & material: Studien är gjord efter en kvalitativ metod där datainsamlandet bestod av två fokusgrupper. Totalt deltog tio personer och intervjuerna transkriberades och delades upp i teman (kodningsschema) som sedan analyserades enligt framing teorin.Huvudresultat: I resultatet kunde man utläsa att de båda fokusgrupperna hade oliker attityder gentemot barnläkarfallet. Detta trots att de båda fokusgrupperna tidigare hade en liknande uppfattning om hur media arbetar och sade sig vara källkritiska.

The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze how resource-based strategic choices can create can create sustainable competetive advantages. The study examines whether Daniel Wellington has competitive advantages and how those in that case have been achieved. The results of our study can hopefully help case company to get a deeper insight into the relationship between strategic resources and sustained competitive advantage..

An energy calculation model for Swedish houses   that is fast, flexible and user-friendly has been developed within the   framework of this thesis.  The model   also provides a set of actions which may be investigated in the model based   on savings and payback period. Energy use in a house depends on the technical   conditions, such as building envelope and heating systems, which outdoor   climate the house is exposed to and who lives in the house. Energy use for a   house can be divided into heating, hot water and household electricity. There   are several methods to calculate the energy use of a house. This report   summarizes the methods that may be suitable for a fast and user-friendly   calculation model.

This essay was written at Södertörn University during the spring semester of 2010, in the field of Business Administration, and more precisely within management and organization. The essay is based on a case study of the management of the staff working at the commuter train stations in Stockholm. The study consists of a number of interviews with the management staff and with the personnel working at the stations, where the aim of the study is to describe how management works within ISS Trafficare AB and what the personnel working at the stations think of it. ISS Trafficare AB is the entrepreneur who runs the commuter train stations in Stockholm by an agreement met with Stockholmståg KB.The study is based on information from the interviews with the personnel and other material from ISS Trafficare AB. Research on the area of management have been used to put data into perspective and to further deepen our analysis and conclusions from the case.The essay shows that the management has tried to implement several changes on the organization in order to provide more service to the travelers.

Today, maintenance is a big part of the daily life on board ships. It is also one of the bigger expenses a shipping company has and without any loss of quality tries to run as economically advantageous as possible. In the hunt for economical savings the shore-based industry has subsequently applied the use of condition based maintenance, CBM, were a component is maintained according to its actual state. This leads to a reduction of maintenance costs since no parts are unnecessarily replaced. However, within the maritime sector a periodical maintenance is still the most commonly used maintenance system.The purpose of this paper is to chart the factors that are the reason for the low implementation of CBM on board the Swedish merchant fleet's ships.

This study examinates technology's traumatic impact on the male subject in The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard. In my analysis I show how the protagonist uses a fetischistic strategy in order to make sense of the trauma that technology embeds. Paradoxically it proves to be the agent of his trauma, but also functions as his shield. The machine is thus in a position of the hinge, the point in a structural system that both enables and deconstruct the system.