I en allt mer globaliserad värld ökar betydelsen för ett lands ekonomi att stora konkurrenskraftiga bolag växer fram. First North är en handelplats som erbjuder små och medelstora företag en möjlighet att tillgå externa investerares kapital, vilket kan möjliggöra en omfattande expansion som annars ej hade varit genomförbar. För bolag listade på en handelsplats, är investerares förtroende något avgörande för att kunna växa. Något som dock skett under de senaste åren, är att ett starkt misstroende riktats mot handelsplatsen First North från affärsmedia och investerare. Kritikerna menar att bolagen på First North handlar girigt, och den svaga reglering som omfattar bolagen, inte garanterar en trovärdig förvaltning.

This thesis studies private equity firms' implementation of management control systems in their portfolio companies and whether the systems are affected by cross-national differences. A comparative case study examines five different private equity firms to derive if there are any differences between the private equity firms' management control systems in the United States, Europe and China. The empirical observations are categorized according to the framework developed by Merchant (1985) and further developed by Merchant and Van der Stede (2003). Theory on the effect of multinationality on management control systems, also developed by Merchant and Van der Stede (2003), are used to explain possible findings. The applied theory includes the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede (1984) and Hofstede and Bond (1988).

The main purpose of this thesis is to examine how the European Union through the Directorate- General (DG) of Education and Culture, are calling forth a constructed sense of European identity amongst the citizens of the Union.It is a discourse analysis, which can be described in twofold. Firstly, it is a mapping of the European discourse; i.e. how the European Union defines the identity it seeks to mobilise. Secondly, it examines whether or not there are similarities in the European discourse of identity and the traditional nation-building discourse of national identity.According to this thesis a European identity is articulated in cultural terms, whereby its members are said to share the same values and a common cultural heritage.To bring the people of Europe closer together and to deepen awareness of their "common" history, the European Union encourages all manner of meetings and exchange schemes between Europeans. Although its goal is to develop a feeling of belonging to a shared culture, the EU is also keen to preserve the specific aspects of Europe's many cultures.

Redan tidigt då jag besökte North Kingdom kom det upp förslag på studier som skulle kunna vara av intresse. Flera förslag fick man stryka direkt då de var mer programmeringsinriktade. Men det som fastna var förslaget att göra en teaser trailer. Tillsammans med Tomas Hillergren tog vi på oss den uppgiften, att skapa en teaser trailer till en fiktiv film eller ett spel. Då vi hade fria händer (det var inte kommersiellt) valde vi ett science fiction tema, inspirerat av The King In Yellow, en samling noveller av Robert W.

This is a tale about energy and power. It describes the geographer Halford Mackinder?s geopolitical theories and compares them with current views outlined by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Michael T Klare, among others. With a critical approach it also provides a historical account of a Europe that stands in front of an energy struggle so severe that the current world order seems destined to fall. Oil and natural gas, has since the beginning of the 20th century, been used as a geopolitical tool in order to create dependence, control and even sometimes overthrow empires.

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 paper aims to find out how media in different countries in the same part of a continent portray the latest development in the Korean conflict. To achieve this, the articles published by two newspapers, The Japan Times and The Korea Times, in the last five months have been analysed. The theory used to analyse the published articles is the agenda setting theory. This paper has found that geography, in the sense of proximity to the conflict, do affect what stories the newspapers publish and how they portray the story..

I have observed that hedges are not as prevalent in gardens in the north of Sweden as in the south despite a number of beneficial qualities attached to their use. Consequently, the primary purpose of this essay is to examine the potential for the use of ligneous or woody plants as hedges in a cold climate. The aim of this study is to provide information about the various varieties of ligneous plants that can be used for both pruned and unclipped hedges in the north of Sweden. Because the hardiness of the ligneous plants is a vital factor here, only plants that are hardy enough to survive in the Swedish hardiness zones V to VIII are included in this study. Roses, dwarf shrubs, conifers, bushes with a final height of less than 1 metre and plants that ?bleed? have been excluded.

Muslims and islam are unquestionably a part of European social life. In recent times, however, different events, such as the enlargement of the EU and the fact that muslims to a higher extent demand their rights, have brought a number of questions to the fore concerning muslims and islam in Europe. Moreover, we can see an increasing level of islamophobia in contemporary Europe, but also that the EU has launched several programs to increase both the diversity and the unity throughout the Union and to combat islamophobia. However, most of these programs focus on islam as religion and muslims in general, and such a narrow viewpoint runs the risk of missing important issues.In this new context it would be interesting to widen the scope and ask what place not only the muslim community and islam, but also sharia (an important element in islam), may have in future Europe ? especially when it comes to muslim identity?My main objects are to see how the concept of sharia is constructed in the debates in the European Parliament, how that discourse relates to a social practice ? the increasing islamophobic ideas in Europe ? and what effect this may have on muslim identity in a European context.The results shows that the Parliament constructs sharia as, for example, something archaic, threatening, inhuman and misogynistic.

Muslims and islam are unquestionably a part of European social life. In recent times, however, different events, such as the enlargement of the EU and the fact that muslims to a higher extent demand their rights, have brought a number of questions to the fore concerning muslims and islam in Europe. Moreover, we can see an increasing level of islamophobia in contemporary Europe, but also that the EU has launched several programs to increase both the diversity and the unity throughout the Union and to combat islamophobia. However, most of these programs focus on islam as religion and muslims in general, and such a narrow viewpoint runs the risk of missing important issues.In this new context it would be interesting to widen the scope and ask what place not only the muslim community and islam, but also sharia (an important element in islam), may have in future Europe ? especially when it comes to muslim identity?My main objects are to see how the concept of sharia is constructed in the debates in the European Parliament, how that discourse relates to a social practice ? the increasing islamophobic ideas in Europe ? and what effect this may have on muslim identity in a European context.The results shows that the Parliament constructs sharia as, for example, something archaic, threatening, inhuman and misogynistic.

My aim of this investigation has been to study Delacroix relation to the Orient, based on a number of key questions:What was specific for Delacroix oriental works?How did his oriental painting change and mature over time?How was Delacroix relation to the oriental discourse?The paper is divided into three parts: the time before his trip to Morocco in 1832, the trip to Morocco and the period after Morocco.Although many have wanted to see Delacroix as a revolutionary, he worked the whole time within, and dialogue with, the classical tradition. In Delacroix quest for renewal of history painting, the oriental works play an important role. In the period before his trip to Morocco the literary sources dominated. He constructed his own Orient in his studio.It is clear that Delacroix did not stood outside the oriental discourse.

This essay discusses the development of swords in the southern region of Sweden, Skåne. It attempts to locate the areas in Europe where the swords were first made and, in doing so, trace the communication routes by which people traveled. The essay deals with aperiod of a few hundred years, from the late eighth century to sometime around 1300. In that sense, it is therefore also a time study tracing the cultural changes and developments in Skåne during the era of Christianization. Does the development of swords follow the overall changes in society, from an isolated pagan district to a Catholic European community, or not? In answering this question, eight swords were selected and put under closer observation.

A survey was undertaken to understand sheep management, breeding practices and selection criteria for Red Maasai sheep in Maasai pastoralist communities in Kajiado District, Kenya. Differences between North and South Kajiado District were investigated to gain knowledge about farmers having different prerequisites and how it can affect the sheep production. The reason for keeping sheep and the specific breeds show the multiple objectives of the Maasai farmers. Adaptive traits, such as resistance to diseases and droughts, and productive traits, such as increased growth and carcass weight, were both ranked highly. In addition to this, the sheep has a social and traditional value in Maasai culture.

As to now, no study has been made of the mica tempered pottery found along side the asbestos tempered pottery in Norrland during the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. Its occurrence has previously only briefly been noted in a few published works and the dating and geographical distribution of mica tempered pottery in the north of Sweden has to a large extent been unknown. This paper aims to compile the available information about this type of pottery and the locations where it has been discovered in order to date and explain the occurrence of mica tempered pottery in Norrland. It's also suggested that the occurrence of mica tempered pottery is connected to the spread of the early metalwork from the east to areas that today makes up the north of Norrland..

Syftet med examensarbetet är att på aktiens första handelsdag undersöka graden av underprissättning på nyintroducerade aktier på OMX Stockholm Large Cap, Mid Cap, Small Cap och First North och vilket samband denna underprissättning har med ledande befattningshavares och styrelses innehav av teckningsoptioner. Undersökningen baseras på 74 företag på OMX Stockholm och First North under perioden januari 2000 till november 2007. Studien visar på två resultat. Det finns inte något visat samband mellan insiders innehav av teckningsoptioner baserade på aktiens introduktionskurs och underprissättning. Det finns ett visat samband mellan VD:s innehav av teckningsoptioner och underprissättning..