The common literature about strategic alliances offers a very fragmented picture. This thesis gives a theoretical overview on strategic alliances and builds the basis for the following examination of the different dimensions most strategic alliances have. The examination of the different dimensions is the crucial point of this thesis. Here the reader gets a detailed insight into the different dimensions and the implications they have on the design of a particular strategic alliance. This examination leads in the end to a more differentiated view on strategic alliances and the insight that no simple models exist, which give a sufficient basis for decision-making and understanding strategic alliances, today.

A uniform environmental rating system for green buildings is demanded in today's society, where the requirements of the energy consumption for real estate are increasing. There are several different systems around the world used to rate buildings, all with different assessment criteria and starting points, which make it difficult to compare environmental rated buildings with each other.The purpose of this paper is to acquire knowledge about the differences between the Swedish environmental rating system Miljöklassad Byggnad and the American LEED, to discover which system is most advantageous. We also examine whether environmental rating affect the value of a property.Miljöklassad Byggnad is relatively simple structured, which makes it possible for private individuals to rate their property. LEED is better structured on the other hand in the case of environmental classification of commercial properties, because there are manuals for among others hospitals, schools and retail. The rating system for Miljöklassad Byggnad is good since the system seeks to fix the number of errors and deficiencies as soon as possible.

This study concerns a selection of prehistoric metal objects of animalistic design, published at the internet site of the Swedish Statens Historiska Museum. It seeks to give an impression of the design elements used, and to find likely models for the motifs among live animals. The method used is a qualitative hermenuetic comparative study of objects, where the distinct significant design elements are being identified and interpretated. Several significant design elements are identified, and some are interpretated as representing certain animals. The amalgamation of differentiating design elements in some objects however, leads to interpretations of compound animal motifs, where some motifs are considered ambiguous and some are rendered uninterpretated.

The study was carried out as a time study of five wood chippers placed on trucks,so?called huggbilar. They are trucks with built?in wood chipper, chip bowl and crane pulling a chip trailer. The system is used for chipping wood fuel, transporting, and delivering the chips to heating plants.

The purpose of this study has been to increase the awareness of what significance models of explanation have for intervention programmes, aimed at perpetrators of intimate partner violence, within the Swedish social services. The study is not gender neutral, it centres on male batterers in heterosexual relationships. The study is based on qualitative interviews with five people working within the topical field. I analyzed their statements using an ecological model of understanding violence. The main finding was that the people I interviewed had a multiple understanding when it came to comprehending the violence, but that when it came down to the actual intervention they targeted mainly on elements in the individual spectra, such as feelings of frustration.

The purpose of ?The Lake? was to create an experience with music and visuals working with no budget.A personal purpose was that I wanted to explore new areas in design, like scenography, and combine them with my previous knowledge and skills. My method was to keep my hands busy at all times and use new materials. I also wanted to work with other creators and learn from their methods. Together with a musician I created the music and the concept for the project.

Photography has a big role in information sharing today. Especially in the hotel industry where it is the closest thing a customer can get to the product that is being sold. This study intends to find out how you can make use of rhetorical models and techniques of photography to enhance the communication skills of photos of hotel rooms. The main focus was to understand the difference between informative and emotional photographs and what consumers themselves focus on when choosing a hotel, and also how to use the collected information to create a larger buying interest through hotel photography. Using previous research work and quantitative data collection method, we have concluded that the informational and emotional photography methods have obvious differences but also many similarities, and are most effective used together and that the hotel consumer is more aware of the images influence then we assumed..

This project is about investigation and improvement of a V-plow for the company Swekip. A V- plow is used for snow removal but this product has been found to have deficiencies in its construction, breaking down and not living up to the desired objectives. This is because the product is ordered from a company in China where they have some problems with understanding the purpose of the plow.Initially the existing plow is investigated, all the shortcomings set out and examined, what is wrong and what needs improvement?When the solutions were done they were evaluated and examined that they actually live up to the desired requirements.This assignment is a pure construction project where the majority is implemented in CAD, where models are developed and FE analyses are carried out. But the project also includes a feasibility study, idea study and hydraulic design.The results are presented in the form of a CAD model and associated drawings that will serve as the manufacturing basis for the new V-plow.

The project concerns a predevelopment work for Scania AB, a leading manufacturer of heavytrucks, and was performed as a master thesis work for the program Design and ProductDevelopment at KTH. The purpose of this work was to examine how the work situation of truckdrivers, especially long-haulage drivers, can be improved with respect to prolonged sedentaryoccupation. Mental fatigue and under-stimulation due to low cognitive load during long drivescan be major risk factors for traffic accidents. Physical strain injuries to both the skeleton andmuscles are common for this working group and minimal opportunity for daily exercise alsoincreases the risk of developing blood clots in the legs, which can have serious consequences forthe driver's health.An extensive background study, both theoretical and exploratory, was performed to identify thedrivers' concerns and comfort needs. Various treatments such as massage and active sitting wereinvestigated and existing products within the area studied.

A Biogas plant in SLU?s (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) management sustains to behave in con-nection with the new animal stables at Lövsta. There will primarily manure from stables that rot to biogas. The biogas plant will also have the capacity that rot others substrates that can arise in the farm operation. The aim with the biogas plant is to produce non fossil electrical and gas heat for own customs, to reduce smell impact from stables and to make possible different types of research investments within the area.This study has implemented multiple cases study of different investment scenarios.

AbstractAccording to several researchers finance is scarce, scarcer for small businesses than for big enterprises. Small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, that want to start exporting and sales or manufacturing abroad need capital to get ready. Which capital structure and financial costs do they have, and which forms of finance do they actually use for that purpose. New american research by Mansi, Reeb (2002) has suggested, that there is a positive connection between leverage and a negative one between financial costs and internationalization, and that a non-linear model better describes this connection.This study has gathered data in two ways: Through a questionnaire from 37 SMEs and balance sheet figures from totally 166 manufacturing SMEs. In order to examine, whether the company was active on the international market, 200 SMEs in south Sweden were asked, if they exported to, produced or sold on any other market than their home market.

Background: Investors have several options to choose from when the goal is to achieve the highest yield at the lowest cost and risk. Stocks are a common investment options, but is also associated with risks. Portfolios are usually constructed with several different assets to reduce the unsystematic risk of investment. Funds are similar to composite stock portfolios, the big difference is that they dealt with in their entirety and investors may not affect the fund's content. The problem remains that whether you choose stocks or mutual funds there is still uncertainty as to how the future will unfold.

The purpose with this masters thesis was to model the scanner in a system for laser bathymetry. The model was then used to develop a controller for the scanner so a good search pattern was achieved. Two different types of models have been tested, a physical model and a Black Box model of Box Jenkins type. The physical model has been derived from Lagranges equations. Identification experiments have been used to compute the Black Box model and to find the unknown parameters in the physical model.

This master thesis is one part of a project, called ?StabSim?, with the purpose to develop a simulation model for the align and stabilisation system in main battle tank 122. The origin of this project is that it should be possible to make control analysis without risking any hardware. Besides that it will be easy to change components in order to investigate the behaviour of the system. The report includes modelling of tower and weapon mechanics and also the modelling of the synchronous motors, which control these.

I arbetet som har pågått i nu mer än ett år har vi behandlat sådant som förutsättningar för ett sådant projekt, intresset därav från studenter, skola och näringsliv samt rent tekniska aspekter kring konstruktionen av en farygsmodell dess elektroniska och mekaniska system samt hur en sådan modell kan användas i utbildningen av elever. Även sådant som funderingar kring studenternas säkerhet i samband med konstruktionen av och kring användandet av modellen behandlas i detta arbete. Vi har använt oss av metoden ?Grundande Teori? och har kommit fram till att Sjöfartshögskolan i Kalmar har exceptionella och helt unika förutsättningar för att starta ett projekt där man bedriver utbildning med bemannade modeller..