This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using different benchmarking models to measure and compare the efficiency of Swedish gas distributors. It also discusses to which extent the results of a benchmarking study should influence the revenue-cap which will be implemented in the gas distribution sector in Sweden from year 2011. The discussion is based on arguments from both theory and practical applications of benchmarking. The results suggest that benchmarking Swedish gas distributors against distributors in another country using a parametric model is most favorable, but the reliability will be increased if non-parametric models are used also. Partial and total productivity measures could be used to confirm results of other benchmarking analyses.

The population over 65 years of age is increasing and health in elderly has been a subject of research for decades but voice function and vocal health has not been prioritized. The purpose of this study is to obtain reference value for the Swedish version of Voice Handicap Index (RHI) and the Throat Scale among people over 65 years of age and assess voice function and vocal health for this age group. The questions were as followed:1) What is the reference value of RHI for people over 65 years of age? 2) What is the reference value of the Throat Scale for people over 65 years of age? 3) Is there a correlation between a self-rated VA-scale on the perceived degree of voice problems, and the self-rated RHI-/Throat Scale result? 4) Does age, gender or previous profession matter for the self-perceived voice?In total 100 individuals participated in the study, 50 women and 50 men, between 65 and 92 years old. The reference value of RHI for people over 65 years of age was 13,4 points and the reference value for the Throat Scale was 7,7 points.

Den här studien demonstrerar vilka effekter en säljares kompetens, serviceprestation och etiska beteende har på relationskvaliteten till kunder inom fastighetsmäklarbranschen, samt vilka effekter ett företagets rykte och prestation har på relationskvaliteten till kunder i fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Undersökningen genomförs för att få en förståelse för hur relationerna fördelar sig på företagen och försäljarna. Med en kvalitativ metod har undersökningen gjorts i form av intervjuer, med tio stycken kunder som har sålt deras bostäder inom de senaste två åren. Resultatet visade att kunderna har starkare relation till fastighetsmäklarna än till företagen. De flesta kunderna har inte upplevt någon relation alls till företagen, när kunderna står inför att sälja sin bostad, väljer de oftast fastighetsmäklaren oberoende av vilket företag dessa arbetar för.

All companies wants? to be as profitable as possible. The company in question is one of the leaders in it´s field in Sweden. In order to increase profits as much as possible it is important to identify and eliminate eventual quality defect cost as far as possible.This study was performed in Huddig AB, and the purpose of this study is to try to develop a routine for monitoring the quality defect costs, and to improve communication and create feedback between production and aftermarket.In addition to an extensive literature review on quality defect costs most of the work have been conducted at the company. Own observations and interviews have been done with the staff to get a picture of the current situation and to try to come up with improvement proposals.During the study it was proved that much of the quality defect costs in essence, derived from the production, which is seen as positive because it is the easiest part of the company to improve.

   ABSTRACT  Title:  4000 seats to Sandviken - The business discourse development from 1921 to 2012 seen through two sports stadiums in Sandviken                            Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Author: Signe Jernberg Supervisor: Lars Ekstrand Date: March 2012 Aim:  The aim of this paper is to investigate the business discourse emergence during the 1900s and to make a contribution to how a business administration discourse can be seen today. Method: The business discourse is examined through a inventory of how business theories, practices and ideas have enabled the design of two sports facilities, Göransson Arena And Nya idrottsplatsen in Sandviken Municipality. The inventory is based on material gathered from Sandviken Municipality archives and from Göransson Arenas' own archives. The archives consist of such things as board meeting protocols, annual reports, bookkeeping, drawings, photographs and more. The method is based on Foucault's discourse analysis, focusing on his archaeological period.Results & conclusion: The archives show how business ideas, theories, and expressions can be seen in the two arenas. The results show how the concepts of customer, company and association are present in the design of the two arenas in different ways.

The company Sound Precision has developed a new Line Array loudspeaker system (VHA-40). When using this system, their customers need computer aid to get the best possible sound-quality and control of sound levels for the whole audience. The aim of this thesis is to develop a truly useful sound quality simulator for the VHA-40. The system will help the sound engineers to position the loudspeakers for optimal sound by simulating loudspeaker configurations and visualizing the resulting sound quality and quantity. To solve this a human-centered design (HCD) approach is taken to implement a system that is truly useful for the users, meaning that they will use it more and hence deliver better sound for the audience.

The company Sound Precision has developed a new Line Array loudspeaker system (VHA-40). When using this system, their customers need computer aid to get the best possible sound-quality and control of sound levels for the whole audience. The aim of this thesis is to develop a truly useful sound quality simulator for the VHA-40. The system will help the sound engineers to position the loudspeakers for optimal sound by simulating loudspeaker configurations and visualizing the resulting sound quality and quantity. To solve this a human-centered design (HCD) approach is taken to implement a system that is truly useful for the users, meaning that they will use it more and hence deliver better sound for the audience.

The use of social media has increased considerably in recent years and has also caused some problems. It has been notable cases in the media where employees adversely criticized their employer on social networks, which subsequently led to the dismissal of the employee. The purpose of this study is to investigate an employee's right to express themselves about their employers in various forms but the main focus will be on social networks. The study investigates employees on both private and public sectors.Employees have a duty of loyalty to their employer, which means that they must be loyal to their employer and not deliberately harm them. The reason that employed comment his employer on social networks has its basis in that they also have freedom of speech and it is raised in such a case, a collision between their rights and responsibilities as an employee.The employees also hold a critique right entitling them to publicly criticize the employer and its activities.

The aim of the study was to describe how managers at the eldercare system especially in nursing homes work to ensure high quality care. For this purpose, a qualitative method was used in this study and four managers at nursing home have been interviewed. Previous studies have shown that managers in some cases are restricted in their actions and that this may slow down the improvement of the care. At the same time the managers describe their work as demanding and diverse. They have a significant staff responsibility, meaning that they have to ensure the quality of care.

My questions at issue for this report has it´s beginning in the growing problems of thenegative effects of burning fossile fuels and the rapidly growing energyprices.1. Is it possible to design a micro scale powerplant?2. Is it economically interesting for a potential customer to by such a product?The aim with this report is therefor, with the help of design work and calculations, to answerthese questions and to create a platform for building a fully functional micro scale powerplant.The material used in the report is mostly product catalogs from various industries but alsostudy course littrature about steam engines.The result of the report is that it is fully possible to design a fully functional micro scalepower plant.

We have left the industrial society, and instead, we live in a post-industrial knowledge and information society. It is often said that industrial production has disappeared or that it has changed greatly. This means that fewer are employed in the manufacturing sector while the service sector is increasing, resulting in that the boundaries between production and administration decreases. The production goes from mass production to more flexible and specialized solutions. This puts greater demands on the logistics chain that continually need to work to meet customer requirements.

Customer Relationship Management, CRM, är ett väletablerat begrepp inom marknadsföring och företags hantering av kundrelationer. Företag liksom akademiker riktar ett stort intresse mot just CRM, men samtidigt visar forskning att många implementeringar ute på företagen inte ger resultat som är tillfredställande. Anledningen tycks vara att företag tenderar att fokusera på den tekniska aspekten av CRM, istället för att se CRM som en helhetsansats för att hantera kundrelationer. CRM förenar relationsmarknadsföringens grunder med IT för att skapa lönsamma och långsiktiga relationer. För en lyckad utkomst av CRM anses själva implementeringen vara viktig och forskning belyser att utan planering, tydliga syften och förståelse för själva organisationsförändringen mot en ökad kundorientering som en CRM- implementering innebär, finns det risk för att initiativet misslyckas.  Studien syftar till att beskriva, diskutera och analysera CRM utifrån implementeringsfasen och faktorerna Ledning, Strategi, Medarbetare, Organisation, Kultur och Teknik för att skapa förståelse för hur företag uppfattar CRM och dess implementering. Studien har en deduktiv ansats där faktorer som i tidigare forskning definierats vara viktiga vid en implementering av CRM har legat till underlag för den empiriska studien.

The main purpose of this essay is to investigate the legal position for employers concerning protection against what employees can express about one?s employer in social media.It may regard dissatisfaction concerning employment, tort or so-called whistleblowing. The spread through social media may be comprehensive and thus cause more damage to the employer.Employees within the public sector as well as in the private are protected by the liberty of speech, which is constitutional, even the protection of sources or the right to criticize can offer some protection. This gives the employees the possibility to widely express themselves in private social media as long as it can?t be classified as a violation, which per se is very rare.However, certain differences between the both sectors will be pointed out.There are still no constitutional rights regarding social media, but a grey area has emerged concerning the legal position.

Today the common people begin to understand the impact of a package. Many choose brand or product with great emphasis on how the outside looks, both in a good and a bad way.The company Gotlands Grafiska gave me the task to create a small basic selection of packages. The target group that the project was based on was craftsmen in the Gotland region. Based on analysis of the market and consumers to develop a range of packages covering a wide range of products sold on the island.During the project a clear theme was the desire to highlight a product and create some sort of exclusivity. It was important to understand how consumers and businesses think about packaging and its function.The result was five different packages, which together cover much of the need for the Gotland crafts and souvenir market.

International trade in services has increased over the past 30 years as a result of progress in information and communication technology, increased focus on services from the manufacturing sector and the establishment of trade associations.The international market for healthcare services, also referred to as medical tourism, is growing more and more. Patients increasingly seeking treatment at other countries healthcare systems because of long queues within their own country or because it exists better prices for the same care abroad. However, this type of service exports occurs at a limited extent in Sweden.The purpose of this study is to highlight and analyze the conditions for Swedish service companies to export healthcare services. This, includes the challenges and opportunities that exist to expand the exports of these services.The approach for this study has been in the form of interviews with two market actors and written responses, from the same interview guide, with three market actors. These market participants are the so-called Care companies which export healthcare services in various counties, and the membership organization Swecare who work with export promotion activities for its members in the Swedish healthcare sector.