As a result of global competition, companies within the automotive industry are required to improve their production systems to achieve sustainable and competitive production. To attain operational excellence, companies have adopted concepts like lean and World Class Manufacturing (WCM).In order to deliver, companies need to increase the availability and reliability of production equipment. This demands focus on both operational and strategic maintenance, and efficient equipment acquisition and management. The main objective of this thesis is to identify processes and success factors that are necessary for improved maintenance performance. By conducting a case study and by performing a literature review, the following has been studied: 1) how companies within the automotive industry work with maintenance and maintenance strategies, 2) implementation of maintenance strategies, and 3) new acquisition and spare parts management for maintenance. The results show that basic maintenance concepts and related terms are well defined in the literature.

Abstract Essay in political science, C-level, by Patrik Larsson, autumn semester 2007.Tutor: Susan Marton The battle over the agenda-Can media be regarded as an individual political actor? The purpose of this essay is to study to what extent media can be regarded to function as an individual political actor. In other words, do the media have more power over the political agenda than the politicians and do the media influence how the politicians make their decisions. This research is a case study and to be able to complete the intention of this study I have used Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaws theory, the agenda-setting theory. From this theory I have used four aspects to analyse my material which has consisted of editorials from a Swedish newspaper, interpellations and debates that belong to the interpellations. The aspect I have worked with are, how the problem is defined, who is responsible for the problem, what values and which solutions are expressed.  I have used a qualitative text analysis as my methodological approach which means that the results of my study are my interpretation of the material. My conclusions are that the media in this case shouldn?t be regarded as an individual political actor because there is no tendency that shows that the media has influenced the government in their decisions concerning the real-estate tax.

This thesis for the Master of Science degree was performed at Solectron Corporation in Norrköping. The background for the thesis was a need to develop and build two test fixtures to automatize testing and adjusting of transmitter modules (TX-fixture) and receiver modules (RX-fixture) which are head devices in DWDM-systems. The basic elements for the test fixtures are: Test board, switch board and DC/DC board. The main function of the test board is to handle communication between the transmitter and receiver modules and supply voltage to these modules. The test board was insufficient and modified with a microprocessor to handle the communication between the PC and the receiver module.

Historically the library has owned more than silent, book-filled halls; it has been a center for learning and ideas, a source of both freedom and oppression, in other words, a medium for knowledge, truth, and power. Cultures have been divided into powerful and powerless through access to the library's content; those who have - and those who do not have - access to information determine which voices are heard and which are ignored, thus determining the outcome of the future. This thesis investigates how The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence portrays the relationship between knowledge and power using Michel Foucault's discourse theory. More specifically, how this relationship is manifested through the structures and norms of society, and how the library as a place and institution serves as the means by which this relationship plays out. An established classic like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is placed as a contrasting reference point to help deepen its thematic message of information control and cencurship. Furthermore, the agency of one of the main characters is also examined in the light of Anthony Giddens' stratification model, as an actor with the potential to move beyond the confines of the power structure. The analysis demonstrate how knowledge, truth, and power remain continuously thematically relevant within literature, and how the reality of our time may be better understood through literary contributions.

The aim of this master's thesis is to describe the visibility of the university libraries in the strategic documents from the actual universities to which they belong. And also, the image of themselves they send out, are examined. By examining different kinds of descriptions we want to get a clearer picture of how and in what amount the libraries are mentioned in highest level strategies. By doing this we expect to find out the libraries' strategic role in higher education and research. The research questions are: What role and function are assigned to the university libraries in strategies created by the schools' highest administrative levels? How do the libraries present themselves in their own strategies? The approach is cross sectional and the time frame is year 2008.

AbstractThe future of ethanol is depending on good solutions for the production. ENA energy power plant produces electrical power and district heating by heating biofuel. By building an integrated bioenergy plant surplus steam could be used to produce ethanol as fuel to vehicle.This would mean that ethanol is produced renewable energy and the energy for the process derives from the surplus of power.  ENA energy, MDH (the University of Mälardalen) and the energy authority has initiated a research project were different bioenergy combinations integrate with existing power plant.  As a part of the project which size an integrated factory should be to gain the best efficiency for the plant was investigated. Consideration will be taken to the cost of the production in order to be competitive to the price of imported ethanol.  Etanolens framtid vilar på bra lösningar för framställning.  I ENA energi kraftverk i Enköping produceras el och fjärrvärme genom eldning av biobränsle.  Genom att bygga ett integrerat bioenergikraftverk där skulle man kunna använda överskottsånga till att framställa etanol som fordonsbränsle.

Magnusson, A. ??it?s a matter of great importance actually?. Coping strategies to sexual consequences due to cancer treatment. Expectations on sexuality and rehabilitation.

In this essay a social perspective on the mind is explored and argued for. The essay moves from a discussion of a social collective foundation for the individual mind to a discussion ofthe main alternative ways of describing the shared social world, namely an action-centred perspective and a power-centred perspective. It is shown that these two perspectives are combinable. A combination of the two perspectives is therefore recommended for a more balanced way of describing the shared social world. In this essay it is argued for that the individuals? mind and her identity is dependent on the surrounding community.

The interest for functional strength training in golf has grown the last decade and scientists are always trying to find training stategies to improve the biomechanical aspects of the swing. Kinematic sequence contains a proximal-to-distal sequence order towards impact, and an effective kinematic sequence in the down swing begins with a rotation in the pelvis and follows by an activation in thorax, arms and club in the respective order. The rotational torques in the proximal segments wanders through the body and to the more distal segments to create an effective energy ? and power transfer at impact. The x-factor stretch is the seperation between the rotation in the pelvis and the thorax at the top of the back swing and at the beginning of the down swing.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the ways in which the constructions of heterosexuality and gender in three Disney movies about princesses affect the power relations between men and women in the movies, and how discourses on gender and heterosexuality have changed over time. Research questions were:How do characters in the movies talk about gender and heterosexuality?How does the interplay between gender and heterosexuality affect the power relations between men and women in the movies?What are the likenesses and differences between movies from different time periods?Discourses were mapped out using a model based on Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe?s political theories. These discourses were then analyzed with a theoretical framework consisting of Yvonne Hirdman?s concept of gender system and gender contracts, Judith Butler?s view on the heterosexual matrix and an understanding of power relations based on Michel Foucault.

The main purpose for this thesis is to investigate why female academics choose to work as temporary workers. Through profound interviews I look at the reasons the women gives to why the have chosen the role as a consultant but also why they choose to stay on in the position. I?m relating their answers to widely spread theories about gender and social structures. I also investigate theories about job satisfaction and how these women?s answers can be interpreted from these theories.

Det här arbetet utfördes på ABB Corporate Research, och innefattar en studie av motorstyrning i allmänhet, och hur man med hjälp av en Intelligent Power Module kan effektivisera motorstyrning genom att ersätta separata kraft- och styrmoduler med en kombinerad modul. En IPM från International Rectifier har modifierats och testats genom att under en längre tid låta den styra en permanentmagnetmotor under normala förhållanden. Resultatet från testkörningen visar att en IPM är ett bra alternativ i framtiden, såväl i fråga om effektivitet, som kostnad och utrymme. Efter en undersökning av marknaden visar det sig att det är långt ifrån säkert att modulen från International Rectifier är den bästa som finns att tillgå, och det skulle förmodligen löna sig att testköra IPM:er av andra tillverkare i mån av tid och pengar..

This essay is about exploring the rhetorical business negotiation process. The aim has been to find out how skilled salespeople stand out, and what rhetorical means they use to convince the other party. For this study, a qualitative research interview was applied and altogether five vendors in three different industries were interviewed. The fundamental theory of the essay is based on classical rhetoric. From that I have chosen the specific parts that I have found useful to discuss negotiation and sales processes.The results show that there is not a one single rhetorical approach that is essential to convince the other party.

Uppsatsen syftar till att bidra mot ökad förståelse för användandet av Air Power i olika miljöer.Uppsatsen strävar efter att belysa på vilket sätt man har nyttjat högteknologisk Air Power för atterhålla optimalt operativt övertag samt att undersöka vilka risker det eventuellt har inneburit.Detta uppnås genom att studera tre konflikter under 1990-talet och se hur man har använt sig avAir Power och titta på vilken effekt detta har haft. Det primära syftet är alltså att undersöka omhögteknologi är fördelaktigt att använda i olika nivåer av konflikter, eller om avsevärda nackdelarvisar sig.Uppsatsen syfte har också varit att identifiera hur de insatser som genomförts med dominerandeAir Power har påverkat och påverkas av teknologiska utvecklingsskillnader mellan länder.Då all krigskonst handlar om hur man nyttjar sina förutsättningar på bästa sätt blir det logiskasteget att en mindre teknologiskt utvecklad fiende kan göra högteknologisk krigföring ineffektiv.Följande hypotes prövas under arbetet: Högteknologisk Air Power är effektivt även vidasymmetrisk krigföring och vid lågintensiva konflikter.Resultatet ur studien visar att det finns både positiva och negativa effekter. De mest framträdandefördelarna är att teknologin medger flexibelt nyttjande och korta omloppstider, underlättarsamarbete och innebär vidare att ett högt tempo kan hållas genom operationen.Och nackdelarna är att det visar sig vara relativt enkelt att försvara sig under lång tid med småenkla resurser, detta kan visa sig svårhanterat för den politiska nivån. Resultatvärderingen avinsatta medel sker änsålänge alldeles för långsamt.En högteknologisk angripare gör fienden rörligare vilket i längden innebär svårigheter för denegna beslutshanteringen..

This thesis revolves around NATO?s role in the Ukraine crisis with the startpoint in 2014. Specifically, through conducting a qualitative content analysis of various NATO related material, a study regarding NATO?s security strategy and defense strategy, and the strategies' implications and roles in the Ukraine crisis, was able to be conducted. The purpose was to obtain an understanding of how NATO?s strategy has been interpreted and implemented in relation to the crisis.