Purpose: To investigate if Altman´s Z´-score model, which calculates financial distress, can be applied on companies established in Sweden and if the financial crisis in 2008 made previously healthy companies go bankrupt.Methodology: Quantitative studies with a positivistic foundation. Empirical data will be collected in order to examine if there is generalizability among the studied objects. Conclusions will be made by comparing the empirical data with the theoretical foundation. Financial distress in firms will be measured.Theoretical perspectives: Altman´s Z´-score model, designed to predict financial distress in private firms.Empirical foundation: A selection of 93 private firms that have gone bankrupt in the years 2008, 2009 or 2010. The firms selected all have a turnover that exceeds 20 million SEK.

A Social Enterprise is a business that features a mixture of characteristics that originates from the third and private sector. A general conception of Social Enterprises is that they aim to improve social welfare by the use of sustainable business models. The mixture of social and business features has created ambiguity about how to define Social Enterprises. The purpose of this study is to clarify Swedish Social Enterprises as a phenomenon and to examine antagonism that arises from mixing the two different sets of organisational characteristics. This is achieved by conducting a qualitative study of ten Swedish companies that the market considers to be Social Enterprises.

This candidate essay is built on literature studies and discusses the meaning of the residential yard along with what you, as a landscape architect, should think about when you are designing functional residential yards. To do this I found it necessary to figure out what it is that makes people step outside their own apartment and out into the city?s public places. The reasons for this are numerous and many times individually affected. Something that plays a role in people?s outdoor life and prevents them from spending time outside is the lack of time, the technique of today and the feeling off insecurity.

Title: How does the buying decision process really function within e-commerce? - A qualitative study of consumer behavior when they consume on Internet.Institution: School of Economics, Linnaeus University, Va?xjo?.Course code: 2FE16E.Authors: Sara Hja?rne, Mathilda Perem, Ewelina Wallin.Tutor: Dan Halvarsson.Examiner: A?sa Devine.Key words: Buying decision process, purchase decision process need recognition, information search, evaluation, purchase decision, postpurchase behavior, consumer decision making, E-commerce, E- commerce channels, online shopping, online purchase, e-retail, internet shopping, electronic shopping, consumer behavior, online appereal shopping, social media, decision making, online retailing, website design, customer satisfaction, webshopping, perceived risk, convinience, price, online consumption behavior.Background: Buying decision process is a model that marketers use to get a better understanding of their customers and their behavior when purchasing a product. This process consists of five different steps; need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and evaluation. Buying decision process has for a long time been an accepted model but scientists argue that the introduction of Internet as a channel for consumption has changed this process. The Internet has also led to a change of power in which customers today have greater influence, which greatly affects the buying decision process in e-commercePurpose: The purpose is to explore how consumers perceive their behavior when they consume through e-commerce.Research questions:How do consumers perceive the buying decision process they experience when they consume through e-commerce?How do consumers perceive different factors that are important to them when they consume through e-commerce?Methodology: Qualitative study, cross-sectional design, semi-structured interviews.Conclusion: This thesis shows that the traditional model of the buying decision process is not consistent with consumers' perception of how they are undergoing the process when applied to an e-commerce context.

The design of the building envelope affects the energy consumption of a building. As the energy requirements for new buildings are becoming more demanding, the performance of the building envelope must be improved. Energy efficiency and durability are important attributes to consider.This report includes investigations of the building envelope, moisture and passive solar energy. It is based on the analysis of two different buildings with different designs. These buildings stand as reference for two of the companies who are working on a new, climate smart, residential area in Uppsala, Sweden.Studies and analyses on energy consumption and moisture transportation were made.

Title: The Investment Savings Account ? Standard Taxation ? Right in TimeAuthors: Gustav Mårtensson and Erica Nordström LöfSupervisor: Göran HäggBackground: In order to facilitate and stimulate financial investments among privateinvestors the organization Aktiespararna made a proposal for a standard-taxed account. As aresult of this, the Swedish government decided to implement the Investment Savings Accountin January of 2012. The introduction of the Investment Savings Account implies that there arenow three different types of accounts for financial investments that are differently taxed onthe Swedish Market. Private investors can improve their after-tax results by combining AssetAllocation and Asset Location, according to earlier studies.

Energy costs are high nowadays and that is the reason why the energy consumption needs to become as small as possible in most of the companies. To accomplish the small energy usage one needs to map the energy flows, study them and monitor them. One method that can be used for this is energy balance calculation. The method gives an opportunity to separate different energy flows and see where each flow is heading. There is also another method which is more advanced than energy balance calculation.

Future emission legislation puts great emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the engine, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The tribological contact between cylinder liner and piston ring is where an great amount of energy is lost due to friction, and by reducing these losses an reduction in fuel consumption can be achieved.The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the tested piston ring coatings against a plasma sprayed cylinder liner and rank these combinations of materials for friction and wear resistance. The coatings that were tested was Cr + Al2O3, (Al,Cr)N, two types of CrN and WC / C.The experimental tests were performed with a so-called pin-plate, where used oil with addition of an acidic mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid to mimic the acidic condensate formed when exhausts recirculate, were added with a continuous flow. The results were then analyzed by weighing, studies by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and profile measurements.The results from each material combination were that the plasma coated cylinder liner wears too aggressively in order to yield a ranking of the piston ring coatings based on the parameters of friction and wear resistance. It is therefore proposed that an alternative coating on the cylinder liner should be developed, lacking the large abrasive wear on piston rings and that can withstand the corrosive environment resulting in engines equipped with EGR.

Miljonprogram is a Swedish building program from 1964 to 1975. During that time about a million homes were constructed. Now, almost 50 years later, they are in desperate need of renovation. In order to fulfil the Swedish environmental objective to decrease energy consumption 50 per cent until 2050, considerable housing stock built under the Miljonprogram has to be renovated.Focus in this thesis is on the building services and theirs profitability that can decrease energy consumption in households build during the Miljonprogram. Building construction is not considered in this report.

Due to the developments in today's gender discussions, this essay aimed at investigating the gendered constructions and encouragements to consumption. As a former fashion student I have a special interest in the commercial constructions featured in fashion magazines, especially since advertising, fashion and perceptions of gender have long walked hand in hand. Just as feminism studies have shown femininity being a fluid identity, recent studies of masculinities, media and culture are also showing changes in the depictions of men.The aim was to clarify how fashion magazines encourage men and women to consume products and ideals, and also discuss the gender constructions occurring in the junction of editorial and commercial text (articles and advertisements). The analysis was thereof based on three main questions:-       How is consumption encouraged in male and female fashion magazines?-       What kind of gendered pattern appears in the junction of advertisement and editorial text?-       With regard to the gender constructions, what is the reader encouraged to consume?The theoretical framework of the analysis was based on gender studies and political economy, mostly describing a commercial perception of feminine journalism and a new metrosexual expression in men?s fashion and lifestyle magazines.By using a combination of quantitative (content analysis) and qualitative (semiotics) approach two fashion magazines, Elle and King Magazine (published in May 2013) were used as representatives of fashion magazines in general.The results showed clear differences between the sexes.

The BA thesis Front Yard Gardens ? spatiality, design elements, expression and social aspects is a summary of the entrance and front yard garden phenomenon ? where the entrance is the set design and the designer is the director. The thesis touches the social context of which entrances have been and still are shaped. The various appearance of the entrance and front yard gardens throughout the history, starting with the first entrance by the edge of the wood and coming up to the front yard gardens of today, is described. It touches the present day through an analysis of some entrances and front yard gardens of modern residential areas.

Knowledge about feed racks for feeding forages to horses is lacking. Racks for sheep and cows are sometimes used for horses. Feeding roughage on the ground, or feeding silage bales with the plastic and net still on, can bring on a lot of different problems. The opportunity to control the hygienic quality is small and feed losses can be high. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate how the eating behaviour and consumption of horses were influenced by feeding racks of different constructions. Feed losses and changes in chemical composition of the forage were also studied.

The intention of this thesis is to examine "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and its position and functions in the public sphere. Particularly interesting aspects are like the linking of private and public issues, the show's potential as a forum for debate and dissemination of knowledge, and what types of criticism the show has been subjected to. The methods used dealt with the textual aspects of the show. Semiotic analysis and conversation analysis were applied to five episodes and a search of literature was made. The thesis rests on theories concerning television studies and talk shows, in addition to theories on modernity and identity.

The purpose of this study was to examine how young people who have chosen not to drink alcohol experience themselves and their surroundings. The aim was to find out what role temperance plays in their perceived identity. I also wanted to find out how they experienced the views of them, temperance and the temperance movement in their surroundings. Finally, I was interested in the question about alcohol, witch significance they believed it had for them and their surroundings. As theoretical ground, I used Howars S.

Många av de miljöproblem som finns idag går att koppla till produktion-och konsumtionsvanor. Att konsumera på ett hållbart sätt är vitalt för att ett samhälle ska kunna försörja framtida generationer utan att förbruka jordens resurser helt. Unga vuxna har en viktig roll att spela när det kommer till att utveckla samhället i en miljömässigt hållbar riktning. Hur de väljer att konsumera har och kommer ha stor påverkan på miljön. Att köpa kläder på second hand är ett sätt att bedriva en mer hållbar konsumtion, då det både är resurssparande och ofta ekonomsikt fördelaktigt.