Thesis purpose: The purpose of the master thesis is to analyse the battle of meaning creation regarding the notion of smoking and to reveal the production of unequal power relations. The battle is fought by different stakeholders through means of language and the study focuses on the tobacco industry in Germany. Methodology: A critical discourse analysis is applied with a qualitative research strategy. Our data collection was inspired by grounded theory and is limited in scope through a relevant case within the context of smoking in Germany. Empirical data is collected by means of an internet based document study of publicly available texts.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att genom vår analys formulera vilka faktorer som ligger till grund för att lyckas att skapa konkurrenskraftiga fotbollsklubbar i Sverige gentemot Europa. Metod: Kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats Teoretiska perspektiv: Vi har utgått från relevant fakta inom strategi för att djupare gå in på ?Key Success Factors?-modellen. Empiri: Vi har erhållit data från elva intervjuer som hållits med nyckelpersoner inom fotbollsbranschen. Resultat: Fotboll som underhållning kommer alltid att vara beroende av moderna anläggningar och en uppdaterad kompetens för att kunna erbjuda sina publik det den vill ha och på sätt nå framgångar..

Husaberg Scandinavia AB is a company producing and developing a range of motorcycles for both on- and off-road use. Husaberg provided the project group with a task of developing an entirely new way of operating the sequential transmission that can be found in today?s motorcycles. The target was to bring the product from idea to a functional prototype ready for further tests. Operation of the motorcycles transmission is today made by a foot pedal placed on the left hand side of the bike.

In the present thesis, we have studied the management control system in Enskede-Årsta-Vantör, one of Stockholm?s municipal districts, with focus on theories about New Public Management (NPM). When NPM was introduced, a number of complications arose. Some of these, along with the district?s solutions of the complications, are described and analyzed using e.g.

Wavecraft AB develops medical equipment for heating of organic synthesises. The heating is done with microwaves, which improves the process in both speed and accuracy compared to the more traditional methods where heating elements are used. This report discusses the developement of an automatic lid mechanism for one of Wavecraft's product prototypes. The company assumes that the final product will be integrated by customers into fully automated systems, and the upgrade from a manually to an automatically controlled lid is therefore an important step in the product's developement process.The first stage och the project was an idea generation process. The ideas generated here were organized into five different concepts of which the best one was selected through the use of a concept matrix.

Our examination project has been to develop today?s existing walking frames and make them more exiting and user friendly for tomorrow?s users.The use of a walking frame today makes it easier for a person with a movement difficulty in different extent. It makes it easier with their living condition and the user get a more movement easier life where they can take care of the daily chores without any help from the society or the family members.With our product we get a product that not only makes it easier for the user to get out and get forward. We help the user to get forward where they often would have difficulties to get forward. An example is where its more steeper parts where it could be more difficult to get up or down and even with more difficult foundation due to bad weather.

In today?s technological society, there are increasingly less physical demands on the locomotor system. However, despite that notion strength and function in the hand?s complex biomechanical system are in fact both needed to cope with daily life. The grip function is a main function in the hand and is used in many examples of scientific research, for instance when assessing physical health and predicting the probabilities of premature mortality.

Ämnesord: Earnings management, loan loss provisions, konstaterad kreditförlust, Basel II,kapitaltäckning, bank, noterade, onoteradeBakgrund och problem: Justering av resultatposten loan loss provisions är ett vanligtförekommande verktyg för earnings management inom banksektorn. För att öka stabiliteten inombankväsendet så infördes kapitaltäckningsregleringarna Basel I år 1988 och år 2007 uppföljarenBasel II. Den senare antog en mer principbaserad roll och innebar en ökad kontroll och tillsyn avbanker. Det är därför intressant att studera huruvida Basel II har haft någon effekt på redovisningenskvalitet och därmed lett till reducerad earnings management.Syfte: Studiens övergripande syfte är att undersöka effekterna av genomförandet avkapitalregleringen Basel II på resultatposten loan loss provisions och earnings management inomdet svenska bankväsendet. Vidare studeras noterade samt onoterade banker för att utröna om detföreligger en skillnad i dess sätt att hantera loan loss provisions.Metod: För att uppnå syftet med studien så har en kvantitativ metod tillämpats.

The purpose of this thesis is to ascertain the main determinable factors of Swedish SMEs capital structure decisions and to investigate whether existing capital structure theories are applicable on Swedish SME financing. We have used panel data to run regressions of various capital structure determinants on three measures of capital structure; short- term debt, long-term debt and total debt. We found that growth opportunities, profitability and age are the most important capitalstructures determinants for our sample. Firm size shows a small explanatory result but the effective tax rate and the asset tangibility do not seem to explain the capital structure at all. Thematurity matching principle is considered significant..

Bakgrund: Produktutvecklingsprocessen har på senare tid kommit att ses som en strategisk aktivitet som är avgörande för företagets överlevnad eftersom produktens utförande och kostnader till stor del fastställs innan tillverkning påbörjas. ?Target Costing? har sitt ursprung från Toyota i Japan och är en metod för strategisk kostnadsstyrning som har vuxit fram för att tidigt styra kostnader. Metoden används för att integrera kostnadsstyrning i produktutvecklingsprocessen i samstämmighet med kundkrav och företagets egna vinstkrav.Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva och analysera hur ?Target Costing? används i produktutvecklingsprocessen på Volvo Construction Equipment i Braås för att ge kunskap till nya potentiella användare.

The purpose with this study has been, based on different public and private procurement conditions, to measure if there are any significant differences in the business relations between public- and private institutional kitchens. Furthermore, to observe what important influencing factors there are to maintain and develop a relationship between a producer and customer. The result of the analysis shows that there are important factors that influences on the trust in the relationship between a producer and customer. These factors are product- and service exchange, communication, strategic purchase and social exchange. In this examination we have showed that there are differences in the relationship between public- and private customers.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to describe how Leanlink, as a part of the municipality ofLinköping, uses balanced control as a management model. The authors compare, based onliterature of the balanced scorecard, the way Leanlink control their activities. Further, theauthors try to understand why the administration chose to use balanced control in the waythey do.Methodology: The authors have chosen a qualitative case-study method to achieve thepurpose of the thesis. Through semi-structured interviews primary data have beencollected, that have been analyzed along with secondary data such as, business plans andwebsite.Theoretical perspectives: The authors shortly emphasize general government as it appearstoday, to further examined how and why the scorecard is used, its dimensions andobjectives and difficulties that may arise along the way.Empirical foundations: The empirical findings are based mainly on information frominterviews with representatives from the case company. Some information is taken fromthe municipally website and additional information through interviews.Conclusions: It is possible that it became a too big a commitment for Leanlink when theyselected the Balanced Scorecard as a management model.

AbstractTitle:The Impact of Management Control Systems on the Purchaser Function - A study of Scania and Sandvik Authors: Mohammad Reza Akhbari and Johanna Sullivan Svensson Published: 2011 Keywords: Management control, purchasing function, impact, control, control instruments, Key Performance Indicators, measurement, communication and organizational structure. Background and problem formulation: In order for a company?s business idea or vision to be fulfilled, the management of a company needs assistance from various means to intentionally affect the operation in the desired direction. Management control concerns activities of both financial and non-financial character in order to implement the strategy of a company and to reach profitability. Since the purchaser function is responsible of spending 50 percent of a company?s total revenue, the function has an optimal starting point to be a key actor in the shaping and execution of a company?s strategic plan.

The study of the French market for softwood has been done in collaboration with VIDA AB. The aim of the study was to investigate important product quality and service quality dimensions, the customers? perception of the offering and generally describe the French market and present actors. The market for softwood around the world changes over time and new markets can mean opportunities for the sawmilling industry. The French market is the second biggest European market for softwood, has had presence of actors with sourcing of raw material from the Nordic countries for decades and there is a growing interest for building with wood. Theory being used is about the different dimensions that make up the total quality of softwood, together with intangible dimensions making up the total offering that helps the sawmilling industry to create positive perceived value for the customers. Methodological approach in the study was a case study research design, aimed at providing knowledge about one specific subject in one context. The general description was mostly carried out by literature studies and data from various statistics sources.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to investigate articles in Swedish library journals on children?s reading from gender and sex perspectives. Gender theory as it has been developed by Yvonne Hirdman and Robert W. Connell is used to analyze the articles. The thesis includes a chapter on previous research in the fields of gender in relation to children, reading and the library.