Background: Companies and organizations of today spend large amounts of money on IT-based business solutions. Such business solutions normally include business- consulting and software-creation (IT-related services). Due to the rapid development of the technology within this field of business the IT-customers find it difficult to select among potential suppliers on objective grounds.Purpose: To increase the understanding for the professionl approach of the people involved in the sales- and purchase process of IT-related services in a business-to-business context. The study is taking the buyers'as well as the sellers'perspective into account when analyzing the process. Method: The empirical findings were collected from eight companies in Linköping and Stockholm.

The aim of this study was to illuminate how social workers in social services work with the social phenomenon, homelessness in two municipalities. The study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with interviewees from a department of social services. Our theories that we used was resistant inequality, structural discrimination, exclusion, empowerment and representation. After compilation of our empirical our conclusions are that homelessness is a complex phenomenon. Social workers handles homelessness based on client?s needs and the work is individualized.

The thesis focuses on the measurement of situational factors affecting brand loyalty in purchases and consumption. A survey is conducted using previously developed scales and 199 respondents. Results show that for the particular product category (ready-to-drink recovery drinks), purchase frequency and the product experience have stronger effects on loyalty than do situational factors such as type of activity and perceived stress. Implications for managers are discussed and suggestions for further research is presented..

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the possibilities of, and interest in, a digital download service at the music departments of the libraries. I chose to conduct my study at the city library of Gothenburg. I studied the legal download services that exist today and I did a statistical survey among the users of the music department, followed up by interviews to see how they took to the idea. From the inquiry I learned that a majority of the users was negative to having a digital service replacing the physical department, although a majority was positive to try a digital service. I also used the inquiry to compare the reasons for downloading music to the reasons for borrowing records from the library, but there was no significant difference.

In today's society, the availability of energy plays an integral part in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, the price of energy in Sweden has increased in recent decades. A large part of our energy consumption goes to heating modules for houses, where heating methods that depend on energy sources such as electricity, district heating, fuel oil, gas and biofuels are the most common ones. During the winter period, the increase in energy costs becomes significantly evident, especially for small property owners. This increase in energy cost is most noticeable for home owners with electric heating.This thesis is written at the Halmstad University, in cooperation with a company, which makes parts of this thesis confidential.

Idag går utvecklingen mot alltmer distribuerade IT-system där en grupp datorer kommunicerar med varandra. Detta gäller för sökmotorer, beräkningsintensiva miljöer och även för den svenska försvarsmaktens ledningssystem.För att systemen ska kunna kommunicera så flexibelt som möjligt vill man ofta att kommunikationen ska ske enligt standardiserade protokoll vilka är oberoende av datorplattform, programmeringsspråk och transportprotokoll. Ett koncept som kan användas för denna sorts kommunikation är Web Services vilket är ett koncept där meddelanden skickas XML-formaterade över valfritt kommunikationsprotokoll.För att möjliggöra utbyte av känsligt data som inte får nås av obehöriga måste kommunikationen stöttas av ett flertal viktiga säkerhetsfunktioner. En av dessa funktioner är användarautentisering vilket innebär att användarens identitet kan verifieras.För att möjliggöra användarautentisering kan digitala certifikat och asymmetriska kryptooperationer användas, denna typ av operationer är prestandakrävande varför ?Single Sign On? eftersträvas.

This study is a semi-­structured, qualitative depth-­interview study investigating Swedish institutional investors' perception of the fact that companies purchase non-­audit services from its signing auditor and if they see this as a threat to auditor independence. The study focuses on independence in appearance rather than independence in fact. The study is based on the current media debate on auditor independence and aims to provide a deeper insight to enlighten legislators how users of audited financial information look at the problem. The study builds on agency theory's notion that there is an information asymmetry between management and shareholders, which the auditor is to reduce. The results show that Swedish institutional investors perceive that there is a threat to auditor independence when companies buy non­-audit services from its signing auditor.

Background: Living with stroke not only means coping with physical limitations, but a stroke also leads to other losses, which in various ways may change an individual?s life. A nurse can play a significant role in regards to consequences in the ordinary day of life for patients with stroke. Aim: The aim of this literature study was to describe patients? experiences living with stroke.

The project description is to draw an extension or annex to the existing Nationalmuseum building from 1866.The annex is designed to complement Nationalmusems activities and contain internal and public functions. Artentering the building must not be crossed by public visitors. Art and staff must be able to seamlessly move betweenthe extension and the main building. The new building includes a public study room for scholars working withthe collection of art on paper, workshops, conservation studios, art spaces and warehouses. Additionally, theannex is designed to host a large number of office spaces.With the renovation of Nationalmuseum they intend to open up the today built in south atrium.

Traumatic arthritis is a common cause of lameness in horses. One of different treatment alternatives of arthritis, is intra-articular injection with hyaluronan. As knowledge about pathophysiology of arthritis and function of hyaluronan is increasing, understanding grows about the mechanism of hyaluronan action in joints. Hyaluronan has, in addition to effects on viscosity, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Extensive research and scientific studies have been made on exogenous hyaluronan.

In today?s competitive market, design is an important element for the companies. They must succeed with delivering an increased value and an experience for the consumer to be able to survive. The Swedish company?s have become better in the design area, the higher standards the consumer?s demands forces the company to invest more in design.

The manufactory industry, due to decline in profit margins, is seeking new business opportunities by moving towards servitization and value-adding services in after-sales. We have therefore conducted a case study to investigate a manufacturing company in their current transformation towards servitization. By studying the management perspective, we aimed to understand how Information Technology, by adding value, could play a role in the transformation process. This study shows that information technology can take an integrating role, by supporting new value-adding services to provider and customer, as well as a co-creating role, where both provider and customer benefits by learning from each other, in the changing work process initiated by new services. The study has also shown that Information Technology, together with organization, information and people, are crucial components in the manufactory industry?s transformation towards servitization.  Furthermore, the study has also shown that the value chain has the potential to drastically change due to the value-adding that the information technology brings to the progress of servitization..

The purpose of this paper is to increase knowledge and understanding of how an identity is constructed on the internet and if it is different from the everyday identity. To analyze this, I have studied the theories of how identity is constructed in everyday life and then applied this on the empirical data that I have collected. In this study, I have chosen to pursue a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews to gather the empirical data. In the study, six informants participated and all of them has an active social life both on and off the internet. The results that I have found in this study shows that an identity online is constructed in a similar way as it does in real life, however, some limitations that exist in everyday life do not exist online.

Could patterns change the way we as consumers feel about a product as it ages and wears down? Why do some products increase their value as they are being worn downand others do not? Could the same affection that increases with your favourite jeans or an old, worn down, scratched and beautiful wooden furniture, be applied on otherproducts with different ability?s and history?The goal was to explore patterns and beautiful aging in products to increase the consumers desire to keep the well used product a little bit longer. Not to prolong the products ?lifetime? from brand new till it?s no longer inhabit their main function, but at that precise momentwhen you as a consumer decides to through it away in favour for a new, updated version. To buy ?new and fresh?.Patterns with different expressions, colouring and size, were explored that increase the value of a product which in this project contained handles and varies of surfaces on casseroles, frying pans, whisks, cutlery etc.

This thesis presents an application that performs positioning of modules automatically based on given data for every module, and the development of it. The basis of the application is from a previous thesis code. On top of that code, more features and error handling has been added, as well as fixes for various bugs. A stress test has been performed and further development possibilities are being presented.The thesis work was carried out at Toyota Material Handling Mjölby (TMH) and was made in parallel with another thesis by Fredrik Holden who was generating data for the application. For a complete understanding of the theory and background, please also read Holden?s thesis report ?Development of method for automated positioning of 3D-representations of a modularized product?, as well as the former thesis  ?Analysis for Automated Positioning of 3D-representation of a Modularized product??..