Human capital is professional service firms' most valuable resource and its quality is closely linked to the quality of its services. The purpose of this study is to investigate how professional service firms appraise their employees. A comparative study between an architecture firm and a management consulting firm is conducted with the aim to identify and explain similarities and differences in performance appraisal. Two qualitative case studies are performed and interviews as well as documents are used to explore the area. The thesis builds on a critical perspective and it has an explorative approach.

ABSTRACT (english)Introduction: The possibility to transplant an organ is an important part of the health care system, which demands great resources and a well functioning organization with a level of high competence. The work with organ donation is complex and brings forward a great amount of different emotions for the operation room nurse. Aim: The aim with the study is to illustrate the operating room nurses experience when the organ donor is brain dead. Method: Data collection has been performed with semi-structured interviews, which have been interpreted by qualitative manifest analysis. The design of the study is pilot towards a study in full scale.

AbstractStudy: Degree project in teacher education, Advanced level, 15 pUniversity of SkövdeTitle: Competence ? Self image ? InclusionA study of a couple of students in need for extra education and theirexperiences of their studies at school in a special class.Number ofPages: 43Author: Britt HellqvistTutor: Gunvi BrobergDate: 01-2008Keywords: special class, extra education, competence, self image, inclusionStudents who have difficulties in school or in the social contact are the main subject of this thesis. The students that I have interviewed attend the upper high school in a special class, separated from the major school. My purpose has been to investigate how such students experience their studies at school, with emphasis on competence and the feeling of participation. Moreover, the self image of these students was investigated.

The aim of this study was to examine how newly qualified social workers from Linnaeus University in Kalmar feel that the school has prepared them with the professional skills to meet the demands that exist within social work. Social work education is a generalist training that will result in a professional qualification. With a qualitative approach eight newly qualified social workers were interviewed.We used the sociology of knowledge as an overall theoretical approach. We also used experience- based knowledge as a theoretical approach. One of the study's conclusion was that the graduates had difficulty linking theory to practice.

This paper examines the professional role of the music journalist and how it has been affected by the expansion of the Internet. The study aims to examine  the profession's outlook and how professional music journalists are working to reach the public with interesting information, despite the fact that the audience of today often can be first to deliver the news. Through qualitative research interviews with three current music journalists the professional role and its development is examined. Based on theories and previous research on journalism, how the media communicates and its importance to society, what it is to be a music journalist and the spread of digitization and the impact of file sharing the results are analyzed. The conclusions of the study are that it isn?t a profession that is disappearing but rather a profession that is working towards a new future.

This study finds that the Swedish Government has a process for purchasing financial advisory services that is more transaction-oriented than the corresponding process at a Swedish private equity firm. The conclusion is supported by previous research comparing public and private sector purchasing processes. However, the differences between the two purchasing processes are not as significant as one might believe given the fact that the Government, unlike the private equity firm, has to operate under the Public Procurement Act (LOU). The tendency of the Swedish Government to apply a more relationoriented purchasing approach than expected is most likely driven by the fact that this represents the established professional norm for purchasing of professional services in the private sector. As LOU and the professional norm impose contradictory influences on the Swedish Government?s purchasing of financial advisory services, the final outcome depends on which of the two forces that dominate..

Purpose: The Swedish correctional service is on the brink of its biggest expansion in history, due to political investments related to battling a rise in gang related criminality. The purpose of this thesis is to exam and understand the strategic competence supply work from an employer perspective and investigate the elements included in the Swedish correctional service competence supply form a regional perspective. The study specifically focus on what strategies the Swedish correctional service employ to attract, recruit, develop and retain workforce. Theory: The theoretical framework of the study includes among others, a model divided into three different phases (within, in and out) within competence supply, the demand-control-support model, push and pull factors, as well as the two-factor theory. Method: This study has a qualitative approach with semi structured interview as its specific method. A total of seven interviews were conducted with personnel within the swedish correctional service. Results: The main challenges are related to recruitment, staff retention, support of managers, and the fact that many correctional officers do not have time to complete their training before leaving. The latter is particularly significant are of concern.

The aim of this thesis is to examine librarians' view on the knowledge and competence required at a small public library and how they look upon their education in retrospect. Library education in the 1970's and 1980's was mainly practical, a vocational training, but since 1995 the education results in an academic degree in Library & Information Science. Due to this, we focus on the ongoing generation shift in Swedish libraries as an aspect of knowledge and education. The empirical study is based on interviews with librarians working in minor public libraries. The informants form two groups, based on their education; ?old? ones and ?new? ones.

Deposits can be formed in the paper machine due to sticky materials from wood and recycled paper. These deposits get stuck on process equipment and cause the product quality to deteriorate and the efficiency of the paper machine is reduced. The purpose of this thesis is to increase the understanding about deposits among machine operators, and to suggest methods that can be used to reduce the amount of deposits formed in Bravikens paper machines.To fulfill the purpose of the thesis a pre-study, a literature review and interviews with machine operators and production staff, were carried out. These methods led to the planning and creation of an education about deposits for machine operators.The education about deposits for machine operators consisted of an interactive lecture to introduce the subject of deposits and a subsequent discussion. This approach was chosen to give the machine operators the opportunity to discuss their work situation on the paper machines related to their new knowledge about deposits.

This degree project is made for Cervera in Norrköping and Linköping. The task was to create a professional interactive homepage for the company where the company's range of products can be presented. Besides a homepage aimed towards potential customers, an online Internet-application where the company's employees can update, erase, and create posts that are stored in the database was created. The main programming languages have been PHP and HTML in combination with databases in MySQL. The final result was a functional, professional and informative homepage with a simple and pedagogical application for the employees.

Since a lot of the power in a professional bureaucracy lays within the operative profession with its strong corporate culture and strong co-workers the executive occupy a weak position. Their power comes from the complexity of the operative professionals work and the difficulties to supervise that work. To avoid conflicts it?s important to make all expectations on the executive equivalent. This can be done by defining the roles of the executives in a philosophy.

The purpose of this study is to examine sex/gender relations amongst staff in public libraries who have taken part in projects related to information technology. This is done through e-mail surveys and telephone interviews with staff who have participated in the development of the two library websites Mina bibliotek and Biblioteket.se regarding their experiences. The theoretical basis for the analysis is two gender theoretical perspectives with reference to technology. The first perspective is represented by Yvonne Hirdman?s theory concerning the gender system, in which women and men are kept apart and in which there is always a hierarchy where men are higher up, and Hanna Westberg-Wohlgemuth?s theory concerning sex marking of job-tasks.

AbstractThe aim of this study is to highlight the professional?s perspectives and work with young girls who have eating disorder anorexia nervousa. We assume a social constructivist perspective where the professional?s interpretations and perspectives on the issue anorexia considered. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with seven professionals in the areas of work, social services, school counselor, school nurse, anorexia unit and child and adolescent psychiatry (BUP).From a thematic analysis of the interviews, three themes emerged.

The study has examined how some immigrants have managed to reestablish their professional careers in Sweden. Through in-depth-interviewing with six immigrant informants representing different genders, age and professional experience the process of successfully reestablishing a career within the same professional area in Sweden as in their native country is examined.The study looked at structural and individual possibilities and obstacles which affected the individual. In addition the study looked at the personal characteristics and strategies used by the informants to overcome and succeed in adapting and reestablishing their working life.  The study has drawn on human capital and social capital theory for a basic understanding of how education and skills affect. In addition the informants have surpassed structural barriers affecting many other immigrants.

Syftet med denna studie var att belysa vårdlärarnas lärarkompetens och deras uppfattning om vilken kompetens som behövs i valideringssituationer inom vård- och omsorgsutbildning. Frågeställningarna var: vilken lärarkompetens har lärarna som arbetar med validering och behövs det någon specifik lärarkompetens i valideringssituationer. Vi har valt att använda oss av en kvalitativ metod i denna studie där målet har varit att få en förståelse för lärarnas egna upplevelser och uppfattningar. Studien genomfördes med halvstrukturerade intervjuer med sex lärare inom omvårdnadsprogrammet. Resultatet visar att ingen av lärarna i studien har en formell utbildning i validering, samtliga har dock gedigen erfarenhet av såväl praktiskt arbete inom sitt eget ämnesområde som undervisning inom vuxenutbildningen.