The purpose of this master´s thesis was to investigate the role and function of the annual reports of public libraries: for what purpose are they put together and how are they evaluated and utilised. The study presents different views on the structure and content of library annual reports. Focusing on a specific public library and its municipal administration, the authors identify and describe problems and possibilities regarding the library annual reports. The study also provides a general view of their occurrence, their addressees and the importance attached to them.In a review of current literature on accounting and activity reports the authors place the annual reports of public libraries in a wider context. The study also presents two current models of performance measurement - the Intangible Assets Monitor and the Balanced Scorecard - which were developed in the private sector, and the authors discuss their relevance when applied to public libraries.Data were collected both in interviews and by means of a questionnaire.

The aim of this small thesis is to investigate if the probability of business failure is higher at the time of divestment than at the time of acquisition for portfolio companies that have been subject to private equity ownership. The background for this thesis is the widespread critique aimed at private equity firms, claiming that they increase the risk in their portfolio companies. We have performed a study of 53 buyout transactions, involving Swedish manufacturing companies, covering a time span of 13 years, from 1995 to 2007. We find evidence of an increased risk of business failure for the portfolio companies with a short forecasting horizon (within one year). The absolute increase in the sample is however small.

In the early 1990?s more and more companies of the Swedish public sector were exposed to competition, and this started the debate on how such actions might affect the business and even society.The first chapter examines how the public sector and especially health care, is financed and managed. We also explore what it means to be exposed to competition and find that there are many different ways of exposing the public sector to competition. The study examines dental care as an example of a market with both publicly and privately owned companies. The purpose of this paper is to explore how publicly and privately owned health care companies view their relationship with their consumers.

Syftet var att kartlägga arbetstillfredsställelsen hos chefer i svensk äldreomsorg samt undersöka om det fanns några skillnader mellan chefer i privat och offentlig verksamhet. En rikstäckande webbenkätundersökning (N=104) genomfördes. Denna genererade både kvantitativ och kvalitativ data. Cheferna som sammantagen grupp visar på en förhållandevis hög arbetstillfredsställelse. Resultatet visade dock att det fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan privata och offentliga chefer vad gäller arbetstillfredsställelse.

Non-attendance and cancellations within dental care is a problem resulting in both financial and time consuming losses. The purpose of this questionnaire was to investigate different factors influencing non-attendance and cancellations. Six public and private dental clinics located in Skåne participated. Information about the clinics and patient-related factors were collected. Result: Totally 182 patients cancelling or not attending their appointment were registered.

Uppsatsens syfte är att utifrån ett New Public Management-perspektiv undersöka i vilken utsträckning visionsstyrningsmodellen i Halmstads kommun följer New Public Management och utifrån det undersöka vad det resulterat i. Uppsatsen grundar sig i en intervjumetod där ledande politiker och tjänstemän från kommunen intervjuats. Den teoretiska ansatsen utgörs av en New Public Management?teori grundad på olika dimensioner av New Public Management. Uppsatsens huvudsakliga empiriska material kommer från de intervjuer som genomförts.

On the first of January 2012, a new public authority was formed in Värmland, due to a new legislation on public transport. The first task for the new public authority was to produce a plan for the development of public transport. In order to do so, it had to execute an extensive consultation process about the long-term goals of public transport. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how a public authority can use a consultation process as a means to clarify accountability and produce unified goals. To answer that, I have done a case study about how the new regional public authority in Värmland for public transport has acted in the process of writing a plan for the development of public transport.

We studied the understanding of public librarians of the required qualifications for a public librarian, what these qualifications embody and how they should be used, and if there are any differences between geographic regions. We also compared our results to the Library Code, which describes the responsibilities of the public libraries. To complete our study, we interviewed fourteen public librarians at eight different public libraries located in both urban and rural areas in Sweden. Our results showed that even though the qualifications specified by the Library Code were identical, they were emphasized and used differently by the public libraries included in our study. This illustrates that the public libraries prioritize and focus differently on the various aspects of the Library Code.

This paper deals with the use of Internet at Swedish public libraries. The author asks whether public libraries should or should not limit access to information available on the Internet. Starting from the American discussion, concerning Internet at public libraries, the author shows the Swedish attitudes. The paper demonstrates that many Swedish public libraries have adopted rules forbidding retrieval of certain kinds of information, such as hard-core pornography and racist propaganda. The persons in charge of such actions claim that public libraries should provide high-quality educational literature and should not spread mass-produced, provocative information.

Title: Argument in favour of and against private health care ? A scenario for a future health care with a possibly new Government Authors: Jessica Andersson, Nina Gunnarsson Supervisor: Thomas Danborg Department: School of Management, Blekinge Institute of Technology Course: Bachelor?s thesis in Business Administration, 10 credits Purpose: To describe the problem with privatizing of the health care by analyse the arguments in favour of and against private health care and describe a scenario about a future health care with a possibly new Government. Method: Qualitative Grounded theory method, categorizing secondary facts in order to get the complete picture. Results: The market for private health care will increase by a possibly new Government.

The aim of this study is to investigate the problematisation of the swedish railwaysector during the early 1990?s from a New public management-perspective. The method of approach is a ?What is the problem represented to be?-analysis as advocated by Carol Bacchi. By applying this method to the official investigation aimed at providing suggestions for increasing competition in the railway sector it has been shown that the process of deregulation has strong connections to the ideas and models suggested by the New public management-ideology of organisational theory. .

Syftet var att kartlägga arbetstillfredsställelsen hos chefer i svensk äldreomsorg samt undersöka om det fanns några skillnader mellan chefer i privat och offentlig verksamhet. En rikstäckande webbenkätundersökning (N=104) genomfördes. Denna genererade både kvantitativ och kvalitativ data. Cheferna som sammantagen grupp visar på en förhållandevis hög arbetstillfredsställelse. Resultatet visade dock att det fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan privata och offentliga chefer vad gäller arbetstillfredsställelse. En högre grad av arbetstillfredsställelse kunde utläsas bland cheferna inom den privata sektorn.

This essay is focused on the questions of and responsibility for where, when, how and why communication and meetings through archaeology should take place. I have critically studied Swedish public archaeology through three diverse archaeological excava­tions, one took place in the end of the 1980s, and two others in 2012.I have asked for under what circum­stances and with which goals the public efforts become possible. I have inter­viewed leaders for the archaeological excavations and/or the public efforts and questi­o­ned how and why they reached out to the public. I also searched for results and effects in order to problematize and value the public activities.Through interpretation of the resear­ched material it becomes clear that economic issues as well as archaeo­logists interests and engagements are of vital importance for public archaeology. Co-operation in the local community and archaeological documentation is crucial for the deve­lopment of archaeology and its role in society.Keywords: Public archaeology, Community archaeology, Heritage, Communication, Manage­ment, Historic environment education, Time Travel, Living history.

This paper deals with the use of Internet at Swedish public libraries. The author asks whether public libraries should or should not limit access to information available on the Internet. Starting from the American discussion, concerning Internet at public libraries, the author shows the Swedish attitudes. The paper demonstrates that many Swedish public libraries have adopted rules forbidding retrieval of certain kinds of information, such as hard-core pornography and racist propaganda. The persons in charge of such actions claim that public libraries should provide high-quality educational literature and should not spread mass-produced, provocative information.

How is the fat body constructed in public spaces? This essay deals with the experiances of five participants, being fat in public spaces. The fat body is often constructed as "matter out of place", more or less expected to be invisiable in public spaces. But living with a fat body isnt all about assimilation, wearing black clothes to fit in or staying at home in fear of facing comments of your body. More than being a body constructed as improperiate in public spaces, the participants view can be described as "revolting".