Benchmarking is an established method of working which is often used in order to develop the quality of the organization. However, almost 70% of the organizations with benchmarking fail due to the lack of planning and structuring of the benchmarking exercise. Maintenance sections in the paper and pulp industry are one of those who have decided to conduct benchmarking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain knowledge of how the maintenance sections in the paper and pulp industry deliberately structure and plan to use benchmarking as a driving force for quality development in the maintenance sections.The study is a hermeneutic case study. Telephone interviews and document analysis have been used as data acquisition methods.The results show that there is a lack of both planning and structuring in the benchmarking process, and lack of management commitment for quality improvements within industrial maintenance.

Several reports and scientific research have shown that unemployment affectshealth negatively and that it is the young unemployed who suffer the most. Despitethis, there were not many evaluated labour market programs for young peoplefocusing both on how the labour market programs affect the job status and health,most of them were only focused on job status. Since there were not manycompilations in that direction, the essay is intended to describe the variousprograms and their impact on both job status and health. A literature-based studyhas been conducted and 15 articles have been reviewed and compiled into variouscategories using a content analysis. It turned out that the majority of the mostcommon labour market programs were represented in the scientific literature.There was also a new genre that is not mentioned in previous reports, cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT), which proved to be one of the most successful programs.Michigan Prevention Research Center (MPRC) job search programs also showedsome positive results.

This study treats cultural policy, it´s view of the value of literature, and how this view varies within different fields of cultural policy. The aim of the essay is to find different competing approaches through an investigation of texts from three different fields within cultural policy. The fields investigated are: The publishing subsidy of the National Council for Cultural Affairs, which values above all quality literature. En bok för alla, concentrates on spreading quality literature to new groups in society. Centrum för lättläst, which values that the contents of a text are successfully delivered to, and understood by, the reader.

Due to the increase of the emission of greenhouse gas and climate changes more and more customers demand environmentally sustainable products. The increased demand of sustainable products from cradle to grave is something that has affected the food sector. Many retailers within the food sector feel that they are less or more forced to be environmentally friendly. Nowadays many retailers have chosen to show customers and stakeholders that they want to ?do good? by publishing annual sustainability reports. The Swedish food market has been one of many markets investing in being environmentally friendly.

This study examines whether there is an association between the length of the client-auditor relationship and audit quality, using absolute unexpected accruals estimated by industry as a measure of audit quality based on a modified Jones model. The study is motivated by the proposal on mandatory audit firm rotation for publicly traded companies from the European Commission, which is based on the notion that longer auditor firm tenure creates a familiarity threat which reduces the audit quality. Both the relation between audit quality and auditor partner tenure and audit firm tenure is examined in this study, using multivariate regression controlling for auditor type (Big 4 versus non-Big 4), signing auditors (one versus two auditors), firm size, profitability, leverage and age. There is a significant negative relationship between audit quality and audit partner tenure when only companies employing Big 4 is tested, which indicate that auditors constrain managements extreme accounting measures with longer tenure. The results provide no significant evidence of an increase in the absolute unexpected accruals with audit firm tenure, when only Big 4 companies are tested.

AbstractIn Östhammar a change has been noticed in the statistics regarding incoming reports, appraisals and investigations concerning a suspicion that a child or youth may be harmed.There are some earlier reaserch made concerning the sorting process that takes place when a report is made. In Östhammar the social workers have been interested in finding out what the main reasons are for not opening an investigation. It has also been some research from the ?sociology of childhood perspective? on how childhood is being constructed and how children are positioned in the investigative texts. From a social constructionist perspective and by using both a quantitative and a qualitative research, I have examined all the reports that have not led to an investigation from the first quarter of 2011 in Östhammar. This to find out the main explanations for not investigating and how children are positioned in such appraisals.It has been shown that most appraisals closed either because of the situation which led to the declaration no longer exists, to another input already exists, the problem is not seen as  serious or that it was felt that the parents are capable of giving the support they need. I have discovered that the childs voice is missing in most of the report investigations. I have not found any explanations to why one has chosen not to speak with the child, but there may be explanations such as limited time, limited knowledge or a will to spare the child the discomfort..

The aim of this study is to find out if there is any difference between how a state-owned company and a publicly listed private company communicate its sustainability performance in its sustainability report. It also aims to find out if the communication regarding sustainability has changed over time. The poll was conducted in two Swedish companies, Sveaskog AB and AB SCA, operating in the forestry industry and through a quantitative content analysis, the companies' sustainability reports from 2005 and 2010 were examined. To get a result, the reports has been examined by the GRI framework (Global Reporting Initiative) and an assessment of the communication was made based on a scale of 0-3. The results has been evaluated based on stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and the growing interest in CSR. The analyses found evidence that there is a link between the form of ownership of the company and how it communicates regarding sustainability.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can limit patients physical abilities and contribute to social isolation. The purpose of this literature study is to investigate men's and women's experiences of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-ease, and the supporting and guiding role of the nurse to an increased quality of life. 13 critical reviewed articles were used to find the answers to our questions. Quality rating forms were used in order to guarantee a good scientific quality. The results show that, it is of great importance for the COPD-patients well-being to experience social support from those around them, and to have a close relation-ship with their families and friends, in order to experience quality of life.

The study intends to find easily recognizable indicator species for water quality in the constructed wetland of Flemingsbergsviken. The study is relevant since indicator species can be difficult to determine for common people. Easily recognizable indicator species could improve dialogue between the scientific community, administrative authorities and the general public. Such species could be used in education systems, associations or in information campaigns. Therefore, I have chosen to refer to these species as didactical species.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the quality notions used by the library personnel responsible for the video game department at Malmo City Library. Furthermore, the thesis aims to assess how these notions of quality relate to properties of the actual collection of video games. The empirical results are based on interviews with the responsible library personnel. The result is then analyzed by an interpretation of Carl Gustav Johannsen?s library adapted, theory-based, model of quality definitions.

This report is the result of a thesis work done at the Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, and includes 15 ECTS points. The work has been performed at Företag A, a company specializing in electronics whose major product has become a sophisticated tool used by authorities across northern Europe. Företag A has initiated a quality management system according to the criteria set by ISO 9001. Following demands from customers, Company A has now decided to also start working towards a certification according to SS-EN ISO 9001:2008, this work is the foundation for the thesis work. The thesis work has been limited to the production process and the aim has been to enable this process to be certified according to ISO 9001:2008. The work has been performed by analyzing the existing quality management system and the requirements for each process included, whereby the gap between the current and the target state has been mapped. Suggestions have then been made on how this gap can be filled, some of these suggestions have also been carried out during the thesis work. The conclusions drawn are that quality management does not have to be complicated, but quickly becomes so when the complexity of the processes increases.

In order to counteract and to discover unethical actions within an organisation, a growing number of Swedish companies implement a so-called whistleblowing system. The purpose of our essay is to study the mindset of companies and further analyse how this mindset affects the design and quality of companies' whistleblowing systems. To do this, we have used a qualitative approach by interviewing different Swedish companies about their mindsets and systems. The study determines that there seemingly are three different categories of systems of varying quality. In this study we have chosen to call them "internal system", "external system" and "combined system".

 Conclusion:Medical treatment may have a role in platelet count after transfusion. Since the TACSI platelets passed the quality requirements, and the vast majority of patients platelet count increased after TACSI platelet transfusion, the TACSI platelets will replace the old method to produce platelets at the Uppsala University hospital.  Methods: A new approach that pools 8 buffy coats (TACSI platelets) that were separated into 2 units instead of 4-6 buffy coats pooled to 1 unit was investigated in this study. After the platelets were extracted from the buffy coats their quality was controlled and subsequently the platelet product was evaluated in 96 patients. Results: The results showed that 80 % of the platelet units passed the European quality requirements. Further, the platelet count was increased in most patients that received TACSI platelets. Conclusion: Medical treatment may have a role in platelet count after transfusion.

The purpose of this master?s thesis was to find problems that occur in the production line at Atlas Copco Rocktec Division, in order to decrease the costs of defect in quality. When the problems were distinguished, the authors ought to choose the problem with the highest improvement potential. One request from the constituent at Atlas Copco Rocktec Division was to connect the improvement to the document The Way We Produce. The document provides information and values about Atlas Copco and consists of 10 principles to be able to reach their vision.

In this essay there will be four text books from grade 1 studied, the first one are from the year 1976 and it will be going forward to the year 2012. The aim of this study is to see how the genders are depicted and represented, as well as what roles the genders are given. I do also want to see if there is a notable change in this over time. I will be doing a study based on the quantity of the contents, and I will also be doing a critical discourse analysis.The result of the study showed that there were more gender-based constructions that referred to women in all of the four books, which indicates that women are represented more often in these reading books. It is most common to portray the genders in their stereotypical roles, which again are present in society, but sometimes these roles are depart from what?s present in society.