Since 2007 the American sitcom the Big Bang Theory has spread throughout the world. With its twenty million watchers it is one of the most popular sitcoms of our time. The starting point for this essay is that the humourus series with the more or less geeky main characters is more than just entertainment - it is a part of the mediatization of religion. This means that media is affecting the recipients? view on religion in general and the personal religion.

Qatar är ett ekonomiskt välmående land, med ett starkt auktoritärt politiskt system. Landet är därför ett avvikande fall ur moderniseringsteorin, som menar att ekonomiskt välmående leder till demokrati. Vi börjar med att förklara varför Qatar avviker från moderniseringsteorin, och fortsätter sedan med att pröva ett antal teorier och perspektiv, för att se om dessa bättre förklarar frånvaron av demokrati i landet. Följande teorier och ämnesområden diskuteras: politisk kultur och civilt samhälle, islams inverkan, sultanism, aktörsteoretiska perspektiv, rational choice, och slutligen oljans inverkan på Qatar. Två företeelser talar för demokratins frånvaro, islams starka närvaro i kulturen och politiken, samt landets ekonomiska beroende av oljeintäkter.

This thesis aims to examine the possibility of understanding social change by using new institutionalism approaches on a specific case, The case, which describes the implementation of new public management reform in the Swedish health care system, is analysed from two separate new institutionalismperspectives; the tool perspective and the symbol perspective. These approaches differ from one another in the sense that the first relies on a rational choice ontology, while the latter rather refers to a sociological tradition. In the analysis, causal explanations as well as aim related explanations are presented. Formative moments such as economic stagnation, non-socialist governments and ideological isomorfism are presented as important factors behind the reformation. By using the tool perspective, the motives of the idea spreading and reformation of the Swedish health care system, are connected to a strictly rationalbasis such as cost efficiency and quality improvements.

In the current situation in the housing market and in particular the inner city much attention is directed towards achieved prices per square meter in sales. The indicator is as a principle an appropriate measure of the housing market?s health and development, and can to some extent be used to make approximations of the general economic health status of municipalities and counties. It occurs occasionally that questions about whether prices are based on fundamentals at all times.The thesis questions that very issue, not from a macro accompanying financial perspective but rather from a microeconomic perspective, where each tenant ownership in the study is a micro-object. Are the observed prices per square meter rational relative to housing cooperative?s assets or is there a lack in the observed prices anchoring the respective association's finances.

The purpose of this study was to find out why the law that regulates downloading copyrighted material does not work and which of the most important main reasons lies behind downloading behaviour. The phenomenon being well investigated earlier has actualized a new demand for normative investigation in connection with the hot debated IPRED-law.Using qualitative method comprising of interviews with three typical file sharers and anchored in Max Webers action typology, rational choice theory and the norm model followed by two assessment models, we found that four important reasons lies behind downloading behaviour: 1) economical reasons was the most central and frequent determinant followed by 2) accessibility and comfort, and 3) social acceptance and moral and also 4) habits. Although the content of the law was correctly provided by the interviewees, it was clear that they did not perceive the impact of the law as meaningful or threatening.The results, being compatible with previous research, are discussed in terms of the named theories and assessment models. We suggest further research to take into account peoples norms as the new IPRED-law soon will be functional as well as studies from a perspective of the legal rights of the individual..

The overarching goal of this paper is to explain the intensive occurrence of partnerships ? regarded as a specific organizational structure ? in the formulation and implementation of Regional Growth Programs.By using theoretical concepts from new institutionalism, the paper tries to examine the explanatory capacity of this theory in the specific case of partnerships. The basis is a skeptical stance towards the conventional interpretation that views partnerships as rational organizational tools. Hence, the purpose of the paper is also to compare our own institutional explanation with the conventional.The paper finds that the occurrence of partnerships can be understood as the effect of an intensive institutional pressure. The government has, in what we regard as the institution for regional development, prescribed the partnership as a rational solution ? a rationalized myth - to the regional growth problem.

There are several competing views on how to best utilize air power. Following his quantitative study of air power, Robert Pape developed a theory which focuses on undermining the target state's military strategy. According to Pape it is possible to explain the outcome as a result of military vulnerability. This essay seeks to determine if Pape's theory can predict the outcome of Operation Unified Protector. By using a mixed methods approach on four hypotheses, it will be determined if the operation was a successful case of coercion, if NATO acted according to Pape's model and whether this achieved the desired effects or not. The results reveal that the theory could not successfully predict the outcome of the conflict.

Den här uppsatsen handlar om Vänsterpartiet, tidigare Vänsterpartiet Kommunisterna och vilka val de har gjort när det gäller relationen mellan ideologi och röstmaximering. Vänsterpartiet kommunisterna balanserade ofta strax ovanför 4 Procentspärren. Efter namnbytet 1990 kom Vänsterpartiet att öka sin andel av manskåren, för att 1998 göra sitt bästa riksdagsval någonsin. Vi har genom kvalitativa studier av partiprogrammen från 1987, 1996 och 2004 försökt att finna orsaker till denna framgång. Vid vår undersökning har vi fokuserat på vad i dessa partiprogram som kan sägas vara förenligt med rational choice teorin respektive marxism- leninism.

This study is based on interviews with four youths that have been treated for problems such as drugabuse and criminality. The aim of this master´s thesis is to examine the youths experiences with the treatment they received, but also to examine how they look upon their own lifesituations. The study is presented in categories developed through the use of Grounded theory. The result points out that the treatment can be summarized mainly in two aspects- one concerning care and one concerning control. The first aspect includes supportive and friendly staff while control in this context stands for rules and supervision of different kinds.

There are several competing views on how to best utilize air power. Following his quantitative study of air power, Robert Pape developed a theory which focuses on undermining the target state's military strategy. According to Pape it is possible to explain the outcome as a result of military vulnerability. This essay seeks to determine if Pape's theory can predict the outcome of Operation Unified Protector. By using a mixed methods approach on four hypotheses, it will be determined if the operation was a successful case of coercion, if NATO acted according to Pape's model and whether this achieved the desired effects or not. The results reveal that the theory could not successfully predict the outcome of the conflict.

Vårterminen 2006.

Revisorn anlitas för att ge ett oberoende yttrande som ska säkerställa pålitligheten i företagensfinansiella rapporter. Denna tilltrosskapandande effekt kan endast uppnås om revisorn görsina bedömningar och fattar beslut utan att låta sig påverkas av andra personers viljor ellerönskningar. Att revisorn är oberoende är särskilt viktigt i de fall revisorernas arbete påverkarintressenters beslutsfattande. Diskussionen kring revisorns oberoende i samband medtillhandahållandet av fristående rådgivning har debatterats flitigt. Vissa menar att denfristående rådgivningen medför positiva effekter på revisionen, medan andra anser att denborde förbjudas då den utgör ett hot mot revisorns oberoende och påverkar förtroendet förbranschen.

The Stockholm Bypass is an infrastructural project planned to be located west of Stockholm. This study investigates the argumentation concerning the project from different perspectives. The theoretical starting point is within Decision Theory. The main theories include Bounded Rationality, Kingdon's study of the political agenda and theory regarding venue shopping, framing and lobbying. The method chosen for this qualitative case study consists of both gathering data through semi-structured interviews and through documents provided by stakeholders and information available publically through archives and media.

För att genomföra ett lyckat systemutvecklingsprojekt kan ett flertal utvecklingsmetoder användas. Utvecklingsmetoder hjälper till att undvika fallgropar under utvecklingsprocessen. De två typer av utvecklingsprocesser som arbetet baseras på är eXtreme Programming (XP) och Rational Unified Process (RUP).Genom att identifiera skillnader samt hur XP och RUP kan kombineras, presenteras olika faktorer. En faktor är projektstorlek som enligt litteratur är den viktigaste faktorn vid valet mellan XP och RUP. Med hjälp av en enkätundersökning hos ett antal utvecklingsföretag har data samlats in för att ta reda på om projektstorlek är en huvudsaklig faktor för valet mellan XP och RUP.

The 17th October 2014 the Swedish Armed Forces (SwAF) introduced an intelligence operation in Stockholm archipelago after receiving credible observations regarding illegal underwater activities. Following the data collection and associated analysis it could be stated with certainty that a foreign submarine had violated the Swedish territorial waters. Media depend on SwAF to provide them with accurate information due to the confidentiality in these matters and the general area of investigation is therefore how the actions of the Swedish Armed Forces, in the submarine incident 2014, were portrayed in the Swedish media. Newspapers and blogs of defense policy represent the media and the thesis is based on the theories constructed by Graham Allison, the rational actor, organizational behavior and governmental politics. Furthermore, it is relevant to examine if there are any similarities or differences in how the submarine incident is illustrated, and what may be the reason for any possible occurrences.