This thesis presents a new way of providing library users with reference services, namely chat (text based digital reference service in real time). Our research questions focus on the role of reference service, a comparison of chat reference to other reference forms, and the interest for real-time, digital reference. Our literature review covered the areas of digital reference and reference theory, the results of which showed that an ongoing debate hardly exists among Swedish librarians on the topic of reference work. We interviewed librarians from the three different Swedish chat reference projects existing at the time of our study. Most interviewees were very positive about chat reference.

Introduction: Sleep is necessary for human survival. Difficulty sleeping occurs in about one in four adult person in Sweden, insomnia in every ten. There are several reasons for difficulty sleeping, where stress is one of the most common. The quality of life and health are affected negatively. Treatment with proven efficacy against insomnia is not only sleep medication, but also cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT.

Are different ways of life possible in a world that increasingly becomes "Westernized" or globalized? This study examines and analyzes the diverse and complex way of life that includes socioeconomical nomadism as the Irish Traveller community are availing themselves of on the island of Ireland. In a broader perspective the study of the Travellers is put in context to how modern society emerged, and what characterizes the contemporary western societies. This is to understand the way Travellers nomadic lifestyle has been constrained and how the interrelationship between the dominant society and the extended family group constituting Travellers social composition has affected their livelihoods. Their social role is considered from two identification points ? home and work.Nomadism as a phenomenon, its history, expression and possible motives are being described in this work.

Marknadsaktiviteter vid produktlansering är ett samarbete med Haglöfs Scandinavia AB. Våren 2010 utfördes ett samarbetade med Haglöfs då ett underlag för utökat produktsortiment inom konfektion togs fram. På uppdrag av Haglöfs ska ett förslag framställas på hur en lansering ska kunna se ut om juniorkollektionen introduceras på den svenska marknaden. Hur fungerar det med produktlanseringens strategiska och taktiska lanseringsbeslut och vilka marknadsföringskanaler är lämpliga vid en produktlansering inom outdoorbranschen.Rapporten behandlar hur dagens företag inom outdoorbranschen i Sverige fullgör sina marknadsaktiviteter vid en produktlansering. Strategiska och taktiska lanseringsbeslut illustreras samt utvalda marknadsföringskanaler skildras.En lanseringsstrategi beskriver de marknadsföringsbeslut som är nödvändiga för att presentera en ny produkt till respektive målgrupp och börja generera en inkomst i form av försäljning av den nya produkten.

Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att belysa hur livet förändras hos patienter som fått genomgå en stomioperation. Metoden som användes var en litteraturstudie och inkluderade både kvalitativa och kvantitativa artiklar. Tio studier inkluderades och resultatet presenterades under de tre huvudrubrikerna sexualitet, psykologiskt samt socialt. Resultatet visade att patienter med stomi har stort behov av information och stöd från närstående. Den egna kroppsbilden påverkas mycket visade många studier.

Yahtzee is a game based on luck. Yet there are algorithms designed to give an optimal result and succeeds in doing so. This report compares the end result of an optimal algorithm to an algorithm that has been modified for the multiplayer scenario. The modified algorithm tries to win over the optimal algorithm through taking greater risks in its decisions when falling behind in points. The results show that it is not favorable to do so.

Many traffic incidents are due to the driver?s lack of attention, resulting in dangerous lane departures, either sliding off theroad or into the oppose lane. These kinds of incidents often have serious outcomes, which has led to much effort being concentrated on preventing or lessening the damages when the incident is already a fact, for example by installing safety belts and air bags. These measures may be considered to be acts of so-called passive safety. Active safety on the other hand, means that the safety systems intervene before the incidents have occurred.

As the use of smartphones and other mobile technology in our society is constantly increasing,so too does the possibilities of visually impaired persons increase as they are becoming moreable to enhance their quality of life with the help of mobile assistive technology. The purposeof this study was to explore how rehabilitation and habilitation organizations, which areworking with the visually impaired, should approach new technology. We have researched thisby examining the possibilities, opportunities and barriers of using mobile assistive technology.Based on this, we formulated the following research question: What factors are important forrehabilitation and habilitation organizations to consider in order to support, promote andcreate quality of life through the use of mobile assistive technology in their work with thevisually impaired? To answer the above question an exploratory study was made at an eyeclinic in the Västra Götaland region. The study was done through a series of qualitativeinterviews with both staff and patients at the eye clinic.

Background and problem: Corporate Governance is a well-known phenomenon which has been the focus of plenty of research where the board of directors and the CEO have been regarded as important actors. What's affecting decisions regarding these actors has been debated whereas media has been pointed out of having an impact. To decide whether or not media can affect Corporate Governance have shown to be problematic whereas it exists divergent views regarding this. At the same time this relationship is more explored in other contexts than the swedish one, although this one is considered suitable for this. Consequently there is a motive for examining medias impact on Corporate Governance in Sweden. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to explain if media has an impact on Corporate Governance at an overall level.

The aim of this study was to understand how social workers perceive and understand violence and threats of violence from clients, and how it effect their working environment. It seems that the respondents understand the violence and threats of violence from clients as a result of the clients background problems, vulnerability, dependency and from ?the reason" that the client is currently in the contact with the organization. How respondents interpret the client´s behaviour based on the above-mentioned factors, seem to determine how the respondents perceive and define the violence and threats of violence by clients directed against them. Interestingly enough, although all respondents in the study experienced violence and threats of violence from clients, none of them perceived themselves as exposed at work. The answer to this is consensual.

With the climate change issues growing in importance on the social agenda, the field of urban masterplanning is of no exception when it comes to minimizing the carbon footprint in a variety of projects. The aim of this thesis has been to prepare the Carbon Critical Masterplanning tool, a software plugin for carbon dioxide emissions assessment developed by Atkins, to be used in Swedish conditions. The main targets were to improve the areas of the tool associated with energy conversion and renewable energy sources, and to test the tool in a real case. A planned construction of a new campus in Albano, Stockholm was chosen for the pilot study. A 3D model was built in the tool and the carbon footprint was calculated for a variety of combinations for energy supply to the future area.

Purpose: The aim with the report is to investigate if the South East Asian customer on the food processing market base their investments on Total Cost of Ownership and if so, which are the cost drivers considered most vital. Moreover, do these cost-drivers diverge from the perception FP Ltd has, and if so, can a Total Cost of Ownership-model help to achieve a mutual understanding? Methodology: First a descriptive approach will be taken, identifying FP Ltd?s employers? perception on how to meet the customer. This will later be compared to our empirical findings of the actual customer behaviour in Thailand and Vietnam. Thorough analyse of the gap between the two parts will give us the outcome whether or not FP Ltd will have any use of presenting a quantitative model justifying their higher price.

There is currently an ongoing discussion in Sweden about the need for weather shelter for farm animals being kept outdoors during the winter season. Currently, the national animal welfare legislation requires weather shelter providing the animals? with access to a dry and clean place to rest, but under certain conditions exemptions can be granted. The Swedish Board of Agriculture has put forward a hypothesis that there is a difference between judicial decisions in animal welfare cases dealing with weather shelters, as to whether the animal has shown to be suffering or not. The aim of the study was to highlight any weaknesses or difficulties when assessing animal welfare issues associated to the absence of or design of weather shelters.

Marknadsaktiviteter vid produktlansering är ett samarbete med Haglöfs Scandinavia AB. Våren 2010 utfördes ett samarbetade med Haglöfs då ett underlag för utökat produktsortiment inom konfektion togs fram. På uppdrag av Haglöfs ska ett förslag framställas på hur en lansering ska kunna se ut om juniorkollektionen introduceras på den svenska marknaden. Hur fungerar det med produktlanseringens strategiska och taktiska lanseringsbeslut och vilka marknadsföringskanaler är lämpliga vid en produktlansering inom outdoorbranschen.Rapporten behandlar hur dagens företag inom outdoorbranschen i Sverige fullgör sina marknadsaktiviteter vid en produktlansering. Strategiska och taktiska lanseringsbeslut illustreras samt utvalda marknadsföringskanaler skildras.En lanseringsstrategi beskriver de marknadsföringsbeslut som är nödvändiga för att presentera en ny produkt till respektive målgrupp och börja generera en inkomst i form av försäljning av den nya produkten.

The purpose of this Masters thesis is to examine how gender patterns are described in the modern picture book. Focus is on the description of men and women and their emotions and living conditions. Do the descriptions follow stereotypes in the form of binary opposites strong/weak, active/passive etc. in which one component of the pair, often associated with masculinity, is privileged or are there examples of breach of normative gender? The analysis is based upon forty of 149 picture books that are presented in a children's book catalogue published by The Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs Statens kulturråd, in the year of 2000.