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.

The following study explores the relation between psychosocial work environment and individual health. The purpose is to examine how female employees in the occupational health sector experience their own psychosocial work environment, focusing on different influencing factors in both the workplace and their private life regarding the employees own health. The study applies a hermeneutic approach in which qualitative interviews constitute the empirical data. Previous research on this particular subject has focused on the following themes: the combination of work-family life, demand/control model and flexibility in the workplace in relation to health and stress. The theoretical framework used in this study integrates relevant concepts, specifically SOC, poor leadership and flexibility.

Most Swedish Warmbloods are bred by artificial insemination (AI). Quality control of the semen consists of the subjective evaluation of motility. There is a need for a more accurate and objective method of rating the semen. In this study we compared fluorometry with flowcytometry as a method for evaluating sperm viability. Semen was collected from three stallions, stationed at Markebäcks Gård, Askersund, three times during week 15 and week 34, 2008.

Benign prostatahyperplasi (BPH) är ett tillstånd som drabbar nästintill samtliga män över 80 år och vilket medför urologiska besvär som kan ha inverkan på livs¬kvaliteten och det dagliga livet. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att redogöra för hur män med benign prostatahyperplasi upplever sitt dagliga liv samt hur deras livskvalitet påverkas. En litteraturstudie gjordes utifrån ett systematiskt tillväga¬gångssätt. Litteratursökningen utfördes i databaserna Cinahl, PsycInfo, PubMed samt The Cochrane Library. Både kvantitativa och kvalitativa studier inkluderades vilka kvalitetsgranskades av båda författarna oberoende av varandra med hjälp av ett modifierat granskningsprotokoll.

One of the bigger national diseases that belongs to the field of rheumatology is rheumatoid arthritis and it is three to four times more usual among women. The purpose of this study was to describe female patients' experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis. The method, was a review of the literature with eight articles accomplished the criteria for scientific quality done in the accordance to Polit, Beck & Hungler (2001) and are the bases to the conclusions of this study. The result shows five main themes and ten sub themes that illuminate the female patient's experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis. The main themes are: a) the pain, b) the development, c) the relation, d) the well-being and e) the future.

Life in addiction and what it is like to quitA qualitative study based on men and womens emotional experienses and social relationshipsWomen in addiction are faced by harder social attitudes then men, which could be an explanation to the fact that, in comparison to men, less women are seen in addiction. That women experience stronger feelings of shame makes them inclined to hide their addiction and this in turn can increase the feeling of shame. The objective of this essay was to, with a starting-point in theory and essential concepts as social relationships and emotions, gain knowledge about emotional experiences and momentous events for men and women during time in addiction and when quitting. More specifically, the aim of the study was to answer the following questions; What is life in addiction and quitting, regarding social relationships and emotional experiences as pride and shame in interaction with people who are important to the individual, like? Do the situations women are in, and the experiences they have, differ from those of men? Do these social relationships and emotional experiences influence the addition and the quitting? In the study six persons have been interviewed, three men and three women who are all quitting, or trying to quit, their drug and/or alcohol addiction.

TitelSecond Life som marknadsföringsforum ? en kartläggning av marknadsföringen i den virtuella världenFörfattare                       Malin BandhLina BäckeHandledare                                           Susanne ÅbergNyckelord                        Varumärkeskapital, relationsmarknadsföring, viral marknadsföring, virtuella världar, Second LifeBakgrund och problem                      De virtuella världarna växer alltmer och antalet användare ökar. Företag är osäkra på hur marknadsföringen inom den virtuella världen fungerar och hur de kan etablera sig där.Syfte                                  Syftet med denna uppsats är att kartlägga marknadsföringen inom den virtuella världen Second Life idag, samt hur företag kan gå tillväga med sin marknadsföring i den virtuella världen.Problemformulering     Grundproblemet är att företag inte vet hur de ska marknadsföra sig i den virtuella världen Second Life i relation till den fysiska världen. Detta leder till frågeställningarna: Vilka faktorer bör företag ta i beaktning vid en etablering i Second Life? Använder företag Second Life för att skapa varumärkeskännedom eller för försäljning? Hur kan företag kommunicera ut sitt varumärke i den virtuella världen?Metod                               Uppsatsen är en kartläggning av den virtuella världen Second Life.

This paper analyzes the auditor choices for a sample of 300 predominantly small Swedish firms, all located in Umeå. Our hypothesis was based on the complexity of a firm, the need of external financing, leverage, and the need of extra consultance from the auditfirm. Our definition of auditor quality is based on prior studies, and is frequently used by authors in this area. The assumption is based on that the auditor quality increases with the size of the auditfirm and the degree of the auditor. The auditor quality is therefor depending on the choice between an auditor from the group ?Big 5? or not, and the choice of an auditor with an higher degree.

Literature describes what it is like to be a leader in the healthcare and what is looked upon as the most characteristic quality for female leadership. Women often use a leadership technique that motivates the employee and they allow themselves to develop a humanitarian leadership. The aim of this study was to describe female head nurses? experience of their leadership in healthcare. The collection of data has been carried out from interviews.

In the literature it is not possible to find something about Swedish UN Military Observers (MO) experience of life is changing after their service. The aim of this study was to investigate if this has happened. The selection is of type ?snowball?. Interviews were made with twelve MO by telephone, both male and female.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Postoperative wound infection is the third most common nosocomial infection in Sweden. The ever-growing problem of antibiotic resistance provides surgical departments a big challenge when it comes to preventing the spread of infection. Operating theatre nurses have a vital role in the prevention of infection. In addition, correct ventilation in the operating theatre is of great importance. The caregiver is responsible for quality assurance of ventilation in the operating theatre, but the work can be delegated to other staff within the department.

Purpose: To contribute to the understanding of the relationship between private labels and the retailer brand in grocery retailing. Methodology: We use structured interviews as a cross-sectional method for quantitative data collection. The existence of the relationship is tested through correlation analysis and regression analysis. Theoretical perspective: Perceived quality of private labels and of retailers are the main theoretical concepts for this thesis. Additionally, we introduce the concept of loyalty to show the benefits of a positive consumer image.

ABSTRACT Behavioural problems are a compound conception for emotional difficulties at different levels. Individuals with behavioural problems could have difficulties with social relations, low self-esteem, anxiety and worry. The purpose with the examination was to describe how clients apprehend their behavioural problems and what they consider could be the causes of it. The examination was based on the qualitative interviews with 5 clients and a professional helper. We came in contact with our clients through our practice.

One must consider cost effectiveness when deciding how resources within the health sector should be distributed. Quality adjusted life years (QALYs) are used to measure the value of different medical treatments. QALY is based on utility maximization theory, which suggests that a QALY is always a QALY regardless of who receives it. Therefore, a produced QALY is worth the same regardless of the age or the initial health of the patient. Previous research has shown that these assumptions do not seem to fit the real preferences of individuals.

AbstractIn 1997 a regulation were introduced to the swedish school system, Förordning om kvalitetsredovisning i skolor m.m SFS 1997:702 (Regulation about account of quality works whithin the school system). The preceding discussion noticed that municipalities and schools lacked in their progresive quality work. Messures had to be taken. Since the introduction of the regulation the government has decreed changes and additions to the original regulation. This has led to changes of substance and form in the quality work account to the administration during time.