The aim of this thesis is to describe the development of profitability and capital structure in Swedish quoted companies during the period of 1990 to 2004. Further, the aim is to determine the relationship between profitability and leverage in order to conclude whether the choice of capital structure supports the pecking order theory or the trade-off theory of capital structure. The findings show that return on assets fluctuates between 3 and 11 percent and that return on equity fluctuates between 3 and 22 percent during the period. Further, the leverage and the cost of debt have decreased. This indicates lowered financial risk in Swedish quoted companies in the period between 1990 and 2004.

This report evaluates various methods that can be used to position a smartphone running the Android platform, without the use of any special hardware or infrastructure and in conditions where GPS is unavailable or unreliable; such as indoors. Furthermore, it covers the implementation of such a system with the use of a deterministic fingerprinting method that is reasonably device independent, a method which involves measuring a series of reference points, called fingerprints, in an area and using those to locate the user.The project was carried on behalf of Sigma, a Swedish software consulting company..

The aim of this study was to explore and increase understanding of how a team of colleagues at an upper-secondary school in Sweden works with students with special education needs. The team works with a group of students where the majority have experienced school failure in elementary school. The focus of the study has been to analyze a project that the school undertook 2013 to improve students? results and improve their chances to successfully graduate from their program. Data was collected from relevant documents and interviews with members of the project at hand.

Vardagen präglas av olika sorts kundkort som företagen använder för att lära känna kunderna och bygga långsiktiga relationer med dem. De företag som kan ge sina kunder en god och mer individuell service, dvs. vårda dem, har en stor konkurrensfördel. Många kortinnehavare känner sig dock inte unika vilket resulterar i att de inte är lojala mot företagen och att kundrelationerna försämras. Problemet ligger i att många företag saknar förmågan att analysera kundinformationen som lagras i databaserna för att fatta beslut rörande kundhantering.

This report is the result of a project work carried out at Karlstad University in conjunctionwith the local consulting firm Camatec where most of the work has been performed.The work can be classified as a classic engineering work with supportive theories andcalculations which in this context is relevant.The engineering project has focused on developing new standards for a conveyor that is usedin the Värmland paper industry where large rolls of paper are produced. A conveyor can takeits appearance in many different forms but in this thesis it has been an exemplary look and ithas also become modulatable with a central section, a drive end and a turning end.The construction work has been build under CAD programs such as Pro Engineer, drawingshave been created and costings have been analyzed. Strength calculations have been made andcooperation from several different companies have erected to explore different solutions andideas for a modern and sustainable conveyor..

This study is about a guardian ad litem mission, role and relation to unaccompanied children. On the basis of qualitative interviews the study aims to understand the trustees? role and relation to unaccompanied children. We chose to interview nine trustees to achieve a better insight of the trustees roll. We analyzed the interviews and tried to gain a better knowledge about a guardian ad litem mission, role and relationship to unaccompanied children with role theory and concepts off pastoral power and trust.

Syftet med vår uppsats är att utvärdera hur enskilda butiksägare, som ingår i en större kedja, ser på fördelar samt nackdelar att ingå i en större koncern. Syftet är också att utröna hur butiksägarna definierar en lojal kund samt hur de arbetar för att strategiskt skapa kundlojalitet. Vår studie grundar sig på intervjuer med två enskilda butiksägare som ingår i samma koncern. I studien framgick det att butiksägarna genom användandet av kundkort erhåller kundlojalitet som ett bra verktyg för att kunna förbättra och stärka den totala ekonomin i företaget. Det krävs dock att man inser betydelsen av att engagera sig för att skapa en bättre balans mellan kundernas attityd och kundernas beteende.

För att företag ska överleva så måste de ta hand om sina befintliga kunder såväl som att attrahera nya. CRM eller Customer Relationship Management är en benämning på ett synsätt eller en strategi som används för att förbättra relationen till kunderna. När modern teknologi som Internet och e-mail används för att uppnå målen med CRM kallas det electronic Customer Relationship Management eller e-CRM. Syftet med vår studie har varit att undersöka hur företag använder CRM och e-CRM för att förbättra relationen till sina kunder. För att uppnå detta syfte har en fallstudie gjorts på Handelsbanken.

This study is based on previous research concluding that sub-national actors now function on a complex arena where the nation state is not the sole and self-evident channel to the European Union. Based on that assumption, the thesis is intended to create understanding of the nature of the relationship between the West Sweden regional office and its Värmland commissioners in the case of regional action.The relationship between the regional office and its members was examined in a case study of open consultation around the EU?s new EU 2020 strategy. The questions posed in the thesis are answered by interviews with representatives of West Sweden and certain Värmland members of that organization. The results of the interviews were then analyzed based on a fusion perspective, which addresses various indicators for regional action.The results of the study show that the West Sweden regional office can assume a clearer role in regional influencing, but also that Region Värmland plays an important role in influencing the EU.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to better understanding of the importance of social support for physically active individuals' experiences of training residence following an injury.The physical activity's impact on public health is well known. Increased physical activity also increases the risk of suffering an injury related to physical activity. The importance of social support for those individuals who suffer an injury related to physical activity is where increased knowledge is needed.Four interviews to were conducted using a thematic interview guide with the following themes: The experience of the training break, two sides of social support, several ways of dealing with the experience, the design of the support, Varied support providers relationship changes. The most important property of the individual who gave support was an experience similar to that of the injured individuals underwent. That, combined with the close relationship with the individual who gave support was seen as crucial to the experience of the social support role for the injured individual.The Conclusion was that social support is important for the experience of a break from exercise due to an injury related to physical activity..

This case study has been conducted within the Swedish fitness chain World Class to explore the opportunities for knowledge development and transfers within franchise networks. We have interviewed the product manager at the World Class headquarter, the owner of a franchise club and a local product manager from the same facility. Our finding indicates that various forms of knowledge transfer occur within the World Class network, particularly in product development and sales. The transfer occurs within the framework set by World Class with regularly scheduled meetings. In addition informal networks provide other means of knowledge exchange between some units.

Theoretical framework: The Theory of Human Caring by Jean Watson was used as a theoretical framework.Aim: The aim of this literature review was to describe the attitude of nursing patients who go through an induced abortion, from a nurse perspective.Method: This literature review is based on a sample of nine qualitative and quantitative studies, collected in the databases Cinahl, PubMed and PsycInfo. The qualities of the studies were assessed through modified templates. Analysis of the results from the studies was inspired of a content analysis.Findings: The nurses experienced their work as meaningful since they give support to the patient. The nurses felt that their work was justified when the decision to have an abortion was well thought through and they felt respect towards the patient when they were aware of the patient?s circumstances.

Since the end of the Cold War, foreign aid donors have been using political conditionality to promote human rights, democracy and good governance in recipient countries. This phenomenon has been analyzed and criticized, but mainly from a strictly empirical point of view. In this paper, the legitimacy of political conditionality is analyzed through a normative perspective based on the extrinsic value of efficiency. If the political conditions don?t result in a democratic development, including respect of human rights and good governance, they can not be justified.With at theoretical focus on the donors, based on the unequal relationship between donor and recipient, I am examining the donors? possibility and supposed will to use political conditions in development cooperation.

Background: The Swedish Parliament passed a law change in late 2010, suspending the former requirement for all Swedish incorporated companies to have an auditor. The new limit values allow the smallest incorporated companies to dismiss the auditor of the company (or not appoint one in the case of a newly started company). The opinions of abolishing mandatory audit vary, and little research has been done post to the law change. However, a new situation has arisen, meaning the optional choice of voluntary audit, for some companies.Aims and research questions: The aim of the thesis is to examine the reasons behind voluntary audit in Sweden, as well as what value companies, having chosen audit, see in their auditor. The following research questions have been used in order to fulfill the aim of the thesis: ?Why do small private owner-led incorporated companies in Sweden voluntarily choose audit?? and ?What value does the voluntarily chosen auditor add to the companies??Methodology: The research questions were formulated after reviewing relevant literature and scientific articles regarding the topic of voluntary audit, as well as the recent law change in Sweden.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) promotes the Ecosystem Approach (EA). In this thesis it is analyzed how the EA approach could be applied to regional management of coastal areas in Sweden. The aim of this report is to compare management for preserving biodiversity on a landscape level in two regional coastal areas in Uppsala and Västra Götaland respectively. In Uppsala, one of the plans consists of a previous nature reserve and in Västra Götaland, a Regional landscape strategy has been established. The ecosystem approach is used as a theoretical framework in this thesis.