The aim of this Master's thesis is to examine what effect two different models of acquisition have on user satisfaction with information resources at academic libraries. The two models examined are the traditional model where a subject specialist librarian makes the selection, and the user-governed model where the larger part of the selection is based on user requests. The scope is the libraries of Roskilde University, which employs the traditional acquisition model and Malmö University, which employs the user-governed. Both libraries have a user-oriented approach to acquisition. The study encompasses a close examination of the acquisition policy through document analysis and interviews with the librarians in charge of acquisitions at each university, as well as a user-satisfaction survey among the professors and senior teachers on two faculties at each university respectively.

Organisations tend to focus more and more on product and process development to increase their competitiveness. Several major organisations, among them ABB, have developed models aimed to more effectively control and manage product development processes. ABB is using its standardised model ABB Gate Model for this. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the introduction of ABB Gate Model has affected the outcome of decisions and also the decision-making in the product development process. The study is limited to elucidate the version of ABB Gate Model handling product development projects.

Leisure boats of today have a lot of electronics that needs battery power to work. In additionto that electric propulsion systems have gotten more popular lately, which further increasesthe demand for high battery capacity. The batteries used are mostly lead-acid batteries and toget the most out of the batteries it is important to treat them right. To optimize the electricsystem it is important to have knowledge of how the batteries and the electric motor are usedand which factors affect e.g. efficiency and recharging.A new electric drive that can replace old diesel engines is being developed and needs testingand evaluation.

This study investigates the individual usage of the Dublin Core metadata format in three Swedish Subject Based Information Gateways, SAFARI, Svenska miljönätet and Svesök. The authors also present the reader with an overview of the metadata concept and explains in particular the Dublin Core Element Set. The approach to the study is investigation of Dublin Core application from the viewpoint of three major issues, user friendliness, interoperability and quality control. The study includes an in-depth comparison of the three different metadata templates, as well as interviews with people in charge of the metadata production at the respective SBIGs and users of the respective SBIGs« templates. The study shows that the three SBIGs are more similar than they are different.

The aim of this study was to investigate how mothers in families with strong patriarchal traditionssee their role as a mother and as a woman. The study is built upon two main questions: What arethe expectations of your family and your immediate environment on you as a mother and as awoman? And what does ?honour? mean for you as a mother and as a woman? In our paper wehad as a starting point a gender perspective that was further on applied in defining our researchquestion. We are also giving an account of the phenomenological perspective that we also had asa basis of our work. We interviewed six mothers living in families with strong patriarchaltraditions.

Playsam in Kalmar AB are world famous for their design of the toys they sell. Together with their CEO Carl Zedig the goal was to find a new product for the company.  The process has far from been linear, I started off in one direction, got rejected, turned another way and we finally decided to create a rocking horse in a De Stijl style. At the same time taking consideration of the demands from Playsam and myself.Playsam?s products are archetypes of ordinary objects around us such as the car or the aeroplane. The company mainly produces its toys in wood and the stylized shape together with the blank painted surface has become a hallmark for them.De Stijl, the Dutch art movement containing artists, designers and architects such as Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg and Gerrit Rietveld.

The objective of this bachelor thesis is to examine how some larger Swedish public libraries reason about the use of social media as part of their activities and outreach. To attain the purpose three research-questions were established; why does the public library use social media? How does the public library utilize social media? What extra value do librarians believe that use of social media can add to the libraries? function? The methodology used in the thesis is qualitative interviews. Six interviews were conducted with librarians in charge of social media at their respective libraries. Five of the interviews were conducted by telephone and one by email.

The aim of the study is to examine how the executive leadership and the decision-making process are shaped by the leadership environment in a transition democracy as Venezuela. The questions I intend to answer are: What kind of leadership environment surrounds the leadership and what kind of consequences does it have on the leadership and the decision-making process in Venezuela? To answer my questions I will use the literature: Political Leadership in Liberal Democracies (Elgie, Robert 1995, London: Macmillian), together with the method ?The cultural determinist school of history? by Tomas Spencer, later reproduced by Kellerman. The leadership environment provides unique opportunities for a leader to gain control over the decision-making process. Institutional structures and the needs of the society are major parts in determining how the political leadership is exercised.

Culture is seen as an abstract phenomenon, not easily defined. It is cathegorized as something that affects every person, though it is seldom described how. This study adress how culture, in the form of basic assumptions and accepted behaviors and ways to think affected how young coaches formed their leadership under the influence of their organization. The possible implications for the importance of knowing about ones culture in an organization affect both the recruitment process in organizations and what the organization stands for and what is conveyed through values and ways to act in the organization. The purpose of this study was, through the use of semi-structured interviews with young coaches and organizational leaders and a review of policys, to get the perspective and experiences of young coaches regarding cultural influence on their leadership.

In this essay I consider a self-experienced dilemma, and review how I, as a preschool teacher, treat a child with special needs. With the support of literature and theory, I can, with an essay writing approach, reflect and analyze the dilemma. In this way I will examine my practical knowledge and personal experiences of a complex situation. I want to examine whether children with special needs who are included in regular preschool activities, really get the support they need and deserve. Do educators have the conditions and does preschool have sufficient resources to realize this? Do educators have sufficient knowledge of how children with special needs should be responded to? I want to find out how the included children's social development and self-image is shaped by the treatment they receive at the preschool.

Summary The place I have been working with is a garden, belonging to a family estate, called Tolvmansgården. It is located on an island northeast of Norrtälje in Roslagen. The frontage is red with white corners like so many other houses in the neighbourhood, but ours is one of the oldest houses on the island. Today the house and garden is own by my mother, Pia Johansson. Since I?ve started my education in garden design my interest for our country garden has increased.

Placing children in foster care is today considered the best alternative for children unable to stay in their biological environment. A nuclear family consisting of a father, a mother and a child is the most common family structure within foster care today. The purpose of this thesis is to gain insight on the family norms that control the foster care system. It's a qualitative study based on interviews with six professional social workers within the field of foster care. This method gave us empirical material, that was later analyzed from two main theories and one theoretical concept.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the public libraries work towards SFI (Swedish For Immigrants) based on the views of the overseeing librarians. To study this we have asked the following research questions:What distinguishes the public libraries? work towards SFI according to the responsible librarians? What distinguishes the communication between SFI teachers and the librarians according to the responsible librarians? What opinions are held by the librarians in regards to their work with SFI?We have used a semi structured interview method with seven librarians in charge of the activities with SFI at small and medium sized public libraries in a rural area of Sweden. The theoretical framework is composed of Marianne Andersson and Dorte Skot-Hansen?s model for analysis of the local public library profile and the authors? definition of collaboration.

Throughout the history, the theories which have shaped our cities have varied from time to time. We have gone from a city development characterized by spontaneousness, where commerce and people side by side shared the space, into a function-based planning where people and functions are being increasingly separated. Regardless the forms of planning the city design causes implications for those who live there when the physical environment controls were we live, work and meet. In today's society where `sustainability ' has become a watchword the current community planning needs to be questioned so we, in the best possible way, can meet future changes. Searching for new planning strategies is part of this and in this essay the term `mixed-use´ will be investigated and analyzed in terms of its social aspects.

The area of Järvafältet in the northern parts of Stockholm is one of the many large-scale investments into Swedish residency executed in the 60?s and 70?s, and which got the name Miljonprogrammet. Not until today these buildings have been restored, and frustration has been brewing in these areas for some time. Järvadialogen is the name of a communication program connected to the housing restoration in the area of Husby, which is a part of Järvafältet, and functions as a promotional and informational dialogue between residents in the area and those responsible for the communication program. The cultural diversity in the area of Husby is significant, and with theories on intercultural communication, change communication and power we study the performed communicative process and the manner in which it is received.