It is a common view that companies should focus on building brands to increase profitability and stabilize cash flows. However, building and keeping brands alive is costly. Many firms spend large sums on branding only because they are supposed to, without knowing if they will actually gain from it. Up to date, there is limited convincing evidence that branding actually contributes to shareholder value creation. This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between brand strength and profitability and shareholder value.

Skador och slitage på brokonstruktioner av betong beror på tösalter, armeringskorrosion och frostcykler i kombination med ökande trafiklaster. Den i särklass vanligaste reparationsåtgärden för dessa typer av skador är att göra en pågjutning. Metoden går ut på att först avlägsna det skadade eller dåliga betongskiktet innan en ny betong pågjuts. För att bedöma hur bra ett pågjutningsarbete är behöver vidhäftningen mellan den nya pågjutningen och gamla betongen fastställas. Den mest använda metoden för detta syfte är s.k.

Background: During the last decade physical activity among Swedish adolescents has decreased. Changes regarding physical fitness can also be seen, for instance the cardio respiratory capacity has decreased mainly among young men while muscular capacity has decreased in both genders. Physical inactivity and impaired physical fitness are both important health related parameters. 18-year olds have fulfilled their physical development and are physically on top of their development, it makes this group interesting to examine. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate differences between physically active and inactive young men and women, concerning cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular fitness and balance.

Testosterone is a steroid and anabolic hormone found in all mammals. Previous research indicates that testosterone levels correlates with physical capacities related to physical performance. However, these studies refers only to men and boys. The aim of present study was therefore to investigate the potential relationship between body composition, strength, power and endurance capabilities in relation to blood levels of testosterone and DHEAS in young female football players. Seventeen female elite football (age: 15,4 ± 0,6, body mass: 57,2 ± 7,4kg, height 1,65 ±0,04m) players volunteered for the study.

The interest for functional strength training in golf has grown the last decade and scientists are always trying to find training stategies to improve the biomechanical aspects of the swing. Kinematic sequence contains a proximal-to-distal sequence order towards impact, and an effective kinematic sequence in the down swing begins with a rotation in the pelvis and follows by an activation in thorax, arms and club in the respective order. The rotational torques in the proximal segments wanders through the body and to the more distal segments to create an effective energy ? and power transfer at impact. The x-factor stretch is the seperation between the rotation in the pelvis and the thorax at the top of the back swing and at the beginning of the down swing.

Breakdowns of welded structures are usually a consequence of fatigue loading. Fatigue fractures are commonly initiated in the region close to the weld toe but can also initiate from the weld root and from discontinuities inside the weld. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the weld quality of welded joints produced at Volvo Wheel Loaders factory in Arvika. The goal of the investigation is to give a clearer insight regarding factors influencing the fatigue strength of the welded joints and thereby give a better foundation for fatigue strength calculations.The investigation is including examination of the weld geometry, weld discontinuities and the effects of shot peening. Mainly three different methods for collecting test data have been used: Plastic replicas cast on the weld profile, weld specimens from a rear frame belonging to a wheel loader of model L110E/120E and Almen testing of the shot peening.The results showed that it is not possible to control even transition between the weld material and the base material without after treatment.

Vissa studier som undersökt kombinerad styrketräning och uthållighetsträningjämfört med styrketräning har funnit hämmad styrkeutveckling vid kombinerad träning. Forskning har därför riktats mot att undersöka hur hämmad effekt kan undvikas. Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att genom att granska vetenskaplig litteratur i området beskriva faktorer av betydelse för styrkeutvecklingen i nedre extremitet vid kombinerade uthållighetoch styrketräningsprogram. En beskrivande litteraturstudie gjordes på ämnet. En litteratursökning genomfördes mellan 6-24/9, 2014 i databaserna Scopus, Proquest, Pubmed, Cinahl, AMED, Web Of Sciense.

When cows in Sweden are inseminated the heat strength is reported to the Swedish milk-recording scheme and AI scheme. Cows that show strong signs of estrus are desirable and the trait is included in the Swedish breeding goal. A strong heat makes it easier to inseminate at the right time and to avoid long and expensive days open. Since ten years the heat strength is scored from one to five by the farmer and reported to the milk-recording scheme and AI scheme. Earlier the score was from one to three and the decision was made by the AI technician.

The purpose of this report is to investigate and compare the difference between stand-thinning machines and strip-road thinning machines, and how they affect the stand on behalf of future growth, theoretical economic result, wind impact, snow pressure and density of stand. The investigation is regarding the first commercial thinning of pine stands, after pre-commercial thinning that was well conducted. The investigation area was located near Katrineholm, Sweden. The measurements that were measured were strength of thinning and amounts of wind throws, snow-breaks and hauling damages. The results that emerged, was that thinning with strip-road machines had a significantly higher strength of thinning over all, as compared with the stand- thinning machines (45 percent versus 30 percent). Comparisons between wind-throws, snow-breaks and hauling damages of the stand could not establish any significant differences between the two methods that were investigated. Conclusions, over all, were that if forest owners want to have more timber volume left for second thinning and final cut of the stand, the forest owners should choose the method with stand-thinning machines. From the point of view of gentle treatment of the stand and ground damages the choice should be the same. However, the method with strip-road thinning machines is the most common and accessible method in Sweden. Most likely it is the most economical way to manage the stand for forest owners in present time. If the method with stand-thinning machines is becoming more common in Sweden, it is suggested for forest owners to consider the stand-thinning method as a candidate for treatment due to economic aspects..

This essay is about power in the classroom. It is about the power dimension of the student-teacher relationships that arise in that space. The overall aim has been to investigate which categories are fruitful in a power analysis of these relationships. My aim has therefore been to develop power categories and to use them to identify and to categorise cases of power interaction that take place between those particular actors in that particular setting.In order to gather material for my study I have both read literature that approaches the study of the student-teacher relationships from a power perspective and done a series of observations in a high school.My theoretical frame comprises a concept of power and a series of power categories. These categories include strength, authority, inducement, coercion, violence, resistance as well as to possess power, to have power, to exert power, the scope of power and the base of power.

A crisis situation that has been more commonly occurred in the industry of conveniencegoods lately is the product related crises which thereby has become a challenge for everymarketer to handle. As the negative publicity tend to enlarge the crisis and spread to thecategory as a whole, it's not only important to have a crisis management to handle crisesconcerning the company itself. But also to be ready to make the best out of the situationwhere the company is threatened to get infected by the negative effects caused by acompetitor.When companies get the chance to make a response on the negative publicity on theircompetitor, as well as the category, through media, the question is - shall they act And howshall they act Which response is the most effective to send out to get out of involvement, notget infected by negative spill over's or even - to make the valenced comparison a way togenerate positive effects and gain market share The purpose of this paper is thereby to find the optimal strategy for an organization in theindustry to handle their competitor's crises through a pronouncement in media. Anotherpurpose to address is whether the brand strength is moderating the effects from the differenttypes of responses tested in this study. This purpose aims to find guidelines depending onthese moderating effects.The paper commodiously, strongly supports that there are beneficial effects to be generatedfrom making a response in either positive or negative direction in oppose of actively choosingnot to make a pronouncement at all.

 Background: Earlier studies show that 30-92 % of ACL reconstructed return to their pre-injury physical activity. It is not clear why some people do not return.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the return rate to pre-injury sport among ACL reconstructed men. Another purpose was to characterize those patients who return and those who do not.Metod: A Web-based questionnaire with questions about returning to physical activity was sent out during the spring of 2012 to 93 men who had undergone an ACL reconstruction 6-40 months earlier and who, after 6-40 months after surgery, were evaluated with validated strength tests and self-assessment outcome measures.Results: At 12 months after surgery 56 % of the subjects had returned to their pre-injury sport. If the criteria were set higher ?back to the same- or a higher level? 14 % had returned.

BackgroundHeart failure is an increasing chronic disease in the western world due to an aging population and a changed lifestyle. The basic treatment is pharmacological with substantial lifestyle changes. Much is known about physical exercise in middle aged and younger patients but in the patients over the age of 65, little is known. AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of physical exercise on patients aged over 65 with congestive heart failure. MethodA systematic review was undertaken in the databases Cinahl and PubMed.

Convective snowbands is a weather phenomenon that is associated with heavy snowfall in a limited area. They are formed over ice-free parts of e.g. the Baltic Sea when there is a cold easterly airflow over relatively warm water. These convective snowbands can cause large amounts of snow along the Swedish east coast, often causing traffic hazards. Sometimes they can even paralyze an entire community.  In this study, convective snowbands that have formed over the Baltic Sea during the period 1980-2009 are examined, in order to find out how often they occur, what place they are most common and in what month they usually appear.

At the beginning of 2011, Sweden started using the European rules for structural design, the Eurocodes, instead of the previous national rules. In both the previous rules and the Eurocodes, it is possible to dimension concrete columns using tabled values. However, the required cross section measurements have increased considerably. Moreover, it is possible to dimension concrete columns using calculations, however, this is unusual.The development of a fire in a fire cell can be divided into the growth stage, the fully developed fire and the cooling phase. The duration of each phase, as well as the temperature, is dependent on a number of factors, e.g.