The Dark Side of the Word-of-Mouse Effect- An experimental study of how negative information in today?s social media can influence consumer perception As a result of the electronic revolution of information dissemination, social media as a phenomenon has come to play an important part, both in society at large but also when it comes to business and marketing. Nowadays, knowledge and opinions about brands and products are spread by reputation through a wide range of social media platforms, a phenomenon which in the literature is referred to as word-of-mouse or electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM).The purpose of this paper is to investigate how people?s opinions towards a company and its product are affected by negative information in terms of eWOM. Or more precisely, whether or not there is a difference in this effect depending on information content, concerning company values on the one hand and product attributes on the other.This was done in an experimental setting where two groups of respondents were subjected to fictitious information of different types using established social media platforms.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the removal of biomass in connection with thinning operations in young stands that are dominated by small diameter trees. The economy of such operations depends on the products generated as well as the performance of the harvesting systems. Conversion tables designed to predict the outcome based on harvesting method was another goal of this study. Removal of biomass affects the nutrient composition of the site. Therefore it is a purpose that this study will provide researchers with some variables that can be utilized when studying this aspect. Trees were harvested and divided into bunches based on diameter.

In information retrieval there is a problem with ambiguous words. To solve this problem word sense disambiguation WSD is used. Few studies combining information retrieval and word sense disambiguation have been conducted with Swedish words. The purpose of this thesis has been divided in two. The first purpose was to examine Swedish information retrieval and disambiguation in the query phase.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the opportunities of using social media as a communicative tool to attract and engage customers on different social media platforms. In recent years social media has become an important way for business to communicate with people both national and global. The idea behind this thesis was found when we saw different approaches of how companies used social media as a marketing tool. Through a qualitative approach we did eight interviews with six different companies and two social media consults which have given us a basis of what companies really want to achieve with social media. With these interviews we were able to analyze and discuss the abilities to interact with people and how companies distribute content that engage users and increase their credibility to the company..

Word-of-mouth marketing (WOM) has been considered as one of the most effective marketing tools, yet the least understood. While its lucrative effects have been well proven in academic studies worldwide, little is yet known of why consumers engage in WOM, and what factors actually drive this sought-after behavior, particularly in an online context. While today's research lacks holistic views on the simultaneous effects of multiple WOM-drivers, this paper takes on a meta-analytic approach by building on the pertinent literature to construct an aggregated model, including several previously acknowledged drivers divided into two categories: (1) Brand related drivers and (2) Personal and situational drivers. The authors then empirically examine what drivers are the most influential on WOM in an online social media context. By doing so, this thesis does not only contribute to marketing managers' better understanding of online communications management, it also sheds light on the theoretical knowledge of the behavioral drivers of WOM.

The thesis examines the nineteenth century German philosopher and philologist Friedrich Nietzsche?s early notion of how a word is generated in the process of perception. It does so by looking at the ?metaphorical transitions? Nietzsche talks about in the essay ?Über Wahrheit und Lu?ge im außermoralischen Sinne? (?On Truth and Lie in an Extra-MoralSense?). According to the relevant passage in ?On Truth and Lie?? an image is first created as a metaphor for a stimulus and a word is then created as a metaphor for the image.

During this project a photographer and an illustrator have explored if a single image can communicate a bigger whole, in this case a movie. By analysing five motion pictures with visual communication theories, semiotics and colour symbolism as tools, ten images was created. These images do not only consist of symbols, but also communicate the overall feeling and colour scheme of the movie.These images have been tested in interviews with six individuals, who, except for one, work with visual communication of some kind. They have studied the communication skills of the images from their own experiences.The result of the interviews showed that all images could not communicate a movie. One reason for this was that only a few of the test persons had seen two of the selected movies.

This study aims to describe how a company behind a well-established brand in the fashion industry has strategically chosen to communicate with their target market. Interviews with four individuals in different positions within the company have generated qualitative data, which is presented and analyzed in relation to the theoretical frame of reference in this study. The results show that the company does not use conventional marketing, but relies rather on marketing based word-of-mouth generated by its customer base due to its unique store concepts. Previous research has shown that this type of marketing strategy is effective and beneficial to the brand equity, a conclusion that is demonstrated to also apply to the survey object of this study. Furthermore, it is also shown that this is largely due to the distinct and coordinated image that the company maintains through strict standardization..

Abstrakt: Sedan en tid tillbaka pågår en intensiv debatt i Sverige kring könsneutrala ordet Hen och om man överhuvudtaget ska använda sig av ett könsneutralt ord och undvika att benämna kön i en del sammanhang. Syftet med denna undersökning var att undersöka hur könsneutrala pronomen ? Hen påverkar människors attityder. Det är en kvantitativ studie i experimentell design, utförd genom enkätundersökningar där frågor om känslor, beteende och uppfattningar om ordet Hen efterfrågas. Antas det generellt att en text handlar om män även om det inte är definierat? Blir samhället mer förutsättningslöst med användning av könsneutrala ordet hen? Attityder är inte lätta att förutspå, människor vet vad som är rätt och fel men agerar inte alltid utifrån sin vetskap, samt med tillräckligt stor påverkan kan en person ändra sin attityd.

Simplicity, intimacy, freedom and one single threadcharacterize the knitting technique.In my project, I have studied ways of creating three-dimensional shape and structure using single threads and various knitting techniques. I applied my ideas in a collaboration with the singer Sofia Karlsson. The focus has been to design a portable object that can be used in pictures for the cover and promotion of her upcoming album.The material I studied, processed and used in creating the three-part object was linen. In the center stands a collar, that changes expression depending on how it is worn and which side is turned towards the outside. The collar interacts with a cylinder for her hands and a hairnet.

Abstrakt: Sedan en tid tillbaka pågår en intensiv debatt i Sverige kring könsneutrala ordet Hen och om man överhuvudtaget ska använda sig av ett könsneutralt ord och undvika att benämna kön i en del sammanhang. Syftet med denna undersökning var att undersöka hur könsneutrala pronomen ? Hen påverkar människors attityder. Det är en kvantitativ studie i experimentell design, utförd genom enkätundersökningar där frågor om känslor, beteende och uppfattningar om ordet Hen efterfrågas. Antas det generellt att en text handlar om män även om det inte är definierat? Blir samhället mer förutsättningslöst med användning av könsneutrala ordet hen? Attityder är inte lätta att förutspå, människor vet vad som är rätt och fel men agerar inte alltid utifrån sin vetskap, samt med tillräckligt stor påverkan kan en person ändra sin attityd.

I många utvecklingsländer finns en begränsad tillgång på utvecklade AKK-system (Alant, 1999) och ofta även en okunskap kring möjligheterna att arbeta med kommunikationsproblem (Marshall, 1997). I föreliggande studie genomförs intervention i alternativ och kompletterande kommunikation (AKK) för två deltagare med cerebral pares på ett dagcenter i Kilimanjaroregionen, Tanzania. Syftet i föreliggande interventionsstudie är att genom intervention studera och utveckla de i mätsituationerna responsiva talakterna att påkalla uppmärksamhet för att inleda interaktion, acceptera och avfärda samt upprätthålla och avsluta interaktion. Detta sker med hjälp av begreppen ja och nej för att acceptera och avfärda, liksom mer och mindre för att upprätthålla och avsluta interaktion. Studien följer en single subjekt design och insatsen utgörs av två interventionsperioder, bestående av direkt intervention med deltagarna samt utbildning och fortlöpande handledning av personal.

White- and blue collar workers traditionally belong to different unions and, therefore, are covered by different collective agreements. Collective agreements for different employee categories create internal divisions, which mean that white collar workers are not obliged to do work that falls under a blue collar agreement and reversed. Historically the difference between white- and blue collar work has been fairly sharp and so has the difference between collective agreements. Due to the continuous development of technology white- and blue collar work within production has become less clear. This has resulted in an increasing amount of disagreements regarding what collective agreement should apply and whether the employee is obliged to perform different work tasks.

In this study we have examined how men and women are heard on Sveriges Televisions program Debatt. Debatt broadcast on Sveriges Televison which is a public service broadcaster. Through the use of a quantitative content analysis and a dialogical approach, we have documented how many men and women who speak, how they speak, how long they have the word and the subjects they will be heard in, in the program Debatt. We have investigated the ten last broadcast programs from the fallseason 2011. Every program is 45 minutes long and contains from two to three discussiontopics each time. By categorizing our survey and enter the result in four different tables, we found that the majority, 63%, of those that are heard are men.

This bachelor thesis in tourism studies focuses on people's use of social media related to travel. The paper aims to provide a wider knowledge of tourist?s propensity to display destinations through social media and how they perceive others that display travelling. This is put in relation to the term of social status in order to find out if there is a possible link. The intention was to provide an insight into the phenomenon to contribute new awareness that destinations can exploit in their marketing.