Title: Music teachers' practising of music - thoughts and values from a few music teachers. This study is about music teachers' valuation of practising music. The study is focused on the music that these teachers are devoted to but is not a part of their teaching in music. The papershows how the relation between music teachers and their ability to be devoted to practising music of their own choice, affects them as individuals. The study is carried out at a Swedish upper secondary school which has an educational programme that is focused on music.

This paper presents empirical evidence on the determinants of interest rate swap spreads in Sweden during the period 1999-2003. The results suggest that the spread between STIBOR and the general collateral repo rate is positively related to shorter maturity swap spreads. The risk premium associated with commercial bonds is positively related to swap spreads of all maturities. A negative relationship is observed between the term structure of interest rates and swap spreads. The short-term interest rate is positively related to spreads with shorter maturities.

In this final thesis a study about welfare indicators in the Swedish milk production has been carried out. The system Swedish Animal Welfare Monitoring Scheme developed by the Swedish Dairy Association has been used as a base and the EU project WELFARE QUALITY® has also been used as a source of information. Focus groups have been used as a qualitative investigating method. This included four focus groups, two with farm auditors from the two different dairies and two with dairy farmers. This method was chosen because in this way one can study how a conversation about a given subject takes form in a respectable way.

The increased specialisation and complexity in products and services has created the need for Swedish companies to focus more on their core businesses. This has resulted in them opting to buy services and products that lie outside of their core business from consultancy businesses or other types of suppliers. When companies describe their offers in internal and external marketing it is done often in terms of company or service attributes that are not based on customer value or offered value for the customer. The reason for this is that companies have not adapted their services to the different needs of their customers. As a result of this, they run the risk of offering the same services as their competitors and communicate values that the customers either do not understand or experience as value adding. By using the theory on the data collection from the case company we have an understanding and shown how the customer values can be developed from a service company?s internal and external prerequisites and competitive advantages.

In modern leadership research, leadership is often viewed as a social construction, and under this paradigm various researchers let the media play a central role in constructing leadership. Meanwhile, the question of how the media actors do this is left unanswered. We explore the question of how and why the media construct leadership, from the vantage point of the media actors themselves, and the conditions they work under. Different mechanisms for media construction of leadership are identified in previous research. Through interviews with business journalists at Veckans Affärer, we find recognition for some of the explanatory mechanisms: namely that personification of a CEO facilitates the work of journalists (and sells papers), that personal drama captures reader demand, and that the CEO of a listed company consciously cultivates his or her personal parallel self.

Time has passed since the new standards regarding goodwill were introduced. Duringthe period that occurred pre the financial crisis several companies managed to creategreat goodwill assets on their balance sheet. These assets were highlighted during thefinancial crisis and the aim of this study is to evaluate analysts contemporaryconsideration of these assets. The study will be of interest due to the fact that we nowfind ourselves in-between periods, post financial crisis and pre euro crisis. Ourempirical study has been carried out by interviewing analysts covering IT-companiestraded on the Swedish stock exchange.Our analysts were chosen with consideration to the fact that they were coveringcompanies where acquisitions are common.

This study aims to measure the effect of accounting conservatism and to identify thebusiness activities causing firms to undervalue owners? equity. To estimateaccounting conservatism, we have followed the hypothesis that no firm over time cangenerate a return greater than its cost of equity, i.e. CAPM. Thus, if a firm in factgenerates an excess return over time, we assume that the excess return is an estimateof accounting conservatism within that firm.The hypothesis originates from the corporate valuation model ?Economic ValueAdded®? which tries to adjust for accounting bias.

SyfteSyftet med denna uppsats är att analysera vilka effekter införandet av internationellt gällande redovisningsregler har på den svenska redovisningen. Detta ska belysas genom studerandet av hur IAS 38 har påverkat redovisningen av varumärken.MetodStudiens kommer att bedrivas med en kvalitativ ansats där datainsamlingen kommer att ske genom intervjuer och skriftliga källor.SlutsatserStudien visar att implementeringen av IAS 38 ej görs på ett enhetligt sätt och att inte samma metoder för att värdera varumärken används av företagen vilket skapar problem med jämförbarheten mellan olika företag. Vidare visar studien att varumärken är en av de vanligaste tillgångarna som identifieras vid förvärv och att företagen oftast överväger en särskiljning av varumärket från goodwill vilket visar att implementeringen av IAS 38 är på god väg. Slutsatser som dras av studien är att det kommer att krävas tid och även en specialisering inom revisionsbranschen för att implementeringen av internationaliseringen ska få full effekt, vilket är att skapa enhetlighet, jämförbarhet och ett rättvisare värde på företaget på en internationell nivå..

Problem: The question is if investors falls into psychological decision traps when they are about to make an investments decision. Research in other areas suggests that this may be case. The reason is that they are not aware of that psychological decision traps exist. If so, it can lead to pernicious consequences for the return on the portfolios they manage. Purpose: To investigate if investors fall into four different psychological decisions traps: anchoring, confirming evidence, overconfidence and regression towards mean, at investments in IPOs Method: We have collected data through a form of experiment.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess whether the overreaction found in ?Does the Stock Market Overreact?? by DeBondt and Thaler still persists today, and by equivalence test if a trading strategy based upon these assumptions would generate abnormal returns. MethodThe research has been carried out by studies of the stocks that for a prior period of one year has over or underperformed their benchmark. The stocks used in my study are all part of S&P500 index, and the period of study runs from three to five overlapping years over the last twenty years. ResultsMy tests indicate that the type of overreaction proposed by DeBondt & Thaler still is present, at least considering the stocks that during the formation period were winners..

This paper deals with how people use public libraries. An attempt is made to distinguishbetween different user groups on the basis of how they use the library. The roles of thelibrary in relation to its users are also discussed.The paper is based on a user study with the cooperation of 195 users. The user studywas carried out at the Public Library of Alingsås 1994. As material for comparisonsimilar studies from Sweden, but even from Denmark, have been used.

This essay discusses how Private Equity companies (PE companies) reason when evaluatingpotential companies to invest in through its investment criteria. Also methods they utilized toenhance companies value during their ownership period is treated.PE-companies invest in companies where they can see a good future development. Theintention is that through various methods to increase the company's value prior to divestment.In the UK and the U.S. in particular, the market for PE has long been great. In Sweden, insteadthe developments in the industry went a little slower.

Title: Predictions and explanation models for bankruptcy in stock-companies ? A study of three failed Swedish companies Author: Tim Svanberg Supervisor: Emil Numminen Department: School of Management, Blekinge Institute of technology Course: Bachelor?s thesis in business administration, 10 credits Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to find explanation for bankruptcy with the help of prediction models. The purpose is also to add explanation by using Behavioral analysis Method: Quantitative research of bankruptcies using financial prediction models and qualitative study of psychological pitfalls. The study is deductive. Results: I found that it is possible to explain the bankruptcies using the prediction models. The behavioural perspective adds further explanation.

Since 2005 the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has prescribed a mandatory requirement that all ?Publicly Consolidated Entities? abide by the ?International Financial Reporting Standards? (IFRS). However, due to a difference in institutional elements, between countries, differences in financial reporting are still possible. This essay aims to identify such differences between Swedish and British companies in their adaptation of the IFRS, specifically differences in; ?Disclosure Requirements for Goodwill? specified in ?IAS 36 p 134?.

To invent an optimized product is a complicated process. This process is only half of the work. It is equally important to develop a production system that can produce the product in an  efficient and ergonomic way.After several evaluations of conceptual and detailed drawings a final idea has come to light.The idea intends, to the maximum extent, utilize the facility in a more efficient way through moving assembly lines and stations closer to the flock section and the stock for complete products. To make the production better, stations are placed in more logical places given the assignment they are supposed to accomplish. This improves the material flow radically.