This master's thesis analyses the concept of equality between men and women in parts ofRegion Västra Götaland's area of operation. With critical policy analysis I analyse how theproblem of inequality is represented in the European charter for equality of women and men inlocal life (CEMR) and the Region Västra Götaland's plan of action for the charter. Throughinterviews with people responsible for gender equality in different areas I analyse, withdiscourse theory, the ways in which the concept of gender equality is articulated in differentareas of Region Västra Götaland, and what kind of politics these articulations enables.In the analysis I show that a discursive struggle of how equality is to be defined canbetter be understood as a discursive negotiation. Equality between men and women isunderstood in several ways at the same time, as antidiscrimination and basic human rights, asbalance between the sexes, and as an approach critical of norms and stereotypes. Within thesenegotiations certain understandings of gender are made possible or impossible.

 In the global society of today it takes more and more to become a successful purchaser. One part of this is to understand distinctions between different countries. The first and the biggest thing that you think about are the languages. Of course this is a big obstacle but there are also big cultural differences to be considered. According to Van Weele (2002) this is something that not, until these days, have been prioritized but today it is becoming more common in the industries.The biggest question we asked ourselves before the work started was how cultural and verbal differences affected the global procurement on Husqvarna.

This study examines retail atmospherics from a reality perspective. The topic "special exposure" has received research interest in the past but it has not been recognized as a critical consideration in the daily retail business. Too many retailers leave assortment decisions to thumb rules or trial and error. The highest aim of this study is in addressing that gap between theory and practice. To catch the attention of the customer is important in supermarkets because most grocery purchase decisions are made at the point of purchase.

Title: Process description of round timber transports ? a case study at Tra?frakt Go?taland ABAuthors: Karl ? Johan Tern, Christian Johansson and Andreas IvarssonTutor: Anders JerrelingExaminer: Fredrik KarlssonBackground: Today the profitability of forest haulers is unsatisfactory. Negotiations on prices are more about the relative strength of the negotiation parties rather than a discussion about actual costs. Adding extensive changes in the forest haulers cost structure has led to insufficient knowledge of whether the negotiated prices really correspond to their costs.Methodology: We decided to carry out a case study at Tra?frakt Go?taland AB, a special interest organisation whose members represent the majority of forest haulers in Go?taland.Purpose: To describe the processes and underlying activities of round timber transports.

At the EU summit in Cologne in 1999, a consensus was reached concerning the common foreign and security policy within the European Union. It was decided at the summit that the WEU (Western European Union) should be incorporated into the EU - whom would then be given military capability to act autonomously without the necessity of Nato involvement. This essay investigates the factors that made this agreement possible from a rational choice perspective, but also from the perspective of the power and influence on negotiations on behalf of various types of leadership present at the meeting. Many nations at the summit of Cologne where for the creation of a military force in the form of ESDP (European Security and Defence Policy) within the Union, and many where against such a decision. However a consensus was reached and that is what this essay shall try to explain.

The purpose of this thesis is to compare five different ranking algorithms for query expansion. The algorithms compared are f4, f4mod, porter, wpq, and emim. This is done using a TREC collection, a selection of topics, and relevance judgements. Relative recall is measured before and after the expansion of the query. The study shows that all of the algorithms manage to increase the relative recall, f4 being the one most successful..

DV01 is a bicycle concept aimed towards a contemporary target group, that considers the bicycle to be both a convenient means of transportation and a product with a high aesthetical value. A bicycle is for many people something that you attach to your own personal style, were not only the bicycles function but also its appearance plays a crucial role. It is also a product that consists of many different components and parts, which all affect the overall impression. The focus of the project has therefore been about finding a balance in the design. When form and function interact in a successful symbiosis, the result is often that the product may last longer and are more loved by its users..

This study has been made on behalf of the Swedish Transport Administration to study the work of the department National Projects. The Swedish construction industry has for many years been characterized by low productivity. By being the largest purchaser of contracts in the industry the Swedish Transport Administration has a unique opportunity to influence the productivity. In order to improve in productivity The Swedish Transport Administration is adopting a new role in which they will order more turnkey projects. In our study, we will focus on how one department within the Swedish Transport Administration, National Projects, can perform successful turnkey projects.To clarify how the department National Projects can perform successful projects, this study identifies critical factors for projects and their links to different phases of the project.

Course:Business Administration, Master Thesis, Second Level, 30 Credits.Authors:Sara Frännlid and Helena RamstedtTutor:Jim AndersénTitle:Internet, relationships and loyalty ? Best praCtice foR the bankMarketPurpose:The study aims to explain how banks use electronic customer relationship management, eCRM, to create loyal customers. A figure will be created, which will enlighten the factors a bank should focus on when enhancing customer loyalty through the internet. Through interviews with two successful banks is it possible to study how a bank can successfully create loyal customers.Methodology:A qualitative method in terms of semi-structured interviews is used. The empirical results were then analyzed with the theory in order to contribute with a new figure.Theoreticalperspective:The theory describes how a bank can create a loyal customer over the Internet.

The retail sector is in a continuous development. What demand looks like and where the consumers want to shop has changed during the last years. Market place, demand, supply, external factors and politics affect how the retail sector develops. To make a market place attractive a variety of factors have to be considered.In Hong Kong a model called Rail & Property is used, this means that the development of the subway is integrated with the development of the city. The model is both successful and economically sustainable.Today the supply of shops and services in Stockholm´s subway stations is rather small.

The thesis aims to understand how learning processes are affected when an organization split into two separate organizations. The study is designed as a single case, covering a new government agency?s takeover of a core activity from another agency and the use of a purchase-provider split between the agencies, providing the new agency with IT-services. The findings revealed a difference in productive system and knowledge types between core- and IT-activities. The core activity was found to be dominated by explicit knowledge while the IT-activity seemed to be dominated by a mix of explicit and tacit knowledge.

The number of weaned piglets per sow and year is a good measurement of sow productivity since it is affected by the number of piglets born alive, the pre weaning mortality (i.e. mortality of live born piglets between birth and weaning) and the number of litters per sow and year. This measure is also closely connected to the number of piglets produced per year, which partly determines the profitability of the piglet producer. During this study, eleven successful piglet-producing herds were visited. Eight of the producers were Swedish and three of the producers were Danish.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och skapa förståelse för vilka framgångsdrivarna är för företagsekonomiska institutioner.För att kunna uppfylla syftet har vi tagit fram BEN-modellen. Modellen består av ett antal framgångsdrivare som kan leda till konkurrensfördelar samt bestående konkurrensfördelar för en företagsekonomisk institution. Dessa leder i sin tur till framgång, något som vi själva definierat med fyra olika mätbara variabler; söktryck, genomströmning av studenter, ställning i arbetslivet samt forskningsproduktivitet.Studien har genomförts på tre olika företagsekonomiska instituitioner där intervjuer och samtal genomförts med personer i ledande befattning på respektive institution. Som komplement till intervjuerna har empiriskt material insamlats i form av statistik för att kunna utröna hur framgångsrika de är enligt BEN-modellen.Studien visar att ambition och entreprenörsskap är två viktiga framgångsdrivare. Dessa två drivare kan en institution erhålla genom finansiella resurser.

AbstractThe object of this study has been to analyze how companies within the music industry can successfully market their artists, this due to the complexity of today?s marketing environment, where technology has rapidly changed the way of communicating, and therefore contributed to a highly competitive market. The vast change of technology has resulted in several possibilities as well as difficulties breaking through, what could be seen as, a media sorl. Our purpose has been to outdo how companies market, as well as which factors that are vital, for a successful promotion of their artists. To be able to carry out our aim, we have created one key question; How can companies within the music industry market their artist to make them reach success?We have used a qualitative research approach for this study, this to be able to generate more depth concerning the chosen topic.

As an effect of increased living standards and improved health care, life expectancy has risen in many parts of the world. At the same time, welfare diseases such as diabetes and obesity increases. As the number of elderly and long-term sick rises, so will the medical care needs. E-health applications are often presented as a way to meet future medical and doing so within the scope of existing resources. By facilitating health communication and widen access to health services by offering them online, e-health applications encourages people to become more engaged in their own health, thus working proactively towards a healthier population.