This study has a double purpose. First, it explores and maps out the use of quantitative key indicators in social performance reporting within a microfinance portfolio. This was done on behalf of Storebrand Asset Management, who would like to aggregate and report the social results of their microfinance investments to their customers. The study concludes that the extent of social reporting and types of indicators used varies, meaning that it is hard to aggregate data for use in further reporting. Thus, the work towards the goal of social reporting has only just begun.

This study has been carried out as a part of the EC funded project, SMARTDOC IST-2000-28137, with the objective of developing application components that provide highly interactive visualization and collaboration functionalities. The low-level components from the graphics library AVS OpenViz 2.0 are used as the development basis. The application components can be inserted into electronic documents that allow embedded controls such as web documents or Microsoft Word or PowerPoint documents. Instead of displaying results as static images, a SMARTDOC component provides the ability to visualize data and interact with it inside the document. Although the principal goal of the SMARTDOC project is to create components in a number of different application domains this study concentrates on developing a medical imaging application component in collaboration with the project partners AETmed and professor Alan Jackson at the University of Manchester.

This thesis paper is based on Ian Manners Normative Power Europe-theory with a focus on EU?s military operation in Somalia. By examining documents from EU institutions in the form of reports concerning EU NAVFOR ? Operation ATALANTA ? EUTM Somalia ? EUCAP NESTOR. This study shows that the Normative Power Europe-theory can get expressed and that the EU continues its normative statements in Somalia. This result is an interesting contribution to the theory of Normative Power Europe witch have gotten a lot of critic about how a military operation should effect and diminish the theory..

This thesis investigates young people´s (16-21) preferences in reading through a survey including interviews and questionnaires. The groups attitudes towards reading and libraries, their reading and library habits, and to what extent eight libraries had bought the preferred literature were also examined. Some reports from the 80´s were used to find the changes. The result shows that youngsters read and visit libraries somewhat more frequently. Trivial literature is not as dominant, more teenage-books were read.

This thesis aims to examine problems that occur when determining the fair value of investment properties. It also takes into consideration the reliability and relevance of the reported fair values on behalf of the key stakeholders. The study has been conducted by interviewing representatives at real estate and external valuation companies. The study shows that there is a need for assessments in the valuation process and that real estate companies have room for their own interpretations. The conclusion is that determining fair value is an estimate, not a fact.

Företags vilja att hållbarhetsredovisa har ökat markant under 2010-talet. I och med den ökade tillämpningen av hållbarhetsredovisning skapas även behov av ett ramverk. Det ramverk som idag är det mest framträdande inom hållbarhetsredovisning har skapats av organisationen Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRIs mål är att frivillig hållbarhetsredovisning ska vara lika tillförlitlig och jämförbar som finansiella rapporter.Hållbarhetsbegreppet kan delas in i tre områden vilka är social, ekonomisk och miljömässig. Resultat från tidigare forskning visar att det råder stora brister inom hållbarhetsredovisning eftersom redovisningen är frivillig och det därmed inte föreligger några lagstadgade krav.

The present paper is part of a project carried on by the Swedish Section of the International Commission of Jurists. Sweden has ratified several major international human rights instruments. Most of the rights are covered by national law, and only in exception is there a discrepancy between national and international law. Such a discrepancy is found in the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, in which the State parties agree on penalizing and prohibiting the founding of and participation in racist organizations. Sweden is not complying with this statute, despite the fact that the government has ratified the convention.

This report discusses the constructionof different types of exterior wallconstructions and analyses wall layers.Standard wall constructions from theSwedish building contractors NCC andSkanska and also from the materialproducer Isover have been chosen for theresearch. Life cycle cost analysis hasbeen made to conclude the mostprofitable wall type, seen from asustainable and economic perspective.The calculations have been made for aperiod of 50 years.The report shows that building with wellinsulated walls is a more profitablesolution both economically and whatconcerns sustainability even though thehigher investment. However, when wallssimilar insulation properties are beingcompared, the study proves that lowerinvestment cost is more profitable.The report introduces requiredconstruction techniques of walls inorder that the reader should understandwall constructions with different layersand properties. The essay shows theimportance of properly constructed wallsto avoid air leakage and moisturedamage.The essay has been implemented byliterature studies, contacts with NCCand Skanska and by energy calculationsmade by hand and using the software VIPEnergy..

This paper analyzes the Swedish labor market during the interwar and early postwar period within the framework of modern labor market theory. The development of unemployment during this period - according to the commonly cited source of labor union reports - represents a conundrum for research. The unemployment rate rose after the initial diverse shock of 1921 and stayed at a permanently higher level for the rest of the interwar period. This development was reversed after World War Two when the unemployment rate decreased and stayed permanently low for the rest of the postwar period until the oil price chock of the 1970s.In a first step the available sources of unemployment statistics is investigated and compared. The general conclusion is that the labor union reports overestimate the level of economy wide unemployment while being a reasonably good indicator of movements in the rate.

Previously studies have shown that the way companies explain outcome in their annual report is not totally trustworthy. Studies show that the management has a self serving bias when they explain the result to give a positive image of the company. Our study is based on investigations into this phenomenon in the telecom market in Sweden. Turbulent market conditions with, among other, deregulation of the monopoly of fixed telephony and a huge technical evolution, which has led to an increase in competition, is the reason to why we have chosen to study the telecom market in Sweden. As a benchmark in our study the attribution theory will be used.

Background: Once upon a time the most important resources in an economy were tangible goods. Historically, Swedish company culture has been dominated by engineering and techni-cal innovation has been the focal point. Today, Intangible values drive product development and form a company?s differentiation. Intangibles have therefore become the most prominent resources in a company.

What impact and effects are created by the placement of an international ranking? Could it be that a top rank is detrimental to an entire country's efforts to fight corruption?This bachelor thesis in political science is about Swedish corruption. In essence, so questioning the Transparency International's indexed rankings that placed Sweden in third place. Issues concern since if the third placement has created nonchalance and a careless mentality in Swedish government and in particular in the municipal operations. Research results show that Transparency International's rankings have low validity and low reliability and that the government is not acting sufficiently to prevent and fight corruption.

The city of Kalmar has a desire that their 3D maps of the city should come to a greater use and get residents more involved in Kalmar city. The purpose of this report is to show one way to work with these 3D maps when it comes to presenting information about Kalmar for its residents and tourists in a specific area.  The report also includes information about advantages and disadvantages with the use of 2D and 3D maps in different environments. Various reports and other sources indicate an interest in 3D and a use for this, but even that 2D is still seen as a natural way to read a map. By collecting information from relevant literature, interviews and user testing, the group has obtained sufficient background information to present the results of a web site, where the visitor can navigate in both 2D and 3D in a specific area of Kalmar. User tests and surveys have been conducted in two rounds and the web site has been revised after their results..

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att få fördjupad insikt i och att beskriva hur sjuksköterskor påverkas av, och förbereder sig inför, ett abstrakt hot såsom en förutspådd epidemi. Studien är empirisk med en enkätundersökning av kvalitativ karaktär. Inspiration till tolkning av data är hämtad från fenomenografin och resultatet belyses genom anknytning till KASAM. Studiens deltagare var 39 sjuksköterskor verksamma på en Akutklinik och en Infektionsklinik. Resultatet visade att sjuksköterskorna påverkas av hot om epidemier bland annat genom en rädsla att själva smittas.

The main purpose of this master thesis is to identify guidelines for a sustainable production that can provide useful information concerning the establishment of a biodiesel production. These guidelines concern the surrounding production environment, such as infrastructures and industries.The thesis is based on theoretical grounds surrounding industrial symbiosis, biodiesel production and how sustainable development should be designed. A study of an already established producer in a similar business area has been used to provide a picture of similar projects. The thesis has with the supervisor's consent focused on the production conditions that are affected by location.The production conditions selected are heating, raw material market, residual and sustainable profile. These are then evaluated through an Excel-based sensitivity analysis.