The purpose of this thesis is to test whether firms have target capital structure, and if so with what speed they adjust toward this target. Findings that support this purpose are also in line with the trade off theory. One of the key elements of this thesis is the method used, which successfully enables fulfilling the purpose. The panel data method captures the data characteristics of the cross sectional and time series dimension. By using this approach the dynamic effects of capital structure can be studied, thus if there actually is an adjustment towards a target the speed can be estimated.

What happens when one moves about in the city? In this essay I will explore how we through our movements create our own temporal cities. I base my investigation on Michel de Certeau's theories from his book The Practice of Everyday Life vol 1. De Certeau believes that by just walking in the city ? a mostly unconscious and for many trivial activity ? you write it, creating different types of spaces that can be understood using linguistic terms.In my essay, I develop de Certeau's theories about ordinary activities by applying them to two less ordinary ? and between themselves quite different ? spatial practices:  fare evasion on public transportation (plankning) and the urban activity of parkour.

Det här är en kvantitativ studie av hur kreditpreferenser hos mikrobolag med en årsomsättning om mindre än 10 miljoner SEK beror av branschtillhörighet och företagsstorlek. Mikrobolag är små bolag med mindre än 10 personer anställda och en årsomsättning på mindre än 2 miljoner euro. Det teoretiska ramverket utgår från asymmetrisk informationsteori och mer specifikt från pecking order theory, POT samt trade off-teorin. Kreditpreferenserna mäts genom två olika parametrar, dels genom mikrobolagens avsättning till periodiseringsfonder vilket kan ses som ett mellanting mellan extern och intern finansiering, dels genom förekomsten av externa lån från kreditinstitut. Branscherna som undersöks är tillverkning samt tjänster vilka anses skilja sig åt vad gäller kreditpreferenser.

Background/aim: The purpose of this sociological study "Genus in the Child's Best Interest" was to, from the Administrative Court's decree about the child's own behavior, further clarify the concept of the child's best interest by studying how the concept is expressed in decrees with focus on genus.Theory: Three genus theories, to compare girls and boys, Mary John's power theory, the grown ups definition of what the reality is and what it should contain, and a labeling theory, where the people with power are the ones to define what's normal and what's not, have been used to analyze the result in this study.Method: A content analyses was used to analyze the decrees, with the focus on girls and boys between the ages of 12 to 19, where they have been forced into treatment by the law.Result: The concept of a child's best interest does make a difference between girls and boys in the decrees, and the girls have more power because they have more room to express themselves and are less responsible for their thoughts and actions. The concept is possible to use, but the definition is subjective and could be colored by the societies values and norms..

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the consultants' approach to the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in temporary work agencies. We examined the motivation of three temporary work agencies to see if there are any differences in how they motivate their consultants. The intrinsic motivation comes from the own spontaneous interest while the extrinsic is related to the surrounding circumstances.We created a survey with 42 questions for the consultants, concerning motivation in order to understand their attitudes to the phenomenon of motivation.The following issues are addressed in our study:- What are consultant?s experiences of motivation in the temporary work agencies and are there any background factors that may impact?- Are there any differences in how consultants in the three different temporary work agencies are experiencing motivation?As analytical tools, we used concepts and theories of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation based on Self-Determination theory.The results of this study showed no distinct differences between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of all consultants, but in general the intrinsic motivation was experienced slightly higher rated. The consultants appeared to be aware of what was expected of them and communication was valued fairly well.

This essay examines the differences and similarities, weaknesses and strengths of the two Cognitive Semantic theories Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Principled Polysemy Approach to Meaning Analysis. To illustrate the two theories, the Swedish verb-particle construction "gå upp" is examined and analyzed accordingly. The results showed differences in the number of polysemous meaning found. The methodological evaluation showed that the differences in the underlying ideas concerning meaning-construction behind these two theories make them incompatible..

Svenska institutet är en statlig myndighet vars uppdrag är att sprida en positiv och aktuell bild av Sverige. Detta har enligt dem själva blivit allt viktigare i och med globaliseringen. Då världen allt mer homogeniseras blir det viktigare för en nation att vara konkurrenskraftig och visa sin särart för att locka hit handelspartners, investerare, studenter, turister samt arbetskraft.Den här uppsatsen diskuterar Svenska institutets arbete med bilden av Sverige och de tankar och strategier som ligger bakom det informationsmaterial de producerar. Med hjälp av bildanalys undersöks filmen Open Skies Open Minds och broschyren Sweden & Swedes som båda ska illustrera det samtida Sverige. Vi har även analyserat intervjuer med projektledaren för filmen Cecilia Sundstrand, producenten för både filmen och broschyren Claes Britton samt Svenska institutets generaldirektör Olle Wästberg.

Several previous studies have in different ways tried to explain how new social movements are affected by the different sets of political and social contexts within different states and societies. This essay asks the question how much the institutional aspects within the theory of Political Opportunity Structures (POS) have determined how the rather successful animal rights movements in the Netherlands and Great Britain have mobilized and acted to gain progress. Since the Netherlands and Great Britain contains different kinds of political and institutional contexts, these two states are found to be suitable for a comparative analysis of the theory's durability. A qualitative portrayal of both state's institutional political opportunity structures are presented. Then the mobilization, progress, and actions of the political party ?Party for the Animals? in the Netherlands, and a wide group of animal rights organisations in Great Britain are determined.

Purpose: The purpose is to examine more closely why the achievement of the environmental goals is so low. To within the thesis work to make this as interesting and with as good quality as possible, especially the environmental quality goal Reduced climate impact, but also Natural acidification and Protective ozone layer, has been chosen to be studied further. Method: A qualitative method and text analysis has been applied. Intervention theory, as Vedung 2009 describes, is used as an intellectual backbone and as a help to structure the essay. The three environmental quality goals correspond cases, or units of analysis. Analysis: The fulfillment of the respective environmental quality goals is analyzed according to its goal, policy instruments, implementation and its effects. To this some of the problems are analyzed that exist on the path to achieve the goals.

The aim with this study is to see how social workers apprehend the law, support and service for persons with certain functional impairments (LSS) and the application. We interviewed six social workers in six different municipalities to get a distribution between small and big municipalities. In the study we have used a qualitative method with half structured interview questions, since we wanted to get a comprehension for the social workers apprehensions. We have used a communication theory and a role theory in the study. The result showed that the social workers consider that the LSS is important, but that there are a few difficulties in the application.

This essay covers computer gaming as seen from a perspective of gender theory. The main purpose of the essay is to examine women?s relationship to computer games, and more specifically women?s attitudes to the games they play. The theoretical basis for this essay is sprung from a hermeneutic perspective. The empirical basis for analysis consists of two in depth interviews and game analysis of the two computer games Counter Strike and Final Fantasy XI.

In this thesis I have used post-colonial theory to analyze the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group located in Xinjiang province in the Northwest of China, and their identity shaping process in relation to the dominating Han Chinese. I have analyzed the possibilities to use the power perspectives in post-colonial theory, especially Edward Said's Orientalism and the creation of the Other in a new context, where the main focus is on the Uyghurs through the eyes of Han Chinese. I have argued that Han Chinese, with colonial tendencies, have created two generalizing pictures of the Uyghurs; one romantic picture to use as an exotic tourist attraction and one threatening picture that portray Uyghurs as Islamic terrorists to win support in international politics. The thesis is a qualitative single case study with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding for the Uyghurs as well as examine possibilities of widening the analyze areas for post-colonialism. My conclusion is that the power perspectives in post-colonial theory are usable implements also for non-western contexts and in this case function as a way to understand the identity shaping process for the Uyghurs and their relation to Han Chinese..

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the social services and the police co-operate with each other when they come into contact with an individual within their realms of influence. It has been shown in a report by Fridolf (2008) that co-operation is not the aim itself but used as a mean to reach for better processes and better results. We have used qualitative interviews in the study, where three social workers and three policemen have participated from the same municipality to answer our questions. To analyze our result we have used system theory and organization theory. The result of our study shows that within this specific municipality the two agencies co-operate very well.

Sexual violence in armed conflict is not a new phenomenon. Although it has a long history, it's only in recent years from 1990 that is has been given more attention in science and media. I will in my thesis look at the conflicts of former Yugoslavia and Congo (DRC) and I will use two theories to investigate how the use of conflict-related sexual violence best can be explained. The two theoretical frameworks I have chosen are Feminist theory and Rational Choice theory. The conflicts will be at the center of analysis.

The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers practice Arne Tragetons theory of using computers as the first writing instrument in reading and writing development. We wanted to clarify how the work from using Tragetons theory was applied while investigating if and how other methods of reading and writing instruction were used. Our interest lays in how the teachers accomplished the knowledge of this theory and also how the choice of this approach came about. To investigate this we used interviews with a qualitative nature, where seven active teachers were interviewed. They worked in three different schools in years one to three, they were all women and had various long experiences of work on the computer writing tools.