Value stream mapping is a tool that is frequently used by many different companies. It is a great tool used to achieve the work that follows the theories of lean production. The tool is used, however, only frequent on the factory floor and the method is also designed based on this type of use.An interest of applying the method on administrative parts of the company has occurred lately. Administrative parts of the company refers to the part that does all the planning such as purchasing, receiving orders, customer contact, contact with factory floor and other work that is made around the actual manufacturing. But the knowledge about applying value stream mapping on the planning part of the company is lacking because the method is relatively new.In this work, a comparison is made between the introduction of value stream analysis on production and planning.

Due to a constantly increasing competitive pressure it is of great importance to constantly strive for improvements in order to gain competitive advantages. Lean Production is a concept that has been introduced with the aim to minimize waste and increase profitability. The purpose of this report is therefore to investigate how to perform effective planning according to the principles of Lean Production, in companys with customer exclusive products, through a case study at Sandvik Mining and Construction (SMC), and to investigate how SMC kan improve their planning of drifting rods at the production unit in Sandviken.The study started by creating a theoretical framework, to describe the subject planning and planning based on Lean Production. This frame work constituted the base for the case study which took place at Sandvik Mining and Construction, and also for the model and planning tool that has been introduced.The result of the study is partly a general model with factors that contribute to a more effective planning. These factors has beed identifed as SMED, which focuses on reducing set up times and in the end to facilitate the planning.

This thesis describes redesign and adaption of a products housing. In order to make it more economical to produce at a lower production volume. The thesis is based upon a prototype that a previous student developed for injection moulding. The goal is to find alternative manufacturing methods, but also to identify parameters that affect the cost of the injection moulding tool.The housing must be tough in order to protect the circuit board inside. But at the same time it must allow sound, light an electrical communication to pass through.

The aim of this study was to examine how Tanzanian HIV-positive women experience their socioeconomic situation. Semistructured interviews were carried out and the number of interviewees was 15. Collected data was analysed according to a qualitative content analysis and resulted in an overarching theme; Struggle for survival and tolerable life. Important in the lives of the informants was the access to economic and social resources. The informants described access to economic resources as important because of the possibilty to support oneself and the possibility of a lower level of physical strain.

The aim of this study is to through six interviews, with six experienced, social workers?, in three cities, understand how the child?s position in the Swedish child protective services? enquiries has change, and the factors behind it. The aim is also to compare if the social workers? view of the child?s position in the enquire has change accordingly to Socialstyrelsens intentions of BBIC. The theoretical approaches that was used is the new institutionalism, the Shier?s pathways to participation and the term discretion.

The purpose of the study was to examine if parents' way ofcommunicating with their children changed after participation in ComAlongcommunicationcourse, and if changes remained over time. The studyinvolved 39 parents of 25 children with communicative disabilities. 33 of theparents had participated in ComAlong, the other six had not participated, buthad a partner who had participated in the course. Video recorded parentchildinteraction was analyzed and coded with the instrumentKOMMUNIKATIV. Results showed that parents used a significantly moreresponsive communication style and used significantly more augmentativeand alternative communication after ComAlong.

This master thesis concerns itself with the actual work of knowledge workers, consultants to be specific. We have through interviews and observation tried to get inside of the ?black box? of the consultants firm Consult in an effort to describe their way of working through a theoretical framework. In this framework we attempt to combine knowledge work theory with that of organizational development, OD. We try to introduce the situation of the individuals we study, the consultants, through Alvesson (2004) and Løwendahl (2005).

The goal of this project was to together with Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB develop a new cleaning tool for their Baha?systems. Cochlear BAS AB is a daughter company to Cochlear Limited based in Sydney, Australia. Cochlear BAS AB is situated in Gothenburg and with its 150 employees develop and manufacture the Baha?system.

This thesis considers the use of an oldrock cavern as thermal energy storage.With a large system of differentchillers a model was created to find anappropriate future system. There aremainly two trajectories to take. Eitheran installation of chillers needs to bemade or the rock cavern can be used tomeet the future demand of districtcooling in Solna, Sweden. Additionallythis thesis investigates the possibleuse of different techniques to utilizethe phase change energy of water.Simulation shows that it?s possible toutilize the phase-change energy of afluid; however it?s not economicallyfeasible due to the thermodynamiceffects on the Carnot cycle.

This report is about the impact climate change has on the water and sewage systems in general, and the situation in the municipality of Karlstad in particular. Which vulnerabilities are linked to water and sewage systems with regard to climate change and extreme weather situations, what are the possibilities to adapt the system to this and what significance does climate adaptation of the water and sewage systems have in relation to sustainable development?To answer these questions I have studied literature on the subject and interviewed several people who work with these types of questions. The answers I have received state that there are a multitude of vulnerabilities linked to the water- and sewage systems, but that there are also many strong interests which strive to take measures and adapt to a changed climate. I have also come to the conclusion that the starting points and views of the possibilities to act differs between the people that I have interviewed, but that theses problems are built into the concept of democracy..

This essay is about the history of the Swedish board game-industry from the 1970?s to today. The essay focuses on the companies in the business and how they change during this period and about the causes of this change. This essay aims both at accurately describing the development of the industry as well as asking the question of what influence factors from outside of the industry have upon the change during this period of time. The material used in this essay is mainly extracts from interviews with people who have been working in the industry during the period, as well as literature on the subject and product-catalogues from certain years in the time-frame.From this material I have outlined the basic history of the industry.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the views on how the mediation program Programa Árbol Sicómoro affected inmates?, convicted of murder, own lives. Research questions:? To what extent, and how, has the mediation affected the convicts? views upon themselves and the crime they have been convicted for.? To what extent, and how, has the mediation brought any change to the convicts? imprisonment and if it has changed their look upon the future.The study has been executed using qualitative method. Materials from seven profound interviews have been analysed and condensed using terms from restorative justice and self-image theories.

This essay aims to report on the process of our documentation of art objects in the care of Smålands nation in Uppsala as a part of our education in museology and cultural heritage studies. The nation has a long history and our documentation shows many valuable objects reflecting this. The care of these objects is substandard and in great need of change. Our work process has involved photography and research about each object, the information has then been registered in our catalogue. The documentation has, besides the catalogue, generated a plan for future management and storage of the collection.

North Korea is considered to be the most autocratic dictatorship in the world today. Its citizens are denied their most basic human rights and North Koreas ambition to pursue nuclear weapons is looked upon with great fear from the international community and the US in particular. Some experts say that the threat from North Korea is far greater than the one possessed by Saddam Hussein. Although North Korea seems to inhabit all the necessary criteria for an US military intervention the United States has openly declared its diplomatic ambitions with the state. Why?With the use of realist and social construction theory this study will bring clarity to why the United States prefers diplomacy instead of a military intervention.

Climate change is one of the most difficult problems that humans have to deal with. Today, the evidence of human effects on the climate change and the rise of temperature on earth are strong. It is extremely important that all countries get together and cooperate in order to be able to solve the problem with climate change. One step in the work on climate changes is the Convention on Climate Change, which was agreed on in 1992. The Convention on Climate Change resulted in the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement between a number of industrialized countries to limit or reduce the green gas emissions.