Outsourcing has grown more so than any other sector of IT services. According to a research by the analytic company Gartner soon four of ten jobs in the IT sector will be outsourced. For a nation like Sweden that means about 40,000 jobs going abroad. Business managers look to outsourcing as a means of reducing their operating cost and their need for capital spending. Companies turn to outsourcing to save money and seek expertise outside.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the theoretical developments on social entrepreneurship. Our purpose is to create a better understanding of the phenomenon leading to new insights. We have categorized the knowledge of the concept into social economy, social ownership, social innovation and social missions. Drawing from our theoretical review we have chosen four empirical illustrations, Grameen Bank, Wikipedia, Basta Arbetskooperativ, Jörn Hälsogemenskap, and we have shown how these fit into the general description of the social entrepreneur. With help of our illustrations we show that it is complicated to pin point the core of social entrepreneurship as they each have separate structures, innovations, social missions and operate close to different sectors.

With a larger awareness of the climate changes and increasing electricity prices, energy efficiency measures in the industry have become more common. By rationalize the activity and by the same time decrease the emission of greenhouse gases the company can both save money and reduce negative environmental impact. For the Swedish industries the electricity price have traditional been relative low, which has resulted in a considerable larger usage than other European countries. By a deregulation of the European electricity market the electricity price will level off between the countries, which will cause a higher electricity price in Sweden than we are use to. To prevent that the Swedish industry don?t lose competitiveness against the other European countries, it will require energy efficiency activities in all different forms.ABB Sweden has decided to decrease their total energy usage with five percent in two years.

Purpose: To examine the governance mechanisms and the competence PE-firms adds to theirholding companies through an active ownership in order to create growth.Methodology: A qualitative study with interviews as its main source of data.Theoretical perspectives: Corporate governance and relevant theories within that subjectsuch as agent theory, board of directors and management. Previous research within the subjectwill also be presented.Empirical foundation: The empirical foundation consists of three conducted interviews anddata collected from the chosen PE-firms as well as six different holding companies.Conclusions: The governance mechanisms used in the PE-firms we have chosen are stronglyrelated to both theories within corporate governance as well as previous research on thesubject. The governance mechanisms being used are an explicit owners agenda and strategy, athorough acquisition process, usage of external competence, active ownership through theboard of directors and the insertion of incentive systems..

This final thesis consists of an investigation of how suitable it is to vertically integrate forest in Swedish forest companies. Different strategies to obtain raw materials have been evaluated and the advantages and disadvantages have been weighted against each other. The investigations contain a number of interviews with represents from companies with different strategies and persons that in different ways have faced the question of issue. An account study of SCA´s forest ownership has also been performed. The benefits for a forest company to vertical integrate forest consist mainly of safety in delivery, control over the supply chain and company image.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine and analyse which effects a service strategy has on the control system of an organisation. The thesis takes a service perspective, and it is assumed that a service strategy gains competitive advantage and that the goal of the service strategy is to increase the customers? satisfaction level. A qualitative in-depth case study was performed on a Swedish beauty company. The organisation?s vertical structure was examined, from central to local level.

The door and its surrounding, is an important part of all buildings. It often amount to a significant part of buildings total costs. The more demands of functions the largerdoes the costs grow.The purpose of this report is to analyze those demands and how to fulfill them.Another purpose is to examine of which reasons the cost grow and how to avoid it inthe best possible way. The study will be performed in collaboration with Bjerking AB. To define the demands a literature study will also be performed.

Den svenska rennäringens primära inkomstkälla är försäljning av renkött. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka ett antal faktorers inverkan på utbudet av renkött. Metoden ordinary least square har använts för att göra en ekonometrisk studie baserad på statistik för åren 1980-2003. De faktorer som testats är total ersättning, vilken inkluderar avräkningspris samt kvantitetsbaserad subvention, och renstammens storlek. Resultaten i vår undersökning visar att total ersättning inte är signifikant på någon testad nivå, däremot fann vi att renstammens storlek hade positiv korrelation med utbudet på renkött.

Most of today?s concrete structures that are built on site are mainly constructed in a traditional fashion with a lot of artisanal operations. One step towards industrializing the in-situ construction of concrete is to use prefabricated reinforcement. Through this method there can be a lot of savings when each bar doesn?t have to be placed and fixed separately on site.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on a simulated wastewater plant regarding GHG emissions and use of energy and resources when implementing source separated wastewater systems. The effects were studied for different restrictions of effluent quality and for different temperatures on the influent. The simulation model BSM2G calibrated for Käppala wastewater treatment plant was used. The task was executed by simulating nine different scenarios with an increase in influent load from new connections equivalent to 3, 10 and 30 % of the present connections. These new connections were served by conventional, urine separated or black water separated systems.

Title: Creating high awareness ? A study in how a company can create awareness with cost efficient marketing methods. (Skapande av hög medvetenhet ? En studie i hur ett företag kan skapa medvetenhet med kostnadseffektiva marknadsförings metoder).Authors: Alexander Edlund and Fredrik HanssonAim: Our aim is to reveal the pros and cons of cost efficient marketing and decide which cost efficient method works best in creating awareness. We also want to determine if the methods can be integrated in a successful way to achieve greater awareness.Method/Material: We have made a qualitative approach by conducting three in depth interviews with the company Bluetooth SIG?s marketing director Anders Edlund.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, OTEC, is a sustainable energy conversion technology that is not yet commercialized. OTEC is a technology that utilizes the temperature difference in oceans between the warm surface water and the cold water at 1 000 m depth to run a Rankine Cycle. This technology can produce electricity and provide synergies like fresh water, air conditioning and aquaculture. A simulation program for three alternative OTEC systems has been created in order to decide which OTEC system is most profitable; closed, open or hybrid system. In this simulation a production cost analysis is performed in order to investigate and decide which one of the three systems that has the lowest production cost. The production cost analysis also analyzes if the profitability is affected by the size of the facility. After these analyzes, the most profitable of the three different OTEC-systems is expanded by an installation of solar collectors in order to see if the thermal efficiency is improved. The result shows that the most profitable system varies with the size of the facility.

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.

The objective of this study was to make an inventory and a potential analysis of the organic beef production in the region of Gävleborg, Sweden. A survey was conducted, where a questionaire was sent to all farmers in the region who had environmental subsidies concerning organic cropping systems in 2001. In total, there were 701 farmers, of which 46 % participated in the study. Three slaughter houses were interviewed to get their pictures of the development of organic beef production. The study shows that there are potentials and interests in the region to increase the production of organic beef.

This master thesis was performed as a mission from Holmen Skog with the purpose to investigate to which extent their own machine teams and engaged contractors were exposed to theft and vandalism, and most common preventive measures used. With the help of collected data the study should lead to proposals of preventive measures that can help the machine teams in their struggle to minimise theft and vandalism. Theft and vandalism are a big problem for Swedish forest contractors. In a scarce economic situation thefts and vandalism rapidly decrease the profit for the contractors. However, the last years have resulted in a positive awareness of thefts, and more and better preventive measures have been developed. With the initiative of this master thesis, Holmen Skog show that they are aware of the situation and that they wish to take control of the problem. A total amount of 108 questionnaires was sent out to Holmen?s own machine teams and engaged contractors.