In game development, performance is everything and the Playstation 3 provides a unique platform for utilizing parallelization of code to achieve extremely high performance. In this master?s thesis the issue of animation with smooth skinning is migrated from being a GPU process to becoming a parallelized and 358% faster process. This method is incorporated in an existing commercial game engine and integrated in a currently in development title for the Playstation 3. An in-depth study covers parallel processors, the CELL processor, used in the Playstation 3, and how contemporary industry leading game developers are utilizing the same unique architecture to increase their own games? performance..

De etiska frågorna får en alltmer central roll då den uppmärksamhet som idag finns kring arbetsförhållanden har lett till att allt fler företag vill arbeta med deras sociala ansvar. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) är ett begrepp som ofta översätts till företagens sociala ansvar. Konsumenterna ställer även krav på företagen vilket påverkar företagens kontroller och val av leverantörer och produkter. För att veta vart ett företag är på väg, är en god förståelse för sitt företagsmål viktigt för att kunna uppnå det som förväntas av företaget. För att uppnå sina företagsmål används ofta olika mätningar och nyckeltal.

This study was based on measurements of growth and shape of 50 clones of wild cherry, Prunus avium L, in south Sweden and aimed at finding out wether or not any of these clones are useful for commercial propagation. Initially, a short assembly of documented knowledge concerning wild cherry as a timber producing tree species was put together. The study of the 50 clones includes information gathered during the fall of 2006 from four trials located in the counties of Blekinge, Småland and Västergöland. The oldest trial, founded in Tranemåla, Blekinge, in 1992, was focused on offspring and aimed at discerning differences between provenances and at developing an adapted plant material. The other experiments were both clone trials and founded in 2002. These are based on 50 individuals selected from the offspring trial in Tranemåla.

AbstractBetween 1989-1996 and 2000-2003 a civil war took place in Liberia. During the war many, many people were killed or were forced to flee. Another of the war's characteristics was the high number of women being sexually abused and beaten by the soldiers. The aim of this thesis is to analyze to what degree the peacekeeping personnel in Liberia, foremost staff working for the UN and agencies related to the UN, have implemented Resolution 1325 in their work. Resolution 1325 was adopted by the members of the United Nations Security Council in year 2000 and aims to increase the efforts made to secure women's rights and security in parts of the world where war and crisis prevail.

Previous research indicates that the academic journal in many cases is the most valuable and important source of information in scientific work. The aim of this study is to investigate students usage of academic journals in comparison to their usage of other document types, as illustrated by the citations given in LIS students master theses 1999-2001. By comparing the students use of LIS journals with the use of LIS journals by international scholars we also wish to examine whether students and scholars use the same journals in their work. The international scholars are represented by references given in LIS journals 1999-2001, recorded by the citation index Journal Citation Reports. Questions: 1.

This paper is concerned with surveying the possibilities of implementing a futures market based on the valuation of non-commercial real estate in Sweden. We base our survey on a theoretical speculation of how such a market would operate and what instrument would best suit the marketplace. After reaching our solution we survey key experts to receive their feedback on our suggested solution. Their feedback includes, who are potential operators on this market and their motives, possible effects of such a market on the real estate market and other aspects of society..

Detta examensarbete behandlar utvecklingen av en kaffekvarn för HoReCa-sektorn, (Hotell, Restaurang, Catering). Kaffekvarnen är anpassad för bryggkaffe och arbetet har utförts i samarbete med företaget Crem International som hade önskemål om ny exklusiv kaffekvarn.I förstudien utfördes en marknadsanalys där målet var att få synpunkter från slutanvändaren angående den kaffekvarn de använder. De kommentarer som uppstod låg till grund för en kravspecifikation som sedan kompletterades med de krav Crem International satt upp. Kravspecifikationen följdes av en konceptgenerering där formspråk, detaljer och funktioner utvecklades. De koncept som genererades utvärderades tillsammans med företaget för att efter omarbetning resultera i ett nytt koncept.

A description and analysis of the sales process of ERP systems is presented; also the consequences for the parties involved are discussed. The chosen methodological basis is an inductive research design consisting of a case study based on interviews. The analysis of the empirical data is done with a proposed analytical framework. Based on the agency theory, the analysis is tightly knitted together with opportunism. There are three controlling factors: relationships (relationship marketing), contracts (principal-agent theory), and competition.

The amount of mergers and acquisitions between international and Swedish actors increased due to the Swedish entry in the European Union. In many cases, conflicts between manage-ment and employees made visible the cultural differences between nations and organisations. As a result of these conflicts many companies experience difficulties in operating on the Swedish market and in some cases they have even been forced to leave it.The starting point of this study is analysing how the management at a foreign company in Sweden, that has undergone a merger, has been affected in the meeting with the Swedish business culture. The analyse has got three different perspectives as a base; management, market knowledge and culture.This study is accomplished on the basis of a deductive approach. It is a case study where the empirical foundation derives from five interviews.

Moldova is one of Europe?s poorest countries with a struggling business environment and an unpredictable political situation. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the implications of corruptions and why networks have come to play a key role in the Moldovan culture and if the formations of network are due to heritage or an effect of functionalism. The focus of the study is also to explain how the networks develop and the formation and maintenance of loyalty and trust among the members of the network. The study is of a qualitative nature that uses a key informant sampling method to get access to members of different business networks.

After the last European Union expansion the east European countries became members of the European Union. This meant that they would become apart of the Schengen agreement and that they would be able to travel, live and work anywhere in Europe. This came as a shock tothe Scandinavian trade unions that were worried that work migration would escalate, and that it would lead to social dumping, which would make the working conditions worse for the native workers. .The Swedish labour market is build up by the principal of negotiations. The evolution of the labour laws comes from the rules and regulations of collective agreements.The Lex Britannia principal was made to regulate the working conditions for guest workers in Sweden, by making it possible for trade unions to take industrial action against foreign companies to make them sign a Swedish collective agreement.Even though Swedish labour law includes an obligation to maintain industrial peace it is not valid for foreign companies.

Bakgrund och problem: Från och med 2005 är det obligatoriskt för alla börsnoterade företag inom EU att tillämpa IFRS, International Financial Reporting Standards, vid upprättandet av koncernredovisningen. En av dessa standarder är IAS 14, segmentrapportering. Den reglerar hur rörelsegrenar, affärsområden och marknadsområden ska redovisas. Nu finns ett utkast till standard från International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) som är tänkt att förändra och förbättra gällande standard avseende segmentrapportering, IAS 14. Syfte: Att undersöka vad revisorer, företag och analytiker tror om den föreslagna förändringen av segmentrapporteringen och vilka konsekvenser det kan medföra.

Podcast is a new audio media in Sweden and has become larger and increasingly more popular in the past few years. In line with this, companies have seen the opportunity to use this type of marketing in the new coveted media and have created a new marketing tool in the form of sponsorship. Previous studies in this field indicate that this is a very effective method to reach a broad audience, but it still is a relatively new area with very little research in existence today. This study is an analysis of how receptive listeners are to marketing through podcasts and the ability companies have to create a sustainable and effective strategy for successful marketing through this type of medium. The collection of data for this study consists of two different qualitative interviews, the first one with listeners that were chosen, and the second with the sponsor company for two of the largest podcasts in Sweden. The essay´s empirical evidence shows how receptive listeners are to marketing via podcasts, what their podcast habits look like, what form of approach in marketing they prefer, and how often they take part in different offers. From the interviews with listeners and sponsoring companies in the study, it is concluded that the best and most effective strategy for marketing through podcasts is to weave advertising in the conversation and therefore increase the credibility and disturb the listener as little as possible.

In this thesis I will discuss how US respectively EU general international security policies are formed with the scientific theories Rational Choice and Cognitive theory in mind. I?ll discuss how come US tends to go towards a more sanction orientated strategy while European Union seems to prefer a dialog and diplomatic problem solving strategy. I?ll exemplify respective security strategy through the qualitative cases study of Iran and analyse why they have taken different cores of action while trying to solve the problem with Iran's alleged nuclear weapon.

Denna uppsats grundar sig i den teoretiska konflikten mellan den i Sverige gällande löftesprincipen och kontraktsprincipen som är den gällande principen i den internationella köplagen, United Nation Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, CISG. Uppsatsen tar avstamp i det faktum att de nordiska länderna har valt att inte ratificera den del i CISG som rör avtalsingående. Vi har utrett vilka praktiska konsekvenser dessa skillnader får och om det finns något behov för Sverige att ansluta sig till den del av CISG som behandlar avtalsingående. Uppsatsen består först av en litteraturbaserad del som redogör för de olika anbudsprinciperna, CISG och avslutningsvis innebörden av letter of intent och standardavtal i korthet. För att undersöka hur detta fungerar i praktiken har vi utöver studier av juridisk doktrin valt att intervjua anställda på Stora Enso.