Swedish dairy production has during the last decades undergone considerable structural rationalisation and the number of dairy herds has decreased to less than 7000. At the same time the average herd size has increased and a large proportion of those investing in new buildings today choose automatic milking (AM). During 2008 more than ten percent of the Swedish cows will be milked with AM. The development has been faster than expected and the need for consulting has increased rapidly. This study aims to evaluate whether a check list originating from the FRISKKO (?healthy cow?) programme can be a useful tool when assessing how well the herd functions in various areas.

Previous research has discussed how voluntary disclosure relates to the cost of equity capital. Theories of estimation risk support a negative association between disclosure and cost of equity capital, as empirically documented by Botosan (1997) among others. In this Bachelor thesis we investigate whether such a relationship exists on the Swedish capital market. Using the CAPM to estimate the cost of equity capital and a disclosure index based on Aktiespararen?s annual evaluation of corporate disclosure, we test a model where disclosure explains cost of equity capital.

The effects of Reindeer mechanical damages on the planted regeneration of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus contorta. Semi-domesticated reindeer can damage young trees. In late winter reindeer rub their antlers against young trees. The aim of this study was to quantify those damages. This study covered planted objects from three different areas in northeastern Sweden.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att utvärdera två landskapsindex: ett formindex som beräknar formen för varje markanvändningsyta ( eng. "patch"); ett diversitetsindex, som beskriver de olika markanvändningarnas relativa utbredning. Formindexet beräknas på två olika sätt, beroende på om dess storleksberoende inkluderas eller ej. Utvärderingen körs för ett landskap på cirka 50 km2, men även för tre mindre områden i landskapet: åkerbygd, mellanbygd samt skogs-bygd. Samtliga områden jämförs sedan i två olika skalor, flygbild respektive satellitbild..

This paper examines the amount of influence that upper secondary school pupils of the Swedish voluntary school system. The curriculum clearly states that democratic values are to be instilled with the pupils at an early age, and that the pupils are to have a degree of democratic influence over their tutelage. This paper is based upon a survey, which involves one hundred and fourteen pupils at the Malmö Latin gymnasium. The hypothesis argues that upper secondary school pupils in Sweden have very little knowledge in this area and it contradicts much of the previous research done in this field. The pupils´ ages vary from fifteen to eighteen years of age.The survey shows that the pupils of this school have little or no knowledge of their democratic rights within the school boundaries.

The main point in this diploma work lies to a beginning on analysis of the existingmodel of WoodEye scanner. The analysis aims to forming a view and understanding ofhow the scanner is designed and how it functions, and certain conditions around thescanner. On the basis of the result from the analysis and obvious criteria, has a numberconcept proposals been put forward. The concept proposals has then been evaluated andbeen compared with current concept, obvious criteria and compared to each other. Thebest proposal has then been developed far to a completed concept..

Hearing is considered to be the most important sense for the communication between people. Several studies have shown that hearing loss can lead to deterioration in quality of life, reduced social activities, feelings of alienation and hence the increasing incidence of depression symptoms.An early audiological rehabilitation is a prerequisite for proper communication among people with hearing loss. Knowledge has been shown to be of great importance and structured learning and individually targeted approach can be expected to facilitate the audiological rehabilitation.The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an educational effort for people with hearing loss where the effort was made in the distance within the audiological rehabilitation and was followed-up by professional phone support, through a randomized controlled study.The study group consisted of 69 hearing aid users who were randomized by an independent person into two groups, an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group (n = 33) had access to the book "When the sounds are weaker - on hearing and hearing aids". The group received weekly topic-based information related to the different chapters of the book, in five rounds.

The following essay is a descriptive and analyzing study in how the local Tanzanian NGO MVIWANYA works to disseminate sustainable agricultural technologies to the farmer households in Rorya District, Mara. It also presents and analyzes the reception and impacts these new technologies have on the households. Information was gathered during two weeks of field work at the organization in Tanzania. It was conducted empirically through interviews with and observations of small-scale farmer members of MVIWANYA and the staff of the organization. The gathered material is analyzed and presented with the help of a theoretical model designed by Birner et al.

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to study, describe andimprove the understanding of voluntary driven libraries. How doesthe library staff view their role? How is the library operationworking in respect of economy, organization structure and systemsof rules? Research methods I used were semistructured interviewsand document research.The theoretical framework was based on Joacim Hansson´sdiscussion about libraries in a local community, Henning Bang´sdiscussion about organization culture and the Swedishgovernment´s non- profit advisory group`s discussion aboutvoluntary work.The results of this study shows that the library staff are enthusiastsmotivated by a wish to spread literature to people who find itdifficult to visit municipal libraries. Other motives for theirvoluntary work is the opportunity for being a part of a socialcommunity, to be surrounded by books and to activate body andsenses. The results of this study also shows that the voluntarylibrary system differ from the traditional, municipal library systemconcerning economy, organization structure and set of rules..

Syftet med den här studien är att utreda hur redovisningsmarknaden skulle kunna påverkas av högre gränsvärden för frivillig revision samt vilka effekter det skulle medföra. För att undersöka detta har vi valt att utforma en kvalitativ intervjustudie där respondenterna har bestått av auktoriserade revisorer, auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter samt tjänstemän inom Upplysningscentralen, Bolagsverket samt Skatteverket.Studien har inspirerats av de gränsvärden som presenterades i det nya EU-direktivet som kom år 2013. Vi har diskuterat en eventuell höjning av gränsvärdena med respondenterna för att se hur detta skulle kunna påverka den svenska redovisningen.Studien har inspirerats av grounded theory som innebär att jämförelser sker löpande under undersökningens gång och studien har analyserats utifrån ett principal- och agent förhållande. I studien har vi kommit fram till att för kort tid har gått för att det ska synas några tydliga resultat men samtliga respondenter är över lag positiva mot högre gränsvärden och de tror att gränsvärdena kommer att höjas på sikt..

The aim with this study was to give and receive an insight of children?s participation during one day in a preschool. Answers we were interested in finding out were how pedagogues act in relation to children´s influence, participation and interests and how this shows in the pedagogical context. Our own interest of children´s participation was influenced by the new revised curriculum that took place in 2010. Nowadays the pedagogues? have to be more active and reflect and document children´s influence and participation, and therefore we wanted to use this opportunity to create a picture of how pedagogues deal with these new guidelines.We have with an ethnographic inspired approach performed a qualitative study with data collected during one day with focus on children´s influence, participation and interest in one preschool section.According to the result children?s participation and influence this day were controlled by the pedagogue.

The purpose of this research was to examine the current field of management in non-profit organizations, mainly focusing on managerial approaches, but also the impact of organizational size on the shaping of governance. Non-profits are widely discussed in contemporary research, particularly due to the increasing external pressure on voluntary organization to professionalize the way they work in line with standards in the private sector. Due to this our thesis aims to investigate whether professional, bureaucratic approaches are useful when governing a non-profit organization, or if social structures are enough to ensure goal congruence and efficiency. To conduct this research qualitative interviews were carried out and a case- study was made, using the Swedish Karate Federation as object of study. Results show that formal and more professional structures are useable to achieve efficiency and prevent inertia within the organization.

The object of the thesis is to propose a new design for the neighbourhood of Veiberg that is situated in the small Norwegian town Jessheim. My approach was to first make an analysis of the whole community and the structure of the town, and then gradually focus on the actual neighbourhood to continue the research there. On the basis of my research the block will be redesigned. The research will lead to a well-planned design of the neighbourhood, which will adapt it to its surroundings in a sustainable and constructive way. The project will lead you through the history of the town and the intentions and aims of the municipality. The project also examines the structure of the town and the function of the neighbourhood in the town today as well as investigation of the history, the structure and the qualities in the area.

The digital map product kNN-Sweden contains nationwide data of the country?s forest land. The estimated forest variables are mean age, mean tree height, volume per tree species and total volume. Today Södra Skog?s assessments of timber potentials are mainly based on experience rate and subjective assumptions.

Studien bestod av två delstudier. Syftet med delstudie 1var att undersöka kriterievaliditeten hos tre frågor rörandearbetsplatskommunikation (kommunikationsfrågorna) och syftet meddelstudie 2 var att testa dess samband med utmattningssyndrom.Delstudierna baserades på enkätmetodik, där respondenterna för delstudie1 (n=83) var anställda inom primärvård och försäkringskassa ochrespondenterna för delstudie 2 (n=2223) var sjukvårdsanställda.Resultaten för delstudie 1 visade starka positiva samband mellan två avkommunikationsfrågorna och de testade kriterievariablerna från TeamClimate Inventory (TCI), vilket implicerar att dessa kan användas somsurrogatmetoder för TCI. Resultaten från delstudie 2 visade delstvärssnitts- och longitudinella samband mellan kommunikationsfrågornaoch utmattningssyndrom, dels att kommunikationsfrågorna prediceradeframtida utmattningssyndrom. Resultaten implicerar att välfungerandearbetsplatskommunikation motverkar utveckling av utmattningssyndrom..