Virtual Communities is an increasingly common phenomenon on the Internet. Most of the Virtual Communities are operated and maintained on a non-profit basis with a direction towards entertainment. However, as more state administrated and commercial services become web-based, we believe that the number of Virtual Communities with a community-based or commercial direction will increase in a near future. In this thesis, we describe our participation in, and studies of, a number of Virtual Communities with focus on the IRC-channel ?3dfxsweden?.

Purpose/Aim : The aim of this study is to investigate and describe "kontaktmannaskapet" in the Swedish correctional system. I also aim to investigate if there are any differences between how the different actors involved in the correctional system look at this phenomena and how different sociological theories can be applied on "kontaktmannaskapet" in order to make it more comprehensible for the actors involved.Material/Method : This investigation is based on a larger qualitative inquiry consisting of several personal interviews. Further material has been used, such as literature and reports about "kontaktmannaskapet" inside and outside the correctional system.Main results : The overall opinion about the "kontaktmannaskapet" is positive. "Kontaktmannaskapet" as a working method of the correctional officer has a potential to become a useful instrument in rebuilding the lost identy of the inmate as well as reducing the stereotypes often associated with the relationship between inmates and prison personnel..

Our purpose with this essay is to examine how staff that works with drugaddicts in compulsory-treatment institutions for women and men uses gender in their work. We are trying to get knowledge and understand how the staff is using their own and the client's gender in the work that they are doing. We have chosen to take focus within women's care in institutions and compare if the work is done in the same way with male clients.Our essay is based on interviews with treatment-staff. We have used a qualitative method. The interviews are made with both men and women.

The aim with this Masters thesis is to examine the professional knowledge of the librarian. The method used is text analysis of a state public investigation, SOU 1969:37, that concerns librarian education. The theoretical starting point is a theory of knowledge thats descended from Aristotle. Three different forms of knowledge are central concepts in the theory: the theoretical, the practical and the ethical. The main issue in this thesis is: In what ways did the investigators look at the librarians knowledge? Was it in a changeable period of time? In that case, what reasons could there be? The conclusion shows that educational political changes were affecting the whole educational sphere at the late 1960:s, and in the beginning of the 1970:s, including library education.

This essay will examine the social organization in the archipelago of Tonga. To accomplish this purpose, archaic societies and structures such as ancient Egypt and Hawaii will be examined to obtain a closer understanding of the building blocks which constitute a chiefdom or kingdom. Since Patrick V. Kirch (2010) recently redefined the Hawaiian archipelago as a kingdom this essay will examine if the same can be done with the chiefdom of Tonga since it have similarities to the Hawaiian social organization.To do this the essay will examine and describe both the geographical organization of the states and the social organization. Social organization in this essay will be defined as an archaic state organization that requires several levels of administration to rule the society..

The purpose of this essay was to look into whether any attention is paid to the biological children in foster families when the investigation about foster home is made. I did some qualitative interviews with six foster home-investigators, working in five different municipalities. Some of the main questions have been: Do the investigator meet the biological children during an investigation? Are the children´s opinions taken into consideration? Is the suitability of a foster home judged even from the biological children´s perspective?It was shown that it could happen that a foster home was not approved, if it for some reasons should be a negative experience for the biological children, if a foster child would be placed in their home. All the six persons in my interviews thought that it is important to take the biological children´s opinions into consideration, and that the family is not suitable to be a foster home if not all of the family members have a positive attitude.

The concept of sustainable development has been pervasive in recent years and many organizations choose to implement sustainability and adapt their activities accordingly. The purpose of this study have been to explore how a collaboration on the use of waste materials may look to analyze what influences cooperation. A case study has been carried out examining a Swedish state regional project aimed at creating partnerships between actors and utilizing textile waste with the help of design. The study was conducted using qualitative methods and the collection of data has been done through interviews and by examining documents. The results show that there are seven key factors that affect cooperation: expectations, commitment, internal communication, a strong non-profit actor, individual treatment, personal networks and the diversity of actors.

This is a sociological jurisprudence study which focuses on "child perspective" in Law of Support and Service with Certain Functional Impairments, LSS. The purpose of the study was to clarify the meaning of child perspective in LSS and analyze it in relation to practice. The study was conducted with mixed strategies combining qualitative and jurisprudential methods. Both LSS and Law of Social Welfare, SoL, were studied. Social workers from dirrerent muncipalities in Sweden were interwiewed.

The aim of this thesis is to get an idea of how service companies set their prices. The method used was a case study approach, which was conducted at three real estate companies. The study showed that when setting their prices, the main aspect is their own costs. However, we have found that several other aspects play a big role when setting prices on services in real estate business such as individual customer behaviour and market competition. We have also found that the real estate companies charge very similar prices.

The process of European Integration and creation of the single market revealed many questions and boundaries on the development and improvement of the European Social Policy. Pension?s sustainability has become the priority issue especially during the EU enlargement processes. Different policy instruments and institutions available to governments of Member States in realization of social objectives resulted in a growing diversity of pension polices which produced different combinations of public and private provisions - ?private-public hybrids? , with the state exercising different degrees of influence in their development.

In Sweden we have a regulated gambling market which means that there are three gambling companies who are operating under the supervision of the Swedish state. These companies have exclusive rights to the Swedish market, divided between them. AB Svenska Spel is one of them and they control all gambling concerning sporting events and the four casinos in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Sundsvall. However, since a few years back several Internet-based companies have entered the Swedish market and the competition has become even fiercer in the last years. Due to numerous marketing restrictions the Internet companies have been forced to find new ways to strengthen their brand.

Many homeless and private owned cats are relinquished to cat shelters. Shelters are often a very stressful place for cats and their welfare may be endangered. Today it is common that cats are housed in groups at cat shelters and there are some perceived problems in housing cats in groups. The social structure of the cat is very complex and although cats are basically solitary they can be kept in groups under the right conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate how cats in groups interact with each other at a cat shelter.

Piglet survival is of importance because it affects the farmer?s economy and the welfare of the pigs. There are several factors affecting piglet survival and they are often linked to each other. This paper will focus on how the behaviour of the sow can affect the growth and survival of the piglets and also possible causations of differences in maternal behaviour. Sows in intensive production systems have different possibilities to express their maternal behaviour than free ranging sows.

In using a qualitative method have I interviewed six women and six men taking care of their wives respectively husbands suffering from physical disease, disfunction or demental disease. The purpose was to find out whether male and female caretakers were differently influenced in their situation, relationship and in their partners, when they became caretakers of their spouse, depending on what the partner suffered from.The results showed that, when a husband or wife was hit by disease or disfunction, the caretaker was influenced both in the partners situation, the relationship and the role towards the partner. The couple still lived in a close relationship and could communicate. For the carers spouse suffered from a demental disease, there was no communication as before or possibility to remember. The carers also felt the loss of community, nearness and sympathy.

AbstractBruzelius, E. (2010). Adolescents and sexuality ? Attitudes among employees at Juvenile receptions in Gävleborgs län. Högskolan i Gävle, Akademin för hälsa och arbetsliv.The aim of the current study was to examine and describe what perceptions and values of em-ployees at Juvenile receptions in the county of Gävleborg have about adolescents? sexual and general health.