In this thesis we have examined Västra Götalandsregionens ways to Lobby and network in the European Union. Our aim was to examine which kind of methods the region uses to Lobby in a successful way in Brussels. We found that the region uses both formal and informal methods of Lobbying to gain advantages in Brussels. We also wanted to locate various networks which the region is involved in to more easily have their interests satisfied. We found that they had a lot of different alliances and that it is necessary to be involved in different networks to have a chance to Lobby the EU institutions.

Title: Lobbying in the Swedish parliament - a qualitative study about experiences and attitudes of Lobbying among the members of the Swedish parliament, from a communication perspective.Author: Bodil Hassel and Kristofer PerssonTutor: Emma SvenssonPurpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study Lobbying towards members of the Swedish parliament. We aim to study their point of view: what experiences and attitudes they have towards the phenomenon. Key questions to be answered are: What experiences and attitudes do the members of the Swedish parliamentary Committee on Environment and Agriculture have towards Lobbying? What skills does a successful Lobbyist possess, according to the members of the committee? How do the organizations Skogsindustrierna and Naturskyddsfo?reningen Lobby?Method/Material: The material used in this study consists of interviews with nine respondents of the Committee on Environment and Agriculture in the Swedish parliament. Additionally, two informant interviews with the organizations Skogsindustrierna and Naturskyddsfo?reningen were made.

Sweden currently has no legislated regulation of Lobbying, but the professional Lobbyist can voluntarily subscribe to, among others, the professional code of standars created by the trade association of Public Relations, Precis. There is an ongoing discussion in Sweden to regulate Lobbying, both in mass media and in politics. This study examines this debate and focus on which arguments there are for and against Lobbying regulation in Sweden. It also attempts to identify the differences, if there are any, between left and rights parties with regards to their views on regulation of Lobbying.Tha main method used was document analysis of parliamentary bills which have been raised concerning a Lobbying regulation in Sweden. In the theory section, I include four different types of requirements placed on democratic Lobbying (se for example Jaatinen 1998, Kitchen 1999, Larsson 2005, Möller 2009 and Naurin 2001).

As EU?s authority increased the number of lobbies in Brussels grew. Today there are approximately 15 000 Lobbyists in Brussels. EU decisions and EU directives can have a huge impact on companies and organizations. They can however influence these decisions and directives through Lobbying.

This thesis is on the subject of different views on abortion. With a qualitative analysis of the family planning policy in China and interviews with four persons living in China I try to answer what abortion can mean in this context. I use the results from an earlier study of the antiabortion Lobby pro-life and the last republican candidate Mitt Romney to compare how abortion is being constructed in different ways. Reproduction is in both USA and China, among other countries, a subject for regulation. Following thesis wish to explore how that is done and what consequences it brings.

This paper examines the European Commission?s, newly established, ?Register of interest representatives? The analysis is divided in two parts, first I analyze the registers purpose, the kind, and detail, of information it contains and the different kinds of groups that are supposed to register. After that I analyze the organizations in the register more thoroughly, using a database of my own creation. The database was constructed with information drawn from the register, as well as information from external sources. Regarding the design and purpose of the register, I find that improvements in the design are needed, if the register is to fulfill its purpose.

The Stockholm Bypass is an infrastructural project planned to be located west of Stockholm. This study investigates the argumentation concerning the project from different perspectives. The theoretical starting point is within Decision Theory. The main theories include Bounded Rationality, Kingdon's study of the political agenda and theory regarding venue shopping, framing and Lobbying. The method chosen for this qualitative case study consists of both gathering data through semi-structured interviews and through documents provided by stakeholders and information available publically through archives and media.

Background: Many different parties in the society are affected by the financial information delivered by the companies. Therefore, different interests want their ideas to have an impact on the accountning standards. The construction of the accounting standards are illustrated as a pure political process, where Lobbying and conflicts of interest are determining factors. Purpose: The purpose is to understand the underlying interests behind regulation of financial accounting in Sweden and how these interests are manifestated in the establishment of accounting standards. Method: The thesis is designed as a casestudy of the regulation process which induced the legislation of the Årsredovisningslagen 6 kap 1 § 3st.

In January 2007 the Öresund committy changed its statutes to become a more politically oriented Lobby organization. This change can be interpreted as one part of a continuously evolving process where the Öresund region is emancipating itself from the national states in a multi-level European environment. By focusing on this latest development the thesis puts forward the importance of political institutions, as well as politicians and civil servants as actors in them, as crucial factors in the process where the region is gaining political power. The thesis shows how the political cross-border cooperation in the Öresund region is being institutionalized which affects its power relations to other levels in the multi-level system, predominantly the national states. In other words, there is a connection between power and institutionalization.The Öresund committee has by gaining better access to policymaking agendas on the national levels proven that the organizational change has already started to bear fruit.

The aim of this study was to examine if an organisation that strives for democracy and participation, also possess an open information culture. This study deals with the information culture in a social movement organisation, Attac Gothenburg. To achieve the aim, following questions were asked: What is the organisation culture like, is it open or closed? What is the information culture like, is it open or closed? What is the information culture like, in relation to the identity of the organisation? The focus has been put on earlier research in social movements, organisation and information culture. In this qualitative study I have collected material mainly from interviews.

Hotellbranschen har utvecklats till att fokuserar mer på att locka externa besökare utifrån, vilket förändrar dynamiken kring hur hotell ser på sig själva och dess omgivning. Denna uppsats syftar till att studerar hur hotellen använder sina publika utrymmen såsom Lobby, bar och restaurang till att locka mer människor utifrån och vilka typer av rum som skapas. Uppsatsens empiriska material bygger på intervjuer med anställda på olika hotellkedjor i Stockholms län. Det teoretiska ramverket bygger främst på Ray Oldenburgs teori om den tredje platsen men även kring teorier om hotellens påverkan på städer, tjänstesamhällets utbredning och teorin om buzz. Resultatet av studien visar att hotellen har förutsättningar och möjligheter att fungera som mötesplatser som liknar den tredje platsen genom att de fått nya möjligheter genom att kombinera deras tillgång till ytor och ny teknik.

This thesis deals with the design of a combinated rescue-, personal-, and firefighting elevator for a nuclear waste storage facility to be constructed by the client SKB, Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB. SKB:s mission is to dispose of all nuclear waste from all swedish nuclear power plants. The storage facility will be built in the rock 450 m under the surface and will consist of several kilometers of tunnel where capsules containing the nuclear waste will be placed. It will also hold a central area which contains spaces necessary for the operation and construction of the facility, such as elevator hall, storage hall etc. The facility will have two ways of access: a vehicle ramp and an elevator shaft.

Background and problem: In Croatia, the hotel industry has undergone difficult and unstable conditions since the 90s. Since 2001, however the results in the sector has improved due to increased investment in the renovation of facilities and construction of new hotels.Purpose: The study aims to examine hotel operations on the Makarska Riviera on the basis of tourist business perspective, and examine its quality, service and accessibility.Method: In this study we used a qualitative approach. The survey was conducted through structured interviews and a non-participant observation.Result and conclusions: Satisfied and fulfilled employees, in turn that the hotels will have satisfied customers and may have profitable operations. Many hotels aim at constantly working to improve profitability and customer satisfaction. When measuring customer satisfaction, many hotel owners felt that the service is good and that they have received a good response from their guests.

In this essay, I investigate Swedish possibilities to influence the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (CAP). After having summarized my findings, I try to explain the structure of influence by using Multi-level governance theory.Ten years have passed since Sweden joined the Union, and many changes have followed in the agricultural sector. By investigating the small country of Sweden's possibilities to influence CAP, I hope to be able to get a notion of the possibilities to influence the EU in general. The essay examines four possible paths for agricultural interests to influence the policy process in Brussels:* Through elected representatives of Sweden in the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and in the Swedish Parliament* Through subnational institutions, such as the local authorities and regional representatives.* Through the Swedish Agricultural Office* Through the Swedish pressure group within the agricultural area, LRFThese four groups all have very different channels to the policy process on agricultural issues. The differences are mostly in terms of decisive power or advisory power and institutional contacts or Lobby contacts.