The primary purpose of this thesis was to explore the extent of the relationship between employee motivation and performance in a medium size organization, which produce parts for forestry machines. Empirical data was collected through the process of conducting qualitative interviews with production workers and an HR manager whom are currently employed by the studied organization. The qualitative approach was selected as a result of its ability to generate descriptive in-depth information of the studied phenomenon. Thus, the aim of the conducted interviews was to generate in-depth data regarding the interviewee’ perception and personal experience of work related motivation. The interviewees’ were asked to rank ten different factors according to their perceived importance and influence of the motivational level. The interpretation and analysis of the empirical data revealed that the interviewed production workers are primarily motivated by factors that are related to work conditions, such as the relationships with coworkers. In addition, the results indicate that the managers’ perception of employee motivation is highly inaccurate, which is congruent with previous surveys conducted by Kovach (1987). Furthermore, as the research process progressed it became evident that the production workers within the studied are predominantly motivated by extrinsic factors, which means that their motivational orientations are dominated by extrinsic factors. Thus, the findings indicate that the motivational strategy that is currently applied within the studied medium size organization is insufficient in terms of its ability to improve the production workers level of motivation and therefore the quality of the performance. Hence, the following research has generated descriptive data although further studies are required in order to fully comprehend the phenomenon of motivation.

This study is a thematic analysis of written plan-descriptions associated to valid detail-plans in the city of Umeå. These plan-descriptions are used as gateways to how planners and architects have reasoned when it comes to planning decisions. The thematic analysis is conducted on 24 selected detail-plans in the city of Umeå and has the starting point of the three themes of Mobility, Green space and Safety. The themes are identified as important to study in the light of the sustainable development concept where new modes of transportation, better knowledge about how nature affects us and a safe environment for everyone are propagated. By making better use of the fine source of information and insights that are the detail-plans students, researchers and practitioners can more effectively steer their efforts towards areas that really are in need of change. There is also something to be learned about the connection between process and outcome in physical planning. The results of this study show first of all that the scope and the thoroughness of detail-planning have changed over time. During the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s the plans generally covered larger areas and the descriptions where short and concise. In present time the plans generally cover smaller areas but are very exhausting in their investigative preparing work and associated documents. Other findings are that the goal of a safe environment in the detail-plans mostly is connected to traffic-safety.

Urban areas are facing huge environmental challenges due to an increase in the population from 50% to 70% until 2050. The European Commission promotes the European Green Capital Award to give European cities motivation to facilitate a change towards urban sustainable development in medium-sized cities, where the city Umeå in north Sweden is applying for the third time. The aim of this study is to see whether the award is a useful tool for the environmental work in Umeå and if there are controversies among the stakeholders of the city. Interviews have been conducted where interviewees from several areas, both pro and against the award, have been interviewed. It is shown that the award has several impacts where most of them are beneficial for the environmental work in the city, such as structuring the environmental work. The main challenge with the award is a communication failure between the project group and other stakeholders of the city. The conclusion is that the award in itself seem to be good for the environmental work in Umeå but that the communication between the project group and the citizens needs to be improved.

Bakgrund: En studie från Livsmedelsverket där totalt 13 kommuner och en region (Skåne) deltog visade att avvikelser inom redlighet var väldigt vanligt, över 81 % av alla verksamheter hade en eller flera avvikelser inom redlighet. Det finns flera studier om redlighet ur konsumenters perspektiv samt undersökningar från myndigheter, däremot saknas studier ur restaurangverksamheternas perspektiv.   Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka restaurangpersonalens inställning och erfarenhet till redlighet. Ytterligare ett syfte var att undersöka om det fanns något samband mellan kön, ålder, erfarenhet, år i branschen, yrkesroll eller typ av verksamhet och inställningen till redlighet.    Metod: En webbenkät utformades och skickades ut till 110 verksamheter inom restaurangbranschen i Umeå, Sundsvall, Örnsköldsvik och Härnösand. Av dessa svarade 50 personer. Resultaten bearbetades statistiskt med ”Fishers exact test” med signifikansnivån (p<0,05).  Resultat: Studien visade att de flesta hade en positiv inställning till redlighet både för sina kunder och för personlig del. Deltagarna ansåg däremot att myndigheter inte regelbundet kontrollerar verksamheternas redlighet. Det fanns inget signifikant samband mellan syn på redlighet och utbildningsnivå, roll på arbetsplatsen eller antal år i branschen.   Slutsats: Restaurangpersonalen visar på en positiv inställning till redlighet men visar mer spridda åsikter om myndigheternas kontroll och informationsskyldighet. Huvudsyftet med redlighet är att inte vilseleda konsumenter och för att uppfylla detta genom att minska avvikelserna, krävs ett närmare samspel mellan myndighet och verksamhet.

Detta är ett projekt som har utförts under hösten 2016 för Högskoleingenjör i maskinteknik vid Umeå universitet. Arbetet omfattade 15 högskolepoäng.  Syftet med projektet är att ta fram nya formatdelar till en maskin som APL använder i sin produktion. Maskinen i fråga fyller flaskor med vätska som sedan försluts och skickas vidare till nästa station. APL använder sig av flera olika storlekar på dessa flaskor men har endast tillgång till en storlek på formatdelarna. Detta skapade ett problem när man arbetade med de mindre flaskorna eftersom man då blev man tvingad att lägga in inlägg på de ställen där formatdelarna var för stora.  De material som de gamla formatdelarna bestod av var även ett område som undersöktes. Detta med anledning av att alla delarna värmesteriliseras innan de används i maskinen och under en sådan behandling så utsätts materialet för höga temperaturer. Med det material som används i dagsläget så orsakar uppvärmningen att delarna tappar sin form eftersom de inte är gjorda för de temperaturer som de utsätts för i autoklaven. Syfte med de här projekten är alltså att ta fram 3D-modeller för nya formatdelar som är anpassade efter de flaskorna med mindre dimensioner, samt att undersöka om det finns andra material som kan vara mer lämpade för de påfrestningar som delarna utsätts för.   För att uppnå detta så har de gamla formatdelarna undersökts och skissats av. Därefter har de relevanta måtten korrigerats och de nya modellerna har ritats upp i CAD-programmet Solid Works.  En undersökning om materialmöjligheterna har även gjorts, då med fokus på olika plastmaterial samt de tillverkningsmetoder som är relevanta. Fokus när det gällde materialen låg till största del på egenskaper vid höga temperaturer. Värden har tagits ur tabeller, beräkningar har gjorts och tillsammans visar detta vilket material som är bäst lämpat för APLs ändamål. / This is a project that has been carried out in autumn 2016 for Bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering at Umeå University. The work included 15 credits.  The aim of the project is to produce new parts for a machine that APL uses in its production. The machine in question fills bottles with liquid which is then sealed and sent on to the next station. APL makes use of several different sizes of these bottles but only have access to one size of format elements. This created a problem in that when you are working with the smaller bottles you are forced to put some extra material in where the format parts were too big.   The materials that the old format parts consisted of was also an area that was investigated. This is because all parts are Heat-sterilized before they are used in the machine and during such treatment they are exposed to high temperatures. With the material used at the present time this heating process was causing the parts to lose their shape as they are not made for the temperature to which they are exposed. The purpose of this project is thus to produce 3d-drawings for the new format elements that are tailored to the bottles with smaller dimensions, as well as to investigate whether there are other materials that may be more suitable for the strain that parts are exposed to.   To achieve this, i have examined the old parts and have taken the relevant measurements. The old measurements have been corrected and the new models have been drawn up in the CAD program SolidWorks. Since then, dimensioned drawings designed to serve as a manufacturing base have been made.   A study on material opportunities has also taken place, focusing on different plastic materials and the manufacturing processes that are relevant. Focus in terms of the materials was largely put on properties at high temperatures. Values are obtained from tables and calculations have been made, and together, this shows what material is best suited for the APLs purposes.

Housing shortage is an on-going challenge young Swedes face when moving from home trying to get their own accommodation. The vast majority of municipalities have reported a housing shortage in last years housing market survey carried out by Boverket. This study seeks to find out how the housing supply for students in Umeå have developed during the last five years. To achieve this literature studies and statistics from mainly SCB (Statistics Sweden) have been used. Additionally, interviews with the municipality and companies on the housing market have been held to understand their point of view and how they work with the matter. The study shows that the mutual opinion from all parties is that the conditions for students housing supply is better today then five years ago. One of the reasons being the growth of the housing supply while the students themselves have remained at almost the same amount. Although the study suggests a better situation for the students it reveals another present challenge, how todays housing stock might be a mismatch with what students needs and wishes for in their dwellings.

<p>The aim of this study is to research environmental factors and their impact among manufacturing companies in Umeå. In order to capture the essence of environmental impacts , two research questions were asked; which environmental factors are considered, and in what context are they evaluated among manufacturing companies in Umeå, and how are stakeholders an implication on corporate environmental efforts for manufacturing companies in Umeå?</p><p>First and foremost relevant theories were discovered, using several databases. Second, they were incorporated into a conceptual framework, where their relationship and characteristics were displayed. The theories were then transformed into themes, which became the foundation of the interview guide.</p><p>The study was conducted by interviewing six manufacturing companies with more than 10 employees in Umeå. The interviews were semi-structured, and a mixture of telephone interviews and in-person interviews. An analysis of the empirical material was undertaken, by analyzing the data using the theories found during the information search.</p><p>Almost all participating companies consider environmental factors in one way or another, according to the findings of this study. Further, the customers were concluded to be the most important stakeholder in leading to environmental reform among the companies. However, other stakeholders were also recognized by the respondents, and had an impact in for the stakeholders’ specific circumstances.</p>

No description available.

<p>I dagens samhällsklimat är priset något som tas mer och mer i beaktande. Aspekter så som miljöpåverkan och produktkvalité är fortfarande viktiga men priset tenderar ändå att vara den viktigaste faktorn. Det är därför inte särskilt förvånande att observera Lidls expansion över Europa de senaste åren. Lidl har med likhet med andra lågprisbutiker valt att koncentrera sig på ett reducerat produktsortiment i förhållande till traditionella kedjor och samtidigt erbjuda en stor andel egna märken. Detta har gjort att de har lyckats upprätthålla sitt anseende som lågpriskedja. Nu när denna expansion nått Umeå så upplevde vi det som intressant att granska stadens invånares attityder kring detta vilket utmynnade i vårt syfte: att ta reda på Umeå invånares attityder kring företaget Lidl med avseende på dess etablering i Umeå. Vi genomförde en kvantitativ enkätundersökning där målgruppen var Umeås invånare. Genom slumpmässiga urval fick vi bra demografisk spridning av respondenterna som till antalet blev 126 stycken. Enkäten utformades med hjälp av teorier rörande attityder som grund, dessa teorier användes även då vi analyserade resultatet. Utifrån vår analys kunde vi dra slutsatserna att gruppen studenter skilde sig signifikant mot de övriga invånarna i staden i den mån att studenterna hade en mer negativ inställning till företaget Lidl. Paradoxalt nog var andelen som kunde tänka sig handla på Lidl större i gruppen Studenter än vad den var i gruppen Övriga. Det fanns däremot ingen signifikant skillnad mellan invånarna som bor närmast butiken och de som bor långt ifrån med avseende på deras attityd gentemot Lidl som företag och deras val av att etablera sig i Umeå. Vi kunde även observera att studenterna som grupp var signifikant åtskilt från gruppen Övriga med avseende deras syn på tyska matvarors kvalité. Studenterna var mer negativa till tysk mat än vad den andra gruppen var. Priset var utan tvekan den mest viktiga aspekten för respondenterna gällande sin dagligvaruhandel men även variabeln produktkvalité var väldigt högt rankad. Butiksegenskaper så som personalens arbetsförhållande samt butiksmiljön ansågs däremot inte vara av samma betydelse för respondenterna.</p>

<p>A growing need to strengthen ones position on the market, even as a city in competition with other cities, has resulted in an increasing number of municipalities developing brand platforms. When the city of Umeå developed their platform, they identified decision makers and investors as one of four important target groups.</p><p>The aim of this study is to explore the portrayed image of the city of Umeå in two Swedish trade journals which addresses the specific target group decition makers and investors in both public and private sector. The aim is also to compare the image of Umeå in the two papers, to the ambition of the municipality, expressed in the brand platform.</p><p>In order to make the observations as firmly established as possible, the method of the study is a combination of a quantitative content analysis and a qualitative text analysis. The study draws on the theories of Eli Avraham and Philip Kotler, concerning how to improve city images and how to market a specific city among others. The study shows that the city of Umeå in large extent is portrayed in accordance to the ambition which the municipality expressed in the brand platform.</p><p>Umeå is displayed as an expanding city. The geographical position in the north of Sweden seems to be an advantage, and the public transport to the rest of Sweden and Europe are more than sufficient. Further, Umeå is portrayed as a strong university town and therefore in possession of qualified work force. A tendency is observed, that journalists write about Umeå’s use of technical innovation in different areas, which shows off Umeå as at front edge.</p><p>The commercial life in Umeå comes through as well-functioning, with the exception of reports of struggling industries which most likely in no great extent affects the city image.</p><p>The public sector is also portrayed positive, except for the articles concerning local politics, which reflects negatively. However, regardless of the positive representation of Umeå in the two papers, reports of the city seem to be very few. Therefore, the most important action is not to improve the image of Umeå, but to increase the reports of the city in papers addressing the target group, and by doing so moving Umeå higher on their list of candidates when choosing a city to establish new activity in.</p>