Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar hur förvärvsarbetande människor i Gävle använder sig av bil och aktiv transport när de transporterar sig till destinationer inom staden. Tio personer, fem butiksbiträden och fem lärare, intervjuades angående deras transportvanor och resonemang kring valet av transportsätt.Resultatet visade att aktiv transport var det vanligaste transportsättet till arbete, träning och butiker i centrum medan bilen var det vanligaste transportsättet till mataffären och destinationer på längre avstånd från hemmet. Avståndet till destinationen, tiden det tar att transportera sig, transport av eventuella varor, bekvämlighet, intresse av motion och rekreation, årstid, väder samt synen på ekonomi och miljö var faktorer som påverkade om deltagarna valde att transportera sig med bil eller aktiv transport. Definitionen på de olika faktorerna varierade mellan deltagarna, vilket kan tyda på att det är den personliga uppfattningen om de olika faktorerna som avgör vilket transportsätt som väljs. Det framkom ingen märkbar skillnad i resvanor mellan deltagare med olika utbildning och arbete.

Sustainable urban mobility calls for well-informed design of neighborhoods. Although many studies have been conducted in the field, there is little evidence about the relationships between design elements, urban quality and behavior. Little is also known about residents’ valuation of design and urban quality in this context. This study uses a multidisciplinary approach to deal with these issues. The focus is on children’s leisure activities, their travel mode and independence of adult escort in trips to school. Logistic regression models were used to analyze connections between neighborhood design, parents’ satisfaction with urban qualities and children’s behavior. The study included socioeconomic factors, parents’ stated importance of qualities and travel mode to work. It was conducted in a suburban district in the Stockholm region, in three different modernist neighborhoods and one traditional villa area. The results support the hypothesis that environmental and social qualities, and proximity to school, can influence children’s trips to school, and the location and frequency of children’s leisure activities. The results confirm and extend earlier research. Two separate lifestyles were identified across neighborhoods with differencesin housing type and socioeconomic characteristics. They related to parents’ preferences for and priorities of public versus private urban qualities, and location of children’s leisure activity and travel mode to school. The results suggest that schools should be located in neighborhoods, close to both homes and transit, that neighborhoods are car-free or traffic separated and that the outdoor environment is stimulating and cycling-friendly. They further suggest that a higher quality of children’s environment would be achieved if parents’ preferences had greater impact on urban developments, whereas current professional design ideals of mixed traffic and high density can be unsupportive ofthese qualities and can increase car escorts. Altogether, the results point to that design at the neighborhood scale has significance in relation to mobility requirements; and that new priorities are needed in planning and design as part of a comprehensive urban and transportation policy.

Structures and material combinations, tailored for multiple purposes, are within the reach of vehicle manufacturers. Besides reducing the environmental impact of the transportation sector these multi-functional structures can reduce costs, such as development, manufacturing and maintenance, and at the same time offer improved comfort to the passengers. This thesis sets out to develop multi-functional design algorithms and evaluate concepts for future composite high speed train car bodies with the objective of optimising the amount of mass needed to fulfil all functions of the structure. In a first step complete composite car bodies were developed, optimised and evaluated based on global stiffness requirements and load cases. The knowledge gained in this step was used as requirements for the strength and stiffness of panels during the continued development of the multi-functional optimisation which, besides strength and stiffness, later also considers sound transmission, thermal insulation, geometric restrictions, manufacturability and fire safety. To be able to include fire safety in the analysis, a method for simulating the high temperature response of layered composite structures was needed, and developed. Significant weight reductions are proven when utilising carbon fibre in the load carrying structure of the vehicle, on component level as high as 60%. Structures can be made significantly thinner when using the algorithms developed in this thesis and wall thickness is reduced by 5-6 cm. Analysis carried out and extensive literature surveys also suggest significant cost savings in manufacturing, maintenance and use-phase, even thou the raw material cost can be significantly higher as compared to the conventional steel or aluminium alternatives. Results from drive cycle simulations showed that the benefit, with respect to reduced energy consumption, is in the range of 0.5-0.8% per reduced weight percentage, comparable to both automotive and air applications. The algorithms and methods established in this thesis can be directly applied for the development and analysis of future high speed train car bodies. / <p>QC 20130521</p>

The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2030, road traffic injuries will be one of the top five leading causes of death. Many of these deaths and injuries can be prevented by driving cars properly equipped with state-of-the-art safety and driver assistance systems. Some examples are auto-brake and auto-collision avoidance which are becoming more and more popular on the market today. A recent study by a Swedish insurance company has shown that on roadswith speeds up to 50 km/h an auto-brake system can reduce personal injuries by up to 64 percent. In fact in an estimated 40 percent of crashes, the auto-brake reduced the effects to the degree that no personal injury was sustained. It is imperative that these so called Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, to be really effective, have good situational awareness. It is important that they have adequate information of the vehicle’s immediate surroundings. Where are other cars, pedestrians or motorcycles relative to our own vehicle? How fast are they driving and in which lane? How is our own vehicle driving? Are there objects in the way of our own vehicle’s intended path? These and many more questions can be answered by a properly designed system for situational awareness. In this thesis we design and evaluate, both quantitatively and qualitatively, sensor fusion algorithms for multi-target tracking. We use a combination of camera and radar information to perform fusion and find relevant objects in a cluttered environment. The combination of these two sensors is very interesting because of their complementary attributes. The radar system has high range resolution but poor bearing resolution. The camera system on the other hand has a very high bearing resolution. This is very promising, with the potential to substantially increase the accuracy of the tracking system compared to just using one of the two. We have also designed algorithms for path prediction and a first threat awareness logic which are both qualitively evaluated.

The purpose of this thesis is to find a proper positioning strategy for China self-owned car brands in the Chinese market. For this purpose, the authors used the theory about brand positioning, target market and segmentation, brand image, differentiation and general positioning process. What’s more, the authors conducted a questionnaire research, studied the Geely acquisition case, and collected information from consumers’ perspectives to understand the current positioning situation of the Chinese automakers. In the methodology part, limitations of the quantitative and qualitative data are discussed, and the authors presented suggestions for further studies. After gathering empirical data, the authors analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese car, Geely and Volvo, introduced competitor’s performance to make clear the current situation of China self-owned car brands. From the analysis, the present brand image of Chinese car is low-price and bad-quality in the consumers’ mind. The authors tried to figure out a proper brand image for Chinese car to increase the market share in the domestic market. In conclusion, developing safe car of high quality and targeting the middle-class market is the optimal choice for current China self-owned car brands.

The goal of this study is to understanding ethnic discrimination by employing a complex theoretical approach which allows for an understanding of ethnic relations and ethnic discrimination as a social process. The study includes a case study at Volvo Torslandaverken in Gothenburg, and focuses on ethnic discrimination against the background of both structural conditions and situational factors. The analysis results from studying personnel statistics and interviews with salaried employees, union elected representatives, and workers. The study includes two technical and organizational environments. The first environment, manual systems, demands loyalty of individuals to the technical and organizational system. The other environment, integrated mechanization, has a decentralized group organizational structure. Both environments are studied with consideration taken to recruiting, leadership, and solidarity among workers. The results show that ethnic discrimination appears to be a very complicated phenomena, the expression of which is a consequence of dynamic interplay between structure and action. New forms of work have meant that workers' professional skills are now organized to compliment one another and they work more in groups. This has resulted in an increased need for familiar cultural and social skills within the groups. Such a development risks encouraging varying degrees of negligence, aversion, and exclusion of ethnic views. / digitalisering@umu

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The huge market potential of some fast growing markets attract many international organizations’ attention, especially China, as a huge automobile market is one of the most typical examples. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how Volvo Cars increase brand equity in Chinese automobile market. To answer this question, a literature review about brand equity and marketing strategy is done to create an analytical framework which is the foundation of the empirical observation and research analysis. Furthermore, the study constitutes a valuable source of information of Volvo’s operated marketing strategy, as well as providing practical situation on customer perception on a brand through interviewing Volvo's owners in different countries. The results of analysis and discussion indicated that there are distinctive customer perceptions in China and the appraised the Volvo brand equity is not completely matching the strategic goals. In this case, in order to increase brand equity in China, Volvo should craft and execute the corresponding marketing strategy on brand for the distinctive Chinese customer perceptions. As such, this paper complements previous research through presenting the current situation of Chinese automobile market and comprehending how Volvo as global car brand operating and performing in China from brand equity perspective. In that sense, this paper can contribute and add some useful information in this study field for other further studies.

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