ABSTRACT The new century has provoked the liberalization of the world economy and market globalization. International marketing has opened the borders for all countries, which can compete with the same competitive tools, increasing the rivalry among them. This thesis deals with the wine sector and the changes that this sector has suffered in previous years, due to the entrance of new producer countries and the recession that has been produced by European wines, called “Old World” producers. In this study we will make an analysis of the Swedish wine market, describing how the different players act; from consumers to the special system of alcohol distribution that is controlled by the government, all the way to the producers and kinds of wine that compose the market. Among the different wine producers we will make a thorough study of the Spanish case, given that we come from Spain, where the wine industry has a special relevance. Furthermore, Spain is one of the most important wine exporters to Sweden, but in the last years it has suffered a small decrease in its market share. So apart from studying the current situation of the wine sector in Sweden and how consumers perceive the wine of “Old World” countries, such as France, Italy and Spain and “New World” countries, such as Australia, Chile and South Africa, our main objective is to make some strategic recommendations in order to improve the situation for Spanish wine. The study will focus on a quantitative research through a self completion questionnaire, measuring the main features of wine (quality, price, nationality, etc.) and also on different theories that compose the marketing and strategic fields.

The dependence on oil has increased in many nations as a result of increasing industrialization and oil has been the factor of many crises as well as many wars. This paper examines how the price of oil affects the unemployment in Sweden. The case of Sweden is interesting since its politics are very different compared to other industrialized countries when it comes to unemployment and benefits. Our main objective is to see whether a change in the oil price will cause a change in unemployment at a later stage. We perform linear regression analysis relating current changes in the variables and Granger causality tests to conclude if there exists a direct relationship. The result we received from our linear regression test on current changes and our Granger causality test showed a relationship between the price of oil and unemployment in Sweden. In the linear regression relating current changes in these variables, a positive relationship was indicated. Due to the fact that some of the coefficient estimates are positive and some are negative in the Granger causality regressions, we can not conclude whether an increase in the price of oil will cause a positive or negative effect on unemployment.

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding and knowledge of how Cubans living in Sweden experience the Swedish pattern of communication in relation to the Cuban. The questions asked by the authors were: Do the Cubans experience any differences or similarities between the Swedish and the Cuban patterns of communication? If that is the case, what are they and how would they describe them? The questions were answered through a qualitative method, based on interviews with five Cubans who were raised in Cuba and are now living in Sweden. Communication Theory has constituted the fundamental theoretical tool of analysis, complemented by Social Psychological Role theory. The results of the study have been analyzed using both phenomenological and hermeneutical methods. The results showed that the Cubans experience more differences than similarities between the two patterns of communication. A few of the differences pointed out by the target group were that Cubans used non verbal communication to a larger extent than Swedes, that Swedish individuals need a greater private space/sphere and that Swedes avoid conflicts and expressing strong feelings and opinions in public. The five Cubans are principally of the same opinion on these matters. The results are in concordance with earlier research.

I Sverige har det alltid funnits ett behov av att förhålla sig till Ryssland och Sovjetunionen, uttryckt här i en debatt mellan de båda forskarna Stefan Hedlund och Anders Åslund i dagstidningar och genom litteratur. Min uppgift har varit att granska debatten och se vilka områden som belystes och vem som kom att få rätt år 2007/2008. Kärnan i mitt arbete är inte den faktiska historien utan argumentationen om samtiden. Där debatten om Ryssland är av det slag att den tål granskning mer än ett decennium efteråt. Rent geografiskt är Sverige ett litet land på randen av det ryska imperiet som spänner sig över nästan hela kontinenten, Sverige och de andra nordiska länderna är placerade nästan som en blockad av det ryska imperiets strävan västerut, en strävan som pågått i flera hundra år. Det ryska imperiet som fortfarande finns kvar kom att omvandlas och försvagas åtskilligt under några år i början på 1990-talet. Detta var dock konsekvensen av en enorm statsapparat, enorma militära utgifter och ett defekt ekonomiskt system. Jag lyfter fram artiklar och litteratur producerad under de första åren efter Sovjetunionens sammanbrott och relaterar denna till nutiden genom en enkel komparation av debattklimatet. Svaret kan vara att två tydliga vägar urskiljer sig, en där Ryssland utvecklas enligt sina egna mönster och en där Östeuropa utvecklas åt en annan riktning. Idag har Polen, Ungern och Tjeckien inte mycket gemensamt med länder som Vitryssland och Moldavien som är forna Sovjetrepubliker. Det skrivs inte heller några undergångsbeskrivningar av Ryssland, något som producerades tidigare, därför finns en anledning till tillförsikt att det faktiskt inte blev som det beskrivs i några av artiklarna jag studerat.

Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of Lyme borreliosis and Tick-borne encephalitis in Europe. Repellents provide a practical means of protection against tick bites and can therefore reduce transmission of tick-borne diseases. In laboratory tests, pieces of cloth treated with MyggA Natural® (a commercial insect repellent) or with the essential oils of Corymbia citriodora (30%), Lavandula angustifolia (1 and 30%), Pelargonium graveolens (1 and 30%), Hyptis suaveolens (10%), Salvadora persica, Pistacia atlantica, Juniperus phoenicea (20%) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 5.0%) showed strong repellent activity against I. ricinus nymphs. In a tick-infested woodland in east-central Sweden, we tested by randomized, standardised methodology the potential anti-tick repellent activity of MyggA Natural® (roll-on), two concentrations of MyggA Natural® spray, RB86 (a commercially available insect repellent for horses), the essential oil of C. citriodora and three concentrations of MJ. Each substance was dissolved in acetone and applied separately to 1 m2 cloths which were then pulled over vegetation. Nymphal tick numbers on the cloths were recorded at 10-m intervals and differed significantly between treated cloths and the untreated control and also between collectors. Volatile compounds from fresh and dried leaves of H. suaveolens and the essential oils of H. suaveolens (from Laos and Guinea Bissau) and S. persica, P. atlantica and J. phoenicea (from Libya) were collected by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) and the constituents were identified by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Two main sesquiterpene hydrocarbons in the H. suaveolens oil were β-caryophyllene and humulene. These were modified by oxidation and sulphidation to obtain effective tick repellent compounds with lower volatility. In all three oils from Libyan plants the main monoterpene hydrocarbons were α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, myrcene, α-phellandrene, 4-carene, β-phellandrene and γ-terpinene. The selected plant species contained numerous volatiles known to have insecticidal, acaricidal, and/or insect repellent properties.

Community pharmacy practice is moving towards patient care and away from the mere dispensing of medicines. In this movement, which is guided by the philosophy of Pharmaceutical care (PC), new counselling services emerge. The purpose of the thesis was to add knowledge about the real-world provision of PC services by studying a defined PC service in Swedish pharmacies. Specific aims of this thesis were to investigate the experiences of professionals working with or close to the service and to describe the content of consultations, counselling behaviour and patterns of follow-up. Further aims were to characterise patients receiving the service and describe their perceived outcomes, in relation to standard service. Data were collected via focus groups, telephone interviews, observations, a patient medication record database and a cross-sectional survey. The practitioners reported greater use of their pharmaceutical knowledge and provision of more thorough patient support. Perceived barriers in delivering the service included difficulties in documenting and getting commitment from colleagues, managers and prescribers. Doctors working close to PC pharmacies held varying opinions about the service. Consultations dealt with issues potentially improving the outcomes of medical treatment, but the level of patient centredness varied and was limited by the practitioners’ focus on the computer screen. The rate of follow-up evaluations was modest, but was higher at pharmacies with a high volume of patients receiving the service. PC patients were mostly elderly and female, using about 10 prescription drugs. In comparison to patients receiving standard service, they were more worried, vulnerable and information-seeking. At the same time, their feelings of safety following the pharmacy visit were more pronounced than those of patients receiving standard service. They also felt better prepared for doctor visits. In order for community pharmacy to better meet patients’ needs and optimise PC services, increased attention should be given to implementation strategies, interprofessional collaboration and educational efforts focusing on patient centredness.

Quality in pharmacies includes aspects such as error management and safety issues. The objective of this thesis was to explore these aspects of quality in Swedish community phar-macies. The specific aims were to compare a paper-based and a web-based reporting system for dispensing errors, regarding reporting behaviour and data quality. The impact of an intervention; a technical barrier, for preventing dispensing errors was evaluated. A survey tool, the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), was adapted to Swedish pharmacies and used to describe the safety culture in these pharmacies. The potential relationship between safety culture and dispensing errors was also explored. Data was retrieved from the paper- and web-based reporting systems, semi-structured interviews as well as from a survey, using SAQ. The change in reporting system for dispensing errors increased the reporting of errors and enhanced the completeness of reported data. The web-based system facilitated follow-up and identification of preventive measures, but was associated with implementation problems. The intervention was associated with a significant decrease in the overall number of dispensing errors and, specifically, reports on errors with the wrong strength, and errors caused by registration failure in the pharmacy computers. The Swedish version of the survey tool, SAQ, demonstrated satisfying psychometric properties. No correlation between the SAQ Safety Climate dimension and dispensing errors was seen, while a positive relationship between the SAQ Stress Recognition dimension and dispensing errors was established. A number of other pharmacy characteristics, such as number of dispensed prescription items and employees, displayed positive relationships with dispensing errors. Staff age demonstrated a negative relationship with dispensing errors while other demographic variables such as national education background showed a positive relationship.

The purpose of this thesis is to compare policy instruments with respect to cost efficiency, income distribution effects, technological change and violation incentives. The policy instruments under study are quota, charge and permit market system. The analysis is applied to Gotland, an island in the Baltic where the content of nitrate in drinking water is high. As in many other agricultural districts, the source of pollution is farmers’ use of nitrogen. According to the results, a permit market performs best with respect to cost efficiency and income distribution effects. The empirical calculations show that a permit market system may amount to half the cost of the most expensive alternative. All three policy instruments are found to encourage technological change, although to different degrees. In most instances the incentives for technological adjustments are highest for the charge and permit market systems. The incentives to violate regulations may be the smallest under a permit market system. But they can also be higher and of the same magnitude as under a charge system. The main reason for this variation is that the occurrence of illegal use of nitrogen affects the marketclearing price of permits. This, in turn, may reduce the economic incentives to violate regulations of a permit market system. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 1989

Under 1980-talet har industrins betydelse för Sveriges ekonomiska välfärd fått en ökad uppmärksamhet i den allmänna debatten. Detta har bl a lett till ett ökat intresse för en av näringslivets huvudaktörer - företagsledaren. Sedan 1940-talet har det funnits olika typer av utbildningar för blivande eller redan verksamma företagsledare. Dessa utbildningar har från 1970-talet utsatts för en allt hårdare kritik. Denna avhandling behandlar hur utbildning i företagsledning går till samt dylik utbildnings relevans för yrkesutövningen genom en fallstudie av en skandinavisk företagsledarutbildning. Data har samlats in genom direktobservation av ett utbildningsförlopp och genom intervjuer med f d utbildningsdeltagare, representanter för utbildningsledningen samt större kundföretag till utbildningen. Med hjälp av en modell för denna typ av utbildningsprocesser görs en analys av den studerade utbildningens funktionssätt och värde för yrkesutövningen. Avhandlingen avslutas med ett förslag till hur företagsledarutbildning kan läggas upp för att uppnå hög relevans i det lärande som dylik utbildning ger upphov till. Detta görs med hjälp av den tidigare nämnda modellen, som är avsedd att kunna användas vid design och utvärdering av företagsledarutbildning. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

Date: May 29, 2009 Course: Master thesis, EFO705 Authors: Uliana Kovaleva, 830906, Karolina Turbak, 850710 Tutor: Tobias Eltebrandt Title: The Influence of Culture and the Level of Acculturation on the Perceptions of Service Quality among the Customers with Swedish, Polish and Russian Backgrounds. Strategic question: How important is the customers’ ethnic background, culture and level of acculturation when choosing a provider of financial services? Research questions: If customers with Polish and Russian origin differ in their perceptions of the service quality attributes from Swedish customers, what kind of influence do culture and the level of acculturation have on their perceptions of service quality? Method: Apart from secondary data, the questionnaire results were collected as a source of the primary data. The study was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The questionnaire results were analysed in SPSS by applying T-tests, and the answers for the open-ended questions were analysed additionally. Theoretical Framework: The theories which were used include service quality dimensions, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and the level of acculturation. The results of previous studies addressing the cultural influences on the service quality were applied extensively. The theories were chosen according to the purpose of the study and used in analysis in a comprehensive way. Conclusions: According to the study culture and the level of acculturation have influence on the perceptions of service quality. The Polish and Russian customers with the low and medium levels of acculturation have lower overall service quality perceptions compared to the highly acculturated customers with foreign background and Swedish. In particular, the perceptions of assurance and empathy dimensions are significantly different between the studied groups. / “The impact of cultural recognition on service‐consumtions among customers in Sweden with foreign background.”