This paper seeks to discern the political factors that determine the results of negotiations in international cooperation. On the one hand, it makes a contribution to the broader theoretical debate on international regimes by combining regime theory and theories on globalisation into an integrated framework for the analysis of international policy results, or in this case treaties (theoretical objective). More generally, globalisation theory will help us understand why it has become important to initiate international cooperation, and regime theory to elucidate how these international cooperations emerge. To many observers, it is the large transnational corporations of the rich North, which have done best out of free trade. Through the huge influence they wield over governments at the WTO (World Trade Organisation), these corporations have won the freedom to move around the globe without restriction, making use of cheap labour, and locating wherever they can best tap into the largest and most lucrative markets. Suprastate global governance, such as the WTO and its TRIPs (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) regime, is the response to deal with the reality in which we live - the globalised reality. But global governance comes to a price. States have lost their supreme sovereignty in the face of globalisation and the power of the globalised economy and transnational corporations. This paper presents evidence that it does not seem likely that the parties to both the TRIPs Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, in reality, can meet the obligations set out by these two agreements. Furthermore, this study points to those negative impacts the TRIPs Agreement poses to an enhancing of biological diversity and protection of indigenous knowledge.

In electricity markets evolving towards liberalisation and internationalisation, green certificates are seen as an important tool to promote production of renewable energy. In a green certificate market producers sell certificates received per unit of electricity generated from renewable energy. Trade in renewability is thereby decoupled from the the physical electricity trade. Tradable green certificates in combination with renewables obligation are implemented or planned in several EU member states. Integration at EU leveland the creation of a common certificate market seem like a possible next step. Using a simple model, the effects of an EU system for tradable green certificates, compared to national implementation, are tested for the period 2000–2010. The simulations show a clear increase of cost effectiveness and large changes in the geographical balance of renewable energy when reaching the EU 22 per cent target. Less competitive technologies, such as solar power, are not deployed at all. The situation is however similar without international trade. Rather than implementing a certificate market with all EU member states, but with different support schemes, a smaller market, only with countries that combine the certificate market with renewables obligation, is recommended.

Standardiserade miljöledningssystem (MLS) har utvecklats i den privata sektorn och har nu även börjat användas i den offentliga. Syftet är att undersöka vilka konsekvenser ett standardiserat MLS medför för miljöarbetet inom kommunal förvaltning, analysera om det finnsnågot i den kommunala förvaltningens institutionella logik som sätter gränser för användandet av det samt ge ett omdöme över tillämpligheten av MLS inom kommunal förvaltning. Detta har ndersökts genom kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet blev att förvaltningarnas miljöarbete anses fungerar bättre efter att man har infört MLS. De största fördelarna MLS:et har medfört är tydligare struktur, högre medvetenhet, bättre redovisning och utåtriktade fördelar som enklare kommunikationer mot intressenter. De största nackdelarna var ökat administrativt arbetet, tid- och resursåtgång vilket inte alltid betalar sig samt att systemet riskerade att bli för detaljerat. Slutsatserna blev att MLS verkar vara ett tillämpbart verktyg inom kommunal förvaltning, men att det passar bättre inom bolagen och de hårda verksamheterna än inom de mjuka. Den kommunala förvaltningens institutionell logik verkar inte sätta några oöverkomliga gränser för användandet av MLS inom kommunal förvaltning.

Denna studie behandlar den offentliga upphandlingens roll i arbetet mot hållbar utveckling. Syftet är att analysera vilken syn på detta som kommer till uttryck i den statliga offentliga utredningen 2001:31 och regerings propositionen 2001/02:142 om offentlig upphandling. Teorierna miljöekonomi och ekologisk ekonomi har använts för att få en uppfattning om vilka olika tankar och perspektiv som finns kring miljö, ekonomi och hållbar utveckling. Detta har sedan utgjort utgångspunkten för den kvalitativa analysen som har gjorts av de båda dokumenten. Analysen har bland annat visat att ett miljöekonomiskt tankesätt dominerar i de båda dokumenten. Det perspektiv som kom till uttryck i de analyserade dokumenten har även visat sig ha mycket gemensamt med ekologisk modernisering. Enligt ekologiskt modernt tänkande är offentlig upphandling en väg mot hållbar utveckling. Det är dock viktigt att tänka på att vi idag inte kan säga vilken väg som är den rätta vägen mot hållbar utveckling. Det oproblematiska förhållningssätt till relationen miljö, ekonomi som visat sig inom offentlig upphandling, har inte varit särskilt positivt för den offentliga upphandlingens roll i arbetet mot en hållbar utveckling. Det är därav centralt att den nationella miljöpolitiken ger utrymme för en analys och problematisering av denna integration mellan miljö och ekonomi.

This thesis aimed to study the interaction between an educational technology system and its users and give suggestions for design improvements. The technology system is called EDIT (Educational Development through Information Technology) and has been developed and applied at Linköping University’s Faculty of Health Science. EDIT supports Problem Based Learning and enables scenarios to be presented through the World Wide Web. The study was divided into two parts. The first part consisted of a qualitative study with the objective to describe the interaction between the students and EDIT. Students from the faculty’s medical-, nursing- and social care programs were interviewed and observed using the system. The study showed that EDIT was not fully designed to support multiple user interaction. EDIT could only be operated by one user at a time which in turn resulted in an interaction reliant on the operators technical knowledge and ability to handle the system. The second part consisted of a redesign of EDIT. The design goal was to create a groupware that could be operated by multiple users. The design solutions were presented as lofi prototypes to three EDIT users. The users approved of the ideas but stressed the danger of using too advanced and unfamiliar technology.

This thesis describes the evaluation of a prototype (Illustrator) for future simulator training of Within Visual Range - combat in the Swedish Air Force. The main focus was to collect and transform user acceptance data (expert opinions) to useful guidelines for continued development. Thirteen active fighter pilots participated in the study. The aim was to use expert opinion to study a) the psychological user acceptance, and b) the technical user acceptance, of the Illustrator together with c) gathering opinions for future improvement. Three psychological aspects were rated before and after the sessions to measure psychological user acceptance. For technical user acceptance, seven fidelity levels of the Illustrator were evaluated regarding realism, limitation of performance and importance of realism after the sessions. The sessions consisted of WVR-scenarios. Four different questionnaires were used for data collection. Two fidelity levels showed to diverge from the others in many ways, and were identified as major problems by the participants. No change of the psychological aspects was found between measurements. According to the results of the evaluation, suggestions and guidelines for future development are presented. Finally, issues of interest for future research are proposed.

At night, the visibility is reduced and the demands on the driver increase. A safety system that enables the driver to discover warmer objects in the surroundings when the visibility are reduced, such as the Vision Enhancement System (VES) contributes to safer night-time driving. Since the benefits of this system are established, it is of interest to investigate different design aspects. The VES display has in earlier studies been positioned in front of the driver but different display positions such as peripheral placement should be evaluated. The present simulator study is an investigation of the effects of different display positions inside the car. Two different display positions were investigated, in front of the driver and to the right of the driver. When driving with a display positioned to the right, the driver will have to divide his attention between the road scene and the display by turning his head or he might be able to use peripheral vision. It was hypothesised that there would be significant differences in driving performance between the two display positions in favour of the display position above the steering wheel. The results were measured in driving performance as well as opinions from the participants. Results show that there were some significant differences and several tendencies of better driving performance when driving with the display in front of the driver. The participants also rated this display as being better positioned and effecting the driving in a more positive way than the display to the right. It was therefore concluded that that the most preferred display position is in front of the driver.

Den här studien utfördes på uppdrag av Cambio Healthcare Systems som utvecklar IT-system till sjukvården. Uppdraget gick ut på att ta reda på vilka behov, med avseende på informationshantering, ett IT-stöd för sjukvårdspersonal som gör hembesök måste tillgodose. Den specifika grupp som har studerats för detta ändamål är sjukgymnaster och arbetsterapeuter som arbetar tillsammans i hemrehabteam. Den teoretiska ansats som valdes för studien är distribuerad kognition. Denna ansats studerar individernas och artefakternas koordination och interaktion med varandra, samt hur information omvandlas och överförs i det kognitiva systemsom individerna och artefakterna utgör. Studien är en fallstudie som bygger på fältstudier, kontextuella intervjuer och en framtidsverkstad. Resultatet visade att hemrehabteamen har behov av en samordnad kalender, av att kunna skriva journal på plats, av möjlighet till röststyrning, av ett interorganisatoriskt system, samt av att få strukturerad information när den behövs.

Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på hur användare påverkas av gränssnittsagenter vars personlighet inte passar ihop med det visuella intryck de ger. Gränssnittsagenterna bestod i den här studien av en räv och en höna och de har testats på användare i ett deklarationssammanhang. Personligheten uttrycktes genom vad agenterna sade, och detta visades på datorskärmen i form av text i pratbubblor. Agenterna har manipulerats så att de vid hälften av betingelserna fått byta personlighet med varandra, alltså att hönan har presenterats med rävens personlighet och tvärt om. En kontrollgrupp har genomfört uppgiften utan att någon agent varit närvarande på skärmen. Efter genomförd deklaration har användarna fått fylla i en enkät där de ombetts uppskatta olika aspekter av agentens beteende. Försöket har avslutats med en intervju. Resultatet visar att närvaron av en agent påverkade användarens upplevelse av att deklarera. Agentens utseende och agentens personlighet var för sig påverkade olika aspekter av användarensupplevelse av till exempel tillit och attraktionsvärde. Dock kunde inga tydliga skillnader konstateras när agentens personlighet inte passade ihop med det visuella intryck agenten gav.

The aims of the practical work carried out for this thesis were to redesign a clinical decision support system for thoracic surgeons, called AssistMe, and to evaluate the concept behind this system. The main objective of the thesis is to give an account of the considerations that were found to be of key importance for designing a clinical decision support system for thoracic surgery. Another aim was to let future users test the system after it had been redesigned and evaluate the concept behind it. The thesis also investigates users’ experience of the system and their views on whether it would be applicable in their daily work practice. An account is also given of experience of using QOC-notation during the design space analysis in a real design project like this one.