Humanitarian aid as it is known in present days has its origins in 19th century and since then it has gone through many important changes, developments and streams of thoughts. The aim of this thesis is to describe the changing character of humanitarian aid, its constraints and failures and the means of tackling them with emphasis on evolution during the last twenty years. The thesis deals mainly with failures caused by inaccurate assessment of needs of the victims of humanitarian crisis, constraints complicating complying with the principles of humanitarian action, limitations arising from the respect of state sovereignty and the problem of misappropriation of humanitarian aid and corruption. The shift in solving problems will be presented on the case of Czech non-governmental organization People in Need.

This thesis aims to describe the specific situation of non-profit organizations operating in the specific conditions of Angola, developing country, which is slowly recovering from the consequences of a protracted civil war. The first part gives an overview about the situation in the Czech Republic and other countries of the European Union, and a few selected developing countries. Then follows the approach of specific situation in Angola, including a brief translation of the Angolan accounting legislation. The last part is devoted to the Angolan mission of People in Need.

This thesis is a study of a phenomenon in Swedish education: the RegionalDevelopment Centre (Regionalt utvecklingscentrum, RUC). Insetting up RUC, the Swedish state’s original intention was to enhancecollaboration between teacher education and training, research andschool development. RUC was specified in the appropriation directionsfor Swedish higher education institutions (HEIs) that trained teachers in1997–2010. The purpose of this thesis is to clarify and analyse differinginterpretations and implications of RUC as a phenomenon and conceptualisethe task of addressing them in a changing education-policy context.Empirical sources for the study are central government publicationsand interviews with RUC representatives at 22 HEIs. This empiricalmaterial has been modified and analysed in four stages: a survey of RUCas a phenomenon, construal of ‘ideal types’ of RUC, testing of the construedideal types as analytical tools, and application of the construedideal types as analytical tools to gain an ‘explanatory understanding’ ofRUC. Through analysis of needs, actors and value, five ideal types empiricallybased on transcribed interviews are construed: the receiveroriented,trust-creating, region-boosting, conceptualising and salesorientedtypes. A model shows how these ideal types can be mutuallyunderstood and conceptualised. Examples are given, based on this model,of specific interpretations and implications that may fit each idealtype. RUC’s legitimacy in 2012 still entails a marked emphasis on RUCas a receiver-oriented associate. Three aspects enhancing the likelihoodof RUC, in 2012, being deemed important to retain at an HEI appear tobe the HEI’s goodwill towards RUC, its dependence on remits from theSwedish National Board of Education and schools’ research needs. Focusingmore on RUC as the region-boosting partner would mean oncemore uniting RUC’s role in teacher education with school developmentand research, but on the basis of ‘common needs’ within the frameworkof a distinct growth policy.

This essay analyses Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin (2003) from a feminist perspective. The objective of the essay is to demonstrate that a feminist reading of We Need to Talk about Kevin sheds light on the concept of shame and generates a discussion on the implications of the expectations that are placed upon a woman when she becomes a mother. The essay draws on the work of cultural feminists, such as Elspeth Probyn and Adrienne Rich, to demonstrate how shame and motherhood are entwined in the novel. This approach illuminates how patriarchal patterns in today’s society can restrict women’s abilities to lead a full life by blaming and by making them feel ashamed of not only their own actions but also of those of their children. The concept of shame is outlined as a gendered emotion, and the essay then examines the novel’s description of a mother’s responsibilities. These are then contrasted with the way in which shame functions for the community. The conclusion of the essay is that patriarchal structures are ever present in the novel and in society as a whole, and the location of shame in the mother, brought on by other members of the community as well as by the protagonist herself, results in the community being unable to heal itself.

This study investigates how the semi-modal need to is translated into German/Swedish and which German/Swedish correspondences are translated into need to. To this end, the Linnaeus University English–German–Swedish Corpus (LEGS) is used. Nida’s (1964: 159-162) concept of formal and dynamic equivalence is used to perform the qualitative analysis and to discuss the results from the quantitative part of the study. The use of semi-modals such as be going to, have to and want to have increased during the second half of the 20th century (Leech et al.: 2009: 99). need to represents the obligation as being in the best interest of the subject and is associated with objectivity (Kastrone 2008: 829; Aijmer 2017: 28) Thus, need to is used to distance the speaker to avoid an authoritarian stance. This trend is a sign of an ongoing democratization (Leech et al. 2009: 270). The results showed that the preferred German translation is müssen (‘must’) (55%) and  the preferred Swedish translation is behöva (‘need’) (47%). ‘Other’ is the second preferred German translation and the third preferred Swedish translation. These results are reflected in the structures translated from German and Swedish. The results indicate that the semantic category of the co-occurring main verb and the co-occurring subject affect translation. Based on these results, it could be said that English, followed by Swedish, is leading the process of democratization. However, further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Äldre personer påverkas ofta av sina anhörigas välbefinnande. Studier visar på att avsaknad av trygghet kan orsaka lidande både för den äldre och dennes anhöriga. Anhöriga känner sig ofta otrygga då deras närstående flyttar in på äldreboende, men trots det finns det begränsat med forskning om hur vårdpersonalen kan hjälpa de anhöriga att känna sig trygga med den nya situationen. Studiens syfte var att beskriva anhörigas upplevelser av trygghetsbehov när deras närstående bor på äldreboende. Studien hade en kvalitativ design med en induktiv ansats. Fyra anhöriga med närstående boende på kommunens äldreboenden intervjuades enskilt. Kvalitativ innehållsanalys användes och resulterade i fyra huvudkategorier: Den närståendes vardag och vård, Personal, Kommunikation och Organisation. Resultatet visade att anhöriga lade stor vikt vid att den omvårdnad och vård deras närstående fick var personcentrerad och av god kvalitet för att kunna känna en trygghet. Personalens kompetens och kontinuitet hade betydelse för trygghetskänslan liksom att anhöriga hade en bra kommunikation med personalen på äldreboendet. Anhöriga lyfte även att organisationens arbete för att ständigt förbättra den omvårdnad som ges ökade deras trygghetskänsla. Sjuksköterskans betydelse och ansvar i att uppfylla anhörigas trygghetsbehov sågs dels i sjuksköterskans omvårdnadsansvar för att vården skulle vara personcentrerad och hålla en god kvalitet. Även sjuksköterskans betydelse i handledningen av personal och förbättringsarbeten inom organisationen för att förbättra kvaliteten av vården framkom. Detta relaterades även till hållbar utveckling där behovet av ett helhetsperspektiv belyses för att kunna uppnå ett hållbart äldreboende och en trygghet hos anhöriga med närstående boende på äldreboende. / A lack of security can cause suffering for older adults and their relatives. Relatives often feel insecure when their older family members move into elderly homes, however there is limited research on what the caregiver can do to help relatives feel a sense of security with the new situation. The aim of this study was to describe the relatives' experiences of their need for security when their older family members lives in elderly homes. A qualitative design was used with an inductive approach. Four relatives with older family members living in elderly homes were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was used and resulted in four main categories: The family members’ daily life and care, Staff, Communication and Organization. The results showed that in order to feel secure the relatives placed importance in that their older family members received person-centred care of good quality. The staff's competence and continuity were important to the feeling of security, as well as that the relatives had good communication with the elderly home’s staff. Relatives also emphasized that the organisation's work to continuously improve the care provided increased their sense of security. The registered nurse's importance in meeting relatives' need for security was seen in the care of the older family members and in the supervision of staff and conduction of improvement work within the organization. Related to sustainable development, there’s a need for a holistic perspective in order to achieve sustainable elderly homes for elderly family members and to achieve security for relatives.

<div>This study aimed to identify if data and analytics are, or can be, meaningfully and extensively used for improving efficiencies in project management. The research problem was addressed using a survey, involving capture, collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative (and some quantitative) data obtained from industry practitioners of project management.</div><div><br></div><div>The study was completed in two important parts. First was the laying of groundwork which involved questionnaire planning and design to ensure coverage, completeness, relevance, usefulness, and logical (and where pertinent, statistical) validity of the answers for performing analysis and drawing inferences. The second part was the actual analysis of the survey results, and compilation of the research details into this written report with a conclusion (my M.S. thesis). </div><div><br></div><div>The survey was mainly in the form of multiple-choice questions, along with two free form text boxes to glean additional insights from comments and notes that structured questions with fixed choices for answers could not have easily elicited.</div><div><br></div>

This thesis argues that events in the postcolonial novel We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo can be viewed as traumatic based on three different aspects; witnessed trauma, transgenerational trauma and cultural trauma. In addition, the thesis provides pedagogical implications and analysis of the novel’s usefulness in the Swedish EFL classroom. What is argued in this essay is that cultural clashes, mourning of home country and lacking of expressive opportunities affect the protagonist’s identity formation. The protagonist’s experiences from and reflections on her home country versus her new one are the focal point of this essay; to prove that belonging to the diaspora is a traumatic, ongoing, event that affects the individual and collective identity process negatively, depicted in the novel. Lastly, the novel’s potential in the EFL classroom is claimed to contribute with insight, understanding and acceptance towards cultural “others” in the Swedish society.

Wood has in several ways become a sought after material, much thanks to the materials advantages from a sustainability point of view. There are several indicators that this will continue and that the competition of the raw material will increase. The efficient utilization of raw materials is considered central, both from a societal perspective but also for the individual company, which can increase their profitability with a well considered wood. The complexity of the raw material puts great demand on knowledge and logistics to achieve an efficient utilization. This study is a case study that investigates the requirements of the wood for the production of pine parquet at the parquet producer Berg &amp; Berg. To clarify the consumers need, a literature study about the customer preferences about floor has been carried out. To be able to develop a descriptive model on which timber best meets the requirements, from production as well as the customers’ needs, a literature study about pines wood property has been done. This examines how the wood properties vary within logs, between individual trees and between stands. In addition, a description is made of how the raw material is handled by the forest and sawmill industry with the help of literature studies. The wood properties that are important for the customer when buying flooring is the visual appearance in which an even distribution of knots is the most desirable. Dry knots create problems with rework in the production. The most suitable wood is obtained from stands with a lower site index. It’s the middle part of the trunk that meets the requirements for an even knot structure with a larger green-knot zone with a lower proportion of juvenile wood. A one-sided focus on increased volume and lower production costs in forestry and sawmill industry, as well as information barriers between different players in the production chain, makes it more difficult to efficiently utilize the raw material where a more customer oriented range is received. With good knowledge about wood properties, a simple tree model can be derived. For a producer, the tree model can simplify the communication with wood suppliers to obtain a more customer oriented wood.

Online shopping has gained more and more popularity over the years, naturally, leading to an increase in the number of e-commerce websites. From a variety of websites users can choose the one that best suits their needs depending on different factors, such as information or easy navigation. E-commerce websites have the aim to sell, thus besides providing information and easy navigation other strategies such as persuasion are implemented on the website to increase its selling performance. Some of the well-known persuasive design factors and how they influence user’s purchase behaviour will be discussed in this study. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects of persuasive design factors on purchase intention, as well as to assess the effect of the need for cognition as a user condition on the relationship. Based on the literature review, a theoretical framework is proposed to accomplish the aim of the thesis. For the empirical evidence, a quantitative approach was taken, with the help of two online questionnaires (one with persuasive factors and one without persuasive factors). A non-probability convenience sampling approach was used for gathering data. The results of the study provide evidence that using persuasive design factors on an e-commerce website can increase the likelihood of purchase intention. The findings do not conclude the mediating role of attitude towards using the website, yet a relationship between attitude and purchase intention was found. The moderating effect of need for cognition was not established.