Syfte: Det övergripande vetenskapliga syftet med denna avhandling att nå en ökad förståelse om samverkansprocesser. Ansats och metoder: Studien har bedrivits genom deltagarorienterad aktionsforskning inom hälso- och sjukvården i Hässleholm. Aktörer på verksamhetsfältet har strävat efter att utveckla samverkan för att tillsammans kunna utveckla närsjukvård. Forskningen har genererat kunskap utifrån lokala omständigheter att tjäna som underlag för beslut om att genomföra praktiska förändringar i verksamheten. En kombination av olika metoder har använts för att generera empiriskt material, där den huvudsakliga metoden har varit deltagande observationer med dialog. Därutöver har intervjuer och granskning av dokument använts samt en forskningscirkel, som är en speciell metod inom deltagarorienterad aktionsforskning. Studien har haft en hermeneutisk ansats och tolkningar har gjorts med stöd av olika teoretiska perspektiv och modeller. Kurt Lewins fältteori har utgjort en övergripande teoretisk ram för studien. Resultat: En ökad förståelse om den studerade samverkansprocessen kunde nås genom att beskriva och tolka skeenden som antogs ha påverkat utvecklingen av samverkan. Processen beskrevs både utifrån vertikal och horisontell integrering inom och mellan organisationer. Beskrivningen innefattade komponenter som fanns både inom arbetsprocesser och sociala processer. Den studerade samverkansprocessen delades in i delprocesser där var och en del innehöll en viss typ av aktivitet som genomfördes för att stödja utvecklingen av samverkan. Två olika strategier för utvecklingen av samverkan identifierades och illustrerades genom olika modeller: den linjära hierarkiska modellen respektive den dynamiska modellen. Den sistnämnda utvecklades genom aktionsforskningen. Slutsatser:I ett första skede bedrev deltagarna på fältet samverkan med stöd av den linjära hierarkiska modellen. Denna modell utgör ett tankeschema där samverkan utvecklas i en linjär hierarkisk process. Politiker fattar beslut, chefer planerar och professionella genomför aktiviteterna. Modellen utgår ifrån ett konsensusteoretiskt perspektiv där konflikter betraktas som störande element. Det innebar i detta fall att aktörer inom olika domäner och organisationer undvek varandras olika föreställningsvärldar varpå samverkansprocessen stötte  på hinder i utvecklingen. Aktionsforskningen intervenerade i processen genom arrangera kommunikationsarenor med deltagare från olika domäner och organisationer. Samverkan utvecklades på så sätt utifrån den dynamiska modellen. Denna modell innehåller antaganden om att samverkansprocesser är dynamiska och har sin utgångspunkt i ett konfliktteoretiskt perspektiv där konflikter betraktas som naturliga i processen. / Objective: The general scientific objective of this thesis is to reach a greater understanding of processes of collaboration. Design and methods: The study was conducted through participatory action research within the health services of Hässleholm, Sweden. The people involved, who were participants of different activities related to health care, aimed at developing their collaboration in a collective attempt to facilitate the development of an integrated local health care. Based on local circumstances and perspectives, the research has generated knowledge on which future decisions on how to implement practical changes can be made. A combination of various methods was used to generate empirical material, where the main method was participant observation with dialogue. In addition, interviews and document reviews were conducted as well as the use of collaborative inquiry, which is a specific method within participatory action research. The study was conducted according to a hermeneutic approach and interpretations were supported by various theoretical perspectives and models. Kurt Lewin's field theory constituted a general theoretical frame of reference for the study. Results: By describing and interpreting the course of events that were presumed to have an impact on the development of collaboration, a greater understanding of the observed collaboration process was achieved. The process was described in terms of vertical as well as horizontal integration within and between organisations. This description included components that were present in work processes as well as social processes. The observed collaboration process was divided into sub-processes, each of them containing a certain type of activity that was performed in support of the development of collaboration. Strategies for development of collaboration were identified and illustrated by different models: the linear hierarchical model and the dynamic model. The latter was developed through action research. Conclusions: At an initial stage, collaboration among the participants in the field was supported by a linear hierarchical model, which constitutes a mind map where collaboration is developed in a linear hierarchical process. Politicians make decisions, managers make plans and professionals implement activities. The model emanates from a consensus theoretical perspective, where conflicts are regarded as disruptive elements. In this case, participants from various domains and organisations avoided the different conceptual worlds of one another, which led to impediments in the developments of the collaboration process. The action research made it possible to intervene in the process by arranging communication arenas with and for participants from the different domains and organisations. Thus, collaboration came to evolve from a dynamic model, which includes the assumption that collaboration processes are dynamic and is based on a conflict theoretical perspective, where conflicts are regarded as natural aspects of the processes.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recently, Participatory action research (PAR) has become a common approach to social programmes in South Africa. This tendency has created a need to evaluate this kind of programmes to determine if it really achieves what it sets out to do. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an entrepreneurial skills training programme in a rural community where a participatory action research approach was followed. A literature review was undertaken to present an in-depth look into the body of literature that surrounds the study. Programme evaluation was discussed as a research design, including types and stages of evaluation. The concept of empowerment was investigated. The review also included a study of literature on PAR, especially the definitions, context and process of PAR. The role of entrepreneurship in rural development was also investigated as well as the evaluation of entrepreneurial skills training programmes. An entrepreneurial skills training programme was implemented in the rural town of Darling on the West Coast of South Africa. The PAR approach was followed in the implementation of the study that was conducted over a period of 15 months. Participants joined the programme that included different projects, voluntarily. The participants were divided into three groups according to their period of participation in the programme. The researcher facilitated actions as well as reflection meetings with the group of participants before and after the entrepreneurial skills training course. The researcher made field notes during the implementation of the programme. The participants' empowerment status was measured with a standardized questionnaire using a pre-test-post-test design. The participants' application of the entrepreneurial skills that were taught in the course was measured during semi-structured interviews at the end of the research perico. four case studies document the extremes of the respective outcomes of the programme, namely empowerment and entrepreneurship. Statistical analysis showed statistically significant improvements in the micro, macro and total empowerment scores of the total group. Looking at the three groups separately, group one showed statistically significant improvements on the micro and interface levels and group two on the micro level. Even though group three showed small improvements on all three levels, none of them were statistically significant. Data from the field notes wer:e analyzed according to the PAR concepts of participation, action and reflection. Participation mostly had a collaborative nature; action was aimed at economical change and reflection aimed at practical problem solving. The interviews revealed that 20 of the 24 participants had micro baking businesses at the end of the research period and they succeeded in the short-term goal of applying the skills that were taught in the course. The case studies showed no correlation between the participants' application of entrepreneurial skills and the changes in their empowerment status. The findings of the study suggest that the longer participants participate in a PAR programme, the bigger the improvement in their empowerment status will be. Monitoring of the implementation revealed that the study fell short of the "ideal type" of PAR, since participation was not yet collegiate. Actions were only effective in economic change and not in social transformation. Reflection resulted in limited critical self-awareness among the participants. The PAR approach has proven to be successful in the attainment of the short-term goals of an entrepreneurial skills training programme. The long-term sustainability of the entrepreneurs' businesses will have to be followed-up by further research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die afgelope tyd is deelnemende aksie navorsing (DAN)'n algemene benadering tot sosiale intervensie programme in Suid-Afrika. Hierdie tendens het 'n behoefte laat ontstaan om hierdie tipe programme te evalueer om te bepaal of dit werklik die program doelwitte bereik. Die doel van hierdie studie was om 'n entrepreneursvaardighede opleidingsprogram in 'n landelike gemeenskap waar die DAN-benadering gevolg is, te evalueer. 'n Literatuuroorsig is onderneem om die konseptueie raamwerk wat vir die studie saamgestel is, te kan beredeneer. Programevaluering, insluitende tipes and stadia van evaluering, is bespreek as 'n navorsingsontwerp. Die konsep van bemagtiging is ook bestudeer. Die oorsig het 'n ook studie van literatuur oor DAN ingesluit, veral definisies, die konteks en die proses van DAN. Die rol van entrepreneurskap in landelike ontwikkeling is 00~ ondersoek sowel as die evaluering van opleidingsprogramme gemik op die ontwikkeling van entrepreneursvaardighede. 'n Entrepreneursvaardighede opleidingsprogram is in 'n landelike dorpie, Darling, aan die Weskus van Suid-Afrika geïmplementeer. Oor 'n periode van 15 maande is die DAN-benadering in die implementering van die program gevolg. Deelnemers het vrywillig by die program wat uit verskillende projekte bestaan het, aangesluit. Die deelnemers is na aanleiding van hul tydperk van deelname in die program in drie groepe verdeel. Die navorser het aksies sowel as refleksie byeenkomste met die groep deelnemers voor en na die entrepreneursvaardighede opleidingskursus gefasiliteer. Die navorser het veldnotas tydens die implementering van die program gemaak. Die deelnemers se bemagtigingstatus is gemeet met 'n gestandaardiseerde vraelys terwyl 'n voor-en-na-toets ontwerp gevolg is. Die deelnemers se toepassing van die entrepreneursvaardighede wat in die kursus geleer is, is tydens semigestruktureerde onderhoude aan die einde van die navorsingsperiode gemeet. Vier gevallestudies dokumenteer die uiterstes van die onderskeidelike uitkomste van die program, naamlik bemagtiging en entrepreneurskap. Statistiese analise het statisties betekenisvolle verbeteringe in die mikro, makro en totale bemagtigingsvlakke van die totale groep getoon. Afsonderlik gesien, het groep een statisties betekenisvolle verbeteringe op die mikro en tussenvlak getoon en groep twee net op die mikrovlak. Alhoewel groep drie klein verbeteringe op al drie vlakke getoon het, was geen van die verbeteringe statisties betekenisvol nie. Data van die veldnotas is volgens DAN konsepte, naamlik deelname, aksie en refleksie geanaliseer. Die deelnemers en die fasiliteerder se deelname het meestal In samewerkende aard gehad, aksie was gemik op ekonomiese verandering en refleksie was gemik op praktiese probleemoplossinq. Die onderhoude het aangetoon dat 20 van die 24 deelnemers aan die einde van die navorsingsperiode In mikro bakbesigheid gehad het en dat hulle daarin geslaag het om die korttermyn doelwit, naamlik die toepassing van die vaardighede wat in die kursus geleer is, te bereik. Die gevallestudies het geen korrelasie getoon tussen die deelnemers se toepassing van entrepreneursvaardighede en die veranderinge in hulle bemagtigingstatus nie. Die studie se bevindinge dui daarop dat hoe langer deelnemers aan In DAN-program deelneem, hoe groter sal die verbetering in hulle bemagtigingstatus wees. Die monitering van die implementering van die program het laat biyk dat die studie tekort skiet in vergelyking met die "ideaaltipe" van DAN, want die deelname was nog nie korporatief nie. Aksies was net suksesvol in ekonomiese verandering en nie in sosiale transformasie nie. Refleksie het tot beperkte kritiese "selfbewustheid" by die deelnemers gelei. Dit blyk dat die DAN-benadering suksesvol was om die korttermyn doelwitte van In entrepreneursvaardighede opleidingsprogram te bereik. Die langtermyn volhoubaarheid van die entrepreneurs se bakbesighede sal met verdere navorsing opgevolg moet word.

Grappling with the success of their business ventures and coping with the rise in number of new products FifeX was working on, operating out of their shared office in the St Andrews Technology Centre, the co-founders were feeling more ‘cramped’ than ever before. The decision was made to relocate. Although it was felt to be long overdue, much to their relief they finally moved to larger premises in Tayport in July, 2006. The activity of moving was a starting point for a number of place making activities. Using the case of FifeX, this thesis explores the process of place making. It seeks to understand place making from ‘inside’ the activity of place making itself. The guiding research question in this thesis is, what happens -during place making- when people move into ‘new’ business premises? More specifically, this thesis asks the following questions: (i) what are the comparative advantages / disadvantages of the alternative ways of explaining place making? and (ii) which theory or combination of theories, has greater explanatory value in analysing place making / moving? The study, which uses FifeX as an empirical setting is best described as an in-depth qualitative narrative exploration, and thus narrates the unfolding processes of deciding to relocate, relocating, moving and place making. Three different theoretical perspectives (control, engagement, polyphony) were applied, each in turn, to three separate (yet interrelated) instances of place making (a story about a wall, one about chairs, and one about a worktop) in order to cast fresh light on the constitutive talk-entwined-activities of place making. The study demonstrates that although efforts to control space may dominate the discourse and activities of place making, control only explains some of what happens during place making. The findings of the case suggest that place is the outcome of inhabitants’ ongoing experiences and understanding. This thesis argues that alternative theoretical perspectives (engagement and polyphony) are better at explaining what goes on. But because they do not operate ‘naturally’ within the dominant paradigm, it is noted that an alternative practice-based perspective is needed which combines the effectiveness of engagement and polyphony, with the attractiveness of control. A model is presented to help reflect on place making which provides an alternative route for thinking about relocating, moving, and place making that is expected to create engagement and polyphony in a decent way. The proposed model is centred on thinking directed toward: (i) individual place, (ii) inside space, and (iii) what story(s) the space tell outsiders. The focus is on balancing the tensions that emerge from dialoging on these three aspects of space and place.

The globalized food system poses many systemic challenges that have significant impacts on the environment and human health. In order to tackle these challenges, especially those relating to climate change, it is assumed that consumers need to be accountable for the role they play in these issues, requiring them to alter their harmful consumption habits. In terms of the food system, this means that people need to evolve into ethical consumers and become more invested in what and how much they eat, where it comes from, etc . However, throughout the literature and in policies, there remains a focus on altering what people buy, rather than reducing waste from their overconsumption. Reducing waste and consumption would have a more beneficial impact for the environment, human health, and urban sustainability, yet it remains secondary to the narrative of buying sustainable alternatives. A waste reduction narrative would encourage sustainable behaviours that would also be more accessible to households of various socioeconomic backgrounds, and would provide more tangible results in terms of money saved, reduced greenhouse gases and waste output, and increased sustainability. However, food consumption is the result of many ingrained daily food practices influenced by a multitude of factors that prevent people from consciously considering the consequences of their actions. Food consumption and waste management as a phenomenon can therefore be interpreted using Social Practice Theory (SPT), which states that all humans act autonomously and according to social norms. This means that practices are recursive and routinized, subject to change, yet somewhat unconscious. All practices lead to consumption in some way, and changing such deeply embedded routines to become more sustainable requires a full understanding of these deeply entrenched practices. Practices can be broken down into three main components that drive how practices are formed and maintained:materials, competences, and meanings. This project uses mini-ethnographic studies to highlight SPT in order to understand the factors (contextual, materials, competences, and meanings) influencing households in Edmonton, Canada as they navigate the current sustainability narrative, and how they approach sustainable food consumption and food waste management. The results from this study lend some insight into what materials, competences, meanings, and other factors drive people already somewhat aware of sustainable food consumption issues to practice such types of behaviour. These influential elements have been found in many other recently published works, and give further insight into how broad external factors and specific internal factors can drive consumption practices. Prevention and reduction behaviours were already somewhat prevalent in this group. It is important that education programs targeting sustainable food consumption behaviours understand what drives certain food related practices, and how they can target the barriers that prevent certain groups of people from adopting more sustainable habits.

Participants in administrative proceedings with emphasis on participation in proceedings conducted according to the Building Act The Master thesis deals with a topic of participants of administrative proceedings, in which participation in proceedings conducted according to the Building Act is strongly emphasized. The author chose this topic because the participants in proceedings are irreplaceable procedural parties of every administrative proceedings without their existence no administrative proceedings could be conducted, and therefore they form an integral part of administrative proceedings next to administrative authority. The meaning of statutory legal regulation is to guarantee participants in proceedings mutually equal position and rights to prove a claim sufficient in administrative proceedings. The thesis introduces contemporary interpretative and application conclusions altogether with their gradual development and it evaluates in which way these conclusions brought about solutions and in which way conversely there were disputable questions in consequence of these conclusions. The Master thesis is divided into two basic parts dealing with definition of the circle of participants in proceedings according to the Administrative Act and participation in administrative proceedings conducted...

Cette thèse porte sur le travail des comptables à travers la production des évaluations actuarielles de la comptabilité à la juste valeur. L’observation directe de leur activité quotidienne au moyen d’une observation participante, permet d’en saisir les conditions erratiques peu étudiées par les recherches comptables. Les résultats obtenus permettent de proposer une première formalisation conceptuelle des conditions de la préparation des comptes dans les organisations, mêlant acteurs, outils et contextes. En donnant toute leur place aux préparateurs des comptes dans l’étude de la communication financière, nos contributions suggèrent de questionner les représentations dominant la recherche comptable. Nos résultats décrivent comment certaines des qualités communément attribuées (neutralité, fidélité, …) à la comptabilité sont d’une importance discutable et l’assimilation de la communication financière à un conflit d’agence difficile. / This thesis reports a study of accountants’ everyday work. Direct observation of their daily work through participant observation allows showing erratic terms understudied by accounting research. Contributions are drawn upon financial accounting and organizing as well. I propose a preliminary conceptual formalization of the preparation of accounts in organizations, combining actors, tools and contexts. By giving enough importance to preparers in the study of financial reporting, our contributions question dominant representations in financial accounting research. Our results describe how some of the qualities commonly attributed to financial statements (neutrality, loyalty ...) are of questionable importance and how reducing financial reporting to an agency conflict is difficult.

Low-income affordable housing remains an issue for the town on Martha's Vineyard where this study was conducted, in which an estimated 54% of low-/moderate-income households spend more than 50% of monthly income on housing. Using Schneider and Ingram's work regarding the social construction of target populations as the foundation, the purpose of this qualitative research was to assess how the perceived social standing and political power contributed to determining the benefits and burdens allocated to the town's low-income households. Data for this study consisted of 14 individual semistructured interviews with members of low-income households who were seeking or in affordable housing. The research concentrated on the obstacles and reactions the low-income households experienced in the quest for affordable housing. Data were coded and analyzed using a value coding procedure followed by thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from the research: a perception by the participants of not being valued in the community and a lack of attention by town leadership to their affordable housing struggles; a self-reliance to find affordable housing; and coping strategies by renting bedrooms with shared kitchen and living areas or resorting to a 9-month lease and being displaced during the summer tourist season. The research illuminated the low-income community's housing experiences and perceptions, thereby helping town leaders to form housing policy and make fiscal decisions. The implications for positive social change include recommendations to town leadership to examine incentivizing homeowners to offer affordable rentals, investigating congregate housing solutions, and developing multifamily affordable housing for the town's low-income households.

Det finns en föreställning om att organisationer kan styras av texter. Denna föreställning ligger till grund för hur organisationer i allmänhet styrs, och har fått särskilt stort genomslag i den offentliga sektorn. Polisorganisationen är inget undantag, utan ett bra exempel på en offentlig organisation som är tänkt att styras av texter. Polisers arbete skall styras av särskilt många texter, till exempel lagar, regleringsbrev, verksamhetsplaner och handlingsplaner. En orsak till det är att polisarbete bland annat handlar om att hantera samhällets legitimerade användning av våld. Polisarbetets vardagliga praktik handlar emellertid om att hantera fler krav än de som uttrycks i texter. Förutom i texter ställs krav på polisarbetet också av chefer, poliser och medborgare. Med utgångspunkt i det vardagliga polisarbetet diskuteras i den här avhandlingen hur poliser hanterar många - och ofta motstridiga - krav uttryckta av många kravställare. I avhandlingen argumenteras för att polisarbetet normeras - det vill säga normer som styr den dagliga praktiken formas - i det vardagliga småpratet mellan poliser. I det småpratet undersöks handlingsutrymme och sanktioner kopplade till olika krav och det bestäms hur poliser bör förhålla sig till krav och kravställare. Att polispraktiken normeras i det vardagliga småpratet mellan poliser utmanar den klassiska bilden av hierarkier - där textproducenter med hjälp av texter och chefer antas normera polisarbetet. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi es l'estudi de la transferència d'energia per radiació. Per aquest motiu, s'ha estudiat la fenomenologia bàsica de la transferencia de calor per radiació. Tenint en compte el tipus d'equació que descriu aquesta transferència d'energia, aquesta tesi esta encarada als metodes numèrics que ens permetran incorporar la radiació en els nostres càlculs. Donat que aquest és el primer treball d'aquestes característiques en el grup de recerca CTTC ("Centre Tecnològic de Transferència de Calor"), està limitat a geometries senzilles, cartesianes i cilíndriques. En el capítol 1 s'exposa una breu introducció a la transferència d'energia per radiació, i una explicació de les equacions que la governen. Es tracta de l'equació del transport radiatiu, formulada en termes dels coeficients d'absorció i de dispersió, i l'equació de l'energia. També s'indica quan cal tenir en compte aquest fenòmen, i a més a més, es defineixen totes les magnituds i conceptes que s'han utilitzat en aquesta tesi. També es dóna una breu descripció d'algunes simplificacions que es poden fer a les equacions governants. El mètode de les radiositats s'explica en el capítol 2. També s'hi descriu un procediment numèric que permet calcular els factors de vista en geometries amb simetria cilíndrica, i es presenten resultats obtinguts amb el mètode descrit. Tot i que aquest capítol està una mica deslligat de la resta de la tesi, l'algoritme ideat per tractar geometries tridimensionals amb un temps computacional molt proper al de geometries bidimensionals, sense un increment de memòria apreciable, dóna uns resultats prou bons com per formar part de la tesi. El mètode de les ordenades discretes (DOM) es detalla en el capítol 3. L'aspecte més important d'aquest mètode es l'elecció del conjunt d'ordenades per integrar l'equació del transport radiatiu. S'enumeren quines propietats han d'acomplir aquests conjunts. S'hi explica amb detall la discretització de la equació del transport radiatiu, tant en coordenades cartesianes com en cilíndriques. Es presenten també alguns resultats ilustratius obtinguts amb aquest mètode. En el moment en que es vol resoldre un problema real, cal tenir present que el coeficients d'absorció pot dependre bruscament de la longitud d'ona de la radiació. En aquesta tesi s'ha considerat aquesta dependència amb especial interés, en el capítol 4. Aquest interès ha motivat una recerca bibliogràfica sobre la modelització aquesta forta dependència espectral del coeficient d'absorció. Aquesta recerca s'ha dirigit també a l'estudi dels diferents models numèrics existents capaços d'abordar-la, i de resoldre la equació del transport radiatiu en aquestes condicions. Es descriuen diversos mètodes, i, d'aquests, se n'han implementat dos: el mètode de la suma ponderada de gasos grisos (WSGG), i el mètode de la suma de gasos grisos ponderada per línies espectrals (SLW). S'hi presenten també resultats ilustratius.S'han realitzat multitud de proves en el codi numèric resultant de l'elaboració d'aquesta tesi. Tenint en compte els resultats obtinguts, es pot dir que els objectius proposats a l'inici de la tesi s'han acomplert. Com a demostració de la utilitat del codi resultant, aquest ha estat integrat en un codi de proposit general (DPC), resultat del treball de molts investigadors en els darrers anys. Aquesta esmentada integració permet la resolució de problemes combinats de transferència de calor, analitzats en els capítols 5 i 6, on la radiació s'acobla amb la transferència de calor per convecció. La influència de la radiació en la transferència total de calor s'estudia en el capítol 5, publicat a la International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, volum 47 (núm. 2), pàg. 257-269, 2004. En el capítol 6, s'analitza l'efecte d'alguns paràmetres del mètode SLW en un problema combinat de transferència de calor. Aquest capítol s'ha enviat a la revista Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, per què en consideri la publicació. / The main objective of the present thesis is to study the energy transfer by means of radiation. Therefore, the basic phenomenology of radiative heat transfer has been studied. However, considering the nature of the equation that describes such energy transfer, this work is focussed on the numerical methods which will allow us to take radiation into account, for both transparent and participating media. Being this the first effort within the CTTC ("Centre Tecnològic de Transferència de Calor") research group on this subject, it is limited to simple cartesian and cylindrical geometries.For this purpose, chapter 1 contains an introduction to radiative energy transfer and the basic equations that govern radiative transfer are discussed. These are the radiative transfer equation, formulated in terms of the absorption and scattering coefficients, and the energy equation. It is also given a discussion on when this mode of energy transfer should be considered. In this chapter are also defined all of the magnitudes and concepts used throughout this work. It ends with a brief description of some approximate methods to take radiation into account.The Radiosity Irradiosity Method is introduced in chapter 2. In this chapter it is also described a numerical method to calculate the view factors for axial symmetric geometries. The main results obtained in such geometries are also presented. Although a little disconnected from the rest of the present thesis, the algorithm used to handle "de facto"' three dimensional geometries with computation time just a little longer than two dimensional cases, with no additional memory consumption, is considered worthy enough to be included in this work.In chapter 3, the Discrete Ordinates Method (DOM) is detailed. The fundamental aspect of this method is the choice of an ordinate set to integrate the radiative transfer equation. The characterization of such valuable ordinate sets is laid out properly. The discretization of the radiative transfer equation is explained in etail. The direct solution procedure is also outlined. Finally, illustrative results obtained with the DOM under several conditions are presented.In the moment we wish to solve real problems, we face the fact that the absorption and scattering coefficients depend strongly on radiation wavelength. In the present thesis, special emphasis has been placed on studying the radiative properties of real gases in chapter 4. This interest resulted on a bibliographical research on how the wavenumber dependence of the absorption coefficient is modeled and estimated. Furthermore, this bibliographical research was focussed also on numerical models able to handle such wavenumber dependence. Several methods are discussed, and two of them, namely the Weighted Sum of Gray Gases (WSGG) and the Spectral Line Weighted sum of gray gases (SLW), have been implemented to perform non gray calculations. Some significant results are shown.Plenty of tests have been performed to the numerical code that resulted from the elaboration of this thesis. According to the results obtained, the objectives proposed in this thesis have been satisfied. As a demonstration of the usefulness of the implemented code, it has been succesfully integrated to a general purpose computational fluid dynamics code (DPC), fruit of the effort of many researchers during many years. Results of the above integration lead to the resolution of combined heat transfer problems, that are analyzed in chapters 5 and 6, where radiative heat transfer is coupled to convection heat transfer. The effect of radiation on the total heat transfer is studied in chapter 5, which has been published as International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, volume 47 (issue 2), pages 257--269, year 2004. In chapter 6, the impact of some parameters of the SLW model on a combined heat transfer problem is analyzed. This chapter has been submitted for publication at the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer.

Ragnarök Online en plats på nätet, ett online-spel, där människor från hela världen möts och samverkar. Det är i detta möte personer emellan som den virtuella miljön Ragnarök Online skapas. Målet med denna uppsats är att visa på hur människor interagerar i, och skapar denna plats på nätet. Varför spenderar folk tid i virtuella miljöer? Är det annorlunda att agera i en virtuell miljö? Dessa är några av de frågor vi kommer att möta i texten. Detta kommer vi att göra tillsammans med invånarna i Ragnarök Online, med dem kommer vi att slåss, jaga och göra hattar. Tillsammans kommer vi att utforska den virtuella miljön av Ragnarök Online. / Ragnarök Online a place on the net, an online game, where people from all over the world meet and interact. In this meeting the virtual environment of Ragnarök Online is created. Because it’s in the meeting between people this virtual place is founded. The goal of this essay is to show how people interact in, and create this place on the net. Why do people spend time in virtual environments? Is it any different to act in a virtual environment? These are some of the questions we will meet in the text. This we will do together whit the inhabitants of this place, we will fight, hunt and make hats ­­– together we will explore the virtual environment of Ragnarök Online.