<p>Social workers in this study describes various experiences of the assessments of interventions for children and adolescents. Social workers experience of the many different situations where an assessment of best effort must be made on the basis of BBIC, which is the Social Services investigation records. To make this assessment, the Social workers need social assistance and support of their colleagues and manager. Knowledge mixed with experience is also an important part when it comes to being professional and not let emotions control that could otherwise be happened when the social worker meets and builds relationships with clients. Social workers are also those who will decide which achievement the client needs from the needs. We use systems theory, Hasenfeld´s theory of human services organizations  and Lipsky´s grassroots bureaucrats to analyze how social worker work with clients of different experiences, knowledge and some of their own personal values for the various operations. The efforts in our work we have examined is traditional familycare and MTFC (Multi dementional Treatment Foster Care), we have found that there are different arguments for different actions, but the assessments are made virtually the same assessment model. There are requirements that govern the operation of which is matched with the objectives and resources administration. Social worker also believes that social work is a game where we do not know how the results will be.</p>

Denna fallstudie undersöker utvärderingens praktik inom ett offentligt finansierat scenkonstprojekt. Med en hermeneutisk ingång och abduktiv ansats studeras olika betydelser av begreppet utvärdering inom ramen för det system, som på initiativ av Dramaten&amp;, möjliggjorde scenkonstprojektet Nationalismens Apostlar 2014. Analysen grundar sig på intervjuer och textmaterial. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten är tvärvetenskaplig med betoning på utvärderingsmetodik, kulturpolitisk forskning och Arts Management. Uppsatsens huvudargument är att ett scenkonstverk som Nationalismens Apostlar bäst förstås som ett organisatoriskt resultat av flera aktörer i samverkan. Kommunikationen mellan dessa aktörer blir avgörande för att senare kunna bedöma betydelsen och värdet av det enskilda scenkonstverket. / This case study is an exploration of different understandings of the evaluation process in a publicly funded performing arts project. With a hermeneutics entrance and abductive approach different meanings of evaluation is studied within the system that enabled the project Nationalismens Apostlar at the Swedish National Theatre 2014. The analysis is based on interviews and text material. The theoretical starting point is interdisciplinary with emphasis on Evaluation Methodology, Cultural Politics and Arts Management. The main argument presented in the thesis is that a peforming arts project as Nationalismens Apostlar must be understood as a result of different actors in an organisational context. The communication between these different actors is subsequently vital to define the meaning and value of the final artwork.

Varje dag förlorar åtta barn en förälder i Sverige. En större del av dem bevittnar detta efter en förälders sjukdom och kanske en kontakt med palliativ sjukvård. 2010 kom en ny lagändring i Hälso- och sjukvårdslagen som kräver att sjukvården särskilt ska beakta barnens behov av råd, stöd och information i samband med en förälders sjukdom eller om en förälder avlider. Det förekommer kunskapsbrister om hur läget kring stöd för barn som har förlorat en förälder ser ut. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur kuratorer inom palliativ sjukvård upplever sitt arbete med stöd till barn i samband med en förälders död. I en kvalitativ intervjustudie med fyra kuratorer som jobbar inom palliativ sjukvård kom det fram att de upplever sin roll i arbetet som bestående av många olika moment. Kuratorerna uppmärksammar barnet i dess sociala sammanhang, till exempel familj och skola och försöker se till att stödet därifrån fungerar. Detta görs genom att till exempel ge föräldrastöd till föräldrarna och att försöka informera föräldrarna att det gynnar barnens utveckling att de görs delaktiga och informeras. Att hänvisa till vidare kontakter som gruppverksamheter för barn i sorg eller dylikt är också en viktig del av kuratorers arbete. Kuratorernas arbete präglas av ett systemteoretiskt förhållningssätt/en helhetssyn vilket kan vara ett sätt att handskas med den komplexitet som arbetsuppgifterna innebär: att uppmärksamma barnens men även familjens behov i olika sammanhang och på olika nivåer. Vissa problemområden, till exempel motsättningen mellan barnens behov av information/delaktighet och föräldrars rätt att bestämma över sina barn har identifierats och inbjuder till vidare diskussion. / Eight children loose one of their parents every day in Sweden. The bigger part of them witness the death of the parent after a long-term illness and maybe after being in contact with the palliative care. The Swedish law of Health- and Healthcare was changed in 2010 due to emphasize that the healthcare institutions have to take into account children rights for information, counseling and support in case of a parental illness or death.  Knowledge about how the system of support for these children is functioning is limited until this day. The goal of this thesis is to examine how counselors in the palliative care experience their work with supporting the children who have lost a parent. The result of the interview study with four counselors in the palliative care implies that these counselors experience their job being complex with many different tasks. The counselors try to take into account the children and their needs in their social environments, such as family and school. To reassure that they get the support needed from these environments the counselors try to support the parents in their parenting and also by informing the parents that informing and including the children in these situations has a positive impact on their development. Another important part of the counselors’ job is referring the children to different support groups or another alternatives for support. The counselors job is characterized by the system theoretical/holistic approach which possibly can by explained as a way to work with children but even parental needs in different social environments and on different levels. Some new problematic issues arose from the interviews, such as the contradictive relationship between the children rights to information and support and the rights of the parents to decide for their children, which invites to further discussion and research in the area.

Introduction: This is a two years master's thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies. The purpose of this thesis was to critically examine discourses of sustainable cultural tourism, and how different sustainability dimensions and ideals can coexist and be applied in practice. The starting point was a case study of the World Heritage Site “The Hanseatic town of Visby”, where the relationship between the conservation and the availability of the world heritage site was investigated. The research questions that were formulated were which actors and agendas that cooperate in the production of sustainable heritage tourism, how global and national guidelines for sustainable cultural tourism correspond to the local development work of the Visby world heritage city, which are the prominent discourses in the documents on sustainable heritage tourism in the world heritage city of Visby and how they are described as well as whether there is opposition between the conservation and the availability of cultural heritage, and what potential solutions to such opposition can look like. Theory: Prior to the study, previous research on sustainability, sustainable heritage tourism and the world heritage site Visby has been studied and used as a springboard for the thesis research questions. The theoretical perspectives that were used in the analysis consisted of theories regarding sustainable tourism, posthumanism, system theory and authorized heritage discourse, AHD. Method: The method chosen for the study was Laclau &amp; Mouffes discourse analysis. This enabled a closer examination of the development plans and documents on sustainable heritage tourism produced by local, national and global actors. This was complemented with short interviews with thirteen stakeholders. Results and analysis: The result and analysis showed that several different actors and agendas are involved in the production of sustainable heritage tourism. However, there are difficulties in letting all actors get their voices heard and being part of the decision-making process, such as the local population, which are often disregarded. In addition, interaction between different actors could get better with more clearly defined areas of responsibility. The result also showed that, in particular, the concepts of sustainability and sustainable develop-ment were used in the documents about the development of the world heritage city of Visby, but the concept of sustainable heritage tourism was rarely used. The Swedish National Heritage Board and the region of Gotland are currently working on developing sustainable tourism strategies. At present, however, there is unclear correspondence between global guidelines and local application, where it is up to the municipalities to interpret and apply Unesco’s guidelines themselves, which may be difficult since the guidelines are quite general and vague. The study also showed that there are three clear discourses in the documents about sustainable heritage tourism. Under the overall discourse of sustainable tourism in Visby there is an ecological discourse, an economic discourse and a social discourse. In all documents, sustainable tourism is described as consisting of three discourses, but there is great freedom of interpretation in the use of the term. The discourses are also prioritized and described differently in different documents. Conclusion: The study's conclusion is that there are both oppositions and solutions. Both documents and interviews show that there are oppositions between ecological, economic and social interests in a place like the world heritage site in Visby. At the same time, there are also various suggestions for how the different dimensions can coexist and the actors were generally optimistic. Basically, it is about finding a balance between conservation and accessibility, taking into account both contemporary and future interests. Suggested solutions are to work further with information and knowledge, improve interaction between different actors, work with conservation-based development, productize heritage, better interaction with the local society, develop creative industries in historical buildings, and include visitors in the conservation work. However, most voices agree that the issue is difficult and complex and requires more knowledge and research.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate Feedback-Informed Therapy (FIT) (Miller &amp; Bertolino, 2015) in the form of the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and Group Session Rating Scale (GSRS) scales when used in network therapy within the social services. The study is quantitative and is based on collected ORS and GSRS forms from 10 network therapies, including 94 people. The material is collected by network teams in four municipalities in Sweden; Norrköping, Enköping, Gothenburg and Botkyrka. The protagonists have completed an ORS on three occasions during the treatment period; before, during and after. The closest relatives, mainly parents, have made parallel estimates on the same occasions. In each network therapy, a network meeting and a follow-up network meeting have been held. All participants have completed a GSRS after the meetings. Of the study participants, 38% estimated a Clinical Significant Change in ORS after the network therapy. 50% estimated a positive change that did not exceed the limit of clinical significance. 12% estimated a small deterioration. In the cases of a Clinically Significant Change or major change, the meeting participants at the network meetings have estimated high on the GSRS (36.5 in the first meeting and 37.1 in the second meeting. In those cases with a small positive change or decrease, the participants have estimated lower on the GSRS (33.5 in first and 31.8 in others). The results indicate that network therapy gives a good effect if measured with ORS and that this effect appears early in the treatment. The study also indicates that the limit value for GSRS does not appear to be lower in Network Therapy than in other group therapy. Furthermore, the study points out that the network therapies that have network meetings with balance from the different sectors in the protagonist's life provide the best results both on the GRSR and ORS. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka Feedback-informerad terapi (FIT) (Miller &amp; Bertolino, 2015) i form av skattningsskalorna Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) och Group Session Rating Scale (GSRS) när de används i nätverksterapi inom socialtjänsten. Studien är kvantitativ och utgår från insamlade ORS- och GSRS-formulär från 10 nätverksterapier som inkluderat 94 personer. Materialet är insamlat av nätverkslag i fyra kommuner i Sverige: Norrköping, Enköping, Göteborg och Botkyrka. Studiedeltagarna har fyllt i en ORS-skattning vid tre tillfällen under behandlingstiden; före, under tiden och efter. De närmast anhöriga, oftast föräldrar, har gjort parallella skattningar vid samma tillfällen. I varje nätverksterapi har det hållits ett nätverksmöte och ett uppföljande nätverksmöte. Samtliga deltagare har fyllt i en GSRS efter mötena. Av studiens deltagare skattade 38 % en klinisk signifikant förändring (KSF) på ORS efter nätverksterapin. 50 % skattade en positiv förändring som inte översteg gränsen för klinisk signifikans. 12 % skattade en försämring. I fallen med en klinisk signifikant förändring eller stor förändring har mötesdeltagarna på nätverksmötena skattat högt på GSRS (36,5 i första mötet och 37,1 i andra mötet. I de fall med liten positiv förändring eller minskning har deltagarna skattat lägre på GSRS (33,5 i första och 31,8 i andra). Resultaten pekar på att nätverksterapi ger god effekt om man mäter med ORS och att denna effekt visar sig tidigt i behandlingen. Studien pekar också på att gränsvärdet för GSRS inte verkar ligga lägre i Nätverksterapi än i annan gruppterapi. Vidare pekar studien på att de nätverksterapier som har nätverksmöten med balans från de olika sektorerna i huvudpersonens liv ger bäst resultat både på GRSR och ORS.

<p>Den här uppsatsen är en studie om föräldrar och föräldraskap. Vårt syfte med studien är att se hur företrädare för två instanser gör bedömningar av föräldrar som anses brista i sin omsorgsförmåga. De valda instanserna är en myndighetsinstans och en utförarinstans. Våra frågor i studien är: hur beskriver de nämnda organisationerna ett gott föräldraskap/ föräldraförmåga? Vilka faktorer vägs in i bedömningen av föräldraförmågan? Vilka riktlinjer/ arbetsmodeller utgår organisationerna ifrån? I vilken utsträckning samverkar organisationerna kring stöd och bedömning? Det här är en empirisk studie, där vi har intervjuat företrädare för två instanser, totalt fyra grup-per. Vi har använt hermeneutisk tolkning för att se på det empiriska materialet. Vår analys är grundad utifrån systemteori, intersektionalitet och samverkansteori. Begreppen vi undersökt är gott föräldraskap och tillräckligt bra. Synen på begreppet tillräckligt bra/ good enough varierade beroende på om de var på svenska eller engelska. Överlag är gott föräldraskap när den känslo-mässiga och fysiska omsorgen står i relation till barnets behov. Resultatet som vi kommit fram till är att dessa två instanser har samsyn kring de begrepp som vi undersökt. Vidare beskriver denna studie förutsättningarna för samverkan samt betydelsen av att sträva mot ett gemensamt språk. Vår slutsats är att dessa begrepp, framförallt tillräckligt bra, är väldigt subjektiva och att det är svårt att skriva ner kriterier. Detta beror på att det handlar om människor. Vidare visar denna studie även att instanserna samverkar med varandra kring männi-skor. I diskussionsdelen beskrivs det socialpedagogiska förhållningssättet som inkluderar det salutoge-na perspektivet, intersektionalitet och empowerment.</p> / <p>This paper is a study about parents and parenting. Our purpose with this study is to see how rep-resentatives from two authorities make valuation of parents that lack parenting skills. The chosen authorities are an authority and one performer of task. Our questions are: defined by the authori-ties – what do good parenting mean? Which factors are considered in an assessment of parents? What kind of guidelines/ work models do the organisations have? To what extent do these two authorities collaborate around support and assessment? This is an empirical study, were we have interviewed representatives from two authorities, in total four groups. We have used hermeneutic interpretation to look at the empirical material. Our analy-sis is built on the system theory, intersectional analysis and collaboration theory. The terms we examined were good parenting and good enough. The view of the term good enough depended on if the term was in Swedish or in English. Overall, good parenting is when the emotional and physical care is in relation to the needs of the child. The result we found was that these two authorities share the same view on the terms that we ex-amine. Further on we describe the condition for collaboration and the meaning of reaching for the same “language”. Our conclusion is that these terms, especially good enough, is very subjective and that it´s hard to write down criteria’s. This because it´s all about people. This study also shows that the authorities work together around people. In the discussion describes the social pedagogues’ approach that includes a salutogen perspective, intersectional analysis and empowerment.</p>

The thesis consists of an introduction and four appended papers. In the introduction we give an overview of pulse-modulated systems and provide a few examples of such systems. Furthermore, we introduce the so-called dynamic phasor model which is used as a basis for analysis in two of the appended papers. We also introduce the harmonic transfer function and finally we provide a summary of the appended papers. The first paper considers stability analysis of a class of pulse-width modulated systems based on a discrete time model. The systems considered typically have periodic solutions. Stability of a periodic solution is equivalent to stability of a fixed point of a discrete time model of the system dynamics. Conditions for global and local exponential stability of the discrete time model are derived using quadratic and piecewise quadratic Lyapunov functions. A griding procedure is used to develop a systematic method to search for the Lyapunov functions. The second paper considers the dynamic phasor model as a tool for stability analysis of a general class of pulse-modulated systems. The analysis covers both linear time periodic systems and systems where the pulse modulation is controlled by feedback. The dynamic phasor model provides an $\textbf{L}_2$-equivalent description of the system dynamics in terms of an infinite dimensional dynamic system. The infinite dimensional phasor system is approximated via a skew truncation. The truncated system is used to derive a systematic method to compute time periodic quadratic Lyapunov functions. The third paper considers the dynamic phasor model as a tool for harmonic analysis of a class of pulse-width modulated systems. The analysis covers both linear time periodic systems and non-periodic systems where the switching is controlled by feedback. As in the second paper of the thesis, we represent the switching system using the L_2-equivalent infinite dimensional system provided by the phasor model. It is shown that there is a connection between the dynamic phasor model and the harmonic transfer function of a linear time periodic system and this connection is used to extend the notion of harmonic transfer function to describe periodic solutions of non-periodic systems. The infinite dimensional phasor system is approximated via a square truncation. We assume that the response of the truncated system to a periodic disturbance is also periodic and we consider the corresponding harmonic balance equations. An approximate solution of these equations is stated in terms of a harmonic transfer function which is analogous to the harmonic transfer function of a linear time periodic system. The aforementioned assumption is proved to hold for small disturbances by proving the existence of a solution to a fixed point equation. The proof implies that for small disturbances, the approximation is good. Finally, the fourth paper considers control synthesis for switched mode DC-DC converters. The synthesis is based on a sampled data model of the system dynamics. The sampled data model gives an exact description of the converter state at the switching instances, but also includes a lifted signal which represents the inter-sampling behavior. Within the sampled data framework we consider H-infinity control design to achieve robustness to disturbances and load variations. The suggested controller is applied to two benchmark examples; a step-down and a step-up converter. Performance is verified in both simulations and in experiments. / QC 20100628

Den här uppsatsen är en studie om föräldrar och föräldraskap. Vårt syfte med studien är att se hur företrädare för två instanser gör bedömningar av föräldrar som anses brista i sin omsorgsförmåga. De valda instanserna är en myndighetsinstans och en utförarinstans. Våra frågor i studien är: hur beskriver de nämnda organisationerna ett gott föräldraskap/ föräldraförmåga? Vilka faktorer vägs in i bedömningen av föräldraförmågan? Vilka riktlinjer/ arbetsmodeller utgår organisationerna ifrån? I vilken utsträckning samverkar organisationerna kring stöd och bedömning? Det här är en empirisk studie, där vi har intervjuat företrädare för två instanser, totalt fyra grup-per. Vi har använt hermeneutisk tolkning för att se på det empiriska materialet. Vår analys är grundad utifrån systemteori, intersektionalitet och samverkansteori. Begreppen vi undersökt är gott föräldraskap och tillräckligt bra. Synen på begreppet tillräckligt bra/ good enough varierade beroende på om de var på svenska eller engelska. Överlag är gott föräldraskap när den känslo-mässiga och fysiska omsorgen står i relation till barnets behov. Resultatet som vi kommit fram till är att dessa två instanser har samsyn kring de begrepp som vi undersökt. Vidare beskriver denna studie förutsättningarna för samverkan samt betydelsen av att sträva mot ett gemensamt språk. Vår slutsats är att dessa begrepp, framförallt tillräckligt bra, är väldigt subjektiva och att det är svårt att skriva ner kriterier. Detta beror på att det handlar om människor. Vidare visar denna studie även att instanserna samverkar med varandra kring männi-skor. I diskussionsdelen beskrivs det socialpedagogiska förhållningssättet som inkluderar det salutoge-na perspektivet, intersektionalitet och empowerment. / This paper is a study about parents and parenting. Our purpose with this study is to see how rep-resentatives from two authorities make valuation of parents that lack parenting skills. The chosen authorities are an authority and one performer of task. Our questions are: defined by the authori-ties – what do good parenting mean? Which factors are considered in an assessment of parents? What kind of guidelines/ work models do the organisations have? To what extent do these two authorities collaborate around support and assessment? This is an empirical study, were we have interviewed representatives from two authorities, in total four groups. We have used hermeneutic interpretation to look at the empirical material. Our analy-sis is built on the system theory, intersectional analysis and collaboration theory. The terms we examined were good parenting and good enough. The view of the term good enough depended on if the term was in Swedish or in English. Overall, good parenting is when the emotional and physical care is in relation to the needs of the child. The result we found was that these two authorities share the same view on the terms that we ex-amine. Further on we describe the condition for collaboration and the meaning of reaching for the same “language”. Our conclusion is that these terms, especially good enough, is very subjective and that it´s hard to write down criteria’s. This because it´s all about people. This study also shows that the authorities work together around people. In the discussion describes the social pedagogues’ approach that includes a salutogen perspective, intersectional analysis and empowerment.

The purpose of this thesis is to reach a deeper understanding of how boundary spanners are bridging boundaries between uniformed bureaucratic organisations and their environment, characterised by demanding conditions. The main part of this thesis is based upon empirical data gathered through 71 interviews with Swedish civil and military informants from several uniformed organisations. Four articles have been included in this thesis in order to address the overarching aim. The results show that boundary spanners are crucial to the adaption of uniformed organisations to demanding conditions. A number of aspects that are included in the process of organisational adaption have been identified. One of the tasks is to balance between structuring and improvisation where much is at stake. The other task is to create confidence among the involved actors and contribute in different ways to create a sense of symmetry between partners. Finally, the third task for boundary spanners is to recognise improvised roles such as spontaneous links in order to maintain stressful conditions and bridge a gap in the bureaucratic organisation.  The present thesis contributes to sociological theory of emotions, disaster management and military studies through a common denominator, namely the demanding context. Taken together, the findings increase awareness of how organisations act towards their environments and how individuals, especially boundary spanners, adapt the organisation to its environment. For leaders and managers, it is important to make decisions, provide mandates and authorisation, as well as invest confidence in boundary spanners. The hierarchical chain may remain in existence, but it can be made shorter and more transparent through this kind of knowledge. / BAKSIDESTEXT: Organisational adaption to the environment is a complex area of research, necessitating enquiry into how such adaption may take place. The purpose of this thesis is to reach a deeper understanding of how boundary spanners are bridging boundaries between uniformed bureaucratic organisations and their environment, characterised by demanding conditions such as disasters and war. The main body of the thesis is based upon interviews with Swedish civil and military informants. The results show that boundary spanners are crucial to the adaption of uniformed organisations to demanding conditions. Their tasks involve balancing between structuring and improvisation, creating confidence among the involved actors and recognising improvised roles such as spontaneous links in order to maintain stressful conditions and bridge a gap in the bureaucratic organisation.  Taken together, the findings increase awareness of how organisations act towards their environments and how individuals, especially boundary spanners, adapt the organisation to its environment. For leaders and managers, it is important to make decisions, provide mandates and authorisation, as well as invest confidence in boundary spanners. The hierarchical chain may remain in existence, but it can be made shorter and more transparent through this kind of knowledge. The present thesis contributes to sociological theory of emotions, disaster management and military studies through a common denominator, namely the demanding context.

Inom grossistbranschen associeras distributionen med svårigheter så som många kunder, små godsvolymer per kund och krav på korta ledtider. Många kunder kräver dessutom leveranser inom vissa tidsfönster. Dessa faktorer ställer höga krav på logistiken och skapar behov om hög leveransservice. Inom transportbranschen råder idag generellt en relativt låg datormognad. Sedan tidigare finns avancerade digitala informationssystem tillgängliga för inköp, ordermottagning och lagerkontroll. Utvecklingen går dock mot att även logistik- och transportavdelningarna i större utsträckning börjar använda sig av mer avancerade transporttekniska hjälpmedel. Exempel på sådana är ruttoptimeringsprogram som kan användas för att beräkna optimala körvägar. Servera R&amp;S är en restauranggrossist som har ett antal lager utspridda i Sverige. Då deras kundkrets i stockholmsområdet under senare år blivit allt större har även antalet lossningsplatser ökat drastiskt. Godset till dessa förses från lager placerade i Norrköping och Västerås. Godset från Norrköping samlas och packas om i en terminal i Årsta innan det transporteras vidare till kunderna i Stockholm. Servera R&amp;S efterfrågade en analys av deras distribution i Stockholm. Detta för att undersöka om nuvarande distributionsstrategier är kostnadseffektiva. Syftet var att finna möjliga förändringar i verksamheten som skulle kunna medföra förbättringar för distributionen till kunder i Stockholm. Målet innefattade att finna förbättringsförslag som skulle innebära ett bättre användande av distributionsnätverkets resurser, minskade transportkostnader och ökad leveransservice. Inledningsvis genomfördes en nulägesanalys för att kartlägga arbetsmetoder och tillvägagångssätt vid distributionen. Utifrån intervjuer och enkätundersökningar skapades sedan en modell av distributionen i vilken det verkliga trafikarbetet efterliknades. Denna användes vid simuleringar i ett ruttoptimeringsprogram med syftet att påvisa förbättringsmöjligheter. Under analysfasen studerades distributionsprocessen och simuleringsresultaten med målet att ta fram förslag på förbättringar och annorlunda tillvägagångssätt vid terminalhantering och transport. Studien visar att det i distributionsprocessen finns stora möjligheter för förbättringar gällande terminalhantering och godstransporter. Ruttoptimeringen påvisar stora besparingsmöjligheter gällande transporttid, antalet körda kilometer och antalet använda fordon i distributionsarbetet. Simuleringsresultaten visar exempelvis en minskning av den totala transportsträckan med upp till 30 procent. Då transportsträckan står i direkt relation till transportkostnaderna skulle en sådan minskning innebära reducerade kostnader för distributionen. / Within the wholesale sector, the distribution is often associated with difficulties, such as many customers and a requirement for short lead times. A lot of customers also demand delivery within certain time windows. These factors all contribute to a high level of strain on the logistics. In general, the amount of computer usage within the transportation industry is relatively low. However, advanced information systems are available for order handling and inventory management, and a lot of software for distribution planning and vehicle routing have surfaced as of recently. These often combine digital maps and optimization algorithms, and can be used for calculating optimized routes within the distribution. Servera R&amp;S is a wholesale company with a number of warehouses in different parts of Sweden. As of lately, their clientele in Stockholm has expanded, and the number of delivery points have increased drastically. The customers in Stockholm are provided with goods from warehouses in Norrköping and Västerås. The goods from Norrköping passes through a transfer terminal in Årsta before it is delivered to the customer in Stockholm. Servera R&amp;S is requesting an analysis of their distribution in Stockholm. They want to determine whether their distribution strategies are economically effective or not. Within this study, we aim to analyze different distribution strategies, which may or may not result in improvements of the efficiency of the distribution process. The purpose is to find solutions that better use the recourses of the distribution network (i.e. vehicles and personnel etc.), increase the level of delivery service and reduce the transportation costs. A survey analysis was carried out to map work methods and procedures within the distribution process. Interviews and surveys were used in the process of creating a basis for the optimization tool. Simulations were performed in an attempt to demonstrate the possibilities for decreasing distribution costs through the use of a vehicle routing program. During the analysis, the distribution process and the results from the simulations were studied with an aim to find possible improvements in the way that goods and information are handled within the warehouses and during the transports. The study shows a lot of possibilities for improvements within the distribution process. The route optimization prove a potential for decreasing costs regarding transportation time, distances and the number of vehicles used within the distribution. For example, the simulations show that the distances can be decreased with as much as 30 percent.