Total Cost of Purchasing at Duni AB: Development of a Cost Model

BACKGROUND Through global competition with possibilities for companies to set up production and to secure supply from all over the world the role of purchasing has increased within businesses. In order to achieve business results, a well-working purchasing department plays an important part. To contribute, the purchasing function should not only focus on getting the cheapest price possible, but to take part in shaping strategic directions for their corporation. PROBLEM Duni AB and the business area Meal Service has recognized opportunities in developing their sourcing work by bringing a wider cost focus into their work. By this, they think that they could identify cost saving areas and validate that they make the right decisions based on more aspects than they are doing today. The main objective was therefore to develop a cost model including multiple cost elements besides the purchasing price. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to create a cost model that Duni Meal Service can use in sourcing and economic life cycle decisions, showing a holistic view of the total cost of purchasing. METHOD Since the objective was to develop and deliver a purchasing cost model to Duni Meal Service a constructive research approach was applied. The focus was on bridging theory and practice and an interview study was held at the principal company, to gain practical knowledge and insight. This together with the theoretical framework, created from our literature studies, worked as a foundation in the analysis and the development of the cost model, as well as for further recommendations given to Duni. THEORY Purchasing Management was investigated, including theory about supplier selection and cross-functional integration. Literature about trade companies was also sought for, since this thesis is limited to traded goods at Duni. In addition, a section of Purchasing Measurements was added since it was mentioned that this might be one of the background issues at Duni. Furthermore, a set of purchasing cost models have been researched and presented. These models are Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Activity-based Costing (ABC), Landed Cost and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). When the cost models were studied the objective was to find information regarding the following areas: general information, cost elements and cost drivers, applications and success factors. These areas were then summed up and discussed in order to find some patterns in the literature. EMPIRICAL DATA All empirical data collection was made at the principal company, Duni, by interviewing a lot of employees from various functions and at different levels in the business. The focus areas in the interviews were the same as during the literature review: general information, cost elements and cost drivers, applications and success factors. The interviews were mainly held with people from the business area Meal Service or from the Supply Chain department, including the warehouse and logistic functions. ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION Some conclusions were made when comparing the theory with the empirical data in order to find the best possible solution for Duni. It was decided which cost elements and cost drivers to involve in the cost model development and it was also analyzed which the typical application areas of the cost model should be. It was clear that the theory and empirical data were aligned at many areas but the scope of this thesis did not suit all of the studied cost models. THE COST MODEL To fit the needs at Duni Meal Service a Duni specific cost model was created. However, this cost model has almost all the same characteristics as a Landed Cost model and can be seen as a limited version of it. The cost model covers the stages from the point where Duni takes over the ownership of a product from the supplier, via the inbound logistics into the warehouse, and then all parts of the warehousing. Outbound logistics is not involved. The cost model should be used in various sourcing decisions as well as product life cycle decisions such as phase in or phase out decisions. The cost model was created in Excel and along the cost model a user guide and a model manual was developed. Also further guidelines and recommendations were provided in order to successfully implement and maintain the cost model at Duni. Some of the recommendations were that they need to work more cross-functional at Duni in general and that they should align the KPIs to the corporate strategy and take actions accordingly, based on the information provided by the cost model.BAKGRUND På grund av att företag idag har möjlighet att konkurrera globalt genom att flytta produktionen utomlands och att säkra leveranser ifrån alla världens hörn har också inköpsfunktionens roll förändrats. För att nå företagets uppsatta mål är det viktigt att ha en välfungerande inköpsfunktion som jobbar effektivt. Inköpsfunktionen bör inte enbart fokusera på att uppnå det billigaste möjliga inköpspriset, utan också bidra i de strategiska beslut som påverkar hela företaget. PROBLEM Meal Service, som är ett affärsområde inom Duni AB, har identifierat en möjlighet att utveckla deras inköpsarbete, genom att börja arbeta med ett bredare kostnadsfokus. Genom detta, hoppas de kunna identifiera fler kostnadsbesparingsmöjligheter samt ta bättre inköpsbeslut som grundar sig i fler aspekter än vad de använder sig av idag. Därför har huvudsyftet med detta projekt varit att utveckla en kostnadsmodell som även inkluderar kostnadselement utöver inköpspriset. SYFTE Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en kostnadsmodell som Duni Meal Service kan använda I inköpsbeslut samt beslut rörande en produkts ekonomiska livscykel, genom att visa en holistisk bild av den totala kostnaden av ett inköp. METOD Eftersom syftet med denna studie var att utveckla och leverera en kostnadsmodell för inköp hos Duni Meal Service, användes en konstruktiv forskningsmetod. Fokus låg på att länka samman teori och praktik och en intervjustudie gjordes på Duni för att få praktisk förståelse och insikt. Tillsammans med det teoretiska ramverket som skapades genom litteraturstudier, låg detta till grund för analysen och utvecklandet av kostnadsmodellen. Även de framtida rekommendationer som har getts till Duni baserades på den empiriska och teoretiska kunskapen. TEORI Inköpsfunktionens olika delar har undersökts, innefattande teori om leverantörsval och tvärfunktionell integration. Även litteratur gällande handelsföretag eftersöktes eftersom att denna studie är begränsad till inköp av färdigt gods. Det lades också till en sektion om mätsystem för inköp eftersom att detta hade nämnts som ett av de bakomliggande problemen på Duni. Vidare undersöktes och presenterades några kostnadsmodeller för inköpsaktiviteter. Dessa modeller är: Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Activitybased Costing (ABC), Landed Cost och Life Cycle Costing (LCC). När dessa studerades var målet att hitta information inom de följande områdena: generell information, kostnadselement och kostnadsdrivare, tillämpningar och framgångsfaktorer. Dessa områden summerades sedan upp och diskuterades för att se om det fanns något mönster i litteraturen. EMPIRISK DATA All insamling av empirisk data gjordes hos uppdragsgivaren, Duni, genom att hålla intervjuer med anställda från olika funktioner och nivåer inom företaget. Fokusområdena under intervjuerna var desamma som under litteraturstudien: generell information, kostnadselement och kostnadsdrivare, tillämpningar och framgångsfaktorer. Intervjuerna hölls framförallt med personer inom affärsområdet Meal Service samt inom Supply Chain-avdelningen, inklusive lager- och logistikfunktionen. ANALYS & SLUTSATSER Under analysen av det teoretiska ramverket och den empiriska datan, med syfte att hitta den bästa tänkbara lösningen för Duni, kunde några slutsatser dras. Det bestämdes vilka kostnadselement och kostnadsdrivare som skulle involveras i utvecklandet av kostnadsmodellen och det undersöktes också vilka tillämpningsområden modellen framförallt skulle fungera för. Det var tydligt att teorin och den empiriska datan överensstämde på många områden men ramarna för den här studien lämpade sig inte för alla de studerade kostnadsmodellerna. KOSTNADSMODELLEN För att passa behoven på Duni Meal Service utvecklades en Duni-specifik kostnadsmodell. Dock har denna modell stora likheter med en Landed Cost-modell och kan betraktas som en begränsad version av en sådan. Den utvecklade modellen innehåller stegen ifrån det att Duni tar över ägandeskapet för en produkt, vidare genom den ingående logistiken in i lagret, och slutligen alla delar av lagerhållningen. Utgående logistik till kund ifrån lagret är inte inräknat. Kostnadsmodellen ska användas i olika inköpsbeslut samt i produktlivscykelbeslut såsom infasning och utfasning. Kostnadsmodellen skapades i Excel och tillhörande användarguide och modellmanual utvecklades också. Vidare riktlinjer och rekommendationer gavs också till Duni för att modellen ska kunna implementeras och bibehållas på ett framgångsrikt sätt. Några av rekommendationerna var att de generellt behöver arbeta med tvärfunktionellt på Duni samt att de ska se till att de länkar samman sina KPIer med företagsstrategin och tar beslut därefter, baserat på information som fås ur kostnadsmodellen.Professional purchasing should look beyond the purchase price and include more aspects in order to take strategic purchasing decisions. Aligning purchasing to the corporate strategies will play an important role for achieving business results. This is what the sourcing team within Duni Meal Service had in mind for this project. Instead of only focus on getting the lowest purchase price possible they wanted to broaden their purchasing cost perspective. Therefore the purpose with this thesis was to develop a cost model that Duni Meal Service can use in sourcing and economic life cycle decisions, showing a holistic view of the total cost of purchasing. To fulfill this purpose, a purchasing cost model was created. The cost model will provide the sourcing team within Duni Meal Service with information about the total cost of a purchase. The model will calculate the total cost based on a number of input parameters filled in by the users. By altering these input parameters the user will see how the total cost vary. Thus, the cost model can for example be used to compare two potential suppliers. Given their different offers, the cost model will show how the total cost will differ between them. By comparing the total cost with the sales estimation, the cost model will also give a direct indication on whether the deal is profitable or not. Moreover, the sourcing team within Duni Meal Service will now have a tool in hand to support purchasing decisions. The cost model will also make sure they make these decisions based on a holistic view of the cost situation, being aware of potential trade-offs. The information provided by the model can also be used to take economic life cycle decisions on already existing products in the assortment. The cost model will show if a product is profitable or not and thus, support a decision about phasing out a product from the assortment. Other actions for a non-profitable product could be to increase the sales price or reduce the cost in potential areas. Regardless of what actions Duni Meal Service will take on the outcome, the cost model brings transparency. Together with the holistic view of the true cost situation the cost model will hopefully help to increase the cross-functionality at Duni as well. The users of the cost model will gain better understanding for how their decisions affect other parts of the supply chain, and thereby other departments at Duni. That awareness will probably improve the collaboration and that will in turn increase the employees’ knowledge for the holistic picture. With gained knowledge and better communication the cross-functional work will be improved. The conclusion is that the cost model will help to increase the cross-functional work, but that will in turn have a positive impact on the outcome of the cost model. This virtuous circle will benefit the employees to make the most suitable decisions for the whole organization. In order to develop a purchasing cost model suitable for the needs at Duni, empirical data was gathered through an interview study. The interviews were held with several employees within different departments at Duni. By spreading over a wide range of information sources, the aim was to get a holistic perspective on the situation and issues of today. Theoretical knowledge was also gained by searching through existing literature within the fields of purchasing management, contextual aspects and measuring of purchasing performance. Literature regarding cost management, and in particular purchasing cost models, was also examined. Four, already existing, purchasing cost models were studied and included in the theoretical framework. These were Total Cost of Ownership, Activity-based Costing, Landed Cost and Life-cycle Costing. The theoretical framework lied as a foundation for the continued study but also for the analysis of the empirical findings. When analyzing the findings at Duni with the theory, we found out that the cost model developed specifically for Duni also could be seen as a limited landed cost model. In order to validate the cost model four separate workshops were held with users and other stakeholders, where it was tested and evaluated. Furthermore a sensitivity analysis was conducted, making sure that the cost model was built correctly

Effekt av sederingsrutin och vikt på höftledsröntgen hos hund

The aim of the study was to investigate whether the sedation method had an effect on the screening result for hip dysplasia (HD). Another aspect considered was if the dog’s weight had an impact on the results. This study was a follow up on the results from an earlier study of sedation routines in Swedish dogs. The breeds included in this study were the same as in the earlier one; German shepherd, Bernese mountain dog, Boxer, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Golden and Labrador Retriever. The analyses were based on data provided by the Swedish Kennel Club (SKC), and included information on all dogs in the SKC database of the concerned breeds screened for HD during 2004-2010. The information included age, weight, registration number of the dog and its parents, hip status, clinic, gender, breed and sedation method. HD is a polygenic trait which means that the phenotype is affected by both genes and environmental factors. A dysplastic hip has a poorly fitted hip socket, which often leads to arthritis and suffering in affected dogs. Environmental factors that can have an impact on whether a dog develops dysplasia or not are for example feeding, weight, age at screening and sedation method. The disease is more common in heavy, large breeds than in small ones. The reason for that can be how fast growing the breed is, and also which size and weight it has. How successful the breed club has been in trying to select healthy dogs to decrease the frequency of HD is another reason for certain breeds to be more commonly dysplastic than others. The heaviest and largest breeds in this study, Newfoundland and Saint Bernard, were found to be the ones with highest frequency of hip dysplasia. Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler and Bernese mountain dog were the healthiest ones, regarding hip status, of the breeds included in the study. In 2000, the SKC decided to join the FCI protocol for examination and grading of HD. The FCI grading scale has five classes, A to E, and is commonly used in European countries. The grades A and B means that the dog is free from dysplasia and C, D and E means mild, moderate and severe HD, respectively. For the screening result to be official, the dog must be at least 12 months old. For some giant breeds such as Newfoundland and Saint Bernard the limit is 18 months. Another requirement is that the dog is sedated during the screening procedure. Information on which sedation method that has been used on each individual dog has been recorded by the SKC since 2004. Today the sedation method used is decided by the individual veterinary clinics that the dog owner chooses to use. This means that several sedation methods are in use. In the analyzes sedation methods were divided into six different groups, medetomidine and butorphanol, medetomidine, acepromazine, dexmedetomine and butorphanol, dexmedetomine and “others”. The sedation methods that were used in less than 2 % of the participating dogs were sorted into “others”. The sedation methods works in different ways, but most of them both calm the dog, makes it easy to handle and relaxes its muscles. Acepromazine differs from the others by just calming the dog, but the muscle tonus stays intact. Analyzes showed that dogs that were given acepromazine had a lower risk of being diagnosed with HD than the dogs that had undergone a more heavy sedation. Other factors that might have an effect on the development of HD were also analyzed. The weight of the dog had a significant effect on HD, and a tendency towards a correlation between increasing weight and dysplastic hip joints could be seen. However, dogs with the most severe type of dysplasia, E, deviated from this tendency. Earlier studies suggest that a dog that is given a restricted diet and kept in good condition is more likely to stay healthy and not develop HD. Whether the sex had an impact on the development of HD has been studied earlier with various results. In this study the effect of the sex on HD differed between breeds and no clear pattern could be seen. During the time period that the data was collected the SKC had five different panelists evaluating radiographs. The analyses showed a significant effect of panelist on HD. To be able to adjust for the impact of systematic environmental effects and decrease the prevalence of HD more efficiently, the suggestion is to base the selection on BLUP breeding values rather than on phenotype

Evaluation of function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis

Introduction: Osteoarthritis, the most common joint disease, results in joint pain and limited function. In clinical practice, the array of measurements used to evaluate function are generally restricted to patient-reported outcome measures and performance-based tests, as they do not require special equipment. What these measures are unable to answer is how a given activity is performed. Thus, there may be additional important aspects of function, including examination of movement patterns, which could provide complementary information in the evaluation of function. This thesis evaluates methods used to objectively assess function – e.g., gait patterns, movement strategies, and performance-based function – in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: The studies include 40 individuals with primary knee osteoarthritis scheduled for total knee arthroplasty and a convenience sample of 25 healthy controls matched by age strata to individuals with osteoarthritis. All study participants completed a three-dimensional motion analysis session that rendered measurements of gait patterns and movement patterns used to perform a Sit-to-Stand test. Participants performed three performance-based tests including the Five Times Sit-to-Stand test, the Timed Up and Go test, and the Single Limb Mini Squat test. Participants completed one knee-specific questionnaire and one generic health-related quality of life questionnaire. Perceived pain was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Individuals with osteoarthritis were evaluated within one month prior to total knee arthroplasty and one year after surgery. Controls were evaluated once. Results: In Study I, the overall gait pattern, as represented by the Gait Deviation Index for kinematics and kinetics, was found to be affected on both the painful osteoarthritis limb and the contralateral limb compared to controls. In Study II, one year after surgery, measures of overall gait patterns and performance-based function were found to be improved although not restored to the level of healthy controls. In Study III, individuals reporting improvement in Knee-related Quality of Life displayed improved knee biomechanics during gait, whereas patients reporting small or no improvement in Knee-related Quality of Life remained unchanged one year after surgery despite similar reductions in pain. In Study IV, the body’s Center of Mass was shown to be shifted anteriorly and towards the contralateral limb in individuals with osteoarthritis performing the Five Times Sit-to-Stand test. After surgery, when pain was substantially reduced, Center of Mass trajectories were comparable to those of healthy controls. Conclusions: Alterations in joint loading were associated with both performance-based function and patient-reported outcomes whereas kinematic gait alterations were not associated to either, indicating that clinical outcome measures of function are not aligned with kinematic gait deviations. Based on post-operative changes in Five Times Sit-to-Stand test performance, individuals with considerable gait pattern improvements were identified. However, patient-reported measures of function could not detect differences between individuals improving in performance-based function and those who did not. Nevertheless, improvements in knee flexion-extension range during gait were related to large improvements in Knee-related Quality of Life. The body’s Center of Mass trajectory during the Five Times Sit-to-Stand test was found to be a sensitive and responsive measure of functional compensations typical of knee osteoarthritis pathology

Continuous improvements : how the leader of changes motivates its employees

Företag och organisationer står ständigt inför förändringar på marknaden. För att följa marknadens svängningar och därmed uppnå konkurrensfördelar måste företagen arbeta med ständiga förbättringar. De arbetar då med att effektivisera sina arbetsprocesser och minimera sina kostnader. För att lyckas med ständiga förbättringar måste medarbetarna känna sig motiverade och engagerade inför förändringarna. Problem som kan uppstå vid förändringar är medarbetarnas motstånd. En förändringsagent, den som leder förändringen, måste då arbeta med att få sina medarbetare att finna en motivation och se positivt på förändringen. Syftet med uppsatsen är att ta fram motivationsfaktorer som en förändringsagent kan använda för att få medarbetarnas engagemang vid förändringsprocesser. Detta innefattar även förändringsagentens utövande av ledarskap vid ständiga förbättringar. Avgränsningar har gjorts med avseende på ledaren, det vill säga förändringsagentens position, denne behöver inte ha en högre befattning i företaget utan är tillsatt för att leda en förändring. Motivationsfaktorerna bygger inte på konkreta situationer i företag utan är framtagna för ständiga förbättringsarbeten i allmänhet. Uppsatsen är baserad på en litteraturstudie, där teorier och modeller kring ständiga förbättringar, medarbetare i organisationen, motivation och ledarskap har undersökts och bearbetats. En koppling mellan dessa områden har gjorts, där de viktigaste delarna redovisas i kapitel fyra som två checklistor. Dessa kan användas som hjälpmedel för en förändringsagent i syfte att förbättra motivationen hos de anställda. Slutsatser som dragits är att en förändringsagent måste vara medveten om sina anställdas behov och värderingar samt att tydlig kommunikation är ett viktigt redskap. En ledare som inte har medarbetarna på sin sida kommer att ha svårigheter att få dessa motiverade. Ledarskap och beteende är också av stor vikt vid förändringsarbeten, maktutövandet bör vara aktivt men måttligt och belöningar får inte överanvändas. Feedback är en viktig faktor till att uppnå en bättre arbetsinsats då den anställde får en förståelse för sin presetation och sina resultat.Organizations are constantly facing changes in the market. To follow the market fluctuations and achieve a competitive advantage, businesses need to work with continuous improvements in order to be more efficient in their processes and reduce the costs. To achieve this, the employees must be motivated and committed to change. Problems can arise when employees resist the organizational changes. A leader then must motivate the employees and get them to see positive upon the change. The purpose of this study is to develop motivational factors that a leader of change can use to motivate and engage its employees in a change process. This also includes the leadership behavior in the continuous improvement processes. Demarcation has been made to the leader's position, this person does not necessarily have a higher management position in the company, but has been assigned to lead the change. The motivational factors are presented from a general perspective and are not related to a specific situation. The study is based on a literature review where theories about continuous improvements, employees in the organization, motivation and leadership are studied and presented. The connection between these areas has been made and the most important factors are presented in chapter four as two checklists. The purpose of the lists is to act as a tool for the agent responsible for the change in order to motivate the employees. A conclusion is that the agent responsible for the change must be aware of the employee’s needs and values. Communication is the most important tool. A leader that does not have support from its employees has a difficult task keeping them motivated. The leader’s behavior and leadership is also of great importance while working with changes. The exercise of power should be active but moderate and rewards should not be overused. Feedback is an important factor to achieve a better performance because then the employees get an insight of their performance

Stochastic partial budget analysis of strategies to reduce the prevalence of lung lesions in finishing pigs at slaughter

Ante- and post-mortem inspections of food-producing animals at slaughter are mandatory activities carried out in many countries to ensure public health, animal health, and meat quality. In finishing pigs, lung lesions are the most frequent defects found in meat inspections. It is possible to implement managerial strategies on-farm to reduce the occurrence and spread of respiratory diseases, but such strategies come with additional costs that could impede implementation. This study assessed the economic impact of two strategies aimed at reducing the prevalence of lung lesions in finishing pigs at slaughter by improving the health conditions of the animals during the production cycle. First, a farrow-to-finish pig farm with 355 sows was modeled based on the current standard practice for finishing pig production in Sweden, using economic data, meat inspection data and biological variables from the literature and expert opinions. A partial budget analysis was then performed in which the baseline farm was compared with two hypothetical strategies aimed at reducing the occurrence and spread of respiratory diseases during pig production: (S1) avoiding mixing of litters after weaning and (S2) keeping purchased pregnant gilts separated from sows during gestation, farrowing and lactation. Both these strategies intended to reduce the occurrence of respiratory disease in finishing pigs at slaughter gave an average gain in annual net income (33,805 SEK in S1 and 173,160 SEK in S2, equal to 3,146€ and 16,113€, respectively, at the time of analysis), indicating that both were economically sustainable under the assumed conditions. The impact analysis of the two strategies revealed that the reduced prevalence of lung lesions when adopting one of the strategies was the most influential factor in net benefit change on the farm. Overall, the results suggest that with the increasing prevalence of lung lesions in Swedish pig production (as also observed worldwide in recent years), adopting an effective strategy to decrease respiratory infections will become more relevant and economically beneficial

Proteogenomic analysis of acute myeloid leukemia associates relapsed disease with reprogrammed energy metabolism both in adults and children

Despite improvement of current treatment strategies and novel targeted drugs, relapse and treatment resistance largely determine the outcome for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. To identify the underlying molecular characteristics, numerous studies have been aimed to decipher the genomic- and transcriptomic landscape of AML. Nevertheless, further molecular changes allowing malignant cells to escape treatment remain to be elucidated. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool enabling detailed insights into proteomic changes that could explain AML relapse and resistance. Here, we investigated AML samples from 47 adult and 22 pediatric patients at serial time-points during disease progression using mass spectrometry-based in-depth proteomics. We show that the proteomic profile at relapse is enriched for mitochondrial ribosomal proteins and subunits of the respiratory chain complex, indicative of reprogrammed energy metabolism from diagnosis to relapse. Further, higher levels of granzymes and lower levels of the anti-inflammatory protein CR1/CD35 suggest an inflammatory signature promoting disease progression. Finally, through a proteogenomic approach, we detected novel peptides, which present a promising repertoire in the search for biomarkers and tumor-specific druggable targets. Altogether, this study highlights the importance of proteomic studies in holistic approaches to improve treatment and survival of AML patients.Peer reviewe

Skin Electroporation: Effects on Transgene Expression, DNA Persistence and Local Tissue Environment

BACKGROUND: Electrical pulses have been used to enhance uptake of molecules into living cells for decades. This technique, often referred to as electroporation, has become an increasingly popular method to enhance in vivo DNA delivery for both gene therapy applications as well as for delivery of vaccines against both infectious diseases and cancer. In vivo electrovaccination (gene delivery followed by electroporation) is currently being investigated in several clinical trials, including DNA delivery to healthy volunteers. However, the mode of action at molecular level is not yet fully understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study investigates intradermal DNA electrovaccination in detail and describes the effects on expression of the vaccine antigen, plasmid persistence and the local tissue environment. Gene profiling of the vaccination site showed that the combination of DNA and electroporation induced a significant up-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes. In vivo imaging of luciferase activity after electrovaccination demonstrated a rapid onset (minutes) and a long duration (months) of transgene expression. However, when the more immunogenic prostate specific antigen (PSA) was co-administered, PSA-specific T cells were induced and concurrently the luciferase expression became undetectable. Electroporation did not affect the long-term persistence of the PSA-expressing plasmid. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides important insights to how DNA delivery by intradermal electrovaccination affects the local immunological responses of the skin, transgene expression and clearance of the plasmid. As the described vaccination approach is currently being evaluated in clinical trials, the data provided will be of high significance

Written and oral narration in adults aged 30-80 years: does age affect narration?

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka skriftligt och muntligt berättande hos vuxna personer. Deltagarna bestod av 30 personer i åldrarna 32-79 år. De fick producera två berättelser muntligt under videoinspelning och två berättelser skriftligt, som skrevs på dator, en bildeliciterad och en fri berättelse efter givet tema. De skriftliga berättelserna registrerades i tangentloggningsprogrammet ScriptLog och de muntliga berättelserna transkriberades ortografiskt. Data från samtliga berättelser analyserades utifrån variablerna: antal ord, ord/minut, aktiv skrivtid, total processtid, antal tecken och antal tecken i färdig text. Resultaten visade en negativ korrelation mellan ålder och ord per minut för samtliga berättelser. Den skriftliga bildeliciterade berättelsen genererade flest ord och deltagarna hade störst del aktiv skrivtid under producerandet av fri berättelse. Dessutom behöll deltagarna cirka 90 % av det totala antalet producerade tecken i sina färdiga texter. Att undersöka berättarförmåga hos denna grupp kan bidra till referensdata för framtida forskning gällande berättarförmåga hos olika patientgrupper.This study aimed to investigate written and oral narrative in adults. The participants consisted of 30 subjects aged 32-79 years. They produced one picture elicited and one free narrative, both written and orally. The written narratives were recorded in a keystroke logging program and the oral narratives were transcribed orthographically. Data from all the narratives were analyzed according to: number of words, words/minute, active writing time, total process time, number of characters and number of characters in the final text. A negative correlation was found between age and word per minute for all narratives. The written picture elicited narrative generated the most words and the participants had the largest share of active writing time during the production of free narrative. Participants retained about 90% of the total number of produced characters. Investigating the narrative ability in healthy adults can contribute to reference data for future research regarding narrative ability of various groups of patients

Kost- och munhygienvanor hos en grupp 15-åringar i ett mångkulturellt område : En enkätstudie

Introduktion: Femtonåringar experimenterar mycket med sin livsstil vilket kan påverka den orala hälsan negativt. Studier har även visat att 15-åriga ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund har en ökad kariesförekomst vilket gör det viktigt att få en inblick i ungdomars munhygienvanor och kostvanor. Syfte: Att undersöka kost- och munhygienvanor hos en grupp 15-åringar i ett mångkulturellt område. Frågeställningar: Hur såg 15-åringars kost- och munhygienvanor ut? Fanns det skillnader i 15-åringars kost och munhygienvanor i förhållande till etnisk bakgrund? Fanns det några könsskillnader gällande 15-åringarnas kost- och munhygienvanor? Metod: Kvantitativ enkätstudie där 70 stycken 15-åringar i Mellansverige har deltagit i studien. Resultat: Majoriteten av ungdomarna hade en intagsfrekvens på 1-3 mål utöver huvudmålen. De flesta respondenterna uppgav att de åt/drack godis/läsk några gånger i veckan. Den största törstsläckaren bland respondenterna var vatten. Av populationen borstade 21,5 % endast tänderna en gång per dag. De flesta respondenterna använde approximala hjälpmedel mer sällan än några gånger i månaden. Det kunde inte ses någon stor procentuell skillnad överlag på vanorna gällande kön eller bakgrund. Konklusion: Ungdomarna angav goda tandborstvanor och relativt goda kostvanor. Användande av approximala hjälpmedel var bristfällig och användning av fluorpreparat förekom inte i så hög grad. Frekvensen av godis- och läskintag var högre än rekommenderat