Thèses sur le sujet « Association studie »

Unga Vuxna utanför arbete eller studier är ett fenomen som växer både nationellt- och internationellt vilket gör att det därmed krävs mer forskning för att skapa bättre åtgärder för dessa grupper. Denna studie har visat att konsekvenser som psykisk ohälsa i form av depression och svårigheter med att etablera sig på arbetsmarknaden är förekommande konsekvenser för Unga vuxna utanför arbete eller studier. För denna studie har semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts där tematisering av ämnet har skett. Med hjälp av den metoden har studien kunnat fokusera på ett delområde, konsekvenser i och med att intervjufrågorna förblev de samma för alla tre intervjuerna har en jämförelse i analysen bland svaren kunnat ske i studien. Studiens tre teorier differential association, anomiteorin och stigma har möjliggjort en koppling till lett resultat och diskussion. Denna studie har även påvisat att ytterligare forskning är nödvändig för att få en ökad förståelse över detta fenomen samt för att möjliggöra individuella kartläggningar av barns behov för att sedan kunna tillsätta rätt åtgärd.

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of long term imprisonment on inmates. Our prime interest have ben to identify if eventual effects are considered positive or negative or even a combination of the two. To answer these questions we conducted observations of convicts in a high security prison in Sweden. The collected data were followed by interviews with individuals who have spent considerable time behind bars. We discovered several different behavioral effects whilst conducting our study. Most of them indicated negatively by alienating and suppressing the individual's development, distancing them further away from the community. Inmates tend to alter their behavior substantially when being locked up for longer periods of time in small places with other criminals. Hence their identities change to fit into the environment. Some individuals develop communicational skills to adapt and manage their lifestyle in prison. In general, incarcerated individuals develop special social skills that are crucially needed in prison environment but tend to be redundant in the social community. Key words - differential association, social bonds, communication, identity
Sammanfattning Vi genomförde denna studie i syfte att utreda vilka tänkbara effekter ett långt fängelsestraff skulle kunna ha på den enskilda individen. En aktuell fråga för oss har därför varit huruvida fängelsestraffet genererar positiva eller negativa effekter på den enskilde eller möjligen en kombination av båda. För att undersöka detta har vi genomfört intervjuer och en observation av intagna på en säkerhetsanstalt i Sverige. Vi lyckades utifrån vårt studiematerial identifiera främst negativa effekter vilka indikerade på att individen distanserar sig allt längre ifrån samhället. Klienterna uppvisade bland annat beteenden och identitetsförändringar som riktade sig bort ifrån det rådande samhällets normer. Detta förväntades bero på att de intagna anpassat sig till livet i fängelset och på så sätt ersatt sina sociala färdigheter till den aktuella miljön. Vissa klienter har utvecklat nya sätt att kommunicera på genom den interaktionen som skett med andra intagna. Den kommunikationen symboliserades främst av ett känslolöst och tufft språkbruk vilket krävs för att klara sig på anstalten. Slutsatsen som vi kunnat ta utifrån vår studie är att det förekommer negativa effekter av ett långt frihetsberövande. Däremot konstaterade vi att det behövs mer forskning inom området för att dra konkreta slutsatser. Nyckelord - differentiell association, sociala band, kommunikation, identitet

During recent years, the trend of Swedish students’ negative performance and results in mathematics has been discussed. It is agreed that a change in teaching methods is necessary in order to solve this issue. Thus we found it interesting to take a closer look at an alternative way of teaching. The purpose of this study was to find out what teachers and students associate concrete mathematics with and make a comparison between them. A qualitative method based on interviews was used to reach the purpose. The data was analyzed and the result was that two groups took form: Knowledge and Game.

Both teachers and students agree on the fact that concrete mathematics brings a positive variation into the classroom and motivates the students. Concrete mathematics also contributes with practicing, collaboration and discussions. The most distinctive difference between teachers and students’ associations is their view on knowledge. On one hand the teachers claimed that concrete mathematics contributes with better learning, but on the other hand the students claimed that they learn better or just as well by using workbooks in mathematics. The study also showed that students tended to see concrete mathematics as if it were a game. Based on this result we think that it is important that the teachers have a clear purpose with their teaching methods and make the students aware of their purpose. We claim that this is decisive in order to make the students feel that their activities are meaningful.

Svenska elevers försämrade resultat i matematik har under de senaste åren diskuterats. Ett förändrat arbetssätt i matematik anses ibland vara det som behövs för att vända denna negativa trend. Detta fick oss att vilja titta närmare på ett alternativt arbetssätt. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på vad lärare och elever på högstadiet associerar ett laborativt arbetssätt i matematik med, samt göra jämförelser mellan dessa associationer. För att kunna uppnå syftet genomfördes en kvalitativ undersökning i form av intervjuer. Intervjumaterialet analyserades sedan och de associationer som framkom delades in i två grupper, Lärande och lek.

Både elever och lärare förknippar ett laborativt arbetssätt i matematik med att det leder till variation och ökad motivation. Arbetssättet bidrar, enligt lärarna även till att eleverna kan hjälpa varandra samt att de får träning i att samarbeta och diskutera. Den tydligaste skillnaden är att lärarna associerar ett laborativt arbetssätt som gynnsamt för lärandet, medan eleverna här menar att de lär sig lika bra eller bättre med läroboken. Studien visade även att ett laborativt arbetssätt ofta likställs med lek från elevernas sida. Utifrån detta finner vi det viktigt att lärarna har ett tydligt syfte med laborationerna, klargör syftet för eleverna, samt även följer upp genomförda laborationer. Detta för att undervisningen ska vara meningsfull och utvecklande för eleverna. Risken tror vi annars är att görandet hamnar i fokus på bekostnad av lärandet.

I dagens konkurrensintensiva affärsvärld är företagets varumärke, som innefattar sin identitet, image och rykte, en central faktor för pålitliga och hållbara relationer mellan företaget och deras intressenter. Sponsring har blivit ett användbart arbetssätt som kan förbättra konsumenternas association till företag som traditionell reklam saknar. I tiden ligger också att arbeta med hållbar utveckling, därav används sponsring som ett verktyg inom CSR främst bland börsnoterade svenska företag. Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen om vad som gör sponsring inom arbetet gällande hållbarhet framgångsrikt. Hur sponsring i företagandet blir ett verktyg i arbetet mot hållbar utveckling. Studien är baserad på fyra börsnoterade företag i Sverige som är verksamma inom olika branscher. Tillvägagångssättet var en multipel fallstudie av kvalitativ karaktär. Som teknik för insamling och bearbetning av data var sekundäranalys. En abduktiv ansats används då mer teori efter bearbetning av data behövdes.Vi anser att det idag finns begränsat med forskning som berör den svenska marknaden gällande hur arbetet med CSR-relaterad sponsring bör bedrivas. Därför var vår avsikt att bidra med mer kunskap som kan användas till framtida forskning inom ämnet sponsring. Vårt arbete skulle kunna ligga till grund till företag i Sverige som vill utveckla sitt hållbarhetsarbete via sponsring.Slutsatsen blev en modell som vi anser innehåller de viktigaste faktorerna för att lyckas med sponsring som ett verktyg inom hållbarhetsarbete. Modellen kan både fungera som en vägvisare för verksamheter som vill tillämpa CSR-relaterad sponsring eller som en analysmall när arbetet skall utvärderas.
In today's highly competitive business society, the company brand, which stands for its identity, image and reputation, function as a key factor for reliable and durable relationships between the company and its stakeholders. Sponsorship has become a useful approach that can improve the consumers association to companies that conventional advertising can´t. Working with sustainable development is very much in style at the moment. Sponsorship is therefore commonly used as a tool for CSR among listed Swedish companies. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding to what makes CSR-related sponsorship successful. How sponsorship can be used as a tool while working towards sustainable development. The study is based on four listed companies in Sweden that operates in different industries. The approach we have chosen to take is a multiple-case study design using a qualitative perspective. We have also chosen to collect and process data using the technique of secondary analysis. An abductive reasoning was applied since more theory was needed to process the data collected.We feel that the studies available on the Swedish market today was very limited on the subject regarding how CSR-related sponsorship should be conducted. Therefore our main purpose was to provide more knowledge to be used in future research regarding the area of sponsorship. Our study could function as a guide to companies that want to develop their sustainability efforts through sponsorship.Our conclusion resulted in a model that we believe contain the most important factors to succeed in sponsorship as a tool of sustainability. The model can both act as a guide for companies that want to apply CSR-related sponsorship as well as an analysis template for evaluating existing work.

Till följd av utvecklingen av digitaliseringen har fenomenet Personal Branding växt fram som ändrat dynamiken för konsumentens relation till varumärken. Studien syftar till att öka förståelsen för hur konsumentbeteende påverkas av Personal Brands. Undersökningen bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod där fem ostrukturerade fokusgrupper deltagit, med totalt 18 personer tillhörande urvalsgruppen Digital naturals. Med hjälp av tidigare etablerad varumärkesteori har fyra dimensioner; kännedom, attityd, associationer och identifikation valts ut. Analysen baseras på dessa fyra dimensioner. Resultatet av studien visar att Personal Brands i viss utsträckning påverkar konsumentbeteendet. Konsumentens beteende påverkas olika beroende på i vilken utsträckning de fyra dimensionerna förekommer eller uppfylls.
As a result of the expansion of digitalization, the Personal Branding phenomena has emerged as changing the dynamics of the consumer's relationship with brands. The intent of this paper is to form an understanding of how consumers behavior are influenced by Personal Branding. The study is built on a qualitative research method in which five unstructured focus groups were participating, with a total of 18 individuals all within the selection group Digital naturals. Using previously established brand theory, four dimensions; knowledge, attitude, associations and identification have been selected. The analysis in this study is based on these four dimensions. The study concludes that Personal Brands, to a certain extent, affects consumer behavior. The behavior of the consumer will be influenced differently depending on the extent to which these four dimensions are present or satisfied.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur den ekonomiska prestationen skiljer sig mellan de ideella föreningarna och IdrottsAB som styrs av elitlicensens krav inom fotbollen och ishockeyn. Metod: Vi har i denna jämförande studie använt oss av en kvantitativ metod med en longitudinell design där vi med hjälp av sekundärdataanalys undersökt ideella föreningar och IdrottsAB:s ekonomiska prestationer i utvalda nyckeltal under en femårsperiod. Resultat & slutsats: I denna studie har empirin samlats in genom att beräkna de ideella föreningarnas och IdrottsAB medelvärde på de utvalda nyckeltalen och sedan jämfört dessa resultat mot varandra. Hypotestester har även använts för att se om det fanns någon signifikant skillnad mellan vad de ideella föreningarna och IdrottsAB presterat i de olika nyckeltalen. Vår slutsats var att det inte fanns någon större skillnad mellan de ideella föreningarna och IdrottsAB:s finansiella prestationer men att de ideella föreningarna presterade lite bättre sammantaget.

Allt fler företag börjar engagera sig i viktiga miljöfrågor till följd av den allvarliga klimatkrisen och pandemin har varit en bidragande faktor till detta uppvaknande. Det här är något som är synbart i företags olika marknadsföringskampanjer. Samtidigt växer antikonsumtionsrörelsen och vi börjar se ett bredare intresse för ekovänliga initiativ runt om i världen. Studiens syfte växte fram utifrån båda dessa frågor parallellt. Detta har lett oss till att upptäcka ett gap inom detta fält där vi lagt märke till att tidigare studier huvudsakligen har fokuserat på att förstå varför individer väljer att motstå konsumtion, medan ett fokus på hur antikonsumenter uppfattar marknadsföring, saknas. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att sprida ljus över antikonsumtion och värva en djupare förståelse för antikonsumenters perception av, och association till, olika marknadsföringsstrategier. I denna studie har vi använt oss av attributionsteori som en guide för vår analys av resultatet. Vi har därtill använt oss av en innehållsanalys för att analysera transkriberingen av de semistrukturerade intervjuerna som vi genomförde med antikonsumenter. Resultatet av denna studie visar på att antikonsumenter i sin helhet är skeptiska till alla olika initiativ av marknadsföring. Antikonsumenter tillskriver motiv till företags marknadsföring och associerar i stort sett gröna initiativ till greenwashing. Däremot tenderar antikonsumenter till att ha en mer positiv inställning till green demarketing. Sex olika nyckelkategorier har identifierats och verkar ha en stor betydelse för hur marknadsföring percipieras. Dessa kategorier är – “Kvalitet – viktigare än reklam”, “Marknadsföring skapar onödiga behov”, “Referensgrupper starkare än marknadsföring”, “Transparens – fundamentalt i marknadsföring”, “Skepticism inom CSR-initiativ” och “Cirkulär marknadsföring uppskattas”. Denna uppsats är skriven på svenska.
Many companies are starting to become engaged in environmentally related questions due to the severe climate crisis today, and the pandemic has in fact contributed to this awakening. This is something that is quite remarkable in the marketing campaigns of companies. At the same time, the anti-consumption movement is growing steadily and we are starting to see a broader interest in eco-friendly initiatives all around the world. The purpose of this study grew from the interest of both of these issues simultaneously. This led us to discover a gap in this field where we’ve noticed that previous studies have focused mainly on understanding why individuals choose to withstand consumption, whereas a focus on how anticonsumers interpret marketing, is missing. The purpose of this qualitative study is to shed light on anti-consumption and gain a deeper understanding of anticonsumers’ perception of, and association to, different marketing strategies. In this study we used attribution theory as a guide for our analysis of the result. In addition to that, we have used a content analysis method to analyse the transcriptions of the semistructured interviews we held with anticonsumers. The result of this study shows that anticonsumers are overall sceptical of all different marketing initiatives. Anticonsumers attribute motives to companies' marketing and, broadly speaking, they associate greenwashing to green initiatives. On the other hand, they are more positively inclined towards green demarketing. Six different key categories have been identified and seem to have a broad significance for how marketing is interpreted. These categories are – “Quality – more important than advertisements”, “Marketing creates unnecessary needs”, “Reference groups are stronger than marketing”, “Transparency – fundamental in marketing”, “Skepticism within CSR-initiatives” and “Circular marketing is appreciated”. This essay is written in swedish.

There are several major research papers on accounting choice that intends to explain and analyze how the intangible assets should be classified. However, there are not many theses or major research papers on football clubs and the accounting choice they make when it comes to the accounting of one of their most important assets, their players. This thesis intends to explain and analyze why Swedish football clubs makes the accounting choice that they make. Furthermore, the intentions are to explain the consequences of these choices and find out if that affects the football clubs vision of true and fair view. The methods that will be used for this study is an examination of the financial documents along with interviews. One of the theories in the study is the institutional theory, which explains that organizations in the same industry tend to become more alike. The study has shown that Swedish football clubs are given a choice, to present the player contracts on the balance sheet or as an expense in the income statement. The majority of the clubs presented the player contracts in the balance sheet. The main reason for that is said to be that the costs can be spread over several years, which means it will be easier to meet the financial requirements from the Swedish Football Association.

I början av 2014 infördes ett nytt regelverk för hur företag och ekonomiska föreningar ska avsluta sina räkenskapsår. Inte förrän media började rapportera om problemet tidigare i år har diskussionen satts igång och flera organisationer har gjort uttalande och förenklingar. De har visat sig vara svåra att tolka och implementera och för en del bostadsrättsföreningar kan tillämpningen vara ödesdiger. Valet står mellan två regelverk i det så kallade K-projektet.Syftet med studien är att utifrån bostadsrättsföreningarnas perspektiv utforska vilka faktorer som påverkar och hur de påverkas beroende av redovisningsvalet styrelsen gör. Detta kommer utföras genom att studera ekonomiska förvaltare som förser föreningarna med rekommendationer och information. Studiens problemformulering är därför vilka faktorer påverkar föreningarnas val av regelverk.Studien kommer utgå från ett abduktivt resonemang vilket är väsentligt för en explorativ studie. Tillsammans med teorier om rationella beslut, principal-agent förhållande, intressenter och risk, kommer vi att skapa en förståelse för hur föreningar fattar beslut. För att uppnå detta mål och få en bra helhetsbild kommer vi att utgå från kvalitativa undersökningar med semi-strukturerade intervjuer. För att styrka studiens tillförlitlighet utgick vi ifrån tillförlitliga metoder som är en central del för en god forskning. Vi har varit konsekventa och opartiska där vi utgick från samma material vid samtliga intervjuer för att forskningsfrågan ska anses korrekt framförd.Genom att analysera empirin har vi kunnat skapa exempel på möjliga scenario i resultaträkningar för att enklare kunna göra kopplingar till teorin. Resultatet av studien konstaterade att det är flera faktorer som påverkar valet som styrelsen gör. Det visade sig att styrelsen är beroende av information utifrån och att det finns flera intressenter som har ett egenintresse i valet.
In early 2014 introduced a new framework for how companies and economic associations must end their fiscal year. Not until the media began to report on the issue earlier this year, the debate has been launched and several organizations have made statements and simplifications. They have proven to be difficult to interpret and implement, and for some housing associations, the application may be fatal. The choice is between two sets of rules in the K-project. Depending on the choice that the Board make, the consequences of the different choices differ markedly.The purpose of the study is that the basis of condominium associations' perspective, exploring the factors that influence and how they are affected, depends on the accounting elections board does. This will be carried out by studying financial managers that provide boards with information and recommendations. The problem of the study is therefore what factors affect board election of the regulations.The study will be based on an abductive reasoning which is essential for an exploratory study. Along with theories of rational decisions, the principal- agent relationship, stakeholders and risk, we will create an understanding of how associations make decisions. To achieve this goal and get a good overall picture, we will start from qualitative research with semi-structured interviews. In order to prove the reliability of the study, we started from reliable methods that are a central part of good research. We have been consistent and impartial where we started from the same material at all interviews, to research the matter shall be correctly performed.By analyzing empirical data, we have been able to create examples of possible scenarios in the financial statements for easier linkage to theory. Results of the study found that there are several factors affecting the choice that the board does. It turned out that the Board is dependent on information from outside and that there are multiple stakeholders who have a vested interest in the election.

I början av 2014 infördes ett nytt regelverk för hur företag och ekonomiska föreningar ska avsluta sina räkenskapsår. Inte förrän media började rapportera om problemet tidigare i år har diskussionen satts igång och flera organisationer har gjort uttalande och förenklingar. De har visat sig vara svåra att tolka och implementera och för en del bostadsrättsföreningar kan tillämpningen vara ödesdiger. Valet står mellan två regelverk i det så kallade K-projektet. Syftet med studien är att utifrån bostadsrättsföreningarnas perspektiv utforska vilka faktorer som påverkar och hur de påverkas beroende av redovisningsvalet styrelsen gör. Detta kommer utföras genom att studera ekonomiska förvaltare som förser föreningarna med rekommendationer och information. Studiens problemformulering är därför vilka faktorer påverkar föreningarnas val av regelverk. Studien kommer utgå från ett abduktivt resonemang vilket är väsentligt för en explorativ studie. Tillsammans med teorier om rationella beslut, principal-agent förhållande, intressenter och risk, kommer vi att skapa en förståelse för hur föreningar fattar beslut. För att uppnå detta mål och få en bra helhetsbild kommer vi att utgå från kvalitativa undersökningar med semi-strukturerade intervjuer. För att styrka studiens tillförlitlighet utgick vi ifrån tillförlitliga metoder som är en central del för en god forskning. Vi har varit konsekventa och opartiska där vi utgick från samma material vid samtliga intervjuer för att forskningsfrågan ska anses korrekt framförd. Genom att analysera empirin har vi kunnat skapa exempel på möjliga scenario i resultaträkningar för att enklare kunna göra kopplingar till teorin. Resultatet av studien konstaterade att det är flera faktorer som påverkar valet som styrelsen gör. Det visade sig att styrelsen är beroende av information utifrån och att det finns flera intressenter som har ett egenintresse i valet.
In early 2014 introduced a new framework for how companies and economic associations must end their fiscal year. Not until the media began to report on the issue earlier this year, the debate has been launched and several organizations have made statements and simplifications. They have proven to be difficult to interpret and implement, and for some housing associations, the application may be fatal. The choice is between two sets of rules in the K-project. Depending on the choice that the Board make, the consequences of the different choices differ markedly. The purpose of the study is that the basis of condominium associations' perspective, exploring the factors that influence and how they are affected, depends on the accounting elections board does. This will be carried out by studying financial managers that provide boards with information and recommendations. The problem of the study is therefore what factors affect board election of the regulations. The study will be based on an abductive reasoning which is essential for an exploratory study. Along with theories of rational decisions, the principal- agent relationship, stakeholders and risk, we will create an understanding of how associations make decisions. To achieve this goal and get a good overall picture, we will start from qualitative research with semi-structured interviews. In order to prove the reliability of the study, we started from reliable methods that are a central part of good research. We have been consistent and impartial where we started from the same material at all interviews, to research the matter shall be correctly performed. By analyzing empirical data, we have been able to create examples of possible scenarios in the financial statements for easier linkage to theory. Results of the study found that there are several factors affecting the choice that the board does. It turned out that the Board is dependent on information from outside and that there are multiple stakeholders who have a vested interest in the election.

Fastän psykologer och psykologins ställning i samhället ofta sägs ha förändrats så finns det väldigt lite forskning gjord på yrket. Särskilt saknas det studier som inriktar sig på att undersöka omdaningar i den svenska psykologprofessionen över tid. Syftet med uppsatsen är att granska, beskriva och analysera den svenska psykologprofessionen mellan åren 1990 och 2010. Studien empiriska material utgörs av de nummer av Psykologtidningen, vilket är Svenska Psykologförbundets officiella tidning, som utgivits under dessa år. Dessa har analyserats med hjälp av en diskursanalytisk ansats som utgår från de metoder och teorier som den franska historikern och filosofen Michel Foucault utarbetade. Som analysredskap har även Foucaults begrepp styrningsmentalitet (eng.governmentality) använts för att kunna positionera fynden i ett större historiskt perspektiv.   Resultatet visar på att diskursen om psykologprofessionen har genomgått ett antal förändringar sedan början av nittiotalet. Den dominanta ställning som psykoterapeutpositionen haft sedan 1980-talet har börjat luckras upp och i dess ställe har nya yrkesuppgifter såsom testning, handledning och chefskap vuxit fram med konsekvensen att yrket blivit mer heterogent. Det har även skett en förskjutning i fokus från vikten av att inrikta sig på att behandla psykisk ohälsa till att främja hälsa, vilket medfört att man börjat röra sig bort från de psykiatriska verksamheterna. Istället framhävs vikten av att arbeta inom förebyggande verksamheter såsom vårdcentraler, skolor och företagshälsor.  Utöver detta har yrket omformulerat sitt förhållande till det omgivande samhället. Sedan mitten på 1990-talet så har det börjat ses allt mindre självklart att psykologer skall arbeta inom den offentliga sektorn. Psykologkåren har även försökt anpassa yrkesrollen till att bli mer gångbar i media. Dessutom har man börjat uttrycka psykologins förtjänster i mer ekonomiska termer, i syfte att konkret kunna visa på ens nytta för samhället. Slutligen har synen på yrkets kunskapsgrund skiftat då psykoanalysen tappat i inflytande. Istället har en mängd andra teorier och modeller brett ut sig med implikationer för yrkets vetenskapsfilosofiska antaganden. Samtidigt har det skett en mer praktisk och politisk kodifiering av vilka former av kunskap som ses som trovärdiga, i och med etablerandet av en specialistordning samt den omskakande debatten om evidensbasering. Dessa händelser har påverkat vilken forskning som ses som tillförlitlig för psykologens arbetsutövning.   Förändringarna gällande diskursen kring psykologyrket kan förstås i ljuset av en förskjutning i den dominerande styrningsmentaliteten i det svenska samhället, från en välfärdbaserad till en neoliberal styrningsform. Detta har medfört att psykologprofessionen har haft nya samhälleliga krav och behov att förhålla sig till, mot vilka man har artikulerat sin samtida yrkesutövning.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka jämställdheten inom den svenska idrottsrörelsen. Mer precist handlar det om att analysera kvinnliga idrottsutövares livsberättelser med fokus på jämställdheten inom det idrottsliga föreningslivet. Ambitionen är att belysa hur kvinnliga idrottare upplever och hanterar frågor som har med jämställdhet och idrott att göra på daglig basis i sin idrottsliga praktik. Ett flertal frågeställningar innehar en vital karaktär i den föreliggande studien: Upplever kvinnliga idrottsutövare att utvecklingen går åt ”rätt håll”, det vill säga att idrottslivet blir mer jämställt? Är det något eller några område som är särskilt förbisedda och/eller välutformade när det gäller jämställdhetsfrågor? Finns det några signifikanta skillnader mellan de olika idrotter som studerats, sett ur ett jämställdhetsperspektiv? Dessa frågor utgör bara ett par exempel på fundamentala frågeställningar i denna kontext.   För att söka svar på dessa frågor har en kvalitativ metod tillämpats med inriktning mot livsberättelse. I studien intervjuades tolv kvinnliga idrottare, från såväl elitidrotten som breddidrotten, vilka representerade sex olika idrotter, vilka är ishockey, fotboll, handboll, innebandy, volleyboll och vattenpolo. Av resultaten från den föreliggande studien framgår det bland annat att merparten av studiedeltagarna anser att utvecklingen går åt rätt håll, d.v.s. de uppfattar att sina respektive idrotter har blivit mer jämställda. Icke desto mindre betonar respondenterna att det emellertid finns mycket som behöver förbättras.
The purpose with this paper is to investigate gender equality in Swedish sports. More precisely, it is about analyzing female athlete’s life stories focusing on equality within female sports associations. The aim is to highlight how female athlete’s experience and handle issues related to gender and sports. There are a number of vital questions looked into in this paper: Are the female athlete’s experiencing that the development is moving in right direction, that is to say that sports life are becoming more equal? Is there any other area that is particularly neglected regarding gender equality? Are there any significant differences between the sports covered in this paper in terms of gender equality? These questions are just some examples of fundamental issues in this context.   In order to find answers to these questions, a qualitative method has been used focusing on life stories collected during interviews with twelve female, both elite and non-elite athlete’s from six different sports, which are ice hockey, soccer, handball, floor ball, volleyball and water polo. The results show that the majority feels that the development is going in the right direction, in other words they feel that their respective sports have become more equal. Nonetheless, the respondents however emphasizes that there is much that needs to be improved.

Studiens syfte var att belysa hur idrottsföreningsaktiva 65+ beskriver erfarenheter avfysisk aktivitet och dess värde, och hur genusfaktorn skiljer grupperna åt. Teoretiskreferensram: En kombination av holistisk ansats, Bourdieus teori, genusteori ochsocialkonstruktivism. Metod: Idrottsföreningsaktiva 65+ rekryterades i denna studie,där damer kom från en golfförening och herrar från en frigymnastikförening. Totalt 3grupper deltog i denna studie där fokusgruppsintervjuer tillämpades för insamling avdata under två tillfällen. Dessutom skrev informanterna en dagboksanteckning, dettaför att i möte nummer två skulle diskussioner utgå de anteckningarna.Fokusgruppsintervjuerna spelades in med hjälp av digitala verktyg som sedantranskriberades noga och därefter analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativinnehållsanalys. Resultat: Analysen genererade två kategorier och sexunderkategorier, där resultatet visade att värdet av fysisk aktivitet handlar omfrämjandet av hälsa och det sociala umgänget, vilket var viktigt för de bådagrupperna. Samtidigt spelade det i detta avseende också roll vilka erfarenheter varjeinformant hade, detta då resultatet visade att de tyckte om att utföra fysiska aktiviteterutifrån eget intresse, behov, samt den miljö de befann sig i kombination med synen påkroppsideal. Det fanns tydliga indikationer på hur damerna och herrarna skilde sig åtgällande engagemang i fysiska aktiviteter som bland annat påverkas av smak ocherfarenheter beträffande sociala och kulturella aspekter.
The purpose of the study was to highlight how 65+ sports associated people describethe experience and value of physical activity, as well as how the gender factorseparates the groups. Theoretical Reference Framework: A combination of holisticapproach, Bourdieu's theory, Genus theory and Social constructivism. Method:Athletes 65+ were recruited in this study, ladies from a golf club and gentlemen froma free gym association. A total of three groups participated in this study where focusgroup interviews were applied for data collection on two occasions. In addition, theinformants wrote a diary, which meant that in the second meeting discussions wouldbe based on those notes. Focus group interviews were recorded using digital tools,which then where carefully transcribed and analyzed using qualitative contentanalysis. Result: The analysis generated two categories and six subcategories, wherethe results showed that the value of physical activity is about promoting health andsocial relations, which was important for both groups. At the same time the resultsshowed that they enjoyed performing physical activities based on their own interests,needs, view of body ideals and the environment where the performed the physicalactivity. There are clear indications of how the ladies and gentlemen involvement inphysical activities differ and how they are influenced by taste and social and culturalexperience.

Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka om mental trötthet leder till ökad diskriminering av överviktiga. Genom att använda en dual process-modell, inleddes undersökningen med en bedömningsuppgift som deltagarna fick utföra i labbmiljö. Vid ett senare tillfälle fick var och en ombesörja att de genomförde ett implicit associationstest (IAT), följt av en explicit graderingsfråga, där deltagarna uppskattade en eventuell skillnad i normal- kontra överviktigas mentala prestation. Syftet med dessa tester var att ta reda på om diskriminering mot överviktiga existerade inom gruppen i sin helhet på såväl implicit som explicit nivå. Hälften av gruppen hade genomgått en kraftig mental trötthetsbelastning före bedömningsuppgiften, med avsikt att se om bias mot överviktiga ökade vid mental trötthet. Resultatet för alla testningar var för sig visade på diskriminering mot överviktiga, men inte att det förekom någon högre diskriminering vid mental trötthet. Möjliga förbättringar i undersökningsdesignen diskuteras, liksom praktiska implikationer.
This study examined whether mental fatigue leads to increased discrimination against the obese. Using a dual process model, participants took part in an assessment task in a controlled laboratory setting, and thereafter completed an implicit association test (IAT), followed by an explicit question, where participants were asked to grade variances in the mental capacity between normal- versus overweight individuals. The intention was to explore possible obesity discrimination. Half of the group previously completed a strenuous memory task, with the purpose of achieving severe fatigue, in order to explore whether the bias increases with mental fatigue. Although the results revealed discrimination in all tests, there was no evidence of increased discrimination in mental fatigue. Possible improvement in the research design is discussed, as well as practical implications.

Med en explorativ ansats syftar denna studie till att kartlägga samband och jämföra grupperingar bland klienter som fått genomföra en ASI-intervju hos Kriminalvården. Studien bygger på 2 317 intervjuer med fokus på missbruksproblematik, gjorda under perioden 2008-2010. Vi illustrerar grafiskt intressanta samband och tittar även på hur klienternas hjälpbehov varierar inom olika livsområden. Ytterligare en aspekt av studien är att utvärdera datamaterialets kvalitet samt att studera eventuellt bortfall för de olika variablerna. Materialet är av relativt god kvalitet och förekomst av respondenters vägran är inte tillräckligt omfattande för att påverka analyser och slutsatser. De felaktigheter som kunde konstateras härhör nästan uteslutande från tillvägagångssätt vid inmatning av data i systemet. Eftersom flertalet av variablerna är kvalitativa visade sig lämpliga analysmetoder vara chi-två-test, korrespondensanalys samt associationsanalys. Den stora majoriteten av våra resultat bekräftar den bild flera tidigare studier ger av gruppen missbrukare och få oväntade samband kunde konstateras. En majoritet av klienterna är män (85%) och den genomsnittliga åldern är 34 år. Intervjuarskattningar av klienternas hjälpbehov visar att narkotika och kriminalitet utgör de absolut största problemen. Dominerande drog är amfetamin (18%), följd av alkohol (15%) och cannabis (10%). Vi kan konstatera att ett flertal signifikanta skillnader föreligger mellan män och kvinnor samt mellan olika åldersgrupper. Unga klienter uppvisar överlag större problem med kriminalitet, narkotika, arbete/försörjning och psykisk hälsa. Med ökande ålder följer istället svårigheter med fysisk hälsa och alkohol. Män uppger vanligen att de har större problem med kriminalitet och narkotika, medan kvinnor ofta redovisar ett större hjälpbehov inom områdena familj/umgänge, fysisk hälsa och psykisk hälsa.
With an explorative approach, this master thesis attempts to map associations and compare groupings of clients who have undergone an ASI Interview by The Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Kriminalvården. The study is based on 2 317 interviews carried out during the period 2008-2010, focusing on abuse of alcohol and narcotic substances. We will graphically illustrate interesting associations and study how the need for help varies throughout different areas of the respondents’ lives. Another aspect of this study is to evaluate the quality of the data material and to investigate non-response in the different variables. The quality of the material is fairly high and non-response is not extensive enough to affect analysis and inference. The errors found are almost exclusively due to how data is fed into the system. Since the majority of variables are qualitative, appropriate methods of analysis proved to be chi-square tests, correspondence analysis and association analysis. Most results confirm the existing image of an abusive personality, which has been presented in several studies before this one. A majority of the clients are men (85%) and the average age is 34 years. Interviewer estimates of the respondents’ need for help show that narcotic substances and criminal behavior are by far the greatest problem areas. The predominant drug is amphetamine (18%), followed by alcohol (15%) and cannabis (10%). We have established several significant differences between men and women, and between clients of different age groups. Young respondents show greater problems concerning criminal behavior, narcotic substances, work/providing and psychological health. With increased age we see enhanced difficulties regarding physical health and alcohol. Men more often exhibit problems concerning criminal behavior and narcotic substances, while women need increased help in areas of family/social life, physical health and psychological health.

The purpose of this bachelor essay was to analyze two Swedish district football associations and how the responsible coaches of the elite youth development teams identify and select talent. Key questions in the thesis were how the coaches described their leadership and their own part in the team, how the coaches identify talent, how they work with the selection process and their opinions about the elite youth development team structure. The study was based on 7 semi-structured interviews. The interviews showed differences between the district football associations but also many similarities in how they selected the team during the talent identification process. All coaches were involved in the selection process but the way they talked about developing elite players varied. One interesting result in the study was that the coaches’ way of describing talent revolved a lot around non-football related attributes such as character and attitude. Nyckelord:

Previous research has been done in the field of Political Communication, aimed to show a deeper understanding of how social media affects the public opinion. Less studies have been made aimed to understand how youth federation communicates with potential voters. We are therefore interested in gaining a deeper understanding of what three Swedish youth federations publish on their Instagram accounts to attract potential voters during the early stages of the election year 2018. The aim of this report is to examine and analyze how three of the biggest youth federations in Sweden communicates with potential voters though the social media platform Instagram during the first three months of 2018. Through a qualitative image analysis supplemented by informant interviews, we have been able to study which communication strategies the youth federations used when they published pictures on Instagram during the limited period of January 1 until March 3, 2018. Our findings suggest that the variation of the published material depends on what political marketing orientation the federation belongs to. We hope that our study can contribute with useful understandings into further research.

This doctoral thesis is about female rock musicians who are involved in two Swedish non-profit feminist music associations; Rockrebeller, which is situated in Uppsala and She´s Got the Beat in Umeå. The aim of the study is to analyze how the informants describe their lives as rock musicians and as active participants in these feminist music associations. The main issues are musicianship, identity, feminism and gender. The empirical material consists of in-depth interviews with ten informants – five from Umeå and five from Uppsala – and these interviews are complemented by a number of participatory observations. The focus of thesis is on the informants’ self-presentations: their stories and experiences. One central theme is the ways that the informants’ different identities are interlaced and closely knit together in different ways: as feminists, as musicians and as active participants in the associations. Two major themes in my thesis are music and politics and they can be regarded as two sides of the same coin; in order to make it easier for women to play rock music they have become involved in the associations, and this relationship is regarded as a form of political work. The informants have been influenced by punk and Riot Grrrls Movement – a feminist movement that is associated with punk bands and fanzines is sometimes seen as representative of a "third wave feminism". All the informants are members of rock bands, but many are also engaged in other projects, for instance in the role of a singer-songwriter, and these different identities as musicians are often seen as complementary to each other. Rock bands are generally considered to be fascinating but insecure experiences because bands tend to split up with time. Those who are also active musicians outside of the band (most often guitarists) usually regard their own individual identity as musicians as the most important thing; a safe harbor that is always there. Their ideological beliefs are for instance visible in a common vision of the ideal rock band as democratic, anti-hierarchic and where an equality of opportunity exists. Rock music is in some ways used as an expression for an alternative way of life, of rebellion, and is seen as politically subversive. One of the ambivalences of the source material is the kind of identity politics that the associations represent and whose purpose is to improve the gender equality in the field. There is a well-known dilemma involved in this practice; how is it possible to navigate from a marginalized, subordinated position, without using the method of categorizing that may increase the probability of reproducing their own marginalization? Their life as rock musicians is described as enjoyable rewarding, and as a means of expressing their cultural belonging and ideological beliefs, such as feminism. However, the overall picture highlights the pleasures of creating and making music, which serves as an explanation why they strive to make rock music more accessible for women. The descriptions of being in a band and performing on stage are varied and on the whole complex. The group dynamics of the band are portrayed as very meaningful but also trying at times, and playing in front of an audience is described as everything between ecstasy and a nerve-wrecking experience. However, there is an overall adaptation to the norms surrounding rock music; a sense that one has to adjust oneself in order to function as a rock musician. The informants´ statements generally emphasize gender, but from time to time they identify themselves with other male amateur rock musicians.

Internet har inneburit nya möjligheter för mänskligheten att kommunicera och organisera sig. I denna uppsats beger vi oss till utkanterna av nätet för att utforska ett sexköpsforum online med inriktning mot thaimassagesalonger. Med hjälp av netnografisk metod och utifrån sociologisk teori undersöks normer och organisering på forumet med fokus på förstagångsbesökaren. En lättare undersökning av förekomst av sexuell tjänst som beskriven av forumets medlemmar återfinns. Studiens resultat tyder på att det analyserade forumet har bidragit till att inspirera och lära förstagångsbesökare till att erhålla sexuella tjänster. Vidare identifieras ett, utanför det publika forumet, informationsubyte av komprometterande information där exakta anvisningar och platsdata utbyts medlemmar emellan. Detta sker i det så kallade privata meddelandet
Along with the rise of the Internet human interaction, communication and organisaiton have come to see new opportunities. In this study we will explore the fringes of the internet to explore a forum discussing thaimassage with sexual services also known as Happy Ending. Thanks to netnographic methods and sociological and criminological theory we will put the sex buyer in a social context. Extra focus is given to the first timer. The results of this study shows that criminal or deviant behavior can be learned from a forum online. In particular that the first time sexbuyer gets inspiration from and help to learn how to become a sexbuyer. Other results include the organisational setup surrounding the analyzed forum as well as a brief quantitative calculation on occurences of Happy Endings.

This study aims to explore how individuals who are operating Swedish elite football clubs manage the tension between non-profit and commercial logics, and whether organizational form is important when managing them. The respondents in this study are individuals with positions at the very highest organizational level, and predetermined themes that concern the tension within Swedish elite football were used in the design of the interview guide. The results were then analysed from a new institutional perspective. The outcome showed that elite football clubs tend to use similar strategies when managing the logics regardless of organizational form.
Denna studie ämnar undersöka hur individer som är verksamma inom svenska elitfotbollsföreningar hanterar spänningen mellan ideella och kommersiella logiker och om organisationsform har betydelse för hanteringen av dem. Respondenterna i denna studie är individer med befattningar på allra högsta organisatoriska nivå och förutbestämda teman som berör spänningen inom svensk elitfotboll användes vid utformandet av intervjuguiden. Resultaten analyserades sedan ur ett nyinstitutionellt perspektiv. Utfallet visade att elitfotbollsföreningar tenderar att använda likartade strategier vid hanteringen av logikerna oberoende av organisationsform.

In this globalized world, more and more people are moving for different reasons and immigrating to other countries. The overall aim of this study is to analyze five migrants` views on migration in this globalized world. The migrants in this study have for various reasons moved to Sweden. Four of these migrants are members of the Congolese association Kongo Moko. I want to compare the migrants´ views on globalization. To also understand how migrants from two different continents perceive globalization and migration. How do migrants view globalization as a phenomenon? What do they see as the advantages and disadvantages of globalization? How do they describe their own place of belonging in Sweden and in the world? What connection do they have to the "homeland"? The material of this study consists of qualitative interviews and observations. The results of this study show that the migrants have some issues with identifying them selft in the new country they moved to.

Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga organisationskultur inom folkrörelseorganisationer samt att undersöka dess eventuella förändringar under påverkan av kulturpolitiken. Denna studie tillämpar Geert Hofstedes teorier som behandlar olika nivåer och dimensioner av organisationskultur. Studien behandlar värderingar, ritualer, hjältar och symboler inom varje organisation i fråga i ett sammanhang av organisatoriska praktiker som meningsbärande kulturella uttryck. Studien har genomförts med ett kvalitativt angreppssätt där semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts med hjälp av ett bekvämlighetsrvalsstrategi. Datainsamlingen har genomförts genom personliga intervjuer med fyra medarbetare på två folkrörelseorganisationer i Stockholm d.v.s. ABF och Riksteatern. De valda Organisationerna är verksamma inom olika verksamhetsområde och respondenterna har jobbat i varierande positioner och har fleråriga arbetserfarenheter. Intervjuerna spelades in efter beviljat tillstånd och säkerställandet av respondenternas anonymitet. En innehållsanalys genomfördes efter transkribering av inspelat material i form av citat och egna tolkningar. Studien behandlar också en del sekundärdata i form av historisk information om folkrörelsernas samhälleliga rötter och utvecklingsprocess. Studien visar en ständigt pågående omorganiseringsprocess inom folkrörelseorganisationer vilket orsakat signifikanta förändringar inom folkrörelsernas organisationskultur. Konflikten mellan folkrörelsernas ideella logiker och kulturpolitikens kvalitetslogik uppträder i organisationskulturen på olika sätt. ABF:s kärnvärderingar nämligen hjälpsamhet, jämlikhet och högt arbetsengagemang anses vara mindre aktuella idag. Hjälpsamhet och jämlikhet ligger också till grund för Riksteaterns demokratiseringsverksamhet och anses fortfarande vara aktuella i organisationen. När det gäller ABF har vi funnit att organisationen har utvecklat en professionell och icke-normativ organisationskultur med stränga kontrollmekanismer och stor fokus på arbetsutförande och processansvar i ett slut organisationssystem. Stränga kontrollmekanismer anses vara ett resultat av kulturpolitikens krav på ökad internkontroll och kvalitetssäkring. Studien visar att Riksteatern har utvecklat en komplex mångsidig organisationskultur som finns i två sammanhängande lager. En lokal, personalinriktad och normativ arbetskrets som omger sig med professionella, resultatinriktade och pragmatiska medarbetare. Detta leder till en normativ organisationskultur som erbjuder pragmatiska lösningar i syfte att kunna leva upp till kulturdepartementets krav på hög kvalitet, resurseffektivitet och antalet besökare. Det finns en tendens mot professionalism och pragmatism inom båda organisationerna. Detta kan bero på att båda organisationerna är ekonomiskt beroende av statliga bidrag och därför ska leva upp till kulturpolitikens kvalitetskrav. Detta ledde också till svagt normativt engagemang och ett slags samhällelig passivitet. Vi har också funnit att betoningen på kvantitativ utvärdering inte är en fungerande strategi för utvärdering av ideell kulturverksamhet. Istället har detta orsakat paradoxala uppdrag och identitetsförvirring inom organisationerna enligt våra respondenter.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic description of the organizational culture in social movement organizations in Sweden and also to investigate its possible changes under the impact of cultural policy. The following study has been done using Geert Hofstede’s theories on different levels and dimensions of organizational culture. The study explores the organizational values, rituals, heroes and symbols in the context of organizational practices to be examined as meaningful cultural representations. This study has been done based on qualitative research method using semi-structured interviews and convenience sampling strategy for data collection. The data has been collected through personal interviews with four employees from two social movement organizations in Stockholm and from different areas of practice; The Swedish National Touring Theatre (Riksteatern) and The Workers’ Educational Association (ABF). The respondents have been working in variety of positions and have many years of experience. The interviews have been recorded as audio files after granting permission and ensuring the respondents’ anonymity to be preserved. A content analysis has been done following the transcription of the recorded material in the form of quotes and interpretations. Secondary data has been also used in the form of historical information regarding the origins of Swedish social movements and their development process. Our study shows that there is a constantly ongoing reorganization process in the Swedish social movements which has caused significant changes in the social movements’ organizational culture. The conflict between the logic of the social movements and the quality-oriented logic of the Swedish cultural policy emerges in the organizational culture in different ways. ABF’s core values such as benevolence, equality and high work engagement are considered to be less relevant in the current organizational culture. Benevolence and equality are also the core values of Riksteatern and are still considered to be relevant in the current organizational culture. When it comes to ABF, we have found that the organization has developed a professional and pragmatic organizational culture with strict control mechanisms and huge focus on task performance and processes in a closed-system organization. The strict control mechanisms are considered to be the result of the Swedish cultural policy’s requirements regarding internal control and quality assurance. The study shows that Riksteatern has developed a complex multidimensional organizational culture which exists in two interrelated layers. A local, employee-oriented and normative work circle surrounded by professional, result-oriented and pragmatic coworkers. This leads to a normative organizational culture which offers pragmatic solutions in order to be able to meet the ministry of culture’s requirements regarding high quality, resource efficiency and visitor numbers. There’s a tendency towards professionalism and pragmatism in both organizations. This might depend on the fact that both organizations are economically dependent to public funds and therefore are required to meet the cultural policy’s quality requirements. This leads also to a low normative engagement and societal passivity. We have also found that the emphasis on the quantitative evaluation ad revision is not an effective strategy to evaluate nonprofit cultural organization. Instead, this strategy has caused paradoxical missions and confusion regarding organizational identity, according to our respondents.

Colour has encountered to be a significant part in marketing, which advantageously can be used in todays competitive market. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the colours varying associations and present ideas how colours can affect the hotel business. In coherence with the purpose we deveoled the research question, which resulted in following: How can hotels affect their servicescape and identity by the help of colour? The study has a qualitative method that began in an empirical problem that has been tested against theory, which subsequently developed the research question. This implies that our study alternated between induction and deduction. The empirical data was collected using semi-structured interviews where respondents consists of color specialists and general managers in the hotel industry. During the working process we have encountered that colour holds general, cultural and traditional associations. We also discovered that hotel company's servicescape, identity and colour are strongly related to each other. This affects, creates and conveys feelings and can be competitive advantages if the choice of colour conforms with the hotel company's identity. The final discussion presents varying colour associations and ideas how colours can affect the hotel business.

The last three decades have seen a continuous interest from academics and practitioners in the development of theory and best practice methods in the field of supply chain management. Most of the evidence gathered within this management research area has been biased towards the role of the assembler/buyer in leading and integrating the supply chain. The role of the supplier has been of a passive recipient of the buyer's development plans and actions. Another additional bias in researching supply chain exchanges has been the single end approach of the investigations. Access difficulties have limited researchers to interviewing only one end of the buyer-supplier exchange. The purpose of this study was to overcome the aforementioned research biases and therefore, contribute to the understanding of the supply chain integration process from both a buyer's and supplier's perspective in the same exchange. The forum which was selected to conduct this research was that of the supplier association. The supplier association being defined as a group of a company's most important suppliers brought together on a regular basis for the purpose of co-ordination and development. Development through the deployment of best practice techniques in an open and co-operative environment. Against this open environment access was gained to both ends of the same exchange. Within this context a grounded, theorygenerating approach was applied to the data collected in four supplier association case studies. Through constant comparison and coding of data from multiple buyer-supplier exchanges within the same context several findings were made. The fmdings of the research are expressed as a series of propositions, tentative theoretical frameworks and a series of enabler/inhibitor factors to integration. The propositions relate supply chain improvements to the roles performed by the participants of the exchange in the context of a supplier association and the assembler's competitive environment. The tentative models depict the six stages in the organisational development of a supplier association, the trajectory of best practice knowledge within a supply chain exchange and the strategies employed by suppliers to manage their buyer's improvement intentions. Finally the enablers and inhibitors grounded from the case studies provide a guide to the relational factors which can influence the integration of a companies supply chain.

The last three decades have seen a continuous interest from academics and practitioners in the development of theory and best practice methods in the field of supply chain management. Most of the evidence gathered within this management research area has been biased towards the role of the assembler/buyer in leading and integrating the supply chain. The role of the supplier has been of a passive recipient of the buyer's development plans and actions. Another additional bias in researching supply chain exchanges has been the single end approach of the investigations. Access difficulties have limited researchers to interviewing only one end of the buyer-supplier exchange. The purpose of this study was to overcome the aforementioned research biases and therefore, contribute to the understanding of the supply chain integration process from both a buyer's and supplier's perspective in the same exchange. The forum which was selected to conduct this research was that of the supplier association. The supplier association being defined as a group of a company's most important suppliers brought together on a regular basis for the purpose of co-ordination and development. Development through the deployment of best practice techniques in an open and co-operative environment. Against this open environment access was gained to both ends of the same exchange. Within this context a grounded, theorygenerating approach was applied to the data collected in four supplier association case studies. Through constant comparison and coding of data from multiple buyer-supplier exchanges within the same context several findings were made. The fmdings of the research are expressed as a series of propositions, tentative theoretical frameworks and a series of enabler/inhibitor factors to integration. The propositions relate supply chain improvements to the roles performed by the participants of the exchange in the context of a supplier association and the assembler's competitive environment. The tentative models depict the six stages in the organisational development of a supplier association, the trajectory of best practice knowledge within a supply chain exchange and the strategies employed by suppliers to manage their buyer's improvement intentions. Finally the enablers and inhibitors grounded from the case studies provide a guide to the relational factors which can influence the integration of a companies supply chain.

Subject of this study is the evolvement of the radical art music scene in Sweden. In this development took the labour movement an active part during the 1960s. The purpose of this study is to examine how the relationship between the radical art music scene and the labour movement was constituted and what this relationship implied for the Swedish radical art music scene during the 1960s. During the 1960s radical music became an influencial part in the Swedish music scene of modern art music. In this development the artists’ society Fylkingen had a central position. In the early 1960s Fylkingen began to incorporate writers, engineers, scientists, sociologists, philosophers, economists, etc. in their work and a number of projects were initiated which interacted with common society. A proposal for a public record company was developed together with KSF (Social Democratic Association for Cultural Workers) and was presented to the Swedish parliament. In collaboration with ABF (Workers’ Educational Association) the first studio for electronic music was build in 1960 and the relationship between the labour movement and the radical art music scene was institutionalized as the Stockholm Electronic Music Studio Foundation. This thesis uses the terminology of Ludwik Fleck to examine the relationship between the radical art music scene and the labour movement. The concepts of Thought collective and Thought-style are used to draw conclusions about common values and objectives within the Thought-style. The radical art music scene and the labour movement are understood to be part of a common Thought collective with a common style of thought. Because of this relationship, projects initiated in the radical music scene came to emphasize the democratic and educational aspects of music. In the latter half of the 1960s it was conceived impossible to achieve these goals under the existing program, leading to the notion within the style of thought that technological advancement was a prerequisite for a democratic music scene.

Marketing is an important tool for companies to use in today’s consumptions society, to reach out with products and services. The message that has been sent out is also important, because the message can be distort or reach wrong customer group. Above all this the competition and the struggle round the customer’s increases and it has become more common that the customers tend to be less loyal towards the company. To keep and to develop customer relations it has been more common that the companies consider their trademark has become a very important strategic competition means. A strong trademark gives competitor advantages and more loyal customers, and this has led to more efficient ways for companies to find methods to create value around their trademark.

Many new trademarks and products are presented every year. In the same time market salesmen are working hard to reach out with these and old trademarks and products and old commercial methods are loosing its effect. The company can use different marketing strategies to strength their trademark to reach out to their customers. One way that has been used by many companies is presenting different TV-series.

The purpose with this paper is to study how companies are using TV-series in their marketing, what image the company wants to mediate and what they want to achieve by marketing through TV-series.

An abductive way has been used in this study and the authors have chosen to use a qualitative method, because the method agrees with the problem and purpose of the study. Interviews will be used in this study.

The study shows that the reason why companies choose to present TV-series is to be seen and remind consumers about the company and its products. They also want the consumers to be aware of their trademarks and new products. The companies furthermore want to reach out to as many as possible and create knowledge and an association to their trademark thru the TV-series. The companies choose their TV-series in relation to their target group so that the right target group is reached and can identify with the TV-series and the companies.

Marknadsföring är ett viktigt redskap för företag att använda i dagens konsumtionssamhälle för att nå ut med sina produkter och tjänster. Det budskap som sänds ut av företagen är också av stor vikt, då budskapet kan förvrängas på vägen eller nå ut till fel kundgrupp. Dessutom ökar konkurrensen och kampen om kunderna och det har blivit vanligare att kunderna i större utsträckning tenderar att vara mindre lojala gentemot företagen. För att bibehålla och utveckla sina kundrelationer har det därmed blivit vanligare att företagen betraktar sitt varumärke som ett strategiskt mycket viktigt konkurrensmedel. Ett starkt varumärke ger konkurrensfördelar och lojalare kunder, och har följaktligen lett till att företag försöker hitta effektivare metoder i att skapa värde kring sitt varumärke.

Varje år introduceras mängder av nya varumärken och produkter. Samtidigt som marknadsförare arbetar för att nå ut med både dessa och befintliga varumärken och produkter avtar den effekt som dagens reklam har. För att stärka sitt varumärke kan företagen använda sig av olika marknadsföringsstrategier för att nå ut till sina kunder. Ett sätt som många företag använder sig av är att presentera olika tv-serier.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur företag använder sig av tv-serier i sin marknadsföring, vilken bild företagen vill förmedla av sig själva och vad de vill uppnå genom att marknadsföra sig genom tv-serier.

I denna studie har ett abduktivt angreppssätt använts och författarna har valt att använda sig av en kvalitativ metod, då metoden bäst överrensstämmer med problemformuleringen och syftet. I denna studie ska intervjuer användas.

Studien visar att anledningen till att företag presenterar tv-serier är för att de vill synas och påminna konsumenterna om företaget och dess produkter. Dessutom vill de ge konsumenterna en medvetenhet om deras varumärke och nya produkter. Vidare vill företagen nå ut till så många som möjligt och skapa kännedom och association till deras varumärke genom tv-serien. Valet av tv-serie påverkas av företagets målgrupp där rätt målgrupp ska nås så att målgruppen kan identifiera sig med tv-serien och företaget.

BARAPROJEKTET: Av författarna formulerat samlingsnamn för Professional Golfers´ Association (PGA) National Sweden AB:s köp av aktuella fastigheter från Malmö kommun och planprocessen i Svedala kommuns regi.Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka alternativ till, det av Malmö kommun valda förfarandet, att försälja fastigheten Värby 61:1 med flera till PGA: s golfbaneprojekt i Svedala kommun samt få kunskap om den planprocess som föregick beslutet.I vårt val av metod har vi varit angelägna om att skapa förutsättningar för replikation och utvärdering. Rapport är utförd med en kvalitativ fältstudie med ett strategiskt urval, kompletterat med en sekundär analys. Undersökningen bygger på en explorativ metod genom att vi kompletterat våra sekundärdata med ett flertal intervjuer. Genom vår omfattande granskning bedömer vi att rapporten har en god reliabilitet samt att vi fått tag i de intervjupersoner som kan tillföra rapporten god validitet.1996 initierade Mikael Sorling, vd PGA Sweden AB visionen om att anlägga en golfanläggning av högsta internationella klass i Sverige. 2003 började Nils Yngvesson, före detta kommunalråd i Malmö kommun, arbeta med golfanläggningen och det var han som lade fram iden om att golfanläggningen skulle ligga i Torup. Marken som golfanläggningen skall anläggas på ägdes sedan 1970 av Malmö kommun, medan marken ligger i Svedala kommun. Sedan Malmö kommuns förvärv av marken 1970 har Torups Gård AB arrenderat marken för jordbruk.Slutsatsen i denna rapport är att PGA National Sweden AB köpt jordbruksmark till ett rimligt pris sett i relation till marknadsvärdet. Dock så vet vi att jordbruksmarken inte skall fortsätta att brukas, utan jordbruksmarken skall istället användas för anläggandet av deras nya golfanläggning. Marknadsvärdet för golfbanemark ligger nästan dubbelt så högt per hektar än vad PGA National Sweden AB köpte jordbruksmarken av Malmö kommun för. I Malmö kommuns värdering av jordbruksfastigheterna har de inte tagit hänsyn till objektsbundna värdepåverkande faktorer. Vi menar att sådana föreligger, dock så är de svåra att värdera. Konsekvensen av detta blir att priset på jordbruksfastigheterna borde vara väsentligt högre.Den aktuella planprocessen för Baraprojektet har effektivt följt det normala planförfarandet. Orsaken är att de berörda aktörerna tidigt kom överens. N Yngvessons inträde i PGA National Sweden AB:s styrelse samt parternas kompetens och personkemi har även de varit en bidragande faktor till att arbetet med planprocessen förflutit effektivt.Den nyttjanderättsform som parterna kunde ha använt sig av, snarare än att försälja de aktuella jordbruksfastigheterna, är tomträtt. Valet av tomträtt bygger på att Malmö kommun kvarstår som fastighetsägare och behåller då sin handlingsfrihet. Under den första 10-års perioden kunde ett generöst tomträttsavtal ingås mellan parterna, därmed skulle goda förutsättningar för golfanläggningens etablering säkerställas.
Our aim is to investigate alternatives to the sale of the properties Värby 61:1 etc. by Malmö municipality to PGA:s golf course project in Svedala municipality and to understand the planning process that preceded the decision.Our investigation is based on an explorative method where we complemented our secondary data with a number of interviews. Through our extensive observation we estimate that the rapport has good reliability and that we have accessed the right people who are able to add good validity to the rapport.Malmö municipality has not taken in consideration the unique object value factors when selling the property. Our opinion is that these factors do exist, although they are difficult to estimate. The result of this is that the price of the land should be much higher. Nils Yngvesson joining PGA National Sweden’s board’ and the parties’ competence and personal chemistry have also been a contributing factor to why the work with the normal planning process has been carried out so efficiently. The right of use that could be utilized by the parties instead of selling the land would be a leasehold right. In our opinion this would have benefited both parties with concerns regarding risk and value.

Intense competition in the food sector makes food-product design play a significant role in the consumers' choices. Product design includes a number of parameters among which the product's color is one of the factors that matters the most. Emotions are of high importance when choosing low-involvement products. The above assumptions indicate the purpose of this research that is to examine the meaning and correlation of associations between emotional attributes, colors and food-products, which the consumer subconctiously takes into consideration when choosing food-products. The theoretical framework for the research is based on a number of academic papers concerning emotional connections people have towards colors, as well as emotional connections when it comes to making a purchase. An experiment and a survey among 200 respondents have been carried out to investigate the phenomenon. The food product which became the survey objective was coffee and the studied colors were primary and secondary colors. The result clearly depicts there are associations between emotional attributes and various colors of food products, moreover, that one of the emotional attributes and one of the colors had a stronger interconnection than others. This leads to the conclusion that the associations between emotional attributes, colors and food products help consumers to make choices more effectively. Keywords: marketing, choice, associations, colors, emotions, emotial attributes, product design
En intensiv konkurrens inom livsmedelsbranschen bidrar till att livsmedelsprodukters design spelar en central roll vid konsumenters valsituationer. Produktdesign utmärks av ett antal parametrar var av produktens färg är en av de viktigaste. Vid transaktioner av lågengagemangsprodukter spelar känslor en avgörande roll för konsumentens beslut. Detta resonemang leder till denna studies syfte vilket söker att utreda vilken betydelse som associationer mellan känsloattribut, färger och livsmedel har för valsituationen av livsmedelsprodukter. Det teoretiska ramverket för studien är framtagen ur ett antal forskares artiklar som behandlar emotionella sammankopplingar som människor har med färger samt vid transaktioner av produkter. För att utreda fenomenet har ett experiment och en enkät genomförts ur ett urval med 200 respondenter. Undersökningsobjektet i form av livsmedel inom studien blev kaffe och de utvalda färgerna blev primär- och sekundärfärgerna. Resultatet för undersökningen påvisar att det finns vissa samband mellan känsloattributen för olika färger och livsmedlet kaffe och det betraktades att det finns indikatorer som visade på att ett känsloattribut och en färg hade en särskilt stark sammankoppling. Detta mynnar ut i slutsatsen för undersökningen vilket är att betydelsen för associationer mellan livsmedel, färger och känsloattribut vid konsumenters valsituationer är att de hjälper till att effektivisera för konsumenterna att genomföra dessa val. Nyckelord: marknadsföring, valsituation, val, associationer, färger, känslor, känsloattribut, produktdesign

För att komma till rätta med kommunernas och landstingens mångåriga underskott i början av 1990-talet, infördes god ekonomisk hushållning år 1992 för att skapa balans mellan inkomster och utgifter. Då det inte finns någon tydlig definition på god ekonomisk hushållning infördes balanskravet år 1998 som ett komplement. Balanskravet innebär att intäkterna ska vara större än kostnaderna, det vill säga att ekonomin ska vara i balans. Grundtanken och syftet med införandet av balanskravet är att varje generation ska bära ansvar för de kostnader som den generationen beslutar om och konsumerar samt skapa en långsiktig stabil utveckling av ekonomin. Om en kommun inte får ekonomin i balans och redovisar underskott ska det negativa resultatet enligt 8kap 5a§ Kommunal Lagen kompenseras inom tre år om det inte föreligger synnerliga skäl och kan därmed frångå en budget i balans. Balanskravet fyller sin funktion men när balanskravet utformades tog inte lagstiftaren hänsyn till kommuner med stark ekonomi utan kravet är främst utformat för kommuner med svag ekonomi, vilket skapat inlåsningseffekter av överskotten från kommuner med stark ekonomi. Kritiken av balanskravets utformning har belysts än mer på grund av lågkonjunkturens effekt, och även gjort regeringen medveten om problemet. Därför finns det intresse att undersöka hur en kommun med stark respektive svag ekonomi hanterar balanskravet.

 

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur Västerås kommun och Eskilstuna kommun hanterar balanskravet.

 

För att analysera och förstå hur de två utvalda kommunerna hanterar balanskravet utifrån deras ekonomiska förutsättningar har den kvalitativa metoden använts för att uppnå en djupare förståelse.  Dessutom har den deskriptiva/induktiva metoden använts för att ta reda på varför de normativa teorierna inte varit framgångsrika i olika sammanhang. För att göra en jämförelse har en enhetlig analysmodell konstruerats för att påvisa kommunernas finansiella styrka.

 

Resultatet av undersökningen visar att Västerås kommun och Eskilstuna kommun har olika förhållningssätt till hur de hanterar balanskravet. Slutsatsen visar att balanskravet inte är utformat och anpassat för att hantera konjunktursvängningar. Även att kommuner med stark ekonomi hämmas av inlåsningseffekten, detta har gjort att kommunerna själva skapat egna lösningar som fyller olika funktioner inom respektive kommun. Dessa lösningar går inte att finna i förarbetena till regelverket, men grundtanken i lösningarna har varit densamma; att underlätta hanteringen av konjunktursvängningar och komma runt inlåsningseffekterna.

To cope with the municipalities and county councils perennial deficits in the early 1990s, the concept of good financial management was inserted in 1992 to create a balance between income and expenditure. When there is no existing clear definition of the concept good financial management, introduced as a complement a specific demand of balance in 1998. The demand of balance means that revenue shall be larger than the costs, that are the economy shall be in balance. The basic idea and intent with insertion of demand of balance is that each generation in the municipalities, shall take responsibility for the cost they decides whether and consume, and create a long-term stable development of economy. If a municipalities not achieve to get the economy in balance and declare a deficit, shall the negative outcome according 8kap 5a§ Local Government Act compensated within three years unless there is no existing especial reasons, and can therefore depart from a budget in balance. The demand of balance satisfies its own intent and basic idea, but when the demand of balance was explicate did not the lawmaker make allowances to municipalities with a strong financial position. The demand of balance is specific explicated for municipalities with a weak financial position, which created the lock-in effects of the surpluses for municipalities with a strong financial position. Criticism of the demand of balance has been elucidated more because of the impact of the recession effect, and also made the Government aware about the problem. There is therefore of interest to investigate how a municipality with a strong respective a weak financial position manage the demand of balance.

 

The purpose of the study is to investigate how Västerås municipality and Eskilstuna municipality manages the demand of balance.

 

To analyze and understand how the two selected municipalities manage demand of balance based on their economic prerequisites have the qualitative methodology been applied to achieve a deeper understanding.  In addition, the descriptive/inductive method used to determine why the normative theories have not been successful in different contexts. To make a comparison, a unified analytical model has been designed to demonstrate the financial strength of the municipalities.

 

The results of the study show that Västerås municipality and Eskilstuna municipality has different approaches to how they manage the demand of balance. The conclusion indicates that the demand of balance is not explicated and adapted to handle cyclical fluctuations. Although the municipality with a strong economy is hampered by the lock-in effect, this has meant that the municipalities created their own solutions that serve different functions in each municipality. These solutions cannot be found in the legislative history of the regulatory framework, but the basic idea of the solutions has been the same; to facilitate the handling of cyclical fluctuations and get around the lock-in effects.

Bipolar disorder is a common and serious mental illness. The occurrence of mania is central to the diagnosis, but affected individuals typically also suffer episodes of depression. The results of family, twin and adoption studies argue convincingly for genetic susceptibility to bipolar disorder. Linkage studies conducted at the Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, UCL have previously implicated the regions 12q24, 21q22, lq42 and 11 pi4- 15 as harbouring susceptibly loci for bipolar disorder. In this thesis I report fine mapping of the 12q24, 21q22 and lq42 regions by linkage disequilibrium methods, employing a case-control design. For the llpl4-15 region association with the candidate gene BDNF was tested. I also present attempts to replicate findings of association at the genes DAOA and COMT, located in regions implicated by meta-analysis of the linkage data. I have attempted to put these investigations in context, necessitating consideration of the conceptual developmental of bipolar disorder, the classical techniques for assessing the genetic contribution to aetiology, and mapping strategies. Fine mapping of the UCL linkage regions implicated two novel susceptibility loci and provided support for two previously identified loci. Association of multiple markers within a 180 kb region of 12q24.3 was found, implicating Slynar and LOC387895. Association was also found with two markers in the more centromeric gene P2RX7, previously implicated in a Canadian sample. Multiple associated markers were found on 21q22.3. Two candidate genes - C21orf29 and TRPM2 - were identified from this region. Initial efforts to fine map the lq42 region suggested the involvement of the previously implicated DISCI gene. However association was only found with a single marker. Although haplotypic association was found with BDNF, the complex structure of the microsatellite marker hindered interpretation of the results. Partial replication of the association with DAOA was achieved but the involvement of COMT was not supported.

Bayesian Model Selection Approaches are flexible methods that can be utilised to investigate Genetic Association studies in greater detail; enabling us to more accurately pin-point locations of disease genes in complex regions such as the MHC, as well as investigate possible causal pathways between genes, disease and intermediate phenotypes. This thesis is split into two distinct parts. The first uses a Bayesian Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline Model to search across many highly correlated variants to try to determine which are likely to be the truly causal variants within complex genetic regions and also how each of these variants influences disease status. Specifically, I consider the role of genetic variants within the MHC region on SLE. The second part of the thesis aims to model possible disease pathways between genes, disease, intermediate phenotypes and environmental factors using Bayesian Networks, in particular focussing upon Coronary Heart disease and numerous blood biomarkers and related genes. Bayesian Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline Model: Genetic association studies have the problem that often many genotypes in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) are found to be associated with the outcome of interest. This makes it difficult to establish the actual SNP responsible. The aim of this part of the thesis is to investigate Bayesian variable selection methods in regions of high LD. In particular, to investigate SNPs in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region associated with systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Past studies have found several SNPs in this region to be highly associated with SLE but these SNPs are in high LD with one another. It is desirable to search over all possible regression models in order to find those SNPs that are most important in the prediction of SLE. The Bayesian Multivariate Adapative Regression Splines (BMARS) model used should automatically correct for nearby associated SNPs, and only those directly associated should be included in the model. The BMARS approach will also automatically select the most appropriate disease model for each directly associated variant. It was found that there appear to be 3 separate SNP signals in the MHC region that show association with SLE. The rest of the associations found using simple Frequentist tests are likely to be due to LD with the true signal. Bayesian Networks for Genetic Association Studies: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is one of many diseases that result from complicated relationships between both genetic and environmental factors. Identifying causal factors and developing new treatments that target these factors is very difficult. Changes in intermediate phenotypes, or biomarkers, could suggest potential causal pathways, although these have a tendency to group amongst those patients with higher risk of CHD making to difficult to distinguish independent causal relationships. I aim to model disease pathways allowing for intermediate phenotypes as well as genetic and environmental factors. Statistical methodology was developed using directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). Disease outcomes, genes, intermediate phenotypes and possible explanatory variables were represented as nodes in a DAG. Possible models were investigated using Bayesian regression models, based upon the underlying DAG, in a reversible jump MCMC framework. Modelling the data this way allows us to distinguish between direct and indirect effects as well as explore possible directionality of relationships. Since different DAGs can belong to the same equivalence class, some directions of association may become indistinguishable and I am interested in the implications of this. I investigated the integrated associations of genotypes with multiple blood biomarkers linked to CHD risk, focusing particularly on relationships between APOE, CETP and APOB genotypes; HDL- and LDL- cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, fibrogen and apolipoproteins A and B. Overview: I will begin by introducing the topics of genetics, statistics and directed acyclic graphs with a background on each (Chapters 2,3 and 4 respectively). Chapter 5 will then detail the analysis and results of the BMARS model. The analysis and results of Bayesian networks for genetic association studies will then be covered in Chapter 6.

Les études d'association à grande échelle consistent à étudier la corrélation de plusieurs millions de polymorphismes nucléotidiques avec un risque de cancer chez des milliers d'individus, sans avoir besoin de connaissances préalables sur la fonction biologique de ces variants. Ces études ont été utiles pour établir des hypothèses étiologiques et comprendre l'architecture génétique sous-jacente de plusieurs maladies humaines. Cependant, la plupart des facteurs héréditaires de ces maladies restent inexpliqués. Une partie de cette variation pourrait venir de variants rares qui ne sont pas ciblés par les puces de génotypage actuelles ou encore de variants avec un effet plus modéré voire faible pour lesquels une détection par les études d'association actuelles n'est pas envisageable. Dans ce contexte et comme illustré dans cette thèse, les récentes études d'association peuvent maintenant servir de point de départ pour de nouvelles découvertes, en mettant en place des stratégies innovantes pour étudier à la fois les variants rares et les maladies rares. Nous avons plus particulièrement exploré ces techniques dans le cadre du cancer du poumon, des voies aérodigestives et du lymphome de Hodgkins. L'utilisation de la bioinformatique pour combiner les résultats des études avec d'autres sources d'information, l'intégration de différents types de données génomiques ainsi que l'investigation de la relation entre altérations germinales et somatiques représentent les principales opportunités poursuivies dans ce travail de thèse
Genome-wide association (GWA) studies consist in testing up to one million (or more) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for their association with cancer risk in thousands of individuals, without requiring any prior knowledge on the functional significance of these variants. These studies have been valuable for establishing etiological hypotheses and understanding the underlying genetic architecture of human diseases. However, most of the heritable factors of these traits remain unexplained. Part of this variation may come from rarer variants that are not targeted by current genotyping arrays or variants with moderate to low effects for which detection by current GWA studies is impractical. In this context and as illustrated in this thesis, GWA studies can now serve as starting points towards further discoveries, looking for new strategies to study both rarer variants and rarer diseases. We have specifically explored these approaches in the context of lung cancer, head and neck cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma. The use of bioinformatics to combine recent GWA study results with other sources of information, the integration of different types of genomic data as well as the investigation of the interrelationship between germline and somatic alterations represent the main opportunities pursued in this thesis work

The debate in the media on a new Swedish sex education movie sparked our interest in this study. The twenty-eight minutes long movie “Sex on the map” is the first of it’s kind in twenty-five years. It is also part of a bigger sex educational project that contains, apart from the movie, a book about sex education, a documentary and a teachers guide. The project is a co-production between the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR) and the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU). We were interested in how teachers received information about the project, and what their attitudes were towards it. In the starting phase of the launching of the project, UR and RFSU sent out a promotional box to all Swedish high school headmasters. This was a way to inform schools about the new educational material. Our finding’s showed that most of the respondents did not obtain the box. They recognized parts of the project but had not formed any attitudes towards it. Despite this, the teachers were positive and thought the material could be a great tool to develop and modernize Swedish sex education.

The purpose of this essay is to examine wage-earners' investment funds from the ideological point of view. Were they in any way an integrated part of social democratical democratic socialism and reformism? I emphasize Olof Palme´s ideological idea of democratic socialism and reformism, and how he handled the issue. How did the question of these funds correspondent with the basic ideological points of view, and what was the standpoint of Palme in this issue.

My method is built upon a deep study and analyses of SAP board of party and the standing committees protocol in the light of Olof Palme´s and SAP's ideology. I even use information from literature, inquiries and dissertations. I will mainly focus on Palme´s standpoint during this time.

There are the tree question areas and answers in this essay. There is an obvious tension between the two poles of labour movement, the state socialism represented by the social democratic party with a social outlook from above and the movement socialism, represented by the trade union movement with view from below. How did the wage-earners' investment funds stand to this traditional tension? How did Olof Palme remain to it? The answers to these questions are, that Olof Palme was very aware of this tension and he warned the trade union to be too radical. The proposal had a more reformistic formation when it was transmitted from the movement socialistic pole to the state socialistic pole.

How did the wage-earners' investment funds fit in democratic socialism? The proposal of the wage-earners' investment funds meant that the function socialistic line, which traditionally was brought by the social democracy, now was changed to the line of ownership. Was it Palmes intention to implement a socialistic society with the help of the wage-earners' investment funds, to be more an a large public sector? The final proposition was a compromise and had lost its radical characteristics. It was never Olof Palme’s intention to implement a socialistic society with the help of the wage-earners' investment funds.

How did the wage-earners' investment funds fit in the reformistic point of view? Were they system changing or system preserving, or both? The answer to this in this essay is, that the origin proposal was radical and system changing. The final proposal was both system preserving and system changing.

This thesis examines the predictive value of a conceptual distinction between status-seeking associations and status-maintaining associations for enhancing understanding of ten selected professional associations and of the attitudes, values, behaviour and policies of their governing organs. Thirty four specific hypotheses have been tested by such research methods as questionnaires administered to individuals and associations, participant observation and an examination of association minutes and publications. Certain hypotheses have been found to be valid for particular matched pairs and/or groups of associations. The findings of the study suggest that the present conceptualisation of profession, the individual professional, professionalism, professionalisation, professional status and that relating to the role of the professions in society needs to be refined and modified in varying degrees in application to accounting associations, business graduate associations and management associations. The concept of the `ideal type' profession is shown to be of limited value in understanding certain aspects of the activities of business graduate and management associations. The findings of the study suggest that in future the professional associations examined may attach less importance to their qualifying role and lay more stress upon their representational role. The professional association faces a managerial challenge to adjust and adapt to a range of `external' pressures and `internal' demands from members and may increasingly need to be regarded as an organisation that possesses certain combinations or sets of characteristics rather than as a type of organisation that possesses a particular or relatively exclusive set. With a blurring of the distinction between the professional and state sector vocational education, and a growing customer/market orientation associated with the changing nature of work, membership of a professional association may, in future, come to be associated rather more with securing access to a relevant range of services and less with qualification for a particular career.

Disease gene fine mapping is an important task in human genetic research. Association analysis is becoming a primary approach for localizing disease loci, especially when abundant SNPs are available due to the well improved genotyping technology during the last decades. Despite the rapid improvement of detection ability, there are many limitations of association strategy. In this dissertation, we focused on three different topics including haplotype similarity based test, association test incorporating genotyping error and simulation tool for large data set. 1) Previous haplotype similarity based tests donât have the ability to incorporate covariates in the test. In chapter 2, we proposed a new association method based on haplotype similarity that incorporates covariates and utilizes maximum amount of data information. We found that our method gives power improvement when neither LD nor allele frequency is too low and is comparable under other scenarios. 2) In chapter 3, we proposed a new strategy that incorporates the genotyping uncertainty to assess the association between traits and SNPs. Extensive simulation studies for case-control designs demonstrated that intensity information based association test can reduce the impact induced by genotyping error. 3) In chapter 4, we described simulation software, SimuGeno, which is used to simulate large scale genomic data for case-control association studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007.
Title from electronic title page (viewed Mar. 26, 2008). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health." Discipline: Biostatistics; Department/School: Public Health.

High myopia (more severe than -6.00 Diopters) is one of the leading causes of blindness and vision impairment in the world. Its prevalence has rapidly been growing and the estimated number of myopic people worldwide is expected to be 2.5 billion by the year 2020. My experimental work covered three topics: (1) characterization of the quantity and quality of mouth wash-extracted DNA (2) genetic association studies, and (3) evaluation of an imprinting effect in high myopia. Mouthwash-derived DNA is an important source of human DNA for large-scale genetic studies. Thus, potential methods of DNA quantification (spectrophotometry, fluorometry, gel electrophoresis and qPCR) and quality assessment (gel electrophoresis and PCR) were evaluated. Regarding DNA quantification methods, fluorometry compared favorably to the gold-standard qPCR. DNA quality assessments revealed that -10% of collected buccal DNA samples were severely degraded—a phenomenon that was shown to be partly subject-specific. Myopia association studies were performed for: genes in MYP regions, the myocilin gene, the collagen type I alpha 1 gene and the collagen type II alpha 1 gene. These genes have been linked to myopia because of their function and/or previous positive findings. All tests were performed on a combined dataset of complex high myopia pedigrees and cases/controls, applying likelihood ratio statistics and Bonferroni correction to account for multiple testing. The results suggested that none of the genes examined have an important influence on susceptibility to high myopia. There is greater resemblance of refractive error between siblings than between parents and offspring, implying the possibility of imprinting in the aetiology of myopia. Thus, tests for imprinting were performed on "trio" pedigrees, applying Z-score and T2-test statistics and permutation to account for multiple testing. The results tentatively suggested that parent-of- origin effects and/or by maternal effects contribute to myopia development.

The human microbiome studies have been accelerated by the advances in next-generation sequencing technologies. There has also been increasing interest in discovering microbial taxa that are associated with diverse host phenotypes, environmental factors or clinical interventions. Here, I first describe unique features of microbiome data and the resulting demand for adaptive association analysis which robustly suits different association patterns, while providing valid statistical inferences. Then, I introduce two adaptive microbiome association tests as follows.

My first method, namely, optimal microbiome-based association test (OMiAT), relates microbial composition with continuous (e.g., body mass index) or binary (e.g., disease status) traits. OMiAT is a data-driven adaptive testing method which approximates to the most powerful performance among different candidate tests from the sum of powered score tests (SPU) and microbiome regression-based kernel association test (MiRKAT). I illustrate that OMiAT robustly discovers underlying association signals arising from highly imbalanced microbial abundances and phylogenetic tree structure, while correctly controlling type I error rates. I also propose a way to apply it to fine association mapping of diverse higher-level taxa at different taxonomic levels within a newly introduced microbial taxa discovery framework, microbiome comprehensive association mapping (MiCAM).

My second method, namely, optimal microbiome-based survival analysis (OMiSA), relates microbial composition with survival (i.e., time to event) traits. OMiSA approximates to the most powerful association test within two test domains, 1) microbiome-based survival analysis using linear and non-linear bases of OTUs (MiSALN) and 2) microbiome-based kernel association test for survival traits (MiRKAT-S). I illustrate that OMiSA powerfully discovers underlying associated lineages whether they are rare or abundant and phylogenetically related or not, while correctly controlling type I error rates.

OMiAT and OMiSA are attractive in practice due to the high complexity of microbiome data and the unknown true nature of the state. MiCAM also provides a hierarchical microbiome association map through a breadth of taxonomic levels, which can be used as a guideline for further investigation on the roles of discovered taxa in human health or disease.

Penalized regression methods are becoming increasingly popular in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for identifying genetic markers associated with disease. However, standard penalized methods such as the LASSO do not take into account the possible linkage disequilibrium between adjacent markers. We propose a novel penalized approach for GWAS using a dense set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The proposed method uses the minimax concave penalty (MCP) for marker selection and incorporates linkage disequilibrium (LD) information by penalizing the difference of the genetic effects at adjacent SNPs with high correlation. A coordinate descent algorithm is derived to implement the proposed method. This algorithm is efficient and stable in dealing with a large number of SNPs. A multi-split method is used to calculate the p-values of the selected SNPs for assessing their significance. We refer to the proposed penalty function as the smoothed MCP (SMCP) and the proposed approach as the SMCP method. Performance of the proposed SMCP method and its comparison with a LASSO approach are evaluated through simulation studies, which demonstrate that the proposed method is more accurate in selecting associated SNPs. Its applicability to real data is illustrated using data from a GWAS on rheumatoid arthritis. Based on the idea of SMCP, we propose a new penalized method for group variable selection in GWAS with respect to the correlation between adjacent groups. The proposed method uses the group LASSO for encouraging group sparsity and a quadratic difference for adjacent group smoothing. We call it smoothed group LASSO, or SGL for short. Canonical correlations between two adjacent groups of SNPS are used as the weights in the quadratic difference penalty. Principal components are used to reduced dimensionality locally within groups. We derive a group coordinate descent algorithm for computing the solution path of the SGL. Simulation studies are used to evaluate the finite sample performance of the SGL and group LASSO. We also demonstrate its applicability on rheumatoid arthritis data.