| 1. |
- Johansson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Institutionalisation of risk and safety management at the local governmental level in Sweden
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Risk Research. - : Routledge. - 1366-9877 .- 1466-4461. ; 12:5, s. 687-708
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The starting point for this article is the need for empirical knowledge about organizational configuration for societal risk and safety management activities ina modern welfare society. In this paper, we use Sweden as an empirical frame to analyze the administrative management structure at the local governmental level.The analysis is based on statistical analysis of information from a web-survey with administrative chief/head officials (n51283) with responsibilities for different municipal functions and sectors. The sample represented 25% of the Swedish municipalities (n5290) and the response rate was approximately 60% (n5766).The responses to two sets of questions (25 and 45 questions) are used for statistical analyses of management structures and task distribution within themunicipal organizations. Principal component factor analyses with Varimax and Kaisers Normalization was applied as a structure detection method. The resultsindicate a clear and uniform way to institutionalize societal risk and safety management at the local level. Furthermore, the management course of action is found to have different types of value characters. The implications that arise from the patterns identified in this study are considered to be of general relevance and topicality for research and practice in this area
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| 2. |
- Lillvist, Anne, et al.
(författare)
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The construct of social competence : how preschool teachers define social competence in young children
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Early Childhood. - : Springer. - 0020-7187 .- 1878-4658. ; 41:1, s. 51-68
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Preschool teachers share their environment with young children on a daily basis and interventions promoting social competence are generally carried out in the preschool setting. The aim was to find out if and how preschool teachers' definitions of social competence are related to factors in the preschool environment like: a) the number of children having problems related to social competence; b) the support provided to the children; and c) the preschool environment and current research definitions. Method: 481 preschools from 22 municipalities in Sweden participated. Data was analyzed using a mixed methods design in which a qualitative content analysis was followed by group comparisons using quantitative methods. Results: Preschool teachers defined social competence mainly as intrapersonal skills, or as interpersonal relations. The definitions of social competence were not related to the numbers of children having problems related to social skills or social competence in units, the amount of the support provided to the children or the preschool environment. Conclusion: Preschool teachers' definitions of social competence are partly multidimensional, which implies that the interventions aimed at promoting children's social skills and social competence also should be multidimensional. Preschool teachers' definitions of social competence have little relevance to environmental factors, which indicate that social competence, as a construct is more dependent upon perceptions of the individual than on contextual factors.
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| 3. |
- Johansson, Tobias, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Why is research on management accounting change not explicitly evolutionary? : Taking the next step in the conceptualisation of management accounting change
- 2009
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Ingår i: Management Accounting Research. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 1044-5005 .- 1096-1224. ; 20:2, s. 146-162
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article we discuss the evolutionary foundation of the OIE-guided management accounting change research building on the framework of [Scapens R.W. 1994. Never mind the gap: towards an institutional perspective on management accounting practice. Management Accounting Research, 5, 301–321.] and [Burns, J. and Scapens, R.W., 2000. Conceptualizing management accounting change: an institutional framework. Management Accounting Research, 11, 3–25.]. We argue that research on management accounting change should be based on evolutionary theory, but that the full potential of evolutionary theory has not yet been described or used in management accounting research. The conceptualisation and understanding of management accounting change can be improved and expanded if the evolutionary approach is developed beyond the general belief that it describes only small and gradual, often slow, changes. In this article we show that an evolutionary perspective on management accounting change implies that management accounting’s development is explained as the interaction between the evolutionary sub processes of retention (inheritance), variation and selection. Thus, both continuity and change are seen as evolutionary outcomes. These processes follow the cumulative causality that Charles Darwin proposed and Thorstein Veblen applied to the social sciences. Such a comprehensive theory, here labelled Universal Darwinism, must, however, be given substance with supporting details.
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| 4. |
- Johansson, Tobias, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Explaining the utilization of relative performance evaluation in local government: A multi-theoretical study using data from Sweden
- 2009
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Ingår i: Financial Accountability & Management. - Oxford : Blackwell. - 0267-4424 .- 1468-0408. ; 25:2, s. 197-224
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the more lasting imprints that New Public Management (NPM) has made in the public sector is an increase in the popularity of performance measurement. In Sweden, performance measurement has gained popularity in the public sector, not least at the local government level with the use of relative performance evaluation (RPE). Because utilization of RPE is a decentralized and optional mode of governance, a somewhat heterogeneous practice has evolved. The aim of this paper is to examine the causes of this differentiated practice. We jointly examine economic, political and institutional/cultural explanations in order to account for the utilization of RPE. The empirical material consists of archival data and a questionnaire sent to all Swedish municipalities in late 2005. We show that RPE adoption and use partly has different antecedents and that the institutional/cultural perspective appears to have greater explanatory power than economic and political, not least as a consequence of the potential to explain decoupling and the importance of change facilitating capabilities. The investigation contributes specifically to the literature on the utilization of RPE in local governments and more generally to the literature on why and to what extent management accounting practices are utilized.
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| 5. |
- Nilsagård, Ylva, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting accidental falls in people with multiple sclerosis : a longitudinal study
- 2009
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Ingår i: Clinical Rehabilitation. - London : Sage Publications. - 0269-2155 .- 1477-0873. ; 23:3, s. 259-269
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate accidental falls and near fall incidents in people with multiple sclerosis with respect to clinical variables and the predictive values of four tests. Design: A longitudinal, multi-centred cohort study with prospectively collected falls. Procedures: Self-reported incidents during the three months following a standardized test procedure. Subjects: Seventy-six people with multiple sclerosis and an Expanded Disability Status Scale score between 3.5 and 6.0. Main outcome measures: Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go cognitive, Four Square Step Test (FSST) and 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale. Results: Forty-eight people (63%) registered 270 falls. Most falls occurred indoors during activities of daily life. We found a correlation of rs=0.57 between near falls and falls, and of rs = 0.82 between registered and retrospectively recalled falls. Fallers and non-fallers differed significantly regarding Expanded Disability Status Score (odds ratio (OR) 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22; 3.40), spasticity (OR 1.14, CI 1.02; 1.31), proprioception (OR 2.50, CI 1.36; 5.12) and use of walking aids (OR 2.27, CI 1.23; 4.37). Reported use of walking aids both indoors and outdoors increased the odds of falling fivefold while disturbed proprioception increased the odds 2.5—15.6 times depending on severity. The odds of falling were doubled for each degree of increased Expanded Disability Status Score and more than doubled for each degree of increased spasticity. The Berg Balance Scale, use of walking aids and Timed Up and Go cognitive best identified fallers (73—94%) and proprioception, Expanded Disability Status Score, 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale and Four Square Step Test best identified non-fallers (75—93%). Conclusions: In clinical practice, looking at the use of walking aids, investigating proprioception and spasticity, rating Expanded Disability Status Score and using Berg Balance Scale or Timed Up and Go cognitive all contribute when identifying fallers.
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| 6. |
- Balkmar, Dag, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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A Reconsideration of Two "Welfare Paradises" : Research and Policy Responses to Men's Violence in Denmark and Sweden
- 2009
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Ingår i: Men and Masculinities. - : Sage Publications. - 1097-184X .- 1552-6828. ; 12:2, s. 155-174
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article compares the situation in Denmark and Sweden regarding research and policy making around the issue of men-s violence to women and children. It does so by drawing on two comprehensive reviews of academic and policy data in those countries that were part of a broader European Union-funded project. Although the picture emerging from this comparison is complex, the overall conclusion is that in Sweden over recent years many more examples can be found of a critical, power-oriented approach than is the case in Denmark.
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| 7. |
- Brav, Agneta, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Group initiative and self-organizational activities in industrial work groups
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1359-432X .- 1464-0643. ; 18:3, s. 347-377
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autonomous work groups are involved in goal setting and planning and hence can define their jobs and the outcome idiosyncratically. Our interest lies in how job design restricts or creates possibilities for groups to redefine their work and thus go beyond formal requirements. The aim was to test a model of the relationships between dimensions of job design, group processes, group initiative, and self-organizational activities. The results are based on work task analyses and questionnaires administered to 31 work groups at four Swedish industrial companies. The theoretical input-process-output model received substantial support. Dimensions of job design affect whether a group, through collective reflexivity, can redefine work and proactively create conditions and organize work so that uncertainty can be handled and new tasks mastered. Group processes such as cooperation and social support enhance group initiative to achieve such meaningful change. In this study, reflexivity does not impact on group initiative, but does explain the major amount of variance in self-organizational activities. Work task analyses can be a useful tool for providing groups with the prerequisites for self-organizational activities. We believe these to be essential for the groups' capacity to be involved in the innovation process from idea to finished product.
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| 8. |
- Elgh-Dalgren, Kristin, et al.
(författare)
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Anaerobic bioremediation of a soil with mixed contaminants : Explosives degradation and influence on heavy metal distribution, monitored as changes in concentration and toxicity
- 2009
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Ingår i: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands. - 0049-6979 .- 1573-2932. ; 202:1-4, s. 301-313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two soils with explosives and metals were evaluated for the degradation efficiency of explosives by native microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. The commercially available method Daramend®, amended with zero-valent iron (ZVI), was compared with a horse-manure amended compost and a treatment with ZVI alone. In a moderately contaminated soil, Daramend® and ZVI treatment gave significantly higher removal rates compared to compost and control treatments (Tukey’s test, P<0.05). The largest overall decrease in ecotoxicity, measured with bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), was achieved with ZVI-treatment. In a more contaminated soil no degradation of contaminants and no decline in soil toxicity could be distinguished after the same time period. Problems with establishment of anaerobic conditions during parts of the remediation process and low microbial activity due to acute toxicity of contaminants are plausible explanations. Redistribution that could potentially lead to mobilization of the co-contaminant Pb was not observed in either of the soils during the biological treatments.
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| 9. |
- Elgh-Dalgren, Kristin, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Laboratory and pilot scale soil washing of PAH and arsenic from a wood preservation site : Changes in concentration and toxicity
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Hazardous Materials. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0304-3894 .- 1873-3336. ; 172:2-3, s. 1033-1040
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil washing of a soil with a mixture of both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and As was evaluated in laboratory and pilot scale, utilizing both single and mixtures of different additives. The highest level of decontamination was achieved with a combination of 0.213 M of the chelating agent MGDA and 3.2xCMC* of a nonionic, alkyl glucoside surfactant at pH 12 (Ca(OH)2). This combination managed to reach Swedish threshold values within 10 min of treatment when performed at elevated temperature (50°C), with initial contaminant concentrations of As = 105±4 mg/kg and US-EPA PAH16 = 46.0±2.3 mg/kg. The main mechanisms behind the removal were the pH-effect for As and a combination of SOM-ionization as a result of high pH and micellar solubilization for PAHs. Implementation of the laboratory results utilizing a pilot scale equipment did not improve the performance, which may be due to the shorter contact time between the washing solution and the particles, or changes in physical characteristics of the leaching solution due to the elevated pressure utilized. The ecotoxicological evaluation, Microtox®, demonstrated that all soil washing treatments increased the toxicity of soil leachates, possibly due to increased availability of contaminants and toxicity of soil washing solutions to the test organism.
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| 10. |
- Ibragimova, Nina, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Field trial of ICF version for children and youth (ICF-CY) in Sweden – logical coherence, developmental issues and clinical use
- 2009
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Ingår i: Developmental Neurorehabilitation. - Oxfordshire : Informaworld. - 1751-8423 .- 1751-8431. ; 12:1, s. 3-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: For ICF-CY to be used in clinical practice several issues have to be resolved concerning the logical coherence in the model, developmental and functional issues as well as clinical feasibility.Purpose: The aim is to investigate feasibility of ICF-CY as expressed by ICF-CY questionnaires in assessment prior to intervention.Methods: One hundred and thirty-nine professionals working with intervention for children with disabilities used ICF-CY questionnaires in assessment. The professionals rated and commented on the feasibility of ICF-CY and ICF-CY questionnaire. Logical coherence, developmental issues and clinical use were investigated.Results: The logical coherence on component level was good (KMO = 0.126, p<0.005). To investigate developmental and functional issues in the model children, four age groups were compared with the help of one-way ANOVA. Significant differences were found between children younger than 3 and children 3-6 and 7-12 in four chapters in the component Activities/Participation. Professionals consider that ICF-CY is feasible in intervention but experience difficulties when using the components and qualifiers in the ICF-CY and suggest changes.Discussion: ICF-CY as expressed in ICF-CY questionnaires is a feasible tool in assessment and intervention. However, several issues can be developed and discussed to facilitate implementation of ICF-CY in clinical practice.
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