| 1. |
- Abrahamsson, Jan, 1981-
(författare)
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Beyond Going Global : Essays on business development of International New Ventures past early internationalization
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The notion of International New Ventures, or INVs, emerged in academia in the early-to-mid 1990s and generally refers to entrepreneurial firms that tend to internationalize very early in their life-cycle, and whose expansion into foreign markets occurs much more quickly than predicted by earlier theories of the incremental internationalization process. Previous literature proposes effective networking with market partners and, more recently, internationally viable business model among key distinguishing features of INVs that allow for such early and rapid entry into international markets. Nevertheless, little is yet known regarding how these younger firms develop over time and how they could sustain international growth. With the purpose of filling this gap, this doctoral dissertation scrutinizes business models and business model innovation of INVs beyond their early internationalization, with a particular emphasis on INVs’ external relationships configurations. The dissertation consists of four self-contained essays that represent a methodological mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches and incorporate longitudinal case studies, surveys and register-based data encompassing nine years of Swedish INVs’ development. The findings highlight the importance of the business model as an initial market entry tool, and of business model innovation as a potential growth vehicle over time. Findings also display that INVs work with a broader range of external partners compared to other firms for innovative purposes, and that INVs have different business model innovation patterns compared to other types of internationalized firms. Moreover, INVs focus more heavily on value capture innovations in their business models as they mature and seek to obtain a more centralized position in their industry ecosystem by re-configuring the parameters of existing external relationships or developing new ones. Overall, this dissertation contributes to the international entrepreneurship and business model literature by explicating how maturing INVs need to operate under different business model configurations as compared to emerging INVs, as the original business model might lack scalability after a certain point in time. Furthermore, the dissertation suggests how INVs can pursue a dynamic business model approach and utilize dynamic capabilities to design business models that put the focal firm more in control of the surrounding ecosystem, and reduce constraints that can limit the value capturing potential and thus the growth and development of INVs.
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| 2. |
- Kostis, Angelos, 1990-
(författare)
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Coping with Interpartner Uncertainty in Interorganizational Interactions
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Interorganizational relationships are uncertain endeavors. By engaging in such relationships, organizations become vulnerable to their partner’s behavior and their success is contingent on the partner’s willingness and ability to fulfill its promises. Despite the plethora of benefits provided by interorganizational relationships, organizations face difficulty in understanding and anticipating each other’s future behavior, in aligning their views and expectations, and in predicting the potentialities of their interactions due to the influence of the broader relational context. This difficulty stems from incomplete knowledge about the intentions of the partner and it is particularly salient within coopetitive interorganizational relationships, i.e., relationships involving the simultaneous pursuit of cooperation and competition, as the partners have only partially convergent interests. Whereas prior research has focused on how firms can manage calculable risks through static governance mechanisms, little is known about the underlying processes of how firms cope with interpartner uncertainty. In this thesis, I address the following purpose: to advance the understanding of the processes through which firms cope with interpartner uncertainty in interorganizational interactions.The purpose is addressed through five research papers, which build on each other and synergistically shed light on different processes through which organizations cope with interpartner uncertainty along the course of their interactions. With an inductive approach, this thesis mainly draws on a qualitative case study of interorganizational interactions in the robotics and automation industry in Sweden. In addition, two literature reviews and a quantitative study supported the fulfilment of the overall purpose. The findings of this thesis establish that three possible means of coping with interpartner uncertainty in interorganizational interactions are the adoption of both trust and distrust as organizing principles, reliance on hybrid interpretive schemes as forward-looking lenses and the use of digital artifacts as boundary objects. In addition, I provide answers about how each of these means of coping supports organizations to cope with interpartner uncertainty by influencing their interaction dynamics. Building upon these findings, I argue that the process of coping with interpartner uncertainty has three distinct, yet interrelated dimensions, namely managerial cognition, relationality and materiality. The thesis concludes by outlining the main theoretical contributions to the bodies of literature on uncertainty in interorganizational relationships, interorganizational trust, and coopetition. Finally, managerial implications are also outlined.
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| 3. |
- Manzhynski, Siarhei, 1981-
(författare)
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Understanding and managing coopetition for sustainability : process and outcomes
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Scholars highlight the potential gains of collaboration between competitors for supporting sustainability but there is a lack of both theoretical and empirical studies. In this thesis I aim to enhance the understanding of 'coopetition forsustainability', which I define as 'an inter-firm phenomenon where actors fromthe same industry simultaneously cooperate and compete with the intent to achieve environmental, economic, and social benefits'. By investigating the process and outcomes of coopetition for sustainability I develop several analytical tools for the systematic exploration of the coopetitive interaction for reaching sustainability goals and show that coopetition for sustainability raises numerous knotted paradoxical tensions. I further reveal organizing and regulating mechanisms that actors use to address these tensions, and which can motivate greater extents of sustainability in terms of outcomes.This thesis consists of six appended papers (two conceptual, two qualitative, and two quantitative) that explore coopetition for sustainability in three contextual settings (Swedish, Polish, and Belarusian housing). Collectively, the papers span several theoretical frameworks (paradox theory, sustainable value, modern portfolio theory) and methodological approaches (systemdynamics, in-depth case study, survey questionnaires). Overall, my explorations in this thesis show that whilst coopetition for sustainability is a complex, tensionfilled phenomenon, it has great potential to advance sustainability in both theory and practice. I contribute to theory by generating novel insights into: (i) The process of coopetition for sustainability showing how actors organize collaboration for sustainability and how they respond to paradoxical tensions they frequently experience; (ii) The outcomes of coopetition for sustainability, which I systematically conceptualize and model. I also offer several implications for practice that can help managers to navigate the process of coopetition for sustainability in order to enhance economic, social and environmental outcomes.
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| 4. |
- Raza-Ullah, Tatbeeq, 1982-
(författare)
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A theory of experienced paradoxical tension in co-opetitive alliances
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Empirical research shows that co-opetition is a double-edged sword such that it can both help and hurt the achievement of desired performance outcomes. Despite the proliferation of co-opetitive alliances (i.e., simultaneous pursuit of competition and cooperation between firms), the field still lacks a theoretical framework that could help explain the dynamic mechanisms and conditions leading to these contradictory results. This thesis attempts to distill and integrate arguments from different literature streams of paradox, ambidexterity, and emotion to develop a framework in which experienced paradoxical tension (i.e., individual level cognitive difficulty and emotional ambivalence that pulls managers in opposite directions) serves as the main underlying mechanism through which co-opetition (i.e., an inter-firm level paradox) differentially affects performance in co-opetitive alliances. I further propose that firms' failure or success to achieve performance objectives in co- opetitive alliances is also contingent upon having a strong co-opetition capability (i.e., a multidimensional capability comprising analytical, emotional, and balancing dimensions). This thesis includes four appended papers that have used various methodologies such as anecdotes, exemplar cases, and particularly survey questionnaires to test some parts of the developed theory. The results from different papers show support for most of the tested relationships. Overall, the thesis contributes by proposing a much- need theory of experienced paradoxical tension that address the core issues related to the nature, source, consequence, and management of such tension in co-opetitive alliances. My theory has implications for research on organizational paradox and emotion, as well as for senior managers who are responsible for the success of co-opetitive alliances.
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| 5. |
- Biedenbach, Galina, 1978-
(författare)
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Brand building in the business-to-business context : The brand equity perspective
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to investigate factors affecting B2B brand building by applying the brand equity perspective in the professional services context. Three peer-reviewed and published articles and one book chapter examine different aspects related to the enhancement of brand equity and brand building in the B2B context.The first paper entitled “Brand equity in the business-to-business context: Examining the structural composition” (Biedenbach 2012) investigates the structural composition of brand equity and the interrelationships between the dimensions of brand equity in the B2B context. By specifying the multidimensional model, which can be utilized for measuring and managing B2B brand equity, the paper provides initial knowledge on how the companies can build a strong B2B brand across four dimensions of brand equity. The second paper entitled “B2B brand equity: Investigating the impact of contextual factors” (Biedenbach 2010) examines the impact of contextual factors in the organizational decision making process on the formation of B2B brand equity. The book chapter expands knowledge on B2B brand building by portraying how such characteristics of customers as relative size of their company and its industry sector can affect B2B brand building. The third paper entitled “The impact of customer experience on brand equity in a business-to-business services setting” (Biedenbach and Marell 2010) investigates the impact of customer experience on brand equity in the professional services setting. The study clarifies how customer experience can be utilized for building a strong B2B brand. The fourth paper entitled “Brand equity in the professional service context: Analyzing the impact of employee role behavior and customer-employee rapport” (Biedenbach, Bengtsson, and Wincent 2011) examines whether factors related to customers’ perception of employees’ role behavior in terms of customer perceived role ambiguity, role overload, and customer-employee rapport influence the development of brand equity in the professional service context. The paper advances knowledge on B2B brand building by considering the potential role of the company employees and consequences that their behavior can lead to in this process.To conclude, the doctoral dissertation demonstrates that the brand equity perspective can serve as a valuable foundation for theoretically understanding and practically managing B2B brand building.
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| 6. |
- Eriksson, Jessica, 1972-
(författare)
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Branschinteraktion och institutionell förändring : Omvandling i två livsmedelsbranscher
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i de senaste decenniernas trend mot avreglering, marknadsintegration och andra politiska åtgärder som syftar till att skapa bättre förutsättningar för konkurrens. Konkurrens antas skapa dynamik och ge olika positiva effekter såsom innovationer, förnyelse och mångfald. Denna studie belyser hur försöken att skapa mer konkurrens inte bara handlar om att ändra formella regelsystem, eftersom även institutionaliserade normer, olika föreställningar om hur man bör interagera, samt beroenden av olika slag, också påverkar interaktionen. Detta betyder att den institutionella förändringen i branscher, utöver formella regler, är av betydelse för att förstå branschomvandling. Analysen baseras på förändringar i två svenska livsmedelsbranscher. Teoretiskt utgår studien från sociologisk institutionell teori. Studien belyser vad branschinteraktionen betyder för institutionell förändring i branscher genom att lyfta fram fyra förändringsprocesser, institutionalisering, anpassning, experimentering och politisering. Särskilt fokus läggs på hur förändringstryck i form av politiska åtgärder leder till dessa processer. Med hjälp av de fyra processerna kan branschomvandling såväl som institutionell förändring beskrivas. Resonemangen leder vidare fram till en dynamisk paradox. Paradoxen utgår ifrån det välkända behovet av både stabilitet och förändring som grunden för dynamik. Politiska åtgärder handlar ofta om en strävan efter förnyelse och mångfald. Detta leder dock till en situation där olika nya produkter, processer med mera konkurrerar om legitimitet. Denna konkurrens leder till försök att skapa legitimitet för det nya, och därmed reducera osäkerheten, både för de konkurrerande företagen och för konsumenter och andra aktörer, vilket ofta understöds av nya politiska åtgärder. Detta begränsar i sin tur fortsatta utrymmet för experimentering. Det kan därför sägas vara svårt att vidmakthålla en kontinuerlig förnyelse och mångfald i branscher till följd av politiska åtgärder. En annan slutsats som dras är att det är kombinationen av konkurrens och samarbete som är av intresse för att skapa ”önskvärd” dynamik, snarare än konkurrens eller samarbete i sig.
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| 7. |
- Jazairy, Amer, 1989-
(författare)
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Engaging in green logistics: An eye on shippers, logistics service providers, and their interactions
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The logistics and transport industry places a heavy load on the environment, causing various harms such as air pollution, global warming and resource depletion. The logistics and supply chain management literature assigns the largest share of responsibility for alleviating such harms to two supply chain actors: shippers (i.e., logistics buyers) and logistics service providers (LSPs), which motivated focusing on them in this thesis. Specifically, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the engagements of shippers and LSPs in different green logistics practices (GLPs) throughout the logistics purchasing process, and to propose improvements for such engagements by their interactions.Three research questions drive this investigation. The first question handles comparing the drivers (i.e., institutional pressures) for shippers to purchase GLPs and for LSPs to provide them—to reveal how this ‘one-tier network’ is driven as a whole. The second question aims to describe how shippers and LSPs engage in the different GLPs throughout the logistics purchasing process (across its four phases: request for proposal, negotiations, contracting and execution) and why such engagement takes place as it does. The third question aims to propose improvements for shippers’ and LSPs’ engagements in the different GLPs throughout the process—by enacting different degrees of interactions (cooperation vs. collaboration). A methodological triangulation approach is used to answer these questions, based on five papers that are extracted from three studies: a single case (shipper-LSP dyad), a multiple case (3 shippers, 5 LSPs) and a survey (169 shippers, 162 LSPs).The findings reveal a lack of direct regulatory, market and competitive pressures on shippers to purchase GLPs. These are compared to existing (yet insufficient) regulatory pressure, effective market pressure and emergent competitive pressure on LSPs to provide GLPs. The findings also reveal gaps between the actors’ purchasing-providing engagements in GLPs across the purchasing process, which followed three patterns: steady & wide, steady & narrow and emergent. Distinct GLPs are associated with each pattern, and detailed explanations are presented for these associations based on the characteristics of each GLP . Further, the findings propose paths to improve the actors’ engagements in GLPs across the process, based on the gap pattern for each GLP and the degrees of shipper-LSP interactions required for it (cooperation vs. collaboration).This thesis contributes to the body of knowledge through systematically incorporating a trilateral actor-, phase- and GLP-specific distinction into the green logistics purchasing discussion. Also, it transcends the descriptive (and general) level of analysis of shippers’ and LSPs’ green engagements during the logistics purchasing process, by: (i) explaining why such engagements occur as they do and (ii) providing recommendations that could actually improve these engagements. Insights are offered to managers at shipper/LSP firms to assist them in modifying their purchasing/marketing strategies throughout the purchasing process with respect to specifically targeted GLPs. Insights are also offered to policymakers to set suitable regulations on both actors to support ‘greening’ logistics networks.
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| 8. |
- Lauritz, Lars Erik, 1965-
(författare)
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Spirande polisidentiteter : En studie av polisstudenters och nya polisers professionella identitet
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Who am I? Who are we? And how are the two entities connected? These are key issues of this study. Socialization and other sense making processes create new social identities. One possible identity is a professional one. Professional identities are discussed as a construction where expectations and experiences of construed images, cultural and professional understandings are key elements. Social identities are fundamentally described as social and individual reflections. The purpose of the study is to extend the comprehension of how professional identities are constructed and to study new professionals navigation through the complex network of images and contrasting pictures that meet them in that process. The professional identity of Swedish police officers is focused. The profession is - by many of the ten informants in this recurrent, in-depth interview study - described as a dream from childhood. The first of four interview-series has been conducted in beginning of police education, the last after nine months work experience. There are two motives that all informants mention for choosing the profession. The first is a wish to care for others and for the society, the second is excitement. Other mentioned motives are the police profession regarded as teamwork with a high community spirit. It is expected to give good opportunities to develop as individuals and is thought to be a practical occupation, described with key words such as handy and flexible. The construed image, how informants believe that others view the profession, is described either as polices as the selected model or as prejudiced and hostile. The mass media is regarded the main intermediary of the second image. By the informants, a good police is regarded as being without prejudices and is presented as male. Male strength is one desirable quality, though the strength preferably can be combined with female softness. The care-giving motive is accentuated as the most important one in the first interviews, but replaced by excitement as the most important one in practice. Some general discourses are discussed. The first three - the social, the recruitment, and the distrust discourse - are discussed as sources of understanding to the frequently discussed notion of the police profession as constituting strong team spirit. Police identity is also presented as unprejudiced, male and young in the sense of engagement and activity degree. All discourses are often challenged in work- experience, from cultural as well as from image perspectives. On a highly generalized level the police identity can be positioned as one with a high degree of community. When the stories are scrutinized clearly disparate patterns between individuals however appear. The differences are expressed either in accentuation or definition of the common labels. Earlier research on the fields of identity reveals some shortages. The individual's role in constructing social identities and the pure locus of identity is overlooked. To reduce that shortage, this study introduces a professional identity model where the individual´s position is connected to the common identity by expectations and experiences of three key identity elements -Culture, Image and the Profession itself.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Vanyushyn, Vladimir, 1979-
(författare)
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Innovative Behaviour of Small Firms : Essays on Small Firms' Internationalisation and Use of Online Channels
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The spread of information technology and the dissolution of international borders have had a significant impact on the challenges and opportunities faced by today's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Innovative behaviour on the part of SMEs is a prerequisite for a successful transformation of the opportunities offered by these structural changes into growth and profitability. Thus, the overall aim of this thesis is to advance the understanding of small firms' innovative behaviour as manifested in the adoption of online channels and internationalisation. This doctoral thesis consists of an introductory chapter and six self-contained essays. The introductory section develops a general analytical framework for the thesis by reviewing the literature on innovation and organisational innovativeness and identifying key determinants and processes. The first four essays seek to explain a firm's propensity to adopt online channels and suggest that firm size and a firm's willingness to cannibalise, i.e. a firm's readiness to reduce the actual or potential value of its earlier investments, differentiate between adopters and non-adopters of online channels. Expectations of alienating resellers through online channel adoption may prevent a firm from adopting. Customers' pull, competitors' push and previous use of the Internet turned out to be strong drivers of online channel use. The fourth essay employs a two-wave research design and highlights that changes that occur in the technological and economic environment in which firms operate can, over time, change a firm's pattern of decision-making from innovation adoption to conventional cost-benefit approach. Essays five and six focus on the internationalisation of SMEs. In particular, essay five focuses on the process aspects of internationalisation and suggests that early importing has a modest direct influence on exporting, and that early importing activity indirectly enhances a firm's international experience and capabilities. Essay six investigates how competitive interactions affect internationalisation and suggests that cooperation with competitors, or coopetition, is a noteworthy internationalisation motive. This thesis contributes to the literature on innovation, internationalisation, electronic marketing and small business management and demonstrates that the dynamic forces associated with innovative behaviour affect SMEs adoption of online channels and how they work with customers and suppliers abroad.
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| 11. |
- Allalou, Amin, 1981-
(författare)
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Methods for 2D and 3D Quantitative Microscopy of Biological Samples
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- New microscopy techniques are continuously developed, resulting in more rapid acquisition of large amounts of data. Manual analysis of such data is extremely time-consuming and many features are difficult to quantify without the aid of a computer. But with automated image analysis biologists can extract quantitative measurements and increases throughput significantly, which becomes particularly important in high-throughput screening (HTS). This thesis addresses automation of traditional analysis of cell data as well as automation of both image capture and analysis in zebrafish high-throughput screening. It is common in microscopy images to stain the nuclei in the cells, and to label the DNA and proteins in different ways. Padlock-probing and proximity ligation are highly specific detection methods that produce point-like signals within the cells. Accurate signal detection and segmentation is often a key step in analysis of these types of images. Cells in a sample will always show some degree of variation in DNA and protein expression and to quantify these variations each cell has to be analyzed individually. This thesis presents development and evaluation of single cell analysis on a range of different types of image data. In addition, we present a novel method for signal detection in three dimensions. HTS systems often use a combination of microscopy and image analysis to analyze cell-based samples. However, many diseases and biological pathways can be better studied in whole animals, particularly those that involve organ systems and multi-cellular interactions. The zebrafish is a widely-used vertebrate model of human organ function and development. Our collaborators have developed a high-throughput platform for cellular-resolution in vivo chemical and genetic screens on zebrafish larvae. This thesis presents improvements to the system, including accurate positioning of the fish which incorporates methods for detecting regions of interest, making the system fully automatic. Furthermore, the thesis describes a novel high-throughput tomography system for screening live zebrafish in both fluorescence and bright field microscopy. This 3D imaging approach combined with automatic quantification of morphological changes enables previously intractable high-throughput screening of vertebrate model organisms.
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| 12. |
- Bengtsson, Andreas
(författare)
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Biobased carbon fibers from solution spun lignocellulosic precursors
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Carbon fibers (CFs) have excellent mechanical properties and a low density, making themattractive as a reinforcing fiber in composites. The use of CFs is limited to high-end applications,since they are produced from an expensive fossil-based precursor via an energy-intensivemanufacturing process, explaining the need for cheaper CFs from renewables. CFs can be madefrom strong cellulosic precursors, but the low carbon content of cellulose results in a lowconversion yield, and thus an expensive CF. Lignin has a higher carbon content than cellulose butCFs from melt spun lignin precursors have presented challenges, since these precursors have a lowstrength and are difficult to convert to CF in a realistic conversion time.In the present work, CFs from solution spun precursors consisting of blends of softwood kraftlignin and cellulose have been developed. The lignin-cellulose precursors (up to 70% lignin) wereprepared with air-gap spinning and wet spinning, using an ionic liquid and a water-based solventsystem for co-dissolution, respectively. Co-processing of cellulose and lignin was beneficial as theformer made the precursor strong and easy to handle, whereas the latter gave a higher conversionyield than precursors based solely on cellulose. The precursors were converted to CFs via bothbatchwise and continuous conversion, using industrially relevant times (< 2 h), with a yield up to45 wt% after incorporation of a flame retardant.These CFs have a moderate Young’s modulus and tensile strength up to 75–77 GPa and 1.2 GPa,respectively, i.e. similar to the values for CFs from fossil-based isotropic pitch and they can thusbe classified as general-grade CFs. These biobased CFs have a disordered turbostratic graphitestructure, and their tensile properties are affected by the precursor structure, the conversionconditions, and the final diameter. These CFs can potentially be used as a sustainable componentin non-structural and semi-structural applications.
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| 13. |
- Bengtsson, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Carbon Fibers from Lignin-Cellulose Precursors : Effect of Stabilization Conditions
- 2019
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Ingår i: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : American Chemical Society. - 2168-0485. ; 7:9, s. 8440-8448
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is an increasing demand for lightweight composites reinforced with carbon fibers (CFs). Due to its high availability and carbon content, kraft lignin has gained attention as a potential low-cost CF precursor. CFs with promising properties can be made from flexible dry-jet wet spun precursor fibers (PFs) from blends (70:30) of softwood kraft lignin and fully bleached softwood kraft pulp. This study focused on reducing the stabilization time, which is critical in CF manufacturing. The impact of stabilization conditions on chemical structure, yield, and mechanical properties was investigated. It was possible to reduce the oxidative stabilization time of the PFs from about 16 h to less than 2 h, or even omitting the stabilization step, without fusion of fibers. The main reactions involved in the stabilization stage were dehydration and oxidation. The results suggest that the isothermal stabilization at 250 °C override the importance of having a slow heating rate. For CFs with a commercial diameter, stabilization of less than 2 h rendered in tensile modulus 76 GPa and tensile strength 1070 MPa. Impregnation with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate significantly increased the CF yield, from 31-38 to 46-50 wt %, but at the expense of the mechanical properties.
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| 14. |
- Bengtsson, Anki, 1959-
(författare)
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Governance of Career Guidance : an enquiry into European policy
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis is to enquire into and problematize the governance of career guidance and how individuals’ career management is constructed within EU policy. The empirical material consists of European policy documents produced during 2000-2015. The two central research questions explore (1) how European career guidance is made governable, and (2) how individuals’ career management is constructed and governed. The Foucauldian governmentality perspective and the analytic method of problematization is utilized. The analysis focuses on the compositions of normative forms of reason, discursive practices and techniques by which governing is exercised and knowledge is produced. The thesis is based on four articles, three of which concern career guidance and career management. The fourth article concerns education of citizenship. The analysis shows that the formation of a policy space for comparison of national systems of career guidance is significant for making European career guidance amenable to governance. It is mobilized by governing practices for involvement of institutional actors and the construction of standards of performance. This form of governance becomes effective on the condition that institutional actors use and produce knowledge and practices about what works in career guidance, and this implies self-control and constant monitoring. It is a complex process of producing self-regulation of career guidance adjustable to change and innovation in which both standardization and modulation are inbuilt. Moreover, this is dependent on the interplay of governance and self-government. Knowledge and practices shape career management as an individual competence, which each individual is assumed to achieve. The use of guidance techniques supporting this design and self-regulating practices contributes to responsibilizing individuals to achieve this competence. Knowledge of individuals’ management of their careers includes civic competence. This led me to extend my use of the theoretical framework to investigate how knowledge of civic competence is constructed in European policy documents concerning teacher education from 2000 to 2012. My analysis shows that presumptions of teaching civic competence support the production of the active and learning subject.
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| 15. |
- Bengtsson, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Improved yield of carbon fibres from cellulose and kraft lignin
- 2018
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Ingår i: Holzforschung. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0018-3830 .- 1437-434X. ; 72:12, s. 1007-1016
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To meet the demand for carbon-fibre-reinforced composites in lightweight applications, cost-efficient processing and new raw materials are sought for. Cellulose and kraft lignin are each interesting renewables for this purpose due to their high availability. The molecular order of cellulose is an excellent property, as is the high carbon content of lignin. By co-processing cellulose and lignin, the advantages of these macromolecules are synergistic for producing carbon fibre (CF) of commercial grade in high yields. CFs were prepared from precursor fibres (PFs) made from 70:30 blends of softwood kraft lignin (SW-KL) and cellulose by dry-jet wet spinning with the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm][OAc]) as a solvent. In focus was the impact of the molecular mass of lignin and the type of cellulose source on the CF yield and properties, while membrane-filtrated kraft lignin and cellulose from dissolving kraft pulp and fully bleached paper-grade SW-KP (kraft pulp) served as sources. Under the investigated conditions, the yield increased from around 22% for CF from neat cellulose to about 40% in the presence of lignin, irrespective of the type of SW-KL. The yield increment was also higher relative to the theoretical one for CF made from blends (69%) compared to those made from neat celluloses (48-51%). No difference in the mechanical properties of the produced CF was observed.
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| 16. |
- Björnehed, Emma, 1978-
(författare)
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Ideas in Conflict : The effect of frames in the Nepal conflict and peace process
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In 1996 the state of Nepal was challenged by a Maoist insurgency, resulting in a decade-long civil war. During the course of the subsequent peace process the parliamentary parties found themselves agreeing to significant political changes, including a republican constitution. This study approaches the Nepal case on the assumption that the discursive aspect of social relations is one important factor in understanding how specific events unfold and why actors do one thing and not another.Two frames are investigated using frame analysis in terms of their representation of problem, cause and solution: a terrorism frame from the period of conflict and a peace frame from the period of conflict resolution. The terrorism frame is categorised as a negative frame and the peace frame as a positive frame. This overarching difference is found to have implications for the effects of the respective frames.In contrast to traditional frame analysis, which tends to focus on the success of a frame and the effects on a specific audience, this study investigates the effects of frames on the actors involved in the framing process in terms of their perceived manoeuvrability for action. This approach is formalised in a model of four types of logic of actor effects that is applied to the Nepal case. The analysis of frame effects is based on first-hand interviews with key actors, such as former prime ministers and top leaders of political parties and civil society. From this material, the study gives insight into how the two frames influenced the actors’ perceived manoeuvrability. This actor-centred approach shows that the frames affected the actors in both enabling and restrictive ways and thus influenced the outcome in Nepal. For example, it is shown that frames created during the conflict were considered a prerequisite for the legitimate use of military force. The study also shows the unintended effects of framing, captured in the model as the effect of self-entrapment, and highlights the coercive character of ideas in making actors perceive themselves as forced to take a certain action or position.
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| 17. |
- Chermá Yeste, Maria Dolores, 1961-
(författare)
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Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Psychiatry : Some aspects of utility in clinical practice and research
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background and objectives: Several new psychoactive drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders have been introduced onto the market since the late 1980s. Basic aspects of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics (PK) are investigated before approval for general prescription. Thus, a limited number of subjects are exposed to the drug before it is marketed and only sparse measurements of drug concentration are performed during phases II and III of drug development. The objective of this thesis was to provide further descriptive PK and linked patients data in naturalistic clinical settings. The PK of psychoactive drugs was also studied in the elderly and the young, major risk groups that are exposed in normal everyday clinical practice but that are underrepresented in the phases of drug development. The PK-data were to be assessed by samples sent to the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) laboratory service. In a subset of individuals, the genotypes of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes were described.Results: Serum concentration of the parent compound and its metabolites was provided from TDM-data on antidepressant escitalopram (Paper I) and antipsychotic ziprasidone (Paper II). A large interindividual PK variability was found. The daily dose of the drug was higher than the defined daily dose (DDD) for both escitalopram and ziprasidone (median dose 20 mg and 120 mg, respectively). The median number of drugs per patient, apart from the studied drug, was 4 and 3, respectively (range 1-18). If repeated eligible TDM-data were available, change in treatment strategies could be seen between the first and second sample for the patient, and the metabolite/parent compound (M/P) ratio had lower intraindividual than interindividual variation in the escitalopram study but opposite results were found in the ziprasidone study.The prescription of antidepressant drugs (ADs) in the nursing homes studied was 38 % (Paper III). The concentration of the ADs was higher, or much higher, than could be expected from the dose administered in 73 %. The majority of the elderly people were treated with citalopram. No clear time schedule for how long the drug treatment should continue was found in the patients’ current medical record. The median number of drugs per patient apart from the AD was 11 (range 4-19), no monotherapy was found in these patients. The genetically impaired metabolic activity of CYP enzymes correlated to higher drug concentration as expected, in patients medicated with an AD that is substrate for the CYP enzyme genotype.The concentrations of ADs were as expected from the dose administered in 63 % of the children/adolescents evaluated (Paper IV). The majority of TDM samples requested sertraline. PK outcome of sertraline was similar to the results in adult populations. Monotherapy was documented in 49 % (median number of drugs apart from AD was 1 per patient, range 1-7). Changes in treatment strategies were also shown, if repeated TDM-samples were available. The median variation of the M/P ratio for sertraline between the first and the last samples within the same patient was 20 % (the interindividual variation was 37 %). The poor metabolizers (PM) for CYP2D6 medicated with a CYP2D6 substrate had a lower dose than did non-PM for the same drug.Conclusion: These studies provide reference data for the evaluation of the therapeutic response, i.e. a reference range of what is to be expected in a normal clinical setting, as well as the toxicological information concerning the psychoactive drugs studied. When available, the M/P ratio between two patients’ samples may assess patient compliance, as well as drug-drug interactions. Thus, the use of TDM can be beneficial for individual dose optimisation and drug safety, above all in the studied populations, elderly people and children/adolescents, when the selection of doses requires a consideration of PK parameters. TDM may be a tool for research, increasing knowledge of the psychoactive drug in TDM service, as well as toxicology. A more frequent clinical use of TDM and pharmacogenetic testing in clinical practice would contribute to a better quality when treating with psychoactive drugs.
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| 18. |
- Johansson, Marlene, 1973-
(författare)
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The balancing act : Cooperating with competitors
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Coopetition, the strategy by which companies cooperate and compete simultaneously in their business relationships, has received increasing attention from scholars and practitioners the last decade. Despite the recognized importance for firms to develop strategies to manage coopetitive relationships, the ways in which firms cope with strategic dilemmas in coopetition has not been sufficiently researched. Firms engaging in coopetition may encounter contradictions, paradoxes and tensions that need to be managed in order for the business relationships to be beneficial.This doctoral thesis consists of five individual but related studies with the overarching aim to advance the understanding of firms’ capabilities to balance strategic dilemmas in coopetition. The thesis addresses three research questions. How do firms balance interaction, roles and expectation in coopetition? How do firms balance power and dependency through portfolios of relationship in coopetition? How do firms balance temporalities in coopetition?All five research papers explore different aspects of the ways in which companies balance contradicting logics of interactions in coopetition, and how firms manage tensions in the interactions, which is critical for the coopetitive relationships to evolve and be beneficial. Three of the papers examine firms’ capability to adhere to and balance different roles and expectations in coopetition. Firms need to be flexible in their role-playing behavior to act as customers, partners, supplier and competitors in a relationship. These roles come with conflicting role expectations. Firms’ role-playing capability is related to the mindset that is needed in their role performance.Moreover, the thesis investigates how Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) balance power and dependency through portfolios of relationships. These findings are reported in three of the research papers and cover both how SMEs balance asymmetric buyer-supplier relationships by building coopetitive relationships with SME competitors and how small firms build and reconfigure portfolios of relationships to balance their relationship with large competitors. The thesis uncovers how SME are able to sustain independence in and to balance asymmetric coopetitive relationships if they develop alliance portfolio managing capabilities; build legitimacy, enhance agility and create role flexibility. These capabilities are found to be critical for small firms in balancing and navigating among different coopetitive relationships, thereby creating and sustaining business opportunities.Finally, the thesis explores how companies balance temporalities in coopetition. Two of the research papers uncover firms’ capabilities to balance this dilemma. The studies uncover how firms encounter dilemmas to interact on a temporary basis while sustaining important long-term relations in coopetition and how increased temporary relationships combined with long-term relationships can create both dynamics and tensions and how these tensions need to be managed in order to be beneficial.To conclude, this thesis has comprehensively explored firms’ capabilities to balance strategic dilemmas in coopetition through five studies with different theoretical approaches and multiple cases of large and small firms in different industry settings, covering both more stable industries and dynamic and rapidly changing industries.
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| 19. |
- Jouet, Maria, 1975-
(författare)
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Le Roman d'Alexandre en prose : Le manuscrit Vu 20, Kungliga biblioteket, Stockholm Édition et étude linguistique
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation is an edition and a linguistic study of the manuscript Vu 20, Kungliga biblioteket, Stockholm. The manuscript contains the Old French Prose Alexander Romance – le Roman d’Alexandre en prose. The text was translated into French in the thirteenth century from the Latin interpolated version J2 of the Historia de Preliis, which in turn is a translation of the Greek text commonly known as Pseudo-Callisthenes. The Stockholm manuscript Vu 20 is one of fifteen extant French manuscripts of the Roman d’Alexandre en prose. It belongs to the first redaction (I), which is the oldest one.The anonymous and undated manuscript Vu 20 contains characteristic features of a script used in the eastern Mediterranean around the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries – le français d’Outremer. This dialect was little studied for a long time, but scholarly interest in it has increased in recent years. The linguistic study of the manuscript suggests that it was written at the beginning of the fourteenth century. The aim of this dissertation is to provide an edition of the manuscript Vu 20, Kungliga biblioteket, Stockholm, and make it accessible to other researchers. Another aim is to provide a study of its language, which has proven interesting in many respects, not least when it comes to the dialect, and as a result of the investigation to propose a possible place and time for its composition.
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| 20. |
- Kingbäck, Maria, 1981-
(författare)
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Genetic influence on enantiomeric drug disposition : Focus on venlafaxine and citalopram
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A molecule that is not identical to its mirror image is said to be chiral. A racemic mixture, or a racemate, is one that has equal amounts of S- and R-enantiomers of a chiral molecule. Two examples of frequently prescribed racemic drugs are the antidepressants venlafaxine (VEN) and citalopram (CIT). The R-enantiomer of VEN is a potent inhibitor of serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake, while the S-enantiomer is more selective in inhibiting serotonin reuptake. CIT is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and the S-enantiomer is responsible for this effect. The R-enantiomer of CIT is therapeutically inactive, but displays other effects or side-effects. Due to the potential of different pharmacological and toxicological activities of the VEN and CIT enantiomers, it is of great interest to investigate the individual enantiomers of these drugs, concerning both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop stereoselective bioanalytical methods. A major clinical problem in the use of many drugs is the inter-individual variability in drug metabolism and response. Genetic variations contribute to this variability, including e.g. polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. Approximately 7% of all Caucasians lack the polymorphic isoenzyme CYP2D6 and these individuals are classified as poor metabolisers. Both VEN and CIT are partly metabolised by CYP2D6. However, it is not completely known how CYP2D6 deficiency may influence the in vivo pharmacokinetics of these drugs, especially regarding the enantiomeric disposition. The overall aim of this thesis was to study the relationship between pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics for VEN and CIT, with emphasis on enantiomeric drug disposition in different biomatrices. In Paper I, a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for enantioselective determination of VEN and its three major metabolites was developed and applied in plasma from patients and whole blood samples from forensic autopsy cases. In Papers II and III, the genetic influence on enantiomeric drug disposition in serum and brain following administration of racemic CIT and VEN to Sprague-Dawley and Dark Agouti rats was studied. The female Sprague-Dawley and Dark Agouti rats are considered the animal counterparts of the human extensive and poor metaboliser CYP2D6 phenotypes, respectively. Significant quantitative strain-related differences in the pharmacokinetics of CIT and VEN, and their metabolites, were observed. The results indicate that the CYP2D enzymes display a significant impact on the stereoselective metabolism of these drugs. The findings also highlight the importance of comparing different rat strains when conducting experimental pharmacokinetic studies. In Paper IV, the relation between CYP2D6 genotype and the disposition of the enantiomers of VEN and its metabolites in femoral blood from forensic autopsy cases was studied. A substantial variation in the relationship between the S- and R-enantiomers of VEN, and metabolites, was found. In individuals lacking two functional CYP2D6 alleles, a low enantiomeric S/R VEN ratio was strongly related to a high S/R ratio for the main metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine. Hence, by using enantioselective analysis of VEN and O-desmethylvenlafaxine, it is possible to predict if a person is a poor metaboliser genotype/phenotype for CYP2D6.
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| 21. |
- Rezvani, Zeinab, 1981-
(författare)
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Drivers to and barriers against sustainable consumption : exploring the role of consumer anticipated emotions in the context of consumer adoption of alternative fuel vehicles
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- With the increasing environmental problems, sustainable consumption is an important consumer behavior. Therefore, it is important to investigate further the significant drivers to and barriers against sustainable consumption, in order to increase the share of sustainable consumption and understanding of consumer behavior. This dissertation identifies two gaps. The first is in understanding consumer positive and negative anticipated emotions as an important factor influencing high-involvement sustainable consumption. The second gap relates to the lack of understanding about the associations between anticipated emotions and personal moral norms in high-involvement sustainable consumption. Against this background, the aim is to contribute to the sustainable consumption literature by investigating the roles and relations of anticipated emotions, personal moral norms, and weighing costs and benefits as drivers to and barriers against consumer adoption of a high-involvement sustainable product. A literature review and two empirical studies were conducted. Consumer adoption of alternative fuel vehicles is the specific sustainable consumption. Using quantitative methods, this phenomenon is investigated in the empirical studies conducted in Sweden. It was shown that anticipated emotions have direct effects on consumers' intention to adopt alternative fuel vehicles. Moreover, positive anticipated emotions (e.g. pride, pleasure, happiness) are drivers of sustainable consumption, while negative anticipated emotions (e.g. regret, embarrassment) are barriers against the sustainable consumption. This dissertation suggests an extension to the norm activation model, and shows that moral norms, ascription of responsibility, and awareness of environmental problems influence consumers' intentions through consumers’ anticipated emotions. For people who perceive high social norms related to decreasing the environmental impacts of car driving, the influence of positive anticipated emotions and personal moral norms are stronger. This points toward the social aspect of sustainable consumption and suggests that targeting the consumers who perceive high social norms is an important step to promoting sustainable consumption. Findings would be of relevance to marketers, policymakers and environmental organizations. Creating awareness and communicating personal responsibilities and moral norms related to the environment and consumption are important drivers for consumer adoption of sustainable products. However, it is noteworthy that consumer anticipated emotions about high-involvement sustainable products (such as alternative fuel vehicle) have also important influence on the sustainable consumption. Thus, consumer anticipated emotions should be considered in designing promotion programs.
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| 22. |
- Andersson, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of inorganic elements on lignin‐based carbon fibre quality
- 2018
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Ingår i: 15th European workshop on lignocelllulosics and pulp. ; , s. 119-122
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The influence of inorganic elements on lignin ‐based carbon fibre (CF) quality was studied using sulphates of Na +, K+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Al3+. The metal sulphates were added to wet spun prefibres made from softwood kraft lignin (SKL):cellulose (70:30) and melt spun prefibres made from low molecular mass SKL. An increase in concentration from 0.1 w% to about 0.4 w% did neither affect the mechanical properties nor the morphology as observed by SEM. In contrast, metal sulphates added to the initial 0.45 w% to a total range 1.5 to 5.0 w%, was found detrimental to the melt spinning and to the final CF quality. Thus, the recommendation of <0.1 w% ash in kraft lignin may be exceeded, but more research is needed to establish the upper concentration limit.
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| 23. |
- Bakardjieva, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Digital Media and the Dynamics of Civil Society : Retooling Citizenship in New EU Democracies
- 2021
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Bok (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nowadays, it is already a truism to state that digital media are effective tools used by citizens, civil society organizations (CSOs) and social movementsto protest, to demand, to push and (sometimes) achieve social and political change. No question, they are. This has been observed and registered time and again in a luminous series of academic contributions (some notable examples include Castells 2012; Cottle 2011; De Luca. Lawson and Sun 2012; Howard and Muzammil 2011; Tremayne 2014; Tufekci 2017). Exactly how these media have been taken up by civic actors in specific contexts has been studied and discussed in fascinating detail (Cammaerts, 2018; Gerbaudo 2012; Treré 2019). This book goes one step further to ask a broader question: Has the use of digital media by civic actors improved (or depleted) the quality of democratic life understood as broad and effective citizen participation in public affairs and decision-making?
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| 24. |
- Bengtsson, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Carbon Fibers from Lignin-Cellulose Precursors : Effect of Carbonization Conditions
- 2020
-
Ingår i: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : American Chemical Society. - 2168-0485. ; 8:17, s. 6826-6833
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carbon fibers (CFs) are gaining increasing importance in lightweight composites, but their high price and reliance on fossil-based raw materials stress the need for renewable and cost-efficient alternatives. Kraft lignin and cellulose are renewable macromolecules available in high quantities, making them interesting candidates for CF production. Dry-jet wet spun precursor fibers (PFs) from a 70/30 w/w blend of softwood kraft lignin (SKL) and fully bleached softwood kraft pulp (KP) were converted into CFs under fixation. The focus was to investigate the effect of carbonization temperature and time on the CF structure and properties. Reducing the carbonization time from 708 to 24 min had no significant impact on the tensile properties. Increasing the carbonization temperature from 600 to 800 °C resulted in a large increase in the carbon content and tensile properties, suggesting that this is a critical region during carbonization of SKL:KP PFs. The highest Young's modulus (77 GPa) was obtained after carbonization at 1600 °C, explained by the gradual transition from amorphous to nanocrystalline graphite observed by Raman spectroscopy. On the other hand, the highest tensile strength (1050 MPa) was achieved at 1000 °C, a decrease being observed thereafter, which may be explained by an increase in radial heterogeneity.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Gabrielsson, Åke, 1942-, et al.
(författare)
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Individ och agentskap i strategiska processer : En syntetisk och handlingslogisk ansats
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Even if strategy research often assumes that strategies are the result of intentional and purposeful behaviour the individual and human agency have tended to be neglected. Few empirical studies focus on how the individuals, their conceptions and actions interact with strategy formation. Based on ideas from process research and critical realism we made a review of the research and we maintain that the bulk of the research is based on simplified assumptions. We therefore propose a supplementary socio-cognitive approach based on more realistic assumptions, a synthesis and action logic approach, emphasising the individuals, the leading team and their embeddedness. In a process study with a comparative case study design we followed, in real time for about a decade, strategy formation processes in intermediate organisation in local economic development. Various methods of data collection and analysis were combined. By laying bare some of the mechanisms that explain the outcome in four processes we demonstrate the use of the proposed approach. A theoretical construction, the agent´s strategic concepts of action (SCA), aims at capturing the conceptions as an expression of the individual frame of reference providing reasons for action. The SCA carries explanatory power and is significant for both the process and content of the strategies. A typology of the SCAs is developed. The composition, the interaction and the structure of the team are other central aspects. We conclude that a strong group well suited to lead a formation process include a proactive strategist with a strategic idea and social capability; the role constellation is differentiated, and supplementary and other strategic actors relate to the strategy and the contextual roots in a way that will support the strategy. We also demonstrate in which circumstances some cognitive, social and political mechanisms discussed in earlier research are activated.
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| 27. |
- Gonzalez, Francisco, et al.
(författare)
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Odorant receptor phylogeny confirms conserved channels for sex pheromone and host plant signals in tortricid moths
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 10:14, s. 7334-7348
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The search for mates and food is mediated by volatile chemicals. Insects sense food odorants and sex pheromones through odorant receptors (ORs) and pheromone receptors (PRs), which are expressed in olfactory sensory neurons. Molecular phylogenetics of ORs, informed by behavioral and functional data, generates sound hypotheses for the identification of semiochemicals driving olfactory behavior. Studying orthologous receptors and their ligands across taxa affords insights into the role of chemical communication in reproductive isolation and phylogenetic divergence. The female sex pheromone of green budworm mothHedya nubiferana(Lepidoptera, Totricidae) is a blend of two unsaturated acetates, only a blend of both elicits male attraction. Females produce in addition codlemone, which is the sex pheromone of another tortricid, codling mothCydia pomonella. Codlemone also attracts green budworm moth males. Concomitantly, green budworm and codling moth males are attracted to the host plant volatile pear ester. A congruent behavioral response to the same pheromone and plant volatile in two tortricid species suggests co-occurrence of dedicated olfactory channels. In codling moth, one PR is tuned to both compounds, the sex pheromone codlemone and the plant volatile pear ester. Our phylogenetic analysis finds that green budworm moth expresses an orthologous PR gene. Shared ancestry, and high levels of amino acid identity and sequence similarity, in codling and green budworm moth PRs offer an explanation for parallel attraction of both species to the same compounds. A conserved olfactory channel for a sex pheromone and a host plant volatile substantiates the alliance of social and habitat signals in insect chemical communication. Field attraction assays confirm that in silico investigations of ORs afford powerful predictions for an efficient identification of behavior-modifying semiochemicals, for an improved understanding of the mechanisms of host plant attraction in insect herbivores and for the further development of sustainable insect control.
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| 28. |
- Hedlund, Therese, 1978-
(författare)
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Tourists' vacation choice structure : Influence of values and implications for green tourism
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the vacation choice structure, denoting how vacation choices such as choice of destination, travel mode, and accommodation, are related and prioritized by tourists, every choice plays an important and unique role. Although it has been recognized that vacation choices inter-relate in several different aspects, previous research has primarily studied the primacy aspect. It can however be argued that to only study the primacy of vacation choices is too limited and that it is necessary to also include other aspects, especially how important a certain vacation choice is to the tourist. This knowledge is important in order to get a more holistic picture of the vacation choice structure, but also for understanding the demand for green tourism. It can be argued that the vacation choice structure has an influence on tourists’ possibility to make green choices. This thesis extends present knowledge by analyzing the inter-relation between vacation choices and providing a framework for how the vacation choice structure is related to tourists’ green choices. The influence of personal factors such as values and green attitudes on the vacation choice structure and tourists’ green choices are also examined. Four studies with quantitative data are included in the present thesis.The findings of the first study show that the vacation choice structure varies with regard to primacy, importance, inflexibility, and impact on other choices, which further explains the inter-relation between vacation choices. The findings also show that familiarity with a destination has an effect on how important and inflexible the destination choice is experienced. The second study shows how value orientation mediates the relationships between socio-demographic factors and tourists’ green attitude. The findings suggest that the relationships vary depending on what vacation choice that is in focus, indicating that it is not possible to talk about a general green attitude in tourism. The study thus contributes to the knowledge about how values and green attitudes in tourism are related.In the third study, the findings from the second study are advanced by showing a positive relationship between the value type universalism, green attitudes, and tourists’ green buying intentions. This further enhances the knowledge about determinants for tourists’ green buying intentions. In the final study, the inter-relation between vacation choices are examined by studying the trade-off tourists make between and within various choices in a vacation package. If and when green alternatives are included in the different choices are also studied, as well as the influence of value orientation of tourists’ green choices. The study advances the knowledge about the vacation choice structure and its relation to green tourism. The results also suggest that value orientation does not directly affect the vacation choice structure.To conclude, the findings of the present thesis show that it is not possible to define a universal vacation choice structure. It is suggested that the motive of the vacation and the choice situation play important roles here. Further, it can be concluded values do influence green buying intentions through green attitudes, but that it is not likely that this intention results in an actual green behavior if the behavior does not give any individual benefits to the tourist. Finally, the findings demonstrate that the vacation choice structure can influence tourists’ possibility to make green choices as the most important vacation choice governs to what extent other less important choice alternatives are possible to consider. Taken together, the findings develop theory about the vacation choice structure and its relation to values and green tourism as well as it provides practitioners with important knowledge and suggestions on how to make their work more efficient.
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| 29. |
- Isberg, Sofia, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Tre månader utan bil
- 2019
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Många miljöproblem är relaterade till mänskligt beteendeoch kan därför hanteras genom att det specifika beteendet ändras. Frivilliga interventioner används därför för att hjälpa människor att förändra sitt beteende. Kommuner kan organisera interventioner för att få människor att förändra sina resvanor genom metoder såsom finansiellt stöd, utveckling av infrastruktur samt marknadsförings- och informationskampanjer (Gärling och Schuitema, 2007). Sådana metoder knuffar eller inspirerar människor till nytt beteende.Den här rapporten berättar om en sådan intervention med fokus på att stödja ett alternativt beteende (att leva utan bil) och på att skapa förståelse för vilken betydelse en förändring i beteende kan ha för motivation och attityder tillatt reducera eller avstå från bilåkande.Utgångspunkten var att bilen helt skulle uteslutas som transportalternativ och familjerna parkerade därför bilen under de tre månader som testperioden varade. Familjerna uppmanades att, via foto, dokumentera mätarställningen före och efter testperioden. Det handlade således inte om att reducera bilåkande under testperioden utan om att helt avstå och att därmed förändra ett beteende genom att utesluta ett vanebeteende.Kommunen skapade, tillsammans med samarbetspartners, förutsättningar för familjerna att leva bilfritt genom att erbjuda flera olika alternativa transportlösningar såsom busskort till samtliga familjemedlemmar, en elcykel per familj samt tillgång till lådcykel och bilpool.Testperioden bestämdes till tre månader och varade mellan 15 september och 15 december 2018. Det tar tid att ställa om vanor och beteenden och upptäcka nya sätt att hantera transporter och andra vardagsaktiviteter och vi ville ge deltagarna den tiden. Vi ville dessutom att testperioden skulle innehålla en årstidsväxling för att förstå hur väder påverkar upplevelsen av att leva utan bil. Tidigare studier om Umebornas resvanor har visat att många använder cykel fram till första snöfallet för att sedan övergå till bil.En rekryteringskampanj till testet genomfördes via sociala medier och bussreklam och intresserade familjer fick fylla i ett webbformulär som bland annat innehöll frågor om hushållets sammansättning, hur ofta och i vilka sammanhang bilen användes samt vilka motiv familjen hade för deltagande i testperioden. Urvalsprocessen inleddes således som enform av självrekrytering, men med kriteriet att familjen ägde bil och var beredd att prova ett liv utan.
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| 30. |
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| 31. |
- Ledberg, Sofia Knöchel, 1972-
(författare)
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Governing the Military : Professional Autonomy in the Chinese People's Liberation Army
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The reform process that has been underway in China the past 30 years has affected most parts of Chinese society. In regard to core branches of the civilian state administration, public administration research provides evidence of far-reaching decentralization, marketization, and a relaxation of direct political control within many policy areas. Despite the fact that the military in any Marxist-Leninist state is an indispensable part of the state administration, it is rarely included in research on the Chinese state administrations. In this dissertation, it is argued that the military is intrinsically linked to the overall political stability of the Chinese state not only because it constitutes one of the most central branches of the Chinese cadre administration, but also given its close connection to the ruling communist party. Hence it deserves greater research focus.The overarching focus of this study is political control and governance vis-à-vis the Chinese military. Contrary to previous studies that have approached the issue of control by investigating military infringement on civilian policy making, the analysis here illustrates that the structures and the underlying logic of control are better captured by a study of the professional autonomy of the Chinese military officer corps. Professional autonomy is investigated within the military education system, given that education is a central undertaking for any profession.By suggesting a new approach to the study of the relationship between the political entities of the state and the military, an approach which makes use of insights from both the political science subfield of public administration and the sociology of professions, this dissertation makes important theoretical and analytical contributions to the field of civil-military relations. Yet the usefulness of the actor-centered approach put forward here, which focuses on the autonomy of the profession within the organization, reaches beyond the immediate study of the military and can be used in any analysis of power relations between the political entities of the state and its administrations. This dissertation also contributes to increase the understanding of Chinese military education, which is one of the military’s most important peace time undertakings.
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| 32. |
- Manzhynski, Siarhei, et al.
(författare)
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Dealing with knotted paradoxes : A system dynamics approach to coopetition for sustainability
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Organizational members are likely to face more than one paradox simultaneously. In order to conceptualize how paradoxes are knotted together and influence each other, paradox research needs to better account for dynamics and integrative aspects. In this paper we introduce the System Dynamics approach which we apply to coopetition for sustainability. Via an in-depth case study of a large-scale Swedish project to create a brand new, sustainable residential area, we are able to trace how the two paradoxes (coopetition and sustainability) influence each other but also take turns in dominating the processual unfolding. Our study contributes by developing and illustrating an approach to conceptualizing knotted paradoxes in general and coopetition for sustainability in particular.
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
- Manzhynski, Siarhei, et al.
(författare)
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Knowledge sharing for corporate sustainability – a system dynamics approach
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Academy of Management Proceedings.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research is scarce on how competitors share knowledge with the intent to create balanced economic, social and environmental value. In this paper we conduct a single, in-depth case study and apply the System Dynamics approach to investigate how knowledge is shared and leveraged, as a system that evolves over time. In the developed model we identify causal loops that reinforce and hinder this system, including efforts both to work out, create and balance economic, social and environmental value. Based on the applied approach we suggest managerial mechanisms that could simultaneously regulate knowledge sharing interactions and balance sustainability demands.
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| 35. |
- Rasmusson, Maria, 1973-
(författare)
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Det digitala läsandet : Begrepp, processer och resultat
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this doctoral dissertation project has been to investigate and describe the reading comprehension of digital texts related to the reading of traditional texts by gender differences, computer-game playing, and socioeconomic background factors. The dissertation is based on four studies. In the first study, the results from a reading comprehension test delivered on screen is compared to a test delivered on paper and administered to 235 Swedish students 14-15 years of age. The students managed the test in the paper mode slightly better than that in the screen mode. The difference was particularly evident for boys. The second study used Swedish data from the PISA 2009 survey in an analysis conducted with a structural equation modelling technique. A digital reading factor nested within the overall reading was identified. A gender difference in favour of boys was found in this factor. This difference was perfectly mediated by the larger amount of time that the boys spent on computer-game playing. The third study, conducted on Swedish and Norwegian PISA data from 2009, focussed on equity aspects in reading comprehension and indicated that the unique aspects of digital reading were not influenced by cultural capital, neither on the student nor on the school level, in contrast to what was the case for traditional reading comprehension. The fourth study, using qualitative data, aimed at exploring the abilities and skills important for digital reading. The analysis resulted in five categories: traditional literacy, multimodal literacy, pathfinding, IT abilities, and information abilities. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the overall conclusion drawn from the results of the four studies was that reading comprehension of digital texts has unique aspects in addition to those required for reading comprehension of traditional texts. Three other important conclusions were pointed out as well. The first was that reading comprehension is influenced by the context of the texts; the second was that particular skills and abilities are required for digital reading; and the third was that there seems to be less of an influence of background factors on the performance of digital reading compared to traditional reading among Swedish (and Norwegian) youth. The results are discussed in relation to a Dual Level Theory formulated by Leu et al., as well as the validity issues with an outset in Bachman’s conversation analysis. The implications for schooling have been considered.
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