Practicing designers must usually relate to branding in some manner. A designed artifact must support the brand in a constructive way and help establish positive brand experiences, which in turn have strategic value for the brand's institution. While there is obvious application of visual branding knowledge to the visual form of interactive artifacts, interviews with expert practitioners reveal a lack of systematic means to craft an interaction aesthetic to support a brand. Our empirical study relates attributes of interactive experience to that of 'brand personality', a common way of quantifying how a brand should be perceived. We show that particular attributes of interactivity, such as whether an interaction has a continuous rather than discrete flow, are related to particular brand traits. Our empirical results establish a clear commercial significance for deeper, systematic ways of analyzing and critiquing interactive experiences.

Attitudes towards out-groups have been of academic interest for a long time, and two often-used theoretical frameworks are intergroup contact theory, and group threat theory. This article combines insights from both to investigating attitudes among youth in Sweden using multiple regression analysis. I seek particularly to understand the role that contact has on reducing attitudes, and what role different contact situations, and forms may play. Specifically contact in schools and the local area is investigated after controlling for the effect of personal friendships. The analysis finds that high quality contact does have an effect on attitudes among Swedish youth even after controlling for background variables. Superficial contact has no additional effect in the investigated context. Group threat effects are also found to be important for the groups that are most directly in competition with immigrants in the labor market.

The purpose of this paper is to explore themes and challenges in developing environmentally sustainable logistical activities. The approach is explorative with a cross sectional design that takes advantage of ten case studies out of selected logistics service providers (LSPs) operating primarily in the Scandinavian countries The findings illustrate the major themes by analyzing current and future activities in developing environmentally sustainable logistical activities. In addition, four categories of challenges are identified: customer priorities, managerial complexity, network imbalance, and technological and legislative uncertainties. It is concluded that there is a great need for a holistic perspective where LSPs and product owners together analyze and design future logistical setups The suggested holistic and integrative model, building on a three-dimensional concurrent engineering framework, provides new opportunities for research. Further research is needed to improve the interrelationship between LSPs and their customers in the development of sustainable logistical solutions This paper puts forward recommendations for the sustainable development of logistics by combining the results from the case studies with a review of related literature. This will be beneficial for managers and policy makers when they approach sustainable logistical challenges. The emergence and synthesis of themes and challenges are critical for a sustainable society. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The on-going conflicts and hardships in various parts of the world, especially in theMiddle East and regions like Syria and Somalia, have triggered a significant wave ofmigration towards Europe. A considerable fraction of these migrants comprisesunaccompanied minors. This research study aims to explore how pre-migration,migration, and post-migration factors influence the mental health and well-being ofSyrian and Somali unaccompanied minors in Sweden during the asylum-seekingprocess. The study is qualitative in nature, employing six in-depth semi-structuredinterviews as its primary data collection method. Using the frameworks of the Senseof Coherence theory and coping theory, the research delves into the challengesunaccompanied minors encounter during the asylum process and the subsequentimpacts on their mental health. The findings suggest that the asylum-seeking processsignificantly impacts the mental health of unaccompanied minors, eliciting mentalhealth issues such as depression, anxiety, and feelings of uncertainty and insecurity.These influences are not confined to mental well-being alone but also permeate otheraspects of their lives. This study therefore highlights the necessity of acknowledgingand addressing the complex link between the asylum-seeking process and mentalhealth among unaccompanied minors.

Title: A study on whether environmentally certified offices are an advantage on the property market. Subject, Course: Building Science, Bachelor Thesis 15 credits Authors: Ahmed Abdulrahman and Fadi El Hage Advisor: Peter Palm Keywords: Environmental Certification, Market Advantage, Signals, Commercial Real Estate The meaning of the environmental certification is that the standard of the technical installation rises in the property. A property that has environmental certification generates lower energy consumption where the certification means that you build with good quality and as well good environmental stewardship. The study aims to investigate whether environmentally certified buildings provide a benefit to the commercial property market and to clarify the companies intend to environmental certification for its property portfolio. The study's purpose has been attacked by a qualitative study in which five respondents on different real estate companies were interviewed in Malmo. There has also been a review of the property companies' websites to get an overall picture of how companies work with environmental certification. In the theoretical framework the signaling theory of Milgrom and Roberts has been used in combination with previous studies and other studies on how market value is affected by the certification. The emphasis of the information collected in the study is based on five different respondents knowledge and experience in working with environmental certification. It has been observed to be of interest to all stakeholders to work for a greener Sweden where everyone is contributing to a more efficient use of resources of the earth's resources. Property owners who contribute with 40 percent of the total energy consumption in Sweden want to join and streamline consumption as it contributes to a positive reputation and that the term is economically viable as it provides a lower operating and maintenance costs. The respondents agree upon that the environmental certification is an acknowledgment that the building was built with good material and is environmental. The benefits of offering environmentally certified offices are among other things, tenants who have certified facilities as a requirement. Environmental certification strengthens and creates better relationships with stakeholders and simultaneously sends qualitative signals directly linked to the brand.

Abstract In general, language is the key to the community, to self-sufficiency and independence. Being able to speak the Swedish language is a part of the community integration. Integration also has a practical aspect that includes everyday life and affects one's opportunities in the labor market. Therefore, we have selected in this paper to focus on the language and integration but inevitably we will also discuss the education you need on the labor market. The purpose of this study is to describe how the staffs at the Language Café Nobel works for an increased integration in Malmo, and examine the significance of Language Café Nobel have for their participants. In order to fulfil the purpose we used a qualitative method, which involves semi-structured interviews and participant observations. To interpret and gain a deeper understanding of the informants' answers, we used a hermeneutical approach as an analysis method. Based on informant’s answers, the results showed that Language Café Nobel has helped them to develop their communicative Swedish language, which has made their life become easier. For some, the information from Language café has been beneficial for the participants because it has led to integration into the society. This shows that the Language Café Nobel is working for a better integration in Malmo.

Canada took part in NATO's mission to restructure Afghanistan. The coalition removed the Taliban Government and made-way for a new Afghan Authority. Canada and its NATO allies identified the predominant issues it considered in the planning and implementation of its intervention. This thesis analyzes these assumptions and the influence they had on the construction of the intervention. It problematizes the concept of security, and builds a matrix of security concerns based on the social structures that compose the local and international actors in Afghanistan: namely NATO, Canada, and local Afghan perspectives. It seeks to outline the shared understanding and expectations of the Alliance, the resources which it has allocated, and the practices that have resulted from the intervention to this day. The analysis aims to identify which sectors are primarily made referents of security policies in the context of Canada's renewed role in international relations and the duality of humanitarian development and military intervention. The study will take into consideration the experience and interests of the observed actors and ask whether the reference of an international actor to the security concerns of a domestic actor is adequate. This research seeks to showcase the utility of the constructivist framework in understanding the plurality of identities. It identifies the fault lines between outsiders and insiders within the context, and the ways by which the construction of security changes from one social-structure to another. It considers the interaction issues related to the agent-structure question, by identifying issues of dominance by specific actors, the militarization of the context, and the ordering of security-values by different actors.

One of the chief international security issues of today is humanitarian military intervention. In light of this, some questions have been raised about when and how outsiders should get involved or if they are morally right at all to engage in humanitarian crises. In this paper Syria is the chosen case study because of its brutal crackdown and a massive human rights violation. The main purpose of this thesis is to understand the moral and legal criteria for launching a military intervention for humanitarian aid in Syria followed by a detailed analysis of its ethical, normative and legal issues. The main theoretical framework of this study is just war theory. This study utilizes the criteria of Jus ad bellum principles, namely ‘legitimate authority’, ‘just cause’ and ‘right intention’ in order to asses the extent to which Syria fits into the framework of just war theory. This paper also applies legal criteria such as the Charter of United Nations and international law for the purpose of legal examination. The most complex issue in this thesis is the fact that although legitimate authority has the moral responsibilities to protect civilians, but it often fails to uphold its responsibility mainly because of self-interest and the lack of right intention.

I work on a lighting design for a dance performance to be on tour. A lighting design adapted for three different conditions was made: - One comprehensive where I allow myself a great deal of creative freedom, adapted for the stages with major technical conditions. - One smaller version for stages with less equipment and with less time for preparation on site. - One design for very simple conditions. I also examine the specific differences between typical theatrical lighting design and typical dance lighting design, and the best way to prepare for the hands-on stage design phase.

This thesis examines information visualization, infographics, as a method of advertising. To answer the initial research question of what makes infographics an appropriate method for print advertising, a practical infographic-based advertising campaign has been designed. This, together with three other campaigns, has been the basis for an analysis focused on function, appeal and persuasion. The result tells us that there are benefits to using infographics for an advertising purpose, because the method can act both attention-grabbing and convincing, depending on how it is used and designed.

The study explored how the use of Emojis – beyond being used just as playful joke markers and tone-setters – shape culture and identity within a community of practice. Through the means of two qualitative Focus Group interviews involving ten members from a local soccer team, the purpose was to examine in-depth participants’ motivations for using Emojis, and their feelings about the Emojis that they receive both within and outside their community. Results showed that Emojis – irrespective of shape – are understood as signs representing an individual’s inner positive energy and good will; when such signs are used regularly within a community, this contributes to that the community culture emerge as positive and friendly. Expanding on these findings, results also illustrated that Emojis are perceived as symbols of likeness towards the group and that they contribute to the shaping of open and permissive culture in which emotions are allowed to flow freely – an effect which seem to be transferred to their offline environment too. Drawing from theories of Cultural Psychology and Cultural Semiotics, the thesis presents an innovative view of Emojis as both products as well as producers of culture; products because they are graphic representations of emotions which become meaningful cultural signs when posted online, and producers because they affect members’ perception of reality within the community of practice. The thesis also conclude that the use of Emojis is closely linked to personality and identity; as identities are continuously shaped through the symbolic association of Emojis, this affect not only how members of a community perceive the individuals using them, but also how we perceive the community in which these identities circulate and operate. This finding paved the way for interesting future studies on personal identity building through Emoji use.

The essay explores whether visualization can be a suitable method to increase people’s awareness of mental illness. The purpose of this paper is, through literature studies and practical examination, to increase the knowledge of visualization of information. The purpose is also to, with the help of a focus group, examine whether visualization of mental illness has the potential to increase people’s awareness of this phenomenon. The conclusion is that visualization of mental illness can be a very effective method by providing the opportunity to draw attention to a subject in which words are not perceived to be enough to explain. This is thanks to the instant communication capability of an image through which a visual and cognitive process makes it possible for the viewer to get a picture of the problem.

Marketers often target women because they represent over half of the population in Canada and Sweden and because they are the purchasing agents for 85% of household items. Advertisers and marketers use targeted marketing on Social Media platforms in the hopes of engaging the audience enough to initiate a purchasing action. For this paper the goal was to understand the relationship between women aged 55+ and their attitudes and perception of targeted advertising, to see whether it was effective in engaging them as consumers. Through interviews and the think-aloud method we found that while the overall perception of online advertising was negative, in practice, the ads on their social media feed were either accepted as relevant ads, simply ignored/not noticed, or not recognized as advertising. Finally we conclude that because social media gives users the impression that they are in control of the content on their feed, the consequences may be that targeted advertising can influence audience’s perception of who they are, more than they think.

In this essay we have examined the subject personal branding. Within personal branding, we have studied how recruitment agencies look at this subject and what factors they think are important to create a personal brand. We have also studied if it is possible in a work-related situation to benefit from a personal brand, and thereby creating an advantage over the competitors. We think this area is important to study because it is a relatively new topic. Since we live in a more individualistic society where the business cycle changes which increases the competition in the labour market, we feel it is important to explore various alternative means that may help in the search for a new job. We chose to study Prien’s (1992) model of the employment process to get a better understanding of its various parts and to identify in which processes you can communicate your personal brand. We have also chosen to look at two models that are developed by Gad and Rosencreutz (2002) to see which elements are included. in personal branding and identify the key elements that can help you to become attractive on the labour market. In our study we have found that with the help of theGad and Rosencreutz (2002) model, “Brand me mind space", it’s possible to call attention to the personal brand in the recruitment processes such as the selection process structured and unstructured interview. It’s possible to use the social dimension in order to emphasize the social skills and be attractive in the employer's eyes. In our study we have also shown that recruitment agencies use the internet to search for relevant information about employment candidates, for example through Google or Facebook. However when working with student recruitment there are often limited resources and no time for it. However, with recruitment of a higher level position there are probably more resources and time to do this. With the Internet it’s possible to choose which information you leave 5 behind to a certain extent. You can work with your personal brand through the Internet and make yourself visible to potential companies that you want to work for. In the survey it has shown that some recruitment agencies think that personal branding is a direct consequence of the individualistic society and that it will increase with fewer jobs, but that the desire to differ from others has always existed. They also believe that you should highlight your skills and be clear about what you think but not do it on someone else's expense.

Purpose: At a general level, analyze potential conflicts that may arise when actors work to increase safety in different ways in a residential area. Method: The study was conducted using a qualitative method with interviews and has a basis in a case study of Kroksbäck. Theory: There are different approaches and methods to work toward greater safety in a residential area. The work can be done both through physical design to separate themselves from public space as well through social intervention by, for example, to investments in meeting places in order to get an increased movement of people in the area. Empirical findings: MKB is working with opening up their neighborhood to increase the perceived safety and counteract the basic social problems in the area. Brf Kroksbäck has instead chosen to limit themselves to a physical barrier against the public environment, to prevent unauthorized people at their property. The city of Malmö has proposed a physical redevelopment of Kroksbäck. Analysis: The result of the study shows that there is a strong correlation between the physical design of Kroksbäck and the insecurity in the area. Conclusion: Since the operators are working with various safety solutions and are pulling in opposite directions, this creates a tug of war about the safety.

This study examines the Facebook group #jagärhär and how they could be seen as a social movement that promotes a moral debate atmosphere. The purpose of this study is, through a qualitative interview and digital observation, to analyse the arrangement and participation in #jagärhär and to discuss this through theories about social movements, mediated collective action and morality. Questions related to their purpose and importance both on the Internet as well as their role in the society is discussed throughout the analysis. The study shows that members of #jagärhär utilize digital media to pursue a political matter. Members mobilize with the help of functions provided by Facebook to coordinate activist actions in which they together show moral courage to prevent the hateful debate atmosphere in the comment sections. At the same time could the existence and engagement of #jagärhär indicate that there is an established societal issue due to deficient laws and rules related to the Internet.

This study was intended to investigate how women's sports and female athletes are represented on the televised Idrottsgalan and how the setting of the programs contribute to the construction of these representations. First we applied a quantitative content analysis of the 17 sections of Idrottsgalan. Based on the coding scheme that we developed, we have been able to deduce general patterns in terms of how often women's sport and female athletes occur in the programs. Using the qualitative semiotic analysis, we have also focused on two specific episodes from 2002 and 2016 and illustrated the profound meaning that goes beyond the manifest. The results have indicated that women's sports and female athletes are underrepresented in general and that the sport is still primarily an arena by and for men.

Urban green areas and their sound environments are linked to many health benefits. These areas are threatened to disappear with densifying cities and increasing noise pollution. In Swedish municipalities the aim is to preserve such areas. For this study four areas were visited in Malmö to evaluate their sound environments. The methods included sound measurements, soundscape ecology methods (sound recordings, spectrograms, acoustic indices) and the use of eight characteristics of green areas together with soundscape terminology. Using the eight characteristics together with soundscape terminology might be an effective way of evaluating sound environments, but will probably not compete with other perception-based and health impact assessment methods. On the other hand, soundscape ecology methods could play an important role in some parts of the quality assessment of sound environments, because of highly effective data collection, analysis and mapping, but requires an extension of the quality values in Swedish and European noise policy. Soundscapes should be viewed as resources with ecological and social values.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the alleged universal nature of human rights by using the Asian values debate as a cultural relativistic theory. The basic arguments emphasized by defenders of Asian values is that Asian and Western states belong to different cultures that also differ in their perceptions of ethics and morality, which affects their different perceptions of human rights. In my argument analysis on Asian values I have used texts by Xiaorong Li, Amartya Sen, Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir bin Mohamad. Their opinions regarding the debate will come through in the analysis where they represent two different perspectives on human rights, i.e. universalism and relativism/culture relativism. After the analysis I discuss how an even greater consensus on international human rights would develop and if there is a possibility for a decline of an international consensus. I have come to the conclusion that the arguments from both sides of the spectrum have put forward key arguments in this study that are of great importance for the future cooperation between cultures. The study shows that a greater consensus (and therefore greater respect for human rights?) can be created if we develop an international platform for discussion of cultural differences and I have also come to the conclusion that we probably won’t see a decline of the consensus surrounding human rights but rather a development of them.

Restaurant visits are becoming increasingly common and proportionally in line with accelerated urbanization and increased economic growth. Urbanization and the consumer society generate large amounts of waste, but is this a problem? Sweden is considered unique regarding the waste issue after a news story went viral about Sweden's "lack of waste" and need to import waste from other countries. Swedes are often portrayed as skilled at recycling, but how does Swedish restaurants handle their waste? In this interview study I have chosen to raise the issue of recycling in restaurants. Ten interviews have been conducted with restaurant staff and four with environmental administrations from three different cities to compare the conditions and views of recycling in restaurants. The interviews have been analysed following two behavioural theories and complemented with a view on organizational culture and circular economics. The result shows that there is a strong positive attitude towards recycling among restaurant staff but that the barriers found in the prerequisites are considered too large, resulting in only half of the restaurants recycling. Communication between restaurants and municipalities need to become more equal and the parties become more open to understanding each other's difficulties and conditions.

In this paper, it will be discussed if there is a “team dimension” connected to legitimacy/trust in manufacturing companies. The “improvement teams” in the truck producing company Scania, that also are the basic organisational unit in production, can be described as “open micro systems”, with external relations and links between the teams and the organisation as a whole (Sederblad, 2011b). Our interpretation is that the result of continuous improvement activities in the improvement teams is dependent on blue collar workers believe that they will, at least indirectly and in a long time perspective, benefit from involvement in developing the production system. We will introduce the concept “conditional trust” to analyse the relations in production (Sederblad, 2011a; see also page 5 in this paper). This concept will also be used to understand the negotiation system on the company level and we will especially focus on the role of the unions. In the final section of the paper we will analyse how the production system and negotiation system are linked to each other. We will discuss and analyse the following questions: 1. How is the “improvement teams” organised in the company Scania and how do they work with “continuous improvement”? 2. How is conditional trust established in production and in improvement activities (among supervisors, team-leaders and workers)? 3. How is conditional trust established in the negotiations in the company (management, unions and workers)? 4. How is trust in production linked to trust in the negotiation system, and how functions the system at the workplace as a whole?

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur barns samspel kommer till uttryck på en förskoleavdelning för barn mellan ett och tre år för att få ökad förståelse för hur pedagoger kan skapa goda förutsättningar för barns sociala gemenskap. I studien användes en kvalitativ metod i form av två olika observationsmetoder, som är fältanteckningar och videoobservation. Observationerna genomfördes på en förskola, där jag deltog som en känd icke deltagande observatör. För att kunna analysera materialet och diskutera resultatet användes Daniel Sterns teori om känsla av självets utveckling. Stern förklarar att känsla av själv utvecklas i samspel och kommunikation med andra. Det subjektiva självet och det verbala självet var de relaterande domänerna som var huvudfokus i studien, eftersom dessa känslor av själv berör barn i åldrarna ett till tre år. Resultaten visar att i ett bekräftat samspel utbyter barnen sina tidigare erfarenheter med varandra och de får en känsla av samhörighet. Barnet får förståelse för att andra barn också har ett inre liv med vilja, känslor och avsikter. Denna förståelse gör att barnet delar sina upplevelser med andra genom leken och får förståelsen för sig själv och omgivningen. Resultatet i undersökningen visar ytterligare att barnens nyfikenhet och intresse för varandra samt den gemensamma aktiviteten lockar dem till samspel i de olika samspelssekvenserna. Barnen använde både verbal och icke-verbal kommunikation för att uttrycka sig på såsom blickar, ansiktsuttryck och kroppsspråk i form av miner, ljud, skratt och gester. Det förekom olika känslor i samspelssekvenserna såsom glädje, missnöje och ilska. Barnen uttryckte glädje med hjälp av kroppen, framförallt när de imiterade varandra. Glädjen syntes tydligt i deras ansikten. När det uppstod konflikter mellan barnen kring leksaker eller när de inte kom överens med varandra i leken och inte fick sin vilja i genom uttryckte de ilska och irritation. Barnen blev arga och ledsna och uttryckte sina känslor med ord och med hjälp av kroppsspråket.

The rise of the populist parties in last decades throughout the Europe provide the ground for researches and studies. The recent success of Sweden Democrats (SD) in Swedish 2014 elections, and getting third major party position has been subjected to several studies. The present study for the dramatic rise of Sweden Democrats (SD), is based on the analysis of economical and cultural factors to find out this success, provides an analytical basis for understanding the reasons behind this phenomenon. This study tests two hypotheses by statistical data analysis, and analyses the economic and cultural perspectives by scholarly literature and provide new findings by testing these hypotheses. The study provides outcomes that reasons for the rise of Sweden Democrats (SD) in Swedish society lies somewhere in economic conditions and cultural diversity intolerance.

Banverket Production has always been a male homogenous and “ethnic Swedish” workplace, however since the organisation is undergoing changes due to retirement there has been a great demand of recruiting new employees. Thereto the project 20-10-10 was established with a will to recruit formerly underrepresented groups such as women and people with another ethnic background than Swedish. The study has been conducted in cooperation with Banverket Production since there was a need to investigate normality and including and excluding values. This constitutes the aim of the study and the construction of gender and ethnicity will also be examined in a workgroup in the organisation. This will be conducted through an ethnological inspired perspective where observation and interviews will compose the collection of data. The theories used as a foundation for the analysis of the material are an organisational theory in relation to social construction, gender and ethnicity. The analysis shows that the normality that has been constructed is reproduced by routines and values that appear as ”common sense”. Gender and ethnicity are constructed by the technicians through asserted and assigned characteristics which defines a workgroupidentity and consequently including and excluding values.

During the term of 2010 we received a Minor Field Study scholarship from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), which allowed us to do a two-month study in Tirana, Albania. The study examined one of Europe’s most common tools when it comes to assisting candidate countries, potential candidate countries, and neighbouring countries of the European Union: Twinning. The idea of Twinning is that the beneficiary country gets assistance from EU member state institutions in order to develop its own institutions, in terms of standards of quality and safety. We have observed a Twinning project structured in the form of a consortium between the Swedish Tax Agency and the French Tax Agency assisting the Albanian General Tax Directorate (GTD) in Tirana. The study highlights the relationship between the four different actors involved in the ongoing project (EU, Sweden, France and Albania) and Twinning as a working method. More specifically we investigated (A) the transition from an old to a new system and if any difficulties emerged in the process, (B) what necessary factors are needed for a successful Twinning project, and (C) how the actors’ different backgrounds affect the project. The result we gained from the field study shows that the transition towards a new system progresses well as long as the project follows the main principles of Twinning: partnership and cooperation. These two principles allow the Albanian GTD to direct the project and decide the direction of their Europeanization process. Twinning generates many positive aspects e.g. institutional understanding and friendship, and it brings the cooperating nations closer to each other. The difficulties that have emerged have been technical or when one of the actors has not followed the structure of the project. These difficulties are natural in the beginning of any project since structures and relations take time to establish. Three main qualities affect the outcome of this Twinning project: experience, flexibility and communication. Actors involved in the project have to be experienced, in form of personal as well as institutional experience. Besides, they have to be flexible since the project follows the development of society where unpredicted needs can emerge. Most importantly, communication has to be free from friction between the actors in order to maintain the partnership principle of Twinning. Our analysis shows that the outcomes of this Twinning project are mutually shaped between the actors involved. Therefore, the emphasis should be on personal abilities to mutually create a working structure that follows the principles of Twinning.

Models of learning style or approaches to learning have been operationalized in the Learning Process Questionnaire (LPQ). Guided by an assumed framework, the authors examine the construct validity of the LPQ in Botswana and investigate the similarities and differences in the process of learning in a non-Western context. Six structural equation modeling are used to test the association between cross-cultural variability and learning. Responses to this instrument are shown to have good internal consistency reliability, and support is provided for its construct validity in terms of its factorial structure. Results further reveal support for dimensions of deep and surface strategies, despite the differences in learning conceptualizations. The strategies utilized by students in the Western educational context are similar to those used by their African counterparts. Taken together, the interaction of gender and culture, makes us propose a relationship between culture, learning and life adaptations, thus extending the concept of learning style to account for the influence of culture. Tentatively, conceptual issues in learning process and suggestions for further research are presented.

Readymade garment (RMG) sector is the most common and prospective form of business among microfinance sector in the world. the macro-economic performance of Bangladesh is hugely dependent on its (RMG) manufacturing sector. it has a great contribution on employment, woman empowerment and GDP that creates a great influence on global economy. it is not only the Scandinavians who have faith in Bangladesh for sourcing different types of garments, but other the big giants like USA have facilitated Bangladeshi RMG sector. But there are some restraints that lying behind Bangladesh's RMG sectors success. Such as- unskilled garment workers, infrastructure, political instability, unhealthy environment, low wage etc. Many researchers have study on these issues, but a few look at the organisational and leadership factors that influence sustainable RMG sector. This paper shows the strength and weakness of the industry and finds the solution to gain sustainability in the sector. The study is conducted under the case-oriented Research (COR) design.

Safety is one of the main fundamental requirements of a society. It`s importance arises from peoples right to feel safe within their premises. This thesis attempts to address some questions about safety in a city, factors that can affect feeling of safety and how to endorse safety in built environment. This work presents a case study based on Annelund area. Annelund is located in Malmö, Sweden. The residents of Annelund are reported to feel unsafe in their neighbourhood. The main purpose of this work is to deepen understanding of the factors that affect the perceived safety level in Annelund. The work also aims to suggest improvements that can be made so that the residents in Annelund can feel safer. Aspects related to the safety level of the neighbourhood are analysed by means of literature studies, site observations and interviews. The study shows that the built in environment is an important factor that affects the safety of a place; however, the study also highlights that broader efforts are needed to promote the development of a safe city. This, because Annelund is actually a quiet area with low crime rate where the physical space is relatively good but, still the inhabitants feel very unsafe due to their surrounding neighbourhood that have its basis in the illegal activities that occurs in Norra Grängesbergsgatan. During this study, it was observed that this place seems to be a troubled street where physical space is poorly planned. Due to this the street is suited for some illegal activities. Thus, this study recommends changing the physical aspects of the street to reduce illegal activities in Norra Grängesbergsgatan. This could ultimately lead to higher and improved safety level in Annelund.

This chapter explores through an understanding of the history and development of the situation of statelessness across the region – a consequence of nation-state formation, state succession and/or discriminatory ethnic, religious and gender law and policy – the striking commonalities in both the causes and consequences of statelessness. It focuses on how the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lacks a common language on statelessness which may have contributed to the fact that these groups are often discussed in isolation of one another, with a limited sense of having a shared cause. The chapter also focuses on how the current framework for understating statelessness in the region can obstruct opportunities to address the issue regionally and can even be used to perpetuate statelessness. Discrimination against women in nationality laws can be found in legislation around the world. Statelessness has also resulted from the 'Arabisation' movement that took hold of the region in the 1960s and 1970s.

Impact Assessments are common tools in urban planning, used to predict future consequences of a certain project. This study focuses on the Social Impact Assessment, which is about the processes of describing, analyzing and managing the intended and unintended social consequences of planned interventions. The purpose of the study is to create an understanding of the theory and practice in Social Impact Assessments and in what way the Social Impact Assessment could have the potential to affect social justice. This will be accomplished by comparing existing research within the subject and theories about social justice with the Social Impact Assessment carried out in an infrastructure project called "Västlänken" in Gothenburg, Sweden. The study also explores if there are any particular challenges in the field of Social Impact Assessments and its practical application. The results show that there are challenges around the common understanding and definition of the field, absence of a common model and a lack of expertise in social sustainability and social justice. The study proposes that the Social Impact Assessment becomes a legal requirement in Sweden and that a national model based on theories of social justice will be created. Including Social Impact Assessments in the planning process means taking a stand in a variety of difficult questions, necessary in the aim for a just and socially sustainable society.

Transport planning has for a long time been characterised by rational methods and tools that have had a hard time handling the social dimensions of sustainable development (Thoresson, 2014, p.23-24). However, the transport system influences the conditions of societies possibilities for sustainable development (Stren & Polèse, 2000, p.28-29). In 2010, Trafikverket (The Swedish Transport Administration) was formed by merging several separate administrations, to create the possibility for a more integrated and long term solution for transport planning (Ingo, 2013, p.114). In 2013, Trafikverket (2015a, p.3) introduced a new step in the planning process, as a means of contributing to the new long term sustainable transport planning: Åtgärdsvalsstudier (ÅVS), where in they would study different suggestions of intervention that could be used to solve transport problems (Trafikverket, 2015a, p.8-9). In relation to the above mentioned development, we will pose the following question in this paper: how are social dimensions incorporated within Swedish transportplanning? This paper has been limited to only treat the process of ÅVS. During the study we have done a case study including interviews with a team working on a ongoing ÅVS. A conversation with a focus group consisting of consultants working with ÅVS has also taken place. This empirical study has been compared to theories of social sustainability and transport planning. The result of the paper highlights the problems of discussing social dimensions within the rational perception of knowledge. This is because the rational processes used within transport planning make it difficult to identify groups in the society, which is neccesary for social justice and social sustainability (jfr. Fainstein, 2000; Stren & Polèse, 2000, s.15-16)”. In addition to this, the rational perception of knowledge and rational methodology creates difficulties in integrating qualitative values of social dimensions. It also appears that the ÅVS-process is characterised by negotiation planning, which makes it possible for people invited to the process to influence the interventions according to their own preferences. Linked with the negotiation planning is however the limitation it puts on the citizen participation and insight, which jeopardises the democratic ideals and creates an imbalance in who gets to have a say.

Purpose: Exploring the relatively new technology of convolution reverb, to gather knowledge on its limitations when used practically in the production of pop music, and from these findings to learn about applications in other performing arts and sound design. Methodology: This is a case study of creating convolution reverb by doing impulse responses (IR) and then applying them to studio recorded pop music. The empirical data consists of the final song results, notes and journals from during the process and the comparisons, as well as established litterature on acoustics, psycho-acoustics and music production. Results: Convolution reverb can widely and freely be used in the production of music and other audio-based art forms, since our study shows that the result of a well-made impulse response from a particular room is indistinguishable from music that is actually played and recorded in the same space.

Diversity is a concept often used in public debate. There are no unequivocal directives in legislation or political aspirations on how diversity should be defined and implemented; however, there are guidelines and visions. The aim of this study is to understand how three schools in Malmö, by how principals in the role of being a leader, understands and implements diversity in the schools in relation to legislation and political visions. This is conducted due to the important role schools have in putting across and discussing values and relations to others. To secure a municipal and state contribution and perspectives regarding working with diversity in schools, the director of Resurscentrum för mångfaldens skola and the head of the Swedish National Agency for School Improvement in Malmö also took part in the study. A hermeneutical base and qualitative method formed the methodological approach and the collection of data was primary carried out by means of five interviews. A legal and political background as well as two dominating perspectives on diversity, one diversity management perspective and one critical approach, are presented as a framework for understanding this concept. Three theories were utilized as a base for understanding diversity and how it is implemented in the schools; these were a constructionist theory, an implementation theory and a glocalisation theory. The analysis shows that the school principals are uncertain about how to interpret the concept of diversity and construe it in a variety of ways. However, ethnicity prevails as the most common and tangible element of their interpretation. The implementation of diversity in the schools appeared to be dependent on the will and understanding of the principals; this was expressed by working with core values, by stressing equal rights and opportunities and by their understanding of legislation and political aspirations.

Today’s the concept of social entrepreneurship; social capital and venture capital are defined by several experts. This case study sets out to gain an understanding of the relation between social capital and venture capital in Uppstart Malmö, a new social entrepreneurial organization which focuses on creating job opportunities in the city of Malmö, where unemployment rate is comparatively high. Analyzing empirical data from interview and other documentation, the results show that Uppstart Malmö is concentrating in the social dimension of enterprise and emphasizing on social capital more than venture capital. While by some means, the foundation is going toward achieving social goal. Uppstart Malmö is not yet an ideal model for completely social organization and commercial signs can be seen in their plans.

Djupgående analyser av filmerna Konspiration 58 och Forgotten Silver, tillhörande genrehybriden mockumentärfilm.

Children spend a lot of time in schools. There is plenty of research on safe and unsafe in the school, but most studies focus on the classroom situation, relationships between the children and the teachers. In this study, I move the focus to the schoolyard, by doing and that may create unsafety for the children. Meanwhile these sites works as children’s own sites and can also be exciting. Here can children test the limits, breaking the school rules, be alone or socialize with their friends. To study sites where children are hiding in order to break the rules, I have done a workshop with middle school students on safe and unsafe sites in the schoolyard. I have also done a participant observation by hanging with high school students at the brakes. I have also used some of my own experience of having worked in the preschool class on Höjaskolan. To carry out my study, I use Jeremy Till concepts hard space and slack space. Using these concepts, I can see the characteristic features of these hidden sites. I will present three different types of sites; stationary, mobile and shifting sites that are both stationary and mobile. I also write about which students are attracted to these sites and what activities they support.

This thesis is concerned with the reformation of the Swedish Armed Forces from an operational defense force to a rapid action force on the basis of a comparative theoretical perspective. The main purpose being to analyze whether it is necessary to have an understanding of the Social Democratic Party’s moral and normative reasons to understand this shift or if it is enough to apply the realistic explanation model to appreciate the reformation. It has been shown that theoretically, the theories of realism and constructivism both satisfactorily cover the reformation; and that the Swedish security polity rhetoric is dominated by the logic of maximizing relative gains. In conclusion, this thesis shows that it does not require an understanding of the Social Democratic Party’s moral and normative reasons to comprehend the reformation of the Swedish Armed Forces. Notably, it is sufficient to apply the realistic explanation model to obtain a deeper understanding of the reformation.

This thesis seeks to examine the normative pattern and positioning involved with the Swedish security policy discourse as it pertains to the recent conflicts in Kosovo 1991, Afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003 and the ongoing conflict in Darfur; as seen through a realistic point of view. The main purpose is to test the hypothesis that there are paradoxes in the Swedish security policy discourse concerning the norms that are decreed and that the rhetoric lacks internal consistency. This thesis is also concerned with whether the normative positioning of the Swedish state is governed by maximizing relative gains. Upon examining the Swedish security policy discourse, the results show that the values behind the norms undermine each other and that the normative pattern of the Swedish political security discourse is inconsistent. Furthermore, it has been shown that the paradoxes and the inconsistent normative pattern in the discourse are governed by the logic of maximizing relative gains. In conclusion, the normative standpoint and actions of the Swedish state, concerning the conflicts in this thesis, are not governed by the norms but of the national interests of the Swedish state.

Although debate on commons has been going on for the last five decades, it is only in the last two decades that attention has been focussed on new commons. Even then, urban commons though acknowledged as part of new commons, has attracted little attention among researchers of commons. This study therefore sought to explore the nature and management of urban commons and how they (urban commons) contribute to social sustainability in the neighbourhood. This study has taken a qualitative approach and deployed a case study method with a focus on Stapelbadden/Stapelbaddsparken as cases. In-depth semi - structured interviews were conducted with thirteen participants drawn from diverse stakeholders representing different interest groups. The study found out that the two phenomena (Stapelbadden/Stapelbaddsparken) display some of the factors that affect the management or governance of urban commons more than traditional commons namely, indirect value, contested resources, mobility and cross-sector collaboration. In addition, by virtue of creating networks of different user groups, they create bridging social capital which contributes to social sustainability in the city.

Social media is today established as a natural part of peoples information-gathering. Different framings of the environment in media triggers actors to act in different ways. We studied therefore the newspages Supermiljöbloggen and Aktuell Hållbarhet on Facebook. We also included the closed group Omställning Sverige in the study. We conducted a content analysis of the 40 most liked post from each page or group, during the time span 1 April 2015 - 31 March 2016. The posts were categorised from which actor that was responsible for the solution/problem. Is it the State, the Scientific sector, the Individual or the Market? We have also placed the posts and the pages/group in the spectra of the though paradigms: Ecological Modernisation and Sufficiency. We have found that the posts that attracts the most likes in both Supermiljöbloggen and Aktuell Hållbarhet, is in accordance to the weaker ecological modernisation. This also correlates with the dominating actors on these pages, which are the State and the Market. The posts in the group Omställning Sverige proves to have a discourse that is according to mikro-sufficiency which correlates with the Individual as the greatest actor. The reason why ecological modernisation attracts alot of likes is, according to us, partly because of the hard-hitting use of language compared to Sufficiency.

This study explores the management of professions in public administration. The purpose of the study is to find out how management affects professions. The empirical material of the study is documents expressing salary criteria. The documents represent six organizations in public administration. The documents represent the three different levels in public administration, state administration, regional administration and municipal administration. The documents are aimed at relatively strong and traditional professions. The study shows that the documents contain a management discourse that construct employees. The profession is governed by behavioral control, performance management and norm control. The professional logic stands back for market logic and political/bureaucratic logic.

July 1 2013 a new law entered into force in Sweden. The new Education Act gives undocumented children in Sweden right to education. This is regardless whether the child has been rejected by the Migration Board on their residence permit application and shall be rejected or if the child lives in hiding and has not applied for a residence permit. Today, undocumented children's right to education does not mean that undocumented children have a school attendance, this determines the child himself or the family of the undocumented child´s the right to be utilized. This choice leads too many undocumented children do not exercise their right to education. There are several reasons for this, such that many undocumented families are not aware of the new Education Act, but also that the police actually have the right to seize an undocumented student from school. Then there exists no guarantee that the undocumented student's safety at school, many undocumented families declines this right because of the fear of being found and cared for by the police. In connection with this issue, we have identified various dilemmas for teachers, dilemmas that arise when there is a clash between teachers' professional ethics' and teachers' statutory obligations such as notification requirements to authority. In Sweden, teachers have an obligation to notify if they suspect or become aware that a child is being abused to social services. This notification requirement causes a big dilemma for teachers as the consequence of a notification can be devastating for the individual undocumented student and their family. To get a view of the teacher's dilemmas, we conducted interviews with teachers from Skåne. In the interviews we got told by teachers that the dilemma with the notification requirements and protection of undocumented students is something that teachers fear. Thanks to the Convention of Children´s Rights, teachers' professional ethics, teacher´s obligation to observe silence and confidentiality that exists at the school, teachers can protect the individual undocumented student. However, there are fears remain in the teachers about what happens if it comes to the situation where a claim must be made to social services. The results of the analysis gave us that the teachers' professional ethics is not as strong as other professional ethics so that teachers can stand up to other authorities and deny their request for the entry of the school.

Games for change are games which allow players to learn and interact with real world issues through play in order to motivate participants to better the world. The research of this thesis presents the use of serious fames and casual games to measure and observe how awareness on children's poverty is achieved with game elements.

The chapter deals with ethical and existential implications of early intervention activites for disabled children, based on experiences from the Sida financed project Development and implementation of standard procedures of Early Intervention in Russia and Byelorussia, which was carried out between 2004 and 2009.