Sustainability transitions are a significant challenge that requires established industries to adopt innovative ways of doing business. Research suggests that while this is possible through business model innovation (BMI), risk avoidance by regime actors and high levels of future uncertainty act as barriers to successful transitions. Specifically, we lack knowledge about how established companies innovate their business model (BM) to reduce uncertainty related to sustainability transitions. We explore the case of a large forest-based manufacturing company in the construction industry, Stora Enso. We find that, by pursuing transformative BMI and combining multiple value creation logics, a company can reduce different types of uncertainty while shaping its business ecosystem towards more sustainable opportunities. We show that the BM can serve as an organizational tool for collectively exploring new knowledge, reducing uncertainty and driving change in a business ecosystem.

We call for a fundamental restruc turing of research paradigms in geography and media/communication studies to form a bridge between core concerns of the 2 disciplines. This endeavor responds to contemporary historical changes: mediated/mediatized mobility, technological convergence, interactivity, new communication interfaces, and the automation of surveillance. Long-standing concern with a set of issues we call representations, textures, structures, and connections provides a foundation for this interdisciplinary bridge. Integrating these concerns would produce a semi autonomous field, manifested through collaborations between geographers and media theorists.

Climate change communication spans multiple disciplines which in many cases have insufficient understanding of each other's research traditions and, therefore, there has not been a solid interdisciplinary debate. This makes it hard not only to survey the field at large but also to pinpoint further studies which are needed to bridge these knowledge divides. The aim of this systematic literature review is to shed a broader light on the field of environmental and climate change communication and to make possible research gaps more apparent. Through an extensive quantitative content analysis of journal articles (N= 407), this study provides an understanding of the methodological, theoretical, and geographical approaches within the field. The findings show that a typical study within the field is a quantitative content analysis of traditional news media in the West. We have also uncovered some important insufficiencies of the search engines commonly used when carrying out literature reviews.

Covid-19-pandemin har inneburit en global kris med stora konsekvenser för turist- och transportbranschen. Flygbranschen har drabbats extra hårt och branschledare pratar om pandemin som flygets värsta kris någonsin i fredstid. I dessa tider blir planering, beredskap och krishantering alltmer aktuella ämnen, speciellt för flygbranschen som länge visat begränsad motståndskraft och otillräckligt hänsynstagande till de risker luftfarten medför för individer och samhället. Denna studie undersöker hur flygbranschen planerat för och hanterat Covid-19-pandemin, för att få kunskap om branschens flexibilitet och anpassningsbarhet i krissituationer. Syftet är att undersöka hur svenska flygbolag hanterar krissituationer, med ett fokus på Covid-19-pandemin. Frågeställningarna är: Hur förberedda var flygbolagen på att hantera Covid-19-pandemin? samt Vilka strategier använde flygbolagen för att hantera Covid-19-pandemin?

Teoretiska perspektiv som utgör grunden för arbetets utformning och analys inkluderar: processer och perspektiv kring krishantering, hur de relaterar till turist- och transportbranschen, samt aktuell forskning om Covid-19-pandemins påverkan på flygbranschen. Metoder för datainsamling inkluderar kvalitativa intervjuer och innehållsanalys. Intervjuerna genomfördes med respondenter från 5 svenska flygbolag, och innehållsanalysen utfördes på rapporter och strategidokument relevanta för forskningsfrågorna.

Resultaten visar att de svenska flygbolagen har en grundläggande krisberedskap för typiska krisscenarier inom flygbranschen, däremot saknade många bolag en beredskap för just pandemier, vilket har att göra med att tillämpliga riktlinjer och krav inte finns i förordningarna. Flygbolagen har alla påverkats av Covid-19-pandemin, dock i olika hög grad, och de har använt olika strategier för att klara sig genom krisen. Nedstängning av flyglinjer, uppsägning och permittering av personal, upprätthållande av verksamheten, eller innovationer är exempel på krishanteringsstrategier som nyttjats. Inför framtiden råder en osäkerhet om när branschen kommer återhämta sig, om den någonsin gör det helt. Men respondenterna som intervjuats ser ändå positivt på framtiden, då de hittat nya utvecklingsmöjligheter under pandemin och samtidigt ser krisen som en möjlighet för branschen att bli mer hållbar och motståndskraftig.

Slutsatserna av studien är att svenska flygbolag hanterar krissituationer på lite olika sätt beroende på vad de är för typ av bolag och bolagets storlek. Sammantaget har de flesta drabbats av ganska omfattande förluster och därmed kan man påstå att luftfartssektorn inte har haft lämplig beredskap för Covid-19-pandemin. Dock har alla flygbolag ett grundläggande krishanteringssystem, men detta inkluderar inte procedurer och rutiner för smittsamma sjukdomar. Därav kan man konstatera att myndigheten behöver uppdatera sina riktlinjer och inkludera i krishanteringssystemen hur flygbolagen ska agera för att begränsa spridningen av smittoämnen.

This essay is a study that aims to increase knowledge about how social studies teachers work with special education. Where the research questions concern which extra adaptations and special pedagogical measures the teachers apply in their teaching. If teachers believe that multimodal tools as a tool in this context generate positive results. In addition to the teaching itself, the teachers also describe where they acquired their knowledge of special education and what their relationship looks like with their local special educators.

The theory used is called the KASAM-theory and it has been necessary to understand why teachers constantly returned to the relational. Teachers believe that students mental well-beingis a factor just as autism, ADHD and dyslexia are. But that the relational is not only about mental illness but it permeates the whole profession. The relational is incorporated in all parts where teachers and students meet, for example for the student to use and adopt special education, a relational aspect is needed.

The method the essay has used to generate data is a qualitative semi-structured interview in which six social studies teachers have participated. In the interviews, the teachers share their experiences and knowledge of special education and the use of multimodal tools. In addition,it is investigated how and when collaboration and communication with the special educator occurs, where the teachers pick up the techniques and methods used to help and compensate the students for their difficulties or differences. The teachers are briefly presented in the method chapter in order to then one by one answer the research questions on which the thesis is based.

The results and the analysis have shown that the data the interviews have generated show an openness and broadness of tools and methods the teachers use to ensure that the students, regardless of whether they have diagnoses or not, have access to a good and educational teaching. However, the use of special education is so common in the informant’s classrooms that it can be difficult for them to distinguish concrete results when another special education instrument is applied. The teachers who participated in the study unanimously describe that the main source of special education comes from other teachers and then most often from teachers with the same subject. The special educators are often regarded as a resource that takes care of individual students where they can sit and work with a special educator individually or in a small group. Another common occasion when teachers contact the special educator is when the matter concerns individual students. In the issue of multimodality, this is primarily linked to the digital, where teachers generally have a positive and sometimes a very positive view of the multimodal. Students with dyslexia are considered to be the group of students who have the greatest advantage of the digital, even if all students are perceived to benefit from the multimodal. The digital is described as having an opportunity to work with several semiotic impressions, something that teachers believe should particularly benefit students with ADHD, concentration difficulties and autism.

To end up as an immigrant in an unknown country and to try to participate in the majority society means both psychological and physical difficulties where their whole life is changing. Gemensamma Krafter is a prevention changing work in a housing area in Borlänge. It works among other things as a meeting place for people from different cultures. The aim with this study was to describe and to get increased understanding for the lives of a number of immigrant women who lives in Borlänge/Sweden and which importance “Gemensamma Krafter” has had for them. Eight women from Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Somalia were interviewed and the material was analyzed on the basis of categorisations of expressed meanings. The results show on a complex picture of these women’s lives in Borlänge. Their experience that Sweden is a safe country with a personal freedom without wars and with social rights as equal as other citizens is obvious but their experience of exclusion, discrimination and everyday racism is always present. The community with compatriots becomes important when one does not become accepted and participating in the majority society. It is in this community where the immigrant women strengthens their own identities and mobilizes the force to a future's faith on work, education and participation in the society. Gemensamma Krafter is described by the women as an oasis, a meeting place where they can be confirmed and accepted for the persons they are. Here they meet Swedish women and get an insight in their world. The study gives an increased knowledge and understanding for the lives of the immigrant women and the importance of natural meeting places in the local society.

För att kunna hantera framtida klimatrelaterade händelser behöver samhällets beredskap anpassas och sannolikt utökas. Kunskapsläget över vilken förmåga som behövs för att hantera risker i ett förändrat klimat behöver sammanställas och framtida behov behöver jämföras mot nuvarande beredskapsnivåer för att identifiera lämpliga åtgärder. En analys behöver göras kring eventuella brister, utifrån vilken åtgärder sedan kan prioriteras och vidtas avseende olika delar i förmågan att hantera händelser, bland annat avseende tillhandahållande av statliga förstärkningsresurser. Denna studie analyserar vilken systematik som kan vara aktuell för att möjliggöra sådana analyser och utredningar.Studiens övergripande syfte är att ge förslag kring hur bedömningar kan göras om framtidens behov av statliga förstärkningsresurser i syfte att möta framtidens klimatrelaterade risker. Detta inkluderar en sammanställning av kunskapsläget kring risker och scenarion avseende framtida naturhändelser utifrån ett klimatförändringsperspektiv, med information om var mer kunskap kan hittas. Det inkluderar också att titta på metoder för att dels analysera behov av förmåga på olika nivåer att hantera de klimatrelaterade riskerna och dels hur dimensionering av förmåga kan göras för att möta behovet.Studien består av två delar. I del 1 ges en sammanställning av kunskapsläget om riskbilder och scenarion i Sverige vad gäller framtida naturhändelser utifrån ett klimatförändringsperspektiv och tidsperioden fram till ca år 2100. I del 2 presenteras initialt ett konceptuellt ramverk för kartläggning av beredskap uppdelat i fyra huvuddomäner: Behov, Resurs, Styrning och Beroenden. Baserat på ramverket presenteras därefter en metodik för att analysera samhällets förmåga att hantera framtida händelser i ett förändrat klimat. För att kunna identifiera en lämplig framtida beredskapsnivå, behöver samhällets förmåga att hantera händelser gentemot en framtida riskbild analyseras. Del 2 fokuserar på hur relevanta myndigheter ska kunna gå tillväga för att göra en sådan analys som slutligen kan utgöra beslutsunderlag avseende framtida beredskap. Avslutningsvis ges ett exempel på hur metoden kan användas där händelsen skogsbrand, av omfattningen att nationella förstärkningsresurser i form av MSBs upphandlade helikoptrar och flygplan för skogsbrandbekämpning kan bli aktuella att nyttja, utgör själva händelsen.

Public consultation is an important step in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, enabling the public, communities, and local residents to influence plans that will affect their environment and health. However, the effectiveness of this process remains a subject of debate. This thesis investigates the impact of public participation in scoping consultation on the EIA process. The research question is: What impact does the public have on the EIA process through scoping consultation? To address this question, the thesis conducts a qualitative content analysis of four environmental impact statement (EIS) and their corresponding consultation reports. The thesis employs the theories of environmental justice and path dependency to explore how a more deliberative democracy can enhance participation by giving local residents greater influence. The results highlight how EIS and consultation reports respond to public inquiries. The findings further demonstrate that some public questions led to concrete actions in the EIA process, while others remained unanswered. The discussion examines the proportion of public questions that receive responses and actions in EIS. It reveals that many questions address previously conducted investigations, with few leading to concrete measures. This is often attributed to time and resource constraints faced by companies, resulting in few questions being addressed. This undermines environmental justice and the purpose of consultations to promote sustainable development. Moreover, it leads to a less deliberative and more representational democracy. The discussion also points to weak communication between companies and the public, with companies needing to be more transparent and the public more specific in their questions. It further argues that consultation lacks a clear purpose in Swedish legislation. This leads to the public viewing the meeting as a means to stop the project, while companies see it as an information session. The discussion explores how a clear purpose in legislation could improve the EIA process. The thesis concludes that, in line with the research question, the public has had a significant impact on the EIA process.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic represents the largest global health crisis in modern times, and the widespread transmission of the virus required extensive mobilization of healthcare systems worldwide. Redeployment of healthcare personnel is a crucial aspect of rapidly meeting the needs to increase healthcare capacity and is part of creating a resilient healthcare system that can withstand and respond to serious events. During the initial wave of the pandemic, the focus was therefore on quickly establishing and staffing new departments caring for COVID-19 patients, and redeployment of existing staff was a way to ensure staffing within the facilities that needed to increase capacity. Since staff redeployment is a continuing important aspect of being able to manage similar crises in the future, the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to use knowledge about nurses' experiences of redeployment to learn for the future.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine how nurses' experiences of redeployment can contribute to learning for future crises.

Method: The conducted study is a qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews. Participants in the study were identified through convenience sampling combined with strategic sampling and consisted of seven nurses with experience of redeployment during the first year of the pandemic. The material from the interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis, where units of meaning were identified and coded to then form three main categories, ten subcategories, and one theme.

Results: The three main categories presented in the results were The employer's actions influenced the experience of being redeployed, Being redeployed to a newly opened department involved both obstacles and opportunities, and A tough time that provided new experiences. In addition, the theme The unique opportunity for development overshadowed the disadvantages was presented.

Conclusions: Some important conclusions were that voluntariness regarding redeployment was an important factor in achieving a functioning work situation and recrutiment of volunteers should therefore be prioritized. Even though altruism continues to play a significant role in nurses' motivation to work in an acute crisis it is important that the employer also motivates them in other ways. Furthermore, it emerged that there were missing relevant parts within management and governance at the COVID-19 ward, which are important aspects in achieving a functioning surge capacity. Being redeployed can lead to positive development for the individual, both professionally and personally, and interaction with personnel from different facilities provides a unique opportunity for learning both for the individual and the organization.

Young climate activists' motivations are frequently described in negative connotations such as climate anxiety or flight shame in the media. Their lifestyles are said to be full of constraints. This study examines how climate activistic students themselves view their lifestyle and analyses their visions for the socioecological transformation. Based on a theoretical framework of the political-ecological adaptation paradigm and an imagination framework, the following results emerged. 

In five semi-structured interviews during a qualitative study, six main themes were found. In (1) “to practice what I preach” students highlight that they have adapted to sustainable lifestyles using sufficiency strategies inter alia. There is variation in their (2) “activist engagement” but they all envision their studies as being one form of activism. They do not feel a lack of (3) “freedom of choice”, but feel privileged anyhow, as they consciously choose these lifestyles imposing some constraints for themselves. More stressful are the many decisions that must be made and their environmental awareness, which they constantly question even with the best of intentions. In doing so, their (4) “climate activist community” serves to make decisions, learn together, get involved and create a common will. Their transformative (5) “visions” play around an integrative human-nature relationship and better interpersonal relationships with open and honest communication. Structural changes are most necessary to them. Despite all realism and skepticism, the participants in the study express (6) “active, grounded hope”. 

Summary 

In Sweden, there are around 65,000 shelters, which should be enough for approximately 10 million people. The building of shelters began in the late 1930s until 2002. Since Sweden has not been involved in any war for many years, shelter construction has been able to continue. In 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine which led to a changed security policy situation in the world but also for Sweden.

The purpose of the study is to examine how the importance of shelters in Sweden has been discussed in Swedish morning newspapers over time. How the need for shelters has been presented, as well as how there has been talk about shelters linked to risk perception.

Questions:

·       How have shelters been discussed in Swedish morning newspapers?

·       Has the attitude to the relevance of the shelter in Sweden changed over time in Swedish morning newspapers and if so, how?

Newspaper articles from Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet between the years 1994–2022 have been analyzed using the analytical method qualitative content analysis. Framing theory and risk perception are the theoretical frameworks that have been used to interpret the results. The themes that were most prominent in Swedish morning newspapers regarding shelters were six: Need for shelters, Will everyone have a place in the shelters? The time aspect, Sweden has been spared from war, Pride, Influenced by the Ukraine war. The attitude towards shelters has changed during the period 1994–2022. From 1994 until 2021, the attitude towards the relevance of the shelter in Sweden was predominantly negative or neutral. A clear shift in this matter took place in 2022, when the attitude to the relevance of the shelter was portrayed as positive. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a highly influencing factor for the new positive attitude towards shelters in Sweden.

Keywords: Shelter, framing theory, risk perception, qualitative content analysis

Den här studien ingår i Karlstads universitets och fakultetens för samhälls- och livsvetenskaper satsning på mångvetenskaplig forskning om "uthålliga livsmiljöer och komplexa nätverk". Målet med fakultetens satsning är att stimulera forskning och samverkan mellan offentliga och privata aktörer så att Karlstads universitet effektivt kan bidra till och bli en motor i det långsiktigt hållbara utvecklingsarbetet i regionen.

Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i intervjuer med några värmländska familjer om hur vardagen gestaltar sig idag, hur det såg ut historiskt och hur det kan tänkas se ut i framtiden. Intervjuerna kommenteras av forskare från olika ämnesområden. I mötet mellan forskare från olika ämnen och forskningstraditioner uppstår nya sätt att problematisera det komplicerade växelspelet mellan olika sektorer av vår tillvaro. Problemen kan omformuleras, nya möten och kontakter vänder invanda tankegångar mot nya och innovativa riktningar och beredskapen att möta framtida utmaningar såväl för forskare som för regionala aktörer stärks och uppgraderas. Förhoppningen är att studien ska fungera som en plattform för den viktiga diskussionen kring uthållig regional utveckling för kvinnor, män, barn och gamla och stimulera innovationer och forskning som garanterar en framtid där utveckling och tillväxt balanseras mot uthållig miljö för människor och natur.

The amount of harmful chemicals that are being spread within the society is considered to be a large andgrowing problem. Many of the chemicals that are being used in consumer products such as textiles,furnishings, furniture and electronics can be harmful for both human health and the environment.The purpose of this study was to investigate consumers risk perception regarding chemicals in productsand whether there was any motivation to take protective measures.The method used in the study is a quantitative survey. Data from 125 respondents were collected usingthe tool Survey & Report and the results were analyzed with descriptive statistics.The results of the study revealed large knowledge gaps among the respondents which probably affectstheir ability to assess the threat. It can also be seen that the threat from chemicals is not considered to bemajor for the respondents personally, which indicates that they do not feel vulnerable. The threat isconsidered to be greater for human health in general, the environment and future generations.The results also show protective measures being taken but to varying degrees. Some measures are takenmore frequently than others, which possibly can be explained by the fact that the respondents' capacityto take different measures vary.The majority of the respondents believe that all protective measures work well as protection againstchemicals and also believe that it is important to reduce the use of chemicals in order to protect humanhealth, the environment and future generations.

Introduction: Children and young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) are at increased risk of bullying compared to typically developing peers. It is still unclear to what extent they are involved in cyber bullying. This systematic review aimed at studying the prevalence of cyber bullying as perpetrators, victims, or both (“bully-victims”) among students with NP in a school setting and in need of special education. 

Methods: The Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMED, and Cochrane databases were searched, including a manual search of reference lists, until February 24, 2018.

Results. Eight studies conducted in Europe, North America, The Middle East, and Australia were included reporting a prevalence of cyber-victimization among students with ND of 0%–41%, a prevalence of cyber-perpetration of 0%–16.7%, and a prevalence of bully-victims of 6.7%. Three out of five studies using control groups showed that students with ND might be more involved in cyber bullying overall compared to typically developing students. Students in segregated school settings report slightly higher prevalence rates of cyber bullying compared to students with ND in inclusive school settings, especially among girls. When comparing prevalence rates among studies using the same definition, we found similar prevalence rates. 

 Discussion: There was a tendency towards students with ND being more involved in cyber bullying compared to typically developing students, but this needs to be confirmed in future studies that should include control groups with typically developing students as well as validated and standardized measurements of cyber bullying and ND diagnoses. 

Med sina färre än 2.6 dödade/100,000 invånare är Sverige världsledande inom vägtrafiksäkerhet. Sverige har, genom riksdagens antagande av Nollvisionen år 1997, tydligt bundit sig för ett ambitiöst och framåtsträvande inriktat trafiksäkerhetsarbete (Trafikanalys 2015). Nollvisionen är inte bara ett långsiktigt mål som innebär att antalet dödade och allvarligt skadade till följd av trafikolyckor på sikt ska elimineras, utan även ett förhållningssätt angående hur trafiksäkerheten ska ökas. Nollvisionen skiljer sig i förhållande till ett mer traditionell trafiksäkerhetsarbete bland annat i sin holistiska systemsyn på trafiksäkerhetsproblemet, där samhället, industrin och akademin i samverkan spelar en väsentlig roll i möjligheten att åstadkomma långsiktigt hållbara förbättringar.

(1) Background: Adolescents spend a considerable amount of their time in the school environment.  Most adolescents are also subjected to compulsory school attendance, implying that they have to deal with the environment on a daily basis. In health research adolescent perceptions about the school environment are often linked to mental and psychosomatic health. However, measurements seems to be focused on psychosocial or psychological aspects of the school environment more often than physical.  

(2) Aims: The purpose of the present study is to examine the psychometric properties of a scale of Adolescent Perceptions of the Physical School Environment by means of the Rasch model for ordered response categories.  

(3) Sample: The analysis is based on the survey Young in Värmland which is a paper-and-pencil based survey, conducted recurrently since 1988 targeting all adolescent in school year 9 residing the county of Värmland, Sweden. So far, more than 20,000 individuals have participated in the survey. In the analysis presented here, five items based on adolescents’ perceptions of the physical school environment were subjected to analysis using RUMM2030, in total about 22,000 individuals.

(4) Methods: A scale consisting of five polytomous items is analysed by means of the polytomous Rasch model. General fit statistics as well as their graphical representations (ICC) are used to evaluate if the scale fit the Rasch model. A particular focus is also directed towards possible Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sex.

(5) Results: At a general level of analysis the scale subjected to analysis seems to fit the Rasch model fairly well, with good separation of the individuals, and showing no reversed item thresholds, i.e. the response categories work properly and as expected. Also, at a finer level of analysis focusing on DIF, the scale works fairly well, but with exceptions important in order to understand differences between boys and girls.  

(6) Conclusions: Although the scale fits the Rasch model fairly well, there is room for improvements. In particular the precision of measurement may be increased by improving the targeting through inclusion of additional items of appropriate severity.             

(1) Background: Significance tests are commonly sensitive to sample size, and Chi-Squared statistics is not an exception. Nevertheless, Chi-Squared statistics are commonly used for test of fit of measurement models. Thus, for analysts working with very large (or very small) sample sizes this may require particular attention. However, several different approaches to handle a large sample size in test of fit analysis have been developed. Thus, one strategy may be to adjust the fit statistic to correspond to an equivalent sample of different size. This strategy has been implemented in the RUMM2030 software. Another strategy may be to adopt a random sample approach.

(2) Aims: The RUMM2030 Chi-Square value adjustment facility has been available for a long time, but still there seems to a lack of studies describing the empirical consequences of adjusting a sample to a smaller effective sample in the statistical analysis of fit. Alternatively a random sample approach could be adopted in order to handle the large sample size problem. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare these two strategies as test of fit approximations, using Swedish adolescent data.  

(3) Sample:The analysis is based on the survey Young in Värmland which is a paper-and-pencil based survey conducted recurrently since 1988 targeting all adolescent in school year 9 residing the county of Värmland, Sweden. So far, more than 20,000 individuals have participated in the survey. In the analysis presented here, seven items based on the adolescents, experiences of the psychosocial school environment were subjected to analysis, in total 21,088 individuals.

(4) Methods: For the purposes of this study, the original sample size was adjusted to several different effective samples using the RUMM2030 adjustment function, in the test of fit analysis. In addition, 10 random samples for each sample size were drawn from the original sample, and averaged Chi-Square values calculated. The Chi-Square values obtained using the two strategies were compared.

(5) Results: Given the original sample of 21,088, adjusting to samples of 5,000 or larger, the RUMM2030 adjustment facility work as well as a random sample approach. In contrast, when adjusting to lower samples the adjustment function is less effective in approximating the Chi-Square value for an actual random sample of the relevant size. Hence, fit is exaggerated and misfit under estimated using the adjustment function. However, that is true for fitting but not for misfitting items.   

(6) Conclusion: Even though the inferences based on p-values may be the same despite big Chi-Square value differences between the two approaches, the danger of using fit statistics mechanically cannot be enough stressed.

A paradigm shift is proposed in the literature regarding child safety, from keeping the children as safe as possible to keeping the children as safe as necessary. This could be a way to satisfy children’s need of challenges in order to thrive and their need for safety. In relation to such an ongoing change it is of value to investigate how parents, as guardians, perceive child safety at home and in preschool. The purpose of this study is to research parental perception of child safety in the home environment and childcare. The study is also concerned with how parents perceive their influence over the risks and risk assessments surrounding the children at home and in preschool. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with parents of preschool children and a qualitative content analysis was used. The results show that safety to a big extent is sees as protective measures to safeguard children from risk. Risks in the physical environment were discussed in relation to the home environment and preschool and psychological and social risks were discussed in relation to preschool, relationships amongst peers and the society. The parents see themselves as having a significant influence over risks in the home environment and to a lesser degree in relation to peers and preschool. Parents voice a constant need for balancing between safety, risks and other factors such as development, independence, and social acceptance. Adults constantly analyze risk to make appropriate decisions to safeguard the children. The informants describe supervision as crucial to keep children safe. To conclude, the results indicate a need for improved communication between parents and preschool staff regarding evaluations between safety and other factors, like development and positive challenges that help children to thrive. Suggestions for future research are given.

The Anthropocene is overshadowing nature's great forces and pushing climate change at a rapid speed. Biodiversity has been highly affected by human actions, and the natural background levels of species extinction are not even close to the magnitude caused by humans. Biodiversity plays a substantial role in functioning ecosystems as well as human well-being, and despite this, there are still enormous financial gaps in biodiversity conservation around the world. One country that promotes the conservation of biodiversity significantly is South Africa, which also is the third most biodiverse country in the world. Still, they struggle with financial foundations for conservation along with low education levels and knowledge levels. Therefore, this study aims to explore how a small reserve in South Africa, called Amakhala Game Reserve, works with biodiversity conservation and what possibilities and barriers this work holds. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, three respondents have answered numerous questions regarding the conservation work at Amakhala Game Reserve. With a qualitative content analysis of the interviews, the answers have been interpreted with the theoretical framework of path dependency. Through this, explanations for why conservation work is conducted the way it is and suggestions for improvements to enhance biodiversity conservation have been presented. The results of this study show that there are both possibilities and barriers in the future conservation work for biodiversity. However, there are different incentives to overcome these barriers and break path dependency, opening up more possibilities for future conservation work in South Africa.

Through an explorative case study, conducted at Volvo CE Arvika, the conditions for organizational learning have been examined in order to create a lesson learned policy, tailored to the company. Organizational learning is an essential area that should be viewed as a corner stone to continuous improvements as well as creating a competitive advantage that cannot be replicated.

Several academics have contributed to the field of organizational learning, however, there is a lack of documented practical studies within the field. This thesis describes a company’s organizational learning based on Senges five disciplines (personal mastery, mental models, building a shared vision, team learning, and system thinking) and Garvin et al. three building blocks (supportive learning environment, concrete learning processes and practices, and leadership that reinforces learning) through an explorative case study. The method enabled the company’s organizational learning to be mapped with the exception of mental models which were not identified.

This study resulted in 16 improvement proposals and a lesson learned policy consisting of:

• Experience analysis: A document for the collection of experiences.
• Experience wall: A tool for visualization to create an overview of the origin and character of the experiences gathered from a project.
• File structure: In order to standardize the storage of documented experiences with an emphasis on availability.

The description of the company's organizational learning and the developed lessoned learned policy are primarily of interest to the investigated company. The method used to map organizational learning in this case study can, with minor modifications, be used by other companies that can expect equivalent results. The lessoned learned policy resulting from the study can also be modified to suit other companies and it provides an example to benchmark on.

Background: Climate change brings uncertainties that pose challenges for urban planning. Under the Swedish Planning and Building Act (2010:900), municipalities are responsible for land-use planning within their defined geographical area. Coastal areas are in many cases highly developed, densely populated and economically important, and sea level rise is expected to expose these areas to complex risks that may result in loss of life, land and livelihoods if actions are not implemented. It is therefore widely recognised that climate adaptation cannot wait. Land elevation in Sweden have a mitigating effect on the sea level rise. The aim of this study is to investigate how Swedish municipalities deal with these uncertainties in the zone planning process based on different theories of decision making.

Method: The study is based on a multi-case study design in order to build up cases that can be compared and weighed against each other in order to gain generalizable knowledge. Qualitative method was used as an inspiration to compile large amounts of evidence and to keep the focus on the collected data throughout the process. The cases Helsingborg City and Varberg Municipality have been selected through a strategic selection: the municipalities have active or recently adopted zone plans in the coastal area. Two data sources have been used in the study: expert interviews from the selected cases and documentation linked to the selected cases. The transcripts of the expert interviews and the documents have been analysed through a qualitative content analysis.

Results: Both municipalities have identified a risk of flooding from the sea in the zone planning process. The city of Helsingborg has a policy document, adopted by the municipal council, with specified safety levels for construction near the coast. This level has been used for zone planning until now, but it is under discussion in a separate ongoing planning process within the municipality due to newly available research-based knowledge. The sustainability of the new construction is the most important factor for climate adaptation. The IPCC scenario RCP8.5 has been used as a safety measure during the process and the time perspective is set to 2150. In other areas a shorter time perspective might be used due to present development.

Varberg municipality acknowledges that their current policy document is outdated due to new and accumulated knowledge on the effects of climate change. The municipality has been in contact with various governmental agencies to identify suitable actions. However, the prerequisites given by different authorities are conflicting, and the County Administrative Board announced that an expert study must be conducted. The municipality has chosen the worst-case scenario of the year 2150 as a condition in their planning. However, since the ground cannot be sufficiently raised due to existing development, they have a finished-floor-level ordinance in the zone plan. 

Conclusion: Sea level rise poses complex and combined risks, but due to popularity, short-term growth takes precedence over safety in urban planning even when areas are identified as unsuitable by the civil servants. Uncertainty and the constant addition of new knowledge pose a challenge for local authorities. Municipalities want to build sustainable residential areas, but the conditions of the existing buildings at the location can have an impact on the climate adaptation. Helsingborg uses the precautionary principle and As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) decision-making strategies in their urban planning, while Varberg uses ALARP. During the process of the study a new theoretical framework have evolved.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how female project managers experience their work situation. To explore this, a qualitative study was conducted with semi-structured interviews. The selection method in the study was targeted selection in which 10 female project managers who worked in different industries participated. The material from the interviews was analyzed by a thematic analysis. The result of the study suggests that project management as a profession is appreciated by women as it is perceived to be a flexible profession where they have the opportunity to influence and decide over their own work. In addition, the result also suggests that women thrive well and experience their working environment as good in the role as a project manager. Their work environment also seems to have changed in recent years and it is not necessary that gender influences how the females are treated, it might have to do with the role as a project manager itself - which could also be an interesting subject to study further in the future. 

Mellan november 2000 och juni 2001 låg Vänerns vattennivå över sjöns dämningsgräns i nästan 6 månader. Situationen orsakades av en utdragen period med ovanligt stora nederbördsmängder över Vänerns tillrinningsområde mellan oktober och mitten av december 2000. Sjöns nivå ökade under denna period i genomsnitt med 2 cm per dygn. Översvämningsproblemen började uppstå längs den ca 2000 km långa kusten (utan öar) från mitten av november. När sjöns nivå kulminerade den 11 januari 2001 hade olika aktörer lyckats vidta omfattande åtgärder i de översvämningshotade områdena som skyddade samhällsviktiga funktioner såsom VA, transporter och elförsörjning, men även bostäder och industrianläggningar.

I en genomgång av skador och konsekvenser i samband med översvämningen visade det sig inte oväntat att det främst är tangibla¹ direkta och indirekta skador som är beskrivna i olika dokument och sammanställningar som har tagits fram inom olika sektorer. Uppföljningar av långsiktiga konsekvenser av översvämningen och beskrivningar av hur interaktionen mellan olika sektorer påverkades av Vänerns höga nivåer saknas däremot med några få undantag. Rapporten kan inte ge någon heltäckande bild av de ekonomiska konsekvenser som Väneröversvämningen 2000/2001 har lett till. För en del sektorer som lantbruk, yrkesfisket och de kommunala verksamheterna i de drabbade Vänerkommunerna kunde ekonomiska värderingar hittas medan de saknas för skogsbruket, delar av transportsektorn och industrierna. I rapporten görs en uppskattning av hushållens skador i Värmland med hjälp skadebeloppen som utbetalades av Länsförsäkringar Värmland i samband med Väneröversvämningen.

Kommunerna utmed Vänerkusten fick omfattande skador på avlopps- och dagvattennäten och reningsverken. Kommunala, strandnära fritidsområden såsom fritidshamnar, campingplatser, badplatser och sjönära gång- och cykelvägar skadades i nästan alla berörda kommuner. Efter översvämningen gav regeringen kommunerna möjlighet att ansöka om bidrag för direkta fysiska skador och kostnader för förebyggande åtgärder, t ex temporära invallningar. 

Studien genomfördes med syfte att kunna bevara, återföra och nyttja erfarenheter från översvämningen 2000-2001 inför och under kommande översvämningssituationer med likartade eller högre nivåer. Studien är en del i Centrum för klimat och säkerhets deltagande inom EU–projektet SAWA (Strategic Alliance for integrated Water management Actions) vars målsättning bl a är att utveckla planer för hantering av översvämningsrisker. Studien är det första steget av en sårbarhetsstudie i Vänern som kommer att utföras vid Centrum för klimat och säkerhet under åren 2010/2011.

Summary

Background: Resiliens is a concept that is increasingly used in risk- and disaster research to describe society's resistance to, ability to recover from and to develop positively after major natural events. Research shows the importance of involving all levels of society in order to create resilience against disasters and is expressed in international frameworks for disaster risk reduction, climate change and sustainable development. Since the consequences of extreme natural events primarily manifests at the local level, they need to be locally managed. The importance of involving the public in disaster risk reduction, also called the “bottom-up approach” with the aim of building resilience is thus highlighted. One factor affecting societal disaster risk is vulnerability. How vulnerable a society is to disasters is influenced by economic, ecological and social factors and the distribution of resources. Certain groups in society are often referred to as more vulnerable and one part of building resilience against disasters is to cater to the specific needs of these groups in relation to disaster risks. Theories and models of societal resilience against disasters are often developed with focus on environments with more frequent and dramatic natural events and societies that are characterized by a greater degree of socio-economic differences than that of today's Sweden. But a changing climate and other global processes also affect the Swedish society. The Swedish state and its authorities increasingly emphasize the importance of taking a resilience perspective on societal development. The responsibility for risk and crisis management in Sweden is primarily focused at the municipal level, as well as on the individual, which could warrant the involvement of the public in disaster reduction in order to build a resilient local community.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is threefold. It primarily aims at gaining an overall understanding of the views of individuals, involved in risk and crisis management at local level in Sweden, upon involving the public in disaster risk reduction from a resilience perspective. Secondarily, the study aims at investigating how the needs of different groups in the community is incorporated into the work, based on a vulnerability perspective, and thirdly to investigate the relevance of an existing theoretical framework for community resilience in a Swedish context.

Method: The study was designed as a qualitative exploratory case study of Örebro municipality with an abductive approach. Through a combination of strategic selection and snowballing, key people working in the local council and non-governmental organizations have been included in the study. The data collection consisted of semistructured interviews that were transcribed and further analyzed through qualitative text analysis. In order to strengthen the validity of the study, municipal documents were studied to enable triangulation. The results were discussed through theories of resilience, risk governance and disaster vulnerability as well as a theoretical framework for community resilience by Norris et al. (2008).

Results: The results show: 1) a positive view upon involving the public, primarily as a resource in emergency crisis management by using volunteers, 2) opportunities for involving the public through relational networking and enhanced cooperation with civil society, in order to gain information and knowledge on how people perceive their reality and the needs of the public regarding information and support, 3) communication and cooperation barriers between the municipality and the public are linked to the lack of useful tools and that new technologies are not fully utilized, 4) a lack of continuity in civil society and municipality collaboration, low frequency of major events, and lack of widespread commitment among the public. The result indicates that the resilience framework is also relevant in the Swedish context.

Introduction This paper discusses the application of the synthetic control method to injury-related interventions using aggregate data from public information systems. The method selects and determines the optimal control unit in the data by minimising the difference between the pre-intervention outcomes in one treated unit (eg, a state) and a weighted combination of potential control units. Method I demonstrate the synthetic control method by an application to Florida's post-2010 policy and law enforcement initiatives aimed at bringing down opioid overdose deaths. Using opioid-related mortality data for a panel of 46 states observed from 1999 to 2015, the analysis suggests that a weighted combination of Maine (46.1%), Pennsylvania (34.4%), Nevada (5.4%), Washington (5.3%), West Virginia (4.3%) and Oklahoma (3.4%) best predicts the preintervention trajectory of opioid-related deaths in Florida between 1999 and 2009. Model specification and placebo tests, as well as an iterative leave-k-out sensitivity analysis are used as falsification tests. Results The results indicate that the policies have decreased the incidence of opioid-related deaths in Florida by roughly 40% (or -6.19 deaths per 100.000 person-years) by 2015 compared with the evolution projected by the synthetic control unit. Sensitivity analyses yield an average estimate of -4.55 deaths per 100.000 person-years (2.5th percentile: -1.24, 97.5th percentile: -7.92). The estimated cumulative effect in terms of deaths prevented in the postperiod is 3705 (2.5th percentile: 1302, 97.5th percentile: 6412). Discussion Recommendations for practice, future research and potential pitfalls, especially concerning low-count data, are discussed. Replication codes for Stata are provided.

Aims To investigate while accounting for health at birth 1) associations between health problems during childhood, measured as hospitalizations, and school achievement in the final year of compulsory school, measured as overall grade points and eligibility for upper secondary education, 2) if and how gender moderates the association between health problems and school achievement, 3) if and how the timing of a health problem during childhood is associated with later school achievement. Methods Analyzes were performed on a population-based cohort (n = 115 196) born in 1990 in Sweden (51.3% boys, 48.7% girls) using data from several national registries. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were used to analyze associations between study variables. Results Overall grade points and eligibility for continuation to upper secondary school were lower for individuals exposed to hospitalizations. Only the association between hospitalizations and overall grade points was moderated by gender and only for ages 13-16 years. Exposure close to actual grading had worst outcomes. Conclusions Health problems, measured through hospitalizations, was significantly associated with lower school achievements among Swedish children. Girls exposed to health problems requiring hospitalizations had relatively poorer school achievements as compared to boys. Health problems requiring hospitalization during junior high school had the greatest negative association with final achievement at compulsory school.

In today's society, risks can be found in various places and our response to these risks and accidents depends on our risk perception.The aim of this study was to examine how young adults risk perception looks regarding a distinct and a diffuse risk, as well as its variations based on age and the adoption of protective measures. The method used for this study is a qualitative method with a survey and descriptive statistics to analyse the answers. The survey was created in the program survey and report.The results showed that the survey was answered by 134 people with a variety in gender and age. Furthermore, the results revealed that the respondents perceived knowledge for climate change was larger than their perceived knowledge for wars. The results also showed that wars were perceived as more threatening, while climate change was considered as the most significant risk.The discussion highlights the appropriateness of the chosen research method, however more questions could have enhanced the analysis. It would have been interesting to combine a quantitative with a qualitative method and implement a few interviews. Based on the theory RPA the respondents were indifferent to climate change and responsive to war. Based on PTM it can also be understood that individuals who are responsive exhibit a strong motivation for protection and are likely to take protective measures, while those who are indifferent demonstrate a low motivation for protection and are unlikely to take action.

Genom att koppla på digitala tjänster kan besöksmål ge besökarna en starkare upplevelse – men vägen dit kan vara snårig. Nu har ett forskningsprojekt på Karlstads universitet i samarbete med en rad aktörer tagit fram digitala prototyper för två värmländska besöksmål.

I maj 2018 avslutades ett av Karlstads universitets forsknings- och utvecklingsprojekt om digitalisering inom besöksnäringen. Under det senaste 1,5 året har Lotta Braunerhielm, Laila Gibson och Linda Ryan Bengtsson från forskningsmiljön Geomedia, arbetat med projekt kring interaktiva platsförankrade upplevelser. Två besöksmål - Vildmark i Värmland och Långbans Gruvby har varit först ut att fungera som testbäddar.

”Kombinationen av våra olika perspektiv och metoder har varit jättebra och inneburit att vi varit tvungna att gå in varandras världar och skapat en annan förståelse”, säger Lotta Braunerhielm. ”Efter en lång process där lärande, nya perspektiv och att skapa nya insikter längs vägen varit i fokus, har vi landat i flera konkreta resultat.”

Flera olika aktörer har deltagit i utvecklings- och innovationsprocessen: offentliga aktörer, entreprenörer, forskare, IT-företag, lokalbefolkning, besökare och säsongs-anställda. Resultatet: Långbans Gruvby och Vildmark i Värmland har fått varsin prototyp i form av en konceptskiss för hur digitalisering kan förhöja upplevelsen av besöket.

”Vi har vävt in det vi är så bra på i Värmland, historieberättandet, med kunskap om platser, både i nutid och dåtid, tillsammans med vår kultur och vårt naturlandskap”, fortsätter Laila Gibson. ”Vi är bra på besöksnäring i Värmland, på historieberättande och på digital utveckling. Nu har vi slagit ihop det här och dragit igång en ny innovativ utveckling i Värmland. Det här är historieberättande men på ett nytt sätt.”

Professional development is more crucial than ever, especially in supporting ongoing digitalisation in the knowledge society. The need for upskilling and reskilling is described as continuous lifelong learning, which must be combined and synchronised with the lives of full-time working learners. Content, pedagogical models and instructional design in university courses are often centred on students in their early twenties with little to no work experience instead of tailored for experienced professionals working full-time. One such course is the foundation for this study: a course on digitalisation and digital transformation targeting professionals with at least two years of work experience in digital transformation. Therefore, the research question that guided this study was: "How can a distance course for professionals be redesigned to facilitate lifelong learning?" The redesign aims to increase satisfaction with the course and the number of participants taking their exams.

 The course contains four modules with synchronous and asynchronous learning activities, resulting in 5 ECTS credits (the European Credit Transfer System). The analysed empirical material consists of course participants' check-in presentation before the course started, mid-term evaluation, final evaluation, and a learning diary containing 58 entries. The empirical material was inductively and iteratively analysed following the main steps of thematic analysis. Two of the researchers conducted the first steps of the analysis individually. The following steps were a joint coding procedure to reach a consensus. This part of the analysis included several discussions with the other researchers. The inductive analysis identified 70 initial codes that reflected issues related to course design, learning activities, course information, and instructions. The initial codes were clustered into seventeen more abstract themes based on similarities. The themes related to strengths and weaknesses/challenges with the course. The strengths were analysed as, among others, discussions with course participants in other domains, recordings introducing scientific articles, focused and direct instructions on the learning management system (LMS), and the course is held online at the same weekly time. Perceived challenges were, for example, reading scientific articles and understanding and transferring the content to their work situation, lack of correspondence among the modules, not all modules being published simultaneously on the LMS, and the general problem of mixing work and studies.

 Despite that, the material showed satisfied course participants, where only a few ended the course by taking the exam to get their credits, which is one of academia’s ways to quantify learning. Based on the data analysis, course and learning activities will be redesigned and developed to be tested and evaluated in a forthcoming course instance in autumn 2023.  

Environmental justice, a part of the broader theoretical field of political ecology, aims tostudy how injustices linked to the environment can determine and condition the access tohealth and wealth. This paper is a study of how access to a green area, the outdoor andrecreation area on Skutberget in the municipality of Karlstad, is an object of environmentaljustice. The research is done within the research-question “how is different perspectives in aconflict about access to an green area framed by the media”?To answer the research-question a critical discourse analyses has been made of the localnewspapers Nya Värmlandstidningen and Värmlands folkblad where the text, the discursivepractice and the social practice have been used to unfold how social conflicts manifests in thelanguage and how dominance, differences and resistance is taking place is in the text and inthe discourses.The result of the study is shown as two conflicting discourse orders: one for the Mumin themepark, and one against the Mumin theme park. Each discourse order is made up of differentdiscourses that turns into argument for and against the Mumin theme park. Different narrativsare told where one sides definition of the problem with the theme park is the other sidessolution of another problem.

The government of the Netherlands evoked a State Commission to write an advice on the future viability of the Dutch democracy. In this contribution, we describe the issues and proposals the Commission discusses in its reports, and thus provide insights in the functioning of a modern democracy and on the discussion of improving it. This paper also enables the non-Dutch speaking scientists to provide input to this discussion. 

Threats and violence in workplaces have long been discussed and studied. There are certain professional groups that are more affected than others, and the teaching profession is described as one of these risk groups. In recent years, there have been reports of a change in Swedish school environments where more and more teachers are exposed to threats and violence. Research on school violence has traditionally focused on students' vulnerability, which has created a knowledge gap regarding teachers' exposure to threats and violence. Available research indicates that vulnerability differs among teachers. Thus, there is a recognized need for further research. 

The objective of the study was to investigate how threats and violence occurring in school settings among teachers are perceived in Värmland. Furthermore, the study aimed to highlight which factors contribute to teachers' vulnerability and how schools deal with threats and violence. In order to answer the objective of the study, a qualitative approach was applied. The data collection was carried out using interviews with five protection officers from different schools in three municipalities in Värmland. 

The study revealed a consensus that teachers are a vulnerable group when it comes to threats and violence. Vulnerability differs between different schools and grades, and factors such as experience and gender have a certain influence on teachers' vulnerability. How the risk of being affected by threats and violence is valued can be influenced by attitudes and level of acceptance. Furthermore, the study highlights an awareness of threats and violence among teachers. 

A changing climate increases the risk of more frequent forest fires, forest fires that are predicted to be more intense than previously seen. This creates a need to have a functioning disaster management system when a forest fire occurs. Demands are also placed on leading actors to possess the knowledge and experience required to be able to handle an extensive forest fire. It also requires identifying and responding to the various needs that may arise in the event of a disaster, as well as giving all those affected the same opportunities and an equal distribution of resources.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate how the distribution of resources looked between personnel, as well as investigate how exposed residents and forest owners were informed and taken care of during the forest fire. The method used for this study is a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach, where two reports about the forest fire were analyzed. The result showed that there was a skewed distribution of resources between the firefighters and administrative staff, where the firefighters were allocated the most resources. The result also showed that the forest owners were well taken care of and given special information points, while exposed residents were exposed to unnecessary risks during the evacuations that took place. Residents who did not speak Swedish had access to information and support in some areas but were inadequate in other areas.

Assessment of foreign/second language (L2) oral proficiency is known to be complex and influenced by the local context. In Sweden, extensive assessment guidelines for the National English Speaking Test (NEST) are offered to teachers, who act as raters of their own students' performances on this high-stakes L2 English oral proficiency (OP) test. Despite guidelines, teachers commonly construct their own NEST scoring rubric. The present study aims to unveil teachers-as-raters' conceptualizations, as these emerge from the self-made scoring rubrics, and possible transformations of policy. Data consist of 20 teacher-generated scoring rubrics used for assessing NEST (years 6 and 9). Rubrics were collected via personal networks and online teacher membership groups. Employing content analysis, data were analysed qualitatively to examine (i) what OP sub-skills were in focus for assessment, (ii) how sub-skills were conceptualized, and (iii) scoring rubric design. Results showed that the content and design of rubrics were heavily influenced by the official assessment guidelines, which led to broad consensus about what to assess-but not about how to assess. Lack of consensus was particularly salient for interactive skills. Analysis of policy transformations revealed that teachers' self-made templates, in fact, lead to an analytic rather than a holistic assessment practice.