The background of our paper is that feedback is needed as a tool on during work to make the individuals feel comfortable. This is basically related to our need of feeling accepted and to feel affinity. Research has demonstrated that the confirmation from the outside world is an important part of the individual's selfimage. In a project based environment, feedback is important, as project groups often consist of new constellations of people who quickly must learn to work together. If feed-back could be used successfully, this can have positive effects on work perfor-mance. The problem of providing feedback is how to give it in a constructive way so the receiver to take in the information and accept it. By examining past research, we examined why there is a need for feedback in project teams, what the research says that the giver should consider when it comes to feedback, and what consequences and results of feedback could be. Our purpose is, based on existing research, to examine how feedback is used in practice for five project managers. We asked ourselves following questions: Do project managers provide feedback? In what ways? How do they work with feedback? Do they know how the theory looks about the topic? How do they work to become better at giving feedback? To examine the issues, we used a qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interviews. The interview subjects were all working in the same indus-try, the real estate industry. Our interview data were processed by transcribing and coding by predetermined themes. In our analysis we compared the theoretical background of the empirical data we collected. A matrix with a compilation of the collected data is presented in appendix 2. Our conclusion is that project managers mostly work with positive feedback and that giving negative feedback is perceived problematic. We also discovered that the project managers lacked a theo-retical knowledge about the subject and that the skills they possessed, had they learned through experience.

Companies and projects often face the challenge of creating something new to increase their competitiveness. In this process of creating something new creativity is an important factor. By using a creative approach and utilizing creative processes new innovations emerges. An industry that has grown in recent years is the computer games industry. Competition is fierce and for the companies to succeed, the product need that extra something to make it stand out among all the produced games.

The project manager's role in the creative process and the ability to be creative within a distance based company is not something highlighted by previous research. This formed the basis of our research question:

How do project managers act to create conditions for creativity among employees in a remotely organized computer game company?

To answer our question, we chose to make a descriptive case study. The project is based in the Nordic countries with employees worldwide. It is altogether a distance based project with no shared workspace. We interviewed the projects two project managers, and supplemented with a qualitative survey amongst the employees. The collected material was analyzed with a methodology inspired by Grounded Theory and previous research results.

Three approaches of how the project managers act to promote creativity are evident in their stories. These approaches are trust, availability and tolerance. They form the basis of our model on how the project managers in this case act to promote employee creativity. Besides the three approaches, two concepts emerged as important tools for creativity in the project: motivation and communication. Our conclusion can be described as follows:

Motivation provides the conditions for creative thinking. By building an organization where project leaders show trust in the ability of employees, and allows tolerance to be a watchword for collaboration, project managers work to improve employee motivation. This will create opportunities for creativity among the employees in this distance based project. Communication is essential for creative work in the project and virtual means of communication a way to increase availability.

This article introduces two different non-parametric wavelet-based panel unit-root tests in the presence of unknown structural breaks and cross-sectional dependencies in the data. These tests are compared with a previously suggested non-parametric wavelet test, the parameteric Im-Pesaran and Shin (IPS) test and a Wald type of test. The results from the Monte Carlo simulations clearly show that the new wavelet-ratio tests are superior to the traditional tests both in terms of size and power in panel unit-root tests because of its robustness to cross-section dependency and structural breaks. Based on an empirical Central American panel application, we can, in contrast to previous research (where bias due to structural breaks is simply disregarded), find strong, clear-cut support for purchasing power parity (PPP) in this developing region.

Studiens syfte är att öka förståelsen för hur kunskapsöverföringen sker mellan projekt i en organisation. För att besvara syftet har två forskningsfrågor använts. Vilken kunskap överför projektledaren mellan projekt i organisationen? Hur överför projektledaren kunskap mellan projekt i organisationen? För att besvara forskningsfrågorna och därmed besvara syftet användes en kvalitativ metod. Åtta djupgående, semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med åtta olika projektledare inom en och samma organisation. Intervjuerna analyserades sedan med hjälp av en tematisk analys och relevanta teman identifierades.

Första forskningsfrågan, om vilken kunskap som överförs mellan projekt, resulterade i tre kunskapsområden med underteman. Den kunskap som överförs av projektledaren mellan projekt handlar om ledning av människor och om ledning av processen. Domänkunskap överförs även det mellan projekt, men är mest framträdande i kunskapsöverföringen mellan byggprojekt.

Den andra forskningsfrågan, om hur kunskapen överförs, resulterade i fyra teman. Kunskapsöverföring sker genom att projektledaren själv tar med sig kunskap mellan projekt och detta är ett ledande överföringssätt i studien. När problem eller en ny situation uppstår och projektledaren själv inte har kunskapen, frågar projektledaren sina kollegor utan att något formellt möte sätts in. Överföring sker även via formella projektledarmöten, studiebesök, nätverk och dokument, de överföringssätten är dock inte lika framträdande i studien.

Sedan 2008 samlar Fakulteten för Humaniora och Samhällsvetenskap, tidigare Fakulteten för Ekonomi, Kommunikation och IT, vid Karlstads universitet in information om fakultetens utbildningar från alumner. Informationen samlas in årligen efter ett rullande schema. Syftet är att utvärdera fakultetens utbildningar samt att ta fram ett underlag för fortsatt kvalitetsutveckling av program och kurser. Målsättningen är att förbättra och vidareutveckla program och kurser.

I rapporten redovisas resultat från enkäter till alumner som har studerat på programmen:

• Fastighetsekonomi
• Informationsprogrammet/Information och PR
• IT, projektledning och affärssystem
• Personal och arbetsliv
• Socionomprogrammet
• Turismprogrammet
• Magister i skatterätt och ekonomi
• Master i globala mediestudier 
• Matematikekonomiprogrammet
• Rättsvetenskapligt program
• Magister/Master i regionalt samhällsbyggande
• Master i informatik

med examen i huvudsak från åren 2011, 2012 och 2013.

Sedan 2008 samlar Fakulteten för Humaniora och Samhällsvetenskap, tidigare Fakulteten för Ekonomi, Kommunikation och IT, vid Karlstads universitet in information om fakultetens utbildningar från alumner. Informationen samlas in årligen efter ett rullande schema. Syftet är att utvärdera fakultetens utbildningar samt att ta fram ett underlag för fortsatt kvalitetsutveckling av program och kurser. Målsättningen är att förbättra och vidareutveckla program och kurser.

I rapporten redovisas resultat från enkäter till alumner som har studerat på programmen

• Civilekonomprogrammet

• Fastighetsekonomiprogrammet

• Programmet IT, projektledning och affärssystem

• Programmet Kommunikation och PR /Information och PR

• Programmet Personal- och arbetsliv

• Rättsvetenskapligt program

• Programmet Samhällsanalytiker - inriktning organisering

• Socionomprogrammet

• Turismprogrammet

• Magisterprogrammet i skatterätt

• Magister/Masterprogrammet i regionalt samhällsbyggande

• Masterprogrammet i informatik.

med examen i huvudsak från åren 2014, 2015 och 2016.

Sedan 2008 samlar Fakulteten för Humaniora och Samhällsvetenskap, tidigare Fakulteten för Ekonomi, Kommunikation och IT, vid Karlstads universitet in information om fakultetens utbildningar från alumner. Informationen samlas in årligen efter ett rullande schema. Syftet är att utvärdera fakultetens utbildningar samt att ta fram ett underlag för fortsatt kvalitetsutveckling av program och kurser. Målsättningen är att förbättra och vidareutveckla program och kurser.

I rapporten redovisas resultat från enkäter till alumner som har studerat på programmen

• Danspedagogprogrammet
• Kulturvetarprogrammet
• Medier och kommunikation – inriktning visuell kommunikation och design
• Politices kandidat
• Webb och multimedia programmet
• Magisterprogrammet i Rättsvetenskap
• Magister/Masterprogrammen i Utbildningsledning och skolutveckling
• Masterprogrammen i Företagsekonomi

med examen från åren 2016 och 2017.

To motivate employees to stay and want to work as a temporary consultant in projects for larger consulting companies (with more than 100 employees) is a research area that has not previously been given much attention. The aim of this study was to investigate what motivates female temporary consultants, with cutting-edge competence in security matters in their daily work and what motivates them to stay or leave their employers. The data collection was conducted with semi-structured interviews where the eight participants were free to describe work-related situations in which they felt motivated and resonate what might affect their motivation. The collected material was then analyzed using the two-factor theory, a model of psychological environments that emerged from the self-determination theory and a model of work motivation.

The results showed that there were three themes that summarized how the participants viewed what motivated them in their daily work and influenced their willingness to stay or leave their employer: expectations, basic requirements and feeling of being needed.  The conclusions were that the themes partly explained what motivates, such as working in a varied working environment with different types of customer projects where they got to practice problem-solving rather than external motivation such as financial remuneration or higher status. The lessons learned were the importance of adapting the workload and type of customer project based on the employees´ wishes, based on what they themselves expressed in dialogue with the employer. Keeping one´s promise becomes more important so that the employees do not feel abandoned, and the employer also need to identify how the employees´ needs can best be met within the framework of their work position. This creates both motivation in daily work and a desire to remain with the employer, based on the findings of this study. 

Turismnäringen i Sverige omsätter stora summor varje år och skapar sysselsättning till samhället genom bland annat arbetsmöjligheter till lokalbefolkningen samt inkomst till destinationen. Turismnäringen är en känslig näring som snabbt kan bli påverkad av något oväntat och av en plötslig händelse. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att studera hur en plötslig och oväntad situation kan påverka turismnäringen i Sverige med en studie på flyktingmottagandets påverkan på turismnäringen i region Värmland. Våra två frågeställningar till uppsatsen handlar om, om flyktingmottagandet har någon påverkan på turismanläggningar i Värmland och vad tillför flyktingmottagandet för Värmland. I teorin har vi utgått från fyra teman som är flyktingmottagandet, flyktingmottagandets påverkan på turismnäringen, turismnäringen samt kris av form av en oväntad och plötslig situation. I empirin presenterar vi våra kvalitativa och semistrukturerade intervjuer med kommunerna Hagfors, Säffle, Filipstad, Torsby och Kristinehamn. Vi valde att intervjua turismaktörer i de valda kommunerna genom telefonintervjuer och mejlintervju. Av analysen kom vi fram till fem slutsatser om hur Värmlands turismnäring kan bli påverkad av flyktingmottagandet. De fem slutsatserna är hur turismanläggningarna påverkas idag samt i framtiden, jobbmöjligheterna på platsen som bli påverkad, vad som kan tillföras av den oväntade och plötsliga situationen och slutligen diskuterar vi hur säsongsturismen kan blir påverkad.

The aim of this study is to examine the opinion of teachers as to the situation of young people suffering from Aspergers syndrome in the Sixth Form(gymnasium. In order to find this out I have chosen to interview four teachers with work experience of Aspergers in three different gymnasium in middle Sweden. They were confronted with the following questions: What resources are available for these pupils in the gymnasium? How do they experience that the school situation functions and how would they as teachers like the school situation to function for these young people at school?

The result shows that special teachers have an extremely important function to fulfil. Those interviewed felt that there are sufficient resources available, for example guidance and further education for techers as well as both support and means for helping the young people.

However, every teacher does not understand this handicap. Everyone is agreed that it is important there are tailor made solutions for each individual in close cooperation between pupils, teachers and special pedagoues.

The aim of this study was to investigate students’ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes and to examine their geographical understanding of such hazards in terms of spatial and societal-nature relations. Data consists of 134 responses from 12 to 13-year-old students who had completed an assignment in the Swedish national test in geography (2013). The responses were analysed using content and thematic analyses. Data was complemented with interviews. Results show that many students hold alternative conceptions of processes causing earthquakes at different plate boundaries, and why poor societies are more severely affected by earthquakes than rich societies. Furthermore, results show that students have a limited understanding of the extent and location of earthquakes in the world. We conclude that instruction aiming to develop students’ understanding of earthquakes as a geographical phenomenon and hazard may integrate map-reasoning skills with examples that support contextual thinking. We also suggest that in order to develop students’ relational thinking on society and nature, instruction can utilise the concept of “capital”. Furthermore, teaching needs to take in to account and design instruction to meet students’ alternative conceptions that societal consequences of earthquakes are solely predetermined by natural factors such as climate or heat. 

Within research literature about ‘project success’ there are diverse perceptions about what the concept really entails. There is no universal framework to value success. This study explores the concept by studying the perception of success among different participants in a project that has been carried out within the public sector. By interviewing six different respondents, the purpose of the study has been to understand how the participants within the project define success and to find out what dimensions of success are most important to them. The result has been analysed through Shenhar, Levy and Dvir’s (1997) four dimensions of success and shows that the respondents emphasized the importance of long-term dimensions of success rather than short-term dimensions. Important among these were that the project results had proven useful, that it had generated new knowledge and improved the conditions for further development of their organisations and for themselves as individuals. Consequently, the result differs from earlier research where short-term dimensions of success have been described as particularly important, merely that the project result is delivered on time and within budget.

We have used a qualitative approach to analyze 19 verdicts according to 2§ The Young Persons Act (LVU) about maltreated children. The purpose with this study was to investigate how the Social Welfare argues to the administrative court. This study was inspired by discourse analyze as method and theory with a theoretical concept of normality as an analytical tool. The result show that the Social Welfare argues about parents shortcoming and the abnormal parenthood in relations to childrens undefined needs. The result also show that the Social Welfare argues for compulsory care in terms of legal requirements to achieve legal relevance.

Little is known about the experiences of the social partners in helping undeclared workers resist Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues. This study draws upon Walter Korpi’s ‘power resource theory’ to gain a deeper understanding of how power resources within the construction, transport, and cleaning sectors influence the ability of social partners to respond to OSH issues related to undeclared work. This mixed-method study uses survey data from employer representatives in the construction (n = 686) and transport (n = 650) sectors in Sweden in 2019 to estimate the nature and magnitude of undeclared work-related problems. To also study the view of union representatives, a duplicate survey was sent to union representatives in the transport, construction, and cleaning sectors (n = 57) in 2020, followed by 13 semi-structured interviews with Regional Safety Representatives (RSRs) in 2021–2023. Our findings show that employer representatives in construction and transport reported that the violation of OSH regulations was uncommon and remained unchanged, most union representatives said the opposite. We found a gradient of activism among the unions towards OSH issues related to undeclared work dependent on their power resources. Furthermore, structural and organizational factors limited the RSRs’ ability to address undeclared work. The RSRs identified strategies to tackle OSH issues related to undeclared work in their sectors, these included but were not limited to, dismantling the language barrier between unions and undeclared foreign-born workers, for OSH coordinators and main contractors to be held responsible for OSH violations and greater cooperation between the relevant authorities dealing with undeclared work. 

This following essay addresses the digitization and its impact on service encounters that occur at various touristic facilities. In addition, the importance any possible digital changes have for tourists’ experiences of service is also emphasized. The aim is to obtain an idea about experiences of service encounters, how they change as a result of the digital development in society, and what kind of digital tools are used by tourism organizations. Consequently, the way the potential digital changes have affected tourists’ experiences of service encounters is furthermore studied. A thematization has been defined in relation to the problem statement, purpose of the study, and research questions, which follow the same direction into the theoretical background. The themes are the development of digitization, digital tools, and the service encounter. With the theory and these themes as a starting point, the digital development, along with the usage of digital tools within tourism organizations and how visitors become co-creators of experiences, explain the main subject service encounter.  The intention is to attain comprehension about experiences of service encounters, as stated above. In order to examine this, qualitative interviews have been applied as a method. This essay studies the phenomena from a consumer perspective, as well as a producer perspective. By interviewing both tourists and hotel businesses, the informants have shared their experiences of, and views on, digitization at touristic facilities, as well as how it impacts service encounters. The analyzed results from the collected data indicate that the development of the digitization has resulted in adopted digital tools at the interviewed hotel businesses, and that tourists book and engage in reviews online. Moreover, the empirical results highlight the interviewed tourists’ perceptions of how digital changes have affected visitors’ experiences of service encounters, and the significance of the physical encounter. In conclusion, this study suggests that digital tools have been partially implemented at touristic facilities, however, the digital tools have not caused any major changes for the  service encounter.  Human service encounters have a remarkable role for tourists’ experiences and is something they wish would remain.  

Introduction

Through the ages, nuclear emergencies have scared us several times, and during these

emergencies risks were often communicated through media. Sometimes, news would get

distorted, amplified and cause confusion or other undesirable effects, which in turn might

affect how people perceive the risks. The aim of this study was to analyze how media

portrayed and communicated risks in Japan during the Fukushima nuclear power plant

accident in 2011, compared to Sweden, a country out of reach of direct risks.

Methods

Discourse analysis was considered the most suitable method for this study, since it can be

used to reveal myths that are implicated in speech and other actions. A discourse analysis is

not meant to clarify an objective reality, but how a reality is created. The analysis was

conducted on articles published in newspapers in each country during the accident, 15 articles

from The Japan Times (Japan) and 19 from Aftonbladet (Sweden).

Results

The results showed that the communication of risks was more instructive in The Japan Times,

even if some of the information was changing and could be considered confusing. When it

comes to feelings, The Japan Times mostly stayed away from vidid and dramatic messages,

while this was more common in Aftonbladet.

Discussion and conclusions

In the discussion, it was found that the most prominent resemblance was lacking information

as a result of potential lack of knowledge among journalists. The way the newspapers

presented the risks differed, The Japan Times had a quite composed approach while

Aftonbladet dramatized the event more extensively. Both newspapers used statements from

officials and authorities, which might have contributed to framing. For further research on

media’s role during a nuclear disaster, it might be of interest to look at solutions for how

experts and journalists can work closer together to communicate the risks accurately, as well

as taking the political stance aspect into consideration.

This paper is a result of a one month field study Dharamsala in India. Dharamsala is well-known for harbouring the exile Tibetan government and also their religious leader in Tibetan Buddhism, Dalai Lama. Because of this Dharamsala is an important sanctuary fore Tibetan refugees who are escaping from the Chinese government’s oppression in Tibet.

The purpose of this study is therefore to get a better insight and knowledge how people today in Dharamsala receive Tibetan refugee children from Tibet.

I got the privilege to meet 8 of the people who, in one way or another, daily meet and work with Tibetan refugee children.

In this study I have used the methods qualitative interview and observation. Through these methods it’s clear that, Tibetan refugee children are received with love and respect in Dhar-amsala. In this way the Tibetan refugee children got a worthy life in freedom and a proper education.

The love and compassion from the Tibetan people in Dharamsala, to their next generation, motivate these children to study hard so that they later in life can help other Tibetans who still live under the Chinese government’s oppression in Tibet.

Through interviews with children in preschool class and through inquiries by questionnaire with their teachers, I have received answers of my question at issue about boys, girls and their choices of technical toys. The purpose was to see if there were any differences in choosing and using these toys, and also to find out if and why the children have different preferences.

The results indicate that for the children in this preschool class the choice of construction toys is common in the activities. All the children play with these toys, but still there are different preferences among girls and boys, both at home and in preschool class. There are differences in opinion among earlier researchers what causes boys and girls to differ in preferences of toys, but the main theory is still that gender differences depend on the family and the community.

Pedagogical conclusions are that as a teacher of young children, you have to work with awareness when it comes to toys and gender. You must never forget the important role toys play in the development of the children.

Keywords: gender, technical, toys, preferences

Today we live in a consumer society where people's current consumer habits are unsustainable. All individuals have to take economical, environmental and social factors into consideration, if a sustainable consumption will come true. The best way to try to understand the households' consumer habits are to focus upon the behavior of the individual person.

Both the food consumption and the waste field have a large environmental impact. Recently, scholars have found that it is the waste of food which is the main environmental problem, not the food packing. Previous studies have shown that households throw away a remarkable part of the food they buy. Since it costs a lot of energy to produce food, this habit means wasting of the earth's resources.

The purpose of the thesis is to illustrate that the households act in an unsustainable way, when they throw the food away. The answers to what kind of attitude people have towards the waste of food and how their behavior coheres with their knowledge about the open-dating of provisions was also searched for. The method questionnaire was used and 50 inhabitants from Karlstad participated in the survey.

The results lead to the conclusion that the inhabitants in Karlstad are fairly typical persons, because several of their answers from the questionnaire correspond with theories and previous research. The principal reason why people throw away food is bad planning of food purchase. The inhabitants have "bad conscience" when they waste food and they also think that too much food is thrown away. Though, "bad conscience" does not mean that the person actually stops throwing food away or tries to find out if the product can be used. These conclusions show that the inhabitants' attitude and behavior do not always hang together.

An aspect that becomes more and more important of organizations today is the management of knowledge. Learning from past mistakes is crucial and no organization can afford not to look for ways of to make the best use of its knowledge.

The purpose of this case-study has been to analyze project managers experience of Lessons Learned in a multiproject-organization. In this study the motivation of the Lessons Learned is highlighted. The ambition has been to increase the understanding of project managers in the light of learning thru Lesson Learned. The research approach of this case-study was of a qualitative character including semi-structed interviews with 10 project managers in the same organization.

The result generated four themes: Feedback creates meaning, Frustration of not being able to influence, Consensus and commitment, and Lessons Learned - a requirement but still not. The results indicate that the project managers are not satisfied with the process Lessons Learned and that they feel a lack of motivation. One of the main reasons was because inadequate feedback from top management and other departments in the organization. They also felt unclear processes in handling Lessons Learned and saw no visible results after the procedure that affected the motivation. Therefore, self-determination theory is linked to the result which shows that the project managers feel external motivation and amotivation.

Syftet med det här arbetet var att få en inblick i barn uppfattningar om livets början, hur och var barn blir till. För att få svar på detta intervjuades 19 barn i åldrarna 3 och 5 år på tre olika förskolor i Mellansverige. Barnen fick svara på frågorna: ”Var kommer bebisar ifrån?” och ”Hur blir bebisar till?”. Intervjuerna dokumenterades med hjälp av penna, papper och stöd av en bandspelare, lyssnades av och kompletterades. Svaren blev sedan analyserade och kategoriserade. Resultaten visade att barnen hade olika uppfattningar om livets början. Barnen svarade att bebisarna kommer ifrån magen, rumpan eller sjukhuset och att bebisar blir till genom att man äter mycket mat, att det är likt något annat fenomen eller att en process äger rum som liknar den verkliga. Det resultat som framkommit i det här arbetet kan inte generaliseras med alla 3 och 5 åringar, utan bara de barn som deltog i intervjuerna.

This paper is examining the textbooks adapted for the basic courses in social studies in Swedish upper secondary school, in order to examine the descriptions of political participation. The aim is to investigate if the textbooks encourage political participation. Additional aims are to investigate whether the textbooks focus on some form of political participation, and if there is any difference between the textbooks for the practical and the theoretical programs. Previous research and theory generated in an analytical model. The analytical model contains four fields: parliamentary collective political participation, parliamentary individual political participation, non-parliamentary collective political participation and individual non-parliamentary participation. Based on the four fields, a qualitative content-analysis has been conducted. The textbooks, two for the practical program and two for the theoretical program, have subsequently been analyzed separately and finally compared. The result shows that the textbooks largely encourage political participation. Further results show that the textbooks have a collective and parliamentary focus on political participation. Additionally, the analysis showed that the textbooks for the practical programs presented a more nuanced view of political participation than the textbooks on the theoretical programs did. However, the result was that all the textbooks presented a relatively narrow view on political participation.

The intention of our study was to examine differences in experiences between elderly women and men from the home–help service. It’s a qualitative study based on interviews and data collection.

Five categories are presented in the result of the study. The categories are based on interviews with three elderly women and three elderly men who all have home–help service. In our study focus have been put into gender in aspect of man as normality in society, the contract between gender and aspects of power between genders at home. The result of the study indicate that the contract between gender is strongly socialized among the respondents and constitute a big part of their identity.

The study show that women experience of home–help service are significantly different from men. They feel a larger dependence in connection of home – help service, but at the same time they also feel relief to be released from some of the work at home. In connection with home – help service women change their social position as a affect of the help, women go from caregivers to caretakers. Men have always been care takers, possibly now the care giver have changed shape.

Fika and its importance for both social interaction and the development of a place cannot be overestimated. From a hospitality industry perspective, both private and public actors are continuously working to highlight their own location or the region's advantages in various ways in order to attract visitors. This work is often characterized by an ambition to highlight the identity and authenticity of the place from a producer perspective. At the same time, there is a demand from consumers to experience what they personally feel is unique and has a strong connection to the place. Food and drink loaded with identity through its place- and regionspecific profile has therefore become increasingly important in attracting visitors. Fika as a social institution with its long tradition in Sweden is particularly important in this context. At the same time, there is a risk that the tourist product is overused and risks losing its genuine attraction value by being perceived as a stereotypical "tourist trap", which weakens both its place-related attraction value and its social value. The purpose of this article is to discuss, from a fika perspective, to what extent it can be the place that constitutes the primary attraction and lure for visitors or whether it is instead the concrete fika experience with its underlying ceremonial factors that is central, or whether it is both factors in interaction.

Swedish fika, an everyday ritual of meeting over coffee and pastries - in the home, the workplace or at a café - is a deep-rooted part of Swedish culinary culture and a bearer of culture and national identity. Thus, fika would seem to offer just what tourists typically are looking for. However, so far it appears the tourism industry has not taken full advantage of what fika can offer, an experience for tourists and a resource for the tourism sector. As part of destination development and place branding, private and public actors strive to emphasise the identity and uniqueness of a place. They often do this through region specific foods and beverages, which come naturally loaded with identity. The primary purpose of this conceptual discussion is to examine how the Swedish fika culture, seen from an experience and value-creating perspective, could help serve the tourism sector to a greater extent than has hitherto been the case. A secondary purpose is to identify and highlight the need for research in this field.

Fika har visserligen en lång och djupt rotad tradition i vårt land, men det finns ännu en betydande potential att kunna utveckla fikakulturen med dess mångfacetterade undertoner betydligt mera än vad som idag görs. Vi skulle därför kunna säga att fika är som en oslipad diamant som på olika sätt går att vidareförädla utifrån inte minst lokala och regionala förutsättningar. ”Slipningarna” i diamanten kan, också bör, ha olika texturer. Det gäller dels att lyfta fram lokalt och regionalt skapade bakverk, dels att ta utgångs-punkt i traditioner som bygger på en identitet genom berättelser. Detta sam-mantaget kan, särskilt utifrån ett besöksnäringsperspektiv, utgöra incita-ment för besök som också innebär möten mellan människor där samtal och erfarenhetsutbyte utgör centrala ingredienser. De narrativa inslagen i sam-verkan med plats, miljö och mötet med andra människor är därmed viktiga ingredienser för att vi ska få en helhetsupplevelse där i detta fall fika utgör det sammanhållande kittet. Sett utifrån ett lokalt eller regionalt förädlings-värdesperspektiv av fika kanske vi i ökad utsträckning behöver få ett uti-frånperspektiv för att på det sättet få idéer om vad som kan vidareutvecklas? I många fall blir vi tyvärr ”hemmablinda” och vi följer ”gamla hjulspår” och ser inte alltid värdet i den potential som de facto ofta är närvarande för att vidareutveckla institutionen fika. Fika som upplevelse och attraktion-sattribut har, vill jag hävda, kommit i skymundan av den fokusering som idag finns kring måltiden och dess kulturella och sociala betydelse. Fikakul-turen utgör en minst lika viktig del för gemenskap och välbefinnande. Sett utifrån ett besöksnäringsperspektiv är fikakulturen en viktig faktor såtill-vida att allt oftare utgör ett konditori eller enbart möjligheten till en fika på en trivsam plats anledningen till att företa en resa. Särskilt under pandemin kunde vi se hur såväl utflykter i naturen, med en fikakorg i bagaget, eller att enbart ta en fika med någon bekant på en parkbänk i en stadsmiljö blev allt mera vanligt förekommande. Fika är således en viktig intermediär fak-tor för social samvaro, vilket också har en betydande hälsofrämjande effekt.Fika, med dess olika praktiker är därför en viktig faktor i demokratiproces-sen då den skapar förutsättningar för samtal mellan människor. En kopp kaffe och därtill också kanske en hembakad kaka kan vara den faktor som kan sänka den tröskel som kan upplevas finnas när människor träffas för såväl medarbetarsamtal, svåra förhandlingar eller diplomatiska spörsmål? Därav bör fika, med dess olika texturer i beaktande, ägnas mera intresse för att därigenom kunna vidareutveckla dess potential utifrån såväl ett socialt, besöksnärings- som utifrån ett demokratiperspektiv.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of higher education in Sweden to reduce social differences in society.There are also various mechanisms that individuals relate to that favour either the status quo or change based on an ideal of highereducation. Individuals live in a geographical context with a number of ‘key actors’ who influence the perception of higher educationwith varying degrees of intensity. Paradoxically, despite several reforms to broaden recruitment, it can be seen that relativeinequalities persist in terms of residents with higher education in Sweden, not least from a regional perspective. The purpose of thisarticle is to shed light on geographical differences in the higher education level of the population over time from a Swedishperspective. The study shows that higher education has a geographical centre-periphery perspective, but not exclusively. There arethus additional influencing factors that in various ways relate to the social context in which the individual is located. We canconclude from our empirical data that the reforms implemented to broaden recruitment have not had the desired effect, especiallyfor the group of men. We find it likely that what differentiates women and men is who their individual ‘key players’ are and howthey interact. From an academic education perspective and as an intermediary of higher education, there is therefore a challenge tobe able to identify who these “key players” are in order to be able to be an important actor in contributing to the desired broaderrecruitment that the government is strivinging to achieve.