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Extended working life in response to demographic changes : A qualitative study on unit managers’ attitudes towards extended working life for older workers in elderly care
No full textDenna kandidatuppsats syftar till att studera enhetschefers attityder till ett förlängt arbetsliv för äldre arbetstagare inom äldreomsorgen, i en mindre kommun. Förlängt arbetsliv kommer vara en central komponent för att hantera framtida utmaningar med kompetensförsörjning på grund av den demografiska utvecklingen. Den studerade kommunen arbetar med en ny kompetensförsörjningsstrategi som tar utgångspunkt i SKR:s nio strategier för kompetensförsörjning, varav en strategi fokuserar på att förlänga arbetslivet. Flera faktorer har betydelse för att äldre arbetstagare ska kunna förlänga sitt arbetsliv, däribland vilka attityder chefer har gentemot äldre arbetstagare. Studien tar utgångspunkt i tre områden: arbetsmiljö, ledarskap och kompetensförsörjning. Dessa områden är baserade på tidigare forskning och SwAge-modellen som är en teoretisk utgångspunkt för denna studie. Studien utgår från kvalitativ forskningsmetod med abduktiv ansats samt ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv kombinerat med ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv. Åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med enhetschefer i äldreomsorgen inom den valda kommunen. Resultatet indikerar på positiva attityder gentemot äldre arbetskraft och förlängt arbetsliv samtidigt som enhetschefernas agerande och åtgärder inte alltid överensstämmer med de attityderna. Det uppenbarar sig genom att majoriteten av cheferna inte utgår från ett åldermedvetet perspektiv vid åtgärder i arbetsmiljöarbete, ledarskap eller kompetensförsörjning. Studien bidrar således till en ökad förståelse för vilka attityder enhetschefer har till ett förlängt arbetsliv för äldre arbetstagare inom äldreomsorgen, i den studerade kommunen. Det kan således ses som ett värdefullt bidrag till den studerade kommunen och deras implementering av en ny kompetensförsörjningsstrategi. Det kan dessutom ge andra kommuner en indikation på möjliga attityder hos enhetschefer inom äldreomsorgen, inför arbete med att främja förlängt arbetsliv. This bachelor’s thesis aims to study unit managers’ attitudes towards an extended working life for older workers in elderly care, in a small municipality. Extended working life will be a key component in addressing future skills supply challenges due to demographic developments. The studied municipality works with a new skill supply strategy that is based on SKR’s nine skills supply strategies, one of which focuses on extending working life. Several factors are important for older workers to be able to extend their working lives, such as the attitudes of managers towards older workers. The study is based on three areas: work environment, leadership and skills supply. These areas are based on previous studies and the SwAge-model which is a theoretical starting point for this study. The study is based on a qualitative research method with an abductive approach and a phenomenological perspective combined with a hermeneutic perspective. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with unit managers in elderly care within the selected municipality. The results indicate positive attitudes towards older workers and extended working lives, although the actions and measures taken by unit managers do not always align with these attitudes. This is revealed by the fact that most of the managers do not operate from an age-conscious perspective when taking measures in work environment, leadership and skills development. The study thus contributed to an increased understanding of the attitude’s unit managers have towards an extended working life for older workers in elderly care, in the municipality studied. It can thus be seen as a valuable contribution to the municipality studied and their implementation ofa new skills supply strategy. It can also give other municipalities an indication of possible attitudes among unit managers in elderly care, in preparation for work to promote extended working lives
Leadership and Employee Involvement in Preschool : A mixed methods study of the psychosocial work environment
No full textEtt fungerande arbetsmiljöarbete är avgörande för både medarbetares välbefinnande och förskolans långsiktiga hållbarhet. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur rektorer i kommunal förskoleverksamhet, genom sitt ledarskap, främjar medarbetarnas delaktighet i arbetsmiljöarbetet. Fokus ligger på hur rektorernas engagemang och närvaro påverkar personalens upplevelse, motivation och ansvarstagande i det dagliga arbetsmiljöarbetet. Studien bygger på en kombination av kvalitativa intervjuer och kvantitativa enkäter med personal och ledning i kommunala förskolor. Den undersöker hur ett stödjande och situationsanpassat ledarskap kan skapa förutsättningar för en trygg, inkluderande och hållbar arbetsmiljö. Visare belyses även de organisatoriska utmaningar som kan hindra detta arbete, samt hur rektorernas förmåga att skapa dialog och tillit utgör en central framgångsfaktor. Resultaten bidrar med fördjupad kunskap om samspelet mellan ledarskap och medarbetarinflytande och visar hur arbetsmiljöarbete kan integreras som en naturlig del av verksamhetens kultur. Studien erbjuder även praktisk vägledning för hur förskolechefer kan agera för att stödja sina medarbetare och stärka arbetsmiljön som en gemensam angelägenhet. A functioning work environment is crucial for both the well-being of employees and the long term sustainability of the preschool. The purpose of this study is to investigate how principalsin municipal preschools, through their leadership, promote employee participation in work environment work. The focus is on how the principals' commitment and presence affect the staff's experience, motivation and responsibility in daily work environment work. The study is based on a combination of qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with staff and management in municipal preschools. It investigates how supportive and situationally adapted leadership can create the conditions for a safe, inclusive and sustainable work environment. The study also highlights the organizational challenges that can hinder this work, and how the principals' ability to create dialogue and trust is a central success factor. The results contribute with in-depth knowledge about the interaction between leadership and employee influence and show how work environment work can be integrated as a natural part of the culture of the organization. The study also offers practical guidance on how preschool managers can act to support their employees and strengthen the work environment as a shared concern.
Fratelli d’Italia and the performance of right-wing populism in Italy : A single case study of party discourse, ideology, and EU positioning
No full textThis thesis analyzes the development of the Italian right-wing populist party Fratelli d’Italia’s discourse going from opposition to power, with a particular focus on Fratelli d’Italia’s political manifestos, and the party’s leader Giorgia Meloni selected speeches as a complemental material, between 2014 and 2022. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and employing populist theory, the research examines if and how Fratelli d’Italia’s populist discourse has evolved and/or moderated, going from opposition to government. The analysis showcased that core themes of the party’s discourse, such as anti-elitism, nationalism, and Euroscepticism, are persistent throughout the years, however, they become moderated as the party enters government, shifting towards Euro realism and constructive criticism, in favor of a cooperative diplomatic environment. On the one hand, these results demonstrate that governmental and power-related duties do not inherently mean that a party would drastically change its core ideology and values or cease being populist, yet these results do not mean that a far right populist party would exacerbate its rhetoric while being in power either; therefore, these findings suggest that constant monitoring of right-wing populist party’s behavior and discourse is necessary for future research
AutoTalent – Finding the right consultant for the right mission : Evaluating the Challenges and Opportunities of Applying BPA to the Consultant Selection Process
No full textSyftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur automatisering av affärsprocesser kan gynna matchningen mellan konsulter och uppdrag genom att utveckla en mjukvarulösning – AutoTalent. AutoTalent automatiserar flera tidskrävande, repetitiva och monotona uppgifter i processen, såsom dokumentanalys, matchning, jämförelse och rangordning av kandidater. Målet är att minska tidsåtgången och den kognitiva belastningen som rekryteringschefer upplever, samtidigt som beslutens träffsäkerhet förbättras med hjälp av datastöd. Detta gör det möjligt för rekryteringschefer att fokusera på mer värdeskapande aktiviteter, vilket ökar arbetstillfredsställelse och organisatorisk prestation. Studien använder design- och skapande metodik och kombinerar kvantitativ och kvalitativ datainsamling. Den kvantitativa datainsamlingen användes för att utvärdera AutoTalents prestanda. Observationer genomfördes för att mätaprestandan i varje process och analyserades jämförande. Intervjuer med en rekryteringschef gav insikter i systemets upplevda användbarhet och användarvänlighet, vilket är centrala begrepp i Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Studien visade på en betydande tidsminskning i konsulturvalsprocessen med hjälp av mjukvarulösningen. Den genomsnittliga tiden att genomföra processen med AutoTalent var 4,7 gånger snabbare än det manuella tillvägagångssättet, vilket eliminerade 78,7% av den tid som annars lades på konsulturval. Den främsta utmaningen för AutoTalent är systemintegration. Utan sammankopplade system kan data inte hämtas automatiskt, vilket innebär att användare manuellt måste mata in uppdragsbeskrivningar och CV:n. Den största möjligheten medAutoTalent ligger i dess värdeskapande. Lösningens tidseffektivitet möjliggör mer konsekventa resultat och snabbare affärsreaktioner. Resultaten tyder starkt på att införandet av automatiserade affärsprocesser i konsulturvalet skulle ge ett positivt bidragThe consultant selection process is often time-consuming and manually performed. Additionally, its reliance on unstructured data and subjective decision-making creates room for human error and other inconsistencies. The purpose of this study is to investigate how business process automation can create value to the consultant selection process by developing a software solution– AutoTalent. AutoTalent automates the time-consuming, repetitive and tedious tasks in the process such as document analysis, matching, comparison and ranking of candidates. The motivation is to reduce time-consumption and cognitive load experienced by recruitment managers while increasing their decision accuracy with supportive data measures. This enables the recruitment managers to focus on more valuable activities, increasing the job satisfaction and organisational performance. The study uses the design and creation methodology and combines quantitative and qualitative data collection. The quantitative data collection was used for the performance evaluation of AutoTalent. Observations were conducted to measure the performance of each process and were comparatively analysed. Interviews with a recruitment manager revealed insights into the system’s perceived usefulness and ease of use, which are key constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model. A significant time reduction of the consultant selection process was found by using the software solution. The average time to complete the process with AutoTalent was 4.7 times faster than the manual approach, which eliminated 78.7% of the time spent on consultant selection. Potential challenges and opportunities of AutoTalent were also discovered. The key challenge of AutoTalent is system integration. Without interconnected systems, data cannot be automatically fetched, meaning that users must manually input mission descriptions and CVs. The key opportunity of AutoTalent lies in its value creation. The time efficiency of the solution enables for more consistent results and faster business reaction time. The findings strongly suggest that introducing BPA to consultant selection would have a positive contribution
Healing the Land and Soul : An Ecocritical Reading of Robert McLiam Wilson's Eureka Street
No full textStakeholder Perspectives on Built Environmental Factors to Support Stroke Rehabilitation and Return to Everyday Life
No full textBACKGROUND: The transition to undertaking rehabilitation in the home or local neighbourhood calls for an extensive understanding of which aspects of the built environment are important for people with stroke. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study aims to explore how home and local neighbourhood environments support or hinder rehabilitation for people who have had a stroke from the perspectives of various stakeholders. METHODS: Through a purposive selection method, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 stakeholders: people with stroke (n = 3), significant others (n = 3), healthcare professionals (n = 4), care managers (n = 3) and architects (n = 3). Content analysis was used to identify patterns and create themes. FINDINGS: Sixteen stakeholders, including 12 women and 4 men aged 30-74, participated in this study. Our findings identify areas linked to the WHO age-friendly environment framework, which addresses environmental limitations relevant to stroke rehabilitation. The categories used and factors identified: (1) Outdoor environments: accessibility, safety and supportiveness. (2) Transport and mobility: accessible and reach central services. (3) Housing: adaptations, layout and accessibility. (4) Social participation: spaces that are varied and flexible. (5) Social inclusion and non-discrimination: shared decision-making. (6) Civic engagement and employment: supporting environments. (7) Communication and information: digital accessibility. (8) Community and health services: patient-centred approach and access to varied rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: This study brings together multiple perspectives from key stakeholders with experience within stroke care. By integrating insights, these findings highlight how built environmental factors in the home and local neighbourhood can support the transition to home-based rehabilitation, which can improve recovery and return to everyday life. In turn, this study contributes to the innovative development of home and neighbourhood environments to influence and support stroke rehabilitation. Linking the findings to the WHO framework increases our understanding of a supportive environment for people with stroke, but also for people with other long-term conditions. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This qualitative study is part of a comprehensive research project '(Built Environments to support rehabilitation for people with stroke, B-SURE)', which aims to investigate how factors in the built environment influence stroke rehabilitation and to develop built environment solutions. B-SURE has a participatory methodology that essentially includes and involves the stakeholders in the multiple stages of the study and ensures an iterative and collaborative process
Characterising acute and chronic care needs : insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textChronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly. © The Author(s) 2025
Experiences of Female Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: Challenges in Accessing Healthcare in Armed Conflict : A qualitative meta-synthesis
No full textBackground: Gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread in settings of armed conflict settings and disproportionally affects women and girls. The physical, psychological, and social consequences for survivors are profound. Despite international recognition, access to essential healthcare remains limited due to persistent and complex barriers. Aim: This study aims to explore the experiences and challenges faced by female survivors of GBV in accessing healthcare services in armed conflict settings. Methodology: A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted using the SPIDER framework to guide a systematic search in PubMed and CINAHL. Fifteen peer-reviewed articles underwent critical appraisal and thematic analysis. Results: Four key themes emerged: failure of the health system, structural and environmental obstacles, psychosocial and cultural barriers, and community response. Findings revealed that collapsed health infrastructure, lack of trauma-informed and reproductive care, and pervasive stigma severely limited survivors’ access to essential services. Conclusion: This literature review shows that female survivors of GBV in different armed conflict face similar multi-layered barriers to healthcare access, rooted in systemic health system and infrastructure failures, social stigma, and intersecting forms of marginalization. This underscores the worldwide need to prioritize survivor-centred, trauma-informed, and equitable sexual and reproductive healthcare responses in conflict settings
Evaluating Alternative Location Tracking Methods by Comparing GPS Data with Mobile Data
No full textThis thesis presents a comparative evaluation of GPS-based and mobile-based tracking methods across three core dimensions: accuracy, cost, and usability. The methodology used both an older dataset from 2017–2020 and a controlled experiment conducted in 2025 across seven road segments in Sweden. It appliedspatial distance errors, root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and sampling frequency evaluation. The results showed that GPS achieved notable positional accuracy in the older rural datasets (Mean Distance Error = 2.51 m for GPS vs. 3.27 m for mobile), aligning with previous studies. However, mobile-based tracking outperformed GPS in the new rural dataset ((Mean Distance Error = 3.68 m for GPS vs. 2.72 m for mobile), likely due to enhanced 4G/5G coverage and advancements in smartphone hardware and software. While GPS demonstrated stable and consistent temporal frequency (mean = 16 s for GPS vs. 23 s for mobile), both methods exhibited notable altitude errors (RMSE = 14.45 m for GPS vs. 29.09 m for mobile). Both tracking methods displayed similar speed trends (MAPE = 17.72% for GPS vs. 20.25% for mobile), though GPS performed slightly better than mobile in high-speed zones. Mobile tracking proved to be user-friendly and cost-effective, but it required proper setup, and in some cases continuous monitoring to ensure reliable and complete data. The study concludes that each tracking method offers specific strengths depending on the application context. GPS performed better in areas with limited infrastructure, while mobile tracking showed stronger performance in regions with good network coverage. Combining both tracking methods may enhance data reliability across different conditions
Actitudes hacia la lengua palenquera revitalizada : Transmisión intergeneracional y prestigio lingüístico
No full textLa presente investigación analiza las actitudes lingüísticas hacia la lengua palenquera revitalizada dentro de la comunidad de San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia. El estudio aborda la transmisión intergeneracional del criollo palenquero, examinando las variaciones actitudinales entre tres grupos de edad: jóvenes (20-34 años), adultos (35-54 años) y mayores (55 años o más). Mediante una metodología sociolingüística cuantitativa se exploran las percepciones sobre el prestigio encubierto del palenquero, así como su prestigio manifiesto en diferentes ámbitos de uso (familiar, comunitario y laboral). Los resultados revelan una valoración positiva general del palenquero como símbolo cultural, pese a que no evidenciaron diferencias estadísticamente relevantes entre las percepciones de los grupos estudiados. El análisis revela que los mayores tienen una fuerte conexión afectiva con el palenquero, viéndolo como símbolo de resistencia, identidad y orgullo, especialmente en rituales y comunidad; aunque reconocen el prestigio del español en el trabajo, usan la lengua criolla por compromiso cultural y transmisión. Los adultos actúan como puente generacional, equilibrando prestigio encubierto y manifiesto; usan el palenquero en familia y comunidad, pero prefieren el español en educación y trabajo, reflejando la tensión entre herencia cultural y demandas sociales. Finalmente, los jóvenes muestran menor prestigio encubierto y usan poco el palenquero fuera del hogar; valoran la lengua como símbolo cultural, pero priorizan el español en la vida diaria y laboral, reconociendo su mayor estatus y utilidad, lo que genera una tensión que limita la vitalidad del palenquero en su generación. Esta investigación contribuye a la comprensión de las dinámicas sociolingüísticas subyacentes a los procesos de revitalización del palenquero