Publikationer från Högskolan i Jönköping
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Beyond Nostalgia: Understanding Gen Z’s Motivations for Using Polaroid Cameras
No full textBackground: In today's hyper-digital society, Generation Z, the most digitally immersed generation, has grown interested in analog media, such as Polaroid cameras. This resurgence reflects more than aesthetic preference; it signals deeper emotional, cultural, and psychological motivations. However, nostalgia is well-recognized as a driver of consumer behavior, existing research often overlooks how younger, digitally native consumers engage with retro technologies. These consumers do not engage with retro technologies through personal memory, but rather through curated digital exposure and lifestyle values. Purpose: This study uses Polaroid as a case study to help understand why Generation Z prefers analog media in a digital world. More specifically, this study looks at how nostalgia may influence this consumption and investigates the emotional and psychological needs that shape Generation Z’s use (e.g., to express identity, autonomy, and relatedness). The study integrates Nostalgia Theory with the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to offer a more unified view of analog consumption. Method: A qualitative research design with seventeen semi-structured interviews with Generation Z participants who actively use Polaroid cameras. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis with a hybrid inductive-deductive approach. Ultimately five core themes were found: nostalgia and emotional memory; identity and belonging; digital fatigue and slowing down; the influence of social media and pop culture; and tangible interaction and interpersonal connection. Conclusion: The results indicate that Generation Z's engagement with Polaroid is not purely based on nostalgia or trends. Rather, it represents a self-determined practice that fulfills core psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Nostalgia is important, but its role is dynamic as it moves from being an external entry point to an emotionally internalized amplifier. By bridging memory and motivation, this study contributes to a more in depth understanding of how analog media satisfies emotional and psychological desires in a digital world, offering insights for both academic theory and marketing practice
Does income inequality impact economic growth? : Evidence from Eastern European economies
No full textEastern Europe’s post-socialist economies still experience both relatively high inequality and the need for faster growth, when compared to Western Europe. Using annual data for 16 such countries between 1995 and 2019, this paper examines the effect income inequality has on growth. Random-effects panel regressions relate GDP-per-capita growth to the Gini index and three additional measures of inequality. While the Gini index regression is insignificant and suggests that inequality has no impact on growth, some additional tail-focused measures show marginally significant, but very small effects. Therefore, the results suggest that inequality-targeting reforms, such as progressive taxation or broader access to education, are unlikely to decrease growth
How does Cohesion Policy stimulate convergence in Labor Productivity? : A Panel data analysis of the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020
No full textThis thesis examines the European Union's work to reduce disparities between less and more developed regions in the union, also called the cohesion policy. Namely, this study focuses on the effectiveness of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in enhancing short-term labor productivity. Previous research has focused on the policy’s impact on income and employment and has yielded heterogeneous results. By focusing on labor productivity, this study assesses a short-run relationship. This study analyzes panel data for the period 2015-2022 to examine whether ERDF payments are positively related to higher productivity, potentially supporting long-term growth. The findings suggest that there is ongoing regional convergence in labor productivity within the EU, yet this convergence is conditional upon the level of tertiary education in the regional population. There is no strong evidence of positive influences of ERDF payments on labor productivity growth in the studied period. For policymakers, this study outlines that the ERDF payments did not show a significant relationship to productivity growth, indicating a low effectiveness of the policy. The findings suggest that policymakers should explore other strategies that are better tailored for the individual, less developed regions, preferably focused on education
Cyberförsäkringar och små till medelstora företag i Sverige
No full textThe modern society is completely surrounded by IT regardless of sector, branch of business, whether it is school or a normal day job. IT is a cornerstone of the new and improved world and much depends on it. Companies and organizations of different sizes need to be able to make sure that IT equipment, services, and processes always work, and if they stop working, regardless of what affects it, they need to make sure that they can recover them to operational capacity again. With cyber insurance, companies can insure their IT, but this is not a silver bullet solution. Companies with less than 250 employees are considered small to medium-sized, and the literature suggests that cyber insurance was not made with them in mind, even though SMEs are 99% of all businesses in Sweden. Through semi-structured interviews with people from SMEs, this study aimed to understand the attitude towards cyber insurance as well as identifying the reasons to have or not have one. The results showed that the main obstacles with cyber insurance were cost, level of trust between parties, and unclear terms. Awareness was identified as an issue on the customer’s side and was rooted in insurance awareness, false sense of security, and their perception of future development for cyber insurance. Lastly, the results present the perceived value of the insurance by highlighting the advantages of having one, what the customer wanted and needed from their insurance, and alternative solutions to the insurance. The study concludes that obstacles and awareness contribute to a mixed attitude toward cyber insurance and that there are different reasons for having, or not having it, cyber insurance was identified as a great way to handle residual risk through risk transfer, but it should be noted that there are other acceptable ways of managing it
Emotional Engagement in the Age of Generative AI : A Qualitative Content Analysis of Consumer Experiences with Artificial Empathy
No full textEmotional engagement is a key concept in marketing, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more involved in customer interactions. This study explored how consumers perceive and experience emotional connections during interactions with generative AI, systems designed to produce human-like responses. Using customer engagement and artificial empathy theories as a foundation, the study applied a qualitative content analysis to user reflections posted on Reddit. The findings show that while generative AI can provide emotionally adaptive replies, many users remain skeptical about its authenticity and emotional depth. Emotional engagement was strongest when the AI was transparent, helpful and able to maintain a natural flow of conversation. These insights suggest that organizations can improve AI-based customer service by focusing on emotional tone, personalization and clear disclosure that the interaction is AI-mediated
Driving Brand Heritage : Exploring the Role of Brand Heritage in Sweden’s EV Market
No full textBackground - At the beginning of 2025, Jaguar’s bold rebranding sparked debate by breaking from its heritage to signal a new electric future. Volkswagen took the opposite approach by returning to traditional design elements. These contrasting cases highlight the tension legacy automakers face between innovation and brand identity in the transition toward electrification. Purpose - The purpose of this research is to understand how brand heritage influences consumer perception and trust when it comes to the adoption of electric vehicles, focusing on perceptions of brands with heritage and brands without heritage from a consumer perspective. Method - The research was conducted through qualitative, open-ended interviews, developed with the influence of theoretical concepts from existing literature. Data were analyzed thematically, findings are compared to existing heritage studies and theories in the automotive industry, allowing for new insights that integrate with established concepts. Conclusion - The findings reveal that brand heritage continues to play a critical role in shaping initial perceptions of EV brands. Customers frequently focus on a manufacturer's past performance, especially their background in producing internal combustion engines (ICEs), as a cognitive shortcut to assess the dependability and manufacturing skill of their more recent electric products, though this influence is often weighed against practical consumer priorities and market context
The Reading Homework as a Bridge Between School and Home : A Qualitative Study of F–3 Teachers' Planning, Implementation and Collaboration in the Subject of Swedish
No full textExamining The Impact of Reduced Remote Work Opportunities on Employee Motivation & Job Satisfaction : A Comparative Study Between Sweden & Finland
No full textBackground: The COVID pandemic accelerated a shift to remote work across organizations worldwide, which became a preferred work arrangement for many employees due to greater flexibility and work-life balance. As the pandemic no longer poses a threat, organizations have started to reassess the long-term viability of remote work and have therefore introduced return-to-office policies because of concerns over supervision and organizational culture. Although remote work has been widely studied, there appears to be limited research on the impact of remote work restrictions on employee motivation and job satisfaction, particularly in Sweden and Finland, where institutional responses to remote work have differed. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how restrictions on remote work opportunities impact employee motivation and job satisfaction. The focus is to gain insights from both Swedish and Finnish employees within the corporate sector to understand the phenomenon from different perspectives and institutional contexts. By examining how restrictions on remote work impact employees, we aspire to provide organizations with knowledge on how to manage return-to-office arrangements in the post-COVID era. Method: This thesis applies a qualitative approach based on interpretivism. The study was performed as a combined cross-sectional case study, whereby participants working within the corporate sector in the context of Sweden and Finland were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. The study consists of 11 interviews of which 6 were with participants in Sweden and 5 in Finland. Self-determination theory, agency theory, and institutional theory were used to guide the analysis and interpret the findings. Conclusion: The findings indicate that employees value the sense of autonomy related to remote work opportunities. However, the needs for relatedness and competence are harder to satisfy while working remotely. Participants in Finland expressed what can be compared to controlled motivation, as return to office mandates were suggested to create a sense of feeling controlled. On the contrary, participants from Sweden emphasized appreciation for being in the office due to enhanced physical interaction and that it was easier to transfer competence, and therefore also showed a higher tendency of compliance towards return to office mandates. However, it was still emphasized that some extent of remote work opportunities was desired. The different institutional structures of Sweden and Finland, and whether the restriction to remote work is mandated or governed by normative organizational expectations, appear to have an impact on the type of motivation perceived. The participants, independent of context, preferred hybrid models since the arrangement allows for all three psychological needs to be satisfied, which is suggested to create a sense of well-being and satisfaction. Lastly, by offering some remote work opportunities and investing in the office work environment that fulfils the psychological needs, organizations may establish a sense of autonomous motivation among employees, securing employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance simultaneously.
The Effect of Family-Ownership on Earnings Management : The Moderating Role of Leverage
No full textBackground: Earnings management and its association with family ownership have mainly been examined through the lens of agency theory. The reduced informational asymmetry in a family firm is thought to lessen the incentives to manage earnings. However, the existing literature on the subject focuses primarily on a limited number of institutional settings and lacks testing of contingent factors that may influence the relationship between earnings management and family ownership. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the relationship between earnings management, measured by absolute discretionary accruals, and family ownership among Swedish publicly listed firms from 2020 to 2023. Additionally, this study explores the moderating effect of leverage on this relationship. Agency theory and contingency theory are utilized to analyze the results. Method: From the Orbis database, data were collected on 202 publicly listed Swedish companies from 2019 to 2023. The linear regression models used absolute discretionary accruals, estimated using the Modified Jones model, as the dependent variable, with family ownership as the independent variable. Conclusion: The results confirm that family ownership is negatively associated with earnings management, indicating a reduction in the agency problem when a family has either direct or indirect ownership over a company. Leverage strengthens this relationship, suggesting that earnings management is even lower for family-owned firms with high leverage. Consequently, leverage positively moderates the relationship, implying that increased scrutiny from debt holders, along with reduced cash flow due to higher leverage, further weakens the incentive for earnings management in family firms.
Navigating Uncertainty: How Swedish Transport Firms Tackle Rising Costs Through Strategy and Change.
No full textIn recent years, Swedish transport companies have faced escalating financial pressure due to inflation, fuel price volatility, and supply chain disruptions, making it increasingly difficult to maintain efficiency and competitiveness. This study fills the gap in the literature by examining how these companies adapt their operational and strategic procedures in response to these constraints. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with leading personnel at a Swedish logistics company to achieve the study's aim and provide answers to the research question. Resource-based View (RBV) and Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) theories supported the thematic analysis of the data, which centered around the SCOR framework. The findings revealed that the case company prioritizes operational flexibility, strategic procurement, and data-driven decision-making to manage internal and external uncertainties. Change management was also identified as a continuous process, enabled by leadership, transparency, and a culture of adaptability. The study concludes that integrating cost control with strategic planning and employee engagement allows transport companies to sustain resilience and performance during economic uncertainty. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of how logistics organizations can navigate uncertainty while enhancing their operational and financial stability.