Publikationer från Högskolan i Jönköping
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Development Needs of Unit Times in the Swedish Construction Time List: Installation Time Using Self-Tapping Screws in Massive Timber Structures
No full textIntroduction: The construction of buildings with massive timber structures has become increasingly common in Sweden over the past 15 years. Although the building method has gained popularity, it is still considered relatively new, and both working methods and fastening techniques are continuously evolving. In ”The Swedish Construction Time List” which presents estimated time requirements for various construction activities, has not kept pace with these developments concerning massive timber structures. As a result, construction companies working with this type of structure lack established guidelines for cost estimation and production planning. Instead, they are often forced to rely on their own experience and approximate time requirements. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate whether the construction industry requires specific unit times for the assembly of massive timber structures and to compile the time needed for pre-drilling and screwing various screw dimensions. Method: A mixed-methods design was applied, combining a real-time case study with experimental data collection, with an overall emphasis on qualitative analysis. The case study included several interviews with individuals holding different professional roles within the project, using interview guides tailored to each person's role. The experiment was carried out with the aim of investigating how different screw dimensions, with varying physical conditions, affect the time required for assembling massive timber structures. Results: The findings demonstrate clear variations in installation times depending on screw dimension, angle of insertion, and execution method. Both interview data and experimental measurements indicate that these factors have a direct impact on production planning and cost estimation. The results suggest that the current version of The Swedish Construction Time List does not adequately capture the realities of assembling massive timber structures, particularly regarding fastening operations with larger screws, angled connections, and tasks requiring pre-drilling. Conclusion: The study concludes that The Swedish Construction Time List is only partially applicable to modern timber construction. While certain activities may be comparable to existing entries, there is a pronounced lack of specific unit times for fastening operations using self-tapping screws. The findings highlight a need for revised or supplementary unit times to ensure more accurate planning and cost estimation. This research therefore provides an empirical foundation for the development of standardized time values in contemporary timber construction.Introduktion: Att uppföra byggnader med massiva trästommar har blivit vanligare i Sverige under de senaste femton åren. Byggmetoden anses fortfarande som relativt ny och både arbetsmetoder och infästningstyper utvecklas successivt. Ny- och Ombyggnadslistan som redovisar uppskattad tidsåtgång för olika arbetsmoment har inte följt med i utvecklingen när det gäller massiva trästommar. Entreprenadföretag som arbetar med denna typ av massiva trästommar saknar därför etablerade riktlinjer för kalkylering och tidsplanering. Istället krävs erfarenhet för att göra uppskattningar av tidsåtgången. Målet med denna studie är att undersöka om byggbranschen är i behov av specifika enhetstider för montage av massiva trästommar och hur enhetstider kan regleras i framtida uppdateringar av Ny- och Ombyggnadslistor. Metod: En kombinerad metod av kvalitativ karaktär har genomförts, vilket innebar en fallstudie av ett projekt i realtid och ett laborativt experiment. Fallstudien medförde flertalet intervjuer med olika personer med olika yrkesroller inom projektet där intervjuguider anpassade efter respektive persons roll. Experimentet har utförts med syfte att undersöka hur olika skruvdimensioner med olika fysiska förutsättningar påverkar tidsåtgången vid montage av massiva trästommar. Resultat: Resultaten visar att befintliga enhetstider till viss del kan användas för vissa montageaktiviteter, men att moment kring infästningar ofta saknar relevanta tidsvärden. Experimenten visar att montagetiden ökar med skruvlängden samt att skruvning i en annan vinkel än vertikal skruvning och även krav på förborrning ökar tidsåtgången av stommontaget. Intervjuerna bekräftar behovet av att utveckla generella infästningslösningar och tidsunderlag som bättre speglar verkliga arbetsmoment. Slutsats: Denna studie har visat att Ny- och Ombyggnadslistan i dess nuvarande utformning endast delvis är tillämpbar vid produktion av projekt med massiva trästommar. Medan vissa montageaktiviteter kan jämföras med befintliga moment i listan, saknas specifika enhetstider för infästningsmoment med självborrande skruv, särskilt när det gäller större dimensioner, snedställda skruvförband och moment som kräver förborrning. Genom experimentella tidsmätningar och intervjuer med yrkesverksamma i branschen framkom tydliga skillnader i tidsåtgång beroende på skruvlängd, infallsvinkel och utförandemetod. Dessa skillnader påverkar både produktionsplanering och kalkylarbete. Resultaten visar att det finns ett tydligt behov av att utveckla nya tillägg eller justeringar i Ny- och Ombyggnadslistan för att bättre spegla den verklighet som råder i byggprojekt med massiva trästommar. Studien bidrar därför med ett konkret underlag för framtida utveckling av standardiserade tidsvärden inom träbyggnadsteknik
BUSINESS CYCLES AND GEOPOLITICS: A STUDY ON RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY DURING MARKET CHANGES
No full textIntroduction – This study examines how major construction companies in Sweden strategically adapt to market changes in order to mitigate negative economic impacts and identify new business opportunities. Based on shifting economic cycles and increasing uncertainty in the market, the companies’ strategic approaches are analyzed through document studies of annual reports as well as qualitative interviews with industry representatives. The aim of the study is to provide a deeper understanding of how actors in construction sector manage risk, engage in long-term planning, and adjust their operations in line with new market conditions. Method – The study was conducted using a qualitative approach, with data collection based on two primary methods, document studies of annual reports and semi-structured interviews with representatives from large construction companies. The selection of companies was based on criteria such as annual turnover and industry affiliation. The analysis was carried out thematically supported by both deductive and inductive coding to capture strategies for managing market changes, with a focus on the economic cycle and Sweden´s accession to the NATO defense alliance. Results – The results show that larger construction companies in Sweden are negatively affected by economic fluctuations, especially during recessions. The consequences of the changing market impact companies’ recruitment abilities, investment opportunities and contribute to uncertain project volumes. Companies address this by diversifying their project portfolios between public and private clients, adopting selective bidding and focusing on internal efficiency and risk management. The study also highlights new market opportunities linked to Sweden’s NATO membership. Companies that proactively work with risk strategies and workforce planning seem to possess a greater resilience to market changes. Analysis – The analysis shows that construction companies adapt their strategies based on prevailing market conditions, where economic downturns, material shortages and increased competition affect operation to varying degrees. Strategic responses include selective bidding, a broadened customers base, internal efficiency measure and risk management systems. The companies also emphasize the importance of succession planning and securing competencies. Differences between the companies mainly emerge in how proactively they manage changes and which long–term goals are prioritized. Discussion – The study’s results regarding challenges with economic fluctuations and the management of market changes are confirmed by the theoretical framework. The choice of method and data collection techniques has contributed to a strong reliability in the study and strengthened its validity. Limitations of the study´s methodology include varying interview durations, no respondent validation, and differing fiscal years in the document analysis.Introduktion – Denna studie undersöker hur större byggföretag i Sverige strategiskt anpassar sig till marknadsförändringar för att begränsa negativa ekonomiska effekter samt identifiera och utnyttja nya affärsmöjligheter. Med utgångspunkt i en föränderlig konjunktur och ökande osäkerhet på marknaden analyseras företagens strategiska förhållningssätt genom dokumentstudier av årsredovisningar samt kvalitativa intervjuer med branschrepresentanter. Studien syftar till att bidra med en fördjupad förståelse för hur aktörer inom byggsektorn hanterar risker, planerar långsiktigt och omställer verksamheten i takt med nya marknadsförutsättningar. Metod – Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ ansats där datainsamlingen baserats på två huvudsakliga metoder: dokumentstudier av årsredovisningar samt semistrukturerade intervjuer med representanter från större byggföretag. Urvalet av företag har skett utifrån kriterier som årsomsättning och branschtillhörighet. Analysen har genomförts tematiskt med stöd av både deduktiv och induktiv kodning för att fånga strategier vid marknadsförändringar med fokus på konjunkturcykeln och Sveriges anslutning till försvarsalliansen Nato. Resultat – Studiens resultat visar att större byggföretag i Sverige påverkas negativt av konjunktursvängningar, särskilt lågkonjunktur. Konsekvenserna av den skiftande marknaden påverkar företagens rekryteringsförmåga, möjligheten till investeringar och de bidrar även till osäkra projektvolymer. Företagen hanterar detta genom att diversifiera sin projektportfölj mellan offentliga och privata beställare, anta en selektiv anbudsgivning och fokusera på en intern effektivisering och riskhantering. Studiens resultat visar även på nya marknadsmöjligheter kopplade till Sveriges inträde i Nato. Företag som arbetar proaktivt med riskstrategier och kompetensförsörjning verkar besitta en större motståndskraft mot marknadsförändringar. Analys – Analysen visar att byggföretag anpassar sina strategier utifrån rådande marknadsförhållanden, där lågkonjunktur, materialbrist och ökad konkurrens påverkar verksamheten i varierande grad. Byggföretagens strategier inkluderar selektiv anbudsgivning, breddad kundbas, intern effektivisering och riskhanteringssystem. Företagen betonar även vikten av successionsplanering och kompetensförsörjning. Skillnader mellan företagen framkommer främst i hur proaktivt de hanterar förändringar och vilka långsiktiga mål som prioriteras. Diskussion – Studiens resultat kring utmaningar med konjunktursvängningar och hanteringen av marknadsförändringar bekräftas med det teoretiska ramverket. Valet av metod och datainsamlingstekniker har bidragit till en god reliabilitet i studien och stärkt studiens validitet. Begränsningar i studiens metod är bland annat varierande intervjutider, utebliven respondentvalidering och skilda räkenskapsår i dokumentstudierna.
A comparative text analysis of students' handwritten and computer-written texts : A study on the differences between two writing methods and students' experiences of them.
No full textThe conducted mixed-method study, involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches, aims to contribute knowledge about students' own experiences of writing texts by hand and with digital tools. The study also seeks to provide insights into the differences that arise when writing texts by hand or using digital tools. Data collection took place with third-year students, who were asked to write one text by hand and another comparable text using a computer. Subsequently, a text analysis was performed on the collected texts based on parameters such as text length, lix readability score, and nominal ratio. Semi-structured group interviews were conducted with the same group of students, and a phenomenographic analysis was made on the collected material. The results of the quantitative part show that the majority of students write longer texts on the computer than by hand. Regarding the readability score and nominal ratio, the results indicate a slight advantage for digital writing, but the difference is so small that broad conclusions should not be drawn. In the qualitative part, it emerges that students perceive handwriting as slow, painful, and sometimes troublesome due to their perceived ugly handwriting. However, it also emerged that some students find it difficult to locate keys on the keyboard.Studien som har genomförts är en kvalitativ och kvantitativ studie som ämnar att bidra med kunskap om elevers egna upplevelser av att skriva texter för hand och med digitala verktyg. Studien bidrar även med kunskap om de skillnader som uppstår vid textskrivande för hand eller med digitala verktyg. Insamlingen av data tog plats i årskurs tre där eleverna fick skriva en text för hand och en annan jämbördig text med hjälp av en dator. Sedan utfördes en textanalys på det insamlade texterna utifrån parametrarna textlängd, lix-värde och nominalkvot. Semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer genomfördes i samma klass och en fenomenografisk analys gjordes på det insamlade materialet. Resultatet i den kvantitativa delen visar att majoriteten av eleverna skriver längre texter på datorn än de gör för hand. Gällande lix-värde och nominalkvot visar resultatet en liten fördel för digitalt skrivande, men skillnaden är så liten att för stora slutsatser inte bör dras. I den kvalitativa delen framkommer det att eleverna upplever handskrivning som långsam, smärtsam och ibland besvärlig på grund utav upplev ful handstil. Men det framkom även att elever kan tycka det är svårt att hitta på tangentbordet
Furnishing the Green Future : A Case Study of Kinnarp AB's Implementation of Environmental and Sustainability Work, 1970-2024
No full textThe industrial environmental impact is a widely debated issue, both in Sweden and internationally, and there is a broad expectation that companies and organizations should assume social and environmental responsibility. This qualitative case study examines how the Swedish furniture manufacturer Kinnarps AB integrated environmental and sustainability concerns into its operations from 1970 to 2024, with particular attention to motives, focus and practical measures. The study draws on the company’s publicly available documents – annual reports and environmental and sustainability reports – which are examined through content analysis. The findings are interpreted using the stakeholder model, a core element of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), together with Bansal and Roth’s framework for why firms engage in environmental initiatives. The results show that Kinnarps committed to environmental issue at an early stage, yet its efforts have become increasingly concrete and systematic over time. All three rationales identified by Bansal and Roth – competitiveness, legitimacy and ecological responsibility – are evident in the company’s motivations, and different stakeholders have exerted varying degrees of influence during different periods. Overall, the study offers a long-term perspective on how a Swedish industrial firm responds to growing societal pressure to shoulder environmental and sustainability responsibilities.
Machine Learning-Based Quality Control in Transmission Gears : A case study investigating the integration of computer vision algorithms in manufacturing processes
No full textHigh-quality transmission gears are essential components in the automotive industry, where they play a vital role in ensuring both performance and safety. Surface flaws, particularly on the curved, tooth-shaped regions, can significantly affect gear functionality, increasing wear, degrading performance, and even causing catastrophic failures under excessive stress. As a result, extensive quality control is a necessity in the manufacturing process. Despite the increasing automation in industrial procedures, visual quality control is still often carried out by human inspectors. Traditional manual inspections are labor-intensive, error-prone, and inefficient, while conventional image processing methods often struggle with complex geometries and surface reflections typical of transmission components. Recent advances in Deep Learning, especially in computer vision (CV) frameworks such as You Only Look Once (YOLO), offer promising solutions for automating defect detection with high accuracy and reliability. However, the variability of the defects, reflective metallic surfaces, and noisy manufacturing environments make their application challenging. To address these challenges, we propose an enhanced YOLOv8-based instance segmentation framework that integrates attention mechanisms and multiscale feature fusion for improved detection of subtle, variable-sized friction-induced contact patterns formed on transmission gears' surfaces. To determine if a gear is defective or not, we designed a classification approach integrating a distance measurement algorithm for estimating the position of contact patterns on gear surfaces and evaluate their compliance with product specifications. The experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms the baseline YOLOv8 in domain-shift scenarios, increasing the mAP by 7.3\%, while reducing the number of trainable parameters by approximately 15\%. Furthermore, the transmission gear classification approach achieved an F1 score of 82\%. However, limitations such as sensitivity to glare, shadows, and limited dataset diversity highlight the need for more controlled imaging setups and broader data coverage in future work
When words become barriers and collaboration a key : A qualitative study of multilingual students’ collaboration on text-based problem-solving tasks in mathematics.
No full textI flerspråkiga klassrum påverkar språket elevernas möjligheter att lösa matematiska problem som kräver språkförståelse av text. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka språkliga utmaningar flerspråkiga elever möter samt vilka strategier de använder när de arbetar i par med textbaserade problemlösningsuppgifter i matematik. För att besvara syftet har både deltagande observationer och semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med elever i årskurs 6. Med ett sociolingvistiskt perspektiv som utgångspunkt undersöker studien hur språkliga faktorer påverkar och formar elevernas samarbete. Resultatet visar att eleverna stöter på utmaningar kopplade till begreppsförståelse, läsförståelse och textmängd, vilket försvårar arbetet med uppgifterna. Samtidigt framkommer att eleverna utvecklar och använder olika strategier för att hantera dessa utmaningar, såsom att samarbeta, växla mellan sina språk och söka stöd hos läraren. Studien visar att samarbete i par kan fungera som en stödjande faktor för flerspråkiga elevers språk- och matematikutveckling
Do Legal Insider Transactions Generate Abnormal returns and are Those Related to Firm and Transaction Size?
No full textPrior research has shown that legally reported insider transactions may yield abnormal returns, but the results vary depending on the market analysed. This raises concerns regarding market efficiency and the power of information asymmetry. Therefore, this thesis investigates if there is a possibility to generate abnormal returns through legal insider transactions on the Swedish stock market NASDAQ OMX. Further research regarding the influence of firm size and transaction size on these abnormal returns are also included. Through the use of an event study methodology, 1004 observations from 30 randomly selected companies, 10 small-, 10 mid-, 10 large-cap, between 2019-2024 are analysed to see if there are any statistically significant cumulative abnormal returns through following insider transactions. The result from this study indicate that abnormal returns are achievable from small and mid-cap companies, whilst it is hard to achieve any from large cap companies. It is found that small companies tend to yield the highest achievable abnormal returns, ergo highest CAR. The results therefore indicate a negative relationship between firm size and abnormal returns. Further results regarding transaction size shows that smaller transactions yield higher abnormal returns compared to the larger transactions. These findings may suggest that insider trades act as a valuable market signal, supporting the signalling theory and poses a challenge for the semi-strong form of Famas efficient market hypothesis (EMH). Robustness checks confirm the consistency of our results through the use of different estimation windows. We aim to provide insights for investors seeking to interpret insider activity as well as providing further research on market efficiency and regulatory policies.
Mellan Raderna: Grammatikundervisning i Svensk Gymnasieskola i Engelska som Främmande Språk : En Kvalitativ Blandad Metodstudie om Läroböcker kontra Klassrumspraktik
No full textThis study investigates the relationship between grammar instruction in Swedish upper secondary English 5 coursebooks and the pedagogical practices reported by English teachers. The aim is to explore how grammar is represented in selected coursebooks and how teachers reportedly interpret and adapt this content in practice. The study applies Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) as a theoretical framework, which emphasises grammar as a tool for meaningful communication rather than as isolated rules. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines content analysis of three English coursebooks – Echo 5 Main Issues, Core English 1, and Solid Gold 1 – with semi-structured interviews with eight upper secondary EFL teachers. The content analysis revealed that the coursebooks consistently present core grammatical topics, e.g., verb tenses, sentence structure, and modals, through prescriptive grammar instruction and decontextualised exercises. The interviews revealed that the teachers often integrate grammar instruction into authentic tasks, using pupil writing, real-world materials, and digital tools to develop communicative competence. A distinction emerged between academic and vocational programme teachers. Academic teachers emphasised formal and advanced structures, while vocational teachers prioritised functional grammar for practical communication. The study concludes from the content analysis and the interviews that although coursebooks provide foundational structure, they are often insufficient for supporting responsive instruction. The findings highlight the need for better alignment between instructional materials and communicative pedagogical approaches, suggesting that grammar teaching should be both flexible and contextually meaningful to support effective language acquisition
Path Optimisation for Age-Friendly Routes
No full textThe rapid growth in the aging populations across many countries has drawn attention to the development of age-friendly cities to support older adults. As individuals age, they often face reduced mobility and slower walking speeds. This can be accompanied by fears of public transportation or caused by financial constraints. Over time, these constraints can reduce access to essential services and infrastructure, leading to social isolation and a decline in quality of life. In the absence of someone to provide transportation or deliver the necessities to the person in need, many older adults prefer to continue driving. This behavior continues despite experiencing age-related declines in sensory function. For many, personal transportation means access to any service and destination points and preservation of mobility autonomy and independence. There are several path-planning applications. One of them is Google Maps, which is the most commonly used and uses single-objective algorithms such as A-star (A-star), primarily optimizing the shortest route between a start and an end point. However, these systems often fail to consider the specific mobility needs of different user groups, especially older adults. The absence of applications that address key aspects of mobility for vulnerable users has revealed a significant research gap: the lack of solutions tailored to both user preferences and the physical capabilities of the elderly population.OptAines - Laboratoire de l’Intelligence AMbiante (AMI-Lab), Universite de Sherbrooke, Canad
Exploring the AI-technology Implementation Within a Small and Medium Sized Facility Management Company: A Case Study
No full textAbstract. The facility management (FM) industry is under pressure to reduce operational costs and environmental impact, yet small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face significant barriers to adopting advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), including limited resources, technical complexity, and organizational inertia. Despite growing interest in AI-driven energy optimization, there is a lack of empirical research on real-world implementation within SME contexts. This study addresses that gap by investigating the early-stage implementation of an AI-based heating optimization system in a Swedish SME FM company, inspired by Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to understand how both human and non-human actors interact to shape the outcome. A single-case study design was employed, combining semi-structured interviews with a facility manager and AI software supplier, quantitative energy consumption data, and technical documentation. The analysis focused on how real-time IoT sensor data and predictive algorithms were integrated into existing building systems to optimize heating, improve indoor climate, and reduce energy consumption. Findings show an initial reduction of 5.2 kWh/m² in heating energy use, which is below the supplier's estimated 12 kWh/m² but promising given the short evaluation period. This study reveals that the implementation is still in a formative phase, requiring stronger alignment between actors and a full year of operational data before drawing long-term conclusions. This study provides practical insight into the socio-technical dynamics of AI adoption in FM and highlights key conditions for successful scaling of AI in SME settings. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Facility Mangement (FM), Energy efficiency