Publikationer från Högskolan i Jönköping
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Brand Equity in the Age of Social Media Misinformation : How can brands utilize user experience to identify and combat misinformation on TikTok?
No full textBackground: Social media has changed the way global communication is done with TikTok emerging as one of the most dominant platforms due to its highly personalized algorithm that drives both engagement and rapid spread of misinformation. Yet, a gap still remains regarding TikTok’s effect on brand equity within TikTok’s unique video-based algorithm. This is particularly important as TikTok-based misinformation has been shown to spread at both unprecedented scale and cause real world harms to brand reputations. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore effective ways for brands to identify and counter misinformation on TikTok, with specific focus on safeguarding brand equity. By understanding the origins of misinformation and ways brands can deal with it on TikTok, we aim to understand consumer perspectives more deeply, so that misinformation can be combated more effectively. Method: This paper follows a qualitative method and is based on interpretivism. The research method follows a phenomenological approach, and the primary data is collected through semi-structured interviews where all participants are regular users of TikTok who recall encountering misinformation on the app. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that businesses need to consider several aspects in order protect brand equity and combat misinformation effectively. They must understand that misinformation relies on peer signals to spread. TikTok’s unique platform dynamics greatly increase spread of misinformation. Influencers can either help or ruin efforts to combat misinformation and should be utilized carefully. Brand response needs to be swift. Trust recovery requires proactive and reactive strategies to achieve the best possible effectiveness
Exploring Sustainable Strategic Innovation in the Energy Sector : In the Context of Swedish Companies with Focus on Incremental and Disruptive Innovation
No full textDrowning in the Flood or Surfing on the Wave? Skill Development in the Era of AI : A Single Case Study on AI-related Skill Development
No full textBackground: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming workplaces and reshaping skill requirements. As tasks become more automated or augmented, employees require technical, human and conceptual skills to work with and alongside AI. While this shift has sparked growing interest in skill development, little is known about how workplace learning influences employees’ AI-related skill development. Purpose: Our thesis aims to answer the following research question: How does workplace learning influence employees’ AI-related skill development? By analyzing formal and informal learning initiatives in an organizational setting within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, we aim to offer both theoretical and practical insights. We also provide practical guidance for companies through introducing a conceptual framework that builds upon the sociotechnical systems (STS) theory. Method: We conduct a qualitative single case study guided by a relativist ontology and a social constructionist epistemology. Data is collected through 15 semi-structured interviews with employees across departments, complemented by three observations and the analysis of secondary data. Grounded analysis is applied to inductively code and interpret the data. Triangulation of interviews, observations and secondary data enhances the credibility and depth of our findings. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that formal learning provides a foundation for the development of AI-related skills, but often lacks depth, role-relevance and accessibility. Informal learning, in contrast, plays a central role in influencing employees to experiment, collaborate and adapt their skills to evolving AI tools. Rather than a fixed endpoint, AI-related skill development emerges as an ongoing process. The influence of workplace learning is multifaceted and shaped by individual engagement, organizational initiatives and contextual factors. By applying the STS perspective, our study highlights workplace learning as a dynamic mechanism that balances the transformation of employees’ skills with technological change through AI
Crisis Leadership in Family-Owned SMEs : A Qualitative Study on Leadership Strategies and Organizational Adoption
No full textBackground: Family-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are vital to both national and global economies, shaped by a unique overlap of business and family roles. They often emphasize long-term legacy, internal trust, and generational continuity. However, these qualities can also heighten vulnerability during crises, due to emotionally driven decisions, resistance to change, and limited formal crisis planning. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented global crisis, forcing immediate adaptation while disrupting the social and operational foundations of these firms. Purpose: This study explores how leadership in family-owned SMEs influences crisis preparedness and post-crisis learning. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case of external shock, it examines how leaders responded under pressure, how family dynamics shaped decision-making, and how learning from the crisis was applied to future strategies. The study addresses a research gap concerning the relationship between leadership behavior and crisis management within family-owned SMEs. Method: This qualitative, abductive study is based on 15 semi-structured interviews with owners and top managers of family-owned SMEs in Småland, Sweden, a region known for strong family business traditions. A cross-case comparative approach was used to explore variations in leadership, crisis response, and organizational learning. Thematic analysis, guided by Clarke and Braun’s six-phase framework, identified recurring patterns related to emotional decision-making, strategic alignment, and resilience. Supplementary observations and secondary data added contextual depth and strengthened validity through triangulation. Conclusion: The results show that leadership plays a pivotal role in both crisis response and long-term resilience. Leaders who managed the crisis effectively balanced business logic with emotional intelligence. Although emotional involvement sometimes delayed action, it also fostered cohesion and commitment. Participative and transformational leadership styles were associated with greater adaptability and strategic renewal. Post-crisis learning was strongest in firms where leaders reflected on their experiences and integrated insights into future planning. These findings emphasize the importance of structured crisis preparation, balanced leadership, and reflective learning to enhance the resilience of family-owned SMEs
“Can't understand that they don't understand” : A qualitative study focusing on communication and collaboration with parents of foreign backgrounds in preschool
No full textSyftet med studien är att undersöka hur förskollärare beskriver ett interkulturellt förhållningssätt samt vilka utmaningar och lösningar de upplever i kommunikationen med vårdnadshavarna med utländsk bakgrund. I undersökningen utgick vi från en kvalitativ metod där vi genomförde semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex legitimerade förskollärare i två olika kommuner i södra Sverige för att samla in data. Vi har bearbetat vårt insamlade material utifrån en innehållsanalys. I studien behandlar vi interkulturellt perspektiv som utgångspunkt. Resultaten visar att det finns variationer i förskollärares förståelse av begreppet interkulturellt förhållningssätt och svårighet att definiera det. Några upplevde att de hade svårt att tillämpa ett interkulturellt förhållningssätt i praktiken. Andra begränsade sitt arbete till att uppmärksamma olika kulturella och religiösa högtider, medan ett fåtal såg en koppling mellan förhållningssättet och förskolans värdegrund. Resultaten visar också att förskollärare upplever utmaningar i kommunikationen och samarbetet med utländska vårdnadshavare. Vissa anser att språkbarriären var det största hindret för interaktion, medan andra påpekar att vårdnadshavarnas bristande förståelse för det svenska förskole systemets struktur utgör ett ytterligare hinder. Slutligen visar resultaten vilka strategier och metoder förskollärare använder för att förbättra kommunikationen med vårdnadshavare som inte behärskar svenska, som översättningsappar, tolk, och utskriven information. Förskollärarna uttrycker dessutom att det är värdefullt att bygga tillitsfull relation med vårdnadshavare inom detta område
Trusting the Unperceived: How does Artificial Intelligence shape Decision-Making?
No full textBackground: Modern technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), are rapidly transforming how managers make decisions. With AI tools increasingly embedded in organizational processes, they offer valuable support by automating tasks, enhancing data analysis, and generating insights for managers. Despite these advancements, the collaboration between humans and AI remains underexplored. Trust, shaped by transparency and explainability, has emerged as a crucial element influencing managers’ willingness to rely on AI advice. Purpose: Our study investigates how managers perceive the role of AI in business decisions, as well as examines why there is a disparity in AI usage among managers during decision-making within an organization. Method: This research is based on a qualitative, single-case study approach grounded in a constructivist epistemology. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with ten managers from different departments of our case company. To ensure triangulation, additional data was gathered through talks with experts in the field of AI, field observations, and archival sources. Conclusion: Based on our findings, we identified that managers hold mainly a positive perception of AI and recognize significant potential in the usage of AI advice. Our findings showed that the variation in AI usage originates from differences in technical expertise, role requirements, legislation, and limitations in AI tools, specifically when it comes to data quality. The findings highlight the importance of a sociotechnical approach in using AI-driven decision support systems effectively, which emphasizes the need for ongoing dialogue between technical experts and decision-makers to build trust and improve organizational usage
”Secure children are happy children, happy children play, playing children learn.” : A qualitative study from preschool teachers´ perspectives on the concept of educare.
No full text Syftet med studien är att undersöka och bilda kunskap om förskollärares uppfattningar om educare utifrån deras erfarenheter och utbildningar. Studiens undersökning sker utifrån två frågeställningar: - Hur beskriver förskollärare betydelsen av educare i förskolan? - Hur beskriver förskollärare att förskollärarutbildningen har påverkat deras syn på educare i förskolan? Studien utgår ifrån relationell pedagogik som teoretisk utgångspunkt. Relationell pedagogik har ett fokus på relationens betydelse för lärande och utveckling (Aspelin & Johansson, 2017). Genom en kvalitativ studie sker intervjuer av förskollärare i fokusgrupper för att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar.Resultatet visar att educare är ett okänt begrepp för flertalet av respondenterna. Begreppet visar sig vara obefintligt i respondenternas förskollärarutbildningar. Trots detta påstår sig respondenterna ha skilda erfarenheter kring hur det ”bör” arbetas med omsorg och lärande i förskolan. Samtidigt som respondenterna har skilda erfarenheter från sina utbildningar till förskollärare. Alla respondenter är enade om att omsorg och lärande bildar en helhet. Att omsorg ses som ett måste innan lärande kan äga rum.
Leading AI Transformation: The critical role of middle managers
No full textBackground: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a prominent topic of conversation in both societal and organizational spheres. This technological revolution signifies a reconfiguration in how we organize, operate, and innovate. AI is seen as a collaborative partner, impacting organizational culture and dynamics. Middle managers are uniquely positioned to influence organizational strategy and drive change. This transition presents challenges for leaders in managing change and aligning organizational capabilities with strategic objectives, requiring a reassessment of leadership approaches and a new set of skills to drive AI transformation effectively. Purpose: Although literature on AI transformation is extensive, it remains fragmented and provides limited insights into middle managers' leadership, often overlooked by the focus on top management and front-line roles in literature. This study aims to investigate how middle managers in the manufacturing industry actively lead and navigate changes brought by AI. Method: This study adopted a qualitative interview-based design framed within a critical realism philosophy and guided by an abductive approach. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with middle managers from four manufacturing companies in the Jönköping region of Sweden. The analysis employed the Gioia Methodology, enabling a data-centric and theory-informed exploration of emerging themes. Conclusion: Our study highlights the critical role of middle managers in AI transformation, revealing four dimensions: (1) Developing Personal Readiness as a Leader, (2) Human Centric Leadership, (3) Leading with an Adaptive Approach to Individual Learning, and (4) Middle Managers as Translators and Cultural Brokers. Middle managers enable AI transformation by acting with agility, translating strategic goals into daily operations, fostering cross-functional collaboration, promoting a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, and ensuring psychological safety for meaningful employee engagement with AI.
“We can’t remove the difficult conversations” : An interview study on preschool teachers approaches working with norm-critical children’s literature.
No full textStudiens syfte är att bidra med kunskaper om hur förskollärare beskriver sitt arbete utifrån ett normkritiskt perspektiv genom högläsning i förskolan. Studiens besvarar två frågeställningar: Vad beskriver några förskollärare att ett normkritiskt arbetssätt kan vara? Och hur beskriver förskollärare att de arbetar med normkritik under högläsning? För att besvara dessa frågeställningar har en kvalitativ metod använts, där sex förskollärare har intervjuats. En intervju har skett i par och resterande individuellt. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i normkritisk teori. Resultatet visade att förskollärarna såg normkritik som ett medvetet och reflekterande arbetssätt där normer synliggjordes, ifrågasattes och diskuterades i relation till olika sociala och kulturella kontexter. Arbetet framhölls som ett gemensamt ansvar i arbetslaget och byggde på reflektion, samarbete och en gemensam värdegrund. Genom strategiska val av litteratur, medvetet bemötande och inkluderande miljöer används normkritisk barnlitteratur både förebyggande och för att väcka diskussioner om kön, identitet, relationer och mångfald.
Climate Action and Market Reaction – Do Investors Reward Climate Responsibility? : Event Study Evidence from the Nordic Countries
No full textClimate change has become a salient issue, with nations and corporations alike attempting to combat its effects. The Nordic countries, being frontrunners in ensuring environmental sustainability, are hardly explored regarding the market reaction that firms in the region encounter for implementing climate-related initiatives. The current study investigated this using an event study approach, revealing that firms implementing initiatives favouring climate were rewarded by the market (positive market reaction of 2.24%) while it did not strongly penalise corporate actions that exacerbate climate change. The market reward for climate favourable initiatives experienced a slightly increasing trend (0.8% increase annually). When regressing market reaction with high investor attention, it was evident that climate favourable initiatives receiving high investor attention were associated with higher returns (3.3% increase in market reaction). Findings supported the theoretical framework laid out based on stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory, and signalling theory. Moreover, investor concern for corporate climate actions is emphasised, while revealing the presence of an asymmetry in the way the market reacts to climate favourable and climate unfavourable initiatives