Publikationer från Södertörns Högskola
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Work-life balance initiatives’ impact on perceived employee performance : A qualitative study of hospitality organizations
No full textWork-life balance (WLB) is becoming a topic of focus for management, employees, HR specialists and wellness coordinators due to its association to the health, wellbeing and performance of employees. In line with this, the aim of the study was partly to study which initiatives exist for a balance between work and private life in hospitality organizations and partly how employees and managers, respectively, experience its impact on performance. Furthermore, the aim was to find out which strategies, according to employees' and managers' perceived experiences, can enable hospitality organizations to achieve improved employee performance from work-life balance initiatives. The study employed qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews as the data collection tool and thematic analysis. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation-Hygiene was used as the theoretical framework to aid in the analysis of the findings. The findings revealed a positive relationship between WLB initiatives and perceived employee performance in hospitality organizations. Moreover, the study indicated that managers had a positive attitude towards WLB implementation as they alluded that WLB help to improve employees’ performance because it helps employees manage their roles in a better way without stress and burnout. These initiatives (such as paid leaves, work breaks, and flexible scheduling) were found to contribute positively to the performance of employees in terms of increasing their productivity as they help employees to manage their roles in a better way without any stress. The study concluded that the hospitality organizations can enhance work-life balance through the creation of various HR policies, flexible scheduling, paid time off for child care, paid maternity leave, fitness centers, counseling, and training sessions as well as implement programs such as workshops and seminars on time management, stress reduction, efficient job management among other things
The role of information exchange in investments : An empirical study on information exchange and investment decisions
No full textBakgrund: Intresset för att engagera sig inom investeringar och aktiemarknaden har sett en betydlig ökning genom den senaste årtionden, särskilt bland allt fler yngre individer. Inom dagens samhälle är det allt vanligare att människor inte enbart kommunicerar ansikte mot ansikte, utan också på den digitala arenan via internet och sociala medier. Detta är något som även kommit att förändra hur aktiemarknaden ser ut idag och hur informationsutbytet genomförs bland investerare på marknaden. Syfte: Analysera och beskriva betydelsen av informationsutbyte för unga aktieinvesterare. Teori: Studien tillämpar sig av teorier såsom beteendemässiga finansteorin, heuristik, inramningseffekten, flockbeteende, överdriven självförtroende, effektiva marknadshypotesen, mun-till-mun metoden och elektronisk mun-till-mun metoden. Metod: Studien använde sig av en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Urvalet riktade sig mot unga investerare som var från 18 till 29 år gamla och sammanlagt deltog åtta respondenter. Slutsats: Studiens resultatet kom fram till att informationsutbytet hade en betydelsefull roll för unga aktieinvesterares beslutsfattande och att de hade en större tilltro till information som härstammade från deras närmaste omkrets än från digitala medier. Dessutom framkom det att individer med högre finansiell kunskap och erfarenhet var mindre påverkade av snedvridningar och informationsutbytet. Det gick även att observera att respondenter som påverkades i mindre utsträckning av yttre påverkan, också hade en större nivå av medvetenheten om dessa snedvridningar och heuristik.Background: Interest in investing and the stock market has seen a significant increase over the past decade, especially among an increasing number of younger individuals. In today's society, it is becoming increasingly more common for people to not only communicate face-to-face but also in the digital arena through the internet and social media. This is something that has also come to change how the stock market looks today and how information is exchanged among investors in the market. Purpose: Analyze and describe the importance of information exchange for young equity investors. Theory: The study applies theories such as the behavioral finance theory, heuristics, the framing effect, herd behavior, overconfidence, the efficient market hypothesis, word-of-mouth communication and electronic word-of-mouth communication. Method: The study used a qualitative method in the form of semi-structured interviews. The sample was aimed at young investors who were from 18 to 29 years old and a total of eight respondents participated. Conclusion: The results of the study concluded that the exchange of information played a significant role in the decision-making of young stock investors and that they had greater trust in information that originated from their immediate circle than from digital media. In addition, it emerged that individuals with higher financial knowledge and experience were less affected by biases and the exchange of information. It was also possible to observe that respondents who were influenced to a lesser extent by external influences also had a greater level of awareness of these biases and heuristics
The Way of Truth in the Age of the Sixth Mass Extinction : Heidegger and Parmenides in the Service of the Rights of Nature
No full textThe Rights of Nature movement is a quickly growing global phenomenon. However, it is not always obvious what the movement really means. What is its underlying experience? How can its transformative depth be formulated? What is the meaning of this depth? Starting from the ‘Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth’ this essay seeks to elucidate the ontological meaning of these questions through attending to the possible relation of the Rights of Nature movement to Heidegger’s turning toward Parmenides, in the sense of ‘primordial thinker’, or ‘essential thinker’, that is, a thinker who in an essential way thinks the origin as such. This ‘origin’ will be dealt with in relation to the oikos of ecology. In other words ‘essential thinking’ will be brought forward as a thinking that essentially makes possible the mindful awareness of this oikos, this ‘home’, ‘house’, ‘abode’, or ‘place of dwelling’. A chief point of the essay is that an essential experience of this oikos is necessary if the ontological implications of the Rights of Nature movement is to be disclosed
Religiositet hos unga vuxna : En studie om hur religiositet uttrycks av unga Syrisk-ortodoxa kristna
No full textThis study explores the manifestation of religiosity among young Syriac Orthodox Christians in Sweden. Focusing on the age group of 20–29, the thesis delves into how religiosity is expressed within this community, both in public and private domains, such as church, family, workplace, and social media. The research highlights the interplay between religious identity and secular society, examining the impact of cultural and generational differences on religious practices and beliefs. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative analysis, drawing on interviews to understand the personal and collective aspects of religiosity in a multicultural and secular context. The findings reveal diverse expressions of faith, shaped by the dynamics of community engagement, cultural adaptation, and individual spirituality, offering a nuanced view of young adults navigating their religious identity in modern Sweden
Meditations on death : A study on the role of death in the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
No full textAlthough written down almost two thousand years ago, the philosophical topics that are discussed in the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are just as relevant to contemplate today as they were in his time. In the Meditations, Marcus reflects on many themes regarding the human condition and what his own individual task may be in a world full of wrongdoers, natural changes, and death. Thoughts about his own and other people’s mortality occur often throughout the work as if he always wants to keep the imminence of death present in his mind, but why is that so? In this essay, I investigate that question with the aim to better understand what role reflections on death has in his philosophy. What purpose does these contemplations on death serve? What is the meaning with reflecting on death for him? By analysing all extracts from the book concerning the theme of death, I found that Marcus primarily think about death for four different reasons: (1) to remind himself not to fear death, (2) to remind himself not to get distracted by things that, in the presence of death, appear trivial and unimportant by viewing life on earth from above, (3) to remind himself of what actually is important, namely moral virtue and maximizing the present moment, and (4) to remind himself that liberation is coming and that death soon will relieve him from his weary and exhausting life. I also place my analysis in relation to what other studies on Marcus Aurelius have found and compare my view with the likes of Pierre Hadot, William O. Stephens, and John Sellars.
Between Law and Lawlessness: The Role of Civil Servants in Organized Crime : A Qualitative Study of Organized Crime in Public Administration
No full textSyftet med studien är att förstå hur tjänstemän inom offentlig förvaltning kan möjliggöra organiserad brottslighet. Genom att analysera fyra svenska rättsfall undersöker studien på vilket sätt offentliga tjänstemän blir till möjliggörare för organiserad brottslighet, samt vilka organisatoriska och relationella aspekter kan underlätta att tjänstemän blir till möjliggörare. Studien tillämpar en kvalitativ metodik med abduktiv ansats för att undersöka möjliggörare av organiserad brottslighet inom offentlig förvaltning. Datainsamlingsmetoden är i form av dokumentanalys som har en tematisk analysansats. Studiens empiriska underlag baseras på juridiska aktbilagor, såsom domar- och förundersökningsprotokoll. Resultatet analyseras med teoretiska utgångspunkter av byråkrati, gräsrotsbyråkrati, tillitsnätverk och strukturella hål. Studiens resultat visar att offentliga tjänstemän blir möjliggörare genom att använda sitt handlingsutrymme för att ge tillgång till sekretessbelagda uppgifter till kriminellt belastade individer. Studien indikerar att tjänstemän utvecklar personliga relationer med kriminella, vilket leder till att de använder sitt handlingsutrymme på sätt som gynnar organiserad brottslighet, och därmed bortser organisatoriska riktlinjer. Studiens resultat tyder på att tjänstemän med stort handlingsutrymme och minimal övervakning är mer benägna att engagera sig i oetiska handlingar som gynnar organiserad brottslighet. Vidare framhävs det att bristande efterlevnad av organisatoriska regler och policies, kombinerat med starka personliga relationer till kriminellt belastade personer.The purpose of the study is to understand how public officials within public administration can facilitate organized crime. By analyzing four Swedish legal cases, the study examines how public officials become enablers of organized crime, and which organizational and relational aspects facilitate this transformation. The study employs a qualitative methodology with an abductive approach to investigate enablers of organized crime within public administration. Data collection is performed through document analysis using a thematic analysis approach. The empirical basis of the study is built on legal appendices, such as court rulings and investigative protocols. The results are analyzed based on theoretical frameworks of bureaucracy, street-level bureaucracy, trust networks, and structural holes. The findings show that public officials become enablers by using their discretionary power to provide access to confidential information to criminally charged individuals. The study indicates that officials develop personal relationships with criminals, leading them to use their discretionary power in ways that benefit organized crime, thereby disregarding organizational guidelines. The results suggest that officials with extensive discretionary power and minimal oversight are more likely to engage in unethical actions that support organized crime. Additionally, it is highlighted that a lack of adherence to organizational rules and policies, combined with strong personal relationships with criminally charged individuals, facilitates this behavior
The common patterns of successful writing-instructions : A text analysis with a particular focus on speech acts and text activities
No full textThis study investigates how six writing-instructions aimed at third-year students in upper secondary school, resulting in high student performance, are designed. The aim was to identify common patterns of speech acts and text activities in the writing-instructions and to examine how clearly these communicate what is expected of students. To address this, a qualitative analysis of the six writing-instructions was conducted using tools from systemic-functional grammar: speech act and the concept of text activity. The analysis results show that the writinginstructions primarily communicate through the speech acts of statement and command. The speech act statement is used to provide information about the requirements and expectations of the task, while the speech act command structures the instructional part. The congruent use of speech acts demonstrates that all writing-instructions clearly convey their message. The framing text activity of explanation is used in all writing-instructions, providing a clear guidance, and writing frameworks, and is clarified and reinforced by the embedded text activity of description. The study results suggest that writing-instructions that clearly communicate expected content, structure, and writing frameworks correlate with higher student performance. Further research could expand this study with either a larger sample or in combination with an interview study
History : The Moral Economy Perspective
No full textContext, variety and genealogy are among the contributions historical studies generally make to populism research. This chapter argues that there is another, as yet almost untapped, resource in historical approaches, namely a theory of moral economy that, when stripped of normative presumptions and idiographic limitations, can improve our understanding of populist moments and movements in the past - as well as in the present. This chapter fathoms what historical perspectives have on offer for populism research, enhancing knowledge into social, cultural, economic and political circumstances with the benefit of hindsight. It illustrates this by providing a chronological overview of key populist movements over the past two centuries. It does so from a moral economy perspective that correlates populism with notions of social justice, as well as with a perceived lack of acknowledgement and violation of entitlements
”Begreppskartor är bra för att man kan se allt på en gång!” : En interventionsstudie av hur begreppskartor kan främja samtal kring ämnesspecifika begrepp i historieundervisning
No full text The aim of this intervention study is to investigate the use of concept maps as a pedagogical tool to promote discussions around subject-specific concepts in history education. Additionally, the study seeks to explore students' experiences with using concept maps. The intervention study is implemented with fourth-grade pupils. This study answers the following questions: · In what ways can concept maps facilitate discussions around subject-specific concepts? · How do pupils experience the work with concept maps? · What is the relationship between the collected material and pupils' experiences? The intervention study employs a Lesson Study approach and incorporates two qualitative methods: observations, group interviews, and analysis of both first and second text-talk sessions between nine pupils in two groups. The study's theoretical framework is based on concept maps, participation, and interaction. Participation has been divided into three different levels based on the collected material to facilitate the analysis. The levels of participation in the study are categorized as follows: at the first level, pupils remain silent and passively attend the conversation, offering no personal input or opinions. Moving to the second level, pupils engage to varying degrees, sometimes affirming others' ideas without expressing their own. Finally, at the third level, pupils actively contribute to the discussion by sharing their own thoughts, expanding on others' ideas, and engaging in reciprocal dialogue. The results showed that integration of concept maps increased the students' understanding and discussion around subject-specific concepts. They could connect different concepts and analyze their relationships, indicating an improvement in their conceptual understanding and knowledge. The pupils' enhanced engagement, supported by positive experiences with concept maps, is further confirmed by discussion observations. This correlation between student experiences and collected material supports the study's credibility.This underscores the significance of concept maps as a pedagogical tool for advancing understanding of subject-specific concepts in history education.