This thesis examines Swedish iron as an active material in early modern colonial and global systems, rather than as a passive export commodity. By combining historical and maritime archaeology, material culture studies and colonial theory, it investigates how iron production, circulation and consumption connected Swedish mining landscapes to European and Atlantic networks of power. The study follows iron from extraction sites through major ironworks such as Lövsta, to ports and shipwreck contexts. Archaeological evidence from shipwrecks together with historical data and museum collections, reveals how iron moved through interconnected systems of inland transport, maritime trade and industrial transformation. The analysis shows that Swedish iron functioned as part of a highly integrated system linking forests, mines, water-powered ironworks and global trade routes. Standardised bar iron enabled large-scale circulation, particularly to Britain and the Netherlands, where it supported shipbuilding, weapon production and industrial development. Shipwreck evidence further demonstrates that iron was not only traded as cargo but also used as ballast and structural material, highlight its infrastructural role in maritime systems. The thesis argues that Swedish iron should be understood as a material infrastructure of early modern globalisation. Even without large-scale colonial possessions, Sweden participated in colonial modernity through the production and circulation of strategic material embedded in global systems of warfare, trade and extraction. 

Effective cash holding has become an increasingly important part of corporate financialmanagement, particularly for SME-firms, which are often financially constrained and havelimited access to external financing. As a result, SME-firms must rely on internal financing tomanage payments, investments, and financial uncertainty. Despite this, previous research hasprimarily focused on larger publicly listed firms and there is limited research on SwedishSME-firms. The purpose of this study is to examine the cash holdings of Swedish SME-firmson the Stockholm Stock Exchange small cap list. By analyzing how firm size, leverage, cashflow, Tobin’s Q and GPR affect corporate cash holdings, this study aims to fulfill its purpose.This study applies a quantitative method with a deductive approach, where secondary datahas been collected from Orbis, the GPR-index and SCB. The analysis is conducted using aunbalanced panel data regression based on Swedish SME-firms listed on the StockholmStock Exchange small cap list during the period of 2019-2024. The results of this study showthat GPR has a negative relationship with cash holdings, while firm size has a positiverelationship with cash holdings. The results also show that the pecking order theory providesthe strongest explanation for the sample’s cash holdings.

This paper examines how the stock prices of Swedish Large Cap companies react to thepublication of quarterly reports. The purpose of the study is to analyze how the degree ofover- and underreaction differs between stable and unstable market conditions. The study isbased on a quantitative method using an event study approach. Abnormal returns andcumulative abnormal returns are used to measure the marker reactions surrounding thepublication of quarterly reports. This is investigated through the collection and processing ofsecondary data from 100 stocks.

The analysis identifies graphical differences between the two examined periods. However nostatistically significant differences in these reactions are observed, except for the first dayduring the stable period. This day shows a statistically significant increase in abnormalreturn. In addition, the results reflect the presence of several financial theories. The observedtheories are prospect theory, post-earnings announcement drift and the efficient markethypothesis. Due to the lack of statistical significance, none of these theories can beconclusively confirmed. The study contributes with insight into how return levels changedepending on market volatility. At the same time, the study highlights indications of howbehavioral patterns of investors change during periods of economic instability.

Title: Interest Rate Environment and IPO Underpricing on the Swedish Stock Market: An Empirical Study of Initial Public Offerings during 2010-2024

Background: IPO underpricing, where a stock closes above its offering price on the first day of trading, is a well-established phenomenon in financial research. However, knowledge regarding how the interest rate environment affects the degree of underpricing remains limited. Sweden's experience of a sustained period with a policy rate at or below zero percent, spanning October 2014 to April 2022, followed by a return to positive rates, provides favorable conditions for examining this relationship.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether the interest rate environment is associated with the degree of IPO underpricing in initial public offerings conducted on Nasdaq Stockholm and Nasdaq First North during the period 2010-2024.

Theory: The study is based on information asymmetry theory, as well as theories concerning the risk-taking channel of monetary policy, search for yield, investor sentiment, and IPO cycles.

Methodology: A quantitative research design with a deductive approach was applied. The sample consists of 266 initial public offerings on Nasdaq Stockholm and Nasdaq First North during the period 2010-2024. The interest rate environment is operationalized through the dummy variable LowRate, and the empirical analysis consists of Welch’s t-test, OLS regression, and robustness tests.

Conclusions: The study cannot statistically confirm differences in IPO underpricing between low-interest-rate periods and periods with higher interest rates. Although the numerical pattern aligns with the theoretical framework, the relationship cannot be statistically established. The clearest finding is a negative association between firm size and underpricing, consistent with information asymmetry theory.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in accounting has increased and created new opportunities for automation, efficiency and decision support. At the same time, this development raises questions about transparency, understanding and trust. The purpose of this study is to examine how accountants in small and medium-sized enterprises perceive trust in AI in accounting work, and what significance transparency and understanding have for this trust. The study is based on a qualitative research approach and was conducted through semi-structured interviews with nine respondents. The empirical material was analyzed using thematic analysis based on an abductive approach, supported by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), trust theory and transparency dimensions. The results show that trust in AI is shaped by the practical usefulness of the technology, the user’s understanding, organizational frameworks and the possibility of control. Transparency appears to be important, but the respondents primarily emphasize sufficient understandability rather than full technical insight. AI is accepted mainly when the technology makes work more efficient and supports recurring accounting tasks. At the same time, trust is conditional and dependent on the complexity of the situation. The conclusion of the study is that AI in accounting is mainly perceived as a supporting tool, not as an independent decision-maker. Human control, verification and professional judgment therefore remain central in accounting work.

Youth delinquency is a complex social problem that affects not only offenders but also victims, relatives, and others in their immediate surroundings. The issue entails negative consequences, including impacts on social relationships as well as increased societal costs within health and welfare services. The aim of this study was to examine how social workers describe and reason for their preventive work with children and young people at risk of criminal involvement. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach and was based on semi-structured interviews. The empirical material was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted with the support of social learning theory and critical practice theory. The results show both factors that may contribute to prevention and positive development, as well as factors that may limit preventive work. A stable home environment, functioning of schooling, and positive relationships emerge as central in an individual's life. The study also highlights the importance of individually tailored interventions and collaboration between different actors in society in preventive work. Overall, the study shows that effective preventive work requires both multi agency collaboration and flexibility in responding to the individual needs of young people.

The purpose of this study is to examine the significance of social media for private investors’ investment decisions. In this study, influence is understood as respondents’ self-reported and perceived influence, as well as statistical associations between different variables. The study therefore does not aim to establish causal effects. The study is based on a quantitative survey of 113 private investors in Stockholm. The empirical material is analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and Cramér’s V. 

The results show that own analysis remains the most important basis for investment decisions, as 68.1 percent of the respondents identify it as a central source of information. At the same time, the results show that social media has significance in the decision-making process. For example, 53.1 percent of the respondents state that they have, to some extent, purchased an asset after seeing it discussed on social media. The study also shows that less experienced investors use social media as investment input to a greater extent than more experienced investors. Furthermore, exposure to financial influencers shows the strongest association with perceived influence. However, no statistically significant association was found between gender and the most important source of information. 

The study concludes that social media does not replace private investors’ own analysis, but rather functions as a complementary source of information. Social media mainly appears to have significance by creating attention, spreading investment ideas and making other investors’ behavior more visible.

This is a practice-based study consisting of an instructional intervention in a bilingual preschool class. The study investigates what impact contrastive and multisensory instruction on vowel sounds in Swedish and English may have on preschool class pupils’ phonemic and metalinguistic awareness. The study is based on the following research questions: 

1. What impact can bilingual contrastive and multisensory instruction have on pupils’ phonemic awareness? 

2. Do the pupils show metalinguistic awareness connected to the instruction, and if so, how is this expressed? 

Data were collected through audio recordings of five teaching sessions, as well as through the administration of pre- and post-tests and three additional tests. A qualitative thematic content analysis was conducted based on the Common Underlying Proficiency theory and the concept of transfer, the models Speech Learning Model and The Revised Speech Learning Model, sociocultural theory, and the concepts of scaffolding and the zone of proximal development. The results showed that the pupils possessed strong prior knowledge and therefore showed no measurable development in phonemic awareness. However, a strong stimulation of metalinguistic awareness was observed, as the pupils reflected on and made observations about their two languages. The multisensory elements and the group learning also contributed to increased engagement and shared reasoning. 

One conclusion drawn is that the bilingual pupils possess a great metalinguistic ability through their bilingualism, and that instruction incorporating both of the pupils’ languages can utilize and stimulate this awareness. Contrastive and multisensory elements are one way of achieving this, and this study contributes examples of how such instruction can be designed.

This study examines how hybrid work affects knowledge sharing and social relationships within organizations. In response to the increasing prevalence of flexible work arrangements, the study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how changing work structures influence key organizational processes. The research is based on a qualitative design, with empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews with six employees working in hybrid environments at Länsförsäkringar AB (LFAB). The theoretical framework draws on theories of organizational culture, knowledge sharing, and social identity, with a particular focus on the role of informal interactions and tacit knowledge. The findings indicate that hybrid work reduces spontaneous interactions, which limits the transfer of tacit knowledge and affects the development of trust and social relationships. At the same time, digital tools enable alternative forms of communication that partially compensate for these limitations.

The study concludes that hybrid work does not simply weaken knowledge sharing and organizational culture, but rather restructures these processes. This highlights the importance for organizations to actively facilitate interaction, knowledge exchange, and trust-building in both physical and digital work environments.

Keywords: hybrid work, organizational culture, knowledge sharing, social identity, tacit knowledge, qualitative case study

This study examines how senior business executives’ communicative performance shapes credibility during crises. Based on a rhetorical analysis of three live interviews – with two CEOs and one Head of Communications – it investigates how ethos and authenticity are projected to a rhetorical audience. Drawing on McCroskey’s theory of ethos and Johansen’s concept of authenticity, the study analyzes the executives’ displayed credibility and how a “final ethos” emerges through the interplay of initial ethos, derived ethos, and authenticity. The findings indicate that establishing common ground with the audience, combined with goodwill, openness, competence, and authenticity, strengthens credibility. Moreover, executives’ communicative strategies strongly mirror their organizations’ ethos, implying that poorly managed crisis communication can have far-reaching consequences for corporate trustworthiness.

The purpose of this paper was to get a deeper understanding of how Tokyo is represented in non-paid user-generated content on social media och how it relates back to young adult´s experiences during their stay in the city. To do so, we have conducted seven semi-structured. qualitative interviews and a netnographic study on social media platforms TikTok and Instagram. The collected data has been analyzed using Baloglu & McLeary´s theory of destination image formation (1999) and Urry & Larsen´s theory about the tourist gaze (2011). This paper´s findings indicate that Tokyo is generally portrayed positively in user-generated content on Instagram and that, primarily through informative posts and aesthetically appealing imagery. The interviewed young adults described Tokyo as vibrant, culturally rich, and populated by reserved yet friendly locals. Their experiences largely corresponded with the image presented on social media, although they noted that challenges such as the city´s high costs and a complex transportation system were not highlighted in the media that they have consumed. Furthermore, a recurring pattern emerged in the interview data concerning respondents' accounts of negative experiences during their visit. When discussing such experiences, respondents frequently qualified or downplayed them by attributing them to their own lack of preparation prior to the trip or unforeseen circumstances, rather than to the destination itself.

The purpose of this study is to examine the representation of power, violence, and masculinity in Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends with Us (2021) and to explore how these depictions can be addressed didactically in upper secondary school to fulfill the values-based mission of the curriculum (Gy25). The study is prompted by the novel's massive popularity on BookTok, where reader reception is often characterized by emotional engagement.

Using a qualitative text-analytical method combined with an ideology-critical and power-analytical framework, the novel’s linguistic structures were examined. The results demonstrate that the text relies on a deeply embedded emotional and ideological tension. Masculinity is initially portrayed through traditional patriarchal ideals, such as economic superiority and romanticized passion. Through specific linguistic shifts, where physical violence is recoded as instinctive reflexes or forces of nature, the exercise of power is textually legitimized. The text thus reproduces a heteronormative script that sustains a culture of silence, making the female protagonist feel co-responsible for the aggression. The critique of this dynamic only emerges in the final parts of the novel, when the illusion shatters and linguistic agency is restored to the perpetrator.

From a didactic perspective, the study concludes that literature education must offer an analytical and "disruptive" counterweight to students' recreational reading practices. By implementing structured, polyphonic classroom discussions focused on linguistic deconstruction, teachers can utilize the text's inherent ambivalence to challenge toxic gender patterns. In doing so, uncritical BookTok consumption is transformed into a critical literacy practice, providing students with the analytical tools required by Gy25 to identify and resist harmful normative structures.

This study examines the relationship between consumer confidence and stock returns in the Swedish stock market, and if either variable function as a leading indicator over time. The analysis is based on monthly data for the period 2010–2025. Consumer confidence is measured using the Swedish Consumer Confidence Indicator (CCI), while stock market performance is measured through log returns on the OMXS30 index. The empirical analysis is based on Pearson correlation, ordinary least squares regression with Newey–West corrected standarderrors, lagged regressions, Augmented Dickey–Fuller test, and Granger causality tests.The results show a statistically significant but weak positive relationship between changes inconsumer confidence and stock returns. The lagged regressions and Granger causality testsfurther indicate that stock returns have predictive content for future changes in consumerconfidence, whereas consumer confidence does not predict future stock returns. The study concludes that the relationship between consumer confidence and stock returns exists but is limited in strength, and that the stock market appears to function as a leading indicator forhousehold sentiment in Sweden.

Corporate sustainability reporting became increasingly important as companies faced stronger regulatory expectations, growing stakeholder demands, and the need to provide more transparent information about environmental, social, and governance matters. At the same time, digitalisation is transforming the way companies collect, verify, organise, and disclose this information.

This study examines how digitalisation impacts the corporate sustainability reporting process, based on the sample of eight large-cap Swedish companies (AAK AB, ASSA ABLOY AB, Billerud AB, AB Electrolux (publ), Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Essity Aktiebolag (publ), Swedbank AB (publ), Tele2 AB) and uses qualitative document analysis of annual and sustainability reports for the 2025 financial year, supported by a contextual written questionnaire response from one of the companies. The analysis focuses on disclosures relating to digitalisation in the areas of reporting governance, data collection, internal systems, validation procedures, double materiality assessment, supplier data, traceability, and broader digital sustainability practices. The theoretical insights from the dynamic capabilities view and sociomateriality help to explain how companies adapt their reporting capabilities and how reporting practices are shaped through the interaction between people, processes and technologies.

The empirical findings show that digitalisation plays a key role in the infrastructure behind the reporting process. Digital tools appear to support data collection, consolidation, validation, coordination, traceability, and auditability. However, the role of digitalisation varies across companies and disclosure areas. In some cases, digitalisation is presented as a core component of the business model and sustainability strategy, while in others it mainly serves as a supporting tool for internal reporting, governance, and control.

The purpose of this study was to examine what relationships exist between exposure to sportsbetting marketing, consumers’ attitudes towards sportsbetting marketing, attitudes towards sportsbetting and their gambling intentions. The study was conducted using a quantitative research strategy with a deductive approach, where data was collected through a digital survey consisting of 116 respondents. The results show that there are statistically significant relationships between exposure, attitudes and gambling intentions. However, the relationships proved to be relatively weak and the analysis shows that exposure in itself does not constitute the strongest explanatory factor behind gambling intention. Instead it is the consumers' attitudes towards sportsbetting that constitute the central explanatory factor for gambling intention. Furthermore, the results show that a high degree of exposure does not necessarily lead to either positive or increased gambling intention, it is actually the opposite whereas the respondents generally display negative attitudes towards sportsbetting marketing, which in many cases results in an avoidance behaviour. This indicates that the relationship between exposure and the consumer's response is not linear. 

The conclusion of the study is that a high level of exposure to marketing does not automatically lead to stronger gambling intentions, despite the fact that consumers are continuously exposed to this type of advertising. Furthermore, the central contribution of this study is therefore that the attitudes of the consumers towards sportsbetting prove to be significantly more important for gambling intention than the exposure itself. From a business perspective, this means that strategies that solely focus on increasing the exposure risk being ineffective, the companies should instead put more focus on influencing consumers’ attitudes towards sportsbetting. 

This study examines how risks associated with positional asphyxia are addressed in Swedish basic police training and how training can be developed, in line with existing research, to reduce risk during restraint. The point of departure is that police interventions frequently occur under stress, physical exertion, and time pressure, which means that medical risk knowledge must be practically accessible rather than only understood in theory. The study applies a qualitative research design drawing on two main data sources: a literature review of medical research and research on decision making under stress, and a document analysis of training materials from three police education programs.

The findings indicate that the risk of positional asphyxia is not best understood as the result of a single body position, but as a dynamic interaction between several factors. Particularly salient factors include physical struggle, metabolic acidosis, restricted ventilation, external compression, drug intoxication, and obesity. The study also shows that basic police training addresses these risks through both theoretical and practical elements. However, differences emerge across training locations regarding how knowledge is integrated into practical training, experiential exercises, and assessment.

The analysis suggests that knowledge of medical risk factors may have limited impact if it is not trained as part of operational behavioural patterns. Research on decision making under stress indicates that individuals in pressured situations often revert to automated, previously learned behaviours. Training should therefore be designed so that risk reducing actions become the most ingrained response. The study highlights the need to strengthen lateral control as a primary operational option, enhance the ability to identify high risk individuals, and improve national consistency across police education.

The study concludes that reducing risk during restraint is not only a matter of increasing knowledge, but of shaping behaviours that function under stress. If medical safety is embedded within restraint techniques themselves, the need for complex reassessment in critical moments decreases, thereby reducing the likelihood of serious or fatal outcomes during physical restraint.

The increasing use of AI-driven personalization in retail loyalty programs has enabled compa-nies to tailor offers, recommendations and communication based on consumers’ previous pur-chases, behaviours and preferences. At the same time, the use of customer data raises questionsabout privacy, control and trust in companies’ data handling. The purpose of this study is toincrease the understanding of how consumers’ perceptions of AI-driven personalization in retailloyalty programs are related to their perceived value, privacy concerns and trust.

The study was conducted using a quantitative research design and a deductive approach. Theempirical material was collected through a self-administered survey targeting consumers inSweden who are members of retail loyalty programs. After exclusions, the final dataset consistsof 92 valid responses. Correlation analysis and three simple linear regression analyses wereused to analyse the material. The study is based on a theoretical framework consisting of Pri-vacy Calculus, Commitment-Trust Theory and Psychological Reactance Theory.

The results show that AI-driven personalization has a positive and statistically significant relat-ionship with both perceived value and trust. However, no statistically significant relationshipwas found between AI-driven personalization and privacy concerns. The study also shows thatprivacy concerns have a negative relationship with trust. The conclusion is that AI-drivenpersonalization in loyalty programs is mainly related to perceived value and trust, while privacyconcerns do not have a demonstrated relationship with AI-driven personalization in the exami-ned dataset.

This study examines how gender-based differences in portfolio composition affect risk adjusted returns in the Swedish stock market over the period 2017-2025. Drawing on behavioral finance theory, specifically overconfidence bias, prospect theory, loss aversion and anchoring, two fictional portfolios were constructed based on aggregated ownership data from Euroclear Sweden. Representing the stocks most commonly held by male and female investors respectively.  The findings reveal significant differences between the two portfolios. The male portfolio exhibited a substantially higher turnover rate at 39,4 % per year versus 16,9 % for the female portfolio. The male portfolio was exposed to high volatile speculative stocks, and a standard deviation of 46,63 % compared to 18,08 % for the female portfolio. An F-test confirms that this difference in variance is statistically significant (F = 6,651, p = 0,0073). Despite the male portfolio achieving a slightly higher arithmetic annual return (13,1 % versus 10,2 %), the difference is not statistically significant (p = 0,4322). The cumulative return was substantially lower for the male portfolio with only 58,7 % versus 111,72 % for the female portfolio. The Sharpe ratio further confirms the female portfolio´s superior risk adjusted performance, 0,502 versus 0,257.  The results suggest that gender differences in investment behavior, patterns consistent with overconfidence bias in the male dominated portfolio are associated with systematic differences in risk exposure without a corresponding improvement in returns. Contrary to the prevailing narrative, the findings indicate that a more defensive investment approach does not disadvantage female investors. Rather the primary economic challenge for women as an investor group remains their lower rate of participation in the stock market altogether. 

Denna kandidatuppsats undersöker spänningsfältet mellan den traditionella svenska föreningsmodellen och den ökande globala kommersialiseringen inom elitfotboll. Med utgångspunkt i den svenska 51 %-regeln, som fungerar som en demokratisk barriär mot externa investerare, analyseras hur svenska fotbollskonsumenter och supportrar navigerar mellan marknadskrafter och varumärkesautenticitet.

Studien syftar till att klarlägga hur kännedomen om kommersiellt företagsägande, med exempel som Red Bulls multi-club ownership, påverkar uppfattningen om en klubbs legitimitet och "själ". Genom en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer undersöks attityder och intressekonflikter mellan supportrar, sponsorer och klubbledningar.

Det teoretiska ramverket kombinerar institutionella logiker, varumärkesautenticitet och Social Identity Theory för att belysa krocken mellan en kommersiell logik och en föreningslogik. Uppsatsen bidrar till en ökad förståelse för fotbollens framtida organisering i en kontext där medlemsdemokrati ställs mot behovet av ekonomisk konkurrenskraft.

Studiens resultat visar att 51 %-regeln fungerar som en robust institutionell motvikt där externa kommersiella krafter tvingas underordna och anpassa sig till medlemsdemokratins spelregler. Supportrarnas starka gruppidentitet och känsla av psykologiskt ägarskap skapar en aktiv försvarsmekanism som avvisar radikala identitetsförändringar i stil med Red Bull-modellen. Vidare framgår att sponsorer fungerar som en oväntad garant för föreningsdemokratin; då deras kommersiella investeringar vilar på den genuina passion som medlemsdemokratin genererar, betraktas en urholkning av klubbens autenticitet som ett direkt affärsmässigt hot. Slutligen konstateras att svenska klubbars framtida konkurrenskraft avgörs av hur effektivt de kan navigera i denna funktionella pluralism genom att skapa hybridmodeller som maximerar externt kapital utan att kompromissa med sin lokala förankring och varumärkesautenticitet.

This study examines how ICA Maxi stores in Sweden presented their financial results during the period 2023–2024, a period characterized by extensive criticism from consumers, media and politicians regarding rising food prices and high profits within the grocery retail industry. The study is based on Positive Accounting Theory, particularly the Political Cost Hypothesis, together with legitimacy theory and institutional theory. These theories are used to analyze how external pressure may influence accounting choices and the presentation of financial results. The study applies a qualitative document analysis based on annual reports from the ten largest ICA Maxi stores in Sweden measured by revenue. Financial reports from 2023–2024 are compared with reports from 2018–2019 in order to identify deviations related to the period of criticism. The income statements were transformed into common-sized statements where each accounting item was analyzed in relation to net sales. The analysis primarily focuses on cost-related accounting items such as cost of goods sold, depreciation, write-downs and appropriations. The findings show that some stores reported lower profit margins during 2023–2024 despite increased revenues. The study also identifies variations in accounting items related to depreciation, group contributions, and other appropriations. These changes may indicate potential earnings adjustments, particularly since several accounting items are based on subjective judgments and accruals within the K3 regulatory framework. At the same time, it is difficult to determine whether these changes constitute manipulative earnings management after a period of criticism from society or a result of legitimate business and accounting judgments. The study therefore primarily highlights that reported earnings are not always a completely objective measure, but are influenced by judgments, accruals, and different accounting choices within the K3 framework. This creates room for companies to potentially influence how financial results are presented. The conclusion is therefore that external criticism and societal pressure may affect how companies present their financial results, while it remains difficult to determine whether the observed changes constitute manipulative earnings management.

This study aims to explore and compare how English teachers in Swedish primary and lower secondary schools use and what opinions they have about code-switching in their English lessons. Code-switching, which means alternating between two or more languages, is a common feature of today’s multilingual classrooms, where many students grow up speaking more than one language or learn English as a second language. As students’ language levels and needs change as they get older, teachers may use code-switching in different ways depending on the age group they teach. Understanding these differences can give a clearer picture of how teachers adapt their teaching to help students follow lessons, participate, or make sense of new content. 

For teacher education, it is also important to understand that code-switching is not automatically good or bad practice. On one hand, it can make learning more possible, especially for younger students or students who are still building their English skills. On the other hand, switching too much may reduce meaningful exposure to English which is necessary for students to develop confidence and fluency. By comparing teachers’ views in primary and lower secondary schools, this study examines both the benefits and the potential drawbacks of code-switching, in everyday English teaching. 

This study examines the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in the banking sector with the aim of mapping which areas and tasks are affected by AI implementation and analysing the consequences for occupational roles and work processes, as well as identifying new emerging roles and regulation. The study applies a qualitative research design combining a literature review and a document analysis of publicly available material from Swedbank, Finansinspektionen and the Swedish government's AI-strategy from 2026. The empirical material is analysed through a theoretical framework drawing on the ideas and concepts of Meyer & Rowan (1977) and DiMaggio & Powell's (1983) institutional theory, Williamson (1979) & Ouchi’s (2019) transaction-cost theory and March’s (1991) intended rationality derived from decision-making theory.  

The findings show how AI-adoption in the banking sector is driven by a dual logic of efficiency-seeking and institutional legitimation. Routine, or rule-base tasks are being automated which is in line with transaction-cost theory predictions, while isomorphic pressures from regulators, competitors and professional norms accelerate the broader diffusion of AI as an organisational standard. The consequences for occupational roles are asymmetric and polarizing. Occupations requiring more technical competence, complex and ethically sensitive judgements are strengthened, while low-skilled positions are at risk for substitution. Estimates suggest that up to 1,2 million banking jobs are at risk by 2030. Furthermore the study identifies a significant governance gap, wherein widespread AI-adoption co-exists with an absence of formal AI strategies and guidelines internally in the majority of firms and banks, which raises the risk of what Hamdouni (2025) terms AI Ethics Washing. The study concludes that efficiency of the operation and optimization of resources for the banking sector from AI-adoption is conditional and depends not only on heavy technological investments but also on each Nations readiness for AI implementation. The Swedish banking sector is therefore dependent on the national digital infrastructural readiness, ethical regulation and institutional oversight to see financial performance and sustainable development of AI technology. 

As globalization and international trade have increased, Swedish companies have become increasingly exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates. For many companies, changes in currency exchange rates can have significant effects on profitability, cash flow, and firm value. At the same time, the use of financial instruments to manage currency risk has become an increasingly important part of corporate risk management. Despite this, previous research presents mixed findings regarding whether the use of foreign currency derivatives leads to higher firm value. This study aims to examine the relationship between the use of foreign currency derivatives and firm value among Swedish listed companies that are all exposed to some form of currency risk. The study applies a quantitative research approach and is based on a cross-sectional design using financial data from 2024. The empirical data consist of 97 Swedish listed companies on Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap and Mid Cap, including both firms that use financial hedging and firms who use neutral hedging strategies. Firm value is measured using Tobin ́s Q, and the analysis is conducted through regression analysis and statistical comparisons. The results show a negative relationship between firm value and the use of foreign currency derivatives. However, the relationship is not statistically significant, meaning that no clear effect between the use of foreign currency derivatives and firm value can be established. Instead, the findings indicate that other factors, such as leverage, ROA, and industry affiliation, may have a greater impact on firm value. Finally, the results show that the disagreement highlighted in previous research also remains in this study. The study indicates that the relationship between foreign currency derivatives and firm value is complex and influenced by several different factors. Therefore, no clear effect between the use of foreign currency derivatives and higher firm value can be established.

Artificial intelligence has become increasingly included in companies that are progressively shifting their operations toward the technological direction. This study aims to create an understanding of how companies that use artificial intelligence differ in terms of capital costs. This is done through comparisons between international companies in American and German industries. To investigate this, the Weighted Average Cost of Capital is calculated, which means the weighted average cost of capital within companies. This measure is calculated using key figures and analyzed in a correlation with the Beta value to measure the relationship to the risk level. The theories Pecking-Order theory, Trade-Off theory and Signal theory are used to support the investigation of the cost of capital. This is done with the aim of investigating how companies are affected by the use of AI and how the cost of capital is affected and differs between american and german companies. It was clear from the results of the study that an affected cost of capital is noticeable but that this differs between the different industries and countries. Growth opportunities, risk, uncertainty and information asymmetry are contributing factors to these differences. The study demonstrates a connection between the use of artificial intelligence and companies capital costs, where differences can be identified both between companies and industries and between the US and Germany.

This study explores how preschool teachers interpret teaching in early childhood education, with particular focus on planning, documentation, curriculum goals, and children’s participation. Over the past decade, teaching has become a more explicit and central concept in Swedish preschool policy, especially following revisions of the preschool curriculum. This development has increased expectations on preschool teachers to plan, implement, document, and evaluate teaching in relation to curriculum goals, while maintaining a child-centered and play-based pedagogical tradition.

The study is based on a qualitative research design with a hermeneutic approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven certified preschool teachers working in different preschools in an urban area. The empirical material was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The study is theoretically informed by a policy enactment perspective developed by Ball, Maguire, and Braun (2012) and further elaborated by Maguire, Braun, and Ball (2015). From this perspective, policy is not understood as something linearly implemented, but as something interpreted, translated, and enacted through professional practices shaped by local organizational conditions.

The results show that teaching is understood as a complex and multifaceted practice that includes both planned and spontaneous activities. Teaching occurs throughout the day, embedded in everyday interactions as well as in structured situations. Preschool teachers emphasize integrating curriculum goals with children’s interests and initiatives, often through theme-oriented project work.

Documentation is described as a central tool for making learning visible, supporting reflection, and guiding further planning. At the same time, organizational challenges such as lack of time, large groups, and limited resources affect the possibilities for systematic teaching.

The study shows that preschool teachers act as key policy actors who interpret and translate policy into practice. From a policy enactment perspective, teaching is understood as an ongoing, context-dependent process shaped by professional judgments, organizational conditions, and local pedagogical practices.

This study examines how expressed purchase intention differs between social media marketing and traditional marketing. The study is based on a quantitative survey design with 83 respondents and uses descriptive statistics to analyze patterns in the empirical material. The results are interpreted with support from the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Media Richness Theory. The results show that expressed purchase intention is higher in relation to social media marketing than in relation to traditional marketing. Social media marketing was also the type of marketing toward which respondents expressed the most positive attitudes and the channel they most often perceived as informative. These channel-related patterns provide the clearest basis for understanding the difference between social media marketing and traditional marketing in the study.

The analysis also shows that purchase intention should not be understood only through marketing channel. Recommendations, perceived ease, factual content and visual or impression-based elements also appear as relevant parts of how respondents relate to purchase intention. These factors are used to deepen the understanding of the result, while the direct difference between the channels is primarily understood through the measures that directly compared social media marketing and traditional marketing.

The study contributes with a delimited empirical analysis of marketing channels and expressed purchase intention. Due to the convenience sample and the descriptive analytical approach, the results should be understood as patterns within the studied sample rather than as statistically generalizable conclusions about a broader population.

This study examines how the discourse surrounding the concept of quality in Swedish compulsory education has been shaped and transformed from the 1990s to the present. The point of departure is that quality is often presented as a self evident and positive concept, while its meaning changes over time and influences how schooling is understood, governed and evaluated. The study is limited to compulsory education and focuses on Lpo 94, Lgr 11 and Lgr 22, as well as central government bills connected to these reforms.

The study applies a qualitative discourse analytical approach inspired by Michel Foucault. The theoretical framework is also based on management by objectives and results, New Public Management, and Bejerot and Hasselbladh’s model of interventions in public sector organizations. These perspectives are used to analyse how the concept of quality is connected to governance ideals, evaluation, accountability and changing power relations in schools.

The analysis shows that the concept of quality has gradually gained a stronger governing function. In the material surrounding Lpo 94, quality is connected to goals, grading, measurability and national competitiveness. In Lgr 11, the concept is further concretized through national knowledge requirements, follow up, evaluation and equivalence. In Lgr 22, this logic of control remains, while the concept of quality is also broadened to include organizational and material conditions for teaching, such as structured teaching, teaching materials and school libraries.

The study concludes that quality cannot be understood as a neutral concept in school governance. Rather, it functions as a governing concept through which responsibility, control and professional work are organized. The discourse of quality thereby contributes to changing power relations between the state, school organizers, principals and teachers, as professional work is increasingly framed by national goals, systems of evaluation and forms of control.

The tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons played a central part in the American Satanic Panic of the 1980s. A phenomenon which has since then been well researched and labeled as a moral panic. However, this fact only stands true when taking the research of American history into consideration.

The purpose of this study is to research whether or not a similar moral panic concerning Dungeons & Dragons took place in Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s. Laying the foundation for this research, the royal library's database of Swedish newspapers was used in order to find the empirical material to be analyzed. During the study 58 separate articles were collected, which had originally been published in Sweden's four largest countrywide newspapers between the 1st of January 1980 and the 31st of December 1999. These articles were subsequently analyzed using the theoretical framework presented by Stanley Cohen and expanded on by Tommy Gustafsson and Klara Arnberg. The study utilizes a qualitative text analysis method in order to analyze the articles in question.

The study found very clear results pointing towards the fact that a moral panic concerning the rising popularity of the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons indeed took place in Sweden. The collected articles show how the debate surrounding the roleplaying game displayed all the signs of a classic moral panic. The study also found a large number of similarities between this case of moral panic and other already established moral panics in Sweden, as well as in America.

This study examines how gamification in app-based loyalty programs relates to customer loyalty in the Swedish grocery retail sector, with particular focus on behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. Drawing on gamification theory, Self-Determination Theory, customer loyalty theory, relationship marketing, and switching costs, the study analyzes whether gamified loyalty apps are primarily associated with indicators of more stable relational loyalty or with reward-driven engagement. The empirical material is based primarily on a quantitative survey of 192 student users of grocery loyalty apps in the Stockholm area, complemented by three semi-structured interviews with practitioners in leading roles within ICA and Coop.

The findings indicate that, in the studied material, the use of loyalty apps is primarily associated with economic incentives and practical usefulness rather than stable relational loyalty. External motivation, particularly discounts, bonuses, coupons, and other price-related benefits, emerged as the strongest motivational dimension. The Spearman correlation analysis showed positive associations between gamification and both behavioral loyalty (ρ = 0.478, p < 0.001) and attitudinal loyalty (ρ = 0.600, p < 0.001), indicating that respondents who rated gamified elements higher also tended to report higher behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. However, these results should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.

Overall, the study suggests that app-based loyalty programs in grocery retail are linked to repeated purchasing behavior and positive store attitudes, but that this loyalty remains strongly shaped by economic incentives, price sensitivity, and competition. Respondents’ willingness to switch stores for better prices indicates that loyalty in this context is conditional rather than firmly relational. Gamified elements such as points, levels, feedback, and progress indicators appear to support engagement mainly by making rewards more visible and structured, rather than by independently creating stable relational loyalty. The study therefore highlights the importance of distinguishing between behavioral activity, attitudinal preference, and stronger forms of genuine customer loyalty.

Charlie Kirks direktsända minnesceremoni kombinerade konservativ politik med kristen evangelisk tro. Tillställningen tillskrev honom en socialt meningsfull status inom sin gemenskap. Detta märktes av genom aktiva val från deltagare och presentatörer i visuella segment och berättelsen som konstruerades. Syftet var att granska hur minnesceremonin ägde rum, om den kunde förstås som ett media event, hur martyrskap kom till uttryck och vad det blev representativt för. Metodologin grundade sig i en kvalitativ tolkning baserat på Dayan & Katz (1992) dimensioner och kategorisering av media events. Utöver det hänvisades till Murphys (2023) teoretiska modell för politisk martyrskap, Tebaldi och Gaddinis (2024) studie på campuskonservativ medierad kommunikation och kristna nationalistiska diskurser, samt Madsens (2026) fallstudie på allmän respons och emotionella uttryck kring Kirks död. Materialet utgjordes av en återspelning av direktsändningen på YouTube, där tillställningens scenmiljö, inslag, och talares kommunicerade budskap granskades och sammanlagt ansågs bidra till att Kirk som figur uppvisade effektiv ledarskap och bar på heliga egenskaper. Tillställningens innehåll uppfattades som ambivalent och präglat av affekt; en motsättning mellan att utkräva hämnd och begära förlåtelse. Minnesceremonin bör inte kategoriseras som ett media event, utan en tillställning där genuin sorg, politisk retorik och religiös dyrkan resulterade i ett martyrnarrativ. Kirks död som följden av politiskt våld tolkades som personlig och parasocial, där den representerade förlusten av en nära vän och förebild, samt förstods som en självuppoffring för frihet och tro, karaktäriserad som en nationell tragedi där han blev representativ för koncepten Förenta staterna och västerländsk civilisation. 

This study examines how healthcare professionals experience and manage organizational change processes in connection with the implementation of the electronic health record system Cosmic within Swedish healthcare. The study is situated within an organizational context characterized by digitalization and governance ideals associated with New Public management, where increased demand for standardization, efficiency and administrative control shape professional practice in healthcare. The study adopts a qualitative approach, based on semistructured interviews with seven healthcare professionals who participated in the transition to Cosmic. The analysis draws on Weick’s sensemaking theory as well as Hirschman and Farrell’s Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect model to understand how informants interpret and respond to organizational change. The findings indicate that the implementation of Cosmic is largely experienced as a change process characterized by high workload, increased stress levels and insufficient resources for education and managerial support, as well as inadequate adaptations to the practical conditions of clinical work. Sensemaking within the change process is to a significant extent produced through collegial interactions, occurs retrospectively yet it is also shaped by professional affiliation and generational belonging. Furthermore, the implementation is found to contribute to an erosion of professional identity and reduction in clinical autonomy, as administrative tasks increase at the expense of patient-centered work. Resistance and adaptation manifest in multiple forms, where a structurally imposed loyalty dominates, while exit and voice are perceived as limited and ineffective. In contrast, neglect and informal workarounds emerge as functional adaptations in everyday practice. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the digital implementation process in public healthcare should not be understood merely as technical change, but as transformative processes that reshape professional identities, organisational relations and the conditions of everyday clinical work. 

Denna studie undersöker lokal- och riksjournalisters upplevelser kring det journalistiska arbetet med Northvolts konkurs. Studiens syfte och frågeställningar behandlar vilka utmaningar journalisterna upplevde i arbetet med rapporteringen, hur geografisk och social närhet eller distans påverkade arbetet samt vilka skillnader som framträder mellan journalister som verkat i lokal kontext och i rikstäckande kontext. Tidigare forskning kring den gröna omställningen i norra Sverige behandlar i hög grad omställningen ur ett bredare perspektiv, medan forskning om Northvolt som enskilt fall saknas helt. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ metod där semistrukturerade intervjuer använts för insamling av data. Totalt har sju journalister intervjuats, fyra lokaljournalister och tre riksjournalister. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår ifrån närhetens dilemma, Thomas Hanitzsch och Tim Vos modell över journalistiska roller samt nyhetsvärdering. Resultatet visar att frågor kopplade till källor och tillgång till information upplevdes som en av de största utmaningarna i arbetet med rapporteringen om Northvolts konkurs. Det framkommer även skillnader i hur lokaljournalisterna och riksjournalisterna ser på närhetens dilemma och dess konsekvenser. Studien visar även att journalistiska roller förändrades beroende på nyhetsläge, tillgång till information och journalistiska arbetsvillkor.

Slutsatsen är att närhet inte behöver fungera som ett hinder för kritisk journalistik, utan kan utgöra en praktisk förutsättning för journalistiskt arbete. Studien bidrar med förståelse kring hur journalister upplever och resonerar kring rapporteringen om stora industriella förändringar, såsom den gröna omställningen.

Generative AI has rapidly become a central concern for organizations seeking to develop their ways of working, streamline processes, and create new forms of organizational value. At the same time, research on digital innovation and affordances shows that the potential of technology is not automatically realized through implementation, but is shaped through the interplay between technical properties, organizational conditions, and the actions of actors. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine how organizations go about creating organizational conditions for the implementation and orchestration of generative AI in existing work systems.

The study is conducted as a qualitative interview study with six participants in managerial and supervisory roles with experience of digitalization, organizational development, and generative AI, across different industries. The theoretical framework combines Kohli and Melville’s model of digital innovation, Strauss, Klein, and Scornavacca’s affordance process for emergent IT, Berente, Gu, Recker, and Santhanam’s perspective on the properties of AI, namely autonomy, learning, and inscrutability, as well as resource orchestration. These perspectives are used to analyze how the participants consider that generative AI is perceived, prepared, orchestrated, and actualized, and what effects this produces in organizations, through a combination of deductive and inductive thematic coding.

The deductive contribution of the study consists of deepened, emic explanations of how existing conditions, affordance preparation, and affordance actualization manifest in practice during the implementation of generative AI. The inductive contribution is an extended conceptual framework in which five patterns emerge as central mechanisms for affordance actualization, patterns not explicitly anticipated by the deductive framework. Data emerges as a foundational primary condition upon which all other conditions depend, without which affordances cannot be actualized. Individual willingness to change is identified as a decisive personal condition whose complexity is not fully captured by existing theory. Preparation is characterized by an experiment-driven logic in which iteration and risk minimization occur in parallel. Motivation behind implementation and prioritization proves to shape the entire process in ways theory does not anticipate. Finally, human-in-the-loop emerges as a shared developed governance principle that runs through all organizations, from preparation through actualization, and becomes institutionalized as a permanent part of how work is organized even after affordances have been actualized.

Taken together, the study shows that the management and orchestration involved in actualizing affordances with generative AI is a dynamic and non-linear process that requires more than technical implementation, and that organizational conditions interact in specific and difficult-to-predict ways that vary across organizations.

This study examines how stakeholders in LivingLab West within the Co-Creating Better Blue programme perceive challenges and opportunities for co-existence between fisheries and offshore wind energy in the southern Skagerrak. It also explores how the LivingLab process supports dialogue and shared understanding. The study is based on nine semi-structured interviews with representatives from the fisheries, wind, and public sectors, analysed through thematic analysis. The findings show that conflict extends beyond spatial competition to include governance, knowledge, and influence. The fisheries sector views offshore wind expansion as displacement and criticises late involvement, while the wind sector highlights fragmented governance and unclear permitting. Governance actors emphasise weak coordination as a key issue. Co-existence is seen as conditional, depending on factors such as fishing methods, wind farm design, and location. Differences in knowledge systems also shape the conflict, as scientific and local knowledge are not equally recognised. LivingLabs can support dialogue, but their legitimacy depends on timing and links to decision-making. The study concludes that sustainable co-existence requires more than technical solutions. It demands earlier, integrated, and meaningful participatory governance where stakeholders can influence.

The purpose of this study is to examine how stock prices in the Swedish stock market are adjusted from the closing price on the cum-day (the last day to purchase the stock with the right to receive the upcoming dividend) to the closing price on the x-day (the first day the stock is traded without the right to the upcoming dividend), adjusted for the markets movement, in relation to the dividend amount. The study is conducted in a market environment where tax effects for a significant proportion of Swedish private investors have been reduced through Investment Savings Accounts (ISK).

Companies included in the OMXS30 constitute the sample of the study, and data for these companies have been collected over a ten-year period (2016-2025). The data consist of dividend amounts, closing prices on the cum-day and the x-day for individual stocks, as well as closing prices for the index. The research adopts a quantitative approach with a deductive research strategy. According to Miller and Modigliani (1961) theory, stock prices are expected to decline by the amount equal to the dividend. The study aims to determine whether the market is efficient around the x-day. Additionally the study examines differences in price movements between high-dividend and low-dividend stocks within the sample. Finally a hypothesis test is conducted to determine whether the results differ significantly from the theoretical price adjustment using a one-sample t-test.

The results show that the price drop amounts to 104 percent of the dividend, adjusted for market movements on the x-day. Furthermore the t-test indicates that this does not differ significantly from the theoretical price drop. A comparison with previous research by Elton and Gruber (1970), which found a price drop of approximately 78 percent of the dividend, suggests that the market may have become more efficient today. The findings of this study will be further analyzed and compared with previous research, including studies on the Swedish market as well as the markets of Hong Kong and Germany, where dividends are tax free. 

Background: E-commerce has grown rapidly in recent decades and has become an important part of the retail sector, both globally and in Sweden. The industry is characterized by strong competition, low entry barriers and pressure on profit margins, which creates financial challenges for many companies. At the same time, capital structure, how companies finance themselves through debt and equity, is a key factor influencing financial risk and stability.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between capital structure and bankruptcy risk in small and medium-sized (SME) Swedish e-commerce companies. By examining financial indicators such as leverage and profitability, the study aims to increase the understanding of how financing decisions affect companies financial stability and survival.

Theory: The study is based on three central theories: Modigliani and Miller, the pecking order theory and the tradeoff-theory.

Method: This study applies a quantitative research approach using logistic regression analysis. The empirical data is collected from Retriever Business and consists of small and medium-sized enterprises operating within the Swedish e-commerce sector.

Conclusion: The results show no statistically significant relationship between capital structure and bankruptcy risk among small and medium-sized Swedish e-commerce companies. Instead, the findings suggest that factors such as firm size, age and industry-specific conditions may play a more important role in explaining bankruptcy risk.

The purpose of the study is to examine the correlation between overconfidence and portfolio diversification among young investors in Sweden, as well as to analyze how investment experience relates to the level of overconfidence. The study is based on behavioral finance and Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). A quantitative research approach was applied through a survey aimed at investors between the ages of 18-30 years. The collected data was analyzed  using Spearman's rank correlation analysis to examine the relationships between the study's variables as well as linear regression analysis to examine how the independent  variables explained variation in the dependent variables. 

The results from Spearman’s rank correlation analysis showed a statistically significant negative correlation between overconfidence and the number of securities held in the portfolio. The regression analysis further showed that overconfidence significantly explained variation in the number of securities held in the portfolio, strengthening the finding that higher levels of overconfidence are associated with lower levels of diversification. Investors with higher levels of overconfidence held fewer securities and less diversified portfolios. The findings further suggest that overconfidence may contribute to increased risk exposure as investors do not diversify their investments sufficiently. The results also demonstrated a negative correlation between investment experience and overconfidence, indicating that less experienced investors tended to display higher levels of overconfidence compared to more experienced investors. In conclusion,  the findings suggest that overconfidence can influence young investors' portfolio decisions by contributing to lower diversification and higher concentration in individual holdings.

Native advertising blends well with personal content on social media, making it difficult to identify advertising messages. Therefore, this advertising format might challenge credibility as the commercial intent is unclear. At the same time, advertising should be perceived credible in order for it to be effective. Therefore, this study aims to explore how young adults identify and interpret native advertising on social media, and how this relates to credibility assessments. The purpose is also to exploratively compare possible differences between credibility assessments in various national contexts and, if so, how it can be understood.

To achieve the objective of the study, a qualitative research method has been adopted with an abductive approach. The data collection consisted of 24 semi-structured interviews with young adults, born between 1990-2005, from Sweden and Bangladesh. Furthermore, the empirical data has been analyzed with a theoretical framework consisting of the Persuasion Knowledge Model, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory, Hall’s Context Theory, and Credibility as an analytical concept, including Source Credibility Theory and previous research on credibility assessments. Only Power Distance and Individualism versus Collectivism from Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory have been included in the theoretical framework.

The results suggest that the commercial purpose of native advertising becomes apparent as a process and through different signals in the studied context. The results also show that interpretation and credibility interact and influence each other. At the same time, credibility assessment tends to be made through heuristics, where, for example, social confirmation or prior knowledge might be crucial. However, credibility is situational and contingent upon the alignment between the sender and the marketed area. Finally, the results indicate similar processes in the samples in both Sweden and Bangladesh. Yet, the studied young adults in Bangladesh tend to place greater value on the opinions of relatives and exhibit a somewhat more positive attitude towards native advertising.

The aim of this study has been to explore how right-wing populism has been depicted in Swedish teaching materials intended for social studies in upper secondary school, published from the 1990’s to the 2020’s. Two research questions have been constructed, in order to concretize the purpose of the study. These are “How is right-wing populism and associated ideas depicted in Swedish teaching material for social studies in upper secondary school?” as well as “What continuities can be identified in the depiction of right-wing populism between the 1990’s and the 2020’s?”. Each decade has in terms of material been represented by two teaching materials, which for the study totals 8 teaching materials altogether. The study has utilized a descriptive idea analysis as a part of the methodology, together with a description of populism by Cas Mudde (2004). Mudde (2004) has been used to formulate two indicators of populism. These are “the depiction of the ‘elite’ and the ‘people’ along with the antagonism between these two groups” and “the depiction of ‘the people’s will’”.

The study’s analysis has found that right-wing populism has been depicted in four types of ways. They have been depictions of a disdain for politicians, “grievance parties”, the people’s will or representation of opinion, and depictions of right-wing populism in particular. The study has further found that the depictions to some extent have a continuity between the decades. The depiction of a disdain for politicians forms a continuity in the study’s material from the 1990’s to the 2010’s, which then is broken in the 2020’s. The remaining three depictions of right-wing populism do not have an equally clear continuity between the decades. The depictions of “grievance parties” as well as “the representation of opinion” are only depicted in teaching materials from the 2000s and 2020s, and the 1990s and 2020s, respectively. As it pertains to depictions of right-wing populism in particular, the study has shown that right-wing populism is depicted from the 2000’s to the 2010’s. This depiction does however not continue on to the 2020’s.

This study examines the relationship between the Swedish Riksbank’s policy rate and the market value of Swedish listed real estate companies during the period 2015–2024. The analysis includes 25 companies listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and covers both commercial and residential real estate companies. The purpose is to analyze whether changes in the policy rate are associated with changes in market value and whether this relationship differs between the two segments.

The study applies a quantitative research strategy with a deductive approach and is based on panel data collected from the Riksbank, Statistics Sweden (SCB), Retriever Business, Avanza and Nasdaq Stockholm. Multiple regression analysis is used to examine the relationship between the policy rate and market value while controlling for leverage, cash flow, firm size, return on equity (ROE) and the market risk premium. The theoretical framework is based on CAPM, the DCF model and Trade-off Theory.

The findings indicate a statistically significant negative relationship between the policy rate and the market value of Swedish listed real estate companies. The results also suggest that the relationship is somewhat stronger for residential real estate companies than for commercial real estate companies. In addition, leverage, firm size, cash flow, ROE and the market risk premium are found to be significantly associated with market value.

The study contributes to the understanding of how changes in monetary policy are related to the valuation of a highly leveraged and economically important sector. However, the results should be interpreted with caution, as the analysis identifies statistical relationships rather than definitive causal effects.

Keywords: Policy rate, Market value, Commercial real estate companies, Residential real estate companies, Firm size, Leverage, Cash flow, Market risk premium, ROE

This study examines whether financial performance, measured through DuPont components and the financing gap, affects the time between venture capital funding rounds among Swedish tech startups. The sample consists of 125 firms across Fintech, HealthTech, Developer Tools, E-commerce SaaS, and HR Tech, comprising 341 transitions between funding rounds during 2015–2025. The study applies survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier estimation.

The results show that the profit margin is the only DuPont component with a statistically significant association with time to the next round (HR = 0.9998, p < 0.001). While the per-unit effect appears small, the profit margin is measured as a ratio that spans from approximately -11,000 to +21 in the sample. Since the profit margin spans thousands of units across the sample, the cumulative effect across the observed range is substantial despite the small per-unit impact. Startups with higher profit margins take longer to raise the next round, consistent with pecking order theory. The result is robust across all model specifications. Asset turnover and the financing gap show coefficients in the expected direction, financial leverage don’t, but all three lack statistical significance.

Kaplan-Meier estimation shows a median time to the next round of 23 months and a significant difference between sectors (p < 0.001). HealthTech and Fintech have the shortest time, while E-commerce and HR Tech have the longest. The interaction analysis indicates that the profit margin effect varies across sectors, with significantly weaker effect in HealthTech.

The study contributes by being the first to test firm-level financial performance against financing timing. Prior research has lacked this type of data. By leveraging the requirement for Swedish limited companies to publish their annual reports, this study addresses the gap identified by Li (2008), Huang et al. (2022), and Panda and Gopalaswamy (2020).

The aim of this study is to investigate how preschool teachers experience circle time in relation to including all children. The research questions address the methods and strategies, as well as the opportunities and challenges that preschool teachers experience when including all children and their diverse needs in circle time.  

The research method used was semi-structured interviews involving six preschool teachers from different types of preschools. We employed a thematic analysis method to analyse the data. The theoretical frameworks we used to analyse our findings were inclusion, views on children, participation, as well as interculturality and intercultural pedagogical competence.  

The results show that respondents have different perspectives depending on their experiences, knowledge and circumstances. However, it is evident that they reflect on and address the same areas when it comes to the methods and strategies they say they use to include all children in circle time. Their methods and strategies cover the roles of the preschool teacher and the team, the relationship with the children, the children’s interests and needs, and the design and structure of the circle time. The results also show that the opportunities and challenges experienced by the respondents may differ. All respondents perceive the children’s differences as a challenge during circle time. However, some respondents see these differences as an opening for new opportunities to create a more inclusive environment. Other opportunities highlighted by most respondents include how the circle time can help create a sense of community and a democratic forum where children, with their differences, are given a place.  The conclusion shows that the respondents are committed and have a desire to engage with and include all children. Their approach is shaped by their own experiences, knowledge and the conditions they encounter in their preschools. This influences their behaviour and their capacity to act, and we observe shortcomings in their intercultural pedagogical competence.  This study emphasises that preschool teachers need to enhance their understanding of differences and diversity in order to develop a systematic approach to including all children in circle time at preschool. 

This thesis examines how the capital structure of Swedish companies in export-intensive industries changed in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic and to what extent established firm characteristics explain their financing decisions. The study draws on trade-off theory and pecking-order theory. The analysis is based on panel data covering 71,236 firm-year observations from 10,550 listed and unlisted companies operating within the manufacturing industry and selected parts of the service industries. The dataset was retrieved from Retriever Business for the period 2017–2024. Using a quantitative approach three multiple OLS regressions are estimated with total, short-term and long-term debt as dependent variables including fixed effects and firm clustered standard errors. The results show that profitability, size, tangible assets, growth and the crisis period all have statistically significant effects on at least one of the leverage measures, and all five null hypotheses are rejected. Leverage declined during the pandemic and the lower level largely persisted afterwards, particularly for total and long-term debt. A Chow-test confirms that listed and unlisted firms follow systematically different capital structure patterns. The pandemic effect is pronounced for unlisted firms but not statistically detectable for listed firms. The study contributes empirical evidence from an under-researched Swedish export context and indicates that trade-off theory and pecking-order theory are complementary rather than mutually exclusive, with their relative explanatory power depending on context.

This thesis investigates the relationship between the subject and the voice as object a in Lacan. To do so, this relationship is contrasted with the Cartesian model of the ego as schematized by Lacan. Lacan conceptualizes the ego through his model of the mirror stage. In the mirror, Lacan argues, the child sees itself as an ego for the first time. By incorporating readings of the Cartesian model made by Deleuze and Heidegger, the ego can furthermore be understood as a Vorstellung, i.e. a representation that can be placed before and separated from itself. This shows that the ego is structured through alienation. In contrast to the ego, Lacan argues that the subject is an effect of language that arises as an absence through its representation by the signifier. In order to find itself, the subject seeks to place the signifier before itself and is therefore separated from itself. Thus, the subject is trapped in an alienation equal to that of the ego. By introducing object a, Lacan breaks with this structure of alienation. He now argues that the subject arises as an absence in language by losing a part of itself, namely object a. As the lost and absent part of the subject, object a is the subject. Lacan identifies several forms of object a, of which the voice is one. In the form of the voice, the subject is an absent representation, which enables the subject to coincide with the voice. This is because the absent subject no longer has to seek itself as a presence to be put before itself; rather, the very absence of the subject becomes present when it coincides with the voice. In this conception, the subject can coincide with itself through its voice as an absent representation, something that is disclosed through silence.

Denna studie undersöker hur grävande journalister i Sverige upplever och hanterar hot och hat i sitt yrke. Kvalitativa intervjuer med sju grävande journalister ligger till grund för studien i syfte att få nära insyn i arbetsmiljö och utsatthet. För att analysera journalisternas upplevelser utgår studien i fyra teorier; copingstrategier, hierarkiska modellen, journalistiska roller, och tystnadsspiralen. Copingstrategier har en större betydelse för uppsatsens resultat då journalisternas hantering av hot och hat samt undvikande av rapporteringsområden står i fokus. Ansvarstagande undersöks genom den hierarkiska modellen och journalistiska roller för att se var hot uppstår, vilken roll de antar och vem som är ansvarig för att skydda journalisterna. 

Resultatet av undersökningen visar att samtliga respondenter har, till följd av att de mottagit hot och hat, blivit avtrubbade, infört säkerhetsrutiner i sin vardag och övervägt att undvika särskilda rapporteringsområden. Det finns en benägenhet hos respondenterna att undvika vissa rapporteringsområden som utgör en större risk för hot eller hat. Samtidigt som samtliga respondenter beskriver sitt journalistiska uppdrag som samhällsviktigt och som en demokratisk funktion, finns en inre konflikt hos journalisterna, att uppfylla grävande journalistikens demokratiska funktion eller självcensurera sig för att undvika hot eller hat. 

The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has created new opportunities for efficiency improvements within the education sector. At the same time, the technology raises significant concerns related to information security and the handling of sensitive personal data. This study aims to identify the organizational routines, work processes, and technical functions that need to be in place for generative AI to be used in an information-secure manner in upper secondary school administrative work.

The study adopts a qualitative approach and is based on semi-structured interviews with teachers, student counsellors, and IT staff within upper secondary schools. The analysis is guided by a deductive conceptual framework that combines Alter’s Work System Framework, Business Process Management, technologies-in-practice, and perspectives on information security and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The results highlight key risk points in current administrative practices and identify the organizational and technical conditions required for the secure use of generative AI. The study thereby contributes to an increased understanding of how AI can be integrated into school administration in a way that balances efficiency with the requirements of data protection and student privacy.

The purpose of this study is to contribute in-depth knowledge about how preschool teachers reason about their didactic choices when children’s literature is used in values-education, and to highlight the opportunities and challenges they experience in this work. The study is based on a qualitative, interpretive, and exploratory interview design. The empirical material consists of seven semi-structured interviews with certified preschool teachers working in different preschool contexts. The material was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The theoretical framework is non-affirmative pedagogy.

The results show that preschool teachers’ didactic choices involve several interrelated dimensions, including the selection of literature, the purpose of teaching, the organisation of the group, how content is made accessible, and how conversations are guided in relation to children’s participation. Children’s literature emerges not only as a pedagogical tool but also as meaningful-making content and as a dialogic space in which children are given opportunities to interpret, process, and discuss experiences, emotions, relationships, and values. At the same time, the study shows that this work involves recurring challenges and dilemmas, particularly in relation to children’s differing maturity and sensitivity, sensitive themes, norms and representation, parents’ expectations, and organisational conditions.

The study contributes to knowledge about children’s literature as a didactic and ethical resource in preschool values education and highlights the importance of professional judgement in this work.

European elite football has developed into a global industry where ownership structures and financial regulations have become increasingly important. Multi-Club Ownership (MCO), where the same owner controls several clubs across different countries, has emerged as a growing phenomenon that creates new financial opportunities but also raises questions about how well UEFA's financial regulations capture the actual economic risk when clubs are assessed individually but influenced by larger group structures.

The purpose of this study is to analyse how MCO membership affects European elite football clubs' capital structure and financial risk, with a focus on intra-group transactions in relation to UEFA's financial regulations. The theoretical framework is based on pecking order theory and regulatory arbitrage.

The study applies a comparative multiple case design with an abductive approach. The empirical material consists of annual reports from fourteen European elite football clubs over the period 2018/19–2023/24, of which seven are MCO clubs and seven are independent. The analysis combines quantitative ratio analysis with qualitative analysis of related-party disclosures. A Mann-Whitney U-test is used as an exploratory complement.

The results show that MCO clubs do not form a uniform financial group. The statistical analysis reveals no significant differences in solvency or liquidity between the two groups. However, the qualitative analysis shows that several MCO clubs use financial structures not fully captured by traditional ratios, such as interest-free loans and intra-group receivables, providing increased financial flexibility while making it harder to assess their actual risk profile.

The study concludes that MCO structures change how financial risk is organised and reported. Parts of the risk can be shifted from club level to group level, outside UEFA's regulatory scope. Assessment at club level alone does not provide a complete picture of the actual financial exposure in complex ownership structures.

The following thesis revolves around Reiner Schürmann’s question of what is to be done in the age of the closure of metaphysics, when thinking no longer offers a foundation for acting. Instead of proposing an answer to this question the following thesis aims to understand who this subject is and how we should understand action in this closure when the subject no longer can be thought of in terms of subiectum or hypokeimenon and when action appears without any governing principle. In order to approach this problem of subjectivity and action in Schürmann, the following study argues that we turn to Schürmann’s early readings of Meister Eckhart and his speculative mysticism. Throughout his works, Schürmann develops on what it means to live without a why, releasement and anarchy, but in his early writings on Meister Eckhart we find a more radical understanding of releasement as a movement between detachment [Abgeschiedenheit] and releasement [Gelassenheit] in which the subject voluntarily detaches himself in order to let God act through him in a wandering identity. The aim of this approach is thus to analyze the existential dimension that we find in Schürmann’s writings on Eckhart by using his concept of releasement in relation to subjectivity and action. A central thesis of the essay, which I will seek to demonstrate, is how we can understand releasement as the very happening of anarchy, its event. By this, I also show that it is through releasement that anarchy takes shape in terms of subjectivity and action. This enables us to understand what it means to constitute oneself and act as an anarchic subject in terms of errancy and abandonment.