The purpose of this study was to examine how commitment to a cause on a local basis had developed in four smaller groups during one decade. In 1996 I interviewed representatives in Åsele, Borrby, Hasslarp and Tving about their commitment and citizen initiative. Now, ten years later, I followed it up by interviewing them again. I wanted to know if the groups/associations still existed, if they had achieved their goals as they where pronounced ten years ago and how a strong commitment on a local basis can develop during ten years. Which phenomena decide whether the group develop or phase out? I use the term citizen commitment instead of citizen initiative to stress the fact that it is no longer an initiative but an on-going commitment.

AbstractThe aim of this study was to highlight who represents elderly immigrants and apply the theory of social exclusion. We chose channels for representation that we found important in relation to this group. The first part is a study of available litterature of the subject. We found three main arenas: participation in elections, participation in associations and clubs and representation in political institutions. The findings showed a democratic deficit among elderly immigrants, which gave an indication of social exclusion from the political arena and from participation in associations.For the second part we decided to concentrate on the arena of participation in associations and clubs that represent the elderly and/or immigrants.

The purpose of this essay is to examine the concept of competence within the social services. More specifically it aims to find out how the social workers themselves look upon their own competence in social investigations concerning children. As the study was based on focus groups the main questions were vague at the beginning and were cleared later on during the group sessions.In three focus group interviews in three different municipalities in southern Sweden 11 social workers were asked to discuss this issue. The interviews were then thoroughly transcribed. In the data I identified 9 themes seeming to play a special roll in the discussions about competence: practice; experience; approach; intuition; responsibility; theories, methods and laws; reflection; resources and ethics; specialisation versus integration.The analysis made on these themes was based on two different kinds of perspective; one focusing knowing-in-action and the other focusing the organization framing the competence considered.As a conclusion the 7 first themes can be seen as a definition of the competence used in social investigations concerning children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate what attracts children to activity and movement on the playground in a central and municipal preschool in a town located in middle of Sweden. The method was to use a qualitative group interview with five children, two girls and three boys, at the age of five. The interview consisted of a general question about what kids think is fun to do on the playground and was complemented with follow-up questions depending on what the children said. A qualitative interview with a preschool teacher and observations were carried out in the hope that they would confirm what children claimed about play and movement. This study showed a gender difference when girls like to swing together while the boys are making the swinging for a contest.

Popular culture is a phenomenon of growing importance in the society today. Children and teenagers are increasingly using popular culture in their everyday life to reflect and answer questions about their identities and the meaning of life. Swedish primary and upper secondary schools are expected to prepare their students for adulthood and to provide them with tools to explain understand and problematize contemporary society. From this perspective it is relevant to question whether the schools achieve this and whether the instruction given there represents the contemporary society. For the purpose of knowing more about how popular culture is perceived and dealt with in the Swedish education system, this study examines how eight textbooks in Religious Education (RE) and the national curriculum for upper secondary school discuss and treat popular culture.  The study focuses on when and in what ways the textbooks mention popular culture and if the curriculum provides any supportive base for including popular culture in religious education.

This study deals with the way how people think about life after death from the perspective of individualization. Individualization is something that affects all aspects of society, especially inSweden, which is of the most individualized countries. It also affects how people think about their own death.I have compared what people think about life after death with five theologians who have different views; Per Block, Sallie McFague, Krister Stendahl, Maurice Wiles and Jürgen Moltmann.I have compared the difference between individualism and individualization, andformulated some problems regarding how to think of individualism in terms of good and bad. Finally, I have finally discussed how I think Svenska kyrkan, the Church of Sweden, should meet the individualization, individualism and people´s opinion about life after death.The main question of the essay is partly unanswered because there is very little material and studies made about life after death contra individualization. One conclusion of my study, however, that I have reached is that people are allowed to choose freely nowadays, and that leads to a big difference in the system of beliefs.

This thesis aims to examine and critically revise the language in two of Sweden ?s major newspapers Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), regarding the reporting of the police department of Skånes registration of the Swedish Romani minority. The research method used is qualitative text analysis based on Teun Van Dijks model for critical discourse analysis of news discourse. The material examined contains of four articles published the last week of September 2013. This thesis has a critical perspective based on the notion that the media influence the public?s opinion about certain themes, and strives to contribute to the field of research about how the Romani minority is being portrayed in the Swedish press.Previous research of the representation of ethnic minorities in the media has shown that ethnic minorities usually are represented in contexts of criminality or social problems.

This essay is about how the company management should prepare to avoid BOHICA syndrome to develop from a reorganisation. BOHICA syndrome is a cynical attitude, acquired by recurrent disappointments from, for example reorganisations. If the company management is attentive and identifies and addresses such disappointments, BOHICA syndrome can prohibit the possibilities in future to work efficiently and profitably in the company. BOHICA syndrome are thus by extension a threat to the company?s survival.

The purpose of this study has been to investigate how frequently, and in witch ways, theories concerning the "late-modern" society are being used in the contemporary research of social work. My thesis is that theories concerning the late-modern society could be useful in social work research, foremost to shed light on, and broaden the understanding of, dilemmas and problems that are specific to the contemporary society. In the study I'm investigating all doctoral dissertations on social work written in Sweden between the years 2003 and 2006, and to execute the study I've applied a text analysis method in four steps. Simplified the four steps of the analysis can be said to investigate, if, how frequent, and in what way theories on the late modern society is being used in social work study. I'm also specifically investigating how problems exclusive to the late-modern society is being taken under consideration in the dissertations.In the analysis of my results I take a critical theory approach and I also discuss if theories on late-modernity is to be seen as a paradigm in the field of social work science.

Syftet med studien är att utveckla kunskap om hur personalen på boenden för ensamkommande barn utifrån empowerment arbetar med att möjliggöra de ensamkommande barnens delaktighet, inklusion och integration i samhället. Vidare syftar studien även till att belysa hur personalen på boenden själva ser på detta arbete. De frågeställningarna som belyses i studien är: Vad i arbetet med förhållningsätt skapar möjlighet till ensamkommande barns delaktighet i samhället, enligt personal på boenden för ensamkommande barn? Finns det skillnader mellan personal på HVB- boenden om vad man anser om att arbeta med delaktighetsfrämjande arbete? Om ja, kan dessa skillnader då förklaras med kön, ålder, utbildning, erfarenhet etc. av att arbeta med ensamkommande barn? Metoder som används i studien har en kvantitativ och kvalitativ ansats och innehåller en enkätundersökning och tre intervjuer gjorda med boendepersonalen i Kalmar län.

Syftet med denna studie är att förstå den erfarenhet och kunskap om samverkan som deltagarna i Må bra på äldre dar - projektet fått i det hälsofrämjande samverkansprojektet. Studien fokuserar på framgångsfaktorer och hinder för samverkansprocessen, hur projektet påverkat maktförhållandena mellan de ideella och offentliga organisationerna, deltagarnas organisatoriska erfarenheter av samverkan, deras uppfattning av arbetsklimatet och upplevelse av KASAM i projektet. Forskning kring hälsofrämjande samverkan bland äldre är sparsam. En kvalitativ ansats användes med fokusgrupper som datainsamlingsmetod. 11 fokusgrupper genomfördes med 62 deltagare.

This study investigates the succession process in family businesses and aims to enhance the understanding of the process as a whole, as well as how family businesses strategically plan for succession. The research is based on a case study of a family corporate group undergoing a transition from the fourth to the fifth generation. A qualitative research approach was employed, involving interviews with individuals from both the fourth and fifth generations, as well as external stakeholders who have influenced the process. The results show that the planning and implementation of succession are complex and that there is a certain lack of existing theory. Empirical evidence indicates that contracts and documentation are crucial for advancing the process. Inclusion of external parties is also important, not only for their expertise but also to provide an objective perspective.

Diabetes har kommit att bli en vanlig folksjukdom som ständigt ökar i prevalens och för med sig egenvårdsansvar för patienten. Empowerment introducerades som begrepp inom diabetesvården i början av 1990-talet talet och innebär en strävan att öka patientens personliga ansvar och förmåga att ta kontroll samt hantera sin sjukdom. Studiens syfte var att beskriva hur empowermentfokuserad omvårdnad kan inverka på diabetespatientens välbefinnande samt egenvårdsförmåga. Studien baserades på en litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ ansats där både kvalitativa och kvantitativa artiklar låg till grund för resultatet. Analysen genomfördes som en manifest innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats.

Stockholm has in recent years experienced a strong population increase but despite that fact, the demand for housing has not been followed by enough housing contracts. According to forecasts, growth in population will further be continued upward. With more condominiums than rental units on the market, new apartments are too expensive to live in. This creates unsustainable problems for those in lower classes of society. Creating a housing market in the periphery of Stockholm is not sustainable from a social perspective.

The occupational therapist uses meaningful activities to promote health and accomplish functional progress. The professional role is to support and enable for the client to change his/her life. One way to accomplish this is to use the group as a tool. Knowledge is needed about how learning works and which teaching methods exist to promote learning, so it is adapted after the clients´ personal way of learning. The aim of this study was to investigate which pedagogical approaches occupational therapists use in group activities.