The environmental impact of transportation construction, operation and maintenance is of critical importance. Therefore it is vital to carry out a groundwater vulnerability assessment for transportation projects at an early stage. The objective of the study was to apply a methodology for groundwater vulnerability assessment for transportation planning in order to identify and avoid areas susceptible to contamination. In this study a spatial multi criteria analysis (SMCA) was conducted where the impacts of railroads on groundwater were examined. Physical factors that influence the groundwater vulnerability such as infiltration capacity, hydraulic conductivity, effective porosity, slope, land cover, depth to groundwater and topographic wetness index (TWI) were considered in this study. Results from the study show that about 30% of the total area was prone to high and very high groundwater vulnerability. The final vulnerability map illustrated the highly vulnerable areas in the sand deposits and till and less vulnerable areas of rock outcrops and clay deposits. According to the outcome of the sensitivity analysis the methodology used in this study shows promising results and can be employed further with some improvements. / På grund av ökad efterfråga på transport planerar Stockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) en ny järnväg i norra Stockholm mellan Vallentuna kommun och Arlanda flygplats (Sveriges största internationella flygplats). Väg- och järnvägskonstruktion och underhåll förorenar inte bara luft, mark och närliggande vattendrag utan även den mättade zonen genom infiltrerande vatten. Denna studie fokuserar på effekterna av järnvägen på grundvattnet, eftersom grundvatten är en viktig resurs för vattenförsörjning (hushåll, industri etc.) Syftet med denna studie var att utveckla en modell för sårbarhetsanalys av grundvatten för transportplanering genom Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) och geografiska informationssystem (GIS). För att hantera detta komplexa problem har sju kriterier kritiska för grundvattnets sårbarhet identifierats (t.ex. hydraulisk konduktivitet, infiltration och effektiv porositet, djup till grundvatten, marktäcke, topografisk wetness index (TWI) och lutning); viktats med tanke på dess påverkan på grundvattnet och dess noggrannhet i data; och till sist kombinerats för att framställa en grundvattensårbarhetkarta. GIS (ArcGIS) verktyg användes i studien för att hantera rumslig heterogenitet inom det studerade området samt komplexiteten av MCA. För att utvärdera påverkan av varje kriterium på resulterad sårbarhetskarta tillämpades enda variabel metoden. Genom att jämföra värdena från den teoretiska viktningen (tilldelade värden) och den effektiva viktningen (beräknade värden) för varje kriterium kunde det mest inflytelserika kriteriet identifieras. Som ett resultat av studien, producerades en grundvattensårbarhetskarta över det studerade området vilket indikerade att sand och moränavlagringar är mycket känsliga för föroreningar på grund av hög infiltrationskapacitet i grovkornig jord, högt värde av hydraulisk konduktivitet och effektiv porositet. Men på grund av låg infiltration och hydraulisk konduktivitet tillsammans med låg effektiv porositet, erhöll lera som ligger på låga upphöjda områden det lägsta värdet av sårbarhet.

The exclusion of marginalized individuals or groups from public space through interventions as part of processes of urban transformation, and the disparity between these processes and the stated motivations behind them have been widely researched (Berney, 2013; Low, 2020; Madanipour, 2020; Mitchell, 2017). The aim of the thesis is to critically examine the disconnect between motivations and outcomes in public space planning through the theoretical perspective of a right to the city (Lefebvre, 1996), applying the idea of circulating spatial rationalities (Huxley, 2006). The thesis takes a qualitative approach, and is designed as a case study, focused on the urban park Rålambshovsparken. The chosen methods were semi-structured interviews with four participants involved in the planning of the park, and a document analysis of three planning documents. The findings show that the interventions in the park could be said to affect inclusiveness in a few different ways, for example through overly protective measures, to ensure a perceived required quality level. Also that the motivations belong to larger spatial rationalities, the participants adhere to different spheres of rationality, though interlinking with each other.

BlackRocks VD hävdar att företagens ansvar i klimatfrågan är av större vikt än någonsin, där deras prestationer inte enbart innebär en klimatrisk utan även en investeringsrisk. Denna studie undersöker huruvida företags CSR-prestation, där ESG-poäng används som proxy, påverkar marknadsreaktionen vid annonsering av vinstvarningar på den svenska marknaden under perioden 2015-2019. Med hjälp av en eventstudie baserad på 53 observationer beräknas den genomsnittliga avvikelseavkastningen. En multipel regressionsanalys genomförs för att undersöka om företagens CSR-prestation påverkar marknadsreaktionen efter att företagen utfärdar vinstvarningar. Resultatet visar att även om det sker en signifikant negativ genomsnittlig avvikelseavkastning vid annonsering av vinstvarningar, finns inget signifikant samband mellan marknadsreaktionen och företagens ESG-poäng. Det är därför inte möjligt att fastställa om företag på den svenska marknaden med en bättre ESG-prestation uppvisar mindre negativ avvikelseavkastning efter att de annonserat en vinstvarning.

Enligt tidigare forskning påverkar fusioner och förvärv inte enbart de direkt inblandade parterna, utan det har även visats medföra olika signalvärden till branschen i stort. Genom en eventstudie omfattande 23 uppköpsbud och 79 konkurrenter på Nasdaq Stockholm undersöker denna studie om det föreligger positiv abnormal avkastning för konkurrenter till budmottagande företag samt olika variablers påverkan under åren 2014–2019. Utifrån studiens resultat kan det inte påvisas statistiskt signifikant positiv abnormal avkastning bland konkurrenter till budmottagande företag, vilket kan bero på problematiken i att identifiera direkt jämförbara konkurrerande företag. Vidare kan valet av marknad, tidsperiod och dataurval även påverkat studiens resultat. Studien kan däremot påvisa att mindre konkurrenter i förhållande till målföretaget upplever en högre positiv abnormal avkastning medan uppköpsbud från utländska bolag påverkar konkurrenternas abnormala avkastning negativt. Resultatet är intressant och något förvånande då sambandet inte kunnat påvisats i tidigare studier och går delvis emot de rådande teorierna inom området.

This paper investigates the relationship between vacant job positions and unemployed workers, illustrated by the Beveridge curve, a tool for observing the matching process and the condition of a labour market. The Swedish case is studied together with its three largest labour market regions, i.e., Stockholm-, Västra Götaland- and Skåne county. A comparison opens up a discussion of whether local labour markets with similar characteristics located in different parts of the country behave similarly or in what way they distinguish. Furthermore, these three regions are expected to influence the Swedish Beveridge curve to a larger extent, which is also examined in the paper. In addition, the effect of an exogenous shock, such as the building of the Öresund Bridge, expanding the labour market of Skåne county by connection to another metropolitan area, Copenhagen, is studied. This is done by comparing the matching efficiency before and after the bridge is opened. Moreover, the effect in Skåne is then analysed in accordance with the same period for the other regions included, to get an indication of whether the bridge alone provides a change in matching efficiency or if changes are connected to national events that influence all regions similarly.  The analysis is based on monthly data from year 1996-2020, collected from the Swedish Public Employment service and Statistics Sweden, primarily. Graphical illustrations of the Beveridge curve in combination with OLS regressions provide concluding results that the Beveridge curves for the three regional labour markets observed are shaped rather similarly and experience shifts and movements during the same time points, generally. Skåne county is the exception and experience more horizontal and vertical movements compared to Stockholm- and Västra Götaland county and the Swedish average. Furthermore, there are statistically significant estimates ensuring the negative relationship between unemployment- and vacancy rate, i.e., a downward sloping Beveridge curve for all regions. Not enough evidence on the effect of the Öresund Bridge on the matching efficiency of Skåne county is provided to present a valid conclusion regarding this topic.

Children and youth’s involvement in participatory urban planning processes is a phenomenon that is given increased attention by planning actors and stakeholders, as well as it is gaining space in research regarding environmental- and social sustainability. This thesis research examines how children and youth’s participation is defined, and implemented, in the two major Swedish cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg. The main challenges, and current possibilities, for planning professionals in the two cities are explored. Drawing on qualitative interviews with experienced planning professionals, and relevant documents, I analyze current issues with defining and implementing children and youth’s participation in the practice of urban planning. Discerning participation from consultation, or simply asking about children and youth’s opinions, is surrounded by some confusion. This occurs in the phase of defining and implementing children and youth’s participation, in both theory and practice. There are also factors in the formal institutional context which pose challenges to implementation, since time frames, budgets, and resources to develop knowledge and competence are limited. Other challenges planners face relates to ways in which they can use the information collected when engaging children and youth, and how to provide feedback to participants as a part of daily practice. Participatory planning projects allow for learning to take place, inclusive of planners, children and youth. Children and youth contribute with new perspectives and insight about their surroundings, which are important to include in urban planning. Participatory processes enable them to develop skills of becoming community builders and democratic citizens.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate immigrant youths’ experiences of accessibility of urban greenspaces (UGS) and how these spaces meet the needs and preferences of this user group. The case study takes on an explorative approach based on interviews and participant observations. Environmental justice and sense of place theory constitute the research framework and permeate the study from research design throughout to the conslusions. Environmental justice theory has been applied earlier in studies of accessibility of UGS among different social groups, mostly on issues of environmental bads. However, no previous research has treated these issues in combination with a sense of place framework. This study contributes to the UGS accessibility research by illuminating the subjective experiences of the urban nature in familiar environments. The results from this study depict how factors other than the physical presence of UGS - such as social networks for local knowledge, previous nature images and feelings of familiarity with the surroundings - affect the perception of how well UGS meet one’s need and desiers.

Background: This study examines online shopping in different cultures and technologies in relation to customer satisfaction in Stockholm and Accra; a developed city with a developing city respectively. In recent times, the use of the internet has rapidly increased around the globe and with it emerged online shopping as a means employed by which business organizations and individual sellers and service providers to maximize growth. Customer satisfaction is an essential element for attaining stability and growth in the business world and online shopping is no exception. Even though customer satisfaction is a universal phenomenon, it can be controlled by culture and technology.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to compare a developed city with a developing one and the interplay of culture and technology in achieving customer satisfaction in online shopping. This thesis therefore seeks to investigate the different cultures and technologies on satisfaction by ascertaining the degree to which factors relating to culture and technology affect customer satisfaction in online shopping. Methodology: Quantitative research method is employed to conduct this thesis. By the use of the snowball sampling method, residents of both Stockholm and Accra were sampled and data collection was done by administering survey questionnaire. SPSS software package was used to analyse research data. The Spearman rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U test were performed using the SPSS software package to arrive at the research results and draw conclusions. Results & Conclusions: This research demonstrates the existence of differences in the culture and technology of Stockholm and Accra. It also demonstrates the impact of selected factors for independent variables (culture and technology) on customer satisfaction in online by showing their inter-relationship. It also reveals the factors which most affected customer satisfaction in online shopping in this thesis. In general, the correlations demonstrated that culture had more impacts on customer satisfaction in online shopping as compared to technology. A good relationship was found between customer satisfaction and culture, and technology provided by the participants from Accra. For Stockholm participants, customer satisfaction in online shopping had a relationship with cultural factors. It was shown in the findings that all four factors measuring culture such as trust, moral, law, and knowledge, and only two factors measuring technology such as internet speed and tools affected customer satisfaction in online shopping in Accra with the most affected factors being trust and moral. In the case of Stockholm, only two factors measuring culture, such as moral and trust affected customer satisfaction in online shopping and moral most affected customer satisfaction. None of the four factors measuring technology affected customer satisfaction. All in all, considering both independent variables, we argued that culture (factors) affected most customer satisfaction in online shopping. Recommendations for future research: Further research can be done by employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques to know how these factors affect customer satisfaction in online shopping. In addition, to better generalize the results, further research could be done with the same concepts but with more factors used to measure the independent and dependent variables. Moreover, similar research could also be done by considering only one group of products or items bought online. Furthermore, the same or similar research can be done using more than one question to describe the factors or sub-variables. Last but not least, further research can deploy a larger sample size to facilitate generalization.

The aim of this essay is to examine how Stockholm has been portrayed in paintings and postcards during the last 500 years. In this essay my research material is collected mostly from literature about the subject matter. The pictures of paintings and postcards are analyzed with a semiotic picture analysis method to discover similarities and differences in how they have been depicted. The goal of the study is to find both common and divergent elements in the images that can place them in a historical context and mediate something about the century they were made in. The study has concluded that there are several similarities and differences in how images of Stockholm has been depicted during the centuries that I have been studying. In both paintings and postcards there has been recurrent elements such as the water surrounding Stockholm, and the way the mediums have been beautifying the city to highlight some characteristics. A striking difference during the centuries is the usage of people in the images.

Syftet med denna studie var att förklara olika konjunkturlägens påverkan på totalavkastningen samt den riskjusterade avkastningen för tre olika investeringsstrategier. Dessa var Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor samt indexen OMX Stockholm 30 och OMX Stockholm Small Cap Price Index. Den förstnämnda strategin utgår ifrån det 14:e kapitlet i Benjamin Grahams bok, The Intelligent Investor. Genom att ställa höga krav på faktorer som lönsamhet, kontinuitet av utdelningar och låg värdering m.m. filtrerar denna aktiva investeringsstrategi bort många bolag och lämnar kvar stabilare bolag med lägre risk. OMX Stockholm Small Cap Price Index valdes eftersom det innehåller helt andra sorters bolag än Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor, vilket är småbolag. OMX Stockholm 30 valdes i sin tur för att bolagen i detta index, likt de Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor väjer ut, är stora bolag som ofta associeras med lägre risk. Detta genomfördes med syftet att hitta större kontraster mellan strategierna. Dessa strategier undersöktes under lågkonjunkturen 2007-2011, högkonjunkturen 2016-2019 samt under 15-årsperioden 2007-2021. Avkastningarna mättes i totalavkastning och CAGR medan deriskjusterade avkastningarna mättes med hjälp av Sharpekvot, Treynorkvot samt Jensen’s Alpha. Denna studie kom fram till att totalavkastningen för de olika strategierna skiljer sig åt mellan de olika perioderna. OMXS30 genererade högst totalavkastning under lågkonjunkturen medan OMXSSCPI genererade högst avkastning under både högkonjunkturen och under 15-årsperioden. Resultaten för de riskjusterade måtten visade på att det inte fanns någon statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan strategierna, vilket indikerar att skillnaderna i totalavkastningen beror på den risk som tas. / This study aimed to explain the impact of different economic conditions on the total return and riskadjusted return of three investment strategies: Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor, OMXStockholm 30, and OMX Stockholm Small Cap Price Index. The first strategy is based on the 14th chapter of Benjamin Graham's book, "The Intelligent Investor." By demanding high profitability, dividend continuity, low valuation, and other criteria, this active investment strategy filters out manycompanies and focuses on more stable companies with lower risk. OMX Stockholm Small Cap Price Index was chosen because it includes a different set of companies compared to Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor, specifically small-cap companies. On the other hand, OMX Stockholm 30 was selected because the companies in this index, similar to those preferred by Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor, are large companies often associated with lower risk. This was done in orderto identify more significant contrasts between the strategies. These strategies were examined during the recession 2007-2011, the economic boom 2016-2019, and a 15-year period 2007-2021. Returns were measured in terms of total return and compound annual growth rate (CAGR), while risk-adjusted returns were assessed using the Sharpe ratio, Treynor ratio, and Jensen's Alpha. This study found that the total returns of the different strategies varied across the different periods. OMX Stockholm 30 generated the highest return during the low economic cycle, while OMX Stockholm Small Cap Price Index produced the highest return during both the high economic cycle and the 15-year period. The results for the risk-adjusted measures indicated no significant differences between the strategies, suggesting that the variations in total returns are attributable to the level of risk undertaken.