Past research reveals that fewer women than men possess top management positions and statistics imply that in Sweden only 24 percent of all board members are women (European Commission, 2008). Gender differences are even more obvious in the private sector and this is the reality facing today’s graduates, regardless of the fact that the number of female and males taking a business degree in Sweden is approximately the same (SCB, 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine if networking can influence women’s career development. Networking and social capital is argued to be a vital tool for career development (Yukl, 2006), and former studies present information that men and women take advantage of their networks rather differently (Burke, Rothstein and Bristor, 1995). However, as the researchers approached the subject, supplementary factors for advancing up the corporate ladder were identified. Theories regarding female leadership, female career progression and the glass ceiling are therefore taken into consideration as vital factors for career development. In order to carry out this study a qualitative approach was chosen, and five business women were interviewed, all considered proficient of the subject. The main conclusion derived from the interviews demonstrates that formal networks were less important than informal networks in order to overcome career obstacles and advance professionally. The networks that were considered most beneficial for the interviewees were the ones that evolved naturally and were reciprocal. Moreover, pure female networks were not considered as valuable as mixed networks since men more often possess access to important information than women. Having a mentor was considered vital at top positions since it provides support and further enhances information sharing. However, the results led to conclude that an additional key success factor for female career development was connected to leadership style; and having a transformational leadership style with transactional characteristics was concluded as most beneficial. Furthermore, the interviewees highlighted the importance of possessing the right personal traits and also to share the responsibilities for home and family life with one’s partner. This study is assumed to be interesting for women in their career with ambitions to reach the top of the corporate ladder. It is also assumed to be interesting for network organisations to use as a benchmark tool.

Skuldsättningsgraden hos svenska hushåll ökade stadigt från i mitten av 1990-talet fram till 2008. För att hejda denna utveckling införde finansinspektionen i oktober 2010 ett allmänt råd om begränsning av säkerhet i bostad vid upptagande av lån, det så kallade bolånetaket. Innebörden av detta är att 15 procent av bostadens marknadsvärde i kontanta medel krävs vid upptagande av bostadslån. För en förstagångsköpare som skall köpa bostad i Göteborg betyder det att en betydande summa pengar skall ha sparats ihop. Eller så blir alternativet att ta ett dyrare blancolån om inte kapitalet finns. För att undersöka hur förstagångsköpare i Göteborg har löst det ekonomiska genomfördes en enkätundersökning bland studenter på Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Göteborgs Universitet och Högskolan Väst. Här undersöktes även hur de som har köpt före samt efter oktober 2010 har löst det ekonomiskt. Banktjänstemän och fastighetsmäklare intervjuades för att få en inblick i hur de ser på bolånetaket, samt hur de tror förstagångsköparna påverkats. Enkätundersökningen visade att majoriteten av de som skall köpa sin första bostad planerar att spara ihop till kontantinsatsen. Hälften av de tillfrågade förstagångsköparna beräknar att kunna spara ihop till kontantinsatsen på 1-3 år. De tillfrågade banktjänstemännen och fastighetsmäklarna ser samtliga att lösningen efter bolånetakets införande blev att föräldrar fick hjälpa till ekonomiskt. Detta genom att gå in som borgenär, pantsätta sitt boende som säkerhet eller hjälpa till med kapital. Förstagångsköparna har i större utsträckning behövt hjälp utifrån för att klara av de ekonomiska kraven från bankerna. I Göteborg där bostadsbristen är stor finns inte alltid något annat val än att köpa en bostad. Lösningen blir ekonomisk hjälp från föräldrar. Undersökningen tyder även på att andragångsköpare i Göteborg har det svårt att byta bostad till något större eller köpa bostad som dyrare än den bostad de äger. Möjligheten finns att det är en fördröjning på bolånetakets effekter, och att bosparandet inom de närmsta åren kommer att öka. Förhoppningsvis kommer förstagångsköpare inte behöva ekonomisk hjälp från föräldrar. / Indebtedness in the Swedish market had steadily increased from the mid-1990s until 2008. For this reason, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) in October 2010 introduced a general advice on the restriction in the pawn of your property when applying for a mortgage, the so-called mortgage ceiling. This means that the buyer requires 15 percent in capital for the admission of mortgage. For a first-time buyer to buy a property in Gothenburg, this means that a significant amount of capital should be accumulated beforehand. The alternative, if assets are absent, is to take an unsecured loan, which is more expensive. To examine how first-time buyers in Gothenburg have solved the economic situation, a survey among students at University of Chalmers, University of Gothenburg and University West was conducted. It also examined how those who bought their first property respectively before and after October 2010 found a financial solution. Bank employees and real estate agents were interviewed to obtain their opinion on the mortgage ceiling, and how they think the first-time buyers were affected. The survey showed that the majority of those who plan to buy their first property are planning to save up for down payment. Half of those surveyed first-time buyers expects to save up for the down payment in 1-3 years. Respondent bankers and estate agents have seen that the solution for introduction of the mortgage ceiling was that parents had to help financially. This was done by becoming a creditor, pledging their homes as security or helping with financial assets. First-time buyers have in greater extent needed help from outside to meet the financial demands of the banks. In Gothenburg, where the housing shortage is high, there is not always another choice but to buy a home. The solution is to get financial help from parents. The study also suggests that second-time buyers in Gothenburg find it difficult to buy something bigger, or buying a home that is more expensive than the home they live in. There might be a delay in the mortgage ceiling effects, and that savings will increase within the next few years. Hopefully first-time buyers in the future will be able to stand on their own without parental financial assistance.

The grey mullet have been regarded as the treasure, so it is the very precious fishery resource in Taiwan. However, from the historic catches, it showed the amount of the grey mullet is decreasing every year and the reasons are not only influenced by the climate change, but also the catches from the vessels of PRC. The main purpose of the study is the effects of the implementation on individual transferable quota of the cross-strait in grey mullet to the living of fishers in Taiwan. Through the management of quota, it would prevent the phenomenon of biological overfishing and economic overfishing, and achieve the sustainable development of fishery resources. The article is to study about the effect of the restrictions on the purchase of unit quota and different quota ceiling to the both of buyers and sellers. The results showed that when the restrictions on the purchase of the unit quota, this would may have the amount of vessels cut to the half and prevent the economic overfishing. Because of quota trading, this will make the fishers are willing to exit the fishery and to achieve the purpose of the management of ITQ.

<p> </p><p>Past research reveals that fewer women than men possess top management positions and statistics imply that in Sweden only 24 percent of all board members are women (European Commission, 2008). Gender differences are even more obvious in the private sector and this is the reality facing today’s graduates, regardless of the fact that the number of female and males taking a business degree in Sweden is approximately the same (SCB, 2006).</p><p>The purpose of this study is to examine if networking can influence women’s career development. Networking and social capital is argued to be a vital tool for career development (Yukl, 2006), and former studies present information that men and women take advantage of their networks rather differently (Burke, Rothstein and Bristor, 1995). However, as the researchers approached the subject, supplementary factors for advancing up the corporate ladder were identified. Theories regarding female leadership, female career progression and the glass ceiling are therefore taken into consideration as vital factors for career development. In order to carry out this study a qualitative approach was chosen, and five business women were interviewed, all considered proficient of the subject.</p><p>The main conclusion derived from the interviews demonstrates that formal networks were less important than informal networks in order to overcome career obstacles and advance professionally. The networks that were considered most beneficial for the interviewees were the ones that evolved naturally and were reciprocal. Moreover, pure female networks were not considered as valuable as mixed networks since men more often possess access to important information than women. Having a mentor was considered vital at top positions since it provides support and further enhances information sharing. However, the results led to conclude that an additional key success factor for female career development was connected to leadership style; and having a transformational leadership style with transactional characteristics was concluded as most beneficial. Furthermore, the interviewees highlighted the importance of possessing the right personal traits and also to share the responsibilities for home and family life with one’s partner.</p><p>This study is assumed to be interesting for women in their career with ambitions to reach the top of the corporate ladder. It is also assumed to be interesting for network organisations to use as a benchmark tool.</p><p> </p>

This thesis investigates how an organizational change can lead to an increased share of women at top management positions. Based on interviews at Sandvik, an organization that has received extensive attention for its efforts to increase the share of female executives, the study aims to understand how an organizational culture is changed in a way that will lead to more women at top management positions. The study also aims to give an answer to how the change process is implemented and what kinds of changes in content that are needed. The empirical findings are analyzed using a theoretical framework based on change management literature and female leadership literature. The results of the study indicate that actions to increase gender diversity should be integrated in the overarching company strategy. There are further indications that it can be enough to have a personal conviction from a prominent leader within the organization to start the change process. Commitment and support from top management is thereafter vital. A final indication is that the changes in content should be aimed at changing the mindset of the employees throughout the organization.

The present study examined the influences of gender-role stereotypes, gender-role congruity, and the sex-typing of the professor job on performance evaluations of university educators in actual classroom settings. Participants used the Schein Descriptive Index (Schein, 1973) to define gender-role stereotypes, characteristics of their professor/instructor, and the characteristics of an "Effective Professor." Participants used a behavior summary scale (BSS) formatted student assessment of instruction to evaluate their professors/instructors performance after a full semester of class participation. It was hypothesized that a pro-male bias would exist in the sex-typing of the professor job, and that combined with the gender-role stereotypes of participants and the gender-role congruity of professors/instructors, would influence performance evaluations. In support of hypothesized relationships, results demonstrated that male and female participants hold different gender-role stereotypes of Men and Women, that the professor job is sex-typed in favor of men for male participants, and that gender-role stereotypes and the gender-role congruity of actual professors/instructors can influence performance evaluation ratings. Contrary to previous research and hypothesized relationships, the sex-typing of the professor job was not significantly related to performance evaluation scores. Additionally, results of regression analyses revealed no gender differences in performance evaluation ratings; however, age differences were found, in favor of older professors/instructors. Possible explanations for obtained results, as well as study limitations, are discussed.

Problemdiskussion: Allt fler arbetar för en mer jämställd arbetsplats, på EY har antalet kvinnliga delägare ökat från 13 procent till 16 procent, vilket är ett resultat av ett aktivt jämställdhetsarbete som började för fem år sedan. Även på Deloitte har andelen kvinnliga delägare ökat från 17 procent till 20 procent. Avsaknaden av kompetenta kvinnor sägs inte vara en förklaring till varför det är få kvinnliga delägare, en förklaring som ofta används är att rekrytering till de högre positionerna ofta sammanfaller med tidpunkten då många skaffar barn. Andra menar att glastaket kan vara en förklaring till den ojämna fördelningen. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar kvinnors möjlighet att bli delägare. Även se om dessa faktorer kan vara förklaringar till varför det är få kvinnliga delägare inom redovisning- och revisionsbranschen. Metod: Empirin i studien består av intervjuer med tio respondenter. Empirin har analyserats mot den teoretiska referensramen som består av teorier om glastaket, föräldraledighet och organisatoriska faktorer. Analys och slutsats: De faktorer som har identifierats i studien är att föräldraledigheten har en negativ påverkan och stödet från chefen har positiv påverkan på möjligheten att bli delägare. Dock visade studien att viljan hos de kvinnliga respondenterna att bli delägare är låg. Respondenternas upplevelser gällande glastaket varierade och därför kunde ingen klar slutsats dras om glastakets existens. / Background: More and more people are working to get a more equal workplace. The numbers of female partners has increased from 13 percent to 16 percent at EY, which are the results of an active equality work that began five years ago. While at Deloitte the proportion of female partners has increased from 17 percent to 20 percent. The problem is not considered that there is an absence of competent women, it is said to be that recruitment to the higher positions often coincides with the time when many women have children. Others mean that the glass ceiling may be an explanation for the uneven distribution. Purpose: The purpose is to examine what factors affect women’s opportunity to become partners. Also see if these factors may explain why there are few female partners in the accounting and auditing industry. Method: The empirical study consists of interviews with ten respondents. The empirical data were then analyzed against the theoretical framework that consists of theories about the glass ceiling, parental leave and organizational factors. Analysis and conclusion: The factors that have been identified in this study is that parental leave has a negative impact and the support of the manager has a positive impact on the possibility to become a partner. However, the study also showed that the will of the female respondents to become partners is low. The respondents' experiences varied regarding the glass ceiling and because of that, a clear conclusion could not be drawn about the glass ceiling's existence.

The aim of the present research is to identify human subjective response (health and comfort) to the micro-thermal environment established by integration of individually controlled localized chilled beam and chilled ceiling (LCBCC) system and to compare its performance with the performance of mixing ventilation combined with chilled ceiling (CCMV).Experiments were carried out in mock-up of an office (4.1 m × 4.0 m × 3.1 m, L× W× H) with one person under two summer temperature conditions (26 °C and 28 °C). To mimic direct solar radiation in the room, five radiative panels on the wall together with electrical sheets on the half of the floor were used. The test room was set-up with two desks, as two workstations, and one laptop on each table. The main workstation (WS1) was located close to the simulated window. The second work station (WS2) was placed in the opposite side of the room. The room was equipped with two types of ventilating and cooling systems.  The first system consisted of a localized active chilled beam (LCB) unit together with chilled ceiling (CC) panels. The LCB was installed above the WS1 to create micro-environment around the occupant sitting at the desk. The supply flow rate from the LCB could be adjusted by the occupant within the range of 10 L/s to 13 L/s by means of a desk-mounted knob. The integration of mixing ventilation (MV) system and chilled ceiling panels was the second ventilating and cooling strategy. Twenty- four subjects (12 female and 12 male) were exposed to different indoor environment established by two cooling systems. Each experiment session lasted 120 min and consisted of 30 min acclimatization period and 90 min exposure period. The performance of the systems was identified and compared by physical measurements of the generated environment and the response of the human subjects. The study showed that perceived air quality (PAQ), overall thermal sensation (OTS) acceptability and local thermal sensation (LTS) acceptability clearly improved inside the micro-environment by using LCBCC system. Moreover, at the main workstation, OTS and LTS votes were close to “neutral” thermal sensation (ASHRAE seven point scale) when LCBCC system was used. However, OTS and LTS votes increased to the “slightly warm” side of the scale by applying CCMV system which implied the better cooling performance of the LCBCC system. Acceptability of work environment apparently increased under the room condition generated by LCBCC system. In agreement with human subjective study, the results from physical measurements and thermal manikin study showed that uniform thermal condition was generated all over the room. Air and operative temperature distribution was almost uniform with no difference higher than 1 °C between the measured locations in the room. Thus, both LCBCC and CCMV systems performed equally well outside of the micro-environment region. The use of the chilled ceiling had impact on the airflow interaction in the room and changed the airflow pattern. It can be concluded that the combination of convective and radiative systems can be considered as an efficient strategy to generate acceptable thermal condition in rooms.

This master thesis deals with the gender perception in leaderships positions. Starting from our awareness of a gendered leadership gap, this thesis aims to show our development towards our understanding of reality as socially constructed. We apply the Discourse in order to see how oppression works on women. In the course of our master thesis, we came across poststructuralists, like Foucault, Derrida and Lacan, philosopher and psychoanalysts, like Freud, Beauvoir, Irigaray, Kristeva and Butler, as well as sociolinguists, like Cameron, Miller, Baxter and Tannen. Their ideas have enriched our gendered Discourses. Furthermore, by dealing with their ideas, we were able to understand how powerful words can be. Words have the power to create identities, our reality and oppress certain groups of people. The group of people we have focussed on are women. Although the category “women” is fragmented and gender is one of many features of persons, there is something that all women share – oppression through language. Thus, women are less likely to move in the corporate ladder and lead. In two Discourse Analysis based on job advertisements for leadership positions offered in Germany and Italy, we see how language-in-use may cause a reason for a gendered leadership gap. The Discourses available to us influence how we understand the reality around us, construct our identities and negotiate our roles. With this thesis, we hope contribute to today’s Discourses and raise people’s awareness of how our language keeps women from entering leadership positions.

Current building design and engineering practices emphasizing on energy conservation can be improved further by developing methods focusing on building occupants’ needs and interests in conservation. Specifically, the resulting energy effective building performance improvements cannot reach the desired goals, if the resulting indoor environmental conditions do not meet thermal, visual and air quality needs of the occupants. To meet both energy conservation and human performance requirements simultaneously requires to give the occupants information regarding indoor environmental qualities and energy implications of possible individual decisions. This requires that building control components and systems must enable occupants to understand how the building operates and how their own actions meet both their needs and the energy and environmental goals of the building project. The goal of the research and experiments of this dissertation is to explore if real-time information regarding visual comfort requirements to meet a variety of tasks and to simultaneously conserve energy, improves occupant behavior to meet both objectives. Two workplaces in Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace were equipped to test the performance of 60 invited participants in conducting computer based tasks and a paper based task, under three difference lighting controls: 1) Centralized lighting control with no user choice 2) User control of - blind positions for daylight shading - ceiling based lighting fixture luminance output level - task lighting: on/off 3) User control the three components (as listed under point 2 above), with provided simultaneous information regarding energy and related CO2 emissions implications, appropriate light levels meeting tasks requirements, and best choices in order to meet both task requirements and energy conservation goals/objectives. The main findings of the experiments are that real-time information (listed under point 3 above) enables users to meet the visual quality requirements for both computer tasks and the paper task, and to conserve significant amounts of electricity for lighting. Furthermore, the 60 invited participants were asked to identify the importance of the four types of provided information tested in point 3 above. While individual users identified the importance of different information categories, the overall assessment were considered to be significant.