Trots att vetskapen om klimatförändringar är utbredd bland människor, verkar individer sällan fundera över att deras egna handlingar bidrar till klimatförändringar när de väljer hur de ska transportera sig, detta märks ¨tydligt när det kommer till det utbredda användandet av bil. För att minska andelen ”onödig” bilism drivs arbeten, inom Malmö stad, med fokus på information, kommunikation och kampanjer som ämnar öka andelen gång-, cykel- och kollektivtrafikresenärer. Detta arbete kan sammanfattas med ett ord: beteendepåverkan. Målet med beteendeförändringar är en del i arbetet mot att göra Malmö till en mer attraktiv och hållbar stad. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur förändringsagenter på kommunal nivå i Malmö uppfattar sitt yrke och sin yrkesroll, vilket innefattar hur de uppfattar de ramar inom vilka de arbetar, hur de uppfattar kompetens, vilken uppfattning de har av framgång i arbetet samt hur framgång kan och bör mätas. Det empiriska materialet i denna studie är en kvalitativ analys av sex intervjuer med förändringsagenter på Trafikmiljöenheten inom Malmö Stad. Resultatet visar att de intervjuade förändringsagenterna ser både möjligheter och hinder med att jobba inom offentlig sektor. Fördelarna menar de, är att de känner en viss frihet då de inte skall ”sälja en produkt”, att de har möjlighet att påverka hur arbetet skall genomföras och att de har möjlighet att komma med egna idéer. Nackdelarna är att det professionella spelrummet i hög grad är beroende av det politiska spelrummet, där det finns en spänning mellan att jobba långsiktigt samtidigt som effekter på kort sikt skall kunna presenteras. Det är viktigt för förändringsagenter att ha social och interpersonell kompetens, snarare än teknisk och praktisk kompetens för att göra ett bra arbete. Intervjupersonerna uppfattar att det skett en allmän förändring av den allmänna attityden till miljö- och trafikfrågor de senaste 10 till 15 åren, vilket har gjort det lättare för förändringsagenterna att nå ut med sina budskap. / Although knowledge about the complex of problems with climate change is widespread, individuals often do not consider their own actions as contributors to climate change when they make their own choice of how to transport themselves, especially with the widespread use of cars. To reduce unnecessary car use, work is taking place at the public sector level in the city of Malmö. Through information, communication and campaigns, the city aims to raise the amount of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users; this job can be summarized as: behavioral change. This job is part of the aim to make Malmö a more attractive and more sustainable city. The purpose of this study is to investigate how agents of change at the public sector level understand their profession and their professional role. This involves how they understand the boundaries in which they can operate, their understanding of competencies, how they understand success in their work, and how success can be and should be measured. The study took place through a qualitative study in the form of interviews where six agents of change at the Trafikmiljöenheten in Malmö Stad make up the empirical population for the study. The results show that the interviewed agents of change see opportunities and hindrances with working in the public sector. The advantages are that they feel a level of freedom, as they are not a company aiming to sell a product and that they feel they have the opportunity to affect how the work should go about through the opportunity to bring forward their own ideas. The disadvantages are the political arena that they are a part of, where the policies of the ruling politicians form the boundaries in which the agents of change can perform their work. There is tension between working with effects that only become evident in the long-term and the demands of showing short- term effects. The agents of change say that competencies of social and interpersonal character rather than technical and practical competencies are important for doing a good job. The interviewees outlined that the general attitude towards environmental questions and choice of transport modes has changed over the past 10-15 years which makes it easier for the agents of change to reach out with their messages.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on the critical role of the new principal as agent of change. “New principal” in this context is a principal who has been at a specific school for between one and five years. He or she may have been promoted from a post at the same school or have been a principal at another school beforehand. The thesis highlights the tangible changes these principals made during their time at these schools, from raising the morale of educators, to improving academic results of learners, to increasing the level of involvement of parents as well as community members. The literature survey focuses on change in school contexts where urgent and far reaching change is necessary. It shows how complex the process is and the various stages that are involved. The literature underlines that change and resistance are sides of the same coin. It seems that successful change requires that the principal as an agent and initiator of change has a clear set of strategies to handle the inevitable resistance to the process. The literature review also explores the different stages of resistance and the considerations necessary to ensure that the change process leads to a peaceful conclusion that benefits the school as a whole. The main collection instrument used in this qualitative research is a semi-structured interview on the theme of change. The study uses the narratives of four principals, two from secondary schools and two from primary schools from dysfunctional and low-performing schools that emerged, to explore the reasons for their success. Findings show all these ‘new’ principals were at schools affected by socio-economic factors that had a negative effect on the academic results of learners. The attempts these principals made were initially met with resistance, particularly from educators who had been at the school for some time, who did not see any need to make changes at the school. It seems the findings show that the principals in this study always had an appropriate strategy to deal with the situations that arose. This makes them truly transformational leaders, i.e. leaders with the necessary expertise who can enable their followers to perform better than they thought they could and work for the good of the institution rather than their own self-interest. These are the type of leaders that schools need to make our education system as effective as it needs to be. In the interests of making dysfunctional or poorly performing schools a better place of teaching and learning for all learners and educators, further research should build on the work done here. Particular attention should be given to the management style of effective school such as the new principals at these particular schools. This will provide us with better academic “lenses” to observe the necessary passion and commitment with which these changes are made, and the ways in which principals are able to endure and overcome any resistance to change. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis fokus op die kritieke rol van die “nuwe prinsipaal (skoolhoof) as agent van verandering”. “Nuwe prinsipaal” in hierdie konteks bedoel prinsipaal is ''n persoon wat tussen een en vyf jaar by n spesifieke skool was. Hierdie persoon kan in hierdie pos as prinsipaal by hul hiudige skool bevorder geword het, of as prinsipaal by n ander skool in die pos as prinsipaal gewerk het. Hierdie tesis bring na vore die sigbare veranderings wat hierdie prinsipale aangebring het gedurende hul termyn by hierdie skole, van die opheffing van die moreel van onderwysers tot die verbetering van die akademiese uitslae van leerders, tot beter betrokkenheid van ouers en gemeenskaplede by die skool. Die literere navorsing fokus op verandering binne die skool konteks waar dringend en vergaande verandering 'n noodsaaklihheid geword het. Dit bewys die komplekse aard en die verskillende stadiums verbind daarmee. Die literatuur beklemtoon die feit dat verandering en weerstand twee kante van dieselfde muntstuk is (gaan saam). Dit blyk suksevolle veranderings verg van die prinsipaal as agent en inisieerder van verandering, duidelike strategiee om die onafwendbare of onvoorspelbare weerstand te bestuur in die proses. Die literere oorsig ondersoek die verskillende stadiums van weerstand endie nodige vermoens om die proses van verandering te ondersteun, en tot voordeel van die skool as geheul te bevoordeel. Die vernaamste instrument wat in die kwalititiewe navorsing gebruik is, was n semi-struktuere onderhoud gebaseer op die tema van verandering. Hierdie studie gebruik die verhalende aard van die vier prinsipale, twee van sekondere skole, en twee van primere skole, almal van disfunktionele en lae-voerende skole, wat die rede vir hul sukses bepaal het. Bevindings wys dat al die “nuwe prinsipale” by skole was wat beinvloed was deur sosio-ekonomiese faktore wat 'n negatiewe uitwerking gehad het op die akademiese uitslae van leerders. Die pogings van die prinsipale was aanvanglik met weerstand gepaard gegaan, veral van opvoeders wat vir 'n aantal jare by die skool was, en nie die nodigheid vir veranderings gesien het nie. Bevindings in die studie toon dat die prinsipale altyd gereed was met die gepaste strategie om die situasie te hanteer. Die het van hulle ware transformele leiers gemaak, m.a.w. leiers met die nodige vaardighede, wat hulle in staat gestel het om hulle volgelinge bemagtig het om beter te doen as wat hulle gedink het hulle in staat was, en gewerk het tot die voordeel van die skool as instansie en nie tot hulle eie belange as prinsipale nie. In die belange en voordeel om van disfunksionele of swak akademiese skole 'n beter plek van onderrig en opvoeding vir alle leerders en opvoeders te maak, word voorgestel dat verdere navorsing onderneem word. Daar moet veral gefokus word op, die bestuursstyl van geaffekteerde skole soos die nuwe prinsipale van hierdie spesifieke skole. Dit sal ons met beter akademiese lense toerus om die nodige passie en toegewydheid te observeer waarmee hierdie veranderings gemaak was, en die maniere waarmee die prinsipale gevolhard het teen die stryd om weerstand teen te staan in die proses tot verandering.

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The aim of this thesis is to identify the key roles of expatriates in a major Japanese MNE and factors influencing formation of their roles. It also examines to what extent expatriates have discretion in forming their roles. The thesis uses empirical data from 109 interviews and 5 years of action research (44 advisory board meetings and 144 Human Resource Management (HRM) workshops, 19 research sites in 9 countries and 17 additional meetings on specific topics) that enabled the researcher to carry out insightful and in-depth analysis with cross-national and multi-layer perspectives. The study applies organisational design theory to unveil the mechanisms of role formation, significantly expanding the understanding of these issues in Japanese business and the international business literature. The findings suggest that the process of role formation of expatriates can be explained by combining contingency theory and strategic choice theory in a framework that argues that the roles of expatriates are the result of a political process of organisational design (Child, 1997). This includes adaptation to the environment (Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967) but also the relationship between organisational agents and the environment in the process of strategic choice (Child, 1997). The major contribution of this study is to provide evidence that expatriates are not merely agents of HQs in international business as traditionally understood, but that their role is more complex and multifaceted. The study empirically identifies five key roles of expatriates – two more than previously identified in the literature – and unveils six contingency factors and two strategic choice factors influencing role formation. The thesis demonstrates that expatriates strategically select their roles, although internal and external factors can act either as enhancers or obstacles to their making of choices and role formation.

Throughout history and in today’s society, typography has been and still is without doubt a great part of communication. Behrens, an important designer from the modernist movement, believed that after architecture, typography provided “…the most characteristic picture of a period” and “…development of people”. Typography carries meaning and associations, built on the contexts and the design it is used in, that finally creates a typographic image. The Blackletter style Fraktur, and Helvetica were born to serve a purpose connected to power. Important for this research is to understand in detail, the origin of that power and its position: Blackletter portrays features of the Gothic architecture, expressing religious emotions and civic pride, intended for effective writing, and was predominant in religious and educational contexts. This improvement of writing was a necessity for the development of the society during the medieval times; for both educational and financial reasons. As Fraktur became a symbol of Germany, the today’s connotations towards oppression and Nazism were inevi­table as the Third Reich continued to use it until it was banned in 1941. Meanwhile, the post war modernism in the 20th Century, sought objectivity, simplicity and readability in their design, to erase any carried meaning or associations that could have a misleading effect on the information. This period of time paved way for a corporate culture, with approaches towards rationalist and function­alist methods, that expresses authority and reliability. Achieving brand recognition for a wide range of products and contexts was required by the graphic designers. Through workshops that document people’s associations and comments on the shapes and typographic images that both Helvetica and Fraktur create, and visual research made in forms of sketching and adding Fraktur features to signs of institutions and public sectors, I have investigated Fraktur’s tainted image of oppression and political sentiments with the help of Helvetica as the contemporary norm.