The following thesis is a qualitative study of career barriers and opportunities for women in commercial real estate in Sweden. Additionally the purpose is to make suggestions for positive change opportunities for the industry as a whole. The Swedish real estate industry is currently experiencing a rather substantial generational change in addition to a shortage of interest from the younger generations. It is male dominated and still largely considered to be conservative in its values and practices. There is a need for re-branding and enhanced marketing of the industry as interesting and open to change as well as a large untapped potential in the talent pool of women in the working population. The study has been performed through a literature review of current research and an interview study. Eighteen women were interviewed about their individual experiences and their views about the industry. The interview guide is partly designed to mirror the inequality regimes set forth by Joan Acker (2006). The results show that there are many underlying processes and structures found in theory that can be indentified in the Swedish real estate industry today, even though much work currently is done in many organizations to change the skewed distribution of men and women, particularly in management positions. Without doubt, there is enormous potential for change in the industry and using the information in this thesis could prove very useful.

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The study's overall objective is to demonstrate the correlation between refugee status and poor oral health outcomes by thoroughly explaining the refugee experience and showing the prevalence of associated oral diseases. All data and information regarding the oral health status of refugees and asylum-seekers are from numerous studies and different institutions. Refugees often experience traumatizing events such as assault, torture, starvation, and extreme dehydration, resulting in the rapid deterioration of health. However, despite the high prevalence of oral diseases such as caries, gum infections, and, oral health continues to be neglected once they arrive at their new destination. In countries like Germany, refugees from Syria and Iraq have a higher incidence of dental caries(Solyman and Schmidt-Westhausen, 2018). In comparison to their German citizen counterparts, who have shown significantly lower caries rates, a possible result from the advancement of a successful caries prevention program for children and adolescents (Splieth et al., 2019). By comparing the oral health status of refugees versus the native population of the country they have entered, the neglect of refugees' oral health becomes evident. This study aims to assess the barriers often experienced by refugee and asylum seekers that lead to poor oral health and examine the role of language, refugee perspective and health literacy education in the promoting dental care in this population. It is clear that a strong association exists between the social and physical barriers refugee experience and oral health. This is especially clear from evaluating the phases of a refugee's migration journey. There is an association between social barriers such as language and health literacy on oral health. It is well documented that when individuals are forced to relocate to new countries where a different language is spoken, healthcare systems can be challenging to navigate. Additionally, language plays a crucial role in shaping refugee perspectives of the oral health community, sometimes negatively; thus, arrival in their new home does not necessarily lead to improved care. Data comparing oral disease in natives versus refugees indicates significantly worse oral health status among recent refugees.

In this thesis we aim to provide computationally efficient methods of performing waterbarrier simulations. The innate challenge in simulations of structures such as sea or surge barriers is resolution. Because barriers tend to be long and thin compared to the surrounding landscapes they protect, one must put mesh refinement on the barrier region in order to even numerically recognize the barrier’s presence. This is a costly computation due to the CFL condition which puts a strict limit on the size of time step proportional to the spatial mesh size. Another issue is the complexity of meshing near the barrier. Since barriers are most likely slanted or have certain shapes, the grid has to reflect this in the form of a grid mapping or an unstructured grid. To mitigate the issue of resolution, we propose an approximation of the barrier with a line interface embedded on a Cartesian grid, reducing our problem to an embedded boundary problem. Then to avoid complex meshing, we develop three cut cell methods on two shapes of barriers: 1) the h-box method (HB), 2) the state redistribution method (SRD), and 3) the cell merging method (CM). Doing this two-step approach means that we can lower the resolution near the barrier region and still feel the presence of the barrier and capture its effect, which would otherwise not be the case if we relied on resolution for representation of the barrier. This does not mean that we are losing accuracy by lowering resolution, however. Rather, we are maintaining about the same accuracy while also lowering resolution (and thus cutting computational cost), which we show by comparison with a refined barrier. We solve the shallow water equations as our underlying PDEs to simulate water interaction with the barrier, as they are commonly used in tsunami and storm simulations. We implement our work on the PYCLAW framework, which is an objected oriented program that solves conservation laws.

Knowledge is the resource that provides the best possibilities of being competitive since it increases while used and is difficult to copy. Knowledge sharing has been shown to increase organizational performance in both tangible and intangible measures. Therefore, it is important that employees of a research and development department in a large Swedish industry, that were recommended to telework in combination with short-time working due to covid-19, continue sharing knowledge. This study aimed to analyze how employees in a development department share knowledge while teleworking and how it differs from knowledge sharing in a traditional office. The phenomenon was analyzed in-depth, especially what prevents the knowledge from being shared and knowledge sharing barriers that exist during telework. The objective was to gain further knowledge of how departments can share knowledge efficiently while teleworking. A qualitative single case study was conducted and 8 semi-structured interviews were held with employees at the department. The findings suggest that knowledge sharing occurs with tools that are used in a traditional office and that is no difference in terms of whom employees share knowledge with, but the face-to-face meetings are missing. A further suggestion is that it occurs by less informal knowledge sharing and that the meetings tend to have a stricter agenda that is kept at a higher degree than when working in a traditional office. The knowledge sharing barriers identified were: challenging to express knowledge, time constraints, uncertainty which knowledge to share with whom, less informal places to share knowledge, lack of trust, differences in experience/knowledge/education, attitude, and culture & leadership. The results give companies in similar situations cognizance of how knowledge sharing occurs and differ when suddenly teleworking is required and knowledge sharing barriers that exist. These findings identify risks and difficulties of knowledge sharing when teleworking.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the most prominent barriers to public sector innovation, but also display what an innovation hub can do to help bypass such barriers.Design/methodology/approachThis is an embedded case study with a deductive approach investigating innovation barriers in the public sector after a model of 8 different barriers which are all examined through a theoretical thematic analysis.FindingsLimited resources, poor leadership as well as limiting laws and regulations were revealed to be the greatest barriers to public sector innovation. A lack of incentives and rewards and resistant users and suppliers were deemed not to hinder innovation especially. Innovation hubs can help bypass these barriers by bringing in external resources as money and substitutes, but also by offering public sector employees a platform to meet between organizational units, thereby allowing them to circumvent risk-avoiding cultures and ill-fitting structures to innovation that tend to exist in the public sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to innovational projects of one hub, situated in a relatively small town in Sweden. The results might not be fully transferable to other countries or contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of the study could give an indication to public sectors what use an innovation hub can have in bypassing barriers to innovation.Originality/valueFew studies have addressed the role of innovation hubs in the public sector, especially in combination with innovation barriers.

BACKGROUND: Professional interpreters improve care for limited English proficient patients but are underused. Study Design: Mixed methods study evaluating effectiveness and implementation of a rooming protocol to screen patients for language needs and call interpreters OBJECTIVE: Examine barriers and facilitators to protocol implementation and effectiveness to increase interpreter use METHODS: Provider surveys explored baseline and post-implementation attitudes. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses examined the impact of practicing in the pilot clinics versus comparison clinics on post-implementation responses. Medical Assistants and providers were interviewed regarding barriers and facilitators to implementation. Interview analysis used modified grounded theory. Trends in the number of telephone interpreter calls were examined to determine protocol effectiveness. RESULTS: Context themes included having established teams and workflows; transitioning to a new interpreter vendor; and challenges incorporating the workflow, including providers’ tardiness and clinic understaffing. Evidence themes included beliefs that the protocol improved the patient experience but otherwise mixed responses; preferring live interpreters; and limited buy-in to language screening. Facilitation themes included Medical Assistants needing more support. Providers in the pilot clinics versus comparison clinics had significantly higher odds of positive responses on post-implementation survey questions regarding satisfaction with care (OR 5.3) and communication (OR 6.7). Implementation did not increase the number of telephone interpreter calls in the pilot clinics. CONCLUSION: Ineffectiveness of the protocol was likely due to inconsistent implementation. The protocol may improve patient care but context limited implementation success. The limited buy-in to language screening raises questions about how to better identify patient language needs. / 2019-11-08T00:00:00Z

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / Currently, South Africa is in phase two of implementing 50 full-service schools (FSS) and further development is said to be based on results from immediate to short-term results (DoE, 2005a). Concerns over the new development relate to whether resources are sufficient and available to further expand the provision of FSS and, overall, whether the Education White Paper 6 (EWP6) has been implemented successfully in phase one. This research therefore evaluates the implementation of EWP6 within selected phase one FSS in the Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) province. Purposive sampling was used and the researcher selected institutional-level support team (ILST) members within FSS to participate (n=43 participants). Questionnaires were self-administered and designed to address the following research questions: Have policy objectives been met in the implementation of EWP6 within FSS? What are the barriers to implementing EWP6 within FSS? And, what strategies have ILST members used to overcome these challenges? The questionnaire elicited both quantitative and qualitative data which was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and thematic analysis. Some schools reported successes which include the enrolment of learners who experience diverse barriers to learning and optimistic attitudes among ILST members regarding possible benefits of inclusive education and their theoretical knowledge of multi-level teaching. Barriers to implementation of the EWP6 within FSS include inadequate resources (human, educational, physical and financial), inadequate support provision to FSS and ILST, inadequate training and subsequent training support and a lack of involvement from parents and communities. Many participants are unsure of how to overcome these challenges but, undoubtedly, are in need of support from communities, parents and the Department of Education (DoE).

Given that researchers estimate approximately one child in every classroom has Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and that most of these students are served in the general education classroom, it is imperative that general education teachers know how to effectively teach these students. Seventy-two general education elementary school teachers completed a survey containing demographic information, a knowledge of ADHD questionnaire, and a survey on interventions for students with ADHD. Results indicated that teachers scored an average of 57% correct on the Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale (KADDS), scoring statistically significantly higher on the Symptoms/Diagnosis subscale compared to the General and Treatment subscales. In terms of the interventions, teachers felt more knowledgeable, perceived their skill to be greater, rated as more acceptable, and rated lower barriers to the implementation of classroom management interventions such as the use of cues, prompts, and attention checks; physical arrangement; structure; and varied presentation and format of materials. Teachers felt they knew least about, had less skill, rated as less acceptable, and had more barriers to the implementation of behavior management interventions such as token economy, response cost, and time-out from positive reinforcement, as well as self-management techniques. Most demographic variables were unrelated to teachers' knowledge of ADHD, their perceived knowledge of interventions, and their ratings of acceptability of interventions. Based on the information presented, teachers need more training and knowledge in the area of ADHD and interventions for students with ADHD in order to effectively help children with the disorder. Importantly, school psychologists and other service providers who suggest interventions for teachers to use for students with ADHD need to consider the factors that contribute to teachers' acceptability of interventions.

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the role of adherence barriers to healthcare and the impact that such barriers have on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) compliance for African Americans living with HIV/AIDS. HAART helps reduce HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality. Of the 49% of study participants who had been out of medical care for more than 12 months, financial concerns were listed as the most common barrier (22.8%). Not having the support from family and friends (17.5%), being tired of going to doctor appointments (15.8%), health challenges (12.3%), lack of transportation (12.3%), and incarceration (12.3%) were also barriers in medical care that had a direct influence on noncompliance. The overall model of the linear regression analysis was significant, R2 = .469, adjusted R2 = .458, F(1, 49) = 43.24, p < .001. Being in medical care on a regular basis accounted for 46.9% of the total variance in attending primary care visits. The outcome of this analysis confirms the hypotheses (HA1) that attending 2 primary care visits within 6 months of being linked to care increased the rate of compliance for African Americans on HAART living with HIV/AIDS. The overall model of the linear regression analysis was significant, R2 = .469, adjusted R2 = .458, F(1, 49) = 7.206, p < .001. Being in medical care on a regular basis accounted for 46.9% of the total variance in attending primary care visits. The outcome of this analysis empasizes the importance of HAART compliance. These findings can lead to positive social changes by improving quality of life and health, which impacts gainful employment, sustains positive relationships, improves finances, and increases self-sufficiency