Background: Sustainability is a commonly discussed topic that continues to grow and has become more important in investment decisions. The opinions regarding the relationship between sustainability and financial performance are divided, and research in the field indicates different results. ESG has gained greater focus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and widespread claims that companies and funds with higher ESG score would have greater resilience have emerged. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to investigate and analyse a possible relationship between ESG score and financial performance for Swedish listed companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The sub-purpose of the study is to investigate whether sector divisions affect the ESG's significance for financial performance. Method: In this study, a quantitative method with a deductive approach was used. The data material was obtained from Refinitiv Eikon and comprised data from 306 companies. The examined period of the study refers to the year 2020. The statistical models applied were univariate analysis, bivariate analysis, and multiple regression analysis.  Conclusion: The results indicate a negative relationship between ESG and financial performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a spread regarding financial performance between the sectors, but it is not possible to draw concrete conclusions about the sectors' impact. This study contributes to the literature in the field of sustainability and financial performance by analyzing empirical data during the Covid-19 pandemic. / Bakgrund: Hållbarhet är ett aktuellt ämne som fortsätter att växa och får allt mer betydelse vid investeringsbeslut. Det råder delade meningar kring sambandet mellan hållbarhet och finansiell prestation och forskning inom ämnet visar på olika resultat. ESG har fått större fokus till följd av covid-19-pandemin, och utbredda påståenden om att bolag och fonder med högre ESG-betyg skulle ha större motståndskraft har växt fram. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och analysera eventuella samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation för svenska noterade bolag under covid-19-pandemin. Studiens delsyfte är att undersöka om sektorindelning påverkar ESG:s betydelse för finansiell prestation. Metod: I denna studie användes en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Datamaterialet inhämtades från Refinitiv Eikon och omfattade data från 306 bolag. Studiens undersökningsperiod avser år 2020. De statistiska modellerna som tillämpats är univariat analys, bivariat analys och multipel regressionsanalys. Slutsats: Studiens resultat tyder på ett negativt samband mellan ESG och finansiell prestation under covid-19-pandemin. Det förekommer spridning avseende finansiell prestation mellan sektorerna, men det går däremot inte att dra konkreta slutsatser kring sektorernas påverkan. Denna studie bidrar till litteraturen inom området för hållbarhet och finansiell prestation genom analys av empiriska data under covid-19-pandemin.

Restriktioner som har förelegat under Covid-19 pandemin har påverkat stora delar av våra samhällen. I Sverige har invånarna blivit uppmanade att hålla sig hemma i fullaste mån, arbeta hemifrån och minska sina sociala kontakter. I sin tur har vanliga beteendemönster till och från arbeten ändrats och relationer till offentliga rummet har påverkats. Detta arbete reder ut hur Covid-19 pandemin har påverkat användandet av offentliga platser med hjälp av en enkätstudie. Arbetet undersöker om det finns skillnader bland olika könsgrupper i användandet av offentliga platser under pandemin samt vilka platser som varit mest attraktiva under pandemin. Studien innefattar även kvalitativa inslag för mer djupgående analyser. I studien visar det sig att grönområden har varit mer uppskattade än offentliga platser som torg, där våra sociala umgängen tidigare ägt rum. Skillnaderna mellan könen är i stort väldigt små men det finns lite olikheter i brukbarheten av offentliga platser. Troligtvis kommer vanor som har skapats under Covid-19 pandemin fortgå och vi behöver se över våra offentliga platser så dessa är brukbara även under pandemier.

Background & aims: Prior research has, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting supply chain (SC) disruptions, increased the level of investigations in the field of SC resilience strategies. Even though many studies have been conducted within the field, little is known about the effectiveness and efficiency of those strategies. As food SC’s (FSC’s) are among the most important SC’s in our societies, their conservation is of great importance. As the operational purchasing process within the FSC was one of the areas within the SC that was strongly affected by the pandemic, this process will be the focus of the paper. This study seeks to identify the most applied SC resilience strategies for operational purchasing activities in FSC’s for various SC disruptions from a SME food retailers perspective. Furthermore, a framework of how to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of those strategies will be developed. Method: To collect relevant empirical data to answer the purpose of the study a qualitative multiple-interview study is conducted based on semi-structured interviews with respondents of the three different case companies. The case companies were selected and four interviews with one to two respondents per company were conducted. European SME food retailers of long shelf life goods are used as case companies to investigate the research gaps. Results: The study found out that the application of theory revealed the five most applied SC resilience strategies (SC flexibility, inventory management, end-to-end (E2E) SC visibility (SCV), information technology (IT) tools and SC cooperation) in operational purchasing, differences between SME food retailers according to their company size and maturity level. The KPIs identified to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of these SC resilience strategies were found to be applied. The KPIs provided are the basis for measurement opportunities that should be adapted and expanded depending on the business model and complexity of the company as part of the SC design. Contributions: The study adds value through theoretical and practical contributions of the most applied SC resilience strategies within operational purchasing from a SME food retailer perspective and their performance measurement system for measuring efficiency and effectiveness. Limitation & future research: The study is limited to the Covid-19 pandemic as a major reason for the triggering of the investigated SC disruptions. Further limitations can be seen within the selection of the case companies. Future research should investigate the differences between SME within their application of SC resilience strategies for their operational purchasing activities, just like the differences between strategic and operational purchasing. Key words: supply chain resilience strategy, supply chain disruption, Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain effectiveness, supply chain efficiency, performance measurements, key performance indicator, food supply chain, food retailers, purchasing process, operational purchasing

The purpose of the current study is to examine the experiences of social workers who have worked with violence in close relationships during the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the study aims to investigate how social workers felt that their approach and discretion were affected during the pandemic's restrictions. The previous research as well as the theoretical concepts Discrection and Coping Strategy have formed the study's theoretical basis which has been used to analyze the study's results through a thematic analysis. The study has a qualitative approach with five semi-structured interviews whose respondents work on various supportorganizations that work with violence in close relationships. The results of the study showed that the social worker's experiences clarified that the organizations have followed the restrictions and designed new approaches to be able to reach victims of violence who need support and help. The social workers' personal competence and discretion were decisive factors as to whether the social workers' approach was shaped during the pandemic. The results also showed that it varied in the experiences around the pandemic's impact. The organizations had to adapt to the digitalization of social work, which in turn resulted in varying challenges in social work. / Den aktuella studiens syfte är att undersöka erfarenheter hos socialarbetare som har arbetat med våld i nära relationer under Covid-19 pandemins restriktioner. Dessutom syftar studien till att undersöka hur socialarbetare upplevde att deras tillvägagångssätt och handlingsutrymme påverkades under pandemins restriktioner. Den tidigare forskningen samt de teoretiska begreppen Handlingsutrymme och Copingstrategi har utgjort studiens teoretiska underlag som har använts för att analysera studiens resultat genom en tematisk analys. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med fem semistrukturerade intervjuer vars respondenter arbetar på olika stödverksamheter som arbetar med våld i nära relationer. Studiens resultat visade att socialarbetarens erfarenheter synliggjorde att verksamheter har tillämpat restriktionerna och utformat nya tillvägagångssätt för att kunna nå våldsutsatta personer som behöver stöd och hjälp. Socialarbetarnas personliga kompetens och handlingsutrymme var avgörande faktorer till huruvida socialarbetarnas tillvägagångssätt formades under pandemin. Resultatet visade dessutom att det varierade i upplevelserna kring pandemins påverkan. Den främsta påverkan som verksamheterna fick anpassa sig efter var digitaliseringen av det sociala arbetet som i sin tur resulterade i varierande utmaningar i det sociala arbetet.

I och med Covid-19 pandemin började allt fler arbeta på distans i hemmamiljö och tidigare studier har visat olika utfall som till exempel ökade och minskade muskuloskeletala besvär. Det var lämpligt att genomföra en studie om upplevelser av fysisk hemarbetsmiljö hos tjänstemän inom IT branschen under Covid-19 pandemin för att eventuellt kunna komplettera befintlig forskning och bidra till arbetsgivares riktlinjer om fysisk arbetsmiljö för distansarbete. Det empiriska materialet samlades utifrån fem semistrukturerade intervjuer som sedan analyserades utifrån en fenomenografisk ansats. Resultatet visade att informanterna kunde uppleva fysiska förändringar med två olika utgångspunkter, enklare att bli mer fysisk aktiv och enklare att bli sittande framför datorn i långa perioder. Informanterna upplevde även olika ergonomiska förutsättningar att skapa anpassade arbetsstationer både med möjligheter och begränsningar. Resultatet kan bero på ökad upplevd balans mellan arbete och fritid, tidsflexibilitet, familjesituation, bostadsyta och arbetsgivarens stöttning. Utifrån resultatet skulle det kunna vara väsentligt att arbetsgivare stöttar arbetstagare med kunskap i ergonomi och utrustning vid distansarbete i hemmet. Studien kan ses som en ingång till fortsatt kvalitativ forskning om fysiska aspekter av arbetsmiljö vid distansarbete.

Syftet med denna studie är att genom intervjuer med företrädare för svenska elitidrottsklubbar, inom fotboll och ishockey, beskriva vilka ekonomiska åtgärder som vidtagits på grund av intäktsbortfallen till följd av Covid19-pandemin, samt vilka konsekvenser det har haft för klubbarnas finansiering och deras syn på risker med finansieringen. Pandemin har medfört ekonomiska påfrestningar med stora intäktsbortfall, vilket har satt klubbarnas finansiella verksamhet på prov. En verksamhet som redan präglas av idrottens ekonomiskt destruktiva konkurrens. Studien utfördes genom kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv ansats. Empiriinsamling skedde via fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med representanter från svenska elitfotbolls- och elithockeyklubbar, samt kringliggande organ som har direkt samröre med klubbarna. Intäktsbortfallen har framkallat ekonomiska åtgärder hos klubbarna i form av kostnadsbesparingar och alternativa intäkter, samt en mer kontinuerlig budgetering utifrån olika scenarion, baserade på eventuella restriktioners omfattning. Klubbarna anser att de har klarat sig bra rent ekonomiskt under pandemin. Detta härleds dock främst till stöd och bidrag från intressentgrupper som bidragit till deras ekonomiska motståndskraft. Trots att elitidrottsklubbarnas finansieringssätt visar sig vara riskfyllt, framför studien att klubbarna inte tar detta i beaktning då de kan förlita sig på stöd från intressentgrupperna vid tider av finansiella svårigheter. / The purpose of this study is to describe, through interviews with representatives of Swedish elite sports clubs in football and ice hockey, what financial measures have been taken due to loss of income as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what consequences it has had for the clubs financing and their view of the risks with their financing. The pandemic has brought economic constraints on the sports clubs, due to large losses of income, which has put their financial activities to the test. Activities that are already characterised by the economically destructive competition of sport. The study used a qualitative method with an abductive approach. The empirical data was collected by conducting five semi structured interviews with representatives from the sports clubs themselves, and also from surrounding organisations with direct association with the clubs. The loss of income has resulted in measures such as cost reduction, finding alternative income sources and a more continuous budgetary planning, based on scenarios of possible restrictions. The clubs consider themselves to have endured the economic constraints, brought by the pandemic, fairly well. However, the main contributing factor to the clubs economic resilience is support from interest groups. Even though the way elite sports clubs are financed is considered to be risky, the findings of this study show that the clubs do not take this into consideration because they can rely on economic support from these interest groups in times of financial distress.

Fysisk aktivitet kan genomföras genom exempelvis lagidrott vilket genererar psykiska, fysiska och sociala vinster i relation till hälsa. Som lagidrottsutövare under en pandemi har utmaningar uppstått som kräver att idrottsverksamheter behöver anpassa sig vilket också påverkar utövarna. Handboll är en sport som bedrivs inomhus med fysisk kontakt som till följd av Covid-19 pandemin både pausats och stängts ned. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur handbollsspelare upplever möjligheten att vara fysiskt aktiv under en pandemi och huruvida detta påverkar motivation i relation till lagidrotten. I studien har en kvalitativ metod tillämpats genom ett målstyrt urval där sex handbollsspelare i Västmanland intervjuades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Insamlade data transkriberades och analyserades genom en manifest innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att det finns upplevda möjligheter till fysisk aktivitet under Covid-19 pandemin som krävt en individuell träningsomställning och detta har möjliggjort mer tid till annat. De upplevda hindren är begränsad tillgänglighet att utöva handboll och mindre kollektiv träning som har bidragit till bristande motivation till lagidrotten. Slutsatserna visar att den sociala vinsten lagidrott genererar upplevs meningsfull vilket pandemin begränsat. Möjligheter och hinder har gjort att handbollsspelare ifrågasätter varför de tränar så mycket när det inte finns något att träna för vilket också påverkar motivation till sporten. / Physical activity can be performed through for example team sports which generate mental, physical, and social benefits in relation to health. As a team sport athlete during a pandemic, challenges have arisen that require sports activities to adapt, which also affects the athletes. Handball is a sport that is played indoors with physical contact which as a result of the Covid- 19 pandemic has both been paused and shut down. The aim of the study is to investigate how handball players experience the opportunity to be physically active during a pandemic and whether this affects motivation in relation to team sports. In the study, a qualitative method was applied through purposeful sampling where six handball players in Västmanland were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed by manifest content analysis. The results show that there are perceived opportunities for physical activity during the Covid- 19 pandemic that required an individual training adjustment, and this has enabled more time for other things. The perceived barriers during a pandemic with limited accessibility to practice handball and less collective training have contributed to a lack of motivation to team sports. The conclusion shows that the social winning teams sport generates, and which is perceived as meaningful, has been limited during the pandemic. Opportunities and barriers have made handball players questioning why they train so much when there is nothing to train for, which also affect motivation for the sport.

Den 11 mars 2020 klassificerade Världshälsoorganisationen (WHO) covid-19 viruset som en pandemi. I Sverige infördes restriktioner för att begränsa smittspridningen av viruset genom att minska människans fysiska kontakt. Under pandemin började allt fler människor besöka naturområden och besöksantalet ökade kraftigt. Syftet med studien var att undersöka förhållandet mellan människa och natur i relation till stödjande- och kulturella ekosystemtjänster som människan tillgår när hon vistas i naturen. Studiens metod utgjordes av en kvalitativ intervjustudie som bestod av två delar för att inkludera flera perspektiv. Den första intervjumetoden begränsades till fyra naturområden belägna i Skåne och en naturvårdsförvaltare från vardera område samt en vaktmästare från ett av områdena intervjuades. Den andra intervjumetoden inkluderade fem individer som vistats i skånska naturområden under pandemin. Studiens resultat visade att besöksantalet ökat markant i tre av fyra naturområden och störningen från mänsklig aktivitet har varit kraftig i vissa områden. Effekten på hur stödjande ekosystemtjänster påverkats till följd av störningar gick inte att fastställa då det inte gått tillräckligt lång tid sedan besökstrycket ökade till följd av pandemin. Människan har kunnat nyttja naturområden för avslappning, återhämtning och sociala aktiviteter och därmed har kulturella ekosystemtjänster haft en större betydelse för människan under pandemin. Studiens slutsats är att vidare forskning behövs för att undersöka vilka långtgående konsekvenser som covid-19 pandemin haft på människans och naturens mående eftersom kunskap inom området saknas. / The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the covid-19 virus a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020. Sweden introduced restrictions to limit the spread of the virus and to restrict people's physical contact with each other. During the pandemic people started to visit natural areas and the number of visitors in these places increased. The purpose of the study was to examine the relation between human and nature and the affiliation with the supportive- and cultural ecosystem services that people utilize when they spend time in nature. A qualitative interview method was chosen to fulfill the purpose of the study. We interviewed four nature conservation managers in four different natural areas in Skåne county, a caretaker in one of the areas, and five individuals who had visited natural areas during the pandemic. The result of the study displayed that the number of visitors had significantly increased in three out of four natural areas and the disturbance from human activity was potent in some of the areas. It was not possible to determine how human disturbance affected the supportive ecosystem services since not enough time had elapsed since the increase of visitors. People have used the natural areas to relax, be restored, and to engage in social activities. The cultural ecosystem services have thus been of greater importance for people during the pandemic. The study also concluded that more research is needed to examine the long-term effects of the pandemic on human’s and nature's wellbeing.

In this master’s thesis we examine how the public libraries’ role and mission has been interpreted during the covid-19 pandemic and how the public libraries adapted to the situation. Public libraries are communal spaces meant for the public and according to the Swedish library law the public libraries should work especially towards a few specified prioritized target groups. Therefore, we also wanted to consider which groups needs that have been fulfilled or not, through the adjustments during the pandemic. The material of the study consists of interviews with 14 public library directors and 1 developer of public libraries services. We applied Fairclough’s framework for critical discourse analysis on our interview material. This framework was supplemented with Habermas term the public sphere and with the discourses about public libraries identified by Hedemark.  In the thesis we identified reasons and arguments for how the public libraries readjusted their library activities and prioritized services. We also identified which discourses about libraries were noticeable in the library directors’ descriptions of the libraries’ role during the pandemic. Several discourses about libraries identified by Hedemark were common in the material. We also found a discourse that had not been identified by previous research, which we named the social meeting place discourse. We interpreted the prevalence of this discourse about libraries, which focuses on the social aspect of the library as a meeting place, as an effect of the pandemic. Since the libraries have not been able to function as meeting places during the pandemic, this function has become more noticeable. The closing of the libraries as meeting places has affected all the library users but has affected the libraries work towards the prioritized groups the most. In some areas of Sweden the public libraries have replaced some of the meeting place functions with new digital services. These adaptions vary greatly between different counties, which has meant that people have had different access to library services depending on where they live.  This is a two years master's thesis in Library and information science.

In response to the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Swedish National Agency for Education and the Public Health Agency of Sweden recommended that all upper secondary schools in Sweden would temporarily transition to distance education. A report was simultaneously ordered by the Swedish School Inspectorate, which would monitor the effects the distance education had on Swedish upper secondary schools. The report found that many areas of the Swedish upper secondary school had suffered during the period of distance education. The purpose for this essay is to examine how the findings of the report corresponds with the experiences in German teaching at upper secondary level, one year after the publishing of the original report. An interview with a teacher of German was conducted, who had spent the last three semesters teaching German in an upper secondary school, which mostly was spent via online teaching due to the recommendations from the Public Health Agency. The findings suggest that most of the negative consequences highlighted by the report coincide with the experiences in teaching of German as a foreign language, although many of the findings also apply to other parts of the schoolsystem as well. The findings, furthermore, seem to indicate that certain aspects of what was highlighted by the report could potentially affect foreign language teaching especially, as language learning depends on interactional factors to be successful. The gradual return of present learning has also created a situation of hybrid learning, which only seem to affect certain parts of the school system, German teaching included. To combat similar situations with negative effects in the future, this essay aims to discuss ways in which to actively work towards a teaching approach that is affected to a lesser extent than have been monitored during the covid-19 pandemic. Ways in which to improve future teaching include actively fostering good motivational practices and adapting to working methods which combine the positives of both present and online teaching practices.