The pharmaceutical industry has received increasing attention from society in recent years, mainly due to the development of vaccines to counteract the spread of Covid-19. While other industries have received sympathy for delays, inconveniences, and difficulties the pressure towards the pharmaceutical industry to produce the vaccine against the virus has increased. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has left no one untouched, it has affected the global economy, increased the unemployment rate, reduced incomes, and resulted in disruption for transportation. The Covid-19 pandemic has also left its mark in the pharmaceutical industry. When lockdowns were implemented, it caused restrictions of in country and cross border movements, hampering the transportation and delivery of pharmaceutical suppliers, causing shortages or disruptions. This has resulted in an industry where unpredictability is constant, while still aspiring to provide stability and safe products for the patients through their projects. Even though the industry is known for working on projects, it is still immature in comparison to other industries, regarding project management knowledge, and therefore also knowledge about risk management. Generally, the pharmaceutical industry is hesitant towards risk and being cautious can be beneficial when managing risk. However, the pharmaceutical industry is dependent on innovation and development of new medicines which is often associated with taking risks.  The purpose of this thesis is to provide insights into the beginning stages of risk management for projects within the pharmaceutical industry, during the covid-19 pandemic in Sweden. The Swedish pharmaceutical industry has during 2020 broken new records regarding exports and increased the volume by ten percent whereas the general export in Sweden has decreased. This study explores pharmaceutical projects’ risk identification by interviewing eight active project members who have been a part of projects both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.  A qualitative method was chosen for this study, paired with grounded theory that has provided us with several implications for pharmaceutical projects and their risk identification. We have discovered indications for the structure of the risk identification process. This structure indicates four separate steps of the risk identification process. The first step is classifying risk, where cross-functionality plays an important role. Afterwards, the risk identification process enters the complex environment and continues to the second step. This step initiates the risk search - mixed approach, consisting of the individual and collective approaches towards risk search. Here, pharmaceutical projects can take guidance from stakeholders such as regulatory authorities. The third step is reaction which can be altered by unpredictable disruptions or governed by the stakeholders. In this case, the project re-assesses and returns to the second step risk search - mixed approach. However, if the reaction is not to re-assess, the process continues to the fourth step temporarily completed risk identification. Then, due to the long project lifespans, the project will ultimately return to the first step and repeat the risk identification process.  Our study contributes to new insights into pharmaceutical risk identification in several theoretical ways. Mainly, we have shown that contrary to previous theories, the pharmaceutical project risk identification entails the classifying of risks before the risk search. Additionally, our findings generate insights for practical purposes for project members and relevant stakeholders.

Abstract Purpose: This study aims to explore the usefulness of the Balanced Scorecard in an organization considering the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in a warehouse. Furthermore, the Operational Performance Management of Atea Logistics AB (an IT infrastructure service provider warehouse) during the Covid-19 pandemic is presented with regards to the quality and delivery objectives form the customer perspective of the balanced scorecard along with how it helped Atea prepare for future disruptions.    Methodology: A narrative literature review was presented to highlight the usefulness of the balanced scorecard in an organization in RQ1. In addition, qualitative research was conducted in a single case study of Atea Logistics AB on the usefulness of balanced scorecard and operational performance management objectives of quality and delivery in a warehouse from the customer perspective during the Covid-19 pandemic with the help of semi-structured online interviews/emails with three respondents from the company.   Findings:  The initial result of the study exhibited that the balanced scorecard was extremely useful to monitor the operational performance of the warehouse by linking the impact of the external environment with the internal activities during the Covid-19 pandemic and respond to the situation at hand promptly and minimize its influence on the customers. A second finding was that the impact of the disruption was mixed for the warehouse operations as the demand for products increased but stock was insufficient to fulfil the demand. The third set of findings to help prepare for future disruptions is to plan purchases in advance, urge customers to plan their orders well in advance and to order stock items rather than customized products, collaborate with suppliers to arrange alternative sources, and focus on employee well-being that directly influences the operational activities in the warehouse.

Schools closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with the expectation that learning continue from home. This presented a unique challenge for parents of children with special educational needs as during this time levels of stress were high and access to supports were low. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore and describe parents of children with SEN's experiences with at-home learning as it relates to their learning-specific parental self-efficacy, perceived stress and perceived support from their child’s school. Quantitative analysis revealed that learning-specific PSE was significantly and negatively related to perceived stress. Parents did not differ in their perception of school supports. While qualitative analysis revealed many similarities between groups, it also revealed nuanced differences that show that parents of high and low PSE experienced the school closures differently. Overall, the findings of this study provide evidence that parents with high and low parental self-efficacy differ in their experiences of supporting the learning of their children with SEN. This study serves to add to the limited body of literature on learning-specific PSE, as well as inform the efforts of schools and other professionals in supporting the parents of children with SEN and their families.

In this study, we have delved deeply into the European food industry's response to the altered reality during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through qualitative interviews with six business leaders from different parts of the sector, combined with a comprehensive literature review, we have strived to enhance the understanding of the organizational changes and strategic solutions that the industry has employed to navigate the crisis. The challenges we observed included disruptions in the supplychain, stress among employees due to illness and work-related pressure, as well as shifting sales and market patterns. Despite these difficulties, the companies managed to adapt by restructuring their organizations and leadership styles, which mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic. Some of the most significant lessons included the importance of having a flexible and adaptable organizational structure, and the necessity to develop effective communication strategies and leadership methods during uncertain times. The results of our study also point out that there is a need to integrate social aspects into food production and distribution. This would increase companies' resilience and ability to maintain operations in an increasingly uncertain global context. We found that the pandemic has contributed to increasing the importance of local production and consumption, strengthening the role of digital technology in streamlining communication and workflows, and focusing more on companies' sustainability initiatives and responsibilities. To further utilize these insights, we propose future research focusing on tracking companies' adaptations over time, comparing different industries and regions, and examining how the implementation of changes is related to the achievement of sustainability goals. We also underscore that both quantitative and qualitative research methods should be used to gain adeeper understanding of the processes driven by crises like the pandemic. In summary, our study shows that, despite the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, food producers in Europe have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and reshape their organizations and business models. The main lesson is that flexibility, communication, and rapid adaptation are crucial in handling crises and ensuring a sustainable and resilient food industry. This insight can assist policymakers and industry leaders in formulating more effective strategies and guidelines to promote a more sustainable and resilient organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic left no one unaffected as it spread across the world and changed the lives of billions of people. The pandemic has not only resulted in physical sickness and death, but also increased mental health issues due to fear, uncertainty, and social isolation. This review aimed to investigate whether mindfulness interventions can decrease symptoms of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout, and increase symptoms of mental well-being, such as psychological well-being, during the pandemic. All studies included in this thesis used different mindfulness interventions and different self-report measures to evaluate various mental health aspects, such as psychological flexibility, tolerance of uncertainty, empathy, self-compassion, and more. Statistically significant improvements in mental health were observed across all studies and is further supported by existing literature on mental health and mindfulness meditation and interventions.

Background: Telepresence robots provide real-time audio, video, and mobility features, allowing faculty and students to engage in learning experiences without being physically present. Problem: With multiple students and faculty members needing to quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a flexible learning environment was essential. Approach: The telepresence robots were used as an innovative approach for both faculty and students to engage in learning experiences offered in a variety of settings. Outcome: Feedback was obtained from faculty and students about the use of and satisfaction with telepresence robots. The robots were easy to use and posed only a few technological challenges, which were easily overcome. Conclusions: Telepresence robots were effective tools in overcoming teaching and learning barriers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The telepresence robots have many applications, including use in clinical and community settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many Swedish businesses to reconsider their survival techniques and the support they offer to societies in which they operate. The purpose of this study is to examine the COVID -19 responses practiced by four Swedish Companies (Essity, Volvo Group, ICA Gruppen, and Autoliv) to see what entrepreneurs can learn in the event of another pandemic. Furthermore, the study explores the different ways in which CSV and competitive advantage may be attained using the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study based on secondary data analyzing information from company homepages, and annual and sustainability reports for the years 2020 and 2021 are the only ones used to provide systematic and comprehensive insights. The theoretical framework includes Archie Carroll’s pyramid which includes the legal, ethical, economic, and philanthropic responsibilities of the organization towards society, the stakeholder theory as well as the concept of creating Value Creation. The results show that Essity, Volvo Group, ICA Gruppen, and Autoliv responded differently to COVID-19 through philanthropic activities, commitment to ethical goals, upholding legal requirements, and maintaining business operations. And the ways in which they can contribute to value creation through these responses include enhanced employee relations, customer relations, innovation, collaborations, and government regulatory compliance. The study revealed that solving societal challenges is integral to guaranteeing that the organization can obtain an economic benefit for a long-term sustainability. When dealing with society in times of uncertainty, entrepreneurial innovations can be a source of future competitive advantage.

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Folgen der COVID-19-Pandemie und der damit verbundenen Infektionsschutzmaßnahmen auf die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchung stehen dabei Kinder und Jugendliche zwischen 2 und 17 Jahren, die in Praxen von Fachärztinnen und Fachärzten für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin behandelt wurden. Ziel einer ersten Studie war es zu klären, ob und in welchem Umfang die Gruppe dieser jungen Patientinnen und Patienten in den pädiatrischen Praxen gegenüber einem präpandemischen Vergleichszeitraum häufiger unter Störungen mit ängstlicher oder depressiver Symptomatik litten. Als Vergleichszeitraum wurde hier April 2020 bis Dezember 2020 versus April 2019 bis Dezember 2019 gewählt. Der erste Ergebnisparameter war die Anzahl der Kinder und Jugendlichen mit den Diagnosen Depression (ICD-10: F32, F33) und Angststörung (ICD-10: F41) pro Praxis. Der zweite Ergebnisparameter der Studie war die Veränderung der Prävalenz von Depressions- und Angststörungsdiagnosen im Zeitraum April 2020-Dezember 2020 gegenüber April 2019-Dezember 2019 (Studie 1). In einer zweiten Studie wurden alle psychischen Störungen des Kapitels F des ICD-10 untersucht. Hier war ein längerer Vergleichszeitraum von 2018 bis 2021 möglich. 2018 und 2019 waren präpandemische Jahre und 2020 und 2021 wurden als pandemische Jahre eingestuft. Im Zentrum stand hier die Gesamtzahl der Patienten mit psychischen Störungen und die Anzahl von Patienten mit diesen Störungsbildern in den einzelnen Praxen (Studie 2). Die Ergebnisse der ersten Studie zeigten, dass die Anzahl der Kinder und Jugendlichen mit Depressions- und Angstdiagnosen pro Praxis im Zeitraum April 2020 bis Dezember 2020 im Vergleich zum gleichen Zeitraum 2019 zugenommen hatte (Angst: +9%, Depression: +12%). Der Anstieg war bei Mädchen deutlich größer als bei Jungen (Angst: +13% vs. +5%; Depression +19% vs. +1%). Die Prävalenz der Angststörung stieg von 0,31% auf 0,59% (p<0,001), die der Depression von 0,23% auf 0,47% (p<0,001). Die größten Anstiege wurden bei Mädchen beobachtet (Angst von 0,35% auf 0,72% (+106%, p<0,001), Depression von 0,28% auf 0,72% (+132%, p<0,001) (Studie 1). In der Folgestudie zeigten die Ergebnisse, dass in den Pandemiejahren 2020 und 2021 im Vergleich zu den beiden Vorjahren signifikant mehr psychische Störungen diagnostiziert (chi2 p<0,001) wurden. Ein Anstieg von 2018 zu 2021 wurde besonders bei affektiven Störungen deutlich. Allerdings war die Zunahme der Anzahl dieser Patienten in der einzelnen Praxis mit einer durchschnittlichen Zunahme von 7 Patienten pro Praxis im Jahr sehr gering und war vermutlich für die einzelne Ärztin oder den einzelnen Arzt kaum wahrnehmbar (Studie 2). Während in der ersten Studie für einen kürzeren Zeitraum von 9 Monaten gezeigt wurde, dass die Zahl der pädiatrischen Diagnosen von Depressionen und Angststörungen im Pandemiejahr 2020 im Vergleich zum Vorjahr zugenommen hatte, konnte in der zweiten Studie für einen Zweijahreszeitraum belegt werden, dass die Summe aller psychischen Störungen des Kapitels F der ICD 10 zugenommen hatte. Beide Studienergebnisse weisen auf die Chance hin, dass wenige standardisierte Fragen zur psychischen Gesundheit z. B. in die pädiatrischen Vorsorgeuntersuchungen implementiert werden können, um ungedeckte Bedarfssituationen im Hinblick auf die psychische Gesundheit besser wahrzunehmen.:1. Einleitung 1 1.1. Hintergrund 1 1.2. Fragestellungen 2 1.3. Methoden 3 2. Publikationen 5 2.1. Zunahme von Depressions- und Angststörungsdiagnosen während der Covid-19-Pandemie bei Kindern und Jugendlichen 5 2.2. Psychische Störungen in deutschen pädiatrischen Praxen vor und während der COVID-19-Pandemie 14 3. Diskussion 19 4. Schlussfolgerungen, Implikationen für Forschung und Praxis 23 5. Zusammenfassung der Arbeit 25 5.1. Zusammenfassung 25 5.2. Studienziele 25 5.3. Ergebnisse 26 5.4. Schlussfolgerung 27 5.5. Implikationen für die weitere Forschung 27 6. Literaturverzeichnis 28 7. Anlagen 34 7.1. Darstellung des eigenen Beitrages 34 7.2. Selbstständigkeitserklärung 38 7.3. Lebenslauf 39 7.4. Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen 40 7.5. Danksagung 42

At the beginning of 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, known more commonly as COVID-19, created a pandemic. To slow its spread, healthcare workers were heavily encouraged to vaccinate themselves. However, nurses have been less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 than physicians. Four common themes have been associated with vaccine hesitancy among nurses, namely certain demographic variables (e.g., younger age and female sex), fears of the vaccine, conspiracy theories and news sources, and medical and psychological histories that pertain to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Thus, this study aimed to identify whether these factors apply to Florida nurses' decisions to get vaccinated after the height of the pandemic. To approach this problem, sixty-five participants were surveyed through a Qualtrics cross-sectional questionnaire. The results revealed that approximately 18.5% of participants were not vaccinated. Trends in the data revealed that older age and a postgraduate education level were associated with receiving the vaccine. Non-vaccinated participants had less confidence in the vaccine's ability to reduce the risk of hospitalization, death, and infection, and they had a stronger fear of side effects and the vaccine's rapid development. Several vaccinated and non-vaccinated participants also believed vaccine conspiracy theories, such as that vaccine safety data is falsified. Many non-vaccinated nurses also received SARS-CoV-2 information from social media or their patients, whereas many vaccinated nurses received information from government news sources or physicians. Non-vaccinated nurses also tended to have more discomfort towards hypodermic injections than vaccinated nurses. These conclusions are generalizable to the nurses of this study and may not be generalizable to all nurses. However, because nurses are on the frontlines of the healthcare field and have an essential role in informing the public about health, the results of this study can help inform vaccine education interventions should a future pandemic occur.

The purpose of the study was to identify assistant principals' perceptions of their roles in school leadership, their experiences with student discipline in the public school setting pre- and post-COVID-19, and the professional learning they were provided to navigate the student discipline process. The basic qualitative study addressed two research questions: What were high school assistant principals' perceptions of leadership related to student discipline in public schools pre- and post-COVID pandemic? Furthermore, what professional development would support assistant principals with the student discipline process post-COVID-19? Using a standard interview protocol, the researcher interviewed eight high school assistant principals in one southeastern Virginia school division. The interview questions were organized into themes in response to the research questions based on the respondents' shared perceptions of their roles, student discipline experiences pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic, including professional development needs. This study revealed that assistant principals perceived changes in their leadership capacity due to declining student behavior, and the frequency of student discipline referrals "increased dramatically" post-COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas high school assistant principals prioritized instructional leadership before the pandemic, in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, negative student behavior caused school leaders to focus on processing school discipline over instructional leadership. This research found that student behaviors changed the educational landscape post-COVID-19, highlighting areas of concern for student well-being, such as physical aggression, substance abuse, lack of school attendance, and mental health concerns. The study also found that high school assistant principals reflected positive outcomes post-COVID-19 pandemic as they adjusted their professional practice as empathetic leaders fostering positive relationships with school stakeholders. Finally, the researcher sought to examine the high school assistant principals' experiences with professional development opportunities when learning the student discipline process. The study found that assistant principals wanted actionable, collaborative, and interactive learning opportunities, including authentic mentorships, hands-on learning experiences, and guidance to communicate with stakeholders during the student discipline process. Implications from this study include calling on the Department of Education, school divisions, and school principals to identify, plan, and support high school assistant principals as they navigate the role of school leaders post-COVID-19 pandemic. / Doctor of Education / The COVID-19 pandemic created a catalyst for change in an uncertain educational environment for school leaders. As the "boots on the ground," high school assistant principals became the front-line offense for school divisions and principals in navigating students' return to face-to-face instruction post-COVID-19 pandemic. This research interviewed eight high school assistant principals for their perceptions, interactions, and experiences as administrators, especially with the school discipline process before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also examined the professional development assistant principals perceived they needed to navigate the post-pandemic student discipline process. This study revealed that assistant principals perceived changes in their leadership capacity due to declining student behavior, and the frequency of student discipline referrals "increased dramatically" post-COVID-19 pandemic. Student behaviors changed the educational landscape post-COVID-19, highlighting areas of concern for student well-being, such as physical aggression, substance abuse, lack of school attendance, and mental health concerns. Although pre-COVID-19 pandemic high school assistant principals prioritized instructional leadership, in the post-COVID-19 pandemic school setting, the study found that negative student behavior shifted the school leaders' priority to processing school discipline over instructional leadership. In addition, the administrators in this study expressed the need for professional development focused on the school discipline process that is actionable, collaborative, and involves interactive learning opportunities. Authentic mentorships, hands-on learning experiences, and communication guidance during traumatic events are suggested. The study closed by calling on the Departments of Education, school divisions, and school principals to identify and plan for support of high school assistant principals' need to navigate the role of school leaders post-COVID-19 pandemic.