The recruitment of women to the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) is increasing. The recruitment to the three-year long Military Acadcemy Karlberg has a higher percentage of women for each year that passes. At present (2020), 17,5% of the applications was made by women, and that is an increase of 3,8 percentage points since 2017. The stereotype is that women are more riskavert than men, so what will that mean to the SAF?  This work aims to collect data via a web-based survey linked to tactical decision-making and investigate whether it differs between men and women.

Studiens utforskar med en tolkande kvalitativ ansats hur militär kultur reproduceras genom taktisk utbildning av svenska arméofficerare och därmed inverkar på balansen mellan offensiv och defensiv krigföring. Genom en fördjupning av teoribildningen kring militär kultur har tre deduktivt teoretiska yttringar formats för att analysera studiens empiriska underlag. Empirins kärna utgörs av taktiska prov över ett tidsspann på 10 år från utbildningarna till fänrik, kapten och major. Studiens resultat visar att en offensiv militär kultur under 2010- talets inledning reproducerades genom officersutbildningen, vilket tolkas bidra till att forma ett offensivt tankemönster hos svenska arméofficerare. Denna tydliga offensiva strömning har dock gradvis tonats ner. Under slutet av perioden gör sig ett betydligt mer balanserat kulturellt uttryck gällande och därmed formande av ett mer flexibelt taktiskt tänkande som i större utsträckning harmoniserar mot rådande doktrin och arméns befintliga resurser. Studien belyser vikten av att förstå sin militära kultur och hur den formar officerare genom en socialiseringsprocess vid den formella utbildningssituationen samt att hela utbildningssystemet måste harmonisera för att uppnå ett flexibelt taktiskt tänkande. Studien bidrar vidare med att nyansera befintlig forskning inom området och fördjupa kunskapen om militär kulturs inverkan på taktiskt agerande genom officersutbildning.

In recent years geopolitical developments which involve powerful states clashing have demonstrated the fragility of small states and their positions within the international system. It is evident that changing hegemony has a greater impact on small states than the most powerful ones. This paper aims to research how one can understand - to a certain extent - the intractable situation between the People's Republic of China and Republic of China Taiwan through a Singaporean narrative. The objective is to further develop critical thinking on the issue by applying and testing neorealism as well as defensive realism as a theoretical approach. Realism is considered as the most sufficient theoretical framework to examine the research topic with. The critical assesment is based on empirical research and relevant circumstances as well as a historical dimensions. By analyzing the case of Singapore as a small state in southeast Asia with core elements within realism such as neorealism and defensive realism, it generates further understanding of the Singaporean standpoint in the China-Taiwan issue. The study found with regards to ethnical history as well as military and economic power that China possess, it is evident that further tension and possible escalation of the conflict would have a major impact on Singapore both economically and politically.

Lokal politik har en viktig roll i samhället och dess faktakonstruktion kan ha en påverkan på individen. Lokalpolitikern konstruerar i sina anföranden beskrivningar av verkligheten som görs trovärdiga genom retoriskt arbete. Arbetet använder en diskurspsykologisk metod för att undersöka kommunpolitikers anförande i debatten rörande kommunens styrdokument, Inriktning, verksamhet och ekonomi (förkortat IVE) för åren 2015 till 2018. Studien kommer fram till att problem och lösningar görs till fakta genom användandet av offensiv och defensiv retorik. I konstruerandet av problemet finns också ett konstruerande av en politisk motståndare som föranlett problemet. Producerandet görs trovärdigt genom retoriska resurser som främst är av offensiv karaktär. I konstruerandet av lösningar positionerar kommunpolitiker sig nära lösningen och som kapabla och ansvarsfulla aktörer. I producerandet nyttjas retoriska resurser som främst är av defensiv karaktär. / Local government has an important role in society and their facts construction can have an impact on the individual citizen. In their speeches, local politicians construct descriptions of reality that are made credible by their rhetorical work. This study utilizes a discourse psychological method to investigate municipal politicians’ speech in the debate on the municipal policy regarding Orientation, Services and Economics (abbreviated IVE) for the years of 2015 throughout 2018. The study concludes that problems and solutions become facts through utilization of offensive and defensive rhetorical techniques. In the construction of the problem there is also a construction of the political opponent that has prompted the problem. The production is made credible through rhetorical resources of primarily offensive characteristics. In constructing the solution the municipal politicians position themselves close to the solution and as capable and responsible actors. In the production they use rhetorical resources that are mainly in defensive form.

This thesis examines the applicability of culminations theory in a guerrilla context. In battle, a crucial factor is to assess who has superior strength. Culmination theory is a central concept in conventional warfare, could the same theory support the analysis of guerrilla warfare?Previous research tends to focus on the results of guerrilla wars. By using the concept of culmination this research attempts to determine, by assessing the battle, whether the guerrilla reached the point of culmination and by that evaluate the applicability of culmination theory in guerrilla warfare.The research design consists of a two-case study to analyse the LTTE and Daesh and thereby highlight culmination theory’s applicability on guerrillas. Written documents are used as sources of empirical data for the two-case study. The result of the survey shows that LTTE and Daesh reached their defensive point of culmination and that culmination theory is generalizable in a similar guerrilla context.

Strategiska beslut är viktiga för företag eftersom det handlar om att skapa framtida konkurrenskraft eller för att överleva på marknaden. Enligt tidigare studier finns det två olika beslutssituationer som företag kan stå inför vilka är offensiva beslut där det handlar om att öka företagets marknadsandelar och defensiva beslut som innebär att företaget skär ner på nuvarande kapacitet. I de tidigare studierna skriver forskarna att det finns hård (numerisk) och mjuk (åsikter, visioner, idéer och känslor) information som beslut kan grundas på. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en förståelse för hur hård och mjuk information används vid strategiska beslut genom att identifiera offensiva och defensiva beslutssituationer. Vidare syftar studien till att analysera hur kunskaperna om medel och mål hos staben i ett privatägt företag inom vård- och omsorgsbranschen initierar användningen av hård och mjuk information vid olika faser i beslutsprocessen. Denna studie gjordes genom en fallstudie som bygger på semi-strukturerade intervjuer med kvalitativa inslag. Fallföretaget är verksamt inom vård och omsorgsbranschen och har en stab som består av fyra medlemmar vilka ansvarar för de strategiska besluten. Resultaten i denna studie visar att kunskaperna om medel och mål hos fallföretagets stab initierade användningen av mjuk information vid alla faser i beslutsprocessen i offensiva och defensiva beslutssituationer. Resultaten visar också att hård information användes i mittersta fasen i beslutsprocessen för att legitimera stabmedlemmarnas argument. / Strategic decisions are important for companies because it is about creating future competitiveness or for surviving in the market. According to previous studies, there are two different decision situations that companies can face which are offensive decisions that involve increasing the company's market shares and defensive decisions which implies that the company reduces their current capacity. In the previous studies, the researchers mention that there is hard (numerical) and soft (opinions, visions, ideas and emotions) information that decisions can be based on. The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how hard and soft information is used in strategic decisions by identifying offensive and defensive decision situations. Furthermore, the study aims to analyze how the knowledge of means and goals of the staff in a privately-owned company in the health and care sector initiates the use of hard and soft information at different phases in the decision-making process. This study was done through a case study based on semi-structured interviews with qualitative elements. The case company operates in the healthcare industry and has a staff consisting of four members who are responsible for the strategic decisions. The results of this study show the knowledge of the means and goals of the case company staff initiated the use of soft information at all stages of the decision-making process in offensive and defensive decision situations. The results also show that hard information was used in the middle phase of the decision-making process to legitimize the staff members' arguments.

Theory of the use of air power in defensive operations is not as developed as in offensive operations. The purpose of this study is to examine if Papes strategies of air power and coercion can be used to analyze the use of air power and its effects in a defensive operation. The result shows that Papes strategies can explain the use of air power in the cases of the study but have difficulties in explaining the outcome of the conflict in a distinct and clear way. Papes Denial-strategy has the best explanatory power of the four (Punishment, Risk, Denial and Decapitation) for the outcome of the conflict. The result shows that the use of air power could not be used isolated to reach decisive effect. Only during joint operations was the decisive effects reached. The conclusions, however, are to be seen in the light of the interests of USA and the Soviet Union and their roles before, during and their influence in ending the conflict.

Svensk doktrin stipulerar att grunden för Försvarsmaktens uppträdande att avskräcka olika aktörer från att använda våld. Detta ifrågasätts här grundat på att avskräckning oftast utgår ifrån numerär överlägsenhet, och Sverige kan anses ha en hotbild från regionala stormakter. Vilka luftoperativa förmågor kan då ligga bakom en avskräckande effekt hos en numerärt underlägsen luftstridskraft?  Syftet är att förklara detta genom en flerfallstudie utifrån avskräckningsteorier kopplade till luftmaktsteori i ett småstatsperspektiv. I en avslutande diskussion återkopplas detta mot Sveriges luftoperativa förmågor för att utröna om dessa bidrar till den avskräckande effekt som beskrivs som grundläggande i Försvarsmaktens doktrin. Fallstudien gav att Jaktflyg var den enda variabeln som sågs samvariera med lyckad avskräckning. I diskussionen om Sveriges motsvarande förmågor framkom att Försvarsmakten har en relativt hög förmåga till jaktflyg.

The purpose of this thesis is to determine if there are any significant abnormal returns arising when companies announces an upcoming rights offering on the Stockholm exchange. The thesis also considers possible reasons as to why the market react in different ways by examining the offerings’ underlying motives. The thesis adopts a quantitative approach, implemented by adeductive strategy. An event study has been used to study the market movements throughout the RO-announcement. The abnormal return is calculated according to the CAR-model which is later tested for its significance. A multiple linear regression is conducted in order to discover relations between the abnormal return and different independent variables. The main frame of theoretical reference is the Signalling Hypothesis as well as the Efficient Market Hypothesis. The study is also inspired by previous research on the subject, all of which are presented in the chapter. These include both recent and older studies on both American, Asian and European markets. Results conclude a significant negative abnormal return during the event window. There is a significant relationship between the underlying motive of the rights offerings and its abnormal return. However, no significant relationship can be stated between the frequency of the rights offering and its abnormal return. Underlying motive and frequency of RO’s explain theabnormal return by 10,11%.

Deterrence as a military strategy aims to discourage an aggressor from initiating unwanted courses of actions by convincing the aggressor that cost exceeds the profit. In cyberspace, where the costs are lower, deterrence is disputed because of the natural interconnectedness and constant actions. The aim of this study is to investigate how the US understands cyber deterrence. This study is motivated by the current ambiguity regarding whether deterrence works in cyberspace or not. Using both theories of conventional and cyber deterrence together with theories of offense and defense, the study focuses on the US since they remain at the center of development regarding cyber deterrence. Through a discourse analysis using Bacchis What´s the problem represented to be approach, the investigation of US policy from 2018 shows that the US has adopted theories of cyber deterrence in their policy. However, the presumptions of the problem presentation have rather descended from theories of conventional deterrence. The solutions implemented indicate that the US has an advantage in cyber offense capabilities, but the study also shows that they are moving towards more defense-oriented capabilities in the future. In the stress of taking action, the US end up interfusing premises and actions which may affect the principle of intervention and thus the security of the American population.