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Inledning: Den tillverkande industrin har länge ansetts ha en stor tillväxtpotential i en ökad tjänstefiering och att det finns en stor outnyttjad potential i tjänster för sålda produkter som kan realiseras genom intäkter för tidigare upplevda gratistjänster genom en process som kallas Free-to-Fee. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka tillverkande företags interna förståelse av de processer som leder till behovet att genomföra en Free-to-Fee-transition, det vill säga hur man idag hanterar tjänster relativt produkter i sina erbjudanden till marknaden och varför man i vissa fall inkluderar tjänster “gratis” i samband med en produktförsäljning.  Metod: Vi har valt att göra en studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer av medarbetare på större tillverkande företag med erfarenhet av att arbeta med tjänsteaffären. Medarbetarna återfinns på stora tillverkande företag inom olika branscher. Slutsats: Vi har funnit att intresset för tjänstefiering och Free-to-Fee övergångar är mycket begränsade, även om det finns en förståelse för värdet av en mer tjänstedominant affärslogik. Industrin är starkt påverkad av traditioner och institutioner där tjänster betraktas som adderat värde i en produktdominant affärslogik. / Introduction: The manufacturing industry has been perceived to have a substantial growth potential in an increased servitization. There is a great untapped potential for service for already sold products that can be realized through a transition from free services to paid service, in a process called Free-to-Fee. Purpose: The purpose with the study is to investigate manufacturing companies internal understanding of the processes that leads to the need to conduct a Free-to-Fee transition, how they today manage service related to products in their offerings to the market and why services are included for free, in some cases with a product sales.  Method: We have chosen to conduct a study of semi structured interviews with professionals working in manufacturing companies, with experience from the service business. The professionals are found at major manufacturing companies representing different branches.  Conclusion: We found that the interest for servitization and Free-to-Fee transitions is very limited, even if there is an understanding of the value of a more Service-Dominant Logic. The industry is strongly affected by traditions and service is perceived as an added value in a Product-Dominant Logic.

Latinx families, particularly those whose primary language is Spanish, are significantly underrepresented in independent schools nationwide and experience barriers to engaging in their children’s education. Recognizing the crucial role of parent engagement in student academic success and socioemotional well-being, this research aimed to understand the unique challenges faced by Spanish-dominant parents in navigating the independent school contexts. Grounded in Khalifa et al.’s (2016) culturally responsive school leadership framework, the study intended to identify effective practices and strategies that facilitate Spanish-dominant parent engagement. The narrative data, collected through both a group plática and individual interviews, offered valuable insights into the experiences of a group of Spanish-dominant mamás The findings revealed three major themes: the importance of enhanced access to services and resources for meaningful engagement, the critical role of bilingual school contacts in bridging communication gaps, and the positive impact of cultivating a sense of belonging to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for Spanish-dominant families. Language access proved to be a vital factor in fostering parent engagement, enabling these parents to actively participate in their children's education through support with translation and interpretation services and other resources in Spanish. Additionally, a bilingual family liaison provided them a portal of accessibility to the whole school. Lastly, opportunities for authentic and culturally sensitive involvement further enhanced their sense of belonging, contributing to a more inclusive and supportive school environment. This research highlighted the transformative potential of culturally responsive school leadership, emphasizing its role in empowering Spanish-dominant parents and facilitating their active involvement in independent schools.

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation addresses three progressively fundamental problems for functional data analysis: (1) To do efficient inference for the functional mean model accounting for within-subject correlation, we propose the refined and bias-corrected empirical likelihood method. (2) To identify functional subjects potentially from different populations, we propose the dominant-set based unsupervised clustering method using the similarity matrix. (3) To learn the similarity matrix from various similarity metrics for functional data clustering, we propose the modularity guided and dominant-set based semi-supervised clustering method.</p><p dir="ltr">In the first problem, the empirical likelihood method is utilized to do inference for the mean function of functional data by constructing the refined and bias-corrected estimating equation. The proposed estimating equation not only improves efficiency but also enables practically feasible empirical likelihood inference by properly incorporating within-subject correlation, which has not been achieved by previous studies.</p><p dir="ltr">In the second problem, the dominant-set based unsupervised clustering method is proposed to maximize the within-cluster similarity and applied to functional data with a flexible choice of similarity measures between curves. The proposed unsupervised clustering method is a hierarchical bipartition procedure under the penalized optimization framework with the tuning parameter selected by maximizing the clustering criterion called modularity of the resulting two clusters, which is inspired by the concept of dominant set in graph theory and solved by replicator dynamics in game theory. The advantage offered by this approach is not only robust to imbalanced sizes of groups but also to outliers, which overcomes the limitation of many existing clustering methods.</p><p dir="ltr">In the third problem, the metric-based semi-supervised clustering method is proposed with similarity metric learned by modularity maximization and followed by the above proposed dominant-set based clustering procedure. Under semi-supervised setting where some clustering memberships are known, the goal is to determine the best linear combination of candidate similarity metrics as the final metric to enhance the clustering performance. Besides the global metric-based algorithm, another algorithm is also proposed to learn individual metrics for each cluster, which permits overlapping membership for the clustering. This is innovatively different from many existing methods. This method is superiorly applicable to functional data with various similarity metrics between functional curves, while also exhibiting robustness to imbalanced sizes of groups, which are intrinsic to the dominant-set based clustering approach.</p><p dir="ltr">In all three problems, the advantages of the proposed methods are demonstrated through extensive empirical investigations using simulations as well as real data applications.</p>

Background: Traditional banks in Sweden are undergoing major transformations from interacting mainly through physical touchpoints with a product-centric approach to an expanded range of digitalised touchpoints and a more customer-centric approach. This transformation exemplifies what in research is referred to as digital servitisation.  Purpose: To explore perceived implications in the banks’ relationship to customers when they digitalise customer touchpoints. Furthermore, to understand how different roles involved in customer relationship management and customer touchpoints - strategic, analytical and operational perspectives - perceive the work needed to interact with customers through different touchpoints. Method: Through a qualitative, interpretative, multiple case study two traditional Swedish banks are explored in their work with their relationships with their customers and digitalised touchpoints. The empirical data is gathered through 15 semi-structured interviews with respondents working analytically, operationally and strategically to gain as representative an understanding of the general perception among employees as possible.  Findings: Using a thematic analysis, the thesis presents six themes; (1) Customers in charge of interactions, (2) Becoming more complex, (3) Relationships are more interchangeable, (4) Rethinking relationship components, (5) Connecting the dots and (6) Integrating the old with the new. The themes are clustered as Changes (1-3) and Adaptations (4-6).  Conclusions: The thesis concludes that the relationship between banks and their customers has and continues to change in the transformation of digital servitisation. The demands and behaviours of the customer are perceived to change, simultaneously they gain more power over the relationship and the banks become more interchangeable. Thus, the banks must change along with the relationship to adhere to the customers’ demands, in order to stay relevant and keep their competitive advantage. At the time being, there are several ways that the banks believe that this can be done, but continue to express that they are still exploring to find the right approach and how to execute it.

Im digitalen Zeitalter sind Innovationskraft und eine effiziente Adaption digitaler Technologien für Unternehmen entscheidend, um sich Wettbewerbsvorteile zu sichern. Der Einsatz digitaler Technologien für Innovation verspricht in diesem Zusammenhang nicht nur Produktivitätsvorteile, sondern steigert auch die Kundenzufriedenheit und macht Unternehmen agiler und widerstandsfähiger gegenüber Krisen. Eine zentrale Rolle spielt dabei die Anwendung von Big Data Analytics, jedoch bestehen derzeit erhebliche Forschungsbedarfe, um genauer zu ergründen, wie Big Data Analytics systematisch in Innovationsökosystemen genutzt werden können. Zum einen herrscht ein Mangel an Forschung über die strategischen Beiträge von Big Data Analytics für Innovation, insbesondere im Kontext des Zusammenwirkens verschiedener Akteure. Zum anderen liegt der Fokus bestehender Forschungsarbeiten oft nur auf Teilaspekten der Anwendung von Big Data Analytics und vernachlässigt umfassendere Betrachtungen, aus einer Ökosystem-Perspektive heraus. Für die Praxis liegen die primären Hürden dabei häufig nicht in der Technologie selbst, sondern in deren Adaption innerhalb der wertschöpfenden Strukturen von Unternehmen. Diese Dissertation zielt darauf ab, diese Lücke zu schließen und untersucht die systematische Anwendung von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen und nutzt dafür einen Design-Science-Research-Ansatz als übergeordnete Forschungsmethode. Im Dachbeitrag und in den Einzelbeiträgen des kumulativen Dissertationsvorhabens wird dafür gestaltungsorientierte Forschung angewendet, um theoretische Erkenntnisse direkt in die praktische Gestaltung und Entwicklung von Lösungen zu integrieren. Im Ergebnis liefert die Dissertation einen übergeordneten Ordnungsrahmen für die Anwendung von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen, der die gesammelten Erkenntnisse aus dem Forschungsprojekt CODIFeY und den Einzelbeiträgen integriert. Damit trägt die Dissertation über den entwickelten Ordnungsrahmen und die IT-Artefakte der Einzelbeiträge dazu bei, ein besseres Verständnis für die strategische Nutzung digitaler Technologien zur Förderung von Innovation und Wettbewerbsvorteilen zu erreichen, was sowohl wissenschaftlich als auch praktisch einen Mehrwert bietet.:Danksagung i Einzelbeiträge iii Inhaltsverzeichnis iv Abkürzungsverzeichnis x Abbildungsverzeichnis xii Tabellenverzeichnis xiv Kurzzusammenfassung 1 Abstract 2 I. Dachbeitrag 3 1 Einleitung 3 1.1 Motivation 3 1.2 Problem- und Fragestellung 5 1.3 Zielstellung 8 1.4 Aufbau des Dachbeitrags 9 2 Forschungsansatz 11 2.1 Wissenschaftstheoretische Grundpositionierung 11 2.2 Forschungsmethode 12 2.2.1 Design Science Research als übergeordnetes Forschungsparadigma 12 2.2.2 Das Projekt Community-basierte Dienstleistungs-Innovation für e-Mobility 14 2.2.3 Aufbau des kumulativen Dissertationsvorhabens 17 3 Stand der Wissenschaft und Forschung 24 3.1 Big Data Analytics 24 3.2 Datengetriebene Innovation 25 3.3 Innovationsökosysteme aus der Perspektive der Service Dominant Logic 27 4 Gestaltung eines Ordnungsrahmens für die Anwendung von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen 30 4.1 Das Modell eines Innovationsökosystems aus Sicht der Service Dominant Logic 30 4.2 Ableitung der Dimensionen des Ordnungsrahmens für die Anwendung von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen 35 5 Eine Systematisierung von Anwendungsfällen von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen 39 5.1 Big Data Analytics als Mittel für Innovation 39 5.2 Big Data Analytics als Ergebnis von Innovation 44 5.3 Demonstration & Evaluation des Ordnungsrahmens 50 6 Fazit 52 II. Research Papers of the Dissertation 55 Paper A – Capturing the Bigger Picture? Applying Text Analytics to Foster Open Innovation 55 A1 Introduction 57 A2 Background and Terminology 60 A2.1 Complexities of Sustainability-Oriented Innovation 60 A2.2 Open Innovation as an Instrument for Participation 62 A2.3 Sustainable-Oriented Innovation and Open Innovation 64 A2.4 Silent Stakeholders 67 A2.5 Research Focus: Text Analytics in Direct Search Methods for Sustainability-Oriented Innovation 69 A3 Action Research Study 72 A3.1 Description of the Action Research Cycle 72 A3.2 Diagnosing the Project Background 73 A3.3 Action Planning and Taking—Application of Text Analytics 77 A4 Results 82 A4.1 Findings from the Overall Discourse Analysis 82 A4.2 Findings from Zooming into Single Topics 84 A4.3 Applicability in the Innovation Process for the Label Development 85 A5 Discussion 87 A6 Implications and Conclusions 88 Paper B – What the Hack? – Towards a Taxonomy of Hackathons 92 B1 Introduction 93 B2 A Process-centric Perspective on Open Innovation and Hackathons 95 B3 Research Approach 97 B3.1 Taxonomy Development 97 B3.2 Literature Review 98 B4 A Taxonomy of Hackathons 101 B4.1 Overview of the Taxonomy 101 B4.2 Strategic Design Decisions 102 B4.3 Operational Design Decisions 104 B5 Discussion 107 B6 Conclusion 109 Paper C – Combining Open Innovation and Knowledge Management in Communities of Practice - An Analytics Driven Approach 110 C1 Introduction 111 C2 Foundations 113 C2.1 Knowledge Management and Innovation 113 C2.2 Communities of Practice 114 C2.3 Analytics domains 114 C3 Research Methodology 117 C4 Conceptual Framework for the Integration of Open Innovation and Knowledge Management 118 C4.1 Conceptual Data Model 119 C5 Implementation & Evaluation of a Pilot Project 122 C5.1 The Research Project CODIFeY 122 C5.2 Evaluation and Preliminary Findings 124 C6 Conclusions 126 Paper D – Entwicklung eines Analytics Framework für virtuelle Communities of Practice 127 D1 Einführung 128 D2 Grundlagen 130 D2.1 Communities of Practice 130 D2.2 Analytics 131 D2.3 Design eines Analytics Frameworks für Communities of Practice 132 D3 Demonstration und Evaluation im Projekt CODIFeY 136 D4 Fazit 138 Paper E – Teaching Data Driven Innovation – Facing a Challenge for Higher Education 139 E1 Introduction 140 E2 Foundations and Theoretical Underpinning 142 E2.1 Data Driven Innovation 142 E2.2 Teaching Data-Driven Innovation 142 E2.3 Pedagogical Approach 143 E3 Research Method 145 E3.1 General Morphological Analysis 145 E3.2 Data Collection and Empirical Analysis 146 E4 Design of the Morphological Box 148 E4.1 Teaching Method 148 E4.2 Course Setting 149 E4.3 Course Content 149 E4.4 Innovation Approach 150 E4.5 Morphological Box for Teaching Data Driven Innovation 151 E5 Teaching Cases 153 E5.1 Case A: Data Driven Value Generation for the Internet of Things 153 E5.2 Case B: Data Driven Innovation Project in the Field of E-mobility 154 E6 Conclusion 156 Paper F – Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration for Designing Data-Driven Products and Services 157 F1 Introduction 158 F2 Foundations and Theoretical Background 161 F2.1 Data Literacy as a Foundation for the Design of Data-Driven Product and Services 161 F2.2 Collaborative Processes and Knowledge Transfer 162 F2.3 Knowledge Boundaries 162 F2.4 Boundary Objects 163 F2.5 Boundary Objects for Collaboration Processes and Knowledge Integration 164 F3 Research Approach 166 F4 Design of the Data Vignette 169 F4.1 Thematic View 169 F4.2 Structural View 173 F5 Evaluation of the Artifact 178 F5.1 Artificial Evaluation Using the Guidelines of Modelling 178 F5.2 Application of the DV - A First Pilot 179 F6 Conclusion 182 Paper G – Towards the Development of a Typology of Big Data Analytics in Innovation Ecosystems 184 G1 Introduction 185 G2 Foundations 187 G2.1 The Role of Technology for Innovation Ecosystems 187 G2.2 Big Data Analytics in Innovation Ecosystems 188 G3 Research Approach 189 G4 Towards a Typology of Big Data Analytics in Innovation Ecosystems 190 G5 Further research 192 Paper H – Hackathons als Gestaltungswerkzeug für plattform-basierte digitale Ökosysteme 193 H1 Einleitung 194 H2 Grundlagen 196 H2.1 Plattform-basierte digitale Ökosysteme 196 H2.2 Hackathons als Gestaltungswerkzeug 197 H3 Forschungsmethode 199 H4 Hackathons für die Gestaltung plattform-basierter Ökosysteme 202 H4.1 Markt-orientierte Plattform-Hackathons 202 H4.2 Technologie-orientierte Plattform-Hackathons 204 H5 Fazit 206 Literaturverzeichnis xv Anhang li Anhang 1 li / In the digital age, the ability to innovate and the efficient adoption of digital technologies are crucial for companies to gain competitive advantages. The use of digital technologies for innovation promises not only productivity gains but also increases customer satisfaction and makes companies more agile and resilient to crises. The focus here is on the application of big data analytics, but there is currently still a considerable need for research to understand how big data analytics can be used systematically in innovation ecosystems. On the one hand, there is a lack of research on the strategic contributions of big data analytics to innovation, particularly in the context of the interaction of various actors. On the other hand, the focus of existing research often only addresses partial aspects of the application of big data analytics and neglects broader considerations from an ecosystem perspective. For practice, the primary hurdles often lie not in the technology itself but in its adaptation within the value-creating structures of companies. This dissertation aims to close this gap and examines the systematic application of big data analytics in innovation ecosystems, using a design science research approach as the overarching research method. In the summary and in the individual papers of the cumulative dissertation project, design-oriented research is used to integrate theoretical insights directly into the practical design and development of solutions. As a result, the dissertation provides an overarching framework for the application of big data analytics in innovation ecosystems, integrating the insights gathered from the CODIFeY research project and the individual contributions. The dissertation on the developed framework and the IT artifacts of the individual contributions contributes to a better understanding of the strategic use of digital technologies to promote innovation and competitive advantages, which offers added value both scientifically and practically.:Danksagung i Einzelbeiträge iii Inhaltsverzeichnis iv Abkürzungsverzeichnis x Abbildungsverzeichnis xii Tabellenverzeichnis xiv Kurzzusammenfassung 1 Abstract 2 I. Dachbeitrag 3 1 Einleitung 3 1.1 Motivation 3 1.2 Problem- und Fragestellung 5 1.3 Zielstellung 8 1.4 Aufbau des Dachbeitrags 9 2 Forschungsansatz 11 2.1 Wissenschaftstheoretische Grundpositionierung 11 2.2 Forschungsmethode 12 2.2.1 Design Science Research als übergeordnetes Forschungsparadigma 12 2.2.2 Das Projekt Community-basierte Dienstleistungs-Innovation für e-Mobility 14 2.2.3 Aufbau des kumulativen Dissertationsvorhabens 17 3 Stand der Wissenschaft und Forschung 24 3.1 Big Data Analytics 24 3.2 Datengetriebene Innovation 25 3.3 Innovationsökosysteme aus der Perspektive der Service Dominant Logic 27 4 Gestaltung eines Ordnungsrahmens für die Anwendung von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen 30 4.1 Das Modell eines Innovationsökosystems aus Sicht der Service Dominant Logic 30 4.2 Ableitung der Dimensionen des Ordnungsrahmens für die Anwendung von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen 35 5 Eine Systematisierung von Anwendungsfällen von Big Data Analytics in Innovationsökosystemen 39 5.1 Big Data Analytics als Mittel für Innovation 39 5.2 Big Data Analytics als Ergebnis von Innovation 44 5.3 Demonstration & Evaluation des Ordnungsrahmens 50 6 Fazit 52 II. Research Papers of the Dissertation 55 Paper A – Capturing the Bigger Picture? Applying Text Analytics to Foster Open Innovation 55 A1 Introduction 57 A2 Background and Terminology 60 A2.1 Complexities of Sustainability-Oriented Innovation 60 A2.2 Open Innovation as an Instrument for Participation 62 A2.3 Sustainable-Oriented Innovation and Open Innovation 64 A2.4 Silent Stakeholders 67 A2.5 Research Focus: Text Analytics in Direct Search Methods for Sustainability-Oriented Innovation 69 A3 Action Research Study 72 A3.1 Description of the Action Research Cycle 72 A3.2 Diagnosing the Project Background 73 A3.3 Action Planning and Taking—Application of Text Analytics 77 A4 Results 82 A4.1 Findings from the Overall Discourse Analysis 82 A4.2 Findings from Zooming into Single Topics 84 A4.3 Applicability in the Innovation Process for the Label Development 85 A5 Discussion 87 A6 Implications and Conclusions 88 Paper B – What the Hack? – Towards a Taxonomy of Hackathons 92 B1 Introduction 93 B2 A Process-centric Perspective on Open Innovation and Hackathons 95 B3 Research Approach 97 B3.1 Taxonomy Development 97 B3.2 Literature Review 98 B4 A Taxonomy of Hackathons 101 B4.1 Overview of the Taxonomy 101 B4.2 Strategic Design Decisions 102 B4.3 Operational Design Decisions 104 B5 Discussion 107 B6 Conclusion 109 Paper C – Combining Open Innovation and Knowledge Management in Communities of Practice - An Analytics Driven Approach 110 C1 Introduction 111 C2 Foundations 113 C2.1 Knowledge Management and Innovation 113 C2.2 Communities of Practice 114 C2.3 Analytics domains 114 C3 Research Methodology 117 C4 Conceptual Framework for the Integration of Open Innovation and Knowledge Management 118 C4.1 Conceptual Data Model 119 C5 Implementation & Evaluation of a Pilot Project 122 C5.1 The Research Project CODIFeY 122 C5.2 Evaluation and Preliminary Findings 124 C6 Conclusions 126 Paper D – Entwicklung eines Analytics Framework für virtuelle Communities of Practice 127 D1 Einführung 128 D2 Grundlagen 130 D2.1 Communities of Practice 130 D2.2 Analytics 131 D2.3 Design eines Analytics Frameworks für Communities of Practice 132 D3 Demonstration und Evaluation im Projekt CODIFeY 136 D4 Fazit 138 Paper E – Teaching Data Driven Innovation – Facing a Challenge for Higher Education 139 E1 Introduction 140 E2 Foundations and Theoretical Underpinning 142 E2.1 Data Driven Innovation 142 E2.2 Teaching Data-Driven Innovation 142 E2.3 Pedagogical Approach 143 E3 Research Method 145 E3.1 General Morphological Analysis 145 E3.2 Data Collection and Empirical Analysis 146 E4 Design of the Morphological Box 148 E4.1 Teaching Method 148 E4.2 Course Setting 149 E4.3 Course Content 149 E4.4 Innovation Approach 150 E4.5 Morphological Box for Teaching Data Driven Innovation 151 E5 Teaching Cases 153 E5.1 Case A: Data Driven Value Generation for the Internet of Things 153 E5.2 Case B: Data Driven Innovation Project in the Field of E-mobility 154 E6 Conclusion 156 Paper F – Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration for Designing Data-Driven Products and Services 157 F1 Introduction 158 F2 Foundations and Theoretical Background 161 F2.1 Data Literacy as a Foundation for the Design of Data-Driven Product and Services 161 F2.2 Collaborative Processes and Knowledge Transfer 162 F2.3 Knowledge Boundaries 162 F2.4 Boundary Objects 163 F2.5 Boundary Objects for Collaboration Processes and Knowledge Integration 164 F3 Research Approach 166 F4 Design of the Data Vignette 169 F4.1 Thematic View 169 F4.2 Structural View 173 F5 Evaluation of the Artifact 178 F5.1 Artificial Evaluation Using the Guidelines of Modelling 178 F5.2 Application of the DV - A First Pilot 179 F6 Conclusion 182 Paper G – Towards the Development of a Typology of Big Data Analytics in Innovation Ecosystems 184 G1 Introduction 185 G2 Foundations 187 G2.1 The Role of Technology for Innovation Ecosystems 187 G2.2 Big Data Analytics in Innovation Ecosystems 188 G3 Research Approach 189 G4 Towards a Typology of Big Data Analytics in Innovation Ecosystems 190 G5 Further research 192 Paper H – Hackathons als Gestaltungswerkzeug für plattform-basierte digitale Ökosysteme 193 H1 Einleitung 194 H2 Grundlagen 196 H2.1 Plattform-basierte digitale Ökosysteme 196 H2.2 Hackathons als Gestaltungswerkzeug 197 H3 Forschungsmethode 199 H4 Hackathons für die Gestaltung plattform-basierter Ökosysteme 202 H4.1 Markt-orientierte Plattform-Hackathons 202 H4.2 Technologie-orientierte Plattform-Hackathons 204 H5 Fazit 206 Literaturverzeichnis xv Anhang li Anhang 1 li

Yes / Current literature has indicated a concern about standards of maternity care experienced by pregnant women who are seeking asylum. As the next generation of midwives, it is important that students are educated in a way that prepares them to effectively care for these women. To understand how this can be achieved, it is important to explore what asylum seeking means to midwifery students. This article is the first of three parts and reports on one objective from a wider doctorate study. It identifies dominant discourses that influenced the perceptions of a group of midwifery students' about the pregnant asylum seeking woman. The study was designed from a social constructivist perspective, with contextual knowledge being constructed by groups of people, influenced by underpinning dominant discourses, depending on their social, cultural and historical positions in the world. In a United Kingdom University setting, during year two of a pre-registration midwifery programme, eleven midwifery students participated in the study. Two focus group interviews using a problem based learning scenario as a trigger for discussion were conducted. In addition, three students were individually interviewed to explore issues in more depth and two students' written reflections on practice were used to generate data. Following a critical discourse analysis, dominant discourses were identified which appeared to influence the way in which asylum seekers were perceived. The findings suggested an underpinning ideology around the asylum seeker being different and of a criminal persuasion. Although the pregnant woman seeking asylum was considered as deserving of care, the same discourses appeared to influence the way in which she was constructed. However, as the study progressed, through reading alternative sources of literature, some students appeared to question these discourses. These findings have implications for midwifery education in encouraging students to challenge negative discourses and construct positive perceptions of asylum seeking.

This dissertation examines the impacts of the 1973 Arab petrostate oil embargo on U.S. energy politics. I argue that the embargo was the moment that transformed oil from a domestic and highly regulated commodity into a matter of national security and competitive geopolitics. While its likelihood was foreseen by the Nixon Administration, the embargo did exacerbate an existing energy crisis that was caused by pre-embargo federal energy policies. Following the embargo, a dominant narrative emerged that viewed dependence on foreign oil supplies as an existential threat that merited extraordinary government measures. The securitization of the energy crisis allowed the Nixon Administration to implement many of its pre-embargo energy policies, including the launch of a national energy program to bring the U.S. to energy self-sufficiency by 1980. The embargo was the trigger for the creation of new governmental entities, such as the Department of Energy and U.S. Central Command, that endure to this day. It also shaped the U.S.'s close relationship with Saudi Arabia as an essential oil supplier and a key ally in the Arab world. The dissertation contests the revisionist accounts that argue that the embargo was a non-event, arguing that its impacts on U.S. domestic and foreign policies are still tangible and relevant. / Doctor of Philosophy / For most countries, ensuring energy security and uninterrupted oil supplies is a matter of national security and economic survival. However, for the U.S., long a major oil exporter, access to energy resources only rose to the status of a national security issue in the early 1970s. This dissertation examines the impacts of the 1973 Arab petrostate oil embargo on U.S. energy politics. I argue that the embargo was the moment that transformed oil from a domestic and highly regulated commodity into a matter of national security and competitive geopolitics. Pre-embargo rising domestic demand for oil, insufficient domestic supplies, and misdirected federal regulations had already weakened the resilience of the U.S. oil market and caused shortages. Following the embargo, the Nixon Administration launched a national program to achieve energy self-sufficiency by 1980. I argue that the value of committing the U.S. to energy autarky was essential for conveying to foes and allies that the Nixon Administration was willing to invest in a very costly national program so that it can maintain the autonomy of both its foreign policy and of the economy. I also argue that racial and cultural prejudices influenced the Nixon Administration's reaction to the embargo, in that throughout the ramp-up and during the post-embargo period, both the media and the Nixon Administration expressed disbelief at the effrontery of underdeveloped countries that were until recently Western possessions to challenge a global superpower. Following the embargo, a dominant narrative emerged that viewed dependence on foreign oil supplies as an existential threat that merited extraordinary government measures. The securitization of the energy crisis allowed the Nixon Administration to implement many of its pre-embargo energy policies. The embargo was the trigger for the creation of new governmental entities, such as the Department of Energy and U.S. Central Command, that endure to this day. It also shaped the U.S.'s close relationship with Saudi Arabia as an essential oil supplier and a key ally in the Arab world.