During the last few years, companies have had an increasing interest on playing a more significant role in society, besides their merely economic function. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a relevant concept leading them to do so. However, after the recent economic decline, the business model of most corporations had to be reviewed, including the CSR policy. This dissertation work discusses the impact of recession on CSR. The topic is highly relevant, since the consequences of the economic crisis have still a strong influence on business environment, in the form of a degrading level of trust and a decline of moral commitment to society. In order to evaluate this phenomenon, a research was conducted in three companies that are engaged in long-term CSR. With case study as research method, the impact of recession on CSR has been identified and a trend for future development has been outlined. As one of the main conclusions of this research it was proved, that after the economic decline, rather than dismissed, CSR was re-aimed in a more efficient way. CSR has helped companies to survive better the economic crisis and has taught them, how it can be beneficial not only for business but also for the society.

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Sverige förväntas återigen gå in i en lågkonjunktur och det förekommer hög inflation samt kraftiga ränteökningar. Andra samhällsfaktorer såsom konflikter i Ukraina, globala utbudsstörningar och ökade energipriser bidrar också till förändringar i ekonomin. För fastighetsföretag innebär det svårare finansiering, ökade räntor och kostnader samt begränsningar i hyreshöjning vilket leder till att företagen behöver anpassa sin strategi för att bemöta de ekonomiska förutsättningarna. Syftet med studien är att undersöka svenska privata fastighetsföretags strategier inför en lågkonjunktur avseende strategisk planering, kostnadsbesparingar, diversifiering och investering. En kvalitativ metod har använts och empirin grundar sig på sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med respondenter från fastighetsföretag med hyresbostäder. Det empiriska materialet har därefter sammanställts och analyserats med hjälp av den teoretiska referensramen. Resultatet visar att fastighetsföretagen inte antar en specifik förberedande strategi inför en lågkonjunktur, utan har anpassat strategin i samband med att de ekonomiska förutsättningarna ändrats. Med tanke på begränsningar i hyreshöjning så kan de inte kompensera de ökade kostnaderna med hjälp av intäkter vilket leder till att kostnadsbesparingar är en central aspekt vid utformandet av strategi. Kostnadsbesparingar görs främst på underhåll, energiförbrukning och investeringar samt att entreprenörer konkurrensutsätts. Dock förekommer nödvändiga investeringar, vilket gör att företagen prioriterar de av störst behov. Generellt sett använder sig företagen av en kärnstrategi vilket innebär att de håller sig på samma marknad oavsett konjunkturläget. Företagen tenderar att fokusera mer på det befintliga beståndet snarare än nyproduktion med tanke på svårare att få lån och ökade räntekostnader samt byggkostnader. Eftersom fastighetsföretagen anser att fastighetsmarknaden är statisk för tillfället så väger konkurrensrisken inte mer än den finansiella risken. / Sweden is once again expected to enter a recession and there is high inflation and sharp interest rate increases. Other factors such as conflicts in Ukraine, global supply disruptions and increased energy prices also contribute to changes in the economy. For real estate companies, this means more difficult financing, increased interest rates and costs as well as restrictions on rent increases, which means they need to adapt their strategy to meet the economic changes.The purpose of the study is to investigate the strategies of Swedish private real estate companies in an upcoming recession regarding strategic planning, cost savings, diversification and investment. A qualitative method has been applied and the empirical evidence is based on six semi-structured interviews of real estate companies with rental housing. The empirical material has then been compiled and analyzed using the theories presented.The result shows that real estate companies do not adopt a specific preparatory strategy for a recession but have modified the strategy in connection with changes in economic conditions. Given the limitations in rent increases, they cannot compensate for the increased costs with the help of income, which means that cost savings are a central aspect in the making of the strategy. Cost savings are mainly made on maintenance, energy consumption and investments, and that contractors are exposed to competition. However, there are necessary investments within the various aspects, which means that the companies must prioritize. Generally speaking, the companies use a core strategy, which means that they stay in the same market regardless of the state of the economy. The companies tend to focus more on the existing stock rather than new production because of difficulties regarding loans and increased interest rates as well as construction costs. Since the real estate companies believe that the real estate market is static at the moment, the competitive risk does not weigh more than the financial risk.

The gender wage gap in the labour market has long been a topic of study, highlighting the disadvantages faced by women in terms of earningscompared to men. This study aims to investigate if the Great Recession had additional impacts on women's earnings differentials. Using census data from 2006 to 2012 in the US, two different quantile regressions were conducted for various income quantiles. One regression excluded variables, while the other included socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicate clear wage differences for women before, during, and after the Great Recession.The first regression shows statistically significant negative correlations between logarithmic income and gender. The quantile regressions also reveal decrease in the gender wage gap during the recession, with education returns favouring women in 2008 and 2009 before returning to pre-recession levels. Additionally, the results suggest that married women and women with children tend to have lower earnings compared to their male counterparts.These findings provide evidence of a glass ceiling in the US labour market, which may have been exacerbated by the exogenous shock of the Great Recession.

The work presented in this thesis deals with the application of optimization tools to the design of solid rocket motor grains per internal ballistic requirements. Research concentrated on the development of an optimization strategy capable of efficiently and consistently optimizing virtually an unlimited range of radial burning solid rocket motor grain geometries. Optimization tools were applied to the design process of solid rocket motor grains through an optimization framework developed to interface optimization tools with the solid rocket motor design system. This was done within a programming architecture common to the grain design system, AML. This commonality in conjunction with the object-oriented dependency-tracking features of this programming architecture were used to reduce the computational time of the design optimization process. The optimization strategy developed for optimizing solid rocket motor grain geometries was called the internal ballistic optimization strategy. This strategy consists of a three stage optimization process; approximation, global optimization, and highfidelity optimization, and optimization methodologies employed include DOE, genetic algorithms, and the BFGS first-order gradient-based algorithm. This strategy was successfully applied to the design of three solid rocket motor grains of varying complexity. The contributions of this work was the development and application of an optimization strategy to the design process of solid rocket motor grains per internal ballistic requirements.

The hydrological regime in Arctic catchments is being altered as an effect of climate change. To be able to project future changes in Arctic hydrology and hydrogeology, the mechanisms and drivers affecting runoff generation needs to be understood. This thesis aims to investigate and compare rainfall-runoff processes in three hillslope subcatchments, one glacierized and one non-glacierized catchment, in the Arctic. By estimating catchment response parameters and using recession analysis it was found that soil layer extent, rather than catchment size, explained differences in catchment response. The character of the rainfall events was a dominant factor affecting catchment response in both the glacierized and non-glacierized catchment. Saturation excess overland flow was a runoff-generating process in all catchments. Furthermore, permafrost and glacier presence, as well as meltwater contribution to the streams, were suggested to result in a larger variability in catchment response and storage contribution along the hillslopes and the glacierized catchment. Meanwhile, the wetness of the non-glacierized catchment was suggested to influence the storage-discharge dynamics in the non-linearized catchment. Water height recession analysis was not considered reliable to characterize aquifer properties in the catchments. However, it was able to describe the changes in storage-discharge relations over time in Arctic catchments.

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No description available.

Introduktion: Ungefär en fjärdedel av alla barn och ungdomar födda under samma år genomgår någon form av behandling som innefattar förflyttning av tänder. Syfte: Primär fokus med denna studie är att undersöka om ett samband finns mellan gingival retraktion och användning av fast apparatur på avdelningen för Ortodonti, Malmö Högskola.Metod: Studiemodeller, intraorala bilder och klinisk undersökning (återbesök 2014) användes för att identifiera gingival retraktion med ja eller nej. Om det fanns gjordes en mätning. Försöksobjekt valdes från patienter som blivit färdigbehandlade 2008/2009. Resultat: Studiemodeller för 2008 visade färre gingivala retraktioner efter behandling p-värde, (p=0,0034 som är statistiskt signifikant). För lite data fanns från klinisk undersökning och intraorala bilder för att göra analays. Slutsats: Gingivala retraktioner verkar inte ha någon koppling med ortodontisk behandling på avdelningen för Ortodonti, Malmö Högskola. Kliniska intraorala foton är ett grovt mått diagnostiskt verktyg för att bedöma gingivala retraktioner. Det är baserat på begränsad data och inte slutgiltigt. Studie med större grupp av patienter behövs

This study explores Swedish real estate companies' financial risk management strategies during economic downturns, specifically during periods with significant hikes in policy and interest rates. Primarily utilizing a quantitative approach, the study analyzes data from publicly listed real estate firms with mixed portfolios on the Stockholm Stock Exchange Nasdaq Stockholm, aiming to understand the impact of financial strategies on company performance between Q3 2016 and Q4 2023. In complementing the quantitative data, the study also incorporates a qualitative component through interviews with experienced professionals in the real estate industry, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the strategies employed. This study addresses a research gap by providing quantitative evidence on risk management practices in the real estate sector. It investigates how these companies adjust their financial strategies in response to market conditions and the cyclical nature of real estate investments. The findings highlight asset divestment and capital structure management as critical strategies during downturns. Divestment is primarily used to increase liquidity in internal finances. Additionally, companies actively manage their debt levels through amortizations and refinancing loans to mitigate financial stress. The results suggest that maintaining a stable capital structure and leveraging internal financing are crucial for navigating economic uncertainties. These strategies enable firms to enhance their financial resilience and operational stability during challenging economic periods. The study's conclusions emphasize the importance of strategic financial planning and the need for adaptive risk management practices to sustain business operations in volatile economic environments. / Denna studie undersöker svenska fastighetsbolags strategier för hantering av finansiella risker under ekonomiska recessioner, särskilt under perioder med betydande höjningar av penning- och räntesatser. Studien använder främst en kvantitativ metod och analyserar data från börsnoterade fastighetsbolag med blandade portföljer på Stockholmsbörsen Nasdaq Stockholm, med målet att förstå påverkan av finansiella strategier på företagens resultat under perioden Q3 2016 – Q4 2023.För att komplettera den kvantitativa datainsamlingen inkluderar studien även en kvalitativ komponent genom intervjuer med yrkesverksamma inom fastighetsbranschen, vilket ger en mer omfattande förståelse av de strategier som används. Denna studie adresserar en forskningslucka genom att tillhandahålla kvantitativa bevis på riskhanteringsmetoder inom fastighetssektorn. Den undersöker hur dessa företag justerar sina finansiella strategier som svar på marknadsförhållanden och den cykliska naturen hos fastighetsinvesteringar. Resultaten lyfter fram tillgångsavyttring och kapitalstrukturhantering som kritiska strategier under nedgångsperioder. Avyttring används främst för att öka likviditeten i de interna finanserna. Dessutom hanterar företagen aktivt sina skulder genom amorteringar och refinansiering av lån för att mildra finansiell stress. Resultaten tyder på att upprätthållande av en stabil kapitalstruktur och användning av intern finansiering är avgörande för att navigera ekonomiska osäkerheter. Dessa strategier gör det möjligt för företagen att förbättra sin finansiella motståndskraft och operativa stabilitet under utmanande ekonomiska perioder. Studiens slutsatser betonar vikten av strategisk finansiell planering och behovet av adaptiva riskhanteringsmetoder för att upprätthålla affärsverksamheten i volatila ekonomiska miljöer.