Managing environmental sustainability gradually reveals its importance along with the increasing and irreversible destructions to the ecosystem. With 27 member countries, the European Union (EU) has applied indicators and the Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to manage sustainable progress. Though the sustainable indicators in the DPSIR framework systematically structure environmental problems in the EU policy lifecycle, the DPSIR framework remains subject to certain criticisms. Moreover, the policymaker still needs more information to detect future environmental risks and take measures in advance. To meet the needs above, this study plans to further explore the DPSIR framework. To begin with, the DPSIR framework was used to select 28 indicators, as well as to collect corresponding data for 27 member states between 2005 and 2006.The partial-least-squares (PLS) technology will be applied to determine the cause-and-effect relationships among constructs. Next, this study refers to Tapio¡¦s decoupling concepts and then develops the idea of societal response initiative. By integrating these categories of societal response initiative and decoupling, a 3x3 joint ¡§Societal Response Initiative- Decoupling Joint Analysis Table¡¨ is formed. This table can help understand the sustainable attitudes of economy and society towards environmental problems and further decide policy priority to effect risk preventions. The study finally designs a scenario of greenhouse gas emissions to demonstrate the new DPSIR indicator system with the aggregate EU-23 data between 2006 and 2007. This study has two main contributions: First, this study provides the DPSIR framework with an empirical foundation for its explanatory ability of causal links among constructs. Secondly, this article develops jointly sustainable preventive indicators in order to systematically seek the possible causes of environmental problems derived from the development of the economy and the society. By doing so, the decision-maker can detect future environmental problems and allocate resources most timely and effectively.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess whether the extent to which consumers’ brand attitudes change when the consumers are exposed to negative publicity of the brand, and when exposed to a company’s response to negative publicity, differ depending on the consumers’ degree of brand loyalty and depending on how positive the consumers’ initial brand attitudes are. Design/methodology/approach: The study had a deductive research approach with a single cross-sectional descriptive and exploratory design. Archival analysis was used to collect relevant theories and to conduct the preparatory data collection through data mining, both in which secondary data was gathered. Survey was used when collecting qualitative primary data in the preparatory data collection through focus groups, and when collecting primary data in the main data collection through a questionnaire. The main data was further analyzed through a one-way ANOVA within a non-parametric Levene’s test. Findings: The extent to which consumers’ brand attitudes changed when consumers were exposed to negative publicity of the brand differed depending on if the consumers’ initial brand attitudes were positive or negative. Consumers with negative brand attitudes had a smaller attitude change compared to consumers with positive brand attitudes, opposed to what was assumed in the current study. The extent to which consumers’ brand attitudes changed when consumers were exposed to negative publicity of the brand did not statistically differ depending on the consumers’ degree of brand loyalty. Neither did the extent to which consumers’ brand attitudes changed when the consumers were exposed to a company’s response to negative publicity differ depending on how positive the consumers’ brand attitudes were, nor on the consumers’ degree of loyalty toward the brand. Research limitations/suggestions for future research: The information concerning the negative event and the company’s response strategy was very concentrated in the questionnaire. In real life, consumers would have had different perceptions of both the event and the response since some parts require consumers to actively search for information. Hence, suggestion for future research is to measure the attitude changes where the consumers have gained information in a natural course. Implications: The new perspective brought forth through the study could be useful for brand managers to bear in mind when setting up strategies on how to manage a negative publicity situation such as the Apple/Foxconn case.

The drought response of the extremophile Eutrema salsugineum (Thellungiella salsuginea) was studied using an experimental protocol involving two progressive drought exposures separated by a recovery period. Accessions from the Yukon Territory, Canada, and Shandong Province, China, were distinguished with respect to their responses to the initial drought, their recovery from wilting, and their response to a subsequent drought following recovery. Eutrema cauline leaves and rosettes were sampled at different stages of the drought treatment for water status and biomass measurements and this information guided tissue selection for transcriptome sequencing by RNA-Seq. For Yukon plants, the initial drought led to a 46% reduction in stomatal conductance (from 122.3 to 66.3 mol m-2s-1) and 25% reduction in rosette water loss relative to unstressed control plants, evidence of drought avoidance to conserve water. Yukon leaf solute potentials decreased to -1.83 MPa compared to -1.54 MPa for Shandong leaves indicating that more solutes accumulated in Yukon leaves in response to drought. Upon wilting, Yukon plants re-established turgor at significantly lower leaf solute potentials than the level for well-watered Yukon plants consistent with osmotic adjustment. In contrast, leaf solute potentials in re-watered Shandong plants returned to pre-drought levels (-1.6 MPa). During the second drought exposure, leaf water content and specific leaf area measurements were significantly higher in Yukon plants compared to plants experiencing the initial drought and wilting was delayed relative to Shandong plants. At the transcriptional level, the initial drought exposure resulted in over 2000 differentially expressed genes in leaves of Yukon plants compared to only two in Shandong plants. Following exposure to a second drought only 45 genes were differentially expressed in leaves of Yukon plants while Shandong plants underwent substantial transcriptional re-programming with nearly 500 genes showing differential expression. Studies of Eutrema grown under controlled conditions were supplemented by physiological measurements made using Eutrema plants found on saline soils in the Yukon. The average stomatal conductance for field plants was 84.8 mol m-2s-1, a rate similar to that of drought-treated Yukon plants in the cabinet. Leaf solute potentials of field plants ranged from -2.0 MPa to -3.5 MPa. RT-qPCR showed the relative expression of four dehydrin-encoding genes, EsRAB18, EsRD22, EsRD29A, and EsERD1, was high in the field plants and levels of expression were comparable to drought-stressed cabinet plants. In summary, Eutrema salsugineum has a naturally high tolerance to water deficits. Between the two accessions studied, Yukon plants have a superior capacity to withstand drought relative to Shandong plants. The heightened capacity for Yukon plants to recover from drought and tolerate repeated drought exposures makes this accession a particularly valuable model for studying many mechanisms underlying innate and inducible plant tolerance to drought. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The theoretical framework of ecosystem services and that of resilience thinking are combined in an empiricalcase study of a social-ecological system. In the River Helge å catchment in southern Sweden, a slow increase in dissolved organiccarbon (DOC) results in brownification of the water with consequences on ecosystem services in the lower part of the catchmentof concern by local resource managers. An assessment of ecosystem service delivery was conducted to (1) identify plausibledrivers of brownification in the study site and assess future ecosystem service delivery for stakeholders in downstream areas.An analysis of the perspective of beneficiaries, using qualitative methods, was pursued to (2) evaluate the impacts ofbrownification on downstream stakeholders.

Πρόσφατα η ιντερνετική κοινότητα έστρεψε την προσοχή και το ενδιαφέρον της στα peer-to-peer συστήματα, όπου οι χρήστες προσφέρουν τους πόρους τους (αποθηκευτικό χώρο, υπολογιστικό χρόνο) και περιεχόμενο (αρχεία) στην διάθεση της κοινότητας. Οι χρήστες θεωρούνται ίσοι μεταξύ τους και ο καθένας συμμετέχει με διπλό ρόλο, τόσο σαν πελάτης, όσο και σαν εξυπηρετητής. Με αυτό τον τρόπο δημιουργούνται κοινότητες με αποκεντρωμένο έλεγχο, ευελιξία, σταθερότητα, κλιμάκωση, ανωνυμία κι αντοχή στην λογοκρισία. Ενώ όμως οι δυνατότητες αυτών των συστημάτων είναι ποικίλες, την μεγαλύτερη αποδοχή έχουν γνωρίσει τα συστήματα ανταλλαγής αρχείων όπως το Napster, Kazaa, Gnutella, eDonkey, BitTorrent. Το ενδιαφέρον των ερευνητών δεν έχει περιοριστεί μόνο στην ανταλλαγή δεδομένων μιας και η ανοιχτή φύση των peer-to-peer συστημάτων προσφέρει πολύ περισσότερες προκλήσεις. Ένα ενδιαφέρον πεδίο έρευνας είναι αυτό των τεχνικών εξισορρόπησης φόρτου. Η έρευνα που διεξάγεται μπορεί να χωριστεί σε δύο κατηγορίες. Στην μια κατηγορία μπορούμε να εντάξουμε τεχνικές για την καλύτερη κατανομή των αντικειμένων στον χώρο ονομάτων για βελτιστοποιήσεις στην απόδοση της δρομολόγησης και αναζήτησης [Pastry, Tapestry, Chord]. Στην δεύτερη μπορούμε να εντάξουμε τεχνικές για την κατανομή αντιγράφων των αντικειμένων στους κόμβους του δικτύου, για βελτιστοποίηση του ρυθμού εξυπηρέτησης των χρηστών και της ποιότητας υπηρεσίας που τους προσφέρει το σύστημα, η οποία μπορεί άμεσα να συσχετιστεί με την διαθεσιμότητα. Ενώ η δεύτερη κατηγορία μπορούμε να πούμε ότι φαίνεται να είναι πιο ενδιαφέρουσα από την σκοπιά του τελικού χρήστη, η έρευνα στον τομέα αυτό δεν φαίνεται να λαμβάνει υπόψη της έναν ρεαλιστικό υπολογισμό του κόστους εφαρμογής των προτεινομένων τεχνικών. Έτσι κάποιες εργασίες δεν υπολογίζουν καθόλου το κόστος δημιουργίας αντιγράφων, ενώ κάποιες άλλες το θεωρούν σταθερό και ανεξάρτητο από το μέγεθος των αντικειμένων και τη σύνδεση των δυο κόμβων μεταξύ των οποίων γίνεται η επικοινωνία. Κάποιες λιγότερο ή περισσότερο προχωρούν λίγο παραπέρα και ορίζουν το κόστος να είναι ανάλογο του απαιτούμενου αποθηκευτικού χώρου. Η διαφορά με την παρούσα εργασία είναι ότι δεν εμπεριέχουν την έννοια της εξισορρόπησης του φόρτου των κόμβων μεταξύ τους. Σε αυτή την εργασία προσπαθήσαμε να καθορίσουμε ένα σύνολο μετρικών απόδοσης μέσα από ένα πλαίσιο εργασίας για έναν όσο το δυνατόν περισσότερο ρεαλιστικό τρόπο υπολογισμού τους. Για να το πετύχουμε αυτό, καταρχήν σχεδιάσαμε ένα p2p σύστημα διαμοίρασης αρχείων με αρχιτεκτονική που βασίζεται στην οργάνωση των κόμβων σε ομάδες, ενώ στη συνέχεια ορίζοντας την έννοια του φόρτου υλοποιήσαμε τεχνικές για την εξισορρόπησή του. Για την αξιολόγηση των τεχνικών, ορίστηκε ένα σύνολο μετρικών οι οποίες καταγράφουν την απόδοση του συστήματος τόσο από την οπτική γωνία του συστήματος (επιθυμητή η δίκαιη κατανομή του φόρτου και η βέλτιστη χρήση των πόρων όπως κυρίως η διαθέσιμη χωρητικότητα των συνδέσεων των κόμβων μεταξύ τους), όσο κι από την οπτική γωνία του χρήστη (καλύτερη «ποιότητα υπηρεσίας» με το ελάχιστο δυνατό κόστος). Η πειραματική αξιολόγηση των τεχνικών έγινε μέσα σε ένα περιβάλλον προσομοίωσης, το οποίο υλοποιήθηκε από μηδενική βάση, έπειτα από μια μελέτη παρόμοιων συστημάτων. Τα κύρια χαρακτηριστικά του περιβάλλοντος αυτού είναι α) η επεκτασιμότητα κι ευχρηστία του, β) απλή και ρεαλιστική βάση προσομοίωσης, γ) ύπαρξη πληθώρας παραμέτρων της προσομοίωσης που δίνονται σαν είσοδος από τον χρήστη και δ) δυνατότητα προσομοίωσης μεγάλου μεγέθους συστημάτων. / Recently the internet community has focused its interest on peer-to-peer systems, where users contribute their resources (storage space, computation time) and content (documents, files) to the community. The users are considered equivalent, each one participating with a dual role, both as a client and server. The communities formed under this simple peer-to-peer paradigm are characterized by the decentralized control, robustness, stability, scaling, anonymity and resistance to censorship. While there are various potential application domains of peer-to-peer systems, depending on the type of shared resources, the file sharing systems, such as Napster, Kazaa, Gnutella, eDonkey, BitTorrent, has known the greater acceptance. The “open nature” of peer-to-peer systems offers a wider area of research interest and much more challenges than just content sharing; interesting research domains include infrastructure, collaboration, searching, routing, load balancing, security etc Load balancing is a very interesting domain on such systems. The carried out research in this domain may be categorized in two categories. In the first, one can include techniques for better item distribution in the name space so as improvements in routing and searching can be accomplished [ref2 Pastry, Tapestry, Chord]. In the second, one can include techniques for items’ replicas placement to the network nodes, for improving the throughput and the Quality of Service provided to the users. The QoS can be straightforward related to the availability While the second category seems to be more interesting from the user’s perspective, the research in this domain does not seem to take into account a realistic cost evaluation of the proposed techniques. Some research studies just ignore it, while some others consider it constant and irrelative to the objects’ size and the connection between the two nodes where the object transfer occurs. Some others (less) (or more) get a little further and define the cost to be proportional to the needed storage capacity. The difference with our study is that the previous studies do not comprise the notion of load balancing among users as well as evaluate the cost under different assumptions. With our work we try to define a set of performance metrics through a framework based on a measurement as realistic as possible. To accomplish this, at first we designed a cluster based file sharing p2p system, then we defined the notion of load and finally implemented load balancing techniques. To evaluate these techniques we defined a set of metrics that record the system’s performance both from the system’s perspective (desirable the fair load distribution and the optimum use of resources like the available bandwidth of nodes’ connections) and the user’s (better “quality of service” with the least cost). For the experimental evaluation of these techniques we developed from scratch a simulation environment, after we studied similar systems. The main characteristics of this simulator are a) extensibility and usability, b) simple and realistic simulation base, c) availability of plenty simulation parameters given as input from the user d) scalability to simulate large scale systems.

Bakgrund: Bland det värsta som kan hända företag är att få en going-concern varning eftersom det är en signal till intressenter om att företag inte tros överleva under en längre tidsperiod. Tidigare studier har studerat effekterna av en going-concern varning för företags intressenter och på kortsikt vad som händer med företag. Det gör att vi vill studera hur företag agerar för att undvika konkurs och likvidation och därmed överleva going-concern varning. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att förklara hur företag agerar för att överleva en going-concern varning med fokus på kommunikation. Vi kommer därför att skapa en modell. Metod: Studien har en forskningsansats som är deduktiv där vi tar avstamp från resursberoende teorin, institutionell teori och attribution theory. Den empiriska datan är av kvantitativ art och är insamlad via enkätundersökning samt en dokumentstudie av årsredovisningar. Slutsats: Vi har kommit fram till att en going-concern varning är en kris för företag. Företagen behöver identifiera relevanta intressenter vid en going-concern varning på grund av begränsade resurser. Identifieringen sker genom att studera om företaget innehar främst attributen makt och brådskande men även attributet legitimitet. För att företagen ska behålla en god relation till sina intressenter vid krisen behövs allmän och specifik kommunikation. För att hantera en going-concern varning och minska de negativa effekterna kan företagen använda sig av primär och sekundär kriskommunikationsstrategier. / Background: One of the worst things that can happen to a business is to receive a going-concern warning. That is due to the fact that a going-concern warning is a signal to stakeholders concerning the matter that it is a risk that the business will not survive the next twelve months. Earlier studies have examined the effects of a going-concern warning on the businesses stakeholders and what happens to companies in the short term. That has made us want to examine how business leaders act to avoid bankruptcy and liquidation and therefore survive a going-concern warning. Purpose: The purpose of our study is to explain how business leaders act in order to survive a going-concern warning. The focus of the study will be on communication. To fulfill this purpose we will construct a model. Method: The study has a deductive research approach with a base in resource dependence theory, attribution theory and institutional theory. The empirical data is of a quantitative nature and is collected through survey and a document study of annual reports. Conclusion: We have come to the conclusion that receiving a going-concern warning will be experienced like a crisis by companies. Due to scarce resources companies will need to priorities their stakeholder in order to keep the ones relevant to the survival of the business. Business leaders will identify relevant stakeholder by examining the presence of power, legitimacy and urgency in stakeholder-manager relationships. Companies will in order to keep a good relationship with their stakeholders communicate though information channels directed towards the public and specific stakeholders. To reduce the effects of a going-concern warning companies will use primary and secondary crisis response strategies.

Today there is an ongoing world crisis COVID-19, which has affected our daily lives related to health, survival, economy, work and so on. Much of our daily life is now moved online, for example work, which is possible because of the digitization. For work forces to handle COVID-19, crisis management is crucial. Crisis management is not only relevant for today's situation, but also for future crises. A crisis is something that has happened, is happening and will happen, which means crisis management is needed for all enterprises to be prepared for future crises in the best possible way.  The purpose and focus of this study are on crisis management for non-digital and born-digital companies. The investigation for the thesis is what ordinary- and dynamic capabilities are for non-digital and born-digital companies. Due to these capabilities, there was an interest in knowing which company would handle a dramatic social change crisis the best. To be able to answer the purpose of this study, the method that was used was a qualitative study with a deductive and exploratory approach. There were two case studies conducted, more specifically two in-depth interviews.  The main findings from this study were that both a non-digital and a born-digital company have ordinary and dynamic capabilities. The core finding from the case studies stated that for neither company the DSC was dramatic due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Another finding was that DSC is only in a crisis when the core business model is threatened. For the non-digital company, its core business was unaffected, agile, resilient and able to transform rapidly. The last main finding was that the role of digital, means easier adaptation to this particular crisis (COVID-19) which demanded digitization for firm survival. Not to forget, more research is needed to fulfil the purpose of this thesis. / Det är en pågående världskris med COVID-19, som har påverkat våra dagliga liv relaterat till hälsa, överlevnad, ekonomi, arbete och så vidare. Det är mycket i vårt dagliga liv som har flyttats online, exempelvis arbete, som är möjligt på grund av digitalisering. För att arbetarna ska kunna hantera pandemin, är krishantering avgörande. Krishantering är inte bara relevant i dagens situation, även för framtida kriser. En kris är något som har hänt, händer och kommer hända, vilket betyder för företaget att vara beredda i bästa möjliga mån för framtida kriser, är krishantering nödvändigt.  Syftet och fokuset på denna studie var på krishantering för icke-digitala och digitala företag. Forskningen på detta arbete handlade om vad ordinära- och dynamiska kapaciteter är för icke-digitala och digitala företag. Därför på grund av dessa två kapaciteter, fanns det ett intresse över vilket företag som skulle hantera bäst en dramatisk social kris. För att kunna svara på syftet i denna studie, användes en kvalitativ studie med en deduktiv och explorativt tillvägagångssätt. Även två fallstudier blev utförda, som var mer av djupgående intervjuer.  De viktigaste upptäckterna från denna studie är att både icke-digital och digitala företag har ordinära- och dynamiska kapaciteter. Den främsta upptäckten från fallstudierna var att varken av företagen hade en dramatisk social kris relaterad till COVID-19 pandemin. En annan upptäckt var att en dramatisk social kris är bara en kris om kärnverksamheten modellen är hotad. För det icke-digitala företag var kärnverksamheten opåverkad, uthållig och hade en förmåga att snabbt omvandla verksamheten. Den sista upptäckten var att rollen för digital, att med en snabb anpassning till en specifik kris (COVID-19) krävdes digitalisering för ett företags överlevnad. Inte att glömma, mer forskning behövs för att uppfylla syftet på detta arbete.

The thesis "Response strategies of behavioral frequency questions" deals with response strategies that respondents use to determine the frequency of behavior during the cognitive process of answering to the open-ended as well as closed behavioral frequency questions. The author uses a combination of research methods of cognitive interview with secondary analysis of quantitative data from the European Social Survey Research. The analytical part describes different types of response strategies used by respondents and deals with variety of factors that influence the choice of these strategies. The author analyzes the influence of the question format on the choice of the response strategy and on the answers to the same behavioral frequency questions. The thesis concludes that the choice of a particular response strategy is affected by the respondent's memory, the context within which the respondents have connected the behavior, regularity and absolute frequency of the behavior. The question format affects respondent's answers and it plays an important role during the cognitive process of answering behavioral frequency questions.

投資型保險商品乃為因應市場利率走低，提高壽險業之競爭力而設計之產品，適逢主管機關修正保險業資金運用之相關法令限制，投資型保險商品在台灣市場推行之時機似已來臨。 本文根據英、美發展投資型保險商品之金融、產業環境背景，檢視當前環境狀況，評估我國是否具有發展投資型保險商品之條件與需求；並透過個案研究方式，對八家壽險公司進行深度訪談，以了解壽險業者對投資型保險商品之經營策略，經由個案分析比較，依循研究架構發展出相關命題，並據此歸納出研究結論及建議。 本研究主要結論如下：(1)利率持續走低與法令的開放，象徵投資型保險商品時代臨。(2)外商公司未來將以經營投資型保險商品為主，本土公司將採取投資型保單與傳統保單並重的經營策略。(3)外商公司競爭優勢為擁有國外經驗，本土公司優勢為擁有較大的通路。(4)高所得、有投資共同基金或股票經驗、有退休金規劃者為業者主要的目標市場。(5)目標客戶及通路的選擇將影響產品策略。(6)公司業務員為主要行銷通路，銀行、證券公司為積極開發的次要通路(7)壽險公司今後的競爭取決於管理、服務和資金運用績效。 / To comply with the down trend of market interest rates, enhance the competibility of insurance industry, at this time the governmental institutions revised investment limitation of the related laws & regulations, it seems the time to promote investment linked insurance products is comming. This study will help us to overview current situation and evaluate whether Taiwan owns enough criteria and demand to develop investment linked insurance products based on the financial environmental background to develop investment linked insurance products. By extensive interviews with the major of eight insurance companies, the case study oriented approach will help us better understand the operation strategies of investment linked insurance products whatever insurance companies will take. We will build up key points following study structure and come out conclusions and related suggestions through case study comparisons. The main conclusion of this study are described as followings: (1) Due to going down interest rates and the regulation liberalization, this trend symbolically indicates that the era of investment linked insurance products is coming. (2) Foreign insurance companies will mainly focus on running investment linked insurance product business in future; local insurance companies will involved in both investment linked insurance product business and traditional insurance products business. (3) The competitive advantage of foreign companies is that they have strong international experiences; the strength of local companies is having sales channel infrastructure. (4) The target market will focus on those who have higher income, have experiences in mutual funds and stock investment, and have planning for pensions. (5) The choice of target market and channels will affect product strategies. (6) The agents are main marketing channels; bank and security companies will be subsequent channels we have to aggressively target on. (7) The competitive strength of insurance companies depends on management, services, and performances of utilizing capitals since now.

SYFTE Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur föreningen Stockholm Pride kommunicerade efter pridefestivalen 2011. Festivalen gjorde ekonomisk förlust och föreningen kunde inte betala alla sina räkningar. (Enligt årsbokslutet gick man back med 3,9 miljoner kronor.) Man kan tänka sig att en sådan situation hotar förtroendet för Stockholm Pride hos festivalens besökare, volontärer, sponsorer, artister, olika aktörer och intressenter. Frågan hur man försöker återvinna förtroendet blir intressant. Hur kommunicerar Stockholm Pride? Hur försöker Stockholm Pride återskapa förtroende? TEORI Att återskapa förtroende är centralt för en organisation i kris. Trovärdighet, ethos, är kopplat till retorik och kan kommuniceras. Teorier om förtroende, kriskommunikation, försvarstal, försvarsstrategier och retorik används. METOD Fyra meddelanden publicerade på Stockholm Prides hemsida analyseras med image repair theory, en typologi om försvarsstrategier som grundar sig på den antika retoriken. Typologin undersöker hur en organisation försöker återskapa förtroende i en kris. RESULTAT Stockholm Pride gör ett på flera sätt välgjort försvarstal och agerar i enlighet med forskares rekommendationer: man går själv ut med information om situationen, bemöter medial kritik och intygar att man ska göra allt man kan för att ställa situationen tillrätta. Kanske undviker man en kris tack vare sin kommunikation. Dock kommunicerar inte organisationen med enad front och tar inte på sig skulden. Man ber inte om ursäkt utan att i samma veva försvara sig. Man framställer sig som ansvarig men oskyldig och skickar därmed dubbla budskap. Stockholm Pride gör inte en så kallad pudel.