Originally issued as the author's Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala universitet, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [255]-302) and index.

This thesis deals with the image of the Vikings. I wish to investigate how this image came to being during the 19th and early 20th century and give examples of how the Viking age was approached archaeologically during this time period. In addition to this, I discuss the image of the Vikings in relation to concepts such as nationalism, Scandinavian identity and how we use history. The aim is to contribute to the discourse about ideology in relation to history. I wish to raise awareness about how we use history and how our evaluation of the past, in this case the Viking age, affects our perception of the past and the present. I have chosen three archaeological sites in order to exemplify how archaeologists have approached the Viking age, and how archaeology can be linked to ideology. These sites are Old Uppsala and Birka in Sweden, and Hedeby in present-day Germany. In addition to this, I also discuss what role the Viking age played in the 19th century world of ideas. I read and analyse publications on the topic from different time periods and contexts. The theories used are those of Stefan Bohman, Benedict Anderson and Lise Nordenborg Myhre on nationalism and its symbolism. The discussion is also based on Evert Baudou’s theories on archaeological interpretations, as well as the theoretical framework characteristic of the 19th century, culture-historical archaeology. The Viking age played an important part in shaping a Scandinavian identity, particularly in Sweden. The loss of Finland to Russia in 1809 created a need of a new identity. In the wake of this, as well as deepened relations to Norwegians and Danes, a new ideology called scandinavism was formed with the Viking age at centre. Later, the Iron Age was of significance when the German Nazi regime needed to legitimise their policies and ideology. The excavations at Hedeby mirror the Nazi ideology, but the Swedish sites have also proven to have connections to nationalism, both at the time of excavation but also in the form of interpretation. I base my analysis on the phenomena explanation, consolidation and rejection in order to establish how the past can be used in defining the present in relation to the past. I discuss how the past is used to define the present, ourselves and our society and how it is can be used in a nationalistic setting.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how farmers in the region of Västerbotten work for a sustainable development according to climate change, and where resources could be put in place to make agriculture even more climate friendly. The method chosen was a qualitative interview study where eight farmers from the county were interviewed. Half of them had an ecological production, and the other half was conventional. All the interviews were recorded, and the raw data was put in a database in Excel and analyzed. The results showed differences between ecological and conventional production systems, such as which agricultural practice that was the most sustainable in the future. Many farmers described several ways of decreasing their own climate burden by changing to LED light bulbs, Eco driving, spring plowing and raising their cattle in an intensive system. The future for agriculture was hard to speculate about, but faith in politicians played a crucial role. There were thoughts about both moving backwards to family-oriented agriculture and to increase the animal units with big industry-like settings. Overall, my own conclusion states that agriculture should be more circular to be sustainable, and that the society should be more involved in this circularity for it to work. Intensively raised cattle fed with less concentrate, and less imported meat, seems like a sustainable production. The agriculture of the future should be close to nature but at the same time modern, and we must protect our countryside if we want to have a sustainable society.

This dissertation compares the effects of progressive social reform on income inequality in the Southern Cone of South America, Scandinavia, and Australasia. These regions faced comparable economic challenges at the start of the 20th century, but experienced different trends of income inequality after they introduced progressive policies in this period. Australasia and Scandinavia converged on a downward trend while the Southern Cone remained comparatively more unequal. The dissertation concentrates on three areas that significantly predict inequality in contemporary research: labour markets, education, and taxation and spending policies. Existing explanations usually focus on supply-side aspects of policy reform: wage regulation, and increased taxation and spending on education and social insurance, are thought to bring inequality down in the long-run. These reforms are seen as the outcome of the relative power of working class groups over elites. Despite institutional variation, the three regions enacted progressive policies to address distributional conflict and protect their economies from global risks. I study the demand-side of policy reform; policies faced considerable collective action problems to promote compliance and cooperation in order to work in the long-time and include populations at large. The fact that most people were motivated to comply meant that labour markets generated formality and standard wages, education increased human capital, and spending became stable as the tax base increased in Scandinavia and the Antipodes. The opposite happened in the Southern Cone as social actors tried to link selectively with the state while state officials neglected the material constraints that limited access to welfare and education. Each chapter spells out the conditions through which policy addressed collective action problems to motivate cooperation with wage agreements, sending children to school, and compliance with taxation and spending policies. Behind comparable aggregate numbers in these areas, the underlying social processes differed as Australasians and Scandinavians fostered cooperation between state and social actors, while the Southern Cone did not.

Inspired by words of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in California and Denmark, this thesis critically analyzes the American criminal justice system and asks if critiques of the institution can be addressed and improved through the implementation of kindness and compassion within the walls of prison, itself.

Titel: Hållbarhetsrapportering inom två branscher - En jämförande studie på börsnoterade företag i Skandinavien   Nivå: C-uppsats inom ämnet företagsekonomi   Författare: Emma Basic & Albin Nordin   Handledare: Fredrik Hartwig   Datum: 2018 - januari   Syfte: Tidigare forskning har visat att bransch är en påverkande faktor till skillnader i hållbarhetsrapporter mellan företag. Forskning har gjorts på olika branscher från ett antal olika länder. Det finns ingen tidigare forskning på endast två branscher där en är förorenad och den andra icke förorenad och heller inte på Skandinavien. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka om bransch är en påverkande faktor till skillnader i mängd hållbarhetsinformation i hållbarhetsrapporter mellan branscherna sällanköpsvaror och industritjänster för företag i Skandinavien.   Metod: Denna studie utgår från den positivistiska forskningstraditionen och följer den deduktiva linjen inom forskning. Studien syftar till att vara objektiv och använder sig av den kvantitativa metoden där en databaserad innehållsanalys utförs för att kunna mäta hållbarhetsrapporteringen. Studien utgår även från en komparativ design där insamling av data sker utifrån en tvärsnittsdesign. Statistiska kontroller i form av en bivariat analys och en multipel regression utförs i studien med hjälp av det statistiska programmet SPSS.   Resultat & Slutsats: Studien visar att bransch är en påverkande faktor till skillnader i mängd hållbarhetsinformation i hållbarhetsrapporter för företag i Skandinavien. Studien visar att branschen sällanköpsvaror hållbarhetsrapporterar mer än branschen industritjänster. Denna bransch rapporterar mer både inom miljö- och social rapportering. Vi tror att detta främst beror på att branschen sällanköpsvaror påverkar miljön mer och därför också rapporterar mer inom miljö. Varför denna bransch även rapporterar mer inom det sociala kan bero på att orden i innehållsanalysen möjligtvis riktar sig mer mot produktionsföretag. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Något som skulle vara intressant för vidare forskning är att göra en liknande studie men rikta sig mot andra branscher och även ta med landet Finland som ligger i Norden och liknar de skandinaviska länderna. Det skulle också vara intressant att undersöka hållbarhetsrapporter från två andra år då denna studie undersöker år 2014 och 2016 och även att rikta sig mot enbart företag från Small, Mid eller Large cap då denna studie riktar sig mot alla dessa. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien bidrar med att fastställa att bransch är en påverkande faktor till skillnader i hållbarhetsrapporter mellan branscherna sällanköpsvaror och industritjänster för företag i Skandinavien vilket inte forskats kring tidigare. Studien använder sig även av ett antal kontrollvariabler och fastställer om dessa har en påverkan på skillnaderna i hållbarhetsapporter. Studien kommer fram till att storlek påverkar skillnaderna medan tid inte gör det. För variabeln land visar studien att företag från Danmark hållbarhetsrapporterar mindre än företag från Sverige och Norge. / Title: Sustainability reporting in two industries - A comparative study of listed companies in Scandinavia.   Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration   Author: Emma Basic & Albin Nordin   Supervisor: Fredrik Hartwig   Date: 2018-January   Aim: Previous research has shown that industry is an influencing factor to differences in sustainability reports for companies. Research has been conducted on different industries from various countries. Research has not been done on only two industries where one is polluted and the other is not for companies in Scandinavia. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate whether industry is a influencing factor to differences in the amount of sustainability information in sustainability reports between the industries durable goods and industrial services for companies in Scandinavia.   Method: This study is based on the positivist research tradition and follows the deductive line of research. The study aims to be objective and uses the quantitative method in which a data-based content analysis is performed to measure sustainability reporting. The study is also based on a comparative design where the data collection is based from a cross sectional design. Statistical controls in form of a bivariate analysis and a multiple regression are made in the study using the statistical program SPSS.   Result & Conclusions: The study shows that industry is an influencing factor to differences in the amount of sustainability information in sustainability reports for companies in Scandinavia. The study shows that companies in the industry durable goods sustainability reports more than companies in industrial services. This industry reports more in both environmental and social reporting. We believe this may be because durable goods affects the environment more and therefore also report more environment information. Why the industry also reports more social information can according to us be because the words in the content analysis may possibly be more targeted to product companies.   Suggestions for future research: Something that would be interesting for further research is to do a similar study but focus on other industries. It would also be interesting to bring the country Finland in the study because the country is in the Nordic region and is similar to the Scandinavian countries. Further research could also investigate sustainability reports from two other years because this study examine 2014 and 2016 and also only target Small, Mid or Large cap since this study examines all of these.   Contribution of the thesis: The study helps to determine that industry is a contributing factor to differences in sustainability reports between the industries durable goods and industrial services for companies in Scandinavia which has not been researched earlier. The study also uses a number of control variables and determines whether these have an impact on differences in sustainability reports. The study finds that size affects the differences while time do not. For the variable country, the study shows that companies from Denmark sustainability reports less than companies from Sweden and Norway.

Comme les œuvres qui le précèdent : Herr Ivan en 1302 et Hertig Fredrik av Normandi en 1308, Flores och Blanzeflor fut composé en vers par un clerc inconnu sur l’ordre de la reine Eufemia de Norvège sans doute à l’occasion du mariage de sa fille Ingeborg avec le duc suédois Erik. La présente thèse propose d’envisager la traduction de Flores och Blanzeflor comme un acte politique de la part d’Eufemia. En offrant ces traductions à sa fille et son futur gendre d’abord, mais aussi plus généralement à l’aristocratie suédoise ensuite, la reine va en effet pouvoir contourner les interdits sociaux liés à son rang et à son genre et faire entendre sa voix dans le conflit qui agite au début du XIVème siècle les aristocraties scandinaves, conflit dont son futur gendre est l’un des acteurs principaux. Le duc Erik et son frère Valdemar étaient en effet engagés depuis les premières années du XIVème siècle dans un conflit de succession avec leur frère Birger, roi de Suède. Les Couronnes de Norvège et de Danemark, par le truchement des alliances, se trouvèrent elles aussi engagées dans la dispute, faisant de ce conflit d’abord interne à l’aristocratie suédoise un conflit pan-scandinave. Si les thèmes de la relation du souverain avec l’aristocratie sont de fait très présents dans Flores och Blanzeflor, le roman ne s’y limite pas, mais aborde aussi des problématiques contemporaines pour l’aristocratie scandinave, notamment la question de la Croisade et de la lutte contre les païens. La présente thèse s’accompagne d’une traduction du texte en français moderne basée sur l’édition du manuscrit Cod. Holm. D 4 par Emil Olson. / Flores och Blanzeflor is a 1312 Old Swedish version of the French roman Le Conte de Floire et Blanchefleur. The text is part of the Eufemiavisorna, a group of three continental romans translated into Old Swedish at the beginning of the XIVth century by an unknown cleric on the order of Queen Eufemia of Norway, possibly to celebrate her daughter’s marriage to Duke Erik of Sweden. The present thesis argues that those translations can be read as political acts from Queen Eufemia. The translations allowed her to project her voice in the political space while still conforming to the social norms of her time. Flores och Blanzeflor is as such closely related with the political turmoil that preoccupied the Scandinavian aristocracy at the beginning of the XIVth century, a turmoil centered around the conflict between Duke Erik and his brother Duke Valdemar on one side and their brother King Birger on the other. Flores och Blanzeflor with its insistence on good relations between the king and the aristocracy and its depiction of a peaceful crusade reflects the preoccupations of the Scandinavian aristocracy at the time. The roman’s focus on providing an example of positive conduct with the Blanzeflor character can also be interpreted as a desire from Eufemia to provide her daughter with models of conduct for her future marriage. The present thesis includes a translation of Flores och Blanzeflor into Modern French based on the 1956 edition of Cod. Holm. D4 by Emil Olson.

FN har tagit fram regler kring främjandet av rättigheterna för personer med funktionsnedsättning. Detta innebär att allmänna platser och utemiljöer ska vara tillgängliga och användbara för alla. Målet med detta examensarbete är att ta fram typlösningar som är anpassade för personer med nedsatt orienteringsförmåga, med fokus på synnedsättning. Den geografiska avgränsningen är Östra Sjukhuset i Göteborg, men resultatets lösningar skall även vara applicerbara på andra allmänna utemiljöer. Lagar och rekommendationer har jämförts med brukarnas subjektiva upplevelser av utemiljöer för att se om eventuella glapp uppkommer. Av platsobservationerna och studier av lagar och bestämmelser kan det konstateras att strängare krav måste ställas vad gäller tillgänglighet. Att skapa en fungerande tillgänglig och användbar miljö kräver dock inte enbart att regler efterföljs, även kunskap om verklig behov och hur lösningar fungerar i praktiken har en betydande roll.

The kings of Norway issued coins on a regular basis starting in the mid-11th century, and probably conducted renovatio monetae whenever a new king came to power. As a privilege of bona regalia, the king could use coin production to serve his own interests. Economic factors are usually the main focus of discussions on coinage, but there were also political, religious and cultural dimensions that must have been important both for the production of coins and in the choice of motives, form and style. From the outset, manipulation of the coinage is visible in the debasement of silver content, followed by a reduction in weight to re-establish the silver level.  In the 12th century, the weights continued to drop and single-faced coins and bracteates became the standard; only a few biface coins are known. These small coins and bracteates from the 12th century carry little or no information concerning issuer, date or place of production. This lack of information has resulted in a gap in our knowledge about the role of these coins in medieval society in Norway. This role was dependent both on the intentions of the producer and on how the coins were perceived by the people, and their will to use them in certain ways. What were the reasons behind issuing the smallest coins ever produced in coin history, and what impact did this dramatic reduction in weight have on the understanding and use of the coin? To advance the discussion it has been vital to establish new knowledge about chronology, coin-issuing authority and mints. These areas have been addressed through two analyses using numismatic and archaeological methods. The results of the initial analyses are combined with an investigation of the size of the coin production and a study of archaeological contexts, in order to reveal how, where and when the bracteates were used.  The theoretical approach to understanding the role of coins is inspired by theories in anthropology and sociology about the many ways in which money can be incorporated in a society, emphasising the complex social component of coins in contrast to the traditional economic emphasis on their neutral qualities as a means of exchange. Central to this are the concepts behind formalism and substantivist and post-substantivist theory. The study concludes with a discussion that explores what can be said about economy and economic systems based on the 12th-century Norwegian coins.

Bakgrund och problem: Private equity-aktörers värdeskapande är ett fenomen som studerats internationellt sedan 80-talet och intensifierats under det senaste årtiondet. Med en mängd forskning angående prestationen under ägandeskapet är utbudet mindre huruvida prestationen är bestående och hur portföljbolagen presterar efter att de avyttrats. Trots detta råder det ingen konsensus kring tidigare studiers resultat. Mot bakgrund av den motstridighet som föreligger i tidigare forskning och den uppmärksammade debatten om riskkapitalisters värdeskapande söker denna studie att studera och undersöka ämnet närmre för den skandinaviska marknaden. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur skandinaviska portföljbolag presterar efter avyttring genom börsintroduktion. Studien ämnar därmed att utreda, kartlägga och skapa bättre förståelse huruvida det föreligger någon skillnad i tidigare PE-ägda portföljbolags prestation gentemot branschkonkurrenter utifrån utvalda nyckeltal. Metod: Studien applicerar en kvantitativ forskningsmetod, vilket är i linje med tidigare forskning och referensstudier som även använder ett parametriskt och ett icke-parametriskt statistiskt test för att utröna om över- eller underprestation föreligger för tidigare PE-ägda portföljbolag. Därefter har studiens resultat analyserats med bakgrund av tidigare forskning och vedertagna teorier inom ämnet. Slutsats: Studiens resultat konstaterar att tidigare PE-ägda portföljbolag som börsnoterats inte överpresterar sina branschkonkurrenter, utan presterar sämre eller endast i linje med dem. Till skillnad från tidigare forskning kan ingen av- eller tilltagande effekt urskiljas, vilket innebär att ägarbytet vid börsnoteringen inte medför några bestående komparativa konkurrensför- eller nackdelar. / Background and problem: Private equity companies’ long-term performance is a phenomena that has been examined internationally since the 80’s, which has intensified over the last decade. With a lot of research focusing on performance during the ownership, the offer is less extensive whether the performance is long-term and how the divested portfolio companies perform after the private equity companies exit. Nevertheless, there is up today no consensus regarding the result of the previous studies. In the light of the contradiction of the previous research and the debate on risk capitalists’ value creation, this study seeks to investigate the phenomena closer on the Scandinavian market. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how Scandinavian portfolio companies perform after divestment through an IPO. The study thus aims to investigate, plot and create a better understanding of whether there is any difference in past PE-owned portfolio companies’ performance relative industry competitors bases on selected key ratios. Methodology: The study applies a quantitative research method, which in line with previous research and reference studies, uses a statistical parametric and a non-parametric test to determine whether over- or underperformance exists for previous PE-owned portfolio companies. The result of the study have been analyzed in the light of previous research and conventional theories within the field of subject. Conclusions: This study’s findings show that previous private equity owned portfolio companies do not over perform their industry peers, but perform in line or inferior to them. Unlike previous research, no decreasing or increasing effect can be distinguished which means that the change of ownership through the IPO does not bring any long-term comparative competitive advantages or disadvantages.