<p>Mergers between companies has become more and more common in Sweden and in the rest of the world with the motive to increase the competitive strength in the current markets and has an important role within organisational development of companies. When organisations merger there is not only buildings and objects that are put together but also their individual organisational structures, people, values and cultures. This can be a difficult process and can affect many people in how they think conscious as well as unconscious, feel and react.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding of how employees are affected following a merger when changes in the organisational culture come up, and how these changes are expressed.</p><p>This thesis is delimited to investigate only one company, Skruf Snus AB and only focus on their business and employees in the region of Stockholm. The thesis contains a qualitative investigation with semi structured interviews that has been carried out with eight employees at Skruf Snus AB. The thesis is partly based on a model of Schein which describes the different levels in organisational culture and partly on some theories about reactions to change in relation to the integration between the employees following a merger.</p><p>The results of the investigation indicate that with a merger the whole organisational culture is affected and therefore also the employees. Routines, communication, loyalty and relations have been changed. A gain of stress, anxiety, sadness and disappointment appears between the employees. This is often a result of lack of information and indistinct directives. Concepts like “Us and Them” are created, both unconscious and conscious and are permeated through the entire organisation.</p>

Mergers between companies has become more and more common in Sweden and in the rest of the world with the motive to increase the competitive strength in the current markets and has an important role within organisational development of companies. When organisations merger there is not only buildings and objects that are put together but also their individual organisational structures, people, values and cultures. This can be a difficult process and can affect many people in how they think conscious as well as unconscious, feel and react. The purpose of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding of how employees are affected following a merger when changes in the organisational culture come up, and how these changes are expressed. This thesis is delimited to investigate only one company, Skruf Snus AB and only focus on their business and employees in the region of Stockholm. The thesis contains a qualitative investigation with semi structured interviews that has been carried out with eight employees at Skruf Snus AB. The thesis is partly based on a model of Schein which describes the different levels in organisational culture and partly on some theories about reactions to change in relation to the integration between the employees following a merger. The results of the investigation indicate that with a merger the whole organisational culture is affected and therefore also the employees. Routines, communication, loyalty and relations have been changed. A gain of stress, anxiety, sadness and disappointment appears between the employees. This is often a result of lack of information and indistinct directives. Concepts like “Us and Them” are created, both unconscious and conscious and are permeated through the entire organisation.

Aims: To identify factors, which were related to being smoke-free and snus-free, respectively, among adolescents in relation to adolescents who were smoking and/or using snus, and de-termine if there were any sex differences. Me- thods: A questionnaire study was performed among students in year two in upper secondary schools (17-years-old) in southern Sweden in 2009. More than 2200 students completed the questionnaire regarding health and living habits anonymously. The variables were tested by χ²-test, before selection into the logistic model. Because of the salutogenic approach in the study, the results of the logistic regression analyses were expressed as Positive Odds Ratio (POR). Results: The prevalence of being smoke- free was 75.6 percent for girls and 70.2 percent for boys, whilst the prevalence of being snus- free was 95.1 percent for girls and 70.2 percent for boys. Having a tobacco-free best friend was the most important factor that correlated with being smoke- and snus-free as an adolescent, for both boys and girls. Good living habits, such as drinking less alcohol, were also central to being smoke-free and snus-free. Conclusions: The results show that a tobacco-free environ-ment has a great influence on whether or not adolescents stay tobacco-free. As the environ-ment has a big impact, the school has a big challenge to work with the school environment and policies but also with family responsibility, norms and attitudes to tobacco.

BACKGROUND:The teenage years are the years when adolescents seek their identity, and part of this involves experimenting with tobacco. The use of tobacco as such, and norms among their friends, is more important to the adolescents than the norms of parents when it comes to using tobacco or not. The aim was to explore the significance of using snus for adolescents, and attitudes to snus, as well as the reasons why they began using snus and what maintained and facilitated the use of snus.METHODS:Adolescents who use snus were interviewed in focus groups. The material was analysed using content analysis.RESULTS:Four groups of boys and one group of girls were interviewed, a total of 27 students from the upper secondary vocational program. Three themes related to the students' opinions on and experiences of using snus were found: Circumstances pertaining to snus debut indicate what makes them start using snus. Upholding, which focuses on the problem of becoming addicted and development of identity, and approach, where the adolescents reflect on their snus habits in relation to those around them. A number of factors were described as relevant to behaviour and norm building for the development into becoming a snus user. Attitudes and actions from adults and friends as well as - for the boys - development of an identity as a man and a craftsman influenced behaviour.CONCLUSIONS:The results showed that development of identity was of major importance when adolescents start using snus. The adolescents were initially unable to interpret the early symptoms of abstinence problems, but subsequently became well aware of being addicted. Once they were stuck in addiction and in the creation of an image and identity, it was difficult to stop using snus. These factors are important when considering interventions of normative changes and tobacco prevention in schools as well as among parents.

Det tobakspreventiva arbetet är en av samhällets största utmaningar.Syftet med studien var att beskriva tobaksbruket och dess förändring över tid (1983-2003) iett slumpmässigt urval av individer 15-70 år i Jönköpings kommun. Den specifikamålsättningen var att analysera tobaksvanorna i relation till socioekonomiska förhållanden,personlighet, tandvård och tandvårdsvanor. Studien utgjordes av tre epidemiologiskatvärsnittsstudier utförda åren 1983, 1993 och 2003. En klinisk och röntgenologiskundersökning utfördes av mun och tänder. Individerna fick även besvara ett frågeformulär.Resultaten visade en statistiskt signifikant minskning av tobaksbruket från 31 %tobaksbrukare 1983 till 24 % såväl 1993 som 2003. Detta gällde samtliga åldersgrupper utomåldersgruppen 40-åringar. I första hand minskade andelen rökare. Samtidigt ökade snusarna isamtliga åldersgrupper 20-60 år innebärande ett i stort sett oförändrat tobaksbruk 1993 och2003. Det förelåg ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad vid de tre undersökningsåren mellantobaksbrukare och icke/brukare med avseende på inkomst-, utbildningsnivå, civilstånd, ochKASAM poäng. År 2003 förelåg en statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan brukare och ickebrukare med avseende på frekvens av tandvårdsbesök, där tobaksbrukarna i störreutsträckning än icke brukaren, inte besökte tandvården eller besökte tandvården oregelbundet.Icke brukarna borstade tänderna statistiskt signifikant oftare än tobaksbrukarna år 1993 ochicke brukarna använde tandstickor statistiskt signifikant oftare än tobaksbrukarna år 1983 och2003.

Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats har varit att ta reda på hur företag inom snusbranschen planerar sin kommunikation och lyckas nå ut till sina konsumenter trots de hårda marknadsföringsregleringarna som finns. Även vilka andra intressenter snusföretagen kommunicerar med och vad syftet med den kommunikationen är av intresse. Frågeställningen som följts har således varit: Hur ser marknadskommunikationen inom snusbranschen ut, varför ser den ut som den gör och vilka konsekvenser får lagstiftningen på kommunikationen? Metoden som används för att erhålla information för att kunna uppnå vårt syfte och svara på vår frågeställning har varit intervjuer med personer inom snusbranschen som har särskilda kunskaper om just kommunikation. De teorier uppsatsen vilar på har varit Kotler &amp; Kellers marknadskommunikationsmix och Cornelissens intressentförvaltningsmodell. Marknadskommunikationsmixen tar upp olika metoder och kanaler företag kan använda för att nå ut till sina konsumenter medan Cornelissens intressentförvaltningsmodell visar relationen mellan organisationen och intressenterna. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att snusföretagen lyckas nå ut till sina intressenter trots hårda regleringar. De få plattformar företagen kan utnyttja blir otroligt viktiga och försöker från företagens sida utnyttjas till fullo. Företagen blir, på grund av de vaga formuleringarna i lagstiftningen, tvungna att testa gränserna för vilken kommunikation som är tillåten. Kommunikationen med andra intressenter än sina konsumenter och investerare blir viktig. Politiker och andra beslutsfattare är viktiga intressenter då de kan påverka företagens drift och kommunikationsvägar. / The aim and purpose of the thesis is to find out how companies in the snus-business plan their communication and succeed to reach the consumers despite the marketing regulations. Their stakeholder communication and how the regulations affect their way of communicating is also of interest. The method used for collecting data for this thesis was qualitative interviews with relevant people in the Swedish snus-business. The results and analysis of the results are based on the interviews. The results show that the snus-companies, regardless of the regulations, reach their consumers. The few platforms for marketing communication they can use become more important and are used to the fullest. The companies are forced to push the boundaries of the marketing communication-material because of the vague formulations of the regulations. The communication with stakeholders, such as politicians, is important for the companies since they have power to affect the operations.

As the global market place becomes more integrated and tensed, there is a shift from thetraditional marketing whereby attention is given solely to the sale of a product to a morecustomer-based marketing. Customer involvement in the processing of a product is thehighlight of this phenomenon. By this their needs and preferences for a product are welladdressed and base on this management can make effective decisions. Customer usagepattern and its influencing factors have become a key for business decision-making.Customer based notion is well known by its effective result in any kind of product. Theycould help businesses to manage, to adjust strategies to better match with the customersexpectations in existing markets. And to enter new markets, where the companies haveno historical databases of the local customers, the Snus usage pattern and its influencingfactors in previous growth markets are helpful to make use of.The motivation of this thesis therefore, is to find out the usage pattern and the influencingfactors of snus (smokeless tobacco) in its growth market such as Sweden and the UnitedStates where until recently gaining popularity. This thesis will make use of relatedtheories, previous studies on snus and behavioral pattern, influencing factors andobservation in Sweden and in the United States. The findings of this thesis and theinfluencing factors on snus usage behavior could be reference guidelines for decisionmakers in the tobacco industry in already existing snus markets and potential markets forthe product in places such as Vietnam and other parts of world. Aside these, the findingswill be helpful in managing tobacco companies in general and snus in particular inexisting markets.

Background:Brand gender is the set of human personality traits associated with masculinity and femininity applicable and relevant to brands. Brand gender perceptions can be affected through a range of different marketing techniques, to attract specific customers, and positively influence their consumer-brand relationships and their brand equity. Similar to past marketing techniques used by tobacco companies who targeted women with cigarettes using slogans such as “Torches of Freedom” and the message that smoking makes you slim, marketers are now trying to change consumer perceptions of snus, a tobacco product originating from Sweden, where a drastic increase in usage among women can be seen.  Problem: Previous literature on the topic of brand gender has mainly focused on products and product categories that are highly connected to consumers’ self-presentation. Current literature also expresses the need for future research to be done using specific brands and product categories. Researchers have also expressed the need for examination of brand gender in contexts of highly feminine cultures.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if LYFT’s marketing portrays a clear brand gender positioning and to see how consumers perceive gendered branding. The aim is to expand existing knowledge on brand love, brand gender congruence and brand-gender positioning, using a product category that is less connected to consumers’ self-presentation. To fulfil the purpose of this research, a content analysis of LYFT’s Instagram was conducted, followed by an analysis of regular users of snus to identify their perceptions and relationships with LYFT. Method: This study has followed a mixed-method approach, where a quantitative content analysis of LYFT’s Instagram has been executed, followed by eight qualitative semi-structured interviews of regular users of snus in the age range of 22-28 years in Sweden who are highly familiar with LYFT. The interviews were analysed following interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).  Results: The interview participants perceived LYFT’s typical customer, their communication, as well as their product attributes and benefits to be feminine, which was consistent with the results of the content analysis. Congruent with previous research, this study found that the typical user of the brand had the most significant effect on brand gender perceptions and that a strong brand gender positioning can enhance brand love. However, the study also found that female individuals were less likely to consume masculine products or product categories than what previous studies have claimed. This study is useful for marketing practitioners wanting to enhance their customer-brand relationships through clear brand gendering and shows the importance of utilizing marketing techniques such as social media to affect consumer perceptions of brand gender.

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the issues surrounding the marketing of white snus, which employs various means to downplay and beautify the product, thus normalizing it as part of everyday life. Using our analytical framework, we have developed spoof advertisements for white snus that convey this problematic nature. We then examine the strength of the message conveyed by using these parody advertisements as stimuli in two interview sessions to measure the experiences of active snus users. The aim of the study within a societal context is to investigate how parody advertisements can challenge prevailing societal structures by applying them in the context of the issues surrounding white snus.  This is done through the research questions: How can parody advertisements for white snus be designed to convey the issues in the marketing of white snus? How do users of white snus perceive the messages in the parody advertisements?. The analytical framework of the study encompasses semiotics, framing theory, storytelling in advertising and a model of caricature,  as well as previous research on culture jamming and parody advertisements. Using the analytical framework, parody advertisements were created based on two commercials produced by popular manufacturers of white snus, LOOP and VELO, which were then used as stimulus material during the interview sessions. The design process was initiated with a preliminary study in which suitable brands were identified and their advertisements analyzed semiotically, followed by the creation of the parody advertisements. Through focus group interviews with users of white snus, it was observed that the respondents generally understood and reacted to the message conveyed in the parody advertisement for LOOP. However, the discussion regarding the message and the feeling of captivity was limited due to the minimal elements and fictional representation in the advertisement. The parody advertisement for VELO prompted a more in-depth discussion, where respondents could relate to the depicted situation and gain a broader understanding of the consequences of their nicotine addiction. The responses were divided; some found the parody advertisement for VELO impactful, generating negative feelings towards the portrayed lifestyle, while others found it comforting, emphasizing positive sentiments towards the lifestyle.

Syfte och problemformulering: Utifrån fallet tobaksfritt snus är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur LYFT med hjälp av influencer marketing strategiskt positionerar sig mot specifika målgrupper genom skapandet av jaget och gestaltning av livsstilar. Samt syftar studien till att se hur potentiella konsumenterna uppfattar strategin och reklamsamarbetet. Metod och material: I studien användes de kvalitativa metoderna semiotisk bildanalys och fokusgrupper för att undersöka tio bilder på influencer samarbeten med tobaksfria snusföretaget LYFT. Samtliga bilder är publicerade på LYFTs Instagram-konto och influencernas egna konton. Huvudresultat: Studiens resultat visar på att LYFT marknadsför det tobaksfria snuset genom att anspela på en livsstil av festande. De positionerar snuset genom att skapa associationer till fest och nöje som gör det attraktivt för målgrupper som ser sig själva i dessa miljöer och vill bli identifierade med dem. Snuset marknadsförs som en accessoar som stärker målgruppens identitet och självkänsla. Med hjälp av olika influencers kommunicerar LYFT immateriella tillgångar som gör snuset till en väsentlig produkt för en målgrupp som vill stärka bilden av sig själv och nå självuppfyllelse genom en ökad status och maktposition. Genom influencers marknadsför LYFT snuset till en målgrupp som identifierar sig med fest, kvinnokamp, hög klass och status, likt kändisarnas image.