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The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020 has brought many teaching and learning challenges into higher education, such as innovative learning technology issues, the quality of sudden remote studying, a significant drop in international student mobility, and the overall flow of international students, that made the learning environment uncertain. The pandemic outbreak has also brought an understanding that it is a collectively shared challenge. International students, while feeling homesick during the pandemic times, were largely involved in a new social and academic reality and had become a vulnerable population, whose adaptation and adjustment processes in any country were disrupted. This study is focused on international students in Sweden and China during a period of unique experiences in higher education. Under the influence of the pandemic, it is of great interest and importance to investigate and compare the different practices of COVID-19 response strategies and their outcomes at the academic level. Some countries imposed suppressive public health approaches to arrest transmission, while others chose mitigation approaches to slow virus spread and protect vulnerable population. Regarding contrasting political, cultural, and socio-academic contexts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, this study took Sweden and China as examples to investigate and compare their approaches in a fight against such a global issue with further consequences on international students’ mobility. Thus, this research aims to investigate and compare COVID-19 strategies in Sweden and China and their impact on international students. This thesis intents to answer the following question: what challenges for international students arose as a result of socio-educational policies in Sweden and China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in what ways did restricting mobility impact their academic studies?

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Objective: To explore and compare the use of metacognitive, cognitive, and environmental resource management self regulatory learning (SRL) strategies used by a national sample of students enrolled in traditional and accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs. Background: Learner focused reforms in nursing education require students to assume more responsibility for learning. Nursing student responsibility for learning is reflected in their use of metacognitive, cognitive, and environmental resource SRL strategies. Learning strategy use promotes the development of clinical reasoning and lifelong learning skills requisite to meet the needs of complex patients in a dynamic healthcare environment. Method: Using Bandura’s social cognitive theory as a framework, the learning subscales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were used to survey a national sample of 514 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in their final semester of a traditional baccalaureate nursing program or a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate program. Delineation of student use of metacognitive, cognitive (rehearsal, organization, and elaboration), and environmental resource management (help seeking, peer learning, effort regulation, and time and study environment) SRL strategies was examined by program and in light of age, grade point average (GPA), weekly hours spent studying independently, and weekly hours spent in employment. Results: Differences in SRL strategy use were found between the program groups and between program groups divided by sample age. Older students in both the accelerated and traditional programs used more metacognition and elaboration SRL strategies than their younger traditional counterparts. Older traditional students used significantly more effort regulation SRL strategies than both groups of younger students. Both older groups of students studied significantly more, used significantly more time and study environment SRL strategies, and had significantly higher GPAs than the younger groups of students from both programs. Conclusions: This study provides a framework for learner focused nursing education by explicitly defining differences in SRL strategy use of students enrolled in traditional and accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs.

Till följd av att större delen av alla nyproducerade bostadsrätter i Stockholms kommun idag säljs till fasta priser är det intressant att undersöka och ta reda på varför inte fler bostadsproducenter använder sig av budgivning som försäljningsstrategi. Hur dessa fasta priser fastställs av bostadsproducenterna och vad som ligger till grund för den bedömningen, är även det en intressant aspekt.  Information som ligger till grund för de teoretiska utgångspunkterna har inhämtats genom en grundlig litteraturstudie. Resultatet bygger på ett par kvalitativa intervjuer för att ta reda på vilka parametrar som spelar in vid val av försäljningsstrategi och prissättning. Urvalet av intervjukandidater har noga övervägts och landade i en aktör som använder sig av ett budgivningsförfarande och en aktör som använder sig av fast pris som försäljningsstrategi, för att på bästa sätt kunna ställa dessa metoder mot varandra.  Analysen visar bland annat att storleken på projektet, vilka finansieringsalternativ som är möjliga, inställningen och egenskaperna hos bostadsproducenterna och hur marknadsläget råder är avgörande för vilken strategi som används. Slutsatsen mynnar ut i att mycket handlar om finansieringsmässig trygghet och att det är en inställningsfråga hos bostadsproducenterna. Det finns därmed goda möjligheter att i större utsträckning använda sig av budgivning som försäljningsstrategi. Alternativt att kombinera de två olika metoderna, budgivning och fast pris, för att på så sätt nå maximal avkastning, vilket borde ligga i bostadsproducentens intresse. / Due to the fact that most new production of condominiums in the municipality of Stockholm today are sold at fixed prices, it is interesting to investigate and find out why not more real estate developers use bidding as a sales strategy. How these fixed prices are determined by the developers and the basis for that assessment. Information that underlies the theoretical starting points has been obtained through a thorough literature study. The result is based on a couple of qualitative interviews to find out which parameters are involved in choosing a specific sales strategy and pricing. The selection of interview candidates has been carefully considered and landed in an actor using a bidding process and an actor using fixed price as a sales strategy. The analysis shows, among other things, that the size of the project, which financing options that are possible, the attitude of condominium developers and how the market situation prevails determines the strategy used. The conclusion is that the attitude among the real estate developers plays a big role, and there are good opportunities to make more use of bidding as a sales strategy. Alternatively, combine the two different methods, bidding and fixed price, in order to achieve maximum return.

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The Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) model represents the latest in powerful arbitrage-free technology for modeling the term structure and managing interest rate risk. Yet risk management strategies in the form of immunization portfolios using duration, convexity, and M-square are still widely used in bond portfolio management today. This study addresses the question of how traditional risk measures and immunization strategies perform when the term structure evolves in the HJM manner. Using Monte Carlo simulation, I analyze four HJM volatility structures, four initial term structure shapes, three holding periods, and two traditional immunization approaches (duration-matching and duration-and-convexity-matching). I also examine duration and convexity measures derived specifically for the HJM framework. In addition I look at whether portfolios should be constructed randomly, by minimizing their M-squares or using barbell or bullet structures. I assess immunization performance according to three criteria. One of these criteria corresponds to active portfolio management, and the other two correspond to passive portfolio management. Under active portfolio management, an asset portfolio is successfully immunized if its holding period return is greater than or equal to the holding period return of the liability portfolio. Under passive portfolio management, the closer the returns of the asset portfolio to the returns of the liability portfolio, the better the immunization performance. The results of the study suggest that, under the active portfolio management criterion, and with the duration matching strategy, HJM and traditional duration measures have similar immunization performance when forward rate volatilities are low. There is a substantial deterioration in the immunization performance of traditional risk measures when there is high volatility. This deterioration is not observed with HJM duration measures. These results could be due to two factors. Traditional risk measures could be poor risk measures, or the duration matching strategy is not the most appropriate immunization approach when there is high volatility because yield curve shifts would often be large. Under the active portfolio management criterion and with the duration and convexity matching strategy, the immunization performance of traditional risk measures improves considerably at the high volatility segments of the yield curve. The improvement in the performance of the HJM risk measures is not as dramatic. The immunization performance of traditional duration and convexity measures, however, deteriorates at the low volatility segments of the yield curve. This deterioration is not observed when HJM risk measures are used. Overall, with the duration and convexity matching strategy, the immunization performance of portfolios matched with traditional risk measures is very close to that of portfolios matched with the HJM risk measures. This result suggests that the duration and convexity matching approach should be preferred to duration matching alone. Also the result shows that the underperformance of traditional risk measures under high volatility is not due to their being poor risk measures, but rather due to the reason that the duration matching strategy is not an appropriate immunization approach when there is high volatility in the market. Under the passive portfolio management criteria, the performances of traditional and HJM measures are similar with the duration matching strategy. Less than 29% of the duration matched portfolios have returns within one basis point of the target yield, whereas almost all are within 100 basis points of the target yield. These results suggest that the duration matching strategy might not be sufficient to generate cash flows close to those of the target bond. The duration measure assumes a linear relation between the bond price and the yield change, and the nonlinearities that are not captured by the duration measure might be important. When the duration and convexity matching strategy is used, more than 36% of the portfolios are within one basis point of the target with HJM risk measures. This dramatic improvement in the immunization performance of HJM measures is not guaranteed for traditional risk measures. In fact, there are certain cases in which the performance of traditional risk measures deteriorates with the duration and convexity matching strategy. In this respect, choosing the correct risk measure is more important than the immunization strategy when passive portfolio management is pursued. Under active portfolio management criterion, there is no significant difference among bullet, barbell, minimum M-square, and random portfolios with both duration matching and duration and convexity matching strategies. Under the passive portfolio management criterion, bullet portfolios produce closer returns to the target for short holding periods when the duration matching strategy is used. With the duration and convexity matching strategy, bullet, barbell and minimum M-square portfolios produce closer returns to the target for short holding periods. Random portfolios perform as well as bullet, barbell and minimum M-square portfolios for medium to long holding periods. These results suggest that when the duration matching strategy is used, bullet portfolios are preferable to other portfolio formation strategies for short holding periods. When the duration and convexity matching strategy is used, no portfolio formation strategy is better than the other. Under the active portfolio management criterion, minimum M-square portfolios are successfully immunized under each yield curve shape and volatility structure considered. Under the passive portfolio management criterion, minimum M-square portfolios perform better for short holding periods, and their performance deteriorates as the holding period increases, irrespective of the volatility level. This suggests that the performance of minimum M-square portfolios is more sensitive to the holding period rather than the volatility. Therefore, minimum M-square portfolios would be preferred in the markets when there are large changes in volatility. Overall, the results of the study suggest that, under the active portfolio management criterion and with the duration matching strategy, traditional duration measures underperform their HJM counterparts when forward rate volatilities are high. With the duration and convexity matching strategy, this underperformance is not as dramatic. Also no particular portfolio formation strategy is better than the other under the active portfolio management criterion. Under the passive portfolio management criterion, the duration matching strategy is not sufficient to generate cash flows closer to those of the target bond. The duration and convexity matching strategy, however, leads to substantial improvement in the immunization performance of the HJM risk measures. This improvement is not guaranteed for the traditional risk measures. Under the passive portfolio management criterion, bullet portfolios are preferred to other portfolio formation strategies for short holding periods. For medium to long holding periods, however, the portfolio formation strategy does not significantly affect immunization performance. Also, the immunization performance of minimum M-square portfolios is more sensitive to the holding period rather than the volatility. / Ph. D.

Climate change is a critical issue, as emphasized by the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (2023). Business organizations significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions but also play a crucial role in developing decarbonization solutions. A surge in scholarly attention since the mid-2010s has provided valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between firms and climate change. Studies have quantified risks and assessed the impact of environmental practices, while others have examined proactive measures by firms in response to regulatory landscapes and stakeholder expectations. External stakeholders, including governments, shareholders, and business partners, play a pivotal role in steering firms toward low-carbon strategies. However, there remains a gap in understanding the true impact of firm strategies on ecosystem health – for example on firms’ carbon footprint. This research aims to explore the influence of various actors on firms' decarbonization strategies and explores how firms navigate their transition towards low carbon amid conflicting pressures from financial markets, governments, and corporate customers in global value chains. The first essay reviews the literature on the challenges faced by multinational companies (MNCs) when trying to implement more sustainable practices in their supply chains. The second essay empirically investigates MNCs' impact on their suppliers' environmental performance, highlighting the importance of scrutiny, enforcement and economic leverage. The third essay analyzes investor reactions to coal plant divestment announcements by U.S. electric utilities, revealing increasing investor support for divestment. Overall, this work contributes to the literature at the intersection between firms and the environment in a global transition context, by taking a multidisciplinary and integrative approach. It also offers valuable insights for managers and policymakers as it highlights the necessity to account for contextual dynamics (e.g., change in value among stakeholders), and the breadth of the issues at stake (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions are concentrated at the manufacturing stages) to design more efficient environmental strategies and policies. / Business Administration/International Business Administration

Yes / Challenges in the recruitment and retention of care workers is a long-standing issue [1]. However, these challenges have worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2021, there was an average staff vacancy rate of 17% [2], and in November 2021, care homes feared they would lose around 8% of their care home staff as a direct result of the policy of vaccination being a condition of deployment in care homes [3]. This has profound impacts, not only on those in care homes and receiving care at home, but on the health service as a whole, with 33% of social care providers limiting or stopping admissions from hospital [2]. Therefore, this review was undertaken to identify learning about how to support recruitment and retention of care workers during the pandemic. Methods: To identify strategies that are currently being used to support recruitment and retention of care workers, a Google search was undertaken, combining termsthat referred to the setting or role (“social care”, “care worker”) and the topics of interest (recruitment, retention), and for some searches adding in terms that referred to the type of literature being sought (“case study”). Through this, we identified that research on recruitment and retention of care workers since the pandemic was already being published and so a search was also undertaken on Google Scholar for research published since 2020. This was supplemented by a review of websites recommended by an expert working in the area: Care England, National Care Forum, Care Forum, Care Choices, Care Workers Charity, National Association of Care & Support Workers, and Skills for Care. We also reviewed the websites of NHS Confederation, NHS Employers, and the Local Government Association. Inclusion criteria were reports that included recommendations and/or examples of strategies to recruit and retain the social care workforce. While we focused on reports published since the start of the pandemic, given that recruitment and retention of care workers is a long-standing challenge, we also included some significant reports that were published before then. A number of the documents included did not provide a publication date. While many of the reports identified discussed the problems that have led to the social care workforce crisis, we limit our discussion of these in this report, instead focusing on possible solutions. Findings: From the Google and Google Scholar searches, 190 records were screened and 22 potentially relevant documents were reviewed in detail for possible inclusion. Alongside this, seven potentially relevant documents from the websites listed above were reviewed in detail for possible inclusion. From this, 21 relevant documents were identified and included in this review. These included seven documents reporting case studies, one Government report, one report based on a survey of employers, four reports based on surveys of care workers, two reports based on interviews with stakeholders, one report based on interviews and focus groups with care workers, managers, and commissioners, and one based on interviews with care workers. It quickly became apparent that potential strategies for improving recruitment of care workers were closely interlinked with strategies for improving retention of care workers. Below we consider those strategies relevant to both, before moving on to consider specific recruitment strategies and strategies focused specifically on increasing retention.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to determine if questioning can be used as an effective teaching and learning skill to develop learners' higher level thinking in the natural sciences learning area. The types of questions asked by the teachers as well as the different questioning techniques that can be used to provoke the learners' higher level thinking during a learning experience was discussed. The way in which learner questions can be used to encourage student engagement and learning was determine. Questioning as it is used in secondary school was investigated to determine the ways in which it is applied during teaching and learning. The present situation regarding the development and stimulation of learners' questions was determine. The degree to which training and experience determine the teachers application of questioning as an effective teaching and learning skill is investigated by means of a survey. Guidelines to enhance questioning as a skill to develop the learners' higher level thinking was formulated. Method: A literature study was done to investigate the ways in which questioning can be used to enhance the teaching and learning of higher level thinking. Learning strategies, teaching and learning methods and skills to enhance effective higher level thinking was discussed in terms of teaching and learning in the natural sciences. The success rate of teaching and learning can be measure in terms of good questioning and the level of thinking. 'The teaching and learning experience in natural sciences is influenced by the nature of science. The objectives of teaching and learning in the natural sciences is discussed. The empirical data about the grade 8 and grade 11 natural sciences classroom situations was obtained by means of video recordings. These recordings was analysed and coded with a situation analysis instrument developed against the background of the literature study. Empirical research was also undertaken in terms of a survey procedure to obtain the biographical data about the teachers. The empirical data are analysed and discussed in terms of the present situation in use in the natural sciences classrooms. Based on this discussions, guidelines were developed in terms of the proposal of the findings with which to ensure the application of questioning as a teaching and learning skill to enhance the development of learners' higher level thinking in the natural sciences learning area. Core findings: The core findings are, that not enough effort is put to the didactic task of enhancing questioning as an effective teaching and learning skill of learners in the natural sciences. The teachers are confronted with the challenge to make use of spiral questioning to provoke the learners thinking in the classroom situation. Questioning can be used to serve and support the teaching and learning experience. From the empirical data it can be deducted that the teachers in this research group are not trying to enhance, stimulate of provoke learners' questioning. Questioning as practice by the teachers are mostly classified as communication and lower level questions. Furthermore no deduction can be made about the degree to which training and experience determine the teachers application of questioning as an effective teaching and learning skill to enhance the higher level of thinking in the natural sciences learning area. Based on these core findings recommendations are made about the development of higher level thinking to promote deeper understanding of the natural sciences with the aid of questioning as an instructional skill during learning. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Although studies on L2 learning strategies are a major strand of second language research, recent research has shifted its focus onto language learners’ metacognitive awareness and use of strategies. Previous studies shed important light on the amelioration in L2 educational practices, but research on learners’ metacognition in the reading process in EFL contexts remains insufficient, especially at the university level in terms of the emic view of the participants studied in Taiwan. Based on an interpretive stance, this exploratory case study aimed at probing 12 Taiwanese first year university EFL learners’ metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies during their strategic reading process, and the relationship with proficiency levels and texts of both the narrative and the expository type. This study relies on the think aloud and immediately retrospective protocols of 6 high proficient and 6 low proficient readers as the principal sources of data. The think aloud protocols and the immediately retrospective interviews were transcribed and subjected to content analysis by means of coding them. Taiwanese first year university EFL readers’ metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies were then analysed and interpreted from a broad metacognitive perspective within the information processing model in terms of strategy application for reading comprehension problem-solving. The findings revealed that the participants demonstrated an awareness and control of their cognitive activities while reading. The strategies they employed were grouped into the categories of supporting reading strategies (SRSs), cognitive reading strategies (CRSs), and metacognitive reading strategies (MRSs). The study found that these learners’ metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies in learning to read were closely related to L2 proficiency. The low proficient readers’ unfamiliarity with L2 is a hindrance to their reading comprehension which, in turn, disabled them from using the strategies appropriately and effectively. Furthermore, the high proficient readers outperformed their low proficient counterparts in terms of both the quality and quantity of strategies used. Both groups did not use the same strategy types. The findings also revealed that certain types of reading strategy were used differently due to the texts of the narrative and the expository type across the different ability levels. The existing literature on metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies in learning to read is discussed and pedagogical implications for teachers of L2 reading are offered. These implications include suggestions made for providing learners with explicit reading and strategy instruction and texts with different structure in relation to strategy use. Finally, the limitations of the current research study and recommendations for further research were stated.