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This thesis includes four empirical studies investigating factors related to educational and occupational careers in a Swedish cohort born in 1953. Data from the longitudinal “Stockholm Birth Cohort study” (SBC) are used. In Studies I &amp; II I investigate educational careers among children whose parents were interviewed as part of the SBC study. In the last two studies I focus on children’s gender-atypical occupational preferences, as an outcome (Study III) and as a factor for adult occupational attainment among women (Study IV). Social capital, human capital and parent-child relation quality: interacting for children’s educational achievement? This study investigates the utility of social capital for children’s achievement, and if this utility interacts with human capital of the family and the quality of the parent-child relationship. Results show that social capital is directly related to children’s school grades and its utility for achievement does not depend on parents’ human capital. The utility of social capital is enhanced when combined with a very good parent-child relation. Family resources and mid-life level of education: a longitudinal study of the mediating influence of childhood parental involvement. This study focuses on the association between parents’ socio-economic resources and children’s mid-life level of attained education. Results show that this association is mediated by parental involvement in children’s schooling. However, the effect varies across types of parental involvement. Only parents’ educational aspirations for their children have direct mediating effects on the association between parents’ socio-economic resources and children’s mid-life level of attained education. Gender-atypical occupational preferences in childhood – findings from a Swedish cohort. This study investigates the association between parents’ socio-economic status and childhood gender-atypical occupational preferences. Results show that childhood occupational status preferences mediate the association between family socio-economic status and childhood gender-atypical occupational preferences, especially among girls. High-status employment among women – a longitudinal study of the role of childhood occupational preferences. This study investigates the association between childhood gender-atypical occupational preferences and occupational attainment in adulthood among girls in the SBC cohort. Results show that childhood gender-atypical occupational preferences are positively associated with attainment of high status occupations in adulthood / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Epub ahead of print. Paper 2: Epub ahead of print. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

The following study examined the effects of ethnic harassment and bully victimization on immigrant youths’ adjustment over the course of one year. Adjustment outcomes included depression, poor self-esteem, and self-harm. We asked: (1) Is bully victimization a risk for immigrant youths’ adjustment? and (2) Is ethnic harassment a risk for immigrant youths’ adjustment over and beyond bully victimization? Participants included 252 first and second-generation immigrant youths (52% female, 46% born abroad, M= 14.98 years) from seven schools in a mid-sized Swedish city. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test whether bully victimization and ethnic harassment predicted adjustment outcomes one year later and changes in these outcomes over the course of one year. A factor analysis revealed that bully victimization and ethnic harassment were separate constructs. Bully victimization predicted depression and poor self-esteem scores as well as increases in depression over the course of one year.  Ethnic harassment predicted depression, poor self-esteem, and self-harm scores as well as increases in these three outcomes over the course of one year. Results suggest that ethnic harassment poses an added risk to the adjustment of immigrant youth over and above bully victimization.  Findings underline the importance of assessing ethnic harassment when conducting research in ethnically diverse settings.

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This thesis examines the empirical relationship between a set of board characteristics (i.e. independence, diligence and expertise), audit committee (existence, characteristics and status within the board), and audit fees in a sample of Nasdaq OMX Stockholm-listed companies. The author investigates the relationship using a sample of 187 company-year observations for year 2011. Through multivariate regression analysis, the author found that more independent boards are associated with lower audit fees, while more expert boards and audit committee existence are associated with higher audit fees at the conventional levels. Results as such suggest that board independence, expertise and audit committee existence can influence the demand for audit coverage. Through further analyzing a subsample of 116 companies with audit committees, the author additionally found that more audit committee meetings are associated with higher audit fees, while wholly independent audit committees and an increase in the relative size of audit committee to nomination committee are associated with lower audit fees at the conventional levels. These findings are supportive for the Swedish regulatory requirement of adopting audit committees in the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm-listed companies effective from 2009 and have implications for enhancing board- and audit committee effectiveness in the Swedish listed companies.

Background Leadership is the process of directing the behaviour of others toward the accomplishment of some common objectives. Leadership is influencing people to get things done to a standard and quality above their norm - and doing it willingly. Leading others is not simply a matter of style, or following some how-to guides or recipes. Ineffectiveness of leaders seldom results from a lack of know-how or how-to, nor is it typically due to inadequate managerial skills. Leadership is even not about creating a great vision. It is about creating conditions under which all your followers can perform independently and effectively toward a common objective. Leadership is also a never ending process of self-studies with the purpose to know yourself and your behaviour as individual and in a group better. Understanding group dynamics is essential in order to inspire employees into higher levels of teamwork. It could be argued that for any improvement, leadership forms the main resource basis on which success of change relies. Gotland University has during several years carried out well frequented distance courses in leadership. The typical student is a person with a degree working in some organisation, often in a managerial position. Course assessments have indicated appreciation and a high level of student satisfaction. Purpose The question is if leadership theories and methodologies learnt really are put into use when the course is finished. The main purpose of this research is to explore how current leadership teaching is transferred into practical use in organisations. Another purpose is to see how current management attitudes correspond with the main theories. The results will help to improve the understanding of the practical relevance of different parts of leadership theory. Additionally the role of pedagogy and contextual factors when putting leadership theory into practise are highlighted. Methodology/Approach An alumni database for former students is used for sending a questionnaire asking for the relevance of different topics. Focus is on seeing what parts of theory have been used and to what extent. Based on the first results from the questionnaire a number of interviews are carried out to find out more detailed areas of improvement relating both to what theory to focus on and how to learn. Additionally randomly chosen written reports from courses are used to identify current managerial behaviour. Findings Preliminary findings indicate that theories are being used, but that there is improvement potential (study is still in progress). Limitations The study is limited to the theories used in the current courses. Students are practically all mature students already working. Value Leadership is a practical issue and it is important to know that what is taught is relevant and that it is being used. This paper gives a good indication of the practical relevance of important parts of current leadership theory.

Two small subarctic lakes were eutrophicated due to wastewater discharge from 1964. In 1975, a wastewater treatment plant was built and a recovery process started. This paper will: (1) compile the 1972–1974, 1978–1980 and 1985–1988 investigation data regarding phosphorous and microalgae for one of the lakes; (2) complement with unpublished data from 1985 and 2003; and (3) introduce a discussion regarding three alternatives for future development of the lakes in their last phase of recovery. In the latest investigation, 2003, the lakes were assessed as almost recovered. They had returned to an oligotrophic state, but not fully to a pre-sewage situation. In the upper lake, more heavily polluted, the total phosphorous levels had decreased from an average of 168 µg P/L in 1972–1974 to an average of 12 µg P/L in 2003. The phytoplankton biomass had decreased twentyfold during the same period, from 11.2 mg/L to 0.6 mg/L. The Secchi depth had increased from 1.3 m to 2.8 m. The low oxygen level in late winter was still not recovered, thereby profoundly affecting residential organisms in the lakes. The low winter oxygen is assumed to remain so for a long time due to phosphorus release from sediments in the lakes.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.