Sustainability has been an important and discussed issue during the last decades. Sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This concern for the environment includes both the business world as well as individuals. As the green market continues growing, and in order to keep up with consumers’ new wants and needs firms may have to adjust their marketing strategies to them. Marketing practice has taken a new approach towards sustainability and many organizations have started to implement sustainable marketing. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate Baby Boomers and Generation Y values towards sustainability and if they act in accordance to their own values. Furthermore, the results and the analysis will help to find if there are any similarities or differences between these generations and their values towards sustainability and sustainable consumption. Previous researches have been focused on sustainability, consumer behavior, and only a few of them included the study of a generation. However, there are not any currently researches in academic literature that includes both generations and their values towards sustainability. This study is based on a qualitative research on Baby Boomers and Generation Y. Two focus groups have been conducted in order to get a deeper understanding of these generations’ values towards sustainability. However, it is important to point out that it is not possible to draw general conclusions from the results. The results show that there are common values and differences between the generations. This thesis has laid a good foundation for possible future research about the generations and sustainability. The results from the study may be of some valuable for Swedish retail businesses and sustainable/organic products manufactures. Moreover, it could help marketers to adapt their marketing strategies to suit these generation’s needs.

Current Canadian policies do not adequately prevent water contamination or mitigate the effects of existing polychlorinated biphenyl pollution. There is conflict between the Canadian government and the Inuit people over how to approach the pollution problem, arising from a clash of cultural values and traditions. Legislation related to healthcare is an inherently sensitive issue and some measures that seem acceptable to westernized societies are not appropriate for the Inuit. The purpose of this thesis is to answer (a) why polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are in the Arctic, (b) what the effects of PCBs are on the Arctic people, and (c) how healthcare policy can address the issue.

While there is much research aiming to assess the determinants of welfare state attitudes, there are not many studies focussing on how human values influence attitude formation. This thesis explores the relationship between values and welfare state attitudes across national contexts. In doing so, it focuses on the moderating influence of contextual factors on the values-attitudes link. In order to measure values properly, and to study their effects on welfare state attitudes, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group structural equation modelling (MGSEM) is used. These methods enable testing for measurement equivalence across groups, a prerequisite for comparing the effects of human values across countries. The individual-level data used in this thesis comes from the European Social Survey (ESS) between 2002-08. The findings show that values can play an important role in welfare state attitude formation, but that the impact of values on attitudes differs considerably across national contexts. Several country-specific contextual factors such as the generosity of redistributive institutions, their framing and their distributive outcomes moderates the values-attitudes link. In more generous welfare states and where redistributive issues are more articulated in the political debate, the impact of, for instance, egalitarian values on redistributive attitudes is comparably strong. Moreover, in countries where lower social classes are more exposed to risks and lack resources to meet these risks, class differences in the values-attitudes link are greater. Finally, the results show that the particular values that underlie welfare state attitudes in Eastern Europe are fundamentally different to those in Western Europe. The results imply that the impact of values on welfare state attitudes mainly depends on (i) whether people perceive welfare state institutions to have important consequences for the extent to which their values are attained, and (ii) the presence of competing motives. Hence, it is not necessarily the case that people who support the welfare state do so, for example, due to holding egalitarian values. In contrast to previous research, which has been quite unsuccessful in confirming direct relationships between institutions and attitudes, the results in this thesis suggest that there are indeed clear and consistent macro-micro relationships, but that these are more complex. Rather, it is in the interplay between values, attitudes and institutions that this relationship can be found. / Forskningen kring välfärdsstatsattityder och dess determinanter är omfattande, men väldigt få studier intresserar sig för hur grundläggande mänskliga värderingar påverkar dessa attityder. Den här avhandlingen syftar till att fylla denna lucka genom att fokusera på relationen mellan värderingar och attityder till välfärdsstaten. Särskilt fokus har lagts på att utforska den modererande inverkan som kontextuella faktorer har på länken mellan värderingar och attityder i olika nationella kontexter. I den bemärkelsen syftar avhandlingen även att bidra till forskningen om hur institutioner och andra kontextuella faktorer är kopplade till formeringen av attityder, där man ännu inte lyckats hitta en tydligt framträdande relation mellan den nationella kontexten formeringen av attityder på individnivån. För att kunna mäta värderingar på ett adekvat sätt, och för att kunna estimera och jämföra effekterna av värderingar på välfärdsstatsattityder i olika nationella kontexter, har konfirmatorisk faktoranalys (CFA) och strukturella ekvationsmodeller (MGSEM) använts. Dessa metoder tillåter testandet av ekvivalens med avseende på de mätinstrument som används, dvs. om måtten för värderingar har samma betydelse i olika grupper, vilket är en förutsättning för att kunna jämföra effekterna av värderingar i olika länder. Data på individnivå beträffande värderingar och attityder har hämtats från European Social Survey (ESS) från åren 2002-08. Dessutom har kontextdata hämtats från en rad olika källor. Resultaten visar att värderingar kan spela en betydande roll i att forma attityder till välfärdsstaten, men samtidigt att värderingarnas inverkan varierar kraftigt mellan olika länder. Flera faktorer i den nationella kontexten, såsom graden av generositet i välfärdsstatssystemen, samt de välfärdsstatliga institutionernas diskursiva inramning och deras socioekonomiska utfall, modererar länken mellan värderingar och attityder. Exempelvis, jämlikhetsorienterade värderingar har större betydelse för attityder till välfärdsstaten i mer generösa välfärdsstater och där omfördelningspolitiska frågor i högre grad präglar den politiska debatten. Vidare finns det klasskillnader i kopplingen mellan värderingar och attityder, i bemärkelsen att de med lägre utbildning och mindre intellektuellt krävande arbeten i mindre utsträckning formar sina attityder baserat deras värderingar. Dessa klasskillnader är särskillt stora i länder där de lägre klasserna är särskilt riskutsatta samt i högre grad saknar resurser att möta dessa risker. Medan värderingar har en betydande påverkan på generella attityder till välfärdsstaten i många länder så är länken mellan värderingar och stödet för specifika omfördelningsstategier svag eller icke existerande i de flesta länder som studerats. Slutligen så visar resultaten att de värderingar som ligger till grund för välfärdsstatsattityder i Östeuropeiska länder är fundamentalt annorlunda än de i Västeuropa. Jämlikhetsorienterade värderingar spelar en betydande roll i Västeuropeiska länder medan konservativa värderingar spelar en mer framträdande roll i Östeuropa. Resultaten föreslår att relationen mellan värderingar och attityder till välfärdsstaten beror på (i) om människor upplever att välfärdsstatens institutioner har betydande konsekvenser för deras möjligheter att få sina värderingar realiserade, och (i) frånvaron eller närvaron av konkurrerande motiv. Därmed är det inte nödvändigtvis så att människor som är mer jämliksorienterade i sina värderingar även är mer positivt inställda till välfärdsstaten och omfördelning. Detta beror istället på kontextuella faktorer, såsom institutioner och deras utfall, och deras inverkan på länken mellan värderingar och attityder. I motsats till tidigare forskning, som haft svårt att hitta tydliga kopplingar mellan exempelvis institutioner och attityder, så visar resultaten i denna avhandling att finns tydliga kopplingar mellan makro- och mikronivån men att dessa inte är så okomplicerade och direkta som man tidigare trott. Istället verkar det vara i samspelet mellan värderingar, attityder och institutioner som denna relations kan hittas.

We collected the data for decomposition of spruce litter to determine the limit values of mass loss and to find both chemical and climate factors that influence limit values. Our data contained 28 sequences of spruce which mainly in Sweden and a small part in other places. We choose mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) as climate factors and water solubles, lignin, N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Mn as chemical factors. Then we got the estimated limit values by performing a nonlinear model with mass loss and time spots, and found out the influential factors by using another linear mixed model. At the end we knew that linear mixed model is a proper and efficient approach for determining the factors, P and MAP are the significant factors and Species is a good random effect to explain the variance within groups.

In this thesis, the author strives to examine commitment to organizational values at Swedbank – the Central region through a longitudinal study at three different organizational levels (regional management team, branch manager and assistant branch manager) and this by a broader perspective. In order to gain a better understanding of the chosen subject the study proceeds with a theoretical framework that is concentrated to commitment to organizational values and three factors that might affect this commitment, namely; education, employment time and organizational function. Furthermore, a qualititative approach was used to collect the empirical data consisting of interviews. The purpose of this thesis is to closely examine how three managers at different organizational functions have worked with the organizational values and their employees’ commitment to the values during the last year by studying the three variables; education, employment time and organizational function. The conclusions highlights education and organizational function as two factors that have gained more focus in the managers work with committing their employees to the values. Education plays a crucial role since the manager’s uses similar approaches to some extent but also other methods. The regional management team stands out due to the group reflections. The branch manager is also using a somewhat more unique approach, monthly dialogues. Since the three organizational values; open, simple and caring are not explicitly defined, and are more generally stated there is room for interpretation and education is argued to be the solution for this issue. The importance of organizational function is highlighted in different aspects- balancing hard and soft goals and also the importance of leaders - delegation of responsibility. Regarding the factor employment time, the three interviews were united in this question. No employee has yet displayed a lack of commitment. However, those who have incorporated the values in a good way have done this in a personal way.

Under de senaste 100 åren har världens befolkning ökat avsevärt. Sveriges åldersfördelning har sedan 1930-talet påverkats av tre perioder med höga födelsetal som har mynnat ut i tre generationer; Rekordgenerationen (1941-1960), Generation X (1961-1976) och Generation Y (1977-1992). Dessa generationers värderingar relaterade till arbetet skiljer sig på flera punkter vilket ligger till grund för denna uppsats. Syftet med uppsatsen är att jämföra olika generationers värderingar relaterade till arbetet i tre fastighetsbolag och undersöka vilken påverkan generationstillhörighet kan ha på dessa värderingar. Problemformuleringen lyder enligt följande; Hur stor påverkan kan generationstillhörighet ha på värderingar relaterade till arbetet i fastighetsbolag? För att öka förståelsen i ämnet har vi inlett den teoretiska referensramen med att presentera karaktärsdrag för varje generation, därefter har vi redogjort för deras värderingar angående karriär, arbetstillfredsställelse och motivation samt ledarskap. För att tydliggöra kopplingen till både ledarskap och generationsskillnader har vi slutligen ett avsnitt om hur det är att leda flera generationer. Uppsatsen är en kvalitativ studie där den teoretiska referensramen ligger till grund för intervjuguiden och empirin har samlats in genom sex intervjuer i tre fastighetsbolag. Respondenterna består av två representanter från varje generation och intervjuerna har gjorts med tre ledare och tre medarbetare. Resultatet visar att generationstillhörighet har relativt stor påverkan på värderingar relaterade till arbetet. / The population in the world has increased significantly during the last 100 years. Since the 1930’s the age distribution has been influenced by three periods of high birth rates which resulted in three different generations; Baby Boomers (1941-1960), Generation X (1961- 1976) and Generation Y (1977-1992). These generations’ work values differ on several points, which is the basis for our study. The purpose of the study is to compare generational differences in work values within three real estate companies and investigate how generational affinity can affect work values. The problem area is; How big impact may generational affinity have on work values in real estate companies? The theoretical framework begins with a presentation of the characteristics of each generation, followed by work values of each generation concerning career, job satisfaction and motivation and also leadership. In the end of the theoretical framework we have a chapter about how to manage the multigenerational mix to clarify the study’s connection to leadership and generational differences. This is a qualitative study where the questions for the interviews are based on the theoretical framework. To collect the empirical data we have made six interviews in three real estate companies with two respondents from each generation and company. Three of the respondents have a leading position and three of them are employees. The result of the study shows that generational affinity has a rather big impact on work values.

The empirical data that lies behind this survey comes from field work between 1992 and 1995. This field work represents work I made myself as a sales-man for the company, Malmberg Original Water. The task was to implement the Malmberg mineral water brand on the restaurant market of the South-Swedish area. Our aim was to reach the upper-scale, premium market of restaurants. The mission was successfully completed, and at 1996 we had completed the position as the most exclusively positioned mineral water brand in Skåne (Southernmost Sweden). How could we fulfill this mission so fast, and with a very limited marketing budget (=0)?The secret key was that we managed to work and be in line with the values of our targeted customer group. We lived close to the customers and developed what was in line with their needs. This follows the research of Porter (1980) and Philipson (2011), serving the customer groups´ needs. Despite lack of money and budget from PR and promotion we made a large effort of serving and doing service towards our targeted customers.The thesis also focuses the target group´s importance for the construction of the brand identity. Strategic brand management-literature normally considers the target group taken-for-granted. Consumer research-literature, on the other hand, considers it as something vague and undefined. By applying a perspective of cultural values between the company, the brand and the target group it is possible to qualify the target group more than just refer to it as consumers or customers. The thesis also point to the conclusion not to consider brand identity as an independent entity, but dependent on the customers and the consumers. The consumers give birth to the brand. Finally since the target group is a group that is constantly set in motion, the brand also should reflect and represent change.

Historically, a great deal of water has been allocated to the agricultural sector in Alberta to support economic development and to contribute to food security. However, demand from other areas has increased in recent years, notably from the environment. Meeting new demands while still satisfying existing users has become a significant challenge. The combination of increased water use efficiency and productivity combined with reallocating water from agriculture to other sectors has emerged globally as a solution to this challenge. Thus, new policies regarding water reallocation need to be developed. Designing policies that are acceptable to the various stakeholders involved poses a considerable challenge. The values held by individuals determine how they will react to new public policies. Hence, to support effective policy making, a better understanding of how the non-irrigator population perceives water reallocation issues is necessary. Using mail-out surveys to collect data from the populations of Lethbridge, Alberta, and the surrounding smaller communities, this research aimed to identify the values regarding water allocation held by domestic, non-irrigator water users, and to determine how these values influence their acceptance of water allocation policies. Findings from the survey reveal how non-irrigators’ values influence their opinion of water transfers from the irrigation sector to the urban and environment sectors, and the conditions under which they should take place. A pro-environment value orientation was most prominent amongst the urban sample, while the rural sample was mainly moderate in their value orientation. The large moderate value cluster within the rural sample represented both pro-economic and pro-environment values depending on the focus of the survey item. Statements that would affect the community (irrigation sector) were met with pro-economic values while statements that involved making a personal sacrifice in order to protect the aquatic environment were strongly supported. Value orientation was found to greatly influence the respondents’ perception of water reallocation policy.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate response acquisition of Indian Ss relative to non-Indian Ss and to examine the relationships between questionnaire and performance data. A questionnaire, based on Harding's (1964) study, was used to evaluate Ss' attitudes towards work authority, aspirations, family and the like. Performance measures were also employed in order to provide data with which to assess whether attitudinal differences have significant behavioural consequences. In order to assess rural-urban biases, a paired-associate task similar to that designed by Havron and Cofer (1957) was used. An attempt was also made using a verbal conditioning technique (Taffel, 1955) to evaluate whether or not the two groups would perform differentially under positive and negative verbal reinforcement.

The divergence between theory and practice in planning and the role of the planner is widely discussed throughout the literature. The aim of the thesis is to explore planners’ experience of appraisal of the planning role in New York City. The thesis investigate the roles of the planner with the purpose of discovering attitudes, values and approaches in the planning climate. New York City’s influence as a context on the role of the planner and the main characteristics that are important to acknowledge as a planner are also recognized. The empirical data is collected through interviews with professors at Columbia University and practicing planners in New York City. Along with theory the results show that planners are affected by both external and internal influences. There are components of rationality and power that affect the planning climate. This will provide knowledge about context dependent planning. Larger implications of the findings are that the planning is never value free, and that planners have to be aware of for whom the planning is for.