The purpose of this master thesis is to provide a deeper understandingof managerial innovation impact on companies through Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR). For this objective, IKEA Karlstad was chosen for theempirical part in order to apply the theoretical framework to practicalrelevance. The method used for this thesis was a case study design includingdata collection from literature in different databases: Emerald, BusinessSource Premier, Scopus as well as Google Scholar. Regarding data collection forthe case study, three qualitative questionnaires were also distributed to IKEA:two designed for the local IT and sustainability coordinator Magnus Engstrandand one targeting employees. A quantitative questionnaire was distributed toIKEA employees too. An interview was set up with Magnus Engstrand according tothe unstructured interview guidelines. The theoretical framework focuses notonly on understanding the links between managerial innovation and CSR,managerial and technological innovations but also on the companies’ motivationto implement these actions and their impact on employees, organizations andcommunity. From our analysis of the literature it can be stated that managerialinnovation is stimulated by an internal element of the company. Managerialinnovation helps partly or entirely to develop CSR actions resulting in thecreation of positive value: tangible or intangible; or negative value accordingto value resonance or value dissonance. The case study analysis broughtexamples of how managerial innovation brings value without involvement of anytechnological innovation contradicting certain theories exposed in thetheoretical framework. At IKEA, the three different types of managerialinnovations are management, administrative and organizational innovations whichare used to develop CSR actions and constitute a minor or major part of theirimplementation. The impact of managerial innovation on CSR is translated atIKEA Karlstad as an intangible value for the company and its stakeholders. Thisthesis contributes to a better comprehension of managerial innovation conceptsin general as well as its application in a CSR strategy through concreteexamples. It can also be used as a demonstration of how managerial innovationcan be used to improve the internal and external images as well as employees’welfare and perceptions. Further qualitative research is needed to measure themanner of managerial innovations as well as quantitative studies to generalizeits impact on a larger scale.

This study examines changes in culture, economics and politics in Taiwan. Ronald Inglehart suggests that culture, economics and politics are mutually connected and these dynamics shape each other over time. Richard Florida argues that the driving force behind the transformation of a society¡¦s lifestyles, worldview and values is the rise of human creativity. In order to observe the changes over time, Inglehart and his colleagues have been collecting data through questionnaires (World Values Survey) in countries around the world. The purpose of this study is to measure and interpret the recent changes in Taiwan. Data collected from Taiwan is compiled in a unique database for analysis. This paper discusses the findings from this analysis and interprets the direction of change brought by intergenerational change. In addition, a cross-cultural analysis between Sweden and Taiwan is performed using the latest data collected from the two countries. Results suggest that Taiwan¡¦s shift is in the direction of Postmodernity. In addition, younger people are found to be more tolerant against different groups of people compared to the older generation.

This study examines the relationship between personal values, perceived organisational values and organisational commiunent. The study builds on the work of Finegan (2000). It is argued that the greater the congruence between a person's personal values and the perceived organisational values of the employing organisation, the greater would be their commitment to that organization. This study examines this issue in a school context, examining the teachers' values and their perceptions of their schools' values. As part of the study a survey was administered to a sample of teachers at eight schools that represented the three main streams within the Australian education system; namely Government schools, independent Christian schools and Catholic schools. In this case, personal values and perceived organisational values were measured using Schwartz's (1991) Values Scale and their congruence was calculated using Savery's (Savery, 1993. 1983, 1981) approach. Commitment was measured using Meyer and Allen's (1990) Organisational Commitment Scale. Perceived organisational support and professional commitment were also measured through Eisenberg's (1986) and Blau's (1985b) scales. The study suggests that teachers' backgrounds have little impact on commitment. It further suggests that personal values have only a minimal effect on continuance conunitrnent, although they have a stronger relationship with affective commitment. While congruence between the two types of values do impact on affective commitment, teachers' perceptions of their organisations' values (irrespective of their own values) are stronger predictors of commitment. Personal values are also shown to affect professional commitment. Although the major focus of the study is to explore the relationship between values congruence and organisational commitment, the results suggest that the most significant predictors of affective organisational commitment are perceived organisational support and teachers' perceptions of organisational values.

The purposes of the study were (1) to assess the validity and reliability of Values for Helpers, (2) to determine whether the test would be a usable instrument for analysis of value systems of mental health professionals, (3) to provide information on possible utilization of the test as a measurement tool for assessing the quality of relationship skills of helpers, and (4) to provide information of a heuristic nature for future research with Values for Helpers. To accomplish these purposes, the following questions were examined. 1. What are the relationships between the scales of the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values and Values for Helpers? 2. What are the relationships between the scales of the Personal Orientation Inventory and Values for Helpers? 3. What are the relationships between the total scores on Myrick and Kelly's Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale and the scales of Values for Helpers? Conclusions based on the results suggested that (1) there was acceptable reliability for Values for Helpers, (2) the tribalistic and conformist scales of Values for Helpers demonstrated negative convergent validity with the scales of the Personal Orientation Inventory, (3) the existential scale of Values for Helpers demonstrated positive convergent validity with the scales of the Personal Orientation Inventory, (4) the existential scale of the Values for Helpers demonstrated concurrent validity when related to the Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale, and (5) the existential scale of Values for Helpers appeared to exhibit very low predictive validity for counselor success in developing relationship skills and demonstrating positive practicum performance as measured by the Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale.

Background:  In recent years, the Swedish furniture industry has recorded many significant successes and increased its influence in the world furniture market with a high proportion of products being used for export purposes and the intensifying popularity of Sweden-originated furniture brands. Among these, IKEA is the most renowned company. Currently, the company plans to grow further in South-East Asia (IKEA, n.d) and Vietnam is a potential market for this expansion due to the shortage of furniture supply in the domestic market. However, nothing can assure that IKEA’s overall success in the oversea market would simplify their way of penetrating the Asia market. Learning from the past, the company has faced many failures in different markets such as China, Japan, and India. Considering this, the authors of this paper believe that it is important to understand how Swedish furniture companies’ product values, IKEA in particular, could affect customer consumption values, which significantly shape their perception. Based on this, the company can better in making predictions on their market penetration, thereby minimizing risks or unprofitable investments.  Purpose:  The purpose of this paper is to understand whether IKEA’s product values have a significant effect on Vietnamese furniture consumption values and shape their perception or not. Therefore, the thesis will be drawn on the question of “What are the potential preferences that make Swedish furniture attract Vietnamese consumers? – IKEA as a case study”. Method:  This paper is based on the quantitative research method with a positivistic paradigm. A survey was conducted for collecting primary data with a sample size of 200 Vietnamese furniture consumers. The collected data were analysed using the SPSS Statistics 28 software.  Conclusion:  The results showed that Swedish furniture firms like IKEA obviously could receive potential growth in Vietnam since all of IKEA’s product values are tested to have positive effects on Vietnamese consumption value, which have a strong correlation with their buying perception. This paper can be used as a premise for further research on customer perceived values when IKEA’s products are officially experienced by Vietnamese consumers.

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This article describes how young adult males experience relationships with older people in an economically deprived community. Intergenerational relations refer to the relationship between people who are either familially or non-familially related. Intergenerational relationships are important for communities in promoting connectedness, closeness and togetherness, which contribute to the well-being of all members. The relationships between generations are informed by the values and beliefs that underpin their interactions. Values and beliefs that guided intergenerational relations in this community in the past were that older people were regarded as the custodians of heritage, knowledge and wisdom, which they are expected to pass down to younger generations. Reciprocally, the younger generation was expected to take care of the older generation when they could not care for themselves. It is not clear, however, how young adult males in Africa experience their relationships with older people at the moment. An inductive, explorative approach was adopted to conduct this qualitative study. The research was conducted in Khuma, a township of Stilfontein in the North West Province of South Africa. The community is regarded as economically vulnerable community. Eleven male participants, aged between 18 and 35 years, participated in the research. Data were obtained by means of the Mmogo-method® (Roos, 2008; 2012), a visual data gathering method and group discussions about themuntil data saturation was achieved. The Mmogo-method® is a projective, qualitative data-gathering instrument which involves participants in the visual construction of their subjective and often subconscious experiences by using different materials (Roos, 2012). Participants in this research were asked to make visual representations based on the following open-ended instruction: “Use the materials provided to tell us about your experiences of your relationships with the older people in your community”. On completion, participants were asked to explain what they had done and why they had made specific objects so that the deeper meanings of their representations could be elicited. Their responses were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Ambivalence emerged as a predominant theme. Ambivalence refers to simultaneous, contradictory emotions towards older people and what they represent. One the one hand, the young people expressed appreciation for the way in which older persons cared for them physically and emotionally; and on the other hand, these young adults expressed feelings of dissatisfaction and hurt in relation to older persons. Ambivalence was also expressed in terms of traditional agriculatural practices. They realized the importance of being knowledgeable about traditional agricultural practices and customs as part of their heritage; but they were also negative and showed a disregard for traditional customs in the face of the realities of poor economic conditions, unemployment, HIV/AIDS and socio-political changes in? terms of their economic realities and they described conformity with traditional intergenerational arrangements of relationships. Ambivalence was also expressed in terms of terms of the way in which relationships were arranged. There as an acceptance of the leading position of older persons with the younger people in a following position, but they also expressed a need to negotiate different rules for engagement. The relational experiences of the young adult males are embedded in their financial situation. Young males who find themselves trapped in financially dependent relationships with older persons do not have much bargaining power. They find themselves in a position where, even if they want to challenge the traditional arrangement of intergenerational relations, they are bound to norms and values associated with their past and heritage. The question needs to be answered: What is the older generation‟s perspective on the possibility of renegotiation of the norms and values that guide intergenerational relations? This question is important for promoting social cohesion, particularly in economically deprived communities. It is recommended that a community-based intervention be developed to create awareness of the strengths of both generations. Enabling interpersonal space can assist generations to adopt a flexible attitude in the face of changing views of intergenerational relationships. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The research contained in this thesis can be divided into two related, but distinct parts. The rst chapter deals with block Toeplitz operators de ned by rational matrix function symbols on discrete sequence spaces. Here we study sequences of operators that converge to the inverses of these Toeplitz operators via an invertibility result involving a special representation of the symbol of these block Toeplitz operators. The second part focuses on a special class of matrices generated by banded Toeplitz matrices, i.e., Toeplitz matrices with a nite amount of non-zero diagonals. The spectral theory of banded Toeplitz matrices is well developed, and applied to solve questions regarding the behaviour of the singular values of Toeplitz-generated matrices. In particular, we use the behaviour of the singular values to deduce bounds for the growth of the norm of the inverse of Toeplitz-generated matrices. In chapter 2, we use a special state-space representation of a rational matrix function on the unit circle to de ne a block Toeplitz operator on a discrete sequence space. A discrete Riccati equation can be associated with this representation which can be used to prove an invertibility theorem for these Toeplitz operators. Explicit formulas for the inverse of the Toeplitz operators are also derived that we use to de ne a sequence of operators that converge in norm to the inverse of the Toeplitz operator. The rate of this convergence, as well as that of a related Riccati di erence equation is also studied. We conclude with an algorithm for the inversion of the nite sections of block Toeplitz operators. Chapter 3 contains the main research contribution of this thesis. Here we derive sharp growth rates for the norms of the inverses of Toeplitz-generated matrices. These results are achieved by employing powerful theory related to the Avram-Parter theorem that describes the distribution of the singular values of banded Toeplitz matrices. The investigation is then extended to include the behaviour of the extreme and general singular values of Toeplitz-generated matrices. We conclude with Chapter 4, which sets out to answer a very speci c question regarding the singular vectors of a particular subclass of Toeplitz-generated matrices. The entries of each singular vector seems to be a permutation (up to sign) of the same set of real numbers. To arrive at an explanation for this phenomenon, explicit formulas are derived for the singular values of the banded Toeplitz matrices that serve as generators for the matrices in question. Some abstract algebra is also employed together with some results from the previous chapter to describe the permutation phenomenon. Explicit formulas are also shown to exist for the inverses of these particular Toeplitz-generated matrices as well as algorithms to calculate the norms and norms of the inverses. Finally, some additional results are compiled in an appendix. / PhD (Mathematics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This article describes how young adult males experience relationships with older people in an economically deprived community. Intergenerational relations refer to the relationship between people who are either familially or non-familially related. Intergenerational relationships are important for communities in promoting connectedness, closeness and togetherness, which contribute to the well-being of all members. The relationships between generations are informed by the values and beliefs that underpin their interactions. Values and beliefs that guided intergenerational relations in this community in the past were that older people were regarded as the custodians of heritage, knowledge and wisdom, which they are expected to pass down to younger generations. Reciprocally, the younger generation was expected to take care of the older generation when they could not care for themselves. It is not clear, however, how young adult males in Africa experience their relationships with older people at the moment. An inductive, explorative approach was adopted to conduct this qualitative study. The research was conducted in Khuma, a township of Stilfontein in the North West Province of South Africa. The community is regarded as economically vulnerable community. Eleven male participants, aged between 18 and 35 years, participated in the research. Data were obtained by means of the Mmogo-method® (Roos, 2008; 2012), a visual data gathering method and group discussions about themuntil data saturation was achieved. The Mmogo-method® is a projective, qualitative data-gathering instrument which involves participants in the visual construction of their subjective and often subconscious experiences by using different materials (Roos, 2012). Participants in this research were asked to make visual representations based on the following open-ended instruction: “Use the materials provided to tell us about your experiences of your relationships with the older people in your community”. On completion, participants were asked to explain what they had done and why they had made specific objects so that the deeper meanings of their representations could be elicited. Their responses were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Ambivalence emerged as a predominant theme. Ambivalence refers to simultaneous, contradictory emotions towards older people and what they represent. One the one hand, the young people expressed appreciation for the way in which older persons cared for them physically and emotionally; and on the other hand, these young adults expressed feelings of dissatisfaction and hurt in relation to older persons. Ambivalence was also expressed in terms of traditional agriculatural practices. They realized the importance of being knowledgeable about traditional agricultural practices and customs as part of their heritage; but they were also negative and showed a disregard for traditional customs in the face of the realities of poor economic conditions, unemployment, HIV/AIDS and socio-political changes in? terms of their economic realities and they described conformity with traditional intergenerational arrangements of relationships. Ambivalence was also expressed in terms of terms of the way in which relationships were arranged. There as an acceptance of the leading position of older persons with the younger people in a following position, but they also expressed a need to negotiate different rules for engagement. The relational experiences of the young adult males are embedded in their financial situation. Young males who find themselves trapped in financially dependent relationships with older persons do not have much bargaining power. They find themselves in a position where, even if they want to challenge the traditional arrangement of intergenerational relations, they are bound to norms and values associated with their past and heritage. The question needs to be answered: What is the older generation‟s perspective on the possibility of renegotiation of the norms and values that guide intergenerational relations? This question is important for promoting social cohesion, particularly in economically deprived communities. It is recommended that a community-based intervention be developed to create awareness of the strengths of both generations. Enabling interpersonal space can assist generations to adopt a flexible attitude in the face of changing views of intergenerational relationships. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014