Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2002. / Title from title page of source document. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-139). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka faktorer som kan vara av betydelse för att möjliggöra konflikthantering i det dagliga arbetet. Vi menar att om möjligheter skapas och initiativ tas från ledningens sida så kan organisationen utvecklas i en positiv riktning. Studien grundar sig delvis på teorier om vikten av att ha en tydlig struktur som uppfattas av medarbetarna som rättvis och att konflikter kan få konsekvenser för hela organisationen. Studien är av kvalitativ design och är utförd inom äldreomsorgen i en kommun i södra Sverige. Analysen visar att faktorer som: tydlig arbetsstruktur, gemensam vision och målsättning, utbildning inom konflikthantering, tydlig och öppen kommunikation, att ta sig tid till konflikthantering, att vara professionell och neutral och att ta ansvar och visa respekt har en betydande inverkan vid konflikthantering. Dessa faktorer kan vara till hjälp för organisationen att utveckla konflikthantering som ett verktyg på arbetsplatsen. Genom att använda sig av en konflikthanteringsmetod utifrån den ledarskapsstil man väljer att använda som chef, kan en rutin utvecklas kring konflikthantering på arbetsplatsen som integrerar medarbetarna. På detta sätt minimeras risken för att konflikter ska eskalera på arbetsplatsen och få förödande konsekvenser. / The aim of this study is to investigate factors which may be of importance to enable conflict management in daily work. We believe that if opportunities are created and initiatives taken by management, the organization will be able to develop in a positive direction. The study is partly based on theories about the importance of clear structure, seen by employees as fair and that conflicts can affect the entire organization. The study is made by a qualitative design and carried out in elderly care in a municipality in southern Sweden. The analysis shows that factors such as: clear working structure, shared vision and goal, education in conflict management, clear and open communication, make time for conflict management, be professional and neutral, and to take responsibility and show respect have a significant impact on conflict management. These factors can be of help for the organization to develop their conflict management as a tool in the workplace. By using a conflict management method based on the leadership style one chooses to use as a manager, then a routine can be developed around conflict management in the workplace that integrates employees. In this way minimizes the risk that conflicts will escalate in the workplace and have devastating consequences.

Ett allt vanligare fenomen i dagens arbetsliv är inhyrning av personal. För många företag ses det som ett sätt att öka flexibiliteten och därmed minska osäkerheten i företaget, och för många människor ses det som en väg in i arbetsmarknaden. Men hur ser möjligheterna till lärande och utveckling ut för dessa individer? Syftet med denna studie har varit att belysa relationen bemanningskonsulter och deras lär- och utvecklingsmöjligheter i arbetet. För att belysa syftet utvecklades tre frågeställningar; ”Hur upplever bemanningskonsulten att lärande och utveckling sker på kundföretaget när denne är inhyrd?”; ”Hur upplever bemanningskonsulten att kundföretaget bidrar till lärande och utveckling på arbetsplatsen för denne?” samt ”Hur upplever bemanningskonsulten att bemanningsföretaget bidrar till lärande och utveckling för denne?”. Utifrån dessa granskades sedan tidigare forskning som gjorts på området bemanningskonsulter och arbetsplatslärande för att ge en bakgrundsförståelse. Därefter genomfördes åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med bemanningskonsulter från två olika bemanningsföretag. Empirin från dessa intervjuer analyserades utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv med hjälp av Lave och Wengers teorier om situerat lärande och praktikgemenskaper. Resultatet diskuterades därefter i relation till den tidigare forskningen. Det visade att något som var viktigt i bemanningskonsulternas lärprocess var det sociala samspelet med kollegor, samt att delaktighet upplevdes som positivt för lärandet. Denna delaktighet såg dock olika ut i kundföretaget och bemanningsföretaget. Kundföretaget kunde erbjuda ett bemötande som var likvärdigt med övrig personal för att bidra till lärande och utveckling. Bemanningsföretaget kunde å andra sidan skapa möjligheter för lärande genom att fungera som en plattform mellan bemanningskonsulter samt ge förutsättning för utveckling genom att placera dem på utvecklande uppdrag. / An increasingly common phenomenon in today’s working life is the use of temporary workers. To many companies this is seen as a way to increase flexibility and thus reduce uncertainty in the company, and for many people it is seen as a way into the labour market. But what do the opportunities for learning and development look like for these individuals? The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between temporary agency workers and their learning and development opportunities in client companies. In order to highlight the purpose three questions were developed; “In what way do temporary agency workers perceive that learning and development take place at the client company when they are working there?”; “In what way do temporary agency workers perceive that the client company contributes to learning and development in the workplace for them?” And finally “In what way do temporary agency workers perceive that the temporary agency contributes to learning and development for them?”. After that previous research done in the field of temporary agency work and workplace learning was audited to provide a better understanding of the subject. This was followed by eight semi-structured interviews with temporary agency workers from two different temporary agencies. Empirical data from these interviews were then analyzed on the basis of a socio-cultural perspective, with the help of Lave and Wenger's theories of situated learning and communities of practice. The result has been discussed in relation to the previous research. It has shown that something that is important to temporary agency workers’ learning process is social interaction with colleagues, and that participation is seen as positive for learning. This participation was, however, different in the client company and the temporary agency. The client company could treat the temporary agency worker equally with other staff to contribute to learning and development. The temporary agency could, on the other hand, create learning opportunities by serving as a platform between temporary agency workers, as well as provide good conditions for development by placing them on challenging assignments.

Media reports as well as existing (albeit limited) research suggest abusive work practices are common in restaurant kitchens. Kitchen abuse is explored in this case study, as ten experienced Swedish chefs were interviewed. Organisational culture theory is used to conceptualise the occupational culture of chefs, which is hypothesised to be of explanatory significance. The issue of abusive work practices is contrasted with workplace bullying literature. Results suggest abusive work practices do occur, but that certain rough jargon and authoritative management, that might be considered illegitimate in other workplace contexts, generally is expected and accepted among restaurant chefs. Contextual factors and the conditions of work, especially during intense service-periods, are thought to create certain demands on chefs, and particularly head chefs, that has formed various aspects of kitchen work. Chef culture seems adapted to these circumstances. A potential blind spot of the study is aspiring chefs that quit the profession shortly after entering. Not yet fully trained or accustomed to chef culture, this group faces an increased risk of ill-treatment, and they typically elude research. Overall, results suggest academic bullying concepts are problematic to apply on this case, and underscore the significance of contextual factors for understanding workplace abuse phenomena.

This study examines online news production through a cross-national comparative ethnography of two newsrooms: The Chicago Tribune in Chicago, Illinois and El Norte in Monterrey, Mexico. The researcher looks specifically at the extent of collaborative group work in the online newsroom. First, the researcher investigates the degree to which online newsrooms operate organizationally as collaborative groups when producing content for the website, as opposed to functioning individualistically when producing content for the website. The second facet examined is the cultural variability (Hofstede, 1980) of collaboration in the two online newsrooms, particularly whether the United States and Mexican online newsrooms support a collectivistic or individualistic and a high-context or low-context culture schema (Hofstede, 1980; Hall 1976). The last facet explored is how the collaborative behavior of the journalists in the two newsrooms supports or interferes with the practice of journalistic principles of verification and comprehensiveness and if this helps to make journalism better. This study found the El Norte newsroom has a collectivistic and high-context communication culture whereas The Chicago Tribune newsroom has an individualistic and low-context communication culture. Both newsrooms support the principles of verification and context in the news that is produced for the Website that helps to make the news accurate and comprehensive. It can be inferred, however, that the collectivistic, high-context communication culture is more supportive of a collaborative work environment that is conducive to making the journalists work together to help make the news accurate and comprehensive for the public. When the news is accurate and comprehensive, the public has better-informed citizens to make decisions in their daily lives as part of a democratic society. This study also has implications for the journalism and business industry as to the benefits of collaborative groupwork on the service or product outcome in an organization. / text

The demands upon the social care workforce in the UK are only likely to increase over the next decades. The social care sector is heavily reliant on NVQs and this is regulated through the Care Standards Act (2000). It is thus important that these qualifications appropriately support staff development. The purpose of the research was to explore this in one social care organisation (Homecare) through researching staff perspectives on factors that inhibited or supported learning through NVQs and to examine the Homecare/Centre delivery of NVQs and workplace learning with this in mind. The research is broadly qualitative in design and draws on the principles of narrative research combined with analysis focused on key themes (interpersonal, personal and organisational factors). The research found that an understanding of the key concepts of workplace learning is relevant to the delivery of NVQs and can help these qualifications be implemented successfully as a part of a more holistic approach to teaching, learning and the assessment of competence in the workplace. The research identified that the organisation had a particular approach that strategically integrated assessment both at organisational and practice level. Additionally the research identified areas within the NVQ process, where integrated assessment proved of benefit to practice through professional level development of skills and knowledge, values and reflective learning and confidence. From this eight key elements of an enhanced model of NVQ delivery were identified that constitute the contribution to practice. The contribution to theory lies in linking the literatures of NVQs, competence and workplace learning and the suggestion that previous understanding of NVQs as behaviourist and atomistic is not as important as the approach to assessment adopted by organisations. The research has relevance to any social care organisation but also to wider audiences where NVQs are used as it adds to understanding of workplace learning through a depth of practitioner-researcher understanding of specific qualifications in a specific context.

D.Tech. Business Administration. Business School.

This dissertation consists of three papers relating to the field of Law and Economics. The first two papers examine the impact of increased judicial discretion on both racial disparities and inter-judge disparities in the federal criminal justice system. The third paper analyzes the effects of OSHA programs on workplace safety, wages, and employment. The common thread throughout this work is a focus on how legal actors and institutions affect substantive outcomes of individuals. / Economics