Title: Women in decision making bodies in Czech sport (focus on federations of Czech Sport Union) Objectives: The aim of this diploma thesis based on existing theoretical knowledge is find out what is the representation of women in management positions of sports associations is, to reveal the reasons or fears of women to become sports officials and to assess the possibilities or interest in becoming part of management structures. Methods: The main method is the questionnaire survey method. Women in the management structures of sports associations were asked to answer particular set of questions. Contacts for the interviewed women were obtained by analyzing secondary data from the websites of individual sports associations. Results: Due to the secondary data analysis the numerical representation of women and men as sports officials was determined. However, the numbers are rough regarding the lack of union numerical data. Both, the analysis and the questionnaire survey confirmed the numerical superiority of men in almost all unions. In most cases, women also state they work voluntarily within the union and are most represented between the ages of 36 and 60.They find reasons for low interest in becoming a sports officials mainly because the activity takes too much time and the main obstacles include...

This thesis aims to provide a greater understanding of what entry mode Swedish companies choose when entering the African telecom sector. Furthermore, the report will also study the benefits and difficulties with the African telecom sector and include the Swedish company's market selection. The rapidly growing continent of Africa has recently gained interest, and the fast-growing telecommunication sector plays a significant role in further development in the region. Africa, in general, has been understudied, and our thesis aims to clarify uncertainties regarding how companies, both smaller and larger, have entered the market.  The report will have a literature review where traditional entry modes and market selection theories are brought up and current challenges and opportunities in the African telecom sector. These theories have also been showcased in a conceptual framework to view how they interact with each other. Moreover, the methodology chapter will introduce each strategy and then argue why the chosen method is used. This report will conduct an abductive approach with a qualitative research method. The methodology will also introduce the thesis respondents and how the interviews were conducted. Moreover, the empirical data will be divided into three sections; opportunities and difficulties, market selection, and market entry mode, where each respondent tells their experiences within the subjects. Furthermore, the empirical data also includes an interview with a scholar who has previously written about the African telecom market. The analysis is divided into the same sections as in the empirical findings and discussed from the literature review and the professional's point of view. The conclusion reveals that the main opportunities are primarily the underdeveloped market and a large number of people, while the most significant difficulties are corruption and, in many cases, inadequate infrastructure. The findings further include that smaller Swedish companies tend to enter one or few countries within the African telecom sector while larger companies enter more countries simultaneously. Moreover, it also mentions how important the network is and that the entry mode will differ depending on the company's size. Larger companies tend to seek acquisition, while smaller companies are more dependent on exporting and joint ventures.

This intersectional study focused on Middle Eastern and North African women's experiences working within the Swedish health care sector. Consequently, the study focused on three main aspects; motivation, difficulties, and opportunities. The study was based on individual semi-structured in-depth interviews with six women who work in different positions and different parts of Sweden. Material from previous research and theoretical starting points relates to intersectionality, ethnicity, and gender were also used. The study found that foreign-born women are experiencing, on the one hand, the pressure of the original culture that still emphasizes gender-stereotypical segregation and, on the other hand, the Swedish society, where they suffer from stereotypical and discriminatory views. Women's original culture impacts their work choice by emphasizing their feminine characteristics, which link them to the healthcare sector. It also affects the family's labor division and the women's ability and freedom to work and develop in their careers. The stereotypical and inferior view of the foreign-born woman is responsible for exposing them to racist and biased attitudes, creating in-groups and out-groups, and pushing them to work more to prove their worth. In addition, the results indicate that the Swedish authorities also have stereotypical perceptions of foreign-born women and that female-dominated occupations like the healthcare sector are the most favorable occupations for these women. Regarding opportunities, the interviewees reinterpreted the difficulties as opportunities as part of seeing the glass as half full and showing their gratitude for living in Sweden and having opportunities that may not be possible to get in their country of origin.

The growth of business-to-business auctions presents the quality-focused business organization with many opportunities and some serious challenges. In this context, the absence of a well-designed organizational e-business auction-based strategy has the potential to promote business practices which may erode organizational quality gains. This article presents a conceptual open system approach designed to improve the quality focus of business-to-business auctions practices. The open system approach advocated in this article is quality focused and supply-chain sensitive.

Background Youth with intellectual disabilities usually experience poorer post-school outcomes than youth with any other disabilities and youth in the general population (McConkey, Dowling, Hassan & Menke, 2013). Youth with intellectual disabilities are often marginalized and discriminated against regarding skills development and work opportunities as society seems to place high value on an individual's intellect (International Labour Organisation, 2015). However, international experience shows that youth with intellectual disabilities can become valuable employees with adequate training (Scheef, 2016). Participation in sports has shown to have a positive correlation with quality of life, satisfaction with life, community reintegration, and mood as well as employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (Diaz, Miller, Krauz & Fredericson, 2019). Hence it became useful to explore skills development and vocational training opportunities in sports that could facilitate youth with intellectual disabilities to access work skills training and work opportunities in urban Zimbabwe. Aim The overall aim of the study was to explore how participation in activities related to sports organisations and events enables youth with intellectual disabilities to access livelihood opportunities to become economically active. Objectives The objectives of the study were: 1. To identify any possible skills development and vocational training opportunities for youth with intellectual disabilities in sports events and organisations in Zimbabwe. 2. To describe the personal factors of youth with intellectual disabilities that enable them to access skills development and vocational training. 3. To identify environmental factors that enable youth with intellectual disabilities to access self-employment, supported employment or formal employment. 4. To determine the role of family, caregivers, and guardians in shaping the livelihood options of youth with intellectual disabilities. 5. To determine the role of skills trainers in developing the pre-vocational skills and vocational training in general for youth with intellectual disabilities. 6. To determine the role of sports coaches and managers in shaping the life skills' development of youth with intellectual disabilities who partake in sports. Methodology The research was a qualitative study in the form of critical ethnography. Critical ethnography speaks on behalf of minority groups such as the point of view of youth with intellectual disabilities' by stating what is and how it can be changed (Duff, Rogers, and Ross, 2016). The design was a collective study as more than one study site was used. The research took place at two adult vocational training centres for youth with intellectual disabilities and at three sports events. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling. Six youths with intellectual disabilities, five parents, caregivers, or guardians of youth with intellectual disabilities, two sports managers or organisers, two sports coaches and two skills trainers of youths with intellectual disabilities participated in the study to make a total sample size of seventeen. Participation observations, semi-structured interviewing and reflective journaling were used as data collection methods. Findings Untapped work opportunities were identified for youth with intellectual disabilities who participated in sports; however, they remained as lost opportunities as they were not being fully utilized. The youths had potential enablers for employability, but they were not being given access to work opportunities. The youths were invisible to potential employers owing to the remote location of their vocational training centres. Female youths were being prejudiced regarding livelihoods' development owing to the remote nature of the training centres, which made it unsafe for them to travel there. There were limited resources for the livelihoods' development of the youth due to economic hardships the country was facing. The government's support for livelihoods' development of the youth was inadequate. Families, peers, and the community were segregating youth with intellectual disabilities, which had the effect of disempowering them and their parents regarding the youths' livelihoods' development. The parents had shared feelings of fear and anxiety over what would become of their youth once they finished school or if their parents died. There was a lack a collective action amongst the parents regarding the youths' livelihoods' development. The parents' support regarding their children's livelihoods' development was inadequate and their knowledge on how to enhance their youths' livelihoods development was insufficient. The parents were also not getting sufficient support from society to empower their youth. The youths with intellectual disabilities were often left out of economic activities at sports events and in the greater community. The sports coaches and skills trainers were not actively planning or advocating for the youths to participate in economic activities at sports events. Conclusion This study explored the livelihoods' developments that were possible for youths with intellectual disabilities through their participation in sports. It was necessary to find effective ways to develop youths with intellectual disabilities' opportunities to become economically active as engagement in work activities is a basic human right. This study established that the parents of the youths needed to take the initiative regarding the livelihoods' development of their children. The youths and their parents needed to take collective action and find their political voice to advocate for skills training and work opportunities to the training centres, the community, and potential employers as well as the government. The parents needed to take their negative perceptions, which were acting as indirect blocks and which were disempowering them, as motivators to enact positive change for their children's livelihoods' development. It was necessary for parents, skills trainers, and sports coaches to market the youths to potential employers. At the training centres, the administration, skills trainers, and sports coaches need to consider a curriculum change to include a work attachment for the youth in inclusive employment. Sports coaches and skills trainers need to teach life skills intentionally that are transferrable in work situations and provide the youth with opportunities to practice the skills learnt in work settings. The sports coaches and skills trainers needed further training on how to use sports participation as a medium to enhance the youths' livelihoods' development. Sports managers needed to incorporate youth with intellectual disabilities and their training schools in economic activities in sports organisations and at sports events. Female youths with intellectual disabilities needed to be encouraged to attend the vocational training centres by providing for their interests and providing them with safe transportation to attend the vocational training centres.

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative, comparative study was to determine whether there were significant differences in fall-to-fall retention and graduation rates, between first-time, full-time students who engaged in at least one early post-secondary opportunity (EPSO) while in high school and those who did not. Archival data for this study were collected from the participating community college between 2015 and 2018. The sample for this study included 2,911 students enrolled in academic programs at the community college and included retention rates and graduation rates for students who participated in EPSOs (N = 622) and those who did not participate in EPSOs (N = 2289). Other data collected for each participant included: (a) socio-economic status as determined by Pell eligibility, (b) at-risk status as determined by an ACT score of 17 or below, and (c) gender. Chi-square tests using a two-way contingency table with cross tabs or independent sample t-tests were used to evaluate each of the research questions. The findings demonstrated that participation in EPSOs resulted in increased retention and graduation rates. Findings from this study may contribute to the existing body of knowledge as to whether high school participation in EPSOs is associated with improved retention and graduation rates at community colleges.

De två senaste århundradena har kantats av återkommande oroligheter kring huruvida automation och ny teknologi kommer att eliminera arbetstillfällen för samhällets medelklass. Ämnet automation tillhör idag en av de stora diskussionerna inom logistikbranschen, och inte minst inom lager, där detta beror delvis på en stark tillväxt inom e-handel och tredjepartslogistik. Denna studie undersöker automation inom lager och vilken inverkan det har på arbetstillfällen, arbetsmiljö samt vad som är den främsta drivfaktorn till automation inom lager. Detta har gjorts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med olika aktörer som helt eller delvis arbetar med automation, eller har implementerat automation i sin verksamhet i någon omfattning. Studiens resultat visar att automation har potential att eliminera i princip samtliga arbetstillfällen inom lager som involverar godsförflyttning och de två begränsande faktorerna är teknologi och kostnad. Nya arbetstillfällen som skapas i anslutning till automation är teknikcentrerade och kräver högre kompetens än för de arbetstillfällen som minskas. Arbetsmiljö i automatiserade lager är en fråga som tas på allvar redan i planeringsfasen då det ska automatiseras, och stort fokus läggs på ergonomi för att maximera produktiviteten hos arbetstagare. Studien har visat att automation och olika automationslösningar förbättrar både arbetsmiljö och ergonomi utifrån en rad olika faktorer. Den främsta drivfaktorn bakom automationsinvesteringar är kostnadsbesparingar i olika former, t.ex. ökad produktivitet och minskad personalkostnad. Andra faktorer som driver automation är trygghet i form av lägre personalfrånvaro, kortare ledtider och högre servicegrad, samt optimering av hela försörjningskedjor. De tjänster som erbjuds av logistikpartner och logistikkonsulter kan också ses som en indirekt drivfaktor, då detta kan underlätta finansiering av automationslösningar och samtidigt leda till välgrundade beslut om huruvida en automationslösning är lönsam eller inte. Många företag saknar kunskap för att fatta sådana beslut på egen hand. / The past two centuries have been characterized by recurring worries whether or not automation and new technology will eliminate job opportunities for society's middle class. Automation as a topic is today a major part of the discussions within the logistics industry, not least the warehousing and storage industry, which can be partly explained by the powerful growth within e-commerce and third party logistics. This thesis examines automation within warehousing and storage, and its impact on job opportunities, working environment and the primary driving force behind automation. This has been done through qualitative interviews with various persons who are working fully or partially with automation or have implemented automation in their operations to some extent. The results of this thesis show that automation has the potential to eliminate basically every job related to the movement of goods and the two limiting factors are technology and cost. New jobs created in conjunction with automation are technology-centric and require higher skills than for the jobs that are being reduced. Working environment is an issue that is taken seriously already in the planning phase of the automation process, and a major focus is placed on ergonomics to maximize the productivity of the employees. The thesis has shown that automation and various automation solutions improved both working environment and ergonomics based on a variety of factors. The main driving force behind automation investment is cost savings in various forms, e.g. increased productivity and reduced labor costs. Other forces that drives automation are lower employee absenteeism, shorter lead time and higher service levels as well as optimization of entire supply chains. The services provided by logistics partners and logistics consultants can also be seen as an indirect driving force, as this can facilitate financing of automation solutions and at the same time lead to informed decisions about whether an automation solution is profitable or not. Many companies and organizations lack the knowledge to make such decisions on their own.

The majority of sociological research on social movement tactics and strategies has focused on how theories of resource mobilization and dynamic political opportunities affect the innovation of tactics and types of tactics used. Relatively few studies have explored the roles of institutional, cultural, and political contexts in determining why social movement leaders choose certain tactics. This research study examines lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) social movement organizations (SMO) that are pursuing institutional advocacy. Specifically, it is a comparative case study of how tactics of LGBT organizations in Minnesota and Utah are affected by contested and conservative political landscapes, respectively. The concept of political landscapes was developed and includes three core components: the institutional structure of the political system, the sociocultural context, and dynamic political opportunities. Data was collected from 16 semi-structured interviews of LGBT SMO leaders. Secondary data was also collected by examining public records, newspapers, magazines, and organizational websites. The results from this study suggest that dynamic political opportunities are embedded in the larger institutional and sociocultural contexts. In Minnesota, the combination of a more open and competitive political system and a more diverse Christian presence and ethnically diverse urban areas have resulted in the use of tactics that are much more open and direct. Specifically, LGBT SMOs in Minnesota use tactics such as only endorsing candidates publicly, focusing on building a broad bipartisan base of sponsors for LGBT legislation, working with other SMOs to create large coalitions, using a frame that is all-encompassing of movement goals, and building a large, grassroots movement. By contrast, the closed and conservative political system and a dominant religion in Utah have resulted in more private, compromising, and behind-the-scenes tactics. LGBT SMOs in Utah tactics include using both public and private political endorsements, good-cop bad-cop organizations, delegate trainings, and frame alignment with the conservative culture.

Digitalization in society was a fact prior to using it in earnest in school education. The aim of this study is to research the opportunities and challenges pupils and teachers face when using digital tools in the teaching of algebra in f-6. My purpose has been to make a compilation of current research on this subject. My method has been literary studies, where I systematically gleaned scientific papers in the ERIC database. After compilation, survey, and analysis, it emerged that the papers all agree that digital tools in the teaching of algebra produce better results when used in a larger group of pupils.  As for challenges, some papers also described these. They concerned the teacher’s competency using digital tools and the usability of apps, and the importance of not allowing these to become a limiting factor for the pupils, but must be designed in a way that allows the pupil’s attention to be focused on the mathematical concepts rather than on the technical side of the apps. It is important of follow-up and new research concerning how digital tools in school education affect the pupils and their learning, and how they affect the teacher’s role. / Digitaliseringen i samhället var ett faktum redan innan den på allvar togs in i undervisningen. Denna studie avser att undersöka vilka möjligheter och utmaningar som möter elever och lärare när digitala verktyg används i algebraundervisningen i f-6. Syftet var att sammanställa vad aktuell forskning skriver i ämnet. Min metod var litteraturstudie där jag systematiskt sökte vetenskapliga artiklar i databasen ERIC. Efter sammanställning, kartläggning och analys framkom att samtliga artiklar beskriver möjligheter med digitala verktyg i algebraundervisningen, som bättre förståelse när dessa används i grupp.  När det gällde utmaningar beskrevs också dessa i några artiklar. Det handlade om lärarnas kompetens att använda digitala verktyg och apparnas användbarhet, dessa får inte medföra onödiga begränsningar för eleverna och de måste vara utformade så att läraren kan fokusera eleverna uppmärksamhet på de matematiska begreppen snarare än på tekniken. Det är viktigt med uppföljning och ny forskning kring hur digitala verktyg i undervisningen påverkar eleverna och deras lärande samt lärarens roll.

During the last three decades, research and activity within international entrepreneurship have accelerated. The international entrepreneurial process consists of, for instance, international opportunities that are recognized as a critical function. Over time, the research view of the entrepreneur within the entrepreneurial process has shifted from being an individual to being more frequently discovered as plural, and more recent studies emphasize that the entrepreneurial team is the primary catalyst for new venture creation. However, the complexity differs for the entrepreneurial teams that internationalize since uncertainty and increased risk, which may require appropriate levels of collective cognition affecting the teams and international opportunities. This thesis aims to combine aspects of international entrepreneurship and international business with exploring to what extent the collective cognition of entrepreneurial teams determines the discovery and exploitation of international opportunities within Swedish SMEs. By investigating from the entrepreneurial team perspective, this thesis strives to present a more accurate picture of the impact of collective cognition on organizations' international opportunities. An abductive research approach combined with a qualitative method has been applied to ensure a more extensive understanding of the subject. The literature review provides definitions as well as an in-depth understanding of the thesis’ four core concepts; collective cognition, internationalization, international opportunities, and entrepreneurial teams. Finally, the theoretical framework concludes with a conceptual framework model explaining how the concepts are related. The empirical findings tie together with the theoretical framework, and the concepts are further analyzed in relation and contrast to each other. Lastly, the findings are gathered in the final chapter, concluding that entrepreneurial teams’ international opportunities are influenced by collective cognition in Swedish SMEs, which can play an essential role in the internationalization and discovery and exploitation of further international opportunities. / Nej