The financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent economic collapse has helped bring scholarly attention on a sociological dimension of financial markets (Mackenzie 2009, Stark 2009, Knorr Cetina and Preda 2012). Despite recent research advancements in this area, however, the understanding of how financial markets are organised and reproduced remains limited. In particular, there is very little about the individual actors in the markets, how they think and act, and how they make sense of social context or how their experience is within it. This thesis contributes to addressing these questions by focusing on how investment bankers construct their professional identities and in particular, how did this process look like during the financial crisis of 2008. Three main areas are investigated: (i) what resources investment bankers draw on to construct their professional identities, (ii) what motivates them to do so, and (iii) how the process has been demonstrated through bankers’ lived experiences of the crash. To this end, the research integrates literature from the field of sociology of financial markets and identity. I argue that looking at professional identity construction through the lens of Honneth’s (1995) theory of struggle for recognition allows for a better understanding of the political nature of the intersubjective relationships in markets, alongside some of the pathologies that may develop in the periods of enhanced uncertainty. Methodologically, I conceptualise identities as narratives, in particular drawing on Ricoeur’s ( 1988) work on narrative identity. The analysis rests on the investment bankers’ accounts of their experiences of the crisis. By exploring how they have constructed their subjective understandings of reality and how they incorporated these into their professional identity narratives, the thesis advances the understanding of markets as political arenas of values, emotions and power games. I explore a number of frames the bankers used in order to position their identities within the workplace; including smartness, sacrifice, ambivalent status of money and temporality. I demonstrate that identity construction is inherently political and based on a fragile structure of systemic trust and interpersonal trust relationships. Threatened by the crisis, the bankers responded by creating liminal spaces in an attempt to re-align the identity narratives. The findings bear theoretical implications. Firstly , I argue that trust is a missing component in the theory of recognition when it deals with social cooperation. Secondly, I argue that as recognition normatively regulates social interactions in markets, actors are first and foremost power maximisers. I show that influencing expectations becomes, therefore, a central task for actors in the markets, leading to the development of reified identities. As a result, the emergent liminal spaces are shown to be arenas of the inherent struggle for recognition.

Hypocrisy induction is a dissonance-based intervention approach that has been successful in changing a number of health-related behaviors; however, no published studies have evaluated a hypocrisy induction intervention for exercise. The present two-stage study involved developing and subsequently evaluating a hypocrisy induction intervention for exercise in a small-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT). Outcomes of interest were intention to exercise, immediate physical activity-related behavior choice, and short-term (one-week) changes in self-reported exercise and objectively assessed physical activity. Self-esteem was evaluated as a potential moderator of intervention effects. After two rounds of pilot testing in the Development Phase, the intervention was evaluated in a sample of 120 participants (60 each in the exercise intervention and no-intervention control conditions). Participants who received the intervention reported significantly greater intention to exercise than did control participants who did not receive the intervention (p = .02, d = 0.43). Small effects in favor of the intervention were also found for self-reported exercise and objectively assessed physical activity (d = .21 - .35), but these effects were nonsignificant. Self-esteem influenced the effect of the intervention on self-reported exercise: The intervention was more effective for participants with lower levels of self-esteem. The present findings provide preliminary support for use of hypocrisy induction interventions in exercise promotion, but additional research is needed to determine for whom and in what situations this approach is best used.

This thesis analyzes the potential strategic capability that can be improved from the deployment of business intelligence (BI) applications. AOK Niedersachsen (AOKN), a German health insurance company in the north of Germany (Lower-Saxony), is used as the case study for primary qualitative research and analysis. For many years, information and data have been considered even “factors of production” for companies; but data and information have become more complex, requiring processing and structural analysis to get the needed transparency in the company. Data from different operational sources must be extracted and structured to provide information for management accounting employees, top management, and end-users throughout an organization. In the healthcare industry, BI systems have played a crucial role for decades. For organizations such as AOKN, the application of BI tools and technologies can create and support sustainable capability. Several research questions are answered in this thesis through structured one-to-one interviews with different AOKN employees, and the resulting analysis of interview data. A qualitative approach to this case study is used, allowing the researcher to get in-depth information about a specific context. When case studies are conducted, the one-to-one interview is considered to be an optimal instrument and a significant source of evidence. BI technologies and tools are classified within an appropriate conceptual framework which integrates the complex BI demands and structures of AOKN, identifying different components as part of the framework - systems infrastructure, data provision, reporting, and information receiver. The framework is further enhanced by four factors of a competitive advantage model drawn from existing literature to develop capabilities. The use and integration of BI technologies and tools in the strategy development process are then analyzed. Different BI tools, that have an important function during the whole strategy process, are recommended for each strategy phase. The final area of research examines the possible addition of new functions and solutions to current BI technologies and tools to enhance the potential of these systems in gaining capabilities. Research findings encompass system access, report characteristics, and BI end users profiles and capabilities. To this end, a structured model gives examples of practical AOKN BI projects that have generated strategic capabilities for the organization. At the end, the conclusion chapter stresses the needs of contribution to knowledge (theory and practice).

Brain injury (i.e., traumatic brain injury, stroke) is a considerable public health issue due to complicated outcomes of the injury, increasing incidence, and high costs linked with medical treatment. Rehabilitation centers are challenged to help individuals manage the resultant associated conditions and prevent secondary and chronic conditions. Research has shown that health promotion programs (HPP) that incorporate education about physical activity (PA) are one mode of rehabilitation that can improve the health of individuals with disabilities. However, PA is not included in the rehabilitation program for individuals with a brain injury, indicating a gap in the services provided. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to create and implement a physical activity centered education (PACE) program within an outpatient rehabilitation program. PACE consisted of an 8-week (16 session) program which aimed to (1) increase PA self-efficacy, (2) increase intention to change PA behaviors, (3) increase amount of PA completed regularly, and (4) promote positive rehabilitation outcomes. Based on previous research it was hypothesized that participation in PACE would result in (1) increased PA self-efficacy, (2) forward progression in intention to change PA behaviors, (3) increased amount of PA completed, and (4) improved rehabilitation outcomes (i.e., abilities, adjustment, participation). The PACE program resulted in an average increase of 16.1% in participants’ PA self-efficacy (effect size [ES] = 0.41), an increase from three of nine participants at pre-test to six of nine participants at post-test reporting to be in a stage of change in which they are most likely to be successful in regular PA participation (i.e., action or maintenance), and a comparable improvement in MPAI-4 scores (rehabilitation outcomes) after discharge to a rehabilitation program without a PA education component. In conclusion, the PACE program can improve PA self-efficacy, intention to change PA behaviors, and short-term rehabilitation outcomes.

As climate change is progressing, it is important to find mitigation strategies to reach the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal. The objective is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. One approach to climate change mitigation is to decrease people’s carbon footprint. This complex problem can be approached with top-down programs and bottom-up methods. One such a bottom-up approach is the app Deedster. This app is designed to educate its users about sustainable behavior choices and encourage the users to try out these new behaviors in so-called deeds to reduce their personal carbon footprint. In this research, an exploratory qualitative approach was taken to gather insights into the suitability of the Deedster app as a tool to change individual behavior towards a more sustainable lifestyle as well as investigating obstacles to acting sustainably. App users were interviewed in the beginning and at the end of a four-week Deedster challenge. The findings suggest that the Deedster app is a suitable tool to encourage behavior change and to educate its users about sustainability topics. Based on the results, the app may be stronger in changing low-cost (less difficult) behavior changes than effortful behavior changes. However, in some cases, also effortful behavior changes were reported.  In addition, the users reported more knowledge about sustainable lifestyle alternatives and opened conversations about the app and their behavior changes with others. This study makes valuable contributions to the field of sustainable behavior changes and proposes the Deedster app as a useful method to engage more people in sustainable lifestyles.

Prior research suggests that fear of cancer recurrence is very common among cancer survivors. This study examined the extent to which Protection Motivation Theory variables of threat appraisal and coping appraisal accounted for differences in fear of recurrence and performance of health behaviors in cancer patients who recently completed treatment. It was hypothesized that greater fear of recurrence would be related to a combination of high threat appraisal and low coping appraisal. Also, it was hypothesized that higher rates of health behaviors would be related to higher threat appraisals for cancer recurrence and higher coping appraisals for reducing risk of recurrence by improving diet or exercising. A sample of 155 early-stage breast cancer patients (mean age = 59 years) who completed surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy between 6-24 months previously (mean = 12 months) completed measures of fear of recurrence, threat appraisal (perceived risk and severity of a potential cancer recurrence), fruit and vegetable intake in the past month, exercise for the past week, and coping appraisal (perceived response efficacy and self-efficacy to perform diet and exercise recommendations to reduce recurrence risk). Basic demographic and clinical information was also collected. The study findings supported the hypothesis that the combination of threat and coping appraisal beliefs explain which breast cancer survivors report higher fear of recurrence. However, the observed results did not support the hypothesized interaction between threat and coping appraisal for predicting either diet or exercise habits. Instead, coping appraisal alone predicted both fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise habits. Future research should focus on examining these relationships longitudinally and further assess coping appraisal and how it impacts fear of recurrence.

The world is experiencing a rapid rise in chronic health problems, which places an enormous burden on health care services. Modifiable health behaviors such as physical inactivity are largely responsible for this high prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases. Message tailoring is a well-established approach for constructing health communication and has been shown to increase the persuasiveness of messages in the promotion of healthy behaviors. Message framing is an effective strategy that has been well-studied in psychology over the past 20-plus years across a breadth of health-related behaviors but has received little attention in the nursing research literature. Based on prospect theory, temporal construal theory, and motivational orientation theories, the present study examined how two individual differences factors - consideration of future consequences (CFC) and motivational orientation - combine to moderate temporal proximity and valence framing effects on intentions to increase physical activity. A mail survey was conducted using Dillman's Tailored Design Method. Two hundred and eighteen adults with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive one of four versions of a health message aimed to increase regular physical activity. Messages were framed using a 2 (immediate- vs. distal-framed) x 2 (gain- vs. loss-framed) design. After reading the message, participants rated their intention to increase physical activity. They also completed a measure of CFC and two measures of motivational orientation. Participants who read a message with a temporal proximity or valence frame congruent with their CFC or motivational orientation, respectively, did not show greater intentions to increase physical activity when compared to those who read a health message that was incongruent with these individual differences. Plausible explanations for these negative results are considered. Several interesting findings emerged from supplemental analyses. For instance, participants who perceived the health message as more believable tended to have greater intentions to increase physical activity. Suggestions for future research applying message congruence to promote complex health behaviors in at-risk populations are given. Implications of message framing and other message tailoring strategies for nursing research, education, and practice are discussed.

Persuasive Technology(PT) was pioneered by BJ Fogg. The theory has been developed in several aspects and applied in education, health, entertainment, and online shopping. Short-form video application TikTok first launched in the media market in 2016. During the global COVID-19 pandemic period, the growing popularity of TikTok helped it reach over 800 million users. As the new form of social media, it is persuasively shaping people’s life. The paper aims to investigate the relationship between behavior change and TikTok usage. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to investigate 178 participants. The research mainly focused on Chinese university students whose ages are around 18 to 25 as the target group. The result shows that 57.3% of participants feel the behavior change and 15.7% of them are not sure about that. In the qualitative research, from the in-depth interview, participants who are not sure about the effect also make using TikTok a habit without perception. The findings of this paper provide evidence that TikTok as a persuasive system has effects on users’ behavior and even changed their attitudes. The ethical concerns and sustainability are also discussed in the following parts. / Persuasive Technology(PT) var banbrytande av BJ Fogg. Teorin har utvecklats i flera aspekter och tillämpats inom utbildning, hälsa, underhållning och online shopping. Kortformad videoapplikation TikTok lanserades först på mediemarknaden 2016. Under den globala covid-19-pandemiperioden hjälpte TikToks växande popularitet det att nå över 800 miljoner användare. Som den nya formen av sociala medier formar det på ett övertygande sätt människors liv. Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka sambandet mellan beteendeförändring och TikTok-användning. Kvantitativa och kvalitativa forskningsmetoder användes för att undersöka 178 deltagare. Forskningen fokuserade främst på kinesiska universitetsstudenter vars ålder är runt 18 till 25 som målgrupp. Resultatet visar att 57,3 % av deltagarna känner att beteendet förändras och 15,7 % av dem är inte säkra på det. I den kvalitativa forskningen, från djupintervjun, gör deltagare som inte är säkra på effekten också att använda TikTok till en vana utan uppfattning. Resultaten av detta dokument ger bevis på att TikTok som ett övertygande system har effekter på användarnas beteende och till och med förändrat deras attityder. De etiska aspekterna och hållbarhet diskuteras också i följande delar.

Our behavior and our lifestyle habits are the foundation of our health, they affect the risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Today these non- communicable diseases are the leading cause of death. The Västerbotten Intervention Program (VIP) is one of very few population-oriented initiatives which, by offering all individuals aged 40, 50 and 60 a health intervention, aims to improve behavior and lifestyle habits in the population and thus increase the conditions for a healthier population and reduce healthcare related costs. The individual health interventions, performed every tenth year, was not designed to support individuals’ choices on a day-to-day basis between the health check-ups. Therefore, STAR-C an interdisciplinary research program, aims at developing a digital coaching system that could be used for supplying personalized digital coaching to support the evaluation and maintenance of healthy behavioral changes. This digital coaching system could, in the future, be used as complementary tool within VIP. The purpose of this study is to further explore these complements of a digital coach. This study presents a user-perspective from semi-structured interviews with VIP-participants and their views on a digital coach, what digital coach functions that could be useful and what kind of benefits this till could have being used as a complement to VIP. The results show that VIP-participants are missing tools for behavioral change support, and that factors such as personalization, motivation to and support during a behavioral change is important. Most important, for the participants in this study, was that a digital coach must be easy to use and user friendly.

African Americans living in the Southeastern region of the United States disproportionately contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Facebook and other social media sites are becoming a way to deliver health-related messaging to targeted populations. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine the association between selected demographic factors and impact of social media on intent to change sexual behaviors among 112 African Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 in the Southeastern United States who viewed STI/HIV prevention materials on Facebook within 1 year prior to the study. The theory of planned behavior was used to help understand and interpret the findings. Participants completed an online self-report survey containing questions about their exposure to sexual health messages on Facebook and their intent to change behavior. Results of the multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that gender (p =.462), age (p =.122), education (p =.593), and income (p =.200) were not statistically associated with the dependent variable, intent to change risky sexual behaviors. A majority of respondents indicated the intention to change their sexual behaviors as a result of viewing HIV prevention messages on Facebook, and that the messages were the most important factor in their decision to change behavior. Facebook messaging may be an effective platform for reaching African Americans and influencing behavior; however more research is needed to fully understand the use of social media for STI prevention. The social change implication of this research is the potential to decrease HIV/STI associated morbidity and mortality among this population.