This thesis is a case study conducted at the Torsby hospital, medicine department in Torsby, Sweden. The hospital has some financial, communication, and process standardizing problems and was aiming to solve them by implementing lean strategies. The data for this study were collected through structured interviews and observations in the hospital. A thorough discussion of the information gathered from the interviews and the observations made are presented related to the theoretical frame of the study. The findings of this study showed that the lean concept is actually applicable to the healthcare system except for some problems that may affect the success of the lean implementation process in the hospital. By removing or fixing these problems, the hospital can reap the benefits of the implementation process. This study presents and discusses problems in question and suggests some relevant solutions.

The problem of achieving and sustaining growth is vital for companies in any country market, but it is even more crucial for companies in an emerging market, such as Russia. Meanwhile, some companies in the Russian market succeed not only in growing but also in implementing several socially oriented activities and projects in their strategies. Thus, we identify what are the possible obstacles to growth in the industrial and internal firm environment like, and analyze how companies overcome them. Besides that, we aim to study the forms of corporate social responsibility activity, that Russian companies are engaged in, and how consistent this activity is with the companies' strategies and goals. We have conducted a qualitative case study of five Russian companies, which represent different segments of IT industry. The semi-structured interviews with the managers from the company have been the main sources of the empirical data, however some additional secondary data has also been used. Further on, the gathered empirical data served the materiel for the analysis of the dynamic capabilities the companies possess to overcome the growth challenges they encounter, what strategic innovation processes they implement in their strategies and if there are some socially oriented activities, including particular projects, that the companies are engaged in. If a company practices a certain socially oriented activity then the consistency of this activity with the company's strategy and goals has been analyzed. As social activities are seen as a prerequisite for sustainable business we also analyze if the companies bring natural value to the society and the environment. The results show that the companies with rather high growth figures may lack certain dynamic capabilities, which are or will be needed to overcome a particular growth challenge. Four of the five companies prove to act proactively, thus they have the prerequisite for strategic innovations. These companies also implemented different types of strategic innovation, although not the radical one.For those companies, that are engaged in socially oriented activities, these activities are seen as consistent with the companies' strategies.Meanwhile, only one company implements environmental-friendly solutions, thus it comes closest to running sustainable business. The general provided recommendations for the companies are to develop lacking dynamic capabilities to overcome growth challenges, to act proactively in order to be ready to implement strategic innovations and develop and keep their social activities consistent with their strategies.

Since the implementation of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) in South Africa, educators were confronted with new challenges regarding teaching, learning and assessment. A substantial number of educators seemed to experience these challenges as stressful, because they were not sufficiently prepared for the didactic paradigm shift and they were also unfamiliar with the OBE-terminology and methodology This situation resulted in a widespread degree of negativity and resistance amongst teachers towards the implementation of OBE in general, and specifically concerning issues related to outcomes based assessment (OBA). The primary aim of the research was to determine how educators perceive OBA and what problems they experience with the implementation thereof. In order to achieve the above-mentioned aim, 220 educators from the Bojanala West Region of the North-West Province participated in a survey. This survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire which contained structured and unstructured items. Based on the results emanating from this survey, the following conclusions were drawn: • The participants endorsed the theoretical foundations on which OBA is based and they were of opinion that OBA can provide the necessary focus for an improvement in teaching and learning, but they displayed negative perceptions concerning the practical implementation thereof. • The participants' negative perceptions regarding the implementation of OBA were caused by: • a lack of knowledge and skills due to inadequate training; • a lack of departmental support and guidance; • the administrative over-load brought on by OBA; • over-crowded classrooms and infrastructural deficiencies; and • a lack of parental support and involvement. In the light of the findings of the research, recommendations were made to enhance the practical implementation of OBA in schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Knowledge integration is rather a new and not fully explored  concept in  business management. However there are many scholars, who have  researched knowledge integration in recent decades. This thesis is conducted in order to draw attention towards knowledge integration and its processual phenomena. Moreover, some scholars have mentioned that knowledge integration is dynamic. The dynamics of knowledge integration lead to the fact that the actual knowledge integration process is also dynamic and constituted of performance practices, while being dependent on different factors and conditions. In further understanding, knowledge ingratiation process cannot be implemented in a straight forward lineal fashion. For this reason it changes during the time of the knowledge integration project implementation. The interest of this research is to find out how does the knowledge integration process change during the evolution ofproject. For this purpose, we have researched a real company’s project, the objective of which is to reach the knowledge integration amongst different back office teams in a newly established Shared Service Centre (SSC). The study led us through the discovery of different aspects of knowledge integration process, including challenges that occur during its implementation and mechanisms that are adopted as the project evolves. The analysis of existent theory and practical interpretation of the company’s project allowed us to conduct a visualization of the change of knowledge integration process. This visualization summarizes the occurrence of knowledge integration challenges, which call the company management to alternate different performance practices in combination with the use of practice-based coordination’s. In this essence it becomes visible, that as project evolves, the process of knowledge integration adopts a non-lineal progression. This in later perspective builds a reason to argue that the more knowledge is integrated more challenges occur in this integration process and as a result more mechanism are needed to be adopted to sustain successful knowledge integration in the project.

This quantitative research study focuses on the capabilities of ICT tools used by virtualteams and seeks to find out what, if any, correlation between the ICT tools capabilitiesand challenges that virtual teams face exist. The study addresses four prominent virtualteam challenges: forming trust and relationships, information overload, communicationbreakdown, lack of team synergy and cohesion. It analyses ICT tools and establishhypothesis using MST theory and the existing research in this field. The data analysis isconducted using Spearman’s Rho correlation. The findings show that the correlationbetween ICT tools usage and the challenges that virtual teams face are not statisticallysignificant to establish a link between virtual team challenges and ICT tools usage. Thiscould mean that a significantly larger sample is required to establish the link betweenthese two variables. It could also mean that the virtual team challenges need to be reevaluatedas the collected data suggests that the discussed challenges are rarelyexperienced by virtual teams. Therefore, further studies are needed in order to establishthe correlation between the virtual team challenges and ICT tools usage.

Titel: Konsten att axla ett chefsuppdrag som ung - En studie om unga chefers karriärsutmaningarFörfattare: Emmy Johansson och Olivia Bengtsson Institution: Linnéuniversitetet, Fakultetsnämnden för ekonomi, Ekonomihögskolan Program: Human Resource Management Kurs: Företagsekonomi III - organisation, examensarbete (Kandidat) Handledare: Kjell Arvidsson Examinator: Mikael Lundgren Syfte: Syftet med studien är att identifiera vilka utmaningar unga chefer står inför i sina karriärer, samt hur de hade kunnat förberedas bättre på de upplevda karriärsutmaningarna. Genom att identifiera unga chefers utmaningar önskar vi kunna skapa en ökad medvetenhet hos blivande unga chefer, ledarskapsutbildningar, organisationer och företag. Metodik: Genom en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi har semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts med hjälp av unga chefer mellan åldrarna 25-35 år. De valda unga cheferna är verksamma i olika branscher och i olika geografiska områden i Sverige. I syfte att besvara problemformuleringarna har vi utgått från en abduktiv forskningsansats. Slutsats: Unga chefer upplever att chefskapet som ung innebär en del svårhanterliga karriärsutmaningar. Den första utmaningen är åldersskillnaden mellan den unga chefen och de äldre medarbetarna. Unga chefer saknar ofta den naturliga statusen som kommer med åldern, vilket gör det svårt för dem att utföra chefskapet. Unga chefer upplever även svårigheter i att skapa förtroende gentemot sina medarbetare. Orsaken till utmaningen att skapa förtroende grundar sig främst i att de ständigt behöver bevisa sin kompetens och lämplighet för chefsrollen. Unga chefer upplever att det stora ansvaret är en ständig utmaning. Ansvaret leder till stora uppoffringar av privatlivet och kräver både tid och energi av den unga chefen, vilket kan upplevas som övermäktigt. Vidare är digitaliseringen och den ständiga uppkopplingen en återkommande utmaning som många unga chefer upplever svårhanterlig. Den ständiga uppkopplingen och att alltid finnas tillgänglig för sina medarbetare har visat sig vara både stressande och har en negativ effekt på arbetslivet och privatlivet. Det finns även svårigheter i att delegera och prioritera arbetsuppgifter. Unga chefer behöver förberedas bättre med hjälp av en praktik under studietiden och med en större inblick i hur chefsrollen ser ut under tiden som medarbetare. Slutligen har det visat sig att unga chefers tidigare förväntningar på chefsrollen kan vara avgörande för hur de upplever och hanterar karriärsutmaningarna. Nyckelord: Unga chefer, karriärsutmaningar, chefskap, förväntningar / Title: To undertake a management position as a young person - A study about young managers career challenges Authors: Emmy Johansson and Olivia Bengtsson Institution: Linnaeus University, School of Business and Economics Program: Human Resource Management Course: Business Administration III – Organization (Bachelor thesis) Supervisor: Kjell Arvidsson Examiner: Mikael Lundgren Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges young managers faces in their careers, as well as how young managers could be better prepared for the perceived career challenges. By identifying the challenges of young managers, we wish to create increased awareness among prospective young managers, organizations and leadership programs. Methodology: Through a qualitative research strategy, semi-structured interviews has been conducted using young managers between the ages of 25-35 years. The chosen young managers are active in different industries and in different geographic areas in Sweden. In order to answer the problem formulations, we have assumed an abductive research effort.Conclusion: Young managers experience management as challenging and difficult to manage. One of the challenges is the age difference between the young manager and the older employees. Young managers lack the natural status that comes with age which makes it difficult for them to execute the managership. Young managers experience difficulties in creating confidence in their employees. The reason for the challenge of trust is the fact that they constantly need to prove their competence and suitability for their management position. Young managers feels that the large responsibility is a constant challenge. The responsibility leads to large sacrifices of the personal life and requires both time and energy, which can be perceived as hard to handle. The digitization and the constant availability are a recurring challenge which many young managers find difficult to handle. This challenge has been proved to be both stressful and affecting working life and privacy life. There are also difficulties in delegating and prioritizing tasks. Young managers needs to be better prepared for a manager position by using an internship during their studies and with a better knowledge of what a manager's role involves. Finally it has been proved that young managers previous expectations of the management position can be decisive for how they perceive and manage the career challenges. Keywords: Young managers, career challenges, management, expectations

In order for the innovation process to be successful, not only do innovations need to be developed and reached the market, but, once they are available for users, they have to spread on a large scale. In the innovation literature, a complete explanation is lacking of why some innovations reach a phase of large-scale diffusion faster than others, including both actor- and system-level components. For instance, what drives and hinders adopters to decide to adopt the innovation on the actor and system levels, and how adopters who participate in the largescale diffusion handle the adoption process and the implementation of the innovation, are questions still unanswered. As a consequence, it remains unclear how the large-scale diffusion process can be facilitated and speeded up. This thesis addresses these issues by studying the case of renewable electricity (RE) innovations. After decades of technology development and improvements, RE innovations are now mature enough to be bought off-the-shelf by individuals and organizations. Yet, the pace of their large-scale diffusion is still too slow for countries to reach their RE generation targets and to limit global warming. Through qualitative and quantitative methods including 59 semi-structured interviews with adopters, project developers and experts in Sweden, France and Germany as well as a survey sent to the whole population of RE adopters in Sweden, an adopter perspective is taken in order to explore the adoption dynamics shaping large-scale diffusion of innovation. More specifically, the thesis identifies the drivers and challenges of adoption during large-scale diffusion and their impact on adoption decisions and strategies. The outcome of this work is presented in a compiling synthesis and six appended papers. Findings show that adopters are heterogeneous with regard to their characteristics, as well as to the drivers, challenges and strategies that affect their adoption processes. Depending on their perceptions, some adopters are more influenced by drivers and challenges than others and, as a consequence, adopters base their adoption decisions on different motives and follow different strategies to implement the innovation. Moreover, the results suggest that the dynamics that occur during the large-scale diffusion process does not only come from the actor level and the level of the system where the largescale diffusion takes place, but also from parallel systems, which are related to adopters and their contexts, including both the social networks and the industries they primarily belong. This makes adopters the central drivers of the innovation diffusion process and this distinguishes the dynamics of large-scale diffusion from the dynamics of innovation development and early diffusion, in which the innovation is the central component. Based on the findings about the adoption dynamics shaping large-scale diffusion, the thesis raises the need to consider large-scale diffusion as part of a new system, different from the innovation system and that acknowledges the specificities of this process. A tentative model accounting for the central role of adopters and for the interactions between adopters, the diffusion system and parallel systems is introduced. Finally, the implications of these findings for policy makers and managers are put forward. In particular, there is a need for policies acknowledging adopters’ heterogeneity as well as the new challenges of large-scale diffusion. Strategies developed by adopters can be a source of inspiration for policy-makers, who can for instance promote the use of intermediaries, of adopters’ task environment and networks, as well as the formation of coalitions among adopters.

Generally, immigrants face different challenges adapting to their new environment while starting a new life in the new environment. One of these problems is related to employment as they find it difficult finding jobs in their host countries. A number of them are often jobless or having jobs that do not correspond with their educational qualification. This is one of the factors that influence the earnings of immigrants in the Swedish labour market. This study focused on the factors influencing the underutilization of immigrant’s foreign educational credentials in the Swedish labour market. The study is based on human capital theory, cultural shock theory and discrimination theory. Through qualitative research design, rich detailed data about the phenomenon was collected from participants that participated in the study. Findings of the study revealed that the two major factors that influence the underutilization of immigrant’s foreign educational credential in the Swedish labour market are structural factors and individual factors (lack of social network with Swedish natives, inability to fluently communicate in Swedish, and loss of professional knowledge due to lack of practice).

This thesis examines prosecutorial challenges of the International Criminal Court (ICC/the court) in relation to the dwindling legitimacy prosecuting under Article 5 of the Rome Statute and other relevant international law principles. The study attempts a prognosis of the future shape of ICC prosecutions in light of the challenges and proposes reforms to the operations of the Court and its constitutive instrument to improve the dispensation of justice. The focus of the study is substantive international criminal law, developments in relevant case laws of international courts and tribunals, structure and procedures of the ICC and relevant principles within the context of elements of the Crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the Crime of aggression. The thesis further evaluates the role of the Court as it ensures international cooperation with domestic efforts to promote the ‘Rule of law’, uphold the principles of international humanitarian law, human rights law and combat impunity being the first permanent treaty-based international criminal court with the intent and purpose of ending impunity for perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and thus contributes to the prevention of such crimes. Additionally, the International Criminal Court advances international criminal justice, particularly with regard to victims by providing not only legal justice but also participation in the process and restorative justice to rebuild the society after mass violence. The thesis is an analysis of the prosecutorial challenges at the International Criminal Court, using its legal framework and jurisprudence to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

Today's challenge for workforce management lies in providing a healthy, safe and productive working culture where people are valued, empowered and respected. Workforce diversity is becoming an essential aspect of the global workforce, and ageing is the most prominent and significant factor in this regard. Diversity brings many opportunities and challenges, as workers with different backgrounds, cultures, working attitudes, behaviours and age work together, and in future, the key to organizational effectiveness and sustainability will heavily depend on developing and sustaining inclusive work environments where people with their differences can co-exist safely and productively. Manufacturing organizations expect the highest levels of productivity and quality, but unfortunately the manufacturing system design process does not take into account human variability issues caused by age, skill, experience, attitude towards work etc. This thesis focuses on proposing an inclusive design methodology to address the design needs of a broader range of the population. However, the promotion and implementation of an inclusive design method is challenging due to the lack of relevant data and lack of relevant tools and methods to help designers. This research aims to support the inclusive design process by providing relevant data and developing new design methodologies. The inclusive design methodology suggested in this thesis is a three step approach for achieving a safe and sustainable work environment for workers, with special concern for older workers. The methodology is based on the provision of relevant human capabilities data, the capture and analysis of difference in human behaviour and the use of this knowledge in a digital human modelling tool. The research is focused on manual assembly through a case study in the furniture manufacturing industry and joint mobility data from a wide-ranging population has been analysed and the task performing strategies and behaviours of workers with different levels of skills have been recorded and analysed. It has been shown that joint mobility significantly decreases with age and disability and that skilful workers are likely to adopt safer and more productive working strategies. A digital human modelling based inclusive design strategy was found to be useful in addressing the design needs of older workers performing manufacturing assembly activities. This strategy validates the concept of using human capabilities data for assessing the level of acceptability of any adopted strategy for older workers, and suggests that the strategies adopted by skilful workers are more likely to be equally acceptable for older and younger workers keeping in view differences in their joint mobility. The overall purpose of this thesis is to present a road map towards the promotion and implementation of the inclusive design method for addressing workforce challenges and in future the same strategies might be implemented within a variety of other industrial applications. The proposed three step inclusive design methodology and getting a reasonable understanding of human variability issues along with the use of human capabilities data (joint mobility in this case) in a human modelling system for design assessment at a pre-design stage can be considered as the major contributions of this research.