The diploma thesis deals with a topic related to the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically the impact on the sex business, resp. to people who move in this segment of commercial sexual services. The work aimed to analyze and describe the possible effects in the defined areas, which arose from the available studied sources (mainly foreign). The impacts were examined using qualitative methods in the areas (psychosocial and socio-economic, health, safety, change of sex business, and legalization of sex business) about those who move in this area and earn their living, family security, and benefits other liabilities (e.g., debts). The analyzed areas and the described impacts resulting from the semi-structured interviews were compared in discussion with the results of foreign research reports or with Czech sources of helping organizations, and were suggested possible ways to mitigate these impacts or may be prevented by future measures.

Denna studie syftar till att bidra med kunskap om de förändringsprocesser som kontorsarbetande medarbetare fått erfarenhet av och upplevt vid distansarbete och vid återgång till den fysiska arbetsplatsen i samband med Covid-19 pandemin. Mezirows teori om transformativt lärande användes som teoretiskt perspektiv för studien och användes som tolkningsredskap för att besvara vilka faktorer som påverkat distansarbete och återgång till den fysiska arbetsplatsen och vilka erfarenheter medarbetare upplevt vid dessa förändringsprocesser i samband med Covid-19 pandemin. Studien baseras på åtta intervjuer med kontorsarbetande medarbetare där samtliga har erfarenhet av att till största del arbetat på distans under Covid-19 pandemin. Studien visade att det upplevda distansarbetet och återgången till den fysiska arbetsplatsen bidragit med erfarenheter. Resultatet visade att flexibiliteten vid distansarbete upplevs som den mest fördelaktiga faktorn samtidigt som tekniken är den faktor som ställer till mest problem. Dessutom framkommer saknaden av kollegorna och upplevd isolering som en av de främst utmanande faktorerna vid distansarbete och att få träffa sina kollegor igen upplevs vara den mest positiva faktorn vid återgången till den fysiska arbetsplatsen. De främsta utmaningarna med att komma tillbaka till den fysiska arbetsplatsen är både de störningsmoment som kontorsmiljön innebar och att behöva mötas i verkligheten och inte längre sitta trygg bakom en skärm. Slutligen visar studiens resultat att erfarenheterna från de upplevda förändringsprocesserna gällande arbetssituationen under Covid-19 pandemin resulterat i ett önskemål om att i framtiden arbeta utifrån en hybrid arbetsmodell som inkluderar både distansarbete och att arbeta på den fysiska arbetsplatsen. / This study aims to contribute with knowledge about the transformation process experienced by office working employees both during teleworking and returning to the physical workplace due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on Mezirow's theory of transformative learning, this study aims to answer what influencing factors and experiences employees experienced in transformation processes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The study is based on eight interviews with office working employees who were mostly teleworking during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study shows that both teleworking and the return to the physical workplace contributed with experiences and the results show that the perceived flexibility in teleworking was the main positive factor, while technology was the most problematic. In addition, the lack of colleagues and perceived isolation emerges as the main challenges in teleworking and meeting their colleagues again was considered the best thing about returning to the physical workplace. The main challenges in returning to the physical workplace were both the disturbances that the office environment entailed and the challenge of now facing people in real life. Finally, the results of the study show that the experience from the perceived transformation processes regarding the work situation during the Covid-19 pandemic, has resulted in a desire for a hybrid working model in the future that includes both teleworking and working in the physical workplace.

[pt] Esta dissertação de mestrado tem como objetos de estudo o currículo escolar e suas relações com as concepções de escola. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em Queimados, município localizado na Baixada Fluminense do Rio de Janeiro. O objetivo da pesquisa é compreender as concepções de escola a partir das (re)elaborações do currículo escolar realizadas pelos professores, durante o processo de priorização curricular desenvolvido pela Rede municipal de Queimados no contexto da pandemia de COVID-19, no ano de 2021. Foram aplicados questionários com 79 questões fechadas e 3 abertas, respondidos por 48 professores dos anos finais do ensino fundamental que trabalham nessa Rede. Além disso, realizou-se entrevistas semiestruturadas com 16 professores, respondentes dos questionários, para permitir aprofundamentos das análises. As análises realizadas a partir dos dados produzidos foram construídas baseadas na interlocução teórica com os estudos de Tomas Tadeu Silva, Sacristán, Moreira e Candau, acerca do currículo e os estudos de Dubet e Charlot a respeito da escola e de seus objetivos. Os estudos de Nóvoa sobre formação e profissão docente, antes e durante a pandemia, também fizeram parte do arcabouço teórico utilizado. Ao longo da investigação pode-se constatar que as concepções dos professores constituem três dilemas: entre conceber uma teoria tradicional de currículo e ser responsável pela formação de um currículo humanizador; entre defender uma priorização curricular, baseada nas necessidades dos alunos, e a necessidade de dar conta dos conteúdos escolares pré-estabelecidos; entre priorizar ou reduzir os conteúdos, mediante a nova e emergencial realidade imposta pela pandemia de COVID-19. Conclui-se que há uma multiplicidade de justificativas para as escolhas adotadas pelos professores em relação à concepção de currículo e aos objetivos da escola na priorização curricular. Tais escolhas são marcadas pela subjetividade dos professores, a tradição escolar e a influência dos documentos oficiais. Aponta-se que não há consenso entre os professores acerca dos objetivos da escola, o que reverbera na complexidade de se conceituar currículo. / [en] This Master s dissertation has as a goal the study of school curriculum and its relations with the conceptions of school. The research was developed in Queimados, which is a municipality located in Baixada Fluminense – Rio de Janeiro. Moreover, it has the intention of understanding the conceptions of school from the (re)elaboration of the school curriculum made by teachers during the process of the curriculum priorization developed by the Municipal System of Queimados in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the year of 2021. Questionnaires with 79 closed queries and 3 open ones were applied, which were answered by 48 teachers of the Elementary School final years, who work at this Educational System Furthermore, semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers,who answered the querries, were taken in order to allow a deepening in the analyzes.The analyses made from the data produced were created based on the theoretical interlocution with the studies of Silva, Sacristán, Moreira and Candau -regarding the curriculum, the studies of Dubet vand Charlot concerning schooland their objectives. The studies of Nóvoa on the academic education and profession of teachers, before and during the Pandemic, also made part of the theoretical framework used. Along the investigation it is possible to confirm that the conceptions of the teachers compose three dilemmas: between establishing a traditional theory of the curriculum and and being responsible for the elaboration of a humanizing curriculum; between defending the curriculum priorization, basedon the needs of students, and the necessity of coping with the pre-stablished educational contents; between prioritize or reduce the contents, upon the new reality emergency imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic. It can be concluded that there is a multiplicity of justifications to the choices adoped by teachers in relation to the conception of curriculum and the objectives of school in the curriculum prioritization. Such choices are highlighted by the teachers subjectivity, school tradition and the influence of official documents. It is pointed out that there is noconsensus among teachers concerning the purposes of school, what reverberates in the complexity of conceptualizing a curriculum.

This thesis is focused on internal crisis communication during the Covid-19 pandemic at the medical faculty of a major Swedish university (MSU). This thesis aims to examine how the use of internal communication channels at MSU contributed to including employees in internal crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research questions are “How did the organization utilize internal communication channels during the COVID-19 pandemic?”, “What did the employees feel was especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the internal communication in the organization?” and “How did the employees perceive that the internal communication channels during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to inclusion? “. Through semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of eight employees, empirical data was collected and codified using the direct qualitative content analysis approach and applied to the Triage and Assessment System Model and the Contingency Theory of strategic conflict. The methodology is constructivist with a critical epistemology. The cultural environment of an organization utilizing a Scandinavian management style during the crisis highlights the extreme shift in the need and desire for a more apex-driven informational directive approach during the crisis. Our findings suggest that improving value-added feedback channels throughout the organization can increase employee inclusion in crisis communication. Employee inclusion could be further increased by developing a professional development curriculum and establishing clear policies and guidelines.

[pt] A partir do crescimento da internet e da formação da cibercultura um novo espaço está sendo reconhecido como local propício para as relações interpessoais: o ciberespaço. Sendo assim, os jovens de hoje estão se desenvolvendo em um campo em que as redes sociais são a base para a sua socialização. Assim, este estudo realizou uma pesquisa qualitativa e utilizou como base teórica uma interlocução entre a GestaltTerapia e a Teoria Bioecológica do desenvolvimento humano de Urie Bronfenbrenner. Este trabalho buscou compreender o processo de socialização de jovens a partir de suas interações nas redes sociais através do discurso produzido pelos participantes, no período da pandemia da COVID-19. Foram entrevistados 24 adolescentes com idade entre 12 e 18 anos que residiam na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, na tentativa de investigar o sentido que dão às suas experiências dentro das redes sociais. A partir das falas, foi estruturado um corpus textual que foi analisado pelo software Iramuteq. A partir desta análise, os dados foram agrupados em 3 classes de palavras identificadas por: classe 1 – o uso das redes no período da pandemia, classe 2 – a experiência de uso das redes sociais e classe 3 – a finalidade das redes sociais. Seguir os pressupostos das abordagens escolhidas em uma pesquisa qualitativa tem o benefício de renunciar aos pré-conceitos existentes na literatura para poder compreender e valorizar as experiências, únicas, dos participantes e ampliar o estudo do fenômeno escolhido. Foi possível concluir que diferentes campos possibilitam diferentes formas de ser adolescente, e que o processo de socialização a partir das redes sociais é visto como algo natural e indispensável para essa faixa etária. Foi reconhecido que as redes sociais são parte significativa na experiência social destes adolescentes e com isso pôde-se defender que direta, ou indiretamente, atuam como mecanismos propulsores do desenvolvimento destes jovens. Foi defendido neste trabalho a importância de se estudar o fenômeno dentro de um contexto específico e em determinado recorte de tempo a fim de reforçar a singular experiência de ser adolescente na atualidade. Além de ter contribuído para a ampliação dos estudos na área da psicologia do desenvolvimento e para a compreensão da socialização dos jovens. / [en] With the growth of the internet and the formation of cyberculture, a new space is being is being recognized as a place for interpersonal relationships: the cyberspace. Thus, today s teenagers are developing in a field where social medias are the basis for their socialization. This study performed a qualitative research and used as theoretical basis an interlocution between Gestalt-Therapy and the Bioecological Theory of human development by Urie Bronfenbrenner. This work sought to understand the socialization process of teenagers from their interactions on social medias through the discourse produced by the participants in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Were interviewed 24 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 years, who lived in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in an attempt to investigate the meaning they give to their experiences within the social medias. From the speeches, a text corpus was structured and analyzed using the Iramuteq software. From this analysis, the data were grouped into 3 classes of worlds, identified by: class 1 – the use of social medias in the pandemic period; class 2 – the experience of using the social medias and class 3 – the purpose of social medias. Following the assumptions of the approaches chosen in a qualitative research has the benefit or renouncing the preconceptions existing in the literature to be able to understand and value the unique experiences of the participants and broaden the study of the chosen phenomenon. It was possible to conclude that different fields enable different ways of being adolescents, and that the socialization process from social medias is seen as something natural and indispensable for this age group. It was recognized that social medias are a significant part of the social experience of these adolescents, and with this it was possible to argue that directly or indirectly, they act as mechanisms that propel the development of teenagers. This work defended the importance of studying the phenomenon within a specific context and in a specific time frame to reinforce the unique experience of being an adolescent nowadays. Besides having contributed to the expansion of studies in developmental psychology and to understanding the socialization of teenagers.

This study aims to examine how a business-to-business (B2B) relationship is affected by a decrease in physical interactions between firm representatives. Previous studies have shown that external events can affect B2B relationships but not how these effects take shape. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the need to investigate how reduced physical interactions affect B2B relationships becomes relevant. A qualitative method is used through a multiple case study where data is collected through semi-structured interviews with three firms within the Swedish vehicle financing industry. The study finds that a reduction in physical interaction between firm representatives affects the trust generated between the representatives themselves and the companies they represent. Digital interaction can only replace face-to-face communication for shorter periods of time to enable clear communication and trust in a B2B relationship. The study also finds that a company’s means of interaction leads to an adaptation in the framework of interaction in B2B relationships.

Denna forskningsstudie undersöker de utmaningar som hotell i Sverige har stått inför på grund av Covid-19-pandemin. Närmare bestämt analyserar studien hur dessa hotell reagerade på krisen. Det råder ingen tvekan om att pandemin har drabbat den globala turistsektorn väldigt kraftigt. Miljontals arbetstillfällen har gått förlorade, och länder vars ekonomier som är beroende av turism står inför de värsta ekonomiska lågkonjunkturerna i historien.  Sektorn vänder sig dock i dag till innovation för att stödja återöppnandet och en återgång till lönsamhet. I Sverige har sektorn tagit till sig innovativa lösningar, bland annat genom att öka konkurrenskraften och bygga upp motståndskraft genom strategier som att främja inhemsk och regional turism, ekonomisk diversifiering och underlättandet av en mer gynnsam arbetsmiljö för mikroföretag, små och medelstora företag. Andra strategier som har hjälpt att strategiskt öppna sektorn i denna tid under pandemin är den digitala omvandlingen av hela turismekonomin genom att investera i digital kompetens för arbetstagare som har förlorat sina arbeten och inkomstkälla under pandemin.  Studiens syfte är att analysera de krishanteringsstrategier som svenska hotell implementerade i början av Covid-19-pandemin. För att uppnå studiens syfte används semistrukturerade intervjuer som den primära datainsamlingsmetoden. Det kommer genomföras intervjuer med fem olika hotelldirektörer från Sveriges största hotellkedjor. / This research study explores the challenges that hotels in Sweden have faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, it assesses how these organizations responded to the crisis. There is no doubt that the pandemic has hit the global tourism sector very heavily. Indeed, millions of jobs have been lost, with countries whose economies are dependent on tourism facing the worst economic recessions in their collective history.  The sector is today turning to innovation to support its re-opening and a return to profitability. In Sweden, the sector has embraced innovative solutions, including boosting competitiveness and building resilience through strategies such as promoting domestic and regional tourism, economic diversification, and the facilitation of a conducive business environment for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. Other strategies that have aided the strategic re-opening of the sector during the pandemic is the digital transformation of the entire tourism economy by promoting investments in digital skills for workers who have lost their jobs and livelihoods during the pandemic.  Against this backdrop, this study’s key objective is to analyze the crisis-management strategies adopted and implemented by Swedish hotels at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will deploy semi-structured interviews as the primary data-collection approach to achieve this goal. Five interviews with executives in five of the largest hotel chains in Sweden will be conducted.

Den tidigare forskning som finns inom området gällande medarbetarengagemang vid neddragningar är relativt omfattande och fokuserar främst på sambandet mellan dessa faktorer. Forskningen skildrar neddragningar som en strategisk plan för att undvika försämrad ekonomisk stabilitet hos organisationer. Utformning och implementering av neddragningsprocesser har visats påverka medarbetares engagemang, vilket bland annat inkluderar kommunikation, samspel och involvering. Covid-19-pandemin har inneburit att flertalet organisationer, framför allt inom besöksnäringen, tvingats till ett omfattande omställningsarbete med neddragningar som följd. Dock är området för pandemin relativt outforskat, det saknas forskning med fokus på upplevelsen av hur neddragningar som skett till följd av pandemin har inverkat på kvarvarande medarbetares engagemang baserat på ledningens val av strategier. Den här studien syftar därmed till att få djupare förståelse över organisationers strategiska arbete för att bibehålla kvarvarande medarbetares engagemang vid neddragningar under en pandemi. Studien baseras på en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer med sammanlagt åtta respondenter, vilka utgör representanter från både lednings- och medarbetarnivå. Studien undersöker ett specifikt fall i en organisation med inriktning på rederibranschen inom besöksnäringen och är därmed utformad som en fallstudie. Den insamlade empirin har sammanställts och analyserats genom en tematisk analys. Resultatet från studien visar att pandemins påverkan på organisationens omställningsarbete har bidragit med såväl positiva som negativa effekter på kvarvarande medarbetares engagemang. Kommunikation utgör en viktig grundpelare som bör genomsyra organisationens arbete på samtliga nivåer för att bidra till involvering och förståelse. Studien bidrar även med intressanta och betydelsefulla aspekter inför framtida studier gällande medarbetarengagemang vid neddragningar. Pandemin har även inneburit en samhällsförändring som medfört att ledningens strategier och kvarvarande medarbetares engagemang har påverkats annorlunda vid jämförelse med andra neddragningsprocesser. Det har i sin tur medfört nya arbetssätt som kan bli avgörande inför framtida händelser. / The previous research into the relationship between a downsizing process and the resulting employee commitment is quite comprehensive. It describes the downsizing process as a strategic plan, necessary to avoid deteriorating economic performance in organizations. The design and implementation of downsizing processes, through communication, teamwork and involvement, has also been shown to influence remaining employees’ commitment. During the Covid-19-pandemic organizations, especially in the hospitality industry, have been forced to carry out extensive changes to working practice including resulting in downsizing. However, the effects of pandemic downsizing are relatively unexplored. Especially lacking is a focus on the remaining employees' experience of the effects of downsizing and their subsequent commitment, arising from management’s choice and modification of strategies. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of organizations’ strategic work to maintain the commitment of remaining employees during downsizing processes as a result of a pandemic. It is based on a qualitative method using semi-structured interviews, from a total of eight respondents, representing both management and employee levels. The study examines a specific event in an organization in the hospitality industry with focus on the shipping industry and is designed as a case study. The collected empirical data has been compiled and analyzed using a themed analysis. The results from this study show that the pandemic's impact on the organization's working practices has had both positive and negative effects on employee commitment. Communication is an important pillar that should permeate the organization's work at all levels to contribute to involvement and understanding. The study also highlights a number of interesting and significant considerations for future studies regarding downsizing and employee commitment. The pandemic has also resulted in a societal change that has meant that management's strategies and remaining employees’ commitment have been affected differently when compared with other downsizing processes. This in turn has led to new ways of working that can influence future events.

<p>  </p> <p>This dissertation explores multimodal composing strategies enacted by technical and professional communication (TPC) writers during and post-COVID-19 period. The researcher presents an investigation into a course unit project and pedagogical approach framed around the idea of multimodal composition in an upper-division professional writing class with transnational students majoring in management, economics, health science, aviation technology, mathematics, computer engineering, accounting, consumer science, biology, and agronomy in a large research university in the Midwest. This study advocates a multimodal approach to teaching writing in its expanded sense with multimodal career unit project assignments in multiple media and modes, including resumes/CVs, personal statements, LinkedIn profiles, video profiles/resumes, job position analyses, and rhetorical and mode analyses. This project presents implications for instructors of technical and professional communicators who are aiming to develop and update their curricula and teaching pedagogies situated in multiple modes across global audiences, for multiple purposes, and in a variety of media.</p>

The thesis will be centred on the topic of tourism in Canada and the steps the tourism industry took in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this thesis will be to examine how Canadian tourism has evolved through time and analyse the way Indigenous tourism has grown despite its limited support. The main research questions addressed will include how has Canadian tourism adapted to the crises of the Covid-19 pandemic? How have the snowbird, Nature and Indigenous tourism groups been impacted by Covid-19 and how can we understand the history of these forms of tourism? What old and new debates were provoked by the Covid pandemic? What strategies were put in place to mitigate effects and how did historical structures of colonialism affect mitigation? The thesis is built using a series of academic texts, newspaper sources, and reports published by tourism and Indigenous tourism associations. The text will be approached through a historical perspective using the postcolonial theory and Adaptive co-management. The case studies analyses of Nature and Indigenous tourism are important as they represent tourism in Canada and illustrate the effects of colonialism stressing the need for reconciliation. The text will conclude with a look forward and a potential path tourism can take, learning from the Covid pandemic, to become more sustainable. / Cette thèse aborde le tourisme au Canada et les étapes que l’industrie du tourisme a pris en réponse à la pandémie du Covid-19. Le but de cette thèse est d’examiner l’évolution du tourisme Canadien et d’analyser la manière dans laquelle le tourisme Indigène a grandi malgré les adversités. La question principale est d’adresser comment le tourisme Canadien s’est adapté face à la crise de la pandémie Covid-19 ? Comment les groupes de tourisme de snowbirds, Nature et Indigène ont subi les influences du Covid-19 et comment nous comprenons l’histoire de ces formes de tourisme ? Quels débâtes, vieux et neuf, ont été provoqués par la Covid-19 ? Quelles stratégies ont été mises en place pour atténuer ces effets et comment la structure historique du colonialisme a affecté ces atténuations ? Cette thèse est bâtie sur une série de textes académiques, des journaux, et des rapports publiés par des associations touristiques et des associations Indigènes de tourisme. Ce texte sera approché d’un point de vue historique dont une théorie postcoloniale et d’adaptation à la gestion partagée. Les cas analysés de tourisme Indigène et tourisme de nature sont des cas importants car ils représentent le tourisme au Canada, illustrent les effets du colonialisme et soulignent la nécessité d’une réconciliation. Ce texte se termine avec un regard vers le futur et une avenue potentielle que le tourisme pourrait utiliser, en tirant profit des leçons de la pandémie Covid-19, pour devenir plus durable.