Software applications are of great importance in organisations, and performance of an organisation depends on how hosting of software applications are organised. This thesis deals with the question: Why and how organisations decide on specific sourcing options for software applications hosting. The thesis describes and explains sourcing decision-making processes made in the Swedish Post (MeLo) and Jönköpings Kommun (the municipality). MeLo’s sourcing decision resulted in outsourcing of hosting, and the municipality’s sourcing decision resulted in internal sourcing of hosting. Both organisations were distinguished by a decentralised structure to a great extent and showed a huge diversity in software applications used. The sourcing decisions resulted in a change to a more centralised hosting of software applications. The thesis is a retrospective case study based on semi-structured interviews and documents analysis. Concepts from the resource-based view and factors described in sourcing literature are used to analyse these sourcing decisions. From nine theoretical initial propositions 28 propositions are developed about why and how sourcing decisions are made. From these propositions, relations are described and some conclusions are presented about why and how sourcing decisions are made. The main conclusion is that maturity level regarding software applications usage seems to influences the start, the process as such, and the outcome of a sourcing decision-making process. This is explained as the more mature the organisation is regarding usage of software applications the more proactive decision-makers are in the sourcing decision. It is also identified that involved factors can be either influencing or justifying, and it is found that control of software applications usage influences the start of a sourcing decision to a high extent. The findings suggest that a sourcing decision-making process can be described as an irrational decision process that aims at increasing commitment on an already made decision. The study suggests that the less mature and more decentralised the organisation is the more reactive and the stronger influence the need to increase control over software applications have in a sourcing decision-making process. / Information och kommunikations teknik (IKT) och hur organisationer väljer att organisera driften av mjukvaruapplikationer spelar en allt större roll för organisationers framgång. Forskningsfrågan i avhandlingen är: Varför samt hur organisationer beslutar när de väljer ett specifikt lokaliseringsalternativ för driften av mjukvaruapplikationer. Avhandlingen beskriver och förklarar lokaliseringsbeslut i Posten AB och Jönköpings Kommun från ett resursbaserat perspektiv. Båda organisationerna uppvisade en spretig och decentraliserad struktur av mjukvaruapplikationer. Postens lokaliseringbeslut resulterade i utlokalisering. Kommunens lokaliseringsbeslut resulterade i en intern omlokalisering. Besluten resulterade i båda fallen i en mer centraliserad drift av mjukvaruapplikationer. Avhandlingen är en retrospektiv fallstudie baserad på analys av semistrukturerade intervjuer och dokument. Begrepp från resursbaserad teori och litteratur om lokalisering används för att beskriva och förklara lokaliseringsbesluten. Från nio teoretiska initiala propositioner utvecklas 28 propositioner vilka tydligare redogör för varför samt hur lokaliseringbeslut genomförs. Utifrån dessa propositioner diskuteras kring relationer mellan varför och hur faktorer är involverade i lokaliseringsbeslut. Den främst dragna slutsatsen är att organisationers mognad vad gäller användningen av mjukvaruapplikationer kan beskrivas som influerande för såväl starten, beslutsprocessen som sådan, samt det slutliga resultatet av beslutsprocessen vid ett lokaliseringsbeslut rörande drift av mjukvaruapplikationer. Detta kan förklaras som att ju mer mogen organisationen är vad gäller användning av mjukvaruapplikationer desto mer proaktiv är beslutsfattare i beslutsprocessen. Involverade faktorer kan också förklaras som antingen påverkande eller försvarande. Kontroll av användning kan beskrivas ha den största påverkan på starten av beslutsprocessen. Analysen föreslår att beslutsprocessen kan ses som en irrationell beslutsprocess som genomförs med inriktning på att förankra ett redan fattat beslut, och att ju mer omogen och decentraliserad desto större inverkan har önskemålet om en ökad kontroll över mjukvaruapplikationer i ett lokaliseringsbeslut.

Since the 1980s, public sector entities have been exposed to accounting reforms under an umbrella of New Public Management (NPM). The main purpose of adoption of accounting reforms is to increase efficiency in decision-making by producing useful accounting information. However, it is argued that the adoption of accounting reforms by public sector entities in developing countries is attributed to the seeking of financial legitimacy, rather than increasing organisational efficiency (Mzenzi, 2013; Mkasiwa, 2011; Adhikari and Mellemvik, 2011; Tambulasi, 2007; Sarker, 2006). Therefore, it is the interest of this study to research the use of accounting information by public sector entities in developing countries. This study is based on an interpretative approach and employs an exploratory case study strategy with two cases (LGAs) in order to accomplish four specific objectives. The roles and responsibilities of LGAs and their multiple actors in delivering public services to the citizens, and their roles in budgetary decision-making attributed by the adopted accounting practices, represent the major motivation of this study. Institutional theory and its three branches, which are Old Institutional Economics (OIE), New Institutional Sociology (NIS) and New Institutional Economics (NIE), were used in the process of developing the initial model, and the overall interpretation of findings. The findings of this study revealed three dimensions of instrumental-conceptual use, which included conceptual use, decision relevant, and recommendations use of accounting information in decisions related to estimations and collections of own source revenue. Furthermore, the study’s findings showed that legitimating use was the main dimension of the symbolic use of accounting information in the budget approval, as well as in the decision about estimating and collecting revenue from external sources. It further identified 22 factors influencing the use of accounting information in the budget decision-making processes. The study findings also revealed that instrumental-conceptual use of accounting information increases both an organisation’s budget efficiency as well as its external financial legitimacy. On the other hand, the symbolic use of accounting information decreases the organisation’s budget efficiency and the actual external financial legitimacy but increases the promised external financial legitimacy. This is attributed, mainly, by external institutional pressures that result in decoupling behavior in the use of accounting information in budgetary decision-making processes. In addition, the findings revealed that budget efficiency and acquired financial legitimacy are interdependent. This means that the high financial legitimacy acquired can indicate high budget efficiency in the situation the instrumental-conceptual use exists than the symbolic legitimating use of accounting information. The study proposes a model of the determinants of the use of accounting information in budget decision-making processes for budget efficiency and external financial legitimacy. It informs reformers, practitioners, policy-makers and researchers about the necessary measures to undertake to make sure that NPM reforms, especially accounting reforms, enhance both efficiency and financial legitimacy in the public sector organisations through the use of accounting information.

The world today faces many challenges in terms of sustainability and how the world will be able to continue to meet demands of future generations. Sustainability aspects are considered by customers and organizations to a greater extent today than ever before. Businesses need to find new ways forward to encourage sustainable consumption to be able to exist in the future. The increasing amount of food waste represents one of many sustainability challenges and is a stated problem in developed countries. In Sweden, the households stand for the biggest amount of food waste along the entire supply chain. Producing something that is later wasted is an inefficient use of resources. This study aims to identify barriers for consumers to act pro-environmentally when consuming products of low involvement and find ways for the industry to overcome them. The thesis is commissioned for a large bread company in Sweden, who is in the starting blocks of start selling frozen bread, something that is not done to a great extent today. Frozen bread is a more environmentally sustainable alternative than substitute products and it will serve as the low-involvement product in focus of this study. The theoretical framework is built on theories regarding consumer decision-making, consumer behavior, sustainability and sustainable consumption. Through in-store observations of customers accompanied by follow-up interviews, a solid amount of data was gathered which allowed the authors to address the gap between intentions and behavior. Semi-structured interviews with the manager of the grocery store and the commissioned company give insights to the industry perspective of sustainability and consumer behavior. The empirical findings are presented from each data collection instance and are later analyzed and discussed with regard to four sub-purposes and the theoretical framework. The results have shown that existing barriers relate to customers’ habits, inertia, attitudes and lack of knowledge. The industry has the opportunity to bring forward sustainable products without tradeoffs, to create a win-win situation. By appealing to the customers’ hedonic needs and informing them about environmental benefits it is possible to influence customer norms to achieve a pro-environmental behavioral change.

Cette recherche s'inscrit dans un contexte de fortes pressions foncières en Ile-de-France, de reconversion de friches industrielles et de « revalorisation » du principe de densification urbaine, qui conduisent à l'urbanisation en zones inondables. Cette thèse propose d'examiner le processus d'urbanisation en zones inondables au regard des transformations en cours dans les modes de fabrication urbaine. Aujourd'hui, l'élaboration des grands projets d'aménagement nécessite l'intervention d'une multitude d'acteurs, la production d'une expertise importante, l'intégration des incertitudes inhérentes à des projets qui se conçoivent et se réalisent sur dix, vingt ou trente ans et la nécessaire conception d'un processus de projet évolutif. Chercheurs et acteurs de l'aménagement qualifient ces processus de « projet urbain ».Nous testons l'hypothèse selon laquelle les transformations observées dans les modes d'élaboration des projets urbains peuvent créer une opportunité dans les modes d'intégration du risque inondation. Les acteurs du projet vont-ils se saisir différemment du risque en utilisant une expertise plus riche, en convoquant des acteurs du risque autour de l'élaboration du projet ? Notre recherche s'appuie sur l'analyse de l'élaboration du projet des Ardoines à Vitry-sur-Seine et de Parc-en-Seine à Villeneuve-le-Roi, complétée par l'observation d'autres projets urbains dans la métropole parisienne mais aussi en Allemagne. L'intégration du risque est, bien souvent, dans les cas étudiés en France dans cette recherche, réfléchie au travers du Plan de Prévention du Risque d'Inondation (PPRI). Elle n'engendre qu'à la marge des pratiques et des formes urbaines englobant plusieurs facettes de la gestion du risque (prévention, protection et gestion de crise). L'application de la règle à l'échelle du projet urbain se transforme ainsi en dispositif de construction de l'ignorance (Jouzel, Dedieu, 2013) quant à une gestion du risque globale, intégrant toutes ces actions. Lors de l'application de la règle, les coalitions d'acteurs (Sabatier, Jenkins-Smith, 1993), au sens de groupe d'acteurs qui vont se retrouver en ce qui concerne l'intégration du risque autour d'une idée commune qui va faire projet, vont être amenées à produire une expertise technique. Cette expertise va être essentiellement centrée sur la mise en sécurité des biens et des personnes et la transparence hydraulique et représente la pierre angulaire pour traduire la règle en formes urbaines (pilotis, rez-de-chaussée surélevés, etc.), gages du bon respect de la règle. La construction de l'ignorance, qui se traduit par une méconnaissance des impacts des aménagements sur le fonctionnement du quartier et de la ville en temps de crise, peut être partiellement comblée par la mise en place d'un Etablissement public d'aménagement. En effet, ce dernier va regrouper en son sein l'Etat, à la fois protecteur et aménageur. Les exemples de projets urbains allemands convoqués dans cette thèse montrent quant à eux une inversion des logiques d'intégration du risque. La suppression de tout principe d'interdiction d'urbanisation en zone inondable conduit à la production de nouvelles règles tant en ce qui concerne les formes urbaines (bâtiments étanches, voiries surélevées…) que les obligations relatives à l'alerte et à la gestion de crise. Une fois le projet urbain réalisé, l'habitant en prenant possession du projet urbain va être l'ultime témoin de la segmentation de la gestion du risque inondation. En effet, en recevant l'information de son exposition, il ne fait pas le lien avec ce qu'implique cette exposition, c'est-à-dire le rôle qu'il aura à jouer en cas de crue. Plus de communication aurait pour conséquence de reposer la question des responsabilités de chacun et de signaler que, malgré les moyens de protection et les aménagements pour réduire l'aléa dans le projet urbain, le risque demeure présent / This study is developed against a background of high estate pressure in the Ile-de-France region, of brownfield conversion and of increased urban densification. All these processes are leading to the land-use in floodrisk areas. The aim of this thesis is to analyse urbanisation process in floodrisk areas, with regard to the current transformations in urban design methods. Large urban development projects require the intervention of several stakeholders and significant expertise. Uncertainties in projects that are designed over ten, twenty or thirty years and the need to develop a progressive process have to be evaluated. Researchers and land-use stakeholders qualify this process of “urban project”. Our primary hypothesis was that the changes observed in urban project designs may challenge flood risk integration methods. Will the urban project stakeholders seize upon the risk integration in a different way using a more significant expertise and make risk management stakeholders play a part? Our analysis focus on two urban projects: les Ardoines in Vitry-sur-Seine and Parc-en-Seine in Villeneuve-le-Roi. Our study also integrates observation of other urban projects in the Greater Paris and in Germany. In our case studies in France, the risk is often analysed through the flood risk prevention plan. However, this will raise only marginally practices and urban forms related to prevention, protection and crisis management. Based on this concept it has been pro-posed that the application of the rule at the urban project scale is transformed into the construction of the ignorance process (Jouzel, Dedieu, 2013) concerning a global risk management, integrating all these actions. During the rule application, the advocacy coalitions (Sabatier, Jenkins-Smith, 1993) will find a common idea mainly focusing on ensuring the safety of goods and people and the hydraulic transparency. This expertise will be the most important piece to translate the rule in urban forms (stilts, raised ground floor, etc.) as a guarantee of good compliance with the rule. Construction of ignorance results in a lack of awareness of the impacts of development projects on the district and the city during flood periods. This process is partially filled in by a public development authority, which includes the two figures of the state, both protector and developer. They have for mission to develop and densify an area of three hundred hectares. The examples of German urban projects used in this thesis show a reversal of risk integration methods. The removal of any principle of prohibition of urbanization in flood-risk areas leads to the production of new rules in regard to urban forms (sealed buildings, elevated roads ...) and also the obligations relating to the warning and management crisis. In conclusion, our study has shown that once an urban project is completed, the in-habitants will be the ultimate witnesses to the segmentation of the flood risk management. Indeed, receiving information from risk exposure, does not integrate the implications of this exposure - that is to say the role it will have to play in case of flood. More communication would lead to raise the question of responsibilities of each party and would highlight that the risk remains despite protection tools

Doctor Educationis / Die volwassene wat 'n professionele beroep beoefen, vervul nie net die rol van professionele beroepsbeoefenaar nie, maar is ook 'n voltydse leerder (student); tuisteskepper en landsburger. Hierdie verskillende rolle kan só veeleisend raak dat die volwassene oorweldig voel en in spanningsituasies of te midde van 'n vol program, onvanpaste besluitnemingstrategieë aanwend. Die openbaring van onvanpaste besluitnemingsgedrag sluit in die onvermoë om • die kern van die probleem te formuleer • alternatiewe te genereer en te evalueer • die besluit te neem, te implementeer en te evalueer 'n Empiriese ondersoek is onderneem om te bepaal watter besluitnemingstrategieë deur professionele volwassenes bemeester behoort te word en of die andragoog die volwassene tydens die afhandeling van die besluitnemingsproses moet bystaan. Die faktore wat 'n rol by besluitneming speel, is ook behandel. Die navorser se eie voorstelling van die besluitnemingsproses, wat as opsomming van die literatuurstudie beskou kan word, is as raamwerk gebruik om vrae te genereer wat in die vraelys opgeneem kon word, asook om onderhoude te voer. Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking van die ondersoek is dat professionele volwassenes tydens die besluitnemingsproses op ondersteuning aangewese is en dat besluit nemingskonflik verlig kan word indien 33 belangrike besluitnemingsvaardighede bemeester is. Verder is gevind dat daar beduidende verskille is ten opsigte van die besluitnemingsvermoë van die agt verskillende beroepsgroepe wat by hierdie navorsing betrek is, asook tussen manlike en vroulike respondente en Afrikaanssprekende en Engelssprekende respondente. Die algemene gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom is, is dat sommige professionele volwassenes onderpresteer wat besluitneming betref en dat hulle in besonder op begeleiding aangewese is. Die andragoog wat as besluitnemingskonsultant optree, sal hom dit spesifiek ten doel stelom sy medevolwassene wat ontoereikende besluitnemingsgedrag openbaar, te begelei tot die vorming van 'n realistiese besluitnemingsidentiteit. Verder word 'n nuwe, meer omvattende uiteensetting van die besluitnemingshandeling vanuit die Sielkundige Opvoedkunde voorgestel wat ten doel het om 'n meer indringende beskrywing van dié konatiewe handeling daar te stel as wat tans in die opvoedkundige sielkundige teorie te vind is.

The current decision-making processes involved in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in South Africa suffer from a lack of coherence and do not include evaluation of trade-offs between qualitative and quantitative impacts, as well as environmental, economic, and social dimensions. In addition, insufficient capacity and knowledge among authorities, a lack of objectivity among Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs), and mediocre reports add to the problems associated with effective decision-making. This work presents a framework aimed at improving the effectiveness and objectivity of the decision-making process applied in South Africa’s EIAs in the energy sector. A number of decision-making models and tools are available to researchers and practitioners throughout the world that could potentially be applied in EIAs. Among these are Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM), and Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA). Each of the tools has its own advantages and disadvantages. With respect to the CBA, its biggest disadvantage is the fact that it requires conversion into monetary terms of all impacts, which is sometimes difficult to achieve. The RIAM, on the other hand, fails to provide a systematic approach to the ranking of alternatives. Both of these issues are addressed by the MCA tools. The MCA framework, furthermore, is universal, transparent, easy to replicate, and does not require a particularly large amount of labour and financial resources to complete. It is, however, subjective, but this shortcoming can be overcome by making the decision process more transparent. The framework proposed in this research paper is based on the Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) technique that allows the identification of the proposed development's cumulative impact versus the current status of the environment. It then compares possible alternatives, where available, in order to identify the most optimal solution. The proposed solution takes into account the trade-offs between the different impact metrics. The research methodology followed in this paper comprised four steps, namely:<ul><li> Selection of case studies, </li><li> Information collection, </li><li> Framework application and testing and </li><li> Feedback. </li></ul> The development of the framework followed an eight-step approach that is generic for MCA and was tested on two case studies that have already gone through the Environmental Impact Assessment process, i.e. the Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plant in the Western Cape and the Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant in the Northern Cape. The former was evaluated against the "no-go option", but included a decision tree comprised of impact areas, categories of impacts and dimensions (environmental, social, and economic). The latter included alternatives for four components of the project, but the decision tree comprised only of categories and dimensions. The effectiveness of the framework was verified by testing the results of the case studies against the recommendations proposed in the respective Environmental Impact Reports. In all cases, but one, the results of the framework correlated with the recommendations made by the Environmental Assessment Practitioners in the respective studies. In addition, a workshop with the decision-makers was held to obtain their viewpoints regarding the usefulness of the framework in their decision-making environment. These decision-makers supported the use of the framework in their environment as it offered an integrated and transparent approach to the evaluation of projects and alternatives. They emphasised, however, that the decision-making process was complex and the application of the framework alone would not be able to address all the challenges. The case studies demonstrated that the proposed framework could be successfully applied in the process of undertaking impact assessments in the energy sector. It can be used to determine the trade-offs between impacts and dimensions, while taking into consideration the opinions of specialists and decision-makers when assigning weights. The framework has the ability to clearly illustrate the benefit of introducing mitigation measures and it also indicates an alternative that produces the optimal cumulative impact. In conclusion, the work presented contributes to the new body of knowledge in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment in the energy sector as it will assist authorities in making objective and informed decisions, while ensuring greater transparency in the process. It also opens opportunities for conducting follow-on investigations, such the application of the framework in other sectors of the economy, undertaking a sensitivity analysis to compare the range of scores used in the evaluation of impacts, and investigating the possibility of acquiring input from Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) and integrating those into the framework. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / unrestricted

Purpose: The study aims to describe and analyze how investors are influenced by information in decision-making processes regarding equity and debt-based crowdfunding. Theories: Elaboration Likelihood Model, Asymmetric information and previous relatable studies.  Method: Qualitative method with semi-structured interviews. Conclusion - The results from the study showed that central factors can lead to debt-based projects and peripheral factors to equity-based projects. The decision-making processes differed in the two different types of crowdfunding according to the security, or uncertainty, of the project. It also turned out that investors preferred debt-based crowdfunding projects. The study also proved the importance of information for the investors differs whether it is a debt- or equity based project.

The main goal of this thesis has been to contribute towards improved understanding of how cities can influence tourism development. A great deal of earlier tourism studies has been concerned with aspects of social sustainability. This has naturally concentrated on potential as well as real anomalies and conflicts related to urban tourism. Inherent in many of such contributions is a dichotomy consisting of residents and social sustainability on the one hand, and negative impacts of tourism development (e.g. overtourism) on the other.  Research and practice have over time gravitated towards an increased focus on how urban tourism development contributes to desired social impact. This has led to new perspectives in both policy contexts and tourism research. Perspectives for how to manage tourism to mitigate negative impact are therefore being complemented by new, more strategic, questions about how tourism can contribute towards urban development goals.  Such questions, together with evidence that tourism development and urban development are mutually constitutive processes, motivate integrating policies that influence tourism into processes of urban planning. The research in this thesis has sought to contribute towards this emerging space by studying the intersections of tourism development and urban development and planning. The research questions that have emerged from this goal relate to the decision and policy making that take place in processes of urban planning when they intersect (necessarily or potentially) with tourism development.  The thesis comprises one cover essay and two research articles. The first article is based on a single case-study of a new urban development in one of the most visited places of Stockholm. The other article is a comparative case-study of Vienna and Amsterdam that studies policy development and practices for sustainable tourism developments. Data was collected primarily through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from municipalities, academia and Destination Management Organizations in respective city.  Results suggest that there are important variations in how different stages of tourism development and corresponding impact influence policy making and vice-versa. The cases studied suggest that strategic choices for sustainable tourism development are available up to a certain point. If negative impact on factors related to social sustainability are excessive, policy making aimed at influencing tourism development becomes constrained mainly to mitigating impact.  Given the intersection of planning theory and tourism studies in this thesis, it can be considered a cross-disciplinary research project. Similarly, the results can hopefully contribute to a development of the understanding of how planning theory and tourism studies intersect in theories of both schools of thought. / Det övergripande målet för denna avhandling har varit att bidra till en bättre förståelse förhur städer kan påverka turismens utveckling. Mer bestämt, hur städer kan påverka turismenför att uppnå bättre social hållbarhet, genom att planera för hållbar turism i den offentligaplanprocessen. Ett grundläggande antagande för forskningen som bedrivits för detta projekthar varit att turistutveckling och stadsutveckling är två processer som sker under ömsesidigpåverkan. Utifrån detta antagande har frågorna i avhandlingen sökt utveckla vetande kringde utmaningar och egenheter som kan uppstå om turism analyseras och utvecklas genomden offentliga stadsplaneringsprocessen. Frågor har utformats för att förstå hur politiska,organisatoriska och ideologiska sammanhang påverkar dessa processer. Mycket av tidigare forskning inom turiststudier har varit bidrag till hur stadsturismensnegativa konsekvenser kan minskas. Detta har bidragit till en dikotomi inom fältet, därboendes välmående och social hållbarhet uppfattas i motsatsförhållande till turismensmöjliga negativa påverkan på städer. Genom att närma sig frågor om hur turism kananvändas mer strategiskt för att gynna stadsutvecklingens mål, avser denna avhandling attbidra till ett alternativt synsätt på hur turism kan och bör utvecklas i städer. Avhandlingen innehåller en kappa och tre fallstudier. De tre städerna som studerats äreuropeiska huvudstäder och den sociala aspekten av hållbarhet har stått i fokus.Fallstudierna har behandlats i två artiklar; den första artikeln studerar planprocessen för enny detaljplan i Stockholm, och den andra inbegriper en jämförelse av planering ochstadsutveckling med avseende till hållbar turism i Amsterdam och Wien. Information harinhämtats främst genom semi-formella intervjuer med representanter från kommuner,besöksnäringsorganisationer samt sakkunniga och akademiker från respektive stad. Studiens resultat understryker att viktiga skillnader kan observeras i hur turismensutveckling och motsvarande sociala och politiska sammanhang påverkar utformning avpolicies, och vice versa. Avhandlingen antyder att möjligheten att göra strategiska val för hurturismen bör utvecklas utifrån idéer om social hållbarhet är begränsade efter en viss punkt.När en kritisk mängd faktorer associerade med social hållbarhet påverkas negativt blirpolicies begränsade till ingrepp som avser att vända en sådan utveckling. Givet kombinationen av teorier från turismstudier med planeringsteori kan dennaavhandling ses som multi-disciplinär. Avhandlingen hoppas därför även attforskningsresultat kan bidra till en utveckling både inom fältet för turismstudier och förplaneringsstudier. / <p>QC 20221006</p>

2020 blev Barnkonventionen lag i Sverige och Sverige hade redan under många år strävat efter att följa de riktlinjer som Barnkonventionen ger. Trots de ambitioner som formulerats ovan så visar uppföljningar att barn generellt inte görs tillräckligt delaktiga i socialtjänstens beslutsprocesser. Studier gällande hur barn med funktionsnedsättningar görs delaktiga i socialtjänstens utredningar visar att socialsekreterare ofta saknar kompetens att tala med dessa barn på deras nivå och träffar barnen för sällan. Utifrån detta kan identifieras ett problemområde gällande hur barn ska göras mer delaktiga i barnavårdsutredningar och de förutsättningar och arbetssätt som behövs för att göra detta möjligt. Syftet med denna studie har varit att öka kunskapen kring förutsättningar och arbetssätt som kan möjliggöra barnets ökade delaktighet i samband med socialtjänstens beslutsprocesser. Frågeställningarna är vilka olika förutsättningar och arbetssätt krävs för att socialsekreterare inom barnavårdsutredningar ska kunna skapa möjligheter för barnets delaktighet i beslutsprocessen samt vilka gynnande respektive hindrande faktorer som påverkar barnets delaktighet. Studien är grundad på en granskning av 14 vetenskapliga artiklar genererade vid sökning i PsycInfo, Universitetsbibliotekets databas samt vid sekundärsökning. Dessa analyserades med en metaanalytisk ansats.  Resultat: Den finns flera olika faktorer på individ-, organisations- och strukturell nivå som kan verka gynnande eller hämmande på barnets delaktighet. På individnivå kan identifieras faktorer som professionellas inställning till delaktighet, socialsekreterarens roll och personliga egenskaper, kunskap om olika samtalstekniker och barnets närvaro på möten. På organisationsnivå kan identifieras förutsättningar för förberedelse och reflektion samt anpassad miljö och tillgängligt material. På den strukturella nivån kan identifieras att större förändringar gällande innehållet i socialsekreterarens utbildning samt lagförändringar kring barnombud skulle kunna haft en gynnsam effekt. Slutsatsen är att för att stärka gynnande faktorer och minska hindrande faktorer gällande barns delaktighet i barnavårdsutredningar krävs dialog och samverkan inom arbetsgruppen. Det finns en vikt i att tillsammans definiera begreppet delaktighet och tydliggöra målsättningen för att sedan genom kollegialt lärande utnyttja varandras kunskaper och erfarenheter för att skapa goga möjlighet för samtal med de barn socialsekreterarna möter. / In 2020, the Convention on the Rights of the Child became law in Sweden, and Sweden had already strived for years to follow the guidelines provided by the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Despite the ambitions formulated above, follow-ups show that children are generally not made sufficiently involved in the social services´ decision-making processes. Studies regarding how children with disabilities are included in the social services´ investigations show that social workers often lack the competence to speak with these children at their level and meet the children too rarely. Based on this, a problem area can be identified regarding how children should be made more involved in child welfare investigations and the conditions and working methods needed to make those possible.  The purpose of this study has been to increase knowledge about the conditions and working methods that can enable the child´s increased participation in connection with the social service´s decision-making processes. The questions are what different conditions and working methods are required for social workers within child welfare investigations to be able to create opportunities for the child´s participation in de decision-making process and witch favourable and hindering factors affect the child´s participation. The study is based om a review of 14 scientific articles generated by searches in PsycInfo, the University Library’s database and secondary searches. These were analysed using a meta-analytic approach.  Results: There are several different factors at the individual, organizational and structural level that can have a beneficial or inhibiting effect on the child´s participation. At the individual level, factors such as the professional´s attitude to participation, the social worker´s role and personal characteristics, knowledge of different conversation techniques and the child´s presence at meetings can be identified. At organizational level, prerequisites for preparation and refection, as well as an adapted environment and available material, can be identified. At the structural level, it can be identified that major changes regarding the content of the social secretary´s training as well as changes in the law regarding children´s representatives could have a beneficial effect.  The conclusion is that in order to strengthen favourable factors and reduce hindering factors regarding children´s participation in childcare investigations, dialogue and collaboration within the working group is required. There is an importance in jointly defining the concept of participation and clarifying the objective in order to then use each other´s knowledge and experience through collegial learning to create good opportunities for conversations with the children the social workers meet.

Text in Afrikaans / Die volwassene wat 'n professionele beroep beoefen, vervul nie net die rol van professionele beroepsbeoefenaar nie, maar is ook 'n voltydse leerder (student), tuisteskepper en landsburger. Hierdie verskillende rolle kan s6 veeleisend raak dat die volwassene oorweldig voel en in spanningsituasies of te midde van 'n vol program, onvanpaste. besluitnemingstrategiee aanwend. Die openbaring van onvanpaste besluitnemingsgedrag sluit in die onvermoe om • die kern van die probleem te formuleer • alternatiewe te genereer en te evalueer • die besluit te neem, te implementeer en te evalueer 'n Empiriese ondersoek is onderneem om te bepaal watter besluitnemingstrategiee deur professionele volwassenes bemeester behoort te word en of die andragoog die volwassene tydens die afhandeling van die besluitnemingsproses moet bystaan. Die faktore wat 'n rol by besluitneming speel, is ook behandel. Die navorser se eie voorstelling van die besluitnemingsproses, wat as opsomming van die literatuurstudie beskou kan word, is as raamwerk gebruik om vrae te genereer wat in die vraelys opgeneem kon word, asook om onderhoude te voer. Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking van die ondersoek is dat professionele volwassenes tydens die besluitnemingsproses op ondersteuning aangewese is en dat besluitnemingskonflik verlig kan word indien 33 belangrike besluitnemingsvaardighede bemeester is. Verder is gevind dat daar beduidende verskille is ten opsigte van die besluitnemingsvermoe van die agt verskillende beroepsgroepe wat by hierdie navorsing betrek is, asook tussen manlike en vroulike respondente en Afrikaanssprekende en Engelssprekende respondente. Die algemene gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom is, is dat sommige professionele volwassenes onderpresteer wat besluitneming betref en dat hulle in besonder op begeleiding aangewese is. Die andragoog wat as besluitnemingskonsultant optree, sal hom dit spesifiek ten doel stel om sy medevolwassene wat ontoereikende besluitnemingsgedrag openbaar, te begelei tot die vorming van 'n realistiese besluitnemingsidentiteit. Verder word 'n nuwe, meer omvattende uiteensetting van die besluitnemingshandeling vanuit die Sielkundige Opvoedkunde voorgestel wat ten doel het om 'n meer indringende beskrywing van die konatiewe handeling daar te stel as wat tans in die opvoedkundige sielkundige teorie te vind is. / The adult who practises a profession, does not only fulfil the role of a professional career person, but is also full-time learner (student), homemaker and citizen. The adult tries to meet the demands of all these different roles and may at times feel unable to cope. In a situation where there is great tension or in the midst of time constraints, this may give rise to the implementation of inappropriate decision-making strategies. Inappropriate decision-making behaviour manifests itself in the inability to • recognise and define the problem • generate and evaluate alternatives • take the decision, implement it and evaluate the result An empirical investigation was undertaken to determine which decision-making strategies should be mastered by professional adults and if the andragogue should assist the adult during the execution of the decision-making process. The different factors which play a role in decision making, are also discussed. The researcher's own representation of the decision-making process is presented and this may be regarded as a summary of the literature study. This representation was also used as a framework to generate questions which were used in the questionnaire and during the interviews. The most important conclusion of the investigation is that professional adults are dependent on support during the execution and completion of the decision-making process. Decision-making conflict can be alleviated if 33 important decision-making skills are mastered. It was further concluded that there are significant differences between the decision-making abilities of the eight different occupational groups involved in this investigation, and between the decision-making abilities of male and female respondents, as well as Afrikaans and English speaking respondents. The general conclusion is that some professional adults show signs of underachievement with respect to decision making and that they are in particular dependent on guidance. The andragogue who acts as a decision-making consultant will aim to guide his colleagues who display inadequate decision-making behaviour, to form a realistic decision-making identity. Furthermore, a new and more comprehensive description of the act of decisionmaking in the Psychology of Education is suggested, aimed at contributing to the proper description of the conative act. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)