Since the 1990s, South Korea has enthusiastically developed and applied digital technologies to every sector of economic and social life, and constructed the most intensively connected society in the world. This thesis explores the impact of Digital Korea on the country s cultural industries, focussing particularly on the main audio-visual industries of broadcasting and film. While the push to digitalise Korea has been enthusiastically pursued by successive national governments with the aim of ensuring that Korea maintains its status as a key world economy as the leading edge of capitalism shifts from an industrial to an information base, to fully understand the forms it has taken and its impacts national initiatives have to be placed in the wider context of shifts in the global trading system. With the rise of neo-liberalism across the globe and the perceived ineffectiveness of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in extending multi-lateral trade, both emerging and developed economies have increasingly embraced Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). In line with this trend, South Korea has signed FTAs with the USA, the European Union (EU) and The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This thesis explores the interplay between national initiatives and global trade through a detailed case study of the US-led FTA with South Korea (KORUS-FTA) focusing particularly on its implications for the Audiovisual Sector and the accompanying, and pivotal, debates around Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). The KORUS FTA simultaneously opened the Korean market to American audiovisual content and strengthened existing national IPR laws to match the provisions prevailing within the US. Both these moves were opposed within Korea on the grounds that they operated unequally, to the advantage of the US and the detriment of national production that had, in recent years, enjoyed considerable success in export markets, creating what came to be known as the Korean Wave . In addition utilising the extensive corpus of available public documentation the analysis presented here draws on two original research exercises: in depth interviews with experts in international trade and intellectual property rights, conducted in South Korea, the UK and Switzerland (in Geneva, at the WTO Forum 2008), and a web-based survey of a cross section of professionals working in the Korean broadcasting industry. The results obtained show that while Korean economists followed the government in arguing that signing the FTA with the US was essential if Korea was to remain a major player in the global economy, a majority of those working in the audiovisual sector believed that the terms of the agreement, particularly the imposition of US-style IPR laws, disproportionately favoured US interests and would weaken the strong position the sector had achieved in recent years and impede its future growth.

I conducted a study on teaching grammar in English classes for grades 4-6 in primary schools in Sweden. I noticed that there was a lack of research in this area, so I wanted to increase our knowledge about teaching strategies and learning theories used by English teachers. I focused on the relationship between English grammar and the use of Swedish language, and I used sociocultural theory as the basis of the study because I believe that collaborative learning is important. To gather data, I conducted semi-structured interviews with primary school teachers who are currently teaching or have taught grades 4-6 in different municipalities in Sweden. I used a qualitative methodological perspective, and the empirical study was based on the interviews. My study showed that the English teachers in my sample used a variety of teaching strategies to teach grammar in English. They relied on textbooks, digital tools, repetition tasks, and other methods. Many of the teachers based their teaching on best practices, and it was clear from their statements that sociocultural theory was important to their approach. Interestingly, my study didn't find that Swedish language played a significant role in English lessons except for grammar questions in English. Lastly, I found that teachers mainly assessed students' grammar knowledge through oral and written tasks rather than formal grammar tests.

Nya komplexa IT-system som erbjuder möjligheter för verksamheter och företag utvecklas runt oss hela tiden. Gränsen mellan människa och teknologi har blivit allt suddigare och människor identifierar sig med teknologi som fungerar som en resurs för dem. För att ett system ska ge så stor nytta som möjligt för en stor mängd människor inom olika verksamheter, behövs en förstahands förståelse för hur verksamheten och individerna i den fungerar. Detta för att sedan kunna implementera ett nytt, eller utveckla ett befintligt system, som passar behoven hos de som ska använda systemet. När traditionella arbetssätt digitaliseras för mer effektivitet i verksamheten, blir framgångsrik implementering otroligt viktigt för att digitaliseringen verkligen ska möjliggöra en resurs för anställda. Syftet med detta arbete är att få en förstahands förståelse av en situation och kontext där det traditionella arbetssättet kompletteras och delvis byts ut mot en digital version, en digital arbetsplats. Genom enkäter, intervjuer och workshops kunde beteendemönster identifieras och därmed tydliggöra användarnas attityd och relation till teknologi och den digitala arbetsplatsen, både individuellt och i grupp. Utifrån användarinformationen sammanställdes två olika ITidentiteter. Sammanställningen av användare och deras relation till IT bidrog till ökad förståelse för de anställdas inställning till den digitala arbetsplatsen, samt möjlig utveckling av denna för att passa olika verksamheter och anställda bättre. / New advanced IT-systems that offer better possibilities for organisations, are constantly being developed around us. The line between Man and Technology has become more unclear, to the extent that humans can identify themselves with resourceful IT. If a system is going to be useful for a larger amount of people within organisations - A first-hand knowledge of the context is needed, to then be able to successfully implement, or develop a system that is suitable for the users’ needs. When a traditional workplace is to be digitalised for a more efficient way of working, implementation is very important if the system is to be a resource for the users. The aim of this study is therefore to get firsthand knowledge about the context, where the traditional way of working is to be complemented or partially replaced by a digital version. Through surveys, interviews and workshops, patterns of behavior were identified and therefore 5 clarified the users’ attitude and relationship to technology- both individually and in groups. From the user research, two IT-identities were compiled. These IT-identities contributed to a better understanding of the staff attitudes towards the digital workplace, and possible development to suit many different employees and organisations.