The workplace is a place where many people spend a lot of their awake time. It is a place where many people have the main part of their social contexts, and because of this, it is considered relevant to investigate job satisfaction closer to gain a deeper understanding of the subject. This essay is completed with a qualitative method and four semi-structured deep interviews have been conducted and the aim of the paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that affect the job satisfaction of employees in service-oriented professions. The selection consists of four people employed in service professions, and the results have been analyzed using qualitative content analysis, previous research and theories related to job satisfaction. The results show five factors that are of the utmost importance for creating a high level of job satisfaction, and these are social interactions, communication, appreciation, motivation, and salary and benefits. These factors are in part consistent with earlier research but also indicate new approaches. The analysis aroused a curiosity about gender and it would therefore be interesting to approach the area in perspective about gender in further research. / Arbetsplatsen är en plats där många människor spenderar mycket av sin vakna tid. Det är också en plats där många människor har huvuddelen av sina sociala sammanhang och på grund av detta anses det vara av relevans att undersöka arbetstrivsel närmre för att få en djupare förståelse om ämnet. Denna C-uppsats är genomförd med en kvalitativ metod och fyra semistrukturerade djupintervjuer har genomförts. Syftet med uppsatsen är att få en djupare förståelse för vilka faktorer som påverkar arbetstrivseln för anställda inom servicenära yrken. Urvalet utgörs av fyra personer anställda i servicenära yrken och resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys, tidigare forskning samt teorier kopplade till arbetstrivsel. Resultatet visar på fem faktorer som är av störst vikt för att skapa en hög grad av arbetstrivsel och dessa är sociala interaktioner, kommunikation, uppskattning, motivation samt lön och förmåner. Dessa faktorer stämmer till viss del överens med tidigare forskning men indikerar också på nya infallsvinklar. Analysen väckte en nyfikenhet kring genus och det skulle därför vara intressant att närma sig området i perspektiv om genus i vidare forskning.

Chinese environmental policy has been going through transition since 2006. This shift has been represented in investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and control of pollution. The theses tries to find out the factors of this dynamics through an analysis of potential influences. It comes to an conlusion that the shit in chinese policy has been driven mainly by its domestic issues, whereas the impact of the external milieu has been present but limited.

The aim of this research is to explore the state of circular economy adoption and promotion in the Netherlands from the viewpoint of professionals in the field. This research is particularly relevant because the concept of a circular economy is booming all throughout the world, and the Netherlands represents one of the front runners in the application of related strategies. The research questions asked in this study were as follows: ● What circular economy strategies are primarily used in companies in the Netherlands?● To what extent do governments and companies in the Netherlands currently promote a circular economy?● What specific external factors influence the implementation of circular economy strategies in the Netherlands? Aspects of the circular economy were gathered using a literature review, and this information was used to create a tentative conceptual framework. Then, interviews with seven industry professionals in the Netherlands, who were purposively selected, were held, and the data coming therefrom were used to analyse the adoption and promotion of circular economy strategies in the Netherlands, as well as external factors influencing the implementation of said strategies. While the experiences and perspectives of interview participants often matched the literature, there were also some instances where differences were noted. The research showed that there are commonly accepted circular economy strategies in literature and that the actual frequency at which these strategies are employed does not match the expectations of the participants. However, the practical limitations to the adoption of circular economy strategies and which strategies are most common seem to be well understood by industry professionals.  Trends regarding circular economy strategies are not foreseeable according to the research participants, and consumer understanding and greenwashing can be cause for concern in the future. For the Dutch market, the impact of technological advancements, political positions, and the emerging of new global markets are especially relevant when it comes to external factors influencing circular economy adoption in the Netherlands. Several areas for future research have been identified, ranging from studying the impact of internal factors on CE implementation, to optimising policies and regulations, and from increasing stakeholder engagement, to designing measurement metrics and indicators.

The purpose of this study was to explore and document the factors that motivated African American public school administrators in a selected school system in East Tennessee to become school leaders. The study highlighted barriers and challenges, support mechanisms, and perceptions of training. If minority educators are to be actively recruited and retained, there must be an understanding of the factors that motivate them to progressively seek administrative leadership positions. The African American public school administrators' experiences were collected through 17 one-on-one personal interviews. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, coded, and used to answer the 4 research questions. The primary factors that motivate African American public school administrators to become school leaders are a desire to help the students and to make a broader impact on education. These public school administrators had to overcome the barriers and challenges of racial and/or gender discrimination while working in a system that was not supportive of these endeavors. As a result of this study, recommendations were made for the school system, the African American public school administrators, and for further research.

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Do external factors, such as war, affect rhetoric used by presidents during speeches, and do they affect what journalists write about said speeches? These are questions raised and answered in this paper. The research material consists of three speeches by Vladimir Putin, three speeches by Volodymyr Zelenskyj, and seven articles discussing these speeches during Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2022. We also analyze factors within Social identity theory (Dashtipour, 2012), such as how the creation of an identity is portrayed in both speeches and articles. Summatively, we found that both analyses deemed different external factors to be influencing, and both results confirmed that external factors contribute to change.

Understanding the differences among public transit types allows for the development of more targeted policies at both local and regional levels. Examining how the built environment (BE) influences travel behavior (Delclòs-Alió et al.) and assessing data aggregation effects around different transit station types at the local level, along with identifying key predictors of ridership across transit modes at the regional level, offers valuable insights for policy efforts. Specifically, the dissertation comprises three studies that analyze BE-travel behavior associations and data aggregation effects locally, as well as variations in key predictors of rail and bus ridership at a regional scale within the United States. The findings emphasize the unique land-use and travel behavior associations for various public transit systems within transit catchment areas, the effects of data aggregation on BE-travel behavior models, and the critical predictors of rail and bus ridership at regional levels. The first study highlights nonlinear associations between BE attributes and commuting mode share within rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) catchment areas, using data from approximately 2,790 transit stations across 34 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas. Applying a random forest model, this study reveals substantial differences between rail and BRT areas, with rail catchment areas showing greater sensitivity to BE factors in reducing car dependency. BRT, however, emerges as a viable alternative for sprawling areas lacking the compact development needed to support rail systems. The second study investigates how data aggregation influences the BE-mode share relationship around 2,794 rail and BRT stations, utilizing both inferential and machine learning approaches. Findings indicate that data aggregation affects BE-mode share models regardless of the analytical method. Optimal buffer sizes for capturing BE effects and minimizing sensitivity to data aggregation were identified as 800 meters for BRT stations and 1,000 meters for rail stations. Key BE features such as employment density, jobs per household, intersection density, residential density, distance from the central business district, job accessibility (active modes) demonstrated robustness against data aggregation for both rail and BRT stations. The third study examines changes in transit ridership predictors before and after the COVID-19 pandemic across 35 U.S. metropolitan areas. Using extreme gradient boosting on data spanning January 2019 to June 2023, the study identifies a shift from internal to external factors as key drivers of ridership post-pandemic. Socioeconomic factors, gasoline prices, telecommuting, population density, employment density and polycentric development emerged as influential for bus ridership post-pandemic, while traditional factors like vehicle revenue miles, fare, transit coverage, and service areas are more important for rail ridership. Additionally, the study uncovers unique threshold and interaction effects in the post-pandemic period, including positive interactions between African American population proportions and poverty rates for bus ridership, carless households and gasoline prices for bus ridership, and between VRM and polycentricity for rail ridership. This dissertation provides insights into the complex dynamics between BE, transit types, and travel behavior, offering valuable implications for urban transportation planning and policy development at multiple levels. / Doctor of Philosophy / This research explores how different aspects of urban design impact public transit use and helps identify what drives ridership on different types of transit. By studying connections between urban layouts and travel habits around transit stations, the findings offer guidance for creating tailored local and regional transit policies. Specifically, the research looks at three key areas: how built environments relate to travel choices locally, how data processing methods influence results, and what factors influence bus and rail ridership across U.S. cities. The first part reveals that the design of areas around rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations affects travel patterns in unique ways. Rail stations tend to decrease car use in well-developed areas, while BRT stations work better in sprawling urban settings, where compact rail development isn't feasible. The second part shows that the way data is organized can change how we understand the link between urban form and transit use. For example, analyzing a broader area (up to 1,000 meters) around rail stations captures the effect of local design better, while an 800-meter radius is optimal for BRT. Certain features, like job density and proximity to the city center, consistently predict transit use, regardless of the data scale. Finally, the third part examines changes in what drives transit ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic. While pre-pandemic ridership was mostly influenced by operational factors like service coverage, post-pandemic ridership is more affected by external factors like gas prices and remote work trends. Unique patterns also emerge, such as links between certain demographics and bus ridership and between economic factors and rail use. Overall, this study helps planners and policymakers understand the unique needs of rail and bus systems, supporting strategies to make public transit more effective and responsive to community needs.

Factors in a firm’s external environment have a profound impact on a firm’s internal capabilities and decision-making prowess. Due to the inherent complexity of interacting factors, real-life phenomena often exhibit non-linear patterns. However, research in the Strategic Management realm often assumes a linear relationship between variables of interest. This dissertation addresses this gap in literature and focuses on the curvilinear relationship between external factors and strategic outcomes. Two critical areas are investigated to shed light on these complexities: the influence of complementary industry players and the impact of external stakeholders. The first essay examines the emergence of Contract Development & Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) in the biopharmaceutical industry and its effects on firms' innovation portfolios. Findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between firms’ reliance on CDMOs and their capacity to generate destabilizing innovations. While initially providing flexibility and specialized resources, excessive outsourcing can erode firms’ capabilities, emphasizing the delicate balance between external collaboration and internal innovation. In the second essay, the focus shifts to the role of financial analysts as external stakeholders shaping corporate behavior. Analysis reveals a U-shaped relationship between analyst coverage and corporate misconduct, with the monitoring effect dominating at low levels of coverage and the pressure effect becoming stronger beyond a certain point. This underscores the need for contextual analysis and adaptive corporate governance strategies to mitigate misconduct risks. This dissertation underscores the importance of embracing non-linearity in strategic management research. By unraveling the mysteries of U-shaped relationships, this research contributes to advancing strategic management theory and practice, offering valuable insights for decision-makers seeking to thrive in dynamic business landscapes. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

En la actualidad, la páprika peruana se encuentra entre los principales proveedores mundiales desde la última década debido a su calidad y su experiencia en agroexportación. Las exportaciones de páprika peruana tienen como principales destinos a España, México y Estados Unidos, siendo este último el de mayor demanda. A pesar de estar entre los principales exportadores mundiales, la páprika peruana no logra consolidarse o mejorar sus niveles de ventas. Entre los años 2012 - 2017, las exportaciones han presentado irregularidades por parte de las exportadoras que en ciertos casos dejaron de enviar al exterior por espacios de un año. En este periodo de seis años, se observa la consolidación de China como proveedor mundial, las consecuencias de la crisis española en la demanda y la importancia del Norte de Lima como productor nacional de páprika. El presente documento analiza los factores determinantes internos y externos que influyen en las exportaciones de páprika del Norte de Lima. Entre los internos se obtienen el desarrollo tecnológico, la edad y tamaño de la empresa. Por parte de los externos, se presenta el acceso al financiamiento. Para este fin, se analizaron las correlaciones existentes entre las variables y el análisis factorial. La investigación es cuantitativa, no experimental, transeccional y correlacional. Los resultados muestran que los factores analizados son significativos para la actividad exportadora de la páprika debido a que se encuentran muy correlacionadas. / At present, Peruvian paprika is among the world's leading suppliers in the last decade due to its quality and experience in the agro-export sector. The exports of Peruvian paprika have as main destinations to Spain, Mexico and the United States, the latter is the one with the highest demand. Despite being among the world's leading exporters, Peruvian paprika does not manage to consolidate or improve its sales levels. In the years 2012 to 2017, the exports have presented irregularities on the part of the exporters that in certain cases stopped sending abroad for spaces of one year. In this period of six years, we see the consolidation of China as a global supplier, the consequences of the Spanish crisis on demand and the importance of Northern Lima as a national producer. This document analyzes the internal and external determinants that influence the exports of paprika from the North Region of Lima. Among the interns, the technological development, the age and size of the company are obtained. On the part of outsiders, access to financing is presented. The existing correlations between the variables and the factorial analysis were analyzed. The research is quantitative, not experimental, transectional and correlational. The results show that the factors analyzed are significant for the export activity of paprika because they are correlated. / Tesis

Att ha en viss grad av personalomsättning är nödvändigt för organisationens fortsatta lönsamhet. Personalomsättningen inom revisionsbranschen beskrivs däremot som ett problem. Tidigare studier har undersökt olika aspekter av personalomsättningen på individnivå. Där har det identifierats faktorer till varför revisorsassistenter väljer att lämna revisionsbyråerna. Tidigare studier har även fokuserat på olika metoders inverkan på individernas beslut att lämna branschen. Syftet med examensarbetet är att analysera personalomsättningen utifrån revisionsbyråernas perspektiv, och därefter identifiera skillnader mellan stora och små revisionsbyråer. För att besvara examensarbetets forskningsfrågor och uppfylla syftet har både en enkätundersökning samt intervjuer utförts. Enkätundersökningen skickades ut till revisionskontor runt om i Sverige och bidrog med svar från 32 olika kontor. Sedan intervjuades fyra revisionsbyråer i Norrbotten, två små och två stora revisionsbyråer. Studien visar att revisionsbyråerna i Norrland har en låg personalomsättning, men att personal-omsättningen i branschen som helhet fortfarande anses vara för hög. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsats är att personalomsättningen varierar mellan revisionsbyråerna och att byråns storlek är en förklarande faktor. Utöver detta visar studien på att ledningen och externa faktorer har en inverkan på personalomsättningen. De externa faktorerna kan dock inte påverkas av ledningen, utan är något som ledningen istället bör anpassa sig efter för att kunna behålla sina medarbetare. / A certain level of employee turnover is necessary for the organization’s continuous profitability. However, employee turnover in the audit profession is described as a problem. Previous studies have explored different aspects of turnover at the individual level. Where factors have been identified for why associates chooses to leave audit firms. Previous studies have also focused on the influence of different methods on the individual's decision to leave the industry. The purpose of this study is to analyze employee turnover from the audit firms´ perspective, and then identify differences between large and small audit firms. To answer the research questions and fulfill the purpose, both a questionnaire and interviews have been performed. The questionnaire was sent out to audit offices around Sweden and provided answers from 32 different offices. Four auditing firms in Norrbotten were then interviewed, two small and two large auditing firms. The study shows that audit firms in Norrland have a low employee turnover, but turnover in the industry as a whole is still considered too high. The main conclusion of the study is that turnover varies between audit firms and that the size of the firm is an explanatory factor. In addition, the study shows that management and external factors have an impact on turnover. However, external factors cannot be influenced by management, but is something that management should adapt to in order to retain its employees.