Sweden hosted the first environmental development conference in 1972 and since then has been a European role model in sustainability issues (UN, 1972), following the triple bottom line: concern for the planet, people and profit (Coombs & Holladay, 2012). The present study deals with the application of micro-ethnography in sustainable communication, in the case of the municipality of Gnosjö in Sweden. Based on internal, external and strategic communication literature, the case study of Gnosjö, in which different areas of organisational communication were represented and how they affected the sustainable development of the organisation, is presented and analysed. It was investigated, which communication channels the municipality uses, how these channels look like and which aspects influence the communication and its development. The approaches of micro-ethnography were applied to collect and evaluate data. For this purpose, data were collected from participating observations with employees at Gnosjö town hall and the collection of seven interviews with informants from the fields of communication and sustainability and constantly compared.  The exploratory data analysis reveals how the employees remained powerless in performing their work routine. Politicians, as the main decision-makers, play an important role in the development of the municipality. Therefore, they should attend training programs to understand the importance of sustainable communication internally and externally.

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between the nature of an individual's self-concept and belief system to his orientation toward internal versus external control of reinforcement. This study was designed to investigate the relationship of two variables, self-concept and open versus closed belief system, to a third variable, locus of control.

The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate which issues that are portrayed as external threats during a disarmament process versus an armament process in Sweden by studying two Defence Committee reports. To understand what is portrayed as external threats, an analysis of both reports and a comparison between them have been made. The research question for this thesis is: How are external threats portrayed in Defence Committee reports during a disarmament process versus an armament process? A qualitative text analysis is made with Carol Bacchi’s WPR method combined with the theory of securitization to analyse the material. The material consists of two Defence Committee reports, one from 2003 and one from 2019 to represent disarmament and rearmament. Previous research of Sweden’s disarmament process has shown that Russia is the main objective affecting Swedish defence policy. However, this thesis concludes that representation of the stability of the world order is affected by the United States being portrayed as reliable in case of conflict which affects the Defence Committee’s representation of external threats.

Examines the perceived occupational image of auditing among US college students and uncovers students’ attitudes towards auditing as a field of study and career. In addition, investigates background correlates of such images and attitudes. Discusses the implications of the findings for academics and practitioners.

For a subset of vertices S in a graph G, if v ∈ S and w ∈ V - S, then the vertex w is an external private neighbor of v (with respect to S) if the only neighbor of w in S is v. A dominating set S is a private dominating set if each v ∈ S has an external private neighbor. Bollóbas and Cockayne (Graph theoretic parameters concerning domination, independence and irredundance. J. Graph Theory 3 (1979) 241-250) showed that every graph without isolated vertices has a minimum dominating set which is also a private dominating set. We define a graph G to be a private domination graph if every minimum dominating set of G is a private dominating set. We give a constructive characterization of private domination trees.

Researchers continually identify gender dysphoria as a significant mental health concern for many transgender individuals. Physical and mental health providers use the existing medical model to conceptualize and design treatment for gender dysphoria. This means that gender dysphoria is currently viewed and treated as an internal concern isolated to the individual. Researchers have also identified that external factors, such as discrimination and societal prejudice, have a significantly negative impact on the health of transgender individuals. Given that current conceptualizations of gender dysphoria focus on internal contributors to distress, external factors that also potentially contribute to gender dysphoria have not yet been explored. To address this gap in the literature, I conducted a study to identify and assess the severity of various external factors that may contribute to self-reported levels of gender dysphoria in transgender individuals. I recruited 195 participants who identify as transgender and who report experiencing gender dysphoria. Participants completed a survey that included the Transgender Congruence Scale, the Gender Preoccupation and Stability Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Gender Minority Stress and Resilience subscales, and the Gender Dysphoria from External Contributors Measure, a series of Likert-type scales developed for the present study that measure frequency of gender dysphoria experienced in a variety of external contexts. I conducted hierarchical multiple regression analyses to evaluate predictors for gender dysphoria from external contributors and gender dysphoria from internal contributors. Gender dysphoria from internal contributors was significantly associated with gender dysphoria from external contributors (r = 0.51). Several predictors uniquely predicted external contributors (i.e. gender-related rejection and gender-related discrimination) while others uniquely predicted internal contributors (i.e. internalized transphobia). Findings indicate that focusing solely on internal contributors generates an incomplete conceptualization of gender dysphoria. The results from this study allow for a more comprehensive understanding of gender dysphoria and the ways in which it impacts many transgender individuals. These results will be helpful in developing more accurate measures of gender dysphoria, which will lead to more effective, inclusive, and affirmative treatments for gender dysphoria and for transgender individuals in general.

Problem: There is little amount of research focused on small and medium-sized enterprise’s (SMEs) and their work with sustainability. Most research on sustainability drivers has been developed on large organizations which makes this thesis provide a perspective on the most important sustainability drivers in SME’s and how they are embedded in SME’s. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to deepen and enrich knowledge of sustainability drivers in SME’s with the aspects internal and external drivers. Method: This thesis has a qualitative and quantitative research approach where the interview included qualitative questions and quantitative rankings of the internal and external drivers by the interviewed SMEs. Findings: The findings of the qualitative and quantitative research indicate that SMEs have embedded sustainability in their work by ranking the most important drivers. The highest ranked internal drivers are proactive leadership, company culture and moral and ethical obligations. The highest ranked external drivers are regulation and legislation, customer demands and expectations, society’s raising awareness and market demands. Conclusion: The main contribution of the thesis is presented by highlighting the most important drivers in SMEs, external stakeholders might have an idea of which driver influences SMEs to make them sustainable; if sustainability is not embedded in the SME. This thesis did not aim to generalize the findings about SMEs sustainability drivers, but to obtain a deeper insight by the interviewees experiences.

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the charismatic legitimacy of the organization Oatly, a vegan food brand, following the criticism from external stakeholders concerning Oatly’s new shareholder; the investment firm Blackstone Group. The study explores the views of young external stakeholders in regard to the statement Oatly issued in response to the criticism. The paper’s final purpose is to understand if Oatly is considered to be charismatically legitimate, and have established a charismatic legitimacy which protects them when facing criticism. Methodology - The theoretical framework of Conger and Kanungo (1998) charismatic leadership scale is adopted to analyze the views of young external stakeholders regarding Oatly’s response. Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches can reveal how stakeholders interpret Oatly’s statement.   Findings - Stakeholders were critical of the investment, yet simultaneously perceived Oatly as charismatic. Oatly’s established charismatic legitimacy enables the organization to make decisions that stakeholders perceive as defying of Oatlys’s fundamental ideology.  Research implications - The results have an impact on a societal level since it provides knowledge in regard to how organizations can use their established charismatic legitimacy to influence the public debate related to their actions. Originality/Value - The paper examines how consumer criticism affects the charismatic legitimacy of a vegan food brand through the lens of young external stakeholders. Furthermore, the study raises the importance of an established charismatic legitimacy for organizations when facing criticism concerning misalignments between the organization's actions and ideology.   Keywords - Oatly, charismatic legitimacy, Weber, organizational external communication.   Paper type - Research paper.

Audit committee members play a pivotal role in the audit process, specifically, when negotiating disputes between management and the external auditor concerning audit adjustments. According to Auditing Standard 16 (formerly AU Section 380.34-.44), the external auditors are required to discuss, with the audit committee, all significant findings resulting from the completion of the audit including: (i) qualitative aspects of estimates; (ii) uncorrected misstatements; and (iii) disagreements with management (PCAOB 2015). Prior literature suggests an audit committee’s propensity to support the external auditor when dealing with the issues described above (Knapp 1987; DeZoort and Salterio 2001; DeZoort et al. 2003b; DeZoort et al. 2003a). However, these studies do not address how behavioral factors such as a relationship between the external auditors and audit committee members can affect a member’s stance on a proposed audit adjustment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect that the relationship between audit committee members and external auditors has on a member’s recommendation for proposed audit adjustments during a management dispute with the external auditor (i.e., whether they side with the external auditors or management). Specifically, this experiment examines the effects of relationships and the mediating effect of external auditor tenure on an audit committee member's judgments through the application of several social cognitive theories: (i) attachment theory; (ii) social judgment theory; (iii) and internal working models. Results indicate that external auditor/audit committee member relationships and auditor tenure significantly influence an audit committee member’s decision making when faced with an auditor/management dispute. Also, auditor tenure (long) does not negatively affect audit quality.

Background: The current trend of a decrease in globalization has created a new scenario for SMEs, with increased protectionist measures and delivery issues, acting as an enabler or a disabler for growth. Therefore, understanding how SMEs are affected is vital, as 99.9% of all Swedish companies are SMEs, meaning that they are crucial for regional well-being. Researching the effect on the growth of SMEs could provide important insight into how SMEs could adapt and mitigate the effects of a decrease in globalization. This study investigates how a decrease in globalization affects the growth of SMEs, utilizing the literature on SME growth and the framework of external enablers. Purpose: This study aims to explore how a decrease in globalization affects the growth of SMEs. Method: The study follows an interpretivist approach through multiple case studies, by conducting semi-structured interviews. Further, the research uses an inductive approach. The empirical data was analyzed following the model by Gioia et al. (2013), where aggregated dimensions were identified. Conclusion: The empirical findings suggest that a decrease in globalization affected SMEs' growth directly through extrinsic events, value chain disruptions, and changes in internal strategies, and internal strategies were further affected by external events. The findings further suggest that the effects are dependent on the industry and the owners´ perception. Therefore, whether a decrease in globalization enables SME growth depends on the interactions between external events and the internal strategies of SMEs. This study contributes to the literature on SME growth and extends the external enabler framework to existing organizations.