Syfte & forskningsfråga: Syftet med denna uppsats är att skapa en djupare förståelse för utvecklingen av dagens modemarknad och fenomenet “fast fashion” genom att analysera och undersöka trenders uppkomst, hur trender anammas av konsumenter samt konsumenters inverkan på modebranschen. Uppsatsens forskningsfråga formulerades med uppsatsens syfte i åtanke och frågan blev följande: Vad är karaktäristiskt för dagens modemarknad och vilken betydelse har konceptet “fast fashion” för marknadens utveckling? Metod: Vår uppsats är baserad på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod då vi önskade att få en djupare förståelse kring det valda forskningsämnet. Vidare kom uppsatsen att få en abduktiv karaktär då vi haft ett växelspel mellan vald teori och empiri. För att vidare få en bredare syn på forskningsområdet valde vi att variera oss i vårt urval av respondenter och intervjuade därför 7 respondenter med olika positioner inom modebranschen. Slutsatser: I uppsatsens analys har vi kunnat se ett mönster där vår valda teori i stor utsträckning stämmer överens med vår empiriska insamling. I vår studie framkom det även att trender är både komplexa och svåra att specificera samt att de både kan pågå under en kortare samt längre tid. Vidare visade det sig att konsumenter idag har en stor påverkan på modebranschen, där de mångt och mycket kan ses som trendsättare. Fast fashion är ett koncept som har bidragit till snabba trendväxlingar på marknaden och via vår studie framkom det att konsumenters syn på fast fashion har förändrats, och att de numera önskar ett lugnare tempo.

The theme of the research stemmed from the generally held conviction that engineers are not found populating the managerial levels of UK based companies to the extent that is the case in most of continental Europe. Put simply, in the UK engineering is not considered to be the 'royal route' to management. In 1978 through a funding initiative by the then University Grants Committee, management enhanced 4 year engineering degree courses known as 'Dainton' courses after the then Chain-nano f the committee, Sir Frederick Dainton, were launched to attract some of the most able candidates to engineering. Designed to "fast track" engineers into management these courses have been running now for nearly 20 years and the research set out to answer whether their graduates have become managers, professional engineers, both or neither and how their background in technology and management may have influenced their subsequent career progression and migration into management. The study is based on 575 usable responses to a postal questionnaire sent to 1,838 'Dainton' graduate engineers and comparable control groups from Birmingham, Brunel, Cambridge, Impenal, Oxford and Strathclyde Universities. The responses to the questionnaire are supplemented by an ethnographical study of documentary course literature and discussions with staff responsible for the courses. Contrasts were found between the groups of engineers and the thesis explores these differencesa nd discussesth e possible reasonsf or them. By developing an insight into the role and influence of management training in engineering degrees the thesis concludes bv examining the consequences for the management of careers.

Approximately 18% of adolescents are obese. Attitudes about Food is a cross sectional study that seeks to identify lifestyle factors associated with adolescent obesity such as fast food consumption, physical activity, attitudes about fast food, and weight perception. The novel aspect of this study is that it seeks to understand how the respondent perceives the health attitudes and behaviors of their closest friends. Subjects were recruited from four youth organizations for a total of 25 participants between the ages of 12-17 years. Respondents completed a 71 item questionnaire, and height and weight were measured by trained interviewers to calculate BMI. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 19.0), and hypotheses were assessed using correlation coefficients. Obese respondents were more likely than non0obese participants to consume at least three fast food meals in the last week (P < .05). Consuming fast food in the last week of the study was associated with exercising one hour a week or less (P < .01). Agreeing that eating fast food is fun was associated with BMI >= 85th percentile (P < .01). Reporting that friends think eating fast food is healthy was associated with eating fast food three or more times in the last week (P < .04) and exercising one hour a week or less (P < .01). Individuals who reported exercising at least four days a week were likely to agree with the statements "eating fast food will make me fat" (P < .03) and "will increase total fat" (p < .05). Finally, overweight adolescents were more likely to underestimate their weight status compared to normal weight and obese respondents. These findings indicate a clustering of risk factors for obesity. Frequent fast food consumption and infrequent physical activity were associated in the present study which could tip the scales of energy balance. Health professionals could focus on raising awareness of the overall diet quality of adolescents who frequently consume fast food while encouraging healthy, fun alternatives to fast food. Screening for overweight status and eliciting peer support for healthy eating are key elements in reducing adolescent obesity.

The White Lady (WL) is a mobile fast food takeaway eatery. The WL has been trading in Auckland City’s central business district for almost fifty years. The WL opens in the early evening and remains open until the early morning hours. At closing, the WL is towed to a storage area where it remains until this process is repeated. This daily pattern has occurred since the WL opened in 1948. Because of its longevity, the WL, and many of its stakeholders have experienced ongoing change as Auckland City has grown, and competition within fast food has increased. Thus, for many stakeholders, the WL is representative of their lives, a mirror of their reality and life experiences. Obviously, these realities and experiences are different for different stakeholders. In this thesis, I examine the contested “White Lady” (WL): the perceptions and the social meanings that its stakeholder groups attribute to it. This thesis illuminates differences and similarities within stakeholder viewpoints and in doing so defines that pie carts like the WL are a valid part of New Zealand’s culinary and social cultures Ultimately, this thesis provides a platform of knowledge from which stakeholders and others can come to understand and know the differing and similar views that other stakeholder groups hold. With this in mind, this research ranges in scope from the examination of city administration to the symbolism associated with the (WL) by some of its stakeholders. Therefore, this research is founded within socio-historic constructs: the history of fast food and, the similarities that this history holds to today’s WL operation. The contextualisation of hospitality within “three domains” (Lashley, 2004, p.13) aids in defining the WL as well as recognising the competitive growth of New Zealand’s fast food industry. This research suggests that fast food growth and subsequent competition have had negative impacts upon many small fast food outlets including the WL. viii The growth of fast food has facilitated a “slow food” (Jones, Shears, Hiller Comfort and Lowell, 2003, p. 298) movement. This movement coupled with the hierarchy of food typologies, adds a Saussurian overlay and sociological discourse to this work. This overlay clarifies for the reader Bourdieu’s (1984) position that all food is reflective of class status. Within postmodernist constructs and the rise of the individual, (and the consequent opportunity to hear ‘voices from the margins’), movement within class and individuality within New Zealand’s wider culture has occurred. Social change therefore, has facilitated some of the issues within WL contestation. In highlighting Bourdieu’s (1984) concept, the “binary opposition” (Levi-Strauss, 1981, as cited in Adamenko, 2007, p.27) inherent within food hierarchies and, as often expressed within the media, is examined. This examination reveals that while the media inform, this information often contributes to the polarisation of opinion that facilitates the formation of contested viewpoints by WL stakeholders. It is against a backdrop of compliance need, the absence of an official street trading policy, the differing views of stakeholders, and the intensification of competition in fast food, coupled with a lacuna in the knowledge base of younger Auckland residents regarding the WL that this research finds its voice.

The White Lady (WL) is a mobile fast food takeaway eatery. The WL has been trading in Auckland City’s central business district for almost fifty years. The WL opens in the early evening and remains open until the early morning hours. At closing, the WL is towed to a storage area where it remains until this process is repeated. This daily pattern has occurred since the WL opened in 1948. Because of its longevity, the WL, and many of its stakeholders have experienced ongoing change as Auckland City has grown, and competition within fast food has increased. Thus, for many stakeholders, the WL is representative of their lives, a mirror of their reality and life experiences. Obviously, these realities and experiences are different for different stakeholders. In this thesis, I examine the contested “White Lady” (WL): the perceptions and the social meanings that its stakeholder groups attribute to it. This thesis illuminates differences and similarities within stakeholder viewpoints and in doing so defines that pie carts like the WL are a valid part of New Zealand’s culinary and social cultures Ultimately, this thesis provides a platform of knowledge from which stakeholders and others can come to understand and know the differing and similar views that other stakeholder groups hold. With this in mind, this research ranges in scope from the examination of city administration to the symbolism associated with the (WL) by some of its stakeholders. Therefore, this research is founded within socio-historic constructs: the history of fast food and, the similarities that this history holds to today’s WL operation. The contextualisation of hospitality within “three domains” (Lashley, 2004, p.13) aids in defining the WL as well as recognising the competitive growth of New Zealand’s fast food industry. This research suggests that fast food growth and subsequent competition have had negative impacts upon many small fast food outlets including the WL. viii The growth of fast food has facilitated a “slow food” (Jones, Shears, Hiller Comfort and Lowell, 2003, p. 298) movement. This movement coupled with the hierarchy of food typologies, adds a Saussurian overlay and sociological discourse to this work. This overlay clarifies for the reader Bourdieu’s (1984) position that all food is reflective of class status. Within postmodernist constructs and the rise of the individual, (and the consequent opportunity to hear ‘voices from the margins’), movement within class and individuality within New Zealand’s wider culture has occurred. Social change therefore, has facilitated some of the issues within WL contestation. In highlighting Bourdieu’s (1984) concept, the “binary opposition” (Levi-Strauss, 1981, as cited in Adamenko, 2007, p.27) inherent within food hierarchies and, as often expressed within the media, is examined. This examination reveals that while the media inform, this information often contributes to the polarisation of opinion that facilitates the formation of contested viewpoints by WL stakeholders. It is against a backdrop of compliance need, the absence of an official street trading policy, the differing views of stakeholders, and the intensification of competition in fast food, coupled with a lacuna in the knowledge base of younger Auckland residents regarding the WL that this research finds its voice.

The White Lady (WL) is a mobile fast food takeaway eatery. The WL has been trading in Auckland City’s central business district for almost fifty years. The WL opens in the early evening and remains open until the early morning hours. At closing, the WL is towed to a storage area where it remains until this process is repeated. This daily pattern has occurred since the WL opened in 1948. Because of its longevity, the WL, and many of its stakeholders have experienced ongoing change as Auckland City has grown, and competition within fast food has increased. Thus, for many stakeholders, the WL is representative of their lives, a mirror of their reality and life experiences. Obviously, these realities and experiences are different for different stakeholders. In this thesis, I examine the contested “White Lady” (WL): the perceptions and the social meanings that its stakeholder groups attribute to it. This thesis illuminates differences and similarities within stakeholder viewpoints and in doing so defines that pie carts like the WL are a valid part of New Zealand’s culinary and social cultures Ultimately, this thesis provides a platform of knowledge from which stakeholders and others can come to understand and know the differing and similar views that other stakeholder groups hold. With this in mind, this research ranges in scope from the examination of city administration to the symbolism associated with the (WL) by some of its stakeholders. Therefore, this research is founded within socio-historic constructs: the history of fast food and, the similarities that this history holds to today’s WL operation. The contextualisation of hospitality within “three domains” (Lashley, 2004, p.13) aids in defining the WL as well as recognising the competitive growth of New Zealand’s fast food industry. This research suggests that fast food growth and subsequent competition have had negative impacts upon many small fast food outlets including the WL. viii The growth of fast food has facilitated a “slow food” (Jones, Shears, Hiller Comfort and Lowell, 2003, p. 298) movement. This movement coupled with the hierarchy of food typologies, adds a Saussurian overlay and sociological discourse to this work. This overlay clarifies for the reader Bourdieu’s (1984) position that all food is reflective of class status. Within postmodernist constructs and the rise of the individual, (and the consequent opportunity to hear ‘voices from the margins’), movement within class and individuality within New Zealand’s wider culture has occurred. Social change therefore, has facilitated some of the issues within WL contestation. In highlighting Bourdieu’s (1984) concept, the “binary opposition” (Levi-Strauss, 1981, as cited in Adamenko, 2007, p.27) inherent within food hierarchies and, as often expressed within the media, is examined. This examination reveals that while the media inform, this information often contributes to the polarisation of opinion that facilitates the formation of contested viewpoints by WL stakeholders. It is against a backdrop of compliance need, the absence of an official street trading policy, the differing views of stakeholders, and the intensification of competition in fast food, coupled with a lacuna in the knowledge base of younger Auckland residents regarding the WL that this research finds its voice.

Diss. Göteborg : Univ., 2002.

Diss. Luleå : Luleå tekniska univ., 2004.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1957.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-207). Also available via the Internet.