Aim: The purpose of this study is to generate a comprehensive understanding of young women in order to identify primary factors of motivation. The focal point is on how employers in the IT industry can face the work-related needs.Three question formulations are framed to be able to cope a comprehensive understanding.  Method: The empirical evidence of this study is based on eight semi-structured interviews with women within generation Z operating in the IT industry.   Result & Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that career path, responsibility and accomplishment are considered important inner motivation for women (Gen Z) working in a male-dominated IT industry. Confirmation and good communication with the employer manifest as the most important external motivation. Equality in the workforce promote stronger motivation for women, which indicate that employers can revise work environment with pronounced masculine indications to retain women in the IT industry.  Contribution of the thesis: The study contributes with a better understanding of young female working in a male-dominated environment.  Suggestions for future research: Since Generation Z initiate enter the labor market the quantity of Generation Z in the workforce will increase in a matter of time, future research can resemble internal and external motivation factors.

Problemformulering: Runt hälften av världens befolkning består av kvinnor som har menstruation i sin vardag, men trots det är ämnet omringat av skam, tabu och stigma. Under de senaste åren, i samband med ett ökat menstruationsaktivism, har en ny era av menstruationsannonser dykt upp där man är mer villig att dela historier om menstruationsskam. Flickor får lära sig från tidig ålder att hålla en tystnad om menstruation: genom att det finns en tabu i samhället som gör att det är socialt oacceptabelt att prata om mens. Unga kvinnor, som ingår i Generation Z, är mer öppna när det kommer till att prata om menstruation till skillnad från andra generationer. Hur denna generation uppfattar budskap som företag sänder ut gällande menstruationtabu blir intressant i en fråga om såväl både samhällsnytta och företagsreklam. Syfte: Studien syftar till att se hur unga kvinnor uppfattar och upplever kampanjfilmer som rör tabu kring menstruation. Metod och material: Fört att kunna besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar har den metodologiska ansatsen varit fokusgrupper för att kunna få fram unga kvinnors åsikter, upplevelser och tankar kring ämnet menstruationstabu. Tre fokusgrupper har genomförts med tre till fyra deltagare i varje. Stimulusmaterialet som exponerats för fokusgruppsdeltagarna är tre kampanjfilmer från företagen Always, Libresse och Deodoc. Huvudresultat: Vi har sett ett gäng kritiska deltagare som uttrycker sina åsikter och tankar om ett ämne som är omringat av i många fall skam. Deltagarna visar tydligt hur de värdesätter att budskap ska vara autentiskt och äkta. Respondenterna lägger mycket engagemang kring olika typer av förankringar som de uppfattar i kampanjfilmerna. Det kan vara allt från historier som de själva kan identifiera sig med eller den kända personen som frontar kampanjen. De vill gärna se att de själva pratar öppet om menstruation men kommer till insikt om att de fortfarande existerar en tabu, utan att de själva tänker på det. Detta kan vara allt från att de blir upplysta om det i samtal med det andra könet eller när de själva talar i negativitet om ämnet.

Background: Recently, the fashion industry has demonstrated a strong interest in sustainability and environmental issues. The sustainable fashion industry has enormous potential, and practical products are attracting Generation Z's environmentally conscious buyers. In the meantime, Gen Z customers have intrigued researchers' interest due to their enormous utilization potential.  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain Gen Z consumers' attitudes toward sustainable fashion consumption and marketing activities in the global market.  Method: This study employed deductive qualitative research. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 Gen Z consumers who represented a range of cultural backgrounds. The qualitative data are analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.  Conclusion: The findings indicate that Gen Z consumers prefer products designed by brands with a distinct brand identity and distinctive highlights that are both practical and sustainable. For sustainable fashion brands to reach Gen Z consumers, branded digital marketing and branded content advertising are pivotal.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what influences Gen Z student college choice. Research on college choice has provided insight into whether or not a student will attend college; however, limited research exists on what impacts Gen Z students’ college choice and how marketing and communication influence what college a student will choose. College recruitment has always been challenging, given the high competition between colleges and universities. With the decrease in enrollment over the last decade and the unexpected impact of COVID-19, that challenge continues to grow. Enrollment and marketing administrators have difficulty expanding and diversifying their marketing, communication, and digital engagement practices to influence this generation of college-going students. This research involved interviews with 27 first-semester first-year students at a regional university in the southeast. Participants described their experiences with the college search process, including contact from higher education institutions. Overall, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of Generation Z’s college choice influences.

Denna studie har ämnat att undersöka generationerna Y:s, födda 1985–1994, och Z:s, födda 1995– 2005, medievanor med fokus på deras attityder gentemot de övervakningsverktyg som existerar på sociala medier idag. För att studera generationernas attityder gentemot övervakningsverktyg har tre teman konkretiserats: deltagande på sociala medier, övervakning från kommersiella företag, samt övervakning i form av platstjänster. Foucaults teorier om Panopticon, disciplin och makt har influerat denna studie och har använts för att skildra övervakning och maktrelationer utifrån respondenternas svar. Studien har genomförts genom åtta kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra respondenter från varje generation. Resultatet av studien visar på mer likheter än skillnader i attityder hos generationerna beträffande deras syn på deltagande och hur de ställer sig till kommersiella företags insamling av personliga data. Attityderna skilde sig dock när det kom till attityder och användande av platstjänster. Här visade generation Y på ett mer restriktivt deltagande och en mer skeptisk ståndpunkt medan generation Z var mer öppna och deltog till större grad. Respondenternas svar indikerade på att de var medvetna om att de blev övervakade på sociala medier vilket de kunde uppfatta som obehagligt, men istället för att inte delta alls så utvecklades strategier som gav dem upplevd säkerhet och kontroll. / This study aimes to investigate the generations Y's, born 1985-1994, and Z's, born 1995-2005, media habits, focusing on the surveillance tools that exist on social media today. In order to investigate the attitudes of both generations, towards monitoring tools, three themes have been concretized: participation on social media, monitoring from commercial companies, and monitoring in the form of location based services. Foucault's theories of Panopticon, discipline and power have influenced this study and have been used to depict surveillance and power relations based on the respondents' answers. The study was conducted through eight qualitative semi-structured interviews with four respondents from each generation. The results of the study show more similarities than differences in attitudes of the generations regarding their views on participation, and how they approached commercial companies' collection of personal data. However, the attitudes differed when it came to attitudes and use of location based services. Here, generation Y showed a more restrictive participation, and a more sceptical stance, while generation Z was more open and involved on social media. Respondents' responses indicated that they were aware that they were being monitored in all three themes, which could be perceived as unpleasant, but instead of not participating at all, they developed strategies that gave them perceived security and control.

The labor force consists of 4 generations including Generation Z with an estimated 25 million Baby Boomers leaving the workforce between the year 2010 and 2020. Franchise fast food service managers desire competent leadership in the workplace inclusive of Generation Z. Yet, many franchise fast food service managers do not have training programs to develop Generation Z's leadership behaviors. Based on Vroom's expectancy theory and Blau's social theory, the purpose of this single-case study was to explore the training programs franchise fast food service managers could implement to develop Generation Z's leadership behaviors. Data collection consisted of direct observation and semistructured interviews of 5 purposely selected franchise fast food service managers at a franchise fast food organization in the southern region of Georgia. Data analysis included coding the transcribed interviews to identify relevant themes, and member checking to strengthen the reliability and validity of the interpretations of participants' responses. The 6 main themes revealed were leadership training, leadership skills, leadership behaviors, training barriers, human capital development, and on-the-job training, which affects employees' performance and organizational effectiveness. Business leaders in organizations may use the findings of this study to develop effective training programs for evolving Generation Z's leadership skills, which could improve the U.S. food service industry turnover rates. Social change implications include the importance of the need for succession planning strategies to promote growth and sustainability within the fast food service industry.

The adaptation of marketing has led brands to connect with the clients through the usage of theiremotions, understanding the joy or sadness an element can create in a customer, which increasesthe possibility of a recognized experience.To analyze the effects that emotions can create in customers, the usage of Duolingo’s case studywas implemented, the understanding of their new strategy used on TikTok, allowed this studyto analyze the results of such adaptations in generation Z, as the main target through the TikTokplatform.Interviews were used in this study to collect data from the public and understand the value ofemotional marketing to make buying decisions.The conclusion of this thesis resulted in the lack of development that Duolingo’s emotionalmarketing has to this day, due to missing information about the brand and the product. Thisthesis identified that the results are between positive and negative depending on the backgroundfrom the customer, since those having previous knowledge about the company appreciate betterthe usage of joy or sadness, different from users that were not able to identify the company.This analysis aims to help other companies that are looking to adapt through social media, byunderstanding how their competitor have done previous marketing campaigns, teaching themto not repeat the same mistakes.

Date: (05/01/22)   Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr   Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University   Authors: Las Amin, Saad Husseino, Nour Kellawi   Title: The Impact of Instagram Influencers on Consumer Purchasing Intention   Supervisor: Noushan Memar   Keywords: Influencers, Online purchasing intention, Instagram, Online influencer marketing, Trust, eWOM, Generation Z   Research question: What are the impacts of Instagram influencers on online consumer purchasing intentions?   Purpose: The primary purpose of this research is to investigate how social media influencers, otherwise dubbed as “Instagrammers,” particularly impact the online purchasing intentions of buyers and understand the role of Instagram influencers in the different online purchasing trends in organizations that rely on these individuals for their marketing activities in e-commerce.   Method: Qualitative research using focus group method for data collection and analysis. Conclusion: Instagram influencers of all types have a noteworthy influence on the different online consumer purchasing intentions on the platform, where several factors determine the scope of their impact. Trust is considered one of the most significant ones. It is perspicuous that trust in Instagram influencers is intertwined with three aspects: the emotional feelings of the users in regard to the person, the social responsibility of the influencer toward the society, and the influencer fan base. Most users consider electronic word-of-mouth very effective, as it makes a difference in their pre-purchasing stage. The research resulted in a clear distinction between two types of eWOM, one being negative and the other being positive.

With the constant development of marketing strategies, it has become more vital to continuously communicate online with consumers. As Generation Z is born with digital devices and increased social media channels, customers demand fashion brands being present online. The empirical findings in this study were obtained using a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with five fast-fashion brands in Sweden that target Generation Z. The authors have used a deductive approach in this thesis. The conclusion of this thesis shows several factors that fashion brands use to create brand loyalty with Generation Z. Findings indicated that social media should be a communication channel. Furthermore, this research is from a retailer’s perspective. Finally, loyalty is something that is earned by creating relationships.

Date: 02.06.2021 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Avesta Aspitman (94/05/24) , Beata Valeria Karacsonyi (95/08/01), Dalia Uthman (97/01/07)                      Title: Changes in online shopping activities of Generation Z students - A qualitative study on online purchase intent and impulsivity during Covid-19 Tutor: Leanne Johnstone Keywords: Online purchase intent, Covid-19, Generation Z, Students, Impulsive shopping Research question:  How has Covid-19 impacted the online purchase intent of students at Mälardalen region of Sweden? Purpose: To examine how the impact of Covid-19 has affected the online      purchase intent of students of Mälardalen region in Sweden. Method: This study has an inductive approach with a qualitative data collection. Semi-structured interviews were held with nine students within the Mälardalen region and were conducted online through the communication tool ZOOM. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the collected primary data and with assistance of the literature review, four dimensions of the topic could be identified: financial, performance, time and psychological. Conclusion: Online purchasing during Covid-19 has increased and thus, affected the online purchasing intent of students in the same way. This is mainly due to restrictions and due to the pandemic and the consumer’s perception of the online retailers’ adaptation to it. Increased impulsivity due to Covid-19 cannot be concluded in this study and thus contradicts existing and recent literature that suggests impulsive shopping increases in crises. Instead, Generation Z students are more inclined to save their money and make strategic choices to purchase online.