Kemikalier utgör idag ett hot för mänskligheten, framtagandet och användningen av kemikalier stiger i takt med samhällets ekonomiska utveckling. Kemikalier återfinns inte endast utomhus utan hittas också i konsumentprodukter som kosmetika. Kosmetika används dagligen och kemikalier som medför risker för både miljö och hälsa har hittats i dessa konsumentprodukter. Syftet med studien är att undersöka studenters riskuppfattning gällande kemikalier i kosmetika, vilka faktorer som influerar uppfattningen och om skyddsåtgärder vidtas. Tidigare forskning ger en inblick i individers riskuppfattning om kemikalier samt hälso- och miljöeffekter av kemikalier som återfinns i kosmetika. En kvalitativ metod har använts med semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod och kvalitativ innehållsanalys som analysmetod. Riskuppfattningsteorierna habituated action theory och protection motivation theory. har använts som hjälpmedel för att tolka studiens resultat. Resultatet påvisar en koppling till tidigare forskning och teorier. Studenternas riskuppfattning påvisade en upplevelse av trygghet till kosmetikaprodukter inom olika aspekter och en delad riskuppfattning gällande kosmetikaföretagen. Oron för miljön, framtiden och de ”kemikalier” som återfinns i produkterna var högre än oron för potentiella hälsorisker med kemikalier i kosmetika. Riskuppfattningen influerades av rutiner, vanor och strukturer men förändrades av negativa upplevelser och interaktioner. Skyddsåtgärder vidtogs i det fallet individen upplevde ett hot eller en sårbarhet för kemikalier i kosmetika. / Chemicals today pose a threat to humanity, the development and use of chemicals increases in step with society's economic development. Chemicals are not only found outdoors but are also found in consumer products such as cosmetics. Cosmetics are used daily and chemicals that pose risks to both the environment and health have been found in these consumer products. The aim of the study is to investigate students' risk perception regarding chemicals in cosmetics, which factors that influence the perception and whether protective measures are taken. Previous research provides an insight into individuals' risk perception of chemicals and the health and environmental effects of chemicals found in cosmetics. A qualitative method has been used with semi-structured interviews as a data collection method and qualitative content analysis as an analysis method. The risk perception theories, habituated action theory and protection motivation theory has been used as an aid in interpreting the results of the study. The results showed a connection to previous research and theories. The students' perception of risk demonstrated an experience of security for the cosmetic products in various aspects and a split perception of risks regarding the cosmetics companies. Concerns about the environment, the future and the “chemicals” that are found in the products were higher than concerns about potential health risks of chemicals in cosmetics. The perception of risk was influenced by routines, habits and structures but changed by negative experiences and interactions. Protective measures were taken if the individual experienced a threat or a vulnerability to chemicals in cosmetics

Bakgrund: Klimatförändringarnas effekter globalt som på lokal nivå, kan redan noteras. För skyfallsöversvämningar har det ökat och kommer öka än mer framöver. Olika sektorer i ett samhälle påverkas när en stad översvämmas, varav en stor grupp består av samhällets medborgare. Individer upplever skyfall som oförutsägbara och slumpmässiga. Konsekvenserna efter en skyfallsöversvämning har effekt på både de sociotekniska och socioekonomiska dimensionerna för en individ på kort och lång sikt. Med detta perspektiv anses det intressant att undersöka hur individer resonerar kring framtida skyfallsöversvämningar på lokal nivå. Studien avgränsas till privata fastighetsägare, då tidigare forskning pekar på att de som äger sin egen bostad är mer benägna att anta skyddande anpassningar på sina enskilda fastigheter, vilket antas bidra till den totala samhällssäkerheten. Syftet: Syftet med studien var att öka förståelsen för privata fastighetsägares syn på skyfall som leder till översvämning och hur det motiverar dem att vilja skydda sin privata fastighet innan en översvämning sker. Metod: Studiens kvalitativa forskningsinriktning utgick från en hermeneutisk vetenskapsteori med inriktning åt samhälls- och beteendevetenskap. Datainsamlingen genomfördes som semi-strukturerade intervjuer som analyserades utifrån en kvalitativ konventionell innehållsanalysmetod med induktiv ansats. Totalt genomfördes sex kvalitativa intervjuer. Områdesurvalet utgick från ett strategiskt icke-sannolikhetsbaserat urval medan respondenturvalet var ett icke-slumpmässigt bekvämlighetsurval. En testintervju genomfördes innan själva studien påbörjades, för att säkerställa att frågorna var relevanta. Som teoretiskt ramverk valdes Protection motivation theory för att fånga upp likheter och skillnader i individers resonemang kopplat till skyfallsöversvämningar. Resultat: Det induktiva analysförfarandet resulterade i tre huvudkategorier och nio underkategorier. Förmågor, riskhantering och samhällspåverkan belyser olika perspektiv hur privata fastighetsägare resonerar kring sin kapacitet innan en skyfallsöversvämning sker. Kunskapsbrist och individnivån; intra- och interpersonlighet inverkar på individernas förmågor och beslut. Medan valet av anpassningar av fastigheten vägdes mellan kostnaden i relation till tid och nyttovärdet. Vidare pekade resultatet på att samhällspåverkan var bidragande till en känsla av utsatthet, detta främst inom ansvarsfördelning och information hos respondenterna då de upplevde ett beroendesamband till kommunen och försäkringsbolagen. Utmärkande för studien: Respondenterna upplever skyfallsöversvämningar som ett abstrakt fenomen, vilket påvisas av en uttalad kunskapsbrist kopplat till området. Vidare har tidsfaktorn tillsammans med ansvarskostnaden inverkan på hur nyttovärdet av en anpassning upplevs. Mest framträdande är hur den sociala omgivningen tillsammans med individens självförmåga kan påverka riskbedömning och hanteringsförmåga i relation till skyfallsöversvämningar. Slutligen upplever den undersökta populationen privata fastighetsägare samhällspåverkan i form av beroendesamband och utsatthet till både kommun och försäkringsbolag, vilket pekar på att individperspektivet med inriktning på hantering av skyfallsrisker bör inkluderas i framtida forskning. / Background: The effects of climate change globally as well as at the local level can already be noted. Pluvial flood events have increased and will increase even more in the future. Different sectors of a society are affected when a city is flooded, of which a large group consists of the citizens of the society. Individuals experience extreme rains as unpredictable and random. The consequences after pluvial floods have an effect on both the socio-technical and socio-economic dimensions of an individual in the short and long term. With this perspective it is considered interesting to do research, to capture how individuals reason about future pluvial floods, at the local level. The study is limited to private property owners, as previous research indicates that those who own their home are more aware and prone to adopt protective adaptations to protect their property, which is assumed to contribute to overall social security. Purpose: The aim of the study was to increase the understanding of private property owners´ views on pluvial floods that lead to flooding and how it motivates them to want to protect their private property before a flood occurs. Method: The qualitative research was based on a hermeneutic theory of science with a focus on social and behavioural sciences. The data collection was conducted as semi-structured interviews. The collected data material was analyzed by applying a qualitative conventional content analysis method with an inductive approach. A total of six qualitative interviews were conducted. The area of the sample was based on a strategic non-probability sample, while the respondent sample was a non-random convenience sample. A test interview was conducted before the actual study began, to ensure that the questions were relevant. The Protection Motivation Theory, was chosen as the theoretical framework to capture similarities and differences in the individuals´ reasoning, linked to pluvial floods. Results: The inductive analysis procedure resulted in three main categories and nine sub-categories. Abilities, risk management and societal impact shed light on perspectives on how private property owners’ reason about their abilities before a pluvial flood occurs. Lack of knowledge and the level of the individual; intra- and interpersonal levels affect individuals´ inner abilities and decisions. While the choice of adaptations of the property was weighed between the cost in relation to time and utility value. Furthermore, the results indicated that social impact was contributing to a feeling of vulnerability, mainly within the division of responsibilities and information among the respondents when they experienced a dependency relationship with the municipality and the insurance companies. Characteristic of the study: The respondents experience pluvial floods as an abstract phenomenon, which is expressed as a lack of knowledge linked to the area of research. Furthermore, the time factor together with the cost of liability has an impact on how the utility value of the adaptation measure is perceived. Most prominent is how the social environment together with the individual´s self-efficacy can affect risk assessment and coping ability in relation to pluvial floods. Finally, the surveyed population of private property owners’ experiences societal impact in the form of dependency and vulnerability to both municipality and insurance companies, which indicates that the individual perspective with a focus on managing pluvial flood risks, should be included in future research.

Teleworking has become a significant aspect of working life, especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the trend of teleworking. However, this shift has increased the risk of cyber threats and security risks. Despite organizations' efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, a significant risk remains, with employees posing one of the main security risks in the form of human error and mistakes. Previous research highlights that employees tend to exhibit lower levels of cybersecurity awareness and are more likely to perform riskful actions when working remotely compared to working in the office. However, recent research has shown the opposite, where employees are more conscious of cybersecurity awareness and more likely to apply security-based precaution measures during remote work compared to office work. In light of these research findings, this study focuses on examining how IT-security experts perceive cybersecurity when working remotely compared to working in the office. To explore this, the study has, through qualitative mapping, conducted semi-structured interviews with a theoretical basis in Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). Overall, the study showed that IT- security experts perceive cybersecurity as more manageable when working in the office compared to remote work, with an increased awareness of the importance of the human factor. / Distansarbete har blivit en betydande aspekt av arbetslivet, särskilt efter utbrottet av Covid-19- pandemin, vilket accelererade trenden med distansarbete. Denna omställning har emellertid ökat risken för cyberhot och säkerhetsrisker. Trots organisationers insatser för att stärka cybersäkerheten kvarstår en betydande risk, då anställda utgör en av de främsta säkerhetsriskerna i form av mänskliga fel och misstag. Tidigare forskning framhäver att anställda ofta är mindre säkerhetsmedvetna och mer benägna att utföra riskfyllda handlingar när de arbetar på distans jämfört med arbete på kontoret. Däremot har senare forskning visat motsatsen, där anställda är mer säkerhetsmedvetna och mer benägna att vidta säkerhetsåtgärder under distansarbete jämfört med arbete på kontoret. Mot bakgrund till dessa forskningsresultat, fokuserar denna studie på att undersöka hur IT-säkerhetsexperter uppfattar cybersäkerhet vid distansarbete jämfört med arbete på kontoret. För att utforska detta har studien, genom kvalitativ kartläggning, genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med teoretisk grund i Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). Sammantaget visade studien på att IT-säkerhetsexperter uppfattar cybersäkerhet som mer hanterbar vid arbete på kontoret jämfört med distansarbete, med en ökad medvetenhet om den mänskliga faktorns betydelse.

Coupons are a marketing tool used to entice consumers to try a new brand or product in the hopes that they will then become loyal users after trial (Boundless, n.d.). Issuing coupons is a common practice for many businesses because it is relatively inexpensive to begin, and can be used for general advertising purposes in addition to attracting new customers. Digital coupons have been introduced in the last few years and their acceptance is growing, with redemptions in 2010 increasing by 10 times the 2009 rates and projected to increase exponentially with each year (Savings.com, n.d.). Despite the higher acceptance and redemption rates for digital coupon formats over the past 5 years, the overall coupon redemption rate has remained at around 2%. Early coupon academic studies in the promotional literature examine profitability maximization through manipulating coupon characteristics or the coupon process such as the timing of release, length of expiration dates, amount of the cents-off, and other related monetary factors. Despite the ability to adjust coupon features to maximize revenue and redemption, the effect is not strong enough to generate the motivation required to elicit new use from non-users being targeted nor improve the overall low redemption rates. Basic characteristics such as demographic and socioeconomic variables as well as some predisposing motivational characteristics have also been studied to predict coupon use. While some of these characteristics demonstrate differences between consumers who do and do not use coupons, characteristics provide little insight into why non-users choose not to coupon. Furthermore, the findings cannot be generalizable to the population as a whole when the redemption rate persists at 2%. With digital coupons a rapidly growing practice, it is important to determine whether or not this new coupon format might contribute to behavior change in current non- or infrequent users of coupons. The overarching goal of this research was to better understand the motivational processes driving the decisions to not use coupons in the context of consumer packaged goods (grocery). While most previous research has concentrated on characteristics of the consumer, characteristics of the coupon, and predisposing motivational constructs, this study examined why consumers rejected coupons by examining their narratives on the various stages of the coupon process to narrow down the factors contributing the most to deterring coupon use. A two-phase qualitative approach was selected to determine how digital coupons were perceived by both frequent and infrequent users followed by a more in-depth investigation into the timing, motivation and cognitive processes occurring behind the decision not to coupon. The Phase 1 study included 58 participants, 29 frequent users and 29 infrequent users. Participants completed a set of questionnaires measuring previously identified predisposing characteristics, given guidance on the selection of digital coupons loaded onto shopper loyalty cards and were provided with Sunday circulars. Each participant had 1 week to try and redeem the digital coupons and complete follow up questionnaires to determine any changes post-trial. Participants were invited to participate in 1 of 6 focus groups to determine themes related to the digital coupon trial. The Phase 2 study included 10 individuals who participated in depth interviews focusing on the processes, motivations and decisions related to coupon use during grocery shopping. The interview was broken out into 5 stages: 1 is an ice-breaker introduction to the study; 2 involves rapport building and setting the tone; 3 is the depth interview that attempts to elicit understanding into the motivation, timing, and rationale behind rejection of coupon use; 4 presents some popular emerging technologies based on emerging applications of interest to the Association of Coupon Professional Board; and 5 includes a brief discussion of different type of coupon and verification. Overall, the consumer's perceived purpose of the coupon is to save money through item cost reduction whereas from a marketing perspective the coupon is intended to entice consumers new to the brand or to encourage trial of a new product (Boundless, n.d.). This difference in perception could be a major contributor to the valuation process and resistance/rejection themes of infrequent users. Interestingly, very few infrequent users rejected the practice of coupons outright and were far more likely to resist or postpone the practice. More research should be conducted to identify when, how and why infrequent users re-evaluate coupons or try the process again. Coupon industry members should review the coupon practice and make a decision to either abandon or overhaul the process as it currently does not provide value to either the manufacturers issuing the coupons or the consumers, even those actively using coupons. If the decision is to overhaul the practice then a decision should be made whether or not to adapt to the current perceptions that coupons are a means to reduce product price or re-educate consumers and industry members alike on the coupon as a means to solicit trial. Lastly, many of the existing apps do not address any of the coupon-related barriers, incongruities, or infrequent user needs. A disruptive technology is needed to change consumer perceptions, encourage coupon use and provide value added utility beyond just bypassing the coupon process to make the practice relevant in today's mobile culture.

Background: Most current research on consumption events like Black Friday has been done in an US context. Black Friday do not have any cultural heritage or any other social connection to Sweden, however, it is already considered as the second most significant sales opportunity annually in the country. Additionally, research has confirmed that online retailing has been faster than offline retailing regarding adoption to consumption events. Therefore, to qualitatively investigate motivation towards Black Friday consumption online, in a Swedish context, would provide new insight in the field. Purpose: This research serves to contribute to the research of motivation towards consumption events online, viewed upon from the consumers perspective. By uncover meanings for utilitarian and hedonic motivation dimensions towards consumption events online, using Black Friday Weekend as an empirical example, this research aims to, besides adding to previous research, clarify ambiguous situations and provide valuable insights for online retailers that may lead to potential business opportunities. Method: In order to achieve in-depth understanding of the topic, a qualitative study with exploratory design was conducted. Data was gathered through focus group interviews with participants chosen through a purposive sampling technique. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis which generated the empirical findings. Conclusion: Throughout this research, sixteen themes related to motivation emerged, eight utilitarian and eight hedonic. The themes offer more accuracy and a deepened understanding of motivation towards consumption events online for the empirical foundation researched by explaining meanings of the motivation dimensions in this particular context, namely Black Friday Weekend in Sweden.

Introduktion och syfte: Årsmedelnederbörd och antalet extrema nederbördstillfällen i Sverige antas öka i framtiden. När antalet extrema nederbördstillfällen ökar så ökar också antalet försäkringskompensationer till privata husägare. Erfarenhet har visat sig göra människor mer medvetna om associerade risker och påverkar en individs motivation att själv utföra översvämningsskyddande åtgärder. Men bara en tredjedel av de som drabbas av översvämning genomför en åtgärd för att minska framtida risk. Tidigare studier har visat att Protection motivation theory (PMT) kan vara användbar för att förklara vad som påverkar en individs motivation att utföra åtgärder. Tillsammans med ytterligare faktorer som också identifierats påverka en individs benägenhet att utföra skyddsåtgärder mot översvämningar syftar studien till att undersöka orsaker till skada, hantering och uppkomna skador vid översvämning i privata hushåll samt hur olika faktorer påverkar en individs motivation att utföra skyddsåtgärder. Metod: Studien använder en kombination av kvantitativ- och kvalitativ metod för att undersöka förekomst och innebörd av olika fenomen kopplade till översvämning. Datainsamling gjordes med semistrukturerade telefonintervjuer som analyserades med tematisk analys och deskriptiv statistik. Resultat: Resultaten visar att PMT tillsammans med individens tillgängliga information om åtgärder och uppfattning av vem som har det huvudsakliga ansvaret för att hantera översvämning är viktiga för att förklara vad som motiverar en individ till att utföra åtgärder. Bedömning av hotet och bedömning av skyddsåtgärder som båda ingår i PMT påverkar individens motivation men bedömning av skyddsåtgärder verkar ha en större påverkan på utförda åtgärder. Slutsats: För att villaägare ska utföra skyddsåtgärder utöver de som de identifierat förhindrar skada är det viktigt att information om åtgärder och metoder för dess utförande kommer villaägare tillgodo. Även ansvarsfördelningen mellan privatperson och kommun behöver förtydligas då detta identifieras som en orsak till varför individer slutar genomföra åtgärder. / Introduction & aim: Annual mean precipitation and the number of heavy rainfalls is expected to increase in both the short- and long-term perspective in Sweden. As the number of heavy rainfalls increases, the number of insurance compensation to private homeowners also increase. Experience has shown to make people more aware of the associated risks and influences an individual's motivation to carry out flood protective measures himself but only a third of the people exposed performs measures to decrease the risk of future flooding. Previous studies have also found Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to be a useful tool for explaining what influences the probability of an individual to take protective measures. This study aims to investigate causes of damage, management and damage caused by flooding in private households, and how various factors affect an individual's motivation to perform protective measures, using PMT together with additional literature as an explanatory tool. Method: The study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the occurrence of the different phenomenon’srelated to flooding. Data collection Semi-structural interviews were performed an analysed with thematic analyses and descriptive statistics. Results: The results show that PMT, together with the individual's knowledge on measures and perception of who has the main responsibility for managing flooding, is important in explaining what motivates an individual to perform measures. Threat appraisal and coping appraisal, both included in the PMT, is shown to affect the individual's motivation. Thought coping appraisal seems to have a greater impact on the actions performed. Conclusion: For homeowners to carry out protective measures in addition to those already performed in response to the experienced flooding it’s important that information on measures and how to implement them are provided. The division of responsibility between the private person and the municipality also needs to be clarified to the homeowner as this is identified as a reason why individuals stop implementing measures. / Skyfallsmodellering- Planering, analys och sårbarhetshantering, SPLASH

Target Corporation experienced an information security breach resulting in compromising customers' financial information. Management is responsible for implementing adequate information security policies that protect corporate data and minimize financial losses. The purpose of this experimental study was to examine the effect of a fear appeal communication on an individual's information security policy behavioral intention. The sample population involved information technology professionals randomly selected from the SurveyMonkey audience. A research model, developed using constructs from deterrence theory and protection motivation theory, became the structural model used for partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis of the survey response data, which indicated that self-efficacy was statistically significant. The remaining model variables, perceived threat vulnerability, perceived threat severity, response efficacy, informal sanction certainty, informal sanction severity, formal sanction certainty, and formal sanction severity, were not statistically significant. A statistically significant self-efficacy result could indicate confidence among the population to comply with information security policies. The nonsignificant results could indicate the fear appeal treatment did not motivate a change in behavior or information security policy awareness bias was introduced by selecting information technology professionals. Social change in information security could be achieved by developing an effective information security policy compliance fear appeal communication, which could change information security compliance behavior and contribute to securing the nation's critical cyber infrastructure and protecting data.

"Motivation" is the force that drives an individual to perform a certain action. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), an American psychologist profoundly influenced by the existential and teleological paradigms, expounded a motivation theory that remains precise and replicable, as well as applicable to other spheres of study, including the humanities. Indeed, psychology experts and non-specialists are by and large familiar with Maslow's Pyramid of Human Needs. Moreover, despite the abundance of literary criticism that utilizes Freudian-based theory to analyze the motivations of literary characters, critics have largely neglected the use of other paradigms, including Maslow's. In this thesis, I use Maslow's texts as support for identifying the motivations of women characters who dress as men in Shakespeare's dramas. I also simultaneously employ Maslow's theory to illuminate the parallels in these characters' motivations and the varying need levels that Maslow develops in his hierarchy. After a comprehensive review of the literary criticism that addresses the dramatic motif of cross-dressing in early modern England and an extensive explanation of the history of motivation theory up to and including that of Abraham Maslow, I treat the following plays by William Shakespeare: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, As You Like It, and The Merchant of Venice in conjunction with Maslow's Pyramid of Human Needs. Through this analysis, I demonstrate that Julia cross-dresses to satisfy needs on the level of Love/Belonging; Rosalind cross-dresses for reasons that correspond to the Safety level, then to the Esteem level; and Portia demonstrates motivations that correspond to Maslow's Love/Belonging and Esteem levels.

Volunteer service accounts for a substantial percentage of America’s workforce and GDP. Numerous organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross have come to rely heavily on volunteer service. Due to the recent economic downturn and resulting budgetary cuts in the government sector, non-profit organizations have had to assume greater responsibility for providing services such as health care and education. Considering the importance of volunteer service to society, this literature review seeks to identify the key functional motives for volunteers. With a particular focus on the functional motivation theory and the six most prominent motives – values, enhancement, understanding, career, social, and protective – this paper explores the general trends, gender difference, and age differences in volunteer motivation. In addition, it discusses the practical implications of knowledge about volunteer motivation on recruiting and retaining volunteers.

Global climate change has brought about not only rise in global temperature, but also other climate anomalies such as severe storms, droughts and floods. To reduce damages from these disasters, both the government and public need to take preparations. This study aims to explore the factors that may influence the public's flood preparedness. The explored factors were derived from Rogers¡¦s (1983) protection motivation theory and Grothmann and Patt's (2005) model of private proactive adaptation to climate change. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of Kaohsiung citizens, 490 of whom lived in flood-prone areas and the rest 210 lived in other areas in Kaohsiung. A total of 264 citizens responded. Results showed that threat appraisal and coping appraisal could affect the intent to prepare, and threat appraisal was affected by reliance on government and disaster experience. These suggest that if the government wants to increase people's flood preparedness, it should both (a) make people alert to the severity and high possibility of future floods, and (b) make people believe that they could take affordable and effective measures to reduce their flood damage.