The Finnish legislation on legal gender recognition includes a prerequisite of being infertile. This practice not only differs from the legislation of the other Nordic countries but has also been found to be a violation of articles from human rights conventions. The practice has been found to be incompatible with the picture of Finland as a progressive Nordic country and it indeed creates an inconsistency between the regime of Nordic countries. The aim of the thesis is to analyze this problem from a governmental perspective and to find factors that could explain the difference between these countries. Theories of governmentality and governing gender will be applied in the analysis with the help of discourse analysis. From the perspective of the regime of Nordic countries, it is possible that the legislation in Finland would be developed into the same direction in the following years.

Tea is known worldwide for its unique taste and health benefits to the human body. Recent studies on tea have proven that many of its components have significant beneficial effects on the human body. The Nordic region has the highest well-being index globally but is also threatened by noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and an aging population. This master's thesis aims to investigate the tea drinking behavior and habits of the Nordic population and the Nordic population's perceptions and attitudes towards the relationship between tea drinking and health. Based on sociological theory, data were collected using standardized anonymous online questionnaires, and the data were analyzed by the social science software SPSS. This study showed that more than 80% of the participants enjoy and have a habit of drinking tea; the majority of the participants have a positive attitude towards the relationship between tea drinking and health, as well as more than half of the study participants agree that drinking tea is a healthy lifestyle. This study offers new ideas for optimizing the health of the Nordic population.

In today‘s society, transport between places plays an important role in people‘s everyday life resulting in unavoidable effect on the environment. Emissions from the transport sector in the Nordic Region are expected to increase the coming years because of growing urbanization and population, so it becomes apparent that transport planners today are facing a complex system that requires to change in order to reach sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the planning systems and processes to enable improvements. The aim of this study is to analyse and compare how environmental aspects are incorporated in the process of defining measures at early stages in transport planning in the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with the focus on each country‘s capital region. The focus is set on where and how collaboration between stakeholders and expert knowledge are included in the planning processes in the different countries. To meet the aim, a case study approach was chosen where semi-structured interviews with planning practitioners from all the countries were conducted to gather data, together with literature review and document analysis to set the scope of the study. The interview results showed that early-stage transport planning is practiced differently in the five countries. In Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden transport authorities or administrations are responsible for long-term strategic development of the transport system at a national and regional level, and they have defined how transport planning processes should be conducted. In these cases, collaboration between stakeholders and with experts occurs through workshops or working groups created at early stages. In Denmark, there is no longterm strategic transport planning at national or regional level. There, collaboration occurs at project level where experts and stakeholders are included when a project is being planned. Environmental assessment tools and methods were shown to be used at early stages and the interview results showed that CBA had a prominent role in Denmark and Norway, SEA and EIA had prominent roles in Iceland and an environmental assessment model in Finland. In Sweden, CBA and SEA are also used in transport planning, but in this study the focus was on Strategic Choice of Measures (SCM) which does not include those tools. In SCM, experts are included at early stages to incorporate environmental aspects and review chosen measures. Generally, the early-stage planning processes in the five countries are perceived as flexible which provides opportunities to adjust the processes to each case. Yet, planners need to motivate why a specific project or a solution is suggested and to do that they often use environmental assessment tools or expert knowledge.Integration of environmental concern in early planning stages has been identified as important in terms of reducing environmental problems in later stages. A suggestion for future studies is to investigate more in detail how different environmental assessment tools are used in the Nordic countries, as on what levels and stages they are applied. / Transporter spelar en viktig roll i människors vardag i dagens samhälle och bidrar till en oundviklig påverkan på miljön. Under de kommande åren förväntas utsläppen från transportsektorn i Norden öka till följd av urbanisering och stigande befolkningsmängd. Det bidrar till att transportplanerare idag står inför ett komplext system som kräver förändring för att kunna skapa en hållbar sektor. För att det ska ske är det viktigt att man förstår de bakomliggande planeringssystemen och processerna som kan bidra till förbättringar. Syftet med den här studien är att analysera och jämföra hur miljöaspekter integreras i ett tidigt skede där åtgärder definieras inom transportplaneringen i de nordiska länderna: Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige, där fokus ligger på respektive lands huvudstadsregion. Fokus ligger även på var och hur samarbete sker mellan intressenter och experter i planeringsprocessen i de olika länderna. För att nå målen med studien har en fallstudie genomförts, där semistrukturerade intervjuermed planerare från samtliga länder har gjorts för att samla data, samt litteraturstudie och dokumentanalys för att bestämma studiens avgränsningar. Resultaten från intervjuerna visade att transportplaneringen i ett tidigt skede såg olika ut i de fem länderna. I Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige är transportmyndigheter eller styrelser ansvariga för att utveckla ett långsiktigt strategiskt transportsystem på national och regional nivå. De har även definierat hur transportplaneringsprocesser bör genomföras. I dessa fall sker samarbete mellan intressenter och experter genom seminarium eller arbetsgrupper skapade i ett tidigt skede. I Danmark finns ingen långsiktigt plan för strategiskt transportplanerande på nationell eller regional nivå. Samarbete mellan intressenter och experter sker istället på projektnivå. Olika verktyg och metoder för miljöbedömningar används i tidiga skeden, där kostnads-nyttoanalys används till största del i Danmark och Norge, strategisk miljöbedömning och miljökonsekvensbeskrivning används på Island och miljöbedömningsmodeller används i Finland. I Sverige genomförsocksåstrategisk miljöbedömningoch kostnads-nyttoanalys, meniden här studien är fokus på åtgärdsvalsstudier(ÅVS) i den svenska transportplaneringensom inte inkluderar de verktygen. I ÅVS är experter inkluderade från ett tidigt stadie för att inkludera miljöaspekter och utvärderaföreslagnaåtgärder. I de nordiska länderna uppfattas planering i ett tidigt skede under planeringsprocessen somflexibelvilket gör det möjligt att göra anpassningar till rådande planeringssituation. Trots flexibilitet behöverplanerare motiveravarför ett specifikt projekt eller lösningsförslag är framtagetoch för at göra det använder de ofta miljöbedömningsverktyg eller expertkunskap.Integrering av miljöhänsyn i tidiga planeringsstadier har identifierats som viktigt när det gäller att minska miljöproblem i senare skeden och för att åstadkomma ett hållbart transportsystem. Ett förslag för framtida studier är att undersöka mer i detalj hur olika miljöbedömningsverktyg används i de nordiska länderna, på vilka nivåer och stadier de används.

Five professionals who have been working as journalist in their home countries come to Scandinavia after different kinds of terrible experiences and difficulties and there their status is refugee. They all attend to a course of radio making, radio is a new media for all of them and during the course they learn more about the media and have all by the end of the course made a radio documentary about themselves. Their documentaries were short stories about the events of their lives. More and more immigrants and refugees are coming to Scandinavia and have to build a new life in a new society. This paper explores life stories of people when integrating and seeks answers to questions why it is important to share your life story with other and could sharing your story help with integration. The interest is also in radio as a media and as a media for storytelling, what are its strengths and weaknesses and what does future hold for radio in rapidly changing media environment. The research combines two qualitative methods which are supposed to complement each other: qualitative interviews and narrative analysis for analysing radio documentaries.

There is a growing demand for the adoption of sustainable products across differentindustries, including the food packaging sector, because non-biodegradable productshave been used for a long period which has impacted the health of consumers in theNordic region. This study aims at examining the effects of plastic food packaging onthe consumers’ health in five different countries namely Finland, Sweden, Denmark,Iceland, and Norway. Anarrative synthesis of seven qualitative and quantitative sourceswas performed out of a sample of 455 articlesthat were drawn from different academic.Seven articles met the inclusion conditions and the other articles were excluded due toissues on population and alignment with the research question. The findings reveal thatplastic food packaging has adverse health effects on the endocrine and metabolicprocesses because they contain chemicals such as Bisphenol A, Phthalates, BisphenolS, PBDEs, and TBBPA. This research will be useful to other students, scholars, andhealthcare professional interested in knowing more on health and lifestyles related toplastic food packaging. / <p>The study investigates the health effects of plastic food packaging in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway. A review of 455 academic articles, narrowed down to 7, reveals that chemicals like Bisphenol A, Phthalates, Bisphenol S, PBDEs, and TBBPA in plastic packaging disrupt endocrine and metabolic processes, posing health risks. The findings underscore the need for sustainable packaging solutions and the key words used are Plastic, Food Packaging, Effects, Nordic countries, Lifestyle, and Health</p>

Background: This study examines cross-cultural management within the Nordic renewable energy sector, focusing on how leaders from diverse cultural backgrounds manage their teams effectively amidst various cultural dynamics.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how leaders in three renewable energy companies based in Denmark and Sweden perceive and address cultural differences, as well as to identify the competencies these leaders deem important for managing cross-cultural challenges effectively. The research questions addressed include: How do these leaders navigate cross-cultural challenges within the renewable energy sector? Do these leaders highlight any specific competencies as particularly important for managing these cross-cultural challenges?  Method: A qualitative research approach was utilized, consisting of semi-structured interviews with seven leaders from three global companies in the renewable energy sector based in Sweden and Denmark. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to extract relevant themes concerning cross-cultural competencies and leadership strategies.  Results and Analysis: The findings reveal that leaders emphasize the importance of cultural competence, including effective communication strategies tailored to diverse cultural settings. Leaders also highlighted the necessity of flexibility and adaptability in their leadership styles to address and navigate cultural differences successfully.  Conclusions: The study concludes that cross-cultural competencies are necessary for effective leadership in the renewable energy sector. Leaders must integrate understanding of cultural differences into their leadership practices to foster a productive and inclusive work environment.  Recommendations for Future Research: Future studies could expand the geographical scope to include other regions and explore the impact of technological advancements on cross-cultural leadership practices within the sector.  Keywords: Cross-Cultural Management, Renewable Energy, Leadership Competencies, Nordic Countries

Volunteering in non-profit organizations is characteristic for Nordic countries and Sweden especially. The most common gender division is, that men tend to be active within sports clubs, often in leading positions or as members at the board. For women it is more common to be part of social organizations, taking care of others. With this existing knowledge as a starting point, this study examines what motivates young men in Sweden who takes part in organizations that practice activities typically coded as feminine. The study is qualitative as we want to examine the intentions, and the feelings participants have about their engagement in these organizations. The collected data was analyzed through thematic analysis. For the purpose of this undergraduate dissertation the authors have studied an organization called Vän In Umeå and interviewed five young men involved in the organization as well as had informal conversations with women working in it. The theoretical framework for the study is based upon the concept of social capital, social exchange theory and theory of motivation. The results show that the young men´s social capital is important for how and if the engagement arises and develops. Another finding is that the will to grow as a person and to be a part of something bigger motivates the men in their volunteering, as well as feelings of doing something of value for another person.

No description available.

Aim: The aim of this present study was to assess the dental caries prevalence in children and adolescents aged 3-19 in the Nordic countries, and to examine if the caries prevalence is affected by socioeconomic and cultural differences. Method: The study is a literature review based on 20 scientific medical reports based on the aim of this study. Result: Decayed missed filled surfaces (dmfs) of the 3-year-olds varies from 0.3 to 0.99 and from 0.9 to 7.3 in 5-year-old children. The Nordic 12-year-olds have similar numerical values. In Nordic 14-year-olds caries prevalence increases. In the late teens there is a reduction in caries prevalence. Children at Greenland have five times more teeth decayed than other Danish children. Socioeconomic and cultural differences can affect the caries prevalence negatively. Conclusions: The caries prevalence in 3-19-year-olds in the Nordic countries, exceptGreenland, does not differ significantly between the countries. It is difficult to determine if the caries prevalence generally has decreased or increased in the Nordic countries. A higher caries prevalence can be seen in children with an immigrant background.

Den 31 augusti 2007 lämnade det norska och svenska högkvarteren in ett förslag på fördjupatförsvarssamarbete mellan länderna. Det råder det inga som helst tvivel om att den mest väsentligadrivkraften för detta samarbete är ekonomi. Bägge länderna riskerar att förlora väsentliga delar avsina förmågor p.g.a. nedskurna budgetar. Man vill därför åstadkomma ett ”ömsesidigtförstärkande” av de bägge ländernas produktionsförutsättningar. Förslaget innebär ett nytt synsättpå försvarssamarbeten. Frågan blir då hur man kan karaktärisera detta nya samarbete och vargränsen går mellan allians och försvarssamarbete? Denna uppsats utreder graden av integrationoch beroende i föreslaget samarbete, samt vilka konsekvenser detta kan få. Jämförelsen görs motrådande och tidigare samarbeten. Resultatet indikerar att samarbetet går mot en hög grad avintegration mellan ländernas försvarsmakter. Graden av beroende är svårare att avgöra då denpolitiska avtalsbildningen inte är klarlagd. Konsekvenserna av samarbetet bedöms påverka svensktrovärdighet avseende alliansfriheten samt utmaningen hur personalfrågorna inom respektiveförsvarsmakterna skall hanteras. Svårigheten ligger dessutom i att klarlägga konsekvenserna avindirekta beroenden som skapas genom djup integration och politiska lojalitetsdeklarationer. / On the 31 of august 2007, both Swedish and Norwegian supreme headquarters presented aproposal of a new military cooperation between the countries. The main motive is the economicsituation. The military forces in both countries are in a risk of losing vital areas of therecapabilities because of downsizing in budgets. To avoid that situation, both headquarters wants toachieve a “mutual reinforcement” to support the force generation process. This essay attempts toclarify the degree of integration and dependence, including possible consequences. Existing andhistorical cooperation are used as a comparison. The result indicates that this cooperation willlead to high degree of military integration. The degree of dependence is more difficult to conclude,because the lack of decided political agreements. The consequences will affect the Swedishdeclaration of non-alignment and challenges in staffing policy issues. Another problem iselucidating possible consequences of indirect dependences, which are influenced by deepintegration and political declarations of loyalty. / Avdelning: ALB - Slutet Mag 3 C-upps. Hylla: Upps. ChP 06-08