The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the influences of industry dynamic factors (e.g., peer selections) on a client’s subsequent decision to select the type of auditor (e.g., Big N versus non-Big N), following auditor turnover. More specifically, drawing on social norms and social learning theories, I develop testable implications and investigate whether and how industry dynamics have an incremental power in explaining auditor choice beyond traditional firm-specific variables documented in prior research. Using a large sample from years 1988 – 2012, I find that clients are more likely to imitate their industry peers’ prior selections to select the type of their succeeding auditors, consistent with the implications of social learning theory. I also find that clients in industries with stronger industry norms, as measured by a greater proportion of clients audited by Big N auditors in an industry, are more likely to select Big N auditors as their succeeding auditors, consistent with the implications of social norms theory. To my best knowledge, this is the first study to explore the impact of social dynamics measured at the industry level on auditor selection and provide large-sample evidence on the relations between industry dynamics and auditor selection at the firm level. Findings of this study provide insights into the dynamic process of auditor selection in which companies do not make auditor-selection decisions in isolation of one another as often posited in existing literature, contribute to the research on the determinants of auditor choice by incorporating industry dynamics into an agent-principal model, and provide a more comprehensive view of the phenomenon of auditor selection.

Violating social norms often elicits a negative public response aimed at punishing norm violators and dissuading others from following their lead. One way to understand reactions to norm violations is through the moral panic framework. This framework identifies the reactions that an emergent norm-violating social group is likely to experience. These reactions are characterized as overexaggerated, often blaming the group for the consequences of their norm violation and suggesting that the public should fear the group. I hypothesized that social attitudes towards female breadwinner relationships (FBRs), which violate heteronormative gender norms, would reflect these, and other, moral panic characteristics. However, I expected that these characteristics would be less extreme, and thus I proposed that social reactions to FBRs would reflect a kind of moral anxiety. To test this hypothesis, I conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of 94 magazine and newspaper articles concerning FBRs, and five themes emerged. First, the articles emphasized the social change that these relationships represent. Second, gender role expectations were often discussed, with many more articles reinforcing traditional gender role expectations than non-traditional gender role expectations. Third, most articles described costs of FBRs while only a minority described benefits, and most costs concerned the couple as a whole instead of either partner individually. Fourth, societal reactions to this change were often described, and most reactions were negative. And fifth, many articles offered tips for FBRs, often focused on overcoming the costs associated with such bonds. This pattern of reactions to FBRs ultimately demonstrated many of the characteristics of moral anxiety. Overall, these media articles portrayed FBRs as undesirable relationships involving stressed women and emasculated men: a stigmatizing portrayal that could dissuade others from pursuing such relationships. / Graduate / 2021-04-08

Sweden has made enormous progress when it comes to gender equality hence its ranking as first among other states with a score of 83.9 percent. Despite all the progress, there are still challenges that create a huge gender gap in gender-based professions where some professions are considered male whereas others are termed female. It is obvious that gender segregation still prevails in occupations that are traditionally gendered. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers within the construction industry that are maintaining the gender gap and frustrating Sweden's efforts to steer towards a complete gender equality. The study was analysed based on three theories, glass ceiling (Blackwell ,2017), gender theory (Connell (1996) Simone de Beauvoir, 1949) and gender system (Yvonne Hirdman, 1988) as the main theory. Seven interviews with five women in the construction industry were conducted. Discrimination in working hours, pay gap, sexual harassment, lack of role models are some of the barriers that this report highlights. The findings show that the gender gap is generated by macho culture, male superiority and firmly ingrained masculine norms as well as beliefs.

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We live in a normality that benefits a culture of patriarchy and despite resistance it's still over powering and oppressing others by placing concerns of men first in aspects of all important fields of life like social, economic, cultural, academic and medical. The norms of a patriarchal society tend to have specific expectations towards gender, and people who do not follow them are prone to feel invalidated, rejected, and oppressed. This is especially true for those who do not fit into these norms or who want to challenge that discrimination. Border/ave is a project formed in a close collaboration between Lauretta Kubbi and Jaanika Malla whose intent is to make a change with narrated poetry, visualisation and materialisation as an artist book that presents difficulties experienced by a woman with borderline personality disorder. The project questions to which extent Border/ave can make a change by showcasing that our current patriarchal norm in a society suppresses physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally many, but especially women with mental disorders.

Denna kvalitativa studie undersöker hur och varför användare av sociala medier sprider sin aktivitet över flera av dessa samtidigt. Fokus låg på de tre sociala medierna Facebook, Instagram och Snapchat. Studien genomfördes genom att hålla parintervjuer med användare av dessa medier för att sedan applicera det erhållna resultatet på ramverket kontextuell integritet. Resultatet av studien är intressant för de företag som utvecklar och använder sig av sociala medier och även för framtida forskning inom ämnet. Vår studie visade en skillnad i delandet av information över de tre sociala medierna. Den främsta orsaken till skillnaden identifierades som storleken på kontaktnäten hos medierna, och dess inverkan på vad som upplevdes vara ett intrång i den personliga integriteten när information delades. Förutom den ökade visibiliteten som kommer med ett större kontaktnät hade det även inverkan på den underliggande aktiviteten på mediet vilket kan ses som en orsak till ett minskande av aktivt användande. De slutsatser som drogs kring framtiden var att sociala medier, både dagens och framtida, måste ge användarna ett alternativ att dela in sitt kontaktnät  i grupper. Alternativt att de sociala medierna själva måste bli nischade för en specifik del av användarnas kontaktnät. Detta kommer tillåta användarna att dela accepterbar information i lämpliga kanaler. / This qualitative study examines how and why users of social media distribute their activity over several of these at the sametime. Focus was on the three social media sites of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. The study was carried through bykeeping paired interviews with users of these sites and then applying the results on the framework of contextual integrity .The result of the study is interesting both for companies developing and using social media sites, as well as for futureresearch in the field. The results showed a difference in the sharing of information across the three different sites. The foremost cause to thedifference was identified to be the size of the social networks on the sites, and the influence this had on what was perceivedas an intrusion in the privacy of the user when the information was shared. Aside from the increased visibility that comeswith a larger social network, it also affected the underlying activity of the social medium. Which can be seen as a reason fora decreasing active use. The conclusions about the future were that social media, today and in the future, have to give theusers an alternative to separate their social network on the sites into separate groups. Alternatively that the social media sitesthemselves has to become niched for a specific part of a user's social network. This will allow the users to share acceptableinformation in suitable channels.

This qualitative study documents the establishment of new social and sociomathematical norms in a second grade classroom. The teacher allowed students to speak directly to one another without having to raise their hands first during whole group mathematics instruction. Reform efforts in mathematics and the standards for mathematical practice contained in the Common Core State Standards call for students to discuss their reasoning with each other. Data were collected through interviews with the teacher and students, field notes, and video-recorded lessons over the course of 23 days. An online survey tool was utilized to share selected video of the teacher's instruction. Initial professional development topics were chosen from research in mathematics education related to the social construction of understanding. Ongoing professional development was responsive to what occurred during instruction. The literature suggests that teachers often utilize traditional teaching methods and struggle to deviate from established patterns regardless of their desire to implement change. The teacher in this study learned that allowing students to talk openly provided him with insight into their mathematical conceptions and misconceptions. The students initially viewed mathematics as a set of rules to follow and exhibited the role of passive recipients of information. This changed as students were provided opportunities to participate in discussions and in doing so developed a new understanding of their role during mathematics lessons. Mathematical errors became a catalyst for communication and were viewed by students as opportunities for assisting their peers.

In an attempt to examine classroom dialogue within a second grade classroom, I encouraged students to participate in mathematics discussions without needing to raise their hands before speaking. I challenged this traditional social norm and established sociomathematical norms as the study progressed. My study showed the effects of this change on the dialogue of students in my classroom. Focus was placed on the participation in classroom discussions when traditional social and sociomathematical norms were in place as well as when new norms were established. The study helped determine the effects of student-centered dialogue on conceptual understanding as demonstrated in the students' discussions, participation, and written expression.

Research on learning to teach mathematics reveals that mathematics teaching is a complex process (Lerman, 2000) and classroom teaching and learning is a “multifaceted, extraordinarily complex phenomenon” (O’Connor, 1998, p. 43). Moreover, research reveals that the mathematics reform agenda has had an impact on what happens in the mathematics classroom, however, the impact has been superficial (Kazemi & Stipek, 2001) with teachers often retaining their pre-reform habits and attitudes in regards to mathematics teaching and learning (O’Connor, 1998). This study examined the reform discourse practices that three novice teachers, who had been enrolled in a reform based methods course during their preservice teacher education program, adopted, adapted, or ignored as they attempted to engage students in mathematical conversations. Data sources included interviews, field notes, artifacts, and transcripts of videotaped classroom lessons. The primary research questions guiding this study included: 1) What reformoriented discourses practices do novice teachers, who participated in a reform-based mathematics methods course adopt? What practices do they adapt? What practices do they ignore as they engage students in mathematics conversations? and 2) What issues and challenges surface as novice teachers begin to enact reform-oriented discourse practices? Results indicated that despite holding beliefs that reflect the basic tenets of mathematics reform, theses novice teachers represent a continuum of practices ranging from traditional to reform. Evidence suggests that adopting the reform-oriented practice of eliciting different solutions was critical in the development of social norms that reflect mathematics reform. Eliciting different solutions served to focus classroom conversations on meaningful student generated explanations and justifications. Moreover, evidence suggests that enacting the practice of eliciting different solutions was instrumental in enacting other reform-orientated practices associated with the development of reformoriented socialmathematical norms. Lastly, results indicate that the pressures of teaching in an underperforming school, as defined by state standardized high stakes tests, can impact a novice teacher’s ability and willingness to adopt mathematics reform practices.