Over the last three decades, the impact of dramatic change in the social, religious, political and economic environment has led to a rapid expansion in the number of women entering the paid labour force in Sri Lanka as elsewhere. However, their identities and workload continue to be defined around caring work, especially for children. Not surprisingly, employed mothers endeavour to balance these two central spheres of their life, family and work. This research focuses on the contradictions of mothers' work-life balance. It does so through an analysis of how successfully (or unsuccessfully) professional and managerial mothers in Sri Lanka combine motherhood with paid work, and how they understand this in terms of gendered identities and social norms. This example also allows an evaluation of western derived theories about mothers' decision making in the context of a developing, Asian country. Grounded theory was used to examine mothers' narratives about life in the family and at work, drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews, along with data from some representative secondary sources, in order to explore these questions. This thesis demonstrates that working women's mothering leads to the formation of a gendered identity which varies according to different socio-cultural and religious opportunities and constraints. Using the Bourdieu approach the research suggests how everyday life operates in terms of habitus, field and capital. However, these working mothers have low capacity to achieve a work-life balance and this may lead to complex social problems.

Over the last three decades, the impact of dramatic change in the social, religious, political and economic environment has led to a rapid expansion in the number of women entering the paid labour force in Sri Lanka as elsewhere. However, their identities and workload continue to be defined around caring work, especially for children. Not surprisingly, employed mothers endeavour to balance these two central spheres of their life, family and work. This research focuses on the contradictions of mothers¿ work-life balance. It does so through an analysis of how successfully (or unsuccessfully) professional and managerial mothers in Sri Lanka combine motherhood with paid work, and how they understand this in terms of gendered identities and social norms. This example also allows an evaluation of western derived theories about mothers¿ decision making in the context of a developing, Asian country. Grounded theory was used to examine mothers¿ narratives about life in the family and at work, drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews, along with data from some representative secondary sources, in order to explore these questions. This thesis demonstrates that working women¿s mothering leads to the formation of a gendered identity which varies according to different socio-cultural and religious opportunities and constraints. Using the Bourdieu approach the research suggests how everyday life operates in terms of habitus, field and capital. However, these working mothers have low capacity to achieve a work-life balance and this may lead to complex social problems.

Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka och analysera genomförandet av strategier i en politiskt styrd organisation inom den offentliga sektorn. Genom att fokusera på de tre olika faserna i strategiprocessen - planering och formulering, implementering och uppföljning - syftar uppsatsen till att identifiera möjligheter och begränsningar som påverkar organisationens strategiska arbete och ge en djupare förståelse för hur dessa processer tillämpas inom den offentliga sektorn. Forskningen bygger på en kombination av djup teoretisk insamling om forskningsämnet och en fallstudie av Region Kronoberg, en politiskt styrd organisation inom den offentliga sektorn. Genom att integrera både teoretiska och praktiska perspektiv av strategiprocessen strävar uppsatsen efter att fylla ett gap i forskningen kring strategier inom den offentliga sektorn.  Genom empiriska intervjuer och analys av strategiska dokument från Region Kronoberg inom hälso- och sjukvården visar resultaten att politiska beslut och medborgarnas behov är centrala faktorer för strategiplanering. Begränsade resurser och den ekonomiska påverkan, som styrs av politiken, utgör begränsningar enligt respondenterna. Implementeringen av strategier kräver noggrann planering, effektiv kommunikation och samarbete mellan olika chefer för att dela resurser och säkerställa samordning. Uppföljning av strategier och mål är avgörande för att säkerställa att organisationen arbetar i rätt riktning, och detta kan vara utmanande inom den offentliga sektorn, särskilt inom hälso- och sjukvården. Genom att dra lärdom av tidigare resultat och vara flexibla kan organisationer effektivt möta förändrade behov och förutsättningar. Denna uppsats bidrar till en fördjupad förståelse för strategiskt arbete inom politiskt styrda organisationer inom den offentliga sektorn och ger värdefulla insikter för praktiker inom området. / This paper aims to examine and analyse the implementation of strategies in a policy-driven public sector organisation. By focusing on the three different phases of the strategy process - planning and formulation, implementation and follow-up - the paper aims to identify opportunities and constraints that affect the organisation's strategic work and provide a deeper understanding of how these processes are applied in the public sector. The research is based on a combination of deep theoretical collection on the research topic and a case study of Region Kronoberg, a politically controlled public sector organisation. By integrating both theoretical and practical perspectives of the strategy process, the paper aims to fill a gap in the research on strategies in the public sector.  Through empirical interviews and analysis of strategic documents from Region Kronoberg in the health care sector, the results show that political decisions and citizens' needs are central factors for strategy planning. Limited resources and economic influences, driven by politics, pose challenges according to the respondents. The implementation of strategies requires careful planning, effective communication and cooperation between different managers to share resources and ensure coordination. Monitoring strategies and targets is crucial to ensure that the organisation is working in the right direction, and this can be challenging in the public sector, particularly in the health sector. By learning from past performance and being flexible, organisations can effectively respond to changing needs and conditions. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of strategic work in policy-driven public sector organisations and provides valuable insights for practitioners in the field.