This thesis explores the temporal development of a strategic alliance formed by seven logistical firms from the Nordic region and European mainland. The analytical spotlight focuses on a decade long transition from a loose collaborative association to a formal consortium. By applying five levels of analysis, the study produced several insights and contributions of conceptual, theoretical, analytical and managerial art. Conceptually, the explanatory viability of several theories has been verified while conceptual inadequacy of several other propositions have been established. Theoretically, the study bridges the network-based conceptualizations of strategic alliances with other scientific fields such as international management, business process redesign, logistical systems evolution, intercultural communication and cross-cultural decision-making, and integrates research outcomes into an empirically validated model of the alliance’s systemic fit. Analytically, the "black box" of alliance’s evolution has been unpacked using a longitudinal, multivariate research method. By identifying several inversely related causal motors that concurrently and interchangeably shaped the alliance transition, the study demonstrates that over a ten-year period the forces of collaboration overpowered the relational and cultural diversity, and contributed to intra-alliance match. Managerial relevance derives from the fact that the alliance became Pan-European logistical service supplier, benefited from network enlargement, realized economies of scope, higher customer density, joint operational governance and intimate knowledge of demand specifics. These inputs have been translated into discernible competitive advantage by both, the multi-domestic and transnational output supply strategies that seldom are employed in parallel by orthodox corporate systems. The multi-domestic style of operations allowed the alliance partners creating a complete value chain in their home markets. This enabled the alliance to cope with demand heterogeneity in the European market and compete with other internationals through a broad market-service spectrum. On the other hand, by producing different elements of its value chain in different countries, the alliance created a transnational distribution system that could serve global customers, realize economies of international standardization and participate in global rivalry. By showing that single-modal freight supply solutions should be customized to meet international demand diversity, while intermodal distribution measures should be standardized to secure uniform quality standard throughout the entire distribution channel, these findings provided empirically tested knowledge on viable scope of integration for operators in complex international markets. These latter insights may represent valuable utility to managers seeking to match the supply structure with demand postulates from international users. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2001

The aim of this dissertation is two-fold. First, the discussion seeks to understand the concepts of nationalism and patriotism and how they relate to one another. In respect to the more critical literature concerning nationalism, it asks whether these two concepts are as different as is sometimes assumed. Furthermore, by problematizing nation-branding as an “updated” form of nationalism, it seeks to understand whether we are facing the possible emergence of a new type of nationalism. Second, the study endeavors to discursively analyze the ”bottom-up” processes of national reproduction and re-definition in an online, post-socialist context through an empirical examination of the online debate and polemic about the new Polish patriotism. The dissertation argues that approaching nationalism as a broad phenomenon and ideology which operates discursively is helpful for understanding patriotism as an element of the nationalist rhetoric that can be employed to study national unity, sameness, and difference. Emphasizing patriotism within the Central European context as neither an alternative to nor as a type of nationalism may make it possible to explain the popularity and continuous endurance of nationalism and of practices of national identification in different and changing contexts. Instead of facing a new type of nationalism, we can then speak of new forms of engagement which take place in cyberspace that contribute to the process of reproduction of nationalism. The growing field of nation-branding, with both its practical and political implications, is presented as one of the ways in which nationalism is reproduced and maintained as a form of “soft” rather than “hard” power within the global context. The concept of nation re-branding is introduced in order to account for the role that citizens play in the process of nation branding, which has often been neglected in the literature. This concept is utilized to critically examine, understand, and explain the dynamics of nation brand construction and re-definition, with a particular focus on the discursive practices of citizens in cyberspace. It is argued that citizens in the post-socialist countries, including Poland, can engage in the process of nation re-branding online. It is also argued that this process of online nation re-branding may legitimately be regarded as a type of civic practice through which citizens connect with each other and reproduce a form of cultural national intimacy. The results of the analysis of the online empirical material illustrate that nation re-branding is a complex, dynamic, and ambivalent phenomenon. It involves a process of discursive negotiation of nation and of national identity, but also challenges, dismantles, and transforms the national image as it is communicated both internally and externally. This reveals nation re-branding as an element in the post-socialist transformation from a ”nation” to a ”Western,” ”modern,” and ”normal” country in which dealing with an ”old” nation brand is as equally important as the introduction of the new brand. Nationalism does not disappear in the digital age, but rather becomes part of the new way of doing politics online, whereby citizens are potentially granted a form of agency in the democratic process.

The overall aim of this thesis was to identify factors that early in a sick leave period could illuminate people’s resources and obstacles for returning to work; factors that could predict need for professional support in the sick leave process leading to a positive outcome for the individual. This thesis consists of four studies. The studied population was living in a rural part of a northern county in Sweden, and had been on sick leave for 28 days irrespective of diagnosis. The participants have been followed for five years with different investigation methods and subgroups of participants. The thesis was initiated by sending a questionnaire to the participants; the responses were compared to groups of healthy controls. The aim was to find predictors of the likelihood of a return to work that can be identified early in a sick leave period. The main focus was on individual mental resources (Study I). The next phase involved studies of sick leave statistics obtained from the Swedish Social Insurance Office, for the study population two years before and two years after the start of the research project. The material from the sick leave statistics was analysed together with responses from the questionnaire study with Partial Least Square (PLS). This was done to search for connections between the participants and factors of concern for sick leave and returning to work in different subgroups (Study II). In-depth interviews also were conducted to explore what the participants experienced as important in their sick leave process as they progressed back to work, or to long term sick leave or disability pension (Study III). Another study investigated client files in the Swedish Social Insurance Office to describe what information that was possible to find: in terms of medical and vocational rehabilitation including assessments, predictors for the outcome of the sick leave process, and the quality of the information in the files (Study IV). The findings showed significantly lower life satisfaction and psychosocial resources in the study-group compared to the healthy controls. The PLS analysis showed that it was the impact of multiple factors that influenced the study group, and the PLS analysis could help with early prediction of the outcome. Important factors were: personal belief in an ability to work in the future, number of sick leave days in the past, diagnosis, self-evaluated symptoms, life satisfaction and sense of coherence, length of education and sector of employment, and many different consequences in daily life caused by activity limitations. The interview study confirmed these results and added the following important resources: confirmation and support, structural and contextual factors, and participation in the sick leave process. Ideal-types were crystallized that can be identified in the early phases of the sick leave process. The client file study showed that some information was possible to find but a majority of the wanted information was limited why an improvement on the quality of documentation is suggested to give better basis for the files.

Objectives The aim of this study was to compare left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) results derived from gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using Cedars-Sinai quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) processing software with results from 2D echocardiography, both obtained in routine clinical diagnostic use.   Methods Data from previously performed tests were obtained from 73 patients who had undergone both 2D echocardiography and gated SPECT within a time span of 6 months and had not had significant events that could influence LVEF. LVEF from 2D echocardiography was reassessed to obtain discrete values and then the data was compared using Bland-Altman analysis.   Results The correlation between the tests was shown to be good, but precision lacked. Bland-Altman analysis showed a bias of -0.8 percentage points when gated SPECT compared to mean values and 2 standard deviations (SD) ranged from -20.2 to 18.6.   Conclusions LVEF values from the two methods can differ quite a bit and comparisons between them should be done with great caution. / Syfte Syftet med studien var att jämföra hur bra ultraljud av hjärta och isotopundersökning av hjärta stämmer överens när det gäller att visa hjärtats pumpförmåga.   Metod Data från tidigare utförda undersökningar av 73 patienter jämfördes. Patienter som hade gjort båda undersökningarna inom 6 månader och under perioden mellan undersökningarna inte hade haft hjärtinfarkt eller någon annan händelse som kan påverka hjärtats pumpförmåga valdes till studien.   Resultat Utslaget över hela studiepopulationen stämde resultaten från de båda undersökningarna bra överens. Jämförde man däremot resultaten från de båda undersökningarna med varandra patient för patient förekom mycket stora variationer.   Slutsats Resultaten angående hjärtats pumpförmåga kan skilja sig mycket från varandra. Jämförelser av värden från dessa två metoder bör därför göras med väldigt stor försiktighet.

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of leadership on co-workers during a re-organization. Our framing of the problem is based on a book written by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal (2007) “Reframing organizations – artistry, choice and leadership” and their four perspectives on leadership. The questions that our study is based on are: <ul type="disc">What leadership perspective was characteristic for the chief of staff during the re-organization? How did the employees experience the leadership of the chiefs during the re-organization? In what way do the chiefs of staff feel that their leadership affected the employees during the re-organization?   To get a deeper understanding in this subject we conducted interviews with the two chiefs of staff and their employees in a small suburb to Stockholm, Sweden. In our background we described the history of the suburb and why this re-organization is taking place. Thereafter we account for research in this area of expertise. In chapter five we account for the four perspectives and organization culture. We analyzed our interviewed material from these four perspectives and organization culture. Thereafter we conducted a conclusion based on the analyzed material. We concluded that both chiefs of staff were influenced by all four perspectives and this influence had different impacts on their employees. One chief were influenced by a Human Resource-perspective and a perspective focusing on structure. The second chief was also influenced by a perspective focusing on structure but also the perspective that focuses on politics.

Apotekssektorn omreglerades 2009 och Apoteket AB miste genom detta ensamrätten till att sälja läkemedel. En ny konkurrens har för Apoteket AB bidragit till en förändrad situation som inneburit att nya krav ställts både på företaget och på dess personal. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka Apoteket ABs verksamhet, efter omregleringen av apotekssektorn, med fokus på företagets personalstyrning. Undersökningen riktar sig mot hur företaget vill att deras anställda ska arbeta för att attrahera och behålla kunder. Vidare har ändamålet varit att ta reda på företagets tillvägagångsätt för att implementera detta arbetssätt i verksamheten, samt att ta reda på hur de kontrollerar att det nya arbetssättet bibehålls. För att undersöka detta har datamaterial från sju intervjuer, tre av Apoteket ABs årsredovisningar samt tjugo rekryteringsannonser analyserats. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är Hochschilds (1983) teori om emotional labor, vilken handlar om hur serviceinriktade organisationer använder sig av medarbetares känslor och emotioner som en resurs. Resultatet i studien visar att Apoteket AB har för avsikt att implementera ett mer kundorienterat arbetssätt, där användningen av emotional labor skulle kunna antas bli alltmer aktuell. Dock tyder delar av datamaterialet på att implementeringen av detta arbetssätt inte har etablerats hos samtliga apotek. / In 2009, the pharmacy sector was re-regulated and through that, Apoteket AB lost their monopoly to sell medicine. The new competition has contributed to a changed situation for Apoteket AB, which has led to new requirements on the company and their employees. This study aims to examine the organization of Apoteket AB, after the re-regulation of the pharmacy sector, focusing on the personnel management of the company. The study concentrates on how the company wants their employees to work to attract and keep customers. The purpose has also been to investigate the company’s approach to implementing this way of working in the organization, and to explore how they control that it is maintained. To examine this, data from seven interviews, three of Apoteket ABs annual reports and twenty recruitment ads have been analyzed. The theoretical base of this study is Hochschilds (1983) theory of emotional labor, which encompasses how service oriented organizations make use of employees’ feelings and emotions as a resource. The result of the study shows that Apoteket AB intends to implement a more customer oriented approach, where the use of emotional labor could be expected to become more relevant. However, parts of the data suggest that the implementation of this way of working has not fully been established at all of the pharmacies.

Industrilandskapet is an area in central Norrköping who has undergone major changes during the 1900s. The area has in recent decades gone from being an important industrial area into a place that today is focused on knowledge production and visit activities. This study focuses on how four selected businesses in Norrköping look at the change that Industrilandskapet has undergone. The four businesses all have in common that they use and care of Industrilandskapet in both marketing and as a working place. The businesses are in this study represented by four informants who were interviewed with semi-structured interviews. The results from the informants are analyzed by support of theoretical points. The results shows that Industrilandskapet appear as an important area of the interviewed informants. The preservation and re-use of the old factory buildings is seen as a positive decision, and it has also established itself as a tourist resource. However, there is disagreement about how the term Industrilandskapet should be defined and what it really means. The informants are making extensive use of Industrilandskapet to both marketing and selling the area to potential visitors. The problem that Industrilandskapet is hard to define is overshadowed when businesses are using the area.

Background: The World Health Organization defines probiotics as ‘live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host’. Traditionally, probiotic microorganisms have been used to prevent or treat gastrointestinal tract diseases. In the last 15 years, there has been increasing interest of a possible probiotic impact on the oral microbiota and dental caries. Dental caries is a multifactorial disease, and the causative factor in the oral microbiota includes a shift from a balanced microflora to a microflora that includes more aciduric species such as mutans streptococci (MS), non-mutans streptococci, and Actinomyces. MS is considered an opportunistic pathogen although several other bacteria also contribute to the disease. Early acquisition of MS is associated with early development of caries; therefore a desirable complement to other prophylactic measures would be a MS colonization inhibitor. Objective: To better understand how selected strains of probiotic lactobacilli interact with MS in vitro and in vivo and to study the impact of probiotic lactobacilli on caries development during childhood. Material and methods: The in vitro properties of probiotic lactobacilli were studied with regard to (i) acid production from sugars and sugar alcohols, (ii) growth inhibition capacity on clinical isolates and reference strains of MS as well as Candida albicans and (iii) the capacity to co-aggregate with MS. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested the short-term effect of intervention with two Lactobacillus reuteri strains on MS, which was evaluated after treatment with chlorhexidine. The re-growth patterns of MS and 19 other selected strains were also evaluated. In the second clinical study  we investigated the long-term effect on MS prevalence and dental caries after an intervention with Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei F19 (LF19) between 4 and 13 months of age. Results: The results from the in vitro testing showed that strains of probiotic lactobacilli differed in their fermentation patterns, inhibition capacity and their capacity to co-aggregate, which should be kept in mind in the translation to clinical research. The clinical study on short-term effects of two L. reuteri strains on MS and other oral strains showed no effect on re-growth patterns after intervention. The clinical study on long-term effects of LF19 showed no effect on the prevalence of MS. Furthermore, the clinical follow-up at 9 years of age showed no differences in either decayed, missing, and filled surface (dmfs) or DMFS between the probiotic and placebo groups. Evaluation of saliva samples showed no signs of oral colonization with LF19 in the study group. Conclusion: The in vitro testing showed potentials of the selected probiotic Lactobacillus strains for interference with MS and C. albicans. The results from the clinical studies showed no such effect on MS or dental caries. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of specific probiotic applications in the prevention of dental caries is limited and does not allow for conclusions concerning the use of probiotic bacteria as a preventive measure.

Understanding what influences movement patterns in animals is important to the understanding of colonization, range expansion, and sourcesink dynamics. Rosss geese (Chen rossii) have been expanding their nesting range eastward, and, as recently as 1994, have been nesting in large numbers in such newly colonized areas. I sampled nests at the McConnell River Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MCR), the largest known Rosss goose nesting colony outside the Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary (QMG) to estimate its nesting population size. To understand whether immigration by Rosss geese to a new colony located outside traditional nesting areas has an adaptive basis, I compared nutritional, nesting, and survival metrics between geese nesting at the MCR and those nesting at Karrak Lake (KAR) in QMG. I hypothesized that because of longer nesting season, Rosss geese at MCR would have more fat and protein reserves, larger clutch sizes, and greater nest success than those at KAR. Additionally, I hypothesized that population change at MCR was due largely to in situ recruitment. To better understand factors motivating dispersal, movement by Rosss geese between nesting attempts at MCR was measured between years. I hypothesized that dispersal distance of nesting females between years t, and t+1 was a function of both a females own reproductive success as well as that of her neighbours.<p> In 1997 over 23,000 Rosss geese were counted at MCR. By 2007, population estimates (± SE) had increased to 81,408 (±12,367). Survival of both juvenile and adult geese marked at MCR was similar to those nesting at KAR; however, recovery rate estimates were greater than those for KAR. On average, Rosss geese arrived and initiated nests at MCR seven days earlier than at KAR. Abdominal fat was lower when nest initiation date was later in both areas, but was generally greater in geese nesting at MCR. Similarly, there was more indexed protein in geese at MCR than those at KAR in 2 of 3 years. Nesting indices such as clutch size and nest success did not show a consistent area effect, which interacted with a year effect.<p> Rosss geese at MCR did not appear to use individual or conspecific reproductive success when deciding if or how far to disperse between years, and temporary emigration rates also did not vary based on reproductive success the previous year. Instead, variables other than prior individual or neighbour nest success influenced Rosss goose nest site selection and colony fidelity. The number of Rosss geese nesting at MCR increased at an average rate of 11.4% per year from 20032007, despite no increase (0%) from 2006 to 2007. Vital rate information gathered during this time suggests that immigration may have contributed to this growth; however, with few assumptions it can be concluded that MCR is a sustainable population. As a result, studies of geese breeding at MCR provide evidence that arctic geese are capable of successfully colonizing nesting areas great distances beyond historic range.

Repetitive injuries have been a major obstacle in production assembly lines all over the world. These injuries have greatly reduced the production efficiency of assembly plants and also negatively affected human health. Various attempts have been made by the Canadian government through the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) to prevent the occurrences of these injuries because of the associated cost and effects. These attempts failed as the cost of injuries acquired in the workplace continues to increase. For example, in New Zealand alone, the total cost of accidents in 2005, is estimated at $300 million (Accident Compensation Corporation, 2005). In Canada, the number of accepted claims alone amount to 15623 people (Workers Compensation Board of Canada, 2003).<p>A human body can be viewed as a mechanism that is composed of links and joints controlled by a central nervous system and are subject to stress, strain, fatigue and failure as can be observed on a regular industrial robot. But unlike the robot which is designed proactively, these stress and strain factors could be because of certain conditions such as inappropriate work posture, poor assembly line design, excessive workload, and poor work conditions. <p>Often, it is almost uncertain to make a conceptual assessment of the appropriate ergonomic design of a production system before the assembly line is built and put in use. This research will propose a general computer-based methodology for analysis of work injuries given an assembly line where human workers perform repetitive operations. The general methodology integrates sophisticated computer software systems for biomechanics simulation with various manual measurement techniques and methods. The research further proposed a simple and handy synthesis method with which problematic areas of assembly line design, with special reference to human work design can be identified and improved. The proposed methodology for analysis and synthesis is then implemented in a real assembly line to understand the effects of different work activities on the human body. Various software packages and motion tracking techniques will be considered prior to the actual implementation of the final methodology. A rule of thumb table will also be presented as a guideline for the re-design process. The research also proposed a general procedure and specific formula within a specific regional context to calculate the costs of worker injuries in real-life assembly system. This formula thus allows us to obtain the total cost of injuries in a production assembly line, making it possible to optimize the design and operation of the assembly line.