"March 2004" / Errata sheet back page in both volumes. / Bibliography: leaf 65. / 2 v. (v, 65 leaves, 244 leaves) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, Discipline of English, 2004

<p>I media talas det ofta om att antalet ungdomar vilka provar och använder sig av drogen Ecstasy i samband med dans- och ravepartyn ökar drastiskt runt om i vår värld. Målet med denna forskningsöversikt är därför att med hjälp av forskningsstudier från 2003 och framåt, söka få en bild av viken grupp av ungdomar som befinner sig i riskzonen för att hamna i ett missbruk av Ecstasy, samt vilka riskfaktorer och risker som berör dessa ungdomar.</p><p>Metoden som använts för att besvara dessa frågor är en forskningsöversikt som bygger på elva forskningsartiklar i ämnet. Studien berör i huvudsak tre olika länder i var sina världsdelar. Den teori som används i analysen av studien är ett globalt, socialt och kulturellt perspektiv, som inkluderar såväl sociala som kulturella teorier. Sammanfattningen av studien visar att såväl de psykiska, fysiska och sociala riskfaktorerna i stort sett är likartade för de berörda ungdomsgrupperna i samtliga av dessa länder. Det vill säga att ungdomar som brukar Ecstasy, eller ligger i riskzonen för ett missbruk av drogen, möter ungefär samma sociala problematik och att de psykiska och fysiska biverkningarna av drogen är de samma oavsett vilket land de bor i.</p><p>Då det gäller sociala riskgrupper på global nivå, har det i översikten visat sig att den övervägande delen är de ungdomar som deltar i dans- och ravepartyn, oavsett etnisk bakgrund och kön, vilka under barndomen uppvisat symptom på ångest och/eller depression och kommer från medel- eller övre medelklass, löper störst risk att komma i kontakt med Ecstasy. Av dessa anledningar ökar även risken för dessa ungdomar att hamna i ett missbruk av drogen. En annan orsak till denna utsatthet beror på att ungdomar från denna samhällsklass i högre utsträckning deltar i så kallade ravepartyn och liknande tillställningar, än ungdomar från andra samhällsklasser.</p>

The life insurance business is currently going through a lot of changes. The turmoil in stock markets during the last years has made regulators realize that there is a greater need for risk management and solvency supervision in the business. Denmark was one of the first countries in Europe to react to this and in 2001 the Danish FSA implemented a stress test called the Traffic Lights System. This is a tool to measure various risks in different scenarios for financial institutions. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the effects of imposing a Danish style stress test on the Swedish life insurance market. In order to analyze the various effects of this stress test a theoretical framework consisting of fixed income securities and interest rate theory have been applied, since one of the largest risk a life insurer faces is the interest rate risk. Due to the fact that the Danish stress test is not fully applicable on the Swedish market, the authors created a model based on the Danish test to analyze Swedish life insurers. The model estimates the financial risks a life insurer faces. Analyzing the results based on the model, the authors found that three out of seven life insurers in the sample had solvency problems to various extend. The authors conclude that a great part of financial risks within life insurers can be reduced by reallocating equity holding to bonds and by duration matching between assets and liabilities. The authors also conclude that Swedish life insurers are in better financial shape today than their Danish counterparts were in 2001, which is why less dramatic effect is to be expected on the Swedish financial markets as a result of imposing the stress test.

The research in the field of biotechnology is rapidly developing all over the world. Modern biotechnology offers unique opportunities, simultaneously as it gives rise to a number of ethical issues. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), PGD/HLA (Human Leucocyte Antigen) and germline gene therapy (GLGT) are controversial techniques. PGD gives a possibility to identify a genetic disease prior to the embryo’s implantation in the uterus. PGD/HLA involves selecting an embryo with genes coding for a specific tissue type, so that the child to be born can act as a donor to an existing sibling who requires a stem cell transplant. GLGT seeks to eliminate or change “bad” genes. The purpose of this study is to investigate student’s ethical attitude concerning PGD, PGD/HLA and GLGT. The empirical study was based on focus group discussions. Four group interviews were made, with 15 participants in all. The students are taking courses in biology or religion. The result from the interviews shows that the ethical issues are difficult to have a definite opinion in, because there are possibilities and risks involved in all these techniques, according to the students. A central part of the discussion was devoted to human dignity and the moral status of the embryo. They also see risks such as bioterrorism, designing the perfect humans, economic interests, medical risks, among many other risks. / Forskningen på det bioteknologiska området utvecklas snabbt över hela världen. Den moderna bioteknologin erbjuder unika möjligheter, samtidigt som den ger upphov till en rad frågor av etiskt slag. Preimplantatorisk genetisk diagnostik (PGD), PGD/HLA (Human Leucocyte Antigen) och zygotisk genterapi är kontroversiella tekniker. PGD ger en möjlighet att identifiera genetiska sjukdomar före embryots implantering i livmodern. Med hjälp av PGD/HLA väljs ett embryo ut vars gener kodar för en specifik vävnadstyp, vilket gör att barnet som föds kan fungera som donator till ett existerande syskon som är i behov av en stamcells transplantation. Med zygotisk genterapi kan man ta bort eller byta ut ”dåliga” gener. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka studenters etiska värderingar rörande PGD, PGD/HLA och zygotisk genterapi. Den empiriska studien baserades på fokusgrupp diskussioner. Fyra gruppintervjuer gjordes, med sammanlagt 15 deltagare. Studenterna studerar på programutbildningar i biologi eller religion. Resultatet från intervjuerna visar att de etiska frågeställningarna är svåra att ha en klar uppfattning om, eftersom det finns möjligheter och risker med alla dessa tekniker, enligt studenterna. En central del av diskussionen ägnades åt människovärdet och embryots moraliska status. De ser också risker som bioterrorism, designa perfekta människor, ekonomiska intressen, medicinska risker, bland många andra risker.

I media talas det ofta om att antalet ungdomar vilka provar och använder sig av drogen Ecstasy i samband med dans- och ravepartyn ökar drastiskt runt om i vår värld. Målet med denna forskningsöversikt är därför att med hjälp av forskningsstudier från 2003 och framåt, söka få en bild av viken grupp av ungdomar som befinner sig i riskzonen för att hamna i ett missbruk av Ecstasy, samt vilka riskfaktorer och risker som berör dessa ungdomar. Metoden som använts för att besvara dessa frågor är en forskningsöversikt som bygger på elva forskningsartiklar i ämnet. Studien berör i huvudsak tre olika länder i var sina världsdelar. Den teori som används i analysen av studien är ett globalt, socialt och kulturellt perspektiv, som inkluderar såväl sociala som kulturella teorier. Sammanfattningen av studien visar att såväl de psykiska, fysiska och sociala riskfaktorerna i stort sett är likartade för de berörda ungdomsgrupperna i samtliga av dessa länder. Det vill säga att ungdomar som brukar Ecstasy, eller ligger i riskzonen för ett missbruk av drogen, möter ungefär samma sociala problematik och att de psykiska och fysiska biverkningarna av drogen är de samma oavsett vilket land de bor i. Då det gäller sociala riskgrupper på global nivå, har det i översikten visat sig att den övervägande delen är de ungdomar som deltar i dans- och ravepartyn, oavsett etnisk bakgrund och kön, vilka under barndomen uppvisat symptom på ångest och/eller depression och kommer från medel- eller övre medelklass, löper störst risk att komma i kontakt med Ecstasy. Av dessa anledningar ökar även risken för dessa ungdomar att hamna i ett missbruk av drogen. En annan orsak till denna utsatthet beror på att ungdomar från denna samhällsklass i högre utsträckning deltar i så kallade ravepartyn och liknande tillställningar, än ungdomar från andra samhällsklasser.

This study concentrates on two questions – “Should banks take environmental concerns?”and “What is the attitude of Swedish banks towards sustainability?” The theory related to environmental concerns in the financial sector is presented and further on the empirical data describing the situation within the Swedish banking sector is discussed. The empirical data was collected with the aid of a semi-structured interview and offers a real-life example of actions and attitudes of two case banks in Sweden – SEB and Handelsbanken. The aim of this paper is not restricted to presenting and discussing the collected theoretical and empirical data but also to involve the reader in the environmental way of thinking. This text is based on the idea that banks are liable for the indirect impact on the environment and need to acknowledge that some borrowers involve in environmentally harmful businesses. The research method used for this study is of a qualitative nature, more precisely it is an exploratory research which aims to explain. The semi-structured interview used to study the attitudes of the chosen Swedish case banks, was composed of two types of questions – closed- and open-ended. Special characteristics of a semi-structured interview are the prompts and probes in its structure. These are the approaches to guide the respondent to reach broader coverage and greater depth in his/her answers. Through the interview results, it became evident that the environmental issues have gained certain visibility within the Swedish banking sector. The given answers pointed towards the impression that maintaining a sound corporate image is the prior concern of a bank and indicated that banking sector in Sweden undergoes external pressure to pursue environmentally friendly activities. It is clear that banks play a major role by financing the continuous damage to our planet, and it is comforting to know the banking sector is undergoing the pressure of becoming more involved in sustainable development. The conclusions and the empirical evidence presented in this study are hoped to give a simplified view on environmental concerns within banking sector.

Emerging from traditional marketing platforms in the early millennium is a brand new marketing form called social media. Having a presence in social media is a growing part of marketing communication and it gives companies a voice and a means to converse with their existing and prospective customers. Social media is starting to become a great tool for businesses to develop and maintain strong relationships with customers and is therefore a vital platform for organizations to communicate with their customers. Having a presence in social media will require businesses to be aware of the opportunities and risks that come with using the medium. Not knowing how to use the new channels and the accompanying technique while launching different social media channels can be highly unsuccessful for the business. Learning how to communicate with customers when using social media channels is therefore crucial for a business‟ success in that area. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of having a presence in social media for business-to-business companies, by focusing on the opportunities and risks. Three research questions are developed, based on the literature review. A deductive approach has been applied followed by a qualitative research with a semi-structured form, focusing on the advertising industry. Furthermore, a case study strategy has been carried out with four different advertising agencies located in Sweden. This study reveals that industry professionals believe that social media is a vital platform for brands to be present in because it allows them to keep contact with current and potential customers. They believe in the magnitude of being able to communicate and interact with people online and how that interaction can lead to new strong relationships. Furthermore, the research shows that advertising agencies have a deep understanding of what a social media can bring them in terms of creating prosperity for their businesses and generate awareness towards their brands and their work. Finally, the study terminates that having a presence in social media can provide the agencies with more positive than negative effects by gaining a great deal of success and resulting in greater campaign and brand awareness.

This thesis examines legislation that creates a “safe habour” for apologies by making them inadmissible as evidence of liability in a civil action. In recent years, jurisdictions across North America and Australia have enacted such “apology legislation” in an effort to encourage apologies. This is allegedly done to assist victims, who often benefit from full and sincere apologies. Legislators are also motivated, however, by the perception that apologies can induce victims to settle or forgo legal action, thereby reducing litigation rates. Whether such a correlation exists, particularly for apologies given under apology legislation, has not been firmly established, and attempting to use apologies in this manner may prove harmful to victims and the state. Apologies are powerful, and if legislators are not careful, they may enact legislation that alters apologies so that they become a source of harm to victims, the legal system, and even society as a whole.

This thesis examines legislation that creates a “safe habour” for apologies by making them inadmissible as evidence of liability in a civil action. In recent years, jurisdictions across North America and Australia have enacted such “apology legislation” in an effort to encourage apologies. This is allegedly done to assist victims, who often benefit from full and sincere apologies. Legislators are also motivated, however, by the perception that apologies can induce victims to settle or forgo legal action, thereby reducing litigation rates. Whether such a correlation exists, particularly for apologies given under apology legislation, has not been firmly established, and attempting to use apologies in this manner may prove harmful to victims and the state. Apologies are powerful, and if legislators are not careful, they may enact legislation that alters apologies so that they become a source of harm to victims, the legal system, and even society as a whole.

This thesis proposes a classification system of risk mitigation strategies based on literature search and industry interviews. Following that, a list of generic properties was generated to describe individual strategies. In parallel, populating the properties of a large number of identified strategies was attempted. The practical implications are discussed mainly focusing on knowledge management for risk mitigation strategies.