This is a study of how knowledge producing actors, like professors of economics, ecological economics and investigators at public institutions, portray the monetary system in general and fractional reserve banking specifically. The methodology of Political Discourse Analysis, with focus on argumentation and legitimisation, is used to identify and compare how different actors portray the monetary system. The outcome shows that there exist competing knowledge discourses that are diametrically different in how they define keywords and describe the relation between the monetary system, societal power relations and environmental impact. Some important concepts under academic debate include the origin of money, which actor (the state or commercial banks) controls the money supply and seigniorage (money issuer’s revenue), if private banks really are intermediaries and multiply central bank money, and if interest-bearing money is a cause of socioecological unsustainability. By critically analysing the moral norms within knowledge discourses that otherwise might be naturalised as portraying ‘facts’ or ‘truth’, this thesis helps identify needs for further research – especially regarding how the financial system can be better adapted for socioecological sustainability.

This study aims to describe the strategic political communication of the Identitarian Movement in Austria (in German known as Identitäre Bewegung Österreich) and concentrates on identifying means of persuasive language on the homepage of the movement, which is known to be nationalistic and critical towards migration. The study is based on a corpus containing a selection of blog entries, as well as a sample of images published on the homepage, and is carried out using a qualitative method combining discourse linguistics, systemic-functional linguistics and multimodal theory. The analysis sets off by describing the field component of systemic-functional theory and proceeds to examining tenor and mode. The focus will be specifically on firstly, investigating a) discourse participants and the processes they engage in and b) interaction between the implied sender and recipient in the verbal material; and secondly, describing how these meanings are reproduced visually in the image sample used. The findings suggest that the movement not only strives to portray itself as powerful and authoritative but also relies on means of solidarity in order to convince the recipient of its message. More specifically, it is shown that the migrant participants are discriminated and depersonalised whilst a close synthetic relationship is established with the implied reader, i.e. the homepage visitor. Furthermore, the movement makes an effort to picture itself as a representative of numerous groups and interests in society. By doing so it apparently attempts to simulate a representative discourse, in order to present the xenophobic stance it agitates for as a majority opinion. The analysis shows also that these practices can be seen throughout the corpus, that is, in the verbal texts as well as in the imagery.

<p>When duties are documented, new ideas are often created regarding how the work should be carried out. Writing is an important source of development, but unfortunately the possibilities are limited when it comes to transferring new ways of thinking to personnel. As with organizational change in general, employees tend to neglect new instructions. On the basis of their personal ways of thinking, they might find that the new order is incorrect, requires more resources, lacks contact with reality, or cannot be understood. The people who have prepared the new directives think they are surely justified and easy to understand. In their eyes, those who stick to what used to be correct and reasonable seem resistant to change.</p><p>The aim of this dissertation is to understand the influence of self-assessment on service cognition and to propose how this influence can be utilized to attain strategic aims. The term self-assessment refers here to the activity whereby employees, in a structured manner, collectively assess and document their own instructions. The concept of service cognition refers to individual employee’s conceptions on how to carry out their own tasks, on how colleagues carry out theirs, and on connections between activities in the common workflow. The object of study is self-assessment as business process modeling at the local offices of the Swedish Employment Service.</p><p>What is explored is the crass but fruitful understanding that new ways of thinking more easily arise among those who define organizational design than among those who are expected to change. Using socio-cognitive theory as well as longitudinal and extensive action research, the reasons are investigated behind the inevitable development of units which are trusted to write their own instructions and, in so doing, start to talk about the way work is done. Despite the independence needed to coordinate by consensus, it seems that the collective mind thereby induced actually enhances opportunities for central control and change: Units designing their own routines surely become better coordinated, but also more controllable and adaptive to strategic change. Furthermore, some principles are presented to support self-assessment regarding organization and change.</p>

Det finns mycket tidigare forskning och litteratur om hur design som kommunikationsmedel kan tillämpas i praktiken, både genom estetisk och strategisk design. Däremot framgår inte huruvida tillämpningen av design som kommunikationsmedel är branschspecifik eller generellt gällande för företag oavsett bransch. Företag kan nyttja design som ett kommunikationsmedel för att kommunicera sin varumärkesidentitet till konsumenterna så att deras syn på imagen blir likställd med identiteten. Då når företaget ett starkt varumärke uppsatsens definition. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och jämföra hur företag inom olika branscher kan nyttja design, i form av estetisk och strategisk design, med avsikt att kommunicera sin varumärkesidentitet till sina konsumenter och skapa ett starkt varumärke. Uppsatsen är av kvalitativ karaktär och består av individuella intervjuer och fokusgrupper. De individuella intervjuerna och fokusgrupperna har gjorts med centrala personer från valda företag, designsamarbetspartners samt med företagens konsumenter. Uppsatsens insamlade data har analyserats med en modifiering av the Corporate branding model som teoretiskt ramverk. Denna teori har i sin tur kompletterats med modellerna och teorierna Kapferers varumärkesidentitetsprisma, design thinking och Lockwoods kategorier för att mäta värdet av estetisk design. I slutdiskussionen jämförs hur nyttjandet och effekten av estetisk och strategisk design som kommunikationsmedel skiljer sig åt mellan två företag inom olika branscher och huruvida det faktum att de är verksamma inom olika branscher påverkar. Nyttjandet av design thinking skilde sig åt då serviceföretaget (Sturehof) nyttjade det genomgående medan produktföretaget (Svenskt Tenn) inte nådde fram med kommunikation genom design thinking. Effekten av design thinking gick inte att jämföra då nyttjandet skilde sig åt. Nyttjandet av estetisk design skilde sig ytterst lite åt mellan de olika företagen, men effekten skilde sig åt. Författarnas förklaring till detta är att konsumenterna inte ställer lika höga krav och inte förväntar sig samma grad av estetisk design på en restaurang som de gör på en inredningsbutik. Design hos ett produktföretag inom inredningsbranschen anses vidare som en självklarhet, men hos ett tjänsteföretag inom restaurangbranschen anses det vara en konkurrensfördel. Sammanfattningsvis menar författarna att denna undersökning visat att design, oavsett bransch, bör nyttjas i sin helhet med såväl strategisk som estetisk design för att nå ett starkt varumärke. / There is a lot of research and literature on how design, both aesthetic and strategic, can be applied in practice as a communication tool. However, the research and literature does not clarify whether the application of design as a communication tool is industry specific or generally valid for all types of companies. Companies can use design as a communication medium to communicate their brand identity to consumers, so that their view of the brand image becomes equated with the brand identity. If they succeed, the company reaches a strong brand. The purpose of this thesis is to examine and compare how companies in different industries can use design, in the form of aesthetic and strategic design, with the intention to communicate their brand identity to its consumers and to create a strong brand. The thesis is qualitative in nature and consists of individual interviews and focus groups. The individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with key persons from selected companies, their design partners and their customers. The collected data were analysed using a modification of the Corporate branding model and other, more specific, models and theories as a theoretical framework. In the final discussion the authors compare if the use and effect of aesthetic and strategic design as a communication tool differ between companies in different industries, and whether the fact that they operate in different industries has an effect. The use of strategic design and design thinking was different, since the service company (Sturehof) used it consistently, while the product company (Svenskt Tenn) didn’t reach out with communication through design thinking. The effect was not compared since the use differed. The use of aesthetic design differed little between the various companies, but the effect differed more. The authors' explanation for this is that consumers do not set equally high standards and expect the same degree of aesthetic design in a restaurant as they do at a furniture store. Design of a product company in the interior decorating industry was considered as a natural concept, but design of a service company in the restaurant industry was considered a competitive advantage. In conclusion, the authors mean that this thesis demonstrated that design, regardless of industry, should be used in its entirety with both strategic and aesthetic design to achieve a strong brand.

The introduction of contracts for difference, CFDs, in the Nordic market has meant a tremendous freedom for both large investors and small investors. CFDs, like many other financial derivatives, allow speculation on price movements in virtually all global markets with easy access to leverage, which is the same as borrowed capital. CFDs carry high risk and hence should only be used by qualified traders.  Swedish CFD providers have been criticized for mass marketing their services with lack of regard for the industry's sustainability. The legal requirements placed on CFD providers for customer's creditworthiness and knowledge are also said to be weak, given the products complexity and high risk. Thus, the purpose with this research is to respond to the criticism by examining the level of risk management, and the level of strategic awareness among CFD traders. The epistemological orientation of this research conforms to the philosophy of positivism, and the research approach is consistent with the deductive approach. The research is based on a quantitative data collection method were a survey was carried out with CMC Markets’ customers with 233 respondents.After examining the usage of risk management tools, position sizing and monitoring; the results suggest that the level of risk management among CFD traders is moderately high. For a trading strategy to function, and hence be successful, it is important that traders are consistent with the various components that a trading strategy consists of. After examining to what extent the CFD traders positions are based on rules and signals as well as loyalty to them, to what extent they optimize their trading strategy, and lastly to what extent they use available strategy methods I came to the conclusion that there is a relatively low level of strategic awareness.Keywords: CMC Markets, Finance, CFDs, Investment, Derivative, Securities Trading, CFD Trading, Stocks, Risk management, Strategic awareness, Trading strategy, Technical analysis, Fundamental analysis

Employable humanists. A qualitative study on humanist students' views on employability. The crisis of the humanities is a controversial debate in the media and within academic settings. Because of lack of request for humanists in the labor market, the question of humanistic skills and employability is becoming increasingly important. The concept of employability importance not only echoes within the economic discussions, but also on everyday agenda in the academic world and takes a large part in the communication between the university and the students. It is therefore important to get answers to the question whether there is conformity in the interpretation of this concept between the university and the students. The aim of this desk study is to examine how the concept of employability has its significance in the academic communication and how the responsibility for employability is portrayed. This is done by studying how the concept of employability is formed and how the responsibilities outlined in texts from Career Center at the University of Umeå, and by comparing study results with the students' perceptions of the concept of employability and responsibility. The study has a qualitative disposition and consists of two main methods: qualitative interviews with focus groups to explore students' views, and critical linguistic analysis of texts with a focus on metaphor analysis and syntax analysis which are also supplemented by the multimodal text analysis. Results of this study indicate that the concept of employability takes a central part of the university’s communication. There are many common starting points in the interpretation of the concept and the responsibility between the university and students. Both the Career Center at Umeå University and students believe that actual knowledge, skills, experience as well as network forms the meaning of the concept of employability, and has a big importance in the student’s position on the job market. However, because the students look at the use of the concept of employability in the texts as acceptance to the social ideological perception of the individual as objects, there is some criticism of the use of the term employability in the university’s communications.

The use of computer games has grown exponentially in the past few years and StarCraft II is one of the most popular e-sports today, played by millions of people worldwide. This study investigates the game’s effect on skills, as perceived by the players of StarCraft II. The study was conducted by using an empirical survey and interviews. The skills being investigated were both physical and mental in their nature. The conclusion was that the majority of players perceived that their skills regarding reaction speed, multitasking, APM, analysis and strategy were increased the most, while there was a smaller change in social skills and language skills. Additionally, people who played team games of StarCraft II did, however, feel that their teamwork, conflict management and leadership capabilities increased. / Under de senaste åren har användandet av datorspel vuxit explosionsartat. StarCraft II är ett utav dagens mest populära e-sporter och spelas av miljontals människor runt om i världen. Studien undersöker om spelare uppfattar kompetensförändringar av att spela StarCraft II. Studien utfördes med hjälp utav en enkät och intervjuer. Kompetenserna vi undersökte var av både fysiska och mentala i sin karaktär. Av resultaten kan man se att majoriteten av spelarna uppfattade en ökad kompetens inom reaktionshastighet, multitasking, APM, analytisk- och strategisk förmåga, medan man ser en mindre förändring inom social kompetens och språklig kompetens. Resultaten visar även att de som valde att spela lagspel uppfattade en ökad kompetens inom samarbete, konflikthantering och ledarskap.

When duties are documented, new ideas are often created regarding how the work should be carried out. Writing is an important source of development, but unfortunately the possibilities are limited when it comes to transferring new ways of thinking to personnel. As with organizational change in general, employees tend to neglect new instructions. On the basis of their personal ways of thinking, they might find that the new order is incorrect, requires more resources, lacks contact with reality, or cannot be understood. The people who have prepared the new directives think they are surely justified and easy to understand. In their eyes, those who stick to what used to be correct and reasonable seem resistant to change. The aim of this dissertation is to understand the influence of self-assessment on service cognition and to propose how this influence can be utilized to attain strategic aims. The term self-assessment refers here to the activity whereby employees, in a structured manner, collectively assess and document their own instructions. The concept of service cognition refers to individual employee’s conceptions on how to carry out their own tasks, on how colleagues carry out theirs, and on connections between activities in the common workflow. The object of study is self-assessment as business process modeling at the local offices of the Swedish Employment Service. What is explored is the crass but fruitful understanding that new ways of thinking more easily arise among those who define organizational design than among those who are expected to change. Using socio-cognitive theory as well as longitudinal and extensive action research, the reasons are investigated behind the inevitable development of units which are trusted to write their own instructions and, in so doing, start to talk about the way work is done. Despite the independence needed to coordinate by consensus, it seems that the collective mind thereby induced actually enhances opportunities for central control and change: Units designing their own routines surely become better coordinated, but also more controllable and adaptive to strategic change. Furthermore, some principles are presented to support self-assessment regarding organization and change.

Title: No thanks to unnecessary advertising! -A study on targeted marketing via Big Data in a consumer perspective Authors: Ricky Carlsson and Alexander Vilhelmsson Supervisor: Anders Parment Key words: Targeted marketing, Big Data, Customer segmentation, Buying process, Integrity concern, Customer relationship management, Marketing communication, Strategic management, Big Data management, Online Behavioural Targeting Introduction: In a world that is globalizing and where digital development is advancing, companies have had to adapt. In recent times with the increasingly more digital world, technology has become an increasingly more relevant factor, not least in marketing. A digital method that has emerged is Big Data, whichmakes it possible forcompanies tocollect large amounts of information about consumers. By analysing the information extracted from Big Data, it is easier to find and understand consumers' needs and what motivates their buying process. It is important that companies analyse the information correctly so that they do not run the risk of creating negative effects from targeted marketing via Big Data. Purpose: To investigate Swedish consumers' attitudestowards targeted marketing via Big Data and to find out how companies that sell goods and services to consumers can improve their use of Big Data in targeted marketing from a consumer perspective. Method: The study is a cross-sectional study of a qualitative and quantitative nature. The qualitative empirical data consists of 11 semi-structured interviews with students in Sweden. The quantitative empirical data consists of 203 survey answers collected from consumers around Sweden. The study is based on an abductive approach and has a hermeneutic approach. Conclusion: The result of the study shows that there are both opportunities and challenges for companies when using Big Data in targeted marketing. Targeted marketing with the help of Big Data that is performed correctly should only have a positive impact on the targeted marketing and something that creates value for both the consumers and the companies, but this is not the case today. The population of the study perceives that marketing often does not match their needs; this shows that companies must become better at analysing the data. If the data extracted from Big Data is analysed in a better way, the segmentation of consumers will also be better. / Titel: Nej tack till onödig reklam! - En studie om riktad marknadsföring via Big Data i ett konsumentperspektiv. Författare: Ricky Carlsson och Alexander Vilhelmsson Handledare: Anders Parment Bakgrund: I en värld som globaliseras och där den digitala utvecklingen går framåt har företag varit tvungna att anpassa sig. På senare tid i takt med den ständigt mer digitaliserade världen har teknologi blivit en alltmer relevant faktor, inte minst inom marknadsföring. En digital metod som har vuxit fram är Big Data genom vilken företag har möjlighet att samla in stora mängder information om konsumenter. Genom att analysera informationen som utvinns från Big Data går det att lättare finna och förstå konsumenters behov och vad som motiverar deras köpprocess. Det är viktigt att företag analyserar informationen på rätt sätt för att inte löpa risken att skapa negativa effekter av den riktade marknadsföringen via Big Data. Syfte: Att undersöka svenska konsumenters attityder till riktad marknadsföring via Big Data samt ta reda på hur företag som säljer varor eller tjänster till konsumenter kan förbättra användningen av Big Data inom riktad marknadsföring utifrån ett konsumentperspektiv. Metod: Studien är en tvärsnittsstudie av kvalitativ och kvantitativ karaktär. Den kvalitativa empirin består av 11 semi-strukturerade intervjuer med studenter i Sverige. Den kvantitativa empirin består av 203 insamlade enkätsvar från konsumenter runt om i Sverige. Studien grundas i en abduktiv ansats och har ett hermeneutiskt synsätt. Slutsatser: Resultatet i studien visar på att det finns möjligheter och utmaningar för företag vid användning av Big Data inom riktad marknadsföring. En riktad marknadsföring medhjälp av Big Data som utförs på rätt sätt borde enbart ha en positiv påverkan på den riktade marknadsföringen och något som skapar värde för konsumenter och företag, men så är inte fallet idag. Då studiens population uppfattar att den riktade marknadsföringen ofta inte matchar deras behov bör företag bli bättre på att analysera data. Om data som utvinns från Big Data analyseras på ett bättre sätt kommer även segmenteringen av konsumenter att bli bättre.

Syftet med denna studie är att lämna förslag till Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara aktiebolags (LKAB i fortsättningen) arbetssätt för framtagning av hållbarhetsmål på koncernnivå. Två frågeställningar har konstruerats för att kunna besvara studiens syfte. Frågeställningarna undersöker hur LKAB arbetar idag med att ta fram hållbarhetsmål på koncernnivå och hur ett optimerat arbetssätt med framtagning av hållbarhetsmål skulle kunna se ut. Datainsamlingen består av intervjuer med olika medarbetare som på ett eller annat sätt har varit involverade i framtagning av förslag till hållbara mål. Resultatet visar att LKAB har arbetet med identifieringen av hållbarhetsmål utifrån ett projektbaserat arbetssätt. Detta är studiens första slutsats. Analysen visar att arbetssättet med framtagning av koncernmål skulle kunna genomföras utifrån ett processbaserat arbetssätt. Analysen och diskussionen i den här studien visar att ett optimerat arbetssätt skulle kunna uppnås genom att dela huvudprocessen till två och utveckla ett processbaserat arbetssätt för varje huvudprocess. Detta är studiens andra slutsats. / The purpose of this study is to submit proposals to the company Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara (LKAB) and its mythology of identifying sustainability goals at group level. two questions have been created in order to be able to answer the study´s purpose. The questions examine LKAB´s mythology of identifying sustainability goals at group level and how an optimized mythology of identifying sustainability goals could look like. The data collection consists of interviews with various employees who have been involved in the identifying of sustainability goals. The results shows that LKAB´s mythology of identifying sustainability goals has formed on a project-based approach. This is the first conclusion of this study. The analysis shows that the mythology of identifying sustainability goals could be implemented with a process-based mythology. The analysis and the discussion in this study show that an optimized mythology could be achieved by dividing the main process into two main processes and developing a process-based mythology for each main process. This is the second conclusion of this study.