Inom socialt arbete möter brukare i olika sammanhang skapande verksamheter i exempelvis dagverksamhet, sysselsättning eller som arbetsträning. Att delta i verksamheten kan vara frivilligt eller tvingande. Denna studie undersöker hur hantverkspedagoger arbetar med skapande verksamhet i socialt arbete, samt vilka strukturer och förhållningssätt som måste finnas i verksamheten för att denna ska ge förutsättningar till förändringsprocesser för deltagaren. Studiens syfte är att fördjupa förståelsen för hur visuellt skapande verksamhet används för att möjliggöra förändring för brukare inom det sociala arbetets fält. Verksamheterna som undersöks i studien använder sig samtliga av visuellt skapande, vilket är olika former av skapande såsom måleri, keramik, textiltryck och sömnad. Studien genomfördes utifrån en kvalitativ ansats med ostrukturerade fokusgruppsintervjuer som val av metod. Metoden utökades efterhand med en telefonintervju. Totalt genomfördes två fokusgrupps-sessioner och en telefonintervju med sammanlagt sex informanter. Den teoretiska ram, ur vilken den skapande verksamheten belyses och analyseras, utgår från symbolisk interaktionism, där definition av situationen samt sympatisk introspektion är två centrala begrepp. Andra centrala begrepp i studien är Axel Honneths definition av erkännande samt Martin Bubers mellanmänskliga möten. Studiens resultat visar att pedagogernas arbete bridrar till förändringsprocesser, genom strukturella såväl som pedagogiska förhållningssätt, vilka båda genomsyras av ett processorienterat förhållningssätt där deltagarens egna processer är centrala. I den avslutande diskussionen diskuteras den skapande verksamhetens förändringspotential inom socialt arbete i förhållande till teoretiska begrepp så som mellanmänskliga möten, definition av situationen och symboliskt våld för att belysa ett vägval mellan två förhållningssätt som socialpedagogen ständigt ställs inför. / In social work clients encounter arts in different contexts as in, for example, daytime activities, employment or job training. The participation in the activities may be voluntary or mandatory. This study examines how specialist crafts tutor work with creative activities in social work and the structures and attitudes necessary to provide conditions for change for the participant. The work places surveyed in this study all used creative methods involving visual arts such as paintings, ceramics, textile and sewing. The study´s purpose is to deepen the understanding of how visual creative activity is used to enable change for users in the field of social work. The activities evaluated in the study all use forms of visual creativity, which include various forms of creativity such as painting, sculpture, textile printing and sewing. The study was conducted based on a qualitative approach and the choice of method was unstructured focus groups with specialist crafts tutors. The method was extended during the research process by a telephone interview. In total, there were two focus group sessions and one telephone interview with a total of six informants. The theoretical framework from which creative activity is highlighted and analyzed is based on symbolic interactionism, where definition of the situation and sympathetic introspection are two key concepts. Other key concepts in the study are Axel Honneth's definition of recognition as well as Martin Buber's interpersonal encounters. The result of the study shows that specialist crafts tutors work contributes to change through structural and pedagogical approaches, which both are permeated by a process-oriented approach where the participant's own processes are central. In the final discussion the potential of creative activities for change within social work is discussed in relation to the theoretical concepts of interpersonal encounters, definition of the situation and symbolic violence to illuminate a choice between two approaches that social pedagogue faces.

The aim of the present thesis was to listen to, examine and conceptualise students’ perspectives on bullying. Students’ perspectives have not been commonly heard in research and less qualitative research has been conducted. This study contributes with students’ perspectives on bullying using semi-structured interviews with students from fourth-to eighth grade. This thesis includes four studies. The aim with paper I was to investigate how bystander actions in bullying situations and reasons behind these actions were articulated. Paper II was a comparison study between Sweden and US, focused on how students articulate and discuss what factors influence students’ decisions to defend or not defend victims when witnessing bullying. The aim in Paper III was to study how students themselves discuss, reason and make sense of how and why bullying processes emerges in their social worlds. In paper IV the aim was to study how junior high school girls discuss and understand bullying. Findings reveal that students’ reactions as bystanders to bullying depend on how they define the situation. Explanations to the emergence of bullying were understood through a complex social ordering of belonging process. Students position themselves and others in striving to belong, and when defining victims as responsible for bullying. Social norms and negotiation of identities were also discussed among the students. Students discussed how gender and a normative peer structure, where a pressure to fit in, interlinked with how they understood bullying. / Syftet med denna avhandling är att lyssna på, utforska och konceptualisera elevers perspektiv på mobbning då elevers perspektiv utgör ett viktigt bidrag till vår fortsatta förståelse av mobbning. Det finns fortfarande få kvalitativa studier som fokuserat elevers perspektiv på mobbning. Denna studie utgör därför ett viktig bidrag och baseras på semi-strukturerade intervjuer med elever ifrån fjärde till åttondeklass. Avhandlingen består utav fyra studier. Syftet med studie I var att undersöka hur åskådarageranden i mobbningssituationer artiklueras av eleverna och skälen bakom dessa. Syftet med studie II var att jämföra hur elever i Sverige och USA artikulerar och diskuterar vilka faktorer som influerar deras beslut att ingripa eller inte ingripa när de blir åskådare till mobbning. Syftet med studie III var att undersöka hur elever diskuterar, resonerar och förstår vad som producerar mobbning. Syftet med studie IV var att undersöka hur högstadietjejer diskuterar och förstår mobbning. Resultaten visar att elevers reaktioner som åskådare till mobbning är situationsbundna utifån hur de definierar situationen. Förklararingar till vad som producerar mobbning sammanlänkas med en komplex socialt ordnande process där eleverna positionerar sig själv och andra i strävan att tillhöra och den utsatta ofta görs ansvarig för mobbningen. Även sociala normer och förhandlade av identiteter kommer till uttryck när eleverna diskuterar hur kön och normativa kamratnormer, där strävan att passa in, sammanlänkas med deras förståelse av mobbning.

Coincidental increases in online instruction at institutions of higher education and in online social networking generally in the U.S. have created opportunities for research into how digital interpersonal connectivity affects online learning. This study examined interactive webcasts, or webcasts plus chat, that were part of an online undergraduate course covering Internet knowledge and skills at a large public university. Symbolic interactionism served as the theoretical framework for explicating interactive webcasts as useful online learning environments by exploring the complex processes that instructional staff employed to manage their actions and interactions as moderators in the webcasts and chats. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided the collection and analysis of empirical data in the form of webcast media and transcripts, chat logs, students‘ reflective writing, and semi-structured, intensive interviews with instructional staff. From the study emerged theoretical categories in three tiers related to a generalized moderator process called minding the verge: moderators minded the verge in three conditions of interaction– converging, attending, and diverging; in three loci of interaction – webcasts, chats, and webcasts+chat; and through six actions of moderating – bonding, orientating, guiding, tending, validating, and branching. The results of this study provide moderators for the course with insights into their actions in the interactive webcasts and with concepts moderators can use to explore how to manage interactive webcasts more effectively. Beyond effecting substantive changes to interactive webcasts for the course, the study may guide others who wish to pursue further studies of webcasts+chat as they occur in the course or elsewhere, or of other mixed-media environments, or who wish to adopt mixed-media environments for instruction. Other potential areas for research that emerged from this study include the affective states of participants in the webcasts+chat and the use of affective devices, such as emoticons and abbreviations, for showing affective states; the effect that format has on the efficacy of webcasts+chat used for computer-mediated instruction; and the processes students employ to manage actions and interactions in the webcasts and chats. / text

<p>In recent years, the successful expansions of Swedish fashion companies have mainly relied on their ability to turn fashion into brands. However, when companies grow it seems to be difficult to maintain the original brand identity as well as to establish a unique brand image in the minds of the consumers. With regard to this matter the purpose of our thesis was to investigate the brand image of Acne Jeans. Our ambition was to examine to what extent the brand image coincided with the brand identity and if brand associations differed between different consumer segments. In order to fulfil our purpose, we have conducted a questionnaire study of a sample of 130 students at Stockholm University. The findings of our study show that the brand image of Acne Jeans did not coincide with the brand identity regarding the aspects of individuality and innovativeness. We further concluded that there were several differences between the associations of those in possession of Acne apparel and those who did not own any Acne items. Finally, the associations of early adopters were investigated. The result indicated that the brand associations in this group did not deviate from the general opinion of the total sample.</p>

Une série de Tchebychev est un développement dans la base des polynômes de Tchebychev. Ces séries sont importantes en théorie de l'approximation. Contrairement aux séries de Taylor, l'algorithmique en calcul formel autour d'elles n'est pas très développée. Cette thèse propose de nouveaux algorithmes pour ces séries. Une première partie présente des algorithmes rapides pour convertir une série de Tchebychev tronquée en une série de Taylor tronquée et réciproquement, et pour multiplier ou diviser deux séries de Tchebychev tronquées. Le reste de la thèse porte sur les séries de Tchebychev solutions d'une équation différentielle linéaire à coefficients polynomiaux. Dans cette classe, les coefficients des séries sont solutions d'une récurrence linéaire. Cette thèse montre comment calculer cette récurrence efficacement, puis comment l'utiliser pour obtenir un calcul approché efficace des coefficients malgré des instabilités numériques. Ces algorithmes mènent au calcul efficace d'une approximation sur un segment par un polynôme de degré fixé d'une fonction solution d'une équation différentielle linéaire. Enfin, le calcul des récurrences pour les coefficients de séries est généralisé au cas des séries de Fourier généralisées. L'ensemble est illustré d'exemples à partir de programmes développés durant cette thèse.

Margaret Atwood’s novel Surfacing has received considerable critical attention on the issue of “a positive female identity” in a patriarchal society. However, given Atwood’s own stress on the fact that the novel is about the ways both genders work in relation to each other, this criticism has lacked in scrutiny of the novel’s male characters. With a relational approach to the female and male characters, this thesis argues that while creating a positive identity for its female protagonist, the novel effectively creates a rather negative one for its male characters. In order to examine certain sets of relations and the qualities which represent the most honored way of being a man in the novel, I apply the concept of “hegemonic masculinity,” which can be understood as the pattern of practices that explain male domination over women. It is indeed this hegemonic masculinity that the Surfacer rejects in her quest for emancipation. By looking at the hegemonic masculinity in Surfacing, I argue that the novel depicts very typically patriarchal characters in Joe and David and that the society is typically patriarchal. The thesis is divided into three main sections, each examining the most important sets of relations concerning Atwood’s female emancipation. First, I analyze hegemonic structures in the world of the protagonist, including the issues of power, emancipation, and complicity. Then I look into the sexual division of labor to show that the characters assume their default roles without much reflection. Finally, I scrutinize the characters’ relation to the Symbolic and how it affects their sense of identity. In each section, the analyses show that the male characters are reduced to tropes who only serve one function: to be stereotypically oppressive, patriarchal figures in order to facilitate the protagonist’s positive change and empowerment. I argue that Atwood’s failure to imagine male emancipation somewhat taints the development of female identity because the female emancipation becomes arrested.

Inledning: Kontinuerlig organisationsförändring förekommer allt oftare i dagens organisationer, och kännetecknas av att förändringsprocessen inte har någon början ellerslut. I samband med att kontinuerlig organisationsförändring genomförs i organisationer kan det bidra till att anställda upplever en förvirrande och mångtydig känsla, eftersom förändring sker hela tiden. I dessa situationer är meningsskapande en avgörande faktor, vilken är en central aspekt inom symboliskt ledarskap. Studien undersöker därför symboliskt ledarskap i detta sammanhang, och fokuserar främst på hur chefer använder symboler och meningsskapande för att dämpa den tvetydighet som uppkommer. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att utveckla en förståelse för på vilket sätt chefer använder symboler och meningsskapande vid kontinuerlig organisationsförändring. Metod: Genom att använda oss av en kvalitativ forskningsmetod har vi genomfört enfallstudie med en abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och från inspiration av en etnografisk studie. För att skapa en utvecklad förståelse för hur cheferna arbetar i den dagliga verksamheten är studien hermeneutisk. Slutsats: Studien har kommit fram till att symboler används av cheferna för att skapa mening men även för att förmedla samhörighet, trygghet och en gemensam syn. Symbolerna används genom kommunikation, synlighet och genom att arrangera diverse tillställningar. Meningsskapande blir viktigt eftersom det får anställda att känna mening inför de arbetsuppgifter som ska utföras. / Introduction: Continuous organizational change is increasing in today's organizations, and is characterized by change having no beginning nor end. In liaison with the ongoing organizational change being implemented in organizations it can cause employees feeling confused and ambiguous, since change occurs all the time. In these situations, sensemaking constitute an essential factor, which is a key aspect of symbolic leadership. The study therefore examines symbolic leadership in this context, and focuses on how managers use symbols and sensemaking to reduce the ambiguity that arises. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to develop an understanding of in what way leaders practice symbols and sensemaking during continuous organizational change Method: By using a qualitative research method, we conducted a case study with an abductive approach. The empirical material was collected through semi-structured interviews and from the inspiration of an ethnographic study. In order to create a developed understanding of how managers are working in the daily activities, the study use a hermeneutic approach. Conclusion: The findings of the study has concluded that symbols are utilized by managers in order to create meaning, but also to transmit togetherness, security and a mutual vision. The symbols are utilized through communication, visibility and by organizing various events. Sensemaking is thus important since it mediates how employees can feel meaningfulness for the tasks to be executed.

Cette thèse propose une approche de la communauté dans l’œuvre de William Faulkner éclairée notamment par la notion bakhtinienne de dialogisme et de la réflexion contemporaine sur le figural. La communauté chez Faulkner s’avère une présence d’autant plus marquante qu’elle n’existe pas comme objet mais comme effet de discours au niveau de la diégèse comme au niveau du texte. Il s’agit d’abord d’examiner comment au cœur de la démarche faulknérienne l’écriture procède à une réinvention de la communauté. En un second temps la thèse explore les diverses stratégies grâce auxquelles le texte faulknérien se fait le lieu d’une élaboration avec le lecteur produisant une communauté esthétique exigeante. Les lectures de l’espace romanesques montrent ensuite les rapports étroits existant entre l’espace du texte et l’espace représenté et mettent à jour des jeux de mise en abyme qui, du reste, rendent difficile, voire impossible toute distinction entre l’un et l’autre. Enfin le corps est examiné comme enjeu d’inscription idéologique. La thèse met en lumière deux stratégies de représentation différentes, correspondant à deux types de rapport au langage. / This thesis addresses the issue of community in William Faulkner’s work in the light of Bakhtine’s theory of dialogism and of the contemporary reflection on the figural. In Faulkner’s work the community is all the more prominent as it does not exist as an object but as a discursive effect on the level of diegesis and on the level of the text. Our thesis first examines the place of community in relation to the ways in which Faulkner conceives his writing project, and to the creation of a « cosmos of his own ». Then it investigates the various strategies which define the Faulknerian text as the locus of a collaboration with the reader resulting in an esthetic community. The third section explores the space of the novel and shows the close relationship between diegetic (or passive) and textual (active) spaces. Eventually the issue of the body as a basic for ideological inscription is examined, and the thesis identifies two distinct strategies of representation related to two ways of approaching language.

Syftet med den här kvalitativa studien är att undersöka hur kvinnor berättar om kriminalitet och vägen ut ur kriminaliteten. Genom att synliggöra den mening och betydelse kvinnor lägger i kriminalitet och hur den betydelsen formas i interaktion med såväl umgänge i kriminella kretsar som möte med professionella kan studien bidra med ökad kunskap om kvinnors kriminalitet. Studien är baserad på intervjuer med fyra kvinnor som har lämnat en kriminell livsstil bakom sig. Studien är genomförd med den induktiva metoden grundad teori och har sin teoretiska hemvist i symbolisk interaktionism. De tre övergripande kategorierna som under analysen visade sig i kvinnornas berättelser: motiv, relationer och samhälle, blev huvudbyggstenarna i den teoriskiss som resultatet och analysen slutligen landade i. Den teori som bygger på studiens resultat visar att kvinnorna kunde lämna kriminaliteten bakom sig efter att en omtolkningsprocess startats samtidigt som det i de tre områdena motiv, relationer och samhälle fanns icke-kriminella alternativ, förutsättningar och behandlingar. Omtolkningsprocessen kunde starta hos kvinnorna själva eller initieras av professionella. Det visade sig i studien att kvinnors kriminalitet både underskattas och underbehandlas. Stödet behövde vara långsiktigt, riktat mot kriminaliteten samt vara utformat efter kvinnors specifika behov. Kvinnorna behövde sunda, kvinnliga relationer, uppleva ett positivt föräldraskap, utveckla icke-kriminella värderingar samt en få en god självbild och icke-kriminell identitet. Det sociala arbetets utmaning består i att bygga en behandlingsform som tar hänsyn till kvinnors behov utifrån de tre nivåerna motiv, relationer och samhälle samt att både starta en omtolkningsprocess och snabbt fånga upp de kvinnor som befinner sig i en omtolkningsprocess. / The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how women talk about crime and the ways they can get out of a criminal lifestyle. By highlighting the meaning women lay behind criminal actions and how those meanings are modified during interaction within both criminal circles and with the professional social workers this study can contribute to increased knowledge of women's criminality. The study is based on interviews with four women who have refrained from a criminal lifestyle. The study was conducted by the inductive method grounded theory and its theoretical resident is symbolic interactionism. During the analysis three main categories appeared in the women's stories: motives, relationships and society, and those categories became the main building blocks of the theory that the result and analysis finally landed in. The theory that is based on the results of the study showed that women could desist from crime if they experienced an internal modifying process while also being offered non-criminal options, conditions and treatments in the three areas of motives, relationships and society. The internal modifying process could be initiated by the women’s own thoughts or by a professional. It was found in the study that women's criminality are both underestimated and undertreated. The support needed to be long term, aimed specifically at crime and designed for the specific needs of women. The women were helped by experiencing healthy female relationships and positive parenting, by developing non-criminal values ​​and by developing a good self-image and non-criminal identity. The challenge for social work is to build a form of treatment that takes into account women's needs from the three levels motives, relationships and society and to both initiate a modifying process and quickly capture the women who are in in the midst of an internal modifying process.

The survival of organizations is dependent upon their legitimacy since legitimacy provides them with access to valuable resources. Organizations do not possess legitimacy, but rather it is ascribed to them by the society they are in when their actions meet societal expectations. Fulfillment of these societal expectations requires the moral and practical obligations of organizations which we call Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To show their CSR performance, organizations have increasingly adopted the practice of CSR reporting. In CSR reporting, organizations are expected by their stakeholders to disclose both positive and negative aspects. Although disclosing negative aspects can pose a threat to organization’s legitimacy, a third party reporting them may cause more severe damages to the legitimacy of the organization. Therefore, organizations are motivated to legitimize their negative aspects by using legitimation strategies. Using the typology of Coombs and Holladay (1996), in combination with the legitimation strategies by Hahn and Lülfs (2014) as our frameworks, and the non-financial reports of the top ten German chemical companies as our illustrative cases, we investigate and interpret the choice of legitimation strategies used by organizations to report different types of negative aspects in CSR reports. Our findings show that there is a clear pattern in the use of corrective action as a legitimation strategy for all types of negative aspects. Furthermore, we identified instances, where a new type of legitimation strategy, which we called shifting blame legitimation strategy was used. We interpreted our findings using analytical reasoning and theoretical framework such as the concept of symbolic and substantive approach to interpret our findings. Based on the findings, we concluded that the dominant pattern identified falls under the substantive approach, theoretically known for helping companies retain their legitimacy.