The increasing pace of technological change is creating significant disruptions in the marketplace. In these markets, successfully managing innovation has become a key competitive advantage. Global trends of low-cost manufacturing and environmental sustainability have mademanufacturing innovations increasingly important. Many alternative manufacturing solutions are developed in not-for-profit institutions such as universities and research centers. This has created a gap between the owners of new technologies and the potential beneficiary of the technology. Correctly asserting if an invention or technology has commercial potential is a challengingprospect.What methods can be used to evaluate the commercial potential of a new technology? Whatimportant considerations and delimitations must be made to provide a reliable value estimation?How should the commercial potential be communicated to stakeholders, financiers andcustomers? If there is commercial potential, how do you successfully commercialize thetechnology? These themes are explored in this study. The question of how to estimate the value of a ninvention is investigated in the first section. Using a case-study approach and looking at a new manufacturing technology in the solar cell market an attempt to estimate the value is made. The results show that the innovation value can be estimated using a quantitative approach where benefits and costs are estimated using publicly available data. This approach was found to work well for technologies that are sustaining the current manufacturing paradigm but struggled to provide an accurate estimation for newer technologies. The process was found to require a diverse set of skills and to preferably be made by a co-founder team with technical and industry knowledge. The second section focuses on how an invention can be successfully commercialized. By interviewing firms who had developed and sold manufacturing innovations and were growing quickly. They were found to have started their companies together with their customers and having had a close working relationship with them throughout the process. Furthermore, they were found to have founding teams who were close friends prior to starting the company. The firms also stressed approved patents and timing of financing as key factors to their success. As technology transfer between universities and large industrial firms become increasingly important the questions of how researchers and inventors can commercialize their technologies will attract much attention. This study provides clear guidelines on how to approach the processof finding and commercializing new technologies from the perspective of the inventor.

Startups and new businesses are important for the development of technology, the economy, and the society as a whole. To be able to contribute towards this cause, startups need to be able to survive and grow. It is therefore important for startups to understand how they can scale up their business. This led to the purpose of this study: to determine success factors for technological startup companies to increase their scalability. Five areas were identified to have an impact on the scalability of a business, namely; partnerships, cloud computing, modularity, process automation and business model scalability. Within these areas, several subareas were found, which were certain areas of interest within the theory. Together, these subareas helped answer how companies can work with scalability in each area. These areas, and their subareas, went into an analytical model that formed the structure of the empirical and analytical parts of the study. The study is a multicase study, consisting of 15 B2B companies, of varying size and maturity, whom all offered software as a part of their solutions. The study concludes that there are six important factors for succeeding with scalability. An important factor to succeed with scalability is to adopt partnerships, since this will allow for outsourcing, and give access to resources, markets and customers. It is also concluded that cloud computing is a very scalable delivery method, but that it requires certain success factors, such as working with partners, having a customer focus, having the right knowledge internally, and having a standardized product. Further, modularity can enable companies to meet differing customer needs since it increases flexibility, can expand the offer, and make sales easier. The study concludes that process automation increases the efficiency in the company, and can be done through automating a number of processes. Focusing both internally and externally is another important factor for success, by allowing companies to develop a scalable product that is demanded by customers. Lastly, a scalable business model is found to be the final objective, and that it is important to work with the other areas to get there, something that includes trial and error to find what works best for each individual company. The six important factors formed the basis for the recommendations. The study recommend that startups should utilize partnerships and process automation. Startups should also be aware of, and work with, the success factors of cloud computing, use modularity when selling to markets with different customer needs, automate other processes before automating sales, keep customer focus when developing the product, and work actively to become more scalable.

The thesis deals with the presence of the technology team in various types of newsrooms of investigative journalism. The aim of the work is to find out the degree of representation of the technological component in the Slovak and Czech newsrooms. In case of their absence to find out the work process of journalists in more technologically demanding tasks. The theoretical part introduces the basic terminology of this field and this part is based on the data from quantitative study from 2019 conducted under the auspices of the ICFJ. In the practical part, qualitative research will be carried out in the form of semi-structured interviews with representatives of selected newsrooms.

ESG och hållbarhet är begrepp som har fått betydande uppmärksamhet under de senaste åren och utgör en viktig faktor som företag behöver beakta. ESG, en förkortning för Environmental, Social och Governance, avser att mäta hur företag hanterar och rapporterar om hållbarhetsfrågor och dess påverkan på såväl samhället som miljön. Företag utvärderas utifrån dessa faktorer och tilldelas individuella betyg för deras arbete gällande de individuella komponenterna E, S och G. Betygen för dessa tre komponenter slås sedan samman till ett helhetsbetyg - ett så kallat ESG-betyg. Det har genomförts omfattande forskning och studier för att undersöka sambandet mellan ESG-betyget och företagens finansiella prestation - dock har dessa tidigare studier visat på varierande resultat. Teknologiindustrin är en snabbt växande sektor med företag som redan i dagsläget besitter enorma mängder data. Trots att industrins idé i mångt och mycket grundas i ett immateriellt tillvägagångssätt, har den även en märkbar påverkan på vår planets fysiska miljö. Denna studies första syfte är att undersöka hur sambandet ser ut mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation, i form av både redovisningsbaserad och marknadsbaserad prestation, för dessa europeiska tech-bolag. Studiens andra syfte är att undersöka hur sambandet ser ut för de individuella E-, S-, och G-betygen och de europeiska tech-bolagens redovisnings- och marknadsbaserade prestationer.  Sammanfattningsvis visade studien att G-betyget har ett tydligt samband med både redovisad prestation och marknadsbaserad prestation, medan ESG-betyget i sig inte visade ett direkt samband med den finansiella prestationen. Detta understryker vikten av att inte bara fokusera på övergripande ESG-betyg, utan även att undersöka och analysera de specifika komponenterna i ESG-betyget för att få en mer detaljerad bild av deras påverkan på företagens prestation. Studien ämnar att bidra till en ökad förståelse för betydelsen av hållbara investeringar för både företag och investerare.

Thesis (Ph.D. Education (Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The introduction of technologies in our lifetime necessitates transformation in our lifestyles. This expectation is not an exception to the education system. The curriculum and the ways of teaching and learning are affected the most by new technologies. It is therefore imperative that schools, educational officials and teachers change in tandem with these new technologies. The transitioning to technologies, therefore, tends to make it obligatory for schools, principals, deputy principals, heads of departments and teachers to be competent in these new innovations and the accompanying digital strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate the implementation of blended learning as one of the technological platforms in Sekhukhune District schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study was guided by blending Connected Learning Theory (CLT), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Connectivism Theory (CT) frameworks. The theories assisted in the formulation of research questions which led to the study findings. The research questions of the study included How do teachers perceive the usefulness of blended learning approaches in teaching and learning? How do teachers connect information using technology resources in blended learning? “To what extent do teachers display the necessary skills for successful implementation of blended learning?” What are teachers’ recommendations for the introduction and improvement of blended learning in rural schools? and What are the elements to be considered for the designing of blended learning model? The study used mixed methods research (MMR) to achieve the aim of the study. Convergent parallel design was used to collect, analyse and interpret data. The study was guided by a pragmatic paradigm where 10 schools were purposively sampled for the QUAN strand while 4 schools were purposively sampled for the QUAL strand. The participants of the study comprised x principals, deputy principals and teachers. For the QUAN strand 10 principals, 9 deputy principals, 35 heads of departments and 123 teachers participated while for the AQUAL strand 4 principals, 4 head of departments and 4 teachers took part in the investigation. The total sample for the QUAN was 177 participants and 12 participants for the QUAL strand. A questionnaire was used to collect data in the QUAN strand while for the QUAL strand interviews and document study were used. Data gathered through questionnaires was analysed through the IBM SPSS version 28. Thematic, content and narrative analyses were used to assess data collected from the interviews and document study. The results of the two strands were merged to obtain the final results of the study. The study established that teachers embraced the introduction and implementation of blended learning in schools. However, challenges such as lack of e-technological supply and internet connection; inadequacies in the use of classroom technologies; lack of e-tech policies; lack of teachers’ digital training; insufficient teachers′ technological competencies; and inadequate teacher support in technologies impede the effective implementation of blended learning in Sekhukhune-Limpopo schools. The study therefore recommends that the Limpopo Department of Education (LDE) should prioritise the supply of e-tech in Sekhukhune-Limpopo through fiscal policies. The study further recommends that the Department of Basic Education, through the provincial education departments and districts, train and develop officials and teachers in digital technologies for the successful implementation of blended technologies in teaching and learning. The study also suggested a proposed Blended Learning Model (BLM) which might assist in the implementation of blended learning in schools. Keywords: blended learning, blended learning model, E-Tech, EEducation policy, teachers’ digital framework

Inledning: Techbranschen är en relativt ny men stor och omfattande bransch som ständigt växer. Techbranschen spelar en viktig roll för Sveriges nuvarande och framtida ekonomi. Därav anses techbolag vara relevanta att studera. I den här uppsatsen är de det transformativa ledarskapet och motivation inom techbolag som kommer att undersökas. Detta eftersom ett lyckat ledarskap och anställda som är motiverade anses som väsentligt för att företag ska kunna bli framgångsrika. Forskningsfråga: Hur motiveras anställda av ett transformativt ledarskap inom techbolag? Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och få en förståelse över det transformativa ledarskapets betydelse för anställdas motivation inom techbolag. Genom en ökad förståelse är målsättningen att utveckla ett teoretiskt ramverk. Teoretisk referensram: Den teoretiska referensramen är uppbyggd av de två centrala delarna transformativt ledarskap och motivation. I den teoretiska referensramen presenteras även Job Characteristics Model som utgör en central del i uppsatsen. Referensramen sammanfattas slutligen i en egen analysmodell. Metod: I denna studie användes en abduktiv forskningsansats. Vidare har en kvalitativ studie genomförts där respondenter från två olika techbolag bidragit till empirin genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Litteraturstudien utfördes genom att samla in teorier från tidigare studier.  Empiri: Det empiriska resultatet av de kvalitativa intervjuerna presenteras. Analys: Genom att ha analyserat respondenternas svar framgår det att alla de fyra olika beteendena som det transformativt ledarskap består av har en betydelse för den inre motivationen men i olika stor utsträckning. De beteenden som anses ha störst betydelse för anställdas inre motivation inom techbolag är intellektuell stimulans och individuell omtanke. I slutet av analysen presenteras det teoretiska ramverket som utformats med stöd av studien. Slutsats: Slutsatsen av den här studien är att det transformativa ledarskapet har en stor betydelse för anställdas motivation inom techbolag. Det transformativa ledarskapet har en direkt positiv påverkan på anställdas inre motivation. Intellektuell stimulans och individuell omtanke är de transformativa ledarskapsbeteenden som visade sig ha störst betydelse för anställdas motivation inom techbolag. Vidare visar studien att ledarens egen arbetsbelastning kan påverka det transformativa ledarskapet negativt. I studien har det även framkommit att transformativt ledarskap har en betydelse för anställdas yttre motivation. / Introduction: The tech industry is a relatively new but large and extensive industry that is constantly growing. The tech industry plays an important role in Sweden's current and future economy. Hence, tech companies are considered relevant to study. In this study, it is transformational leadership and motivation in tech companies that will be examined. This is because successful leadership and motivated employees are considered essential for companies to be successful. Research Question: How does transformational leadership motivate employees in tech companies? Purpose Statement: The purpose of this study is to describe and gain a deeper understanding of the transformational leadership significance for employee motivation in tech companies. Through an increased understanding, the goal is to develop a theoretical framework. The theoretical frame of reference: The theoretical frame of reference is made up of the two central parts of transformational leadership and motivation. The theoretical frame of reference also presents the Job Characteristics Model, which is a central part of the thesis. The frame of reference is finally summarized in a separate analysis model. Method: In this study, an abductive research approach was used. Furthermore, a qualitative study was conducted where respondents from two different tech companies contributed to the empiric through semi-structured interviews. The literature study was performed by collecting theories from previous studies. Empirical data: The empirical results of the qualitative interviews are presented. Analysis: By analyzing the respondents' answers, it appears that all the four different behaviors that transformational leadership consists of have significance for the internal motivation but to varying degrees. The behaviors that are most important for employees' internal motivation within tech companies are intellectual stimulation and individual care. At the end of the analysis, the theoretical framework designed with the support of the study is presented. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that transformational leadership is of great significance for employee motivation in tech companies. Transformational leadership has a direct positive impact on employees' internal motivation. Intellectual stimulation and individual care are the transformational leadership behaviors that proved to be most significant for employee motivation in tech companies. Furthermore, the study shows that the leader's workload can negatively affect transformational leadership. The study has also shown that transformational leadership has an impact on employees' external motivation.

Entrepremeurship and what impact entrepreneurs have on the development of a country's society is a well-discussed subject today. During the recent years, entrepreneurs have been characterized as a country's futrue growth since ther are of utmost importance in terms of both innovation, employment and competition. However, one of the main constraints for entrepreneurs today is to gain access to external capital in the initial phase of their business.Therefore, our thesis will highlight the various financing options the entrepreneurs have in the start-up phase and why they choose a particular funding method for their start-up in the first financing round. The focus will be on entrepreneurs within the technological industry and the Swedish market. Moreover, our thesis is based on a qualitative study which includes interviews with six different start-ups in order to analyse how they have financed the start-up of their business and which funding method they prefer and why. A conclusion has been drawn from our study that internal financing is preferred over external which is in line with one of our financing principles that we have used for this study. Our thesis is expected to contribute with a deeper understanding of the entrepreneur's perspective in matters of financing with focus on the tech industry, which we consider as an extra important industry for global development. / Entreprenörskap och vilken inverkan entreprenörer har på utvecklingen av ett lands samhälle är ett väl diskuterat ämne idag. Under de senaste åren har entreprenörer karakteriserats som ett lands framtida tillväxt eftersom de är av yttersta vikt för både innovation, sysselsättning och konkurrens. En av de största begränsningarna för entreprenörer idag är dock att få tillgång till externt kapital i den inledande fasen av dess verksamhet. Vår avhandling kommer därför att lyfta fram de olika finansieringsalternativ som entreprenörerna har i deras uppstartsfas och varför de väljer en särskild finansieringsmetod för deras verksamhet. Fokus kommer vara på den första finansieringsrundan samt på entreprenörer inom den tekniska industrin och inom den svenska marknaden. Vår uppsats kommer även att vara baserad på en kvalitativ studie som innehåller intervjuer med sex olika nystartade företag för att kunna analysera hur de har finansierat sin verksamhet i uppstartsfasen samt vilken finansieringsmetod de föredrag och varför. Från vår studie har vi dragit slutsatsen att intern finansiering är något som respondenterna föredrar överextern finansiering. Detta ligger i linje med en av åra finansieringsprinciper som vi har använt för denna studie. Vår avhandling förväntas bidra med en djupare förståelse av entreprenörens perspektiv rörande finansieringsfrågor med fokus på teknikindustrin, vilket vi anser vara en extra viktig industri för den globala utvecklingen.

The General Data Protection Regulation has undoubtedly affected our society, both on anindividual everyday level as well as from the greater perspective of companies, the publicsector, and nations. The purpose of the GDPR is to protect the data of European citizens byputting further responsibility on organizations that store individual data. However, as withevery decision, this has had implications that might not have been predicted or accountedfor and which can disrupt its initial cause. Certain industries have been highly regulatedwhen it comes to data even before the GDPR, one of these is the health-tech industry whichmanages medical data which is perceived to be very sensitive and has for example beenregulated through the Patient Data Act.There is currently a research gap regarding how the GDPR has affected organizations andtheir journey toward compliance. This qualitative study was conducted using a criticalrealism perspective with a critical constructivist approach. The study is done incollaboration with the Swedish Kubernetes platform service provider Elastisys. Byconducting interviews with both the company itself and also with some of their health-techclients, as well as looking into cases where healthcare organizations have been fined underGDPR this thesis aimed towards answering the question of, “What effects have the GDPRlegislation had on the health-tech market and how have the organizations within itadapted?”.The result of this thesis show that the organizations have been able to reach compliance andmanage the process, however the implications have been clearer and more understandableas time has passed. This could be partly explained by the growing number of support-toolsand -organizations available today. Furthermore, due to the strong regulations and changingconditions within this particular industry the organizations are used to rapid transitions.Something that has implicated the general digital development of the industry but also madethem more adaptable to changing conditions. When it comes to the health-tech industrythere have been a higher pressure for compliance for those that work with the public sectorin comparison to those working against end users.Alongside the prohibited digital development, the GDPR has had other implications, suchas a gap between legal and technical expertise and conflicts between legal compliance andgeneral data security. Which, if not handled correctly can lead to less secure solutions.Another interesting implication of the GDPR is the indifference of individuals regardingtheir data. In light of this finding, this thesis also aspires to further elaborate on the currentdebate of digital sovereignty and its importance in the context of national negotiations withforeign powers.

International entrepreneurship is a prominent phenomenon in contemporary research, because of the ease of internationalisation for companies. Start-up hubs in Europe are booming and especially web-based tech companies internationalise quickly. This new type of company, which internationalises almost immediately after foundation, is called born global. Research showed that despite the interest in born global tech start-ups, there is no representative model visualising the process of their internationalisation. Therefore, secondary research is conducted, as well as empirical research in the form of qualitative interviews with three representative, successfully internationalised tech start-ups from Europe. These companies are the music streaming service Spotify, social marketing SaaS Facelift and business management SaaS Ivy. The internationalisation factors resulting from this research can be divided into a preparation phase, possible strategy development and an implementation phase. Within these phases, factors are separated into company- internal and external influences. Based on these findings, a new model on the internationalisation process of web- based tech start-ups is developed. / Internationell entreprenörskap är ett framstående fenomen inom modern forskning eftersom det blir enklare för företag att expandera över nationsgränserna. Startup-hubbar växer fram överallt i Europa och framförallt webbaserade techbolag är snabba med sin internationaliseringsprocess. Det handlar huvudsakligen om en viss typ av företag som kallas för born global, vilket innebär att bolaget börjar sälja sina produkter eller tjänster internationellt direkt efter grundandet. Forskning kring ämnet visar att det finns ett stort intresse för denna typ av företag men inga representativa modeller som visualiserar processen bakom deras internationalisering. Därför genomfördes sekundär forskning samt empirisk forskning i form av tre kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter från framgångsrika och internationella tech startups från Europa. Undersökningen ledde till upptäckten av olika faktorer som påverkar internationaliseringsprocessen. Dessa faktorer kategoriseras som interna eller externa påverkningar på företaget. Internationaliseringsfaktorerna kan delas in i tre faser - förberedelse, möjlig utveckling av strategi och implementering. Baserat på dessa resultat har en modell om internationaliseringsprocessen för born global tech startups utvecklats.

Miljö- och klimatfrågor är bland de största frågor vi står inför idag. Dessa frågor behandlar bland annat matproduktion och matsvinn. Enligt Naturvårdsverket står livsmedelshantering för 20 – 25% avden totala klimatpåverkan i Sverige. 75% av detta är matavfallinnehållande en stor del onödigt matsvinn från de privata hushållen. Som individer har vi därför en stor möjlighet till att påverka detta. Denna studie behandlar en kvalitativ undersökning av en lågteknologisk knapps möjligheter till att skapa ett beteende att inventera sitt kylskåp för att reducera det privata matsvinnet. Undersökningen innefattar utformning, design och framställning av en lågteknologisk knapp samt dess användarupplevelse och funktion i praktiken. Knappen är utformad med hjälp av en analys inom beteendeförändringsramverket Behavioural Change Wheel. Knappen testades på 10 studenter under tre veckors tid för att sedan utvärdera knappens påverkan. Användandet utvärderades genom att undersöka knappens möjligheter till en beteendeförändringkring inventering av kylskåp. Knappen tilldelades och kopplades samman med en rad funktioner för att underlätta och skapa ett beteende till att inventera: En lampa som lös två gånger per vecka, en text på knappen som löd “time to save the world.”, tillhandahållande av bakgrundsinformation gällande klimatfrågan, instruktioner gällande hur en inventering skulle utföras samt den fysiska närvaron av knappen. Resultatet pekar mot att en förändring i beteende skett underundersökningsperioden men resultaten från enkätsvaren är inte tillräckliga för att med statistisk signifikans bekräfta om knappen med funktioner skapat ett beteende. Knappens olika funktioner graderades av deltagarna i utvärderingen och utifrån dessa svar visade det sig att lampans påminnelsefunktion samt knappens fysiska närvaro hade störst påverkan till att en inventering utfördes. / Climate change and the environmental situation is two of the biggest challenges we face both locally and globally. Food production and food swill is a big part of these challenges. 20-25% of the total climate footprint in Sweden is caused by food production and handling according to Naturvårdsverket. 75% of this is food swill that contains a lot of unnecessary food waste produced in the private household. This gives individuals and households a great opportunity to reduce these numbers and affect the total climate footprint. This is a qualitative study investigating and evaluating the possibility of a low-tech buttons effect on individuals behaviour on keeping stock of the content in their refrigerator and possibly reducing their food waste. The study describes the process of creating and designing a low-tech button and an evaluation of the participants thoughts and experience with the button. The button is designed with an analysis of the behaviour change framework Behavioural Change Wheel as well as implementation of different behaviour change techniques to optimize the behaviour change and create a habit of keeping stock of the content of the refrigerator. Ten students used the button for three weeks before evaluating its effect on their behaviour and analysing if they perceived a reduction of their food waste. Five functions where assigned to the button; A LED that shone twice a week, a text engraved on the button that read “time to save the world.”, they were assigned background information regarding the environment and food waste, instructions on how to perform a stock-check and the physical presence of the button itself. The results of the study indicates a change in the participants behaviour during the time of using the button, but the results was not sufficient enough to confirm a change with statistical significance. All the functionalities was graded by the participants of the study and it shows that the reminder from the LED as well as the physical presence of the button was the two functions with the most impact on why the stock keeping was performed.