The aim of this study was to examine how work integration social enterprise (WISE) established their enterprises. To reach the aim we collected data through qualitative in-terviews from six persons with experience of starting a WISE. Four managers, one exec-utive and one consultant. The research focused on their experience of the enterprises’ start up periods. The research shows that the enterprise is searching for legitimacy from its surrounding but in different ways depending who they are interacting with. The research presented in this study also shows four different factors important to WISE in the estab-lishment process; relations, needs, personal resources and the story about WISE.

L'aide à la décision multicritères regroupe des méthodes permettant de choisir la meilleure solution en fonction des différents critères et compte tenu des préférences des experts. Toutefois, ces préférences sont parfois exprimées de manière imparfaite. La théorie des fonctions de croyance modélise de manière souple les connaissances et fournit des outils mathématiques pour gérer les différents types d'imperfection. Ainsi dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à la prise de décision multicritères dans un cadre incertain en étendant la méthode d’Analyse Hiérarchique des Procédés (AHP) à la théorie des fonctions de croyance. Après avoir présenté les fondements théoriques de la méthode AHP, nous avons proposé une approche qui permet de réduire le nombre de comparaisons par paires en jugeant des sous-ensembles de critères et d’alternatives. En outre, nous avons examiné la dépendance entre les critères et les alternatives. Dans ce cas, l'incertitude au niveau des évaluations est donnée sous forme de masses conditionnelles. Une autre partie de nos travaux répond aux critiques concernant la procédure de comparaison. Pour cela, nous avons proposé deux approches. La première technique d’élicitation des jugements de l’expert est fondée sur des distributions de masses, alors que la seconde s'appuie sur des relations de préférence. Dans ce cadre, nous avons introduit un modèle qui permet de générer des distributions de masse quantitatives à partir des relations de préférence. Ainsi, nous avons développé une méthode multicritères qui permet d'imiter le raisonnement humain. Cette méthode produit des résultats meilleurs et plus robustes que les approches de la littérature. / Multi-criteria decision making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives to find the best solution based on different criteria and considering the decision makers’ expectations. However, the expert assessments are sometimes expressed imperfectly. Belief function theory can then provide more flexible and reliable tools to manage different types of imperfection. Thus, in this thesis, we are interested in multi-criteria decision making in an uncertain framework by extending the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to the belief function framework. After presenting the theoretical foundations of the AHP method, we proposed an approach that reduces the number of pair-wise comparisons by judging subsets of criteria and alternatives. In addition, we examined the dependence between the criteria and alternatives. In this case, the uncertainty is given in terms of conditional mass distributions. Another part of the work provides critical concerning the pair-wise comparison process. For this purpose, we proposed two approaches. The first expert judgment elicitation method is based on mass distributions, while the second one is based on preference relations. In this context, we have introduced a model that is able to generate quantitative mass distributions from preference relations. Thus, we have developed a multi-criteria decision making method that imitates human reasoning. This method gives better and more robust results than existing approaches.

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The purpose of this study is to examine co-workers' experience of working within WISE and their perceived position in the company and at the labor market. The study also aims to investigate whether WISE contributes to perceived participation for co-workers, which is an ambition among these companies. The study answers three questions at issue; (1) How do co-workers within WISE perceive their work? (2) How do co-workers perceive their position and importance within the company and in the labor market? (3) How does work within WISE contribute to participation at the workplace? The study is based on a qualitative research method with an abductive approach. The questions at issue have been answered through eight semi-structured interviews with co-workers within two WISEs. The empirical material has then been analyzed on the basis of previous research linked to WISE and work, as well as our theoretical starting points, which are Empowerment, The work-first principle, Participation and SOC. The main results of the study shows that co-workers within the WISEs we have had contact with value work highly and as an important part of their lives. The work is described as meaningful as it provides the co-workers with a connection to colleagues and a place to be. The co-workers answers further indicate that they do not experience themselves as participants in an employment activity, but they see their position in the labor market as working individuals. By being active within a WISE, the co-workers have gained a sense of empowerment. The methods for how participation is achieved are similar between the two companies, where staff meetings are mentioned as the main strategy. The level of participation varies between co-workers, but what they all have in common is that they experience participation at the workplace. In this way, work within WISE have contributed to participation. / Studien har som syfte att undersöka medarbetarnas upplevelse av att arbeta inom ASF och deras upplevda ställning på företaget samt arbetsmarknaden. Studien syftar även till att undersöka huruvida ASF bidrar till upplevd delaktighet för medarbetarna, vilket är en ambition bland dessa företagen. Studien besvarar tre frågeställningar; (1) Hur upplever medarbetare inom ASF sitt arbete? (2) Hur upplever medarbetare sin position och betydelse inom företaget och på arbetsmarknaden? (3) Hur bidrar arbeten inom ASF till delaktighet på arbetsplatsen? Studien utgår från en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en abduktiv ansats. Frågeställningarna har besvarats genom åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med medarbetare inom två ASF. Det empiriska materialet har därefter analyserats utifrån tidigare forskning kopplat till ASF och arbete, samt våra teoretiska utgångspunkter vilka är Empowerment, Arbetslinjen, Delaktighet och KASAM. Studiens huvudresultat visar att medarbetare inom de ASF vi haft kontakt med värderar arbete högt och som en viktig del av deras liv. Arbetet beskrivs som meningsfullt då det tillför för medarbetarna ett sammanhang med kollegor och en plats att vara. Medarbetarnas svar tyder vidare på att de inte upplever sig som deltagare i en sysselsättningsverksamhet utan de ser sin position på arbetsmarknaden som arbetande individer. Genom att vara verksamma inom ASF har medarbetarna erhållit en känsla av empowerment. Metoderna för hur delaktighet uppnås är liknande mellan de två företagen där personalmöten nämns som den främsta strategin. Nivån av delaktighet varierar mellan medarbetarna men gemensamt är att de alla upplever delaktighet på arbetsplatsen. På så sätt har arbete inom ASF bidragit till delaktighet.

Rabbi Stephen S. Wise presents an excellent subject for the study of Jewish social progressivism in Portland in the early years of the twentieth-century. While Wise demonstrated a commitment to social justice before, during, and after his Portland years, it is during his ministry at congregation Beth Israel that he developed a full-fledged social program that was unique and remarkable by reaching out not only within his congregation but more importantly, by engaging the Christian community of Portland in interfaith activities. In so doing, Wise broke off from the traditional role expected of rabbis by bringing social causes to the fore over traditional Jewish observances. This thesis examines the years and contributions of Stephen Wise in Portland between 1900 and 1906. An overall study of the Jewish community in Portland is presented along with a general description of the condition of how both German and Eastern European Jews through their settlement, business occupation, and pace of assimilation came to envision their integration into the American mainstream. In order to fully appreciate Wise's commitment to social progressivism in Portland, this study will look to detail how Liberal Judaism, Ethical Culture, and the Social Gospel movement provided Wise with the means to combine his rabbinate with public advocacy in the prophetic tradition. The thesis then focuses on Wise's social activities and struggles against child labor, gambling, and prostitution with a special interest on the Chinese Exclusion Acts that struck the small but active Chinese community of Portland.

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This work involves preparing a basis for the company Riksbyggen AB and the housing association Brf ASEA-Stan for a possible installation of solar panels on their apartment building on Relävägen 5 (722 24) Västerås. As the company has already installed solar cells on other apartment buildings, a comparison will also be made between the various apartment buildings and what it means in terms of production to install solar cells on Relävägen 5 (722 24) in Västerås. Payoff time and the placement of the solar panels are further factors that have been taken into consideration when designing the solar system at Relävägen 5. From the results a conclusion was made that the apartment building electrical usage may be affected positively by an installation of solar panels. This is because in the summer the building can be self-sufficient while in the winter the building won’t need to buy as much electricity even though the sun hours are very low. The slope of the solar cell system is crucial for the electricity production for an apartment building, which reflects the work’s comparison of the slope and its differences. Interviews, study visits and simulation programs are examples of methods used during the work to facilitate the design of the solar cell system.

Wise the Wizard is a feature-length documentary by Daisy Sara Blakelock, made as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The film focuses on the late Harry Wise, a magician from Sanford, Florida, as remembered by the people who knew him best. Interview subjects include the following: author and TV Producer Charlie Carlson, who wrote a biography about Harry Wise entitled A Wizard's Tux and Tales (Luthers Press, New Smyrna Beach: 2004); Brendan and Anna McWilliams, who accompanied Harry on countless adventures throughout Sanford and the surrounding areas; Art Litka, who dedicated a portion of his Halloween Village to Harry Wise; filmmaker and magician Gary Lester, who studied magic under Harry Wise and acquired and restored many of Harry's former props; and Lynn Ashe, Harry Wise's best friend.

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