This thesis examined the question “What barriers are preventing Swedish companies from performing a structured conversion rate optimization process?”. As the purpose is to obtain an understanding of what is preventing companies from successfully execute conversion rate optimization (CRO). Given that CRO is an important part in most digital marketing activities. And despite increase in budget and importance in marketing, resource constraint continues to be the biggest obstacle.  The method employed to investigate this question was qualitative interviews with participants who worked with websites in seven different companies. An analysis was carried out, estimating the participating companies’ level of knowledge, overall structure, what to prioritize and current obstacles. It was established that the interviewees had several different areas of concern with regards to conversion rate optimization. Limited time, budget, priorities, knowledge, ownership, structured approach and interpreting data, were all treated in the analysis. A discussion was carried out to argument the definition of “biggest” barrier, as some barriers were more common than others but easier to overcome. Overall, these obstacles could all be traced back to barriers as prioritization, structure and ownership. The conclusion was that companies must have a more structured working process within the area of conversion rate optimization in order for this practice to be prioritized as a substantial part of companies online marketing activities. / Denna uppsats har undersökt frågan "Vilka hinder hindrar svenska företag från att genomföra en strukturerad konverteringsoptimerings process?". Med syfte att få en förståelse för vad som hindrar företagen att utföra konverteringsoptimering (CRO). Då CRO är en viktig del i de flesta digitala marknadsaktiviteter. Och trots ökad budget och kunskap inom marknadsföring är resursbegränsningen fortfarande det största hindret. Metoden som användes för att undersöka denna fråga var kvalitativa intervjuer med deltagare som arbetade med webbplatser inom sju olika företag. En analys genomfördes, som tog upp företags kunskapsnivå, övergripande struktur, prioriteringar och nuvarande hinder. Det fastställdes att intervjuarna hade flera olika problemområden med avseende om konverteringsoptimering. Begränsad tid, budget, prioriteringar, kunskap, ägandeskap, strukturerat abetsflöde och tolkning av data, behandlades alla i analysen. En diskussion gjordes för att argumentera för definitionen av "största" barriären, eftersom vissa hinder var vanligare än andra men lättare att övervinna. Sammantaget kan dessa hinder alltså spåras tillbaka till hinder som prioritering, struktur och ägande. Slutsatsen var att företagen måste ha en mer strukturerad arbetsprocess inom området för konverteringsoptimering för att denna disciplin ska prioriteras som en väsentlig del av företagets marknadsföringsaktiviteter online.

<p><strong>Aim:</strong> The aim of this study is to explore, discuss and analyse patterns that make up a successful multicultural labour marketing and management. Riihimäki Würth Ltd. employees´ experiences have been used as an example of multicultural labour management.</p><p>In the report, the following research questions have been answered:</p><ul><li><p>What are the main cultural differences in multicultural working place?</p></li><li><p>What are the benefits and challenges of multicultural working environment?</p></li><li><p>How do Finnish managers prepare employees on multicultural working environment, prevent, solve problems that are caused by multicultural working environment and, promote multicultural working environments.</p></li><li><p>What are the lessons learned from multicultural working environment?</p></li></ul><p>Culture can be best expressed in the interactions of values, attitudes and behavioural assumptions of society. We must be able to unpack the culture concept (Schwartz 1994).</p><p>I have worked as a government labour consultant/officer in Finland for 7yrs. I used my knowledge of today’s Finnish labour market condition to get a full picture of the cultural labour marketing possibilities.</p><p>Method: I picked four big companies in Finland that practice multicultural labour strategies from our clients’ registration data system and send them an email offer to interview their employees. Only Riihimäki Würth Ltd. took my offer and booked me in as a visitor. I interviewed five natives and five migrant employees in Riihimäki Würth Oy company in Finland that fix and assemble materials like screws, screw accessories, dowels and plugs, chemical products, furniture and construction fittings, tools, and stock keeping and picking systems.</p><p>Common denominator for all ten respondents was an over one-year experience in multicultural working environment. I walked around the building, selected 10 employees by random, contacted face-to-face oral interviews and recorded their answers using my Video camera.</p><p>Findings on how the respondents have handled their multicultural working environment are discussed in the analysis. Employees’ suggestions on how to create and manage multicultural working environment have been reviewed too.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Result and conclusions:</strong> My conclusion is that cultural differences may not affect unskilled working environment (like the researched warehouse operating Würth Ltd. company), as long as all the employees are treated equally. Carrying out of given duties in unskilled working place is the same in a warehouse company despite of the country of origin.</p><p>The Würth Ltd. unskilled labour respondents provided evidence that equal salary, treatment, sharing of duties and other benefits could be the key to successful multicultural working environment, marketing and management. It creates harmony, kindness and friendliness in the air that I too, witnessed while walking around the building before the interview.</p><p>Learning the native or working language is very important to enable communication and career progress even in Würth’s unskilled warehouse multicultural working environment, marketing and management.</p><p><strong>Researched company has 126 employees in 379 departments of which 28 are migrants from Vietnam, Morocco, Kosovo, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Egypt, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Japan and Philippines. It hired the first foreign employee in 1990 but none of foreign employees has ever been promoted. This could be a multicultural working environment dark side or failure. Multicultural marketing in Finland might not be the right strategy or solution for ambitious foreigners who are interested and looking for quick career advancements or career progress if this is the case in most of the Finnish multicultural working places.</strong></p><p>I suggests the following for future research:</p><ul><li><p>A deeper study on communication in a multicultural working environment: How can information be easily and successfully communicated in a working environment where employees do not share a common language.</p></li><li><p>Promotions: How can foreign employees advance their career in a foreign labour market if their native language skill is below the native or required standard, but the job skills are excellent?</p></li><li><p>Why Finland attracts and uses more foreigners for unskilled labour than skilled?</p></li></ul><p>Contribution of the study: The study offers a pattern and lays down a background for further studies on multicultural labour force. It may reduce the fear of multicultural working environment. It might help the managers and companies to overcome prejudices on cultural differences and barriers. Some organisations and networks (e.g. The Municipality of Riihimäki town, TJS ; STTK and AKAVA union education institute and Mosaiikki project sponsored by Ministry of Migration) have already copied my research interview DVD to use as a guideline for training new foreign employees and managing multicultural working environments strategies. I believe that it might help marketing managers to create better multicultural labour marketing strategies.</p>

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore, discuss and analyse patterns that make up a successful multicultural labour marketing and management. Riihimäki Würth Ltd. employees´ experiences have been used as an example of multicultural labour management. In the report, the following research questions have been answered: What are the main cultural differences in multicultural working place? What are the benefits and challenges of multicultural working environment? How do Finnish managers prepare employees on multicultural working environment, prevent, solve problems that are caused by multicultural working environment and, promote multicultural working environments. What are the lessons learned from multicultural working environment? Culture can be best expressed in the interactions of values, attitudes and behavioural assumptions of society. We must be able to unpack the culture concept (Schwartz 1994). I have worked as a government labour consultant/officer in Finland for 7yrs. I used my knowledge of today’s Finnish labour market condition to get a full picture of the cultural labour marketing possibilities. Method: I picked four big companies in Finland that practice multicultural labour strategies from our clients’ registration data system and send them an email offer to interview their employees. Only Riihimäki Würth Ltd. took my offer and booked me in as a visitor. I interviewed five natives and five migrant employees in Riihimäki Würth Oy company in Finland that fix and assemble materials like screws, screw accessories, dowels and plugs, chemical products, furniture and construction fittings, tools, and stock keeping and picking systems. Common denominator for all ten respondents was an over one-year experience in multicultural working environment. I walked around the building, selected 10 employees by random, contacted face-to-face oral interviews and recorded their answers using my Video camera. Findings on how the respondents have handled their multicultural working environment are discussed in the analysis. Employees’ suggestions on how to create and manage multicultural working environment have been reviewed too.   Result and conclusions: My conclusion is that cultural differences may not affect unskilled working environment (like the researched warehouse operating Würth Ltd. company), as long as all the employees are treated equally. Carrying out of given duties in unskilled working place is the same in a warehouse company despite of the country of origin. The Würth Ltd. unskilled labour respondents provided evidence that equal salary, treatment, sharing of duties and other benefits could be the key to successful multicultural working environment, marketing and management. It creates harmony, kindness and friendliness in the air that I too, witnessed while walking around the building before the interview. Learning the native or working language is very important to enable communication and career progress even in Würth’s unskilled warehouse multicultural working environment, marketing and management. Researched company has 126 employees in 379 departments of which 28 are migrants from Vietnam, Morocco, Kosovo, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Egypt, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Japan and Philippines. It hired the first foreign employee in 1990 but none of foreign employees has ever been promoted. This could be a multicultural working environment dark side or failure. Multicultural marketing in Finland might not be the right strategy or solution for ambitious foreigners who are interested and looking for quick career advancements or career progress if this is the case in most of the Finnish multicultural working places. I suggests the following for future research: A deeper study on communication in a multicultural working environment: How can information be easily and successfully communicated in a working environment where employees do not share a common language. Promotions: How can foreign employees advance their career in a foreign labour market if their native language skill is below the native or required standard, but the job skills are excellent? Why Finland attracts and uses more foreigners for unskilled labour than skilled? Contribution of the study: The study offers a pattern and lays down a background for further studies on multicultural labour force. It may reduce the fear of multicultural working environment. It might help the managers and companies to overcome prejudices on cultural differences and barriers. Some organisations and networks (e.g. The Municipality of Riihimäki town, TJS ; STTK and AKAVA union education institute and Mosaiikki project sponsored by Ministry of Migration) have already copied my research interview DVD to use as a guideline for training new foreign employees and managing multicultural working environments strategies. I believe that it might help marketing managers to create better multicultural labour marketing strategies.

This thesis is an ethnological study of the truck-driver profession and an examination of the prerequisites for sexual equality and diversity in the haulage branch. The aim is to: from a cultural perspective, with a special focus on gender and masculinity, study truck-drivers as an occupational group. A main question deals with male dominance within the haulage business. What supports this dominance and what possibilities exist for change? The cultural phenomena within the trucking business are analysed with a particular focus on class. The collective idea, that I found among truck-drivers and haulage firm owners, of a kind of self-imposed “underdog identity’* is important to my analyses. Within the group, however, disloyal competition is widespread. The employment process for drivers is built on responsibility. The driver must prove himself sufficiently reliable before the employer will hand over responsibility for truck, cargo and the assignment itself. Since those who lack the collectively accepted indicators of competence/responsibility have difficulty gaining employment, a kind of “catch 22” situation is created, which is reinforced by the truck-drivers’ “underdog identity”. Those who share the values and outer features with the majority receive considerable advantages in the employment process,which adds to what is already a widespread male dominance and strengthens the cultural homogeneity. The truck-drivers* relationship to freedom forms a “key symbol” in the analysis. The Swedish haulage branch is investigated using Yvonne Hirdman’s gender contract, which makes visible how perceptions of masculinity have been given normative status within the haulage business. Another theme in the analysis is the “masculine manuscript” — embodied by a wellbehaved and reliable, middle-aged, white (Swedish), heterosexual man with a working class upbringing. The manuscript functions as a kind of ideal with which drivers are compared. Those who fit the manuscript are afforded considerable advantages, above all in the recruitment process. In order to draw attention to different types of power within the haulage business, Robert W. Connels’ term hegemonic masculinity is used. With some reservations one can express the long-distance truck-driver as an ideal with hegemonic status within the context of haulage. This category of driver has considerable influence on the definition of how a “real” driver should be and on ideas of how transport work is best organised. This group of drivers is relatively small, but its symbolic influence is large. From a gender perspective, the aim is to “grapple” with the images of truck-drivers, both within and outside of the business. The attitude to the trucker myths is critical. The masculinity ideal of the trucker myth is about the right to seek personal freedom and to live exclusively in and for the truck. Possible explanations for the interest in truck-drivers are discussed with the help of the concept of “masculinity crisis” and George L. Mosses* figure of thought: “the male stereotype”. / <p>Diss. Umeå : Univ., 2003</p> / digitalisering@umu

Abstract In this study I examine how the parents describe the child's starting school as an ecological transition from pre-school to school growth environments. This concept is based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory. In terms of time-frames starting school is understood as a transition process which begins in the pre-school year, continues during the first school year and includes changes in the child's growth environment as well as in the child's role. The data derives from interviews with 21 parents of children from diverse educational contexts and the journals and interviews of parents from an additional three families. In this study, a child's growth environment changed during the transition process from a child-centred, play- and learning environment to a goal-oriented learning and teaching environment directed by the teacher; from a social growth environment to a more individual working environment; and from a preparatory working culture (directed towards school-attendance) to an educative working culture aimed at citizenship. The child's role changed in the process from that of a pre-schooler to a school beginner, to a school child. This study brings in the school beginner's role. The transition process was most flexible for pre-schoolers from the combined class, secure and multi-phased for pre-schoolers from the pre-school and school co-operation unit. For the Montessori child the transition was natural and quick, for pre-schoolers from the day-care unit, it was longest and most problematic. In conclusion, my research suggests that, although our school system aims to be equal for all, this is not the reality during the pre-school and school starting phases. However, by the end of the first school year all the children in this study had adjusted to the school context. They had fulfilled the criteria and expectations set for the role of the school child: such as becoming an academic learner; a performer of tasks, an object of evaluation; a responsible, concerned and well-behaved pupil, and a school companion. In summary, the school working-culture had a powerful homogenizing effect, adjusting the child to the school and to the role of school child. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa lähestyn lapsen koulunaloittamista ekologisena siirtymänä esiopetuksen kasvuympäristöstä perusopetuksen kasvuympäristöön ja tarkastelen millaiseksi vanhemmat kuvaavat tämän siirtymän. Koulunaloittaminen ekologisena siirtymänä perustuu Bronfenbrennerin ekologiseen teoriaan. Ajallisesti koulunaloittaminen ymmärretään siirtymäprosessina, joka alkaa esiopetusvuotena ja jatkuu ensimmäisen kouluvuoden aikana. Siirtymäprosessi sisältää lapsen kasvuympäristön ja lapsen roolin muutoksen. Erityisesti tarkastelen millaiseksi 21 oululaista vanhempaa kuvaavat kasvuympäristön kulttuurisen muutoksen esikoulun toimintakulttuurista koulun toimintakulttuuriksi ja lapsen roolin muutoksen esikoululaisesta koululaiseksi. Tutkimus on lähestymistavaltaan ekologinen, ja tarkastelun kohteena ovat arkielämän kontekstissa tapahtuvat yksilön ja kasvuympäristön vastavuoroiset vuorovaikutus- ja muutosprosessit. Koulunaloittaminen siirtymäprosessina on lapsen ja kasvuympäristön keskinäinen muutos- ja sopeutumisprosessi. Kasvuympäristön kulttuurisen muutoksen tarkastelu muodostaa tutkimukseni taustan ja lähtökohdan. Roolimuutosta tutkin kunnallisen päiväkodin, esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhteistoimintayksikön, montessoripainotteisen päiväkodin ja esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhdysluokan esiopetuskontekstissa sekä koulukontekstissa. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 13 perheen vanhempien haastatteluista ja kolmen perheen vanhempien kirjoittamista päiväkirjadokumenteista ja heidän haastatteluistaan. Vanhempien mukaan lapsen kasvuympäristö muuttui esikoulusta kouluun siirryttäessä lapsikeskeisestä, leikki- ja oppimisympäristöstä opettajajohtoiseksi, tavoitteelliseksi oppimis- ja opetusympäristöksi, sosiaalisesta kasvuympäristöstä enemmän yksin työskentely -ympäristöksi ja kouluun valmentavasta toimintakulttuurista kansalaiskasvatuksen toimintakulttuuriksi. Tämän muutoksen rinnalla vastaavasti lapsen rooli muuttui prosessinluonteisesti esikoululaisesta koulunaloittajaksi ja koululaiseksi. Koulunaloittajan roolin löytyminen oli yksi tutkimukseni päätulos. Roolimuutos kaikkinensa oli vähäisin esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhdysluokan esikoululaisilla, jotka olivat harjoitelleet koululaisen roolia koulukontekstissa jo esiopetusvuoden aikana. Suurin ja jyrkin roolimuutos oli kunnallisesta päiväkodista sekä montessoripainotteisesta päiväkodista siirtyneillä esikoululaisilla, joille koulukonteksti ja koululaisen rooli olivat etukäteen vieraita. Yksilöllinen ja vaihteleva roolimuutos oli esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhteistoimintayksiköstä siirtyneillä esikoululaisilla, jotka olivat etukäteen tutustuneet koulun sosiaaliseen ja akateemiseen ympäristöön. Kouluun siirtyminen lapsen ja kasvuympäristön keskinäisenä muutos- ja sopeutumisprosessina oli joustavin, helpoin ja yksilöllisin esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhdysluokan esikoululaisilla, turvallinen ja monivaiheinen esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhteistoimintayksikön esikoululaisilla, luonteva ja nopea montessorilapsella ja pitkäkestoisin ja ongelmallisin päiväkodin esikoululaisilla. Tulosten johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että vaikka koulutusjärjestelmämme pyrkii olemaan kaikille yhdenvertainen, se ei ole sitä esiopetus- ja koulunaloitusvaiheessa. Kuitenkin ensimmäisen kouluvuoden päättyessä kaikki tutkimuksen lapset olivat sopeutuneet koulukontekstiin ja täyttivät koululaisen roolille asetetut kriteerit ja odotukset akateemisena oppijana, tehtävien suorittajana, arvioitavana, vastuullisena, huolehtivana ja hyvin käyttäytyvänä koulunkävijänä ja koulukaverina. Koulun toimintakulttuurilla oli vahva sopeuttava ja yhdenmukaistava merkitys lapsen kouluun sopeutumisessa ja koululaiseksi kasvussa.