Computer mediated communication (CMC) has created new arenas for social interaction in contemporary society, also for children and young people. This raises questions about how these arenas are used by children and young people. Drawing on the sociology of childhood, this thesis addresses children’s social interaction on a website designed for young people, where issues of masculinity, femininity, emotions and sexuality are discussed. The general aim is to explore the construction of meaning in relation to these issues; more specifically patterns of online interaction and the ways children express and share ideas and values in the “now” of the interpretive communities on the website, and at the same time deal with ideas, norms and values mediated through society at large. In three discussion groups on the website, 143 discussions initiated by virtual children aged 12 to 15 followed by discussions with several virtual persons at the same age and older were collected and analysed. Three patterns of interaction were identified according to the degrees of ‘horizontal’ versus ‘vertical’ communication: ‘Playful interaction’ is characterised by a horizontal communication where curiosity and experiences are shared between virtual children in the same age ‘Corrective interaction’ is characterised by vertical interaction and more explicit advise and instructions from participants in different ages, drawing on arguments from the ‘adult world’. In ‘Orienting interaction’ there are aspects of both horizontal and vertical interaction as older or adult virtual participants express their points of view and experiences as it were to strive for a shared understanding. These patterns of interaction, and the ways they are related to the different topics in the discussion groups, are discussed in terms of the on-going positioning of children as a ‘social group’ and the construction of gender, generation and cultural notions of children as innocent or knowing.

AbstractTitle: Electoral campaigns, social media and young voters – a studie of how Moderaterna andSocialdemokraterna are going to reach out to the young voters in the electoral campaign of2010. (Valkampanjer, sociala medier och unga väljare- en studie av hur Moderaterna ochSocialdemokraterna ska nå de unga väljarna i valet 2010).Number of pages: 45Author: Sara RothmanTutor: Göran SvenssonCourse: Media and communication studies CPeriod: Autumn semester 2009University: Division of Media and Communication, Departement of Information Science,Uppsala University.Purpose/ Aim: The aim of this essay is to research how the two largest parties in Sweden,Moderaterna and Socialdemokraterna, are going to reach out to the young voters in theelectoral campaign of 2010. I will also find out how the young voters are going to collecttheir information before the election. That information will be compared to the strategies ofthe parties, in that way I can tell if their strategies match the young voters plans ofinformation search.Material/Method: In my eximination I chose to use two informant interviewes and fourdifferent groups of discussion. The informant interviewes were directed to the two peoplewho are in charge of the communication in the two largest parties in Sweden, Moderaternaand Socialdemokraterna. Two of the groups of discussion contained young people who aregoing to vote for the first time in the election of 2010, and two of the groups contained peoplewho will be voting for the second time. They were four people in every group. The people incharge of the communication in the parties were contacted thru e-mail and I met them on theirworkplaces. The young voters were partly friends of mine who brought people they knew tothe groups. In that way some of them knew each other, but not everybody.Main results: One important thing that I realised after the discussion with the young voterswas that there is a big difference between those who are going to vote for the first time andthose who will vote their second time in the election of 2010. It is impossible to characteriseyoung people as one group because they are all so different from each other. I also found outthat the young people use different media, and so will the parties in their campaigns. It is hardto satisfy all youth but my study shows that many needs will be satisfied because bothtraditional media and new media will be used in the electoral campaigns.Keywords: Electoral campaign, social media, young voters, strategic commnunication,Moderaterna, Socialdemokraterna

Introduktion: Efter en förvärvad hjärnskada kan det inte tas för givet att kroppen upplevs som självklar i vardagslivet. Många har både fysiska och kognitiva funktionsnedsättningar. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att få en fördjupad förståelse för hur personer med förvärvad hjärnskada upplever sin kropp och fysisk aktivitet i det dagliga livet. Metod: Intervjuer genomfördes med 15 strategiskt utvalda personer som hade utretts för förvärvad hjärnskada. De intervjuades vid ett tillfälle 1-5 år efter debuten. Personerna var i yrkesverksam ålder och hade lättare motorisk och/eller lätt/måttlig kognitiv, emotionell eller personlighetsmässig funktionsnedsättning. Intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades med the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological Method (EPP-metoden). Resultat: Ett övergripande tema och sex huvudteman identifierades. Det övergripande temat ”Ett nytt sätt att vara i världen” står för ett existentiellt uppvaknande. ”På väg hemåt” speglar processen att det tar tid att anpassa sig till sin nya livssituation, samt att komma till ett stadie av acceptans.”Tiden- en ny betydelse” handlar om att vardagen levs i ett långsammare tempo.”Tröttheten - en ständig följeslagare” belyser att tröttheten är ständigt närvarande. ”Kroppen döljer” beskriver fler av de dolda och osynliga funktionshindren som kan följa. ”Kroppen kommunicerar” och sänder signaler både inåt och utåt vilket individerna måste lära sig att känna igen. ”Kroppen kräver underhåll” visar på behovet av samt inställningen till fysisk aktivitet i ett långtidsperspektiv. Konklusion: Rehabiliteringspersonal behöver ha en djup kunskap om hur personer med förvärvad hjärnskada upplever sin kropp för att kunna vara ett stöd för dem när det gäller att finna lämpliga strategier hur vardagslivet hanteras. / Introduction: That the body can be taken for granted in daily life after an acquired brain injury is an incorrect notion. Individuals experience both physical and cognitive disabilities. Aim: The aim of this study was a deeper understanding of how people with an acquired brain injury experience their body and physical activity in daily life. Method: The interviews were conducted with 15 strategically recruited persons who have been examined for their brain injury. They were interviewed individually on one occasion, 1-5 years after the onset. The persons were of working age and had mild motor disability and/or mild to moderate cognitive, emotional disability or disturbance in personality. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological Method (the EPP-method). Results: One general theme and six main themes where identified. The general theme” A new way to be in life” stands for an existential wake-up. “On the way home” is a reflection of the process that it takes time to readapt to the new situation of life and reach acceptance. “Time- a new meaning” is about daily life which continues in a slower pace. “Tiredness- the constant companion” shows that you have to take tiredness in consideration. “The body hides” sheds light on the hidden and invisible disabilities which can follow. “The body communicates” and sends signals both inwards and outwards which the individuals has to learn to recognize. “The body needs maintenance” shows the need of physical activity through life and describes the attitudes. Conclusion: The rehabilitation persons need a profound knowledge of how individuals with acquired brain injury experience their body as being a support for them when it comes to managing daily life.

Sverige är ett mångkulturellt land och forskningsområdet kring hur det är att leva med två kulturer är viktig att belysa. Denna studies fokus riktas mot hur unga vuxna upplever kopplingen mellan den personliga och etniska identiteten. En kvalitativ undersökning genomfördes med 16 intervjuer. Respondenterna levde i den svenska samt en utomeuropeisk kultur. Resultatet visade att deltagarna upplever sig som en blandning av de två erfarna kulturerna och att den etniska identiteten upplevs som stark. Svårigheter hos deltagarna låg i den personliga identiteten som påverkas av att ha en etnisk identitet. Den personliga identiteten var vacklande bland annat på grund av en svår anpassningsprocess till båda kulturer. Studien bidrar framförallt med fördjupade kunskaper om den personliga identiteten.

I dagens svenska samhälle är motion och matvanor aktuella ämnen. Forskning i ämnet har bedrivits med kvantitativ ansats där fokus ofta ligger på hälsoproblem som övervikt eller ätstörningar. I kontrast till fokuseringen på ohälsa syftar föreliggande studie till att undersöka uppkomsten av positiva hälsobeteenden genom att belysa moderspåverkan på sina döttrars mat och motionsvanor. Tidigare forskning har påvisat att modern har en betydande påverkan på dotterns hälsobeteenden genom att fungera som en modell samt genom socialisationsstrategier. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med nio unga kvinnor som alla motionerar regelbundet. Intervjuerna analyserades med meningskoncentrering. Resultatet visade att det finns en koppling mellan mor och dotters mat- och motionsvanor men att sambanden inte alltid upplevs så starka av döttrarna.

This paper is the compared analysis of on the young and old generations. It is focused on the achievement motivations and job characteristics of which influenced on job involvement. As the times changed, people were born on different backgrounds that cause a discrepancy in values and specialities of each generation. This paper is hypothesized the worker¡¦s hard-working level is different when with different achievement motivation and different job characteristics. The sample consisted of the workers in business or government organizations. All data collected and tested by the statistical methods with factor analysis, independent-sample t test, analysis of variance, regression analysis, and hierarchical regression. Conclusions and suggestion are based with the analysis results. Firstly, some significant differences had been found among different personal variables analysis. Secondly, the independent variable and dependent variable were found a significant difference that they to be interrelated. Finally, the interference effects of achievement motivation and job characteristics on job promise among the young and the old generations. Parts of all hypotheses were found, but there are only partially effects upon interference analysis. This paper aimed at workers of the young and the old generations compared analysis for an integrated conclusion of which offers the best practice reference.

The purpose of this study was to gain more knowledge of which discourses dominate the courts’ decisions concerning sentences for young sexual offenders. The issues touched upon were which circumstances the courts find important and which discourses reflect those circumstances when deciding on sentences for young sexual offenders as well as how children that commit crimes are constructed by the court. The study looked at cases of sexual offence where the offender was between 15 and 17 years old, and was based on judgements established at the Stockholm district courts in 2007 and 2008. The method used was content analysis, both manifesto and latent. By using content analysis the information was structured into a manageable basis for the following discourse analysis, which was implemented according to the theory for this study described in King and Piper’s (1995) book How the Law Thinks About Children. Discourse analysis gave an insight into which discourses are most prominent in verdicts against young sexual offenders. The results show that the social services’ recommendations are not given much importance in the courts’ decisions of suitable sentences for young sexual offenders. A majority of the youths were sentenced to criminal punishment such as a youth community order service and a youth detention order. Factors of particular importance in the verdicts are the specifics of the crime, whether or not the offenders understood or should have understood that they were committing a crime, responsibility, age, consent, suitable sentences as well as the credibility and reliability of given statements. The young defendants were constructed by the courts as criminals with regard to the criminal act and the youths’ responsibility for the action. The offenders’ personal and social situation was not given particular importance.

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This study examines the contextual factors influencing polytobacco use behavior, or the concurrent use of two or more forms of tobacco, among young adult South Asians. Fifteen in-depth and qualitative case studies of South Asian college students were conducted in order to illuminate and understand the intrapersonal, social, cultural, and environmental determinants of polytobacco use. Results from the study highlight the dynamic and diverse nature of tobacco use, as patterns of consumption were found to be profoundly influenced and differentially distributed across lines of gender, socioeconomic status, age, nationality, situational context, and ethnic identity. Participants used two to five forms of tobacco, with 60% using more than two. In addition to cigarettes, several alternative tobacco forms, predominantly hookah, spliffs, and dokha, emerged as popular modes of tobacco consumption among this population. South Asian college students use multiple products intermittently in community settings, where use is normalized as a component of a social activity. The current cigarette-centered model for tobacco control must be adjusted to account for the variety of tobacco forms now accessible to and utilized by young adult South Asians, whose choice of product and frequency of usage is guided by the contextual factors identified in the case studies. Tobacco intervention efforts and cessation programs must develop cultural sensitivity that is attuned and responsive to unique patterns of polytobacco use in order to effectively combat the current tobacco epidemic.

As the market for talent becomes more competitive it is important to create a comprehensive employer brand (EB). A comprehensive EB ensures that organizations will get the most out of the resources they spend. EB can be seen in many aspects and context. Organizational culture provides an important framework as it includes the collective thoughts, ideas and assumptions within a group and was therefore chosen as the analytical context. Two important aspects within EB that is highlighted in this study is; retention and attraction. The aim of this thesis was to investigate how a company that is about to create a strategy for employer branding reasons around the usage of an EB as well as which opportunities and challenges both managers, employees and thesis students face within the areas of attraction and retention. The authors chose a case study to gain a deeper understanding from both an employee and an employer perspective. The case study company is in IT and is rapidly growing which created a need for an employer brand. The data is from managers, employees and students. The students refer to a group of thesis students at the company. This group was added to increase understanding for attraction. The method section provides combined data sets including interviews, a survey, a previous study of organizational values, a review of formal company documents and informal meetings with field notes. The data was then analyzed within the analytical context culture and the two aspects retention and attraction. The data is then discussed and compared with the literature, explaining similarities and differences from the results. The first two research questions were answered by describing the organization from different points of view; management, employees and students. The third research question investigated what opportunities and challenges existed to develop an EB from the two perspectives with regard to the three areas; culture, retention and attraction. The different office locations had different cultures with a mutual customer focus. The thesis found that the unclear vision, mission and goals created different directions and messages for potential employees. The compensation and benefits package is appreciated but the most important factor for case company employees are “inspiring coworkers”. The employees also appreciate varied and challenging work tasks together with flexibility and work life balance. The authors found that the talent managers were not held accountable for company guidelines regarding career plans as most employees had little or no career plan.