Browsing Department of Urban Studies by Title

Allt som inte flyter : Fosies potentialer - Malmös problem
Stigendal, Mikael : Urbana studier, Malmö högskola Malmö University publications in urban studies (MAPIUS);1 (2007)	BOOK

Arbetstidens symbolvärde: om historisk kontinuitet och förändring i s...
Rosengren, Calle : Royal Institute of Technology School of Industrial Engineering and Management Trita-IEO-R;2 (2009)	DOCTORAL THESIS

English abstract:	The point of departure of the present thesis is what happens to working time in sections of the labor market where the content of production is becoming more knowledge-intensive, that is, where production is largely based on creativity, knowledge development and communication – processes that are difficult to control and locate in time. Paired with the rise in information and communication technology (ICT), room for interpretation is created by necessity as concerns the boundaries of work and what constitutes a satisfactory work effort. The thesis argues for the need to pay attention to social norms if we are to comprehend what guides action in such ”free” job situations – free in the sense that there is room for individual control of work hours. From a historical perspective, an understanding is sought of what constitutes the social norms surrounding working time and in what way they contribute to the temporal patterns the worker gives to his/her workday. In order to grasp the nature of temporal norms, two papers presented in the thesis study historical sources reflecting the way in which working time has been valued and debated in Sweden during the 20th century. In order to elucidate the relationship between work and work hours in knowledge-intensive jobs, two groups of wage earners with great influence over when, how and where their work is to be carried out have been studied. On the basis of these two cases, the thesis discusses on what grounds work expectations are created and how these expectations are handled. The results indicate that, in a historical perspective, working hours have been surrounded with normative conceptions. However, it was not until the formal employment contract was loosened that these norms had any real impact on the temporal pattern the individual gives to his/her working day. This is explained by the fact that, under this kind of loose contract, the worker is exposed to social expectations in a more direct way. The title, “On the symbolic side of working time”, implies that in giving working time a specific temporal pattern, the individual is expressing his/her identity, loyalty, commitment and status. Further, the thesis increases our understanding of the ways in which social norms both facilitate and limit our relation to working life; how these norms are refracted against a changing world, and how they are manipulated, debated and ever changing in content. At the same time, the thesis shows how different forces are working to restructure our conception of what is to be viewed as a satisfactory work effort and in the long run also how and when we work.
Swedish abstract:	Avhandlingen tar sin utgångspunkt i frågan om vad som händer med arbetstiden i de delar av arbetsmarknaden där innehållet i produktionen blir mer kunskapsintensivt? Kunskapsproduktion som i mycket utgår från kreativitet, kunskapsutveckling och kommunikation, processer som är svåra att kontrollera och tidfästa. Tillsammans med framväxten av informations- och kommunikationsteknologin (IKT) har utvecklingen bidragit till att de tidsliga och rumsliga dimensionerna av arbete har förändrats. Ramarna för vad som utgör en fullgod arbetsinsats är många gånger är tve- och mångtydiga och inte alltid explicita. I avhandlingen framhålls vikten av att, i detta sammanhang, betrakta arbetstidens gestaltning som ett utslag av sociala förväntningar på beteende.Ur ett historiskt perspektiv söks en förståelse för hur de normer som omgärdar arbetstiden skapas, samt i förlängningen vilket inflytande de har på arbetstidens gestaltning. I syfte att sätta in vår syn på tid i ett större perspektiv genomförs i avhandling två delstudier av historiskt källmaterial vilket reflekterar hur arbetstid värderats och debatterats i Sverige under 1900-talet. I syfte att belysa förhållandet mellan arbete och arbetstid i kunskapsintensiva arbeten studeras två grupper lönearbetare vars arbete kännetecknas av ett stort inflytande över när, hur och var arbetet skall utföras. Utifrån dessa två case diskuteras dels hur förväntningar på arbetet skapas, dels hur arbetaren hanterar dessa förväntningar.Resultatet av avhandlingens delstudier visar att arbetsdagens längd sedd i ett historiskt perspektiv, varit förknippad med normativa föreställningar, men det är först när det formella avtalet luckras upp, som dessa föreställningar får ett större genomslag i praktiken. Detta då vi på ett mer direkt sätt exponeras för olika normer. Begreppet ”Arbetstidens symbolvärde” söker fånga hur individen i relation till omgivningens förväntningar uttrycker identitet, lojalitet och hängivenhet samt status beroende av hur arbetstidens hanteras. Avhandlingen bidrar till en ökad förståelse för normer som möjliggör och begränsar vårt förhållande till arbetslivet; hur dessa normer bryts mot en ständigt föränderlig värld, hur de manipuleras, debatteras och byter innehåll. Samtidigt visas tydligt hur olika krafter verkar för att omstrukturera synen på vad som ska betraktas som en fullgod arbetsinsats och i förlängningen även hur och när vi arbetar.

FULLTEXT01[1].pdf (325.7Kb)

Askåterföring till skog, vardande blir verklighet?
Bohlin, Folke; Mårtensson, Kjell : The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products and Markets Department of Forest Products and Markets Rapport;11 (2004)	REPORT

English abstract:	Executive summary Ash recycling is a means to safe guard nutrient availability while harvesting forest fuels. Research on the consequences of ash recycling started in the end of the 1970’s, definite results were presented in 1996. The National Board of Forestry presented guidelines on ash recycling in 1999 and 2001. Yet, there has been no large scale application of the technology despite improved economic incentives. A waste tax which also applies to ash was introduced in 2000, it has been successively increased and today amounts to 370 SwCr/ton. This is a systems study of ash recycling where the whole chain from district heating utility to individual forest owner is investigated. Case studies of three district heating utilities, Växjö Energi AB, Borås Energi AB and Falu Energi AB, indicate that the utilities have, generally, been satisfied with their activities on ash recycling and see the investment constantly improving while the tax is increasing. A nation-wide questionnaire shows that the greatest impediments to ash recycling have been that managements miss clear-cut rules, have not been able to buy the service and generally considered that they lack knowledge. About a third of the utilities actively tried to identify other means of disposing of their ash. Main driving forces for ash recycling have been environmental concerns and to create immaterial values. Under these circumstances ash recycling may equal the deposition costs. Previous research has indicated that non-industrial private forest owners consider that nutrient loss may render the harvest of forest fuels problematic. Our study on forest owners show a great need for knowledge, the forest owner frequently indicates that he/she does not know sufficiently to be able to evaluate ash recycling. Forest owners who reject ash recycling motivate this by saying that the forest residues should be left to decompose in the forest, that modern forestry depletes the soils, that payment for the forest fuels is insufficient, and that the spreading of the ash may result in damage on remaining trees and soil. Forest owners who accept recycling appreciate that the ash increases the pH, refer to a recycling perspective, consider that mechanical damage is very limited, and state that they have faith in the extension agent who proposed the activity. Legislation presently permits a simple administration of ash recycling under the auspices of local forestry boards. This lucidity in the legislation and the outspoken desire for this utilisation of wood ash at government level is a singular feat which does not apply to other uses. Two major impediments remain to a large scale recycling of ash to the forest. A general lack of knowledge on all levels and the alternative – usually much lower – cost for other utilisations such as road building, covering of old deposits and others. To be able to make any definite prognoses about the future for ash recycling to the forest a continued investigation of the pricing, sustainability and legal status of these other ways of utilising the ash must be carried out.
Swedish abstract:	Askåterföring är ett medel för att långsiktigt kunna ta ut en stor mängd skogsbränslen utan att därför utarma marken. Projektet som avslutades med en rapport år 2004 är en systemstudie där hela kedjan från fjärrvärmeföretaget till den enskilda skogsägaren undersöks. Projektet har två huvudsyften, dels att undersöka och tydliggöra drivkrafter och hinder för askåterföring ur ett dynamiskt perspektiv, dels ge underlag för rekommendationer för den praktiska utformningen av olika askåterföringssystem. Fokus ligger på formella och informella institutioner, dvs. såväl på utformningen av olika lagar och regelverk som på aktörernas, i huvudsak bränsleanvändarnas, bränslemäklarföretagens och skogsägarnas attityder och erfarenheter. För att optimera de totala förutsättningarna och undvika ”närsynthet” präglas projektet av en systemsyn som sträcker sig från den primära askproducenten, värmeverket, till den slutlige askkonsumenten, skogsägaren. Den empiriska delen består av tre fallstudier av tre energiföretag, Växjö Energi AB, Borås Energi AB samt Falu Energi AB samt en enkät som besvarades av nära nog samtliga relevanta energiföretag i Sverige.

Att bära världen på sina axlar : miljövetares uppfattningar av och fö...
Johansson, Magnus : Lunds universitet, Pedagogiska institutionen. (2008)	DOCTORAL THESIS

English abstract:

The aim of the thesis is to investigate experiences of and ways of relating to environmental issues and towards their profession among a group of environmentalists with a degree in environmental science. The respondents were either in the end of or had completed an educational program in Environmental sciences with a social science perspective offered at Malmö University. Those who had completed the program has recently begun to work with environmental issues in different professional settings. The methodology of the thesis is based in the phenomenological notion of intentionality. According to this line of thought, our consciousness is characterised by being directed towards the world. This direction confers certain content to our experiences of the world, which we then relate to. These experiences will here be studied using a phenomenographic methodological approach. Within the phenomenographic approach, variations in people’s experiences of different phenomena are explored, in other words, qualitatively different ways of experiencing the same situation or phenomenon. Experiences are seen as possible to describe by means of verbal statements. These statements may in turn be considered analytically as expressions for different aspects of expereiences of a phenomenon. The interview material allowed four distinct ways of experiencing environmental problems and three distinct manners of relating to these environmental issues to be identified: approaching them as administrative and organisational problems, as lifestyle problems in a mass consumption society, or as global, moral and existential challenges. Two groups of experiences about the profession could be distinguished in the material: those that concerned conceptions of practice in their own profession and those that concerned conceptions of their own professional identity. Lastly, the following manners of relating to the profession could be identified in the interview material: a profession where it is necessary to deal with existential issues; a profession where it is important not to come across as being extreme; and finally, a profession that is part of an inevitable societal change. Starting in the experiences and approaches identified above, three abstract professional scenes could be described. These scenes constitute different descriptions of fields of potentiality that frame the experiences and approaches in the interview material. The scences are the administrative and organisational scene; the scene for educating and informing individuals; as well as the scene for ‘environmental sermons’. The profession the environmentalists’ in this study were striving to acquire could be described as comprising two levels: a global and a local level. The environmentalists’ could therefore see him/herself as more or less competent to deal with environmental issues in different professional practices depending on which level was related to. Within the two levels, environmental problems were formulated starting in different point of departure, which in turn meant that different types of solutions could be formulated. At a global level, problem formulation was based on scientific knowledge and general policy discussions. At a local level, the problem formulation was based in the established norms, traditions and routines of local practice. A graduate in Environmental Science may therefore perceive his/her mission as ‘bringing down’ global problem formulations into a local practice. Graduates in Environmental Science need to develop a reflexive attitude, and become aware of their own view of the causes and possible solutions to environmental problems.

Johansson.pdf (655.0Kb)

A cross-cultural study of leadership and organizational factors predi...
Muhonen, Tuija; Jönsson, Sandra Publication in Book of proceedings : 10th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology; : European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology (EAOHP) (2012) 10th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, ETH Zürich, 11-13 April, 2012.	other

English abstract:

The growing trend towards globalization has initiated a need for organizations and managers to understand how leadership style and organizational factors are related to employee well-being in different cultural contexts (Lok, 2004). The interest for cross-cultural organizational and managerial studies is therefore increasing among practicing managers as well as organizational researchers. Contrasting views can be discerned when it comes to what extent national cultures influence leadership style and co-worker expectations concerning leadership. Some researchers state that there is a universal leadership style that is efficient irrespective of the situation (Arvonen, 1999), whereas others maintain that effective leadership is culturally contingent (Hofstede, 1980; 2001). According to a recent review (Dickson, 2003) there is a decline in the search for simple universality, i.e. that the phenomenon is invariable all over the world, in favour of more culturally contingent view. Considering that earlier research has shown great differences in cultural values between China and Sweden (Hofstede, 2001; House, 2004) the aim of the present study was to examine which leadership styles (employee-centered, Ekvall & Arvonen, 1991; empowering and supporting leadership, Dallner et al., 2000) and organizational factors (goal clarity, Oxenstierna, Widmark et al., 2008; group work, social climate and control, QPSNordic, Dallner et al., 2000) act as predictors for well-being (GHQ-12, Goldberg, 1972) among employees and managers in a large global furniture retail company in China and in Sweden when background variables (age, gender, educational level and position) were controlled for. Questionnaires were distributed in two furniture retail stores in Sweden and altogether 282 individuals participated in the study. The same questionnaire study was also conducted in two stores belonging to the same company in China (n=595). A number of outliers were identified while analyzing the data and these were excluded from the analysis. The final sample consisted of 483 participants from the Chinese stores and 254 participants from the Swedish stores. The results of the multiple regression analyses revealed that managerial position, supporting leadership style and goal clarity were related to well-being in the Swedish sample. The results for the Chinese sample showed that managerial position, goal clarity and social climate were related to well-being, whereas none of the leadership styles acted as predictors for well-being. The findings suggest that the role of culture regarding leadership in global organizations is multifaceted rather than either universal or contingent.

Bioenergi för uppvärmning - hushållens perspektiv
Klintman, Mikael; Mårtensson, Kjell; Johansson, Magnus : Department of Sociology Lund University Research Report in Sociology;2003:1 (2003)	REPORT

English abstract:	Households base their choices of heating systems on subjectively dependent conceptions of heating sources, rather than on an understanding of a complex reality. Similar to other agents in society, households need to construct simplified frames to be able to make their choices possible to manage. Using in-depth interviews with households in Småland (in Sweden) with a few comparisons from Massachusetts (in the USA), the study has identified a number of frames through which households simplify the financial, practical and ecolological complexities of various heating systems. The households have been sampled strategically in order to generate a broad range of household responses. Various heating systems – based on bioenergi, electricity, and fossil fuels - are covered in the study. Objective household categories (e.g., age, generation, housing type or size), frequently covered in previous studies, have a weak connection to choices of energy systems. Instead, this study has elaborated on four subjective household categories more closely correlated with energy system choices: the energy implementors, the planners, the visionaries, and the resigned. The report argues that an understanding of subjective household categories and frame constructions are useful as various energy actors try to collaborate with households toward different heating systems. This understanding is especially important for the transition to and maintenance of bioenergy solutions. However, it is crucial that such collaboration not be reduced to “learning about misunderstandings and knowledge gaps among households in order to correct them.” Rather, the type of collaboration that we call for concern taking into account, and learning from, various types of priorities and experiences which are reflected in the frame constructions among the household categories.
Swedish abstract:	Syftet med studien är att belysa hur hushållen förhåller sig till olika energilösningar, i synnerhet bioenergiapplikationer. Hur gör olika hushåll den komplexa ekonomiska, miljömässiga och praktiska verkligheten hanterbar, exempelvis vid motstridiga signaler om huruvida å ena sidan biobränslen eller å andra sidan värmepump är det mest sunda uppvärmningssättet? Vad utelämnar hushållen när de är tvungna att välja ut vissa få aspekter inom de tre dimensionerna? Hur kan samhällets övriga energiaktörer bidra med att göra valet av uppvärmningssätt mer hanterbart så att de väsentligaste faktorerna för miljö, ekonomi och praktik kan inrymmas i hushållens val av energislag. Vi lägger särskild vikt vid att i vår undersökning även fokusera på handlings- och förändringsberedskapen hos olika hushållskategorier, snarare än att enbart jämföra attityder med faktiska energihandlingar. Konkret undersöker vi hur hushållen resonerar om möjligheter, fördelar och nackdelar med att gå över till – eller – bibehålla uppvärmningsystem med biobränslen jämfört med olika system som bygger på el, fossila bränslen eller konventionell vedeldning. Detta angreppssätt är avsett att lyfta fram bakgrunder till de olika förändringsprocesser som är möjliga.

Klintman Mårtensson Bioenergirapp utskrivbar.pdf (382.5Kb)

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Among keen men and pampered ladies: the eight hour working day debate...
Ottosson, Mikael; Rosengren, Calle Journal article in The time of their lives. The eight hour day and working life : Australian Society for the Study of Labour History (2007)	peer-reviewed scientific ARTICLE

Arbetstidens symbolvärde
Ottosson, Mikael; Rosengren, Calle Journal article in Arbetarhistoria i brytningstid Skrifter från Centrum för arbetarhistoria;1 : Centrum för arbetarhistoria (2007)	scientific ARTICLE

Art and time : art hall in a rural area inspired by creative ideas fr...
Westerdahl, Stig; Skoglund, Wilhelm (2012) The 9:th workshop on: “Social Capital and Development Trends in the Swedish and Japanese Countryside”, 24th – 25th May, 2012, Österlen, Sweden	conference PAPER

Att främja integration och social sammanhållning
Grander, Martin; Stigendal, Mikael : Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting (2012)	REPORT