Social Media – Do You See the Whole Picture?

Purpose: The thesis aims to create an understanding to set the foundation of the social media landscape covering its historical evolution, driving mechanisms and business models. Methodology: The thesis has a qualitative character and an explorative art of discovering the social media landscape. A theoretical framing of the thesis is inspired by Christensen and Raynor. Theoretical perspective: Theories used concern business models more specifically “Free”, Swarm business principles, Value network, Relational capital, Innovation economy, Wikinomics and Opportunity cost. Empirical foundation: The primary data is gathered through interviews and the secondary data is gathered through articles and international press. Conclusions: The result of this study is that six different phases of the growth of social media can be distinguished as well as specific driving mechanisms more precisely Technological evolution, Globalization, Knowledge sharing, Famousness, Optimal Value Efficiency, Networking, Community feeling and Corporations. Regarding the business models seven different combinations has been found in terms of economic value; Ad-supported, Freemium, Ads (Plus), Freemium Plus, Freemium & ads, Freemium, ads & plus, Gift economy. The hidden values are recognized as the value of: free, change, trust, socializing, collaboration, content, access and the value of opportunity

Evaluating a corporate strategy

The Swedish agricultural sector is currently undergoing a substantial structural change. The number of farm enterprises is continuously decreasing and the average farm size is increasing. In combination with increasing number of competitors in the insurance market, the competitive rivalry within this market has increased significantly. With this knowledge in mind, Länsförsäkringar Uppsala initiated this study, which aims to provide an understanding of customer’s view on customer value, related to agricultural insurance and financing. The intention is to investigate if Länsförsäkringar’s view on customer service corresponds with the customer’s view and whether there are any signs of strategic drift. The empirical data was collected in form of a case study. This was achieved by studying Länsförsäkringar’s strategic framework as well as performing three interviews within the company. Further, the customer’s view on customer value was collected in ten interviews carried out with current and former customers. The empirical data was then put in relation to theories and literature on strategy, resource-based theory on competitive advantage, and customer orientation. The results indicate that there are no immediate signs of strategic drift. The results also show that Länsförsäkringars strategy is well suited for the company’s characteristics and resources. However, even though the strategy corresponds well to the customer’s view on customer value, the empirical data indicate that the implementation of some parts of the strategy still needs attention. If more attention is not focused on these factors, there is an increasing risk of strategic drift in the future. The most important factors to focus on are; • Personal relation to the customers: One of the most important values for the customers is to have a personal relation to the company. To achieve this, it is of great importance that the customers are aware of who their contact person is. • Enhance synergies: It is of great importance to enhance the synergies between bank and insurance operations and to convince the customers that this is a service that is superior to the competitors’. The key factor to achieve this is to increase efficiency and collaboration in-house. • The local attachment: It is very important to communicate the benefits of Länsförsäkringars local attachment. It is also important to enhance these benefits. This can be achieved by mobilise the local representatives, and make them more active in the market. • High quality: Länsförsäkringar has chosen a differentiation strategy, that focus on high quality over low cost. In order to maintain credibility, it is of great importance to never fail in the delivery of this quality. Such a failure can in log run undermine the company’s reputation.Jordbrukssektorn i Sverige genomgår för närvarande en betydande omstrukturering. Antalet lantbruksföretag minskar kontinuerligt samtidigt som den genomsnittliga gårdsstorleken ökar. Denna omstrukturering har, i kombination med att antalet konkurrenter på marknaden för lantbruksförsäkringar ökar, lett till en kraftigt ökad konkurrens på denna marknad. Det är med detta i åtanke som Länsförsäkringar Uppsala tog initiativet till denna studie. Syftet med studien är att skapa en förståelse för kundernas syn på kundvärde när det gäller lantbruksförsäkring och finansiering av lantbruksföretag. Avsikten är att undersöka om Länsförsäkringars syn på kundservice överensstämmer med kundernas syn samt om det finns några tecken på strategisk drift. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom en fallstudie. Detta genomfördes genom att studera Länsförsäkringars strategiska dokument, dessutom genomfördes tre intervjuer med anställda. För att erhålla kundernas syn på kundvärde genomfördes vidare tio intervjuer med nuvarande kunder samt kunder som har lämnat Länsförsäkringar. Det empiriska materialet sattes därefter i relation till teorier och litteratur inom området strategi, resursbaserad teori på konkurrnsfördelar samt kundorientering. Resultatet tyder inte på några uppenbara tecken på strategisk drift. Vidare visar resultatet att Länsförsäkringars strategi är väl lämpad för företagets egenskaper och resurser. Även om strategin stämmer väl överrens med kundernas syn på kundvärde, indikerar det empiriska resultatet dock att implementeringen av vissa delar av strategin kräver fortsatt fokus. Om Länsförsäkringar inte fokuserar på dessa delar ökar risken för strategisk drift i framtiden. De viktigaste faktorerna för Länsförsäkringar att fokusera på är; • Personlig relation till kunderna: Ett av de viktigaste värdena för kunden är den personliga relationen till företaget. För att uppnå detta är det viktigt att kunderna är medvetna om vem deras kotaktperson är. • Förbättrad synergi: Det är av stor vikt att arbeta för förbättrad synergi mellan bank och försäkring och därmed övertyga kunderna om att denna service är överlägsen konkurrenternas. Nyckelfaktorn för att uppnå detta är att öka effektiviteten och sammarbetet internt. • Lokal prägel: Det är mycket viktigt att kommunicera fördelarna med Länsförsäkringars lokala prägel. Det är också viktigt att förstärka dessa fördelar. Detta kan uppnås genom att mobilisera de lokala ombuden, samt göra dessa mer aktiva på marknaden. • Hög kvalitet: Länsförsäkringar har valt en differentieringsstrategi och fokuserar på hög kvalitet framför ett lågt pris. För att bibehålla trovärdigheten är det av stor vikt att aldrig misslyckas att leverera denna kvalitet. Om företaget misslyckas med detta kan det, på längre sikt, underminera företagets rykte

Passiva lantbrukare – en effekt av EU:s jordbrukspolitik

The problem with passive farmers has arised as an effect of the European Union´s common agricultural policy (CAP) and the decouplement from production-based payments. Payments to passive farmers contradict the purpose of the single payment scheme and constitute a great cost for the EU. The new contractual period after 2013 has given rise to discussions on the direction of the CAP with a purpose of increasing the efficiency of the single payment scheme, and reducing passive farming. The aim of the study is to increase the knowledge about a few factors’ influence on passive farmers’ attitudes towards land use and the CAP. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Both parts concerned questions about land use and future scenarios of the agricultural policy. The quantitative study consisted of a survey sent to 400 randomly chosen passive farmers. The qualitative study was performed by interviewing six passive farmers in the region of Mälardalen. The results show that the farms are small which makes it difficult to run a profitable farm business and motivate necessary investments. The farmers’ average age is high which can cause unwillingness to change. Furthermore, a large part of the passive farmers are found in low-productive areas. The most important factors, causing passive farming, are market factors, especially the income generated from the single payment scheme. The possession of forest is another important factor since it generates a lower interest in agriculture, and therefore active farming. None of the future scenarios presented to the respondents would lead to a change in their land use, which seems unlikely since two of the scenarios would imply no income for passive farmers. Removal of the single payment scheme is the most suitable scenario for minimizing the problem with passive farming. A condition for maintained farming in Sweden in this case, is better profitability. Better profitability is considered the only thing that would make passive farmers produce actively, regardless of politics

Utsikter : föreläsningar från Helgonabacken

Utsikter - föreläsnngar från Helgonabacken ("Views - Lectures from Helgonabacken" consists of public lectures by teachers at the Department for Comparative Literature, Lund university. Most of the lectures deal with contemporary Swedish literature, but there are also texts on Italian and Danish poetry and American cinema

Skeptiska betraktelser

Under rubriken Skeptiska betraktelser har uppsatser om skilda ämnen inom litteraturvetenskap samlats. Kontexters betydelser vid litteraturanalyser diskuteras, litteraturhistoriens berättande genomlyses, texter och bohemer och sjörövare får samsas med lyrikanalyser. Kvantitativa undersökningar uppvisas samtidigt som mediekulturens förhållande till den litterära kulturen undersöks. Dessa olika Skeptiska betraktelser är samtidigt en hyllning till Jan Thavenius, som alltid har varit en drivande kraft i förändringsarbetet inom ämnet litteraturvetenskap i Lund

Combined solar and membrane drying technologies for sustainable fruit preservation in low-income countries – prototype development, modelling, and testing

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Self-reported symptom severity, general health, and impairment in post-acute phases of COVID-19: retrospective cohort study of Swedish public employees

This study aimed to examine current symptom severity and general health in a sample of primarily non-hospitalized persons with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed COVID-19 in comparison to PCR negative controls. During the first quarter of 2021, we conducted an online survey among public employees in West Sweden, with a valid COVID-19 test result. The survey assessed past-month severity of 28 symptoms and signs, self-rated health, the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0 and illness severity at the time of test. We linked participants’ responses to their SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests results. We compared COVID-19 positive and negative participants using univariable and multivariable regression analyses. Out of 56,221 invited, 14,222 (25.3%) responded, with a response rate of 50% among SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals. Analysis included 10,194 participants (86.4% women, mean age 45\ua0years) who tested positive 4–12\ua0weeks (N = 1425; subacute) and > 12\ua0weeks (N = 1584; postcovid) prior to the survey, and 7185 PCR negative participants who did not believe that they had had COVID-19. Symptoms were highly prevalent in all groups, with worst symptoms in subacute phase participants, followed by postcovid phase and PCR negative participants. The most specific symptom for COVID-19 was loss of smell or taste. Both WHODAS 2.0 score and self-rated health were worst in subacute participants, and modestly worse in postcovid participants than in negative controls. Female gender, older age and acute illness severity had larger effects on self-rated health and WHODAS 2.0 score in PCR positive participants than in PCR negative. Studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine the long-term improvement after COVID-19

Multiple Genetic Loci Associated with Pug Dog Thoracolumbar Myelopathy

Pug dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy (PDM) present with a specific clinical phenotype that includes progressive pelvic limb ataxia and paresis, commonly accompanied by incontinence. Vertebral column malformations and lesions, excessive scar tissue of the meninges, and central nervous system inflammation have been described. PDM has a late onset and affects more male than female dogs. The breed-specific presentation of the disorder suggests that genetic risk factors are involved in the disease development. To perform a genome-wide search for PDM-associated loci, we applied a Bayesian model adapted for mapping complex traits (BayesR) and a cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity test (XP-EHH) in 51 affected and 38 control pugs. Nineteen associated loci (harboring 67 genes in total, including 34 potential candidate genes) and three candidate regions under selection (with four genes within or next to the signal) were identified. The multiple candidate genes identified have implicated functions in bone homeostasis, fibrotic scar tissue, inflammatory responses, or the formation, regulation, and differentiation of cartilage, suggesting the potential relevance of these processes to the pathogenesis of PDM

Bayesian model and selection signature analyses reveal risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis

Canine atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease with clinical similarities to human atopic dermatitis. Several dog breeds are at increased risk for developing this disease but previous genetic associations are poorly defined. To identify additional genetic risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis, we here apply a Bayesian mixture model adapted for mapping complex traits and a cross-population extended haplotype test to search for disease-associated loci and selective sweeps in four dog breeds at risk for atopic dermatitis. We define 15 associated loci and eight candidate regions under selection by comparing cases with controls. One associated locus is syntenic to the major genetic risk locus (Filaggrin locus) in human atopic dermatitis. One selection signal in common type Labrador retriever cases positions across the TBC1D1 gene (body weight) and one signal of selection in working type German shepherd controls overlaps the LRP1B gene (brain), near the KYNU gene (psoriasis). In conclusion, we identify candidate genes, including genes belonging to the same biological pathways across multiple loci, with potential relevance to the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis. The results show genetic similarities between dog and human atopic dermatitis, and future across-species genetic comparisons are hereby further motivated