Ideologi, ekonomi och konsumtion - en kritisk studie av IKEA:s marknadskommunikation

Parts of the postmodern consumer research argue that researchers must change their perspective from a modernist to a postmodern point of view when studying consumers and consumption. This postmodern perspective is described by Firat and Venkatesh (1995) through five conditions of postmodern consumption. These conditions describe a fragmented individual who wants to consume on his or hers own premises, while at the same time trying to distance him or herself from the market. Postmodern consumer scholars argue that this, among other things, has led to a point were marketing communicators or researchers in the field no longer can analyze or understand consumer behavior primarily based on ideological or economic conditions. This development demands a new understanding of consumption for marketing communicators, whose task in several ways is to perceive and apprehend the consumer and it’s behavior. The purpose of this master thesis is to ideologically study the postmodern consumer conditions through a critical discourse analysis of IKEA:s marketing communication. The study takes stand in the debate between the postmodern and critical research perspectives concerning the possibility to gain adequate information about consumer behavior based on ideological or economic aspects. The aim is to create a larger theoretical understanding for the postmodern as well as the critical research, and the relevance of the different perspectives for marketing communicator’s praxis. The study concludes a complex relation between marketing communicator and consumer. For marketing communicators, a deeper understanding of one’s cultural contexts ideological and economic conditions can contribute to insights in the everyday life behavior of a consumer and their ability to affect the market and it’s marketing communication.Delar av den postmoderna konsumentforskningen argumenterar för att forskare måste byta perspektiv från ett modernistiskt till ett postmodernt synsätt vid studier av konsumenter och konsumtion. Detta postmoderna perspektiv beskrivs av Firat och Venkatesh (1995) genom fem postmoderna konsumtionsvillkor. Villkoren redogör för en fragmenterad individ som vill konsumera utifrån egna förutsättningar samtidigt som hen försöker fjärma sig från marknaden och dess aktörer. Postmoderna konsumentforskare menar att denna förändring bland annat lett till att marknadskommunikatörer och akademiker inom området inte längre kan granska konsumentbeteende utifrån ett ideologiskt eller ekonomiskt avseende. Detta ställer nya krav på marknadskommunikatörer vars uppgift i mångt och mycket är att förstå konsumenter och upprätthålla ett visst konsumentbeteende. Syftet med denna uppsats är att genom en kritisk diskursanalys av IKEA:s marknadskommunikation ideologiskt granska de postmoderna konsumtionsvillkoren. Granskningen tar avstamp i debatten mellan det postmoderna och kritiska forskningsperspektivet gällande möjligheten att få fram adekvat information om konsumentbeteende utifrån ideologiska eller ekonomiska aspekter. På så vis vill jag skapa en större teoretisk förståelse för såväl den postmoderna som den kritiska forskningen, och de båda perspektivens betydelse för det marknadskommunikativa fältet som praktik. Studien visar på en komplex och dynamisk relation mellan marknadskommunikatör och konsument. För marknadskommunikatörer kan en fördjupad förståelse för sitt sammanhangs ideologiska och ekonomiska förhållanden bidra till nödvändiga insikter beträffande konsumenters vardagliga beteende och förmåga att påverka marknaden och dess marknadskommunikation

Gazing inwards: A Discussion of the Potential of Norwegian Social Workers to Counteract the Negative Looping Effect of Radicalisation Labels

European countries have adopted a multidisciplinary approach to ensure the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) and radicalisation related to social work, which has led to concerns that social workers are engaged in the surveillance of client groups. Our proposal is that social workers need to be involved in the PVE debate and determine ways to work within the PVE. As categorisation and labels impact the individuals being categorised and may even change them, the adoption of an approach motivated by curiosity based on the ‘typology’ of clients is suggested. Social workers should carry out a sensitive balancing act in cooperation with the police by explaining their roles and tasks to clients and clarifying confidentiality regulations. This has the potential to ensure that visiting clients in need of social workers’ services will remain open to engaging with such services. However, the execution of this approach is dependent upon social workers’ ability to be aware of and reflect upon the security dimensions that PVE entails. Thus, recommendations were formulated for the development of an approach centred on curiosity and client-centred practice. Adherence to these recommendations could help social workers communicate their true intent and remove any confusion, for the benefit of both themselves and their clients, regarding misconceptions of surveillance and policing

The Mass of the White Dwarf Companion in the Self-Lensing Binary KOI-3278: Einstein vs. Newton

KOI-3278 is a self-lensing stellar binary consisting of a white-dwarf secondary orbiting a Sun-like primary star. Kruse and Agol (2014) noticed small periodic brightenings every 88.18 days in the Kepler photometry and interpreted these as the result of microlensing by a white dwarf with about 63$\%$ of the mass of the Sun. We obtained two sets of spectra for the primary that allowed us to derive three sets of spectroscopic estimates for its effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity for the first time. We used these values to update the Kruse and Agol (2014) Einsteinian microlensing model, resulting in a revised mass for the white dwarf of $0.539^{+0.022}_{-0.020} \, M_{\odot}$. The spectra also allowed us to determine radial velocities and derive orbital solutions, with good agreement between the two independent data sets. An independent Newtonian dynamical MCMC model of the combined velocities yielded a mass for the white dwarf of $0.5122^{+0.0057}_{-0.0058} \, M_{\odot}$. The nominal uncertainty for the Newtonian mass is about four times better than for the Einsteinian, $\pm 1.1\%$ vs. $\pm 4.1\%$ and the difference between the two mass determinations is $5.2 \%$. We then present a joint Einsteinian microlensing and Newtonian radial velocity model for KOI-3278, which yielded a mass for the white dwarf of $0.5250^{+0.0082}_{-0.0089} \, M_{\odot}$. This joint model does not rely on any white dwarf evolutionary models or assumptions on the white dwarf mass-radius relation. We discuss the benefits of a joint model of self-lensing binaries, and how future studies of these systems can provide insight into the mass-radius relation of white dwarfs.Comment: ApJ Accepted; 22 Pages, 8 Figures, 6 Tables and 4 Supplementary Table

The NAME trial:a direct comparison of classical oral Navelbine versus metronomic Navelbine in metastatic breast cancer

Chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is in general given in cycles of maximum tolerated doses to potentially maximize the therapeutic outcome. However, when compared with targeted therapies for MBC, conventional and dose intensified chemotherapy has caused only modest survival benefits during the recent decades, often compromising the quality of life considerably. Navelbine is an antineoplastic agent that has shown efficacy in the treatment of a variety of cancer types, including breast cancer. Early clinical trials involving both breast cancer and lung cancer patients suggest that metronomic dosing of Navelbine might be at least as effective as classical administration (once weekly, etc.). The NAME trial compares these two strategies of Navelbine administration in MBC patients

Mindfulness and skills-based eHealth intervention to reduce distress in cancer-affected patients in the Reduct trial: Intervention protocol of the make it training optimized.

Introduction Cancer-affected patients experience high distress due to various burdens. One way to expand psycho-oncological support is through digital interventions. This protocol describes the development and structure of a web-based psycho-oncological intervention, the Make It Training optimized. This intervention is currently evaluated in the Reduct trial, a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Methods The Make It Training optimized was developed in six steps: A patient need and demand assessment, development and acceptability analysis of a prototype, the formation of a patient advisory council, the revision of the training, implementation into a web app, and the development of a motivation and evaluation plan. Results Through a process of establishing cancer-affected patients' needs, prototype testing, and patient involvement, the Make It Training optimized was developed by a multidisciplinary team and implemented in a web app. It consists of 16 interactive self-guided modules which can be completed within 16 weeks. Discussion Intervention protocols can increase transparency and increase the likelihood of developing effective web-based interventions. This protocol describes the process and results of developing a patient-oriented intervention. Future research should focus on the further personalization of web-based psycho-oncological interventions and the potential benefits of combining multiple psychotherapeutic approaches

Insights into German polar research during POLARSTUNDE

Polar research is an interdisciplinary and multi-faceted field of research ranging from history to geology and geophysics to social sciences and education. Thus, several different universities and institutions within Germany participate in polar research. The seminar series POLARSTUNDE, organized by the German Society for Polar Research (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Polarforschung) and the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS Germany) regularly features different topics of German polar research. Although initially a "pandemic solution", the seminar series has established itself as a valuable and highly successful part of the German polar research landscape. The seminar series was held in German and was aimed at both scientists and the general public. This article addresses the first season of POLARSTUNDE and provides (1) comprehensive summaries of the talks and (2) insight into the planning and execution from an organizational point of view

Impact on health when sugar is replaced with intense sweeteners in soft drinks, ‘saft’ and nectar. Opinion of Vitenskapskomiteen for mattrygghet Norwegian Scientific Commitee for Food Safety

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