CSR i en politisk kontext; En institutionell maktanalys av framväxten och utformningen av CSR i Malmö stadsförvaltning

Sedan millennieskiftet har Coporate Social Responsibility (CSR) som fenomen fått ett allt större utrymme på politiska agendan i Europeiska Unionen (EU) och Förenta Nationerna (FN). I dag har CSR arbetet även blivit en del av Sveriges förvaltnings arbete i den lokala institutionella kontexten. Vi har identifierat ett antal faktorer som har lett till framväxten och utformningen av CSR i den lokala förvaltningen i Malmö Stad. Framväxten av CSR i den politiska institutionen har att göra med företagens engagemang i dessa mjuka frågor och liberalisering av staten som gjort att företagen ses som en legitim deltagare i den politiska processen. En annan faktor kan vara påtryckningar från medborgare och icke-statliga organisationer att de politiska institutionerna ska kräva av företagen att agera ansvarstagande. CSR handlar för förvaltning om ett konkurrensmedel och att delta i transnationella samarbeten. Begreppet är brett och tolkningsutrymme finns för hur arbetet kan utformas, och tenderat att utformas i enlighet med redan etablerade projekt och intressen i institutionerna. I Sverige har inte CSR arbete blivit en del i förvaltningens kärnverksamhet, med undantag för den offentliga upphandlingen. En viss skepsis och kunskapsbrist finns kring CSR och att frågor kring hållbarhet inte är något nytt i den svenska institutionella kontexten. Den institutionaliserade svenska modellen har tidigare varit grunden för samma tankar om ett socialt ansvarstagande och demokratiskt företagande

An evaluation of Access Tier local area network switches.

This reports tabulates the Test and Evaluation results of the Access Class Switch tests conducted by members of Department 9336. About 15 switches were reviewed for use in the enterprise network as access tier switches as defined in a three tier architecture. The Access Switch Tier has several functions including: aggregate customer desktop ports, preserve and apply QoS tags, provide switched LAN access, provide VLAN assignment, as well as others. The typical switch size is 48 or less user ports. The evaluation team reviewed network switch evaluation reports from the Tolly Group as well as other sources. We then used these reports as a starting point to identify particular switches for evaluation. In general we reviewed the products of dominant equipment manufacturers. Also, based on architectural design requirements, the majority of the switches tested were of relatively small monolithic unit variety

Where will we live when we get older?

Ageing populations, although exhibiting marked differences across countries and cultures, are a global phenomenon. Old-age dependency ratios in most developed countries are projected to double by the year 2050. In Australia there will be a strain on economic growth as a large part of the population moves from pre-retirement to post-retirement age over the next 25 years. A disproportionate amount of this strain will be concentrated in aged-care housing or retirement accommodation. Current evidence suggests that existing housing stock for older people is inadequate. As the Australian population ages, the maintenance and long-term performance of retirement housing is a key concern of government and housing providers. This study looked at four aged-care or retirement providers across Australia and examined the performance of the current housing stock managed by these providers. The interviews revealed that housing design decisions in retirement stock, although critically important to the changing needs of occupants and the adequate supply of suitable housing, are often ill-considered. The findings critically question the idea of simply building &lsquo;more of the same&rsquo; to relieve demand. This study has major implications for the future of Australian retirement housing, especially as the population ages dramatically.<br /

Growing old in a new estate: Establishing new social networks in retirement

The benefits of a strong proximal social network for people as they advance in age are well documented, but the continuation or development of social networks may be challenged when people relocate to a new home on retirement. This paper explores the personal network development of older residents who have moved to a new suburban (but not age-specific) residential development in a general urban setting. Drawing on a case study of a new outer-suburban ‘master planned estate ’ in Brisbane, Queensland, the findings from interviews with 51 older residents and participant observations of a community group are presented. The study suggests that a traditional ideal of unreflexive community of place was an unreliable source of durable social bonds in contemporary fragmented and mobile social conditions, where the proximity of family members, durability of tenure and strong neighbourly ties are not inevitable. One successful resolution was found in a group of older residents who through exercising agency had joined a group the sole focus of which was social companionship. The theoretical bases of this type of group are discussed and its relevance is examined for retirees who have chosen to live in a residential environment for lifestyle and amenity reasons, away from their lifelong social networks

The business of death: a qualitative study of financial concerns of widowed older women

BACKGROUND: The feminisation of ageing and increasing number of widowed women in contemporary society has significant implications. Older women are at risk of poor health, social, and economic outcomes upon widowhood. The aim of the study was to describe women’s experiences in the period soon after their husbands’ death, including their financial issues and concerns, and the ways in which these experiences impacted on the transition to widowhood late in life. METHODS: This was a longitudinal study using serial in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 community-dwelling women over the age of 65 in Australia. Verbatim transcripts underwent Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. RESULTS: Thematic analysis revealed: 1) administrative burden increases vulnerability; 2) gender roles impact on transitions; and 3) financial adjustments render housing insecurity and health risk. High administrative burden within the context of significant grief and mourning was a defining feature of the early bereavement period. Complicated protracted administrative processes, insensitive interactions, and reminders of loss contributed to distress, anxiety and feelings of demoralisation. Several women identified assumption of household financial management as the most difficult aspect of coping with their husband’s death. CONCLUSIONS: Older women may have unmet needs for assistance with administrative, financial, and legal issues immediately following spousal death and potentially for years afterward. Lack of familiarity and absence of instrumental support with financial and legal issues signal the need for policy reform, resources to improve financial literacy in women throughout the life course, increased advocacy, and consideration of different support and service models

Critical Thinking in Social Studies : DidacticConsiderations in Teaching High School Students

Föreliggande examensarbete är en litteraturstudie av aktuell forskning med syfte att undersöka vilka didaktiska överväganden i undervisning kan hjälpa gymnasieelever att utveckla kritiskt tänkande i samhällskunskap. Forskningsstudier analyseras med hjälp av de didaktiska begreppen ledarskap, öppet klassrumsklimat, innehåll, elevintresse och stödstrukturer. Begreppet kritiskt tänkande undersöks i skolkontext kopplat till läroplanens förmågor. Resultat visar att lärares undervisning behöver vara basal för att fånga upp elever som har svårt att skilja på åsikt och fakta, annars är kritiskt tänkande inte möjligt. Dessutom krävs ämneskunskaper, begreppsförståelse, engagemang och intresse hos elever, lärarledd diskussionsundervisning med öppet och tillåtande samtalsklimat med hårda och mjuka stödstrukturer. Val av innehåll kan vara ett sätt att skapa intresse- och elevengagemang. Val av diskussionsämne bör ha konfliktperspektiv eftersom tydlighet i åsiktmotsättningar leder till perspektivförståelse. Förmåga till självreflektion är underskattat i kritiskt tänkande inte minst för att kunna komma förbi psykologiska mekanismer och motverka faktaresistens samt bli påverkad av konspirationsteorier

Ageing-in-place? Intergenerational and intra-familial housing transfers and shifts in later life

In this positioning paper Diana Olsberg, Julia Perry, Sol Encel and Lester Adorjánÿ outline a national study of the economic and social circumstances of people at mid-life in order to predict future demands and capacities to pay for housing and other services

Landscapes of belonging : Cuban ethnicity, class, and community

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation compares the life stories of Cubans in Miami, Florida and Baracoa, Cuba to explore how Cubans in different cultural spaces define their communities and sense of belonging. The study finds that collective memory and public narratives in those communities are shaped by political and historical events, and that elements of the community's broader history become part of our personal life stories

Ms...ing Out? Women and Retirement Savings

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