Swedish Market Research Articles

“The golden path to health”: marketing Postum as a cure for coffee abuse in early twentieth-century Sweden

ABSTRACT Throughout the early twentieth century, the widespread growth of coffee drinking in Sweden led for calls by health reformers, doctors and scientists to implement measures to curtail what they deemed “coffee abuse.” Debates about the dangers of coffee took place in Swedish Parliament and trickled out into the popular press. It was not long before canny manufacturers saw an opportunity to capitalize upon this, introducing coffee substitutes onto the Swedish market. One of the most popular brands was the roasted wheat bran drink Postum. This article seeks to investigate the early marketing practices of Postum in Sweden and how the brand used advertisements to exploit the public’s growing fears around coffee and put itself forward as a viable substitute that was essential for good health. Using a dataset of 200 advertisements published in Svenska Dagbladet between 1926 and 1940, it demonstrates how Postum skewed scientific/medical knowledge on caffeine to their advantage, urging consumers to buy Postum to protect themselves against neurasthenia, insomnia and digestive disorders. In doing so, Postum went far beyond its role as a drink, instead tapping into discourses of wellbeing, morality and productivity, which remain a central part of food marketing today.

Using machine learning to select variables in data envelopment analysis: Simulations and application using electricity distribution data

Agencies that regulate electricity providers often apply nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the relative efficiency of each firm. The reliability and validity of DEA are contingent upon selecting relevant input variables. In the era of big (wide) data, the assumptions of traditional variable selection techniques are often violated due to challenges related to high-dimensional data and their standard empirical properties. Currently, regulators have access to a large number of potential input variables. Therefore, our aim is to introduce new machine learning methods for regulators of the energy market. We also propose a new two-step analytical approach where, in the first step, the machine learning-based adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (ALASSO) is used to select variables and, in the second step, selected variables are used in a DEA model. In contrast to previous research, we find, by using a more realistic data-generating process common for production functions (i.e., Cobb–Douglas and Translog), that the performance of different machine learning techniques differs substantially in different empirically relevant situations. Simulations also reveal that the ALASSO is superior to other machine learning and regression-based methods when the collinearity is low or moderate. However, in situations of multicollinearity, the LASSO approach exhibits the best performance. We also use real data from the Swedish electricity distribution market to illustrate the empirical relevance of selecting the most appropriate variable selection method.

Pilot study: External surface contamination of gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil on drug packaging.

Antineoplastic drugs (ADs) are commonly used pharmaceuticals for anticancer treatments. It has previously been shown that the external surface of drug vials frequently is contaminated with ADs. More than a decade ago methods to prevent occupational exposure were introduced by using plastic coverage of the glass vials or packing vials in a secondary plastic container. The aim of the pilot study was to determine contamination levels of ADs on different parts of AD packaging of two different commercially available drug vials on the Swedish market and to investigate the occurrence of cross contamination of ADs. Packagings of gemcitabine (GEM) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were tested by wipe sampling. Five ADs; GEM, 5-FU, cyclophosphamide (CP), ifosfamide and etoposide were quantified using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. AD contaminations were detected in 69% and 60% of the GEM and 5-FU packaging samples. Highest levels, up to approximately 5 µg/sample, were observed on the glass vials. The protective shrink-wrap of 5-FU vials and the plastic container of GEM were contaminated with low levels of 5-FU and GEM, respectively, and furthermore the 5-FU vials with shrink-wrap were cross-contaminated with GEM. Cross-contamination of CP and GEM was detected on 5-FU vials with plastic shrink-wrap removed. External contamination of ADs are still present at primary drug packagings on the Swedish market. Protection of AD vials by plastic shrink-wrap or a secondary plastic container does not remove the external contamination levels completely. The presence of cross contamination of ADs on drug packagings was also observed.

Ethnicising activation as a standard story in a Swedish municipal labour market programme

ABSTRACT In Sweden, Denmark and Norway, activation policies are used to speed up refugee’s entry into the labour market. Previous research on activation policy documents has shown that refugees are ethnicised in the framing, development, and design of activation, but research on activation practices are lacking on how activation practices targeting refugees are organized and conducted, and why that is. This article analyses how and why refugees and ‘general unemployed’ are activated in different interventions within a municipal labour market programme, and which implications such division may have for the refugees being activated in said labour market programme. The article draws on interviews with a manager, social workers and participants within the same municipal labour market programme. The findings show that unemployed refugees were differentiated from ‘general unemployed’ by placing refugees in a specific intervention. The theoretical analysis, based on Charles Tilly’s theorizations on social categorizations and stories, shows how the differentiation maintained an inequality between the refugee participants and ‘general unemployed participants in how resources were provided, connected to the organization emulating and adapting to surrounding society. The inequal organization was legitimized through the stories the interviewees told regarding the labour market programme which in the article is concluded as a standard story of ethnicising activation. The ethnicising activation is analysed as an exploitation of the unemployed refugee participants, who in turn hoards the opportunity of participating in the labour market programme, in hope to find paths towards the labour market.

Internal auditor independence as a situated practice: four archetypes

PurposeThis study aims to understand independence in internal auditing by investigating how internal auditor independence is constructed when analysed in its corporate governance context.Design/methodology/approachA critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the corporate governance reports of Swedish large stock market listed non-financial companies, for three consecutive years, is undertaken, using a theoretical lens of organisational embeddedness and operational coupling to understand independence as a situated practice.FindingsThe study develops four archetypes of internal auditor independence – autarchic, instrumental, symbiotic and subservient – and discusses each archetype's implications for independence, related to tripartite relations with management and the audit committee, regarding who has the mandate to direct work and how the work is done. It finds that internal auditors always have a capacity to be independent. Although they are not independent in relation to agents in the subservient archetype, they are independent of those down the organisational chain of command, suggesting independence is both situational and relational.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis contributes a novel approach to the literature and develops a conception of independence using the dimensions of embeddedness and coupling. The archetypes offer an analytical framework for future studies on independence.Practical implicationsInternal auditors may understand their practice differently through the archetypes that result from this study.Social implicationsInternal auditors' power relations within corporate governance further an understanding of the pressures on internal auditors and their role.Originality/valueThis study contributes new knowledge on the situatedness of independence by showing how internal auditors are embedded and coupled helps build their independence.

Market participants or the random walk – who forecasts better? Evidence from micro-level survey data

We analyse micro-level data concerning four financial variables in Sveriges Riksbank's Prospera Survey to evaluate the precision of forecasts provided by professionals active in the Swedish fixed-income market. Our results indicate that for the SEK/EUR and SEK/USD exchange rates, and the five-year government bond yield, none of the market participants that frequently participate in the survey manage to significantly outperform the random-walk forecast. For the central bank's policy rate, the market participants typically have a statistically significant higher forecast precision than the random-walk forecast at the three-month horizon; however, at the two- and five-year horizons, the random-walk forecast typically outperforms the market participants.

A journey into the new employment service landscape of responsibilisation: Towards de‐personalisation of the caseworker–jobseeker relationship

AbstractThe article analyses a new culture of responsibilisation implicated in a recent management reform in the Swedish Public Employment Service. Based on an interview study and organisational documents, it is shown that the reform entails a new form of responsibilisation of jobseekers as well as caseworkers. As jobseekers are expected to ‘carry their own case’ through the administrative job‐search process, they are obliged to manage tasks that used to be in the caseworker's area of responsibility. Furthermore, caseworkers are expected to regulate themselves in new ways and change their mind‐set according to new organisational values and behavioural norms, requiring a restraining of their availability to clients. It is argued that the employment agency is increasingly turned into the agency of the active and responsible jobseeker, which entails one further shift towards individual responsibility in Swedish labour market policy and one further step towards the breakup of a personal caseworker–jobseeker relationship.

Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels: Comparing the Nordic Keyhole and Nutri-Score in a Swedish Context

The extent to which different front-of-pack nutrition labels (FOPNLs) agree or contradict each other has been insufficiently investigated. Considering the 2020 proposal from the European Commission to create a harmonized FOPNL, the aim of this study was to assess agreements and disagreements between two FOPNL schemes-the Keyhole and the Nutri-Score-in a Swedish context. The current Keyhole criteria and the updated Nutri-Score 2022 algorithm were applied to 984 food items and their nutrient compositions, obtained from the food database of the Swedish Food Agency. Agreements (Keyhole-eligible and Nutri-Score A or B; or not Keyhole-eligible and Nutri-Score C, D, or E) and disagreements (Keyhole-eligible and Nutri-Score C, D, or E, or not Keyhole-eligible and Nutri-Score A or B) were calculated as percentages for all items and by food group. An agreement was found for 81% of included items. The lowest level of agreement was found for the groups of flour, grains, and rice (62% agreement) and for plant-based meat and fish analogues (33% agreement). There is generally a good level of agreement between the Keyhole and the Nutri-Score for food items on the Swedish market. Large disagreements found for plant-based meat and fish analogues, and products based on cereals/grains, highlight important considerations for the development of a harmonized FOPNL within Europe.

The dynamic relationship between green tax incentives and environmental protection.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of green tax incentives such as investment tax credit and taxable income deductions related to the environmental sustainability and climate change which are becoming more popular in developing countries, whereas introducing green tax incentives related to the environment and climate change helps and meets the sustainability objectives of growth and development. For this purpose, we selected the top 100 listed companies on the Swedish stock market (SSM), Nasdaq Stockholm (SN), in order to better understand the real facts and figures of green tax environment. This study uses a longitudinal research design because sample observations vary across firms and over a short time and conducts probit and logistic regression to identify the beneficiaries of the tax incentives. The findings show that different firm-level characteristics significantly impact the probability of being an ITC beneficiary.

Second-hand clothing markets and a just circular economy? Exploring the role of business forms and profit

Second-hand consumption of clothing can support the transition to circular economies by prolonging the lifespan of products through reuse. Historically, not-for-profit businesses have been dominant actors in second-hand markets across Western Europe and North America. However, with the growing interest in second-hand consumption, for-profit firms have increasingly entered this market over the last decade. Through a qualitative case comparison, consisting of three not-for-profit businesses and three for-profit businesses operating in the Swedish second-hand clothing market, we explore the relationship between different business forms present on a changing second-hand market and a socially just circular economy. This study concludes that while a growing second-hand clothing market may support the transition to a future circular economy, there are issues related to which market actors have access to the used clothes, how these materials flow, and how profits are eventually distributed. Thus, we argue that particular attention should not only be paid to the material flows but also the legal structures and financial flows of firms present in circular markets. These aspects can in turn improve our understanding of who benefits from the transition to a circular economy, and under which conditions this transition can be made more socially just.

Lost in transitional space? Organising labour market integration for highly skilled refugees in the welfare state

AbstractLabour market integration of refugees is seen as a major challenge in many countries. This article draws on a qualitative study focused on highly skilled refugees participating in two internship programmes at two large private companies in Sweden. We draw on the concepts of organisational socialisation and liminality to suggest that such programmes, when organised in collaboration between private companies and public organisations as part of the labour market integration support offered by the welfare state, further entrench the liminal position of refugees. The refugee interns find themselves in a liminal space, aspiring to secure not only a future professional role at the workplace but also the role of an integrated member of the Swedish labour market—a role that is ambiguously defined and constantly shifting as ideas of what it means to be employable shift too. This is a position that is not without its problems, ambiguities and uncertainties and requires a new perspective on organising labour market integration of refugees.

Consumer Information and Pharmaceutical Prices: Theory and Evidence

In this paper, the impact of increased information on brand name and generic pharmaceutical prices is analyzed both theoretically and empirically. The theoretical results show that an increase in information is likely to reduce the price of brand name pharmaceuticals, while the results regarding generics are less clear. In the empirical part of the paper, the introduction of the substitution reform in the Swedish pharmaceuticals market in October 2002 is used as a natural experiment regarding the effects of increased consumer information on pharmaceutical prices. The results clearly show that the reform has lowered the price of both brand name- and generic pharmaceuticals.

Changes in market organisation due to exogenous shocks – the case of the transformation of the Swedish fashion industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT This study aims to provide insights into the transformation of retail caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, using the Swedish fashion industry as an example. In an institutional perspective, combined with Actor-network theory, both new actors and the changing role of existing ones were identified as influencing how the market was organised. An empirical field study of the Swedish fashion industry has illustrated the changes caused to retail by the outbreak of COVID-19, and the subsequent actions taken to limit its spread. Interviews with and observations of retailers’ actions contributed to a more in-depth understanding of the changes caused to retail. The study finds that the market was subject to two exogenous shocks: Firstly, that a non-human actor, i.e. the COVID-19 virus, influenced the Swedish fashion market in combination with humans and secondly, that new actors entered the market and influenced its organisation. This has led to a situation where digitalisation has accelerated and experience design has stagnated, and there has also been a re-definition of sustainability. Using an institutional perspective, combined with thick descriptions of the empirical material, this study challenges the existing narrow understanding, i.e., that the actors in the field are barely tied together as supply chains or networks, by including non-human actors in its analysis. This allows us to gain a greater understanding of how a virus and its antagonists have had a major impact on the organisation of the field, in turn having consequences on the trends prominent in the fashion retail industry before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Acceptance of human excreta derived fertilizers in Swedish grocery stores

Safe recycling of nutrients found in human excreta back to agriculture is an important component of a circular economy that can protect waterways and stabilize food prices. Although many technological advances for the recovery of these nutrients exist, large-scale implementation is lacking. A commonly cited barrier is a lack of acceptance of fertilizers from human excreta and for food products grown with such fertilizers. The food retail sector, as an intermediary between producers and consumers, is an important actor with power to influence opinions and purchasing practices. In this study, we surveyed 127 food retailers (stores) and reviewed publicly available retailer sustainability policies to assess acceptance of the use of recycled fertilizers. We gauged acceptance of three products relevant for the Swedish market – struvite, phosphorus from ash, and dehydrated urine. Most respondents felt that all three recovery techniques were unlikely to be harmful either to themselves or to the environment. It was more acceptable to use products further away from human consumption. In general, struvite and phosphorus from ash were perceived more positively. Acceptance of wastewater-derived fertilizers was largely dependent on perceived risks, especially the fate of pharmaceutical residues. While retailers in Sweden are not negative to reuse, they seem unlikely to provide strong support for nutrient recirculation from human excreta unless it becomes a greater concern for the public.

The Gender Employment Gap among Refugees and the Role of Employer Discrimination: Experimental Evidence from the German, Swedish and Austrian Labor Markets

Compared to their male counterparts, refugee women exhibit low employment rates in many countries. Discrimination by recruiters could possibly explain this phenomenon, but thus far, there is little direct evidence on this. This study addresses this gap. We develop a set of hypotheses about the effects of gender and family status on refugees’ labor market integration, and then test these hypotheses using data from an original survey experiment administered in 2019 to online panels of recruiters in three major refugee-receiving countries (Germany, Austria, and Sweden). We find that recruiters indeed prefer female over male refugees across different job types, all else equal. However, we also find evidence of a disadvantage connected with motherhood among refugees. Overall, our findings raise doubts about the relevance of discrimination as an explanation for the observed employment gap between male and female refugees.

Tales from the crypt: A psychoanalytic approach to disability representation in advertising

Representation is key in the politics of mass-mediated consumer society. Although previous research has noted that representation in advertising generates greater societal visibility for people with disabilities, focus has largely been on negative unintended consequences from a psychological or socio-cultural perspective. The purpose of this study is to explore the complexities involved in the making of a collective psyche related to disability, pointing instead to how the psychic and the social are mutually constitutive. By focusing on market-mediated representation in the form of advertising campaigns, we highlight both potentials and pitfalls of social transformation such as reducing stigma. We use, as revelatory cases, two relatively recent campaigns that sought to include people with disabilities on the Swedish market. We build upon Abraham and Torok’s psychoanalytic theorizing to offer a novel approach of studying market inclusion in the context of disability representation. By delineating the “social crypt,” we elucidate two processes by which stigmatized narratives enter the public consciousness: incorporation (i.e., a process by which stigma is reproduced in the collective unconscious) and introjection (i.e., a form of gradual awareness leading to destigmatization). We find that the inclusion of disability in advertising can potentially work to reduce stigma, but also to inadvertently serve as a subtler form of market exclusion by intensifying the cultural semiotics of capitalized ableism.

Managers’ sick-leave recommendations - a video vignette study on common mental disorders

Abstract Background Sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMD) in Sweden is higher among women than men. Since the Swedish labor market is highly sex segregated a contributing factor might be managers’ attitudes towards CMD and sick leave. This video vignette study tests three hypotheses on managerś sex and recommendation for sick leave. The hypotheses are: (1) there is an association between negative attitudes towards CMDs and recommending sick leave, and (2) there is an association between educational level and recommending sick leave, and (3) there is an association between workplace factors and managerś recommendation of sick leave. Methods The study sample consisted of 2703 Swedish managers, female (34%) and male (66%). The online survey included a randomized female and male video vignette played by actors and specifically designed for the study. Associations were investigated by means of logistic regression. The covariates were attitudes towards depression, educational level, labor sector, size of company, proportion of women/men at the workplace, and sex of the person in the video vignette. Results The bi-variate crude analysis showed an OR of 1.28 (95% C.I. 1.08-1.51) for female vs. male managers’ recommendation of employee sick leave to the video vignette. Negative attitudes towards CMD did not add to the model, whereas educational level did, OR 1.34 (95% C.I. 1.13-1.59). The final, fully adjusted model showed an OR of 1.39 (95% C.I. 1.16-1.66) for female vs. male managers’ recommendation of employee sick leave. Conclusions The likelihood of a manager recommending sick leave after watching a CMD-labelled video vignette was slightly higher for female managers compared to male, and it remained in the final adjusted model. The results resonate with the registered sick leave and the sex segregation among managers and industries in the Swedish labor market. Key messages

Model-based analysis of the effect of pricing rules and new entrants on the balancing market efficiency. Case study of the Swedish market

Balancing services are essential for the transmission system operator (TSO) to ensure system stability in the event of frequency deviations. The Swedish TSO has largely relied on reservoir hydro power plants to provide these services, including frequency containment reserve (FCR), using a complex cost-based methodology and awarding successful bidders on a pay-as-bid basis. Changing the pricing rule from pay-as-bid to marginal and moving from a cost-based to bid-based market may help diversify the pool of balancing service providers and stave off increasing FCR prices. In this paper, we investigate the economic effect of 1) introducing marginal pricing, 2) the entry of new technologies, wind generation and battery storage into the FCR market, and 3) how much new wind and storage capacity is necessary to counteract a potential system cost increase. For this, we develop an agent-based model of the Swedish FCR market for normal operation (FCR-N) and a reinforcement learning algorithm to emulate possible non-competitive behavior of market participants. We show that, in a current concentrated hydro-dominated market, a change to marginal pricing and freely set bids leads to skyrocketing FCR-N prices. The main driver is strategic behavior, as a result of which agents do not only increase their bid prices but also tend to withhold capacity increasing their profits through artificial scarcity. Furthermore, our results show that marginal pricing along with the entry of new technologies can counteract the rise of system cost and stabilize the market by combating strategic behavior.

Nutritional Composition and Estimated Iron and Zinc Bioavailability of Meat Substitutes Available on the Swedish Market.

Transition towards plant-based diets is advocated to reduce the climate footprint. Health implications of a diet composed of meat substitutes are currently unknown, and there are knowledge gaps in their nutritional composition and quality. Samples of available meat substitutes were bought in two convenience stores in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, and were included in the study. Meat substitutes (n = 44) were analyzed for their contents of dietary fiber, fat, iron, zinc, phytate, salt, total phenolics and protein, as well as for their amino acid and fatty acid composition. Bioavailability of iron and zinc was estimated based on the phytate:mineral molar ratio. We found large variations in the nutritional composition of the analyzed meat substitutes. Amino acid profiles seemed to be affected by processing methods. Mycoprotein products were rich in zinc, with a median content of 6.7 mg/100 g, and had very low content of phytate, which suggests mycoprotein as a good source of zinc. Degradability of fungal cell walls might, however, pose as a potential aggravating factor. None of the products could be regarded as a good source of iron due to very high content of phytate (9 to 1151 mg/100 g) and/or low content of iron (0.4 to 4.7 mg/100 g). Phytate:iron molar ratios in products with iron contents >2.1 mg/100 g ranged from 2.5 to 45. Tempeh stood out as a protein source with large potential due to low phytate content (24 mg/100 g) and an iron content (2 mg/100 g) close to the level of a nutrition claim. Producers of the products analyzed in this study appear to use nutritional claims regarding iron that appear not in line with European regulations, since the iron is in a form not available by the body. Meat substitutes analyzed in this study do not contribute to absorbed iron in a relevant manner. Individuals following mainly plant-based diets have to meet their iron needs through other sources. Salt and saturated fat were high in certain products, while other products were more in line with nutritional recommendations. Further investigation of the nutritional and health effects of protein extraction and extrusion is needed. We conclude that nutritional knowledge needs to be implemented in product development of meat substitutes.

Selling electric vehicles: Experiences from vehicle salespeople in Sweden

Electric vehicles are capturing ever larger market shares of the new vehicle market in several large vehicle markets such as Europe and China. However, electric vehicles still only make up a small fraction of the total vehicle fleet. Much research has been focused on the perspective of existing or prospective adopters of Electric Vehicles. Less emphasis has been placed on intermediaries such as vehicle salespeople, who could be important mediators in the product matching process by providing helpful information, facilitating direct experience and directly influencing vehicle buyers' adoption decisions. This paper addresses this research gap using a qualitative investigation of vehicle salespeople at OEMs who sell both Electric Vehicles and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles on the Swedish market. Fifteen interviews with vehicle salespeople at leading OEMs were conducted in the fall of 2017. The results reveal that the sales process of vehicles is mainly focused on the sales of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles. Electric Vehicles are treated as niche products which often require the vehicle buyer to initiate the sales process. It can be concluded that OEMs, dealerships and vehicle salespeople have taken relatively few steps to influence mainstream buyers to consider Electric Vehicles as an alternative to Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles at the point of sale. Possible reasons for the bias towards Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles can be found in the apparent lack of training and experience regarding Electric Vehicles among vehicle salespeople, more extended sales and delivery times for Electric Vehicles and a commission structure that often favours Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles.