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The relationship between firm mobility and tax level: Empirical evidence of fiscal competition between local governments
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Abstract: The mobility of the tax base may influence fiscal outcomes. The many theoretical contributions about the role of mobility are not matched by empirical evidence. Existing studies address strategic interaction between governments, but have little to say about mobility. We introduce a new measure of mobility conditions based on the geographic profit variability of industrial sectors. The econometric analysis shows a systematic negative relationship between mobility conditions and tax level among municipalities in Norway. The analysis takes into account neighborhood effects in a spatial model, and the endogeneity of mobility conditions is handled with instrumental variables.


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Mister Jarman, Mister Moore and Doctor Dee
Jul 4, 2011
Prospero (Heathcote Williams) and Miranda (Toyah Willcox), The Tempest (1979). The Shakespeare who spun The Tempest must have known John Dee; and perhaps through Philip Sidney he met Giordano Bruno in the year when he was writing the Cena di Ceneri—the Ash Wednesday supper in the French Ambassador's house in the Strand. Prospero's character and […]
Posted in {books}, {fantasy}, {film}, {magazines}, {music}, {occult}, {theatre}, {work} | 8 comments »

subset: commoncrawl


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Jesus and those "Other People"
Adele Booysen via Compfight
Nicky Marshall is the husband of one wife (Raquel), father or two boys (Nathan and Elijah) and serves as assistant pastor at The Living Room Church in Barbados. Nicky is also an Artist and Surfer. He blogs here.
"This is Ferozah". I instinctively stuck my hand out to greet a smiling Muslim woman beautifully dressed in her Hijaab. She instinctively drew her hands back and I had the awkward realization that this was not appropriate. Her husband graciously informed me that Muslim women "do not shake hands" (Google later informed me that Muslim women are only permitted to touch men who are their husband or family). Soon about fifteen of my fellow Christians and about the same number of Muslims were sitting in a circle(ish) discussing theological differences, misunderstandings, fears and concerns, as well areas of similarity and agreement.
We are all Barbadians, and yet my awkward introduction was a sign that we were crossing cultural boundaries into unfamiliar terrain.
Human beings have always been tribal.
We internalize our cultures boundary markers: what makes 'us' different from 'them'.
Poor people. Rich people. Black people. White people. Christians. Muslims. Jews. Atheists. Bajans. Americans. Straight. Gay.
"Those people."
The danger is that we can dehumanize 'those people'. They are somehow intrinsically different from 'us'. Lazy. Arrogant. Stingy. Two-faced. Untrustworthy. Stupid. Closed-minded or whatever brush we paint the other with….that's just how theyare.
And of course there is often enough of those who fit the stereotype to reinforce it.
In 1985 Rocky 4 came out. I was 12. Our hero was pitted against a 6-foot 5 inch, 261-pound Soviet boxer named Ivan Drago. This was America vs. Russia. This was the Cold War. After pounding the loveable African American Apollo Creed into the hospital, Drago remorselessly comments to the press "if he dies, he dies". Ohhh the evil! The cold, cheating, heartless machine. That Communist.That Russian!
As a youngster when I heard "Russian" I saw Ivan Drago.
In the same year Sting sang
"We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us, me, and you
Is if the Russians love their children too"
It was a necessary correction for me as a young boy – Russians are people.
Like me.
There was no shortage of this in first century Palestine as Jesus spread his message that the Rule of God had come – bringing healing to the nations with it.
Strict boundary markers separated Jew from Gentile. In Torah and blood, circumcision and Temple, Land and Divine Promise –we are God's people, we are different. We are not like those people. And one Day our God will return to us. The exile to Babylon will be truly over. Our Pagan oppressors will be overthrown. The temple cleansed. Torah properly kept. God's true people vindicated and set in their rightful place. God is on our side.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, "Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain."
Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."
But the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this,' they do it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)
The Messiah. The symbol and on the ground reality of the coming of God's great redemption of his people and judgment of the Pagan oppressor.
A Roman Centurion. The symbol and on the ground reality of brutal, violent, humiliating oppression by a Pagan empire.
And Jesus offers healing.
Because the Romans love their children too.
Jesus seems to be saying "This soldier is human like you, loves his family like you, is capable of the saving trust in God that characterized your Father Abraham. He is not the enemy. The sin enslaves both him and you is the real enemy. Any many like him will find themselves in the Kingdom while many of you who assume you are 'in' will find yourselves out!"
"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:27-36)
This is not just a timeless moral lesson for twenty first century Christians who get cut off in traffic.
This is war. This is political strategy. This is a Way of being the people of God in the face of all the other ways (mostly involving violent nationalistic revolution). The enemy is not Roman oppression – the enemy is oppression – and the seeds of oppression are in every human heart.
"Do not be over come by evil, but overcome evil by doing good." (Romans 12:21)
Overcome evil by doing good. Not necessarily the evil in them. The evil in me, that turns them into anything other than fellow humans in need of salvation and mercy and kindness and understanding and friendship.
And this is risky.
Love is always risky.
People can take advantage of love.
Especially those people.
As followers of Jesus will we allow Jesus to become a set of boundary markers that cloister 'us' from 'them'. Will we turn inward and wait for God to judge them and vindicate us? Will we stereotype and vilify the other? Or will we take the way of Christ and offer the healing hand of friendship and love and compassion.
To them.
Yes, even those people.


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By Pat McShea
An unusual bench within the Hall of North American Wildlife inspires grand scale thinking.
If you sit upon a level-topped portion of the nearly 20-foot-long great blue whale lower jaw, it's easy to imagine your seat's travel history as part of a living ocean-dwelling giant.
Jaw bone sitters now have much more to consider because of Information shared by the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.
In a recent essay in The New York Times titled, Wrap Your Mind Around a Whale, paleobiologist Nick Pyenson discusses evolutionary forces that limit whale size.
For great blue whales, Pyenson explains, jaw size reflects a delicate balance. These enormous mammals, whose total body length has been known to reach 109 feet, must be able to close their jaws rapidly enough to capture moving prey. They also must gain enough calories from each gulp to make-up for energy spent powering the required muscle movements.
For any museum visitors who require visual and tactile assistance to imagine how the bone bench was once part of a swimming creature, a stop in Discovery Basecamp is recommended.
Although there's not a great blue whale replica in the Whales Toolbox, examining the plastic models of eight featured species is a good way to begin learning about whale diversity.
Patrick McShea works in the Education and Visitor Experience department of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.


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Thyroid cancer is a cancer originating from follicular or parafollicular thyroid cells. The most effective management of aggressive thyroid cancers is surgical removal of thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) followed by radioactive iodine ablation and TSH-suppression therapy. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy may also be used in cases of distant metastases or advanced cancer stage.[1] Five year survival rates are 97.8% in the United States.[2]
Most often the first symptom of thyroid cancer is a nodule in the thyroid region of the neck.[3] However, many adults have small nodules in their thyroids, but typically under 5% of these nodules are found to be cancerous. Sometimes the first sign is an enlarged lymph node. Later symptoms that can be present are pain in the anterior region of the neck and changes in voice due to an involvement of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.
Thyroid cancer is usually found in a euthyroid patient, but symptoms of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism may be associated with a large or metastatic well-differentiated tumor.
Thyroid nodules are of particular concern when they are found in those under the age of 20. The presentation of benign nodules at this age is less likely, and thus the potential for malignancy is far greater.
Thyroid cancers are thought to be related to a number of environmental and genetic predisposing factors, but significant uncertainty remains regarding its causes.
Environmental exposure to ionizing radiation from both natural background sources and artificial sources are suspected to play a significant role, and there are significant increased rates of thyroid cancer rates in those exposed to mantlefield radiation for lymphoma, and those exposed to iodine-131 following the Chernobyl disaster.[4] Thyroiditis and other thyroid disease also predispose to thyroid cancer.[5]
Genetic causes include Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 which markedly increases rates, particularly of the rarer medullary form of the disease.[6]
After a thyroid nodule is found during a physical examination, a referral to an endocrinologist, or a thyroidologist may occur. Most commonly an ultrasound is performed to confirm the presence of a nodule, and assess the status of the whole gland. Measurement of thyroid stimulating hormone and anti-thyroid antibodies will help decide if there is a functional thyroid disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis present, a known cause of a benign nodular goiter.[7] Measurement of calcitonin is necessary to exclude the presence of medullary thyroid cancer. Finally, to achieve a definitive diagnosis before deciding on treatment, a fine needle aspiration cytology test is usually performed and reported according to the Bethesda system.
Thyroid cancers can be classified according to their histopathological characteristics.[8][9] The following variants can be distinguished (distribution over various subtypes may show regional variation):
The follicular and papillary types together can be classified as "differentiated thyroid cancer".[12] These types have a more favorable prognosis than the medullary and undifferentiated types.[13]
Stage M1 thyroid cancer
Stage N1a thyroid cancer
Stage N1b thyroid cancer
Stage T1a thyroid cancer
Stage T1b thyroid cancer
Stage T2 thyroid cancer
Stage T3 thyroid cancer
Stage T4a thyroid cancer
Stage T4b thyroid cancer
Detection of any metastases of thyroid cancer can be performed with a full body scintigraphy using iodine-131.[18][19]
Thyroidectomy and dissection of central neck compartment is initial step in treatment of thyroid cancer in majority of cases.[3] Thyroid-preserving operation may be applied in cases, when thyroid cancer exhibits low biological aggressiveness (e.g. well-differentiated cancer, no evidence of lymph node metastases, low MIB-1 index, no major genetic alterations like BRAF mutations, RET/PTC rearrangements, p53 mutations etc.) in patients younger than 45 years.[20] If the diagnosis of well-differentiated thyroid cancer (e.g. papillary thyroid cancer) is established or suspected by FNA the surgery is indicated, whereas watchful waiting strategy is not recommended in any evidence-based guidelines.[20][21] Watchful waiting reduces overdiagnosis and overtreatment of thyroid cancer among old patients.[22] Radioactive Iodine-131 is used in patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer for ablation of residual thyroid tissue after surgery and for the treatment of thyroid cancer. Patients with medullary, anaplastic, and most Hurthle cell cancers do not benefit from this therapy.[3]
External irradiation may be used when the cancer is unresectable, when it recurs after resection, or to relieve pain from bone metastasis.[3]
Sorafenib and sunitinib, approved for other indications show promise for thyroid cancer and are being used for some patients who do not qualify for clinical trials.[23] Numerous agents are in phase II clinical trials and XL184 has started a phase III trial.[23]
The prognosis of thyroid cancer is related to the type of cancer and the stage at the time of diagnosis. For the most common form of thyroid cancer, papillary, the overall prognosis is excellent. Indeed, the increased incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma in recent years is likely related to increased and earlier diagnosis. One can look at the trend to earlier diagnosis in two ways. The first is that many of these cancers are small and not likely to develop into aggressive malignancies. A second perspective is that earlier diagnosis removes these cancers at a time when they are not likely to have spread beyond the thyroid gland, thereby improving the long-term outcome for the patient. There is no consensus at present on whether this trend toward earlier diagnosis is beneficial or unnecessary.
The argument against early diagnosis and treatment is based on the logic that many small thyroid cancers (mostly papillary) will not grow or metastasize. This viewpoint holds the overwhelming majority of thyroid cancers are overdiagnosed (that is, will never cause any symptoms, illness, or death for the patient, even if nothing is ever done about the cancer). Including these overdiagnosed cases skews the statistics by lumping clinically significant cases in with apparently harmless cancers.[24] Thyroid cancer is incredibly common, with autopsy studies of people dying from other causes showing that more than one third of older adults technically has thyroid cancer, which is causing them no harm.[24] It is easy to detect nodules that might be cancerous, simply by feeling the throat, which contributes to the level of overdiagnosis. Benign (non-cancerous) nodules frequently co-exist with thyroid cancer; sometimes, it is a benign nodule that is discovered but surgery uncovers an incidental small thyroid cancer. Increasingly, small thyroid nodules are discovered as incidental findings on imaging (CT scan, MRI, ultrasound) performed for another purpose ; very few of these people with accidentally discovered, symptom-free thyroid cancers will ever have any symptoms, and treatment in such patients has the potential to cause harm to them, not to help them.[24][25]
Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women than in men, but according to European statistics,[26] the overall relative 5-year survival rate for thyroid cancer is 85% for females and 74% for males.[27]
The table below highlights some of the challenges with decision making and prognostication in thyroid cancer. While there is general agreement that stage I or II papillary, follicular or medullary cancer have a good prognosis, it is not possible when evaluating a small thyroid cancer to determine which ones will grow and metastasize and which will not. As a result once a diagnosis of thyroid cancer has been established (most commonly by a fine needle aspiration), it is likely that a total thyroidectomy will be performed.
This drive to earlier diagnosis has also manifest itself on the European continent by the use of serum calcitonin measurements in patients with goiter to identify patients with early abnormalities of the parafollicular or calcitonin-producing cells within the thyroid gland. As multiple studies have demonstrated, the finding of an elevated serum calcitonin is associated with the finding of a medullary thyroid carcinoma in as high as 20% of cases.
In Europe where the threshold for thyroid surgery is lower than in the United States, an elaborate strategy that incorporates serum calcitonin measurements and stimulatory tests for calcitonin has been incorporated into the decision to perform a thyroidectomy; thyroid experts in the USA, looking at the same data sets have, for the most part, not incorporated calcitonin testing as a routine part of their evaluation, thereby eliminating a large number of thyroidectomies and the consequent morbidity. The European thyroid community has focused on prevention of metastasis from small medullary thyroid carcinomas; the North American thyroid community has focused more on prevention of complications associated with thyroidectomy (see American Thyroid Association guidelines below). It is not clear at this time who is correct.
As demonstrated in the Table below, individuals with stage III and IV disease have a significant risk of dying from thyroid cancer. While many present with widely metastatic disease, an equal number evolve over years and decades from stage I or II disease. Physicians who manage thyroid cancer of any stage recognize that a small percentage of patients with low-risk thyroid cancer will progress to metastatic disease.
Fortunately for those with metastatic thyroid cancer, the last 5 years has brought about a renaissance in thyroid cancer treatment. The identification of some of the molecular or DNA abnormalities for thyroid cancer has led to the development of therapies that target these molecular defects. The first of these agents to negotiate the approval process is vandetanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the RET proto-oncogene, 2 subtypes of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, and the epidermal growth factor receptor.[28] More of these compounds are under investigation and are likely to make it through the approval process. For differentiated thyroid carcinoma, strategies are evolving to use selected types of targeted therapy to increase radioactive iodine uptake in papillary thyroid carcinomas that have lost the ability to concentrate iodide. This strategy would make it possible to use radioactive iodine therapy to treat "resistant" thyroid cancers. Other targeted therapies are being evaluated, making it possible that life will be extended over the next 5–10 years for those with stage III and IV thyroid cancer.
Prognosis is better in younger people than older ones.[27]
Thyroid cancer, in 2010, resulted in 36,000 deaths globally up from 24,000 in 1990.[34] Obesity may be associated with a higher incidence of thyroid cancer, but this relationship remains the subject of much debate.[35]
Thyroid cancer accounts for less than 1% of cancer cases and deaths in the UK. Around 2,700 people were diagnosed with Thyroid cancer in the UK in 2011, and around 370 people died from the disease in 2012.[36]
Lung cancer, Breast cancer, Colorectal cancer, Medical imaging, Prostate cancer
Iodine, Latin, Anatomy, Hypothalamus, Endocrine system
Thyroid, Hydraulic fracturing, Iodine, Nuclear medicine, Tellurium
Soviet Union, YouTube, Peer review, Ukraine, Uranium
Belarus, Ukraine, Chernobyl disaster, Russia, Soviet Union
Tokyo, Teaneck, New Jersey, Thyroid cancer, Bert I. Gordon, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Endocrine system, Thyroid cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Cancer, Icd-10
Thyroid cancer, Calcitonin, Cancer staging, Pheochromocytoma, Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2
Hydraulic fracturing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware River, Schuylkill River


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Substitutionsbehandling är en vårdform som rekommenderas av Socialstyrelsen för personer med ett långvarigt opiatberoende. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur samverkan kring klienterna fungerade, samt vilka stödinsatser som kunde bli aktuella utifrån klinternas behov. Då substitutionsbehandling anses vara kontroversiellt, fanns även ett intresse av att undersöka de professionellas upplevelser av vårdformen. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med yrkesverksamma (n=8) som i sina olika yrkesroller hade kontakt med klienterna. Resultatet analyserades utifrån systemteori, stämplingsteori och empowerment. Studiens huvudresultat visade att det förekom mycket samverkan kring klienterna och att det fanns flera stödinsatser tillgängliga för den enskilde. Inställningen till substitutionsbehandling var till övervägande del positiv och de främsta argumenten för vårdformen uppgavs vara de personliga vinsterna för klienterna. Slutsatsen är att det krävs mer än mediciner för att upprätthålla drogfrihet och klienternas sociala nätverk kan vara avgörande för en lyckad behandlingsprocess. Studiens resultat kan därmed bidra med kunskap om substitutionsbehandling.
The aim of this study is to investigate how men in the social service in Gävle experience gender biases within the social work profession. We conducted a qualitative research with five male social workers that we interviewed regarding gender biases. The main result ended up under three themes which are client influence and reinforcement; work culture; and lastly the unconscious experience. The conclusion is that male social workers experience gender biases accordingly through three themes.
Title: Integration of unemployed immigrants into the labor market in Gävle
Authors: Ibrahim Adan Issack and Ekaterina Ivanova
The aim of this study was to investigate unemployed immigrant's description of how they perceive the labor market in Gävle. Qualitative method face-to-face interviews were used to gather data. The results of this study shows that an unemployed immigrant seems to encounter hinders and opportunities in the labor market. The following five issues were described as being most important in influencing immigrants' employment opportunities in Gävle: Swedish language knowledge, previous education, discrimination, social network and family situation. Ecological system theory and previous research were used to analyze the gathered results.
Key words: integration, immigrant, labor market.
I början på 1990-talet kom lagen om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade (1993:387) och Lagen om assistansersättning (1993:389). Detta skapade möjligheter för funktionshindrade att få förutsättning till ett självständigt liv. Syftet med denna kvalitativa uppsats är att undersöka hur personliga assistenter upplever bemötande, kommunikation samt delaktighet i mötet mellan funktionsnedsatta barn utan verbal kommunikation och handläggare inom Försäkringskassa, LSS-handläggare och personal inom sjukvård. Då benämningen "personlig assistent" endast har funnits sedan början på 1990-talet är detta ett relativt outforskat område. Det empiriska materialet består av sex individuella intervjuer. I det analyserade empiriska materialet har tidigare känd forskning, empowermentteori och icke-verbal kommunikation använts. Resultatet av undersökningen tyder på att det finns brister i att bemöta, kommunicera och att få brukare känna sig delaktiga i deras egen livssituation. I studien framkommer det att personliga assistenterna upplever att det inte finns tillräckligt med tid och kunskap kring alternativ kommunikation, vilket kan vara orsaker till att brukarna inte känner sig delaktig
The main domain in which eating disorders are defined is medical, whereas socio-cultural perspectives are less common. Because social workers seeks to explain different problems taking societal factors into account, we asked ourselves if social workers have a way of understanding eating disorders, that is different from a medical point of view. Two focus group interviews were conducted; the one composed by social workers with experience of working with eating disorders, and the other by social workers without that experience, which enabled comparisons. The interviews were analyzed using socio-cultural and feminist perspectives. The result showed that the social workers use socio-cultural perspectives in explaining eating disorders. Both groups also emphasized the medical perspective, but the first group where less willing than the other to depart from this perspective. The conclusion were made that the social workers having experience of working with eating disorders are more into the medical discourse than are the ones without this experience.
In this chapter, the result of three research studies on meaning-making coping conducted among cancer patients in Sweden is used to highlight the effect of music in coping with cancer. The first research was a qualitative research aiming to study coping with cancer, through religious and spiritual means, from a cultural perspective. The second project was a quantitative study, which aimed to determine to what extent the result of the first study could be generalized to the cancer patients in Sweden. The third study had as its target to investigate the cancer patients' own understanding of the role of music in coping. The results of these studies indicate the impact of culture in using music as a coping method when facing the psychological burden cancer brings with itself. The outcomes of the third study showed, besides the impact of culture, the individual characteristics of the music as a coping method.
This book provides an alternative, complementary approach to the existing conventional approaches to religious and spiritually oriented coping. By focusing on the role of culture, the authors take into account the methods employed by a vast number of people who do not directly identify themselves as religious. The empirical data used in this book derive from studies conducted in several countries; Sweden, China, South Korea, Turkey and Malaysia, across which religion plays a different role in the social and cultural life of individuals. This approach and these empirical data are unique and allow comparisons to be made between different cultural settings.
By introducing the concept of meaning-making coping, the authors explore the influence of culture on choice of coping methods, be they purely religious, spiritual or existential. The term "existential meaning-making coping" is used to describe coping methods that are related to existential questions; these methods include religious, spiritual and existential coping methods.
Meaning-making Methods for Coping with Serious Illness contributes to new approaches and theoretical models of coping. As such it is an invaluable resource for health care, medical, public health and sociology students and researchers. It will also be of interest to educators and policy-makers working in the area of health.
To understand the role of culture on the use of the meaning-making coping among people who have been struck by cancer, qualitative and quantitative studies have been conducted in several countries like Sweden, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Turkey. This article reports on a quantitative study carried out in Turkey. The aim of the study has been to answer the following question: "Which meaning-making coping method (even nonreligious or spiritual coping methods) is used by informants?" The sample consists of 95 persons, 18+ who had been struck by cancer. The questionnaire was distributed to former/current cancer patients via a web address as an electronic survey through the media page of Cancer Survivors Association. The results of the study show that the most important coping methods used by cancer patients in Turkey are the religious coping (RCOPE) methods, particularly spiritual connection, active religious surrender, passive religious deferral, and pleading for direct intercession. Several RCOPE methods such as spiritual discontent, seeking support from clergy or members, punishing God reappraisal, and demonic reappraisal or self-directing religious coping are not used by the Turkish informants. Nor are non-RCOPE methods highly prevalent among informants.
The aim of this article is to elucidate and discuss the results of the 2016 Diversity Barometer (Mångfaldsbarometern) and compare these results with those obtained from ten years of the longitudinal Diversity Barometers for 2005?2014. An additional aim is to demonstrate whether and how Swedish people?s experiences of and attitudes toward people with a foreign background and ethnic diversity have changed.A random sample of the Swedish population took part in the annual study, which was carried out in the form of a nationwide postal survey. The results show that negative attitudes toward ethnic and cultural diversity in general, and migrant population in particular, have increased to some extent and with respect to certain issues. Views on diversity in relation to culture and religion ? especially Islam ? were more negative than views on diversity in relation to work. Those who have larger experience of contact with foreigners show a more positive attitude toward diversity compared with those with limited experience and contact. Individuals who have higher education, those who identify themselves as female, younger persons and those living in large cities are more positive than other groups. In our analysis of the empirical data, we proceeded from a social work perspective and applied contact theory and group conflict theories relating attitudes to group position.
The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea, with a focus on the sociocultural context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 Swedes and 33 Koreans. The results showed significant differences between the two countries as well as similarities in existential, spiritual, and religious coping. For example, Swedes primarily used meaning-making coping as a means of meditation or relaxation, whereas Koreans relied on coping with prayer and using healthy foods as a means to survive. The present study confirms the significance of investigating cultural context when we explore the use of meaning-making coping among people who have experienced cancer.
The purpose of the present project has been to carry out international studies on meaning-making coping among people who have been affected by cancer in a number of societies and, thereby, to try to understand the influence of culture on use of these coping methods. Five countries—Sweden, South Korea, China, Japan, and Turkey—are included in the project. Qualitative semistructured interviews have been conducted with persons with a cancer diagnosis. The research group in each country has used, as a foundation, the interview questions developed for the Swedish study. These questions were, however, modified to better suite the sociocultural context of each participating country. The results presented here concern only Turkey and are restricted to religious coping methods. The study consists of 25 cancer patients (18 females and 7 males) between 20 and 71 years of age. The results of the study in Turkey indicated that the RCOPE (Religious Coping) methods are highly relevant for the interviewees. A sociological analysis of the study made from a cultural perspective showed clearly the importance of the idea of being tolerant (Sabr) for patients when coping with the psychological problems brought about by cancer. The study made it clear that culture plays an essential role in the choice of coping methods.
This study was based on three interviews with three internationally adopted young adults. The aim of the study was to explore how international adopted young adults have experienced their identity development in a retrospective perspective in relation to family and friends. To answer the research-questions semi-structured qualitative interviews have been performed. A narrative method was chosen to explore how the participants' described their experiences. Topics that appeared in the result where topics such as family relationships, the society's influence on the participants and connections to other adoptees. The conclusions of this study were that communication and connections to family was an essential factor in the subjects' identity development. The informants feeling of belonging was affected by society´s influence on appearances and it was important for the participants to have someone in their life that they could talk to and get support from.
The aim of this study was to investigate what thoughts and strategies parents of people with intellectual disabilities had concerning their children's future, and if whether societal attitudes had an impact on these thoughts. A qualitative study was conducted through focus group discussions. The results were categorized through a thematic analysis, and the results were analysed using SOC and coping theories. The parents' fears were of societal changes and cutbacks to the welfare system. The participants were reluctant thinking about the future, a form of avoidant coping. They also used problem-focused coping by improvements to the child's current situation and through organized advocacy work. An important conclusion was that parents of people with intellectual disabilities felt a strong worry regarding their children's future when they themselves would be gone. This due to a lack of sense of coherence caused by perceived shortcomings in societal structures and negative attitudes from society.
The aim of this study was to examine which attitudes professionals who are involved in voluntary mediation in Gävle, have towards voluntary mediation as a preventative working method.
The empirical material used in this study, has been gathered through semi-structured interviews with staff members of the so called Crime Preventers in Gävle (Brottsförebyggarna I Gävle, BIG) and staff members from the police and social services. These interviews helped to get a deeper understanding and detailed information about the attitudes towards restorative justice and voluntary mediation. The theoretical framework that was used was social constructionism and restorative justice theory.
The Crime Preventers (BIG) in Gävle are keeping the method and process up to date by further educating themselves within the subject via conferences, workshops and similar activities. There seems to be a preference for working more with mediation, since currently the activity of the voluntary process is decreasing due to a decrease in suitable criminal cases for mediation.
The results from this study however indicate that attitudes toward mediation, as a process and method on a voluntary basis, are highly appreciated amongst those who are continuously working with it. However, further research on the subject is desired to develop it better and gain more from its positive effects.
The aim of this study was to understand how young adults whom previously had been in out-of-home care retrospectively described their schooling. Five young adults between the ages of 21-26 were interviewed in a qualitative study. The theory KASAM helped identify the resources and factors that influenced the informants' sense of coherence. The results showed that the informants were put in out-of-home care at different ages and had different experiences with their studies while in care. They received help from adults in regards to their studies, which had a positive impact on their schooling. Some informants had negative experiences from their schooling while in care caused by bullying, mental health issues and having to move multiple times. Because of our small sample we could not generalize the results. What the informants had in common was the fact that they had college-level education or were planning to receive it.
Författarna diskuterar nya sociala förortsrörelser som försöker motverka den sociala exkludering och gentrifiering som blir allt mer synlig. Dessa rörelser kräver social upprustning av miljonprogrammen och inkludering i demokratiska beslutsprocesser. De har vuxit fram genom organisering underifrån av människor som bor och vuxit upp i området. I detta kapitel ligger fokus på den förortsbaserade organisationen Megafonen som arbetar med social mobilisering av medborgarna på Järvafältet i Stockholm, för att bidra till framväxandet av en social rörelse mot social exkludering och för ökat medborgarinflytande, social upprustning och social rättvisa. Som framtida utmaningar för mobiliserande samhällsarbete lyfter författarna den s.k. rörelsejuridiken. Författarna förespråkar ett samhällsarbete som bygger påmedvetandegörande , skapande av kollektiv identitet och samhörighet, stödjande av aktivering och deltagande, samt mobilisering av de utsatta grupperna själva för social förändring.
The main purpose of this study was to study and understand the situation of adult children and their experiences of providing daily care for their elderly parents in need who have an immigrant background. One of the aims was to describe and analyze the motives of adult children choosing to become caregivers, without recourses to the right of using the public elderly care in form of home care and/or elderly care homes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with five adult children who cared for their parents. The theoretical frames of analysis were symbolic interactionism with the concepts "I" and "Me" and "significant others", the theory of reciprocity and finally risk factors for social exclusion. The theoretical frames were used to give deeper insight and different perspectives of the social reality of informal caring. Important results found in our study are that adult children who care for their parents believe it is their duty to help the person who used to take care of them. They described the relationship to their care receiving parents in positive words, but their care duties were described also as heavy and time consuming. These duties were sometimes hard to combine with employment for the family caregiver. Important factors for the adult childrens' choice to become caregivers were interpersonal relationships, culture and language - language as a practical obstacle but also as part of the culture. Conclusions that could be drawn were that reasons behind the refrain from receiving assistance from the public eldercare was a combination of the wish of the adult children to preserve their culture and their parents' helplessness in not being able to make themselves and their needs understood in their own language.
The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the professionals experiences of cyber bullying among teenagers of the age 14-16. To answer the purpose of the study six semi-structured interviews were performed with professionals who work in close contact with teenagers within the school system and social work. To analyze the results symbolic interactionism is used as well as concepts of attitude and norms. The results demonstrated that teenagers that have experienced cyber bullying can exhibit symptom of depression, self harming behavior and in certain cases performed suicide attempts. One contributing factor to why cyber bullying present to the extent it does is because teenagers are able to be anonymous on the internet. Being anonymous contributes to teenagers being able to act cruel towards each other with little repercussion. By informing teenagers and drawing attention to the impact cyber bullying have on a person is considered the most effective way to prevent cyber bullying to present itself according to interviewed people.
The purpose of this study was to investigate how the social services work with honor-related violence and oppression, and how action plans are implemented into the work. Honor-related violence and oppression is a relatively new problem in Sweden and for a long time, the social services have lacked strategies for how the problem should be handled. Evaluations of the social services have shown that several municipalities in Sweden lack specific action plans against honor-related violence and oppression, as well as routines and guidelines for their work in this area. This study is based on qualitative interviews with five professional social workers from different municipalities. Through the interviews, each social worker's view on the work of honor-related violence and oppression and the importance of the action plan have been highlighted. The results showed that the social workers described their work in a similar way but their view on the importance of an action plan differed. Based on the results of the study, our conclusion was that action plans can be a solid ground that creates a unified structure for the social services, and are therefore important in the work against honor-related violence and oppression.
The purpose of this study was to get a better understanding on how Swedish media describes intimate partner violence from a social constructionist perspective. This was done by analysing the way this violence is projected in three Swedish newspapers namely Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter & Expressen. Our study focused on heterosexual relationships and investigated how some sample of Swedish newspapers described the image of "men and women as perpetrators; gender construction", "the presentation of the violence" and "the way society treats intimate partner violence victims (male/female)". The theoretical approach in this analysis was based on social constructionism with a special focus on gender. In order to address the research objectives, a content analysis was performed and some comment and analysis on themes were given. The research findings revealed that both men and women could be perpetrators and victims of intimate partner violence with a main focus on woman as victims from media.
"The ideal victims of honour-related crime"
The purpose of this study is to examine if characteristics of victim and perpetrator and circumstances involving the crime, which are described in the theory of "the ideal victim", have an influence on the outcome of police employee's independent assessment on crimes of honour character. In order to examine this a quantitative method has been applied and a logistic regression has been made of data based on identified crimes whit honour as a motive. The results of the study have shown that eleven variables which has a connection to characteristics and circumstances involving the crime and the investigation, as gender, age and circumstances surrounding reporting the crime, have a significant influence on the outcome. The study's main conclusion is that no clear connection can be drawn between the outcome of assessments on crimes with an honour motive and the perception of the ideal victim.
The increased specialization of human-welfare organizations put higher demands on collaboration. People with substance abuse often have a complex set of problems that requires collaboration. The purpose of our study was to increase knowledge about the meaning and perception of collaboration around clients with addiction problems. We used a qualitative research method, with data based on interviews with four social workers. Themes were identified in the data and then analysed in relation to the social constructionism, system theory and previous research. We found that collaboration depends largely on the individual social worker's willingness and persistence to lead the case, for the client's entire needs. Collaboration was mainly perceived as something important and essential. Organizational barriers and shortcomings were mentioned, but aspects such as working culture, approaches, relationships and respect were considered to be of greater importance. The main conclusion in our study was that collaboration is seen as highly relevant and something positive.
The research study explores a large knowledge gap within Swedish elderly care – namely the challenges of within home care services at night. Despite that home care services is the most common support given to the elderly in Sweden. The few National and International studies that exist on night-time care, have focused on residential care facilities for the elderly. Therefore, focus here is on night-time care in their own homes, given by the night patrol – which we know very little about.
In the last decades, organizational transformation has taken place within elderly care towards increased rationalization and marketization. Along with demographical changes, this raises questions of dignified care, equal social rights and access to care. As the elderly are living longer and living in their own homes with severe disability and vulnerability, the pressure on home care services will increase – including at night. Dignity in care has been legislated in the Swedish Social Services Act, but is vaguely implemented, specifically at night.
Discussed are results of an interview survey with managers responsible for night-time home care services in 50 Swedish municipalities. How night-time care is organized varies depending on local governance, location and size of municipalities. This indicates challenges for equal access to care, depending on where you live. Care workers experience time pressure at night with many fragile elderly in need of care. How efforts to secure dignity and safety for older people varies over night is therefore important to reveal, not the least from a social equality perspective.
This study aims to investigate economic support carried out by social workers within municipal social services and how they deal with clients who need both economic support and are substance abusers. We made six semi-structured interviews in two municipalities. They were analysed by means of content analysis, system theory and self-determination theory (SDT) and in accordance with professional ethics. Our results show that the social workers face problems in planning and assessment concerning these clients, especially beacuse of social exclusion at the labour market. Leave only one way to re-entrance in society, voluntarily addiction treatment. The social workers are torn between the purpose of control in their investigation and how to support their clients, causing troublesome dilemmas in their profession. These clients are made visible as a vulnerable sub-group of clients in a welfare system built on activity. Motivation and cooperation with other organisations is the key to make change. Our study intends to promote development of both theroretical and practical knowledge in the field.
Coping – a qualitative study of experiences of stress and burn-out in the work with children and youth within the social services.
The aim of this study was to examine experiences and coping of work related stress and burn-out among social workers within the child and youth department of the social services in a larger municipality of Sweden. It is a qualitative study built on interviews with social workers about their experiences of stressful situations in their demanding working environment, and how they manage to handle these. They find their work-load unrestricted and demanding. To guard their own limits to their work-load and engagement in the organization and cases they work with, and to prioritize the duties they find most important, are found to be the main coping strategies. Support from colleagues and family, as well as working part time when having children, are also expressed as important factors in managing the stressful working situation, and to hopefully avoid burn-out.
The aim was to examine how social workers perceive their prerequisites to work according to the social services act regarding gambling addiction. Seven social workers from six municipalities were interviewed in a qualitative study. The result showed that most feel that they have good prerequisites due to both individual and contextual factors. The results also showed that the informants work differently and that few use recommended methods. The informants stated that they primarily consider whether the client's needs can be met through outpatient care. A majority stated that they have sufficient knowledge of gambling problems, the revised social services act and the social services' expanded area of responsibility. Collaboration with health care was described as challenging. The main benefit of the legislative changes was stated to be the opportunity to help more people. The study's most important conclusions were that preventive work and collaboration between authorities should be prioritized.
This essay is based on a qualitative study, and is first and foremost about cooperation. The purpose of the study was to examine the cooperation which takes place within Barnahus, in the county of Gävleborg. This study was conducted in order to understand how the cooperation manifests itself. The empiric data was collected by ways of qualitative half-structured interviews with seven active personnel in Barnahus. The results show that cooperation does exist and manifests itself in different levels depending on profession and suboperation. The essay's conclusions showed that cooperation is a complex phenomenon, but there is an ongoing development process within the function. Some problematic areas from earlier research remain, and should be developed. A positive attitude towards intercommunion/cooperation has permeated the interviewees' statements.
The purpose of the study was to, based on counselors experience, study how women are affected after a rape, as well as to study counselors professional meeting and working methods. The study conducted six qualitative interviews with counselors. The result of the study was analyzed based on theories and models such as stigma, client-centered therapy and cognitive theory. The results of the study showed that the most common consequences are posttraumatic stress disorder with symptoms like flashbacks, anxiety, nightmares and sleep disorders. Feelings of shame and guilt are also common consequences and it is common for the victims to blame themselves for what has happened. The counselors describe that an empathetic approach and respect for the individual in the meeting is important for women to dare to tell their story. When it comes to methods, it was found that they don't use any special methods in the work. They work with the client´s memory of the rape in different ways depending on where the client is.
Social welfare - A study on the introduction of robotic techniques in social services
We have studied how administrators in social services experience the new work method with robotic techniques. Based on a focus group interview and two deep interviews, the finding shows that it is important to provide information and time when making a reorganization. The new work method has caused concern among the administrators about the future of social work. They are critical of how the implementation process has been addressed. The results we gained show that the administrators look forward to the future regarding robotic techniques, even though their attitudes have been negative. Based on our findings we have concluded that the decision of implementing robotic techniques has been made at higher level and that the administrators lacked influence in the decision-making process. We have also made observations of what have been published in the media to see how the attitudes of the administrators were influenced by what is written.
Keywords: Social welfare, robotic techniques, attitudes, mass media, social services
The aim of this thesis was to study how social workers in social services in a municipality describe their work with children and parents in families where children have experienced violence within the family. The research questions concerned how children participate in social service work and what support children and parents receive. Five social workers were interviewed with a thematised interview guide and a vignette. The theoretical perspectives applied in the analysis were the systems theory and risk and protective factors. The results showed that children participate in social service work by being given information and support based on their needs. It also emerged that social services applied an overall policy of offering support to both children and parents in families where children have experienced violence. The results furthermore showed that social services can help families develop their social network.
Syftet med denna rapport har varit att kartlägga kompetensbehov som finns bland enhetschefer/verksamhetschefer och biståndshandläggare inom äldreomsorg och omsorg om funktionsnedsatta i Region Gävleborg. Kartläggningen genomfördes genom en webbenkät som besvarades av totalt 155 respondenter. Resultatet visade att, trots att Högskolan i Gävle i den nuvarande socionomutbildningen har inslag av ämnesspecifika kunskaper inom äldre- och funktionshinderområdet samt en specifik kurs inom organisation/ledarskap, finns behov av kompetensutveckling på grundläggande högskolenivå inom dessa områden. Likartade kompetensutvecklingsbehov uttrycktes även på avancerad-/masternivå. För att kunna erbjuda den kompetensutveckling som efterfrågas är det av vikt att arbetsgivare och Högskolan i Gävle samverkar kring utformning av utbildningsinsatser för att ge goda förutsättningar för medarbetare att delta och genomföra dessa.
Young people's experience of social media's risks and opportunities
Social media is taking an ever-bigger place in the everyday life of young people, but how much space does it really take. We read in the media about how young people are being subjected to abuse, insults and bullying through their social media.
Through our study, we want to show how some young people themselves argue about their use of social media. We also want to elevate their thoughts on the risks and opportunities they can see with social media. We have interviewed seven young people from different areas of Stockholm between the ages of 15-19 years.
The conclusion of the study is that young people can see that there are risks with social media. At the same time, they see that the potential of social media, such as giving them a fast communication channel to their friends, both close and far away, and also having access to news and information from around the world, contemplates the risks.
This multi methods research, which is combined both of quantitative and qualitative methods, is about Public Service Announcement (PSA). This study is aimed to find out if something changes in behavior of people and their attitude to social problem in Russia by an impact of PSA and to understand whereby PSA impacts on changes in behavior of people and rise of attention to social problem in Russia. In order to achieve thesis aims, various types of data presented in this research: a survey of 50 people from different age and sex groups and interviews with a workers of two social organizations. To analyze a data, it were used a univariate and bivariate analysis for quantitative data. Analysis of qualitative data is done in a phenomenological way. According to the results, PSA performs its tasks, something it's changed in people by impact of PSA, people of all ages noted an influence of PSA on them, they get to know about social problem, begin to think about or changed their behavior, begun to work as volunteers, made a donation. By all this aspects as emotion, feeling, sensation, design, PSA impact on changes in behavior of people and rise of attention to social problem in Russia. PSA impacts across effective psychological mechanism such as an emotional sphere of personality. Psychological aspects can be divided into cognitive and emotional. Emotion is one of the key factors of the PSAs. It is established that emotional memory is much stronger than other types of memory, affects human behavior. Cognitive component is related to how advertising information is perceived by people. All elements like an illustration, title, text, logo, layout and general features of the image determine the overall effect of advertising. PSA is a display of goodwill of society, its principled position on socially significant values. Social advertising can and should be considered as a mode of operation of social services.
The aim of this study was to examine the social workers' views on the working conditions within specialized personal social services. The study was conducted by an online-survey administered to all social workers within personal social services in Gävle. The analysis was supported by previous research, collaboration theory and organization theory. The results showed that the social workers were on an overall level satisfied with the specialized organization. The social workers agreed more on the advantages with specialization than with the disadvantages. Furthermore, the results showed that the social workers were of the same opinion regarding the consequences affecting the clients, for example too many social workers involved in client's cases. The results also showed that the social workers believed that more knowledge about each other and each other's areas of responsibility facilitates collaboration. Similarities and differences between how social workers responsible for exercising public authority and those who work with treatment and support experienced a specialized personal social service as well as limitations regarding the work with clients were discussed.
This is a compilation dissertation based on a comprehensive summary and four empirical articles. The overarching aim of the dissertation is to study influences on the occupational aspirations and attainments of employed descendants of non-European, non-Western immigrants in Sweden, from their own perspectives. The results are based on qualitative interviews with 9 men and 12 women, all born in Sweden with two immigrant parents. At the time of the interviews, the respondents were aged 25–35 years and had been employed for a minimum of six months, most of them for at least three years.
Article I analyses and discusses family influences on the occupational aspirations of the descendants of immigrants. It employs a theoretical framework of cultural capital to demonstrate that descendants' interpretations of their parents' experiences and living conditions before, during, and after migration shape and positively influence their own occupational aspirations. The article also shows that siblings may function as important transferrers of knowledge and information.
Article II examines how the descendants of immigrants perceive that interactions with public officials have benefitted their occupational aspirations and attainments. Using the concept of social capital as an analytical tool, the article draws three conclusions. First, public officials who establish a sense of connectedness in interacting with descendants of immigrants may transmit substantial symbolic resources to them. Second, it is important for public officials to support their clients' personally meaningful goals and to focus on possibilities for achieving those goals. The article also shows that public officials may help descendants of immigrants to form and fulfil occupational aspirations by transmitting important knowledge and information to them.
Article III explores how descendants of immigrants understand labour market conditions, and how these conditions influence their occupational pathways and strategies. The article employs the concept of habitus to analyse approaches and strategies on the labour market in relation to objective conditions. Three themes are presented in the article. The first theme, being in the "right" field, covers respondents working in branches with labour shortages and/or a high demand for employees with an immigrant background. These respondents used their personal backgrounds as "selling points", turning the general disadvantage of having an immigrant background into an advantage. The second theme covers respondents who could learn through failing in entering and participating on the labour market, indicating a trial-and-error approach. The third theme deals with respondents who had actively searched for jobs in branches which value their particular skill set. The article highlights the important relationship between active individual agency and external, objective opportunities and constraints.
Article IV explores perceptions of labour market participation in relation to gender norms and parenting ideals among men and women of migrant descent. Starting from the literature on work, family, and gender in a context of migration, and in relation to the Swedish social and political context, four themes are presented in the results. The male and female respondents viewed labour market participation from different, gendered, perspectives. The women saw labour market participation as a source of emancipation, whereas the men perceived it as a means for providing for a current/future family. Thus, while they depicted themselves as dedicated to norms of gender equality, they also expressed gender- biased views on work and family arrangements. These gender-biased views largely reflect those of Swedish people in general, as demonstrated in earlier studies. Nonetheless, the results reveal that the immigrant heritage of the descendants of immigrants influences their views on labour market participation, perceptions of gender norms, and parenting ideals. The article shows how these descendants interpret and actively challenge gender inequalities in the immigrant generation in ways that support intergenerational changes in work-family arrangements.
In this article, we examine family influences on occupational aspirations among employed descendants of Middle Eastern immigrants. Using a qualitative approach, we conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with native-born descendants of Middle Eastern immigrants. We present and analyse their interpretations of their parents' experiences and living conditions before, during and after migration and demonstrate how these interpretations shaped their own occupational aspirations. We discuss parents' high expectations of their children in relation to ethnic-community valuations of educational and occupational achievements. These high expectations may increase the chances of social mobility but can also become a negative pressure, especially if parents set high standards but cannot help their children to meet those expectations. In these cases, older siblings who possess valuable knowledge of the educational system and labour market can function as important transferrers of resources.
This article explores how descendants of immigrants in Sweden understand labor market conditions, and how such understandings influence their occupational strategies. We interviewed twenty-one Sweden-born individuals with non-Western immigrant parents, and identified three strategies based on our analysis of the data: 'choosing' the right job, adapting the habitus, and using cultural capital in flexible ways. The first strategy covers interviewees working in jobs with labor shortages and/or high demand for employees with immigrant background. The second covers interviewees who could learn through failing, with substantial resilience and persistence. The third deals with interviewees who searched for jobs in branches that valued their particular skill set, entailing the importance of being flexible on the labor market.
The aim of this study was to examine how employed descendants of immigrants in Sweden perceive that interactions with public officials have benefitted their occupational aspirations and attainments. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with twelve female and nine male descendants of immigrants, followed by an abductive thematic analysis. Applying a theoretical framework of social capital, we found three main influences of public officials from respondents' perspectives: 1) connectedness, 2) supporting personal goals and focusing on possibilities, and 3) mediation of knowledge and information. We discuss and analyse the symbolic resources deriving from these influences, e.g. increased motivation and self-belief, and conceptualize these resources as social capital contributing to the occupational aspirations and attainments of immigrants' descendants.


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Cunningham Lindsey replaces UK marine technical director
Dairy herdsman takes up claims role at Cunningham Lindsey
Claims management firm Cunningham Lindsey has opened an office in Tokyo, and appointed Yutaka Tada to lead and manage the firms' operations in Japan.
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Restaurant Loans: A Financing Guide for Your Restaurant
Starting a small business is not easy, and a restaurant is certainly not an exception. And keeping a restaurant business alive is also an arduous task once started. There is an infinite number of things that could go wrong and no small number of items to double-check. These items include your business plan, your web presence, social media, licenses, employees, accounting, inventory, brand name, utilities, equipment, regulatory compliance, marketing, design, food storage, location, food quality, business registration, payment processing, parking space, the list goes on and on. Before you can consider any of the above you will need proper financing.
To an extent, the available cash flow will determine how well you can perform each of the above items. Additionally, it will help to offset any surprise attacks that will come up. No matter how exact you make your budget, there will always be curveballs that threaten your business. Which is why it is imperative not just to cover costs, but to have significant amounts of available cash reserves for the inevitable upsets. Choosing the right form of finance is essential for the success of your business.
Restaurant Insights
It may be difficult to start a restaurant, but it is no more difficult than starting any other business venture. There are many myths online about how difficult the restaurant industry can be, with many accepted but invalid statistics. This is simply not the case, and the statistics show a lower failure rate in the restaurant sector as compared to other businesses. A very careful and meticulous study on 81,000 full-service restaurants from 1992-2011 using official data found that the failure rate of restaurants in their first year was 17%. The idea that 90% of restaurants fail in their first year is no more than a myth.
The data also shows that the rate of failure is actually on the decline, and more or less consistent across all industries. What is true is that banks seem to be averse to restaurant startup funding, and that capital is essential to the success of any business venture. While every step in starting and maintaining a business is crucial, you will need the right levels of finance to perform the other functions effectively, from staffing to food quality. Below are some of the distinct types of restaurant loans on offer if you are starting a restaurant or need to secure a loan for an existing business.
Restaurant Industry – Key statistics
Before embarking on any business venture, you need to understand key fundamentals of the industry itself. When reading up on statistics, it is important to only focus on statistics compared to your area. For example, even if the USA is overpopulated with high-quality steakhouses, it is only relevant that there is no high-quality steakhouse in your area. In other words, you need relevant data, not simply information about the industry. There is a significant difference. The following are several things to pay attention to when considering opening up or improving a restaurant.
- 36% of restaurant owners named staffing and employment as the single biggest barrier to success (Toast)
- 66% of Americans say they are more likely to eat in a restaurant that offers locally sourced food (Toast)
- 95% of restaurant owners agreed that restaurant specific technology has improved their business efficiency (Toast)
- 10% of the workforce are employed in the restaurant industry (National Restaurant Association)
- 80% of restaurant owners started out in entry-level positions (National Restaurant Association)
- The median lifetime age of restaurants in the USA is 4.5 years (Research Study 'Restaurant Mortality in Western US')
- There is some evidence to suggest that successful restaurants had owners who were either not married or good at maintaining a work life balance (Research Study 'Restaurant Mortality in Western US')
As in all industries, you need to ask yourself if being a restaurant owner is what you really want to do and if you can see yourself doing it for the next 10 years and beyond. It would be a mistake to think that you can start a small restaurant and hire a manager to take care of all the details. You will need to be passionate about your idea as this will give you the energy to surmount the many challenges owning a restaurant will bring.
Find the right funding for your restaurant
3 Loan Application Tips
When you are applying for a loan from a lender, there are several things you can do to maximize your chances of success. Because it is often more difficult to achieve a loan for a restaurant compared to other small business ventures, you really need to do your homework. While the exact requirements may be specific to the lender, there are some things to consider.
Most institutions will need an idea of what kind of business you are running, and what separates it from the rest. Because there are few barriers to entry for setting up a restaurant, lenders receive requests all the time from new restaurants regarding loans. You will only secure your loan if your business stands out from the rest and is distinct with a good track record. You will also need to outline exactly what you need the money for and how you plan to spend it, along with showing how your business is set to grow in the next 5 years or so. Additionally, the longer you have been in business, the better in the eyes of the lender.
Financial documents will also be looked at in relation to the company itself, as this will give lenders an idea of how the financial sides of things are doing and how well money is managed in the business itself. Make sure that all of your financial documents are up to date and accurate. Know your balance sheet inside out so you can make a strong case as to why you need the loan.
How well you as an individual manage your finances will also be taken into consideration. You can have the best business plan and fundamentals, but the credit check could mean that your application does not proceed any further. Despite this, there are some lenders who will analyze your restaurant solely on the business itself, so all is not lost. A credit score of 600 and above is usually needed for a lender who does place a significant emphasis on credit ratings. When applying for the loan, make sure to do the following three things:
- Have a business plan written out with clearly defined milestones to be reached. An unclear picture of future success will damage your chances.
- Be coherent. Be able to answer any question about any aspect of your business from licenses, food quality, location, design, software, and financing. Any ambiguity regarding these questions can also damage your application.
- Show that you are passionate about the venture. Make sure you have some personal money invested into the business as it will show the lender that you believe in the business and will do what it takes to make it work.
Before applying for a loan, make sure you have asked yourself when you need the money, why you need the money, are you ready to apply and is this loan the right one for you. There are several types of financing available.
Different Types of Loan for Restaurants
Before you begin looking for finance for your new restaurant, it helps to understand that there are 3 primary types of small business loans available to you, with an additional type of financing known as a Merchant Cash Advance (MCA). Each form of financing will have distinct advantages and disadvantages.
- Lines of Credit – Are known for being the most flexible types of loans available. You can choose from a range of funds at any time you want. The only real requirement for a line of credit is that you do not exceed the maximum limit. Borrowers do not have to use the maximum amount of credit and only pay interest on the amount that they withdraw. Burrowers can spend the money, repay it, and withdraw the maximum amount again. For this reason, LOCs are often called revolving accounts. Most LOCs do not need collateral.
- Inventory/Equipment financing – Are loans designed specifically for the purposes of buying equipment or inventory for your business. This is important for restaurant owners. The machines needed for a top-quality restaurant can be very expensive. And these are the type of investments that pay off over the long run and really deliver quality to customers. The inventory/equipment serves as the collateral for your loan. Small businesses need all the cash they can get and spend $20,000 upfront on equipment is simply not workable.
- Working Capital Loans – Term loans are the most common loans to cover everyday expenses of running a company which includes wages, utilities, and the general short-term operational costs of running a company. Most companies do not have a steady stream of income throughout the year as all industries are cyclical. In these times you can use the working capital loan. Working capital loans are quick and do not require any equity, so owners will retain full control of their company. However, the rates can be high, and the loan is often tied to the owners' credit rating. Most working capital loans will need collateral.
- Merchant Cash Advance – A Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) is a lump sum payment to a borrower. The borrower uses a percentage of credit/debit card sales to repay the debt. These are not loans but are a popular form of finance. Because they are not loans they are not regulated and often charge more to customers, so tread with caution. Nevertheless, MCAs do have their advantages.
The SBA Loan
There are several types of financing options but the above four are the main categories. Another type of loan to be aware of is the Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan. These are loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration to encourage lending to eligible borrowers. They are a prime type of loan for small businesses and are sometimes easier to obtain than other types of loans. According to Judith Roussel of the SBA, SBA loans are an excellent choice for restaurant owners without a lot of collateral or good credit history. They can also be useful for women or minorities who need to obtain restaurant financing. The two primary SBA loans are the 7(a) and the 504, which range from $5000 to $5 million.
However, the fact remains that these loans take a lot of time to process, you will need an impressive sales record, lots of documentation about all aspects of your business, and you will need to show them that you are putting your own money into the venture. New restaurant owners are simply not able to meet these requirements and most often must turn to alternative lenders for financing. Alternative lenders will often look beyond your credit score to the business itself, while banks and larger lenders can dismiss your application instantly if you have a poor credit history.
Regardless of the statistics and your personal situation, one thing that is similar across all industries is finance. Having finance to start and maintain a company is always crucial and starting a small business can be incredibly difficult without having to worry about cash flow problems. If you think you have thought of every single expense, chances are you have not. The forms of finance you choose, along with which lender, could easily decide the success or failure of your small restaurant. While securing restaurant funding can be difficult as many institutions have a false perception of the risk involved, we at Finimpact like to look at the actual data. Your application will not find any discrimination here.


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Rx Hearty Garlic Nature's Phyto Nutrients. A convenient
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Why you need Hearty Garlic
Garlic has been primarily used for cooking for some time.
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Garlic has shown encouraging results in:
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Nature's RX Hearty Garlic (odorless) a storehouse of nutrition.


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So I have officially asked my HR department at work if I can extend my maternity to the full 12 months and if I can go back to work part time. I would prefer to have a job closer to home but if I can fit my current work round MO and BBGs appointments and needs then this is the next best answer. Not sure how we are going to make the last 3 un paid months but it is what is needed for the family. Hopefully it means I can leave at 9am after BBGs morning physiotherapy and get back by 5 so that MOs night routine doesn't get mucked up 2 days a week and then do a half day on Friday. Hopefully my work agrees as this would mean I can still be there for all 4 kids as they are all needing so much care at the moment.
MO has had a few moments today of rage and frustration which we very quickly sorted and I have seen his little quirks more and more. He is constantly have to touch BBG, he physically has to, this would be fine but he does it when she is feeding, or she is just needing a rest. We need to figure out something for him to do when he just NEEDS to touch her…. not quite sure what but there must be something to stop the shaking and clenching of fists and the grinding of teeth. He also had boiled potatoes with chicken and veg for dinner today, the picking up of each individual item of veg is fascinating. I do not know how he has the patience to pick up every single sweetcorn one at a time and eat it. It isn't just sweetcorn, it could be rice or spaghetti he will only eat one piece at a time. He also hasn't had boiled potatoes for a good while, in fact I can't remember him ever having them, well he did not like the texture at all! he took one bite and that was it, he physically couldn't do any more, the feeling was making him feel sick. I guess boiled potatoes are a thing to put on our list of things not to touch his plate. I am so happy he has tried them though!
BBG has been extremely tired today. She did her sitting physio with Dad today but has basically slept all day. In fact she hasn't even woken up for feeds. I have just brought a lot of material to make a couple of dresses for her. She is floppier then a doll when dressing her so it is really hard. She has normal clothes from shops but thought I may make her a couple of bits that are extra absorbent around the neck and are super easy to get on without her having to push her arms or legs through. I don't know whether it is even possible but I will try anything to make her life comfier and mine slightly easier.I find dresses the easiest thing to have her in but then the ones which are sleeveless needs a cardigan (good luck getting one of those on her easily) and the sleeved dresses are so fiddly, so hoping to design one which is the best of both worlds…. we shall see!
BG is wonderful, she tidied up the boys bedroom, MO mentioned to me that I hadn't cleaned it for a while (Dad or I usually tidy it while SB is having his quiet time) we haven't been able to for the 2 nights and he was getting uptight about the couple of batman things out of his wardrobe, BG bless decided she would tidy it up. She didn't have to but she wanted to. I think she knows we are struggling at the moment, but she is looking forward to her treat next week, just a day in London with me hopefully it will be something she will really enjoy and make her feel special.
I haven't really had bad days recently. I have to admit I haven't done the school run for what seems like forever, I just seem to freeze, don't get me wrong the mummys are so friendly, I just feel like I have failed, I don't even know what at but I just feel panicy even thinking about doing the school run, so then I feel like I have failed for not being able to do it and its a horrible cycle. My plan is to do one this week and give Dad a break hopefully doing one run will make me overcome whatever this is and I can start doing them again. I also am having terrible trouble sleeping, I go off to sleep fine but then can be awake for 2-4 hours during the middle of the night, sometimes I am over thinking things, sometimes I just wake for no reason… hopefully this will stop soon as I am exhausted!
Anyway I better go and feed BBG and get her into her PJs. Just for people that don't know, I have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/amumdoingherbest/ take a look and follow if you would like. I put photos on there and little updates when I particularly need to vent, or share some quick news.


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Whistle Responsive Sports WordPress Theme
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Leapfrog Strategy Consulting on Brand Repositioning – How to Make Your Brand Stand Out Amidst Clutter!
There is no escaping the reality that the brand and messaging environment is crowded and cluttered. In today's era of choice and aggressive marketing, the consumer's attention and mind space are difficult to attract and retain. It's a simple fact that the consumer's attention span and memory are far more limited when compared to the… more >


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Cuca Fresca Prata Cachaça
Cuca Fresca // Minas Gerais, Brazil
Cuca Fresca cachaça got a big PR bump when Snoop Dogg agreed to be a spokesperson. Since then, they've changed the bottle and label design, but the liquor itself has remained the same. Made in Mina Gerais, Brazil, it is certified organic.
CachaçaProduced in Brazil. Distilled from sugarcane juice. If aged, at least 50% of product must be at least 1 year old. The types of barrels used are not specified, but often utilize Brazilian wood. Up to 6 grams of sugar per liter may be added.
Cask Typeunaged
Tasting Notes
"The nose carries aromas of seaweed, plastic, pepper, and honey. The classic cachaça grassiness one might expect does not arrive. The spirit enters with the appearance of black mushrooms, brine, white pepper, and honey. On subsequent sips, the sweet spice gives way to Band-Aids, black pepper and grass. Despite the honey notes, the mouthfeel is oddly thin and a bit watery. Furthermore, the palate never seems to adjust to the spirit itself--instead, the saccharin bitterness builds with each sip, leaving one reaching for the water glass. Billed as an artisanal cachaça, Cuca Fresca has far more in common with the massive industrial brands like Ypioca or Pitu."