Vegard Johansen

Positive and negative reasons for sickness presenteeism in Norway and Sweden: a cross-sectional survey

Objectives This article investigates various reasons for sickness presenteeism (SP), that is, going to work despite illness. The research questions asked is: What are the main reported reasons for SP in Norway and Sweden? Design Cross-sectional survey in Norway and Sweden. Use of binomial logistic regression analysis. Participants A random sample of people aged between 20 and 60 years was obtained from complete and updated databases of the Norwegian and Swedish populations. A postal questionnaire was sent to the selected individuals, with response rate 33% (n=2843). 2533 workers responded to questions about SP during the last 12 months. Primary and secondary outcome measures The article informs about the distribution of reasons for SP in Norway and Sweden, selected by the respondents from a closed list. The article also examines which factors influence the most often reported reasons for SP. Results 56% of the Norwegian and Swedish respondents experienced SP in the previous year. The most frequently reported reasons for SP include not burden colleagues (43%), enjoy work (37%) and feeling indispensable (35%). A lower proportion of Norwegians state that they cannot afford taking sick leave adjusted OR (aOR 0.16 (95% CI 0.10 to 0.22)), while a higher proportion of Norwegians refer to that they enjoy their work (aOR=1.64 (95% CI 1.28 to 2.09)). Women and young workers more often report that they do not want to burden their colleagues. Managers (aOR=2.19 (95% CI 1.67 to 2.86)), highly educated persons and the self-employed more often report that they are indispensable. Conclusions Positive and negative reasons for SP are reported, and there are significant differences between respondents from the two countries. The response rate is low and results must be interpreted with caution. Study design Cross-sectional study.

Entrepreneurship Education in Secondary Education and Training

There has been a significant increase in the use of entrepreneurship education in schools, university colleges and universities in Europe. This paper investigates entrepreneurship education in secondary education and training in Norway. Entrepreneurship is organized as a separate subject, as a topic in other subjects, or is integrated in subjects through projects. The first part of the paper systematizes entrepreneurship education in secondary schools, using a distinction between three approaches: about, for and through entrepreneurship. The second part is empirical, and presents the first high-quality quantitative study of the distribution of entrepreneurship education projects in secondary education and training in Norway. It shows that approximately 90% of secondary schools provide entrepreneurship education. The authors use a combination of data covering the whole population of secondary schools and data from a survey among a representative sample of school leaders.

Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial activity

Since the 1990s, entrepreneurship education has been an area of commitment for a number of European countries, as well as the European Union (EU). One method of measuring whether entrepreneurship education contributes to a culture of creativity and new business creation or not is to study the start-up frequency among previous participants. In this paper, the following two-part question is asked: Are young people who participate in entrepreneurship education more likely to become entrepreneurs and what characterises the entrepreneurs? The empirical data used are based on a survey performed in six countries. The subjects were former participants in the Company Programme (CP) provided by Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Europe.

Entrepreneurship education and start‐up activity: a gender perspective

Purpose – This article seeks to evaluate whether entrepreneurship education (EE) in upper secondary schools promotes male and female start‐up activity. The Company programme (CP) reaches more than 200,000 European youths annually.Design/methodology/approach – The control‐group design is methodologically strong, and the empirical data are from Norway. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,171 24‐25 year olds; 50 per cent of the respondents had been involved in CP in the period 2004‐2006, and 50 per cent had not. The analyses also control for other factors of relevance to start‐up activity.Findings – Results from econometric analyses indicate a positive correlation between participation in CP and start‐up activity. The analyses also indicate that CP has more impact on male start‐up activity as compared to women.Research limitations/implications – A lot of other influences occur between the participation in CP and the start‐up activity. Although CP may be associated with more start‐ups, these are not ne...

Entrepreneurship Education and Academic Performance

The significant increase of entrepreneurship education (EE) is a trend in Europe. Entrepreneurship education is supposed to promote general and specific entrepreneurial abilities and improve academic performance. This paper evaluates whether EE influences academic performance, measured by Grade Point Average. The main indicator used for EE is the Company Program (CP), a program taught in upper-secondary school in 40 European countries. The data derive from surveys conducted in Norway in 2008 (1,400 pupils) and 2011 (1,100 post-graduates). Results from econometric analyses show that there is no difference in the GPA between participants in CP and other forms of EE and non-participants. This indicates that EE is neither good, nor bad as a teaching method for improvement of academic performance.

Promoting the entrepreneurs of tomorrow: entrepreneurship education and start-up intentions among schoolchildren

Research and policy literature stress entrepreneurship and innovation at higher education institutions as central driving forces behind job creation and economic growth, but few studies have looked at how secondary schools can contribute to create a more dynamic enterprise culture. In this paper, we correct this gap in our knowledge. The main aim is to evaluate to what extent a European entrepreneurship programme promotes start-up intentions among schoolchildren. The programme investigated is the company programme (CP) provided by the NGO Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise Europe. CP is taught in 40 European countries. Our study is done in Norway, and CP reaches 10% of all children in the Norwegian upper secondary school. Our econometric results indicate that CP stimulates start-up intentions. Hence, it indicates that entrepreneurship education programmes are able to influence entrepreneurial intentions among children with different social backgrounds.

Political citizenship and local political participation for disabled people

The theme of this article is political citizenship among people with disabilities. Political citizenship on the basis of gender and ethnicity has received attention internationally. However, there has been little attention on political citizenship of persons with disabilities. The article sheds light on political representation at the local level in Norway. The data used are from a survey sent to 767 political representatives in local politics and 50 administrative representatives. Our study shows that disabled people are under-represented in local political assemblies, and thus, their political citizenship is not fully acknowledged. We apply Fraser (N. Fraser, 1997. Justice Interruptus. Critical Reflections on the ‘Postsocialist’ Condition. New York and London: Routledge) concepts of redistribution and recognition to analyse the lack of representation of disabled people. According to the dimension of redistribution, the analysis shows that neither the physical conditions nor the organization of the different meetings is particularly well adapted for disabled people. The dimension of recognition shows that disabled representatives are expected to be more occupied with issues concerning disability than other representatives. The analysis also shows that over time it has become more important for elected disabled representatives to put issues concerning disability on the agenda.

The effects of entrepreneurship education - does gender matter?

This article asks whether entrepreneurship education have the same impact on women and men with regard to perceptions of business skills, career preferences and belief in local business opportunities. We examine the company programme (CP), a programme taught to 250,000 secondary school pupils in 37 European countries. The data includes interviews with 1,187 24 to 25 years old in Norway, and half of the sample had formerly participated in CP. Controlling for competing explanations, CP has a positive impact on womens perception of business skills, but no impact on males perceptions of business skills. CP has a positive impact on mens preference for self-employment, but no impact on womens career preference. Finally, CP had no impact on belief in local business opportunities. Females are underrepresented vis-a-vis males on all dimensions investigated whether they have participated in CP or not. CP ought to be adjusted to have an even stronger influence on women.

Does the “Pupil Enterprise Programme” Influence Grades Among Pupils With Special Needs?

ABSTRACT This paper asks whether the Pupil Enterprise Programme (PEP) is a suitable working method for improving academic performance among pupils with special needs. Overall, 20% of pupils participate in PEP at some point during lower secondary school. Results from multilevel regression modelling indicate that pupils with special needs who have participated in PEP attain better grades in Written Norwegian and Mathematics than those pupils with special needs who did not participate in PEP. The difference between PEP participants and non-participants in Written English was insignificant. The positive results for Norwegian and Mathematics seem to be related to the organisation and content of PEP. The data are from a study of 1,880 pupils in the 10th Grade.

Gender and self-employment: the role of mini-companies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate to what degree participation in mini-companies impact young women and men with regard to the perceived desirability and perceived feasibility of self-employment. The Company Programme (CP) is the largest mini-company scheme in European secondary school. Design/methodology/approach – The data derived from a survey conducted in Norway with 1,160 students in upper secondary school (17-18 years of age). The quasi-experimental research design enabled a comparison of compulsory CP-participants with non-participation and control for several competing factors. Findings – The investigation demonstrated that CP positively influenced the perceived feasibility of self-employment for both young men and young women, and CP also increased the perceived desirability of self-employment among young women. Research limitations/implications – It could be that the impact of CP varies according to time spent on the CP or position in the mini-company. The study does not measure...