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Background: There is a lack of overview of the tools used to assess qualitative olfactory dysfunction, including parosmia and phantosmia, following COVID-19 illness. This could have an impact on the diagnosis and treatment offered to patients. Additionally, the formulations of symptoms are inconsistent and often unclear, and consensus around the wording of questions and responses is needed. Aim of study: The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of tools used to assess qualitative olfactory dysfunction after COVID-19, in addition to addressing the content validity (i.e., item and response formulations) of these tools. Methods: MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched 5th of August 2022 and updated on the 25th of April 2023 to identify studies that assess qualitative olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Primary outcomes were the tool used (i.e., questionnaire or objective test) and item and response formulations. Secondary outcomes included psychometric properties, study design, and demographic variables. Results: The assessment of qualitative olfactory dysfunction is characterized by heterogeneity, inconsistency, and lack of validated tools to determine the presence and degree of symptoms. Several tools with overlapping and distinct features were identified in this review, of which some were thorough and detailed, while others were merely assessing the presence of symptoms as a binary measure. Item and response formulations are also inconsistent and often used interchangeably, which may lead to confusion, incorrect diagnoses, and inappropriate methods for solving the problem. Conclusions: There is an unmet need for a reliable and validated tool for assessing qualitative olfactory dysfunction, preferably one that also captures quantitative olfactory issues (i.e., loss of smell), to ensure time-effective and specific assessment of the ability to smell. A consensus around the formulation of items and response options is also important to increase the understanding of the problem, both for clinicians, researchers, and the patient, and ultimately to provide the appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

Formålet med dette studie var å se på hvordan ledere innen F&B-avdelinger ved utvalgte Quality-hoteller i Norge jobber med å bevare sine ansatte. Problemstillingen det ble jobbet etter var som følger: «Hvordan jobber Quality Hotels Nord-Jæren med å beholde sine restaurantansatte». Studiet har tatt utgangspunkt i ledernes egne erfaringer, det har ikke blitt foretatt noen undersøkelser under dette studie om hvordan de ansatte opplever ledernes jobb med emnet. Herzbergs Motivvasjonsteori har lagt det teoretiske grunnlaget for denne oppgaven, uten at målet med oppgaven har vært å bekrefte eller avkrefte teorien. Det ble benyttet en kvalitativ metodisk tilnærming, der det ble foretatt intervju av totalt 3 ledere innenfor de aktuelle avdelingene. Utvalget hadde en god spredning i form av alder på intervjuobjektene, det var også en kjønnsbalanse man må se seg fornøyd med ut ifra antall ledere som ble intervjuet. Intervjuguiden som ble benyttet tok utgangspunkt i problemstillingen, og det ble benyttet oppfølgingsspørsmål der forfatteren følte det nødvendig. Intervjuene ble analysert gjennom å foreta en deduktiv tematisk innholdsanalyse, før forfatteren sammenlignet sine resultater opp mot tidligere forskning på temaet. Resultatene viser at de aktuelle lederne jobber godt og strategisk med ansattbevaring. De lederne som ble intervjuet sa alle at dette var et fokusområde for de som ledere. Hvor mye fokus de la på det ble ikke videre undersøkt. Tiltak som å undersøke hvordan hjemmesituasjonen til de ansatte, hvordan de ansattes mentale helse er og en tilpassing av blant annet timeplanen var tiltak som ble nevnt av alle tre intervjuede. The purpose of this study was to examine how leaders in the F&B departments of selected Quality hotels in Norway work to retain their employees. The research question was as follows: "How does Quality Hotels Nord-Jæren work to retain its restaurant employees?" The study is based on the leaders' own experiences, and no surveys were conducted during the study on how the employees perceive the leaders' work on the subject. Herzberg's Motivation Theory provided the theoretical basis for this task, although the aim of the task was not to confirm or refute the theory. A qualitative methodological approach was used, where a total of 3 leaders within the relevant departments were interviewed. The sample had good distribution in terms of age of the interviewees, and there was also a gender balance that the author felt satisfied with given the number of leaders interviewed. The interview guide used was based on the research question, and follow-up questions were used where the author felt it necessary. The interviews were analyzed by conducting a deductive thematic content analysis, before the author compared the results to previous research on the topic. The results show that the relevant leaders work well and strategically with employee retention. All interviewed leaders said that this was a focus area for them as leaders. The extent to which they focused on it was not further investigated. Measures such as investigating the home situation of employees, the mental health of employees, and an adjustment of the schedule were mentioned by all three interviewees.

PhD thesis in Social Sciences: Consumer behaviour The purpose of this thesis is to explore consumer expectations of institutional food and their antecedents. The thesis consists of three papers that aimed to answer the following research questions: 1) What is the content of various expectation types in the institutional food context, and how do expectation types intersect? 2) Can individual characteristics explain expectations of institutional food, and is it possible to identify groups of aging consumers with distinct expectation levels? and 3) How do individuals’ internal factors contribute to drive various expectation types of institutional food? The research questions were investigated using a mixed-methods approach. Paper 1 used qualitative in-depth interviews to establish a foundation and aid in the development of measurement scales for expectations. Papers 2 and 3 employed quantitative surveys to validate the measurement tools and investigate the influence of internal factors on expectations. The results identified multiple expectation types of institutional food and linked them to specific consumption goals and functions (Paper 1). Aging consumers have different normative expectations of institutional food based on individual differences (Paper 2). Individual psychological determinants largely influenced normative expectations, while sociocultural determinants influenced predictive expectations of institutional food (Paper 3). In sum, this thesis contributes with new perspectives on how future institutions can meet institutional food expectations and has practical implications for designing consumer-centric policies. Future research should experimentally investigate the effect of meeting different types of aging consumers’ institutional food expectations and continue to explore food expectations in other types of institutions to test the external validity of the findings.

Hvordan har det vært å drifte en restaurant i Oslo under pandemien? Tidlig i 2020, brøt det ut et nytt og ukjent virus fra Wuhan, Kina. Dette viruset skulle vise seg å være langt mer smittsomt og farlig enn først antatt. Hele verden havnet i en global pandemi, som brakte med seg nasjonale nedstenginger her i Norge. Dette har gått hardt utover de fleste bedrifter og spesielt restaurantbransjen. Basert på dette går denne oppgaven i dybden på hvordan det akkurat har vært, å være en daglig leder og å måtte omstille seg til en slik ny hverdag. I forsøket på å få mer forståelse, er det blitt gjort to kvalitative intervjuer med to daglige ledere fra hver sin italienske restaurant i Oslo. Ved å ta i bruk et kvalitativt intervju, ga det meg muligheten til å få en særegen innsikt i både subjektive og objektive erfaringer gjennom pandemien. Resultatene var særdeles interessante da det viste seg at den ene parten har opplevd suksess, og den andre ikke. Faktorer som tidspunkt av etablering, økonomi, struktur og innovasjonsvillighet har vist seg å være kritisk. Videre blir det sett på hvordan fremtiden ser ut, og med hjelp av modeller utviklet av Innovasjon Norge og ferske tall fra bedriftene kan man se positive tendenser.