The structure of a company's distribution network is of vital importance for competitiveness but also involves considerable costs. In recent years, competitive pressure as well as regulatory measures, especially in the European Union, have also raised awareness towards the environmental impact of supply chain activities. However, activities associated with the distribution of products are not yet subject to environmental regulations but this might change in the near future. Therefore, companies will have to consider not only economic but also environmental aspects in the design of their supply chains. Based on a case study from the petrochemical industry we present a way to evaluate (strategic) distribution network design decisions, taking into account economic as well as environmental criteria. The results of the analysis show a clear trade-off between (distribution) costs and transport carbon emissions. (author's abstract)

The title of the study is “The use of advergames in creating online consumer engagement. A casestudy of LEGO.” In this study the concept of using advergames in creation of online consumerengagement will be explored. In order to narrow the scope of the study two research questionswere established: What are the elements of advergames that drive online consumer engagement?;How are advergames currently used by the market leading company in its marketing campaignsin order to create online consumer engagement? The outcome of the research can help deepenthe current knowledge of scholars and practitioners in their communication and brand buildingevolving advergames and the creation of customer engagement in this area.In order to gain more knowledge of online consumer engagement and advergames, numerousliterary sources were used such as: papers, articles, books, and annual reports of LEGO. Thecollected data is supported by a vary of interviews with employees of LEGO from differentdepartments.After analysis of the collected data and linking it to the theoretical framework numerousconclusions can be drawn to answer the initial research questions. First, the attributes thatstimulate advergames in creating online consumer engagement are the Unique SellingProposition (technical features such as: the technical platform, game type, dimensions, genre,prominence of advertising and congruity of brand and game) and the Emotional SellingProposition (representation elements such as audiovisual style, narration, procedural rhetoric).Currently, LEGO integrates digital games in their integrated marketing approach, linking themtightly connected to certain real life products. On the other hand, the importance of advergamesis growing as the study has identified that more and more company’s target customers (children)are moving towards digital entertainment specifically related to mobile technologies. For this, thecompany tries to create engagement and awareness by using advergames. The company tries toreach the light user group through storytelling and the middle to heavy user group throughadvanced technical elements of the games.The limitations of the study is in particular the fact that the cases were taken from one company,one product market and one target consumer group means that the results of the study should beconsidered carefully when applying for other companies, product markets and consumer groups.Secondly, the qualitative method of research means that it is heavily dependent on the individualskills of the researchers and more easily influenced by the researchers’ personal biases andpeculiarity.

Archivists have made considerable efforts in recent decades to address the challenge of making archival records more useful. They have attracted new researchers by using various methods: from launching books and exhibits, handing out brochures, and sending press releases, to hosting lectures and, more recently in the digital age, launching websites and blogs, digitizing records, and posting archival records on websites like Flickr. However, these methods amount to a scattered approach that seeks out a variety of new users -- often in the wider society -- while the majority of potential users, often connected to an archives’ own sponsoring institution, still too rarely take advantage of the archives at their doorstep. These people may have never used an archives and likely think they do not need to do so. This thesis addresses the issue of how, in effect, to create users of archives among this group by a more direct approach to them than the typically scattered and more general one. The study of such efforts by archives is the study of archival public programming. Although current public programming efforts at university archives do bring in new users from the campus community, a more targeted approach might address this concern by attracting far more of them. Particularly on university campuses most students, faculty, support staff, retired professors, and administration do not make use of and may even be unaware of the campus archives. Archives on university campuses are repeatedly challenged to prove their usefulness in order to warrant continued funding from campus administration. I argue that this thesis offers university archivists (and other archivists) a tool with which to work to raise statistics of new users in order to satisfy university administrative metrics for sustainability. This thesis will test this approach through a case study of eleven University of Manitoba Faculty of Arts professors who have not used archives much or at all. Academics are often looking for new sources for their research. By understanding the usefulness of archives to their work, they may discover a vast new source of information in a variety of local, national, and foreign repositories and become more comfortable in navigating archives. The thesis will also discuss any weaknesses discovered in the testing of the approach and suggest improvements. In addition, it will discuss how such an approach might be phased in to archival work at a university archives such as the University of Manitoba's Archives & Special Collections as a feature of day-to-day work, rather than a one-time exercise.

This social work research study explore sexual exploitation in the form of child pornography. The grooming process, a process where the perpetrator engages his victim in a relationship, whereafter he uses this relationship to abuse his victim is investigated. The research is conducted by means of a case study. / This social work research study explores sexual exploitation in the form of child pornography. The grooming process a process where the perpetrator engages, his victim in a relationship, where after he uses this relationship to abuse his victim is investigated. The research is conducted by means of a case study. / Thesis (M.A. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Organic food is produced in a way that strives towards maintaining and improving natural resources. The welfare of both producers and consumers is central, also taking both animals and the environment into account. The Swedish government finds this important and in 2006 they made a resolution that the consumption of organic food should be stimulated. The goal was that 25 % of the municipalities’ consumption of food should be organic in 2010. The municipality of Ludvika reached the government's target in 2011 and is currently increasing their proportion of organic food by one new product every year.  Ludvika is a member of The National Association of Swedish Eco-municipalities and the town of Ludvika is also a Fairtrade city. These commitments have resulted in an increased focus on environmental and justice issues, where organic food is an important part. An analysis of Ludvika’s work with organic food was done throughout this thesis. The results were then compared to the leading municipality in the county, Borlänge, which is also the best in the nation. This was done to give a picture of how their work is done today and how it could evolve in the future. The municipality of Ludvika has a good diet policy and an ambitious theoretical basis for their climate policy. The membership of the The National Association of Swedish Eco-municipalities and the fact that Ludvika is a Fairtrade city is founded on certain commitments and strategies. The action taken in accordance with these strategies can be more clear and closer to the initial level of ambition. The importance of a holistic approach has been mentioned in this thesis. It has been suggested how the choice of organic food contribute to a better environment and health, relative to the use of taxes paid by the inhabitants. An important conclusion from the comparison with the leading municipality in organic foods is that it has not had to be more expensive to increase the share of organic food. Through good planning, innovation and an increased knowledge much can be done, even if a limited budget initially is perceived as a problem.

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to examine Graduate Students’ perceptions of their most positive leadership experiences, unearth what gives life to their leadership, and to identify the ways in which they conceptualize leadership development. The objective was to arrive at concepts of exemplary leadership that may be used to inform change strategies and create a framework for a student leadership development program. Responding to this issue required a methodological approach which was participatory, co-constructive, and dialogical. As a result, in order to adequately investigate the phenomena of leadership and leadership development from the participants’ point of view, and to arrive at their perceptions of positive leadership, I used a qualitative case study which was conducted through an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process. The main data collection methods were individual and focus group appreciative interviews. A sample of five Graduate Student Leaders from a university in a Western Canadian province was used in this study. As the participants shared their perceptions of their most positive leadership experiences six key findings emerged. First, positive leadership experiences for the participants resided in the confluence of “being,” “learning,” and “doing.” Leadership was a co-active process in which expressing emotions, receiving affirmations, acquiring new knowledge, and producing life affirming results acted as a force for elevated performance. Second, positive leadership experiences of the participants were framed around collective and interactive efforts to build interpersonal relationships in the community in which the leadership process was taking place. Third, the participants perceived leadership as an emotional process whereby leaders gain knowledge of followers’ emotions through listening, appraising, and expressing authentic care. Fourth, the expression of emotions in leadership for the participants enhanced the leadership relationship and acted as an energizing and actualizing force in personal development. Fifth, the participants viewed empathy as a fundamental leadership strength that yielded multiple interrelated benefits such as the facilitation of individual growth and social connections. Significantly, another interpretation that was gleaned from the data was that the industrial notion of leadership of the “man at the top” lingers and functions as a predictor of leadership success. The participants’ conceptualizations of leadership development revealed two major findings. Primarily, leadership development is an interplay between self-development and institutional initiatives. Additionally, leadership development and self-development were inextricably embedded; understanding oneself as a leader involved the reflective process of understanding oneself as a person. Consistent with the objective of this study, a framework for a leadership development program was proposed based on an incorporation of the perceptions of the Graduate Student Leaders’ most positive leadership experiences and their understanding of leadership development. The framework presented is accompanied by explanations of the choice of each concept within the framework and justification based on previous research findings, as well as excerpts from the participants’ responses. Having taken an appreciative and positive approach to understanding Graduate Students’ leadership experiences I conclude that the concepts that emerged are powerful arguments for nurturing the student voice, and that there is much more to be discovered for the expression and framing of leadership in organizational life, academia, and the community. Furthermore, I submit that we need to deliberately engage appreciative processes so as to enhance our capacity to create leaders who articulate optimistic organizational relations and a deep appreciation of self and others.

This qualitative study explores how roles are constructed within interprofessional health care teams. It focuses on elucidating the different types of role boundaries, the influences on role construction and the implications for professionals and patients. A comparative case study was conducted with two interprofessional primary health care teams. The data collection included a total of 26 interviews (13 with each team) and non-participant observations of team meetings (2-3 meetings at each site). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and a model was developed to represent the emergent findings. The role boundaries are organized around interprofessional interactions (autonomous-collaborative boundaries) and the distribution of tasks (interchangeable-differentiated boundaries). Salient influences are categorized as structural, interpersonal and individual dynamics. The implications of role construction include professional satisfaction and more favourable wait times for patients. The elements in this conceptual model may be transferable to other interprofessional primary health care teams. It may benefit these teams by raising awareness of the potential impact of various within-team influences on role construction.

This social work research study explore sexual exploitation in the form of child pornography. The grooming process, a process where the perpetrator engages his victim in a relationship, whereafter he uses this relationship to abuse his victim is investigated. The research is conducted by means of a case study. / This social work research study explores sexual exploitation in the form of child pornography. The grooming process a process where the perpetrator engages, his victim in a relationship, where after he uses this relationship to abuse his victim is investigated. The research is conducted by means of a case study. / Thesis (M.A. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Abstract This thesis is a case study aiming to give explanations to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014. By using three different theoretical perspectives, realism, regional hegemony and constructivism, the aim is to find different but also complementing explanations to the case. The theories realism and regional hegemony are related and also similar to each other, but still contributes with some different focuses on the case. Both realism and regional hegemony has their main focus on the sovereign state’s security and their power militarily, politically and economically. Constructivism on the other hand is a bit different from the other two, and has its main focus on identity, ideas and worldviews. Thanks to the differences between the three perspectives the analysis gives a broader and deeper explanation to Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea.

The formalized nurse practitioner (NP) role in British Columbia is relatively new with the majority of roles implemented in primary care. The majority of primary care is delivered by physicians using the fee-for-service model. There is a shortage of general practitioners (GP) and difficulties with recruitment and retention, particularly in rural and remote locations. The uptake of the primary care NP role has been slow with challenges in understanding the extent of its contributions. This study was to identify the impacts and outcomes associated with the NP role in collaborative primary care practice. Multiple case studies where NPs were embedded into rural fee-for-service practices were undertaken to determine the outcomes at the practitioner, practice, community, and health services levels. Interviews, documents, and before and after data, were utilized to identify changes in practise, access, and acute care service utilization. The results showed that NPs affected how care was delivered, particularly through the additional time afforded each patient visit, the development of a team approach with interprofessional collaboration, and a change in style of practise from solo to group practise. This resulted in improved physician job satisfaction. Patient access to the practice improved with increased availability of appointments and practice staff experienced improved workplace relationships and satisfaction. At the community level, access to primary care improved for harder to serve populations and new linkages developed between the practice and their community. The acute care services experienced a statistically significant decrease in emergency use and admissions to hospital (p= .000). The presence of the NP improved their physician colleagues desire to remain in their current work environment. This study identified the diversity of needs that can be addressed by the NP role; the importance of time to enhance patient care, and its associated benefits, especially in the fee-for-service model; the value of the NP’s role in the community; the acceptance of the clinical competence of NPs by their physician colleagues; the outcomes generated at the practice level in terms of organizational effectiveness and service provision; and substantiated the impact of the role in improving primary care access and reducing acute care utilization. / Graduate