As China emerges as a major player on the international business scene, it is becoming increasingly important for Western negotiators to understand how the Chinese negotiate business deals. Existing knowledge regarding the Chinese negotiation style is largely based on considering China as one single country and the Chinese as to negotiate in one homogeneous way. Regional differences in the Chinese negotiation style have traditionally been overlooked in the literature. Guided by a negotiation analysis approach, this thesis conducts an exploratory study of the diversity of the Chinese negotiation style from a regional sub-cultural perspective. It suggests four characteristics of the Chinese negotiation style based on the frameworks of international business negotiations and the Chinese cultural roots and values. This thesis investigates five research questions, which address the characteristics of regional negotiation styles and the consequences of these different styles in relation to Sino-Western negotiations. A case study research strategy is employed to study four regions in China, including the Northern, the Eastern, the Southern and the Central region. Each case was studied using three research methods: semi-structured interviews, secondary documents, and negotiation experiments. Interview data analysis focuses on the perceptions of the Chinese negotiators, the Chinese government official, and the foreign negotiators regarding regional negotiation styles, whereas the experiments examine the students cognitive information on regional differences. The results confirm that regional negotiation styles exist in China. The findings show that Northern and Central negotiators have the Chinese negotiation style in the literature. They place emphasis on relationship and face and show low time-sensitivity and risk-taking propensity. On the contrary, Eastern and Southern negotiators are extremely task-oriented and deal-focused, which means they place little value on relationship and face in negotiations. Differences also exist between the two groups of business-oriented negotiators as Southern negotiators have higher time-sensitivity and risk-taking propensity than Eastern negotiators. Differences in historical and geographical backgrounds are found to be the key drivers in the forming of these regional negotiation styles. Importantly, the experiment results show that, in contrast to the conventional idea, Western negotiators might find it easier to negotiate with the relationship-focused Chinese than with the deal-focused Chinese. This is because Northern and Central negotiators appear to be cooperative in Sino-Western negotiations, whereas Eastern and Southern negotiators tend to use a competitive approach. This thesis provides a number of contributions to the existing literature. First, it provides a better understanding of the overall picture of the Chinese negotiation behaviour and fine-tunes the Chinese negotiation style from a regional sub-cultural perspective. This regional approach to the study of culture is not only rare in Sino-Western negotiation studies, but also uncommon in the literature of international business negotiations. Second, this research highlights the fallacious assumption of cultural homogeneity with nations. It calls for academic attention to balance inter-cultural and intra-cultural diversity in the studies of international business. Third, a step is taken towards exploring the regional values and behavioural differences in China. The findings of this research provide directions for future regional studies on other managerial issues.

Denna uppsats behandlar interaktioner i ett diskussionsforum på Familjeliv.se, där deltagarna är föräldrar eller blivande föräldrar till barn eller foster med ett medfött hjärtfel. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur detta forum kan fungera som en kunskapsresurs och en plats där deltagarna förhandlar sig fram till gemensamma förståelser om till exempel hjärtfelsdiagnosen och livet med ett medfött hjärtfel. Genom analyser av dels de inledande presentationerna från deltagare som positionerar sig som nya, dels av de diskussioner som följer på dessa presentationer fokuserar studien legitimitet i två bemärkelser: legitimiteten i medlemskapet och legitimeringar i interaktionerna som ingår i kunskapsförhandlingen och bygger upp gemensamma förståelser. Resultaten från studien visar inledningsvis att det finns tydligt återkommande drag i presentationerna, något som tyder på att det finns sociala normer och överenskommelser för vilka forumet är till för, hur deltagandet är uppbyggt och vad som utgör ett legitimt medlemskap. Därefter visar analyserna av de efterföljande diskussionerna bland annat hur deltagarna tydligt orienterar sig kring vad som är legitimt att säga och på vilka grunder, där exempelvis det egna barnets diagnos och erfarenheterna från denna verkar vara avgörande. Detta skisserar ut en bild av forumets funktion och visar på en medvetenhet hos deltagarna vad gäller vad de kan bidra med i förhållande till vården. Analyserna visar även hur interaktionerna är uppenbart flerröstade och rymmer såväl professionell expertis, i form av rekontextualiserade samtal med vårdpersonal, som rekontextualiseringar av deltagarnas egna erfarenheter av hjärtfelen. Genomgående innebär forumet också ett jämförelsematerial där deltagarnas rekontextualiseringar tillsammans bygger en bild av hur saker och ting förhåller sig, som sedan kan appliceras på enskilda deltagares situation. Studien indikerar därmed att forumet kan fungera som en intern kunskapsbank. / This thesis investigates the interaction on an online discussion forum, where the participants are parents or expectant parents of children with congenital heart defects. The aim of the study is to shed light on how this forum can function as a source of knowledge and a place where joint understandings about for example the diagnosis and the life with this medical condition are negotiated in interaction. Analyzing both the initial presentations written by newcomers in the forum, and the discussions following these presentations, the study draws on the concept of legitimacy in two ways: the legitimacy in relation to the forum membership and the legitimations that are used to construct a shared understanding between the participants. The results from the study indicate that there are recurring patterns in the presentations written by new members when introducing themselves in the forum threads. This in turn suggests that there are social norms regarding which participants the forum is directed towards, how the participation is organized and what constitutes a legitimate membership in the community. In addition, a key result from the analysis of the interactions following these presentations is the participants’ navigation of what information is legitimate in which situation, where the own child’s diagnosis and type of heart defect is of great importance. This shows awareness among the participants regarding the nature of the forum’s contribution in relation to healthcare professionals. Furthermore, the analysis also shows how the interactions are strikingly multi-voiced, in that the participants through the discursive process of recontextualization make use of both previous conversations with doctors and other medical professionals, as well as their own experience of the children’s heart defects. The forum then serves as a comparison where these recontextualizations are used to negotiate a joint understanding, which subsequently can be applied to the participants’ individual storylines. The study therefore indicates that the forum can function as a resource of knowledge.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

Despite the growing population in the colonies throughout the eighteenth century, decreasing numbers of men chose to train for the ministry. New England Congregational clergy not only declined in number; the status, authority and influence enjoyed by their seventeenth-century forbears had drastically declined as well. Early in the century, ministerial authority was bolstered by the clergy’s educational and financial superiority, a virtual monopoly over religious sacraments and the force of localism in small covenanted communities. But the social impact of explosive population growth, a series of currency crises, and warfare throughout the eighteenth century eroded conditions supporting ministerial hegemony. In the midst of these social and economic changes, clergy faced the temptation to prostitute their ministries for the security of their positions. The loss of educational and financial superiority, their monopoly on the sacraments, and the conforming force of localism, drove eighteenth-century clergy to negotiate for more control over their own futures. Late in the century, Congregational clergy largely managed to escape the confines of a life-long tenure with one congregation, but their newfound freedom did not restore their declining prestige and authority; rather the weakened lay-clerical bond accelerated the decline of the office of the ministry. Ultimately, ministerial authority was a negotiated process between clergy and congregations throughout the colonial period. In spite of the overall decline of clerical status, the theme of negotiation remained constant as the social and economic developments altered the degree of leverage and type of negotiation each could utilize.

The Hasbani and Orontes Rivers are two main transboundary rivers of Lebanon. These waters are a critical resource for the future water security of the co-riparians. This dissertation analyses results of a water resources planning and hydrologic model under a new participatory framework by studying hydro-political aspects and the vulnerability of water resources in the Hasbani basin of Lebanon and the city of Amman under a changing climate pattern and growing water demands. Water policies suggested by the stakeholders were analyzed and the most sustainable solution was presented to the water resources authorities in the basins. Moreover, because of the political situation in the region, field data such as rainfall and evapotranspiration are very difficult to obtain making the use of remote sensing and Geographic Information System very useful to present a complete description of the hydrology of the watersheds and study water availability in the Orontes and Jordan River Basins. The approach used in this research integrates recently compiled data derived from satellite imagery (evapotranspiration, rainfall, and digital elevation model) into a transboundary geospatial database and hydrologic model to measure the contribution of each riparian country to the total available water in the basin. Finally, a mathematical method called the Orontes water allocation optimization method is used based on the nine factors of the UN Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Use of International Water Courses to allocate water equitably between the co-riparians. The optimization results show that Turkey and Lebanon could benefit from additional water if new negotiations are initiated. Once a multilateral agreement occurs, the findings of this research would provide a useful guide to the co-riparians for policy formulation, decision making and dispute resolution. Cooperation between the riparian countries may be improved by building a GIS database that provides access to accurate data for hydrological analysis, facilitate and standardize data sharing to evaluate future policy alternatives.

A doctoral thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of PhD of Loughborough University.

Le comité d’entreprise, institution représentative du personnel chargée d’assurer « une expression collective des salariés » dans l’entreprise a une mission sociale et culturelle d’une part, économique et professionnelle d’autre part. En matière économique ses attributions ont été marquées par de profonds changements depuis sa création en 1945. A l’origine, le comité était doté d’une mission de coopération avec l’employeur, abandonnée en 1982 au profit d’une mission de contrôle de la décision patronale. Le législateur et le juge ont conféré à ce contrôle des moyens toujours plus importants, ceux-ci restant cependant sans conséquence sur la décision finale. Le premier objectif de cette thèse est de déterminer la nature de ce contrôle atypique coexistant avec l’autre forme de participation des salariés qu’est la représentation syndicale. Une autre évolution, plus diffuse, se perçoit dans les attributions économiques du comité d’entreprise depuis le début du XXIème siècle : celle d’un possible retour à l’idée de coopération, initié par le droit de l’Union européenne qui se réfère à cette notion pour définir la relation entre représentants des travailleurs et direction. Le deuxième objectif de cette étude est d’identifier les éléments de notre droit caractérisant cette évolution. Celle-ci semble emprunter deux voies distinctes : d’une part, un accroissement du dialogue entre l’employeur et le comité quand ce dernier devient acteur de la négociation collective ; d’autre part, une négociation sur les attributions économiques, qui aboutit à l’inclusion du comité dans un processus global de concertation tout en permettant son association plus en amont de la décision patronale. / A Works Council is a company institution designed to express the workers ’collective wishes. Its mission is social and cultural as well as professional and economic. Its economic roles have been marked by some major changes since its introduction in 1945.Originally the Council was entrusted with a mission of cooperation with the management which gave way to monitoring the management’s decisions in 1982. Though new laws and court decisions have contributed to giving the Council an increasing importance in that respect, it has no sway over final decisions.The first objective of this research is to determine the exact nature of this atypical function in relation with another form of workers ’participation: the Workers ’Union. Another more subtle evolution can be perceived in the Council’s economic roles since the beginning of the 21st century: by referring to the notion of cooperation the European Union law has made it possible to restore the Council’s mission to define the relations between the workers’ representatives and the management.The second objective of this work is to identify the elements in our present French Labour Regulations characterizing this evolution, which appears to be twofold. On the one hand the dialogue between the management and the Council is enhanced when the latter takes an active part in joint negotiations. On the other hand negotiating on the Council’s economic roles has led to its involvement in the global process of consultations with the possibility of being associated earlier with the management’s final decisions.

En 2000, la loi Solidarité et Renouvellement Urbains entend relancer la planification supracommunale. Un nouveau dispositif -le schéma de cohérence territoriale- est créé, son objectif : mieux coordonner les initiatives publiques dans le champ de l'aménagement du territoire. Dès 2001 de nombreux groupements de communes s'en saisir. Le parti pris ici est de regarder cette réforme à travers l'activité des chefs de projets de SCOT qui organisent l'écriture de ces documents. De 2002 à 2006, des entretiens documentés ont été conduits auprès de plusieurs responsables administratifs. Cette analyse retrace leur mobilisation lors des grandes étapes de ces schémas : la mise en place des périmètres, la conception des cartes, la rédaction du corps de texte.Il en ressort que leur travail s'apparente à un travail de médiation pour gérer des différends qui amène les parties prenantes de cette procédure à consentir à se fixer des règles négociées. Cette approche met en évidence la forme singulière de cette activité qui pour faire avancer la démarche s'appuie très largement sur la convocation par anticipation des effets du droit. Loin de simplement dire le droit ou de le décliner, cette activité de production d'une norme intermédiaire entre la loi et plusieurs documents et actes administratifs vient convoquer le droit pour accompagner des transactions qui trouvent parfois leur prolongement hors de tout cadre juridique. La place importante accordée au droit en situation est mise en perspective par un bref retour historique sur quarante années de production législative et de schémas supracommunaux, une analyse du double mouvement de judiciarisation et de judicisation de la planification, et dans la période actuelle sur la manière dont cette mobilisation du droit dépasse le cadre de chaque dispositif localisé pour constituer un sujet de structuration de ce milieu professionnel. L'analyse du contenu des formations proposées aux chefs de projet SCOT, de leurs échanges en différents lieux, des initiatives conduites pour faire évoluer leur cadre légale d'intervention complètent et confortent les observations situées du travail / In 2000, the law Solidarity and Urban Renewal aims at refurbishing strategic spatial planning. Local authorities are pushed to group in order to lead the writing of new master plan (schéma de cohérence territoriale). In the following years, 400 SCOT are being studied. This implementation is analyzed through a focus on urban planner works. From 2002 to 2006, interviews with these planners enlighten the master plan creation main phases : create the perimeter, drawing the maps, writing the guidelines.This PHD shows how planners play negotiation and mediation roles through this normative production, how they succeed in raising an agreement on collective rules. This analysis shows that normative planning is not an end but a beginning : Law argument on possible effects of a to-be rule -such as litigation through courts, or master plan cancellation- is a way to organize public decisions and begin negotiation. An historic analysis on law production and master plan elaboration during the last 40 years, today's interests and involvement of the profession on legislative production and law arguments complete the situated-work observation

Scholarly work on international mediation suggests that how third parties mediate influences the resolution of armed conflicts. However, our understanding of what explains mediator style is limited. This dissertation addresses this gap by offering the first systematic study on explanations for mediator styles at the level of the individual. It explores the research question: what explains mediator styles of individuals mediating for peacemaking organizations in armed conflicts? Mediator style is studied as themes in goals and behaviors along two dimensions: directiveness and orientation. Directiveness covers a mediator's use of leverage and varies from non-directive to directive, while orientation covers a mediator's prioritized type of outcome and varies from relationship-oriented to settlement-oriented. The dissertation develops a theoretical framework on the effects of conflict context and mediator characteristics on mediator style. It formulates a set of theoretical expectations concerning how context in the form of conflict intensity, and characteristics such as the mediator's background profile and personality, influence mediator style. The framework is evaluated and developed based on the findings of a mixed-method design combining a survey experiment and 46 semi-structured in-depth interviews with a broad variety of IGO and NGO mediators. The results on context suggest that high-intensity conflicts make mediators on average more directive than low-intensity conflicts as a result of heightened humanitarian concerns. Furthermore, on characteristics, high-profile mediators are shown to be overall more settlement-oriented than low-profile mediators as a result of their views on conflict causes and mediator accountabilities. These findings are complemented with evidence for contingent relationships between conflict intensity, mediator personality and directiveness as well as conflict intensity, mediator profile and orientation. The study thus contributes with a refined understanding of the mediator styles of international mediators that both facilitates its further scholarly exploration and provides input to the practice of peacemaking.