Syftet med denna C-uppsats är att genom Pincus och Minahans resursinriktade systemteori undersöka innebörden av hur samhälleliga system tillgodoser hjälpbehov för klienter som uppbär försörjningsstöd under lång tid. Målet är att skapa en strukturerad bild av vad som är bidragande faktorer till långvarigt beroende av försörjningsstöd samt hur samhälleliga system arbetar med insatser gällande dessa faktorer. Frågeställningarna är följande: Vilka hjälpbehov framträder genom journalerna för undersökningsgruppen? Hur adresseras dessa av samhälleliga system och vilka slutsatser kan man dra av detta? Resultatet visar att hjälpbehoven som tillgodoses är av olika karaktär och att det samhälleliga resurssystemet ibland ersätter formella och informella resurssystem när dessa inte är välfungerande. Slutsatsen visar att samhälleliga system kan motarbeta varandra och att detta då blir till men för den enskilde. Slutsatsen visar också att preventivt arbete för att förhindra att långvarigt beroende av försörjningsstöd uppstår är viktigt. / The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to use Pincus and Minahans resource-oriented systems theory to examine how societal systems are meeting the needs of the clients who are longterm dependant on social benefits. The aim is to create a structured image of the factors that lies behind a longterm dependance on social benefits, and also how societal systems are working with interventions concerning these factors. The questions are as follows: Which needs for support can be identified among the studied group? How are these needs addressed by the societal systems, and what conclusions can you draw from this? The result shows that needs that are met by societal systems are of different sorts. It also show that societal systems sometimes replaces private and organizational systems, when thees are malfunctioning. The conclusion shows that societal systems can work against each other and that this can become troublesome for the clients. The conclusion also shows that preventive interventions are important when working with hoe to make longterm dependance on social benefits less occurring.

My dissertation focuses on foreign entrepreneurs—individuals who establish firms outside of their native countries. Despite the prevalence of foreign entrepreneurs, their strategic choices have received little attention in the research literature. For example, when starting a firm, an entrepreneur must decide whether to manage the business personally or hire a local manager, yet we know little about how this choice affects firm performance. To examine this issue, in the first study I use a novel dataset of foreign entrepreneurial firms in Russia and a visa policy change as an instrument for the owner-manager choice. Contrary to the expectation that foreign entrepreneurs would underperform local managers due to the liability of foreignness, I find that foreign owner-managers can benefit their firms: Exogenous assignment of a local manager in place of a foreign owner-manager reduces profits. Foreign owner-managers benefit their firms by hiring cheap native-country labor as well as through reduced agency costs. The second study examines how private benefits of occupying a managerial position affect an entrepreneur’s choice between owner-management and hiring an agent. I show that foreign entrepreneurs with a strong desire to reside in a host country are more likely to become owner-managers. These results are consistent with the idea that entrepreneurs expecting to gain private benefits from managing their firms are more likely to become owner-managers. Moreover, I demonstrate that entrepreneurs are willing to substitute the non-pecuniary benefits associated with relocation for firm profit. These findings add to a growing literature exploring the role of personal preferences in entrepreneurs’ strategic decisions, such as location choice and ownership structure. The third study examines the impact of media coverage on the location choices of foreign firms. Publicly available media information has largely been ignored by the location literature, perhaps because its impact on location choice is expected to be trivial. This study challenges this assumption: Using a new instrument for media coverage (a major anniversary of a city’s establishment date), I show that extensive foreign media coverage of a city increases the number of foreign entrants. Moreover, this effect is strongest for socially and geographically distant firms and entrepreneurs.

The goal of this study is to develop a robust theory that explains how participation in a Consumer-Run Organization (CRO) can lead to positive individual outcomes. To accomplish this goal, existing theoretical explanations are reviewed. Using the previously unapplied theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism and more specifically, Stryker’s Identity Theory, these varying theoretical explanations are then integrated to create a model explaining how CROs can contribute to positive outcomes. This theoretical model is then empirically explored through two separate studies. The first uses open-ended short answer questions to understand how CRO members benefit from participation. The second uses participant observation and minimally structured interviews to generate life stories that explore how CRO participation has altered an individual’s life course. The original explanatory model proved helpful but partially inadequate in accounting for the results. This leads to model revisions and the development of a more robust theoretical explanation of how CRO lead to positive outcomes. Discussion focuses on explaining this revised explanatory model, exploring how it does and does not account for the results. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology / "December 2005."

Organisational impacts on the environment have been a primary topic of discussion for several decades, prompting a need for organisations to eva- luate and manage their environmental impacts. Environmental management systems have since been adopted by companies worldwide for numerous reasons and benefits. In more recent years, IT solutions have been designed to meet the various needs of environmental management but with little at- tention drawn to a standardised approach.   The following thesis aims to determine the use of IT adopted by organisa- tions to support their environmental management systems (EMSs). In doing so, the importance of EMSs, IT solutions to support EMSs and the benefits of IT for such systems are addressed. A small number of informative inter- views were conducted with EMS consultants and numerous representatives of ISO 14001 certified companies to establish what IT solutions are availa- ble to support EMSs and identify the differences between such solutions.   This thesis demonstrates that IT solutions adopted by organisations to sup- port their EMSs differ in complexity and depend upon the expected results of the EMS itself. Depending on how integral the EMS is to the organisa- tion’s business processes, IT can benefit the EMS and ultimately the organi- sation in a number of ways. In conclusion, EMSs can be implemented with little technical aid. However, IT is a communicative tool adopted to review, manage and monitor environmental data and enables easier handling of en- vironmental data enhancing the performance of the EMS.

The outburst of the application industry leading to the creation of com-plex applications serves as the need for a proactive approach to the implementation and monitoring of applications. Application Life-cycle Management (ALM) thus provides a conceptual framework with pre-defined steps that can help organizations successfully deploy their IT applications and adapt them to meet their changes in business needs. SAP Solution Manager is one of such ALM tools that is widely used by SAP Customers to manage their entire IT landscape, for cross-integration of application platforms thereby securing Return On Investment (ROI). The primary aim of this report is to investigate SAP Solution Manager as an Application Life-cycle Management tool, bringing out its potentials benefits and pre-senting challenges encountered by its users thus far.

Problem and Purpose – Diversity management, a subject of increasing interest over the last three decades in the business context, is even more relevant to higher education institutions, where diversity is present both in the supplier and customer side. In addition to general organisational improvements, most of the benefits arguably derived would have a direct impact on the cognitive processes such as problem-solving, creativity and learning, which are the core of the university reason for existence, being a centre for knowledge creation and transfer. However, the existing research covering diversity and its management in this particular organisational setting is very scarce. This paper aims to fill some of this gap. The purpose of this study is to identify the key motivators for ethnic diversity management in higher education institutions and the perceived benefits derived. Method – The investigation took the form of in-depth structured interviews conducted through e-mail, policy document analysis and website reviews of four selected higher education institutions. Pattern matching (Yin, 1994) was employed as the mode for data analysis. Findings – Ethnic Diversity Management was present in all units, however, it went beyond just the business case to include social justice view and other aspects. The HEIs studied were found to either manage diversity for purely ethical reasons, be motivated by a combination of moral considerations and perceived performance improvements, or completely culturally embrace diversity in the environment with less designated initiatives of diversity management, dependent on a range of variables present in each institutions related to their perceptions, goals and environment. Hence, both the social justice case and business case were concluded to be strong motivators for diversity management in the higher education context. Originality/value – The paper highlights various DM initiatives, strategies as well as observed effects, hence solidifying the arguments for recognizing and managing diversity and the link between well managed diversity and performance in various aspects, both in business and higher education context. The study is expected to make a contribution  to knowledge by assisting in providing information on key motivators for DM in HEIs and is intended  to be  an elementary supplement  for scholarly discourse in management science, and particularly DM in the HEI context.

Since its introduction into mainstream society two decades ago, ecotourism has become an international phenomenon. Claimed by its proponents to endorse ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable travel to natural areas, ecotourism is in many ways the conceptual fusion of conservation and development. Yet, despite the optimism often associated with the phenomenon, the question of the degree to which it actually contributes to development, however defined, has become a controversial issue. Theorists and practitioners hold a variety of opinions of ecotourism, ranging from cautious optimism (Honey 2008; Ross & Wall 1999) to outright rejection (Carrier & Macleod 2005; Wheeller 2003). Unfortunately, research shows that the poorest of the poor generally bear the burden of ecotourism initiatives without receiving an equitable share of the associated benefits (Stem et al. 2003; Western & Wright 1994). In response, a sustainable livelihoods approach is proposed as a practical means of understanding the complex livelihood strategies employed by indigenous populations. While tourism research has often focused on the economic impacts of ecotourism initiatives, current livelihoods discourse suggests that the poor draw on a wide range of assets and incorporate a variety of livelihood strategies, in their pursuit of economic gain (Ashley 2002; Ashley et al. 2001; Bebbington 1999; Bennett et al. 1999; Zoomers 1999). This discourse is especially timely for pastoral populations living adjacent to protected areas in Kenya. Recent changes in government policy have promoted the subdivision of land for private ownership (Homewood et al. 2009; Leserogol 2005; Lamprey & Reid 2004), an unexpected transformation that has led to the adoption of ecotourism as a sustainable livelihood strategy. Informed by development theory, tourism theory, and property rights theory, the purpose of this research was to examine the effect of different land tenure regimes on the distribution of benefits accrued from various ecotourism initiatives, and how those benefits impact the livelihoods of the pastoral Maasai living on the periphery of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Culturally-appropriate, participatory research methods were combined with the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to document an indigenous perspective on livelihood sustainability. By adapting the conceptual framework to include cultural and historical capital, it served as a lens for viewing and identifying the culturally embedded meaning associated with the recent privatisation of Maasai property. These changes include: significant increases in income generated from ecotourism initiatives, an increased desire to cultivate land, an enhanced capacity for participating in the decision-making process, and greater diversification in local livelihood strategies. However, the empirical evidence also demonstrated that changing property regimes have led to the increased sedentarisation of these semi-nomadic people, resulting in modifications to their pastoral culture, reductions in their herd sizes, and the occasional obstruction of wildlife migratory patterns through the construction of permanent fences.

Outdoor education constitutes an alternative teaching approach that is characterized by authentic experiences and activities in outdoor natural and cultural landscapes. As a relatively new and progressive teaching method, it tries to find and consolidate its place within the existing educational system. The current thesis explores Greek academic teachers’ perceptions and experiences in the field of outdoor education. More specifically, eight academic teachers from a Greek university express their views about outdoor education and report their experiences in outdoor lessons. Through a qualitative approach, this research includes analysis of data extracted from semi-structured interviews with the academics. From the thematic analysis of the data four themes emerged that illustrate teachers’ opinions. The results of the research revealed academic teachers’ basic knowledge on the field of outdoor education, as they presented some well-aimed examples of main characteristics of the approach. Moreover, they reported limited previous outdoor experiences with their students and perceive outdoor lessons as any action outside the typical classroom, attributing higher importance to outdoor activities performed in cultural rather than natural landscapes. Also, academics acknowledged several benefits that outdoor education provides to their students such as the stimulation of all their senses, the connection of theory with practice and the promotion of social relations. In addition, they attributed significant importance to both the experiential approach to learning and to the connection with nature that outdoor lessons provide. Nevertheless, academic teachers highlighted many barriers that inhibit their efforts to apply outdoor lessons such as lack of time and appropriate places, inadequate infrastructure, human resources as well as insufficient pedagogical training and preparation. Concluding, what seems to trouble academics most is the prevailing educational culture inside schools and universities as well as teachers’ and academic teachers’ attitudes. The above findings contribute to the current limited scientific knowledge concerning the practice of outdoor education in the higher level of education. Last but not least, further qualitative research is a prerequisite in order to study the origin of the perceptions and attitudes of Greek academics and comprehend the socio-cultural and educational context in which these have been formed.

Den här uppsatsen handlar om hur ett teknikkonsultföretag, där majoriteten av tjänsterna sker i form av projekt, kan utnyttja kunskapsöverföring för att skapa konkurrenskraft. Här studeras hur kunskapsöverföring, genom att ta hänsyn till tre olika lärprocesser, kan bidra till ekonomisk fördel för företaget. Efter identifiering av vilka verktyg/aktiviteter som används för kunskapsöverföring på fallföretaget analyserades vilka lärprocesser som är möjliga med respektive verktyg/aktivitet enligt dagens teori och medarbetares upplevelser. Empirisk data samlades in från olika delar av organisationen i form av intervjuer och enkätundersökning. Utifrån analysen sammanfattades vilka lärprocesser som utnyttjas och med vilka verktyg/aktiviteter samt vilka som kan utnyttjas bättre för att skapa ekonomiska fördelar för företaget, och därmed också konkurrenskraft. Skillnader i vilka kunskaper medarbetare med mycket lång arbetsliverfarenhet upplever att de lär sig med verktygen/aktiviteterna jämfört med medarbetare med kortare arbetslivserfarenhet har observerats, vilket skapar nya frågor för framtida forskning. Det ges också förslag på vidare forskning om hur hänsyn till lärprocesser vid strategi för kunskapsöverföring skulle kunna generera konkurrenskraft i form av hur förbättringar uppfattas av kunderna. / This master’s thesis is about how a technology consulting firm, where the majority of services is executed as projects, can use knowledge transfer to create competitive advantage. By taking into account three different learning processes this degree project focus on how the transfer of knowledge can contribute to economic benefits to the company. Identification of tools and activities used for knowledge transfer in this specific case company supported the analysis of what learning processes those are possible for each tool/activity with respect to today’s research and employees experiences. Empirical data were collected from different parts of the organization through interviews and questionnaire survey. Based on the analysis a conclusion of what learning processes are mainly used and with what tools and activities. The conclusion also define the economic benefits that could be gained by the company and hence create competitive advantage. Differences in type of knowledge learned by the employees carrying a long work experience compared to employees with shorter work experience has been observed, which creates new questions for further research. This degree project also provides suggestions for further research on how, with respect to learning processes, the strategy of knowledge transfer would generate competitiveness through quality improvements perceived by customers.

Due to the access to international financial market is open and globalization is inevitable, the fluctuation of financial market and the competition among banks are getting fierce. Emotion is an essential part of a bank employee¡¦ job and it is closely related to working pressure. Therefore, this paper is to investigate whether working pressure will affect job satisfaction and then affect the tendency of resignation. Based on the research motives, the purposes of this research are as follows: 1. To understand the current situation of financial employees¡¦ job satisfaction factors and resignation tendency. 2. To investigate how job satisfaction factors are related to resignation tendency. 3. This paper provides companies reference of human resource development such as how to reduce resignation intention in order to cut unnecessary recruit cost. Conclusion¡GBased on the result of simple regression analysis,¡uworking pressure¡v,¡udegree of satisfaction to salary and benefits¡v,¡ucommitment to organization¡v and ¡uassignment fairness¡vindeed influence working satisfaction. In other words, the lower working pressure an employee has, the higher degree of working satisfaction one has; the higher degree of satisfaction to salary and benefits, commitment to organization and assignment fairness one has, the higher degree of working satisfaction one has. Suggestions: 1.Raise employees¡¦ commitment to organization in order to recruit elites and reduce the labor turnover rate. 2.The reward system has to be quantified. KEY WORLD¡Gworking pressure¡Bdegree of satisfaction to salary and benefits¡B commitment to organization¡Bassignment fairness¡Bresignation intention¡Bworking satisfaction