Public policies are not designed and implemented in a vacuum. Instead, policy design and implementation are processes which require that all relevant stakeholders be involved in all stages of a policy process. It is for these reasons that this study was undertaken. Environmental policy implementation has proved to be a challenge for most municipalities in South Africa. The municipality which was chosen by this study as a case study is Msunduzi Municipality. Faced with different challenges which are attributed to a lack of resources and appropriate forms of organisation which are required for environmental policy implementation, this Municipality has struggled to meet its responsibilities. It is for these reason, then, that this study argues that one of the possible ways in which effective design and implementation of environmental policy in Msunduzi Municipality could be achieved is by collaboration and partnership through policy networks involving government agencies, businesses and civil society organisations. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

"Le pouvoir n'est rien, seule compte l'influence". Cette pensée du philosophe grec Hérodote constitue le points de départ et le fil conducteur de la présente recherche. Elle pose l'idée de l'influence qui fait partie intégrante du processus décisionnel. La décision politique contemporaine obéit à ce même principe, celui d'un pouvoir qui ne peut plus décider seul, sans concertation, sans choisir de subir la pression des lobbies de toute nature qui se constituent à l'occasion d'une décision (Giuliani, 1991). Le lobbying, en tant qu'activité d'influence, apparaît alors comme un phénomène indissociable de la décision publique. Pour déterminer l'État, il faut alors prendre en considération les « rapports de forces mouvants » (Culpepper et al., 2006) qui y existent. En France, lobbying et groupes d'intérêt connaissent un discrédit qui tend à ignorer le rôle qu'ils peuvent jouer dans les politiques publiques. Les Chambres de commerce et d'industrie font partie de ces groupes qui restent méconnus malgré leur mission de représentation de l'intérêt économique des entreprises. Il est alors intéressant de rendre compte de ce lobbying dans le contexte français à travers l'usage qu'en font les Chambres de commerce et d'industrie. La recherche représente un double intérêt : celui d'étudier un acteur de politique publique original et le répertoire d'action qu'il mobilise pour tenter d'influer sur la décision publique. Ainsi, si Robert Dahl s'interrogeait de savoir « qui gouverne » (1961), il nous apparaît important de nous demander aussi : « comment gouverner » et « avec qui gouverner » aujourd'hui ? Notre recherche vise alors à répondre à la problématique : dans quelle mesure un groupe d'intérêt peut-il concrètement agir sur le processus de politique publique ? Ainsi, pourrons-nous analyser ce que le groupe, notamment ses moyens d'action, enseignent sur le fonctionnement de l'action publique contemporaine, car comme l'avait affirmé Arthur Bentley dès 1908 dans son célèbre ouvrage The process of government : A study of social pressure : « Quand le groupe est expliqué, tout est expliqué ». / As Greek philosopher said: "Power is nothing, influence only countsé". This is the starting point and the thread of this research. It puts down the idea of influence, which is an integral part of the decision-making. The contemporary political decision obeys the same principle, that of a power who cannot decide alone, without consultation, without choosing to undergo the pressure of lobbies of all kinds that are formed in the occasion of a decision (Giuliani, 1991). The lobbying, as an activity of influence, appears then as an inseparable phenomenon of the public decision. In order to determine the State, it is therefore necessary to take into account the "unstable balance of power" (Culpepper et al., 2006) that exists there. In France, lobbying and interest groups are experiencing a discredit which tends to ignore the role that they can play in the public policies. The Chambers of commerce and industry are part of those groups that remain unknown despite their task of representing the economic interests of companies. It is therefore interesting to report this type of French lobbying through the use made from the Chambers of commerce and industry. Our research presents a double interest: to study an original actor of public policy and also the directory of action which he mobilizes in order to try to influence the public decision. So, if Robert Dahl questioned in 1961 about "who governs", it seems important nowadays to wonder about: "how to govern" and "with who"? Our research aims then to answer the following question: to what extent an interest group can concretely act on the public policy process and what does it teach us about the functioning of the contemporary public action? Thus, we can analyze what the group, and in particular its means of action, can teach us about the functioning of the contemporary public action, because as noted by Arthur Bentley, in 1908, in his famous book entitled The process of government: A study of social pressure: “When group is explained, everything is explained”.

Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) is a widely researched construct of corporate entrepreneurship. Despite long-standing research on EO, past studies on this construct have been unable to resolve issues related to its measurement. Innovation Intensity (II) is also a dynamic construct of corporate entrepreneurship but has received relatively less empirical attention. Previous research has reported an absence of an empirically validated quantitative scale of innovation, particularly innovation intensity. This research has addressed these gaps by proposing a refinement and validation of the Entrepreneurial Orientation scale and the development of an Innovation Intensity scale. The research proposes an Entrepreneurial Transformational Model (ETM) positing that EO impacts II. A predominantly quantitative research strategy supported by qualitative inputs, is employed to obtain empirical data from 404 corporate firms in Oman, drawing from a list of corporate firms registered with the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A mix of questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews was conducted with senior managers from firms representing various industries of the Omani corporate sector. Utilising exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM), a two-stage data analysis approach was adopted. Measurement and structural models were developed for EO and II measures, while a complete SEM model was developed to test the causal relationship between EO and II. The results indicate that EO is a second-order construct consisting of five first-order factors, namely ready to innovate, competitive aggressiveness, autonomy, risk taking and proactiveness, which are its reflective components. Similarly, II is a second-order construct consisting of two first-order factors, namely degree and frequency of incremental and radical innovation, which are its reflective components. The II scale developed through this study allows corporate firms to assess their innovation intensity on a two-dimensional four-celled grid with varying levels of degree and frequency of innovation. Finally, EO is found to influence II and the entire relationship is posited as Entrepreneurial Transformation Model. This study, by addressing the empirical irregularities, has brought clarity to the measurement of EO and II constructs and is an original contribution to the advancement of theoretical knowledge and improvement in professional practice.

In Germany so-called three pillar system of export support has developed over the centuries. The Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a part of the Foreign Chambers of Commerce, which is one of the key institutions of the system. It has become, over more than 20 years of its operation, the most important bilateral chamber of commerce in the Czech Republic. Institutions that are participating in the system of export support are encouraging elimination of obstacles, which are preventing entrepreneurs in their expansion to foreign markets. By offering of counseling and analytical services, the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry aims small businessmen, and tries to minimize the obstacles of their participation on the Czech-German economic exchange. By using the foundations of institutional economy and with the help of sources and literature defines this thesis the placement of the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the German system of export support. Alongside, it tries to prove the key position of the Chamber in the system of export support by analyzing competence, organizational structure and suggested services of other actors that are involved in the system of export support.

Influence of non-state transnational actors on decision-making of sovereign states is one of the most important topics in the international relations discipline. Some academic approaches consider this influence as quite important. Others perceive it as only secondary. Economic actors are a specific case because they on one hand bring know-how, employment and economic growth. On the other hand, they decrease sovereignty of the host states. This thesis tries to uncover influence of the two strongest non-state transnational economic actors in the Czech Republic - German and Japanese Chambers of Commerce. The topic of lobbying of these actors in the case of lack of labor force in the Czech Republic was chosen because of its good empirics. The text also aims to test assumptions according to which bargaining power of such actors is influenced by geographical distance between the host state and home country of the transnational actor. This thesis also wants to address the general topic of influence of the transnational actors on states in the international relations, based on the findings of this case study.