Coastlines are particularly susceptible to the necessary trade-offs which occur between different ecosystem services. Should the areas be managed for biodiversity or for people? Where sandy beaches are found there is usually a management decision to be made between managing for recreation or for biodiversity. Many popular tourist beaches (particularly those with a Beach Award) are often groomed with mechanical equipment to remove any stranded seaweed and associated litter which can get entangled in the wrack. This is likely to be having a negative impact on coastal biodiversity, with wide ranging implications for the entire habitat, including the intertidal zone, sand dunes and shorebirds. Beached wrack should be allowed to naturally decompose providing a habitat for numerous species of macro-invertebrates. These macro-invertebrate communities not only include many endemic species found exclusively along the strandline but they also provide a very rich source of food for shorebirds. The re-mineralised nutrients resulting from the decomposed macrophytes should then become available to provide a rich source of nutrients to dune, strandline and marine ecosystems populations of the strandline. In previous studies grooming has been shown to have a negative impact on the invertebrates of the strandline and this study reveals that tidal range has an effect on the impacts of grooming with a higher tidal range having a more negative impact on the invertebrates. A study to observe the impacts of grooming on both adult plant and seed bank communities of the sand dunes found that grooming is having a negative impact on these populations. Grooming is predominantly driven by beach managers who aspire to gain Beach Awards in order to attract tourists to their beaches. Using non-market valuation in the form of a stated preference choice experiment and a travel cost model, it was observed that Beach Awards are not valued by beach goers but are instead influenced to visit a particular beach by good bathing water quality, high levels of biodiversity and low levels of litter. It was also shown that stranded seaweed on the beach does not deter visitors. Future management suggestions include attempting to reduce the confusion arising from the presence of multiple beach awards by either removing them altogether or by making their criteria more clear and direct with consistency in their design and designation. Bathing water quality should be completely removed from the Beach Award system and real-time information in the form of electronic signage and a publicly available App should replace it.

Utilizou-se um modelo de escolha discreta (MED) para avaliar as preferências e disposição-a-pagar (DAP) dos pacientes por diferentes atributos de risco-benefício do tratamento insulínico, entre eles a via de administração da insulina. Através de uma revisão da literatura, consulta com especialistas, e do desenvolvimento de um estudo qualitativo utilizando as técnicas de entrevistas individuais e grupos focais, os atributos (e níveis) mais importantes do tratamento insulínico foram identificados, sob o ponto de vista dos pacientes. Os atributos incluídos no MED foram: controle da glicemia de jejum, número de episódios de hipoglicemia, ganho de peso, via de administração para as insulinas de ação longa e rápida, e custo do tratamento. Pares de opções de tratamentos insulínicos hipotéticos contendo diferentes níveis dos atributos foram apresentados aos pacientes com DM1 ou DM2, e lhes foi solicitado que, para cada cenário, eles escolhessem a alternativa de sua preferência. Dados demográficos, nível sócio-econômico (NSE) e informações relacionadas ao diabetes também foram coletados. Para a análise dos dados utilizou-se um modelo logit condicional de regressão e modelos segmentados foram posteriormente utilizados para a análise das sub-populações. Um total de 274 questionários foram incluídos na análise final dos dados. A idade média (± DP) dos participantes foi de 56.7 ± 12.98 anos, e 53% eram homens. Quarenta e nove por cento dos participantes eram usuários de insulina e 47 eram portadores de DM1. O tratamento insulínico ideal, sob o ponto de vista dos pacientes, resultaria em um melhor controle glicêmico, menos reações adversas, menor custo, e seria administrado por via oral. Houve uma forte preferência e uma DAP mais elevada por um melhor controle glicêmico, seguido pelos atributos de risco ganho de peso e episódios de hipoglicemia. Surpreendentemente, a via de administração da insulina foi o atributo menos valorizado. A estratificação social revelou que pacientes com alta renda anual familiar apresentaram uma DAP mais elevada por um melhor controle glicêmico e por menos reações adversas em relação aos grupos com rendas inferiores. Ainda, quanto mais alto o nível de renda, maior o desejo por uma insulina oral, enquanto a via inalada torna-se menos importante para os pacientes. A estratificação da amostra pelo uso de insulina e tipo de diabetes revelaram uma forte aversão pela via subcutânea pelos não-usuários de insulina e pacientes com DM2. Tais resultados sugerem a existência de uma importante barreira psicológica em se iniciar uso da insulina; no entanto, os resultados também revelam que os pacientes tendem a se acomodar com a via subcutânea uma vez iniciado o tratamento insulínico. Este estudo demonstra a importância que os pacientes com DM atribuem ao atributo controle glicêmico, e como suas preferências e DAP pelo tratamento insulínico variam entre as sub-populações. Especificamente, esforços devem ser realizados no sentido de vencer a barreira psicológica em se iniciar o uso da insulina, o que contribuirá para que se alcance um melhor controle glicêmico, através da melhor aderência do paciente ao tratamento, resultando em uma redução dos custos do DM e melhora na qualidade de vida dos pacientes. / We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to evaluate patients preferences for various attributes of insulin treatment, including route of insulin delivery. Through a review of the literature, expert consultation, and a qualitative descriptive study using individual interviews and focus group techniques, the attributes (and levels) of diabetes treatment most important to patients were identified. The attributes included in the DCE were: glucose control, frequency of hypoglycaemic events, weight gain, route of administration for the long-acting and the short-acting insulin, and out-of-pocket cost. Patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes were presented with pairs of hypothetical insulin therapy profiles (i.e. choice sets) with different levels of the attributes and were asked to choose the treatment option they preferred. Sociodemographic data and diabetes medication were also collected. Data were analysed using conditional logit regression and segmented models were also developed for the analysis of subgroups. A Two hundred and seventy four questionnaires were completed. The mean age (±SD) of participants was 56.7 ± 12.98 years, and 53% were men. Forty-nine percent of participants were insulin users, and 47 had type 1 diabetes. Overall, patients ideal insulin treatment would provide better glucose control, result in fewer adverse reactions, have the lowest cost, and be administered orally. There was a strong preference and highest mean WTP for glucose control followed by the risk attributes weight gain and hypoglycaemic events. Surprisingly, route of insulin administration was the least valued attribute. Stratification of the sample revealed that patients with higher incomes had a significant higher WTP for better glucose control and less adverse reactions compared to lower income groups. Moreover, the highest the income, the stronger the preference for an oral insulin, while inhaled insulin becomes less important for patients. Segmented models by insulin use and type of diabetes indicated that insulin naïve and type 2 diabetics had a greater aversion to the subcutaneous route. These findings suggest that there may be an important mental barrier to initiating insulin therapy; however, patients tend to accommodate to subcutaneous administration once they initiate therapy. This study illustrates the importance that patients with diabetes place on glucose control and how preferences for insulin therapy vary between subgroups. Specifically, efforts need to be made to overcome the mental barrier to initiating insulin therapy, which may lead to improved control, through improved compliance and ultimately reduce the financial burden of the disease and improve patients quality of life.

L’objet central de cette thèse est la valorisation des produits frais de la pêche avec d’une part la question des modes organisationnels adoptés par les acteurs de la filière pêche en France et d’autre part la question des facteurs explicatifs des préférences des consommateurs pour ces produits.La théorie néo-institutionnelle sur les structures de gouvernance est utilisée pour analyser les différents modes organisationnels adoptés dans la filière. La théorie de l’innovation est mobilisée pour étudier les apports des innovations organisationnelles à la valorisation de produits frais. Les résultats de l’étude des structures de gouvernance révèlent la complémentarité entre marché et formes hybrides pour l’approvisionnement des grandes et moyennes surfaces en France. Les formes hybrides observées sont principalement la sous-traitance et le partenariat. Les résultats portant sur les innovations organisationnelles mettent notamment en évidence différentes formes de réponses apportées par les acteurs sur la qualité, la fraicheur, la traçabilité et la disponibilité du produit. Enfin, cette thèse a mis en oeuvre la méthode des choix multi-attributs pour analyser les préférences du consommateur de deux produits, le filet de poisson frais et la langoustine fraîche. Grâce à différents modèles logistiques, les résultats ont mis en lumière l’existence de trois catégories de consommateurs. Ils ont aussi confirmé l’existence d’un consentement à payer pour les attributs de fraîcheur, de qualité ainsi que pour certains attributs liés à l’environnement. L’originalité de la thèse est d’avoir inclus parmi les caractéristiques du produit l’attribut empreinte carbone. Elle contribue ainsi à éclaircir le débat sur les critères pertinents de durabilité à mettre dans le référentiel commun relatif à la labellisation des produits de la pêche maritime en France. / The central purpose of this thesis is the development of fresh fishery products with on one hand the issue of organizational methods adopted by stakeholders in the fisheries sector in France and on the other hand the question of explanatory factors in consumer preferences for these products. The neo-institutional theory of governance structures is used to analyze different organizational methods adopted in the industry. The theory of innovation is mobilized to study the contribution of organizational innovations in the development of fresh products. The results of the study of governance structures reveal the complementarity between the market and hybrid forms concerning the supply of supermarkets and hypermarkets in France. Mainly observed Hybrid forms are subcontracting and partnership. The results on organizational innovations highlight in particular various forms of responses from stakeholders on quality, freshness, traceability and product availability. Finally, this thesis has implemented the method of multi-attribute choice to analyze consumer preferences for two products, fresh fish fillet and fresh lobster. Through various logistic models, the results highlighted the existence of three categories of consumers. They also confirmed a willingness to pay for attributes of freshness, quality and certain environment related attributes. The originality of the thesis is to have included among product’s characteristics include the carbon footprint attribute. It thus helps to clarify the debate on relevant sustainability criteria to include in the common reference for labeling of sea fishing products in France.

The key focus of this dissertation is to produce research upon energy and climate change issues in the UK in a policy relevant and theoretically sound way. It aims to inform industry and policy makers to allow politically palatable, successful and effective future energy and climate change policy to be developed by identifying the preferences of the public for different policy scenarios. The Choice Experiment method was employed throughout this dissertation as the consistent methodological approach allowed for greater comparability of the results in addition to allowing the method’s robustness and reliability to be tested. The first part of this research (Chapter 3) is concerned with investigating attitudes and willingness to pay for future generation portfolio of Scotland by investigating household preferences for various energy generating options, such as wind, nuclear and biomass compared to the current generation mix. We identified the Scottish public have positive and significant preference towards wind and nuclear power over the current energy mix. We also found heterogeneity in public preferences depending on where respondents live which is reflected in their preferences towards specific attributes. Presence of non-compensatory behaviour in our sample is another element which was investigated in this part. Chapters 4 and 5 contain analyses of two independent choice experiments which were run in parallel. They take a UK-wide approach and investigate public preferences for more general areas of future energy and climate change policy, such as: carbon reduction targets, focus on energy efficiency improvements and attitudes to micro-generation versus large scale renewable generation. In addition the preferences for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change are investigated. Micro-generation is not often considered by energy companies when it comes to planning their generation strategies and was therefore of particular relevance to this research. As such Chapter 6 identifies the importance that the public places on this particular energy option and how it compares with their preferences towards other key energy and climate change policies of the UK. To analyse reliability of the results and to contribute to the theoretical field of stated preference valuation, each of the experiments contained two overlapping attributes, i.e. increase in level of micro-generation and an increase in total cost to a household, comparison of which was also carried out in Chapter 6. Finally in Chapter 7 the results found in the sections described above are discussed with reference to the policy background in the UK and Scotland. Also issues with the research and areas for further study are identified.

No description available.

Il focus della mia tesi "Le preferenze dei consumatori e l'atteggiamento verso gli attributi di vino: il caso dell’etichettatura sostenibile" è quello di esplorare le questioni intorno alla sostenibilità nel settore vitivinicolo; l'indagine è stata condotta in Italia e all'estero nel corso dei tre anni del mio dottorato. Anche se dalla letteratura emerge come il prezzo, le caratteristiche sensoriali, l’esperienza precedente siano gli attributi più importanti per la scelta di un vino, la tesi si propone di analizzare l'introduzione dell'attributo di sostenibilità nel settore del vino, fornendo ulteriori delucidazioni riguardo la percezione dei consumatori e le preferenze per i vini non convenzionali. Tale ricerca è stata condotta con il contributo essenziale e la supervisione del professor Daniele Rama del Dipartimento di Economia Agroalimentare (Università di Piacenza) e i Prof. Cristina Mora e Prof. Davide Menozzi del Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti (Università di Parma). / The focus of my dissertation “Consumer preferences and attitude for wine attributes: the case of sustainable labelling” is to explore the issues around sustainability in the wine industry; the investigation was conducted both in Italy and abroad over the last three years of my Ph.D. Even though from literature review emerged that price, sensory characteristics, previous experience are the most important attributes for choosing a wine, this dissertation aims to analyses the introduction of the sustainable attribute in the wine industry, providing more insights into consumer perception and preferences for non-conventional wines. All such research has been carried out with the essential contribution and the supervision of Professor Daniele Rama of the Department of Agricultural Economics (Piacenza University) and Prof. Cristina Mora and Prof. Davide Menozzi of the Department of Food Science (University of Parma).

(in English): In this thesis, I investigate preferences of humanities-oriented 3rd year students of grammar schools in their choice of university they would apply for. The theoretical part provides a summary and data for a content analysis of previous research, which I use to identify key features of universities, which may affect the choices made by students. In the methodological part, I introduce and define the conjoint analysis, which is a tool best suited for capturing the decision making process. The analysis shows that the most important factors are reputation and atmosphere. Other rather influential attributes include those proposed by other authors such as distance from home, location, peer influence and communication of the university with the prospective students. In contrast to findings from other countries though, the influence of the entry exams has been found only for students with excellent grammar school study results. This is directly contrary to the effect of this attribute in previous research. Another distinct feature of my research is the inclusion of the possibility to study abroad as an attribute, which has been completely ignored in previous studies of this type. In this case, it is the fourth most important attribute. There are tendencies which suggest that future research...

Utilizou-se um modelo de escolha discreta (MED) para avaliar as preferências e disposição-a-pagar (DAP) dos pacientes por diferentes atributos de risco-benefício do tratamento insulínico, entre eles a via de administração da insulina. Através de uma revisão da literatura, consulta com especialistas, e do desenvolvimento de um estudo qualitativo utilizando as técnicas de entrevistas individuais e grupos focais, os atributos (e níveis) mais importantes do tratamento insulínico foram identificados, sob o ponto de vista dos pacientes. Os atributos incluídos no MED foram: controle da glicemia de jejum, número de episódios de hipoglicemia, ganho de peso, via de administração para as insulinas de ação longa e rápida, e custo do tratamento. Pares de opções de tratamentos insulínicos hipotéticos contendo diferentes níveis dos atributos foram apresentados aos pacientes com DM1 ou DM2, e lhes foi solicitado que, para cada cenário, eles escolhessem a alternativa de sua preferência. Dados demográficos, nível sócio-econômico (NSE) e informações relacionadas ao diabetes também foram coletados. Para a análise dos dados utilizou-se um modelo logit condicional de regressão e modelos segmentados foram posteriormente utilizados para a análise das sub-populações. Um total de 274 questionários foram incluídos na análise final dos dados. A idade média (± DP) dos participantes foi de 56.7 ± 12.98 anos, e 53% eram homens. Quarenta e nove por cento dos participantes eram usuários de insulina e 47 eram portadores de DM1. O tratamento insulínico ideal, sob o ponto de vista dos pacientes, resultaria em um melhor controle glicêmico, menos reações adversas, menor custo, e seria administrado por via oral. Houve uma forte preferência e uma DAP mais elevada por um melhor controle glicêmico, seguido pelos atributos de risco ganho de peso e episódios de hipoglicemia. Surpreendentemente, a via de administração da insulina foi o atributo menos valorizado. A estratificação social revelou que pacientes com alta renda anual familiar apresentaram uma DAP mais elevada por um melhor controle glicêmico e por menos reações adversas em relação aos grupos com rendas inferiores. Ainda, quanto mais alto o nível de renda, maior o desejo por uma insulina oral, enquanto a via inalada torna-se menos importante para os pacientes. A estratificação da amostra pelo uso de insulina e tipo de diabetes revelaram uma forte aversão pela via subcutânea pelos não-usuários de insulina e pacientes com DM2. Tais resultados sugerem a existência de uma importante barreira psicológica em se iniciar uso da insulina; no entanto, os resultados também revelam que os pacientes tendem a se acomodar com a via subcutânea uma vez iniciado o tratamento insulínico. Este estudo demonstra a importância que os pacientes com DM atribuem ao atributo controle glicêmico, e como suas preferências e DAP pelo tratamento insulínico variam entre as sub-populações. Especificamente, esforços devem ser realizados no sentido de vencer a barreira psicológica em se iniciar o uso da insulina, o que contribuirá para que se alcance um melhor controle glicêmico, através da melhor aderência do paciente ao tratamento, resultando em uma redução dos custos do DM e melhora na qualidade de vida dos pacientes. / We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to evaluate patients preferences for various attributes of insulin treatment, including route of insulin delivery. Through a review of the literature, expert consultation, and a qualitative descriptive study using individual interviews and focus group techniques, the attributes (and levels) of diabetes treatment most important to patients were identified. The attributes included in the DCE were: glucose control, frequency of hypoglycaemic events, weight gain, route of administration for the long-acting and the short-acting insulin, and out-of-pocket cost. Patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes were presented with pairs of hypothetical insulin therapy profiles (i.e. choice sets) with different levels of the attributes and were asked to choose the treatment option they preferred. Sociodemographic data and diabetes medication were also collected. Data were analysed using conditional logit regression and segmented models were also developed for the analysis of subgroups. A Two hundred and seventy four questionnaires were completed. The mean age (±SD) of participants was 56.7 ± 12.98 years, and 53% were men. Forty-nine percent of participants were insulin users, and 47 had type 1 diabetes. Overall, patients ideal insulin treatment would provide better glucose control, result in fewer adverse reactions, have the lowest cost, and be administered orally. There was a strong preference and highest mean WTP for glucose control followed by the risk attributes weight gain and hypoglycaemic events. Surprisingly, route of insulin administration was the least valued attribute. Stratification of the sample revealed that patients with higher incomes had a significant higher WTP for better glucose control and less adverse reactions compared to lower income groups. Moreover, the highest the income, the stronger the preference for an oral insulin, while inhaled insulin becomes less important for patients. Segmented models by insulin use and type of diabetes indicated that insulin naïve and type 2 diabetics had a greater aversion to the subcutaneous route. These findings suggest that there may be an important mental barrier to initiating insulin therapy; however, patients tend to accommodate to subcutaneous administration once they initiate therapy. This study illustrates the importance that patients with diabetes place on glucose control and how preferences for insulin therapy vary between subgroups. Specifically, efforts need to be made to overcome the mental barrier to initiating insulin therapy, which may lead to improved control, through improved compliance and ultimately reduce the financial burden of the disease and improve patients quality of life.

Plants and herbivores influence each other for more than million years. Most studies are focused on interspecific variability in herbivory intensity, but little i known about intraspecific variability and what controls it. Environmental conditions can determine intraspecific variation. Goal of this thesis is to examine importance of environmental conditions and interspecific variation for invertebrate herbivory preferences. Plant material that was used in experiments comes from several species from subfamily Carduoideae. Preferences of invertebrate herbivores are tested in food-choice experiments. Plastic arenas are made for these experiments, in which leaves are put in small tubes that are placed along the periphery. After herbivores are placed in to arena, arena is covered by net to ensure that herbivores can't escape. Plant material for experiments was grown in experimental garden and was also brought from field. Plants from garden differ in productivity of soil and water regime. In experiments with field material, plant leaves were collected from eight localities, four fields and four grasslands. Leaves were scanted before and after each experiment. Scans were processed and the amount of consumed leaf tissue was determined. For plant characteristics I measured plant functional traits, specific...

Global wind power generation has grown rapidly in response to targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of efforts to mitigate climate change, and to increase energy security. While much of the focus in wind energy technology to date has been on wind farms, a relatively recent development is the expansion of the micro-wind sector (turbines generating < 100 kW), and there are now over 870,000 small wind turbines (SWTs) installed globally. However, official planning guidance for SWTs in the UK and elsewhere is lacking. This may be a barrier to SWT installations if there is confusion over the requirements to gain planning permission. One reason for the lack of planning guidance is that our understanding of the wildlife impacts of SWTs is limited and therefore it is difficult to make recommendations for their mitigation. There are a range of potential negative effects wind power can exert on wildlife, in particular on birds and bats, yet to date, there has been very little published research into the wildlife impacts of SWTs. Mortality rates of wildlife at SWTs appear to be relatively low, but disturbance of bats, highly protected species, near SWTs has been previously demonstrated. However, the extent (if any) of this disturbance at habitat features of known importance was unclear. Therefore this thesis used acoustic surveys of bat activity to quantify disturbance of use of linear features (e.g. hedgerows, treelines), habitat important to bats for commuting and foraging, caused by SWTs. Firstly, bat activity did decline after experimental installation of SWTs 5m away from linear features. This decline was species-specific with Pipistrellus pygmaeus showing declines in activity in close proximity to the SWT associated with SWT operation, while P. pipistrellus activity declined in response to installation both at the SWT site and 30m away. Secondly, bat use of linear features is lower when SWTs are located nearby. In particular, P. pygmaeus activity at linear features is lower the closer a SWT is to the feature, and at high wind speeds Myotis spp. use of linear features is similarly lower where SWTs are located nearby. This disturbance did not dissipate along the linear features away from the SWT for at least 60m. This is much further than previously documented disturbance of bats by SWTs, which appeared fairly localised, and may be due to the importance of linear features specifically for commuting between habitat fragments. If so, the cumulative impacts of such disturbance will be important in areas where suitable foraging and roosting habitats is limited and fragmented, and linear features suitable for commuting between habitat fragments are already rare. These results offer support for recommendations that SWTs should be subject to siting restrictions that create a buffer distance between them and important bat habitats such as linear features. Specifically, this thesis recommends that in landscapes with few alternative commuting routes or where particularly rare bat species are present SWT installations require buffer distances to ensure they are a minimum of 60m away from linear features. There has also been a lack of research into public attitudes towards SWTs, despite local attitudes towards wind farm developments having been linked to planning outcomes, implying attitudes can be a barrier to installations. This thesis presents the results of the first survey of public attitudes specifically towards SWTs. Generally attitudes towards SWTs were positive, with over half of respondents rating SWTs as acceptable across a range of landscape settings. However, as for wind power where public attitudes in general are positive but local wind farm developments may still face opposition, only 35% of respondents were in favour of having a SWT installed in sight of their home. A key finding of this survey was that acceptance of SWTs significantly differed between landscape settings, with those in hedgerows and gardens being less well accepted compared to those on road signs, buildings and fields. Respondent comments highlighted visual impacts, efficient use of technology, noise impacts, wildlife impacts and educational value as important factors in their decisions regarding SWT acceptability. Public concern about wildlife impacts appears to be responsive to context, being important to the lower acceptance of SWTs in hedgerows, which were perceived to be particularly risky for wildlife. Potential SWT owners are also shown to be concerned about wildlife impacts from SWTs. Using a choice experiment methodology, an economics technique that allows valuation of non-market goods, farmers (a group most likely to own SWTs in the UK) were found to be willing-to-pay, through loss of SWT earnings from electricity generation, to avoid disturbance of birds and bats or collision mortality of bats. These findings also support the recommendation of the use of buffer distances for SWTs. Buffer distances between SWTs and linear features will help to alleviate public and SWT owner concerns about wildlife impacts, and also increase public acceptance of SWTs by encouraging their installation away from some of the least accepted landscape settings such as hedgerows. Further, potential SWT owners were also found to have no significant preference for avoiding siting restrictions of SWT installations, suggesting they are open to the use of buffer distances, although the suggested distances were substantially smaller than those this thesis ultimately recommends. The findings presented in this thesis have implications for planning guidance, policy makers and developers, but also raise many questions that will require further study. A list of planning guidance recommendations and a list of recommendations for future SWT research are presented in the final section.