‘Partnership’ has become a buzzword in development circles. The term is used to describe almost any relationship that pools the resources of different actors to address societal challenges and concerns. Because it encompasses such a broad range of perspectives, the contention of this thesis is that partnership can only be fully understood in relation to practice. A critical assessment of a selection of my research publications is used to explore how partnership is interpreted in different contexts, why and by whom, and to what extent it might offer possibilities for achieving social progress. This review finds that partnership can be construed as both a structure and a process, and as a means to an end and an end in itself. Attention thus needs to be given to its instrumental value as a development tool and to its intrinsic worth in cementing social capital. Consideration is given to connections between these different forms of partnership and other development ‘solutions’; the complex interplay between external, organisational and individual drivers for multi-stakeholder collaboration, and evidence for the benefits of working in this way. This analysis reveals that it is hard to judge the effectiveness of partnership due to the complexity of different levels of interaction; lack of clarity on goals and motivations for partnering; and, because process-related results generally emerge in the long term, attribution is a challenge. It is thus suggested that assessments of partnership might more usefully focus on methodologies that enhance its potential to generate individual and societal value. The attributes of such ‘transformational’ arrangements, and how these compare with other collaborative connections, are examined using a typology that builds upon a transactional-transformational partnership continuum. Further investigation into the nature of stakeholder participation, and related power dynamics, indicates that partnership can both promote and embody social progress when participation is carefully facilitated by ‘partnership brokers’; embedded in sociohistoric contexts, and based upon open-ended dialogue processes that seek to comprehend different points of view rather than change them. In order to explore this potential more fully, as well as continued research into particular partnership experiences and possible alternatives, more imaginative exchanges of knowledge about working in this way are recommended.

In October 2005, the Maltese Government embarked on a new phase of its national educational reform; primarily re-organising all State maintained schools into semi-autonomous regional colleges, sustaining partnerships between the schools, the parents and the wider community and re-structuring the education authorities into two Directorates. This thesis reports research into inter-school working that Malta, as in other countries, was actively promoting. The research aims were to: •analyse the nature of collaboration in a policy context that required joint working within and by individual schools; •explore the implications for educational leadership, governance and accountability within and between the institutions involved. Case studies of four colleges were carried out. Key participants were interviewed and documents analysed. The cases were analysed individually and a cross-case analysis was also undertaken. The classification and interpretation of the data focuses on the four key themes: - collaboration, (presented by the 2006 Education Act as a meta-concept and the basis for the success of the Colleges reform), educational leadership, governance and accountability. The data helped me to appreciate the importance of tradition, history and time which are necessary to understand how reforms impact differently on schools in general and school life in particular. The results show that in spite of a highly centralised system, we were used to examples of collaboration that had existed, albeit in informal and ad hoc ways. Many respondents felt that their school leaders lacked leadership qualities and failed to foster a culture of shared leadership. At the same time there was growing concern about the growing administrative responsibilities facing school management. There was consensus that the move to devolve greater responsibilities to the schools through inter-school working and the college system was a move in the right direction. This, in turn, was fostering an ethos of collective accountability within and across schools.

This study explores the nature of conflict in virtual communication in the course of inter-organisational collaborations. Conflict appears to exist inherently when organisations cooperate together because each company operates with different goals, norms and values, which are vital considerations for successful business collaborations. Special attention, therefore, needs to be paid to gaining a grounded understanding of conflict in the context of virtual communication in the interorganisational business collaborations of today. This research draws on fieldwork carried out over five months, using a multiple-case study approach, involving four cases of inter-organisational collaborations between a large high-tech corporation in Taiwan and its four supplier companies in Korea. In addition, participant observation was employed as the main method of data collection in this study, which allowed for this researcher to gain rich data in a direct way. The collected data included daily logs based on observations, in addition to interviews and documentation. This resulted in an extensive amount of useful information being gathered, which was analysed, categorised, interpreted, and summarised in relation to theory generalisation. In this inter-organisational research setting, it was found that three patterns of interorganisational conflict, namely: business strategic conflict, cultural conflict and organisational process conflict interact to influence participants’ communication media selection and, in turn, conflict is influenced by the selected media. Moreover, it was found that conflict is expressed in email communication in a stylised way that is significantly different from spoken conversation and it could lead to conflict escalation and the subsequent termination of business collaboration. Based on the research findings, a comprehensive framework was established to describe and explain the interrelations between conflict transformation and computer-mediated communication (CMC) in inter-organisational collaborations.

This thesis is a political history of the trials of wartime collaborators in Norway after 1945. It offers a first scholarly investigation into the central actors behind these trials, looking at the ways in which Norwegian authorities planned, implemented and interpreted the 'reckoning' with wartime collaborators between 1941 and 1964. In doing so, it evaluates the broader political purposes the trials served, how these changed over time, and the mechanisms that brought about these changes. The analysis distinguishes between 'internal' and 'external' influences on the trials. 'Internal' influences are understood to be both the inherent doctrinal and institutional limitations of the law, as well as the personal and political convictions found within the authorities that governed the trials. 'External' influences meanwhile constitute the broader public attitudes and debates surrounding the trials in politics, the media and civil society. This thesis therefore seeks to deepen our understanding of the trials in two ways. Firstly, it goes beyond existing scholarship by focusing not on questions of 'morality' and 'justice', but instead on competing institutional dynamics and political representations of legitimacy and authority. Secondly, unlike most previous scholarship, it provides an encompassing account of the policy decisions underlying the trials by looking at the full timespan of the Norwegian authorities' administrative engagement with them, from their initial conceptualisation to the handling of their legacy. Thereby, individual decisions and events can be seen in relation to one another, allowing us to understand what purposes the trials served at different stages of their implementation, and how legal and administrative measures related to their political purposes. In response to previous scholarship on the trials, this thesis argues that the driving agent of the trials was not the static agenda of any one institution or group, but that their final shape was the result of the complex interaction of demands for legal consistency with a rapidly changing political and social context, both at the national and the international level.

Governments in both advanced and emerging markets invest heavily into joint R&D projects to facilitate inter-firm collaboration and scientific productivity. As a science-based cluster, nanotechnology is a highly R&D-intensive field with very complex interdisciplinary features that enables multiple interactions between scientists from diverse cultural backgrounds working for multi-faceted organizations across public and private sectors and through internationally regulated borders. In this thesis, I examine the main determinants of the dimensions of inter-firm collaboration in high-tech industries particularly among nanotechnology R&D organisations across Europe. Also, I investigate the key factors that influence the innovation, financial and exit performance of nanotech companies during the commercialisation period and across 15 developed and developing countries, taking into consideration the involvement of venture capital (VC) firms. In order to methodically integrate the qualitative and quantitative features of my research study, I employed mixed method to analyse primary and secondary data collected via survey instruments and comprehensive databases; to gain valuable insights into the complexities around nanotech R&D organisations. The regression results show that a predictable legal system; a high level of tolerance for uncertainty; the proximity to key partners; a high level of export demand for high-tech products; and expansionary economic policies, leads to highly valuable and long-term relationships which produces optimal partnership size with an effective organizational structure. I find that a high financial status of nanotech firms equips R&D project managers with sufficient tangible and intangible resources to engage into complex collaborative partnerships which yield innovative performing outcomes. Also, I find that nanotech R&D firms that exit venture capital investments via IPO are more likely to have their head offices in a big city; and access foreign capital to expand manufacturing operations. I conclude that the successful commercialisation of nanotechnology industries across the globe has been due to the substantial R&D public expenditures and private investments into the application and proliferation of nanotechnologies in key converging scientific fields which require robust inter-firm collaborative partnerships to rapidly develop and promote several portfolios of high-tech products that continually satisfy consumer needs in disruptive ways and secure long-term profitability for nanotech R&D organisations.

Background: In 2009, midwifery became a regulated profession and was integrated into the delivery of perinatal health care in Nova Scotia at three model sites. The integration process was challenging for health care providers, and particularly for midwives and nurses, who have different scopes of practice, yet similar roles and skills. Little is known about how midwives and nurses collaborate. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore collaboration between midwives and nurses in Nova Scotia, Canada. Methodology: This research was conducted as an instrumental case study, guided by Stake's approach for qualitative case study research. Intersectional feminist poststructuralism (IFPS) provided the theoretical perspective to explore concepts of; power, discourse, and gender, as they related to collaboration between midwives and nurses. Individual, one on one interviews with 17 participants were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Twenty-five documents were reviewed, and field notes were maintained. Feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings: Four main themes were identified; 1) Negotiating Roles and Practices: ‘Every Nurse is Different, Every Midwife is Different, Every Birth is Different’, 2) Sustaining relationships: ‘The more we can just build relationships with one another’, 3) Reconciling Systemic Tensions: The Medical Model and the Midwifery Model, 4) Moving forward: A Modern Model for Nurses and Midwives Working Together. Discussion and Implications: This study illustrated the potential for building more collaborative teams of midwives and nurses in Nova Scotia, and in Canada. Midwives and nurses in Nova Scotia are positioned to demonstrate leadership in a midwife and nurse led birthing model of care that works. More research, leadership, government funding and support is needed to implement this model of care. Conclusion: The findings of this study can be used to build sustainable, collaborative, equitably distributed midwifery (and birthing) services in Nova Scotia, and throughout Canada.

Throughout this study, I investigate the interaction that occurs between a parent and her child when creating a collaborative drawing. The purpose of this study is to find ways in which to change common images of children and their capabilities in forming and making decisions, problem solving and communication skills, and imaginative story telling abilities. This research seeks to answer some of the following questions: In what ways are children and adults influenced by the child taking ownership of the artmaking experience and how does giving the child ownership and control over the experience change the experience for the adult? I observe two mothers as they collaborate with their young sons (ages 3 and 4) to create a drawing, discuss their experience with them and analyze their final images. Utilizing these methods, I uncover common themes and ideas about the view that adults have of children and ways of shifting these ideas of power and control over to children. I provide my recommendations and implications for the field of early childhood art education and offer a guide for parents when working with their young children.

No ambiente urbano regido pela lógica capitalista são raros os momentos para estreitar laços, fazer novas amizades e usufruir de conversas pela simples satisfação que momentos como esses proporcionam. A sociabilidade, no sentido que lhe é atribuído por Georg Simmel, é dificultada pelos imperativos da vida moderna que resultam de uma lógica na qual as relações humanas são permeadas pela economia monetária. Tendo em vista que a sociabilidade é uma necessidade humana, as pessoas se organizam de maneira a contornar o isolamento produzido pela cidade capitalista. O objetivo dessa dissertação é investigar à luz das contribuições teóricas do sociólogo alemão, o modo pelo qual as pessoas organizam espaços que oportunizam momentos de compartilhamento e convivência fraterna no ambiente urbano. Por meio de uma abordagem qualitativa, tomamos o Projeto Vizinhança (PV) como objeto de investigação empírica e utilizamos entrevistas semi-estruturadas e pesquisa exploratória como técnicas de obtenção de dados. O PV é um coletivo aberto que ativa espaços ociosos transformando-os, por tempo determinado, em palcos para que as pessoas se conheçam, troquem experiências e compartilhem ideias enquanto realizam inúmeras atividades. Com o auxílio da análise de conteúdo foi possível verificar que iniciativas como o PV contribuem para amenizar o isolamento na vida urbana na medida em que atende à necessidade de sociabilidade que o capitalismo tardio não proporciona. / In the urban environment governed by the capitalist logic, there are few moments to strengthen ties, to make new friends and to enjoy conversations for the simple satisfaction that moments like these provide. Sociability, in the sense attributed to it by Georg Simmel, is hampered by the imperatives of modern life which result from a logic in which human relations are permeated by monetary economy. Given that sociability is a human need, people organize themselves in such a way as to avoid this isolation produced by the capitalist city. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate in the light of the theoretical contributions of the German sociologist, the way in which people organize spaces that provide opportunities for sharing and fraternal coexistence in the urban environment. Through a qualitative approach, we take the Neighborhood Project (PV) as an object of empirical research and use semi-structured interviews and exploratory research as data collection techniques. The PV is an open collective that activates idle spaces by transforming them, for a determined time, into places for people to get to meet each other, exchange experiences and share ideas while doing many activities. With the help of content analysis, it was possible to verify that initiatives such as the PV contribute to soften the isolation in urban life insofar.

Managing information effectively is crucial for improving processes within organisations. To this end, a more holistic approach is required which aligns the organisations information and technology needs with its people, processes and business model. This should shift the emphasis from collaborating on individual projects to a long term view of how best to support an organisation s business strategy. It also shifts the emphasis from managing information (storing information to exploit it) to managing with information (harnessing information to gain competitive advantage across the organisation). This thesis is the culmination of a four year EngD research critically investigating improvements in the effectiveness of Information Management (IM) in construction industry based organisations. It begins with an introduction to the research, its aims and objectives, and then presents a detailed review of related literature about the subject matter and the methodology employed in conducting the research. The eight research tasks carried out using extensive, varied and appropriate methods including literature reviews, case studies, interviews, surveys and workshops are then explained based upon which a number of key recommendations are drawn. The findings define IM as distinct from Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) and provide a critical insight into IM in construction industry based organisations including its strategic drivers, key influencers and barriers. It further highlights the four components of a holistic approach to IM as: The Content Model - the nature and structure of the content including metadata; The Enterprise Model - operational structure of the company including its business processes and information dependent activities; Systems and Technology - the most appropriate technological solutions in light of the defined content and enterprise models; and Implementation and Change Management - support for people and managing the transition into improved ways of working. The findings show that a clear alignment between an organisations information needs and its operational processes is key to developing and implementing an effective IM strategy. It shows that a unified approach is more appropriate for organisations than a single approach as certain multi-dimensional context specific factors exist which influence the nature of each organisations needs and therefore most suitable solutions to address them. The findings also demonstrate the importance of metadata in integrating organisations and enabling a holistic IM Strategy. A standard IM framework is developed and validated which provides a structured and systematic approach for organisations seeking to develop suitable metadata standards to meet their needs. The holistic approach applied to a number of case studies provides novel insights into the use of metadata in information retrieval; the development of aligned information architecture and the creation of holistic strategies for improving knowledge sharing and innovation. The thesis concludes with a critical review of the research and a number of key recommendations for organisations, IM research and the wider construction industry. All the findings and insights have been and continue to be disseminated through a number of peer reviewed publications.

The intention of this study is to examine whether leadership and collaboration can explain success in crisis management, and if so to what extent and how. A hypothesis presented in previous research, suggesting that leadership and collaboration are key to successful crisis management, is applied and tested. The management of the terror attack in Stockholm in April 2017 was deemed successful and serves as a case of successful crisis management for the hypothesis to be tested on.The findings in this study suggest that although several organisations and actors were part of the crisis response the police were viewed as the main leader to whom other actors and the public turned for confirmation. Additionally, the thesis finds that the collaboration between similar actors, or actors with similar tasks, is of particular importance rather than all actors being involved in the collaboration. Conclusively, the result of this study suggests that fortunate circumstances were also a key to success in this case.