Includes appendices. Bibliography: p. 141-147.

Author's name appears as Lam Lai Fong Janna on front cover. Bibliography: leaves 117-120.

The study focuses on the relationships between nomads, the government and the natural resource base of Iran as a problematical situation. The research approach adopted was action-oriented with an emphasis on the process of development through the integration of theory with practice in a critical learning system designed to improve the situation and emphasising the significance of systemic thinking and acting.The underlying rationale for the approach is that the relatively limited achievements in nomadic development and natural conservation to date stem from the fact that policies are: (a) based on a reductionist view point and analysis, which separates theory from practice, and neglects the diversity, complexity and recursiveness of the different dimensions of nomadic life; and (b) developed on the basis of government perceptions of the nature of the issues confronting nomads rather than on the basis of shared concerns with the nomads themselves. There were three phases of fieldwork which, when taken together, represent what might be termed a system of systemic research methodologies. The first phase of the fieldwork was an attempt to explore the problematic situation from the point of view of particular group of nomads and government agents. The second phase of research turned to an action-oriented approach to establish the process of conversation and mutual recognition and accommodation of change among ‘clients’ and the researcher as facilitator to help each group of participants (nomads and government) to understand their own position and worldviews, to help each group of participants to recognise and appreciate differences in their positions, perceptions, and to establish a framework for action and improving the situation within each group could benefit in a reciprocal manner. The third phase of research focused on the learning organisation as a strategy to improve relationships. The recursive nature of the research, both in terms of relationship between theory and practice and also its three phases, is reflected in the structure of the thesis. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Environmentalists see the protest against the Jabiluka uranium mine in Australia's Northern Territory as an example of positive green-black relations. The formation of an alliance between Aboriginal owners and greens to protest against the mine resulted in a lengthy campaign that included maintaining a camp near the leasesite and organising a long series of mass protest actions in a remote location over an extended period from March to October 1998. However, some tensions between greens and the traditional Aboriginal owners became evident as the campaign went on. This thesis traces the origins of these tensions to past conflicts between environmentalists and Aboriginal people and shows that they are largely related to their conflicting perceptions of the environment. Those perceptions arise from different knowledge systems and are encapsulated in the terms 'wilderness' and 'country', used to describe the physical world by environmentalists and Aboriginal owners respectively. I discuss the attitudes towards the environment that accompany those perceptions and consider the way they were manifest in some of the tensions that arose at Jabiluka. The close relationship between influential strands of environmentalism and Western science is a related source of conflict. My analysis of that relationship shows that environmentalism, via 'green science' is more closely aligned with the developmentalist worldview than the Aboriginal worldview. The thesis is an analytical reflection upon the Jabiluka Protesters' Camp based on the personal experience I gained from my fieldwork there and informed by the literature of feminism, ecofeminism, social constructionism and anthropology. I discuss the manifestations of ecofeminism I observed at Jabiluka. I argue that the Jabiluka Protesters' Camp functioned successfully because it utilised ecofeminist principles and practices, that as a consequence the relationship between greens and blacks has been strengthened and therefore that ecofeminism can continue to have a positive effect on those relations in the future.

Life was difficult in Te Wai Pounamu before European contact. Food collecting had to return more calories than were expended in the efforts of acquisition. Areas where food was available were conserved as well as enhanced and were exploited seasonally in such a way as to optimise each season's take. It is suggested that the absence of kumera cultivations south of the Opihi river, prior to the introduction of the potato towards the end of the 18th Century, was clearly reflected in Maori life-style and social structure. Hapu were resource based rather than regional, and the resources of various hapu might be intermingled over a wide area or indeed, in some cases, shared (see: Anderson, 1980). The "orthodox" view (Anderson, 1980, etc.) is one of "Hunters and Gatherers" who exploit available resources. I argue that the resources were, in fact, managed with a view to sustainable and optimal harvests in the future. I shall apply Harris' (1987:75) optimal foraging theory in an endeavour to show that there are signs of the quality of life as a result of a low per capita human energy input into food production. This is principally evidenced by the foods eaten just for pleasure (kai rehia) and the time available for optional activities. Accordingly, kai and the practices to control them differed from the often better documented food resources of more Northern parts of Te Wai Pounamu and Aotearoa. Nevertheless, the absence of horticulture in the south and the concomitant peripatetic life-style did not result in a lack of stewardship of resources. Based substantially on the analysis of a series of mahika kai lists, collected from elders early in the contact period, and details of traditional practices that have been handed down, this thesis argues that by 1780, when Captain Cook introduced European goods, southern Kai Tahu had in place effective procedures and practices for the sustainable use of renewable resources.

This thesis describes the sections in the Resource Management Act 1991 of particular relevance for nga Iwi Maori and assesses how well these facilitate involvement for Maori in the management of New Zealand�s resources. The method of assessment used is one of comparison between the schemes and philosophies of 1991 Act, and the active involvement of Maori in decision-making for their resources which is requires by Article ii of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi). Part i describes the Maori world view of the environment and outlines the Treaty of Waitangi and its relevance to resource management law. Part ii describes the purpose and principles contained in sections 5, 6(e), 7(a), and 8 of the 1991 Act. Chapter Three provides an overview of the relationship between the purpose and principles. Chapter Four discusses the purpose in section 5 and proclaims that the inclusion of sustainability as a purpose in resource management legislation is advantageous in terms of the indirect furtherance of Maori conservation aspirations for the enviroment. It also describes how the cultural wellbeing of Maori has been interpreted to be an express part of the purpose of the Act. Chapter Five provides an analysis of section 6(e) which makes the relationship of Maori and their culture and traditions with their taonga a matter of national importance under the Act. Chapter Six describes section 7(a) and kaitiakitanga which must be given particular regard under the Act. Chapter Seven discusses section 8 and the content and meaning of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Part ii concludes that while the facilitation of Maori involvement in the management and protection of natural and physical resources is improved under this Act, these sections are an insufficient safeguard for Maori interests. Part iii assesses the other sections in the Act which have a bearing on Maori involvement in resource management processes. Chapter Eight explores the planning system. Chapter Nine describes the resource consent processes in the 1991 Act. Chapter Ten comments on various procedural provisions which introduce tikanga Maori into the Act, and Chapter Eleven is devoted to exploring the sections in the Act which in the writer�s opinion provide the most potential for recognition of rangatiratanga in a limited form. This Part proclaims that the emphasis in the Act is very much on consultation with nga Iwi Maori as an effective means for their involement in resource management. It is submitted that this is not the active participation in decision-making that Maori seek and which is guaranteed under Article ii of the Treaty of Waitangi. Chapter Twelve acknowledges that involvement of nga Iwi Maori in processes under the 1991 Act will rely to some extent on the content of policy statements and plans produced by the local authorities. An analysis of the Proposed Otago Regional Policy Statement is undertaken to explore how the concerns of Kai Tahu have been incorporated into the statement. Chapter Thirteen ends by concluding that while the 1991 Act does provide for increased Maori involvement in resource management processes in New Zealand it does not facilitate the decision-making role guaranteed by Article ii of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Bibliography: leaves 103-105.

The Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (OYCC) is a youth work program created by the Oregon Legislature in 1987. The OYCC provides both summer and year-round employment programs primarily for disadvantaged and at-risk youth. The legislatively defined purpose of the OYCC is to protect, conserve, and improve the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the state, and to increase the education, training, and employment opportunities for participating youth. In addition, youth are given the opportunity to improve work skills and work-related social skills, develop the work ethic, and increase employability. The OYCC's impact on Oregon's resources, such as the improvements made to parks and the enhancement of public recreation areas, has been well documented. What has not been methodically studied are the outcomes of OYCC participation on youths' work skills, social skills, employability, and educational goals. This study examined participant outcomes for 400 of the over 600 youth enrolled in OYCC 1996 summer programs. Summer programs operate in nearly all of Oregon's 36 counties, and programs vary in length from 5 weeks to 10 weeks duration. Crew sizes vary from 4 to 10 participants, and are led by an adult crew leader. Pretest surveys were completed by participants and crew leaders at the beginning of each program. Participants and crew leaders completed posttest surveys again at the end of each program. Retrospective (post-then pre) pretests were also used. Measures were adopted from a Colorado State University evaluation of Youth Conservation Corps (Johnson, Driver, Ross, & Shikiar, 1982) These measures assessed changes in work skills, work-related social skills, educational goals, and potential for future employability. Data were analyzed to determine if outcomes of OYCC participation varied by program length, residential status, or participants' risk status. Investigator-designed measures were used to obtain demographic data. Both the traditional pretest-post test and the retrospective pretest methodologies revealed significant increases in participants' work competence and skills, work attitudes and behaviors, and comfort with diversity among co-workers. Increases were most significant among higher risk youth. Residential programs were particularly effective. Suggestions for future evaluation development and implementation are made. / Graduation date: 1998

Operations strategies, whether prompted by competitive or regulatory forces, can greatly impact firm performance. While operations strategies cover a wide spectrum of issues - supply chain management, technology choice, capacity allocation, etc. - this dissertation focuses on two such issues, namely, sustainability and product development. The thesis comprises three essays. The first essay (Chapter 2) examines a regulatory aspect of sustainability strategy, product take-back, a form of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). With a stylized model, we analyze the trade-offs between assigning full responsibility for product recovery to a single echelon in a multi-echelon supply chain versus sharing responsibility between echelons. We demonstrate how the sharing of EPR program costs between the echelons can move the supply chain closer to the coordinated profit benchmark. The second essay (Chapter 3) examines a voluntary aspect of sustainability from an empirical perspective. We investigate the impact from various types of corporate environmental initiatives and environmental awards and certifications on the market value of the firm. We find that the market is selective in reacting to environmental performance, with certain types of initiatives and awards even valued negatively. The third essay (Chapter 4) is an empirical examination of the shareholder value effects that result from the restructuring of firms' product development activities. We find that, on average, the stock market reacts positively to product development restructuring, and that the reaction is dependent on the firm's prior financial performance, restructuring objective, R&D expenditures, and size.

This dissertation identifies the average treatment effect of state level incentives for hybrid vehicles, identifies individual-level predictors of early adopters, and attempts to understand why states adopt these incentives. These questions are estimated using traditional parametric techniques, logistic regression, difference-in-difference regression, and fixed effects. In particular, this dissertation looks at changes in aggregate demand on two comparison groups: (1) the natural control group, states that did not adopt subsidies, and (2) a constructed control group, states that proposed subsidies during this same time period but did not adopt them. In addition to these parametric models, propensity score matching was used to construct a third comparison group using the models that identified determinants of the policy adoption. These findings were supplemented by exploratory analyses using the individual-level National Household Travel Survey. This multitude of evaluative analyses shows that HOV lane exemptions, if implemented in places with high traffic congestion, were found to impact aggregate demand and an individual's propensity to adopt a hybrid, while traditional incentives had limited impact. These analyses provide insight into why states adopt certain policies and the circumstances in which these incentives are effective. Since people may be motivated by factors other than economic factors, creating effective incentives for energy efficiency technologies may be more challenging than just offsetting the price differential. Instead, customization to the local community's characteristics could help increase the efficacy of such policies.