Problem: On the basis of the franchisees role and how he look up on his role in his business, should one like the Swedish Law applies characterize the franchisees role as the role of a contractor? Purpose: The purpose with this research is too survey the franchisee in his business and how he looks upon his role as a franchisee and see if this like the Swedish Law states be characterized as the role of a contractor. Methodology: By doing a proportional stratified selection within the the Swedish Franchising community, nine semi structured interviews has been made. The empirical foundation of these interviews has been concentrated and analysed with the support of the chosen theories. The result of the analysis has created the conclusion. Theoretical perspectives: The research is built up of three angels of approach; the role, the business and the economy within the franchisee and the contractor. The three approaches aim too illustrate the role of the franchisee, the franchisees role in the business and the economical effects in franchising. The approaches that are being used is not theories but models of standards. Empirical foundation: The empirical foundation of the study is consisting of the answers of the nine franchisees. They have been contracted to Gallerix, MakeUpStore, SpecsaversBlic, Subway och 7 – Eleven. Analysis / Result: The study lead to an extension of the chosen theories. Similarities and differences has been identified and analysed. These are the base and the ground for the conclusion. Conclusion: The franchisee should not be named contractor like the Swedish Law applies with the focus on the role, business and economy. / Problem: Utifrån franchisetagares roll och hur denne ser på sin roll i sin affärsverksamhet, bör man som i juridisk aspekt karaktärisera franchisetagarens roll som den av en egenföretagares eller är denna roll av annan karaktär? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att kartlägga franchisetagaren i sin affärsverksamhet samt hur de själva ser på sin roll och om denna roll kan likt juridiska aspekter karaktäriseras som egenföretagare. Metod: Genom ett proportionellt stratifierat urval via Svenska Franchiseföreningen har det genomförts nio stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den framkomna empirin har sedan sammanställts och analyserats med stöd av den valda teorin. Resultatet av analysen har slutligen mynnat ut i slutsatsen för studien. Teori: Undersökningen är uppbyggd kring tre infallsvinklar som ser till rollen, verksamheten och ekonomin hos franchisetagaren och egenföretagaren. De tre infallsvinklarna belyser rollen franchisetagare, franchisetagarens roll i verksamheten och den ekonomiska effekten kring franchise. De infallsvinklar som används är inga teorier utan modeller för vardera område. Empiri: Studiens empiri är en sammanställning från de nio intervjuer som genomförts, de intervjuade har varit franchisetagare till Gallerix, MakeUpStore, SpecsaversBlic, Subway och 7 – Eleven. Analys/Resultat: Studien har lett fram till en utvidgning av de valda teorierna. Likheter och skillnader har identifierats och behandlats. Dessa har sedan lagt grund för slutsatsen. Slutsats: Franchisetagare bör inte benämnas egenföretagare likt juridisk mening med avseende på rollen, verksamheten och ekonomin.

With issues such as energy crises, climate change and environmental degradation becoming evermore prevalent on national and international levels, industrialized societies are beginning to take heed of the impact they are having on the natural environment and we are beginning to see movements towards socially and environmentally responsible decision-making. With the impact that buildings have on the environment, it is important to understand what barriers are preventing or slowing investment in socially and environmentally responsible property. The present study was conducted to determine whether LEED certification has a significant impact on the market value of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario – value determined by the average net asking rent for each building. For some 68 subject and control buildings, we matched information on the net asking rent for 16 LEED certified (subject) buildings to 52 otherwise comparable properties (control buildings). Using ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis, we looked to find what relationship exists between net asking rent and the LEED label. Controlling for other variables historically shown to have an impact on property value, we expected the results of this study to determine whether there is a business case for LEED certification in the downtown Toronto office market. The results of the study have shown that LEED certification has had no impact on the market value of the sample of office buildings in Toronto. This is a surprising result, given the growth in the number of LEED buildings in Canada, but interviews with three senior executives in the industry have helped to provide insight into this trend. It seems that with time LEED will likely have an impact in this market, but it hasn‘t arrived yet.

With issues such as energy crises, climate change and environmental degradation becoming evermore prevalent on national and international levels, industrialized societies are beginning to take heed of the impact they are having on the natural environment and we are beginning to see movements towards socially and environmentally responsible decision-making. With the impact that buildings have on the environment, it is important to understand what barriers are preventing or slowing investment in socially and environmentally responsible property. The present study was conducted to determine whether LEED certification has a significant impact on the market value of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario – value determined by the average net asking rent for each building. For some 68 subject and control buildings, we matched information on the net asking rent for 16 LEED certified (subject) buildings to 52 otherwise comparable properties (control buildings). Using ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis, we looked to find what relationship exists between net asking rent and the LEED label. Controlling for other variables historically shown to have an impact on property value, we expected the results of this study to determine whether there is a business case for LEED certification in the downtown Toronto office market. The results of the study have shown that LEED certification has had no impact on the market value of the sample of office buildings in Toronto. This is a surprising result, given the growth in the number of LEED buildings in Canada, but interviews with three senior executives in the industry have helped to provide insight into this trend. It seems that with time LEED will likely have an impact in this market, but it hasn‘t arrived yet.

This thesis explores the fields of contracting and competence agencies. Itfocuses on the relationship between contractors and their agencies, and aims toidentify the expectations that contractors have on competence agencies and theactivities that can be undertaken by the agencies in order to improve andstrengthen the relation. A case study was made of a Danish competence agencyand of the contractors within its network. The qualitative part of the studyincluded interviews with five contractors and a questionnaire directed to theorganization. From the conclusions of the qualitative study and relevant theories,a set of hypotheses were formulated. The quantitative part consisted of a surveythat was sent out to the contractors in the network. The survey aimed to test thehypotheses and the results from the survey were analysed in Excel.The conclusions that were drawn from the outcome of the quantitative studywere that contractors join agencies because of the access to big companies thatare granted by agencies, because they do not have time to promote themselvesso they need someone to do it for them and because of the possibility to createnetworks and that contractors join more than one agency because they do notbelieve that one agency alone can supply them with full time occupation.Further on, it was also concluded that certain HRM as well as SHRM activitieshad a positive impact on the relationship, and that employer brandingstrengthened the bonds between the contractors and the competence agency.

Šiame magistro baigiamajame darbe mėginama sisteminiu požiūriu atskleisti, ištirti ir įvertinti rangos sutarties sampratos ir dalyko požymius, šios sutarties šalių, bei jų teisių ir pareigų teisinio reglamentavimo, įtvirtinto LR CK, įstatymuose bei teismų praktikoje, sąlygotas teorines ir ypač praktines problemas. Darbe analizuojami esminiai rangos sutarties požymiai ir turinio sąlygos, dėl jų įgyvendinimo, kylantys praktiniai klausimai. Akcentuojama, jog rangos sutarties šalys įgyvendindamos savo teises ir pareigas, kurios yra priešpriešinio pobūdžio, privalo bendradarbiauti. Rangos sutarties subjektinė sudėtis nagrinėjama, atsižvelgiant į užsakovo ir rangovo sutartinių santykių ypatumus. Taip pat aptariami klausimai, kylantys dėl subrangos sutarties šalių teisių ir įsipareigojimų pasiskirstymo bei atsakomybės, susijusios su nepakankama subrangovo darbų kontrole, ribų. / The purpose of this article is to introduce problematical questions of legal regulation of independent work contract parties, their rights and obligations. The author has analyzed special legal literature and concentrates on problems determinate of legal regulation of Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania. The article also provides for the review of conditions of independent work contract prepared by FIDIC and recommended for general use in case of engineering and building construction contracts. Independent work contractor is responsible for the means and methods to be used in the construction of the project in accordance with the contract of independent work agreement. General independent work contractor involves subcontractors to fill in the additional areas of work. In the author’s point of view contracting parties are fully obligated cooperate and be carefully performing the work under contract. A separate part of the article analyses certain aspects of particular rights and obligations of contracting parties. The contractor is obligated to take all necessary measures to ensure that the result of works satisfies regulations containing essential requirements and standards of quality established under the contract. Moreover, the contractor is responsible for damages that occur as a result of the contractor’s fault, and he is obligated to protect property of customer. Therefore, the article tries to analyze the customer’s obligation to take the result of work from... [to full text]

With issues such as energy crises, climate change and environmental degradation becoming evermore prevalent on national and international levels, industrialized societies are beginning to take heed of the impact they are having on the natural environment and we are beginning to see movements towards socially and environmentally responsible decision-making. With the impact that buildings have on the environment, it is important to understand what barriers are preventing or slowing investment in socially and environmentally responsible property. The present study was conducted to determine whether LEED certification has a significant impact on the market value of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario – value determined by the average net asking rent for each building. For some 68 subject and control buildings, we matched information on the net asking rent for 16 LEED certified (subject) buildings to 52 otherwise comparable properties (control buildings). Using ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis, we looked to find what relationship exists between net asking rent and the LEED label. Controlling for other variables historically shown to have an impact on property value, we expected the results of this study to determine whether there is a business case for LEED certification in the downtown Toronto office market. The results of the study have shown that LEED certification has had no impact on the market value of the sample of office buildings in Toronto. This is a surprising result, given the growth in the number of LEED buildings in Canada, but interviews with three senior executives in the industry have helped to provide insight into this trend. It seems that with time LEED will likely have an impact in this market, but it hasn‘t arrived yet.

This thesis is concerned with the development of small scale contractors in developing countries. The global trend towards privatisation has led to an increasing interest in the use of the private sector for the construction of buildings and infrastructure. In developing countries large projects are typically undertaken by large foreign contractors however, there are few small scale contractors to undertake small construction projects or maintenance work. The first stage of the study investigated three issues pertinent to the small scale contracting sector: 1. The problems experienced by small scale contractors and the inter-relationship of these problems 2. Contractor development projects to identify their support mechanisms and assess their level of success 3. A review of the construction industry framework in developed and developing countries to highlight the problems caused by their different structures. The second stage of the study proposes the use of a Contractor Support Agency as the most appropriate support mechanism for the development of the indigenous contracting sector and outlines the roles and activities that should be undertaken by the agency. The Contractor Support Agency model is reviewed by experts in the sector and the analysis of the results presented in the thesis. The thesis concludes that the proposed model is broadly correct and discusses small modifications that can be made to enhance its suitability in a range of different situations.

The mass decline in agricultural labour in Britain since the industrial revolution has, ultimately, led to it becoming a significant ‘blind spot’ in the agricultural research agenda. Data regarding those who actively work at the ‘frontline’ of agriculture, and how they interrelate with other agents in their network to achieve multiple national and global agendas, is minimal. This thesis contributes and develops a comprehensive body of knowledge concerning the composition of labour on farms in the South West of England, as well as identifying and exploring contemporary relationships between farm labour contributors, the community; and the land, through the examination of the lived experience of different contributors to agricultural labour. These changes are considered under the lens of agriculture’s ever-encroaching challenges of productivity, labour skills shortages and sustainable intensification. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, incorporating a postal survey of 1251 farms, as well as 45 semi-structured interviews with farm labour contributors via a case study approach. Quantitative data provides a useful picture of those contributing to labour on farms in the South West of England, and brings attention to associated labour issues experienced by farmers. Qualitative data fleshes out these results with the guidance of Actor Network Theory. The concept of the lifescape is utilised to achieve this most pictorially while principles from the Human Capability Framework are applied to weaknesses in network chains that were revealed during the research process. Results reveal how new worker profiles have arisen from the increasingly flexible labour market, with contractors exposed as playing a progressively more crucial role to the survival of the industry. Due to an impending labour crisis, rapid technological development, and disparities in knowledge between farmers and other labour contributors, relationships of independence and interdependence between the various cohorts were discovered. Multiple actors within the lifescape of the farm labour contributor mean that clear distinctions cannot be made between farm, land, nature and community, with no single element more important than the other in the playing out of behaviours. Similarly, that same array of actors is seen to contribute significantly to the capacities, opportunities and freedoms available to farm labour contributors, and where a match between the two fails, substantial issues can be seen to arise. The research makes a valuable contribution to rural sociology through understanding the lifescape of the farm worker from the ground up. Overall, it addresses the importance of incorporating farm workers and contributors into the agricultural and more specifically, the sustainable intensification research agenda, particularly emphasising the importance of agricultural research and policy-making parameters being inclusive of all individuals who actively contribute to the land, rather than exclusive.

abstract: Qualifications based selection (QBS) of construction services uses a variety of criteria to evaluate proponents and select a contractor for the project. The criteria typically fall into three categories: past performance and technical capability, key personnel, and price, with price often being considered the most important factor in selection. Evaluation and the merits of the key personnel category is not well described or discussed in research. Prior research has investigated the evaluation criteria elements and their ability to differentiate proponents. This case study uses QBS evaluation data from fifty-eight construction projects to show that use of a structured interview process provides the highest level of differentiation of qualifications of proponents, as compared to the proposed price and the technical proposal. The results of the analysis also indicate: 1) the key personnel element (the interview) is statistically more important than price, 2) Contractors who propose on projects using QBS should use their best people in proposal response, and 3) Contractors should educate/prepare their teams for interviews, people count. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction 2014

Bruttoavverkningen har accelererat de senaste decennierna och i takt med detta har kraven inom skogsbruket ökat. Idag behöver en omfattande miljöhänsyn tas. Detta ställer även högre krav på entreprenörerna. För att entreprenörerna ska klara av att leva upp till kraven är det viktigt att beställaren av tjänsten överlämnar en arbetsinstruktion i samband med avropande av traktuppdrag. Denna arbetsinstruktion och arbetsorder skapas i form av ett traktdirektiv. Ett kvalitativt traktdirektiv betraktas vara viktigt för Fiskarhedens Trävaru AB och för deras entreprenörer. En fallstudie har genomförts för att utvärdera och beskriva företagets nuvarande traktdirektiv. Resultatet visar att dagens traktdirektiv stundtals är bristfälliga genom att de är dåligt ifyllda. Viktigt innehåll kommuniceras därmed ej som det behövs. Ett förslag på nytt, förbättrat traktdirektiv, där innehållet är tänkt att fyllas i bättre, har därför tagits fram. Med hjälp av detta traktdirektiv kan Fiskarheden upprätthålla ett hållbart skogsbruk. / Gross felling has accelerated in recent decades, and as a consequence, the requirements for forestry have increased. Today a comprehensive environmental consideration needs to be taken. This also imposes higher demands on the contractors. In order for contractors to be able to live up to the requirements, it is important that the customer of the service hands over a work instruction in connection to the removal of region assignments. This work instruction and work order is created in the form of a region directive. A qualitative region directive is considered important for Fiskarhedens Trävaru AB and for their contractors. A case study has been conducted to evaluate and describe the company's current region directive. The results show that the current region directive is sometimes inadequate due to that they are poorly completed. Important content is therefore not communicated as needed. A proposal of a new improved region directive, where the content is intended to be filled in better, has therefore been developed. With the help of this region directive, Fiskarheden can maintain sustainable forestry.