This study uses the English School theoretical perspective in investigating European Integration. The research aims to understand how the European Defence-Industrial integration affect the European integration. By mapping the European Defence industrial block's political intention, and coupling it with the increased strength the block has received through the defence-industrial integration, the paper is able to conclude that the defence-industrial integration has led to the creation of a more integrated European defence-industrial society, that pressures the integration process-structure towards more politics of integration and cooperation.

This thesis explores the relationship variables of Western European defence-related SMEs when they cooperate with their competitors (coopetition). In particular, how do these various relationship variables affect these SMEs when partnering with competitors? Many researchers have examined partnering with competitors however, this concept has been widely overlooked in the Western European defence sector. The research proceeds as follows: 1. Qualitative research with five different defence-related SME manufacturers in Western Europe. 2. Perceptions and answers of our interviews were further analysed, and 3. the empirical data is interpreted to support our research findings. The study concludes that, based on the empirical data, the relationship variables that can affect negatively to the SMEs are customer power, political forces, SME size, and coopetition in the defence sector. Also, coopetition itself can affect a relationship in a positive way. Moreover, the political landscape plays a critical role, by acting as a force of intervention when partnering. Additionally, the lack of resources has a decisive role in the decision-making process when choosing to collaborate.

Dans ce travail de recherche nous nous intéressons à un objet particulier : la conception de lignées de services complexes. Nous étudions cet objet dans un contexte particulier lui aussi, celui de la Défense en Europe. Chacun de ces termes est porteur d’interrogations : que sont les services dans l’armement ? ; en quoi sont-ils complexes ? ; qu’est-ce qu’une lignée de service ? Ces services se caractérisent principalement par une durée de la relation s’inscrivant dans le temps long, de l’ordre de plusieurs décennies, sans commune mesure avec les services le plus souvent étudiés. La complexité de l’écosystème d’acteurs – mêlant public et privé – ainsi que celle intrinsèque aux produits et systèmes d’armement – systèmes de missiles, avions de combat, sous-marins nucléaires, etc. – contribuent également à l’originalité et la valeur de notre objet d’étude. La lignée, issue du monde de la conception innovante de produits, se caractérise sous deux dimensions en interaction : la succession de projets et l’accumulation des connaissances. Là encore, ces deux dimensions sont souvent absentes de la recherche sur les services. Dans l’optique de conception qui est la nôtre, les premières questions en appellent deux autres : comment représenter de tels services ? ; et comment organiser les fonctions de conception et notamment la création des connaissances nouvelles, innovantes, nécessaires à la co-conception et à la co-production du service par l’ensemble des acteurs ? Nous avons mené cette recherche au plus près du terrain. Intégré durant trois ans au sein d’un grand groupe Européen de défense (au titre d’une convention CIFRE), directement impliqué dans différents projets de conception de services innovants, nous avons été confronté d’un point de vue pratique autant que théorique à ces questions. Les travaux s’articulent autour de ces projets ainsi que d’une étude de cas comparative entre des projets de service de défense en France et au Royaume-Uni. À ce titre, le doctorant a effectué une période de six mois en tant que visiting PhD à l’Université de Cambridge. Quoi qu’ancrée dans un secteur particulier, notre recherche est porteuse d’enseignements à la portée plus générale pour la recherche comme pour les praticiens. À la fois Issu des cas et utilisé comme grille de lecture de ces mêmes cas, l’outil ReADy – pour Référentiel d’Analyse Dynamique de la valeur de service – est le principal apport conceptuel de nos travaux. Par la tension qu’il introduit entre ses deux composantes que sont le concept et le contrat, il contribue à représenter et concevoir la succession des projets de service. Par la notion de communauté d’apprentissage, en lien avec ReADy, nous mettons en lumière les principaux mécanismes de la création des connaissances nécessaires à la mise en place d’une lignée de services complexes. / In this research we look at a singular object: lineages of complex services design. We study this object in a context singular in itself, which is the European Defence Sector. Each of the above terms raises questions: what are services in the defence sector? What makes them complex? What is a service lineage? The services we look at are characterised by the duration of the relationship, to be counted in decades, without measure with the ones most commonly studied. The complexity of the ecosystem of actors – comprising public and private sectors – and that of the underlying products and systems – e.g. missiles systems, fighter aircrafts or nuclear submarines – also contribute to the originality and the value of the object of our research. The concept of lineage, rooted in the innovative design of products, is best described by the interplay between the succession of projects and the accumulation of knowledge. Here again, both dimension are most often overlooked in service research. In our perspective of service design, our first questions call for two others: how to describe such services? and how to organise the design functions in such manner that new knowledge is created and shared to allow co-design and co-production of the service by the whole ecosystem of actors?Our research was conducted in close proximity with the actual field. Fully integrated within the organisation of a major player in the European defence sector (as per a CIFRE convention), the researcher was hands-on with several innovative service design projects and confronted with the above questions on both theoretical and practical perspectives. These projects are at the heart of our research, together with a comparative case study of defence services in France and the United-Kingdom. To that effect, a six month visiting PhD period was conducted in the University of Cambridge.Although being rooted in a singular context, our research bears more general insights for academia and practitioners alike. Coming from the case material and used to shed light on it as well, our ‘Dynamic Analysis of service value Referential ‘, dubbed ReADy, is the main theoretical contribution of our work. By the tension it introduces between its two components – the concept and the contract – it contributes to the description and design of the successions of service projects. With the concept of ‘learning communities’, together with ReADy, we shed light on the main knowledge creation mechanisms at work when implementing a lineage of complex services.

Syfte - Precis som samhället i övrigt digitaliserar Försvarsmakten sin verksamhet i ökande grad. Det höjer förmågan men ökar riskerna för cyberangrepp. Som en av flera åtgärder introducerade därför Försvarsmakten personalkategorin cybersoldat. Syftet med denna studie är att utreda hur införandet av cybersoldater har hanterats inom Försvarsmaktens organisation och på vilket sätt det har påverkat cyberförsvarsförmågan.  Design/metod/approach - Studien är genomförd som en kvalitativ intervjustudie där respondenter från olika organisationsnivåer inom Försvarsmakten har gett sin syn på cybersoldatinförandet. Detta för att följa cybersoldatsrollen ur ett livscykelperspektiv från planeringsstadiet genom utbildningen och vidare mot karriären. Slutsatser – Resultatet av studien visar att strategin för uppbyggnaden av cyberförsvaret och cybersoldaternas roll inte är tillräckligt väl kommunicerad inom Försvarsmaktens organisation. Studien visar att det behövs ett livscykelperspektiv på cybersoldaternas kompetensutveckling som sträcker sig bortom värnplikten, vilket kan ses som ett paradigmskifte för hur Försvarsmakten normalt sett utbildar och hanterare krigsplacerad personal. / Purpose - Just like society in general, the Swedish Armed Forces are increasingly digitizing their operations. It increases capability but increases the risks of cyberattacks. As one of several measures, the Swedish Armed Forces therefore introduced the Cyber Soldier personnel category. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the introduction of cyber soldiers has been handled within the Swedish Armed Forces' organization and in what way it has affected cyber defence capability. Design/methodology/approach - The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study where respondents from different organizational levels gave their views on the cyber soldier introduction. This by following the cyber soldier role from a life cycle perspective from the planning stage through the education and on to the career. Findings - The findings of the study shows that the strategy for building up cyber defence and the role of cyber soldiers are not sufficiently well communicated within the Armed Forces. The study shows that there is a need for a life cycle perspective for cyber soldiers' competence development that extends beyond conscription, which can be seen as a paradigm shift for how the Armed Forces normally train and handle war-deployed personnel.

No description available.

1 Abstract Financial market regulation and tole of compliance function in the Czech Republic The topic of this diploma thesis is the evaluation of the current legislative regulation of financial markets in the Czech Republic, the principles of their regulation and related supervision. The next part of the work is devoted to the complex characteristics of the compliance function and the concept of corporate governance inextricably linked with it. The subject of the compliance function is comprehensively analysed in the work to define its scope and the regulations by which it is defined. Although the compliance function is present in many areas of business activities, this work is focused primarily on financial markets and specifically on banking. The first part of the thesis describes the characteristics of financial markets, the need for their regulation and supervision. The second part contains an analysis of legislative and non-legislative regulation of financial markets, both at the national, international and European Union level. Special attention is paid to the CNB and its efforts to mediate legal binding for non-legislative acts and the associated analysis of their enforceability. The third part of the thesis defines the content and activities of the compliance and corporate governance functions,...

This thesis is an attempt to understand the role of nuclear weapons in Britain's defence and foreign policies. It works from the assumption that decisions in relation to nuclear weapons, can only be understood in the context of a broader overview of the British state's policies since the 1940's. In turn Britain's nuclear policies have made a decisive impact on defence policy as a whole and have had an important effect on international developments. It is hoped that this thesis will contribute to a better-understanding of the causes and effects of the nuclear weapons policies adopted by the UK since the 19401s. The thesis will focus on the politics and political economy of nuclear weapons and British defence policy. This central concern has required that a number of other important aspects of the subject have been given only peripheral consideration. The thesis does not attempt to provide a detailed technological history of Britain's nuclear force. Nor is it intended to provide particular new insights on the nuclear decisionmaking process. Rather it seeks to explore the underlying factors which have shaped both the technology and the perceptions of decision-makers. There is no shortage of historical accounts of Britain's nuclear force. The unique contribution which it is hoped that this thesis makes, however, does not lie so much in its subject matter as in the way that this subject matter is approached. In my view that approach is sufficiently different from those of previous works in this area as to be both original and of some interest to other scholars in this field. / Rowntrees Memorial Trust

Yes / In human societies there will always be differences of views and interests. But the reality today is that we are all interdependent and have to coexist on this small planet. Therefore, the only sensible and intelligent way of resolving differences and clashes of interests, whether between individuals or nations, is through dialogue. The promotion of a culture of dialogue and nonviolence for the future of mankind is thus an important task of the international community. (His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in a speech to the “Forum 2000″ Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, September 4, 1997)

Yes / The purpose of a systematization is threefold. It is first and foremost a tool for self reflection and critical analysis by participants of a process. Secondly, it enables participants to adjust and plan better for the future, learning from past mistakes and problems. And finally, it informs non-participants and hopefully encourages them to get involved. Lisa Cumming has worked with these goals in mind to produce this systematization of a six year experiment in how a University can share concerns and pool skills with local communities to help build a better place for working and living. She has been assisted by many people who have come in and out of the PPC as their time and inclination permits over the years. In the appendix we have only listed the members of our steering and now advisory committees. Many others have nurtured this process on its way and created lively and sometimes tense debates about the role of the PPC. We thank them all for their contributions. Readers will note that this systematization is open and self critical. The PPC did not set out to solve the problems of Bradford District. Participants in our network do not have a ‘solution’ to take off the shelf for addressing the complex issues facing the communities of the District. These include the legacy of economic change and decline and the differential impact on the South Asian communities who came to work in the factories that have closed down, as well as problems in housing, education and employment. PPC participants see value in the partnerships to be forged through the network and the discussion of difficult topics. Above all the PPC is a commitment to building a way of talking about the divisions and differences within and between our communities, largely a legacy of our social and economic past, as a first step to finding shared solutions for the future. On the journey, we have had many difficult moments as PPC network participants have debated and reflected on ways forward. Our systematization has tried to convey the ups and downs of this journey. We have learnt how quickly trust erodes where there is little clear leadership from the local state. We have also learnt that lack of trust makes it very difficult to challenge and open debate. Our idea of ‘safe spaces’ has been taken up in the District by others. But we are very aware that Bradford people are still not comfortable in talking about issues such as ethnicity, religion, gender, diversity, inequality and racism in ways which could encourage the search for shared understandings and an end to all discrimination and oppressions. It is for this reason that Bradford District’s idea of building a ‘Shared Future’ will require, we think, much more effort to open up ways of exploring these issues which go deep into our individual lived experiences as well as that in our groups and collectivities. One of our tasks for the future, therefore, is to deepen this effort and the challenges it implies. We all need to confront and examine our assumptions towards each other and to acknowledge the legacy of social inequality, racism and gender discrimination on people’s sense of self worth. We need to recognize the power relationships amongst us all, and how we can be powerless in one relationship and use our power to dominate in other relationships. There are complex intellectual problems to be addressed, such as the unresolved debate around multiculturalism, cohesion, integration and interaction. The PPC is just one space in our District for this debate to take place. The debate is not in itself the solution to the material problems facing our many poor communities. But opening it is one way of democratizing the search for such solutions and ensuring that as many voices as possible participate in finding them.

Animal pollination represents one of the key innovations of the flowering plants, and constitutes an essential ecological service in most ecosystems. While pollinators are the main drivers of flower evolution, some floral traits are puzzling when viewed only in the context of this mutualistic interaction. In particular, the pollen of plants belonging to several families has spines or compounds with toxic effects on insects. Little is known about the causes and consequences of these enigmatic floral traits. Yet, pollen defences might play an important role in pollination given that pollen is the main source of food of the principal pollinators in most ecosystems: bees. My thesis investigates why plants sometimes have seemingly defended pollen and how these putative defences affect host-plant use by bees. Given the potential role of flower-colonizing microbes in pollination, I also investigate the potential for these microorganisms to influence flower evolution. I found that pollinators are unlikely to act as potential agents of selection on the concentration of defence compounds in the pollen of Lupinus argenteus. Rather, physiological spillover or pleiotropy from tissues highly defended against herbivores might be responsible for a baseline level of defence compounds in pollen, while such compounds could also mediate the interaction between plants and pollen-colonizing microbes. However, I did not find evidence that flower-colonizing microbes drive the evolution of floral traits in an experimental study. I also found that pollen chemical and mechanical defences likely restrict pollen-host use by Osmiini, a group of solitary bees exhibiting high interspecific variability in their pollen diet. Bees tolerated the defences of their pollen hosts, but were often harmed by the pollen defences of co-occuring plants exploited by other Osmiini species. This pattern provides a striking parallel with the evolution of host-use in herbivorous insects feeding on vegetative tissues, and suggests that pollen defences might play an important role in structuring plant–bee interactions. Overall, my thesis contributes to our understanding of the causes of the presence of chemical defences in pollen and their consequences for the pollination mutualism.