The present study examined Fairtrade certification from the perspective of sustainable development, with a focus on social, cultural, environmental, economic and political factors taking into account the perception of the actors in charge of the first part of the global value chain of the Central of Apicultural Cooperatives in Brazilian Semiarid - CASA APIS. Casa Apis is a solidary enterprise structured under PROMEL, a program to generate employment and income and combat poverty in the Northeast of Brazil. The Central aforementioned is located in the city of Picos-PI and currently gives assistance to about 960 beekeepers that are placed in 08 cooperatives in 52 municipalities in Piauà and CearÃ. With a view to improving the competitiveness of cooperatives, Casa Apis seeks constantly to obtain the seals of the most important beekeeping industry certifications, including certification of Fair Trade, which was acquired in 2007 and made it the first certified apicultural exporter cooperative in Brazil. Fair-trade certification primarily aims at the sustainable development of small producers organizations by checking the fulfilling of policies and principles which value the small producer, who formerly had an unfair treatment in the traditional trade model, especially in relation to payment. These principles are supported by the Sustainable Development proposal. According to Sachs (2009), equity in social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political aspects, among others, is essential for Sustainable Development. We chose Casa Apis as an object of this study because of its importance for the sustainable development of the Brazilian semiarid region. Fairtrade certification requires sustainable development through production practices and trade which are socially fair, environmentally-oriented and economically ethical. This case study adopted content analysis and triangulation methods to analyze data (BARDIN, 2011; YIN (2011). We found out that Fairtrade certification promotes Sustainable Development from the perspective of the dimensions chosen for the study. Nevertheless, it was observed that the model of development within these dimensions are not equally developed as proposed in the model of Sachs (2009), but is still in process of development / O presente estudo analisou a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo sob a Ãtica do Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel, com enfoque nas dimensÃes social, cultural, ambiental, econÃmica e polÃtica a partir da percepÃÃo dos atores envolvidos no inÃcio da cadeia global de valor da Central de Cooperativas ApÃcolas do SemiÃrido Brasileiro (CASA APIS). A Casa Apis à um empreendimento solidÃrio, estruturado no Ãmbito do Programa de GeraÃÃo de Emprego e Renda e Combate à Pobreza no Nordeste (PROMEL). A Central fica situada na cidade de Picos/PI e beneficia atualmente cerca de 960 apicultores distribuidos entre 08 cooperativas singulares em 52 municÃpios nos Estados do Piauà e CearÃ, e com o intuito de melhorar a competitivade de suas cooperativas, vem buscando adquirir os selos das mais importantes certificaÃÃes do setor apÃcola, entre eles a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo, pelo qual adquiriu em 2007, tornando-se a primeira cooperativa apÃcola exportadora certificada no Brasil. A certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo visa, sobretudo, o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel das organizaÃÃes dos pequenos produtores atravÃs do cumprimento de suas polÃticas e princÃpios que oportunizam e valorizam o pequeno produtor, outrora injustiÃado pelo modelo de comÃrcio tradicional, principalmente em relaÃÃo ao pagamento injusto. Esses princÃpios sÃo sustentados pela proposta do Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel. Segundo Sachs (2009), para que haja Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel à necessÃrio a equidade entre as dimensÃes social, cultural, ambiental, econÃmica, polÃtica, dentre outras. Optou-se pela Casa Apis enquanto objeto deste estudo pela sua importÃncia para o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel da regiÃo do semiÃrido brasileiro. Para haver certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo à necessÃrio o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel, atravÃs das prÃticas de produÃÃo e comercializaÃÃo socialmente justo, ambientalmente correto e economicamente Ãtico. Este estudo de caso adotou como mÃtodo para a anÃlise dos dados a anÃlise de conteÃdo e triangulaÃÃo do dados (YIN, 2010; BARDIN, 2011). Inferiu-se que a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo promove o Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel sob a Ãtica das dimensÃes escolhidas para o estudo. Contudo, observou-se que o modelo de desenvolvimento no Ãmbito dessas dimensÃes nÃo estÃo equitativamente desenvolvidas conforme propÃe o modelo de Sachs (2009), mas encontra-se ainda em processo de formaÃÃo e desenvolvimento

A globalização da economia tem induzido as empresas a se integrarem em diferentes tipos de aglomerações industriais. Estas aglomerações geralmente podem ser definidas a partir de dois aspectos principais: a sequência de relacionamentos entre empresas para distribuição dos produtos nos mercados regionais e globais, as chamadas cadeias produtivas ou globais de valor, e a concentração geográfica das empresas em um determinado território, denominada de cluster ou aglomeração industrial. Neste sentido, a globalização e a regionalização andam juntas, pois quanto mais global é o consumo de um determinado bem, maior a tendência de concentração espacial de empresas complementares para a produção deste bem. Porém a simples concentração geográfica da produção, por si, só não é suficiente para aumentar a competitividade das empresas da aglomeração. É necessário que sejam articuladas ações coletivas de direção e coordenação, de forma a aumentar a competitividade do conjunto de empresas envolvidas no esforço denominado de governança. Buscando contribuir com esta questão, o trabalho propõe o desenvolvimento de um modelo de análise de governança e uma metodologia de implantação para inserção competitiva de aglomerações industriais em cadeias globais de valor. Para atingir este objetivo, a pesquisa inicia com a caracterização das aglomerações industriais sejam elas baseadas em produtos ou baseadas no território. Na sequência são identificados vários aspectos relacionados à governança de aglomerações industriais, de forma a identificar os elementos-base para a proposição de um modelo de análise da governança. Com os elementos identificados, é proposto um modelo inicial de análise de governança. Este modelo é aplicado inicialmente em algumas aglomerações industriais maduras, já inseridas competitivamente em cadeias globais de valor. A partir desta aplicação é proposto um modelo final e uma metodologia passo a passo para a sua implementação. Finalmente, buscando testar a aplicabilidade do modelo e da metodologia desenvolvidos, o mesmo é aplicado parcialmente em uma aglomeração industrial. Por fim, a partir de um estudo de caso, são apresentadas as conclusões e recomendações relativas ao modelo, à metodologia e ao estudo de caso decorrentes do trabalho desenvolvido. / The globalization of the economy has leaded the companies to integrate themselves in different kind of agglomerations. These agglomerations can be defined by two principal aspects: The sequence of relationships between companies organized to distribute the goods on regional or global markets, called productive chain or global value chains, and the geographic concentration of firms in a specific territory, called industrial agglomeration or cluster. On this way, globalization and regionalization can run together because how global is the consumption of a specific good, bigger is the tendency to concentrate complementary companies to produce it. But the geographic production concentration itself is not enough to increase the competitiveness of the agglomerated companies. It is necessary the articulation of collective actions to get direction and coordination to the group of companies in order to increase the competitiveness that are called governance. To contribute with this question, this paper proposes the development of a model of governance analysis and a methodology to promote the competitive insertion of clusters in global value chains. To achieve this goal the research begins with the characterization of industrial agglomerations in terms of products produced or based in a specific territory. In the sequence some aspects related to the governance of industrial agglomerations are acknowledged in order to identify the baseelements that will be used to propose a governance model. With the elements identified is proposed an initial governance analysis model. This model was preliminary applied in three mature industrial clusters that are actually inserted in global value chains. After this preliminary application, it is proposed a final governance model and a step-by-step methodology for their implementation. Finally to evaluate the applicability of the developing model and his methodology, the model is partially applied in an industrial agglomeration. In the end, based on this case study, are presented conclusions and recommendations related to the model, the methodology and the case study developed in this work.

Manufacturing activities in the personal computer industry are organised in a complex global production network (GPN) led by a variety of branded global lead firms. Increasingly, considerations on environmental, health and safety governance have emerged as an important element to the management and co-ordination of these production networks by lead firms. Within the personal computer GPN, the printed circuit board (PCB) industry is commonly subcontracted by branded firms to suppliers located in developing countries such as Penang, Malaysia. The activities of PCB manufacturing and assembly involve the use of various hazardous chemicals that pose environmental health risks to workers. This research aims to understand how governance over environmental health is implemented in the GPN led by Hewlett Packard (HP) and in particular with lower tier suppliers in the printed circuit board industry in Penang, Malaysia. The main research question is: how are environmental health concerns managed by governance mechanisms in GPNs that involve the relocation of harmful manufacturing activities to developing countries? Governance mechanisms within the GPN include private standards and codes of conduct, which are supplemented by government regulation in the host country. Governance outcomes are shaped by relations between firms and non-firm actors such as government agencies, civil society organisations and trade unions. Therefore, a GPN analytical framework is utilised to understand more specifically how a variety of firm and non-firm actors and their relationships and power dynamics influence governance practices in the industry. Fieldwork for the research was conducted in 2008 and 2010 and consisted of semi-structured in-person and telephone interviews with thirty seven key actors in Malaysia, Western Europe, and the United States. Key informants included HP; first tier suppliers to HP and second tier suppliers located in Penang, Malaysia; global and Malaysian civil society organisations; an international federation of trade unions and Malaysian trade unions; Malaysian government agencies; and a politician, occupational health doctor and journalist in Penang. The findings from this research show that a combination of factors results in a weak scenario for governing environmental health risks of suppliers in Penang. These factors are resource constraints among suppliers; weak host country capacity and willingness to regulate; weak knowledge of environmental health risks by firms and regulatory agencies; and weak contestation by external stakeholders. Findings from the analysis also show the need to have differentiated views of power amongst different actor relationships in order to understand the complexity of GPN governance.

This thesis aims to understand the role of public governance (national laws and regulations) in addressing poor working conditions on South African fruit farms connected to global production networks (GPN), at the intersection of global private (codes of conduct) and local civil society organisation (CSO) initiatives. A particular objective of the investigation is to understand the extent to which public governance is able to address working conditions on South African fruit export farms, taking into account wider global commercial pressures inherent in fruit GPNs. Much analysis of global private and governance by local CSOs has not sufficiently addressed the role of public governance. Research focusing on public governance in addressing working conditions in South African fruit has not sufficiently accounted for the multi-scalar interactions between lead firm supermarkets, national suppliers and local fruit producers. These interactions are positioned to shape and influence regulatory outcomes for different groups of permanent and casual farmworkers. The thesis seeks to address the following central research question: ‘To what extent do multi-scalar tensions in global production networks (GPNs) challenge the public governance of working conditions, and what are the lessons from labour operating in South African fruit production?’This research draws upon the GPN analytical framework and public governance research, in order to conceptualise the multi-scalar commercial and governance processes that play out in the South African fruit export sector. In doing so, this research seeks to contribute to existing GPN and public governance literatures. Previous GPN research has not sufficiently investigated the role of public governance (laws and regulations) in addressing working conditions, partly due to an assumption that neoliberal policies have eroded the ability of developing states to regulate labour incorporated into global production. This problematic is beginning to be addressed, due to increasing academic acknowledgement of the central regulatory role nation states continue to play in addressing working conditions in global production, at the intersection of global private (codes of conduct) initiatives and governance by local CSOs (NGO and trade union activity). Additionally, this thesis seeks to bring together two separate strands of ‘governance’ research in global production networks, which have thus far been investigated separately; the governance of commercial interactions on the one hand, and the governance of labour on the other. A key theoretical argument is that understanding challenges facing the public governance of labour requires a broader conceptualisation of the governance of multi-scalar commercial interactions in global production, which shape and influence workforce composition at local farm level. This thesis argues that an inherent multi-scalar tension exists on the one hand between ‘global commercial pressures’ exerted by global lead firms over national suppliers and local producers driving workforce casualisation, and on the other hand a ‘global governance deficit’ at the core of which lies a public governance deficit facing increasing numbers of casual workers, characterised by minimum wages insufficient to meet living costs and a lack of trade union representation. This tension, it is argued, underpinned the crisis in South African fruit in 2012/13, when casual workers mobilised to demand an increase in the agricultural minimum wage, and threatened the fruit value chain by blocking the main arterial routes to Cape Town port. The policy implications of this thesis are that nation states are required to adopt multi-scalar interventions which transcend traditional forms of governance, in order to address the global commercial pressures inherent in GPNs and protect increasing numbers of casual workers in this context.

The thesis analyzes competitiveness of the Czech manufacturing industry in the context of global value chains using data from the OECD TiVA database in years 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2009. The main aim of this work is to highlight the importance of global value chains and outline how the Czech Republic can increase its added value within them. In order to fulfill this objective, the theoretical part explains the importance of global value chains in modern manufacturing industry. In the practical part, five selected industries of the Czech manufacturing sector are compared with the respective industries in Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Germany and Sweden using indicators of the added value and productivity of production factors. The last section describes the implications and recommendations for the Czech Republic.

ABSTRACTDate: Seminar Date: 2 June 2020, Submission Date: 7 June 2020Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 crInstitution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen UniversityAuthors: Gabriel Arteaga Fakhri Qusay Shehab Christine Katusabe Mukidi(96/03/31) (99/01/05) (97/05/15)Title: Global Value Chains, the effects and responses of Multinational Enterprises in a crisis environment: A case study on the effects of the COVID-19 crisisTutor: Edward GillmoreKeywords: Global Value Chain, Contingency, Resource-based Management, Global Crisis, Multinational EnterprisesResearch questions:RQ 1: How does a global crisis affect the parts of multinational enterprises’ global value chain?RQ 2: How do multinational enterprises respond to a global crisis with their functions and actions?Purpose: This study seeks to gain in-depth understanding of how a global crisis can affect an MNE’s production and what response an MNE can use to mitigate the consequences of a global crisis.Method: The method consisted of an abductive approach with the combination of secondary data and semi-structured qualitative interviews with varied top- and middle-level managers within the chosen MNE, to help answer the research questions of the thesis.Conclusion: The global crisis disrupted parts of the MNE’s GVCs and affected demand, business relationships and caused production facilities to shut down. Since the GVCs are being impacted, the COVID-19 crisis has also impacted the way in which an MNE operates. Both MNEs showed the importance of flexibility and adapted their strategies and operations as the crisis progressed.

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Globalization transformed supply chains, resulting in increased productivity, complexity, and risk exposure. Textile supply chains are complex and facing similar challenges along with more specific for the industry. Africa is of increasing interest in textile supply chains due to low cost of production. Participating in supply chains through manufacturing, and infrastructural issues limit the possibility of adding value, which is an issue for African countries. The aim of this thesis is to analyze effects of participating in a global textile supply chain, current trends in textile manufacturing, and African countries’ role. Especially of concern for this thesis are South Africa, eastern African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and northern African countries such as Morocco. The questions that have been answered are; (1) what trends are impacting textile supply chain manufacturing from a global perspective? and (2) what role does the African region play in textile manufacturing within global supply chains? For this thesis inductive research was performed with relativistic ontology, constructionist epistemology and single case study methodology. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and secondary data, and that data will be thematically analyzed with triangulation between the primary and secondary data. The research found and concluded that the major trends in textile manufacturing are sustainability and nearshoring. Africa’s role in global textile supply chains is mainly through manufacturing with complex supply chains, low education levels, and limited value adding activities. Due to young populations and sustainable practices, there are opportunities for the continent to continue to develop and add more value in the future.

This paper explores the past, present, and future of Africa's regional integration trajectory. It examines both the “old” and “new theories” of regional integration and compares and different viewpoints in existing literature to illuminate different schools of thought on regional integration with an Africa-centric approach at the centre. The paper argues that Africa's unique set of background conditions necessiates the development of a more relevant theoretical and conceptual framework and attempts to do so. Finally and arguably most importantly, this paper offers policy recommendations and pathways to regional integration through regional value chains that can improve regional production networks and looks at how the establishment of the AfCFTA promotes this process.

Global Value Chains (GVCs) emerged in the last decades and changed the landscape of the international organisation of production. Thanks to the reduction of transport costs and to the development of new technologies the production process increasingly fragmented into single phases carried out by different firms, also located in different countries. This led to the birth of a dense international network of production with multiple commercial and financial linkages between firms and countries. Such a complex architecture offers remarkable advantages, such as reduced procurement costs and high degrees of local/regional specialization, but also exposes to relevant risks and sources of instability, especially in the presence of unexpected shocks. For this reason, the international production network and GVCs emerged as an important topic in the international economic literature. In this globalization process, developed countries have so far had a central role: they have the highest shares of GVCs participation, extract the largest part of value added, and are positioned in the most profitable segments of the chains. However, GVCs may offer remarkable opportunities also for developing countries (Taglioni and Winkler 2016; World Bank 2019, 2020). This project focuses on the role that GVCs may have in the development process of North Africa. This area is trying to emerge from the group of middle income countries and enter a stable development path. However, the financial crisis of 2008 and the series of Arab Spring revolutions have undermined the progresses achieved over the past decades. In this scenario, the COVID-19 pandemic poses further serious concerns. Addressing economic development for the whole area is complex. Despite having suffered common shocks as well as sharing many demographic, cultural and social characteristics, the economic structure of these countries is different. Algeria and Libya are highly dependent on revenues from raw materials such as oil and natural gas; Morocco and Tunisia have developed over the years an advanced manufacturing fabric thanks also to the entry of foreign multinationals into domestic economy; finally, Egypt has an economic structure where traditional sectors, such as shipbuilding and agriculture, coexist along with advanced ones such as ICT. In light also of this diversity, my research is structured as a series of self-contained chapters focused on the analysis of specific issues concerning the role of GVCs on development. In particular, in the first chapter I address the impact of GVCs participation on firm productivity. The issue has been widely discussed in the literature: while first studies pointed out the existence of just a self-selection mechanism into international markets according to productivity, evidence came out about a learning by participating effect. The chapter enriches this literature by investigating Egyptian firms’ performances in the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolution. I find a positive and significant impact of GVCs participation on firm productivity, especially for domestic firms. In the second chapter, I investigate the relationship between firm GVCs participation and FDI activity using French administrative data. Relying on a very recent strand of literature, I hypothesise and prove that the direction of FDI follows and is caused by firm pattern of trade. Introducing governance indicators, I find changes in the general relationship according to countries' development. Moreover, a focus on NA reveals the peculiarity of this area. Finally, in the last chapter, I link the literature on GVCs with the Economic Complexity (EC) approach (Hidalgo et al., 2007; Hidalgo and Hausmann, 2009). The latter provides new tools and metrics to measure countries economic performances and offers interesting insights to study economic development. I link these strands of literature by applying the Product Space and other EC metrics to the study of GVCs. I also provide a new index to measure countries GVCs participation coherent with the EC approach. These contributions are then applied to the case study of NA countries. All in all, the research proves the importance of internationalisation for economic development. Integrating into GVCs, firms may increase their performances, and therefore countries improve their position and widen their linkages into the international production network.