We examine whether corporate governance affects the level of information asymmetry in the capital market. We hypothesize that firms with stronger corporate gov-ernance would be more likely to voluntarily disclose corporate information using public rather than selective methods, and that this would be associated with lower levels of in-formation asymmetry. We carefully establish the path through which corporate govern-ance affects a firms voluntary disclosure method based on previous literature. Surpris-ingly, in full sample analysis we find that firms with stronger corporate governance (as measured by Gompers et al.s, 2003, G index) are associated with higher levels of infor-mation asymmetry (as measured by Easley et al.s, 1996, PIN). In subsample analysis, we find that, consistent with our hypothesis, for the most weakly governed firms, stronger corporate governance is associated with lower information asymmetry, and the impact of corporate governance on information asymmetry is more pronounced than that of firms with moderate and strong corporate governance. <p> To further test our hypothesis, we consider the external effect of Regulation Fair Disclosure on the disclosure method to examine the corporate governance-information asymmetry relationship. Consistent with our hypothesis, our evidence suggests that by forbidding the practice of selective disclosure, the regulation significantly decreases the impact of corporate governance on information asymmetry level.

Den här uppsatsen handlar om nodal governance som teori och analysverktyg. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka på vilket sätt nodal governance är användbart i analysen av en svensk förvaltningskontext där främst offentliga aktörer samverkar och vilka teoretiska och metodologiska problem det eventuellt för med sig. Teorin har applicerats på en fallstudie som analyserar ett fall; svensk terrorismbekämpning. Analysen har visat att visat på teoretiska utvecklingsmöjligheter för nodal governance. Dessutom har förslag till förfining av analysverktyget kunnat presenteras.  Studien har visat på möjligheterna och begränsningarna för nodal governance att beskriva och förklara den komplexa förvaltningsmiljö terrorismbekämpning organiseras i.

In 1985, the researcher took up employment in what he regarded as a senior management position as Assistant General Secretary (Administration) of NALGO, the public service union. The objective was to gain management experience alongside continuing management education. Whilst there were others seeking to manage to the best of their ability, the idea was not universally accepted. However, the union, by the end of the decade, had embarked on management development courses for senior managers and by the time it merged and became part of UNISON, managerial activities were visible in many areas. It was not, however, clear the extent to which – if at all – such phenomena were observable in other trade unions. The literature did not help in this respect. Research to establish whether trade union managers existed and, if so, what their roles were appeared to offer the prospect of examining a new area of trade union life. This research is based on interviews with 56 senior trade union staff in four trade unions formed by merger – CWU, PCS, UNiFI and UNISON. Only one of those individuals professed not to accept a managerial role and that person accepted that he had a responsibility to ensure that the union was managed. Original findings include the following:- • There is a category of employee in trade unions known as a ‘trade union manager’, a role not previously identified by empirical research and discussed in the literature. • Trade union management develops depending on the level of institutional support. In the case study unions, there were links between this and the stage of merger that the unions had reached. Prior to institutional acceptance, there are managers who do their best to manage, operating in something of a cocoon. • Trade union managers espouse trade union principles which include the notion of fairness, imputing a concern for the way people are treated, including the staff for whom they are responsible. • Management remains in many ways a problematic concept in trade unions, leading often to its undervaluation. Trade union managers may perceive that it involves the exercise of power of the powerless, judgment on the weak. Trade union managers may as a result be ambivalent at being judgmental and, consequently, at managing conduct or performance. • Trade union managers manage stakeholders in polyarchal organisations but boundaries with lay activists are unclear; they engage in contests to define those boundaries and to manage what they regard as their own responsibilities. • Boundaries may include those relating to conflictual relations, constitutional boundaries, moveable boundaries, staff boundaries and policy/political boundaries.

No description available.

This thesis examines the challenges and strategies to IT-Business alignment from the perspective of IT managers. The increasing importance of Information technology (IT) to organizations in areas such as joint  research and development (R&amp;D), Open innovation, and the ever-changing business environment means that organizations need to reassess their IT and business strategies so as to remain competitive. This implies that organizations in general and business and IT professionals in particular would have to work together more often than before in strategic planning. This is not easy because these professionals with diverse viewpoints may understand IT and business quite differently. Using a qualitative research design in the form of semi-structure interviews with open-ended questions, findings indicate that communication, partnership, governance, and skills are major challenges and strategies to alignment. This study contributes to ongoing research in IT-Business alignment by indicating that challenges to aligning business and IT strategies such as communication should not be narrowly thought of to exist just between IT and business professionals, it is equally a main concern among IT professionals.

The purpose of this study is to assess whether the subnational water agreements that apply to the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River watershed are consistent with international norms and principles as articulated at United Nations conferences in Dublin, Ireland (1992) and Bonn, Germany (2001) and to establish the significance of these findings in the context of Ontario’s role in water management. The concepts of complex governance, decentralisation, internationalisation, norms, regimes and soft law contribute the theoretical bases, while a methodological approach of qualitative research, carried out using content analysis and a literature review, is utilised. The content analysis reveals that subnational policies for water management in the GLSLR watershed, as articulated in the Great Lakes Charter, the Great Lakes Charter Annex and the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, are consistent with international norms in many regards, with nearly identical language found in some areas, such as conservation and restoration of water resources and basin-level management. However, in the subnational agreements, there is a clear avoidance of some subjects closely tied to international norms, such as the unique roles and responsibilities of women, the urgent need for action, and the importance of indigenous knowledge. Furthermore, comparison among the three GLSLR water policies, which were developed over a twenty-year period, reveals that public participation became less prominent over time while this norm was strengthened at the international level. The roles and responsibilities of the federal government are discussed and it is proposed that, in the context of Canada-Ontario shared jurisdiction, the national government must establish national standards and policies. Ultimately, the inconsistencies between subnational GLSLR water policies and international norms are less significant than the notable consistencies, which are more remarkable given the weaknesses of the federal government’s role in water policy.

Governance is widely discussed in various government sectors or agencies such as Health Care and Education and throughout the private sector. Yet, it is only recently that reference to governance with regards to parks and protected areas has come to the for-front within various political and ecological circles. Parks and protected areas are increasingly threatened by climate change and political influences and therefore, there is a current need to assess the design and operations of protected areas so that they can be properly managed for the changes that have and will continue to occur. The current study examined how five stakeholder groups perceived 12 governance factors under Ontario Parks’ management model. Results revealed that Ontario Parks’ management model is perceived as having good levels of governance for all 12 factors by the entire population and within each of the five stakeholder groups. Differences in perception were observed primarily between the Park Staff participants when compared to the Contractor and Local Resident participants

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to assess whether the subnational water agreements that apply to the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River watershed are consistent with international norms and principles as articulated at United Nations conferences in Dublin, Ireland (1992) and Bonn, Germany (2001) and to establish the significance of these findings in the context of Ontario’s role in water management. The concepts of complex governance, decentralisation, internationalisation, norms, regimes and soft law contribute the theoretical bases, while a methodological approach of qualitative research, carried out using content analysis and a literature review, is utilised. The content analysis reveals that subnational policies for water management in the GLSLR watershed, as articulated in the Great Lakes Charter, the Great Lakes Charter Annex and the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, are consistent with international norms in many regards, with nearly identical language found in some areas, such as conservation and restoration of water resources and basin-level management. However, in the subnational agreements, there is a clear avoidance of some subjects closely tied to international norms, such as the unique roles and responsibilities of women, the urgent need for action, and the importance of indigenous knowledge. Furthermore, comparison among the three GLSLR water policies, which were developed over a twenty-year period, reveals that public participation became less prominent over time while this norm was strengthened at the international level. The roles and responsibilities of the federal government are discussed and it is proposed that, in the context of Canada-Ontario shared jurisdiction, the national government must establish national standards and policies. Ultimately, the inconsistencies between subnational GLSLR water policies and international norms are less significant than the notable consistencies, which are more remarkable given the weaknesses of the federal government’s role in water policy.

Governance is widely discussed in various government sectors or agencies such as Health Care and Education and throughout the private sector. Yet, it is only recently that reference to governance with regards to parks and protected areas has come to the for-front within various political and ecological circles. Parks and protected areas are increasingly threatened by climate change and political influences and therefore, there is a current need to assess the design and operations of protected areas so that they can be properly managed for the changes that have and will continue to occur. The current study examined how five stakeholder groups perceived 12 governance factors under Ontario Parks’ management model. Results revealed that Ontario Parks’ management model is perceived as having good levels of governance for all 12 factors by the entire population and within each of the five stakeholder groups. Differences in perception were observed primarily between the Park Staff participants when compared to the Contractor and Local Resident participants