The term ‘knowledge mobilization intermediary’ (KMI) is used to describe third party organizations whose role between research producers and users is a catalyst for knowledge mobilization (KM) - targeted, systematic efforts to increase connections between research, policy and practice in public services. This study analyzes 44 Canadian KMIs in education exploring types (governmental, not-for-profit, for profit, and membership), organizational features (mission, scope, target audience, size, resources, membership composition) and processes (message, strategies, functions, dissemination mechanisms). This study maps the landscape of research mediation in education and reports on these findings using a multiple-paper format. The introductory chapter sets the stage for the papers by providing the background of the study and introducing the concept of knowledge mobilization. The first conceptual paper provides a typology of KMIs and a framework of knowledge brokering characteristics with seven elements (mission, resources, staff roles, political affiliation, autonomy, message, and linkages). The second paper reports on an approach to measuring and comparing KM efforts of diverse organizations using a common matrix of elements arising from the research utilization literature: KM strategies (products, events and networks) and KM indicators as they relate to strategies (different types, ease of use, accessibility, focus of audience and so on). The third paper outlines what KMIs exist in Canada, their organizational features, and reports on their activities, ultimately providing a typology of brokering strategies utilized in research mediation and a framework of eight major brokering functions used to increase research use and its impact: awareness, accessibility, engagement, capacity building, implementation support, facilitating linkages and partnerships, policy influence and organizational development. The fourth paper presents empirical findings of online practices of KMIs such as blogging and microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, multimedia, share buttons on websites, and RSS feeds. Overall, use of social media is not pervasive and, when it is used, the content is often not research-based. The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings in relation to each research question, summarizes the implications arising from each paper, and makes recommendations for research producers, users and intermediaries across public service sectors.

The term ‘knowledge mobilization intermediary’ (KMI) is used to describe third party organizations whose role between research producers and users is a catalyst for knowledge mobilization (KM) - targeted, systematic efforts to increase connections between research, policy and practice in public services. This study analyzes 44 Canadian KMIs in education exploring types (governmental, not-for-profit, for profit, and membership), organizational features (mission, scope, target audience, size, resources, membership composition) and processes (message, strategies, functions, dissemination mechanisms). This study maps the landscape of research mediation in education and reports on these findings using a multiple-paper format. The introductory chapter sets the stage for the papers by providing the background of the study and introducing the concept of knowledge mobilization. The first conceptual paper provides a typology of KMIs and a framework of knowledge brokering characteristics with seven elements (mission, resources, staff roles, political affiliation, autonomy, message, and linkages). The second paper reports on an approach to measuring and comparing KM efforts of diverse organizations using a common matrix of elements arising from the research utilization literature: KM strategies (products, events and networks) and KM indicators as they relate to strategies (different types, ease of use, accessibility, focus of audience and so on). The third paper outlines what KMIs exist in Canada, their organizational features, and reports on their activities, ultimately providing a typology of brokering strategies utilized in research mediation and a framework of eight major brokering functions used to increase research use and its impact: awareness, accessibility, engagement, capacity building, implementation support, facilitating linkages and partnerships, policy influence and organizational development. The fourth paper presents empirical findings of online practices of KMIs such as blogging and microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, multimedia, share buttons on websites, and RSS feeds. Overall, use of social media is not pervasive and, when it is used, the content is often not research-based. The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings in relation to each research question, summarizes the implications arising from each paper, and makes recommendations for research producers, users and intermediaries across public service sectors.

Over the years so many academic literatures has revealed that increased number of firms have seen internationalization as a means to gain and sustain competitive advantage and even increase economic of scale, and this has led many western companies to emerging markets. In this paper we discovered that among the pool of Swedish firms, only the MNEs have seen Nigerian market attractive to internationalize to, but just a few of the Swedish SMEs has expanded to the Nigerian market. This research was conducted by doing a qualitative study with the use of phenomenological research approach, during our investigation on the functions of intermediaries in Swedish SMEs internationalization to Nigeria market.Furthermore, we were able to understand the importance and functions of the different marketing intermediaries’ in Swedish SMEs internationalization to Nigeria market. These intermediaries equip the Swedish firms with the required objective knowledge of the Nigerian market, updating them with recent development of the opportunities and threats involved in the Nigerian marketing environment, and linking these Swedish firms to the required government departments, distributors, agent/broker, customers, middle men etc, thereby impacting them with the experiential knowledge. Moreover, it is important for firms to have objective or pre-market knowledge of a particular market before entering that market, but this knowledge is regarded as non-helpful knowledge to firms. But the experiential knowledge is acquired over time in the market, which is regarded as the helpful knowledge. It is evident that the intermediaries equip these firms with both objective and experiential knowledge.Although the opportunities in some emerging markets are very attractive, but the threats in these markets are other factors firms also put into consideration before internationalizing to these markets. This is why thorough market research has to be done so that firms can create effective marketing strategies when they want to expand their marketing activities to emerging markets. Despite the risk and uncertainties involved in doing business in foreign countries, still yet companies selling global products do not have any choice than to internationalize their marketing operations.

Groupon is a popular group-buying website offering daily deals and has experiencedfast growth. It has attracted amounts of imitators and they sprang up all over the world.We treat this phenomenon by taking Groupon as an intermediary executing coordinationbetween merchants and customers in the group-buying activities. To see the particularpractices of Groupon in operating transactional and relational coordination mechanisms,we collect diverse group-buying forms from the earliest buying club since 1860s tillnow and make comparison among various involved intermediaries. After that, five maindifferences are identified including the nature of initiator, product and service selection,pricing mechanism, frequency of deals, network and relations, which either contributesto reduction of transaction cost or maintaining the interactive relationships. Throughthese collection, comparison and analysis, we have new insights into the features ofGroupon’s group-buying coordination and accordingly implications for future electronicintermediaries.

Despite the vital role that banks play in Financial markets (FM) by connecting lenders to borrowers, instability in these financial markets, currency values and the global environment has affected the profitability of banks with those in Sweden inclusive. Most if not all companies including banks go into business because they want to create value. The banks like other firms thus look for ways to manage their risks while striving to improve productivity and performance for this value to be created. This productivity only comes when the banks give credits to customers from money deposited by shareholders or savings from customers thus putting them at risk in case of default. Despite this risk, the bank cannot stop the business of credit granting because it is the main source of its profitability. So she finds herself in a situation with profitability on the one hand and risk of default on the other hand. For success to be attained, the only option is good credit risk management practices since in the process, returns are correlated to risk. The risk management practices vary from bank to bank depending on its policies on credit granting decisions. Different banks prioritize the information gotten about customers for credit assessment differently and although they are faced with the same type of risk, their techniques of management are different. This paper is thus geared towards looking at how some banks in Sweden go about their credit risk management activities by looking at the qualities which they consider of companies before granting them credits. This study was carried out using a qualitative research method and open ended interviews. The sample group consisted of three banks in Umeå, Sweden. The analysis of the empirical data showed that credit risk management occupies an indispensible position when lending decisions are carried out. It also goes ahead to show that even though banks may be faced with the same risks, their credit risk management techniques differ, the importance given to the information used for credit assessment differs from bank to bank and collaterals also play a very important role in credit granting decisions. So, for greater results of credit risk management to be attained, banks must value all information about the customer perfectly because any neglected information can be the root cause of their problem or default. Key words: Credit risk, risk management, financial markets, financial intermediaries.

The imposed commission ban to Finnish insurance intermediaries has generated some controversy and the intermediary market has experienced consolidation in the few last years. The thesis examines the relationship between market structure and profitability among Finnish life insurance intermediaries and tests for the applicability of two market power hypotheses. The panel data analysis shows that there is support for the Relative Market Power hypothesis while the Structure-Conduct-Performance hypothesis is not applicable for Finnish life insurance intermediaries. The implication of this research is that competition authorities should be concerned with market structure effects when discussing changes to the regulatory environment which surrounds life insurance intermediaries.

Internet technology (IT) has changed the way information is disseminated, which has led to changes in transaction-making and the creation of new electronic markets. This has also led to the emer-gence of new types of online intermediaries, and new selling mechanisms. Since most online selling involves commodity goods and the discovery of low prices, the design of selling mechanism primarily focuses on the disclosure of price information. Low-price discovery selling mechanisms, however, have caused buyers to shift from one mechanism to another to get the best deals. Online sellers are facing profit pressures as a result. Price information only addresses a portion of consumer needs though. They need information to identify uncertainties that may harm them during transactions. Consumers also search for products and services that fit their individual preferences and are willing to pay a price premium for such offerings. Sellers have to offer additional information and to do decommoditization, or consumers will abandon selling mechanisms that do not match their needs. This dissertation examines these issues in three essays. It explores two online selling mechanisms: online group-buying auctions and a la carte pricing schemes in airline industry. The a la carte pricing is to offer flexible pricing to consumers. The research employs an Internet-based experimental test bed, a single-firm empirical case study, and an econometric model to test the relevant theories. I evaluate the design of online group-buying auctions, where consumers are more uncertain about group-buying as a mechanism for organizing economic exchange. I also evaluate the design of online selling mechanisms in the air travel services industry, where digitally-intermediation has created problems with suppliers¡¦ ownership of their customers and increasing channel conflicts. The results indicate that the dominance of price in consumer purchase decisions can be mitigated by complementary information, as well as value-added product and service information that an online selling mechanism provides. Consumer information requirements are dynamic and inconsistent though. So an effective selling mechanism must identify how to disclose an adequate amount of information to consumer. Some of the new mechanism designs that have emerged have produced a means for sellers to be more effective. My findings suggest that, in addition to price transparency, online selling mechanisms also affect transaction completion uncertainty, and support the expression of personal preferences.

<p>Background</p><p>International trade has dramatically increased during the last half of the 20th century and it is now of significant importance to most eco-nomies. International trade is especially crucial to countries such as Sweden, with a small domestic market. It has been said that a com-pany needs to have a committed management, as well as a strategy for it’s export and it’s marketing to reach long-term success. Never-theless, companies sometimes use a “strategy of least involvement”, leaving the international marketing strategy decisions in the hands of foreign agents and distributors.</p><p>Purpose</p><p>The purpose with this thesis is to investigate how the export and marketing strategies have been developed and implemented by suc-cessful Swedish export companies.</p><p>Method</p><p>Winners of the Export-Hermes Prize and Stora Exportpriset have been used as a sample of successful export companies. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with four of them were conducted to col-lect the empirical data.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The export companies in this study showed great differences con-cerning their original export ambitions, the methods they used to se-lect foreign markets, the modes that they used to enter new markets and the pace in which the international expansions were carried out. There were however strong similarities between the successful ex-port companies in other areas. All four companies had owners and top management who had been, and in most cases still were, highly involved and driving forces in the export activities. The companies also shared a belief in working with clear goals and having a strict control over subsidiaries and intermediaries. The authors are of the opinion that this control and monitoring are crucial for the success of the implementation of the export and marketing strategies.</p>

<p>The issue of libation poses an important challenge to Christianity in Africa and, more specifically, among the Akan people in Ghana. Libation is traditionally a key ritual for the Akan as an ethnic group. However, the European missionaries who operated in West Africa condemned this ritual as idolatrous. Following the emergence of African Christian theology, especially within the Ghanaian context, various African theologians have contributed to a more systematic discussion of such libation practices. This thesis entails a critical comparison of the views of four Akan (in Ghana) theologians on Christian participation in libation practices. On this basis, the research problem in this thesis is stated in the following way: ―What are the points of divergence that lie beneath the different positions of Kwesi Sarpong, Kwesi Dickson, John Pobee and Kwame Bediako on the question of whether and in what forms Christian participation in libation practices in an Akan context in Ghana may be regarded as compatible with the Christian faith? This thesis describes analyses, compares and assesses the cultural and theological presuppositions of the views of these four Akan Ghanaian theologians on Christian participation in libation rituals. It shows how the views of these four theologians on libation are influenced by their views on the tatus which is attributed, both in Akan culture and in contemporary Christianity in Ghana, to abosom (lesser divinities) and nsamamfo (ancestors) in relation to Onyame (Supreme Being). The purpose of this thesis is therefore to clarify the cultural and theological assumptions underlying current debates on the observance of libation rituals by Christians in Ghana. The task is a description of the views of Sarpong, Dickson, Pobee and Bediako on the compatibility of Christian participation in libation practices in an Akan context with the Christian faith - just as they themselves understand its content and significance. In this thesis I approached the debate on libation in African Christian theology in two ways, namely following a direct and a thematic approach. In the direct approach the focus is explicitly on libation as a topic either in the context of African traditional religion and culture by itself or in its encounter with Christianity. In the thematic approach the focus is on libation within the context of its wider religious (with reference to God, the lesser divinities and ancestors) and cultural (the relationship between Christianity and African culture) contexts. The research indicates that the point of divergence amongst the four theologians mentioned above is almost always related to the invocation and petition of the lesser divinities and the ancestors. In addition to these major theological issues, ―ecclesiastical sanctions‖ also forms a major determining factor that influences the positions of these&nbsp / theologians. On their respective views, Sarpong asserts that libation in its present form is not incompatible with the Christian faith. By contrast, Bediako maintains that libation as is presently practiced among the Akan is not compatible with the Christian faith neither can it be adapted into the Christian faith. On the other hand, Dickson and Pobee maintain that libation rituals are not compatible with the Christian faith, but that it can be adopted and adapted into the Christian faith if the content of the accompanying prayer is made in consonance with Christian theology. The thesis is comprised of eight chapters and a postscript. In the postscript, I offer some personal views and argue that libation has to be adapted before it can be compatible with the Christian faith. I suggest that libation should be made only to God and to the ancestors. Petitions during libation rituals should be made only to God, while the presence of the ancestors should be recognized in a ―symbolic manner‖ by an invitation to join the living human beings to make such petitions.</p>

An analysis of literature on security issues and its effect on destination image suggests that that to date little research has been done on the specific issue of the security image of the Middle East destinations, particularly as perceived by travel intermediaries. In this context, and due to the current situation of the Middle East, especially the Islamic countries, this research is a response to the urgent need to investigate and evaluate the safety and security perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of travel intermediaries towards Middle East destinations, and also seeks to compare between such perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of travel intermediaries based in the region and those of travel intermediaries based outside the region. This research may be described as phenomenological research that employed qualitative research tools. As a result of this perspective, the development of research methods is geared toward qualitative methods of study. The phenomenological approach employs qualitative research tools to interpret meaning from the reactions of individuals to experiences of dealing with Middle East destinations. Therefore, the present study adopts, as a primary method of data collection, interviewing of individuals representing the travel intermediaries in UK and Egypt. Results from the evaluation of the Middle East security image held by travel intermediaries showed that the Middle East is mostly positively perceived by majority of travel intermediaries despite the security problems that might occur in some of its destinations. Also it was made very clear that each destination in the Middle East is sold and promoted separately based on its unique image and identity as presented by travel intermediaries and not as apart of the Middle East.