Forests in developing countries have the potential to contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change, promote biodiversity and support the livelihoods of rural, local people. Approximately one-fourth of such forests are under the control of local communities, which primarily manage forests for subsistence and to meet their livelihood needs. The trend of bottom-up community control is increasing through the adoption of decentralization reforms over the last 40 years. In contrast, the United Nations has introduced the top-down program, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) for the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon and the sustainable management of forest in developing countries. REDD+ incentivizes forest-managing communities to sequester carbon and reduce emissions. REDD+ has created hope for managing forests to mitigate climate change and has created fear that the new initiative may not be effective and may not ensure continuing forest-managing community benefits. However, little research has been conducted to answer these concerns. By taking nationally representative data from Nepalese community-managed forests (“forest commons"), I bring insights into whether and how these forests can contribute to REDD+ initiatives, particularly as they relate to carbon sequestration, biodiversity, equity in benefit sharing and collective action. My results indicated the highly variable carbon and biodiversity in the forest plots across the country, depicting the availability of space for additional growth in carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. My results also reflect the complex and varied relationships of carbon with different indices of biodiversity at the national level, across geographic and topographic regions, and in forests with varying canopy covers. Weak positive relationships between carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation indicate the possibility of synergies between carbon-forestry and biodiversity conservation. I also found that the formal community forestry program (CFP) has clearly positive impacts on biodiversity conservation and household-level equity in benefit sharing and a negative impact on carbon sequestration at the national level. However, disaggregated results of impacts of CFP on biodiversity, carbon and equity across geography, topography, forest quality and social groups display mixed results i.e., either positive or negative or neutral. I also identified that different drivers of collective action have different (i.e., positive, neutral, and negative) associations with carbon sequestration, which either supports or challenges established knowledge. In aggregate, my research indicates the potential of contribution by forest commons, and specially the CFP, to global environmental initiatives such as REDD+. It suggests that targeted, dedicated policies and programs to increase carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and foster equity and collective actions are critical. In addition, my results also contribute to the growing literature on socio-ecological implications of forest commons that demonstrated the need of interdisciplinary research to understand human-nature relationships in the changing context.

The following treatise first frames the role of CBOs in responding to the HIV/Aids crisis in relation to their position in the global health governance system through a literature survey that moves from an analysis of the global structures down to the local. The survey covers the role of international organisations, international NGOs (INGOs), national governments, local NGOs and CBOs and outlines the context in which Masizakhe is working within the global health governance structure. Secondly the research design and methodology are outlined focusing on the longitudinal, case study and participant--‐observation approaches. Hypotheses, conceptualisation, definitions, key variables are described and data collection methods and fieldwork practice extrapolated upon. Following that data capturing, editing and analysis are discussed in conjunction with shortcomings and sources of error. In the fourth chapter the research discusses the history, structure and outlines the research findings by comparing what has changed within the organisation over time, presenting and discussing the results. The outcomes of this research have shown that existing problems in this particular CBO are very difficult to overcome without committed, sustained support from donors, government, community and the organisation’s members. CBOs are often hamstrung by a series of intersecting factors which hamper their ability to problem--‐solve, even when the route to overcoming the problem is clear, particularly when the capacity and will to do so is not always present from both within the organisation and from outside support systems. These challenges then impact on the overall quality of and ability to deliver the services the organisation is structured to deliver. The major challenge for the organisation remains the inconsistent donor cycle and resultant instability thus created within an organisation already working in a highly volatile, unstable situation marked by poverty and disease. Thus the title, The Aids of Aid?, captures the essence of Masizakhe’s struggle with its own syndrome of problems. It summarises a comment made by the project secretary said that: “Sometimes it feels like we are not only fighting for the health of our people – We are fighting for the health of our organisation. We are a sick organisation trying to help sick people. All we need is donors and funding –we can’t live without them, and when they don't give, we get sick” (Stamper, Pers Comm, 2011). The other emergent challenges were a battle internally with ‘founder syndrome’, lack of management transparency and a dysfunctional board.

In recent years, concern about food safety linked to health issues has seen a rise in private food safety standards in addition to the regulations set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). These have presented challenges to producers and exporters of agricultural food products especially the producers of fresh fruits and vegetables. In spite of the food safety-linked challenges from the demand side, the vast range of business-environment forces pose equally formidable challenges that negatively impact on the exporting industries’ ability to maintain or improve their market shares and their ability to compete in world markets. The objective of this study was therefore to establish the competitiveness of the South African citrus industry in the international markets within this prevailing scenario. Due to the diversity of the definitions of competitiveness as a concept, this study formulated the following working definition: “the ability to create, deliver and maintain value and constant market share through strategic management of the industrial environment or competitiveness drivers”. This was based on the understanding that the international market shares of an industry are a function of forces in the business environment which range from intra-industry, external and national as well as the international elements. The unit of analysis were the citrus producers engaged in export of their products and the study made use of 151 responses by producers. The study adopted a five-step approach to the analysis of the performance of the South African citrus industry in the global markets, starting with the analysis of the Constant Market Share (CMS) of the South African citrus industry in various world markets, establishing the impact of the business environmental factors upon competitiveness, establishing the costs of compliance with private food safety standards, determining the non-price benefits of compliance with the standards, as well as highlighting the strategies for enhancing long-term competitiveness of the industry in the international markets. South Africa is one of the top three countries dominating the citrus fruit export market. Since its entry into the citrus fruit exports market in the 1900s, the industry has sustained its activity in the international market. The Constant Market Share Analysis shows that, amidst the challenges on the international market side, and the changes in the business environment, over much of which the industry has limited control and influence, the industry has maintained its competitive advantage in several markets. The CMS shows that South Africa’s lemons are competitive in America. Despite a negative trend, the South African grapefruit has been competitive in France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Oranges have been competitive in the Greece, Italy, Portugal, UK, Asian and Northern Europe markets. Competitiveness in these markets has been due to the inherent competitiveness of the industry. Competitiveness in such markets as the Middle East has been attributed to the relatively rapid growth of these markets. The South African citrus industry has similarly undergone many major processes of transformation. The business environmental factors influencing its performance have ranged reform to the challenges beyond the country’s borders. These factors directly and indirectly affect the performance of the industry in the export market. They have influenced the flow of fruits into different international destinations. Of major concern are the food safety and private standards. Challenges in traditional markets as well as opportunities presented by demand from newly emerging citrus consuming nations have seen a diversification in the marketing of the South African citrus. The intensity of competition in the global market is reflected by the fluctuations in the market shares in different markets as well as the increase and fluctuations of fruit rejection rates in some lucrative markets such as America. A combination of challenging national environmental forces and stringent demand conditions negatively impact on revenues especially from markets characterised by price competitiveness. This study identified cost of production, foreign market support systems, adaptability, worker skills, challenges of management in an international environment and government policies such as labour and trade policies as some of the most influential obstacles to competitiveness. Some of the most competiveness-enhancing factors were market availability, market size, market information, market growth and the availability of research institutions. However, compliance with private standards still poses a challenge to the exporters. The different performance levels of the industry in various markets prove the dissimilarity of the demand conditions in the global market. These are supported by the negative influence associated with the foreign market support regimes as well as the challenges associated with compliance with private food safety standards. While market availability, market growth, market information and size were identified as enhancing competitiveness, the fluctuations and inconsistencies in the competitiveness of the industry in different foreign markets require more than finding markets. Resource allocation by both the government and the industry may need to take into account the off-setting of the national challenges and support of farmers faced with distorted and unfair international playing fields. Otherwise, market availability is not a challenge for the industry save meeting the specifications therewith as well as price competitiveness which is unattainable for the South African citrus producers faced with high production costs. For the purposes of further study, it is recommended that account should be taken of all the products marketed by the industry (including processed products such as fruit juices) in order to have a whole picture of the competitiveness of the industry in the international market. This study also proffers a new theoretical framework for the analysis of the business environment for the citrus industry and other agro-businesses. This framework takes into account the indispensability of the food safety standards and measures as well as the diversity of the global consumer and the non-negotiability of food trade for the sustenance of the growing population.

This thesis focuses on the analysis of the business environment of the Republic of Belarus and trade relations with the Czech Republic. The goal of this thesis is to provide the reader a comprehensive document that provides a complete and relevant information to help readers to orientate themselves in the Belarusian business and investment environment. At the same time the aim of this thesis is to help Czech entrepreneur identify prospective business opportunities and Czech entrepreneur could realistically exploit his business activities. The mapping the business environment in Belarus, I used the PEST analysis, which is reflected in the logical construction of the thesis. The thesis charts the political and legal environment, economic environment, socio-cultural and technological environment of the country. I exploit my own knowledge and experience I have accumulated during numerous trips to Belarus in this thesis. This thesis clearly summarizes the significant characteristics of the business environment in Belarus. Getting familiar with its contents raises a presumption of successful entry of the Czech entity on the Belarusian market.

This study is about internationalization activity in the British Columbia university colleges. It discusses the environmental context, identifies the types of internationalization activities which occur and discusses the impact of this activity on faculty, staff and administrative work. The investigation employs a nested case study with units of analysis occurring at five levels. The university college sector is the first level; second, its senior officers; third, its deans and directors; fourth, faculty members; and fifth, staff members. Data collection involved individual and focus group interviews, compiling documentary and historical records, participant-observation and on-site visits to each university college. M y intent was to learn about internationalization, to identify the factors influencing its activity and to discover how the activity influences the university college environment. The research provided six key findings on internationalization in the university colleges: (1) the meaning of internationalization is heavily influenced by the external environment; (2) the university college workplace is shaped by growing numbers of international students; ( 3) the university colleges have been very successful in attracting international students to their programs; (4) internationalization work is both under-valued and under-supported at the university colleges; (5) a separation exists between international education and faculty areas and results in a number of misperceptions; (6) the university colleges are faced with leadership challenges. The key findings presented five general conclusions about internationalization in the university colleges: (1) internationalization efforts do not have a legitimate voice nationally, provincially or locally; (2) an institutional discussion and debate regarding the role and purpose of internationalization has not happened at the university colleges; (3) the university colleges run the risk of becoming overly dependent on a 'soft money' source to fund ongoing financial commitments; (4) the university colleges face some ethical challenges as they grapple with the economic imperative of internationalization; (5) the university colleges face an inherent structural challenge that creates tension within and between their internal and external communities. Policy and practice recommendations are made to government, to higher educators and in particular to the university colleges. The limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are provided. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Le régime du contrôle des concentrations, l’un des volets essentiels du droit de la concurrence, est chargé de préserver une concurrence effective sur un marché donné, via un contrôle administratif préalable par l’autorité de la concurrence, pour toutes les opérations de concentration contrôlables projetées par les entreprises pertinentes. Ce mécanisme juridique est conçu pour être ouvert, anticipatif et dynamique sur le fonctionnement de l’économie de marché, système économique inscrit dans le contexte d’une économie mondialisée, adopté par les pays membres participant vivement à la coopération économique internationale. Au cours de la transition économique chinoise et dans le but d’établir un marché de pleine concurrence, la présente recherche se déploie, suite à la ligne évolutive et directive d’émergence d’un contexte favorable et de renforcement du régime juridique inhérent au contrôle des concentrations, pour étudier des questions incontournables relatives à la protection d’une concurrence effective par le droit, dans le dessein d’établir et de perfectionner une économie libérale, pour la Chine contemporaine. Il s’avère enfin qu’un engagement ouvert au marché mondial pour les entreprises chinoises et un esprit cosmopolite et pluraliste, tant pour les peuples chinois que pour les observateurs étrangers, seront vraiment favorables pour parvenir au besoin d’unification territoriale et de gouvernance unitaire, qui constituent depuis toujours la recherche historique dans la civilisation chinoise / The merger control system, one of the essential pillars of competition law, is intended to preserve an effective competition in a given market, via a prerequisite administrative control by the competition authority, for all the qualified merger activities projected by the relevant enterprises. This legal mechanism is conceived for being open, anticipant and dynamic of functioning of the market economy, the actual economic system operating in the context of an international economy, adopted by the Member States being involved actively in the worldwide economic cooperation. During the Chinese economic transition and for the purpose of establishing a market of competition, the present research is extended, following the evolutionary and directive line of emergence of a favorable environment and of consolidation of the inherent legal regime for the merger control system, to study the unavoidable questions relating to the protection of an effective competition by law, in order to set up and to improve a free economy, for contemporary China. It turns out that an active engagement in the global market for the Chinese enterprises, and a cosmopolitan and pluralist spirit both for Chinese people and foreign observers, will be eventually favorable to reach to the requirement of territorial unification and centralized governance, which have always been its historical pursuit in Chinese civilization

The goal of this diploma thesis is to give a comprehensive overview about the use of international freight road transportation within forwarding company Transforwarding a.s. and also to suggest suitable solution for their future system of organizing international freight road transportation within a new area.

Notre thèse a pour objectif de renouveler la perception que nous avons habituellement de l’aide publique au développement (APD) à travers un nouveau concept, celui de « biens publics internationaux et mondiaux ». L’aide internationale ne doit plus être fondée exclusivement sur le caractère « charitable » ou/et « intéressé » des pays du Nord, mais sur une prise de conscience effective et collective concernant la préservation des intérêts communs à tous les Etats. En ce sens, nous entendons démontrer que le concept de BPIM peut éclairer d’un jour nouveau celui d’aide publique au développement (APD) et conduire à une conception élargie de la coopération internationale dans la mesure où la fourniture à la collectivité de ce type de biens est un enjeu fondamental pour la communauté du développement. / The objective of the present work is to present a renewed perspective for the study of Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the new concept of “International and Global Public Goods” (IGPG). International assistance should no longer be solely based on the “charitable” and/or “self-interested” behaviour of the North, but should be motivated by the collective realisation that such assistance preserves the common interests of all States. To this effect, the present work seeks to demonstrate that the IGPG concept sheds a new light on our understanding of ODA leading to a larger conceptualisation of international cooperation, where supplying such public goods becomes a fundamental stake for development.

A atuação internacional subnacional, mais conhecida como paradiplomacia, é o desenvolvimento de ações internacionais de governos subnacionais. Não obstante, geram reações nos governos centrais de seus países, gerando relacionamentos que vão do conflito à cooperação entre os níveis governamentais. O caso brasileiro é marcado por duas políticas direcionadas ao fenômeno: (1) a diplomacia federativa, do governo Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002), considerada como de coordenação e controle; e a (2) cooperação internacional federativa, do governo Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, reconhecida como de coordenação e incentivo, sendo um ponto de mudança de relacionamento do governo central com o fenômeno. Essa mudança gerou os questionamentos centrais da presente pesquisa. O primeiro diz respeito ao mecanismo que teria causado as mudanças institucionais e no discurso entre os dois governos. O segundo é sobre os efeitos dessa mudança: é possível identificar alterações entre os governos subnacionais brasileiros entre os dois períodos? A partir disso, buscou-se identificar os mecanismos causais que resultaram na mudança com a utilização de process-tracing e modelos de regressão logística. Em um segundo momento, estabeleceu-se que as ações internacionais de interesse seriam aquelas de quem se espera maior desenvolvimento, com políticas definidas para a atuação internacional, com a consequente observação da política externa subnacional, representada pela presença de um órgão de relações internacionais nos governos estaduais. Para a identificação da mudança nos padrões dos estados que desenvolviam uma política externa, utiliza-se a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) e modelos de regressão logística. Identificou-se que durante a diplomacia federativa não era possível identificar um padrão explicativo para indicar a presença de uma estrutura de relações internacionais nos governos estaduais, enquanto no período da cooperação internacional federativa foram encontrados padrões bem distintos que resultaram na presença de tais estruturas, com os modelos de regressão indicando as características com possíveis efeitos mais substantivos. / The subnational international activities, known as paradiplomacy, are the actions developed abroad by subnational governments. Notwithstanding, they generate reactions by their own central governments, creating relationships ranging from conflict to cooperation between levels of government. The Brazilian case is marked by two policies linked to the phenomenon: (1) the federative diplomacy of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1994-2002), regarded as of coordination and control; and (2) the federative international cooperation of Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), recognized as of coordination and encouragement, which represent a turning point in central governments agenda, regarding the phenomenon. This change led to the key questions of the present research. The first concerns the mechanisms that would have caused the institutional and discourse changes between the two governments. The second is about the effects of this change: is it possible to identify changes between Brazilian subnational governments between the two periods? From this, it was sought to identify the causal mechanisms that resulted in the change with the use of process-tracing and logistic regression models. In a second stage, it was established that the international actions of interest would be those that are expected greater development, with defined policies for international activities and the consequent observation of subnational foreign policy, represented by the presence of an agency of international relations in the state governments. To identify the changes in patterns of the states that developed a foreign policy, it was used the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and logistic regression models. It was found that during the federative diplomacy period was not possible to identify an explanatory pattern to indicate the presence of a structure of international relations in state governments, while in the period of international federative cooperation they were found distinct patterns that resulted in the presence of such structures, with regression models indicating the features with more substantive potential effects.

This thesis has been prepared as urban study BVV in Brno. The project deals with the revitalization of the area, streamlining usage in the long run. The area is delimited to the northeast street Hlinka, southwest Street Bauer. The territory is located near the center of Brno, near the Mendel Square. It is directly connected to the ring road. The main objectives of the project are to restore its original luster campus, thanks to which Brno became known in the world - to create an international cultural and sports science node. Open to the public year-round resort and create new areas of specific housing related to the function of the complex.