The dynamic information context is challenging school communities to calibrate their ways of understanding information literacy. However empirical research reports a lack of shared understanding and vision around information literacy that is negatively impacting its development. The solution it is argued is to increase the level of multi stakeholder dialogue about the information literacy phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to create a platform for dialogue within an international school community by identifying and comparing conceptions of information literacy across multiple stakeholder groups to proactively inform information literacy practice. Working within the qualitative paradigm and invoking a phenomenographic methodological approach the research drew from a trans-disciplinary theoretical background in the information, management and education sciences. Using recorded focus group discussions stakeholders including students, parents, teachers, library staff, IT personnel, administration and leadership shared their perceptions of the information context as a stepping stone to sharing their conceptions of information literacy. The findings show that stakeholder groups perceived the information context to be characterised by environmental, social human and affective dimensions; that stakeholders did not hold one singular conception of information literacy but rather they shared a series of conceptions of information literacy to varying degrees, and that the variation in the ways information literacy was conceptualised prevailed across three continuums namely the individual-collective, affective-cognitive and competency–personal mastery continuums. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of the series of conceptions of information literacy created the opportunity to develop a model of the common ground of conceptual understanding of information literacy thereby making an original contribution to knowledge. The study provides compelling insights for information literacy practitioners recommending that a shared conceptual understanding of information literacy requires accommodating its complex socio-contextual nature and anchoring that understanding in the philosophical, pedagogical and strategic thinking of the learning community.

En 2002, l’Initiative pour la transparence dans l’industrie extractive (ITIE) est lancée par le Premier Ministre britannique en réponse à la campagne Publiez ce que vous payez (PCQVP). Celle-ci avait participé à la mise sur agenda de la malédiction des ressources, un ensemble de maux économiques et socio-politiques qui pèsent sur de nombreux Etats riches en ressources naturelles. L'ITIE reprend l’une des préconisations de PCQVP, à savoir l’injonction à la transparence : la publication des revenus pétroliers, gaziers ou miniers permettrait aux citoyens de demander des comptes à leurs dirigeants pour la gestion de la manne générée par l’extraction de matières premières. L’exercice de transparence de l’ITIE, à laquelle les états riches en ressources naturelles adhèrent librement, consiste à réconcilier les paiements déclarés par les entreprises extractives d’une part et les recettes déclarées par l’Etat d’autre part. Il s’appuie par ailleurs sur une gouvernance tripartite inédite dans l’industrie extractive : organisations de la société civile, compagnies extractives et gouvernements négocient ensemble pour déterminer les exigences du standard ITIE. Comment des acteurs d’horizons divers sont-ils venus à partager cet intérêt commun et que peut nous apprendre ce consensus sur la notion de transparence et ses usages contemporains dans les politiques de coopération internationale ? Cette recherche raconte l’histoire d’une conquête normative, ses enjeux, ses acteurs, ses batailles afin de réfléchir – par le biais du renouvellement des attributs de légitimité de ceux qui concourent à définir la norme – à la refonte de l’autorité politique dans le système international. / The British Prime Minister launched the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2002 in response to the transnational Publish What You Pay campaign (PWYP). The NGOs, which are member of the PWYP coalition, had been fighting the resource curse by advocating for more transparency in the extractive industries. They argued that empowering citizens of resource rich countries by informing them about the wealth generated by extraction would help insure that those extractive revenues were properly accounted for. The EITI took over this idea and gathered representatives from civil society organisations, extractive companies and governments to design a global standard which resource rich countries can voluntarily decide to comply with. the EITI standard is based on a reconciliation of payments declared by companies on the one hand and revenues declared by the state on the other. The reports that come out of this reconciliation process are then disseminated and can lead to a general public discussion about the way extractive rents are managed. What lead actors from different backgrounds, with often conflicting interests, to agree on a transparency norm and what can this consensus tell us about the notion of transparency and its present (and profuse) use in international development programmes ? This thesis investigates the reasons for the emergence of the transparency norm and its fast diffusion on the international scene in the last 10 to 15 years. It also looks at some of the concrete practices that resulted from this normative evolution, which contributes to a thinking about the renewal of political authority in the international system.

The production of soy in Brazil has been linked with serious ecological impacts. In order to curbenvironmental problems, there have been established public-private initiatives such as the “Round Tables”,focused on the creation of standards to make value chains of commodities products more sustainable. Thepresent study focuses on identifying the motives and challenges of the adoption of the Roundtable onResponsible Soy (RTRS) certification amongst Brazilian soy producers. The results show the adoption of the RTRS among large producer is mainly driven by potential higher pricesand access to new markets. Medium and small producer adopt the scheme in order to improve their technicalcapacity and ability to meet social and environmental regulation. On the other hand lack of demand for RTRS certified soy seems to be the main challenge for producers to adopt the certification. The gained insights willprovide practioners and academics a basis for exploring possible solutions to overcome such challenges and atthe same time, boost the adoption of the RTRS amongst Brazilian producers.

As demands on companies’ accountability have increased, researchers have turned their attention towards the social auditing practice and studied its role in companies supply chains. This study highlights a theory gap, questioning existing praise and criticism correlated to the categorization of social auditors. By comparing two different social audit categories, namely the independent and internal auditors, this paper contribute with a broader understanding of the similarities and differences between the two audit types. This study addresses the research question; how does the independent and internal social audit type support companies’ work with improving social standards in the supply chain? The theoretical framework includes aspects within the area of social auditing, buyer-supplier relationships and theories regarding the categorization of the two audit types. The study draws upon a qualitative approach investigating two cases with different social auditors, finding that both auditor types have their strengths and weaknesses, and therefore support companies in different ways. Referring to this tradeoff, this study concludes that the praise and criticism correlated to the two audit classifications of independent and internal auditor might not be completely valid, which calls for further research.

Purpose – This research focuses on finding the reasons, why members from different sectors join a cross-sector/multi-stakeholder CSR network and what motivates them to share (or not to share) their knowledge of CSR and their best practices. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the largest cross-sector CSR network in Sweden. The sample base of 15 people was chosen to be able to represent a wider variety of members from each participating sectors. As well as the CEO of the intermediary organization was interviewed. The interviews were conducted via email and telephone. Findings – The findings include several reasons linked to the business case of CSR such as stakeholder pressure, competitive advantage, legitimacy and reputation as well as new reasons like the importance of CSR, and the access of further knowledge in the field. Further reasons are in line with members wanting to join a network, such as access to contact or having personal contacts. As to why members are sharing their CSR knowledge, the findings indicate to inspire others, to show CSR commitment, to be visible, it leads to business opportunity and the access of others knowledge, and because it was requested. Reasons for not sharing their knowledge would be the lack of opportunity, lack of time and the lack of experience to do so. Originality/value – The research contributes to existing studies, which focused on Corporate Social Responsibility and cross-sector networking as well as to inter-organizational knowledge sharing in the field of CSR.

Wicked problems are a special subset of particularly complex issues that current problem-solving tools fail tofully address. Because of this deficiency, a new tool for evaluating and resolving wicked problems must be developed. Theories such as anti-positivism and systems thinking are explored in order to understand the nature of wicked problems, which are often defined by the involvement of multiple stakeholders as well as non-linear interrelations between various elements of the problem. Although traditional problem-solving methods are inadequate for wicked problems, there are certain tools that are more appropriate for handling such problems. These tools include the analytic hierarchy process, positional analysis, mess maps and heat maps. With their organized structures, visual languages and collaborative processes, these methods provide features that are well suited for tackling wicked problems. However, no single tool incorporates all of the necessary features. Therefore, a combination of the tools explored can yield a new and even more effective tool for wicked problems. This new tool, called STORM, is demonstrated through an evaluation of oil shale exploitation in Estonia. With Estonia currently dependent on energy from oil shale despite the environmental drawbacks, the situation is an ideal example of a wicked problem. The Estonian example shows how STORM can provide a greater understanding of wicked problems and allow resolutions to be negotiated. As sustainable development issues are usually considered to be wickedto sustainable development research.

The Sub-Saharan African country of Ghana is growing at a rapid pace. The construction industry is striving to keep up with the increasing demand for housing and commercial and industrial space while simultaneously protecting the physical environment and social well-being of the country – a challenge becoming known in the industry as ‘sustainable construction.’ This paper proposes a strategic approach to manage these twin challenges, consisting of two parts: a building rating system and a participatory method called multi-stakeholder dialogue. The combination rating system and MSD process was presented to the industry to determine its potential effectiveness in assisting the industry to move towards sustainability. The industry’s response indicates that the proposal could be of value to the industry, with certain noted limitations. This paper describes the rating system-MSD proposal, the industry’s response, and implications for the construction industry in Ghana moving forward

An emerging consensus in the academic literature explicitly recognises large corporations as political actors. Against this background, this research investigates how corporate power operates through political practices in international multi-stakeholder governance processes and how it is legitimised. The central focus of research is the EITI, a sophisticated and well regarded international standard for natural resource governance in which corporations from the extractive industries and institutional investors have been granted decision-making rights at the Board level. Moreover, the research aims at understanding the consequences of corporate power on the Standard's design and performance. Relying on a conceptual framework based on the writings of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, this thesis proposes a refined theoretical approach to corporate power by introducing the concepts of corporate symbolic authority and corporate political practice. This research was undertaken using a mixed-methods approach consisting of content analysis, interviews and participant observation. The findings suggest that companies are privileged partners in the EITI while members from resource-rich countries are effectively disadvantaged. The companies' privileged status is legitimised through taken-for-granted-assumptions portraying them as positive, responsible and exceptional agents. It rests on possession and deployment of various forms of resources, and is enshrined into EITI's principles and procedures. Thus, despite EITI's emphasis on transparency, inclusion and equality (in decision-making), the Standard ultimately reflects and perpetuates the existing power asymmetries which cause disempowerment and poverty of people in resource-rich countries in the first place. This effectively undermines EITI's impact and outcome. In conclusion, the argument is presented that by including corporations into international governance processes already influential actors not only gain direct access to decision-making, but additionally to symbolic authority. This further enhances and consolidates corporate power with substantial consequences for legitimate and effective governance at the international level. Therefore, this thesis enhances our understanding of corporate power and its deployment in multi-stakeholder governance at the international level.

Rural Agricultural Extension System in Lesotho depends on how successful extension knowledge is assembled from multiple actors and applied. Issues are wide ranging, from professional management and technical capacity constraints to the use of multiple, often overlapping and competing approaches by various role players, to mention just a few. First, the study identified multiple actors in rural agricultural extension. Second, it assessed the extent of multi-stakeholder coordination and the approaches used in rural extension. Third, it presented a comparison between best innovative models as identified in the literature and the practices in Lesotho. Fourth, it developed an innovative intervention model for knowledge transfer in consultation with the users of extension service in the two rural settlements. Using a mixed-research method conducted in two rural settlements from Ha Lejone in the Highlands and 'Muela in the Eastern Foothills of Lesotho to study the problem of coordination among actors, anecdotal evidences suggested that the patterns of interaction are not as effective and efficient as they potentially could be. The results show a mismatch of activities between service providers and farmers in terms of inputs provided and inputs required. Poor inter-ministerial and institutional coordination cultures are the majorelements preventing more effective interaction among actors. Introducing a multi-stakeholder intervention approach maps out roles and relationships within the extension knowledge systems by incorporating practices that are already known with exotic ones would give a fresh impetus to the reform of public sector agricultural extension in Lesotho. Policy recommendations for better use of innovation knowledge systems and approaches in the delivery of extension services, concludes the thesis. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Ownership is considered a precondition for sustainable results of development projects, this primarily refers to ownership after the project is concluded. Yet the impact of the relationship between sustainability and ownership at the project stages is not yet clear. This study therefore analyses the ownership-results’ sustainability nexus at the project level, with particular attention to the implication of multi-stakeholder ownership, and how sustainability of results relates to stakeholder ownership of impacts throughout the project life cycle. This study uses the qualitative research design with an empirical point of departure combined with the abduction approach. The research analyses a multi-stakeholder project, the Kosovo Environmental Programme (KEP), using data from online semi-structured interviews with key individuals from four different stakeholder categories involved in the project: Donors, implementing agencies, partners, and right holders. The analytical framework used for the study was the Local Engagement Assessment Framework (LEAF), where the ownership of KEP stakeholders was assessed in three different categories: priorities, implementation/resources, and sustainability. By assessing KEP, the study makes several key findings that can be applicable to a wide range of cases. Firstly, that ownership develops over time and that it is a process that goes on throughout the project cycle. If there is active and effective cultivation of ownership along the process, sustainability will be strengthened in a systemic and comprehensive way. Promoting ownership and sustainability throughout the project cycle is therefore necessary for sustainability and this should start at the initial phase, not during the process nor near the end. Secondly, ownership does not belong to one actor anymore; rather, it sits with different groups of actors, and these can include both relevant international and local actors. Thus, a multi-stakeholder approach is considered especially relevant in broad based projects and where the right conditions exists, such as mutual understanding and trust between stakeholders, awareness, communication, partnership etc. Thirdly, while there have been attempts to fill the ownership gap between donor and recipient governments, the gap between recipient governments and other state and non-state-actors is evident and remains an issue. Therefore, further research is needed into extending ownership beyond central governmental institutions.