This thesis explores different expressions of regionalism(s) and regionalization processes in a Swedish and a westernized context. The case studies in the study conducted are represented by two different kinds of regions, Värmland and The Eight Million City. Värmland is a rather typical administrative and political bordered region at the subnational level in the Midwest of Sweden. The Eight Million City in turn exemplifies an imaginary cross border region, stretching from Oslo in the north, to Gothenburg, Malmö and Copenhagen in the south, connected in a network by a larger infrastructure corridor. It is also an example of how new planning practices stretching over already institutionalized national as well as local and regional borders, can be seen as challenging earlier planning and policy structures connected to the state. It is possible to see how different kinds of strategies related to strategic spatial planning practices are used to enhance the competitiveness of each region. In both cases this produce and reproduce different perceptions about what represents and constitute a competitive region. The empirical material analyzed in the study has been generated by interviews, participant observations, and document analysis based on discourse theory and discourse analysis. Different imaginaries are institutionalized in each region by different means and practices. In Värmland new perceptions about regional citizenship, regional identity and the idea of what constitutes a modern region are being institutionalized into the regional context by building a brand for the region. In The Eight Million City the project idea is based on an enlarged labor market connecting the larger cities in the region together in a network. As well as in Värmland, the knowledge produced in the project contributes to institutionalize different perceptions of citizenship and what makes up a competitive and attractive region. / Den här avhandlingen tar sin utgångspunkt i olika uttryck av samtida regionaliseringsprocesser och regionalism(er). Studien belyser två olika regionaliseringskontexter i form av Värmland och Åttamiljonerstaden. Två i grund och botten mycket olika regioner. Värmland utgör en subnationell administrativ region och därigenom ett exempel och ett uttryck för en decentralisering av statliga uppgifter rörande regional utveckling och tillväxt till den regionala nivån. Åttamiljonerstaden är en imaginär gränsöverskridande region som sträcker sig från Oslo i norr, över Göteborg och Malmö till Köpehamn i söder, där målet är att skapa en sammanhängande och funktionell arbetsmarknadsregion. Trots de båda regionernas olikheter, så kan de båda studerade regionerna ses som ett uttryck för en alltmer normativ policyagenda som grundas på begrepp som globalisering, internationalisering och en konkurrensutsatt marknad. Detta har lett fram till olika former av rumslig strategisk planering som ska stärka respektive regions konkurrenskraft med olika medel. I sin tur leder detta till att olika diskursiva kunskapsrationaliteter om vad som utgör den ”attraktiva regionen” i form av nya styrningsformer, regional organisering och den gode regionmedborgaren implementeras och institutionaliseras i respektive regional kontext.

Objectives: To determine the level of adoption and which characteristics are most strongly associated with the adoption of a clinical innovation in Mental Health and Addiction Service organizations in Ontario, one year after dissemination. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a voluntary quantitative mail-out survey, using a self administered questionnaire that was sent to 260 mental health and addiction service organizations in Ontario. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the overall adoption-decision of the best practice recommendations. Results: Individuals’ tenure within the organization and the provision of screening (organizational variable) was identified to be predictors of adoption for the organization. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated the majority of the organizations are on the path towards a finale decision of adopting or rejecting the recommendations. The results also demonstrate the importance of individual characteristics and organizational characteristics in identifying predictors of adoption.

Objectives: To determine the level of adoption and which characteristics are most strongly associated with the adoption of a clinical innovation in Mental Health and Addiction Service organizations in Ontario, one year after dissemination. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a voluntary quantitative mail-out survey, using a self administered questionnaire that was sent to 260 mental health and addiction service organizations in Ontario. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the overall adoption-decision of the best practice recommendations. Results: Individuals’ tenure within the organization and the provision of screening (organizational variable) was identified to be predictors of adoption for the organization. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated the majority of the organizations are on the path towards a finale decision of adopting or rejecting the recommendations. The results also demonstrate the importance of individual characteristics and organizational characteristics in identifying predictors of adoption.

Increasing evidence of the positive correlation between sustainability performance and financial performance of companies has motivated the proliferation of tools that seek to assess corporate sustainability performance and provide guidance to companies on sustainable business practices and sustainability reporting. Despite the growing number of tools for evaluating, rating and ranking the sustainability performance of companies, the assessment methodologies and frameworks of these tools have not been fully disclosed, leaving both (socially) responsible investors and companies with little publicly available information and understanding of the sustainability issues that are relevant to business practices. This research is an exploratory study seeking to gain greater insight into corporate sustainability assessment as it is practiced within the capital markets. The research specifically examines the extent to which three prominent stock market sustainability indexes, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, the FTSE4Good Index Series and the Jantzi Social Index, represent the sustainability performance of companies. The study involves a comparative analysis of sustainability criteria, and an examination of the extent to which the concept of sustainable development and the theoretical perspectives on sustainability assessment are reflected in the assessment frameworks of the indexes. Furthermore, a secondary question addressed in this study is the extent to which the Global Reporting Initiative’s G3 Guidelines and the ISO 26000 standard influence the sustainability criteria used in the indexes’ assessment frameworks. The significance of this secondary question is to understand the extent of alignment between tools which provide guidance on sustainable business practices and tools which assess corporate sustainability performance. A significant finding of this research is the lack of standardization amongst the assessment and guidance tools on the core sustainability issues that are relevant to businesses across all industry sectors. While all of the tools generally follow the same model of organizing sustainability criteria according to environmental, social and economic themes, within each of those themes, a wide spectrum of issues are covered, with poor consensus amongst the tools on the core indicators that are relevant to business practices. An additional finding is that while the theoretical perspectives on sustainable development and sustainability assessment are evident in the indexes, there is significant margin for improvement in terms of developing indicators which are future-oriented and focus on a long-term perspective, as well as incorporating the notion of context in performance metrics.

This thesis investigated the literacy practices of a group of Somali refugee women participating in Canada’s federally‐funded ESL program LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada). Assuming that many Somali women arrive in Canada with limited experience with print literacy, and so encounter novel challenges in their settlement and learning experiences, I interviewed 4 Somali women about their uses and perceptions of the value of literacy in their lives and their experiences of learning to read and write in Canada. A cross‐case analysis revealed how social forces constrain and enable the women’s literacy practices, shaping both how they access and use literacy, as well as the ways in which they understand and value literacy. Implications are outlined for ESL educators, researchers and policy makers.

Dramatically higher fuel prices and massive petroleum imports from politically unstable countries have contributed to a major national initiative to generate renewable fuels in the United States. Often, such policies are enacted and implemented with huge taxpayer expenditures without due diligence to the consequences. The evaluation of the water quality impacts of converting pastureland to intensive biomass production for fuel in a southern Texas watershed suggest significant increases erosion and nutrient loadings to water bodies. The Best Management Practices (BMPs), cover crop and filter strips when implemented individually failed to produce status-quo reduction levels. Combined BMPs implementation produced improved mitigation, at substantially higher costs, highlighting the issue of sustainability related to the economics of renewable fuels. The estimation of the net energy of biomass ethanol accounting for the production input data indicate a greater than one energy return for biomass crops. However, the policy results indicate that only 70 percent in net contribution to the energy supply is achieved due to relatively lower energy returns compared to conventional fossil fuels. In addition, because the ethanol produced has to have the energy used deleted from the total, the cost of producing a gallon of biomass ethanol is substantially higher than that of gasoline. The impacts of an exogenously-specified biofuel mandate fulfilled by the production of a dedicated biomass crop and its consequent effects on commodity prices and overall welfare are estimated. Net farm income increased due to an increase in crop prices; however, both consumer surplus and total surplus decreased. The analysis is extended to estimate the sensitivity of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres returning to crop production and the potential of higher biomass yields. The results indicate that net farm income decreased and consumer surplus increased due to a decrease in crop prices, resulting in an increase in overall welfare. This current research evaluates the unintended consequences of the U.S. energy policy and provides interesting insights of the potential economic and environmental impacts. These results suggest policy makers should be cautious before enacting energy policy and consider multiple alternative energy sources in an economic and financial context to achieve a sustainable energy goal.

The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  identify  and  analyze  reoccurring  insights  in Entrepreneurship  Education  (EE)  literature,  fill  gaps  in  the  scholarly  discussion,  and develop innovative teaching tools for entrepreneurship educators. The study is based on an in-depth  review  of  the  current  EE  literature  drawing  on  insights  from  about  70  studies. The analysis finds a clear need for: EE on the university level; clear goals and objectives; clear  program  descriptions;  a  more  practical  orientation;  and  true  alumni  networks. Additionally it finds that EE should be interdisciplinary, student-centered, practical, as well as containing strong elements of reflection, support, and networking. These findings are a valuable  resource  for  educators  interested  in  innovative  teaching  practices  and entrepreneurship  program  design  in  a  university  context.  This  paper  develops  three suggestions  on  the  use  of  innovative  teaching  practices,  namely  a  course  on  business models,  an  adapted  form  of  business  simulation  with  a  focus  on  cross-disciplinary networking, and a comprehensive class in entrepreneurial venturing that takes the student through all steps of establishing and growing a business.

Background: Foresight is a vague concept with several definitions. There is barely any existing practical evidence of how it should be conducted or what effect it could have on a company’s performance. Due to the lack of research done, a study within the field was justified. Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate and measure if, and how, foresight practices influence company’s financial performance. Method and theory: A theoretical framework was established in order to compile knowledge about the field. These theories were used as a basis for upcoming in-depth interviews. To make foresight measureable the foresight maturity model was applied in order to assess the company’s foresight practices and to compare it with financial performance. The financial performance was assessed by doing an archival analysis on the company’s annual reports. Findings: The study indicated that foresight practices were limited within the studied companies. However, all the companies used it to some extent. Conclusion: The practices of foresight are greatly contextual and a clear relationship between how the foresight practices affect financial performance is difficult to map out and is need of further research. Tendencies of foresight practices influencing financial performance were however noticed. These tendencies indicated that there is a positive relationship between foresight practices and financial performance.

This dissertation critically evaluates the rationale for, and implementation of, the regulatory scheme governing third party access to essential infrastructure services (the 'national access regime') set out in Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth). The analysis and synthesis of background reports, economic and legal theory, statutory provisions, existing case law, academic commentary and regulatory guidelines contained herein represents a useful and necessary contribution to this nascent area of Australian competition law. In particular, the comprehensive nature of the research has permitted informed assessment of the Productivity Commission's recent review of the national access regime and the Commonwealth Government's response to that inquiry. While the dissertation endorses both the Productivity Commission's finding that retention of the Part IIIA access regime is warranted and many of the (notably light-handed) recommendations advanced by the Commission to improve aspects of the regime's operation, it takes issue with the Commission's failure to propose a more substantial refashioning of the regime's architecture. Stepping into this breach, the dissertation specifies the systemic changes to Part IIIA that are imperative to enhancing the efficacy of the national access regime.

ABSTRACT Conduct problems are a common childhood mental health problem representing a significant proportion of young clients referred for occupational therapy. Children with conduct problems, especially the early onset subtype, can experience a difficult developmental trajectory and this can also impact family members, peers and the broader community. The contours of family life in Australia, and many other western countries, have changed dramatically over the last few decades. For example, we have witnessed a large increase in single parent households, a dramatic increase in maternal employment, declines in fertility rates to well below replacement level, delayed parenthood, and an increase in divorce rates. Consequently both parents and children must navigate a much more varied and in some cases more challenging and stressful set of life course choices and pathways than in the past. For some this will result in changes to parenting practices and children’s time use, potentially exposing children to a higher risk for developing conduct problems. While there is evidence to support the important role played by parents in this context, the relative impact of how and with whom children spend their time has not been closely examined. The aims of this study are to understand how young Australian children spend their time and to examine how children’s time use is related to their risk of developing conduct problems. More specifically it aims to investigate the social context of activities in which children are involved, the extent to which these activities involve physical exertion, structure, and rest and recuperative qualities in relation to conduct problems. In addition, children’s exposure to out-of-family care, differences in parenting practices and socioeconomic factors are also considered. The study is unique in having access to recent, high quality, national level Australian survey data that combines both detailed information on children’s time use, validated scales measuring children’s conduct problems, as well as a range of other variables necessary to accurately measure the relationships between them. These data come from the 4 to 5 year old child cohort from Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) survey. The LSAC is the first comprehensive national longitudinal study of Australian children and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The LSAC follows the lives of two cohorts of approximately 5,000 children each, an infant cohort (0-1 years old in Wave 1) and a child cohort (4-5 years old in Wave 1). This study examines the 4-5 year cohort only. A key strength of the LSAC is its use of time diaries to collect detailed information on children’s time use. It is the analyses of data from these diaries that is unique to the current study of conduct problems and allows the presentation of the first results that combine detailed measures of children’s time use with conduct disorder outcomes. First, descriptive analyses reveal the prevalence of children at risk of developing conduct problems, the variety of parenting practices and children’s time use profiles. Approximately 29% of Australian children aged 4 to 5 years are identified as being “at risk” of conduct problems. Parenting practices for children demonstrate high levels of warmth, reasoning, consistency, and low hostility. Children are reported to experience adequate amounts of sleep or rest, on average 11 hours per day. Over a quarter of children do not engage in moderate to vigorous physical activities, particularly on weekdays, over half do not engage in structured activities on weekdays and well over three-quarters do not engage in structured activities on weekends. Children are highly supervised by adults for approximately 10 hours a day either with or without the presence of peers during their waking hours, whereas almost three quarters of children do not spend time alone and over a half do not spend time with peers only. Second, two-way ANOVAs and random effects models are used to compare children’s time use by their experience of conduct problems. Results derived from the two-way ANOVAs indicate that children at risk of conduct problems spend significantly fewer hours being restful on weekdays, significantly more hours without peers under adult supervision on weekends and significantly fewer hours with peers under adult supervision on weekends than those not at risk. Results from the random effects models show that children at risk of developing conduct problems spend significantly more hours bike riding and significantly fewer hours being restful than those not at risk. Overall these results suggest that children at risk of conduct problems used time differently from those not at risk, particularly those aspects of time which are restful, involve bike riding, and in supervised social contexts. Third, chi-square tests and univariate logistic regression both affirm a higher risk of boys developing conduct problems (1.31 times more likely) than girls. Multivariate logistic regression with random effects is used to model the risk for developing conduct problems for boys and girls. The female model indicates that girls are at lower risk of conduct problems only if they are exposed to consistent and less hostile parenting practice and not have sleep problem reported by parents. The male model suggests that boys are vulnerable to more risk factors and are at lower risk of developing conduct problems if they have fathers who have completed tertiary education, are exposed to consistent and less hostile parenting, do not ride a bike on weekdays, spend less time in exercise on weekends, and do not have sleep problem reported by parents. Overall, the findings of this thesis lead to three main conclusions. First, males are at heightened risk for developing conduct problems and are subjected to more risk factors than girls. Second, parenting practice is affirmed in this thesis as the paramount predictor of risk for 4 to 5 year old children developing conduct problems. Third, the effects of time use depending on the innate quality and structure of activity are considered important for young children’s risk of developing conduct problems, and this is particularly pertinent for young boys. These results support the importance of family-centred services and time arrangements for activity participation when working with children at risk of or diagnosed with conduct problems. It also affirms the necessity to attend to parenting practices which may be described as hostile and inconsistent while at the same time highlighting the importance of fathers to their sons risk profile. These findings contribute to our understanding of children’s time use as a contributor to the behavioural wellbeing of children, especially young boys.