The conditions in the international business market changed rapidly andunexpectedly when Covid-19 evolved into a pandemic in March of 2020. As a result of this, businesses had to adapt their operations to the new circumstances. The new circumstances implied, among other things, not being able to meet B2B customers in person. Before the pandemic, meeting customers in person was the usual way of building trust in business relationships. This is especially true for companies in the high-end segment as their customers value trust in their suppliers in their purchasing decisions. Therefore, this thesis investigates how high-end companies' trust and relationships have been affected by the pandemic. It also examined which factors have been crucial for high-end businesses when managing relationships and trust. A qualitative method has been utilized as a foundation for this thesis. Theoretical data were collected by reviewing several studies related to the topic. Empirical data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with seven case companies. With the gathered data as a foundation, three themes were formed: B2B relationships, trust, and crisis. The themes are reoccurring throughout the thesis to provide the reader with a red thread. The themes are continuously related to high-end sales. The data has been analyzed to investigate the relationships between the themes. This thesis concludes that Covid-19 positively has impacted high-end companies' trust and relationships. Crucial factors for managing trust and relationships during Covid-19 have proven to be mutual understanding, local presence on the international market, transparency, and flexibility.

En 2009, le Grenelle de l’environnement a ouvert en France la possibilité d’intégrer des clauses environnementales au sein des cahiers des charges d’Indications Géographiques (IG). Cette opportunité nouvelle intéresse fortement les Agences de l’eau qui cherchent de plus en plus à agir en amont à la source des pollutions agricoles. Dans ce contexte, cette étude interroge la manière dont certaines démarches de qualité alimentaire intègrent dans leur dynamique des objectifs de préservation de l’eau. Pour y répondre, nous avons développé une approche globale permettant de resituer les enjeux de qualité de l’eau dans ceux plus larges d’environnement. Nous avons également dépassé la seule analyse des cahiers des charges des IG pour considérer l’ensemble des actions en faveur de l’environnement dans lesquelles elles s’impliquent. Le cadre d’analyse développé, celui de la résilience des Systèmes Alimentaires (SA) de qualité différenciée répond à ce besoin d’élargissement. Il nous permet d’étudier les dynamiques environnementales engagées pour faire face à des perturbations liées à la dégradation des ressources naturelles dont l’eau. Il s’agit autant de perturbations factuelles, mesurées, que de perturbations représentées lorsque les acteurs envisagent un risque potentiel. Ce cadre d’analyse a été appliqué à la viticulture et à l’arboriculture dans le Sud-Est de la France. Les résultats montrent la complexité des dynamiques environnementales engagées : elles reposent toutes sur plusieurs actions complémentaires et supposent la présence d’acteurs clés ayant la capacité à engager une dynamique collective et à envisager les SA à la fois dans leur dimension verticale les liant au marché et dans leur dimension horizontale les insérant dans le territoire. / In 2009, The Grenelle de l'Environnement (French environmental pact) introduced environmental clauses within Geographical Indications (GI) specifications. French Water agencies (agences de l’eau) perceive it as a good opportunity to address the issue of agricultural pollution, by takings actions at the upstream level. In this context, this study examines how certainfood quality processes are proactively setting targets for conserving water. This question led to develop a global approach in order to look at the issues of water quality from the wider angle of environmental preservation. It requires not only to focus on regulation tools of food quality products but also to take into account a larger set of environmental actions. Along the same lines, the theoretical framework of the resilience of food system of differentiated quality has also been developed. It allows to study proactive environmental dynamics set up by stakeholders to deal with perturbations linked to natural resources degradation, such as water. Those perturbations can be factual (measured) or represented, when stakeholders consider a potential risk. This analytical framework has been applied on case studies in viticulture and fruit production in the South-East of France. The results underscore the complexity of environmental dynamics: they are based on a set of complementary actions and require the mobilization of key players, able to engage in a collective dynamics but also to have a wider vision of food systems, both by looking at the vertical dimension (market oriented) and horizontal dimension (link with the local territory).

This study searches for the management attributes of excellent companies in Zimbabwe in order to reveal the management practices that have made these companies successful. Seven most successful companies from among those quoted on the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange (ZSE) were selected in terms of their financial criteria and the macroeconomic criteria in their industrial categories. The research for attributes of excellence has been qualitative - consisting mainly of interviews of chief executives, departmental managers, skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled employees of the companies. The interviewees were also asked to complete two quantitative instruments: a semantic differential and an observation chart. Altogether 408 people were interviewed and given a semantic differential and an observation chart to complete. Of these, 398 responded to the semantic differential while 308 responded to the observation chart. Qualitative data for the study were content analysed and the data obtained through the quantitative instruments were analysed through the use of the Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) at the Unisa Computer Services Centre. There was agreement in the results obtained through the use of the three different approaches of the research. The management attributes which were elicited by the study are that the Zimbabwean excellent companies : (a) have a participative style of management; (b) always engage in constant communication with all levels oftheir employees; (c) reward good work; (d) train their employees; (e) promote from within; (f) are concerned with the quality of their products and services; (g) care for customers; and (h) are involved in social responsibility. These management attributes can be applied by and could thus benefit any type of organisation, trading or non-trading, and private or public. The application of the attributes may not be limited to the enterprises in Zimbabwe - the host country in which the study was conducted - but it may also be effected in companies in other countries with a similar socioeconomic situation to Zimbabwe's. / Business Leadership / D.B.L.

This study searches for the management attributes of excellent companies in Zimbabwe in order to reveal the management practices that have made these companies successful. Seven most successful companies from among those quoted on the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange (ZSE) were selected in terms of their financial criteria and the macroeconomic criteria in their industrial categories. The research for attributes of excellence has been qualitative - consisting mainly of interviews of chief executives, departmental managers, skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled employees of the companies. The interviewees were also asked to complete two quantitative instruments: a semantic differential and an observation chart. Altogether 408 people were interviewed and given a semantic differential and an observation chart to complete. Of these, 398 responded to the semantic differential while 308 responded to the observation chart. Qualitative data for the study were content analysed and the data obtained through the quantitative instruments were analysed through the use of the Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) at the Unisa Computer Services Centre. There was agreement in the results obtained through the use of the three different approaches of the research. The management attributes which were elicited by the study are that the Zimbabwean excellent companies : (a) have a participative style of management; (b) always engage in constant communication with all levels oftheir employees; (c) reward good work; (d) train their employees; (e) promote from within; (f) are concerned with the quality of their products and services; (g) care for customers; and (h) are involved in social responsibility. These management attributes can be applied by and could thus benefit any type of organisation, trading or non-trading, and private or public. The application of the attributes may not be limited to the enterprises in Zimbabwe - the host country in which the study was conducted - but it may also be effected in companies in other countries with a similar socioeconomic situation to Zimbabwe's. / Business Leadership / D.B.L.