Quality signalling in motion picture markets is hardly a new topic. It has been covered by many researchers over the years. However, most of the previous studies focused on quality signals in interactions between moviemakers and moviegoers. This study employs a more holistic approach as the author attempts to evaluate effects of quality signals throughout different stages of movies’ life cycle. The author has identified three audiences that movies are presented to; and, each group of audience generates a quality signal for the next audience. Based on the feedback from test audiences, moviemakers decide on when to show movies to professional critics and when to allow them to publish their reviews. Interpretation of these timelines become quality signals for the professional critics who interpret shorter time slot for review publication as a signal of the low quality of the movie and vice versa. Professional critics write their reviews which when published on review aggregators become quality signals for the moviegoers. Reviews generated by the initial moviegoers are interpreted by the moviegoers who intend to watch movies at a later stage. All three assumptions are operationalised and evaluated in a series of linear regression tests in this research on a sample containing 130 out of 134 widely released movies in the US and Canada domestic market in 2017. All of the abovementioned quality signals found to be significant as they could explain at least 40 % of the variance of respective response variables.

Cette thèse vise à tester pour l’existence d’effet de complémentarités entre différentes activités économiques dans le secteur agricole. Pour cela, nous mobilisons les deux approches que proposent la littérature, à savoir l’approche par la productivité et l’approche par l’adoption. Nous commençons par une revue de la littérature sur l’économie de la complémentarité, en nous focalisant sur ces deux approches de la complémentarité et ses modèles empiriques. Nous proposons ensuite trois analyses empiriques permettant de tester ces modèles. La première explore les déterminants du choix de marque et/ou de signes des qualité par les petites coopératives agricoles françaises, avec un focus particulier sur la coexistence de ces deux signes. La seconde fournit un test direct de complémentarité entre labels et marques en recourant à l’approche par l’adoption. En estimant un probit multinomial, il est en effet possible de séparer l’effet de complémentarité de celui de l’hétérogénéité inobservable. La troisième introduit l’approche par la productivité, en sus de l’approche par l’adoption, pour tester de cet eet de complémentarité dans les systèmes de polyculture élevage adoptés par les petits exploitants de la province du Pendjab au Pakistan. / The main objective of this thesis is to test for complementarity between different economic activities in agriculture. To do this, we have recourse to the two approaches proposed by the literature, i.e. the productivity approach and the adoption approach. First, we review the economics of complementarity and analyze the different empirical models to test for complementarity. Then, we propose three empirical analyses testing these models. The first examine closely the drivers of the branding and labeling strategies from French small agricultural co-operatives, with a focus on the coexistence of both quality signals. The second directly test for complementarity between branding and labeling using the adoption approach, by estimating a multinomal probit. This allow us to separate what is really due to complementarity and what is caused by unobserved heterogeneity. Third, in addition to adoption approach, we test for complementarity using a productivity approach in the mixed farming systems adopted by smallholder farmers in Punjab, Pakistan.

Chez les espèces où mâles et femelles portent des traits voyants et élaborés, les traits observés chez les femelles peuvent être des sous-produits non-fonctionnels de la sélection sexuelle exercée sur les traits mâles ou alors être directement soumis à la sélection. Cette thèse a eu pour objectif de tester l'hypothèse de sélection sexuelle chez les femelles de Mésange bleue (Cyanistes caeruleus) sur trois traits présents chez le mâle et la femelle : (1) la coloration structurelle UV/bleue de la tête, (2) la coloration jaune basée sur les caroténoïdes de la poitrine et (3) l'agressivité. Pour cela, nous avons testé expérimentalement (1) le lien entre les traits colorés et le transfert de composants potentiellement bénéfiques dans les ufs, (2) la condition-dépendance des traits colorés, (3) l'utilisation de la coloration du plumage dans les interactions femelle-femelle et (4) le lien entre l'agressivité des femelles et leur investissement dans la reproduction. Enfin, nous avons exploré le rôle potentiel des couleurs femelles dans le choix de partenaires mâle en testant le lien entre la couleur UV/bleue des femelles et le nombre de jeunes issus de copulations hors couple et l'appariement selon la couleur bleue et jaune dans notre population. Nos résultats suggèrent (1) qu'il existe un lien entre la qualité maternelle et la coloration de leur plumage, (2) que les couleurs UV/bleues et jaune du plumage sont conditions-dépendants, (3) que les UV/bleus de la tête sont utilisés comme badge de statut dans les interactions femelle-femelle, (4) qu'il pourrait exister un compromis entre l'agressivité femelle et son investissement dans la reproduction et (5) qu'il existe un potentiel choix mutuel de partenaires basés sur les couleurs. Au final, cette thèse a ainsi permis de mettre en évidence que chez une espèce où mâles et femelles sont ornementés, les traits colorés femelles ont le potentiel d'évoluer sous l'effet direct de la sélection sexuelle. / In mutually ornamented species, female conspicuous traits could be non-functional by-products of sexual selection acting on male traits or could be directly under selection. The aim of this PhD was to test the hypothesis of sexual selection in Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) females on three traits present in both males and females: (1) the structural coloration of the UV/blue crown, (2) the yellow chest coloration based on carotenoids and (3) aggressiveness. To do so, we experimentally tested (1) the links between plumage coloration and the transfer of potentially beneficial components in egg yolks, (2) the condition-dependence of the plumage coloration, (3) the use of the plumage coloration in female-female interactions and (4) the link between female aggressiveness and investment in reproduction. Finally, we explored the role of female plumage coloration in male mate choice by testing the link between female UV/blue crown coloration and the n umber of extra-pair young in the nest and by estimating whether the individuals were assortatively mated in respect of their yellow and blue coloration in the studied population. Our results suggest that (1) there is a link between female plumage coloration and maternal quality, (2) plumage UV/blue and yellow coloration is condition-dependant, (3) the UV/blue crown is used as a badge of status in female-female interactions, (4) there could be a trade-off between female aggressiveness and female investment in reproduction and (5) there is a potential mutual mate choice based on both coloration. So, this PhD supports the hypothesis that in a mutually ornamented species, female ornaments are potentially under direct sexual selection.

隨著經濟的快速成長，產生了各種社會問題，而為了解決這些社會問題，許多社會企業隨之出現，這些企業希望在改善社會問題的同時，能透過盈利的方式，使組織永續經營，而本研究欲探討社會企業如何取得資源，換言之，哪些因素會影響資源擁有者提供資源的意願。 本研究參考過去的文獻資料，整理出三項會影響社會企業獲取資源難易度的因子，分別為「社交連結」、「品質信號」與「說故事」，並透過個案研究的方式，透過深度訪談及次級資料的蒐集，探討各個因子是否對社會企業取得資源有所影響。研究結果顯示，在三項因子中，社會企業最常使用說故事的方法來獲取資源，最少透用釋放釋放品質信號，然而，若社會企業有一個很強的品質信號，便會被大量的使用。最後，社會企業若有好的故事，且主動聯絡，透過多樣化的媒體管道，也能更有效的吸引資源擁有者的注意，增加獲得資源機會。 / With the rapid development of economy, a variety of social problems have arisen. As a result, many social enterprises have emerged in order to solve these social problems. These enterprises attempt to help solve social problems and meanwhile, they want to make the enterprise sustainable by making profit. This study wants to explore how social enterprises acquire resources. In other words, this study examines the factors that will affect the willingness of resource owners to provide resources. Referring to past literature about how social enterprises acquire resources, this study categorizes them into three factors that may affect the accessibility of resources for social enterprises, which are “social ties”, “quality signals” and “storytelling.” This study uses the method of case study. Through in-depth interviews and secondary information, we examine how each factor may affect social enterprises acquiring resources. Results show that among the three factors, storytelling is being used the most often to obtain resources. On the other hand, quality signals are used the least often. However, if a social enterprise has a very strong quality signal, it will be widely used. Finally, if a social enterprise has a good story and takes initiative to contact media, it can attract more media attention. Through various media channels, more resource owners will have the chance to know this social enterprise; therefore, the chance of acquiring resources may increase.

The current thesis explores a relatively new academic topic – equity-based crowdfunding. The purpose is to examine which quality signals, used by the entrepreneurs in their fundraising process, tend to increase the probability of closing an equity-based crowdfunding campaign successfully. The findings in this thesis serve as an additional contribution to a relatively unexplored topic of signaling in equity crowdfunding. Besides a theoretical contribution, it provides practical insights that may help entrepreneurs and crowdfunding platforms to increase the probability of successful campaign closure. The data for this study was collected from an international crowdfunding platform Fundedbyme.com. The explanatory variables, both continuous and binary, were divided into several thematic groups, while the dependent variable was defined by either successful or unsuccessful outcome of the campaign. The effect of the explanatory variables on the outcome of the campaign was tested with the help of the logistic regression (logit) model. The results showed that crowd investors in the network of Fundedbyme.com use particular quality signals to distinguish between the projects, in fact, both financial signals and more qualitative signals. Increases in the financial signals such as funding goal and price per share affect the probability of success negatively, while the presence of the qualitative signals (received awards and the indication of the non-executive board) contribute to a higher probability of success. Secondly, the results imply some similarities between the selecting mechanism in traditional funding, reward-based and the equity-based crowdfunding. As a third point, this research shows that the presence of a specific selecting mechanism in crowdfunding helps to some extent decrease the information asymmetry and adverse selection in the market of crowdfunding.