Globalization and demographic changes are posing new challenges for firms that compete for superior human capital resources, and this ‘war for talent’ is especially fierce among MNCs whose main asset is knowledge, like the consultancy industry. As the demand for future leaders increases, it is essential for such firms to ensure an efficient flow of diverse talent through the whole organization. Previous research has mainly treated diversity management and talent management separately, despite the fact that the two concepts are interrelated. This thesis aims to close this gap by exploring how global consultancies incorporate diversity into their talent management practices. By combining in-depth interviews and secondary data from three case companies, conclusions were drawn regarding the views and outcomes of diversity and through which practices the concept was integrated with the management of talents. Some interesting findings were that the main diversity focus was concentrated on gender issues and that global talent management was not highly prioritized in the participating case firms. With regards to talent management, the most highlighted strategy for achieving diversity was by focusing on attracting employees from different diverse groups.

The purpose of this research was to assess stakeholder interest pertaining to best management practices for free-roaming horses in the Chilcotin, British Columbia. The study site is located between the towns of Hanceville to the east and Tatla Lake to the west. A case study approach was adopted, utilizing on-site observation, document analysis and semi structured interview methods. Analysis, through the reduction and interpretation of data, allowed for the emergence of the themes and subthemes. Themes were free-roaming horse interaction with both the biophysical and socioeconomic landscape as well as management. British Columbia government, ranchers, First Nations and Non Governmental Organizations were interviewed on their awareness and interaction with free-roaming horses, the management and policies pertaining to the species. Free-roaming horses have historically represented a social and economic resource, although stakeholders have had little input into management decisions. Antiquated policies, clashing social values, changing land title and land use and difficult economic times have resulted in a lack of clarity regarding jurisdiction, and therefore management, for the free-roaming horses. Management goals are not clear due to lack of classification as livestock or wildlife under provincial or federal legislations. A strategy, which promotes decentralization, collaboration and transparency in decision and policy-making is recommended. Multi-stakeholder research is the first step toward creating such a strategy.

Assessments of landscape connectivity are increasingly required in natural resource management. Understanding how landscape structure affects the movement and dispersal of animals may be essential for ensuring the long-term persistence of species of conservation concern. Functional connectivity models describing how features on the landscape influence animal movement behaviour have been produced in two different ways. The resistance surface models landscape connectivity as its inverse, the resistance to movement and dispersal, while the landscape graph represents landscape connectivity by describing the relationships among resource patches. Both methods have limitations that make them less effective for modelling highly-mobile and wide-ranging species such as ungulates and carnivores. This thesis develops a method called grains of connectivity that combines the continuous representation of landscape connectivity provided by resistance surfaces and the scalability provided by landscape graphs to create a flexible modelling framework for these species. The first half of the thesis reviews the conceptual origins of the grains of connectivity method and examines its properties using simulated landscapes. In the second half, empirical evidence of movement and dispersal in a boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) population is used to validate functional connectivity hypotheses generated using the method. Connectivity for caribou at the temporal scale of generations is examined using a landscape genetics approach, while connectivity at the seasonal scale is assessed using the distribution of caribou telemetry locations. Grains of connectivity may be most useful for study systems where animals are not found exclusively in well-defined resource patches and there is uncertainty in the behavioural parameters influencing movement and dispersal. Additionally, the scalability of the analysis can be used to selectively remove spatial heterogeneity that may be uncorrelated with movement and dispersal giving an improved description of the pattern affecting the landscape connectivity process.

<p> Dominica has been recognized for its landscape containing hundreds of rivers and receiving high rainfall, and "our water belongs to the world," or so says many Dominican citizens, and their government. A schism exists in the understanding of the water resources of Dominica. Local perceptions are in conflict with regional climate change data. Where climate change research has found Dominica to be high risk for water quality and quantity, locals maintain the mindset that there is an overabundance of the resource. Local epistemologies influence governmental water management practices, which presently focus on exportation of the resource. In efforts of economic development, while trusting that there is a surplus of water, Dominica leases billions of gallons of water each year to foreign companies. A popular conception on the island is that there is an abundance of water, and therefore, it should be shared globally. This unique social construction of Dominican water has been a foundation leading to the sale of billions of gallons of fresh water to international corporations. However, the bulk exportation of water is occurring in the context of climate change, and thus, the availability of water will be impacted by changes in annual rainfall, sea level rise, increased temperatures, and more severe hurricanes. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the social understanding of water in Dominica was constructed, and what this means in relation to resource exportation and climate change. This research-based paper explores Dominican perceptions of water abundance and sustainability.</p>

Widespread access to renewable electricity is seen as a viable method to mitigate carbon emissions, although problematic are the issues associated with the integration of the generation systems within current power system configurations. Wind power plants are the primary large-scale renewable generation technology applied globally, but display considerable short-term supply variability that is difficult to predict. Power systems are currently not designed to operate under these conditions, and results in the need to increase operating reserve in order to guarantee stability. Often, operating conventional generation as reserve is both technically and economically inefficient, which can overshadow positive benefits associated with renewable energy exploitation. The purpose of this thesis is to introduce and assess an alternative method of enhancing power system operations through the control of electric loads. In particular, this thesis focuses on managing highly-distributed sustainable demand-side infrastructure, in the form of heat pumps, electric vehicles, and electrolyzers, as dispatchable short-term energy balancing resources. The main contribution of the thesis is an optimal control strategy capable of simultaneously balancing grid- and demand-side objectives. The viability of the load control strategy is assessed through model-based simulations that explicitly track end-use functionality of responsive devices within a power systems analysis typically implemented to observe the effects of integrated wind energy systems. Results indicate that there is great potential for the proposed method to displace the need for increased reserve capacity in systems considering a high penetration of wind energy, thereby allowing conventional generation to operate more efficiently and avoid the need for possible capacity expansions. / Graduate

<p> Current scientific knowledge of the ringtail (<i>Bassariscus astutus </i>) is limited, thus impeding appropriate management decisions. Ringtails in Zion National Park, Utah, are rarely seen, but are involved in increasing occurrences of negative interactions with park visitors and employees such as food theft and denning in buildings, interactions which are harmful to both parties. To manage this conflict, an update to the general knowledge about the status of the population is required as the only previous study on ringtails in this area was conducted in the 1960s. Using noninvasive techniques provides dependable large-scale population information. I used two noninvasive detection methods in combination to establish a robust occupancy estimate of the ringtail population in Zion National Park. Ringtails were detected in 2 of 3 focus areas in the park, but at low densities. This study included the development of a novel method to individually identify ringtails by their footprints. I used the Interactive Individual Identification System (I3S) software to determine if individuals could be identified using the pattern formed by papillae and ridges of the footpad. Ringtails' footpad prints consistently resulted in a unique pattern recognizable by simple visual analysis and a computer-aided analysis of the prints in a database; however more research is needed for the applicability using field data. Ringtail densities were highest in the areas of greatest human activity. The proximity to humans may be impacting ringtail diet and consequently their health. I collected scat in areas of high and low human use to quantify the change in diet resulting from food acquired around human establishments. Ringtails living in areas of high human activity exhibited a change in diet, including the presence of human trash such as foil and plastic; this has implications for ringtail health and human safety. Ringtails acquiring food from human sources may increase their activities around buildings and areas with high human activity, resulting in an increased chance of direct and indirect human-ringtail interactions. Active management of human activities and regular building maintenance is required in the future to decrease negative consequences of ringtail use and presence in areas of high human activity.</p>

<p> Empowering citizens to comprehend complex environmental issues affecting their daily lives is essential to sustaining a healthy and informed public. The work of many environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) center around helping their stakeholders become informed of, and in turn, better understand complex environmental problems. However, providing individual stakeholders with knowledge about environmental issues that is easily accessible and understandable represents a recurring challenge in today's society. As a result, a gap continues to exist between that which is known about environmental problems and the public's awareness and understanding of those issues. Arsenic contamination of drinking water from privately owned groundwater wells in rural areas of the southwest the United States is one such environmental issue, which is the focus of this research project. </p><p> Results from this study demonstrate that an Internet-based GIS application represents a promising tool for informing stakeholders of selected water quality issues and helping stakeholders comprehend the scope of arsenic found in drinking water in rural areas. Specifically, findings from this research suggest that the interactive environment of an Internet GIS is an easy to use technology that facilitates the visualization of arsenic water quality impairment in an accessible format for stakeholders. Feedback from ENGO and IHE professionals (who were the target population in this study) indicated that an Internet GIS application, such as the one used in this project, represents one method to inform stakeholders of drinking water quality issues. This, in turn, contributes to reducing the gap between known scientific information about environmental issues and stakeholder knowledge of the facts and consequences associated with those concerns. </p><p> Results from this study inform an important initial step in reducing the knowledge gap (i.e., determining ENGO and IHE professionals' perspectives about the value of use of an Internet GIS for engaging with public stakeholders), leading to the subsequent task of ensuring that public stakeholders are aware of the opportunities to use Internet GIS to become more informed about water quality issues. To advance the findings from this project, additional research is needed to further clarify best practices that ENGO and IHE professionals may employ to disseminate an easily accessible Internet GIS for water quality from rural, unregulated sources. Additional need exists to gather and compare the perceptions of stakeholders with the perspectives of ENGO and IHE professionals to best clarify the use of Internet GIS as a tool to disseminate unregulated drinking water quality information to rural water users.</p>

<p> Fisheries for snow (<i>Chionoecetes opilio</i>) and Tanner (<i>C. bairdi</i>) crab in Alaska are managed with large male only harvest regulations. Management of sex-selective crab fisheries could be enhanced by improved understanding of the functional relationship between male harvest and female reproductive potential. This research advances knowledge of factors associated with variation in reproductive potential by characterizing factors influencing female sperm reserves for Tanner crab, identifying factors associated with variability in fecundity for female snow crab in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS), and developing refined indices of egg (embryo) production and recruitment for snow crab that revealed a positive functional relationship that has not been previously described for this stock. </p><p> Sperm reserves of female Tanner crab varied with mature female ontogeny, sex ratio, and harvest. Increasing exploitation rate is associated with decreased average sperm reserves of primipara (first reproductive cycle) while increased availability of large, sexually-dominant, adult males, was associated with increased cumulative sperm reserves for multipara (second or greater reproductive cycle) among Tanner crab stocks. A white-layer of fresh ejaculate in the spermathecae (sperm-storage organ) was a robust indicator of increased sperm reserves in both primiparous and multiparous females and is likely a useful tool for evaluating risk of sperm limitation in <i>Chionoecetes.</i> </p><p> Fecundity of female snow crab in the EBS was influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Fecundity increased with increasing female size and decreased for older multipara likely due to senescence. Variability in fecundity-at-size was higher among multipara than primipara and this may be associated with contrasting mating dynamics, tempo of reproduction, maternal age, or environmental influences on maternal condition. Mating success may also influence fecundity of multiparous females; females with fresh ejaculate had higher fecundity (~10%) than those that did not. Substantial embryo loss during brooding was not observed for snow crab, and embryo quality did not vary with female size or age relative to maturity. </p><p> Refining indices of female reproductive potential with demographic and fecundity information resulted in reduced estimates of reproductive output. A positive functional relationship between reproductive potential and recruitment was detected at a lag of four years due to coherence between high reproductive output in the late 1980s and strong recruitment in the early 1990s. Stock productivity reached a minimum thereafter, preceding a rapid decline in mature abundance.</p>

Syftet med detta arbete är att studera finansialiseringens spridning och kopplingen mellan processer och strukturer inom finansialiserings-teori och Human Resource Management (HRM). Detta genom att studera en organisation och dess HR-praktik i jämförelse med ovan nämnda teorier. De två teoretiska perspektiven används för att illustrera vilka konsekvenser som kan tydliggöras för arbetstagare och organisation. I studien undersöks en HR-verksamhet på den svenska arbetsmarknaden där det empiriska materialet består av kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter från organisationens HR-funktioner. Studien har ett abduktivt förhållningssätt där underlaget bygger på en teoretisk förförståelse samtidigt som en lägre grad av standardisering i intervjuerna används för att låta det studerade fältet styra den empiriska bilden. I resultatet presenteras en organisation som genomfört förändringar med ekonomisk inriktning och som i större utsträckning än tidigare premierar resultatdriven personalhantering. Detta kan tyda på en spridning av processer definierade av finansialiserings-teori utanför traditionellt sett finansialiserade marknader. De likheterna med HRM-teori uppmärksammas i den studerade praktiken anses vara mer ideologiskt än praktiskt grundade men visar också på en tydligare ekonomisk styrning. Vidare lyfts strävan efter att legitimera HR gentemot företagsledning som en möjlig bidragande faktor i finansialiseringen av arbetsmarknaden.

Performance pay has been identified as a key element of modem human resource strategy but published field research has been limited. This thesis investigated the objectives, methods of operation and outcomes of several performance pay schemes through the creation and testing of several hypotheses. Evidence was gathered through a longitudinal study in one organisation augmented by case studies in two further organisations. The findings showed that organisations demonstrated a mix ofoperational and cultural objectives for introducing performance pay while the desired outcomes were to promote cultural change, internal equity and increased motivation. However, the findings from the longitudinal survey showed that the desired outcomes were not met, as viewed by the employees. Motivation was not increased, nor did the scheme help to change culture while pay satisfaction remained at a low level, although the employee response to the scheme showed a limited improvement after operating for one year. Positive employee viewpoints were highly correlated to the level of communication and satisfaction with pay. In terms of the influence of employee characteristics, women and non-union members were significantly more positive than men and union members. A cluster analysis showed that negative views were more strongly held than positive views which statistically influenced the outcomes and employees with such negative views had a 'bundle' of characteristics, namely middle grade males with long service and union membership. This research has made a number of contributions. It has added to the limited number of UK field studies and its longitudinal nature provides unique fmdings. It has provided data on the launch and initial period of operation ofa perfonnance pay scheme, as perceived by the employees. It has shown further evidence of strategic use of performance pay schemes with a newly constructed model. The findings have important implications for management, especially in relation to the identification of key supporter groups and opponents to the scheme and the issues that employees regard as key to the success of the scheme.