Employer branding has become an increasingly popular subject among practitioners. In order to gain competitive advantage it is claimed that companies should hold the best employees. However, in this thesis it is argued that the purposes of employer branding and HRM are strikingly alike, since they both aim to attract and retain employees. Earlier research lacks to explain how companies work with employer branding. Therefore, it is reasonable to wonder how employer branding is practiced and whether employer branding contributes something of value to the company, especially to HRM. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether employer branding contributes to HRM regarding attraction and retention of employees. A qualitative case study was conduced and the findings show that employer branding can contribute to HRM by: (1) giving HRM incentives to approach the whole spectra of employees; potential, current as well as former employees, (2) facilitating the maintenance of the corporate culture and (3) enabling a way for HRM to take a strategic approach.

Human resource strategy and practices are effective ways to sustain organizational competitive advantage under the concept of strategic human resource management. It was proved that human resource strategy and business strategy have causal relationship. However, we need to explore the relationships among industry environment, business strategy and human resource in corporations of Taiwan. Using literature review and case studies, this research targeted six firms, which were sampled purposely, to conduct an in-depth interview to explore the relationships among human resource strategy, business strategy, and industry life-cycle. And the results showed below: 1.Business strategy is influenced by industry life-cycle stage and industry category. 2.Different business strategic will result in different human resource strategies and practices, that is, the principle of ¡§fitness¡¨. 3.Operation of human resource management will output multi-changes and combinations, due to cross influences of multi-factors.

The major purpose of study is to know the main human resource function role which is performed currently by the subsidiary of Multinational Corporation (MNC) in Taiwan and the concept of multiple-role model is adopted in the study. This study is done by the quantative survey to find out the factors which could influence the human resource function role and the current multiple-role model, meanwhile the cluster analysis is used to investigate the main model of current human resource function role. Human resource activities within the subsidiary of MNC in Taiwan are influenced by both external and internal environments, because there¡¦re many environmental factors to be considered and they are not easy to be controlled, so the study focuses on the discussion of the variables of internal environment in the organization. According to the characters of the variables, the study divides the variables into organization character and management character to investigate the influence of internal environment on human resource function role. After passing through the examination and analysis , the study result is presented as here below: 1. The major human resource function role performed by current subsidiary of MNC in Taiwan is Administrative Expert, the next is Strategic Partner, Change Agent and the last is Employee Champion. It represents that the human resource department of the subsidiary of MNC in Taiwan still do lots of works in the administration. But it¡¦s also found from the result that the roles of Strategic Partner and Change Agent are elevated after comparing with the previous studies. So it¡¦s assumed the position of human resource department becomes higher, human resource department involves more in the strategic management. 2. The cluster analysis is used in this study to evaluate the multiple-role model of Business Partner. The samples in the study are divided into 3 groups and named as High Level Business Partner, Middle Level Business Partner, and Low Level Business Partner. 3. The study finds that two variables, ¡§the position of human resource supervisor¡¨ and ¡§if human resource supervisor joins the management team¡¨, influence the performing level of human resource role.

Economic globalization and the Open-Door policy make China market more significant around the world. On the other hand, intensive competitions are making progress. This paper examines the economic and society change, labor laws altering, and human resources varying since 1949. As the dynamics of competition accelerate are perhaps the only truly sustainable sources of competitive advantage in China firms. Thus, successful management of human capital may be more ultimate determinant of organizational performance and survival than physical capital. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) emphasizes the through the improvement of within reliable bundles of human resources practices and human resources management system, which are appropriately matched or linked to existing organizational environment. Most particularly business strategies could result in higher organization performance achievable. An empirical analysis is presented by gathering data from 80 China firms in 2003. That is on purpose to examine the determinants of the accomplishment of human resource management system and the coverage to human resource management system influences on organization performance.

Population growth, urbanization, degrading water quality, and climate change are making management of scarce water resources an increasingly difficult task for the domestic sector. It is recognized that in order to manage urban water resources demand management is requisite. Demand management has been experimented with in large cities of developing countries but continued focus on expanding supply overshadows its potential benefits and ultimate success. In order to manage demand, it must be measured and understood. Intermittent water services are prevalent in developing countries, but unmetered domestic water use under such conditions has not been carefully studied. This study conducted 1,149 household surveys in a small, growing, coastal city (population est. 35,645) in La Libertad, Peru. The objectives were to 1) characterize current household water use behaviors, perceptions and values as they vary among three user groups (two distinct unmetered intermittent water services and well users) and reveal the existing water use and potential household demand for water, and 2) propose demand management tactics applicable to conditions of the study site that may be generalizable to small, developing, cities. Survey results show daily per capita water use in the range of 35 to 90 L with more water being used by the group that receives water for a longer duration of time. The distribution of water was inequitable and, on average, households received water for less time than the service providers' reported duration. Demand is likely to grow due to increasing water-related infrastructure, established water behaviors, and a lack of understanding regarding regional scarcity and water conservation. Households are not satisfied with existing service conditions, particularly water quality, but due to an apparent distrust in their water providers are unwilling to pay for improvements. For domestic service to remain sustainable under the pressures of increasing water scarcity, demand management strategies, particularly education and awareness building, are likely achievable and should be adopted, complementary to supply-minded management.

abstract: Phosphorus (P), an essential element for life, is becoming increasingly scarce, and its global management presents a serious challenge. As urban environments dominate the landscape, we need to elucidate how P cycles in urban ecosystems to better understand how cities contribute to — and provide opportunities to solve — problems of P management. The goal of my research was to increase our understanding of urban P cycling in the context of urban resource management through analysis of existing ecological and socio-economic data supplemented with expert interviews in order to facilitate a transition to sustainable P management. Study objectives were to: I) Quantify and map P stocks and flows in the Phoenix metropolitan area and analyze the drivers of spatial distribution and dynamics of P flows; II) examine changes in P-flow dynamics at the urban agricultural interface (UAI), and the drivers of those changes, between 1978 and 2008; III) compare the UAI's average annual P budget to the global agricultural P budget; and IV) explore opportunities for more sustainable P management in Phoenix. Results showed that Phoenix is a sink for P, and that agriculture played a primary role in the dynamics of P cycling. Internal P dynamics at the UAI shifted over the 30-year study period, with alfalfa replacing cotton as the main locus of agricultural P cycling. Results also suggest that the extent of P recycling in Phoenix is proportionally larger than comparable estimates available at the global scale due to the biophysical characteristics of the region and the proximity of various land uses. Uncertainty remains about the effectiveness of current recycling strategies and about best management strategies for the future because we do not have sufficient data to use as basis for evaluation and decision-making. By working in collaboration with practitioners, researchers can overcome some of these data limitations to develop a deeper understanding of the complexities of P dynamics and the range of options available to sustainably manage P. There is also a need to better connect P management with that of other resources, notably water and other nutrients, in order to sustainably manage cities. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Sustainability 2011

Detta arbetet genomfördes med syftet att undersöka vad svenska hamnlotsar ansåg om kommunikationen med fartygets bryggteam och även utreda uppkomsten av eventuella kommunikationsbrister. I Sverige sker majoriteten av alla fartygsolyckor inom hamnområdet samt den största olyckskategorin är kommunikation. Arbetet genomfördes som en kvalitativ studie där datainsamlingen bestod av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex svenska hamnlotsar från två olika lotsområden, för att ge en inblick om deras personliga uppfattning gällande kommunikationen med bryggteamet. Resultatet visar att respondenterna anser generellt att kommunikationen är fullt godkänt ombord på fartyg. Men det framgår även att i vissa fall kan språket vara så pass bristfällig att teckenspråk kan vara det enda sättet att kommunicera på. Arbetets slutsats är att språket ombord är den största bidragande faktorn till att kommunikationsbrister uppstår, därför krävs en förbättring.

This thesis examines the transfer of HR practices in the Nigerian subsidiaries of MNCs from emerging countries. It aimed to address a number of gaps identified from the literature, especially as there is a dearth of study in this area in developing countries in contrast to developed countries. Specifically, the study attempts to shed light on the nature of the HR practices, the process of the transfer of HR practices, the factors that influence the transfer process and the role of HR in the transfer process. The study utilised 48 semi-structured interviews conducted between November 2012 and March 2015 in the Nigerian subsidiary of the four case companies. The data was predominantly gathered using an in-depth semi-structured interview of HR managers and specialists, line managers of other functional departments, senior managers and others who are involved with people-related issues on the nature of HRM policies applied in subsidiaries of MNCs from emerging economies and their approach to the management of their human resources in overseas subsidiaries. Generally, the findings from this study reveal that these MNC case companies display more similarities than differences. In particular, similarities were found to be the increasing emphasis on training and development, which was used to develop employees extensively, implementing standard appraisal systems which are more target-oriented and standardised communication. However, differences existed in the areas of compensation and benefits, and recruitment and selection. Additionally, expatriates are appointed in key positions and are used to facilitate the transfer of these practices. Furthermore, similarities and differences are influenced by a number of factors. Overall, the study’s findings contribute to knowledge in several ways. First, they extend knowledge on the convergence debate and show that there is convergence among EMNCs themselves and with western MNCs, and this convergence is with regards to the adoption of Anglo-Saxon practices that are known to be globally accepted standard practices. The study also contributes to the Upper Echelon Theory in that it confirms that the education and experience of top and senior managers affects the nature of HR practices adopted. This study can be extended into other contexts. Secondly, it contributes to knowledge on the approaches adopted by the MNCs and the findings reveal that various IHRM approaches could be used depending on the policy or practice that is considered of “strategic importance”. It reveals that an exportive approach was adopted by the parent companies.

Globally, the current state of freshwater resource management is insufficient and impeding the chance at a sustainable future. Human interference within the natural hydrologic cycle is becoming dangerously irreversible and the need to redefine resource managerial approaches is imminent. This research involves the development of a coupled natural-human freshwater resource supply model using a System Dynamics approach. The model was applied to two case studies, Somalia, Africa and the Phoenix Active Management Area in Arizona, USA. It is suggested that System Dynamic modeling would be an invaluable tool for achieving sustainable freshwater resource management in individual watersheds. Through a series of thought experiments, a thorough understanding of the systems’ dynamic behaviors is obtainable for freshwater resource managers and policy-makers to examine various courses of action for alleviating freshwater supply concerns. This thesis reviews the model, its development and an analysis of several thought experiments applied to the case studies.

This study aims to understand the interaction within cabin crew members and study the teaching methods regarding communication to the cabin crew. For exploring this matter, interviews with two cabin crew instructors were conducted. These interviews have been analysed by using socio-cultural theory on learning, along with relevant theoretic terms to comprehend how interaction and communication between cabin crew members are taught. The interviews with the instructors have been analyzed from a socio-cultural perspective with concepts relevant to the study; language as a tool, crew resource management as a communicative method and mediation, which can be explained as how something is conveyed. By analyzing the interviews and interpreting them from the socio-cultural perspective, three categories were established. These were: teaching environment, crew resource management and safe teaching environment and finally social interaction. The results of the study indicate that one of the most critical factors for teaching communicative skills and the understanding thereof is the numerous years of working experience of the cabin crew instructors. Another crucial result from this study demonstrates that in order to teach communication skills to cabin crew effectively, it may be necessary to re-evaluate the methods in which the subject is instructed to cabin crew as the training program for cabin crew is based mainly on pilot manuals. Onward research in the field may also regard the use of virtual-reality methods through VR-goggles, which is something the respondents briefly explained as an exciting breakthrough in cabin crew teaching methods. / Studiens syfte är att undersöka instruktörers erfarenheter och upplevelser om undervisningen av säkerhetsbärande kommunikation till kabinpersonal i ett flygbolag. För att studera detta har två djupgående intervjuer genomförts med två instruktörer eftersom det är instruktörerna som är ansvariga för att undervisa om kommunikationen som kabinpersonalen senare använder i den dagliga verksamheten. Intervjuerna med instruktörerna genomfördes genom video och/eller telefonsamtal och har därefter analyserats utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv med för studien relevanta begrepp; språket som redskap, crew resource management som kommunikativ metod samt mediering, vilket kan förklaras som hur någonting förmedlas. Med hjälp av att analysera intervjuerna och tolka dem utifrån det sociokulturella perspektivet kunde tre kategorier uppmärksammas: undervisningsmiljö, CRM och trygg undervisningsmiljö samt social interaktion. Studiens resultat visar att en av de viktigaste faktorerna i undervisningen och i synnerhet kommunikation, är instruktörens egen yrkeserfarenhet vilken visat sig viktig för undervisningen om kommunikation. Ett annat viktigt resultat från undersökningen är att den belyser instruktörernas erfarenheter av hur teori och praktik samspelar i undervisningen. Med resultat från denna studie uppmuntras till fortsatta studier om undervisningen för kabinpersonal i syfte att belysa och effektivisera den kommunikation som kabinpersonalen arbetar med dagligen. Ett intressant ämne som framfördes genom intervjuerna med respondenterna är möjligheten att arbeta med VR-glasögon, alltså glasögon som genom en virtuell värld kan återge undervisningsmiljö som annars kan vara svåråtkomlig.