The increase in organic production and consumption demonstrates a movement in favor to alternative forms of food production, aiming to achieve modes that provide health and wellbeing for the producers and consumers, together with environmental preservation. People’s interest in organically produced food is increasing worldwide. Even so, many challenges are faced by the producers, and in this context new forms of organization appear in this market: clusters. The cluster constitute a way to gain competitiveness. In order to explore and better understand this phenomenon, this dissertation aimed, as main objective, to understand the formation of an organic cluster from the perspective of different stakeholders. Through a single embedded case study, this research had a qualitative approach, being the exploratory type. A research protocol along with other cautions in order to gain rigor in the qualitative research. The data were collected through documentary research, in-depth interviews and participatory observations, and analysed through content analysis. As evidence resulting from this study, the following points are highlighted: (1) it was possible to map the cluster and the relations established by the agents; (2) the main drivers of the cluster are mostly related to the pioneerism, institutionalization of the arrangement and its form of management. The barriers are mostly the lack of prepare to deal with tourists, and the marketing initiatives were considered both as a driver and a barrier, since needs to be better developed, but even incipient has some actions established; (3) the main motivations and barriers for the agents to work with organics were confirmed from the literature. The will to educate the consumers, although, was an interesting finding, as one of the drivers; (4) four pillars were identified as fundamental for the cluster, and their structuration and fortification might help the development of the arrangement: to product, to preservate, to show and to educate.

The dynamic information context is challenging school communities to calibrate their ways of understanding information literacy. However empirical research reports a lack of shared understanding and vision around information literacy that is negatively impacting its development. The solution it is argued is to increase the level of multi stakeholder dialogue about the information literacy phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to create a platform for dialogue within an international school community by identifying and comparing conceptions of information literacy across multiple stakeholder groups to proactively inform information literacy practice. Working within the qualitative paradigm and invoking a phenomenographic methodological approach the research drew from a trans-disciplinary theoretical background in the information, management and education sciences. Using recorded focus group discussions stakeholders including students, parents, teachers, library staff, IT personnel, administration and leadership shared their perceptions of the information context as a stepping stone to sharing their conceptions of information literacy. The findings show that stakeholder groups perceived the information context to be characterised by environmental, social human and affective dimensions; that stakeholders did not hold one singular conception of information literacy but rather they shared a series of conceptions of information literacy to varying degrees, and that the variation in the ways information literacy was conceptualised prevailed across three continuums namely the individual-collective, affective-cognitive and competency–personal mastery continuums. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of the series of conceptions of information literacy created the opportunity to develop a model of the common ground of conceptual understanding of information literacy thereby making an original contribution to knowledge. The study provides compelling insights for information literacy practitioners recommending that a shared conceptual understanding of information literacy requires accommodating its complex socio-contextual nature and anchoring that understanding in the philosophical, pedagogical and strategic thinking of the learning community.

Práticas de responsabilidade social e sustentabilidade são desenvolvidas por empresas como forma de responder às contestações da sociedade. Em especial as de engajamento com stakeholders. No entanto, são baseadas em teorias estratégicas da administração e não garantem resultado satisfatório do ponto de vista das melhorias socioambientais. Com o intuito de avaliar a qualidade dessas práticas para a promoção da sustentabilidade, um estudo multidisciplinar comparado entre teorias de administração e de comunicação apontou para diferentes modelos de engajamento chamados desenhos de interação. Baseado na pensamento comunicacional de Deetz foi possível identificar desenhos de interação - Colaboração, Diálogo e Democracia Generativa - com propensões suscetíveis a sustentabilidade, pois geram criatividade e relações de mútuo benefício aos stakeholders. / Corporate social responsibility and sustainability practices are developed by companies in order to address stakeholder claims. The stakeholder engagement practices are especially interesting. They are based on managerial and strategic theories and have not performed environmentally well lately. In order to evaluate the quality of those practices to promote sustainability, a multidisciplinary study took place. Communication and management theories were compared and different types of engagement, named interaction designs, were identified. Based on Deetz communication theories it was possible to understand specific designs - Collaboration, Dialogue and Generative Democracy - and its propensities to promote sustainability, due to their ability to generate mutual benefits and creativity.

Bakgrund/Problem: Rörlig lön har under det senaste kvartalet utgjort en alltmer betydande del av ledande befattningshavares lön i hela västvärlden. I Sverige har rörlig lön även blivit vanligare. Rörlig lön eller ersättning kan till exempel vara bonus, aktie- eller optionsbaserad ersättning. Ett typiskt belöningssystem till chefer består vanligtvis av baslön, förmåner, rörlig lön, långsiktig incitament och en pensionslösning. Sammansättningen av en ledande befattningshavares totala ersättning har ofta diskuterats där bland annat ersättningsnivåerna till chefer bör vara legitima och möta förståelse bland företagets intressenter. Flera företag har infört någon form av belöningssystem men det finns inga optimala belöningssystem utan ett företag måste välja ett belöningssystem som är anpassad för företagets specifika situation. Vid implementering av belöningssystem i företag kan belöningssystemet medföra effekter. Ett väl utformad belöningssystem kan leda till positiva effekter för företaget.Syfte: Syftet med studien är att analysera hur användning av belöningssystem till ledande befattningshavare påverkar AMF, Ericsson, SEB och AB Volvo. Vår avsikt är att få en förståelse om vilka effekter som kan uppstå från att använda belöningssystem till ledande befattningshavare. Vi vill även få en förståelse för hur dessa företag och deras intressenters uppfattning om belöningssystem till ledande befattningshavare är.Metod: Vi har tillämpat en indirekt induktivt ansats där vi har pendlat fram och tillbaka mellan teori och empiri. Vi har främst använt en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi i studien. Litteraturgenomgången består av litteratur och vetenskapliga artiklar som berör belöningar, agentteorin och motivation. Empirin består av tidningsartiklar där våra studerade företags belöningssystem har uppmärksammats i massmedia.Slutsats: Vi har kommit fram till att belöningssystemet huvudsakligen har påverkat de studerade företagen på ett negativ sätt, på grund av att de inte har beaktat vissa faktorer. Vi har identifierat att utformningen av belöningssystem är en utlösande faktor som har påverkat AMF, Ericsson, SEB och AB Volvo. Vi har då funnit att belopp och prestation är utlösande faktorer till hur intressenter, särskilt aktieägare uppfattar programmet. Medan andra intressenter ser företagets moraliska handlingar som central. Dessa företag bör då ta hänsyn till sina intressenter vid utformning av belöningsprogram för de är beroende av sina intressenter på ett eller annat sätt som arbetskraft och kapital. Om inte hänsyn tas kan det leda till att de studerade företagens legitimitet påverkas. Företag använder belöningssystemet som ett konkurrensmedel för att behålla medarbetarna. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

This research was motivated by the urgent need for global health institutions like the World Health Organization and UNITAID to adopt an informed, market based approach to engaging with the research and development pipeline for drugs that treat children infected with the HIV virus. As the market size for these products declines over the next decade, the usual incentives for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to invest in the development of new drugs and new formulations of existing drugs is likely to dwindle. Innovated solutions are needed if a business case is to be made that addresses this important public health need. The objectives of the research include firstly, describing the public health need for research and development into paediatric Antiretroviral drugs; secondly describing the various stakeholders and their interests; and finally exploring and indentifying potential collaborative / partnership opportunities that can be employed to address the existing public health need while satisfying the various stakeholder interests at play.

The purpose of this research was to examine how social issues are perceived and addressed in the food and drink sector, focusing on the narrower context of Nigerian purchasing practices, identifying the drivers, and barriers to the adoption of socially responsible purchasing (SRP) in the organisational supply chains. This research is underpinned by the stakeholder and institutional theories with the use of Carroll's CSR pyramid to explain the perceptions of stakeholders and the level at which each of the practices is in the pyramid. An in-depth study was conducted in multinational and indigenous food and drink organisations in Nigeria. Data was gathered from practitioners comprising of employees, managers, and executives by means of questionnaires and semi-structured face-to-face interviews to triangulate data sources. Drawing on the data collected, respondents' perspective of the meaning of socially responsible purchasing provided new insights into the phenomenon with various meanings and contestations. The findings suggest that socially responsible purchasing practices have a moderate positive influence on the organisations' supply chains within an unstable economic environment. Some of the practices were perceived to be voluntary and having an ethical underpinning while others were related to legal responsibilities. The findings suggest that the moderate influence is due to internal and external factors within the institutional environment. This research context was restricted to private organisations in the food and drink sector in Nigeria which might limit the generalisation of the findings. However, the findings may be transferable to other sectors of the economy where socially responsible purchasing issues are addressed in the supply chains. In practice, SRP is perceived to be an important element of CSR and supply chains despite the barriers to its implementation. The practices should be properly implemented to help in the sustenance of organisational supply chains. This research will be insightful for other industrial sectors as well as developing economies in Africa. The findings advance the stakeholder and institutional theories by providing an in-depth perception of various stakeholders and SRP practices within the institutional environment of organisations' supply chains. The research has contributed to enriching the literature on CSR and supply chains sustainability in Nigeria which has a relative shortage of literature on CSR and supply chain.

Concern about the economic, social and environmental impacts caused by the production and consumption of products and services has resulted in an escalation in the monitoring of companies by stakeholders. Scrutiny has been enhanced by an expanding array of behaviour-modulating instruments, which span a voluntary to mandatory continuum, in the form of ethical identifiers that range from collaborative partnerships, through codes and standards, to regulations, directives and laws. Such identifiers are now becoming more-widely used by businesses in the formulation and communication of their Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability (CSRS) related strategies. In a business environment undergoing closer examination, individual companies must determine the extent to which they will endorse CSRS, as well as deciding on their level of public disclosure of related practices. However, despite an increasing number of tools that are available for communicating ethical disclosure, there is currently no agreed standard format for presenting the relevant data. This can create difficulties for stakeholders who may wish to compare and contrast the ethical business practices of different companies and can reduce the pressure for meaningful change to be brought about. In the course of the research reported in this thesis, philosophical, ethical and legitimacy theories were drawn upon to understand the approaches that underpin CSRS disclosure, whilst the engagement of key stakeholders was evaluated by applying the principles involved in stakeholder mapping and ethical business strategy communication. For practical reasons, the study focusses on a single global business sector with identifiable CSRS interests, the apparel sector, which has well-publicised issues regarding both its social and environmental impacts, while also possessing constituent parts that are applicable to a variety of other consumer goods markets (for example, extended supply chains). Using a pragmatic methodology, the primary research consisted of two phases carried out in sequence; quantitative research first, then qualitative investigation. The first phase utilised findings from previously published quantitative research to pinpoint five fashion sector brands. The brands’ web-based CSRS-related disclosure was examined by means of a longitudinal four-stage content analysis, which involved an assessment of the click paths created by brands to enable interested parties to access information about their ethical business practices. The ethical identifiers disclosed were then classified and enumerated to quantify the range and complexity of the CSRS-related information provided by each brand. The information gained from the findings was also used to inform the development of a framework for identifying, grading and communicating CSRS disclosure to enable comparative analysis of the approaches adopted by different companies and their suitability to different types of stakeholders. The second phase of the research utilised a qualitative methodology to probe the results from the quantitative phase and to develop an improved communication tool. In-depth interviews were undertaken with fifteen key informants on CSRS, encompassing policy makers, advisors and representatives from commerce; as well as five consumer focus groups divided by age (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60 years and over). As a result of the research findings, ten stakeholder types were identified as key audiences for CSRS-related information, while stakeholder engagement with the data was classified into three levels ranging from ‘active’, through ‘aware but ambivalent’, to ‘inactive’. Stakeholders who were categorised as ‘active’, responded to triggers created by CSRS-related knowledge and readily participated in behaviours that were sympathetic to promoting social responsibility. The ‘active’ stakeholders were likely to be professionals working in the area of CSRS and consumers personally committed to ethical goals. The participants who demonstrated ‘awareness but ambivalence’ to CSRS information possessed knowledge of CSRS issues, but were not emotionally committed to its goals. They used behavioural filters to explain the rationale supporting a position of commitment that was flexible and dependent on circumstances; hence their tendency to consider the information was affected by a range of additional factors. By contrast, ‘inactive’ stakeholders created blockers or barriers to justify why the responsibility for CSRS lay not with themselves, but with second and third parties in the supply chain. They displayed limited or no commitment to CSRS goals and were not swayed in their behaviour by associated knowledge. The multi-layering of stakeholder perspectives emphasises the need for a reporting framework designed to satisfy the requirements of a growing and diverse body of interested parties. To address this need, ethical identifiers used in CSRS disclosure were divided into deontological and teleological indicators to provide greater classification exclusivity than previous models. From this division, the current research proposes a new communications framework suited to a variety of levels of stakeholder commitment and CSRS complexities by using a three concentric circles (TCC) format, with core, intermediate and outer circles identifying respectively what a company is required to do (mandatory and co-regulatory actions), agrees or chooses to do (self-regulatory and voluntary activities), and is going to do (through ethical collaborative partnerships). If applied digitally, the proposed framework could provide further detail relating to the ethical identifiers contained in each circle and expand the level of information available. When current CSRS disclosure by five sample brands was analysed using the TCC format, voluntary aspects (intermediate and outer circles) were found to dominate in number over mandatory obligations (core circle). However, the deontological actions or activities within which the companies engaged (core and intermediate circles) were seen to have greater longevity than their teleological collaborations and partnerships (outer circle). Bringing together the proposed framework for communicating CSRS information and the stakeholder engagement categories, the potential for full-disclosure access to ethical indicators, and their details, was designed for the ‘active’ group, who were the most likely category to create change-making pressure on companies. The availability of basic and concise ethical data was favoured by the ‘aware but ambivalent’ group, whislt an identifiable logo, indicating that a company was disclosing its practices was considered more than adequate for the requirements of the ‘inactive’ group who were unlikely to seek further information. The stance adopted by this latter group highlighted that business accountability is not demanded by all potential stakeholders and illustrated why mandatory intervention can be needed to enforce behavioural expectations on companies. At a time when the primary and secondary rules of society are increasing the expectation of CSRS-related disclosure from companies, as well as imposing a minimum level of annual reporting on them, the current research provides theoretical, practical and public policy-based contributions to progress the discipline of ethical communications.

The coffee industry affects both people and the environment in a negative way, which is an aspect coffee producers are forced to relate to. Today, more and more organizations are involved in CSR and communication about CSR. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine young consumers of Generation Y, their attitudes and opinions towards coffee producers' CSR work and its communication on CSR. The study has two research questions “what does Arvid Nordquist communicates about its CSR work through their official website?” and “what kind of attitudes and opinions does a group of young consumers have on coffee producers' CSR work and communication on CSR?” For this study two theories have been used, the CSR theory Triple Bottom Line as a theoretical starting point and Deegan Unerman’s theory on the social contract, based on Freeman’s stakeholder theory, as a theoretical framework. This qualitative study used two methods of data collection. First, a document analysis of Arvid Nordquists offical website. Secondly, a focus group interview with young consumer of Generation Y. The conclusion that can be drawn from our research is that consumers from Generation Y are positive to CSR as a phenomenon, but that communication of CSR is followed by scepticism in combination with ignorance. This paper sheds light on a issue that in previous research has used quantitative methods, while this study uses qualitative methods. The importance of this paper is its contribution to how organizations can improve their communication of CSR to young consumers.

Food allergies within the United States and Europe have become exceedingly prevalent in children, adolescents, and adults. In the United States alone, over 12 million people have been diagnosed with at least one food allergy. If the allergen is accidentally consumed, the food allergy sufferer may suffer a life-threatening condition known as anaphylaxis. More than 200 U.S. food allergic consumers die annually as a result of anaphylaxis due to ingestion of food allergens. To safely manage food allergies, food allergy sufferers and stakeholders (such as caregivers) require clear and complete ingredient information to avoid certain allergens in packaged food products. Despite U.S. legislative mandates designed to assist the food allergic consumers and stakeholders to make safe food selection choices, food allergy labeling on consumer packaged food products remains unclear. To properly manage food allergy, it is imperative that food allergy stakeholders have access to clear and unambiguous food allergen ingredients located on the food product labels. The purpose of this research was to capture the impact of current United States food allergen labeling guidelines on U.S. food allergy stakeholders. With the elaboration likelihood framework, this research aimed to better understand how the congruence of allergen ingredient information on the Product Label Claim on the front of the package and Nutrition Facts Panel information on the back of the package affected food allergic consumers and stakeholders in evaluation of product packaging allergen information. A total of 223 food allergy stakeholders were administered four surveys depicting food allergen labeling variations found on U.S. food product labels. Seventeen hypotheses were formulated and analyzed with ANCOVA and t tests to measure the impact of congruence and elaboration of the food allergen messages on the food product labels, with a specific focus on purchase intention. Findings indicated that food allergy stakeholders had difficulties using and understanding existing food allergen labels under current U.S. food allergen labeling guidelines. The results also showed confusion among U.S. food allergic stakeholders with safe food selection choices when the label claims did not align with the actual allergen ingredient information. Research, public policy, and managerial implications were thoroughly discussed.

At the same time that additional coordination and cooperation between involved stakeholder groups is required more than ever to respond to changing environmental and socio-economic conditions, there has been an increasing trend of polarization across several important social divides (scientists/local actors, urban/rural, and political partisanship). Boundary organizations and boundary chains have been promoted as ways to help mitigate the problematic effects these divisions have on the successful communication of climate adaptation information in the water management sector. In this dissertation, I present three studies that were conducted in two regions to further explore stakeholder groups and the boundary chains that connect them. Both areas (Guanacaste, Costa Rica and Montana, USA) are historically agricultural regions experiencing ongoing environmental and socio-economic shifts. A mental models approach involving the use of interviews and surveys was used in each study area. The first two studies were conducted in Guanacaste and focused on comparing stakeholder group perceptions of their water system and hydro-climate information and on the differences in trust in forecast sources and its impact on forecast use. The results of these studies suggest that there is a distinction between the perceptions of larger stakeholder groups (e.g. government agencies or large farmers) and smaller groups (e.g. local water committees), and that this division suggests a need for boundary-type translation work. The third study was conducted in Montana with a focus on what communication strategies are used by, and what prompts engagement with, a boundary chain connecting rural agriculturalists to urban scientists. The results show that members of the network generally agree that for successful communication it is important both to not engage in ways viewed as attacks on agriculture and to make attempts to understand and respect local agricultural contexts. While there is some tension in the network, overall “buy-in” to the goal of bridging divides appears to be a common reason for engagement. In addition, organizations engage with the boundary chain for both the opportunity to connect to others and because of the need for translation between the concerns and logistics of different groups.