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This dissertation sought to develop a grounded theory explaining how ENGOs assess the environmental performance of firms, select target industries and firms, and influence those targeted industries and firms. A preliminary model based on research in the fields of social movements, neo-institutional theory, stakeholder theory, and corporate social performance was developed. The model contained 21 propositions: seven regarding assessment, nine regarding targeting, and five regarding influencing. Interviews were conducted with 33 representatives of five ENGOs: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Greenpeace, Environmental Defense (ED), World Resources Institute (WRI), and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). NRDC and WRI served as pilot studies. NRDC, Greenpeace, and ED were considered case studies for the purpose of drawing inferences about the propositions. Insufficient interviews were conducted at WRI and UCS to draw inferences from them; however, data from these interviews was included in the dissertation to the extent it provided additional support for the inferences drawn. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the data. Results regarding the propositions were presented, as well as additional findings going beyond the propositions. A grounded theory of how ENGOs assess, target, and influence firms was developed based on the results; a model to accompany the grounded theory was also developed. / Ph. D.

Understanding how wildlife utilize habitat at varying scales is important for understanding and predicting potential impacts of landscape changes (e.g., habitat loss and fragmentation, restoration efforts, climate change, etc.) and in determining effective strategies for conservation and management. This research examines fine-scale and landscape-level habitat use of black bears in Canyon de Chelly National Monument (CACH), Arizona, USA in the context of large-scale landscape change. Currently, CACH is undergoing a large-scale restoration effort to remove all of the non-native Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima and T. chinensis) within the monument. As black bears rely on the Russian olive as a primary food source, a major goal of this research was to evaluate how bears currently use this resource and how its removal might affect bear habitat use and bear-human interactions within the monument. I developed a model of 3rd order (fine-scale) black bear habitat use in CACH using an occupancy modeling approach. Model results indicated that fine-scale habitat selection by bears in CACH is being driven by the presence of non-native Russian olive as well as native food sources. Thus availability of native foods may be sufficient to maintain the bear population in CACH, and bears may quickly adapt to the loss of the non-native food source. Similarly, results showed that bears avoid human areas and farmsteads and prefer higher elevations, suggesting that once olive is removed in the lower canyons near human areas, bear-human interactions may become less of a problem over the long term. I also developed a model of 2nd order (landscape-level) habitat use and evaluated movement patterns of black bears in CACH using location data collected from GPS collars. Model results showed that bears selected areas with higher tree canopy cover and terrain ruggedness, indicating that forest cover and escape cover are primary factors driving black bear habitat selection at the landscape scale in this region. Movement patterns revealed large mean daily movements and low average turning angles, indicating long, linear movements designed to take advantage of the mosaic of available habitats and food resources available over larger areas. I extracted DNA from hair samples collected throughout the study area to examine genetic variability and population structure of black bears in the region. Analyses revealed a relatively healthy, panmictic population across the wider landscape. No substantial genetic structuring was observed in multiple analyses, though I did find evidence of a slight isolation-by-distance pattern within the population. Measures of both current (Nb = 24) and long-term (Ne = 579) effective population size indicated a relatively high number of breeders in the current population and a sufficient amount of gene flow within the larger "superpopulation" to maintain long-term genetic viability. I focused the final portion of my dissertation research on understanding the factors that influence stakeholder acceptance capacity for black bears, which plays a central role in contemporary wildlife management issues, including human-wildlife conflict. I used data from telephone interviews of 1,546 residents in Virginia to develop conceptual models of black bear acceptance capacity at both county and state levels. Model results suggested that more deep-seated and less easily influenced factors (e.g., values and risk perceptions) are at the heart of stakeholder attitudes and perceptions of wildlife, making influencing these perceptions more difficult. Agencies can indirectly affect these attitudes and perceptions, however, by targeting more potentially pliable factors related to wildlife acceptance capacity such as knowledge, personal experience with wildlife, and trust in management agencies. / Ph. D.

Over roughly the last three decades, governments worldwide have implemented public private partnerships (P3s) to mobilize both private funds and public resources to develop transportation infrastructure, which has provided private entities contemporary opportunities to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain these important assets. Typically, P3s are large and complex undertakings that involve and impact many stakeholders, including public officials, financiers, builders, business owners and taxpaying citizens. Consequently, their efficacy depends – to a great extent – on how well they meet the interests of this array of stakeholders. Hence, effective assessment of P3s is crucial to determine whether these infrastructure initiatives and project outcomes satisfy these stakeholders' interests throughout a P3's life-cycle. Researchers and practitioners have considered various aspects of P3s when considering their performance. In general, the current research landscape related to P3 performance includes two major areas: (1) the identification and implementation of critical success factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs), and (2) the development of frameworks that conceptualize approaches to measure P3 performance. Numerous studies have focused on CSFs that are the "ingredients" of effective P3s. More recent studies have emphasized KPIs that are metrics to assess them. Alternatively, some research has taken a life-cycle approach to propose approaches for P3 evaluation that are more comprehensive than assessments of P3 delivery time and cost. While this research has produced useful insights, limited emphasis has been placed on assessing P3 performance comprehensively and beyond the public and private sector dichotomy. Therefore, this research develops a framework that identifies and assesses key stakeholder interests in P3s as a means to characterize their performance. Subsequently, this framework was employed in a case study of four P3 projects to evaluate how well these cases met stakeholder expectations and ultimately performed. The research to develop the framework and conduct the case study was organized in three integrated studies. The first study employed a systematic literature review of CSFs and KPIs where the extant literature remains largely segmented and fragmented. Synthesis of the literature helped to identify and characterize various CSFs and KPIs and their current employment within the P3 performance domain. This led to the development of a CSF-KPI framework that integrates these factors and indicators throughout a P3 project's lifecycle. The outcome of the first study served as the foundation for the second study where the framework to assess stakeholders' interests was constructed. In this process, the second study followed a systematic approach by integrating key components to assess performance. The development process involved several key steps: (1) identification of the key stakeholders – specifically the state (elected bodies and executive agencies), investors (equity providers), producers (project service providers) and users/citizens (individuals or groups impacted by a project); (2) characterization of their principal interests; (3) selection of indicators of these interests; (4) linkage of the indicators with 11 performance dimensions ranging from project environment to revenue and operations; and (5) connection of the performance dimensions with four levels of performance: planning, project management, business, and future potential. The framework was demonstrated and substantiated using data from the I-495 Capital Beltway Express project. The application confirmed the replicability of the framework. The final study utilized the framework to evaluate P3s effectiveness in serving stakeholders goals and objectives. A multiple case study was conducted of four P3 highway projects in the United States: I-495 Capital Beltway Express, LBJ Expressway, SR 125 (South Bay Expressway), and SH 130 (5and6) to examine the extent that state, investor, producer, and user/citizen interests were fulfilled. Overall, I-495 and LBJ Expressway met stakeholder interests more effectively than SR 125 and SH 130 (5and6); these two cases had stronger planning, project management, and business performance. Notably, the I-495 case was an unsolicited (or market lead) proposal that followed a collaborative planning process to shape and define the project to meet mutual interests while the LBJ Expressway case utilized a competitive best-value procurement to generate an innovative technical solution that reduced the project's cost and footprint. Whereas SR 125 and SH 130 (5and6) experienced various issues that led to their bankruptcy; the new owners of both projects have taken steps to improve their outlook. Overall, the research deepens understanding of the factors that impact stakeholder interests and their expectations of P3s, presents a holistic framework for P3 assessments, and provides evidence of how well multiple P3s performed, moving beyond conceptual frameworks that are currently found in the literature. / Doctor of Philosophy / Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) have been adopted extensively to facilitate the development of transportation infrastructure. The need for more efficient and effective P3 projects makes performance assessment increasingly important, especially with respect to stakeholder interests and expectations. Also, effective and efficient assessment of P3 performance is crucial to determine whether this infrastructure development strategy meets owners and stakeholders needs throughout the P3 project lifecycle. The absence of an effective and comprehensive approach to evaluate P3 performance can result in reliance on anecdotal evidence, which may inaccurately portray the outcomes of these projects. While numerous studies have examined multiple facets of P3s over the last two decades, limited emphasis has been placed on comprehensively assessing their performance. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to advance the state of knowledge of P3 project performance in the transportation sector. To realize this purpose, this dissertation performed three integrated studies. The first study examined the current literature to identify factors that influence P3 outcomes and metrics that measure them. The second study developed a performance assessment framework, which captures various phases of a project's life cycle and considers the perspectives and objectives of the range of stakeholders involved in or impacted by P3s. Further, the framework was demonstrated and substantiated using data from the I-495 Capital Beltway Express project. Finally, the third study examined four cases in the US market – I-495, LBJ Expressway, SR 125 (South Bay Expressway), and SH 130 (5and6) – to examine to what extent state, investor, producer, and user/citizen interests were fulfilled. The case study illustrated that I-495 and LBJ Expressway met stakeholder interests more effectively than SR 125 and SH 130 (5and6); I-495 and LBJ Expressway fulfilled their implementation, financial and service expectations whereas SR 125 and SH 130 (5and6) experienced implementation issues and financial distress. Overall, these studies support improved understanding of the factors that impact stakeholder interests in P3s and provide evidence of how well four P3s projects performed over time.

This dissertation explores multiple stakeholders' perceptions with regard to administrative rules governing public participation in the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) in Virginia. In 2007, the HRTPO received conditional certification during its quadrennial review with seven corrective actions related to public participation. Subsequently, it started to reform its public participation practices, and in 2012 it received full certification. This study explores how the HRTPO stakeholders perceive the administrative rules that govern public participation processes, more positively (as 'green tape') or more negatively (as 'red tape'), and how those perceptions have changed since 2007, relying on in-depth interviews as well as archival documents. Before 2007, top management officials had pessimistic perceptions of public participation in general and the rules in particular. The negative perceptions changed when new senior staff arrived in 2008 and initiated reforms, most notably by hiring a public involvement administrator. Acting as a transformative leader, this administrator began to adopt outreach programs, which stakeholders considered successful. By unpacking the notion of stakeholder red tape, guided by the attributes of stakeholder red tape and green tape, this study found that stakeholders perceived the rules more positively than they did in 2007. / Ph. D.

The Escuela Nueva is a unique non-governmental organization which has collaborated with the Colombian Ministry of Education, the Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers, and corporate partners to improve access to and quality of education. The Escuela Nueva Foundation enacts policies based on the political belief that all children should have the basic right to an education. The most visible way that the Escuela Nueva promotes this belief is through the implementation of multi-grade classrooms, where more advanced students aid those who are younger or further behind in their studies. The Escuela Nueva classroom model was implemented in 1977 as a response to the shortcomings in teacher training and replicability that were the downfall of earlier attempts to implement multi-grade models in rural Colombia. The gradual growth and continual improvements to their model has afforded the Escuela Nueva Foundation a level of immunity from state intervention that few other non-state actors enjoy. Although the Colombian state government has historically been opposed to those non-state actors with overtly political goals, the cost-effective and competitive services provided by the Escuela Nueva programs, like their multi-grade schools and Learning Circles, acted as a strong incentive for allowing this organization's work to continue. Organizations like the Escuela Nueva, particularly those that partner with public and private actors to achieve service-oriented goals, play an important role in Colombia, creating new social forums where individuals can share their political identities and beliefs in a way that affects real change in the communities where they live. / Master of Arts

Water heating in the United States has the largest energy consumption of any residential related use. It uses more energy than all other home appliances combined. They have also been implicated as the source of waterborne disease outbreaks. With such high stakes, it is recommended that a Decision Support Tool (DST) be used prior to selection of a water heater for new construction or replacement. Although there are numerous tools available, it is challenging to find a tool that takes into account all factors critical to the selection of water heaters, addresses gaps and barriers, provides adequate information to all stakeholders and finally, assists in rational decision making towards more sustainable choices. The purpose of this research is threefold: (a) to inventory, organize and characterize web-based existing water heater Decision Support Tools (eDSTs) to highlight gaps and/or shortcomings; (b) to develop a Decision Support Tool Skeleton (DSTS) containing a comprehensive list of sustainability capital, criteria and indicators based on Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) approach; (c) to create a stakeholder map comprising supply chain, stakeholder system, decision making process during water heater selections as well as other market factors, using metasynthesis of collected documents. The findings of this research indicate that considerable gaps and shortcomings exist in the current pool of water heater DSTs. To address these barriers, information was captured from various documents in a process of qualitative data analysis called coding. The coding process generated attributes which were used to generate a comprehensive set of capital, criteria, subcriteria and indicators using MADM approach. This organizing structure developed on lines of sustainability assessment will serve as a starting point towards achieving global sustainability in real life. Importantly, information asymmetry between various stakeholders is evidence of the fact that the existing tools are not addressed in an equitable manner. This study will help determine the stakeholder system and the decision making process for selection of water heaters in the residential sector, so as to effectively implement new tools being created. / Master of Science

A significant amount of research has been done in the area of understanding how people use technology in the workplace. Included in this research is how social and technical systems of an organization interact and influence one another. Previous work in both Management of Information Systems and Computer Supported Cooperative Work show how the interaction between the social and technical systems of a workplace can lead to new technology uses and requirements, as well as adoption issues like resistance. One area that has not been extensively studied is how organizations select technologies to begin with. To understand how an organization makes a choice on technology, one has to investigate the underlying organizational decision-making processes. The subject of this research is a case study of a government IT project. Data on the decision-making that led to the selection of the IT solution is gathered through elite and specialized interviews of government officials who were involved in the selection. The data collected in the case study supports three conclusions about decision-making for organizational systems: 1.) sociopolitical dynamics constrain the design space, 2.) emergent requirements are likely and 3) organizational systems can have different levels of stakeholders and the levels reflect the power structure within the organization. Finally, general guidelines for conducting decision-making analysis are provided so that data from decision-making activities of other organizations can be collected and analyzed by researchers and practitioners. / Master of Science

Yes / Extant research has established that environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) has a positive influence on performance outcomes. Nevertheless, several contingencies tend to affect the strength of this relationship. In this study, we draw on natural resource-based theory to introduce competitive strategies as moderators in the ESO-performance nexus. Using time-lagged data obtained from 269 firms in Ghana, this study finds that firms pursuing the differentiation strategy can positively boost performance outcomes with ESO than without differentiation strategy. We also find that firms can use the low-cost or the integrated strategy to get higher impact on performance with ESO respectively. Based on the results, firms in Ghana do not need differentiation strategy in order to boost the effect of ESO on financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Yes / We examine corporate inertia towards circularity transition using organisational case studies, observations, and qualitative interviews with business executives. The study explores how the values and beliefs of business leaders and managers promote or inhibit internal and external stakeholder engagement to enable transition to circular business models. We focus on four large UK food companies, conducting interviews with 11 senior managers. Rather than a lack of awareness of the circular economy (CE), the results demonstrate that business leaders are not persuaded by the short-to medium-term business case for a CE. There is misalignment between values and beliefs of business executives and the circularity values and goals of their organisations. The misaligned values and beliefs inhibit relevant stakeholder engagement for transitions to a CE with responsibility shifted to civil society and public institutions. Management commitment to circularity transitions are at best a sophisticated form of circularity greenwashing. The study further suggests a general lack of collective disposition to foster collaborations with sectoral and supply chain partners to engender circularity transitions due to the absence of any standard systems for CE performance indicators. Circularity education and training play a positive mediatory role in changing negative assumptions, including the promotion of managers' engagement with other relevant stakeholders to build synergies and strategies for CE systems. The findings contribute to understanding the dynamics of corporate inertia regarding transitions to CE and highlight the relevance of aligning the personal values and beliefs of top management with organisational, sectoral, and supply chain partners’ values and goals.