The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool went from being the largest grain handler in western Canada in the mid 1990s to undertaking a $405 million debt restructuring in January 2003. Provincial grain handling market share had been over 60 percent for two decades prior to the Pool becoming publicly traded in 1996. With the share conversion, the Pool began a capital expenditure program in an effort to adapt to industry deregulation and to compete with the multinationals that were entering western Canada. This program was not successful. SWPs long-term debt increased five fold over the period 19961999 and consecutive multi-million dollar net losses were incurred followed by the debt restructuring.<p>This thesis uses dominant logic theory and the principal-agent problem to analyze what went wrong at SWP. Theory suggests organizations faced with major industry change may have difficulty revising their dominant logic, which leads to organizational failure. Not only is there a tendency to hold on to established beliefs, but the creation of new beliefs is prone to error because of bounded rationality. The existence of a principal-agent problem can worsen an organizations ability to revise its dominant logic. Information asymmetry and the principals trust of the agent can lead to inaccurate beliefs and ineffective strategies being approved. <p>The results of personal interviews with twenty-one past management and elected Saskatchewan Wheat Pool personnel and grain industry affiliates are presented and analyzed in a case study format. The results suggest that deregulation of the grain handling industry and the anticipated arrival of multinational competitors pressured the Pool to respond quickly to major industry change. The Pool had difficulty revising its dominant logic; it retained outdated beliefs and accepted inaccurate new beliefs. Interviewees described how some investments were built on erroneous beliefs and lacked complete due diligence. Evidence suggests the principal-agent problem was also at play. The need for confidentiality after the share conversion increased information asymmetry, and management took advantage of the boards lack of experience as investments extended beyond the farm gate. The principal-agent problem in conjunction with an inaccurate revised dominant logic is a reasonable explanation for the Pools failure.

A lack of reliable knowledge regarding the problems facing Indian and Metis people has hindered the development of intelligent programs and policies to facilitate their healthy integration into the larger Canadian society. Two large scale studies (Hawthorn, Belshaw, & Jamieson, 1958; Lagassé, 1959) have attempted to alleviate this problem by collecting extensive data on such aspects of Indian and Metis life as the community and family, resources, employment, education, relations with the law, social welfare needs, liquor and administration.<p> These broad studies dealt only indirectly with Indian and Metis philosophies, personalities and modes of thought, areas in which a comprehensive understanding will have to be achieved to thoroughly comprehend the nature of the problems facing people of Indian ancestry. The Hawthorn study stressed that other research which might follow should include topics such as those which lie within the vast area of psychology.

My study sought to explore one aspect of the internationalization process at the University of Saskatchewan through an examination of the internationalization of some of its curriculum. My research concentrated on the courses in the College of Education and the College of Commerce in order to find out the numbers of internationalized curricula in the two colleges. I sought the proportion of the courses in the two colleges that had an international/intercultural perspective or content and also to discover how the courses had been internationalized. <p>The definition of internationalized curriculum in my study was based on the study by OECD (1996). A number of keywords were selected as indicators of internationalized curriculum according to its definition and characteristics of the nine typologies created by OECD. A document analysis approach was adopted in my study through the data collected from the various university websites, course calendar descriptions, outlines, and related course materials. <p> I hope that my analysis of the profile and characteristics of courses in the two colleges will help instructors and administrators in the University of Saskatchewan and beyond to consider the significance of implementing internationalized curriculum and to improve or create more programs and curricula that would have an increased international or intercultural orientation.

In 2003, the town of Craik initiated a unique renewable energy project with the dual goals of addressing both the environmental and the rural economic crisis. This Masters thesis provides an exploration of the factors that both facilitate and constrain the advancement of this project. The research focuses on the question: What are the cultural and social factors that inhibit the Craik project from meeting its environmental and economic goals? New social movement theory provides a theoretical framework for explaining contradictions within social movements, while a critical ethnographic methodology is used to uncover specific underlying contradictions that exist at Craik. This thesis analyzes the dynamics of facilitating and non-facilitating factors to make visible the deeper sources of conflict, to contribute to theoretical models of social change and understandings of community development. Furthermore, the thesis provides direction for the Craik eco-project that can further the implementation of practices that will facilitate both its economic and environmental goals. Finally, the study provides valuable insights to other communities working to facilitate similar eco-projects and influence public policy in response to global warming

This ethnographic research examines how farmers survive agricultural crises by exploring reactions of Saskatchewan beef and dairy farmers to the Canadian BSE crisis. As this study unfolded it became clear that the BSE crisis is only one of many recent crises that have been changing the face of Saskatchewan rural communities and family farms. Producers see a crisis in their inability to achieve their own measures of success in both the life and business of farming. This includes a greater need for off-farm work, a decline in rural community life and values, and a shift away from farming as a desirable livelihood.<p> The BSE crisis has highlighted the risky nature of the contemporary agriculture industry, both for farmers' livelihoods and for food safety. Farmers' initial strategies to address the BSE crisis were precautionary and conservative in nature: minimal enterprise adaptation while waiting out markets. As the crisis continued, producers worked to bring their experience and understanding to bear on changing the structure of the agricultural system. Attempts at change were not often successful. This was attributed to a lack of initiative by government and powerful players, such as the multi-national packing industry that profited from the crisis situation and used the crisis to consolidate power within the value chain. Producers felt that they were paying too much for risks that were beyond their control. The government support they needed was not in line with their structural concerns; risky pre-BSE structures have not been appreciably changed. Uncertainty and risk remain high for the average farmer.<p> There appears to be a growing distrust in powerful institutions that farmers depend on, and a consequent disengagement from government surveillance and regulatory policies. This foreshadows possible serious repercussions in food security and food safety, issues that are still unsettled regarding BSE in Canada. This research indicates a need for greater transparency and public knowledge pathways to reduce uncertainty and allow individuals to better understand and manage emerging risk complexes. Increased democratic space within food and agricultural systems for participation by producer and rural publics would help to balance out government rationalities that may not fully account for culturally mediated understandings of risk and action at the farm level.

Using ethnomethodology and influenced by ethnography, the purpose of this research has been to explore the meanings that elder residents in and around Hafford, SK and Val Marie, SK derive from their relationship with and confer upon their cultural landscapes. Hence, for a month and a half, I lived in Hafford and then Val Marie in order to speak with elder residents (age 60 or over) who have lived and worked in or around these areas for at least twenty years.<p>The meanings of elder residents hinge on their memories of growing up and making a living when younger. Their meanings also resonate with the ideas and perspectives that these individuals have formed regarding the changes in their cultural landscape. Changes include those to agriculture; service provision; and the formation of the Grasslands National Park for which Val Marie is the gateway community and Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve in which Hafford is located. <p>The broad themes of connections, separation, and continuity that I distilled in the narratives of elder residents have guided the identification of the meanings. To this end, the cultural landscape concept has provided an ideal framework. Including the different and diverse meanings of elder residents is integral to our conception of the cultural landscape as a whole, a characteristic that assists in guiding change and development in these communities. <p>In particular, elder residents contribute to an ethical landscape infused with meanings engendered by sentiments of connections, separation, and continuity and ones that hearken to their ethics. Such meanings can have a substantive impact on the decisions influencing these areas. Furthermore, as part of intangible cultural heritage, elder residents offer the meanings they have forged as well as their ethics, the ongoing result of having lived and worked in their cultural landscape. <p>This research has helped to bring relief to the meanings of elder residents in Hafford and Val Marie. Such meanings are necessary in the overall identity of the cultural landscape. The meanings that elder residents derive from their cultural landscape are a valuable asset for communities seeking to maintain their social and economic viability and sustainability.

As Aboriginal peoples relocated to urban areas in the 1950s and 1960s they often found that the services they were offered did not suit their needs, to address this issue Aboriginal peoples began advocating for organizations of their own. Two such organizations include the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre and the Community Liaison Committee. This thesis will explore how Aboriginal peoples worked to create organizations that served their needs, rather than assimilating as was expected; how the status blind approach within organizations was resisted; and how these organizations had a strong desire and vision to become self-governing, often demonstrated by engaging in coproduction, even in the very early stages of organizational development. The data collected included archival documents and informant interviews and was analyzed using an adapted form of grounded theory. The research and analysis revealed waves of engagement in coproduction as a way to defy expectations that Aboriginal peoples would assimilate once moving to the city, and rather embrace Aboriginal cultures and practices in the city.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between selected demographic variables and the attitudes of teachers toward the oral English of their Indigenous students in Saskatchewan and Queensland.<p>Data were collected by administration of the Indigenous Students Oral English Questionnaire to a total of 217 teachers from schools throughout northern and central Saskatchewan, Canada and Queensland, Australia. The independent variables in the study were: culture, language teaching experience, education, age and sex. The dependent variable was the attitudes of the teachers toward the validity and acceptability of the Indigenous students' oral English.<p>Results of a factor analysis produced four attitudinal factors: Dialect Description, Difference/Deficit, Acceptability/Unacceptability, and Adequacy/Inadequacy. Seven hypotheses were analyzed by one-way analyses of variance to determine if any significant differences existed among the attitudinal factors on the basis of the demographic characteristics of the respondents. <p>The findings of this study must be considered in relation to the following limitations: the size and nature of the sample, the difficulty of measuring attitudes, and the existence of cultural bias. *<p> The study concluded with the following findings;<p>1. The cultural background of the teachers did not relate to differences in attitudinal judgements toward the oral English of Indigenous students.<p>2. The language background related to differences in attitudes toward language variation. Teachers who either spoke or understood an Indigenous language or Indigenous English were more positive toward the speech of their Indigenous students.<p>3. The language and culture of the teachers in combination was found to relate to differing attitudes toward language variation. Those teachers who were both of Indigenous ancestry and either spoke or understood an Indigenous language or Indigenous English were more positive toward the speech of their Indigenous students.<p>4. The years of teaching experience of the teachers was related to attitudinal differences toward language variation. There was a general trend for teachers with less experience to be more positive toward the speech of their Indigenous students.<p>5. The-post-secondary education of the teachers was related to their attitudes toward language variation. The teachers with three to four years of post-secondary education and more specialty courses in linguistics, Indigenous education/studies, ESL/ESD, sociology of education, cross-cultural education, cultural anthropology, and language teaching methodologies were more positive and accepting of the speech of their Indigenous students. Length of training was not related to differing attitudes among Canadian teachers.<p>6. The demographic characteristic of age was found to be related to differences in attitudes toward language variation. The younger teachers tended to have more positive attitudes toward the speech of Indigenous children. The variable of sex was important only for the Canandian group.<p>Further findings indicated that the attitudinal factors most likely to be related to demographic characteristics were Difference/Deficit and Adequate/Inadequate. The respondents who tended to be more positive toward the students language generally described it as Different but also Adequate for classroom use. It was concluded that the variables of language, teaching experience, education, age and sex related significantly to teacher attitudes towards the oral English of Indigenous students. It was also found that culture and language in combination related to differences in attitudinal judgments. It was further concluded that since these characteristics were found to be important, teacher education programs need to examine assess, and design preservice, and inservice programs for the teachers of Indigenous children.

This research investigates and documents the nature of the challenges faced by men upon their release from federal incarceration in the Province of Saskatchewan. Due to the high number of Aboriginal peoples incarcerated in Saskatchewan, this research necessarily investigates the differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal ex-prisoners. A qualitative approach is employed in order to understand post-incarceration from the perspectives of those who have experienced what it is like to return to the community after prison and those who work with men making this transition. This thesis fastidiously describes parole board hearings, the difficulties related to integrating into society as perceived by ex-prisoners, and the role of the service providers and agencies in Saskatoon that assist former inmates. It is shown that there are certain difficulties common among ex-prisoners, such as finding employment and housing and accessing appropriate support resources. The particular difficulties of Aboriginal ex-prisoners are highlighted, revealing that the difficulties experienced by all ex-prisoners appear to be amplified for Aboriginal ex-prisoners. Racism and the overall disadvantaged position of Aboriginal peoples in Canada are identified as significant barriers to Aboriginal ex-prisoners attempting to integrate into the community.

Watersheds in Canada are under increasing threats due to the cumulative environmental effects from natural and anthropogenic sources. Cumulative effect assessment (CEA), however, if done at all is typically done on a project-by-project basis. This project-based approach to CEA is not sufficient to address the cumulative effects of multiple stressors in a watershed or a region. As a result, there is now a general consensus that CEA must extend from the project to the more regional scale. The problem, however, is that while the science of how to do watershed CEA (W-CEA) is progressing, the appropriate institutional arrangements to sustain W-CEA have not been addressed. Based on a case study of the South Saskatchewan Watershed (SSW), this research is aimed to identify the institutional requirements necessary to support and sustain W-CEA.<p> The research methods include document reviews and semi-structured interviews with regulators, administrators, watershed coordinators, practitioners, and academics knowledgeable on cumulative effect assessment and project-based environmental assessments (EAs). The findings from this research are presented thematically. First, participants perspectives on cumulative effects, the current state of CEA practice, and general challenges to project-based approaches to CEA are presented. The concept of WCEA is then examined, with a discussion on the need for linking project-based CEA and W-CEA. This is followed by the institutional requirements for W-CEA. The Chapter concludes with foreseeable challenges to implementing W-CEA, as identified by research participants.<p> The key findings include that cumulative effect assessments under project-based EAs are rarely undertaken in the SSW, and the project-based EA approach is faced with considerable challenges. The project-based EA challenges suggested by interview participants are similar to the ones discussed in the literature, and are primarily related to the lack of guidance to proponents regarding boundaries of assessments and thresholds, the lack of data from other project EAs, and the lack of capacity of both proponents and regulators to achieve a good CEA under project EA. These challenges could be addressed by establishing regional objectives at a broader scale, which could provide better context to project-based approaches. Further, interview results revealed several opportunities for the government to take the lead in implementing and sustaining W-CEA, but a multistakeholder approach is essential to W-CEA success. The results also suggest that the establishments of thresholds and data management are necessary components of W-CEA, but that the need for legislation concerning such thresholds and W-CEA initiatives is not agreed upon. At the same time, research results emphasize that the coordination and education among various stakeholders will be difficult to achieve. The lack of financial commitment, political will, and difficulties in establishing cause-effect relationships currently impede the implementation of W-CEA.