本研究以還款績效的觀點，分析小型信用貸款中申貸者的特性，讓銀行放款的依據除了判斷正常戶與否之外，進一步以還款績效與風險區分出不同群組的申貸者，以期作不同的放款策略；同時將個人基本變數 、該銀行內徵信資料以及聯合徵信資料變數 作統計性分類，篩選出代表性因素，研究這些因素如何影響各還款績效群組。 研究發現，申貸者可以區分為「還款能力平穩—逾期風險低」、「還款能力優良—逾期風險中」、「還款能力低下—逾期風險高」這三群。而從影響各群組的因素中可以瞭解，「還款能力平穩—逾期風險低」群組，多為各方面信用持平良好的申貸者；「還款能力優良—逾期風險中」群組，多為具有理財管理特質、財務狀況良好的申貸者；「還款能力低下—逾期風險高」群組，多為具有債務因素、信用表現不佳、申貸動作頻繁的申貸者。 在放款利潤與風險方面，對三個群組之申貸戶分別採用不同方法放款，可以作到讓銀行對較少申貸戶放款並且可提升利潤並且改善損失。進行多元羅吉斯迴歸模型分析可以發掘出具影響力的因素，針對這些因素來進行分群後並採差異化放款方法，也可以作到對較少申貸戶放款並且能提升利潤以及降低損失的效果。由於因素代表具解釋性變數的歸納，配合這些具預測機能的因素及變數分群訂定差異化授信政策，有助於防範風險於未然。 / This research analyses the characteristics of small-scale credit loan applicants on the persepective of repay performances，allowing the banks not only to discriminate between good and bad applicants but also to establish different lending tatics for applicants of different repay performance groups。We also analyse the personal characteristics and joint credit informantion of these applicants to sieve out the representative factors，and study how these factors affect the repay performance groups。 Our research discovers that the applicants can be discriminanted into three groups：「low but steady repay ability—low overdue loss」、「good repay ability— acceptable overdue loss」、「very low repay ability—high overdue loss」。We can learn from those factors，that most applicants grouped as 「low but steady repay ability— low overdue loss」also have good credit qualities in other aspect；applicants grouped as 「good repay ability—acceptable overdue loss」 have finance management concept and good financial condition；applicants grouped as 「very low repay ability—high overdue loss」have debt burdens and bad credit qualities。 As for the revenues and riks，we can improve the profit and loss with fewer applicants by taking differenct lending policies to those three groups。By using multinomial logistic regression，we can discover those factors who has significant effects and use these factors to cluster applicants into groups and to adopt different lending policies for these groups。Because those factors represent the induction of the variables which can explain the applicants’ behaviors，we can somehow prevent the risks by establishing different policies with the coordination of these factors and clusters。

A large part of the study of politics is dedicated to identifying the circumstances under which democracy will flourish. Putnam made a major contribution to this field through his concept of social capital as developed in Making Democracy Work. Putnam found that communities with a high number of civic associations –i.e. social capital- had a better chance of developing an effective style of democratic government. This definition of social capital sparked much subsequent research and policy activity. It is argued here, however, that this work ignored the immediate needs of societies which do not have the required stock of social capital. There is still little guidance available on how effective government can be achieved even if the right societal circumstances are absent. This thesis hopes to find inspiration from government agencies that were successful despite their challenging social capital conditions. It specifically looks at sixteen public utilities on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao and St. Kitts between 2005 and 2009. The thesis then systematically investigates the relationship between the performance of the agencies and the behaviour of their senior officials. It emerges that in the absence of social capital, governance is in these cases mainly hampered by a deluge of irrelevant data. Successful utilities overcame this flood by constantly upgrading the quality of information, implementing a strict yet inclusive style of governance, and allowing strong leaders the space to translate words into actions. These outcomes suggest that social capital forms an important tool for ordering information, and that, in its absence, there are still alternative strategies available to secure success nonetheless.

Small-scale fisheries employ many millions of people around the world, and are particularly important in developing countries, where the dependency on marine resources is high and livelihood diversification options are scarce. In many areas of the world however, small-scale fisheries are at risk which threatens the food security and wellbeing of coastal people. Small-scale fisheries management has in many cases been insufficient and new comprehensive approaches are recommended to achieve social-ecological sustainability in the long-term. The aim of this thesis is to analyze empirically how social-ecological elements of seagrass-associated small-scale fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean region can be addressed for a transformation from the current mostly degraded state to more sustainable social-ecological systems and secure future livelihoods. The main method used was semi-structured interviews with local fishers. The main findings show the crucial contributions seagrass-associated small-scale fisheries make to food security and income generation and highlight the need to acknowledge the social-ecological importance of seagrasses in the seascape (Paper I). A discrepancy between low societal gains of the fishing of sea urchin predator fish species and their crucial importance in the food web (in controlling sea urchin populations and the associated grazing pressure on seagrasses) was identified (Paper II). These results suggest catch-and-release practice of sea urchin predator fish species, which could contribute to more balanced predator – sea urchin – seagrass food webs in the long run. The use of illegal dragnets was identified as a major threat to local seagrass meadows (Paper IV). Institutional elements influencing the use of such destructive dragnet were identified to be normative, cultural-cognitive and economic, which constitutes an institutional misfit to the current emphasis on regulative elements in a hierarchical manner (Paper III). Concerning future co-management initiatives, gear restrictions and education were the favoured management measures among all fishers (Paper IV). A majority of fishers were willing to participate in monitoring and controls, and most fishers thought they themselves and their communities would benefit most from seagrass-specific management. These findings highlight the need for actions on multiple scales, being the local-, management-, policy- and governance levels. The suggested actions include: education and exchange of ecological and scientific knowledge, gear management including the cessation of dragnet fishing, strengthening of local institutions, an active participation of fishers in enforcement of existing rules and regulations and an introduction of adequate alternative livelihood options. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

La surexploitation des ressources halieutiques a conduit à une crise majeure du secteur de la pêche professionnelle. Dans ce contexte, les pêcheries artisanales, et notamment les pêcheries aux petits métiers côtiers, apparaissent comme des modes d'exploitation potentiellement durables des ressources côtières. La diversité des engins utilisés et des espèces ciblées rend néanmoins complexe le suivi de cette composante importante de la pêche professionnelle. L'activité de pêche artisanale reste ainsi très peu évaluée en Méditerranée, et notamment à l'échelle d'une Aire Marine Protégée (AMP). Les AMP sont pourtant de plus en plus utilisées comme des outils de gestion de ces pêcheries, les effets des différentes mesures de gestion mises en place étant à même de bénéficier aux pêcheurs professionnels. A l'heure où le nombre d'AMP se multiplie, il apparaît alors nécessaire pour les gestionnaires comme pour les scientifiques de disposer d'indicateurs permettant de suivre l'activité de pêche professionnelle sur le territoire d'une AMP, et d'évaluer les effets de la gestion sur cette activité. Un protocole d'enquête pour le suivi de la pêche artisanale aux petits métiers côtiers a ainsi été mis en place entre juillet 2009 et juin 2010 au sein du Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue (PMCB), AMP méditerranéenne française comprenant deux réserves marines d'âge et de taille différents. Les données récoltées ont permis d'identifier sept métiers principaux pratiqués par les pêcheurs du PMCB, et de les caractériser par un groupe d'espèces cibles, un engin, un territoire et une période de pêche. L'effort de pêche et les captures ont alors pu être estimés à partir de ces métiers. / The overexploitation of fishery resources has led to a major fisheries crisis. In this context, artisanal fisheries, and in particular small-scale coastal fisheries, appear as relevant alternatives for a sustainable use of coastal resources. But the diversity of fishing gears and targeted species diversity make it difficult to assess this important component of the commercial fishery. Hence, the activity of small-scale artisanal fishing remains poorly known in the Mediterranean Sea and few studies focus on an assessment of this activity at the scale of a Marine Protected Area (MPA). MPAs are yet more and more used as management tools for these fisheries, as protection effects and targeted access regulations may benefit to commercial fishers. As many MPAs are going to be established in the short term, it seems necessary for managers and for scientists, to have indicators to monitor the artisanal small-scale coastal fishing activity within an MPA, and to estimate the effects of MPA management on this activity. A field protocol was defined and implemented between July 2009 and June 2010 within the Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue (PMCB), a French Mediterranean MPA including two marine reserves of different age and size. The collected data allowed identifying seven main métiers within the PMCB, and characterizing them by group of target species, type of gear, fishing grounds and fishing periods. Fishing effort and catch were estimated. In the Côte Bleue area, 3 512 fishing trips and 4645 fishing operations were performed by 30 active boats during the studied period, for a total of 10 300 km of immersed nets.

No description available.

Small-scale fisheries are learning contexts of importance for generating, transferring, and updating ecological knowledge of natural environments through everyday work practices. The rich knowledge fishers have of local ecosystems is the result of the intimate relationship fishing communities have had with their natural environments across generations (see e.g. Urquhart and Acott 2013). This relationship develops strong emotional bonds to the physical and social place. For fishing communities and fishers – who depend directly on local ecosystems to maintain their livelihoods – fishing environments are natural places for living, working and defining themselves. Previous research on fishers’ ecological knowledge has mainly been descriptive, i.e., has focused on aspects such as reproduction, nutrition and spatial-temporal distribution and population dynamics, from a traditional view of knowledge that only recognises scientific knowledge as the true knowledge. By doing this, fishers’ ecological knowledge has been investigated separately from the learning contexts in which it is generated, ignoring the influence of social, cultural and historical aspects that characterise fishing communities, and the complex relationships between fishers and the natural environments they live and work in. This thesis investigates ecological knowledge among small-scale fishers living and working in the ecosystems of Lake Vättern and the Blekinge Archipelago (Baltic Sea) in Sweden and explores how ecological knowledge is generated with particular regard to the influences of work and nature on fishers’ knowledge of ecosystems. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of informal learning processes of ecosystem complexity among small-scale fishers. This knowledge further contributes to the research field of ecological knowledge and sustainable use and management of natural resources. It addresses the particular research questions of what ecological knowledge fishers generate, and how its generation is influenced by their fishing work practices and relationships to nature. The thesis consists of three articles. Article I focuses on the need to address the significant lack of theoretical and methodological frameworks for the investigation of the cognitive aspects involved in the generation of ecological knowledge. Article II deals with the need to develop theoretical, methodological and empirical frameworks that avoid romanticising and idealising users’ ecological knowledge in local (LEK), indigenous (IEK) and traditional (TEK) ecological knowledge research, by rethinking it as being generated through work practices. Article III addresses the lack of studies that explicitly explore theories linking complex relations and knowledge that humans form within and of ecosystems. It also addressed the lack of attention from environmental education researchers to theory and empirical studies of ‘sense of place’ research, with a particular focus on environmental learning. Research into the question of what ecological knowledge fishers generate shows differences in their ways of knowing ecosystem complexity. These differences are explained in terms of the influences of the species being fished, and the sociocultural contexts distinguishing fishers’ connection to the fishing profession (i.e., familial tradition or entrepreneurship) (Article I), but also by the fishing strategies used (Article II). Results answering the research question of how work practices influence fishers’ knowledge of ecosystem complexity show a way of rethinking their ecological knowledge as generated in a continuous process of work (Article II), thus, far from romantic views of knowledge. Results answering the research question of how fishers’ relationships to nature influence their knowledge of ecosystem complexity demonstrate the complex interconnections between psychological processes such as identity construction, proximity maintenance and attachment to natural environments (Article III). Finally, more similarities than differences between fishers’ knowledge were found, despite the variation in cases chosen, with regards to landscape, target species, regulations systems and management strategies, fishing environments scales, as well as cultural and social contexts. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript.</p><p> </p> / Ecological knowledge and sustainable resource management: The role of knowledge acquisition in enhancing the adaptive capacity of co-management arrangements

Most Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana are notparticularly anxious about the consequences of inadequacy or lack of anyform of vulnerability management operation in their normal businesspractices. This case study research explores how a local Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) in Ghana and its local client-base can manage vulnerabilitieswith a targeted patch management practise integrated into their operations.To answer the research question “How can a SME local Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) in Accra, Ghana, assist their local customer base to integrateeffective cybersecurity vulnerability management into their operations?“,This case study comprised the Subject Matter Expert of one local ISP as well as4 other technical Subject Matter Experts of the ISP’s clients about their patchmanagement operations. This case study research revealed that most SMEs donot consider vulnerability management as a key concern in the operation oftheir organisation and therefore, proposes a way to highlight the importanceof vulnerability management whiles doing so at a cost-effective manner. Theimplications of targeted cybersecurity patch management for the local ISP andtheir client-base is also addressed by this thesis research.

No description available.

The controlled anaerobic digestion of organic waste in a biogas facility aggregates advantages of waste treatment, energy recovery and nutrient recycling and is a promising technology to deal with contemporary issues of waste management and energy recovery. Small-scale biogas production units can be simply designed and successfully operated even in settings where means for advanced technology equipment are low and institutional capacities limited. In the country of Lebanon, landfilling and open dumping of solid waste is common practice and anaerobic treatment of waste is applied only sporadically and hence, not well-established. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of small-scale biogas production using organic waste, explore options for its application and propose a business model on how feedstock sourcing, facility operation and end product utilization could be realized in the research area. Research area was Ghazir village, a community within the urbanized coastal area in Lebanon. Methods were of both quantitative and qualitative nature.A techno-economic assessment served to quantify biogas and liquid digestate production rates, based on available resources of organic waste in the research area. Costs associated with installation, operation and maintenance of the proposed facility have been projected based on present examples of similar facilities in the country. Interviews with local stakeholders and a questionnaire survey among residents in the area of research allowed to identify suitable end use options for the produced biogas and served to explore communal acceptance of local biogas production. Results show that the produced biogas can be used for thermal feedstock treatment to supply local farmers with a fertilizer alternative, i.e. the liquid digestate. Organic waste that is subject to the anaerobic treatment in a digester can be provided by multiple point sources, i.e. households and a local food market in the form of source-sorted kitchen waste and unsold fruits and vegetables, respectively. Due to the current unfamiliarity with anaerobic treatment of organic waste in the research area, tests on the effects on crop yields are advised to take place before implementation of the proposed business model, as its communal benefits hinge on the suitability of the liquid digestate as a fertilizer. Economic calculations show low investment costs for the proposed facility as well as acceptable annual revenues in case the liquid digestate proves to be of interest for commercial acquisition by local farmers. The used methods and strategies in this feasibility assessment, i.e. waste quantification, yield and cost calculations, stakeholder interviews and questionnaire survey allow for replication of the taken investigation to eventually initiate small-scale biogas production using organic waste in other settings with similar conditions.

The fishery is a complex and dynamic socio-ecological system involving several actors and knowledge areas. Along the Brazilian coast the small-scale fisheries are very common and provide important ecosystem services. This fishery modality are usually data-poor in terms of catch and abundance data, landing records, quantification of vessels and fishing gear used. This data-limited condition frequently hampers fishery assessments and effective managements. That is the case in the Abrolhos Bank, East Brazil, a wide portion of the shallow continental shelf that encompass a complex benthic habitat with coral reefs, rhodoliths, buracas, mangroves, seaweed banks and with a great biodiversity. Over this area the small-scale fisheries are a traditional activity, extremely diverse in terms of exploitation capacity, fishing gears, target stocks and operating areas. On the Abrolhos Bank, snappers and groupers are very common resources, besides being predators important for the ecosystem equilibrium. However, these stocks are not evaluated or continuously monitored in the fishing landings and any regional fishery management is currently in place. The overall goal of this thesis was to elucidate questions on three snappers (Lutjanus jocu, Lutjanus synagris and Ocyurus chrysurus) and three groupers (Cephalopholis fulva, Epinephelus morio and Mycteroperca bonaci) fishery characteristics, impacts and sustainability in the Abrolhos Bank. The specific objectives were (1) to assess, organize, and analyze these fisheries to find out patterns on stocks occurrence, on fishing fleets and fishing areas, and to propose management units; (2) to examine the abundance trends and the exploitation status of the six stocks through indicators of size, biomass landed, mortality, spawning and yield, and (3) to evaluate the stocks risk to overexploitation and their fishery sustainability considering biological, environmental social and economic aspects. The study was conducted in four coastal communities of the Abrolhos Bank. The data were obtained by interviews with fishers, experts and stakeholders, from fishery landings monitoring databases, by specimens\' measures in landings and from literature. Groups of stocks co-occurring in landings and groups of stocks co-occurring in fishing grounds were discovered. Seven similar fishing areas were determined and suggested as spatial management units. Overfishing and decline in the relative abundance were detected to five stocks. The major causes of overfishing were high fishing mortality, low spawning potential ratio, low mega-spawners and high juveniles in landings. The fishery has led some stocks on alert to overexploitation and the results revealed that coral reefs habitat and ecosystem are also threaten by mining waste and dredging. Furthermore, there is a weak environmental governance in the region and insufficient community participation in the construction of management proposals. The results reveal a concerning situation regarding the stocks exploitation status but provide the key points to be worked on together the fishing communities. This thesis emphasizes the need for urgent elaboration of fishery regulation measures in the region and may contribute in the delineating of management proposals in this complex and threatened fishery system. / A pesca é um sistema sócio ecológico complexo e dinâmico, envolvendo vários atores e áreas de conhecimento. Ao longo da costa brasileira as pescarias de pequena escala são muito comuns e provém importantes serviços ecossistêmicos. Essa modalidade de pesca frequentemente é pobre em dados de captura e abundância, registros de desembarques, quantificação de embarcações e de artes de pesca utilizadas. Essa condição frequentemente dificulta avaliações pesqueiras e o manejo eficaz. Isso ocorre no Banco dos Abrolhos, leste do Brasil, uma ampla porção da plataforma continental rasa que compreende um complexo habitat bentônico com recifes de corais, rodolitos, buracas, mangues, bancos de algas e com grande biodiversidade. Nesta área, a pesca de pequena escala é uma atividade tradicional extremamente diversificada em termos de capacidade de explotação, artes de pesca, estoques alvo e áreas de operação. No Banco dos Abrolhos vermelhos e garoupas são recursos muito comuns, além de predadores importantes para o equilíbrio do ecossistema. No entanto, estes estoques não são avaliados ou monitorados nos desembarques pesqueiros, e nenhuma gestão pesqueira regional está atualmente em vigor. O objetivo geral desta tese foi elucidar questões sobre as características, impactos e sustentabilidade da pesca de três vermelhos (Lutjanus jocu, Lutjanus synagris and Ocyurus chrysurus) e três garoupas (Cephalopholis fulva, Epinephelus morio and Mycteroperca bonaci) no Banco dos Abrolhos. Os objetivos específicos foram (1) avaliar, organizar e analisar essas pescarias para descobrir padrões de ocorrência de estoques, padrões de frotas e áreas de pesca, e propor unidades de manejo; (2) examinar as tendências na abundância e o status de explotação dos seis estoques por meio de indicadores de tamanho, biomassa desembarcada, mortalidade, desova e rendimento; e (3) avaliar o risco de sobreexplotação dos estoques e a sustentabilidade pesqueira considerando aspectos biológicos, ambientais, sociais e econômicos. O estudo foi realizado em quatro comunidades costeiras do Banco dos Abrolhos. Os dados foram obtidos em entrevistas com pescadores e especialistas locais, em bases de dados de monitoramentos pesqueiros, em medições de espécimes em desembarques e na literatura. Grupos de estoques co-ocorrendo em desembarques e grupos de estoques co-ocorrendo em áreas de pesca foram descobertos. Sete áreas de pesca semelhantes foram determinadas e sugeridas como unidades de manejo espaciais. Sobrepesca e declínio na abundância relativa foram detectados em cinco estoques. As principais causas da sobrepesca foram alta mortalidade por pesca, baixo potencial de desova, poucos mega-reprodutores e muitos juvenis nos desembarques. A pesca deixou alguns estoques em alerta de sobreexplotação e os resultados revelaram que o habitat recifal e o ecossistema são ameaçados também por resíduos de mineração e pela dragagem. Além disso, a governança ambiental na região é fraca e a participação comunitária em propostas de gestão é insuficiente. Os resultados revelam uma situação preocupante quanto ao estado de exploração dos estoques, mas fornecem os pontos-chave a serem trabalhados em conjunto com as comunidades pesqueiras. Esta tese enfatiza a necessidade de elaboração urgente de medidas de regulação pesqueira na região e pode contribuir para o delineamento de propostas de manejo neste complexo e ameaçado sistema pesqueiro.