The purpose of the study is to: 1. develop a model for studying the strategies of third-party providers, and 2. preparing empirically supported hypotheses regarding the TPL providers strategies. Empirical data has been gathered from 21 Australian, European, and North- American targeted TPL providers, all recognized as large, innovative or influential industry representatives. The thesis propose an empirically supported model for studying positions or for positioning of TPL providers, based on both served markets and internal industry variables. Further, the TPL providers expected development, the values delivered to clients, and activity and capability for supply chain integration are explored. The results of the study indicate that the TPL providers in general have similar strategies, and expect to develop in similar ways. The main values provided to clients are Cost and the possibility to Focus on Core, and the main mechanisms for creating that value are Operative Competence and Systems Development.

[pt] A crescente necessidade de otimização de recursos e o maior nível de exigência dos clientes em termos de qualidade de serviço, custo e prazo tem influenciado na reconfiguração dos mercados globais. A fim de se manterem competitivas, as empresas têm sido obrigadas a investir principalmente em sua cadeia de suprimentos com intuito de garantir a sobrevivência no mercado cada vez mais competitivo. A terceirização é uma grande aliada à logística, mais especificamente o 3PL (Third Party Logistics), que tem sido apontado por diversos autores quando se fala em reduzir em custos, melhorar a qualidade de atendimento, aperfeiçoar controles, integrar os processos e implantar novas tecnologias sem impedir o foco da empresa no seu Core Business. O objetivo desta dissertação é realizar um estudo de caso na Petrobras a fim de identificar porque os Gestores optaram por migrar sua estrutura de terceirização de um 2PL para um 3PL. Os resultados demonstram 34 por cento de redução de custos, confirmando a proposição que a adoção do sistema de 3PL conduz a redução de custos logísticos; investimentos nas estruturas de governança implicam em redução de custo de transação e que controles, metas e indicadores contratuais possuem relação com o desempenho, além de contribuírem para gestão da cadeia de suprimentos. / [en] The growing need for resource optimization and the higher level of customer use in terms of quality of service, cost and time have an influence on the reconfiguration of global markets. To remain competitive, the companies have been forced to invest mainly in their supply chain in order to ensure survival in the increasingly competitive market. Outsourcing is a great ally to logistics, more specific to 3PL (Third Party Logistics), which was pointed out by several authors when talking about reducing costs, improving service quality, improving controls, integrating processes and implementing new technologies without prevent the company s focus on its Core Business. The objective of this dissertation is to conduct a case study at Petrobras in order to identify why the Managers chose to migrate their outsourcing structure from a 2PL to a 3PL. The results showed a 34 percent cost reduction, confirming a proposal to adopt the 3PL system that reduced logistical costs; investments in governance structures involved in reducing transaction and control costs, goals and indicators that are related to performance, in addition to the contribution to chain management.

Bakgrund: När en person har hörselnedsättning påverkas indirekt dess omgivning. Konsekvenser som kan upplevas av en partner kan benämnas med begreppet Third-Party Disability (TPD) och innefattar ett flertal aspekter som exempelvis kommunikation och livskvalité. Med ålder blir hörselnedsättningar allt vanligare vilket leder till att allt fler par i övre medelåldern lever i en relation där ena partnern har hörselnedsättning. Syfte: Att undersöka hur partnern påverkas av en respektives hörselnedsättning och vad det har för eventuella konsekvenser på livskvalitén, sett till personer i övre medelåldern. Metod: En integrerad litteraturstudie utfördes för att besvara studiens syfte. Litteratursökning i databaserna PubMed, Cinahl och Web of Science resulterade i inklusion av åtta vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Resultaten påvisar att partnern påverkas av sin respektives hörselnedsättning. Det är främst kommunikationsmöjligheterna som försämras men även relationsförändringar kan uppstå. Vidare kan det leda till att livskvaliteten för den normalhörande personen försämras till följd av begränsningar i partnerskapet. Slutsatser: Kommunikationsmöjligheterna försämras till följd av hörselnedsättning och påverkar deltagandet i sociala aktiviteter och sammanhang. Indirekt påverkar detta partnerns förmåga för deltagande och kan leda till försämrad livskvalitet. / Background: When a person has hearing loss, their significant others become indirectly affected. The consequences from a partner perspective can be described with the term Third-Party Disability (TPD), which includes several aspects such as communication and quality of life. With age, hearing loss become increasingly more common, therefore it is likely that at least one partner in couples of upper middle age will have hearing loss. Aim: To investigate how the partner is affected by their spouse´s hearing loss and what consequences it has on the quality of life, for people in upper middle age. Methods: An integrated literature study was carried out to answer the purpose of the present study. The literature search conducted in the databases PubMed, Cinahl and Web of Science resulted in eight scientific articles for inclusion. Results: The results demonstrate that the partner is affected by their spouses hearing loss. Mainly it´s the communication opportunities that deteriorate, but relationship changes can also occur. This can further lead to a deterioration in the quality of life of the normal-hearing spouse as a result of limitations in the partnership. Conclusions: Communication possibilities deteriorate as a result of hearing loss and affect participation in social activities and contexts. Indirectly, this affects the partner's capacity for participation and can lead to a reduced quality of life.

Diminishing green bond premia have been associated with the risk of greenwashing. In response, third-party verification (TPV) has emerged as a market-driven solution to mitigate risks from asymmetric information and safeguard the credibility of green bonds. This thesis examines the complexities of TPV mechanisms within the green bond market, employing a novel approach by comparing two leading verification institutions: the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) and the International Capital Market Association (ICMA). The goal is to ascertain the effectiveness of TPV and examine their impact on bond yields. Additionally, this study examines the role of these verification systems in reducing information asymmetry and mitigating the threat of greenwashing. Utilising propensity score matching, our analysis reveals a TPV premium ranging from approximately -15 to -19 basis points (bps) for green bonds verified by the CBI, while the ICMA does not reliably demonstrate a TPV premium. Furthermore, our investigation extends to the differential impact of TPV on government and corporate green bonds. We find a clearer TPV premium for corporate green bonds verified by the CBI, estimated at -21 to -23 bps, compared to government green bonds, which yielded insignificant findings. Complementing our quantitative findings, a key informant interview provides nuanced insights. We also uncover potential biases inherent in dataset preferences favouring specific verification institutions. Our research highlights the efficacy of verification through the CBI, as the advantages significantly outweigh the associated costs, making it a sensible choice for issuers. Moreover, we advocate for the adoption of uniform reporting standards to streamline administrative processes and enhance transparency, particularly for corporate green bond issuers. / Minskande premievärden på gröna obligationer har kopplats till risken för greenwashing. Som svar på detta har tredjepartsverifiering (TPV) framträtt som en marknadsdriven lösning för att minska riskerna från asymmetrisk information och säkerställa trovärdigheten hos gröna obligationer. Denna avhandling undersöker komplexiteten i TPV-mekanismer inom marknaden för gröna obligationer, genom att jämföra två ledande verifieringsinstitutioner: Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) och International Capital Market Association (ICMA). Målet är att fastställa effektiviteten av TPV och undersöka deras inverkan på obligationsräntor. Fortsättningsvis, granskar denna studie rollen av dessa verifieringssystem i att minska informationsasymmetri och motverka hotet om greenwashing. Genom att använda propensity score matching avslöjar vår analys en TPV-premie på cirka -15 till -19 baspunkter (bp) för gröna obligationer verifierade av CBI, medan ICMA inte på ett tillförlitligt sätt visar en TPV-premie. Vidare undersöker vi den differentierade effekten av TPV på gröna stats- och företagsobligationer. Vi finner en tydligare TPV-premie för företagsobligationer verifierade av CBI, uppskattad till -21 till -23 bp, jämfört med statsobligationer, som inte gav signifikanta resultat. För att komplettera våra kvantitativa resultat, ger en intervju med en nyckelinformant nyanserade insikter. Vi upptäcker även potentiell partiskhet inneboende i datasettet som gynnar specifika verifieringsinstitutioner. Vår forskning belyser effektiviteten av verifiering genom CBI, eftersom fördelarna överväger de associerade kostnaderna, vilket gör det till ett vettigt val för emittenter. Dessutom förespråkar vi antagandet av enhetliga rapporteringsstandarder för att förenkla administrativa processer och förbättra transparensen, särskilt för emittenter av gröna företagsobligationer.

This thesis examines third-party actor influence on the domestic level in the ongoing diplomatic negotiations between P5+1 and Iran, with the research question being; What demands, arguments and strategies does the Congress and AIPAC use to influence the negotiation process between the U.S. and Iran? Secondly, what are their goals for doing so? Furthermore, the combined theoretical framework has been applied onto the material using a critical method in order to answer the questions. Legislative bills from the Congress, regarding congressional insight to the agreement, have been approved. In this pressured negotiation process with high stakes it is astounding that these actions are allowed. Due to this behavior from Congress, amongst others, it becomes interesting to study the negotiation process and its salient third-party actor influence. The results suggests that legislative actions combined with various demands and arguments, focused on mistrust of Iran, history and the security of Israel, are their main strategies to gain influence. An additional new, third, level has also been discovered by the authors of this thesis in regards to these complicated negotiations.

<p><p>The globalization has increased the trade between different places and countries. Products are now available from all over the world, but this requires transports that have consequences in the environment as well as the economy. New professions are creates that do formality, organize, administrate and implement other businesses transports. Their operations are between the business and customer and they are called logistics companies. The purpose of this report was to study third-party logistics and why more and more companies use this logistics services. A literature study was done to research This. The study is based on a literature work in the field of logistics by using books, articles and the Internet. The report also studied whether there are differences between terms within third-party logistics from 1980-90s and today. In third-party logistics it is emphasize to there is focus on using a logistics company as a good alternative for the companies who aren´t able to have a high quantity in their own vehicle. The purpose with route planning is to use the availability in the vehicle and try to have as high filling degree as possible. The filling degree is usually calculated on how much of the total area, volume or weight that is used.</p><p>Since the origin of the term third-party logistics in the 80-90s, the positive and negative aspects have been the same. But during the years more positive aspects have appeared. There are more positive aspects about third-party logistics than negative. Companies’ use and dependence of what third-party logistics can offer, have provided the companies with mostly positive aspects.</p><p>The logistics concept is more complex today that it was at its origin and it includes more activities. In the 90s, the concept forwarder was used to describe a person who coordinated the transports while the transporter was the one who executed the transports. By looking at outdated literature, we can presume that the future will bring more changes and that the role of respective parties will become even more unclear than they are today.</p><p>From the theory a deeper analysis was done in form of interviews with four third-logistics companies, to find out how transports work out in real life. The questions were classified in three groups; routes, filling degree and environment. The four companies worked constantly to improve the filling degree by different types of coordination and better loading, but also to by having goods in the return transport. Three of four companies thought that the transports were too cheap. A large number of goods are transported long distances back and forth. The logistics companies tried to offer their customers good customers service with cheap, fast and close transports in order to be competitive. We think that the logistics companies must take more responsibility and shouldn’t drive empty trucks, no matter the price they get. By a high filling rate the environments can be saved, because it will take fewer transports and it improves the company’s economy. The logistics companies of tomorrow have big challenges to overcome if they should continue a sustainable development that benefits their economic situation and the environment.</p></p>

Outsourcing of logistical operations is becoming more and more frequent in order to address the needs of a company's supply chain as well as improving customer service and reducing operating costs. The main objective of this study was to provide a guideline to Logistics and Supply Chain Managers on how to successfully implement an outsourcing (3PL/4PL) partnership, as well as identify the pitfalls that should be avoided during the implementation process. To realise this objective an extensive review of the current literature was undertaken on the concept of logistics and the supply chain and how the concept of outsourcing has influenced this concept. The literature presented the following results: ~ Logistics is often perceived as non-core business function to a company and hence suitable as an outsourcing option. ~ Outsourcing of the logistics function should be a strategic decision that offers both a reduction in costs as well as improvements in sales revenue and customer service. ~ Outsourcing is able to contribute value for a company through reduced cost and increased revenue as well as improved service levels due to the specialist nature of the outsourcing partner. ~ Some competitive advantage is possible when choosing a 3PLl4PL to operate your logistics function. ~ The 3PL industry is currently in a state of transition, with many smaller 3PL's consolidating their business efforts to form Lead Logistics Provider companies. An empirical research on the South African perception of the 3PLl4PL industry was then conducted using a structured questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire providing an answer on the state of the 3PLl4PL industry in South Africa along with comments on how successful implementation differed from the failures. From the literature review and the empirical research it was possible to establish recommendation on how to establish a successful outsourcing partnership with a 3PLl4PL, as well as a tool was developed to aid those companies that currently experience problems with their outsourcing partnership. While the outsourcing process is unique to every situation the guidelines offer a generic approach that prevents the prospective outsourcing company from falling into common pitfalls that often lead to failure of the partnership. / Outsourcing of logistical operations is becoming more and more frequent in order to address the needs of a company's supply chain as well as improving customer service and reducing operating costs. The main objective of this study was to provide a guideline to Logistics and Supply Chain Managers on how to successfully implement an outsourcing (3PL/4PL) partnership, as well as identify the pitfalls that should be avoided during the implementation process. To realise this objective an extensive review of the current literature was undertaken on the concept of logistics and the supply chain and how the concept of outsourcing has influenced this concept. The literature presented the following results: ~ Logistics is often perceived as non-core business function to a company and hence suitable as an outsourcing option. ~ Outsourcing of the logistics function should be a strategic decision that offers both a reduction in costs as well as improvements in sales revenue and customer service. ~ Outsourcing is able to contribute value for a company through reduced cost and increased revenues as well as improved service levels due to the specialist nature of the outsourcing partner. ~ Some competitive advantage is possible when choosing a 3PLl4PL to operate your logistics function. ~ The 3PL industry is currently in a state of transition, with many small 3PL's consolidating their business efforts to form Lead Logistics Provider companies. An empirical research on the South African perception of the 3PLl4PL industry was then conducted using a structured questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire providing an answer on the state of the 3PLl4PL industry in South Africa along with comments on how successful implementation differed from the failures. From the literature review and the empirical research it was possible to establish recommendation on how to establish a successful outsourcing partnership with a 3PLl4PL, as well as a tool was developed to aid those companies that currently experience problems with their outsourcing partnership. While the outsourcing process is unique to every situation the guidelines offer a generic approach that prevents the prospective outsourcing company from falling into common pitfalls that often lead to failure of the partnership. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2004.

<p>Humans are natural politicians. We obsessively collect social information that is both observable (e.g., about third-party relationships) and unobservable (e.g., about others’ psychological states), and we strategically employ that information to manage our cooperative and competitive relationships. To what extent are these abilities unique to our species, and how did they evolve? The present dissertation seeks to contribute to these two questions. To do so, I take a comparative perspective, investigating social decision-making in humans’ closest living relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees. In Chapter 1, I review existing literature on theory of mind—or the ability to understand others’ psychological states—in these species. I also present a theoretical framework to guide further investigation of social cognition in bonobos and chimpanzees based on hypotheses about the proximate and ultimate origins of their species differences. In Chapter 2, I experimentally investigate differences in the prosocial behavior of bonobos and chimpanzees, revealing species-specific prosocial motivations that appear to be less flexible than those exhibited by humans. In Chapter 3, I explore through decision-making experiments bonobos’ ability to evaluate others based on their prosocial or antisocial behavior during third-party interactions. Bonobos do track the interactions of third-parties and evaluate actors based on these interactions. However, they do not exhibit the human preference for those who are prosocial towards others, instead consistently favoring an antisocial individual. The motivation to prefer those who demonstrate a prosocial disposition may be a unique feature of human psychology that contributes to our ultra-cooperative nature. In Chapter 4, I investigate the adaptive value of social cognition in wild primates. I show that the recruitment behavior of wild chimpanzees at Gombe National Park, Tanzania is consistent with the use of third-party knowledge, and that those who appear to use third-party knowledge receive immediate proximate benefits. They escape further aggression from their opponents. These findings directly support the social intelligence hypothesis that social cognition has evolved in response to the demands of competing with one’s own group-mates. Thus, the studies presented here help to better characterize the features of social decision-making that are unique to humans, and how these abilities evolved.</p> / Dissertation

Scholars have long debated the causes of late third party state joining in ongoing inter-state wars. This research has generally concluding that peace-time conditions, measured in terms of: third party capabilities; proximity to warring states; and inter-state alliances, are determining factors in the decision to join. However, these studies utilize theories derived from static pre-war measures of capabilities and motivation to explain late joining; indeed, the same measures that fail to predict participation at war's outset. Further, extant research has no explanation for why weak and non-proximate states every participate. Existing theory thus fails to provide a comprehensive explanation of joining behavior. This project contends that a resolution lies the interaction between pre-war conditions and intra-war events. Intra-war events that are allowed to vary on a per battle basis, including change in combat location and alliance entry and exit from combat, reveal new information about the war and its progress, thereby forcing third party states to recalculate their initial decision to abstain in relation to their pre-existing situation. Incorporation of intra-war processes helps to better explain decisions by third party states to join ongoing inter-state wars late in their development, and why states that frequently choose to abstain (e.g., weak states) ever choose to participate. This project is executed using a combination of ex post facto historical case studies, a theory of joining based on pre and intra-war environments, and large-N empirical analysis on all inter-state wars 1823-1988, conducted utilizing a novel collection of event-level data based on inter-state war battles.

The purpose of this study is to present an historical account of the Liberal Republican movement during the Reconstruction period. The Liberal movement was chosen for investigation because it was the first prominent third party movement in the post-Civil War years. The Liberal Republican movement was less important in shaping the policies of the two major policies than later third party movements, and, in fact, its long range results are almost impossible to trace. By gaining national prominence, however, and by accepting the Democrats in a coalition, the movement did provide a much needed stimulus to the Democratic party and caused the Republicans to reconsider their policies. It also provided an example to later movements that a third party could gain a great deal of support by advocating and working for general political reform.