Happiness is consistently cited as one of the things that people consider most important in their lives and yet is a slippery concept about which it is difficult to establish a shared understanding. There is increasing agreement that Gross National Product (GDP) is not a sufficient indicator of progress and that alternative measures may need to include the subjective aspects of wellbeing, or happiness. However, if policy makers and development workers are to seriously consider happiness, clarity is required about what it means to different people and such clarity must be grounded in the everyday experiences of the people whose lives social and development polices aim to improve. Despite increasing interest in the concept of happiness within Laos, academic research focusing upon positive subjective experience is limited. Young Lao people who volunteer with Non-Profit Associations (NPAs) in Vientiane occupy a unique position at the crossroads of a country that continues to be affected by a complex political legacy, a rapidly modernising capital city and a newly visible civil society. The findings from the current research provide rich data from 18 months of ethnographic and participative fieldwork with this specific group of young people in Vientiane. The research addresses the following questions:  What do the ways that young Lao volunteers in Vientiane express happiness tell us about the ways that they conceptualise happiness?  What do young volunteers in Vientiane say makes them happy?  What beliefs do young volunteers in Vientiane have about happiness?  How do these beliefs about happiness fit with young volunteers’ expressed experiences of happiness? This thesis identifies three key conceptual models that research participants used to express happiness including ‘Being Happy’ (happiness is a present moment choice), ‘Becoming Happy’ (happiness is something to be achieved) and ‘Happy Being With Others’ (happiness is located in relationships between people). Further, three culturally constructed ‘happiness scripts’ that research participants share are outlined and discussed. The three scripts are: “The way to be happy is to be a good Lao person”, “I will be happy if I have the things that I need to be comfortable and to have an easy life” and “I am happy when I follow my heart”. These scripts each combine a conceptual mode of happiness with a focus on specific aspects of their lives that research participants say make them happy and a set of shared beliefs about happiness. These three scripts offer normative accounts of different pathways that research participants believe will lead to happiness. The research demonstrates, however, how research participants hold multiple scripts simultaneously and looks at the interactions and tensions between the scripts and between the scripts and participants’ lived experiences. The research concludes that the socially constructed nature of the happiness scripts and the multiple conceptual models of happiness used by the research participants emphasise the need for self-awareness and transparency in conversations about happiness. Any consideration of happiness at policy level must include open and critical discussion about the happiness script that is being promoted. At the individual level participants valued positive opportunities to become aware of and challenge their own assumptions about the things that are most important in their lives were beneficial to their happiness. The thesis, therefore, recommends a shift in policy focus from solely measuring happiness to promoting positive conversations about happiness at policy, community and individual levels. Happiness is both an important experience and a slippery concept. It is both critical that we consider it and vital that we remain critical of it.

This thesis focuses on philanthropic activities. Its mission is to identify what specific philanthropic activities is devoted to company O2 Czech Republic, the importance to these activities in relation to the marketing of the company. It is also its task by its own research to find out what attitude consumers have in relation to these activities, how they influence their purchasing decision process and on the basis of these findings to identify the real importance of these activities for the marketing activities of the company.

No description available.

A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and volunteerism, or that rural volunteers are more likely to participate in informal volunteer activities. Results were analyzed using the chi-square test of statistical significance.

Economic theories usually assume that the amount of work offered by individuals increase as wages and salaries increase. However, there are volunteers who present their work without payment for the production of goods and services, for the benefit of others. Volunteer work is of significance in a time when social safety nets are weak and there are ever increasing demands on welfare organisations. Volunteers can make a difference in their communities and entire society in general which means that if they are understood better, it may be possible to harness their power for the greater good. Therefore, this thesis analyses volunteers and volunteerism in South Africa and the factors that determine their efforts. The manuscript presents a critical discussion of economic theories of volunteering, major concepts and types of volunteers to arrive at a plausible set of models explaining volunteerism and the general motives of volunteers. The descriptive analysis of data sets from the Labour Force Survey was conducted. The data also allows for the estimation of a limited dependent variable regression model of the probability of volunteering as a function of individual-specific predictors. The results from Logit (Binary LogitRegression) regression showed that all estimated coefficients have the expected signs: Females are more likely to do volunteer work more than males; older people are more likely to participate more in volunteer activities than middle age and younger ones. The results also reveal that the higher your level of education, the more likely you will be to do volunteer work. This was the same with income: higher income individuals are more likely to do volunteer work. This study also used data from the Volunteer Activities Survey (VAS) to describe volunteers and estimate a model of the determinants of hours of volunteer work supplied. The results indicate a robust relationships between volunteered and determinant such as gender, age group; population group, level of education, income category, marital status and employment status, to mention few. Results from the regression model show that age is positively related to hours spend doing volunteer work. Even though the gender variable is found to be not statistically significant, the results indicated that women do volunteer work more than men. The further a person is educated the more he/she will participate in voluntary work. The evidence indicated that there is a positive relationship between income and hours of volunteering. The evidence provides a number of findings that are important to policymakers, non-profit organisations and all other stakeholders in volunteerism. This study could be used to devise more efficient and effective plans of how the number of volunteers and the hours that they volunteer could be retained and increased. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Economic theories usually assume that the amount of work offered by individuals increase as wages and salaries increase. However, there are volunteers who present their work without payment for the production of goods and services, for the benefit of others. Volunteer work is of significance in a time when social safety nets are weak and there are ever increasing demands on welfare organisations. Volunteers can make a difference in their communities and entire society in general which means that if they are understood better, it may be possible to harness their power for the greater good. Therefore, this thesis analyses volunteers and volunteerism in South Africa and the factors that determine their efforts. The manuscript presents a critical discussion of economic theories of volunteering, major concepts and types of volunteers to arrive at a plausible set of models explaining volunteerism and the general motives of volunteers. The descriptive analysis of data sets from the Labour Force Survey was conducted. The data also allows for the estimation of a limited dependent variable regression model of the probability of volunteering as a function of individual-specific predictors. The results from Logit (Binary LogitRegression) regression showed that all estimated coefficients have the expected signs: Females are more likely to do volunteer work more than males; older people are more likely to participate more in volunteer activities than middle age and younger ones. The results also reveal that the higher your level of education, the more likely you will be to do volunteer work. This was the same with income: higher income individuals are more likely to do volunteer work. This study also used data from the Volunteer Activities Survey (VAS) to describe volunteers and estimate a model of the determinants of hours of volunteer work supplied. The results indicate a robust relationships between volunteered and determinant such as gender, age group; population group, level of education, income category, marital status and employment status, to mention few. Results from the regression model show that age is positively related to hours spend doing volunteer work. Even though the gender variable is found to be not statistically significant, the results indicated that women do volunteer work more than men. The further a person is educated the more he/she will participate in voluntary work. The evidence indicated that there is a positive relationship between income and hours of volunteering. The evidence provides a number of findings that are important to policymakers, non-profit organisations and all other stakeholders in volunteerism. This study could be used to devise more efficient and effective plans of how the number of volunteers and the hours that they volunteer could be retained and increased. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Volunteers, governments, agencies and organizations from the North have too often defined the benefits and limitations of international volunteer programs without incorporating the perspectives of the organizations they seek to help. In fact, scholars and practitioners have relied on Northern experiences to develop a critical analysis of this development practice. As the experiences of the South are often absent from the conversations about international volunteerism, the goal of this thesis is to leverage the voices and the stories of Southern hosts to further understand the impact of international volunteerism. The research draws on the experiences of host organizations in Uganda. The interviewed participants are Ugandans who have worked with international volunteers to address various development issues. A review of the existing literature on international volunteerism, combined with the field research, support the analysis of the benefits and limitations of international volunteerism from the perspectives of host organizations. It also enables an exploration of the agency of volunteerism and determines key principles to empower host organizations and their employees. Thus, the analysis establishes the following conclusions: international volunteers are valuable actors for Southern hosts; volunteer programs must consider the impact, the challenges and the recommendations identified by host organizations and their communities; international volunteers enable alternative voices to be heard; and volunteerism fosters cooperation and partnerships within the Global South.

This study explored the perceptions of ten White female South African volunteers working with black children diagnosed HIV positive and/or orphaned by AIDS. A qualitative research strategy was used in order to explore the participants’ perceptions of the role that racial dynamics and everyday racism play in their work as volunteers. Ten participants over the age of 18 years, that have been volunteering for a minimum of one month and that volunteer for a minimum of one hour a week at an organisation in Johannesburg, were interviewed. The data were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis and the findings were interpreted using a framework drawn from critical race theory and critical Whiteness studies. Notions of everyday racism were evidenced in the findings of the study. These findings challenge traditional notions in a novel way by expanding the current understanding of the racial dynamics at play in a country working towards equality. In doing so, the study raises theoretical and practical implications for efforts aimed to address racism in South Africa.

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This thesis examines the central role that volunteerism plays in creating a strong sense of sense of place and community within the town of Rockville, Utah, located 4.7 miles from Zion National Park. Rockville has no commercial businesses within its boundaries and relies heavily upon the volunteer efforts of its residents to carry out the majority of civil services within the town. Drawing from interviews of the STP’s (a group of Rockville residents who volunteer on a regular basis), this thesis highlights how the act of volunteerism helps residents feel membership within their community. This thesis also looks at how the STPs’ participation in town socials, clean-ups, and helping neighbors affected by natural disasters, helps them feel a deeper sense of belonging within their community.