The object of the work was to analyze the current status of advisory services supply and their assessment on the basis of demand from enterpreneurs in agriculture. Within the framework of the analysis investigation via questionnaire was conducted among enterpreneurs. The collected data then compared to find out whether the purpose of the advisory service has been fulfilled.

This study advances a theoretical model of appeal, the framework readers’ advisory (RA) librarians use to make book suggestions. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it combines elements of media studies, literary theory, and library science to posit new elements of appeal and new models for understanding its dynamics. This dissertation argues that, because appeal as currently practiced relies heavily on reductive binaries, it fails to account for a number of features that play a crucial role in a reader’s experience of a work. Through a historically informed explication of the existing appeal framework, it posits a new formulation: appeal is a tripartite construct involving the sensibility of a text, the content of a work, and the interest of a reader, where reader is understood in its broadest sense. The new framework demonstrates explicitly that appeal is both textual and readerly and advances a number of additional concepts that are possible only in a more nuanced, tripartite structure. The dissertation illustrates its findings through three application chapters, considering in depth Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The study further provides a new theory/practice model of appeal, strongly urging that, if RA service is to continue to advance, its provision and an understanding of its critical concepts be undertaken with depth and rigor.

In the start-up entrepreneurs face the Liability of Newness when problems and challenges often threaten business survival. Business advisory service, provided by public and private supplier contacts, can offer important knowledge and information, accompanied by various forms of assistance, and thereby decrease the entrepreneurs’ risk of failure and reduce their Liability of Newness. However, it is difficult to match the entrepreneurs’ need for such advice with the available advice. The support must meet the need. Most nations in the European Union have programs and projects that provide such support for entrepreneurs and SMEs. Special programs often support female entrepreneurs and/or immigrant entrepreneurs. This thesis examines the level and handling of the Liability of Newness with special focus on female entrepreneurs and immigrant entrepreneurs in Sweden. The four papers of this thesis take the perspective of these entrepreneurs. The research is based on a sample of 2 832 entrepreneurs who were interviewed (in a telephone survey) on their impressions and recollections on their need for and use of business advisory service in the start-up processes of their companies. Fulfilment of need is achieved when the need for business advisory service is matched with the right use of business advisory service. Heterogeneities as far as the level and handling of the Liability of Newness exist related to female entrepreneurs (vs. male entrepreneurs) and immigrant entrepreneurs (vs. non-immigrant entrepreneurs). Female entrepreneurs have a higher need for business advisory service than male entrepreneurs and also use more business advisory service than male entrepreneurs. As a result, female entrepreneurs can decrease the hazard rate for their companies and also reduce the Liability of Newness as their companies move toward the standard risk in their industry. Immigrant entrepreneurs also have a higher need for business advisory service than non-immigrant entrepreneurs. However, because immigrant entrepreneurs use business advisory service to the same extent that non-immigrant entrepreneurs do, immigrant entrepreneurs are unable to decrease the hazard rate for their companies or to reduce the Liability of Newness.The thesis makes both theoretical, methodological and practical contributions. The thesis may be of interest to government policy makers with its attention to the need and use of business advisory service by female entrepreneurs and immigrant entrepreneurs.

In the start-up entrepreneurs face the Liability of Newness when problems and challenges often threaten business survival. Business advisory service, provided by public and private supplier contacts, can offer important knowledge and information, accompanied by various forms of assistance, and thereby decrease the entrepreneurs’ risk of failure and reduce their Liability of Newness. However, it is difficult to match the entrepreneurs’ need for such advice with the available advice. The support must meet the need. Most nations in the European Union have programs and projects that provide such support for entrepreneurs and SMEs. Special programs often support female entrepreneurs and/or immigrant entrepreneurs. This thesis examines the level and handling of the Liability of Newness with special focus on female entrepreneurs and immigrant entrepreneurs in Sweden. The four papers of this thesis take the perspective of these entrepreneurs. The research is based on a sample of 2 832 entrepreneurs who were interviewed (in a telephone survey) on their impressions and recollections on their need for and use of business advisory service in the start-up processes of their companies. Fulfilment of need is achieved when the need for business advisory service is matched with the right use of business advisory service. Heterogeneities as far as the level and handling of the Liability of Newness exist related to female entrepreneurs (vs. male entrepreneurs) and immigrant entrepreneurs (vs. non-immigrant entrepreneurs). Female entrepreneurs have a higher need for business advisory service than male entrepreneurs and also use more business advisory service than male entrepreneurs. As a result, female entrepreneurs can decrease the hazard rate for their companies and also reduce the Liability of Newness as their companies move toward the standard risk in their industry. Immigrant entrepreneurs also have a higher need for business advisory service than non-immigrant entrepreneurs. However, because immigrant entrepreneurs use business advisory service to the same extent that non-immigrant entrepreneurs do, immigrant entrepreneurs are unable to decrease the hazard rate for their companies or to reduce the Liability of Newness.The thesis makes both theoretical, methodological and practical contributions. The thesis may be of interest to government policy makers with its attention to the need and use of business advisory service by female entrepreneurs and immigrant entrepreneurs.

L’agriculture reste aujourd’hui verrouillée sur l'utilisation intensive des pesticides malgré leurs effets néfastes sur la santé et l'environnement et en dépit de la multiplication des réglementations restreignant leur utilisation. Les analyses menées sur les situations de verrouillage technologique montrent qu’une solution réside dans la production de connaissances sur des techniques alternatives aux pesticides. A ce titre, le recours au conseil agricole est présenté comme un élément clé. Mais, le conseil a connu en Europe de profondes transformations organisationnelles qui ont abouti à un pluralisme accru des types de prestataires.Dans ce contexte, cette thèse interroge la performance de conseil et sa capacité à produire des connaissances sur des techniques alternatives. En se fondant sur les apports d’analyses en économie institutionnelle des services intensifs en connaissances (KIBS), un cadre conceptuel et méthodologique a été conçu pour analyser la diversité des organismes de conseil, leurs relations et leurs logiques de performance de conseil. Ce travail s’appuie sur l’étude du cas du conseil agricole pour les producteurs de plants de pomme de terre en France. / The adverse effects of pesticides on health and the environment are well known and different regulations aim at decreasing their use in the agricultural sector in France and Europe. However, this use does not decrease in practice. Agriculture is as of yet characterized in academic literature by a technological lock-in on an intensive use of pesticides. Analyses of technological lock-in have shown that one solution is to produce knowledge on alternative techniques. In this regard, agricultural advisory services have a key role. These services have, nonetheless, undergone profound organisational transformations in European countries, leading to a greater pluralism of agricultural service providers.This PhD research questions the performance of farm advisory services and their capacity to produce knowledge on alternative farming practices that does not require an intensive use of pesticides. This work is based on advances from institutional economics dealing with knowledge intensive business services (KIBS). It presents a conceptual and methodological framework developed to analyse the diversity of service suppliers, their partnerships and their conception of the performance of advisory services. The research draws on case studies in the French potato seed industry.

Sveriges natur förknippas mer än något annat med skog. Två tredjedelar av landets drygt 40 miljoner hektar landareal täcks av skog. Av 27,1 miljoner hektar skogsmark (inklusive skyddad mark) är 23,3 miljoner hektar produktiv skogsmark. Andelen privata skogsägare uppgår till ca 330 000 personer och äger hälften av all skogsmark i Sverige samt levererar drygt 60 % av den totala råvaran till skogsindustrin. Skogsstyrelsens, och skogsvårdstyrelsernas, främsta roll har alltsedan bemyndigandet 1903 varit rådgivning till skogsägarna, ett viktigt styrmedel för att kunna förebygga lagingripanden och mildra lagstiftningen. I början av 1960-talet väcktes det diskussioner, som sedan dess har varit aktuella, om: att jordens resurser är ändliga och hur vi förvaltar dem. Det mest turbulenta årtiondet för svensk skogsvårdpolitik var 1970-talet och den tidiga miljörelaterade kritiken mot skogsbruket var inte underbyggd av forskning om miljötillståndet i skogen, utan skapades av en allmän opinion i samhället. Flertalet av de intervjuade skogsägarna uppgav att rådgivning varit viktiga vägledare för dem i deras skogsvårdsbeslut, även om det i enstaka fall fått negativa konsekvenser. Miljöhänsynens avtryck i den enskilda skogsägarens skogsvård följer i stort sett den historiska utvecklingen, det är dock inte entydigt om det i första hand berott på Skogsvårdsstyrelsens kampanjer och rådgivning. Resultatet visar att rådgivning i miljöhänsyn påverkar skogsägarnas beslut i sina val av beståndsåtgärder. Den viktigaste slutsatsen som kan dras av studien är att rådgivning, utbildning och kunskaper är de avgörande framgångsfaktorerna i det fortsatta miljövårdsarbetet. Större hänsyn till den enskilde skogsbrukarens äganderätt, erfarenheter och kännedom om sin mark är något som både myndigheter samt den allmänna opinionen bör iaktta och värdesätta. / About two-thirds of Swedens land area is covered by forest. Half of the total forest land is owned by private forest owners.The purpose of this study was to describe the decades before and after the environmental concerns became self-evident in Swedish forestry, and from a forest policy perspective elucidate the introduction of environmental concerns in forest management. Interviews with private forest owners and field studys was conducted to identify specific occurences of conservation that could be linked to advisory service from The National Board of Forestry since the 1970´s. The result shows that guidance, education and skills are crucial success factors for the continuence of conservation and sustainable forestry, but also greater consideration and respect for the private forest owners property rights, experiences and knowledge.

Face à l’explosion démographique des pays à faible revenu en Afrique sub-saharienne, l’agriculture joue un rôle primordial pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire. Le secteur agricole est de plus la principale source d'emploi dans cette région. Les femmes constituent la principale main-d'œuvre agricole de ces pays. En raison de leur rôle clé dans le secteur agricole, les agricultrices sont prioritaires dans les interventions politiques. Par ailleurs, dans ces pays, le conseil agricole et le partage des connaissances sont nécessaires pour s’adapter à de nouvelles contraintes. Depuis quelques années, les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) ont permis le développement de nouveaux outils visant à améliorer la portée et l’efficacité du conseil. Les gouvernements de ces pays sont cependant confrontés à des critiques concernant l'impact de ces outils, qui peuvent également contribuer à une fracture numérique touchant plus particulièrement les femmes qui travaillent dans les exploitations agricoles familiales.La thèse de doctorat analyse comment les outils TIC tiennent compte des rapports de genre, et de la situation des femmes qui travaillent sur l’exploitation agricole familiale. La thèse est fondée sur le cas du Kenya. Elle est focalisée sur le développement des plateformes de connaissances, un instrument TIC utilisé par le Gouvernement kenyan pour atteindre les objectifs de politiques publiques. Ce pays est emblématique car il fait l'hypothèse que les plateformes peuvent être inclusives des agricultrices.Pour cette recherche, le travail s'appuie sur trois approches d’économie institutionnelle : l’économie féministe, la théorie de la régulation, et l'économie des services. Il présente un cadre méthodologique et conceptuel, développé pour analyser l'intégration des rapports de genre dans les plateformes aux échelles macro, méso et micro.Les résultats montrent que les rapports de genre sont présentés associés à un objectif d'équité pour le Gouvernement Kenyan. L'analyse confirme que les plateformes sont considérées comme de nouveaux outils d'inclusion du système de vulgarisation du gouvernement. La typologie de plateformes développée dans ce travail montre cependant que ces instruments peuvent être une source d'inégalité. Il s'agit en particulier de l'inégalité d'accès pour les agricultrices et de services standardisés qui ne correspondent pas aux attentes de ces femmes. La conjugaison de différentes approches économiques institutionnelles a permis d'analyser comment les évolutions institutionnelles affectent l'inclusion des objectifs d’égalité des sexes dans l’intervention publique et dans le fonctionnement effectif des plateformes. Les résultats présentent des leviers d’action pouvant être pris en considération par les politiques et les concepteurs des plateformes, pour une tenir compte des rapports de genre dans ce système de vulgarisation agricole et éviter d’engendrer de nouvelles discrimination. L'analyse révèle l'importance de disposer d'un espace d'intervention publique et de coordination dans ce nouveau système de conseil agricole basé sur les TICs. / Low-income sub-Saharan African countries are confronted with demographic explosion since the last 60 years. Consequently, agriculture plays a key role in ensuring food security. The agricultural sector is also the main source of employment in this region. Women are the major contributing labour force in agriculture in these sub-Saharan African countries. Connected to their key role in the agricultural sector, women farmers are prioritised in policy intervention. Moreover, agricultural extension services are necessary to adapt to different constraints in these countries. Transfer of knowledge is also required to guarantee farm yields and consequently improve small-scale farmers’ livelihoods. Lately, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have enabled the development of new tools, aimed at improving the scope and the effectiveness of advisory services. Policy makers in sub-Saharan African countries are nonetheless confronted with critical questions regarding the impact of these tools, which can also contribute to a ‘digital gender gap’. These issues particularly concern women farmers.This PhD research analyses how ICT tools take into account gender relations, and the situation of women farmers. The thesis is based on the case of Kenya. The dissertation particularly focuses on the development of knowledge-based platforms in agriculture, an ICT policy instrument used by the Kenyan Government to achieve public policy objectives. This country is emblematic because it believes in the assumption that platforms can be inclusive of women farmers’. To answer to this research question, the work is based on three different institutional economic research approaches: feminist economics, the French regulation theory, and economics of services. A conceptual and methodological framework is presented to analyse the inclusion of gender equality in knowledge-based platforms at macro-, meso-, and micro- level.The results provide evidence that gender equality objectives is a fundamental guiding principle to the Government of Kenya. The analysis show that platforms are considered as new tools of inclusiveness in farm advisory services innovation. Observations from a developed platform typology framework show however that platforms can be source of gender inequality. It especially concerns women farmers unequal access to these instruments and the standardised services that they offer. This is essentially related to the institutional nature of the platform. Indeed, as it turns out, a high number of these instruments are based upon complex partnerships, and financed by multi-national corporations and/or foundations from the agrifood industry based in the Northern hemisphere. Combining institutional economic approaches allowed to bring out critical points of inclusion to be considered by policy makers and platform developers. Disregarding these specificities may make these platforms into new vectors of exclusion. Recognising and taking into account the conditions for inclusion can bring to light powerful levers for improving the efficiency of platforms.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The central aim of this study was to examine the Western Cape Education Department's restructuring process, which entails changing the centralised support service to a more decentralized one through the newly constituted Education Management and Development Centres (EMDCs), in particular, the aim of the study was to explore how one Multi-Functional Team (MFT) in an EMDC structure is attempting to provide more holistic and co-ordinated support to schools. Chapter 1 briefly discusses the South African context, providing a brief historical overview and description of education relevant policy challenges. This chapter also outlines and provides details of the decentralisation process, the challenges of developing an holistic and co-ordinated approach to support, and the research aims, questions and research methodology. In Chapter 2 a literature inter-sectoral collaboration in relation challenges of inter-sectoral to explore the concept of inter This includes an overview of the Chapter 3 provides an overview of the researcn approach,· research design, data collection methods, data processing methods and an ethics methods Chapter 4 provides an analysis and interpretation of data obtained under the categories of analysis provided by the research questions. Chapter 5 provides a summary of the findings as well as recommendations for the improvement of inter-sectoral collaboration within the EMDCs. It also includes a reflection on the research process. The study showed that there is a growing realisation in the EMDCs that services cannot be carried out in isolation and that collaboration, co-operation and co-ordination are necessary for more effective and holistic service delivery. Most of the participants in this study emphasized that services need to be better coordinated and that there was a need for better communication and leadership within the MFT. When asking the question about the difficulties experienced in trying to co-ordinate support services, they said that there is little co-ordination and management within the MFT. Some of the participants said that there is no time for reporting, recording or planning, and most of the time all the role players are not available to attend meetings or discussions. The primary reason given for poor co-ordination was that there was a lack of overall co-ordination in planning projects being run in the EMDC . This study should make a contribution to an understanding of how the EMDC can provide more coordinated and holistic support to schools. It should, among other things, give insight into the challenges of inter-sectoral collaboration and how to address these challenges.

Financial advisory services currently face many challenges such as adapting to regulations, competing against robot advisors and offering qualitative advice. We use a utility function based on the clients' risk preferences and investigated the value added by advisory services. The data represents real clients that received financial advisory services from an advisory firm, which gives this thesis a unique accuracy. For the calculations we simulated outcomes of the portfolios and computed key values pertaining to the investors' financial positions. Our calculations show that investors on average gain corresponding 1.66 % per year in risk free return on their investments from advisory services. In addition, we show that the client's value of advisory service increased with respect to the investor's risk level and time horizon of investment. / Aktörerna inom finansiell rådgivning står för närvarande inför flera utmaningar, att anpassas efter regleringar, konkurrera mot robotrådgivare och erbjuda hög kvalitet i rådgivningen. Vi har använt en nyttofunktion baserad på kunders riskpreferenser och utrett vilket värde som finansiell rådgivning tillför. De data som använts representerar verklig kunddata från ett rådgivningsföretag, vilket ger denna studie en unik träffsäkerhet. Beräkningarna av nyckeltal för investerarnas finansiella position har gjorts genom simulering av portföljer. Våra beräkningar visar att finansiell rådgivning ger investerare i genomsnitt motsvarande 1.66 % i ökad riskfri avkastning per år efter avgifter och skatter. Dessutom vi visa att rådgivarnas tillförda värde ökar med avseende på investerarnas risknivå och tidshorisont.

Förändringen av dagens bankmarknad sker successivt, en ny form av bankkontor med digitalisering etableras samtidigt som fysiska bankkontor avvecklas. Digitaliseringen har lett till att bankerna utvecklat en ny rådgivningstjänst, onlinemöte, som innebär att banker kan erbjuda finansiell rådgivning på valfri plats. Technology acceptance model och institutionell teori är diskuterade forskningsområden men är relativt outforskade i den empiriska kontexten för finansiell rådgivning via onlinemöte. Tidigare forskning har redovisat att faktorerna företagsimage, upplevd säkerhet samt webbplatskvalitet har en påverkan på bankkunders förtroende, men framhävt faktorn förtroende som avgörande vid acceptans av online-bankingtjänster. Studiens syfte är att skapa en förståelse gällande bankkunders acceptans av den nya rådgivningstjänsten onlinemöte. Studien har en positivistisk och deduktiv ansats som tillämpats i form av hypotesprövning. En kvantitativ metod präglar studien som genomfördes med datainsamlingsmetoden internetenkät. Resultatet av studien har baserats på 118 respondenter. Studiens resultat påvisar att bankkunder framhäver faktorn förtroende betydelsefull för dess acceptans av finansiell rådgivning via onlinemöte. Faktorn förtroende förklaras ha en medierad roll genom att faktorerna upplevd säkerhet och företagsimage kan reglera bankkundernas förtroende till rådgivningstjänsten onlinemöte. Faktorerna upplevd säkerhet och företagsimage påvisas medierade av faktorn förtroendet, eftersom de inte kunde påvisas ha signifikant direkt effekt för acceptans av rådgivningstjänsten onlinemöte. En begräsning i studien har varit att endast respondenter som genomfört ett traditionellt rådgivningsmöte via ett bankkontor har studerats. Studien bidrar med ett värde till Sveriges banker eftersom studien påvisar att faktorerna är betydelsefulla att beakta vid etablering av den nya rådgivningstjänsten onlinemöte. / The ongoing changes in today's banking market is taking place gradually, a new form of bank branches with digitization are established while the physical bank branch shuts down. Digitalization has led to banks developed a new financial advisory service, online meeting, which means that banks can provide their banking clients with financial advice at any location. Technology acceptance model and institutional theory are widely researched and debated research fields but have a research gap within the context of financial advice through online meeting. Previous research has identified that corporate image, perceived security and website quality has an impact on banking customers' trust, but trust is emphasizing as important for acceptance of online banking services. The purpose is to create an understanding of the banking customer’s acceptance of online meeting. The study has a positivistic and deductive approach, applied by hypothesis tests. A quantitative method characterizes the study and were conducted using an internet survey. The result of the study is based on 118 respondents. The results indicate that banking customers emphasize trust as important for the acceptance of online meetings. Trust declared a mediating role because perceived security and corporate image can regulate banking customer trust to online meetings. Trust has a mediating role because perceived security and corporate image couldn’t show a significant effect on the acceptance of online meeting. The study is limited to have researched only respondents who had completed a traditional financial advice session through a bank branch. The study contributes with value to the banks, because it can be demonstrated that these factors are important to take into account with the establishment of online meeting.