Business co-operation in the small firm sector has in recent years been the beneficiary of both considerable academic debate and public sector funding for its facilitation. This thesis reviews the pertinent literature in the fields of business co-operation, trust, commitment and personality psychology. The limitations of existing networking - co-operation SME research are identified, and in particular the dearth of empirical based research. Where such research exists, no attempt is made to isolate variables which might determine whether individuals are likely to co-operate with others, and / or the likely success of their co-operative activities. As a means of addressing these perceived flaws in the literature the potential antecedent role of owner-manager's personality, business related group affiliation, and owner-manager's and firm's demographics are examined in relation to their propensity to co-operate with others. A polymorphous definition of SME sector co-operation is adopted in which it is possible for actors to co-operate with varying parties and in a number of capacities. Extensive use is made of univariate chi-square and multivariate logistic regression techniques, with a logistic regression model ultimately being extended for each of the types of co-operation identified. The second phase of the empirical research conducted is focused upon the individual business network. Potential antecedents to small firm network success are examined at the aggregate level, and recommendations offered which network actors and facilitators can utilise as a means of heightening the likelihood of success within their own groups. The thesis closes with a re-examination of the hypothesis, drawing of conclusions relating to them, and the identification of areas for further research.

The aim of this research was to examine the teacher’s facilitative role to engage students in Values Education (Curriculum Council, 1998) based on a cooperative and collaborative learning pedagogy. The study was conducted in a primary school classroom with thirty-one year 4/5 students aged 9-10 years of age. During the research process the core shared values underpinning the Western Australian Curriculum Framework (Curriculum Council, 1998) provided the foundation to negotiate agreements for behaviour based on The Tribes process (Gibbs, 2001), which included mutual respect, in order to foster a safe, supportive and democratic classroom culture. The Tribes process was used to operationalise the teaching of values, social skills, cooperation and collaboration. Hart’s (1992) collaborative framework informed the organisation of the classroom to create the conditions that supported collaboration amongst peers and the teacher. An action research approach was used to reflect on the classroom context and provide a focus for a range of qualitative research methods. Multiple data sources such as teacher observations, interviews, student and teacher reflection logs and sociograms were used to triangulate findings from parents, students and teachers. A sociocultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978) provided the conceptual framework for this study as the underlying assumption is that students learn from each other, mediated by the teacher or more capable peers. The focus on the action within the social context during the development of interpersonal relationships is a key feature of peer mediated learning, which complemented the processes chosen by the teacher researcher to elucidate how a safe, supportive and democratic classroom was created. Class meetings, group work and reflective practices were used to scaffold students’ understandings of interpersonal relationships to promote a culture that was consistent with Australia’s democratic traditions. Reflective practices in the classroom provided opportunities for new perspectives to be developed, as new knowledge and experiences were integrated with existing personal practical knowledge. The major findings reflected the foci of student and teacher conversations about students’ interpersonal skills and their ability to get along with each other. In the first phase of the study establishing positive ‘relationships’ based on trust, through teambuilding activities provided the impetus for the next phase of the study about ‘leadership’. This phase continued for most of the study, and provided authentic opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, which permeated the last phase of the study about ‘friendships’. Students established mutually beneficial relationships that broadened their views about discriminatory behaviours, friendship and leadership. The major conclusions drawn from the study is that teachers play a significant role in mediating positive relationships amongst peers. Further, it was evident that the explicit teaching of core shared values (Curriculum Council, 1998) provided the foundations of productive and active citizenship during the process of creating the conditions for a safe, supportive and democratic classroom.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Civil-Military Relations)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Donald Abenheim. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-94). Also available online.

The recent enlargements of the European Union brought about a strategic shift in the EU’s approach to conflict management and security in the eastern neighbourhood. The Partnership and Co-operation Agreements between the EU and Moldova contained no mention of the Transnistrian dispute, while the agreement between the EU and Geor gia included a vague phrase regarding political dialogue which may include the issue of conflict resolution. The addition of new members to the Union, however, expanded the EU into its neighbourhood and brought closer the unresolved territorial disputes. Concerns that were once further away are now right next door. While the former accession states might have served as buffers to these concerns, they can no longer, as members of the Union, be seen as such. Therefore, there is a greater need to address security issues, such as the ‘frozen conflicts’ bordering the EU. This thesis will examine the evolution of the EU’s responses to security chal lenges in the Eastern neighbourhood, and assess the role the EU plays in addressing these ‘frozen conflicts’ through the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Fur ther, this thesis will argue that the EU has thus far exerted limited direct pressure towards direct resolution of these conflicts and has instead approached regional stability through a variety of other indirect and long term means, such as the pursuit of economic growth and political stability. In particular, the research will look at the security sector reform (SSR) and will focus on the EU’s impact, or Europeanization, in the rule of law and border management sectors of Moldova and Georgia. It will be shown that these two sectors are related to promoting political stability and economic growth, which is in line with the EU’s effort to support development in Moldova and Georgia, and thus indirectly address ‘frozen conflict’ resolution by. altering the incentive structures. This thesis will conclude that the EU does have an impact on the rule of law and border management sectors and subsequently some impact on the ‘frozen conflict’ in Moldova but less so on the conflicts in Georgia. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

Yes

As mudanças nos posicionamentos políticos e econômicos mundiais transformaram as configurações de mercado. A concorrência tornou-se mais acirrada, e aliada ao desenvolvimento tecnológico, passaram a exigir das empresas uma reestruturação organizacional e nos modos de gestão. O intuito foi torná-las mais ágeis, flexíveis e dinâmicas para compatibilizar sua organização aos padrões internacionais de produtividade, competitividade e qualidade. Neste contexto, surgiram as redes de cooperação entre firmas. Como definição elas são organizações virtuais e horizontais, com firmas dispostas em posições simétricas ou assimétricas. Normalmente, elas estão instaladas em diversas localidades e dispõem seus processos de produção interligados. O interesse comum a estas firmas é atuarem de forma cooperada, numa parceria. Ao atuarem como cooperadas, elas obtêm vantagens competitivas e partilham informações, conhecimento e tecnologia. Essa parceria pode ser, muitas vezes, composta por uma relação frágil existindo a possibilidade de se desfazer a qualquer momento. Essa instabilidade expõe as firmas a um dilema, que consiste em agirem como cooperadas ou competidoras. A instauração do paradigma cooperação/competição, numa rede de cooperação entre firmas, ocorre pela natureza da ligação que une os componentes dessa rede. Assim, ao identificar as variáveis endógenas (comportamentais) e exógenas (custos de transação e ambientes institucionais) que compõem o paradigma cooperação/competição o processo de formação de redes de cooperação entre firmas pode ser compreendido. Além de um estudo teórico sobre o assunto, haverá uma identificação empírica das variáveis, através de um estudo de caso referente aos minidistritos industriais e de serviços, da cidade de São José do Rio Preto. / The changes in the world political and economic positioning have transformed the market configurations. Competition has became tougher and, along with the technological development, started to demand organizational restructuring of the businesses and the managerial modes. The goal was to make them more agile, flexible and dynamic to make the organization compatible to the international standards of productivity, competition and quality. In this context came the intra-firm cooperation networks. As a definition, they are virtual and horizontal organizations, being displayed in symmetric or asymmetric positions. Normally they are installed in different places and have their production processes interconnected. The common interest of these firms is to work on a cooperated basis, in a partnership. By working on a cooperated basis they obtain cooperative advantages and share information, knowledge and technology. Many times this partnership can be made up of a frail relationship having the possibility of dissolving at any moment. This instability exposes the firms to a dilemma which consists in acting as either cooperated or competitors. The instauration of the paradigm cooperation/competition, inside an intrafirm cooperation network, occurs upon the nature of the connection which binds the components to this net. Thus, in identifying the endogenous (behavioral) and exogenous (transaction costs and institutional environment) which make up the paradigm cooperation/competition, the intra-firm cooperation network formation process can be understood. Aside from a theoretical study about the issue, there will be an empiric identification of the variables through a case study referent to the mini-districts industrial and of services from the city of São José do Rio Preto.

As mudanças nos posicionamentos políticos e econômicos mundiais transformaram as configurações de mercado. A concorrência tornou-se mais acirrada, e aliada ao desenvolvimento tecnológico, passaram a exigir das empresas uma reestruturação organizacional e nos modos de gestão. O intuito foi torná-las mais ágeis, flexíveis e dinâmicas para compatibilizar sua organização aos padrões internacionais de produtividade, competitividade e qualidade. Neste contexto, surgiram as redes de cooperação entre firmas. Como definição elas são organizações virtuais e horizontais, com firmas dispostas em posições simétricas ou assimétricas. Normalmente, elas estão instaladas em diversas localidades e dispõem seus processos de produção interligados. O interesse comum a estas firmas é atuarem de forma cooperada, numa parceria. Ao atuarem como cooperadas, elas obtêm vantagens competitivas e partilham informações, conhecimento e tecnologia. Essa parceria pode ser, muitas vezes, composta por uma relação frágil existindo a possibilidade de se desfazer a qualquer momento. Essa instabilidade expõe as firmas a um dilema, que consiste em agirem como cooperadas ou competidoras. A instauração do paradigma cooperação/competição, numa rede de cooperação entre firmas, ocorre pela natureza da ligação que une os componentes dessa rede. Assim, ao identificar as variáveis endógenas (comportamentais) e exógenas (custos de transação e ambientes institucionais) que compõem o paradigma cooperação/competição o processo de formação de redes de cooperação entre firmas pode ser compreendido. Além de um estudo teórico sobre o assunto, haverá uma identificação empírica das variáveis, através de um estudo de caso referente aos minidistritos industriais e de serviços, da cidade de São José do Rio Preto. / The changes in the world political and economic positioning have transformed the market configurations. Competition has became tougher and, along with the technological development, started to demand organizational restructuring of the businesses and the managerial modes. The goal was to make them more agile, flexible and dynamic to make the organization compatible to the international standards of productivity, competition and quality. In this context came the intra-firm cooperation networks. As a definition, they are virtual and horizontal organizations, being displayed in symmetric or asymmetric positions. Normally they are installed in different places and have their production processes interconnected. The common interest of these firms is to work on a cooperated basis, in a partnership. By working on a cooperated basis they obtain cooperative advantages and share information, knowledge and technology. Many times this partnership can be made up of a frail relationship having the possibility of dissolving at any moment. This instability exposes the firms to a dilemma which consists in acting as either cooperated or competitors. The instauration of the paradigm cooperation/competition, inside an intrafirm cooperation network, occurs upon the nature of the connection which binds the components to this net. Thus, in identifying the endogenous (behavioral) and exogenous (transaction costs and institutional environment) which make up the paradigm cooperation/competition, the intra-firm cooperation network formation process can be understood. Aside from a theoretical study about the issue, there will be an empiric identification of the variables through a case study referent to the mini-districts industrial and of services from the city of São José do Rio Preto.

This thesis aims to clarify the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)'s approach to post-Cold War tensions and conflicts in the former Soviet area, the extent to which the new procedures, mechanisms and instruments developed by the organisation are useful, and how the OSCE's activities may reveal innovative contributions to conflict studies. An integrating analysis is needed, not only of the OSCE's development. but also of the numerous aspects conditioning OSCE approaches in the former Soviet space. particularly the involvement of other international organisations and the role of the Russian Federation. In this sense. OSCE activities take place in a complex environment that demands a comprehensive addressing of the different factors. at times limiting and at others strengthening the organisation's reach. How this interplay takes place and the extent to which it affects the OSCE's role in the former Soviet space is a fundamental question. Starting from the theoretical conceptualisation where the OSCE's approaches and procedures fit. this analysis includes the organisation's new tools to address conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. How it renders the new procedures and instruments operational, how its institutions inter-relate and the extent to which its principles and activities are extended to its wide area are analysed. The role of the OSCE Field Missions in the former Soviet Union is stressed in this regard. demonstrating how the organisation applies commitments to reality. The focus on the Republic of Estonia and the Republic of Moldova, as two case-studies of OSCE involvement in the former Soviet Union area, show the organisation's preventive efforts and crisis settlement tools in practical terms. The case-studies demonstrate the encompassing approaches of the organisation in the field, permitting us to infer on its limits and possibilities and to shed light on the OSCE's possible innovative contributions to conflict studies.

M.Com. (South African and International Taxation) / The concept of permanent establishment (PE) is a fundamental concept in international tax law, as it establishes the right to tax business profits of non-resident entities in the country where business activities are carried out. This study was motivated by the challenges governments and business entities face in the allocation of taxing rights in the digital economy. This study considers the history and the meaning of the current Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) permanent establishment concept, and analyses its effectiveness in the digital economy. The digital economy and the event of e-commerce have changed the way in which business transactions are conducted and how multinational entities are structured. The digital economy has created different means of value creation for business entities, and new challenges are being confronted internationally regarding the taxation of such value created. This directly affects revenue collection by governments globally. A largely qualitative approach was undertaken in conducting the research. This included a detailed reading on the topic to support any inferences and conclusions. This study finds that the current OECD concept of permanent establishment is no longer an effective concept in the current digital economy. The event of e-commerce is challenging the core elements of “physical presence” and “fixed place of business”. Large multinational entities have low effective tax rates on their profits, and governments are being deprived of tax revenue that would normally have resulted from increased productivity. Data and data collection are important value creators in the digital economy, and there is an increasing need to tax digital company profits. The OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project announced in 2013, means to address resultant issues, such as tax-base erosion, tax abuse, and artificial avoidance of permanent establishment status. This study concludes that either the concept of permanent establishment needs to be redefined to ensure its effectiveness in the digital economy, or a completely new concept needs to be created.

This thesis looks at five case studies of attempted co-operation between British political parties. The objective is two-fold: to provide an explanatory framework to better understand instances of potential cooperation within the institutional context of British politics, and to build analytical narratives that shed light on the inter- and intra-party dynamics when co-operation between parties has been mooted in Westminster. It addresses a lacuna in the study of British Politics by providing a temporal comparison of understudied examples of attempted co-operation. This comparison inductively draws out what lessons can be learnt about why co-operation is attempted, and the factors that inhibit it. This framework suggests that these examples of mooted co-operation constitute disruptions of the majoritarian norms which inform the British Political Tradition. It does so through a historical institutionalist lens: the cultural norms of Westminster provide a strategic context, but elite political agents strategically interact with this institutional environment. This tradition is manifested through intra-party pressure against co-operation, and a belief that co-operation is electorally disadvantageous. Equally, actors' interpretation of what is possible or desirable within the perceived constraints of Westminster party politics really matters. This suggests a role for situated agency and strategic leadership, captured through the concept of a disruption/defence of existing institutional equilibrium derived from heresthetics. This thesis contends that the discourse around co-operation holds a rhetorical and performative purpose beyond the success or failure of formal co-operation. Institutional context and memory create incentives for actors to either accentuate or downplay the effect of co-operation, but do not determine the shape and aims of cooperation. As a result, both culture and calculus are all-important to inter-party co-operation.