The governance of the environmental and health problems that follow in the wake of globalised trade is one of the great contemporary challenges. One of these challenges is the management of chemical pollution and associated risks, and one sector facing this challenge is the textile industry, which has complex supply chains spread across continents. At the same time the role of actors on the playing field are changing and market actors are being called on to responsibly manage the issue of chemical risks and associated challenges. However, governance and control are often obstructed due to complexity and considerable knowledge uncertainty. This situation complicates responsibility-taking and makes it difficult to ascribe liabilities to specific actors, as it is not obvious who is responsible for what. This thesis is concerned with the process of how a group of market actors – private and public textile buyers – assume responsibility of chemical risks in their supply chains in a situation that is characterized by uncertainty and complexity. This thesis aims to contribute to an understanding of what happens when market actors are called on to manage the negative side effects of globalisation. The focus is on Swedish textile-buying private and public organisations. The thesis constructs an analytical model based on the key concepts responsible governance, responsibilisation, and responsible supply chain management (RSCM). The thesis explores the barriers, challenges and opportunities that exist for buyers seeking to assume RSCM and whether a process of responsibilisation can be observed in the textile sector. The thesis uses an exploratory approach and interviews, participatory observations and literature studies, as well as case studies to understand the process and to investigate barriers, challenges, opportunities. In summary, the thesis shows that a process of responsibilisation is ongoing on the organisational and sector levels. Further, it is shown that due to the complex structures of the chains, there are more barriers and challenges than opportunities for buyers striving for RSCM. However, it is argued that cooperation, stronger public and private policy, and a reflexive approach could be ways forward towards RSCM and increased responsibilisation in the textile sector. / En av våra samtida stora utmaningar är hanteringen av de miljö- och hälsoproblem som följer i svallvågorna av en globaliserad handel. En av dessa utmaningar rör hanteringen av kemikalierisker. Inom textilbranschen är produktionen kemikalieintensiv och handelsmönstren karakteriseras av komplexa varukedjor som inte sällan sträcker sig över flera kontinenter. Samtidigt pågår en förändring av inblandade aktörers roller, där marknadsaktörer uppmanas att på ett ansvarstagande sätt hantera frågan om kemikalierisker och de utmaningar som hör därtill. Denna process försvåras ofta till följd av ett komplext samhälle präglat av kunskapsbrister. Detta komplicerar ansvarstagande och gör det svårt att hålla specifika aktörer, såsom företag och inköpande organisationer, ansvariga, då det inte är uppenbart vem som är ansvarig för vad. Denna avhandling undersöker hur en grupp marknadsaktörer – privata och offentliga textilinköpare – tar ansvar för kemikalierisker längs med sina varukedjor i en situation som karaktäriseras av osäkerhet och komplexitet. Avhandlingen syftar till att fördjupa förståelsen för vad som händer när marknadsaktörer uppmanas att hantera miljö- och hälsorisker från till exempel kemikalier i textil. Fokus ligger på svenska privata och offentliga textilinköpare, som exempelvis kläd- och textilföretag, offentlig förvaltning och andra inköpande organisationer. I avhandlingen konstrueras en analytisk modell baserad på nyckelbegreppen responsible governance, responsibilisation och responsible supply chain management. Avhandlingen är explorativ och genom intervjuer, deltagande observationer och litteraturstudier samt fallstudier undersöks en potentiell process av ansvarstagande samt de hinder, utmaningar och möjligheter som de inköpande organisationerna möter i sitt arbete med kemikalierisker längs med sina varukedjor. Resultaten belyser en pågående process av ansvarsförfarande på både organisations och sektornsivå. Avhandlingen visar också att på grund av kedjans komplexa struktur så förekommer större hinder och utmaningar än möjligheter för de textilinköpare som strävar efter ansvarstagande. Trots detta pekar resultaten på att samarbete, kraftfullare styrmedel och ett reflexivt tillvägagångssätt skulle kunna vara en väg mot ökat ansvarstagande inom textilsektorn. / Chemicals in textiles: Managing environmental and health risks from products with complex product chains

Many studies have focused on the effects of MNC subsidiaries' external relational embeddedness. Little attention has been given to its antecedents and especially to the potential effect that the business network context might have. We try to fill this gap and attempt to explain variation among subsidiaries' degree of relational embeddedness. Our results show a strong and robust effect of the business network context -- i.e. the network context in which the direct business relationships between the subsidiary and its partners are embedded -- on the degree of relational embeddedness. However, contrary to previous literature, we find an inverted u-shaped relationship. We discuss our findings with regard to the issue of over-embeddedness and the literature on the strength of weak versus strong ties.

The relationship between the energy-food-water nexus and the climate is non-linear, multi-sectoral and time sensitive, incorporating aspects of complexity and risk in climate related decision-making. This paper seeks to explore how knowledge co-production can help identify opportunities for building more effective, sustainable, inclusive and legitimate decision making processes on climate change. This would enable more resilient responses to climate risks impacting the nexus while increasing transparency, communication and trust among key actors. We do so by proposing the operationalization of an interdisciplinary approach of analysis applying the novel methodology developed in Howarth and Monasterolo (2016). Through a bottom-up, participative approach, we present results of five themed workshops organized in the UK (focusing on: shocks and hazards, infrastructure, local economy, governance and governments, finance and insurance) featuring 78 stakeholders from academia, government and industry. We present participant's perceptions of opportunities that can emerge from climate and weather shocks across the energy-food-water nexus. We explore opportunities offered by the development and deployment of a transdisciplinary approach of analysis within the nexus boundaries and we analyse their implications. Our analysis contributes to the current debate on how to shape global and local responses to climate change by reflecting on lessons learnt and best practice from cross-stakeholder and cross-sectorial engagement. In so doing, it helps inform a new generation of complex systems models to analyse climate change impact on the food-water-energy Nexus.

Markets are fluid. Over time, the dominant designs, processes and paradigms that define an industry invariably succumb to productive innovation or changes in fashion (Arthur, 2009; Schumpeter, 1942; Simmel, 1957). Take for example the recent upheaval of the cell phone market following Apple's release of the iPhone. When it was introduced in 2007, one could clearly differentiate Apple's product from all others; however, subsequent imitation of the iPhone produced a market in which nearly all cell phones look (and perform) alike. The iPhone was a harbinger of the new dominant design. These cycles of innovation and fashion are not limited to consumer markets. Business markets (often defined by longer term inter-firm relationships) are subject to similar transformations. For example, current practices in the biotechnology industry are quite distinct from those accompanying its emergence from university labs in the second half of the 20th century (Powell et al., 2005). Technologies that were once viewed as radical have undergone a process of legitimation and integration into mainstream healthcare delivery systems. Practices that were dominant in the 1980's gave way to newer business models in the 1990's and feedback from down-stream providers changed the way drugs were delivered to patients (Wolff, 2001).During periods of transition, market actors face great difficulty anticipating reactions to their behavior (practices, products, etc.). How they deal with this uncertainty is an interminable source of academic inquiry in the social sciences (see e.g. Alderson, 1965; Simon, 1957; Thompson, 1967) and, in a broad sense, it is the primary concern of the current work as well. However, I am focused specifically on the turmoil caused by transitions in technology, taste and attention over time--the disagreements which occur as market actors collectively shift their practices from one paradigm to the next (Powell and Colyvas, 2008). If innovations are assumed to arise locally and diffuse gradually (see e.g. Bass, 1969; Rogers, 2002), then transient differences in knowledge are a natural outcome. Those closest to, or most interested in an innovation will have greater knowledge than those furthest away or less involved. Thus, for a period following some shift in technology, taste or attention, market participants will vary in their knowledge and interpretation of the change. In the following chapters, I investigate the ramifications of this sort of knowledge heterogeneity on the exchange behavior and subsequent performance of market participants. It is the central argument of this thesis that this heterogeneity affects exchange by both limiting coordination and increasing quality uncertainty. The details of this argument are fleshed out in Chapters 1, 2 and 3 (summarized below), which build upon each other in a progression from abstract, to descriptive to specific tests of theory. However, each can also stand by itself as an independent examination of the knowledge-exchange relationship. The final chapter synthesizes my findings and highlights some implications for practitioners and further research. In Chapter 1, I review the history and development of Alderson's (1965) 'law of exchange' in the marketing literature and propose an extension based on insights from information theory. A concept called market entropy is introduced to describe the distribution of knowledge in a field and propositions are offered to explain the exchange behavior expected when this distribution changes. Chapter 2 investigates knowledge heterogeneity through its relation with written language. Drawing on social-constructionist theories of classification (Goldberg, 2012) and insights from research on the legitimation process (Powell and Colyvas, 2008), I argue for a measure of field-level consensus based on changes in the frequency distribution of descriptive words over time. This measure is operationalized using eleven years of trade journal articles from the biotech industry and is shown to support the propositions offered in Chapter 1. Chapter 3 builds on the arguments and evidence developed in Chapters 1 and 2 to test theory on the structural advantages of a firm's position in a network of strategic alliances. Prior work has documented returns to network centrality based on the premise that central firms have greater and more timely access to information about industry developments (Powell et al., 1996, 1999). However, other research claims that benefits to centrality accrue based on the signal that such a position provides about an actor's underlying quality (Malter, 2014; Podolny, 1993, 2005). I investigate this tension in the literature and offer new insights based on interactions between network position and the measure developed in Chapter 2.

While most studies take a dyadic view when examining the environmental difference between the home country of a multinational enterprise (MNE) and a particular foreign country, they ignore that an MNE is managing a network of subsidiaries embedded in diverse environments. Additionally, neither the impacts of global environments on top executives nor the effects of top executives’ capabilities to handle institutional complexity are fully explored. Thus, using a three-essay format, this dissertation tried to fill these gaps by addressing the effects of institutional complexity and top management characteristics on top executive compensation and firm performance. Essay 1 investigated the impact of an MNE’s institutional complexity, or the diversity of national institutions facing an MNE’s network of subsidiaries, on the top management team (TMT) compensation. This essay proposed that greater political and cultural complexity leads to not only greater TMT total compensation but also to a greater portion of TMT compensation linked with long-term performance. The arguments are supported in this essay by using an unbalanced panel dataset including 296 U.S. firms with 1,340 observations. Essay 2 explored TMT social capital and its moderating role on value creation and appropriation by the chief executive officer (CEO). Using a sample with 548 U.S. firms and 2,010 observations, it found that greater TMT social capital does facilitate the effects of CEO intellectual capital and social capital on firm growth. Finally, essay 3 examined the performance implications for the fit between managerial information-processing capabilities and institutional complexity. It proposed that institutional complexity is associated with the needs of information-processing. On the other hand, smaller TMT turnover and larger TMT size reflect larger managerial information-processing capabilities. Consequently, superior performance is achieved by the match among institutional complexity, TMT turnover, and TMT size. All hypotheses in essay 3 are supported in a sample of 301 U.S. firms and 1,404 observations. To conclude, this dissertation advances and extends our knowledge on the roles of institutional environments and top executives on firm performance and top executive compensation.

This thesis discusses progress made towards assembling molecular building blocks in the presence of our molecular host of choice, cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). Our studies on the self-assembly of synthetic and biological components in water bridge overlapping conceptsand techniques drawn from the fields of synthetic organic chemistry, supramolecular self-assembly, and applied NMR techniques. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to chemical complexity, and how supramolecular chemistshave advanced in their capability of assembling more complex molecular architectures. The discussion focusses particularly on self-assembly carried out in the aqueousphase, and how, like in biology, molecular design of the building blocks become criticalin enabling non-covalent assembly to occur in this dynamic, and relatively competitiveenvironment. The cucurbit[n]uril family of molecular hosts are then introduced with anoverview of their modes of binding, and affinities towards typical guests. Finally, a practicalintroduction to NMR methods gaining prominence in supramolecular chemistry ispresented. In particular, the use of diffusion NMR, a key tool for probing the solutiondynamics of molecular assemblies, is highlighted. Chapter 2 details work carried out on the CB[8]-mediated self-assembly of supramolecularblock copolymers from polymeric, and small molecule building blocks. Here, endgroup-functionalised polymer guests were shown to assemble with small molecule ditopicguests in the presence of CB[8] to form block copolymers. Copolymers of various molecularweights were assembled, and the supramolecular complexes were studied usingsolution viscometry and diffusion NMR. This study represented the first use of diffusionNMR for probing the assembly of polymeric guests with CB[8].Chapter 3 describes the self-assembly of CB[8] with complementary ditopic guests. Highmolecular weight supramolecular polymers are known to form through the step-growthassembly of complementary ditopic building blocks. Here we sought to probe CB[8]?sability to drive supramolecular polymerisation. Solution viscometry, ESI-MS, and diffusionNMR were used to investigate the self-assembly process, which indicated that cyclicoligomers had formed. The relatively low solubility of CB[8] in water was thought to bea major limitation to polymer formation in this instance. Important observations relating to the effect of salts on the solution viscosities and stabilitiesof the complexes, are also discussed. Chapter 4 places emphasis on the synthetic methods employed towards preparing multivalentguests for CB[8] binding studies. Our synthetic guests were based on watersolubleoligomers of ethylene glycol. A bidirectional elongation route is presented foraccessing higher molecular weight, and monodisperse ethylene glycol oligomers (n = 12)in suitable purity. Chapter 5 describes the assembly of protein-polymer conjugates, and the versatility ofdiffusion NMR as a means to probe the assembly process. Here, end group-functionalisedpoly(ethylene glycol) guests were appended to bovine serum albumin (BSA) through amixed chemical ligation-self assembly protocol. The NMR studies conducted are emphasisedhere, which served to complement other characterisation methods used thatare reported elsewhere. Chapter 6 discusses ongoing work on lipid-based guests, and the resulting liposome assembliesformed. Head group-functionalised phospholipid guests, and cholesterol-basedguests were synthesised. Phospholipid guests were obtained through an enzymatic route,a novelty in our group. Dye-encapsulated liposomes were then assembled, purified, andcharacterised by fluorescence microscopy. Finally, we sought to optimise lipid formulationsto enhance liposome stability, towards conducting molecular recognition studies inthe presence of CB[8].Chapter 7 then closes the thesis with concluding remarks that summarise the describedresearch, while highlighting points of note.

While the challenge of improving young North Americans’ civic engagement seems to lie in the hands of schools, studying alternative ways of teaching citizenship education could benefit the current educational system. In this context, free schools (i.e., schools run democratically by students and teachers), guided by a philosophy that aims at engaging students civically through the democratic activities that they support, offer a relatively unexplored ground for research. The present inquiry is a case study using tools of ethnography and drawing upon some principles of complexity thinking. It aims at understanding students’ citizenship education experiences during democratic activities in a Canadian free school. It describes many experiences that can arise from these activities. They occurred within a school that operated democratically based on a consensus-model. More precisely, they took place during two kinds of democratic activities: class meetings, which regulated the social life of the school, and judicial committees, whose function was to solve conflicts at the school. During these activities, students mostly experienced a combination of feelings of appreciation, concernment and empowerment. While experiencing these feelings, they predominantly engaged in decision-making and conflict resolution processes. During these processes, students modified their conflict resolutions skills, various conceptions, and their participation in democratic activities and in the school. Based on these findings, the study concludes that students can develop certain skills and attitude associated to citizenship education during these activities and become active from a citizenship perspective. Hence, these democratic activities represent alternative strategies that can assist educators in teaching about citizenship.

The process of movement execution can be separated into two sections; the foreperiod and the response time. The foreperiod represents the time between the warning signal (WS) and the presentation of the imperative “go” signal, and the response time incorporates both the reaction time (RT) and the movement time (Schmidt & Lee, 2011). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to probe corticospinal excitability (CE) which has been measured in a variety of RT tasks during both the foreperiod and the response time periods. The purpose of the two studies in this thesis was to measure when and at what rate changes in CE occur in both simple and complex tasks. The results of the first experiment indicated that CE levels quickly increased from baseline with the presentation of the WS. This was followed by a holding period in which CE was held constant until a decline in CE occurred prior to the presentation of the IS. This decline was followed by a rapid increase in CE as the movement was initiated and released. Importantly, even though levels of CE were decreasing relative to the start of the decline, participants were still in a heightened state as they prepared to release their movements. Furthermore, it is suggested that selective inhibitory control mechanisms were at least partly responsible for the decline prior to the IS. The results of the second experiment indicated that MEP amplitudes in a simple task were significantly larger compared to those in a complex task relative to both the IS and the onset of electromyography. These findings suggest that simple and complex tasks achieve differing levels of corticospinal excitability, and it is suggested that the complex requires the use of the cerebellum, which suppresses excitatory projections to the thalamus, and consequently to the motor cortex.

If we understand development as an emergent property of a complex system, then effective development assistance needs to adapt and evolve in-context. This thesis explores how learning and adaptation practices might help aid organizations apply complexity thinking to improve their effectiveness. Based on a new framework of organizational practices, this study uses a mixed methods approach to assess the extent to which 12 small and medium international aid organizations in Haiti learn and adapt. The study supports the assumption that learning and adaptation contribute to effectiveness, and finds that organizations vary significantly in their learning and adaptation practices. It finds that development organizations employ more learning practices than humanitarian assistance organizations, and that organizations are generally better at collecting information and adopting learning attitudes, than they are at establishing the structures and processes they need to be truly adaptive. The research also finds that the barriers that make learning and adaptation more difficult for organizations are largely structural and related to aid system dynamics, while organizations benefit from enablers that are largely attributed to individual agency. This thesis argues for the important role that aid organizations can, and must play in making aid more effective – at the project, organization, and aid system levels. However, the aid system itself does not encourage learning. International aid organizations will therefore need to actively engage in learning if they are to play an effective role in development, and be a meaningful part of the system-level aid effectiveness dialogue.

This dissertation focuses on the findings of a multi-case study centered around two public-private partnership (P3s) projects in Ontario: the Royal Ottawa Hospital and the Brampton Civic Hospital. Partnerships have become particularly important as a part of infrastructure procurement for all levels of government in Canada. While infrastructure public-private partnerships have grown in popularity, they remain a controversial means of procuring public assets. Considerable questions remain as to whether the mechanisms related to partnerships with the private sector represent a sufficient response to the challenges facing health care systems. As such, major avenues exist for contributions in the form of evidence-based examinations to the field of knowledge pertaining to hospital procurement. A body of research literature and review of public-private partnerships, including those with a particular focus on health-sector projects in Canada, has grown over the past two decades. This study contributes an analysis of the relationship between public and private partners to that literature, utilizing a conceptual lens developed out of complex evolutionary systems theory. The study is intended to examine the capacity of public managers entering into a public-private partnership arrangement to successfully activate agents and utilize the skill and knowledge of these agents, conduct joint fact finding and consensus building, and better understand how they have arranged and organized joint interactions between the public and private sector. The two case studies demonstrate the key inputs into the decision-making processes for what were formative health infrastructure partnership projects in Ontario, providing an assessment of the degree to which the government of Ontario was successful in managing a cooperative decision-making process that stressed inclusion and horizontal steering. Results find that public managers struggled in some ways to leverage an effective horizontal management style and engage in smart interventions to utilize expert knowledge to address knowledge gaps, contributing to stagnating negotiations and driving up transaction costs for the projects. Some noteworthy successes were experienced in the case of the Royal Ottawa Hospital in leveraging private-sector knowledge to develop performance metrics, and the approach to stakeholder engagement in this case presents positive lessons-learned for future P3 infrastructure projects.