Incorporating philanthropy into tourism, through practices such as volunteer tourism and non-governmental organization (NGO) work, is becoming an increasingly popular way for tourists to aid people of developing nations socially and economically. The roles and impacts of tourist philanthropy on developing nations have been discussed in the literature but one form of tourist philanthropy has, thus far, been missed. Philanthropic gifting, that is the bringing of gifts by tourists to give to local people of developing nations, has not yet been examined and its impacts have not been discussed in the literature. This study examines the knowledge and prevalence of philanthropic gifting among tourists and travel agents and analyzes the possible implications of philanthropic gifting on the economies of developing nations. These objectives are addressed through a mixed-methods research approach and a case study of two tourism areas in Cuba, Guardalavaca and Varadero. The findings of this study demonstrated that philanthropic gifting is prevalent in Cuba and that the knowledge of it among tourists is widespread. Motivation for participating in philanthropic gifting related to the fact that Cuba is a poor nation with strained ties with the United States of America in regards to trade and access to goods. Further research revealed that, though philanthropic gifting was prevalent, gifts were not distributed equally among groups of Cuban people in society, with people working within the tourism industry receiving the large majority of gifts. The main conclusion of this study is that gifting is likely a great source of economic assistance for Cuban people who receive gifts. The economic independence that could be created through receiving gifts is greatly benefitting these Cuban people. The fact that gifts are not equally allocated throughout Cuban society, however, suggests that philanthropic gifting is strengthening the divide between workers of the tourism industry and those outside of it. A greater effort should be made to ensure that gifts reach a greater number of Cubans so that the benefits of philanthropic gifting can be more widespread.

Incorporating philanthropy into tourism, through practices such as volunteer tourism and non-governmental organization (NGO) work, is becoming an increasingly popular way for tourists to aid people of developing nations socially and economically. The roles and impacts of tourist philanthropy on developing nations have been discussed in the literature but one form of tourist philanthropy has, thus far, been missed. Philanthropic gifting, that is the bringing of gifts by tourists to give to local people of developing nations, has not yet been examined and its impacts have not been discussed in the literature. This study examines the knowledge and prevalence of philanthropic gifting among tourists and travel agents and analyzes the possible implications of philanthropic gifting on the economies of developing nations. These objectives are addressed through a mixed-methods research approach and a case study of two tourism areas in Cuba, Guardalavaca and Varadero. The findings of this study demonstrated that philanthropic gifting is prevalent in Cuba and that the knowledge of it among tourists is widespread. Motivation for participating in philanthropic gifting related to the fact that Cuba is a poor nation with strained ties with the United States of America in regards to trade and access to goods. Further research revealed that, though philanthropic gifting was prevalent, gifts were not distributed equally among groups of Cuban people in society, with people working within the tourism industry receiving the large majority of gifts. The main conclusion of this study is that gifting is likely a great source of economic assistance for Cuban people who receive gifts. The economic independence that could be created through receiving gifts is greatly benefitting these Cuban people. The fact that gifts are not equally allocated throughout Cuban society, however, suggests that philanthropic gifting is strengthening the divide between workers of the tourism industry and those outside of it. A greater effort should be made to ensure that gifts reach a greater number of Cubans so that the benefits of philanthropic gifting can be more widespread.

Throughout its long history, the Brahmanical literary tradition has demonstrated a deep concern with gifting and, thus, provides valuable data on this important institution in pre-modern South Asia. Significantly, this long tradition of reflection on the gift culminates in a class of texts called dānanibandhas, which start to appear in the early twelfth century CE and continue to be composed in widespread areas of the subcontinent until roughly the beginning of British rule. These dānanibandhas draw together, organize, and comment upon a vast array of earlier scriptures on dāna (Sanskrit: gift/gifting) and, therefore, represent a grand attempt to synthesize all earlier Brahmanical thought on the subject. Consequently, they are invaluable sources for the understanding of orthodox Brahmanical theories of the gift during much of South Asian history. Despite their potential value to modern scholarship, however, none of these texts has been translated into any Western language or even properly edited. Thus, the state of these primary sources greatly hampers any scholarly attempts at their analysis. This dissertation constitutes a first and crucial step toward remedying this situation, for it comprises a critical edition and annotated translation of the Dānakāṇḍa (“Book on Gifting”), the fifth section of the encyclopedic Kṛtyakalpataru of Lakṣmīdhara and the earliest extant dānanibandha. As a complement to this philological work, a more general study of Brahmanical theories of the gift with special emphasis on the early dānanibandhas has been included. / text

This dissertation explores the social and political strategies performed by an intermediate elite household, Sak Ch'en, in an effort to maintain their social status and power in the evolving landscape of La Milpa during the Late to Terminal Classic Transition (A.D. 800-850/900). Explicitly, this research investigates how Sak Ch'en preserved the continuity of social order by exercising their funds of power and by feasting, gifting, and storing socially charged goods. Excavations were conducted at one residential complex during the 2009-2012 field seasons at the site of La Milpa, Belize, to delineate the political, social, and economic dimensions of intermediate elite household life during large-scale structural changes of the polity. Analyses of recovered ceramic assemblages and additional artifacts demonstrate the presence of feasting, the storage of socially valuable goods, and the production of cloth items during the Late to Terminal Classic period. Feasting in Maya society was enacted as a social, political, and economic strategy, which enabled the ruling elite to attract political support and create exclusive alliances. It is my deduction that at Sak Ch'en, feasting operated as a forum to display household rank, validate status, and maintain power through food acquisition, production, consumption, and distribution. By hosting a feast, Sak Ch'en inhabitants solidified existing political and socioeconomic relationships and encouraged the development of new household associations. Analyses of spindle whorls at Sak Ch'en revealed the production of cloth goods for local consumption and possibly gift exchange. Gift-giving may have been employed at Sak Ch'en as a strategy that binded individuals or groups into reciprocal debt relationships. Further, the gifting of food during this unstable period publicly displayed access to, or possession of, surplus at Sak Ch'en, which strongly reiterated asymmetrical economic power relations between households. Lastly, the storage of goods reassured the replication of activities and rituals tied to ideological concepts of social order. These strategies were implemented at Sak Ch'en as reiterative mechanisms operating to guarantee the reproduction of household power and status. / text

This study investigated the behaviour of re-gifting using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Re-gifting is the gift-giving behaviour of giving a gift that was previously given to you, to another with the pretence that you purchased the gift. The qualitative phase used semi-structured interviews to uncover an initial understanding of re-gifting behaviour from participants’ selected using purposive sampling. The main findings arising from this phase showed that re-gifters used three main factors to determine when it is appropriate to re-gift. These three factors, relationship, occasion and gift were used as the basis of the conceptual framework. This framework was then analysed using an online experiment with the use of vignette techniques which was the focus of the quantitative phase. The study focused on understanding what influences individuals decisions to re-gift. The main factors of interest were how the gift, occasion and relationships involved influenced re-gifting intentions. Re-gifting attitudes where analysed using the factors gift-giving attitudes, previous re-gifting experiences and frequency of re-gifting. A total of 211 responses were collected from Web users from around the world. The study suggests that re-gifters are influenced by the relationships involved and the type of gift, not the occasion. Re-gifting attitudes can be influenced by previous re-gifting experiences. This study has numerous practical implications, more specifically for retailers and charity organisations. This study adds major contributions to both gift-giving and disposition literature and introduces the area of re-gifting. Future research in cultural differences, gender differences and re-gifters versus non re-gifters suggested.

Traditionella internationaliseringsmodeller, såsom Uppsalamodellen, har under de senaste decennierna utmanats av internationaliseringsprocesser utförda av företag beskrivna som Born Globals. De internationaliseras tidigt och uppnår en utländsk försäljningsvolym på minst 25% inom företagets första tre år. Dock beskrivs tillvägagångssättet som mer individuellt än i de traditionella modellerna. Uppsatsens syfte är att studera Born Global-fenomenet baserat på en fallstudie av Wrapp, där det tillvägagångssätt och de interna faktorer som möjliggjort internationaliseringsprocessen kartläggs samt utreds för graden av överensstämmelse med det befintliga teoretiska ramverket. Slutsatserna inkluderar att de möjliggörande faktorerna överensstämmer i hög utsträckning med de teoretiska förutsägelserna, med undantag för några avvikelser såsom synen på "first-mover advantages" samt tillvägagångssättets tämligen opportunistiska karaktär. Vidare belyses att nätverket, den tekniska kompetensen samt kopplingen till riskkapitalisterna varit av väsentlig betydelse. Slutligen ger studien teoretiska insikter, praktiska implikationer samt underlag för framtida forskning.

By incorporating a material practice within an approach that is socially engaged, my research examines if and how community can be built and developed through the use of alternative economies. Through public participation, I am questioning if the act of collaboration can alter one’s relationship with and understanding of art and maker. / October 2015

This thesis contrasts a “real” sharing economy with the commonly held understanding of this new mode of exchange. By examining the lived experiences within a successful example of sharing, we can see its true value and acknowledge where other businesses fall short. Based on in-depth interviews with users of freecycle.org, this thesis illustrates the importance of motivation within a real sharing economy, highlighting the existence of generalized reciprocity, the value of community, and altruism between members of this gifting platform.

The dissertation studies the relationship between Québécois and Indigenous peoples with regards to two different approaches to self-determination. It offers a critique of sovereignty-based self-determination in the form of the nation-state – a hegemonic model throughout the world and within Québécois political imagination – by shining light on the co-constitutive relationship between vulnerability and sovereignty, tracing the origins of their conceptual association in the work of Hobbes. The dissertation argues that, comparatively, by asserting the priority of relationality over individuality, the work of Marcel Mauss contributes to a relational theory of self-determination. By positing togetherness, relationality, reciprocity, and difference as forming the most basic reality of politics, Maussian gifting offers new perspectives on the question of vulnerability in the context of intercultural relations. Finally, through a study of the ethos of Indigenous treaty philosophy, the dissertation argues for re-envisioning Québécois self-determination through the role of treaty partner and honouring the gift of hospitality contained in the early treaties and alliances of peace and friendship with Indigenous peoples. / Graduate / 2020-04-18

<p>  </p> <p>The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of purchasing purposes and country of origin on consumer’s purchasing intentions for sparkling wine, considering the effect of consumer’s value perceptions on the product. Two study populations were investigated: general U.S. wine consumers and self-identified food and beverage practitioners. It was found that for the general U.S. wine consumers, buying wine for gift giving or self-gifting would result in different purchasing intention and perceived emotional-social value, but Country of Origin (e.g., French Champagne or U.S. Sparkling Wine) did not result in any differences in purchasing intentions or perceived values. The practitioner group did not note any significant differences  between scenarios given the purchasing purposes and country of origin on their purchasing intentions and perceived values. Correlations of perceived emotional-social value, perceived price value and purchasing intention were found. Several practical and theoretical implications were presented. </p>