The Welfare Reform Bill Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 contains a section referred to as "Charitable Choice." This section was designed to ensure that faith-based agencies were not discriminated against in the awarding of federal funding. States are not required to implement any part of the initiative, except ensuring that there is no discrimination against faith-based organizations. States have responded in a variety of ways in the hope of increasing the number of faith-based organizations receiving and competing for social services funds. Although religious groups have been receiving government funds to provide social services for much of American history, the faith-based initiative represents a new effort from both state and federal government to encourage even greater participation. There has been a tremendous amount of research on the impact of the faith-based organizations; however, very little attention has been given to the non-religious based social service organizations. To understand the impact of the faith-based implementation on non-religious based social service agencies, the primary focus was on examining: personnel, clientele, programs and services data, as well as internal and external factors. The secondary focus was determining if the implementation of the faith-based initiative signified the “second-order of devolution.” The study focused on three NBSSOs in Washington, D.C. Interviews were conducted with agency officials and data collected from all three agencies. While supporters argue that the faith-based initiative is about solving problems of poverty, taxing an over-burdened welfare system and violating the constitution, the researcher found that there was no impact of the faith-based initiative on non-religious based social service organizations. The participating agencies had been impacted by elected officials, public policy and federal funding, however; research also shows that there was no evidence of a “second-order of devolution.” The expected outsourcing of public services and the creation of numerous models of welfare systems with a variety of public-private partnerships that included secular non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations and religious organizations had not occurred.

Bakgrund: Ansvarstagande inom miljö och sociala frågor är ett ämne som på senare tid har blivit mer och mer uppmärksammat. I samband med att Brundtlandrapporten publicerades 1987 fick hållbarhetsredovisningen sitt stora uppsving, vilket kom att ge en ökad medvetenhet kring ämnet. Även trycket från omgivningen ökade mot företagen och deras ansvar i att redovisa miljömässiga och sociala frågor. Problem: De problem som finns i samband med hållbarhetsredovisningar är att det dels är frivilligt att redovisa, dels att de riktlinjer som ges ut av GRI inte är tvingande utan snarare flexibla, vilket i sin tur innebär svårigheter vid jämförelser av presenterad data. Det faktum att det enbart är hälften av alla hållbarhetsredovisande företag som granskar sin rapport externt är också ett problem. Det är av intresse att få veta varför företag väljer att upprätta hållbarhetsredovisningar, och vilka påverkande faktorer som finns, särskilt då upprättandet är en frivillig handling. Syfte: Att visa varför svenska bolag hållbarhetsredovisar med hjälp av legitimitetsteori, institutionell teori eller intressentteori. Vi undersöker även hur GRI:s riktlinjer tillämpas samt förekomsten av extern granskning. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte har en hermeneutisk positionering använts. Undersökningen bygger på fem kvalitativa telefonintervjuer med svenska bolag; Bostadsbolaget, Vattenfall, KappAhl, Arla Foods samt Folksam. Företagen är valda utifrån tre institutionella miljöer; offentlig miljö, börsnoterade samt medlemsägda företag. Utöver intervjuer har en genomgång av företagens hållbarhetsredovisningar/årsredovisning förts. Slutsats: Vi fastställer att hållbarhetsredovisningens stora syfte förklaras utifrån de primära intressenternas informationskrav och förväntningar. Samtidigt som företagen fokuserar på dessa intressenter upplever de en allmän förväntning på hållbarhetsredovisningar. Samhället och enskilda intressenter anses ha en ömsesidig påverkan och tillsammans ställa krav på företagens rapportering. Utifrån dessa krav och förväntningar ser vi att en institutionalisering av hållbarhetsredovisningen skapats p.g.a. starkare organisationer som gör att rapporternas utformning blir mer strukturerad och jämförbar då de exempelvis följer samma riktlinjer.

I samband med att en rådande överkonsumtion av planetens resurser identifierats har hållbarhet vuxit fram som ett centralt ämne i samhället. Företag klassas som kritiska aktörer i ett globalt strävande efter åtgärder mot överkonsumtionen och har därmed mötts med hårdare krav på att bidra till en hållbar utveckling. Många företag väljer därmed att frivilligt upprätta och publicera resurskrävande hållbarhetsredovisningar för att informera intressenter om hur de arbetar med sociala och miljömässiga frågor. Uppsatsens syfte är att bidra med en ökad kunskap kring varför de företag som deltagit i arbetets undersökning fattat ett beslut att redovisa sitt hållbarhetsarbete, samt att bidra med en ökad kunskap om vilken funktion hållbarhetsredovisningen har för dessa företag. I teoriavsnittet presenteras flertalet teoretiska utgångspunkter och ramverk som kan förklara bakomliggande skäl till att företag hållbarhetsredovisar. I empiridelen framförs en fallstudie i form av djupintervju med två hållbarhetsansvariga på ett företag angående hållbarhetsredovisningens innebörd, nytta och funktion för företaget. Sedan undersöks också sexton andra företag i form av en bredare studie där representanter för företagen förklarar varför företagen hållbarhetsredovisar. Skälen till att företagen i undersökningen hållbarhetsredovisar är att tillfredsställa intressenters behov, att företagen vill vara transparenta, och att det finns en intern-relaterad nytta i form av förbättring av arbetsprocesser. Bortsett från det förstnämnda skälet, som bestäms av intressenter, grundas resterande skäl på en etisk inställning till socialt ansvar hos företaget eller ett strävande efter legitimitet. Dessa drivkrafter formar också de funktioner som uppstår i samband med skälen, vilka är en kommunikativ funktion, en marknadsföringsfunktion, och en intern funktion. De tre funktionerna kan i praktiken kopplas till varandra och har gemensamt att de också fyller en affärsmässig funktion för hållbarhetsredovisningen att göra hållbar utveckling lönsam för företag. Uppsatsen avslutas med en modell som utförligt förklarar vilka drivkrafter som finns hos företagen, hur dessa influerar de skäl som ges till att företagen hållbarhetsredovisar samt hur denna relation formar hållbarhetsredovisningens funktion för företagen.

Indigenous populations in Canadian urban centres have grown tremendously in recent years. One of the biggest challenges when Indigenous peoples move to urban centres is finding safe, affordable housing. The research focuses on the need to increase urban affordable housing options and highlights the community land trust as a model for providing perpetually affordable housing for urban Indigenous populations. A documentary analysis was completed to determine the housing needs and potential options for Indigenous peoples in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The second part examines the Little Earth of United Tribes Homeownership Initiative located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Homeownership Initiative, which partners with the City of Lakes Community Land Trust, was chosen because it specifically targets Indigenous peoples. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to further inform the case study and to provide greater background information. The two parts were brought together to determine how a community land trust might complement the range of Indigenous housing options currently available in Winnipeg. / October 2016

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Technology integration, the incorporation of technology resources and technology-related practices into the daily routines, work, and management of schools, is an essential component of 21st century schools. One of the most important aspects of technology integration is the role that principals play. Despite the importance of this role, many principals report that their preparation programs did not fully prepare them to lead a technology integration effort. One program designed to assist principals is the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). Using International Society for Technology in Education's National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) as a guide, AMSTI provides training to principals in technology integration. In an effort to describe the role of the principal in leading a technology integration initiative in 21st century schools, five AMSTI principals who exhibited excellence in technology integration were selected. Data were collected through interviews and observations and then transcribed, coded, and analyzed. From the analysis four themes emerged: lead by example, provide technology opportunities, minimize hindrances, and train regularly. Research questions were answered based on analysis of data. Several conclusions were formed by answering the research questions. Principals who were successful in leading a technology integration initiative had a shared vision that included a plan and goals for an initiative. They led by example and got faculty to believe in the merits of the initiative. Principals also showed a willingness to learn and provided resources such as training and technology for students and faculty. The final report serves as a resource for those charged with leading a technology integration initiative in 21st century schools.

I och med att människor i dagens samhälle blivit mer insatta i hållbarhetsfrågor har efterfrågan på hållbara organisationerökat.Detta har medfört att många organisationer valt att frivilligt börja hållbarhetsredovisa för att visa att dem är bra samhällsaktörer och på så sätt uppnå legitimitet. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa förståelse för hur legitimitet kan eftersträvas i tjänsteföretags hållbarhetsredovisninggenom att beskrivahur hållbarhetsredovisningutvecklats över tid,samt identifiera bakomliggande orsaksfaktorer för varförrapporteringensförändring och utveckling skettmed tiden.För att besvara studiens syfte har en longitudinell studie på Sveriges fyra storbanker genomförts. Studien genomfördes genom både innehållsanalyser av hållbarhetsredovisningarna från dess att bankerna började hållbarhetsredovisa fram till den senast publicerade, samt genom intervjuer med tre av storbankerna. Utifrån Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI:s)kategorier om samhällsansvar (ekonomisk påverkan, miljöpåverkan och social påverkan) har förändringar i kommunikationen identifierats. Analysen visar att de bakomliggande faktorerna till varför förändring i bankernas hållbarhetsredovisning skett med tiden är på grund av att GRI:s riktlinjer förändrats, aktuella frågor i omvärlden och samhället har förändrats vilket medfört att vissa frågor fått ett större utrymme i bankernas hållbarhetsredovisning. Bankerna anpassar även innehålli hållbarhetsredovisningen efter vad deras intressenterefterfrågar och kraven som dem ställer på bankerna,vilket är i linje med den institutionella teorin.Vidare fångar bankerna även upp vad konkurrenterna redovisar om för att ta reda på vilket sätt som verkarbästatt göra det på. Redovisningen om den sociala påverkan har med tiden fått allt större utrymme i redovisningen, medan redovisningen om bankernas miljöpåverkan haft en nedåtgående trend. Detta har förklarats genom att intressenternas medvetenhet gällande hållbarhetsfrågor ökat och att dem nu efterfrågar mer social information frånorganisationerna än vad dem tidigare har gjort, då efterfrågan på miljöinformation var stor. En banks direkta miljöpåverkan bedöms även vara relativt begränsad givet deras faktiska verksamhet vilket också lett till att redovisningen om miljön minskat. / As people in today's society have become more aware of sustainability issues, the demand for sustainable enterprises has increased. This has resulted that many companies have chosen to voluntarily begin to implement the sustainability report to show that they are good actors in society and thereby achieve legitimacy. The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how legitimacy can be pursued in service companies sustainability report by describing how sustainability reporting has developed over time and to identify the underlying causal factors for why reporting change and development has occurred over time. To address the purpose of the study, a longitudinal study of Sweden's four major banks has been conducted. The study was conducted through both the content analysis of sustainability reports, from when the banks began to sustainability report to the latest published, as well as through interviews with three of the major banks. Based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) categories of corporate social responsibility (financial, environmental and social impacts), changes in the banks communication has been identified. The analysis of the categories shows that the underlying factors why changes in the major banks Sustainability reports has occurred over time is due to the GRI’s guidelines have changed, current issues in the world and society have changed, which meant that certain issues have a larger space in the Sustainability reports. Banks also adapts the content of the sustainability report according to what their stakeholders demand and the requirements they place on the banks, which is consistent with the institutional theory. Further, the major banks also capture what their competitors has reported to find out what seems best. The report on the social impact has over time become more increasingly significant in sustainability accounting, while accounting for banks' environmental impact been on a downward trend. This has been explained by stakeholders' increasingly awareness regarding sustainability issues and that they are now demanding more information about organizations social impacts than they previously did, when the demand for environmental information was great. A bank's direct environmental impact is also expected to be relatively limited given their actual operations, which has also lead to decrease about the reporting of the environmental impacts.

The diploma thesis is focused on the problems of financial engineering instruments and specific methods for the use of credit instruments in the theories of regional development with special reference to initiative JESSICA. Analytical part contains theoretical and methodological context of the implementation of JESSICA in the UK and Poland. On the basis of the comparison of urban structures and experience with the initiative are assess the backgrounds, conditions and barriers of JESSICA implementation in the Czech Republic. The key added value of the thesis is the estimation of the critical issues for the implementation of JESSICA on a basis of a case study of Moravia-Silesia cohesion region.

The global move towards sustainability and sustainability reporting, the rise and influence of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and triple bottom line reporting, together with the launch of the King III Report, and revision of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listing requirements in South Africa, both requiring the preparation of an integrated report, have resulted in a uniquely altered information environment, in which investors are required to make investment decisions. The value-relevance of this new sustainability information is however to date untested in a South African context. The introduction of the Social Responsible Investment (SRI) Index in South Africa provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the value-relevance of such new reporting. This research report tests the GRI, using the SRI Index as a proxy, to determine whether this accepted reporting standard is recognized as being valuerelevant, from both a short term and long term perspective, on the JSE over the period 2004 to 2012. The short term value-relevance is tested using cumulative average abnormal returns in an event study methodology, while the long term effect was investigated using a 4-tiered portfolio construction technique, which uses the SRI Index category rankings to define the portfolios. The results indicate that true to the long term nature of sustainability information, in the short term the quality of sustainability and sustainability reporting has no effect on the market value of a company. However, in the long term, a positive effect was found where the SRI listed portfolio, and the SRI best performer portfolio, significantly outperformed the non-listed portfolio on a consistent basis as measured using relative performance. The SRI persistent best performer portfolio however underperformed all other portfolios. This is however due to an overwhelming lack of diversification due to a low number of shares in the portfolio, as well as the portfolio being severely overweight in resource shares, which tend to be the best reporters, due to their large environmental impact. The research report therefore concludes that investing in a higher quality SRI/GRI sustainability portfolio, as opposed to a lower quality portfolio, resulted in excess returns to the investors over the period 2004-2012.

Morgan Ndlovu, Student no 0000141H, MA thesis, School of Arts, Faculty of Humanities, 2006. email: mn59@sussex.ac.uk / The emergence and development of tourism attractions in inner cities throughout the world has given rise to a number of scholarly debates in the academic study of urban tourism. While academic scholarship in the field of urban tourism began with the cities of the developed states mostly in the 1980s, the emergence and development of tourism initiatives in the inner cities of the developing states in 1990s has drawn a great deal of attention to the South as well. This research explores the emergence and development of an inner city tourism initiative in the form of a craft project known as Beautiful Things. Beautiful Things is a two-year-old craft project located at Newtown’s Cultural Precinct, in the inner city of Johannesburg. The project was inaugurated at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002, and has since its relocation to the inner city of Johannesburg in December 2002, contributed significantly to the physical, social and economic regeneration of this area. The study of this project is very important in that it is shedding some light on the role of heritage and cultural industries in rejuvenating declining inner cities. It gives light on how Newtown Cultural Precinct as a whole functions within the inner city of Johannesburg. In spite of this project’s role in the development of the Johannesburg inner city, Beautiful Things has not yet been explored for academic research. This research on Beautiful Things is set to be informative on a number of theoretical issues underpinning the development of urban heritage and cultural tourism in general and the development of tourism in Johannesburg. The findings of the study of Beautiful Things hopes to reveal important international trends on the development of heritage and cultural attractions in inner cities and to elucidate a number of similarities in the development of tourism policies across the cities of the world. This research begins with a chapter on the international experiences of heritage and cultural tourism developments in inner cities and is then followed by a study of Johannesburg’s tourism policy and strategy developments. Both chapters are vital in providing the context under which Beautiful Things came to emerge in the inner city of Johannesburg, performing an important role of regenerating the declining inner city. The last part of this research is an empirical confirmation study of physical, social and economic contributions of Beautiful Things in the inner city of Johannesburg. The research is informed by theories of neo-liberalization, local economic development, and inner city regeneration.