This thesis investigates the Europeanisation of civil society at national level through a case study of the Swedish Women’s Lobby (SWL), an umbrella organisation which serves as the Swedish member of the Brussels-based European Women’s Lobby (EWL). Conceptualising umbrella organisations as ‘meta-organisations’, in Ahrne and Brunsson’s term, Europeanisation is seen as a process which imposes meta-organisational structures on domestic-level civil society. Based largely on semi-structured interviews, the aim of the study is thus to analyse in what ways the women’s movement in Sweden has been affected by the imposed meta-organisational structure. The findings show that while the SWL has been successful in establishing itself as the actor for the Swedish women’s movement, this success also brought with it some problems. The meta-organisational structure has had certain formalising and excluding effects, as well as bringing internal tensions due to overlapping activities and the desire to speak with one voice. Applying a meta-organisation perspective on the Europeanisation of domestic civil society is thus shown to be useful as it contributes an understanding of how the EU has an impact on inter-organisational relations among civil society organisations. / Denna studie undersöker europeiseringen av civilsamhället på nationell nivå genom en fallstudie av Sveriges Kvinnolobby, en paraplyorganisation och den svenska medlemmen i den europeiska kvinnolobbyn – European Women’s Lobby (EWL) – i Bryssel. Paraplyorganisationer förstås i detta sammanhang utifrån Ahrne och Brunssons begrepp metaorganisationer, dvs. ’organisationer av organisationer’. Därmed ses europeisering som en process vilken medför meta-organisatoriska strukturer till civilsamhället på nationell nivå. Studien syftar därmed till att analysera hur kvinnorörelsen i Sverige påverkats av den påbjudna metaorganisatoriska strukturen och baseras främst på semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Resultaten visar att Sveriges Kvinnolobby varit framgångsrik i att etablera sig som aktören för Sveriges kvinnorörelse men att denna framgång även medfört en del problem. Den metaorganisatoriska strukturen har medfört vissa formaliserande och exkluderande effekter, men också interna spänningar på grund av överlappande aktiviteter och lobbyns önskan att tala med en röst. Att applicera ett meta-organisatoriskt perspektiv på europeiseringen av civilsamhället på nationell nivå visar sig därmed vara användbart då det bidrar till förståelsen för hur EU har betydelse för inter-organisatoriska relationer bland civilsamhällets organisationer.

La question principale de cette thèse peut être formulée ainsi : Comment les discours, normes et pratiques spatiales peuvent, dans le cadre d’une relation inter-organisationnelle, produire un bon comportement spatial des agents dans une relation de délégation ? Ancré en management stratégique, notre cadre théorique mobilise des approches issues de la géographie et le concept foucaldien de dispositif. La méthodologie de recherche déployée repose sur une étude de cas unique portant sur la gestion de la santé en région Centre-Val-de-Loire. L’analyse du matériau empirique fait ressortir la création d’une chaîne d’auto-régulation inter-organisationnelle permettant de propager ce dispositif reposant sur trois types d’espace, absolu, relatif et relationnel en donnant l’illusion à chacun des maillons qu’il est responsable de ses actions. Nous mettons aussi en évidence le caractère autonome du dispositif qui produit à la fois des marges de manœuvres pour les acteurs et des résultats parfois contre-productifs vis-à-vis de la politique initialement portée par le mandant. / The main question of this thesis can be formulated as follows: How can discourses, norms and spatial practices, in the context of inter-organisational relations, produce good spatial conduct of agents in a relation of delegation? Rooted in strategic management, our theoretical framework mobilise approaches from the domain of geography and the Foucauldian notion of dispositif. The methodology we used is based on a unique case study: the health system in the region of Centre-Valde- Loire. The analysis of the empirical material shows the creation of an inter-organisational self-regulation chain, enabling the dissemination of this dispositif based on three types of space (absolute, relative and relational) by giving the illusion to each one of these links that he is responsible for his actions. We also highlight the independent nature of the dispositif that can create room for manoeuvre for actors as well as results that are sometimes counter-productive with regard to the original policies of the mandator.

Master of Technology: Public Relations Management in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / The aim of this study was to explore the benefits and potential of improved inter-organisational collaboration as compared to non-collaboration between the identified stakeholders in this research. This research established the level of current inter-organisational collaboration and satisfaction between the identified Western Cape Province stakeholders and verified whether this collaboration could be seen as contributing to tourism growth in the region. It also determined how improved inter-organisational collaboration and communication can be achieved to ensure tourism marketing effectiveness. In the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, regional stakeholders formed strategic partnerships to ensure a successful soccer event. The researcher sees such a collaborative approach as limited to major events or projects such as the 2011 bid for the Design Capital 2014. Inter-organisational collaboration is not clearly visible in the destination and tourism marketing of the region and this lack of collaboration has been highlighted. For the purpose of this study, the Resource Dependency Theory of Collaboration was utilised to highlight the inter-dependency between the identified regional stakeholders with vested interest in the Western Cape Province and Cape Town's tourism industry. The researcher conducted qualitative research which is situated in an interpretivist paradigm with its emphasis on experience and interpretation. The qualitative research is seen as being suitable for this research as detailed information has to be sourced through interviews. A qualitative exploratory approach, comprising face-to-face interviews with key informants in the industry was undertaken. The key informants engaged were drawn from a range of organisations engaged or who have a vested interest in the tourism industry which is a key economic driver in the Western Cape Province and Cape Town. The outcome of this study firstly was to establish the current levels of inter-organisational collaboration between the identified stakeholders and how this affects tourism growth. A closer look was taken to look at the current overlapping in the marketing initiatives embarked upon by the destination and tourism marketing organisations in the Western Cape Province, namely Wesgro and Cape Town Tourism and how these can be avoided. Secondly, the study explored how higher inter-organisational collaboration can ensure the achievement of effective tourism marketing of the region. As per the research findings, the researcher compiled recommendations on optimising inter-organisational collaboration among key regional stakeholders. These recommendations should contribute towards streamlining resources and redirecting some of the allocated funds from tourism marketing to other socioeconomic activities that can benefit the citizens of the region, such as developing emerging small to medium tourism enterprises and entrepreneurs.

Abstract This interpretative grounded theory study describes and analyses the actual lived experiences of project members who worked in a three year long inter-organisational information system (IOIS) project. The IOIS project was a Nordic project which spanned four user organisations (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta), two suppliers (Eta and Zeta), two national organisations (Lambda and Kappa), a research organisation (Epsilon) and a Ministry who funded the project. The project was carried out between 2004 and 2006. The data was elicited by means of in-depth interviews (narrative stories), observations of project meetings, diaries, project memoranda and emails sent by project members to each other during these years. Other secondary data (the data from previous projects) was also analysed. Feelings and emotions as a research object are acknowledged to be a very demanding research area. The terms ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’ are partly used interchangeably in this study, though these concepts are also partly distinguished in this study: feeling is what is felt, and emotion is what is shown; feeling is classified as a subjective experience whereas emotion involves emotional performance where social conventions have a significant role. The Glaserian grounded theory method was used as the technique for theory building. Three core categories were identified: Governance, Power and Emotions. There were also relationships between categories: Governance contributed to issues related to Power which in turn impacted on Emotions and vice versa. The categories not only defined the nature of the core theme but also formed a connection between themselves. The emergent category Emotions demonstrates that emotions influence structure and that emotions are intimately linked to social structures of power, and shows that ‘inequality’ is an essential part of that theme. This study shows that emotions have a remarkable role in the work of an IOIS, and that they have an affect on decisions. The study also finds that feelings and emotions are the basis of action (Power), and that emotions easily trump the intellect. At a higher level of abstraction, the scaling up process produced one core theme: Emotions of Control, and this study builds a substantive theory of Emotions of Control. / Tiivistelmä Tämä tulkitseva grounded teoria tutkimus kuvaa ja analysoi kolmivuotisen, organisaatioiden välisen tietojärjestelmäprojektin jäsenten kokemuksia tietojärjestelmäprojektista. Organisaatioiden välinen tietojärjestelmäprojekti oli Pohjoismainen hanke, joka koostui neljästä käyttäjäorganisaatiosta (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta), kahdesta toimittajasta (Eta, Zeta), kahdesta kansallisesta organisaatiosta (Lambda, Kappa), tutkimusorganisaatiosta (Epsilon) ja ministeriöstä, joka rahoitti projektin. Projekti toteutui vuosina 2004 – 2006. Aineisto saatiin syvähaastatteluiden (narratiiviset tarinat), projektitapaamisten havainnoimisen, päiväkirjojen, projektimuistioiden ja projektijäsenten toisille lähettämien sähköpostien avulla. Toissijaista aineistoa (aineistoa edellisistä projekteista) analysoitiin myös. Tunnetilat ja emootiot tutkimuskohteena on tunnistettu hyvin vaativaksi tutkimusalueeksi. Englanninkielisiä termejä ’feelings’ ja ’emotions’ on osittain käytetty keskenään vaihtokelpoisina käsitteinä ja osittain toisistaan erotettuina tässä tutkimuksessa. Termi ’feeling’ kuvaa enemmän, mitä tunnetaan, ja termi ’emotion’ puolestaan, mitä näytetään. Termi ’feeling’ on täten enemmän henkilökohtainen kokemus, kun termi ’emotion’ käsittää enemmän tunteiden näyttämistä. Sosiaalisilla sopimuksilla on merkittävä rooli tunteiden näyttämisessä. Glaserilainen grounded teoria menetelmää hyödynnettiin teorian muodostuksen menetelmänä. Tutkimuksessa identifioitiin kolme pääkategoriaa: hallinto, valta ja tunteet. Kategorioiden välillä ilmeni suhteita: hallinto vaikutti valtaan, valta vuorostaan vaikutti tunteisiin ja päinvastoin. Kategoriat eivät ainoastaan määrittäneet ydinteeman luonnetta, vaan muodostivat yhteyden keskenään. Tunnekategoria osoittaa, että tunteet vaikuttivat projektin rakenteeseen, ja että tunteet ovat läheisesti yhteydessä myös vallan sosiaalisiin rakenteisiin. Tutkimus osoittaa, että tunteilla on merkittävä rooli organisaatioiden välisen tietojärjestelmäprojektin työskentelyssä, ja että tunteet vaikuttavat päätöksenteossa. Tutkimus osoittaa myös, että tunteet ovat toiminnan perustana, ja että tunteet vievät helposti voiton järjeltä. Korkeamman tason käsitteellistäminen tuotti yhden pääteeman, kontrollin tunteet, ja tämä tutkimus rakentaa teemasta substantiivisen teorian.

This study investigated and distinguished between two different aspects of trust (i.e. inter-personal and inter-organisationl) in business relationships. Reviewing the extant literature, a model of business relationships was developed, bridging social exchange theory and transaction cost economics, in addition to using some ideas from the resource-based view. This model was built on an overall framework consisting of three main groups of business relationship characteristics, (1) attitudes (inter-personal and inter-organisational trust) (2) behaviours (commitment, information sharing and relationship-specific investments) and (3) outcomes (financial and non-economic (soft) performance). The overall framework suggested that the attitudinal characteristics affect behavioural characteristics, which consequently affect relationship outcomes. Furthermore, the role of the other party’s opportunistic behaviour as an antecedent of trust aspects was suggested in the model. In line with the overall framework, a basic model was developed with sixteen hypotheses. The model was extended considering dependence as a moderator, and suggesting two additional hypotheses.A questionnaire was designed to measure the characteristics in the model. Data collected from 331 informants (i.e. middle or senior managers knowledgeable about supplier relationships) was used to empirically test the model, using structural equation modeling. The analysis was performed testing the model fit and its underlying hypotheses, additionally using a control variable (the relationship length) and multiple-group analysis (controlling for the size of the company). Inter-personal trust and inter-organisational trust were found to be two distinct constructs (by means of implementing several techniques testing discriminant validity). The results supported the impact of inter-personal trust on inter-organisational trust, inter-personal trust impacting on commitment and information sharing while inter-organisational trust impacting on commitment, information sharing and relationship-specific investments (all in a positive way). The positive effect of behavioural characteristics on relationship outcomes was supported, commitment and relationship-specific investment influencing both financial and non-economic performance, while information sharing influencing non-economic performance. Relationship-specific investments impact positively on commitment, and financial performance impacts positively on non-economic performance. The moderating effects were supported; the positive effect of inter-organisational trust on relationship-specific investments and the positive effect of relationship-specific investments on commitment decrease as dependence increases. The negative effect of the other party’s opportunistic behaviour on trust dimensions was found, while its expected negative effect on relationship-specific investments was not supported in the whole sample. A mixture modeling approach was performed to explore this result. The negative effect was supported in a number of responses, as expected. However, surprisingly a positive effect was also found in a group of responses that were characterised by having relatively longer relationships with the supplier and observing a higher degree of opportunistic behaviour. Additionally relationship-specific investments had a stronger effect on its consequences within this group. Potential explanations for the findings with regard to this group were introduced. The research contributions and implications were also discussed.

P(p)ublic A(a)dministration is influenced by multiple factors, inclusive of complex policy issues, multi-faceted forms of accountability and hybrid governance models. Consequently, public administration organisations must strengthen their adaptive and complexity capacity to deal with environmental complexity through adopting a different leadership model that is characterised by distinct but complementary leadership functions. Complexity leadership theory (CLT) is thus adopted as an appropriate theoretical lens for the study due to its integrative, collective and relational approach to leadership, in spite of its limited application in the public administration context. Against this background, the purpose of the study is to apply CLT as the basis to determine the required leadership competencies that should underpin a complex adaptive system such as the Governance and Administration (G&A) Cluster of the South African government because of concerns regarding the unevenness or lack of appropriate leadership competencies, behaviours and skills to make the government cluster system effective. To address the purpose of the study and the underlying research problem, a mixed methods research approach was adopted to investigate the leadership competency implications of Public Administration reforms plus their links with intergovernmental relations developments, and the implications of the transition from leader-centric practices to collective and hybrid forms of leadership. An analysis of existing literature in these areas leads to the conclusion that the G&A Cluster, which is an intergovernmental relations structure, is an integral part of hybrid organisational arrangements whose effectiveness requires a different approach to leadership. The literature analysis further identifies a disjuncture between leader-centric practices and conceptions of leadership as a collective, collaborative and hybrid phenomenon. The disjuncture is attributed to the scarcity of leadership and competency-based management (CBM) literature to guide the development of complexity leadership practice, especially in inter-organisational arrangements, and reliance on theoretical analysis as the basis to propose competencies for complexity leadership. Thus, the study addresses the research question and simultaneously contributes towards knowledge and practice by providing an empirical lens to the dynamics of collective leadership in a government inter-organisational structure and advancing CBM through articulating seven adaptable principles and six competency clusters that inform the development of a meso level leadership competency framework for inter-organisational arrangements. The study is also contributing to the application of CLT in P(p)ublic A(a)dministration and improved understanding of CLT’s leadership functions by clarifying its competency dimensions. The study concludes with an outline of implications and recommendations for inter-organisational leadership competency development and practice as well as recommendations for further research. / Thesis (PhD (Public Administration and Management))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (2019-20210) Office of the Public Service Commission (2021) / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / PhD (Public Administration and Management) / Unrestricted

Coffee is a vital source of income for millions of farmers worldwide and an important commodity in global trade. The 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, aim to improve the world's production and consumption patterns, but coffee farming is still often associated with modern-day slavery, poor working conditions, and deforestation. To address these issues, certification programs have been introduced, linked to sustainability objectives and aimed at promoting sustainable practices, but their impact has been questioned. This study seeks to explore the inter-organisational learning (IOL) processes between German coffee importers and roasters and coffee producers. It poses three research questions to investigate: (1) The effect of IOL on the sustainable development of coffee farms, (2) the underlying processes of IOL in German coffee supply chains, and (3) the influence of barriers on the IOL process. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, the study identifies that the primary goal of initiating IOL varies from one company to another and is the main indicator for their ability to enable sustainable development on the farms. While achieving a sustainable transformation was rarely the reason to engage in an IOL process, the focus on quality improvements, most common among the interviewed organisations, also led to some amount of environmental and social sustainable development. Trust is essential for successful IOL, though cultural differences and communication barriers might hinder the development of trust. The study highlights the importance of including farmers in all stages of the IOL process, leading to a significant sustainable development outcome on coffee farms. The study contributes to a better understanding of IOL dynamics in the coffee supply chain, shedding light on IOL's interconnectedness and the sustainable development of coffee farms.

Yes / This research aims to design a green Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (PSC ) that reduces preventable pharmaceutical waste and effectively disposes of inevitable pharmaceutical waste. The main output of this study is the formulation of an integrated green PSC model involving all critical stakeholders, leading to improved environmental, economic and safety performance in medication management and delivery. The research is based on literature and on secondary resources. To green the PSC, every producer of waste is duty bound to facilitate the safe handling and disposal of waste. A Cross boundary Green PSC (XGPSC) approach is proposed to identify participants’ contribution to the PSC. Peripheral influences are also recognised from professional and regulatory bodies. This study focuses solely on community PSC in the UK where patients receive medication from local community pharmacies and thus may be limited. The proposed XGPSC approach also needs to be tested and validated in practice. It may also be difficult to transfer some of the environmental practices proposed in this research into practice. The environmental practices and actions proposed provide invaluable insight into various PSC activities, including purchasing, product design, prescription patterns and processes, medication use review, and customer relationship management. The proposed environmental actions encourage firm commitment from everyone to reduce, recycle or effectively dispose of pharmaceutical waste, with patients becoming stewards of medication rather than only consumers. A cross boundary approach is developed to green the PSC, and it encourages total involvement and collaboration from all participants in PSC.

Syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva, analysera och diskutera vilka organisatoriska och interorganisatoriska förhållanden som har betydelse för mellanchefers möjlighet att driva hållbar verksamhetsutveckling. Avsikten är att studera samspelet mellan organisatoriska och interorganisatoriska förhållanden kopplat till mellanchefers förändringskompetens. Forskningen har skett inom ramen för ett omfattande nationellt FoU-projekt inom vård och omsorg. Projektets syfte var att arbeta med ett hållbart utvecklingsarbete som byggde på en bred delaktighet bland anställda och chefer. Studien är en kvalitativ studie med ett interaktivt förhållningssätt, vilket innebär en ambition att forska med de berörda inom ramen för en gemensam kunskapsbildning. Den interaktiva forskningen strävar efter att vara till praktisk nytta, men framförallt är syftet att bidra till teoriutvecklingen. De datainsamlingsmetoder som använts är arbetsplatsbesök, intervjuer, ”critical incident”-metoden, reflektions-PM (inom ramen för två utbildningar), analysdialog- och reflektionsseminarier, informella samtal samt återföringsträffar. Ett antal gemensamma aktiviteter har anordnats inom ramen för det nationella projektet, vilka även har fungerat som datainsamling och gemensam analys, såsom nationella konferenser, styrgruppsmöten m.m. Avhandlingens resultat visar att mellancheferna inom vård och omsorgssektorn kan ha en strategisk roll i verksamhetsutvecklingen. Avsikten med min forskning har inte varit att generalisera resultaten i traditionell mening, men att visa på mekanismer och förutsättningar för mellancheferna vid organisering av utvecklingsarbetet. De organisatoriska villkoren – i form av ekonomi, ansvar, befogenheter, professionalisering och företagskultur – påverkar starkt mellanchefernas förutsättningar att driva ett utvecklingsarbete. Min forskning visar på intressanta möjligheter för mellancheferna när det gäller att åstadkomma en vertikal och horisontell integrering av utvecklingsarbetet. Det finns exempel på hur mellanchefer kunnat påverka och utnyttja dessa förutsättningar för att skapa ett handlingsutrymme i organisationen för att driva ett utvecklingsarbete. De har använt sig av målstyrning, skapat utrymme för lärande och reflektion samt skapat en organisationskultur som stöder utveckling. De interorganisatoriska förutsättningarna – i form av externt nätverk, forskarstöd och partsamverkan – har varit viktiga för mellancheferna i deras utvecklingsarbete. / The aim of the dissertation is to describe, analyse and discuss those organisational and interorganisational conditions which are of importance for the enablement of middle managers to drive sustainable development in activity areas. The intention is to study the interplay between organisational and inter-organisational conditions coupled to the change competence of the middle managers. The research has been carried out within the framework of an extensive national R&D project within healthcare and caring. The aim of the project was to work with a sustainable development effort which had as its foundation a broad participation between employees and management. The study is a qualitative study with an interactive type of approach, which implies an ambition to carry out research with those affected within the framework of a joint knowledge gathering. The interactive research attempts to be of practical use, but the aim is primarily to contribute to theoretical development. The data collection methods which have been used are visits to the workplaces, interviews, “critical-incident” methods, reflective-PMs (within the framework of two education areas), analytical dialog and reflective seminars, informal conversations and feedback meetings. A number of common activities have been organised within the framework of the national project, which have also functioned as data collection and common analyses, as well as national conferences, steering group meetings etc. The results of the dissertation show that middle managers within the healthcare and caring sector can have a strategic role in the development of this activity area. The intention of my research has not been to generalise the results in the traditional interpretation, but to reveal mechanisms and prerequisites for the middle managers in organising development efforts. The organisational conditions – in the form of economy, responsibility, authority, professionalisation and company culture – strongly affect the prerequisites of the middle manager for driving a development effort. My research demonstrates interesting opportunities for the middle managers concerning achieving a vertical and horizontal integration of the development effort. There are examples of how the middle managers have been able to influence and utilise these prerequisites in order to create room for action in the organisation for driving a development effort. They have availed themselves of goal orientation, created room for learning and reflection and have created an organisational culture that supports development. The inter-organisational prerequisitess – in the form of an external network, research support and collaboration of parties – has been important for the middle managers in their development efforts.

Organisations today operate in a complex, unpredictable, globalised, and competitive business environment and challenging marketplace, emphasis on just-in-time deliveries and service quality through the integration of resources. In response to the changing business dynamics, web-based EDI (WEDI) has been adopted by the global container shipping industry to cost-effectively utilise available resources to build and remain its competitive advantage. To improve the current understanding of WEDI adoption factors, this research explores inter-organisational collaboration of WEDI adoption, focusing on the organisational adoption stage and examine how business level social and relational factors influence WEDI adoption in the context of the container liner shipping industry. Based on theoretical and literature reviews on previous EDI adoption, in particular to three key inter-organisational system adoption empirical research (including Lee and Lim, 2005; Boonstra and de Vries, 2005; Zhu et al., 2006), an integrated research model was established of which features ‘Social Resources' of (trading partner power, trading partner dependence and social network effect), ‘Relational Resources' of (trading partner trust, top management commitment and guanxi, ‘Reward' of (perceived interests), and ‘Technological State' of (technological trust and e-readiness) as prominent antecedents. Through E-mail and Web Survey approach, we examine the nine independent constructs in the research model quantitatively on a dataset of 164 respondents from the top 20 leading container shipping liner in year 2009 and 195 respondents of the top 20 leading container shipping liner in 2012 by 3 case studies through online surveys. After examining its reliability, validity and correlation of the constructs, PLS structural Equation Modelling was applied to test hypotheses. The empirical results update how firms exchange business dada, in particular to the use of WEDI in the industry. This study demonstrated that ‘Social Resources' of trading partner power, trust and guanxi, positively associated with the perceived interest of WEDI adoption. Relational Resources' of trading partner trust, top management commitment and guanxi positively associated with the perceived interest of WEDI adoption. It also confirms the nine constructs to be positively association the WEDI adoption decisions. Drawing upon social exchange theory, we argue that firms simultaneously modify and adjust their social and relational resources to affect other firms' expected benefit as a reward. Overall, based on a rigorous empirical analysis of two different international dataset, this research provides valuable and the most updated insights into a set of key factors that influence WEDI adoption. By recognising what may influence WEDI adoption in the context of the container liner shipping, this study will be useful in suggesting strategies to overcome the constraints that inhibit adoption. Researchers will benefit from the study's theoretical insights and explore further WEDI adoption and diffusion patterns. Practitioners who learn why organisations adopt WEDI and what the related factors are that influence the adoption process will make better strategic decisions concerning the adoption of WEDI.