I denna studie har hembygdsföreningar studerats utifrån deras roll inom besöksnäringen. Mer specifikt har två hembygdsföreningar i Värmland jämförts med varandra. Detta för att kunna se vilka utmaningar som finns, samt på vilka sätt historia förmedlas för att locka besökare. Mitt syfte har varit att studera hembygdsföreningars utmaningar och möjligheter för att positionera sig på besöksnäringens arena med hjälp av strategier för att förmedla kulturarv. Studien bidrar då till en ökad förståelse av kulturarvsturism och hembygdsföreningar. Mina frågeställningar har grundat sig i att ta reda på hembygdsföreningars generella utmaningar inom besöksnäringen och vad som krävs för att de ska kunna bli en starkare aktör inom besöksnäringen. De har även handlat om hur hembygdsföreningar fokuserar på att locka besökare och vilka strategier som kan stärka verksamheternas utveckling. Studien tar upp viktiga begrepp som kulturarv, ekomuseum, storytelling och evenemang som är kopplade till hembygdsföreningars verksamheter. Studien har genomförts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med respondenter från hembygdsföreningar och offentliga organisationer, vilket även kompletterats med innehållsanalys från flera av respondenternas hemsidor och dokument. Datainsamlingen har genererat information om hur hembygdsföreningar arbetar med sina verksamheter samt hur offentliga organisationer samverkar med hembygdsföreningarna på olika sätt. Jag har utgått ifrån en tematisk analys för att kunna se närmare på mönster, likheter och skillnader i hembygdsföreningarnas verksamheter. Resultatet av min studie visar att Brunskogs- och Kristinehamns & Varnums hembygdsföreningar har både likheter och skillnader i hur dem arbetar. Brunskog har många fördelar av att de är en större förening i jämförelse med Kristinehamns & Varnum. Däremot står alla hembygdsföreningar inför liknande utmaningar. Studien visar att det ideella arbetet är utmanande då det är svårt att locka nya medlemmar samt att kunna utveckla hembygdsgårdarna, med brist på resurser. De människor som är främst involverade inom hembygdsföreningarna är äldre människor, vilket gör att föreningarna har en sämre digital närvaro och en sämre kännedom i samhället. Främst är det yngre människor som inte känner till hembygdsföreningar, men de behövs för att kunna fortsätta bevarandearbetet och bidra med nya kunskaper. Studien visar även att beroende på hembygdsföreningars resurser och kunskaper lockas besökare på flera olika sätt. Marknadsföring, storytelling och evenemang är viktiga strategier i att locka besökare. Strategierna utvecklar även hur kulturarv förmedlas. / In this study, local community associations have been studied based on their role in the hospitality industry. More specifically, two local community associations in Värmland have been compared with each other. This is to be able to see what challenges there are, and in what ways history is conveyed to attract visitors. My purpose has been to study the challenges of local community associations and opportunities to position themselves in the arena of the hospitality industry with the help of strategies for communicating cultural heritage. The study then contributes to an increased understanding of cultural heritage tourism and local associations. My questions have been based on finding out the local challenges of local community associations in the hospitality industry and what is required for them to be able to become a stronger player in the hospitality industry. They have also been about how local associations focus on attracting visitors and what strategies can strengthen the development of the businesses. The study addresses important concepts such as cultural heritage, eco-museum, storytelling and events that are linked to the activities of local associations. The study was conducted through qualitative interviews with respondents from local associations and public organizations, which was also supplemented with content analysis from several of the respondents' websites and documents. The data collection has generated information about how local associations work with their activities and how public organizations collaborate with local associations in different ways. I have started from a thematic analysis to be able to take a closer look at patterns, similarities and differences in the activities of the local associations. The results of my study show that Brunskogs- and Kristinehamns & Varnums local associations have both similarities and differences in how they work. Brunskog has many advantages in that they are a larger association in comparison with Kristinehamns & Varnum. However, all local associations face similar challenges. The study shows that the non-profit work is challenging as it is difficult to attract new members and to be able to develop the homesteads, with a lack of resources. The people who are mainly involved in the local community associations are older people, which means that the associations have a poorer digital presence and a poorer knowledge of society. It is mainly younger people who do not know about local associations, but they are needed to be able to continue the conservation work and contribute with new knowledge. The study also shows that depending on the resources and knowledge of local community associations, visitors are attracted in several different ways. Marketing, storytelling and events are important strategies in attracting visitors. The strategies also develop how cultural heritage is conveyed.

1. Reconciling conservation and socioeconomic development goals is key to sus- tainability but remains a source of fierce debate. Protected areas (PAs) are be- lieved to play an essential role in achieving these seemingly conflicting goals. Yet, there is limited evidence as to whether PAs are actually achieving the two goals simultaneously. 2. Here, we investigate when and to what extent synergies or trade- offs between biodiversity conservation and local socioeconomic development occur. To ex- plore these relationships, we collected data across a wide range of socioeco- nomic settings through face-to-face survey with PA managers from 114 African and European PAs using structured questionnaire. 3. We found synergies between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development for 62% of the PAs, albeit with significant differences between African (55%) and European PAs (75%). Moreover, the sustainability of PAs in conserving biodiversity was strongly correlated with the empowerment of the PA management and the involvement of local communities in PA planning and decision-making processes. 4. Our results demonstrate that for PAs to promote synergies between biodiver- sity conservation and local socioeconomic development, and to enhance their long-term sustainability, they should invest in the empowerment of their respec- tive management and involvement of local communities in their planning and management activities

Having heritage can be a challenge and a benefit for the local community. But, when the time comes to change it or implement tourism, it can become tricky. This case study of Montivilliers, a town in Normandy, France, will go through the different interactions between the different actors within the community and the challenges and benefits that come from the decisions made on the different heritages throughout the last decades. With interviews from the local community, this thesis invites you to take a deep into the perceptions and the mindsets of this community on their heritages and tourism implementation.

Problematization: Family firms in Sweden play a vital role in the labor force, reflecting their extensive presence and essential role in the economy. Central to every family firm are its guiding values, shared among family members engaged in its activities. Driven by a commitment to their local communities and a sense of social responsibility, family firms actively pursue social initiatives. However, there is a recognized imperative for additional research to investigate micro-level aspects and enhance the comprehension of the Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) model. Purpose: The research aims to establish a conceptual framework for investigation of the interconnection between family firms and social initiatives. The primary objective is to explore how family values are embedded in the decision-making process concerning social initiatives within the local community. Method: An exploratory multiple case study design was employed, utilizing a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with family members actively involved in the decision-making process regarding social initiatives and their subsequent implementation. Main results: Family values guide decisions related to social initiatives within family firms, driven by centralized ownership, while the business values of firms are influenced by the values upheld by family owners. Consequently, the decision-making process is influenced by the personal interests of family members, hence the essence of fostering community togetherness. The findings underscored an informal decision-making process across various industries,wherein decisions are guided by the personal interests of family members in pursuing social initiatives within the local community.

This dissertation explores the adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Kentucky River watershed. Through a survey of farmers in the Kentucky River watershed, chapter two investigates farmers’ current BMP adoption and their willingness to engage in additional adoption incentivized through a proposed Water Quality Trading (WQT) program. This chapter includes two parts: the first part is to investigate the factors influencing farmers’ current usage of BMPs; the second part is to estimate farmers’ willingness to implement BMPs given different levels of compensation specified in the survey. Farmers’ experiences about BMPs are more likely to persuade them to adopt additional BMPs. The activities of using riparian buffers, fencing off animals and building up waste storage facilities are found to be responsive to the levels of compensation offered. The third chapter discusses farmers’ expected economic benefits from BMP adoption, and addresses the missing data issue. In the survey, of those respondents who indicated that they accept the offered level of compensation, about 20% of them did not answer the follow-up question of how much they would adopt the practice, creating missing data. We compare three methods to handle the issue of missing data: deletion method, mean imputation, and multiple imputation method. Following these methods, we estimate factors affecting how much farmers may engage in BMPs using a Tobit or Poisson model. The results show that increasing the compensation for using BMPs is more likely to encourage farmers to adopt riparian buffers. Results obtained using the method of multivariate imputation by chained equation are more promising than using the deletion or mean imputation method. The fourth chapter examines whether wealth change and local community interaction may affect BMP adoption. Survey data on BMP adoption are combined with the local community data from publically available sources. Results show that the decrease in land values between 2007 and 2012 discouraged the adoption of riparian buffers; the equine inventory in local communities has positive impact on the adoption of animal fences and nutrient management; the more rural the local communities are, the less likely farmers would fence off livestock from water resources.

and key words School as a community center - reality and possiblities of development of communtiy education Key words: local community, school as a community center, cooperation, community work, lifelong learning, case study. This thesis deals with the community schools in the Czech Republic and the possibilities of their development. Firstly, it defines basic concepts like community education in an international context and the notion of community schools itself. Secondly, it discusses certain theoretical assumptions and presuppositions as well as current challenges of development of the community schools. The research is based on a multiple case study and it describes the current situation of selected community schools. The current situation of the schools is compared to their situation and conditions six years ago. Basing on the diachronic comparison using the academic document "Analysis of environment in the Czech Republic and the possibility of the development of community schools" of 2008, the research revealed that community concepts in schools are almost unchanged. Finally, the work challenges possible causes of this stagnation of development. Its contribution is in addition to the design possibilities for further development of community schools in the Czech Republic. Further value added...

The aim of this study is to examine how the local newspapers (Barometern, Falu-kuriren, Hudiksvalls tidning, Skaraborgs Allehanda) and the tabloid (Aftonbladet) portray the local community in a village after a murder occured and how it affects the image of the village over time. In this study we therefore studied four different murders that occured in small swedish villages. We analysed how the newspapers construct the imagined community after the murder and what similarities and differences they have.   In this study we applied the critical discourse analysis and in total we investigated twelve articles that all had social constructions and therefore were relevant for the study. The results show that both the local newspapers and the tabloid Aftonbladet portrayed that the murders had a huge impact on the community. The safe place that they once knew is gone and therefore they seek support in each other and stand united. The victim gets more space in the articles than the perpetrator. We also discovered that you don’t have to live in the village to be a part of the community as long as you show compassion. The difference showed that the local newspapers only included the locals to mourn while the evening paper included the whole nation to be a part of the imagined community.

The objectives of this study are to critically map and analyse past and current  discussions, negotiations and social processes that take place and relate to conditions created by living in- or monitoring the World Heritage City Angra do Heroísmo in the Azores, Portugal. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews with the stakeholders in the city, the purpose has been to study how, and with what result and consequences, contested values, interests, rhetoric and powers are mobilized and made into dynamic forces for these stakeholders. Hence, this thesis gives a chronological presentation of selected issues and discussions, which have been taking place in the city from 1980 to 2012. The first subjects attended to are the 1980 earthquake and the nomination process which led to the inscription of Angra to the World Heritage List in 1983. However, some of the core objectives relate to the implications of living in a World Heritage City, given the preservation provisions which follow such a classified area. The aim has further been to assess the point of departure for the official monitors and their views on monitoring a vibrant historical area. The discussions analysed relate to the predicaments occurring when modern development is set up against preservation. However, the analyses show how policies and preservation ideals change, as well as how powers and authorities are challenged and affected by forces within and outside the “authorized heritage discourse”. Finally, this study has assessed the notions of pride, local attachment and identity among the inhabitants in Angra. The World Heritage Status can trigger a double sense of feelings; on the one side it holds emotions related to pride and recognition, on the other it represents obstacles for living- and developing the city in accordance with the present needs. World Heritage and tourism are closely linked, and this investigation explores how the stakeholders in Angra relate to the possibilities and threats which tourism holds. Angra represents a site where there is a limited influx of tourist, and we can see how most stakeholders speak for a quality-based tourism. In this respect, one could say there is a prevailing consensus among the stakeholders. Finally, this study has assessed the notions of pride, local attachment and identity among the inhabitants in Angra. These sensations are related to the historical cityscape, an environment which also frames personal experiences and processes. The World Heritage Status can trigger a double sense of feelings; on the one side it holds emotions related to pride and recognition, on the other it represents obstacles for living- and developing the city in accordance with the present needs. Angra do Heroísmo is studied for its particularities, yet comparisons made with other studies reveal that the matters and aspects addressed in this thesis can be universal rather than particular. / Avhandlingen er en kritisk kartlegging og analyse av tidligere og pågående diskusjoner, forhandlinger og sosiale prosesser som er relatert til det å leve i og forvalte verdensarvbyen Angra do Heroísmo på Asorene i Portugal. Basert på etnografisk feltarbeid og kvalitative intervjuer med for eksempel innbyggere, kulturminneforvaltningen, politikere og utviklere har formålet vært å forstå hvordan, og med hvilke konsekvenser, ulike verdier, retorikker, interesser og ressurser er mobilisert og gjort til drivende krefter for disse stakeholderne. Avhandlingen gir en kronologisk fremstilling av utvalgte tematikker og diskusjoner fra 1980 og frem til 2012, hvor de første temaene er knyttet til jordskjelvet som rammet byen i 1980, og den påfølgende nominasjonsprosessen til verdensarvlisten som ga Angra do Heroísmo verdensarvstatus i 1983. Et hovedanliggende for denne avhandlingen er problemstillinger knyttet til det å leve i en verdensarvby, med de restriksjoner som følger et klassifisert område. Videre har målet vært å studere myndighetenes- og kulturminnevernets ståsted og deres bevaringspolitikk. I skjæringspunktet mellom hensynet til bevaring og behovet for utvikling oppstår diskusjoner og forhandlinger, og avhandlingen analyserer utvalgte diskusjoner som hovedsakelig er knyttet til utbyggingsprosjekter. Studien viser imidlertid hvordan bevaringsidealer- og politikk endres, og likeledes hvordan myndigheter og autoriteter utfordres av krefter innenfor og utenfor ‘the authorized heritage discourse’. Avslutningsvis gir avhandlingen en analyse av hvilken betydning verdensarvstatusen har for innbyggerne, noe som berører temaene identitet, stolthet og lokal tilknytning. Verdensarven har således en dobbeltsidig størrelse, som på den ene siden trigger følelser som stolthet og annerkjennelse, mens på den andre siden representerer begrensninger og diskusjoner.

The main aim of this thesis is to describe and analyze the nature of relationships of the originally local community and see what impact online social networks have on these relationships. The local community in this study is represented by one class of selected pupils from the primary school Na Smetance in Prague 2. For the main analysis were used mainly qualitative research methods: survey questionnaires and structured interviews with members of the screened community. The results showed that the transformation can be seen not only in the fragmentation of the local community into smaller groups of individuals with strong ties, but also in the influence of online social network Facebook, where relationships among members of the originally local community are maintenained. The analysis of strength relations between former classmates suggests that social network created by Facebook is essentially generated by weak ties, which are however indispensable for the creation of social capital. This thesis has contributed to the further understanding of the recent local community development. Keywords: local community, online social networks, Facebook, locality of Prague 2, social capital

A tese versa sobre a detecção e avaliação de padrões de coexistência de espécies arbóreas, buscando esclarecer as relações entre a diversidade fito-estrutural e os fatores condicionantes em escalas local e regional em uma zona de contato entre duas regiões fitoecológicas (Florestas Ombrófilas Mista e Densa). O trabalho está dividido em duas abordagens; a primeira trata de um inventário fitossociológico de comunidades definidas como “sítios”, onde o grau de singularidade local é avaliado através da identidade das espécies com maior valor de importância (VI) estrutural e de suas possíveis conexões fitogeográficas, bem como através de indicadores de diversidade alfa e beta. Na segunda abordagem, comunidades são definidas estatisticamente (Multivariada, Análise do Valor Indicador das Espécies) com base na composição e abundância de espécies (área basal dos troncos), testando-se a hipótese de que comunidades distintas devem diferir pelo menos na diversidade específica, fertilidade do solo e ou produtividade primária (produção de serrapilheira PS). O estudo foi realizado no Centro de Pesquisas e Conservação da Natureza Pró-Mata, localizado na borda sudeste do Planalto Meridional Brasileiro (29o30’S; 50o11’W). Cinco sítios de 100m x 100m (dois sítios no planalto, dois na encosta e um na borda planalto-encosta) foram selecionados, onde em cada sítio as árvores (DAP>10 cm) foram medidas e determinadas em vinte e uma unidades amostrais de 100m2 (regularmente distribuídas). Sessenta e seis espécies foram levantadas, no conjunto Cabralea canjerana e Myrcia retorta tiveram os maiores valores de importância. A primeira caracteriza a encosta e a segunda o planalto, sendo ambas co-dominantes no sítio da borda do planalto-encosta. Riqueza e diversidade foram maiores nessa borda, menor no planalto e intermediária na encosta. A beta-diversidade apresenta-se maior com medidas de abundância do que apenas com a composição de espécie, em função da diferenciação das dominantes, caracterizando comunidades discretas, indicando ao mesmo tempo um contínuo gradiente florístico. As análises de ordenação e agrupamento foram utilizadas com dois tamanhos de unidade amostral (100 m2 e 500 m2), das quais somente a última apresentou padrões interpretáveis, similares aos obtidos fitossociologicamente nos sítios, onde dois principais tipos de vegetação apresentam afinidades fitogeográficas e riqueza de espécies peculiares. Os subgrupos refletiram processos histórico-ecológicos mais recentes, como a perturbação antrópica e condições locais especiais. A determinação de espécies com valores indicadores significativos é útil para a diferenciação ecológica dos tipos de comunidades. Apenas uma comunidade diferiu significativamente das demais na fertilidade do solo, devido à condição especial topográfica e litológica. A produção de serrapilheira destas florestas foi similar aos valores médios das florestas brasileiras tropicais e subtropicais. Conclui-se que, na zona de transição estudada, tende a ter um ecótono da vegetação associado à transição geomorfológica planalto-encosta. Algumas considerações sobre o alcance metodológico de detecção de biodiversidade e das perspectivas de pesquisas integradas sobre os processos ecossistêmicos são apresentadas. / This thesis searches to detect patterns of the arboreal species coexistence on a transition zone of two phyto-ecological regions, Mixed and Dense Rainforests, contributing to the knowledge of ecological processes on the local to regional scale. The work is divided in two approaches; the first is a phytosociological inventories aiming to answer if in this zone exists a set of local communities with similar floristic-structural patterns, or not, and what are their phytogeographical affinities; the second tests the hypothesis that the communities types statistically defined have indicator species and differs in specific diversity attributes, soil fertility and the primary productivity (litterfall). The study was carried out at CPCN Pró-Mata, a research center located on the southeastern border of the Meridional Brazilian Plateau (29o30’S; 50o11’W). Five sites of 100 x 100m (two plateau sites, two slope sites, and one plateau-slope site) were selected; the trees (DBH>10cm) were measured and determined and twenty-one sampling units of 100m2 (regularly distributed), in each site. Sixty-six species were surveyed. Cabralea canjerana and Myrcia retorta had the highest importance value indexes. The first species characterizes the slope; the second species characterizes the plateau; and both are co-dominant at the slope-plateau site. Richness and diversity (Shannon index) were higher at slope-plateau transition, lower at the plateau and intermediate at the slopes. The Beta diversity shows that the sharpness between slope and plateau communities is more associated to species abundance than to species composition only. The Ordination and Cluster analyses were used with two sized sampling units (100 m2 and 500m2), which only the latter showed interpretable patterns, similar to those phytosociological results, where emerges the two main vegetation types indicated the broader regional floristic affinities and its influence on species richness. The sub-groups reflected more recent local historical-ecological processes, mainly identified as anthropic disturbance regime and special local conditions. The Indicator Species Analysis was very responsive to the present objective helping to define the best indicative species and ecological context. Soils differ significantly only for one group, differentiated by special topographic condition and lithologic origin. The annual litterfall of these forests were equivalent among sites and they are similar to register for average the tropical and subtropical Brazilian forests. Conclude that in this transition zone trends to have a vegetation ecotone is associated to the geomorphologic transition slope-plateau. Then, communities types statistically defined reflect hierarchically phytoecological regional affinities and particular ecological conditions. Some considerations about methodological biodiversity detection integrated to researches about ecosystem process are shown.