ABSTRACT Aim of the study: This study aims to contribute to the existing knowledge on similarities and differences of networking styles across Europe and support either network contextualists or universalists with new empirical knowledge. Method used: A multiple case study was used in this paper. Qualitative data was gathered gathering from 10 interviews collected amongst experienced Swedish, Polish and Dutch entrepreneurs. Findings: Empirical findings have revealed significant differences in the networking patterns in the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland. Main networking motivation for Dutch entrepreneurs is seeking new sales opportunities, for Swedish it is the exchange of knowledge and information. All the entrepreneurs admitted that trust is an important component of network relationship. However, in Sweden trust seem to play more significant role. The empirical findings questioned the theory that trust can be easily transferred based on recommendations. No entrepreneur directly suggested that asked about trust acquisition. In Sweden informal networks are strongly preferred, while in the Netherlands formal network are much more popular. In Poland informal networks are also more popular. In the Netherlands, commercial, paid organizations may be extremely popular given the fact that all of the Dutch respondents participate in them, on the other hand in Sweden governmental networking organizations are quite common, in Poland no respondent have mentioned neither of them. Findings indicate that networking is still not as developed in Poland as it is in two other researched countries. Practical Implications: Common networking patterns cannot be expected in different European countries and background studies should be conducted before entering foreign market. There is still market growth opportunity for commercial networking organizations in Poland. Polish government should engage in more effective promotion of networking amongst entrepreneurs. Contribution: Empirical data confirm the contextualists approach that emphasizes the importance of national differences on networking and warns managers that resemblance of certain patterns cannot be assumed for different countries. This approach was confirmed since the findings exposed significant differences in several areas of networking. Keywords: Business networking, internationalization of business network, networking motivations, trust building, network type preferences, network contextualism and universalism.

Mergers between small institutions have greatly increased in a short period of time in order to help them become larger and stronger. The purpose of this thesis  is to explore the main motivations behind mergers or alliances between universities, advantages and the possible challenges which they may face in forming these alliances. The research is characterized by the exploratory, descriptive and qualitative approaches. The information in this paper was gathered by a survey (questionnaire) as a primary data and scientific articles as a secondary data. The research shows that there are many elements which the merged institutions have to take in their consideration not just the benefits that they will gain because not conceding them will lead to fail or non-satisfaction to both partners.

Community-based conservation includes natural resource or biodiversity protection by, for and with the local community. However, surprisingly little is known about what enables community-based conservation. The aim of this research was to explore and identify potential motivations of a community-based organization in choosing, in this case, conservation of endangered olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) as their flagship project. Samudram Women’s Federation, a State-level organization working with small-scale fishing communities in Odisha, India, was used as a case to explore questions around collective action for communitybased conservation. Using qualitative methodologies, the study analyzed how the interactions and interests of multiple actors shaped the goals and activities for the conservation initiative. Government prohibition of killing turtles, or any other single factor, could not explain conservation behavior. Rather, many complementary factors (economic, political, environmental, social cultural and spiritual) enabled and/or motivated community conservation and environment / February 2016

With the South African retail industry being a major and attractive industry, marketers and retailers are pressured to obtain and maintain a competitive advantage by developing marketing strategies that appeal to various consumers. Retailers need to focus on satisfying consumers’ needs, as well as offering a full shopping experience. Shopping entails more than the mere selection of products. Consumers’ motivation or driving force behind the act of shopping is embedded in satisfying internal needs. These motivations are grouped into two collections, namely hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations. Consumers driven by hedonic shopping motivations are interested in the shopping experience, as well as the experiential and emotional aspects thereof. However, consumers driven by utilitarian shopping motivations are goal-oriented and concerned with the task-related value and the functional aspects of shopping. Marketers and retailers may use consumer-shopping motives to divide the market into segments and develop strategies to target specific segments. Published literature on the consumer behaviour of the South African black Generation Y cohort is limited and an absence occurs with reference to the shopping motivations of this cohort. In the South African context, individuals born between 1986 and 2005, labelled Generation Y, account for 38 percent of the total South African population, and the black Generation Y individuals represent 83 percent of the total Generation Y cohort. Individuals within the black Generation Y cohort attaining tertiary qualifications are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’, enjoying higher earnings and a higher social status, which together is likely to make them opinion leaders amongst their peers. For that reason, the black Generation Y student cohort is an exceptionally attractive market segment, and it is critical for retailers and marketers to understand their shopping behaviour and motivations in order to develop effective marketing strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine South African black Generation Y students’ utilitarian and hedonic shopping motivations. The target population of this study comprised full-time undergraduate black Generation Y students; aged between 18 and 24 years and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame comprised the 23 registered South African public HEIs. A non-probability judgement sample method was utilised to select one traditional university and one university of technology in the Gauteng province, from the sampling frame. For this study, a convenience sample of 600 black Generation Y students enrolled at these two South African HEIs during 2013 was drawn. The relevant primary data was obtained by means of a self-administered questionnaire, which was hand delivered to the contacted lecturers at each of these two HEIs. These lecturers distributed the self-administered questionnaire during one lecture period. This questionnaire requested the participants to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the level of their agreement or disagreement on 26 items designed to measure their utilitarian and hedonic shopping motivations, as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that within the hedonic subscale, black Generation Y students found value and adventure shopping to be the strongest motivators for shopping. Within the utilitarian subscale, black Generation Y students found achievement to be the strongest motivator for shopping. Previous research found gender to have an influence on the hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations of consumers. This study confirms previous findings where statistically significant differences were found between the shopping motivations of male and female black Generation Y students. The study found significant differences concerning the first-, second- and third-year black Generation Y students’ hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers understand the current black Generation Y consumers’ motivations for shopping with reference to hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Contemporary feminist movements are mixed gendered but men’s participation in them remain low. Many sociological studies have neglected to study men’s role and participation in feminist movements and focused mainly on women’s position.  This thesis builds on social movement theories and previous research conducted within this field.  This study aims to reveal factors that motivate men’s participation and roles played by them in contemporary feminist movements. Qualitative interviews are used for data collection. The data indicate that men’s role in feminist movements is designated to support the movements. Factors that motivated them to participate in the movements include; rational, network and political motivations.

Les exigences pour pratiquer comme infirmière en santé mentale au Québec augmentent et se modifient sans cesse, et ce, à une vitesse effarante. Sur le terrain, des constats tels que des tensions de rôles et un important taux de roulement du personnel infirmier dénotent des difficultés de la part des infirmières à exercer pleinement leurs fonctions. L’écart se creusant entre le rôle prescrit et le rôle exercé, les organisations se tournent de plus en plus vers les démarches qui permettent de gérer les compétences. Ces démarches s'accompagnent d'un arsenal d'outils dont fait souvent partie le profil de compétences qui vise à répertorier les compétences attendues d'un employé en vue d'orienter son développement professionnel entre autres. Face aux nombreux échecs que connaissent les démarches compétence, des études tendent à démontrer la pertinence d'aborder cet outil à partir du vécu subjectif du principal intéressé, soit l'utilisateur, et non l'inverse. La présente recherche vise donc à explorer l’effet anticipé d’un profil de compétences sur les motivations psychologiques et les tensions de rôle des infirmières en santé mentale. Six infirmières se sont projetées dans le futur, le temps d'un entretien semi-dirigé, afin de s'imaginer utiliser le profil de compétences élaboré dans le cadre d'une démarche compétence en cours d'implantation dans le centre de soins en santé mentale où elles travaillent. Un devis qualitatif et un traitement des informations à l’aide de la théorisation ancrée ont servi de cadre d’analyse pour explorer l’expérience des infirmières. Les résultats ont permis de révéler que le profil de compétences constitue bien plus qu'un outil de gestion; il véhicule une identité de rôle suggéré s'érigeant comme un miroir devant l'infirmière, qui est invitée à porter un regard sur sa propre identité de rôle et à traiter cette dualité. Plus précisément, il ressort que, suite à un traitement cognitif du rôle suggéré par le profil de compétences, les infirmières s'attendent à s'y identifier de trois façons différentes, celles-ci prenant la forme de reflets du rôle professionnel exercé ou souhaité renvoyés par le profil de compétences : un reflet dissocié du rôle, un reflet structurant du rôle et un reflet édifiant du rôle. Les résultats révèlent également que la façon dont les infirmières s'identifient par anticipation au profil de compétences influence leurs intentions de l'utiliser : le reflet dissocié du rôle est associé à une dérogation, le reflet structurant du rôle est associé à une adoption et le reflet du rôle édifiant est associé à une appropriation. Des résultats inattendus ont permis de dégager des facteurs incitatifs à l'identification au profil de compétences ainsi que l'idéalisation d'une dimension collective du profil de compétences. Les trois reflets de l'identification anticipée au profil de compétences et les intentions d'utilisation associées offrent ainsi une grille de lecture pertinente pour les gestionnaires et les consultants souhaitant accompagner les infirmières dans l'appropriation de leur profil de compétences. Les résultats soutiennent l'importance d'explorer les intentions d'utilisation des infirmières en identifiant les motivations psychologiques sous-jacentes et, partant, de mieux comprendre comment et à quel point elles s'identifient ou non au rôle suggéré par le profil de compétences. Cette compréhension permet aux infirmières de réfléchir à la construction de leur identité professionnelle et à s'outiller de stratégies identitaires leur permettant de négocier plus harmonieusement l'intériorisation de l'identité de rôle suggéré par le profil de compétences. Bien que d'autres recherches soient nécessaires pour approfondir l'identification au profil de compétences, les résultats apportent une clé de compréhension dans le domaine scientifique de la gestion des compétences au Québec, jusqu'ici peu documenté.

Alternative food systems (AFSs) are so defined because they purport to challenge a value or ameliorate a negative impact of the dominant conventional food system (CFS). Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are a type of AFS whose alterity is defined by socially proximal economic exchanges that are embedded in and regulated by social relationships. This relational closeness is argued to have benefits with respect to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. However, it would be a mistake to assume that AFSs and CFSs are paradigmatically differentiated or that their structures engender particular outcomes. The first article traces a misguided attempt to find indicators of success for farms participating in short food supply chains. The effort was misguided, because in designing the original study there was an assumption that producers participating in these AFSs shared similar goals, values, and definitions of success. The true diversity of these variables was discovered through the analysis of eighteen semi-structured interviews with Burlington and Montpelier area farmers who participate in SFSCs. This diversity motivated an exploration of the origins, common applications, and recent academic skepticism regarding assumptions of the relationship between certain food systems structures and broader food systems outcomes. The second article undertakes to develop a framework for exploring the actual motivations of SFSCs farmers and challenging common AFS assumptions. A framework that differentiates motivations guided by formal and substantive rationality is used to code the aforementioned data. Common themes amongst the responses are discussed demonstrating that producer motivations for participating in AFSs can be diverse, contradictory, and subject to change.

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

La thèse vise à analyser la pratique du covoiturage, d’étudier les facteurs psychosociaux qui l’expliquent, ainsi que le changement de comportement relatif à cette pratique au moyen du paradigme de la communication engageante. Deux enquêtes ont été réalisées sur une population étudiante visant à analyser les attitudes envers le covoiturage et à en relever les principaux freins. A partir de ces résultats, deux expériences ont été réalisées pour tester l’impact de la communication engageante sur le changement de comportement dans le sens du covoiturage chez une population de salariés. Ce paradigme stipule que la réalisation d’un ou plusieurs actes préparatoires précédant un message persuasif engage davantage les individus dans le comportement souhaité qu’une communication persuasive classique. Les actes préparatoires testés dans les deux expériences sont de nature différente : réaliser des calculs des économies en lien avec l’écologie et/ou les finances occasionnées par la pratique du covoiturage et compléter un questionnaire portant sur les motivations pro-environnementales. Les résultats ont montré que la communication engageante a un effet significatif sur les comportements. Les individus placés dans cette situation ont significativement plus adhéré à la pratique du covoiturage que ceux qui se trouvaient dans une situation de communication persuasive classique. Enfin une enquête a été réalisée auprès d’inscrits sur un site internet de covoiturage. Il s’agissait de mesurer le covoiturage effectif et d’analyser la pratique au regard du processus décisionnel et de comparer les inscrits covoiturants et les inscrits ne pratiquant pas le covoiturage en matière de croyances et de contrôle perçu. On note que les raisons évoquées pour continuer à covoiturer traduisent une internalisation du comportement. / The aim of the thesis is to analyze several psychosocial factors that could explain the practice of carpooling. Moreover, behavioral change concerning carpooling is studied, with help from the committing communication paradigm. Two surveys on samples of students attempt to measure attitudes and restraints towards carpooling. These results led to design two experiments in order to test the impact of committing communication on behavior toward carpooling, on a sample of employees. According to this paradigm, the production of one or more preparatory acts previous to a persuasive message leads to more involvement than the single reception of a persuasive message. The preparatory acts tested in each experiment were different. In the first one, the participants had to estimate the amount of money or energy they would save by carpooling, and in the second one, they were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their pro-environmental motivations. The results indicate that the committing communication paradigm has a significant effect of carpooling intentions. A final survey was focused on members of a carpooling website. It had the objectives of measuring effective carpooling behavior and decisional processes, and comparing members who actually practiced carpooling to those who did not, in terms of beliefs and perceived control. It was noticed that the reasons given for carpooling before and after having adopted the practice showed an internalization of carpooling behavior.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin Gwinner / This research focuses on factors that serve as motivators or as barriers for consumers in their purchase of local beef. To understand the purchasing habits and preferences of the consumer, a designed survey was used. A convenience population was recruited and encouraged to participate in the survey online. Supporting local agriculture was found to be the highest motivating factor for purchase of local beef within the survey population. That was followed by taste, environment, humane treatment, and health benefits, in that order. Women agreed to all motivating factors at a statistically significantly rate greater than their male counterparts. Price was found to be the largest barrier to the purchase of local beef among the respondents. Lesser barriers were appeal of specifics, convenience, unfamiliar brand, and quality. Statistically significant differences were noted between respondents who had actually purchased local beef versus those that would consider such purchase. Respondents with prior purchasing experience did not perceive the listed barriers to be as inhibitory to their purchase as those who had no prior buying experience. Recommendations produced from this research encourage farmer groups and individual farms to focus on their customer characteristics through key motivating factors, women, and those supporting local agriculture. Finding ways to encourage consumers to try local beef should combat barriers to purchase. Farmers markets should create an experience that customers want to come to and enjoy and individual producers should be relatable and available to customers. Future research could include a large, randomized population of respondents that could give a more accurate description of the typical American consumer with opportunity to expand into other motivating or barrier influences. Other ideas for research could include other motivating and barrier factors, as well as open ended questions and focus groups to gain further insights into the consumer mind with regard to local beef.