The dissertation explores the imbricated nature of race, gender, and class in the field of insurance within the political economy of the New South. It considers how enterprising black women navigated tensions between New South rhetoric and Jim Crow reality as well as sexism and racism within the industry and among their industry peers. It complicates the narrative of black southern labor history that focuses more on women as agricultural laborers, domestics, and factory workers than as enterprising risk takers who sought to counterbalance personal ambition and self-interest with communal empowerment. Insurance organizations within black-run secret fraternal societies and formal black-owned insurance companies emerged as not only powerful symbols of black business achievement by the early decades of the twentieth century but also the most lucrative business sector of the separate black economy. Negro Captains of Industry, a coterie of successful, influential, self-made men, stood at the forefront; they represented the keystone of black economic, social, and political progress. The term invoked a decidedly masculinist image of “legitimate” leadership of black business. Considering fraternal and formal insurance, gender-inscribed rhetoric, shaped by racism and New South ideology, imagined black men as the ideal protectors and providers; women became the objects of protection rather than agents of economic development, job creation, and financial security. The dissertation explores how women operated creatively within and outside of normative expectations of their role in the insurance business. The dissertation considers the role of state regulation and zealous regulators who often targeted insurance organizations and companies, the primary symbols of black business success; in other ways, regulation dramatically improved profitability and stability. The dissertation identifies three key periods: the Pre-Regulatory Era, 1890s to 1906; the Era of Regulation, 1907-World War I; and the Professionalization of Black Insurance, Post-WWI to the Great Depression. It also considers the barriers to black women’s involvement in professional organizations. By the late 1930s, enterprising women in insurance lost ground as fraternal insurance waned in influence and as the strongest proponents of the black separate economy promoted a vision that embraced women as consumers rather than business owners. / text

La médiation est perçue comme un mode bénéfique de résolution des différends en copropriété divise. Pourtant, son essor tarde à survenir. Ce constat nous mène à nous interroger sur comment la médiation peut occuper une plus grande place en copropriété, particulièrement quant au droit québécois. En première partie, nous nous intéressons à certains aspects du régime de la copropriété et leur incidence sur le processus de médiation. D’abord, nous considérons l’encadrement législatif et contractuel qui s’impose aux acteurs à travers les dispositions d’ordre public et la déclaration de copropriété afin d’en évaluer l’impact sur l’autodétermination des parties. Ensuite, nous abordons le caractère formel de la copropriété à travers la représentation du syndicat de copropriété à la médiation et de l’autorité de l’assemblée des copropriétaires sur certaines ententes de règlement. En seconde partie, nous nous tournons vers les défis que pose l’exercice de la médiation en copropriété. D’une part, nous soulevons des enjeux issus de la dichotomie entre le caractère confidentiel de la médiation et le contexte collectif de la copropriété. D’autre part, nous discutons de l’adaptation de l’exercice de la médiation en copropriété via la spécialisation du médiateur et le développement de la médiation en ligne. Nous concluons que la médiation peut occuper une place plus importante en copropriété et être bénéfique pour ses acteurs, mais qu’elle est limitée par les droits de la collectivité. Une meilleure conciliation de ceux-ci aux droits des parties en médiation pourrait contribuer à accroitre le recours à ce mode de règlement des différends. / Mediation is perceived as a beneficial way of solving condominium-related conflicts. Nonetheless, mediation has yet to become a go-to resolution method when conflicts emerge in a divided co-ownership setting. This observation led us to question how mediation can be used to successfully resolve condominium-related conflicts, particularly in regards to Quebec law. The first part of this paper considers aspects of the divided co-ownership regime and the way they influence the mediation process. We start by analyzing the elaborate legal and contractual framework that binds the parties and the ways it may limit or otherwise impact their self- determination and empowerment. Then, we discuss the formal obligations imposed on the actors in co-ownerships through the matters of the representation of the syndicate of co-owners in mediation and the assembly of co-owners’ authority over certain resolution agreements. In the second part of this paper, we discuss some challenges of practising mediation in a co-ownership setting. We first underscore incompatibilities between the confidential aspect of mediation and the collective nature of co-ownership. Then, we discuss how the practice of mediation is likely to adapt through mediator specialization and through advancement of online mediation. Our study leads to the conclusion that though mediation could occupy a bigger space in co-ownership-related conflicts, the rights of the co-op community currently limit its realm. A better conciliation of those rights to those of the parties in mediation could support the integration this dispute resolution process as part of co-ownership culture.

South Africa abandoned its apartheid system in 1994, which enabled the country to be integrated into the global economy. Due to the lack of global competitiveness, between 70 and 80% of start-ups fail within five years (Goosain, 2004:23). People lost their jobs and the unemployment rate escalated from 17% to 28% (Kingdon and Knight, 2003). Government increased its support to small businesses in order to stimulate economic growth and development as an alternative means of job creation. However, studies conducted to determine the performance of small businesses reveal that most of these businesses fail irrespective of the support they receive from government due to a lack of financial management skills. The study being reported here investigated which financial management skills owners/managers of small business have and which ones are lacking in order to recommend appropriate training interventions required to develop and improve the financial management skills of such owners/managers and ultimately the management of their businesses. A literature review was conducted regarding the small business environment, training interventions and financial management skills. Financial management skill sets relevant to small business were identified and listed for empirical research purposes. Empirical research was conducted on the target population within the indicated geographical area. The study confirmed that most small business owners/managers have limited financial skills. Recommendations will be put forward on the type of skills future training needs to focus on. / Finance and Risk Management and Banking / M. Com. (Business Management)

Sweden is one of the countries in the world that has a great proportion of privately owned forests where up to half of all forests are owned by private individuals. What potential use do they have of their forest management plan? The purpose of this study was to examine whether there was any connection between the knowledge of the forest, the goal of forestry and the use of the forest management plan. A digital survey was conducted in cooperation with Vida, a private saw timber company. The respondents had two weeks to answer the survey and after that the analyses to find out any connection started. The results of the study showed that the forest owner had great use of the forest management plan. They were satisfied with it and the main objective of owning forest land was to manage it on to future generations. The conclusion of the study showed that there was a connection between the knowledge of the forest, the goal of forestry and use of the forest management plan. / Sverige är ett av de länder i världen som har en stor andel privatägd skog. Skillnaden mellan olika typer av skogsägare är stor och återspeglas i ägarens målsättning och intresse med hur fastigheten drivs. Idag bor och arbetar en allt större andel av skogsägarna i en urban miljö vilket innebär att de inte fått en naturlig inskolning i och kunskap om skogsbruket från sina föräldrar som det varit i tidigare generationer. Skogsägare har olika behov av beslutsstöd beroende på kunskap, intresse, ekonomi, självverksamhetsgrad och fastighetens karaktär men ett bra underlag för att fatta beslut behövs både av erfarna och oerfarna skogsägare. Skogsbruksplanen är en sammanställning av skogsfastigheten och ger också förslag på åtgärder utifrån förhållandena i skogen och skogsägarens mål. Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka om det för privata skogsägare finns något samband mellan kunskapen om skog, målet med skogsbruket och användning av skogsbruksplanen. Studien genomfördes som en enkätundersökning bland privata skogsägare med en aktuell skogsbruksplan som upprättats av Vida Skog. Enkäten gjordes i form av en webbenkät som skickades ut via mail. Totalt svarade 175 personer (40%). Respondenternas svar sammanställdes, analyserades och samband undersöktes. Studien visade att 96 % av skogsägarna, i varierande grad, använder sin skogsbruksplan för att fatta beslut om skogliga åtgärder på fastigheten. Skogsbruksplanen skaffas för att underlätta skötsel samt för att den ger en bra översikt över fastigheten och ansågs som mest användbar för att se vad som behöver göras i bestånden eller för att se volym i bestånd. Skogsägare med liten skoglig kunskap uppvisade ett något större intresse för förvaltning av skogen för kommande generationer samt för att skapa miljö för rekreation. Skogsägare med stor skoglig kunskap hade ett större intresse för virkesproduktion och de tyckte också skogsbruksplanen följde deras mål med sitt skogsbrukande bättre än gruppen med låg kunskap beroende på att de i större utsträckning var med och påverkar utförandet av den. Studien visade också att större kunskap minskade intresset för att skapa miljö för biologisk mångfald. Det fanns även ett samband mellan mål med skogsbruket och användning av skogsbruksplanen där de skogsägare som prioriterade biologisk mångfald använde skogsbruksplanen i större utsträckning än de med andra mål. Slutsatsen av examensarbetet blir att det finns ett samband mellan skoglig kunskap, mål med skogsbruket och användningen av skogsbruksplanen

Šio magistrinio darbo tikslas buvo identifikuoti veiksnius darančius įtaką privataus miško savininkų ir valstybinio miško valdytojų, miškininkavimo sprendimų priėmimui. Šio tikslo įgyvendinimui buvo atliktos kokybinės apklausos dviejuose tyrimo vietovėse: „Suvalkijoje“ ir „Žemaitijoje“. Duomenų analizei buvo pasitelkti kokybinės analizės metodai. Tyrimo metu buvo paklausti 29 respondentai: 18 privataus miško savininkų ir 11 valstybinių miškų valdytojų. Analizuojant duomenis buvo atskleisti veiksniai darantys įtaką privataus miško savininkų ir valstybinio miško valdytojų miškininkavimo sprendimams. Nustatyta, kad miškininkavimo sprendimų priėmimui įtakos turi vidiniai (įvairios motyvacijos ir tikslai) ir išoriniai veiksniai (gamtinės sąlygos, teisinis reguliavimas, visuomenės poreikiai). Remiantis darbo rezultatų analize buvo išskirtos keturios privataus miško savininkų miškininkavimo motyvacijų grupės: paslaugos; aplinkosauga; socialinės funkcijos; ekonomika. Atskleista, kad privataus miško savininkų miškininkavimo sprendimams įtaką daro grupė motyvacijų. Valstybinio miško valdytojų apklausų kokybinė analizė nustatyta, kad valstybinių miškų valdytojai vadovaujasi ne tik miškininkavimą reguliuojančiais dokumentais, bet jų darbo sprendimams įtaką daro asmeninis požiūris į miškininkavimą. Apklausų duomenys parodė visuomeninius, aplinkosauginius ir ekonominio efektyvumo, tikslus ir motyvacijas darančius įtaką valdytojų miškininkavimo sprendimams. Nustatyti išoriniai veiksniai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this master thesis, analysis was done to identify factors influencing the decision making process of private forest owners and state forest managers’. In order to identify these factors an interview method was used throughout, this involved qualitative inquiries into two research areas: “Suvalkija” and “Žemaitija”. Data analysis was also performed using qualitative methods. During the research, 29 interviews were conducted: 18 with private forest owners and 11 with state forest managers. Results of the analysis revealed the following main factors that affected the decision making process of private forest owners and state forest managers. The main factors were internal factors such as motivations and objectives. Fr main groups of motivations and objectives of private forest owners were found: amenities, environmental protection, social and economic. The study showed that usually there is not one but multiple motivations and objectives affecting the decision making process. Qualitative analysis of state forest managers’ interviews revealed that they make decisions not only following rules and regulations but also are driven by their individual view about forestry. The motivations and objectives of state forest managers that influenced the decision making process were as follows: societal, environmental protection, economic efficiency. In addition there were external factors that influenced the decision making process of both private forest owners and state forest managers... [to full text]

The Green Light letter from President Franklin Roosevelt to Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gave MLB permission to continue throughout World War II. The team owners felt relief that MLB is the only professional sport to survive during the years of World War II (1941-1945). MLB became a primary contributor toward the war effort. While war-supporting efforts were conducted, team owners positioned themselves to benefit from the bond between baseball and the American people. MLB portrayed itself through the commissioner’s office policy as a patriotic partner by providing entertainment for American factory workers and contributing equipment to servicemen overseas. MLB also remained a monopoly without Congressional inquiries or public challenge. Since MLB was exempt from anti-trust laws, team owners operated within MLB’s anti-trust exemption and strengthened position for the post war period.

Inledning: Det finns idag drygt 1,2 miljoner företag i Sverige och av de så består cirka 95 procent av så kallade småföretag med upp till tio anställda. Småföretag har ofta svårt att se användningen av all extern redovisning som produceras och det leder till att kostnaden för redovisningen blir större än nyttan. För att kostnaderna för de mindre företagen inte ska bli för stora så är det viktigt att lagstiftningen och redovisningen inte är för komplicerad. Syfte: Syftet med vår studie är att redogöra för hur ägare till ägarledda småföretag ser på användningen av sin externa redovisning. Vi vill undersöka när redovisningen används och vilken nytta småföretagare upplever att den bidrar med i förhållande till hur komplicerad den är. Genom att testa våra hypoteser vill vi mäta vilken användning de har av sin redovisning i kontakt med sina intressenter samt testa om det finns samband med bakomliggande faktorer. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte har vi utgått från en deduktiv ansats. Vi har genom en kvantitativ enkätundersökning samlat in material från ägare till småföretag där de har fått svara på vad de anser om sin externa redovisning och när de använder den. Resultat: Resultatet visar att ägare till småföretag främst använder sin redovisning när motparten kräver eller efterfrågar den. Har ägaren ekonomisk utbildning har företaget bättre användning av redovisningen på kort sikt. Vi ser att när företag blir 8–10 anställda så överensstämmer nyttan bättre med hur komplicerad redovisningen är samt att kontakten med intressenter utvidgas. / Introduction: Today there are just over 1.2 million companies in Sweden and of these, about 95 per cent consists of so-called small companies with up to ten employees. Small companies often find it difficult to see the use of all external accounting that is produced, and this results in the cost of the accounting being greater than the benefit. In order for the costs for the smaller companies not to be too large, it is important that the legislation and the accounting are not too complicated. Purpose: The purpose of our study is to describe how owners of owner-managed small businesses look at the use of their external accounting. We want to investigate when the accounting is used and what benefit small business owners feel that it contributes in relation to how complicated it is. By testing our hypotheses, we want to measure what use they have of their accounting in contact with their stakeholders and test whether there are correlations with underlying factors. Method: To fulfill the purpose of the study, we have assumed a deductive approach. Through a quantitative questionnaire, we have collected material from owners of small businesses where they have had to answer what they consider about their external accounting and when they use it. Result: The result shows that owners of small businesses primarily use their accounting when the counterparty requires or requests it. If the owner has financial education, the company has better use of the accounting in the short term. We see that when companies become 8–10 employees, the benefits are better matched to how complicated the accounting is and that contact with stakeholders is expanded.

Cette thèse a pour objet l’espace des clubs de cadres et de dirigeants racialisés, au sens des regroupements s’appropriant la forme « club » et problématisant l’appartenance à un groupe à la fois doté en ressources socioéconomiques et racialisé, autrement dit dont l’altérité est radicalisée. Au croisement de la sociologie des mobilisations, des élites, de la racialisation et de la migration, la thèse interroge les conditions d’émergence et les principes de structuration de cet espace en se fondant sur une enquête de terrain combinant plusieurs méthodes (entretiens, observation, sociographie, analyse documentaire). La sociogenèse montre que cet espace naît d’un mouvement d’autonomisation de la gauche politique et d’insertion de la cause dans l’espace économique et patronal. La thèse montre ensuite que cet espace est constitué par trois pôles, dont les discours sont plus ou moins critiques ou conformistes envers une idéologie dominante de réussite caractérisée, en France, par la valorisation de la méritocratie et de l’élitisme scolaires, un interdit communautaire, et une injonction d’acculturation et d’invisibilisation des marqueurs de différence. L’analyse des trajectoires des fondateurs, des propriétés des membres, des ressources et des relations des clubs avec la sphère économique et politique et l’espace patronal de représentation montre que les rapports des clubs à l’idéologie sont étroitement liés à leurs propriétés de classe. L’observation révèle enfin les effets internes de la proximité plus ou moins forte des clubs avec l’espace patronal de représentation ainsi que la sphère politique et médiatique, avec des relations sociales oscillant entre concurrence et convivialité. / The object of this thesis is the space of racialized executives and business owners’ clubs, i.e regroupings which appropriate the form of a “club” and problematize the belonging to a group both endowed with socio-economic resources and racialized in the sense that its alterity is radicalised. At the junction of the sociology of collective action, elites, racialization and migration, the thesis questions the conditions of emergence and the principles of structuration of that space by basing itself on a fieldwork combining several methods (interviews, observation, sociography, analysis of documents). We first show that this space stems from a double movement of autonomisation from the political left and of insertion of the cause in the economic sphere and the employers’ space of representation. The thesis goes on to show that that space is constituted by three poles which, on the discursive level, are more or less critical of or conforming to a dominant ideology of success characterised by the valorisation of educational meritocracy and elitism, a community interdict, and an injunction of acculturation and invisibilisation of the markers of difference. The analysis of the founders’trajectories, the members’ properties, the clubs’resources and relations with the economic and political sphere, as well as with the employers’ space of representation shows that the clubs’ stances toward the dominant ideology of success are linked to their class properties. Observation finally reveals internal social relation oscillating oscillating between competition and conviviality, depending on the club’s proximity with the employer’s space of representation and political or economic sphere.

Dog parks are the fastest growing type of park in U.S. cities; however, their increasing popularity has been met with increasing criticism of pets in public space. Dogs have shown to be a deep source of neighborhood conflict, and the provision of dog parks, or off-leash areas, is a seemingly intractable controversy for city officials. In 2003, Portland, Oregon established a network of 33 off-leash areas which remains the second largest both in count and per capita in the country. The purpose of my research is to understand the public debate over off leash dogs during the establishment of Portland's off-leash area network, and how dog parks relate to processes of demographic change. The analysis involved two phases. First, I conducted a thematic analysis of editorial perspectives published in the major local newspaper. Second, I conducted an exploratory spatial analysis of the distribution of Portland's off-leash areas and patterns of racial and economic change throughout the city from 2000 to 2015. Central to the debate are conflicting notions of responsible pet ownership. The notions of responsibility employed in the debate are primarily personal, yet the findings from my exploratory analysis of the relationship between dog parks and demographic change suggest a need to attend to notions of public responsibility. I recommend that future research, discussion, representations, and policy regarding dog parks consider the consequences of off-leash areas as amenities within the changing neighborhoods in which they exist.

Owners of small business restaurants experience a high failure rate. Many small business restaurants fail within 5 years of inception because of inadequate business plans, ineffective strategies for changing markets, and a lack of financial capital to achieve profitability, growth, and long-term survivability. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the financial strategies that some owners of small business restaurants used to sustain operations for longer than 5 years. The resource-based view was the conceptual framework for this study. Participants in this study consisted of 5 owners of small business restaurants in northern California who implemented successful strategies to survive in business longer than 5 years. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with participants, member checking, and a review of company documents. Using Yin's 5-phase data analysis process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding the data, 3 emergent themes were identified: financing strategy, cash-flow-management strategy, and customer-retention strategy. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for owners of small business restaurants to reduce the failure rate of small restaurants, decrease local unemployment rates, and increase economic stability for local families and organizations through the implementation of effective financial strategies.