Over the past decade, public policy making and implementation in some European and North American countries have been in the form of networks of public, private and voluntary sector organisations. The changing nature of governance, to governing with and through networks, is known as ‘network governance’ (Rhodes, 1997). Nonetheless, it is ambiguous if network governance is a global phenomenon or merely applicable to the developed world context. Since the evidence of network governance from developing countries is hitherto scarce in the literature, this research, therefore, fills the current knowledge gap by examining network governance in Thailand. The research explores and explains the presence (or absence) of network governance in Thailand through Resource Dependence Theory, using illicit drug policy implementation in Chiang Mai province as a case study. A quantitative survey (N = 217) and a qualitative semi-structured interview (N = 31) were employed to accumulate primary data. The findings reveal that governance in the case under consideration had not shifted towards networks. Although it was found that there is a moderate degree of resource interdependence between state and non-state organisations involved in the policy, it was not sufficient to verify the existence of network governance. This was because power asymmetry existed in the relationship, with the state sector being the power-advantaged one. State agencies avoided collaborating with the non-state sector due to the fear of an expected loss of autonomy, whereas non-state organisations did not perceive resources from the state sector as being of critical importance. Thus, network governance was mainly absent from this case. This research joins broader intellectual debates that network governance is not a global phenomenon but rather a case-specific one, which suggests that public administration scholars should take the distinctiveness of context into account. Moreover, this study contributes to the illicit drug policy making in Thailand by recommending that deregulations of some bureaucratic rules and cross-sector organisational learning are vital to facilitate network governance.

Att visa ’accountability’ (att handla på ett visst sätt och därefter redogöra för sitt handlande) har under de senaste decennierna kommit att anses viktigt för ideella organisationer. Att vara ’accountable’ antas nödvändigt för att organisationer ska upplevas som legitima av sina intressenter och därmed viktigt för deras långsiktiga överlevnad. En typ av information som antyds vara av vikt för organisationers intressenter är att de tydligt redovisar sitt syfte och relevanta prestationer. Teorier som potentiellt kan förklara hur ideella organisationer redovisar sådan information har dock forskats om endast i begränsad omfattning. Denna studie ämnade testa om resource dependence -teori och institutionell teori kan ses som giltiga förklaringsmodeller för hur ideella organisationer i årsberättelsen redovisar sitt syfte och relevanta prestationer. Med grund i teorierna formulerades två hypoteser vilka gör antaganden om syftes -och prestationsredovisningens utförlighet. Hypotesen som gjordes med grund i resource dependence -teori antog att syftes -och prestationsredovisningen skulle vara utförligare för ideella organisationer som till en högre andel var bidrags -eller donationsfinansierade. Hypotesen som gjordes med grund i institutionell teori antog att syftes-och prestationsredovisningens utförlighet skulle signifikant skilja sig mellan ideella organisationer som utövade olika typ av verksamhet, i denna studie museiverksamheter och sociala insatser. En innehållsanalys utfördes med ett stickprov av årsberättelser från 59 ideellaorganisationer avseende de två verksamhetstyperna. En checklista användes som utgångspunkt för att binärt poängsätta och därmed kvantifiera syftes -och prestationsredovisningens utförlighet. Därefter prövades hypoteserna genom att statistiskt analysera redovisningens utförlighet i relation till andelen bidragsfinansiering samt typ av verksamhet. Studiens resultat visar stöd för båda hypoteserna. För den hypotes som tog sin utgångspunkt i institutionell teori visas dock ett statistiskt starkare stöd. Resultaten antyder att både resource dependence -teori och institutionell teori är giltiga förklaringsmodeller i fråga om hur ideella organisationer väljer att utforma sin syftes -och prestationsredovisning i årsberättelsen.

In the wake of budgetary restraints, many local government organizations are examining existing sources of revenue to exhaust available streams without increasing constituents' financial burden. Some of these revenue streams include nontraditional sources, such as traffic citations, yet little research has explored the implications of revenue generated from fines from traffic citations. Using the theory of resource dependence as the foundation, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the estimated population of the county, the unemployment rate of the county, and the personal income per capita against the number of traffic citations issued and the Florida Clerk of Court and Comptroller's (FCCC) revenues and budget attributable to traffic citations for 39 of Florida's counties for the years 2005-¬ - 2014. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses. The results of this study indicate a statistically significant (p < .001) relationship between population and personal income with increases and decreases, respectively, in the issuance of traffic citations and FCCC revenues attributable to traffic citations. Likewise, there was a statistically significant (p < .001) relationship between population and personal income with increases in the FCCC budget associated with traffic citations. Unemployment rate was not statistically associated with the issuance of traffic citations, and FCCC revenues and budget attributable to traffic citations. The findings of this study may promote positive social change by providing legislative awareness that the FCCCs continue to be dependent on the bulk of their revenues, and significant portion of their budget, from a nontraditional revenue source; the traffic citation.

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Ökade krav på företags hållbarhetsrapportering och investerare som ställer krav på implementering av ESG-kriterier i Private Equity-fonder är drivkrafter för Private Equity-företag att arbeta med ESG. Syftet med uppsatsen är att få en ökad förståelse för hur tre nordiska Private Equity-företag utformar styrelsen i portföljbolagen för att arbeta med ESG. För att förklara detta har en komparativ undersökning genomförts, där vi jämförde Summa Equity, Altor Equity Partners och Nordic Capital. Information om Private Equity-företagen samlades in från intervjuer med företagen och från dokument om företagen. Vi har hittat att Private Equity-företagen främst tillsätter styrelseledamöter med ESG-expertis i sina portföljbolag vid särskilda behov av kunskap inom ESG. Eftersom portföljbolagen styrs genom styrelsen är det viktigt att tillsätta styrelseledamöter med olika erfarenheter och expertis som kompletterar varandra. Vidare har vi hittat att Private Equity-företagen inte enbart bidrar med kunskap inom ESG genom portföljbolagens styrelse, utan även genom rådgivning till ledning och anställda.

Societal and environmental challenges present challenges for our current industrial systems. In order to respond to these difficulties, various alternative systems have been suggested, as they promise sustainability and increased societal quality of life enabled by innovative technologies. These future solutions hold the capacity to solve problems by unlocking considerable business potential. However, the journey to the forthcoming era will bring dramatic changes, not only to the success of incumbent industrial stakeholders but also to their very existence. The upcoming changes are impregnated with hazards to current business models of successful organizations. So, one may ask what impact future technologies may have on the realms that industrial actors live in? To disentangle the complexity of the unknowns, multitudes of collaborative efforts in protected spaces have emerged globally to experiment with potential systems on the road to sociotechnical transitions. The transport sector is undergoing efforts towards transitions to future sustainable systems. This sector has a special focus when it comes to sustainability challenges due to its substantial economic and environmental impact.  Bus systems are at the heart of this challenge due to the central role they play in urban mobility. Hence, different fuels and charging technologies for buses have been tested in pilot projects to facilitate the march towards sustainability; electric charging is one of the promising technologies, which achieve this aim. However, current business models of incumbent transport stakeholders seem to be problematic, and changes to facilitate the transitions seem to be complex. Extant literature indicates a critical role of business models under sociotechnical transitions. Theoretically, there is an underlying need for incumbents to change their business models to reap the benefits of innovative technologies. However, this change is difficult and potential business models are far from clear. With that, the dynamics of business models under transition remains as an underexplored area, and the challenge to incumbent business models poses itself as an interesting area to gauge. Under this umbrella, a question arises regarding how the pressure on incumbent business models interacts with systemic innovations. This thesis is a case study of an incumbent bus operator participating in a pilot project on a future bus system. The case study is in-depth in nature and investigates the potential business model of a bus operator in a multiple stakeholder pilot project, which tests an inductive electric hybrid bus. With a strong empirical exploratory nature, this thesis is built on an “insider” single case study that occurred in the year 2016-2017. The focus of the study is on the pressure on bus operator business model in the face of systemic innovation. The findings reveal positive future value proposition, disrupted value creation, and unclear value capture in the potential business model of the operator. Moreover, the findings show lock-in and resource dependence situation of the operator’s current business model. The lock-in of the business model hinder the transition to future sociotechnical bus system and makes it difficult to commercialize the new technology. The outcome of this thesis speaks to a significant influence of history and the regulator, manifested by rules on the future of business models of commercial incumbent stakeholders. This demonstrates lock-in may prove to be a major impediment, and that unchained and flexible business model of incumbents is critical for further continuation of successful shifts. Given these findings, this thesis suggests applying the business model lens to pilot projects for sustainability. This would aid in better comprehending how current business models may facilitate or hinder favorable transitions. This knowledge informs both managerial decisions and policy making, especially when it comes to resource optimization and investment decisions. / <p>QC 20190416</p> / Wireless Bus Stop Charging

Yes / This study examines the impact of multi-layer governance mechanisms on the level of bank risk disclosure. Using a large dataset from 14 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries over a period of 8 years, our findings are three-fold. First, our results suggest that the presence of a Sharia supervisory board is positively associated with the level of risk disclosure. Second and at the bank-level, we find that ownership structures have a positive effect on the level of risk disclosure. At the country-level, our evidence suggests that control of corruption has a positive effect on the level of bank risk disclosure. Our study is, therefore, a major departure from much of the existing accounting literature that offers new crucial insights that show that firms’ disclosure choices are not mainly shaped by firm-level (internal) governance arrangements, but also country-level (external) governance and religious factors. Our findings have important implications for corporate boards, investors, regulatory authorities, standards-setters and governments relating to the development, implementation and enforcement of corporate and national governance standards.

xviii, 197 p. / Whistleblowing has been a topic of media interest since the Vietnam War, and it continues to resonate strongly with the public. Several well-publicized whistleblowers have done much more than catch the attention of the world media. They arguably have changed the world. Whistleblowing refers to the reporting of illegal, wasteful, or unethical activities (i.e., wrongdoing) by current and former employees of an organization. Triggered by several highly publicized corporate financial failures, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires publicly traded companies to provide an anonymous channel for employees to report financial wrongdoing and provides protection for those who do. Using resource dependence perspective and relationship management theory, this study uses e-mail to distribute an online survey to top-ranking public relations executives in the Fortune 1000 corporations to identify what role public relations executives have played in developing and publicizing anonymous whistleblowing channels, their knowledge of wrongdoing in their own organizations and elsewhere, their attitudes and actions related to the wrongdoing, the consequences of their actions, and their relationships with their organizations. The study finds that only one-fifth of respondents helped develop the required anonymous communication channel, but two-thirds helped publicize it; almost one-half of respondents are aware of wrongdoing in their corporations or in other organizations, and two-thirds of those report such activities; those who report wrongdoing do so through internal channels within the corporation, with one exception; few who report wrongdoing suffer retaliation; and the vast majority enjoy positive relationships with their organizations. However, a small number of respondents experienced retaliation, and the research points to a broader exploration of this topic among public relations personnel within Fortune 1000 corporations to determine to what extent status, relationships, and benefits such as the "golden handcuffs" influence whistleblowing. Future research on whistleblowing and ethics in public relations is warranted. / Committee in charge: Dr. Patricia A. Curtin, Co-Chairperson; Dr. H. Leslie Steeves, Co-Chairperson; Dr. James K. Van Leuven, Member; Dr. Michael Russo, Member; Dr. Anne Parmigiani, Outside Member

Background: The debate on gender equality is a topical subject in Sweden as well as the rest of the world. A gender quota law was proposed for Swedish listed companies but was outvoted. Is there a connection between gender equal companies and financial performance? Purpose: The main purpose of this study aims to investigate if companies with gender equal boards financially outperforms companies who does not have a gender equal board. Method: The thesis is based on a quantitative method along with a deductive approach in order to collect secondary data. Multiple regression analysis was performed in order to test the results against Critical Mass Theory, Resource Dependence Theory and previous research findings. Conclusion: The results of the study conclude that there is a significant positive relationship between gender equal boards and a higher market value. Furthermore, our findings show no significant relationship between gender equal boards and profitability. / Bakgrund: Jämställdhetsdebatten är ett aktuellt ämne både i Sverige som i världen. Ett förslag om könskvotering bland bolagsstyrelser på börsen i Sverige lades fram men blev nedröstat. Finns det en koppling mellan jämställda bolagsstyrelser och finansiell prestation? Syfte: Studiens syfte avser att undersöka om företag på Stockholmsbörsen med jämställda bolagsstyrelser har en högre finansiell prestation jämfört med företag som har en icke-jämställd bolagsstyrelse. Metod: Genom ett kvantitativt angreppssätt och deduktiv ansats har studien tagit del av sekundärdata. Studien har använt multipla regressionsanalyser för att testa dess resultat mot Critical Mass Theory, Resource Dependence Theory samt tidigare forskning. Slutsats: Studiens resultat påvisar att det finns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan jämställda bolagsstyrelser och ett ökat marknadsvärde. Vidare finner studien inget statistiskt signifikant samband mellan jämställda bolagsstyrelser och företags lönsamhet.

Bakgrund Av bolag som omfattas av frivillig revision väljer 75 procent bort revision trots att den genomsnittliga kostnaden endast uppgår till 10 000 SEK per år för mindre bolag. Syftet med avskaffandet av revisionsplikten år 2010 var att minska småbolagens kostnader för att på så sätt underlätta verksamhetsdriften. Trots att forskning visar att revisorn hjälper till att förbättra och utveckla bolaget väljer majoriteten av bolagen bort den externa kompetensen om möjlighet finns. Resursberoendeteorin säger samtidigt att revisorn är en värdefull resurs som är nödvändig för småbolags överlevnad. Syfte Denna uppsats syftar till att förklara sambandet mellan revision och risken för konkurs för småbolag. Metod Denna kvantitativa studie utgår från en deduktiv ansats. Hypoteser har formulerats med utgångspunkt i resursberoendeteori. En tvärsnittsdesign används med syfte att undersöka risken för konkurs vid en viss tidpunkt. Det empiriska underlaget utgörs av sekundärdata. Slutsats Det finns ett negativt samband mellan revision och risken för konkurs bland svenska småbolag. Revisorn minskar risken för konkurs med 10,42 % varför revision bör ses som en nödvändig resurs för småbolagens överlevnad. / Introduction Despite the fact that the average cost of auditing for SMEs only amounts to 10 000 SEK per year, 75 percent of the SMEs refrain from voluntary audit. The purpose of the abolition of mandatory audit in 2010 was to reduce costs for SMEs in order to benefit their operations. Although research has shown that the auditor helps to improve and develop the company, the majority of the SMEs in Sweden refrains from this external resource. At the same time, according to resource dependence theory, the auditor is a valuable resource that is essential for SMEs. Purpose This study seeks to explain the relationship between auditing and the risk of bankruptcy for SMEs. Method This quantitative study is based on a deductive approach, where hypotheses have been formulated on the basis of resource dependence theory. A cross-sectional design is used in order to study the risk of bankruptcy at a given time. The empirical data consists of archival data. Conclusion There is a negative relationship between auditing and the risk of bankruptcy among SMEs in Sweden. The auditor reduces the risk of bankruptcy with 10.42 %. Hence, the auditor should be seen as essential for the survival of SMEs.