Este estudo busca fornecer subsídios para uma interpretação científica inovadora acerca de um fenômeno político e social pouco estudado na academia brasileira e, portanto, praticamente desconhecido do público nacional: a ascensão de um tipo especial de Islã político e militante representando no partido xiita libanês Hizballah durante a chamada guerra civil libanesa, cujo armistício coincidiu com o fim da Guerra Fria em 1989-91. Os grupos políticos e milicianos conservadores, progressistas e reformistas do conflito libanês, bem como a ingerência externa regional e internacional em favor de uns ou de outros e nos assuntos internos libaneses representaram o impulso que faltava para a culminação de um processo político e social que, desde os anos 1960, encontrava-se em gestação na comunidade xiita, historicamente à margem das instituições estatais e do controle das relações sociais de produção libanesas. Após o fim do conflito, o Hizballah adaptou e aprofundou um protagonismo político, econômico e social nunca antes observado entre os xiitas libaneses ao decidir participar das primeiras eleições parlamentares e municipais do pós-guerra. A partir do ano 2000, o partido adotou a defesa de uma espécie de nacionalismo concorrente de outras comunidades e grupos libaneses, e contrário a determinados agentes e interesses externos no Líbano. Ademais, o Hizballah assumiu a projeção e a execução de programas econômicos e sociais de assistência a parcelas da sociedade libanesa, sobretudo xiitas, destroçadas pelo conflito que recém findara e desamparadas por um Estado frágil e quase inexistente em diversas esferas. / This study intends to come up with an innovative scientific approach on a social and political phenomenon which is not a common subject or case study amongst Brazilian academics and, therefore, is deeply unknown to its national audience, i.e.: the rise of a special category of political and militant Islamist movement which is represented in the Lebanese Shiite party known as Hizballah during the Lebanese Civil War, whose armistice has coincided with the ending of the Cold War between 1989 and 1991. The conservative, progressive and reformist political groups and militias which have taken part in the Lebanese conflict, as well as foreign intervention be it regional or international in support of one or another of those parties at war and on Lebanese internal affairs have represented the impetus that lacked for the culmination of a social and political process which, since the 1960s, had been maturing among the Shiite community, historically marginalized and at bay respect to the states structure and services and to the control of Lebanese social relations of production. After the ending of the war, Hizballah has adapted and deepened its political, economic and social activism in a way that has never been observed before amongst Lebanese Shiites, especially when, back in the 1990s, the party decided to participate in the first parliamentary and municipal elections held in Lebanon after the war was over. In the 2000s, Hizballah has adopted the defense of a specific type of nationalism which competes with other Lebanese groups and sects and which is contrary to several foreign interests and agencies on Lebanon. Besides, Hizballah has taken on elaborating and performing social and economic welfare programs aimed at the Lebanese society, especially the Shiites, who have been devastated by the turmoil that not long ago had come to an end and hence felt helpless and abandoned by a fragile and absent state in many different ways and stances.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:48:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Darlene_Rosa_Silva_Dissertacao.pdf: 12357927 bytes, checksum: 7f8a76bfe94284c4b3a6de4ae5f81763 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-30 / This study is a qualitative and quantitative investigation. It has the aim to show the social and economic conditions, as well as the non-schooling, of people who live in Paredão and Costa do Bica (Piratini, RS). The study was developed in the months of January and February of the year 2008, when 114 families were visited, being 57 in Paredão and 57 in Cost do Bica. The main source of data consisted in structured interviews. From the interviews it was possible to collect data from 344 people. The responsible ones for the information were the 144 people who were available to answer the questions, as well as they could sign the authorization for public use of the collected data. The constant information from interviews which are shown in this study are about the social and economical conditions of the people who live in Paredão and Costa do Bica, and it is also about the non-schooling - the main focus of the dissertation. According to the non-schooling data of the people who live in Paredão and Costa do Bica, four basic points were revealed: the ones who were not in school age; the ones who were already enrolled in the City and the State Public Schools; the ones who were not at school anymore; and ones who have never been to school. The analisys that focus mainly the ones who are more than fifteen years old, are based on Ferraro Ferraro (1999; 2002; 2004), Galvão (2007), Pinto (2000), Ribeiro (1997; 2004; 2006), theories, besides others. The collected data from the structured interviews reveal that among people who are 15 or more, 40% are illiterate. The analisys indicated that illiteracy, in the mentioned areas, is related to social, historical and educational factors. Besides illiteracy, it was noticed, among other aspects, that children in obligatory school age do attend teaching public institutions, however those ones who are more than fourteen years old, and out of the obligation to attend school, experience school exclusion processes, since the schools do not provide the students who come from rural areas, with oportunities for being kept at school. / Este estudo, uma investigação quali-quantitativa, tem como objetivo apresentar as condições socioeconômicas e de (não)escolaridade dos moradores do Paredão e da Costa do Bica (Piratini, R/S). O trabalho de campo desenvolveu-se nos meses de janeiro e fevereiro do ano de 2008, quando foram visitadas 114 famílias, sendo 57 na localidade do Paredão e 57 na Costa do Bica. O material de coleta de dados utilizado consistiu principalmente em entrevista estruturada. Através da entrevista estruturada, pôde-se mapear dados de 344 pessoas, sendo que as/os responsáveis pela (auto)declaração de informações desse número total foram as 114 pessoas que se disponibilizaram a responder as questões, bem como a assinar a autorização para o uso público das informações coletadas. As informações constantes na entrevista e apresentadas neste trabalho versam sobre a condição socioeconômica dos moradores do Paredão e da Costa do Bica e sobre a (não)escolaridade, foco central da dissertação. Com relação aos dados sobre a (não) escolaridade dos moradores do Paredão e da Costa Bica, quatro eixos básicos foram apresentados: os que não estavam em idade escolar; os que estavam matriculados na Rede Municipal ou Estadual de Ensino; os que não frequentavam mais a escola e os que nunca frequentaram a escola. As análises, que focalizaram principalmente aqueles com idade superior a 15 anos de idade, estão apoiadas em teóricos como Ferraro (1999; 2002; 2004), Galvão (2007), Pinto (2000), Ribeiro (1997; 2004; 2006), dentre outros. Os dados coletados através da entrevista estruturada revelaram que, entre as pessoas com 15 anos ou mais, 40% são analfabetos. As análises realizadas trouxeram indícios de que o analfabetismo nas localidades citadas está relacionado a fatores sociais, históricos e educacionais. Além do analfabetismo, foi constatado, dentre outros aspectos, que as crianças em idade escolar obrigatória frequentam a instituições públicas de ensino, porém aqueles com idade superior a 14 anos, fora da obrigatoriedade, vivenciam processos de exclusão escolar, uma vez que as escolas não oportunizam meios para a permanência desses estudantes oriundos da zona rural.

Since the twentieth century, the earth has been getting warmer due to human activities that releases greenhouse gas. One of these activities is human transportation. In Sweden, the transport sector (especially road traffic) is responsible for one-third of the country’s emission. To prevent further negative effects of global warming, there is a need for change in the everyday mobility where people must choose climate-friendly ways to transport themselves. This includes less driving with private vehicles and more walking, cycling and using public means of transportation. To achieve this behavioral change in everyday travel, societies need to incorporate strategies in their planning that leads people in the right direction. In the chapter on earlier research, some of these strategies are presented. This study examines what strategies Kalmar municipality are using to reach a behavioral change in how people do their everyday traveling. Information about these strategies were derived from an interview with two people working at the municipality. Other interviews with three residents gave information about their attitudes towards means of transport and climate change. The conclusion of this essay present proposals of strategies by comparing the municipality’s strategies with the views of the residents. The strategies are: introducing more cycle stands, more marketing of the public carpool, better lightning by the strolling paths, lower prices for public transportation, less change of trains and delays, better luggage space at trains and more comfortable seats. Other strategies are minimising technical problems with the buses and creating better bus connections. Another proposal is consciousness campaigns. A strategy that turned out to be particularly important is the implementation of travel plans for schools and workplaces, which according to earlier research is the most effective strategy in changing travel behaviour in everyday life.

Bomullstextilier är en av de mest återkommande råvarorna i textilierproduktion, trots att medvetenheten om dess miljöpåfrestande framställning ökat är den fortfarande en av de viktigaste globala handelsvarorna. I och med den globala handeln har företagens agerande utvecklats från att ha en lokal produktion och försäljning till att handla med olika leverantörer och underleverantörer över hela världen. Det långa ledet leverantörer som krävs för att framställa bomullstextilier kan tillsammans med andra faktorer, som kulturella och etiska skillnader, leda till komplikationer när det kommer till uppföljningen av företagens krav på leverantörerna. Studien har en kvalitativ utgångspunkt där huvudfokus är att undersöka svenska företags möjligheter att påverka och förhindra dessa komplikationer för att uppnå en miljömässigt hållbar produktion. Insamlingen av primärdata har till stor del bestått av 5 genomförda intervjuer med nyckelpersoner inom området. Det teoretiska ramverket utgår från företagens Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vilket behandlar både dess ansvar samt dess skyldigheter. Studien har identifierat olika verktyg och implementeringsproblem som företagen möter men visar samtidigt företagens möjligheter att på egen hand påverka produktionens utkomst.

M.A. (Politics). / This is a study in political philosophy. It defends the following thesis: where there is poverty there is a lack of power and thus a lack of freedom. It does not follow from this that a life of wealth is a life of freedom and a life of poverty is a life of complete unfreedom. This is because full freedom also involves other components such as political freedom, economic freedom and so on. The thesis defended here is simply the negative one that humans remain unfree as long as they live in conditions of poverty. Thus poverty should be construed as lack of freedom in the sense of constraints or fetters it casts upon people collectively. For example, the harsh effects of segregation in the United States and apartheid in South Africa are that people continue to live in separate communities somewhat along the colour line. The worse effect of this is that those who live in poorly resourced communities are Black. They in this manner remain without freedom here construed as power to tum their situation around. This thesis criticises the liberal account of Berlin and others of similar persuasions and offer a distinct account of freedom that locates it in an individual's capacity to carry out desired actions. It will then argue that poverty constrains freedom in this sense. Thus if you are poor, you are unfree and without power to generate the requisite necessaries of life. This thesis also aims to show how the two concepts of liberty or the liberal perspective of freedom as such do not take into account the important social problems confronting us in the world today, for example poverty which in this project is taken as an exemplar of lack of freedom. Poverty is characterized best as being without the necessities to meet basic human needs such as shelter, food and recreation. More importantly, any alternative to address poverty must take into account the fundamental significance of participation in politics.

Small businesses located in the most sparsely populated and peripheral parts of Europe are frequently believed to be marginalised with respect to the processes of economic globalisation. This thesis proposes to explore an alternative perspective for understanding how small businesses that are located at the geographical margins engage with the globalised economy. Distance is no longer a purely physical phenomenon. Meanwhile, networks are considered to be the primary means for small firms to mobilise external resources and stay competitive. Acknowledging these conceptual shifts, this thesis explores how peripheral small businesses develop network configurations with multiple actors across multiple geographical scales to engage in the global economy. This thesis consists of four papers and a cover essay. The four papers share the theme of the network interaction of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in peripheral regions and discuss this theme from various perspectives with different research questions. The papers use combinations of quantitative and qualitative analytical methods to empirically investigate the configuration of small firm networks in the case study of Upper Norrland in Sweden. The cover essay introduces the overarching conceptual framework that is grounded in ideas from the seminal work of Granovetter on the social embeddedness of economic interactions and the ‘strength of weak ties’, and this essay contributes to the debate in geography on multi-scalar proximity dynamics. The empirical findings of the papers describe the collaborative and transactional forms of firm relations in peripheral regions and discuss the role of key actors—such as international customers or regional intermediary organisations—in bridging the local and extra-local dimensions of small firm networks. The conceptual contribution of this thesis corroborates the understanding that small firm development requires a balance between regional and international networks. This thesis also contributes to the debate on development policies for peripheral regions by offering insights into the manner in which institutional support for the design and implementation of open, flexible network arrangements may provide a leverage effect for small firm development. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted.</p>

Social media is fast becoming an ever-increasingly significant part of the world of business and a phenomenon which cannot be evaded. The advent of social media in the workplace compels organisations to acclimatise to the transformation emanating from employees‟ adoption of these technologies (Hanaki & Casella, 2008). Approximately seventy percent of organisations do not have a social media governance framework in place (Fink et al., 2011). Social media governance in organisations is very disjointed; companies have varying stances as to social media strategy, the risks, benefits and business use of social media (Thompson et al., 2011). The growth of social media and its use in the business environment will see a more standardised approach to social media governance (Thompson et al., 2011). Being at the forefront of technology development in Africa, and in certain areas, globally (Government of the Republic of South Africa, 2012), places added emphasis on IT organisations in South Africa to set the standard as it relates to social media governance. The diversity and depth of the human and technology resources within these organisations, creates an environment conducive to establishing and pioneering sound social media governance structures. The treatise consists of a study on the governance of social media and the successive development of two frameworks; an integrated framework for the governance of social media in the workplace, as well as integrated framework for a social media policy within an IT organisation. These frameworks are empirically evaluated amongst employees, within the context of Information Technology (IT) organisations, in South Africa. Several recommendations are proposed by the author in relation to the adoption of the proposed frameworks.

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in people’s lives and is becoming a part of most organisations’ business models. Businesses cannot ignore this phenomenon due to the increasing influx of Generation Y employees in their businesses and the Generation Y consumers who are going to buy their products and services in the future. Social media is changing the way that marketing is being conducted, in a positive way. It is changing from businesses focusing on selling products or services to customers, to businesses building relationships with customers and adding value to their lives through their products and services. This phenomenon was the base for this study. The research problem was identified as follows: SMME business owners do not understand the importance and impact of social media on their businesses. Sub-problems were identified as: defining social media and networking, describing the importance of this, which strategies are currently being used in business, how it compares to traditional networking, how this is used in recruitment strategies and what are the disadvantages of social media and networking. The research problem and sub-problems were addressed in a literature study and an empirical study. The literature study included information on SMME businesses, their importance in our economy and how social media can help them. The empirical study was done using SMME’s registered with the George Business Chamber. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to the owners of the businesses by email. The answers were analysed and collated on a spreadsheet which were presented in graph and diagram format. Social media and networking are becoming an integral part of businesses especially small businesses. They specifically have an important role to play in creating economic wealth and creating employment. SMME’s are faced with a lot of challenges which make it difficult for them to become successful and sustainable. Social media can play a role in overcoming a lot of these challenges by helping SMME’s with marketing, customer engagement, relationship building, recruitment, and finding valuable information, experience and partners. Social media also has disadvantages which include: virus attacks, risk of confidential information leaking and so forth, but these can easily be managed by social media polices and rules. A bigger risk lies in the fact that if a business owner ignores the existence of social media, this can lead to conversations by consumers about this business being ignored and not responded to. Another big risk for SMME’s is the fact they are at a competitive disadvantage by ignoring this new technology. This was clear from the empirical results in this study which stated that 53 percent of the businesses surveyed, were aware their competitors are using social media. The empirical results indicated a very low use of social media activities among the SMME’s surveyed but showed potential as the SMME’s understood the importance of social media and were eager to implement strategies in their businesses. The reasons offered for not using social media included the fact that it was difficult to measure its worth in time and money, advice is needed from experts and so forth. Social media and networking are not quick or cheap methods for businesses to advertise and sell their products or services. They are tools to be used over time, in order to engage with customers and build relationships. Consumers and customers expect value for their money and if they find this from a business, they will gladly share it with others. On the other hand, if they do not find value for money it could have a negative impact on the business. SMME’s must not try to replace their current marketing strategy with social networking activities. They should integrate it slowly into their current business models and search for unique ways in which it could improve the relationship with their current customers and find new customers. It should help them to either showcase their existing value added products or services, or improve it if it is not worth selling. Small businesses now have the platform to compete.

Restaurateurs often assume that customers' online reviews of their dining experiences are a reflection of their dining preferences. This study finds this assumption not to be true. Online written reviews do not explain diners’ preferred dining experiences. In this study post-experience reactions captured in reviews are shown to be contextually different to established dining preferences. Results show online reviews to be most important in facilitating customer dining expectations, but not influencing customers’ preferences in dining experiences. Evidence gathered during the secondary research shows that in general, social media has become the great marketing equaliser in commerce. In the dining industry, restaurants cannot solely rely on traditional media in the initial attraction and retention of dining customers. Continuous interaction between the business and customers is increasingly necessary for restaurateurs to remain competitive and in-touch with customers’ needs. This study concentrates its research area on the post-experience evaluation phase as found on review websites, like TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor has especially become a popular means to perpetuate word-of-mouth opinions of dining experiences among prospective customers. Research shows clear evidence of the importance of other's online opinions in the consumer decision-making process. The main variables of the study, namely customer experiences, restaurant dining and social media, are theoretically explored within the disciplines of service management and customer behaviour. These theories have laid a sound foundation for the subsequent research methods followed. The main purpose of the study was using social media reviews from TripAdvisor to investigate dining experiences in the restaurant industry. The outcomes desired were: firstly to advise the restaurant industry about superior customer practices, secondly emphasising the importance for industry of social media use in the dining experience, and thirdly rendering clarification on the experience perceptions of customers about factors that might lead to ‘delight’ and ‘frustration’. This research centralises the constructs of delight and frustration factors, which are typically extremely emotional dining experiences for the customer, that have the common element of surprise. Methodologically, the research required two phases: firstly, the qualitative analysis of online user-generated content by content analysis. The global sample consisted of seven international cities, which included the best, worst and average-rated TripAdvisor restaurant reviews. The content analysis produced the theoretical base for the dining perception variables used in the empirical survey. In the second phase of the study, the global surveys administered resulted in measuring the general public’s perceptions of the delight and frustration factors of dining experiences. Subsequently, the research process required various quantitative data analyses to reach substantial results with inferences. The results and interpreted findings achieved were twofold: Firstly, from the content analysis: customers regard service quality as relatively unimportant in relation to the holistic dining experience. Customers regarded food and beverage quality as crucial in the dining experience. Value for money increasingly becomes an issue as customers become more frustrated, more so than when the dining was generally experienced as pleasant. Secondly, from the empirical data: mood and aesthetics are essential, especially when diners chose between their favourite restaurants. Further results show managing the service basics for restaurants is essential; this included welcoming, professional, attentive and friendly service. Service consistency has also proven to be imperative in customers’ perceptions. Results further show that different nationalities could perceive food quality and service reliability differently. In addition, men and women could perceive food quality, mood and aesthetics, and value for money differently. This study recommends various findings to the restaurant industry: most importantly that the post-experience reviews are contextually different to customers’ dining preferences. The factor determining the reputation of a restaurant is food quality and not so much service quality. Value for money should be associated with a specific service or product feature for it to be of meaningful consequence to the restaurateur.

Contemporary urban planning for the past decades has concentrated on sustainable development, for instance through the promotion of dense development (Echenique et al., 2012). Important components for sustainable urban development concerns increasing residential and building density, as means of counteracting the consequences of urban sprawl (Jenks and Jones, 2008). Because it is argued that high-residential density is more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable than low-density since a higher concentration of people contributes to for instance shorter transportation distances as well as makes services and amenities more economically viable  (Frey, 1999; Haughton and Hunter, 2004). However, whether the densification of cities has desirable or undesirable social, economic and ecological impacts is highly contested. The purpose of this study is to analyze the socioeconomic outcomes of the urban densification process in the Lundby District, Gothenburg, over time. Through a mixed method approach, statistical information for Lundby District, for the years 2008 to 2015 have been processed and two semi-structured interviews with employees in the City Planning Authority and Lundby District Administration were conducted. The densification in Lundby presents certain strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. As more than 6300 new housing units has been constructed during this time-period, and more is to come in the near future, Lundby experienced a repopulation as the housing construction has facilitate a population increase of more than 11 000 new inhabitants. However, as the favored tenure developed during this time-period been condominiums certain weaknesses exist. Nonetheless, densification and the rapid increase in population has contributed to the number of vehicle per 100 inhabitants decreasing, which presents opportunities for being more environmentally friendly. On the other hand the claim that through densification could diversity and social mixing be achieved is flawed, as seen in Lundby the densification process has brought changes in population structure and socioeconomic characteristics, which suggest some form of gentrification is occurring.