Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 687-714).

The subject matter of the present diploma thesis is an exchange of information as an individual cartel behavior. It focuses on processes and operations that are performed within the frame of activities of trade associations. It should, first, be noted that in most cases, the exchange of information is an absolutely legal way how to make qualified and successful decisions on the transparent market. However, under particular conditions, it may represent a danger in the form of violation of competition law. Such violation can present particularly an exchange of information that removes uncertainty in market relationships and enables companies to foresee behavior of other competitors. The primary objective of this thesis is to complexly describe an attitude that evolved in the interpretation and application practice of the European Commission, or as the case may be of the European courts. On the base of theoretical findings and analysis, the thesis defines criteria that are applied when assessing exchange of information and determines the border between the legal and illegal exchange of information among competitors in the actual law of the European Union. So far as the content is concerned, the thesis is divided into five separate chapters. The first one provides a general definition of the exchange of...

This study was prompted by the lack of information on women traders associations in the African context. Women’s participation in the informal economy is increasing due to factors such as high unemployment rate, women’s lower education level compared to men and, the flexibility of entry and exit in the informal sector compared to the formal sector. In general, informal workers do not hold any formal contract determining minimum wage, employment benefits or social protection. Women continue to face very high barriers to have access to education and training because of the on going gender biases in many societies. Traders associations could hold the potential to relieve women traders from their daily burdens in public markets. This study uses the theory of social exclusion to examine different barriers women face in the market, and the role of traders associations hold in their inclusion. The nature of the informal sector makes it difficult for traders associations to organise and provide services to their women members. Poorer women within traders associations have serious challenges in trying to be more assertive in their local communities and markets. Gender, class, kinship and ethnicity could all combine to account for their low status in their communities. Women’s integration within trade organisations depends largely on the negotiation of their terms of inclusion. Unfair terms of inclusion can potentially lead and continue unequal power relations as well as wealth inequality among traders. Qualitative methods were used in this study of women traders in St Balikuddembe market, Kampala, Uganda. Over a period of six weeks, 25 days were spent in the market carefully observing women at work, and then conducting 20 individual interviews and two focus group discussions. The role which traders associations play in women’s lives, the influence they hold in the association and the procedure of integration in the market were examined. The study revealed that the size of the main traders association for women determines the level of exclusion and its implication in its women members lives. Although OWA could be defined as an MBO, there is in fact a gap in their organisational structures in order to help women integrate better the market. It is in fact too large to be able to reach members, and is not accountable to them. The effect of social exclusion was identified in the gender, class and age of the women. Women traders of St Balikuddembe market, in trying to achieve inclusion, form smaller self- help groups in addition to the large one. Both kinds of association play very different roles and perform different functions which are equally important in the lives of the women traders. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

To most Australian historians, the political history of Victoria during the final decades of the nineteenth century is a closed book. Except for the considerable attention bestowed on the labor party, which was after all of minor importance in Victoria until the early years of this century, few historians indeed have ventured to comment even briefly on this colony’s political live.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2007--Köln.

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2004.

By pursuing private and collective political action in the nonmarket environment, businesses attempt to influence public policy that shapes their operating environment. This dissertation considers how a firm’s market-based experience and its accumulation of political resources affect how the firm combines private and collective political tactics. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) I investigate how a firm’s alliance experience, political resources and prior collective political experience influence the autonomy of its Corporate Political Activity (CPA). I use fixed effects GLS regression with clustered standard errors to test my model on a panel of 21,329 firm/year observations of 2,779 U.S. property casualty insurance companies over the ten-year period between 2005 and 2014. I find support for the influence of state-level political resources, equity alliances, and the interaction of prior collective CPA experience with regulatory complexity and learning capacity on autonomy. My findings contribute to the growing literature connecting market and non-market strategies by linking collaboration in the political arena to the related market activity of alliance experience. Findings also contribute to our understanding of how participation in a collective provides opportunities for learning, and reveals that taking advantage of this opportunity depends on a firm’s learning capacity and the complexity of its regulatory environment. These findings add insight to the literatures on CPA, inter-organizational learning, collective action and trade associations.

In the UK many industries are suffering as a result of business being lost to competition abroad. Raising the technical content of a company’s product or service may enable them to increase its competitiveness and hence retain or even increase business. A Trade Association exists to represent the interests of its members. One way that this can be realized is by provision of technical information to its members to support raising the technical content of their members’ products or services. The provision of technical information entails sourcing information, collecting it and then disseminating it in an appropriate format. Ways of undertaking this are identified. The factors that are likely to influence the provision of technical information are determined. This is so that a Trade Association can build upon its strengths, diminish weaknesses, exploit opportunities and avoid threats. A strategy for provision of engineering technical information to trade association members was given. Four mechanisms were implemented on a test-bed Trade Association; utilising information technology communication capabilities, newsletters, collaborations and conferences. Feedback and parameters were used to assess the strategy chosen for implementation on the test-bed. Taking this into consideration a revised strategy was established that can be adapted and applied by Trade Associations who wish to provide such a service in the future.

The use of social media in nonprofit professional membership organizations affects how leaders communicate with members, consumers, the community, and other stakeholders. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the social media marketing strategies that leaders in nonprofit professional membership organizations use to keep their organizations sustainable. Data were collected from 5 social media marketing leaders representing 5 nonprofit professional membership organizations in the Chicago region. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews, review of organizational documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and review of the social media sites and websites of the participants' organizations. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A thematic analysis of the data yielded 4 themes: social media platforms and engagement strategies, social media content, social media challenges, and brand awareness. Leaders of nonprofit professional membership organizations who want to gain a competitive edge by using the appropriate social media platforms, creating quality content, overcoming challenges, and increasing brand awareness might choose to align with the strategies identified in this study. The findings of this study could help organizational leaders use social media marketing strategies effectively for engagement and organizational sustainability. The implications for positive social change arising from the use of social media by leaders in nonprofit professional membership organizations include opportunities to connect with and engage the public to build stronger communities through collaboration.

The strength and affluence of an association is related to the size of its membership and its share of those eligible for membership. Associations, therefore, have an incentive not only to recruit new members, but also retain those who already belong. However, less is known about the exogenous economic factors that influence an individual's membership decision. Using time-series data from 1977 to 1992 and linear regression techniques, this thesis identifies and measures the economic factors important to the physician membership percentage of the American College of Radiology. The results of this thesis will provide the leadership of the American College of Radiology useful insight into the impact certain variables have on the membership. / Master of Arts