Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Actor engagement'

Despite extensive interest by academics and practitioners to understand and harness actor engagement (AE), empirical work offering insights into how and why actors change their engagement over time are limited and extant empirical research mostly focuses on the individual level of AE and fails to address its social aspects and the effects of A2A interactions. Therefore, this research is a response to both a managerial and a theoretical need for a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the AE process in an online community, while accounting for the social aspects of AE and the effects of A2A interactions. Drawing on practice theory, this thesis sets out to explore the dynamics of engagement through the engagement practices of members in an online community, identify the full spectrum of engagement states, and changes in such states over time. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, to advance the conceptualisation of AE by adopting a practice-based approach. Second, to demystify the dynamics of the AE process and the effects of A2A interactions on such a process. The context of the study is the for-profit community ExpatWoman.com (www.expatwoman.com), which is independently owned and funded mainly by advertising. The researcher's philosophical stance is that of a social constructivist, hence social constructivism is the paradigm underpinning this thesis. To achieve the above two aims, the methodology of netnography is deemed suitable to study the selected online community, where non-participant observation of the Dubai forum is used and complemented by participant observation of offline meetups organised by the community. Summarising the main implications for theory and practice, this thesis contributes from a theoretical perspective by enriching and advancing our understanding of AE in the context of online communities in four ways. First, it advances the AE conceptualisation by adopting a practice-based approach, hence supplementing its S-D logic-based foundational perspective with practice theory and demonstrates that the latter can provide a useful lens for empirically exploring AE. Second, it enhances the AE dimensionality by providing empirical support for the need to include a fourth (social) dimension. Third, by using longitudinal data, this study is one of the first to empirically explore the dynamics of the AE process in an online community and to provide empirical evidence of the engagement conceptualisation proposed by Chandler & Lusch (2015) as comprising of two fundamental attributes: connections and dispositions. Fourth, unlike most of engagement studies to date, this research considers not only positive relationships but also negative experiences, and further explores the under-researched concept of disengagement by differentiating between naturally occurring and induced disengagement. As for the practical contributions, the managerial implications emerging from the findings are primarily relevant for the growth and survival of online communities as well as for starting one. It also presents a better understanding of AE that can better guide the development of organisational strategies and tactics to maximise the benefits of this highly promising concept. Therefore, this thesis aims at suggesting some tactics to better manage the engagement platforms in specific, and the engagement process in general in the context of online communities. It also responds to calls to explore AE outside the more established B2C setting (e.g. Hollebeek et al. 2016a) and contribute to the wider online community literature by focusing on a community of interest, which represents a substantial proportion of online communities and which has been under-explored in comparison to the more researched brand communities (Hartmann et al. 2015; Weijo et al. 2014), hence can allow marketers to better capitalise on the significant opportunities that such communities can present.

Social marketing adopts marketing tools to achieve voluntary behaviour change, and has been effective in promoting a variety of public health and social wellbeing causes including, but not limited to, alcohol harm reduction (Kubacki, Rundle-Thiele, Pang, & Buyucek, 2015a), improving rates of physical activity (Gordon et al., 2006; Xia et al., 2016) and promotion of healthy eating (Carins & Rundle-Thiele, 2014). As social media have become an integral driver of modern communication in recent years (Lovejoy et al., 2012), social marketers have started incorporating the use of social media in their communications (Evans et al., 2019; Kubacki et al., 2015b; Li, Lia, & Lin, 2017; Neiger et al., 2013). Although the prominent advantages of social media include their ability to engage communities through two-way conversations (Jaakkola & Alexander, 2014; Larivière et al., 2017), along with allowing them to create their own content (Ashley & Tuten, 2015; Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy, & Silvestre, 2011), research suggests that social marketers have little knowledge about the use of social media for creating customer engagement in social marketing programmes (James et al., 2013; Justice-Gardiner et al., 2012; Neiger et al., 2012; 2013; Overbey, Jaykus, & Chapman, 2017). Further, social marketers have struggled to engage their audiences on social media, despite their potential to scale up programme reach and build ongoing community support to help resolve social issues (Rodriguez, Ostrow, & Kemp, 2017). Recognising the importance of creating customer engagement to bring about behaviour change, and also the noticeable dearth of research assessing the effectiveness of social media in creating such engagement, this PhD seeks to provide new insights into how to engage customers in social marketing programmes through the use of social media. This research was carried out as a series of inter-related studies. Study 1 is a systematic literature review to identify, analyse and evaluate social marketing programmes that have included the use of social media to engage their programme participants. Specifically, this study aims to better understand the use of social media in creating participant engagement across various social and health-related social marketing programmes. Study 2 involved qualitative in-depth interviews with social marketing practitioners who use social media to create engagement in their social marketing programmes as well as users who are engaged in these programmes via social media. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it aims to gain an understanding of social marketing practitioners’ perceptions of customer engagement and the objectives and practices that guide their social media activities. Second, this study aims to develop insights into social media users’ perceptions of factors influencing their engagement in social marketing programmes. As a result, this study concludes with the proposition of a dynamic multi-actor social media engagement framework which is then applied in practice in Study 3. Study 3 consists of a netnography focusing on the communication of a social marketing initiative via social media. This study aims to explore the interactions between social marketing practitioners and users of their social media platform using the dynamic multi-actor engagement framework. Exploring their interactions provides insight into how these two groups engage with one another, and helps to identify the characteristics of their engagement on social media. The review of the existing social marketing programmes in Study 1 showed that social marketers were not harnessing social media’s potential in developing customer engagement and building relationships with their customers; rather, in most of the thirty-one social marketing studies examined, social media were mainly used to disseminate the programmes through one-way communication, with only a handful of programmes using social media to interact with users or to build enduring relationships with them. Moreover, conducting thirty-two interviews with social marketing practitioners and social media users allowed insights to be gained from both key stakeholder groups. Consequently, a new practical framework for multi-actor engagement in social marketing programmes was proposed along with measurement tools necessary for assessing its components. The multi-actor engagement framework recognises the dynamic and iterative engagement between multiple actors on social media, in contrast to simple dyadic interactions between the focal customer and organisation, which lead to the development of enduring and long-term relationships. The framework identified four distinct levels of engagement ― connection, interaction, loyalty and advocacy — all equally important constituents of engagement, and thus, equally important to developing sustainable social marketing impact. In addition, the application of this multi-actor engagement framework to understand, analyse and assess engagement behaviours in a real-life and ongoing social marketing programme on social media provided further insights into the applicability of the framework and identified additional measurements to further refine the overall applicability of the framework.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept of Marketing
Griffith Business School
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In recent years, it has become apparent that the sharing economy has become a major business model that has received considerable attention from scholars in various disciplines, especially marketing. Although previous marketing research has focused mainly on the customer side of the sharing economy, current research is pushing into the platform and business model levels. This upgrading helps researchers study the relationship between customer and service provider and the relationship with the platform in the sharing economy. As the sharing economy is an open business model, customers and service providers enter and exit this platform with a lower level of limitation. Thus, a platform’s long-term success depends on the actor’s (service provider and customer) engagement with the platform. Besides that, the literature on engagement has described the “actor engagement” concept to enable research on study engagement in a triadic context, as found in the sharing economy or B2B business models. While customer engagement is a well-established research area, the notion of actor engagement is new in marketing, especially in the sharing economy, and a lack of empirical research in this area exists. Thus, this research sought to examine the role of actor engagement in the sharing economy and how it can influence platform performance. From a theoretical perspective, these findings provide a better understanding of actor engagement formation process and indicate how customer and service provider engagement with other actors leads to platform sales. From practical implication, it guides service providers and especially platforms to manage actor engagement to enhance their performance effectively. In this regard, four studies were conducted to meet the thesis goal of studying the role of actor engagement on platform performance. The current research used a meta-analysis to review and synthesize findings from customer engagement (first meta-analysis study) and sharing economy literature (second meta-analysis study) to develop a conceptual model of actor engagement formation (first empirical study) and its role on platform performance (second empirical study). The first meta-analysis study presents a comprehensive and generalizable picture of the customer engagement concept. As actor engagement originated from the customer engagement concept, it helps us identify research gaps and develop empirical research frameworks. This study provides a meta-analysis that integrated data of 196 effect sizes of 184 publications with a sample of 146,380. The findings reveal engagement through two pathways: (1) organic as relationship-oriented (perceived quality, perceived value, and relationship quality) and (2) promoted as firm-initiated (functional and experiential initiatives). Moderator analysis indicates that the influence of the two pathways on engagement depends on engagement context (online versus offline), industry and product types (service versus manufacturing and hedonic versus utilitarian, respectively), and cultural context. Findings support an attitudinal engagement–loyalty and behavioral engagement–firm performance linkage. Study results provide new insight into various engagement approaches and their relationships. The authors offer recommendations to help marketers manage their customer engagement process more effectively. In the second meta-analysis, a generalizable picture of the relationship formation process between customer, service provider, and platform is provided. This study integrated 214 effect sizes from 192 studies with 88,154 sample sizes. The findings indicate motivators and inhibitors for individuals to join (not join) a platform as a customer or service provider by influencing their attitudinal and behavioral responses to the platform through a two-level relationship quality pathway. Moderator analysis reveals the impact of customer motivators and inhibitors on customer responses to service providers and platforms depending on country-level moderators, such as the Human Development Index (HDI) and cultural context. These results provide insight into relationship formation among actors in the sharing economy. The study also recommends that platform managers manage their users’ relationships more effectively. The first empirical study examined actor engagement formation and its roles in service provider performance. Research data include text and image from Airbnb in seven countries. Text and image mining and machine learning were used to measure research variables after which partial least squares path modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the research model. Results indicate that for the multidimensional actor engagement concept, actor affective engagement showed a greater impact on actor behavioral engagement than cognitive engagement. Also, service providers’ behavioral engagement influences customer engagement behavior and subsequently, service provider performance. Moderator analysis indicates the complex role of service provider age, gender, and cultural value in actor engagement formation in the sharing economy and highlights differences with findings in the business to customer context. Finally, the second empirical research studied the actor engagement formation among customers and service providers on sharing economy platform performance in seven countries. Research data include structured and unstructured data of 159,662 service providers and 2,087,233 customers from Airbnb in seven countries. Text mining and machine learning techniques were used to measure research variables, and multilevel regression was employed to test the research model. Results indicate that efforts to maximize value for money and accuracy of service provider descriptions among service provider engagement behaviours were the main predictor of customer engagement and platform performance. For customer engagement, customer lifetime value and customer referral value (CLV and CRV, respectively) were shown to be among the behaviors that have the highest impact on platform performance. In addition, Airbnb as a genuinely global platform enables the investigation of a range of country-level factors (such as economic, competitiveness, cultural, technological, social, and political factors) on actor engagement, thus providing more comprehensive understanding of this concept from a global perspective. The theoretical and empirical implications of these findings are discussed.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept of Marketing
Griffith Business School
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Following the 2017-2018 North Korea nuclear crisis and a decade of disinterest, scholarly attention to the EU’s involvement in the Korean conflict has steadily increased. This thesis compares EU actorness in the Korean conflict, spanning the periods 2011-2012 and 2018-2019, using parts of Rhinard’s and Sjöstedt’s (2019) new actorness framework. Following recent developments in Actorness studies and heeding calls for a greater focus on external factors, it situates the analysis within the Korean conflict's broader context. It concludes that while the EU has deepened its overall engagement in the Northeast Asia region – shifting focus from North to South Korea – the EU has shown little interest in getting involved, despite other actors perceiving further EU involvement favorably. Brussels has continuously been unable to define what role it wants to play. Internal disunity concerning how the EU should balance its troubled relationship with the US with commitments to Seoul has led to the embrace of a traditional passive status quo approach, hindering proactive engagement. The EU’s stance on North Korea remains hardened, making all further cooperation and engagement entirely conditional on progress in the denuclearization talks with the US. The analytical variables borrowed from Rhinard and Sjöstedt’s actorness framework address key concerns in previous actorness studies, allowing for a detailed analysis even when no comprehensive EU-DPRK relations are found.

Informal settlements are a relatively new phenomenon in Yemen, first documented in the 1980s (El-Shorbagi, 2008; 2007). They have since grown at a very rapid rate. Sana\'a City, the nation\'s capital, alone has an estimated 35 informal settlements that together contain 20.5 percent of that urban center\'s population (El-Shorbagi, 2008; 2007). To date, the Yemeni government has paid limited attention to informal settlements. The government has not developed any specific planning policies to address their needs, partly due to meager resources and professional capacities, and partly as a consequence of conflicting (and higher priority) needs (World Bank, 2010a). The unchecked growth of informal settlements has alarmed local and national authorities as well as international organizations and recently caused officials in these entities to begin to consider seriously how to address this new community reality.

This dissertation explores the engagement of state and non-state actors in informal settlement governance in Sana\'a. The analysis offered here employs Mahwa Aser, the largest and most controversial informal settlement in Sana\'a, as an exemplar for a broader set of concerns for all of Sana\'a\'s informal communities. The dissertation provides a nuanced portrait of Yemeni government capacities, policies, and practices related to Sana\'a\'s informal settlements generally and to Mahwa Aser particularly via the perspectives and activities of multiple stakeholders, including, importantly, the community\'s residents. It explores the active governance roles of non-governmental and international organizations seeking to provide services in these communities as well. It also explores ways to build informal community residents\' capacities to work with government and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and international governmental organizations (IGOs) to address their many basic needs.

The analysis draws on personal interviews with key stakeholders, including long-time residents of Mahwa Aser, responsible government officials, and relevant leaders of NGOs, INGOs, and IGOs in Yemen, U.S.A., and Egypt. The author also examined government and international organization reports and documents to gain insight into the governance challenges linked to continued growth of informal communities in Yemen. The study identifies a number of factors that have led to worsening living conditions in Mahwa Aser and other informal settlements in Sana\'a. Taken together they suggest the Yemeni government and its partners may need to work far more self-consciously with informal community residents to establish shared goals and clear expectations. Those entities engaged collectively in governing these communities in Sana\'a and in Yemen more generally will need to develop reliable policies and coherent programs within a transparent governance framework if the very difficult living conditions in such communities are to be improved. In particular, governance actors will need to devise ways and means to develop government capacities and resources even as they work to address community infrastructure and service needs in a sometimes daunting socio-cultural and economic context.



Ph. D.

Pornography has increasingly become a hot topic of discussion in the United States, likely due to its increasing rate of consumption. Recent scholarship has indicated the need to account for factors such as masturbation and sexual desire discrepancy when conducting pornography research. The current study isolated the influence pornography use had on those in heterosexual romantic relationships (N=713 couples) by parsing out the effects of sexual desire discrepancy and masturbation. This was done by using a series of nested actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) to see how the relationships between pornography use and sexual satisfaction changed in each model. Masturbation and sexual desire discrepancy were also investigated as potential moderators for the APIMs to explore the effects the levels of these variables had on that relationship. Results from these analyses demonstrated that the best-fitting model included measures of masturbation, sexual desire discrepancy, and sexual engagement (i.e., controls for the values making up sexual desire discrepancy), and that adding each of these variables to the model significantly changed pornography use's actor and partner effects. Masturbation and sexual desire discrepancy were not found to moderate these relationships. A discussion of the research implications of these findings, the limitations of this study, future directions for research, and clinical implications of this study are also presented.

The purpose of this study was to understand which elements of the drama processes are most conducive to increasing empathy in adolescents. Empathy can have a significant impact on situational and dispositional pro-social behaviour in adolescents. It is positively related to moral development, healthy relationships and problem-solving skills; and negatively related to bullying behaviour, aggression, and victimisation. The practice of Creative Drama, in particular the work of Dorothy Heathcote and Bruce Burton, has informed drama programs that foster empathy in participants. This process, combined with the Actor Training system of Constantin Stanislavski, and the Forum Theatre model developed by Augusto Boal, was tested for its efficacy in increasing empathy in adolescents. This study took the form of a ten-week drama-based program intervention (The Empathy Program) conducted at one secondary school in the Perth metropolitan area with a group of Year 10 students. A constructivist, mixed methods approach was utilised to frame the study. Data was collected through structured self-response surveys for students in both experimental and control groups, as well as semi-structured written reflections completed by students in the experimental group after each week of the intervention. Findings of this research showed a significant increase in participant empathy, which highlights the potential for drama to improve student empathy. Results also detailed six key elements that were effective in the development of empathy amongst participants, including explicit instruction and the importance of imagination and role-play. This research reflects the important role that drama can have in the social and emotional development of young people and recommends strategies for inclusion in current drama pedagogical practices.

Le présent travail étudie le mouvement écologique en Bulgarie (1987-2014) comme un représentant typique et spécifique des nouveaux mouvements sociaux. Il s'agit de questionner en particulier les rapports qui lient l'écologie, la politique et l'engagement. L'évolution du mouvement est observée dans sa continuité historique, au niveau macro (dans sa relation avec les enjeux politiques majeurs de notre temps), au niveau méso (dans son contexte structurel et culturel) et au niveau micro (celui de l’individu engagé). L'approche générale est interdisciplinaire, elle réunit histoire politique, anthropologie, sociologie, philosophie et psychologie. L'analyse fait combiner méthodes qualitatives et comparatives et quantitatives. Le mouvement écologique en Bulgarie est un acteur sociopolitique d'un nouveau type qui a ancrage profond et une dimension éthique et politique. En tant que mouvement contestataire et trans-partisan véhiculant une “politique citoyenne” authentique opposée à “la politique politicienne” du statu quo, il fait promouvoir une culture civique participative; la personnalité humaine y joue un rôle fondamental. Il apparaît également comme un des facteur de la démocratisation de fait de la vie politique du pays après la chute du régime totalitaire. Le mouvement se construit en espace de dépassement de la politique héritée du siècle passé annonçant la nécessité d'une nouvelle «politique planétaire», fondée sur de nouvelles synthèses de valeurs et de pratiques. Par ailleurs, il reflète une attitude particulière envers la nature liée aux spécificités de la culture nationale
This study examines the Green Movement in Bulgaria (1987-2014) as a typical and specific example of the New Social Movements. It focuses on the interconnection between environmentalism, politics and participation. We present the movement along with its evolution and analyse it on three levels: macro (through its relation to the most important contemporary issues, phenomena and processes); meso (in the national context during the past three generations); and micro (through the prism of individuals and their experience). Our general approach is interdisciplinary, combining qualitative, comparative and quantitative methods. Bulgaria’s green movement is a citizen and political movement of a new type. In the context of the New Social Movements, it is an actor of challenging the status quo; a moral corrective of the power, which implements a genuine ‘citizen environmental politics.’ Secondly, it introduces and fosters New Culture and New Politics based on a novel set of values, practices and behavioural models: one where the individual is essential. Thirdly, it is one of the pillars of Bulgarian civil society, a key factor in democratizing the socio-political life. Last but not least, it is a vehicle of an Eco-humanism originating in the specific environment that gave birth to the citizens’ movements in Eastern Europe under the totalitarian regimes and during the Democratic Transition. It also embodies a specific national attitude towards nature, traditionally stemming from peculiarities of Bulgarian culture

This dissertation examines the involvement of Liberia's religious and diaspora groups in the peace process that ended the 14-year Liberian Civil War (1989-2003). Its aims include determining the extent of, the rationale for, as well as the effects of the involvement of Liberia's religious and diaspora groups in the peacemaking efforts that were undertaken in the course of the Liberian conflict. While findings show that a multiplicity of factors were responsible for the eventual resolution of the protracted conflict, they also reveal that the action of both religious and diaspora actors influenced the trajectory of the conflict and the outcome of the peace process. The religious actors, being the initiators of the Liberian peace process, played such roles as mediators, dialogue facilitators, watchdogs and trustees of the entire process. Although their efforts were mainly influenced by the desire to fulfil the divine mandate to 'tend to the flock', achievable only in a peaceful and stable environment, religious actors' peacemaking roles also presented an opportunity to regain some of the societal influence that organized religion, especially Christianity, enjoyed during the 158 years of minority 'Americo-Liberian' rule. For diaspora actors, whose roles ranged from being founders and sponsors of warring factions, to providing succour to Liberians back home through remittances, and subsequently engaging the peace process, attaining political power through the barrel of the gun or through peaceful means served the same purpose. In achieving the dissertation's aims, a historical analysis of Liberia's socio-political environment is undertaken. Also examined are the roles played by various international, regional and national actors, either as peacemakers or as sponsors of various warring factions engaged in hostilities, as well as relevant theories or paradigms such as Conflict Transformation, Social Capital and Liberal Peace. This empirical study employed the means of qualitative research methods, obtaining primary data through interviews conducted in Liberia, Ghana, the USA and Nigeria.

Notre thèse est une approche à double objectif : D’abord, comme le titre l’indique, étudier la pratique théâtrale professionnelle de Roger Assaf, médiation d'une Histoire singulière, et à travers son parcours faire la lumière sur l’histoire du théâtre au Liban, qui est aussi l’histoire du Liban et de la région. Ensuite, contribuer d’une certaine façon à sauver « la mémoire collective », et faire de cette thèse une étape dans la constitution d’une archive sur le théâtre au Liban, en puisant les informations et les détails auprès de Roger Assaf, le comédien, le dramaturge, le metteur en scène et l’écrivain, et de fixer dans cette « mémoire collective » des moments exceptionnels recueillis auprès des gens, essence même de l’esprit de l’Association SHAMS qui a constitué le couronnement du parcours artistique et culturel de Roger Assaf
This thesis is a dual-purpose approach: First, as the title suggests, study the professional theatrical practice of Roger Assaf, mediated a singular History, and through his journey shed light on the history of theater in Lebanon, which is also the history of Lebanon and the region. Then, contribute in a certain way to save “the collective memory”, and make this thesis a step in the constitution of an archive on the theater in Lebanon, drawing information and details from Roger Assaf, the actor, the dramaturge, the director and the writer, and to fix in this “collective memory” exceptional moments collected from people, the very essence of the spirit of the SHAMS Association which was the culmination of the artistic and cultural journey of Roger Assaf

The purpose of this thesis is to assess Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan before and after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. I argue that the nature of the relationship was transformed by the region becoming the centre of Cold War conflict, and show how Pakistan’s role affected the development of the mujahidin insurgency against Soviet occupation. My inquiry begins by assessing the historical determinants of the relationship, arising from the colonial legacy and local interpretations of the contested spheres of legitimacy proffered by state, tribe and Islam. I then map the trajectory of the relationship from Pakistan’s independence in 1947, showing how the retreat of great power rivalry following British withdrawal from the subcontinent allowed for the framing of the relationship in primarily bilateral terms. The ascendance of bilateral factors opened greater possibilities for accommodation than had previously existed, though the relationship struggled to free itself of inherited colonial disputes, represented by the Pashtunistan issue. The most promising attempt to resolve the dispute came to an end with the communist coup and subsequent Soviet invasion, which subsumed bilateral concerns under the framework of Cold War confrontation. Viewing the invasion as a major threat, Pakistan pursued negotiations for Soviet withdrawal, aligned itself with the US and gave clandestine support to the mujahidin insurgency. External support enhanced mujahidin military viability while exacerbating weaknesses in political organization and ideology. Soviet withdrawal in 1989 left an unresolved conflict. Faced with state collapse and turmoil across the border, heightened security concerns following loss of US support, and intensified links among non-state actors on both sides of the frontier, the Pakistan government drew on its recently gained experience of working through non-state actors to attempt to maintain its influence in Afghanistan. There would be no return to the relatively stable state-state ties prevailing before 1979.

The main objective of this thesis is to improve understanding of citizen participation in science in Spain. Specifically, it analyses the characteristics of current participatory practices and the opinions and attitudes of two of the main actors involved (scientists and citizens). The research has been divided into three studies based on qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (questionnaires) methodologies. The main results suggest that activities of citizen participation in science require solid scientific communication throughout the process, as well as prior planning and training (for participants and for researchers). The results indicate that Spanish researchers do not fully know their publics. However, scientists consider that they have a responsibility in science communication and public engagement activities. Spanish civil society organizations participate to a little extent in science and do not know their own potential to produce more socially relevant research.
Esta tesis tiene como objetivo principal mejorar la comprensión sobre la participación ciudadana en ciencia en España. En concreto, analiza las características de prácticas participativas actuales y las opiniones y actitudes de dos de los principales actores involucrados (científicos y ciudadanos). La investigación se ha dividido en tres estudios basados en metodologías cualitativas (entrevistas semiestructuradas) y cuantitativas (cuestionarios). Los principales resultados sugieren que las actividades de ciencia participativa necesitan una buena comunicación científica a lo largo de todo el proceso, así como planificación y formación previas (para los participantes y para los investigadores). Los resultados indican que los investigadores españoles no conocen del todo a su público. Sin embargo, consideran que tienen una responsabilidad en la comunicación de la ciencia y las actividades de public engagement. Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil española participan poco en ciencia y no conocen su propio potencial para producir una investigación socialmente más relevante.

In the field of Education there appears to be a gap in the literature examining policy implementation process from the viewpoint of educational stakeholders. This thesis attempts to address that gap by examining the impact on site based policy actors of the implementation of a policy in the form of a new mathematics curriculum. This dissertation endeavours to answer the question of how the interactions and engagement of policy actors with policy implementation processes are impacted by and impact such processes. The research approach adopted is that of a case study using a Classic Grounded Theory Methodology. This approach permits the data to be approached from a conceptually neutral position, allowing theoretical understanding to be built from the concepts that emerge from the analysis. The theoretical model developed from this grounded theory analysis is then filtered through two conceptual lenses, social cognition and affect/emotion, to determine an understanding of their theoretical relevance to the interactions and engagement of policy actors with policy processes. This study adds to the understanding of how policy processes unfold in a site based setting. In particular, it gives recognition to the affective responses of policy actors as they engage and interact with policy processes and how those responses may impinge on those processes.

Au Cambodge, le système éducatif s’inscrit dans un contexte de réformes à tous les niveaux pour répondre aux mutations accélérées de la société.Pour comprendre le fonctionnement bureaucratique de ce système éducatif et penser les conditions d’une efficacité accrue, nous avons mobilisé le cadre théorique des organisations (Crozier, 1963 ; Mintzberg, 1986, 1989) ainsi qu’une approche éthique et pédagogique qui prennent en compte la mobilisation des acteurs (Bruner, 1983 ; Durand, 1996).La question de recherche de la thèse est la suivante : quels sont les effets repérables sur les acteurs du système éducatif d’une coopération entre le Ministère de l’Éducation du Cambodge et l’ONG Pour un Sourire d’Enfant dans le cadre d’un programme de rattrapage scolaire qui est introduit dans le Ministère et pour le Ministère ? Nous présentons en détail ce programme. Sur le plan méthodologique, nous avons mobilisé différents outils auprès de l’ensemble des acteurs concernés (observations, entretiens, questionnaires).Les résultats permettent d’établir que les acteurs ont manifesté des signes de mise en œuvre d’une nouvelle posture professionnelle, notamment en termes d’engagement, même si certains enseignants sont restés en retrait pour diverses raisons
In Cambodia, the education system is part of a context of reforms at all levels to respond to the accelerated changes in society.To understand the bureaucratic functioning of this educational system and to think about the conditions for greater efficiency, we have mobilized the theoretical framework of organizations (Crozier, 1963; Mintzberg, 1986, 1989) as well as an ethical and pedagogical approach that takes into account the mobilization of actors (Bruner, 1983; Durand, 1996).The research question of the thesis is as follows: what are the identifiable effects on the actors of the education system of a cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Cambodia and the NGO Pour un Sourire d'Enfant within the framework of a school accelerated learning programme that is introduced in the Ministry and for the Ministry? We present this programme in detail.On the methodological level, we mobilized different tools from all the actors concerned (observations, interviews, questionnaires)The results show that the actors have shown signs of implementing a new professional posture, particularly in terms of commitment, even if some teachers have remained behind for various reasons

This study aims to compare two Swedish Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGO:s) in relationship to their international establishment, for the purpose to gain a more nuanced knowledge of how they operate to achieve their goals, and a better understanding of the challenges and benefits the different international establishments can bring. We interviewed two ENGO:s, Naturskyddsföreningen and Jordens Vänner, on the basis of two main issues:- How can work to influence environmental policy differ between a Swedish ENGO and an international ENGO operating in Sweden?- What are the challenges and benefits of influencing Swedish environmental policy for ENGO:s in Sweden that are different internationally established?This study used the method of Most Similar System Design to answer the main issues in the selection of cases, and further a semi-structured interview was used to collect empirical data. The main theory to analyse the data drew from Beyers (2004) conceptualisation of mobilization strategies in from of access and voice.The empirical study shows that the difference in international establishments indeed brings both challenges and advantages to the ENGO:s operationalization. The Swedish established Naturskyddsföreningen could engage in a more local matter, were they influenced both members to be more active and local politicians and political decision-makers. But the inefficient way to combine both access and voice proved to be a challenge in articulating certain core issues. The international established Jordens Vänner showed a different way of conducting environmental policy, by using their international networks as a way of influencing the policy process. But restrains from their internationally management proved limit the space and possibility to operate.Keywords: NGO, ENGO, environmental governance, policy process, mobilization strategies, institutional actors, local engagement, networks

This study explores the power of ethnonationalist conflict-generated diasporas (CGD) as external actors in homeland conflict by exploring the nature of their political engagement on a transnational level using Internet Communication technologies (ICTs), with Rwanda as a case study. Virtual ethnography was chosen as the research methodology to explore the online activities of Rwandan CGD using social media (social networking sites) to form virtual transnational networks for political purposes. Diasporic online formations and activities were mapped in order to gain increased insights into ways that CGD use social media to engage in homeland conflict, and the effect their engagement has on the conflict cycle in the home country. Results of the study revealed that Rwandan CGDs demonstrate attitudes and motivations to act in ways that are consistent with other case studies of CGD, including exhibiting an enduring commitment and loyalty to co-ethnics, a romanticized conceptualization of homeland and a myth of return home. The results also revealed Rwandan CGDs' strong propensity to use social media to engage in homeland conflict on a political level through the development of a large and dense transnational network used for a range of political purposes, including the dissemination of genocide denial and propaganda consistent with the pre-genocide propaganda campaign. Implications for peace-building and conflict analysis are discussed.

This study explores the power of ethnonationalist conflict-generated diasporas (CGD) as external actors in homeland conflict by exploring the nature of their political engagement on a transnational level using Internet Communication technologies (ICTs), with Rwanda as a case study. Virtual ethnography was chosen as the research methodology to explore the online activities of Rwandan CGD using social media (social networking sites) to form virtual transnational networks for political purposes. Diasporic online formations and activities were mapped in order to gain increased insights into ways that CGD use social media to engage in homeland conflict, and the effect their engagement has on the conflict cycle in the home country. Results of the study revealed that Rwandan CGDs demonstrate attitudes and motivations to act in ways that are consistent with other case studies of CGD, including exhibiting an enduring commitment and loyalty to co-ethnics, a romanticized conceptualization of homeland and a myth of return home. The results also revealed Rwandan CGDs¿ strong propensity to use social media to engage in homeland conflict on a political level through the development of a large and dense transnational network used for a range of political purposes, including the dissemination of genocide denial and propaganda consistent with the pre-genocide propaganda campaign. Implications for peace-building and conflict analysis are discussed.

Social capital has been studied on the basis of comparative studies on whether ethnic bakground has significance for social capital. The study is conducted on the basis of a qualitative content analysis as a method with the application of theory consumption studay or hypothesis studay.  The study is categorized into three dimensions as social interaction, association, involvement and municipal actors with several indicators. Socialt capital includes two primary theories by, Robert Putnam and Bo Rothsteins. Result shows that ethnicity is important for social capital because there are factors that positively affect an individual´s confidence.  The study also shows that ethnicity has less significance for social capital because the individual´s high confidence depends on the efficiency of the actors who positively influence social capital.

Rural development in western Europe has seen a policy change since the 1990's, heading towards a focus on local and regional identity, with increasing emphasis on locally led development. This study focuses on a rural area in commuting distance to the city of Umeå, Sweden. The aim of this thesis is to explore the experiences of local actors in non-profit associations devoted to local development, sports and local heritage. To do this, a case study was conducted where local actors as well as the municipality's rural strategist were interviewed. The results of the study show that the local actors take on large responsibilities and find that recruiting new actors can be problematic. This thesis also discusses inclusion and exclusion in rural development, both on the local scale and the municipality's policies and guidelines.

Le monde sportif apparaît souvent comme un miroir grossissant de la société. Il peut être ainsi considéré comme un analyseur particulièrement pertinent des processus de construction du genre et des rapports sociaux de sexe dans les sociétés contemporaines. L’institution sportive, d’abord créée par des hommes pour des hommes, demeure particulièrement rétive à laisser plus de place aux femmes. Les institutions se féminisent mais le plafond de verre perdure.Les politiques pour l’égalité en France ont d’abord été sectorielles (droits civiques, droits à disposer de son corps, égalité professionnelle, etc.). Il en est de même en Europe où l’article 119 du traité de Rome pose le principe de l’égalité par une politique « pour le marché » (égalité de rémunération entre travailleurs féminins et masculins). A partir des années 90, la persistance des inégalités pousse l’Europe vers une autre approche de l’égalité, notamment au travers de sa prise en compte dans l’ensemble des politiques (approche globale et intégrée : gendermainstreaming). La France, en tant qu’État-membre, se devait d’intégrer l’acquis communautaire.La nomination en 2012 du premier gouvernement paritaire de l’histoire de la République (17 hommes et 17 femmes) et le rétablissement d’un ministère des Droits des femmes de plein exercice a montré l’engagement de l’État Français dans une nouvelle étape de mise en œuvre de la politique de l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes. En s’inspirant du modèle européen, l’interministérialité comme renouveau des politiques publiques s’est déclinée depuis cette date. Entre 2012 et 2017, la thématique des Droits des femmes a fluctué entre ministère de plein exercice et secrétariat d’État. La loi du 4 août 2014 inscrit le principe d’égalité au cœur des politiques sportives notamment au travers de deux articles (article 56 relative à la protection des personnes victimes de violences et à la lutte contre les atteintes à la dignité dans le domaine de la communication - article 63 sur l’égal accès des femmes et des hommes aux responsabilités professionnelles et sportives).La thèse étudie les conditions, les instruments et les acteurs de la synergie interministérielle et son impact sur les politiques sportives. Elle analyse les plans de féminisation des fédérations afin de repérer la rentabilité différenciée de chacune d’entre elles à investir la thématique. Elle prend appui sur un audit territorial (département de Seine-et-Marne) afin de rendre compte des processus opérants de cette politique : logique descendante de la politique nationale (valorisation des plans de féminisation) ou logique expérimentale (éruptions ou plus rarement innovations locales)
The Sport world is often described as a magnifying glass of society. The sport world may be considered as an extremely relevant analytical tool to describe the socialization process and the gender relations between women and men in contemporary societies. The Sport institution founded for men and by men is particularly reluctant to make women play a much more prominent role. Although women become more prominent in several sectors, the glass ceiling is still very apparent.The gender equality policies in France have been sectoral (civil rights, the right of control over one’s own body, professional equality…). It is the same in Europe where Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome poses equality from a market policy point of view (equal remuneration for work of equal value for female and male). Since the 90’s, the reality of social inequalities persisting over time has led Europe to another approach regarding equality, in particular by taking into account all the government policies (global and integrated approach: gendermainstreaming). France, as a member state shall integrate “acquis-communitarian”.In 2012, the nomination of the first Government respecting parity in the Republic history (17 men and 17 women) and the restoration of the Women rights Ministry demonstrated French Government commitment for a new step for the equality between women and men. Inspired by the European model, inter-ministeriality have been applied as a renewal of public policies. Until 2017, Women’s rights thematic has fluctuated between full-exercise Ministry and and State secretariat. The 4 August 2014 law represents the equality principle in the center of the Sport Policies, in particular through two articles (Article 56 regarding the protection of victims of violence and the fight against human dignity violation in the communication domain – Article 63 on the equal access for women and men to sport and professional responsibilities).The thesis investigates the conditions, tools and actors of the inter-ministerial synergy and their impact on Sport related policies. It analyses the feminization plan of federations in order to evaluate the differentiated profitability of each of them to invest the thematic. It takes support on a territory-related audit (Seine-et-Marne department) to account for the operating process of this politic: top-down logic from the national policy (feminization plan valorization) or experimental logic (eruptions or more rarely local innovations)

Inter-organizational network initiatives such as regional strategic networks (RSNs) are often used by firms and public agencies to support regional development and competitiveness. RSNs are designed networks managed by a hub and financed by public or private means. RSN management is complex as members are autonomous and initially often loosely connected. The effects of RSNs on regional development are disputed as engineered relationship development may interfere with ongoing business relationships.  Despite this, vast public funds are being invested in collaborative initiatives. Identifying factors affecting RSN performance will provide a better basis for evaluating and managing such initiatives. Based on concepts such as actors, resources, and activities findings are reported from longitudinal case-studies built on interviews with 68 members and hubs in four RSNs. Data were also collected through participant observation, conversations, archival data and emails. Findings indicate that factors such as evaluation criteria, member composition, relationships, location, goals, the hub, physical and human resources, knowledge sharing and development, resources, policies and norms, social activities, and communication exert an impact on entrepreneurship and cooperation. The first paper focuses on factors such as actor composition, actor goals, number of actors, and activities facilitating relationship development and commitment. The second paper identifies a framework of seven tasks to be performed by the hub. The effects on development of preferences and atmosphere are dealt with in the third paper. Effects of cooperation between public/private sector and universities are addressed in the fourth paper, and entrepreneurial processes in network contexts are analyzed in the fifth one. The important management role of the hub is emphasized as is carefully considered member composition. Relationships and commitment are found to be crucial. These factors are not covered by national and regional performance criteria. They merit a place of their own.

Le monde « d’aujourd’hui » et ses transformations sociales ou légales impactent naturellement ce « petit monde dans le grand monde » qu’est celui de la prison. Les avancées significatives des dernières décennies, par exemple en matière de droit de l’homme et du détenu ou de culture du respect, s’imposent, petit à petit, aux règles et aux hommes de la pénitentiaire qui les appliquent. Ce faisant, les écarts qui existent depuis toujours entre buts de système et buts de mission, entre sécurité interne et sécurité externe ou entre impératifs de garde et besoins d’accompagnement à la réinsertion des personnes incarcérées, se creusent. Nous avons pu observer comment les tensions sociétales internationales qui sont à l’ordre du jour des prisons belges perfusent du niveau macro (celui de la super structure) au niveau micro (celui de l’individu au travail). Il en résulte, pour les salariés qui les vivent, un profond bouleversement, tant des gestes professionnels que de leur manière de penser le travail. Entre ce qu’ils appellent le strict et le social, les agents pénitentiaires évoquent de profonds malaises professionnels, mais aussi identitaires. Cette thèse, qui suit deux autres de nos travaux sur le champ pénitentiaire francophone belge en réforme, s’interroge sur les rapports qui existent entre ces tensions identitaires et les engagements en formation d’agents qui sont en fonction dans la partie cellulaire (lieu de vie des détenus et lieu de travail de ces salariés). Par cette recherche, qualitative et monographique, après avoir posé la réflexion sur les « pourquoi » des engagements en formation de salariés, en formation professionnelle continue et auto déterminée, nous avons souhaité mieux comprendre si, et comment, l’engagement en formation permet, ou non, à ces salariés de résoudre, au moins temporairement, leurs dilemmes professionnels et identitaires pour soi, mais aussi pour autrui
“Stretched between double constrain and double injunction. The commitment to progressivetraining of Belgian penitentiary wardens. Case study”, LEROY Joël / Supervision: Professor Étienne BOURGEOIS (PhD)The “current” world and its social or legal changes obviously impact on this “little world within the bigger” which is the penitentiary one.Important breakthroughs in the last decades, e.g. regarding man’s and detainee’s right or respect culture, enforce themselves, step by step, to the rules and workers from the penitentiary world applying them. In this way, discrepancies which have always existed between institution aims and mission aims, between intern safety and extern safety or warding prerogatives and counseling needed to reinsert detainees, widen. We noticed how international society-bound tensions that are currently fiercely debated in Belgian jailhouses pass from the macro level (the one of the super structure) to the micro level (the one of the working individual). To the experiencing workers this lead to a profound change of professional gestures and their mental representation of the work. Considering both what they call the strict (le strict) and the social (le social), penitentiary wardens talk of deep professional bewilderments as well as identity crisis.This thesis, which follows two other works of ours on the reforming Belgian penitentiary world, poses the question of the possible links between those identity tensions and the wardens training commitment who work in the cell part of jailhouses (place where the detainees live and where the wardens work).By this qualitative and monographic study, after having thought about the “whys” of the training commitment of workers subscribing to auto-determined and progressive professional trainings, we intended to better understand whether and how commitment to trainings allows or not those wardens at least temporarily to solve for their own welfare as well as for others their professional and identity dilemma
"Entre doble instrucción y doble restricción. El compromiso de los trabajadores de las prisiones belgas a la formación continuada. Estudio de caso". LEROY Joël / Dirección: Profesor Étienne BOURGEOIS El mundo de "hoy" y sus transformaciones sociales o legales que impactan naturalmente este " pequeño mundo en el gran mundo", que es el de la prisión.Los avances significativos en las últimas décadas, por ejemplo, en el campo de los derechos humanos y de los detenidos o la cultura del respeto se imponen, poco a poco, a las reglas y a los hombres de las prisiones donde se aplican. De este modo, las diferencias que siempre han existido entre los objetivos del sistema y los objetivos de la misión, entre seguridad interna y seguridad externa o entre las necesidades de atención y apoyo en la reinserción de los presos, se profundizan.Hemos podido observar cómo las tensiones sociales internaciones que están al orden del día en las prisiones belgas infiltran desde el nivel macro (la de la superestructura) al nivel micro (el del trabajo individual).En consecuencia, para los trabajadores resulta un cambio profundo, tanto en actos profesionales como su forma de pensar en el trabajo. Entre lo que ellos llaman lo estricto y lo social, los agentes de la prisión no solo evocan profundos malestares profesionales, sino también de identidad.En esta tesis, después de los otros dos trabajos sobre el ámbito carcelario francófono belga, nos interrogamos sobre las relaciones que existen entre estas tensiones de identidad y los compromisos a la formación de los agentes que trabajan en la parte de las celdas (lugar donde viven los presos y lugar de trabajo de los agentes).A través de esta investigación cualitativa y monográfica y después de plantear la reflexión sobre el "por qué" del compromiso de formación de los trabajadores a la formación profesional continuada y la auto-determinación, queríamos comprender mejor si, y cómo, el compromiso a la formación permite o no, a estos trabajadores resolver, al menos temporalmente, sus dilemas e identidad profesional y también con los demás

A partir de l’étude approfondie du cas du groupe Accor, l’objet de ce travail de recherche est de comprendre quels facteurs peuvent influencer la prise en compte, par les hôtels affilés à un groupe multinational, de la politique environnementale globale définie par leur maison-mère.La maison-mère déploie une politique environnementale identique dans le monde entier, mais les hôtels affiliés ne répondent pas tous de la même façon à ses directives ; les comportements environnementaux diffèrent non seulement entre les différents pays où ces établissements se situent, mais également dans le même pays. Les particularités du contexte local dans lequel s’implantent les hôtels affiliés peuvent partiellement expliquer cette hétérogénéité. En outre, parallèlement aux facteurs institutionnels – qu'ils soient corporatifs ou issus du contexte local–, les caractéristiques spécifiques à chaque hôtel sont également susceptibles d’influencer son comportement environnemental
On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the Accor group c ase, the purpose of this research is to study with focus the factors influencing the application of the global environmental policies defined by a parent company among affiliated hotels in multinational groups. Even though the parent company deploys an identical environmental policy around the world, results show that not all affiliated hotels respond in the same way to the parent company directives. Furthermore, we have been able to observe differences in environmental behaviour not only between hotels located in different countries but also in the hotels of the same country. Such an heterogeneity can be attributed partially to particularities of the local context in which the affiliated hotels are located. In addition, to previous institutional factors - whether it was from a corporate or local based - the specific characteristics of each hotel are also likely to influence its environmental behavior
تمهيـــــد: بناءً على دراسة متعمقة لحالة مجموعة أكور، الغـرض من هـذا البحــــث هو فهـــم العـــوامـل التي يمكـــن أن تؤثر علـى تطبيـق الفنادق التابعـة لمجموعـة متعددة الجنسـيات للسياســـة البيئية العامة المحددة من قبل ادارتهم المركزيةالادارة المركزية للمجموعات الفندقية توجه ســــــياســــــــة بيئية موحدة لجميع فنادقها في جميع أنحاء العالـم، لكن الفنادق التابعــــة لا تســــــتجيب جميعــها بنفـــــس الطريقـة لتوجيهات المركز ؛ لا يختلف الســـلوك البيئي للفنادق التابعــــة فقط بســـــــبب اختلاف البلدان التي تتـواجد فيها هذه الفنادق، وانما يخـتلف ايضا بين فنــادق متــواجدة في نفــــس البلد. يمكن لخصائص الســـياق المحلي للبيئة الذي توجد فيها الفنادق أن تفـســــر جزئيًا عدم التجانــــــس فيما بينها. علاوةً على ذلك، إلى جانب العوامل المؤســســـاتية – ســــواء كانت توجيهية من المركز أو ســـياقيـة من البيئـة المحليــة - من المرجح أن خصـائـص كل فندق تؤثر ايضاَ على ســــــلوكه البيئي

Actor engagement has received significant scholarly and practitioner attention in recent years due to its anticipated outcomes and relevance for organisational success. Yet, despite significant interest in the concept, several theoretical gaps remain. Particularly, the literature has largely overlooked actor engagement with focal objects beyond the brand. Similarly, extant discourse lacks a comprehensive understanding of how actors engage differently. Thus, to better understand the nuances and intricacies of actor engagement beyond the existing focus of brands, and to discover how actors engage differently, this thesis centres on actor engagement with a service provider and delves into actor dispositions to engage. The service provider was chosen as a focal object due to their critical role in service organisations and the paucity of research specifically focused on service providers in an engagement context. The importance of service providers is well recognised, given that the success of service organisations largely depends upon their performance. Yet, engagement scholars have given scant attention to these crucial focal objects in the examination of the engagement concept. To address these knowledge gaps, this research presents three distinct but interrelated papers. The first paper examines actor engagement with service providers within a service system and extends the focus of engagement to multiple engagement foci. Specifically, the paper investigates how the individual dimensions of engagement with a service provider and brand combine to lead to engagement with the broader context. In brief, this paper contributes to an increased understanding of the integrated nature of engagement with a range of focal objects across different levels within a service system. The results suggest that engagement with the service provider facilitates engagement with other focal objects, which further validates the importance of examining actor engagement with service providers across the subsequent two papers. Paper two explores the factors that constitute an actor’s disposition to engage and responds to calls by numerous scholars to shed light on the nature of engagement dispositions. The findings of a series of in-depth interviews reveal three dimensions of engagement dispositions, namely individual actor traits, context-related actor characteristics, and focal object-related actor characteristics, with each dimension consisting of a unique make up of attributes. In total, 14 attributes were identified as constituents of an actor’s disposition to engage with a service provider. This paper contributes to the engagement literature by being the first to empirically consider what constitutes an actor’s disposition to engage and provides a conceptual framework that depicts the impact of engagement dispositions on actor engagement activities. Building on these insights, the third paper employs a survey methodology to empirically examine the impact of engagement dispositions on actor engagement activities. Specifically, it investigates the direct effects of individual attributes on affective, behavioural and cognitive engagement with the service provider. The findings illustrate that the dimensions of engagement dispositions and their constituent attributes have varied impacts on the dimensions of engagement. In particular, actor characteristics related to the focal object and context emerged as relevant for engagement activity, whereas no significant associations between individual actor traits and engagement activity were found. This provides insights into how each actor engages in a unique way. In summary, this research offers unique and meaningful theoretical and practical implications by emphasising the importance of the service provider as a focal object of engagement, providing a framework to consider an actor’s engagement disposition, as well as an understanding of the impact of engagement dispositions on specific engagement activities.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Business School, 2019

This thesis contributes to the emerging debate in the financial services literature on digital technology, consumer engagement, and service actor ecosystems. Comprising of one systematic literature review and two empirical papers, the overall aim of this thesis is to develop a deeper understanding of the impact of digital technology on the financial services industry and the effects on both service providers and consumers. Using artificial intelligence and mobile apps as suitable exemplars of digital technology, the focus of this thesis is the Australian retirement context. The first paper is titled ‘Artificial Intelligence in Customer-Facing Financial Services - A Systematic Literature Review and Agenda for Future Research’. Through the application of a systematic literature review methodology guided by the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics, Methodology) framework, this study provides an overview of academic research to date while simultaneously identifying gaps in the existing literature and offering a comprehensive agenda for future research. The findings of the review suggest that select financial services have experienced greater academic research interest (e.g., banking) than others (i.e., retirement planning). Additionally, more than half of the sampled studies adopt a data-driven approach, as opposed to a theory-driven approach, thus rendering the calls for future research to refocus on developing relevant theory and conceptualizations. The second paper is titled ‘The Role of Digital Technology in Communication and Information Flow in the Australian Superannuation Industry: A Multi-Actor Service Ecosystem Perspective’ and empirically examines the impact of digital technology on the Australian retirement ecosystem. Accordingly, the study adopts a qualitative research methodology using 21 semi-structured interviews to investigate the impact of digital technology on both actor communication as well as information search and avoidance behaviours related to Superannuation. The findings highlight a need for ecosystem actors to improve their resource and knowledge sharing capabilities to enable a seamless information flow and consequently improve consumer experience and foster retirement planning. The third and final paper included in the thesis is titled ‘Which consumers are more likely to adopt a retirement app and how does it explain mobile technology-enabled retirement engagement?’ This study focuses on mobile technology-enabled retirement planning. That is, it empirically examines the drivers of consumer’s intention to and anticipated engagement with a mobile retirement planning app. Data is collected from 440 Australian consumers, and analysed using PLS-SEM. Results highlight that consumers’ perceived skills (i.e., financial self-efficacy), information/ usage avoidance (i.e., perceived financial security), and perceived relevance (i.e., consideration of future consequences, retirement planning involvement, and perceived usefulness) have direct effects on their anticipated engagement with a mobile retirement app as well as indirect effects through their intention to adopt the app. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that the closer the consumer is to retirement, the more likely they are to use a mobile retirement app. Overall, the research of this thesis contributes to the understanding of the importance of digital technology in fostering financial behaviours such as retirement planning, and service provider and consumer relationships, as well as its impact on the broader financial services industry.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Business School, 2022

This paper analyzes a contentious road-building project by elucidating the different values involved and articulated in the decision-making process, delineating the various networks of institutions, individuals, organizations and materials formed around these values, and describing the outcome of the conflict as a function of the interactions between and among these networks. The project in question is the South Lawrence Trafficway, a section of Kansas Highway 10 (K-10) intended to route traffic south around the City of Lawrence, as opposed to its current alignment through the local streets of the city. This particular project has been contested for decades, primarily because of the historical, cultural and environmental values placed on the land through which the road is routed, known as the Wakarusa Wetlands, Baker Wetlands, or Haskell/Baker Wetlands. The analysis focuses on moments of value articulation- critical points during the conflict during which actors and networks of actors express their values with the intent of affecting the outcome of the decision. This paper’s analysis of the conflict draws on Henrik Ernstson’s framework for studying environmental justice and ecological complexity in urban landscapes, along with research on place meaning and desired outcomes for land-use decisions and natural resources planning efforts. The report will examine the decision-making process behind the proposal and approval of the South Lawrence Trafficway, taking into consideration the various institutional and individual actors (and networks of actors) involved, the positions, motivations and strategies of these actors, and the documents used in arguments for either side (maps, documents, court decisions, reports, etc.). The paper begins with an introduction, which includes a condensed summary and chronology of the South Lawrence Trafficway project. Literature review and research design sections follow. The next chapter discusses the actors, networks, values and materials involved in the conflict, as well as the legislative and institutional context within which the conflict occurs. The paper concludes with a summary of findings, and the proposal of future research questions.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Ann Bishop. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-184) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Tese de Doutoramento em Marketing and Strategy
This research seeks to study customer engagement and value co-creation from the guest perspective in the hospitality (hotel) industry in Ghana. It centres on customer’s perspective in the hotel setting as the guest is critical to the efficient provision and delivery of hospitality services since s/he buy memories, meal experience and service experience but not just service delivery, service quality or food and drink. Customers participating and engaging in value co-creation in the hotel sector bring on-board their personal resources (operand and operant) in the form of competencies and experiences to bear on the firm’s resources to co-create value. Customer engagement and value co-creation have been studied extensively in recent times. However, the current literature is silent in the examination of the actors and factors (f/actors) that foster/hinder customer engagement and value co-creation in the hospitality industry and the analysis of the customer's awareness about their contribution to value co-creation. It is also evident that an in-depth knowledge on how guests engage to co-create value and establish their multiple points of interactions are limited. Thus, the purpose of this study is to respond to these literature gaps through an empirical study. The object of study is the guests’ engagement experiences and co-creation practices within/beyond the hospitality industry. We addressed this purpose through five specific objectives as to (1) explore customer engagement and the f/actors that foster or hinder value co-creation within/beyond the hotel; (2) ascertain whether customers are aware/unaware that their competencies aid value co-creation; (3) identify and understand the relevant resource-envelop that customers use to engage in value co-creation; (4) discover value co-creation/destruction practices within/beyond the hotel; and (5) ascertain the consequences of ignoring/involving the customer in the co-creation processes. We established the foundations of our research in an in-depth literature review on Service Dominant Logic (SDL), Value Co-creation (VCC), Service Logic (SL), Customer Dominant Logic (CDL), Awareness, Practices and Customer Engagement (CE) among others. To understand the nature and dynamics of customer engagement, value co-creation or destruction, we designed a qualitative study. We gathered and analysed documents from the internet (hotel websites) related to guests’ experiences and conversations. We conducted four participant observation sessions and 35 in-depth interviews from customers to obtain a qualitative in-depth appreciation of their experiences. To safeguard the trustworthiness of the study, we adopt triangulation of literature, methods, data and researchers. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis framework, designed to ascertain, explore, and describe patterns found in the data with the support of NVivo 11 pro version. The study discovered that guests’ engagement within and beyond the hotel environment with multiple f/actors have an influence on their value co-creation/destruction process. We found that positive engagement like receptive, interactive and honest employees, responsible, helpful and friendly staff/front-office staff, meeting reliable friends/family members, good health services, reliable financial agents and visiting historical sites, safe, secured, serene environment and functional facilities/services bring memorable experiences and foster value co-creation. However, negative acts and situations, such as negligence, un-hospitable staff, deceptive/distrusted employees, police irresponsibility/harassment, distrusted actors, delays at airport, scary news items from televisions and radio stations, dishonest transport owners and robbery cases, frustrate guests, decrease their engagement levels and destroy value. We found that some customers’ level of awareness of their contributions in some cases has an influence on their decisions to deploy more resources. Some customers are aware of their contributions whiles others are unaware. Those aware are willing to deploy and integrate more resources and demand for better services than those who are unaware. We discovered that during the consumption journey, the customers/guests use a variety of resources such as, physical resources (physical features, attitude, time); mental/psychological/emotional/intellectual resources (i.e. competencies, skills, deep thinking, self-generative ideas/activities/practices); social resources (i.e. peers, friends, family, associations like political, religious, old boys/girls) and financial/material resources (i.e. smartphones, laptops, cars, money and bank cards). Guests engaged themselves at different levels via self-engagement; guest-toguest- engagement; and engagement with other f/actors, institutions, individuals and groups. The study also found that customers are willing to share their operant resources with firms for service improvements. They are also prepared to share their experiences and discuss both the strengths and challenges of service providers and go the extra mile to promote the services of firms to their family, friends and co-workers, through positive word-of-mouth (WOM), both personally and through social media. This study offers several contributions grounded on its empirical foundation. It suggests theoretical and managerial implications on how actors’ practices promote or impede customer engagement and value co-creation within/beyond the hotel. It generates a framework of customer engagement and cocreation/ destruction and explain how customer engagement experiences beyond and within the hotel positive/negative can facilitate/inhibit value co-creation or lead to value destruction. It thus extends customer engagement, value co-creation, value destruction and service-dominant Logic literature. The study also allows drawing managerial implications, which shift the focus of value co-creation from the firm circles to the customer domain, urging stakeholders about the growing consciousness of customers since conscious customers will demand for better service delivery. Finally, the study brought to the forefront, the influencing role of the external f/actors which are outside the control of the firm, but influence the way customers engage, co-create/destroy and determine value, suggesting the need for service providers to collaborate with other stakeholders in enhancing customer engagement and value co-creation.
Esta investigação analisa o envolvimento do cliente e a cocriação de valor do ponto de vista dos hóspedes na indústria hoteleira no Gana. Centra-se na perspetiva do cliente, uma vez que o hóspede é um ator crítico na prestação eficiente do serviço, sendo que ele compra memórias, experiências de refeições e experiências de serviços e não serviços por si só, qualidade dos serviços ou alimentos e bebidas. Os clientes que participam na cocriação de valor no setor hoteleiro trazem consigo os seus recursos pessoais (operandos e operantes), na forma de competências e experiências, para sustentar os recursos da empresa e, desta forma, para cocriar valor. O envolvimento do cliente e a cocriação de valor têm sido estudados extensivamente nos últimos anos. No entanto, a literatura é omissa na análise do nível de consciência dos clientes sobre sua contribuição para a cocriação de valor e na análise dos atores e fatores (f/atores) que promovem/dificultam o envolvimento do cliente e a cocriação de valor, em particular na indústria da hoteleira. Também é evidente que existe uma limitação no conhecimento aprofundado sobre a forma como os hóspedes se envolvem na cocriação de valor e como estabelecem os múltiplos pontos de interação que promovem essa cocriação. Neste sentido, o principal objetivo desta investigação é responder a essas lacunas através da realização de uma investigação empírica. O objeto de estudo são as experiências de envolvimento dos clientes e as práticas de cocriação dentro e fora do hotel. Abordamos esse objeto de estudo através de cinco objetivos específicos: (1) explorar o envolvimento do cliente e os f/atores que estimulam ou dificultam a cocriação de valor dentro e fora do hotel; (2) verificar se os clientes estão conscientes ou não da contribuição das suas competências para a cocriação de valor; (3) identificar e compreender o conjunto de recursos (envelope de recursos) relevantes que os clientes usam para participar na cocriação de valor; (4) descobrir práticas de cocriação /destruição de valor dentro/fora do hotel; e (5) analisar as consequências de se ignorar ou envolver o cliente nos processos de cocriação. A fundamentação teórica e conceptual desta investigação é feita através de uma revisão de literatura sobre os temas: Lógica Dominante de Serviços (SDL), Cocriação de Valor (VCC), Lógica de Serviço (SL), Lógica Dominante do Cliente (CDL), Consciência do consumidor, Práticas e Envolvimento do Cliente (CE), entre outros. Para compreender a natureza e a dinâmica do envolvimento do cliente e a cocriação e a destruição de valor, desenvolveu-se uma investigação qualitativa. Analisaram-se documentos da internet (sites de hotéis) relacionados com as experiências e as conversas dos hóspedes. Realizam-se quatro sessões de observação participante e 35 entrevistas aprofundadas a clientes, para obter uma compreensão qualitativa e aprofundada sobre as suas experiências. Para salvaguardar a confiabilidade da investigação, adotou-se a triangulação de literatura, métodos, dados e pesquisadores. Os dados foram analisados com o apoio do software NVivo pro, versão 11, utilizando uma estrutura de análise temática, projetada para averiguar, explorar e descrever os padrões encontrados nos dados. Os resultados da investigação indicam que o envolvimento dos hóspedes dentro e fora do ambiente do hotel com vários f/atores influencia o processo de cocriação/destruição de valor. Descobriu-se que f/atores positivos, como funcionários recetivos, interativos e honestos, pessoal de receção responsável, prestável e amigável, encontros com amigos/familiares confiáveis, bons serviços de saúde, agentes financeiros confiáveis, visita a locais históricos, ambiente seguro e sereno e instalações/serviços funcionais, trazem experiências memoráveis e fomentam a cocriação de valor. No entanto, atos e situações negativas, tais como negligência, funcionários não hospitaleiros, funcionários enganadores/desconfiados, irresponsabilidade e assédio policial, outros atores não confiáveis, atrasos no aeroporto, notícias de televisão e rádio assustadoras, proprietários de transportes desonestos e casos de roubo, frustram os hóspedes, diminuem os seus níveis de envolvimento e destroem o valor da experiência. Descobriu-se que o nível de consciência de alguns clientes acerca da sua contribuição para o processo de cocriação influencia, em certos casos, as suas decisões de integrar mais recursos. Alguns clientes estão conscientes das suas contribuições enquanto outros não o estão sendo que os que estão conscientes estão dispostos a integrar mais recursos na procura de melhores serviços. Observou-se que durante a jornada de consumo, os consumidores/hóspedes usam múltiplos recursos, como recursos físicos (características físicas, atitude, tempo); recursos mentais/psicológicos/emocionais/intelectuais (ou seja, competências, habilidades, pensamento profundo, ideias, atividades, práticas); recursos sociais (ou seja, colegas, amigos, família, associações políticas, religiosas, e antigos colegas) e recursos financeiros/materiais (ou seja, telefones, computadores, automóveis, dinheiro e cartões bancários). Os hóspedes envolveram-se a diferentes níveis através de auto-envolvimento; envolvimento hóspedehóspede; e envolvimento com outros f/atores e instituições, a nível individual e de grupo. A investigação também constatou que os clientes estão dispostos a compartilhar seus recursos operantes (operant resources) com as empresas para melhorias dos seus serviços. Os clientes estão também dispostos a partilhar as suas experiências e a discutir os pontos fortes e os desafios dos serviços oferecidos pelas empresas/hotéis e esforçam-se para promover os serviços das empresas às suas famílias, amigos e colegas de trabalho, por meio de passa-a-palavra positivo, tanto por via pessoal como através do meios digitais (social media). Esta investigação oferece várias contribuições baseadas em dados empíricos. Ela sugere implicações teóricas e de gestão acerca da forma como as práticas dos atores promovem ou impedem o envolvimento do cliente e a cocriação de valor dentro e fora do hotel. Apresenta uma estrutura sobre o envolvimento do cliente e a cocriação/destruição e explica como as experiências positivas e negativas de envolvimento do cliente dentro e fora do hotel podem facilitar/inibir a cocriação de valor ou levar à destruição de valor. Contribui, desta forma, para a literatura sobre o envolvimento do cliente, a cocriação de valor, a destruição de valor e a lógica dominante de serviço. A investigação permite também desenhar implicações práticas, sugerindo a mudança do foco da criação de valor do âmbito da empresa para o domínio do cliente, informando as partes interessadas sobre a crescente conscientização dos clientes para o seu papel no processo de cocriação de valor, já que clientes mais conscientes exigirão uma melhor prestação de serviços. Por fim, a investigação realçou também a influência e o papel dos f/atores externos na cocriação de valor, os quais estando fora do controle da empresa influenciam a forma como o cliente se envolve, cocria/destrói valor e o determina. Esta constatação sugere a necessidade de os prestadores de serviços colaborarem com diversas outras partes interessadas na criação de condições favoráveis ao envolvimento positivo do consumidor e à cocriação de valor.

This thesis presents a case study of Microsoft Corporation’s Partners in Learning (PiL) program, an example of transnational policy authority in education, with two embedded case studies of PiL in Jordan and South Africa. The constructivist and rationalist approaches highlight the changing nature of governance through the cultural and strategic shifts that led to Microsoft’s policy role in education. Microsoft’s strategic profit interests and its corporate-social-responsibility aspiration to play a policy role in education influenced its educational footprint. From a top-down perspective, Microsoft used supranational forms of power by implementing its global PiL blueprint through similar PiL programs worldwide. From a bottom-up perspective, Microsoft used “localization practices” by engaging different subnational agents and used different strategies to gain footholds in two very different political and policy contexts. Microsoft’s top-down and bottom-up approaches link the supranational policy arena to the subnational or subgovernmental. Microsoft’s economic power and strategic engagement gave it entry into education. It gained expert authority from its extensive history and experience in education. Its expert authority was experessed through strategic relationship building through diplomacy and partnerships, policy networks, and the sharing of best practices. The company was however not able to claim absolute legitimacy because of resistance in both countries. This thesis highlights that at the governmental level, sovereignty does not disappear when transnational corporations become involved in education at the national level. Instead, nation- states become strategic sites for the restructuring of global policy roles. The Jordanian government became a public facilitator, by working with Microsoft to implement a stand-alone PiL program. The South African government became a public integrator, by implementing the PiL program within government policies and programs. Power was also redistributed within both countries, moving away from government education officials towards the monarchy in Jordan and the presidency in South Africa. The findings of the study highlight the need for corporations engaged in public education to be governed within instituted accountability measures, for appropriate partnership frameworks, and for governance tools that can both effectively engage companies in education and ensure that they work within common goals and values set out by international education organizations.

Climate change has impacts on urban regions and human populations as well as consequences for urban ecosystems, biodiversity and the environmental services they provide to these populations. Developing urban and peri-urban ecosystem services with a nature-based and participatory approach, can help achieve more resilient and sustainable environments for cities and urban regions. Co-creation is increasingly recognized as the way forward to deal with such environmental issues, though associated methods and tools have been developed, described and published for specific stages of the co-creation process. It is argued that the co-creation process comprises various interlinked stages, corresponding stakeholders and subsequent tools/methods that need to be mapped and integrated across all stages of a co-creation life cycle. A Life Cycle Co-Creation Process (LCCCP) for Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) was developed during this JEMES – CiSu Thesis. Using continuous improvement cycles, such as the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check and Act) cycle (KaizenTM), DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) cycle (Six Sigma) and, the Design Thinking methodology, the stages and sub-stages, involved stakeholders and used engagement methods in the LCCCP were identified, defined and mapped. For the stakeholders, the internal and external actors of an Urban Living Lab (ULL) were adapted to the stages and sub-stages of the LCCCP; for the engagement methods, the goals of stakeholder engagement (Mease, Erickson and Hicks, 2018) were used as a guide to select some examples of tools that could be used. The developed LCCCP comprises five stages, i.e. co-explore, co-design, co-experiment, co-implement and co-manage, creating a unique path that can be followed by practitioners for NBS co-creation
O aquecimento global gera impactos nas regiões urbanas e na população humana, assim como acarreta consequências para os ecossistemas urbanos, biodiversidade e serviços ambientais fornecidos a essas mesmas populações. Ao desenvolver serviços ecossistémicos urbanos e peri-urbanos com base na natureza e com uma abordagem participativa poder-se-á criar cidades e regiões urbanas mais resilientes e sustentáveis. Assim sendo, de uma forma crescente, a co-criação tem vindo a ser reconhecida como uma forma de lidar com tais problemas ambientais, ainda que métodos e ferramentas tenham sido desenvolvidos, descritos e publicados para fases específicas do processo de co-criação. Argumenta-se que o processo de co-criação é composto por diversas fases interligadas, seus atores sociais e métodos/ferramentas que necessitam de ser mapeados e integrados em todas as etapas do ciclo de co-criação. O ciclo de vida do processo de co-criação (Life Cycle Co-Creation Process – LCCCP) para soluções baseadas na natureza (Nature Based Solutions – NBS) foi desenvolvido na presente dissertação, pertencente ao programa JEMES – CiSu. Através da utilização de ciclos contínuos de melhoria, como ciclo PDCA (Planear, Fazer, Verificar e Agir; KaizenTM), ciclo DMAIC (Definir, Medir, Analisar, Melhorar e Controlar; Six Sigma) e a metodologia de Design Thinking, as etapas e sub-etapas que envolvem as partes interessadas e os métodos de participação dos utilizadores no LCCCP foram identificados, definidos e mapeados. Relativamente às partes envolvidas, os atores internos e externos do Urban Living Lab (ULL) foram adaptados às etapas e sub-etapas do LCCCP; para os métodos de participação, os objetivos do envolvimento das partes envolvidas (Mease, Erickson and Hicks, 2018) foram usados como guias para selecionar alguns exemplos de ferramentas que podem ser aplicadas. O LCCCP desenvolvido nesta investigação inclui cinco fases, nomedamente co-exploração, co-produção, co-experimentação, co-implementação e co-gestão (co-exploration, co-design, co-experiment, co-implement and co-manage), criando assim um modelo único de co-criação NBS com potencial de replicação
Mestrado em Estudos Ambientais