Browsing Ph.D. theses by Title
-
(Re)assembling work in the Danish PostMogensen, Mette (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The well-being of employees is currently a central matter of concern both in public and private companies. If employees do not feel well, in the last instance they might experience a burn out or fall ill from stress and thus add to the highly costly yet ever growing number filling up the statistics of this modern epidemic. In short, well-being is key to productivity. For sure this is not a new story, but at the core of organization and management theory: how to best organize the human resources of production balancing off the need for increased productivity and the preservation of physical and mental resources of the worker? In contrast to classic principles such as Taylor’s scientific management, it seems today generally agreed that well-being thrives when work is organized by principles of ‘flexibility’, ‘learning’, ‘empowerment’ and ‘creativity’. However, at the same time workplaces and organizations are under an enormous pressure towards standardization and optimization. This dissertation investigates empirically competing or intersecting ways of organizing well-being and productivity, with an analytic outset in the work task, departing from historically generated, however still prevalent, dichotomies and normativities of standardization and flexibility respectively. The empirical case of the dissertation is the organization of postal work in a big and formerly publicly run distribution company in Denmark. Based on an ethnographic field work and the employment of an auto-photographic method, the dissertation investigates how the current and simultaneous efforts of standardization and flexibility configure the well-being(s) and productivities of postal work. The theoretical framework is primarily informed by Actor Network Theory and the dissertation attend to a detailed investigation of how well-being and productivity are enacted in the daily work practices and the constant shifting/delegation going on between the inscribed postal worker of work tools, standard procedures and management programs on the one side and the routinized bodies of the postal workers on the other. Most of the time this results in ‘working compatibilities’ silently enacting bodies-with-standards that are both productive and well. At other times, however, controversy and conflicts arise, pointing to the fact that the presence of multiple modes of organizing are not always productive. The empirical chapters departs from selected auto-photographs that prompt different unfoldings of the way postal work is organized – or sought organized – and the way well-being and productivity arise as effects of these organizations. In this unfolding the analysis proceed on a tension between phenomenological and actor-network theoretical readings of empirical material creating a patchwork-like assemblage of postal work. This involves a stitching together of highly mundane, corporeal practices and material such as bicycles and kickstands, personal experiences, the researcher’s interpretations, the technical scripts of electric bikes, the norms of postal workers, the discourse of management and the political-economic developments of European postal markets. Through the empirical chapters, the dissertation depicts postal work not as a story of standardization versus flexibility, but as a constant ‘juggling’ and balancing act between them. This is not a story of humanization or the opposite, it is both at once. It is not a story of stabilization or perpetual change, it is both at once. It is a story of the hanging-togetherness of an organization that displays multiple versions of well-being and productivity as well as multiple controversies as a result of this. Depending on the stakes one has in this complex organizational set-up, whether one is the postal worker, the local manager, the HR consultant or perhaps the customer, preferences will differ, and indeed this is an important discussion. What is the better way to organize postal work? The analysis presented in the dissertation will not deliver the answer to this, but hopefully make the discussion a more qualified one, by displacing old truths. Having as point of departure and final emphasis a heuristics of the work task, the thesis aims to contribute to a specification of organization theory, HRM and work environment theorizing, which otherwise tend to have lost its primary object: work. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8589 Files in this item: 1
Mette_Mogensen.pdf (9.923Mb) -
Med udgangspunkt i støtteverbers leksikaliseringsmønstre i dansk og franskHein, Birgitte (Frederiksberg, 2003)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Enhver oversætter mellem et germansk sprog som dansk og et romansk sprog som fransk ved, at det ofte er bestemte sproglige konstruktioner, der volder problemer. En af disse konstruktioner består af et støtteverbum og et objekt, der tilsammen danner en semantisk enhed. Da denne konstruktion er hyppigt forekommende, specielt i juridiske og administrative tekster, kan det være af både praktisk og teoretisk værdi at skaffe et klarere billede af, hvordan konstruktionerne idiomatisk opbygges og bruges på de to sprog. Undersøgelsen søger at indskrive sig i en sammenhæng, der vedrører både oversættelse og lingvistisk beskrivelse, ud fra et ønske om at en komparativ beskrivelse skal kunne give en oversætter viden, som han kan bruge i sit praktiske arbejde. De fleste, som har benyttet computer-støttede oversættelser, må være enige i, at det stadig er nødvendigt med kvalificeret menneskelig oversættelse, hvis man skal have en idiomatisk korrekt og brugbart resultat. Der er ganske vist i dag mulighed for computer-støttede ”rå-oversættelser”. Somme tider kan disse oversættelser tjene til for eksempel at give en internetbruger et hurtigt indtryk af indholdet af en web-side på et sprog, som han ikke behersker.... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8623 Files in this item: 1
Birgitte_Hein.pdf (776.8Kb) -
Insights from Annual General MeetingsStrand, Therese (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This thesis consists of five empirical studies, all relating to shareholder activism at annual general meetings. The first study concerns the structure and content of general meetings in Denmark and Sweden comparatively. The paper reveals significant differences in the level of activism, with Swedish investors being the most active in terms of proposals, proxy voting, and ‘voice’. The paper takes a legal approach, and discusses divergence in activism levels from the perspective of shareholder prerequisites to engage in monitoring efforts. Further, the paper investigating the topics addressed through questions and opinions. The results show that matters which can be categorized as irrelevant are reasonably rare. This is an important finding, as suggestions to abolish general meetings have often been based on the assumption that general meetings facilitate nothing but irrelevant, time consuming, and costly discussions that serves no monitoring function. The second study analyses the impact of voting power on shareholder activism. We hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between shareholder activism and a measure of the largest shareholder’s sensitivity to increased participation by small shareholders and find that firms’ amenability to small shareholder influence leads to more proposals by the nomination committee, but fewer proposals by other shareholders. We interpret this as evidence that the shareholder elected nomination committees effectively channel shareholder concerns and preempt other kinds of activism. Politicians and companies that desire active shareholders could improve the amenability of firms to shareholder influence by ownership transparency, shareholder committees, and contacts with shareholder associations and other vehicles for collective action... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8460 Files in this item: 1
Therese_Strand.pdf (1.719Mb) -
En systemteoretisk analyse af offentlig meningsdannelseVallentin, Steen (København, 2002)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: .."the thesis tries to show how – with the appearance of the themes ethics and democracy – new conditions have evolved for the administration of the Danish pension fund investments. It should be emphasized that the thesis not only aims to provide a description of the Danish debate about ethical investments; it makes a separate contribution to systems theory. This contribution consists in a general presentation of Luhmann’s theory (chapter 2) followed by discussions of Luhmann’s concepts of risk (chapter 3), morality and ethics (chapter 4) and public and public opinion (chapter 5). In theoretical terms the contribution of the thesis lies in showing how Luhmann’s systems theory can be used to describe and analyze public opinion formation in general and the debate about the Danish pension fund investments in particular. The thesis focuses on Danish developments but international developments are not ignored. To put Danish developments into perspective, a part of chapter 1 focuses on developments surrounding ethical – or socially responsible – investments in the US and the UK. Matters of definition, historical developments and praxis forms are presented and lead up to an overview of key events in the domestic debate. It is argued that the Danish debate – unlike the very individualistic anglo-saxon debate – has focused on collective matters. The debate has focused on institutions which make investment decisions on behalf of many – often hundreds of thousands of – people, institutions which do not operate in a free market setting. A brief description of Danish developments is followed by a summary of and further reflexions upon the analytical arguments of the thesis. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7131 Files in this item: 1
steen_vallentin.pdf (2.310Mb) -
Next Generation Management of Organizational PerformanceKane, Brian (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Managers must aspire to understand their organization in a way that allows them to take appropriate actions when necessary and to be able to utilize tools which encourage the organization to behave in a desirable way. The field of performance management deals with these objectives and is becoming increasingly pervasive. However, the author’s personal experience and substantial scholarship suggest that performance management is linked to dysfunctional behavior in organizations. Various current explanations for the link between measurement and dysfunction revolve around observability or knowledge of the transformation process, but seem simplistic and inadequate. This work examines measurement as one representational form out of many others, for example text. It is proposed that the representational form used in performance management practice is implicated with dysfunctional behavior. This demands an exploration of the relevant facets of organizational reality which influence the relationship with various representational forms. After a theoretical positioning, the relationship is explored empirically through onsite visits at two Microsoft Corporation locations in Copenhagen and Redmond. Thirty stories of performance management, based on interviews with senior managers, are presented. The stories provide the basis for establishing a rich understanding of organizational reality and the implications of using various representational forms in terms of dysfunctional behavior. These implications lead to a fundamental rethinking of the form and boundaries of performance management theory and practice, and emphasize the need for a multi-paradigmatic approach to performance management, which is presented. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8015 Files in this item: 1
-
An Inquiry into Subjective and Social Technology at WorkBojesen, Anders (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The Performative Power of Competence undersøger hvad kompetence bliver i en række konkrete arbejdspraksisser. Afhandlingen viser hvordan kompetence ikke blot handler om individuelle eller organisatoriske opkvalificeringsprojekter, men indebærer en social værdidom (om det kompetente og ikke-kompetente) hvilket betyder at kompetence ikke længere kan ses som "et underliggende karakteristika ved individet på arbejde” men må forstås som en dobbelt bevægelse; det vil sige som en samtidig udpegning af et problem (behov for at lære noget nyt) og en løsning (forudsætning for at skabe effektive og attraktive arbejdspladser). Afhandlingen betjener sig af et stort empirisk materiale fra den offentlige sektor der omfatter fire kompetenceudviklingsforløb, gennemført i perioden 2004-2006. Materialet er skabt i et samarbejde med fire konsulenter, hvor forfatteren selv har været til stede og har bidraget til udformningen af kompetenceudviklingsprocesserne. Formuleret kort markerer kompetence en særlig ideologisk tilværelse, der betoner proaktivitet, selvrefleksivitet og en aktiv tagen ansvar for organisationens mål. Et symptom på denne kompetenceideologi er når offentlige institutioner inviterer konsulenter indenfor for at uddanne coaches og forandringsagenter og skabe tværgående teams, der igen har til formål at skabe øget fleksibilitet, tværgående samarbejde og projektorganisering. Kompetencens performative kraft består i den samtidige diagnose af mangelstilstanden og udmåling af den rette behandling. For konsulenten bliver det et problem, hvis vedkommende ikke kan tilvejebringe den rette diagnose og kur, idet intet er værre end at få diagnosticeret et problem uden at få stillet den rette behandling i udsigt. Samtidig hævder afhandlingen også, at det vil være farligt for ikke at sige umuligt endeligt at kurere den mangelstilstand som kompetence producerer. Fx kan modstand mod forandring og kritik af det bestående ikke blot elimineres som kværulanteri, men må ses som væsentlige elementer i transformationen af det selv-skabende, selv-refleksive, ansvars-tagende subjekt. Kompetencens performative kraft legitimerer transformationen af subjektet så længe subjektet finder tilfredsstillelse, ikke i de enkelte afgrænsede kompetenceudviklingsaktiviteter, men i den uendelige søgen efter et kompetent jeg. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7048 Files in this item: 1
-
Japanese Advertisements on the Aesthetic Education of DesireSato, Toyoko (, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: En længdesnitsundersøgelse fra 1969 til 1990 af de japanske stormagasiner Seibu og Parco under den tidligere Saison Groups auspicier (Japan) viser måden, hvorpå betydning udtrykkes og anfægtes som diskurs i det senmodernistiske forbrugersamfund. Kritisk diskursanalyse (CDA) støttet af omfattende, kvalitative interview af agenter og forbrugere har gjort det muligt at udnytte begreberne femininitet og begær, som Judith Butler har beskrevet i forbindelse med performativitet – det domæne, hvor styrke fungerer som diskurs – i reklamekampagner, der fx involverer værker af Ishioka Eiko. Butlers definition af begæret efter anerkendelse er med til at udtrykke, hvordan begæret manifesteres i samfundet, og hvorledes femininiteten har ændret sig over tid. Diskurs fremføres ikke blot som bestående af sprog- og billedtekst, men indeholder også to yderligere dimensioner: produktion, distribution og forbrug samt de sociale normer i en bestemt periode på det sted, hvor de pågældende diskurser er til stede. I forhold til den specifikke case fremhævede Saison Group kunst som en form for symbolsk kapital. Denne symbolske kapital var tæt forbundet med datidens økonomiske og sociale kræfter, og den virkede legitimerende for Seibu og Parco, der var efternølere inden for branchen. Måden hvorpå Parco kombinerede byggemodning og presseenheder med strategisk involvering af forbrugere og folk fra mediebranchen afspejles i begrebet “organisatorisk symbiose”. Succesen er afledt af den bestemte æstetik, der anvendes i deres reklamer. Reklamerne fungerede så til gengæld som en kanal og en slags æstetisk opdragelse i forhold til begær, som effektivt var med til at forme datidens subjektivitet. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8159 Files in this item: 0
-
Mikkelsen, Thorsten (, )[More information][Less information]
-
Nielsen, Michael E. (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: ‘No amount of preparation could have lessened the shock and revulsion I felt on entering a sporting-goods factory in the town of Sialkot, seventy miles from Lahore, where scores of children, most of them aged five to ten, produce soccer balls by hand for forty rupees, or about $1.20, a day. The children work eighty hours a week in near-total darkness and total silence. According to the foreman, the darkness is both an economy and a precautionary measure; child-rights activists have difficulty taking photographs and gathering evidence of wrongdoing if the lighting is poor. The silence is to ensure product quality: "If the children speak, they are not giving their complete attention to the product and are liable to make errors.” The children are permitted one thirty-minute meal break each day; they are punished if they take longer. They are also punished if they fall asleep, if their workbenches are sloppy, if they waste material or miscut a pattern, if they complain of mistreatment to their parents or speak to strangers outside the factory. A partial list of "infractions” for which they may be punished is tacked to a wall near the entrance. It’s a document of dubious utility: the children are illiterate. Punishments are doled out in a storage closet at the rear of the factory. There, amid bales of wadding and leather, children are hung upside down by their knees, starved, caned, or lashed.’ URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7730 Files in this item: 1
michael_e_nielsen.pdf (1.355Mb) -
Exemplified by the transformation of the Danish pine furniture manufacturersLutz, Salla (København, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Dette forskningsprojekt tager udgangspunkt i observationer omkring de danske producenter af fyrretræsmøbler. Siden slutningen af 90’erne har industrien været præget af priskonkurrence som ses dels indbyrdes mellem de danske producenter, dels fra aktører i lande med lavere omkostningsstrukturer. Derudover er slutbrugernes interesse for fyrretræsmøbler dalet betragteligt. I takt med den heraf følgende lavere efterspørgsel på fyrretræsmøbler er de danske producenter i stigende grad begyndt at købe færdigproducerede møbler fra lavprismarkeder som Kina og Østeuropa for at komplementere deres egen møbelproduktion. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7762 Files in this item: 1
Salla Lutz.pdf (1.214Mb) -
India's national Oil Company and International Activism in SudanPatey, Luke (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
-
Et empirisk casestudie af omstillingsforløb i fire virksomhederBeyer, Peter (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: I mange virksomheder eller måske i alle virksomheder arbejder man løbende med forbedrings- og forandringsarbejder, gerne defineret som projekter med fokus på procesarbejde og de resultater, som projekterne forventes at skulle skabe..... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8047 Files in this item: 2
Peter_Beyer_artikler.pdf (9.219Mb)Peter_Beyer .pdf (4.311Mb) -
A Case Study of Branding and Identity Struggles in a Low-Prestige OrganizationFrandsen, Sanne (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This dissertation examines the relationship between corporate branding and identity work at organizational and individual levels in the context of a lowprestige corporation. It is based on 17 months of research undertaken as an inhouse ethnographer at MGP, a European based national telecommunication corporation. The study seeks to contribute to integrated corporate branding theory by adopting a critical perspective on the intra-organizational affects of brands and branding. The dissertation contains three papers, each of which contributes to discussions within corporate branding, organizational identity and identification, as well as to literature on management control and employee resistance. The findings demonstrate that the management adopts integrated corporate branding in a hypocritical manner, while employees in response develop a cynical distance to their work. While this may be interpreted as negative consequences, the dissertation argues that these are productive and have certain advantages for the management in the given context. Thus, the findings challenge the integrated corporate branding ideal of coherence between the external and internal dimensions of corporate branding as the only productive way to create a successful corporate brand. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8366 Files in this item: 1
Sanne_Frandsen.pdf (690.4Kb) -
Industrirådet og efterkrigstidens Danmark 1945 - 1958Lind Larsen, Morten (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Velfærdsstaten befinder sig i et vadested. Befolkningen bliver ældre, og finansieringsgrundlaget skrumper. Det giver grundlag for diskussioner om, hvorvidt kursen skal justeres eller lægges radikalt om, og hvordan forholdet skal være mellem rettigheder og pligter i fremtiden. I de aktuelle diskussioner om den danske velfærdsstats fremtid er det et tilbagevendende spørgsmål, hvordan den danske velfærdsstatsmodel er opstået, og hvad der egentlig er dens centrale bestanddele. Den danske velfærdsstats rødder kan naturligvis trækkes langt tilbage, men der er efterhånden enighed om, at de første årtier efter befrielsen står som helt centrale i forhold til den moderne danske velfærdsstats historie. I perioden fra 1945 til slutningen af 1950’erne blev en række væsentlige forudsætninger således skabt for, at den moderne velfærdsstat kunne realiseres i 1960’erne og 1970’erne, hvor omfattende velfærdsreformer blev gennemført og en stor offentlig sektor etableredes. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8399 Files in this item: 1
Morten_Lind_Larsen.pdf (1.475Mb) -
Managing and Researching Inclusive SchoolsRatner, Helene (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This thesis examines “reflexivity” as the key theme for understanding how Danish school managers work with the currently influential political vision of including students with special needs in the common school (educating children aged 5-16). Despite repeated attempts to realize the vision of inclusion, the number of students referred to special pedagogical services, and thus segregated from the common school, has continued to grow, especially since 1995. There is a widespread consent that this development is due to the schools’ practices and socially constructed categories of “special needs” and “normalcy.” Pedagogical scholars and recent policy initiatives posit that schools can achieve the much-wanted cultural change towards inclusion if teachers reflect (more) on their mindsets and practices. When advocating inclusion, scholars often refer to school managers as “leaders of meaning construction,” thus emphasizing their importance in facilitating cultural change. Existing knowledge practices are depicted as too “durable” with the unintended side-effects of segregation and budget overruns, and school managers are, following, encouraged making teachers change their practices through (self-) reflexivity. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8459 Files in this item: 1
Helene_Ratner.pdf (2.848Mb) -
Policy and Regulation - With Comparative and Multi-level Case Studies from Denmark and IrelandHelby Petersen, Ole (, )[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This PhD dissertation studies national similarities and differences in policy and regulation of public-private partnerships (PPPs), with an empirical focus on Denmark and Ireland. The starting point and motivation for the study is the observation that whereas PPPs are often depicted in the academic literature and in policy practice as a globally disseminated governance scheme, in reality, a closer examination of the PPP reform landscape reveals significant differences in national governments’ PPP policy and regulation and in the amount of actually implemented PPP projects. By comparing the initiatives taken by the Irish government, which has embraced PPPs, with those of the Danish government, which has been a PPP sceptic, this study inquires into the fundamental questions as to how, why and to what consequences some governments have developed widespread policy and regulation frameworks to support the implementation of PPPs, whereas others have been much more reluctant. The dissertation addressed four research questions: (i) what are the key actors, strategies and institutions that create policies and regulations for the formation of PPPs?; (ii) how did governments’ PPP policies and regulations develop over time, and how can their similarities and differences be explained?; (iii) how do differing national policy and regulation frameworks serve to facilitate or hinder the formation of PPPs, exemplified by four case studies from the schools sector?; (iv) what framework conditions does the EU set for PPP initiatives at national and sub-national levels? URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8304 Files in this item: 1
Ole_Helby_Petersen.pdf (1.358Mb) -
[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Offentlige forvaltninger verden over har været præget af voldsomme reformbølger de seneste 20-30 år, og den private sektor er i stigende grad blevet inddraget i den offentlige serviceproduktion. Privatiseringer og udliciteringer kendetegnede således forvaltningspolitikken i mange vestlige lande op gennem 1980erne og 1990erne. De mange reformtiltag er i forvaltningslitteraturen kendt under betegnelsen New Public Management. En af de senere udviklinger i den moderne forvaltningshistorie er fremkomsten af offentlig-private partnerskaber (OPP). OPP har i dag fået en lignende udbredelse som de tidligere privatiserings- og udliciteringstendenser. De fleste vestlige landeforvaltninger har således forsøgt sig med OPP, og i forvaltningslitteraturen har antallet af publiceringer om emnet været hastigvoksende de seneste cirka 10 år. Trods den store udbredelse, i såvel teori som praksis, skorter der imidlertid med klassifikationer, endsige definitioner af OPP begrebet. Denne afhandling har to centrale formål. Det ene er at afdække OPP begrebets mangetydige betydninger. Det gøres ved at kortlægge hvordan begrebet bliver anvendt i den internationale forvaltningslitteratur. Analysen viser at begrebets grænser er slørede, og at betegnelsen OPP bliver anvendt om en mangfoldighed af offentlig-private samarbejdsformer dækkende over uformaliserede netværksbaserede relationer såvel som stærkt formaliserede kontraktstrukturer. På baggrund af analysen inddeles forvaltningslitteraturen i en række strømninger. Dermed skabes et overblik over feltet som ikke eksisterede forud for analysen. Denne del af analysen munder endvidere ud i en ny måde at klassificere og definere forskellige typer OPP på. OPP er et relativt ungt forskningsfelt. En markant barriere for udviklingen af feltet har været manglen på anerkendte klassificeringer/definitioner. Begrebsdefinitioner er en forudsætning for teoriudvikling. Ved at afdække OPP begrebets mangetydige betydninger, og ved at udvikle nye måder at klassificere og definere OPP på bidrager denne analyse væsentligt til den fremtidige teoriudvikling om OPP. Afhandlingens andet formål er at afdække hvad der kendetegner samarbejdsrelationerne i idriftsatte OPP-projekter. Det er en udbredt opfattelse blandt praktikere såvel som forskere at OPP bebuder noget kvalitativt nyt relativt til de fordums tiders privatiseringer og udliciteringer. Der findes således en udbredt teoretisk diskurs om at OPP indebærer tætte og tillidsbaserede samarbejdsrelationer, dialog og fokus på processer frem for output. På trods af sådanne udbredte forventninger og antagelser om samarbejdsformens karakter, så er der forbavsende få systematiske empiriske studier af hvordan samarbejdsrelationerne ser ud i praksis. Ved empirisk at kortlægge samarbejdets karakter i fem britiske OPP-projekter udfylder afhandlingen derfor et vigtigt hul i den internationale forvaltningslitteratur. Analysen bidrager til litteraturen på to centrale måder. Den viser, for det første, at forventningerne om kvalitativt anderledes samarbejdsrelationer ikke bliver indfriet i flertallet af de analyserede cases. Det forventede skift fra hierarkiske, kontrolorienterede principal-agent relationer mod fladere, tillidsbaserede principalprincipal relationer ses ikke i praksis. For det andet ses der dog alligevel stor variation i den måde hvorpå samarbejdet udmønter sig i de forskellige cases. Den ene case udviser således mange af de førnævnte samarbejdskarakteristika som typisk bliver kædet sammen med OPP. Analyseresultatet peger på, at samarbejdsrelationernes kan udmøntes væsensforskelligt indenfor den samme type kontraktstrukturer. Dette peger videre på, at formelle strukturer kun giver en begrænset indsigt i samarbejdets karakter. For at få en dybere forståelse af OPP, er det derfor nødvendigt at gå bagom kontrakten og analysere hvordan samarbejdsformen udspiller sig i praksis. Der identificeres endvidere en sammenhæng mellem samarbejdspraksis og partnerskabsperformance. De cases som involverer de mest tillidsbaserede og tætte relationer ser samtidig ud til at være de cases, der præsterer bedst. Analyseresultaterne har implikationer for OPP litteraturen og ledelsesmæssige implikationer. For det første giver resultaterne anledning til at revidere den eksisterende teoretiske diskurs om OPP. Der er en tendens i litteraturen til at forbinde bestemte samarbejdsstrukturer med bestemte typer samarbejdsprocesser. Resultaterne her indikerer at disse to dimensioner ikke følger hinanden. Dernæst peger resultaterne på at ressourcer og ledelsesmæssig opmærksomhed med fordel kan rettes mod de løbende samarbejdsprocesser, da dette kan få betydning for samarbejdets udfald. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7734 Files in this item: 1
Gudrid_Weihe.pdf (4.007Mb) -
Three papers laying the foundation for regional CGE models with agglomeration characteristicsTermansen, Lars Brømsøe (Frederiksberg, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The paper analyses the effects of introducing taxes and regional transfers on the equilibrium properties in a standard Core-Periphery model. A central government levies taxes on production factors and redistributes the revenue to all agents regardless of their location. In the case of Core-Periphery economy this is in effect a re-allocation of agglomeration rents. Simulations show that taxes and transfers alter the Core-Periphery model’s properties by moving the Break and Sustain points. The range of freeness of trade with Core-Periphery outcomes is reduced for transfers to the periphery, and increased for transfers to the core. The width of the overlap where the models exhibit hysteresis effects remains the same regardless of the transfers. The analysis reveals that in the Core-Periphery outcome the agglomeration rents can be taxed without exhausting the core’s scale effects. The tax revenues can then be redistributed such that periphery regions and the central government have incentives in promoting core regions, which function as industrial locomotives for the whole economy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7739 Files in this item: 1
Lars_B_Termansen.pdf (1.846Mb) -
A critical political economy perspectiveBuch-Hansen, Hubert (København, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The focus of this thesis is one "component” of EC competition regulation, namely that of merger control. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7729 Files in this item: 1
hubert_buch-hansen.pdf (2.956Mb) -
The Case of U.S. Chambers of CommerceCrawford, Brett (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Much of the organizational institutionalism literature suggests that the phenomenon of interests is a central construct, however, portrays interests in an overly deterministic, rational, and liberal way. In this thesis, I challenge those views and suggest that interests are a complex and interdependent socially constructed phenomenon. Accordingly, interests represent an actor’s recognition, perceived importance, and participation in a number of figurations and social games. Illustrated through the institution of U.S. chambers of commerce, I explore how chambers of commerce have withstood a changing American culture to become both the world’s largest business federation and public-private partnership. Moreover, even as the United States represents the most liberal of liberal market economies, chambers of commerce represent a context where capitalists have set aside market competition and unified their interests to become one of the largest and most influential institutions in the world. Following a brief introduction of interests and chambers of commerce, this thesis begins with the first paper, which is a critical review of the phenomenon of interests within the organizational institutionalism literature. Tracing the conceptual variety of both the origins and functions of interests in institutional studies, I illustrate how an overly deterministic and rational view of interests is problematic. The critical review continues with a discussion of my critiques of the extant literature followed by an introduction of a less rational and calculative approach to interests by coupling Bourdieu’s (1998) conceptualization of interests with Elias’s (1978) sociology emphasizing figurations and social games. The three subsequent empirical papers test this approach to interests on macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of the institution of chambers of commerce. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8452 Files in this item: 1
Brett_Crawford.pdf (9.887Mb)