Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ngo management theory'

The role and importance of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) has increased with globalisation and the growth of global institutions. Not only do INGOs play a major role in aid delivery in developing countries, they also serve as the voice of the people in the growing global governance system. Thus they have an increasing impact on the social and economic welfare of people around the world. For this reason, the performance and management of INGOs is vital. However, research on their management is lacking. INGOs possess unique characteristics including complex environments, value-based missions and no financial bottom line. Therefore, management practices, like internal communication, that are generally developed for for-profit organisations need to be evaluated for suitability within the INGO context. Strategic internal communication has been identified as driving organisational performance. Internal communication can be defined as strategic when its purpose is to align internal stakeholders with the organisation’s strategic intent. By facilitating strategic alignment, internal communication can play a critical role in organisational performance. Research on strategic internal communication is limited and virtually non-existent when considered within the INGO context. However, by considering communication management theory, strategic management theory and NGO management theory, it is possible to develop theoretical propositions on the strategic functioning of internal communication in INGOs. In particular, the theory suggests that a postmodern approach to strategic management and strategic internal communication can assist INGOs in addressing many of the challenges they face. This study explores the strategic functioning of internal communication in INGOs through exploratory, qualitative case studies. The evidence shows that internal communication in INGOs does not generally function strategically. However, the function is recognised as having potential to improve the performance of these organisations. In particular, there is support for the suitability of a postmodern approach to strategic internal communication in INGOs.
Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
Communication Management
MPhil
Unrestricted

As China emerges as one of the world's top 5 economies, it attracts more multinational corporations (MNCs) that want to expand there and implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Despite this emergence, since China entered the World Trade Organization, it has not perceived or welcomed MNCs in the same manner as in the 1970s to 1990s. Further, MNCs have had challenges adapting Western-style CSR programs in China's local communities. There is no widely-accepted multidisciplinary theory that integrates CSR, organizational culture, and culture. Hofstede's theory of cultural relativism classified China as a high power distance country where the population has a strong acceptance of large social differences. The purpose of this case study was to discover the extent to which Hofstede's cultural dimension of power distance impacts MNC CSR programs offered in Hainan, China. Five MNC executives and 1 government sector representative were interviewed, and were reviewed in 5 organizations in Hainan, China. Cross case analyses showed that CSR programs were mutually accepted by the local communities and government. Some local community members, however, did not passively accept what those in higher socioeconomic positions believed about the efficacy and need for CSR programs. Rather, local community and government appeared to collaborate, regardless of the government leaders, who are perceived to have more power and influence. These results can inform policy makers, MNCs, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations about cultural relativity and its impact on MNCs doing business in foreign communities

This thesis contributes to the developing field of the critical theory of organisation. It presents a critical inquiry into the ideological nature of (neo)Human Relations management theory and its strategies for the management of subjectivity and organisational culture. The introductory chapters discuss the meta-theoretical grounds and contexts for the development of the thesis. Chapter 1 responds to the epistemological challenges put forward by post- Modernism highlighting the basic trajectory and underlying values of the thesis. Chapter 2 discusses the development of critical organisation theory so far, with respect to the discussions of subjectivity and culture. This includes a discussion of aspects of the work of Foucault, (neo)Marxist Theory, Labour Process Theory and critical social psychology as they have been taken up by organisational studies of subjectivity and culture. Chapter 3 clarifies the use of the concept of ideology and outlines the research strategy for the concrete study of (neo)Human Relations management as ideological. This involves a 'depth hermeneutic' research strategy, made up of the 3 components of (1) A Social Analysis, (2) A Discourse Analysis, and (3) An Interpretation of Meaning. As the 'Social Analysis' component of this 'depth hermeneutic', chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 highlights the work of Herbert Marcuse, exploring his critical social psychology; his notion of 'new forms of control'; his discussions of the relationship between culture, language and power; and his discussions of the rationalisation process leading to the rationalisation of culture and power relations. This is followed by both the 'Discourse Analysis' and 'Interpretation of Meaning' components of the 'depth hermeneutic' method. Chapter 8 offers an account of the historical emergence of the management discourses around subjectivity and culture and identifies its leading authors. Chapter 9 offers a critical interpretation of meaning of this discourse in the light of Marcuse's social analysis which highlights the ideological nature of (neo)Human Relations management.

Cette recherche explore la coopération entre les organisations non-gouvernementales opérant au Liban. Dans un contexte de besoins sociétaux croissants et diminution de ressources disponibles, les ONGs sont appelées à coopérer ensemble pour améliorer leur impact et l’efficacité d’utilisation de leurs ressources. La méthodologie adoptée est celle d’une recherche intervention socio-économique pour étudier la coopération et sa relation avec l'amélioration des performances. Les résultats suggèrent que les dysfonctionnements intra-organisationnels sont des antécédents des dysfonctionnements de coopération et qu'une coopération réussie améliore les performances organisationnelles
This research investigates cooperation among non-governmental organizations operating in Lebanon. Against a background of mounting societal requirements and diminishing resources, NGOs are called upon to cooperate together to improve their resource efficiency and their impact. The methodology adopted is the socio-economic intervention research to study cooperation and it relation to improved performance. Findings suggest that intra-organizational dysfunctions are antecedents of cooperation dysfunctions, and that a successful cooperation improves organizational performance

The last couple of years the trend within the software industry has been to releasesmaller software updates more frequent, to overcome challenges and increase flexibility, to alignwith the swiftly changing industry environment. As an effect, we now see companies moving over tocapitalizing on subscriptions and incremental releases instead of charging for upgrades. By utilizingneo-institutional theory and Oliver’s (1991) strategic response theory, an enterprise systemsvendor’s response to the emerging DevOps trend can be determined.

This thesis focuses on the changed governance of the public sector and what it can entail for professional work in substance abuse treatment. The point of departure is one of these new forms of governing, namely ‘knowledge governance’, which refers to a policy-driven process for promoting the use of evidence-based practice.  The overall aim is to contribute to understanding and knowledge of the meaning and the conditions for knowledge governance in substance abuse treatment. The thesis studies how knowledge is interpreted by professionals and adapted to local practice in relation to organizational and professional conditions. The thesis also highlights the implications that   these conditions may have for knowledge development on a professional and organizational level. The empirical material comprises three studies. Study 1 included a document analysis and a literature review. The document analysis examines how knowledge governance is described in official documents, while the focus of the literature review is on the concept of knowledge management. In Studies 2 and 3 focus group interviews were conducted with professionals who participated in a specific project, and professionals who use structured interview methods in their work (Addiction Severity Index, ASI, or Documentation of clients, DOC). The theoretical perspectives used in the thesis are neo-institutional theory, professional theory and perspectives on workplace learning.   The results of Study 1 showed that knowledge governance embodies a steering of organizations, in comparison with knowledge management as a means for steering in organizations. The analyses from the focus group interviews demonstrate that knowledge governance becomes the subject of translations and edits to a local context. This process was affected by both organizational and professional conditions. The thesis is concluded with a discussion of the conditions that must be present if knowledge governance can lead to development of knowledge. The main result is that strategies must be tailored to each organization's specific condition and must be anchored throughout the organization.

Une organisation, c'est avant tout des hommes et des moyens pour atteindre desobjectifs, et les réseaux subsahariens de proxénétisme ne dérogent pas à cette règle. Comme touteorganisation ils structurent et mobilisent des acteurs, mettent en place des stratégies pour arriver àleurs fins. En même temps la question de l'organisation suscite entre autre celle de l'environnementorganisationnel, car toute organisation vit et évolue dans un environnement donné avec lequel secréent des interactions. La problématique de la dynamique organisationnelle des réseauxsubsahariens de proxénétisme soulève celle de leur visibilité et de leur légitimité dans cetenvironnement, car ce sont des organisations criminelles, secrètes, et donc ne pouvant bénéficierd'aucune publicité. Pourtant, ces réseaux fonctionnent bel et bien, et les conséquences de leursactions sont bien perceptibles. Comment comprendre cette possibilité de fonctionnement dans detelles circonstances ? Il est certain que les jeunes femmes recrutées par les proxénètes subsaharienssubissent un management par la terreur. Cependant un élément déterminant laisse supposer que cesjeunes femmes vivent dans une peur qui va au-delà de la simple peur du proxénète : le phénomène« vaudou », propre aux réalités socioculturelles des sociétés subsahariennes. L'environnementinstitutionnel des réseaux subsahariens de proxénétisme inspirerait-il leur fonctionnement ? Cettethèse se propose d'apporter un éclairage sur le fonctionnement et les pratiques organisationnellesdes réseaux subsahariens de proxénétisme, à la lumière de la théorie du néo-institutionnalisme etcelle de la contingence. Ces deux théories mettent en évidence la relation d'influence possible entrel'environnement d'une organisation et son comportement
An organization, it is primarily men and means to achieve goals, and sub-Saharanpimping networks are no exception to this rule. Like any organization they structure and mobilizestakeholders, implement strategies to achieve their goals. At the same time the question of theorganization causes including that of the organizational environment as an organization exists andevolves in a given environment with which interactions are created. The problem of organizationaldynamics of sub-Saharan pimping networks, raises the question of their visibility and legitimacy inthis environment, because they are criminal, secret organizations and therefore not eligible for anyadvertising. However, these networks do work well and the consequences of their actions areperceived. How to understand the possibility of operating in such circumstances ? It's certain, thatyoung women recruited by sub-Saharian pimps undergo management by terror. A key elementsuggests that these women live in fear that goes beyond the simple fear of the pimp. It's the« voodoo », a phenomenon linked to the socio-cultural realities of sub-Saharan communities. Doesthe institutional environment of sub-Saharan pimping networks inspire their operation ? This thesisaims to shed light on organizational practices and the operation of sub-Saharan pimping networks,in the light of two theories : neo-institutionalism and contingency. Both theories emphasize therelationship with the environment that can affect an organization and its behavior

Les récentes réformes inspirées de la nouvelle gestion publique font de la comptabilité analytique hospitalière une pièce maîtresse du financement et de la gouvernance des établissements de soins français. Les coûts unitaires par séjour alimentent en effet à la fois le processus d'élaboration des tarifs et les nouveaux instruments de gestion supposés améliorer l'efficience hospitalière. Ce travail confronte la comptabilité analytique en vigueur à une méthode basée sur les activités pour calculer les coûts unitaires d'un échantillon de 2130 interventions chirurgicales réalisées consécutivement au CHU de Montpellier en 2009. Il montre que les deux méthodes sont discordantes et que, en outre, la méthode actuelle reflète mal la complexité réelle de la prise en charge des patients au bloc opératoire. La théorie néoinstitutionnelle suggère que le développement de la comptabilité analytique hospitalière, structure organisationnelle formelle, est un processus isomorphique par lequel les établissements de santé internalisent le mythe rationalisé du calcul des coûts des séjours. Pour pouvoir répondre aux contraintes et à la complexité du réel, un certain degré de découplage entre cette comptabilité et l'activité réelle apparaît. La comptabilité analytique ne serait donc plus seulement un instrument au service de l'efficience des hôpitaux mais aussi un facteur de légitimation au sein d'un environnement fortement institutionnalisé. Dès lors se pose la question de la pertinence des tarifs et des outils de gestion alimentés par ces coûts unitaires au regard des objectifs poursuivis
Consequently to the recent implementation of NPM-inspired reforms, cost accounting plays a key role in financing and governance of French hospitals. Calculating unit costs per hospital stay is indeed the first step in the elaboration of case-based tariffs. Moreover, unit costs are used to develop new management tools aimed at improving hospital efficiency. This study compared the current cost accounting method to an innovative activity-based one for the calculation of the unit costs of 2130 surgical procedures performed consecutively at the University Hospital of Montpellier in 2009. The results show a poor agreement between both methods. In addition, the current method fails to accurately reflect the real complexity of the management of patients in the operating room. New institutionalism suggests that the development of hospital cost accounting (a formal organizational structure) results from an isomorphic process by which health care institutions internalize the rationalized myth of unit cost calculation. In order to address the constraints and the complexity of reality, a certain degree of decoupling between the accounting and real activity occurs. Hence, cost accounting would not only be an efficiency improvement tool, but also a legitimating factor within a highly institutionalized environment. This raises the issue of the relevance of the tariffs and the management tools based on these unit costs

Le gouvernement égyptien a lancé en 1997, sous la pression des bailleurs de fonds, dans un contexte dediffusion du New Public Management une réforme visant à améliorer la qualité dans les hôpitaux publics.Cette réforme a été globalement un échec, à tel point qu'une nouvelle réforme a été mise en œuvre en 2007.L'échec de ces deux réformes a été largement documenté dans la presse.Nous montrons que les approches qualité retenues par ces réformes sont essentiellement d'inspiration nord-américaine.Leur transplantation dans un contexte culturel différent, celui de l'Egypte, pose un problème demanagement interculturel, mais aussi, plus globalement, de prise en compte du contexte économique etsocial. Les méthodes de travail, le style de communication, les conceptions du temps ou de l'autorité sontdifférentes et engendrent des malentendus. Nos enquêtes de terrain ont montré à quel point il existe undécalage entre les textes sur la qualité, conçus dans un contexte nord-américain, et leur application enEgypte.Cependant, malgré la différence entre des normes conçues dans un contexte qui est essentiellement celui del'Amérique du Nord et le contexte culturel égyptien, le succès a occasionnellement été au rendez-vous. Cecinous a amenée à analyser la manière dont la transposition des outils de management de la qualité s'étaitopérée dans les rares cas de succès. Nous mettons en évidence le rôle des acteurs.Nous mobilisons donc dans notre recherche la théorie néo-institutionnelle et la théorie de la structuration, eten particulier le concept d'interaction action/structure.

Alors que les outils de gestion envahissent les organisations, nous en savons encore très peu sur la manière dont ils agissent sur les habitudes de penser, sur les façons de faire et sur les comportements.Cette thèse s'intéresse au rôle des progiciels CRM dans la construction des représentations et des pratiques de la relation client. Ces progiciels sont étudiés à deux niveaux: celui de l'espace professionnel des Directeurs commerciaux et celui d'une organisation. Tout d'abord, à partir de l'analyse, entre 1990 et 2009, d'une revue professionnelle destinée aux Directeurs commerciaux, nous montrons l'institutionnalisation des progiciels CRM et que cette institutionnalisation s'est accompagnée d'un déplacement des représentations relatives à ce qui est considéré comme une "bonne" gestion de la relation client. Parallèlement, nous avons mené une étude de cas en profondeur sur dix ans, rendant compte de la mise en oeuvre et de l'utilisation d'un progiciel CRM particulier. Nous montrons que la mise en oeuvre d'un progiciel CRM requiert un processus de traduction continu. Puis, nous mettons en évidence plusieurs transformations des pratiques dont certaines n'étaient pas attendues. Les transformations touchent la connaissance client et son partage, ainsi que les modes de contrôle à l'oeuvre dans l'organisation. Au-delà des transformations des pratiques en matière de contrôle hiérarchique, le progiciel CRM a notamment favorisé la mise en place de deux nouveaux modes de contrôle: un contrôle latéral (entre pairs) et un contrôle transversal (entre fonctions). Notre recherche s'inscrit dans la lignée des travaux qui considèrent que les outils de gestion, et plus globalement les artefacts, méritent qu'on leur accorde une attention plus grande. Nous illustrons plus largement dans ce travail l'intérêt d'aborder les processus organisationnels en prenant au sérieux les objets techniques indissociables de l'action. En les prenant comme points d'entrée, il est possible de documenter des phénomènes jusqu'alors peu explorés
Though management tools are more and more present in organizations, little is known on how they act on mindsets, on habits and on behaviours.This dissertation focuses on the role of CRM software packages in the construction of customer relationship representations and practices. These software packages were studied at two different levels: the sales director community and an organization. First of all, a professional journal analysis between 1990 and 2009 was conducted. The results show that CRM software packages were institutionalized and that this institutionalization comes with a shift in the representations of what is considered as "good" customer relationship management. Then, a ten year in-depth case study of the implementation and the use of a CRM software package was conducted.The results show that the implementation of a CRM software package requires a continuous translation process. They also highlight some changes in practices, of which some are unintended. The changes are related to customer knowledge, its sharing and the modes of control inside the firm. Beyond changes in hierarchical control, the CRM software package leads to the implementation of two new modes of control: a lateral control(between peers) and a transversal control (between functions). This research is in line with the literature that considers that more attention has to be paid to management tools, and more generally to artefacts. We illustrate more broadly in this dissertation the interest of addressing organizational processes by taking seriously the technical objects indissociable from action. Taking them as a starting point for research could be a mean to inform currently underexplored phenomena

Face à une montée en puissance de la conscience sociétale et au renforcement législatif,les questions environnementales représentent un enjeu stratégique pour les établissements polluants.Inscrite dans le champ de la RSE,cette thèse vise à comprendre la décision de gestion des risques environnementaux au sein d'établissements à risques situés dans des agglomérations littorales françaises.Elle analyse les dispositifs d'évaluation, de gestion et de communication des risques environnementaux, appelés «risques industrialo-environnementaux» (RIE),et identifie les motivations et freins de ces actions tels qu'ils sont perçus par les responsables.Les travaux sur la décision individuelle face au risque,la théorie des parties prenantes,et la théorie néo-institutionnelle servent de prisme théorique.La méthodologie s'articule en deux temps:19 entretiens avec analyse textuelle,et 196 questionnaires.Malgré une prise de conscience collective des enjeux environnementaux,les RIE sont gérés significativement depuis une dizaine d'années.Si la réglementation et les valeurs des dirigeants guident principalement les établissements vers une gestion plus responsable,la complexité des textes réglementaires et le manque d'informations expliquent la perte de vitesse des initiatives environnementales (SME, EMAS, partenariats). Les établissements sondés adoptent des démarches réactives de conformité réglementaire.Les coûts,le manque de moyens,la faible perception des avantages immédiats sont des freins à la poursuite d'actions environnementales plus ambitieuses.La gestion des RIE apparaît davantage comme un moyen onéreux de légitimer et de pérenniser les activités que comme une opportunité économique
The increasing societal awareness and the intensification of the regulation make henceforth strategic environmental issues for pollutant sites. Included within the scope of the CSR, this thesis aims to understand the management decision of environmental risks within risky sites located in French densely populated coastal areas. It analyses the ways of evaluating, managing and communicating about environmental risks, also called “industrialo-environmental risks” (IER), and identifies motivations and difficulties of these actions as described by managers. The research is based on a multidisciplinary theoretical framework: the work on the individual decision under risk, the stakeholder theory, and the neo-institutionalism. The research methodology is divided into two times: a qualitative study of 19 interviews with textual analysis, and a survey of 196 sites by questionnaire. Results emphasize that, despite a collective awareness of environmental issues, IER have been significantly managed since only a decade. If regulatory stakeholders and leaders' values primarily guide risky sites towards a more "responsible" management, the complexity of regulation and the lack of information explain the slowing of environmental initiatives (EMS, EMAS eco-audit, partnerships). The surveyed sites adopt reactive approaches of regulatory compliance. Costs, lack of human and financial resources, and the low perception of the immediate benefits are considered as barriers to the pursuit of more ambitious environmental activities. Thus, the IER management appears more as a way to legitimize and sustain activities as an economic advantage

Denna uppsats fokuserar på den etableringsprocess som har skett i Jönköpings kommun vid införandet av familjecentraler. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur införandet av familjecentraler kan förstås och genom det skapa fördjupad kunskap om etableringsprocesser i socialt arbete. Studien har genomförts i form av en fallstudie. Empiri har samlats in genom intervjuer och genom offentliga allmänna handlingar. Materialet har analyserats genom ett adhoc-förfarande inspirerat av fallstudieanalys. Teorier som använts i analysen grundar sig i agenda-settingteori och i nyinstitutionell organisationsteori. Resultatet visar att familjecentraler som idé är omtolkningsbart vilket resulterat i en omfattande översättningsprocess. I den processen har socialtjänstens roll varit decimerad, vilket avspeglas i det utrymme som socialtjänsten ges på familjecentralerna där deras roll definieras av andra professioner än de själva. Det som gör att familjecentralerna kommer att etableras är en kritik mot och från barnhälsovården rörande relationen med socialtjänsten. Detta ackompanjeras av en ökad oro för föräldraskapet samt ökade krav på billigare och bättre verksamheter inom den offentliga sektorn. Dock får familjecentralsetableringen ett abrupt avbrott i och med att studier lyfts fram som indikerar att det finns bristande kunskaper rörande familjecentralernas effekt, vilket skapar hinder för nyetableringar. Detta medför inte att befintliga familjecentraler läggs ner vilket kan förstås i att familjecentralspolicyn visar en hög grad av institutionalisering, en stark förgivettagen tro på familjecentralerna, där dessa upphör att behöva legitimeras i form av problemadressering och resultat.
This bachelor thesis focuses on the establishment process of family centers in Jönköping municipality, Sweden. The purpose of this case-study is to examine on which terms the establishment of family centers can be understood aiming for the creation of in-depth knowledge about establishment processes in social work. Data has been collected via semi-structured interviews and via open records. The data has been analyzed via ad-hoc analyses inspired by cases study analyses. Theoretical framework used in the study is Kingdon’s agenda setting theory and neo-institutional organization theory. The study presents that family centre policy is highly interpretable and therefore has been a case of policy translation, which has resulted in a decimated part for the social services in the family centers, highly defined by other professions. The establishment of family centers is a result of a critique aimed against and from the child health care services, accompanied with an increased worry for parenthood and demands for more economically efficient function within the public sector. The process is interrupted by studies that indicate insufficient knowledge about the efficiency of the family centers. However this doesn’t result in closure of family centers because the function has reached a high degree of institutionalization, where it is legitimized by presumptions and beliefs rather than results and problem addressing.

This dissertation describes the manner by which a multinational corporation (MNC) enacts a market-based logic with a locally embedded partner in a complex and unfamiliar operating setting to fulfil both business and social objectives. It examines a hybrid partnership between BP, an MNC, and SSP, a rural Indian non-governmental organisation (NGO). Together, the organisations trained rural women, who were affiliated with SSP, as agents to distribute and sell BP’s ‘smokeless’ cookstoves and fuel pellets to households who cook on smoky firewood stoves. The research draws on two theories—neo-institutional organizational theory and real markets theory—to examine the process by which logics are aligned across partners and projected and translated into the rural Indian exchange setting. It constructs a four-actor model (MNC, NGO, agent, customer) to explore the exchange relationships between the actors at the meso- and micro-levels. At the meso-level, it explains how the MNC and NGO’s non-aligned logics, asymmetric power dynamics, and lack of mutual trust contribute to the venture’s failure. In addition, the NGO was so determined to succeed as a professional, market-driven, channel partner that it shed part of its identity as a civil advocacy organisation and adopted mainstream commercial practices that were not sensitive to the needs of its local stakeholders. At the micro-level, the partners did not come to a common understanding with the agents regarding the cultural challenges they faced marketing the stove. Moreover, the marketing strategy glossed over the multi-layered social relationships and culinary, behavioural, and religious practices that needed to be translated for the technology to meet the needs of consumers. Using gritty ethnographic data, the dissertation highlights a challenge that large, foreign companies face when entering ‘Base of the Pyramid’ markets, namely the inconsistency between the MNC’s market logic and the wider associational logics that motivate village agents and customers.

For many years, Sweden has had a reputation for having a comprehensive and women friendly welfare state. However, as in many other European countries during the past few decades, the organization and governing of welfare has undergone profound changes. Through interviews with social workers and the application of theories of governmentality, this thesis analyzes the expressions and consequences of such current organization and governing. One result is that the introduction of meticulous documentation practices of social workers contact with clients, regulate their interaction and constitute a control over both client and social worker. Another result is that the current organization fragments labor and awards more authority to managers, which functions to produce loyalty to the organization and management, rather than clients. This is expressed in demands not to voice protest, as it is said to create a bad mood. It is also expressed in demands to spend as little as possible on clients; short duration of treatment, preference for outpatient treatment and by making it difficult to receive financial support. This austerity is legitimized through the intermeshing of different ideals; budget awareness, evidence that supports short and outpatient treatment and that clients in order to change their course of life should to be allowed or coerced into taking individual responsibility. Another important finding is that the current governing and organization of social work produce distance and detachment, and thus discourage caring subjects. This is a complex process in which an assemblage of different techniques and rationalities undermines the cultivation of a relationship between social worker and client. 1) The ideal of evidence-based practice favors rigid methods over a flexible and holistic approach. 2) Ideals of rationality, closely connected to notions of masculinity and professionalism, value objectivity and devalue and deter the surfacing of emotions. 3) Meticulous practices of documentation reduce the amount of time available to meet clients. 4) Ideals and particular methods designed to promote individual responsibility in clients legitimize social workers distancing themselves from clients’ dependency and needs. 5) A division of labor, in either assessment or treatment, reduces time spent with clients for those who work with assessment and ultimately engage in the rationing of resources. 6) Standardized digital templates, installed to aid in assessments, regulate and proceduralize interactions with the client. 7) Austerity, heavy workloads, individualized responsibility and stress further accentuate distance, as detachment becomes a means to cope with arduous working conditions. The transformation of social work described above produces alienation and a fragmentation of social workers’ collective subjects. Simultaneously, an ethos of caring makes some social workers work extra hard to provide for clients, which ultimately covers for flaws in the system. Although such an ethos of caring allows for the further exploitation of social workers, it is also understood as a means of resistance, which in turn also forms the basis for organized resistance.
Sverige har ett internationellt rykte för att ha en omfattande och kvinnovänlig välfärd. Även om riktigheten i en sådan uppfattning sedan länge ifrågasatts har på senare år, likt i många andra Europeiska länder, det svenska välfärdssystemet genomgått en omfattande förändring i avseende på dess räckvidd, men också dess organisering och styrning. Fokus för denna studie är just denna organisering och styrning, och mer specifikt, hur detta påverkar ett av välfärdens kanske mest centrala område: socialt arbete. Genom att intervjua socialarbetare undersöks i denna studie uttryck för och konsekvenser av en sådan förändring, bland annat genom att undersöka hur könsbundna föreställningar och förväntningar är sammanflätade med det sociala arbetets organisering och styrning. I studien konstateras att socialarbetare erfar att deras arbete genomgått omfattande förändringar, vilket kopplas ihop med både organiseringen och styrningen av det sociala arbetet. Detta uttrycks både i de ideal som kringgärdar arbetet men också i dominerande arbetssätt. En sådan förändring är införandet av  omfattande dokumentationsprocedurer av socialarbetarens arbete och kontakt med klienter, vilket medför att kontakten med klienterna blir ytligare. Dokumentationsprocedurerna utgör också en sorts kontroll av både klienterna och socialarbetarna själva. En annan förändring som konstateras är att nya organisationsmodeller och en förändrad ledarskapskultur skapar förväntningar på socialarbetarna att vara lojala med organisationen och ledningen snarare än klienterna. Bland annat utrycks detta genom förväntningar att inte protestera och skapa dålig stämning på arbetsplatsen, men också genom uttalade krav att spendera så lite resurser som möjligt på klienterna; korta behandlingstider, öppenvårdsalternativ och orimligt hårda krav för att få ekonomiskt bistånd. Detta legitimeras genom sammanväxningen av flera olika ideal; budgetmedvetenhet, att klienter inte mår bra av långa institutionsvistelser, men också att klienterna ska tillåtas eller bör tvingas att klara att sig själva. Ett av studiens huvudresultat är att den nuvarande organiseringen och styrningen av socialt arbete skapar avstånd och likgiltighet. Genom flera sammankopplade ideal och arbetssätt styrs dagens socialarbetare till att bry sig mindre om de klienter de möter. På så sätt undermineras förutsättningarna för framväxten av en djup relation mellan socialarbetare och klient; 1) Idealet och kravet att socialarbetare ska arbeta utifrån evidens, det vill säga metoder och förhållningssätt som i speciellt utformade utvärderingsmodeller visat sig ha effekt, gör att väl strukturerade och rigida metoder ges företräde. Denna instrumentalisering underminerar ett flexibelt, relationsorienterat och helhetsfokuserat sätt att arbeta. Dessutom gör evidensidealets fokus på enskilda individer och avgränsade utvärderingstider att mer samhällsinriktat kritiskt och långsiktigt inriktat arbete undermineras. 2) Ett rationalitetsideal, tätt sammanbundet med föreställningar om professionalitet och maskulinitet, värderar objektivitet och förmågan att frikoppla socialarbetarens egna känslor från sitt arbete. Detta maskuliniserade professionsideal innebär att empati och solidaritet med klienten undergrävs. 3) Omfattande krav på olika former av dokumentation av det sociala arbetet gör att tiden som socialarbetaren har till sitt förfogande för att besöka och att ha möten med klienten blir knapp. 4) Ett allmänt samhällsideal kring individuellt ansvar och en särskild arbetsmetod (motiverande samtal) som många socialarbetare förväntas lära sig, framhäver klientens eget ansvar för och vilja till förändring. Detta legitimerar ett avståndstagande från klientens behov av hjälp och stöd enligt logiken  ”du måste klara detta själv”. 5) En vanligt förekommande uppdelning av socialarbetarnas arbetsuppgifter i en så kallad beställar-utförarmodell gör att vissa socialsekreterare arbetar med hjälp och stöd, medan andra arbetar med bedömningar av klienters behov. De senare, som också har inflytande över resurstilldelning, blir med en sådan organisering av arbetet alltmer frikopplade från den stödjande och hjälpande verksamheten och kontakten med klienten. 6) Standardiserade digitala bedömningsinstrument, skapade för att på ett likvärdigt sätt bedöma klienters behov och dokumentera det sociala arbetet, reglerar och instrumentaliserar kontakten med klienter. 7) Tunga arbetsbördor, individualiserat ansvar och stress, bidrar ytterligare till att skapa avstånd och likgiltighet eftersom det för vissa utgör ett sätt att genomleva en ohållbar arbetssituation. En allmän åtstramning av socialtjänstens resurstilldelning förstås som en viktig orsak till behovet av att skapa ovan distansmekanismer. Men distansen hänger också ihop med en tendens till ett återupplivande av en tidigare dominerande förståelse av marginalisering och sociala problem; där människors nöd ses som ett utslag av dålig karaktär och ett resultat av dåliga individuella val. De förändringar av det sociala arbetets premisser som beskrivits ovan gör att socialarbetarna alltmer görs främmande inför sitt arbete – de alieneras. Detta främmandegörande uttrycks genom att inte kunna identifiera sig med arbetet självt, sina kollegor eller med sig själv. Ett sådant främmandegörande underminerar, eller fragmentiserar, både relationen till klienten, men också en känsla av gemenskap med andra socialarbetare. En gemenskap som kan utgöra ett ”vi” och ligga till grund för att ställa krav, protestera och göra motstånd mot avhumaniserande ideal och reformer. På så vis är främmandegörandet inte bara en konsekvens av dagens organisering och styrning, utan också något som fyller en viktig funktion för en sådan styrning och organisering, och genomförandet av en allmän åtstramning i socialpolitiken. Samtidigt som dagens organisering och styrning av socialt arbete är främmandegörande, slår vissa socialarbetare knut på sig själva och arbetar extra hårt för att täcka upp för systemets brister och krympande resurser, för att trots det svåra läget ändå försöka ge det stöd som de upplever att klienten behöver. Ett sådant historiskt förankrat femininiserat omsorgsideal, dvs känslor av ansvar och empati inför behövande och en ilska inför oförrätter, utgör därmed på samma gång grund för en fördjupad exploatering av socialarbetarna, och ett vardagligt motstånd mot rådande system. I ett läge när flera upplever att kollegialiteten som grund för motstånd på arbetsplatserna underminerats, utgör ett sådant omsorgsideal samtidigt också grunden för organiserat motstånd utanför arbetsplatsen, bortom chefernas insyn, kontroll och härskartekniker. Medan nuvarande styrningssystem underminerar ett visst sorts motstånd, uppstår samtidigt grunden för nya.

While sustainability-dedicated managers and related titles represent a profession that has hardly existed for more than a decade, it is not surprising that the field of research concentrating on these professionals is in itself relatively new. With an increasing demand for corporations to take their social and environmental responsibility, and a corporate sustainability characterized by tension and paradox, we found it of importance to explore the role and entanglements of these professionals. By analysing 17 in-depth interviews with sustainability-dedicated professionals from the private sector in Sweden, our interpretation is that sustainability managers hold the function of selling sustainability, with talk as their main weapon. Expressly, in the intersection between business-case logics and sustainability logics, sustainability managers have to, above all, make a convincing case for sustainability, inwards and outwards. Therefore, they draw dynamically on different narratives which we conceptualise in three roles: the chameleon, the pragmatic, and the nagging manager. Through these roles, we intend to capture the fluidity with which the managers relate and engage with sustainability, and hence we do not mean to ossify a role’s dynamics within a single, static or stereotypical category. We discuss these findings and concepts to the background of previous studies and existing literature.

abstract: This dissertation examines the factors related to the success of host country field offices established by international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Further, this dissertation examines NGO field office mission success in the context of working with foreign host governments and clients. This dissertation is a case of the field offices of The Nature Conservancy in South and Central America. The principal research aim is to identify the primary factors that are related to success of field offices. Success is identified as a multidimensional concept. A conceptual model for success is developed. The conceptual model derived causal factors from the literature and captured categories of variables such as: (1) managerial tactics and techniques dictated by the NGO and adopted by field office leaders; (2) the distance between cultural features of the host country and those of the country of origin of the field office manager and personnel; and, (3) characteristics of the host country government. The dissertation: (1) utilizes a working definition of NGO drawn from the scholarly literature in the field; (2) describes the role of field offices (located in host countries) in the calculus of "home office" goal achievement; (3) discusses the types of "change"--delivery of goods, delivery of services, changes in behavior, changes in norms or attitudes--that field offices may have and how they differ in the challenges they create for field office managers; and, (4) develops a conceptual definition for success. This dissertation is concerned with the factors associated with success in the international NGO's field office. A model of success predictors is tested in this work. The findings suggest that the field offices mission success may be affected by local culture but this was not an issue for the organization studied. Mission success as perceived by the field seems to be a product of organizational culture. The contribution of the research to academic literature is that this study is both an exploratory and descriptive study of how NGO mission is carried out in the field and the impacts of national and organizational culture on mission success.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Public Administration 2011

Yes
We examine the relationships among religious governance, especially Islamic governance quality (IGQ), national governance quality (NGQ), and risk management and disclosure practices (RDPs), and consequently ascertain whether NGQ has a moderating influence on the IGQ–RDPs nexus. Using one of the largest data sets relating to Islamic banks from 10 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries from 2006 to 2013, our findings are threefold. First, we find that RDPs are higher in banks with higher IGQ. Second, we find that RDPs are higher in banks from countries with higher NGQ. Finally, we find that NGQ has a moderating effect on the IGQ–RDPs nexus. Our findings are robust to alternative RDP measures and estimation techniques. These results imply that the quality of disclosure depends on the nature of the macro-social-level factors, such as religion that have remained largely unexplored in business and society research, and, therefore, have important implications for policy makers.

De récents développements en théorie de la decision ont largement enrichi notre connaissance de la notion d'incertitude knightienne, usuellement appelée ambiguïté. Néanmoins ces dévelopement tardent à être intégrés au coeur de la théorie économique. Nous suggérons que l'analyse de phénonèmes économiques tel que l'innovation et la Recherche et Développement gagnerait à intégrer les modèles de décision en situation d'ambiguïté. Nous étayons notre propos en analysant l'allocation des droits de propriété d'une découverte. Les deux premières parties de la présentation s'inspire d'un modèle d'Aghion et de Tirole, The Management of Innovation, portant sur l'allocation des droits de propriété entre une unité de recherche et un investisseur. Il est démontré qu'un désaccord entre les agents sur la technologie de recherche affecte leur niveau d'effort, l'allocation des droits de propriété et l'allocation des revenus subséquents. Finalement, nous examinons une situation où plusieurs chercheurs sont en compétition en s'inspirant du traitement de l'incertitude de Savage. La présence d'ambuïgité affecte le comportement des agents et l'allocation des droits de propriétés de manière qui n'est pas captée en assumant l'hypothèse de risque.
Recent developments in decision-theory have shed light on the concept of Knightian Uncertainty, or Ambiguity. However, this apparatus is still not fully integrated in economic theory. This presentation argue that the analysis of innovation and Research and Developments will gain substantial insights by modelling these activities as decision-making under Ambiguity. The main subject of of interest of this paper is the allocation of the property rights of a discovery. The first part of the analysis draws on a paper of Aghion and Tirole, The Management of Innovation, where they look at the optimal allocation of the property rights between a Research Unit and its financier. Allowing for heterogeneous beliefs affects the level of effort of the two agents, the sharing rule of the revenue of a discovery and the allocation of property rights. The second part follows Savage's framework to model an innovation competition between multiple researchers. The presence of Ambiguity impacts the behaviour of the agents and the allocation of the property rights in a way that could not be captured assuming Risk.