Qualität statt Masse: Spezialkaffee als Ansatz für eine öko-faire Gestaltung der Wertschöpfungskette

Wie lassen sich Wertschöpfungsketten im Zeitalter der Globalisierung ökologisch und fair gestalten? Konventioneller Kaffeeanbau führt gegenwärtig zu ökologischen und sozialen Problemen. Inwieweit kann Produktion und Vermarktung von Qualitätskaffee eine Alternative für Erzeuger und Verbraucher bieten? Aus den Erfahrungen kolumbianischer Kleinbauernorganisationen leiten sich Möglichkeiten und Grenzen dieses Ansatzes ab. -- How can value chains be designed in an ecological and fair way in the age of globalisation? The traditional cultivation of coffee trees is currently triggering ecological and social problems. To what extent could the production and marketing of quality coffee offer an alternative for producers and consumers? The experiences of Colombian crofter organisations help to develop opportunities and limits of this approach.

'Le lion enfin couronné’. Pensée politique et imaginaire royal au cours des premiers voyages espagnols des princes de la Maison de Bourgogne-Habsbourg

In the beginning of the 16th century, the princes of the House of Burgundy-Habsburg, Philip the Fair and his son Charles, travelled several times to Spain. These travels radically transformed the scope of their political possibilities. Philip became king consort of Castile, along with his spouse Joanna, while Charles, as heir to the Catholic Kings, seized the crowns of all the Spanish Kingdoms. At least since the second half of Philip the Good’s reign, the main political objective of the rulers of the Low Countries was the acquisition of a royal title, dignity, and power. This paper examines how, at a time when such a crown was in their reach, the courtly authors of Philip the Fair and Charles of Habsburg wrote elaborate travel accounts of their masters’ journeys to Spain. In their narrations, they created a royal figure and image that legitimated their masters’ place in their new function. They also established a new distinctive model of monarchy, which they inscribed at the crossroads of the political actions of the Dukes of Burgundy and those of the Catholic Kings. Furthermore, they connected this type of kingship to what they considered to be the main political forces of Spain: the Grandees and the Spanish Cortes. Lastly, their narratives capture a time of intense reflection on monarchical politics in the Low Countries shortly before the Imperial Election of Charles v redesigned the political landscape

Identification of Cultural Heuristics for the creation of consistent and fair pedagogy for ethnically diverse students.

This book chapter intends to illustrate the complexity of supporting culturally diverse students in UK Higher Education Business Schools and how this complexity is compounded by pedagogy, which is shaped by educational practice that is dominated by aspirations of Western culture. The role that culturally responsive teaching can play as an approach to meeting the educational needs of students whose educational framework and culture are different from western mainstream education is also explored within the context of UK Business Schools. This chapter investigates the cultural constructs of culturally responsive teaching within the structured framework of the five-pillars of Jabbar and Hardaker (2013). We propose, through the identification of the cultural constructs, that within HE there are gaps within fundamental areas that should be developed to consistently engage with students in a fair, consistent and equitable manner

Achieving equity and gender equality in Uganda’s tertiary education and development

Grounded in feminist epistemology, the study focused on the concepts of location, social position, gender and Affirmative Action to assess the social phenomenon of inequality in the distribution of public university educational opportunities in 4 regions and 112 districts of Uganda. The study used district level data of a student population of 101,504 admitted to five public universities from 2009-2017, to construct the ‘Fair Share Index’ (FSI) as a measure of higher educational inequality. Based on the FSI, the Fair Share Equity Framework of analysis was created, developed, applied and used extensively in the study, to incorporate ‘equity’ as a ‘third’ dimension in the assessment of higher educational distribution in Uganda. The Education Equity Index (EEI) was computed for each of four regions and 112 districts of the country. The EEI was defined as the difference between the Fair Share Index (FSI) or population quota and the actual proportion of the student population allocated to a region or district of the country. The index measures the ‘Fair Share Gap’ in the distribution of higher educational opportunities from one region and district of the country to another, based on the changing configurations of population quota and the actual student population allocated over the years. It shows the extent of the gains or losses incurred in the distribution of public university education by a district over time, and the extent of inequality in access to public university educational opportunities as a resource in regions and districts of the country. The Fair Share framework defines, conceptualises, measures and incorporates the discourse of equity as a dimension of educational distribution in ways not previously reported. By so doing, the author addresses the puzzling complexities of the social phenomenon of inequality in higher education and in development, in ways not previously reported. The new methodology is based on the feminist Standpoint theorythe notion that the social phenomenon of inequality is socially, historically and culturally situated and that its investigation and analysis must be placed in the context of the location of the social phenomenon itself. On that basis, the Fair Share Equity Framework does not simply offer a perspective; it provides a rigorous and an innovative methodology, which simplifies investigation of the social phenomenon. In the entire study, the researcher endeavored to systematically illustrate the theoretical and empirical paradigms of the Fair Share Framework as a new contribution to knowledge and an important effort towards the greater goal for equity and gender equality in higher education. The study found that social location and gender were the main factors in Uganda’s public university educational inequality. Ninety-point-five (90.5) percent of the total student population was found in the top 20 per cent of districts of Uganda. Seven (7) out of every 10 students selected for undergraduate programmes were from three (3) districts; Up to 82 per cent qualified from schools located in five districts; and a single private high school accounted for as many students as the number that came from a total of 733 public schools. While half the population of women in public university education was in one out of ten colleges, eight of out of every ten were in two colleges. In the rest of eight public university colleges, men outnumbered women by a ratio of 8:2. Owing to the district factor, the high school factor and Affirmative Action, gender remains the main factor in Uganda’s public university educational inequality. The representation of women tended to be lower in fields where jobs have considerable national appeal but it was higher in fields where prospects, status and potential for future income, power and access to resources are considerably lower within the historical, social and cultural context of Uganda. Access and distribution criteria mainly favored students from the top districts and high schools in the country. Although Affirmative Action opened doors for more women in higher education, the doors that were opened were not necessarily for historically excluded. The programme tended to benefit primarily the most fortunate, failing to reach the most marginalised, the excluded and the hard to reach on grounds that it was implemented for competitive reasons. In the distribution policies, systems and practices, emphasis was laid on the supply side rather than demand. In spite of the introduction of a district quota-based policy in 2005, the distribution system did not work for students from underprivileged schools in remote districts of Uganda. The majority of women and men who lagged behind originated from remote and disadvantaged districts. There was a significant binary divide. While the men occupied one section of the colleges, women were in the other section of the colleges. The benefit of Affirmative Action programme was limited to a specific category of women, from specific districts and a few top secondary schools in the country. Women faced considerable barriers, particularly in science education, due to the lack of effective policies to address college-based inequalities related to intake, and the transition from high school to higher levels of education. In recent times, considerable emphasis has been laid on studies that assess the social phenomena of inequality from an income and wealth distribution or inputs and output dimensions. Building its foundation from the feminist theories of knowledge, the framework stands out, for its emerging perspectives on the concepts that constitute the notion of equity. It explores new discourses and provides a theoretical framework that can be deployed in fields of development to deconstruct the conundrum and address the complexities of inequality. It presents a rigorous and systematic approach; contributes to the theoretical and empirical relevance of the feminist Standpoint epistemology and to a scientific vision in the study of inequality in all fields of development. When Uganda moved to universal primary schooling system, policy makers appear not to have anticipated the implications of this move for the country’s secondary and higher education system. The higher education distribution system has thus continued to aspire to its original elite model. This is not because it is insensitive and irresponsible, but because it is not structurally ready to accommodate the upcoming burden of mass and universal primary and secondary schooling. This malaise has distorted the notion of equity and equality in the distribution system, shifting the developments in Uganda’s higher educational distribution system rapidly in an opposite direction. The distribution of public university education in Uganda has thus become less of a central government function and more of a private affair, signaling a much deeper crisis – the degree to which admission policies, systems and practices may structurally deter the national equity, equality and empowerment agenda. This study dealt with the structural issues that influence equity and gender dynamics in the distribution of public university education in Uganda. It offers recommendations that address the failure of the national merit system in underprivileged schools in remote districts of Uganda. As presented, the Fair Share Equity Framework is my own construct and innovation. It was inspired by 20 years of experience in development, working with seven major International Non Governmental Organizations (INGOs), as well as with local civil society groups and communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. I was concerned with what appeared to be the sheer absence of methodologies that attempt to advance the application and use of the concept of ‘equity’ and ‘Fair Share’ in public policy; and in the investigation of the growing forms of geographical inequality; particularly in regions and districts of countries such as Uganda, where access to development resources such as higher educational opportunities is significantly hampered by the lack of space due to the limited state’s capacity for long term planning and inadequate tax-based models for financing of educational infrastructure. The study defines what constitutes ‘equity’ as a ‘dimension’ of educational distribution. It illustrates a clear gap between the government’s attempts to increase access to secondary education and the status of access to higher education. Its show the pitfalls in the governance framework currently guiding the higher education system, which primarily benefits students from a few districts in the country. This perpetuates a system that rewards only the privileged. The Fair Share methodology shows how the feminist Standpoint theory provides for the use of the feminist concept of social location in education; and in the understanding of how inequality in the distribution of higher education can be naturalised and legitimised in everyday life. It ascertains the nature of districts for which the distribution policy and system is most effective and the category of districts that lag behind. Its thesis is the notion that inequality in access to higher education cannot be corrected, without the synchrony between government’s efforts in ensuring access to primary and secondary education and an open strategy to achieve equity in higher education across the entire country. A case is made, that in order to address the social phenomenon of inequality in the distribution of higher education in regions and districts of Uganda, the proportion of all members from each district, who have the minimum level of preparation to participate in higher education should be determined by a Fair Share Index. The Fair Share Index provides a rigorous perspective on the discourse of equity; a perspective, which simplifies investigation and contributes to the scientific vision of the feminist Standpoint empiricism.Development StudiesD. Phil. (Development Studies

FaiReisen : Etablierungsmöglichkeiten sozialverantwortlicher Reiseprodukte auf Märkten des Nachhaltigen Konsums

In der Gesellschaft vollzieht sich seit einigen Jahren ein Wandel von der reinen Geiz ist Geil Mentalität , dem Massenkonsum und dem Materialismus zu einem bewussten und nachhaltigen Konsumverhalten. Konsumenten werden kritischer und verlangen gesunde, umweltverträgliche und authentische Produkte. Weiterführend werden die Fragen nach dem Herstellungsprozess, der Entlohnung der Arbeiter und den Arbeitsbedingungen immer bedeutender. Wie fair bzw., sozialverträglich Produkte sind, gerät stärker in den Fokus von Konsumenten und somit auch von Unternehmen. Parallel, jedoch langsamer, vollzieht sich dieser Wandel ebenso im Tourismussektor. Wenngleich nachhaltiger Tourismus schon seit mehreren Jahren von Tourismusorganisationen propagiert wird, so hat er doch heute noch einen zu geringen Stellenwert bei Reiseveranstaltern. Besonders Reisen, die auf der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette als fair/sozialverantwortlich bezeichnet werden können, sind erstens noch zu gering konzipiert, zweitens und bedeutender gibt es für diese Reisen kaum einen reellen Vermarktungsraum. Es wird analysiert, inwiefern sich faire Reiseprodukte in einem adäquaten Verkaufsraum etablieren können. Wesentliche Analysegrundlage bilden hierzu die Märkte auf denen bereits nachhaltig konsumiert wird. Hierzu werden die Nachfrageseite (nachhaltige, faire Konsumenten) und Angebotsseite (Fairer Handel, sozialverantwortlicher Tourismus) resultierend aus Sekundärforschung, sowie Primärforschung durch eine quantitative Kurzbefragung und qualitativen Experteninterviews erörtert. Die Ergebnisse werden zur abschließenden Konzepterstellung von FaiReisen herangezogen. In diesem wird der reelle nachhaltige Verkaufsraum mit dem potentiellen Markt für sozialverantwortliche Reisen verknüpft. In recent years there is shift in society from the cheap-is-cool mentality, mass consumption and materialism towards a conscious and sustainable consumer behavior. Consumers become more critical and demand healthy environmentally sound and authentic products. Furthermore questions regarding the production process, salaries of workers and working conditions gain importance. How fair or socially responsible products are has become an increasing focus for consumers and therefore also for companies. At the same time but on a slower level this conversion also takes place in the tourism sector. Although several tourism organizations have been stressing the topic of sustainable tourism for years now, it still continues to have only little importance to tour operators. Especially travel products which can be considered fair and socially responsible along the entire value chain are first of all very limited and secondly, even more significant there is barely a proper room for supply and marketing of these travels. This work addresses this problem by analyzing whether and how fair travel products could be established in an appropriate retail space. Substance analysis basis are the existing marketplaces for sustainable consumption. For this purpose the demand side (sustainable, fair consumers) as well as the supply-side (Fair Trade, socially responsible travel) will be examined by secondary and primary research comprising a quantitative survey and qualitative expert interviews. The results will be used for the final concept development of FaiReisen to combine an existent sustainable sales area with the potential market for socially responsible travel

More Than an Academic Question: Defining Student Ownership of Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property is increasingly important due to technology’s rapid development. The importance of intellectual property is also reflected within universities as traditional centers of research and expression, where students and faculty are encouraged to develop inventions and creative works throughout the educational experience. The commercialization potential of the intellectual property that emerges from these efforts has led many universities to adopt policies to determine ownership of intellectual property rights. Many of these policies take different approaches to ownership, and most students are unaware of their rights and are unlikely to consider whether the university has a claim to ownership. The purpose of this Article is to outline how intellectual property rights arise in the academic environment and to analyze how university policies determine ownership rights for students and the university. This Article concludes by urging universities and students to acknowledge the existence of these issues, adopt policies to address ownership rights, and make these policies known to members of the university community

FaiReisen : Etablierungsmöglichkeiten sozialverantwortlicher Reiseprodukte auf Märkten des Nachhaltigen Konsums

In der Gesellschaft vollzieht sich seit einigen Jahren ein Wandel von der reinen Geiz ist Geil Mentalität , dem Massenkonsum und dem Materialismus zu einem bewussten und nachhaltigen Konsumverhalten. Konsumenten werden kritischer und verlangen gesunde, umweltverträgliche und authentische Produkte. Weiterführend werden die Fragen nach dem Herstellungsprozess, der Entlohnung der Arbeiter und den Arbeitsbedingungen immer bedeutender. Wie fair bzw., sozialverträglich Produkte sind, gerät stärker in den Fokus von Konsumenten und somit auch von Unternehmen. Parallel, jedoch langsamer, vollzieht sich dieser Wandel ebenso im Tourismussektor. Wenngleich nachhaltiger Tourismus schon seit mehreren Jahren von Tourismusorganisationen propagiert wird, so hat er doch heute noch einen zu geringen Stellenwert bei Reiseveranstaltern. Besonders Reisen, die auf der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette als fair/sozialverantwortlich bezeichnet werden können, sind erstens noch zu gering konzipiert, zweitens und bedeutender gibt es für diese Reisen kaum einen reellen Vermarktungsraum. Es wird analysiert, inwiefern sich faire Reiseprodukte in einem adäquaten Verkaufsraum etablieren können. Wesentliche Analysegrundlage bilden hierzu die Märkte auf denen bereits nachhaltig konsumiert wird. Hierzu werden die Nachfrageseite (nachhaltige, faire Konsumenten) und Angebotsseite (Fairer Handel, sozialverantwortlicher Tourismus) resultierend aus Sekundärforschung, sowie Primärforschung durch eine quantitative Kurzbefragung und qualitativen Experteninterviews erörtert. Die Ergebnisse werden zur abschließenden Konzepterstellung von FaiReisen herangezogen. In diesem wird der reelle nachhaltige Verkaufsraum mit dem potentiellen Markt für sozialverantwortliche Reisen verknüpft. In recent years there is shift in society from the cheap-is-cool mentality, mass consumption and materialism towards a conscious and sustainable consumer behavior. Consumers become more critical and demand healthy environmentally sound and authentic products. Furthermore questions regarding the production process, salaries of workers and working conditions gain importance. How fair or socially responsible products are has become an increasing focus for consumers and therefore also for companies. At the same time but on a slower level this conversion also takes place in the tourism sector. Although several tourism organizations have been stressing the topic of sustainable tourism for years now, it still continues to have only little importance to tour operators. Especially travel products which can be considered fair and socially responsible along the entire value chain are first of all very limited and secondly, even more significant there is barely a proper room for supply and marketing of these travels. This work addresses this problem by analyzing whether and how fair travel products could be established in an appropriate retail space. Substance analysis basis are the existing marketplaces for sustainable consumption. For this purpose the demand side (sustainable, fair consumers) as well as the supply-side (Fair Trade, socially responsible travel) will be examined by secondary and primary research comprising a quantitative survey and qualitative expert interviews. The results will be used for the final concept development of FaiReisen to combine an existent sustainable sales area with the potential market for socially responsible travel

Efficient Hedging and Pricing of Equity-Linked Life Insurance Contracts on Several Risky Assets

The authors use the efficient hedging methodology for optimal pricing and hedging of equitylinked life insurance contracts whose payoff depends on the performance of several risky assets. In particular, they consider a policy that pays the maximum of the values of n risky assets at some maturity date T , provided that the policyholder survives to T . Such contracts incorporate financial risk, which stems from the uncertainty about future prices of the underlying financial assets, and insurance risk, which arises from the policyholder's mortality. The authors show how efficient hedging can be used to minimize expected losses from imperfect hedging under a particular risk preference of the hedger. They also prove a probabilistic result, which allows one to calculate analytic pricing formulas for equity-linked payoffs with n risky assets. To illustrate its use, explicit formulas are derived for optimal prices and expected hedging losses for payoffs with two risky assets. Numerical examples highlighting the implications of efficient hedging for the management of financial and insurance risks of equity-linked life insurance policies are also provided.Financial markets;