Adaptive governance for fire management planning : a case study on Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan

Fire is a natural ecological process in the boreal forest, but also a threat to human lives, properties and other values at risk. The challenge is to find a way to manage fire where both the positive and negative aspects of fire are effectively balanced. This is especially important since more frequent and intense wildfires are predicted in the future due to climate change. There is also a need for increased cooperation across jurisdictions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Canadian fire management. To address the current and future challenges of fire management, this thesis argues that an effective and adaptive governance approach is needed. The purpose of the study was to develop principles, criteria and indicators of adaptive governance and to apply this framework to fire management planning in Prince Albert National Park (PANP), Saskatchewan. Because of the need to include other agencies with fire responsibilities, the study also focused on the interagency cooperation with Saskatchewan Environment (SE), the provincial ministry responsible for wildfires. Principles, criteria and indicators of adaptive governance were identified based on literature on good governance, adaptive management, adaptive governance, and wildfire specific literature. A qualitative research approach was then used to collect data mainly through semi-structured interviews with representatives from Parks Canada (both from PANP and at the national level) and SE, and document analysis of fire plans and strategies. This study shows that many aspects of adaptive governance have already been implemented in PANP, so that principles and criteria of inclusiveness, legitimacy, foresight, leadership, and many aspects of performance-oriented and adaptiveness have been at least partially met. Yet, there is a need to improve information-sharing and communication, especially across jurisdictions. In terms of the interagency cooperation between PANP and SE, having different mandates is the biggest challenge, but it does not prevent cooperation. Throughout the years both agencies have worked out ways to deal with differences in their mandate and fire management strategies. Having a dialogue to try to understand each other�s mandate and respect each other has been and continues to be a key factor in the cooperation. Finally, maintaining and retaining social capital may be crucial to future success in fire management planning, both from an intra- and from an interagency perspective

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Companies’ Open Innovation Efforts for Firm Performance: A Comprehensive Network Perspective

This thesis is devoted to a phenomenon that is currently reshaping the global business architecture: Open innovation (OI) networks. Managers are interested to know how to construct and manage their networks such that they are beneficial for their OI efforts. The goal of the thesis is to determine how network characteristics influence the effectiveness of different types of OI activities and how firms can achieve a beneficial network position by engaging in OI efforts. This thesis is based on three empirical studies that draw on social network theory as an overreaching theoretical framework. Furthermore, this thesis aligns social network theory with the relational view and the literature on distant knowledge. To provide a comprehensive understanding of OI networks, the studies in this thesis also employ different methodological approaches: Crosssectional and longitudinal analysis based on multisource and multiindustry datasets. The key results show that in order to profit from OI firms need well-elaborated risk and network management practices that are applied to the main decisions that managers have to make regarding firms’ entire OI efforts. In specific, network characteristics can help firms to increase the potentials of the upsides of OI and at the same time they can reduce the risks of the downsides of OI. Moreover, certain types of OI activities are more or less suitable for achieving a beneficial position in an OI network and fostering firm performance. Altogether, this thesis provides important implications for managerial practice and closes relevant gaps in the scientific research regarding OI networks

Developmental evaluation: Complexity leadership theory in practice-A mixed methods study

Networks of organizations frequently operate within complex adaptive systems in which leadership is practiced in uncertain and ambiguous conditions. Background in complexity theories is first provided, along with how they apply to organizations operating in complex adaptive systems. A theory—Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT)—has been derived to model leadership in complex adaptive systems; CLT has been tested very little in practice. Developmental Evaluation (DE) is a practice which helps organizations and their networks adapt within complex adaptive systems. Since both processes are based in complexity, leadership characteristics in each can be expected to be similar. This exploratory mixed methods study incorporates a qualitative study of key informants to explore the leadership characteristics used in the implementation of DE and a quantitative study of participants of DE to support and verify the qualitative findings. A valuable instrument was developed to measure CLT leadership characteristics in DE, which can be used in subsequent research. Factor analyses found DE leadership characteristics were comparable to CLT leadership characteristics, providing an area of study that can improve the theory while making the theoretical approach more relevant to practitioners. Adding to the theory are emergent leadership characteristics which may contribute to the study of CLT. DE benefits from an improved understanding of leadership characteristics in complex adaptive initiatives

Knowledge and innovation systems in Swedish horticulture : A study of multi-actor collaboration for impact

The background of this thesis is new directions in international and national politics, the challenges of contemporary innovation systems, and the challenges and potentials in Swedish horticulture. The aim is to investigate how the knowledge and innovation system in Swedish horticulture can be reinforced to meet current and future challenges. The research questions focus on how network facilitation, social learning, and impact orientation can contribute to a reinforced knowledge and innovation system. The frame of reference takes in theories of systems of innovation, and, in particular, agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS). The thesis is also complemented with theories of social processes related to learning and impact. The methods include qualitative case studies in a progression from traditional qualitative research methods towards an action research approach. The results identified processes of network brokering, dialogue, co-agency and inclusion as central to reinforcing the knowledge and innovation system of Swedish horticulture. The findings point to a need to balance a structural interpretation of the horticultural knowledge and innovation system with a process perspective, to actively invite the agency of engaged and entrepreneurial individuals, and to balance the historical ‘supply side innovation’ perspective with a prioritization on the creation of societal impact. These results provide a contribution to the debate around different systems perspectives of the AKIS. They also highlight how changes in everyday work at the micro-level are a precondition for system level change, and how actions at the micro-level have the potential of improving the ability to meet current and future challenges and contribute to societal impact and change

EBSLG Annual General Conference, 18. - 21.05.2010, Cologne. Selected papers

Am 18.-21. Mai 2010 fand in der Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek (USB) Köln die „Annual General Conference“ der European Business Schools Librarians Group (EBSLG) statt. Die EBSLG ist eine relativ kleine, aber exklusive Gruppe von Bibliotheksdirektorinnen und –direktoren bzw. Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekaren in Leitungspositionen aus den Bibliotheken führender Business Schools. Im Mittelpunkt der Tagung standen zwei Themenschwerpunkte: Der erste Themenkreis beschäftigte sich mit Bibliotheksportalen und bibliothekarischen Suchmaschinen. Der zweite Themenschwerpunkt Fragen der Bibliotheksorganisation wie die Aufbauorganisation einer Bibliothek, Outsourcing und Relationship Management. Der vorliegende Tagungsband enthält ausgewählte Tagungsbeiträge

Does It Work? Examining the Effectiveness of Place Branding in Local Economic Development

For cities in advanced economies, the past three decades have been characterized by a steady increase in the use of place branding, with it becoming an integral part local economic development policy. In the context of this study, place branding goes beyond the traditional understanding of logos and slogans, and instead is understood to be the culmination of intentional and unintentional actions by cities that help create and attenuate the network of connections of the place held in the mind of target audiences. Place branding is now viewed by local policymakers as a necessary undertaking to respond to local issues that emerge (i.e. the decline of traditional economic sectors, changing demographics and population decline, the rise of the knowledge and creative economies changing position of cities in regional and global competitions for footloose economic resources). Indeed, local governments are now pinning their hopes on place branding as a way to counter many of the ills that their city faces. Despite the increased attention that place branding has received as a local economic development policy, there is considerable uncertainty over whether it is effective in meeting the hopes and aspirations of the cities that employ it. In short, does it work? To address this question, this dissertation considers place branding’s role in the attraction of three mobile economic resources (talent, immigrants, and businesses) to examine whether it is able to effectively influence these target audiences. Within this dissertation, influence is measured in several ways: place brand awareness, place brand equity, and decision-making of the target audiences. A key contribution of this dissertation is that it reframes the concept of equity to align with the geographical concept of sense-of-place. Using the Province of Ontario, Canada as the study area, the effectiveness of place branding is quantified through multiple surveys of talent (n = 3951), immigrants (n = 739), and businesses (n = 659). The influence is examined across eight studies through a series of quantitative approaches (i.e. descriptive statistics, ANOVA, regression, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, conjoint analysis, and Hierarchical Bayesian estimation). Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that place branding does have an influence on attracting mobile economic resources, and as a result has the potential to be an effective local economic development strategy. However, cities and other local governments need to be strategic in their branding efforts, and consider the brand to more than logos and slogan, to ensure it promotes the correct feature of the city that are meaningful to the target audiences being pursued