Rhetoric or game changer: Social dialogue and industrial relations in education midst EU governance and privatisation in Europe

With a focus on EU multi-level governance and the case systems of French-speaking Belgium, Italy, Poland and Sweden, this final report presents detailed analysis and findings adressing the project’s four research questions: ■ How have IR and arrangements for social dialogue and collective bargaining in the education sector unfolded since 2008 – at the level of EU governance and in the four case systems? ■ How are developments in IR at the European and national scales associated with patterns of education reform and privatisation? ■ How are developments in IR at the European and national scales associated with the trajectory of EU governance, and especially within the context of the European Semester cycles under Europe 2020? ■ What are the implications of our findings for the prospects of the mainstreaming of the European Pillar of Social Rights concerning education personnel’s fair working conditions, professional prerogatives, social dialogue and education quality and equity

Sustainable development of export-orientated farmed seafood in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Aquaculture is playing an important role in the development of fisheries in Vietnam, a role which has accelerated since 2000. Sustainability in aquaculture is receiving increasing attention, and this issue is not only the concern of government, but also stakeholders participating in the value chain. Therefore, this study aims to identify sustainability issues of farmed seafood by assessing the main sustainability issues raising concern. The Global Value Chain framework described by Gereffi et al. (2005) is applied for this study to explore the business relationships in supply chain and the perceptions of sustainability concerned by the value chain actors. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to collect data. An assessment of four species cultured on the Mekong Delta, the countries farmed seafood ‘hub’, found a clear distinction between species cultured with a local domestic market orientation (Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii; and Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus) and the two key export commodities - Striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and Penaeid shrimp (Penaeus monodon & Litopenaeus vannamei). These orientations were based on a range of factors including the development of effective seed supplies and the cultural value of marketing in the live format. This study, conducted in ten provinces in the Mekong Delta from 2009 to 2013 had a focus on understanding the export-orientated commodities, striped catfish and shrimp through collection of baseline information on the value chain of farmed seafood, focusing on the farming sector, the actors and institutions involved and beneficiaries. Sustainability issues and perceptions of experts (top-down) and primary stakeholders (bottom-up) opinions were assessed through participatory workshops. Shrimp and striped catfish production are mainly farmed for export, with 83% and 95% of its production, respectively, leaving the country mainly after processing. Currently, mainly families operate small-/medium-scale farms; while large-farms are integrated within seafood processors. Production efficiency of large-farms tends to be better than small-/medium farms. Many striped catfish and shrimp farms are likely to reach several standard criteria such as economic feed conversion ratio (eFCR), stocking density, no banned chemical/drug and wild-seed use, and land property rights; however, there were still many standard criteria that existing farms could not meet such as effluent management, farm registration, fishmeal control, farm hygiene and record-keeping requirement. Hence, current farming practices, especially small-/medium farms have a long way to go to meet emergent international food standards. Recently, many small-/medium catfish farms faced problems with low fish prices, so they have had to cease catfish farming activities and temporarily stop farming; while some larger farms also had to temporarily stop farming. Therefore, fish price has tended to be a main driving force for catfish farm changes. In the shrimp industry, there were technical changes occurring in the high intensity level of shrimp farms (HiLI); whereas, the remaining shrimp farms had fewer changes in farm management. Most HiLI shrimp farms were affected by AHPNS disease, which was a main factor driving their farm changes. Many perceptions of sustainability were identified by stakeholder groups, however seven sustainability issues had a high level of agreement among stakeholders including input cost, capital & credit costs, unstable markets, government regulation & policy, disease, seed quality, water quality and water availability factors. Hatcheries, farmers and manager groups were more concerned about environmental issues; while for the input suppliers and processors, economics was the main issue. Farmers and processors were two main actors that played an important role in the production process of the value chain. Small-/medium farms dominated the number of farms overall and still played an important role in primary production. However, small-scale farms were considered as more vulnerable actors in the value chain, and they faced more difficulties in meeting increasing requirements on food quality/safety. To maintain the position in the value chain, the solutions could be horizontal and vertical coordination. Thus policy makers will need to find ways to include them in the planning processes. To reach sustainability will require the efforts of direct stakeholders, the role of the state agencies is essential in negotiation and diplomacy to create partnerships with the seafood importing countries. However, efforts to develop sustainable production become impossible without participation from importers, retailers and consumers

The Recent Evolution of French Universities

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Home-based Business: An Exploration of Business Model Heterogeneity

Purpose Home-based business (HBB) literature identifies variation in the sector, such as differences in technology use, knowledge capital. It also asserts HBB may have specific value for specific groups of business starters. Despite this diversity, HBB is treated as one conceptualisation, as a single business model. Consequently, our knowledge is based on disparate studies with different research agendas and results are inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. This paper outlines a means by which the heterogeneity of HBB can be revealed via a framework within which diversity might be viewed. Method Largely conceptual, this paper draws from a study of 30 HBB owners to test the framework using the business model dimension of in or from home and the distinguishing feature example of knowledge. The empirical work was qualitative, based on interviews. Findings We find variation in HBB types and distinct business models, exposing heterogeneity. The framework provides a means by which the reality of HBB may be better revealed. Value Value lies in the provision of a means by which we might view the diversity of HBB. Using the framework, different research agendas may be serviced and afford sight of issues that affect HBB as they vary by business model. This is of value for research clarity, and also for informing policy and support of small businesses as the needs of different types of HBB will vary

Value for the Vulnerable? Sustainable Smallholder Development in Northern Ghana and the Value Chains of Tomato, Chili and Rice

Ghana has managed to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a vibrant agricultural market. The country could be a prime example of successful, pro-poor development following economic liberalisation. Though first change is visible even in traditionally impoverished areas of the north, namely the Upper East Region, hunger and chronic poverty are still prevalent. Yet, after decades of restricted public expenditure, ‘pro-poor’ agricultural policies could now be put in place, to actively improve smallholder lives in the area by various forms of government support. Similarly, foreign development agencies have recently become more engaged in supporting the local agricultural sector. All actors of current relevance have thereby pursued a value chain approach to developing the markets and livelihoods of northern Ghanaian agriculturalists. The contribution to pro-poor, ‘sustainable’ development, however, remains unclear as at now. This study is therefore concerned with how market dynamics and interventions have influenced ‘sustainable development’ of the vulnerable and poor in an emerging economy like Ghana. To do so, the study takes a look at smallholder livelihood systems in the Upper East Region of the country. Here, local peasant society is confronted with environmental changes, economic globalisation processes and interventions in agricultural value chains by the local Ministry of Food and Agriculture and foreign donors like USAID. To grasp the impact of market dynamics and interventions within this multidimensional context, this study argues for a combination of a holistic livelihood and a more specific value chain and production network approach as a useful conceptual background. Given this theoretic backdrop, data was collected for over 10 months in two villages of the Upper East, namely in Biu and Mirigu, with a focus on tomato, chili and rice, products of major significance to locals. The main methods applied in the field included qualitative as much as quantitative approaches. Farmer focus group discussions (n=37), in-depth farmer interviews and farm budgets (n=47) were the primary source of data gathered. Expert/key-informant interviews (n=70) and expert group discussions (n=2) were held. A household head survey (n=177) and an expert survey (n=25) were used to check hypotheses previously generated by qualitative methods. Primary and secondary data for tomato, chili, rice and partly also shea value chains was collected. Secondary data, such as confidential government and NGO documents, allow an insider view into farmers’ access to subsidies and support. An archive survey of church diaries dating back to 1905, enable a view on local developments in a long-term, historic perspective. This study thereby yields a number of insights with concern for conceptual approaches to the issue of understanding the pro-poor impact of markets, their dynamics and interventions within these. Livelihood analysis proved to be an indispensable approach to understanding important aspects of people-centred, human development potentials and constraints in a local environmental and institutional context. Value chain and production network analysis provided further fruitful insights on market dynamics, their structural outlines, their basic rationales and market terms for the successful participation of locals. It can therefore be concluded that both of these basic notions, either people- or market-centred approaches, should be conceptually merged to advance future research on the pro-poor effect of markets and interventions within them, to specifically address questions of what is here understood as ‘livelihood upgrading’. This study further contributes to an understanding of central aspects of local development and possible future avenues to achieving greater livelihood sustainability through government or donor development interventions. Most significantly, it became clear that ‘positive’, pro-poor market dynamics are also encountered at a local level, but cannot be made use of by spatially and socially marginalised, vulnerable and poor smallholders. That is mainly due to elite capture and corrupt practices, ultimately a question of mal-governance, a lack of grass-roots participation and a disregard for societal dimensions within which interventions are interwoven. Furthermore, neither environmental degradation nor present or future environmental changes, especially climatic ones and those with regard to soils, are accounted for. Interventions thereby remain far below their possible impact and even contribute to a loss of the natural resource base, aside the fact that they further increase an already high level socio-economic inequality. In the face of recent economic awakening, despite globalisation tendencies, future efforts in enabling sustainable development at local level must thus increasingly embrace environmental and, mostly, societal concerns in their concepts and daily practice

Value Creation in Smart Destinations. The Case of Manchester

Value co-creation is crucial to the conceptualisation of smart destinations. The integration of smartness in tourist destinations for the co-creation of value can drive innovation and enhance competitiveness. While smart tourism considers the prominent role of data and the advanced ICTs for value creation and innovation, S-D logic and strategic management respectively recognise knowledge and skills as determinant to the integration of resources for value creation and source of competitiveness. The evolving smart tourism destination definition is consistent with the service ecosystem concept. Considering the dynamic and complex nature of value co-creation in a smart ecosystem, an interdisciplinary approach involving the smart tourism, strategic management and S-D logic domains appears to be appropriate. The purpose of this research study is to explore and expand the theoretical and practical understanding of the value creation phenomenon in the smart Oxford Road Corridor of Manchester, from the rare and uncommon supply-side perspective. In the light of the static and codified approach to knowledge and skills, this study adopts a social constructivist stance towards the investigation of inter-organisational knowledge, data sharing and smart ICTs use. In harmony with the interpretive-qualitative paradigm, the holistic single-case study guided the primary data (interviews) and online secondary data (documentary material) collection and analysis. The iterative coding process based on the thematic analysis of all data sustained the conceptualisation of the value creation process through the following major interrelated themes: value creation enablers, value creation components, value creation constraints, addressing (the) constraints, innovation, contextual factors. The critical discussion about the themes helped with the definition of a holistic view of the phenomenon through an integrative framework resulting from the combination of a procedural and structural framework. In addition to the provision of the frameworks to advance understanding of the value creation process in a smart tourism ecosystem, this study has theoretical significance in enriching and expanding the body of knowledge in each and all the theoretical domains. Understanding this value creation process in detail and from a holistic perspective has several practical implications for local stakeholders, city managers and, particularly, data managers, on the ground of the emphasis ascribed to data skills

CCRI 2017 Year in Review

This book presents an overview of CCRI's research activities during 2017

Knowledge is Power? A market orientation approach to the global value chain analysis of aquaculture: Two cases linking Southeast Asia and the EU

This thesis adds the market orientation approach to a global value chain analysis of four farmed seafood value chains from two Asian countries to the EU. The overall aim of the research is to critically evaluate whether, and to what extent, access to market information is the key to unlocking the potential of developing countries to create greater value: whether knowledge is power. The objectives of the thesis are therefore to explore the process of generating market information in seafood value chains from Asia to the EU; understand under what conditions market information is, is not or is only partially disseminated; and, evaluate the role of market information in responses by chain agents that create value. In order to achieve these objectives, fieldwork was conducted along the length of shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) from Bangladesh, and shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from Thailand to the EU. The EU is the world’s largest single market for imported fish and fishery products. France, Germany and the UK were selected for fieldwork as they are primary importers of the species from the selected countries. The research found that although increased knowledge is necessary, it is not a sufficient condition for increased value creation. Instead, the research advances existing understanding of seafood value chains by revealing that successful integration of developing country producers into global markets is partly dependent on governance and industry development in the exporting country. Weaknesses in these structures and relationships undermine supplier power by reducing access to market information, lessening incentives for sharing information, and restricting response capabilities. A number of methods for overcoming these constraints were found in the chains examined, focusing on direct links between market and value chain agents. Importantly, the research found that integration is also dependent on the willingness of those with a market presence in importing countries to share knowledge and power. Critically, the research has led to the conclusion that the possession of market information is one way for value chain agents, particularly those downstream, to guard knowledge and power for themselves. A better understanding of seafood markets and an improved analysis of aquaculture value chains from Asian countries to the EU revealed through the research will facilitate public and private responses that focus on the competitive advantage of the whole chain as a means to more sustainable development. This may well promote new chain configurations that place a premium on stronger and more collaborative linkages, increasing coordination between weak and strong suppliers and contribute to private sector development assistance. Only when knowledge is shared and suppliers gain power, will the market orientation of seafood value chains be improved, if not optimised