Carbon credit schemes & landownership in Scotland : an analysis of policy discourses

Carbon Credit Schemes have become an important feature of governance approaches to climate change in recent years and have been gaining prominence in the Global North. Scotland in particular has seen a rise in the development of carbon projects, with developers looking to sell carbon credits. Existing land debates around concentrated patterns of landownership in Scotland are an important aspect of carbon credit scheme development. Scotland’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, developed by the Government, aims to diversify landownership and include rural communities within decisions relating to land. However, within this context, rural responses have been largely critical towards the development carbon projects, and rural Scottish communities have expressed concern about the potential for land-grabbing. This thesis examines the policy landscape surrounding the regulation of carbon credit schemes in Scotland. A poststructural lens is adopted to conduct a discourse policy analysis on relevant policies, with two main focuses. First, assessing how current policy on carbon credit schemes in Scotland relates to the goals of Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement. Second, enquiring as to the possible effects of how carbon credit policy and the goals of the statement speak to one another. The analysis shows that the discursive practices underpinning carbon credit schemes are closely linked with capitalist logics and are furthering neoliberal approaches to environmental governance. As a result, environmental governance is tending towards state-market hybrids. One effect of the marketisation of environmental approaches is a loss of accountability for negative impacts resulting from the development of carbon projects. In addition, this analysis also shows that there is a dilution of community consultation processes. Therefore, this thesis demonstrates that current policy in Scotland on carbon credit schemes is not in line with the principles of the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement and that, as a result, the concerns of rural communities are being sidelined

Breaking into jail : women working in a men's jail

The study intends to present a detailed picture of what it is like to be a woman working as a guard in a "men's" jail. In-depth interviews with 21 female guards, 6 managers and 17 women working in jobs usually held by women in a jail (nurses, clerks, librarians) were used to explore the experiences of women in choosing to become jail guards and the consequences of being a woman in the men's world of the jail. Whenever possible, the actual words of the participants are included in the text. The dominant idea which organizes the research is that female guards in a men's jail find themselves in a confusing position. On the one hand, to be female is to be different, to be an outsider. On the other hand, female guards have much in common with, and are sympathetic to, their male peers. This research finds that female guards apply for, and accept, the job for financial reasons. Guards express feelings of frustration with management, boredom and isolation. Female guards see themselves as competent, but having a less aggressive manner of carrying out their duties than some of their male peers. Yet they receive unsolicited and unwanted paternalistic protection which serves to reinforce women's differences and devaluation in the organization. Female guards experience both personal and sexual harassment. These problems are compounded by jail culture, by the comradeship of male and female officers and by the token status of women. Harassment becomes normalized and accepted by both men and women. Three patterns emerge which describe how female guards cope with the challenges and frustrations of their jobs. First, they have much in common with their male peers and are accepted to a greater or lesser degree in the workplace. Second, they tolerate difficulties, including personal and sexual harassment, in part because the benefits of complaining are outweighed by the costs. Finally, some female guards withdraw from the workplace in one way or another: they avoid superfluous contact with fellow-workers, go on stress leave, become apathetic or quit.Arts, Faculty ofSociology, Department ofGraduat

The role of formal and informal institutional pressures in local gatekeepers' responses to international product recalls.

Product recalls are omnipresent and unavoidable in the global marketplace. Despite the financial losses, brand equity damage, and the hazard to consumer health they impose there is little multidisciplinary international research on the phenomenon. A growing number of studies are investigating the impacts of product harm crises and the recalls and providing valuable implications, but little has been done to address the determinants of organisational behaviour and decision making during the product recall.  The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an investigation into the role of local New Zealand gatekeepers and their interaction with international brands during an international product recall. I also investigate the institutional environment in which these firms operate in, and the influence it subjects to their product recall strategies and processes. Because of the lack of empirical research on international product recalls in the extant literature, a qualitative interpretative methodology based on semi-structured interviews is employed.  Findings suggest that in the event of a potential product harm crisis leading to product recall in New Zealand, home country regulatory institutions take a collaborative approach with focal firms involved in the recall process. The gatekeeper orientation towards the customer, environmental institutional pressures (coercive and normative), and gatekeeper risk avoidance influence the gatekeeper to initiate preventative recalls. Furthermore, in face of a potential product harm crises, where the local gatekeeper is the dominant organisation, coercive institutional pressure to initiate a preventative recall is exerted towards the partnering international brand. In a severe international product harm crisis leading to product recall, normative institutional pressures encourage the local gatekeeper to initiate preventative product recalls and alongside the international brand, undertake proactive recall strategies. Whereas in ambiguous recall situations, mimetic institutional pressures encourage the local gatekeeper to initiate preventative product recalls and alongside the international brand undertake proactive recall strategies. I propose that in environments of weak formal institutions, informal institutional pressures play a greater role on gatekeeper and international brand recall strategies and processes. Traceability and supply chain knowledge are found to be vital in effective international product recalls.</p

Mapping the Irish Peatlands Landscape: Current Features and Future Scenarios

The question of peatlands management in Ireland is characterised by tensions between environmental, social and economic concerns, making it of central relevance to the field of sustainable development. This thesis examines the complexities associated with the current peatlands landscape in Ireland through the analytical framework of social-ecological systems including the concepts of environmentalism, heritage and future agency. The landscape and its complexities are demonstrated through an analytical description, the analysis of interviews with Irish people involved in peatlands, and the development of future scenarios. The results show that the Irish peatlands landscape is a highly complex topic displaying clashes between rural communities, government and environmental authorities in numerous ways. They also indicate that the heritage associated with Irish peatlands is diverse and multi-dimensional. Within this context, there is a need for balance between environmental and social concerns. However, the question of sustainability might never be settled in the future and instead will likely require constant evaluation and re-evaluation by the various actors involved in carrying it out

Mapping the Irish Peatlands Landscape: Current Features and Future Scenarios

The question of peatlands management in Ireland is characterised by tensions between environmental, social and economic concerns, making it of central relevance to the field of sustainable development. This thesis examines the complexities associated with the current peatlands landscape in Ireland through the analytical framework of social-ecological systems including the concepts of environmentalism, heritage and future agency. The landscape and its complexities are demonstrated through an analytical description, the analysis of interviews with Irish people involved in peatlands, and the development of future scenarios. The results show that the Irish peatlands landscape is a highly complex topic displaying clashes between rural communities, government and environmental authorities in numerous ways. They also indicate that the heritage associated with Irish peatlands is diverse and multi-dimensional. Within this context, there is a need for balance between environmental and social concerns. However, the question of sustainability might never be settled in the future and instead will likely require constant evaluation and re-evaluation by the various actors involved in carrying it out

The role of formal and informal institutional pressures in local gatekeepers' responses to international product recalls.

Product recalls are omnipresent and unavoidable in the global marketplace. Despite the financial losses, brand equity damage, and the hazard to consumer health they impose there is little multidisciplinary international research on the phenomenon. A growing number of studies are investigating the impacts of product harm crises and the recalls and providing valuable implications, but little has been done to address the determinants of organisational behaviour and decision making during the product recall. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an investigation into the role of local New Zealand gatekeepers and their interaction with international brands during an international product recall. I also investigate the institutional environment in which these firms operate in, and the influence it subjects to their product recall strategies and processes. Because of the lack of empirical research on international product recalls in the extant literature, a qualitative interpretative methodology based on semi-structured interviews is employed. Findings suggest that in the event of a potential product harm crisis leading to product recall in New Zealand, home country regulatory institutions take a collaborative approach with focal firms involved in the recall process. The gatekeeper orientation towards the customer, environmental institutional pressures (coercive and normative), and gatekeeper risk avoidance influence the gatekeeper to initiate preventative recalls. Furthermore, in face of a potential product harm crises, where the local gatekeeper is the dominant organisation, coercive institutional pressure to initiate a preventative recall is exerted towards the partnering international brand. In a severe international product harm crisis leading to product recall, normative institutional pressures encourage the local gatekeeper to initiate preventative product recalls and alongside the international brand, undertake proactive recall strategies. Whereas in ambiguous recall situations, mimetic institutional pressures encourage the local gatekeeper to initiate preventative product recalls and alongside the international brand undertake proactive recall strategies. I propose that in environments of weak formal institutions, informal institutional pressures play a greater role on gatekeeper and international brand recall strategies and processes. Traceability and supply chain knowledge are found to be vital in effective international product recalls

The role of formal and informal institutional pressures in local gatekeepers' responses to international product recalls.

Product recalls are omnipresent and unavoidable in the global marketplace. Despite the financial losses, brand equity damage, and the hazard to consumer health they impose there is little multidisciplinary international research on the phenomenon. A growing number of studies are investigating the impacts of product harm crises and the recalls and providing valuable implications, but little has been done to address the determinants of organisational behaviour and decision making during the product recall. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an investigation into the role of local New Zealand gatekeepers and their interaction with international brands during an international product recall. I also investigate the institutional environment in which these firms operate in, and the influence it subjects to their product recall strategies and processes. Because of the lack of empirical research on international product recalls in the extant literature, a qualitative interpretative methodology based on semi-structured interviews is employed. Findings suggest that in the event of a potential product harm crisis leading to product recall in New Zealand, home country regulatory institutions take a collaborative approach with focal firms involved in the recall process. The gatekeeper orientation towards the customer, environmental institutional pressures (coercive and normative), and gatekeeper risk avoidance influence the gatekeeper to initiate preventative recalls. Furthermore, in face of a potential product harm crises, where the local gatekeeper is the dominant organisation, coercive institutional pressure to initiate a preventative recall is exerted towards the partnering international brand. In a severe international product harm crisis leading to product recall, normative institutional pressures encourage the local gatekeeper to initiate preventative product recalls and alongside the international brand, undertake proactive recall strategies. Whereas in ambiguous recall situations, mimetic institutional pressures encourage the local gatekeeper to initiate preventative product recalls and alongside the international brand undertake proactive recall strategies. I propose that in environments of weak formal institutions, informal institutional pressures play a greater role on gatekeeper and international brand recall strategies and processes. Traceability and supply chain knowledge are found to be vital in effective international product recalls

The utilization of small diameter Douglas fir : the viability of the log furniture market

Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Forestry, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat