Suchergebnisse

This thesis studies three major reforms in the public sector of Norway. The sectors studied are the police, higher education, and primary schools. The main motive for studying these reforms are of a theoretical nature, the reason to study them is to produce general knowledge about reforms. The study aims to answer two main questions. One is about the possibilities and limitations contained in using reforms to change organizations. The second is about how organizations can promote the ideals of representative democracy. In its efforts to attain answers to these questions the thesis blends empirically-oriented research with aspects of organization theory and political theory. The thesis is divided into four different parts. First, there is a descriptive presentation of the three reforms. Secondly, there is a discussion of various theories of reforms and organizations. The primary aim of this analysis is to illuminate and explain the empirical data, but this discussion should also provide its own answers to the main questions asked in the thesis. Thirdly, these theories are applied to analyze data from the three reforms. And finally, the study concludes with a summary of what general insights about the reforms we are left with after studying the Quality Reform, The Police Reform 2000, and the Knowledge Reform. The study shows that reforms have both policy and content aspects, and that it is important to distinguish between the two in order to analyse and understand them. The policy aspect is that reforms are a strategy for change - they are tools for implementing change in organizations. The content aspect is that reforms have a specific content - they have certain objectives that they want to realize. The study concludes that in order to understand this complex and fascinating phenomenon, we need to understand reforms both as instrumental tools, institutional adaptations and symbols.

We explore the question of whether the resource-based view (RBV) is a practical theory for managers. We test the ability of the RBV to provide two pieces of practical information: (1) the identification of the very few strategic assets from a large set of assets, and (2) the estimation of the functional form of how such strategic assets' critical VRIO characteristic levels relate to firm performance. We do so by modeling the tenets of the RBV and adjusting them in a simulation. We place ourselves in the shoes of the managers by using standard empirical methods on the simulated data to determine whether the RBV does provide practical information. We then discuss what can be done for academics and managers given that determination.

Part 1: Introduction – An overview of wildlife tourism in Southern Africa -- Chapter 1. Wildlife tourism in southern Africa: Prospects for sustainability -- Part 2: Resource use opportunities, contests, and disputes -- Chapter 2. Wildlife tourism and human-wildlife conflicts -- Chapter 3. Cordon fences and wildlife tourism: Impacts on wildlife -- Chapter 4. Benefits and challenges of wildlife tourism in communal areas -- Chapter 5. Nature-based tourism in Zimbabwe: Sustainability issues -- Part III: The dynamics of tourism-based wildlife economies: Implications for sustainability -- Chapter 6. The state of wildlife tourism in the Southern African region: The case of SADC -- Chapter 7. The drivers and barriers of wildlife-based tourism: Cases from Southern Africa -- Chapter 8. Over reliance on wildlife tourism: Impacts and policy implications -- Chapter 9. Pursuing sustainable tourism development through wildlife tourism: Local resident's perceptions -- Part IV: Hunting versus photographic tourism: Sustainability issues -- Chapter 10. Consumptive wildlife tourism in Southern Africa: implications for sustainability -- Chapter 11. Non consumptive wildlife tourism resources utilization dynamics -- Chapter 12. Contemporary issues affecting wildlife tourism: Crises and disasters -- Chapter 13. Indigenous communities and wildlife tourism: Issues of sustainability -- Part V: Protected areas and wildlife-based tourism -- Chapter 14. International laws and wildlife tourism in southern Africa -- Chapter 15. Transboundary resources and tourism -- Chapter 16. Protected areas and conservation conflicts: Impacts on sustainability -- Chapter 17. Joint venture partnerships and conservation in Southern Africa -- Part VI: Conclusion -- Chapter 18. Sustainable wildlife tourism in southern Africa: Concluding Remarks.