This thesis is an exploratory study into constructions of gender within professional aviation, in order to further understand the continued male dominance of this and other areas of work. It is a unique study, which contributes to understandings of gender identities, gender symbols and roles in the work place. This research involved interviewing and observing forty-nine pilots in the UK; twenty-eight of which were in the British Royal Air Force and twenty-one were in various civil airlines and training colleges. The data was then analysed in terms of gender symbols, gender identities and gender structures, the focus being mainly on the first two aspects. The experiences of male and female pilots were compared as well as the experiences of military and civil pilots. The notion of the 'right stuff' was used in this thesis to denote some aspects of the roles that have been created for the professional pilot to fulfil through working practices and cultural images. It is a notion that embodies various aspects of hegemonic masculinity. Images associated with aviation influence the process of becoming a pilot and are inherent to the cultures of aviation. The 'right stuff' includes the risks and pleasures of flying, which are part of aviation's attraction for many pilots. Civil and military pilots obtain different pleasures from flying, even though their jobs can be quite similar. The working practices within aviation create guidelines of behaviour for individual pilots to fulfil. In effect a professional pilot role is created through interactions between individual pilots and the institutions of aviation. Both men and women have different ways of fitting into this role, and there are conflicts between individual and collective gender identities. Women pilots have to balance demonstrating masculinities at work and then fulfilling more feminine expectations outside of work, and sometimes even in the workplace. This thesis goes some way towards understanding gender within aviation and other male dominated occupations. Professional pilots perform gender identities, which are shaped by work cultures, images, role expectations and individual agency. This research demonstrated that gender in the workplace is both dynamic and stable; maintaining the male dominance of an occupation whilst also adapting to increased women entering an occupation.

This mixed method study investigated the relationship among leadership styles, the dimensions of organizational climate and organizational commitment in the Pakistani knitwear industry. The knitwear industry was chosen because of two reasons 1) highly labour intensive; and 2) suitable to test the three variables (leadership styles, organizational climate and organizational commitment), which are entirely employee related concepts. The quantitative data was collected from the 100 organizations in Lahore and Faisalabad. Five set of questionnaire per organization were distributed to get the perceived leadership styles, organizational climate and employees' commitment. Leadership styles were measured by Leader Behaviour Description Questionnaire (Ll3DQ), organizational climate was measured by Situational Outlook Questionnaire and employees' commitment was measured by Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). Of the 415 questionnaires 365 were found to be valid, which is a useable response rate of 74%. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS (v. 13). The results of the data showed statistically significant correlations between leadership styles, organizational climate and employees' commitment. This study explored that currently top management exercises initiating structure style in their organizations while literature has highlighted that consideration style of leadership is most favourable and influential style of leadership on organizational climate and employees' commitment. Therefore it is suggested that CEOs/top-management in knitwear industry should change their management style. This study also highlighted a significant relationship between consideration style of leadership and organizational climate. A significant relationship also occurred between Initiating structure style and organizational commitment. Series of ANOVAs with post hoc tests were computed to investigate where there were differences across the three job categories (managers, supervisors and workers) on leadership styles, dimensions of organizational climate and organizational commitment. The results of these tests indicated that there were statistically significant differences in perceived leadership style, organizational climate and employees' commitment among the three job category of employees. The qualitative data was collected through 20 semi-structured interviews from CEOs and senior official, who were working, in the Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturing Association (PHMA) and also managing their knitwear concerns. Interviews revealed that the sample organizations are found to be undergoing a management shift from traditional `Bossy' style to participative and considerate style of leadership. This is the first study on employee related issues in the Pakistani knitwear industry, therefore, will have strong implications for the literature of Leadership styles and organizational commitment in developing countries. The recommendations gained from this study will help to understand the critical issues of employee development at the workplace. This may results in improving the working environment and productivity in the organization.

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The aim of this research is to study the gender implications of empowerment processes in the workplace. This research studies the manifestations of empowerment processes in hierarchical and non-hierarchical organisations, as well as the ways in which women and men experience them. Ultimately, this research is concerned with the relationship between empowerment processes and gender equality in the workplace. ‘Empowerment’ has been both the most aspired to and co-opted term of the last four decades. In the gender and development field, empowerment entails greater gender equality and social change. It is a process whereby women and men conscious of their constrained condition and position in society, exercise their individual and collective agency to challenge oppressive structures, and take control over their own lives. In contrast, in the corporate world, empowerment represents a series of management intentions, which seek to enhance employees’ performance, responsibility and commitment towards organisational goals. This is achieved though an increase in employees’ range of responsibilities and in their level of autonomy to carry them out. This research proposes to study the gender implications of corporate empowerment at the level of job execution. It also widens its scope by integrating a transformatory view into its analysis. Thus, it explores women’s and men’s degree of consciousness, agency and autonomy over two relevant aspects of their working lives: time management and career direction. This research adopts a case-study approach. Empirical research was conducted in two corporations of the professional services sector in Mexico, employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. This study demonstrates that corporate empowerment perpetuates gender inequalities in both hierarchical and non-hierarchical organisations, either by excluding women from the process or by creating unequal outcomes for women and men. Further, it shows that the manifestation of transformatory empowerment is jeopardised by women and men's compliance with corporate expectations and inaction to bring about changes in discriminatory organisational practices as well as to demand greater corporate responsibility.

The research aimed to examine the impact of occupational stress on psychological well-being in the Fire Service. In particular, the research examined the impact of occupational stress (Uplifts and Hassles) and individual differences (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Mastery and Coping) on work and context free well-being and Work Performance as part of a model based on the work of Cooper (1986) and Williams and Cooper (1998). The research involved three stages, two of which were quantitative and the third qualitative. In stage one, cross sectional data was collected using a questionnaire from five samples (N=867). In stage two, data was collected at a second time point from two of these samples (i. e. longitudinal data, N=123). In stage three, semi structured interviews were conducted with six fire personnel taken from one of the longitudinal samples, and thematic analysis was conducted. The statistical analysis of the data was conducted via hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Path analyses were also conducted on both cross sectional and the longitudinal data. The quantitative results, in terms of work well-being and Work Performance suggested there was good well-being. However, the context free well-being measure indicated poor General mental health. Furthermore, stress and individual differences had important influences on work and context free well-being, as well as on Work Performance. Neuroticism and Mastery seemed to be particularly important for these Fire Service samples. This latter with respect to General mental health finding was supported by the qualitative research which suggested that Fire Service personnel were experiencing stress. The qualitative research also suggested possible interventions the Fire Service could put into practice to support its employees such as Coaching and mentoring' and `Support from colleagues'.

This study explores the innovation management of acquisition and dissemination, technological and radical, of product ideas. The nature and value of community learning are explored through four functional communities' interpretation and sense-making of their own, and other communities', practices associated with innovation management. An earlier research study, literature and an initial set of focus group findings, were used to identify four key themes: sub-cultural values, innovation goals, organizational enablers and barriers, and community learning outcomes; linked to functional communities' engagement with an informal innovation community. A combination of frameworks, i. e. 'communities of practice' (CoP), organisational and cultural, are reviewed, and an initial community learning process model constructed which is subsequently used to explore the four themes. Central to this study is the interpretative ethnographic approach and the adoption of a single case participatory action research methodology, which is underpinned by the practice of groundedt heory. The critical roles of the researchera nd co-researchers are discussed, highlighting the importance of multiple methods of observing and collecting data: focus groups, interviews, observation, action workshops, collection of hall-talk, and documentation such as e-mails, memos, project notes and strategy documents. The functional communities' value orientations are important to understanding their perceived and expected roles within innovation communities. Changes in the nature of the communities' interpretation of customer value are discussed together with an apparent increased role ambiguity. Communities' outcome criteria associatedw ith the innovation community are explored with a specific focus on performance, attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The findings attest to a strong link between the expected outcome measures and communities' mutual expectations of other innovation community members. Community environment and its impact on CoP are explored through the practices of collaboration, conflict and innovative leadership. The initial findings suggest that the 'state of trust' between communities is directly related to the leadership style and the collaboration between members. The principal contribution of this study was to the development of a community learning process model, which mapped their identities, practices and meanings associated with the innovative initiative and the interrelationship between sense-making and practices. The communities' 'legitimacy of contribution' in the case of the initiative was determined by their perspective of customer value orientation and the sense-making of their own, and others', practices. These practices, the research suggests, were influenced by their symbolic interpretation of the sharedi nnovation goals of the innovation community. This research attests that perceived value orientation is directly linked to communities' practices, and the prospective sensemaking of the relationship between practices and outcomes. Hence, desired value orientation is indirectly related to role ambiguity and functional community engagement with innovation communities. Future research needs to differentiate between desired and perceived value orientation and actions.

The thesis examined personality and socio-demographic characteristics of individuals and their relationship to the way in which magistrates approach the sentencing of offenders and the choices they make. It was based on a review of the theoretical approaches to models of decision-making and the concept of individual differences. A pluralistic methodology was adopted combining a quasi-experimental approach in the first study, with two further qualitative studies. Study 1 reported the profile data for the participants, all practising magistrates, and their responses to case study vignettes. Study 2 considered participants' perception of the sentencing process and the factors that influenced their decisions using an interpretative phenomenological approach, while Study 3 applied content and discourse analysis to transcripts of a sentencing training exercise in which magistrates had participated. Analyses of the first study were mostly correlational. Modest associations between Locus of Control and Legal Authoriarianism with severity of sentence were demonstrated and also small gender differences in sentencing choice. The study concluded that there was no support for hypotheses linking other personality trait measurements with the severity of sentence or the approach adopted, using an algebraic model to represent the process. In the subsequent studies, evidence emerged to suggest a more holistic approach to sentencing, guided by advice on structured decision-making, while accommodating the influences of probation service reports, diverse sentencing aims and the advice of the legal professionals. The impact of group interactions was also apparent. This varied with individual characteristics and acquired competences necessary for satisfactory appraisal. The interpretation of 'roles' on a sentencing Bench and their potential effects on the process and outcome of sentencing was observed.