Somali people have lived continuously in Glasgow since the early 2000s. Having faced the challenging circumstances of Dispersal, subsequent social inequalities, and a fast changing political climate, the population is now part of Scotland's multicultural society. However, despite this success, many Somali people do not feel that the population 'has voice' in Glasgow. As seventeen-year-old Duniya comments, 'it's like we're hidden down, under the table, we are seen, but nobody knows what we're about'. Based on two years' of ethnographic fieldwork with Somali groups and individuals in Glasgow, this thesis considers the extent to which Somali people (do not) 'have voice' in Glasgow. It finds that Somali people's communicative experiences are strongly grounded in practices and infrastructures of community, and often a combined result of 'internal' and 'external' approaches to the concept. First, considering the contribution of Somali cultures of 'voice' to Somali people's experiences in the city, I argue that, due to the particular way in which a Somali community has developed in Glasgow, people's vocal experiences have been characterised by a complex combination of cohesion and fragmentation. Second, considering the impact of 'external' approaches to 'voice' in Scotland upon Somali experiences, I identify three areas - 'community development' infrastructure, the news-media and constructions of public spaces - which place limitations on Somali people's belonging, citizenship and 'voice' in Scotland. Moreover, I suggest, the impact of these 'external' approaches to 'voice' on 'internal' vocal practices serve only to compound existing communicative inequalities. In the context of the current political climate, in which concern for people's citizenship, belonging and voices is particularly heightened, I echo Somali people's calls for increased dialogue between communities to consider the communicative inequalities that have so far been unaddressed.

Policy on older workers has focused on increasing labour market participation either by encouraging those unemployed or inactive back into work or by encouraging people to work up to and beyond retirement age. It has been argued that older entrepreneurship might enable older individuals to extend their working lives and support them to fund their retirement. However, academic investigation of this phenomenon has been limited. Where research has been conducted, it has predominantly been investigated quantitatively (e.g Kautonen et al. 2009; Kautonen 2012; Walker & Webster 2007). Through the lens of Shapero’s (1982) Entrepreneurial Event (SEE) theory, this research sought to investigate the intentions of ‘older’ entrepreneurship and the subsequent business and personal outcomes of engaging in entrepreneurship for older individuals in the UK. A qualitative research design within a Constructivist paradigm was used. Aligning with the Constructivist standpoint, multiple methods in the form of a qualitative survey (n = 70) and 20 in depth interviews were undertaken with UK based older entrepreneurs. Data was thematically analysed. Findings on motivations behind third age entrepreneurship found in this study are similar to those reported across the literature on small firms in terms of the reportage of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. However, current findings demonstrate that financial necessity does not appear to be a prevalent motivation for engaging in older entrepreneurship. Instead, importance was given to non-pecuniary motivating factors such as enjoyment and remaining active in older age. Motivations were also found to influence how the older entrepreneurs measured success in terms of business and personal outcomes. Success was not perceived only through traditional means related to growth and pecuniary earnings, with intrinsic motivations often prioritised over pecuniary factors for the majority of older entrepreneurs. Findings also verify that in the context of older entrepreneurship SEE theory appears to be an appropriate theoretical model for understanding the entrepreneurial intentions and behaviours of the study’s sample. However, findings suggest that the theory may be better presented so that the importance of context in the formation of entrepreneurial intention and behaviour is emphasised.

Informal caregivers of people with dementia are at an increased risk of negative outcomes, including stress, depression and physical ill-health (Ory et al., 1999). Attention has therefore been focussed on designing interventions to help prevent or reduce negative caregiving outcomes. Reviews have recommended that future research should provide interventions that are effective and cost-effective, theoretically-grounded and responsive to assessed needs (Gallagher-Thompson et al., 2012). The current thesis includes the design and testing of an intervention written to reduce negative caregiving outcomes by focussing on self-efficacy in informal caregivers of people with dementia. The intervention, designed to be brief in comparison with existing interventions, comprises three sessions covering different types of caregiving challenge: coping with behavioural aspects of dementia, coping with difficult feelings, and taking breaks. The intervention was initially pilot tested before being delivered in a quasi-experimental controlled study with informal caregivers (n=56), with intervention participants being able to choose whether to take part individually or in small groups. Intervention participants experienced significantly decreased caregiver burden compared to control participants (U=93.50, p=.016). Additionally, intervention participants reported being significantly less distressed by the symptoms of the person with dementia, compared to control participants (U=86.00, p=.015). However, no significant difference between groups was found on self-efficacy or depression, and possible reasons for this are discussed. A three-month follow-up (n=14) did not show sustained benefits of the intervention. In addition to the intervention study, two qualitative studies were carried out. The first was based on semi-structured interviews with informal caregivers of people with dementia (n=12) and ran concurrently with the intervention study, exploring the range of stressors and coping resources used by caregivers. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the transcripts, which generated four major recurrent themes: Dementia and Change, Caring and the Self, Caring and Others, and The Care System. This study provided insights into the context in which interventions may be received by caregivers; in particular, it highlighted the complexity of caregiving experiences and the centrality of relationships. For example, accounts were given of families, friends and service providers either being a positive source of support or a contributor to stress, depending on the nature of the relationships. The second qualitative study followed the intervention study, and used IPA to analyse interviews with participants from both the group (n=4) and individual (n=2) intervention conditions. This study explored caregivers’ experiences of taking part in the intervention, and generated two recurrent themes: Sharing Experiences with Other Caregivers, and Meeting Needs. The analysis provided further insights into perceived benefits of the intervention for participants, and highlighted differing needs between group and individual participants. The results of these three studies are discussed in relation to current challenges and priorities for caregiver intervention research, and recommendations for practice are made. Further research is suggested to follow the outcomes of these studies, including development of a measure to gauge service-related sources of caregiving stress.

The nature of Human Resource Management in Nigeria has been studied previously, but knowledge is lacking on the lived experiences of Nigerian workers under the Strategic HRM (SHRM) model (Anakwe, 2002; Muogbo, 2013; Badejo, 2015). To address the gap in the knowledge, this study focuses on Nigerian workers’ lived experiences under the SHRM model using a phenomenological paradigm. The phenomenological paradigm informs about both the method design itself and a theoretical framework which states that humans know and perceive the world through their lived experiences. The research method design involved recruiting fifty-three skilled Nigerian bank workers using purposive sampling. Purposive sampling selection units were framed around the workers’ lived experiences. The data was then gathered using mainly semi-structured telephone interviews. The interviews collected were recorded and transcribed for analysis and interpretation using Smith et al’s (2009) Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. In summary, the participants believed that the HRM and SHRM models in Nigerian banks had elements of both Western and indigenous practices which influenced their lived experiences and agency. Discussions with the participants raised key themes such as; the trans-vergence approach, work-life conflicts, gender issues, the incompatibility of some Western policies and the role of the agency of Nigerian workers in shaping their SHRM model. The participants argued that there are gaps between the SHRM rhetoric and reality, partly because the implementation of SHRM policies is the responsibility of managers who have deeply rooted socio-cultural beliefs. Furthermore, the participants suggested that their ‘work-world’ has been influenced by Western practices while their ‘personal lifeworld’ is influenced by enduring indigenous beliefs. The implication for management is that this study advances our understanding of the nature of HRM, and the role that the agency of Nigerian workers has in shaping the SHRM model. Lastly, the research limitations have been discussed and suggestions offered with regard to future studies and the benefit from cross- industry and longitudinal studies.

Globalisation has resulted in the increase of internationalisation for large and small organisations alike. Since Performance Management Systems (PMS) are vitally used by top management to make them aware of their attainment of the planned organisational goals, their use has become widespread in most companies (Speckbacher et al., 2003). At the same time, the expansion of organisations outside their birthplaces has compelled top managers to use their home developed Performance Management Systems in different cultures. Each national culture has its unique combination of National Culture dimensions, which had originally emerged from the anthropology field (Nardon & Steers, 2009, House et al., 2004). This phenomenon prompted scholars to call for the investigation of the impact of national culture on performance management systems (Otley, 2003). Therefore, the aim of the study is to investigate the impact of national culture on the design and use of Performance Management Systems. The researcher first reviewed published literature in performance measurement and management control systems, but found it to be scarce and fragmented; an inductive case study design was employed to collect data from four diverse national cultures to bridge the knowledge gap. Four national cultures were tested: China, Italy, Qatar and the UK. The researcher used Hofstede’s (1980) framework of national culture to map the relationship between the design and use of Performance Management System in different national cultures. The research findings confirmed that national culture dimensions of Power Distance (PD) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) impact the design and use of Performance Management Systems individually or combined. PD dimension influence starting a balanced PMS, the degree of collaboration in Performance Management Systems’ design, the intended aim of Performance Management Systems’ implementation, type of performance measures employed, Performance Management Systems’ adoption and the frequency of Performance Management Systems’ use. While UA dimension influences information accessibility and collaboration patterns in PMS use. The research also identified different moderators that affect the action of national culture dimensions such as leaders’ age, and education and innovation based goods.

This thesis comprises three essays on monetary and international economics. The first essay studies two issues of countries’ exchange rate regime (ERR) choices: why countries peg and, if they peg, how they choose their anchor currency. Using spatial analysis, I found that countries are likely to follow the ERR of “neighbouring” countries, and countries’ ERR are jointly determined by network effects and country-specific factors. The findings indicate that countries may achieve higher welfare by jointly choosing their ERRs with their major partners through cooperation and negotiation. In the second essay, I am trying to answer the question why countries target the particular variables they target by studying the determinants of countries’ monetary policy regimes (MPRs). The study focuses on original OECD member countries, and I develop a chronology of countries’ de jure MPRs for early OECD member countries for the post-Bretton Woods period. I also study the determinants of countries’ monetary policy arrangements based on de facto analysis with Cobham’s (2015) classification as the cross-reference. The results suggest that economic size, trade openness, financial development and political environment all have a role in determining the MPR. The third essay studies two main by-products of financial integration: contagion and risk sharing. I set up a Huggett (1993) type heterogeneous agent model with different types of countries, and try to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the impact of financial integration on consumers with different wealth status. The main findings indicate that lenders and borrowers in countries with current account surpluses and deficits respond to the financial crisis asymmetrically. Moreover, the relationship between financial integration and consumption smoothing is not monotonic, indicating that there is a trade-off between the benefits of international risk sharing and the costs of financial contagion induced by unexpected negative shocks as observed in recent history.

In contemporary, westernized and industrialized nations, such as the United Kingdom, paid work is considered the foundation of political, economic and social order (Newton et al., 2007). As vital as it is, however, paid work/employment remains an area of disadvantage for individuals who are constructed as ‘different’, such as women and disabled individuals. Disabled people, in particular, have been found to experience exclusion and discrimination in the labour market. This is evidenced in employment indicators, which depict an uneven distribution in employment outcomes for disabled individuals, particularly those with mental health conditions. The reasons for these disadvantages remain the essence of substantial dissension. The current study aims to contribute to knowledge of why disabled employees, specifically those with bipolar disorder, may be disproportionately subjected to discriminatory attitudes and practices in the workplace and labour market. The overarching aim is to offer a theoretical background for understanding the experiences of employees with bipolar disorder in the workplace. The study conceptualizes disability as a social construct discursively produced within social relations. The research is informed by qualitative semi-structured interviews with individuals who have bipolar disorder, allowing for a detailed exploration of how participants interpret their work experiences. The data collected was analysed using narrative and Foucauldian analytical techniques. Fundamentally, the findings offer a nuanced and in-depth perspective on the experiences of a concealed, yet marginalized identity in the workplace. The insights gained point to how the experiences of work may be a product of the construct of work around the ‘ideal’ employee. The narratives collected also underscore that the social connotations attached to the label of bipolar disorder, when allotted to participants, constructs such individuals as ‘less capable’. It allows for the dissemination of meaning to participants’ experiences, and opens up positions of subjectivity for these individuals. The findings both affirm and strengthen the theoretical basis of the social relational model of disability. The study contributes to knowledge of the vital role played by ableist work contexts in the lived experiences of employees with bipolar disorder, a subject area that remains largely under-researched in the domain of work and employment. The particular emphasis on social interactions, and on problematizing work contexts rather than individual capability differentiates the study from previous studies on bipolar disorder, and generates pertinent considerations for disability studies. Essentially, the findings call for the modification of work to comprise inclusive strategies, which are suited to the individualities of employees. The implications, both for employees and employers, are wide-ranging. The analysis of the resistance of subjective positions in the study adds to knowledge of how the disadvantaged position of disabled employees can be confronted and altered. The findings also highlight the need for a shift in organizational and governmental policies/schemes from individualizing disability to querying the normative nature of work in contemporary workplaces. As such, the study does not only offer a nuanced analysis of the lived experiences of employees with bipolar disorder; it also offers suggestions on how prevailing discursive practices can be made accommodative of difference.

Partner abuse is now recognised as a problem that affects people within same-sex relationships as well as those in heterosexual relationships, and literature in this area is on the increase. However, there is still a scarcity of research exploring how the police respond to people who report same-sex partner abuse. Using a mixed-method feminist approach, the aim of this thesis was therefore to explore the police responses to same-sex partner abuse in England and Wales. The nature and extent of reported same-sex partner abuse crimes in England and Wales was explored via data gathered from Freedom of Information requests sent to police forces. Alongside these, one-to-one interviews were carried out with victims who had experienced police response (n=4), police officers and staff (n=19), and professionals from statutory and voluntary organisations who support victims (n=12). Findings suggested that a ‘process-driven’ approach was adopted by police; police generally stated that they respond in the same way to all partner abuse incidents. However, this meant that dynamics specific to same-sex relationships were sometimes overlooked. Perpetrators were also found to enact ‘pre-emptive coercive tactics’ to discourage victim help seeking, and cause them to fear a ‘coerced response’ from help-providers. Additionally, gender stereotypes were found to influence police decision making around attribution of blame and risk, with physical injury being the key indicator used to determine risk. Freedom of Information requests also indicated that roughly half of police forces in England and Wales provide little or no specialist support for same-sex partner abuse victims. Implications for policy and practice include a rethink of the process-driven way of working, and ensuring police possess a thorough understanding of coercive control (including risks unique to same-sex relationships). Combining innovative methodology and a variety of participant voices to examine an under-explored area, this thesis offers a unique contribution to a small body of research within the UK exploring police responses to same-sex partner abuse.

It is well established that investor sentiment plays a vital role in global financial markets. However, the sentiment of other economic agents has received less attention in the behavioural finance literature. This thesis aims to address the impact of managerial sentiment on the UK stock market. It investigates the performance of managerial sentiment in predicting stock returns relative to investor and consumer sentiments. In addition, it examines how sentiment is transmitted from managers to investors and whether the response of investor sentiment is asymmetric towards positive versus negative managerial sentiment. Finally, this thesis provides a comparative study of traditional and sentiment-augmented asset pricing models. Using monthly data from January 1985 to December 2014 and a sample of consumer and business confidence indicators provided by the European Commission, the first chapter provides novel evidence on how managerial and consumer sentiment indicators affect stock returns. The findings show no support for consumer confidence as a predictor of stock returns. However, managerial sentiment shows a significant impact on aggregate market and sector return indices. Furthermore, results indicate that parameter estimates for sector groupings are not consistent, implying that the sentiment-return relationship differs across sectors and that parameters are sensitive to industry characteristics. In the second chapter, the investigation extends to assess the long and short run dynamics of the sentiment transmission from managers to investors. Using threshold autoregressive (TAR), momentum threshold autoregressive (MTAR), and asymmetric threshold vector error correction (ATVECM) models, the findings provide evidence on the impact of managerial sentiment on investor sentiment in support of the Catering Theory. Results show that investors' sentiments converge with long-run equilibrium relationships in response to positive rather than negative shocks in managerial sentiment. Furthermore, findings indicate that investor sentiment reacts negatively to positive managerial sentiment with a delay of four months, suggesting an over-confidence in managers' expectations of their future business outcomes. Finally, the third chapter examines the ability of managerial and investor sentiment to explain cross-sectional variation in stock returns. It compares the performance of CAPM, Fama & French (1993) Three factor model and Carhart (1997) four factor model to sentiment-augmented asset pricing models, which incorporate measures of both managerial and investor sentiment. The findings indicate that inclusion of sentiment factors significantly adds to the power of traditional asset pricing models to explain the cross-sectional variation in stock returns. In addition, results show that managerial sentiment outperforms investor sentiment in explaining three out of four test portfolios formed on size, book-to-market, volatility and size/momentum factors. Moreover, findings show that managerial sentiment exhibits stronger prediction power for size premium over short (1-3 months) forecasting horizon relative to investor sentiment. However, value premiums respond to changes in managerial and investor sentiment over the relatively longer time of 12 months. In addition, the investigation failed to find any significant relationship between sentiment indices and momentum premium. This study has several implications for empirical researchers, practitioners and policy makers. It provides academics who are concerned with the empirical tests of asset pricing models with new insights on how the inclusion of managerial sentiment impacts the performance of longer term investigated models. For practitioners, our findings suggest that managerial sentiment and its impact on sector returns provide new opportunities for enhancing trading as well as asset allocation strategies. In developing investment strategies, practitioners may consider sectors that are more or less prone to sentiment in response to investor risk preferences. In addition, results on sentiment-augmented asset pricing models may be of interest to regulators who are concerned with the estimation of businesses' cost of capital when pricing public services.

This study investigates how interpreters perceive their role while working in business negotiation settings and also what role clients mandate to interpreters in those settings. Building on existing work on liaison interpreting, this study hypothesises that interpreters in business settings are active and visible parties of the interaction. As such, they exceed their prescribed role and become part of the client's team. In order to test this hypothesis and scrutinize the role of interpreters in those settings, a mixed methods approach was followed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from interpreters. Data concerning clients' perceptions were collected by indepth semi-structured interviews. A combination of inductive and deductive approaches was used in order to code and analyse the data. The results showed discrepancy of role perceptions between the interpreters and the clients, and manifested how the setting mandates differing role statuses to interpreters. Furthermore, this study reconfirmed previous studies concurring that liaison interpreters are visible parties of the interactions. This study aims to fill a gap in the interpreting literature concerning interpreters' role in business negotiation settings, improve professional practices and thus enhance the effectiveness of interpreter-mediated business meetings.