This research investigates the meaning that is given to future family generations as stakeholders in their own rights by managers of family businesses. It uses a stakeholder perspective to establish whether stakeholder status is attributed, and if so, whether these stakeholders are regarded as important to the business - or not. The initial review of the academic literature identified that future generations of society have caused an ongoing debate on whether stakeholders have to be human or can in fact also include non-human entities. Future family generations, however, do not fit into this dichotomy as they present a special case: they are non-human initially, but over time become a human entity. Moreover, the initial literature review established a neglect of consideration for future family generations as stakeholders in their own right. In order to identify the (stakeholder) meaning that is given to future family generations, this research employs a constructivist grounded theory research strategy to explore first, the entity in the firm who attributes stakeholder status (with or without importance to the business), and second, whether and under what circumstances future family generations may be considered as such. Data was collected via 31 face-to-face in-depth interviews with interviewees working in family firms that are all based in Scotland. The family businesses ranged in size from one employee to several thousands; and in type anything from local butcher to large scale manufacturing company. The analysis of data was done in parallel with data collection, in line with grounded theory requirements, applying the researcher's interpretivist worldview on coding and all data analysis. The data from this research leads to the conclusion that future family generations require to be regarded as stakeholders in their own right. However, this research finds that the meaning given to future family generations is largely not about attributes, i.e. properties, of the stakeholder, as suggested by several academics, but instead a construct of one or several considerations of the firm's manager(s). The considerations identified in this research are linked with transfer of ownership, temporal dimensions, prioritising and underlying assumptions of traditions and goal-setting. Nevertheless, the research also finds that the existing dualism of family and business in family firms is an underlying theme; specifically, when identifying that it is the family business owner/managers who are acting upon their meaning given to future family generations and not other managers in the firm. Moreover, this research finds that the family business owner/manager may not only take on the role of proxy for the firm in regards to the stakeholder entity future family generations, but may also act as a human proxy for future family generations itself, in connection with the business; that is, creating a dualproxy role for the family business owner/manager. The latter proxy role was identified in this research to be linked with considerations of temporal dimensions of future family generations, leading to the disaggregation of the stakeholder entity future family generations into smaller ones by interviewees. This segregation of future family generations by their temporal dimension creates a conflict with the current academic debate on the dichotomy of human versus nonhuman stakeholders as it goes beyond that by creating additional entities.

The objective of the chapters in this thesis is to examine the behavior of farming households in rural Ethiopia where the assumption of perfect markets may be violated by the presence of high transactions costs, thin and isolated markets, and missing markets for insurance among other goods or factors. Since farming households combine both producer and consumer aspects of microeconomic analysis, constraints to consumption decisions due to market failures are (or can be) relaxed through production decisions. This forms the basis of the agricultural household model formalizing non-separability of household decisions under market failures. Using this model, the forms of these responses and their effectiveness have been examined using data on farmers' choice of crops such as selection between food and cash crops; and composition of crop portfolio; and market participation decisions such as allocation of farm output to market exchange and household consumption; from several countries especially the developing world. These decisions are analyzed through the lens of farmers' efforts to internalize imperfect food markets through their farming decisions. In addition to production decisions, other responses take the form of informally designed strategies such as risk-sharing and state-contingent credit arrangements between households facing missing insurance markets. We consider the use of these strategies by farmers in rural Ethiopia using rich plot level data added to information about household characteristics (including social networks) and market/community infrastructure collected in repeated rounds of survey starting from 1989 through 2009. We find that nonseparability or jointness in household decisions can be observed through farmers' crop choices and use of farm output. The extent to the nonseparability of household decisions appears to be particularly sensitive to household characteristics such as size of food consumption and risk attitude; and market characteristics such as distance to market as well as community and market infrastructure. Informal risk-sharing arrangements through mutual support between households also exist in rural Ethiopia. It is observed that these informal insurance arrangements are highly persistent between relatives and neighbors.

Globalisation and changing migration patterns have changed the linguistic climate in Galicia. What was once a bilingual society, with Galician and Spanish, has become a multilingual one. This thesis focuses on a community of Cape Verdean immigrants living in a small fishing town in northern Galicia. The Cape Verdean immigrants at the centre of this study are 'new speakers' of both Spanish and Galician, while at the same time native speakers of Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole. These complex multilingual repertoires have interesting implications both for the process of integration into the host community and for the formation of identity. In this thesis I examine the language practices and ideologies of teachers and Cape Verdean students in two Galician secondary schools. Drawing on ethnographic data such as interviews, focus groups and non-participant classroom observation, I explore the challenges that are faced by immigrant 'new speakers' who are in the process of acquiring new linguistic resources and negotiating their identity. Specifically, I look at how contrasting ideologies of linguistic authority (Woolard, 2008, 2016) can impact their position as 'legitimate' speakers (Bourdieu, 1991), and how this in turn can impact their access to certain linguistic markets (Bourdieu, 1991; Pujolar, 2007).

This thesis presents three essays in Bayesian Stochastic Frontier models for cost and production functions and links the fields of productivity and efficiency measurement and spatial econometrics, with applications to energy economics and aggregate productivity. The thesis presents a chapter of literature review highlighting the advances and gaps in the stochastic frontier literature. Chapter 3 discusses measurement of aggregate efficiency in electricity consumption in transition economies in a cost frontier framework. The underlying model is extended to a Spatial Autoregressive model with efficiency spillovers in Chapter 4, showing good performance in simulations. The model is applied to aggregate productivity in European countries, leading to evidence of convergence between eastern and western economies over time, as in the previous chapter regarding efficiency in electricity consumption. Finally, Chapter 5 proposes a spatial model which allows for dependence in the structure of the inefficiency component while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. This approach is applied to New Zealand electricity distribution networks, finding some evidence of efficiency spillovers between the firms. All essays explore the performance of the model using simulations and discuss the utility of the approaches in small samples. The thesis concludes with a summary of findings and future paths of research.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a continuous improvement methodology that aims to reduce the costs of poor quality, improve the bottom-line results and create value for both customers and shareholders. LSS has been deployed in organisations in the Western countries for more than two decades. However, its implementation in Middle Eastern countries has only just begun to emerge. Furthermore, there is a lack of empirical studies in the area of understanding the current status of LSS in these countries. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the current status of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in Saudi Arabian organisations and subsequently develop a Lean Six Sigma Maturity Model (LSSMM) which can be used to assess their current level of LSS maturity. The study is based on a systematic literature review of 45 papers that were published on LSS in high ranking journals in the field and other specialist journals, from 2000 to 2015. LSS themes identified include: LSS benefits, critical success factors, motivational factors, tools and techniques, critical failure factors, and limitations. A descriptive survey via a questionnaire was conducted in the second phase of the data collection process and multiple case studies were conducted in the third phase. Based on the literature review and the findings of the empirical research, a LSSMM was developed and used to assess the current level of LSS deployment maturity in five organisations in Saudi Arabia. The results of the empirical study show that LSS is in the early stages of implementation and that organisations in Saudi Arabia have only recently started to recognise the importance of LSS to their business. This finding was also supported by the evaluation of LSS maturity level that was assessed using the model developed in this study. This study contributes to understanding the current status of LSS in Saudi Arabian organisations and provides recommendations to guide the future of LSS in Saudi organisations by comparisons with the LSS literature and best practice. The contribution to knowledge and theory in this study is through validating and extending current operations management theories to LSS deployment, including organisational learning theory, theory of motivation and goal theory. The adoption of a mixed method approach contributes to the advancement of the methodology applied within LSS research in Saudi Arabian organisations. This study adds value for academics and practitioners in the field of LSS in Saudi Arabia by providing an intensive study on the current status of LSS deployment together with the LSSMM.

This dissertation is about the concept of home, captured through life stories of Lithuanian women in Edinburgh. I begin with the question where: where does home start, happen and where may be inhabited. I combine migration patterns from Lithuania to Scotland with the philosophy of place to capture the complex narrative of the concept of home. By linking politics of home (narratives about migration and belonging), and philosophical explanations of place (imaginaries of belonging to the place), I am questioning how home is made, done, created, or dreamed about. In the second chapter, I am focusing on my methodology to investigate the concept of home. Home is a social and political, but also deeply personal and intimate phenomenon; therefore, I present a phenomenological approach that is interested in the interaction of external circumstances and inner viewpoints of the experiences. Furthermore, I introduce my use of autoethnographic approach in capturing lived experiences. To illustrate challenges and possibilities in expressing experiences gathered through interviews, observations and personal understandings, I present three research-led thinking machines. The following five chapters focus on five Lithuanian women's life stories. Each of them explores individual experiences of migration, ways of settling down, and thoughts of home. I focus on dreams and memories that are within us, as they make us linger, but also push or stop us from changing things; dreams and memories are keywords in trying to understand why a place is called home, or Not-Yet Home, and why and how homing and unhoming is done and experienced. Through connecting materiality of a place, social circumstances and personal imaginaries, I talk about what is, or could be, happening in the place that is so often described as Not-Yet Home. In between the chapters, I present exploratory vignettes that investigate my personal nuances of the concept of home. This research contributes to the anthropological understanding of how migrants place themselves abroad, and of their experiences of living the Not-Yet Home. Moreover, I suggest innovative experimental research methods that help not only to capture inquiries that are ongoing and conceptual by nature, but also illuminate how research is approached and done.

Purpose: This thesis aims to develop a conceptual framework for the management of non-standard supply chains, based upon the concepts of wicked and messy problems and complex adaptive systems, and to validate it in a humanitarian logistics context. Whilst a general theory of wicked and messy problems is in existence, this has not been applied in a supply chain context. Humanitarian logistics presents a complex managerial challenge, in which standard logistics approaches and techniques have been applied with variable success. Here, the underlying generative mechanisms are explored. Design/ Methodology/Approach: This thesis adopts a critical realist approach. A conceptual framework for messy supply chains is developed based on a review of literature on logistics and supply chain management, as well as complex adaptive systems, and wicked and messy problems. This framework is explored in the context of humanitarian logistics. After an initial round of interviews, three case studies were conducted, focusing on humanitarian responses as the unit of analysis. In total, 44 semistructured interviews were conducted. An analysis of findings in each case is followed by the cross-case analysis of key themes, ultimately resulting in a revised framework. Findings: All of the proposed generative mechanisms underlying the messiness in humanitarian logistics are found to be relevant. The challenges for the management of such messy supply chains lie in the behavioural complexity they represent through the mechanisms of sociopolitical impact and the multitude of diverse stakeholder views they encapsulate. Logistics and supply chain management struggles to find holistic management approaches to address such behavioural complexity appropriately. Implications: This research has highlighted the strong element of behavioural complexity that underlies humanitarian logistics and other messy supply chains and is often inadequately addressed by managers and literature alike. The acknowledgement of all the different elements of messiness in humanitarian logistics and other scenarios, as well as the need for holistic management approaches, changes the way in which messy supply chains are seen. The revised conceptual framework presented in this thesis provides a foundation for further study of various messy supply chain contexts. Originality/Value: This thesis provides a novel view of supply chains that are inadequately captured by current frameworks and typologies. As the complexity of supply chain contexts intensifies, behavioural aspects become increasingly important. The framework provided represents a first application of the rich body of literature on wicked and messy problems, as well as complex adaptive systems in supply chain management.

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This thesis placed families at the heart of the research process to develop an understanding of maternal imprisonment that is grounded in the accounts of family members. Estimates suggest 18,000 children are separated from their mothers every year in England and Wales because of maternal imprisonment. Yet there is a paucity of knowledge about these particular family circumstances in academic research, policy and society. The study examines the historical relationship between women and crime, normative assumptions around ‘good mothering’ and takes a critical, family-centred look at the theoretical, policy and penal landscape. A qualitative research approach was chosen for the empirical part of the study, guided by the valuable insights I acquired during a six month placement in a women’s prison. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 families experiencing maternal imprisonment, comprised of two cohorts; convicted mothers, and family members known as caregivers, who were looking after a child whose mother had been imprisoned. The interviews explored the families’ domestic, social, economic and relational circumstances prior to, and during, the mothers’ sentences. This involved a critical examination of their thoughts and experiences of sustaining contact using prison processes; such as visitation. The findings contribute new and important insights into how the mother’s prison sentence had affected the everyday practices, identities, roles and responsibilities of several family members. Although being in prison automatically interferes with family life and motherhood, these findings demonstrate how this was exacerbated by inadequate facilities and provisions in prisons, which failed to support the maintenance of meaningful family relationships. Marked differences were identified between policy rhetoric that pledged support for family ties, and the accessibility of sustaining these relationships in practice. The findings demonstrate how maternal imprisonment cannot be seen in isolation from family life, and recommendations informed by the families’ experiences are proposed.

The study focused on the transition economies of South Eastern Europe, Central Europe and those of the ex-Soviet countries, during the period 1990-2005. <br /> The main research aims included the identification of the distinct FDI features, the research for FDI determinants and the relation between FDI and the host countries’ institutions with a particular emphasis on corruption and poor governance phenomena. Additional to that the study shed light on the impact of transition process reforms on FDI. The research employed a variety of different data sources and empirical methods, in order to achieve its goals. <br /> The empirical analysis indicated that foreign investments in the area of interest were not particularly affected by the presence of corruption. Actually, foreign investors were rather encouraged by both high corruption and the low governance levels. Regarding FDI features, the formulated view is of foreign investments as business entities with secured financial support, export orientation, not significant contribution to labour skills and production increase and with a rather indifferent approach towards taxation. <br /> With regards to FDI determinants, the empirical results highlighted the host country’s market potential, the privatization opportunities both at small and large scale, the existence of strategic natural resources, the quick implementation of the transition reforms in terms of competition policies, trade and prices liberalization and banking reforms, while also the existence of an adequate and exploitation promising infrastructure.