This study is concerned with examining the application of marketing during the start-up, development and growth of small firms in the West Midlands. As an exploratory study, it provides evidence to support the central hypothesis of the thesis that whilst many small firms have the potential to progress through to the successful growth stage of development, they fail to do so because of their owner-managers' orientation towards production and selling and because they do not apply formal marketing during the initial stages of business development. A comparative approach to studying marketing in indigenous and Asian firms is adopted in an attempt to fill a gap in the literature on the characteristics and differences in the formation and development processes of these two groups of enterprises. The study has three main objectives and is based on qualitative research techniques of in-depth interviews, case studies and longitudinal studies among sixty-six firms representing the key activities of the small firms sector of the local economy. Firstly, it investigates owner-managers' orientation in developing and managing new and established businesses and explores the sources of, and changes in their orientation during the various stages of development. Secondly, it assesses the owner-manager's awareness and understanding of what constitutes the marketing function and investigates what aspects of marketing are applied during the different stages of business development. Finally, the study monitors and evaluates the outcomes and implications of applying formal marketing techniques in a small sample of firms over a period of two years. The thesis concludes by using the findings of the study to contribute additions to existing models of growth and by proposing new models of evolution and application of marketing in small firms.

A multi-variate descriptive model of environmental and nature conservation attitudes and values is proposed and empirically supported. A mapping sentence is developed out of analysis of data from a series of Repertory Grid interviews addressing conservation employees' attitudes towards their profession's activities. The research is carried out within the meta-theoretical framework of Facet Theory. A mapping sentence is developed consisting of 9 facets. From the mapping sentence 3 questionnaires were constructed viewing the selective orientations towards environmental concern. A mapping sentence and facet model is developed for each study. Once the internal structure of this model had been established using Similarity Structure Analysis, the elements of the facets are subjected to Partial Order Scalogram Analysis with base coordinates. A questionnaire was statistically analysed to assess the relationship between facet elements and 4 measures of attitudes towards, and involvement with, conservation. This enabled the comparison of the relative strengths of attitudes associated with each facet element and each measure of conservation attitude. In general, the relationship between the social value of conservation and involvement pledges to conservation were monotonic; perceived importance of a conservation issue appearing predictive of personal involvement. Furthermore, the elements of the life area and scale facets were differentially related to attitude measures. The multi-variate descriptive model of environmental conservation values and attitudes is discussed in relation to its implications for psychological research into environmental concern and for environmental and nature conservation.

Since the Second World War a range of policies have been implemented by central and local government agencies, with a view to improving accessibility to facilities, housing and employment opportunities within rural areas. It has been suggested that a lack of reasonable access to a range of such facilities and opportunities constitutes a key aspect of deprivation or disadvantage for rural residents. Despite considerable interest, very few attempts have been made to assess the nature and incidence of this disadvantage or the reaction of different sections of the population of rural areas to it. Moreover, almost all previous assessments have relied on so-called 'objective' measures of accessibility and disadvantage and failed to consider the relationship between such measures and 'subjective' measures such as individual perceptions. It is this gap in knowledge that the research described in this thesis has addressed. Following a critical review of relevant literature the thesis describes the way in which data on 'objective' and 'subjective' indicators of accessibility and behavioural responses to accessibility problems was collected, in six case study areas in Shropshire. Analysis of this data indicates that planning and other government policies have failed to significantly improve rural resident's accessibility to their basic requirements, and may in some cases have exacerbated it, and that as a result certain sections of the rural population are relatively disadvantaged. Moreover, analysis shows that .certain aspects of individual subjective' assessments of such accessibility disadvantage are significantly associated with more easily-obtained 'objective' measures. By using discriminant analysis the research demonstrates that it is possible to predict the likely levels of satisfaction with access to facilities from a range of 'objective' measures. The research concludes by highlighting the potential practical applications of such indicators in policy formulation, policy appraisal and policy evaluation.

The study reviews the biophysical attributes, socio-economic usage and environmental problems of the coastal zone in England and Wales, and evaluates current resource management policies for the coastal environment. This policy assessment reveals some deficiencies in the present fragmentary system of coastal zone management. In the light of these findings, a detailed case study of the Newhaven-Eastbourne sector in East Sussex is presented. After an initial analysis of the historical interplay between physiographic change and human use requirements in the chosen area, a statement of contemporary resource use and management problems is assembled. A detailed analysis of three leading problems serves to show that effective coastal management must focus on broad 'issue areas' rather than on single problems, acknowledging the interdependency between many coastal policy issues. Using a sample three year period, a content analysis of local newspaper coverage identifies a distinct spatial concentration of resource use problems on developed coastal frontage. A social survey of local residents is employed to measure community awareness of coastal problems and the agencies responsible for their resolution. This survey shows a high degree of community self-interest in the perception of problems, and suggests a local authority focus for public concern over coastal issues. A full description of the coastal management system in the study area demonstrates that the national fragmentation of responsibilities is fully replicated at local level, although the local authorities discharge a group of key management functions. The technical and institutional requirements for more effective coastal zone managementare discussed, and the potential of a coastal resource evaluation system and selected operations research techniques are tested with reference to the study area. Finally, the prospects for a reform of existing management arrangements are examined, and three outline models for a revised system are presented.

Urban renewal in Hong Kong has a long history. However, the difficulties in land acquisition and rehousing had made most of the Government's urban renewal attempts unsuccessful. Moreover, urban renewal projects often caused citizen protest resulting in years of negotiations between the Government and the affected communities. On the other hand, piecemeal urban redevelopment by individual developers has always resulted in an undesirable "pencil" urban pattern which make long term comprehensive redevelopment more difficult. The Land Development Corporation (LDC) was established in 1988 to promote and facilitate urban renewal by means of utilisation of resources in the private sector (i.e. public-private partnership approach). This dissertation conceptualises that the fundamental causes of implementation problems for LDC's urban redevelopment projects in Hong Kong relate to the Mackintosh's concept of "partnership". Problems and issues arise when there are inequalities occur in the distribution of power among partners in urban renewal partnerships. The LDC's urban redevelopment projects without addressing this critical factor would eventually fail. With the increasing accountability to the urban planning processes, the Hong Kong Government can no longer ignore the significance of "community involvement" in urban renewal. The LDC's partnerships involve different parties such as property owners, private developers and different user categories as well as the Government. Their interaction may lead to conflictual interests through three major issues of partnerships: motivation of partnership, distribution of cost and benefits among the partners and the power relations between the public and private sectors in deal making. It has been possible to address these dilemmas using urban regime theory, the approach underlying this research. In this respect, two case studies of the redevelopment partnership projects examine the difficulties and the role of the LDC in promoting and facilitating urban renewal. In particular this dissertation is revealed that the popularity of the partnership approach faded away as quickly as it had become popular. The most important explanation is that under the existing Land Development Corporation Ordinance, the Hong Kong Government used the concept as an instrument to solve the financial problems in urban redevelopment processes. The Government was not aware of the social dimension of partnership. The concept can be applied in a successful way only if the relationship with private developers and affected residents is redefined. To address the LDC's partnership problems in a comprehensive way, a fundamental redefinition of the existing relationship between different stakeholders is proposed. Firstly, has to be based on the concept of the "Government-led" approach which requires reducing limitations in the current's Land Development Corporation Ordinance, and the successful of urban redevelopment could only be achieved through Government intervention. Secondly, a new Urban Renewal Authority (URA) with much wider jurisdiction, power and resource base than the existing the Land Development Corporation is recommended Thirdly, it is recommended that urban redevelopment must embrace a wider community agenda. This needs to relate physical redevelopment in a more equitable way towards wider economic, social and community concerns. Finally, the dissertation is concluded that the inclusion of community participation in administrative and legislative processes will definitely help to balance power amongst Government, the Land Development Corporation, private developers, and the affected residents in urban redevelopment process.

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No description available.

This study seeks to provide an overview of the intra-urban population movement of the Malay ethnic group. It deals specifically with the housing decisions of the Malay middle-class in the context of the rapidly expanding conventional housing market. The study deals with family life-cycle, housing search, housing and locational choice, home ownership, and the spatial outcome of residential mobility. The study examines the factors leading to housing relocation amongst the Malay middle-class households. The aim of the study is to assess the relative importance of household characteristics and socio-cultural factors in determining the residential mobility of the Malay middle-class in Kuala Lumpur. The analysis of the study is based on a survey undertaken by the author in 1989 which examines the factors leading to the households' housing relocation decisions and subsequent adjustments to the new neighbourhood environment. The findings of the study indicate that the desire for home ownership is the paramount reason while the need for more space plays an important supporting role. A large majority of the moving households preferred a mixed-community neighbourhoods, perhaps reflecting the multi-ethnic character of Kuala Lumpur. In addition, many of these households placed a high value on residential areas with positive environmental and neighbourhood attributes. The study concludes that the established residential areas in the Western sector of the city, notably residential areas in Damansara, Bangsar and Taman Tun Dr. Ismail are the most sought-after neighbourhoods. Such neighbourhoods confer not only high socio-economic status, but also high environmental quality attributes.

It has been experienced that in addition to the natural growth of population the migrants from rural to urban areas have created enormous problems. In result these problems have affected the human settlement patterns and degraded environments in the metropolitan areas of the Third World, Pakistan particularly Karachi. The phenomenal development which occurred at an apparently fast pace has also created pressures on basic utilities and problems for the authorities concerned with the improvement of environment in the metropolitan areas. Lack of adequate housing and infrastructure for millions of people of low-income groups living in slums locally known as Katchi Abadis are the main challenges for the urban planners in Pakistan. The essential focus of this research is on human settlement patterns and particularly on those physical and social problems affecting the environment in metropolitan Karachi as a whole and in the Katchi Abadis in particular. To understand the nature of the problems and formulation of applicable policies the research is based on the data collected from Lyari and Korangi two Katchi Abadis in Karachi. In view of the analysis of the process of slum formation, policies and hindrances to the execution of applied policies and present situation in the case study areas this study has proposed two types of policy and a modified management system for the adequate implementation of proposed policies to overcome the problems of Katchi Abadis in Pakistan, particularly in two selected Katchi Abadis in the Karachi metropolitan area. These policies may hopefully result in upgrading the environment in large cities in developing countries and in Pakistan and Karachi in particular.

No description available.