This study seeks to deepen our understanding of Chinese travellers’ travel experience and the meanings they derived from their holiday in the UK by critically analysing the largest online travel community in China, namely www.go2eu.com. This is an online community created by travellers themselves, hence the traveller-generated content are rich. Despite the growing importance of Chinese outbound travel market, a qualitative understanding of what it is like to be a Chinese traveller in the UK is still an under-researched area. In addition, with the advancement of Internet technology and the emergence of online communities, our social world has been increasingly influenced by online communities. Using the literature on experiential theory, tourism studies and online cultures, this study offers a qualitative understanding of this phenomenon. This study adopts ethnography to research Chinese travellers’ travel experience in the UK. The main data collection is based on a non-participant netnography in a chosen website www.go2eu.com. It is found that their travel experiences are very diverse. They prefer independent and immersive travel experience. They are interested in knowing about the UK culture, history and how the locals live their lives. They are experience-seekers whose experiences are dotted with moments of imaginative states, emotional responses and culturally rooted meanings. In total, the findings of the study identified five main themes, namely language and self-identity, experience of holiday time, experience of holiday space, bodily feelings and emotions. A key contribution to new knowledge is the offering of rich qualitative insights and a theoretical framework for understanding Chinese travellers’ travel experience in the UK, which can be generalised in future studies. Such qualitative insights can not only be of great value to those designing marketing communication and memorable experiences and precipitates effective tourism management but also useful for academic studies seeking to understand the differences between the behaviour and experiences of travellers from different cultures. As well as their experience of travelling in local tour groups, this study especially offers rich insights about what it is like to be a non-all-inclusive package tourist travelling from developing countries to developed countries. Moreover, this study adds understanding about the experience of holiday time, which is a relatively under-discussed area in the literature. The experience of poetic space and the active aesthetic experience of highest absorption also add new lights to existing tourism literature. Further, this study address the influence of online community plays on Chinese travellers’ self-identities and language, experience of holiday time, holiday space and bodily emotions, which is seldom touched upon. On top of that, the methodology of this study also enriches the newly emerged literature on online qualitative methods.

On 22 September 2000, the French, Belgian and Dutch stock exchanges merged and formed the Euronext N.V., the first pan-European ex change. The creation of Euronext was a response to changes in the political and econ omic environment in Europe. The benefits to market participants are easier access t o a wider range of financial products, increase in liquidity and lower transaction costs. Indeed, since its incorporation, Euronext has the second largest capitalization in E urope. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the conseq uences of Euronext integration on the French, Belgian and Dutch stock markets. It rai ses two questions: 1. has the merger improved the information efficiency of the m arkets; and 2. has the level of integration between the markets increased following the incorporation of Euronext? The study uses daily prices for the markets’ main i ndices for the period 01/01/1990 to 10/12/2010. The original sample is divided into thr ee periods: pre-integration, integration and post-integration period. Two types of returns are computed: log- returns and excess returns. A dummy variable and a control variable, the German main index DAX, are included in the analysis to acc ount for the effect of the introduction of the Euro. Unit root and stationarity tests show that prices s eries are integrated of the first order and that the returns series are stationary. Moreove r, the volatility of returns exhibits long-memory patterns. The data generating process o f all the returns series is captured with ARMA-GARCH models. The returns exhibit volatil ity clusters in all sub- periods. Hence, the information efficiency of the m arket has not increased following Euronext integration. However, GARCH models do not include an asymmetric component for the post-integration period, indicati ng that the returns do not display leverage effects after the creation of Euronext. Fi nally, a Euro dummy variable was significant only for the Belgian returns. Cointegration tests show that the three indices exp erience long-run equilibrium during the integration and the post-integration periods. M oreover, the conditional correlation between the markets increases and stabilises after 2000. Overall, the evidence supports wider financial integration between these markets. However, it is difficult to 4 determine to what degree this change can be attribu ted to the creation of Euronext as opposed to the introduction of the Euro or to a com bination of both. A Granger causality test shows that EMU has Granger caused ma rket financial integration. On the other hand, a system comprised of the three ind ices and the control variable, DAX30, does not display long-run equilibrium for th e post-integration period, highlighting the role of Euronext. These results ar e important for market participants.

Legal scholarship regarding the implementation of European Union law recognises the gap between policy, enacted law and its application. Writers typically focus on the role of the European Court of Justice, the role of the European Commission, as well as the obligations of Member States under European law stemming from the Treaties (and in a broader context, from the association with the European Union). Political science literature offers a different explanation of the same gap between policy and implementation, highlighting the presence of extra-legal factors obstructing the occurrence of desired social changes. The literature has identified a number of variables which determine implementation outcomes, and suggested contextual conditions which may be conducive to ‘giving effect to policy’. This thesis explores tensions arising from legal concepts of direct applicability and compliance, and political science concepts of implementation and practical effectiveness with reference to voluntary food quality schemes in Poland, in particular the laws of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and Traditional Specialties Guaranteed (TSG). The core of the research is an empirical study, using semi-structured interviews with actors at all levels of implementation of these laws in Poland: at the ministerial, regional and local level, including officials and producer consortia. An interview protocol derived from the theories of implementation in political science and law investigates the implementation chain in its entirety, from policy formation to the legislative act, and finishing with the ‘recipients’ themselves, the targets of legal intervention. The results show that a lack of effectiveness does not mean non-compliance (in law) of an EU Member State. Member States might have implemented the Community legislation fully by creating a regulatory environment indispensable to its success. Yet, for implementation to be effective, enforcement agents must themselves be committed to the behaviour required by the law, circumstances external to the implementing agency should not impose critical constraints, and the recipients must be persuaded of the benefits of participating in voluntary schemes. These findings appear to support the political science theory of perfect implementation and effectiveness of law, and highlight gaps in enforcement mechanisms available to the Union Institutions. For example, the European Court of Justice acts against non-compliance on the Commission’s motion, whereas the Commission often relies on claims lodged by Member States or other entitled actors, rather than on its own investigation. The findings also confirm that political science models designed for international or national law remain valid for European Union law and can be applied in its specific context.

The global economic crises that have emerged over the past few years have put a tremendous strain on (and remains a challenge for) all the major economies of the world. Whilst achieving a balance of retaining front line services for citizens and keeping staff, and making economies fit for purpose in the long term is a challenging task, procurement can have a substantial role to play in achieving this. Sound public procurement policy brings immediate and tangible macroeconomic benefits, where more cost-effective procurement relaxes budgetary pressure and creates fiscal space. The public sector represents about 40-45% of the world’s economies; in some African countries it can be as much as 80%. The public procurement process displays major differences in the way it is organised and operated across the world: different organisational structures; different types of governments; different regulatory, legislative and funding arrangements, and, of course, different cultures. This research aims to look at the influencing factors of public procurement policy and its development in Libya. The revolution domino effect of the Arab Spring in the region in late 2010 occurred because of a number of reasons, predominantly economic, social and political. However, these reasons were mostly magnified by two factors; a young population and high unemployment. Whilst public procurement has become more complex, the balance of the various socioeconomic goals has left officials in government to deal with a wide range of issues. This is particularly true when it comes to the development of the pertinent procurement policies. Procurement policy can contribute immensely to job creation and employment, strengthening of industries, regional involvement, enhancing diversity, securing development aid, and sustainability. According to authorities in he field, the origin of all procurement policy is political. Strategic procurement policy has been adopted by states that have recognised that the procurement function can be developed to harmonise procurement policies with wider government policies. A government (such as Libya’s new Transitional Government which is currently dealing with an ailing economy, high unemployment and social fragility) may use public procurement as a tool for economic development, job creation and, ultimately, stabilisation. The intention of this research is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on state public procurement policy and its development, whilst emphasising inputs and the transformational processes operating in the construction of public policy in Libya. This research attempts to explain how public procurement policies are developed but also what influences that development, and why. The contribution to knowledge will be achieved by identifying barriers within the Libyan context and reporting back into the current scholarly literature. This research also aims to identify findings that may well be used for legislative advocacy in the current Libyan public policy discourse.

Open access (OA) policy is becoming an increasingly important element of information management initiatives in academic institutions. The aim of this research is to explore the perception towards OA and identify the factors that influence the readiness of OA implementation in Kuwaiti higher education institutions. A single exploratory case study approach is adopted within one institution, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). This study analyses data collected through a questionnaire from 154 stakeholders and 16 semi-structured interviews undertaken in PAAET, using the Theory of Organisational Readiness for Change (TORC). This research makes contributions to knowledge in: a) understanding of organisational factors for potential IT adoption in Kuwaiti higher education institutions; b) potential for adoption of OA policies in developing countries; c) TORC use in OA policy applicability within the context of a developing country, a culture that has never been explored before; and d) generating rich insight into understanding OA policy readings of a Kuwaiti Academic Institution. Practical contributions suggest that awareness of OA is still low in one Kuwaiti higher education (HE) institution (PAAET); however, the study participants were found to be supportive of the OA concept. These practical contributions are relying on long-term strategic steps such as: a) need for promotion of OA awareness; b) ownership of OA by senior management; c) government support at national level; d) management processes and OA policy; e) technical infrastructure needs; f) organisational restructuring; and g) interdepartmental collaboration. Some short-term proposals for action by the authorities in Kuwaiti higher education institutes are suggested, such as linking their websites to “The Create Change Organisation” and engaging in more international collaboration partnerships such as “Tempus”, which could help PAAET coordinate with other academic institutions through Open Innovation projects. Keywords: Open access (OA), Open Access Policy (OA policy), Kuwait, Higher Education, technology adoption in developing countries, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Theory of Organisational Readiness for Change (TORC)

Training initiatives are universal phenomena, particularly in developing nations, which have been using training as a part of their overall development efforts. This research aims to identify and investigate the factors that influence the quality of training programmes in training centres in Jordanian public universities. It is an explanatory study which focuses on explaining how and why the factors influence training practices. This study has been conducted by adopting a case study strategy and a qualitative approach. The data were gathered by using semi-structured interviews as the main data collection instrument within two training centres in two Jordanian public universities. Additionally, a number of data collection instruments were used in order to achieve triangulation, and to fully understand the training practices in the two case study organisations (CSOs). In total, 16 trainers and 12 training programme coordinators and training administrators were interviewed. The research reveals that there is an absence of: systematic trainer selection processes, a training design approach, training evaluation systems, trainee selection, involvement of major parties in training design and evaluation, and a lack of variation in methods used in delivering training programmes. The study reveals that there is an absence of systematic institutional efforts regarding training for trainers, training coordinators and administrators in both CSOs. Contributions to knowledge on the academic and practical levels are evident with the research being the first explanatory attempt to empirically investigate the key factors which influence the training programmes in training centres in Jordanian public universities. Thus, it provides a deep understanding of the current training practices and management in training centres in two Jordanian public universities. This is because previous studies focussing on training were mainly undertaken in different cultural contexts from that of Jordan. The findings of this study have added to the existing literature by extending knowledge regarding training practices in a new context. Practically, the study has significant implications for both practitioners and decision makers, such as: the need to establish systematic trainer and trainee selection processes; continuous development and training for trainers and administrators; adoption of standardised procedures for designing training programmes; developing appropriate methods for the evaluation of training programmes; enhancing quality awareness of quality in training; and establishing a formal body to organise and control training institutions in Jordan. Several directions for future research are also recommended.

The relationship between bank performance measures, namely financial and nonfinancial, and financial strength ratings (FSRs) has created an interesting area of research for many years. This thesis examines econometric qualities including explanatory, discriminatory and predictive powers. The main aims of this thesis are as follows: (1) to identify the main bank performance measures associated with high-FSRs versus low-FSRs; (2) to determine the bank performance measures that can discriminate banks associated with high-FSRs versus low-FSRs; and (3) to compare the predictive capabilities of conventional techniques versus machine-learning techniques in predicting banks’ FSR group memberships in the Middle East. The analysis is performed in three stages: (1) the analysis identifies the association between banks’ FSRs and performance measures by applying a multinomial logit technique; (2) the analysis uses the outcome of the first stage as an input to discriminate high-FSRs from low-FSRs using discriminant analysis; and (3) machine-learning techniques (i.e., CHAID, CART and multilayer perceptron neural networks) and conventional techniques (i.e., discriminant analysis and logistic regression) are used to predict banks’ FSR group memberships. Various performance evaluation criteria (i.e., average correct classification rate, misclassification cost and gains charts) are used to evaluate the predictive capabilities of various modeling techniques. The data set covers the Middle Eastern countries’ commercial banks from 2001 to 2009. Results from the first stage indicate that high-FSR banks in the Middle East are well capitalised, and profitability is associated with the highest relative explanatory power. Second stage results show that three financial variables (i.e., loan loss provision to total loans ratio, asset utilisation ratio and equity to net loans ratio) contribute greatly to the model’s discriminatory power. On the other hand, results for nonfinancial variables reveal that bank size and sovereign rating are the most important to the model’s discriminatory power. The results indicate that financial variables outperform nonfinancial variables in terms of overall discriminatory power. Finally, in the last stage, results show that the predictive capability of CHAID outperforms other machine-learning techniques (i.e., CART and multilayer perceptron neural networks). Regarding conventional techniques, the predictive capability of discriminant analysis is superior to logistic regression. In terms of comparing various predictive techniques, results of the performance evaluation criteria reveal that machine-learning techniques outperform conventional techniques in predicting banks’ FSR group memberships.

Physical inventories constitute a considerable proportion of companies’ investments in today’s competitive environment. The trade-off between customer service levels and inventory investments is addressed in practice by formal quantitative inventory management (stock control) solutions. Given the tremendous number of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) that contemporary organisations deal with, such solutions need to be fully automated. However, managers very often judgementally adjust the output of statistical software (such as the demand forecasts and/or the replenishment decisions) to reflect qualitative information that they possess. In this research we are concerned with the value being added (or not) when statistical/quantitative output is judgementally adjusted by managers. Our work aims to investigate the effects of incorporating human judgement into such inventory related decisions and it is the first study to do so empirically. First, a set of relevant research questions is developed based on a critical review of the literature. Then, an extended database of approximately 1,800 SKUs from an electronics company is analysed for the purpose of addressing the research questions. In addition to empirical exploratory analysis, a simulation experiment is performed in order to evaluate in a dynamic fashion what are the effects of adjustments on the performance of a stock control system. The results on the simulation experiment reveal that judgementally adjusted replenishment orders may improve inventory performance in terms of reduced inventory investments (costs). However, adjustments do not seem to contribute towards the increase of the cycle service level (CSL) and fill rate. Since there have been no studies addressing similar issues to date, this research should be of considerable value in advancing the current state of knowledge in the area of inventory management. From a practitioner’s perspective, the findings of this research may guide managers in adjusting order-up-to levels for the purpose of achieving better inventory performance. Further, the results may also contribute towards the development of better functionality of inventory support systems (ISS).

This study investigates how to develop a better understanding of successful business relationships in the context of Saudi Arabia. The main objectives of this research are to explore how trust factors affect business relationship in Saudi Arabian companies. Primary and secondary methods of data collection are explored and the methods used to conduct qualitative data analysis are discussed and justified. Semi-structured interviews were employed to fulfil the study’s aims and objectives. The researcher interviewed 25 Saudi Arabian employees regarding how trust factors affect business relationships in Saudi Arabian companies. This thesis identifies and analyses the barriers to trust in business relationship that can exist in Saudi companies, using a multiple interview approach. The research required in-depth understanding to enable the development of trust factors (individual trust, organisational trust and national trust). The result is the discovery that a lack of skills, knowledge and experience of business relationship development and the correct approach to business and management can affect trust factors in the context of Saudi Arabian companies. This research study also found culture to be a unique type of behaviour that influences the creation of profitable relationships in Saudi companies. This study can be used in further research in other organisations, whether in Saudi Arabia or other countries. Finally, the researcher considers the whole experience of conducting this study to have been revealing, and has confirmed that strong potential exists within Saudi Arabian companies that have been completely suppressed in past years by the involvement of the social and business level. Relationships are necessary at the individual, organisational, and national levels in order for foreign companies to build trust with Saudi Arabian ones.

Despite worldwide growth in project management there is a significant gap between research and practice. The discipline lacks a unified theory and established body of research. Bodies of knowledge reflect process and technique yet frequently neglect the political, social and ethical dimensions of project management. The theory of established academic disciplines evolves through history and by a study of their historical antecedents. The principal question of this thesis thus is concerned with the relevance of historical projects lessons to contemporary business practice and contemporary project management? The secondary question is concerned with the development of an approach to studying this. In addressing these questions the thesis examines some of the challenges with contemporary project management literature, and literature that discusses the relevance of historical project lessons including that from other disciplines such as management. The thesis describes the use of a qualitative approach, based upon an interpretivist epistemology as the basis for the use of case studies. In addition, it discusses the use of historiography and interdisciplinarity. It then examines the methods used and findings of nine publications and their contributions to the research questions. The findings of the thesis establish that project management has a deep history, and has been successfully used by developing cultures since the beginnings of civilization. They also establish that historical projects, when interpreted through a business/project management lens, can be understood by contemporary project managers and are of significant and meaningful value to contemporary business practice. The methodology to establish this is also described. Thus the thesis will contribute to both the project management body of knowledge, by broadening it out and augmenting contemporary case studies, and to addressing the theory–practice gaps within project management.