Since 1990, interest in environmental disclosure (ED) has grown, and it is now seen as one of the most important types of social disclosure (Islam et al., 2005). This attention has not come out of the blue; as environmental costs rise year on year, it has become increasingly important to disclose these costs, as they can significantly impact upon the decisions made by the users of financial statements. This is especially important in light of the fierce competition between local and global companies. Concerned investors have therefore started to press for environmental information to be disclosed in companies’ annual reports. The vast majority of studies in the field of ED have so far focused on developed territories such as Western Europe, America and Australia, neglecting developing countries. The present study is motivated by the lack of research in developing countries in general and Libya in particular. It is an empirical investigation into the ED practices of oil and gas companies operating in Libya. This study is the first to explore ED practices in the oil and gas sector in Libya. This sector, which is considered one of the most polluting industrial sectors, accounts for 70% of Libyan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 98% of the country’s exports (Central Bank of Libya, 2009a). The main objectives of the present study are to identify the current state of ED, as described in the accounting literature, to observe how it is represented in the annual reports of oil companies operating in Libya, and to investigate the determinants of and reasons for ED. In addition, the study attempts to clarify the influence of company characteristics on ED. The aim is to contribute to current knowledge by addressing the shortage of studies on ED in developing countries. To achieve these objectives, three data collection methods were employed: questionnaires, content analysis and interviews. The results show that almost all companies provide some environmental information, although reports contain more positive and neutral than negative information. The respondents agreed strongly that some of the proposed drivers do indeed motivate companies to disclose environmental information, but they rejected others (see Table 6-10). When it came to identifying the obstacles that prevent companies from disclosing environmental information, local companies were consistent in accepting most of the proposed elements as barriers to ED, whereas a number of these elements were rejected by foreign companies (see Table 6-17). It was apparent that although some environmental rules and regulations do exist, they are not applied fully and control of ED is still weak. There is a significant positive association between level of ED and company size, company privatisation and company nationality. The investigation provides further evidence that these characteristics are important and have an impact on the level of ED. On the other hand, the age of the company is insignificant; it is negatively related to the level of ED.

This thesis is structured around an empirical investigation of the experience of bidding firms in abandoned acquisitions. Existing research suggests that, in certain circumstances, abandoned acquisitions may play a governance role, disciplining bidder managers for proposing acquisitions which reduce shareholder wealth. However, there has been little work analysing how, and in what circumstances, abandoned acquisitions perform this governance role. This research addresses this gap, by investigating the causal mechanisms of abandoned acquisitions and their aftermath. The thesis develops an innovative, multi-dimensional conceptual framework, blending existing theories of acquisitions and corporate governance. This framework guides the empirical investigation, which uses the causal process tracing (CPT) method, not previously adopted in this field. The work builds cumulatively, to analyse the causal mechanisms, in cases of abandoned acquisitions, involving UK bidding firms. To enhance the identification of the nature of the impact of abandonment on bidding firms; disciplinary or otherwise, a different conceptualisation of the post-abandonment experience of bidding firms is adopted. The research builds on this, by selecting distinctive cases; firms with disciplinary experiences and firms with non-disciplinary experiences. CPT is employed to analyse primary and secondary data, revealing the causal mechanisms present in these distinctive cases. As a result, meta-causal mechanisms are proposed. These are particular contingent generalisations, which apply to particular groups of cases. These fine-tune existing theoretical explanations, identifying how, and in what circumstances, variables interact. Disciplinary processes after abandoned acquisitions can be traced to causal mechanisms characterised by strategic uncertainty, raised by information revealed during the bidding process. Conversely, non-disciplinary processes after abandoned acquisitions cannot be traced to the causal mechanisms of abandonment. In these cases, the causal pathology of abandonment is localised. The bidder‟s offer price is too low and acquisitions are abandoned to avoid over-paying. The research implies that more effort should be made to enhance the flow of information in the bidding process. In addition, active monitoring is more nuanced than anticipated. This active monitoring should have a positive effect on acquisition decisions, producing enhanced shareholder wealth.

The advent of born-global bio-tech firms signal the genesis of a new business model that is emerging in the biotechnology sector. Born globals are small firms whose knowledge supply-chain includes global resources from multiple countries. Their innovation ‘ecosystems’ consists of experienced scientists, science parks, academics, well-established bio-pharmaceutical firms and government institutions. The firms plan their business based on global strategic perspectives and this significantly increases their productivity and innovativeness. But surprisingly, little is known about their capability development processes in the specialised networks of the biotechnology sector. As a result, this study explores the connectivity of various elements, within their knowledge supply-chain, and how they influence their capacity to generate new scientific knowledge and technical know-how. The study employs a multi-case approach. It examines five cases of bio-tech firms from the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom which have an entrepreneurial flair synonymous with born-global firms. The findings from within and across cases, secondary data analysis and results from a ‘pilot study’ led to the construction of a new conceptual framework of knowledge and innovative capability development. The model is created from the ideas of Freeman and others and it contributes to an understanding of the concepts of dynamic capabilities and network theories. The study infers that the business and social connections of small born-global biotech firms along with the building blocks of competence & goodwill trust, inter-organisational collaborations, tacit & explicit knowledge, prior learning & absorptive capacity significantly influence how they develop their innovative capabilities. The study also concludes that there is a strong connection between the building blocks. The findings of the research are invaluable to a number of stakeholders that include: other researchers, large, small firms & the central authorities particularly for their role in formulating strategies through policy-making that either help or hinder the norms of ‘open science’.

The TUC (Trades Union Congress) proposed that union learning representatives could play a role in developing a new culture of lifelong learning at the workplace as the health and safety representative movement has had a major impact on making work environments safer. This is the most extensive piece of research that has been done on union learning representative activity in the North-West region of England. Analysis of data, collected on behalf of unionlearn with the North-West TUC, identified that there were principal stakeholders that had an interest in the success of the union learning representative initiative; the Government and its agencies, TUC/ unionlearn, affiliate unions, employers and, as service users, union members. This thesis investigates to what extent union learning representative activity meets the expectations of those principal stakeholders. The investigation is underpinned by literature that explains the conceptual framework for workplace learning, stakeholder theory and unions and learning. The missing link appears to be the failure of the sponsors of the initiative (Government, TUC and CBI) to acknowledge the possible resistance of some employers to facilitate union learning representative activity in their workplaces. The history of vocational education and training (VET) within the UK testifies to employers’ resistance to be responsible for the facilitation of this. Employer representatives such as CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) have no formal influence on the behaviour of employers in respect of the provision of learning opportunities for employees. For any of this to happen, employers have to cooperate and individuals (union members) have to want to participate. The nature of the employment relationship and employers’ acceptance of the right for collective bargaining is identified as crucial for the union learning representative initiative to be effective in the workplace. These conclusions contribute to the knowledge of the union learning representative initiative as the findings have been analysed through the lens of a body of literature concerned with workplace learning. Other reports are of findings from national surveys or specific unionlearn projects.

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge of interim management, through a process of interview, the development of an extended case study and reflection on practice. It develops a theory of interim management that conceptualises interim managers as process consultants working at an individual level in organisational development. It draws a distinction between instrumental stopgap contracting, functional consulting and consultancy. Interim managers largely operate as functional consultants, but bring to assignments the wider set of skills of process consulting. Their effectiveness is partially derived from their ability to bridge across organisational groups, and their ability to distinguish between organizational politics and the "back staging" required to deliver their assignments. Clients look for relevant sector experience in engaging interim managers and this constrains interim managers in offering cross sector services. Interim managers demonstrate value to organisations through the development of the staff they work with in the delivery of assignments. This paper report on the author’s first person action research into his practice as an interim manager which draws on the research described, on reflection on that research and the author’s practice as an interim manager. It has enabled the author to relate his practice to theory, to the practice of other interim managers, and provided an opportunity to think through issues of personal values and developmental needs. The paper also develops a viewpoint of the nature of knowledge, locates that viewpoint in the context of management education, and presents a conceptual argument that positions deficiencies in management education as a driver for the development of the interim management market.

Since International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) gained United Nations’ recognition in the 1950s, they have continued to grow in stature as key global players. Consequently, a lot of research attention has been devoted to the global influence of INGOs and the management challenges that they face. Despite steady increase in the number of research publications that focus on a wide range of INGO issues, employee job satisfaction has yet to receive serious research attention. This study seeks to fill that gap by examining forms and levels of job satisfaction among INGO employees in the United Kingdom and Africa. The study explores the influence of INGO mission, culture, structure and HRM policies and practices on employee job satisfaction. The questions addressed in this research focus on how employees perceive their jobs and the performance of INGOs in executing corporate missions, application of principles and values, working relations between headquarters and field locations and HRM policies and practices. Data collection involved 35 in-depth interviews with employees in various INGOs in the UK and Africa. The secondary method for data collection is questionnaire administration. Findings from this research contribute to what is currently known about job satisfaction in the INGO sector. Interpreting accounts of work experiences through dialectical mechanisms represents a unique and dynamic approach to the study of job satisfaction. Furthermore, the finding that effective application of corporate principles and values remains a critical factor as far as job satisfaction among INGO employees is concerned challenges the thinking that ‘corporatisation’ and ‘professionalization’ have robbed the sector of its values.

“Customer value” is a much used and, in a number of cases, a misunderstood term, with emphasis placed on a priori categories of what provides value for the customer, rather than an effort to understand value from a customer perspective. The research presented in this thesis spans more than ten years in two academic library services, (one in Australia and the other in the United Kingdom), using a methodology that does not use pre-determined value dimensions but, rather, dimensions identified by the customers themselves. This action research was carried out with different customer segments in the university libraries to identify customer values and irritations. By longitudinal tracking of student satisfaction in the UK university, changes in customer satisfaction were noted and related to interventions agreed by library management based on the research data gathered. The thesis answers four specific research questions. By focussing on customer-defined dimensions of “value” and the concept of “customer irritation”, through use of the Customer Value Discovery methodology, this research has been able to identify a set of core academic library customer values that traditional library benchmarking instruments have not previously highlighted. The attendant results of the application of the methodology to discern these values, and their use to inform subsequent change management processes, show that customer satisfaction is improved if changes are made to services and resources to both deliver customer-defined values and reduce customer-defined irritations. Further, they show that library staff assumptions regarding customer expectations and customer perceptions of service are not always accurate. Therefore, management should seek input from customers and base decisions regarding service changes and improvements to meet customer expectations on customer-derived evidence. At the same time, the active engagement of library staff in the Customer Value Discovery process, their engagement in modelling potential interventions to add value and reduce irritation, and then in the decision-making and implementation of agreed actions, encourages greater staff “buy-in” to the change management process, as the changes are customer-led, and staff driven, rather than being management imposed. The research supported the awarding of the UK Cabinet Office’s Customer Service Excellence accreditation, attesting to the usefulness of the methodology to ensure customer-focussed services. Taken together, these findings fill a number of gaps in the professional literature, and make a series of contributions to the extant knowledge base, by providing details of the Customer Value Discovery methodology and its usefulness in an academic library context; by presenting the application of a methodology that enables easy and precise identification of value dimensions from the perspective of the customer; and by providing practitioners with case studies of actions that improved customer satisfaction of the library services. As such, the research constitutes a significant contribution, not only to evidence-based library and information practice, informing library management decision-making, but also to the wider field of customer service management.

This investigation is into the globally mobile careers of talented managers in the context of an increasingly globalised labour market. Adopting a social constructionist methodology with a transcendental realist slant, the external and internal factors that influence global mobility choices from both an individual and organizational perspective are identified. The key external influences are; the economy, the labour market for talent and the state of technological advancement. Main organizational drivers are management development, recruitment, retention and skill deployment issues. On the other hand, economic costs, performance issues and increasingly, governance and liability issues act as deterrents to global mobility. From an individual perspective the motives are personal development and career enhancement; however, there are significant barriers to being globally mobile, namely; family issues and the career of an individual’s spouse. An important outcome of this research is the identification of the way in which the different internal and external push/pull forces act on global mobility choices in a wave action from an employer perspective and in a cycle action from an individual point of view. The key contribution of this thesis is the identification of the way in which the tensions inherent in these often opposing global mobility requirements is reconciled, namely; through a process of strategic exchange, sensemaking and identity formation mediated by the exercise of power. Based on the perceptions of talented leaders within a multinational case organization, it is concluded that there is a lack of integration between the overall global business strategy and the approach to human resource management and between different elements of the HR strategy and the talent and career management processes. This lack of alignment has impacted on the sensemaking, strategic exchange and identity formation processes that enable individuals to interpret and enact their global mobility choices leading to perceptions of inequitable treatment with respect to global mobility. Given the on-going need for global mobility in the international business arena, the findings from this study clearly indicates that the future recruitment, retention and career development of talented individuals will be detrimentally affected should these issues not be addressed.

The aim of this research is to develop and test a theoretical model of quality cultural heritage tourism. It offers an integrated approach to understanding cultural heritage development and management of tourist destinations, and attempts to extend the theoretical and empirical evidence regarding causal relationships including quality of experience, perceived quality, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. The previous literature has already presented the relationship among perceived quality, quality of experience, satisfaction and behavioural intentions in cultural heritage tourism. However, there is a relative lack of academic interest, particularly in Macao. Thus, this research tries to investigate the quality and related constructs in cultural heritage tourism. It seeks to understand the major constructs considered by local stakeholders and visitors in evaluating the quality in cultural heritage tourism, the importance of the availability of quality in the overall experience, visitors‘ behaviour toward quality cultural heritage tourism and also the constructs related to quality. The methodological approach of this research includes qualitative and quantitative methods in the field research in Macao, China. Semi-structured interviews with Macao stakeholders and a questionnaire survey with Macao visitors were used for data collection. A structural model of the relationships between perceived quality, quality of experience, satisfaction and behavioural intentions was tested SEM used in quantitative study tested the validity, reliability and potential of the quality models developed from literature reviews and grounded theory. The findings provide further evidence for the importance of perceived quality and quality of experience as the major constructs in the development of cultural heritage tourism and as a strategic objective which emphasises it as the core construct in cultural heritage tourism. The study also examines whether there is a relationship between quality of experience, perceived quality, satisfaction and behavioural intentions in cultural heritage tourism. The findings show that perceived quality leads to quality of experience and satisfaction. In addition, it suggests that perceived quality and satisfaction are the important determinants of behavioural intentions. An unexpected finding concerned the antecedents of perceived quality and the empirical results from the structural modelling presented in the study shows that authenticity, interpretations and behavioural intentions in cultural heritage tourism can affect the perceived quality which affects the quality of experience and their satisfaction indirectly. These results have generated a new concept in the literature. From the managerial standpoint, the findings offer suggestions for the future direction of cultural heritage tourism. It can enable researchers into cultural heritage tourism to gain a better understanding between these constructs and has shown an emerging consensus in their interrelationships. The tourism providers can improve quality of experience and perceived quality in cultural heritage tourism in order to develop effective strategies. Since cultural heritage tourism has been shown to be increasing and substantial, it should be beneficial for the destinations to examine the quality attributes and constructs that influence travelling and returning to cultural heritage destinations. By understanding the relationships between quality constructs, the tourism providers would better know how to develop cultural heritage tourism and improve the strategies to maximise its benefits. These findings are particularly useful to tourism providers because they provide directions for the implementation of sustainable cultural heritage tourism.

This research study explores executives’ perceptions of factors that impede and facilitate the effectiveness of a coaching intervention designed to enhance leadership skills. It also explores research participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the intervention. Because research studies have rarely given prominence to the voice of the executive (Kilburg, 2004, Lowman, 2005, Turner, 2006; Styhre, 2008), this aspect of coaching is still largely unexplored, thus the purpose of the research is to bring the voice of the executives to the fore via an instrumental case study whose focus is the experiences of the executives. A large indigenous Irish company facilitated the research, which took place in Dublin. The research design is a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a cohort of four executives who had engaged in a pilot coaching programme, with the HR Director who initiated the coaching intervention, with the Coach, and with the Divisional CEO whose budget paid for the coaching. The executives’ stories are told via a ‘montage’ of rich descriptions of their views on the organisation, their leader, and their coaching experiences. The views of the other players, (HR Director, Coach and CEO) are presented independently. A review of current literature on executive coaching discusses recent research studies and notes the dominance of North American research and the dearth of studies that address executives’ perspectives. The literature reviews salient inputs to the coaching process: the role of the organisation, the skill sets of the coach, and the readiness of executives to be coached. The research found that coaching yielded a number of positive outcomes for all executives, although perceptions of gains varied across all research participants; the most significant evaluation discrepancy was between the HR Director and the CEO. While the Coach had many strengths, which were acknowledged by all executives, his description of his ‘structured’ approach was at variance with that experienced by the executives, some of whom were frustrated by lack of continuity and by his failure to measure progress. The CEO, who had also taken part in the coaching programme, was particularly frustrated by what he saw as the lack of engagement by the Coach. Neither the executives nor the CEO challenged the Coach to change his approach. A key finding was that neither the Coach nor the Organisation (as represented by the HR Director and the CEO) managed the process to produce a satisfactory results oriented experience for all the executives. The findings from this research study inform a conceptual framework that highlights the facilitators and inhibitors of executive coaching as articulated by the stakeholders to the coaching programme. The findings have practical implications for coaches, HR professionals and executives on how to behave in a coaching situation and the study adds to the body of knowledge on what facilitates and hinders the success of executive coaching and the factors that influence executives’ evaluation of the coaching process.