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Previous studies of consumer products associated with rural heritage have primarily considered them in one of two ways: either as symbols signalling their owner's class or as yet another example of consumers being "duped" by manufacturers and marketers and engaging in nostalgia-fuelled consumption. Frequently overlooked in such discussions, however, are the routine ways in which such objects are utilised on daily basis. Grounded in debates about the uncertain, risky, and accelerating character of contemporary social life, this thesis utilises radiant cookers and wooden flooring as case studies to investigate how certain goods reminiscent of the past might actively stabilise the lives of owners and their families. Specifically, it compares the physical features and resulting practices of reclaimed timber flooring and radiant cookers with those of their less conspicuous counterparts (laminate flooring and conventional cookers and microwave ovens). Whilst acknowledging that the significance of class can never be fully disentangled from studies of consumer culture, by following the life course of these objects from the demolition site and factory floor into retailer's showrooms and into owners' homes, the thesis reveals the significantly more complex role such objects play in patterns and practices of everyday life.

The use of linguistics within market research is for the most part, marked by its absence. This is perhaps surprising given the potential it offers for analysing what people have said and what they might mean. Though the study of 'evaluation' has been approached from many different linguistic perspectives, previous work in this field has tended to focus on individual markers, rather than aiming to provide a fuller, more comprehensive account. This thesis proposes that it is possible to combine approaches from Discourse and Conversation Analysis, with developments in the field of Systemic Functional Grammar, to gain a more inclusive understanding of the social and interactional influences that can determine how an evaluation is both formulated and articulated. The data for this study was collected from thirty paired depth interviews, in the field of New Product Development. This data was transcribed and tagged using O'DOlU1ell's (2007) CorpusTool software. It was then analysed using Martin and White's (2005)framework of Appraisal Theory, in conjunction with a scale developed from Brown and Levinson's (1987) Politeness Theory and Sinclair and Coulthard's (1975, 1992) work on teacher! pupil interactions. As a result of the analysis carried out in this study, two potential extensions to the Appraisal Theory Framework are suggested. These extensions are with regards to the relevance of the subject matter to the speaker making the evaluation, and the notion of neutral evaluations. In addition to taking an existing framework and developing it for a new purpose, this thesis also contributes to the wider understanding of 'evaluation', through the development of a Scale of Importance for individual hu'J1S, with regards to the 'weight' that should be assigned to them due to their place in the turn taking structure.

Market oriented organisations are firms which are well informed about the market in which they operate in, and utilise this market information and knowledge to create competitive advantage. This is particularly important for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In Northern Ireland (NI), particular focus has been placed on the agri-food SME sector and the need for a constant flow of market information, in what has become an extremely competitive and evolving food and drink market. This study sought to explore the relationship between SME market orientation (MO) . and formalised supermarket loyalty card data (SLCD), within the NI agri-food context. This is the first time that SME agri-food firms have received free access and analysis of SLCD. The research design was qualitative and required a six month longitudinal inquiry utilising an in-depth interviewing process with seven agri-food SME case firms, before and after exposure to SLCD. The study made a number of contributions to knowledge, practice and policy. Findings confirmed that SMEs do possess some level of MO, practicing informal, unstructured and haphazard marketing due to their small scale and the central role of the generalist owner/manager. However, post exposure findings confirmed that the SME agri-food cases did relate to SLCD, with owner/managers enhancing understanding of the consumer, increasing confidence in data use and validating decision making with SLCD. In effect SLCD facilitated the management of risk for the SME agri-food firm. During the initial stages of inquiry, other strategic orientations emerged, in the form of Entrepreneurship Orientation (EO) and the capacity to innovate. These concepts both supported the current MO of the SME, facilitating enhanced understanding and utilisation of SLCD. A further contribution was the recognition of the role of the owner/manager within the relationship and the need for the action research approach in the delivery of SLCD to the agri-food SMEs. Key findings suggest that future acquisition of SLCD is necessary for SMEs within the food industry, but dissemination and utilisation requires future support by government and industry bodies. To facilitate this, policy makers should review existing policies and practices, to support agri-food SME development through the continual flow of market information and analytical assistance on a partnership basis.

The primary objective was to determine whether there is a relationship between emotional intelligence, locus of control and sense of coherence in a market research organisation. A secondary objective was to determine whether individuals from various biographical groups differed significantly in terms of emotional intelligence, locus of control and sense of coherence. A sample of 179 participants completed the Bar-On EQ-i, Locus of Control Inventory and Sense of Coherence Scale. There was a statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence, locus of control and sense of coherence. No significant gender differences were found. Furthermore, the findings showed differences between occupational levels in terms of both internal locus of control and sense of coherence, but not for emotional intelligence. No significant differences were evident between education, work experience or age in terms of the three constructs. An emotional intelligence intervention programme was recommended, as well as the use of an emotional intelligence assessment instrument. Recommendations for future research included broadening the relevance of the results. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The primary objective was to determine whether there is a relationship between emotional intelligence, locus of control and sense of coherence in a market research organisation. A secondary objective was to determine whether individuals from various biographical groups differed significantly in terms of emotional intelligence, locus of control and sense of coherence. A sample of 179 participants completed the Bar-On EQ-i, Locus of Control Inventory and Sense of Coherence Scale. There was a statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence, locus of control and sense of coherence. No significant gender differences were found. Furthermore, the findings showed differences between occupational levels in terms of both internal locus of control and sense of coherence, but not for emotional intelligence. No significant differences were evident between education, work experience or age in terms of the three constructs. An emotional intelligence intervention programme was recommended, as well as the use of an emotional intelligence assessment instrument. Recommendations for future research included broadening the relevance of the results. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

La perception que le client a de sa propre fidélité envers une marque n’a pas été abordée dans la littérature en marketing relationnel. Cette recherche tente de pallier à cette limite de quatre manières : (1) en démontrant que la fidélité perçue peut être approchée comme une Catégorisation de Soi comme client Fidèle (CSF) correspondant à une évaluation subjective de sa similarité (typicalité perçue) à un prototype du client fidèle; (2) en identifiant les attributs du prototype du client fidèle organisés autour de 6 facteurs : Confiance, Continuité, Participation, Information, Identité, Exclusivité - les premières dimensions étant plus fortement représentatives de la fidélité; (3) en démontrant l’influence prépondérante de la CSF sur les attentes du client et ses intentions futures et (4) en démontrant que c’est davantage la CSF que la contribution réelle du client qui détermine la légitimité perçue des bénéfices qu’il reçoit de la part de la marque. L’intégration de la CSF dans la segmentation client apparaît alors comme un levier efficace pour améliorer l’acceptation et ainsi l’efficacité des efforts relationnels. / Perception that the client has of his own brand loyalty has not been addressed in the marketing literature. This research attempts to overcome this limit in four ways: (1) demonstrating that customer’s perceived loyalty can be approached through Self-Categorization as brand Loyal (SCL) corresponding to a subjective evaluation of one’s similarity to a prototyped loyal customer (one’s perceived typicality); (2) identifying the attributes of the prototyped loyal customer organized around six factors: Confidence, Continuity, Information, Participation, Identity, Exclusivity - the first dimensions being more strongly associated to loyalty ; (3) studying the strong influence of CSF on customer expectations and future intentions and (4) demonstrating that it is more the CSF than the true contribution of a customer which determines the perceived legitimacy of benefits received from the brand.The integration of CSF in customer segmentation appears to be as an efficient tool to improve the acceptance and in turn the effectiveness of relationship marketing efforts.

A travers l’étude du cas d’une entité exploratoire, NCA, nous cherchons à comprendre comment identifier et structurer un champ d’innovation. C’est à dire comprendre comment se fait le choix d’un domaine dans lequel mener une activité de conception innovante, et quels mécanismes permettent de mener un travail de conception innovante dans des directions pertinentes. La littérature donne peu d’éléments sur les mécanismes à l’œuvre qui vont permettre d’identifier et de structurer un champ d’innovation, en l’absence de problème spécifique à résoudre, ce qui est la situation de NCA qui s’intéresse en particulier aux innovations d’usages, pour lesquelles il n’existe pas de demande explicite des clients. Nos résultats relatifs aux processus d’innovation montrent que les activités d’exploration menée par NCA conduisent à un renouvellement des routines utilisées pour les produits historiques. L’exploration renouvelle l’exploitation. Par ailleurs, les difficultés principales rencontrées par NCA tiennent moins aux processus spécifiques à mettre en œuvre qu’à des mécanismes inopérants dans l’identification de champs d’innovation.Sur le plan organisationnel, nos résultats montrent que NCA fonctionne selon une forme d’ambidextrie simultanée, sur le plan individuel et au niveau de l’entité NCA elle même. Cela se traduit par un renouvellement de l’exploitation par l’exploration. Nous mettons aussi en lumière la forme organisationnelle originale de NCA, à la fois business unit et entité exploratoire. Cette forme d’organisation facilite le lancement de nouvelles catégories de produits, et le fait que le marché de la BU ne soit pas défini, conduit NCA à maintenir cette activité d’exploration dans le temps. / Our case study based on an exploratory entity evolving from a small team to a business unit raise questions related to the identification and structuration of an innovation field. The literature gives few elements with regards to the choice of such a field, and the mechanisms to set priorities within a chosen field. Our results related to innovation processes show that exploratory activities leads to a renewal of exploitation, and also that the difficulties encountered by NCA in exploration activities are less related to the existing processes than to the choice of an innovation field. Our results related to organization show that NCA works in a mode of simultaneous ambidexterity, being able at the same time to launch new product categories and to explore new product categories. This also leads to the renewal of existing routines. The structure of NCA has also some original features, being at the same time a business unit and an exploratory entity. This exploratory business unit seems to be able to launch more easily new products categories, because there is no need to look for a landing zone, as it is the case of organisations solely responsible for exploration.

Η διαδικασία της έρευνας ξεκινά με την αναγνώριση ενός προβλήματος ή ευκαιρίας της αγοράς. Υπάρχουν 3 ερωτήσεις – κλειδιά που πρέπει να απαντήσει κανείς για να βρει τη λύση στον ορισμό του παραπάνω προβλήματος: 1. Για ποιο λόγο αναζητούμε την πληροφορία; 2. Μήπως η πληροφορία υπάρχει ήδη; 3. Μπορεί πραγματικά να απαντηθεί η ερώτηση; Η δημιουργία του σχεδίου της έρευνας είναι το επόμενο στάδιο που ακολουθείται για να απαντηθούν οι αντικειμενικοί ή υποθετικοί σκοποί της έρευνας. Είναι η δόμηση ή το πλαίσιο για να λύσουμε ένα συγκεκριμένο πρόβλημα. Το εργαλείο για την επίτευξη του σχεδίου της έρευνας είναι οι Περιγραφικές Μελέτες και οι Αιτιολογικές Μελέτες. Οι πρώτες απαντούν στις ερωτήσεις ποιος, τι, που, πότε και πως; Στις αιτιολογικές μελέτες ο ερευνητής εξετάζει αν μια μεταβλητή αιτιολογεί ή προσδιορίζει την αξία μιας άλλης μεταβλητής. Μια εξαρτημένη μεταβλητή είναι μια μεταβλητή που αναμένεται να προβλεφθεί ή να εξηγηθεί. Μια ανεξάρτητη μεταβλητή είναι μια μεταβλητή σε ένα πείραμα όπου ο ερευνητής της αγοράς μπορεί, σε ένα βαθμό, να χειριστεί, να αλλάξει ή να μεταβάλλει. Υπάρχουν 3 βασικές μέθοδοι έρευνας και η επιλογή γίνεται ανάλογα με τους αντικειμενικούς στόχους του σχεδίου. Οι μέθοδοι αυτές είναι η Αξιολόγηση, η Παρατήρηση και το Πείραμα. Στη συνέχεια, επιλέγουμε τη δειγματοληπτική διαδικασία. Ένα δείγμα είναι ένα υποσύνολο ενός μεγαλύτερου πληθυσμού και πρέπει να απαντηθούν διάφορες ερωτήσεις πριν επιλέξουμε το δείγμα. Το δείγμα, λοιπόν, πρέπει να περιλαμβάνει όλους εκείνους τους ανθρώπους, των οποίων οι απόψεις, συμπεριφορές, προτιμήσεις, νοοτροπίες κλπ. θα βοηθήσουν στη λήψη απόφασης του marketer. Το επόμενο στάδιο είναι η συλλογή των δεδομένων. Η διαδικασία του Data Collection γίνεται από το τμήμα Field, το οποίο είναι αρμόδιο εκτός των άλλων για την εξεύρεση και τη συνέντευξη και ενημέρωση των ερευνητών. Μετά τη συλλογή των δεδομένων, είναι η σειρά της επεξεργασίας και ανάλυσης αυτών. Ο σκοπός αυτής της ανάλυσης είναι να ερμηνεύουμε και να σχεδιάσουμε συμπεράσματα από το σύνολο των συλλεχθέντων στοιχείων. Αφού αποπερατωθεί η ανάλυση των δεδομένων, ο marketer πρέπει να προετοιμάσει το report και να μεταφέρει τα αποτελέσματα και τις προτάσεις του (points for action) στους executives. Τέλος, το τμήμα Marketing πρέπει να αποφασίσει εάν οι προτάσεις έγιναν πράξη και γιατί ή γιατί δεν έγιναν. / -

The thesis introduces a framework for analysing market monitoring and surveillance systems in order to provide a common foundation for researchers and practitioners to specify, design, implement, compare and evaluate such systems. The proposed framework serves as a reference map for researchers and practitioners to position their work in the context of market monitoring and surveillance, resulting in a useful instrument for the analysis, testing and management of such systems. More specifically, the thesis examines the new requirements for the operation of financial markets, the role of technologies, the recent consultations on the structure and governance of EU and US markets, as well as, future usage scenarios and emerging technologies. It examines the context in which market monitoring and market surveillance systems are currently been used. It reports on their processes, performance, and on the organisational and regulatory environments in which they exist. Furthermore, it develops a set of taxonomies which cover the majority of the concepts of market manipulation, market monitoring, market surveillance, entities, technologies and actors that are relevant for the work in this thesis. Building on the gaps and limitations of the current systems, it proposes a new framework following the Design Science methodology. The usefulness of the framework is evaluated through four critical case studies, which not only help to understand with practical exercises the way how markets monitoring and surveillance systems work, but also to investigate their weaknesses, potential evolution and ways to improve them. For each case study, the thesis develops a fully working prototype tested using a sample prosecution case and evaluated in terms of the appropriateness and suitability of the proposed framework. Finally, implications relating to policies, procedures and future market structures are discussed followed by suggestions for future research.