This portfolio presents the results of a project that examined the development of environmental management in a large multi-national corporation over a four year period. The aim of the project was to "institutionalise" environmental management, in other words to ensure that environmental management was considered part of normal business practice and not a well intentioned afterthought. This was achieved through an in-depth case study using action research methods to facilitate and record organisational change simultaneously. The research demonstrated that previous accounts of environmental management in industry have failed to provide an adequate analysis of the changes required to institutionalise environmental management. This is shown to be partly attributable to the dominance of the quantitative, outsider-based research methods. The research makes three principal contributions to knowledge: Identifying and describing four different levels of change required for the institutionalisation of environmental management in a comprehensive study Identifying factors affecting the institutionalisation of environmental management in an industrial setting Demonstrating the usefulness and validity of insider-based methodologies for environmental management research. In this Portfolio it is argued that the institutionalisation of environmental management requires change at multiple levels and that the observation and further clarification of these levels can be achieved through insider-based research methods. At a practictioner level, it is recommended that industrial managers reconsider their strategies for achieving the institutionalisation of environmental management. In particular, company-wide employee awareness programmes and/or policy driven management systems only go part way towards achieving an institutionalised approach. An approach,in line with existing organisational roles, culture and objectives is recommended. Further, as environmental management becomes considered as part of normal business practice, it is recommended that researchers identify the boundaries between environmental and other management research to reflect industrial practice.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis offers a commentary on the use of an embedded approach to explore variables impacting on employee safety culture at a large manufacturing plant. A mixed method approach was adopted in order to assess the safety culture of the company. The assessment stage consisted of point-of- work observations; unstructured individual interviews, semi-structured focus groups and a safety culture survey. This afforded a detailed insight into a rich array of context-specific variables impacting on employee perceptions of safety in the company, referenced to leadership style, incident reporting, rule breaking / risk taking, time pressure, communication and reactive approach to addressing safety issues. The safety culture assessment was followed by the development and implementation of two safety culture improvement programmes (interventions). Two matched pairs of departments (two experimental and two control) were chosen in which to conduct the interventions. The first intervention comprised a replication (with enhancements) of Zohar’s (2003) safety climate improvement intervention. The results indicated that low trust towards the management and the researcher, the face validity of the intervention, negative past experiences, insufficiently transparent communication and alienation engendered a high resistance to change. Seeking to address the shortcomings of the first, the second intervention represented a more organic approach, in which the improvement programme was designed to mesh with and complement established quality management systems. An improvement in employee safety performance was observed in the first month following its introduction, however, it is also possible that this was a consequence of a lean manufacturing intervention that took place at the same time. Variables affecting the intervention success were further explored though interviews with a sample of safety experts. This resulted in the development of a six stage model for successful safety culture intervention design and implementation. The insights gained from these studies were fed back to the industrial sponsor to contribute to corporate insight and understanding into variables impacting on employee safety culture and the design of successful safety improvement programs.

For much of human existence identity was ascribed based on the group one was born into. In such cultures all aspects of social life were fused into one incontrovertible identity: group identity. However as modern mindsets took root individuals began to shift the foundation of meaning and identity away from the fixed focal point of the group to one of personal preference. In response to this modern trend many groups began to intensify the maintenance of group identity as paramount in the lives of group members. Hammond and Warner (1993) assert that a powerful mechanism for sustaining group identity is a pattern known as ethnic fusion, where the boundaries of the religion and the ethnicity are essentially nonexistent. Mormonism was identified as a prime example of ethnic fusion. This study seeks to understand the role that religion and ethnicity play in identity creation for individuals raised within an ethnic fusion pattern but who, at some point, experience a break with the culture. In addition to being a case study, the current study seeks to understand the historical development of ethnic identity from early conceptualization to contemporary use. To accomplish this, this study draws on a wide range of literature and approaches that have been undertaken in different fields. Specifically, this is a case study that examines the lives of individuals raised in Utah as participating members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “LDS” or “Mormons”) who at some point opted to remain in Utah and no longer participate with the dominant religious aspect of the culture. Such individuals are commonly referred to as “Jack Mormons,” a term which, in the contemporary usage, is a derogatory label for those who are perceived as lax in their practices of Mormonism. This study will show that religious and ethnic identity exist along a spectrum that can be described as thick – indicating high adherence to the orthodox beliefs and practices – and thin – indicating low levels of orthodoxy, and “Jack Mormons” will help to illustrate specific points along this spectrum.

No description available.

No description available.

This study examines the organisational culture of the Scottish Fire Service, and the political pressures for change emanating from the modernisation agenda of both the United Kingdom and Scottish Governments. Having completed a preliminary analysis of the Fire Service‟s culture, by examining the cultural history of the Scottish Fire Service and the process through which individuals are socialised into the Service, the study analyses the contemporary culture of the Service through research in three Scottish Fire Brigades. This research concludes that there is a clearly defined Fire Service culture, which is predicated on the operational task of fighting fire, based on strong teams and infused with masculinity at all levels. In these circumstances, the Service‟s cultural realities attempt to exclude women and are derisive in their regard for other more marginalised males. Following an analysis of Government driven imperatives for change, being applied to the Fire Service, it is further concluded that the resistance to change, evident within the cultural realities of the Service, can be defined as an attempt to defend one of the last bastions of male identification in the workplace.

This thesis attempts to understand the role and meaning of occupational identity in the contemporary British railway industry. It examines the way in which culture change initiatives and programmes have explicitly targeted an older 'railroad culture'. The study explores the way such a culture was portrayed by successive Conservative Governments and management as being a major obstacle to change, and a historic reason why the industry has under performed. The notion of the past failure of the industry, and a cultural analysis predicated on such assumptions, is challenged. Employing a historical and comparative research strategy, it is argued here that grade and industry culture is an emergent autonomous property of the workforce itself and as such attempts to change it are misguided, and at times positively harmful to the organisation. The research uses a variety of material collected from London Underground and former British Rail companies, including documentary sources, semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation techniques.

To meet the growing demand for community-based adult services (CBAS) adult day health care (ADHC) programs, it is important these programs make the necessary modifications in their systems of care to embrace a person-centered care (PCC) model. This study was designed to create an assessment to determine a community-based CBAS/ADHC program's readiness to meet the new federal standards as determined by the program's current operational evidence and by center participants', their families' as well as staff's perspectives. This was measured by self-report of access to the community, choice of setting, individual rights, autonomy and independence, choice of services and supports, center accessibility as well as their needs and preferences in the practice. Results will assist similar CBAS/ADHCs in identifying the necessary modifications within their own program to continue as a certified licensed entity and remain a viable agency.