This theory-building case study conceptualizes organization sensemaking using minimal structures. Inductive grounded theory methodology is employed to develop an explanation of the minimal structures as improvised spatial frames, rather than static rules, and understand their contribution to strategic management activities. My study also considers new aspects of the structure and agency relationship in relation to spatial values constructs, and explores an enhanced understanding of how people derive personal meaning from strategies. Despite the acknowledged importance of organization structure and agency in conducting strategic management, there are very few field studies focusing on agent-based improvisation and the meaning of strategy in practice. I place a particular emphasis on the interpretative practices of actors revealed in their spatial orientation to strategy from the perspectives of cognitive frames, values, and a personal sense of place. These attributes and others suggest strategy adoption may be accelerated with consideration of the spatiality of strategy. In the completion of the dissertation I attempt to partially fill this research gap by examining new attributes of minimal structures. Through an iterative discourse with the case study data and cross-disciplinary extant literature, I produce theoretical propositions and substantive middle-range theory supporting a cognitive spatial turn in the Strategy as Practice research perspective.

The last fifteen years has seen significant growth and advancement in the study of sport tourism. The publication of numerous texts, journal and conference papers - along with the progress made to the Journal of Sport and Tourism are testament to the subject’s maturity. In tandem with these developments institutions in higher education have seen a proliferation in modules, programmes and courses at both under graduate and post graduate level in sport tourism, as well as notable increases in PhD theses with sport tourism related themes and perspectives. This commentary presents a synthesized critical evaluation on my research publications and their impact upon the developments of sport tourism detailed above. The ten publications chosen have come from both journals and book chapters, and are a blend of conceptual and empirical studies. Whilst the majority of the published are conceptual in nature the methodology adopted in the empirical studies have ranged from qualitatively driven research using in-depth interviews and observational methods – to more quantitatively driven studies which implemented questionnaire and document analyses. The case is made that the evaluated published works have both collectively contributed to the knowledge in the areas of sport tourist motivation with particular reference to nostalgia and heritage. More specifically, the synthesis demonstrates that the selected studies have contributed in laying the foundations of sport tourism by introducing and explaining the synergistic relationship between the two concepts of sport and tourism, as well as identifying definitive sport tourism markets – and doing so providing unique insights into the distinct sport and tourism-related services and experiences required by each. Furthermore, not only do the published works introduce, define and categorise for the first time the concept of heritage sport tourism but also offer the first empirical studies on the experience and design of sport stadium tours. Collectively, the papers are regularly referred to in the literature and, as a consequence, continue to stir debate and further research in the area which, in turn, will contribute to the general advancement of sport tourism.

This thesis examines the roles of the state and civil society in combating corruption in Zimbabwe. The thesis initially investigates whether and how the state-civil society relation influences or impedes Anti-Corruption management, and subsequently examines strategies deployed by the state and civil society organisations (CSOs) to combat corruption. Particular attention is paid to the role and impact of the state in designing and implementing Anti-Corruption policies, and the role civil society plays in influencing Anti-Corruption legislation and policy. In-depth interviews with key informants drawn from different levels within the government and civil society in Zimbabwe were conducted focusing on obtaining the different actors’ perspective on how corruption in Zimbabwe was being produced and reinforced, and the roles played by the different actors in its perpetuation or curtailment. The findings of this thesis indicate that the prevalence of corruption in Zimbabwe is chiefly a consequence of a lack of political will to address the problem, and a myriad of complex factors. This reasons with the argument that the top political elite are perceived to be the primary beneficiaries of corruption. Thus, while there are concrete and noticeable developments in establishing the legal and constitutional framework to fight corruption, there is a continued absence of a clear demonstration of political will to fight corruption. The thesis argues that political leadership and commitment to fight corruption is one of the most fundamental preconditions for success in the fight against it. Secondly, weak institutions have contributed to the proliferation of corruption in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has multiple Anti-Corruption initiatives shared between the state and civil society (to a limited extent) spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and Transparency International-Zimbabwe (TI-Z). However, initiatives have achieved limited success in alleviating corruption as demonstrated by current data suggesting endemic corruption in Zimbabwe. While civil society may be seen as lacking the policy and political space to articulate and influence policy formulation and implementation, it is equally important to understand the historical background between civil society and the state which has produced such an outcome, and how malpractices within CSOs in some cases has hindered progress in executing its mandate. Anti-Corruption strategies are effective when they are participative and engaging of all stakeholders within society, but ultimately it is the level of power and ability to exercise agency that determines any real change. In the context of Zimbabwe, such all-inclusiveness has entailed building coalitions among stakeholders such as the state, civil society organisations, private sector and the general public in order to embolden the sustainability of strategies.

Decision support and business management systems are becoming increasingly important for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). There has been very limited research on software-as-a-service-based (SaaS) systems for SMEs and the subsequent benefits of these. This study aims to gain an understanding of the benefits that may be achieved with SaaS-based integrated enterprise systems (IES). It was ascertained that IT-structure and organisational benefits may be achieved through implementing an SaaS-based IES for SMEs. Moreover, SME characteristics, critical success factors, consultant experience and risk factors appear to have an influence on the achievement of benefits. It may be determined that the benefits associated with SaaS-based IES differ from those of traditional ES and thus have to be considered independently from their on-premise counterparts. The study, conducted using mixed methods research (exploratory interviews and questionnaires), ascertained that the investigated system did not perform as expected. One of the most significant results of my research was the finding that SMEs who implemented the full range of functionalities perceived less benefits than those who only implemented parts of the functionalities. This supports the hypothesis that ES projects are not only in large enterprises, but still for SMEs complex change projects. Change takes time and thus it may not be advisable to implement a whole enterprise system within a short period of time. This study contributes to knowledge in the information systems and decision support systems area by providing new information about the potential benefits of SaaS-based IES, in addition to a variety of factors that may influence the achievement of benefits. The main findings of this thesis are summarised as a benefits framework and a benefits influence model. These models offer a starting point for future academic SaaS-based IES research, in terms of SMEs. They also provide SME practitioners with a framework of what to expect from SaaS-based IES, aiding them in evaluating and planning investments in Enterprise Systems.

Volunteer tourism is a burgeoning industry, and is similarly expanding as a field of academic interest. However, much of the extant literature on this phenomenon is concerned with the motivations of volunteer tourists and their interactions with indigenous and local populations or, in the field of environmental conservationism, impacts upon local environments. There are few thick, qualitative studies of the environments created by the phenomenon within this literature, and even fewer which engage rigorously with sociological theory. Drawing on ethnographic immersion in a small community of volunteer sea-turtle conservationists in Greece, this thesis explores the types of work volunteers perform within these environments, and frames these experiences in relation to broader sociological perspectives on work, employment, and leisure. The concept of flourishing is mobilised to understand the specific types of satisfaction which the participants exhibit and report during their time volunteering. This investigation combines fieldwork and qualitative interviews to develop an empirical understanding of the everyday life of volunteering and how the participants’ experiences and accounts contrast to but are also framed by dominant discourses such as personal growth, employability, and instrumentalism found in advanced neo-liberal capitalism. The ‘thickness’ of the data, providing detailed insights into the lived experiences of volunteers through the immersive ethnographic method, allows for the social complexity of the volunteer experience to be studied. It proposes that whilst volunteer tourists employ discourses of employability and self-improvement when asked why they volunteer, the actual experiences of volunteering provide less tangible rewards, such as sensual interactions with the natural environment and human relationships reinforced by the proximity of the volunteers’ living quarters and values. This research both contributes to a growing literature on the phenomenon of volunteer tourism and adds empirical weight to an established debate concerning the relationship of Marxism to environmentalism. Using the concept of species-being in relation to the teleology of both Marxist and Aristotelian theory, it is argued that conservation work can allow individuals to flourish – in an environment in which work and leisure are more hybridised than oppositional – and for a protected species, the sea turtle, to achieve its telos.

This thesis explores disabled activist’s perceptions of the challenges to British disabled people thrown up by changes in policy and cuts to services made by the coalition government of 2010-2015. These themes are explored through a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 20 disabled activists. The thesis begins with a presentation of the history of the British Disabled People’s Movement, drawing on writers such as Hunt (1966, 1981), Campbell and Oliver (1996) and Barnes and Mercer (2006). This is followed by an overview of available evidence concerning current challenges to the standard of living of disabled people. The next chapter involves a discussion of methods in the form of a narrative account of the development of the thesis. This is followed by an interrogation of prominent methodologies in disability research, pointing to the strengths and drawbacks of the emancipatory disability research approach (Oliver, 1992; Bares 2008) by drawing on critical realist perspectives (Sayer, 1992; Lawson, 1999). Moving on to an analysis of interview data, the combination of challenges currently facing disabled people are explicated. To make sense of challenges revealed at individual, collective and ideological levels, the notion of ‘enforced individualism’ (Roulstone and Morgan, 2009) is drawn upon. It is argued that, taken together, these challenges comprise novel forms of disablism that coexist with older and more familiar forms of disablism associated with paternalism and oppression within institutions. Following examination of these challenges, attention turns to the political positions and responses that disabled people have adopted in reaction. To theorise such responses, Fraser’s (1995: 2003) analysis of injustice and resistance is applied to the political positions taken by participants. Later chapters reflect further on injustice and resistance, drawing again on Fraser, as well as the extension of the social model of disability presented by Thomas (1999; 2007; 2010; 2012), the political theory of Holloway (1991; 1993a; 1993b; 2005) and the political economy of Polanyi (1944). These theories serve to highlight the nature of contemporary anti-disablist resistance, and also provide a novel means of conceptualising the relationship of disability studies and disability activism.

Building on literature from the medical and nursing field, this study focuses on radiotherapy students on their first clinical placement. Clinical education is an essential component in the process of becoming a qualified therapeutic radiographer. Yet, as this research demonstrates, students are inadequately prepared for their first clinical placement. The study explores the professional socialisation of students new to the clinical setting, identifying the challenges they face in this alien environment. It also examines students’ perceptions of the clinical pedagogy. Three methods of data collection were employed for this focussed ethnography: six weeks of non-participant observation in two hospitals, interviews with seven students, and five focus group discussions with a total of 19 clinical radiographers. The results show how student expectations changed over a short time interval. Clinical teaching was ad hoc and assessment of competence subjective. Hierarchy was revealed between radiographers and students, between students themselves and between radiographers. In trying to fit in and learn the job, students were affected by other demands on radiographers’ time, which limited the attention they received. It was also notable that Band 5 radiographers spent more time teaching than Bands 6 and 7. The radiographers were aware of limitations in their clinical teaching, but defended themselves in terms of workforce pressures and the negative impact of increased student numbers, frequent rotation and short clinical placements. In the analysis, the concept of ‘belongingness’ is used to interpret the impact that student exclusion had on professional socialisation, learning and the importance of teamwork. Foucault’s concepts of ‘governmentality’ and ‘panopticism’ are employed in understanding on how the radiographers were bound and limited by the healthcare organisation and the university’s curriculum.

This thesis examined the occupational experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) police officers in post-Macpherson police constabularies across England and Wales. It reports the findings of a qualitatively-driven mixed method study conducted between September 2010 and November 2011 combining a national online survey of LGB police officers (n = 836) with 43 semi-structured qualitative interviews. The research found that the workplace experiences of LGB police officers have been radically transformed since last empirically explored on this scale, now twenty years ago. These changes have been brought about by new political, social and economic climates of inclusivity and protection for LGB individuals that collectively induced a new policing ‘field’ in England and Wales at the turn of the new millennium, one that placed diversity and difference at its core. Drawing upon police cultural, symbolic interactionist and organisational perspectives, the thesis highlights how despite still being psychologically saddled by a complex cauldron of identity management strategies, LGB officers make legitimate contributions to the contemporary policing mission as internal agents of cultural change and as intermediaries between the public police and LGB communities. However, the research also highlights small pockets of resistance towards the inclusion of LGB officers evidenced by continued episodes of discrimination and prejudice. Similarly, the research identified anxieties and insecurities amongst LGB officers themselves related to the longevity of police diversity reform efforts. Although predominantly looking at the experiences and contributions of LGB officers in England and Wales as a collective, this research promotes the need for a heterogeneous and malleable understanding of policing by providing examples of how the experiences of LGB officers differ according to rank, area of police work and constabulary type.

This thesis is a study of radicalisation within the context of the UK. The research focuses on how people become radicalised, why some are rendered susceptible to radicalisation, and why some go on to commit acts of violence and terrorism. This thesis also critically assesses how radicalisation affects relevant counter-terrorism policy and how this policy affects radicalisation. The research has been informed through the analysis of empirical data in the form of 61 qualitative semi-structured interviews. A number of these interviews were completed with respondents across government and academia. However, there was a specific focus on conducting interviews with the data set termed as the ‘informed informants’. This group consisted of grassroots workers conducting organic de-radicalisation strategies, religious leaders and imams, and former non-violent and violent extremists. The interviews were supported by fieldwork based observations.

This thesis investigates the benefits of not-for-profit education for disadvantaged learners in Hong Kong. The economic success of Hong Kong is seen by many as a miracle of the 156 years’ British colonial governance. Hong Kong’s world-class education system, which combines British meritocratic education traditions and Chinese conventional philosophies on hard work and respect for examination high fliers, has led to rapid and sustained economic development. However, those who do not fit into the mainstream selective education system are damagingly marginalised. Not-for-profit education providers are increasingly being used to try to repair some of this damage, but their effectiveness is not known. Statistical data on, for example, student enrolment, completion and graduation, courses offered and subsidies spent, do not completely and comprehensively reflect the broad number of ways in which these courses may make a difference. Using the conceptual framework developed by the Centre for the Wider Benefits of Learning, this thesis draws on twenty-three in-depth life story interviews with four disadvantaged learner groups – young people who are ‘not in education, employment, or training (NEET)’, ‘economically marginalised’, ‘older adults’, and ‘new immigrants from mainland China’. The analysis of these interviews uses a learner’s capital and capability model and shows that different disadvantaged learners derive different kinds of benefits and capital gains from different not-for-profit education. Youth NEET perceived the highest gains in identity capital and economically marginalised learners reported the highest gains in human capital. Older adult disadvantaged learners perceived the highest gains in social capital and new immigrants from mainland China found human capital gains most important. Different disadvantaged learners also benefitted from different kinds and different levels of unexpected learning benefits which are seen as ‘surplus’ to their learning. Government subsidies and assistance through student loans and charity funding mean that not-for-profit courses are provided at lower cost than private provision. Moreover, since it is not government-provided, participants who have had a bad experience of government-provided compulsory education may feel they have a better chance of success with non-government courses. Not-for-profit education also tends to be able to offer more flexible provision which helps the disadvantaged learners who often have complex family and personal circumstances. The implications of this research suggest that more can be done to optimise the social benefits and utilities of not-for-profit education in Hong Kong. In particular, the newly developed qualifications framework should flexibly include and recognise the contribution of not-for-profit education for the disadvantaged. ‘Individual Learning Accounts’ might also promote citizens’ participation in lifelong and life-wide learning. Lastly, a new governing body, a Lifelong Learning Board, should be introduced to coordinate, administer and develop lifelong learning in Hong Kong.