The aim of this thesis was to investigate, using the real-time test case of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, whether the realist synthesis methodology could contribute to the making of health policy in a meaningful way. This was done by looking at two distinct research questions: first, whether realist synthesis could contribute new insights to the health policymaking process, and second, whether the 2014 Commonwealth Games volunteer programme was likely to have any significant, measurable, impact on health inequalities experienced by large sections of the host population. The 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy laid out ambitious plans for the event, in which it was anticipated that it would provide explicit opportunities to impact positively on health inequalities. By using realist synthesis to unpick the theories underpinning the volunteer programme, the review identifies the population subgroups for whom the programme was likely to be successful, how this could be achieved and in what contexts. In answer to the first research question, the review found that while realist methods were able to provide a more nuanced exposition of the impacts of the Games volunteer programme on health inequalities than previous traditional reviews had been able to provide, there were several drawbacks to using the method. It was found to be resource-intensive and complex, encouraging the exploration of a much wider set of literatures at the expense of an in-depth grasp of the complexities of those literatures. In answer to the second research question, the review found that the Games were, if anything, likely to exacerbate health inequalities because the programme was designed in such a way that individuals recruited to it were most likely to be those in least need of the additional mental and physical health benefits that Games volunteering was designed to provide. The following thesis details the approach taken to investigate both the realist approach to evidence synthesis and the likelihood that the 2014 Games volunteer programme would yield the expected results.

This Dissertation takes the form of a case study exploring the position of university Careers Services working under a neo-liberal paradigm. The study was motivated by a wish to explore the changes that have taken place in university Careers Services since 1997 in order to understand the changed landscape, and to provide a snapshot of the current setting that might be of use to those considering entry to and those working in careers advisory work. Additionally the study was intended to inform my own professional practice and understanding. I consider the position of Careers Services through the commentary of eight University Careers Advisers from four institutions in Scotland. Through semi-structured interviews I explore their perceptions and views about their work and the environment in which they work. Specifically, changes to work in the areas of careers education, careers information and careers guidance are considered alongside changes to the concept of career, changes in graduate employer practices, and the students and graduates organisations seek to employ. The study highlights the challenges faced by the Careers Service in universities in Scotland and explores the experiences and views of the professionals that work in that Service against a backdrop of an employability agenda and increasingly instrumentalised expectations. Giroux’s (1993) notion of education as a vehicle for individual empowerment and Nussbaum’s (2011) Capabilities Approach provide the theoretical framework to support the analysis of the state of university Careers Services and to offer a defence of the importance of careers advisory and guidance work. My data confirms that the role of university Careers Services has changed significantly post- Dearing (1997) and that, increasingly, Services based in traditional research lead universities and those in newer institutions are differentiated. The changing landscape has allowed Careers work to flourish and gain a more prominent role in some institutions, raising the profile of those Services. However, some Careers Services, the study indicates, have struggled to carve out a niche for themselves and these Services risk becoming marginalised within their institutions. A Careers Service that contributes to its university’s graduate employability objectives may secure a strong institutional position but raise questions about its activity with respect to long held underlying assumptions about careers guidance work and the ethical purpose of the activity of the Careers Service. I conclude by anticipating possible futures for the university Careers Service with a call to maintain and strengthen the function of guidance and advisory work within these Services.

This thesis explores the impact of neoliberalism on the political identity of social workers. It discusses social work as an inherently political activity that has been under attack since the advent and domination of neoliberalism since the early 1980s. It explores social work's roots in social reform and social justice and how today social work has become a depoliticised and technocratic activity. The thesis explores these phenomena through an empirical study of fourteen social workers who have a declared and enacted political identity, such as parliamentarians. It takes a biographical inquiry approach to examining their identity from early development of social reformist and social justice perspectives to facing the dilemma of neoliberalism in social work. It also deploys a constructivist grounded theory analytical process to analyse the biographical interviews and construct a substantive theory. What emerges is a study of social workers managing their social work identity in the face of changes within the social work profession and sustaining a stable social reformist political identity throughout their life course to date. It also demonstrates how strongly attached the participants are to their social work identity during their political careers. The thesis has importance for the social work profession not least because this cohort can advocate on behalf of the profession in powerful places.

This thesis explores the impact of material objects on people’s identity at work. I address the significance of this question, arguing that materiality, particularly the place it holds in the lives of individuals, has been less considered in relation to people at work than in other disciplines such as consumer studies. My research questions are: to consider how people conceptualise objects at work, to ask how objects and people are mutually implicated at work and to identify how this interactivity impacts on people’s identity at work. I review studies on material objects in organizations and studies on identity, using literature from organization studies and psychology . My data collection uses a qualitative approach based on participant-led photography. The literature review had raised the issue of many studies focusing on people at the same level in an organization. In order to develop this work, the participant group were selected from multiple organizations and different levels of employment. Participants were asked to photograph all objects in their immediate working spaces which had meaning for them. They were then asked about the meaning of the objects and completed a repertory grid analysis exercise. The thesis’ contributions consist in a specific focus on the place of materiality in identity in organizations for a wide range of workers. It draws on psychology in its use of mixed methods. It develops previous work in offering a view of materiality in practice as both representational and performative, affording practices and meeting areas of lack. It indicates that objects act as a collection through their connection to personal values which otherwise have no means of expression in the social and legal ordering of the workplace. It is recommended that organizations take cognizance of, and respect, the place which things seen as personal objects play at work.

This study aims to discuss the changing hegemonic struggles among the state, business and NGOs in the development of environmental governance of China's rare earth industry. Although rare earths are indispensable to myriad clean technologies, mining and processing rare earth ores cause heavy pollution. As the world's largest supplier, China's rare earth industry has developed at huge environmental cost. Environmental pollution in the upstream supply chains of the high-tech and new-energy industries becomes one of the most thorny issues in China's environmental governance. With the critical reviews on the varieties of capitalism approach and the neo-Gramscian governance studies, the study proposes a neo-Gramscian perspective on varieties of environmental governance, through merging a macro-level analysis of institutional diversity with a micro-level understanding of Gramscian hegemonic struggles. In line with an interpretivist stance, the study employs a qualitative case study approach to investigate the institutional variations of the state in China's varieties of governance from a planned economy to a market economy and the changing hegemonic struggles involved, with consideration of the complex historical trajectories and distinctive political economies in China. Based on the empirical evidence collected via semi-structured interviews and documentary reviews, the study carries out a critical discourse analysis to discuss a series of contested environmental issues in China's rare earth industry. Empirical findings conclude that the genres of China's varieties of governance have been transformed from highly prescriptive planning to government supervision, and the state still plays a leading role in regulating and coordinating contemporary alliance building. The study enriches the abstract VoC typologies with China's institutional diversity; extends the Gramsci framework to China‟s regime with particular emphasis of state power; provides a more plural and dynamic understanding of the hegemonic struggles within China's varieties of governance.

Research: The prevalence rate of self-harm among adolescents is high and rising. This is a worrying trend, considering that self-harm is associated with poor mental health and an increased risk of suicide. However, research literature suggests that adolescents rarely seek help and that caring for them is a complex task. Furthermore, the existing research indicates that healthcare professionals’ views and responses to working with this patient group may be influenced by interplay of individual, interpersonal and institutional processes. Those working on the frontline in inpatient settings seem to be most affected by these processes. It was proposed that to support frontline healthcare professionals in caring for this patient group theory-driven therapeutic models need to be developed. It was also proposed that psychoanalytic theories were best positioned to manage the impact of the processes posing challenges to care for adolescents who self-harm. Research aims: This thesis aimed to investigate the challenges experienced by frontline professionals caring for adolescent patients who self-harmed whilst being treated on an inpatient unit, and frontline professionals responses to these challenges, including their use of Adolescent Mentalization-Based Integrative Treatment (AMBIT), a psychodynamically-oriented approach to care for adolescents with complex needs. Method: Qualitative methods were employed in this study. Twelve participants were recruited from an adolescent inpatient unit implementing AMBIT. Data were generated with semi-structured interviews and analysed with descriptive inductive thematic analysis. Findings: Four overarching themes were generated. The first three themes informed on the challenges in care for adolescent patients associated with patients’ and frontline professionals’ unhelpful relationships on the unit; and the impact of frontline team professionals’ responses to self-harm on their practices. The fourth theme elucidated frontline professionals’ use of AMBIT. Discussion: The findings provided new insights into the processes influencing frontline professionals’ work with adolescent patients who self-harmed whilst being treated on an inpatient unit. The opportunities and challenges related to the frontline professionals’ use of AMBIT were discussed.

Shore based monitoring, communication, coordination and management of vessel traffic in ports worldwide is a real world problem. Informed by ethnomethodological studies of work, this thesis explores the ordered in situ work of Vessel Traffic Service Operators (VTSOs); the coordination of vessel traffic; the fine grained artful performance and achievement of safe fairway navigation and the challenges faced by the VTS operators in the daily accomplishment of their institutional role. An important source of data in this ethnographic study is the naturally occurring interaction on the main working Very High Frequency (VHF) radio channel of the port, which helps explore institutional talk at work deployed to facilitate interaction, negotiation and the accomplishment of safe navigation. Three additional research techniques are utilised for data generation – observations, semi structured interviews and unstructured interviews. The case of a major Indian world port is utilised to explore the daily work of marine traffic coordination and the (pro)active interactional accomplishment of channel navigation. Research takes place against the dynamic backdrop of the harbour – a complex space with a myriad of social actors populating the scene – the VTS operators atop their tower; shipboard seafarers negotiating restricted waters; pilots rendering pilotage services; Dock Master commanding the station; seafarers aboard small local craft and lively fishermen who at times pepper the marine radio with colourful language. Two categories of findings emerge – port interaction order, institutional talk and the contingent practices that accomplish the safety/time critical work and the technological, organisational and social constraints that shape, affect and inform the work of the VTS operators. This study fills a gap in ethnomethodological studies of work with its focus on the VTS work site – a centre of coordination; it explores social order and contributes to the understanding of the local practical achievement of traffic coordination and channel navigation in restricted waters. It also contributes to our understanding of the constraints faced by the workers in the safety critical VTS work setting. Also discussed are the status of VTS operators and occupational hierarchy in the world port. The thick description of in situ VTS’ work informs maritime safety, particularly relevant in safety critical, congested and restricted sea areas.

The care of older people in the hospital setting has been the subject of increasing scrutiny from policymakers, researchers, philosophers and age campaigners over the last twenty years. However, in spite of continued attention in organisational training, dignity campaigns and government policy, reports of undignified care continue to surface through notable incidents such as the Mid Staffordshire Public Inquiry. This study examined the role that the cultural representation of older people may have on the attitudes of NHS staff towards them, hypothesising that this influence can be as meaningful as that gathered in the work or social settings. The research adopted a mixed methods approach incorporating a national survey of NHS staff cultural consumption habits, multi-modal discourse analysis of cultural texts typically consumed by that population, and semi-structured interviews with NHS staff. The findings show that older people are generally underrepresented from large swathes of culture, and when represented there is a tendency towards either negative or positive stereotypes. Market trends and operational processes within the cultural industries help to explain the variation of representation on offer, with audience segmentation being a key factor in cases where older people were absent or negatively stereotyped. These representations were found to inform the interviewees’ perceptions of the older population, although this was also mediated by experiences gathered on the job, in training or through social engagement. While efforts are ongoing to foster intergenerational understanding in NHS organisational culture and local communities, the unique position of the cultural industries makes similar interventions in this field more challenging.

This doctoral study explored how a commitment to human rights evolved, developed and unfolded within 22 UK companies from the perspective of those responsible (some 30 participants). It did so by adopting a flexible, exploratory and inductive research design within a broader interpretive and qualitative approach. A purposeful sampling strategy was used to select companies from a previous study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with business managers from a cross-section of UK companies. The data was analysed and structured using a process based sensemaking and organising framework consisting of three interconnected stages which, together, illustrate the development of human rights within UK companies. In summary;  The first stage, enactment, describes when companies first noticed human rights and what they did to understand its relevance to the corporate setting (and in doing so enacted human rights, bringing it into existence for the company).  The second stage explores the formal interpretation of human rights adopted by companies and the language used to convey and describe this understanding. It also notes the human rights standards that companies recognised and deemed relevant to their business operations.  The third stage focuses on the structures, processes and measures put in place by companies to action, organise and realise their understanding of human rights internally. It then focuses on lessons learned and knowledge retained for future use. The study makes a number of important empirical, methodological and practical contributions. It makes its principal contribution to the developing body of knowledge, practice and research in the business and human rights academic field. It does so by providing much needed qualitative, in-depth and nuanced data on how the human rights concept is used, interpreted and managed within the business setting.

PURPOSE: The aim of the thesis was to investigate the constructs of risk and vulnerability at a network level for the UK food supply system. Through a deeper re-examination of data collected for the Chatham House project, the objectives of the thesis were to understand actors’ perceptions of threats within UK food networks and how these relate to the constructs of risk and vulnerability. METHOD: Using a grounded analysis approach, the research re-examined data from case studies in the UK dairy and wheat supply networks, from a supply chain risk management (SCRM) and supply chain vulnerability (SCV) perspective. While not in the tradition of a true grounded theory method, the study looked to support theory building through comparison of findings to key literature in the SCRM and SCV fields. FINDINGS: The study revealed that risk, vulnerability and resilience are highly interrelated. How actors perceived risk, along with their willingness or capability to act, were core dynamics of SCV. Innovation was also identified as a major influence on resilience and adaptive capacity. At a network level, vulnerability can be characterised as system change. Thus the research highlights convergences between the fields of ecological resilience, system transition, SCV and supply chain resilience (SCRES) for supply networks. RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS: There has been very little research into SCRM, SCV and SCRES at a network level. This thesis presents a conceptualisation of these constructs for the UK food supply network, along with their interconnections, and therefore provides a contribution to these fields. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Wider socio-economic and environmental outcomes of the UK food network are at risk and there needs to be more cohesive, network-based policies and approaches to support greater resilience. This will require a stronger lead from government and collaborative approaches from policy makers and supply actors.