This dissertation is an attempt to map out the production process of graphic design within contemporary circuits of capitalist production. I will argue that understanding the production process of design today is assisted by Deleuze and Guattari’s understandings of capitalism as both a deterritorializing and reterritorializing force. I will argue that the generative power for graphic design is drawn from a level that Deleuze and Guattari describe as the body without organs, which is affective in composition. As affect, this raw material for design is a generative, non-conscious, non-representative, and unstructured milieu associated with what Deleuze and Guattari refer to as the virtual. On the other hand, I will argue that design labor also mobilizes a more structured and hierarchical level of discipline and control against these novel proliferations. This second level is associated with what Deleuze and Guattari call the plane of organization or actual plane of existence. I will ultimately locate this latter controlling side of capital within what Marx (1976) associated with the labor process of design labor. I will argue that the labor process of design is a technique that reterritorializes, manipulates, channels and ultimately de-radicalizes the creative affective energy that designers drawn from the body without organs. Once design work is understood in this way, I argue that we can then recognize the occupation as a strategic point through which capital both expropriates value from affective flows, while simultaneously serving as disciplinary mechanism to control the possibilities for subjective becomings.

This thesis was undertaken to investigate a specific type of unethical behaviour in the workplace within the context of the United Kingdom (UK) public sector. The main research aim was to develop an understanding of how to detect false performers. Parnell and Singer (2001) proposed the construct of False Performance (FP) when developing the Organisational Charlatan Scale (OCS) to measure organisational charlatanism (OC). According to their definition, false performers are those individuals who seek to improve their perceived performance at the expense of their actual performance. This type of employee deliberately portrays themselves as being better able to perform in a job role than they know themselves to be capable of. In the current study, the phenomenon of FP was explored in two phases using a sequential, mixed methods approach. The present research sought to address the gaps in the literature by extending previous quantitative efforts and carrying out the first qualitative study in this area. In the first qualitative phase, eight focus groups (n=51) were conducted, and grounded theory was used to analyse the data and generate theory. Management and Non-Management were questioned about their perceptions and experiences of FP, especially relating to the job interview and the performance appraisal interview. The intention was not to identify false performers in the focus groups, but rather to extract themes and patterns of FP behaviour. Results identified five categories common to both Management and Non-Management: Perceptions of FP in the Workplace; FP in the Interview; Does Trust Really Matter to the False Performer?; The Effect of FP on Co-Worker Morale; and Tackling FP in the Workplace. In the second phase, the qualitative results were used to inform the quantitative study. The focus group data helped to generate items for the development of a new measure of FP i.e. the False Performance Questionnaire (FPQ). To achieve the objective of producing a reliable new instrument, the FPQ was systematically developed in six stages, concluding with two phases of questionnaire administration. Using an item analytic and factor analytic approach, the FPQ was distributed in two phases (stages 5 and 6) in order to refine the item set. In stage 5, a 53-item version of the FPQ was tested on a sample of 129 employees in three public sector organisations. In stage 6, the FPQ was further refined and a 21-item FPQ was administered to a sample of 219 employees in four public sector organisations. Following exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a final 16-item solution with two subscales was found to have good reliability (α=0.76). In contrast, the nine-item OCS was found to demonstrate relatively low reliability (α=0.55). These findings indicate that the current study has generated a more robust and reliable measure of FP, thus achieving the overall objective of developing a new measure of FP i.e. the 16-item FPQ. As regression analyses revealed a significant but negative beta for job performance as a predictor of FP (β=-.159, p<0.05), this indicates that the lower the job performance, the higher the score on the FPQ, thus suggesting that employees rating highly in FP are likely to be substituting FP for job performance. Whilst FP was negatively and significantly correlated with job performance, no significant correlation was found between the Impression Management (IM) scale and the job performance scale. This suggests that whilst an IM score reveals little about actual job performance, a score on the FPQ could help predict future job performance. The thesis concludes by considering the future applications and practical implications of this research, which include: a) An increased understanding of how to detect FP in the workplace; b) Better selection processes; c) Fairer performance evaluation processes; and d) A more ethical work environment characterised by improved trust among co-workers.

Derivatives markets, in particular futures markets, play an important role in the organization of production in commodity markets. While commodity markets for agricultural and natural resources like live cattle, soybean, oil, gas and minerals are well established, commodity markets for marine resources are very new. Located in Bergen (Norway), Fish Pool is a new derivatives market, where futures contracts written on fresh farmed salmon are traded in large quantities since 2006, continuing a strong upwards trend. Markets for forwards and futures on fresh salmon help companies which use fresh salmon in their production, for example, food processing companies, to hedge their price risk and plan ahead, by fixing the price in advance. In the same way, they help producers, i.e. salmon farmers, to reduce their selling price risk. In fact, according to Fish Pool News Archive released on 20/03/2012, not only consumers, processors and producers, but also speculative investors at Fish Pool play a more and more important role, which in consequence urges the issue of finding appropriate, theoretical well-founded and sound pricing formulas for the futures contracts traded there, as well as examining its effects on participants. In this PhD thesis, we first discuss the valuation of futures on fresh farmed salmon as traded on the Fish Pool exchange and then explore how information reflected in the prices of futures contracts can be used to compute fair prices, i.e., arbitrage free prices, for lease and ownership of fish farms. Specifically, in the first chapter, we give a general background of the study and introduce the estimation methods adopted in the thesis, i.e., Kalman filter combined with the maximum likelihood estimation. In Chapter 2, we connect the popular Schwartz (1997) multi-factor approach, which features a stochastic convenience yield for the salmon spot price, with the classical literature on fish farming and aquaculture. We follow first principles, starting by modeling the aggregate salmon farming production process and modeling the demand using a Cobb-Douglas utility function for a representative consumer. In Chapter 3, we extend the Schwartz (1997) two-factor model by adding a seasonality feature to the mean-level of convenience yield. All models are estimated by means of Kalman filter, using a rich data set of contracts with different maturities traded at Fish Pool. The estimates are also discussed in the context of other commodity markets, specifically live cattle which acts as a substitute. Our results show that the framework presented is able to produce an excellent fit to the actual term structure of salmon futures. A comparison with live cattle futures traded within the same period reveals subtle differences, for example within the level of the convenience yield, the speed of mean reversion of the convenience yield and the convenience yield risk premium. In Chapter 4, we consider the optimal harvesting problem for a fish farmer. We take account of the existence of Fish Pool, which determines risk premia and other relevant variables, that influence the fish farmer in his decision. We assess the optimal strategy, harvesting time and value against two alternative setups. The first alternative involves simple strategies which lack managerial flexibility, the second alternative allows for managerial flexibility and risk aversion as modeled by a constant relative risk aversion utility function, but without access to the salmon futures market. In both cases, the loss in project value can be very significant, and in the second case is only negligible for extremely low levels of risk aversion. In consequence, for a risk-averse fish farmer, the presence of a salmon futures market, as well as managerial flexibility, are highly important.

Title: A Comparison of the Equity-supportiveness of Organizational Cultures of (Public) NHS Organizations and (Private) Social Enterprise (SE) Providers Theory: New Public Management (NPM) has been the most influential paradigm in public administration in the last three decades. NPM-driven ideas such as provider competition, privatisation and patient choice have resulted in increased interest from recent UK governments in Social Enterprises (SEs) for delivering public health services. NPM-based changes have been criticized for creating inequitable provision of healthcare and increasing unjust health inequalities. It is worth asking whether equity for patients is promoted equally effectively by public (NHS) organizations and SE providers. Research Aims and Methodology: A mixed methods approach was employed. The quantitative strand used a survey to compare the equity-supportiveness of NHS and SE organizational cultures [124 respondents (68 NHS and 56 SE staff) from 21 organizations (12 NHS and 9 SEs)]. The qualitative strand used semi-structured interviews with 27 SE staff members to examine organizational changes in SEs and the impact of these changes on equity in service provision. Findings: By achieving better alignment with organizational values, reducing bureaucracy, speeding up decision-making, giving staff more autonomy and responsibility, encouraging initiative, risk-taking and innovation, involving staff more actively in strategic decision-making, and making better use of technology, Social Enterprises are promoting equity to an equal or greater degree than public (NHS) organizations. Implications: However, the SE model (currently limited to community healthcare services) remains unclear and problematic, suggesting caution in its use by larger NHS acute Trusts. More research is needed before a policy to support the adoption of the SE model in public service delivery is mainstreamed.

No description available.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant public health problem. This thesis examined the incidence and nature of adverse drug reactions following admission to hospital. An initial pilot study was conducted to develop methodology, which was then utilised in a study of 3695 patients. Approximately 15% of patients experienced an ADR following admission, of which one-third were serious Commonly used drugs such as opioids, diuretics and anticoagulants were the most frequent causes of ADRs. Bleeding, renal impairment and Clostridium difficile were the ADRs with the greatest impact on patient length of stay and thus should be key areas for intervention strategies. Adoption of methods used in the assessment of hospital patient safety incidents such as root-cause analysis may help in identifying underlying factors leading to ADRs as well highlighting the importance of ADRs to senior hospital managers.

Post-occupancy evaluation provides a mechanism for systematically evaluating facilities performance. However, the effectiveness of existing models within HE is subject to question with few institutions fully embracing its application. The research sought to establish the extent to which POE models are utilised and the degree to which they satisfy the needs of HE in England and Wales. The outcome of the work was to propose a POE model that addresses the needs of Higher Education institutions. The research found that development of POE models has been driven by numerous factors resulting in creation of sophisticated POE frame-works. However the extent to which they are considered effective is limited. Earlier work focuses on the identification of factors that influence user satisfaction and development of complex quantitative models. Users of such models seek to learn lessons from projects to improve the design and delivery of facilities and enhance their performance in use. However, the extent to which existing POE models facilitate this is subject to question. The study adopted a mixed methods approach to establish whether existing models reflected the factors influencing user satisfaction in the specific context of HE. It revealed that physical and internal environmental factors influenced user satisfaction in varying patterns with varying results in differing situations. The perception of quality consistently correlated with users' overall perceptions of satisfaction with buildings. The term 'quality' is a made up of several discrete factors; further work could be developed to allow these to be fully defined. The research concluded that a single POE model would be inappropriate and a frame-work is proposed based on a balanced scorecard, reflecting four performance dimensions tailored to the context of HE and allowing linkage of POE to strategic institutional plans. The project liberated contribution to theoretical knowledge and professional practice. It established that within HE the concept of a consistent set of factors correlating with overall satisfaction is flawed. It went further to identify the construct of 'quality' as a key factor influencing satisfaction and established user satisfaction is a construct that is time related. It also found that application of POE is inconsistent across the HE sector in terms of purpose and extent of connectivity to institutional objectives. These findings indicated that adoption of a standardised POE model within HE is unlikely to liberate consistent, useful data to enhance building and facilities performance. The adoption of the proposed approach offers a vehicle cost effective development of tailored POE solutions.

No description available.

The thesis maps out my experiences of, and thinking about, health promotion over my fifteen-year career as a health promotion specialist and lecturer. It adopts an exploratory, reflective approach starting with an account and analysis of health promotion as I experienced it in practice from the mid 1980's onwards, and ending with an exploration of the way reflexivity works in a medium-sized health promotion department in England. This exploration took place in 2000 at a time when the department like many others were facing an uncertain future and a possible merger with a department of public health. The thesis begins with my reflections on health promotion and its theory, and my personal experience of being managed in a health promotion department. This account forms the first step of a research process, and the role of reflexivity in this process is highlighted. Using qualitative techniques of data analysis, themes emerge relating to the way the accounts were written, the social and psychological processes being acted out; and the emotional tapestry involved. A co-operative research encounter based on the story-dialogue method with a medium-sized health promotion department generated six streams of qualitative data. The separate analyses are combined to produce overall meta-themes which tell a collective story of the hidden scripts and conventions operating in the health promotion department at the time. These include limits to what can be said, associated avoidance and cynicism, and an acknowledged lack of reflexivity. There was an embedded rhetoric about democracy, valuing and consultation that was vulnerable to being over-ridden or diminished. Similarly, there was a lack of specificity about what health promotion as an entity and team working actually means to the department. Within this scenario, staff became individual tacticians and placed high regard on their autonomy. Reflexivity facilitated and legitimised through story-dialogue enabled emotional expression, criticism, and agreement and appreciation. Reflexivity in the encounter translated hope and uncertainty into future-facing and future action. It helped re-establish and specify a collective identity and it provided some detail about nature of health promotion and team working. These meta themes are discussed in relation to changes and movements in contemporary health promotion in England including the life and meaning of 'health promotion' discourse and the creation, reification and impact of 'tribal' discourses in health promotion and public health. These discourses based on difference are shown to be questionable and point to a demise of reflexivity in more recent health promotion discourse. Adherence to this discourse is argued to leave health promotion open to charges of elitism and has hindered searches for common values, language and standards. Moreover, it has meant a failure to articulate a new health promotion.

Despite the constant improvement of project management tools and methodologies the performance of projects is decreasing. Considering the forecast that the volume of projects undertaken will roughly double by 2025 this is a considerable issue for the profession. Therefore this work focuses on the psycho-social relationships in projects, in particular organisational justice (climate) and their impact on performance in order to present an alternative approach to increase project performance and to highlight this under-researched area. Three studies were conducted for the purpose of this work: first, a questionnaire was used to explore the relationships between organisational justice (climate) and different aspects of performance, mediated through antecedents of project performance. The questionnaire produced a final sample of 194 cases and was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Second, focus groups were administered to better understand how organisational justice (climate) effects performance. A phenomenological analysis was conducted to explore the lived experience of the participants. And third, a case study was undertaken to explain how organisational justice (climate) relates to various antecedents of project performance. The case study was analysed using propositions and pattern matching. All three studies revealed that there are significant and strong relationships between organisational justice (climate) and project performance. These relationships are complex and manifold, but it can be concluded overall that the adoption of fair principles and procedures in projects improves the project performance. Based on the triangulation of the three studies an explanatory framework was developed, which includes details on all the different aspects. In essence, this research showed that next to tools and methodologies it is important to pay attention to the psycho-social relationships in projects in order to be able to face the upcoming challenges of the profession.