Purpose – Project business represents a large part of the business-to-business sector. The qualitative and quantitative scope of many project networks requires that several supplier firms participate in their development and delivery. Consequently, such project networks are characterized by a great heterogeneity with respect to the participating firms building a service ecosystem. This raises the question of how resource integration for value co-creation can be shaped successfully for all partners, not least because many projects are characterized by sometimes dramatic failures with respect to costs, duration, and scope. Specifically, the different organizational identities provide institutional frames of reference to the resource-integrating actors. As the organizational identities are typically not harmonious with each other, at least partial misalignments of the institutional arrangements that shape the resource integration processes may emerge, leading to imperfect value co-creation or even value co-destruction. The purpose of this thesis is to conceptualize and to empirically investigate the impact of organizational identity as an institutional context on resource integration in B2B service ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach – The thesis makes use of interpretive phenomenology in conjunction with a qualitative case study approach to access the lived experience of actors of different professional service firms who have experienced changes in resource integration into a single B2B service ecosystem. Findings – A conceptualization of organizational identity as institutional context for resource integration is developed and empirically investigated. The findings show a strong impact on the firms’ organizational identities and the actors’ resource integration experience and evaluation. Moreover, it is also very likely that if unmanaged, an at least partial misalignment of the institutional arrangements of multi-organizational B2B service ecosystems would represent a normal and also stable condition.

This empirical study investigated Human Resource Development (HRD) in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand, with a specific focus on coaching practices for talent. Three case-study organisations were identified as ‘critical cases’, due to their having received Thailand’s SME National Award, which identifies SMEs as top-performing organisations. One case was drawn from each of the trading, manufacturing and service sectors. Within the case-study methodology a variety of qualitative methods were employed, which led to rich interview data being drawn from twenty-seven participants. The sample was progressed though purposive sampling by the owner-managers. Each of the three SME owner-managers selected four manager coaches, who they perceived to be ‘talented’, after which the coaches’ subordinate coachees were identified, with these being deemed ‘talented employees’. The fieldwork data was analysed through template analysis. Three major themes emerged from the initial a priori template: the ‘perception of talent’, ‘employee development’ and ‘coaching practices and perspectives’. The results illuminated different practices in coaching for talent, with the approach being strongly influenced by the owner-manager. The owner-manager of Case-study One perceived himself as head of an organisational ‘family’, with his Buddhist beliefs providing the guiding principles that underpinned HRD practices and activities. In Case-study Two the owner-manager’s personal faith system was Protestant-Christian, which aligned with employees being perceived as a vital to organisational success and hence worthy of investment and development. Case-study Three’s owner-manager was equally ready to invest in employees and, through a dedicated HRD department, established HR systems and HRD projects. Thus, in all three case studies, the owner-manager’s individual philosophy played a vital role in allocating resources in support of HRD initiatives and determining how talent should be coached. Informal coaching for talent included on-the-job support, with managers functioning as coaches and internal training. Subsequently, some coachees cascaded their learning to an inter-employee level, which resulted in a further sharing of talent. Further, within the tight-knit work relationships, a deep desire existed for all to support and value each other, with ‘friendly coaching’ emerging as a key concept. The current study makes a valuable theoretical contribution to HRD theory by integrating and analysing the elements of coaching for talent within the SME environment of Thailand. The study draws together the conceptual elements in a unique framework of ‘Circles of coaching practice for talent’, which can also stimulate discussions on organisational practice, thus adding value to individuals and the SME organisations themselves. An important finding refers the extent to which an owner-manager’s personal characteristics can influence the support and effectiveness of organisational learning and development, which makes a contribution to both theory and practice.

Whilst change management theories have significantly influenced profit-oriented organisations, their adoption by the public sector is less understood, particularly in developing countries (Kooskora, 2016). Reform failure rates in such countries are excessive compared with developed countries; a serious issue as such countries typically have limited resources to create public good. In response to this issue, this study aims to investigate key factors that enable or hinder employees' acceptance of recent change initiatives in the public organisations of Pakistan. The main objective of this research was to identify the challenges, barriers and opportunities hindering or supporting the adoption of public reforms in developing countries, with a specific focus on the KPK region of Pakistan. A review of the literature led to the development of a preliminary conceptual framework based on a robust Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) model developed by Tornatzky and Fleischer (1990), which provided a basis for further empirical research. The data was collected in two phases: (1) quantitative data was collected in the first phase to test the TOE-based framework using a survey questionnaire (300 public employees); and (2) qualitative data was gathered in the second phase via semi-structured interviews (three state ministers) and through public documents. While results indicated that two variables, legal and IT infrastructure, were found to be the most influential predictor of ‘employees’ intention to adopt change’ and ‘level of reform’s success’, economy was the least influential factor that affected the dependent variables. Moreover, demographic variables such as age, level of education and pay grade proved to be influential in determining employees’ intention to adopt/implement change in Pakistan. Low status groups with lower levels of education showed a reduced propensity to adopt change, and resistance was found to be more salient in junior employees. Overall, the results of the current study show that the proposed model has a good explanatory power and is therefore robust in predicting change (reform) adoption/implementation in Pakistan. This study will contribute to the literature on change management in public organisations, particularly for developing countries such as Pakistan, and may assist the public managers, change leaders and practitioners of human resources management in assessing, designing, initiating and evaluating new or existing programmes for change (reform).

This study analyses the macro and micro levels of policy implementation in Oman, and draws together the worlds of policy-makers and ‘street-level bureaucrats’. It evaluates the implementation policy of the National Training Programme, along with its associated concepts, and investigates the obstacles encountered in the implementation. In addition, the study explores the perceptions of how barriers create obstacles to the implementation process in Oman. In Oman, National Human Resource Development (NHRD) is used to re-engineer many of the private sector jobs that are currently occupied by expatriates, in the hope that greater social and economic prosperity among the indigenous population will occur. To ensure the achievement of this goal, the Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Manpower introduced the National Training Programme that seeks to develop the skills of Omani job-seekers, and which supports the Omanisation policy, by placing workers in the private sector. Since its introduction in 2003, the National Training Programme has attracted significant Government investment, yet the empirical understanding of the implementation process remains limited. Conceptually, the study is primarily based on public policy implementation theory, along with elements of evaluation and stakeholder theory. Empirically, the study is informed by the lived experience and views of representatives of the four stakeholder groups involved in implementing the policy, namely, the Ministry of Manpower, employers, training providers, and trainees. Conducted through insider research, the experience of 36 informants was gathered through semi-structured interviews, with the findings being analysed thematically using template analysis. This research addresses conflicting policy implementation theories, including ‘top-down’ implementation and policy network theory. Thus, in analysing the factors and barriers associated with policy implementation, the study makes a valuable contribution to public policy implementation theory. The study also showcases the culture of public policy implementation and how the inherent cultural challenges can impede national Human Resource Development. It was noted that the perceptions of the various stakeholders differ and that whilst the manpower planning, clarity and implementation structure functions are influential factors in the policy implementation, the mix of the trainees’ motives to join the private sector, and employers’ indifferent cooperation, emerged as challenging barriers to policy implementation. Key contributions to theoretical knowledge are made through extending the elements of public policy implementation theory, stakeholder theory and, to a lesser extent, elements of national Human Resource Development in an emerging economy – using Oman as case context. Furthermore, as a management tool, this study provides a map to facilitating Omanisation and promoting national skills development which is the aim of the government’s NTP agenda. The need for a more structured implementation process to operationalise the training is emphasised. In addition, it contributes to effective networking of various stakeholders of NTP to achieve a more detailed and well informed practice of skills development across the private sector. Prior to this study, the evaluation element of the NTP in Oman was broadly absent. Based on this study therefore, future government policies relating to Omanisation would take into account the process of evaluating the outcomes of skill development programmes.

With China’s deeper and wider integration into the world economy, Chinese small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have to face the global not just domestic competition. In 2016, the turnover of foreign trade of SMEs occupied over 60% of the China’s total volume of imports and exports. Thus, it is important to find out how SMEs may enhance their competitiveness in the world market especially how they can internationalise in their early entry stage. Two internationalisation models have been widely used by those firms engaging in international business, which are traditional stage model and born global model. The traditional stage mode considers internationalisation as a gradual process. In contrast, firms adopting born global mode are the small, technology-oriented companies that operate in international markets from the earliest days of their establishment. They are business organisation that, from inception, seeking to derive significant competitive advantage from the use of resources and the sale of outputs in multiple countries. Unlike traditional stage model, internal factors as entrepreneurship, innovation and network play more important roles in firm’s internationalisation process. In many developed countries, born global model is a better strategic choice for SMEs, which pursue international development nowadays. This research conducts a series of quantitative analyses. First, a unique panel dataset: China Industry Business Performance Database covering the period of 2003 and 2014 is used to examine whether there is difference in performance between born global firms and firms adopting the traditional stage. Second, the impact of the role influential factors inducing firms to follow the born global path on the selected SMEs are investigated. Logit panel regressions are performed for this purpose. Finally, using the primary data collected through questionnaires and a Structural Model Equation model analysis, the role of entrepreneurship played in the performance of Born Global firms are examined. The main findings of this research generally support the hypotheses derived from our theoretical framework. It shows positive a positive relationship between born global mode and firm’s performance. And the choice to be a born global firm is affected by the location and R&D investment but not its size. In addition, it also indicates that the entrepreneurs in born global firms are aware that international knowledge is significantly related to firm’s performance. The study contributes in offering new insights into the internationalisation of Chinese SMEs by investigating the difference in firm performance between two internationalisation models and influential factors of born global firms in the context of China in particular.

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Prior studies have shown that the majority of FTSE 350 firms do not fully comply with the Code of Corporate Governance (henceforth known as the Code). This is puzzling since the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has advocated the benefits of having high corporate governance standards and yet it would seem that not many firms are taking this initiative seriously. Therefore I am motivated to find reasons why most of the firms still decided not to take this kind of opportunity to inform their shareholders that they are working in tandem with the principles of the Code and would rather following their own measures or standards of good governance. In order to address this, I will investigate what makes the firms that fully comply with the Code differ from than those that do not in term of safeguarding the welfare of stakeholders and controlling managers' behaviour, what set of principles within the Code matter most to the shareholders, and what are the potential costs to the firms if they do not fully comply with the Code. I found that firms that claim full compliance with the Code gave higher compensation to CEOs and lesser disclosure on long term compensation plan. I also discover that firms that comply with the important principles in the Code have lower analyst bias and larger analyst following. There is also some evidence that firms are trying to mask their underperformance by claiming full compliance with the Code in their annual report. I also find that firms that have a low compliance rate with the Code will attract higher negative news than firms that fully comply with the Code. This suggests that there is more than merely claiming full compliance with the Code in the annual report and regulators need to rethink their direction in term of formulating more relevant guidance or principles for promoting better governance among firms.

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