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The overall aim of this investigation is to identify the strategies adopted for the implementation of gender-based linguistic reform in four European countries (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom). In addressing this aim, firstly the study explores the recommendations to eliminate discrimination of women and men from language at supranational level in order to determine whether international recommendations have influenced legislation in the four countries. Secondly, the recommendations on non-sexist language in each national context have been reviewed taking into account the structural features of each language. The study shows the diverse linguistic resources that each of the four language systems has in order to achieve non-discriminatory language and identifies the key recommendations as well as the main promoters of gender-based linguistic reform in each country. The study has found that in all four countries a significant number of measures designed to combat linguistic sexism have been introduced. The investigation also' aims at providing evidence of the adoption of guidelines for the avoidance of sexist language as well as the stages of implementation in each country. To this end, a linguistic analysis of job offers in the four languages has been carried out. This longitudinal study has helped to identify patterns of language usage across the four socia-linguistic settings as well as the preferred strategy in each language. The main finding is that, although there is no consistent strategy regarding the feminisation of occupational nomenclature in the four languages, the common intention has been to make the language of communication gender-inclusive. The study offers a contribution to the existing work in the area of cross-cultural research. Furthermore, the review of similarities and differences between the recommendations for non-sexist language and their implementation in four linguistic settings aims to provide a framework for further research and practical application which can be drawn from the linguistic analysis of naturally occurring data.

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This study describes the development and application of a framework to aid small manufacturing companies in the selection, improvement and implementation of production planning and control systems. The framework is developed from the existing literature, which indicates an almost total absence of similar frameworks for small manufacturing companies. The literature was categorised in a Supply Chain Management manner to facilitate close relations between companies when undertaking improvements to the production planning and control system. The framework involves an examination of four phases within a company. The first phase, the Current Reality, enables the company under study to undertake an in-depth audit of their existing production planning and control system. The framework provides focus for the small manufacturing company by identifying problems within the existing system. Problem-solving, via education and training, is an integral part of the framework, with phase two facilitating this by organising and planning for change. The third phase of the framework, the implementation provides the company with a choice of pursuing a software solution to the problems identified in the previous phases, or of simpler, incremental improvements in performance. The final phase, the feedback loop to the Current Reality phase enables companies to follow a programme of continuous improvement. A normal change implementation plan lacks the focus that this framework can provide for the selection and implementation of production planning and control systems. The framework has been validated in ten small manufacturing companies in the U.K., and has enabled one company to successfully select and implement a new computerised production planning and control system. The study reports the application of the framework in this company over a three year period. The advantages of using this framework in action research mode are reported. The other nine case studies highlight the ability of the framework to focus on smaller, incremental improvements in production planning and control performance. The empirical research also concludes that a lack of human resources to devote to improvements and implementations, is the main difference between large and small companies when undertaking such exercises. Recommendations for future work on the framework are presented, and the usefulness of the framework for managers in small manufacturing companies, consultants and academic researchers is discussed.

Numerous studies have been undertaken on a wide range of issues affecting racialised minorities and small businesses. This thesis has chosen to focus on a number of issues pertinent to the nature of ethnic minority owned small firms. Whilst the topic of finance has been researched in tandem with other factors, it has rarely received the attention devoted to it in this thesis. The thesis critically evaluates finance availability for black small enterprises owned by persons of South Asian and African-Caribbean origins. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with business owners in fifteen locations in England. These interviews have been enriched by a smaller number of in-depth unstructured conversations. Apart from finance, other relatively under-researched aspects of black enterprise are also discussed in this investigation. The interplay of gender, ethnicity and small enterprise is explored in chapter four whilst chapter seven examines the nature of both African-Caribbean and South Asian businesses situated in contrasting market areas. Parallels are drawn between the experiences of allegedly entrepreneurial-minded groups such as the Koreans and African-Americans in the USA who are distinctly under-represented among the small business owning classes. The outcome of this investigation of African-Caribbean and South Asian small enterprises is an image of a group of owners who have a strong determination to succeed in their ventures, exemplified through such factors as their motivation and attendant vocational qualifications, whilst simultaneously attempting to overcome numerous obstacles. Some of these barriers are generic to small businesses per se, whilst others are more exclusively 'ethnic'. The whole thesis is encapsulated within socio-political debates around the plight of severely disadvantaged visible minorities and proposed self-help strategies mediated by the persistence of covert and blatant racism.

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The amount of research on service innovation rapidly increased since the start of the third millennium, likely due to the continuous diversification of manufacturing companies into the service sector and the decline of manufacturing in the traditional industrial western countries compared to the World’s emerging economies. Service innovation, furthermore, has received significant attention from academics and practitioners alike and has been increasingly perceived as a means of creating competitive advantage. Arguably, this is due to the growing competition between service companies to reach unconventional levels which led to higher customer expectations of continuous improvement of services. This study investigated the nature and impact of service employees’ innovative behaviour leading to initiating innovation within the sub-sector of personal-interactive services, where the hotel sector was investigated respectively. In doing so, the study also critically reviewed the established literature relevant to service innovation and added further insight to previous research underpinning service employees’ role in initiating innovation. A qualitative case-study research strategy, which compared between three cases, was applied to achieve the objectives of the study. The application of qualitative case-study research allowed closer assessment and observation while the researcher was directly present within the service delivery environment. The combining of qualitative research methods, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups and direct observation, was applied to congregate evidence of employees’ innovative behaviour patterns from multiple perspectives. The expected limitations of the applied research methods are classically associated with qualitative case-study research such as access barriers, high volume of data outcome and also the complications associated with data collection and analysis. The research findings contributed to the general body of knowledge by highlighting the nature and impact of service employees’ innovative behaviour. A novel classification of six innovative behaviour patterns was established under the three main categories of mandatory, quasi-mandatory and voluntary conduct. The research findings further revealed the significant impact of service employees’ innovative behaviour in initiating innovation, where 49 out of 70 innovative ideas were realised as innovations through employees’ innovative behaviour. The research also added further insight by identifying management procedures and motivation as contextual determinants that enable or inhibit service employees’ innovative behaviour.

Knowledge, and its appropriate management, has been increasingly recognised as a critical source of sustainable competitive advantage for companies. Within this context, many companies are developing their strategies and capabilities to effectively create, share and exploit knowledge. This issue has been seen to be particularly important in project-based industries, such as the construction industry. However, in spite of the espoused value of knowledge management approaches they often deliver benefits far below expectations. Research and practice has identified a number of problems and barriers which have depleted the actual benefits of knowledge management in projects and companies. A generic finding is that the major problem is the lack of effective integration of key knowledge management components. Knowledge maps have been promoted as a key solution to bring about this required integrated approach. The knowledge mapping approach has taken root in other sectors (particularly education and manufacturing), but is still at an embryonic state in construction. The starting point for this research is to investigate the potential utility of knowledge mapping as an approach to improving corporate and project performance. First, a concept model for appropriate knowledge mapping within construction project organisations was articulated through a relevant literature review. The model is made up of four key variables: interaction environment, construction actors, construction processes and knowledge transfer technologies. The concept model was tested through a single-holistic case study within a large construction and property consulting practice in South Korea. Data collection was through semistructured interviews and company document review. The primary data was analysed using content analysis and cognitive mapping. The research findings broadly confirmed that knowledge mapping is an effective approach in integrating project resources and technologies for successful knowledge management within the case study firm. The key characteristics of the concept model in practice are identified and illustrated. A contingency approach to knowledge mapping is proposed with appropriate approaches dependent upon the scope of the construction processes and the scope of the construction actors.

A research study was conducted of the management theories and quality philosophies that have been expounded throughout the twentieth century. This study included the modem thinking for quality improvement and business excellence to include the modem concept of Learning Organisations. This research project was undertaken with the aim of producing a framework based on the culture of Learning Organisation Theory and including within it the external influences on such a culture. The framework consisted on a core of human values, divided into five areas that are deemed important to learning organisations. These were surrounded by the basic values of Trust, Honesty and Openness thus protecting the core from outside influence. Elements from traditional management systems theory provided the outer casing for the framework, these elements influencing the core for both good and bad. The contents of the framework were then studied in three organisations of differing background with a view to firmly establishing the elements and areas within the framework for validity in these three organisations. The common theme between all the organisations chosen was that they had all in the recent past been involved in major management and internal change. One study involved the development of a questionnaire and supporting matrices in order to identify the areas and elements of the framework, thus establishing their existence. Active research techniques were used in the other studies in order to establish both 'why' the elements are important and any interrelationship between the areas. As a result of these studies suggestions for modification to the framework were established in order to strengthen the thinking and these were encompassed in to the framework. Probably the most significant of these changes was the inclusion of 'Leadership' as being a major factor in the filtering of undesirable elements. The outcome from the research is that the aim was achieved and a framework was developed that, for the first time, was drawn up in such a way that the elements and areas can easily be recognised and an understanding of what they represent is clearly shown. The reasons as to why these elements are important are also established. This is regarded as an advancement in this field of study.

The aim of this study is to explore the association between senior management theory-of-action and employee commitment. Field research uses quantitative and qualitative method and concentrates on one medium sized UK based organisation for data collection and experimentation. However, the study examines two further organisations to assist validity and specificity of findings. The written work is in six parts. Following an introductory chapter, chapter two contains a literature survey covering organisational purpose and senior management theory-of-action. Chapter three examines literature as to employee commitment, and personal and organisational values. The fourth chapter describes method. Field work in chapter five provides results arising from quantitative and qualitative research. The concluding chapter considers the extent to which findings should be generalised, and offers conclusions and reflection. The study points to the following conclusions: Field research supports the notion that compared with more conventional motivation factors, senior management employee related action is strongly associated with employee commitment. This finding was found to be especially prominent at lower hierarchical levels within the organisation. The adoption of what is termed conventional 'Model-One' theory-of-action adversely affects employee commitment. It is suggested that senior management theory-of-action can inhibit or facilitate the maintenance and growth of employee commitment. The work provides credence as to the importance and strength of association between senior management theory-of-action and employee commitment, and offers a method by which the association can be tested.