The cross-sectional study looks at how firms develop superior performance using their internal resources. It is a study based on the resource-based view of the firm. The study looks at firms in the Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry in UK. It was initially planned as a comparative study with firms in the same industry in Zimbabwe. The study argues that for resources to be potential sources of superior performance, managers have to comprehend the strategic concepts that are concerned with these resources. The study further hypothesises that Comprehension itself is affected by Experience and Functional Expertise/Training & Development The data was analysed using SPSS programme (Version 8). The main methods of analyses were factor analysis, correlational analysis, moderated regression & subgroup analyses, and regression analysis. The results suggest that Comprehension, defined as either Knowledge, or Applicability of intangible resources, or Applicability of capabilities, contributes to developing superior performance. The results also show that Experience, and Training & Development contribute to developing superior performance The results however, did not support the hypothesis that managers with more experience had better comprehension of strategic concepts. The results seem to suggest that Experience has a negative effect on Comprehension. A possible explanation to this negative relationship could be that those managers who had been in the managerial position for many years were not familiar with the RBV concepts, which are relatively new concepts. The results did not also support the hypothesis that managers who attended more training and development programmes had better comprehension of strategic concepts. Instead, the results show that Training & Development has a negative effect on Comprehension. These results suggest that although many managers have on-going management training and development programmes, these programmes do not seem to improve their comprehension of strategic concepts.

This thesis is concerned with brewery workers in England between 1870 and 1914. It deals with most aspects of labour management and workers' experiences, including their recruitment, training, promotion, working conditions, benefits and retirement. Besides being written in a way which mirrors most labourers' working lives, this study is concerned with these institutions during a dynamic period in a particular industry at a specific midland firm. Primarily, it examines working conditions and business practices at Flower & Sons Brewery in Stratford-upon-Avon and the way in which these evolved in relation to certain scientific and technological developments specific to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although considering economic and political conditions in their national scope, this study also emphasises the local context of employment and business during this period. Most recent histories of the English brewing industry have examined the state of the trade at the turn of the century, as well as developments in science and technology as they related to the trade. Few, however, have had anything to say about the industry's workers, whether employed in manual or clerical capacities. Consequently, this study is an attempt to fill a noticeable gap in the existing literature. However, unlike past histories of labour, this study considers the experiences of the trade's employees within a business-history framework, while always employing the broadest possible definition of what constitutes a worker. It is through tracing a particular firm's financial and administrative past, together with workers' experiences, roles and duties, that makes this study a social history of a midland business.

The research presented in this thesis is a study of union responses to subcontracted labour in England and Korea. Subcontracting leads to separation of employers, and places existing union structures and resources, and traditional collective bargaining systems under strain. A study of union representation in relation to subcontracted workers is important because it can address how unions deal with more complex employment relationships. This also helps explore which factors contribute to patterns of union responses. This research conducted a comparative study of eight branches of the largest unions in the English and Korean health sectors with different institutional settings. This employed qualitative case studies using fifty-three semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis. Evidence showed that typical responses between the two varied, but there were also two outlying cases in Korea, showing similar responses to those in England. Differences in the institutional contexts of the source of restructuring, legal regulations, collective bargaining systems and union structures explained why English union branches adopted more inclusive strategies toward subcontracted workers than those in Korea. However, empirical evidence showed that union responses were also influenced by some non-institutional factors such as branch leadership, the attitude of the represented and effective working with allies in the community. Despite the importance of institutions in shaping union responses, they are not sufficient alone to explain variations in union responses and it is necessary to consider an integrated approach considering both institutional and non-institutional factors in a single analytical framework. This study contributes to the field of comparative industrial relations research in three ways. First, it extends the scope of research on union responses to contingent workers by investigating responses to subcontracted workers. Second, it goes beyond classifying union responses by presenting their underlying dynamics. Third, it challenges existing ways of conducting comparative industrial relations studies predicated upon the staple proposition that ‘institutions matter’, highlighting the importance of an integrated approach.

This study adds to institutional theory. It addresses the paradox of embedded agency, which has been central in the study of institutions and organizations, i.e. how can actors change institutions when they are conditioned by the same institution they are trying to change? This debate is addressed by analyzing the process organizations follow when adopting the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The research is based on theory generation from case study evidence. It is an interpretative study based on four cases of adoption of the UNGC in the cement industry in Mexico. The study takes into account the interaction between three levels of analysis: field; organizational; and individual. Early neo-institutional studies neglected intra-organizational phenomena. However, this study shows how individual behavior provides the micro-foundations necessary to address the paradox of embedded agency. The study relates theory to practice. It offers insight to the principle- and reporting-based Corporate Responsibility Initiatives (“CRIs”) phenomenon; there is no prior research on the process organizations follow when adopting these initiatives. This research constructs a model, showing how principle- and reporting-based CRIs are translated, not diffused, when incorporated by organizations. The process of translation explains how initiatives are reshaped and reinvented when taken-up by individuals in organizations. However the diffusion model is more accepted among managers, mainly because it offers the illusion of control, while the translation model shows the uncertainty and ambiguity of the adoption process (Czarniawska, 2008). At the individual-level, this study shows the active role of individuals in change processes. It explains how the recursive relationship between the actions of translators intending to change institutionalized practices, and the resistance they encounter, feeds the translation process. Translators are embedded in the organization and are reproducing established activities. But they use their embeddedness to overcome resistance and change the taken-for-granted way of working. At the organizational-level, this empirical study shows how change is a way of achieving the substantive implementation of newly adopted initiatives, and how resistance promotes change. The study shows how institutional pressures are influential; they result in processual isomorphism. The four organizations, despite their different governance structures, are following the same translation process. However, this study links the macro-processes of isomorphism to the microprocesses explaining intra-organizational phenomena; it finds that homogeneous processes also result in heterogeneous actions. The specific activities implemented by each organization are idiosyncratic. These heterogeneous actions are the result of the interaction between the institutional environment and the resistance encountered by translators within the organization. In this way, this study shows how the UNGC is impacting organizational practices. How much organizations benefit from joining the UNGC depends on the level of development of their CSR programs and strategies at the time of the UNGC's adoption.

Considering the pivotal contributions of technological advances and policies in developing regional innovation and competitiveness, this thesis begins with an open question which is ‘How do regions fulfil their territorial innovation potential and become competitive based on science and technology from a systems perspective?’ Prior studies have leaned towards a top-down view in evaluating the performances and competitiveness of regions, a correlation-based view in defining relations between resources and performances, and a static view in capturing the behaviour of regional innovation processes. However, these perspectives do not fully account for (1) ‘regional diversity’ which should consider context-specific conditions across different regions; (2) ‘regional structure’ in which functions (or capabilities) play a role in bridging the gap between resources (capacities) and performances to construct feedback loops for regional innovation processes; and (3) ‘regional behaviour’ which should reflect dynamics and evolution in terms of regional innovation, competitiveness, and policy effects. To comprehensively redress the research gaps in the extant literature, this thesis addresses three sub-questions: (1) Which regions are competitive in terms of R&D efficiency?; (2) How do regional innovation systems operate in the resource−function−performance structure?; and (3) How does regional competitiveness behave over time, and what policy(ies) can help or hinder regional competitiveness? Thus, through a case study focusing on Korea, this thesis aims to accomplish three research objectives. Specifically, it identifies the most competitive Korean region in terms of regional R&D efficiency and its time-dependent changes (Research Objective 1), a resource-function-performance structure comprising evolutionary innovation processes (Research Objective 2), and, based on this structure, policy measures promoting dynamic regional competitiveness (Research Objective 3). To achieve this purpose, this thesis employs a ‘three-paper route scheme’, comprising three publishable academic papers. For Research Question 1 (see Paper 1), this thesis investigates the R&D efficiency patterns of Korean regions for the period 2005–2009, through data envelopment analysis from a static perspective and the Malmquist Productivity Index from a dynamic perspective. The analysis results categorise Korean regions into deteriorating, lagging, and improving groups. Further, the results designate Busan as the most promising region with the largest growth in R&D efficiency over the long-term, despite its status as an inefficient region. Then, regarding Research Question 2 (see Paper 2), this thesis analyses Busan’s knowledge-based triple helix innovation process, by means of a causal loop diagram based on an interviewing method. For further analysis, this thesis examines the effects of system failures and policies on the operation of Busan’s innovation system. The analysis reveals that the effects of system failures and relevant policies spread across the domains of knowledge development, knowledge diffusion, and knowledge deployment. Moreover, the results indicate that the suggested policies appear intuitively effective; however, from a system-based perspective, the policies create counterintuitive effects on knowledge development in the industry and government research institute (GRI) spheres, knowledge diffusion in the university sphere, and knowledge deployment in the university and GRI spheres. To address Research Question 3 (see Paper 3), this thesis transforms the causal loop diagram, developed in Paper 2, to a simplified system dynamics model of capacity−capability−performance for analysing dynamic regional competitiveness and policy effects on it. According to the analysis results, the increase in the stock of human resources, increase in the success rate for knowledge development, and reduction in the lead time for knowledge commercialisation are highly effective in helping to intensify the governance of reinforcing feedback loops to promote the sustainable development of Busan’s regional competitiveness.

The thesis explores the challenge Ethiopia as a developing country faces in responding to issues associated with economic liberalisation on the one hand and the protection and promotion of ‘core’ labour rights on the other. In order to closely examine the issue, privatisation and the collective aspects of labour rights have been considered for analysis. More specifically, the status of unionisation and collective bargaining in the privatised enterprises in Ethiopia has been examined through the medium of case studies. The literature on privatisation and labour examined the adverse effect of privatisation from the perspective of the job losses associated with it. The contribution of this thesis is its contention that job loss associated with privatisation, if any, is a short-term and an individualised issue. There are rather other concerns to the labour force associated with privatisation which are long-lasting, issue of collectivity and with broader implications. Privatisation programme has been put into effect since the early 1980s in a more noticeable manner in terms of pace and scope in developing countries owing to, at times, external prescription from multilateral lending and donor institutions to privatise State-owned enterprises as far and as fast as possible. Responding positively to such a donor prescription brings with it a financial and technical assistance from these institutions in addition to the perception that investment would be attracted and retained with liberalised economic policy. Ethiopia has embarked upon the actual implementation of the privatisation programme since 1995. Side by side to this, at the international level, freedom of association and collective bargaining has attained special status in the ILO jurisprudence since the adoption of the 1998 ILO Declaration. In fact, in the Ethiopian context, these labour rights have been incorporated into Ethiopian law by ratifying the relevant ILO conventions by the country in 1963. Moreover, they have been enshrined in the country’s Constitution since 1995 providing them a constitutional law status. These State actions formally impose international and national obligation on Ethiopia to respect, protect and promote the rights. In terms of labour profile, the privatisation programme, as an aspect of economic liberalisation, expects a liberal and flexible labour market. However, such flexibility is criticised of directly or indirectly eroding labour standards including the rights to unionisation and collective bargaining. Thus this state of affairs places Ethiopian policy makers in a dilemma on how to address both sides of the concerns and interests. The dilemma has been reflected in the ambivalent position the country’s law making, implementation and interpretation activities manifested themselves.

This thesis is concerned with understanding how the similarities, or differences, between small businesses working on transactional open-innovation projects might affect the dyadic performance. Specifically it explores whether varying degrees of difference, both at the organisational-level and at the individual personal-level, affects innovation performance and whether there is a ‘trade-off’ in innovation outcomes somewhere between high levels of similarity and difference. Empirical studies of similarity and difference have conflicting findings and most research into the particular condition of similarity and difference have taken place between multi-national businesses or in industries that have more formal innovation agendas, such as bio-technology or ICT. Additionally prior research has tended to evaluate a potential linear relationship between similarity variables and innovation performance. The study here draws on the Cognitive Theory of the Firm (Nooteboom, 2003) and its conceptual model of ‘cognitive distance’ which proposes that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the degree of difference in an innovation partnership and the innovation performance. It suggests a tipping point where performance improves up to a threshold and then begins to decline. The sample group is drawn from a cohort of small businesses based in the North-West of England taking part in an innovation voucher scheme designed to encourage linkages between small businesses and creative services suppliers. An analytical framework based on different measures and types of similarity is developed by reviewing a broad range of literature on innovation, open-innovation and small business innovation and these measures are used to assess innovation success against a range of six performance indicators. A major contribution of the research is the extension of the empirical domain for cognitive distance to the small and micro-business sector and further, the creation of a methodology which allows cognitive-distance to be directly measured, and performance assessed, at the level of the individuals within the innovation partnership. The relativity small sample group and the quite specific context requires the findings to be further corroborated but if results found here prove valid with other sample groups and within other contexts too, there may be implications in the future for how small firms might go about selecting their innovation partners.

This thesis is a labour history of Trinidad and Tobago, concentrating on the period from 1937 to 1990. The study attempts to show that there is not a unified or homogenous working class, and for this reason both traditional Marxist and industrial relations theories are rejected. Instead, the history of labour focuses on how the working classes have been divided by factors such as race, gender, class structure and politics. These divisions are used as an explanation for the absence of a popular socialist party in the country. It concludes that the economic recession of the 1980s has led to the worst crisis in the history of the labour movement, but at the same time, this has laid the framework for a new strategy of social movement unionism, which attempts to constructively engage with, rather than ignore, divisions within the working classes. The main sources of data were documentary and archival material, and in particular, reports made by the British TUC and Colonial Office, industrial relations legislation, and trade union and political party documents and manifestoes. For the contemporary period, these sources of data were supplemented by fifteen interviews with leading figures in trade union and labour politics. The work is based on a macro approach to the study of labour, and as such constitutes a new and original approach to the study of labour in Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, more contemporary trade union documents and interviews provided the researcher with new and original material.

This study explores the rise of marginal workers in Britain and Hong Kong after the Second World War and argues that marginal workers are not minor, unimportant, powerless and transient elements of capitalist development. Marginal workers, however, are important and indispensable to the development of capitalism in both regions. The work and life histories of marginal workers in Britain and Hong Kong show that gender and ethnic inequalities are articulated through and intensified by class inequality. The overlapping of these inequalities creates different subgroups of marginal workers. The marginalisation of labour is the process of the identification and separation of marginal groups from mainstream society. With assistance from the state, capital has been able to increase its exploitation of and control over labour through intensified gender, ethnic, occupational and international divisions of labour. This thesis argues that marginal is critical. A marginal class location induces a marginal class consciousness, which is a counter, non-conforming and cynical attitude towards oppression and exploitation. Nonetheless, while the consciousness of British marginal workers is more aggressive, radical and well shaped, that of marginal workers in Hong Kong is more self-defensive, conservative and amorphous. This thesis suggests that these different patterns of marginal consciousness are a product of their distinctive class formation process: marginal workers in Britain have undergone a 'sedimentary' class formation, their counterparts in Hong Kong have undergone a 'disrupted' class formation. The 'sedimentary class formation' of marginal workers in Britain is structured by its marginal trap of downward mobility and low geographical mobility at the macro level, alongside active shop-floor struggle and strong trade unionism at the macro level. The 'disrupted class formation' of marginal workers in Hong Kong is caused by its permeable class structure and covert class struggle, alongside the lack of shop-floor trade union organisers and experience of struggle.

The purpose of the research was to discover if the dismantling of apartheid had ameliorated the poor pay and conditions of domestic servants in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. I situated these workers in the wider societal context in order to examine their 'quality of life' in addition to their 'quality of work'. Universal features of domestic service have been the depersonalising of the worker and the denial of their adulthood to that of a child. Enriching the data with consideration of some of the life details of the domestic servants interviewed challenges these lingering social practices. I favoured an interpretive methodology in order to give my interviewees the opportunity to 'speak for themselves' and facilitate the exploration of the hidden meanings within the domestic service relationship. Having argued through the thesis that domestic servants are often social constructed, caricatured and 'trapped' into being the 'other', their words are a reaffirmation of their adult status. Hegel's Lordship/bondage paradigm was the starting point of the theoretical analysis, from which I developed my own 'chains of otherness' conception. I sacrificed representativeness in my sample in order to focus on contextualising my theoretical arguments in nine diverse case studies. The outcome was that my research question narrowed to considering improvements in the lives of my nine domestic workers interviewed. However, I have also incorporated quantitative data within the thesis to add depth to my investigation. Grahamstown was the deliberate choice for the research site, as this was also the site of Cock's (1989/79) much-cited Maids and Madams. To return to an original area of investigation was imperative, as within the remit of the research question being asked was a comparison of domestic service during and after apartheid. The distortions of regionalism were minimalised and validated my use of Cock's results as a starting point for my own findings. Mandela's book title Long Walk to Freedom is an apt description of what I discovered. Improvements are beginning to be made but there is still much more to be achieved. Domestic service's inclusion in the ambit of labour legislation and improved conditions of work are positive shifts, but wages are still extremely low and social practices still have racial orientations. In addition to the application of my theoretical arguments, I moved beyond answering the original research question to consider the effects of poverty in the lives of domestic workers and formulated strategies of empowerment. As the thesis has favoured a qualitative approach I not only considered the material factors that are necessary to empower, but also the interrelations between one another that can recognise and promote human dignity.