This dissertation presents a multilevel comparative approach to investigating the degree to which Japanese knowledge-driven work systems are implemented and internalised in the UK business system. The focus is on processural and structural limits to accepting structural, cultural, control-related and technological practices of Japanese multinational corporations. The study addresses the national and local institutional, organisational and group levels in order to consider the contextual embeddedness of work systems. There is an interest in examining the interplay between the context and process of diffusion. Whitley's (1999) work on divergent capitalisms is furthered here by linking structures to micro-level social action in which they are implicated. The study is based on qualitative case studies that systematically compare the ways in which Japanesek nowledge-driven work systemsa re adoptedi n two UK subsidiary firms and an Aglo-Japanese technical collaboration. It draws on 73 semi-structured interviews conducted in the UK and Japan between August 1998 and April 2000, participant observation carried out in the subsidiary firms over one week and factory tours in Japan. The study concludes that firms face a double barrier in the adoption of work systems in the form of, first, institutional embeddedness at the national level, and second, embeddedness of tacit work systems at the firm level. Nationally distinct social institutions show divergence in business systems across countries and local institutions point to divergence within a particular national business system. Organisational and group characteristics highlight the role of actors (management initiatives and interpretation of alternative work systems by adopters). The research findings suggest that firms attempt to locally interpret alternative work systems rather than submit to environmental pressures towards isomorphism. There is an enactment through social patterns of interaction in organisations, hence a variation in actors' response to similar practices and procedures diffused from highly institutionalised settings.

This submission is a summary of the ten submissions that form the Engineering Doctorate Portfolio. The aim of the portfolio is to demonstrate the benefit of applying systems modelling and simulation in a modified powertrain product development process. A description is given of the competitive pressures that are faced by motor manufacturers in the global automotive business environment. Competitive pressures include a requirement for reduced time to market, exacting product quality standards, manufacturing over-capacity that increases fixed costs and compromises profit margins, and legislation that is increasingly difficult to meet. High-level strategic responses that are being made by manufacturers to these pressures are presented. Each strategic response requires organisational changes and improved approaches to the way in which day-to-day business is conducted. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) is presented as an approach that can help to improve the competitiveness of motor manufacturers by reducing product development time and the level of hardware prototyping that is required. An investigation in five engineering companies yielded a number of observations about the use of CAE and its integration into product development. Best practice in the implementation of CAE in the product development process is defined. The use of CAE by a leading motor manufacturer in powertrain development is compared with the best practice model, and it is identified that there is a lack of coherence in the application of CAE. It is used to tackle specific problems but the use of CAE is not integrated into the product development process. More importantly, it was found that there is limited application of systems modelling and simulation, which is a critical technique for the effective integration of vehicle systems and the development of on-board vehicle control systems. Before systems modelling and simulation can be applied III powertrain development, an appropriate set of tools and associated modelling architecture must be determined. An appraisal of a range of different tools is undertaken, each tool being appraised against a set of criteria. A combination of DymolaIModelica and MATLAB/Simulink tools is recommended as the optimum solution. DymolaIModelica models of the vehicle plant should be embedded into Simulink models that also contain controller and driver models. MATLAB should be used as the numerical engine and for the creation of user environments. Transmission calibration is selected as a suitable pilot example for applying systems modelling and simulation in powertrain development. Best practice in CAE implementation and the systems modelling and simulation architecture are validated using this example. Simulation models of vehicles equipped with CVT and discrete ratio automatic transmissions are presented. A full description of the operation of the transmission system, of the simulation model itself, and of the validation of the model is presented in each case. The potential benefit of the CVT model in transmission calibration is demonstrated. A Transmission Calibration Simulation Tool (TCST) is described within which the discrete ratio simulation model is encapsulated. The TCST includes a user environment in which the simulation model can be parameterised, a variety of simulation runs can be specified, and simulation results are processed. Development of the TCST requires an objective measure of driveability effects that are influenced by the transmission shift schedule. A method for objective assessment of driveability is developed, correlated, and implemented as an integral part of the TCST. This element of the TCST allows trade-off exercises to be conducted between fuel economy and driveability. The development of a transmission calibration based on experimental testing is compared with a similar exercise based on simulation testing. This study shows that, if the TCST is properly integrated into the transmission calibration process, the vehicle test time taken to optimise the calibration for fuel economy could be reduced by six weeks, and a week of calibrator time could be saved. Thus, the aim of the submission is fulfilled, since the benefit of applying systems modelling and simulation in the powertrain development process has been demonstrated. It is concluded that a consistent approach is required for effectively integrating systems modelling and simulation into the product development process. A model is proposed that clarifies how this can be achieved at a local level. It is proposed that in the future, the model is applied whenever systems modelling and simulation is introduced into a powertrain department.

It has long been recognised that inter-organisational collaborations have great potential for learning and knowledge creation, although there has been very limited attention paid to the way in which organisations actually create new knowledge jointly. The present study contributes to this area of research, and examines the processes that facilitate and constrain new knowledge creation in inter­-organisational collaboration. It draws upon five longitudinal case studies of inter-­organisational collaborations across different sectors: pesticides, biotechnology, life sciences, engineering manufacturing, and software development. The study conceptualises inter-organisational learning as production and re-production of inter-­organisational rules that govern inter-organisational relationship, and facilitate and shape joint knowledge creation. The study advances understanding of the mechanisms underlying inter-organisational learning which rely on such aspects of collaboration as the nature of inter-partner interactions, interdependency between collaborating organisations, and power balance among partners. The longitudinal analysis of inter-organisational learning in the course of collaboration development also contributes to understanding of the relationship between inter-organisational learning and collaboration dynamics. The findings indicate that inter-organisational learning can have positive, as well as negative, effects on collaboration development. The results also suggest that inter-organisational learning closely co­evolves with the developmental dynamics of collaboration, meaning that inter-­organisational learning is not only a product of collaboration development, but is also a force capable of shaping it.

This thesis sets out to investigate the possibility that the All China Federation of Trade Unions is capable of reform in the face of the development of capitalist employment relations. The thesis is centred on the examination of hitherto under-researched areas of ACFTU activity by researching the motivations, conditions and actors involved in three local-level pilot projects: collective bargaining, a trade union rights centre and enterprise-level trade union elections. The fieldwork is contextualised by historical summaries of the development of China‟s industrial relations and Party and trade union responses to labour unrest in both the state and private sectors since the establishment of the People‟s Republic in 1949. The results of my research demonstrate that it is no longer appropriate to refer to the ACFTU as a monolithic organisation. Furthermore, my argument departs from mainstream views of the organisation by locating the impetus for trade union reform in the challenge of increasingly sophisticated labour militancy from below, rather than reacting to orders from above. I conclude that while the pilot projects studied each have their own merits and qualifications, taken as a whole they prove that the ACFTU is capable of gradual reform from below. In the light of the improved relations between the ACFTU and the International Trade Union Confederation, this thesis speaks to this fact and aims to contribute to future engagements by expanding the knowledge on which dialogue and trade union exchanges must be based if they are to have any chance of success.

This dissertation investigates the role which the acquisition of external resources plays in firm strategy. External Resource Acquisition (ERA) is a core strategic action for firm survival, especially when firms are faced with high munificence and uncertainty in regards to their resource environment. Primarily driven by the theoretical premises of the Resource Based View (RBV) of the firm (Barney, 1991; Wernerfelt, 1984), scholars have conceptualized ERA as predominantly a resource-driven action. Under this view, firms engage in ERA to alleviate their resource constraints (Combs & Ketchen, 1999), access complementary resources (e.g., Rothaermel, 2001b), and further enhance their knowledge base (e.g., Ahuja & Katila, 2001). These contributions significantly advance understanding on various dimensions of ERA, but they treat the competitive environment of the firm as an exogenous factor. While there is a good theoretical rationale of the exclusion of the competitive environment in terms of the explanatory power of the RBV and its theoretical limits (Peteraf & Barney, 2003), the treatment of ERA as solely a resource-driven action, I argue, significantly fails to provide a holistic assessment on the strategic implications of ERA. I address this gap by a) developing a conceptual framework of ERA that takes into account both the firm’s idiosyncratic attributes and its competitive environment, and b) providing an extensive empirical analysis on the patterns of ERA activity among competing firms. Departing from this resource-driven view of ERA, I argue that ERA can be also seen as a competitor-driven action. I propose that firms engage in ERA to also respond to their competitive environment and more specifically to their competitors’ ERA-related actions. To build the competitive side of my argument, I draw upon the competitive dynamics literature and theories of interorganizational imitation. Taking these two views together, I argue that ERA can be seen as a strategic action that leads to a broader set of strategic choices. Drawing from an extensive sample of 4,729 ERA actions among the top 50 biopharmaceutical firms between 1987 and 2006, my empirical analysis provides overall support for both the resource- and competitor- driven views of ERA. This dissertation makes at least three contributions to the field of strategy. First, it illustrates that firm strategy, at least in the context of ERA, can be better explained when both firm- and competitor- specific explanations of firm action are taken into account. This particularly important for scholars who view firms from a RBV point of view, and tend to exclude the competitive environment of the firm from their conceptual development and analysis. Second, to better understand complex strategic actions, such as ERA, scholars must adopt a broader theoretical perspective of strategic choice. The empirical support of ERA as both resource- and competitor- driven, illustrates that firm strategy cannot be sufficiently explained by one theoretical view. Third, my empirical analysis provides support for the temporal dimension of strategy, when firms are faced with changing technological paradigms. In the case of the biotechnology paradigm, for example, the extent which firm- and competitor- specific factors explain patterns of ERA changes over time.

This study engages with the debates on industrial relations and economic performance at the micro-level. Primarily; this issue has been addressed through the production function approach which seeks to correlate a variable for unionisation with an economic performance measure. Criticisms are put forward which stress the technical limitations of existing studies, the limitations of statistical studies in examining social processes, and theoretical problems with the production function approach. The literature recognises the need for a detailed, processual case study. The thesis is such a case study, examining the Engineering Construction Industry, i. e. the building of large power stations and process plants, from 1960 to 1990. The principal research methods were archive work and interviewing. The industry was chosen because it constituted a 'crucial' case for the argument that labour militancy underlay the UK's poor economic performance in the 1960s and 1970s. The industry was characterised by widespread militancy and large project overruns, the assumption (tested within the thesis) being that the former caused the latter. The key finding is that the chronic project delays were at root due to the opportunistic practices of contractors who deliberately and covertly delayed construction in order to force the client into offering extra payments. A key profit focus of contractors lay in exploiting opportunities to generate additional payments. The widespread militancy of the 1960s and 1970s exacerbated overruns, but the key significance of militancy was that it was used as a tool by contractors in reproducing beneficial commercial relations with clients. The improvement in performance in the 1980s was at root due to the rise of managing contractors who curbed opportunism. Unconstrained by high levels of labour militancy, managing contractors adopted a low trust route to improve project performance, implying that the basis for longer term development has not been laid. A 'crucial' case study of the British worker argument has rejected the thesis that militancy underlay poor performance. The relationship between opportunism, militancy and poor performance uncovered within the study potentially has relevance for other important sectors of the UK economy.

On 30 November 2000, the Accounting Standards Board issued Financial Reporting Standard 17(‘Retirement Benefits’, FRS 17) to supersede Statement of Standard Accounting Practice (‘Accounting for Pension Costs’, SSAP 24). It removed managerial discretion over the main actuarial assumptions used to estimate employers’ pension obligations, and required the recognition of pension assets and liabilities on a consistent ‘fair value’ basis. However, FRS17 was only fully effective for reporting periods ending on or after 30 June 2005. This thesis examines empirically how the prolonged period associated with the debate, promotion and implementation of FRS17 interacted with various managerial pension choices. Evidence of these interactions can help discriminate among competing theoretical perspectives concerning employers’ long-term defined benefit pension obligations. This thesis draws upon these competing theoretical frameworks to develop and test hypotheses concerning the impact of pension accounting regulatory change on UK firms’ discretion over pension actuarial assumptions, termination and asset allocation during the period 1998 – 2002. The empirical results support three major hypotheses. Firstly, the magnitude of expected rate of return on pension assets assumption used for financial reporting purposes is driven primarily by the UK firms’ balance sheet leverage. Secondly, firms’ defined pension benefits termination decision is inter-related with their pension financial reporting choices. Thirdly, the allocation of pension assets has been managed in a way to reduce firms’ cash contribution risks that stem from measuring both pension assets and liabilities on a ‘fair value’ basis. These findings imply managerial discretionary behaviour related to these choices is consistent with the perspective that employer firms and their sponsored pension funds are an integrated economic entity, as is asserted by the new UK pension accounting rule (FRS 17).

In this research is provided a comparative analysis of workers’ mobilisation through a qualitative interpretation of processes, dynamics and effects of collective action in two care multinationals in Córdoba, Argentina, during 1996/1997. What drives workers to periodically contest their surrounding reality and how do they structure their protests? The thesis is based on the view that conflict is inevitable, mobilisation representing one possible form of it, due to the position workers have in the employment relation and for the constant existence of a gap between social needs and commodities produced within capitalist systems. Mobilisation is based on these theoretical objective conditions but subject do not immediately realise this and in the same terms, the process of collective protest implying in itself a deeper consciousness among workers of the meaning of their action. When subjects contest the inevitability of the social system surrounding them remains unpredictable, but the thesis has identified some factors whose absence or presence profoundly influences the chances for collective action to start and be maintained. At the same time the emphasis on the factors that are obstacles to mobilisation allows us to understand the concept of solidarity and its importance within the same process of mobilisation. Contrary to theoretical perspectives that intend collective action as based on individuals’ sense of injustice, this thesis emphasises the need for a reconceptualisation of solidarity within a theory of mobilisation. More generally the thesis calls for a re-evaluation of collective action as a process intrinsically collective whose nature disappears within a social context that constantly tends to individualise and divide. The case of Argentina and the historical perspective within which the mobilisations analysed are inserted, invite us to reconsider the role of traditional trade unions as organisers of protest and the relations between isolated workers’ struggles and more generalised social protests.

This thesis attempts to place a halt sign before the glib generalisations which so frequently are employed to describe what are termed "traditionally militant" workforces. It focuses on the mines and communities of the South Wales coalfield during the period 1937 to 1957 and examines the way in which issues at the coalface combined regularly with an inherited and often unique set of local circumstances to confound the directives and analyses of the central executives of the political parties and of the trade unions. It concerns itself primarily with the symbiotic relationship which existed between the politics of the pit and those of the miners' elected leaders. The work is divided into four chronological parts. The first sets out to construct an image of the coalmining industry in South Wales as it attempted to recover from the enormous setbacks which it suffered during the market depression of the early l930s. The second deals with the war years and their immediate aftermath; the third with the onset of nationalisation, and the fourth with the years of Conservative government from 1951 until the sharp downturn in the demand for coal in 1957/58. The records of the South Wales miners' lodges and those of the union's area and national executives provided my main sources of information. These were greatly supplemented by the detailed reports of the Ministry of Labour's Industrial Relations Officers as well as by the political and industrial columns of local and national newspapers and trade journals. Much valuable material was found amongst the mass of information published by the National Coal Board after l97 and, wherever possible, I have made extensive use of the large and growing collection of tape-recorded oral testimony housed at the South Wales Miners' Library in Swansea.

This thesis sets out to explore the much overlooked phenomenon of non-union employee representation (NERs). The work is concerned with both the utility of these structures from a workforce perspective and the managerial motivation underpinning the presence of these bodies. Further to the exploration of the above themes case study research was carried out in three organisations possessing relatively mature non-union representative structures. In terms of managerial goals it is suggested that that the extant literature affords a partial account; commentators characteristically depict a manifestly defensive intent, with goals evinced in terms of trade union exclusion. This study advances knowledge in this area by providing a more discriminating analysis exploring the contingent factors differentially shaping the managerial response to employee representation. Over and above union avoidance, evidence is presented of certain managerial actors pursuing a more proactive set of goals aimed at securing the cooperation of employees via the legitimacy imbued though the process of consultation. The necessity for such a response is tracked to factors relating to demands in and around the nature of the production regime/mode of service delivery. With regard to the theme of employee empowerment the thesis broadly supports the extant literature in demonstrating that the institutions under review represent largely unavailing vehicles for the furtherance of employee interests. A distinct feature, however, is that in contrast to these predominantly descriptive studies the theme of `voice' is ensconced within a theoretically informed analysis, allowing the study to move beyond this somewhat bland conclusion. The shortcomings are tracked to the key areas of power, autonomy and competence - ultimately manifest in a marked legitimacy gap. In the final analysis it is argued that there are inherent tensions unleashed by this mode of intervention precluding beneficial outcomes for both parties. Specifically, topics relating to the irreconcilability of the pursuit of both corporate and workforce goals through a managerially derived format are considered. Similarly, the rationality and coherence of a managerial agenda pursuant of `rival logics' of action, relating to both issues of workplace control and employee empowerment, is afforded critical scrutiny.