The growing fatality of road traffic accidents in most cities constitutes a public health challenge. Annually, about 1.24 million people are killed from road accidents, among which more than one fifth of these deaths occur among pedestrians. Pedestrian collisions are even more prevalent in cities that host mass gathering events such as the Hajj. Yet this phenomenon has been neglected within the existing literature. Correspondingly, this research examines the relationship between pilgrims' pedestrian casualties and the land use type in Madinah. The relationship between the land use and pedestrian casualty was determined from pilgrims pedestrian casualty data (N=2204) from 2001 to 2005 supplied by the Madinah Police Department. The accident data is characterized by the personal and socio-demographic attributes of the victims as well as the land use type of the accident. The significant findings from this study show that male pilgrims were over represented in pedestrian casualty in Madinah. This is consistent with other road accident studies in Arab-Muslim countries which also recorded higher male casualty compared to female. Again, more men embark on pilgrimage than their female counterpart. Young pilgrim (12-20's) pedestrians suffer the most casualties; while the least casualty was recorded for child pilgrim pedestrians (<12). In terms of day of the week, the high casualty occurs on Friday which is an important day for prayer that usually cause high incident of traffic and over-crowdedness. Though almost three-quarter of the pilgrim pedestrians sustained their casualties during high season months as most Moslem pilgrims embarks on pilgrimage during this period. However, most pilgrims' pedestrians suffer casualty during non-praying time because during prayer time, most of them would either be in the Mosque or residence fulfilling their obligation to pray, thereby, making them less exposed to pedestrian-vehicle collisions. In modelling the relationship between pilgrims' pedestrians and land use type, quasi-Poisson regression models fitted the accident data better than Negative Binomial regression models. Most of the models developed indicate strong association between pilgrims' pedestrian casualties and commercial and religious land use types. For the major land use types, fatalities were more prevalent in the commercial and religious land use types. In terms of road type, the highest iii casualties occurred on single carriageway-2 lanes and mostly on roads around the Holy site. Whilst the results indicate that there is a greater number of accidents occurring in proximity to junctions or close to T,Y or staggered junctions categories taken together, the large single category of accidents occurred ‘not at junction or within 20 metres of junction. Nevertheless, majority of coefficients for road type and junction details variables were insignificant. Main findings from this research are discussed and suitable recommendations are made to assist policy makers in proffering countermeasures to will help improve safety and reduce accidents. One of the main findings of this research is that the serious accident pattern indicates the need for improved pedestrian facilities for pilgrims. This is the major outcome of the modelling and the analysis in general.

This study provides a spatial and temporal examination of land use change in a southern Illinois wilderness area. The study area is the Clear Springs and Bald Knob Wilderness areas. Land patent and Forest Service acquisition records were compiled with spatial and temporal elements of land transfers examined utilizing a geographic information system (GIS). Current wilderness recreation site impacts and opportunities for solitude conditions were inventoried. Land-cover data for 1938, 1965, 1993, and 2005 were created and analyzed utilizing a geographic information system (GIS). Results indicate that land use change and land ownership have varied both spatially and temporally. First, land ownership transfers were influenced by land costs, availability of funds and topography. Lower land costs resulted in increased land transfers. Bottomlands remained in private ownership for longer periods of time. Second, minimal developments or human improvement for visitor convenience were evident in the wilderness areas. Remote areas offer ample opportunities for wilderness visitors to seek solitude. Wilderness management efforts should continue to monitor areas on a five-year basis to capture status and trends. Third, intensity and temporal human-initiated landscapes have varied. Upland forest dominated the land cover in 1938 with some evidence of grass and croplands located predominantly on bottomlands. By 1993, grass and cropland had virtually been removed from this landscape replaced by forests. Evidence of past land use change exists on the landscape.

Business practitioners, policy makers and the media have been engaged in ongoing discussions and practical initiatives towards organisational culture management. This is in spite of the range of complexities that academics have identified relating to the viability of managing organisational culture. Previous academic studies on organisational culture management, in view of these complexities, have focused mainly on analysing internal factors and intricacies in the process of culture management. This has resulted in culture change or stability outcomes. In addition, most of these studies based their analyses within Western organisational context with very few studies on organisational culture management in developing economies, especially in Africa. This thesis extends the literature on organisational culture management with a focus on analysing the influence of an external factor on attempts towards managing organisational culture. Using a single case study approach, the study analyses an overlooked research context of an African organisation, exploring the relationship context between a Nigerian oil and gas company (undergoing a culture management at the time of the study) and its host communities (external factor) in the Niger Delta region. The study draws on Perrault et al. (2011) stakeholder tetrad as a stakeholder theoretical lens to analyse host community stakeholders and their relationship with the case organisation. It then examines the implications of this relationship context towards attempts to manage an ethical culture in the organisation. The findings, drawn from a qualitative research (2014-2016), indicate that organisational-external environment context, with strong ties on power and exchange relationships, would influence attempts of executives to manage organisational culture that is alien to ambient society. The study offers contributions to knowledge on organisational culture management by introducing a stakeholder theoretical lens to explore external and internal stakeholders of organisations in order to evaluate the implications of internal-external relationship on culture management. The study also contributes to stakeholder management studies by developing Perrault et al. (2011) stakeholder tetrad, particularly the stakeholder tactic construct; and contributes to African management and organisation studies by highlighting the aspect of adaptation relationship practices, a combination of international and local expectations and cultures. Further theoretical and practical contributions and implications of this study are discussed in the concluding chapter.

The study examines the role of government venture funding in facilitating entrepreneurship and innovation. In particular, the study integrates financial and behavioural perspectives in a unified framework to analyse the determinants and outcomes of innovation investments designed to help small firms commercialise their research and development activities. On the one hand, it draws upon real options reasoning theory to understand the effects of various resource allocation strategies on investment yield and firm performance. On the other hand, it uses signalling theory and the attention- based view to examine which individual-, project- and firm-level characteristics affect early- and late- stage funding allocation decisions, and whether these signals are also accurate predictors of investment yield and firm performance. To investigate government investment patterns, 367 projects from 275 firms that participated in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme administered by the National Health Institute in the U.S. were analysed over a seven-year period from 2006 to 2012 using a combination of statistical and econometric techniques. First, the study finds that the formal real options reasoning (ROR) structure evident in the composition and execution of the government venture funding programme is only intuitively underpinned by the real options logic of decision-making. The results reveal that high initial funding commitment and continuation of government venture funding have a diminishing effect on return on investment, whereas consistent matching of funding decisions in line with ROR allows to extract value from staged investments. Second, drawing on signalling theory and attention-based view helps uncover discrepancies between prescribed and actual investment behaviour. Third, to benefit from options-like investments, firms require different combinations of skills and capabilities depending on their experience and the target performance outcome. In sum, the study adds to the empirical body of literature analysing the tension between economic logic of efficient resource allocation and behavioural and cognitive effects on rational sense- making. The analysis delineates boundary conditions of real options reasoning in the context of government venture funding, which provides important implications for strategic management theory and research policy.

This study considers major challenges surrounding the governance of petroleum resources, and the implications for the economic growth and development of hydrocarbon-abundant countries as a result of ineffective economic, political, and social mechanisms. This study investigates the causal factors that may promote or hinder the effective management of oil and gas resources in the Kurdistan Region as a new oil and gas producing region. The large and growing body of resource curse literature has used either quantitative or qualitative cross-country approaches to investigate the determinant factors contributing to poor economic performance in natural resource-rich countries, especially petroleum-driven economies. Few research studies have used mixed methods to study the resource curse in order to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing petroleum-exporting countries that have been unable to convert their petroleum wealth into long-term sustainable development. This research uses different methods to explore the economic, political, and social channels behind the resource curse theory. The study consists of three sequential phases: a quantitative cross-country (econometric) analysis, a qualitative cross-country (comparative) policy analysis, and a qualitative case study (semi-structured interviews). The findings reveal that well-designed governance of the oil and gas sector is a key determinant of the oil and gas producing countries’ success in the management of petroleum resources. The results and research methods contribute to the debate in the literature on the resource curse regarding major explanations for the poor economic performance of natural resource-rich countries by adopting a methodological triangulation approach. The results also contribute to the political economy literature by showing that a well-designed institutional structure for the oil and gas sectors can contribute to greater accountability, transparency, and capacity building in the major petroleum-exporting countries. A petroleum governance model for the Kurdistan Region is proposed, which may be useful for other regions and states with similar circumstances or characteristics.

The general goal of this research is to address the question, what makes consensus work in resource management decision-making? Its purpose is to identify success factors for employing the consensus decision-making model specifically in land use planning; to examine the models incepted by the government of British Columbia during the period 1992-1995; and to investigate the application and effectiveness of the models as actually employed in integrated resource planning in British Columbia. The specific objective is to develop a general diagnostic framework for evaluation, based on indicators and success factors derived from a review of pertinent literature; from interviews with stakeholder participants in these processes; through review of government documentation, and through interviews with government officials who design and manage those processes. Four general success factors for public involvement were derived from the literature: Integrity; Explicit Objectives; Early Stakeholder Identification; and Strategic Communication. These are then examined in this research in the context of consensus. Government documentation provides a historical background of the development of integrated resource management in the province. It is shown that British Columbia’s resource-based economy is cyclic and it is postulated that environmental policies and proactive planning tend to swing with economic cycles. Increasing environmental conflict in the 1990’s led the governments of the day to embrace innovative planning methods, including provisions for public involvement at the degree of shared decision-making, or consensus processes with affected stakeholders. Consensus was employed at the regional level with the establishment of the Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) in 1992, and even earlier at the sub-regional scale with Land and Resource Management Planning; and at the community level with Local Resource Use Plans, administered by the Ministry of Forests. No provision for evaluating these processes was outlined; existing evaluations consisted of summative reports prepared by process managers or facilitators. Interviews with policy and senior managers of government contributed another success factor to be tested, that of Management Style. Additional success factors were compiled through a pilot study, government reports, and previous evaluations, such as the CORE Vancouver Island survey. In-depth interviews were conducted with 50 managers and participants of consensus processes at all three levels, in eight planning regions of the province. As interviews of participants proceeded, any new factors which emerged were also added to the list below. Integrity of process, Commitment of participants, Openness, Explicit objectives, Early stakeholder identification, Strategic communication, Facilitator, Solid information, Clear policy guidelines, Prescreening participants, Training, Neutral chair/process mgr., Interpersonal dynamic, Clear operating principles, Relationships, Representative of constituency, Funding, Continuity of participants, Local participants, Meeting facility, Plain language, Size of group, Budget, support of ministry, Respondents rated, defined and discussed these factors, and answered general questions regarding success of consensus processes. From qualitative and quantitative analysis, using the spreadsheet program Excel, the following indicators (the top quartile) were determined to be “critical” to the success of a consensus planning process: Integrity; Solid Information; Facilitator, Commitment of Participants; Explicit Objectives; Training; Strategic Communication; and Government Support. Based on an analysis of the definitions and comments of participants, an evaluation framework was developed for consensus processes in land use planning. This includes diagnostic questions, followed by further considerations and recommendations for some critical indicators. The significance of this study will be in the short term to planners of consensus public involvement processes; in the long run as part of an adaptive model of contemporary resource management decision-making. / Graduate

Public Service Motivation (PSM) has become one of the most prominent and widely used theoretical models to explain employee psychology and behaviours in the public sector. It theorises that higher levels of PSM lead to positive outcomes for public service employees, such as greater job satisfaction, stronger organisational commitment and lower intention to quit. However, these relationships have not been confirmed consistently in different national contexts, and the exact role of PSM in shaping employee attitudes and behaviours is still being explored. Because of this, PSM researchers increasingly advocate for a more institution-focused approach in investigating PSM. This study contributes to the existing research by investigating possible negative institutional influences at macro level, something that has been largely omitted by the PSM researchers so far. Specifically, it looked into the influence of wasta, a form of Arabic indigenous nepotism, on PSM and PSM-employee outcomes relationships. The study also aimed to shed light on international PSM dynamics by investigating its role in a new context (The Saudi Ministry of Education) and applies an internationally validated questionnaire for a more precise investigation of PSM in a non-western environment. A mixed method research design was applied by using 206 survey responses and 20 semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were used to supplement the quantitative results described by a robust moderated regression model. The results of the study confirmed the presence of a negative effect of wasta on both PSM and employee outcomes. Wasta also showed negative moderating effect on the relationship between PSM and organisational commitment as well as PSM and job satisfaction. A partial mediating effect of PSM was observed for the relationship between wasta and organisational commitment as well as wasta and job satisfaction. In the course of analysis, PSM variable was parcelled into two factors representing norm-based rational and affective (emotional) dimensions of motivation. The observed effects were stronger for norm-based rational PSM. The results of the study confirmed the presence of negative institutional influences of wasta on PSM, employee outcomes and the relationships between them. Such influences were both direct and indirect. This suggests that public service organisations aiming to enhance their employees’ motivation and improve employee outcomes should seek ways to decrease the influence of negative institutions in their working environments. Some practical suggestions in this regard are offered.

Businesses today face particularly intense competitive pressures. The demand for customised solutions, fast delivery and high quality is growing rapidly, and all in a global marketplace which is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Consequently, much attention has been paid to those firms which have succeeded in this environment in order to discover what contributes to their comparatives. One of the ways in which firms can meet the challenges of this new competitive environment is through innovation. In particular, the way in which innovation is organised within the firm has been regarded as important in contributing to competitiveness. It has also been argued that firms may benefit from collaborating with other firms in the innovation process and that a location close to other firms in the same sector and suppliers may help firms to innovate more efficiently, as suggested by the proponents of industrial districts and milieu theories. By using the example of the successful UK high fidelity audio manufacturing sector, this study aims to discover the significance of these different factors. The results of this study suggest that innovation is the most widespread response to the pressures faced by firms and in order to innovate it was found that several factors were of great importance. Firstly, the abilities of certain key individuals and the accumulation of know-how and expertise within the firm wre crucial. This provided firms with the technological expertise necessary to exploit technological and market opportunities. Secondly, certain types of collaboration were important. For example, there was widespread vertical collaboration with suppliers in the innovation process. However, horizontal linkages with other hi-fi firms and vertical collaboration with users, universities and various business services were much less common. Thirdly, it was evident that the location of hi-fi firms was important but in a rather different way and at a different scale to examples of agglomeration elsewhere. It was more useful to view the UK as a whole as being an important place for hi-fi production in the global economy. Finally, these findings have various implications for government support of innovation. In particular it is important that more support is given to innovation projects in single firms and those developing incremental innovations. It is also imperative that there is greater investment in education and training in order that the UK possesses a workforce with the ability to develop new ideas and exploit opportunities for innovation.

A low carbon future poses the question, how will low carbon technology be integrated? One possibility is to retain back-up conventional generators. Other possibilities are technical energy storage, and for demand side management to play a more important role. With the advent of smart metering it is possible consumers could be given real-time prices from their energy supplier. If energy storage is to be implemented investors and stakeholders must have an idea of the likely revenues. Chapter 1 estimates arbitrage revenues for a small price taking store in a GB 2050 electricity market scenario. We do so by estimating equilibrium market prices, which provide us with a market based approach to valuation. It also estimates the effect that the characteristics of the store, and market concentration has on revenues. If energy storage is to be installed in enough capacity to smooth out large fluctuations in net demand then the economics of a small, price taking, store are no longer valid. An energy store would become a strategic player in the market and a Nash equilibrium between generators and the store must be reached. Chapter 2 proposes a methodology for estimating large scale energy storage strategies and revenues, and estimates them. Chapter 3 then turns to address time-of-use (TOU) tariffs. One potential threat to TOU tariffs is the fear they will lead to winners and losers and that they may be regressive or affect certain sectors of society more than others. Here we explore these issues by taking advantage of a unique data-set, the Household Electricity Survey (HES). We analyse the distributional effects of various revenue-neutral TOU tariffs which are designed to reflect the true cost of meeting electricity demand. We perform this welfare analysis under both the assumptions of no demand response and demand response respectively.

<p> The objective of this research was to investigate the role of land cover changes through time in influencing spatial variability of the surface urban heat island of the metropolitan area of Reno-Sparks, Nevada. Free and widely available thermal data from Landsat 7 ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) sensor was gathered for a period between 2004 and 2017 and processed to at-satellite surface temperature. Using parcel data and the National Land Cover Database, the time series of Landsat data was sampled for areas which had undergone development during that time. This sample was cross-validated with ten iterations of equal sample size, with a mean correlation coefficient of 0.623 (standard deviation of 0.008) versus the model&rsquo;s value of 0.624. A set of generalized linear models was conducted on this sample to determine expected temperature change with land cover class. It was found that recently developed regions within Reno-Sparks are 0.6 &deg;C warmer on average than the undeveloped desert grasses and sage. When wetlands/irrigated greenery were converted to impervious surfaces, it resulted in a positive surface temperature change of over 2 &deg;C. Once developed, no significant difference was found in the surface temperature trends. This research, using remote sensing technologies, has shown that the Reno-Sparks surface urban heat island has undergone local, but measurable growth in the last fourteen years.</p><p>