The research examines three aspects of incomes policy: its measurement; its appropriate incorporation in an aggregate model of wage inflation; and the empirical explanation of changes in incomes policy. A continuous quantity measure of policy is derived which incorporates the various pieces of information and attitudes regarding policy. Inclusion of the policy variable in a real wage resistance model of wage inflation finds a statistically significant policy influence but considerable average slippage between ex-ante and ex-post policy influence. Significant incomes policy catch-up effects are also found but these are weaker the longer the length of preceding policy. The most important policy effects on wages identified are in the wage freezes of 1966 and 1972 and during the policy of 1975-77. The stance of incomes policy is reasonably successfully explained by changes in the inflation rate and by deviations of employment from a moving trend of unemployment so that a persistently high level of unemployment is discounted for policy purposes. However, there is considerable inertia in the setting of incomes policy. The overall implication of the wage and policy model developed is that changes in policy can either magnify or dampen exogenous shocks to the wage-price sub-sector and thus policy feedback is not inherently stabilising.

This thesis examines the pattern and level of unemployment in the British Economy from 1855 to 1913. The structure of and variations in supply and demand for labour and unemployment are examined using data mostly from published sources. Various models are discussed and tested on the data using the standard techniques of regression analysis. It is found that the pre first world war labour market can be described as free of major institutional and structural distortions, adjusting via a series of short run equilibria to a long run equilibrium. It is argued that the interwar labour market should be depicted as failing to adjust and suffering continuous excess supply of labour. In this context, the supply side role for the effect of unemployment benefits is limited and the mal-distribution of unemployment across industries and regions is a consequence, rather than a cause of unemployment. It is argued that, under such conditions, there would have been scope for demand management policies and these would have involved both public spending and exchange rate policies.

Utilising data on a sample of large US firms, I explore the relationship between corporate irresponsibility and reputation penalties. I find that reputation, derived from the assessments of managers and market analysts, is infrequently influenced by observations of corporate irresponsibility and that different ‘types’ of irresponsibility events have different underlying effects on perceptions of the firm. Specifically, my results demonstrate that variance within firms’ prior social responsibility perceptions, celebrity status, history of irresponsibility and financial performance ‘shape’ stakeholder attributions of irresponsibility and the subsequent reputation penalties associated with these. Moreover, the results of my empirical analysis suggest that reputations tend to be more resilient than previously purported by extant literature and that reputational assessments appear to be largely ‘path dependent’, in that stakeholders’ prior assessments of the firm may determine the impact of revelations of corporate irresponsibility.

Performance measurement (PM) is the process of attributing value to organizational phenomena such as people, resources, and activities. Over the past two decades, research on PM has shifted from defining the measurement process and designing measurement tools to understanding the implications of the process. However, more research is needed, particularly to illuminate the intricacies between people and performance measurement. This study therefore adopts a social constructionist approach to explore individuals’ subjective responses to the measurement process in social enterprises. Social enterprises offer a rich context because of the complexity of stakeholders who contribute to the definition, financing, and accomplishment of performance, and the requirement to evidence the social, in addition to the financial, outcomes of their work. It is assumed that what is important to the measurement process is how it shapes individuals’ experiences of the organization, the meanings allocated to organizational phenomena, and relationships with others. A naturalistic multiple case study methodology is adopted to investigate the lived experiences of individuals involved in measurement processes. Semi-structured interviews, observations, and documentary analysis are conducted to collect data, which is then triangulated into thick descriptions of people’s uses of PM. The various measurement mechanisms utilized (e.g., key performance indicators, social value measurement tools, meetings, and funder reports) are found to be associated to particular meanings (e.g., social welfare, commercial, or public sector logics), and people’s uses of the mechanisms found to involve an individual level interpretation. This interpretation will depend upon where in the organization an individual is located, the beliefs the individual has in relation to the object being measured (i.e., the measurand), and furthermore affect their emotions and attitudes. The measurement process is therefore characterized as an experiential one, and its results found to depend not only on the structure of the practice (e.g., formal or informal), but on the subjective elements implicated (i.e., symbols, meanings, and beliefs of individuals involved in the measurement process and measurands). Three themes are elaborated which elucidate how and why people respond in multiple ways to performance measurement. Firstly, measurement is a multi-tiered process which occurs at an organizational and individual level simultaneously; therefore, measurement designed to be aligned solely with organizational strategy is insufficient to guarantee a positive response. Secondly, measurement generates an array of responses due to the (mis)alignment between type of properties measured by a measurement mechanism (e.g., cost, quantity, quality, efficiency) and what people view as important. As measurement mechanisms carry particular meanings, the properties of objects which are measured (and then communicated or discussed) do not always align with what individual’s interacting with the measurement process see as important in relation to the measurand. Three overarching responses are uncovered: 1) reinforcement (alignment of the measured property and the individual’s beliefs: positive response in the form of motivation and engagement); 2) reconcilement (mediated alignment of the measured properties across multiple people’s beliefs): positive response through coordination and collaboration; and 3) inhibition (misalignment of the measured property and an individual’s beliefs): negative response through negative emotions and wasted resources. Finally, the conditions which lead to positive experiences of measurement are investigated in-depth and explained by a new concept: personally powered performance. Ultimately, when people’s beliefs are aligned with what the measurement mechanism captures, this activates a personal level of interest and energy within the individual throughout the measurement process, thereby enhancing their experience of performing. This activation of personal power is expressed through positive emotions, strengthened relationships, motivation for goal achievement, and better organizational performance. Theoretically, this research proposes that a subject be invoked into the theory of performance measurement by highlighting that the process is not only about organizations understanding performance, but also about how people value and understand their own experience of performing towards organizational aims. For social value measurement processes this is especially important, as the measured object typically concerns the subjective wellbeing of beneficiaries. Understanding the ways in which measurement enhances people’s capacities to understand themselves, others, and organizations in more meaningful ways is central to ensuring the measurement process has beneficial effects.

Demand planning (DP) is important for business performance. DP depends both on managers and on supporting systems. Managers are known to increase uncertainty by systematically overriding the systems and making unnecessary judgemental adjustments. This is a behavioural problem. Systems are assumed to be represented by different policies and individual differences by measurable traits and characteristics. The contribution of individual differences and policy parameters to DP performance is not clear. A framework is proposed based on the cumulative prospect theory (CPT) and myopic loss aversion (MLA). Methodology of decision making experiment based on the newsvendor is used. Individual differences are collected using previously validated psychometric scales and demographic questions. The sample (N=339) includes three main groups: professional planners (N=84), naïve students (N=166), logistics and supply chain management (L&SCM) students (N=56). The MLA hypothesis is supported. Longer planning horizons (less frequent decisions) outperforms short planning horizons. Regarding individual differences, only experience/knowledge and naïve interventionism are significant predictors of DP performance. L&SCM students with theoretical knowledge but without practical experience perform the best. No significant difference in performance is found between professional planners and naïve students. Naïve interventionism (plan instability) contributes negatively to DP performance. Personality (Big Five), impulsiveness, propensity to plan, decision-making style or demographics (e.g. age, sex, and years of experience or managerial level) are not significant for DP performance. The view that there is a ‘right’ mind-set (personality) to be a good planner is challenged. DP policy can offset individual differences. A MLA informed policy can reduce uncertainty introduced by behaviour. System restrictiveness (binding policy for long commitment) outperforms decisional guidance (non-binding policy for optional commitment). This is one of the first applications of CPT and MLA to DP decisions.

My research explored the educational experiences of young people who had been at risk of dropping out and/or who had dropped out of secondary education, and subsequently went on to obtain a qualification at a second chance provision. Second chance provisions are designed to support the acquisition of self-efficacy and career adaptability, which led them to pursue their career in higher education and/or in the labour market. Social constructionism acts as an overarching theory because it postulates that knowledge is both situated and relative, which helps explore the situation of young people in different policy contexts. This thesis presents a comparative research study of comprehensive measures related to Early School Leaving (ESL) in Denmark, England and Hungary. The comprehensive strategies and policy contexts developed and implemented to combat ESL in these three European countries were found to be substantially distinctive when their differences and similarities were examined. The organisations offering second chance provision that were chosen for this research are all members of the Association of European Cities and Second Chance Schools (E2C), which implies that the teaching methodology is different from the mechanisms in use in mainstream education. The doctoral research is based on comparative fieldwork in three urban areas, allocated pseudonyms as follows: Øresund City (Denmark), Paprika City (Hungary) and Grey Town (England). The fieldwork was carried out over the course of 14 months. Empirical data were collected from observations conducted in second chance provisions; a total of 28 interviews with former students; and a total of 21 interviews with a range of stakeholders including policy makers, teachers, and career counsellors. By listening to the voices of former students, the analysis focusses on the relevance and importance of different sources of support with special regard to positive relationships, such as those between the teacher/career counsellor/social worker and the student, as well as peer support as motivators to sustain or re-establish engagement in education. Data analysis chapters concentrate on how young people described their career at school, their negative experiences in mainstream settings and their learning pathways in second chance provisions. Special attention was paid to their interpretations about the influences, which they considered beneficial to their careers in education and later in their adult life. Interviews with these stakeholders and grass roots professionals were used to gain insight into the policy context of the three countries. The thesis concludes with policy recommendations based on the findings of the study. My original contribution to knowledge is a qualitative cross-national comparative study, which focussed on students’ lives and career trajectories with a comparative lens in depth. Therefore, the qualitative research described herein had the potential to be more sensitive to the micro-processes of students’ experiences in education and in the labour market, and moreover, their impacts on young people’s well-being and future perspectives to give a more distinct image of dropouts in three different policy contexts.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

<p> Adoption of nitrogen (N) management strategies to minimize gaseous N loss from agriculture while maintaining high yield production is increasingly important for an exponentially growing population. Agricultural management on poorly-drained claypan soils in the Midwestern U.S. make corn (<i> Zea mays</i> L.) production even more challenging due to the subsoil&rsquo;s low permeability, which may result in wetter soil conditions and relatively larger amounts of soil N₂O emissions during the growing season. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of urea fertilizer placement with and without the addition of a nitrification inhibitor (NI) on corn yield, N use efficiency (NUE), and cumulative soil N2O emissions on a Northeastern Missouri claypan soil. The fertilizer strategies utilized in this study consisted of deep-banded urea (DB) or urea plus nitrapyrin [2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine] (DB+NI) at a depth of 20 cm compared to urea broadcast surface applied (SA) or incorporated to a depth of 8 cm (IA). The addition of a NI with deep-banded urea resulted in 27% greater apparent N recovery efficiency than all other N treatments. Additionally, DB+NI had 54 and 55% lower cumulative soil N₂O emissions than IA and SA treatments in the two combined growing seasons. These results suggest that deep placement of urea with or without nitrapyrin is an effective management strategy for increasing corn yield and reducing N loss on a claypan soil.</p><p>

This thesis has aimed to explore the strategy chosen by unions in multinationals which in turn would influence the union’s behaviour towards the management in the so-called ‘neo-liberalism’ environment. Multinationals were chosen for this thesis as multinationals have been among the role players in Indonesian economy particularly after the Suharto’s era (1966-onwards). As cheap labour is one of the necessary conditions to attract foreign investment as Indonesia does not have technological superiority or abundant skilled labour, it was important to examine the role of trade union in multinationals as the representative of the employees to enhance to conditions of its members. Four multinationals from different industries were studied to enable comparison.The theoretical model underpinning this thesis has been that of Huzzard’s (2004) strategic choice model. This model suggested that there are four levels of strategy which unions would have to choose. The Huzzard’s strategic choice model ranges form choosing and defining the union’s mission, ideology and identity to that of choosing union’s structures, processes and capacities. This model also suggests that the choice of the strategy is highly influenced by the internal and external factors of the union.

The impact of employment legislation on the conduct of employment relations has been widely studied, but there has been relatively little attention to the effects on human resource professionals. The thesis investigates this issue by conducting thirty one semi-structured interviews at three public sector organisations. Three potential areas of impact are identified: The conduct of the role, notably whether it has become more legalistic; the potential to play a part in organisations’ wider strategies; and the professional status of human resource. With regard to the first, the role of the human resource professional in working practice is found to be akin to that of an organisational legal adviser, including mitigating potential risks of employee litigation. On the second, strategic decision making is found to be a problematic area in employee relations as there are too many unknowns and external influences that are beyond the control of the human resource function. Nonetheless, the strength of the function lies in sound pragmatic operational strategic practices. Finally, on the third the thesis argues that human resource professionals within the employee relations environment are organisation-based pragmatic legal advisors but that they lack the educational advantage and decision making skills required of legal professionals. Nevertheless, employment regulation has raised the expertise level needed in the profession, which in turn has elevated the human resource identity such that in future the role may move even further in the direction of formalisation and professionalisation.