Interprofessional working is an essential part of a health service delivery system. Effective delivery of health services relies on the contribution of health care professionals with different types of expertise. Interprofessional working occurs in all parts of the health system, but it occurs in different ways depending upon the organisational circumstances and the needs of service users. The aim of the study is to examine how health care professionals collaborate and to assess their perceptions of interprofessional working on health care delivery. This study discusses different sides of professional power, identity and autonomy between medical, nursing and allied health professionals. A power perspective of the theory of professions is followed in order to analyse different perceptions of professionals involved in this study. A qualitative research case study was used in this study. The fieldwork was conducted in three hospitals in Nepal by using a semi-structured interview schedule. Purposive sampling was used and, altogether, thirty-eight health care professionals participated in the research. The study suggests that interprofessional working is widely recognised and understood. Health care professionals also valued the relevance of interprofessional working despite the fact that it is a relatively new concept in Nepalese hospitals. This study finds that there were no significant differences found in interprofessional working practices between the three different hospitals in Nepal. It is also observed that interprofessional working is not sufficiently motivated amongst health care professionals and adequate support for it is lacking from all stakeholders. Nurses and allied health professionals are quite critical towards the role of medical professionals because they feel dominated and professionally isolated from the medical staff. In practice there appears to be various organisational, professional and interpersonal barriers such as lack of education on interprofessional care, interpersonal and communication skills. The study concludes with recommendations to improve interprofessional working in Nepalese hospitals.

This PhD thesis is a qualitative comparative case study of industrial policy, skill formation, and job quality in the offshore wind turbine manufacturing industry in Denmark, Germany and England. It engages with the comparative industrial relations, skill formation, and job quality literature and proposes an alternative analytical and theoretical framework to the widely-used Varieties of Capitalisms approach (Hall and Soskice, 2001). This alternative framework is based on Marxist regulation school (Aglietta, 2015 [1979], Boyer, 2005), the marketisation framework (Doellgast and Greer, 2013), and previous studies of the offshore wind industry. This thesis makes another theoretical contribution by extending the concept investor capitalism (Useem, 1996) to describe the underlying logic identified in the design and implementation of offshore wind turbine industrial policy. This thesis also presents a number of important empirical findings, which suggest that theories that solely focus on supply side factors, miss half of the equation of what makes the “institutional foundations of the comparative advantage” of political economies and companies (Hall and Soskice, 2001). The way demand side policies incentivise investment decisions also plays an important part (cf. Aglietta, 2015 [1979]). This thesis shows how supply and demand side policies impact on skill formation and job quality in the offshore wind turbine industry. In more detail, this thesis identifies specific characteristics of funding for skill formation by industrial policy: ‘permanent’ in Denmark, ‘ad hoc’ in Germany, and ‘post-hoc’ in England. The nature of skill formation providers and public funding provisions impact on the character of participants in training programmes, favouring disadvantaged applicants in Germany in contrast to favouring high performing ones in England. The way skill formation was funded impacted on employer engagement in the institutionalisation of vocational education and training (VET) programmes - employers in Denmark supported the institutionalisation of emerging occupational profiles and corresponding VET, whereas in Germany they argued against it, presumably because they would incur the costs of dual vocational training once it was established. Short-term skills funding as part of ‘ad hoc’ and ‘post hoc’ industry policy had destabilising knock-on effects on skill formation providers in England as well as in Germany. This is a surprising finding, as both countries are usually characterised as examples of institutional complementarity and hence stability. This thesis shows that varying demand side policy impacts on work-based training and strengthens agencies. The combination of supply and demand side policies leads to a dynamic relationship between skills and job quality. Vocational skills may lead to stronger employment security, but not necessarily job security, and they are not a panacea against bad jobs. Active labour market policy (ALMP) training, when provided to directly employed unskilled workers during short-time work, and the lack of equivalent provisions for agency workers reinforced dualisation of the labour market.

Based on the overall findings and implications of this study, this dissertation offers a siting strategy for addressing the NIMBY problem. The strategy calls for policy-makers to develop a more collaborative, learning and deliberative engagement process, address public concerns and past negative experiences, and build trust by iv enhancing their performance in planning and siting LULUs to meet public expectations. Finally, suggestions for future research are provided. / Siting locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) is a major policy problem across different societies. The problem is particularly pronounced in Hong Kong because of its small size, high population density and rapid development. The term NIMBY (not in my backyard) is generally used to describe public opposition towards LULUs. The literature highlights the importance of understanding the basis of public objections so as to resolve siting conflicts effectively. Thus, the purpose of this study is to address the NIMBY problem in Hong Kong by unraveling the factors that affect public response to siting, with particular focus on trust, and to suggest a siting strategy that can address public opposition to LULUs. A conceptual framework based on previous studies for understanding public response to LULU siting is developed to guide this study. The framework includes such factors as the perceived need for the facility, perceived risk, fairness, trust in government and certain socio-demographic characteristics, in addition to community siting experience, which has not been sufficiently studied in the past. This framework also includes the attributes that affect the formation of trust. / This research utilizes social surveys to investigate the factors underlying public opposition and in-depth interviews to explore the role of trust from the perspective of stakeholders. Four social surveys were conducted, one across the whole of Hong Kong (1,002 respondents) and the other three in local districts. Over 750 respondents had been surveyed in each district. These surveys were designed to investigate general public perceptions towards LULU siting, the influence of community siting experiences, and the factors that are most influential upon public acceptance/ opposition towards LULUs. Findings of the four social surveys are broadly similar and demonstrate that public have broad interests embracing social, political, environmental, risk and health concerns. The survey findings confirm that the NIMBY problem is prevalent in Hong Kong and that the most unwanted LULUs are those without demonstrated societal need and those which are perceived to be risky. The public feel that it is unfair to site LULUs in their districts; they think it is fairer to distribute LULUs evenly across districts, or based on local needs. The results also suggest a lack of trust in the government, reflecting a possible breakdown in communication between the planning authority and the public. In addition, comparison of the three local surveys shows that responses from the three communities are broadly similar, but there are some inter-community differences in terms of the magnitude of their responses. Results show that residents from communities with negative siting experiences have a lower degree of acceptance of LULUs, a stronger sense of unfairness about siting LULUs in their districts, and a lower level of trust in the government than do residents of communities without negative experiences. They also tend to be more sensitive to the risks associated with LULUs and to have a stronger preference for more public participation and implementation of effective mitigation and monitoring programs as methods for resolving siting conflicts. Further, results of the binary logistic regression analysis show that people are likely to oppose LULU siting if they have had a negative siting experience, do not perceive the need for the facility, accord a high risk to the facility and have a low level of trust in government. The above results suggest that it is important to understand and address public perceptions so as to resolve siting conflicts effectively. The importance and formation of trust was studied by conducting in-depth interviews with 35 local stakeholders. The respondents confirm the importance of trust in promoting consensus building and collaboration, which are conducive to conflict resolution. The conception of trust is also shown to be relevant to the respondents' evaluation of trust attributes including competence, openness, credibility, accountability, objectivity, fairness and caring. Moreover, the stakeholders require a higher level of trust in proponents involved in siting more risky or polluting LULUs. To enhance trust, the stakeholders recommend that proponents increase public participation and develop effective communications, and improve performance to meet social expectations on matters related to LULU planning and siting. / Woo, Lai Yan. / Advisers: K.C. Lam; T. Fung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-186). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract and appendixes 2, 3-5, 7 also in Chinese.

Hu Tianxin. / "August 2003." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 206-220). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

A key question in entrepreneurship research is how certain individuals in different contexts are able to generate superior venture performance. Micro-entrepreneurs in emerging and transition economies lack access to various forms of capital to launch and grow new ventures, as they operate in settings characterised by resource scarcity and underdeveloped market institutions. To meet the need for tangible financial resources, lenders provide small loans to stimulate business development. Yet financial capital alone does not ensure successful business outcomes, raising questions as to how micro-entrepreneurs deploy intangible resources to drive growth. Based on in-person survey interviews conducted with 164 entrepreneurs receiving loans at community banks in Zhejiang Province, China, as well as qualitative field data, this study examines the impact of human capital, social capital, and psychological capital on the growth of micro-enterprises in China, with a focus on the moderating role of psychological capital. By integrating psychological capital with human capital and social network approaches, this study fills a research gap at the intersections of these three perspectives. The contributions of this study include establishing boundary conditions for these theories to explain how entrepreneurs overcome resource scarcity to grow ventures within a relational society undergoing a transition to a market economy.

This thesis is concerned with analysing the extent that technology transfer contributes to the improvement and development of technological capabilities through learning at the firm level in a developing country context, and the impact of this process on the emergence and changes of key characteristics of innovation systems. Therefore, it investigates how innovation systems change over time and how they were influenced by technology transfer activities in the materials industry in Turkey between 1967 and 2001. As a contribution to the theory, the concept of technological capability is used as a bridge from the notion of technology transfer to that of the innovation system. Innovation system studies tend to rely on R&D statistics via innovation surveys for empirical analyses, whereas these could well be defined by qualitative data collected on technological capabilities through interviews. This thesis follows the latter route within an analytical framework that is designed for a firm-centred analysis. The qualitative data obtained from the interviews were transformed into categorical quantitative data to be used in multinomial logistic regression and linear regression analyses. This thesis shows firstly that firm-level capabilities were increasing over time during the period from 1967 to 2001 in the materials industry in Turkey. They were also increasing over time with the rising level of technological capabilities in the firms and the firms' involvement in both collaborative relationships and in-house activities. Secondly, firmlevel capabilities shape the way the interactions in the innovation system change. As their level of technological capabilities deepen, firm interactions increase and shift to a moderate degree in plausible directions towards domestic agents, which are predominantly universities and research institutes. These findings support the firmdriven nature of the innovation systems.

This thesis analyses EU energy policy from a comparative agenda-setting perspective providing new theoretical and empirical insights into EU energy policy-making. Although two of the founding treaties of the European Communities covered the coal and nuclear sectors, the European Union has struggled ever since to establish itself in the field of energy policy. In particular, it failed to include an explicit Community competence on energy in Community primary law in subsequent treaty revisions – with the exception of the new Title XX on Energy introduced with the Lisbon Treaty. Nonetheless the European Union has established itself as an important player in European energy policy, as reflected in EU directives on energy market liberalisation, energy efficiency standards and targets for renewable energy sources. At the same time, policymakers at various levels, business, NGOs and experts agree that more EU energy policy is needed to face current and future transnational policy challenges, notably, climate change and energy security. This has led to numerous studies with policy recommendations on EU level action in the field of energy policy. By contrast, very few studies have analysed the drivers and barriers of EU energy policy-making and factors that can explain policy change and stability. Yet a better understanding of EU energy policy-making is a necessary precondition for the development of appropriate policy recommendations. This thesis provides an analysis of EU energy policy-making by identifying factors that can explain change and stability from an agenda-setting perspective. Drawing upon EU studies and agenda-setting literature the analysis distinguishes between two different agenda-setting routes, high and low politics, along the key stages of an issue career: initiation, specification, expansion and entrance. It accounts for the following key variables in EU agenda-setting: contextual factors, policy entrepreneurs, issue definition, and institutional venues. These are applied to two contrasting case studies of EU energy policy: nuclear energy and renewable energy. The study shows how and why Community initiatives failed in an institutionally ‘strong' EU energy policy arena under Euratom, but succeeded in the field of renewable energy under the EC Treaty.

Electricity production and consumption are at the heart of modern life and are therefore of great interest to public policy. Threats such as security of supply concerns, the volatility of fuel and electricity prices, and especially environmental concerns like climate change, are putting increasing pressure on current electricity systems. One key response by governments has been support for innovation. It is widely acknowledged that electricity systems will have to change fundamentally in order to deliver on political goals. This will require deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Incremental change along established technological trajectories is unlikely to be sufficient. Instead ‘system innovations' have been suggested as a solution by scholars and policy makers. What are the politics of such an endeavour? To answer this question this thesis looks at two distinct policy initiatives to promote more sustainable electricity systems: the ‘Energy Transition' project in the Netherlands and the ‘Carbon Trust' in the UK. While the aim of the two policy initiatives is similar, they try to tackle the challenge in very different ways. The analysis is based on semi-structured interviews as well as a review of documents and secondary literature and follows a process tracing method, combining within-case and cross-case analysis. By utilising a framework based on ‘discursive institutionalism' (as per Hajer and Schmidt) the study aims to shed light on the importance of both discourses and institutional contexts in shaping policy initiatives to promote ‘system innovations'. It demonstrates the mechanisms by which particular framings of the problem, expressed through new storylines, come to legitimate particular government policies. It emerges that existing institutions not only shape which storylines are politically acceptable but also constitute tangible features of the organisational and technical environment which those initiatives must change. In conclusion, the thesis argues that the politics of governing ‘system innovations' can usefully be conceptualised and explained by struggles about meaning. These are shaped in turn through discursive interactions between actors as well as existing institutions. By highlighting the interplay between discourses, interests and institutions, the results provide an input to scholarly debate and policy making alike, in ways that offer to help inform the rethinking of strategies for fostering socio-technical ‘system innovations'.

This thesis is concerned with the organisation of innovation in the interaction between multinational companies and host-country innovation systems. It proposes a framework for characterising the decentralised governance of innovation projects in sectors and identifying emerging organisational configurations in this specific context. The general characteristics of the project-based knowledge networks are examined in terms of (i) the shifting boundaries between subsidiaries and technological partners, (ii) the specialisation of actors in types of activities and (iii) the speed of change in the collaborations between multinational companies and technological institutes. The emerging configurations are classified in terms of (i) the knowledge and resources flows in different innovation projects and (ii) the common aims of the different groups of stakeholders. This framework is applied on the decentralised networks of innovation projects in the Brazilian ICT sector promoted by tax incentives to innovation activities (―Brazilian ICT Law‖). The empirical analysis combines the data of more than 10,000 innovation projects and in-depth case studies on the organisation of innovative activities in 11 R&D laboratories in subsidiaries of multinational companies and 11 of their main technological partners. The analysis of the project-based knowledge networks and emerging configurations is recognised as a useful tool for examining the dynamics promoted by the sectoral policy. This research provides insights on how the institutional framework such as the Brazilian ICT Law provided the space for the decentralised interaction between different organisations with very different interests. The analysis also shows that the regulation may support higher investments in R&D, but it does not necessarily enforce a project portfolio that promotes a sustainable knowledge flow between multinational companies and the sectoral innovation system. Finally, the thesis includes specific recommendations for addressing key challenges such as the organisational development of the subsidiaries, the emergence of private research institutes and the coordination of sectoral policies. Keywords: sectoral innovation systems, knowledge network, organisation of innovation, economic sociology, R&D policy, innovation projects, project-based learning, interorganisational networks.

This thesis is concerned with the changes to a forest landscape, that of St. Leonard's Forest, Horsham, West Sussex, changes that were wrought by human activity over two and half centuries. In order to uncover and understand these changes the author has focused on five private estates within the Forest core, Holmbush, Buchan Hill, St. Leonard's, Coolhurst and Leonardslee, and two villages in the Forest, Colgate and Lower Beeding. The five estates are considered with regard to ownership and control, land use and workers on the estates. The two villages are examined for their growth, the profile of the population, poverty and wealth. The establishment and endowments of the parish churches are outlined along with the development of the parish of Lower Beeding and its ties to Magdalen College, Oxford. Paternalism was a theme in the Victorian and Edwardian period, and the 1900 Footpath Dispute demonstrated a move away from these attitudes towards a more individualistic concern with private property rights. For the first time this study pulls together the numerous and complex strands which make up the landscape history of St. Leonard's Forest. It explores the factors both social and economic which impacted on the Forest. The juxtaposition of the nearby expanding market town of Horsham with its large common, improving communications, sales of land, and the attitudes of individual Forest landowners all combined to transform the Forest from a wild barren heathland in 1750 to a place of desirable picturesque estates and expanding villages by 1914, before the impact of the Great War was to change the Forest landscape yet again.