The role and impact of decision-making (DM) has evoked much research interest. The link between philosophy and behaviour via the decisions that practitioners make has also been established. In elite sport however there has been little research to show how philosophy can shape and impact DM in this high performance domain. Furthermore, to this point epistemology has not been considered as a potential tool that could help guide and directly influence DM in such an environment. Given the pressures evident in elite golf, the demand for success, and the need to make decisions that will have positive outcomes for players, coaches and the sport itself the focus of this thesis was on developing a bespoke understanding of how those working in elite golf can make "the right decisions". In order to support the investigation an Epistemological Chain (EC) that links the higher order beliefs to practical behavioural outputs was conceptualised. Reflecting a growing interest and awareness of how practitioners and organisations make decisions the aim of this thesis was therefore to provide an exploration of DM in elite golf with a specific focus on the EC. Accordingly interviews were undertaken with coaches in order to gain a better understanding of the ECs existence, operation, application and potential utility. To further understanding of the EC’s wider impact on DM, a series of studies were undertaken, this time examining the EC at the coach-player, inter-coach, and organisational level. Findings from these studies demonstrated that the EC did exist, as did many potential benefits for its implementation. To further test these assumptions and propositions that had emerged an action research project was undertaken with England Golf. This study supported and confirmed the value and practicality of the EC as a reflection tool for uncovering existing interactions and as a framework against which to initiate change and base organisational management operations and decisions. Overall, this thesis represented an interesting study of DM interpretations in the elite golf domain. More significant however is that it has provided elite golf with an evidence-led framework against which to base its decisions.

Shared residential outdoor space (ROS) is an important resource, especially in urban areas where outdoor space is limited. This study investigates how well shared ROS is used by residents. Data was collected from 129 developments and streets using a postal questionnaire. 346 different areas within the selected sites were measured using the Carto tool of EDINA’s Digimap. Different types of layout were identified; the area of residential outdoor space available per dwelling was calculated and the distance along a walking route to the nearest shop and public open spaces was measured for each area. Aerial and birds-eye view satellite photographs from www.bing.com were used to assess greenness and tree cover and to confirm the layout and era of the buildings. 1328 valid questionnaires were returned. These are considered in three sets: shared ROS only; individual ROS only and both shared and individual ROS. Respondents with only shared ROS available report significantly lower levels of usage than respondents in the other two sets. Variables that vary across the sets and with levels of usage are identified. These are investigated using a casebased, rather than a variable-based method, using fsQCA software developed by Ragin (2008). This enables sets of variables linked with high and low usage of shared ROS to be identified. The most influential attributes are: area of ROS per dwelling, number of households sharing the ROS, greenness, maximum floor level of the dwelling and concerns about noise and privacy. Six interviews and consideration of nine specific developments show that uncertainty about what is ‘allowed’ and concerns about not upsetting neighbours are also inhibitors to using shared ROS. Recommendations are made for improving how well shared residential outdoor spaces are used.

This is a history of the development of the manager in English football from 1880 until the mid-1960s. It is predicated on two main arguments. First, that football management in England has largely reflected the practical tradition of British management where managers are employed more for their experience than any qualifications that they might hold. Second, that the management of players during this period mirrored prevailing attitudes within society towards the handling of young, working-class men and because they lacked any management training, managers imposed their personality and authority on them. The thesis has a chronological structure. The first chapter provides a broad overview of British management up to 1970. Its aim is to provide an overall context for the rest of the thesis by analysing the history of British management, its culture, and also the role of education. Chapter 2 charts the early development of football management in the years up to 1914. The following chapter examines the emergence of early football managers during the same period. It examines, first, the relationship between a manager and his directors and how this has developed in light of football's commercialisation process; second, how the training and background of managers has reflected trends within British management; and third, the manager's relationship with his workers, the players. This framework will be used throughout the thesis. Chapter 4 is a case study of Herbert Chapman. Chapter 5 deals with the inter-War period and Chapter 6 looks at the emergence of modem football management from 1945 up to the Sixties. Chapter 7 assesses the socio-economic impact of a manager on a team's performance during this period. The conclusion will briefly draw together the main themes and arguments of the thesis.

This thesis sets out to examine the creative process in developing large TV console video games. Using methods based on the philosophy of Grounded Theory, interviews were conducted at four game development studios. From these interviews and the extant literature, a Model Set was constructed to reflect the creative process. The underlying premise of the Model Set is that a Darwinian process of variation, selection, and retention, is the kernel of the creating process. The Model Set is comprised of four components: a rigorous domain specific definition of the creative process, a defined perspective, a Core Creating Model, and a Creative Continuum. The Core Creating Model is the mechanism of the creating process, while the Creative Continuum provides a platform to evaluate the video game in terms of the creative definition. Following from the Model Set are four key research findings as contributions to knowledge and current research directions. These findings are: 1) Creativity is not all about ideas, as commonly perceived. Decision-making is a fundamental element of creativity, 2) The Core Creating Mechanism provides a distinction between Creativity and Discovery, while placing both within an understandable context, 3) The Model Set challenges the common assumption that more creativity is better, 4) The creative process is structured in multiple ways. It is of critical importance to understand these difference structures when researching and managing the creative process. The creative process in video game development is not monotonic: it is bimodal, that is, there is creativity both at the beginning and at the conclusion of the development process. Not all creative processes follow this pattern. The Model Set and four key research findings are a contribution to knowledge as they expand and deepen our understanding of the creative process. From these findings, the thesis discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the research.

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Analizuoti miesto marketingo bei laisvalaikio truzimo konceptai, išskirti miesto marketingo strateginiai ir taktiniai sprendimai, miesto marketingo planavimas, vartotojų poreikius tenkinantys laisvalaikio turizmo paslaugų teikėjai. Nustatyta marketingo vieta, tenkinant turisto poreikius. Miesto marketingo studijomis daugiausia domisi užsienio mokslininkai, lietuvių mokslininkų patirtis šia tema nepakankama. Tikslas - atlikus miesto marketingo bei laisvalaikio turizmo teorinių aspektų analizę, parengti miesto marketingo, orientuoto į laisvalaikio turizmą, modelį ir patikrinti jį empiriškai. Tyrimo metodai – kokybinis ir kiekybinis, kokybinis – content analizė, kiekybinis – anketinė turistų apklausa. / Concepts of city marketing and leisure tourism, strategical and tactical decisions of city marketing, city marketing planning, different types of leisure tourism organizations arranged by category, marketing place on purpose to satisfy the needs of tourist, were analyzed in theoretical part. These domains are not enough analyzed in theoretical and practical dimension in Lithuania. Scholastic articles are presented by initiative of foreign authors, not Lithuanian. The thesis should be helpful for local governance.The aim. To formulate the model of city marketing, orientated to leisure tourism by theoretical aspects of city marketing and leisure tourism.The methods of research. Quantitative and qualitative methods. Qualitative method – content analysis, quantitative – questionnaire of tourists.

A variety of econometric models have been created, including a travel cost model, contingent behaviour models and a contingent valuation model. Based on these models a “typical” day at Loch Lomond is valued at £20.53, with visitors willing to pay an additional £1.76 to fund environmental improvements. Looking at the particular environmental issues of noise, crowding and environmental damage, noise pollution appears to have the greatest influence on recreation enjoyment. Noise pollution is caused primarily by the use of personal watercraft (“jet-skis”). It was found that an asymmetrical conflict exists between jet-skiers and non jet-skiers. The research project reveals that there is no simple relationship between the perception of and reality of environmental damage. Although visitor perception of environmental damage often differs from actual levels of environmental damage, the relationship is complex. In terms of “real” environmental impact around the loch area, the visitor-induced environmental damage survey estimates that just over 9% of the loch shore suffers from severe environmental impact. Ecological vegetation surveys also confirm that recreation pressure is a statistically significant influence on the presence/absence of plant communities, but that this ecological impact is spatially limited to specific sites around the loch. Following on from both the perceptual and ecological results, policy and management implications are investigated and recommendations are provided – for example the implementation of a possible vehicle parking fee at various sites around Loch Lomond. It is suggested that recreational carrying capacity frameworks such as VERP should be applied, as they assimilate the ecological and social facets of outdoor recreation. An overall conclusion to the thesis is thus that a sustainable approach (framework) to recreation management, one that encompasses the perceptual and ecological dimensions of outdoor recreation, is the only way of maintaining the beauty and enjoyment of Loch Lomond – and, it is suggested, national parks world-wide – for present and future generations.