The thesis deals with manpower planning problems within large organisations. The work was accomplished as a temporary employee of Dunlop U.K. Tyre Group under the auspices of the University of Aston I.H.D. scheme. The terms of reference for the project were; a) To determine a methodology for estimating the requirements relating to the requisition and dispersal of manpower. b) To produce a manpower plan for the short term (1-2 years), medium term (5 years) and the long term (10 plus years). After an initial analysis of the problem faced by Dunlop and the state of available manpower records, it was concluded that classical statistical methods would be inappropriate. The aim was, therefore, to construct an estimation procedure which could handle; limited data, time-variant parameters and account for information gained only through noise corrupted observations. Following a comprehensive and critical review of the current use of statistical techniques in manpower planning, a general stochastic model is formulated. The structure, solution and many applications to manpower planning of this general problem are examined. Consideration of the grade transitions in an organisation leads to a new probability distribution termed the 'Dirichlet-Multinomial', and the derivation of its properties. On the completion of suitable Supply and Demand models, the question of controlling manpower systems is considered. A general cost function is constructed and algorithms for minimal cost control are given. Finally, results obtained by the application of the stochastic models to Dunlop data over the period 1972-1977 are presented.

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This study has attempted to contribute to the advancement of knowledge within the domain of consumer behaviour, and more specifically, to provide a greater understanding of the influences on consumers' intention to purchase environmentally friendly (EF) products. The impetus for this study stems from a general consensus that marketers recognise that green issues will not disappear and that the environment will continue to be a critical business issue. It is furthermore suggested that green marketing is taking shape as one of the key business strategies of the future. At the same time it is true to say that prevailing economic conditions have hindered green marketing efforts. Such findings must be balanced by reports that point out that although the popularity of environmentalism has declined, consumers are still concerned about this issue. However studies on the subject appear to be largely descriptive and narrow in focus, i.e. propositions appear to be based on personal experiences and inductive augmentation. Furthermore, most of the literature is either simplistic in its conception or lacks clear/robust conceptual frameworks, and consequently the generalisability of the findings are in question. Therefore, there is a paucity of theoretically sound and empirically substantiated information regarding the influences on consumers' intention to buy EF products. Accordingly, the main aim of this research is the development and testing of a comprehensive model of consumers' intention to purchase EF products. In order to fulfil this aim, the research is grounded in a well established theoretical model, i.e. the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), which, including past experience, formed the core of the proposed model. The TPB has been augmented by three influences identified in extant literature, i.e. social and cultural, company and marketing and experiential. Given the wide diversity of EF products available the scope of the study was narrowed to the clothes washing detergent product segment of the household cleaning market. Twelve hypotheses were formulated and a complex research process (comprising of four surveys and a sample of 300 members of the Co op supermarket chain) extending over a period of fourteen months was designed and undertaken to apply/test the proposed model. Overall the research makes the following theoretical and managerial contributions to the theory and practice of consumer behaviour within the EF products domain. Theoretical contributions: This thesis offers a comprehensive model of consumers' intention to purchase EF products. More specifically, in attempting to develop more appropriate measures of environmental consciousness (EC), this research has uncovered a more complex, than initially defined structure of this construct. In addition, existing conceptualisations of measures of EC have been expanded through the introduction of another facet, i.e. 'future environmental problems' and the boundary conditions of the TPB have been tested. Managerial contributions: This research has provided a set of broadly defined managerial guidelines that practitioners can use to gain a better understanding of the green consumer. Finally, it is believed that the research presented here has made an original contribution to the scholarly study and literate on consumer behaviour. More specifically, it has provided a theoretically supported model on consumers' intention to purchase EF products.

Small service enterprises have typically been neglected both by industrial relations researchers and by small firms researchers. Yet there are compelling reasons why relations between employers and employees might differ from those found in large firms or in manufacturing firms. Drawing on face-to-face interview data from 54 small service enterprise owner-managers and 117 of their employees, the study aims to redress this imbalance in research effort. The study focuses on three contrasting sectors in the service industries: computer services; employment and secretarial services; and free houses and restaurants. Although 'informal' regulation was a feature common to all sectors, there were substantive differences between sectors in processes of labour regulation. Employment relations in each of the three sectors were found to be regulated in different ways reflecting a variety of influences. These include the nature of work roles, workforce characteristics and expectations and the role of the customer in the process of labour regulation. Informal regulation permitted owner-managers considerable flexibility in the recruitment, reward and utilisation of labour. A different employment culture was found to exist in the three sectors. These cultures - termed the 'work', 'money' and 'sociability' cultures - give meaning to employment and to the relationship between owner-managers and employees. The social processes through which these cultures are constituted are likely to be found in many other small enterprises and it is their wider presence which facilitates generalisation from the present sample to that of the broader small firm population. The study has implications for the study of contemporary employment relations in the UK. The growing importance of the small service enterprise in the UK economy of the 1990s means that the patterns of employment relations found in such firms are becoming increasingly prevalent. Moreover, many of the employment relations processes typical of the small enterprise are argued to be becoming more common in larger enterprises.

This empirical study explores the effect of individual board attributes and combination of board attributes on managerial risk-taking in UK FTSE 350 firms. The recent financial crisis has focused the attention of regulators and all stakeholders of the firm on avoiding high risk-taking by top management. These concerns have been addressed in this study which examines the effect of board composition (board size, proportion of non-executive directors, and gender diversity), board leadership structure (presence of a powerful CEO and board executive ownership), board characteristics (age and tenure of board members) and board processes (board meeting attendance and frequency of audit committee meetings) on firm risk. This study aims to fill the gap in UK governance literature on how individual board attributes and a combination of board attributes (represented by the board composition index, the board leadership index, the board characteristics index and the board process index) associate with risk-taking in large UK corporations. Archival data is used in this study from a panel sample of 268 listed firms on the FTSE 350, over the period 2005 to 2010. On analysing the data, this study finds support for the hypothesis that a large board size decreases firm risk. The board composition index is found to be significantly negatively related to firm risk. A powerful CEO and executive director’s equity ownership is positively related to firm risk, and as expected the board leadership index is found to be significantly and positively associated with firm risk. Older board members with longer tenures reduce firm risk; and the board characteristics index is significantly and negatively related to firm risk. Better board meeting attendance and more frequent audit committee meetings reduces firm risk and as expected the board process index reduces firm risk. An overall board index constructed by combining the indices discussed above is found to be significantly associated with firm risk. This board index can be used as a board governance index to evaluate the effectiveness of the board in relation to firm risk. These findings can inform firms, investors and regulators that board attributes significantly affect firm risk and can be used as risk control mechanisms.