This research examines how front line managers (FLMs) in a NHS Mental Health Trust responded when Electronic Rostering technology was introduced into their wards, with intentions of improving efficiency, transparency, fairness, skill matching, and safety, and potentially increasing control from above. The study applied a theoretical framework developed from previous research to investigate relationships between the organisational context and FLMs’ characteristics, change management processes and technology efficacy, and analyse their impact upon FLMs’ responses to E-Rostering adoption and consequent outcomes. The research questions focused upon the influences of organisational background and the change management process. The research strategy was an in-depth case study with data collection through semi-structured interviews with managers at ward, service/general, project and senior levels, observation of meetings and training, examination of system records and Trust documents. The theoretical framework was used to design interview guides to help researcher and subjects investigate perceptions of salient factors and FLMs’ responses, and help structure analysis. Cross referencing of data supported reliability and validity of interpretations. The FLMs were ward managers perceiving themselves as professional clinical leaders and operational managers, running wards semi-autonomously. Control of deployment was vital to their authority. They showed power to resist pressures to adopt technology which threatened their control and to resist changes not congruent with their priorities. They negotiated with the project team and adapted practices to produce locally acceptable rosters. Although electronic staff records helped administration, automatic rostering was not efficacious. Rosters needed considerable manual adjustment, meaning ward managers recovered control of deployment and maintained local customs. The study confirms the importance of organisational structure and culture and of political and change management processes, in explaining responses to IT innovation. Change leaders should investigate operational practices, unit cultures and contexts to prepare for technology adoption because these factors will strongly influence FLMs’ responses.

Stakeholder involvement in securing service standards, priorities and effectiveness was made a requirement of the Local Government Act 1999, England and Wales. This legislation built upon the 1998 White Paper, Modern Local Government in Touch with the People which formed part of the incoming 1997 Labour government's key principles as described in the Labour Party's 1997 Manifesto. This agenda replaced the implicit 'lowest price principle' of the Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) legislation of the outgoing Conservative administration. Stakeholder theory and practice is central to this change agenda. Furthermore, it was applied to public service management without adaptation to the complexity and nature of the governance of local authorities. This research examines 3 case studies of local authorities to explore whether and how the implementation and impact of the necessity for local authorities to identify, consult with and involve stakeholders in setting standards has been enacted. It considers the impact of these requirements on stakeholder theory, stakeholders, political and managerial relationships. The literature review critiques stakeholder theory as described by Freeman (1984) and particular aspects of stakeholder management: engagement (Arnstein, 1969); salience (Mitchell, Agle and Wood, 1997); normative and instrumental behaviours (Donaldson and Preston, 1995); and moral enlightenment (Kohlberg, 1981). Government agencies explicitly or implicitly advocated those constructs for their usefulness when planning for and consulting stakeholders. The conclusion is that stakeholder theory as described is insensitive to the complexity of local authorities' political, managerial and stakeholders' agendas. Furthermore, that it requires further development to ensure that it is relevant to the nature and the style of local authorities' responsibilities. It establishes that the distinction between consulting and engaging with stakeholders is fraught with confusion. Finally, the relationship between power, legitimacy and urgency of stakeholder claims results in political and managerial pragmatism and is consistent with those aspects of stakeholder theory described by Mitchell, Agle and Wood, (1997). This research identified issues of managerial concern. Of particular importance is the different use and understanding of language by stakeholders, managers and politicians. This is an under-reported aspect of Freeman (1984). Furthermore, the contribution of unrepresentative stakeholders in shaping council policy challenges the democratic process and is of concern to senior managers and politicians. This in turn undermines the requirement for stakeholder inclusiveness and involvement. Finally, it is established that policy at the point of implementation is often a result of local contextual adaptation, 'bricolage', on the part of the manager. The research makes a distinct contribution by identifying 'how' and 'why' stakeholder theory is too insensitive for direct useful application to local authorities. It finds that policy advice from government agencies concerning stakeholder consultation for best value has mostly been ignored, although many themes identified in the theory and advice were identified in the data collected. Finally, this research has provided the first empirical data on this subject and increases understanding of 'how' and 'why' stakeholder consultation has been undertaken in the parks and greenspace sector. In so doing, it contributes to an understanding of practice in action and the amending of behaviour that constitute implementation of strategic stakeholder theory and managerial policy, thereby creating an agenda for future research.

Understanding knowledge management is critical for organisations because the persons concerned are not trained adequately to access, use and benefit from this knowledge effectively. The main problem is that the workers themselves do not understand how to organize and manage a huge amount of knowledge capital has, and the importance of this to improve organizational performance. This research is based on understanding the importance of knowledge management practices and policies within an organisation. This is based on research to understand the importance of knowledge management practices and policies within the organization. This research focuses on building a framework based on the knowledge of social issues within the organization and its impact on business. This research will explore strategies that can be used for organizations in order to integrate this knowledge into their business social benefit from social ontology. To enable this framework, a business organization knowledge management integrated social ontology framework (BOKMISOf) was built with a focus on telecommunications industry in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. In order to understand the social aspects of an organisation, a social ontology was developed which was incorporated into the knowledge management framework. The BOKMISO framework was evaluated with case studies, within telecommunication companies, in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The employees of these companies contributed in data collection activity via questionnaire, whereas the managers of these companies contributed via semi-structured interview. Results that were gathered from data collection showed that BOKMISO framework was valid, appropriate, useful and added value to an organisation. Further work can be done to apply the BOKMISOf within other telecommunications companies in Saudi Arabia.

The purpose of this study is to examine how corporate performance influences Chief Executive Officer (CEO) pay in UK public listed companies. Specifically it is to identify evidence of relative performance evaluation in CEO pay, following the recommendation in the Combined Code (2003) to link long-term incentive compensation to relative firm performance. The major and a novel contribution of this study is the focus on the payments received by CEOs from performance-based long-term incentive schemes. The pay-for-performance relationship is investigated in a longitudinal setting using random and fixed-effect panel data estimation methods. An unbalanced panel of CEOs is drawn from 204 of the largest, nonfinancial UK companies, between 2003 and 2007. From a principal-agent theory perspective it is hypothesised that firm performance is positively associated with chief executive pay and from a relative performance evaluation theory perspective it is hypothesised that, whilst controlling for actual firm performance, peer group performance is negatively associated with chief executive pay. The CEO compensation data are hand collected exclusively for this study and provides a level of detail not previously found in the literature. The findings demonstrate that it is crucial to distinguish between the different elements of pay and the different performance conditions that attach to those elements in order to establish a comprehensive understanding of the pay-for-performance relationship. New and convincing evidence shows that actual bonus pay is determined relative to annual FTSE-350 market performance and actual long-term pay is determined relative to three-year FTSE-350 sector performance. These findings provide robust evidence that is consistent with the principal-agent framework of executive pay and corporate performance. This study may alleviate the concerns held by some stakeholder groups that pay is not clearly linked to corporate performance. These findings will be of particula r practical importance to investors who expect the interests of executives to be aligned with those of the company shareholders, via an incentive contract that rewards executives for enhanced corporate performance and consequently shareholder wealth maximisation. The findings also confirm that changes introduced to improve corporate governance practice in the field of executive pay are working to the benefit of shareholders.

This research explores how Northumbrian Water Ltd. (NWL), a UK private sector organization providing water supply and sewerage services, selects nonprofit organization (NPO) partners who contribute to addressing its material sustainability issues. The aim of this research is to provide a framework of partner selection for NWL and other businesses in the water industry who seek to address material sustainability issues through cross-sector (NPO-business) partnerships. There is limited research on how businesses should select NPO partners from an impact or value creation perspective. Moreover, systematc models of materiality analysis are rarely found in the literature. THE GRI is providing guidance on materiality analysis through practice-based standards, but systematic research into organizational practices is limited. NWL engages in a variety of strategic key partnerships which make it a suitable choice of case study for investigating the partner selection process. The study particularly examines how partnerships can generate impact on material sustainability issues, and how this prospective impact can be evaluated. Template analysis is used to interpret transcripts of semi-structured interviews and a focus group involving key informants from NWL and its NPO partners. The contribution to knowledge is established around the need for having both flexible/reactive/project-based and systematic/proactive/strategic approaches to partner selection while ensuring shared value co-creation. The study further highlights how materiality with respect to sustainability issues can be assessed both reactively and proactively from NWL's perspective, and how this assessment can better inform the partner selection process. Future research avenues can involve investigating the applicability of the partner selection framework resulting from this study to other businesses in the water industry.

This study examines performance measurement in the oil and gas industry. The aim is to identify the prevalence of performance measures and to provide evidence of the potential impact in the usage of performance measures on organisational performance. The study investigates the links between organisational strategies, choice of performance measures, and organisational performance. The resource-based view (RBV) theory and Miles and Snow's organisational fit theory were, respectively, used to explain the research and as the basis for analysis of results. The organisational fit theory states that organisation's approach to competition can be classified into four main strategies. These strategies will influence the way they manage their organisations and lead to different performance outcomes. This may include the way they measure their supply chain performance. The resource-based view suggests that organisations can achieve superior performance through internal resources and competencies. Based on this theory, performance measurement framework is viewed as one of the important organisations’ resources. A literature review on supply chain performance measurement was carried out to identify performance measures that are relevant to the oil and gas industry. This resulted in an initial list of measures based on the review. Exploratory interviews were then conducted to confirm the measures, understand the contextual definitions of the measures, and to find out from practitioners what additional measures they consider important beyond those obtained from the literature. This resulted in a broader set of performance measures, which were then validated through a self-administered questionnaire survey. A total of 550 questionnaires were sent out to UK companies whilst 120 to Malaysian companies. A total of 100 responses were received from both countries, which accounts to 15% response rates. The outcomes of the survey clarify the prevalence of performance measures in the industry according to the level of importance. Correlation and regression analyses indicate that there is a link between the choice of performance measures and organisations’ strategies. Also, the results indicate a link between choice of performance measures and the actual performance of the organisations, suggesting that performance measures are critical resources of organisations used to support competitiveness in line with resource-based view theory. In addition, this study identifies the most influential strategy and performance measures in enhancing organisations’ performance within the oil and gas industry.

This doctoral thesis addresses the topic: Manufacturing Strategy of Firms in Emerging Economy: The Study of Nigerian Manufacturing SMEs. The research attempts to fill the knowledge gap by examining the manufacturing strategy process, manufacturing priorities and challenges relating to Nigerian manufacturing SMEs. Extensive reviews of the relevant literature were carried out, providing an insight into the research question and set out research objectives. The extant literature on manufacturing strategy, manufacturing priorities and manufacturing challenges has provided the theoretical perspective of the study. The study adopted a qualitative research method to gain an in-depth insight and understanding of the manufacturing strategy process and practice of Nigerian manufacturing SMEs. The participating manufacturing SMEs were located in six geopolitical zones within Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the 17 manufacturing SMEs from the target population. The face to face semi-structured interviews were used as data collection instrument. The data collected from the 17 manufacturing SMEs senior managers were analysed using the template analysis, a form of thematic analysis developed by Professor Nigel King. This analysis identified Nigerian SMEs’ manufacturing challenges, priorities and key decision issue considered important for the manufacturing strategy process and practice. The research findings point to an approach in developing manufacturing strategy in an emerging economy. An approach that is directed towards improving the manufacturing process, product quality, competitiveness, manufacturing capacity and other business needs, which has enabled these manufacturing SMEs to respond to their manufacturing priorities and manufacturing challenges. These findings have possible implications for the government, SMEs, policy makers and managers. This study has made a contribution to knowledge by increasing the understanding of manufacturing strategy of SMEs in context of an emerging economy. The study identified Nigerian manufacturing SMEs priorities, challenges and developed strategy that will aid professional practitioners, policymakers and the government to make manufacturing decisions, thereby contributing to practice.

The discovery of oil has been identified as both a blessing and a curse for Nigeria. While oil revenue has been a blessing to the country, the failure of oil companies to be socially responsible to their host communities has been a source of numerous crises in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Earlier studies have enriched our knowledge on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be used to benefit host communities, but how corporate social responsibility and the stakeholder approach can be used to prevent these crises have received little attention in the literature. Thus, this study contributes to knowledge by investigating the effect of corporate social responsibility and stakeholder management on corporate social performance. This research adopted a quantitative approach method, and survey was developed based on the existing scales of corporate social responsibility measurement. Two different sets of questionnaires were administered to 160 employees of the big four multinational oil companies in Nigeria and 225 members of the host communities in the Niger-Delta area. A hundred and forty-six questionnaires were returned from each of the two sets of respondents. These questionnaires were analysed using Partial Least Square and descriptive statistics. The results of the analyses revealed that a strong relationship exists between compliance to industry standards and environmental performance evidence from employees of multinational oil companies. While the results showed that a weak relationship exists between compliance to industry standards and environmental performance based on the response from the host communities. The results also showed that a strong relationship exists between corporate legitimacy and community relations from both the employees of multinational oil companies and host communities. Furthermore, the results revealed that a strong relationship exists between corporate legitimacy and community perception from both stakeholders. In addition, there is also a strong relationship between regulatory infractions and environmental performance from the results of the two main stakeholders. The results also indicated that a strong relationship exists between CSR initiatives and community relations for the two main stakeholders. However, the results revealed that a weak relationship exists between CSR initiatives and community perception from both groups of stakeholders. Another contribution of this stufy to knowledge is the corporate social responsibility and corporate social performance measures used in this research. While existing measurements of corporate social responsibility in the literature have combined all the variables, this study separated them into various dimensions, to ensure easier adaptability for other studies. This study is a set of possible ideals, practicable and feasible concerns corporate social responsibility (CSR) measures. In addition, this study is a response to a prolonged and contested problem of appropriate measurement of corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, this gap in the literature led to development of a more robust conceptual model of a reflective construct of corporate social responsibility and corporate social performance that in some respects differ from existing conceptual model of corporate social responsibility. Therefore, this research recognised the attempt by previous studies on development of corporate social responsibility measurement model. Still, this study proposed agenda and scope of corporate social responsibility, as well as the measures used to implement corporate social responsibility via the reflective construct for the oil companies' operationalisation in Nigeria.

The BRICS (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) economies, as the major emerging markets, continue to influence the transformation of the global structure. Their role within the global governance and global economy is increasing day by day. This study is an analysis of the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in a panel of bilateral FOI data from thirty-two the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (DECO) countries in the BRICS countries for the period of 1992 to 2010. Applying the extended gravity model with the home country push factors and the host country pull factors, the empirical findings of this study confirms that market size, distance, common culture, trade openness, privatisation, relative labor cost, research and development (R&D), relative exchange rate, infrastructure and institutional factors are the key determinants of FDI in the BRICS countries. Furthermore, bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are significant at 10% level for FDI flows. The home country corporate tax rate and bilateral export are inconclusive. In this aspect, there are evidences to accept that the motive of FDI in the BRICS economies is principally are market seeking, natural resource seeking and partly efficiency seeking type of FDI. Employing a standard gravity model, within limited scope this study also attempts to examine the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis on the BRICS countries' exports. The author use a panel data of BRICS countries' bilateral exports to the top ten major destination countries for the period of 2000 to 2011 by including a dummy variable to measure the impact of the global financial crisis. The result confirms that the coefficient estimate for the crisis dummy variable is positive and statistically significant at 1% level for fixed effects (FE) model. The result specifies that during the global financial crisis periods, the BRICS countries' exports growth rate increased relative to the non-financial crisis period. Furthermore, model approves that GOP growth rate and population are an also important factor that affects the value of the BRICS countries' exports.

This study investigates the behaviour of stock prices or stock returns in an oil exporting developing country (Iran). Following an examination of the role of the Iran stock market and oil revenues in the Iranian economy in chapter 2, the extensive review of theoretical and empirical literature on stock market efficiency is provided in chapter 3. Chapter 4 empirically investigates the efficiency of Iran stock market in weak form. Empirical findings from employing conventional and nonlinear unit root tests even in presence of endogenous and exogenous structural break pOints indicate that the daily Iran stock prices index follow random walk theory and Iran stock market is efficient in weak form. In view of the distributional characteristics of stock returns, chapter 5 models the volatility dynamics of the Iran stock market. Due to existence of risk premium, in this market investors with long horizon are compensated with high returns for bearing high risk. On the other hand, the empirical analysis shows lack of asymmetric volatility in the behaviour of Iran stock return series. In view of the dominant role of oil export revenues in Iranian economy, chapter 6 examines the possible dynamic relationship between the Iran stock market and international oil market. The results from adopting symmetric and asymmetric mUltivariate GARCH models based on underlying data generating process indicate lack of return and volatility spillover between Iran stock returns and international oil prices.