This research explores two separate but related lines of enquiry - the business value of individual applications and the social and organisational impact of information systems. From this research it is clear that information systems have immense potential to change organisations. The conventional view focuses on the value that organisations can obtain through greater efficiency or new activities made possible by specific applications. But experience suggests that many organisations fail to gain the value expected. This research was started with the aim of attaining a greater understanding of the business value that information systems could offer organisations and finding ways by which organisations could assess and realise this value. The research has adopted a variety of methodological approaches and this integrating paper assesses the choices made and locates the papersin relation to the literature on information systems research methodology. The nine research papers taken together demonstrate that is business value is a complex concept and difficult to measure in practice. The research finds that the business and organisational environments are key factors in achieving the business value to be reaped from the range of benefits that each type of IS application offers. The research also demonstrates why IS evaluation practice continues to pose problems for researchers and practitioners. This integrating paper situates the work within the relevant literature on information systems research, assesses the contribution of the research papers to information systems research and concludes with a discussion of future research that flows from this work.

In recent years, debates about leadership and management in the UK arts and cultural sector have often focussed on a cultural crisis and by implication a crisis in leadership. Many of the performing arts companies described in this thesis produce world-class creative works, high-quality performances, and are well managed and led. Against this backdrop it was considered that a new approach to understanding management and leadership in the performing arts was required. Historically, management theorists have focussed upon organisational dynamics, organisational framework, management control and work processes with an emphasis on using quantitative analytical techniques. However, modem management theorists emphasise organisational. effectiveness with a focus on key strategic issues and leadership. Interviewing executive leaders on key strategic issues not organisational and process issues, by naturalistic inquiry, forms the basis of a methodology that can provide a new understanding of management and leadership issues. A multi-dimensional qualitative research methodology was developed that used thematic analysis, descriptive research and case study methods. A grounded theory approach also allowed syntheses to be made between key research issues and thematic elements as an aid to theory development. Research themes included leadership skills, artistic risk in a culturally diverse society, government funding of UK world-class companies, and a preferred executive leadership model emerged. New areas of research were identified that could extend the methodology into: middle-ranking arts companies, the museums and galleries sectors, other cultural sectors, and corporate governance issues. In conclusion, no evidence was found of a leadership crisis in the performing arts, though issues and concerns were raised about the role of the chairman of the board of trustees. In the long-term, however, there is the possibility that companies may face leadership succession problems, declining subsidy, and compliance pressures following new charities legislation. Researching key issues provides a basis for understandino the complexities of leadership in the perforining arts, funding, the wider socio-economic influences, and aid the development of training programmes that will provide future inspirational leaders with the necessary mix of skills and competencies.

This dissertation examines strategic learning as learning from events and experiences that have significant consequences for organisational survival in a competitive environment. The study is centred on design contest as repeat event systems that in their time bracketed generational progression, provide for an ideal setting to analyse such learning. Convergence that constrains experimentation to a few elements that define the strategic configuration of organisations is posited as a natural consequence of performance feedback. Strategic learning is seen to be manifested in the interplay of behavioural and cognitive attributes that moderate such convergence. Effective strategic learning is seen as key to distinguishing `winners' from the `also-rans' where the former counter overt convergence by striking a balance between `searching for the competitive edge' and `creating the competitive edge'. In its conceptualisation of strategic learning, study design, and selection of research sites, the study successfully navigates most of the problems that have confounded research in the relatively nascent area of strategic learning. The dissertation comprises three empirical studies. The first two are based in the quasi-experimental settings of a robotic design contest called Robot Wars where the strategic learning model emerges by an examination of convergence as consequence of performance feedback, and the factors that moderate it. The last study is based on the sequential event system of movie-sequels to provide external validity to the study. The study presents the first comprehensive examination of strategic learning in repeat event systems. It provides empirical evidence for the effect of performance feedback on convergence, and the consequences this has for future performance. Evidence for the interplay of behavioural and cognitive forces in moderating convergence for effective strategic learning, completes the strategic learning model that this dissertation delivers as a contribution to research and managerial practice.

Due to increasing globalisation and intense international competition, companies have begun to realise that supplier-partner relationships are becoming a key force necessary in business-to-business (B2B) distribution channels to achieve significant monetary and non-monetary benefits. However, the tasks required of implementing a successful B2B distribution strategy for a supplier and its partners face greater challenges, and are more complex now than just a few years ago. One of the methods used to overcome the challenges inherent to the supplier-partner relationship is by creating and adopting new solutions, often referred to as Partner Relationship Management (PRM), in order to provide an entire suite of web-based software solutions that are specifically targeted toward building closer and more productive supplier-partner relationships (Mirani, Moore, and Weber, 2001). In fact, substantial capital is invested in web-based technologies to complement existing traditional approaches for achieving higher business performance and quality relationships. However, this phenomenon raises the following questions: Does the result of this investment alongside traditional approaches have significant impact on business performance? Do these two approaches have significant impact on high quality relationships? If so, what are their driving factors? Therefore, this research addresses these questions in the context of supplier-partner relationships within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. Based on a sample of 196 partner organisations, we carry out an empirical study and document the association between both driving factors and indicators of high quality relationships. We find support for the hypotheses posed, such as the impact of certification on relationship setting, marketing support, technical support, and relationship commitment. We also find support for the impact of relationship setting on marketing support, relationship management, technical support, non-economic satisfaction and relationship quality. Furthermore, the results of this research indicate that marketing support and relationship management have significant impact on economic satisfaction, and that relationship management has significant impact no economic satisfaction, while technical support has significant impact on customer satisfaction. Finally, we find support for significant relationships between economic satisfaction and relationship commitment, non-economic satisfaction and relationship quality, customer satisfaction and relationship commitment, as well as relationship quality and relationship commitment. Discussion of theoretical and managerial implications, research limitations and further investigation, as well as final conclusions, are also provided.

The study was designed to explore the distinctive attributes of firms' resources and their relationship with sustained competitive advantage (SCA). The emphasis is on the Human Resource-Based View (HRBV) of the firm and the strategic and managerial conditions under which human resources are a potential source of SCA. The objectives can be stated more specifically as follow: o To develop a resource-based view model of the firm that adequately describes the role of human resources, their management and human resource practices in the attainment of sustained competitive advantage. o To empirically test this model and in so doing estimate the contribution of human resources, their management and human resource practices to sustained competitive advantage. o To revise the HRBV model in the light of the empirical findings. Chapters I to 4 develop an HRBV model and its context. Chapters 5 to 8 deal with its empirical evaluation. Chapter 9 presents the conclusions of the empirical evaluation and revisions.

This thesis explores the suitability of using 'Balanced Scorecard (BSC) -a performance measurement model developed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton of Harvard Business School, USA' as a performance measurement framework for public sector organisations like UK Local Government Authorities. The research study was carried out using 'Case Study' method and the performance measurement model used for this study was a modified BSC model for'Non profit and public sector organisations' The test of the modified model of BSC was done on the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Corporate, Social and Housing Service Directorates. The testing of the model involved developing prototype 'Strategy Maps' and 'Scorecards' for all three service directorates and validating these through interviewing relevant officials. As each of the directorates were different in terms of service delivery objectives, stakeholders and performance measures or indicators, three sets of proto type strategy maps and scorecards were developed. The Strategy map included the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the organisation and directorates while scorecard showed the strategic objectives and their performance measures grouped under four perspectives of BSCService Users, Community and Stakeholders, Resource Management, Internal Process and Learning & growth. For validation of the proto type strategy maps and scorecards, senior officials of Tower Hamlets Council were interviewed. The analysis of the interview responses confirmed that the modified BSC model is suitable as a performance measurement framework for a local government authority like London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Some of the officials interviewed believed that if implemented properly, the BSC model can help achieve organisational alignment and inform next cycle of decision making. This may be an interesting area for further research.

Studies examining the issue of organizational field evolution, especially on cultural field's, have found that some events shape the process by acting as 'purveyors of legitimacy' (Anand and Peterson, 2000). However, no research is forthcoming on events such as international film festivals that serve a similar function. A new theoretical framework - field-configuring events (FCEs) by Lampel' and Meyer (2008) seeks to rectify the lack of attention paid to 'events' by organization scientists. . Adopting their framework, my research explicates one such event in cultural industries, particularly the global film in9ustry - international filin festival. Towards that end, my PhD thesis spawns four papers - one conceptual and three empirical papers. First, I articulate international film festivals as field-configuring events, and identify some of their key characteristics: spatial embededness, temporal recurrence, programming, premiership, juried competition, film markets, side bars, and accreditation. Second, I examine the organization, strategy, and performance of international film festivals. I propose that a prototypical international film festival is a competition of 'films, and its perfonnance is dependent on two resource streams: reputation of nominated films/film makers, and reputation of members of the jury panel. Third, I explicate the macro linkages between an FCE and national film institutions such as BFI through a process known as retrospective consecration. I propose that international film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Berlin directly impact BFI's efforts of anointing the best British films of the 20th century or 'BFI Top Ido'. Finally, I focus on the micro linkages between international film festivals and BFI choices, particularly focusing on how the. choices emerge from a voting college. The BFI's 'Top 100' voting college consists of three groups of respondents or 'cultural hierarchies' - experts, peers, and the public, and I propose that international film festivals represent a fonn of critical recognition and shape expert choices.

This thesis examines the strategic processes which can be employed to overcome the challenges of launching creative products that possess little or no tangible selling points. Launch decisions and their subsequent impact on the creation of sales momentum in the fragrance industry are analysed. A context specific model for product launch effectiveness is an initial contribution. Secondly, this study examines product launch activities through the dramaturgical lens. Primary qualitative data collected through a mixed method approach is a further contribution to the current body of knowledge on product launch. 'Elite interviews' with senior management are employed to gain an in-depth perspective into the dynamics of launch processes. Fourthly, the dynamics of organisational self expression, particularly during product launch are distilled through the analysis of organisational narratives. Finally, focussed encounters whereby organisations attempt to shape product evaluation are examined through participant observation.

The research employs an adaptive cross-disciplinary research strategy in an industrial example to address port facilities’ inability to assess whether their security systems are efficient. The research combines a twin-pronged approach of first, adapting Markowitz (1952) theory of portfolio selection from the field of finance to maritime port security to examine each port facility’s security systems as a portfolio; and secondly, through portfolio optimization to construct the optimum theoretical portfolio of security systems drawn from a number of different port facilities owned by Dubai Ports World. The research builds on the existing literature and proposes new definitions of security, port security, port security risk and port security risk management. The research also develops a model of port security risk based on Willis et al’s (2005) definition of terrorist risk. Furthermore, the research builds on the work of Gleason (1980) and examines terrorist attacks on ports and on shipping in ports between 1968 and 2007 and shows, using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, that they follow a Poisson distribution. The contribution which the research makes is in terms of adapting Markowitz (1952) theory to the port security environment; and the modelling and measurement of the impact of the introduction of new port security technology, changes in background port security threat levels and for the planning of port security in Greenfield sites. Furthermore, the adaptive approach of the research is generalisable to all nodes in the supply chain and is not limited to port facilities alone.

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