With total assets of £3,010 billion (ONS, 2012), the long-term savings and investment industry is one of the most important economic pillars in the UK. The uniqueness of this industry is that the majority of its sales to individual customers are generated through Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) (Datamonitor, 2012; Mintel, 2012). Despite their importance, academic studies which investigate how to develop brand leadership in the IFA market are scarce. Most of the financial services branding studies to date have been established in the context of banking in the end customers market. In addition, the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) on 1 St January 2013 will increase the complexity of the industry. The aim of this study is to investigate whether and how the co-creation of brand values with IFAs could be adopted in order to achieve brand leadership in the UK long-term savings and investments industry. To achieve this aim, this study critically examines the triadic relationship between IFAs, a provider, and customers and investigates the meaning of a successful long-term savings and investments brand to the IFAs. Therefore, this study is built upon the concepts of triadic relationship, brand equity, and co-creation. This study is conducted in collaboration with a UK based long-term savings and investments provider. A case study research method using multiple sources of evidence is adopted. Following the retroductive research approach, this study is divided into two main stages, exploratory and explanatory. The analysis of the research findings lead to the development of three interrelated frameworks: the effects and the results of interconnectedness in the triadic relationship between providers, IFAs, and end customers, the IFAs' brand equity pyramid, and the spiral model of brand values co-creation. Finally, it is concluded that the co-creation of brand value with IFAs could be the solution for the collaborative company to develop brand leadership in the longterm savings and investments industry.

This study was concerned with an investigation into the service quality of an independent private physiotherapy practice using a mixed method approach. The Directors of the private physiotherapy practice (the practice) required an understanding of their customer services; however, this did not include the services of the treatment. It was anticipated that the findings of the study would enhance the service quality of the practice in order that it may remain competitive. A review of the literature revealed a gap for the independent private practice and, in particular, a gap in service quality. The two main debates in the literature pertained to the instrument of measurement for service quality and the appropriate conceptual model. The literature review suggested that the SERVQUAL Instrument was the most suitable method to meet one of the objectives of this study. It also revealed that there were two main models of service quality (American and Nordic) and that the American model was the conceptual model most related to services and therefore suited to the objectives of this study. The study comprised of two phases, phase one was the more dominant phase and was accomplished utilising the SERVQUAL Instrument with a sample of 62 practice customers. The analysis in phase one informed the basis for the semi-structured interviews for the second phase. Phase two specifically investigated areas of the service quality where customers had rated their perceptions lower than their expectations. Nine interviews were conducted for phase two. The key findings for phase one identified, that overall, the service quality of the practice was positive. This was in contrast to other healthcare studies that were in the UK public healthcare sector. On further analysis it was revealed that there were areas of service quality that the customers had rated with a negative perception, in particular the reliability factor. Further, phase one identified that previous experience of physiotherapy services significantly influenced the customers' expectations of services. In addition the study was in accord with previous literature that suggested that expectations were also culture and socio economic dependent. The key findings for phase two identified that an investigation into negative perceived service quality was crucial to understanding the ‘why' of the customers' perception of the service quality of the practice. Phase two revealed that not only were customers' expectations formed through experiences, but also that perceptions were formed through other people's experiences i.e. relatives. Another key finding in phase two was, that despite the customers being informed on several occasions that the study was in relation to service quality and not the treatment, they could not distinguish between the two constructs. Finally, the study concluded that the SERVQUAL Instrument was suitable for the independent private practice and should be slightly amended to fit the context and culture of the study. In addition, it was concluded that it was of academic and managerial benefit to measure both the expectations and the perceptions of service quality. The core service (service quality and treatment) is required to be taken into consideration in any future healthcare study. Face to face interviews sequentially following the analysis of the SERVQUAL questionnaire provided deeper and perhaps more meaningful information. The data and information gathered could be translated into staff training to maintain the competiveness of the service quality of the practice.

This thesis investigates the process of adoption of management innovation in an organisational setting. It is based on primary research that explores and discusses in depth the introduction of a Knowledge Management programme (labelled ‘Knowledge Working') within a distributed public sector agency in Scotland. The author was an employee of the organisation for a period of six years between the period 1999 and 2008. She latterly held the role of Knowledge Analyst and was a member of a task force recruited to implement Knowledge Working within the organisation. The primary research that this work addresses is: What is the process of adoption of a management innovation in an organisational setting? A qualitative case study strategy generates an account of the process of adoption through three phases (initiation; implementation; and outcomes), the episodes within each phase, and decision-making across all phases. Qualitative material covering a longitudinal timeframe (1995-2008) were collected for data analysis. These derived from electronic sources and participant observations assigned to an adoption timeline. The coding of the data facilitated the identification of phases and episodes of the management innovation under scrutiny. These were then analysed with reference to the extant literature. The study makes four contributions to knowledge. Three interrelated models (a model of decision-making; a combined adoption-decision-model; and a task force adoption-decision model) are theoretically significant because, to date, no attempt has been made: (1) to model decision-making for the process of adoption of management innovation (in general), or Knowledge Management; (2) to combine two of Rogers' (2003) separate models (an innovation-adoption model and an innovation-decision model); and (3) to model decisions to consider when adopting task forces (in general), and those for implementing Knowledge Management.

With the increasing tempo of business, order picking efficiency becomes of increasing importance. The aim of this research is to find ways of increasing order picking efficiency by decreasing travel time of the picking cycle. Finding the optimal (shortest) order picking tour can be equated to the task of finding a solution to the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP). This is notoriously difficult to solve in reasonable time when conventional computers are used. A number of heuristic algorithms have been developed for solving the TSP, some of these have been specially adapted for multiple command order picking. In this previous work the stacker crane's shuttle was assumed to travel with constant velocities in the horizontal and vertical directions. In this research it is shown that this assumption leads to creating suboptimal tours. The contribution of the error is analytically derived and its magnitude estimated by a simulation experiment. In previous work it has been shown that the shape of the zones in class based storage affects the travel time for single and dual command order picking. In this research, for the first time, the interaction between class based storage and multiple command order picking is investigated. Three types of zone configurations are modelled and then investigated using simulation in a factorial experiment. The results from the experiment indicate that the zone shape does affect the optimal solution. The new zone configurations are tested in a case study against existing configurations in a distribution warehouse of Volkswagen - Audi (VAG-UK). This showed that overall improvement in travel time of the new configurations was significant. Computer simulation was used to estimate the individual contribution from zoning and tour construction.

eGovernment is a relatively new, but rapidly expanding, domain; mainly due to the perceived outcomes that it may bring to the public administration. Founded on the premise that eGovernment programmes may increase efficiency and effectiveness, decrease costs and enhance the quality of public services, governments invest heavily on such implementations. But here is a perplexing contrast; so far, many of such projects experience a high failure rate. That is realised in many facets; endless delays, and excessive costs, or complete cancellations are frequently observed. The reasons behind that can be many. However, such situation may be avoided or at least better handled through appropriate risk-based methods applied during the early stages of eGovernment project considerations. Within that context this thesis investigates the modelling of risk for eGovernment projects at the early, pre-proposal stages. The interpretative qualitative study described in this thesis provides a 'first stab' in a previously weakly explored, but important, area of eGovernment research. It is therefore the main objective of this thesis to examine the relevance of risk modelling during the pre-proposal phase of eGovernment service projects. To achieve that objective, this thesis devises and employs a risk modelling tool; a design that incorporates an e5ervke model and eGovernment risk taxonomy, allowing its users to identify pertinent project risk statements that may be exploited at later risk assessment exercises. So as to accomplish the defined objective, this thesis is arranged in an order that covers all stages of the research process. These include an understanding of the eGovernment domain by expanding - amongst others - on the various eGovernment modelling, evolution, and evaluation methods as well as a discussion on eGovernment benefits, and its failure factors. Equally, a part is dedicated on elaborating upon eGovernment risk and the existing methods to model it. A prototype risk modelling tool is developed in order to be used as a probe that is assessed and evaluated in the field by domain experts and practitioners. The thesis concludes by gathering qualitative data and analysing the grounded findings received from a series of interviews and workshops. With reference to the findings addressing the thesis' main research question, the conducted study shows that risk modelling has effectively no applicability during the pre-proposal stages of eGovernment service projects. This study argues that although risk modelling has a recognised value, employing it is really futile at such early phase. It is primarily so, because at that point risk does not appear to carry enough weight to influence the decision-making process. Equally, this research finds that it is the political leadership that hands down the project ideas and the IT/IS project management staff simply implement. Even if risk modelling tools were employed by the ITIIS project management staff, the risk modelling output would be pointless as they have limited input into the decision-making process. The study's findings also led this thesis to produce a conceptual framework for risk modelling, as well as relevant lessons to be learnt. The thesis elaborates on what risk modelling is expected to deliver and how it should look like. The findings have also further enhanced the risk modelling tool developed for this research, and generally propose new avenues for further research work in the domain.

This thesis aims to explore selling and the sales process in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from the selling organisation's perspective. It investigates the sales process between SME manufacturers/distributors and Food retail and Foodservices customers/buyers in a new and a modified selling task situation in Scottish-based Food and Drinks businesses. The research examines the sales process practiced by SMEs and barriers and enablers that hinder and support effective selling practices. According to the Scottish Government, the role played by SMEs in the Food and Drinks industry is vitally important to the Scottish economy. However, given the paucity of literature in the field, knowledge concerning the role and importance of selling in SMEs, particularly in the Food and Drinks industry, is underdeveloped and lacks empirical research. To investigate the thesis research question, the author adopts an interpretivist perspective. Qualitative data was gathered through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. In all, 20 people involved in selling activities and the sales process were interviewed from 15 SMEs across Scotland. The data was then analysed using thematic analysis to establish key findings regarding the sales process The research's findings suggest that the sales process practiced by Scottish-based SMEs in the Food and Drinks industry is complex. Each selling interaction in a new and a modified selling task situation is unique. A number of dimensions impact the sales process. The type of sale varies, from being relatively simplistic with standard product, to being more complicated with customised or seasonal products. It varies from being a straight forward short-term transaction that either achieves a sale or not (usually with a smaller customer), to being a longer-term event (usually with a larger customer). What is evident is that SMEs do not rely entirely on existing customers. Prospecting is required to start the process and a follow up of some kind occurs at the end of the process; whether a sale is concluded or not. The research establishes that the steps in the process are neither wholly sequential nor simultaneous. This study identifies that there are 5 steps in the SME sales process in new and modified selling task situations: prospecting and/ or revisit customer, prepare for the sales meeting, the sales meeting itself, action points arising from the meeting and maintaining contact. In addition to the key findings, five important themes emerged from the data in the form of barriers and enablers that either directly or indirectly affect the operationalisation of the selling process. In theme one, the owner manager of the SME is usually inextricably linked to, and has considerable involvement in, and see themselves as important to the sales process. Theme two identifies that those SMEs with some degree of sales knowledge and/or expertise take a more consistent and systematic approach to their sales process. Theme three highlights that many SMEs utilise technology such as SMART phones but lack awareness of how CRM software technology can assist in the delivery of a coherent sales process. Theme four identifies that power in the seller-buyer dyad is tipped in favour of the buyer but appears to be tolerated or accepted as the norm by the SME. A fifth theme deals with the location of the SME and suggests that interacting face-to-face with customers from their Scottish geographic base, places constraints on how SMEs conduct business. A conceptual framework of the sales process practiced by Scottish-based Food and Drinks SMEs has been constructed to depict the 5 step sales process as identified in the research. This conceptual framework also incorporates 5 important dimensions (type of customer, time perspective, type of problem, type of relationship and sequence of stages) and 5 enablers and barriers that impact the operationalisation of this sales process. Since this research is exploratory in nature, the thesis identifies areas where future research is required in the field alongside suggestions where policy makers and government business development agencies might focus intervention to assist SMEs improve delivery of the sales process.

This thesis aims to explore how organisations can build consumer engagement and affinity through establishing the conditions for a shared narrative. It is set against a backdrop where brands are facing up to a serious collapse in consumer confidence, which is having an increasingly detrimental effect on the trust that people choose to place in brands and a consequential erosion in the depth of emotional connectivity between them. The consensus view amongst practitioners is that brand engagement appears to be at best fragile and exacerbated further by how the internet is redefining the way consumers interact, influence and ultimately consume. The literature describes a deepening disconnection between brands and consumers and it is clear that any future prevailing societal model will require brands appealing more to consumers' hearts, minds and aspirations. As a result, practitioners need to re-evaluate how brands can achieve deeper mutual bonds and be provided with rich insights to assist in this. The research will investigate firstly what appears to be causing the breakdown and examine what the barriers and enablers are to achieving a more mutually effective relationship. The most recent literature has laid the foundations of where a support mechanism may exist, that in encouraging an open and shared narrative to be developed with consumers. This thesis therefore aims to explore how organisations can build consumer engagement and affinity through creating the conditions for a shared narrative. The literature review will emphasise that knowledge in this area is underdeveloped and lacks empirical evidence and hence the real value, and timely nature of this study. The thesis adopts an interpretivist perspective and gathers qualitative data through seven in-depth interviews with senior marketing professionals of global brands and via twelve consumer focus groups. The data was analysed using a thematic framework, which, using a colour identification process, allowed the themes to be highlighted along the thesis journey from literature to recommendations. The process has established a number of salient findings such as: understanding where we are now - the disconnect; where we need to get to - a deeper, emotionally connected relationship; and how we should get there - the gap in the research and the insights to assist in practical application. Firstly, there are a number of factors influencing the breakdown in brand and consumer affinity, from the increased power and choice afforded to consumers via the internet, to a lack of organisational openness and a willingness to engage with consumers. It is apparent that the old models of engagement are ill at ease with the modern branding landscape and that a new understanding of engagement is required. Secondly, and apparent in all three cases under investigation, is that the foundations for deeper emotional relationships with consumers has to be via establishing authenticity. A number of drivers were identified that evoke authenticity cues: a shared corporate ethos, a staff passion for the brand, an engagement with community, and absolute corporate transparency. The broad raft of drivers identified resonates with consumers and lays the groundwork for developing a mutual narrative – the real driver of affinity. Next the research uncovered a number of insightful narrative drivers that had real value in the cases for stimulating narrative between not only the organisation and consumers, but also broader consumer to consumer. These drivers are diverse, including a call to humanize the brand, having a corporate cause, having and showing flaws and ensuring all staff believe. Finally, the research concludes with a vision and a framework for how narrative can and should continually flourish and how this image of branding should sit at the very heart of the brand essence. Since this research is fundamentally exploratory in nature, the thesis also identifies opportunities for future research for academics and practitioners and, born out of the zeitgeist, an alternative and practical branding route map to consider. The growing scepticism consumers have for brands, the effects of the global economic crisis on organisations and the deep illumination into companies that the web has offered to consumers, all mean the volatile brandscape is new and unchartered. Insights to assist practitioners in navigating through it and to ultimately assist in building consumer engagement are timely and it is affirmed that this thesis will provide the enlightenment to assist in recalibrating the situation.

Intro & Rationale The thesis develops an understanding of emotion display at work that is stimulated by a cross-paradigm dialogue. Emotion and emotion display at work are subjects that have received increasing interest from psychology, HR and management scholars and from organisations. This is a topic that has been explored by different perspectives, each with differing emphases and there have been recent calls for greater integration of these ‘lenses'. The thesis argues that meaningful integration requires a form of cross-paradigm dialogue, framed as engagement with four emergent, interconnected, strands of thought that advocate the ‘contextually embedded' nature of experience, a conception of a ‘dynamic, active individual', ‘reflexivity' on behalf of the researcher and awareness of the ‘transformative potential' of knowledge creation activity. Methodology & Findings A Mixed Methods methodology is adopted to explore emotion display in a UK university. Emotion display within this context is suggested as a complex process where the individual acts as active and dynamic interpreter of the multiple influences, personal, situational and organisational, on emotion display and negotiator of tensions between them. The display of anger, emotion display in interactions with students and senior managers and emotion display in managers are highlighted in particular as revealing some of the subtleties and ambiguities present in this dynamic process. Impact The thesis suggesting that a cross-paradigm dialogue offer some useful extensions of current understanding of the display of emotion at work and can also usefully prompt a review of current practice. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are also discussed.

With the emergence of the lean enterprise and increased global competition, companies should learn to be more proactive in the way they manage costs from a strategic perspective. The literature has shown that cost management has shifted away from a focus on the clerkship role, product costing and financial reporting. The new focus is on a strategic supporting role to facilitate the management of the firm and the achievement of its strategic goals. By focusing on reducing costs as in lean philosophy much can be done to reduce costs from a strategic point of view. The new emphasis considers strategic issues called strategic cost management and promotes the management of costs in a strategic way. Extending the idea of strategic cost management, the focus of interest is in high level organisation strategy and the attempt to categorise costs into two blocks from a strategic perspective—strategic costs and non-strategic costs, and further to develop a conceptual framework to release hidden profit through by a strategic view of non- strategic costs. The few articles and studies that have been published in the last couple of years have used a strategic approach to managing overhead resources and costs, and no studies have focused on the management of non-strategic costs. The subject is investigated by taking a positive approach to surveying and interviewing (to achieve triangulation) business stakeholders and entrepreneurs, mainly based in Taiwan. From this, the framework ‘Extended Strategic Cost Management (ESCM)' as the research contribution to the professional practice is developed which as a case study was implemented in a hospital in Taiwan. This framework exposed issues, such as the need for management commitment, the implementation of the need to categorise costs into two blocks of strategic and non-strategic costs and focus on non-strategic costs. The idea of focusing on non-strategic costs originated from practitioners. It is argued in the research that companies can attain a competitive position by managing non-strategic costs. In addition, the importance of the study is to provide academic support for defining the terms of strategic and non-strategic costs, recognise the profit contribution and the value of administrative personnel, and fill the gap in the literature of strategic cost management.

Pricing information is an important prerequisite in deciding optimal prices. Firms are advised to gather and analyse pricing-related information to arrive at profitable pricing decisions and to ensure long-term firm survival and success. Nevertheless, managers and researchers tend to overlook the first step in the process of making pricing decisions that focuses on the fundamental question of how firms should collect pricing infor-mation to determine pricing strategies and to arrive at profitable and competitive prices for their products and services. This question is especially relevant, but largely overseen in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) context. Confronted with the com-plexities of pricing, many SME managers feel overwhelmed and admit that pricing de-cisions are frequently guided by gut feelings, as they lack an effective information basis when making such decisions. These shortcomings in SME pricing are particularly criti-cal given the high economic relevance of the SME sector in many European economies. However, the bulk of pricing research tends to overlook investigating the informational prerequisites of pricing decisions. The existing research on pricing information acquisi-tion practices remains inconclusive and is very scant, inhibiting a detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The main aim of the research is therefore to critically investigate and explore in detail the role of pricing information acquisition in SMEs, and to structure and model the an-tecedents and consequences of SME pricing information acquisition practices as crucial constituents of market-oriented pricing management. Resting on the positivist research philosophy, the adopted survey design used an online questionnaire that addressed the general management of manufacturing SMEs at the executive level. The questionnaire yielded 173 responses representing a response rate of seven per cent. The comprehensive statistical analysis determined a positive link between pricing per-formance and overall firm performance, indicating that superior pricing capabilities are an important lever for firm success in SMEs. Pricing information acquisition practices were found to have a positive impact on pricing performance, showing that informa-tional pricing practices should receive particular attention by SME managers. Despite the high relevance of pricing information acquisition practices, the overall amount of pricing information acquisition actually conducted by SMEs was found to be low, indicating that SMEs tend to overlook the informational prerequisites of pricing decisions. This thesis developed a novel typology of pricing information acquisition behaviour at the information source level, and, thereby, clarified the dimensionality of this construct. This will enable future research and discussion on the modes of firms' pricing infor-mation acquisition practices and help SME managers to implement professional pricing information acquisition practices. Further, the detailed investigation of ten influencing factors identified important internal and external determinants of pricing information acquisition, thereby helping research and practice to understand the key drivers behind this important construct. The innovative theoretical perspective adopted in this thesis may help future researchers studying the informational prerequisites of pricing decision-making by adopting or modifying the developed theoretical framework.