In this thesis, I explore the topic of chief executive officer (CEO) compensation in UK publicly traded firms. My objective is threefold. First of all, I investigate debt-holders‟ reaction to CEO compensation in terms of the cost of debt financing. Secondly, I examine the possible link between CEO compensation and expectation management. Thirdly, I examine whether and how the interactive relation between CEO career horizon and compensation package affects a firm‟s research and development spending. Multiple regression is employed in this thesis to investigate the causal relationship between these above mentioned aspects I‟m interested (the cost of debt, expectation management and research and development spending) and CEO compensation. I consider all major compensation components for a typical CEO in UK publicly traded firms: defined benefit pension, bonus, restricted shares, traditional stock options and performance-vested stock options. The accumulated equity incentives, such as ownership, are also examined. My major findings are as follows. First of all, I find that an increase in defined benefit pension and bonus in CEO compensation are associated with a lower bond yield spread, while an increase in stock options and ownership intensifies it. Secondly, I document that CEO equity incentives that will be vested in the following year are positively associated with the probability of employing expectation management to meet or beat financial analysts‟ forecasts about a firm‟s reporting earnings. Thirdly, I demonstrate that older CEOs will not spend less in research and development expenditures in general. However, older CEOs with more defined benefit pensions and ownership are reluctant to engage in such an investment. iii My results generate several implications for CEO compensation research. First of all, I show that debt-holders rationally incorporate the information of CEO compensation about risk-taking and risk-avoiding incentives when pricing a firm‟s publicly traded debts. Secondly, I provide the evidence that CEO compensation motivates top managers to manipulate information disclosure by employing expectation management for personal gains. Thirdly, the joint influence of CEO career horizon and compensation package on a firm‟s research and development spending is highlighted. CEO compensation motivates a short-sighed and risk-averse investment policy when top managers have a short career horizon. The first novel contribution in this thesis is the coverage of CEO pension, which is overlooked by the most of previous literature on compensation studies. Secondly, I provide the evidence that the popularity of expectation management in the UK, which is well documented in the literature, can be partly explained by CEO compensation. Finally, the interactive relation between CEO compensation and career horizon on a firm‟s investment policy is re-examined. It provides further material in the debate of career horizon problem, which has no consensus in the previous literature. Overall, this thesis generates some empirical evidence about the influence of CEO compensation on managerial behaviour. Some adverse effects of CEO compensation highlighted in this thesis may help remuneration committee to design a better pay package for top managers in the future.

This interdisciplinary thesis has two principal objectives: to measure the relative efficiency of South Africa's public universities between 1994-97 and to provide explanations for levels of efficiency observed. Two methods Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and analytical review - were used to measure relative efficiency and to attempt to explain efficiency amongst the ten universities for which comparable data were available, covering the years 1994 to 1997. Three DEA models academic, research and consolidated - were estimated and this analysis was supplemented by the analytical review method. which confirmed the results from the DEA computations. Institutions were grouped according to their relative efficiency measures within three suggested apparent levels of efficiency. An attempt was made to explain efficiency across various dimensions and the issue of quality was also addressed. Finally, some benchmarks of 'best practice' for the university sector were suggested. These findings have important implications for policy in higher education, particularly in respect of university rationalisation and governance. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

This thesis addresses the capacity development needs of white-collar employees within large organizations. Common employee problems of violation and diminishment of potential are ignored by mainstream organizational theory and management practice. Because these problems are unarticulated in any formal sense they lack legitimacy in the mainstream discourse. I label such problems, that result from unequal social relations, as problems of "disempowerment". This labelling re-conceptualizes the large organizational context as a political community with an institutionalized capacity to disempower employees, stunt their personal, social and political development, and inhibit any challenge to the existing privileged arrangements. The re-labelling of common employee problems in this way positions the research challenge in the political domain, stimulates the capacity to redefine problematic social relations in creative ways and opens the way for different possibilities and different solutions. An analytical examination of multi-disciplinary scholarship reveals articulation of a common theme that can be viewed as facets of the problem which I identify as one of disempowerment. The main body of the thesis examines these disciplines and collates the literature of concern into a structured argument. The main thrust of the argument is that the alternative debate to mainstream organizational theory and management practice has been marginalized and lacks legitimacy. This situation allows the orthodox view, with its focus on technical problem solving and efficiency, to ignore the more humane aspects of organizational life that demand the socio-political development of employees in order for them to make a meaningful contribution. Although there is a rhetoric of empowerment in organizational development thrusts, these do not address the political challenge of organizational life. The thesis suggests that employees, in collectively picking up the challenge of their own personal, social and political development, can transform organizations into becoming more humane ones that promote capacity development as a common benefit. This initiative would require the institutionalized support of academe in legitimizing and disseminating an alternative debate. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

There are a number of challenges that are facing the South African manufacturing industry today. Companies within this sector are trying all they can to ensure the optimal utilisation of physical and human resources and the maximisation of profit, all this at a very minimal possible cost. Each company within the industry is struggling for a competitive edge and bigger market share compared to other companies manufacturing the same product. Haas et al. (2005: 1) suggest that the manufacturing companies need more flexible labour strategies, like multiskilling, as a way of dealing with these challenges. Hulett Aluminium (Pty) Ltd, South Africa's largest aluminium producer and based in Pietermaritzburg, was used by the researcher as a case study. The company was founded in 1946 as a subsidiary of the international Alcan Aluminium Group. It is South Africa's largest manufacturer of semi-fabricated and finished aluminium products. The company introduced multiskilling in 2000, the main objective being to equip the employees with a variety of skills for the benefit of both the company and the employees themselves. This research study was undertaken to establish the extent to which Hulett Aluminium (Pty) Ltd has taken advantage of the theoretical benefits associated with multiskilling. To achieve this the following issues were investigated: preparation of a suitable environment for the application of multiskilling, effects of new, advanced technology on multiskilling, effects of absenteeism due to workshops, training programmes and personal matters, productivity levels, labour turnover, labour costs, trend towards selfmanaged groups, job satisfaction , employee motivation and industrial conflicts. This study first discussed the theoretical perspectives on multiskilling. This is followed by the description of Hulett Aluminium (Pty) Ltd, with specific description of the company's profile, the organisational structure, the aluminium supply chain and the company's core business . The description of the company is followed by the methodology used for the collection of data as well as the outline of the interpretation procedures followed. Research findings and discussion are also given. The key findings of this study are that both managers and shop floor employees at Hulett Aluminium agree that multiskilling contributes to increased organisational labour productivity, reduced organisational overall costs, and reduced industrial conflicts. Other areas of agreement include the fact that multiskilled employees need appropriate resources for the application of their skills; training is an essential tool for multiskilling and that rewards for a multiskilled workforce are a motivating factor for in the workplace. The final conclusion drawn is that much as Hulett Aluminium (Pty) Ltd has embraced multiskilling, there is still a lot the company needs to do or improve on, so that it could enjoy the benefits of the programme. Based on the findings of this study, some of the recommendations made for Hulett Aluminium are: • A detailed planning process for proper implementation ofmuItiskilling • All the relevant stakeholders within the company should be part and parcel of the implementation of the programme • Benchmarking with other manufacturing companies which have implemented multiskilling • Training of new recruits so that they could be at equal par with the old employees and also contribute positively to increased organisational productivity. 11 / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This study explores the different perceptions of effectiveness among four constituent groups of stakeholders in Singapore national sports associations. The four groups are athletes, board members, coaches, and secretariat staff. The study applies a qualitative research methodology. It uses a focus group and semi-structured interviews across 25 national sports associations. The qualitative data is analysed using NVivo software to organise the data into general themes and as an aid in breaking the data into sub-themes. The four constituent groups discuss multi-faceted perceptions of effectiveness by providing varying interpretations, meanings, inferences, and relational issues depending on the roles they hold. While confirming multi-dimensional perceptions of effectiveness, the study uncovers three determinants of effectiveness that are not cited directly in the literature: communication, athlete management, and commitment and organisation of the management committee. The study suggests major tensions in terms of organisational and personal athlete outcomes. It also highlights the paramount importance of funding, both for sports development and the organisation's personnel staffing and systems. There is a symbiotic relationship between internal and external perceptions of influences on effective performance. The findings suggest constituent groups' perceptions of the Singapore Sports Council influence their perceptions of effectiveness within their own associations. In turn, SSC's policy making and organisational behaviour are perceived to affect how the effectiveness of constituent groups is evaluated as well as their scope for action within their organisations. The implications for sports administrators and policy makers include the need for better communications between and within constituent groups, quality leadership (with decisions based on sports management and sports science knowledge), a more equitable distribution of funds, an internal environment of trust and empowerment balanced by objectivism, and an external environment of realism balanced by recognition of the need for continual performance improvement.

[Truncated abstract] The focus of this thesis is to investigate the meaning and measurement of business success for owner-operators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Taking a first step towards a greater understanding of SME performance, the study develops an instrument specifically designed to measure the business goals and objectives of SME owners. This development is based on a combination of a: literature search; quantitative analysis of a secondary data set of the goals and expectations of Australian retailers; qualitative (focus group) study of West Australian SME principals; and quantitative (mail survey) study of West Australian SME principals. Both these primary data studies used SME principals from a wide variety of industries . . . Tests of the power of the SOS to account for differences in economic performance revealed that the SOS significantly increased understanding of variations in owner returns and profitability and had a limited capacity to explain differences in revenue growth and staff revenue productivity. SOS satisfaction was found to describe differences in owner-operators’ perceptions of business success significantly better than objective measures of economic return. It is expected that such knowledge will help subsequent research develop an understanding of how SME onwer-operators modify their expectations of economic return for the utility they gain from their working life.

Thesis (Ph.D.) ---University of Western Sydney, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Macarthur, 2000. / "A theis presented to the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, June, 2000.''--t.p. Bibliography: leaves 235-287.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-102). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-110).