The aim of this research was to investigate how the continual low success rate of IS projects could be improved through an evaluation of success and failure factors. A literature review revealed a comprehensive but uncoordinated history of research into the identification of the critical factors. This proved to be inconclusive, but did indicate that project management contributed more to the failures than the technology. A model for expressing the complexity of IS project environments is proposed to aid project teams with their strategy. Also, the criteria for measuring success of both project managemenat nd IS projects has been extended. Although many disciplines had considered trust as a success factor, this was missing within the domain of project management. To examine the effect of trust in an IS project environment a game termed Project Paradox was designed and run. A lack of trust was found to be compounded by conflicting objectives inherent within IS projects. It is recommended that the issues relating to trust should be considered and managed as an integral part of a risk analysis. To enable this to be realised in practice a framework for a Trust Audit is proposed. The thesis concludes with a number of research initiatives aimed at improving the success rate of IS projects.

The present study examines the impact of marketing capabilities through a network perspective on innovative capabilities and firm performance. The market orientation and the resource-based view that underpin marketing capabilities have mainly treated marketing as internal capability of the firm. As firms are increasingly inter-connected and part of a business networks, a firm’s marketing capabilities need to be examined beyond a single firm. But, to date, no study has yet examined a firm's marketing capabilities from a network perspective in order to understand their influence on innovative capabilities. Thus, this study extends the existing research and conceptualisation of marketing capabilities from an internal perspective of a firm to external network relationships of the firm. This network perspective is based on a firm’s view of its network relationships, which accounts for inter-firm relationships, as well as through digital technology and learning orientation. With the advent of the Internet and information technology, this study conceptualises digital technology as an enabler of the relationship between marketing capability and innovative capability. Since capabilities evolve to become routines and/or deteriorate over time, a firm's learning orientation is also conceptualised for examining the extent to which capabilities impact on innovative capabilities. A survey data of 300 UK-based firms were analysed using statistical analysis to examine the influence of marketing capabilities on innovative capabilities and in turn, firm performance. In addition, interaction analyses were performed to test for mediating and moderating relationships of digital technology and learning orientation. Findings of the analysis show strong support for product development capability; marketing implementation capability; pricing capability. The results support the relative impact of marketing capabilities on innovative capabilities. While marketing capabilities may comprise interdependent capabilities, this finding suggests that firms can enhance innovative capabilities by emphasizing the salient marketing capabilities. Importantly, digital technology has a significant and positive mediating relationship for the relationship between marketing capabilities and innovative capabilities. This finding indicates that knowledge of the application of information technology would facilitate exploitation and exploration of marketing capabilities that enhance innovative capabilities. As indicated by the positive moderation of learning orientation for the relationship between marketing capabilities and innovative capability, the potential to harness marketing capabilities is better enhanced through learning orientation and digital technology. This new perspective of marketing capability analysis benefits from a firm’s network perspective that recognises a firm’s external relationships and inter-connected nature of business interactions. In this instance, digital technology extends the boundary of firm beyond a single firm, and learning orientation complements market orientation with learning and gathering of external market information. This research advances knowledge about specific types of marketing capabilities for improving innovative capability and firm performance through digital technology capability. The study also makes a significant contribution to building theoretical knowledge of the role of digital technology in enabling innovative capabilities by developing and empirically testing a new construct of digital technology. As the ability to mobilise digital technology is firm-specific, this study extends knowledge about the extent of learning orientation (moderator) to the marketing capabilities and innovative capabilities relationship through digital technology.

This ethnographic study is concerned with the relationship dynamics between groups jointly tasked with decision making. It seeks to answer the general question: what are the main relationship drivers and influences at work during the process of inter group activity? The research examines the issues surrounding the inter group relationship. How are relationships between the groups formed and maintained and how do they impact the efficacy of the inter group decision process? What makes the inter group relationship in organisational decision making work at a practical level? The work lies within, and makes a contribution to, the areas of social and management psychology. In commercial entities, where a Board comprising executive and non-executive members is charged with strategic decision making, a client/advisor relationship often exists with another group. In the situation researched, one group has the ultimate responsibility for making the decisions whilst a second group is tasked with identifying the requirement for a decision, information gathering, the search for alternatives and the recommendation to the Decision Group. This particular situation is not uncommon within limited companies, partnerships, listed companies and a range of other organisations and is the situation within the research organisation. Successful and effective decision making is an essential ingredient of organisational management. The result of a set of dysfunctional relationships and inefficient processes can be terminal to the organisation. An understanding ofthe relationship dynamics at work improves the decision process and enables managers to identify those negative elements that may compromise efficacy. Additionally, the research conclusions have implications for group recruitment and group training. The research deals with individuals, their actions and their thought processes, both conscious and unconscious. The conceptual framework for the research centers upon the relationship dynamics and relationship overlap between the individuals that are members ofboth groups. The subject and circumstances lend themselves to qualitative research methodology and interpretive ethnography is the approach chosen and is seen as a useful counterbalance and addition to the considerable amount of empirical work on group dynamics available to researchers. An additional dimension is added by the position ofthe researcher as both an insider in the organisation and that organisation's Chief Executive. This poses certain ethical issues which are addressed within the thesis and also illustrates and proposes the use of insider interpretive ethnography as a powerful management tool for newly appointed senior managers and organisational leaders. The qualitative interview is the primary method of data gathering, however, a number of ethnographic methods are employed, including the extensive use of observation field notes. The research is directly grounded in the area of inter group relations and the findings show the direct importance oft he sharing dynamics of fate, motivation, values and understanding to the inter group relationship and the impacts upon trust within and between groups. The role of group leadership is examined and its significant impact on the inter group relationships is proposed. The research provides a further example ofthe use of interpretive ethnography by an organisational insider.

Ever since the Peasant's Revolt in 1379/ collection of our taxes has been unpopular. In particular when the taxes are viewed as unfair the population have reacted in significant and even violent ways. For example the Hearth Tax of 1662/ Window Tax of 1747 and the Poll tax of the 1990's have experienced public rejection of these levies. Additionally there has been a major growth in tax avoidance in the last 60 years. All of this may indicate a single ontology of taxation; one where tax is disliked and avoided. However the work of Buchanan (1994) suggested there are alternative ways of viewing taxation by identifying four alternative paradigms of taxation. This research recognises the work of Buchanan (1994) but challenges whether his alternatives are paradigms; other researchers suggest there are factors such as age, gender and background that can influence our view of taxation. If that is true then Buchanan's (1994) work must be interpreted as four alternative perceptions of taxation; that is taxation does not have a single ontology. Based upon primary and secondary research this thesis clearly identifies the factors that can influence our view, perception, of taxation. Contrary to the conclusions of Auderbach (1999) this research considers a matrix of factors rather than adopting Auderbach's view that tax policy is endogenous and should not try to explain taxes from a wide range of factors. This matrix of factors is concluded in the Tax Perception Push-Pull Model which identifies a range of influences and in categorising the factors it identifies the relative strength or importance of the factors. The model concept is tested against the tax changes in,traduced in the UK Budget statement of 2008 and shows there is a balance of push and pull factors, concluding that the population's overall view of taxation should not change.

It appears to be commonly claimed by workplace mediators that they are 'neutral', that is, they do not influence parties' decisions but merely help them to find their own solutions to a conflict. This is problematic if, beneath a cloak of an illusory neutrality, mediators unwittingly contain and manage conflicts to meet overarching needs for organizational efficiency. A closer scrutiny of workplace mediation, both theoretical and practical, reveals mediators to be very influential in ways that are often obscure, being hidden within naturalised and dominant discursive patterns of contemporary organizational life. Issues of confidentiality and political sensitivity precluded access to actual mediation sessions. Therefore, a video recording of three experienced workplace mediators conducting role-play mediations was used. By studying mediators' spoken interventions it was possible to assess the 'subject positions' they maintained and enacted. Whilst the mediators facilitated reflection by the parties upon their conflict, strong tendencies to manage resolution or reconciliation were observed. Follow up discussions with the participating mediators revealed a reluctance to acknowledge this finding. For them, workplace mediation was best conceptualised as a path to more efficient working behaviours via the mediated resolution of conflict. In sum, founding values of mediation, concerned to support movement towards dialogue, had been supplanted by an instrumental application inside the workplace. Building on a critique that posits workplace mediators acting as proxy managers, an alternative, counterfactual, style of mediating is proposed that may help to partially free mediation practice from colonizing organizational pressures. Resting upon an understanding of the social construction of the 'self', this alternative style suggests that mediators bring a compassionate humility to their practice to support parties in an exploration of a conflict and an understanding of their part in it. As far as possible, goals of resolution or reconciliation are eschewed by such mediators, though probably and understandably not by the parties. In this way a conflict may be opened up to a sense of the radical contingency of social relations, in which both the politics and our fantasies of the social are sometimes revealed.

This study investigates the impacts of pricing innovations and other non-pricing dimensions on the market share competition of dominant Chinese online game companies. The empirical context of my research is the strategic behaviour of online game operators (i.e. the companies who operate online games) in the Chinese online game market – the most active market in the world with strong network effects. According to the literature review, previous pricing studies have focused mainly on the evaluation of traditional pricing theories and their limited validity for the information economy. Velu (2005) pointed out how dominant firms in a market with strong network effects adopt business innovations to sustain their market dominance. This study first investigates the validity of Velu‟s theory and then aims to develop and expand the theory of pricing practice by discussing how dominant companies integrate pricing and other non-pricing dimensions during market share competition. With the application of an analytical synthesis, this study covers large parts of the traditional economy and information economy literature by linking the concepts of „within‟ and „across‟ theories of pricing and competition. It finally brings together different theories and adopts Bouwman and MacInnes‟ virtual web idea as an original conceptual framework to give an insight into how the pricing process and other internal and external factors impact differently on the market share competition. The study adopts a descriptive multiple-case study strategy including five dominant Chinese online game companies and employs qualitative data collected from 64 interviewees and reliable secondary data from documentations and archival records.The findings suggest that, instead of devoting all their efforts to pricing innovation, the companies have turned to an exploration of their internal resources to enhance their competitiveness. Superficially, as an influential external factor, government regulations have constrained the operation of imported games. The study also discusses two internal themes that influence each company‟s competitive strength. They are: how to deal with the exodus of talent and how to handle strategic alliance management. There seems to be no previous research concerning the relationship between pricing innovation and market dominance within a new economy‟s service sector. As a consequence, this research should provide insights into this academic blind spot and rationalize the diversity of strategic theory within the specific industry.

A number of researchers suggest that the development of Internet technologies, especially the World Wide Web, provides new opportunities for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), because the Internet has the ability to assist SMEs to extend their activities into customer base in international markets. Although there is extensive research focusing on business-to consumer marketing, no significant studies have looked at business-to-business marketing, especially the manufacturing SMEs sector. This thesis examines how the Internet relates to manufacturing SMEs and reviews how manufacturing SMEs internationalise. In particular, this thesis concerns how industrial networks/relationships impact on the use of the Internet for manufacturing SMEs and their international operations. This thesis reviews relevant areas of literature in industrial network perspectives, internationalisation, capabilities and the Internet. A conceptual framework derived from the literature review is also presented. The conceptual development provides a framework for the subsequent research strategies. The empirical data consists of ten in-depth case studies from different types of manufacturing SMEs and industries within the UK. A cross-case analysis was then carried out which leads to the finalised framework. One of the key contributions of this thesis is the development of the SCIM (SME Capability for the Internationalisation of Manufacturing) framework. The framework provides an overview of an industrial network in relation to the manufacturing SMEs' capability development, and factors such as the Internet and industrial environment that need to be considered for their international business decisions. The findings reveal key components that have direct impact upon manufacturing SMEs when engaging in network business activities. Moreover, the findings elaborate the influence of the Internet for manufacturing SMEs for their international business operations and internationalisation strategies. Finally, the implications for practice and directions for future research are highlighted.

This thesis examines the self-regulatory nature of the United Kingdom banking industry in relation to its effectiveness at promoting financial inclusion. This exploration is conducted through an examination of the changing culture of the banking industry from the 1600's to the present day whilst considering the effect banking regulation has played on financial exclusion and exploring the expectation gap between bank delivery and customer expectation. The thesis also examines in detail the characteristics of financial exclusion within the United Kingdom in relation to the self-regulatory mechanism, which regulates the industry, namely the Banking Code. Furthermore the thesis questions whether banks have a social responsibility towards customers who experience financial exclusion or difficulties. This thesis uses template analysis in order to analyse data collected through interviews and surveys.Through template analysis the researcher hasproduced two main templates which can be used to illustrate the process of the development of financial exclusion and its relationship with banking regulation. Stemming from these templates the thqsis puts forward four recommendations which could be adopted by the banking industry to help promote financial inclusion within the United Kingdom. The thesis makes two essential contributions to knowledge. The first is that financial exclusion has been explored using a novel methodology, namely, template analysis and a greater understanding of this social phenomenon has been uncovered. The second contribution to knowledge is that the research has shown there is an expectation gap between customer and banker which has arisen from the cultural evolution of the banking industry and in turn this has helped promulgate financial exclusion. Financial exclusion is therefore a complex and diverse problem. The findings in this thesis could be used for further research encompassing an international dimension as well as looking at other areas of the United Kingdom's financial service providers such as insurance. Therefore this piece of research can be used and adapted to examine further avenues of financial exclusion of a cross industry sector and global scale.

The objective of this thesis is to explain the business management of a capital company after of the recodification of Czech private law. Due to the re-codification it is necessary to highlight the most important changes related to the new legislation, point out the problems of interpretation and outline possible solutions. Attention is also paid to the applicability of existing judicial decisions. This thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter deals with the general organizational structure of companies. Its content is so a brief explanation of the various organs and their competences. Omitted is not even a brief explanation of the division of competences between the various organs of the company. In the second chapter of the thesis the term of business management is being discussed. Also interpreted are the specific decisions included in this term and those that are not. Business management is also distinguished from acting on behalf of a company, which may in some cases follow the decisions. Very brief attention is payed to German legislation too. The third chapter details the way business management decisions are taken. Distinguished is a decision making in a limited liability company and joint-stock company, both monistic and dualistic structures. The fourth chapter deals with the...

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