The thesis is concerned with the means by which labour is managed in the young, turbulent and high risk industry of North Sea oil extraction. To explain this, the study had to extend beyond the more usual focus of research attention, the inmediate relationship between employer and employee, to examine the wider commercial relationship between the major oil companies and their contractors from the perspective of both parties. The response of the trade unions is assessed in this broader context. In a relatively short period of time an industrial relations system of considerable complexity has developed. The spreading of financial risk by the operating companies (oil majors) is paralleled in industrial relations by the delegation of responsibility to contractors. As a result, a two tier workforce has developed. The study analyses the processes at work, drawing on a range of interview, observation and archival techniques. Collective bargaining has been widely used to cope with the labour problems posed by these extreme financial and environmental circumstances. It is demonstrated that this has sometimes been imposed upon the contractors and that it operates at both the mUlti-employer, industry level, and at that of the individual company. However, the thesis concludes that this collective bargaining rests more on loose, informal agreements, and trade union lobbying, rather than formal agreements and procedures.

The overall aim of the present study was to contribute to the argument put forward by Burt, Chmiel and Hayes (2009) that trust in the context of employee selection and training can be negative for safety. The present study builds on these authors argument that new employees pose a safety risk and any effort to build trust in the safety behaviours of new team members and/or to reduce perceptions of the safety risk of new employees (e.g. through selection and training) could likely have negative consequences. The research was conducted in eight organisations from the manufacturing, construction, engineering and rail industries which are characterised by high accident rates (Statistics New Zealand, 2008). There were 118 participants which completed an anonymous occupational safety questionnaire. The participants were employees who worked in teams in high risk industries characterised by a history of turnover. The results supported past findings in that trust in selection and training was positively correlated with immediate trust in new team members. There were mixed results regarding the hypothesis that trust in selection and training is negatively correlated with perceived risk from new team members. In particular there was some support for this hypothesis at the highest job risk level. The results supported the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between the number of selection and training processes used by organisations and immediate trust in new team members. The results also indicated that the previous safety outcomes of new team members acts as a mediator between trust in selection and training, and immediate trust in new team members. Results are discussed in terms of the concerns and implications for organisations aiming to reduce accident rates.

The overall aim of the present study was to contribute to the argument put forward by Burt, Chmiel and Hayes (2009) that trust in the context of employee selection and training can be negative for safety. The present study builds on these authors argument that new employees pose a safety risk and any effort to build trust in the safety behaviours of new team members and/or to reduce perceptions of the safety risk of new employees (e.g. through selection and training) could likely have negative consequences. The research was conducted in eight organisations from the manufacturing, construction, engineering and rail industries which are characterised by high accident rates (Statistics New Zealand, 2008). There were 118 participants which completed an anonymous occupational safety questionnaire. The participants were employees who worked in teams in high risk industries characterised by a history of turnover. The results supported past findings in that trust in selection and training was positively correlated with immediate trust in new team members. There were mixed results regarding the hypothesis that trust in selection and training is negatively correlated with perceived risk from new team members. In particular there was some support for this hypothesis at the highest job risk level. The results supported the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between the number of selection and training processes used by organisations and immediate trust in new team members. The results also indicated that the previous safety outcomes of new team members acts as a mediator between trust in selection and training, and immediate trust in new team members. Results are discussed in terms of the concerns and implications for organisations aiming to reduce accident rates.

The current research emerged in response to recent alerts of increasing organisational safety failures in New Zealand’s high risk industries. It was theorized that safety climate may be largely determined by the quality of safety-centered leadership under which an organisation operates. The study utilized reports of organisational safety prosecutions within New Zealand to develop a quasi-experimental design which compared persecuted and non-prosecuted company’s leaders on measures of ethical values, moral philosophy, social responsibility, corporate psychopathy, and leadership style. Issues of response rate inherent to the study design were encountered during data collection, and no significant between group differences consistent with the study predictions were found. Theoretical and practical interpretations are made in light of the results, suggesting that dynamics within group-decision processes and the top governing structure of companies may be significant factors in affecting leader safety performances within these industries.

I denna uppsats studeras teorier om ledarskap kopplat till högriskbranscher. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka ledarskapsstilar och kvaliteter som är dominerande bland ledare inom dessa branscher. Tidigare forskning visar att bemyndigande- och transformativt ledarskap är fördelaktiga ledarskapsstilar inom högriskbranscher. Tidigare forskning visar emellertid att vidare studier inom detta område behövs. I arbetssituationer utanför högriskbranscher har studier visat att förändringsorienterat-, relationsorienterat- och uppgiftsorienterat ledarskap är dominerande bland ledare. För att skapa en helhetsbild av de olika ledarskapsstilarna inom branschen skapar dessa tre ledarskapsstilar tillsammans med det transformativa och det bemyndigande ledarskapet den teoretiska ramen för denna studie. I denna kvalitativa studie genomförs semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex anställda inom ett företag i högriskbranschen, Forsmarks kärnkraftverk (Forsmark Kraftgrupp AB). De anställda intervjuades angående deras erfarenheter av sin närmaste chefs ledaregenskaper. De dominerande ledarskapsstilarna som har identifierats inom företaget är relationsorienterat ledarskap tillsammans med bemyndigande ledarskap. Detta följdes av transformativt ledarskap tillsammans med förändringsorienterat ledarskap, som var förekommande men inte dominerande. Mitt bidrag till detta forskningsområde är att bygga en djupare förståelse för ledaregenskaper och ledarskapsstilar i högriskbranscher. / In this essay, theories regarding leadership linked to high-risk industries are studied. The aim for this study is to investigate which leadership styles and qualities that are dominant among leaders in those industries. Previous research shows that empowering and transformative leadership are beneficial leadership styles within high risk industries. However, previous research have requested that further studies in this area are needed. In work situations outside high risk industries, studies have shown that change-oriented, relationship-oriented and task-oriented leadership is dominant among leaders. To construct an overall picture of the different leadership styles among the industry, these three leadership styles together with the transformative and the empowering leadership is creating the theoretical framework for this study. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews are conducted with six employees within a company in high risk industries, Forsmark nuclear power plant (Forsmark Kraftgrupp AB). They were interviewed regarding their experiences of their closest manager's leadership qualities. The dominant leadership styles that have been identified within the company are relationship-oriented leadership along with empowering leadership. This is followed by transformative leadership together with change-oriented leadership, which seemed prevalent but not dominant. My contribution to this research area is to build a deeper understanding of the leadership qualities and leadership styles in high-risk industries.

Bakgrund: År 2017 lämnade Riksrevisionen en rapport gällande avskaffandet av revisionsplikten för mindre företag i Sverige, vilket trädde i kraft under 2010. Riksrevisionen förklarade i denna rapport att lagändringen skapade obalans i Sveriges ekonomi. Detta då det av rapporten framgår att större brister i företags bokföring ökat efter att revisionsplikten slopades, vilket främst syns i den så kallade högriskindustrin, varav ett förslag vore att återinföra lagstadgad revision för samtliga aktiebolag i Sverige i mån att skapa legitimitet hos dessa företag.  Syftet: Denna rapport är menad att skapa en diskussion hur företag inom högrisk-branscher, i detta fall restaurangindustrin, skapar legitimitet jämtemot sina intressenter om de inte längre krävs granskas av en revisor. Denna diskussion kommer vara mellan företagare samt av författarna utvalda intressenter för att besvara författarnas underfrågor vilket sedan kommer besvara rapportens huvudfråga.  Metod: Det empiriska materialet som ingår i denna rapport har insamlats med en kvalitativ metod genom triangulering med en abduktiv ansats. Denna har bestått av semistrukturerade intervjuer med företag, banker, Skatteverket, revisorer och redovisare. Svaren har jämförts och analyserats med hjälp av författarnas uppställda teoretiska referensram.   Slutsats: Diskussion mellan företagare och intressenter visar att det inte alltid krävs att företag ska låta sig granskas av en revisor för att uppnå legitimitet, även om detta av intervjupersonerna framgår som den mer legitimerande åtgärden. Av vår slutsats framgår att företag genom förflutna, nutida och framtida handlingar kan skapa och bibehålla legitimitet, vilket innefattar handlingar som att följa de regler och principer som delas av industrin och dess intressenter men även handlingar som skapar en bättre image av företaget och dess ledning. Intressenterna ser även inhyrning av redovisnings och revisionstjänster som legitimerande då bokföringen har skapats indirekt genom rådgivning eller i direkt samspel med en redovisningskonsult samt revisor. Denna rapport är menad att skapa förståelse mellan företag och dess intressenter varav denna slutsats ska bidra till att skapa konsensus mellan de berörda parterna. / Background: Riksrevisionen submitted its reports in 2017, regarding the deregulation of statutory audit for smaller companies in Sweden that came into force in 2010. Riksrevisionen explained that the amendment created disturbances in the Swedish economy. The reason, mentioned in its report, is because the deregulation of statutory audit led to a greater number of errors within companies’ financial reports, particularly in the high-risk industries. Riksrevisionen suggested that statutory audit should be reinstated amongst the smaller companies in Sweden, in order to raise legitimacy among these companies.   Purpose: This thesis aims to create a discussion about how companies within the high-risk industries, in this case, the restaurant industry, creates legitimacy towards its stakeholders if they are no longer demanded by law to be reviewed by an auditor. This discussion will be between companies, banks, Skatteverket and auditors. The result of the dialogue will answer the author’s secondary questions, which in turn will answer the main research question of the report.     Method: The empirical material included in this report has been collected with a qualitative methodology, using triangulation with an abductive approach. The empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews with companies, banks, Skatteverket, auditors and accountants. The answers given were later categorized by subject. The results were compared and analysed with the conceptual framework created by the authors.   Conclusion and discussion: The dialogue between companies and their stakeholders shows that companies may receive legitimacy through other means then letting itself be reviewed by an auditor, which remains the outermost legitimising measure. Our conclusion describes that companies can receive or maintain legitimacy depending on their past, present or future actions. These actions include abiding laws and principles which is shared among the industry and its stakeholders but also those creating a better image of the company and its management. The stakeholders also view hiring accounting- and auditing services as legitimising as the financial reports have been created indirectly through advisement or indirect interplay with an accounting consultant or auditor. This report is meant to create understanding between companies and their stakeholders whereas this conclusion will contribute to the creation of consensus between concerned parties.