This dissertation set out to examine two quite separate but interrelated issues. First, it explored the comparative history of charity in the UK and Canada, and attempted to calculate the size of the footprint history has left on today's nonprofit sector management. Secondly, the dissertation...

The thesis is based on a longitudinal study of the automobile industry in the U.S.A. from its inception around the turn of the century, to the 1950s. Charting the changes in methods of production, organisational structure, demography and skill configurations among the workforce, and...

The UK house-building industry is increasingly criticised for the quality of its products. Its business drivers are less focused on the needs of customers compared with much of the manufacturing sector. Recent surveys have revealed considerable dissatisfaction among buyers of newly built homes,...

For established manufacturing nations, increased competitive pressure has been the way of life since the late 1970s. For the most part however, production decision making in manufacturing industry has not changed to meet these new challenges. It usually takes a subordinate strategic role to the...

Performance improvement is the natural objective of any intervention in the organisation. Performance improvement in operational terms is particularly interesting when it is able to influence the competitive position of the firm. By being able to deliver superior value and/or offer prices...

This study investigates the relationship between employee participation in decision-making within production enterprises and their economic performance. Alternative forms of employee involvement such as profit sharing and employee ownership are also considered. A theoretical framework is...

This paper addresses two related issues: the effect of the `regulatory shock' of the National Minimum Wage on small firms and the consequent effects on the commonly observed practice of `informality'. It draws on a survey of such firms but primarily uses case study evidence from five firms to...

Congestion severely affects air traffic in the US and Europe. To protect air traffic controllers from overloads a planning activity, Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM), emerged during the 1970s. ATFM control actions range from departure delays to the re-routing of flights. This research...

The present thesis analyses the international activities of British start-up companies in high-technology industries. The research makes the following contributions. First, it is the first study that establishes the prevalence of internationally operating start-up companies in a particular...

There is a growing recognition that sustainable competitive advantage requires a viable integration between information technology (IT) and organisational change. Increasingly, firms are interested in the transfer of IT-related best practices in the hope that fundamental organisational change...