This dissertation presents the results of using a multidisciplinary "business policy" approach to examine the competitive situation of UK vehicle component manufacturers. With the cooperation of the companies involved in six product sectors, detailed studies have been made comparing the...

The thesis develops a sociological theory of strategy that is then applied empirically to nine firms within the Taiwanese PC industry. It aims to show why and how firms within the same industry and country pursue different strategies. This thesis begins by arguing the relative failure of...

The importance of multinational corporations (MNCs) on a global scale has continued to increase over the past decades. This is evidenced in rapidly rising levels of foreign direct investment (FDI) coupled with high amount of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. MNCs are likely to have a...

This paper contributes to re-specifying a number of the phenomena of interest to organisational studies in terms of patterns of socio-material practices and their effects. It does so by outlining a vocabulary and strategy that make up a framework for theorising work and organisational practices....

The subject of this thesis is the emerging academic area of public relations (PR) (Hazleton and Botan, 1989: 13), which remains theoretically undeveloped and lacks empirical substantiation (Pasadeos et A, 1999). The phenomenon of PR activity incorporating -- all the people, institutions and...

This Executive Summary is a summary of the author's Engineering Doctorate research and the application of that research. The Executive Summary has sufficient detail and description to be read independently from the other pieces of research, called submissions, to which this refers. In outline,...

As external factors increasingly influence the way businesses operate, companies have to be able to adapt in order to cope with these external influences. They have to become agile and responsive to change in order to gain a real competitive advantage. However, most companies believe that they...

In a highly competitive global environment, many manufacturers respond by setting up outsourcing relations for components and finished products with lower-cost producers on a contractual OEM (original equipment manufacture) basis. In the last decade, we have witnessed a spectacular growth in...

While there is strong evidence that longstanding systemic weaknesses in the British economy continue to lead to negative strategic, skills and employment outcomes across much of British industry, there has in recent years been a notable lack of empirical research in the skills and employment...

In this study we present and test a technological contingency perspective on two dimensions of international outsourcing: depth and scope. The depth of international outsourcing refers to the ratio of foreign to total outsourcing. The scope of international outsourcing captures the degree of...