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This thesis offers a detailed analysis of the politics of neoliberalism and financialization in the context of the UK mortgage market. The analysis addresses an often implied but conceptually and empirically neglected feature in the otherwise booming social sciences literature on financial markets and the global financial crisis: how political struggles shape economic space. It does this against the background of the construction of the UK mortgage market which, as opposed to its American counterpart, is still underresearched. The thesis addresses these shortcomings by engaging the theory of Ernesto Laclau and the associated logics approach of the Essex School of Political Discourse Theory. It provides a detailed genealogical analysis of the transformations in the mortgage market during the three decades leading up to the financial crisis emphasising the significance of hegemonic struggles and ideology in its constitution. Empirically, the thesis investigates the transformation of the mortgage market from a ‘sheltered circuit’ dominated by a building society price cartel in the 1970s to a sphere that is increasingly driven by global financial markets. It is argued that at the heart of these transformations was the neo-liberalist deregulation in the name of the signifier ‘freedom’ which, in the neoliberalist age, became almost exclusively equated with ‘free markets’. The demutualisations of the 1990s are presented as an outcome of neoliberalist deregulation leading to a fundamental shift of power in the market. In return for improved access to capital markets and powered by ideological discourses, the demutualisation of 10 societies resulted in a massive transfer of mortgage assets to the stock market and contributed significantly to the financialization of mortgages. The struggles and resistance surrounding these events illustrate their contingent nature. However, the proposed re-mutualisation of Northern Rock had been squandered amidst a re-affirmation of neoliberalist ideology centring on the market as the best provider of mortgages.

The relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions of employees and organisational identification (OI) has received a lot of attention in the literature given the importance of the OI construct in influencing the effectiveness of an organisation. However, little is known about factors that play a role in this relationship. Also, although employee CSR perceptions have been associated with positive employee outcomes, mainly OI, there is not much known about what leads to the formation of these perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to examine moderators and mediators in the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI as well as determine antecedents of these CSR perceptions, thus, creating processes that lead to OI. A meta-analysis of the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI is conducted and shows that tenure and national context moderate this relationship. A systematic review on antecedents of CSR perceptions and a review on CSR in the context of this research, the MENA region, are also presented. Additionally, two studies where data is collected from employees in SMEs in three countries in the MENA region and analysed using structural equation modelling and PROCESS macro are conducted. The findings from the sequential mediation model of the first empirical study show that pride in membership mediates the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI and that participative leadership is an antecedent of internal CSR perceptions of employees. The findings from the moderated mediation model of the second empirical study show that moral meaningfulness strengthens the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI and that servant leadership is an antecedent of employee internal CSR perceptions. This research, therefore, offers several contributions to the CSR, OI, and leadership literatures. It has several practical implications for managers that aim to attain OI from employees considering its powerful influence on the organisation's success.