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This research investigates the cultural barriers which face international managers and the significance of international managers on Industrial Relations (IR)/Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within the Garment and Textile (G & T) industry in Bangladesh. After the Rana Plaza building collapse, the Bangladesh state undertook measures to address a variety of IR/HRM related issues which included those of health & safety, working conditions and trade unions. It is noted that international managers have played a substantial role but there remain some limitations which are discussed. Based on a review of the literature, the research develops a model to identify how effective international managers are in overcoming cultural barriers. The research methodology is based on a theoretical model which brings together a number of factors which include cultural characteristics. This is tested through triangulation; analysis of primary data interviews which are based within selected companies interviews, open-ended and structured interviews, and the analysis of a survey questionnaire. For this research, Hofstedes, Trompenaars and Ingleharts model have been drawn upon because their work provides both a theoretical and practical contribution to culture and management in major developing countries such as Bangladesh. This exploration of the cultural context within Bangladeshi identifies various differences between Western and non-Western culture. The Bangladeshi culture and non-Western culture particularly in South Asia has substantial similarities. Bangladesh retains what is probably the most traditional and collective culture in South Asia. These collectivist traits are reflected in both the research and conceptual model. Therefore, these contextual factors offer fertile ground for the future development of a model for understanding how international managers adapt to the environment within Bangladesh. A modified theoritical model from selected theories allowing a framework for the research. In line with the empirical findings, the cultural characteristics of language, culture, trade unions, health & safety and political understanding are all significant for international managers in the G & T industry in Bangladesh. With regards to language barriers, the research has identified that language problems create a communication gap between international managers and IR actors, this is notable between trade union and government officials; hence the cultural barriers. Findings suggest that the non- Western international managers such as those from India and Sri Lanka do not encounter language problems. Within the linguistic sphere, Indian and Sri Lankan international managers have a basic grounding in Bangla (Bangladeshi language). This familiarity extends beyond language and includes culture. With regard to health & safety issues, the findings suggest that Western international managers show a higher level of awareness than non-Western international managers. This heightened awareness is especially contrasted with those managers from India, Sri Lanka and China. This may be because of the similarities of cultural characteristics. In line with HRM practices, the Multinational Companies (MNCs) provide an exemplar of the introduction of corporate HRM policies in the G & T industry in Bangladesh. The empirical study of this research found that Western international managers follow different HR policies but they have limited presence compared to the non-Western international managers. The non-Western international managers particularly those from India and Sri Lanka tend not to follow corporate HRM practices. These countries and Bangladesh have a similar cultural framework and therefore a similar paradigm of values and understanding. This research also contributes to the understanding of the relationship between selected actors in the G& T industry. The empirical evidence in the broad fields of IR/HRM for Bangladesh is scant and the findings make a significant contribution to knowledge. Therefore, this research makes a contribution to understanding selected actors within the Bangladeshi system.

Organizational injustice remains a matter of great concern due to its adverse effects on job outcomes. Extant research devoted much attention to investigate how perceptions of injustice impact employee attitudes and behaviours, but mostly through cognitive lens. However, examining the role of emotions between injustice and job outcome relationship remained a neglected area. More importantly, most of justice research has been conducted in western social context, giving rise to suspicions about validity of earlier research findings outside the social conditions of west. Therefore, this research seeks to test the validity of earlier research findings in justice-outcome relationships in the socio-cultural context of Pakistan i.e., outside the social conditions of west. It also investigates the unexplored mediating role of commonly experienced negative emotion of jealousy between the relationship of three injustice dimensions and job outcomes such as workplace deviance, turnover intentions and job performance. This study also explores the moderating role of self-efficacy in regulating the deleterious effects of jealousy on job outcomes relationships. This study surveyed 388 employees of a leading banking organization in Pakistan while using data from multiple sources to address the issue of common method variance. Using PLS-SEM, the findings of this study support majority of our hypotheses. The results of study show the validity of earlier research findings regarding injustice-job outcomes relationships and suggest importance role of distributive and interactional injustice in negatively influencing job outcomes such as workplace deviance, turnover intentions and job performance, whereas procedural injustice was found to negatively impact only job performance. The results of this research also show that jealousy can mediate the negative impact of distributive and interactional injustice on job outcomes such as workplace deviance, turnover intentions and job performance, but jealousy was not found to have a mediating role between procedural injustice-job outcome relationship such as workplace deviance, turnover intentions and job performance. The findings also demonstrate that self-efficacy can help in regulating the negative effects of jealousy on employee job performance, although self-efficacy is found to have a moderating role in regulating the effects of jealousy on workplace deviance with low to medium levels of jealousy experience. The research makes several important contributions to the justice literature: first, this study tests the validity of extant research findings regarding injustice-job outcomes relationships in the socio-cultural context of Pakistan; second, this study makes first empirical investigation of how and when jealousy explicates the effects of injustice perceptions on key job outcomes; third, it suggests a mechanism to regulate the deleterious effects of jealousy on key job outcomes. The findings are finally concluded with reference to their theoretical and managerial implications.

In survival analysis the popular models are usually well suited for data with few covariates and many observations. In contrast for many other fields such as microarray, it is necessary in practice to consider the opposite case where the number of covariates (number of genes) far exceeds the number of observations. However, with such data the accelerated failure time models (AFT) have not received much attention in variable selection literature. This thesis attempts to meet this need, extending and applying the modern tools of variable selection and estimation to high–dimensional censored data. We introduce two new variable selection strategies for AFT models. The first is based upon regularized weighted least squares that leads to four adaptive elastic net type variable selection approaches. In particular one adaptive elastic net, one weighted elastic net and two extensions that incorporate censoring constraints into the optimization framework of the methods. The second variable selection strategy is based upon the synthesis of the Buckley–James method and the Dantzig selector, that results in two modified Buckley– James methods and one adaptive Dantzig selector. The adaptive Dantzig selector uses both standard and novel weights giving rise to three new algorithms. Out of the variable selection strategies we focus on two important issues. One is the sensitivity of Stute’s weighted least squares estimator to the censored largest observations when Efron’s tail correction approach violates one of the basic right censoring assumptions. We propose some intuitive imputing approaches for the censored largest observations that allow Efron’s approach to be applied without violating the censoring assumption, and furthermore, generate estimates with reduced mean squared errors and bias. The other issue is related to proposing some modifications to the jackknife estimate of bias for Kaplan– Meier estimators. The proposed modifications relax the conditions needed for such bias creation by suitably applying the above imputing methods. It also appears that without the modifications the bias of Kaplan–Meier estimators can be badly underestimated by the jackknifing.

Neuroendocrine tumours(NETs) are heterogeneous with respect to biological behavior. Consequently, prognosis is variable and biomarkers predicting survival or tumour progression are required to inform clinical management. The best available biomarker, histological grade, is assigned using Ki-67 or mitotic count. Agreement between these two indices is implied but analysis of 131 pancreatic and 136 midgut NETs suggested discordances of 44% and 38% respectively. Ki-67 was the superior prognostic marker, making the additional value of mitotic count questionable. Detection of Circulating Tumour Cells(CTCs) using the Cellsearch™ platform requires expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule(EpCAM). I demonstrated EpCAM expression by immunohistochemistry and detected CTCs in patients with metastatic NETs. In 175 patients, ≥1 CTC was detected in 51%(midgut) and 36%(pancreatic). ≥1 CTC was an independent poor prognostic factor, offering better prognostic value than grade or chromogranin A(CgA). Changes in CTCs 3-5 weeks after commencing therapy were predictive of response and survival, suggesting CTCs could provide an early assessment. Using chip-based capillary-electrophoresis, higher concentrations of circulating free DNA(cfDNA) were found in 88 patients with NETs compared to healthy controls with a correlation between cfDNA quantity and CTCs. Since cfDNA was detected in 25% of cases, more sensitive methods of detection are required before studies are conducted to validate cfDNA as a biomarker and to analyse mutations. The hypervascular nature of NETs suggested that circulating endothelial cells(CECs) might be informative. Using immunomagnetic separation and CD105 phenotyping, CECs were demonstrated in 55 patients. Although not significantly elevated, there was a wider range of CECs in NETs compared to controls. Further studies investigating changes with anti-angiogenic therapy could prove valuable. My research suggests circulating biomarkers, specifically CTCs, provide additional and better prognostic information than grade. Furthermore, detection of CTCs and cfDNA in NETs may allow future studies into molecular analysis, which may enhance understanding of NET pathogenesis.

Osseointegration is the process of de novo bone regeneration on the surface of an endosseous titanium (Ti) implant in vivo. This neo formation of bone underlies the physical integration of a Ti implant in bone at a level sufficient to restore loss of function; for example, of mastication due to absent teeth. The outer atoms of a bulk of Ti metal form a stable and passive surface oxide layer that serves as a substrate for the amalgamation of tissue reparative components, which entail the formation of an osseous bond between tissue and fixture. This interaction was empirically demonstrated to be highly affected by the characteristics of the surface an implant in experimental studies querying the varied effects of additive or subtractive physical modifications, as well as altered chemical compositions, of Ti implant surfaces on osseointegration. Subsequent clinical and experimental practices have demonstrated that rough surfaced implants perform comparatively ‘better’ than their smooth surfaced counterparts by promoting bone growth on the fixture. Moreover, a particular surface modification that yields high surface energy combined with a widely tested micron scaled topographical roughness (modSLA) has been shown to further promote the timely enhancement of osseointegration compared to its hydrophobic rough counterpart (SLA). The biological mechanisms underlying this apparent enhancement of osseointegration by modified Ti implant surfaces are still subject to intense study due to the materials’ implications in bone related tissue engineering applications. Amongst the several views being opined is a proposition mainly arising from in vitro experimentation, which suggests modified Ti implant surfaces possess an ‘intrinsic’ osteoinductive potential that affects uncommitted reparative cells by inducing a temporal and magnitudinal enhancement in cellular differentiation and function; in turn, implying the early formation of functional osteoblasts and bone tissue matrix in an in vivo scenario. The observations of differential cellular behavior include the apparent modulation by the modified surfaces, of a cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase Axl in human osteoblasts. The proposed role of the receptor in negatively regulating osteogenic mineralisation in uncommitted pericytic cells suggests an association with the altered response of cells to these substrates. The aim of this project was to examine and test the hypothesised differential modulation of Axl in the responses of human marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells to modified Ti implant substrates.

Networks of phased array radars are able to provide better counter stealth target detection and classification. Each radar sensor/node generates information which requires transmission to a central control authority who is able to evaluate the information. This requires a communications network to be established to allow transmission of information to and from any node. Each radar node is limited by range and degree and relies on the formation of a multi-hop network to facilitate this transmission. This thesis investigates a method whereby the radar beam itself is used in the formation of a multi-hop network. The phased array's multifunctional nature allows rapid switching between communications and radar function. A complete model of how the communication system could operate is included in this thesis. In order to simulate radar function and network communication, a custom built simulation platform was used. Two different approaches to the formation of the radar networks are derived, one involving a global design method using the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA) and another using a local method specifically tailored to radar network formation, Distributed Algorithm for Radar Topology Control (DARTC). Both of these techniques can be used in the formation of radar networks. The thesis goes further to suggest modifications to the model itself that could result in improved radar network communication performance.

This thesis describes the application of computer simulation techniques to the detailed study of the defect chemistry and ion transport properties of oxygen ion conducting metal oxides. Attention is focused on two materials; stabilised zirconia (ZrO2), a conventional solid electrolyte with important applications within solid oxide fuel cells, and perovskite-structured LaGaO3, a promising new oxygen ion conductor. First, a wide-variety of low-valent metal ions are substituted into zirconia, and the energetics of solution investigated. Favourable dopants (on energetic grounds) have been calculated which include CaO, Y2O3 and Gd2O3, in agreement with observation. Dopant-vacancy clusters are also examined, and the results reveal significant relaxation around dopant ions. These simulations are extended to examining the topical area of Nb/Y co-doping. Oxygen ion diffusion in yttria-stabilised zirconia is studied by application of Molecular Dynamics (MD) techniques; our results support models in which diffusion is mediated by oxygen vacancies, with calculated diffusion coefficients and activation energies in accord with tracer diffusion studies. The results from the first reported computational study of the LaGaO3-based oxygen ion conductor are then presented. We consider a range of cation dopant substitutions with oxygen vacancy compensation. Favourable acceptor-dopants are predicted to be Sr at La and Mg at Ga, in agreement with conductivity studies. The pathway for oxygen vacancy migration is found to be along the GaO6 octahedron edge with a curved trajectory. Hole formation from an oxidation process is calculated to be relatively unfavourable, which is compatible with experimental findings that show predominantly ionic conduction in doped LaGaO3. Furthermore, consideration of water incorporation suggests that proton conduction will not be significant in this material. Finally, shell model MD is used to examine oxygen transport in doped LaGaO3 with varying concentrations of Sr and Mg dopants. Oxygen diffusion coefficients are calculated over a wide temperature range, with useful information on the atomistic mechanism for oxygen ion migration illustrated in the form of trajectory plots.

In this thesis, a new conjugate gradient type method for unconstrained minimization is proposed and its theoretical and computational properties investigated. This generalized Polak-Ribiere method is based on the study of the effects of inexact line searches on conjugate gradient methods. It uses search directions which are parallel to the Newton direction of the restriction of the objective function on a two dimensional subspace spanned by the current gradient and a suitably chosen direction in the span of the previous search direction and the current gradient. It is shown that the GPR method (as it is called) has excellent convergence properties under very simple conditions. An algorithm for the new method is formulated and various implementations of this algorithm are tested. The results show that the GPR algorithm is very efficient in terms of number of iterations as well as computational labour and has modest computer storage requirements. The thesis also explores extensions of the GPR algorithm by considering multi-term restarting procedures. Further generalization of the GPR method based on (m + 1)-dimensional Newton methods is also studied. Optimized software for the implementation of the GPR algorithm is developed for general purpose use. By considering standard test problems, the superiority of the proposed software over some readily available library software and over the straight-forward Polak-Ribiere algorithm is shown. Software and user interfaces together with a simple numerical example and some more practical examples are described for the guidance of the user.

The singular point detection (SPD) technique recently developed by Asti and Rinaldi was used for anisotropy field (BA) measurements on a range of polycrystalline rare-earth cobalt alloys. The anisotropy constant, K, , was estimated from magnetization measurements on field-aligned samples and the anisotropy constant, K,, was calculated from the relation:2K, + 4K,BA = - M where Ms is the saturation magnetization. Temperatures from 4.2K sto 300 K were used with pulsed magnetic fields up to 20T.The temperature dependence of B A in YCos was observed to be linear while that in ThCos showed a broad peak around 190K. In NdCo, , BA and K, showed a decrease while K2 showed an increase with decreasing temperature. BA in (Y 1 _x2Cox)Cos for x = 0 to 0.129 showed an increase with x for annealed samples while that for x = 0.05 to 0.129,showed a decrease in the as-east state. The temperature dependence of anisotropy in Ere Co" and Tm, Co, indicated the dominance of the rare-earth sub-lattices in these alloys. Attempts to fit K, (T) with a power law gave powers of 2.2 - 2.5 for these compounds while those for Sm, C gave a power of about 27. The latter however showed an excellent agreement with the model of Carr. Measurements on the Y2 (CoxFel _x) series indicated strong temperature and composition (x) dependences in BA, K, and K2 _ These results can be interpreted in terms of preferential substitution of Fe on different ~o lattice sites. Results on Pr, (Cons FeOA )revealed evidence of a magnetization process of first order and were found to be in good agreement with the theory of first order magnetization rotations. Attempts to prepare 5 : 19 phases (for R = Cc, Pr, Nd, La), were successful only in the case of Ces Co. Even in this alloy, I : 5 and 2 : 7 phases were found to be present. BA vah,es of this alloy as a function of temperature were measured.

In West Pakistan aridity has for long been considered from many separate aspects, climate, hydraulic engineering, irrigation engineering, crop selection etc, and there is a considerable volume of unrelated findings. This thesis represents an attempt to relate and correlate the various approaches "by establishing some of the aspects of the geographical relationship "between man and various aspects of the land. The basic environmental elements of physique, geology, structure and climate are first established, a selective approach being based on relevance to the central point of climatic aridity - Chapters 1-3. In Chapters 4, 5 and 6, are considered those elements which are physical in character, directly influenced by climate, but whose present characteristics are to a varying degree the result of the human response to dominant aridity. Thus, in considering Hydrography one must look at elements such as river-regimes and under ground water partly as fundamental parts of the landscape and also as units having a two-way reaction with man's works in irrigation, cultivation etc. Similarly Soils, and Plant Ecology are regarded as parts of a whole complex in which climatic aridity is dominant and as complexes of natural and man caused factors. The concluding Chapters 7, and 8 are devoted to a consideration of the direct human response to environment, in the past and present. Archaeological, historic and present settlement patterns not only illustrate this response, hut clarify our picture of the environment itself. Aridity finally is more than a deficiency of rainfall. The most simple human response is to live on the qualities of drought-resistance. possessed by some livestock, but extensive past oral ism in arid areas itself brings into focus some more complicated implications of climatic aridity, i.e. overgrazing, deforestation and their ecological consequences. Man as cultivator can move away from direct contact with climatic aridity, but since pre-historic times, this has merely extended the range of the effects of total aridity on himself, and extended the range of meaning, in the landscape, of the factor of aridity i.e., canals and increasing salinity, floods and barrages, wells and commercial crops.

Background: Tuberculosis is a growing public health problem and one of the major causes of death globally, killing close to 1.5 million people each year and infecting another 10.4 million, particularly in settings with weak health systems. The best way to cut TB transmission is to identify infectious TB cases early, in order to diagnose and treat them effectively. To overcome the growing TB challenge, global control efforts have shifted from disease burden reduction to eradication, with the gradual introduction of robust diagnostic technologies in high TB burden countries (HBCs), including fragile states. One such technique was the light-emitting diode fluorescence microscopy (LED). However, empirical evidence linking LED with feasibility and acceptability for regular utilization in fragile states appeared lacking. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to help improve access to good quality care (diagnosis and treatment) for TB patients in fragile states, specifically in the north-west of Somalia (Somaliland) which had introduced and implemented LED technology for regular TB testing at primary care facilities as a pilot intervention. Methods: The study utilised a theory-informed mixed method approach for data collection and analysis and included systematic literature review, analysis of routine data, key informant interviews and facility observations. Findings: The literature review revealed a weak relationship between LED technology usage and increased TB case detection in resource-poor and fragile health system settings, but otherwise little evidence of feasibility and acceptability. The analysis of routine data on LED implementation and use found no difference in the proportion of patients with negative and positive outcomes between LED and the traditional ZN technology. Iinterviews with facility staff found health workers' attitudes, perceptions and opinions on LED use generally positive. However, staff attitudes were largely negative toward the future introduction and implementation of new technologies for routine utilisation without improving the systematic and programmatic readiness of the existing health system. Interviews with policy-makers identified serious resource, structural and environmental constraints to the feasibility of LED use in fragile health systems. Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind in a fragile state to assess the feasibility and acceptability of LED, and shed light on constraints to both feasibility and acceptability of new technologies such as LED. The findings of this study add to an existing body of knowledge from other settings related to the diagnostic performance and operational feasibility of LED as a diagnostic strategy to improve patient access to quality TB diagnosis.

Human use of antibiotics in China accounts for a quarter of worldwide antibiotic consumption and mainly occurs in outpatient and community settings. Non-clinical factors for antibiotic use are main drivers of its excessive consumption. To date, almost every intervention has focused exclusively on antibiotic prescribing behaviours, with little attention being paid to antibiotic consumer’s usage behaviours in the community. This PhD study aimed to develop an evidence-based, theory-informed behavioural change intervention to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics in the Chinese communities. To conduct this programme of research, I employed a mixed-methods approach throughout the study phases, which included: 1) systematic literature reviews on determinants of antibiotic use in China and on behavioural change interventions to reduce unnecessary or inappropriate use of medical interventions, 2) secondary data analyses of large-scale population data on antibiotic use-related knowledge and practice, 3) formative interviews to ensure acceptability and feasibility of proposed interventions, and finally 4) a mixed-methods feasibility evaluation of the pilot intervention. The systematic reviews identified non-clinical factors and potential pathways influencing public’s antibiotic use, and the components of promising behavioural change interventions. Using the survey data, some of the pathways were quantitatively assessed to inform the development of a context-appropriate intervention - reducing access to non-prescription antibiotics in rural China was identified to be a priority. Additionally, (mis-)perceived antibiotic efficacy for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) was found to be associated with increased odds of antibiotic use in the community. The new knowledge contributed to the design of the proposed intervention. Working with local partners, I developed and conducted a feasibility assessment of a pilot antibiotic take-back programme aiming to reduce household antibiotic storage and unsafe disposal in rural China. The proposed intervention was deemed feasible and appropriate.

This thesis aims to review and analyze the scheduling problem in general and Job Shop Scheduling Problem (JSSP) in particular and the solution techniques applied to these problems. The JSSP is the most general and popular hard combinational optimization problem in manufacturing systems. For the past sixty years, an enormous amount of research has been carried out to solve these problems. The literature review showed the inherent shortcomings of solutions to scheduling problems. This has directed researchers to develop hybrid approaches, as no single technique for scheduling has yet been successful in providing optimal solutions to these difficult problems, with much potential for improvements in the existing techniques. The hybrid approach complements and compensates for the limitations of each individual solution technique for better performance and improves results in solving both static and dynamic production scheduling environments. Over the past years, hybrid approaches have generally outperformed simple Genetic Algorithms (GAs). Therefore, two novel priority heuristic rules are developed: Index Based Heuristic and Hybrid Heuristic. These rules are applied to benchmark JSSP and compared with popular traditional rules. The results show that these new heuristic rules have outperformed the traditional heuristic rules over a wide range of benchmark JSSPs. Furthermore, a hybrid GA is developed as an alternate scheduling approach. The hybrid GA uses the novel heuristic rules in its key steps. The hybrid GA is applied to benchmark JSSPs. The hybrid GA is also tested on benchmark flow shop scheduling problems and industrial case studies. The hybrid GA successfully found solutions to JSSPs and is not problem dependent. The hybrid GA performance across the case studies has proved that the developed scheduling model can be applied to any real-world scheduling problem for achieving optimal or near-optimal solutions. This shows the effectiveness of the hybrid GA in real-world scheduling problems. In conclusion, all the research objectives are achieved. Finaly, the future work for the developed heuristic rules and the hybrid GA are discussed and recommendations are made on the basis of the results.

This thesis examines and develops a proposed manufacturing system methodology and quality control for the design, planning, scheduling and implementation of the Thermiculite 866 high volume manufacturing line, through the use of Lean Manufacturing, Total Quality Management and Change Management principles. The concept under investigation extends to the analysis of flow production benefits and restrictions considering specific characteristics of the product. A novel factory design methodology is proposed to achieve required production volumes and cost effective implementation. Furthermore, high product quality levels are warranted by developing a Strategic Alignment of Quality Function Deployment which brings commercial awareness to the early stages in the product/process development, and reduces the time to market it whilst promoting long-term solutions. The process and the layout design are supported by a proposed Batch/Flow Comparative Matrix. As a result, the proposed factory design methodologies and management of change introduced in the organization led to a successful production system design as well as controlled implementation according to stakeholders requirements. The design and partial implementation of the Thermiculite 866 production line illustrates the effectiveness of the methodology proposed in this thesis to manage and design the equipment and quality for the future Thermiculite production line.

The automotive manufacturing facility is extremely complex and expensive system. Managing and understanding the dynamics of automotive manufacturing is a challenging endeavour. In the current era of dynamic global competition, a new concept such as Collaborative Lean Manufacturing Management (CLMM) can be implemented as an alternative for organisations to improve their Lean Manufacturing Management (LMM) processes. All members in the CLMM value chain must work together towards common objectives in order to make the LMM achievable in the collaborative environment. The novel research approach emphasises the use of Knowledge-Based (KB) approach in such activities as planning, designing, assessing and providing recommendations of CLMM implementation, through: a) developing the conceptual CLMM model; b) designing the KBCLMM System structure based on the conceptual model; and c) implementing Gauging Absences of Pre-requisites (GAP) analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach in the hybrid KBCLMM. The development of KBCLMM Model is the most detailed part in the research process and consists of five major components in two stages. Stage 1 (Planning stage) consists of Organisation Environment, Collaborative Business and Lean Manufacturing components. Stage 2 (Design stage) consists of Organisation CLMM Capability and Organisation CLMM Alignment components. Each of these components consists of sub-components and activities that represent particular issues in the CLMM development. From the conceptual model, all components were transformed into the KBCLMM System structure, which is embedded with the GAP and AHP techniques, and thus, key areas of potential improvement in the LMM are identified for each activity along with the identification of both qualitative and quantitative aspects for CLMM implementation. In order to address the real situation of CLMM operation, the research validation was conducted for an automotive manufacturer's Lean Manufacturing Chain in Malaysia. Published case studies were also used to test several modules for their validity and reliability. This research concludes that the developed KBCLMM System is an appropriate Decision Support System tool to provide the opportunity for academics and industrialists from the fields of industrial engineering, information technology, and operation management to plan, design and implement LMM for a collaborative environment.

Aims and Objectives of Research. 1. To develop a 'one stop' generic decision making matrix (Outsourcing Decision Model) that provides the necessary clarity into defining whether an organisation should proceed with an outsourcing initiative or not. This would be based upon a distillation of existing models and reviewed literature. With the recognition that there may be subsequent advantages following the process, the model will include not only these but a means of evaluation in order to ascertain whether or not an outsourcing initiative may be or was successful or not. This latter aspect must logically be viewed as very important as an outsourcer must be aware of the benefits and also whether or not they were achieved. In addition, the model would include sufficient guidance with potential supporting metrics and their application. 2. To validate the Outsourcing Model through specific case studies using a triangulated approach in comparing the selected automotive OEM with some of its major competitors. Within the context of the case study, the research would also attempt to understand how the subject outsourcing organisation compares to its major competitors in equivalent comparable products and whether or not this reflects in the success of these companies. This case study not only provides a means of reinforcing the remaining case studies by using a triangulated method of application to the research developed outsourcing decision model but also provides a deeper understanding of the context of the supplier and competitors within the industry. 3. To test, via case studies the effect of specificity relating to the outsourced end product rather than the outsourced entity. This aspect provides the deepest application to the researched outsourcing decision model and therefore the most comprehensive validation. In addition, because the case studies are retrospective, they have the benefit of providing data to establish the level of success. This would be very important, particularly as it would enable a focus on particular criteria that failed to highlight a particular outcome and therefore provide a chance to make amendments. Low specificity is a well established criterion in defining an outsourced entity which is reflected within the body of the research. The further extension of this theory towards the outsourcing of and outsourced entity related to an established previously outsourced commodity is a new concept with no identifiable literature or evidence relating to its importance. The fact that it provides an element within the research that is potentially unique and carries no extra task burden it has been captured as an added element within the two important validation case studies: 4. To evaluate if outsourcing performance can be enhanced through the introduction of a second supplier into a single supplier sourcing situation. Subsequent to outsourcing, this aim and objective focuses upon the possibility of enhancing performance through the introduction of a second supplier. Particularly in cases whereby expertise may have been lost from an outsourcer, ultimate results relating to the outsourced entity may be compromised through either opportunism or diminished supplier performance. Whether these aspects are deliberate or unintended, an outsourcer should have some means of mitigating this risk. This mitigation may potentially be enabled through the use of a second supplier in order to provide a degree of competition. 5. To identify a link between Specificity, Commonality and Platform Sharing. The Author's professional role was very heavily based around the modern practices within the Automotive Industry. Outsourcing, platform sharing and commonality are well publicised strategies that have been adopted by various car manufacturers in order to gain efficiencies. Research was carried out in order to provide a better understanding of these strategies and to establish if there is any link between them. A confirmation of any linkages may then provide potential for establishing greater synergies between them.