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Research question: The ability of professional sport clubs (PSCs) to diversify and add additional product lines to the staging of matches, such as conference and events facilities,received little academic attention until the second decade of the twenty first century. The inability of some PSCs to generate sufficient income from match attenders, broadcasters and sponsors means there is likely to be a need to diversify and add products unrelated to sport in order to maintain professional status. What this body of research sets out to do is to investigate the range of products offered by PSCs, how they diversify beyond sport and the marketing techniques used to market their portfolio of products. Research methods: Drawing on the body of literature related to sources of income, product lines, brand extensions and brand architecture, the work incorporates seven published articles. The initial work investigates a reconfigured version of cricket (T20), by using semi-structured interviews with seven industry experts (output one). Output two investigated the same sport but in a different country (India as opposed to England and Wales); to quantify the importance of investment from broadcasting, sponsorship and franchise owners in the organization of a new league (output two). The research returns to the context of PSCs in football and cricket in England/Wales using semi-structured interviews with twelve industry experts (output three) and 21 industry experts (outputs four and five) to examine diversifications from sport. Additional product lines were then investigated using secondary sources in the area of a tourist resort (output six), a context used because of the similarities in the hedonistic nature of the purchase. Output seven uses an online survey with 632 consumers of cricket in England and Wales to examine product consumption over the course of a season. Results and findings: The main findings of the research are that PSCs should not be viewed as purely providers of sports matches (their core business), it is too narrow a definition of what they do. Matches form only part of their business, in effect they are stagers of events. All of the organizations, interviewed, who had the right to use their stadium outside of matchdays, market a portfolio of product lines that extend beyond sport targeting both business to business (B2B) and consumer markets (B2C). They capitalise on their ability to stage sport matches and transfer this skill to the more generic field of events. It is also a recurring theme that when clubs invest in the infrastructure of a stadium, or move to new venues, they design the stadium with diversification in mind and the ability to offer a range of events in addition to sport. Most of the events staged by PSCs are targeted at markets in close geographical proximity to the stadium, leading to clubs evolving as regional brands within the area they are located. Those that have larger stadiums and budgets have invested in their facilities in order to target a wider geographical market and stage events with larger capacity. Implications: The originality in the work lies in the incorporation of product lines with low perceived fit to sport into a typography of product lines. The construct of brand architecture is used as a framework to examine how different names and logos are used (e.g. using different names for conference and events centres and teams). This helps in the marketing of products that are not directly related to sport but are involved in the production of sporting matches (e.g. stadiums to stage matches). The research extends previous work that had not examined empirically product lines with little fit to sport. However, when diversifying these organizations are still likely to be perceived by consumers as a sports team because of their history and this is difficult to move away from. Tourism resorts are in a similar situation as perception is always likely to be linked to their natural / cultural attractions. This means for both types of organizations additional product lines need to be aligned strategically with their original product range(s). For generic businesses the removal of any product lines is likely to be far easier. In terms of the applicability of the findings to organizations outside the sport industry PSCs offer lessons to businesses in how to build a brand that operates within a small geographical area. They do this by utilizing the resources they use in the production of sport in other areas (e.g. staging social events). Additional product lines to sport are often co-created and co-branded with other organizations, who operate outside the field of sport, targeting both B2B and B2C markets in the geographical area where their venues are situated. The success of this commercial approach is evidenced by their survival and history which in many instances extends to nearly a hundred years.

Academic research focuses on a narrow sector of female homelessness such as domestic violence, identity or health, at the expense of that which questions women's experience of homelessness services. This thesis addresses that gap, building a holistic picture of women's experiences of homelessness and their needs in exiting homelessness. It offers in-depth insights into the experiences of single adult women using homeless services, and the views and experiences of professionals working within those services. These insights not only contribute new knowledge, they also draw attention to the disparity of views that exist, and the challenges this creates in providing appropriate services. The thesis employs an innovative mix of creative methods and semi-structured interviews, building narratives of eight 'single' adult women exploring their experiences of the services they use. Integrated reflections of my positionality and journey as a practitioner-researcher are also provided. Research finds a delay for women receiving support once they become homeless. One factor is the way that homelessness is defined by women. It differs to the professional's definition and impacts women's ability to access timely support. Linked to the way in which women identify themselves, and are identified within society, this delay led to women receiving homeless support being frequently excluded. Findings also revealed very little recognition for the women as mothers, questioning the identification of them by professionals as 'single'. Women were overlooked in service design and methods of delivery. Although practitioners recognised that women's homeless experiences were different to those of the men they worked with, they did not offer alternatives. This leads` to women's priorities being neglected and the potential for the revolving door of homelessness to continue. It shows that relationships with services and the professionals working in them are imperative to women accessing, using and successfully navigating support. Relationships are revealed to be central to women's overall homeless experiences; negative relationships and relationship breakdown being key factors in becoming homeless. The timing of the research allowed scrutiny on the changes to the welfare system and structural systems, emphasising that they not only exacerbate pressures and complexities of single homeless women's experiences of services but also challenge the services ability to work with and include all single homeless women. Although a lack of concern was voiced by participants, linked to the 'poverty of expectations', the research found that reduced income negatively impacted upon them, maintaining their homelessness and their inability to exit dangerous situations to avoid homelessness. This impact was particularly recognised by the services working with women; yet lacking within policy and legislation. The thesis concludes that gender has important implications for professionals working with homeless women and for UK homeless policy.

This research investigates trust repair strategies in the Kenyan service sector. This research identifies the factors that lead to trust being broken and the factors that influence the repair of trust. As the importance of building and rebuilding trust continues to grow, there is a need for further investigation into how organizations can successfully repair the broken trust. This thesis develops a conceptual framework for repairing trust, taking into account new strategies of repairing trust, such as value co-creation and service recovery strategies. This thesis employed qualitative data, collecting data using interviews to investigate how customers, frontline employees and managers perceived violation of trust after a service failure including the most effective strategies for repairing the trust. In total 56 interviews with 36 customers, 16 frontline employees and 4 managers were conducted with collaboration with the biggest telecommunication organisation in East Africa, as well as the longest serving bank in Kenya. Data was analysed using NVivoin order to generate themes. The data was rearranged into different categories based on the research objectives highlighted in this thesis. Codes were developed from the interview transcriptions and sub themes were developed, which were merged to develop the five main themes discussed in this thesis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The results support that customers' involvement during service recovery process is pivotal in the process of trust repair. Therefore, confirming that value co-creation is a crucial tool in the process of trust repair. The research also highlights that service recovery strategies and trust repair strategies do overlap during the process of trust repair. Overall, this thesis contributes to the literature by offering a different scope of repairing trust after a service failure. The conceptual framework is crucial in providing a practical framework for managers to consider during the process of trust repair.

Legacy has increasingly been used to justify and legitimise the vast investments needed to produce mega events (Bocarro et al. 2018). The increased use of legacy has captured the interest of both practitioners and researchers alike, who have considered definitions, measurements and types of legacy (Brittain et al. 2017; Cornelissen et al. 2011; Girginov and Hills 2008; Gold and Gold 2009; Holt and Ruta 2015; Kassen-Noor et al. 2015; Preuss 2007; 2018). There are two gaps within legacy research that this thesis addresses. First, legacy research often focuses on economic legacy drawing from tangible evidence (Bocarro et al. 2018). Therefore, there is a shortage of research surrounding the more intangible side of legacy, including social legacy. Second, the work that is undertaken on social legacy focuses on the mega event itself, neglecting mega event ceremonies. This is surprising due to the large investment, global reach and popularity of such ceremonies. It is therefore important to understand (given their global reach), how such ceremonies can be used as a persuasive tool for potentially impacting more intangible social legacies. By using a case study approach, this thesis focuses on attitude as a critical aspect of social legacy; the way in which mega event ceremonies can leverage legacy through strengthening, changing or developing attitudes of those attending or viewing. More specifically, the thesis aims to understand the effects that a carefully designed narrative can have on influencing consumer attitudes post event as an important aspect of social legacy. To address this aim, data was collected from both producers and consumers of such ceremonies through both social media and interviews. Key findings identify narrative, flow, narrative transportation and co-creation as antecedents of social legacy. Data also suggests learning, change and memory to be key outcomes of ceremonies and as such highlights the importance of incorporating attitude theory. Thus, the 'antecedents of social legacy model' is proposed to emphasise the importance of ceremonies as equal drivers of social legacy. By incorporating the above theories into a model this research addresses impact in terms of personal goals which influence consumer attitudes and ultimately impact upon consumer behaviour thus resulting in social legacy. By presenting this model, the following contributions are made. First, this project contributes by applying the extended narrative transformation model (van Laer et al. 2014) to the novel context of ceremonies and thus acknowledges the presence of consumer flow. Second, this thesis highlights learning and enjoyment as aids for overcoming barriers to immersion within a ceremony setting, whilst mapping their circular relationship, thus extending the work of Brown and Cairns (2004). Third, the research uncovers and explains a link between co-creation and social legacy. Although co-creation is acknowledged within event literature (Morgan and Summers 2005; Richards et al. 2015), data suggests that through co-creation, consumers relate more to a ceremony's narrative and thus are more reciprocal in enhancing its social legacy. Finally, the thesis offers a typology of mega event ceremonies, categorising ceremonies by both their purpose and type (supportive, showcase, attached, stand-alone). Data suggests two distinct purposes of ceremonies: those that support the mega event and those that showcase the host country; and two types of ceremony: those attached to the mega event and those that stand alone. The research also offers a methodological contribution by proposing a step-by-step procedure for collecting and analysing social media data, facilitated by qualitative analysis software NVivo. A novel six-step process is offered, highlighting the challenges and advantages of this method.

Global food security is under increasing threat due to three key pressures: climate change, rapid population growth and increased resource consumption, a trio labelled the ‘perfect storm’ by Beddington (2009). As society is intrinsically dependent on the food producing ability of 500 million smallholders around the world, their capacity to increase yields is of primary importance. Their ability to increase production is under threat as the factors driving the ‘perfect storm’ increase the difficulty of raising yields. The importance of smallholders is reflected in the development of theoretical and policy models which place sustainable livelihoods at the centre of food production systems. One model which encapsulates this is the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) which has been deployed within national policy formulation and praxis in a number of developing country contexts. However, the emergence of the ‘perfect storm’ scenario requires adjusting sustainable livelihoods theories to accurately reflect the challenges that smallholders are contending with. This is because sustainable livelihood theories and global modelling of food production systems fail to recognise the increased vulnerability of livelihoods and the disconnect between the macro-level scenario of the ‘perfect storm’ and the micro-level as experienced by the practitioner. This thesis uses the aquaculture industry in Uganda as a case study to examine the lived reality of smallholders in the midst of this ‘perfect storm’ scenario. The aquaculture industry in Uganda is experiencing a surge in new and predominantly small-scale entrants, producing fish using pond or cage-based systems. The growth in this industry is due in part to chronic levels of unsustainable fishing practices throughout Uganda and the wider region which is driving fish price increases and creating a profitable market for fish produced through aquaculture. This study was primarily conducted using qualitative research tools (c.120 data points) collected at all levels of the aquaculture industry in Western and Central Uganda over a period of eight months. This thesis demonstrates that a heavy focus on the provision of the inputs of feed and seed is side-lining the ‘softer’ skills, abilities, and inputs that profoundly influence the success or failure of aquaculture. The neglect of factors such as knowledge transfer and market access is severely compromising the ability of inexperienced aquaculture practitioners to be successful in this industry and is responsible for the industry failing to meet ambitious national production targets. It demonstrates how smallholder Ugandan aquaculture practitioners are struggling to adapt to the pressures of the ‘perfect storm’ and are unlikely to meet future yield demands. The pressures of the ‘perfect storm’ require a reconfiguration of the SLA theoretical model in order to highlight the critical importance of providing an appropriate enabling environment to support smallholder producers in Uganda and more broadly across the global food production system. Discourses around food sustainability and security must give due consideration to the need to implement strategies that do not just provide tangible inputs to producers, but which also ensure that there is an effective enabling environment in place so that producers can adopt the necessary skills and are able to access markets. Policymaking needs to practically translate these challenges into viable solutions that capture the resilience and assets of the world’s 500 million smallholders to enable them to survive, adapt and thrive as the pressures of the ‘perfect storm’ play out.

Low-pay and limited opportunities for progression are major contemporary concerns in UK labour markets. A number of individual and job-related factors have been shown to influence the likelihood of low-paid workers advancing to higher-paid employment. However, the effects of the characteristics of the local labour market in which workers live are under-explored. This gap is addressed through examining two specific local labour market factors which theory suggests may impact on progression from low pay. Existing studies find that on average workers in (large) cities experience faster progression – cities act as ‘escalators’. This research tests whether such an effect also exists for low-paid workers. First transitions from low pay to higher pay are analysed initially using a national low pay threshold, finding a size effect particularly concentrated on London. However this measure is sensitive to existing geographic wage variations. When using an alternative occupation-based measure of wage progression, little evidence is found that those in (larger) cities see their pay grow more quickly. The second empirical chapter responds to concerns about the potential effect of job polarisation on social mobility and the ability of low-paid workers to move up the occupational ladder. The results show that the extent of ‘hollowing out’ of the local occupational structure during the 2000s had little effect on occupational mobility for those starting in low-paid occupations, suggesting that fears over the impact of job polarisation on the upward mobility of low-paid workers may have been overstated. Taken together, the research suggests that the two main local labour market characteristics considered – size and the degree of polarisation – do not have a substantial impact on progression from low pay, at least in relative terms and when defining local labour markets as Travel-To-Work-Areas. The thesis suggests that the issue of limited mobility from low pay effects all areas of the UK. The policy implication of this is that addressing the lack of advancement from low pay requires a consideration of the individual, sectoral and institutional factors which are constraining progression. Further work should investigate potential other local labour market processes that may be contributing to the lack of progression that many low-paid workers currently experience.

Technology, Media and Telecommunications firms (TMTF) constantly search for sites in locations that provide best access to talent, customers, markets and suppliers. The UK is a 'most favoured destination for European FDI and the world', with a full complement of sites, including Science Parks (SPs), Business Parks and specialist properties. This research analyses site selection in foreign TMTF that 'landed' in the UK in 2011/2012, and settled in the M4 Corridor (M4C), Oxfordshire or Cambridgeshire, three of the UKs most technology-intensive sub-regions. With contrasting economic geographies and histories as poles of political, economic and institutional activity, and differing levels of SP penetration, the sub-regions present classic cases in how to attract technology. Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire are well defined as discrete geographical areas, with world-renowned centres of basic and applied research excellence, successful innovations and a history of policy interventions, inter alia. The M4C is less well defined geographically, with less evidence of research and innovation but a more recent history of inward migration and growing reputation for mature Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This exploratory research examined site selection issues from a new perspective to engage with all key stakeholders to uncover the role played by science parks. The research makes several new contributions to science park research, including a conceptual framework that captures the nexus of issues around TMT site selection and UK science parks (including unfamiliarity with a key SP construct (development strategy); a clear typology of TMT firms based on a priori knowledge of SPs (suggesting a disconnect between SP additionality and claims, and TMTF initial siting preferences); the SP strategy most commonly deployed; the most popular reason(s) for siting in SPs and for not siting in SPs); and a differentiated and improved understanding and explanation of the settlement pattern of foreign TMTF in the target sub-regions.

The de-industrialisation of the UK economy caused by globalised international markets, advancements in technology and production with changing consumer demands have made much of what was ‘traditional’ manufacturing redundant; this has led to industrial restructuring or even collapse, resulting in mass job redundancies. Market and industrial pressures have intensified since the late 1990s, culminating in the symbolic collapse of MG Rover in 2005 in addition to other key producers in the West Midlands, which represented the end of mass automotive production in the region (Donnelly et al. 2012). This came alongside various geographical, political and economic factors, including the restructuring of regional development agencies, prolonged industrial decline and a period of national economic recession, which presented challenges for any recovery. This thesis examines more precisely the closure of the commercial vehicle manufacturer LDV in 2009, once a part of the larger conglomerate British Leyland. The closure further reinforced the decline in UK automotive manufacturing until that point. The research involves the corporate collapse of LDV and the local government reaction to the closure and the following re-employment pathways of the redundant LDV workforce. The research continues the discussion of plant closures and the issues that redundant workers face when engaged in the labour market during economic recession. In particular, the thesis contribution employs a qualitative approach to examine the difficulties faced by the office tier, or ‘white collar’, workers who possess relatively high skills and who regarded as flexible and less vulnerable workers within the labour market. Yet this research exposes that highly skilled specialist workers are themselves also subject to unique issues when adjusting to the labour market. This topic is covered through the concept of worker trajectories: the research illustrates the unique employability issues and job precariousness that highly skilled workers can experience. The research concludes that the ability of highly skilled redundant workers to adapt effectively requires local job recovery strategies to implement short- and long-term policies with an emphasis on better job search and network development for individuals to sustain a resilient economy, and to mitigate the effects of plant closure upon redundant workers and maintain high skills within the region.

Although the environmental imperative compels us to search for a low carbon system of mobility, contemporary society seemingly necessitates a low carbon automobility. The costs and impracticalities of low carbon vehicles are well documented, and although the cultural and semiotic nature of the car means that it has always been more than just a means of transport, less is known about how socio-cultural mores regarding the car might impact upon the transition to low carbon motoring. Because cars carry people, then they inevitably carry experiences and meanings too. However, a shift from conventional internal combustion-engined vehicles to more low carbon forms of propulsion, such as electric or hybrid vehicles, suggests that the nature – et ergo our experiences and perceptions – of the car will necessarily change. It is therefore desirable to investigate the contemporary ‘consumption’ of the car, not only as personal transport but also as status symbol, cultural artefact and experience, to assess how such a socio-cultural consumption might apply to low carbon vehicles and so ascertain the subsequent potential for a holistic low carbon automobility as part of a sustainable transport policy. A suite of methods was employed to investigate if or how contemporary automobilities can aspire to a low carbon automobility, or whether the everyday socio-cultural ‘consumption’ of the car might preclude a transition to low carbon vehicles. The notions of affect and/or non-representational theory were appropriated as a philosophical framework to look beyond a seemingly default postmodern ‘car-as-representation’ approach to the consumption of the car and so begin to explore a deeper, perhaps even subconscious, regard for the car. In addition, opinion was sought from stakeholders within the low carbon vehicle sector as to the technologies within, the prospects for, and the efficacy of, UK low carbon vehicle policy and its facilitation thereon, and also with a sample of EV drivers as to their experiences of electric cars. Responses to an initial online questionnaire appeared to deny any status or regard for the car beyond its utility. However, subsequent semi-structured interviews with motorists conducted (mostly) in their cars contradicted these findings, with a variety of expressed feelings – pride, empowerment, fortune – suggesting a deeper, subconscious regard for, reading of, and connection with, the car than is immediately apparent. Similarly, the utility of the electric car was transcended, this time by feelings of ‘greenness’ and ‘calm’ expressed by EV drivers. A stated amenability and aspiration by those interviewed for low carbon vehicles contrasted with an aspiration for sporty and prestige cars, suggesting an ingrained or innate idea as to what constitutes a truly desirable car. The more cultural facets of the car explored during focus group discussions established a connection between a car’s cultural representation and its meaning. Interviews with low carbon vehicle stakeholders suggest that while UK low carbon vehicle policy is broadly effective, is not as efficacious as it could be, in that itinerate market-led aspirations lack the fixity and certainty, in terms of both infrastructure and policy, that investors and consumers require, especially given a high entry price, the promise of lower running costs notwithstanding. In establishing where ‘here’ is regarding the consumption of the car and the implementation of a low carbon vehicle policy, this research provides a new perspective upon the appetite and potential for a transition to a future low carbon automobility, and shows the efficacy of appropriating the notions of affect and non-representational theory to a more holistic consumption of the car.

China has established strong competitive advantage in the global apparel industry, accounting for almost 40% of world clothing exports in 2012. However, this position has been largely established through an export-oriented approach in the low labour-cost manufacturing segment of the industry. For Chinese clothing firms, sustaining this competitive advantage has been increasingly challenged within the context of global market depression and rising domestic production costs since 2008. Against this background, this research explores and tests sources of Sustained Competitive Advantage (SCA) of the Chinese clothing industry using a uniquely synthesised theoretical framework underpinned by global value chain theory and the Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm. The hypothesized resources-SCA relationships are tested by using Structural Equation Modelling and with data collected from over 200 Chinese clothing companies. The results are largely consistent with RBV theory: constructs of Fundamental Resource and Upgrading Capability are shown to be significantly related to sustained competitive advantage whilst, interestingly Dynamic Capability is not. At the same time, all three resource constructs are significantly correlated to each other, confirming the importance of resource bundling effects on SCA. Based on the data analysis, strategic recommendations are provided for SCA of the Chinese clothing industry offering solutions to the challenges of rising costs, price-based competition and the lack of strong brands. Cost-control strategies are highlighted as key to retaining competitive advantage in the manufacturing segment of the industry, whilst upgrading strategies are the critical driver in sustaining competitive advantage of the entire industry as it seeks to compete on quality and brand rather than price. The research extends knowledge in the discipline in four key ways: firstly, the synthesised research framework originally designed for this study; secondly, the holistic research model testing RBV logic which is also originally formulated for this study; thirdly, measurement and operationalisation of the relevant concepts which are also originally developed for this study; and fourthly empirical test of RBV and the resource bundling effect.