DOCTORAL THESIS Critical times: governance in the UK nuclear industry Pemberton, Barry. C. Award date: 2014 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 06. Oct. 2021 CRITICAL TIMES: GOVERNANCE IN THE UK NUCLEAR INDUSTRY By Barry. C. Pemberton A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Business School Centre for Organisational Research University of Roehampton 2014 Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1 .....................................................................................................................................1 The Pickwick Papers: a new age dawns .....................................................................................1 1.1 Today’s problems were yesterday’s solutions ................................................................1 1.2 The ghosts of spirits past ................................................................................................3 1.3 Research questions ........................................................................................................6 1.4 Tackling the questions ....................................................................................................7 1.5 The Structure of the thesis........................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 .................................................................................................................................. 13 Somebody’s Luggage: the story of the study ........................................................................... 13 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 13 2.2 An autobiography of my research questions ............................................................... 13 2.3 The analytical approach and its contribution ............................................................... 18 2.4 Areas of sensitivity ....................................................................................................... 24 2.5 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3 .................................................................................................................................. 27 The Old Curiosity Shop: the emergence of a nuclear Legacy .................................................. 27 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 27 3.2 Phase 1 - Origins and growth ...................................................................................... 27 3.3 Phase 2 - Maturity and decline .................................................................................... 35 3.4 Phase 3 - Managing the past ....................................................................................... 39 3.5 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................................. 44 Sketches by Boz: a governance framework ............................................................................. 44 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 44 4.2 Governance: a typological characterisation................................................................. 44 4.3 Notions of stewardship ................................................................................................ 49 4.4 A new approach: agency theory .................................................................................. 55 4.5 We are all in this together: stakeholder concepts ........................................................ 63 4.6 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 91 Chapter 5 .................................................................................................................................. 93 Great Expectations: the beginning and subsequent maturity of a new industry ...................... 93 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 93 5.2 Science and asymmetries: a brief review of Phase 1 and 2 events ............................ 94 Table of Contents 5.3 Understanding the Legacy: a governance analysis of Phases 1 and 2 ...................... 98 5.4 Summary ................................................................................................................... 116 Chapter 6 ................................................................................................................................ 118 Little Dorrit: controlling the Legacy ......................................................................................... 118 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 118 6.2 Stakeholders, control and the Legacy ....................................................................... 118 6.3 Conundrums and controlling minds: the government’s response ............................. 128 6.4 Summary ................................................................................................................... 153 Chapter 7 ................................................................................................................................ 157 The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain: accountability ................................................... 157 7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 157 7.2 Stakeholders, accountability and the Legacy ............................................................ 158 7.3 Private passions, public accountability: the government’s response ........................ 170 7.4 Summary ................................................................................................................... 191 Chapter 8 ................................................................................................................................ 194 Bleak House: regulation and the Legacy ................................................................................ 194 8.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 194 8.2 Stakeholders, regulation and the Legacy .................................................................. 195 8.3 Homeostatic or neoliberal approaches: the government’s response ........................ 200 8.4 Summary ................................................................................................................... 221 Chapter 9 ................................................................................................................................ 224 A Christmas Carol: a remembrance of things past ................................................................. 224 9.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 224 9.2 A return to my research questions ............................................................................. 224 9.3 My approach to answering the questions .................................................................. 225 9.4 My principal findings .................................................................................................. 226 9.5 The thesis contribution ............................................................................................... 233 9.6 Looking back .............................................................................................................. 234 9.7 Suggestions for further research ............................................................................... 235 9.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 237 Postscript ...............................................................................................................................