Since Shakespeare was introduced to China at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Chinese have translated the English playwright's plays and performed them on the Chinese stage either in the form of spoken drama or the traditional Chinese opera. No matter which approach is chosen to perform the dramatist, it is an intercultural form in introducing him to the Chinese.

Since Shakespeare was introduced to China at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Chinese have translated the English playwright's plays and performed them on the Chinese stage either in the form of spoken drama or the traditional Chinese opera. No matter which approach is chosen to perform the dramatist, it is an intercultural form in introducing him to the Chinese.

The objective of this thesis is to determine how small firm support provision might be improved in order to help post start-up businesses in Devon and Cornwall to grow. Interest in this issue stems from (a) previous research carried out in the region highlighting a possible need for continued business support after the initial 12 month start-up period and (b) the increasing emphasis upon stimulating business growth apparent in recent small firm policy. An examination of relevant literature demonstrates that current understanding of the critical influences upon young post start-up business growth and the extent to which existing support adequately addresses such factors is limited. To address these gaps in existing knowledge, two questionnaire surveys are conducted. In both, emphasis is placed upon owner-manager perceptions in recognition of an identified need for support to be client-led and because of the role played by owner-manager perceptions in influencing growth motivation and actual growth. In-depth interviews are also carried out with ownermanagers and staff from start-up support providing organisations. A variety of techniques are employed to analyse questionnaire responses. Overall, results indicate that owner-managers view the critical influences upon the growth of their firms to be highly individual in nature. Other findings show employment growth and growth intentions amongst responding businesses to be limited. However, some variations are shown to exist between firms. Discriminant analysis is employed to determine the effectiveness of those company characteristics associated with variations in predicting business growth, owner-manager growth intentions and owner-manager perceptions of the importance of different factors influencing growth. Results suggest that in providing support for young post start-up firms, the targeting of businesses on the basis of easily measured characteristics is not likely to be effective. Results from the second survey show that whilst start-up support is perceived to be adequate in addressing some growth-relevant factors, for many other factors a 'negative support gap' exists. These gaps relate to areas such as strategic product-market development, access to tangible and non-tangible resources, owner-manager personal development, marketing and financial management. An analysis of owner-manager's awareness, use and perceptions of non-start-up assistance suggests that the identified gaps are not being adequately addressed by other schemes and initiatives. Interview evidence suggests that the limited scale of support available to young micro businesses is perceived to be a particular constraint upon the growth opportunities available to post start-up firms. Drawing on quantitative results and evidence from in-depth interviews, a possible framework for providing effective support for young post start-up businesses in Devon and Cornwall is developed. This proposes the use of a network based approach to both the evaluation of support needs and the provision of assistance. Recognising the varying growth needs, capabilities and ambitions of the owner-managers studied, emphasis is placed upon close cooperation between interested bodies in evaluating the prospects of firms and an individual approach to support delivery. However, it is concluded that in providing assistance for young post start-up firms, a broadly inclusive approach should be adopted. In making recommendations for further research, the limited employment growth experienced by most of the firms studied for this research is recognised as a weakness. A number of methodological improvements are suggested, particularly in relation to the measure of growth used.

The distinction between management style and leadership style has been confirmed in this research by examining the working relationships between leaders and followers in 6 separate sites of a computer systems organisation. The relationships between 4 areas of organisational outcome, (performance/effectiveness, job satisfaction, anxiety, and depression) and the perceptions of the leadership styles of the follower's most significant manager and the organisational environments of culture and climate were studied. A systemic model of these relationships has been constructed and elaborated. From a follower perspective, 4 distinct leadership factors are articulated. One factor is concerned with the future of the organisation (Visioning) while another factor is concerned with managing within the organisations (Organising & Resourcing). The results highlight the weak conceptual and structural distinctions between the facets of Transformational Leadership and Transactional Leadership in the literature. e. g. Bass, Avolio & Jung (1995) and thus support Kotter (1982,1990,2001) and House & Shamir (1993). The leadership factors of managers deemed to be "most significant" and the organisational environment are related. In particular, the factor of Organising & Resourcing is related to Teamwork in the organisational environment while the leadership factor of Visioning is related to the organisational culture in terms of the variables of Mission, and Communication, and the organisational climate variables of Work Goals, Work Demands, and Work Supports. These results support the views that one of the main purposes of leadership leadership is to form and maintain the organisation culture. (Bennis, 1989; Bennis & Nanus, 1985; and Schein, 1985,1990,1997). Also, significant managers with the style called People Orientation have a direct impact on the well-being of their subordinates. In particular, People Orientation is negatively related to anxiety and depression, while organisational culture, via the variable of Mission is also negatively related to anxiety, and Teamwork, and Mission are both negatively related to depression. The results imply that solutions to stress that do not address the leader/follower relationship and neglect the need for a mission and teamwork ethos in the organisation culture are misdirected and prone to failure. The results further show that leadership style is not related to the follower's cognitive style (adaption or innovation) on the KAI. Cognitive style is however related to Work Demands, thus it appears that follower's construe the tasks and problems in line with their cognitive preferences confirming that the KAI is heavily associated with ideation. The practical implications are: 1) Followers see a distinct difference between the visionary elements of leadership and the organising and resourcing components of management. Followers also identify a process of communication that is common to both management and leadership as well another important factor labeled People Orientation. 2) Managers with this style of people orientation have a direct link to the feelings and well-being of followers as measured by anxiety. Increases in the style of People Orientation are likely to be linked to reduced state anxiety and reduced depression in followers. Individual performance/effectiveness is largely accounted for by Work Goals with the moderating effect of the combination of KAI and teamwork rather than the direct impact of management. 3) Followers in this research seem to be in a developmental dilemma where their need for support and encouragement from management can inhibit them from solving problems in line with their preferred cognitive styles. In such circumstances, behavioural outcomes may be different from the norm and thus paradigm breaking for both the relationship with the manager, and with the organisation.

It has been shown in this thesis why innovations are regarded as the lifeline of engineering industries. Continuous flow of novel ideas is the source of innovations but the encouragement, creation and nurturing of such ideas requires many distinct managerial attributes. Hence, management of innovations is complex but an important area of study which is not amenable to standard analyses due to its multidisciplinary nature and dependence on a large number of intangible variables. It has been shown that proper management of innovations would involve at least three distinct but closely linked activities, namely: (a) managing people, in particular the innovators, as well as inspiring others to become innovators; (b) managing the environment so that it is conducive to innovations; and (c) managing innovative processes in order to ensure that innovations are properly nurtured, well targeted and economically implemented within clearly defined time and budgetary constraints. The thesis has been divided into eight chapters; an outline of the chapters is given below. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the subject of managing innovations in engineering industries. It sets the scene for carrying out research in this field, identifies the problems to be tackled and makes a clear statement of the aims. Chapter 2 offers a critical review of the published works relevant to the field of research covered in this thesis. The purpose of this study was to understand the state of the art approach to: (a) creating and maintaining the innovative environment; (b) inspiring and leading engineers to come up with innovative solutions for engineering problems; (c) managing the innovative processes for better efficiency. Finally, in view of the comprehensive review of the relevant published literature, this chapter justifies the aims of this research. Chapter 3 describes research methodology i. e. the procedure for conducting this programme of research. The purpose of this study was to ensure that the research programme was conducted in accordance with the scientific method as closely as practicable. For sake of clarity, chapter 4 first draws distinction between inventions, innovations and engineering design and later identifies a large number of intangible factors that influence the three principal components, i. e. innovative environment, innovators and the innovation process. It is suggested that the innovativeness of engineering companies depends on these three principal components. Hence, innovativeness may be assessed by determining the influence of each on the principal components with the help of suitable computational techniques. Two computer applications have been developed to: (a) evaluate the innovativeness of engineering organisations; and (b) analyse the risks embedded in either accepting innovative ideas or implementing innovative projects. These applications are based on questionnaires and may serve as computer aided management (CAM) tools for dealing with the multidimensional problem of managing innovations speedily and efficiently. Chapter 5 analyses the influence of factors identified in chapter 4 and uses the two aforementioned applications to survey the innovativeness of four engineering organisations for their innovativeness and evaluate two projects for the risks surrounding them. These assessments were carried in the form of six case studies. Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 present the results of the six case studies and a focused discussion of the results and other observations made during the course of this research. Chapter 8 draws conclusion from this research and proposes further work that may be carried out in order to study yet unknown factors, refine the questionnaires conduct further tests in different industrial environments to build confidence in the use of CAM Applications as tools for rapid response management of innovations in engineering industries.

This thesis explores how training consultants perceive their networking practices in relation to generating business. The literature recognises the importance of networking to gain business, yet contains little research. Existing material is either quantitative research or personal accounts not within a research context. My qualitative research is based on interviews, informal conversations, personal construct psychology techniques, observation and reflection with 7 main contributors and through 45 other situations including my experiences as a training consultant. It draws on planned and spontaneounsa turallyo ccurrings ituations. Some results contribute to knowledge by bringing together dispersed items in the literature and revealing ways in which they apply to training consultants. These include networking strategies (eg forming consortia, networking as a subject expert, targeting a sector and networking with everyone). Other results confirm the literature which, for example, stresses the importance of trust. My research reveals ways in which training consultants can develop or lose trust. Other findings, not in the literature, make original contributions to knowledge, such as a strategy that involves networking with other providers. It emerged clearly that networking with another primary reason in mind such as self-development can be more effective in terms of gaining business. I found how training consultants can gain visibility, use the Internet to raise visibility, and that there is considerable backlash in the training world against consultants attending events to get to know potential clients. Some factors that lead to discomfort when training consultants network are identified such as dislike of cold calling, uncertainty over networking etiquette, problems with initially meeting people, reputation issues and lack of skill. I reveal the impact of congruency of behaviour, the way in which we look for similarity or difference and the way in which we maintain contact on building and maintaining rapport when networking to gain business.

The research shows how organisations can improve their strategic management decision-making, in the competitive global arena, through taking into account not only economic criteria but also ethical and environmental responsibilities. This can be achieved by embracing a shared vision and common values as well as be involved with, and accountable to, stakeholders. More and more, this seems to be the way forward as it is vital for both business and society to co-exist. The ethical dimensions of corporate strategy and business performance are determined and approaches to effectively treat the consequent dilemmas are posited. Good business ethics should become a fundamental purpose rather than just an 'add-on'; this is because they contribute to an organisation achieving a reputation which can be trusted and sustained. This thinking and its implications clearly thread through the articles presented. Various frameworks and models, with guidelines and criteria, are developed to relate corporate social responsibility to performance management to create inclusive value. They are also shown to aid business decision-making in such diverse areas as empowerment, technology, competition, corporate communications, productivity and quality, environmental management and strategic organisational change. This research reveals that there is a definite synergy between business excellence and good ethical practice, when taking into consideration stakeholder expectations. This is because a purely financial model of performance is not appropriate for the 21st century. Thus, a performance-focused management system is the best vehicle for institutionalising targeted changes in the business process and galvanising action founded on high ethical standards.

This study was carried out in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in June 2018. Its main objective was to investigate how the current DART services are delivered with a view of improving urban transport in the city of Dar as Salaam. In all, 260 city residents using DART services were interviewed on their perception of the quality of services on offer. The respondents were selected using the convenience sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The study findings show that the majority of DART users are generally satisfied with services provided. About 96.9 per cent of the interviewed passengers consider continuing using DART services. Service quality attributes, which were perceived with high levels of satisfaction, include security at stations (perceived as adequate by 33.6 per cent and average by 57.8 per cent of interviewed passengers). Another is travel time (88.3 per cent of the passengers were satisfied with the travel time) and shelter (perceived as adequate by 49.6 per cent and average by 38 per cent of the passengers interviewed). The fares charged were reported as affordable by 72.7 per cent of the passengers. Breakdown of buses was reported as a rare occurrence. Critical shortfall perceived by the passengers includes discomfort on the buses due to overcrowding which is a result of too few buses in operation. To reduce congestion, passengers suggested that the number of buses offering the services should be increased. Some 56.8 per cent of the passengers indicated to have failed to arrive at their respective destinations within the planned time. To address this, passengers suggested that timetables should be provided to enable them to plan their journeys and thus arrive within the planned time. Other challenges the passengers faced while using DART services include lack of service when it rains heavily, long queues at ticket booths, and scrambling in the process of boarding the buses. The study findings have not shown a difference in the levels of satisfaction between male and female passengers. Significant difference in the levels of satisfaction has been observed among passengers aged above 45 years in relation to comfort on the buses and the arrival time. Furthermore, the study found that the public was not invited to contribute views on the project. Thus, the public should be invited to contribute their opinions when undertaking future phases of DART. In addition, the current phase of DART should be improved by considering the passengers’ opinions as established by this study.

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A spinal cord injury (SCI) is life-altering, resulting in neurological deficits and a multitude of secondary complications. South Africa holds one of the highest traumatic SCI incidence rates in the world, where the social need for SCI prevention and rehabilitation is immense. Robotic locomotor training (RLT) is a novel rehabilitation technique that may improve health and wellbeing after SCI. A systematic review was conducted across 27 studies and 308 participants to explore the systemic effects of RLT. This review demonstrated that RLT shows promise as a tool for improving neurological rehabilitation outcomes; providing individuals with a SCI the ability to walk safely while improving their walking performance, as well as potentially improving cardiovascular outcomes and psychosocial factors. However, the studies reviewed were non-controlled with small, heterogenous sample sizes. Further high-powered, randomised controlled trials, with homogenous samples, are required to investigate these effects. If widespread adoption of these new technologies is to occur, sound evidence demonstrating efficacy and long-term cost saving is required. This dissertation aimed to explore some of these under-researched areas in a sample of sixteen persons with incomplete tetraplegia. Areas of focus included, 1) rehabilitation feasibility, adherence, and research challenges in an under-resourced environment 2) cardiovascular functioning and adaptation to a rehabilitation programme, and 3) psychological well-being. We implemented two interventions, robotic locomotor training (RLT) and activity-based training (ABT), over a 24-week pilot randomised control trial. Adherence to the interventions was high (93.9 ± 6.2%). Challenges to the study's feasibility included: ethical approval, medical clearance, transport and limited human/financial resources. Cardiovascular parameters demonstrated that efficiency of exoskeleton walking improved during the intervention. RLT may be more effective than ABT in improving cardiac responses to orthostatic stress, with standing heart rate at 24-weeks being significantly lower in the RLT group (75.1 ± 15.0 beats/min) compared to the ABT group (95.6 ± 12.6 beats/min). Standing and RLT had similar effects on the parasympathetic nervous system, whilst both interventions were limited in their effect on brachial and ankle blood pressure. Despite experiencing past trauma, participants possessed psychological resources including resilience, self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth which contributed to high perceptions of quality of life. The use of an exoskeleton may have had a greater positive impact on subjective psychological well-being. Expectations of participants entering the study centred around regaining the ability to walk again, despite past experiences and medical advice suggesting otherwise. Hope aids in buffering against negative emotions, however, a thin line exists between supporting high expectations and confronting unrealistic hope. Initial high expectations of recovery decreased and became more realistic during the intervention. This dissertation demonstrates potential physiological and psychological benefits that RLT provides. Despite this potential, barriers exist in the use of RLT in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa, primarily due to a lack of financial and human resources. The development of lower-cost exoskeletons would lessen the burden of conducting large-scale trials and increase the likelihood of adopting these innovative rehabilitation tools into current standard of care practices.