This research explores the issue of the development of a value-added performance indicator of teaching in higher education in the UK. The empirical work of this research is based on the data on university student entry qualifications and degree results from two new universities and the interviews with 18 members of academic staff from a new university. This research contains two main parts both aimed at the question of the feasibility of constructing and using value-added as a performance indicator. The first part of this research developed a method of calculating value-added in higher education in the UK, and this method was used to measure value-added at the two institutions at course, school/departmental, and institutional (cohort) level. This was intended to discover the feasibility of developing a method to quantify the relationship between entry qualifications and degree results. The second part of the study used the value-added results obtained from the first part of the study to interview (semi-structured interview) academic staff to investigate their views on whether these value-added results can be used to indicate quality of teaching. In this case the question addressed was the perceived utility of the measure and its acceptability. The first part of the study found that the method of calculating value-added developed can be used to identify variations in value-added at course (course with large number of students), school/departmental, and institutional (cohort) level, and this method has advantages over the main existing value-added measurements, Index methods and the Comparative method. The second part of the study suggested that academics found it acceptable if the value-added results were used to identify problems, nevertheless, they argued that the value-added results can not directly indicate quality of teaching. The difficulties with directly using value-added results to indicate quality of teaching are summarised into the following aspects: the concept of value-added, comparability, factors which have impact on student academic achievements, factors which have impact on how accurately degree results can reflect students' true achievements. It is concluded that the method of calculating value-added developed in this research can be used to identify problems in higher education in the UK, but it can not be used directly to indicate quality of teaching. The findings of this research imply that a value-added performance indicator would derive its significance from the link between value-added results and specific processes of teaching and learning.

This project works to unveil emotional experiences on segregated public transportation from 1896 to 1964. In so doing, it opens up how feelings evoked by racial conflict on public transportation helped to fuel the black rights movement that demanded the end of the segregated system. Through examining plaintiffs of civil rights test cases, Pullman porters, members of the armed forces in the Second World War, and grassroots activists of the 1950s and 1960s, the thesis reassesses the familiar topics of segregated transportation and black resistance to it through the lens of emotions. It shows not only that the feelings of African Americans were systematically dismissed, ignored, and suppressed, but also that the expression of certain emotions was mandatory for black passengers. Deviating from these emotional norms often resulted in verbal or physical abuse, hindering the protest of discriminatory treatment perpetrated by white police, bus drivers, conductors, and passengers. Finally, the thesis uncovers how black activists responded to this everyday form of racial control by converting emotional self-regulation into a weapon with which to attack segregation. The emotional context of segregated public transportation in this period has hitherto been neglected, but following the emotional turn in history, this project works to illuminate the full extent of the racial control white Americans exerted over the expression of African American emotion. Recognising this distinct form of oppression has implications for the study of the Jim Crow era more widely, and in particular the long civil rights movement.

abstract: Li He (790-816), an outstanding poet full of literary talent in classical Chinese poem history, his poignant words, incredible literary construction, nether artistic conception and nuanced peculiar poem style owned him the reputation of “ghostly, demonic genius” 鬼才. Scholars demonstrated that his ghostly and demonic style has much to do with the special imagery and allusion in his poetry. However, this kind of ghostly appeal of literature exactly have much to do with the large quantity of sensory vocabulary that the poet is expert in using in his poems, which evokes resonance from the readers/audiences. Li He fuses visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and tactile sensation in his poems, building up his special writing style, evoking and creating a sensorial space for readers. The thesis concentrates on analyzing the sensory vocabulary in Li He’s poetry, sonic depiction in particular, which are rarely discussed before, based on which making further conclusion about the artistic conception and the special style of Li He’s poetry. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis East Asian Languages and Civilizations 2015

Submitted by LUCAS HORDONES CHAVES null (lucashordones@hotmail.com) on 2017-09-19T20:07:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Lucas_Hordones_Chaves.pdf: 2707504 bytes, checksum: 4a1ea4aeeab78a5447f92a195f4642fa (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-09-20T17:33:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 chaves_lh_dr_jabo.pdf: 2707504 bytes, checksum: 4a1ea4aeeab78a5447f92a195f4642fa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-20T17:33:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 chaves_lh_dr_jabo.pdf: 2707504 bytes, checksum: 4a1ea4aeeab78a5447f92a195f4642fa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-15 / A estimativa da evapotranspiração de referência é importante para o manejo da irrigação. A FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) recomenda utilizar a equação de Penman-Monteith para estimar a evapotranspiração de referência (ETo). Esta equação apresenta um nível de exigência de dados de entrada que dificultam sua aplicação. Com isso, a FAO-56 recomenda que em regiões nas quais tais elementos meteorológicos nem sempre se encontram disponíveis, utilize-se a equação de Hargreaves e Samani. Com este trabalho, objetivou-se verificar a eficiência de três equações de Hargreaves, uma que emprega a radiação solar e a temperatura do ar e duas que utilizam a medição da temperatura do ar para estimativa da ETo, comparando-as com a equação de Penman-Monteith, nas condições climáticas da mesorregião do Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba – MG, e fazer a calibração local e regional das equações, baseadas na temperatura do ar. Foram utilizados dados médios diários dos anos de 2009 a 2015, de radiação solar global, velocidade do vento, temperatura do ar e umidade relativa do ar, obtidos em estações meteorológicas automáticas. A análise dos resultados foi realizada por meio da aplicação de técnicas que verificaram a integridade dos dados meteorológicos e para avaliação da estimativa da ETo, adotaram-se metodologias de análise dos dados médios e de desempenho das estimativas. Foi realizada a calibração local e regional das equações de Hargreaves por meio do ajuste do parâmetro empírico HE (expoente empírico de Hargreaves) das equações. As equações de Hargreaves ajustadas para o processo regional apresentaram valores de ERQM de 12,45 e 13,14%, respectivamente, considerando adequado para o conjunto de dados climáticos. As equações de Hargreaves são uma alternativa eficiente para estimar a ETo diária em locais do Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba, em que a disponibilidade de dados climáticos é limitada. / The estimation of reference evapotranspiration is important for irrigation management. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) recommends the Penman-Monteith equation to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ETo). This equation presents a level of input requirement that makes it difficult to apply. So, FAO-56 recommends, in regions where such meteorological elements are not always available, the use of the equation of Hargreaves and Samani. This work aimed to verify the efficiency of three Hargreaves equations, one that uses solar radiation and air temperature and two that uses the air temperature measurement to estimate ETo, comparing them with the Penman-Monteith, in the climatic conditions of the Triangulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba - MG mesoregion, as well as to make the local and regional calibration of the equations based on the air temperature. Daily average data from the years 2009 to 2015 of global solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity of the air obtained in automatic meteorological stations were used. The analysis of the results was performed through the application of techniques that verified the integrity of the meteorological data and to estimate the ETo, here adopted methodologies for the analysis of the average data and the performance of the ETo estimates. The local and regional calibration of the Hargreaves equations was performed by adjusting the empirical parameter HE (empirical exponent of Hargreaves) of the equations. The Hargreaves equations adjusted for the regional process showed ERQM values of 12.45 and 13.14%, respectively, considering the climatic data set. The Hargreaves equations are an efficient alternative to estimate the daily values of ETo in the Triangulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba mesoregion, places where the availability of climatic data is limited.

Concession has been acknowledged as a valuable tool for port authorities to retain control of ports and shape the supply side of the terminal market, in the absence of full privatisation. This study empirically examines the influence of transfer of port operational services from the public to the private sector, through concession contracts on operational performance in the context of the Nigerian port industry. It extends the work of Liu (1995) and others on the comparative performance of public and private ports in the UK and other countries, by extending the study to the Nigerian ports concessions. The Nigerian port reform was borne out of the belief that the transfer of port operations from the public to the private sector will improve the efficiency of the ports, by instigating competition among the various terminal operators. The Nigerian port concession involved the delineation of six Nigerian ports into 25 terminals and awarded to terminal operators. The objectives of the study include, among others; the benchmarking of pre- and post-concession efficiency, to determine sources of efficiency change and to determine factors responsible for the improvement of Nigerian port performance. A positivist approach is adopted, using quantitative data that involves outputs and inputs related to the port‘s production function. Theoretical underpinnings of privatisation and performance, as well as empirical evidence from countries, were presented and discussed. The variables of the research were analysed using non-parametric DEA and the Malmquist Productivity Index to determine the efficiency and the sources of productivity change respectively. This study introduced a novel idea, by adopting a concentration index in measuring the level of competitiveness of ports. The conceptualised theoretical model of operational performance was solved using a two-stage multivariate regression, to determine the factors responsible for the improvement of the Nigerian ports‘ efficiency. The results of the analysis suggested that the productive performance of the ports under consideration improved after the transfer of terminal operations to the private sector, though not in all the ports. Indicating that the wholesale concession of the ports is not the best after all, some ports would have been better left under public ownership. The driver of the improved efficiency after concession, is scale efficiency (increased throughput levels), rather than technical efficiency. Therefore, the post-concession Nigerian ports performance is influenced by the scale of production and change of ownership. The delineation of the ports into terminals has not ushered in the expected competition among and within the ports.

This study aims to explore the importance of international satellite television channels and the internet for Jordanian students at the State Universities. It explores the impact on students' perceptions. The study pursued its aims through the use of 1150 subjects and 28 individual interviews, 14 interviews for the satellite part and 14 for the internet part. The study consisted of sample male and female students who were on role for the academic year 2000/2001 at the three main Jordanian Universities, Jordan, Yarmouk, and Muta. The reason for choosing this sample has been as they are the most active users of satellite-delivered systems and of computer technology and the internet in Jordanian society. Further, their age and status can also be identified as the group most likely to become decision-makers, occupying key positions within Jordanian Government and society in the future. The study has clearly shown an increase in the numbers of owning of these systems from only a few, who initially saw them as a status symbol, to the many, who now see them as a necessity of life. There is a rapid spread of internet cafes as well as a growth in available television programmes. As the research shows, the TV programmes are now seen as an interesting way of filling the hours when young people are not studying. The research has revealed a clash of cultures. The gravity of the contrast between the old and the new is particularly apparent in Jordan. The young people wish to be loyal to their traditional and distinctive values, but they also want to be modern, international and knowledgeable. The majority of the sample cohort used in the research has an average monthly income of between 00-200 Jordan Dinars (One JD is just equal to one British Pound). The study indicates that marked reason for owning satellite and related systems is purely social. The results indicate that the Arab satellite programmes are similar in almost all respects to western ones. But the Arab satellite television programmes are not particularly attractive to Arab audiences, because the Arab versions are poor in content and do not have the attraction of western versions. The study results also indicate that Arab satellite programmes do not help build links between the Arab emigrants and their homeland. The heaviest use and that first identified by respondents using the internet is for electronic mail. The results indicate that the internet gives the chance to access what is forbidden in traditional society and in this sense it is also an opportunity deliberately to escape from the limitations of society. The limitations imposed by society's mores are still strong in Jordan, and there is a clash between the traditional and the modern. This conflict is made obvious by the fact that religion in Jordan, as in other Arab countries, is still extremely influential and in many respects exercises control over aspects of life. This is also apparent in the home environment under family supervision. The resulting tension has been reflected in the findings.

This study examines the cultural impact on consumer perception and attitudes towards advertising in Kuwait. A questionnaire was distributed to 520 consumers from three different nationalities; Kuwaiti and Arabic, East Asian and Indian, Western consumers from Europe, The United States of America (USA) and Canada. Representing three different cultures; the Kuwaiti will signify a conservative and social culture, the Eastern countries will represent a less conservative and social culture, and the Western element will stand for a less conservative and individual culture. Moreover, the questionnaire is aimed at answering three main questions. Firstly, what are the consumers’ attitudes towards advertising in Kuwait and whether the personal characteristics have an affect on consumers’ attitudes towards advertising? The second question is, whether the culture will be affected by advertising and whether advertising threatens the local culture? The third question tries to evaluate whether people from different cultural backgrounds will have different attitudes towards advertising? The results have illustrated that consumers in Kuwait, in general, have negative attitudes towards advertising. Kuwaiti and Western groups have negative attitudes whilst the Eastern contingent has a more positive attitude. In addition, the culture has a significant affect in shaping consumers’ attitudes towards advertising. This indicates that consumers, even though they received the same advertising in the same environment (Kuwait), still tend to perceive it differently based on their cultural background. Consumers from less conservative cultures (liberal cultures) hold the belief that advertising will not affect the local culture, while consumers from more conservative cultures have a negative attitude towards advertising as they trust that it will affect the local culture. The study indicate that attitude towards advertising cannot be generlaised to a different demographic group. It is suggested that education has the least effect on attitudes to advertising; however the number of children in the family and the monthly income have the strongest effect. Marital status did not occur related to any aspects of attitude. Furthermore, the study also indicates that negative attitudes seem to be associated with personal characteristics such as being female, under forty-five years of age, having more than one child, with limited education (diploma or intermediate), and an income greater than 400 Kuwaiti dinar per month.

Packaging occupies an indispensable part of everyday life. Even though packaging is meant to ensure that products arrive in excellent condition, so as to satisfy required needs, more often than not, consumers, as well as industrial users are more interested in the product itself than its packaging. However, if the packaging fails, the product is potentially unfit to serve its purpose. In order to meet the demands of industry, the packaging industry in Greece has evolved, mainly through new investment. This investing has boosted the market by adding quality to the products and affects corporate efficiency in a positive way. Industrial operations are subject to environmental legislation, such as the 94/62 EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which aims at optimising the various methods used in reprocessing the packaging materials after their having been used. The literature review enables comprehension of particular issues pertinent to the discussion on packaging, since it draws attention to various kinds of paper packaging. This research explores the role and importance of paper packaging in the supply chain and in proposing improvements that may ameliorate current packaging practices. This research project explores packaging operations, as well as the issues related to the packaging supply chain, with respect to the Greek market. Moreover, it seeks to identify the occurrence of impediments, which arise as a result of inner operating discrepancies between the European Union countries, regarding the implementation of Directives such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC). Key issues related to packaging are thoroughly scrutinised in this research. Among them, the relation between packaging and the environment is investigated, the overpackaging issue, along with packaging redesign, are examined, as they are all interrelated facets of the research, regarding the endeavour to enhance packaging performance. Therefore, packaging performance is examined in relation to some major aspects such as warehousing, storage, and transportation, as well as how to improve packaging expenditure. From this point of view, the issues examined are subsequently connected to the analysis of the current environmental problems and the ways to minimise them. This study includes not only a survey of both the market and the supply chain but also of the participants in them. A detailed case study of multiple respondents’ categories was developed for this reason. The data, which were collected through a specially designed questionnaire adjusted to the various categories of the respondents, were treated and analysed in order to assist the conclusions. Following the above, this research delves deeply into issues of paramount significance, such as overpackaging and packaging redesign, approaching them with laboratory methods. The research applies both theoretical methods, based on the literature, and common industrial practices. Originating from industrial sources, the data give evidence to the reliability of the results, adding insight into the issues investigated. Furthermore, this research points out the potential to significantly ameliorate a company’s packaging performance through analysing and conducting crucial modifications to packaging design. Problems such as the packaging legislation and the discrepancies related to it among countries, not only of the EU but also of those not belonging to it, are thoroughly investigated, showing the unstable market circumstances created due to the rivalry among countries, which stems from inadequate legislation.

The ready-made garments (RMG) manufacturing industry in Egypt is one of the main industries that supports the Egyptian economy through exports‟ earnings. Egypt‟s RMG exports are considerably less in quantity than other RMG exporting countries despite the advantages that Egypt has in terms of availability of high quality raw materials „cotton‟, the geographical proximity to main RMG importers and duty free trade agreements. Among the factors found to affect the competitiveness of Egypt‟s RMG exports are the lack of training, and the lack of skilled labour and management. This research develops a competency framework - a tool that can assist RMG manufacturing companies in Egypt to identify the skills needed for effective job performance and to define the skills deficiencies that would require training. This competency framework focuses on logistics executives in RMG manufacturing companies, as competent logistics executives have been shown to play a vital role in supporting the competitive advantage of organisations. The competency approach had not previously been used in research to identify the competencies needed for logistics executives in any industry, including the RMG industry. Moreover, very little work has been carried out on investigating the skills of logistics executives in developing countries, nevertheless in the Middle East. To create this competency framework, methodological triangulation was used through the use of questionnaires, content analysis and semi-structured interviews. The online questionnaire targeted a sample of logistics executives in RMG companies in Egypt to determine the tasks they consider important for effective job performance. The content analysis was performed on skills-related research to collect the skills and knowledge elements acknowledged in the literature to create logistics competencies. The output of the questionnaire and the content analysis was then used in a semi-structured interview with a senior merchandiser and development manager in an Egyptian RMG manufacturing company to provide an example of a completed competency framework. This thesis seeks to make an original contribution to knowledge by creating a competency framework template that RMG manufacturing companies in Egypt can use to identify the competencies and detect the skills deficiencies of logistics executives. This contribution would not only benefit the RMG manufacturing companies in Egypt, but it could also be of use to RMG exporters in developing countries which suffer from similar skills and training problems. This research is also a contribution in that it emphasises the role of logistics executives towards supporting Egypt‟s RMG exports, an angle which has not previously been explored, as earlier research focused on other aspects that supported the competitiveness of Egypt‟s RMG exports such as trade regulations. Moreover, acknowledging the role of logistics executives in this study could draw the attention of other industrial sectors in Egypt to consider the role of competent logistics executives towards supporting companies‟ performance.

Despite the fact that in a general logistics context, value-adding services (VAS) have been acknowledged in various publications, there is a dearth of available empirical works that have particularly investigated the competitive capacity of these services in the formulation of port strategy. Hence, the development of models that are useful to understanding and assessing the capacity of value-adding services in port strategies is necessary to bridge this knowledge gap. In the context of this study, value-adding services are defined as customised and additional services which complement the core or main offerings of a firm. A critical realist approach to research was deployed. Questionnaires were used to survey port users, while in-depth interviews were carried out with port management of the multiple case study ports. The case study ports were Rotterdam (The Netherlands), PD Teesport (United Kingdom), Damietta (Egypt) and Apapa (Nigeria) ports. Ten key value-adding services were identified. The research showed that value-adding services may provide a useful input into the competitive strategy of attracting and retaining port users to a port. The services were found to offer opportunities for the diversification of business for port authorities and port operators. Original contributions of the study include that it brings to the maritime logistics body of knowledge an understanding of the importance of the different value-adding services, principally based on port users‟ assessment. In sequence, the most important value-adding services were transport service, warehousing, water supplies and technical support, whilst the least important services were canteen/catering and advertising support services. Hitherto, there is no published study that has provided insight into the importance port users attach to various value-adding services. In port strategy formulation by the deployment of value-adding services, there is a stage in which dynamism sets in and the uniqueness of the services tend to wear-off, requiring concerted rejuvenation to sustain the potential of value-adding services in competitive strategies. The main challenging issues to port management in the deployment of value-adding services in strategy were found to be concerned with legislation, availability of traffic (cargo and vessel), duration of contracts, adequate land and space availability. The study also developed models, one to stimulate theoretical understanding of port value-adding services, the other to facilitate informed decision-making on the viability of offering value-adding services in ports.