University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses RepositoryNot a member yet
11811 research outputs found
Sort by
Thesis in corporate policies
Get PDFWhat forces are responsible for shaping firm's corporate policies? In the thesis, we attempt to address this question by focusing on two important corporate policies of a firm, labor investment and dividend smoothing. In particular, we investigate three potential drivers, social capital, board co-option and stock market liquidity, to labor investment and dividend smoothing. Drawing a large sample of US public listed firms, we show that firms located in areas with higher social capital level, and having fewer co-opted directors on the board present less inefficient labor investment. Moreover, firms with more liquid shares tend to smooth their dividends more. The results are unchanged to multiple robustness tests, difference-in-difference design, and instrumental variable analysis. Our findings shed new light on the determinants of a firm's labor investment and dividend smoothing policies
The role of English in implementing the Saudi Vision 2030 programme: a critical discourse analysis
Get PDFThis study was conducted to examine the role of English in implementing the Saudi 2030 Vision (SV2030) programme through an analysis of two texts in the Saudi context: 1) the SV2030 document, an overview of the strategic framework set forth by the Saudi government, and 2) a set of statements about SV2030 from the English language departments of Saudi universities. The SV2030 document does not explicitly mention English language, instead focusing on the need to uphold Arabic language, but some English departments indicate in their departmental
statements that they see an important role for English in achieving the aims of SV2030. Therefore, the role of English in attaining SV2030 was investigated in two phases. In phase one, a content analysis was conducted on the relevant texts to identify SV2030 settings in which English can play a role. In phase two, a critical discourse analysis (CDA) was performed to investigate the implicit role of English specifically in the international and educational SV2030 settings identified through the content analysis. Through CDA, an educational function for English in attaining SV2030 was established. Both texts shed light on the knowledge and skills highlighted in the SV2030 and departmental discourses in education and English education, respectively. As such, lowering the age at which primary students begin to study English as a subject to first grade is a socioeconomic development aligned with the objectives of SV2030. English is the global language for SV2030, in which the SV2030 document producer chose English as the language in which the foreign version intended for an international readership would be published. Additionally, the study highlighted the significance of English in the context of international summits and events relevant to SV2030. Finally, the study identified the potential economic role that English may play in the implementation of SV2030 through the cultivation of a knowledge-based economy. As SV2030 is a national programme, the SV2030 document writer may have refrained from promoting English explicitly for national and socio-political purposes. Nevertheless, the findings of this study provide insights into the role of English in achieving SV2030 and the potential implications for language policy in Saudi Arabia
Nietzsche, Adorno, and the paradoxes of enlightenment
Get PDFThis thesis is a comparative study of Friedrich Nietzsche’s (1844-1900) and Theodor W. Adorno’s (1903-1969) paradoxical understandings of enlightenment. Distinguishing between the ahistorical process of enlightenment and the epoch of the Enlightenment, the thesis will show that both thinkers view enlightenment as a double-edged sword that has come to undermine itself. Far from leading people to new heights, Nietzsche and Adorno believe that enlightenment has enslaved humanity and produced a dry cultural life that is in urgent need of change. This analysis will identify a fundamental difference between Nietzsche’s and Adorno’s paradoxical understandings of enlightenment as they develop different models of enlightenment: Nietzsche’s is antithetical, and Adorno’s is dialectical. They maintain these understandings of enlightenment when writing on different topics, and the aesthetic and cultural spheres are important areas in which the paradoxes of enlightenment are on display. Their aesthetic thought includes examinations of artists. The most prominent of these common case studies is Richard Wagner (1813-1883), and Chapter Five of this study will highlight how Nietzsche and Adorno maintain their paradoxical understandings of enlightenment in a practical examination of art. However, neither Nietzsche nor Adorno gives up hope for a new kind of enlightened future. Both thinkers seek to reshape enlightenment by ridding it of what they think caused its downfall. For Nietzsche this process involves redressing what he considers to be an imbalance between reason and non-reason, which he states has removed vigour and vitality from human existence; and Adorno wishes to overcome instrumental reason and intellectual rigidity, which he believes have led to the establishment of a pernicious system of cultural and economic control. Enlightenment is not doomed, but it must be freed from the forces that have restricted its potential to liberate humanity
The shadowy perspective of place branding: exploring the fluid place myths of the Wigan brand
Get PDFThe aim of this thesis is to demonstrate the value of the shadow metaphor as a novel theoretical lens to advance the place branding theory. Previous studies have shown that place branding is a constantly changing concept, adapting to stakeholders’ changeable memories and expectations, and shifting political and sociocultural environments. However, what is missing from the place branding literature is a theoretical framework that adequately interprets such fluidity in place branding. This thesis, therefore, introduces the shadow metaphor and argues that it can be used as an ideal theoretical lens to uncover the elusive and ever-changing nature of place branding. Specifically, it utilises myth as a conceptual tool to expand the current understanding of the fluidity of place branding, considering its ambiguous and ephemeral nature. In so doing, this thesis expands the scholarly understanding of the dynamic view of place branding by providing a cohesive theoretical lens that interprets the inherent adaptability and ephemerality of the shifting relationships between different stakeholders, and the ever- changing place branding process. Additionally, it shifts the dominant view that regards myth as simply an outcome of place branding activities towards a more dynamic perspective that treats myth as an ongoing meaning-making process integral to the creation of place brands.
The shadowy perspective of the place brand myth is contextualised through the exploration of an English town, Wigan. It specifically utilises a local music band, The Lathums, as an insightful analytical lens to unveil the various mythmakers and complex mythmaking processes of the Wigan brand. An innovative methodology, namely mediated discourse analysis (MDA) informed grounded theory, is developed to provide a flexible analytical approach to delve into the fluid Wigan myths. Drawing on the shadow metaphor, the resulting analysis reveals the shadowy relationships between three mythmaker groups: creators, persuaders, and discoverers. It also unpacks the transformable Wigan myths, altering between the shadowy patterns of projection, distortion, and illusion
Prevention, early recognition and management of maternal infections and sepsis
Get PDFIntroduction:
Maternal sepsis is the 3rd leading cause of maternal mortality globally. Sepsis is the second most frequent abortion related complication in low- and middle-income countries. Infection after miscarriage is a serious problem and can cause death and disability. This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of routine antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical management of miscarriage (Aim 1) and describes the implementation and evaluation of FAST-M bundle care tools (MEOWS chart, decision tool, and FAST-M treatment bundle) in a low-resource setting within Pakistan (Aim 2). FAST-M, a bundle developed in collaboration with the WHO and validated in Africa, consists of five components: Fluids, Antibiotics, Source identification and control, assessment of the need to Transport or Transfer to a higher level of care and ongoing Monitoring (of the mother and neonate). FAST-M intervention aims to improve the recognition and management of maternal sepsis; it has not yet been validated in Asia.
Methods: Two studies were undertaken as part of this PhD research. (1) A systematic review was conducted to synthesise the effectiveness of routine antibiotic prophylaxis in individuals undergoing uterine evacuation procedures to treat miscarriage (Aim 1). (2) A feasibility study with sequential mixed method intervention design was conducted in women with suspected maternal sepsis admitted at the LUMHS hospital Hyderabad in Pakistan to evaluate the outcomes of FAST-M intervention. Qualitative data was collected in the first phase for the adaptation of FAST-M bundle care tools. This was then followed by the implementation of contextual-based modified tools in the study setting. The implementation outcomes were evaluated using both the quantitative and qualitative methods to validate the study findings. Quantitative comparisons were drawn before and after the implementation to distinguish study outcomes (Aim 2).
Results: Study 1: Six studies with a total of 4371 participants undergoing uterine evacuation procedures to treat miscarriage were included in our review. A metanalysis restricted to studies with low risk of bias (3 trials with 3737 participants, 85% of total participants;) found a 43% reduction in the risk of developing a uterine infection (pooled RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.86, I² = 0%, high certainty evidence). Study 2: Following the FAST-M intervention, significant changes were observed. Improvements were seen in the monitoring of oxygen saturation measurements [25.5% vs 100%; difference: 74%; 95% CI:68.4%-80.5% p<0.01], fetal heart rate assessment [58% vs100%; difference:42.0%; 95% CI: 33.7% to 50.3%; p=<0.01], and measurement of urine output [76.5% vs 100%; difference 23.5%; 95%CI: 17.6% to 29.4%; p<0.01]). An additional improvement in overall patient monitoring was reported by the HCPs in the qualitative study. Women with suspected maternal sepsis received all components of the treatment bundle within one hour of sepsis recognition [0% vs70.5%; difference 70.5%; 95%CI: 60.4% to 80.6%; p<0.01]. The healthcare providers’ views were positive about the intervention, its outcomes, and long-term sustainability.
Conclusion:
The systematic review ascertained a significant reduction in the risk of uterine infection rates with antibiotic prophylaxis during surgery to treat miscarriage based on three trials assessed to have low risk of bias included in the meta-analysis. This PhD research also demonstrated that the implementation of the FAST-M intervention was feasible and significantly improved the quality of maternal sepsis care, including enhanced early identification and management of maternal sepsis
Contactless heat-assisted single point incremental forming
Get PDFThis thesis introduces a novel technique called Hot Air Contactless Single Point Incremental Forming (HASPIF) as an alternative to conventional single incremental point forming methods. HASPIF utilises hot compressed air to deform polymer sheets without physical contact with a forming tool, thereby eliminating the need for a rigid tool and reducing costs.
A case study was conducted using a polycarbonate sheet to validate the concept, employing specific parameters such as nozzle speed, air temperature, air pressure, stepdown and initial distance. The results demonstrated accurate shaping of the polycarbonate sheet with minimal springback, although slight deviations and material build-up were observed at the starting point of the nozzle.
Finite element modelling (FEM) was used to analyse the influence of the contactless tool on the shaping process, encompassing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and transient structural models to estimate the resulting shape and deformation of the polymer sheet. The FEM model not only forecasted the final part of geometries and dimensions but also provided insights into
the normal strain progression, which aligned well with experimental data.
Furthermore, the thesis optimised the HASPIF process using a design of experiment (DOE) approach, evaluating five control factors and considering profile variation, thickness variation, and surface roughness as evaluation criteria. The study revealed that air temperature and feed rate had a significant influence on the deformation process, while air pressure and feed rate impacted thickness variation and surface roughness. A prediction model was developed to optimise process parameters, aligning well with predicted profile and thickness variations. However, surface roughness did not exhibit the same agreement due to the stepwise nature and inherent waviness of the contactless forming technique.
In conclusion, this study presents a promising approach for developing innovative contactless forming techniques using hot compressed air as a forming tool, offering advantages such as reduced tool wear and lubrication requirements compared to traditional methods
The theological structure of word of faith
Get PDF“The theological structure of Word of Faith” advances a constructive theology of Word of Faith as a system of six interconnected theological features (namely trichotomy, faith, positive confession, healing, prosperity and the Jesus Died Spiritually doctrine – JDS) in order to add clarity, context and theological depth to analysis of the controversial Word of Faith movement.
To achieve the goals of clarification and critical analysis, my research adopts a two-part method. First, since many of the existing analyses of Word of Faith are to some extent reliant on the debated Kenyon-connection thesis that Word of Faith populariser Kenneth E. Hagin largely derived his theology from E. W. Kenyon and that Kenyon derived his theology from unorthodox sources, I re-read the theological context in which trichotomy, faith, positive confession, healing and prosperity developed in order to analyse the reception history of each theological feature and to provide the basis for the second part of each chapter. The second part of each chapter analyses the theological function of each feature in relation to the other features and asks whether or not these interrelated features function as a system.
My research unearths a number of under-acknowledged or overlooked sources of Word of Faith doctrine, something that significantly impacts critical evaluation of the movement’s theology. Ultimately, I conclude that Word of Faith theology does indeed operate as a system of six interconnected theological features.
My discovery of a broader theological source base than has previously been shown develops existing narratives relating to the development of the movement’s theology. At the same time, the discovery of additional sources re-contextualises Word of Faith within its own Pentecostal and pre-Pentecostal setting. Deeper knowledge of the movement’s theological genesis brings with it the opportunity for sharper critical insight relating to how each theological feature functions and how the movement’s various beliefs operate in relation to one another.
As a result, this thesis provides a robust means by which the theology of contemporary Word of Faith movements can be identified, analysed and evaluated
Advancing optimization and evaluation for dynamic capacitated arc routing problems
Get PDFThe Capacitated Arc Routing Problem (CARP) is a challenging combinatorial optimization problem abstracted from real-world applications, such as waste collection and road gritting. It aims at scheduling a fleet of vehicles, each with a limited capacity, to serve a series of tasks in a graph spending the lowest possible total cost. In real applications, unexpected dynamic changes usually occur when vehicles are in their service, which potentially cause the current schedule of vehicles become worse or even infeasible. For example, the road may be closed or congested due to an accident, or new tasks might emerge after vehicles have already started their service. Consequently, the current schedule needs to be updated ensuring efficient service continuity, taking into account the different locations and various remaining capacities of the vehicles currently still in services. This dynamic scenario is regarded as Dynamic CARP (DCARP). Within this context, the information including the updated graph, the new set of tasks and the status of all vehicles is denoted as the DCARP instance which requires optimization to ensure an updated and efficient schedule.
This thesis mainly focuses on investigating the characteristics of the DCARP and proposing efficient optimization algorithms for its solution. In particular, we provide the following main contributions in this thesis:
1. We provide the first mathematical formulation of DCARP in the literature and developed a simulator to emulate the behavior of vehicles’ service processes in the real world. This simulator offers a novel research platform for generating DCARP benchmarks to support DCARP studies.
2. We propose a novel generalized meta-heuristic framework based on a virtual-task strategy for DCARP optimization. It enables all meta-heuristic algorithms designed for solving static CARP to be capable of effectively solving DCARP instances. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework was able to significantly improve over state-ofthe- art dynamic optimization algorithms in terms of total costs of the final solution.
3. We perform a fitness landscape analysis on various DCARP instances to understand which factors make a DCARP instance harder to solve. Empirical studies reveal that cost-related dynamic events had almost no effect on the difficulty of DCARP instances, while introductions of new tasks are the main factor making DCARP instances harder to solve.
4. We propose an experience-assisted optimization framework based on a novel solution building block strategy to deal with the DCARP scenario. A DCARP scenario comprises a series of DCARP instances that share similarities with each other. The proposed framework was able to improve the DCARP optimization for new DCARP instances in terms of total costs of initial solutions and convergence speed by leveraging optimization experiences extracted from the former DCARP instances.
5. To evaluate the efficacy of proposed algorithms in comparison to the theoretical global optimum, we derive a node matching lower bound for DCARP instances as the theoretical global optimum is always unknown for most DCARP instances. The deviations between the lower bound and DCARP solutions are calculated to measure the performance of our algorithms. The evaluation based on the derived lower bound indicates that there is still room for improvement between the lower bound and the optimized result.
6. To analyze the performance of proposed algorithms on real-world applications, we develop a DCARP benchmarking system based on SUMO (Simulation of Urban Mobility), integrated with real-traffic conditions. A series of DCARP scenarios with different settings are generated based on the proposed SUMO-based system using real-traffic data, thereby evaluating the proposed algorithms to these scenarios for performance analysis. The evaluation demonstrates that dynamic optimization for CARP is necessary in real-world applications. Moreover, empirical studies also indicate that the adopted artificial DCARP benchmarks were sufficient for measuring the performance of optimization algorithms
The role of social enterprises in reducing UK supermarket food waste: a network perspective
Get PDFThis research aims to investigate the networks involved in food waste reduction in three major UK supermarkets, with a focus on the use of social enterprise within the networks. Granovetter’s (1973) strength of weak ties theory is used as a lens through which to analyse the network, taking his assertions around the four factors involved in strong ties - time, emotional intensity, mutual confiding and reciprocity - to better understand the ties involved in the network.
A qualitative case study approach is used for this research, taking each of the three supermarkets as individual cases. Each case contains a series of primary semi-structured interviews and secondary data to triangulate the findings, which are presented using network maps, tables and discursive thematic analysis for each case. The cases are then analysed using a cross-case analysis.
The key findings from this research from a theoretical perspective, are that the four factors described in Granovetter’s theory may be true of some network relationships, but are certainly not required in all strong ties. Granovetter also asserts that networks with more weak ties are often more effective as they contain more nodes and bridging ties and thus can have a wider reach. However, in some cases where there is a physical exchange of products between organisations, networks with strong ties were found in this research to be more effective in facilitating this. Therefore, the networks have been shown to be far more nuanced than Granovetter’s theory allows for, particularly for networks which are not just information-based but where there is a physical product involved.
In practice, this research not only tests the four factors proposed by Granovetter, but seeks to identify further developments which act as facilitating factors and barriers to effectiveness within the network. A series of factors were identified which demonstrate some consistency across the three cases in this research. This has helped to inform a series of policy recommendations for food waste in the UK. Where voluntary agreements have facilitated some progress against the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030, the relatively hands-off approach taken by DEFRA and the UK government means that progress is currently varied. Recommending a greater level of involvement, similarly to countries such as France, Italy and some US states, could accelerate progress and improve consistency between the supermarkets’ advancement toward food waste reduction.
In summary, this research contributes to literature in the areas of social enterprise, food waste and network theory, and provides some evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice in food waste reduction in UK supermarkets
Dissonant modernism: mass housing as architectural heritage in the United States
Get PDFWhile mass housing is one of most common types of modernist architecture built globally during the twentieth century, it has been marginalized in the inscription and identification of modernist architectural heritage. This study focuses its investigation on the problems and prospects of inscribing modernist mass housing architecture within the United States of America, where unlike most nations, vast numbers of mass housing buildings have been systematically demolished. Two case studies illuminate both past problems and current prospects for identification and inscription as heritage: Cochran Gardens Apartments in St. Louis, a public housing development built in 1953 but completely demolished by 2012; and Parkchester in New York City, a larger, private mass housing development completed in 1942 that still stands today. In researching these cases, I explore the dynamic of constructing and asserting expertise between architectural historians, heritage officials, housing officials and housing inhabitants. The question of dissonant valuation is central to the research, although the research aims not simply to note problems but also locate possible points of positive convergence.
In undertaking research, I utilized grounded theory to support semi-structured interviews of actors occupying multiple positions, on-site observational work and interviews of inhabitants. I also undertook review of mass media (especially newspapers), primary source heritage documents and popular cultural forms such as music related to the case study sites. My research explored how inhabitant communities construct and assert value of their housing developments, and how those values intersect with the usually more-dominant values of expert actors. Deploying interpretative models, I identified not simply conflicts in value, but discursive differences between how inhabitants and experts articulate the heritage value of modernist mass housing. I especially focus on the discursive space between valuing housing for aesthetic achievement and valuing the same for its utility and affordability. I conclude by examining the potential connections between dissonant values, and how those connections could serve the inhabitants struggles while confronting the implicit biases in expert assessments
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇