This thesis explores the role and impact of leadership as a socially constructed and aesthetic phenomenon in tribal-dominated Bedouin Arabia. The concept of leadership is investigated in terms of its discursive and aesthetic dimensions across different geographical, historical, and intellectual settings by adopting and applying a Foucauldian perspective of interconnected concepts of power/knowledge, discourse, subjectivity, body symbolism and the power of gaze. The thesis draws on three related types of data: First, images to understand the leaders’ perspective. Second, interviews with artists to gain insights into the visual message and the creative process. Third, through semi-structured interviews with the audience to garner an understanding of how it perceives the message leaders send. This thesis contributes theoretically to ongoing research into the visual representation of leadership and to critical debates concerning Foucauldian perspectives on discourse, power, discipline and the body. This thesis concludes by recommending practical implications for rethinking leadership as something both aesthetic and mythical to consider the role of followership in the consumption of leadership-themed visual artworks and communication, and the growing global role and influence of social media in shaping leader-follower relations.

Embodied cognition is the study of how actions and interactions with objects and individuals affect cognitive processing. Neuroaesthetics deals with the neural, biological and evolutionary aspects of aesthetic experience which occur through the senses and consist of the emotional value placed onto objects, for example the appreciation of art work, dance, or music. These are individual and differ depending on level of expertise and experience within the art. The main aim of the thesis was to investigate the link between embodiment and aesthetics through examining people’s level of creativity, colour perception and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) in relation to levels of empathy and theory of mind (ToM). Research into this is sparse as the role of the body in relation to aesthetic experiences is a relatively new concept. Preference for portraits versus landscapes was also investigated to look at any role of social stimuli in aesthetic preference. Results demonstrate that participants with (i) higher levels of creativity (for some types of creativity) and (ii) more acute colour perception had higher levels of empathy/ToM. Individuals who had higher SPS demonstrated higher empathy/ToM. It was also found that colour perception and empathy levels decrease with age, and aesthetic preference for portraits increase with age. These results have implications for education/schools, the prison service, for specific clinical conditions such as autism, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, particularly given the role of dopamine in these disorders and in colour perception. Future research should investigate these findings using brain imaging and physiological measures.

This study is an attempt to improve job satisfaction and work motivation of the Egyptian textile managers and to fill the gap in the managerial literature regarding the Egyptian textile working context. The main objective of this study is to explore the motivation and job satisfaction of the Egyptian senior and middle managers. A research model was developed in order to explain and to understand the satisfaction and motivation process of senior and middle managers and was empirically tested in the actual textile context. Egyptian textile managers¿ motivation and job satisfaction were explored by using a total of 247 survey questionnaires and 33 interviews. The major findings indicated that the personal, organisational, and cultural factors were found to influence managers¿ job satisfaction and motivation. Managers were satisfied with their working conditions, job security, and their personal relationships. However, managers were dissatisfied with their pay, promotion, company policies, training, and their appraisal system. Moreover, managers have placed more concern for job content factors rather than for job context factors. The Egyptian culture was positively related with managers¿ concern for good personal relationships, achievement, responsibility, and for seeking to more knowledge. However, it negatively affected women managers¿ status as it led to a gender-biased discrimination towards them. The findings suggest a need to consider the personal differences between managers, improve the promotion system, review salary structure, adopt a results-focused appraisal system, pay more attention to the content job factors, improve training system, increase coordination and delegation of authority, give women equal rights, and increase managers¿ involvement in decision-making process.

At present, the current 4G systems provide a universal platform for broadband mobile services; however, mobile traffic is still growing at an unprecedented rate and the need for more sophisticated broadband services is pushing the limits on current standards to provide even tighter integration between wireless technologies and higher speeds. This has led to the need for a new generation of mobile communications: the so-called 5G. Although 5G systems are not expected to penetrate the market until 2020, the evolution towards 5G is widely accepted to be the logical convergence of internet services with existing mobile networking standards leading to the commonly used term “mobile internet” over heterogeneous networks, with several Gbits/s data rate and very high connectivity speeds. Therefore, to support highly increasing traffic capacity and high data rates, the next generation mobile network (5G) should extend the range of frequency spectrum for mobile communication that is yet to be identified by the ITU-R. The mm-wave spectrum is the key enabling feature of the next-generation cellular system, for which the propagation channel models need to be predicted to enhance the design guidance and the practicality of the whole design transceiver system. The present work addresses the main concepts of the propagation channel behaviour using ray tracing software package for simulation and then results were tested and compared against practical analysis in a real-time environment. The characteristics of Indoor-Indoor (LOS and NLOS), and indoor-outdoor (NLOS) propagations channels are intensively investigated at four different frequencies; 5.8 GHz, 26GHz, 28GHz and 60GHz for vertical polarized directional, omnidirectional and isotropic antennas patterns. The computed data achieved from the 3-D Shooting and Bouncing Ray (SBR) Wireless Insite based on the effect of frequency dependent electrical properties of building materials. Ray tracing technique has been utilized to predict multipath propagation characteristics in mm-wave bands at different propagation environments. Finally, the received signal power and delay spread were computed for outdoor-outdoor complex propagation channel model at 26 GHz, 28 GHz and 60GHz frequencies and results were compared to the theoretical models.

Globalization has created tremendous opportunities for organizations, but also created challenges due to cultural diversity, highlighting the importance of cross-cultural competencies in becoming successful nowadays. Cultural Intelligence (CQ) has emerged as an important concept describing the individual capabilities needed to effectively interact across cultures. Utilizing the theory of evolutionary personality psychology, several relationships are predicted between certain personality traits and factors of CQ. In addition, social learning theory is applied to explain the expected relationships between international experience and CQ. Thirdly, several hypotheses are developed to investigate if international experience strengthens the relationship between certain personality traits and elements of CQ. Based on a sample size of 197 employees from a financial services company, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses validate the theorized four-factor CQ model. The results, based on stepwise regression analyses, confirm the expected relationship between international experience and all factors of CQ, except BCQ. In addition, the results reveal several significant relationships between personality factors and CQ. Novel for the research on CQ is the confirmation of several significant correlations between “dark-side“ personality traits (which have been characterized as ineffective behaviours) and elements of CQ. This study also shows several moderating relationships, providing new insights and posing important questions for future research, contributing to the accumulating literature on CQ. In addition, the results of this study provide interesting suggestions for practice, emphasizing the importance of adapting Human Resources policies to recruit, enable and retain those employees who are likely to successfully grasp the opportunities that globalization offers. In order to achieve this, organizations should rely on a broad range of assessment and development tools, focussing on CQ, personality traits and previous international experience, when selecting and preparing individuals for cross-cultural careers.

This project utilised a novel solvent-free continuous cocrystallisation (SFCC) method to manufacture pharmaceutical co-crystals. The objectives were to optimize the process towards achieving high co-crystal yields and to understand the behaviour of co-crystals under different conditions. Particular attention was paid to the development of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a process analytical technology (PAT). Twin screw, hot melt extrusion was the base technique of the SFCC process. Changing parameters such as temperature, screw speed and screw geometry was important for improving the co-crystal yield. The level of mixing and shear was directly influenced by the screw geometry, whilst the screw speed was an important parameter for controlling the residence time of the material during hot melt extrusion. Ibuprofen – nicotinamide 1:1 cocrystals and carbamazepine – nicotinamide 1:1 co-crystals were successfully manufactured using the SFCC method. Characterisation techniques were important for this project, and NIR spectroscopy proved to be a convenient, accurate analytical technique for identifying the formation of co-crystals along the extruder barrel. Separate thermal and model shear deformation studies were also carried out to determine the effect of temperature and shear on co-crystal formation for several different pharmaceutical co-crystal pairs. Finally, NIR spectroscopy was used to create two partial least squares regression models, for predicting the 1:1 co-crystal yield of ibuprofen – nicotinamide and carbamazepine – nicotinamide, when in a powder mixture with the respective pure API. It is believed that the prediction models created in this project can be used to facilitate future in-line PAT studies of pharmaceutical co-crystals during different manufacturing processes.

Spermatogenesis is a complex process of male germ cell development from diploid spermatogonia to haploid fertile spermatozoa. Apoptosis plays a vital role in limiting cell numbers and eliminating defective germ cells. This requires novel gene products, and precise and well-coordinated programmes of gene expression. It is therefore possible that a disruption of transcription factor function would significantly impact germ cell development. The present work was undertaken to use Staput separation followed by culture of purified germ cells of rodent testis since mammalian spermatogenesis cannot yet be recreated in vitro. Specificity of separation was assessed using immunocytochemistry to identify spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids. The genotoxins H2O2, doxorubicin, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, 6-mercaptopurine, 5-bromodeoxyuridine, methyl methanesulphonate and ethyl methanesulphonate were investigated. Cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations for each agent. DNA damage and apoptosis were measured by Comet and TUNEL assay respectively. Up-regulation of expression of the transcription factors Tbpl1, FHL5 and Gtf2a1l that are important post-meiotically, were examined using RT- PCR and qPCR. Protein production was evaluated using Western blotting. Tbpl1, FHL5 and Gtf2a1l were cloned in-frame into the inducible expression vector pET/100-TOPO. The recombinant clones were induced and successful expression of the proteins in E. coli was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. The recombinant clones obtained were used to demonstrate genotoxin induced impairment of gene expression. Thus, Staput-isolated rodent testicular germ cells seem to be a suitable model to study genotoxicity in vitro yielding result comparable to those reported in vivo. Furthermore, the work shows that genotoxins can impair gene expression.

The complexity of technical systems has increased significantly in order to address evolving customer needs and environmental concerns. From a product development process viewpoint, the pervasive nature of multi-disciplinary systems (i.e. mechanical, electrical, electronic, control, software) has brought some important integration challenges to overcome conventional disciplinary boundaries imposed by discipline specific approaches. This research focuses on functional reasoning, aiming to develop a structured framework based on the System State Flow Diagram (SSFD) for function modelling of complex multidisciplinary systems on a practical and straightforward basis. The framework is developed at two stages. 1) The development of a prototype for the SSFD framework. The proposed SSFD framework are tested and validated through application to selected desktop case studies. 2) Further development and extension of the SSFD framework for the analysis of complex multidisciplinary systems with multiple operation modes and functional requirements. The developed framework is validated on real world case studies collaborated with industrial partners. The main conclusion of this research is that the SSFD framework offers a rigorous and coherent function modelling methodology for the analysis of complex multidisciplinary systems. Further advantages of the SSFD framework is that 1) the effectiveness of the Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) process can be enhanced by integrating the SSFD framework with relevant tools of the FMA process, and 2) the integration of the SSFD with the SysML systems engineering diagrams is doable, which can promote the take-up of the approach in industry.

Despite the signing of the 2005 Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the two decades of South-North Sudan war; and the 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, to end the current civil war, armed conflicts persist in South Sudan. Two key inadequacies of the liberal peacebuilding model, applied to address modern conflicts in Africa and across the globe are its insistence on international justice instruments such as the International Criminal Court, and the failure to recognize the role of local approaches and to incorporate them into peacebuilding intervention policies. This has resulted in failures to address the grievances and bitterness of war affected people and to reconcile divided communities. This study examines the potential and limits of applying local approaches to post-conflict peacebuilding in South Sudan. Based on empirical data obtained through qualitative case study conducted in South Sudan over five months in 2016, the findings reveal that despite the wide use of local institutions and justice mechanisms, many challenges exist, that pose serious difficulties in solely applying these strategies to transitional justice. However, for the liberal peacebuilding model to address the root causes of internal conflicts and build sustainable peace, local strategies could provide a significant complementary contribution, since dealing with the past entails more than retribution and truth seeking. The study has wider implications in practical and theoretical considerations for ongoing armed conflicts in Africa and other parts of the world.

Theory of mind (ToM) refers to a cognitive ability that enables one to attribute mental states (such as desires, emotions, beliefs) to self and others. In recent years researchers have identified cultural variations in the onset of ToM understanding in collectivist and individualist cultures. However, the findings of cross-cultural studies regarding these variations are inconsistent. The major aim of this innovative research was to investigate differences in the acquisition of ToM in children from a collectivist culture (Pakistan) and an individualist culture (UK). The second aim of the study was to assess the specific association between ToM and social competence in a culturally diverse sample. An additional aim of the study was to investigate the universality of various correlates of ToM such as executive functioning (EF), parenting styles, and maternal mental state talk. The findings of the studies demonstrated a significant delay in the acquisition of ToM in Pakistani children, when compared with Western children from individualist societies. These findings were corroborated by the results of novel cross-cultural study that compared the performance of White British, British Pakistani, and Pakistani children on a ToM scale. White British children outperformed both Pakistani and British Pakistani children on measures of ToM, EF, and social competence. The current findings also provide support for the association of mental state understanding with EF, social competence, parenting styles, and maternal mental state talk. These findings have important implications for the role of general (collectivist vs. individualist cultures) as well as specific cultural practices (such as parenting and education) in the acquisition of mental state understanding.