Search results for: opinion of managers and officials

Authors: Ameer Alalwan

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Summary: The aim of this research is to identify trends of municipal council member in practicing his administrative control, decision-making, and counsultive role on municipalities' main municipal activities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research is conducted after the implementation of the new municipal system resolution no. (M\61) in 1435 in the work of municipal councils for the third session. To achieve the goal of this research, a questionnaire has been designed to obtain the opinion of municipal councils on this matter. This questionnaire has been tested for reliability and validity. The results of this research show that in general performance of municipal council is moderate after the implementation of the new municipal system resolution no. (M\61) in 1435 in the work of municipal councils for the third session. Also, extend that municipal council member practice his roles on the main municipality activities is moderate and weak. In addition, results show that municipal council member practice big role in decision-making, and moderate role in administrative control, and weaker role in giving opinion on municipality main issues. Furthermore, the results show that there is a significant difference between municipal council member's responses by the change of their Personal characteristics. Educated and appointed municipal council members practicing their role more than others do. In addition, municipal council presidents, and vice presidents, and in regional and sub-regional municipalities practice their role more than others do. Finally, this research in general recommened that muincialty council member must be empowered, so that he can practice his role on muicipality main activities. In addition, research suggest, granting municipal council member the authority, resources needed, training and appointment of qualified members, so that they will be able to practice their roles. Furthermore, this research suggest for the time being maintain certain percent of municipal council's appointed until this experience mature in the kingdom.

Keywords: municipal council, municipal council member, municipality, decision-making role

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Authors: Fariba Ebrahimi, Mehdi Ghorbani, Ali Salajegheh

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Comprehensively water management considers economic, environmental, technical and social and also sustainability of water resources for future generations. Grassland management implies cooperative approach and involves all stakeholders and also introduces issues to managers, decision and policy makers. Solving these issues needs integrated and system approach. According to the recognition of actors or key persons in necessary to apply cooperative management of Water. Therefore, based on stakeholder analysis and social network analysis can be used to demonstrate the most effective actors for environmental decisions. In this research, social powers according are specified to social network approach at Water utilizers’ level of Natural in Jirood catchment of Latian basin. In this paper, utilizers of water resources were recognized using field trips and then, trust and collaboration matrix produced using questionnaires. In the next step, degree centrality index were Examined. Finally, geometric position of each actor was illustrated in the network. The results of the research based on centrality index have a key role in recognition of cooperative management of Water in Jirood and also will help managers and planners of water in the case of recognition of social powers in order to organization and implementation of sustainable management of Water.

Keywords: social network analysis, water co-management, social power, centrality index, local stakeholders network, Jirood catchment

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Authors: Willie Eselebor

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Environmental governance is not new, but may consist of a series of actions taken to establish sanity and ensure sustainable environment. While there is a growing accord linking disaster risk reduction with the management of environment and natural resources, little is known about failure to act which constitute vulnerability and how improved governance reduces risk globally. The paper reviews emerging trends in the field of application of governance tools and approaches for reducing disaster risk. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) enjoin all stakeholders to stimulate the sustainable use and management of ecosystems, which promote the implementation of integrated environmental and natural resource planning that incorporate disaster risk reduction, including structural and non-structural measures, such as integrated management of fragile ecosystems. The methodology adopted is a case study of disaster-prone sites, prompting guided analysis on which hazards are traceable to environmental degradation, why a degraded environment reduces community resilience; how healthy ecosystems provide natural defense, and which opportunities exist to address gaps in reduction of disasters in Nigeria. The paper further analyses the interaction between disaster risk and environmental change. It is established that environmental governance remains a challenge; which implies that there is the need for a shift in traditional approaches to disaster risk management; exploring new initiatives and allowing environmental managers to be docketed as disaster risk managers in context, potentially opening up a window of dialogue on disaster risk management.

Keywords: disaster, ecosystem, environment, risk

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Authors: Syeda Shawana Mahasan, Muhammad Farooq Akhtar

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The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the green marketing mix strategy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the performance of an organization, taking into account the mediating effect of corporate image. The impact of frugal innovation and corporate activism is being examined. The data was gathered from executives at various levels of management, including top, middle, and lower-level managers, from a total of 550 manufacturing enterprises of different sizes, ranging from small to medium to large. The collected replies are processed and analyzed using SMART PLS version 4.0.0.0. The application of PLS-SEM demonstrates that the green marketing mix strategy and corporate social responsibility have a significant impact on organizational performance. Therefore, it is imperative for organizations to effectively adopt environmentally sustainable and socially conscious methods within their operations. The results indicate that the corporate image has a key role in mediating the relationship between the green marketing mix strategy, corporate social responsibility, and organizational performance. This demonstrates the imperative for organizations to actively enhance their favorable reputation among stakeholders. The combination of frugal innovation and corporate activism enhances the connection between corporate image and organizational performance. The current study assists managers in recognizing the significance of these particular constructs in maintaining the long-term performance of the organization.

Keywords: green marketing mix strategy, CSR, corporate image, organizational performance, frugal innovation, corporate activism

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Authors: Shahid Ali

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Leadership and management are essential components of running successful organizations. Both concepts are closely related but serve different purposes in the overall management of a company. Leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating employees towards a common goal, while management involves coordinating and directing resources to achieve organizational objectives efficiently. Objectives of Leadership and Management: Inspiring and motivating employees: A key objective of leadership is to inspire and motivate employees to work towards achieving the organization’s goals. Effective leaders create a vision that employees can align with and provide the necessary motivation to drive performance. Setting goals and objectives: Both leadership and management play a crucial role in setting goals and objectives for the organization. Leaders create a vision for the future, while managers develop plans to achieve specific objectives within the given timeframe. Implementing strategies: Leaders come up with innovative strategies to drive the organization forward, while managers are responsible for implementing these strategies effectively. Together, leadership and management ensure that the organization’s plans are executed efficiently. Contributions of Leadership and Management: Employee Engagement: Effective leadership and management can increase employee engagement and satisfaction. When employees feel motivated and inspired by their leaders, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and contribute to the organization’s success. Organizational Success: Good leadership and management are essential for navigating the challenges and changes that organizations face. By setting clear goals, inspiring employees, and making strategic decisions, leaders and managers can drive organizational success. Talent Development: Leaders and managers are responsible for identifying and developing talent within the organization. By providing feedback, training, and coaching, they can help employees reach their full potential and contribute effectively to the organization. Research Type: The research on leadership and management is typically quantitative and qualitative in nature. Quantitative research involves the collection and analysis of numerical data to understand the impact of leadership and management practices on organizational outcomes. This type of research often uses surveys, questionnaires, and statistical analysis to measure variables such as employee satisfaction, performance, and organizational success. Qualitative research, on the other hand, involves exploring the subjective experiences and perspectives of individuals related to leadership and management. This type of research may include interviews, observations, and case studies to gain a deeper understanding of how leadership and management practices influence organizational behavior and outcomes. In conclusion, leadership and management play a critical role in the success of organizations. Through effective leadership and management practices, organizations can inspire and motivate employees, set goals, and implement strategies to achieve their objectives. Research on leadership and management helps to understand the impact of these practices on organizational outcomes and provides valuable insights for improving leadership and management practices in the future.

Keywords: empowering, leadership, management, adaptability

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Authors: Jeremy Schultz

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The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of vineyard managers in the Krasnodar Region of Southern Russia located between the city of Kransnodar and the Black Sea. In recent years, wine tourism throughout the region has seen tremendous growth due in part to the concurrent growth in the number of tourists vacationing at the Black Sea. This trend has contributed to the development of large-scale wine operations developing in numerous rural locations along the tourists’ travel path. Niche areas of tourism, such as wine tourism, have proven to provide economic viability for rural communities all around the world. Understanding their shared group characteristics while honoring their unique qualities as individuals aids in responsible wine tourism development that provides a sense of well-being for the communities and stakeholders involved. Semi-structured interviews and lived experience methodologies were used in locations that were associated with wine food tourism operations. By understanding management perspectives, it lends insight into sustainable destination management and wine tourism product development, furthering our progress toward ethical, responsible, and financially feasible operations. This research also represents a collaborative effort between Russia and the United States that supports an agenda of sustainable destination development and management. As a global community, we need to continue to investigate stakeholder perceptions and strategic management techniques that best support the pillars upon which responsible tourism was founded.

Keywords: wine tourism, tourism development, Russia, rural tourism

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Authors: Yahya Al Nahdi

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Even though efforts to increase the participation of nationals in the workforce have been in place for more than a decade in the Sultanate of Oman, the results are not impressive. Citizens’ workforce participation – it is argued in the literature – is hindered by institutional, as well as attitudinal concerns. The purpose of this study was to determine barriers to Omanization (employment of Omani nationals) in the private sector as perceived by the senior managers in government and private sector. Data were collected predominantly through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with managers who directly deal with Omanization policies from both the public and private sector. Results from the data analysis have shown that the majority of participants acknowledged a work preference in the movement (public sector). The private sector employees' compensation and benefits package was perceived to be less attractive than that offered in the government (public sector). The negative perceptions (stereotypes) shared by expatriates regarding work attitudes and competencies of citizens in the local labour market was also overwhelmingly perceived as a major hindrance. Furthermore, institutional issues such as, ineffectiveness of rules and regulation regarding Omanization, inappropriate quota system and lack of public awareness towards private sector’s jobs, are also perceived problematic to successful Omanization. Finally, results from the data analysis were used in recommending strategies for potential consideration in the pursuit of a successful Omanization programme.

Keywords: localization, job security, labour force structure, Omanization, private sector, public sector

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Authors: Amira Abdulrazzaq

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This paper is studying the opinion of faculty members and students about the future of education (e-learning) at the University of Bahrain. Through quantitative analysis a distribution of two surveys, one targeting students of IT College, and College of Arts and the other targeting Faculty members of both Colleges. Through the above survey, the paper measures the following factors: awareness and acceptance, satisfaction, usability, and usefulness. Results indicate positive reactions of all above factors.

Keywords: e-learning, education, moodle, WebCT

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Authors: Edo Shonin, William Van Gordon, Mark D. Griffiths

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Due to its potential to concurrently improve Work-Related Wellbeing (WRW) and job performance; occupational stakeholders are becoming increasingly interested in meditation. Despite this, there is a scarcity of methodologically robust research examining the utility of meditation within occupational contexts. This study conducted the first randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of meditation on outcomes relating to both WRW and job performance. Office-based middle-hierarchy managers (n=152) were allocated to either an eight-week meditation intervention (Meditation Awareness Training: MAT) or an active control intervention. MAT participants demonstrated significant improvements (with strong effect-sizes) over control-group participants in levels of work-related stress, job satisfaction, psychological distress, and employer-rated job performance. It is concluded that MAT appears to be effective for improving both WRW and job performance in middle-hierarchy managers. There are a number of novel implications: (i) meditation can effectuate a perceptual shift in how employees experience their work and psychological environment and may thus constitute a cost-effective WRW intervention, (ii) meditation-based (i.e., present-moment-focused) working styles may be more effective than goal-based (i.e., future-orientated) working styles, and (iii) meditation may reduce the separation made by employees between their own interests and those of the organizations they work for.

Keywords: work-related stress, workplace wellbeing, occupational stress, job performance, meditation awareness training, mindfulness

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Authors: Nikhil Kewalkrishna Mehta

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In the past researchers have questioned the effectiveness of ethics training in higher education. Also, there are observations that support the view that ethical behaviour (range of actions)/ethical decision making models used in the past make use of vignettes to explain ethical behaviour. The understanding remains in the perspective that these vignettes play a limited role in determining individual intentions and not actions. Some authors have also agreed that there are possibilities of differences in one’s intentions and actions. This paper makes an attempt to fill those gaps by evaluating real actions rather than intentions. In a way this study suggests the use of an experiential methodology to explore Berlo’s model of communication as an action along with orchestration of various principles. To this endeavor, an attempt was made to use conversational analysis in the pursuance of evaluating ethical decision making behaviour among students and middle level managers. The process was repeated six times with the set of an average of 15 participants. Similarities have been observed in the behaviour of students and middle level managers that calls for understanding that both the groups of individuals have no cognizance of their actual actions. The deliberations derived out of conversation were taken a step forward for meta-ethical evaluations to portray a clear picture of ethical behaviour among participants. This study provides insights for understanding demonstrated unconscious human behaviour which may fortuitously be termed both ethical and unethical.

Keywords: ethical behaviour, unethical behavior, ethical decision making, intentions and actions, conversational analysis, human actions, sensitivity

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Authors: Eman Alatawi

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The world is currently experiencing an upsurge in the number of international migrants, which has reached 281 million worldwide; in particular, both the UK and Saudi Arabia have recently been faced with an unprecedented number of immigrants. As a result, the media in these two countries is constantly posting news about the issue, and newspapers, in particular, play a vital role in shaping the public’s view of immigration issues. Because the media is an influential tool in society, it has the ability to construct a specific image of migrants and influence public opinion concerning immigrant groups. However, most of the existing studies have addressed the plight of migrants in the UK, Europe, and the US, and few have considered the Middle East; specifically, there is a pressing need for studies that focus on the press in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the main countries that is experiencing immigration at a tremendous rate. This paper employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the depiction of migrants in the British and Saudi Arabian media in order to explore the involvement of three linguistic features in the media’s representation of migrant-related topics. These linguistic features are the names, metaphors, and collocations that the press in the UK and in Saudi Arabia uses to describe migrants; the impact of these depictions is also considered. This comparative study could create a better understanding of how the Saudi Arabian press presents the topic of migrants and immigration, which will assist in extending the understanding of migration discourses beyond an Anglo-centric viewpoint. The main finding of this study was that both British and Saudi Arabian newspapers tended to represent migrants’ issues by painting migrants in a negative light through the use of negative references or names, metaphors, and collocations; furthermore, the media’s negative stereotyping of migrants was found to be consistent, which could have an influence on the public’s opinion of these minority groups. Such observations show that the issue is not as simple as individuals, press systems, or political affiliations.

Keywords: representation, migrants, the UK press, Saudi Arabia press, cross-linguistic, discourse analysis

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Authors: Mokhtar Nikgoo

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Today's industrial world has undergone tremendous changes in certain periods. These changes are called environmental changes. And they have a direct impact on organizations and bodies. Therefore, the importance of knowing these changes is clear. This importance has caused the manufacturing organizations to move towards multiple products and constantly change and expand their system. This research tries to show how the organization moves in this category by defining the basic steps of implementing a project. One of the most important features of a hard-to-order production organization is the definition of different production projects from different customers. Therefore, the lack of sufficient understanding of the type of work causes the project to be defined for the organization in question, and the managers of the organization (in every organizational level) are constantly involved with different projects. In the implementation of the production project of the aforementioned organizations, directing the facilities and people of the organization towards the implementation of the project is of particular importance. Therefore, it is felt necessary to define the project manager and his basic duties. Considering the importance of this topic, the project chapter deals with project management and its importance and examines all the different issues in that category from the perspective of implementation. A project includes certain activities of the organization that require the use of different resources and all the activities of the organization in order to implement the project with defined facilities and at the designated times. Project management is planning, organizing and controlling the organization's resources for a short-term goal that has been created for short-term and medium-term goals and objectives. Project management has the important task of centering and integrating (coordinating) task and line managers. In other words, project management requires having a strong and appropriate relationship with the internal people of the system to carry out the assigned activities and must have a general and technical knowledge related to various activities in the project environment. It seems that everything with project management in It is communication. One of the characteristics of production organizations under the order is the relationship between the customer (customers) and the organization until the completion of the defined project. Due to the nature of the work, it is necessary for a person to establish this relationship between the client and the organization's people and to establish this relationship in such a way that it does not cause a lack of coordination in the organization's activities. Therefore, project management has a very important role at this stage, because the relationship between the client and his organization will be any problems and problems and points of view that the client has, he must inform the management so that he can implement the cases with its analysis and special processes. To be transferred to other departments and line managers.

Keywords: project management, crisis management, project delays bill, project duration

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Authors: Mohamad Mahdi Namdari

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In today's rapidly changing and evolving business competition, companies and organizations require advanced and efficient tools to manage their markets and sales networks. Big data analysis, quick response in competitive markets, process and operations optimization, and forecasting customer behavior are among the concerns of executive managers. Artificial intelligence, as one of the emerging technologies, has provided extensive capabilities in this regard. The use of artificial intelligence in market and sales network management can lead to improved efficiency, increased decision-making accuracy, and enhanced customer satisfaction. Specifically, AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data, identify complex patterns, and offer strategic suggestions to improve sales performance. However, many companies are still distant from effectively leveraging this technology, and those that do face challenges in fully exploiting AI's potential in market and sales network management. It appears that the general public's and even the managerial and academic communities' lack of knowledge of this technology has caused the managerial structure to lag behind the progress and development of artificial intelligence. Additionally, high costs, fear of change and employee resistance, lack of quality data production processes, the need for updating structures and processes, implementation issues, the need for specialized skills and technical equipment, and ethical and privacy concerns are among the factors preventing widespread use of this technology in organizations. Clarifying and explaining this technology, especially to the academic, managerial, and elite communities, can pave the way for a transformative beginning. The aim of this research is to elucidate the capacities of artificial intelligence in market and sales network management, identify its opportunities and benefits, and examine the existing challenges and obstacles. This research aims to leverage AI capabilities to provide a framework for enhancing market and sales network performance for managers. The results of this research can help managers and decision-makers adopt more effective strategies for business growth and development by better understanding the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, market management, sales network, big data analysis, decision-making, digital marketing

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Authors: Qiuying Li, Fan Chen

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It is a shared opinion that sustainable development requires continuously updated, meaning that apparent changes in the way we usually produce our buildings are strongly needed. In China’s construction field, the associated environmental, health problems are quite prominent.Especially low sustainable performance (as opposed to Green creation) flooding the real estate boom and high-speed urban and rural urbanization. Currently, we urgently need to improve the existing design basis,objectives,scope and procedures,optimization design portfolio.More new evaluation system designed to facilitate the building to enhance the overall level.

Keywords: design for sustainability, design and materials, ecomaterials, sustainable architecture and urban design

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Authors: Rhay-Hung Weng, Ching-Yuan Huang, Wan-Ping Chen

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Recently, many hospitals have put much emphasis upon the development of nurse innovation. The present study aimed to clarify how nurse innovation is related to medical service quality and medical service experience. This study adopted questionnaire-survey method with nurses and customers of the inpatient wards from three Taiwanese hospitals as the research subjects. After pairing, there were 294 valid questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analysis was utilized to test the possible impact of nurse innovation on medical service quality and experience. In terms of the dimensions of nurse innovation, “innovation behavior” ranked the highest (3.24), followed by knowledge creation and innovation diffusion; in terms of the degree of the medical service quality, 'reliability' ranked the highest (4.35). As for the degree of the medical service experience, 'feel experience' ranked the highest (4.44). All dimensions of nurse innovation have no significant effects on medical service quality and medical service experience. Of these three dimensions of nurse innovation, the level of innovation behavior was perceived by the nurses as the highest. The study found that nurse innovation has no significant effects on medical service quality and medical service experience. Managers shall provide sufficient resources and budget for fostering innovation development and encourage their nurses to develop nursing innovation for patents. The education and training courses on “patient-centered ” shall be enhanced among hospital nurses. Health care managers shall also explore the difficulties about innovation diffusion and find the solutions for nurses.

Keywords: innovation, employee innovative behavior, service quality, service experience

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Authors: Mehrdad Abkenari, Orod Zarrinkafsh, Mohsen Ramezan Shirazi

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Construction projects initiate in complicated dynamic environments and, due to the close relationships between project parameters and the unknown outer environment, they are faced with several uncertainties and risks. Success in time, cost and quality in large scale construction projects is uncertain in consequence of technological constraints, large number of stakeholders, too much time required, great capital requirements and poor definition of the extent and scope of the project. Projects that are faced with such environments and uncertainties can be well managed through utilization of the concept of risk management in project’s life cycle. Although the concept of risk is dependent on the opinion and idea of management, it suggests the risks of not achieving the project objectives as well. Furthermore, project’s risk analysis discusses the risks of development of inappropriate reactions. Since evaluation and prioritization of construction projects has been a difficult task, the network structure is considered to be an appropriate approach to analyze complex systems; therefore, we have used this structure for analyzing and modeling the issue. On the other hand, we face inadequacy of data in deterministic circumstances, and additionally the expert’s opinions are usually mathematically vague and are introduced in the form of linguistic variables instead of numerical expression. Owing to the fact that fuzzy logic is used for expressing the vagueness and uncertainty, formulation of expert’s opinion in the form of fuzzy numbers can be an appropriate approach. In other words, the evaluation and prioritization of construction projects on the basis of risk factors in real world is a complicated issue with lots of ambiguous qualitative characteristics. In this study, evaluated and prioritization the risk parameters and factors with fuzzy logy method by combination of three method DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation), ANP (Analytic Network Process) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order-Preference by Similarity Ideal Solution) on Construction Management.

Keywords: fuzzy logy, risk, prioritization, assessment

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Authors: Amneh Alkurdi, Yasean Tahat, Hamzeh Almuali

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Purpose: The primary objective of the present paper is to examine the impact of CG attributes, including the board size, independency, separation and managerial ownership) on firm dividend payouts policy; using a sample of 72 Jordanian listed companies for the period of 2007-2013. Methodology: The study does manually review the sample firm’s annual reports for data collection and use OLS regression to carry out this investigation. Findings: The findings indicate that CG attributes have a strong impact on dividend payouts policy. In particular, board size, independency and separation have had significant associations with dividends payouts indicating that such variables matter when determining on dividends which may mitigate the conflicts between stakeholders’ and managers’ interests. The results also indicate that managerial ownership has had no significant impact on the dividends policy suggesting that managers do not use the strength of their position to influence the dividends policy. Finally, the results show that firm size and profitability have had statistically positive associations with dividend payouts, while this was not the case for firm leverage and growth where significant and positive relationships were documented. Originality/implication: The current paper extends the extant literature in this field by investigating the impact of the board composition on dividends and provides some insights for policy makers in emerging markets.

Keywords: corporate governance, dividends payouts policy, jordan, accounting

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Authors: Kenneth O. Otasowie, Matthew Ikuabe, Clinton Aigbavboa, Ayodeji Oke

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Construction project cost are not only made up of production costs. This cost comprises of many other elements such as the preparation of a bidding document, cost estimations, drafting contractual agreements and monitoring that contractual obligations are met. Several studies have stressed the need for transaction costs (TC) to be defined in a way that covers all phases of a project and not only the pre-contract phase. Hence, this study aims to appraise transaction cost in South African (SA) construction projects by assessing what constitutes transaction cost, influencing factors and possible optimisation measures. A survey design was adopted. A total number of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to quantity surveyors, procurement managers and project managers in Guateng Province, SA and seventy-two (72) were returned and found suitable for analysis. Collected data was analysed using percentage, mean item score, standard deviation, one-sample t-test. The findings show that external technical interaction, uncertainty, human factors are the most significant constituents of TC in SA, while technical competency, experience in similar project type and project characteristics are the leading influencing factors. Furthermore, understanding project characteristics, clear communication and technically competent project teams are most of the significant measures for optimising TC in SA construction projects. Therefore, this study recommends that a competent project team and a clear communication are fundamental to proper management of TC in SA construction projects.

Keywords: construction projects, project cost, South Africa, transaction cost

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Authors: Marc Gärtner, Monika Huesmann, Katharina Schiederig

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While workplace flexibility provides opportunities to better balance work and family care, careers in management are still predominantly based on physical presence, blurred boundaries and a culture of availability at the workplace. Thus, carers (mostly women) still experience disadvantages and stalled careers. In a multi-case study, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, success factors and barriers of flexible work arrangements in five big organizations, including three of the largest German companies, have been identified. Using qualitative interview methods, the working models of 10 female and male users of flexible work arrangements like part time, home office and job sharing have been studied. The study group applied a 360-degree approach with focus groups, covering the users’ themselves, their superiors, colleagues and staff as well as in-house human resource managers. The group interviews reveal that success of flexible models is mainly built on three factors: (a) the inclusiveness of the organizational culture, (b) the commitment of leaders and especially the supervisors, and (c) the fitting of the model and the user(s). Flexibilization of time and space can indeed contribute to a better work-life balance. This is, however, not a necessary outcome, as the interviews suggest, but depends on the right implementation of the right model in the particular work environment. Beyond the actual study results, the presentation will also assess the methodological approach.

Keywords: flexible work, leadership, organizational culture, work-life balance

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Authors: Ipek Goktepe, Israa Elnemr, Hammad Asim, Hao Feng, Mosbah Kushad, Hee Park, Sheikha Alzeyara, Mohammad Alhajri

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Food safety management in Qatar is under the shared oversight of multiple agencies in two government ministries (Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Municipality and Environment). Despite the increasing number and diversity of the food service establishments, no systematic food surveillance system is in place in the country, which creates a gap in terms of determining the food safety attitudes and practices applied in the food service operations. Therefore, this study seeks to partially address this gap through determination of food safety knowledge among food handlers, specifically with respect to food preparation and handling practices, and sanitation methods applied in food service providers (FSPs) and a major market in Doha, Qatar. The study covered a sample of 53 FSPs randomly selected out of 200 FSPs. Face-to-face interviews with managers at participating FSPs were conducted using a 40-questions survey. Additionally, 120 produce handlers who are in direct contact with fresh produce at the major produce market in Doha were surveyed using a questionnaire containing 21 questions. A written informed consent was obtained from each survey participant. The survey data were analyzed using the chi-square test and correlation test. The significance was evaluated at p ˂ 0.05. The results from the FSPs surveys indicated that the average age of FSPs was 11 years, with the oldest and newest being established in 1982 and 2015, respectively. Most managers (66%) had college degree and 68% of them were trained on the food safety management system known as HACCP. These surveys revealed that FSP managers’ training and education level were highly correlated with the probability of their employees receiving food safety training while managers with lower education level had no formal training on food safety for themselves nor for their employees. Casual sit-in and fine dine-in restaurants consistently kept records (100%), followed by fast food (36%), and catering establishments (14%). The produce handlers’ survey results showed that none of the workers had any training on safe produce handling practices. The majority of the workers were in the age range of 31-40 years (37%) and only 38% of them had high-school degree. Over 64% of produce handlers claimed to wash their hands 4-5 times per day but field observations pointed limited handwashing as there was soap in the settings. This observation suggests potential food safety risks since a significant correlation (p ˂ 0.01) between the educational level and the hand-washing practices was determined. This assessment on food safety culture through determination of food and produce handlers' level of knowledge and practices, the first of its kind in Qatar, demonstrated that training and education are important factors which directly impact the food safety culture in FSPs and produce markets. These findings should help in identifying the need for on-site training of food handlers for effective food safety practices in food establishments in Qatar.

Keywords: food safety, food safety culture, food service providers, food handlers

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Authors: Chonlawit Yuwajitaa, Suttipong Pruangkab

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Existing situation on labour use, health management and problems, and ancillary work done along with buffalo farming in Thailand was studied, There were 52 farms had been interviewed during August to September 2014. The study revealed that 100 percent of labor use was family labors themselves and all of farmers reared their buffaloes and grew rice simultaneously. The farmers valued veterinary service and advice as the most important problem (40.40%) and buffalo farming health problems was found 7.69% of dystocia, retain placenta and abortion. The major problem that should be taken into account was officials involved and buffalo farming should be continually promoted by government sectors to help solving economic problems as a whole.

Keywords: buffalo, labor use, health management, Thailand

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Authors: Mohamed Amine Bouraoui

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The aim of this paper is to realize the importance of a CRM approach, to detect the degree of awareness of Tunisian managers of this importance and analyse the degree of integration of CRM in the Tunisian companies. Initially, we focus on the definition and components of CRM, then we focus on the level of integration of CRM within Tunisian enterprises.

Keywords: CRM, operational tools, analytical tools, Tunisian company

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Authors: L. V. S. S. Phaneendra Bolem, S. Shankar

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Low Volume Rural Roads (LVRRs) constitute an integral component of the road system in all countries. These encompass all aspects of the social and economic development of rural communities. It is known that on a worldwide basis the number of low traffic roads far exceeds the length of high volume roads. Across India, 90% of the roads are LVRRs, and they often form the most important link in terms of providing access to educational, medical, recreational and commercial activities in local and regional areas. In the recent past, Government of India (GoI), with the initiation of the ambitious programme namely 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana' (PMGSY) gave greater importance to LVRRs realizing their role in economic development of rural communities. The vast expansion of the road network has brought connectivity to the rural areas of the country. Further, it is noticed that due to increasing axle loads and lack of timely maintenance, is accelerated the process of deterioration of LVRRs. In addition to this due to limited budget for maintenance of these roads systematic and scientific approach in utilizing the available resources has been necessitated. This would enable better prioritization and ranking for the maintenance and make ‘all-weather roads’. Taking this into account the present study has adopted a multi-criteria approach. The multi-criteria approach includes parameters such as social, economic, environmental and pavement condition as the main criterion and some sub-criteria to find the best suitable parameters and their weight. For this purpose the expert’s opinion survey was carried out using Delphi Technique (DT) considering Likert scale, pairwise comparison and ranking methods and entire data was analyzed. Finally, this study developed the maintenance criterion considering the socio-economic, environmental and pavement condition parameters for effective maintenance of low volume roads based on the engineering judgment.

Keywords: Delphi technique, experts opinion survey, low volume rural road maintenance, multi criteria analysis

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Authors: Christo Februanto Putra

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This paper presents risk identification that affects investment feasibility on toll road infrastructure in Indonesia using qualitative methods survey based on the expert practitioner in investor, contractor, and state officials. The problems on infrastructure investment in Indonesia, especially on KPBU model contract, is many risk factors in the investment plan is not calculated in detail thoroughly. Risk factor is a value used to provide an overview of the risk level assessment of an event which is a function of the probability of the occurrence and the consequences of the risks that arise. As results of the survey which is to show which risk factors impacts directly to the investment feasibility and rank them by their impacts on the investment.

Keywords: risk identification, indonesia toll road, investment feasibility

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Authors: Ziba R. Tehrani, Sanaz Moayer

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In the age of the knowledge-based economy, knowledge management has become a key factor in sustainable competitive advantage. Knowledge management is discovering, acquiring, developing, sharing, maintaining, evaluating, and using right knowledge in right time by right person in organization; which is accomplished by creating a right link between human resources, information technology, and appropriate structure, to achieve organisational goals. Studying knowledge management financial institutes shows the knowledge management in banking system is not different from other industries but because of complexity of bank’s environment, the implementation is more difficult. The bank managers found out that implementation of knowledge management will bring many advantages to financial institutes, one of the most important of which is reduction of threat to lose subsequent information of personnel job quit. Also Special attention to internal conditions and environment of the financial institutes and avoidance from copy-making in designing the knowledge management is a critical issue. In this paper, it is tried first to define knowledge management concept and introduce existing models of knowledge management; then some of the most important models which have more similarities with other models will be reviewed. In second step according to bank requirements with focus on knowledge management approach, most major objectives of knowledge management are identified. For gathering data in this stage face to face interview is used. Thirdly these specified objectives are analysed with the response of distribution of questionnaire which is gained through managers and expert staffs of ‘Karafarin Bank’. Finally based on analysed data, some features of exiting models are selected and a new conceptual model will be proposed.

Keywords: knowledge management, financial institute, knowledge management model, organisational knowledge

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Authors: Supattra Pranee

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The objectives of this research were to study the product development process to obtain a community standard product certificate and to set a guideline for the product development process to obtain the community product certificate. Focus group discussion was conducted with many experts in the field, local government officials, and representatives from local producers in Bangkontee district. The findings revealed that there were eight important processes to obtain the community product certificate: 1) prepare document, 2) submit the document, 3) set up an appointment for onsite inspection, 4) onsite inspection and sample collections, 5) evaluate samples, 6) obtain test result, and 7) obtain certificate.

Keywords: perceived values, tourist destination, visiting, product development

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Authors: Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer

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Numerous corporate scandals, which included investment scams, corporate malfeasance, unethical conduct and conflicts of interest, contributed to the collapse of WorldCom, Global Crossing, Xerox, Tyco, Enron, Sprint, AbbVie and Imclone and led to alarmed investors abandoning public securities markets and the tumbling of U.S stock markets. These companies suffered significant financial losses due to substantial and fraudulent misstatements and other illegal, corrupt or unethical practices. Executives were convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison. The corporate financial scandals, governance failures, and the ensuing public outcries led to mandatory legislation, e.g. the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the USA. In European corporate scandals such as Parmalat, Royal Dutch Ahold, Vivendi, Adecco and Elan, the boards missed financial misrepresentations. In South Africa, Steinhoff is the most well-known example of corporate collapse, but now we can also add Tongaat Hulett. It seems as if fraud and corruption may be the major sources of these corporate collapses. In most instances, there is either the active involvement of the directors and managers in these fraudulent or corrupt practices, or there is a negligent or even intentional failure to act by directors to prevent these activities. However, besides directors and managers, auditors and lawyers failed in most of these companies to fulfil their professional duties. In most of these major collapses, the ethics of especially auditors and directors could be questioned. This paper will first provide a brief overview of corporate collapses. Secondly, the reasons for these collapses, with a focus on unethical conduct, will be discussed.

Keywords: professional duties, corporate collapses, ethical conduct, legal ethics, directors, auditors

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Authors: Jai Bakliya, Palak Dhamecha

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Today customer satisfaction is given utmost priority be it any industry. But when it comes to hospitality industry this applies even more as they come in direct contact with customers while providing them services. Employee engagement is new concept adopted by Human Resource Department which impacts customer satisfactions. To satisfy your customers, it is necessary to see that the employees in the organisation are satisfied and engaged enough in their work that they meet the company’s expectations and contribute in the process of achieving company’s goals and objectives. After all employees is human capital of the organisation. Employee engagement has become a top business priority for every organisation. In this fast moving economy, business leaders know that having a potential and high-performing human resource is important for growth and survival. They recognize that a highly engaged manpower can increase innovation, productivity, and performance, while reducing costs related to retention and hiring in highly competitive talent markets. But while most executives see a clear need to improve employee engagement, many have yet to develop tangible ways to measure and tackle this goal. Employee Engagement is an approach which is applied to establish an emotional connection between an employee and the organisation which ensures the employee’s commitment towards his work which affects the productivity and overall performance of the organisation. The study was conducted in hospitality industry. A popular branded hotel was chosen as a sample unit. Data were collected, both qualitative and quantitative from respondents. It is found that employee engagement level of the organisation (Hotel) is quite low. This means that employees are not emotionally connected with the organisation which may in turn, affect performance of the employees it is important to note that in hospitality industry individual employee’s performance specifically in terms of emotional engagement is critical and, therefore, a low engagement level may contribute to low organisation performance. An attempt to this study was made to identify employee engagement level. Another objective to take this study was to explore the factors impeding employee engagement and to explore employee engagement facilitation. While in the hospitality industry where people tend to work for as long as 16 to 18 hours concepts like employee engagement is essential. Because employees get tired of their routine job and in case where job rotation cannot be done employee engagement acts as a solution. The study was conducted at Trident Hotel, Udaipur. It was conducted on the sample size of 30 in-house employees from 6 different departments. The various departments were: Accounts and General, Front Office, Food & Beverage Service, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage Production and Engineering. It was conducted with the help of research instrument. The research instrument was Questionnaire. Data collection source was primary source. Trident Udaipur is one of the busiest hotels in Udaipur. The occupancy rate of the guest over there is nearly 80%. Due the high occupancy rate employees or staff of the hotel used to remain very busy and occupied all the time in their work. They worked for their remuneration only. As a result, they do not have any encouragement for their work nor they are interested in going an extra mile for the organisation. The study result shows working environment factors including recognition and appreciation, opinions of the employee, counselling, feedback from superiors, treatment of managers and respect from the organisation are capable of increasing employee engagement level in the hotel. The above study result encouraged us to explore the factors contributed to low employee engagement. It is being found that factors such as recognition and appreciation, feedback from supervisors, opinion of the employee, counselling, feedback from supervisors, treatment from managers has contributed negatively to employee engagement level. Probable reasons for the low contribution are number of employees gave the negative feedback in accordance to the factors stated above of the organisation. It seems that the structure of organisation itself is responsible for the low contribution of employee engagement. The scope of this study is limited to trident hotel situated in the Udaipur. The limitation of the study was that that the results or findings were only based on the responses of respondents of Trident, Udaipur. And so the recommendations were also applicable in Trident, Udaipur and not to all the like organisations across the country. Through the data collected was further analysed, interpreted and concluded. On the basis of the findings, suggestions were provided to the hotel for improvisation.

Keywords: human resource, employee engagement, research, study

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Authors: Irena Lucy Ishimora, Eva Maria Putri Salsabila

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The constellation on Indonesian Legal System that varies shows a structural injustice – as a result of patriarchy – exists from the biggest range as a country to the smallest such as a family. Women in their lives, carry out excessive responsibilities in the community. However, the unequal positions between men and women in the society restrain women to fulfill their constructed role. Therefore, increasing the chance for women to become the victim of structural injustice. The lack of authority given to women and its effects can be seen through a case study of the Cirompang Indigenous Women’s involvement in natural resources management. The decision to make the Mount Halimun-Salak as a National Park and the expansion itself did not involve nor consider the existence of indigenous people (Kasepuhan Ciromopang) – especially the women’s experience regarding natural resources management – has been significantly impacting the fulfillment of the indigenous women’s rights. Moreover, the adat law that still reflects patriarchy, made matters worse because women are restricted from expressing their opinion. The writers explored the experience of Cirompang indigenous women through in-depth interviews with them and analyzed it with several theories such as ecofeminism, woman’s access to land and legal pluralism. This paper is important to show how the decision and expansion of the National Park reduced the rights of access to land, natural resources, expressing an opinion, and participating in development. Reflecting on the Cirompang Indigenous Women’s conditions on natural resources management, this paper aims to present the implications of the regulations that do not acknowledge Indigenous women’s experience and the proposed solutions. First, there should be an integration between the law regarding indigenous people and traditional rights in a regulation to align the understanding of indigenous people and their rights. Secondly, Indonesia as a country that’s rich with diversity should ratify the ILO Convention no 169 to reaffirm the protection of Indigenous people’s rights. Last, considering the position of indigenous women that still experienced unjustness in the community, the government and NGOs must collaborate to provide adequate assistance for them.

Keywords: Cirompang indigenous women, indigenous women’s rights, structural injustice, women access to land

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Authors: Iman Mohseni

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Current studies indicate that neglecting the effect of intermediate diaphragms might lead to highly conservative values for bending moment distribution factors and result in non-economic designs for skew bridges. This paper reports on a parametric study performed on 160 prototypes of straight and skew concrete multicell box-girder bridges. The obtained results were used to develop practical expressions to account for the diaphragm effects on American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials formulas for live load distribution factors. It was observed that decks with internal transverse diaphragms perpendicular to the longitudinal webs are the best arrangement for load distribution in skew bridges.

Keywords: box bridges, truck, distribution factor, diaphragm

Procedia PDF Downloads 372