Search results for: international student mobility

Authors: Ghulam Haider Haidaree, Nsenda Lukumwena

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Today the world of research enjoys abundant data, available in virtually any field, technology, science, and business, politics, etc. This is commonly referred to as big data. This offers a great deal of precision and accuracy, supportive of an in-depth look at any decision-making process. When and if well used, Big Data affords its users with the opportunity to produce substantially well supported and good results. This paper leans extensively on big data to investigate possible smart solutions to urban mobility and related issues, namely road traffic accidents, its casualties, and fatalities based on multiple factors, including age, gender, location occurrences of accidents, etc. Multiple technologies were used in combination to produce an Information Communication Technology (ICT) based solution with embedded technology. Those technologies include principally Geographic Information System (GIS), Orange Data Mining Software, Bayesian Statistics, to name a few. The study uses the Leeds accident 2016 to illustrate the thinking process and extracts thereof a model that can be tested, evaluated, and replicated. The authors optimistically believe that the proposed model will significantly and smartly help to flatten the curve of road traffic accidents in the fast-growing population densities, which increases considerably motor-based mobility.

Keywords: accident factors, geographic information system, information communication technology, mobility

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Authors: Elisabetta Baldassini

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Responses to atrocities are always unique and context-dependent. They cannot be foretold nor easily prompted. However, the events of the twentieth century had set the scene for the international community to explore new and more robust systems in response to war atrocities, with the ultimate goal being the restoration and maintenance of peace and security. The outlawry of war and the attribution of individual liability for international crimes were two major landmarks that set the roots for the development of international criminal law. From the London Conference (1945) for the establishment of the first international military tribunal in Nuremberg to Rome at the inauguration of the first permanent international criminal court, the development of international criminal law has shaped in itself a fluctuating degree of tensions between justice and maintenance of international peace and security, the cardinal dichotomy of this article. The adoption of judicial measures to achieve peace indeed set justice as an essential feature at the heart of the new international system. Blackhole of this dichotomy is the crime of aggression. Aggression was at first the key component of a wide body of peace projects prosecuted under the charges of crimes against peace. However, the wide array of controversies around aggression mostly related to its definition, determination and the involvement of the Security Council silenced, partly, a degree of efforts and agreements. Notwithstanding the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC), jurisdiction over the crime of aggression was suspended until an agreement over the definition and the conditions for the Court’s exercise of jurisdiction was reached. Compromised over the crime was achieved in Kampala in 2010 and the Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression was eventually activated on 17 July 2018. China has steadily supported the advancement of international criminal justice together with the establishment of a permanent international judicial body to prosecute grave crimes and has proactively participated at the various stages of the codification and development of the crime of aggression. However, China has also expressed systematic reservations and setbacks. With the use of primary and secondary sources, including semi-structured interviews, this research aims at analyzing the role that China has played throughout the substantive historical development of the crime of aggression, demonstrating a sharp inclination in the maintenance of international peace and security. Such state behavior seems to reflect national and international political mechanisms that gravitate around a distinct rationale that involves a share of culture and tradition.

Keywords: maintenance of peace and security, cultural expression of justice, crime of aggression, China

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Authors: Uche A. Nnawulezi

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The evolving global environment has as of late seen formative difficulties bordering on cyber crime and its attendant effects. This paper looks at what constitutes an offense of cyber crime under the tenets of International Law as no nation can lay bona-fide claim in managing cyber crime as a criminal phenomenon. Therefore, there has been a plethora of ideological, conceptual and mental propositions of policies aimed at domesticating cyber crimes – an international crime. These policies were as a result of parochial consideration and social foundations which negate the spirit of internationally accepted procedures. The study also noted that the non-domestication of cyber crime laws by most countries has led to an increase in cyber crimes and its attendant effects have remained unabated. The author has pointed out emerging international rules as a panacea for a sustainable cyber crime-free society. The paper relied on documentary evidence and hence scooped much of the data from secondary sources such as text books, journals, articles and periodicals and more so, opinion papers, emanating from international criminal court. It concludes that the necessary recommendations made in this paper, if fully adopted, shall go a long way in maintaining a cyber crime-free society. Ultimately, the domestic and international law mechanisms capable of dealing with cyber crime offenses should be expanded and be made proactive in order to deal with the demands of modern day challenges.

Keywords: criminology, cyber crime, domestic law, international law

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Authors: M. Warburton

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Background: Case study examining hydrotherapy for a person with DSI. A 46 year-old lady completely deaf and blind post congenital rubella syndrome. Touch becomes the primary information gathering sense to optimise function in life. Communication is achieved via tactile finger spelling and signals onto her hand and skin. Hydrotherapy may provide a suitable mobility environment and somato-sensory input to people, and especially DSI persons. Buoyancy, warmth, hydrostatic pressure, viscosity and turbulence are elements of hydrotherapy that may offer a DSI person somato-sensory input to stimulate the mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors and proprioceptors and offer a unique hydro-therapeutic environment. Purpose: The purpose of this case study was to establish what measurable benefits could be achieved from hydrotherapy with a DSI person. Methods: Hydrotherapy was provided for 8-weeks, 2 x week, 35-minute session duration. Pool temperature 32.5 degrees centigrade. Pool length 25-metres. Each session consisted of mobility encouragement and supervision, and activities to stimulate the somato-sensory system utilising aquatic properties of buoyancy, turbulence, viscosity, warmth and hydrostatic pressure. Somato-sensory activities focused on stimulating touch and tactile exploration including objects of various shape, size, weight, contour, texture, elasticity, pliability, softness and hardness. Outcomes were measured by the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) and included mobility distance, attendance, and timed tactile responsiveness to varying objects. Results: Mobility distance and attendance exceeded baseline expectations. Timed tactile responsiveness to varying objects also changed positively from baseline. Average scale scores were 1.00 with an overall GAS t-score of 63.69. Conclusions: Hydrotherapy can be a quantifiable physio-therapeutic option for persons with DSI. It provides a relatively safe environment for mobility and allows the somato-sensory system to be fully engaged - important for the DSI population. Implications: Hydrotherapy can be a measurable therapeutic option for a DSI person. Physiotherapists should consider hydrotherapy for DSI people. Hydrotherapy can offer unique physical properties for the DSI population not available on land.

Keywords: chronic, disability, disease, rehabilitation

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Authors: Young-Hyun Seo, Hosuk Shin, Eun-Hak Lee, Seung-Young Kho

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This study analyzed and visualized the rental and return data of the public bike sharing system in Seoul, Ttareungyi, from September 2015 to October 2017. With the surge of system users, the number of times of collection and distribution in 2017 increased by three times compared to 2016. The city plans to deploy about 20,000 public bicycles by the end of 2017 to expand the system. Based on about 3.3 million historical data, we calculated the average trip time and the number of trips from one station to another station. The mobility patterns between stations are graphically displayed using R and Tableau. Demand for public bike sharing system is heavily influenced by day and weather. As a result of plotting the number of rentals and returns of some stations on weekdays and weekends at intervals of one hour, there was a difference in rental patterns. As a result of analysis of the rental and return patterns by time of day, there were a lot of returns at the morning peak and more rentals at the afternoon peak at the center of the city. It means that stock of bikes varies largely in the time zone and public bikes should be rebalanced timely. The result of this study can be applied as a primary data to construct the demand forecasting function of the station when establishing the rebalancing strategy of the public bicycle.

Keywords: demand forecasting, mobility patterns, public bike sharing system, visualization

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Authors: Leone Sherman

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While the democratic rights of a citizen may be very clearly outlined in a country’s constitution, it’s not uncommon for political elite to undermine those rights and gain more power and control over a country than it is allowed by this constitution. Moreover, while such a change in some smaller states may not have a substantial impact on the international community, the same change in countries with vast resources and political influence, such as Russia, is always a considerable factor for the world policy. This article aims to research the weaknesses of the Russian democratic system and their effect on the international policy through the three key aspects: The Russian people’s ability to produce the required political will to control their government’s decisions, the current development of the Russian political environment, and the affection of this environment on the world community as a whole during the recent years. The used methodology is a narrative analysis of recent political events, official statistics, international investigations and media statements. As a result, the ever-widening gap between the people and the government becomes evidently seen, as well as the challenges it imposes on the political world arena, both current and those that still lie ahead of us.

Keywords: Russia, political analysis, democratic weaknesses, international society

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Authors: Caio Fialho

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The automobile incentive policy in Brazil since the 1950s creates several problems in its cities, more visible in large centers such as São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, but also strongly present in smaller cities, resulting in an increase in social and spatial inequality, together with a drop in the quality of life. The analyzed city, Campo Mourão, reflects these policies, a city that initially planned to be compact and walkable took other directions and currently suffers from urban mobility and social inequality in this urban environment, despite being a medium-sized city in Brazil. The research aims to understand and diagnose how these policies shaped the city and what are the results in Brazilian's inland cities. Based on historical, bibliographical, and field research in the city, the result is a diagnosis of the problem faced and how it can be reversed in search of social equality and better quality of life.

Keywords: urban mobility, quality of life, social equality, substantiable

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Authors: Nasir Khalid

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In Malaysia, higher education is big business. There are many companies that are willing if not already to invest heavily in higher education for students that aspire to pursue their degree in diploma, undergraduate as well as graduate studies. These companies sometimes even have a joint venture twinning program with other already established universities in and across Europe, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Some of these investments have been successful whereas others find themselves limited by the obstacle of receiving new students. Recently, the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education has stopped issuing licenses to set up private institutions of higher education. This paper will thus examine the factors affecting the success of private higher education businesses in Malaysia. The samples will consist of thirty private institutions [N=30]. Among the factors that will be mentioned in the literature are academic programs, student quality and achievement, student employability, alumni satisfaction, student enrolment, institutional environment, lecturer-quality and effectiveness of supporting staff. A questionnaire was developed and analyzed using statistical analysis. The result of this study found that the top three factors affecting the success of private higher education businesses in Malaysia are student enrolment, institutional environment and the academic programs offered.

Keywords: higher education business, successful business factors, private institutions, business in Malaysia

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Authors: Ihaddadene Thanina, Haraoubia Imane, Baouni Tahar

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Urban mobility is one of the first challenges of cities; it is becoming more and more problematic because it is perceived as the cause of many dysfunctions; it is not only to facilitate accessibility but also to ensure vast benefits. For this reason, several cities in the world have thought about alternatives to smart mobility and sustainable transport. Today, the sustainable city has many cards at its disposal, and a new mode is entering the urban scene: aerial cable transport; it has imposed itself as an effective mode of public transport and a real solution for the future. This electric mobility brings a new dimension, not only to collective daily travel but also to the urban space. It has an excellent capacity to redevelop the public space; it is a catalyst that allows one to appreciate the view from the sky and to discover different large-scale projects that bring an important attractiveness to the city. With regard to the cities in the world which use these systems of transport: Algeria does not escape this reality; it is the country which has the greatest number of devices of urban transport by cable in the world, with installations in many cities such as Tlemcen, Constantine, Blida, Oran, Tizi-Ouzou, Annaba, Skikda. The following study explores the role of cable transport in the transformation of the city of Algiers into a smart city. The methodology used in this work is based on the development of a set of indicators using a questionnaire survey. The main objective of this work is to shed light on cable transport as a key issue in designing the sustainable city of tomorrow, to evaluate its role in the city of Algiers, and its ability to integrate into the urban transport network.

Keywords: Algiers, cable transport, indicators, smart city

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Authors: Livingstone Makondo

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This ongoing research explores what could be the components of a comprehensive First-Year Student Experience (FYSE) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and the preferred implementation modalities. In light of the Siyaphumelela project, this interrogation is premised on the need to glean data for the institution that could be used to ascertain the role of FYSE towards enhancing student success. The research proceeds by examining prevalent models from other South African Universities and beyond in its quest to get at pragmatic comprehensive FYSE programme for DUT. As DUT is a student centered institution and amidst the ever shrinking economy, this research would aid higher education practitioners to ascertain if the hard earned finances are being channelled to a worthy academic venture. This research seeks to get inputs from a) students who participated in FYSE and are now in second and third years at DUT b) students who are currently participating in FYSE c) former and present Tutors d) departmental coordinators e) academics and support staff working with the participating students. This exploratory approach is preferred since 2010 DUT has grappled with how to implement an integrated institution-wide FYSE. This findings of this research could provide the much-needed data to ascertain if the current FYSE package is pivotal towards attainment of DUT Strategic Focus Area 1: Building sustainable student communities of living and learning. The ideal is to have DUT FYSE programme become an institution-wide programme that lays the foundation for consolidated and focused student development programmes for subsequent undergraduate and postgraduate levels of study. Also, armed with data from this research, DUT could develop the capacity and systems to ensure that all students get diverse on-time support to enhance their retention and academic success in their tertiary studies. In essence, the preferred FYSE curriculum woven around DUT graduate attributes should contribute towards the reduction in the first-year students’ dropout rates and subsequently in undergraduate studies. Therefore, this on-going research will feed into Siyaphumelela project and would help position 2018-2020 FYSE initiatives at DUT.

Keywords: challenges, comprehensive, dropout, transition

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Authors: Goh Yung Hong, Mona Masood

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This paper explores the effects of gamification on lower secondary school students’ motivation and engagement in the classroom. Two-group posttest-only experimental design were employed to study the influence of gamification teaching method (GTM) when compared with conventional teaching method (CTM) on 60 lower secondary school students. The Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) and Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) were used to assess students’ intrinsic motivation and engagement level towards the respective teaching method. Finding indicates that students who completed the GTM lesson were significantly higher in intrinsic motivation to learn than those from the CTM. Although the result were insignificant and only marginal difference in the engagement mean, GTM still show better potential in raising student’s engagement in class when compared with CTM. This finding proves that the GTM is likely to solve the current issue of low motivation to learn and low engagement in class among lower secondary school students in Malaysia. On the other hand, despite being not significant, higher mean indicates that CTM positively contribute to higher peer support for learning and better teacher and student relationship when compared with GTM. As a conclusion, gamification approach is flexible and can be adapted into many learning content to enhance the intrinsic motivation to learn and to some extent, encourage better student engagement in class.

Keywords: conventional teaching method, gamification teaching method, motivation, engagement

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Authors: Maroua Sbiti, Karim Beddiar, Djaoued Beladjine, Romuald Perrault

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Productivity is decreasing in construction compared to the manufacturing industry. It seems that the sector is suffering from organizational problems and have low maturity regarding technological advances. High international competition due to the growing context of globalization, complex projects, and shorter deadlines increases these challenges. Field employees are more exposed to coordination problems than design officers. Execution collaboration is then a major issue that can threaten the cost, time, and quality completion of a project. Initially, this paper will try to identify field professional requirements as to address building management process weaknesses such as the unreliability of scheduling, the fickleness of monitoring and inspection processes, the inaccuracy of project’s indicators, inconsistency of building documents and the random logistic management. Subsequently, we will focus our attention on providing solutions to improve scheduling, inspection, and hours tracking processes using emerging lean tools and field mobility applications that bring new perspectives in terms of cooperation. They have shown a great ability to connect various field teams and make informations visual and accessible to planify accurately and eliminate at the source the potential defects. In addition to software as a service use, the adoption of the human resource module of the Enterprise Resource Planning system can allow a meticulous time accounting and thus make the faster decision making. The next step is to integrate external data sources received from or destined to design engineers, logisticians, and suppliers in a holistic system. Creating a monolithic system that consolidates planning, quality, procurement, and resources management modules should be our ultimate target to build the construction industry supply chain.

Keywords: lean, last planner system, field mobility applications, construction productivity

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Authors: Idit Kalisher, Israel Luski

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One result of the growing dynamicity of labor markets in recent decades is a wider scope of employment mobility – i.e., transitions between employers, either within or between careers. Employment mobility decisions are primarily affected by the current employment status of the worker, which is reflected in wage and tenure. Using 34,328 observations from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLS79), which were derived from the USA population between 1990 and 2012, this paper aims to investigate the effects of wage and tenure over employment mobility choices, and additionally to examine the effects of other personal characteristics, individual labor market characteristics and macroeconomic factors. The estimation strategy was designed to address two challenges that arise from the combination of the model and the data: (a) endogeneity of the wage and the tenure in the choice equation; and (b) unobserved heterogeneity, as the data of this research is longitudinal. To address (a), estimation was performed using two-stage limited dependent variable procedure (2SLDV); and to address (b), the second stage was estimated using femlogit – an implementation of the multinomial logit model with fixed effects. Among workers who have experienced at least one turnover, the wage was found to have a main effect on career turnover likelihood of all workers, whereas the wage effect on job turnover likelihood was found to be dependent on individual characteristics. The wage was found to negatively affect the turnover likelihood and the effect was found to vary across wage level: high-wage workers were more affected compared to low-wage workers. Tenure was found to have a main positive effect on both turnover types’ likelihoods, though the effect was moderated by the wage. The findings also reveal that as their wage increases, women are more likely to turnover than men, and academically educated workers are more likely to turnover within careers. Minorities were found to be as likely as Caucasians to turnover post wage-increase, but less likely to turnover with each additional tenure year. The wage and the tenure effects were found to vary also between careers. The difference in attitude towards money, labor market opportunities and risk aversion could explain these findings. Additionally, the likelihood of a turnover was found to be affected by previous unemployment spells, age, and other labor market and personal characteristics. The results of this research could assist policymakers as well as business owners and employers. The former may be able to encourage women and older workers’ employment by considering the effects of gender and age on the probability of a turnover, and the latter may be able to assess their employees’ likelihood of a turnover by considering the effects of their personal characteristics.

Keywords: employment mobility, endogeneity, femlogit, turnover

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Authors: A. Olivi, P. Reyes Cabrera

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Ageing and urbanization are two of the main trends that characterize the twenty-first century. Its trending is especially accelerated in the emerging countries of Asia and Latin America. Chile is one of the countries in the Latin American region, where the demographic transition to ageing is becoming increasingly visible. The challenges that the new demographic scenario poses to urban administrators call for searching innovative solutions to maximize the functional and psycho-social benefits derived from the relationship between older people and the environment in which they live. Although mobility is central to people's everyday practices and social relationships, it is not distributed equitably. On the contrary, it can be considered another factor of inequality in our cities. Older people are a particularly sensitive and vulnerable group to mobility. In this context, based on the ageing in place strategy and following the social innovation approach within a spatial context, the "Community Observatory of Territorial Information Control and Management" project aims at the collective search and validation of solutions for the satisfaction of mobility and accessibility specific needs of urban aged people. Specifically, the Observatory intends to: i) promote the direct participation of the aged population in order to generate relevant information on the territorial situation and the satisfaction of the mobility needs of this group; ii) co-create dynamic and efficient mechanisms for the reporting and updating of territorial information; iii) increase the capacity of the local administration to plan and manage solutions to environmental problems at the neighborhood scale. Based on a participatory mapping methodology and on the application of digital technology, the Observatory designed and developed, together with aged people, a crowdsourcing platform for smartphones, called DIMEapp, for reporting environmental problems affecting mobility and accessibility. DIMEapp has been tested at a prototype level in two neighborhoods of the city of Valparaiso. The results achieved in the testing phase have shown high potential in order to i) contribute to establishing coordination mechanisms with the local government and the local community; ii) improve a local governance system that guides and regulates the allocation of goods and services destined to solve those problems.

Keywords: accessibility, ageing, city, digital technology, local governance

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Authors: Abdelmenen Abobghala, Mahmud Ahmed, Mohamed Alwaheshi, Anwar Fanan, Meftah Mehdawi, Ahmed Abuhatira

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This research aims to predict academic performance and identify weak points in students to aid teachers in understanding their learning needs. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to identify difficult test items and the factors causing difficulties. The study uses interventions like focus group discussions, interviews, and action plans developed by the students themselves. The research questions explore the predictability of final grades based on mock exams and assignments, the student's response to action plans, and the impact on learning performance. Ethical considerations are followed, respecting student privacy and maintaining anonymity. The research aims to enhance student engagement, motivation, and responsibility for learning.

Keywords: prediction, academic performance, weak points, understanding, learning, quantitative methods, qualitative methods, formative assessments, feedback, emotional responses, intervention, focus group discussion, interview, action plan, student engagement, motivation, responsibility, ethical considerations

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Authors: Bowen Zhang

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Transnational higher education (TNHE) is one of the most prominent symbols of higher education’s internationalisation. The case university, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU), represents an equal collaboration between its parent institutions as they are tied in academic strength. Therefore, compared to the more prescribed route of UNNC, which is working towards creating another UK university in China, XJTLU’s future is fraught with uncertainty. Such kind of uncertainty underpins the rationale of selecting XJTLU as a case university in researching internationalisation -it does not aim to build an international university based on a template; instead, internationalisation in XJTLU is established in a more participatory manner that also reflects an understanding of its staff and students. Therefore, this article focuses on Chinese students' expectations and experiences in XJTLU. While there are research discussing international students' experiences in TNHE institutions, the experiences of Chinese students who attend their domestic TNHE have been less explored. This might be due to the potential issues they confront are not as intuitive as those faced by international students, whose experiences are largely shaped by mobility and cross-cultural transition, a well-documented and conceptualised phenomenon. Research regarding Chinese students mainly focuses on their motivations, for example, enhancing English proficiency, improving competitive advantage in labour market, and gaining an international perspective. However, it should be noted that these motivations are based on the internationalised features of TNHE institutions. Internationalisation in XJTLU is symbolised through 100% English-medium instruction, internationalised curriculum, and the national diversity of its students and staff. However, in practice, these promises for internationalisation are hardly met; for example, in terms of EMI, lecturers may engage in their native language, either out of their hope to enhance students’ understanding or forcibly switch back to Chinese due to limited language capacity. Therefore, it could be seen that the non-application of internationalised policy may result in a negotiated internationalising experience for students. It is important to point out that, in this study, both the expected capital that students hope to access prior to their enrollment to XJTLU and the actual capital that students are accumulating during their attendance, are examined, as the difference between the actual and potential could be an important indicator of the discrepancy between how internationalisation is perceived and how it is enacted in practice. The potential resources implicate perceived compatibility between habitus and field, which is highly relevant to the way that a field makes itself known, whereas the actual resources represent the lived experience and the actual compatibility between habitus and field. This study explores the similarities and differences between the expected and lived capital from XJTLU, and the way that students form and navigate their expectations, in turn providing insights on how XJTLU, or HE internationalisation as a whole, is depicted, imagined, and enacted among Chinese students.

Keywords: transnational higher education, English-medium instruction, students' experience, Chinese higher education

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Authors: Brianna Douglas

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A literary Meta-Analysis was conducted in order to form a proactive solution to the systematic issue of international human trafficking stemming from the Asia-Pacific region. This approach seeks to resolve the low economic prospect for women in the region, along with other identified drivers, to mitigate human trafficking before it begins. Through the reallocation of aid in agriculture, implementation of an education-for-education model, and provision of access to market information to the women in rural regions, the retraction of both the supply and international demand curves of trafficked humans is possible; resulting in the shutdown of the market as a whole. This report provides a basic and adaptable proposal to mitigation the selling of Asia Pacific women within international trafficking schemes with byproduct effects of increasing food, sustainability and decreasing government spending.

Keywords: human trafficking, agricultural development, Asia Pacific, women's empowerment

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Authors: Girma Y. Iyassu Menelik

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The international community has gone through indescribable atrocities resulting from acts of war. These atrocities turned Europe and Africa into a wilderness of bloodshed and crime. In the period 1960- 1970s Africa witnessed unprecedented and well-documented assaults on life and property. This necessitated the adoption, signing and ratification of the International Criminal Court, establishment of the International Court of Justice which is a great achievement for the protection and fulfilling of human rights in the context of international political instability. The ICC came as an important opportunity to advance justice for serious crimes committed in violation of international law. Thus the Rome statute has become a formidable contribution to peace and security. There are concerns that the ICC is targeting African states. However, the ICC cannot preside over cases that are not parties to the Rome statute unless the UN Security council refers the situation or the relevant state asks the court to become involved. The instable international political situation thus deals with criminal prosecutions where amnesty is not permissible or is strongly repudiated. The court has become important justice instruments for states that are unable or unwilling to fulfill their obligation to address legacies of massive human rights violations. The ICJ as a court has a twofold role; to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states, and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. All members of the UN are ipso facto parties to the statute of the ICJ. The court gives advisory opinion on any legal question. These courts are the most appropriate fora to pronounce on international crimes and are in a better position to know and apply international law. Cases that have been brought to the courts include Rwanda’s genocide, Liberia’s Charles Taylor etc. The receptiveness and cooperation of the local populations are important to the courts and if the ICC and ICJ can provide appropriate protections for the physical and economic safety of victims then peace and human rights observance can be attained. This paper will look into the effectiveness and impediments of these courts in handling criminal and injustices in international politics as while as what needs to be done to strengthen the capacity of these courts.

Keywords: ICC, international politics, justice, UN security council, violence, protection, fulfilling

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Authors: Aisha Iddrsiu

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Public Relations (PR) has rapidly evolved around the world, just as companies have expanded to reach other parts of the world. With most multinational corporations conducting businesses in more than one country, only a few of these Multinational Corporations (MNC’s) are actual public relations firms, many have public relations departments or divisions that conduct public relations practices internationally. Hence international public relations is seen as a fast-growing specialty in the field of Public Relations. Multinational companies have devised strategies to effectively communicate and execute their roles within and between foreign publics and other cultures in which they operate through various means including the internet which is among the major inventions that have enabled corporations to establish their presents while targeting anonymous and diverse publics from varied cultures. International public relations practitioners rely on strategies coupled with internet use to communicate among and with foreign publics. Corporate websites and various social media handles have served as an important channel for public relations activities targeting both internal and international publics. In an incessant expansion of corporations and interactions with the publics from different cultures, it has become eminent to understand the public relation strategies used by MNCs in their international communication. This study therefore seeks to establish the international public relation strategies or models employed by Multinational Corporations specifically Arcelik Global in the management of its subsidiaries and communicating with international public. This study analyses both Arçelik global’s (one of the largest multinational companies in Turkey) website and social media accounts to understand the management strategy used with it subsidiary as well as strategies used to communicate with its global and local publics. Other underlying objective of this study are, 1. To examine the dominant international public relations models used by Multinational Corporations (Arcelik global). 2. To understand how Multinational Corporations manage (Arcelik global) its subsidiaries. 3. To understand how Multinational Corporations (Arcelik global) communicate with international or global publics. Research Questions 1. The main global PR strategies employed by multinational corporations (Arcelik global) 2. How subsidiaries of multinational corporations like Arcelik Global are managed. 3. How multinational corporations, like Arcelik worldwide, interact with international publics.

Keywords: multinational corporation, ethnocentric model, polycentric model, international public relations

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Authors: Barrere Sarah

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The area of liberty, security, and justice within the European Union is still a work in progress. No one can deny that the EU struggles between a monistic and a dualist approach. The aim of our essay is to first review how the European law is perceived by the rest of the international scene. It will then discuss two main mechanisms at play: the interpretation of larger international treaties and the penal mechanisms of European law. Finally, it will help us understand the role of a penal Europe on the international scene with concrete examples. Special attention will be paid to cases that deal with fundamental rights as they represent an interesting case study in Europe and in the rest of the World. It could illustrate the aforementioned duality currently present in the Union’s interpretation of international public law. On the other hand, it will explore some specific European penal mechanism through mutual recognition and the European arrest warrant in the transnational criminality frame. Concerning the interpretation of the treaties, it will first, underline the ambiguity and the general nature of some treaties that leave the EU exposed to tension and misunderstanding then it will review the validity of an EU act (whether or not it is compatible with the rules of International law). Finally, it will focus on the most complete manifestation of liberty, security and justice through the principle of mutual recognition. Used initially in commercial matters, it has become “the cornerstone” of European construction. It will see how it is applied in judicial decisions (its main event and achieving success is via the European arrest warrant) and how European member states have managed to develop this cooperation.

Keywords: European penal law, international scene, liberty security and justice area, mutual recognition

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Authors: Danielle Jablanski

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This article addresses the use of drone strikes under international law and the intersection between Islamic law and current terrorist trends worldwide. It breaks down the legality of drone strikes under international law and dissects certain aspects of their usage in modern warfare; i.e. concepts of directly participating in hostilities and the role of CIA operators. The article then looks at international paradigms of law enforcement versus the use of military force in relation to terrorism. Lastly, it describes traditional aspects of Islamic law and several interpretations of the law today as applied to widespread campaigns of terrorism, namely that of the recent group ISIS or ISIL operating between the battlegrounds of Iraq and Syria. The piece concludes with appraisals for moving forward on the basis of honing in on reasons for terrorism and negative opinions of solely military campaigns to dismantle or disrupt terror organizations and breeding grounds.

Keywords: international law, terrorism, ISIS, islamic law

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Authors: William Castillo, Hugo Viza, Arturo Vargas

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The Pacific Alliance is a trade bloc that is composed of four emerging economies: Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico. These economies have gained macroeconomic stability in the past decade and as a consequence present future economic progress. Under this positive scenario, international business firms have flourished. However, the literature in this region has been widely unexamined. Therefore, it is critical to fill this theoretical gap, especially considering that Latin America is starting to become a global player and it possesses a different institutional context than developed markets. This paper analyzes the effect of international entrepreneurial orientation and institutionalism on international performance, for the Pacific Alliance small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). The literature considers international entrepreneurial orientation to be a powerful managerial capability – along the resource based view- that firms can leverage to obtain a satisfactory international performance. Thereby, obtaining a competitive advantage through the correct allocation of key resources to exploit the capabilities here involved. Entrepreneurial Orientation is defined around five factors: innovation, proactiveness, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy. Nevertheless, the institutional environment – both local and foreign, adversely affects International Performance; this is especially the case for emerging markets with uncertain scenarios. In this way, the study analyzes an Entrepreneurial Orientation, key endogenous variable of international performance, and Institutionalism, an exogenous variable. The survey data consists of Pacific Alliance SMEs that have foreign operations in at least another country in the trade bloc. Findings are still in an ongoing research process. Later, the study will undertake a structural equation modeling (SEM) using the variance-based partial least square estimation procedure. The software that is going to be used is the SmartPLS. This research contributes to the theoretical discussion of a largely postponed topic: SMEs in Latin America, that has had limited academic research. Also, it has practical implication for decision-makers and policy-makers, providing insights into what is behind international performance.

Keywords: institutional theory, international entrepreneurial orientation, international performance, SMEs, Pacific Alliance

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Authors: Shao-Hsun Keng, Hwang-Ruey Song

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This paper examines the causal effect of the tenure track system on instructors’ grading practices and teaching effectiveness by taking advantage of a natural experiment in Taiwan. The results show that assistant professors subject to the tenure track policy are more likely to grade leniently and fail fewer students. The course grade is 5% higher in classes taught by assistant professors subject to the tenure system. However, the tendency to grade leniently is reversed after assistant professors subject to the tenure system are promoted to a higher rank. Our findings are consistent with the exchange theory. We also show that teaching and student efforts are adversely affected by the tenure policy, which could reduce student learning and the quality of the workforce in the long run.

Keywords: tenure track system, grading leniency, study time, grade inflation

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Authors: Kara Rosenblatt, Kevin Badgett, James Eldridge

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There is a preponderance of information regarding the overall effectiveness of charter schools and their ability to increase academic achievement compared to traditional district schools. Most research on the topic is focused on comparing long and short-term outcomes, academic achievement in mathematics and reading, and locale (i.e., urban, v. Rural). While the lingering unanswered questions regarding effectiveness continue to loom for school leaders, data on charter schools suggests that enrollment increases by 10% annually and that charter schools educate more than 2 million U.S. students across 40 states each year. Given the increasing share of U.S. students educated in charter schools, it is important to better understand possible differences in student achievement defined in multiple ways for students in charter schools and for those in Independent School District (ISD) settings in the state of Texas. Data were retrieved from the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) repository that includes data organized annually and available on the TEA website. Specific data points and definitions of achievement were based on characterizations of achievement found in the relevant literature. Specific data points include but were not limited to graduation rate, student performance on standardized testing, and teacher-related factors such as experience and longevity in the district. Initial findings indicate some similarities with the current literature on long-term student achievement in English/Language Arts; however, the findings differ substantially from other recent research related to long-term student achievement in social studies. There are a number of interesting findings also related to differences between achievement for students in charters and ISDs and within different types of charter schools in Texas. In addition to findings, implications for leadership in different settings will be explored.

Keywords: charter schools, ISDs, student achievement, implications for PK-12 school leadership

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Authors: Noha Al Majid, Said Mazer, Moulhime El Bekkali, Catherine Algani, Mahmoud Mehdi

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A low noise figure (NF) and high linearity V-band Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) is reported in this article. The LNA compromises a three-stage cascode configuration. This LNA will be used as a part of a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) receiver in the millimeter-wave band at 60 GHz. It is designed according to the MMIC technology (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) in PH 15 process from UMS foundry and uses a 0.15 μm GaAs PHEMT (Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor). The particularity of this LNA compared to other LNAs in literature is its very low noise figure which is equal to 1 dB and its high linearity (IIP3 is about 22 dB). The LNA consumes 0.24 Watts, achieving a high gain which is about 23 dB, an input return loss better than -10 dB and an output return loss better than -8 dB.

Keywords: low noise amplifier, V-band, MMIC technology, LNA, amplifier, cascode, pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT), high linearity

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Authors: Taksina Bunbut, Kevin Wongleedee

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The purposes of this research were to study factors influencing the decision of international tourists to revisit Bangkok, Thailand. A random 200 samples was collected. Half the sample group was male and the other half was female. A questionnaire was used to collect data and small in-depth interviews were also used to get their opinions about importance of tourist decision making factors. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents rated these factors at medium level of importance. The ranking showed that the first three important factors were a safe place to stay, friendly people, and clean food. The three least important factors were a convenience transportation, clean country, and child friendly. In addition there was no significance difference between male and female in their ratings of the factors of influencing the decision of international tourists to revisit Bangkok, Thailand.

Keywords: factors, international tourists, revisit, Thailand

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Authors: Maria Manzoor, Iram Gul, Muhammad Arshad, Jean Kallerhoff

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The potential of fungal isolates to be used in phytoremediation of widespread lead contaminated soil has been evaluated in this study. Five different fungal isolates (Trichoderma harzianum, Penicillium simplicissimum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Mucor spp.) were obtained and tested for their tolerance to increasing concentration of lead (Pb) i.e. 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mgL-1 on PDA and PDB culture experiment. All strains were tolerant up to 500 mgL-1 following sequence; A. flavus > A. niger > Mucor spp. > P. simplicissimum > T. harzianum. Further the isolates were then monitored for possible effect on Pb solubility/mobility through soil incubation experiments and characterized for essays including pathogenicity, germination and root elongation and plant growth promoting activities including IAA (indole acetic acid), phosphorus solubilization and gibberellic acid (GA3) production. Results revealed that fungal isolates have positive effect on Pb mobility in soil and plant biomass production. Pb solubility was significantly (P> 0.05) increased in soil upon application of Mucor spp. P. simplicissimum and T. harzianum. when compared to control. Among different strains three isolates (Mucor spp., P. simplicissimum and T. harzianum) were nonpathogenic because no inhibitory effect of fungus was observed to plant growth when exposed to these strains in root shoot elongation essay. Particularly T. harzianum and P. simplicissimum showed great ability to increase root length by 1.1 and 1.3 folds and shoot length by 1.47 and 1.5 folds respectively under Pb stress (500 mgL-1). Significantly high production of IAA was observed in A. niger (26.7 μg/ml), Phosphorus solubilization was observed in T. harzianum (9.15 μg/ml) and GA3 production was observed in P. simplicissimum (11.02 μg/ml). From results it is concluded that Mucor spp., P. simplicissimum and T. harzianum have potential to increase Pb mobility and improving plant growth under highy Pb contamination, therefore can be used in microbially assisted phytoremediation of Pb contaminated soil.

Keywords: Pb tolerant fungus, Pb mobility, plant growth promoting activities, indole acetic acid (IAA)

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Authors: Ng Siew Keow, Cheah Seeh Lee

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Students’ strong engagement in learning increases their motivation and satisfaction to learn, be resilient to combat academic stress. Engagement in learning is even crucial in the open distance learning (ODL) setting, where the adult students are learning remotely, lessons and learning materials are mostly delivered via online platforms. This study aimed to explore the relationship between learning engagement and perceived academic stress levels of adult students who enrolled in ODL learning mode. In this descriptive correlation study during the 2021-2022 academic years, 101 adult students from Wawasan Open University, Malaysia (WOU) were recruited through convenient sampling. The adult students’ online learning engagement levels and perceived academic stress levels were identified through the self-report Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE) and the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PASS). The Pearson correlation coefficient test revealed a significant positive relationship between online student engagement and perceived academic stress (r= 0.316, p<0.01). The higher scores on PASS indicated lower levels of perceived academic stress. The findings of the study supported the assumption of the importance of engagement in learning in promoting psychological well-being as well as sustainability in online learning in the open distance learning context.

Keywords: student engagement, academic stress, open distance learning, online learning

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Authors: Yesuselvi Manickam, Tan Soon Chin

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Internship is a supervised and structured learning experience related to one’s field of study or career goal. Internship allows students to obtain work experience and the opportunity to apply skills learned during university. Internship is a valuable learning experience for students; however, literature on employer assessment is scarce on Malaysian student’s internship experience. This study focuses on employer’s perspective on student’s performances during their three months of internship. The results are based on the descriptive analysis of 45 sets of question gathered from the on-site supervisors of the interns. The survey of 45 on-site supervisor’s feedback was collected through postal mail. It was found that, interns have not met their on-site supervisor’s expectations in many areas. The significance of this study is employer’s assessment on the internship shall be used as feedback to improve on ways how to prepare students for their internship and employments in future.

Keywords: employers perspective, internship, structured learning, student’s performances

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Authors: Athanase Gahungu, Karen Freeman

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Different groups of stakeholders expect the evaluation of an international, grant-funded program to inform them of the worth of the program - the funder, the agency operating the program and its community, and the citizens of the country where the program is implemented. This paper summarizes the challenges that intercultural teams of researchers faced as they crisscrossed a host country while evaluating a teaching and learning materials program, and offers useful tips for effective collaboration. Firstly, was recommended that the teams be representative of the cultures involved, and have the required research and program evaluation skills. Secondly, cultures involved must consistently establish and maintain a shared performance system. Thirdly, successful team members must be self-aware, inter-culturally knowledgeable, not just in communication, but in conceptualizing the political and social context of international grant-funded projects.

Keywords: program evaluation, international collaboration, intercultural, shared performance

Procedia PDF Downloads 529