Search results for: Muslim scholars
498 Constructing Optimized Criteria of Objective Assessment Indicators among Elderly Frailty
Authors: Shu-Ching Chiu, Shu-Fang Chang
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has been actively developing intervention programs to deal with geriatric frailty. In its White Paper on Healthcare Policy 2020, the Department of Health, Bureau of Health Promotion proposed that active aging and the prevention of disability are essential for elderly people to maintain good health. The paper recommended five main policies relevant to this objective, one of which is the prevention of frailty and disability. Scholars have proposed a number of different criteria to diagnose and assess frailty; no consistent or normative standard of measurement is currently available. In addition, many methods of assessment are recursive, which can easily result in recall bias. Due to the relationship between frailty and physical fitness with regard to co-morbidity, it is important that academics optimize the criteria used to assess frailty by objectively evaluating the physical fitness of senior citizens. This study used a review of the literature to identify fitness indicators suitable for measuring frailty in the elderly. This study recommends that measurement criteria be integrated to produce an optimized predictive value for frailty score. Healthcare professionals could use this data to detect frailty at an early stage and provide appropriate care to prevent further debilitation and increase longevity.Keywords: frailty, aging, physical fitness, optimized criteria, healthcare
Procedia PDF Downloads 354497 Thematical and Critical Analysis of Answers of Saduddin Thafthazani and His Methodology in His Book Sharahul Aqaid
Authors: Muhsina Khadeeja
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Introducing theological texts combined with philosophy will be useful in understanding the major difference between theology and philosophy and making a comparative study between these two epistemologies. SHARAHUL AQAID is one of them. Which originated in the Fourteenth century; the time was enriched with theological discourses and religious revisions. Meanwhile, visions of philosophy strengthened and its ideologies were discussed widely until it reflected on Islamic theology. Those philosophers initiated to interpretation of Islamic theology from a philosophical aspect. Some prominent Muslim theologists like Gazzali analyzed that this genre of interpretations and followed questions will threaten the existence of Islamic theology. Understanding these situations, prominent leaders defended Islamic theology through their intellectual works. SHARAHUL AQAID of SADUDDIN THATHAZANI is one of them, which is written as a commentary on UMAR NASAFI's work. The mentioned book is full of answers to the counters of philosophers and rectification of their interpretation. He adopted the philosophical method in this work rather than other methods to make philosophers understand his answers vividly. Because of that, the book is plentiful with philosophical terminologies. Common people can't grasp it without a deep reading. So, the researcher hopes that the analysis of this work will help to elaborate its meanings and make it graspable. The researcher chooses a thematical and critical analysis of the answers of SADUDDIN THAFTHAZANI in SHARAHUL AQAID and on his methodology. This analysis denotes theology and philosophy show similarities rather than contradictions. The researcher concludes this study by examining the difference between theology and philosophy, similarities and contradiction. Finally, researcher proves how both epistemologies coexist.Keywords: islamic theology, sharahul aqaid, saduddin thafthazani, philosophy
Procedia PDF Downloads 78496 Explicitation as a Non-Professional Translation Universal: Evidence from the Translation of Promotional Material
Authors: Julieta Alos
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Following the explicitation hypothesis, it has been proposed that explicitation is a translation universal, i.e., one of those features that characterize translated texts, and cannot be traced back to interference from a particular language. The explicitation hypothesis has been enthusiastically endorsed by some scholars, and firmly rejected by others. Focusing on the translation of promotional material from English into Arabic, specifically in the luxury goods market, the aims of this study are twofold: First, to contribute to the debate regarding the notion of explicitation in order to advance our understanding of what has become a contentious concept. Second, to add to the growing body of literature on non-professional translation by shedding light on this particular aspect of it. To this end, our study uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to explore a corpus of brochures pertaining to the luxury industry, translated into Arabic at the local marketing agencies promoting the brands in question, by bilingual employees who have no translation training. Our data reveals a preference to avoid creative language choices in favor of more direct advertising messages, suggestive of a general tendency towards explicitation in non-professional translation, beyond what is dictated by the grammatical and stylistic constraints of Arabic. We argue, further, that this translation approach is at odds with the principles of luxury advertising, which emphasize implicitness and ambiguity, and view language as an extension of the creative process involved in the production of the luxury item.Keywords: English-Arabic translation, explicitation, non-professional translation, promotional texts
Procedia PDF Downloads 375495 EFL Teachers’ Metacognitive Awareness as a Predictor of Their Professional Success
Authors: Saeedeh Shafiee Nahrkhalaji
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Metacognitive knowledge increases EFL students’ ability to be successful learners. Although this relationship has been investigated by a number of scholars, EFL teachers’ explicit awareness of their cognitive knowledge has not been sufficiently explored. The aim of this study was to examine the role of EFL teachers’ metacognitive knowledge in their pedagogical performance. Furthermore, the role played by years of their academic education and teaching experience was also studied. Fifty female EFL teachers were selected. They completed Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) that assessed six components of metacognition including procedural knowledge, declarative knowledge, conditional knowledge, planning, evaluating, and management strategies. Near the end of the academic semester, the students of each class filled in ‘the Language Teacher Characteristics Questionnaire’ to evaluate their teachers’ pedagogical performance. Four elements of MAI, declarative knowledge, planning, evaluating, and management strategies were found to be significantly correlated with EFL teachers’ pedagogical success. Significant correlation was also established between metacognitive knowledge and EFL teachers’ years of academic education and teaching experience. The findings obtained from this research have contributing implication for EFL teacher educators. The discussion concludes by setting out directions for future research.Keywords: metacognotive knowledge, pedagogical performance, language teacher characteristics questionnaire, metacognitive awareness inventory
Procedia PDF Downloads 329494 An Empirical Investigation of Montesquieu’s Theories on Climate
Authors: Lisa J. Piergallini
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This project uses panel regression analyses to investigate the relationships between geography, institutions, and economic development, as guided by the theories of the 18th century French philosopher Montesquieu. Contemporary scholars of political economy perpetually misinterpret Montesquieu’s theories on climate, and in doing so they miss what could be the key to resolving the geography vs. institutions debate. There is a conspicuous gap in this literature, in that it does not consider whether geography and institutors might have an interactive, dynamic effect on economic development. This project seeks to bridge that gap. Data are used for all available countries over the years 1980-2013. Two interaction terms between geographic and institutional variables are employed within the empirical analyses, and these offer a unique contribution to the ongoing geography vs. institutions debate within the political economy literature. This study finds that there is indeed an interactive effect between geography and institutions, and that this interaction has a statistically significant effect on economic development. Democracy (as measured by Polity score) and rule of law and property rights (as measured by the Fraser index) have positive effects on economic development (as measured by GDP per capita), yet the magnitude of these effects are stronger in contexts where a low percent of the national population lives in the geographical tropics. This has implications for promoting economic development, and it highlights the importance of understanding geographical context.Keywords: Montesquieu, institutions, geography, economic development, political philosophy, political economy
Procedia PDF Downloads 255493 Demonstration of Logical Inconsistency in the Discussion of the Problem of Evil
Authors: Mohammad Soltani Renani
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The problem of evil is one of the heated battlegrounds of the idea of theism and its critics. Since time immemorial and in various philosophical schools and religions, the belief in an Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Absolutely Good God has been considered inconsistent with the existence of the evil in the universe. The theist thinkers have generally adopted one of the following four ways for answering this problem: denial of the existence of evil or considering it to be relative, privation theory of evil, attribution of evil to something other than God, and depiction of an alternative picture of God. Defense or criticism of these alternative answers have given rise to an extensive and unending dispute. However, evaluation of the presupposition and context upon/in which a question is raised precedes offering an answer to it. This point in the discussion of the problem of evil is of paramount importance for both parties, i.e., questioners and answerers, that the attributes of knowledge, power, love, good-will, among others, can be supposed to be infinite only in the essence of the attributed and the domain of potentiality but what can be realized in the domain of actuality is always finite. Therefore, infinite nature of Divine Attributes and realization of evil belong to two spheres. Divine Attributes are infinite (absolute) in Divine Essence, but when they are created, each one becomes bounded by the other. This boundedness is a result of the state of being surrounded of the attributes by each other in finite world of possibility. Evil also appears in this limited world. This inconsistency leads to the collapse of the problem of evil from within: the place of infinity of the Divine Attributes, in the words of Muslim mystics, lies in the Holiest Manifestation [Feyze Aqdas] while evil emerges in the Holy Manifestation where the Divine Attributes become bounded by each other. This idea is neither a new answer to the problem of evil nor a defense of theism; rather it reveals a logical inconsistency in the discussion of the problem of evil.Keywords: problem of evil, infinity of divine attributes, boundedness of divine attributes, holiest manifestation, holy manifestation
Procedia PDF Downloads 146492 Climate Change and Human Migration
Authors: Sungwoo Park
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The paper attempts to investigate the correlation between climate change and migration that has caused violent disputes in some regions of the world. Recently, NGOs and educational institutions have proposed claims that migratory patterns and violent uprisings are intertwined with climate change. Thus, the paper is primarily concerned with collecting evidences provided from scholars, validating this significant connection between climate change and migration, and evaluating and suggesting current and future research approaches respectively to enhance the acknowledgment and protection of environmental refugees. In order to examine the linkage of environmental migration, primary sources, such as political speeches, and secondary sources like theses from environmental policy analysts, books, and reports are used. More specifically, the investigation focuses on an civil war in Syria to draw a connection between environmental migration and violent dispute that threatens the global security. The examination undertaken specifically analyzes examples where forced migration occurred due to climate change. In Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Kiribati, residents have been at risk of fleeing their countries because of abnormal climate patterns, such as the rise of sea level or an excessive heat stress. As the brutal uprising in Syria has proven that climate change can pose a significant threat to global security, correlation between climate change and migration is surely worth delving into.Keywords: climate change, climate migration, global security, refugee crisis
Procedia PDF Downloads 346491 Designing an Effective Accountability Model for Islamic Azad University Using the Qualitative Approach of Grounded Theory
Authors: Davoud Maleki, Neda Zamani
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The present study aims at exploring the effective accountability model of Islamic Azad University using a qualitative approach of grounded theory. The data of this study were obtained from semi-structured interviews with 25 professors and scholars in Islamic Azad University of Tehran who were selected by theoretical sampling method. In the data analysis, the stepwise method and Strauss and Corbin analytical methods (1992) were used. After identification of the main component (balanced response to stakeholders’ needs) and using it to bring the categories together, expressions and ideas representing the relationships between the main and subcomponents, and finally, the revealed components were categorized into six dimensions of the paradigm model, with the relationships among them, including causal conditions (7 components), main component (balanced response to stakeholders’ needs), strategies (5 components), environmental conditions (5 components), intervention features (4 components), and consequences (3 components). Research findings show an exploratory model for describing the relationships between causal conditions, main components, accountability strategies, environmental conditions, university environmental features, and that consequences.Keywords: accountability, effectiveness, Islamic Azad University, grounded theory
Procedia PDF Downloads 86490 The Effects of Physical Activity and Serotonin on Depression, Anxiety, Body Image and Mental Health
Authors: Sh. Khoshemehry, M. E. Bahram, M. J. Pourvaghar
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Sport has found a special place as an effective phenomenon in all societies of the contemporary world. The relationship between physical activity and exercise with different sciences has provided new fields for human study. The range of issues related to exercise and physical education is such that it requires specialized sciences and special studies. In this article, the psychological and social sections of exercise have been investigated for children and adults. It can be used for anyone in different age groups. Exercise and regular physical movements have a great impact on the mental and social health of the individual in addition to body health. It affects the individual's adaptability in society and his/her personality. Exercise affects the treatment of diseases such as depression, anxiety, stress, body image, and memory. Exercise is a safe haven for young people to achieve the optimum human development in its shelter. The effects of sensorimotor skills on mental actions and mental development are such a way that many psychologists and sports science experts believe these activities should be included in training programs in the first place. Familiarity of students and scholars with different programs and methods of sensorimotor activities not only causes their mental actions; but also increases mental health and vitality, enhances self-confidence and, therefore, mental health.Keywords: anxiety, mental health, physical activity, serotonin
Procedia PDF Downloads 207489 Wastewater from the Food Industry: Characteristics and Possibilities of Sediments on the Basis of the Dairy Industry
Authors: Monika Gałwa-Widera, Anna Kwarciak–Kozłowska, Lucyna Sławik-Dembiczak
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Issues relating to management of sewage sludge from small and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants is a vital issue, which deal with such scholars as well as those directly involved in the issue of wastewater treatment and management of sedimentary. According to the Law on Waste generating waste is responsible for such processing to the product obtained impacted on the environment minimally. In small and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants have to deal with the technology of sludge management technology is far from drying and incineration of sewage sludge. So here you can use other technologies. One of them is the composting of sewage sludge. It is a process of processing and disposal of sewage sludge that effectively their disposal. By composting, we can obtain a product that contains significant amounts of organic matter to assess the fertilizing qualities. Modifications to the ongoing process in biological reactors allow for more rapid receipt of a wholesome product. The research presented and discussed in this publication relate to assist the composting process of sewage sludge and biomass structural material in the shares of rates: 35% biomass, 55% sludge, 10% structural material using a method which involves the re-spawning batch composting physical methods leachate from the composting process.Keywords: biomass, composting, industry, sewage sludge
Procedia PDF Downloads 440488 Exploring Individual and Team Approaches in Crafting Workplace Inclusivity for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees in Malaysia
Authors: Nor Wahiza Abdul Wahat, Nor Haniza Abdul Wahat, Siti Noormi Alias, Mohamad Sazali Shaari
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This study prepares the groundwork for the development of a strategic model and instrument for workplace inclusivity for deaf and hard-of-hearing employees in Malaysia. In the past, scholars have discussed inclusivity of workplaces to the extent to which employees feel they are significantly part of the organizational processes. Such processes include access to information, connectedness to colleagues and team members as well as their ability to participate in and influence decision-making processes. A qualitative study was conducted to explore on experiences of employed deaf and hard-of-hearing employees in a few Malaysian organizations. Data were collected from two focus group discussions involving male and female deaf and hard of hearing employees. Three in-depth interviews were also conducted with employer representatives. Generated themes highlighted individual, and team approaches towards crafting workplace inclusivity for deaf and hard of hearing employees in Malaysia. The adaptiveness of deaf and hard-of-hearing employees and social inclusion by colleagues were among the emerged sub-themes. This study allowed the researchers to further develop workplace inclusivity instruments and models for the benefit of deaf and hard of hearing Malaysian employees, as well as their employers.Keywords: deaf, hard of hearing, workplace inclusivity, disabilities
Procedia PDF Downloads 174487 The Role of 'Hindu Tantrism' in Conceptualization of the Divine Manifestations in Vajrayana Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
Authors: Mohammed T. Shabeer
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Hoary moorlands of Tibet bear bundle of religious traditions. Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is one of the deep rooted religious orders of the area. It demands the homage to a variety of gods and diverse worships, especially to manifestations like the Dalai Lamas. This divine diversity has been conceptualized by remoteness of the area and transcontinental intrusion of Asiatic philosophies like Indian Buddhism, Mongolian Shamanism and Hindu Tantrism. This study reveals the role of Hindu Tantrism in conceptualizing the manifestations in Vajrayana Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in a comparative way. Nowadays, the academic explorations and researches in the field of ‘Tibetology’ are widely tolerable in east and west alike. International community concerns such studies supportive of the restless campaigns for ‘free Tibet’. Moreover, the scientific sources on the topic are rarest and precious in the field of comparative religion. This study reveals a clear account of god concept of Vajrayana tradition and insists that the god concept of the tradition is conceptualized from the amalgamation of Indian Hindu Tantrism, Mongolian Shamanism, and Indian Buddhism. Primly, it sheds the light upon the mysterious similarities between Indian and Tibetan concepts of manifestation of gods. The scientific examination of this problem lasts in the conclusion that the transcontinental transmission of Hindu Tantrism in the special occasion of Buddhist Diaspora of 12th century in consequence of the invasion of Muslim Ghorid Sultanate had paved a vital role in shaping the Vajrayana tradition especially conceptualizing the manifestation of Tibetan gods.Keywords: Buddhist diaspora, Hindu tantrism, manifestation of god, Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
Procedia PDF Downloads 208486 Machines Hacking Humans: Performances Practices in Electronic Music during the 21st Century
Authors: Zimasa Siyasanga Gysman
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This paper assesses the history of electronic music and its performance to illustrate that machines and technology have largely influenced how humans perform electronic music. The history of electronic music mainly focuses on the composition and production of electronic music with little to no attention paid to its performance by the majority of scholars in this field. Therefore, establishing a history of performance involves investigating what compositions of electronic music called for in the production of electronic music performance. This investigation into seminal works in the history of electronic music, therefore, illustrates the aesthetics of electronic music performance and the aesthetics established in the very beginnings of electronic music performance demonstrate the aesthetics of electronic music which are still prevalent today. The key aesthetics are the repurposing of technology and the hybridisation of technology. Performers take familiar technology (technology that society has become accustomed to using in daily life), not necessarily related to music or performance and use it as an instrument in their performances, such as a rotary dial telephone. Likewise, since the beginnings of electronic music, producers have always experimented with the latest technologies available to them in their compositions and performances. The spirit of performers of electronic music, therefore, revolves around repurposing familiar technologies and using them in new ways, whilst similarly experimenting with new technologies in their performances. This process of hybridisation plays a key role in the production and performance of electronic music in the twentieth century. Through various interviews with performers of electronic music, it is shown that these aesthetics are driving performance practices in the twenty-first century.Keywords: body, hybridisation, performance, sound
Procedia PDF Downloads 161485 A Collection of Voices on Higher Educational Access, Quality and Equity in Africa: A Systematic Review
Authors: Araba A. Z. Osei-Tutu, Ebenezer Odame, Joseph Bawa, Samuel Amponsah
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Education is recognized as a fundamental human right and a catalyst for development. Despite progress in the provision of higher education on the African continent, there persist challenges with the tripartite areas of access, equity and quality. Therefore, this systematic review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of conversations and voices of scholars on these three concepts in HE in Africa. The systematic review employed a thematic analysis approach, synthesizing findings from 38 selected sources. After a critical analysis of the sources included in the systematic review, deficits in access, quality, and equity were outlined, focusing on infrastructure, regional disparities, and privatization challenges. The review also revealed the weak enforcement of quality assurance measures. Strategies for improvement, proffered by the study, include expanding public sector HE, deregulating the educational sector, promoting open and distance learning, implementing preferential admission policies, and enhancing financial aid. This research contributes valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders, fostering a collaborative approach to address challenges and promote holistic development in African higher education.Keywords: access, equity, quality, higher education, Africa, systematic review, strategies
Procedia PDF Downloads 71484 Interrogating Democracy and Development in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria
Authors: Yusuf Bala
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The last decades of the 20th Centaury witnessed renewed hope about the birth of democracy and development in Africa the interface between democracy and development in Africa has long engaged the sustained interest of scholars and researchers across Africa. The process was actively supported by all segment of society, labour students market women, rural dweller who saw in it, the prospects of reversing the trend of political despair and in disillusionment that hither to characterized political life in Africa. The political tyranny and dictatorship while having it own clientele and beneficiaries had negative and suffocating effect on the majority of the people. The democratic aspiration of the Africa people is not only confined to the Arena of political Democracy of election and granting of civil and political rights, but it involves the demand for economic empowerment better living standards of the people and adequate social welfare indeed, for the majority of the people democracy is meaningful only when it delivers socio-economic goods. However, democracy and development have generated enormous interest no conclusive evidence seems to be shared in Africa. In the course of this research emphasis shall be made on certain issues, such as issues of corruption in democracy in Africa, ethnic conflict and democracy in Africa contribution of women to democratic practice and women participation in political arena, is still very low, democratization process and industrial relation in Africa as factor that hinder the development of Democracy in Africa, a case study of Nigeria.Keywords: democracy, development, dictatorship, conflict, ethnicity
Procedia PDF Downloads 317483 Conceptualizing the Cyber Insecurity Risk in the Ethics of Automated Warfare
Authors: Otto Kakhidze, Hoda Alkhzaimi, Adam Ramey, Nasir Memon
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This paper provides an alternative, cyber security based a conceptual framework for the ethics of automated warfare. The large body of work produced on fully or partially autonomous warfare systems tends to overlook malicious security factors as in the possibility of technical attacks on these systems when it comes to the moral and legal decision-making. The argument provides a risk-oriented justification to why technical malicious risks cannot be dismissed in legal, ethical and policy considerations when warfare models are being implemented and deployed. The assumptions of the paper are supported by providing a broader model that contains the perspective of technological vulnerabilities through the lenses of the Game Theory, Just War Theory as well as standard and non-standard defense ethics. The paper argues that a conventional risk-benefit analysis without considering ethical factors is insufficient for making legal and policy decisions on automated warfare. This approach will provide the substructure for security and defense experts as well as legal scholars, ethicists and decision theorists to work towards common justificatory grounds that will accommodate the technical security concerns that have been overlooked in the current legal and policy models.Keywords: automated warfare, ethics of automation, inherent hijacking, security vulnerabilities, risk, uncertainty
Procedia PDF Downloads 357482 A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Impact of the Linguistic Behavior of the Soccer Moroccan Coach in Light of Motivation Theory and Discursive Psychology
Authors: Abdelaadim Bidaoui
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As one of the most important linguistic inquiries, the topic of the intertwined relationship between language, the mind, and the world has attracted many scholars. In the fifties, Sapir and Whorf advocated the hypothesis that language shapes our cultural realities as an early attempt to provide answers to this linguistic inquiry. Later, discursive psychology views the linguistic behavior as “a dynamic form of social practice which constructs the social world, individual selves and identity.” (Jorgensen & Phillips 2002, 118). Discursive psychology also considers discourse as a trigger of social action and change. Building on discursive psychology and motivation theory, this paper examines the impact of linguistic behavior of the Moroccan coach Walid Reggragui on the Moroccan team’s exceptional performance in Qatar 2022 Soccer World Cup. The data used in the research is based on interviews conducted by the Moroccan coach prior and during the World Cup. Using a discourse analysis of the linguistic behavior of Reggragui, this paper shows how the linguistic behavior of Reggragui provided support for the three psychological needs: sense of belonging, competence, and autonomy. As any CDA research, this paper uses a triangulated theoretical framework that includes language, cognition and society.Keywords: critical discourse analysis, motivation theory, discursive psychology, linguistic behavior
Procedia PDF Downloads 90481 Understanding Music through the Framework of Feminist Confessional Literary Criticism: Heightening Audience Identification and Prioritising the Female Voice
Authors: Katharine Pollock
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Feminist scholars assert that a defining aspect of feminist confessional literature is that it expresses both an individual and communal identity, one which is predicated on the commonly-shared aspects of female experience. Reading feminist confessional literature in this way accommodates a plurality of readerly experiences and textual interpretations. It affirms the individual whilst acknowledging those experiences which bind women together, and refuses traditional objective criticism. It invites readers to see themselves reflected in the text, and encourages them to share their own stories. Similarly, music which communicates women’s personal experience, fictive or not, expresses a dual identity. There is an inherent risk of imposing a confessional reading upon a musical or literary text. Understanding music as being multivocal in the same way as confessional literature negates this patriarchal tendency, and allows listeners to engage with both the subjective and collective aspects of a text. By hearing their own stories reflected in the music, listeners engage in an ongoing dialogic process in which female stories are prioritised. This refuses patriarchal silencing and ensures a diversity of female voices. To demonstrate the veracity of these claims, literary criticism is applied to Lily Allen’s music, and memoir My Thoughts Exactly.Keywords: confession, female, feminist, literature, music
Procedia PDF Downloads 154480 Reclaiming Corporate Social Responsibility: A Research Agenda for Socio-Industrial Interdependence
Authors: Leah Ritchie
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By many accounts, the most recent economic recession and subsequent lack-luster recovery has demonstrated that corporate social responsibility is in a state of crisis. This crisis represents an opportunity for CSR scholars to play a role in restoring long-term economic growth and consumer confidence. In its current state however, CSR may not be in a position to facilitate positive change. In an attempt to remain relevant, the field has shifted toward a performance-based agenda that demonstrates in practical terms, how CSR can positively affect the financial and strategic performance of the firm. This paper argues that if CSR is to play a central role in helping to create a more equitable balance of power between industry and society, it must demonstrate the symbiotic nature of the relationship between these two entities, not just in terms of compartmentalized strategic and financial gain for the firm, but also toward maintaining a 'do no harm' imperative. Given the evidence that harm done to society is ultimately turned back on the firm, this is not simply a moralistic imperative. In order to affect change, CSR must also create an activist agenda to raise consciousness among the general citizenry toward mobilizing, uncovering, and repairing breeches in the implicit social contract between business and society.Keywords: corporate social responsibility, multiple stakeholder view, economic recession, housing crisis
Procedia PDF Downloads 214479 Strategies Considered Effective for Funding Public Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria
Authors: Jacinta Ifeoma Obidile
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The study sought to ascertain from the opinions of the business educators, effective strategies for funding public tertiary institutions in Anambra State Nigeria, for effective functioning and delivery. Funding of tertiary institutions has become so important following the dilapidated state of most of the public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Tertiary institutions are known for the production of competitive and competent workforce in the nation. Considering the state of public tertiary institutions currently, one wonders if their objectives are achieved. Many scholars have identified funding as one of the major barriers to effective functioning of tertiary institutions. Although federal and state governments have been supporting the tertiary institutions, but their support seems not to be adequate. This study therefore ascertained from the perspective of business educators, other strategies for funding public tertiary institutions in Anambra State Nigeria, for effective functioning and delivery. Survey research design was adopted for the study. A total of 104 business educators from the public tertiary institutions in the State constituted the population. There was no sampling, hence the whole population was used. Structured questionnaire validated by three experts with a reliability coefficient of 0.82 was the instrument for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Findings from the study revealed that public-private partnership and external aids were among the strategies considered effective for funding public tertiary institutions. It was therefore recommended among others that associations like alumni should be strongly instituted in each of the public tertiary institutions so as to assist in the funding of tertiary institutions for effective functioning and delivery.Keywords: strategies, funding, tertiary institutions, business educators
Procedia PDF Downloads 155478 A Qualitative Investigation of Shia Muslims' Mourning Practices as a Coping Strategy
Authors: Anusha Sajjad, Sibtain Kazmi, Sadaf Sajjad, Ali Mohsin
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Shia Muslims, a distinct minority within the broader Muslim community, have a unique mourning practice set that remains underexplored in research. These practices hold cultural and religious significance and are essential to Shia spirituality. This study seeks to delve into the emotional and psychological dimensions of Shia Muslims' mourning rituals, specifically investigating how these practices serve as coping strategies during times of grief and adversity. The motivation for this research stems from a gap in understanding the psycho-spiritual aspects of Shia mourning, with a focus on the potential therapeutic value of these practices for individuals experiencing daily life stressors. This qualitative investigation employs an online survey conducted in September 2023 as the primary research method. Data was collected from a sample of 49 Shia Muslims who have actively participated in mourning rituals. Pearson's correlation test was applied to assess the relationship between participants’ reported feelings of mentally feeling ‘Lighter or Heavier' and their 'Coping' responses. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a positive but relatively weak correlation between 'Mentally Feeling Lighter' and 'Coping' (r = 0.303) with a statistically significant p-value of 0.034. The findings suggest that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between feeling "Mentally Lighter" and coping, as reported by participants in Shia mourning rituals, although the strength of this correlation is relatively weak. This implies that individuals who feel "Mentally Lighter" are more likely to report coping effectively, but other factors likely contribute to the overall coping strategies employed by participants in this context. Further research with a larger sample size would be needed to strengthen this correlation further.Keywords: shia, mourning, religion, coping
Procedia PDF Downloads 84477 Generativism in Language Design and Their Effects on String of Constructions
Authors: Christian Uchechukwu Gilbert
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Generativism in language design investigates the framework on which varying sentence structures are built in the English language. Propounded by Noam Chomsky in 1965, the theory transforms sentences from an active structure to a passive one by the application of established rules of the theory. Resident in the body of syntax, the rules include movement, insertion, substitution, and deletion rules. Using the movement rule, the analysis is armed with the qualitative research method, on which the works of scholars were duly consulted for more insight and in line with the academic practice in research activities. The investigation showed that the rules of competent grammar explain the formulation of sentences in a language and how transformation takes place among sentences from a deep structure to a surface structure with accurate results. The structural differences that could be got through dative movement and the deletion of the preposition; passivisation got from an active sentence by the insertion of the preposition “by” a “be verb” and the aspect tense marker “–en”, held as the creative aspect of language vocabulary and the subject-auxiliary inversion that exchanges the auxiliary of a sentence with the subject of the same sentence thereby transforming a kennel sentence to a polar question, viewed as an external argument under θ-theory. Generativism in language design, therefore, changes available types of sentences and relates one form of linguistic category with others in language design.Keywords: language, generate, transformation, structure, design
Procedia PDF Downloads 68476 Westernization of Islamic Culture, A Historical Analysis
Authors: Saidalavi Kannattippadi
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It is a culture based study on revealing how the indebtedness of the west belongs to the moral and scientific culture of Islam, even to such a way to be said there was no room for renaissance and the enlightment of the west without the active intervention of the Islamic culture in thoughts and activities of the European thinkers. The study focuses on the exact causes that led the west to the renaissance and goes through analyzing each of historical evidences for confirming the continuous cultural assimilations that occurred between east and west, through transmissions of knowledge, translations of unique treatises, study trips and so on. The west had deeply influenced by the thought and culture of Islam after having a long bitter experience from the blind rituals and customs introduced by the church and was expecting for a movement that can raise them upwards from the bankruptcy of morality and spirituality. The sequence of crusades and voyages of thinkers from west to eastern wards made the western people aware of the best culture ever found in the world as in name of Islam and they become ready to assimilate its notable cultural values and to borrow its cultural achievements. The west had two types of influences from the Islam; moral and scientific. the uprooting of untouchablitlity and racism from western society and their accepting the ideologies of equality and fraternity are moral influence and the innumerable inventions and discoveries found in modern science and technology are the scientific influences. Without the frantic efforts of Muslims in translating, modifying and commenting the science and philosophy of the Greek the west would not have even a chance to peep to the cultural values of the Greek. Here the Muslims are the guides and channels through which the west got educated and well cultured. The study also briefly sheds light on the cultural achievements of Muslims in material science, human science, etc.Keywords: cultural assimilation, culture and civilization, indebtedness, Muslim world, west, translation, transmission
Procedia PDF Downloads 396475 The Influence of Wasta on Organizational Practices in Kuwait
Authors: Abrar Al-Enzi
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Despite being frequently used everyday in the Arab World, Wasta, which is seen as a type of social capital, has received little attention from previous scholars, even in the Middle East. In simple words, Wasta basically means granting deserved or undeserved privileges to others through personal contacts. This paper suggests that Wasta is an important determinant of how some employees get recruited and turn to Wasta for privileges and favors in organizations. It is said, that Wasta accelerates career advancement and other work practices for employees, whether they deserve it or even are suitable for it or not. The overall goal of this paper is to see how Wasta influences human resource management practices by viewing the history of Wasta, the importance of using it, and how it affects employees as well as organizations in terms of recruitment and work practices. Accordingly, the question that will be addressed is: Does Wasta influence human resource management, knowledge sharing and innovation in Kuwait, which in turn affects employees’ commitment within organizations? Therefore, a mixed method sequential exploratory research design will be used to explore the research topic through initial exploratory interviews, paper-based and online surveys (Quantitative method) and semi-structured interviews (Qualitative method). The reason behind such a choice is because both qualitative and quantitative methods complement each other when combined by providing a clearer picture of the topic.Keywords: human resource management practices, Kuwait, social capital, Wasta
Procedia PDF Downloads 208474 Exploring the Role of Humorous Dialogues in Advertisements of Pakistani Network Companies: Analysis of Discourses through Multi-Modal Critical Approach
Authors: Jane E. Alam Solangi
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The contribution of the study is to explore the important part of humorous dialogues in cellular network advertisements. This promotes the message of valuable construction and promotion of network companies in Pakistan that employ different and broad techniques to give promotion to selling products. It merely instigates the consumers to buy it. The results of the study after analysis of its collected data gives a vision that advertisers of network advertisements use humorous dialogues as a significant device to the greater level. The source of entertainment in the advertisement is accompanied by the texts and humorous discourses to influence buying decisions of the consumers. Therefore, it tends to neutralize personal and social based values. The earlier contribution of scholars presented that the technical employment of humorous devices leads to the successful market of the relevant products. In order to analyze the humorous discourse devices, the approach of multi-modality of Fairclough (1989) is used. It is accompanied by the framework of Kress and van Leeuwen’s (1996). It analyzes the visual graph of the grammar. The overall findings in the study verified the role of humorous devices in the captivation of consumers’ decision to buy the product that interests them. Therefore, the role of humor acts as a breaker of the monotonous rhythm of advertisements.Keywords: advertisements, devices, humorous, multi-modality, networks, Pakistan
Procedia PDF Downloads 103473 From Teaching Methods to Learning Styles: Toward Humanizing Education and Building Rapport with Students at Sultan Qaboos University
Authors: Mounir Ben Zid
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The controversy over the most effective teaching method to facilitate the increase of a student's knowledge has remained a frustration for poetry teachers at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman for the last ten years. Scholars and educationists have pursued answers to this question, and tremendous effort has been marshalled to discover the optimum teaching strategy, with little success. The present study stems from this perpetual frustration among teachers of poetry and the dispute about the repertoire of teaching methods. It attempts to shed light on an alternative direction which, it is believed, has received less scholarly attention than deserved. It emphasizes the need to create a democratic and human atmosphere of learning, arouses students' genuine interest, provides students with aesthetic pleasure, and enable them to appreciate and enjoy the beauty and musicality of words in poems. More important, this teaching-learning style should aim to secure rapport with students, invite teachers to inspire the passion and love of poetry in their students and help them not to lose the sense of wonder and enthusiasm that should be in the forefront of enjoying poetry. Hence, it is the need of the time that, after they have an interest, feeling and desire for poetry, university students can move to heavier tasks and discussions about poetry and how to further understand and analyze what is being portrayed. It is timely that the pendulum swung in support of the humanization of education and building rapport with students at Sultan Qaboos University.Keywords: education, humanization, learning style, Rapport
Procedia PDF Downloads 245472 Social Work Practice to Labour Welfare: A Proposed Model of Field Work Practicum and Role of Social Worker in India
Authors: Naeem Ahmed
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Social work is a professional activity based on the approach of “helping people to help themselves” (Stroup). Social work education and practice both are based on humanitarian philosophy in which social workers try to increase the happiness of the society and to reduce the problems of society. Labour welfare is a specialised field of social work which especially focuses on welfare of organised and unorganised labour. In India labour is facing numerous problems in both organised and unorganised sectors because of ignorance, illiteracy, high rate of unemployment etc. In most of the Indian social work institutions we have this specialization with different names like Human Resource Management or Industrial Relation and Personnel Management or Industrial Relations and Labour Welfare or Industrial Social Work etc. Field work practice is integrated part of social work education curriculum in all specialised field. In India we have different field work practice models being followed in different institutions. The main objective of this paper is to prepare a universal field work practicum model in the field of labour welfare. This paper is exploratory in nature, researcher used personal experience and secondary data (model of field work practice in different institutions like Aligarh Muslim University, Pondicherry University, Central University of Karnataka, University of Lucknow, MJP Rohilkhand University Bareilly etc.) Researcher found that there is an immediate need to upgrade the curriculum or field work practice in this particular field, as more than 40 percent of total population engaged in either unorganised or organised sector (NSSO 2011-12) and they are not aware about their rights. In this way a social worker can play an important role in existing labour welfare facilities by making them aware.Keywords: field work, labour welfare, organised labour, social work practice, unorganised labour
Procedia PDF Downloads 401471 Teaching and Learning with Picturebooks: Developing Multimodal Literacy with a Community of Primary School Teachers in China
Authors: Fuling Deng
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Today’s children are frequently exposed to multimodal texts that adopt diverse modes to communicate myriad meanings within different cultural contexts. To respond to the new textual landscape, scholars have considered new literacy theories which propose picturebooks as important educational resources. Picturebooks are multimodal, with their meaning conveyed through the synchronisation of multiple modes, including linguistic, visual, spatial, and gestural acting as access to multimodal literacy. Picturebooks have been popular reading materials in primary educational settings in China. However, often viewed as “easy” texts directed at the youngest readers, picturebooks remain on the margins of Chinese upper primary classrooms, where they are predominantly used for linguistic tasks, with little value placed on their multimodal affordances. Practices with picturebooks in the upper grades in Chinese primary schools also encounter many challenges associated with the curation of texts for use, designing curriculum, and assessment. To respond to these issues, a qualitative study was conducted with a community of Chinese primary teachers using multi-methods such as interviews, focus groups, and documents. The findings showed the impact of the teachers’ increased awareness of picturebooks' multimodal affordances on their pedagogical decisions in using picturebooks as educational resources in upper primary classrooms.Keywords: picturebook education, multimodal literacy, teachers' response to contemporary picturebooks, community of practice
Procedia PDF Downloads 136470 The International Monetary Fund’s Treatment Towards Argentina and Brazil During Financial Negotiations for Their First Adjustment Programs, 1958-64
Authors: Fernanda Conforto de Oliveira
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a central role in global financial governance as the world’s leading crisis lender. Its practice of conditional lending – conditioning loans on the implementation of economic policy adjustments – is the primary lever by which the institution interacts with and influences the policy choices of member countries and has been a key topic of interest to scholars and public opinion. However, empirical evidence about the economic and (geo)political determinants of IMF lending behavior remains inconclusive, and no model that explains IMF policies has been identified. This research moves beyond panel analysis to focus on financial negotiations for the first IMF programs in Argentina and Brazil in the early post-war period. It seeks to understand why negotiations achieved distinct objectives: Argentinean officials cooperated and complied with IMF policies, whereas their Brazilian counterparts hesitated. Using qualitative and automated text analysis, this paper analyses the hypothesis about whether a differential IMF treatment could help to explain these distinct outcomes. This paper contributes to historical studies on IMF-Latin America relations and the broader literature in international policy economy about IMF policies.Keywords: international monetary fund, international history, financial history, Latin American economic history, natural language processing, sentiment analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 63469 The Impact of Socio-Economic and Type of Religion on the Behavior of Obedience among Arab-Israeli Teenagers
Authors: Sadhana Ghnayem
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This article examines the relationship between several socio-economic and background variables of Arab-Israeli families and their effect on the conflict management style of forcing, where teenage children are expected to obey their parents without questioning. The article explores the inter-generational gap and the desire of Arab-Israeli parents to force their teenage children to obey without questioning. The independent variables include: the sex of the parent, religion (Christian or Muslim), income of the parent, years of education of the parent, and the sex of the teenage child. We use the dependent variable of “Obedience Without Questioning” that is reported twice: by each of the parents as well as by the children. We circulated a questionnaire and collected data from a sample of 180 parents and their adolescent child living in the Galilee area during 2018. In this questionnaire we asked each of the parent and his/her teenage child about whether the latter is expected to follow the instructions of the former without questioning. The outcome of this article indicates, first, that Christian-Arab families are less authoritarian than Muslims families in demanding sheer obedience from their children. Second, female parents indicate more than male parents that their teenage child indeed obeys without questioning. Third, there is a negative correlation between the variable “Income” and “Obedience without Questioning.” Yet, the regression coefficient of this variable is close zero. Fourth, there is a positive correlation between years of education and obedience reported by the children. In other words, more educated parents are more likely to demand obedience from their children. Finally, after running the regression, the study also found that the impact of the variables of religion as well as the sex of the child on the dependent variable of obedience is also significant at above 95 and 90%, respectively.Keywords: conflict, religion, conflict management style, obedience
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