Search results for: strategic focus

Authors: Pac Ordu

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The paper was conceived on the premise that employment of tertiary education graduates has become an endemic problem in Nigeria. Recognizing the objective of current education as schooling for paid employment, the paper identified that the basic objective of present-day education should be schooling to become self-employed. While schooling to become a successful employee was identified as the focus for the older generation, schooling to become self-employed was defined as the focus for 21st-century teaching and learning. Hence, the paper condemned the inability of curriculum implementers to teach creative trends to enable students to acquire practical skills and small business operation-oriented competencies. A review of some disciplines was made to show the new trend of education that would empower Nigerian students with small business enterprise operation skills for self-employment on graduation. This was further made to draw the attention of institutions and curriculum designers to the need for our curriculum to be functional in line with demands of the innovative economic environment. The paper also noted that at periods of recession with its attendant effects, was the best period for students of entrepreneurship to dream and create their small business enterprises. It highlighted the role of Federal College of Education (Technical) Omoku, Rivers State, Nigeria and the national recognition it has received for developing an innovative, practical model of teaching entrepreneurship education in Nigeria Colleges of Education system. In order to equip students for economic survival on graduation, the introduction of innovative teaching can only be successful if lecturers shift their focus away from the conventional emphasis on theory to students’ energy quotients. While the paper obviously recommended that lecturers should be creative and teach outside the curriculum box, it further recommended that students should use this period of their studentship to dream, create and operate their own small business enterprises.

Keywords: 21st century students, curriculum, entrepreneurship, hands-on-training, innovative

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Authors: Ruchi Agarwal

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In today’s world, companies are operating in dynamic, uncertain and ambiguous business environments. Globally, more companies are failing due to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors than ever. Corporate governance and risk management are intertwined in nature. For decades, corporate governance and risk management have been influenced by internal and external factors. Three schools of thought have influenced risk governance for decades: Agency theory, Contingency theory, and Institutional theory. Agency theory argues that agents have interests conflicting with principal interests and the information problem. Contingency theory suggests that risk management adoption is influenced by internal and external factors, while Institutional theory suggests that organizations legitimize risk management with regulators, competitors, and professional bodies. The conflicting objectives of theories have created problems for executives in organizations in the adoption of Risk Governance. So far, there are many studies that discussed risk culture and the role of actors in risk governance, but there are rare studies discussing the role of risk culture in the adoption of risk governance from a leadership style perspective. This study explores the adoption of risk governance in two contrasting industries, such as the Insurance and energy business, to understand whether risk governance is influenced by internal/external factors or whether risk culture is influenced by leaders. We draw empirical evidence by comparing the cases of an Indian insurance company and a renewable energy-based firm in India. We interviewed more than 20 senior executives of companies and collected annual reports, risk management policies, and more than 10 PPTs and other reports from 2017 to 2024. We visited the company for follow-up questions several times. The findings of my research revealed that both companies have used risk governance for strategic renewal of the company. Insurance companies use a transactional leadership style based on performance and reward for improving risk, while energy companies use rather symbolic management to make debt restructuring meaningful for stakeholders. Overall, both companies turned from loss-making to profitable ones in a few years. This comparative study highlights the role of different leadership styles in the adoption of risk governance. The study is also distinct as previous research rarely studied risk governance in two contrasting industries in reference to leadership styles.

Keywords: leadership style, corporate governance, risk management, risk culture, strategic renewal

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Authors: Michaels Aibangbee, Sowbhagya Micheal, Pranee Liamputtong, Elias Mpofu, Tinashe Dune

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Background: The challenges migrants and refugee youth (MRY) experience in maintaining their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) continues to be a global public health issue. Consequently, MRY is more likely to encounter adverse SRH experiences due to limited access to and knowledge of SRH services. Using a socio-ecological framework, this study examined the MRY’s SRHR micro-level experiences to macro-levels analyses of SRH-related social systems and constructions. Methods: Eighteen focus groups were conducted using participatory action research (PAR) methodology to understand the phenomena. The focus groups included MRY participants (ages 16-26) living in Greater Western Sydney and facilitated by youth project liaisons (YPL). The data was afterward synthesised and analysed using the thematic-synthesis method. Results: In total, 86 MRY (male n= 25, female n= 61) MRY (across 20 different cultural backgrounds) participated in the focus groups. The findings identified socio-ecological factors characterising MRY SRHR, highlighting facilitators such as social media and significant barriers such as lack of access to services and socio-cultural dissonance, and the under-implementation of SRHR support and services by MRY. Key themes from the data included traditional and institutional stigma, lack of SRH education, high reliance on social media for SRH information, anonymity, and privacy concerns. Conclusion: The data shows a limited extent to which MRY SRHR is considered and the intergenerational understanding and stigma affecting the rights of MRY. Therefore, these findings suggest a need for policies and practices to empower MRY’s agency through a collaborative SRHR strategy and policy design to maintain relevance in multicultural contexts.

Keywords: migrant and refugee youth, sexual health, reproductive health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, culture, agency

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Authors: Shelley Harrington

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As a result of increasingly dynamic business environments, the creation and fostering of dynamic capabilities, [those capabilities that enable sustained competitive success despite of dynamism through the awareness and reconfiguration of internal and external competencies], supported by organisational learning [a dynamic capability] has gained increased and prevalent momentum in the research arena. Presenting findings funded by the Economic Social Research Council, this paper investigates the extent to which Senior Management Team (SMT) personality (at the trait and facet level) is associated with the creation of dynamic managerial capabilities at the team level, and effective organisational learning/knowledge sharing within the firm. In doing so, this research highlights the importance of micro-foundations in organisational psychology and specifically dynamic capabilities, a field which to date has largely ignored the importance of psychology in understanding these important and necessary capabilities. Using a direct measure of personality (NEO PI-3) at the trait and facet level across 32 high technology and finance firms in the UK, their CEOs (N=32) and their complete SMTs [N=212], a new measure of dynamic managerial capabilities at the team level was created and statistically validated for use within the work. A quantitative methodology was employed with regression and gap analysis being used to show the empirical foundations of personality being positioned as a micro-foundation of dynamic capabilities. The results of this study found that personality homogeneity within the SMT was required to strengthen the dynamic managerial capabilities of sensing, seizing and transforming, something which was required to reflect strong organisational learning at middle management level [N=533]. In particular, it was found that the greater the difference [t-score gaps] between the personality profiles of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and their complete, collective SMT, the lower the resulting self-reported nature of dynamic managerial capabilities. For example; the larger the difference between a CEOs level of dutifulness, a facet contributing to the definition of conscientiousness, and their SMT’s level of dutifulness, the lower the reported level of transforming, a capability fundamental to strategic change in a dynamic business environment. This in turn directly questions recent trends, particularly in upper echelons research highlighting the need for heterogeneity within teams. In doing so, it successfully positions personality as a micro-foundation of dynamic capabilities, thus contributing to recent discussions from within the strategic management field calling for the need to empirically explore dynamic capabilities at such a level.

Keywords: dynamic managerial capabilities, senior management teams, personality, dynamism

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Authors: Beverly Black

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Background: Adolescent dating abuse (ADA) is widespread throughout the world and negatively impacts many adolescents. ADA is associated with lower self-esteem, poorer school performance, lower employment opportunities, higher rates of depression, absenteeism from school, substance abuse, bullying, smoking, suicide, pregnancy, eating disorders, and risky sexual behaviors, and experiencing domestic violence later in life. ADA prevention is sometimes addressed through school programming; yet, parental responses to ADA can also be an important vehicle for its prevention. In this exploratory study, the author examined how mothers, including abused mothers, responded to scenarios of ADA involving their children. Methods: Six focus groups were conducted between December, 2013 and June, 2014 with mothers (n=31) in the southern part of the United States. Three of the focus groups were comprised of mothers (n=17) who had been abused by their partners. Mothers were recruited from local community family agencies. Participants were provided a series of four scenarios about ADA and they were asked to explain how they would respond. Focus groups lasted approximately 45 minutes. All participants were given a gift card to a major retailer as a ‘thank you’. Using QSR-N10, two researchers’ analyzed the focus group data first using open and axial coding techniques to find overarching themes. Researchers triangulated the coded data to ensure accurate interpretations of the participants’ messages and used the scenario questions to structure the coded results. Results: Almost 30% of 699 comments coded as mothers’ recommendations for responding to ADA focused on the importance of providing advice to their children. Advice included breaking up, going to police, ignoring or avoiding the abusive partner, and setting boundaries in relationships. About 22% of comments focused on the need for educating teens about healthy and unhealthy relationships and seeking additional information. About 13% of the comments reflected the view that parents should confront abuser and/or abusers’ parents, and less than 2% noted the need to take their child to counseling. Mothers who had been abused offered similar responses as parents who had not experienced abuse. However, their responses were more likely to focus on sharing their own experience exercising caution in their responses, as they knew from their own experiences that authoritarian responses were ineffective. Over half of the comments indicated that parents would react stronger, quicker, and angrier if a girl was being abused by a boy than vice versa; parents expressed greater fear for their daughters than their sons involved in ADA. Conclusions. Results suggest that mothers have ideas about how to respond to ADA. Mothers who have been abused draw from their experiences and are aware that responding in an authoritarian manner may not be helpful. Because parental influence on teens is critical in their development, it is important for all parents to respond to ADA in a helpful manner to break the cycle of violence. Understanding responses to ADA can inform prevention programming to work with parents in responding to ADA.

Keywords: abused mothers' responses to dating abuse, adolescent dating abuse, mothers' responses to dating abuse, teen dating violence

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Authors: Ioanna H. Lioliou, Despoina D. Zavraka

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The radical reformation that Greek urban space, has undergone over the last century, due to the socio-historical developments, technological development and political–geographic factors, has left its imprint on the urban landscape. While the big cities struggle to regain urban landscape balance, small towns are considered to offer high quality lifescapes, ensuring sustainable development potential. However, their unplanned urbanization process led to the loss of significant areas of nature, lack of essential infrastructure, chaotic built environment, incompatible land uses and urban cohesiveness. Natural environment reference points, such as springs, streams, rivers, forests, suburban greenbelts, and etc.; seems to be detached from urban space, while the public, open and green spaces, unequally distributed in the built environment, they are no longer able to offer a complete experience of nature in the city. This study focuses on Greek mainland, a small town Elassona, and aims to restore spatial coherence between the city’s homonymous river and its urban space surroundings. The existence of a linear aquatic ecosystem, is considered a precious greenway, also referred as blueway, able to initiate natural penetrations and ecosystems empowering. The integration of disconnected natural ecosystems forms the basis of a strategic intervention scheme, where the river becomes the urban integration tool / feature, constituting the main urban corridor and an indispensible part of a wider green network that connects open and green spaces, ensuring the function of all the established networks (transportation, commercial, social) of the town. The proposed intervention, introduces a green network highlighting the old stone bridge at the ‘entrance’ of the river in the town and expanding throughout the town with strategic uses and activities, providing accessibility for all the users. The methodology used, is based on the collection of design tools used in related urban river-design interventions around the world. The reinstallation/reactivation of the balance between natural and urban landscape, besides the environmental benefits, contributes decisively to the illustration/projection of urban green identity and re-enhancement of the quality of lifescape qualities and social interaction.

Keywords: green network, rehabilitation scheme, urban landscape, urban streams

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Authors: Chaich Hamza Walid

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The primary goal of this paper is to question the situation of men’s place in D.H Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers. Our question is what is the role of each man in the novel? And how a mother’s possessiveness had changed the life of all men in the family? David Herbert Lawrence was an important and controversial English writer of the 20th century. He wrote many great works, one of his most popular novels, Sons and Loves, is an autobiographical account of his youth. This novel is about the life of the Morels. The author develops the story by portraying the relationships between many characters, especially the male ones we focus on. ‘Sons and Lovers’ seems to be written especially to women, all what Lawrence wrote is about women but when we go deeper, we see that Lawrence was also interested in men. This work will approach the question in two ways. The first chapter will deal with men’s place in D.H Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers, more exactly with Paul and his father Walter Morel, and with Baxter Dawes. We will focus on each man’s behavior with one another. In the second chapter, we will analyze possessiveness, that is to say, the desire of holding or having someone as one’s own or under one’s control. We will try to prove this view from the spiritual and symbolic possession of different relationships. Our study will be through an intensive psychological analysis of a wife’s possessiveness to her husband, and a mother’s possessiveness to her son’s; William and Paul. The conclusion will review all the important aspects of this analysis. It is very important to know about men’s relationships in D.H Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers this will give us another vision of the novel, and where we can situate Paul’s true relationships, that is to say, his relationships with his father and the other men in the novel.

Keywords: language, literature, English, civilisation

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Authors: M. Chumburidze, N. Salia, T. Namchevadze

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This work deal with case processing problems in business. The task of strategic credit requirements management of cases portfolio is discussed. The information model of credit requirements in a binary tree diagram is considered. The algorithms to solve issues of prioritizing clusters of cases in business have been investigated. An implementation of priority queues to support case management operations has been presented. The corresponding pseudo codes for the programming application have been constructed. The tools applied in this development are based on binary tree ordering algorithms, optimization theory, and business management methods.

Keywords: credit network, case portfolio, binary tree, priority queue, stack

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Authors: Mclee Kerolle

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For more than 50 years, the state of Hawaii has had the beginnings of a burgeoning commercial aerospace presence statewide. While Hawaii provides the aerospace industry with unique assets concerning geographic location, lack of range safety issues and other factors critical to aerospace development, Hawaii’s strategy and commitment for aerospace have been unclear. For this reason, this paper presents a comparative analysis of Hawaii’s space sector with two of the world’s leading space sectors, Colorado and the Netherlands, in order to provide a strategic plan that establishes a firm position going forward to support Hawaii’s aerospace development statewide. This plan will include financial and other economic incentives legislatively supported by the State to help grow and diversify Hawaii’s aerospace sector. The first part of this paper will examine the business model adopted by the Colorado Space Coalition (CSC), a group of industry stakeholders working to make Colorado a center of excellence for aerospace, as blueprint for growth in Hawaii’s space sector. The second section of this paper will examine the business model adopted by the Netherlands Space Business Incubation Centre (NSBIC), a European Space Agency (ESA) affiliated program that offers business support for entrepreneurs to turn space-connected business ideas into commercial companies. This will serve as blueprint to incentivize space businesses to launch and develop in Hawaii. The third section of this paper will analyze the current policies both CSC, and NSBIC implores to promote industry expansion and legislative advocacy. The final section takes the findings from both space sectors and applies their most adaptable features to a Hawaii specific space business model that takes into consideration the unique advantage and disadvantages found in developing Hawaii’s space sector. The findings of this analysis will show that the development of a strategic plan based on a comparative analysis that creates high technology jobs and new pathways for a trained workforce in the space sector, as well as elicit state support and direction, will achieve the goal of establishing Hawaii as a center of space excellence. This analysis will also serve as a signal to the federal, private sector and international community that Hawaii is indeed serious about developing its’ aerospace industry. Ultimately this analysis and subsequent aerospace development plan will serve as a blueprint for the benefit of all space-faring nations seeking to develop their space sectors.

Keywords: Colorado, Hawaii, Netherlands, space policy

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Authors: Josephine Muchiri, Makena Muriithi

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Adverse mental health consequences are experienced by those that have been touched by Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), whether directly or indirectly. These negative effects are felt not only in the short term but in years to come. It is important to examine the prevalence and co-occurrence of mental disorders in order to provide strategic interventions for women who have experienced IPV. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and comorbidity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Depression, and Anxiety among women who had experienced intimate Partner violence in two selected informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya. Participants were 116 women (15-60 years) selected through purposive and snowball sampling from the low social, economic settlements (Kawangware and Kibera) in Nairobi, Kenya. A social demographic questionnaire and the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) were used to collect data on intimate partner violence experiences. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Beck’s Depression Inventory, and the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, respectively. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29, utilizing descriptive and correlation analyses. Findings indicated that the women had undergone various forms of abuse from their intimate partners, which were physical abuse 111(92.5%), sexual abuse 70(88.6%), and verbal abuse 92(93.9%). The prevalence of the mental disorders was PTSD 47(32.4%); M= 44.11, S.D =14.67, depression was the highest at n=131(90.3%; M=33.37±9.98) with the levels of depression having varying prevalence rates where severe depression had the highest representation [moderate: n= 35; 24.1%, severe: n=69 (47.6%) and extremely severe: n=27(18.6%)]. Anxiety had the second highest prevalence of n=99 (68.8%; M= 28.55±13.63) with differing prevalence rates in the levels of anxiety which were normal anxiety: 45(31.3%), moderate anxiety n=62(43.1%) and severe anxiety: n=37(25.7%). Regarding comorbidities, the Pearson correlation test showed that there was a significant (p=0.000) positive relationship between PTSD and depression (r=0.379; p=.000), PTSD and anxiety (r=0.624; p=.000), and depression and anxiety (r=0.386; p=.000) such that increase in one disorder concomitantly led to increase of the other two disorders; hence comorbidity of the three disorders was ascertained. Conclusion: The study asserted the adverse impacts of IPV on women’s mental well-being, where the prevalence of PTSD, depression, and anxiety was established. Almost all the women had depressive symptoms; whereas more than half had anxiety and slightly more than a third had PTSD. Regarding the severity levels of anxiety and depression, almost half of the women with depression had severe depression whereas moderate anxiety was more prevalent for those with anxiety. The three disorders were found to co-occur where comorbidities of PTSD and anxiety had the highest probability of co-occurrence. It is thus recommended that mental health interventions with a focus on the three disorders be offered for women undergoing IPV.

Keywords: anxiety, comorbidity, depression, intimate partner violence, post-traumatic stress disorder

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Authors: Layla Mujahed

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COVID-19 is an exam for all the city’s systems. It shows many gaps in the systems such as healthcare, economic, social, and environment. This pandemic is paving for a new era, an era of technology and it has changed people’s lives, such as physical, and emotional changes, and converting communication into digitalized. The effect of COVID-19 has covered all urban city parts. COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic our cities will face. For that, more researches focus on enhancing the quality of the urban environment. This pandemic encourages a rethinking of the environment’s role, especially in cities. Cities are trying to provide the best suitable strategies and regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and an example of that is Amman city. Amman has a high increment in the number of COVID-19 infected people, while it has controlled the situation for months. For that, this paper studies the relation between COVID-19 and urban environmental studies cases about cities around the world, and learns from their models to face COVID-19. In Amman, people’s behavior has changed towards public transportation and public green spaces. N­ew governmental regulations focus on increasing people’s mental awareness, supporting local businesses, and enhancing neighborhood planning that can help Amman to face any future pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19, urban environment, urban planning, urban resilience

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Authors: Amin Tarzi

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The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was expected to keep the Taliban insurgents at bay after the departure of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led forces in 2021, especially given the two decades of effort to establish security forces to safeguard Western-backed governing institutions. This articles reviews the reasons for the failure of the much larger and better-equipped Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to stop the Taliban from taking over the Afghan capital of Kabul in a few days and analyzes the often-forgotten dimension of strategic calculations in this dialogue—namely the societal dimension. In this article, the author argues that this is one of the primary reasons that the ANSF and the Afghan government collapsed.

Keywords: societal warfare, Afghanistan, NATO, Taliban, military strategy

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Authors: Md. Abud Darda

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Different options for natural gas production in wide geographic areas may be described through diffusion of innovation models. This type of modeling approach provides an indirect estimate of an ultimately recoverable resource, URR, capture the quantitative effects of observed strategic interventions, and allow ex-ante assessments of future scenarios over time. In order to ensure a sustainable energy policy, it is important to forecast the availability of this natural resource. Considering a finite life cycle, in this paper we try to investigate the natural gas production of Myanmar and Algeria, two important natural gas provider in the world energy market. A number of homogeneous and heterogeneous diffusion models, with convenient extensions, have been used. Models validation has also been performed in terms of prediction capability.

Keywords: diffusion models, energy forecast, natural gas, nonlinear production

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Authors: Jessica Terese Mueller, Christoph Breitsprecher, Mike Oliver Mosko

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Due to an unusually high number of asylum seekers entering Germany over the course of the past few years, the need for community interpreters has increased dramatically, in order to make the communication between asylum seekers and various actors in social and governmental agencies possible. In the field of social work in particular, there are community interpreters who possess a wide spectrum of qualifications spanning from state-certified professional interpreters with graduate degrees to lay or ad-hoc interpreters with little to no formal training. To the best of our knowledge, Germany has no official national quality standards for the training of community interpreters at present, which would serve to professionalise this field as well as to assure a certain degree of quality in the training programmes offered. Given the current demand for trained community interpreters, there is a growing number of training programmes geared toward qualifying community interpreters who work with asylum seekers in Germany. These training programmes range from short one-day workshops to graduate programmes with specialisations in Community Interpreting. As part of a larger project to develop quality standards for the qualification of community interpreters working with asylum seekers in the field of social work, a needs assessment was performed in the city-state of Hamburg and the state of North Rhine Westphalia in the form of focus groups and individual interviews with relevant actors in the field in order to determine the content and practical knowledge needed for community interpreters from the perspectives of those who work in and rely on this field. More specifically, social workers, volunteers, certified language and cultural mediators, paid and volunteer community interpreters and asylum seekers were invited to take part in focus groups in both locations, and asylum seekers, training providers, researchers, linguists and other national and international experts were individually interviewed. The responses collected in these focus groups and interviews have been analysed using Mayring’s concept of content analysis. In general, the responses indicate a high degree of overlap related to certain categories as well as some categories which seemed to be of particular importance to certain groups individually, while showing little to no relevance for other groups. For example, the topics of accuracy and transparency of the interpretations, as well as professionalism and ethical concerns were touched on in some form in most groups. Some group-specific topics which are the focus of experts were topics related to interpreting techniques and more concretely described theoretical and practical knowledge which should be covered in training programmes. Social workers and volunteers generally concentrated on issues regarding the role of the community interpreters and the importance of setting and clarifying professional boundaries. From the perspective of service receivers, asylum seekers tended to focus on the importance of having access to interpreters who are from their home region or country and who speak the same regiolect, dialect or variety as they do in order to prevent misunderstandings or misinterpretations which might negatively affect their asylum status. These results indicate a certain degree of consensus with trainings offered internationally for community interpreters.

Keywords: asylum seekers, community interpreting, needs assessment, quality standards, training

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Authors: Nilay Balkan

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Introductory statement: The purpose of this study is to understand how small business owners develop social media marketing competency, the challenges they encounter in doing so, and establish the social media training needs of such businesses. These challenges impact the extent to which small business owners build effective social media knowledge and, in turn, impact their ability to implement effective social media marketing into their business practices. This means small businesses are not fully able to benefit from social media, such as benefits to customer relationship management or increasing brand image, which would support the overall business operations for these businesses. This research is part one of a two-phased study. The first phase aims to establish the challenges small business owners face in building social media marketing competency and their specific training needs. Phase two will then focus in more depth on the barriers and challenges emerging from phase one. Summary of Methodology: Interviews with ten small business owners were conducted from various sectors, including fitness, tourism, food, and drinks. These businesses were located in the central belt of Scotland, which is an area with the highest population and business density in Scotland. These interviews were in-depth and semi-structured, with the purpose of being investigative and understanding the phenomena from the lived experience of the small business owners. A purposive sampling was used, where small business owners fulfilling certain criteria were approached to take part in the interviews. Key findings: The study found four ways in which small business owners develop their social media competency (informal methods, formal methods, learning through a network, and experimenting) and the various challenges they face with these methods. Further, the study established four barriers impacting the development of social media marketing competency among the interviewed small business owners. In doing so, preliminary support needs have also emerged. Concluding statement: The contribution of this study is to understand the challenges small business owners face when learning how to use social media for business purposes and identifying their training needs. This understanding can help the development of specific and tailored support. In addition, specific and tailored training can support small businesses in building competency. This supports small businesses to progress to the next stage of their development, which could be to further their digital transformation or grow their business. The insights from this study can be used to support business competitiveness and support small businesses to become more resilient. Moreover, small businesses and entrepreneurs share some similar characteristics, such as limited resources and conflicting priorities, and the findings of this study may be able to support entrepreneurs in their social media marketing strategies as well.

Keywords: small business, marketing theory and applications, social media marketing, strategic management, digital competency, digitalisation, marketing research and strategy, entrepreneurship

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Authors: Wan Jiun Tin

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Neighborhood regeneration has gained its popularity despite market-led urban redevelopment is still the main strategy in most of the countries in Asia. Area-based approach of neighborhood regeneration with the focus on people, place and system which covers the main sustainable aspects shall be studied as part of the solution. Project implementation in small scale without fully depending on the financial support from the government and main stakeholders is the advantage of neighborhood regeneration. This enables the improving and upgrading of living conditions to be ongoing even during the economy downturn. In addition to that, there will be no specific selection on the development areas as the entire nation share the similar opportunity to upgrade and to improve their neighborhood. This is important to narrow the income disparities in urban. The objective of this paper is to review and to summarize the urban regeneration in developed countries with the focus on Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. The aim is to determine the direction of sustainable urban regeneration in Malaysia for post-Vision 2020 through the introduction of neighborhood regeneration. This paper is conducted via literature review and observations in those selected countries. In conclusion, neighborhood regeneration shall be one of the approach of sustainable urban regeneration in Malaysia. A few criteria have been identified and to be recommended for the adaptation in Malaysia.

Keywords: area-based regeneration, public participation, sustainable urban regeneration, urban redevelopment

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Authors: Avinash Kumar Ranjan, Akash Anand

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The Land Surface Temperature (LST) is an essential factor accompanying to rise urban heat and climate warming within a city in micro level. It is also playing crucial role in global change study as well as radiation budgets measuring in heat balance studies. The information of LST is very substantial to recognize the urban climatology, ecological changes, anthropological and environmental interactions etc. The Chief motivation of present study focus on time series of ANN model that taken a sequence of LST values of 2000, 2008 and 2016, realize the pattern of variation within the data set and predict the LST values for 2024 and 2032. The novelty of this study centers on evaluation of LST using series of multi-temporal MODIS (MOD 11A2) satellite data by Maximum Value Composite (MVC) techniques. The results derived from this study endorse the proficiency of Geoinformatics Technology with integration of ANN to gain knowledge, understanding and building of precise forecast from the complex physical world database. This study will also focus on influence of Land Use/ Land Cover (LU/LC) variation on Land Surface Temperature.

Keywords: LST, geoinformatics technology, ANN, MODIS satellite imagery, MVC

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Authors: Alireza Karimi

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping various industries, and accounting is no exception. With the ability to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, AI is revolutionizing how financial professionals manage, analyze, and report financial information. In this article, we will explore the diverse applications of AI in accounting and its profound impact on the field. Automation of Repetitive Tasks: One of the most significant contributions of AI in accounting is automating repetitive tasks. AI-powered software can handle data entry, invoice processing, and reconciliation with minimal human intervention. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors, leading to more accurate financial records. Pattern Recognition and Anomaly Detection: AI algorithms excel at pattern recognition. In accounting, this capability is leveraged to identify unusual patterns in financial data that might indicate fraud or errors. AI can swiftly detect discrepancies, enabling auditors and accountants to focus on resolving issues rather than hunting for them. Real-Time Financial Insights: AI-driven tools, using natural language processing and computer vision, can process documents faster than ever. This enables organizations to have real-time insights into their financial status, empowering decision-makers with up-to-date information for strategic planning. Fraud Detection and Prevention: AI is a powerful tool in the fight against financial fraud. It can analyze vast transaction datasets, flagging suspicious activities and reducing the likelihood of financial misconduct going unnoticed. This proactive approach safeguards a company's financial integrity. Enhanced Data Analysis and Forecasting: Machine learning, a subset of AI, is used for data analysis and forecasting. By examining historical financial data, AI models can provide forecasts and insights, aiding businesses in making informed financial decisions and optimizing their financial strategies. Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally transforming the accounting profession. From automating mundane tasks to enhancing data analysis and fraud detection, AI is making financial processes more efficient, accurate, and insightful. As AI continues to evolve, its role in accounting will only become more significant, offering accountants and finance professionals powerful tools to navigate the complexities of modern finance. Embracing AI in accounting is not just a trend; it's a necessity for staying competitive in the evolving financial landscape.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, accounting automation, financial analysis, fraud detection, machine learning in finance

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Authors: Kennedy Gbenu, Richmond Kweku Frempong

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Rebranding has become a very important strategic tool for companies wanting to succeed in the ever competitive business world using the principles of rebranding Moisescu. Two businesses in Ghana (Ghana Commercial Bank and Vodafone Ghana) have been used to ascertain how rebranding of these organizations was done using the principles in their effort to rebrand themselves and to stay relevant. A secondary research mainly on literature surrounding rebranding, official websites of the organizations under study have also been used extensively. After a basic comparative study undertaken two firms (GCB and VODAFONE) seems to be using the first three principles and reaping from it as provided by Moisescu. This goes to show that rebranding should not be done in vacuum but should be guided by such principles so as to achieve the full potential of any kind of investments made.

Keywords: brands, corporate branding, innovation, case studies

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Authors: Hafizul Rasdi

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This study was conducted to find out the perceptions of Islamic Education teachers on the implementation of 21st century learning practices in Kuching, Sarawak. This study uses the field method. Eight respondents were selected based on the interviews and focus group discussions conducted among teachers in four primary school in Kuching, Sarawak. This study is focused to find out the perceptions of Islamic Education teachers on the implementation of 21st century learning as well as the importance of 21st century learning in the subject of Islamic Education. Data were collected using library research, semi-structured interview transcripts and focus group discussions. Data analysis methods used was descriptive analysis. The findings of the study have shown that Islamic Education teachers in primary school in Kuching, Sarawak agreed on the implementation of 21st Century Learning Practices in Islamic Education subject. The finding also show that the application of 21st Century Learning Practices in the subject of Islamic Education can help improve students mastery of the subject.

Keywords: perceptions, Islamic education, 21st century learning practices, teachers

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Authors: Shahin Marjan Nanaje

Abstract:

The present century is the time that social worker faced complicated issues in the area of their work. All the focus are on bringing change in the life of those that they live in margin or live in poverty became the cause that we have forgotten to look at ourselves and start to bring change in the way we address issues. It seems that there is new area of needs that social worker should response to that. In need of dialogue and collaboration, to address the issues and needs of community both individually and as a group we need to have new method of dialogue as tools to reach to collaboration. The social worker as link between community, organization and government play multiple roles. They need to focus in the area of communication with new ability, to transfer all the narration of the community to those organization and government and vice versa. It is not relate only in language but it is about changing dialogue. Migration for survival by job seeker to the big cities created its own issues and difficulty and therefore created new need. Collaboration is not only requiring between government sector and non-government sectors but also it could be in new way between government, non-government and communities. To reach to this collaboration we need healthy, productive and meaningful dialogue. In this new collaboration there will not be any hierarchy between members. The methodology that selected by researcher were focusing on observation at the first place, and used questionnaire in the second place. Duration of the research was three months and included home visits, group discussion and using communal narrations which helped to bring enough evidence to understand real need of community. The sample selected randomly was included 70 immigrant families which work as sweepers in the slum community in Bangalore, Karnataka. The result reveals that there is a gap between what a community is and what organizations, government and members of society apart from this community think about them. Consequently, it is learnt that to supply any service or bring any change to slum community, we need to apply new skill to have dialogue and understand each other before providing any services. Also to bring change in the life of those marginal groups at large we need to have collaboration as their challenges are collective and need to address by different group and collaboration will be necessary. The outcome of research helped researcher to see the area of need for new method of dialogue and collaboration as well as a framework for collaboration and dialogue that were main focus of the paper. The researcher used observation experience out of ten NGO’s and their activities to create framework for dialogue and collaboration.

Keywords: collaboration, dialogue, community development, empowerment

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Authors: Nizar Mansour, Chiha Gaha, Emna Gara

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The present research investigates the relationship among HRM practices, knowledge sharing behavior and a certain number of intermediary variables in the context of Tunisian knowledge-intensive firms. Results suggest that five HR practices influence either directly or indirectly the knowledge sharing behavior through enhancing the value of human capital and fostering a learning-oriented organizational climate. Results have strong theoretical implications for both the fields of knowledge management and strategic human resource management. Managerial implications are also derived.

Keywords: human capital, knowledge intensive firms, knowledge sharing, organizational climate, Tunisia

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Authors: Husain A. Murad, Ali A. Dashti, Ali Al-Kandari

Abstract:

The outbreak of Coronavirus during the Spring semester of 2020 brought new challenges for the teaching of vocational mass communication courses at universities in Kuwait. Using the Media Richness Theory (MRT), this study examines the response of 252 university students on mass communication programs. A questionnaire regarding their perceptions and preferences concerning modes of instruction on vocational courses online, focusing on the four factors of MRT: immediacy of feedback, capacity to include personal focus, conveyance of multiple cues, and variety of language. The outcomes show that immediacy of feedback predicted all criterion variables: suitability of distance learning (DL) for teaching vocational courses, sentiments of students toward DL, perceptions of easiness of evaluation of DL coursework, and the possibility of retaking DL courses. Capacity to include personal focus was another positive predictor of the criterion variables. It predicted students’ sentiments toward DL and the possibility of retaking DL courses. The outcomes are discussed in relation to implications for using DL, as well as constructing an agenda for DL research.

Keywords: distance learning, media richness theory, traditional learning, vocational media courses

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Authors: Lina Zhong, Sunny Sun, Rob Law

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Artificial intelligence has been developing rapidly. Previous studies have evaluated hotel technology either from an employee or consumer perspective. However, impacts, which mainly include the social and economic impacts of hotel robots, are unknown as they are newly introduced. To bridge the aforementioned research gap, this study evaluates hotel robots from contextual, diagnostic, evaluative, and strategic aspects using framework analysis as a basis to assist hotel managers in real-time hotel marketing strategy management, adjustment and revenue achievement. Findings show that, from a consumer perspective, the overall acceptance of hotel robots is low. The main implication is that the cost of hotel robots should be carefully estimated, and the investment should be made based on phases.

Keywords: application, evaluation, framework analysis, hotel robot

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Authors: Pitchayanin Sukholthaman

Abstract:

Gradually accumulated, the enormous amount of waste has caused tremendous adverse impacts to the world. Bangkok, Thailand, is chosen as an urban city of a developing country having coped with serious MSW problems due to the vast amount of waste generated, ineffective and improper waste management problems. Waste generation is the most important factor for successful planning of MSW management system. Thus, the prediction of MSW is a very important role to understand MSW distribution and characteristic; to be used for strategic planning issues. This study aims to find influencing variables that affect the amount of Bangkok MSW generation quantity.

Keywords: MSW generation, MSW quantity prediction, MSW management, multiple regression, Bangkok

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Authors: T. V. K. Gupta, J. Ramkumar, Puneet Tandon, N. S. Vyas

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Abrasive Water Jet Machining (AWJM) is an unconventional machining process well known for machining hard to cut materials. The primary research focus on the process was for through cutting and a very limited literature is available on pocket milling using AWJM. The present work is an attempt to use this process for milling applications considering a set of various process parameters. Four different input parameters, which were considered by researchers for part separation, are selected for the above application i.e. abrasive size, flow rate, standoff distance, and traverse speed. Pockets of definite size are machined to investigate surface roughness, material removal rate, and pocket depth. Based on the data available through experiments on SS304 material, it is observed that higher traverse speeds gives a better finish because of reduction in the particle energy density and lower depth is also observed. Increase in the standoff distance and abrasive flow rate reduces the rate of material removal as the jet loses its focus and occurrence of collisions within the particles. ANOVA for individual output parameter has been studied to know the significant process parameters.

Keywords: abrasive flow rate, surface finish, abrasive size, standoff distance, traverse speed

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Authors: Amy Whelan

Abstract:

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the drivers of sustainable consumer behavior in the Irish aviation industry. It aims to understand the underlying factors that facilitate or hinder a consumer's sustainable consumption habits related to aviation and its impact on the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by all UN member states in 2015, the SDGs represent a global call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. The research takes a mixed methodology approach, combining focus groups in phase 1 and a survey in phase 2. The focus groups will be used to elicit qualitative data to understand the attitudes and perceptions of consumers toward sustainable aviation and tourism in Ireland. The survey in phase 2 will then provide a more comprehensive and quantifiable understanding of the topic. The results of this study will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of sustainable tourism and will provide insights into the drivers of sustainable consumer behavior in the Irish aviation industry. It is expected that the findings of this research will have practical implications for industry stakeholders and policy-makers in their efforts to promote sustainable tourism and achieve the SDGs in Ireland.

Keywords: aviation, consumer behaviour, marketing, sustainability

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Authors: Seyedabdolali Mortazavi Kamalabadi, Faegheh Taheran

Abstract:

By giving an overview of previous arguments and findings concerned with the concept of competitive advantage, first, we define the overall concept of competitive advantage and discuss nuances of understanding such an important and strategic idea. Finally, by considering the major concerns of marketing academia, including globalization, AI-based technologies, consumer well-being, and internal coopetition between a firm’s units, fruitful avenues to be explored by future studies are presented in the form of research propositions. In the end, relevant gaps mentioned by numerous studies that are worth investigating are demonstrated.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, competitive advantage, consumer well-being, coopetition, globalization, literature review, temporary competitive advantage

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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: S. Somerset, D. J. Hoare, P. Leighton

Abstract:

Limited participation in physical activity and sport has been linked to poorer mental and physical health in children. Studies have shown that children who participate in sports benefit from improved social skills, self-confidence, communication skills and a better quality of life. Children who participate in sport are also more likely to continue their participation into their adult life. Deaf or hard of hearing children should have the same opportunities to participate in sport and receive the benefits as their hearing peers. Anecdotal evidence suggests this isn’t always the case. This is concerning given there are 45,000 children in the UK with permanent hearing loss. The aim of this study was to understand what encourages or discourages deaf or hard of hearing children to take part in sports. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the University of Nottingham School of Medicine ethics committee. We conducted eight focus groups with deaf or hard of hearing children aged 10 to 15 years. A total of 45 children (19 male, 26 female) recruited from local schools and sports clubs took part. Information was gathered on the children’s thoughts and feelings about participation in sport. This included whether they played sports and who with, whether they did or did not like sport, and why they got involved in sport. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Several key themes were identified as being associated with levels of sports participation. These included friendships, family and communication. Deaf or hard of hearing children with active siblings had participated in more sports. Communication was a common theme throughout regardless of the type of hearing-assistive technology a child used. Children found communication easier during sport if they were allowed to use their technology and had particular difficulty during sports such as swimming. Children expressed a desire not to have to identify themselves at a club as having a hearing loss. This affected their confidence when participating in sport. Not surprisingly, children who are deaf or hard of hearing are more likely to participate in sport if they have a good support network of parents, coaches and friends. The key barriers to participation for these children are communication, lack of visual information, lack of opportunity and a lack of awareness. By addressing these issues more deaf and hard of hearing children will take part in sport and will continue their participation.

Keywords: barrier, children, deaf, participation, hard of hearing, sport

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