Search results for: Latin American economic history
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 10275

Search results for: Latin American economic history

3315 Bridging the Gap and Widening the Divide

Authors: Lerato Dixon, Thorsten Chmura

Abstract:

This paper explores whether ethnic identity in Zimbabwe leads to discriminatory behaviour and the degree to which a norm-based intervention can shift this discriminatory behaviour. Social Identity Theory suggests that group identity can lead to favouritism towards the in-group and discriminatory behaviour towards the out-group. Agents yield higher utility from maintaining positive self-esteem by confirming with group behaviour. This paper focuses on the two majority ethnic groups in Zimbabwe – the Ndebele and Shona. Racial identities are synonymous with the language spoken. Zimbabwe’s history highlights how identity formation took place. As following independence, political parties became recognised as either Ndebele or Shona-speaking. It is against this backdrop that this study investigates the degree to which norm-based nudge can alter behaviour. This paper uses experimental methods to analyse discriminatory behaviour between two naturally occurring ethnic groups in Zimbabwe. In addition, we investigate if social norm-based interventions can shift discriminatory behaviour to understand if the divide between these two identity groups can be further divided or healed. Participants are randomly assigned into three groups to receive information regarding a social norm. We compare the effect of a proscriptive social norm-based intervention, stating what shouldn't be done and prescriptive social norms as interventions, stating what should be done. Specifically, participants are either shown the socially appropriate (Heal) norm, the socially inappropriateness (Divide) norm regarding interethnic marriages or no norm-based intervention. Following the random assignment into intervention groups, participants take part in the Trust Game. We conjecture that discrimination will shift in accordance with the prevailing social norm. Instead, we find evidence of interethnic discriminatory behaviour. We also find that trust increases when interacting with Ndebele, Shona and Zimbabwean participants following the Heal intervention. However, if the participant is Shona, the Heal intervention decreases trust toward in-groups and Zimbabwean co-players. On the other hand, if the participant is Shona, the Divide treatment significantly increases trust toward Ndebele participants. In summary, we find evidence that norm-based interventions significantly change behaviour. However, the prescriptive norm-based intervention (Heal) decreases trust toward the in-group, out-group and national identity group if the participant is Shona – therefore having an adverse effect. In contrast, the proscriptive Divide treatment increases trust if the participant is Shona towards Ndebele co-players. We conclude that norm-based interventions have a ‘rebound’ effect by altering behaviour in the opposite direction.

Keywords: discrimination, social identity, social norm-based intervention, zimbabwe

Procedia PDF Downloads 250
3314 Occupational Diseases in the Automotive Industry in Czechia

Authors: J. Jarolímek, P. Urban, P. Pavlínek, D. Dzúrová

Abstract:

The industry constitutes a dominant economic sector in Czechia. The automotive industry represents the most important industrial sector in terms of gross value added and the number of employees. The objective of this study was to analyse the occurrence of occupational diseases (OD) in the automotive industry in Czechia during the 2001-2014 period. Whereas the occurrence of OD in other sectors has generally been decreasing, it has been increasing in the automotive industry, including growing spatial discrepancies. Data on OD cases were retrieved from the National Registry of Occupational Diseases. Further, we conducted a survey in automotive companies with a focus on occupational health services and positions of the companies in global production networks (GPNs). An analysis of OD distribution in the automotive industry was performed (age, gender, company size and its role in GPNs, regional distribution of studied companies, and regional unemployment rate), and was accompanied by an assessment of the quality and range of occupational health services. The employees older than 40 years had nearly 2.5 times higher probability of OD occurrence compared with employees younger than 40 years (OR 2.41; 95% CI: 2.05-2.85). The OD occurrence probability was 3 times higher for women than for men (OR 3.01; 95 % CI: 2.55-3.55). The OD incidence rate was increasing with the size of the company. An association between the OD incidence and the unemployment rate was not confirmed.

Keywords: occupational diseases, automotive industry, health geography, unemployment

Procedia PDF Downloads 250
3313 Political News Coverage in Philippine Tabloid Sheets: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Authors: Michael Steve Lopez Bernabe

Abstract:

Political news coverage of tabloid sheets as one of the print media molds or influences public opinions and perceptions. In this study, Critical Discourse Analysis was employed to 30 political news taken from major tabloid sheets in the Philippines in order to determine the linguistics features and other features characterizing the political news in tabloids such as discursive styles, news topics or contexts, journalistic roles and news sources. The political underpinnings through framing were also explored in the study. The results revealed that the linguistics features of the news coverage include moods and modalities (morphology), passivity and transitivity, nominalization, appositives and embedding (syntax), and pre-modifications, the use of verbs and omissions (grammatical features). The discursive features were direct or indirect speech; cohesion; endophora and classifications. In terms of news sources were politicians, experts, and journalists; and the tabloid perform the journalistic roles such as an intervention, watchdog, loyal-facilitator, service, infotainment and civic. The news was also evident of different political underpinnings such as game or strategic framing, conflict framing, human interest framing, attrition of responsibility framing, morality framing, economic consequences framing and issue framing.

Keywords: critical discourse analysis, political news, applied linguistics, Philippines, tabloid sheets

Procedia PDF Downloads 46
3312 The Phenomenology in the Music of Debussy through Inspiration of Western and Oriental Culture

Authors: Yu-Shun Elisa Pong

Abstract:

Music aesthetics related to phenomenology is rarely discussed and still in the ascendant while multi-dimensional discourses of philosophy were emerged to be an important trend in the 20th century. In the present study, a basic theory of phenomenology from Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) is revealed and discussed followed by the introduction of intentionality concepts, eidetic reduction, horizon, world, and inter-subjectivity issues. Further, phenomenology of music and general art was brought to attention by the introduction of Roman Ingarden’s The Work of Music and the Problems of its Identity (1933) and Mikel Dufrenne’s The Phenomenology of Aesthetic Experience (1953). Finally, Debussy’s music will be analyzed and discussed from the perspective of phenomenology. Phenomenology is not so much a methodology or analytics rather than a common belief. That is, as much as possible to describe in detail the different human experience, relative to the object of purpose. Such idea has been practiced in various guises for centuries, only till the early 20th century Phenomenology was better refined through the works of Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty and others. Debussy was born in an age when the Western society began to accept the multi-cultural baptism. With his unusual sensitivity to the oriental culture, Debussy has presented considerable inspiration, absorption, and echo in his music works. In fact, his relationship with nature is far from echoing the idea of Chinese ancient literati and nature. Although he is not the first composer to associate music with human and nature, the unique quality and impact of his works enable him to become a significant figure in music aesthetics. Debussy’s music tried to develop a quality analogous of nature, and more importantly, based on vivid life experience and artistic transformation to achieve the realm of pure art. Such idea that life experience comes before artwork, either clear or vague, simple or complex, was later presented abstractly in his late works is still an interesting subject worth further discussion. Debussy’s music has existed for more than or close to a century. It has received musicology researcher’s attention as much as other important works in the history of Western music. Among the pluralistic discussion about Debussy’s art and ideas, phenomenological aesthetics has enlightened new ideas and view angles to relook his great works and even gave some previous arguments legitimacy. Overall, this article provides a new insight of Debussy’s music from phenomenological exploration and it is believed phenomenology would be an important pathway in the research of the music aesthetics.

Keywords: Debussy's music, music esthetics, oriental culture, phenomenology

Procedia PDF Downloads 275
3311 An Institutional Mapping and Stakeholder Analysis of ASEAN’s Preparedness for Nuclear Power Disaster

Authors: Nur Azha Putra Abdul Azim, Denise Cheong, S. Nivedita

Abstract:

Currently, there are no nuclear power reactors among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states (AMS) but there are seven operational nuclear research reactors, and Indonesia is about to construct the region’s first experimental power reactor by the end of the decade. If successful, the experimental power reactor will lay the foundation for the country’s and region’s first nuclear power plant. Despite projecting confidence during the period of nuclear power renaissance in the region in the last decade, none of the AMS has committed to a political decision on the use of nuclear energy and this is largely due to the Fukushima nuclear power accident in 2011. Of the ten AMS, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia have demonstrated the most progress in developing nuclear energy based on the nuclear power infrastructure development assessments made by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Of these three states, Vietnam came closest to building its first nuclear power plant but decided to delay construction further due to safety and security concerns. Meanwhile, Vietnam along with Indonesia and Malaysia continue with their nuclear power infrastructure development and the remaining SEA states, with the exception of Brunei and Singapore, continue to build their expertise and capacity for nuclear power energy. At the current rate of progress, Indonesia is expected to make a national decision on the use of nuclear power by 2023 while Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand have included the use of nuclear power in their mid to long-term power development plans. Vietnam remains open to nuclear power but has not placed a timeline. The medium to short-term power development projection in the region suggests that the use of nuclear energy in the region is a matter of 'when' rather than 'if'. In lieu of the prospects for nuclear energy in Southeast Asia (SEA), this presentation will review the literature on ASEAN radiological emergency and preparedness response (EPR) plans and examine ASEAN’s disaster management and emergency framework. Through a combination of institutional mapping and stakeholder analysis methods, which we examine in the context of the international EPR, and nuclear safety and security regimes, we will identify the issues and challenges in developing a regional radiological EPR framework in the SEA. We will conclude with the observation that ASEAN faces serious structural, institutional and governance challenges due to the AMS inherent political structures and history of interstate conflicts, and propose that ASEAN should either enlarge the existing scope of its disaster management and response framework or that its radiological EPR framework should exist as a separate entity.

Keywords: nuclear power, nuclear accident, ASEAN, Southeast Asia

Procedia PDF Downloads 152
3310 Study of Launch Recovery Control Dynamics of Retro Propulsive Reusable Rockets

Authors: Pratyush Agnihotri

Abstract:

The space missions are very costly because the transportation to the space is highly expensive and therefore there is the need to achieve complete re-usability in our launch vehicles to make the missions highly economic by cost cutting of the material recovered. Launcher reusability is the most efficient approach to decreasing admittance to space access economy, however stays an incredible specialized hurdle for the aerospace industry. Major concern of the difficulties lies in guidance and control procedure and calculations, specifically for those of the controlled landing stage, which should empower an exact landing with low fuel edges. Although cutting edge ways for navigation and control are present viz hybrid navigation and robust control. But for powered descent and landing of first stage of launch vehicle the guidance control is need to enable on board optimization. At first the CAD model of the launch vehicle I.e. space x falcon 9 rocket is presented for better understanding of the architecture that needs to be identified for the guidance and control solution for the recovery of the launcher. The focus is on providing the landing phase guidance scheme for recovery and re usability of first stage using retro propulsion. After reviewing various GNC solutions, to achieve accuracy in pre requisite landing online convex and successive optimization are explored as the guidance schemes.

Keywords: guidance, navigation, control, retro propulsion, reusable rockets

Procedia PDF Downloads 92
3309 The Concept of the Family and Its Principles from the Perspective of International Human Rights Instruments

Authors: Mahya Saffarinia

Abstract:

The family has existed as a natural unit of human relations from the beginning of creation and life of human society until now and has been the core of the relationship between women, men, and children. However, in the field of human relations, the definition of family, related rights and duties, principles governing the family, the impact of the family on other individual or social phenomena and various other areas have changed over time, especially in recent decades, and the subject has now become one of the important categories of studies including interdisciplinary studies. It is difficult to provide an accurate and comprehensive definition of the family, and in the context of different cultures, customs, and legal systems, different definitions of family are presented. The meaning of legal principles governing the family is the general rules of law that determine the organization of different dimensions of the family, and dozens of partial rules are inferred from it or defined in the light of these general rules. How each of these principles was formed has left its own detailed history. In international human rights standards, which have been gradually developed over the past 72 years, numerous data can be found that in some way represent a rule in the field of family law or provide an interpretation of existing international rules which also address obligations of governments in the field of family. Based on a descriptive-analytical method and by examining human rights instruments, the present study seeks to explain the effective elements in defining and the principles governing the family. This article makes it clear that international instruments do not provide a clear definition of the family and that governments are empowered to define the family in terms of the cultural context of their community. But at the same time, it has been stipulated that governments do not have the exclusive authority to provide this definition, and certain principles should be considered as essential elements. Also, 7 principles have been identified as general legal rules governing all international human rights instruments related to the family, such as the principle of voluntary family formation and the prohibition of forced marriage, and the principle of respecting human dignity for all family members. Each of these 7 principles has led to different debates, and the acceptance or non-acceptance of each of them has different consequences in the rights and duties related to the family and the relations between its members and even the family's interactions with others and society. One of the consequences of the validity of these principles in family-related human rights standards is that many of the existing legal systems of countries in some cases need to be amended and their regulations revised, and some established cultural traditions in societies that are considered inhumane in terms of these principles need to be modified and changed. Of course, this process of governing the principles derived from human rights standards over the family also has vulnerabilities and misinterpretations that should not be neglected.

Keywords: family, human rights, international instruments, principles

Procedia PDF Downloads 179
3308 The Corona is a Double Virus: The Effect of the Corona on Domestic Violence

Authors: B. Waked Najar

Abstract:

Since the spread of Covid- 19, Israel and other countries suffer from lockdowns and social distance, which impose different kinds of restrictions. On the one side, many organization closed and unemployment increased, bringing about economic problems and distress. On the other side, family ties were damaged due to inability to sustain close relations with some family members and too frequent interactions with others. Unfortunately, conflicts within families, controlling behavior and domestic violence appear more often. Purpose: to examine the phenomenon of domestic violence and its expansion during the Covid-19 crisis, to propose and classify strategies of dealing with it, including encouragement of public systems providing more information and support to domestic violence victims. Methodology: the author strives to reveal methods of supporting domestic violence victims through public and private treatment organizations. The author interviewed battered women and families who experienced violence during the Covid-19 crisis. Findings: victims of domestic violence often feel isolated and helpless. It is a real challenge to track and support them, especially in the traditional minorities’ communities. Research limitations: Many families refused to be interviewed because they did not want to be exposed to the community, especially religious families. Originality: research is aimed to examine a phenomenon of domestic violence during the Covid-19 crisis and methods of help and support the victims, which is not a common theme of research during the pandemic.

Keywords: violence, coronavirus, domestic violence, influence

Procedia PDF Downloads 98
3307 Exploring the Physical Environment and Building Features in Earthquake Disaster Areas

Authors: Chang Hsueh-Sheng, Chen Tzu-Ling

Abstract:

Earthquake is an unpredictable natural disaster and intensive earthquakes have caused serious impacts on social-economic system, environmental and social resilience. Conventional ways to mitigate earthquake disaster are to enhance building codes and advance structural engineering measures. However, earthquake-induced ground damage such as liquefaction, land subsidence, landslide happen on places nearby earthquake prone or poor soil condition areas. Therefore, this study uses spatial statistical analysis to explore the spatial pattern of damaged buildings. Afterwards, principle components analysis (PCA) is applied to categorize the similar features in different kinds of clustered patterns. The results show that serious landslide prone area, close to fault, vegetated ground surface and mudslide prone area are common in those highly damaged buildings. In addition, the oldest building might not be directly referred to the most vulnerable one. In fact, it seems that buildings built between 1974 and 1989 become more fragile during the earthquake. The incorporation of both spatial statistical analyses and PCA can provide more accurate information to subsidize retrofit programs to enhance earthquake resistance in particular areas.

Keywords: earthquake disaster, spatial statistic analysis, principle components analysis (pca), clustered patterns

Procedia PDF Downloads 313
3306 Optimizing Scribe Resourcing to Improve Hospitalist Workloads

Authors: Ahmed Hamzi, Bryan Norman

Abstract:

Having scribes help document patient records in electronic health record systems can improve hospitalists’ productivity. But hospitals need to determine the optimum number of scribes to hire to maximize scribe cost effectiveness. Scribe attendance uncertainty due to planned and unplanned absences is a primary challenge. This paper presents simulation and analytical models to determine the optimum number of scribes for a hospital to hire. Scribe staffing practices vary from one context to another; different staffing scenarios are considered where having extra attending scribes provides or does not provide additional value and utilizing on-call scribes to fill in for potentially absent scribes. These staffing scenarios are assessed for different scribe revenue ratios (ratio of the value of the scribe relative to scribe costs) ranging from 100% to 300%. The optimum solution depends on the absenteeism rate, revenue ratio, and desired service level. The analytical model obtains solutions easier and faster than the simulation model, but the simulation model is more accurate. Therefore, the analytical model’s solutions are compared with the simulation model’s solutions regarding both the number of scribes hired and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, an Excel tool has been developed to facilitate decision-makers in easily obtaining solutions using the analytical model.

Keywords: hospitalists, workload, optimization cost, economic analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 45
3305 Fostering Fresh Graduate Students’ Confidence in Speaking English: An Action Research to Students of Muria Kudus University, Central Java, Indonesia

Authors: Farid Noor Romadlon

Abstract:

Welcoming the ASEAN Economic Community and globalization, people need to have a good communication skill. Being able to speak English is one of important qualification in this skill and as global citizen. This study focused on fostering fresh graduate students’ confidence in speaking English. So, students have good performance in speaking. There were thirty (30) students from first semester of English Education Department who joined Intensive Course class as the subject. They had poor motivation to speak English since English is a foreign language which is not exposed in their environment. This study used Three Communicative Activities technique in twelve successive meetings totally. It was done in two cycles (six meetings for each) since there were some activities should be improved in the first session (cycle). Oral test was administered to find the quantitative result and observation conducted to strengthen the finding. The result indicated that Three Communicative Activities improved students’ confidence in speaking English. They had significant progress in their performance in the class. The technique which allowed students to have more spaces to explore and express their ideas to their friends increased their confidence in their performance. The group or cooperative activities stimulated students to think critically in the discussion and promoted their confidence to talk more.

Keywords: students’ confidence, three communicative activities, speaking, Muria Kudus University

Procedia PDF Downloads 213
3304 Building Exoskeletons for Seismic Retrofitting

Authors: Giuliana Scuderi, Patrick Teuffel

Abstract:

The proven vulnerability of the existing social housing building heritage to natural or induced earthquakes requires the development of new design concepts and conceptual method to preserve materials and object, at the same time providing new performances. An integrate intervention between civil engineering, building physics and architecture can convert the social housing districts from a critical part of the city to a strategic resource of revitalization. Referring to bio-mimicry principles the present research proposes a taxonomy with the exoskeleton of the insect, an external, light and resistant armour whose role is to protect the internal organs from external potentially dangerous inputs. In the same way, a “building exoskeleton”, acting from the outside of the building as an enclosing cage, can restore, protect and support the existing building, assuming a complex set of roles, from the structural to the thermal, from the aesthetical to the functional. This study evaluates the structural efficiency of shape memory alloys devices (SMADs) connecting the “building exoskeleton” with the existing structure to rehabilitate, in order to prevent the out-of-plane collapse of walls and for the passive dissipation of the seismic energy, with a calibrated operability in relation to the intensity of the horizontal loads. The two case studies of a masonry structure and of a masonry structure with concrete frame are considered, and for each case, a theoretical social housing building is exposed to earthquake forces, to evaluate its structural response with or without SMADs. The two typologies are modelled with the finite element program SAP2000, and they are respectively defined through a “frame model” and a “diagonal strut model”. In the same software two types of SMADs, called the 00-10 SMAD and the 05-10 SMAD are defined, and non-linear static and dynamic analyses, namely push over analysis and time history analysis, are performed to evaluate the seismic response of the building. The effectiveness of the devices in limiting the control joint displacements resulted higher in one direction, leading to the consideration of a possible calibrated use of the devices in the different walls of the building. The results show also a higher efficiency of the 00-10 SMADs in controlling the interstory drift, but at the same time the necessity to improve the hysteretic behaviour, to maximise the passive dissipation of the seismic energy.

Keywords: adaptive structure, biomimetic design, building exoskeleton, social housing, structural envelope, structural retrofitting

Procedia PDF Downloads 420
3303 Social Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Growth

Authors: Sudheer Gupta

Abstract:

Approximately 4 billion citizens of the world live on the equivalent of less than $8 a day. This segment constitutes a $5 trillion global market that remains under-served. Multinational corporations have historically tended to focus their innovation efforts on the upper segments of the economic pyramid. The academic literature has also been dominated by theories and frameworks of innovation that are valid when applied to the developed markets and consumer segments, but fail to adequately account for the challenges and realities of new product and service creation for the poor. Theories of entrepreneurship developed in the context of developed markets similarly ignore the challenges and realities of operating in developing economies that can be characterized by missing institutions, missing markets, information and infrastructural challenges, and resource constraints. Social entrepreneurs working in such contexts develop solutions differently. In this talk, we summarize lessons learnt from a long-term research project that involves data collection from a broad range of social entrepreneurs in developing countries working towards solutions to alleviate poverty, and grounded theory-building efforts. We aim to develop a better understanding of consumers, producers, and other stakeholder involvement, thus laying the foundation to build a robust theory of innovation and entrepreneurship for the poor.

Keywords: poverty alleviation, social enterprise, social innovation, development

Procedia PDF Downloads 399
3302 The Significance of Oranyan Festival among the Oyo Yoruba

Authors: Emmanuel Bole Akinpelu

Abstract:

Festival is a social event that takes place every year which showcase culture and other social activities that usually take place in an environment or town. However, Oranyan Festival is an annual event organized and celebrated in Oyo town in honor of Oranyan the great who is reputed to be the overall head of the Kings of the Yoruba. This event is attended by people from all works of life. The Oyos are used to celebrating various cultural festivals; like Ogun, Oya, Sango, Egungun, Obatala and others. However, Oranyan festival in Oyo is a recent development in honour of Oranyan. He was said to be powerful and an embodiment of a unique cultural tradition. The study examined the significance of the festival to the Oyo Yoruba group. Oyo Yoruba cultural heritage include; Ewi, Ijala, Traditional food ‘Amala and Gbegiri’, Ekun Iyawo, (Bridal Chants), Traditional Music, Traditional Dance, Traditional Game ‘Ayo Olopon’ Eke (Traditional wrestling) and others. Data for this work was gathered through archival sources as journals and relevant publications on the various Oyo Yoruba Traditional Art and Culture. The study is of the opinion that the festival has influence over the religion, Political, economic and other aspects of the modern day traditions. The study also revealed that Oranyan Festival made people to have a better understanding of their rich Cultural Heritage and promoted unity among all and sundry. It also promotes peace among the people. Conclusively, it promotes the rich Cultural Heritage of Oyo Yoruba’s both within and outside NIGERIA and the world at large.

Keywords: Yoruba Oyo, arts and culture, Oranyan, festival

Procedia PDF Downloads 304
3301 Integration of Technology in Business Education: Emerging Voices from Business Education Classrooms in Nigeria Secondary Schools

Authors: Clinton Chidiebere Anyanwu

Abstract:

Secondary education is a vital part of a virtuous circle of economic growth within the context of a globalised knowledge economy. The teaching of Business Education entails teaching learners the essentials, rudiments, assumptions, and methods of business. Hence, it was deemed necessary for the study to investigate technology integration in Business Education. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), the study observes teachers’ level of technology use in Business Education classrooms. Using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, probability, and purposive sampling, the majority of participants were found to be not integrating technology to an acceptable level and a small percentage was. After an analysis of constructs from UTAUT, some of this could be attributed to the lack of facilitating conditions in the teaching and learning of Business Education. The implication of the study findings is that poor investment in technology integration in secondary schools in Nigeria affects pedagogical implementations and effective teaching and learning of Business Education subjects. The study concludes that if facilitating conditions and professional development are considered to address the shortfalls in terms of TPACK, technology integration will become a reality in secondary schools in Nigeria.

Keywords: business education, secondary education, technology integration, TPACK, UTAUT

Procedia PDF Downloads 218
3300 Gymnastics Under Special Surveillance. The Impact of Western Sanctions on Russian Sport

Authors: Aleksandra Majewska

Abstract:

The article analyses the impact of Western sanctions on Russian rhythmic gymnastics since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The chronological presentation of events shows how international political tensions and economic sanctions have affected the organisation of competitions, training and the careers of athletes. The article outlines the key moments and decisions that have changed the landscape of Russian sport, including the decision to change the citizenship made by some gymnasts in order to continue competing in international competitions. Russia strongly opposes participation in competitions without its flag and anthem while maintaining the view that Russian gymnasts are crucial to the prestige of rhythmic gymnastics in the world. In response to the sanctions, Russia created its own rules for rhythmic gymnastics, according to which they now compete domestically. Furthermore, this sport in Russia is strongly linked to politics, which further emphasises its importance in the national and international context. The information collected derives from numerous interviews with Russian athletes, coaches and other people, which are available only in the Russian language. The findings highlight the significant difficulties Russian athletes have faced due to their isolation in the international arena and the adaptive strategies adopted by Russia in the face of these challenges. The article makes an important contribution to understanding the consequences of global politics on the world of sport and the fate of individual athletes.

Keywords: sport, gymnastics, war in Ukraine, sanctions

Procedia PDF Downloads 40
3299 Redefining Ostracism in Soundararajan’s Trauma of Caste

Authors: Pooja Kamble

Abstract:

The study discusses the traumatic circumstances in which the Dalits, who are on the lower rungs of society, endured in all social, political, cultural, and economic aspects. Trauma appears to be employed as a catch-all term in Psychoanalytic literature to describe anything that produces psychological distress. They have suffered for ages, yet there is still no witness to end their existence. Dalits who have suffered at the hands of the upper caste or Brahmins have had a lasting impact on their mentality in this caste system. The trauma of caste is a psychoanalytic method for studying the mental state, nature, and existence of Dalits in society. It also provides a little overview of how this experience evolved the mental wounds that were left undetected. The anguish of horrible harassment and repressive treatment faced by countless generations of souls was difficult to put into words. This article highlights some of the phases that must be understood and concentrated on, as well as the traumatic environment in which they lived for several years. After acquiring recognition and political support, it is proposed to eliminate its existence. Even after relocating to independent India, we were unable to delve further into its origins. Independence itself speaks of freedom in all aspects, yet Dalits continue to be suppressed; they have failed to win freedom for their existence, despite their lengthy struggle against oppression. This article will help you comprehend the Dalit's emotional trauma that has made their life and battles more difficult to deal with, as systematically analyzed by Thenmozhi Soundararajan in the work The Trauma of Caste.

Keywords: trauma, psychoanalytic, dalits, caste

Procedia PDF Downloads 12
3298 When Women Take the Lead: Exploring the Intersection Between Gender Equality and Women’s Environmental Political Engagement from a Comparative Perspective

Authors: Summer Isaacson

Abstract:

Research on gender differences in environmental behavior has long claimed that women engage less than men in environmental political participation (EPP) (protests, petitions), despite their higher levels of environmental concern and vulnerability. Using recent data from the ISSP’s 2020 Environment module including 28 countries, we revisit the gender gap in EPP. Arguing that increasing gender equality and socio-economic development can allow women to voice their environmental grievances, we use multi-level models to examine the effects of macro-level gender equality on gender differences in environmental protests, petitions, and boycotts. By distinguishing individual from collective and non-confrontational from confrontational engagement forms, this study offers an encompassing understanding of gendered patterns of participation. Women do participate more than men, but mainly in individual and non-confrontational EPP forms (petitions, boycotts) and with substantial variation across countries. Moreover, considering how women have historically been restrained from participating in politics, we argue that structural gender inequality remains an important limitation to women’s engagement. Cross-level interactions indicate that in more egalitarian countries, women are more likely to engage in several types of EPP than men. The study offers new perspectives and findings on gender differences in EPP, highlighting the impact of gender inequality on women’s participation.

Keywords: environmental activism, political participation, gender equality, pro-environmental behavior

Procedia PDF Downloads 64
3297 The Effect of Knowledge Management in Lean Organization

Authors: Mehrnoosh Askarizadeh

Abstract:

In an ever changeable and globalized world with new economic and global competitors competing for the same customers and resources, is increasing the pressure on organizations' competitiveness. In addition, organizations faces additional challenges due to an ever-growing amount of data and the ever-bigger challenge of analyzing that data and keeping the data secure. Successful companies are characterized by exploiting their intellectual capital in an efficient manner. Thus, the most valuable asset an organization has today has become its employees' knowledge. To enable this, there is a tool that supports easier handling and optimizes the use of knowledge, which is knowledge management. Based on the theoretical framework and careful review as well as analysis of interviews and observations resulted in six essential areas: structure, management, compensation, communication, trust and motivation. The analysis showed that the scientific articles and literature have different perspectives, different definitions and are based on different theories but the essence is that they all finally seems to arrive at the same result and conclusion, although with different viewpoints and perspectives. This is regardless of whether the focus is on management style, rewards or communication they all focus on the individual. The conclusion is that organizational culture affects knowledge management and dissemination of information, because of its direct impact on the individual. The largest and most important underlying factor why we choose to participate in improvement work or share knowledge is our motivation. Motivation is the reason for and the reason behind our actions.

Keywords: lean, lean production, knowledge management, information management, motivation

Procedia PDF Downloads 519
3296 Strategies for Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Institutions: Case Study of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria

Authors: Gertrude Nkechi Okenwa

Abstract:

Higher institutions, especially the universities that are saddled with the responsibilities of teaching, learning, research, publications and social services for the production of graduates that are worthy in learning and character, and the creation of up-to-date knowledge and innovations for the total socio-economic and even political development of a given nation. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to identify the teaching, learning techniques used in the Enugu State University of Science and Technology to ensure or ascertain students’ perception on these techniques. To guide the study, survey research method was used. The population for the study was made up of second and final year students which summed up to one hundred and twenty-six students in the faculty of education. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted. A sample size of sixty (60) students was drawn for the study. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. To analyze the data, mean and standard deviation were used to answers the research questions. The findings revealed that direct instruction and construction techniques are used in the university. On the whole, it was observed that the students perceived constructivist techniques to be more useful and effective than direct instruction technique. Based on the findings recommendations were made to include diversification of teaching techniques among others.

Keywords: Strategies, Teaching and Learning, Constructive Technique, Direct Instructional Technique

Procedia PDF Downloads 541
3295 Evaluating the Influence of Financial Technology (FinTech) on Sustainable Finance: A Comprehensive Global Analysis

Authors: Muhammad Kashif

Abstract:

The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of financial technology (FinTech) on sustainable finance. The sample for this study spans from 2010 to 2021, encompassing data from 89 countries worldwide. The study employed two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression approach with the instrumental variables and validated the findings using a two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM). The findings indicate that fintech has a significant favorable impact on sustainable finance. While other factors such as institutional quality, socio-economic condition, and renewable energy have a significant and beneficial influence on the trajectory of sustainable finance, except globalization's impact is positive but insignificant. Furthermore, fintech is crucial in driving the transition toward a sustainable future characterized by a lower carbon economy. The study found that fintech has extensive application across various sectors of sustainable finance and has substantial potential to create long-term positive effects on sustainable finance. Fintech can integrate extensively with other technologies to facilitate diversified growth in sustainable finance. Additionally, this study highlights fintech-related trends and research opportunities in sustainable finance, showing how these can promote each other worldwide with important policy implications for countries looking to advance sustainable finance through technology.

Keywords: sustainable development goals (SDGs), financial technology (FinTech), genuine savings index (GSI), financial stability index, sustainable finance

Procedia PDF Downloads 135
3294 Cost Benefit Analysis and Adjustments of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Airline Industry

Authors: Roman Asatryan

Abstract:

The decision-making processes in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among firms in general and airlines in particular have to do with the benefits that accrue through those investments. The crux of the matter is not whether to invest in CSR or not, but rather, how firms can quantify the benefits derived from such investments. This paper analyzes the cost benefit adjustment strategies for firms in the airline industry in their CSR strategy adoption and implementation. The adjustment strategies identified will enable firms in the airline industry to have a basis for determining the worth of such CSR investments. This paper discusses the cost and benefit analysis model in order to understand the ways airlines can reduce costs and increase returns on CSR, or balance the cost and benefits. The analysis from this study points to the fact that economic concepts especially the CBA are useful, though they are not without challenges. The challenge arises when it is problematic to express the real impact of the externality in monetary terms. The use of rational maximization of the gains may seem to be a rather optimistic goal mainly because of environmental variability, perceptual uncertainty, and imperfect knowledge about the potential externality. This paper concludes that the CBA model gives a basic understanding of the motivations for investing in intangible assets like CSR. Consequently, it sets the tone for formulating relevant hypothesis in empirical studies in investment in CSR in particular and other intangible assets in business operations.

Keywords: cost-benefit analysis, corporate social responsibility, airline industry

Procedia PDF Downloads 394
3293 Inquiry of Gender Discrimination in Contrast Emotions: A Study on Perception of Gender of Youth University

Authors: Duygu Alptekin

Abstract:

Patriarchal social structure is based on a gender-based discrimination. Due to confrontational nature of discrimination; in a patriarchal society men and women exists in a based on contrasts and inequalities interaction patterns and this situation continues as socio-cultural with dominant gender perception in society. In this context gender perception of youth is a required vision tool for multidimensional understanding and resolving of gender discrimination problem and making projections about future. The aim of the study is explaining the gender discrimination by helping of Ambivalent Sexism Inventory and hostile benevolent sexism which are subdimensions of (ASI). Additionally the sexism perception of youth will be try to analyse ın the context of conflict of conventionalism and modernism. For that purpose survey have carried aout with the participation of students at the Selcuk University and the conclusions revealed that reached ampirically Young people's perceptions about the hierarchy of power revealed between men and women; sexual, economic and occupational segregation by pointing to statements about male-female relationships commitment, guardianship, gratitude, expressions containing highlights the superiority of socio-psychological (ASI) where results are determined by the application. The results of the factor analysis performed in this direction with the detection of the previous studies were evaluated by blending.

Keywords: ambivalent sexism inventory, gender discrimination, youth, conventionalism

Procedia PDF Downloads 331
3292 Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity as a Function of the Genetic Diversity of Canna indica Complex

Authors: A. Rattanapittayapron, O. Vanijajiva

Abstract:

Canna indica is a prominent species complex in tropical and subtropical areas. They become indigenous in Southeast Asia where they have been introduced. At present, C. indica complex comprises over hundred hybrids, are cultivated as commercial horticulture. The species complex contains starchy rhizome having economic value in terms of food and herbal medicine. In addition, bright color of the flowers makes it a valuable ornamental plant and potential source for natural colorant. This study aims to assess genetic diversity of four varieties of C. indica complex based on SRAP (sequence-related amplified polymorphism) and iPBS (inter primer binding site) markers. We also examined phytochemical characteristics and antioxidant properties of the flower extracts from four different color varieties. Results showed that despite of the genetic variation, there were no significant differences in phytochemical characteristics and antioxidant properties of flowers. The SRAP and iPBS results agree with the more primitive traits showed by morphological information and phytochemical and antioxidant characteristics from the flowers. Since Canna flowers has long been used as natural colorants together with the antioxidant activities from the ethanol extracts in this study, there are likely to be good source for cosmetics additives.

Keywords: Canna indica, antioxidant activity, genetic diversity, SRAP, iPBS

Procedia PDF Downloads 310
3291 Occupational Heat Stress Related Adverse Pregnancy Outcome: A Pilot Study in South India Workplaces

Authors: Rekha S., S. J. Nalini, S. Bhuvana, S. Kanmani, Vidhya Venugopal

Abstract:

Introduction: Pregnant women's occupational heat exposure has been linked to foetal abnormalities and pregnancy complications. The presence of heat in the workplace is expected to lead to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (APO), especially in tropical countries where temperatures are rising and workplace cooling interventions are minimal. For effective interventions, in-depth understanding and evidence about occupational heat stress and APO are required. Methodology: Approximately 800 pregnant women in and around Chennai who were employed in jobs requiring moderate to hard labour participated in the cohort research. During the study period (2014-2019), environmental heat exposures were measured using a Questemp WBGT monitor, and heat strain markers, such as Core Body Temperature (CBT) and Urine Specific Gravity (USG), were evaluated using an Infrared Thermometer and a refractometer, respectively. Using a valid HOTHAPS questionnaire, self-reported health symptoms were collected. In addition, a postpartum follow-up with the mothers was done to collect APO-related data. Major findings of the study: Approximately 47.3% of pregnant workers have workplace WBGTs over the safe manual work threshold value for moderate/heavy employment (Average WBGT of 26.6°C±1.0°C). About 12.5% of the workers had CBT levels above the usual range, and 24.8% had USG levels above 1.020, both of which suggested mild dehydration. Miscarriages (3%), stillbirths/preterm births (3.5%), and low birth weights (8.8%) were the most common unfavorable outcomes among pregnant employees. In addition, WBGT exposures above TLVs during all trimesters were associated with a 2.3-fold increased risk of adverse fetal/maternal outcomes (95% CI: 1.4-3.8), after adjusting for potential confounding variables including age, education, socioeconomic status, abortion history, stillbirth, preterm, LBW, and BMI. The study determined that WBGTs in the workplace had direct short- and long-term effects on the health of both the mother and the foetus. Despite the study's limited scope, the findings provided valuable insights and highlighted the need for future comprehensive cohort studies and extensive data in order to establish effective policies to protect vulnerable pregnant women from the dangers of heat stress and to promote reproductive health.

Keywords: adverse outcome, heat stress, interventions, physiological strain, pregnant women

Procedia PDF Downloads 73
3290 The Effect of Global Warming on Water Resources

Authors: Ehsan Soltanzadeh, Hassan Zare

Abstract:

This paper introduces examples of the influences of global warming on water resources and means of adaptation. The contributing causes of shortage in water resources are sophisticated and have interactions with each other. The world-scale phenomena like global warming have led to an increase in air and ocean’s mean temperature, and this has already caused adverse effects on water resources. Other factors that exacerbated this situation such as population increase, changes in farming habits, rise in city dwellers, unbalanced request for energy and aquatic resources, improved living standards, new eating habits, increasing economic growth and consequently flourishing industrial activities, and different types of pollution such as air, water, etc., are compelling more pressure on our limited water resources. The report will briefly discuss climate change and its detrimental impacts on the water resources and finally will introduce two effective solutions to mitigate the consequences or even reverse them in the near to mid-term future: utilization of molten salt technology for storing huge amounts of generated electricity in solar power plants to accommodate power grid demands, and implementing fuel cell CHPs to reduce carbon emission, and consequently, mitigate the global warming phenomenon as the major root cause of threatening water resources.

Keywords: climate change, global warming, water resources, GHG emissions, fuel cell-CHP, solar power plant, molten salt storage

Procedia PDF Downloads 112
3289 Does Trade and Institutional Quality Play Any Significant Role on Environmental Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Authors: Luqman Afolabi

Abstract:

This paper measures the impacts of trade and institutions on environmental quality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To examine the direction and the magnitude of the effects, the study employs the pooled mean group (PMG) estimation technique on the panel data obtained from the World Bank’s World Development and Governance Indicators, between 1996 and 2018. The empirical estimates validate the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis (EKC) for the region, even though there have been inconclusive results on the environment – growth nexus. Similarly, a positive coefficient is obtained on the impact of trade on the environment, while the impact of the institutional indicators produce mixed results. A significant policy implication is that the governments of the SSA countries pursue policies that tend to increase economic growth, so that pollutants may be reduced. Such policies may include the provision of incentives for sustainable growth-driven industries in the region. In addition, the governance infrastructures should be improved in such a way that appropriate penalties are imposed on the pollutants, while advanced technologies that have the potentials to reduce environmental degradation should be encouraged. Finally, it is imperative from these findings that the governments of the region should promote their trade relations and the competitiveness of their local industries in order to keep pace with the global markets.

Keywords: environmental quality, institutional quality sustainable development goals, trade

Procedia PDF Downloads 143
3288 The Modulation of Self-interest Instruction on the Fair-Proposing Behavior in Ultimatum Game

Authors: N. S. Yen, T. H. Yang, W. H. Huang, Y. F. Fang, H. W. Cho

Abstract:

Ultimatum game is an experimental paradigm to study human decision making. There are two players, a proposer and a responder, to split a fixed amount of money. According to the traditional economic theory on ultimatum game, proposer should propose the selfish offers to responder as much as possible to maximize proposer’s own outcomes. However, most evidences had showed that people chose more fair offers, hence two hypotheses – fairness favoring and strategic concern were proposed. In current study, we induced the motivation in participants to be either selfish or altruistic, and manipulated the task variables, the stake sizes (NT$100, 1000, 10000) and the share sizes (the 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% of the sum as selfish offers, and the 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% of the sum as altruistic offers), to examine the two hypotheses. The results showed that most proposers chose more fair offers with longer reaction times (RTs) no matter in choosing between the fair and selfish offers, or between the fair and altruistic offers. However, the proposers received explicit self-interest instruction chose more selfish offers accompanied with longer RTs in choosing between the fair and selfish offers. Therefore, the results supported the strategic concern hypothesis that previous proposers choosing the fair offers might be resulted from the fear of rejection by responders. Proposers would become more self-interest if the fear of being rejected is eliminated.

Keywords: ultimatum game, proposer, self-interest, fear of rejection

Procedia PDF Downloads 375
3287 The Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Human Rights Regulations

Authors: Karam Aziz Hamdy Fahmy

Abstract:

Although human rights protection in the industrial sector has increased, human rights violations continue to occur. Although the government has passed human rights laws, labor laws, and an international treaty ratified by the United States, human rights crimes continue to occur and go undetected. The growing number of textile companies in Bekasi is also leading to an increase in human rights violations as the government has no obligation to protect them. The United States government and business leaders should respect, protect and defend the human rights of workers. The article discusses the human rights violations faced by garment factory workers in the context of the law, as well as ideas for improving the protection of workers' rights. The connection between development and human rights has long been the subject of academic debate. Therefore, to understand the dynamics between these two concepts, a number of principles have been adopted, ranging from the right to development to a human rights-based approach to development. Despite these attempts, the precise connection between development and human rights is not yet fully understood. However, the inherent interdependence between these two concepts and the idea that development efforts must respect human rights guarantees has gained momentum in recent years. It will then be examined whether the right to sustainable development is recognized.

Keywords: sustainable development, human rights, the right to development, the human rights-based approach to development, environmental rights, economic development, social sustainability human rights protection, human rights violations, workers’ rights, justice, security

Procedia PDF Downloads 66
3286 Research Review: The Mediating Role of Innovation Capability from Year 2010-2016

Authors: Logaiswari Indiran, Noraindah Abdullah Fahim, Zainab Khalifah, Rohaizat Baharun, Kamariah Ismail

Abstract:

Innovation capability is believed to give an important impact on organization’s sustainability and high performance. For instance, innovation capability able to transform technology into a specific organization’s operation, managerial, and transaction which increase organizational performance and economic growth of a country. In fact, research on high level of various antecedents has also shown positive impact on innovation capability. However, there are lacking studies explored on various kinds of antecedents which relate innovation capability’s role as mediator in the relationship. Thus, the purpose of this study is to specifically exhibit the mediation role of innovation capability between variety of antecedents and with different outcomes of an organization across industries. This study reviewed previous literature that has identified 'innovation capability' as mediator between the period of 2010 – 2016 and carries out a literature-based analysis of the findings in each article. From our review, innovation capability has been seen as a key role to mediate the relationship between independent variable and dependent variable in various industry. As the role of innovation capability as mediator is significant, new researchers should focus on varieties of independent variables. The review of this study will be useful for practitioners and researchers to understand and apply innovation capability as mediator to increase organizational success and innovativeness.

Keywords: innovation capability, mediator, organization performance, antecedents

Procedia PDF Downloads 288