Search results for: local social ties

Authors: Yuanyuan Song

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For Ph.D. students, the skill of formulating incisive inquiries holds immense importance, as adept questioning can significantly unravel research complexities. Social Science Ph.D. students should possess specific abilities to formulate creative research questions, and identifying the most influential factors is essential. To respond to these questions, in this study, we engaged with Ph.D. candidates with social sciences backgrounds through interviews and questionnaires. Our objective was to identify the predominant determinants influencing their capacity to formulate inventive research queries, ultimately aiming to enhance the academic journey of social science doctoral candidates. Insights gleaned from semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with 15 doctoral scholars from different universities around the world highlighted that mentorship and scholarly exchanges, prior knowledge, positive mindset, and personal interests played pivotal roles in catalyzing these students' contemplation of research inquiries.

Keywords: Ph.D. education, higher education, creativity cultivation, creativity scientific problem finding ability

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Authors: Daniele Contini, Antonio Donateo, Andrea Gambaro, Athanasios Argiriou, Dimitrios Melas, Daniela Cesari, Anastasia Poupkou, Athanasios Karagiannidis, Apostolos Tsakis, Eva Merico, Rita Cesari, Adelaide Dinoi

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Emissions of atmospheric pollutants from ships and harbour activities are a growing concern at International level given their potential impacts on air quality and climate. These close-to-land emissions have potential impact on local communities in terms of air quality and health. Recent studies show that the impact of maritime traffic to atmospheric particulate matter concentrations in several coastal urban areas is comparable with the impact of road traffic of a medium size town. However, several different approaches have been used for these estimates making difficult a direct comparison of results. In this work an integrated approach based on emission inventories and dedicated measurement campaigns has been applied to give a comparable estimate of the impact of maritime traffic to PM2.5 and particle number concentrations in three major harbours of the Adriatic/Ionian Seas. The influences of local meteorology and of the logistic layout of the harbours are discussed.

Keywords: ship emissions, PM2.5, particle number concentrations, impact of shipping to atmospheric aerosol

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Authors: Sutan Emir Hidayat, Latifa Hassan Al-Qassab

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The purpose of this study is to examine depositors’ awareness on the pursuit of corporate social responsibilities (CSR) conducted by Islamic retail banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain according to the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) standards. The outcome of the paper is the extent to which the depositors knew about the banks’ CSR activities in promoting the welfare of the society beyond their business objectives. The study covered all Islamic retail banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain where a survey questionnaire was distributed to a total of 200 Islamic banks' depositors. The results of the survey show that the level of depositors’ awareness is limited on the pursuit of corporate social responsibilities by the banks as indicated by the small number of statements in the survey questionnaire which the respondents agreed to or of which they had satisfactory knowledge. The significant statistical difference in the respondents' answers to the survey questionnaire when they are grouped according to their respective banks prove that the level of depositors’ awareness on the pursuit of corporate social responsibilities varies considerably among the six Islamic retail banks in the kingdom. The findings of the study might be used to assist the policy makers in the field of CSR of Islamic financial institutions in formulation of better CSR activities and in delivering better services for the public welfare. The study also might help Islamic banks in the kingdom to set up strategy in order to increase the level of depositors’ awareness on their CSR activities.

Keywords: corporate social responsibilities, awareness, Islamic banks, Bahrain

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Authors: Shahid Iqbal

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It is observed that international migration is increased over a time period in all over the world counties and Pakistan is not escaped. It played a pivotal role in household economy and affecting the gender roles both positive and negative in the developing countries. A vast majority of males from Pakistan migrate to other countries in search of employment and income generating activities and their families left behind, particularly nuclear families are subjected to different social problems. In this scenario, most of the responsibilities lie on the female partners as they have to play the role of male as well as female for their children and household chores. Wives of some males feel loneliness, isolation and a sense of insecurity. Keeping in mind, these realities, this study aims to explore the social impact of husbands’ absentee ship on the lives of families left behind. Particularly, wives’ own experiences will be analyzed. This study will be carried out in the District Gujrat of Punjab Pakistan. Since this study will focus on observing the social impact of male’s migration on families, so, all the households that had at least one member abroad will be the potential respondents of the study. Purposes sampling technique will be used as method to locate the respondents. A focus group discussion will be conducted as a tool for the collection of data. Those women will be approached who are taking care of their families in the absence of their husbands for last three years. For the sake of analysis Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be applied and researcher will explore how participants make sense of their personal experience and social world.

Keywords: social consequences, male migration, left behind, absentee ship, Pakistan

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Authors: Beatrice Tayo Ajayi, Dzever Linus Terry

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Pupils with autism in the general classroom have dare need to be adequately catered for in social and academic activities for successful attainment in school work and future life. However, adequate catering for autistic children by teachers that basically received no training in content related to inclusive education and lack the ability to use inclusive strategies during classroom instruction appears to be a mirage. This paper intends to examine the current classroom environment in relation to the level to which autistic primary school pupils are catered for in the regular classroom. The study also seeks to identify the challenges teachers experience in the course of catering to the needs of children with autism and the way out. The sample consists of thirty (30) primary school teachers of Ondo West Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria (10 male, 15 female), age grades between twenty five (25) to sixty (60). Data collection will be a survey using the researcher developed 18 statements Four Point- Likert Scale type to assess the level to which participants agree or disagree with the statement about catering for pupils with autism. Results are to be evaluated using descriptive statistical methods of mean scores and t-test.

Keywords: autism, catering, general classroom, way forward

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Authors: Fouad Mrad, Viviane Zaccour

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The accelerated developments in the political, economic, environmental, security, health, and social folders are exhausting planners across the world, especially in Arab countries. The impact of the tension is multifaceted and has resulted in conflicts, wars, migration, and human insecurity. The potential cross-cutting role that science, innovation and technology can play in supporting Arab societies to address these pressing challenges is a serious, unique chance for the people of the region. This opportunity is based on the existing capacity of educated youth and inaccessible talents in the local universities and research centers. It has been accepted that Arab countries have achieved major advancements in the economy, education and social wellbeing since the 70s of the 20th Century. Mainly direct outcome of the oil and other natural resources. The UN Secretary-General, during the Education Summit in Sep 2022, stressed that “Learning continues to underplay skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking and empathy.” Stars of Science by Qatar Foundation was launched in 2009 and has been sustained through 2023. Consistent mission from the start: To mobilize a new generation of Pan-Arab innovators and problem solvers by encouraging youth participation and interest in Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship throughout the Arab world via the program and its social media activities. To make science accessible and attractive to mass audiences by de-mystifying the process of innovation. Harnessing best practices within reality TV to show that science, engineering, and innovation are important in everyday life and can be fun.” Thousands of Participants learned unforgettable lessons; winners changed their lives forever as they learned and earned seed capital; they became drivers of change in their countries and families; millions of viewers were exposed to an innovative experimental process, and culturally, several relevant national institutions adopted the SOS track in their national initiatives. The program exhibited experientially youth self-efficacy as the most distinct core property of human agency, which is an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments. In addition, the program proved that innovations are performed by networks of people with different sets of technological, useful knowledge, skills and competencies introduced by socially shared technological knowledge as a main determinant of economic activities in any economy.

Keywords: science, invention, innovation, Qatar foundation, QSTP, prototyping

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Authors: Zohreh Ghorbani Madavani, Masoumeh Mikaeili

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Social media, as one of the main tools in today’s world, imposes deep impacts on human life, particularly in various cultural and literary areas. By providing platforms for direct communication between writers and audiences, these spaces have made great changes in the styles of literary works, writing, and publishing. The impacts of digital communication are very visible not only in the content of literary works but also in narrative structures, writing styles, and interaction of writers with audiences. Applying an analytical- descriptive approach, the present study investigates the impacts of internet communications and social media on the literary works of the Arab world and describes some instances of such impacts on the works of one of the most reputed contemporary Arab novelists, Ahlam Mosteghanemi. In this study, we specifically emphasize the changes in themes, narrative techniques, and writing styles of Mosteghanemi and investigate how she leverages digital environment facilities and potentials in creating works suited to her audiences’ needs and expectations. This study indicates that social media has significantly helped the democratization of authorship and diversity in contemporary Arabic literature and has enabled writers to have more direct and interactive relationships.

Keywords: social media, digital impacts, narrative changes, writing style, contemporary literature, Ahlam Mosteghanemi

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Authors: Sarah O. Alhumoud, Mawaheb I. Altuwaijri, Tarfa M. Albuhairi, Wejdan M. Alohaideb

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Large-scale data stream analysis has become one of the important business and research priorities lately. Social networks like Twitter and other micro-blogging platforms hold an enormous amount of data that is large in volume, velocity and variety. Extracting valuable information and trends out of these data would aid in a better understanding and decision-making. Multiple analysis techniques are deployed for English content. Moreover, one of the languages that produce a large amount of data over social networks and is least analyzed is the Arabic language. The proposed paper is a survey on the research efforts to analyze the Arabic content in Twitter focusing on the tools and methods used to extract the sentiments for the Arabic content on Twitter.

Keywords: big data, social networks, sentiment analysis, twitter

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Authors: Cynthia Pope

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Though traditional art has been strong on showcasing aesthetics to imbue pleasantries, modern public art has been breaking trends to push citizens beyond the pleasure of seeing beauty. Contemporary public sculpture, in particular, has been the impetus of provoking questions about community standards, identity, and race relations. A phenomenon involving Scaffold, a sculpture by artist Sam Durant, became the focal point of contention within Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently. With intentions to better understand the power public sculpture has to disrupt community identity, in this book, It will use primarily rhetorical theory to explain how all parties involved—The Walker Art Museum, the Dakota Nation, Durant, and local citizens—participated in a controversy touching on racial politics, identity, culture, history and public art. This mixed-methods case study examines the public artifact contextually through historical and cultural frameworks. Findings in this project will reveal Scaffold to be represented as a tool of empowered Caucasians to the exclusion of marginalized people. This project also informs the fields of public rhetoric and political identity, marginalized voices, and community and social justice initiatives to include the difficult topic of race and identity.

Keywords: public art controversy, technical communication, community narrative, ambient rhetoric

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Authors: Aleksandar Hatzivelkos

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The term ”compromise” is mostly used casually within the social choice theory. It is usually used as a mere result of the social choice function, and this omits its deeper meaning and ramifications. This paper is based on a mathematical model for the description of a compromise as a version of the Sorites paradox. It introduces a formal definition of d-measure of divergence from a compromise and models a notion of compromise that is often used only colloquially. Such a model for vagueness phenomenon, which lies at the core of the notion of compromise enables the introduction of new mathematical structures. In order to maximize compromise, different methods can be used. In this paper, we explore properties of a social welfare function TdM (from Total d-Measure), which is defined as a function which minimizes the total sum of d-measures of divergence over all possible linear orderings. We prove that TdM satisfy strict Pareto principle and behaves well asymptotically. Furthermore, we show that for certain domain restrictions, TdM satisfy positive responsiveness and IIIA (intense independence of irrelevant alternatives) thus being equivalent to Borda count on such domain restriction. This result gives new opportunities in social choice, especially when there is an emphasis on compromise in the decision-making process.

Keywords: borda count, compromise, measure of divergence, minimization

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Authors: Dorsa Pourmojib, Marc J. Boutin

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Urban space is used everyday by a diverse range of urban dwellers, each with different expectations. In this space, opportunities and resources are not distributed equitably among urban dwellers, despite the importance of inclusivity. In addition, some marginalized groups may not be considered. These include people with low incomes, immigrants from diverse cultures, various age groups, and those with special needs. To this end, this research aims to enhance social equity in urban space by bridging the gap between social equity and spatial equity in the urban context. This gap in the knowledge base related to urban design may be present for several reasons; lack of studies on relationship between social equity and spatial equity in urban open space, lack of practical design strategies for promoting social equity in urban open space, lack of proper site analysis in terms of context and users of the site both for designing new urban open spaces and developing the existing ones, and lack of researchers that are designers and finally it could be related to priorities of the city’s policies in addressing such issues, since it is time, money and energy consuming. The main objective of this project is addressing the aforementioned gap in the knowledge by exploring the relationship between social equity and spatial equity in urban open space. Answering the main question of this research is a promising step to this end; 'What are the considerations towards providing social equity through the design of urban elements that offer spatial equity?' To answer the main question of this research there are several secondary questions which should be addressed. Such as; how can the characteristics of social equity be translated to spatial equity? What are the diverse user’s needs and which of their needs are not considered in that site? What are the specific elements in the site which should be designed in order to promote social equity? What is the current situation of social and spatial equity in the proposed site? To answer the research questions and achieve the proposed objectives, a three-step methodology has been implemented. Firstly, a comprehensive research framework based on the available literature has been presented. Afterwards, three different urban spaces have been analyzed in terms of specific key research questions as the precedent studies; Naqsh-e Jahan Square (Iran), Superkilen Park (Denmark) and Campo Dei Fiori (Italy). In this regard, a proper gap analysis of the current situation and the proposed situation of these sites has been conducted. Finally, by combining the extracted design considerations from the precedent studies and the literature review, practical design strategies have been introduced as a result of this research. The presented guidelines enable the designers to create socially equitable urban spaces. To conclude, this research proposes a spatial approach to social inclusion and equity in urban space by presenting a practical framework and criteria for translating social equity to spatial equity in urban areas.

Keywords: inclusive urban design, social equity, social inclusion, spatial equity

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Authors: D. Pazder

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The main assumption of the study is to examine the coherence between two aspects of spatial planning important in Poland. The first one is the need to realize a participatory planning paradigm, and the second is a global trend of the pro-ecological orientation of city development. The aim of the research is the verification of the possibility of finding the right balance between economic and socio-spatial dimensions of urban redefinition, especially within public green areas. The significance of the examination lies in the fact that there are a huge anthropopressure and overinvestment in downtown areas of big Polish cities. The methodology used in the research of a case study was the three-layered comparative analyses of spatial planning documents, participatory planning undertakings, soft and hard actions concerning a given area in the period of 2008-2020. The main findings are that there is a lack of satisfactory cooperation between the municipality and local communities, a connection between soft actions and investment in green public space, inhabitants are of high ecological consciousness but not so concerned about spatial planning legislation. The conclusion is that it is needed to provide real participation in spatial planning processes so as to take advantage of local communities’ activity and to combine more top-down and bottom-up actions so as to integrate people and educate them on how to act in favor of a common good in democratic citizenship.

Keywords: placemaking, participatory planning, anesthetization, public greenery

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Authors: Felicia N. Obialo, Aliza Wingo, Thomas Wingo

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Psychosocial factors such as personality traits and social networks influence cognitive aging and dementia outcomes both positively and negatively. The inherent complexity of these factors makes defining the underlying mechanisms of their influence difficult; however, exploring their interactions affords promise in the field of cognitive aging. The objective of this study was to elucidate some of these interactions by determining the relationship between social network size and dementia outcomes and by determining whether personality traits mediate this relationship. The longitudinal Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) database provided by Rush University’s Religious Orders Study/Memory and Aging Project was utilized to perform retrospective regression and mediation analyses on 3,591 participants. Participants who were cognitively impaired at baseline were excluded, and analyses were adjusted for age, sex, common chronic diseases, and vascular risk factors. Dementia outcome measures included cognitive trajectory, clinical dementia diagnosis, and postmortem beta-amyloid plaque (AB), and neurofibrillary tangle (NT) accumulation. Personality traits included agreeableness (A), conscientiousness (C), extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), and openness (O). The results show a positive correlation between social network size and cognitive trajectory (p-value = 0.004) and a negative relationship between social network size and odds of dementia diagnosis (p = 0.024/ Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.974). Only neuroticism mediates the positive relationship between social network size and cognitive trajectory (p < 2e-16). Agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism all mediate the negative relationship between social network size and dementia diagnosis (p=0.098, p=0.054, and p < 2e-16, respectively). All personality traits are independently associated with dementia diagnosis (A: p = 0.016/ OR = 0.959; C: p = 0.000007/ OR = 0.945; E: p = 0.028/ OR = 0.961; N: p = 0.000019/ OR = 1.036; O: p = 0.027/ OR = 0.972). Only conscientiousness and neuroticism are associated with postmortem AD pathologies; specifically, conscientiousness is negatively associated (AB: p = 0.001, NT: p = 0.025) and neuroticism is positively associated with pathologies (AB: p = 0.002, NT: p = 0.002). These results support the study’s objectives, demonstrating that social network size and personality traits are strongly associated with dementia outcomes, particularly the odds of receiving a clinical diagnosis of dementia. Personality traits interact significantly and beneficially with social network size to influence the cognitive trajectory and future dementia diagnosis. These results reinforce previous literature linking social network size to dementia risk and provide novel insight into the differential roles of individual personality traits in cognitive protection.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive trajectory, personality traits, social network size

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Authors: A. B. Benshak, M. G. Yilkangnha, V. Y. Nanle

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Social crises and violent conflict can inflict direct (short-term) impact on the environment like poisoning water bodies, climate change, deforestation, destroying the chemical component of the soil due to the chemical and biological weapons used. It can also impact the environment indirectly (long-term), e.g., the destruction of political and economic infrastructure to manage the environmental resources and breaking down traditional conservation practices, population displacement and refugee flows which puts pressure on the already inadequate resources, infrastructure, facilities, amenities, services etc. This study therefore examines the impact of social crises on the environment in Jos Plateau State with emphasis on the long-term impact, analyze the relationship between crises and the environment and assess the perception of people on social crises because much work have concentrated on other repercussions such as the economy, health etc that are more politically expedient. The data for this research were collected mostly through interviews, questionnaire, dailies and reports on the subject matter. The data and findings were presented in tables and results showed that the environment is directly and indirectly impacted by crises and that these impacts can in turn result to a continuous cycle of violent activities if not addressed because of the inadequacies in the supply of infrastructural facilities, resources and so on caused by the inflow of displaced population. Recommendations were made on providing security to minimize conflict occurrences in Jos and its environs, minimizing the impact of social crises on the environment, provision of adequate infrastructural facilities to carter for population rise, renewal and regeneration schemes, etc. which will go a long way in mitigating the impact of crises on the environment.

Keywords: environment, impact, long-term, social crises

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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: Erez Kita, Gil Luria

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This study examines gender as a boundary condition for the relationship between the psychological variable of mindfulness and the social variable of income with regards to the use of smartphones by young drivers. The use of smartphones while driving increases the likelihood of a car accident, endangering young drivers and other road users. The study sample included 186 young drivers who were legally permitted to drive without supervision. The subjects were first asked to complete questionnaires on mindfulness and income. Next, their smartphone use while driving was monitored over a one-month period. This study is unique as it used an objective smartphone monitoring application (rather than self-reporting) to count the number of times the young participants actually touched their smartphones while driving. The findings show that gender moderates the effects of social and personal factors (i.e., income and mindfulness) on the use of smartphones while driving. The pattern of moderation was similar for both social and personal factors. For men, mindfulness and income are negatively associated with the use of smartphones while driving. These factors are not related to the use of smartphones by women drivers. Mindfulness and income can be used to identify male populations that are at risk of using smartphones while driving. Interventions that improve mindfulness can be used to reduce the use of smartphones by male drivers.

Keywords: mindfulness, using smartphones while driving, income, gender, young drivers

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Authors: Dhruv Saini, Megha Sharma, Sharad Gupta

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This research is showing the use of celebrity endorsement and social media influencers and how they help in enhancing the brand loyalty of the consumers. The study aims at keeping brand image of the brand as the link between the two. However, choosing the right celebrity or social media influencer is not an easy task and it is very essential for a brand to select the right ambassador for advertising their products and for selling the product to the ultimate consumer. The purpose of the study is to create a relationship of Celebrity endorsement with brand image and with brand loyalty and creating a relationship of Social media influencers with brand image and with brand loyalty and then making a comparison between the two by measuring the effects of both simultaneously. And then by analyzing which among the two has a greater impact on brand loyalty of the consumers. The study mainly focuses on four major variables namely Celebrity endorsement, Social media influencers, Brand image and Brand loyalty. The study also focuses on interdependence and relationships that these variables have with each other and how they are linked with each other. The study also aims at looking which among Celebrity endorsement and Social media influencer has a greater impact on increasing or enhancing the loyalty for a brand. Earlier celebrity endorsers had a major impact on brand loyalty of the consumers but with time social media influencers are also playing a very vital role in impacting the brand loyalty of the consumers and are giving a fight to the celebrity endorsers as well. Also, Brand image also has a very vital role to play in enhancing the brand loyalty of a brand in the minds of the consumers as a well-known and a better perception of a brand leads to retention of more and more consumers. Also, both Celebrity endorsement and Social media influencers are two-way swords as both have a number of positives and a number of negatives as well, so these are to be compared keeping in mind their adverse effects. Examination of the current market situation has shown that the recommendations of celebrities when properly integrated by comparing product strengths. Advertisers agree that celebrity authorization does not guarantee sales but it can create buzz and make the consumer feel better by-product, which is also what customers should expect as a real star by delivering the promise. On the other hand, depending on the results of the studies, there should be a variety of conclusions planned. Some of the influential people on social media had a positive impact on the product portrait. One of the conclusions is that the product image had a positive impact on consumers. Moreover, the results of the following study states that the most influential influencers consumers in their intended purpose of the purchase, but instead produced a positive result indirectly with Brand image which would further lead to brand loyalty .

Keywords: brand image, brand loyalty, celebrity endorsement, social media influencer

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Authors: Yu Yaochuan

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This paper explores the pivotal role of public opinion during the Xinhai Revolution. Examining the dynamics of public sentiment in Chinese society in 1911 shows how information dissemination, ideological propaganda, and public mobilization worked together to drive the revolution to success. The study highlights the indispensable role of revolutionary newspapers, assemblies, and speeches in spreading revolutionary ideas, mobilizing the public, and shaping policy perceptions. By analyzing these historical events, the paper provides a deeper insight into the Xinhai Revolution and offers theoretical and empirical support for understanding the application of public opinion in modern social and political transformations.

Keywords: Xinhai Revolution, public opinion, social mobilization, information dissemination, ideology, political transformation

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Authors: Fatima Homor

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The new era in business has started, according to my research paper findings, corporate social responsibility leads organizations to an incomparable advantage phase, where competition is secondary and financial growth is a result. Those who join later, lose their active advantage and cause passive disadvantage for their organizations. The main purpose of this presentation is to state the obvious and shed the light of the advantages of doing good, while doing well for multinational enterprises, extremely low fluctuation (preventing one of the highest costs), significantly lower marketing budget, enhanced reputation causing customer and supplier loyalty, employee commitment results in higher motivation level leading to better quality at each stages, Corporate Social Responsibility brings Unique Selling Proposition incomparable to others. The paper is based on a large research work conducted for the University of Liverpool Masters in Business Administration program, with the title of Corporate Social Responsibility for Multinational Enterprises to gain incomparable advantage. The research is based on both recent secondary data, but most importantly on 25 interviews with Chief Executive Officers at Multinational Enterprises and / or the Human Resources / corporate communications directors. The direct gains on Corporate Social Responsibility are analyzed when it is embedded into the core of the business. It is evident that project based Corporate Social Responsibility is not effective neither from the supported topic, Non-governmental Organizations point of view nor from the organization’s long-term sustainability point of view. Surveys have been conducted, data compared and consequences drawn. Corporate Social Responsibility must be started inside of the business to strengthen it. First, commit employees. It must come from the Chief Executive Officer. It must be related to the business profile. It has to be long term. They will commit customers. B-corps are coming (e.g. Unilever); the phenomenon of social enterprises has become a leading one.

Keywords: B-corps, embedded into core business, first inside, unique advantage

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Authors: António J. Gano, Carmen Rangel

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Currently, electric energy storage systems for stationary applications have known an increasing interest, namely with the integration of local renewable energy power sources into energy communities. Li-ion batteries are considered the leading electric storage devices to achieve this integration, and Battery Management Systems (BMS) are decisive for their control and optimum performance. In this work, the advancement of a smart BMS (sBMS) prototype with a modular distributed topology is described. The system, still under development, has a distributed architecture with modular characteristics to operate with different battery pack topologies and charge capacities, integrating adaptive algorithms for functional state real-time monitoring and management of multicellular Li-ion batteries, and is intended for application in the context of a local energy community fed by renewable energy sources. This sBMS system includes different developed hardware units: (1) Cell monitoring units (CMUs) for interfacing with each individual cell or module monitoring within the battery pack; (2) Battery monitoring and switching unit (BMU) for global battery pack monitoring, thermal control and functional operating state switching; (3) Main management and local control unit (MCU) for local sBMS’s management and control, also serving as a communications gateway to external systems and devices. This architecture is fully expandable to battery packs with a large number of cells, or modules, interconnected in series, as the several units have local data acquisition and processing capabilities, communicating over a standard CAN bus and will be able to operate almost autonomously. The CMU units are intended to be used with Li-ion cells but can be used with other cell chemistries, with output voltages within the 2.5 to 5 V range. The different unit’s characteristics and specifications are described, including the different implemented hardware solutions. The developed hardware supports both passive and active methods for charge equalization, considered fundamental functionalities for optimizing the performance and the useful lifetime of a Li-ion battery package. The functional characteristics of the different units of this sBMS system, including different process variables data acquisition using a flexible set of sensors, can support the development of custom algorithms for estimating the parameters defining the functional states of the battery pack (State-of-Charge, State-of-Health, etc.) as well as different charge equalizing strategies and algorithms. This sBMS system is intended to interface with other systems and devices using standard communication protocols, like those used by the Internet of Things. In the future, this sBMS architecture can evolve to a fully decentralized topology, with all the units using Wi-Fi protocols and integrating a mesh network, making unnecessary the MCU unit. The status of the work in progress is reported, leading to conclusions on the system already executed, considering the implemented hardware solution, not only as fully functional advanced and configurable battery management system but also as a platform for developing custom algorithms and optimizing strategies to achieve better performance of electric energy stationary storage devices.

Keywords: Li-ion battery, smart BMS, stationary electric storage, distributed BMS

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Authors: Yujie Lei

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This article examines the evolving concept of urban living through the lens of co-living spaces, focusing on Liverpool. It explores how co-living can address challenges such as rising urban isolation, housing affordability, and social autism, particularly among younger generations. The research aims to understand how these spaces can mitigate social isolation and maximize urban space use. Using a case study approach, the study examines models like Superloft, co-office spaces, and platforms like Airbnb. Findings reveal that Liverpool’s co-living initiatives have gained popularity, offering flexibility and community engagement. This concept has the potential for expansion, not only for the younger generation but also for elderly communities, fostering intergenerational living. The dissertation concludes that co-living offers a sustainable alternative to traditional housing models, aligning with digital-age lifestyles that prioritize flexibility and community. It presents a promising framework for shaping the future of urban development.

Keywords: co-living, urban design, social isolation, urban development, housing challenges

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Authors: Rofayda A. Hout

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This study aims to investigate the relationship between women on board and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in addition to the role of corporate governance in introducing and implementing CSR practices. Analysis has been conducted on 30 prior studies published between 2007 and 2017 to investigate the common areas and differences across the studies with varying conclusions. The study also handles the differences between developing and developed countries when it comes to gender diverse board and corporate social responsibility. The review conducted reveals that there is a positive relationship between women on board and corporate social responsibility. Comparison between developed and developing countries with respect to CSR implementation highlighted differences due to possible reasons relating to socio-political, cultural, socio-economic, and institutional factors. In addition, developing countries perceive CSR as philanthropy rather than part of their business mission. Given that, CSR needs to be integrated into the corporate strategic planning and be considered as fundamental part of the operations to improve the region’s needs. Developing countries were late in adopting CSR in comparison to developed countries, thus to have a fair comparison between developed and developing countries, corporate governance in developing countries should take serious steps in developing a framework for CSR implementation and integrating it within corporate operations.

Keywords: corporate governance, corporate performance, corporate social responsibility, developed countries, developing countries, gender diverse board, systematic review

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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: Bekhemmas Youcef

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The category of the disabled, like other social groups, is considered to have been affected by fate with a disability that led to a reduction in the fulfillment of its social roles to the fullest extent or led to its complete abandonment. Psychological, and until we understand its behavioral methods that express a lot of this complexity and intertwining, and despite all that, this category has not yet received the appropriate great interest from specialized researchers, and even officials, and it is natural that the category of people with disabilities has psychological and social requirements in order to regains their capabilities or some From her, it also needs to prepare the environment in which she lives in order to integrate into society As the motor disability is one of the most common types of disability in the world, and it is constantly increasing, considering the increase in the causes leading to it, such as the traffic accident, and the motor disability often affects individuals from a psychological point of view, but it also affects their social surroundings, whether close or extended, and thus it draws limits and quality For their way of life, as well as determining roles for them as actors of a special kind within their societies. The methodology is similar to the organizational framework for the production of any scientific knowledge and based on the fact that sociology is a project that aims to understand and interpret the social reality scientifically and through the nature of the subject studied in the framework of the reality of the disabled in the city and in order to get closer to the daily life of the physically disabled within the urban center, we adopted the qualitative approach A choice that complies with the spirit of Viberian sociology, especially since Max Weber insists on the need to search for the meaning that the social actor gives to his behavior. Through the results reached in this study, it was found that the city still suffers from several deficiencies at the level of equipment and urban planning in a way that keeps pace with the number of people with disabilities in the city.

Keywords: physically, handicapped, in, the city

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Authors: Jihye Jeon

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This paper analyzes the conceptual framework of three statistical methods, multiple regression, path analysis, and structural equation models. When establishing research model of the statistical modeling of complex social phenomenon, it is important to know the strengths and limitations of three statistical models. This study explored the character, strength, and limitation of each modeling and suggested some strategies for accurate explaining or predicting the causal relationships among variables. Especially, on the studying of depression or mental health, the common mistakes of research modeling were discussed.

Keywords: multiple regression, path analysis, structural equation models, statistical modeling, social and psychological phenomenon

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Authors: Ilona Bontenbal

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In this research, the potential for societal change is researched through the idea of migrants as change agents. The viewpoint is on the potential that migrants have for affecting societal change in their country of origin through transmitting transnational peer-to-peer information. The focus is on the information that Russian migrants living in Finland transmit about their experiences and attitudes regarding the Nordic welfare state, its democratic foundation and the social rights embedded in it, to their family and friends in their country of origin. The welfare provision and level of democracy are very different in the two neighbouring countries of Finland and Russia. Finland is a Nordic welfare state with strong democratic institutions and a comprehensive actualizing of civil and social rights. In Russia, the state of democracy has on the other hand been declining, and the social and civil rights of its citizens are constantly undermined. Due to improvements in communications and travel technology, migrants can easily and relatively cheaply stay in contact with their family and friends in their country of origin. This is why it is possible for migrants to act as change agents. By telling about their experiences and attitudes about living in a democratic welfare state, migrants can affect what people in the country or origin know and think about welfare, democracy, and social rights. This phenomenon is approached through the concept of social remittances. Social remittances broadly stand for the ideas, know-how, world views, attitudes, norms of behavior, and social capital that flows through transnational networks from receiving- to sending- country communities and the other way around. The viewpoint is that historically and culturally formed democratic welfare models cannot be copied entirely nor that each country should achieve identical development paths, but rather that migrants themselves choose which aspects they see as important to remit to their acquaintances in their country of origin. This way the potential for social change and the agency of the migrants is accentuated. The empirical research material of this study is based on 30 qualitative interviews with Russian migrants living in Finland. Russians are the largest migrant group in Finland and Finland is a popular migration destination especially for individuals living in North-West Russia including the St. Petersburg region. The interviews are carried out in 2018-2019. The preliminary results indicate that Russian migrants discuss social rights and welfare a lot with their family members and acquaintances living in Russia. In general, the migrants feel that they have had an effect on the way that their friends and family think about Finland, the West, social rights and welfare provision. Democracy, on the other hand, is seen as a more difficult and less discussed topic. The transformative potential that the transmitted information and attitudes could have outside of the immediate circle of acquaintances on larger societal change is seen as ambiguous although not negligible.

Keywords: migrants as change agents, Russian migrants, social remittances, welfare and democracy

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Authors: E. Erdogan, M. Ulusoy

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In terms of tourism, the concept of sustainability can be defined as preserving and developing natural, historical, cultural, social, and aesthetic values and enabling their permanency. Sustainable tourism aims to preserve natural, historical, cultural, and social resources, also by supporting economic progress protecting economic development and environmental values that emerge as a consequence of tourism activities. Cultural tourism feeds on sustainable cultural treasures inherently and is the most effective touristic activity. Traditional configurations and structural characteristics play an important role in generating cultural tourism in a region. Sustainable cultural tourism is related to trips upon people who embark with the aim of visiting culturally rich regions, learning about and observing fast-disappearing lifestyles and collecting cultural values as memories. With its huge tourism potential, Karadağ is the most significant cultural asset of the Karaman province, possessing unique riches in terms of cultural world history. Host to one of the most important Byzantine cities in Anatolia, Karadağ is like an open-air museum with its unparalleled architectural structures. There is a village named Madenşehir in the plain at the outskirts of Karadağ, near to which are located the “Thousand and One Churches” ruins. The 80-household house is located near the ruins in an area that been declared a 1st degree historic preservation district. stones gathered from local churches were used in the construction of these households. A ministry has assigned a new residential site near the boundaries of the 2nd degree preservation district, and the decision has been made to move the occupants to this area. The most important issue here is to enable locals’ sociocultural and socioeconomic sustainability. It is also important to build these structures in a manner compatible with the historical visual look, ecological system and environmental awareness. Therefore this new site will be planned as touristic area in terms of sustainable cultural tourism and in these new plans, shall fulfill functions oriented toward both tourists and locals. It is very important that this change be sustainable and also support cultural tourism.

Keywords: cultural tourism, new village settlement, socio cultural sustainability, “thousand and one churches” site

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Authors: Intissar Abbes, Yousra Hallem, Jean-michel Sahut

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The purpose of this research is to explore the legitimacy of a proximity mobile payment (PMP) system by taking into account the social aspects related to its use (social acceptability). We have chosen to focus on the acceptability process of a PMP application (‘Flashplay’) from the first testing to the adoption in a service context. This PMP solution is a pilot program developed as part of a global strategy of disintermediation in various sectors (retail, catering, and entertainment). This case is particularly interesting for two reasons: the context and environment are suitable to the adoption of innovation in payment like other African countries and the possibility to study different stages of the social acceptability process of that PMP system. The neo-institutional theory is mobilized to identify the three pillars of legitimacy: cognitive, normative and regulatory. A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted with 27 customers using the PMP service. Results highlighted the importance of the consumption system and the service provider as institutions. Recommendations are thus proposed to PMP service providers in order to rethink the design and implementation strategies of their PMP system to ensure their adoption and promote the institutionalization of this type of consumption practice.

Keywords: legitimacy, payment, acceptability, mobility

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Authors: Shatha Ahmad Alharthi

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Prior research suggests that reduced social interaction can negatively affect well-being and impair mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety), resulting in lower academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly limited social interaction among Saudi Arabian school children since the government closed schools and implemented lockdown restrictions to reduce the spread of the disease. These restrictions have resulted in prolonged remote learning for middle school students with unknown consequences for perceived academic performance, mental health, and well-being. This research project explores how middle school Saudi students’ current remote learning practices affect their mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety) and well-being during the lockdown. Furthermore, the study will examine the association between social interaction, mental health, and well-being pertaining to students’ perceptions of their academic achievement. Research findings could lead to a better understanding of the role of lockdown on depression, anxiety, well-being and perceived academic performance. Research findings may also inform policy-makers or practitioners (e.g., teachers and school leaders) about the importance of facilitating increased social interactions in remote learning situations and help to identify important factors to consider when seeking to re-integrate students into a face-to-face classroom setting. Potential implications for future educational research include exploring remote learning interventions targeted at bolstering students’ mental health and academic achievement during periods of remote learning.

Keywords: depression, anxiety, academic performance, social interaction

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Authors: Debrah Mtshelwane, Alewyn Nel, Lizelle Brink

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Social desirability is an important topic to study. It may be possible that different cultures experience social desirability in different ways. Different cultural groups exist within South Africa, however the focus of this study is specifically in the Zulu culture. This research aims to explore social desirability from an emic perspective within the social constructivist paradigm among individuals within the Zulu culture. The researcher intended to identify those features Zulu individuals deem as socially desirable and undesirable from their cultural viewpoint. The research was conducted using a qualitative research design and the constructivism paradigm was utilised in this study. Combined purposive and quota non-probability sampling was employed for this study. A sample of 30 employees (N = 30) working in various organisations from the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal formed part of this study and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The main findings showed that Zulu people regard certain behaviours and actions as socially desirable and others as undesirable. The following are considered socially desirable: Conscientiousness, dominance, subjective expectations and positive relations, these are the themes that were reported on the most. These are positive features in the Zulu culture, and they reflect on behaviour patterns, attitudes and manners that people display, which are also seen as acceptable and good in the Zulu culture. The following are regarded as socially undesirable features that were identified by people who belong to the Zulu culture, the themes that were identified as undesirable are: non-conscientiousness, non-dominance (male), dominance (females), tradition, negative relations and subjective expectations. This study creates awareness on social desirability in the workplace and provides basic tools to management on how to deal with such behaviours relating to this phenomenon in the workplace. This knowledge informs employees on the concept of socially desirable behaviour, and provide more insight into behaviours and/or emotions Zulu individuals. The outcome of this study provided new indigenous, empirical knowledge on the phenomenon of social desirability within the South African context.

Keywords: cultural diversity, emic perspective, social constructivism paradigm, social desirability, Zulu culture

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