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Educating Learners with SEND in One Private Mainstream School in Dubai: Effectiveness and Challenges of Policy Implementation
No full textThis study investigates the SEND policy implementation in one private
school in Dubai. It highlights whether the school’s teachers and support staff adopted
and effectively implemented the SEND inclusion policy. The investigation process
focuses on three areas which are curriculum modifications, Assessment differentia
tion, and teacher’s professional development. A qualitative research study of semi
structured interviews has been conducted to investigate the effectiveness and chal
lenges of SEND policy implementation; for this purpose, interviews were conducted
with the school’s teachers for data analysis; the researcher has decided to use the
qualitative approach because it shows a subjective evaluation of beliefs, behaviour,
and attitudes, the total number of participants were two subject teachers and one
school principal. This study investigated all the significant aspects, and the overall
result was conducted to provide the proper recommendations. The qualitative study
findings indicate that the school policy implementation is very effective, and teachers’
awareness of the inclusion policy is appropriate. Nevertheless, they face difficulties
in accommodating students’ needs in the classroom due to the massive number of
students in each classroom. Also, it showed that the inclusion support team acts as a
backbone in supporting the teachers through the weekly meetings, which help them
modify the curriculum and accommodate the assessment for their students. In terms
of challenges, the school has few numbers of inclusion support teachers; therefore,
it leads to some challenges teachers face when implementing the policy
The significance of general skills training for early career graduates: relationships with perceived organizational support, job satisfaction and turnover intention
No full textPurpose– The purpose of this study is to address the mixed predictions about the relationship between
general skills training and turnover intention of early career graduates by examining the mediating
mechanisms of perceived organizational support (POS) and job satisfaction (JS) through which this
relationship might be enacted. This study adopts organizational support theory as the guiding theory and
examines the concept of POS as critical for predicting and explaining relationships in the conceptual
framework.
Design/methodology/approach– A quantitative survey method was used on a sample of 147 Chinese
early career graduate trainees. Analysis was conducted using partial least square-based structural equation
modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings– The main finding is that participation in general skills training (PGST) does not directly impact
turnover intention, rather POS is a mechanism through which this negative relationship operates. This study also
found significant evidence for serial mediation by POS on PGST and its relationship with turnover intention.
Importantly, JS only has an effect on turnover intention when in the presence of serial mediation by POS.
Research limitations/implications– Cross-sectional study of a small survey sample. Nonetheless, the
f
indings have major implications for research theories on the relationship of general skills training with
employeeturnover.
Social implications– PGST does not directly impact turnover intention, rather POS is a mechanism
through whichthis negative relationship operates.
Originality/value– This research emphasizes the important role of POS in the relationship between early
career graduate trainees’ PGST andtheir turnover intentions.
Keywords Generalskills, Turnover intention, Training, Perceived organizational support,
Job satisfaction, Human capital
The role of leader favoritism, unfairness, and employability in employee psychological withdrawal behavior
No full textGiven the adverse consequences of destructive leadership at work, we examine
leader favoritism prevalent in contemporary organizations. Our study builds on previ
ous research on unethical leadership behaviors and extends social exchange theory
by assessing whether leader favoritism contributes to employee psychological with
drawal behavior at work and whether perceived unfairness explains this link, address
ing a gap in the literature on this topic. In addition, we investigate the condition of
perceived employability to seek whether the influence of perceived unfairness due
to leader favoritism on psychological withdrawal behavior at work is strengthened
when employees think they can secure alternative employment elsewhere. The study
utilizes a two- wave data collection approach to gather responses from 206 front end
customer service employees working in the hospitality and tourism firms in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). The study findings offer empirical support for the proposed
mediated moderation model. Specifically, the results demonstrate that leader favorit
ism directly, indirectly (via perceived unfairness), and positively influence employee
withdrawal behaviors. This influence is stronger among employees who believe they
can easily find alternative employment options. Our findings highlight the relevance
of incorporating social exchange theory into the unethical leadership behaviors and
withdrawal behaviors literature and provide valuable insights for managers into how
to mitigate the practice of leader favoritism because of its adverse consequences on
employees' work attitudes and behavior
Keyed Watermarks: A Fine-grained Tracking of Event-time in Apache Flink
No full textBig Data Stream processing engines such
as Apache Flink use windowing techniques to handle
unbounded streams of events. Gathering all perti nent input within a window is crucial for event time windowing since it affects how accurate results
are. A significant part of this process is played by
watermarks, which are unique timestamps that show
the passage of events in time. However, the current
watermark generation method in Apache Flink, which
works at the level of the input stream, tends to
favor faster sub-streams, resulting in dropped events
from slower sub-streams. In our analysis, we found
that Apache Flink’s vanilla watermark generation
approach caused around 33% loss of data if 50% of
the keys around the median are delayed. Furthermore,
the loss surpassed 37% when 50% of random keys are
delayed.
In this paper, we present a novel strategy called
keyed watermarks to overcome data loss and increase
the accuracy of data processing to at least 99% in
most cases. We enable separate progress tracking by
creating a unique watermark for each logical sub stream (key). In our study, we outline the architec tural and API changes necessary to implement keyed
watermarks and discuss our experience in extending
Apache Flink’s enormous code base. Additionally, we
compare the effectiveness of our strategy against the
conventional watermark generation method in terms
of the accuracy of event-time tracking.
Index Terms—Keyed Watermarks, Big Data Stream
Processing, Event-Time Tracking, Apache Flink
Optimizing overheating, lighting, and heating energy performances in Canadian school for climate change adaptation: Sensitivity analysis and multi-objective optimization methodology
No full textThis paper aims to develop long-term adaptation strategies for the existing Canadian school buildings under
extreme current and future climates using a developed methodology based on global and local sensitivity analysis
and Multi-Objective Optimization Genetic Algorithm. The calibrated simulation model based on indoor and
outdoor measured temperature for a school of interest is used to evaluate the optimization strategies. This paper
aims to search for the optimum school building design under three simultaneous conflicting objective functions:
(1) the minimization of overheating hours to less than 40 h as required by Building Bulletin BB101 building code
by using passive mitigation measures, (2) the minimization of heating energy use to less than 15 kW/m2 ac cording to passive house requirements and thus the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and (3) the mini mization of artificial lighting energy use to less than the current lighting energy use by maximization of
daylighting usage without exceeding acceptable glare index in classrooms. Ten building design variables are
selected, which could generate approximately 300,000 solutions. The developed methodology reduced the
numbers to 14,400 solutions and found seven Pareto solutions that comply with the three objectives and their
constraints. High energy-efficient building envelope, appropriate window-wall ratio and window type, natural
ventilation during the day, and night cooling can play a key role in achieving the objectives under current
weather conditions. An additional cool roof and external overhang will be needed in the medium-term future
climate, and an additional movable screen shading will be needed in the long-term future climate
On The Shift to Decentralised Identity Management in Distributed Data Exchange Systems
No full textThe commonly used centralised trust and centralised identity man agement make information systems and organisations prone to
a single point of failure. Therefore, decentralised identity man agement has appeared as an alternative solution to mitigate the
weaknesses of centralised identity. In this paper, we propose an
approach of system analysis that should guide organisations that
considers the transition to decentralised identity management. The
approach aims to support decision-making about the usefulness of
the transition based on the created assessment model. The approach
is validated through a case study of the X-Road ecosystem
Lean manufacturing practices for operational and business performance: A PLS-SEM modeling analysis
No full textObjective: The main objective of the study is to empirically investigate the influence of lean manufacturing (LM) practices
on the operational and business performance of manufacturing companies in Oman.
Methods: Empirical data on LM practices and performance were collected using a self-administered structured survey
questionnaire and the sampling frame was manufacturing companies in Oman. In total 300 questionnaires were distributed
among 185 companies and a total of 107 with a response rate of 35.6 percent.
Findings: The statistical analysis obtained from structural equation modeling found that lean manufacturing practices can
explain operational performance, however, were unable to benefit overall business performance. Out of eight LM practices
considered, small-lot production and quick setups were found to be the most adopted practices in manufacturing
companies.
Novelty: Even though LM has become afundamental aspect of industrial manufacturing processes; little is known about its
impact on performance. This study adds value to the literature by examining the key LM practices-performance rela
tionships within the manufacturing companies in Oman. These findings have significant implications for improving
manufacturing organizations’ operational and business performance through lean manufacturing strategies
Barriers of Additive Manufacturing Adoption in United Arab Emirates Automotive Supply Chain
No full textThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the leading countries, in the Middle East, for Additive Manufacturing (AM). The UAE government is strongly focusing on fostering innovation within the automotive supply chain of the country. AM offers a tremendous opportunity by improving adaptability and efficiency of the supply chain such as reducing lead times, decreasing the dependence on foreign suppliers, and promoting sustainability in manufacturing processes. The study used a mixed method approach to determine the interrelationship between the barriers and to prioritize them with respect to one another. 11 critical barriers were identified through comprehensive literature review analysis and were modeled using ISM-MICMAC and ANP analysis with opinions gathered from industry experts. The study represents that Lack of standardization, skilled labor shortage, and limited availability of raw materials are the important barriers in the AM adoption. The ISM analysis represented the qualitative classification of barriers levels depending on their influence and interdependence, whereas the ANP analysis provided a quantitative validation for the findings. The results of this study are beneficial in providing insights of AM adoption and the unique obstacles encountered in the UAE automotive supply chain. It also assists the decision makers and automotive industry professionals to strategically implement additive manufacturing initiatives to overcome these barriers
Factors Influencing the Adoption and Implementation of Predictive Maintenance Technologies in Organizations
Get PDFSignificant research has explored the numerous advantages of predictive maintenance technologies. In today's Industry 4.0 era, organizations, especially in the manufacturing sector, are increasingly adopting predictive maintenance practices and technologies to forecast equipment failure enabling them to proactive maintain manufacturing and processing tasks and activities. Predictive maintenance technologies enable organizations to meet their production costs as well as product quality and quantity objectives. Accordingly, studies have associated predictive maintenance technologies and practices with the capabilities of improving organizational performance in the economic, ecological/environmental, and social dimensions. However, despite the numerous advantages, many organizations have not leveraged these technologies due to various organizational, financial, and human-related barriers. As a result, drawing from relevant literature and the data from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the study will explore the factors that influence the adoption of predictive maintenance technologies, the consequent impact on organizational performance and provide suggestions for businesses looking to adopt and use these technologies. In a questionnaire conducted with 108 respondents from different companies in the UAE, relevant insights are found pertaining to the factors that influence the adoption and implementation of predictive maintenance technologies in organizations. One of the most important factors reported by participants in this study is the user perception factor, which reflects important perceptions about the implementation of specific technologies to improve organizational performance. Another relevant factor discussed in the study is the job effectiveness factor
Implementation of Time of Use Electricity Rate Structure in Dubai to Enhance the Performance of the Local Utility Provider
No full textOne of the main concerns in today’s world is the examination of the best practices around the world and the use of environmentally responsible practices in the construction industry. Construction and manufacturing, on the other hand, account for a significant portion of global electricity consumption; As a result, environmental groups in governments around the world are constantly working to find solutions to this problem. In recent years, the UAE has hosted many important groups working towards environmental sustainability and environmental protection, however, as a country with exceptionally hot summers, the UAE faces significant challenges in conserving energy thus reducing its impact on the environment. Yet, as a country whose environment is dominated by exceptionally hot climate, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces significant difficulties in preserving energy thus reducing the impact on the environment. It has been proven that the building sector is taking most of the energy usage in the UAE. Dubai particularly, is an active attractive city for new residents and business owners. Since the population is increasing, electricity usage is increasing as well, thus the electricity load curve is fluctuating significantly. which will result in high electricity consumption. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to create a Time of Use (ToU) electricity rate structure that is appropriate for Dubai's electricity users. Implementing a time of use rate plan would help to flatten the electricity load curve by shifting the load into other periods of time throughout the day. thus, improving the operation and effective use of the electricity supply. The method for constructing the plan involves evaluating the methods applied in various nations to develop and implement the ToU rates. ToU pricing is a cost-effective power pricing method that has proved effective in reducing peak electricity use. Yet, in order for the ToU pricing model to be successful, it must be applied to consumers gradually and adaptably by giving them a variety of options to choose from. Using effective load shifting techniques, ToU pricing not only helps the country economically but also the environment by reducing pollution emissions. Technical, regulatory, and stakeholder requirements are nevertheless necessary for the execution of the price plan