Society & Sustainability
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Impact of COVID-19 on the Rights of Informal Workers in Bangladesh
Get PDFCOVID-19 is a devastating global crisis leading to unprecedented challenges in public health, food systems, the workforce, etc. The calamity has aggravated the situation for informal workers by putting them at risk of economic fallout. The informal workers remain exceptionally vulnerable as their livelihood depends on in-person daily labor. As the pandemic unfolds worldwide, informal workers face tremendous socio-economic challenges and health-related vulnerabilities. This research sheds light on this terrain to explore the impact of COVID-19 on informal workers in Bangladesh from a socio-economic perspective. At the same time, it also analyzes the legal aspects from a critical point of view. It employs a qualitative research methodology. Primary data were collected through 30 in-depth interviews with informal laborers such as taxi-driver, street vendors, domestic workers, hotel and restaurant stewards, and private tuition providers. Ten key informant interviews were conducted with trade union leaders, relevant practitioners, and researchers. It finds that informal workers face diverse challenges, such as the inability to manage family expenditure, drop-out of their children from education, lack of information on health protection, internal migration, etc. It also reveals a significant policy implementation gap in crisis management by analyzing fiscal and monetary policy, non-therapeutic measures, and social safety programs.
Influence of Working from Home Culture on the Effectiveness of Virtual Onboarding of New Employees
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic remains a global disaster with extraordinary consequences for corporations and their people. The stresses of working from home during a pandemic are heightened for newbies entering new occupations and organizations. To address the issues concerning the rapid adoption of virtual onboarding in employment relations and human resource management practices, the paper seeks to determine whether there is a positive relationship between online orientation and training and holistic support with virtual onboarding in the context of multinational companies operating in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey of 110 individuals of diverse profiles from various multinational companies (MNCs) in Bangladesh is undertaken using Google Forms. The data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0. It was discovered that online orientation, online training, and holistic support play an important part in carrying out a successful virtual onboarding process for newcomers working from home. It was also found that having a strong relationship with peers, and senior coworkers is a key aspect of obtaining the assistance that new employees require in the workplace as they start. It is expected that the managers in the MNCs may regain workers\u27 trust by strengthening their virtual or onboarding operations as a whole. The frameworks offered can guide managers in better responding to employees\u27 needs. The successful use of virtual onboarding among the MNCs in Bangladesh is a little-explored research domain. The study findings address the gap by highlighting its effectiveness and encouraging the implication of virtual onboarding of the employees working from home in the MNCs. The study does not rule out the potential of other factors influencing virtual onboarding effectiveness, nor focus on any particular professional groups. The online survey makes it difficult to provide information on the sample\u27s representativeness. Further research and inquiry are required to confirm the findings
Digital Diplomacy in Kenya: A Study on X (Twitter) Analysis and Communication Strategies of A Few Selected Diplomatic Actors
Get PDFThe study examined the digital diplomacy practices of three diplomatic actors, namely the US, the UK, and China, in Kenya. To understand how these actors communicate their messages digitally, the study conducted a content analysis of their X tweets, hashtags, hyperlinks, and visuals. Additionally, the study analyzed the tweet impressions section of the posts to gain insight into individual tweet performance, engagement, followers, and following details. These components are crucial in understanding the digital diplomacy practices of the actors. The results showed that the diplomatic actors prioritized following other diplomatic actors, heads of state, online influencers, organizations, projects, and companies of interest, rather than the local Kenyan digital public. The study also found that the preferred topics of the diplomatic actors were tourism, politics, culture, education, and economic development, among others. The reasons for prioritizing certain actors and topics were to monitor activities, protect interests, push foreign policies, expand networks, counter misinformation, and protect image abroad. The findings are presented in the form of a network analysis of tweets to show the communication strategies adopted by the diplomatic actors to influence or exert power over their followers on X
Impact of Globalization on Human Rights in Developing Countries: Connecting the Dots towards the SDGs
Get PDFThis study focuses on the complex interaction between globalization and human rights. The study uses a multifaceted approach to analyze the possible overlaps and conflicts between globalization and human rights to find ways to lessen negative effects and maximize good ones. The research intends to identify the gaps and possibilities of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by looking at the particular difficulties encountered by developing countries. The study reveals the intricate interactions between globalization and human rights using data from several case studies as well as a thorough examination of the literature. It identifies several significant impact areas, such as labor rights, access to healthcare and education, environmental sustainability, gender equality, and the defense of indigenous peoples\u27 rights. Additionally, the study evaluates how governments, civil society, international organizations, and other stakeholders are addressing the adverse effects of globalization on human rights and sustainable development. The paper unleashes mitigating factors and emphasizes the obligations of the many UN stakeholders to defend human rights and assist in the achievement of the SDGs. By resolving these issues, developing nations may more effectively take advantage of globalization\u27s potential advantages while defending human rights and pursuing sustainable development objectives within the SDG framework. One of the key limitations of this paper is the lack of access to achieving primary data and the generalization of the concept itself. The impact of globalization has a deeper and specific scope of discussion
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Learning: Assessing Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor Skills
Get PDFThe acquisition of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills is highly important for successful learning outcomes. This article aims to evaluate the Three-Domain Model (TDM) of learning (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) during the COVID-19 online classes for tertiary students in Bangladesh. This current study aims at the psychometric evaluation and validation of tertiary students\u27 learning loss during the pandemic. A survey questionnaire is administered using the Likert scale. The components of the questionnaire are based on the Three-Domain Model reflecting the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills of the students. The article informs of the learning loss due to the pandemic while suggesting the benefits of online classes. The major finding of the article is that learners lost their skills mainly related to the cognitive domain during the pandemic due to online classes. However, at the same time, their skills related to affective and psychomotor domains increased. Therefore, recommendations for minimizing learning loss are also provided to guide future empirical work in the post-pandemic era
“Their Color is a Diabolic Die,” Colonialism and the State of Environmental Justice in Africa
Get PDFEnvironmental justice is crucial to the discourse on the African environment since Africa bears a significant share of the world’s resources, and conversely, it is home to a large number of globally disadvantaged people, whose access to the wealth of their native lands is beyond their reach. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how colonialism and the structures it has laid down in Africa are impeding environmental justice. Content analysis was used in the data collection. In this article, drawing from the slum arrangements in the cities of four African countries colonized by the British and French as case studies, it was revealed how colonialism has caused the degeneration of the African environment. Furthermore, colonialism created a class system that has fed social and economic inequality and has resulted in an intra-racial system of oppression that has made Africa’s poorest neighborhoods more vulnerable
Directors’ Conflict of Interest and Its Implication for the Sustainability of a Company
Get PDFEvents on the Boards of directors in Nigeria have exposed diverse cases of conflict of interest and non-disclosure. Activities of some directors reveal that they do not know the boundaries of their allegiance to the companies that appointed them. This paper examined the role of directors\u27 viz-a-viz conflict of interest and how it affects the sustainability of the companies. The doctrinal method was used to analyze the principles of corporate governance as it is related to the conflict of interest of those who are involved in the management. With the use of primary and secondary sources, the authors discussed the legal provisions addressing issues on conflict of interest, and the impact and implication of conflict of interest related to the organizations, the economy, and corporate sustainability. The paper found that lack of adherence to the provision of corporate governance framework had led to the pervasive cases of non-disclosure, conflict of interest, criminal liability, and extinction of the companies in extreme cases. This paper also offers recommendations for curbing the menace of conflict of interest in order to ensure corporate sustainability
Ethical Approach to Sustainability Accounting Practices and Financial Performance of Aviation Companies in Nigeria: A Conceptual Model
Get PDFConsidering the significance of environmental and social hazards alongside the inevitable economic importance of the aviation industry, the researcher examined the general impact of the ethical approach to environmental and social Sustainability Accounting Practices (SAP) on their performance in Nigeria. Due to a lack of financial data in the public domain of Nigeria’s aviation industry to empirically measure performance indices, the researcher adopted an exploratory research design in combination with an integrative conceptual and a practical case review as alternative analytical models. The case result and majority of findings among reviewed researches conducted in other countries did not only support a positive association between sustainability accounting practices and financial performance of aviation companies but also demonstrated a significant influence of the ethical dimension of SAP in such nexus. Drawing from the results of reviewed studies and findings from case analysis, therefore, the researcher hypothetically concluded that a positive association exists between SAP and financial performance in Nigeria\u27s aviation industry. However, the researcher further attributed the scarcity of relevant financial data for empirical analysis to a poor listing of aviation companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), especially the domestic airlines. In addition to developing a hypothetical background and raising research questions for future empirical investigation, it was recommended among other things that aviation companies in Nigeria should exploit the ethical dimension of corporate social responsibility as a practical strategy for entrenching their "going concern" objective in a long-term good corporate financial outlook
Lifestyle as a Predictor of Socio-Economic Status in Retirement: Evidence from Pensioners from the Busoga Sub-Region, Uganda
Get PDFMost studies on retirement planning focus on preserving money and accumulating wealth and ignore the lifestyles of individual employees. This study promotes a discussion on lifestyle as a predictor of socio-economic status in retirement. Based on 236 pensioners from the Busoga sub-region, we used ‘the way of living’ to indicate lifestyle. We used household expenditure, access to healthcare, and housing quality to indicate socio-economic status. We used descriptive measures to report on lifestyle and Spearman’s correlation coefficient to document the relationship between workers’ lifestyle and socio-economic status in retirement. Strong attachments to family and intimate relations during one’s working life predict a satisfying retirement life. Civil servants who avoid harmful substances and exercise regularly are likely to retire in good health. There is a moderate and significant association between lifestyle and socio-economic status among civil servants in Uganda. Supervisors and human resource officers in government agencies and departments should conduct regular workshops to help government workers build strong attachments to their families, friends, social groups, and communities. We provide a solid foundation for working individuals to always reflect on the quality of their relations with their families, friends, social groups, and communities. This study contributes to the retirement planning research by shifting the focus to lifestyle, arguing that all forms of saving and financial planning for the future hinge on an individual worker’s lifestyle
Definitions and Concepts of Organizational Sustainability: A Literature Analysis
Get PDFThis research paper provides a comprehensive literature review that thoroughly examines the definitions and different concepts of organizational sustainability. This paper also looks at how research gaps are addressed in the literature with a particular emphasis on issues of organizational sustainability. Overall, organizational sustainability, including issues and aspects related to sustainability, is discussed. Individual authors provide their perspectives on various aspects of organizational sustainability from their field research, case analysis, and creative search. It also includes a greater knowledge of how real economic activity concerns and political dynamics can inhibit decision-making related to operational or practical sustainability. Several sustainability viewpoints from around the world have provided a genuine mechanism for organizations to increase their financial success while minimizing their impact on the environment and society. This study urges that knowing an organization\u27s ability to change and self-regulate on critical issues for long-term sustainability can help solve the socio-ecological dilemma. This study shows how firms approach sustainability and what fundamental issues still need to be resolved. The research has provided novel and unusual insights into the factors contributing to organizational sustainability. Additional value is generated by estimating progress toward the idea of organizational sustainability, identifying impediments, and analyzing various real-world examples of measures to enhance advancement toward that concept