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Influences of Menu, Restaurant Ownership, and Location on Chinese Ethnic Diners’ Authenticity Perceptions
Get PDFDrawing on ethnic entrepreneurship theory and enclave economy theory, this study aims to investigate how restaurants’ internal and external factors—menu (high vs. moderate vs. low iconic ethnic dishes), ownership type (chain vs. independent), and location (ethnic vs. nonethnic enclave)—affect authenticity perception and purchase intention. This study further examines whether cultural motivation moderates the relationship between authenticity perception and purchase intention. Using a 3 × 2 × 2 experimental design, data were collected from 446 Chinese ethnic diners. The results show that moderate-iconic Korean dishes offered by restaurants in ethnic enclaves and by chain restaurants are more effective in enhancing authenticity perceptions than their counterparts. Moreover, ethnic diners’ cultural motivations significantly moderate the relationship between perceived authenticity and purchase intention. The findings provide valuable insights for ethnic restaurateurs to enhance the authentic dining experience and contribute to the application of ethnic entrepreneurship theory and enclave economy theory within the hospitality context
Carbon Performance and Executive Compensation: The Moderating Role of Governance
Get PDFAmid growing global emphasis on corporate environmental responsibility, the role of executive compensation (EC) in driving carbon performance (CP) remains underexplored, particularly in a cross-country context. This paper addresses this limitation directly by examining the association between EC and CP, considering the moderating effects of corporate governance (CG) and national governance quality (NGI). Using a panel dataset of 1,122 firms across 28 countries over 18-year period (i.e., 13,413 firm-year observations), we find that EC is positively associated with carbon reduction initiatives (process-oriented CP), while negatively associated with carbon intensity (poor-outcome-oriented CP). Our results further reveal that CG mechanisms, such as board size, independent directors, CEO-chair duality, gender diversity, and sustainability committee, moderate the EC–CP nexus, strengthening the alignment between executive incentives and environmental objectives. Additionally, firms in countries with low NGI rely more on EC to achieve meaningful CP improvements. These findings remain robust across alternative model specifications and endogeneity tests. By integrating insights from neo-institutional theory, this
study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how governance structures at both firm and national levels shape the effectiveness of EC in promoting sustainability. Our results offer practical implications for policymakers, investors, and corporate leaders seeking to design governance frameworks that strengthen the link between executive incentives and CP in diverse institutional contexts
The (In)Effectiveness of EU Data Protection: A Rejoinder
Get PDFThe emergence of a highly privatised digital environment driven by data has triggered a regulatory response in the EU built on public law tools, such as fundamental rights. The EU fundamental right to data protection has had a central role in scrutinising the conduct of tech companies in the EU territory and beyond. The application of this fundamental right has followed an expansive trajectory, aimed at offering effective and complete protection, in the words of the European Court of Justice. Yet the fundamental right-driven enforcement of EU data protection rules has been heavily criticised, and not without reason. Among the several critiques, it has been observed that the breadth of data protection entails enforcement challenges, while the proceduralisation of this right de facto disguises the preservation of a business model in favour of digital actors. This chapter offers a rejoinder to these critiques by reflecting on and contextualising the critiques of data protection’s effectiveness against the background of the human rights’ crisis. As the chapter demonstrates, several criticisms against EU data protection rules mirror a broader critical movement against human rights. Hence, while many critical stances against data protection are worthy of consideration, scholars and regulators should not lose sight of the gains and protections afforded by data protection as a fundamental right. As a matter of fact, human rights remain one of the most effective tools to counteract imbalances of powers due to their iterative engagement governance, especially in the digital society
Massively multiplayer online games and language learning and teaching
No full textThe integration of play into educational frameworks has long intrigued educators, especially in language learning. One contemporary approach gaining traction is the use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). This entry discusses the potential of MMOGs as educational tools for language learning and teaching. It begins with an overview of digital games and their growing popularity, then reviews the specific attributes of MMOGs that make them promising media for language education. The entry also highlights practical applications of MMOGs in educational settings, demonstrating how their affordances can be leveraged to foster student engagement and improve language learning outcomes. Additionally, it addresses potential challenges that educators may encounter when integrating MMOGs into their curriculum and provides recommendations for effectively navigating these challenges. By examining the affordances and limitations of MMOGs, this entry aims to offer some insights into their role in modern language education and suggest best practices for their implementation
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – the experiences of social work practice educators in three organisations in England
Get PDFThis article explores the experiences of social work practice educators (PEs) in three organizations in England and focuses on the reasons PEs continue in their role alongside the challenges they encounter. This is important given broader persistent concerns about workforce recruitment and retention within the field of social work. The qualitative findings are categorized into three overarching themes: ‘the Good’, ‘the Bad’ and ‘the Ugly’. The research not only identified the positive reasons why PEs continue to stay in the role and the wider benefits but also highlighted the significant challenges PEs are facing. These include feeling undervalued, a lack of understanding and appreciation of their complex roles, and the considerable time demands of the role alongside the increasing pressures of the ‘day’ job. The article concludes that there is a significant risk that the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’ may outweigh the ‘good’, making the issue of retention of PEs even more problematic, which in turn may impact recruitment into social work. The paper suggests ways forward in light of the findings but, concerningly, highlights the fragility of the current system, which appears to rely on goodwill
MSAttNet: Multi-scale attention convolutional neural network for motor imagery classification
Get PDFBackground: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are widely employed in motor imagery (MI) classification. However, due to cumbersome data collection experiments, and limited, noisy, and non-stationary EEG signals, small MI datasets present considerable challenges to the design of these decoding algorithms.
New method: To capture more feature information from inadequately sized data, we propose a new method, a multi-scale attention convolutional neural network (MSAttNet). Our method includes three main components–a multi-band segmentation module, an attention spatial convolution module, and a multi-scale temporal convolution module. First, the multi-band segmentation module adopts a filter bank with overlapping frequency bands to enhance features in the frequency domain. Then, the attention spatial convolution module is used to adaptively adjust different convolutional kernel parameters according to the input through the attention mechanism to capture the features of different datasets. The outputs of the attention spatial convolution module are grouped to perform multi-scale temporal convolution. Finally, the output of the multi-scale temporal convolution module uses the bilinear pooling layer to extract temporal features and perform noise elimination. The extracted features are then classified.
Results: We use four datasets, including BCI Competition IV Dataset IIa, BCI Competition IV Dataset IIb, the OpenBMI dataset and the ECUST-MI dataset, to test our proposed method. MSAttNet achieves accuracies of 78.20%, 84.52%, 75.94% and 78.60% in cross-session experiments, respectively.
Comparison with existing methods: Compared with state-of-the-art algorithms, MSAttNet enhances the decoding performance of MI tasks.
Conclusion: MSAttNet effectively addresses the challenges of MI-EEG datasets, improving decoding performance by robust feature extraction
The minor’s healthcare
Get PDFThis article explores the regulation of children’s healthcare under French law, taking into consideration the role of parents, the welfare of the child, and the child’s autonomy. Parents primarily make healthcare decisions on behalf of their child’s, acting as representatives of the child’s best interests within the framework of parental authority. The level of consent required depends on the seriousness of the medical decision at hand; for everyday medical matters, one parent’s consent may suffice, while decisions involving the child’s physical well-being may necessitate consent from both parents. Despite the central role of parents, French law underscores that all parental decisions must prioritise the child’s welfare. Consequently, parents cannot make arbitrary decisions, and certain actions are mandatory, even if parents are unwilling to carry them out. Furthermore, in the past four decades, there has been a growing emphasis on children’s rights, prompting the French legislator to increasingly acknowledge children’s voices, especially in healthcare-related matters. Today, the legislator grants various rights to the child, such as the right to veto, the right to consent to decisions alongside their parents, and sometimes the right to act independently without consulting their parents. In sum, French legislation has aimed to strike a balance between recognising the child’s autonomy and the imperative of protecting them from their own decisions
Democratising local governments’ accounts: embracing a pluralistic approach
Get PDFThis article critiques the narrow financial focus of local government accounts, arguing that they fail to meet broader societal expectations, including resilience, social equity, justice, and sustainability. While acknowledging the challenges involved, it calls for a pluralistic approach, expanding accounts to include diverse societal values and engaging stakeholders in inclusive processes, emphasizing the potential of digitalization. This article extends and contributes to public sector accounting literature by suggesting the integration of pluralistic values and long-term perspectives to better reflect community needs, thereby promoting a democratized and accountable public sector
Programmes for people who are homeless and have severe mental illness in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Get PDFHomelessness and severe mental illness are inter-related issues, the co-occurrence of which leads to poor outcomes for affected individuals. Evidence for effective interventions in high-income countries is accruing, but little is known about how to intervene in the diverse sociocultural contexts of low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise peer-reviewed and grey literature on programmes for people experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness in LMICs. We synthesised effects, programme components, and implementation strategies. We identified 80 sources describing 45 programmes across ten LMICs. Programme components spanned seven domains: service models, basic needs, health care, outreach, empowerment, community level, and macro level. Most programmes were multicomponent and included diverse delivery agents. Evaluation studies (n=21), although few in number and quality, reported clinical improvements; family reintegration ranged from 6% to 69%. Frequently reported implementation strategies included network weaving, educational meetings, and involvement of patients and family members. We identified programmes that show promise and can serve as starting points for local adaptation. This systematic review identifies common domains of programmatic interventions that are important to include in combination for future programme design, while considering local contexts and population-specific needs. Future research should prioritise rigorous evaluations, with particular emphasis on programme effects and cost benefits