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Effectiveness of Digital Marketing on the Promotion of the Botswana Human Resource Development Council’s (HRDC) Services
Get PDFSince 2015, Botswana Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) has been using digital marketing platforms to promote its services and reach out to its stakeholders, customers and clients. This was meant to augment traditional marketing platforms such as television, radio and newspapers, which were not reaching out to all stakeholders due to geographical spread. As a result, the Botswana HRDC decided to incorporate digital marketing in its Marketing Communications Strategy. After this shift, it became necessary to know whether digital marketing platforms, mainly Facebook and Twitter, were achieving the intended results. The study sought to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of digital marketing on the promotion of Botswana HRDC’s services. The study targeted Botswana HRDC stakeholders, customers and clients. A mixed-methods research approach was used. Purposive sampling was used to select 420 respondents, of which 348 answered a questionnaire, while 26 participated in interviews, and two focus–group discussions were conducted with seven and 13 respondents, respectively. The response rate was 82.4 per cent. The findings suggest that participants generally preferred to use digital marketing; however, due to the unaffordability of data to some and inaccessibility of the internet in rural areas, some still preferred traditional marketing platforms. The findings also showed a relationship between the use of digital marketing platforms and the type of stakeholder, age, position, location and level of education. The findings further recommended the use of Instagram, WhatsApp and Pinterest. The significance of this study is that the research findings inform Botswana HRDC on how to plan for its next strategic plan of 2021–2026 on digital capacity building, agility, management, budgeting and how best to exploit digital marketing for reaching out to all types of stakeholders
The Study on the Workplace-related Corporate Social Responsibility Practices
Get PDFThis paper aims to explore the challenges regarding the workplace area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Nowadays, organisations and their leaders are facing unprecedented pressures from both internal and external forces. Furthermore, there is a growing interest in understanding and managing issues related to sustainability. In these circumstances, organisations, regardless of their field of activity, have to implement responsible ways of doing business. Most CSR research focuses primarily on external areas: marketplace, environment, community, and external stakeholders: customers, suppliers, investors, government. Knowledge and digital economy and the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) greatly influence human capital. Today, there is fierce competition in attracting and retaining the best employees – as critical stakeholders. Recruiting, developing, utilising and retaining a talented workforce has become a critical success factor. In this context, it is crucial to explore the workplace as an internal dimension of CSR. Our research methodology includes a theoretical analysis based on literature regarding this topic and an online survey based on a questionnaire. The conclusions and solutions highlighted at the end of the paper can support Human Resource managers and business leaders in addressing these challenges and developing knowledge and skills to generate long‐term value for businesses, society and the environment. We anticipate that our findings will shed more light on CSR workplace practices that can be integrated into the business sustainability strategy
Are Two Heads Better than One? Comparing Engagement between Pairs and Individuals in an L2 Writing Task
Get PDFThis study examined the performance of university foreign language learners on a writing task by comparing paired work (n = 50) against individual work (n = 50). Data were collected based on three aspects of learners’ task engagement: behavioral (time spent working on the task, number of words written), linguistic (English writing scores), and affective (attitudes toward the task). The results showed that (1) all participants worked on the task for the same amount of time and produced a similar number of words, (2) texts written by pairs were similar to and as accurate/fluent as those written individually, and (3) learners who worked in pairs evaluated the task more positively than did those who worked individually. A more detailed examination using cluster analysis revealed that while there was generally a positive relationship between each aspect of task engagement, a trade-off might occur depending on the situation, and one aspect might mediate the effect of others. In addition, by examining the differences between a successful and a less successful pair, this study provides pedagogical implications in relation to the use of pair work activities in the language classroom
Investigating the Perceptions and Practices of Iranian Language and Content Teachers in Teaching EAP Vocabulary
Get PDFStanding at the cornerstone of discipline-based EAP courses, vocabulary teaching warrants attention from the EAP scholars and research mainstream. However, such a shift of attention, in theory, has lagged behind the practice in particular contexts such as EAP and EAP teachers are yet afflicted by pedagogical chaos in the Iranian academic context due largely to the inconsistencies between language teachers’ (LT) and content teachers’ (CT) cognitions and practices. Thus, this study was conducted in the EAP context to explore Iranian EAP teachers’ perceptions and practices of their vocabulary teaching. To this end, six EAP teachers (three LTs and three CTs) from three different disciplines (Electrical Engineering, Medicine, and Psychology) participated in this study, and their classes were observed for a semester. To thoroughly probe the teachers’ perceptions, semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers. The findings pointed to differences between the two groups of teachers in terms of their vocabulary teaching practices and perceptions. It was revealed that LTs focused on a more varied combination of aspects than CTs did. The findings of the study provide implications for EAP teacher education to colour current practices and perceptions of the two groups of teachers about vocabulary teaching and learning with fresh paint
A Study of the CP-based Model of Metadiscourse Marking across Disciplines and Q1-4 Journals
Get PDFWriting for social engagement in an academic context indicates the authors’ attitude towards the propositional content and the text’s audience through metadiscursive maxims markers employment. This study tried to determine whether there are any differences in metadiscourse marking in research articles across different disciplines and different quartile ranks. To this end, Abdi’s (2010) CP-based model of metadiscourse marking was used to study how writers use metadiscursive maxims markers to see any differences in metadiscourse maxims marking in their writings. To this end, we selected 193 research articles from recently published journals (2018-2020) and balanced them based on size. Then, we carefully went through them and extracted maxims markers manually. The results showed that the cooperation categories of quality, quantity, manner, and interaction were widely used among philosophy writers, which can help understand, study, and teach this critical area of language use. This empirical study of academic writing helps us attend to hidden rhetorical features and strengthen interpretation
Changes of the Employees’ Stress Level during Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Disadvantaged Hungarian Regions
Get PDFWe have had to adopt to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in both private life and work. Besides uncertainty becoming general, our work and its environment have changed markedly in the last two years, also causing increased stress level. Our goal is to examine the changes of the employees’ mental health, stress level and well-being in a disadvantaged Hungarian region during three waves of the pandemic, and the sectors where mental strain has primarily occurred. Materials and methods: Over the background variables, we used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the WHO Well-being Index and the Hope Scale (AHS-H). The online questionnaire was recorded in November 2020, March 2021 and November 2021. In the study, we attached great importance to the stress level the employees working on different fields were exposed to in the pandemic situation. The quota online data recording is not representative, but it reflects the attitude of the region’s population well. Results: The questionnaire was fulfilled by 515 persons in the second, 527 persons in the third and 590 persons in the fourth wave, with the average age of 36.5±13.4 years. 9 employee categories and 7 labour market statuses were defined; health care workers were examined separately. The employees’ stress level reached its peak in the fourth wave (17.82; 17.63; 19.84). The highest values could be detected among employees with lower educational level (unskilled workers, householders, workmen). Examining the labour market status, public workers, temporary workers and pensioners showed higher stress values. Conclusion: The pandemic has significantly transformed our life. We must cope with increased stress and anxiety every day, and the relevance of the competencies has been revalued in this situation. The prolonged pandemic and the associated limitations have worn the employees’ mental health that reached its peak in the fourth pandemic wave
Voluntary Disclosure of Integrated Reporting and cost of Capital in Brazil: an Alternative Explanation
Get PDFThere is an ongoing debate about whether integrated reporting should be mandatory or voluntary. Empirical evidence mostly focused on South African mandatory disclosures, indicate that the firm’s information environment is relevant to explain the effects on the cost of capital. However, results based on voluntary disclosures indicate that the country’s level of enforcement explains the effects. This paper analyses the effects of voluntary disclosures of integrated reports on the cost of capital for Brazilian listed companies. Our design is developed to control the level of enforcement and evaluate if firm-specific characteristics may explain the effects on information asymmetry related to the disclosure of integrated financial and non-financial information. We collect data from 2014 to 2017 and compare the effects on capital cost for a group of firms that voluntarily disclose integrated reports with a control group identified via Propensity Score Matching. We can identify that larger firms, with stronger corporate governance and lower risk, are more likely to voluntarily disclose integrated reports. In our second stage, we find no effect on the cost of capital after the voluntary disclosure. Taken together, our results are aligned with prior studies focused on mandatory disclosures: the firm’s information environment is relevant to explain the potential capital market benefits of Integrated Reporting. 
Reflections of the Consistency of the Public Sector's Financial Statements in the Performance of Fiscal Management
Get PDFThe main aim of this research is to identify the relation between the level of consistency of public sector accounting information and the fiscal management performance of Rondônia’s municipalities in the period between 2011 and 2015. Referring to the methodology, it was a quantitative research, considering that the object of analysis involves numeric calculations, related to consistency tests of accounting information and the performance of fiscal management, using statistics and having as instrument of data collection the application of ten accounting consistence rules with data extracted directly from the TCE‐RO SIGAP system. The results showed that the level of consistency of accounting information was not statistically significant to explain the performance of fiscal management. However, by adopting a subset of more homogeneous consistency rules, it was very close to a reasonable degree of significance for the alternative hypothesis to be safely confirmed
ESP Research Directions: Enduring and Emerging Lines of Inquiry
Get PDFThis paper identifies major strands of research interest in the ESP literature. Specifically, the review aims to highlight mainstay topics that have characterised research in this area as well as topics that are emerging in this field, or that have received rather limited research interest to date. Linguistic inquiry has been a major thrust of research endeavor, and this has largely been driven by the needs of ESP teachers for linguistic descriptions of specialist language use to inform the development of pedagogical descriptions of academic, workplace or professional English for use in instruction. The ESP literature is also rich in case studies of teaching that report practices in one setting. The review identifies a number of topics, such as learning ESP, ESP teaching practices across settings and ESP teacher education needs, which have received scant research interest. It is suggested that these are emerging avenues for research
On the Relationship between Iranian English Language Teaching Students’ Self-efficacy, Self-esteem, and their Academic Achievement
Get PDFThe present study explores the relationship between self-esteem, self-efficacy, and academic achievement among Iranian graduate students majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT) by presenting a model of the interrelationship among these three constructs. To this end, 229 students, male (N=80) and female (N=149), were selected from among different universities of Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran. AMOS software, Schwarzer, and Jerusalem’s self-efficacy questionnaire were utilised to conduct the study and Rosenberg’s self-esteem questionnaire. Also, to assess the participants’ academic achievement, their Grade Point Average (GPA) was used as a criterion measure based on their self-report evaluation. The results of the Pearson correlation indicated that there were significant positive relationships between self-efficacy and self-esteem (r=.641, p<.05), self-efficacy and academic achievement (r=.609, p<.05), and self-esteem and academic achievement (r=.519, p<.05). The goodness of fit indices revealed that all the fit indices lie within the acceptable fit thresholds. Results of the model showed that both self-efficacy (β= .44, p<.05) and self-esteem (β= .22, p<.05) were significant positive predictors of students’ achievement. Therefore, self-efficacy was a better predictor of GPA. The model also demonstrated that self-efficacy positively and significantly (β= .57, p<.05). The findings of the study might have some pedagogical implications for language teaching and learning