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The dark side of strengthening tax enforcement
Get PDFUsing the staggered adoption of China’s province-level Tax Administration Information System (TAIS) as an exogenous shock, we show that firms compromise employee workplace safety in response to strengthened tax enforcement driven by advances in tax collection technology. This effect is more pronounced in firms with significant prior tax avoidance, those under greater earnings pressure, and those where employees have limited bargaining power. Further analyses reveal that firms reduce employee workplace safety by cutting safety-related investments and increasing employee workloads. Collectively, our study highlights an unintended consequence of intensified tax enforcement on workplace safety
Creativity between nihilism and the search for meaning: Zeitgeist and creative innovation in body art
Get PDFA recent tattoo style, the sticker sleeve, brings with it some peculiarities: for example, unlike other styles, the focus seems to be less on originality or artistry. Further, the motifs integrated often imply almost incompatible messages, from spirituality and the search for meaning to the denial of meaning. Based on content analysis and interviews, the article explores what this style reveals about creativity and the Zeitgeist. One can interpret this in the tradition of nihilism as a denial of meaning or as a general instead of concrete concept of meaningfulness. Furthermore, it can be seen as a symbol for a creative way of dealing with cognitive dissonance. A complicated relationship to individuality is articulated, on the one hand the overcoming of the desire for unconditional individuality in favor of the recognition of shared human features, on the other hand the call to look behind the surface and recognize individual meanings behind shared looks
Creativity in contemporary higher education in the context of the artificial intelligence expansion
Get PDFIn the paper it is discussed what are the potential possibilities to foster creativity in contemporary higher education in the context of the artificial intelligence expansion based on theoretical analysis of sources and the findings of a pilot empiric study. The aim of this paper is to discuss aspects for potential development of creativity in higher education in the context of the artificial intelligence expansion. The objectives are organized around the research question: what are the aspects of studies in the context the artificial intelligence expansion that students in higher education experience and note today as relevant for their studies (potentially – for professional activity)? Methods of critical analyses of references, theoretical considerations, reflections on authors’ personal experiences, and a pilot empiric study, involving respondents/students, were employed for the development of the paper. Results of an empiric study are presented together with the conclusions that students in higher education conceptualise expansion of the artificial intelligence quite broadly and to a major degree – optimistically, with some attention on creativity and quite extensive attention to changes in culture
Creative process and creative environment: impact on experience quality and behavioural intentions in creative tourism services
Get PDFThis research investigates the intricate relationships between creativity process and environment, experience quality, and behavioural intentions within the unique context of creative tourism service providers. Sustainable issues related to cultural tourism especially in relation to the preservation and conservation of national heritage has fuelled the need to rebrand some tourists’ hotspots in Malaysia as a creative destination. However, service providers in this domain struggles to retain their customers, necessitating the exploration of effective marketing strategies based on their creative resources. Drawing from a comprehensive dataset of 500 respondents, obtained through purposive sampling, this study investigates the interplay among these factors and their ultimate impact on tourist’s intentions in the creative tourism industry. Employing partial least squares structural equation modelling, the study reveals that creativity, manifested through creative behaviour and innovative ideas, significantly influences the experience quality offered to tourists. Furthermore, this study underscores the essential role of physical and social environments in nurturing creativity and shaping experience quality. Experience quality emerges as a critical mediator in this intricate web of relationships, bridging the gap between creativity and behavioural intentions. The findings offer guidance to creative tourism service providers in enhancing their offerings, optimising physical and social environments, and elevating the experience quality they deliver. These insights are expected to not only benefit the industry but also contribute to a broader understanding of the intricate interplay between creativity, experience quality, and behavioural intentions in the realm of creative tourism
Problem-based learning in developing students’ communicative skills and creativity in teaching English for specific purposes
Get PDFTertiary education uses a variety of teaching methods to cater for different learning styles, encourage critical thinking, and prepare students for real-world challenges. Common methods include lectures, seminars, independent study, and collaborative learning. This diversity reflects the complexity of higher education and helps to create a dynamic learning environment that fosters lifelong learning and critical thinking skills. Problem-based learning, a prominent teaching method, focuses students on an inquiry-based approach, presenting them with real-life problems that require the application of knowledge, critical thinking, creative approach, and collaboration. Problem-based learning is very effective in teaching English for specific purposes at tertiary level because it involves students in projects that require the use of the target language, thus enhancing language acquisition and fostering communicative skills. This method benefits students by promoting active learning, improving communication, encouraging creativity, and developing problem-solving skills. A study at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania, involving students from creative and technical fields, found that most students found problem-based learning beneficial, although creativity students were more enthusiastic. The results suggest that while problem-based learning improves understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of study programmes, technical students are more sceptical about the effectiveness of problem-based learning. Despite some negative attitudes on the part of some students, problem-based learning remains a valuable tool in English for specific purposes education, supporting the development of language and professional skills
Creative communication in the socio-psychological context: driving and hindering factors of the acculturation of Ukrainian migrants
Get PDFThis study explores the economic acculturation of Ukrainian migrants through the lens of psychological, communicative, and contextual factors. In this study, we investigate the challenges, hindering factors and psychological drivers affecting employment and self-employment outcomes abroad. Based on 36 semi-structured interviews conducted across nine host countries. The findings reveal shared difficulties such as language barriers, bureaucratic complexity, and gender differences in adaptation experiences. While men more frequently pursued entrepreneurship, women reported greater emotional and situational barriers to employment. Successful economic integration was associated with internal factors such as motivation, perseverance, and communication skills, alongside external supports such as family and institutional assistance. Communication and creativity emerged as key resources for resilience. The study contributes by bridging the gap between economic participation and psychological adaptation in forced migration contexts and offers a foundation for future quantitative research on migrant acculturation processes
Determination of location of historical and cultural heritage objects using photogrammetric and geophysical methods
Get PDFTwo central problems related to the study of historical fortification systems are apparent. First, there are high labour costs for the excavation of defensive structures. Therefore, studying each line of defence along its entire length by traditional archaeological methods is practically impossible. That’s probably why special studies of the fortification system are the exception rather than the rule, and information about defensive structures is given in single sections. The second problem is related to the fact that some lines of fortifications were destroyed in ancient times or were practically destroyed due to later economic activity. The specified circumstances determine the need to use photogrammetric and geophysical methods for the preliminary search of the infrastructure of defence structures. This work provides an example of deciding mass graves during the Second World War using the interpretative properties of German aerial photographs of 1944, archival cartographic data on the territory of the Lviv Citadel, where the Nazi concentration camp for prisoners of war Stalag-328 was located during the war. After predetermining the places of mass graves by photogrammetric methods, geophysical surveys were carried out with the help of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for the exact localisation of the graves. 13 locations of mass burials and mass executions and burning of bodies of prisoners of war were discovered
PHASE: a Matlab-based software for the DInSAR PS processing
Get PDFThe availability of free Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, like the ones delivered by the ESA Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites, has led to the development of several processing tools, some of which are also free and open source. In this framework, when analyzing Sentinel data, the ESA SNAP software is usually required for data preprocessing, while, in the context of free and open source (FOS), Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) analysis can be performed by StaMPS (released by Stanford University). The workflow could be completed by the snap2stamps package, aiming at integrating the two main software packages. However, these tools are not designed to automate all the required steps to perform a complete PSI analysis. For this reason, the aim of this work is to develop PHASE (Persistent scatterer Highly Automated Suite for Environmental monitoring), a Matlab-based software suite that relies on already available FOS software, properly updated, enhanced and integrated, all accessible and customizable through a simple GUI. The focus is on minimizing the user interaction with the software, thus decreasing potential sources of error, while improving processing repeatability. The user will therefore primarily be responsible for configuring the processing parameters. Indeed, a streamlined procedure has been established, covering the entire process from downloading the SAR images to exporting the PS time series into a simple table format. In the paper, we present the developed software, highlighting its strengths compared to the status quo, while also providing a short example of successful application of the entire procedure
Drought safety levels assessment in Uzbekistan part of the Khorezm oasis by geospatial methods
Get PDFThe issue of drought has emerged as a significant challenge in the Khorezm oasis over recent decades. Furthermore, the construction of the Kushtepa canal in Afghanistan is expected to exacerbate the impact of drought in the region. It is of the utmost importance to evaluate the resilience of the oasis to drought in order to ensure effective planning and mitigation strategies. This study employed geospatial data, including the normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI), land surface temperature (LST), normalized difference of moisture index (NDMI), soil brightness, groundwater table, digital elevation model (DEM), and distance to Amudarya river, derived from Landsat 5 TM, and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS data (2000–2023). A weighted overlay analysis was employed to identify the most influential factors, which were found to be distance from the river, canal density, soil brightness, LST, and groundwater table. The findings indicate that 3746 km2 of the oasis is safe, while 4644.32 km2, 5563.77 km2, 5486.17 km2, 7832.64 km2 are classified as dangerous, mid dangerous, high dangerous, and extreme dangerous, respectively. It is recommended that agricultural use be prioritised in areas deemed safe, that construction be restricted, and that population migration from high-risk regions to safer areas be facilitated
Human factors considerations for critical maintenance tasks and their effect on the transition to digital documentation: an exploratory expert survey
Get PDFDigitised maintenance documentation will soon be the norm in aviation. Failure to correctly perform maintenance tasks may lead to aviation safety hazardous events. This article explores the views of aviation maintenance subject matter experts on errors affecting critical maintenance tasks and how views can inform transition to digitised documentation. This exploratory study offers a fresh view on human factors’ implications around critical maintenance tasks and their relation to digital documentation. A cross-sectional design method was utilised. Anonymous responses were collected with a mixed-methods questionnaire from convenience sample of participants from different aircraft maintenance and continuing airworthiness management organisations. Expert opinions of 25 aircraft maintenance and technical services engineers were recorded. All participants had personal experience with maintenance errors, where human factors attributed to these errors. They highlighted the lack of human factors’ awareness and the need to strengthen their contributory role in critical maintenance tasks. Participants’ views appeared divided in terms of challenges associated with digital documentation utilisation. Positive features emerged, such as critical maintenance tasks or duplicate/independent inspections’ highlighting, notes and warnings’ higher visibility, up-to-date documentation availability and better connectivity among activities. Negative themes concentrated on the tactile nature of paper and on the additional technology knowledge requirements