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Enhancing brand equity through sustainable tourism marketing: a study on home-stays in Malaysia
Get PDFThis study examined the antecedent and consequent relationship between sustainable tourism, marketing, and brand equity in the Malaysian rural community-based homestays (RCBHs) perspective. A self-administered questionnaire method was employed to collect data. Homestay operators from three Malaysian states, namely Kuala Lumpur/Selangor, Pahang, and Pulau Pinang participated in the study. In order to test research hypotheses, a structural equation modelling approach was used. The findings of the study suggested that the antecedent (sustainable tourism marketing), the consequent (brand equity), and moderator (political support by local authorities) have a significant relationship. Additionally, it was found that sustainable tourism marketing (STM) promotes rural community-based tourism. As a branding tool for sustainable rural community-based tourism. This study provides a unique contribution to the tourism body of knowledge by introducing political support by local authorities (PLA) as a moderator in STM and brand equity relationship. RCBHs can employ tailor-made promotion policies for the development of homestay business brands; likewise, policymakers can apply undifferentiated promotion policies for the holistic expansion of sustainable homestay market
Analyzing land cover and land use changes using remote sensing techniques: a temporal analysis of climate change detection with Google Earth engine
Get PDFThe detection of changes in land cover and land use (LCLU) is crucial for various geospatial applications, including urban development and environmental management. One vital aspect of LCLU research involves identifying modifications in impervious surface cover, which has significantly increased due to global economic growth and the rising urban population in many parts of the world. This investigation employs Landsat 9 OLI- 2/TIRS-2 imagery with a 30m spatial resolution to map structures in the Ziarat District of Pakistan, encompassing forests, water bodies, and barren land. It aims to detect changes in tree cover and canopy height. A time series of Landsat 9 OLI-2/TIRS-2 images were utilized to create change detection and land cover maps. The Analysis of Land Cover and Land Use (LCLU) for the Ziarat District was conducted using the GEE platform. The satellite images were classified into broad land cover classes, which include impervious surfaces, forest/tree cover, grassland/cropland, and water. The generated change detection map facilitates the identification of locations that have undergone modifications due to new constructions, offering valuable insights for the implementation of urban development policies and disaster management on a global scale
Multi-disciplinary Trends in Artificial Intelligence: 16th International Conference, MIWAI 2023, Hyderabad, India, July 21–22, 2023, Proceedings
No full textThe 47 full papers and 24 short papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 245 submissions. These articles cater to the most contemporary and happening topics in the fields of AI that range from Intelligent Recommendation Systems, Game Theory, Computer Vision, Reinforcement Learning, Social Networks, and Generative AI to Conversational and Large Language Models.
They are organized into four areas of research: Theoretical contributions, Cognitive Computing models, Computational Intelligence based algorithms, and AI Applications
Joint energy and spectral optimization in Heterogeneous Vehicular Network
Get PDFWith the latest developments in both the automotive and communications industries, especially concerning the emerging 5G networks, IoV, and the adoption of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) connectivity, there has been a shift towards the establishment of Heterogeneous Vehicular Networks (HetVNets) environments. The rapid growth of data traffic and the drastic expansion of heterogeneous network infrastructure have resulted in a significant increase in energy consumption within wireless communication systems. Balancing energy efficiency and spectral efficiency has become a major challenge in Heterogeneous Vehicular networks, particularly concerning energy optimization, making the design of network systems considerably more challenging. Therefore, this paper attempts to optimize the energy utilized for each packet transmission, considering its stochastic nature and the optimized control parameters of two meta-heuristic algorithms-Particle Swarm Optimization and Artificial Bee Colony Optimization. The optimization process is executed using the Particle Bee Colony Swarm algorithm. Subsequently, a comparison is made with other proposed algorithms, namely LDOD, FO, RO, and MATO, in terms of energy efficiency and spectral efficiency. The performance analysis reveals that the numerical results outperform existing algorithms, demonstrating a 30.32% increase in spectral efficiency and 73.25% increase in energy efficiency
From ballet studio to business school: dancing in the social enterprise in-betweens
No full textThe Centre for Social Enterprise at Memorial University of Newfoundland was officially launched in 2017. With me in the role of founding manager, it became a hub of expertise and activity on social enterprise, specific to Newfoundland and Labrador, the most easterly province of Canada. During my five years in that role, I established the centre, designed and delivered its programmes and helped create a unique MBA in social enterprise and entrepreneurship at the university. These are the public works I engage with through this thesis.
Social enterprise is a pre-paradigmatic field and a popular trend. Through this thesis, I take an autoethnographic approach to engage with my public works and to examine the ques\u100001on ‘What is social enterprise?’ The objective is to raise new insights as a contribution to practice and teaching.
After explaining my choice of autoethnography as my critical lens, I contextualise my public works at the macro-, meso- and micro- levels. I then present my experiences creating my public works through an autoethnodrama as form of critical reflection.
The next sections comprise a critical analysis of social enterprise. Drawing on new insights which emerge from the autoethnodrama, I argue that various meanings of social enterprise are constructed through practice. I describe how social enterprise operates within a pluralistic market system where enterprising activities within that system co-exist, but do not participate equally.
I return to my background in dance to compare this conceptualisation of social enterprise with enterprise activity in the arts. Using the case of Les Ballets Russes, I describe parallels between art enterprise and social enterprise, and develop a conceptualisation based on a spectrum. To conclude, I discuss the autoethnographic process and present future directions for social enterprise education and research
Curriculum for ministerial education: a critical appraisal of the curriculum of Amharic bible schools of the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC)
Get PDFThe way any nation or church perceives education and curriculum influences how it provides training to its constituencies. This thesis examines the theoretical framework behind the concept of curriculum and education in general and ministerial training in particular. It explores the overriding theories and models of curriculum development investigating how these assumptions influenced the way curriculum and education is perceived and managed in the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Bible schools.
Often, curricular thinking is criticized for struggling to embrace the whole aspects of education integrally. This thesis attempts to evaluate if this assumption influenced the development and practice of Bible Schools’ curriculum. It compares diverse sources using literature review, questionnaires, interviews, and analyzing archival documents as means of investigation. Then, the data is analyzed using the qualitative method. Findings suggest that the curricular thinking of the West (European and American) and East (Russian) has heavily influenced the Ethiopian education system since the outset of the 20th century. As products of the work of SIM missionaries and institutions subject to the impact of the national education system, this study indicates that EKHC’s Bible Schools’ curriculum is not free from foreign influence.
This study indicated that Bible Schools managed their services following trends inherited without intentionally identifying approaches helpful to respond to the needs of the church. It underscores that curricular initiatives are hugely hampered by over-emphasis at the top-down approach, failure to maintain sense of ownership, and a lack of teachers’ empowerment and involvement in the formation and implementation of the curriculum. Consequently, the curriculum under consideration could not address the needs of students and the church integrally. Therefore, this thesis proposes a new approach – the integral development theory as the best model to fill the gap and facilitate the provision of theological education holistically
Menstrual irregularities, hormonal imbalances and obesity in teenage and adolescent girls in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan
Get PDFBackground: Obesity in young girls adversely affects reproductive health later in life and it is a serious public health issue. The objective was to study the association of obesity with menstrual irregularities and hormonal imbalance in teenage and adolescent girls.
Method: Participants comprised a convenience sample of 12-19 years old girls (N=83). The study was conducted in outpatient clinics at a university hospital. Data were collected through medical history by interview, physical examination and blood tests. Data were analysed using frequencies, descriptive statistics, Chi Squared tests of Independence and Binary Logistic Regression.
Results: The median age was 16 years (mean 15.9, SD 2.2) and the median BMI was 31.14 (mean 32.04, SD 4.51). Most of the girls were obese (95.2%) and some had a family history of obesity (33.7%), diabetes (28.9%) and cardiovascular disease (20.5 %). Clinical presentations included secondary amenorrhea (34.9%), heavy and irregular periods (22.9%) and oligomenorrhea (16.9%). Girls with a polycystic ovary (54.2%, n=45) had a reversed follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) / luteinizing hormone (LH) ratio (OR 11.33, 95% CI 2.98, 43.04, p < 0.001), an upper limit or raised fasting insulin (OR 7.20, 95% CI 2.33, 22.22, p < 0.001), a raised testosterone (OR=5.16, 95% CI 1.56, 17.11, p = 0.007 and a disturbed lipid profile (OR 5.67, 95% CI 1.72, 18.73, p = 0.004). Obesity was not statistically significantly associated with either polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or any of the measured hormone levels.
Conclusion: Adolescent girls presenting with obesity, menstrual irregularities and hormonal imbalance may suggest manifestation of PCOS, which needs early investigation and proper management
The transition towards becoming an analytics-driven bank: an action research investigation into the users’ perspective to the end of enhancing the adoption of interactive analysis applications
Get PDFDigital transformation gaining pace across the globe and an increasing emphasis on evidence-based organisational decision making thanks to the generation and availability of vast amounts of data and the means for processing it have become two important features of the business world organisations are operating in. Against this backdrop, understanding how to successfully implement and manage the changes in relation to how data is exploited to support business decisions and actions has gained even more importance in organisations, including the one in which this research project has been undertaken. As such, this professional practice-based doctoral research project explores the management of organisational changes towards becoming an analytics-driven organisation, in the context of a mid-scale private Bank, which is a member of a major international financial services group, in Turkey. The focus of the exploration is on the changes related to the implementation and adoption of visual analytics applications as the new means of access to information and insights from data to support business decisions and actions.
The research has been conducted through a span of 4 years, from 2016 to 2020, as an insider research project by the researcher, who is a senior manager in the organisation. The research methodology employed for this research project is action research, bringing together change-oriented business actions and research through iterative action research cycles, aimed at generating new, professional practice-based knowledge as a contribution to the literature.
The research process has revealed that while target users were initially enthusiastic about the new means of information access and related changes, their openness to change concerning this change initiative was related to a number of factors, including their perceptions of the usability and usefulness of the new platforms. Contextual factors such as the organisational data environment and organisational culture also emerged as factors with an impact on the successful implementation of the changes, reflecting the tension between the Bank’s traditionally more prudent, conservative genes on one hand, and its declared values and aspirations emphasising creativity and innovation on the other.
The research has been concluded with significant changes in the approach with which visual analytics applications are designed and developed in the organisation, the implementation and roll-out of a new visual analytics platform with enhanced mobile and self-service analytics capabilities, and a new model representing the approach for the successful management of the visual analytics-related organisational changes in the context of this research project
Psychological factors in acquiring expertise in tennis: evidence from expert and non-expert tennis players and coaches
No full textAcquiring expertise in tennis is a multi-factorial process. It involves the development of skill via deliberate practice, expertise in cognitive functioning and certain personality dispositions. The aim of this thesis was to ascertain what the most salient contributory factors are required to achieve expertise in tennis.
Following the expert versus non-expert method employed by Baker, Côté and Abernethy (2003: field hockey, netball & basketball players) and Lyons, Al-Nakeeb, Hankey and Nevill (2013; tennis players), Study One was conducted with eight expert tennis players and coaches (1 female and 7 males, ages ranging from 27 to 73 years old, mean age 41) and eight non-expert coaches and players (2 females and 6 males, ages ranging from 22 to 71 years old, mean age of 39.5). The expert cohort had either coached or competed or both, at the highest level in tennis, Grand Slam level tournaments (Wimbledon, US Open, French Open and the Australian Open). The non-expert cohort, although experienced coaches and players themselves (mean years coaching - 15.13 years), had never played or coached at or beyond the first level of professional tennis, which is ITF Futures level tournaments. After interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide, Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six step Inductive Thematic Analysis (ITA) method for analysis was employed and the data were analysed. Results were reported in two parts: A – Experts and B – Non-Experts. The coding generated a rich body of data culminating in four broad superordinate themes. Although the outlook and therefore the importance and order of these themes were significantly different for each cohort, the most important theme for both cohorts was termed ‘Aspects of personality and individual differences’. This superordinate theme contained constructs such as passion, desire, determination, resilience, self-confidence and self-belief, acquiring mental toughness, hardiness, competitiveness, concentration and focus, with passion deemed significantly important. The findings and implications of the study are presented and discussed.
The Sars CoV-2 Covid-19 pandemic occurred during this research. In view of the unprecedented disruption to training and competition, this provided an opportunity to investigate what impact, if any, this had on a player’s attempt to acquire expertise in tennis. This extended research case study utilised the same method as Study One; however, with one expert coach and one non-expert player. Results from the analysed data generated four broad superordinate themes, with the expected negative impact on acquiring tennis expertise due to the ‘lockdowns’ and restrictions imposed throughout the world, being evidenced. However, similar to Study One, surprisingly, two positive psychological factors emerged. The tennis player participant here, who felt less positive initially, learnt to be more resilient and gained more determination to participate in practice and tournament play when possible. This provided him with a better opportunity of attaining ATP world ranking points. Again, as reported in Study One, participants here also suggested that team support is required in order to acquire expertise in tennis. This requirement seems to be evolving with its significance increasing.
Finally, future recommendations have been made to aid tennis federations, coaches, players, and other interested parties, on how to guide players on the process of acquiring expertise in tennis. Use of psychological scales to measure the most important psychological constructs is recommended, including the future development of a bespoke ‘expertise for tennis questionnaire’. Further studies in acquiring expertise in tennis are also suggested
