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Of study enthusiasts and homebirds : students’ everydaymobility and sustainability dilemmas in online higher education
No full textPurpose
Online education enables location-independent learning, potentially providing university students with more flexible study programs and reducing traffic-related CO2 emissions. This paper examines whether online education can contribute to university-related sustainable everyday mobility, with particular consideration given to aspects of social sustainability and potential rebound effects. Specifically, it explores sustainability dilemmas that arise from conflicting social and ecological effects.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on qualitative data from mobility diaries and extensive semi-structured interviews (n = 26) collected at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences in Germany, this study deploys thematic analysis and a typification approach to analyze and classify students’ daily practices related to studying, mobility, and dwelling, which may be impacted by online education.
Findings
The study identifies six distinct student types with diverse practices in studying, mobility, and dwelling. Comparisons between student types reveal stark differences regarding professional and social goals that students associate with their studies, influencing university-related mobility and residential choices. This leads to varying assessments of online education, with some students expecting benefits and others anticipating severe drawbacks.
Practical implication
The typology developed in this paper can assist HEIs in comparable contexts in understanding the distinct needs and motivations of students, thereby proactively identifying sustainability dilemmas associated with online education. By leveraging these findings, HEIs can effectively balance diverse interests and contribute meaningfully to sustainability. Originality/value – This study is among the first to systematically investigate conflicts and rebound effects of online education in the context of sustainable mobility within HEIs
Critical evaluation of the adequacy of the application of Equity Method for quality reporting of Joint Ventures
No full textWhile sustainability reporting has moved into focus and has been transformed into legislation, it is now increasingly a matter of concrete implementation and integration of sustainability as part of accounting. Via “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” Sustainable Development Goals (further in text: SDG(s)) were set by the United Nations (further in the text: UN) in 2015. The SDG 17 “Partnerships for the goals” can be seen as orientation and essence of pursuing sustainable ethos. Many sustainable reporting formats hence refer to SDG 17 in order to allow users to assess the preparers’ degree of sustainability. In the corporate world, no other association stands for “partnership” like a joint venture. The International Financial Reporting Standard (further in text: IFRS) 11 states that the at-equity-method in accordance with the International Accounting Standard (further in text: IAS) 28 shall be used for accounting while the proportionate consolidation method was eliminated: The at-equity-method includes joint ventures in the statement of financial positions with their pro rata equity capital and excludes the idea of cumulating the assets and liabilities of the associate c. This method therefore leads to a disintegration of the financial statement of the associate and results in showing the joint venture in just one statement of financial positions item “investments accounted for using the at-equity-method”. The decisive factor for this elimination was criticism from supervisory authorities, auditors and other interested parties. The aim was to reduce or eliminate alternatives, redundancies and conflicts within the standards. While the exclusive use of the at-equity-method was much discussed by - among others - the International Accounting Standards Board (further in text: IASB), preparers and users have found their ways of dealing with the adjusted accounting rule. The following article addresses possible limitations of accounting rules, identifies challenges in an interrelated accounting system and provides suggestions to improve information quality especially related to sustainability aspects by analyzing the current reporting landscape as well as developments at IASB
Unternehmen als politische Akteure? : Zur Integration politischer Themen in die externe Unternehmenskommunikation - qualitative Inhaltsanalyse von Twitter-Posts
No full textDer vorliegende Beitrag setzt sich mit der Frage auseinander, ob deutsche Unternehmen als Reaktion auf sich verschärfende politische Herausforderungen zunehmend eine klare politische Haltung einnehmen und sich öffentlich zu politischen Themen positionieren. Im Fokus der Studie stehen die spezifischen Inhalte, Kontexte und Muster, in denen sich Unternehmen zu politischen Themen äußern. Dazu wurde im Rahmen einer qualitativen Erhebung eine Dokumentenanalyse zu den Tweets von zehn deutschen, international tätigen Unternehmen im B2C-Bereich durchgeführt. Mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring (2016, 2022) erfolgte die Auswertung. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Unternehmen politische Positionierungen sowohl im Kontext ihres eigenen Kerngeschäfts als auch unabhängig davon über unternehmensbezogene Prozesse hinaus vornehmen. Es können Rückschlüsse auf verschiedene Muster zur Integration politischer Themen in die Unternehmenskommunikation gezogen werden. So äußern sich Unternehmen häufig im Zusammenhang mit der Ausgestaltung eigener Geschäftsprozesse oder betonen den Nutzen ihres Kerngeschäfts für das Gemeinwohl. Sie thematisieren (inter-)nationale Gedenk- und Aktionstage sowie das freiwillige Engagement ihrer Mitarbeitenden. Berichterstattungen über eigene Initiativen oder den Erhalt von Auszeichnungen dienen der Validierung ihres politischen Engagements. Letztlich fungiert die politische Positionierung nicht ausschließlich als Instrument der Selbstdarstellung, sondern Unternehmen nutzen ihre Reichweite ebenso, um im Hinblick auf politische Herausforderungen an die Zusammenarbeit aller gesellschaftlichen Akteure zu appellieren
Der Einfluss von CEO-Aktivismus auf die CEO-Reputation : Wirkungen von organisationsnahem und -fernem CEO-Aktivismus auf CEO-Reputationsdimensionen - eine Onlinebefragung von Konsumenten
No full textIn der jüngeren Vergangenheit forderten verschiedene Stakeholder-Gruppen, besonders Konsument*innen, zunehmend, dass Unternehmen und insbesondere ihre CEOs zu aktuellen gesellschaftlichen und politischen Themen Stellung beziehen. Da im Rahmen bisheriger Forschungsarbeiten immer wieder impliziert wurde, dass die Ausübung von CEO-Aktivismus einen Einfluss auf die Reputation von CEOs habe, soll dieser Aufsatz auf Grundlage einer quantitativen Online-Befragung diskutieren, inwiefern CEO-Aktivismus diesen Einfluss auf die Reputation von CEOs tatsächlich ausübt. Mit Hilfe eines standardisierten Fragebogens wurde darüber hinaus untersucht, ob ein Wirkungszusammenhang zwischen dem Grad der Zustimmung zu im Rahmen von CEO-Aktivismus geäußerten Meinungen und dem Einfluss auf die Reputation eines CEOs besteht. Zudem wurde der Einfluss verschiedener Formen von CEO-Aktivismus betrachtet. Obwohl im Rahmen der Untersuchung grundsätzlich kein signifikanter Einfluss von CEO-Aktivismus auf die Reputation von CEOs festgestellt werden konnte, bestätigen die Ergebnisse dennoch, dass CEO-Aktivismus einen Effekt auf einzelne Reputationsdimensionen haben kann: Dem Betreiben von organisationsnahem CEO-Aktivismus konnte ein Effekt auf die fachliche Reputation und dem Betreiben von organisationsfernem CEO-Aktivismus ein Effekt auf die persönlichkeitsbezogene Reputation eines CEOs nachgewiesen werden. Für das Kommunikationsmanagement bedeutet dies, dass der Wirkungszusammenhang von CEO-Aktivismus und der Reputation von CEOs durchaus relevant für die CEO-Kommunikation ist und in der Zukunft weiter erforscht werden sollte
Narrative Sense of Scents : Linguistic Expression of the Olfactory Perception
No full textTo convey perceptual experiences, cognitive agents employ various verbal strategies. This paper’s primary focus is on how olfactory perceptions are expressed when describing perfumes. Examining online communities that review perfumes reveals an intriguing approach to understanding scent perception. In addition to the technical jargon commonly employed, which follows a structured format of notes at three scent layers, one occasionally encounters narrations that aim to capture the essence of the perfume’s perceptual experience. It is argued that the narrativization of scent perception exemplifies a cognitive inclination to contextualize sensory inputs within a conceptual framework, facilitating the comprehension of non-linguistic experiences. This paper suggests a shift from a non-narrative mode of consciousness to a narrative mode as a means to elucidate the process of making sense of the seemingly nonsensical
Effectiveness of virtual reality in patients with neck pain : systematic review and meta-analysis (Abstract)
No full textBackground: Virtual reality (VR) has been defined as a computer-generated display that allows the user to have a sense of being present and interacting in an environment other than the one they are actually in.[1] VR has been used to relieve and improve function in several musculoskeletal disorders (MSKD) [2-4], including neck pain (NP). However, there is still a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of VR for the management of NP. Several systematic reviews (SR) have been published regarding the effectiveness of VR on MSK disorders,[2-6] but none of these SRs looked specifically at the effectiveness of VR on NP-associated disorders. Based on these statements, this SR has some specific aims: (1) summarizing the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials (CTs) that examined the effectiveness of active VR used in the treatment of patients with NP, and (2) to determine the clinical effectiveness and the magnitude of the effect of active VR in the management of NP.
Methods: This is a SR with meta-analysis that performed a literature search of five electronic databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) in September 2023 in partnership with a health science librarian without restriction in terms of publication year and language. It included RCTs and CT with adults (>18 years old) with NP, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of active VR or augmented VR. VR could be implemented by using off-the-shelf or custom-made devices, in combination with a display allowing a multisensory experience and active interaction with the virtual world. [7,8] First (abstract and title) and second (full text) screening, data extraction, and risk of bias (Cochrane RoB-2 tool) assessments were performed by two independent reviewers. The results were presented qualitatively and quantitatively. When possible, the data from the included studies were pooled in a meta-analysis. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.
Results: In the first screening, 8.208 studies were selected, and nine studies were included. All studies revealed a significant pain reduction in all interventions (either VR or control groups) after the end of the treatment. The VR group performed better results on pain intensity after treatment compared to conventional exercises (SMD [95%CI]: 0.43 [0.04, 0.83]) but it was not statistically different from kinematic exercise (SMD [95%CI]: 0.43 [0.50 [-0.06, 1.06]), and control group (waiting list) (SMD [95%CI]: 0.27 [-0.13, 0.66]). Although VR had positive results in all outcomes analyzed within group, no statistically or clinically significant differences were found between the VR and other interventions, in other outcomes (fear of movement, neck ROM, balance, and quality of life). Most of the studies (5 studies) presented some concerns and four studies presented a high RoB based on the RoB-2 tool. The overall quality of the evidence was considered as “very low” by the GRADE approach.
Conclusion: Although the evidence is still limited for the VR treatment in patients with NP, the results found in this SR bring an important indication that the implementation of VR in existing rehabilitation for patients with neck pain appears to be a potentially safe and promising treatment approach to relieve pain and could be an alternative more effective to conventional exercise treatments that normally are employed in clinical practice
Laser wounding pattern in relation to vascular tissue development for the stimulation of adventitious root formation in rose cuttings
No full textThe stimulation of adventitious root formation from laser-wounded rose cuttings in our previous study suggests that exposing the phloem proximities is one of the most relevant aspects for a positive effect on rooting response. But, the specific dimensions that wound patterns must fulfill to optimize rooting promotion remain unknown. This study analyzed the effect of wounded area and wound perimeter of laser marking patterns on the development of phloem, xylem, and callus using cross sections of single-leaf cuttings of Rosa canina ’Pf¨ ander’. Four distinct laser patterns were designed and marked along the cutting base. Among these, three patterns were based on longitudinal strips, while one pattern was characterized by small squares, resulting in two distinct wound area levels and four wound perimeter levels. Periodic evaluations of stem sections showed that the development of phloem and xylem was significantly influenced by the pattern’s geometry. Larger dimensions of xylem were associated with patterns of greater area and a smaller perimeter, while an increase in phloem was related to patterns of longer perimeter distributed in smaller areas. The maximum rooting success in wounded cuttings reached 44% in contrast to 9% observed in the control group in the absence of additional wounds. The development of vascular tissue was significantly correlated with adventitious rooting, with phloem being more closely linked with a Pearson coefficient of 0.92 compared to 0.30 for xylem. Additionally, a negative Pearson coefficient of 0.92 between the ratio area: perimeter and adventitious root formation showed that laser patterns with large wounded area with less borders led to a reduced rooting response. The results provide evidence of how wounded tissue contributes to the intrinsic development of adventitious roots and reveal the importance of proper wound dimensions
Vorlesung Digitalisierung und Programmierung : Zählen (Counting)
No full textAusschnitt aus der Vorlesung zur Einführung in die Digitalisierung und Programmierung aus dem Sommersemester 2024 an der Hochschule Osnabrück von Prof. Dr. Nicolas Meseth.
Themen: Dezimalsystem; Oktalsystem; Binärsystem; Stellenwertsystem
Entwicklung und Konstruktion einer Wickelmaschine als Open Source Hardware
No full textDie Maschine ist in der Lage faserverstärkte thermoplastische Kunststoffrohre herzustellen. Entwickelt und konstruiert wurde die Maschine als Open Source Hardware Projekt. Das bedeutet die Baupläne und Zeichnungen werden frei zur Verfügung gestellt. Heimwerker und andere Interessierte sollen dadurch die Möglichkeit bekommen faserverstärkte Rohre eigenständig und günstig herzustellen. Die Entwicklung und Konstruktion der Wickelmaschine ist das Ergebnis einer Masterarbeit an der Hochschule Osnabrück
