8333 research outputs found
Sort by
Generative Fabrication of Medical Images for Machine Learning Training
No full textTraining in supervised machine learning is based on the availability of datasets; however, medical datasets must comply with stringent privacy regulations. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are a relevant alternative to solve the limitation of small medical datasets due to their ability to generate additional data with desired features. A significant drawback of these models is that they may produce unrealistic, blurred, or insufficiently diverse images. This paper proposes a data augmentation technique using GANs to create synthetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of four stages of Alzheimer's Disease (AD): non-demented, very mild demented, mild demented, and moderate demented. We designed a GAN based on the Pix2Pix model, which learns the features of each AD stage. Generated images are evaluated by multistage Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models, greyscale histograms of the distribution of pixel intensities, and brain mass measurements on binarized images. The results indicate that AD synthetic MRI effectively captures disease patterns, demonstrating the potential of GANs to improve training and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases
Digital Human Resource Management (HRM) in Irish SMEs : A Qualitative study into the integration and barriers of digital HRM
No full textDigital HRM is continuously developing and driving organisational performance through the automation and streamlining of HRM processes in areas such as recruitment and data management. However, its dynamic within Irish SMEs remains understudied. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the dynamics of digital HRM within Irish SMEs, with a specific focus on the implications of failing to integrate digital HRM and the barriers preventing the integration of digital HRM.
A qualitative study approach was adopted whereby, nine participants completed semi-structured interviews. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to ensure relevance to the research.
The findings indicate the main implication of failing to integrate digital HRM in Irish SMEs is the inability for HR professionals to adopt a strategic focus. This is due to heavy administrative work. Barriers preventing digital HRM were identified as costs restraints, insufficient training and managerial buy in. Ultimately, Irish SMEs should try to invest in digital HRM to relieve the administrative burden as strategic focus will pursue benefits such as improved productivity, employee satisfaction and competitiveness. However, HR professionals should remain cautious of over reliance on digitalisation. A fundamental element of human resources is the human; therefore, the value of relational HRM must not be forgotten
Implementation of Diversity and Inclusion Practices in Day-to-Day Work and Its Impact on Immigrant Employee Well-Being in The Hospitality Sector in Ireland
No full textThe research investigates how diversity and inclusion (D&I) practices support well-being of immigrant employees working in Irish hospitality sector. Despite increasing workforce diversity and popularity of the topic, significant gaps exist in understanding how these practices are implemented on daily basis and their impact on employee well-being. The hospitality area presents an appealing context because of its multicultural workplace and unique job challenges such as high stress levels, unsocial hours, and customers interactions.
The study uses qualitative approach through semi-structures interviews with six immigrant employees, working in the hospitality in Ireland.
Key findings display that diversity can be harmful unless inclusion practices properly implemented. Management practices are crucial for the correct implementation of inclusion practices. Three management styles were discussed.
Multiple barriers faced by employees, while adapting to the new environment. Participants identified specific support mechanisms that can help them to handle the obstacles.
The research contributes significantly to practical side, providing with recommendations for improving employees’ well-being through D&I practices
The Role of Social Media Marketing in Enhancing Brand Awareness for Turkish SMEs: A Case Study of SMEs in OSTIM Industrial Zone, Ankara, Turkey
No full textThis study explores the impact of social media marketing on brand awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the OSTİM Industrial Zone, Ankara, Turkey. With the increasing importance of digital marketing strategies, this research investigates how SMEs engage with social media platforms, the frequency of their activities, the effectiveness of paid advertising campaigns, and the role of social media budgets in enhancing brand awareness. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and independent-samples t-tests to assess the relationships between social media engagement, content creation, ad reach, and perceived brand awareness.
The findings reveal a strong positive correlation between social media content engagement and brand awareness, with higher levels of engagement significantly contributing to improved brand visibility. However, while a dedicated social media marketing budget was associated with higher brand awareness, the statistical tests did not show a significant difference between SMEs with and without a budget. Additionally, the study found that ad campaign reach was positively linked to the perceived effectiveness of social media marketing efforts, indicating that broader reach contributes to higher perceptions of campaign success. Despite these findings, SME managers' perceptions of social media marketing's effectiveness were not always aligned with measurable outcomes.
This research contributes to the understanding of social media marketing practices within SMEs, particularly in industrial zones, and offers practical recommendations for optimizing social media strategies. The study also highlights the need for further research, particularly longitudinal studies and broader geographical and industry-specific samples, to deepen the understanding of social media’s role in SME marketing. The results emphasize the importance of strategic content engagement, targeted advertising, and efficient resource allocation for SMEs seeking to enhance their brand awareness through social media
Globalisation and Localisation in the Culinary Industry
No full textThis research explores how global fast-food companies, in this case McDonalds in India and KFC in China, have managed to strike a balance between international standardisation and local culture adaptation in an attempt to generate consumer loyalty. Following Globalisation Theory, Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, and McDonaldization Thesis of Ritzer, it would take the form of positivist, quantitative research design where the survey data of 99 respondents would be obtained. Statistical test with SPSS indicates that the strongest driver of loyalty is the cultural menu adaptation, whereas price sensitivity and familiarity with the brand do not have a key role. Loyalty also has a positive correlation with localised advertising and the usefulness of culturally responsive marketing. The perceptions of brand familiarity differences across genders were insignificant and this implied similar application of recognition-based strategies. The findings point out to the fact that cultural adaptation does not only represent a marketing strategy, but a strategic response that ensures the longevity of loyalty in the face of culturally diverse markets. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge on global branding in theory and recommends to the fast-food companies in high-context, rich cultural countries on how to gain competitive edge through branding
Overcoming Disruptions in Global Supply Chain: The Role Of Digital Transformation in Post-Pandemic
No full textThe introduction chapter provides an overview of the research problem including the evidence of the pandemic revealing weaknesses in traditional supply chains and sets the study's aim, objectives, and theoretical framework.
The literature review has looked at the current body of knowledge on global supply chain shocks, especially in times of COVID-19 and how digital transformation helps attain resilience, efficiency, and sustainability. It was able to determine important barriers, facilitators, and theoretical frameworks, and it forms a solid background to comprehend digitally induced supply chain modernisation in the post-pandemic period.
The methodology chapter outlines the ‘mixed-methods methodology’ that was applied to study digital transformation in global supply chains. It follows an ‘interpretivism philosophy’, which combines ‘qualitative semi-structured interviews’ with ‘quantitative closed-ended questionnaires. The research design adheres to ‘Saunders’ Research Onion’ and was developed ‘inductively and deductively’. The data were analysed using ‘thematic analysis’ using ‘NVivo and descriptive statistics. In order to preserve ‘credibility and reliability, ethical concerns, sampling methods, and validity’ measures were pursued for compliance with the research aims.
Results and discussion Chapter outlined results of the interviews with supply chain professionals, impact of COVID-19 and effectiveness of digital tools in enhancing their visibility, efficiency and sustainability using interview (qualitative) and survey (quantitative) research processes. It examined blockers and drivers of digital adoption, providing evidence-based opinions that encouraged the technology-driven approach of supply chain strategies and made it easier to make decisions.
The conclusion chapter highlighted the most important research results, stressing the importance of digital transformation in successfully facilitating the recovery in the face of global chain of supply disruption in the wake of the pandemic. It gave practical suggestions to organisations, pointed out the significance of technology-enabled resilience, and provided the scope of future research to enhance supply chain security, effective operations, and sustainability in a changing business environment
The Role of Green Management Style in Fostering Employee Green Behaviours: A Social Exchange Perspective in a Multinational Operating in Mexico
No full textEnvironmental sustainability has emerged as a relevant strategy for multinational corporations, yet the dynamics through which management strategies are developed to translate environmental policies into employee behaviours remain unclear, specifically in high Human Development Index emerging economies. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms between Green Management Style (GMS) and Employee Green Behaviours (EGB) in a multinational brewery manufacturing in Mexico. Psychological mechanisms such as Social Exchange Theory (SET) were used as a theoretical framework to explore the underexamined relationship between management practices and employee environmental commitment.
This study adopted an interpretivist philosophy and qualitative case study as a methodological framework. The research was conducted through five semi-structured interviews across the organisations, including Quality Management, Packaging Management, Malting Operations Management, and Utilities Management. A six-step thematic analysis was used as a framework for the data analysis to identify patterns from five managerial perspectives and experiences of environmental leadership and employee engagement in sustainability initiatives.
The findings reveal four primary themes: Empowering green leadership as a driver of environmental engagement, the evolution of EGB from compliance to authentic environmental citizenship, the interconnected nature of voluntary and compulsory EGB, and differentiated social exchange mechanisms underlying environmental motivation. Contrary to what the literature suggests, that mandatory and voluntary green behaviours are mutually exclusive, this study demonstrates the interconnectedness of both categories by identifying the transitioning dynamics in real corporate settings from mandate-driven compliance to authentic ecological stewardship through Green Management Style approaches.
The research contributes to the existing literature by extending the Social Exchange Theory implications to environmental contexts, revealing that compulsory EGB are performed within economic exchange dynamics, while voluntary EGB are interconnected with social exchange patterns. In addition, the study identifies the difference in environmental awareness across generations, demonstrating that younger generations are more naturally inclined towards engagement with sustainable initiatives, influenced by their personal values and therefore, require fewer motivational elements. The findings suggest that to integrate environmental initiatives to transform the corporate culture to achieve sustainable organisational practices, the management approach must simultaneously consider addressing corporate sustainable strategies and motivate authentic environmental citizenship through empowering green management leadership, genuine employee support, and rewarding systems that compensate both mandatory and voluntary EGB
Factors influencing Millennials’ Perception of Trust and Loyalty Towards Facebook and Instagram Influencers in Myanmar
No full textSocial Media Marketing has become an emerging trend all over the world, as well as in a small country, Myanmar, which is one of the Asian Countries. This study investigates the factors that shape Millennials’ trust and loyalty towards Facebook and Instagram Influencers in Myanmar. Through a quantitative research design including a set of questionnaires, data were collected from 219 respondents. It examines how influencer characteristics, platform type, influencer rank, and sponsored content impact purchasing behaviour and long-term brand loyalty. Statistical analyses, including one-way ANOVA and logistic regression, indicate that positing frequency and attractiveness are consistent predictors of loyalty. However, authenticity, expertise, and transparency were not significant in the Myanmar context. The findings also discovered that influencers from the beauty and fashion industry generate stronger loyalty than influencers from the food industry. This study provides some valuable insights and practical guidance for marketers and influencers focusing on connecting with millennial audiences and contributes to the developing literature on influencer marketing in emerging economies
Exploring the impact of remote working policies and organisational culture on Irish employee retention rates
No full textRemote working (RW) policies heavily shifted due to a global response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, forcing organisations to restructure how they, and their employees approached work. This study concentrates on the impact of RW on employee retention rates with a focus on how organisational culture is linked with RW policy in Ireland.
By reviewing an array of related literature and utilising a semi-structured interview process, with a range of participants that currently work remotely in some capacity, the subsequent thematic analysis revealed that RW is an important part of some employee’s decision to seek a new role and for others it bares less significance when choosing to accept or remain within a role. The findings also addressed the importance of organisational culture and the positive impact it can have on retention rates due to fostering trust and creating a more supportive working environment. Alternatively, when an organisation’s culture is less likely to accommodate and develop a supportive environment, it was found to have a negative effect and with this came higher rates of attrition.
The research concluded that it is essential for Irish employers to continue to innovate and encourage flexibility in their organisation’s culture, ensuring that they remain open to RW policies that place an emphasis on their employee’s work-life balance and desires, leading to higher retention rates in the future
State of the Moment Report: A Review of the ParentChild+ and Stretch Graduate Programme Evaluations
No full textThis descriptive piece of work brings to life the impact of two programmes delivered by the Early Learning Initiative (ELI). ParentChild+ (PC+) and Stretch Graduate (SG) are two of the many programmes that ELI runs to support parents and children in disadvantaged areas of Dublin’s inner city. PC+ focuses on education and parenting techniques for children 18 months to three years old and Stretch Graduate gives tailored support to children and families from three and a half years old to school age and beyond.
It should be noted that this work draws on and connects previous reports, evaluations and research carried out to create a bigger picture reflection of the impact ELI is having and has had on the lives of the children and families that have participated in either or both programmes.
Previous research includes:
- Parent Child Home Programme Internal Follow-on Evaluation 2014/2017 (ELI, 2018)
- External Follow-up Evaluation Study of the ParentChild+ Programme 2022/2023 (O’Neill, 2023)
- Parents’ Voices Through the Pandemic – How a Community Action Research Project
Shaped a Parent-Child Engagement Programme. (Darmody & Mihalka, 2021)
This report will cover previous research on the two programmes in chronological order. Starting with an overview of ParentChild+ to bring together a description of the programme, select scholarly literature on similar programmes and ELI’s most recent proprietary data on the impact of the programme. Next it will look at how the success of the programme is measured and the impact it is having on families and children. We will then review the findings of the 2014-2017 Evaluation, followed by the 2022-2023 Evaluation. Lastly, it will cover one of one of ELI’s newer programmes, Stretch Graduate, detailing its roots and the important role it now plays in the ELI offerings