SMEs were pushed to implement innovative procedures and transform from traditional operations into a Digital Transformation process of converting into more technologized and enhance the market needs to obtain new employment opportunities post to the covid-19 crisis, the expectations of development put the stockholders and investments under stress to adopt the new techniques of innovation to fill the market gaps and needs, keeping the low cost as the first target with quality of values in products and services at the same or better level, taking into consideration the customers' satisfaction as the main factor that affects the technology adoption, policies changing and the low-cost innovation due to the economic crisis. To take into consideration this issue, we built a conceptual framework model based on multi-model founds in different studies concerning different factors that affected the adoption, focusing on the digital transformation and had an impact on the Frugal Innovation in 50 of new established SMEs undergoing the new program adopted by SME's Society in Bahrain. The hypothesis of the adopted model will provide the relationship of some of the most founded factors affecting the Frugal Innovation Implementation, which had a link with Digital Transformation and a positive impact on Customer satisfaction, keeping in mind that the Covid-19 anxiety is considered a moderator that affected the adoption of Digital Transformation directly. To test the hypothesis, data would be collected with both Quantitative and Qualitative methods in a longitudinal study before applying the Digital transformation and after the technology adoption and expected that the data analysis will support the testing of the hypothesis.

This paper examines recent anti-LGBQT+ educational bills proposed in Virginia. Using Institutional Theory and Poststructural Policy Analysis, we delineate how these texts reproduce repressive ideologies and may affect the subjectification and objectification of educators and students while impacting their experiences within educational institutions. We argue that a) these dictates may adversely affect relationships among educators, students, and families, b) identity-specificity is a fundamental component of educational quality, and c) policy generated without the input of those about whom such policy revolves may problematize issues in ways that reinforce oppressive regimes thereby harming the systems which the policy targets.

Motivated by the inconsistencies in the employee turnover literature, the study draws on the perspectives of social capital theory, relational leadership theory, and the theory of reasoned action to examine how social capital influences employee turnover  through employee job satisfaction intention at varying levels of relational leadership. Survey data from 153 employees from both public and private legal firms in sub-Saharan Africa–Ghana was tested using OLS regression in SPSS. Results indicate that social capital positively drives employee satisfaction, while relational leadership was found not to moderate the linkage between social capital and employee satisfaction. Interestingly, employee satisfaction is found to fully mediate the relationship between social capital and employee turnover intention.The theoretical and managerial contributions of the study are outlined in the latter section of the document. 

This article documents the construction and standardization process of a comprehensive Self-Efficacy Scale tailored exclusively for B.Ed. special teacher-trainees. With a focus on empowering future inclusive educators, the scale underwent rigorous development, validation, and standardization procedures. The article discusses the theoretical foundations, item generation, and validation methods used, emphasizing the potential impact of implementing this scale in teacher training programs to enhance inclusive education practices.

Previous evidence suggests that the amount of support one received has an impact on the cognitive empathy, however, it is not clear what mechanism underlies this relationship.  The present study examined the mediating and moderating mechanism between family support and cognitive empathy in 2,379 college students who completed self-report questionnaires assessing their level of family support, cognitive empathy, cognitive empathy and problematic mobile phone use.  The results indicated that family support was positively associated with cognitive empathy.  A mediation analysis indicated that core self-evaluation mediated the relationship between family support and cognitive empathy.  Furthermore, the effect of core self-evaluation on cognitive empathy was moderated by problematic mobile phone use.  The current research contributes to a better understanding of how and when the family support promotes cognitive empathy in college students.

Remote work has become increasingly common due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this has presented workers with new difficulties and barriers that may have an effect on their performance and productivity. In this paper, we explored the barriers to remote work and how a certain personality trait - grit: passion and perseverance in achieving long-term goals - could influence how workers copied with this reality. A total of 203 participants (69.5% female) with mean age of 41.90 (SD = 12.60) years completed an online survey, during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Portugal, investigating grit, perceived stress/anxiety, perception of remote work as a barrier, and self-reported productivity during this period. The findings suggest that grit negatively predicts the number of barriers identified during the transition to remote work and consequently positively predicts worker self-reported productivity. Thus, self-reported productivity is positively related to grit, and this relationship is mediated by the number of identified barriers.

This research involves the co-rumination of adolescents as their way of coping with interpersonal stress that they have experienced. Results suggest the possible effects of co-rumination on one's health and the role of positive coping in dealing with daily life stresses.

We develop a theoretical framework that examines how stakeholder orientation in entrepreneurial ventures affects performance and how this effect is dependent on stages of ventures. We also theorize how the human capital of the venture board influences the stakeholder management. Examining 1,669 ventures affected by constituency statutes regarding stakeholder orientation, we find a negative relationship between stakeholder orientation and the probability of exit, and this relationship is more pronounced in older ventures. Furthermore, we show that the managerial skills of the venture board mitigate this negative relationship. This research significantly contributes to the literature on stakeholder management in entrepreneurship.

Public school closures are increasing in frequency, number and size in U.S. cities. This study examines the spatial distribution of public school closures occurring in 10 U.S. cities between 2010 and 2018. Findings show that school closures geographically cluster, and neighborhoods with a greater percent Black will have longer commute times if accessing the nearest open school. In the same way scholars have identified food deserts in areas with low spatial access to grocery stores, the geographic clustering of closures and the increased commute times to the nearest open school suggests that school deserts may be formed after school closings

In epidemiological and social studies on populations without a sampling frame or that are hard to reach, respondent-driven sampling (RDS), under certain assumptions, has the potential to produce asymptotically unbiased and efficient population estimates for these populations. While RDS is typically conducted face-to-face, the online version (WebRDS) has gained attention due to its potential advantages, although its disadvantages are also rising concern in the methodological debate. This study contributes to the methodological debate by critically comparing these two formats at the level of application and potential biases, where the online version offers improved speed and lower costs but raises concerns about potential biases due to a lack of face-to-face instructions regarding definition of the social network size and peer-recruiting process. Both formats can generate unbiased estimates, however, it’s crucial to carefully consider potential sources of bias to meet the necessary assumptions.

The Death Anxiety Inventory-Revised (DAI-R) is a relatively new instrument to quantify anxiety about death in different contexts. However, the dimensionality in the elderly population is unknown. The study aimed to corroborate the dimensionality of the DAI-R among Colombian-aged adults. A psychometric study was conducted with the participation of 100 aged adults (M=68.82±4.82; 52% were male gender). This scale has 17 items, grouped into four dimensions or factors, and a dichotomous answer pattern. Dimensionality was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and goodness-of-fit indicators were computed. The CFA showed unacceptable goodness-of-fit indicators, and the four-dimensional structure of the DAI-R was rejected. In conclusion, the DAI-R has an unsatisfactory four-dimensional structure among Colombian-aged adults. Further research should corroborate this finding with a large sample size.

Quantitative researchers lack comprehensive frameworks for conceptualizing and operationalizing gender as different from sex. The present study uses the concept of a probabilistic boundary, derived from graphical models, to define the constitutive elements of gender. This approach is consistent with a constructivist framework that views gender as a set of multidimensional attributes that differentiate men and women in particular societies. Using this framework and the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2018) dataset, I identified the constitutive elements of gender across 72 countries and 75 constructs using a structure learning algorithm. I also examined whether country-level characteristics predict the presence of competitiveness –considered a key gender-differentiating attribute– as a constitutive element of gender. The results indicate that in nations where women have greater access to educational and economic opportunities, competitiveness becomes a stronger gender-differentiating factor. I discuss the advantages, assumptions, and limitations of the proposed approach to operationalize gender.

The impact Fee-free education policy inculcation of the Right to Education principles have on access to quality education at the secondary school level appears underrepresented. As such, this study explores Ghana’s Free Senior High School Programme’s implementation practices to fill this gap. It answers how inculcation of the Right to Education principles impact Fee-free education policy implementation practices, and the extent to which marginalization of the right holder have on access to quality education. The study employed the qualitative approach and a case study design respectively. A sample size of 8 respondents was selected for the study. They were selected via the purposive sampling method. The study reveals that Fee-free education increases access to education; yet, its implementation practices is discriminatory in so many ways which impedes quality education delivery. Therefore, a child friendly school practices will help address issues of marginalization associated with Fee-free education policy implementation in practice.

This study examined artificial intelligence adoption and marketing performance of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study adopted the positivism research philosophy and correlational research design. The population of the study consisted of 426 managers drawn from the 71 quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The managers include branch managers, operational managers, production managers, marketing managers and sales managers of the firms. A sample size of 206 managers was used for the study. The sample size was determined mathematically using the Taro Yamene’s formula. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed statistically while the hypotheses were tested using Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (rho). The SPSS version 23.0 was used to perform the bivariate analysis. The findings revealed that the application of artificial intelligence technologies in marketing operations has a significant relationship with sales growth of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study also revealed that the application of artificial intelligence technologies in marketing operations has a strong and significant relationship with market share growth of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study equally confirmed that artificial intelligence capabilities have a strong and significant relationship with sales growth of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study also reported that artificial intelligence capabilities has a strong and significant relationship with market share growth of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Based on these findings, it was concluded that artificial intelligence adoption significantly relate to marketing performance of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Based on these findings and conclusion, it was recommended that quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria especially those that are experiencing poor marketing performance should adopt artificial intelligence technologies in their marketing operations as it would improve their marketing performance.

This paper critically examines the nexus between the scientific method and the study of race in the contemporary world. It begins by historicizing the emergence of the scientific method as indispensable to the advent of European modernity. The development of modernity collapsed into the racialization of black subjects as subhuman and criminal. This criminalization of blackness occurs at two critical junctures: the arrest of blacks via plantation enslavement and the concomitant imprisoning of black bodies of thought. The consequence of modernity’s carceral methods implicates the study of race, particularly the formation of Black Studies, by criminalizing black reason. As such, the paper contends for an Afromodern scientific revolution, understood as the emancipation of method and the decarceralizing of science in order to procure black liberation in the modern world.

The exponential progression of guerrilla marketing from its stature as a mere low-cost method used by small and unestablished enterprises to acceptance by major and established players, as well as the blending of street-based approaches and digital technologies, make the concept arduous to delineate (Dahlén et al., 2009). The idea of guerrilla marketing is incredibly pertinent in a world where advertisers compete for customers’ attention by being more strategic and ingenious with their marketing operations (Koeck & Warnaby, 2014). It is a novel, unconventional, and captivating method of marketing intended to pique interest and spread word of mouth (Dinh & Mai, 2015). The core of guerrilla marketing, in contrast to normal marketing efforts, is more about communicating a distinctive image or identity concerning a firm than it is about outlining the characteristics and benefits of the product (Lee et al., 2018). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how guerrilla marketing influences customer preferences. This article seeks to evaluate the efficacy of guerrilla marketing strategies in raising brand recognition, boosting brand loyalty, and eventually influencing customer purchasing behaviour. The outcomes of the study will offer focused insights to marketers and companies seeking to leverage guerrilla marketing effectively in their advertising endeavours.

Assessing group functioning can be part of group-based learning, referred to here as collaborative learning. The aim of assessment is to encourage collaboration and ensure individual accountability, thereby reducing social loafing and increasing fairness for members. There are many rules proposed by experts, behavioral criteria that promote effective group work, against which group members can be assessed (category-based assessment). In our group-assessment protocol, students define their own rules; a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7. The main reason for this approach is to give students maximum autonomy. A possible objection to such an approach is that students may overlook some essential criteria and thus (learn to) collaborate incorrectly. To see to what extent expert- and student rules match, we compared expert rules (124 from 12 publications) with student rules (810 from 147 secondary school and university groups). We find that they create the same rules, but that there are some differences in emphasis. We conclude that students have sufficient understanding of collaboration and that when they participate in multiple projects in different groups, they are likely to be exposed to all of the experts’ rules.

In the past decade, the Universal Basic Income (UBI) concept has gained significant traction as a potential remedy for poverty and inequality. However, the practical implications of UBI implementation remain under extensive debate. This study shifts its focus towards an alternative minimum-security model, the Safety Income (SI) Model, representing a nuanced departure from both established policies and UBI. SI is a welfare system that supplements households earning below the standard median income with 50 percent of the difference between the standard median and their current earnings. The study presents the set-up of SI and assesses the cost of its implementation in South Korea. Employing a computable general equilibrium model, the study analyze the impacts of SI, UBI, and the existing scheme in South Korea on income disparities, labor market outcomes, and Gross Domestic Product. Our analyses demonstrate that SI outperforms the other two welfare systems across all economic indicators. This research contributes to the discourse surrounding economic security, poverty alleviation, and inclusive social policies.