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Research studies of shopping with companions, or "co-shopping," have investigated different "types of companion" (e.g., children, spouses, parents, friends) and the nature of their influence on shoppers' retail experience. By means of a systematic literature review guided by the standard review protocol PRISMA and qualitative content analysis, this paper offers a state-of-the-art overview of 66 studies and their findings, through the middle of 2023. It finds that sparse attention has been paid to shopping companions' behaviors and personalities and that it is so far impossible to attribute their impacts on shoppers specifically to one or more types of companion. It also finds that the various factors that could facilitate understanding of how companions' influences work in practice remain largely unexplored. In short, too little is known about how companions exert their influence and how shoppers process it and there remains much to be investigated about the interplay between shoppers, their companions, and an interacting salesperson. Our detailed findings and their implications could therefore usefully shape the agenda for future research into accompanied shopping. Plain Language Summary: A systematic study of retail shopping companions and their various effects The purpose of this article is to explore the current state of research on the phenomenon of shoppers who visit retail environments with a designated companion. Through a systematic literature review following a standard review protocol (PRISMA) and subsequent qualitative content analysis, we summarize the findings of previous research on how companion shoppers have been studied and the effects of companions on the person they accompany. It becomes clear that while the general effects of companions on shoppers are well understood, there is a lack of understanding of how they generate their influence on shoppers and how shoppers go about the process of translating their influence into emotions and behaviors. Awareness of these processes can help retailers and their frontline employees better understand their customers and their companions, and thus shape the way they deliver their services at the point of sale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing awareness that the condition of the built environment has a substantial impact on health. Systematic housing conditions surveys are a method for developing information about the physical condition of housing. This paper introduces the Center for Economic Information's (CEI) Neighborhood Housing Conditions Survey (NHCS). We discuss the history and implementation of the NHCS in light of other academic and civic housing conditions surveys. The paper also reviews the history and method of the NHCS. We find that housing conditions surveys are generally designed from scratch for each new research program, translating survey results into policy remains underdeveloped in the scholarly literature, and heterogeneity between surveys reduces the ability to compare observations across space and time. The NHCS may address some of these issues, suitable as an "off the shelf" template, adjustable to suit programmatic needs, and providing a baseline consistency across space and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to comprehensively examine the effects of societal and individual characteristics on work-related attitudes, specifically work commitment and work orientations, using a single dataset and comparable models. It also seeks to relate these attitudes to classic theories and understand how societal factors shape work-related attitudes. The analysis is based on data collected by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) in its work orientations survey. Data is analyzed using factor analyses, correspondence analyses, and multilevel regressions. The paper provides an overview of work-related attitudes at the country level and a detailed analysis of societal and individual variables that shape these attitudes. The results indicate that individual attitudes reflect large societal trends and developments, which are discussed with reference to current studies and classic theories. This paper contributes to understanding work-related attitudes by offering a comprehensive analysis of the effects of societal and individual characteristics, using a single dataset and comparable models. It also relates these attitudes to classic theories and discusses how societal factors shape work-related attitudes. The findings also have policy implications, particularly in the recruitment and retention of highly qualified and motivated workers in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing acknowledgment by segments of the global population that it is becoming extremely difficult to ignore the negative production externalities of industrial processes. In this regard, the related concept of "sustainability" has been gaining traction, with use of the word rising considerably since the 1990s. The term itself has been defined in many different ways, however, the core components are becoming common knowledge: economic, environmental, and social--informally referred to as profits, planet, and people. As Borden has aptly noted: "Sustainability ideas are growing and maturing at many levels worldwide". One way that people come to know about sustainable development and its importance is through media coverage of the movement via various projects and initiatives that have been proposed on a theoretical or conceptual basis, as well as those models which have already been concretely realized. One such project established in 2015 is Dubai's "Sustainable City', the emirate's first net-zero energy working model, which received attention in the world press. This paper investigates and compares the coverage that the Sustainable City has received in the global and local media by utilizing a content analysis methodology guided by framing theory. The research joins the discussion on issues regarding how the media discuss aspects of "sustainability" and how it takes hold within a society, whether it be by grassroots or government policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development and salience of an original and innovative interdisciplinary approach, Sensoria, that combines methods and techniques from social science and performance to address the methodological challenges of researching sensory/multimodal experiences. It sets out the core components and methodological principles that underpin the approach and uses an illustrative example to show how it can facilitate research on hard to access sensorial experiences, to access, understand and analyse people's experiences and perspectives of touch, a highly tacit sensory mode. The paper discusses the methodological contribution and challenges of this approach to sensory research for social science and artistic practice and 'more-than-representational' research more generally. It concludes by making a case for more critical research spaces at the intersection of these disciplines to foster multi-dimensional research dialogues and to advance the exploration and understanding of the relationship between the sensory, social and the digital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research paper is to identify advantages and barriers to implementation and usage of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), specifically the Da Vinci robot, at a larger regional hospital in Norway and from a multiple stakeholder perspective. The identified advantages and barriers are connected to the socio-technical system framework SEIPS, thereby establishing a broader contextual system perspective on RAS implementation and usage. Our findings both align and extend upon existing human factors and ergonomics (HFE) knowledge on RAS in the operating room. In terms of specific future directions, we believe that a pressing concern for both management and current HFE research involving RAS implementation and usage relates to exploring and accounting for the close connections between the organization itself and the external stakeholders that exert a considerable influence on the internal work system and processes and the ability to achieve cost-efficiency and safety levels. We further conclude that the SEIPS framework can be a powerful tool in drawing or eliciting the larger contextual picture of RAS implementation and usage, and we encourage further HFE research to explore its application in different contexts to improve the current knowledge base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is no lack of peer-reviewed publications that focus on resumes, there is a lack of theory-based research in the genre. Most studies on resumes report observations rather than test theories to predict screener behaviors, and recent calls to action have advocated for more theory-based resume research. This paper answers the call and offers ways in which scholars can introduce theory into the existing body of knowledge in the resume genre by exploring research questions guided by the various philosophical foundations of the communication discipline. Future resume research should reference Craig's constitutive metamodel that offers more than 250 communication theories into seven philosophical foundations: semiotic, phenomenological, cybernetic, sociopsychological, sociocultural, critical, and rhetorical when designing studies. Exploring resume research questions based on communication theory enables scholars to use an applied research perspective across disciplinary boundaries and advance knowledge of resumes, a key component of organizational entry. This paper opens the door for scholars to contribute to this large and important question of organizational entry by outlining resume research questions that can be explored within each of the theoretical foundations of the communication discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Principal preparation programs face the unique challenge of preparing social justice leaders who are equipped to dismantle the many inequities in K-12 schools. In 2017 California's credential requirements for school administrators (e.g., principals) changed significantly with the adoption of new state standards for administrators and the addition of a new high-stakes administrator performance assessment (the California Administrator Performance Assessment, or CalAPA). Accordingly, principal preparation programs throughout California had to respond to this change. The purpose of this paper is to share faculty and student perceptions of one principal preparation program's revision to equip candidates to be social justice leaders; to align to new state leadership standards (the CAPE); and to prepare candidates for a high-stakes, state-mandated performance assessment (the CalAPA). Data for this study included student focus groups and faculty interviews as students and faculty shared their perceptions of and experiences with the new program and the CalAPA performance assessment. Several implications for principal preparation programs were found: the need for a comprehensive curriculum with an explicit social justice focus, the benefits of the cohort model, the value of field based assignments, the need for supportive instructional practices, and the challenges and benefits of state-mandated performance assessments such as the CalAPA. The process of program revision and adaptation to a new state-mandated, high-stakes administrator performance assessment may be relevant to other programs seeking to prepare social justice leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media posts made by ordinary people are in most cases only viewed by a small number of friends and contacts. But some posts get thousands of likes, comments, and shares, a phenomenon often dubbed as going viral. This paper provides a content analysis of viral Facebook posts published by common people in Norway, and of the news coverage they received. The social media posts that go viral in Norway deal with a variety of topics, like health care, elderly care, bullying, traffic safety, unemployment, animal welfare, school, and education. Some of the viral posts were open job applications, and some were creative expressions. Many of the posts address political issues, and becomes part of the public debate. The posts are personal in their mode of address, often with an emotional appeal for civic engagement. They resemble the letters to the editor, though they bypass the editor and go directly to online self-publication, and in this way, moving parts of the public debate from the newspapers to social media. Most of the viral posts got news coverage, which in most cases focused more on the popularity cues and the virality of the post, and less on the topic the post addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many contradictions in previous studies of the status of depressive symptoms among Chinese migrant children, the number of which in the compulsory education stage is about 13.9 million. This systematic review and meta-analysis were designed to compare depressive symptoms among migrant children and their urban children. Around 2,710 papers were retrieved from PubMed, OVID, the Web of Knowledge, CNKI, Wan Fang, Chongqing VIP, and Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index on January 27, 2020. Thirty-Two studies met study criteria with 14,906 migrant children and 10,792 urban children. Migrant children scored significantly higher for depressive symptoms score (SMD = 0.307, 95% CI [0.222, 0.393]). Region significantly influenced the difference of depressive symptoms between migrant children and urban children. Large effect sizes came from studies using scales that focus on depressive mood while studies using scales that focus on depressive behavioural symptoms had small effect sizes. Future research should focus on treatments to decrease depressive mood of migrant children. Future studies can add information about the length of their current stay in the urban location to improve the quality of study. PROSPERO registry: Systematic review registration no. CRD42018090676. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investor Relations (IR) has gained prominence globally and is now considered to be a major contributor to corporate value. For companies to thrive in the global environment, they need to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with their primary stakeholder, the stockholder. Consequently, scholars have argued that for IR to maximize its benefit to companies, the profession needs to shift from one-way asymmetrical communication to two-way symmetrical communication with stockholders. Although scholars have recommended this shift, there is a paucity of studies that have explored whether two-way symmetrical communication has been embraced in IR practice. Using the two-way symmetrical model of communication as its framework, and a qualitative methodology consisting of in depth interviews, documents analysis, and qualitative content analysis, this paper assessed how Investor Relations professionals in South Africa use communication to maintain relationships with stockholders. The findings of the study show that most IR professionals in South Africa are using what we term a bridged approach, consisting of one-way and two-way symmetrical communication, to maintain relationships with stockholders. Evidence gleaned from the study further indicates that the nature of communication between IR practitioners and stockholders has broadened beyond financial issues to include engagement on non-financial issues. These findings do not only show the existence of a paradigm shift in IR practice in South Africa, they also suggest the need by IR as a field to maintain constant dialogue with Public Relations theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission trading policies can provide environmental incentives for businesses, leading to a reduction in pollution emissions and promoting sustainable environmental development. Previous research indicated the significant impact of market-based environmental regulations on emission reduction by businesses, however, there is a lack of in-depth examination from the perspective of overall corporate management efficiency. In this study, we conducted research using the 2007 SO2 emission trading pilot program as a quasi-natural experiment to investigate the mechanisms and effects of emission trading systems on corporate resource allocation efficiency. The study found that the implementation of emission trading systems significantly improves corporate resource allocation efficiency. Furthermore, through market regulation and administrative supervision mechanisms, corporate resource allocation efficiency can be further enhanced. However, emission trading systems have heterogeneous effects on resource allocation efficiency, with a stronger promotion effect on optimizing resource allocation in cases of greater financing constraints and higher levels of corporate governance. This study provides important policy insights for further promoting market-based environmental regulation reforms and improving corporate resource allocation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to an increasingly complex mixture of different types of public spaces and their functions in cities, the role of public spaces can be enhanced to serve users under certain circumstances. This paper examines Carmona's classification of urban spaces in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia. Carmona introduces a classification that uses aspects of function, perception, and ownership to distinguish between space types. Twenty urban space types are recognized in four groups, representing a variety from clearly public to private space. The classifications of public spaces will be discussed to arrive at classifications for public spaces based on how public spaces are managed. The article builds an understanding of how such classifications relate to how real public spaces are provided today. In this case study, a Geographic Information System (GIS) map is created for Al-Baha Central District and includes the resulting classifications. From the 119 urban spaces selected to represent this study equally distributed across the study area, there are 12 types that public spaces match Carmona's classification. The classification of urban spaces for this case study revealed the complexity of public spaces' nature and the difficulty of distinguishing what is public. Public spaces tend to change and develop over time through other uses and activities. However, the classification of public spaces is a valuable tool that policymakers and planners can use to set comprehensive development plan programs and plan open space strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Finland, the discussion surrounding the impact of research on society has continued for two decades without a consensus on how impact should be part of research evaluation. In this paper, I examine the conceptions of social impact in the field of social sciences from the perspectives of policy authors and academics by reviewing policy documents and conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 policy advisors, evaluation experts, and faculty professors. The policy data sets are from 2003 to 2018, the period in which the Finnish discussion on research impact has been the most active. Interpretivist notions on the social impact of the social sciences argue that representations of social impact derive from juxtapositional conceptions of how social science knowledge is part of society. Grounded theory techniques were used to analyze policy artifacts and stakeholder interviews. I identified five interpretative frames. These are impact governance, operationalization of impact, politicization of research utilization, guiding arrangements, and social impact of the social sciences. A key finding is that policy advisors and academic experts tend to integrate divergent vocabularies of research utilization and its evaluation, resulting in uncertainty about the conceptualization and operationalization of impact. Integrity of research utilization in research policy and research evaluation could increase the social capacity of the social sciences by helping to understand the conceptual contribution of these fields to public policies and public discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review assesses the development of survey-based small business social responsibility (SBSR) and political activity (SBPA) research over the last 30 years. Survey research designs are a widely adopted approach to studying SBSR and SBPA, making a significant contribution to the small business nonmarket strategy (SBNS) research agenda. Survey research has been used in a quarter of the 203 SBNS research publications identified, 60% of all quantitative SBSR studies and 100% of all quantitative SBPA publications. This review identified a total of 53 survey-based studies of SBSR and SBPA in a multidisciplinary selection of 40 top journals. The SBSR articles reviewed primarily focused on environmental themes, CSR strategies, and CSR performance at the macro level and micro concerns around entrepreneurial commitment/attitudes to CSR. The SBPA articles had no clear focal phenomena. The theoretical positioning of the articles used primarily organizational and organizational field level theoretical foundations, in SBSR studies the main theory used was stakeholder approaches/theory, resource-based approaches and (meso/micro) institutional theory, while the SBPA research was clearly oriented toward resource-based approaches. The SBSR studies in contrast to the SBPA research had a far clearer set of established predictor, outcome, moderating/mediating, and control variables. In terms of survey research design the results show a consistent and ongoing improvement of the research designs, but many norms of good survey design are not yet consistently adopted in SBSR and SBPA research. Critically the literature lacks replication of results. Future studies should pursue replication studies and adopt methodological best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of many and varied concerns that the processes of institutional ethical review are flawed, cumbersome, and in need of reform, these processes do provide effective protection in certain situations for individual research subjects, researchers, and the institutions from which the researchers venture to conduct their fieldwork. Many in the social sciences have argued that the ethical protocols that the researcher must observe are designed to protect against the potential dangers of much riskier biomedical research, and that social research is, by and large, harmless. Although there is some validity to that argument, in this paper, social research is assessed not in terms of its risks to the individual participant, but to communities. By examining the protocols of the Belmont Report, the Institutional Review Board, and the American Sociological Association's "Code of Ethics" and ethical review, this paper discusses some of the major blind spots in the ethical review of social science research, applying the analysis in particular to the case of indigenous communities, who have historically sustained significant damage from academic researchers against which no standardized institutional review could have protected them. The paper covers the history and parameters of these three ethical review institutions, identifies shared blind spots, and discusses the consequences of these blind spots for indigenous communities, ending with some suggestions of ways to address the problems in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on several studies related to infection prevention and control (IPC) which have been published in the periodical "Journal of Hospital Infection". Topics discussed include a study on message framing on posters showed that posters with messages that show gains motivate health workers, another study on biomedicines regarding germ control and influence of culture on IPC and a study on approaches to enhance IPC by providing opportunities to optimize mental models of workers.

More than half of the countries in the world have introduced a reform process in their power sectors since 1980s. Adapting a political economy perspective, this paper attempts to discover the impact of political economic variables on the liberalization process in electricity markets. Empirical models are developed using panel data from 55 developed and developing countries covering the period 1975-2010. The research findings clearly show that political variables have a significant impact on the reform progress. Consistent with public choice theory and economic theory of regulation, our results suggest that a portion of the differences in the reform experiences of reforming countries in the past three decades can be explained by differences in the relative strength of interest groups. We find that industry sector has a significant impact on the pace of power market liberalization process; and as its size gets larger, so does its influence. Our results also imply that countries receiving foreign financial support are more likely to liberalize their electricity markets, which underlines the point that reforms may not be always voluntary. In addition, our findings suggest that government ideology is one of the determinants of the progress in electricity market reform process. Finally, the paper also questions whether politicians' education and profession matter for the electricity market reforms. Overall, the results show they do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded theory is a qualitative research method widely used in social sciences. Using content analysis and CiteSpace visualization software and taking journal articles of China National Knowledge Infrastructure database from 2004 to 2017 as the analysis objects, this paper comprehensively explores the studies using grounded theory in the field of journalism and communication in the Chinese mainland. It shows that the application of grounded theory in the field of journalism and communication had a relatively late start in the Chinese mainland. However, interdisciplinary research obviously prevailed. Researches using grounded theory are not widespread, while the theory has not been fully localized. Financial support from the government has been a great help to researchers, but the researchers outside the academic circles hardly get involved in academic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper hypothesizes that if day-ahead markets for electricity are efficient, then the day-ahead prices will reflect the processed information and expectations of all market participants regarding the next day's electricity load and thus the prices may be useful in actually predicting the next day's load. We test this hypothesis using data for the PG&E aggregation area in the California ISO. The results provide evidence of a positive and significant relationship between the hourly day-ahead electricity price (relative to the natural gas price) and the subsequent actual hourly load. The reported relationship is sufficiently robust to produce a forecast based on the day-ahead hourly price relative to the price of natural gas, some binary variables, and a number of estimated ARMA disturbances that is considerably more accurate than the ISO's day-ahead forecast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Asian researchers are underrepresented in the global research production in social sciences, resulting in a limited Central Asian perspective on many social issues. To stimulate the production of local knowledge, it is important to develop strong research cultures, including knowledge of ethical practices in research with human participants. There is currently scarce evidence about research ethics regulations used by social science researchers working in the Central Asian region. This article reports findings from an online survey conducted in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan (n = 296) from October 2021 to January 2022. Focusing on three Central Asian countries, this article addresses the following research questions: What are the attitudes and practices of social science researchers based in Central Asia toward research ethics regulations and research ethics committees (RECs)? Is research ethics training associated with improved attitudes and practices in relation to research ethics among social scientists based in Central Asia? Is research experience associated with improved attitudes and practices in relation to research ethics among social scientists based in Central Asia? Regression analyses results demonstrate that locally based social scientists with prior research ethics training implement ethical procedures in their empirical research practice more often compared to researchers without any prior research ethics training. The preliminary findings indicate that research ethics training is positively associated with Central Asia-based social science researchers' engagement in ethical research, thus potentially increasing the amount and quality of empirical social science research produced in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frugal innovation (FI) is a recent topic in the scientific literature and it was introduced in relation to management studies. According to scholars, FI is a promising way to serve low-income people who cannot afford conventional products, especially those in developing countries, and to address the urgent need to rethink how resources can be used effectively to operate a sustainable business in the emerging global scenario. This systematic literature review article investigates how the use of qualitative research in studies on FI can contribute to the theory and applicability of FI in society. Searches were conducted in the Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink and Web of Science databases. After surveying and sorting the documents found, 61 research articles dealing with the various aspects and concepts of FI and addressing the use of qualitative research were selected for this literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the utility of a revised postfunctionalist theory in explaining regional (dis)integration dynamics. The case study employed to test the theoretical framework is based on Ukraine's regional integration processes with respect to Eurasian and European regional organizations in the early 2010s. The principal research question posed is: what factors contributed to Ukraine's decision to opt out of deeper integration with Eurasia in the early 2010s and pursue integration with the European Union insead, and how can this case study move the postfunctionalist theory forward? Three assumptions proposed by postfunctionalism, enriched with insights from social constructivism, were applied to the (dis)integration processes: salience, politicization, and collective identity. The analysis suggests that the revised postfunctionalist framework is indeed instrumental in explaining both integration and disintegration, providing insights into the role of collective identity mobilization once public discussion reaches a critical juncture in the politicization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the psychometric properties of the Learning Orientation Questionnaire (LOQ), which have not been previously published. Psychometric validation involves the accumulation of proper empirical evidence to confirm measurement of the intended construct, and to justify the intended uses of the scales. LOQ is based upon the intentional learning theory, which is a comprehensive, holistic learning theory. Through the expertise of the LOQ's developer, educational researcher, and psychometrician, this article presents evidence of LOQ's reliability and validity according to published best practices for scale development and validation. LOQ is a reliable and valid instrument determining where learners fall along the learning orientation continuum. Education researchers can use this information to support learners to move upward on the learning orientation continuum, improving their inclination to learn, high-order thinking, and life-long learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the interactions between policy drivers and academic practice in international research collaboration. It draws on the case of the Open Research Area (ORA), a funding scheme in the social sciences across four national research agencies, seeking to boost collaboration by supporting “integrated” projects. The paper discusses the scheme’s governance and its place within the European policy space before turning to awarded researchers’ perceptions of its originality and impact on their project’s emergence and development. Drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory, we analyse the scheme’s capacity to challenge researchers’ habitual collaborative practice as well as the hierarchical foundations of the social science field. We relate the discourses of researchers, located in France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to such structural dimensions of the academic profession as, disciplinary cultures, institutional environments and national performance management of research careers. The paper argues that the ORA introduced novel mechanisms of power sharing and answerability in social sciences research capable of unsettling the autonomy of the scientific field. This analysis offers a new perspective on the often unquestioned superiority of the model of international collaboration induced by schemes such as the ORA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterodox economists have criticised the ahistorical character of orthodox economics, focusing on its inadequate ontological foundation. This paper adds to the ontological critique of orthodox economics by arguing that organically based atomism, Marx’s ontology specifying social relations and conditions under capitalism, explains the appearance of social atomism as a result of capitalism’s organic interdependencies. It elucidates how organically based atomism, which is composed of original accumulation and alienation, abstract-alienated labour and the exposition of the value forms, and Marx’s critique of commodity fetishism, can be used to criticise the ahistorical character of orthodox economics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We estimate the returns (measured by hourly earnings) to education, experience, and social networking in India using individual-level panel data from the India Human Development Surveys. We combined the two latest waves of this survey using individual-level identifiers to generate a balanced panel and merged it with various household characteristics. We provide estimates of private returns for an additional year of education and experience by consumption quintiles, gender, caste, and religion in a fixed-effects Heckman model that controls for selection bias. This methodology improves upon estimates of all earlier studies on earnings in India, as most of the literature has relied on cross-section data or pseudo-panel data. We also examine the impact of social networking on earnings, which is under-explored in nationwide studies in India. We find that education significantly and positively affects earnings for all consumption quintiles, gender, caste (except schedule castes), and religious groups. Among economic groups, the highest returns are observed for the third quintile above the poverty line. Returns to females for an additional year of education are nearly double that of males but the difference in starting earnings keeps earnings of males higher for long periods. Among the castes, scheduled castes have the highest returns to education and other minorities among religious groups. Social networking positively impacts males, Hindus, and the quintile just above the poverty line. Experience positively impacts women's earnings, general caste and scheduled caste, Hindus and Other minorities and two consumption quintiles (two and five) above the poverty line. Plain Language Summary: Impact of Education, Experience, and Social Networks Impact Earnings in India by Class, Gender, Caste and Religion Purpose: Enhancing human capital is critical for India's development. It would help overcome existing labor market hierarchies based on economic class, gender, religion, and caste. We study the impact on private earnings of (a) an additional year of education and experience, and (b) social networking. Methods: We use an individual level panel dataset assembled from the two latest rounds of the Indian Human Development Survey (I&II). Our Heckman type earnings equation controls for selection bias. Results: An additional year of education increased earnings between (a) 2.4% and 8.8% among different consumption quintiles (b) 3.7% for males to 5.2% for females, (c) 1.5% (STs), to 5.9% (SCs), and (d) 2.3% (Muslims), to 9.9% (Other Minorities). Experience increased earnings of two economic groups, females, the General and Scheduled castes, and of Hindus and Other Minorities. Social networking increased earnings of males, Hindus, and one economic quintile. Conclusions: Higher marginal returns to education for females justifies greater investment in women's education. Lower returns on education among STs and Muslims indicate the need for affirmative action for these groups. The positive returns to education for the poor suggests that anti-poverty programs in combination with educational opportunities for the less privileged would meet the goals of social justice. Implications Better education (SDG4) would help achieve gender equality (SDG5), and social justice for marginalized (economic, caste and religious) groups (SDG1, SDG10). Limitations: We were unable to account for ability bias. Stratification by state and sector would provide better estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts worldwide have sought to lessen the agricultural and societal impact of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) mitigation in Kenya, Nepal, and Bangladesh by safeguarding affected regions' food crops and livelihoods while preventing the spread of FAW to nearby areas. However, efforts to communicate and gain support for FAW control methods among local populations can have limited impacts. This study qualitatively explores "design looping" as part of three Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) campaigns in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya for increasing community support for FAW mitigation. Such an approach not only potentially extends the reach and scalability of FAW control methods but also contributes to meeting Sustainable Development Goals for food security and community well-being. Findings of productive advantages for "design looping" in this study include (1) increased participatory access by project stakeholders and beneficiaries, (2) flexibility, as cost-effective and potentially continuous opportunities to refine ICT4D messaging to meet project goals, and (3) bi-directional learning between project producers and message recipients for improved message deployment. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed. Plain Language Summary: Using adaptive methods to design insect pest mitigation information Getting local people to participate in protecting food crops and livelihoods by stopping the spread of crop pests like fall armyworm (FAW) presents challenges. This study looks at how "design looping" was used in three information campaigns in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya aimed at enabling more community support for fighting FAW using Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). This design method can increase the range and effectiveness of FAW control and strengthen food security and community well-being. Results of the study found that "design looping" had several benefits: (1) it allowed more people to be involved in the design process, (2) it was highly cost-effective and allowed for adjustments and adaptation of the messaging to different contexts, and (3) it fostered better learning and message sharing between the message creators and those receiving the messages. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Finnish Labour Force Surveys merged with register-based follow-up data, we analyzed how different characteristics of part-time work predict employees' and entrepreneurs' employment trajectories in an 8-year follow-up. We analyzed careers by the length of weekly working hours and the reason for part-time work, that is, childcare, studies, health, part-time pension, other voluntary choice, or if full-time work was not available (involuntary part-time). We applied sequence analysis to define work career clusters based on the continuum of spells spent in different labor market statuses, that is, in upper and lower white-collar, manual, or entrepreneurial employment, unemployment, studying, pensioned, or inactivity. According to the results, involuntary part-timers have a significantly higher probability of entering the unemployment trajectory than full-time workers. Those working part-time hours due to care responsibilities were also more likely to face frequent periods of unemployment, whereas part-time work combined with studies was associated with stable white-collar trajectories. Our results also show that weakened labor outcomes following marginal part-time jobs associate with disability retirement instead of unemployment later in time, most probably determined by ill health. Therefore, we suggest further studies to consider marginal part-time workers' health as the determinant of weakening career outcomes. Overall, our results highlight the need to improve part-time working conditions, a concern that organizations like the OECD have also raised. This improvement could reduce the risk of unemployment, promote health, extend work careers, and consequently increase the employment rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivation of computational thinking and programing education have gained prominence in K-12 education worldwide. Primary school teachers should be proficient in visual programing and using microcontrollers to teach programing courses. To cope with these trends, a learning activity was developed and implemented in Taiwan's primary teacher education curriculum. The activity aimed to help preservice primary teachers learn about Scratch visual programing and micro:bit microcontroller boards by engaging in a physical computing project involving the design of an educational motion sensor game about energy. The results of the preliminary study found that the preservice primary teachers who participated in the activity were able to collaborate and develop motion sensor games suitable for primary school students. They also demonstrated significant improvements in their computational thinking concepts (t (10) = 3.13, p <.05) and energy knowledge test scores (t (10) = 2.74, p <.05). Furthermore, most participants expressed satisfaction with the activity, implying the activity's feasibility for teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postmodern organizations strive to cultivate open innovation systems to foster product innovation and commercialization. Cultural dynamics can be a massive obstacle in flourishing the inbound and outbound open innovation in many organizations. However, little is known about the effect of different types of culture on the open innovation dimensions. This research aimed to investigate the role of cultural subtleties in nurturing inbound and outbound open innovation in the organizations. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected from a random sample of 231 managers from the automotive industry. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses using Smart PLS. The results indicated that hierarchy culture, associated with formal rules and regulations, negatively affects the inbound and outbound open innovation. The Market culture has a positive relationship with inbound and outbound open innovation while adhocracy culture could positively impact the inbound open innovation only. On the other hand, clan culture has a negative effect on the outbound open innovation. We concluded that the organizational culture focused on internal integrations is more suitable for outbound open innovation, and the type of organizational culture focused on external differentiation is more likely to support inbound open innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "childless" is highly problematic. Attempts to split it into "voluntary" and "involuntary" may appear to give more detail on context, but the differentiation can be misleading. The condition of "-less" has negative connotations and implies "missing" something; possibly something which is "natural." The term "childfree" has been employed as an alternative expression which denotes active choice, freedom, and emancipation. Few studies, however, have explored how individuals refer to themselves, or how they interpret—or even care—about these distinctions. Such existing studies only explore the use of these English expressions among speakers of English as their primary language. This exploratory qualitative study explores how women without children define themselves in their native language in an Asian setting—Cantonese in Hong Kong. It also explores how such women interpret the various terms developed in English to describe their circumstances. Respondents refer to themselves in neutral, factual terms—literally "without children." Others make an explicit link between being unmarried and childless status. While respondents find the English expression of "childfree" positive, they do not express a strong need to either deploy it in English, nor "develop" a Cantonese equivalent. The study provides further evidence that "labels" generated and applied by academics in one context and in one language may not be universally applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunization is considered one of the most cost-effective public health interventions for reducing childhood morbidity, mortality, and disability globally. However, while global achievement of over 70% coverage rates was sustained in 1990s, wide variations exist between and within countries. In some developing countries, immunization rates increased substantially, but in sub-Saharan Africa, immunization rates plummeted, leaving millions of children vulnerable to life-threatening diseases. In Nigeria, coverage rates for routine immunization for all antigens still fall below 50%. The study examined the overall influence of household vulnerability dimensions, maternal health practices on childhood immunization status in Nigeria. The study used secondary data from 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS). The analytical weighted sample size was 5,824women of reproductive ages (15-49 years) with a live birth in the past 3 years, whose children were within age 12 to 23 months at the time of the survey. The data was analyzed using frequency distribution, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression. The results showed a decreasing regional variation in the proportion of fully immunized children from high of 23.6% in South-West, to a low of 9.1% in North-East. The overall household vulnerability status showed that children in more and most vulnerable households were 62% (OR = 0.38; p<.001; CI [0.32-0.46]) and 89%less likely (OR = 0.11; p <.001; CI [0.08-0.14]) to receive full vaccination compared with their counterpart in non-vulnerable households. The study revealed significant relationship between mothers': (i) number of antenatal visits (OR = 1.66; p<.05; CI [0.25-1.77]); (ii) quality of antenatal care (OR = 2.61; p<.05; CI [1.45-4.67]); (iii) place of delivery (OR = 0.62; p<.05; CI [0.45-0.86]); (iv) assistance during delivery (OR = 0.41; p<.001; CI [0.28-0.57]); (v) time of postnatal check (OR = 1.81; p<.001; CI [1.49-2.19]) and full childhood immunization status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prominent increase in English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has triggered the need for investigating EMI in practice in various contexts. Studies focusing on linguistic attitudes of EMI practitioners and learners are beginning to emerge but there are few studies exploring language-related issues in EMI practice. In response to this, this study investigates how language-related issues in EMI are conceptualized, approached and navigated. Data are drawn from document analysis, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. The study finds that EMI courses were established without much presence of linguistic diversity and without an overt policy. Seemingly, EMI is treated as an invaluable commodity in the pursuit of internationalization. This puts the consistence and quality of EMI into question. It also finds that the practitioners have made polarized language decisions despite of an overall "English-only" preference. The polarized decisions lead to two modes of silence, namely "the English-only silence" and "the silence of English." In addition, nativized Englishes were found to play in a key role in constructing EMI discourses, despite of a deeply-rooted belief in the Standard English ideology. This conflict between practice and perception reinforces the complexity of practitioners' professional identity. Furthermore, it is also found that EMI, as an important way to pursue internationalization that celebrates heterogeneity, has a potential to circulate homogeneity. The findings are of significance for universities to (re)consider and (re)conceptualize language-related issues in EMI practice, and on the basis of this, design appropriate EMI curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors affecting media researchers' selection of media research problems. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of Arab media researchers were conducted, followed by applying a 22-item questionnaire on a sample of 247 from Arab media researchers. The impact of internal/subjective factors and external/objective factors, on the selection of research problems by Arab media researchers, and their perceptions were investigated. Findings revealed that internal factors are perceived to have a higher impact than external factors. However, external factors are perceived to have a stronger negative impact than positive ones. Findings also raise several issues regarding scientific considerations, institutional requirements, and socio-political conditions that lead researchers to either avoid certain topics or change the angle of their view for their research. The study proposed a theoretical framework regarding the process of selecting research problems in the media field of Arab countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study's objective was to examine whether parents show different patterns in housework behavior in relation to children's gender. Previous studies have suggested that children's gender might shape family processes through various paths. However, in married couples, housework behavior is mainly explained by the economic or structural differences between partners, but little is known about the potential relevance between children's gender and parents' housework behavior. Using nationally representative data from the Chinese General Social Survey, we examined the link between children's gender and parents' weekly housework hours. Two dichotomous indicators represented children's gender: having at least one son (or not) and having at least one daughter (or not). An ordinary least squares regression model was employed for the analysis. The results indicated that parents who have at least one son, rather than those who have at least one daughter, showed significant differences in housework behavior, with mothers spend more time on housework whereas fathers spend less. The findings suggest that parents do behave differently in relation to children's gender. By emphasizing its symbolic attribute, we argue that children's gender constitutes part of the social gender structure related to family processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontline employees can generate tremendous value for both the customer and the organization through innovation. While prior research has revealed that frontline employees' emotional labor significantly affects their own creativity, it is unclear whether it has a spillover effect on other frontline employees (i.e., co-workers) and how it shapes their behaviors, especially proactive innovation behavior. Based on emotion-as-social-information (EASI) theory, we construct a mechanism model to illustrate this aforementioned spillover effect. By analyzing the questionnaires collected from 268 frontline employees in China, we found that (1) deep acting (surface acting) of co-worker influences frontline employee's proactive innovation behavior positively (negatively); (2) affective commitment plays a mediating role between emotional labor and proactive innovation behavior; and (3) emotional sensitivity reinforces the positive (negative) effect of deep acting (surface acting) on proactive innovation behavior. The conclusions provide valuable insight into understanding the spillover effects of emotional labor among frontline employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to provide an applied example that serves as a guide to social studies classrooms and directly supports the teachers who implement it, specifically for the social studies lesson. In the research planned as an action research, a group of 27 7th-grade students from a middle school was selected as the study group, and activities were implemented under the name of ''Social Studies Club'' for a duration of 16weeks, with 2 hours of weekly sessions. The results of the research support the literature in terms of student perceptions at the beginning of the application. According to students ''Social studies is not among the favorite subjects, there is little interest in the subject, but it is not considered difficult. The lessons are perceived as simple but boring.'' At the end of the applications, students have developed positive feelings towards the social studies lesson, gained awareness about the achievements, and acquired learning outcomes. Looking at the interviews conducted with the students at the end of the applications, it can be observed that the students made positive evaluations regarding the applications. They were able to make more inferences about the social studies lesson, not because they found it simple, but because they considered it important. As a result, they started to view social studies as one of their favorite subjects and expressed that they have explored the content of the social studies lesson. Although this research provides a small snapshot in terms of the duration of the application, it can be considered as a guiding resource in terms of addressing the problems in social studies education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethics review processes are frequently perceived as extending from codes and protocols rooted in biomedical disciplines. As a result, many researchers in the humanities and social sciences (HASS) find these processes to be misaligned, if not outrightly obstructive to their research. This leads some scholars to advocate against HASS participation in institutional review processes as they currently stand, or in their entirety. While ethics review processes can present a challenge to HASS researchers, these are not insurmountable and, in fact, present opportunities for ethics review boards (ERBs) to mediate their practices to better attend to the concerns of the HASS disciplines. By highlighting the potential value of the ethics review process in recognising the nuances and specificity across different forms of research, this article explores the generative possibilities of greater collaboration between HASS researchers and ERBs. Remaining cognisant of the epistemic and methodological differences that mark different disciplinary formations in turn will benefit the ethical conduct of all researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translation of scientific texts has been regarded as having the least freedom and variety in rendition; however, inconsistencies occur when translators work with two language systems that differ in reference to time, such as between Chinese and English. Tense is one of the core components of English grammar, but such information is not apparent in Chinese because the Chinese language tends to express time with lexical items in context instead of adding morphological changes to the verbs. The present study collected Chinese-English translated texts from graduate students on topics in the popular science domain. Analyses were conducted by comparing the tense information in the source text and the tense rendered in the target text on a sentence-by-sentence basis. The results showed that while the source text in Chinese stayed in the present tense, the students tended to switch from the present tense to the future or past tense during translation. In particular, the Chinese word "hui" has a habitual meaning that usually describes facts instead of presenting a future tense in scientific texts, but the students tended to interpret it as a future tense word, thus producing inappropriate tense shifts during translation. The pedagogical implication of such findings on inconsistent tenses between the source and target texts suggests that in the teaching of translation, analysis of the tense structure of the Chinese text and the consistency of tense information rendered in English should be emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine how South Korean individuals responded to Olympic short track speed skater Shim Suk-hee's sexual abuse accusations toward her former coach Cho Jae-bum, as well as the perceptions associated with the culture of South Korea's elite sport organization, the Korea Skating Union. Specifically, Facebook comments made to posts on the three digital news platforms (Dispatch, Insight, and SBS News) in South Korea were analyzed through the lens of framing theory. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Three themes emerged inductively from the data analysis including (a) emotions; (b) punishment for authority figures; and (c) further investigations of similar cases. Comments illustrated South Korean publics' anger with their desire to see Cho face stricter punishment for his abuse of Shim. In addition, comments discussed calling for more thorough investigations into similar cases of abuse. Lastly, South Korean individuals showed an overall dissatisfaction of the current system and culture of the Korean Skating Union without transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discourse around the bridging the gap debate is seen to a unique sub-set of the social sciences in the United States as applied to a unique American approach to security. This article looks beyond US National Security and the practices of the discipline of political science at US universities to address, and expand on, some specific ideas in Michael Desch's volume The Cult of the Irrelevant. We offer that an integrative assessment of how scholarly work can best inform security policies and practices requires more critical examination in four domains: consideration of how different disciplines frame key issues and speak to each other; understanding the dynamics of the policy marketplace; assessments to alternate ways to frame security and national security; and requirements to critical challenge the privilege academics have awarded themselves as the purveyors (and gatekeepers) of 'knowledge' and the 'truth'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, esports (the competitive video game industry) have evolved significantly, revolutionizing not only the competitive scene but also the teams and their professional staff. Sports psychologists need to face with cognitive demands related to this activity primarily mental, to respond to the specific needs of the sector (e.g., high performance interventions). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between cognitive performance in tests and the MOBA League of Legends (LOL) game scores. A group of 36 pure-genre LOL players was evaluated with behavioral tests of fluid intelligence, attentional control inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and decision making. Furthermore, their in-game performance (rank percentile, kills death assists, minions per minute, and vision score) was recorded during a complete season (approximately 1 year). Data was analyzed by means of correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that cognitive flexibility was positively related to the "rank percentile" (p <.001; R =.442; 95% CI [2.97, 74.76]). Besides, a positive relationship was found between decision making and the in-game performance variable "minions per minute" (p =.009; R =.236; 95% CI [−8.46, 5.26]). These findings point that it is possible predict performance on specific variables, in esports with high cognitive impact throughout neuropsychological assessment. These results provide a starting point for research in the field of esports, sports psychology, and high-performance-oriented intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The personality trait of openness has been shown to contribute to a person's ability to function effectively. Additionally, scholars have suggested that openness to experience and foreign language experience were related to music preference. Extending from earlier scholarship, this study examined the relationship between openness to experience and the various types of musical and language experiences reported by undergraduate music majors in Turkey and the United States. Participants (N = 380) were surveyed using the Openness to Experience domain of the NEO-PI-R and an author-designed survey with questions about participants' musical backgrounds and interests, foreign language abilities, age, and sex. Results showed that U.S. students rated significantly higher in four of the five dimensions of the Openness domain than their Turkish counterparts (Wilks'λ =.57; F (5, 374) = 55.37, p <.001). Factor analysis results showed that (a) experiences in foreign languages, (b) listening to Turkish traditional, pop, and folk music, and (c) listening to American (pop and folk) and Western classical music cumulatively explained 68.49% of the variance in openness. Correlation analyses suggested that listening to Western classical, American folk, and American pop music was associated with higher openness scores, and listening to Turkish traditional, folk, and pop music was associated with lower openness scores. Additionally, the number of foreign languages participants studied correlated with four of the dimensions. Results suggest that both groups could benefit from increased, broader, and deeper exposure to different musical genres from diverse cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of the project of establishing the library and learning resources center at Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply (MIPS) were to draft recommendations on the kind of infrastructure in terms of hardware, software, and networking required to establish the library systems; Koha and DSpace, to develop user training manual for e-library systems, to develop a user manual for a recommendation for additional training resources for the library, to install e-library systems, link the elibrary systems to Members Management Information System (MMIS), to create catalog records for information resources and to conduct training on the functionality of the e-library system. The study was a descriptive account of the processes of establishing a library and learning resources center in an organization. Monitoring and reporting of the project activities were done which led to the development of reports, library manuals, and deliverables for the project. The scope of the work involved the establishment of the library currently operational. The period for the entire project was 6 months. Some of the major achievements for the project were the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system for the resource center, installation of e-library systems, purchase of new textbooks and subscription to electronic journals, training of MIPS management and users on the functionalities of e-library systems, and recruitment of a qualified Librarian to manage the resource center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of program admission requirements, university-district partnerships, and course content integration on the internship within principal preparation programs. University principal preparation programs have been a focus of recent attention, specifically since 2005 when the report Arthur Levine published his report, Educating School Leaders. Research identified the field-based internship as a valuable part of principal preparation programs. We developed the Principal Preparation Program Policy Survey (4Ps) to collect data from program chairs of public universities across the nation. We employed structural equation modeling to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that partnership policies have significant relationships with the principal internship and with admission requirements. Universities that develop strong district partnership policies are more likely to have strong internship and admission policies for their preparation programs. Similarly, admission policies have a significant relationship with program-course content integration, which means that the universities that produce strong admission policies are more likely to produce strong program course-content integration policies. Because this study provides empirical evidence that universitydistrict partnership policies and admissions policies have a significant relationship with internship policies, it is important for university principal preparation faculty to review their university-district partnership and admission policies and practices in relation to their internship policies and practices. The outcome based on the results implies that the stronger the university-district partnerships and admissions policies are, the stronger the internship will be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]