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Participation in contract farming has the potential to enhance farmers' income and livelihoods both in developed and developing countries, yet the influence of literacy levels on such agri-systems remains insufficiently explored. This study investigated the effect of farmers' literacy and other socio-economic variables on farmers' engagement in contract farming within Tanzania's cash crops agriculture, framed within the Human Capital Theory. A cross-sectional study used a closed-ended questionnaire to survey 393 smallholder tea farmers in Mbeya and Njombe regions. Using binary logistic regression, quantitative analysis assessed the null hypothesis that literacy and selected socio-economic variables do not significantly influence contract farming participation. The results reveal that higher farmer literacy levels influence positively and significantly the likelihood of contract farming participation. This finding underscores the relevance of education in contract farming dynamics. Additionally, farmer's gender and land size found to have a significant positive influence on participation likelihood. Other variables, including income, market information access, farming experience, and technology access, showed a positive but insignificant association with participation, while age had a negative but insignificant effect. These findings suggest that contract farming is influenced by multifaceted factors however, education appears to be a key determinant factor in fostering effective contracts. The government and other stakeholders should thus focus on targeted literacy policy and programs for successful contract farming involvement. Future research may delve into localities nuances, unravelling intricate links between literacy, socio-economic factors, and contract farming dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apprenticeship enrollment in Ghana is declining according to recent rounds of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, despite its importance as an avenue for human capital development among young people. This trend is alarming, especially during an era of economic crises and constraints in technical and vocational education. The paper utilizes qualitative approaches involving interviews with key stakeholders such as master craftspeople and apprentices, apprenticeship experts, and secondary data to explore the reasons behind the decline in apprenticeships. The findings reveal that young people’s desire for quick financial gains and lack of interest in apprenticeships, along with structural factors, contribute to the decline. The paper concludes by offering a nuanced critique of the human capital theory’s application to the declining apprenticeship trends in Ghana, underscoring the need for a more comprehensive framework that incorporates social, cultural and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating human capital theory, social information processing theory, and literature on humble leadership behaviours, this study takes an initial step to investigate the effects of CEO human capital on CEO humble leadership behaviours. We developed a model that explains how experience human capital (career variety) and education human capital (education level and elite education) independently and jointly influence CEO humble leadership behaviours. We examined the proposed model using multi-source data. The data of the independent variables were hand-collected from multiple sources, including the CSMAR database, corporate websites, and press releases. The data of the dependent variable were collected with an online survey from 175 listed companies. We found that career variety positively influenced CEO humble leadership behaviours, while elite education was negatively associated with CEO humble leadership behaviours. Moreover, career variety and education level had a positive interaction effect on CEO humble leadership behaviours, while career variety and elite education had a negative interaction effect on CEO humble leadership behaviours. Our findings highlight that different types of human capital may exert different impacts. Moreover, apart from the direct impact of one specific type of human capital, various types of human capital can interact to influence CEO humble leadership behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associate's degree completion is billed as the quickest way to upskill the workforce and a ticket to the middle class. Yet 35 million Americans leave college without a degree. Black and Hispanic students are more likely than White and Asian students to leave college. We examined whether economic benefits differ between those whose highest level of education is "some college, no degree (SCND)" compared to an associate's degree by analyzing interaction effects among race/ethnicity, sex, citizenship, and nativity. Using data from the Current Population Survey 2019 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, we employed regressions to examine heterogeneity in economic rewards. We also used propensity score matching to estimate causal treatment effects using observational data. On average, associate's workers reaped more economic rewards than SCND workers. In almost every category, the advantage of completing the associate's degree was lost when the worker held at least one socially disadvantaged identity. Economic disadvantage was multiplied for some workers who had more than one disadvantaged identity. Our findings support the economic value of completing an associate's degree and unmask the disparate labor market outcomes for workers of diverse races/ethnicities, sexes, and nationalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Participation in contract farming has the potential to enhance farmers’ income and livelihoods both in developed and developing countries, yet the influence of literacy levels on such agri-systems remains insufficiently explored. This study investigated the effect of farmers’ literacy and other socio-economic variables on farmers’ engagement in contract farming within Tanzania’s cash crops agriculture, framed within the Human Capital Theory. A cross-sectional study used a closed-ended questionnaire to survey 393 smallholder tea farmers in Mbeya and Njombe regions. Using binary logistic regression, quantitative analysis assessed the null hypothesis that literacy and selected socio-economic variables do not significantly influence contract farming participation. The results reveal that higher farmer literacy levels influence positively and significantly the likelihood of contract farming participation. This finding underscores the relevance of education in contract farming dynamics. Additionally, farmer’s gender and land size found to have a significant positive influence on participation likelihood. Other variables, including income, market information access, farming experience, and technology access, showed a positive but insignificant association with participation, while age had a negative but insignificant effect. These findings suggest that contract farming is influenced by multifaceted factors however, education appears to be a key determinant factor in fostering effective contracts. The government and other stakeholders should thus focus on targeted literacy policy and programs for successful contract farming involvement. Future research may delve into localities nuances, unravelling intricate links between literacy, socio-economic factors, and contract farming dynamics.

Pay fairness and human capital theories make different predictions about trainees' occupational turnover in situations where trainees perceive unfair pay but receive huge potential returns from training. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how pay fairness and human capital investment combined to explain why trainees are motivated to persist in employment when they perceive unfair pay. Cross-sectional survey data from 144 minor league baseball players showed that athletes perceived unfair pay but had low occupational turnover intentions because they perceived high learning achievement and expected to play in Major League Baseball eventually. Perceptions of unfair pay only increased occupational turnover intentions under certain conditions, such as when athletes had low expectations of playing at least one game in Major League Baseball in the next 3 years. The results support a framework that combines human capital theory and pay fairness theories to explain boundary conditions for trainee motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role of soft skills, technical skills and academic performance on graduate employability. The study was underpinned by the Human Capital Theory. By using a positivist quantitative approach data were collected from one higher education institution in Tanzania. The study used a sample of 217 final year students who filled a standard questionnaire. Data analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that soft skills (r=.644, p<.05), technical skills (r=.593, p<.05) and academic performance (r=.376, p<.05) individually predict perceived graduate employability. As per the findings, students with better soft and technical skills have a higher chance of getting employed. On the other hand, students with higher academic performance as measured by grade point average (GPA) are more employable than those with lower performance. Controlling these three independent variables depends on efforts of various stakeholders. This research calls for collective efforts of educators, policy makers, students, regulatory authorities and other stakeholders to work in ensuring that right and relevant skills are provided in HEIs and there is a supportive environment for students to perform better academically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on well-being and concern over the well-being of students and teachers has grown dramatically in recent years. Researchers and reformers in positive psychology and education, self-determination theory, social and emotional learning, liberal-democratic political and educational philosophy, and neo-Aristotelian theories of flourishing and character education have played formative and intersecting roles in what is now an international movement to promote the lifelong flourishing of students as an alternative to a human capital and economic growth focus for education. This article defends this flourishing-focused reorientation of education policy and practice, using a value-led and evidence-informed methodology. It sorts through the conceptual disputes and clarifies the ethical considerations that should guide efforts to advance the well-being of students and teachers, assesses key claims and arguments, and brings together compatible aspects of the leading philosophical and psychological perspectives on flourishing as an aim of education. It identifies ethically and evidentially justifiable points of consensus on well-being and flourishing in education, presents a consensus model of relationships between educational environments, learning, and flourishing, and concludes with some recommendations for educational policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines capacity building from the perspective of business growth and success in small-scale agro-processing enterprises. Our analytical approach was underpinned by the inability of small-scale agri-enterprises to grow and succeed despite the South African government's support for capacity building through the economic empowerment programme initiative in the past three decades. The study was conducted in five of nine selected South African provinces (Gauteng, Limpopo, North-West, Free State, and Mpumalanga). This study was essential for developing an effective strategy for enhancing agri-business growth and success in South Africa. A concurrent mixed-methods research design was used, and data from 503 small-scale agro-processors was analysed using descriptive and multiple regression analysis techniques. The results revealed that capacity building (β = 0.274, p = 0.000) significantly influences the economic empowerment of small-scale agro-processors. Furthermore, the study showed that mentorship and technical and financial skills are critical types of capacity building that influence the economic empowerment of small-scale agro-processors in South Africa. It is recommended that all government or private stakeholders, including agricultural extension advisory services, invest in capacity-building programmes for small-scale agro-processors to achieve economic empowerment. Economically empowered small-scale agro-processors will significantly contribute to employment creation and better income distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few issues have attracted as much policy interest in the tertiary sector as graduate employability. Graduate employability positions universities and their students as key players in the national economy. At the same time, the standard conception of graduate employability, as it has evolved from human capital theory and modified by neoliberal ideology, has met with significant criticism. This paper reports on our analysis of the strategic plans of Australia's 42 operating universities current in 2018 to better understand (1) the extent to which employability was embedded in each university's strategic priorities and (2) the ways in which employability was characterised in those plans. Our paper provides empirical evidence of the way in which Australian universities universally and uniformly adopted a particular model of employability, simultaneously claiming its distinctiveness. Our analysis suggests the need for Australian universities to take a more thoughtful and nuanced approach to graduate employability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the underexplored link between entrepreneurship education (EE) and graduate employability in the higher education (HE) sector in the United Kingdom (UK). Design/methodology/approach: The study draws on a thematic content analysis of semi-structured interviews with 45 professionals in UK HE, representing the "supply" side of EE. Findings: The findings demonstrate a unidirectional link between EE and employability outcomes. This link is affected by societal, stakeholder-related, and teaching and learning-related factors. Research limitations/implications: Although the value of universities' initiatives connecting EE and employability for economic development is emphasized, the study does not provide direct empirical evidence for this effect. Macroeconomic research is needed. Practical implications: EE and employability would benefit from knowledge exchange between universities' stakeholders and a broader understanding of what constitutes a valuable graduate outcome. Social implications: The study reveals the benefits of EE on a micro level. Participation in EE supports the connection between individual investments in HE and employability. Originality/value: Based on human capital theory, many policymakers regard EE as a vehicle through which the relationship between investments in HE and career success on a micro level and economic growth on a macro level can be nurtured. Challenging this logic, the study highlights the potential of institutional theory to explain a contextualization of the link between EE and employability on a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the multifaceted landscape of entrepreneurship, this research delves into the intricate relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention, focusing specifically on the final-year female undergraduates in Nigerian federal universities. Grounded in the Human Capital Theory (HCT), this study uncovers profound insights into the multifaceted relationships between various entrepreneurial traits and their influence on entrepreneurial intentions. The findings reveal a nuanced relationship between traits such as autonomy, competitive aggressiveness, risk-taking, selfesteem, and the sense of inclusion with entrepreneurial intentions. Autonomy and competitive aggressiveness emerge as significant influencers, while risk-taking displays a non-significant association. Self-esteem holds profound implications, while the sense of inclusion exerts a more subdued impact on entrepreneurial intentions. Theoretical implications challenge and expand existing frameworks, notably HCT. While HCT posits that investments in education and training foster entrepreneurial traits, this study suggests a more intricate relationship. The non-significant association of certain traits, despite their emphasis in HCT, underscores the need for a nuanced understanding, possibly integrating other theoretical frameworks. From a practical standpoint, these findings guide policymakers and educators in designing targeted interventions. Specialized training programs, workshops, and courses emphasizing autonomy, competitive aggressiveness, and self-esteem can be developed. Integrating competitive elements, like business plan competitions, can nurture students' competitive drive. Policy recommendations include tailored entrepreneurial education, fostering inclusive environments, promoting a risk-taking culture, supporting longitudinal studies, and enhancing collaboration between educational institutions and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Swedish hospitality industry is experiencing substantial growth, this growth comes with a cost, as the industry has neither the knowledge nor the incentive to pay enough attention to human resource development. This continuous growth will therefore impose challenges and erect obstacles once the industry begins expanding again after the pandemic. Insofar as attracting, engaging and retaining talent are the biggest challenges, it might be time to go back to the drawing board and identify a possible shift to an employee-based approach to developing businesses. Based on interviews with managers and owners representing 28 predominantly seasonal restaurants in the Swedish coastal region of Bohuslän, this study identifies current obstacles and challenges facing the Swedish restaurant industry with a clear focus on the concept of human capital. The results of the study clearly indicate that human resource development (HRD) is by far the most critical factor in addressing staffing issues and overcoming the difficulty involved in attracting, engaging, and retaining not only enough staff but more importantly staff with basic knowledge, experience, and interest. The aim here is to initiate a shift to a more direct and sustained focus on human capital in the hospitality industry, from the perspective of human capital theory, by highlighting some of the most highly relevant factors associated with this perspective. According to an employee-driven restaurant analysis (EDRA) approach, a shortage of human capital could pose the biggest obstacle to further development, as restaurants find it increasingly difficult to attract, engage and retain employees for all positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-operative banks (CBs) in many countries have recently been experiencing increased competitive pressure. Although studies have analysed how competitive intensity affects the stability of CBs, research dedicated to its impact on employee attitudes is extremely scarce. Furthermore, it is unknown how human resource management (HRM) practices modify these relationships. To fill this gap, this article examines the influence of competitive intensity on turnover intention in CBs and assesses the moderating role of training and company size in this relationship. Several hypotheses are formulated on the basis of human capital theory and social exchange theory, which are then verified with data from a nationwide survey covering the responses of 1707 employees from 43 CBs in Poland. The results of multilevel modelling confirm that competitive intensity increases employee turnover intention. Moreover, this influence is much weaker when employees receive intensive training. Finally, adding company size to the analysis has a marginal impact on the interaction between competitive intensity and training. The article contributes to the literature on co-operative banks by analysing what shapes CB employees' attitudes in the current dynamic environment. It also adds to HRM research by exploring how contextual variables (competition, company size) affect turnover intention and interact with HRM practices (in particular, training). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of School Administrators is the property of School Administration Research Association, R.O.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research on job assignments has generally assumed employees will accept assignments when offered. In this study, we examine managerial preferences for potential job assignment opportunities conceptualized using human capital theory to provide a holistic understanding of this phenomenon. Using two pilot studies, we refine the list of reasons managers use when forming lateral assignment preferences. In the main study, we collected data from a representative sample of more than 1200 managers in a large US organization who provided preferences for all possible assignment locations (about 40) in their regions and reported reasons for their preferences. Results showed career development reasons (e.g., promotion potential, opportunity to learn) and social information reasons (e.g., location manager, customers) attracted managers to assignments, and health and well‐being reasons (e.g., commuting, stress) repelled managers. There were several differences in these relationships by managerial level such that health and well‐being reasons were more important than career development reasons for lower‐level managers than higher‐level managers, who seemed to generate their preferences based more evenly on both types of reasons. We ask whether gender moderates the relationship between health and well‐being reasons and preferences and find little support. We also explore whether manager racioethnicity moderates the relationship between community racioethnicity and preferences and find a few differences. Most findings were replicated when predicting actual movement 2 years later. Results suggest managerial preferences should consistently be considered in job assignment research and that organizations should obtain and use preference data when making internal staffing decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread knowledge of agriculture's sustainability challenges, more needs to be known about the factors influencing farmers' adoption of sustainable practices. This study examines the specific drivers of pro-environmental behavior among date farmers. A variable model was developed, and a questionnaire was used to gather farmers' perceptions of the factors influencing pro-environmental behavior on date farms. A hierarchical structure of the identified factors was developed using MICMAC analysis on 81 farmers in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our results show that farm size, supply chain pressure, and firm technological capabilities are the most relevant determinants of pro-environmental behavior on date farms. Also, farmers' experiences, learning from other firms in the sustainability domain, and farm image improvement are critical variables in the system of pro-environmental behavior adoption. Finally, we argue that pressure from environmental regulation and the farmers' age are excluded variables. It is crucial to consider that relying solely on encouragement and laws to protect the environment cannot achieve sustainability in agriculture. More attention should be devoted to educating farmers about the importance of pro-environmental behavior and how it can improve their image in front of stakeholders. It is also necessary to organize periodic forums to support mimetic pressure and push farmers to learn from each other. Because farmers' environments in developing countries tend to be similar, it is possible to generalize these results to some extent. This model unveils a fresh perspective on promoting sustainability in agriculture by using novel analytical techniques to map relationships between pro-environmental actions and their influencing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia's armed attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022 started one of the worst refugee crises of the 21st century. It caused involuntary migrations of Ukrainians to other countries, mainly to Europe, and caused the refugees to face the challenge of integrating with the host countries' labor markets. The aim of this study was to analyze the views of the Ukrainian refugees who migrated to two European countries: Poland and Hungary. We took into account self-esteem, social support, good job expectations, and submissiveness in the labor market. The data were obtained via a survey method using the modified CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interview) technique between 21 November and 20 December 2022 from 807 adult Ukrainian refugees. Results show that disability fosters lower self-esteem, self-assessment of resources, and job demands. Among those who have children, the mean value of self-esteem was higher than in the group without any children. No statistically significant differences were found in the area of professional work. According to the estimation of structural model results, expectations of a good job have a significant, negative effect on the tendency toward submissiveness. The assessment of personal resources and the level of self-esteem have a significant and positive effect on the expectations of a good job. Both a higher level of personal resources and a higher level of self-esteem resulted in higher good job expectations. The assessment of personal resources also has a positive effect on the level of self-esteem. We also found a direct relationship between personal resources, self-esteem, and the tendency toward submissiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an emphasis on combining individual and environmental factors in entrepreneurship, this study aims to explore the relationship between the perception of the institutional environment, risk-taking propensity, and start-up readiness by drawing on the institutional theory and human capital theory. This study collected data online and finally got 580 respondents aged 18 to 40. Through SmartPLS software, results reveal that perceived regulatory and cognitive environments influence risk-taking propensity, and risk-taking propensity influences start-up readiness. Moreover, prior entrepreneurial experience positively moderates the relationship between risk-taking propensity and start-up readiness. However, we do not find the direct and moderating effects of entrepreneurship education. This study theoretically contributes to institutional theory, human capital theory, and entrepreneurial behavior with a self-developed construct -"start-up readiness." This study also provides practical implications for educators and policymakers based on the findings. This study was limited to one personality trait and future research could examine other traits. In addition, more future studies can adopt this measurement scale to measure the entrepreneurial behavior of people in different regions and other human capital factors are worth studying in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EMI programmes have grown exponentially in various parts of the world. While the reasons for the growth in EMI programmes have been commonly discussed, the consequences or outcomes of EMI studies did not attract too much attention. Moreover, various stakeholders of EMI, such as students, lecturers, parents and administrators, have been examined, but the stakeholders in industry have received less consideration. Motivated by the necessity for a deeper investigation of the business stakeholders' opinions about EMI, this study examined the perspectives of business stakeholders about EMI programmes and their graduates in Turkiye. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 company managers and 12 human resources (HR) supervisors from a range of large, medium and small companies. Our findings revealed that recruiters perceived obtaining a degree from an English-taught programme as an important aspect of human capital taken together with other factors such as prior working experience, certificates and/or further training. Nevertheless, company managers and HR supervisors occasionally had different perspectives regarding EMI graduates' English proficiency levels, which might be a sign of these stakeholders' different perceptions towards EMI graduates and their language proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The formation of entrepreneurship-related human capital in primary-school entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) is of great interest to European policymakers. European education systems have widely implemented EEPs since the Oslo Agenda for entrepreneurship education in Europe was passed in 2006. However, primary-school EEPs remain an underresearched domain of entrepreneurship education. The present article investigates the development of entrepreneurship-related human capital in EEPs for 9-14-year-olds in 22 primary schools. It uses a quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. Based on data obtained from a sample of 180 participants, the analysis finds that the whole group partly improved only one of the components of human capital. However, the given EEPs positively impact the development of certain components of entrepreneurship-related human capital when investigated through the lens of entrepreneurial family background or gender. When subset by gender, results show that girls improved some components, while boys upgraded others. Also, pupils from entrepreneurial families improved more of the measured constructs than pupils from non-entrepreneurial families. The study provides valuable insights into the evolution of human capital among early adolescents in primary-school EEPs and uses human capital theory to explain this development. It also supplies evidence of the positive effect of EEPs on individuals of specific social groupings. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and guidelines for further research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation is often promoted as the path to overcoming the burdens of bureaucratic organizations and fostering improved service to the public. In a moment where governments face dynamic administrative and policy challenges, there is great need for leveraging innovative ideas from public sector employees. What is less clear are which factors of employee human capital correlate with feeling encouraged to innovate. We test how three types of human capital influence innovation: organization level, industry specific, and individual specific human capital. We also explore whether there are differences in feeling encouraged to innovate linked to education, training, and demographics such as gender, race, and age. Using survey responses from 2,191 public procurement officers from various levels of government in the United States, we find human capital components including experience, and age correlate with feeling encouraged to innovate, though not always in expected ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the transformative potential of education in lowering mortality rates associated with chronic and fatal diseases. By analyzing empirical data from MENA countries over an 18-year period (2000–2018) using a robust panel econometric model, we reveal compelling evidence of the protective effects of education against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. Employing fixed effects, Robust Weighted Least Squares (RWLS), and Fully Modified OLS (FMOLS) techniques, this study showed a significant negative correlation between education level and mortality rate. These findings emphasize that education is a crucial determinant of health outcomes and advocate for increased investment in educational infrastructure. Policymakers and stakeholders are urged to prioritize education as a strategic tool to enhance public health and address health disparities across the region.

The formation of entrepreneurship-related human capital in primary-school entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) is of great interest to European policymakers. European education systems have widely implemented EEPs since the Oslo Agenda for entrepreneurship education in Europe was passed in 2006. However, primary-school EEPs remain an underresearched domain of entrepreneurship education. The present article investigates the development of entrepreneurship-related human capital in EEPs for 9–14-year-olds in 22 primary schools. It uses a quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. Based on data obtained from a sample of 180 participants, the analysis finds that the whole group partly improved only one of the components of human capital. However, the given EEPs positively impact the development of certain components of entrepreneurship-related human capital when investigated through the lens of entrepreneurial family background or gender. When subset by gender, results show that girls improved some components, while boys upgraded others. Also, pupils from entrepreneurial families improved more of the measured constructs than pupils from non-entrepreneurial families. The study provides valuable insights into the evolution of human capital among early adolescents in primary-school EEPs and uses human capital theory to explain this development. It also supplies evidence of the positive effect of EEPs on individuals of specific social groupings. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and guidelines for further research are provided.

Parents are the key people in the family when it comes to determining the extent and type of education for their children. Within the theoretical frameworks of African feminisms, human capital theory, and the liminality theory, this paper examines the parental perceptions of the girls' secondary education in Tanzania's rural communities. Moreover, it determines the effects of those perceptions on the girls' secondary schooling in rural Tanzania. Using the ethnographic research design, this qualitative study found that, although some parents perceived girls' secondary education negatively, there were some glimmers of hope and changing attitudes among parents. The findings further indicate that there are tensions and conflicting perspectives, as some of the parents struggled to reconcile emerging beliefs about girls' education with the existing largely conservative cultural and familial practices. This changing perception on the girls' secondary education signals a favourable disposition towards the improvement of girls' secondary schooling, particularly in the largely conservative rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the current reform of secondary education, the result of research carried out in the state school system of Espírito Santo. The main argument is that the reform represents a project that restricts young people's access to higher education and regulates their permanence in secondary education, deepening inequalities and school exclusion. The analysis is based on a documentary study and reflections based on empirically collected data. The educational reform expresses a rejuvenation of the Human Capital Theory with a new alliance between economics and psychology, and is a project that denies teachers the right to work and students the right to education. Public schools are being pressurised to reduce their size and their modus operandi; a shrinking education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examines the moderating role of gender diversity in the relationship between asset preferences and firm performance over the firm life cycle. Methods: Panel regression analysis is used to analyse 2008–2019 data of the S&P 500 firms. Results: Results show that gender diversity significantly moderates the relationship between asset preferences and firm performance. Second, this relationship varies across different life cycle stages of the firm. Third, women on board influence this relationship more in the introduction, maturity, and shakeout stages, while female executives have more influence in the introduction and maturity stages. Fourth, gender diversity enhances asset preferences with firm performance but reverses the relationship with many asset categories. Lastly, gender diversity positively moderates firm size relationship with maturity and shakeout stage performance while negatively moderates firm size in the introduction stage. Conclusion: This study has practical implications for firms that diversify their board and management structure to improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper reflects on adult education and the fostering of an entrepreneurial mindset. It solicits roles adult education, especially the non-formal education (NFE), could play in fostering entrepreneurial mindset of young adults. It examines short-to-medium, and long-term plans of young adults in nurturing growth and enterprising mindsets through involvement in NFE endeavours. It probes into entrepreneurial opportunities and challenges in the communities that young adults could recognise and create enterprises for themselves. This is a narrative case study which purposively selected, as the unit of analysis, an adult learner who was operating a micro-enterprise and pursuing a degree programme at Accra Learning Centre. An in-depth telephone interview was conducted to garner stories and experiences young adult have had innovating with an entrepreneurial mindset. Thematic, analytical, narrative and interpretivist approaches were adapted in presenting the results. The participant had a good experience in his start up, he learned lessons, and worked hard to grow his micro-enterprises. The savings culture he built allowed him to cope with difficulties posed by Covid-19 pandemic to his micro-enterprises. Governments and stakeholders in entrepreneurship should via policy, advisory and financial support motivate young adults to invest in entrepreneurship and create sustainable jobs for themselves.