Search

Copyright of Journal of Erciyes Communication / Erciyes İletişim Dergisi is the property of Erciyes University, Faculty of Communication / Erciyes Universitesi Iletism Fakultesi 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.)

Techniques used to detect and prevent fraudulent reporting of financial statements are very important in the effective operation of any company. The aim of this paper is to assess the aspect of financial statement misrepresentations and how we can apply the techniques to detect and prevent fraudulent reporting of financial statements. This paper opted for a for a qualitative research approach. This study used different research books (6) as a source of the data (documentary reviews as the tool of data collection). The study found that techniques to detect and prevent fraudulent reporting of financial statements are very crucial in aspects of financial statement misrepresentations. Also, the study observed that techniques used to detect and prevent fraudulent reporting of financial statements are liabilities versus assets, cost of goods sold versus sales, accounts receivable versus sales, gross, inventory a company's inventory, operating versus sales, net profit margins, and analytical procedures for fraud examiners. The study concluded that the techniques used to detect and prevent fraudulent reporting of financial statements are very imperative to enhance the operation of the organization. The study recommended that the fraud inspectors should apply the ratios to examine debtors for possible larceny schemes. Buying and getting inventory structures can upset the ratios. Minimizing the COGS consequences in a rise in the ratios as well. Significant changes in the inventory turnover ratio are good signs of likely fraudulent inventory action. Also the management should commit to aiding all employees in building internal control systems through interaction and training in order to educate them on issues surrounding the effective application of accounting laws and processes, thereby enhancing their professional skills and competence. There is a need to take legal action against those who misuse local government funds, and recovery must be obtained. This study looked at how internal control systems affect the performance of Tanzanian local government authorities. The paper calls for greater research into the problems of building organizational internal control systems, as well as the impact of information and communication technologies on these systems. The effects of information and communication technology on internal control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public figures are subject to high rates of online abuse than everyday users. This article presents findings from a study on digital platforms' higher threshold for protecting public figures in contrast to everyday users. Presenting a summary of extant literature on the experience, impact and harms of online abuse of public figures, we analyse 31 platform terms of service and related policies to understand the extent to which platforms openly differentiate between public figures and other users. We focus on platforms' use of 'newsworthiness' and 'public interest' to justify the differential threshold. Using a cultural-informed approach, we analyse platforms' reliance on 'newsworthiness' and 'public interest' justifications to argue that these justifications are utilised without regard for the histories, risk assessment, ethics and labour-intensive processes in which the concepts of newsworthiness and public interest became familiar among more traditional media forms such as news organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundResearchers have many options for web-based survey data collection, ranging from access to curated probability-based panels, where individuals are selectively invited to join based on their membership in a representative population, to convenience panels, which are open for anyone to join. The mix of respondents available also varies greatly regarding representation of a population of interest and in motivation to provide thoughtful and accurate responses. Despite the additional dataset-building labor required of the researcher, convenience panels are much less expensive than probability-based panels. However, it is important to understand what may be given up regarding data quality for those cost savings.ObjectiveThis study examined the relative costs and data quality of fielding equivalent surveys on Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk), a convenience panel, and KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative probability-based panel.MethodsWe administered the same survey measures to MTurk (in 2021) and KnowledgePanel (in 2022) members. We applied several recommended quality assurance steps to enhance the data quality achieved using MTurk. Ipsos, the owner of KnowledgePanel, followed their usual (industry standard) protocols. The survey was designed to support psychometric analyses and included >60 items from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), demographics, and a list of health conditions. We used 2 fake conditions ("syndomitis" and "chekalism") to identify those more likely to be honest respondents. We examined the quality of each platform's data using several recommended metrics (eg, consistency, reliability, representativeness, missing data, and correlations) including and excluding those respondents who had endorsed a fake condition and examined the impact of weighting on representativeness.ResultsWe found that prescreening in the MTurk sample (removing those who endorsed a fake health condition) improved data quality but KnowledgePanel data quality generally remained superior. While MTurk's unweighted point estimates for demographics exhibited the usual mismatch with national averages (younger, better educated, and lower income), weighted MTurk data matched national estimates. KnowledgePanel's point estimates better matched national benchmarks even before poststratification weighting. Correlations between PROMIS measures and age and income were similar in MTurk and KnowledgePanel; the mean absolute value of the difference between each platform's 137 correlations was 0.06, and 92% were

Islamophobia in the media occurs when media sources present hostile, inaccurate, and/or deceptive stories about Islam, Muslims, or Arabs. Islamophobia is the term used to describe strong antipathy or prejudice toward Muslims, intense hatred or fear of Islam, particularly as a political force, and the study of how and to what extent the media promotes There has been a lot of scholarly and political discourse on Islamophobia. The discourse around Islamophobia in the media often focuses on the rhetorical strategies utilized by individual media outlets or by the mass media of a given nation or region, such the US or Europe. A few instances of this are when Islam is portrayed in a poor light relative to other religions, when Muslims are linked to terrorism, when Muslims and their followers are portrayed as aggressive or primitive, and when Muslim viewpoints are excluded from discussions on politics and academia, among other subjects. On the other hand, reactions to talks about Islamophobia in the media frequently cast doubt on what actually qualifies as Islamophobia, how frequently, how severe, and how effective Islamophobic language is, as well as the political reasons for such talks. This study aims to determine whether or not there was obvious inherent bias by examining the tone, structure, and topics offered by the print media prior to a terrorist event. This study examines how the world press has connected Islam to terrorism and emphasizes how subliminal print messages might contribute to Muslim racial profiling and the spread of Islamophobia. The editorials of six prominent international newspapers between 2014 and 2017 provided the data for this study, which created strata of ten significant worldwide terrorism incidents at random. The investigator examined editorials for a month following the event. The researcher's results and conclusions are obtained by statistical interpretation following data analysis using event methodology and content analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundResearchers have implemented multiple approaches to increase data quality from existing web-based panels such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk).ObjectiveThis study extends prior work by examining improvements in data quality and effects on mean estimates of health status by excluding respondents who endorse 1 or both of 2 fake health conditions ("Syndomitis" and "Chekalism").MethodsSurvey data were collected in 2021 at baseline and 3 months later from MTurk study participants, aged 18 years or older, with an internet protocol address in the United States, and who had completed a minimum of 500 previous MTurk "human intelligence tasks." We included questions about demographic characteristics, health conditions (including the 2 fake conditions), and the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29+2 (version 2.1) preference-based score survey. The 3-month follow-up survey was only administered to those who reported having back pain and did not endorse a fake condition at baseline.ResultsIn total, 15% (996/6832) of the sample endorsed at least 1 of the 2 fake conditions at baseline. Those who endorsed a fake condition at baseline were more likely to identify as male, non-White, younger, report more health conditions, and take longer to complete the survey than those who did not endorse a fake condition. They also had substantially lower internal consistency reliability on the PROMIS-29+2 scales than those who did not endorse a fake condition: physical function (0.69 vs 0.89), pain interference (0.80 vs 0.94), fatigue (0.80 vs 0.92), depression (0.78 vs 0.92), anxiety (0.78 vs 0.90), sleep disturbance (-0.27 vs 0.84), ability to participate in social roles and activities (0.77 vs 0.92), and cognitive function (0.65 vs 0.77). The lack of reliability of the sleep disturbance scale for those endorsing a fake condition was because it includes both positively and negatively worded items. Those who reported a fake condition reported significantly worse self-reported health scores (except for sleep disturbance) than those who did not endorse a fake condition. Excluding those who endorsed a fake condition improved the overall mean PROMIS-29+2 (version 2.1) T-scores by 1-2 points and the PROMIS preference-based score by 0.04. Although they did not endorse a fake condition at baseline, 6% (n=59) of them endorsed at least 1 of them on the 3-month survey and they had lower PROMIS-29+2 score internal consistency reliability and worse mean scores on the 3-month survey than those who did not report having a fake condition. Based on these results, we estimate that 25% (1708/6832) of the MTurk respondents provided careless or dishonest responses.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that asking about fake health conditions can help to screen out respondents who may be dishonest or careless. We recommend this approach be used routinely in samples of members of MTurk.

The Internet is often described as a unique tool, unique platform, unique experience - but what is the Internet for? One might get caught in an increasing population of criminals who master the social web brilliantly. Cyberspace or the Web is an environment that is ethereal and dynamic. Assuming that the claim of this paper is true, cybercrime or e-crime is characterized as a new form of criminality perpetrated by technologically sophisticated criminals. This paper aims at describing cybercrimes by analyzing the actors involved in the commission of these acts and the reasons prompting such actions. That is why it also encompasses different categories of cybercriminal activities and outlines their peculiarities, which may concern the prevention, identification, and investigation of the respective crimes. Furthermore, the paper outlines the key parts of the Indian IT Act, 2000 besides offering recommendations as to possible changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The illegal use of products, services, or goodwill connected to another person's business that results in deception is known as passing off. There is unfair competition and confusion in the market when one party sells their commodities as if they were the goods of another. When someone falsely advertises products or services as their own and harms the rightful owner of the trademark, this is known as passing off. Passing off, as opposed to trademark infringement, preserves unregistered trademarks and their goodwill. This study enunciates the concept of passing off under intellectual property (IP) industry by emphasising mainly into the area of tortious liability of the same under protection of trademarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to navigate profoundly how Orientalism, as a Western portrayal of the "East," frames international relations in the light of the religion resurgence. It zooms out these Western perceptions to understand their impact on the process of policymaking and identity formation. Meanwhile, it also discusses the growing and significant role of religion in world affairs by focusing on how it might either enhance or challenge prevailing power structures. By critically analyzing these interconnections, this article helps to examine and, hence, comprehend the perplexities of negotiating religion and Orientalism in today's globalized world. Ultimately this promotes further respectful and collaborative international relationships. In this sense, drawing on Edward Said's work in Orientalism, this paper paves the way to a new vision of voicing the voiceless Other in the context of religious standards that impede not only Western but any sort of misrepresentation. At the same time, it analyzes how religion comes into play as a socio-political force and a site of contestation. This reveals the multifaceted nature of its effect in bridging political gaps and fostering more understanding among the West and East through reinforcing existing local power dynamics or challenging them. Consequently, it demonstrates that religious identities, political ideologies, and orientalist narratives can come into interplay to mirror how the nexus between contrasting elements might offer an insight into multicultural dialogue and peacemaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To decrease privacy risks, consumers may choose to misrepresent themselves when they are asked to offer personal information. Using a game theoretic model, this study examines the impact of consumer misrepresentation on both a monopolistic firm and consumers. The results show that consumer misrepresentation may benefit the firm, but hurt consumers under certain conditions. In addition, we find that when the unit cost of personalized service is low, consumer misrepresentation may encourage the firm to provide a higher personalized service level. Moreover, when consumers misrepresent themselves and the firm only covers part of the market, a greater unit value of consumer private information will reduce the firm's profit, while a greater unit cost of personalized service will increase the firm's profit. The analysis reported here provides important insights regarding the application of consumer information in online personalized marketing and consumer privacy protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studii de Ştiintă şi Cultură is the property of Studii de Stiinta si Cultura 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.)

This paper is a comment to Ward et al. (2020) on the irresponse to a previous paper in which we elaborate on a phronetic perspective on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in physical education. In our previous paper, we point to what we see as limitations in PCK-work in physical education. In their response, Ward et al. (2022) argue that we have misrepresented their research as well as the behaviorist epistemology. In this comment, we acknowledge distinctions in PCK-research that were not captured in our original paper. We also argue for why our understanding of the PCK-research was based on interpretations rather than a case of misrepresentation. Further, we argue for the constant acknowledgment of ideology in research. Finally, we discuss the need for clarity regarding the meaning of performance when viewed as content knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To decrease privacy risks, consumers may choose to misrepresent themselves when they are asked to offer personal information. Using a game theoretic model, this study examines the impact of consumer misrepresentation on both a monopolistic firm and consumers. The results show that consumer misrepresentation may benefit the firm, but hurt consumers under certain conditions. In addition, we find that when the unit cost of personalized service is low, consumer misrepresentation may encourage the firm to provide a higher personalized service level. Moreover, when consumers misrepresent themselves and the firm only covers part of the market, a greater unit value of consumer private information will reduce the firm’s profit, while a greater unit cost of personalized service will increase the firm’s profit. The analysis reported here provides important insights regarding the application of consumer information in online personalized marketing and consumer privacy protection.

Forensic accounting generally refers to fraud, namely fraud prevention, detection and investigation. There is a close link between tax evasion, money laundering and corruption. Forensic accounting is a viable solution for the economic security of society as a whole, but also of economic or social interest entities, both in the private and public domain. It is defined as the intersection between accounting and law. By combining the accounting skills with modern investigative methods in order to perform an examination of a person’s or a business’ funding, forensic accounting is frequently used in fraud and embezzlement cases in order to explain the nature of a financial crime in court.

This paper presents an argument for the realism about mechanisms, contents, and vehicles of mental representation at both the personal and subpersonal levels, and showcases its role in instrumental rationality and proper cognitive functioning. By demonstrating how misrepresentation is necessary for learning from mistakes and explaining certain failures of action, we argue that fallible rational agents must have mental representations with causally relevant vehicles of content. Our argument contributes to ongoing discussions in philosophy of mind and cognitive science by challenging anti-realist views about the nature of mental representation, and by highlighting the importance of understanding how different agents can misrepresent in pursuit of their goals. While there are potential rebuttals to our claim, our opponents must explain how agents can be rational without having mental representations. This is because mental representation is grounded in rationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will bring forth the memory of a community that has seen immense death and heartbreak as a result of wars and political unrest in the region. Easterine Kire is a poet and novelist who has written extensively on her people, the Nagas. Kire mainly writes about the Angami Nagas in her works of fiction, which are mostly based on real-life events. Her novels Mari (2010), A Respectable Woman (2019) and Bitter Wormwood (2011) will be taken into study. In these three novels, Easterine Kire tells the story of her people, how they fought the "white-man's war" and the Naga insurgency against the Indian union in their struggle to be a free state. The latter part of the paper will focus on the task of the writer, how s/he has to write about the unadulterated history of their people. The task of writing "ourselves/themselves" thus becomes a combined effort of the writer and the people when collective memories are recollected and put in print for future generations. This paper also acts as a detailed review of the mentioned three novels of Easterine Kire while discussing matters such as memory, history and trauma. The last part of the paper focuses on Easterine Kire's reflections on her own novel Bitter Wormwood and her purpose of writing the novel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authors with compound family names face a constant set of challenges in having their names accurately represented in the scientific literature. In my personal case (Teixeira da Silva, JA), an as-yet-unquantified body of literature miscites me (and thus my work) as "da Silva, JAT", "Silva, JA", or other inaccurate forms. This paper provides evidence of the modification and thus misrepresentation of my professional publishing name in proofs of select papers eventually published in Springer Nature journals, despite the accuracy of metadata at the submission and acceptance stages. This record may also be helpful for other scientists with non-standard or compound family names, who may have had a similar experience. Springer Nature currently outsources the development of its proofs to Straive. Possible reasons as to why this misrepresentation might be occurring, and some solutions, are proposed. The misrepresentation of an author's professional publishing name may cause them reputational damage by distorting their publishing record, so publishers need to be aware of this issue and take appropriate measures to avoid such errors, correcting them whenever they are discovered and reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We document that regulatory enforcement actions for financial misrepresentation cluster in industry-specific waves and that wave-related enforcement has information spillovers on industry peer firms. Waves and spillovers have significant effects on share prices. Early-wave target firms have the largest short-run losses in share values and the largest information spillovers on industry peer firms. Late-wave targets' short-run losses are smaller, but not because they involve less costly instances of misconduct. Rather, late-wave targets are subject to more information spillovers from earlier in the wave. These results indicate that prices incorporate changes in the likelihood that a firm will face wave-related enforcement action for financial misconduct. Short-window share-price losses understate the total share-price impact, particularly for firms whose financial misrepresentation is revealed late in an enforcement wave. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, finance. Supplemental Material: The internet appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4711. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ibero-Latinoamericana de Seguros is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 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.)

Portrayal of traditional values of any culture requires a high degree of accuracy. Quite some Nollywood films have continuously provided a misrepresentation of the indigenous culture and traditional values of Igbo people. Over the years, this misinformation has continued to serve as a guideline in the perception of their custom which stems from a place of colonial inferiority and bogus capitalist tendencies. Findings show that many Nollywood films are hastily churned out and distributed with little or no research. This paper aims to evaluate the extent to which the industry has gone to undermine the Igbo culture, in terms of religion, customs, social practices, intrinsic values, and cultural heritage. The study examines the correlation between the Nollywood space and the Igbo society, and more so, how detrimental many of the themes and messages they pass across continue to portray a biased and inept view of the Igbo culture. The paper interrogates the industry with the intent of shedding light on the misconceptions with a view to counter the narratives erroneously being peddled by the industry and to rectify the aberration evident in many of the Nollywood films. The study concludes that unprofessionalism, the quest for quick money, and the lack of creative strength to carry out adequate research about the history and traditions of a people before embarking on movie-making often lead to erroneous representations and sheer stereotyping of the people's way of life. The paper adopts Cultivation theory and qualitative methods of inquiry using secondary source materials in analyzing the issues involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the growing issues experienced when conducting web-based--based research. Nongenuine participants, repeat responders, and misrepresentation are common issues in health research posing significant challenges to data integrity. A summary of existing data on the topic and the different impacts on studies is presented. Seven case studies experienced by different teams within our institutions are then reported, primarily focused on mental health research. Finally, strategies to combat these challenges are presented, including protocol development, transparent recruitment practices, and continuous data monitoring. These strategies and challenges impact the entire research cycle and need to be considered prior to, during, and post data collection. With a lack of current clear guidelines on this topic, this report attempts to highlight considerations to be taken to minimize the impact of such challenges on researchers, studies, and wider research. Researchers conducting web-based research must put mitigating strategies in place, and reporting on mitigation efforts should be mandatory in grant applications and publications to uphold the credibility of web-based research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explores the representation of the Muslim holy book, 'Al-Quran,' in early modern English texts from the Elizabethan era, employing textual research through the EEBO-TCP database. Design/Methodology/Approach: Utilizing the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP), the research investigates how early modern English authors depicted 'Al-Quran,' focusing on the portrayal of Islam and Muslims. Findings: The examination reveals a pervasive negative representation of 'Al-Quran' in Elizabethan writings, associating it with falsehood, witchcraft, and opposition to Christian beliefs. This negativity arises from religious challenges posed by Islam and political tensions, including the threat perception of Ottoman Turks. Implications/Originality/Value: The study contributes by leveraging digital resources like EEBO-TCP, shedding light on historical perceptions of Islam in the Elizabethan era. It underscores the political and religious motivations behind the negative representation of 'Al-Quran,' offering insights into the psychological and emotional strategies employed by Elizabethan England to counter perceived threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iranian Civil Code does not explicitly address the occurrence of misrepresentation by silence. According to Article 438 of this Act, those ‘Operations’ that lead to deception are generally considered as misrepresentation. Some legal scholars believe that deceptive operations are occurred by a commission of an act, or an omission. Others include intentional silence as a part of these Operations. A similar divergence exists among Imamiya jurists. Some argue that ‘concealing a defect‘ is established through actions that demonstrate the non-deficiency in the the subject matter of the contract. Others contend that, if there is an awareness as to the defect, then silence and abstention from disclosing the defect will amount to the concealment of the defect, and consequently ‘misrepresentation’. Most jurists base the religious ruling of silence and non-disclosure of defects on the principles of deception and misrepresentation. However, some others find it challenging to apply the customary concept of deception to silence, as deceit and fraud typically occurs by deceptive actions. Moreover, the existence of an intent to deceive and the bad faith of the silent party are not customarily proved. Particularly, what has been prohibited in narratives related to deception involves doing deceptive activities such as mixing the subject matter of the transaction with other things. This article critically examines and evaluates the above perspectives, concluding that the proponents of establishing misrepresentation by silence lack convincing reasons. Additionally, a careful examination of the theoretical foundations of their position reveals that relying on misrepresentation in the cases of silence lacks substantial support, but a jurisprudential reputation. Especially, the religious prohibition of silence and non-disclosure of defects have not been established before many Imamiya jurists. Ultimately, it became evident that the existence of the ‘option of defect’ as a ‘postural ruling’ for silence and abstention from disclosing defects is acceptable in Imamiya jurisprudence.

The misrepresentation of Russian interests in the ongoing Russo--Ukrainian War has drawn extensive public criticism. Scholars have investigated the war between Russia and Ukraine using diverse perspectives and using various aspects. Few, however, have examined the mechanisms through which Russian interests have been misrepresented. This article, thus, uses media analysis to investigate the Russo--Ukrainian War, relying on a review of the literature (previous studies, books, and digital news articles) to obtain its data. This study of the misrepresentation of Russian interests in the Russo--Ukrainian War finds 1) American and Ukrainian media have highlighted the disarray of the Russian offensive; 2) the media has misrepresented Russia's interests; 3) Russia and Ukraine have presented different information regarding the Russia--Ukraine War; 4) throughout the Russo--Ukrainian War, Russia has employed a DIME (Diplomacy, Information, Military, and Economy) strategy for its international politics. This study contributes to an understanding of the misrepresentation of Russia's interests on social media during the Russo--Ukrainian War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Private Law is the property of University of Tehran 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 study aimed to assess the prevalence of spin in the titles and abstracts of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in dental caries with statistically nonsignificant primary outcomes and to assess the risk indicators which may be associated with spin. Any original publication reporting a two-arm RCT in dental caries with clearly identified statistically nonsignificant primary outcomes published from January 1, 2015, until October 28, 2022, were included. PubMed was searched electronically to identify the eligible publications. The prevalence of spin in titles and abstracts were assessed and categorized into spin patterns based on a predetermined classification scheme. The association between spin and the potential risk indicators at study, author, journal, institutional, and national levels was assessed. A total of 234 eligible RCT publications were included. The prevalence of spin in the titles and abstracts was 3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2–6%) and 79% (95% CI: 74–84%), respectively. The most common spin patterns in the results and conclusion sections, respectively, were results focusing on statistically significant within-group comparisons (23%), and conclusions focusing only on statistically significant results without acknowledgment of statistically nonsignificant results for the primary outcomes (26%). The spin was significantly associated with number of study centers (single-center vs. multicenter) (OR = 2.131; 95% CI: 1.092–4.158; p = 0.03), trial designs (nonparallel designs vs. parallel designs) (OR = 0.395; 95% CI: 0.193–0.810; p = 0.01), and overall H index of institutions for last authors (OR = 0.998; 95% CI: 0.996–0.999; p < 0.01), while it was not significantly associated with the other indicators. In the RCT publications with statistically nonsignificant results for primary outcomes in dental caries, the prevalence of spin may be low in the titles but high in the abstracts. Single-center studies with parallel designs and a lower overall H index of institutions for last authors may be more likely to have spin in the abstracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of the Al-’Arabiyyatu baina Yadaika (ABY) Arabic language textbook perpetuates gender inequality. This textbook not only constitutes language elements but also incorporates texts and illustrations that depict gender dynamics. This research examines the representation of gender imbalance in the composition of the textbook, including its contents and illustrations, and analyzes the portrayal of gender roles as depicted in the textbook’s examples. The study is founded on data gathered from reviewing, recording, and analyzing the textbook, with consideration given to gender relationships. The focal point of this research analysis is the ABY textbook, tailored for non-native Arabic speakers. The findings of the study reveal that the construction of the Arabic language textbook perpetuates a gender-unbalanced representation in both the text and visual depictions of males and females. This study advocates for the development of language textbooks that promote gender equality and fairness in their social and cultural elements.

In this Teaching Note, the authors conclude their series in the study of the common law causes of action that were available to a plaintiff in cases of misrepresentation and fraud. In Part I of this article, Civil Fraud, the authors describe the prima facie elements of proof, as well as the exceptions that were recognized relating to opinions, commendations, the "duty to speak," and statements relating to a matter of law, citing several of the major cases important in understanding each issue. In Part II of the article, Securities Fraud, the authors provide a discussion of securities fraud, with examples taken from prominent "real-world" cases which students may readily recognize from their studies in finance, accounting, business ethics, or other business-related courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure for employment opportunities has led to many dishonest practices by employees and job seekers. The evil of employees misrepresenting their academic qualifications has become endemic, and the South African government has been compelled to act. Misrepresentation of academic qualifications mainly manifests itself through employees claiming to have non-existent higher education qualifications to secure a new job offer or be promoted to a higher post. This misrepresentation has consequences for the employer, who may pay the employee a salary they do not deserve. The employee must refund the employer and face prospects of imprisonment if found guilty in a criminal court. In South Africa, high-profile individuals working in the public service or occupying prominent political positions have falsely claimed to have qualifications that they did not have. They have been allowed to resign on their own accord or were dismissed after lengthy disciplinary hearings. This paper outlines some examples of this misrepresentation and unravels the legal implications from a South African perspective. We recommend that employers promptly discipline employees found guilty rather than allow them to resign, as was done correctly in the Mthikhulu case discussed here. Further, we urge employers in South Africa to foreground the skills of employees rather than paper qualifications and assess technical ability ahead of academic qualifications.