Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Student’s Perception on the Impact of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Industrial Actions on University Development in Nigeria

The study examined students’ perceptions of the impact of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) industrial actions on the development of Nigerian public universities. The study setting was the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive research of a survey type of design. A sample size of 392 was generated for the study using the Yaro Yamane formula (1992). Data for this study were collected with use of a questionnaire. Data collected were statistically treated with mean computation and standard deviation. The major findings show that: ASUU industrial actions had moderate functional impacts ( = 2.89) on the university development by: compelling the government to do the needful in ensuring the development of the University, and uncovering the deplorable state of the university. The study also revealed that, ASUU industrial actions had high dysfunctional impacts ( = 3.41) on the university development by: disrupting academic calendar thereby extending students stay on campus; and damaging the reputation of the university system. The study concluded that, if public Nigerian universities are to function effectively, the dysfunctional effects of ASUU industrial actions must be effectively minimised.
US DMOs and Meeting Planners, do they really ENGAGE with each other? Customer engagement in the context of event industry

Abstract Although customer engagement has become a prominent issue in the tourism industry, it has not been defined nor uniformly measured due to a variety of factors. While meeting planners are important customers to DMOs, their engagement with DMOs has rarely been studied. This study tests a model of meeting planners’ engagement in DMOs. The two-step data analysis using 305 meeting planners’ responses supported the proposed hypotheses and confirmed the moderating effect of reputation on meeting planners’ engagement. This study will help DMOs to achieve effective marketing strategies in the event destination industry.
‘Parliamentary’, ‘popular’ and ‘pooled’: conflicts of sovereignty in the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union

ABSTRACT Many believe the UK to have been an awkward member of the EU, firmly attached to a traditional idea of parliamentary sovereignty. In fact, the UK’s membership of the EU has coincided with a profound transformation in the British state and corresponding understandings of sovereignty. This article examines this transformation by focusing on its legal and constitutional aspects. The article contends that EU membership has provided a context for ‘constitutional modernization’ in the UK, undertaken in the absence of public scrutiny or debate. By the EU referendum of June 2016, the UK found itself with a transformed constitutional structure in practice but with an unchanged reliance in theory on a traditional notion of parliamentary sovereignty. Events over the last 3 years have revealed the depth of this disjuncture and its implications for British sovereignty.
Size matters: the impact of combinations of ICT assets on the performance of Chilean micro, small and medium enterprises

ABSTRACT This paper studies the effects that different combinations of ICT have on the performance indicators of microenterprises and SMEs (MSMEs) of a developing economy. We focus on two questions: First, whether the impact of ICT differs according to different ICT assets used in companies? Second, whether the effects of these combined ICT change according to the company size, especially for MSME in emerging countries? Based on RBV and TOE, we posit that different combinations of ICT have different effects on performance indicators of MSMEs. To test this hypothesis, we used a survey of 5519 Chilean companies. Three major conclusions can be drawn from our results. Firstly, ICT combination in the MSMEs follows a four-stage maturity model. Secondly, each stage has positive effects on MSMEs’ revenues and profits. Thirdly, the organization’s size moderates the impact of ICT on productivity: the smaller the company, the more significant the benefits of ICT assets.
Investors’ Financial Attention Frequency and Trading Activity

Abstract Based on data on users' daily adoption of securities service mobile applications, we measure investors' financial attention frequency, which reflects how often they use such apps, to obtain information on their frequency of opening these apps and online duration. We find that financial attention frequency shows a clear ostrich effect, suggesting that investors acquire financial information less frequently following periods of low market returns and high market volatility. In addition, it significantly promotes trading activity in the market. Further, this driving force remains after a series of robustness tests controlling for other market factors such as investor attention and sentiment and after addressing endogeneity concerns. Finally, financial attention frequency also increases individuals' net buying transactions.
Infant and young child feeding update

Adequate nutrition is critical to child health and development. The period from birth to two years of age is particularly important because of the rapid growth and brain development that occurs during this time. The period is often marked by growth faltering micronutrient deficiencies and common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea as children transition from exclusive breastfeeding to solid foods in addition to breast milk. The Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Update provides data on key indicators related to optimal feeding practices. The data are taken from the results of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 1998 and 2004 in 43 countries in five regions around the world: sub-Saharan Africa North Africa/West Asia/Europe Central Asia South/Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Feeding practices included in this update are related to breastfeeding practices feeding of solid and semi-solid foods to breastfed and non-breastfed children micronutrient intake and feeding during diarrhea. (excerpt)
Exploration of Tourist Activities in Urban Destination Using Venue Check-In Data

Understanding the differences and similarities in the activities of tourists from various cultures is important for tourism managers to develop appropriate plans and strategies that could support urban tourism marketing and managements. However, tourism managers still face challenges in obtaining such understanding because the traditional approach of data collection, which relies on survey and questionnaires, is incapable of capturing tourist activities at a large scale. In this article, we present a method for the study of tourist activities based on a new type of data, venue check-ins. The effectiveness of the presented approach is demonstrated through a case study of a major tourism country, France. Analysis based on a large-scale data set from 19 tourism cities in France reveals interesting differences and similarities in the activities of tourists from 14 markets (countries). Valuable insights are provided for various urban tourism applications.
The effect of self-congruity and motivation on consumer-based destination brand equity

Achieving destination appeal and a competitive edge is a priority aim of tourist destination managers. The objective of this study is to help explain the formation of brand equity as a competitive strategy for a tourist destination. A model is proposed, in which complementary variables—internal to the consumer—are taken as antecedents of brand equity, namely, motivation to visit a destination and self-congruity. In achieving this aim, the work responds to key gaps in the literature: the measurement of the effectiveness of destination brand equity as a competitive strategy, the need for greater knowledge regarding the antecedents of destination brand equity, the broadening of the application of the theory of self-congruity in tourism, and the importance of tourist motivation in the consumer’s evaluation of a destination’s brand. The work finds that both determinants exert an effect on brand equity, albeit in distinct ways: motivation is essential in attracting clients to the destination, while self-congruity is vital for retaining them. The study presents a number of implications of interest to the professional sector.
Modeling the Determinants of Meet-or-Just-Beat Behavior in Distribution Discontinuity Tests

Abstract We develop new distribution discontinuity tests conditional on multiple explanatory variables for analyzing meet-or-just-beat behavior around benchmarks. These tests combine Burgstahler and Dichev's (1997) meet-or-just-beat intuition with a flexible statistical model that addresses important limitations of the existing tests. Our method considerably outperforms logit-based tests of distribution discontinuity determinants and changes the interpretation of a major finding in the earnings discontinuity literature. As a secondary benefit, it also has slightly higher statistical power than histogram-based tests of distribution discontinuity existence. Our method is robust, easy to implement using our publicly available Stata command, and could benefit researchers in many fields.
Corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance: evidence from the emerging market following the revised CG code

PurposeThis study aims to examine the extent to which board characteristics and ownership structure affect firm performance with specific focus on providing new empirical insights following the revised corporate governance (CG) code 2012.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a sample of non-financial firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)-100 index for the years 2011-2014. Firm performance is measured by accounting-based performance indicators (ROA and ROE) and market-based performance indicators (Tobin’s Q and MTB). This study uses multivariate regression techniques including fixed effects model and two-stage least squares (2SLS). FindingsThe findings show that board diversity increases over the two periods (pre-2012 and post-2012), whereas there are cases that companies have not fully complied with the revised CG code 2012 in terms of board independence. In addition, the multiple regression results show that firm performance is negatively and significantly associated with institutional ownership. Nevertheless, the results show that board size, board independent, board diversity and board meetings do not have significant impact on firm performance. The findings are fairly consistent and robust across two periods (pre-2012 and post 2012) and a number of econometric models that sufficiently address the potential endogeneity problems.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study which investigates the impact of the compliance and implementation of 2012 CG code on firm performance in Pakistan. This study is different from the most prior studies in that they use independent non-executive directors rather than conventional non-executive directors to measure board independence.
Devolution and Collective Action in Forest Management: The Case of China - June 2019

Since 2003, China has implemented a large-scale forest devolution reform by giving villages the right to devolve tenure rights of collectively owned forests to households. Some villages chose no reform, and the forest continued to be owned and controlled by the village committee. In other villages, the reform was adopted and forests became owned and managed by individual households. In a third group, the reform was adopted and forests became householdowned but are managed jointly. We define the third type as devolution-based collective action, and study how it affects forests and participating households. We exploit a panel dataset of nearly 3,000 households and remote-sensing data in 262 rural villages in eight provinces in China. Using difference-in-difference and propensity score matching methods, we show that the devolutionbased collective action increased forest cover in the short term. However, there is only limited evidence that it reduced vegetation degradation in the medium term. We also show that households’ income from off-farm work increases, as does their total income. We find that collective action reduces the likelihood of income falling below the poverty line. Our findings are suggestive that property rights-based collective action can lead to improved forest management and more engagement in off-farm work.
Long‐run impacts of trade shocks and export competitiveness: Evidence from the U.S. BSE event

This paper examines how comparative advantages of major beef exporters changed following the 2003 bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak, which significantly disrupted the U.S. beef trade until approximately 2007. Using longitudinal data on beef export values and constructed revealed comparative advantage measures, we show that while some measures of the long‐run impacts of BSE on U.S. beef export competitiveness have returned to pre‐2003 levels, the U.S.’s comparative advantage has not. We also examine a hypothetical scenario of no BSE event in 2003 and predict that in the absence of the BSE outbreak, the U.S. beef sector would have been increasingly more competitive by 2017 than it actually was. Long‐term trade competitiveness may not simply return to normal even after a short‐term disruption.
A Bibliometric Review of the Knowledge Base for Innovation in Sustainable Development

This review explores the rising research field of sustainable development in combination with innovation. The basis to reach sustainable development is innovation, which plays a role on all dimensions, be it economically, socially, or environmentally. In this review, science mapping techniques were employed in order to asses 1690 journal articles extracted from the SCOPUS database concerned with innovation in sustainable development (ISD). The main objective of the review is to reveal the size, growth trajectory, and geographic distribution of the ISD literature. Furthermore, the aim is to assess the key publishing journals, authors, and documents as well as to uncover the intellectual structure and topical foci of the research domain. The review acknowledges a reasonable body of knowledge spanning nearly three decades. A result of this review is that the sustainable development literature emerged from the environmental research field and that the topical foci of the domain is closely aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. This review is a first attempt to systematically analyze the literature on innovation in sustainable development (ISD) by applying science mapping techniques such as bibliometric analysis. It shall give guidance for future research and demonstrate the practical implications.
The relation between currency momentum and hedge fund returns

In this thesis we are developing our own time series momentum factor to help explain the returns of currency trading hedge funds. We are also including both a time series momentum factor and cross-sectional momentum factors from the literature for a better comparison. We regress the hedge fund returns on each factor in addition to the well-known Fung & Hsieh factors to see how well the factors can explain these returns. Our findings indicate that the momentum factors explain the currency trading hedge fund returns well. We conclude that currency trading hedge funds do use currency momentum strategies to some extent. This thesis is a part of the MSc programme at BI Norwegian Business School. The school takes no responsibility for the methods used, results found, or conclusions drawn. 0981853 0968507 GRA 19703
Where is Japan in the land rush debate?

ABSTRACT Japan’s place in the land rush debate is puzzling. While core arguments in the literature imply that Japan should be a significant source of large-scale overseas farmland investments, the country had a relatively low profile in the debate’s early years. I investigate this puzzle by asking both whether Japanese corporate and state actors have been surprisingly uninvolved in the land rush and whether their involvement is underreported. I find that they have played a larger role than the literature suggests, but that the nature and (to some extent) timing of Japanese initiatives, along with the debate’s framings and priorities, have discouraged attention to Japan.
A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis of Brexit: Barriers to Trade and Immigration Restrictions

This paper estimates the economic effects of different types of restrictions on trade and immigration in the United Kingdom after Brexit. Regarding trade restrictions, we focus on UK-EU increases of tariffs and Non-tariff barriers. We also analyse the removal of all tariffs in the UK to all its trading partners. Concerning immigration, we run a 5-year cumulative annual reduction in net migrants by 87.000 workers following OECD estimations. The study is conducted using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Model, which allows us to estimate the impact on GDP, welfare, wages and capital remuneration, together with the evolution of aggregate and sectoral output, exports and imports. We obtain a more sizeable negative impact on the UK than other previous influential studies. Trade restrictions would generate welfare reductions between -0.38% and -1.94% for the UK, while they would be between -0.03% and -0.14% in the EU. This is because the EU is a crucial trade partner for the UK, which cannot be easily substituted through trade with other regions in the world. Restrictions to migrants would bring additional contractions in the range between -0.55% and -0.34% for welfare, depending on whether they affect skilled or unskilled workers, respectively.
Exploring the Enablers of Strategic Orientation for Technology-Driven Business Innovation Ecosystems

The present study explores the impacts of corporate strategic orientation on innovation ecosystems through the perspective of systems thinking. Multiple-cases method was adopted to analyze three representative companies of different industries. In terms of academic contribution, the results of this study verify an innovation ecosystem model in a generalized manner, and find that market orientation, interaction orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation generate a positively reinforcing effect on the paths of the innovation ecosystem model in all phases, thus, diversifying the available literature of innovative ecosystems. In terms of practical contribution, this study presents a dynamic context of the development of new business, and describes the links between innovative activities and the market. Enterprises can refer to the proposed framework as well as strategic architecture in this study to effectively transform innovative activities into market performance.
Cryoablation combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced primary liver cancer

Objective:To evaluate the safety,clinical value and efficacy of cryoablation ablation combined with gemcitabine + oxaliplatin in the treatment of advanced liver.Methods:Fifty cases of primary liver cancer patients were divided randomly into 2 groups:control group(simple cryosurgical treatment group) and treatment group(argon-helium Knife chemotherapy group). The curative effect,tumor recurrence rate,1-year survival rate,quality of life before and after treatment(KPS) and the adverse effects were observed.Results:After treatment,the total effective rate of two groups were 60%(15/25),84%(21/25) respectively.Tumor recurrence rate were 56%(14/25),24%(6 /25),and 1 year survival rates were 56%(14/25),76%(19/25). KPS score were improved after treatment.In the control group no bone marrow suppression occurred.There were significant differences in the total effective rate,tumor the recurrence rate,1-year survival rate and KPS score between the two groups.Conclusion:The effect of cryoablation ablation combined with Gemcitabine + oxaliplatin in the treatment of advanced liver cancer is better than that of cryosurgical treatment,and it is effective and safe and reliable,with higher value in the comprehensive treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.Long-term observation is needed.
The Effect of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Stock-Commodity Correlations and its Implications on Optimal Hedging

Motivated by previous studies documenting significant return and volatility effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the stock market, this study examines whether EPU has an effect on the dynamic conditional correlations between stock and commodity returns. Our findings point to a positive and significant effect of EPU on stock-commodity correlations with particularly stronger effects in the case of energy and industrial metals. The EPU effect is stronger during weak economic conditions, while VIX as a proxy of market uncertainty is generally found to be insignificant. Finally, we show that the EPU effect on correlations has investment implications as well, implied by a significant effect on optimal hedge ratios in commodities in order to mitigate stock market risks. Our results underscore the importance of selective hedging strategies in which risk managers base the timing and size of their hedging programs on future price expectations, conditional on the level of policy uncertainty state and prevalent economic conditions.
Inducing Supply Chain Transparency Through Supplier Encroachment

This study investigates a supplier’s voluntary disclosure strategy when it can encroach on a retailer’s operations by selling directly to final consumers. The establishment of a direct sales channel expands market potential, induces the supplier to adopt a more frequent disclosure strategy, and ultimately leads to a higher level of information transparency in the supply chain. Since more quality information is revealed in the presence of a dual channel, the retailer is able to free ride on the supplier’s disclosure to enhance consumers’ quality expectations. In most cases, such a free‐riding effect is positive and can even create a higher ex ante payoff for the retailer in face of the supplier’s encroachment. Conversely, more transparent product quality information does not necessarily benefit the supplier, who can then no longer hide negative quality information from consumers due to the potential change in the channel structure. Thus, we show that the supplier’s ex ante payoff may become lower with encroachment and that the supplier may commit not to encroach on the retail market, even when it has a free option to open a direct sales channel.
Impacts of Anti-Evolutionist Movements on Educational Policies and Practices in USA and Turkey

This paper discusses the place of evolutionary theory in science curriculum and teaching practices in USA and in Turkey. Anti-evolution works of similar institutions both in USA and Turkey are also compared. The controversy regarding the teaching of evolution has been an issue in both countries. However, legal actions and educational research about the factors affecting the teaching of evolutionary theory in classrooms took place mostly in USA. In the article five main topics were addressed: (a) importance of evolutionary theory in science, (b) controversy on teaching of evolution (c) place of theory of evolution in elementary and secondary science curriculum in USA and in Turkey, (d) teachers’ attitudes toward theory of evolution, and (e) students’ understanding about the theory of evolution and related topics. Factors and policies affecting the teaching of evolution in classroom in Turkey are also discussed. In conclusion, anti-evolution movements in Turkey which shows similarities with the antievolution propaganda in USA was found effective in terms of influencing educational policies and practices about the teaching of evolutionary theory in classrooms as well as public opinion on evolution.