Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beyond Gathering the ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ of Green Technology for Improved Environmental Performance: an Empirical Examination of the Moderating Effects of Proactive Environmental Management and Business Strategies

This study draws on the natural resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities theory to analyse the effects of green technology, proactive environmental management and business strategy on environmental performance. This paper offers a novel analysis of the direct effect of the integrated use of green technology on environmental performance, considering a non-linear relationship between them, and how this impact can be leveraged through a formal proactive environmental planning, coordination and control system, and a defined business strategy. In order to test the research hypotheses, multiple linear regression was used on a sample of 446 Spanish tourism firms. The results confirm a non-linear relationship between green technology and environmental performance. They also indicate the importance of defining a clear, proactive environmental management and prospector strategy to achieve more efficient products/services, processes and technologies, with minimal environmental impact. This research also provides some insights into the moderating effect exerted by proactive environmental management in terms of strengthening the relationship between green technology and environmental performance. In addition, the analysis confirms that whereas defender strategies reduce the impact of green technology on environmental performance, analyser and prospector strategies enhance its influence. These results can be used to offer a series of guidelines for both private and public agents in the tourism sector.
Effect of the Built Environment on Natural Ventilation in a Historical Environment: Case of the Walled City of Famagusta

Passive building is among the most important subjects in architecture today. The key factor in terms of a solution is related to the level of renewable energy in buildings. Natural ventilation is among the effective factors in indoor thermal comfort. Virtual simulations prepare a basis for reliable and fast result outcomes. Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software is available thanks to advances in technology and mathematical calculation to simulate projects with any conditions. This paper presents thermal comfort reduction where, in the simulation, the closed environment is considered rather than the individual building with no surroundings. In order to reach the conclusion, a comparison between a single building simulation and two locations in the walled city of Famagusta in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a historical settlement, is provided to illustrate the changes according to the closed environment conditions. According to the results, if energy consultants aim to present realistic energy data in order to upgrade the level of sustainability of buildings, it is important to consider the effect of the closed environment on natural ventilation in their calculation.
The Effects of Global Leniency Programs on Margins and Mergers

In a cross-country study we look at the staggered passage of national leniency laws over 1990-2012. We show that these laws lead to more cartel convictions, and generally increase the costs of collusion by reducing the average gross margins of the affected firms. We further examine how changing costs of collusion shape firm boundaries and show that firms reorganize their activities by engaging in more horizontal acquisitions, both in the roles as the acquirer and the target. These acquisitions tend to be associated with higher announcement returns. We find little evidence of the increase in strategic alliances or greenfield investments.
What Does the Prevalence of Zero Returns Tell Us? Evidence from U.S. Treasury Securities

We first document that each trading day the U.S. Treasury notes have a large proportion of zero returns. This is because almost all trades are executed at the best ask or bid quote and quoted spreads are mostly set close to the minimum tick. The proportion of zero returns is negatively correlated with commonly used illiquidity measures. Given the distinctive features of the Treasury notes, we provide evidence that conventional jump-detection methods are vulnerable to biases, leading to falsely identifying jumps. We propose a low-cost solution to improving the performance, and empirically support the argument by comparing the identification results using the data on the Treasury notes and macro-economic news announcements.
Extraction of the Envelope of Radio Impulse Signals Using the Digital Processing Methods Based on Correlation Fucntion and Hilbert Transform

The article presents the results of extracting the envelope of radio impulse signals using the digital processing methods. Three methods of extracting the envelope are studied in the work: correlation function; the Hilbert transform; and the new approach in which the combination of correlation function and Hilbert transform are used. For the research we used the measured reflectograms of the multilayer liquid. As a result of processing and comparing a variety of experimental characteristics the accuracy of determination of Hilbertcorrelation combination sequence was better than standard methods of processing. The resulting waveform is easier to analyze and process, but the processing need more time to calculate.
Material development for environmental education

Garbage is a real enemy to the government and society. The number of floods in the area around the river Citarum, West Java, Indonesia, a periodic disaster that always occurs in the rainy season is believed to be caused by the amount of waste into the river. Lack of understanding of the community around the river, bad waste management, and the lack of waste processing equipment are heap factor in the river Citarum. This research uses research and development methods to develop project-based teaching materials with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics approach in environmental education. Material for environmental education has been developed through experiments by burning several types of garbage and measure the carbon monoxide it produces. The result of this research is the model of environmental education in handling garbage with project-based-learning model for elementary school student teachers.
In search of excellence in higher education

In 2017 Ulm University organized the 1st Danube Conference for leaders, policy makers and researchers of higher education from the Danube countries. The Corvinus University of Budapest carried on this initiative by organizing the 2nd Danube Conference in cooperation with Ulm University and with the generous support of Peter Horvath Foundation. Higher education systems and institutions have been under the constant pressure of performance and efficiency since their considerable expansion in the 1990s. This pressure increased in the last decades as a result of the financial crisis, the spreading of international and national rankings, and the growing competition for international students. The main focus of the conference was to identify and present good management and policy practices, which could be interesting for other countries and institutions. The cultural proximity of the Danube countries provides an opportunity for the successful adaptation of such good practices. Therefore, the conference was intended to provide publicity for these practices. However, the book is not only the summary of the conference presentations, but an individual volume of seventeen completed papers authored by thirty-two scholars from four Central and Eastern Europe countries as well. Although papers were written on various topics, there is a common notion in all of them: they wish to explore what makes higher education institutions (or systems) excellent. The first chapter discusses various challenges leaders and policy-makers face on the system and organizational level from quality assurance to business-university collaborations, from early-career researchers to supervising bodies. The second chapter focuses on the connection between teaching and excellence. This relationship is based on two different points of view. Teaching is one of the main tasks of higher education institutions which aims to increase excellence, that is, develop individuals as well as society as a whole. However, teaching also contributes to the excellence of the institution. The chapter includes papers about teaching methods, program developments, quality assurance, and rankings. The third chapter leaves the national context and discovers the international dimensions of excellence. Studies are looking for the answer to the question of how internationalization can influence the excellence of the higher education institutions, of the students, and how the higher education institutions can handle the difficulties stemming from students with different nationality and background. Most papers focus on real practices and good practices. Even if some of the practices are less successful than others, we hope there is a possibility to learn from each of them. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Peter Horvath for his generous support, which made possible to organize the conference and to compile and publish this volume.
The relationship and development trend of corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive view of the longitudinal status and the knowledge structure of the CSR research by identifying the major study topics, the development of CSR research, the leading authors and countries, as well as the most cited reference. Design/methodology/approach The authors systematically reviewed 14,490 articles in 15 journals specialized in CSR published between 2000 and 2016 with bibliographic coupling analysis and social network analysis to unveil the recent trend of CSR research. Findings The results identified 15 research topics in CSR research. This study accordingly suggests that CSR implication is the most popular topic in the CSR research field. Particularly, the publications regarding to “CSR Implication” increased with a dramatic trend. Furthermore, the rest of the 14 topics had a stagnant trend movement. Most of the leading authors of CSR research came from English-speaking countries. CSR investigations with varied topics simultaneously attracted the attentions of researchers from developed counties. On the other hand, researchers from developing countries simply focused limited issue. Originality/value This study proposes an automatic content analysis from scientometric perspective to reveal a comprehensive and longitudinal understanding of CSR research. Such examination on CSR studies is critical to afford researchers’ urgent need to grasp current research status and potential research space.
Towards Responsible Consolidation of Customary Lands: A Research Synthesis

The use of land consolidation on customary lands has been limited, though land fragmentation persists. Land fragmentation on customary lands has two main causes—the nature of the customary land tenure system, and the somewhat linked agricultural system. Since attempts to increase food productivity on customary lands have involved fertilisation and mechanisation on the small and scattered farmlands, these approaches have fallen short of increasing food productivity. A study to develop a responsible approach to land consolidation on customary lands using a design research approach is undertaken and reported here. Based on a comparative study, it is found that three factors inhibit the development of a responsible land consolidation approach on customary lands—the coverage of a land administration system, a land valuation approach, and a land reallocation approach the fits the customary land tenure system. To fill these gaps, firstly, this study developed the participatory land administration that brought together traditional land administration approaches with emerging bottom-up approaches, as well as technological advances that drive these approaches together with the growing societal needs. Secondly, a valuation approach was developed to enable the comparison of the farmlands in rural areas that are without land markets. Finally, a land reallocation approach was developed based on the political, economic and social, as well as technical and legal characteristics of rural customary farmlands. This study concludes that though the land consolidation strategy developed is significantly able to reduce land fragmentation, both physical and land tenure, the local customs are an obstruction to the technical processes to achieve the best form of farmland structures.
Unpacking the Smart Mobility Concept in the Dutch Context Based on a Text Mining Approach

Existing mobility solutions are criticized for falling short of effectively addressing transport issues and sustainability challenges. In this light, smart mobility has received increasing attention. In the Netherlands, the smart mobility concept triggered various developments, leading to the uptake of initiatives for real-life experimentation, accompanied by an increase in media attention. While the concept is making its way through Dutch society, its meaning for practice remains unspecified. Therefore, this paper aims to unpack the meaning of the smart mobility concept, by analyzing Dutch news articles and initiatives’ websites using text mining and qualitative content analysis. The analyses reveal some ambiguous meanings for the smart mobility concept, demonstrating on the one hand a focus on incremental technological innovations that bring forward car-based solutions for short-term fixes, while on the other hand promising to address car-related issues and fundamentally change the mobility system by taking long-term challenges into account. In general, smart mobility seems to be about optimizations and maintaining the status quo rather than challenging it, although there are a few deviating and more critical voices. The smart mobility concept mobilizes actors and resources, but considering the ambiguities, these developments should be critically evaluated when proposed as solutions to transport issues and sustainability challenges.
From SIGNALS to success? The effects of an online advising system on course grades

ABSTRACT Online advising tools have the potential to reach a large number of students with the goal of increasing course performance and learning with relatively modest time investment from the instructor. Course SIGNALS provides students with online, real-time feedback on course performance based on an algorithm using the student’s effort, achievement, academic history, and demographic characteristics. Using roughly 25,000 student-course level observations from a large, research-intensive university in the Midwest, results from fixed effects difference-in-differences models indicate that SIGNALS helps improves grades of lower-achieving students and decreases the probability that students will fail the course.
Business Model Innovation: Responding to Volatile Business Environment in the Indian Banking Industry

ABSTRACT According to the dynamic capabilities view, a volatile business environment requires organizations to constantly adjust to changes, and be dynamic with respect to the value they create for their customers, and capturing of that value. A research agenda requiring an understanding of the elements and process of business model innovation in response to increasing environmental volatility is required. The research through multiple case studies of Indian banks identifies the integrative nature of different elements of the business model and the business model redesign themes used by banks to counter volatility in the business environment.
Assessing the Needs of Human Trafficking Victims: An Evaluation of the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking

This Project was supported by Grant Number 2006-VT-BX-006 awarded to Refugee Services of Texas, Inc. by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Proposal for a method of controlling heart rate during step exercise

The COVID-19 has caused many elderly people to become inactive. Lack of exercise is thought to increase the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases. In addition, many elderly people are unaware of the amount of exercise they should be doing, and often exercise excessively, exercise ineffectively, or do not know the amount of exercise that is appropriate for them. In Chapter 2 of this paper, we confirm that heart rate can be predicted using LSTM from thermographic images during step exercise. In Chapter 3, we conducted a basic study on how to measure heart rate during step exercise and control it to a constant heart rate.
Intertemporal Modeling of the Current Account

This paper explores the long-run current account to GDP ratio in the present value model framework (PVMCA). Firstly, we use Euler equation at macro level to identify a general equation of the per capita current account to GDP. Secondly, through the overlapping generations model we determine the equation of per-capita CA using relevant variables, and discuss the empirical validity of the PVMCA via the quasi-elasticity of CA-to-GDP with respect to the per capita growth rate of output and consumption. We show that the elasticities of CA-to-GDP to per-capita output and ant to per-capita consumption growths interact in opposite paths, meaning that a higher growth rate of consumption tomorrow involves more saving yesterday and brings up a positive current account balance.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’: Perceived Earnings, Perceived Mortality Rates, and Migration Decisions of Potential Work Migrants from Nepal

This article reports on a randomized field experiment in which potential work migrants from Nepal to Malaysia and the Persian Gulf countries are provided with information on wages and mortality incidences at their intended destinations. It is found that, particularly for the group of potential migrants without prior foreign migration experience, the information changes their expectations of earnings and mortality risks abroad, which further changes their actual migration decisions. Using the exogenous variation in expectations, it is estimated that the elasticity of migration with respect to mortality rate expectation is 0.8, and the elasticity of migration with respect to earnings expectation is 1.1.
Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension Treated with Epidural Blood Patch: A Case Report

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a condition caused by spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, resulting in orthostatic headache as the main symptom, but other symptoms such as memory loss, nausea, and tinnitus may also be present. Various imaging techniques are used to diagnose SIH, with magnetic resonance imaging myelography being an important tool for detecting the leakage site of CSF. Conservative treatments including hydration, bed rest, and intravenous caffeine have been tried with limited success. Epidural blood patch (EBP) is the most commonly performed treatment for SIH after the failure of conservative management. There are different opinions about the EBP procedure (e.g., blind EBP vs. targeted EBP). This report describes the treatment of SIH with targeted EBP according to imaging diagnosis after the failure of initial blind lumbar EBP.
Investigating Sustainability Reporting from the Lens of Stakeholder Pressures and Isomorphism

ABSTRACT This study applied an engagement-based approach, in which data has been gathered through interviews and a review of relevant documents of sustainability information for a selected “champion” Malaysian company. Interviews were conducted with officers who are responsible for company’s sustainability, operational and financial matters. The prominent stakeholder pressures concerning sustainability reporting discovered include NGOs, foreign buyers, competitors, shareholders, RSPO requirements, and the management. Accordingly, the coercive form of pressure is found as the primary source of isomorphic pressure followed by mimetic and normative pressures. These findings offer insights pertaining to the essential strategies for sustainability reporting from an environmentally-sensitive industry.
Is the transition process neutral to the employment–output ratio? Or does ‘jobless growth’ come naturally? The case when allocative and technological effects interact

ABSTRACT This paper applies a two-sector model to demonstrate how industrial structure and sectoral factor intensity matter for a feature characterising a number of transition economies: A divergence between production- and employment growth that has come to be known as ‘jobless growth’. We first show that a combination of conditions regarding industrial structure and sectoral factor intensity must be fulfiled for employment growth to mirror aggregate growth. Second, we introduce a fundamental driver of both industrial structure and factor intensity: the productivity growth gap between sectors of production. We show how changes in the productivity growth gap affect industrial structure as well as factor intensity. These changes are passed through to employment growth in a different way than to aggregate economic growth – hence the divergence between these two growth measures and the phenomenon of jobless growth. The paper shows how the structural changes inherent in the transition process are not neutral to the employment–output ratio.
IFRS 16 and its Impacts on Aviation Industry

Current differences between the accounting models for a financial and an operating lease and their critics from the users of the financial statement forced the IASB issued a new Leases Standard, IFRS 16, which supersedes IAS 17 Leases and its related interpretations in January 2106. IFRS 16 will eliminate dual accounting model for lessees and it is assumed to have significant business implications, especially from lessee’s point of view. The paper focuses on quantification of the impact of IFRS 16 on selected financial statement items and financial analysis ratios of fifteen European airlines. The research is also concerned with comparison of the article outputs with the previous cases studies. The paper confirmed that lease capitalization under IFRS 16 will have a material impact on the reported numbers in the balance sheet and income statement and result in significant changes to return and leverage ratios.
Measuring Bond Investors’ Risk Appetite Using the Interest Rate Term Structure

The distribution of term premia includes additional information beyond that contained in the traditional three-parameter decomposition of the Treasury yield curve. The author finds that the position and the size of the curvature hump are both important. A yield curve hump positioned at longer maturities appears to be consistent with lengthier time horizons of investors and with more risk-seeking behavior. The author finds that this new parameter Granger drives both future US economic activity and bond returns. TOPICS: Fixed income and structured finance, portfolio management/multi-asset allocation, fixed-income portfolio management, statistical methods