bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Analysis the effect of head and neck orientation on biomechanical parameters of head injury in boxing
Authors:   Department of Sport Biomechanics and Technology, Sport Science Research Institute, Tehran, Iran., Boroushak Neda , Khoshnoodi Hasan ,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran., Rostami Mostafa ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Biomechanic, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran., Sarang Reza ,   Department of Sports Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Published: March 2022

Background and Aims: Brain injuries are often induced by the linear and rotational acceleration of the head and neck. Head and neck orientation determines the type and severity of brain injury. The scant focus has been paid to this topic in previous studies. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and analyze the impact of head and neck orientation on linear and rotational acceleration in boxing. Methods: In this study, a computer simulation method was utilized to investigate the impact of head and neck orientation on linear and rotational accelerations of the head during punching in boxing. A suitable head and neck and punch model was initially simulated using the Adams software. Then, the inverse kinematic method and Euler ZXZ angles were used to determine the orientation of the head and neck. Results: The findings revealed that the maximum linear and rotational acceleration related to the reference state (anatomical position) was 75g and 4036, respectively. The head and neck orientation did not affect the magnitude of the linear and rotational acceleration in the sagittal plane. However, as the angle of the head and neck orientation increased in the frontal plane, the magnitude of the linear and rotational acceleration decreased. Conclusion: In line with our findings, rotational acceleration was the sole cause of brain injury in boxing. Increasing the orientation of the angle of the head and neck in the frontal plane would reduce intensity. Therefore, by detecting biomechanical parameters associated with a head injury and influential factors affecting it, the severity of the damage, the pertinent risk factors, and relevant rehabilitation solutions can be projected and predicted.
Effectiveness of Physical Activity Course on Preschool Children’s Working Memory: Emphasizing Environmental Change
Authors:   Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran., Jalilvand Mohammad , Samadi Hossein ,   Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran., Dana Amir ,   Department of Physical Education, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
Published: March 2022

Background and Aims: Working memory is among the essential components of executive function. Due to the different physiological and cognitive needs of open and closed motor exercises, this study aimed to investigate and assess the effects of open and closed exercises on the working memory of preschool children. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. Thirty preschool children in Kermanshah were randomly divided into two open and closed exercise groups. Before the exercise protocol, all participants underwent Wechsler Intelligence Test and working memory pre-test with N-back software. Each group performed their one-hour training sessions for 12 weeks (three sessions per week). The exercise intensity was set at (60±5%) of the heart rate reserve level (HRR), with HR being monitored by a heart rate monitor. Data analysis was performed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) by SPSS software v. 23. Results: The findings revealed a significant difference between open skill training (OSE) and closed skill training (CSE) (P≤0.05). OSE compared to CSE had a more significant effect on increasing children’s working memory. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that 12 weeks of OSE has a more significant effect on increasing the working memory of preschool children (compared to CSE). Therefore, it is recommended that preschool children participate in OSE (higher cognitive load) to improve their working memory.
Rethinking Library Services for First-Generation Students: Using Habitus as a Framework for Reevaluating Existing Models
Authors: Sly Jordan , Coren Ashleigh
Published: March 2022

This paper explores the results of our research into the needs of primarily first-generation students as they begin their college careers. We seek to understand attitudinal dimensions regarding retention and how first-generation students’ perceive libraries and library services as a touchpoint in their education.  Particular to this study is our utilization of Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of Habitus as a founding theoretical framework. By using this theory, we are able to turn student input into a useful model while maintaining the individuality of the student and also attempting to dissuade harmful and problematic notions of essentialism.  This project additionally explores tenets of Critical Librarianship like self-reflection, critical thinking, and examination of teaching practices.
PThe Role of Family Welfare Movement Team (TP-PKK) in Creating Child Protection in Fulfillment of Education Rights During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Serah Yenny Aman , Yuliastini Anita , Setiawati Rini , Septinawati Sri Ayu
Published: March 2022

Covid-19 has a significant impact on the life of the Indonesian, including fulfilling the right to education for children. With the social distancing, the Ministry of Education in Indonesia issued a policy by closing schools and replacing the teaching and learning process using an online system. However, there are obstacles during online learning. One of them is parents' unpreparedness to accompany their children. It is necessary to build motivation for parents or families, especially mothers. Children as the goal of education and the realization of child protection have been regulated in legislation. The authors conducted the community service activity with an online legal counseling method to Family Welfare Movement Team (here and after called TP-PKK) in Regency/City throughout West Kalimantan. In conclusion, TP-PKK has a role in creating child protection in fulfillment of education rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. Legal counseling could be carried out widely and sustainably to motivate parents or families to assist their children in the online learning process, so child protection is realized
AApplication Of Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension (Dash) Diet: An Effort To Lower Blood Pressure In Individuals With Hypertension
Authors: Susanti Susanti , Bistara Difran Nobel , Ratnawati Nata , Andriani Lina
Published: March 2022

Diet DASH (Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension) is one way to reduce hypertension. Dietary factors (dietary compliance) are important things to consider in patients with hypertension. Patients with hypertension should adhere to the DASH diet in order to prevent further complications. The implementation method in the community service program is by providing health education about the DASH diet management application in the form of lectures and questions and answers. The participants of this activity were residents of the Brigadier General Katamso area RT 23 RW 05 Waru Sidoarjo. The results of blood pressure showed that after being given KKL activities in the form of counseling, blood pressure checks, from a total of 10 residents (100%) who participated in KKL activities in the Brigadier General Katamso 2 RT 23 RW 05 Kelurahan Kedung Rejo, Waru District, the results of blood pressure for most residents in the area of ​​Brigjen Katamso 2 RT 23 RW 05 Kedung Rejo Village Waru District before the KKL activity in the category 1 hypertension category was 6 people (60%), and after the KKL activity was in the high normal category there were 5 people (50%). Based on these data, it can be seen by using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test statistical test, the knowledge value p value = 0.003 so there is an effect of DASH diet counseling on blood pressure. Most of the respondents (50%) have a consumption pattern that triggers hypertension is not good at the time of the pretest. After being given the intervention and doing a posttest, it showed that most of the respondents (90%) had a good consumption pattern that triggers hypertension. This means that there is a decrease in consumption patterns that trigger hypertension before and after being given the DASH diet information guidebook for hypertension patients. The existence of a significant difference in knowledge between before and after being given the DASH dietary information guidebook for hypertension patients identified that health education about DASH diet information could increase public knowledge. Knowledge of hypertension patients increased after being given health education using the DASH diet manual. This increase in knowledge allows people to adjust their eating patterns as recommended in the DASH diet guide book
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF GAMELAN AS TOURISM ATTRACTION UNIQUE PRODUCT OF BANYU MUDAL TOURISM VILLAGE
Authors: Palupiningtyas Dyah , Supriyadi Andhi , Trenggono Trenggono
Published: March 2022

In today, to develop tourism potential in the area and also to increase income, village with the label of Tourism Village have emerged. Tourism Village is a self–help and self-subsistent, the community which in their social activities try to increase their own understanding of tourism, contributing to increasing value of tourism development within its territory, contributing to increasing value of tourism and its empowerment of welfare, participating to contribute the success of development of tourism. In this case, a tourism product is needed that the characteristics of the village so that it can distinguish it from other villages. Banyu Mudal Tourism Village is a Tourism Village that included in the Moga District, Pemalang Regency, Central Java Province which has the potential as Tourism Village with its natural beauty appeal. There are supporting of facilities and infrastructure such as road and transportation as well as human and institutional resources. Beside the potential, there are also shortcoming and problems that exist in the village. By holding a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) it was found that currently the village of Banyu Mudal does not have unique tourism product. In the tourist village of Banyu Mudal, there is a gamelan craftsman who has a studio to practice beating gamelan. This potential is promoted to be a superior product of gamelan music education tourism. Although there are some side which thing need to be addressed,  such as facilities and infrastructure as well as marketing and quality of resources and require assistance.
PEMBERDAYAAN IBU RUMAH TANGGA MELALUI PENGEMBANGAN BERBAGAI OLAHAN PISANG DI KELURAHAN MURUNG RAYA
Authors: Nurhayati Nurhayati
Published: March 2022

Menurunnya pendapatan yang dialami oleh masyarakat kelurahan Murung Raya akibat dari pandemi Covid-19, membuat rumah tangga tersebut harus memiliki penghasilan tambahan. Program pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini secara umum bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pendapatan kelompok ibu-ibu rumah tangga dalam mengolah berbagai produk pisang di Kelurahan Murung Raya, Kecamatan Banjarmasin Selatan, Kota Banjarmasin. Buah pisang memiliki beragam khasiat yang baik untuk kesehatan, baik untuk tubuh maupun untuk kecantikan.  Pemilihan buah pisang didasari dari banyaknya pohon pisang yang ditemui pada daerah kelurahan Murung Raya, selain menambah pendapatan ibu rumah tangga, pengembangan berbagai olahan pisang dapat membuka lapangan kerja bagi ibu-ibu rumah tangga dan pemuda(i) di kelurahan Murung Raya dengan memasarkan produk tersebut melalui penggunaan teknologi. Target khusus dan luaran yang akan dihasilkan berupa: Satu artikel yang dipublikasikan melalui jurnal ber-ISSN. Pendekatan dalam pelaksanaan kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat, melalui metode diskusi, pendampingan, evaluasi, dan kerjasama.
ICARE Based Training: An Effort to Empower Teachers in Writing Action Research Classroom in Tuban District, East Java, Indonesia
Authors: Fitriyah Fifi khoirul , Siti Maghfirotun Amin
Published: March 2022

Many sources mention the low quality of education in Indonesia. Through the action research classroom, gradual changes began. The essence of an action research classroom is the evaluation of learning. The benefit of this program is to improve the teacher's ability to conduct classroom action research. In addition, the mastery of writing action research classroom is also useful for increasing teacher credit scores for promotion. The target of this program is teachers in the Tuban Regency under the auspices of the Teacher Learning Center (PBG). The purpose of this activity is to improve understanding and ability to write action research classroom. The implementation method is through a series of training activities for one year using the ICARE model. The result of the activity is an increase in the teacher's understanding of the training material. In addition, the output of this activity is a report on action research classrooms. Based on the results of the activity output, the weakness of the teachers is in the literature review process and writing references. The teacher's advantage is creating innovative learning. The recommendation for further community service activities is a need for assistance to improve the ability to find literature reviews for teachers.
The Role of Cognitive Distortions related Academic Achievement in Predicting the Depression, Stress and Anxiety Levels of Adolescents
Authors: BUĞA Ahmet , KAYA İdris
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this study is to assess the predictive power of the cognitive distortions related academic success, concerning the depression, stress and anxiety levels of adolescents. The sample of research consists of 411 people, 192 (46,7 %) were female, 219 (53,3 %) were male with 203 (49,4%) of the group continuing their education at academic high school whereas 208 (50,6 %) were vocational high school students. The study data was obtained by using the Personal Information Form, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) – High School Form and Cognitive Distortions Scale related to Academic Achievement (CDS-AA). The t-test, ANOVA and simple linear regression analysis were used in analyzing the data. It was observed that cognitive distortions related with academic success, one of the research variables, did not differ according to gender, class level and receiving out-of-school academic support. On the other hand, it was seen that, depression, anxiety and stress scores differed significantly in terms of gender, class level and receiving out-of-school academic support. Finally, it was observed that cognitive distortions related to academic achievement is a statistically significant predictor of depression, anxiety and stress.
Effect of Problem-Based STEM Activities on 7th Grade Students' Mathematics Achievements, Attitudes, Anxiety, Self-Efficacy and Views
Authors: MACUN Yavuz , IŞIK Cemalettin
Published: March 2022

This study investigates the effect of problem-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities on 7th-grade students’ mathematics achievement, attitude, anxiety, self-efficacy, interest, and views. At the same time, the effects of these activities on students' anxiety, self-efficacy towards mathematics, and interest in STEM occupations were also examined. The study sample, which was selected using the convenience sampling method, consisted of 115 7th grade students of a public middle school in Turkey. In the quantitative phase of the research, a quasi-experimental research model with pre-test and post-test control group was used to determine the students’ mathematics achievement, attitudes, anxiety, self-efficacy towards mathematics and interests in STEM careers. In the qualitative phase semi-structured interview was used to understand students’ views on problem-based STEM activities and mathematics lessons in the qualitative part. Within the scope of the research, 6 different problem-based STEM activities related to ratio-proportion and percentages were applied to the experimental group students. The data collected from both groups before and after the implementation process were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and paired sample t-test. The results showed that problem-based STEM activities affect students’ mathematics achievement, self-efficacy, and interest in mathematics. It also helps students reducing their mathematics anxiety.
The Effect of Teachers' Quality of Work Life on Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions
Authors: ERTÜRK Ramazan
Published: March 2022

In this research, it is aimed to determine the relationships between teachers’ quality of work, job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Survey model of quantitative research design was used in the research. The sampling of the study was formed by 368 teachers working in primary schools in the central district of Bolu, Turkey. In the study, the scale of teachers’ quality of work; the scale of the turnover intentions and the scale of job satisfaction were used. Parametric tests were used in the research as the data were suitable for normal distribution. According to the findings, teachers’ perceptions of the quality of work are moderate in the whole scale in terms of job satisfaction, stress in work life, working conditions and work-family life balance dimensions and weak in terms of the self-control over the work and higher than the overall well-being. It is significant that teachers do not have enough self-control over their work. The fact that teachers' perceptions of job satisfaction and turnover intentions are moderate should be considered although the intentions of teachers to leave work are not high. There is a strong positive relationship between all dimensions except for the whole scale of teachers’ quality of work and the dimensions of stress in work life and job satisfaction; a moderate negative relationship between the dimensions of stress in work life and job satisfaction; a high level of negative relationship between the scale of quality of work and all dimensions except for the dimensions of stress in work life and the turnover intention; a positive high relationship between the dimensions of stress in work life and turnover intentions. The quality of work and all dimensions are the predictors of both job satisfaction and turnover intentions.
The Effect of Psychoeducation Program Based on Structural Family System Therapy on Family Functionality in Families of a Child Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: TURA Gülşah
Published: March 2022

The main goal of the present study was to examine the effect of Structural Family Therapy (SFT) based psychoeducation program on family functionality in families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study was an experimental study based on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test model, with experimental and control groups. Family functionality, which was the dependent variable of the study, was measured with the Mc Master Family Assessment Device (FAD). The independent variable of the research was the psychoeducation program applied only to the experimental group. The research consisted of parents who have children between 7-10 years of age diagnosed with ADHD. A 10-week psychoeducation program developed by the researcher based on SFT was offered to the experimental group. Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests were used in the analysis of the data. The results obtained from the study found out a significant difference (p<.05) between the post-test scores of the control and experimental group. Additionally, a significant difference (p<.05) was found between the FAD scores of the parents in the experimental group before and after the experiment. The results showed that the SFT based psychoeducation program applied to parents was effective in increasing family functionality.
The Role of Argumentative Writing in Teaching Controversial Issues: A Mixed Methods Research
Authors: MERAL Elif , KAYAALP Fatih , BAŞCI NAMLI Zeynep
Published: March 2022

This study aims to examine the role of argumentative writing in teaching controversial issues in Social Studies education. We employed the convergent design, as a mixed methods approach. The sample consisted of 49 prospective Social Studies teachers. Data were collected through an attitude scale towards controversial issues, semi-structured interview forms, focus group interviews, and respondents’ diaries. The respondents were also asked to write argumentative essays on particular controversial issues (i.e., brain migration, technology, nuclear energy, and different types of government) in the Social Studies course. The written tasks were evaluated throughout the period. Descriptive and predictive analytics were used to examine the quantitative data, while content and descriptive analyses were made on the qualitative data, which were additionally analysed by MAXQDA 2020. A statistical significance was found between the respondents’ pre-test and post-test scores regarding controversial issues. It appeared that drawing on controversial issues was effective in developing certain skills such as researching, critical thinking, recognizing one’s own opinions, respecting different opinions, using scientific evidence, and making assessments. We believe that argumentative writing plays a critical role in developing these skills, which are likely to come out while teaching controversial issues. It could be assumed that writing argumentative essays is an alternative way for teachers to create a democratic classroom atmosphere while teaching controversial issues.
The Effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) Curriculum on Critical Thinking through Philosophical Inquiry and Problem Solving Skills
Authors: IŞIKLAR Sema , ABALI ÖZTÜRK Yasemin
Published: March 2022

This study aims to examine the effect of P4C curriculum on 5-6-year-old children’s critical thinking through philosophical inquiry and their problem solving skills. The working group of the study held a total of 40 children who learned at kindergartens of a primary school in Çanakkale, Turkey. The study used a quasi-experimental model with pretest-posttest control group. Prepared by asking two experts’ views, the "Philosophy for Children Curriculum" was administered to the children in the experimental group as two sessions per week, for ten weeks, with an average of 40 minutes in total. The study deployed "Critical Thinking Scale through Philosophical Inquiry for Children 5-6 Years Old" and “Problem Solving Skills Scale for Children (PSSS)” as data collection tools. The analysis results showed a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of both groups in terms of the experimental groups’s critical thinking skills through philosophical inquiry within group comparisons. Although the posttest mean score of the experimental group's critical thinking skills through philosophical inquiry was higher than the control group, no statistically significant difference was observed between them. Considering the comparisons of problem solving skills within groups, a significant difference was determined between the pretest and posttest scores of both groups. When the problem solving skills were compared between groups posttest results, a significant difference was noted in favor of the experimental group.
Flipped Learning and Gamification in Information Technologies and Software Course
Authors: TARHAN Gülseren , ÖZTÜRK Gülcan
Published: March 2022

This study aims to find the effect of flipped learning and gamification methods on the success of the students in the Ethics and Security Unit, which is a unit of the fifth grade Information Technologies and Software Course compared to the traditional method. Also, it aims to decide the opinion of the students about the flipped learning and gamification methods. The study uses a mixed research design, included both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The study’s quantitative part is focused on the non-equivalent group pretest-posttest design, and the qualitative part is based on the case study design. The sample consists of 32 fifth grade students from a secondary school in a city in western Turkey. There are 16 students in the experimental group and 16 students in the control group. The ethics and security achievement test, which is developed by the researchers is used for collecting the quantitative data. The semi-structured interviews with students in the experimental group are performed for qualitative data. The descriptive statistics and two-way analysis of variance for mixed measures are used to analyze the quantitative data and the content analysis method is used to analyze the qualitative data. According to the results of the study, the students in the experimental group are more successful than the students in the control group. The students express positive opinions about the flipped learning and gamification methods in the interviews.
Detecting Possible Learning Losses due to COVID-19 Pandemic: An Application of Curriculum-Based Assessment
Authors: TOKER Türker
Published: March 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures many of us did not anticipate that this interruption would last for months and perhaps more than a year. The data showed that there was a one and a half year learning loss in both Turkish and mathematics based on Woesmann (2016)`s findings. The difference in the scores for math exam between 2016 and 2020 was 10.32 points which accounts for half of exam standard deviation. Also, the difference in the scores for Turkish exam 2016 and 2020 was 10.91 points which is also around half of the standard deviation. Additionally, based on gender there was a statistically significant decrease of 12.04 points in the mathematics scores of girls and 8.43 points for boys showing a 15-month learning loss for girls. and a year of learning loss for boys (Woessmann, 2016). These results showed that girls had more learning losses due to COVID-19 pandemic. According to the mother's education level; the decrease for mathematics scores were between 9.73 (elementary school degree) and 22.02 points (associate degree). This finding shows that the learning loss in math based on mother educational level is between 15-months and 2.5 years (Woessmann, 2016). Similar findings showed up for Turkish scores as well. The decrease for Turkish scores were between 10.43 (elementary school degree) and 22.24 points (associate degree). This finding shows that the learning loss in Turkish based on mother educational level is between 15-months and 2.5 years (Woessmann, 2016). These results show that some students did not learn new material after the outbreak and even slipped backwards. Ministry of National Education should take following steps in order to prevent effects of COVID-19 pandemic as well as minimize and resolve the learning losses emphasized in this study.
STUDENT FACTORS INFLUENCING CHEATING IN UNDERGRADUATE EXAMINATIONS IN UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA
Authors: Ruto David Kiptanui , Kipkoech Lydia Cheruto , Rambaei Daniel Kimutai
Published: March 2022

University examinations form the final and most integral part of assessing any student’s acheivement, knowledge, skills, and attitudes. However, there has been a public outcry over the rise of irreqularities in primary, secondary, and even university examinations. The purpose of this research was to investigete the student factors which influenc cheating in the undergraduate university examinations. The study design was a descriptive suvey. A sample of fifty students and ten lecturers was selected using random sampling technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire, structured interview, and document analysis. A pilot study was carried out in the school of education in one of the public universities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics generated with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme, and were presented by use of frequency tables. The results revealed that majority of the students do not attend lectures, and factors such as lack of preparedness for examinations, peer influence, pressure from work place, and students’ lack of confidence were some of the factors contributing to cheating in examinations. Effective procedures and policies for management of examinations are also recommended to be put in place, strictly observed, and effective deterrrent measures be implemented. It was recommended that employers give off-days or study leave to staff who enroll for various courses.
Key words: cheating, dishonesty, exam irregularity, integrity, management of examinations, university examinations.
PERSPECTIVE MANAGEMENT: SYSTEMIC THINKING AND VALUE SYNERGY
NECESSITY
Authors: Lamanauskas Vincentas
Published: March 2022

We can surely assert that over the last two decades a very significant attention has been paid to management. It is great that more and more attention is paid to the systemic approach in management (Robinson, 1996; Jackson, 2003; Bellinger, 2004; Cyrus, 2010). It is obvious, that there are many approaches to management, for example, problem solving style, situational approach, effective steering etc. And not only to management, but also to adjacent, management related spheres. Systemic approach is reasonably considered to be as cornerstone to management.
Key words: management, systemic thinking, value synergy.
APPRAISING THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION ON WORKER SATISFACTION IN ORGANIZATIONAL WORKPLACE
Authors: Abugre James Baba
Published: March 2022

Today, more and more businesses depend on communications for their success since a well-organized communication system is shown to be an important factor in stimulating worker satisfaction in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to assess organizational communication and its impact on worker satisfaction in organizational workplace. The paper examines three Ghanaian organizations in the formal sector using a quantitative survey of ninety respondents to gain information for the study. The chi-square test was used with cross-tabulation of the independent and dependent variables to test and answer the hypothesis and research questions formulated for the study. Findings show that there is a significant relationship between efficient organizational communication and employee satisfaction. Findings also show that organizational communication has a positive impact on employee performance. Analysis of the findings further reveals that workers prefer good leadership communication behavior because it has positive effects on workers in organizations. The study proposes that organizations in the formal sector will achieve their objectives if they pay proper attention to the communication processes through efficient organizational communication in the workplace.
Key words: employee performance, organizational communication, organization, worker satisfaction.
CONSTRAINTS TO PRINCIPALS’ DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA
Authors: Ruto David K.
Published: March 2022

This research paper presents the principals’ practices in delegating responsibility to teachers in public secondary schools in Kenya. A random sample of 20 secondary schools was used where 120 teachers filled questionnaires, and 20 principals from the selected schools were interviwed. Both the questionnaire and interview guide were designed based on six research questions. The data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. The study revealed that responsibilities related to financial decisions were not delegated. Teachers needed to consult before making any decisions on delegated responsibilities. There was little preparation of teachers for delegated responsibility; had limited opportunity to attend seminars and staff development programmes; little support was given to them, and had little or no guidance from the principals. Lack of finances, inadequate training, understaffing, and lack of cooperation among the teachers constrained the process of delegation. It is suggested, among other recommendations, that schools should be adequately financed and staffed, while motivation and staff development programmes need to enhancement in order toimprove the effectiveness of the delegation process.
Key words: consult, delegating, leadership, responsibility, school principals.
MANAGING INTER-FIRM COOPERATION TO IMPROVE TOURISM DESTINATIONS: A CLUSTER APPROACH
Authors: Shtonova Irina
Published: March 2022

The researcher examines the existence and nature of inter-firm relationships between tourism stakeholders within various Bulgarian tourist destinations and how they relate to the competitiveness of the destination. The purpose of the study is to analyze the degree of cluster relationships and their importance for the strategic management of tourist destinations. In the course of the study representatives from 16 Bulgarian regions were interviewed and asked about the level of cooperation between the tourism participants. Based on this data the regions were grouped according to the level of perceived cluster collaboration, as well as according to the importance given to this cooperation. As a result, inferences about the key obstacles, as well as key factors and best practices for increased cooperation in tourist destinations can be made and can be incorporated into future development policies. The analysis indicates that the majority of the Bulgarian municipalities realizes the benefits of cluster relationships but so far have not been able or willing to extract any benefits from them. There is a need for a high profile tourist destination that can serve as an example of good strategic positioning achieved through the formation of clusters, public-private partnerships and increased inter-firm cooperation on the local level. Managing networks is an essential managerial challenge for the contemporary tourist destination. Understanding clusters, their structure, processes and development is essential to the successful strategic management of a tourist destination in the 21st century. Key words: inter-firm cooperation, management of tourist destination, tourism cluster, tourism network.
SOME PROBLEMS WITH HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN BULGARIAN TOURIST ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Slavianska Viara
Published: March 2022

The paper presents results from a study, conducted in the beginning of the year, with the purpose to determine how the human resource management function is realized in Bulgarian tourist organizations and specifically to identify possible problems. The study includes fifty accidentally chosen organizations from the hotel keeping branch, of approximately equal size (from three to five star hotels with over 200 employees). Consecutively are presented the practices, connected with basic activities, composing the human resource management, as well as summary results from the analysis given as recommendations for the management.
It has established as a general conclusion that the practices connected with HRM in the investigated hotels, have some positive sides, but dominate the negative aspects that need an elaboration. The taking of actions directed towards improvement of HRM in these organizations is a consequence from the awareness that: 1) the quality of the tourist product in the hotel keeping is in direct dependence on the quality of the human resource, i.е. the policy for its management and 2) in the conditions of a global economic and financial crisis, not only the survival of the organizations but their prosperity as well, are connected mostly with identification and preservation of the quality part of their personnel.
Key words: anti-crisis personnel policy, economical crisis, hotel keeping, human resources, tourism.
MARKETING MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN CONSUMERS´ HOUSING CHOICE
Authors: Burobina Ozdemir Maia
Published: March 2022

Customer’s culture is a very important element in the international marketing. Raising global competition pressure doesn’t allow companies to ignore culture codes of target groups. Customer’s decision making process about buying a new housing is very complicated. Modern consumer’s preferences are rooted in the mists of the time when our ancestors struggled with nature for their lives; and stay in the field of unconscious. When a modern human buys a home he unconsciously seeks for the same attributes that his ancestors were seeking long time ago. This set of attributes is a culture code for Home. New trends like universality and pragmatism make just temporally changes in consumers’ brains. Producers of such permanent products as houses must pay attention to permanent values not to trends.
The main purpose of our research is to find out unconscious culture codes that influence a customer’s decision making process about buying a new housing.
The primary data from Turkey, Czech Republic and Russia were collected using in-depth interviews. Interviews were conducted among 17 Turkish, 25 Czech and 6 Russian, minimum age of 30, using simple random sampling technique. For the purpose of our research we have used Conceptual analysis of the data gained. In result, we have identified common for each ethnic group patterns. They are Cleanness for Turkey, Nature for Czech Republic and Heat for Russia. Finally, we have made suggestions regarding application of the results to the Marketing mix.
Key words: marketing, consumer behavior, culture, housing, culture code.
RETHINKING BUSINESS PROCESS MAINTENANCE RELATED TO CORPORATE CULTURE
Authors: Bognár Ferenc , Gaál Zoltán
Published: March 2022

Nowadays disciplines of maintenance management are widely applicable in other fields of science as well. This paper shows the possible uses of maintenance strategies in connection with inter-corporate cooperation by determining the relations between procurer and supplier. The objective of the paper is to support the CEOs in describing the business processes maintenance system and its attributes in the company. The research is based on a survey attended by the CEOs of more than 260 companies from different operational fields in Hungary. The basic theory of the research is that the inner operations of a company are driven by the principles of some sort of maintenance strategies or a combination of those. Based on this theory the research answers the question of whether these companies can be integrated into clusters and how they can conclude the expectation systems of the members of a certain cluster towards the suppliers. The paper also shows which corporate culture types are more or less resistant to different failure types of the business processes such as misuse fault, manufacturing fault, systematic fault, etc.
Key words: business process maintenance, maintenance strategy, failure type, corporate culture.
SUPPORTING E-MARKETING DECISION MAKING BY THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ESZTERHÁZY KÁROLY COLLEGE VIA BEHAVIOUR-BASED SEGMENTATION OF THE VISITORS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL WEB-PAGE
Authors: Bóta László
Published: March 2022

The increasingly competitive higher educational environment compels the management of universities and colleges to assign high priority to an overall maximisation of client services. Consequently, while academic leaders must become familiar with the aspects of on-line communication much favoured by today’s younger generation, the intensification and improvement of the quality of available on-line services cannot be imagined without reliable information on the Internet use habits and behaviour of clients.
The managers and administrators of Hungarian college and university websites are mostly unfamiliar with the web-related conduct or habits of their customers as in case of long-running web-pages based on an unchanging structure only basic visitor statistics are available at best. Yet marketing communication decisions should be based on information reflecting real website-consumer traits acquired via a more professional analysis. Data mining is one such decision-making support mechanism.
Data mining models are capable of revealing and predicting information hidden beneath the respective critical mass. Therefore inspired by the methodology of marketing science this type of research concentrates on the segmentation of on-line consumers via the elaboration of visitor clusters.
The present article provides a scientific overview and analysis of the main difficulties related to cluster construction, especially the development of the relevant algorithmic forms. The successful application of the model provides much-needed reliable and vital support to the institutional decision making process. Thus pertinent data yielded by cluster research can facilitate more effective on-line service customized to the needs of the users.
Key words: clustering model, data mining, marketing communication, on-line conduct, web-ergonomics.
USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN CZECH ENTERPRISES
Authors: Čebišová Kateřina
Published: March 2022

This study examines the impact of the adoption of software tools for Financial Management support on the Financial Management function. In addition to that, it was intended to study the level of contribution these technologies can bring to a company. The study was supported by research conducted on a sample of 46 small and 39 medium-sized manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The primary technique of data collection was a questionnaire distributed via mail, followed by further telephone and e-mail support. Collected data were explored by correlation analysis to determine the dependency between the use Financial Management supporting ICT and economic results of companies. For medium-sized companies has been established low to moderate dependence. Therefore in this case the use of soft ICT to some extent contributes to better economic performance. In contrast for small companies the dependence was negligible and sometimes even slightly negative, the use of software tools here can thus be counterproductive.
Key words: financial management, information technology, small and medium enterprises.
THE CONSIDERATION OF MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY IN FORECAST AND MAINTENANCE RELATED DECISIONS
Authors: Hegedűs Csaba , Kosztyán Zsolt T.
Published: March 2022

In the field of operations management, most decisions are seen as being based on measurement results. However, every measurement has some uncertainty and therefore managerial decisions can be incorrect. Measurement uncertainty can cause particularly large losses in the case of maintenance decisions, where decision error can cause the breakdown of the entire production or service process. Taking measurement uncertainty into consideration the losses can be decreased. The standards, technical reports and guides dealing with measurement uncertainty use probability approach and focus on the metrology aspect. They do not support a risk based decision based on the forecast of the observed characteristics. In the proposed risk based model the realized (or lost) revenue is treated along with the occurred costs in order to maximize the profit with the help of analytic calculation and simulations. This paper suggests that by treating measurement results as a time series the time of probable failure can be predicted at a given confidence level, this can support the scheduling of maintenance tasks. The uncertainty of measurement and the uncertainty of forecasting can be treated in the same model.
Key words: forecast, measurement uncertainty, risk-based maintenance, stochastic process.
AN EXPONENTIAL UTILITY APPROACH TO EIGENVECTOR METHOD IN THE ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS: AN IDEA INTRO
Authors: Kazibudzki Pawel Tadeusz
Published: March 2022

It is crucial for a credible decision making theory to provide unique answers for the alternatives of a decision. However, different methods and algorithms devised in order to elicit true priority vectors from intuitive judgments give different priority vectors, especially when judgments are inconsistent what constantly takes place in the real life. One could deduce that such variety of results that a potential decision maker can obtain violates the uniqueness requirement mentioned above and therefore is seemed unacceptable. On the other hand, it is known that Eigenvalue Method, commonly applied in the Analytic Hierarchy Process, captures transitivity in matrices that are not consistent in the unique way. That could lead to a conclusion that maybe the Eigenvalue Method is necessary and sufficient to facilitate credible decision making based on priority weighting followed by inconsistent matrices comprising pairwise comparison judgments. However, the Eigenvalue Method, despite of obvious advantages, has also few disadvantages that cannot be neglected. A research described in this article gives rise to a new method for priority vectors deriving which coincides with the Eigenvalue Method but avoids its drawbacks.
Keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process, eigenvalue method, deriving priority vector, optimization models, condition of order preservation.
MATRIX-BASED PROJECT PLANNING METHODS
Authors: Kosztyán Zsolt Tibor , Kiss Judit
Published: March 2022

Network planning methods for project planning and scheduling have been applied for more than fifty years including CPM, PDM, PERT and GERT (Fondahl, 1961; Fulkerson, 1962; Kelley & Walker, 1959; PMI, 2006; Pritsker, 1966), which can be widely applied to project planning fromareas as diverse as construction and R&D. However, these network planning methods are not very appropriate in cases where IT, innovation or product development are involved. There are some shortcomings when using network planning methods for scheduling these kinds of projects, because these methods cannot handle the importance of the task realizations. They cannot solve the problem, when some tasks have to be left out from the project because of the constraints, or when the completion order of tasks can be different. In this paper new matrix-based project planning methods are introduced which illustrate how all possible solutions can be determined in two steps based on the Project Expert Matrix. Firstly those tasks are selected, which have to be or can be realized during the project. Afterwards the dependencies (the sequence of the chosen tasks) are determined taking the project constraints into account. The possible solutions can be ranked and the most probable solution can be chosen which can be realized within the given constraints. This method can be a useful tool for project managers as a part of an expert system.
Key words: matrix-based project planning method, Project Expert Graph, Project Expert Matrix, Stochastic Network Planning Method.
POST-MERGER INTEGRATION ISSUES: A LONGITUDINAL PUBLIC SECTOR CASE-STUDY
Authors: Lundqvist Siw
Published: March 2022

Employee resistance to change draws on conventional knowledge and prior research. Hence resistance is presupposed before a merger. In the literature advice is given on how to minimize resistance to change. A main recommendation is to inform and communicate extensively to down-play feelings of anxiety and support involvement. Nevertheless, post-merger integrations are known to be problematic and seldom achieve the predicted success. This longitudinal case-study follows a merger from the administrators’ perspective. Prior empirical findings were promising for the post-merger implementation and showed administrators who welcomed the merger. Furthermore, they were happy with the overall merger information and found themselves fully participating in the change processes. The recent findings (after the merger) showed that the administrators experienced lowered productivity, higher fragmentation of the workday and less involvement. Furthermore, the information and communication had been changed after the merger. The human factor is important to acknowledge for preventing post-merger failure and the findings from this longitudinal case-study highlights the importance of maintaining positive employee perceptions after a merger. The longitudinal case-study aims at adding to the knowledge base on facilitating post-merger implementations.
Key words: importance of information and involvement in organizational changes, merger in public sector, post-merger integration (PMI), resistance to changes.