bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TRÂNSITOS CULTURAIS: AS EXPERIÊNCIAS DOS PRIMEIROS CLUBES ATHLETICOS DO RIO DE JANEIRO (1873-1883)
Authors: Melo Victor Andrade
Published: January 2020

No Rio de Janeiro do século XIX, na conformação do campo esportivo, em conjunto com brasileiros, houve a importante participação de estrangeiros, notadamente de oriundos do Reino Unido. Pari passu, os anglófonos criaram suas agremiações próprias. As pioneiras foram dedicadas ao críquete, modalidade muito relacionada ao ethos britânico. Na década de 1870, fundaram sociedades dedicadas a promover competições de “esportes atléticos” – provas de corridas, arremessos e saltos, primórdios do atletismo no Brasil. Importa perguntar: essas iniciativas influenciaram o desenvolvimento de hábitos esportivos dos fluminenses? Para responder tal questão, este estudo teve por objetivo discutir as experiências dos clubes atléticos criados na Corte entre os anos de 1873 e 1883, primeiro momento de estruturação da nova prática. Como fontes, foram utilizados periódicos publicados na cidade. Ao fim, percebe-se que se tratou de um processo de trânsito cultural, entendido como uma postura ativa de apropriação e ressignificação de bens e representações.
PHOC Descriptor Applied for Mammography Classification
Authors: Santos Gilmário Barbosa , Filho André Tragancin
Published: January 2020

This paper describes experiments with PHOC (Pyramid Histogram of Color) features descriptor in terms of capacity for representing features presented in breast radiograph (also known as mammography). Patches were taken from regions in digital mammographies, representing benign, cancerous, normal tissues and image’s background. The motivation is to evaluate the proposal in perspective of using it for execution in an inexpensive ordinary desktop computer in places located far from medical experts. The images were obtained from DDSM database and processed producing the feature-dataset used for training an Artificial Neural Network, the results were evaluated by analysis of the learning rate curve and ROC curves, besides these graphical analytical tools the confusion matrix and other quantitative metrics (TPR, FPR and Accuracy) were also extracted and analyzed. The average accuracy ≈ 0.8 and the other metrics extracted from results demonstrate that the proposal presents potential for further developments. At the best effort, PHOC was not found in literature for applications in mammographies such as it is proposed here.
Models to evaluate service Provisioning over Cloud Computing Environments - A Blockchain-As-A-Service case study
Authors: Melo Carlos , Dantas Jamilson , Maciel Ronierison , Silva Paulo , Maciel Paulo
Published: January 2020

ThestrictnessoftheServiceLevelAgreements(SLAs)ismainlyduetoasetofconstraintsrelated to performance and dependability attributes, such as availability. This paper shows that system’s availability values may be improved by deploying services over a private environment, which may obtain better availability values with improved management, security, and control. However, how much a company needs to afford to keep this improved availability? As an additional activity, this paper compares the obtained availability values with the infrastructure deployment expenses and establishes a cost × benefit relationship. As for the system’s evaluation technique, we choose modeling; while for the service used to demonstrate the models’ feasibility, the blockchain-as-a-service was the selected one. This paper proposes and evaluate four different infrastructures hosting blockchains: (i) baseline; (ii) double redundant; (iii) triple redundant, and (iv) hyper-converged. The obtained results pointed out that the hyper-converged architecture had an advantage over a full triple redundant environment regarding availability and deployment cost.
Experiências discriminatórias: narrativas de universitários do sul do Brasil
Authors: Baumgarten Alexandre , De Carli Giovane , Kargwanski Pamela , Bastos João Luiz , Celeste Roger Keller , Toassi Ramona Fernanda Ceriotti
Published: January 2020

Introdução: A discriminação é um fenômeno injusto, evitável e desnecessário que pode afetar negativamente a vida e a saúde das pessoas e que ainda está muito presente no cotidiano da sociedade. Objetivo: Compreender experiências discriminatórias relatadas por estudantes universitários de uma capital no sul do Brasil. Metodologia: Estudo exploratório de abordagem qualitativa realizado por meio de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas, gravadas e transcritas, com estudantes de graduação vinculados a cursos com distintas relações candidato/vaga, com diversidade quanto ao sexo, idade, cor da pele/raça e etapa da formação (n=15). O material textual foi interpretado pela técnica da análise temática de conteúdo de Bardin. Resultado: Experiências discriminatórias vivenciadas e/ou presenciadas estiveram presentes nos depoimentos de 14 dos 15 estudantes, os quais reconheceram a discriminação como um comportamento que expressa diferenças de tratamento em relação ao outro por determinadas características, implicando ofensa, prejuízo e exclusão social das vítimas. Nas experiências discriminatórias presenciadas, as que envolveram pessoas próximas dos estudantes, de seu núcleo familiar, foram as que mais os afetaram. Foram relatados múltiplos motivos associados à discriminação, em meio a situações nas quais os estudantes se identificaram tanto como vítimas quanto perpetradores de tratamentos injustos. O sentimento de solidariedade às vítimas da discriminação foi evidenciado pelo grupo. Conclusão: A universidade foi identificada como um espaço em que acontece a discriminação, especialmente por motivo sexual e por ser estudante de curso noturno. Estudos qualitativos têm potencial para contribuir com a compreensão da discriminação, auxiliando no desenvolvimento/validação de medidas quantitativas de fenômenos de ordem social.
Desordens temporomandibulares e Ortodontia: estudo transversal com aplicação do RDC/TMD
Authors: Gouvea Daiana Back , Mundstock Karina Santos , Ferreira Eduardo Silveira
Published: January 2020

Objetivo: Avaliar se o tratamento ortodôntico está associado à presença de desordens temporomandibulares (DTM) em adolescentes e adultos jovens de idade entre 12 e 24 anos. Materiais e métodos: Foi realizada uma investigação sobre sinais e sintomas de DTM aplicando-se o protocolo RDC/TMD (Critérios de Diagnóstico para Pesquisa das Desordens Temporomandibulares), em pacientes ortodônticos e controles. A amostra foi composta por 70 participantes divididos em dois grupos. O grupo ortodôntico foi composto por 35 voluntários em fase ativa de tratamento ortodôntico fixo e o controle por 35 voluntários sem histórico de tratamento ortodôntico. Resultados: Não ocorreram diferenças estatísticas entre os grupos relacionadas ao auto-relato de sintomas de dor de cabeça, dores na face, ruídos articulares e hábitos parafuncionais anteriores ao exame (p>0,1). Em relação à abertura máxima de boca em milímetros e dor relacionada ao movimento mandibular de abertura também não houve diferença estatística entre os grupos (p>0,3). No que se refere ao relato de dor à palpação nos músculos masseter e temporal, não ocorreram diferenças estatísticas entre os grupos (p>0,5). Quanto ao exame das articulações temporomandibulares (ATM), os grupos não diferiram estatisticamente em relação ao relato de dor à palpação, nem quanto à presença de ruídos articulares (p>0,4). Conclusões: O estudo sugere, portanto, que o uso de aparelho ortodôntico fixo não parece estar associado à presença ou ausência de desordens temporomandibulares em adolescentes e adultos jovens. É recomendável, no entanto, que estudos longitudinais sejam conduzidos aplicando-se o protocolo RDC/TMD.
Radiografia periapical no auxílio de diagnóstico para cálculo salivar no ducto de Stensen: relato de caso
Authors: Silva Martins Menara Elen , Fernandes Thaís Christine Borges , Oliveira Zilda Fagundes Lima , Silva Francisco José Bento da , Bombarda-Nunes Fabiana De Freitas , Pigatti Fernanda Mombrini
Published: January 2020

O cálculo salivar, também conhecido como sialolitíase, é uma alteração que acomete as glândulas salivares e/ou seus ductos promovendo uma obstrução destes por meio da deposição de minerais no sistema ductal. A glândula de maior ocorrência é a submandibular, seguida pela parótida, sublingual e glândulas salivares menores. O diagnóstico pode ser realizado com auxílio de radiografias, além dos recursos semiotécnicos de palpação. A hipótese diagnóstica é confirmada após a realização da biopsia excisional com remoção do cálculo salivar. O objetivo deste trabalho é relatar um caso clínico de um paciente com 62 anos que apresentava queixa de “boca seca”. Durante o exame clínico não foram observadas alterações, entretanto, foi observado na radiografia periapical em região de molares superiores direito uma imagem radiopaca que, durante a palpação, se apresentou como um nódulo de consistência endurecido/pétrea, sugestivo de sialólito de parótida. Foi realizada biopsia excisional que confirmou a hipótese diagnóstica. O paciente foi acompanhado por um período de 6 meses sem sinais de recidiva da lesão.
As contradições da agenda da política externa venezuelana para a integração regional entre 2004 e 2012
Authors: Ferreira Mariana Davi
Published: January 2020

Este artigo objetiva analisar a plataforma de política externa venezuelana (PEV) para a integração regional entre 2004 e 2012, no contexto do governo de Hugo Chávez Frías. Para tal, a análise considera as contradições implicadas entre as possibilidades advindas da renda petroleira para financiar um projeto de integração latino-americanista e os limites de consolidação deste ante as dificuldades de superação do rentismo e do subdesenvolvimento como traço estrutural de uma economia dependente. A hipótese aqui aventada é a de que o Estado venezuelano fez uso da diplomacia petroleira para impulsionar seu projeto de integração anti-imperialista e latino-americanista. A pesquisa, de cunho qualitativo e caráter exploratório, centrou-se na análise bibliográfica e documental: exame de documentos oficiais do Ministerio del Poder Popular para las Relaciones Exteriores e de dados da economia venezuelana. Os resultados encontrados apontam que a integração bolivariana ocupou um lugar central na agenda da PEV e que os limites para sua consolidação derivam da forte vinculação entre a implementação desse modelo de integração e a renda petroleira.
O DRAGÃO ABRAÇA ÁFRICA: RELAÇÕES CABO VERDE-CHINA
Authors: Madeira João Paulo
Published: January 2020

This article analyses the main issues raised by the cooperation between China andAfrica. Particularly, it focuses on the guidelines of the Cape Verde-China relationshipthat is in itself a durable and multidimensional one. To achieve these objectives, it isnecessary to adopt an interdisciplinary methodology, prioritizing the cross-referencedata obtained from bibliographical and documentary research, allowing a critical reflection.Although Cape Verde enjoys political stability, which is complemented bya climate of legal and institutional security, it is believed that China’s interest in thearchipelago is mainly economic and commercial, as it serves as a logistics platformin the African region.
BASIC CONCEPTS AND THEORIES IN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING: AN ANALYTIC REVIEW
Authors: Badmus Isiaka Alani , Jenkins Bert
Published: January 2020

This paper reviewed some extense literature in peacekeeping. The review of the literature focused on two areas - concepts and theories of peacekeeping. After having discussed the three major approaches to think conceptually about peacekeeping in the literature, we argued that despite the existence of these multiple frameworks for addressing the conceptual problems of peacekeeping, they overlooked the imperative of the structures and processes of world politics, their impacts and how these have conditioned the roles of peacekeepers in it. Then, we examined four of the main theoretical approaches that are discernible in the peacekeeping literature, which offer possible frameworks for the analysis and interpretation of peacekeeping research. We argued that there is no single theory (or a metatheory) that fully explains the whole gamut of issues involved in peace operations. This is because these theoretical traditions provide different ways in which to comprehend peacekeeping. A single theory is highly unlikely to fully explain the complexities of contemporary peace operations, especially in a continent like Africa featuring different peacekeeping actors. Therefore, peacekeeping is best understood through the application of many theories in order to uncover the motives of peacekeeping authourising institutions, peacekeepers as well as the role(s) peacekeeping missions play and the interest they serve.
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF EXTERNAL AGGRESSION IN LATIN AMERICA: A COMPARISON BETWEEN COSTA RICA AND ECUADOR
Authors: Méndez-Coto Marco Vinicio
Published: January 2020

External aggression is an analytic category used by Latin American States regardless the governmental ideology or their political affiliations. A comparative study conducted out between two Latin American Small States enables to understand the regularities in their behavior when facing such kind of threat, in terms of their role identity, objective and subjective interests and consistently their foreign policy actions at the domestic, bilateral, sub-regional and regional level. This article argued that the small states are more vulnerable to the external aggressions because of their lack of material resources and their need of external support, compromising their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and requiring the activation of multilateral mechanisms such as the Organization of American States and other regional and sub-regional institutions.
GUIANA FRANCESA E MALVINAS: A PRESENÇA MILITAR DA FRANÇA E DO REINO UNIDO NO ATLÂNTICO SUL E NO CONTINENTE SUL-AMERICANO
Authors: Valle Machado da Silva Marcos
Published: January 2020

The issue of the Falklands catalyzes the attention of researchers in studies of the military presence of extraregional actors in South America. However, France, a state equally exogenous to the South American nations, is present in the region, keeping a colonial territory, where contingents and military installations are located, almost always ignored in regional security studies. In this context, this paper aims to highlight the military presence of France and the United Kingdom in America and South Atlantic, and to analyze the tensions arising from this presence in relation to the regional Brazilian view of defense.
A GEOPOLÍTICA DO ESPAÇO CIBERNÉTICO SUL-AMERICANO: (IN) CONFORMAÇÃO DE POLÍTICAS DE SEGURANÇA E DEFESA CIBERNÉTICA?
Authors: Moura Gonzales Selma Lúcia de , Soares Portela Lucas
Published: January 2020

The purpose of this article is to analyze the current cyber security and defense policies in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, that have the higher density of internauts, placing these policies in the context of two regional forums: the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the possible existence of an interdependence among them or if a new cyberspace geopolitics is being framed in the region, that influences the organization of regional power.
Política Nuclear Comparada: Um Estudo de Caso do Impacto Norte-Americano nos Programas da Índia e do Brasil (1946/2018)
Authors: Pecequilo Cristina Soreanu , Bertolucci Artur Cruz
Published: January 2020

The knowledge regarding nuclear technology represented a new reality for the generation of energy and international security. The nuclear attacks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 represented the beginning of the so-called nuclear era and of the “balance of terror” as presented by many analysts such as Raymond Aron, deepened by the arms race in the US-Soviet bipolarity after 1947. Besides the superpowers, different countries had begun to develop their nuclear programs. The cases of Brazil and India stand out, since they develop their research agendas n the 1950s and 1960s, in the Cold War context, as a path to enhance their autonomy and bargaining power. The spread of the nuclear knowledge represented a challenge for the superpowers, and the talks for mechanisms of nuclear proliferation control such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) started. This is the context in which Brazil and India develop their nuclear programs under the impact of its bilateral relations with the US. Although, these programs were convergent at first, in the search for nuclear autonomy, adjustments are going to be observed on both policies after the end of the Cold War. The article aims to understand the importance and history of Brazil and India nuclear programs and US weight on these agendas.
AXES OF WORLD POWER IN THE 21ST CENTURY: AN ANALYTICAL PROPOSAL
Authors: Visentini Paulo Fagundes
Published: January 2020

The ranking of the hierarchy and grouping of World Powers is not based exclusively on material indicators such as economics, natural resources, territorial extension, population size and military resources. It is necessary to consider the stage in which the transformational process of the post-Cold War International System is, the position in which a power stands, and general and specific historical trends. The present article proposes a classification that identifies the existence of four axes of world power: 1) the Anglo-Saxon military-rentier; 2) the semi-sovereign industriallydeveloped; 3) the semi-peripheral industrially-emergent; and 4) the agrarian, mineral and demographic peripheral.
EMERGING POWERS AND PEACE NEGOTIATIONS: THE EXPERIENCE OF BRAZIL IN THE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN
Authors: Hirst Monica Ellen Seabra
Published: January 2020

This paper addresses the role of emerging powers and the importance of Southern soft power resources in global peace negotiations. It aims to examine the performance of Brazil as a contributor to peaceful solutions and the de-escalation of international security tension. Brazilian assertive diplomacy during the Lula da Silva government (2003-2010) made special efforts to build bridges in international negotiations to transcend deadlock scenarios. This text will focus specifically on the 2010 Brazil-Turkey joint initiative – known as the Teheran Declaration – set forward to mitigate the international tensions caused by the Iranian nuclear program. Both countries worked together to persuade Iran to accept a fuel swap deal which could de-rail a new round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran. The failure to change the course of Western-led coercive actions indicates the restraints emerging powers face as peace intermediators in global security.  The lack of acknowledgement from Western powers, while effective to reverse the success of the Brazilian-Turkey initiative, also postponed positive outcomes in international negotiations with Iran. This text suggests re-visiting the consequences of this postponement, particularly after the Trump administration has walked away from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran.
Improved Cooperation in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Sana Muhammad Shahzaib , Khan Muhammad Yousaf Ali , Saleem Nasir , Khan Imran Ullah , Ahmed Arbab Waheed
Published: January 2020

The WSNs (Wireless Sensor Networks) lead to great opportunities to explore it scientifically. In this network different numbers of SN (Sensor Nodes) are deployed in a specific area to gather information. The UWSNs (Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks) is a highly distributed network of sensor nodes deployed underwater to gather environmental information. Hence, acquirement of real-time data at enhanced data rate and to reduce power consumption is a key concern while designing routing protocol for UWSNs. In this paper, a cooperation based solution is suggested. The solution proposed here uses the DF (Decode and Forward) strategy for relying the information from the source to the destination using a relay node. The signals coming towards the destination are weighted and combined on the basis of their SNRC (Signal to Noise Ratio Combing). The simulation results verify enhancement in different factors, required for evaluation of a UWSN. After implementation of the proposed solution the stability of the network is increased which maximize the PDR (Packet Delivery Ratio). In our proposed solution the transmission is based on channel estimation, an estimate is made for higher reliable channel, which reduces retransmission of packets. Hence, sink receive the packets with lesser delay and as a result E2E (End-to-End) delay is decreased. Data is forwarded using data forwarding by neighbor nodes. It improves average energy consumption of the system. Hence the overall performance and lifetime of a UWSN is increased.
Impact of Storage Time, Rain and Quality of Molasses in the Production of Bioethanol
Authors: Bhatti Zulfiqar Ali , Rajput Manzoor-ul-Haq , Maitlo Ghulamullah
Published: January 2020

Due to environmental concerns and the rising prices of petroleum products, usually bio-ethanol is being produced in greater amount from sugar cane molasses in Pakistan. In this work various properties related to molasses are being analyzed by performing experiments at the Distillery Plant, AASML (AlAbbas Sugar Mills Limited), Mirpurkhas, Sindh, Pakistan. Brix, Sucrose, pH, ethyl alcohol, RS (Reducing Sugar), TSI (Total Sugar as an Invert), TS (Total Sugar), purity and presence of micro-organisms are scrutinized. In addition, the effects of quality parameters of pre-fermentation and fermentation for ethyl alcohol production, time impact on stored molasses and consequences of rain on quality of molasses are studied. It was observed from the study that good quality molasses which is the raw material for alcohol production should be used in fermentation process. Molasses must be stored in steel tanks to prevent it from contamination and loss of fermentable sugars. The prefermenters need to steam sterilized, cleaned and washed before inoculation of yeast cells so that the yeast grows healthy to produce maximum ethyl alcohol in fermenters. The water used for hydrolysis of molasses in fermentation should be clean, filtered and good quality nutrients must be used for the growth of yeasts. Finally, efficiency and yield are calculated and t-test has been performed to depict a direct relationship of the fermentable sugar with efficiency.
Pravoslavno svećenstvo Slavonije i Srijema u borbi s kugom tijekom XVIII. stoljeća
Authors: Maksić Veljko
Published: January 2020

Stanovnik slavonsko-srijemskog područja XVIII. stoljeća imao je nesreću da nekoliko puta svjedoči strahotama epidemije kuge. Promet robe i ljudi kroz pogranično područje, kakvo je bilo ovo slavonsko-srijemsko, za sobom je nosio i rizik prijenosa bolesti. U namjeri sprječavanja širenja epidemija kuge, Habsburška Monarhija je tijekom XVIII. stoljeća izgradila sustav sanitarnog kordona koji je trebao zaustaviti širenje zaraze na granicama države. Unatoč svim mjerama opreza, širenje zaraze preko linije razgraničenja nije uvijek bilo moguće spriječiti. Nepoznavanje uzročnika kuge, kao niti pouzdanog lijeka, stanovništvo zaraženog područja tjeralo je u očajanje pred nemilosrdnošću kuge. Jedini spas stanovništvo je moglo očekivati zazivanjem Boga i nadati se pomoći istoga. Cilj rada je opisati ulogu pravoslavnog svećenstva u okolnostima u kojima se stanovništvo moglo nadati isključivo božjoj pomoći. U radu je najprije objašnjeno shvaćanje epidemije kuge među suvremenicima, to jest tumačenje zaraze kao božje kazne ili djelovanja demona. Na tu cjelinu nastavlja se prikaz duhovne brige svećenstva, izražene kroz molitve. Utjecaj svećenstva na stanovništvo nastojale su iskoristiti svjetovne vlasti, te su tako angažirale pravoslavno svećenstvo u cilju plasiranja i eksplanacije svrsishodnosti pojedinih sanitarnih mjera. Interakcija svećenstva sa stanovništvom u vrijeme haranja kuge zahtijevala je prilagodbu i same svećeničke prakse. Na koncu, prikazana je uloga svećenstva u medicinskoj djelatnosti.
Determinants of Domestic Violence in Women of Reproductive Age in Rwanda
Authors: Habyarimana Faustin , Zewotir Temesgen , Ramroop Shaun
Published: January 2020

Domestic violence is a global public health problem. It is prevalent in both the developed world and developing countries. The objective of this study is to identify the factors that are associated with domestic violence against women of reproductive age in Rwanda. The data from the 2014/2015 Rwanda demographic and health survey were used. Generalized linear mixed model was used to account for random effects, overdispersion of residual and heterogeneity. The findings of this study revealed that wealth quintiles, education level of the husband or partner, polygamy, alcohol status of husband or partner, size of the family, number of sexual partners including the husband in the last 12 months, the province the victim lived in, the ownership of an asset in the form of a house or land and the societal attitude towards wife-beating, were the determinants of domestic violence in women of reproductive age. The findings of the risk factors in the current study can help the policy makers, public health workers and institutions in charge of gender monitoring in Rwanda to come up with effective strategies to reduce the domestic violence levels directed against women.
Promoting Business Inclusivity for Sustainable Livelihoods among the Zimbabwean Poor
Authors: Mbira Leonard , Ncube Mbongiseni
Published: January 2020

The Zimbabwean economy has nose-dived since the long decade era of hyperinflation resulting in serious economic depression, extreme poverty and unemployment. Regrettably, lack of an entrepreneurial culture has become a huge obstacle to the resuscitation of the economy. Developing inclusive business models incorporating livelihood opportunities for social bottom line has long been suggested as the solution for economically distressed less developed nations facing high levels of unemployment. This study sought to explore factors that disincentivise Zimbabweans from seeking and initiating value creating business opportunities that are low income inclusive and further presents strategies to infuse an entrepreneurial investment culture. It adopts the survey design approach in collection of data. The study identifies lack of skills and knowledge, lack of access to financial markets, unfavorable business environment and regulatory system, perceived high risk and poor infrastructure as the main impediments to the integration of the poor communities in to the value chain.
The Determinants of South African Banks' Capital Buffers
Authors: Sibindi Athenia Bongani
Published: January 2020

The financing decisions of banks remain an enigma, increasingly attracting the attention of banking regulators and corporate finance scholars alike. The â€˜buffer viewâ€™ of bank capital is premised on the notion that banks keep capital in excess of the regulatory requirements in line with bank specific factors. This study sought to test the â€˜buffer viewâ€™ of bank capital. Utilising a sample of 16 South African banks for the period 2006-2015, panel data techniques were employed to estimate a fixed effects model to test the relationship between buffer capital and the firm level determinants of capital structure. It was established that the risk and size variables were negatively related to the buffer capital variable, whilst the dividend variable was positively related. This was consistent with the predictions of the buffer view of capital. The findings lend credence to the â€˜buffer viewâ€™ school of thought about bank capital. These findings are also inconsistent with bank capital regulations solely determining the capital structures of banks but epitomises some measure of voluntary capital structure decision making by banking firms.
The Role of Basic Business Skills Development and Their Influence on South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise Sustainability
Authors: Bruwer Juan-PierrÃ , Smith Judith
Published: January 2020

South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have received vast amounts of attention from both government and scholars over the years, mainly due to the socio-economic value they add to the national economy. Notwithstanding the importance of these business entities to the South African economy, prior research suggests that South African SMMEs have one of the worst sustainability rates in the world; mainly attributable to the influence of unmanaged economic factors. Included in these economic factors is the matter of a scarcity of skills, particularly that of basic business skills. Though limited research has been conducted on the individual business skills which require development in South African SMMEs the perception was formulated that the development of basic business skills in these business entities may have a positive influence on their attainment of key businesses objectives in the foreseeable future. As such, empirical research was performed which fell within the positivistic research paradigm; data were gleaned from South African SMME management through means of a questionnaire. Stemming from the results, it was found that although there is a dire need for the development of basic business skills in South African SMMEs. It can be argued that some basic business skills were more important to develop than others as only a few had a positive influence on the attainment of business objectives.
The Moderating Effect of Work-Life Balance on Job Satisfaction
Authors: Gounder Simone , Govender Patsy
Published: January 2020

In emerging cultures, job satisfaction and work-life balance are ongoing factors in gaining the ultimate competitive advantage for organizations. Work-life balance is a core ingredient for job satisfaction and for quality work performance, and employees need to have a sense of commitment to their jobs. The study attempts to determinethe extent to which work-life balance has a moderating effect onjob satisfaction in a call centre organization. The approach for the study was quantitative, and a self-developed questionnaire was the research instrument. The sample was107 employees and, both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized.  A probability random sampling technique was chosen.  As evidenced in the study, room for improvement was required with both job satisfaction and work-life balance and; the validity and reliability for the study were high. The hypothesis for the study was partially accepted. In addition to a significant relationshipthat exists between the main constructs, work-life balance does have a moderating effect onjob satisfaction. The results and recommendations provide anecdotal evidence to call centre managers and policy makers to reach new levels of operations in order to meet their strategic intent and goal attainment.
Work-Family Stressors and Work-Family Satisfaction: Effect of Sense of Coherence at a Metropolitan Municipality
Authors: Abe Ethel N. , Abe Isaac I. , Fields Ziska , Idris Ganiyu O.
Published: January 2020

This article contributes to emergent research by examining the linkage between workâ€“family stressors and their effect on work-family satisfaction (WFS) at a metropolitan municipality in South Africa. Extant literature on stress has either not adequately examined the linkage between domain specific stressors and domain specific satisfaction or have suggested models with direct connections. The present study suggests a mediating model and assesses the mediation. Specifically, it claims that sense of coherence (SOC) plays a mediating part in the in the work and family stressors - WFS relationship. This mixed methods research applied a variance-based structural equation modelling (Partial Least Squares) to a sample of 307 professional level employees at a metropolitan municipality in South Africa. The finding supports the importance of SOC and its influence on WFS. Additionally, mediation hypotheses theorise how SOC plays a critical mediating influence in the work-family stressor-WFS relationship. Data analysis suggest that (a) work stressors and WFS interrelated in a manner that SOC fully mediated the effect of work stressors on WFS (b) SOC partially mediated the relationship between family stressors and WFS. The findings have both theoretical and practical implications.
Inflation Targeting Monetary Policy and Unemployment in South Africa
Authors: Maduku Harris , Kaseeram Irrshad
Published: January 2020

We analyze the impact of inflation, growth and exchange rate on unemployment in South Africa using annual data spanning 1980- 2017. Using the ARDL methodology we find that there is a negative longrun relationship between inflation and unemployment in South Africa and inflation is significant in explaining unemployment. Other variables of interest, economic growth and exchange rate are also significant in explaining unemployment. We use the findings of our study to propose that the South African Reserve Bank(SARB) should consider revising its objectives so that they can consider getting involved in targeting unemployment so that they help nurse the economy from the wounds of high inequality and poverty.
Relationship between Social Media Collaboration and Ecosystem Management in Enugu State, Nigeria
Authors: Agbaeze Emmanuel K , Onyinye Ajoku P.P. , Joseph Obamen , Solomon Omonona
Published: January 2020

This study was done on the relationship between social media collaborations and ecosystem management in Enugu state. The study was premised on the case of herdsmen-farmers/villagers clash over grazing fields and farmlands in Enugu State being the ecology-related issue. Survey research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 100 social media group participants was selected using snowball sampling technique. The questionnaire was used for data collection. Content validity was used as a method for testing the validity of the questionnaire while Cronbach's alpha method was used for testing the internal consistency of the items on the questionnaire. Pearsonâ€™s Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypothesis formulated for the study. Findings revealed that social media collaborations via Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have a significant relationship with ecosystem management. It was recommended that government and ecologically concerned agencies should employ social media collaborations as the policy for ecosystem management.
Work-Life Conflict of Native and Immigrant Entrepreneurs in South Africa
Authors: Fatoki Olawale
Published: January 2020

Work life conflict negatively impacts entrepreneurs and the economic performance of their businesses. The study explored the work-life conflict (WLC) of native and immigrant entrepreneurs in South Africa. Also, the study examined the effect of gender and work-related factors (long working hours and work overload) on the WLC of native and immigrant entrepreneurs. The study adopted the survey method (selfadministered questionnaires) for data collection. The participants in the study were identified through convenience and snowballing sampling methods. The methods of data analysis included descriptive statistics, T-test, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The results showed high levels of WLC for both native and immigrant entrepreneurs. Native entrepreneurs have a higher level of WLC compared to immigrant entrepreneurs, however the difference is not statistically significant. Male entrepreneurs have a lower level of WLC compared to female entrepreneurs. Long working hours and work overload significantly impact on the WLC of native and immigrant entrepreneurs. Recommendations to reduce WLC include goal setting, scheduling and delegation of work by entrepreneurs.
Technology, Financial Innovations and Bank Behavior in a Low Income Country
Authors: Bara Alex , LeRoux Pierre
Published: January 2020

Technology has enabled banks to introduce new products that integrate markets, simplify operations and enable expansion of business at low cost, expand to new markets, take new risks and deepen their markets. Zimbabwe registered significant growth in adoption and diffusion of financial innovations over the past two decades, which coincided with a shift in the structure of credit portfolios of banks, and growth in credit as well as risk appetite. This study empirically evaluates the impact of financial innovations in influencing bank behaviour, specifically, portfolio structure risk appetite and delivery channels of banks in Zimbabwe. The study applied co-relational analysis, Fully Modified OLS and the Dynamic OLS estimation models as well as Autoregressive Granger causality approaches. Empirical results show that technology has the capacity to influence activities of banks in risk management, credit and delivery of banking service in lowincome countries. Precisely, financial innovation influences increase in credit towards previously high-risk areas, compositions of credit portfolios in banks and support growth in number of bank accounts. Causality was found to run from financial innovation to bank behaviour, and only in the long run.
Moral Hazard Effects of Corporate Bond Guarantee Purchases: Empirical Evidence from China
Authors: Zhang Xueying , Gao Shansheng , Jiao Jian
Published: January 2020

This study examines corporate bond guarantees by developing a theoretical model that decomposes the overall impact of a guarantee into signalling and incentive effects and presenting empirical evidence based on data from Chinaâ€™s corporate bond market. Our empirical research yields considerable evidence for the effects we posit in the model and provides some important insights into the problems of adverse selection and moral hazard in Chinaâ€™s bond market. The empirical evidence shows that the bond issuer with lower credit rating are more willing to purchase a bond guarantee and guaranteed bonds have a higher issue spread yield than those non-guaranteed bonds, even though both have the same bond credit rating. Our findings suggest that moral hazard would be better than adverse selection to explain the self- selection of bond guarantees. Prior to bond issuance credit rating signal provides a mechanism to mitigate information inequality, while bond guarantees relieve information asymmetry afterwards.
Local Economic Development: A Test for Relevance in South Africa
Authors: Plaatjie Sebeka Richard , Plaatjie Sebeka Richard
Published: January 2020

The contemporary discourse on local economic development (LED) has gained widespread popularity in the political, intellectual, and public social arenas of development issues. It has become a â€œnew,â€ glittering philosophy for development. Through the persuasive use of romanticism, LED has managed to achieve moral high ground in development, although it has since been confronted by unresolved theoretical and ideological tensions. The challenges facing LED are (1) the meaning of â€œlocalâ€ in LED in a â€œglobalizedâ€ world (2) the meaning of â€œdevelopmentâ€ in LED in a democratic, multicultural and racialized class society like South Africa, and (3) the explanation and moral justification as to what this â€œdevelopmentâ€ is, or whom it should be aimed at, in a society with such a grotesquely racialized â€œpastâ€. By drawing on the findings from a recent study of LED within the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis project, in South Africa, we provide a critique of LED. We highlight its illusive philosophical foundations and their underlying mischief in South Africa. We argue that unless the said tensions are resolved, LED discourse will remain a rhetorical ploy for legitimating underdevelopment for blacks, and a methodical device to entrench the racialized socio-economic evils of apartheid in South Africa.
A Robust Application of the Arbitrage Pricing Theory: Evidence from Nigeria
Authors: J. Oyetayo Oluwatosin , Olufemi Adeyeye Patrick
Published: January 2020

Arbitrage pricing theory (APT) is a testable theory based on the idea that in competitive financial markets arbitrage will ensure that riskless assets provide the same expected return. We sought to confirm the relevance of the arbitrage pricing theory in Nigeria. Guided by a good understanding of macroeconomic variables and stock price movements as found in the extant literature on arbitrage pricing theory (APT), we specified our APT equation for estimation. Having satisfied the integration and co-integration issues, we employ the error-correction (ECM) and the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) methods for the short-run and long-run regressions. Our short-run results seem to agree with existing theories on APT thus confirming that APT is relevant in Nigeria. However, the long-run relationship of stock returns and RGDP was found to be contentious. Even though our result runs contrary to predictions on the relationship between the two, we found peculiar events and circumstances within the Nigerian macroeconomic context that provides logical reasons for the deviation.
A Regression Analysis of Generation Y Female Students' Perceptions on Social Risk, Buying Behaviour and Apparel Store Choice
Authors: Mokoena Bakae Aubrey , Maziriri Eugine Tafadzwa
Published: January 2020

In the present post-modern era, Generation Y female students are faced with a discerning process of selecting the optimum apparel retail store to be loyal to and from which to buy clothing products. Therefore, the active store choice decision is conceptualized as the difficulty of determining someplace and when and where to shop. The main objective of the study was to examine the relationship between social risk, buying behavior and store choice within the apparel retail industry. The study is positioned within a post-positivism quantitative paradigm and adopts a cross-sectional survey approach collecting data from 400 conveniently selected university students. Scale purification was done through pre-testing and pilot testing. Through multiple regression analysis, the results show that social risk and buying behavior significantly influences retail store choice in an apparel retail setting. The findings indicated that there is a positive and significant association between perceived social risk, buying behavior and retail store choice. Based on the outcomes of the study, recommendations were suggested to retail managers to develop retailing strategies that charm the female Generation Y consumers. In addition, limitations and future research directions are referred to.
The Effects of Stress on Employee Productivity: A Perspective of Zimbabwe's Socio-Economic Dynamics of 2016
Authors: Mawanza Wilford
Published: January 2020

This study was motivated by Zimbabweâ€™s deteriorating economic experience, which has resulted in high unemployment rates, low productivity, high cost of doing business, increased labour disputes, and stress manifestation amongst the working population. The results of the study showed that change factors, demands or pressure factors, lack of support and participation at work by supervisors and other staff members, and work role were to a greater extent the most stressful factors. The perennial economic crisis in the country, high degree of uncertainty due to restructurings and redundancies, and work changes without consultations, had a positive impact on employeeâ€™s productivity. The regression results concluded that poor work relationships, lack of support at work, and poor planning had negatively affected productivity.
The Implications of Consumer Protection Legislation for Hotels and Guests in South Africa
Authors: Mohamed Raeesah , Reddy Karunanidhi , Naidoo P. M.
Published: January 2020

During the apartheid era, consumers in South Africa, based on their race and ethnicity, were restricted when concluding contracts, as there was no open market trade. As consumers, hotel guests could also be victims of unfair business practices. Hotels use standard form contracts that may include unfair terms that favour the business and which are over-protective of business interests. A significant percentage of the population have low literacy levels, which severely disadvantage them when it comes to understanding the content and consequence of contracts. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) introduces wide-ranging legal measures to protect consumers, including hotel guests, from exploitation and abuse in the marketplace and sets out comprehensive obligations for hotels. This article provides a descriptive critique based on literature and describes the challenges faced by hotel guests and discusses the implications of the Act for hotels and guests. It concludes that not only does the CPA advocate ethical business practices that are mandatory for hotels, but it also introduces a range of rights and protection for guests as consumers. The CPA has introduced a shift in contract law from a standpoint which allowed the parties the freedom to choose the content of the contract to one where fairness and transparency is imperative, as protection in terms of legislation compensates for the weaker bargaining position of the consumer.
The Impact of Leadership Styles on the Entrepreneurial Orientation of Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa
Authors: Dzomonda Obey , Fatoki Olawale , Oni Olabanji
Published: January 2020

The critical role Small and Medium Enterprises play in the economic prosperity of nations cannot be understated. SMEs actively contribute towards economic growth and development through their active role as innovators and agents for change. The authors of this paper believe that leadership styles exercised by SME owners have a bearing on the innovative ability of SMEs. Hence, this paper aimed at investigating the impact of leadership styles on the entrepreneurial orientation of SMEs in Polokwane Municipality. A quantitative research method was used and 103 SMEs participated in the survey. The random sampling technique was used. Self-administered questionnaires were utilised to collect data in a survey. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearsonâ€™s correlation and regression analysis. Reliability of the data collection instruments was measured using the Cronbachâ€™s alpha. The results indicated that the SMEs display average levels of entrepreneurial orientation. In addition, the results showed that SMEs display average levels of leadership styles inclined towards transformational leadership style. Furthermore, the results showed a significant positive relationship between the independent variables: leadership styles with the dependent variable (EO) of SMEs. SMEs were recommended to provide flexible leadership styles that will make EO to flourish in their businesses. Furthermore, the policy makers and relevant authorities were recommended to devise and implement a consortium of strategies and policies that can increase the level of entrepreneurial orientation among SMEs in South Africa.
Budget Deficits and Economic Growth: A Vector Error Correction Modelling of South Africa
Authors: Molefe Kagiso , Maredza Andrew
Published: January 2020

The primary motivation behind this study was to explore the consequential effects of budget deficit on South Africa`s economic growth. Six variables were used, namely: real GDP, budget deficit, real interest rate, labour, gross fixed capital formation and unemployment. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) was used to estimate the long-run equation and also measure the correction from disequilibrium of preceding periods. Using annual time series data spanning the period 1985 to 2015, empirical evidence from the study revealed that budget deficits and economic growth are inversely related. It was therefore concluded that high levels of budget deficit in South Africa have detrimental effects on the growth of the economy. The estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study revealed that about 29 per cent of the variation in GDP from its equilibrium level is corrected within one year. The results obtained in this study are favourably similar to those in the literature and are also sustained by previous studies.