bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Schools and Families in the Religions Perceptions of Children in Albania and Kosovo
Authors: Rita Loloçi , Petro Menada
Published: October 2021

This study aimed to identify children`s perceptions regarding the role of religion in their education, their religious belonging, the parent's role in their religious education, and the attitude they have towards other religions. To gather quantitative data regarding the opinion the 10-14 age children have on religion and religious education, a survey was performed in several schools in Albania and Kosovo urban and rural areas (720 students from 8 schools of Durres, 4 in rural areas, and 473 students from 8 schools of Pristina and the surrounding area). A questionnaire was used to fulfill the purpose of the research regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and the perceptions of 10-14 age group on religious education in schools. At the same time, studies of national and international authors were consulted for a better analysis of the problems raised in the questionnaires such as the role and the importance of intercultural education in the coexistence and the harmony between people of different cultures, the education on The Fundamental Rights, the role of the curricula in schools, the difference between families in the rural and urban areas and the effect of the parents’ education on children. The results of the study showed that children of this age group receive the first knowledge about religion from the family. An irreplaceable role in religious education has the media. The school involvement in giving knowledge on religious beliefs in both studied regions will positively influence pupil’s formation, eliminating this way the violation of other people religion that often is present in our schools and not only. A correlation between the tolerance of parents and the tolerance of their children resulted as the consequence of the care that families show to respect different religions and often even sects.
Transition from e-Government to m-Government: Challenges and Opportunities - Case Study of UAE
Authors: Alharmoodi Badir Yousif Rafee , Lakulu Muhammad Modi B
Published: October 2021

This study aims to explore the challenges of the transition from e-government to m-government as well as to identify and develop a workable framework on m-government standards, protocols and its inherent opportunities for various business engagements. The objectives of the study are to identify strategic challenges in various government organizations that impede transition from e-government services to m-government services, formulate a framework of m-government for government and private business organizations to tackle the challenges and enhance the opportunities using Fuzzy Delphi method, and to validate the proposed framework using Fuzzy Delphi method. A survey questionnaire is used to gather data on the study constructs. The validation of formulated framework is based on Fuzzy Delphi method. Descriptive statistics is used to determine the frequency of the demographical variables. Independent sample T-test is used to test the hypothesis in other to show the variance in the constructs against the dependent variable. This study has identified through systematic literature review five (5) categories of challenges and opportunities.
Slopes Analyses - Case Study, Slope Stability of Bypass Project
Authors: Bardhi Diana
Published: October 2021

The scope of this study was to compare various stability evaluation methods. Accordingly, most common LE approaches were compared with the advanced LE (M‐P) method. Similarly, the differences in FOS computed from LE and FE analyses were compared based on a simple slope considering various load cases. In addition, two real slopes in a case study were analysed for the recorded minimum‐maximum GWT, pseudo‐static and dynamic conditions. Moreover, the stability evaluations of these slopes were based on both LE (M‐P) and FE (PLAXIS) calculation approaches, which both utilized shear strength parameters from advanced triaxle tests. Similarly, Mohr‐Coulomb model was applied in both approaches. The following conclusions are hence derived based on the reported work on both idealized and real slopes. To fulfil one of the aims of the study, the LE based methods are compared based on the factor of safety (FOS) obtained for various load combinations. The comparison is mainly based on simplified slope geometry and assumed input parameters. Among the LE methods, the Bishop simplified (BS), Janbu simplified (JS) and Janbu GPS methods are compared with the Morgenstern‐Price method (M‐PM). These LE methods are well established for many years, and thus some of them are still commonly used in practice for stability analysis. Moreover, the M‐PM has been compared with results from the FE analyses. Compared with theFE (PLAXIS) analyses, the LE (M‐PM) analyses may estimate 5 – 14percent higher FOS, depending on the conditions of a dry slope and a fully saturated slope with hydrostatic pore pressure distributions. For fully saturated conditions in the slope, inaccurate computation of stresses in LE methods may have resulted in larger difference in the computed FOS. Since, the FE software is based on stress‐strain relationship, stress redistributions are surely better computed even for a complicated problem. This has been found one of the advantages in FE simulations. A parameter study shows that the application of a positive dilatancy angle in FE analysis can significantly improve the FOS (4 ‐ 10percent). On contrast, the shear surface optimization in LE (M‐PM in SLOPE/W) analysis results in lower FOS, and thus minimizing the difference in FOS compared with FE analysis
The Factors Which Lead Students’ Dropout from Public Secondary Schools in Al’Ain City, Exploring It
Authors: Alkaabi Khamis Fatima Abdulla , Noor Mohd Asri Bin Mohd
Published: October 2021

For any instructive organization, understudies are generally significant. Colleges and schools have no an incentive without students. The instructive cycle is an incorporated interaction including the family, the school and the whole local area to arrive at viable yields. There are a number of factors that negatively affect at-risk students' retention in school and graduate such as socioeconomic status. Phenomenon of dropout where thousands of students dropped out is prevalent and constant in urban schools across the United States (Brown, 2015). This research is important for academic reason; it gives academic practitioners vital information that can be utilized to develop the education. The information was collected by interviews questions with students. The information collected were analyzed by using coding, theme and sub-nodes with Nvivo program. The research showed that the factors affect in Retention of secondary stage’s students in Al Ain.
Facebook Commerce (F-Commerce) and French Women: A Gender Perspective
Authors: Mercanti-Guérin Maria
Published: October 2021

The objective of this exploratory research is to investigate a mode of purchasing, social commerce and its main target, e-shoppers. Social commerce can take different forms: F-commerce, grouped purchases or discounts. Nevertheless, the best way to monetize social media remains the possibility to incite Internet users to promote the products or promotions obtained by their friends. Recommendations coming from friends are the main lever to create interactions between consumers, interactions centered on the purchase. However, many questions remain unanswered, especially regarding social acceptance and the real effectiveness of this type of promotion. In one study conducted on the "La Redoute" brand, we examined the extent to which our sample of women is likely to accept social shopping and, in particular, the product or service recommendations of their friends on their wall.
Legal Education and Upbringing of Order
Authors: Musaraj Joniada
Published: October 2021

A great importance to a democratic society is the creation of legal literacy education on rule. Such a breeding seems to be primarily present in the consciousness of every citizen. The principles of a democratic state should be installed, first to society. These principles embodied in the individual consciousness in the form of legal and institutional consciousness. Moreover every man should know that c `demands of an institution, and should make it impossible to solve the institutional and democratic way, even when he finds the office door closed, even by officials when a problem exists as insoluble. An individual should not be equated with the passivity that is generally characterized by officials, but must use every means to protect the right and dignity. Methodology: First, quantitative analysis was used to see why the number of citizens dissatisfied with the exercise of their rights is increasing. Secondly, qualitative analysis was used by analyzing the social and objective causes that lead to a lack of legal education of the public. Expected results: the consequent link between the lack of information on the law and non-exercise of the right. This scientific paper seeks to give concretely what are some of the strategies that should be used to have a well-informed public and satisfied with the exercise of law.
Risk Behaviour on the Internet in the Context of Loneliness in Adolescents
Authors: Andrea Vašková , Lovašová Soňa
Published: October 2021

The aim of this paper at the theoretical level was to characterize risk behaviour on the Internet including its forms. In the theoretical part of the paper, the authors clarified, among other things, the issue of loneliness and outlined the most common causes of loneliness. The authors defined loneliness from the viewpoint of adolescence as a developmental period. At the empirical level, the aim of the authors was to identify differences in the incidence of risk behaviour on the Internet in adolescents in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics. Another goal was to point out the correlations between risk behaviour on the Internet and loneliness.
Man as Object. The Denial of Dignity
Authors: Brugiatelli Vereno
Published: October 2021

Considering and treating people as things, objects or instruments is easier than one may think. Marx and Lukacs have highlighted the fact that the different processes of reification (reducing man to an object) is rooted in market logic: philosophers of the Frankfurt School like Horkheimer, Marcuse and Adorno have identified their origin in the techno-scientific reasoning of capitalist society. In this paper I intend to demonstrate that their explanations embrace the phenomenon of reification in an incomplete way. Through Axel Honneth’s social philosophy I intend to show that the reduction of man to an object depends on the misrecognition of the qualities and dignity of man. Such misrecognition does not depend on market logic or techno-scientific reason, but rather on a certain attitude that man adopts towards himself and others.
Religion - The Discipline of Restoring Communion Between People
Authors: Ene Ionel
Published: October 2021

We are tempted to make a hierarchy of disciplines, both in pre-university education, but sometimes even in university. Usually, the emphasis is on the disciplines in the real area, to the detriment of those in the human area. We go further and do the hierarchy in the same area and we have the feeling that physics is more important than mathematics, or chemistry is more valuable than technology and so on. As for the humanist side, philosophy and political science have long surpassed linguistics and history. In this context we ask ourselves: where is the place of theology or religion? To what extent can religion or theology contribute to the completion of the profile of the new man? As the importance of the spiritual component in the formation of young people is increasingly relativized and diminished, to the detriment of the somatic one, we wonder if religion was not misperceived and taught. This is why we would like to proclaim the truth about Christianity, which we should discover as clean and clear as spring water, in the discipline taught in schools.
The Need for Inspirational (Charismatic) Teachers in Today's Classrooms.
Authors: Qardaku Nevila Gurra
Published: October 2021

In the time when access to diversified and abundant information by high school students is very easy, where a student in his comfortable home via the internet, can find quick answers to his questions without having to go and stay in the class with many rules, the need for inspirational teachers is felt more than ever. The increasing number of students who do not respect the treasured figure of the teacher, and under the circumstances when the number of elements that serve as magnets to attract the students' wishes and attention at the expense of school education has increased more than ever, inspirational teachers are needed to increase the curiosity and need of the learner to explore with curiosity. The purpose of this paper is to explain the influence that inspirational teachers have on their students, based on the literature review. Conclusions: inspirational teachers are experts in their subject. They transmit enthusiasm, cultivate positive relationships with students. They are flexible, reflective and adapt to their practices, make intentional and meaningful learning for students. They also help their students to discover where their talents combine with their passions, promote a safe and stimulating climate (environment) in the classroom, create a clear and positive classroom management, developes collaboration and brings innovation to the classroom. This reflection serves to all the actors of education.
Migration Labor Laws
Authors: Pitukhina Maria
Published: October 2021

This study continues to discuss the various legislative structures associated with migrant workers 'unfree labor;' as it also continues to question as to how a set of laws and standards regarding international labor will articulate and justify this problem adequately and would then attempt to fix it. The study continually relates to the exploitative, enforced labor activities, involving slavery, debt slavery, forced labor and trading in labor. A "labor -based framework" could possibly be regarded as an empirical paradigm that takes into account the political and economic history of exploitation; emphasizes on the deterrence and social explanations for inequality and abuse rather than on the enforcement of slavery; recognizes the value of labor rights and other labor market regulatory frameworks and considers the progression of spectrum within these regards.
Fearism and Racism: Investigating Middle Eastern Refugee Youth’s Lived Experiences in the United States
Authors: Kayaalp Dilek
Published: October 2021

In this study, I explore the social experiences of Middle Eastern refugee youth in the United States. Sixteen young people from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria aged 15 to 31 participated in this research. Hall’s conceptualization of representation, Ahmed’s cultural politics of emotion, Cohen’s moral panic, and Fisher’s fearism proved to be useful theoretical tools to examine refugee youth’s experiences of marginalization and racism. To explore the refugee youths’ lived experiences, I conducted a critical ethnographic inquiry. I conducted my fieldwork (in-depth interviews and participant observations) in Florida, for two years, from 2017 to 2019. The interview data indicate that racist narratives and misrepresentation of refugee youth negatively affect young people’s experiences and social participation. In response, this study suggests continued investigation of the interplay between representation and fearism to decode state discourse and dominant cultural codes to provide alternative forms of social participation for refugee youth.
Building the Modern Albanian State on Oriental Mentality
Authors: Lika Hazbi
Published: October 2021

This paper aims at proving that the discourse that promotes our national identity is grounded on the new political context which initiated after the Declaration of Independence and the formation of the first Albanian state. During such a discourse, in the given period, prevails the debate on: the west openly rejects the orient. The elite that was active in politics seems to be more restrained, while the intellectual one, especially those educated in the Austro-Germanic region, declare open war on the Orient. The Political Assembly of Prizren and Vlora bring evidence of an ethnic identity which is changeable with respect to the new environment created. Albanian elites, especially the intellectual ones in the light of orientalist, rightly denounce the orient and oriental culture by not appreciating the historical environment in which our ethnic identity had to be maintained for a period of five centuries. The discourse of this period shows that our national identity began to become quite different adapting to the new reality that was created.
An Exploratory Study of Place Marketing Factors in Albanian Football
Authors: Bundo Julian , Axhami Mirdaim
Published: October 2021

Beyond the beautiful game, place is another factor in terms of importance for mix marketing. In football industry place is mainly related to the stadium where the football is produced and consumed from the fans of clubs. For football marketers the atmosphere of the stadium that must prevail to make the fans experience unique, remains one of the most important challenges every week of the seasons. Fans around the world tend to have special experiences in the stadiums, not only for the conditions and services but also mainly for the equipment with the latest technology around it. In Albania, poor quality stadiums and their hostile environment is still an obstacle to the development of football. The main purpose of this study is to understand how the place marketing factor affects football fans in Albanian championship. Using a national representative sample of football fans (N=800), we use exploratory factor analysis to analyze place marketing factor, thus exploring dimensions that define football consumption behavior. The analysis results in four factors, which display nuances of the place marketing factor in the football consumption of Albanian fans. Further, ANOVA is used to examine differences between groups.
Family Planning Policy and Housing Price in China
Authors: Ma Shichang
Published: October 2021

Different intergenerational fertility levels affected by the family planning policy under such altruistic behavior will inevitably affect real estate prices. This paper studies the effect of different intergenerational fertility levels on real estate prices under the parental altruistic behavior model with Chinese characteristics by constructing an Overlapping Generation Model (OLG) with intergenerational wealth transfer. The empirical results show that the lower the intergenerational fertility level of the middle-aged generation, the higher the average wealth level transferred to the youth generation, and the higher the real estate price. This result shows that, unlike the high fertility rate of popular cognition, the low fertility rate of the middle-aged generation under the influence of the family planning policy and the altruistic behavior of the Chinese parents are the important reasons for the current high housing prices. This paper reveals the relationship between China's population policy and real estate price, and can guide the judgment of China's real estate market in the future.
Application of Z-Numbers for Evaluation and Aggregation of the Travel Threats in the Post-Pandemic Era
Authors: Nuriyev Aziz
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this paper is a study of the applicability and efficiency of the Z-numbers (Zadeh, 2011) for estimation of the various travel risk factors, aggregation, and evaluation of the overall risks of the different destinations. At present, travel risk analysis is mainly carried out by using the available statistical data about target country. Therefore, the possibilities of analysing the risks of travelling to a country/region, with insufficient or unreliable information remain questionable. Moreover, the sharp decline of the number of tourists travels due to the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a decrease of the amount of necessary statistic data. To improve quality of the risk assessment, especial in post-pandemic era, the procedures of the Z-numbers based risks identification, assessment and risks aggregation are suggested. Expert’s predictions of the risks are formalized as Z-number-based evaluations. This approach allows considering reliability of the information. For aggregation of the tourist threats of different nature, the method for calculation of Z-weighted arithmetic means was proposed, the overall risk was determined by aggregating factors and a riskier direction was identified. Suggested approach provided an opportunity to go beyond the country-specific statistic-based risk assessment. Tourism risks assessment by using of Z-numbers as well as the proposed method of risks aggregation allows to conduct a comparative analysis of the risks, travelling to different destinations, even in conditions of large uncertainty.
University Pathways of Graduate Students: Professionalization, Innovation and Identity. A French-Argentine Comparative Study
Authors: Aparicio Miriam
Published: October 2021

This article presents findings from two studies carried out with fourth level university students in Argentina, namely Argentine PhDs working at UNCuyo, and with a second group made up of PhDs who are taking part in Professionalization programs (Programs of International Cooperation) in France. This is a comparative study. It is thought that after showing a certain level of excellence and being in contact with other cultures, differences between the groups may exist in terms of perspectives for future work, the role of innovation and competencies to be developed. Various hypotheses were considered. Both studies included common variables related to issues that affect, on the one hand, the effectivity and quality of the University as it relates to the working world and, on the other hand, personal and professional pathways. We focused on Professionalization, Identity and Innovation, variables that involve individuals and contexts interacting with one another. The methodology was quanti-qualitative. Techniques used were semi-structured surveys, interviews and focus groups. The findings show convergences, divergences and silences in the different groups with respect to Innovation, both in its conception and roots and with respect to the future world of work (effects). The findings renew interest in education and employment policies in the face of the demands and changes that the future workplace will require.
Quality Management in Higher Education; Challenges of Private Universities in Albania
Authors: Bruçaj Skender
Published: October 2021

Higher education is considered as one of the main socio-economic development factors of the society. Quality assurance in higher education shall be one of the main priorities of the government and civil society. Expectations for a better performance in the quality of teaching, scientific research and other similar activities, obliges the university managers and administrators to review their strategy. For this reason, the demand for quality in higher education is increasing. After assessing the current state of the private educational institutions in Albania in terms of quality and of identifying the existing issues, there will be provided some recommendations and suggestions for improvement in relation to the future challenges. For this reason, in the theoretical framework of references from literature assessment, a specific total quality management framework (TQM) will be developed.
Philosophical Essence of Democracy
Authors: Baça Ferit
Published: October 2021

Democracy is the product of the politico - economical systems of human society and is always evaluated from the point of view of the populace representation and their role. Continuously, to the democracy, are devoted countless number of theories which intent to explain the causes of the birth of democratic regimes and the power of civil society within such social systems. But in the philosophical plane, require answers a number of questions related to its origin and need, such as: Why did mankind leave the natural state of freedom when it was governed only by the instincts and the law of the jungle? What factors were imposed on the natural state of freedom and called to the stage of history the need for democracy? According to philosophers who refer to the determining role of elites, society is perceived as a single pyramid, at the head of which stands the elite of society itself. Philosophers, who refer to the role of pluralism, represent society as a number of billiard balls which collide with one another and with the governance itself, by producing the respective policies. Both views can be discussed. A society can be seen in the shape of a pyramid led by its elites. Robert Dahl called this kind of democracy a "polyarchy", which means leaded by the leaders of various groups who have managed to have an understanding with one another, while another scholar Arend Lijphart has called it "constitutional democracy". He argues that elites of every important group reach an agreement to run society under constitutional rules. This study provides a detailed analysis of the notion of "Democracy" seen from the point of view of elitism and pluralism. The breadth and depth of the subject consists of an intricate initiative in itself, for the fact that no study, old or new, or even all of the studies together on this subject, with all the depth and attentive care, can be complete, let alone conclusive, when they try to shed light on the etymological roots of humanity's democracy, on the abysses and the depths that it needs to overcome at present, as well as in its future. The study also puts forward a number of concerns related to the implementation of democracy as a theory and as a practice.
Increasing Youth Employability in Albania by Enhancing Skills through Vocational Education
Authors: Fejzulla Pano Enkeleda
Published: October 2021

Since the 1990s, Albania has experienced structural changes in education and the labour market as a result of increased globalization, the trend toward deindustrialization, and the increasing outflow of foreign direct investment, particularly from European countries such as Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Youth unemployment has increased drastically due to the transition of the economy from agricultural and public sector sectors into open market economy. This article through in-depth literature review aim to analyse the various variables and causes of youth unemployment, to analyse also the vocational education and training framework in Albania. Three research questions were raised: What are the factors that have contributed to the youth unemployment in Albania? What technical skills required the labour market in Albania? Can vocation education system in Albania enhance skills required by the labour market? This article suggests some discussions on how to increase youth employment by knowing what skills the labour market request especially in private sector and how we can improve them through vocational education and training.
A Study of the Iranian Economic Growth by Using the Balance of Payments Constrained Growth Model
Authors: Safari Saeede
Published: October 2021

This study is conducted aimed at investigating the Iranian economic growth based on the balance of payments constrained growth (BPCG) model. In contrast to the view of classical models that consider the economic growth to be related to supply-side in the economy, this model holds that the economic growth is dependent on demand-side in the economy, stating that the demand growth is inhibited by balance of payments deficit, and thus, it constrains achieving a higher economic growth rate. To investigate the model mentioned, the data on Iran’s non-oil export growth and non-oil GDP growth over the period 1980–2017 are analyzed using the Granger causality test and Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method. Results indicated that there was a long-run relationship between the non-oil economic growth and the non-oil export growth, and that the economic growth increased by 0.54 percent with a 1 percent increase in the non-oil exports. So, based on the above model, the need to pay attention to the non-oil exports to achieve a sustainable economic growth is confirmed.
Introduction of a Systemic Innovation Management Model for Facilitating Process Innovation
Authors: Schoorl Marianne , Kievit Pieter , Oomes Jeanette , Bartels Piet CM
Published: October 2021

Within health care projects for change and innovation, professionals should ambitiously cooperate in order to yield a creative multidisciplinary mindset for guaranteed innovative output. Failure of innovation projects is amongst others due to deterioration and insufficient focus on relational aspects. Aim; an innovative management tool for facilitating process innovation is launched. Methods; Systemic innovation (SI) is a social network management model, subsidiary to actual management models for quality improvement and innovation. The SI management model yields essential tools for stimulation of communication in multidisciplinary teams in order to shape alternative mindsets. Results; The key domains of SI representing socio-dynamics, value of arguments and flexibility for change concern topics for assessment of behavior with regard to psychosocial and organizational characteristics. The key domains yield a format enabling a critical appraisal concerning improvement of socio-technologic aspects in case of process innovation. Conclusion; SI yields a format for stimulation of social awareness with regard to self-assessment, interoperability and mindset generation in multidisciplinary teams of professionals.
Exploring Factors That Lead to Students Dropout in Public Secondary Schools in Al’Ain
Authors: Alkaabi Fatima Khamis Abdulla , Noor Mohd Asri Bin Mohd
Published: October 2021

For any educational institution, students are most important. Universities and colleges have no value without students. The educational process is an integrated process involving the family, the school and the entire community to reach effective outputs. There are a number of factors that negatively affect at-risk students' retention in school and graduate such as socioeconomic status. Phenomenon of dropout where thousands of students dropped out is prevalent and constant in urban schools across the United States (Brown, 2015). This research is important for academic reason; it gives academic practitioners vital information that can be utilized to develop the education. The information was collected by interviews questions with students. The information collected were analyzed by using coding and theme with Nvivo program. The research showed that the factors affect in Retention of secondary stage’s students in Al Ain.
Analysis on the Significance of the Relationships Between Pay Satisfaction Dimensions and Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Serreqi Martin
Published: October 2021

The study looks into the relationships of the different dimensions of pay satisfaction with organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) directed towards both the individual and the organization. 500 white collar employees of different private sector companies participated in the study. With respect to the influence of the dimensions of pay satisfaction the results showed that there are significant relationships between pay level, pay raises and benefits with citizenship behavior directed at individuals. However, no such relationship exists between structure/administration and citizenship behavior directed at the organization. Limitations and future research directions conclude the study.
The Appraisal of Commitment in Organizational Environments- Differentiating Organizational Commitment from Employee Satisfaction
Authors: Florea Radu
Published: October 2021

In order to acquire (and maintain) a high degree of commitment of a company’s staff certain conditions must be met both general – that are valid for most organizations focused on profit - and specific - depending on the particularities of each company. Commitment is very relevant in calibrating the business strategy of companies in order to develop employees but also as a central objective for change management. At a general level, building commitment is conditioned on communication with employees on effective leadership, a high degree of satisfaction and a low degree of resistance to change. Change management theorists suggest that any kind of change - both planned and critical incident related- will have negative implications on organizational commitment. Becker considers communication as one of the main factors that affect commitment, important in the growth and continuation. Communication also has implications for organizational culture calibration, transmission of messages via multiple channels and is affected by several factors including commitment (Keyton, 2010). The main difference between commitment and satisfaction is strongly related to the emotional and affective study dimensions of Meyer and Allen’s model on commitment (Keyton, 2010); although satisfaction can generate certain reactions from employees, it has a wide range of meanings from which results can be reported. Commitment may have different affective values because of the implications that it generates and because of their complexity. Accuracy is the most important feature as it helps in measuring commitment and maintaining a high degree of objectivity in data interpretation. Measuring attitudes in social sciences is a subject often problematic because the instruments used do not meet the criteria of validity - do not measure what needs to be measured. Therefore, the measurements may be inaccurate without the use of an appropriate methodology for identifying the exact coefficients of the survey indicators.
Exploring the Use of Youtube by Symphonic Orchestras as An Educational Platform During the Pandemic of Covid-19
Authors: Serdaroglu Emine
Published: October 2021

The use of various digital platforms and social media applications has significantly been rising worldwide in the recent years. In 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic, many of these online platforms became important tools to support the distance learning especially for children, hence, underlying the need for authentic, safe, reliable, and easily accessible online resources of information. Before the pandemic, most of the renown symphonic orchestras have been offering to their community a wide range of educational music programs designed for various age groups from toddlers to adult listeners. Most of these orchestras also support official YouTube channels to self-promote and connect with a wider audience. YouTube is a popular social media application offering a rich selection of uploaded music video content which may be utilized as an easily accessible tool for music education. The aim of this research is to explore whether the symphonic orchestras share their expertise and educational content on their official YouTube channels to create safe and trustworthy resources designed particularly for children, thus supporting the online music education during the time of the covid-19 pandemic.
Multilingualism in Prizren: Language Use and Language Policy
Authors: Jusufi Jasmin
Published: October 2021

This research focuses on theoretical and practical issues of multilingualism in Prizren, the Republic of Kosovo’s most linguistically diverse city. It examines the city’s linguistic landscape, culture, and values, investigating language use at home, in public, and in institutions. It analyzes language legislation and its often uneven implementation. In the last 20 years the language situation in Prizren has changed dramatically. This research attempts to provide a clear picture of the current language situation of Prizren in the new and independent Republic of Kosovo, and is relevant for the general public, minority communities, government, non government and international organizations. The research was conducted in order to shed more light on the concept of multilingual societies. The central sources for this research are the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, the policy on language rights and language use in the country, questionnaires, and observation.
Tourists Perceptions and Satisfaction Regarding Tour Guiding in the Republic of North Macedonia
Authors: Naumov Kliment
Published: October 2021

Tourism is diverse industry and therefore it involves many different stakeholders for it operational activities. An essential element for sustainable tourism development in any tourist destination is the participation of active stakeholders and the cooperation between them. Among all, the tour guides play a major role in the tourism industry since tourists need to have a clear picture of the country and its offer, laws, rules and regulations and other expected behavioral patterns. Moreover, guides should have the ability to transform the tourist visit into an unforgettable experience. In addition to the quality and ability of tourist guides, there are many problems and issues associated with their services that can impact the ultimate satisfaction of tourists. In the Republic of North Macedonia, there is a positive trend in tourist guiding in the last 20 years. It is because of this fact that this paper pays attention to the role and importance of tour guiding for the Macedonian tourism.
Albania’s European Perspective and the Albanian Politics
Authors: Nexhipi Dr. Adelina , Nexhipi Erjon
Published: October 2021

Albania’s EU integration has been an important part of politics of all Albanian governments after 1990s. This process has been considered not only as a means for being a part of the United Europe, but a factor for achieving the stability in the country, economic development, strengthening democracy. Diplomatic relation between Albania and the EU were established since 1991, but Albania’s European perspective was ensured only in 1999, by signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement. Since 1999 onwards the Albanian governments have been working for fulfilling the membership criteria to European Union, though the process has been a long and problematic one. Nowadays (2019) Albania expects the EU to open the negotiations for the EU membership process. Through this descriptive-analytical study, we will shed light into the most important moments of the Albanian process toward the European integration; policies followed from both parties, attitudes of the Albanian politics, encountered difficulties, problems and achieved successes. The study relies on the many documents from EU and Albanian institutions such as studies, analyses, interviews with political personalities, Albanian and European researchers and analysts. The study aims to analyze the “long and difficult” path of Albania towards EU, focusing on what has been achieved and the future challenges.
Oligopoly Power, Cross-Market Effects and Demand Relatedness: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: V. David Bouras , Wollo Wesseh
Published: October 2021

The goal of the paper is to develop a conceptual framework that can be used to examine market competitiveness and assess cross-market effects in a multi-product oligopoly consisting of firms producing and selling various demand-related products. The econometric model which consists of two inverse demand functions and two price-margin equations is applied to the US catfish processing industry. Focusing on fresh catfish filet and whole fresh catfish, the empirical results rule out the existence of cross-market effects, but give support to the existence of some degree of market power. In that setting, the oligopoly power indices are, respectively, 18.2 percent and 13.3 percent for fresh catfish filet and whole fresh catfish thereby indicating that the price distortion is more pronounced in the market for fresh catfish filet than it is in the market for whole fresh catfish.
The Principle of Democracy in Albania, from the Basic Acts of the State in Its Implementation
Authors: Tafani Ismail
Published: October 2021

The principle of democracy is seen as the basic pillar of the construction and function of a state. Of course, for the implementation of this principle, different ideologies have been developed, often in contradiction with each other. Ideologies which undoubtedly saw in the principle of democracy the birth and functioning of a state and as a consequence of a governing model which was to be based precisely on the sovereignty of the people and the full expression of its will. In Albania after the end of the Second World War we have the birth of a form of government which was based on the organization of the state according to communist theory. The communist ideology, which developed after the division of the world into two camps, which were the result of the Second World War meant to bring to Albania the realization of the principle of democracy. With the consolidation of the power of the communist party which resulted in the creation of the party-state, the principle of democracy consisted in its expression more as a slogan than as an objective for the development and functioning of society and the functioning of power as the genuine will of the people. Consequently, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, as in all former communist countries and in Albania, what the people demanded was the establishment of a state where the principle of democracy was the foundation of its government. Not in vain after the acceptance of political pluralism by the now completed monopoly of the party-state, the establishment of a system based on the principle of democracy was required. However, the creation of political pluralism after the change of the system does not seem to have brought a realization of the principle of democracy as a basis for the functioning of a democratic state as required by Albanian society. It can even be said that the principle of democracy remains an endless challenge for the entire political spectrum in Albania, although this principle always needs to be consolidated. Through this paper it is sought to analyze how the principle of democracy is required to be adopted by all leaders of any kind of government even though in itself it will have to belong to the people. This paper aims to highlight how in the case of political pluralism and even more so in the existence of a single party the principle of democracy remains a challenge, although it forms the basis of all fundamental acts of the Albanian State since the end of the Second World War.
Priming Matrix – Collective Nonconscious Programming
Authors: Ilievska Angelina , Ilievski Naum
Published: October 2021

Contemporary sociology, and especially social psychology, explores the mechanisms of priming, automaticity, and their effects on social behavior. Priming matrix is a new concept, a phrase semantically coined by the author in order to explain such complex socio-psychological phenomena in the area of social cognition. This study makes an analyses and description of the dynamics and mechanisms of the programming from a socio-psychological aspect, Transactional analysis, and the perspective of Christian psychotherapy. Methodologically, new concepts are applied: priming matrix and types of representations (Ilievska) with its operational elements (stimulus, prime, representation, subliminal level), and the concepts: awareness and collective nonconscious schemes (Ilievski, 2015), which are described as an opposite of the natural way of life, the personal autonomy and the real freedom. Each person has a basic need for relation, psychological organization, and structure. In its foundation lies the creation of basic mental constructs, socio-cognitive schemes, which have a neurobiological ground. In addition, human behavior can be programmed, nonconsciously, on multiple levels: individual, collective, global, through the complex psychological processes, modeling and conditioning, to the more subtle forms of priming, creating passive automatic social behavior.
Management of Pre-University Education Schools in the New Century - The Case of Albania
Authors: Kallanxhi (Haxhia) Bukurie , Cinaj Valbona , Meçe Manuela
Published: October 2021

The main objective of this paper is to provide professional knowledge and practical ideas so we can understand them more easily and apply them in the teaching and management practice of the school. The aim of this paper is to help us understand the changes that occur in education by trying to reflect social developments and adapt them more easily to the requirements of new curricula, new teaching methodology and the inclusion of new technology in schools. This paper is based on literature review, and empirical treatment through the processing of statistical data enabled through surveys, questionnaires and interviews to explore experiences and perceptions of the role of leader and teacher in pre-university education schools in the new century. All schools of pre-university education in Albania have been part of this study.
Behavioral Analysis of Sustained Individual Investors
Authors: Paatela Antti , Weiss Jordi
Published: October 2021

With a direct access to 32 self-directed investors from two European countries and the USA, we found that with experience, investors learn to mitigate well-studied behavioral biases while new biases and convictions emerge. The explorative interview method revealed reasons for seemingly irrational behavior not discovered by existing empirical studies using aggregated quantitative data. Thematic analyses were done using open coding and predefined concepts of mainstream and behavioral finance. The findings were contrasted with empirical literature and validated with expert interviews. Learning from mistakes, investors in our sample acknowledged the presence of emotions and built ways to mitigate behavioral issues. We found that overconfidence referenced in numerous studies diminishes after initial enthusiasm; underconfidence may emerge after painful losses. Illusion of control could not be identified. Instead, investors reported feeling of insufficient control on their investments. An important new bias candidate, tangibility bias was discovered which makes investors accept lower financial utility if they feel being in control of their investments. Tangibility bias contributes to less efficient portfolios due to the priority for small number of well-known investments instead of well-diversified but not transparent funds. Beyond decision-making biases, investors had developed experience-based convictions which may be rational or unfounded. Taking into account non-financial motivations, we argue that seemingly irrational actions have a purpose and efficacy.
Analysis of the Energy Efficiency of District Heat Suppliers in Hungary Through Network Losses
Authors: Süveges Gábor Béla , Beatrix Varga
Published: October 2021

Nowadays in Hungary, district heating is provided by 89 companies in 93 settlements, which supply more than 1.6 million people with heat. The sector is considered to be of national economic importance and it is therefore vital that this service is implemented effectively. A measure of efficiency is network loss, which value is on average between 12-13% in the sector. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a significant difference between the efficiencies of district heat suppliers. The empirical basis of the study is made up of the individual technical data of district heat suppliers from the years 2012-2017. The analysis was carried out with statistical methods that are suitable for exploring the relationships between qualitative and quantitative indicators.