Suchergebnisse

This study aims to shed light on the continued difficulties municipalities in South Africa are having in achieving SDG 6 and also explore the impacts of effective governance principles on ensuring sustainable development. To explore this, the study adopted a qualitative research methodology in a form of a conceptual research design to gather secondary data. The secondary data covering SDG 6 challenges and effective governance principles were reviewed and synthesized. Different databases were used to review data from July through October 2022, such as Google Scholar, Google, Sabinet, Scopus, and other online platforms. Different keywords were used to guide and search the existing relevant literature. Secondary data was analyzed using a critical discourse analysis approach. Because of South Africa's lax governance standards, the theoretical findings of this study demonstrate that there are growing concerns about achieving SDG 6 in the near future. However, it can be agreed that progress toward effective governance has been encouraged and promoted, but the challenges remain. Therefore, the study recommends effective and inclusive governance because, without it, South Africa will not achieve its socio-economic goals, like SDG 6. South Africa should put in place structures that support constitutionalism, accountability, democracy, and good governance if it is to meet its development objectives. It is important to overcome lax governance, which is characterized by mismanagement, fraud, bribery, corruption, and a lack of accountability, transparency, and public participation. Again, South Africa should have an efficient government that works to fulfil the localized SDGs and responds to community desires and aspirations enshrined in the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000)

AbstractAgriculture, the world's most dominant land use type, burdens freshwater biodiversity with a multitude of stressors such as diffuse pollution and hydromorphological alteration. However, it is difficult to directly link agricultural land use with biota response as agricultural stressors can also originate from other causes. Also, there is evidence for positive and negative effects of agriculture on organisms, agricultural impact differs strongly with the biological metric and study region considered and agricultural impact differs among practice and type, which in turn affects different organism groups with varying severity. Against this background, our study aimed at assessing, if agricultural land use has a consistent effect on river biota. We conducted a systematic review of the literature, which yielded 43 studies and 76 relationships between agriculture and aquatic organism groups. The relationships were subjected to a meta-analysis using Hedge's g to calculate the standardized mean difference of effects. Overall, we detected a medium to strong effectg = − 0.74 of agricultural land use on freshwater biota, only marginally influenced by study design, river type and region. Strong differences in biota response could be observed depending on the biological metric assessed, with ecological quality indices of agricultural impairment performing best. Sensitive taxa declined with agricultural impact, while tolerant taxa tended to benefit. In addition, the biota response differed among agricultural types and practices and organism group, with macroinvertebrates showing the strongest effect. Our results quantify the effects of agriculture on riverine biota and suggest biological metric types for assessing agricultural impact. Further research is needed to discriminate between agricultural types and account for intensity.

Student unions based on religious and political affiliations are of paramount importance in political decision-making around the globe and in Indonesia particularly. The involvement of youth in political arenas and narrative building has become a debated topic among academicians, scholars and policymakers. In the context of Indonesia, the association of youth with religious groups has been seen as very important for engaging them in capacity-building initiatives (students in particular) and in political activities by mobilizing them with general communities. The present study examines the phenomenon of political efficacy through the political participation of youth associated with different religious and political groups. In consideration of the nature of the study, the present research tried to accomplish the desired outcomes by employing a quantitative research design and carrying out surveys. For that purpose, a self-administered questionnaire was developed with the help of literature for gathering data. The data were gathered from students and the general public, focusing on the premise that political discussion and religious group affiliation can be instrumental for political efficacy. The research found that the affiliation of students with religious groups has a strong impact on their involvement in political activities. Along with various political and religious factors, social media is considered a decisive factor in forming youth's political opinions and developing a sense of community engagement as well as practising their political rights. The data also show that there is a significant relationship between political efficacy and social media, highlighting that the participation of students in political discussion leads to political efficacy by mobilizing youth with general communities to create a discursive political environment.

Data journalism has recently emerged as an important method of news gathering and editing in journalism. For data journalism -which includes the process of producing news from data- journalists need to have various skills and competencies. As a result of the literature review, it is observed that the required skills and competencies for data journalism have not been determined precisely, and in this regard, there is a lack of quantitative studies to measure these skills and competencies of data journalism. This study aims to develop a unique scale that will reveal the data journalism skills of news producers. For this purpose, a data journalism scale has been developed through an online survey applied to news producers registered with the Turkish Press Agency (BIK). As a result of the item pool, expert views, and the scale application stages, it is understood that data journalism skills can be measured with a 2-factor structure: "data skills and tools" and "journalism skills." The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient for the overall 21-item data journalism scale was calculated as 0.856, the data skills and tools factor as 0.883, and the journalism skill factor as 0.821. As a result of the research, it has been determined that while the journalism skills of the news producers are at a high level, their competence in data processing is low. In this sense -as a result of the study- a revision is recommended in both academic and professional training curriculum to include data collection, analysis and visualization skills that will improve data skills of news producers.

AbstractAims or ObjectivesThe Syrian crisis has resulted in a significant impact on refugee oral health status, but the scientific literature lacks information characterizing the pattern of tooth extraction in refugees.Materials and MethodsThe current study analyzed the pattern of tooth extraction and the associated sociodemographic factors among 626 (53.4% females, 46.6% males) Syrian refugees who were treated in dental clinics in the Zaatari camp. All adult Syrian refugees attending the dental unit at Zaatari camp were eligible to participate. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected from the study sample using a validated semi‐structured survey over a period of 4 months. Descriptive statistics were generated and Chi‐square test, independent sample t‐test, ANOVA test and Bonferroni Post Hoc test were used to examine associations between the different variables.ResultsMore than one third of the attendees (33.9%) were young adults (18–29 years), and nearly two thirds (69.8%) had no or very basic education. The mean number of teeth that needed extraction was (1.46 ± 0.84) and was significantly higher in males, smokers, older patients, and those with no or basic education. The most common cause for tooth extraction was dental caries (54.8%), followed by tooth fracture/un‐restorability (38.5%), and periodontitis (3.4%); while the least common reason was tooth extraction for orthodontic treatment (0.20%).ConclusionsDental caries and its sequelae were the leading cause of tooth extraction in this refugee population. Molar teeth were found to be the most frequently extracted and lower anteriors were the least. Older age, smoking, patients with lower educational level, poor oral hygiene and male gender all predispose to a higher incidence of tooth extractions.

This paper sought to establish the vital issues that should be addressed to work on a national image. The country image is significant as it supports attracting foreign direct investment, tourists, foreign students, and expatriate workers who might bring managerial skills and technological exchange to the country. The paper tried to investigate how much political instability has impacted the national image, analyse the impact of policies on the country image and establish the effect of infrastructure on a country image, and contribute to the literature on the effect of the vital elements on the country image. The research contributes to the components of the national image. The country image is positively interrelated with a view on product integrity, pride of ownership, product gratification, enthusiasm to purchase from specific countries, and general product knowledge (Papadopoulos & Heslop, 2002). Nations historically branded themselves through icons. Symbols like flags, military uniforms, currencies, anthems, and ideology are due to regime changes and stereotypes (Fan, 2010; Dinnie, 2008; Fan, 2006). This research was based on a descriptive approach methodology, combining subjective and quantitative techniques. It was based on 100 stakeholders including politicians, media personnel, community development personnel, traditional leaders, church leaders, and academics and entrepreneurs. The study established that Zimbabwe's image has been affected by political instability emanating from political activities, policy inconsistencies have affected inward investment in the country and the country's infrastructure has an immense contribution to the national image. For the country to attract meaningful investment and foreign tourists it needs to deal with its image

PurposeIndividuals, organizations, firms, and governments have been making strenuous effort to promote sustainable and green consumption. However, it is noticeable that a large amount of unattractive produce is ruthlessly discarded and wasted around the globe, resulting in unsustainable consumption behavior, harming long-term business development, and breaking the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. Therefore, to increase consumer literacy toward unaesthetic produce, this research investigates the pivotal role of "natural" labeling in increasing purchase intention toward visually unattractive fruits and vegetables.Design/methodology/approachBy recruiting participants from one of the largest online crowdsourcing platforms (the Credamo), this research conducts three online experimental studies (with two pilot studies) to test three hypotheses based on the cue utilization theory and the lay belief theory.FindingsThe results show that unattractive produce with the "natural" label could significantly increase consumers' purchase intention compared with those without specific labels. The results also reveal that consumers' lay beliefs that natural foods are perceived to be tastier and healthier mediate the positive effects of "natural" labeling (vs no specific labeling) on willingness to purchase.Originality/valueThis research explores competing lay beliefs about unattractive produce. It identifies the positive effects of lay beliefs "natural = tasty and healthy" through "natural" labeling appeal, thus attenuating the misapplication of lay beliefs "unattractive = tasteless and unhealthy" and broadening the application scope of consumer lay belief theory. The findings also contribute to the cue literature by manifesting the positive consequences of the "natural" label playing as a cognitive cue in priming lay beliefs about naturalness. In addition, it also paves a positive way for business practitioners and marketers to develop the produce industry sustainably.

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the association between the presence of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) disclosure, as well as the moderating role of gender diversity in this relation.


Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 897 annual observations from 238 firms from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru for 2018–2020. The data were collected from the Refinitiv database. The proposed model and hypotheses were tested using the feasible generalized least squares estimation technique with heteroscedasticity and panel-specific AR1 autocorrelation.


Findings
The results reveal that the presence of CSR committees positively influences the SDGs. Gender diversity positively moderates the relationship between CSR committees and SDGs. Leverage and firm size also positively impact the SDGs. On the other hand, board size and CEO duality negatively affect SDGs disclosure.


Research limitations/implications
This study extends the scope of stakeholder theory by suggesting that CSR committees and gender diversity enable a better relationship for the firm with its stakeholders.


Practical implications
The findings support policymakers and managers in improving sustainability disclosure. In addition, the results demonstrate the importance of CSR committees and gender diversity to meet the stakeholders' demands.


Social implications
This study demonstrates how firms can improve sustainability issues through gender diversity and CSR committees.


Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study complements previous literature by being the first to examine the moderating effect of gender diversity on the association between CSR committees and SDGs disclosure in the Latin American context.

Abstract
Hazardous organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, and p-xylene (known as BTEX) found at work and at home can cause adverse health effects of human beings throughout their lives. Biological monitoring, an exposure assessment method, considers all exposed organic and non-organic compounds. Our goal was to perform a systematic review and a statistical analysis (meta-analysis) of peer-reviewed publications to assess urinary concentrations of BTEX biomarkers in both occupationally-exposed population and the general population. Several major electronic databases, including Scopus, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and Google scholar (grey literature), were searched for biomonitoring studies of BTEX. Overall, 33 studies met the eligible criteria for the systematic review and six met the full inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. For meta-analysis, we included studies in which unmetabolized BTEX compounds were measured in urine samples. Due to insufficient data, studies that measured BTEX metabolites in urine samples and unmetabolized BTEX compounds in blood samples were excluded from the meta-analysis but were analyzed in the qualitative synthesis. Most studies showed increased urinary concentrations of BTEX in exposed individuals (mainly workers) compared to unexposed individuals. The results showed that the highest total BTEX concentrations were recorded in painters and policemen. This study showed that the undoubted associations between lifestyle and environmental factors and urinary levels of BTEX or its metabolites have not yet been confirmed in current biomonitoring studies. This is attributed to the few studies reported in this research area, the lack of homogeneous information, and the disagreement in the published results of the studies.

Purpose
Gender equity in entrepreneurship has been a global issue in several areas, and the sports context is no exception. Therefore, the present study aims to carry out a systematic review of the literature to analyze how female entrepreneurship in the context of sports organizations has been studied in the scientific community.


Design/methodology/approach
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol was used to ensure the structure and quality of the study. Articles were obtained through a search in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, by using a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria (e.g. research equation, studies published only in English and classified as an article or review). A Microsoft Excel database was developed, from which tables and graphs were generated to help interpret the results.


Findings
The search resulted in 19 articles, grouped into four clusters: education and entrepreneurship, sports and entrepreneurial skills development, barriers to entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. The results indicate that despite all the efforts that have been made thus far, several barriers to female entrepreneurship remain. However, physical activity and sports have been found to aid the development of skills and abilities that may be fundamental to entrepreneurial initiatives. Formation in the context of higher education has also been identified as a fundamental tool for stimulating female entrepreneurship.


Practical implications
This study can have a positive impact on employment opportunities for women in the sport industry.


Originality/value
Besides providing ideas for future research, the results could support the development of policies to address gender equity issues and encourage women to take initiatives in sports entrepreneurship.

AbstractDigital technology and artificial intelligence technology have built an open sharing environment of intellectualization. For start‐ups, which are restricted by their own limited resources, it is wise to take inbound open innovation as a strategy to get external advanced technical information quickly. However, how to match technology resources obtained from outside with the organisation's demand is still a problem for entrepreneurial teams and entrepreneurial researchers. Based on the literature review of existing research and considering entrepreneurial teams' demand to deal with the challenges, this paper firstly analyses the relationship between entrepreneurial teams' inbound open innovation strategy and the innovative use of information technology by individuals in teams of start‐ups and based on the Identity Theory to explore the mechanism of IT identity on the relationship mentioned above. Lastly, the paper further analyses two types of team authorisation (structural empowerment and psychological empowerment) that play different moderating roles in the relationship of inbound open innovation, IT identity and the innovative use of information technology by individuals in teams. Using 238 survey data from entrepreneurial teams with linear regression analysis, we found that IT identity moderates the relationship between inbound open innovation and individual new IT technology exploration positively, and team psychological empowerment has further moderated the relationship between inbound open innovation and the innovative use of information technology by individuals in teams positively, while team structure empowerment plays an inverted U‐shaped moderation. This study has certain guiding significance for entrepreneurial teams to take advantage of digitalised opportunities, and it also has important value for innovation and digitalisation research.

Purpose
The research aims to investigate the value of local wisdom, analyse local wisdom for the harmony of a multicultural society and discover forms of inheritance of local wisdom for maintaining peace.


Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research was used in this research. The primary data were obtained through observation, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Secondary data were obtained through reports from agencies, such as Social Services and Central Bureau of Statistics, literature studies and news from the internet. The data validity technique used was source triangulation. The data were analysed with stages of data reduction, data presentation and conclusion.


Findings
The results showed that the local wisdom sedekah bumi, selamatan malam 1 suro, sadranan and kuda lumping contain values related to religion, cooperation, harmony, togetherness, kinship and cohesiveness; the implementation of local wisdom can strengthen social harmony; and the inheritance of local wisdom takes place sustainably from families and communities to the younger generation.


Research limitations/implications
The research was conducted during the peak of COVID-19 cases in Central Java, Indonesia. Therefore, the data could not be obtained maximally.


Practical implications
This research contributes widely not only to the village studied but also to other communities with similar conditions.


Social implications
The inheritance of local wisdom can help maintain peace, unify societies and offer solution to social conflicts by implementing traditions containing humanity and peaceful values.


Originality/value
This research offers a new insight concerning the inheritance of local wisdom that can function as a tool to achieve a peaceful society and prevent social disasters from occurring.

Abstract
Contentless experience involves an absence of mental content such as thought, perception, and mental imagery. In academic work it has been classically treated as including states like those aimed for in Shamatha, Transcendental, and Stillness Meditation. We have used evidence synthesis to select and review 135 expert texts from within the three traditions. In this paper we identify the features of contentless experience referred to in the expert texts and determine whether the experiences are the same or different across the practices with respect to each feature. We identify 65 features reported or implied in one or more practices, with most being reported or implied in all three. While there are broad similarities in the experiences across the traditions, we find that there are differences with respect to four features and possibly many others. The main difference identified is that Shamatha involves substantially greater attentional stability and vividness. Another key finding is that numerous forms of content are present in the experiences, including wakefulness, naturalness, calm, bliss/joy, and freedom. The findings indicate that meditation experiences described as contentless in the academic literature can in fact involve considerable variation, and that in many and perhaps most cases these experiences are not truly contentless. This challenges classical understandings in academic research that in these so-called contentless experiences all content is absent, and that the experiences are therefore an identical state of pure consciousness or consciousness itself. Our assessment is that it remains an open question whether the experiences aimed for in the three practices should be classed as pure consciousness. Implications of our analysis for neuroscientific and clinical studies and for basic understandings of the practices are discussed.

Effective action taken against climate change must find ways to unite scientific and practice-based knowledges associated with the various stakeholders who see themselves as invested in the global delivery of climate governance. Political decision-makers, climate scientists and practitioners approach this challenge from what are often radically different perspectives and experiences. While considerable work has been done to develop the idea of 'co-production' in the development of climate action outputs, questions remain over how to best unite the contrasting epistemological traditions and norms associated with different stakeholders. Drawing on the existing literatures on climate action co-production and from translational perspectives on the science-policy interface, in this paper we develop the concept of 'boundary agency'. Defining this as the agency 'possessed' when willing and able to translate between different epistemological communities invested in a similar policy and governance challenge such as climate change, we offer it as a useful means to reflect on participants' understanding of the 'co' in co-production. This is in contrast to the more established (often academic-led) focus on what it is that is being produced by co-production processes. We draw from two complementary empirical studies, which explicitly encouraged i) engagement and ii) reflection on cross-boundary co-production between climate action stakeholders from different backgrounds. Reflecting on the two studies, we discuss the benefits of (and barriers to) encouraging more active and sustained engagement between climate action stakeholders so as to try to actively blur the boundaries between science and policy and, in doing so, invent new epistemological communities of practice.