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PurposeThis paper seeks to investigate how seriously diversity issues are considered by municipal governments in North Carolina and to identify specific diversity management practices (DMPs) that are adopted more often by municipalities. It also aims to examine whether the adoption levels of DMPs are influenced by demographic and economic factors and the various backgrounds of city managers.Design/methodology/approachData about adopted DMPs and city managers' backgrounds were collected by surveying all municipalities in North Carolina with populations of at least 5,000 (response rate: 50 percent). An index was constructed to determine the adoption level of DMPs, and the cities were divided into four groups, based on their index scores (i.e. DMP scores). Analysis of variance and correlations were used to test the relationship between a number of factors and the index score.FindingsA number of DMPs were identified as being more popular among municipalities that took diversity and its related issues more seriously, and other DMPs as being less popular among cities that did not pay particular attention to diversity. It was also found that the adoption level of DMPs was significantly affected by population size, the heterogeneity of population, urbanization level, and city manager's age.Practical implicationsThe DMPs that were found suitable for each one of the four groups of cities can be used as a guide when cities in a particular group want to adopt more DMPs to support and encourage diversity at work. According to the findings, cities need to be more proactive in managing diversity by introducing appropriate DMPs when their demographics are changing substantially.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to identify the more popular DMPs among municipalities with different attention levels toward diversity and its related issues. The study also contributes to the construction of a comprehensive diversity management model that explains how cities respond to changing demographics.

Unmanned-aerial-vehicles (UAVs) are intended to be a vital part of beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G communication networks. UAV-to-ground communications in urban and populated areas are usually exposed to highly variable propagation conditions that can be often characterized by composite fading channels. This paper provides mathematical framework for the performance evaluation of UAV-to-ground communications over double-scattered single-shadowed (DS-SS), and double scattered double shadowed (DS-DS) fading channels. To analyse in details we provide probability density function (PDF), cumulative distribution function (CDF), average fade duration (AFD) and level crossing rate (LCR) of the product of double Nakagami-m (DN) and single inverse Gamma (SIG) random processes (RPs), as well as the product of DN and double inverse Gamma (DIG) RPs. Furthermore, the derived integral-form formulas for the second order (SO) statistical measures are approximated by Laplace integration (LI) and exponential LI in order to provide closed-form expressions. The impact of DS-SS and DS-DS fading types on the SO statistics of UAV-to-ground propagation scenario are thoroughly examined. Moreover, the impact of different values of DS-SS and DS-DS fading severities on the SO statistics are also taken into investigation. Lastly, the proposed UAV-to-ground model is extended to include the SO performance analysis of L-number of UAVs. All the analytical results for the SO statistics are confirmed by Monte-Carlo simulations. ; We acknowledge the support of Indian Institute of Technology Indore, India, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, University of Pristina, Serbia and University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain. C. Stefanovic would like to acknowledge CONEX-Plus project. The CONEX-Plus has received research funding from UC3M and the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801538.

Transitional justice has emerged to address victims' needs as a means of restoring relations broken by violence. Yet we know little about victims' attitudes towards different transitional justice mechanisms. Why do some victims prioritize retributive justice while others favor other forms of dealing with the violent past? What determines victims' attitudes towards transitional justice policies? To address these questions, we offer a new theoretical framework that draws upon recent insights from the field of evolutionary psychology and links both war exposure and postwar environments to transitional justice preferences. We argue that both past experiences of wartime violence and present‐day social interdependence with perpetrators impact transitional justice preferences, but in divergent ways (resulting in greater support for retributive vs. restorative justice measures, respectively). To test our framework, we rely upon a 2013 representative survey of 1,007 respondents focusing on general population attitudes towards transitional justice in Bosnia two decades after the implementation of the Dayton Accords. Specifically, we examine the impact of displacement, return to prewar homes, loss of property, loss of a loved one, physical injury, imprisonment, and torture on attitudes towards transitional justice. On the whole, our findings confirm our two main hypotheses: Exposure to direct violence and losses is associated with more support for retributive justice measures, while greater present‐day interdependence with perpetrators is associated with more support for restorative justice measures. While acknowledging the legacy of wartime violence, we highlight the importance of the postwar context and institutional mechanisms that support victims in reconstructing their lives.

This paper aims to point out the significance of external audit and auditor's reports. The stability of banks and its operations are vital not only for efficient financial system functioning, but also for overall industry. The banking sector, both in developed and undeveloped countries, experienced financial crisis in the last few years. Considering these circumstances and the fact that demands of financial statements users grow in complexity, their control is essential. We provide the empirical evidence on the banking sector auditor's reports in the Republic of Serbia, with particular reference to auditor's opinions and audit agencies that had conducted banks audits. The review of the audit legislation and professional standards will be presented, as well as the notion of bankruptcy risk and its relevance for baking sector. Our research results indicate that special attention should be paid to banks which auditor's report had some explanatory paragraphs or even qualification. In conclusion we highlight the red flags that may damage banks operations and emphasize the importance of keeping the high level of auditor's independence with the intention to provide confidence to stakeholders who form their decisions based on their reports

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the role that the University of Toronto has had in helping to establish a Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development in Toronto, Canada. The way in which the RCE initiative has helped to move forward the university's own five‐year plan will also be discussed.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins with a historical overview of the development of the Toronto RCE, acknowledging the diverse range of NGO, governmental and educational institutions that collaborate within this network. It then describes how the RCE initiative is helping to advance the objectives of the University of Toronto's own five‐year plan. Finally, the paper details how the University of Toronto has supported specific projects of the RCE, and where it hopes to help to lead the RCE into the next phase of its development.FindingsIn addition to presenting a case study of an RCE, the paper includes critical discussion of broader conceptual issues, such as how one might best interpret "interdisciplinarity" and community "outreach" in a university setting.Originality/valueThe UN University's RCE is, in itself, a highly original and valuable initiative. The paper describes one of these networks and its own, unique focus, while also drawing conclusions about how universities might more actively engage with community partners to advance environmental awareness.

This paper looks at the tripartite problematic perspective in current English for Specific Purposes educational practices in order to direct educational practices toward the progressive approaches and improvement in the area of language competences. One aspect of the thematic framework concerns the problem of the varieties of English in the light of the question of the norm. The other is related to the problem of corporatization of education. The third perspective focuses on digital technologies in a globalized world, as well as their role in and impact on education. The empirical part of the research was conducted in the form of a survey in which students answered questions about these thematic clusters. The research indicated the justifiability of the conceptual framework of the paper. It also revealed the angles from which the initial concerns could be questioned. The insights may open up an avenue for future tendencies in the syllabus design and classroom activities within English for Specific Purposes. Based on them, the authors recommend a balanced approach to nonstandard variants of English in ESP; an awareness and application of the benefits of both technology and in-person, face-to-face communication; a motivation for learning English that transcends sheer concern for profit.