Despite having a strategic position in supporting the Indonesian economy, the productivity of SME’s is still suboptimal. The increase in the number of SME’s has not been followed by increased competitiveness due to various limitations experienced by this sector. In an effort to provide a comprehensive picture in improving the performance of food processing SME’s in developing countries such as Indonesia, the purpose of this study was to examine the function of product innovation, internet marketing, and brand identity in shaping competitive advantage having an impact on business performance. This research is focused on food processing SME’s in the city of Bogor. The number of samples used was 100 SME’s. The sampling method used the non-probability sampling method with a snowball sampling technique. The data obtained were analyzed using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). Based on the age characteristic of business actors, the majority of business actors were 40–50 years old, of which 52% had their final formal education at high school level. As many as 61% of respondents had attended business training. Based on the results of the Partially Least Square (PLS) SEM analysis, it was found that product innovation, internet marketing and brand identity all had a significant positive effect on competitive advantage and business performance. The influence of brand identity on competitive advantage had the greatest effect, with a value of 0.451. This study contributes to existing research by examining the determinants of the business performance of processed food SME’s through the holistic model offered. This research is innovative because the business raises new issues related to internet marketing by SME’s and investigates them empirically.
As the global ecological and environmental problems become more and more serious, the concept of green finance and sustainable development has been advocated by more and more domestic and foreign experts, scholars and investors, and the Environmental Responsibility, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Governance (ESG) rating has gradually become a hotspot of attention. ESG is a kind of investment concept and a comprehensive assessment criterion of corporate performance for systematic evaluation of enterprises, and it has become an important indicator of the ability of measuring the sustainable development of enterprises. It has become an important indicator of corporate sustainable development capability. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between ESG ratings and cumulative abnormal returns of listed companies’ stocks under the impact of sudden risk events. The outbreak of the New Crown epidemic as an exogenous risk event provides an opportunity for this paper. This paper examines the role of firms’ ESG ratings and the three sub-dimensions of ratings on the cumulative abnormal returns of listed firms’ stocks during the New Crown Epidemic outbreak and verifies the role of ESG ratings on firms in times of crisis. The final regression results prove that under the impact of sudden exogenous risk events, listed firms’ ESG ratings have a positive effect on the cumulative abnormal stock returns during the event window. Finally, this paper provides recommendations to help firms and investors prevent and mitigate risks.
The privacy of personal information is aimed at protecting human rights both under the international human rights regime and the Saudi Arabian constitution and other statutes and regulations, subject only to some exceptions that include the protection of public health. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about certain challenges that necessitate strategies to augment the conventional surveillance of infectious diseases, contact tracing, isolation, reporting and vaccination. Several governments institutions, and agencies presently adopt mobile applications for collecting, analyzing, managing, and sharing critical personal data of individuals infected with or exposed to COVID-19. While the benefits of sharing private information for achieving public health needs may not be disputed, the risk of breach of personal privacy is enormous. This had forced the national governments into a dilemma of either succumbing to public health needs, strictly respecting and protecting the privacy of individuals, or alternatively, balancing the two conflicting demands. There is a massive body of literature on the security and privacy of such mobile applications, but none has adequately explored and discussed public interest justifications under Saudi Arabian laws for alleged privacy breaches. We examined the health surveillance mobile app technologies currently in use in Saudi Arabia with the aim of determining the potential risks of data breaches under extant data protection laws. The paper recommends, among others, that any potential risk of breach to right to privacy of personal information under the law must be (justified by) the public health needs to protect society during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study explores the determinants of auditor performance, focusing on the moderating role of organizational commitment within the Tangerang City Inspectorate. Employing stratified random sampling, a sample of 250 auditors was chosen to ensure diversity across experience, departmental affiliation, and roles. Quantitative analysis used SPSS to examine the relationships between auditor performance, organizational commitment, and other relevant variables. Findings indicated that organizational commitment significantly moderates the effects of various social pressures on auditor performance. This underscores the necessity for auditing organizations to foster organizational commitment to enhance auditor efficacy and uphold ethical standards. These results hold substantial implications for governance and audit quality assurance, suggesting that reinforced organizational commitment could lead to more robust auditor performance and ethical conduct within similar urban governance settings. This study contributes valuable insights into the influence of organizational dynamics on auditor behaviour and performance outcomes.
Background: Multiple sclerosis is often a longitudinal disease continuum with an initial relapsing-remitting phase (RRMS) and later secondary progression (SPMS). Most currently approved therapies are not sufficiently effective in SPMS. Early detection of SPMS conversion is therefore critical for therapy selection. Important decision-making tools may include testing of partial cognitive performance and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Aim of the work: To demonstrate the importance of cognitive testing and MRI for the prediction and detection of SPMS conversion. Elaboration of strategies for follow-up and therapy management in practice, especially in outpatient care. Material and methods: Review based on an unsystematic literature search. Results: Standardized cognitive testing can be helpful for early SPMS diagnosis and facilitate progression assessment. Annual use of sensitive screening tests such as Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) or the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) test battery is recommended. Persistent inflammatory activity on MRI in the first three years of disease and the presence of cortical lesions are predictive of SPMS conversion. Standardized MRI monitoring for features of progressive MS can support clinically and neurocognitively based suspicion of SPMS. Discussion: Interdisciplinary care of MS patients by clinically skilled neurologists, supported by neuropsychological testing and MRI, has a high value for SPMS prediction and diagnosis. The latter allows early conversion to appropriate therapies, as SPMS requires different interventions than RRMS. After drug switching, clinical, neuropsychological, and imaging vigilance allows stringent monitoring for neuroinflammatory and degenerative activity as well as treatment complications.
Sweet cherry is a type of fruit that is high on demand in exports for table consumption. Turkey is a gene centre for sweet cherry fruit. Fruits are produced over an extended period because of the ecological richness and large cultivation area, which allows Turkey to remain as the leader of sweet cherry production in the world. The variety, ‘0900 Ziraat’, also known as the Turkish sweet cherry fruit, has the highest production volume. Mazzard and Mahaleb are the commonly used rootstocks for sweet cherry cultivation; and Mazzard is used more frequently than Mahaleb. Clonal rootstocks are used to maintain cultivation in new orchards. The present study provides a detailed information on the current status of sweet cherry fruit cultivation in Turkey as well as its cultivation practices and exports. It is targeted that modern irrigation techniques, good agricultural practices, and increased cultivation areas are established to maintain Turkey’s position as the leader in global sweet cherry production and exports.
Copyright © by EnPress Publisher. All rights reserved.