The COVID-19 pandemic prompted global crises and enforced strict measures like the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia, significantly impacting societal norms, particularly affecting secondary school students. The current study employs a qualitative methodology to determine how COVID-19 affects the life stress experienced by secondary school students. Secondary school students were recruited in Sabah, Malaysia, from April to August 2022, after Malaysia entered the endemic phase on 1 April 2022. As part of a larger survey, students were asked to respond to an open-ended question about life stressors they face as a result of the pandemic COVID-19 or during home-based teaching and learning (PdPR). A total of 1069 secondary school students from various backgrounds were included in the study. However, only 714 students responded to the open-ended question. The pattern of meaning across the texts was determined using Birks and Mills’s method of multilevel coding. The students’ perspectives on life stressors were classified into five broad categories: restriction stress, emotional stress, online study stress, family-related stress, and others-related stress. Restriction stress, which refers to being confined at home, restricted movement, hampered family, friendship, and outdoor activities, and no freedom were rated as the most significant life stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by students. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and parents, emphasizing the profound effect of pandemic-induced restrictions on student life and the essential role of targeted interventions in fostering resilience among students.
The growing attention paid to industrial tourism can be seen as one of the major trends in cultural tourism and marketing and has given currency to the proposition that customer experience of industrial tourism acts as a direct personal source of information about their perceptions of companies visited and is essential for customer relationship management of companies. This study applies the service theater theory and proposes a model to explore the structural relationships among theatrical elements of industrial tourism (including setting, performance, and actor), the dimensions of customer experience (enjoyment, learning, and escape), and customers’ behavior intentions. A survey of 500 industrial tourists in a transparent factory in the health food industry was conducted in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. The results of structural equation modeling indicate that two theatrical factors (setting and performance) relate positively to all dimensions of customer experiences. In contrast, the theatrical factor “actor” only relates positively to the learning experience. Furthermore, all dimensions of customer experience, in turn, positively affect customers’ behavioral intentions. This study will be helpful for corporate managers and tourism organizers who aim to develop and implement marketing strategies based on the service theatre theory to improve their services.
Enhancing the emphasis on incorporating sustainable practices reinforces a linear transition towards a circular economy by organizations. Nevertheless, although studies on circular economy demonstrate an increasing trend, the drivers that support circular economy practices towards sustainable business performance in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) sector, especially in developing nations, demand exploration. Accordingly, the study examines circular economy drivers, i.e., green human resource management, in establishing sustainability performance and environmental dynamism as moderating variables. The study engaged 207 SMEs and 621 respondents who were analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling. The analysis indicated that sustainable business performance was affected by green human resource management and a circular economy. Subsequently, the circular economy mediated the linkage between green human resources management and sustainable business performance. The environmental dynamism moderated the linkage between green human resources management and the circular economy.
This paper focuses on examining the relationship among organizational factor, work-related factor, psychological factor, personal factor and the commitment of oil palm smallholders toward Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification. The study employed a descriptive research methodology and a structured survey instrument to gather data from oil palm smallholders (n = 441) through simple random sampling technique. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed relationship. The findings reveal that organizational factors significantly impact the affective (β = 0.345, p < 0.05), normative (β = 0.424, p < 0.05), and continuance commitment (β = 0.339, p < 0.05) of oil palm smallholders. Additionally, work-related factors show a substantial effect on these same dimensions of commitment; affective (β = 0.277, p < 0.05), normative (β = 0.263, p < 0.05), and continuance (β = 0.413, p < 0.05). Psychological factors significantly impact the affective (β = 0.216, p < 0.05) and normative commitment (β = 0.146, p < 0.05), with no statistically significant influence on continuance commitment. Conversely, personal factors exhibit limited influence, affecting only continuance commitment (β = 0.104, p < 0.05) to a minor degree, with no statistically significant impact on affective and normative commitment. The present research is among the few empirical findings that have examined the oil palm smallholders' commitment towards MSPO certification. By emphasizing the role of organizational and work-related factors, the study offers valuable insights for stakeholders within the oil palm sector, highlighting areas to enhance smallholder commitment toward sustainability standards. Consequently, this study contributes a unique perspective to the existing body of literature on sustainable practices in the oil palm industry.
The existing studies on the association between the built environment and health mainly concentrates on urban areas, while rural communities in China have a huge demand for a healthy built environment, and research in this area remains insufficient. There is a lack of research on the health impact of the built environment in rural communities in China, where there is a significant demand for advancements in the healthy built environment. Exploring the Influence of built environment satisfaction on self-rated health outcomes in New-type village communities has positive significance for advancing research on healthy village community. This paper selects four new-type village communities as typical cases, which are located in the far suburbs of Shanghai, China. A questionnaire survey was conducted on individual villagers, and 223 valid questionnaire samples were obtained. A PLS-SEM model was developed using survey data to examine how built environment satisfaction influences dwellers’ self-rated health while taking into account the mediating function of the perceived social environment. Moreover, multi-group analysis was performed based on age. The results show that built environment satisfaction indirectly influences residents self-rated health through its impact on perceived social environment. The research also discovered that the relationship between built environment satisfaction, social environment satisfaction and self-rated health is not influenced by age as a moderating factor. The research offers new insights for the planning and design of new-type village community from a health perspective.
This article analyses the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon, focusing on the social pillar of sustainable humanitarian. Established in 2013 to accommodate Nigerians fleeing the violence of Boko Haram, the camp now faces growing challenges related to the sustainability of assistance. Based on a mixed methodological approach, the analysis draws on data collected from humanitarian operators, refugees and the host community. The data was collected using tools such as participant observation, individual and group interviews, questionnaire surveys, mapping, documentary review, etc. Although essential infrastructure has been put in place, the study reveals that minimum humanitarian standards are not being met in several key sectors: food security, education, sanitation, shelter provision and Non Foods Items (NFIs). The lack of financial resources, combined with insufficient involvement by the Cameroonian government, has led to a gradual erosion of social protection for refugees. Maintaining assistance on a temporary basis compromises the integration of the SDGs into humanitarian operations. The article highlights the need for a forward-looking approach by humanitarian agencies, coordination between stakeholders and the involvement of new partners, including refugees, to guarantee their well-being and the achievement of the SDGs.
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