In the realm of contemporary business, Business Intelligence (BI) offers significant potential for informed decision-making, particularly among executives. However, despite its global popularity, BI adoption in Malaysia’s service sector remains relatively low, even in the face of extensive data generation. This study explores the factors influencing BI adoption in this sector, employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its conceptual framework. Drawing on relevant BI literature, the study identifies key TAM factors that impact BI adoption. Using SEM modelling, it analyses quantitative data collected from 45 individuals in managerial roles within Malaysia’s service sector, particularly in the Klang Valley. The findings highlight the crucial role of Perceived Usefulness in influencing the Behavioral Intention to adopt BI, serving as a mediating factor between Computer Self-efficacy and BI adoption. In contrast, Perceived Ease of Use does not have a direct impact on BI adoption and does not mediate the relationship between Computer Self-efficacy and Behavioral Intention. These insights demonstrate the complex nature of BI adoption, emphasizing the importance of Perceived Usefulness in shaping Behavioral Intentions. The outcomes of the study aim to guide executives in Malaysia’s service sector, outlining key considerations for successful BI adoption.
Social Services are vital for addressing adversity and safeguarding vulnerable individuals, presenting professionals with complex challenges that demand resilience, recovery, and continual learning. This study investigates Organizational Resilience within Community Social Services, focusing on strategic planning, adaptive capacity, and user perspectives. A cross-sectional study involved 534 professionals and service users from Community Social Services Centers in Spain. Centers were selected based on the characteristics of their population and the representativeness of their geographic location. The study utilized the Benchmark Resilience Tool (BRT) to evaluate Organizational Resilience and the SERVPERF questionnaire to gauge user-perceived service quality. The results demonstrate satisfactory levels of Organizational Resilience and user satisfaction, while also highlighting key areas for enhancing resilient strategies: reinforcement of personnel for thinking outside the box or in the resources available to the organization to face unexpected changes. These findings suggest the need to develop and optimize measures that improve the organization’s ability to adapt to and recover from adverse situations, ensuring a positive user experience. Emphasizing the importance of resilience in Social Services as a quality predictor, future research should explore innovative strategies to bolster Organizational Resilience. The findings emphasize the need to strengthen resilience in Social Services, enhancing practice, policy, and adaptability to support vulnerable populations.
Nigeria’s palm oil processing industry poses significant environmental pollution risks, jeopardizing the country’s ability to meet the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Traditional processing methods generate palm oil mill effluent (POME), contaminating soil and shallow wells. This study investigated water samples from five locations (Edo, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Imo states) with high effluent release. While some parameters met international and national standards (WHO guidelines, ASCE, NIS, and NSDWQ) others exceeded acceptable limits, detrimental to improved water quality. Results showed, pH values within acceptable ranges (6.5–8.5), high total conductivity and salinity (800–1150 µS/cm), acceptable hardness values (200–300 mg/L), nitrite concentrations (10–45 mg/L), excessive magnesium absorption (> 50 mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) indicating significant pollution (75–290 mg/L), total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeding safe limits in four locations, total solids (TS) exceeding allowable limits for drinking water (310–845 mg/L), water quality index (WQI) values ranged from “poor” to “very poor”. POME contamination by metals like magnesium, nitrite, chloride, and sodium compromised shallow well water quality. Correlation analysis confirmed robust results, indicating strong positive correlations between conductivity and TDS (r = 0.85, p < 0.01) and pH and total hardness (r = 0.65, p < 0.05). The study emphasizes the need for environmentally friendly palm oil processing methods to mitigate pollution, ensure safe drinking water, and achieve Nigeria’s SDGs. Implementation of sustainable practices is crucial to protect public health and the environment.
This study seeks to explore the information value of financial metrics on corporate sustainability and investigate the moderating effects of institutional shareholders on the association between net cashflows (NCF) and corporate sustainability of the leading ASEAN countries. The dataset consists of companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore during 2013–2023. Fixed effects panel regression is executed in this study. Subsequently, the conditional effects served to evaluate the influence of institutional shareholders on the association between NCF and corporate sustainability. This study employs agency theory to explore how the alignment of institutional shareholders influences sustainability outcomes. This study found that institutional shareholders themselves supply information for the sustainability indicator in Thailand and Singapore, but not in Malaysia. Furthermore, adversely correlated with sustainability metrics in all three nations is the interaction term between institutional shareholders and net cashflows. Further investigation reveals that for each nation’s sustainability measures the institutional shareholders offer value relevant to net cashflows at certain amounts. This study not only contributes to existing academic research on sustainability and financial indicators, it also provides practical strategies for companies and investors trying to match financial performance with sustainability goals in a fast-changing global market.
Balancing broad learning outcomes in graduate programs with detailed classroom learning outcomes is increasingly crucial in education systems. This study employs a qualitative paradigm through a case study method to address the gap between learning outcomes at the graduate program level and those at the course level. Using the ESSENTIA CURRICULUM framework—a curriculum design methodology derived from software engineering practices—we propose an innovative and adaptable approach for aligning program-wide and course-specific learning outcomes. The ESSENTIA CURRICULUM, named for its focus on the “essence of the curriculum”, is applied to the ICT for Research course within the M.Sc. program in University Teaching at the University of Nariño. This framework fosters a consistent educational journey centered on learning achievements and demonstrates its effectiveness through a comprehensive self-assessment process and stakeholder feedback. The implications of this research are twofold: it highlights the potential of adopting interdisciplinary methodologies for curriculum design and provides a scalable and alternative strategy for harmonizing learning outcomes across diverse educational contexts. By bridging principles from software engineering into education, this novel approach offers new avenues for improving curriculum coherence and applicability.
The objective of this article is to present the analysis we conducted regarding interdisciplinarity in the training of legal professionals in the Law program at UNAD, focusing on emerging anthropocentric and biocentric perspectives that offer a different view in the training process from territorial and environmental approaches. The program, which has been in existence for three years and being the first virtual modality program authorized in Colombia, is a pioneer in its field. In consequence, we ask ourselves: What are the relevant aspects in the training of legal professionals in the face of the environmental challenges of the 21st century? For this purpose, we used a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews, surveys and literature review, highlighting the holistic and hermeneutic methods. We found five key aspects: a) interdisciplinary perspective in legal training; b) development of skills and competencies; c) paradigmatic changes from anthropocentrism to biocentrism from a pedagogical perspective in law; d) training of legal professionals with an environmental humanistic sense; and e) the territorial and environmental approach of the UNAD Law program. Furthermore, in the discussion, we analyzed the aspects identified above, based on complex thinking, professional skills and competences, environmental humanism and ethics in the exercise of the legal profession from a formative approach. We conclude by highlighting the importance of interdisciplinarity, critical thinking and the territorial approach as positive aspects with an opportunity for strengthening, particularly related with emerging paradigms and environmental humanism in law.
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