Ignorance of laws and policies creates barriers to the social inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs), hindering their full participation in communal life and opportunities. The current study aims to analyze the social inclusion of PWDs in the context of ignorance of laws and policies and how it influences their overall social inclusion. To achieve the study objectives, data were collected from a sample of 488 PWDs, comprising 284 males and 204 females, in the selected six Union Councils (sub-administrative units) of District Malakand, Pakistan. Respondents were chosen through multistage stratified random sampling. In the univariate and multivariate level analyses, the chi-square test and Kendall’s Tau-b test statistics were used to test the relationship between ignorance of laws and policies and the social inclusion of PWDs. Gender and level of disability were used as control variables at the multivariate level. The results of Kendal Tb and chi-square significance values depicted a spurious relation among ignorance of laws and policies and social inclusion of PWDs while controlling respondent’s gender. The results highlighted that ignorance of laws and policies reduced social inclusion in male to a higher extent than female. Additionally, the social inclusion of PWDs with moderate disabilities is more significantly hampered by ignorance of laws and polices than those with severe disabilities.
As digital technologies continue to shape the economy, countries are faced with increasing scrutiny in the use of digital transformation to aid productivity and improve performance. In South Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated Small and medium-sized businesses’ (SMEs’) uptake of digital technologies, as many businesses had to shift their operations online and adopt new digital tools and technologies to solve the challenges posed by the pandemic. This has led to an increased focus on digital transformation mechanisms among South African firms. Therefore, the study examines the effect of digital transformation on the productivity of firms using cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) (2020). The survey was based on firms and is a representative sample of the private sector in the South African economy and covers a wide variety of business environment themes, such as infrastructure, competitiveness, access to finance, and performance indicators. We found that digital transformation improved productivity of South African firms. Furthermore, empirical findings are reassuring robust to the IV-2SLS and quantile regression model, size of business, sectoral and provincial analysis. Finally, we recommend that policy makers should develop and implement initiatives to improve digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet access and reliable connectivity, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Women play a pivotal role in national development, and it is essential for every country to harness their skills to promote economic growth and comprehensive development. The purpose of the current study is to analyze and evaluation the impact of the most recent legislatives and legal reforms in the Saudi Arabia laws in the women’s empowering and economic growth. In addition, the research method is used is analyzing laws, regulations, and reports documents related to women rights in Saudi Arabia to clarify its impact on the women’s empowerments and economic developments. The study’s results indicate a significant and positive impact of recent legal and legislative reforms in Saudi Arabia on women’s empowerment and economic growth. Legal reforms have expanded employment opportunities and fostered entrepreneurship among women, resulting in increased workforce participation and a rise in women-owned businesses. Social empowerment has been enhanced through greater autonomy and improved access to education and vocational training, equipping women with competitive skills. Additionally, reforms have facilitated women’s participation in governance that creating a safer and more equitable environment. These changes have contributed positively to the economic incomes and diversification that reflecting the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom to enhance women’s empowerment and ensure the sustainability of reforms to achieve the ambitious goals of the Kingdome Vision 2030.
This research explores the factors influencing consumers’ intentions and behaviors toward purchasing green products in two culturally and economically distinct countries, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Drawing on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study examines the roles of altruistic and egoistic motivations, alongside environmental knowledge, in shaping green consumer behavior. Altruistic motivation, driven by concern for societal well-being and environmental sustainability, is found to have a stronger impact on green purchase intention and behavior in both countries, particularly in Pakistan. Egoistic motivation, which focuses on personal benefits like health and cost savings, also contributes but with a lesser influence. The research employs a cross-sectional survey design, collecting data from 1000 respondents (500 from each country) using a stratified random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships between variables and test the moderating effects of environmental knowledge. The results reveal that environmental knowledge significantly moderates the effect of both altruistic and egoistic motivations on green purchase intention, enhancing the likelihood of eco-friendly consumption. These findings underscore the importance of environmental education in promoting sustainable consumer behavior. The originality of this study lies in its comparative analysis of green consumerism in two distinct contexts and its exploration of motivational factors through the TPB framework. Practical implications suggest that policymakers and marketers can develop strategies that appeal to both altruistic and egoistic drivers while enhancing consumer knowledge of environmental issues. The study contributes to the literature by expanding TPB to include the moderating role of environmental knowledge in understanding green consumption behavior across diverse cultures.
This study investigates the public’s perceptions of digital innovations in pharmacy, with a focus on health informatics and medication management. Despite the rapid development of these technologies, a comprehensive understanding of how various demographics perceive and interact with them is lacking hence, this research aims to bridge this gap by offering insights into public attitudes and the factors influencing the adoption of digital tools in pharmacy practice, as KSA population and healthcare professionals after Covid-19 has observed the significant potential of digital health. A cross-sectional survey involving 1132 participants was conducted, employing SPSS for data analysis to ensure precise and reliable results. The findings indicate general optimism about the potential of digital innovations to enhance healthcare outcomes but concerns about data privacy and usability significantly affect user acceptance. The researchers recommended tailored educational programs and user-centered design to facilitate the adoption of digital pharmacy innovations. Key contributions include the identification of ‘Ease of Use’ and ‘Data Security and Privacy’ as predominant factors in the adoption of digital health tools.
This research investigates the relationship between the variables of public service reform (PSR) and bureaucratic revitalization and the relationship between digital leadership (DL) and bureaucratic revitalization. The research method used in this research is quantitative survey research which aims to determine the relationship between two or more variables. The research method for this research is quantitative associative, the population of this study is senior immigration officers. The data analysis method uses structural equation modeling (SEM) partial least squares (PLS), the respondents for this study were 634 senior immigration office employees who were determined using the simple random sampling method—non probability sampling, the questionnaire was designed to contain statement items using a 7 point Likert scale. A closed questionnaire is a list of questions or statements that are equipped with multiple answer choices expressed in scale form. The Likert scale used in this research is (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) quite disagree, (4) neutral, (5) quite agree, (6) agree, (7) strongly agree. Data processing in this research used SmartPLS software. The independent variables of this research are digital leadership and public service reform and the dependent variable is bureaucratic revitalization. The stages of data analysis in this research are the outer model test which includes convergent validity, discriminant validity and composite reliability as well as inner model analysis, namely hypothesis testing. The results of this research show that public service reform has a positive and significant relationship to bureaucratic revitalization and digital leadership has a positive and significant relationship to bureaucratic revitalization. This research implies that leaders focus on engaging, using, and handling the uncertainty of emerging technologies, digital tools, and data, leaders to support bureaucratic revitalization, the immigration department must implement digital leadership, immigration leaders should encourage the use of digital platforms in their organizations, support and facilitate digital transformation. The immigration department should increase the revitalization of the bureaucracy, the immigration department should carry out public service reforms. Public services are to be good if they fulfill several principles of public interest, legal certainty, equal rights, balance of rights and obligations, professionalism, participativeness, equality of treatment/non-discrimination, openness, accountability, facilities and special treatment for vulnerable groups, timeliness, speed, convenience and affordability.
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