The paper at hand analyses the principal-agent relationship, where comparative perspective between principals’ (municipalities) and agents’ (public utility providers) in the field of water and wastewater management is scrutinized. The goal of the paper is twofold: firstly, to present empirical results validating principal-agent relationships that emerged due to the reorganization process of public enterprises; secondly, to highlight the similarities and differences between the perspectives of principals and agents regarding motives, advantages and disadvantages, and price-setting in relation to the reorganization process. The empirical research is based on the primary data collected through two self-prepared and structured online questionnaires—one for municipalities, and the other for public utility providers. The results reveal similarities between public enterprises and municipalities in motivating factors for full municipal ownership. However, differences are seen among the advantages of the reorganization process. Price-setting by public utilities is recognized as a motivating mechanism for agents.

Raising public awareness of maritime risk and disseminating information about disaster prevention and reduction are the most frequent ways that the government incorporates citizens in marine disaster risk management (DRM). However, these measures are deemed to be insufficient to drive the participation rate. This study aims to understand the participation trend of citizens in marine DRM. On the basis of the theory of citizen participation’s ladder, public participation within marine DRM is categorized into non-participation, tokenistic participation, and substantive participation. Using organization theory, the government’s strategies for encouraging participation are classified into common approach (raising awareness), structural approach (innovating instruments), and cultural approach (developing citizenship). Considering the vignette experiment of 403 citizens in a coastal city of China that has historically been subject to marine disasters, it was found that effectiveness of the strategies, from highest to lowest, are citizenship development, risk education, and instruments innovation. At the individual level, psychological characteristics such as trust in the government, past disaster experience, and knowledge of marine DRM did not significantly influence citizens’ participation preferences. At the government level, even when citizens are informed about new participatory mechanisms and tools, they still tend to be unwilling to share responsibilities. However, self-efficacy and understanding the beneficial outcomes of their participation in marine (DRM) can positively impact the willingness to participate. The results show that to encourage public participation substantively in the marine DRM, it is important to cultivate a sense of civic duty and enhance citizens’ sense of ownership, fostering a closer and more equitable partnership between the state and society.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between using effective information and communication technology tools and time management skills in school administrations. The study aimed specifically to identify the presence of differences in the responses of school principals towards using technology in time management after isolating the variables of gender, years of experience, and educational level. This study utilized the analytical-descriptive method to achieve its objectives. The study instrument included a questionnaire with 45 items. The study sample consisted of 190 principals from different public schools in four emirates in the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Al-Ain). The principals were selected randomly by sending them an electronic questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed similarities in the responses of the school principals to the questionnaire on the role of information and communication technology in helping them achieve better time management.

Economic growth is a pressing issue facing the global community transitioning to sustainable development. Sustainable development is impossible without rapid economic growth limited by imperfect technologies and social structure. Most often, the limit of economic growth is related not so much to the amount of natural resources as to the possibilities of the environment. The atmosphere, water reservoirs, and the earth are already at the limit of their capabilities. This forces us to look for ways to develop production in combination with the economic and environmental spheres. Advanced companies are the first environmentally oriented enterprises, because reducing the amount of primary raw and other materials and energy, switching to secondary raw materials, and processing them reduces the cost of production, and, most often, brings additional profit. This study evaluates socioeconomic approaches to the development of the environmental management system. The creation of an environmentally friendly enterprise’s field of activity is not only a solution to many economic and environmental issues but also one of the ways to transition to a normally functioning market system, given the financial capabilities of enterprises and the understanding of the necessity of state sustainable development by the company management and the population.

On the morning of the 7th of October, the Hamas organization launched an attack on Israel, causing over 1200 casualties and kidnapping over 250 Israeli citizens. Israeli workers, their families, and the country’s economy were all directly impacted by the war. The effects of the war were vast and created many challenges for the HR departments in various organizations. The HR departments had to respond to these issues with promptness, determination, and thoroughness. I will discuss the functions of HR departments during times of war in this opinion piece. They include eliminating ambiguity and uncertainty; providing managers with the tools they need to handle such circumstances; maintaining resilience and high morale; overseeing volunteer programs; maintaining contact with the reserve forces; providing support to war-affected families; carrying out an effective workforce reduction without jeopardizing the company’s ability to continue operations; and managing workplace tensions.

The projects of the IT industry are considered successful when they are completed within the timeline, budget, and client satisfaction on a specific project. Although client relationship is not given much importance in the delay of a project, through several studies it has been seen that the project is delayed in the IT industry due to a lack of awareness about the project to the client. The objective of this study is to inspect the impact of client relationships on project delay. Drawing on stakeholder theory and agency theory, this study investigates how client relationship influences project delay through project awareness and the role of project governance as moderator. A deductive approach of reasoning was used to test the hypotheses formulated under the current research work and proceed by using the quantitative method. This study employed a cross-sectional research design, where data was collected at a specific point in time through a survey strategy. Data was collected from the sample of 288 respondents from the IT companies of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The data was collected using a convenience sampling technique. The demographics of the respondents were analyzed through the IBM-SPSS software program. The assumptions and the reliability of the model were also tested in SPSS. In this study, it was discovered that effective management of client relationships significantly reduces project delays, with project awareness being a crucial factor in this mitigation process. The results revealed that client relationship was negatively associated with project delay and project awareness. Whereas this linkage was mediated by project awareness. This study concludes that adequate project awareness and fruitful project governance reduce project delays and lead to positive client relationships.