This research explores the necessity and the effect of job resources for undergraduates’ career satisfaction during work experience in an apprenticeship program. Additionally, we examine the extent to which a supportive environment enhances apprentice career satisfaction by providing access to valuable learning experiences. We propose PLS equation modelling with a sample of 81 students who completed a dual apprenticeship degree in Business Administration and Management at Spanish University. The study finds that all three workplace job resources are necessary for career satisfaction among apprentices. Learning opportunities and social relations have significant effects, while job control contributes only marginally. It highlights that learning opportunities enhance social relations, emphasizing the importance of feedback. The study extends job resource research to university level apprenticeships, showing that without these resources, apprentices lack career satisfaction. It highlights that learning opportunities are crucial for satisfaction through social relations and offers guidance for designing effective workplace training programs.
This study examines the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) and employee motivation on employee performance within the telecommunication industry in the Sultanate of Oman. The target population consisted of 4344 non-managerial employees across nine telecommunication companies, including Omantel, Ooredoo, Vodafone, Oman Broadband Company, Awasr Oman & Co, TEO, Oman Tower Company L.L.C, Helios Tower, and Connect Arabia International. Employing a deductive research approach, finally data were collected via an online survey from 354 respondents. The hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that all dimensions of EI self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills positively and significantly influence employee performance, with social skills having the strongest effect. Furthermore, both intrinsic motivation factors, such as work itself and career development, and extrinsic motivation factors, including wages, rewards, working environment, and co-worker relationships, significantly enhance employee performance. The interaction between EI and employee motivation was found to amplify these positive effects. Among control variables, age and education level showed significant impacts, while gender did not. These findings underscore the critical role of both emotional intelligence and motivation in driving employee performance. The study suggests that managers and policymakers should adopt integrated strategies that develop EI competencies and enhance motivational factors to optimize employee performance, thereby contributing to the success of organizations in the telecommunication sector.
Background: According to the 2023 World Economic Forum report, the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation on the job market was more significant than originally projected. Although 2018 research forecasted significant job losses balanced by job creation, current data indicates otherwise. Between 2023 and 2027, it is anticipated that 69 million new jobs will be created due to advancements in AI, however, this will be offset by the loss of 83 million jobs, leading to a net decrease of 14 million jobs worldwide. Roles related to AI, digitalization, and sustainability, such as AI specialists and renewable energy engineers are expected to grow, while those in clerical and administrative sectors are most at risk of decline. This shift underscores the need for reskilling and adapting to evolving fields, as nearly 44% of workers skills will face disruption by 2027. The demand for analytical thinking, technological literacy, and adaptability will grow as companies increasingly adopt frontier technologies. Objectives: (1) identify key variables influencing adaptability of college graduates in Indonesia, (2) quantify the strength of relationships between these variables to understand the combined effect on graduate adaptability. The research also aims to (3) develop theoretical and practical recommendations to strengthen ICIL policy and equip students with the relevant skills needed to thrive in an ever-changing job market. Methodology: The research focuses on predicting future employment trends, adaptability, and learning agility (LA), along with the implications for improving the Independent Campus Independent Learning (ICIL) policy. It focused on the significant unemployment rate among college graduates, along with the lack of research on the relationship between job change predictions, graduates’ adaptability, and the impact on graduates’ general well-being. The mixed-method strategy with quantitative analysis was used to conduct this research with data collected from 284 ICIL participants through online survey. The gathered data was evaluated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Lisrel version 10. Results: The result showed that job trend projections significantly influence responsiveness, which demonstrated a robust association between employment trend predictions and LA. Responsiveness significantly influenced learning agility which indicated no significant direct association between job trend projections and graduate adaptability. Conclusion: The research emphasized the need to consider adaptability as a concept with multiple dimensions. It proposed incorporating these factors into strategies for education and human resources development in order to better equip graduates for the demands of a constantly changing work market. Unique contribution: This research focused on adaptability as a multifaceted concept that consist of the ability to forecast job trends, be sensitive, and possess LA. It offered a deeper understanding of the relationships between these variables as discussed in the human resources literature. Technology, corporate culture, and training played a critical role in connecting employment trend prediction with the ability to respond effectively. Key recommendation: Institutions should implement a comprehensive approach to the development of human resources, with emphasis on fostering critical thinking, analytical abilities, and the practical application of information. By employing these tactics, higher education institutions may effectively equip graduates with both academic proficiency and the ability to adapt and thrive in quickly changing organizational environments, leading to the production of robust and versatile workers.
Brain tumors are a primary factor causing cancer-related deaths globally, and their classification remains a significant research challenge due to the variability in tumor intensity, size, and shape, as well as the similar appearances of different tumor types. Accurate differentiation is further complicated by these factors, making diagnosis difficult even with advanced imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recent techniques in artificial intelligence (AI), in particular deep learning (DL), have improved the speed and accuracy of medical image analysis, but they still face challenges like overfitting and the need for large annotated datasets. This study addresses these challenges by presenting two approaches for brain tumor classification using MRI images. The first approach involves fine-tuning transfer learning cutting-edge models, including SEResNet, ConvNeXtBase, and ResNet101V2, with global average pooling 2D and dropout layers to minimize overfitting and reduce the need for extensive preprocessing. The second approach leverages the Vision Transformer (ViT), optimized with the AdamW optimizer and extensive data augmentation. Experiments on the BT-Large-4C dataset demonstrate that SEResNet achieves the highest accuracy of 97.96%, surpassing ViT’s 95.4%. These results suggest that fine-tuning and transfer learning models are more effective at addressing the challenges of overfitting and dataset limitations, ultimately outperforming the Vision Transformer and existing state-of-the-art techniques in brain tumor classification.
The modification of the Turia River's course in the 1960s marked a pivotal transformation in Valencia's urban landscape, evolving from a flood protection measure into a hallmark of sustainable urban development. However, recent rainfalls and flooding events produced directly by the phenomenon known as DANA ((Isolated Depression at High Levels) in October 2024 have exposed vulnerabilities in the infrastructure, particularly in the rapidly urbanized southern areas, raising questions about the effectiveness of past solutions in the context of climate change and urban expansion. As a result of this fragility, more than 200 deaths have occurred, along with material losses in 87 municipalities, whose industrial infrastructure accounts for nearly one-third of the economic activity in the Province of Valencia, valued at 479.6 million euros. This paper presents, for the first time, a historical-document-based approach to evaluate the successes and shortcomings of Valencia's flood management strategies through policy and spatial planning analysis. Also, this paper remarks the ongoing challenges and potential strategies for enhancing Valencia's urban resilience, emphasizing the need for innovative water management systems, improved drainage infrastructure, and the renaturalization of flood-prone areas. The lessons learned from Valencia's experience in 1957 and 2024 can inform future urban planning efforts in similar contexts facing the dual pressures of environmental change and urbanization.
Soil salinization is a difficult challenge for agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability, particularly in arid and semi-arid coastal regions. This study investigates the spatial variability of soil electrical conductivity (EC) and its relationship with key cations and anions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl⁻, CO32⁻, HCO3⁻, SO42⁻) along the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea in Iran. Using a combination of field-based soil sampling, laboratory analyses, and Landsat 8 spectral data, linear Multiple Linear Regression and Partial Least Squares Regression (MLR, PLSR) and nonlinear Artifician Neural Network and Support Vector Machine (ANN, SVM) modeling approaches were employed to estimate and map soil EC. Results identified Na+ and Cl⁻ as the primary contributors to salinity (r = 0.78 and r = 0.88, respectively), with NaCl salts dominating the region’s soil salinity dynamics. Secondary contributions from Potassium Chloride KCl and Magnesium Chloride MgCl2 were also observed. Coastal landforms such as lagoon relicts and coastal plains exhibited the highest salinity levels, attributed to geomorphic processes and anthropogenic activities. Among the predictive models, the SVM algorithm outperformed others, achieving higher R2 values and lower RMSE (RMSETest = 27.35 and RMSETrain = 24.62, respectively), underscoring its effectiveness in capturing complex soil-environment interactions. This study highlights the utility of digital soil mapping (DSM) for assessing soil salinity and provides actionable insights for sustainable land management, particularly in mitigating salinity and enhancing agricultural practices in vulnerable coastal systems.
Copyright © by EnPress Publisher. All rights reserved.