This study explored how facilitation skills—defined as instructional techniques that accurately convey core messages in a trusting relationship and encourage self-directed learning participation among adult learners—affect the effectiveness of learning. The research focused on adult learners enrolled in lifelong education programs at seven universities, including general and vocational colleges in Busan. It aimed to examine the relationships between instructors’ facilitation skills, learner engagement, and learning outcomes, as well as the mediating effect of engagement on these relationships. A total of 213 valid survey responses were analyzed from an initial 215 responses, excluding 2 unsuitable entries. The findings are summarized as follows. First, facilitation skills were found to partially influence learner engagement. Second, learner engagement was shown to affect learning outcomes. Third, facilitation skills were found to have a partial effect on learning outcomes. Fourth, learner engagement partially mediated the relationship between facilitation skills and learning outcomes. Based on these results, this study is expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between facilitation skills and learning outcomes in adult learners, providing practical guidelines for enhancing effectiveness in various educational contexts.

Background: The background and objectives of the research revolve around bureaucracy as a classic form of the modern division of labor, with Max Weber acknowledging its inevitability. However, the objective implications of the bureaucracy’s iron cage are evident in governance and management experiences. The mayors of Tehran’s districts exemplify how Iranian culture interacts with bureaucracy. This research seeks to establish principles and governance for district governors using an alternative bureaucracy, parallel to conventional bureaucracy. Methods: The methods employed include twenty strategically selected interviews, considering age, municipal area, and work experience for maximum variance. Grounded theory methodology, specifically the approach by Anselm Strauss and Barney Glaser, guides the research, employing open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. MaxQDA 2020 software enhances the qualitative data analysis, facilitating organization, coding, and collaboration within the research team. Results: Findings indicate “inevitable violations” as a common starting point for interviewees, leading to three axes: “preconditions,” “objectives,” and “strategies and mechanisms” of alternative bureaucracy. In conclusion, breaking through bureaucracy becomes necessary for governors to act. Alternative bureaucracy, rooted in experience yet considering the bureaucratic field, requires transcendent goals. Hybridity and ethical principles are crucial when transitioning from conventional bureaucracy to the alternative in urban governance.

This paper presents an assessment approach to fostering socioeconomic re-development and resilience in Iraqi regions emerging from the destruction and instability, in the aftermath of the war conflict in Iraq. Focusing on the intricate interplay of logistics infrastructure and economic recovery, the present study proposes a novel framework that integrates general resilience insights, data analytics, infrastructure systems, and decision support from Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). We draw inspiration also from historical cases on “creative destruction” or “Blessing in Disguise” (BiD) phenomena, like the post-WWII reconstruction of Rotterdam, so as to develop the notion of stepwise or cascadic prosilience, analyzing how innovative logistics systems may in various stages contribute to economic rejuvenation. Our approach recognizes the multifaceted nature of regional resilience capacity, encompassing both static (conserving resources, rerouting, etc.) and dynamic (accelerating recovery through innovative strategies) dimensions. The logistics aspect spans both the supply side (new infrastructure, ICT facilities) and the demand side (changing transportation flows and product demands), culminating in an integrated perspective for sustainable growth of Iraqi regions. In our study, we explore several forward-looking strategic future options (scenarios) for recovery and reconstruction policy factors in the context of regional development in Iraq, regarding them as crucial strategic elements for effective post-conflict rebuilding and regeneration. Given that such assets and infrastructures typically extend beyond a single city or area, their geographic scope is broader, calling for a multi-region approach. By leveraging the extended DEA approach by an incorporation of a super-efficiency (SE) DEA approach so as to better discriminate among efficient Decision-Making Units (DMUs)—in this case, regions in Iraq—our research aims to present actionable and effective insights for infrastructure investment strategies at regional-governorate scale in Iraq, that optimize efficiency, sustainability and resilience. This approach may ultimately foster prosperous and stable post-conflict regional economies that display—by means of a cascadic change—a new balanced prosilient future.

Innovation has always been a key driver of economic development, particularly in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite their significant contributions, many of these enterprises currently lack strong research and development capabilities, face challenges in innovation investment, and struggle to produce high-quality innovative results. To address these issues and overcome funding obstacles, many SMEs are turning to supply chain finance (SCF) as a supplementary financing method. This study utilizes stata16 and fixed effects models to analyze the impact and mechanism of SCF on enterprise innovation performance (EIP), focusing on companies listed on the SME Board and GEM in Shenzhen, China from 2011 to 2020. The findings reveal that SCF can effectively enhance enterprise innovation output, facilitating the conversion of resources into high-quality innovation results. Additionally, the study demonstrates that supply chain concentration acts as a mediator between SCF and EIP. Moreover, SCF is found to significantly boost EIP with low supplier concentrations and high customer concentrations. This suggests that SMEs encounter obstacles to innovation from suppliers and customers, and SCF may not fully address the challenges posed by these relationships. Overall, this research offers new empirical insights into the economic implications of companies adopting SCF, providing valuable guidance for enterprises in optimizing innovation decisions and for the government in enhancing supplier and customer information disclosure systems.