The issue of urban land management in the world in general and in Africa in particular has been exacerbated by the liberalization of land practices and the commodification of land, which has led to an increase in corrupt practices within land institutions in all cities. A mixed methodology was employed, combining a comparative case study of secondary towns with a quantitative survey of 559 landowners in the towns of Bohicon and Sokodé. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 informants, who were surveyed on the land acquisition process, the individual determinants influencing corrupt practices, and the institutions most involved in these practices. The findings revealed that the acquisition of a formal title conferring property rights in both cities necessitates the completion of several steps. Corrupt practices are present at almost every stage of the transaction. The application of logistic regression models to the independent variables indicates that age and profession are highly significant in the sociodemographic characteristics of those most susceptible to engaging in these practices. Formal land administration institutions are the most involved in these types of everyday corruption. These practices are ultimately linked to people’s life paths and cannot therefore be combated without psychosociological education and the promotion of ethical behavior among all stakeholders, particularly among those who demand services.
Measuring the performance of healthcare organizations has become a crucial yet challenging task, which is the focus of this study. The paper’s primary goal is to identify the key factors that shape healthcare organizations’ performance management systems in Serbia, which can serve as useful guidelines for implementing sustainable solutions. Additionally, the aim is to emphasize the importance of a broad implementation of performance measurement systems to facilitate strategy implementation and enhance organizational effectiveness. The empirical research involved an online survey of 280 respondents, including managers, executives, and operational staff from both private and public healthcare organizations in Serbia. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 20. The study identifies key challenges, including the lack of a developed performance measurement system, weak support from information and management systems for performance improvement, and an organizational structure that does not support performance enhancement. Furthermore, it has been found that a deeper understanding of the essence of measurement significantly contributes to identifying problems in its application in the healthcare sector. It was also observed that the more challenges identified in the measurement process, the less favourable the perception of the flexibility and adaptability of the system.
Creating products and services that satisfy individual and community needs is impossible without raw materials. This study takes a novel approach by integrating the economic dynamics and raw material consumption indicators of the European Union (EU). The study uses different econometric methods to analyze the relationship between GDP (gross domestic product) and the EU’s raw material consumption (RMC) from 2014–2023. Among the results, the panel data analysis model shows that the resource productivity of the EU improved during the period under review, whereas the material intensity decreased significantly. These trends significantly contributed to the relative decoupling of material consumption from GDP in the last decade. The results of the K-means cluster analysis highlight the regional economic differences within the EU. According to the results of the correlation analysis, EU member countries differ significantly in the efficiency of raw material use. Nevertheless, five member countries are robustly vulnerable to large-scale raw material use. The divergence calculation results show that while some countries use raw materials extremely efficiently to produce GDP, others achieve low efficiency. This unique approach and the resulting findings provide a new perspective on the complex relationship between economic growth and raw material use in the EU.
This study examines the microeconomic determinants influencing remittance flows to Vietnam, considering factors such as gender (SEX), age (AGE), marital status (MS), income level (INC), educational level (EDU), financial status (FS), migration expenses (EXP), and foreign language proficiency (LAN). The study analyzes the impact of these factors on both the volume (REM_VL) and frequency of remittance flows (REM_FR), employing ordered logistic regression on survey data collected from Vietnamese migrants residing in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. The estimations reveal that migrants’ income, age, educational level, and migration costs significantly positively influence remittance flows to Vietnam. Conversely, the financial status of migrants’ families in the home country negatively impacts these flows. Gender and migration costs primarily influence the frequency of remittance transfers, but they do not have a significant effect on the volume of remittances. Although foreign language proficiency was introduced as a novel variable of the models, it does not demonstrate any significant impact in this study. Furthermore, the survey data and regression estimates suggest that two primary motivations drive remittances to Vietnam: altruistic motives and implicit loan agreements. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of remittance e behavior, particularly in the context of Vietnam’s status as a major labor exporter. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and researchers seeking to optimize remittance flows and their impact on the Vietnamese economy. By understanding the complex interplay of factors influencing remittance behavior, policymakers can design effective strategies to support migrants and encourage increased remittance inflows, ultimately contributing to economic development and poverty reduction.
This study explores how demographic factors shape perceptions of celebrity and influencer marketing in the context of promoting cryptocurrencies, particularly in the tourism sector. It evaluates whether such marketing strategies effectively promote cryptocurrencies and how their impact varies across demographic groups. By analyzing responses from a sample of 161 predominantly young and educated respondents, the study uses statistical methods to identify differences in perceived marketing effectiveness based on age, gender, and other demographics. Findings reveal no significant demographic differences in effectiveness; instead, the study underscores the importance of universal marketing qualities, such as authenticity, credibility, and relevance. These results suggest the need for inclusive marketing strategies that foster trust and transparency. Additionally, the study highlights avenues for future research, including cultural and ethical considerations, to refine marketing approaches and develop innovative campaigns that drive cryptocurrency adoption and trust in the tourism industry.
Work can be demanding, imposing challenges that can be detrimental to the job performance of employees. Efforts are therefore underway to develop practices and initiatives that may improve job performance and well-being. These include interventions based on mindfulness, inclusive leadership and work engagement. In the present study, authors have presented an association of inclusive leadership and mindfulness towards job performance through employee work engagement among secondary teachers in the context of Hong Kong. The sample size of 263 teachers working from three secondary schools in Sha Tin, Hong Kong has been incorporated in this study. A structured questionnaire designed on a 5-point Likert scale has been used based on purposive sampling by analysis of IBM SPSS 27 and Smart PLS version 4.0.9 by applying a structural equation modelling approach (SEM). The results indicated a strong positive influence on employee work engagement and job performance. Moreover, the bootstrap investigation showed that mindfulness and inclusive leadership were significantly associated with employees’ work engagement in the presence of mediators’ work engagement. This study adds to the very scarce literature on inclusive leadership and mindfulness. In addition, this research is the first study to test the mindfulness skill, inclusive leadership and job performance relationship. Furthermore, this is the first study to explore the concept of mindfulness and inclusive leadership in the Hong Kong context. Moreover, the findings of this research can be beneficial for future theory development on mindfulness skill and inclusive leadership in cross-cultural contexts.
The study employed a qualitative approach to determine the influence and effectiveness of storytelling in shaping the Alpha generation’s buying decisions and consumption behaviours. The students of the University of Lagos Junior Secondary School were selected for the study. The interview questions were set to focus on factors like experiences, sources of storytelling communication, the outcomes and the affective effects. Twenty-five students were purposively selected out of one hundred and twelve (112) population for the interview based on the conditions for selection. Thematic analysis was used and a total of 244 themes were identified. Four (4) major themes were later identified in thematic synthesis through coding translation. The findings revealed that storytelling is effective and strategic in brands targeted at the Alpha generation, hence, the generation relied on storytelling to choose brands in convenience, impulsive and shopping products, and radio and television were the main sources of storytelling campaigns among the generation. Storytelling wrapped in songs, entertainment, dancing, drama, etc. captivated and influenced the generation, and children used the information from the storytelling campaigns to influence family purchase decisions and parents’ buying decisions and behaviours.
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