Surveys are one of the most important tasks to be executed to get valued information. One of the main problems is how the data about many different persons can be processed to give good information about their environment. Modelling environments through Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) is highly common because ANN’s are excellent to model predictable environments using a set of data. ANN’s are good in dealing with sets of data with some noise, but they are fundamentally surjective mathematical functions, and they aren’t able to give different results for the same input. So, if an ANN is trained using data where samples with the same input configuration has different outputs, which can be the case of survey data, it can be a major problem for the success of modelling the environment. The environment used to demonstrate the study is a strategic environment that is used to predict the impact of the applied strategies to an organization financial result, but the conclusions are not limited to this type of environment. Therefore, is necessary to adjust, eliminate invalid and inconsistent data. This permits one to maximize the probability of success and precision in modeling the desired environment. This study demonstrates, describes and evaluates each step of a process to prepare data for use, to improve the performance and precision of the ANNs used to obtain the model. This is, to improve the model quality. As a result of the studied process, it is possible to see a significant improvement both in the possibility of building a model as in its accuracy.
Technological innovation allows nations to produce sophisticated products more efficiently and at higher quality to increase exports. Countries that aim to produce and export sophisticated products can improve their economic complexity and lead to the country’s economic development. Hence, the study investigates the impact of technological innovation on economic complexity in South Africa. Technological innovation, exports, and manufactured products were used as variables to examine South Africa’s economic complexity index. The study employed the ARDL method to determine the relationship among the variables. The ARDL F-bounds test reflected the long-run cointegration among the selected variables. The study produced long-run positive estimates of technological innovation, exports, and manufactured products on economic complexity, however, manufactured products and exports were insignificant. Granger causality indicated unidirectional causality on economic complexity to manufactured products, exports to technological innovation, and a bi-directional causal effect from exports to economic complexity and technological innovation to economic complexity. The study recommends that South Africa focus on innovation, create more diversified and sophisticated products and processes, and promote more manufacturing firms, particularly Agri-processed products.
There is insufficient consideration of Generation Z’s cultural and generational needs in the implementation of biometric attendance systems in Arabic educational settings. This study delves into Generation Z’s discipline, exploring their perspectives on attendance systems and aligning commitment with their interests. The primary aim is to gauge biometric systems’ impact on productivity. Google Form questionnaires collected data from young employees, ages 25 to 35, who belong to Generation Z’s working in the higher education system. Structural equation modeling and descriptive analysis assessed the data. While biometric systems enhance discipline, they may dampen morale. Implementing systems fairly and maintaining flexibility is vital. The study underscores the importance of evaluating employees based on achievements. It sheds light on biometric systems’ role in attendance management and organizational performance, aiding HR practices. The results showed no significant effect of Employee Management Practices (EMP) on organization performance through Biometric Attendance Technology (BAT) (B = 0.049, t = 1.330, p = 0.184). Nor significant effects of Organizational Performance Metrics (OPM) (B = 0.019, t = 0.608, p = 0.543). Technological Infrastructure (TI) (B = 0.019, t = 0.2461, p = 0.645), or Satisfaction and Engagement (ESE) (B = 0.057, t = 1.381, p = 0.167) on organization performance through Biometric Attendance Technology. The mediator impact was also found to be not significant (P > 0.05). Therefore, both direct and specific indirect effects were not significant. Indicating that Biometric Attendance Technology does not mediate the relationship between these variables and organizational performance.
Sustainability in road construction projects is hindered by the extensive use of non-renewable materials, high greenhouse gas emissions, risk cost, and significant disruption to the local community. Sustainability involves economic, environmental, and social aspects (triple bottom line). However, establishing metrics to evaluate economic, environmental, and social impacts is challenging because of the different nature of these dimensions and the shortage of accepted indicators. This paper developed a comprehensive method considering all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental, and social burdens. Initially, the economic, environmental, and social impact category indicators were assessed using the Life cycle approach. After that, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were utilized to prioritize the alternatives according to the acquired weightings and sustainable indicators. The steps of the AHP method involve forming a hierarchy, determining priorities, calculating weighting factors, examining the consistency of these assessments, and then determining global priorities/weightings. The TOPSIS method is conducted by building a normalized decision matrix, constructing the weighted normalized decision matrix, evaluating the positive and negative solutions, determining the separation measures, and calculating the relative closeness to the ideal solution. The selected alternative performs the highest Relative Closeness to the Ideal Solution. Lastly, a case study was undertaken to validate the proposed method. In three alternatives in the case study (Cement Concrete, Dense-Graded Polymer Asphalt Concrete, and Dense-Graded Asphalt Concrete), option 3 showed the most sustainable performance due to its highest Relative Closeness to the Ideal Solution. Integrating AHP and TOPSIS methods combines both strengths, including AHP’s structured approach for determining criteria weights through pairwise comparisons and TOPSIS’s ability to rank choices based on their proximity to an ideal solution.
Urbanization and suburbanization have led to high population growth in certain city regions, resulting in increased population density and mobility. Therefore, there is a need for a concept to address congestion, public transportation, information and communication systems, and non-motorized vehicles. Smart mobility is a concept of urban development as part of the smart city concept based on information and communication technology. Through this concept, it is expected that transportation services will be easily accessible, safe, comfortable, fast, and affordable for the community. This research aims to analyze smart mobility and its relationship with regional transportation planning and the development of South Tangerang, as well as to design a policy strategy model for the planning and development of South Tangerang with smart mobility. The research method used in this study is a mixed method, including analyzing the relationships and weighting of relationships between variables using the Cross Impact Multiplication applied to a classification (MICMAC) matrix. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with Promethee software is also used to obtain the necessary policies. The results of this research indicate that the measurement of relationships between variables shows that smart mobility influences regional transportation planning, smart mobility affects regional development, and regional planning affects regional development. This research also provides alternative policies that policymakers should implement in a specific order. First, ensure the availability of public transportation; second, improve public transportation safety; third, enhance public transportation security; fourth, improve public transportation routes; fifth, provide real-time information access; sixth, improve transportation schedules; and seventh, increase the number of bicycle lanes.
Road accidents involving motorcyclists significantly threaten sustainable mobility and community safety, necessitating a comprehensive examination of contributing factors. This study investigates the behavioral aspects of motorcyclists, including riding anger, sensation-seeking, and mindfulness, which play crucial roles in road accidents. The study employed structural equation modeling to analyze the data, utilizing a cross-sectional design and self-administered questionnaires. The results indicate that riding anger and sensation-seeking tendencies have a direct impact on the likelihood of road accidents, while mindfulness mitigates these effects. Specifically, mindfulness partially mediates the relationships between riding anger and road accident proneness, as well as between sensation-seeking and road accident proneness. These findings underscore the importance of effective anger management, addressing sensation-seeking tendencies, and promoting mindfulness practices among motorcyclists to enhance road safety and sustainable mobility. The insights gained from this research are invaluable for relevant agencies and stakeholders striving to reduce motorcycle-related accidents and foster sustainable communities through targeted interventions and educational programs.
This study examines how economic freedom and competition affect bank stability. We use data from 70 ASEAN-4 banks from 2007 to 2019 using the system generalized technique of moments. Results corroborate competition-fragility hypothesis. Market strength (or less competition) can boost bank stability. However, in the ASEAN-4 area, competition and bank stability have a non-linear relationship, suggesting that bank stability may decline after market strength exceeds a threshold. Financial and economic freedom also boosts bank stability. This implies banks in free financial and economic contexts are more stable. Banks with more market dominance in nations with more economic or financial autonomy may also be more unstable. The findings suggest that authorities should allow some competition and economic flexibility to keep banks stable. The study examined ASEAN-4 economic freedom’s effects empirically for the first time. It illuminates competitiveness and bank stability.
The objective of the study was to analyze green marketing in the promotion of environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the development of resilient infrastructure in Peru. The methodology used was qualitative and interpretative, the documentary design based on the systematic review of scientific literature. The PRISMA model was applied for the selection of units of analysis, resulting in 36 articles out of an initial total of 950. Content analysis was used to examine the documents, following a detailed procedure that included the use of Grounded Theory to categorize and analyze the data. The results highlighted the importance of integrating green marketing and sustainable practices into resilient infrastructure planning and development. Key strategies were identified that include promoting environmental responsibility, adopting sustainable technologies in construction, and implementing policies that foster urban resilience and sustainability. The findings highlight the adoption of a comprehensive approach that combines green marketing with resilient infrastructure planning and development to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development in Peru.
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