The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented and highly threatening, constrained, and confusing social and educational environment, we decided to expand the traditional focus of the extraneous load in Cognitive Load Theory acknowledging the psychological environment in which learning occurs. We therefore adapted and implemented principles of the CLT to reduce extraneous load for our students by facilitating their educational activities. Given previous empirical support for the principles of CLT, it was expected that the adoption of these principles might enable our (...) students to cultivate attitudes and skills across multiple domains such as online learning and presentation technologies, implementing and maintaining a “classroom atmosphere” in a virtual environment, participating in discussions among large online groups of students, facilitating group work, providing virtual office hours for students, and proactively planning for upcoming semesters. (shrink)

The Ethical Business will provide up-to-date coverage of key issues and perspectives in business ethics from a critical perspective. After providing an overview of theoretical approaches to ethics, a wide range of relevant practical questions will be explored. The book will cover the issues in greater depth, and in a more critical manner, than other introductory texts.

An emergent body of literature examined why some firms apply some environmental initiatives while other firms do not take responsibility for their natural environment? Thus, firm environmental orientation (responsiveness and performance) are linked in the literature to several variables. Unfortunately, the relationship between firm environmental orientation and either available resources or firm size showed mixed results and inconclusive evidence. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to show empirically how available resources and firm size can explain differences in firm environmental (...) responsiveness and environmental performance. Econometric results of environmental responsiveness using the logistic regression model demonstrated that firm size does appear to add something unique in explaining differences in environmental responsiveness while available resource can be safely dropped from the model. However, econometric analysis of environmental performance using the maximum-likelihood random effects model showed strong evidence that available resources and firm size are significant predictors of firm environmental performance. (shrink)

In recent years, membrane contact sites (MCS), which mediate interactions between virtually all subcellular organelles, have been extensively characterized and shown to be essential for intracellular communication. In this review essay, we focus on an emerging topic: the regulation of MCS. Focusing on the tether proteins themselves, we discuss some of the known mechanisms which can control organelle tethering events and identify apparent common regulatory hubs, such as the VAP interface at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We also highlight several currently (...) hypothetical concepts, including the idea of tether oligomerization and redox regulation playing a role in MCS formation. We identify gaps in our current understanding, such as the identity of the majority of kinases/phosphatases involved in tether modification and conclude that a holistic approach—incorporating the formation of multiple MCS, regulated by interconnected regulatory modulators—may be required to fully appreciate the true complexity of these fascinating intracellular communication systems. (shrink)

ABSTRACT The ethical review process is an important component of contemporary health research worldwide. Sudan started an ethical review process rather late in comparison with other countries. In this study, we evaluate the structure and functions of existing ethics review committees. We also explore the knowledge and attitudes of Sudanese researchers toward the ethical review process and their experience with existing ethics review committees. There are four ethics review committees in the country; these committees have no institutional regulations to govern (...) their functions. Furthermore, Sudan also lacks national guidelines. Ethical reviews are carried out primarily for studies seeking international funding and are almost always governed by the funding agencies’ requirements. Nearly half of respondents (46.3%) knew about the existence of research ethics committees in Sudan. Researchers reported a variety of experiences with the ethical review process; most of them were unable to define ‘ethics committee’. (shrink)

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Algerian universities embraced e-learning as a new educational model. The study aimed to uncover the reality of university professors’ engagement with e-learning technologies and the factors influencing the consolidation of that teaching approach. A quantitative field study was conducted at the University of Ghardaia, utilising a questionnaire to survey a sample of faculty members. The findings underscored the critical need for comprehensive training programs to equip professors with the requisite skills for effective e-learning (...) delivery. Moreover, the research highlighted the pivotal role of university administrations in encouraging faculty participation, providing guidance, and establishing a supportive infrastructure conducive to the successful implementation of e-learning initiatives. These insights offer valuable perspectives for optimising the integration of digital learning modalities within the Algerian higher education landscape. (shrink)

Nosso texto busca fazer uma análise das hipóteses levantadas, para as explicações acerca da origem das ideias e de suas conexões, pelo filósofo David Hume (um dos principais representantes da corrente de pensamento empirista na modernidade), e, Gottfried Leibniz, que, junto com Descartes, apresenta, em suas obras, as principais teorias da corrente de pensamento racionalista. Para isso, encontramos a base de nossa proposta na Investigação sobre o entendimento humano, de Hume, e nos Novos ensaios sobre o entendimento humano, de Leibniz. (...) Como sabemos, a obra de Leibniz aqui referida é uma tentativa de refutação do Ensaio acerca do entendimento humano, de Locke, o que pode nos levar a fazer algumas referências ao precursor de Hume, e, também, a René Descartes, uma vez que o Ensaio de Locke foi escrito com o objetivo de combater o cartesianismo, e, mais diretamente sua teoria de que nossas ideias seriam inatas. Embora nosso texto envolva quatro filósofos, a preocupação que nos move recai sobre Hume e Leibniz, servindo-nos Locke e Descartes, apenas, como pontos de apoio, devido o entrecruzamento entre suas teorias. (shrink)

The objective of this work is to propose ten efficient scaling techniques for the Wisconsin Diagnosis Breast Cancer dataset using the support vector machine. These scaling techniques are efficient for the linear programming approach. SVM with proposed scaling techniques was applied on the WDBC dataset. The scaling techniques are, namely, arithmetic mean, de Buchet for three cases p = 1,2, and ∞, equilibration, geometric mean, IBM MPSX, and Lp-norm for three cases p = 1,2, and ∞. The experimental results show (...) that the equilibration scaling technique overcomes the benchmark normalization scaling technique used in many commercial solvers. Finally, the experimental results also show the effectiveness of the grid search technique which gets the optimal parameters for the SVM classifier. (shrink)

Hoje vou comentar de um livro que é antigo, de 2009, da Comboio de Corda. Eu tenho este livro desde 2017, mas reli nestes tempos de quarentena. Gosto muito de contos porque, como diz Julio Cortázar, ele nos ganha por nocaute (enquanto o romance nos ganha por pontos).Mas, ainda não falei do título do livro: “Leituras de Escritor”. Neste caso, uma organização de Moacyr Scliar, um escritor que tive a honra de conhecer pessoalmente (que falta ele faz). Ou seja, são (...) contos escolhidos a dedo pelo Scliar. Os contistas? Desde os muito conhecidos como Tchekhov, Machado, Poe, Lima Barreto. (shrink)

This paper investigates the religiosity/secularity dichotomy in Naguib Mahfouz’s novels, which is shaped by cultural narratives that convey his ideas. It analyzes a defined corpus of Mahfouz’s narratives that articulate his notions of religiosity/secularity. Through an interdisciplinary methodology combining the application of pragmatics, interactional sociolinguistics, and contextual analysis, it aims to determine Mahfouz’s potentiality for perceiving and narrativizing religiosity and secularity in twentieth-century Egypt. It discusses how Mahfouz adopts sociopragmatic techniques to give a bright picture of the secularist discourse but (...) a negative one for the Islamist one presented as inevitably incapable, crude, schizophrenic and idiosyncratic. Mahfouz openly destabilizes the religious/secular dichotomy by juxtaposing religious and secular discourses in his early and later narratives, where he scrutinizes secularity, advocating it as the only way out of and uprooting, religiosity. The adoption of an interdisciplinary framework proves to be theoretically and empirically motivated in order to show how Mahfouz’s narratives reflect their originator’s own beliefs and those of the narrated society, including its value systems. (shrink)

Is the ability to start and stay in dialogue a hard or a soft skill? Is it a courageous risk to stay in dialogue within an organization? Or is dialogue, interaction, the building block of organizing, and does its neglect lead to disorganizing? Organizations in their broadened context, riveted at state regulations, technology and environmental contingencies, are changing. Under the influence of far-reaching digitalization processes and redesign, management layers disappear in favor of personal responsibility. But are we, as human beings, (...) ready to take up high-risk and ultimate responsibilities? After all, not everyone is a whizz kid with extraordinary qualities. Moreover, can we deal with an economy that is no longer in need of traditionally skilled employees? An economy running out of paid labor because of—among other things—the growing amount of light, fast and IT-steered production processes? Societal issues that cannot be solved from one single point of view, the so-called boundary objects, need a lot of debate and dialogue with many stakeholders involved before a clear direction can appear. What, then, does dialogue actually mean, how can we implement it and what can it create and bring about in an organization? Can it manage the gap between system-oriented control and coercive power on the one hand and a growing fragmentation of high-skilled expertise and creativity on the other? Organizing randomly provokes and neglects resistance at the same time, but how does this dynamic work? In this chapter, the above questions will be addressed and the concept of criticism as ‘counter-conduct’ linked to dialogue as the turntable of organizing will be introduced. (shrink)

This study examines the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) during COVID-19. Little is known about how organizations practice CSR during acute exogenous crises. Overlooking how CSR practices change during a crisis matters because organizations are compelled into trade-offs that carry implications for their CSR initiatives. Analysis of interview data with CSR managers, from 21 Dubai-based business organizations during COVID-19, uncovers changes in the content and process of CSR during the pandemic. The results show that the practice of CSR underwent (...) a fundamental change in focus as organizations shifted to an employee-centric model of CSR and away from an environmental one. Measures placed on organizations and society to combat the pandemic also led to a recalibration of stakeholder and issue salience, with notable effects on CSR that challenge the capability of the power–legitimacy–urgency framework to anticipate these shifts. We consider the impacts associated with the shift in the content of CSR initiatives and process of their implementation and discuss the implications of the findings for CSR theory, research, policy, and practice. (shrink)

The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, founded July 1, 1978, at Clare Hall, Cambridge University, was established by the American scholar, industrialist, and philanthropist Obert Clark Tanner. Lectureships are awarded to outstanding scholars or leaders in broadly defined fields of human values and transcend ethnic, national, religious, or ideological distinctions. Volume 30 features lectures given in 2010 at Princeton University; Yale University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Utah; Stanford University; Clare Hall, Cambridge University; Harvard University; and Brasenose (...) College, Oxford University. CONTRIBUTORS: Bruce Ackerman, “The Decline and Fall of the American Republic” Bruce Ackerman is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale and the author of fifteen books that have had a broad influence in political philosophy, constitutional law, and public policy. John Adams, “Doctor Atomic and His Gadgets” John Adams is a musician, composer, writer, and conductor whose work stands out for its depth of expression, its sonic brilliance, and the profoundly humanist nature of its themes. Isabel Allende, “In the Hearts of Women” Isabel Allende is a social activist and feminist whose novels and memoirs have established her as one of the most res-pected writers of our time. Abdullahi An-Nacim, “Transcending Imperialism: Human Values and Global Citizenship” Abdullahi Ahmed An-Nacim is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory Law School and an internationally recognized scholar of Islam and human rights in cross-­cultural perspectives. Mark Danner, “Torture and the Forever War” Mark Danner is a writer, journalist, and professor who has written for more than two decades on foreign affairs and international conflict. Sir Christopher Frayling, “Art and Religion in the Modern West: Some Perspectives” Sir Christopher Frayling is a historian, critic, and an award-winning broadcaster on British network radio and television. He has written seventeen books on the arts and popular culture. Jonathan Lear, “Becoming Human Does Not Come That Easily” Jonathan Lear is the John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor at the Committee on Social Thought and the Depart-ment of Philosophy at the University of Chicago. His research and writings focus on philosophical conceptions of the human psyche. Ahmed Rashid, “Afghanistan” and “Pakistan” Ahmed Rashid is a reporter from Pakistan whose unique knowledge of this complex region allows him a panoramic vision and nuanced perspective that no Western writer can emulate. (shrink)

The Tanner Lectures on Human Values were founded July 1, 1978, at Clare Hall, Cambridge University, by American scholar, industrialist, and philanthropist Obert Clark Tanner, to advance and reflect upon scholarly and scientific learning related to human values. The purpose embraces the entire range of physical, moral, artistic, intellectual, and religious values pertinent to the human condition, interest, behavior, and aspirations. Appointment as a Tanner Lecturer is a recognition of uncommon abilities and outstanding scholarly or leadership achievement. Volume 29 also (...) includes an extensive and diverse series of lectures and panel discussions held at Brasenose College, Oxford, in honor of the five hundreth year since the founding of King's Hall and Brasenose College. (shrink)

At the beginning of the twentieth century, health research in the Sudan developed primarily as a function of the colonial British adm.

This article aims at showing the similarities between the financial and the tech sectors in their use and reliance on information and algorithms and how such dependency affects their attitude towards regulation. Drawing on Pasquale’s recommendations for reform, it sets out a proposal for a constant and independent scrutiny of internet service providers.

This book explores the concept of citizenship, and the role that organizations can or do play in its creation, stimulation and control. Offering multiple organizational perspectives and their relation to several types of output, this work presents a rich collection of philosophical thoughts and practices on the subject of citizenship within and without the organizational context. Particular attention is given to this human aspect, an element of unpredictability, a gut feeling, the unknown... something immeasurable that plays a part in human (...) relations and how they organize themselves. Citizenship in Organizations casts new light on the impact of organizations to the notion of citizenship. (shrink)

According to Karl Weick, a distinguished scholar in Organizational Behavior and Psychology, the organization cannot be imagined as an architectural design, static and prescriptive, but should be described as a Jazz improvisation, a flexible mental model. By conceiving both the organization and its environment as a social and mental construct, we are able to get a better view on the denotation of the individual factor. In his approach the dichotomy between theory and practice dissolves. The organization is studied as an (...) activity. These dynamics (dis)continuously generate sense. Because of his radical choice for understanding the organization as dynamic and without ground, his thinking has parallels with post-modern thinking. In his description of the characteristics of organizations, he identifies as sixth element, ongoing. This concept is only conceivable in its disturbance, its interruption. Herein we sense affinity with the post modern deconstruction concept (Derrida). With interruption, aspects like misunderstanding, failure, mistakes, conflict, contradiction and exclusion get a role in understanding the organization dynamic. In order to manage the resulting confusion, individuals, in social interaction, actively make sense of that experience retrospectively. In organizations, managers and employees alike, are essential in signaling interruptions and the contribution to the process of sensemaking. Managers are expected to take the initiative in facilitating the open space in which judgment is temporarily suspended. Managing becomes the managing of sense, sharing of meaning, of diversity and oppositions. (shrink)

Are we really in need of (new) ethical institutions that regulate and control the ethical quality of corporate behavior? The various scandals (Enron, WorldOnline, Ahold) prove that ethical institutions, as well as deontological codes, public social commitments, social annual reports directly linked to financial overviews, are not enough to prevent fraud, corruption or bribery. Does the existence of those institutions partly provoke and legitimize the unbridled and immense power of organizational and CEO-(non-ethical) behavior and window-dressing? Do we need more separate (...) ethical institutions? Is it possible to outsource the competence of an ethical corporate and personal moral responsibility to another, separate institution? Do people and corporations still feel the confrontation with moral dilemmas with the institutionalizing of a part of that responsibility to an anonymous body? And won't this ethical control lead to a further alienation of the micro level personal responsibility to the macro performance of the market and organizations? This article focuses on the counterpart of the institution: tomorrow's stakeholder. The stakeholder of tomorrow (the manager, the CEO, the consumer, the employee, the civil servant...) embodies the complexity of the multi-paradigmatic business ethics debate. Two aspects of tomorrow's stakeholders' presence will be discussed: their moral attitude and emancipative communication. (shrink)

Suzan Colon, yoga teacher and former senior editor at O, The Oprah Magazine, digs deep into the spiritual philosophy behind yoga and distills thirty essential components to enrich your practice and revolutionize your life from the inside out. We live in an increasingly stressful world, and we know about the hazardous effects stress can have on our health. But meditating and mindfulness can sometimes seem elusive, unattainable, and impossible to fit into our busy days. Even the word “yoga” usually (...) makes many people think of complicated, twisty poses—but that’s not everything. In its complete sense, yoga is a collection of life lessons for wellness and well-being and a spiritual technology from ancient times that is now more relevant, and necessary, than ever. In Yoga Mind, Suzan Colon shares thirty essential components to increase self- awareness and inner balance to use throughout your day—in traffic, on the train, at your job, and home. She outlines how we can use yoga to cultivate resilience in challenging times, reduce stress, and enrich our relationships with family, work, and ourselves. This guide contains a 30-day program designed to create subtle yet powerful shifts in awareness and attitude that lead to real, lasting change. Whether you’re a hardcore yogi or a beginner to the practice, Yoga Mind can help you unite your body, mind, and heart to become your best self and cultivate lasting happiness in your life. (shrink)

Labour issues in global supply chains have been a thorny problem for both buyer firms and their suppliers. Research initially focused mostly on the bilateral relationship between buyer firms and suppliers, looking at arm’s-length and close collaboration modes, and the associated mechanisms of coercion and cooperation. Yet continuing problems in the global supply chain suggest that neither governance type offers a comprehensive solution to the problem. This study investigates collaborative governance, an alternative governance type that is driven by buyer firms (...) setting up a coalition with competitor firms to increase leverage and address the supplier and/or host country-specific labour issues. Based on interviews with managers involved in the establishment and management of such coalitions and supplier firms in the garment industry, we examine the rationale behind collaborative governance and discuss its opportunities and challenges in addressing labour issues in global supply chains. (shrink)

Explores the core of Balibars work since 1980This collection explores Balibars rethinking of the connections between subjection and subjectivity by tracing the genealogies of these concepts in their discursive history. The 12 essays provide an overview of Balibars work after his collaboration with Althusser. They explain and expand his framework; in particular, by restoring Arabic and Islamic thought to the conversation on the citizen subject. The collection includes two previously untranslated essays by Balibar himself on Carl Schmitt and Thomas Hobbes. (...) Key FeaturesThe first English-language edited collection to focus on BalibarPresents and explains Balibars key contributions to political theory and the history of political philosophyIncludes two essays by Balibar himself on Carl Schmitt and Thomas Hobbes: 'Schmitts Hobbes, Hobbess Schmitt' and 'The Mortal God and his Faithful Subjects: Hobbes, Schmitt and the Antinomies of Secularism'Contributors include Atienne Balibar, Nancy Armstrong, Giorgos Fourtounis, Mohamed Moulfi. (shrink)

Ülkemizde 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde 11 il ve ilçelerini kapsayan büyük bir deprem yaşanmıştır. Bu depremde bütün kamu kurumları ve Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları (STK) bölgeye destek olmak için seferber olmuştur. Bazı kamu kurum ve kuruluşları enkaz kaldırma, yaralılara tıbbi müdahale, çadır temini, kurulması, iaşe ve ibate vb. ihtiyaçların karşılanması için görev yaparken, bazıları da yaşanan depremin travmatik etkilerini azaltmaya yönelik manevi destek hizmetleri yürütmüşlerdir. Bir kamu kurumu olan Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı’na (DİB) bağlı İl ve İlçe Müftülükleri personeli, merkez teşkilatı ve (...) Diyanet Vakfı çalışanları da sahada görev yapmıştır. DİB personelinin deprem bölgesinde manevi danışman olarak hizmet vermesi, o tarihlerde, bazı kesimler tarafından eleştirilmiştir. DİB personelinin alanda yaptıklarının incelenmesi bu çalışmanın konusunudur. Çalışmanın amacı manevi danışman olarak hizmet veren DİB personelinin alanda neler yaptıklarını detaylarıyla belirlemek ve yapılanların manevi danışmanlık mesleğinin ilkelerine uygunluğunu literatür esas alınarak değerlendirmektir. Araştırma nitel araştırma desenlerinden, durum çalışmasıyla (Case Study) yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Kırşehir il ve ilçe müftülüklerinde çalışan din görevlileri oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışma grubunun seçiminde amaçlı örneklem yöntemi kullanılarak ölçüt örneklem tekniği ile veri toplanmıştır. Burada tercih edilen ölçüt, Kırşehir İl ve İlçe Müftülüklerinde görev yapmak ve depremde manevi danışman olarak, alanda çalışmış olmak şeklinde belirlenmiştir. Katılımcılarla yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla sorulan sorulardan elde edilen verilere, betimsel analiz uygulanmıştır. Mülakat soruları araştırma amacına uygun olarak ve literatür taraması esas alınarak araştırmacı tarafından oluşturulmuştur. Bu araştırma sonucunda elde edilen bulgular, DİB tarafından manevi danışmanlara düzenlenecek eğitim programlarının düzenlenmesinde veri oluşturması yönüyle önemlidir. Araştırma sonunda bulgular şöyle sınıflandırılmıştır: Psikolojik/manevi danışmanlık: Ziyaretlerde depremzedelerin ellerinin tutulması, kucaklama, duygusal refakat, çocukların başlarının okşanması vs. yakınlık hissi verilerek depremzedelerin rahatça konuşmalarına imkân oluşturmuşlardır. Bölgenin yapısından dolayı mezhepsel ayırım yapmadan bütün köylere gidip “Siz bizim kardeşimizsiniz, sizin için geldik, yalnız değilsiniz, acınızı paylaşıyoruz, geçmiş olsun” ifadeleri ile duygudaşlık hissi verilmiş ve yardım götürülmüştür. Dinî/manevi danışmanlık: Cenaze yıkamak, kefenlemek, cenaze namazı kıldırmak, çadır mescidinde vakit ve Cuma namazı kıldırmak, Kur’an okumak, dua ve sohbet etmek gibi faaliyetler yapılmıştır. Depremzedelerin yaşadıkları evler, çadır kentler, konteynerler ve köyler düzenli ziyaret edilerek hal ve hatırlarının sorulup, vatandaşın isteği üzerine dini törenler yapılmıştır. Destek hizmeti: Özellikle ilk giden görevliler yemek/su dağıtma, çadır kurma ve AFAD çalışmalarında kurtarma işlemine katılmışlardır. Diğer hizmetler: Depremzede esnafın kalkınması ve ekonomik destek için, esnaftan alış-veriş yapmışlar, nişanlı kızlara çeyiz ve üniversite öğrencilerine kitap yardımında bulunmuşlardır. (shrink)

Vital to libraries, teachers, and undergraduate students and their writings, this anthology offers contemporary analysis of American culture in new essays written exclusively for this book by leading anthropologists. The new essays are set against the perspective of several renowned anthropologists (Malinowski, Eric Wolf, Marvin Harris, Marshall Sahlins, etc.) to offer a uniquely anthropological perspective on the most challenging issues of our time, from immigration to job exportation to the recent financial meltdown.

This interdisciplinary study situates the recent interest in ethics within radical post-modern shifts about knowledge and value.