Big Actors Research Articles

Social media regulation in Uganda: the dilemma of laxity and conformity to international norms

ABSTRACT The proliferation of social media use has resulted in the quest for standards and norms relating to internet governance. Uganda has gradually instituted laws, occasionally shut down the internet and levied taxes to regulate social media use. Initially, the norms and standards resulted from negative consequences of social media use, such as hate speech, incitement, and misinformation. However, the regime has used this pretext to curtail collective voices, dissent, and freedom of expression that social media use brings into the political arena. The dilemma in the international system is that social media regulation has taken a new twist as different countries adopt what they feel is appropriate. Drawing from the primary and secondary data sources, it can be concluded that the Ugandan regime has used social media regulation to keep political dissent, incitement, and protests in check, and states such as Uganda get support from big actors that are proponents of legal frameworks and internet sovereignty.

Diplomatic Actors During the Seljuk Period: Envoys

Although many researches have been done on the Seljuk history, there has not been enough study on the Seljuk diplomacy, which is of such importance, until today. Although many studies have been conducted on the Seljuk history, it is thought that not enough studies have been done on the Seljuk diplomacy, which is of such importance, until today. As a result of the examinations made on the main sources, it was understood that the biggest actors in diplomacy, which are carried out as the art of negotiation, is the envoys. In this study, it was discussed whether there was an institution where envoys of great importance were trained. In this article, which aims to understand the characteristics of the envoys appointed during the Seljuk period, it is discussed who the envoys were chosen from, what kind of qualifications they had, and what their duties and powers were. In addition, due to the interest shown in gift-giving in diplomacy, what kind of gifts the envoys presented were discussed. In the last part of this study, what kind of welcoming ceremony was held for the envoys and the points that were considered in this process were given.

Policy complementarity and the paradox of carbon pricing

AbstractWe present an economics framework appropriate to the exceptionally broad scope of the climate change problem. This considers that economic and social processes, particularly those involved in purposive transitions of energy technologies and systems, involve the interplay between three distinct domains of decision-making and associated actors. The first concerns small-scale and often short-term decision-making, much of which reflects extensive ‘satisficing’ and habituation as identified in behavioural economics. Calculated economic optimization decisions, especially of companies in the energy and energy-intensive industries, then best reflect the core assumptions of neoclassical and welfare economics, including discrete market failures. Third, at the largest scale are strategic judgements made by big actors (e.g. governments, large multinational companies) relevant to transformation of complex systems over long periods—particularly concerning innovation and structural changes, for which lessons from theories of evolutionary and institutional economics are most relevant.Economically, these can be logically mapped in relation to the technology (or more accurately, ‘best practice’) frontier. Each has corresponding policy implications: most directly, respectively in terms of (i) standards and engagement to establish norms; (ii) competitive markets with the critical role of prices; and (iii) strategic investment in innovation and infrastructure. Each faces challenges of implementation and government failure, as observed, for example, with wholly inadequate carbon pricing to date, naïve and ineffective approaches to enhancing energy efficiency, or misdirected support to R&D. Based on the domain distinctions, we argue that the corresponding pillars of policy are naturally complementary, and can be mutually supportive: strong standards and norms on energy efficiency, for example, would enhance the political space for carbon pricing by reducing its direct consumer impacts, while carbon pricing has multiple positive two-way interactions with enhanced low-carbon innovation.From this we also posit a ‘carbon pricing paradox’: that adequate carbon prices, the central recommendation of most economists, are in most jurisdictions only feasible (or even optimal) if equal analytic and policy attention is devoted to the other pillars, and the wider context of macroeconomic and fiscal policies. Only these other aspects can reduce the absolute cost impact of carbon pricing (potentially turning into a gain) and offer consumers and businesses better lower-carbon alternatives, which are critical to establishing climate-compatible pricing structures across our economies.

Factors Affecting Employee Readiness to Change in Construction State-Owned Enterprises

In recent years, there have been companies that were initially successful, then lost in competition and even disappeared from the business scene, even though the company was once known to be innovative in new products. The company's defeat was not due to simply failing to compete with competitors from similar industries but by new companies that created new businesses and markets. Organizational change is a continuous and dynamic process. Change cannot be stopped once a change initiative has been implemented. Change always occurs because the environment changes. The biggest actors in organizational transformation are people because an organization's most affected members are employees. Construction company management believes change must be planned, controlled, and directed as part of organizational life. One form of change is now experienced in implementing digital technology, which can be combined with other technologies. This research is used to examine construction companies in Indonesia, with limitations on facilitative leadership and job security towards readiness to change, psychological capital mediators and organizational support moderators. The design is cross-sectional, with primary data collection on construction companies, and the research methodology is a Structural Equation Model (SEM) from Lisrel. Findings based on five indicators, i.e. facilitative leadership, job security, psychology capital, readiness change, organizational support, GFI = 0.85 < 0.90 (marginal), CFI =0.98 > 0.90 (fit), NFI = 0.97 > 0.90 (fit), NNFI = 0.98 > 0.90 (fit) and RMSEA = 0.096 < 0.08 (marginal). This capability enables construction companies to do business in the digital modular field and simplify the construction process. By mastering various technologies, construction companies can work with many parties in project work and investment offers.

NATO – RUSSIA CRISIS OF 2022. TAKING LESSONS FROM THE PREVIOUS CRISIS

In this article we are placing an analysis of the current crisis that erupted at the Russian-Ukrainian border. The main purpose is to identify possible hidden causes that could influence evolution. For this purpose, we have developed a comparative analysis of the current situation, taking attention to the similarities with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Next, using the hypothetical-deductive analysis, we will highlight what could be the major objectives of the big actors involved and what could be the big dilemmas they are facing in decision making. At the end of the paper, we will submit the conclusions by following the analyzes that we have proposed. The motivation for choosing this topic is to understand the future of the crisis and to focus on the crisis in the interests of the EU and NATO in general, and especially in Romania. The novelty of the research lies in comparing the evolution of the actual state of the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, with the one of 1962, when the tensions between NATO and the former Warsaw Treaty Organization reached their peak, as well as from the analysis based on the fundamental differences between the democratic regimes and the totalitarian ones, focused on identifying the objectives of great importance that each of the parties wants to achieve.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRADITIONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION MECHANISM IN PRESENT SOCIAL SCENARIO: A CASE STUDY OF ETHIOPIAN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Traditional conflict resolution mechanisms can play a significant role in conflict management which has gained widespread acceptance among both the general public and the legal protection in recent years. Some courts now gain some parties to resort to traditional conflict resolution mechanisms. Before permitting the parties case to be tried expressly contemplate to called compulsory mediation, while the general objective of this study is to assess traditional conflict resolution mechanism and the specific objective include collecting the data. This study used interviews and personal observation; both qualitative and quantitative data have used. The finding of the study revealed that traditional conflict resolution mechanisms had gained widespread acceptance, because of its application and its benefits. TCRM is the most effective way of conflict resolution rather than constitutional litigation. Lastly, as a recommendation, TCRM should be encouraged because it has an economic and social benefit for the society and also others like political advantages. TCRM eliminates expenses among disputants from incurring prosecution cost, writing cost, transportation cost; it strengths the solidarity of the two disputants because both of them are winners in TCRM. To mean that they are not victims of expending much cost. Another aim of this study is to examine the conflicts in the world by using social network analysis method. In the study, the conflict data obtained from the GDELT data set between 1981-2020 were analyzed using the “igraph” package of the R software. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the two biggest actors in the conflicts in the world are the USA and Russia, respectively. From these results, it can be said that almost all of the conflicts in the world are related to these two countries. In the social network analysis for the discovery of the relationship between the conflicts in the world, in the criteria calculated to determine the position of Ethiopia, to explain its place among the countries and to make inferences about the whole network; The numerical data related to the centrality criteria of the Ethiopia network were found as Grade Center 1, Proximity Center (Normalized) 0.0217391 and Between Center 0.000000. Based on these data, it can be said that Ethiopia is not very connected (correlated) with other countries and is not an actor in the formation of conflicts in the world. Also, the results showed that the biggest actor in the cluster of 31 nodes is the USA. Again from this result, it is concluded that the biggest power in the world today is the USA.

Contesting Indonesia’s Single Origin Coffee Market: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

Coffee is a commodity that has high value and great demand, then it supply chain tends to be monopolized by big actors certainly for single origin coffee bean. However, increasing number of local coffee shops and consumer awareness of consumed goods, and the emergence of more conscious consumer groups of “coffee lovers” or “connoisseur’s consumers”, sparks an intesive competition among market actors in local level that influence such dominance. This study aims to employ the dynamic capabilities theories (DCs) to analyze how the market actors, namelysmall traders, wholesalers, certified companies, and coffee shop owners build a strategy to secure their coffee supply amidst the tight competition.Selecting the coffee markets in Dampit District, East Java, Indonesia, we find the actors fighting for social space to win the competition by building network, dependency, and legitimacy. Actors build capabilities based on the internal potential to identify opportunities, take the opportunities, and utilize them to transform business organizations to survive rapid environmental changes. Not just looking at dominance behaviors as how it is in the case of asset-based approach, DCs provide a more balanced perspective between the entrepreneur's capacity and asset control. Detailed research to see each actor builds long term strategies is needed in the future to describe in more detail their strategy in maintaining their business sustainability in the more competitive busisness environment.

Kazakhstan’s Security Policy: Steady as She Goes?

This article analyzes Kazakhstan’s security policy, in particular its main security documents: the Law on National Security, the Military Doctrine, and the Foreign Policy Concept. What does the practical application of these concepts, particularly toward the big actors Russia and China and to international organizations, tell us about Kazakh security policy? Overall, the conceptualized policy is largely reflected in practice. The biggest exceptions are found in the implementation of policy toward Russia. The pressure and possible threats of interference from Moscow form a hindrance for a fully independent foreign security policy by Astana. Furthermore, not military/security related measures but the implementation of political and social-economic reforms is essential to ensure the national security of Kazakhstan.

Cloud Computing and Agile Organization Development

In the 3rd millennium economy, defined by globalization and continuous reduction of natural resources, the economic organization becomes the main actor in the phenomenon of transformation and adaptation to new conditions. Even more, the economic environment, which is closely related to the social environment, undergoes complex metamorphoses, especially in the management area. In this dynamic and complex social and environmental context, the economic organization must possess the ability to adapt, becoming a flexible and agile answer to new market opportunities. Considering the spectacular evolution of information and communications technology, one of the solutions to ensure organization agility is cloud computing. Just like the development of any science requires adaptation to theories and instruments specific to other fields, a cloud computing paradigm for the agile organization must appeal to models from management, cybernetics, mathematics, structuralism and information theory (or information systems theory).Keywords: Cloud Computing, Agile Development, Enterprise Architecture, Project Management, Agile Methodologies, Information and Communications Technology (ICT)Objectives1This analytical-methodological and theoretical-practical endeavour constitutes an original scientific incursion into the philosophy and theory of cloud computing from the perspective of turning it into a real framework for ensuring agility in the development of economic organizations. Also, theoretical approach is supported by highlighting practical aspects regarding cloud computing market and the influence big actors of this market may have on the success of a cloud computing paradigm for organization development. The original approach brings forth the emergent production factors of the knowledge society, digital economy and globalization phenomenon. They include information, organization culture, and enterprise architecture in terms of business, information and technology.2 Cloud computing philosophyIn the spring of 2001, in Claremont, California, Peter F. Drucker - considered one of the founders of modern science of management by business specialists and academics - talking about the challenge ahead, said may almost certainly say that the challenges we will have to face in the tomorrow 's conditions are of management nature and concern the individuals. ... those tasks cannot be performed by the state, but only by individual organizations - lucrative enterprises and nongovernmental non-lucrative organizations - and individuals [1]Tomorrow's economic conditions invoked by Dmcker are visible even today and the socialeconomic entities mentioned are indeed the economic organizations and the individuals. The management philosophy of the contemporary organization includes both global market agility and modern paradigms that target directly the human resource (as primary production factor), like the anthropocentric model. Even more, when the agility approach is supported by the use of information and communications technology instmments, cloud computing becomes its stmctural foundation.Cloud computing is a relatively modern ICT concept and represents an aggregation of distributed services for computation, applications, data access and storage. The cloud computing philosophy assumes that the entire ensemble is hidden to the user, which does not know the location and physical configuration of the systems that provide the services. Terminologically, cloud computing derives from a symbolic graphical representation of the global network as a cloud, used when technical details of the internet may be ignored (Figure 1).In other words, cloud computing represents one of the significant tendencies of ICT evolution, bringing a new model for provision, management and security within the organization. Currently, there is no universally accepted definition of cloud computing. The national Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) present a base for the definition, describing cloud computing as a model that provides access on demand, through a network to an array of shared configurable information resources (like networks, servers, storage space, applications and services). …

Eurocan plus report: feasibility study for coordination of national cancer research activities.

SummaryThe EUROCAN+PLUS Project, called for by the European Parliament, was launched in October 2005 as a feasibility study for coordination of national cancer research activities in Europe. Over the course of the next two years, the Project process organized over 60 large meetings and countless smaller meetings that gathered in total over a thousand people, the largest Europe–wide consultation ever conducted in the field of cancer research.Despite a strong tradition in biomedical science in Europe, fragmentation and lack of sustainability remain formidable challenges for implementing innovative cancer research and cancer care improvement. There is an enormous duplication of research effort in the Member States, which wastes time, wastes money and severely limits the total intellectual concentration on the wide cancer problem. There is a striking lack of communication between some of the biggest actors on the European scene, and there are palpable tensions between funders and those researchers seeking funds.It is essential to include the patients’ voice in the establishment of priority areas in cancer research at the present time. The necessity to have dialogue between funders and scientists to establish the best mechanisms to meet the needs of the entire community is evident. A top priority should be the development of translational research (in its widest form), leading to the development of effective and innovative cancer treatments and preventive strategies. Translational research ranges from bench–to–bedside innovative cancer therapies and extends to include bringing about changes in population behaviours when a risk factor is established.The EUROCAN+PLUS Project recommends the creation of a small, permanent and independent European Cancer Initiative (ECI). This should be a model structure and was widely supported at both General Assemblies of the project. The ECI should assume responsibility for stimulating innovative cancer research and facilitating processes, becoming the common voice of the cancer research community and serving as an interface between the cancer research community and European citizens, patients’ organizations, European institutions, Member States, industry and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), putting into practice solutions aimed at alleviating barriers to collaboration and coordination of cancer research activities in the European Union, and dealing with legal and regulatory issues. The development of an effective ECI will require time, but this entity should be established immediately. As an initial step, coordination efforts should be directed towards the creation of a platform on translational research that could encompass (1) coordination between basic, clinical and epidemiological research; (2) formal agreements of co–operation between comprehensive cancer centres and basic research laboratories throughout Europe and (3) networking between funding bodies at the European level.The European Parliament and its instruments have had a major influence in cancer control in Europe, notably in tobacco control and in the implementation of effective population–based screening. To make further progress there is a need for novelty and innovation in cancer research and prevention in Europe, and having a platform such as the ECI, where those involved in all aspects of cancer research can meet, discuss and interact, is a decisive development for Europe.