Community-related Activities Research Articles

Home-School Connection: Investigating Parental Involvement in the Academic Learning of PrimarySchool Students

The objectives of the study were to analyze the perspective of parents about their involvement in the academic learning of their children studying at the primary school level. A quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. A descriptive survey method was used to collect the data. The population of the study was parents of the students of government primary schools of tehsil Rajanpur. It included male and female primary schools in rural and urban areas in this tehsil. Disproportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select 648 parents of primary school children. Self-developed research instrument, i.e., a five-point scale, was used for data collection. The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study found that parents were highly involved in parenting and home-based learning activities. However, their involvement in the community-related activities and decision-making was relatively low. It is suggested that parents participate in classroom, school, and co-curricular activities. Training sessions may be conducted for teachers and parents on various ways of collaboration in the educational settings in order to better understand and improve the student's learning progress.

Recruitment of Volunteers with Immigrant Backgrounds: The Impact of Structural and Individual Aspects

AbstractVolunteering is associated with health-promoting benefits for both recipients and volunteers and may contribute to a more inclusive society. However, studies have shown a persistent pattern of social inequality among those who volunteer, and immigrants participate as volunteers less than the majority population. To date, approaches for recruiting immigrant populations have not been sufficiently examined, even though multicultural societies are becoming increasingly diverse. This study investigates how recruitment is carried out in voluntary organizations and how volunteers who are involved in recruitment reflect on the inclusion of citizens with immigrant backgrounds. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 volunteers and three employees with recruitment responsibility at five voluntary organizations engaged in welfare and community-related activities in a semirural district in Norway. Our findings show that different structural factors and individual aspects of the recruiter influence the recruitment of immigrants as volunteers. Large-scale organizations are more professionalized and more directed by fundings and frameworks and demand more qualifications due to their volunteer tasks. This might make inclusive recruitment more challenging. Small-scale organizations have more flexibility and less professionalized volunteer activities, making recruitment more inclusive. In addition, if the small-scale organizations are minority driven, it seems to positively influence the recruitment of immigrants through increased diversity sensitivity and more connections with immigrants through their social network.

Consumers’ perceived value of Social IoT based online community: investigating social awareness processes surrounding smart kitchen robot appliances

ABSTRACT Situated within the broader Social Internet of Things (SIoT) paradigm, where objects autonomously communicate, learn, and establish social relationships (Machine 2 Machine and Machine 2 Human), this study investigates via Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) the social awareness processes at hand and establishes the drivers of consumers’ perceived value of SIoT based online communities (OCs). We leverage the case of smart kitchen robot appliances, such as Cookeo by Moulinex, and a sample of female respondents (n = 335) from France who all own and use such SIoT kitchen robot devices. The model demonstrates that the perceived value of SIoT based OCs stems from three SIoT community related activities, mutual aid, participation, and enjoyment, that are respectively driven by three motivational factors, including the willingness to co-produce, the willingness to connect to others, and the willingness to learn from the community. The vibrant exchanges in these cooking OCs reveal evolving relationships’ configuration and demands among participants integrating SIoT technology reach in the meaning and historical specificity of cooking as a cultural practice. Our contributions relate to the identification of consumers’ perceived value of SIoT based OCs drivers and to the critical debate about gender in SIoT technology and services development.

Social participation of older people in urban and rural areas: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Background and objectivesAlthough the positive influence of social activity on health is now well-established, a complex relationship exists among social participation, personal, social and the environment. Social participation of older adults was examined in rural and urban settings to identify features of the built-environment and perception of neighborhood specific to the locale.Research Design and methodsUsing cross-sectional data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), we examined social participation and health of older people (65 + yrs) in relation to the built environment and sociocultural contexts for urban and rural areas. A social participation index was derived from responses on the frequency of participating in 8 social activities over the past 12 months. Personal, household and neighborhood indicators were examined to develop multivariable regression models for social participation in urban and rural cohorts.ResultsNo meaningful differences were seen with the frequency of social participation between rural and urban settings; however, the type of community-related activities differed in that a greater proportion of urban participants reported sports and educational/cultural events than rural participants. Service club activities were greater for rural than urban participants. Different neighborhood features were statistically significant factors in explaining social participation in rural than in urban locales, although transportation was a significant factor regardless of locale. Trustworthiness, belonging and safety were perceived factors of the neighborhood associated with higher social participation for rural participants.Discussion and implicationsThe relationship between home and health becomes stronger as one ages. Social and physical features of built environment specific to urban and rural settings need to be considered when implementing appropriate social activities for older people.

Assessing Academics’ Third Mission Engagement by Individual and Organisational Predictors

In recent years, the coming of the entrepreneurial university has brought about a third role in academia, which involves greater visible exchange of academics with society and industry. In this paper, the authors investigate to what extent individual and organisational factors influence the propensity of academics to engage in different types of Third Mission (TM) activities. This study is based on a large-scale survey of academics in Iceland regarding engagement in socio-economic activities. The results indicate that “soft” activities such as community activities and external teaching and training can be better predicted by individual factors, while hard activities such as applied contract research and commercialisation can be better predicted by organisational factors. Overall, academics are most likely to participate in community-related activities. Hereby, academics from the STEM and health disciplines, with work experience outside of academia and who are open to new experiences are more likely to be engaged in applied contract research and commercialisation. Academics belonging to disciplines other than STEM and health sciences and those that on an average publish more peer-reviewed articles are more likely to disseminate their knowledge to a wider audience outside of academia through public science communication. Gender, rank, and teaching do not affect TM participation, but openness, performance, or discipline do.

Prevalence and Predictors of Poly-Victimization of Adolescents in England and Wales.

This study examined the change in the prevalence of adolescent poly-victimization and individual and area predictors of poly-victimization in England and Wales. The national representative longitudinal Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (2003-2006) was analyzed with data from 2,066 adolescents, aged between 10 and 18 years (mean ± SD at Time 1 = 13.08 ± 2.01), using multilevel multinomial logit models. Findings revealed that the majority of the adolescents (41.6%, 48.5%, 54.6%, 61.6%, respectively) did not experience victimization between 2003 and 2006. However, 28.3%, 25.9%, 19.5%, and 14.5% of the adolescents experienced poly-victimization (experiencing more than or equal to two types of victimizations), with a decrease of 13.8% over the 4-year period. Furthermore, some adolescents were consistent poly-victims, meaning they were poly-victims in all years that they participated in the survey. In particular, 3.57% of the adolescents who participated in the four waves of the survey were poly-victims in all years; 7.41% of the adolescents who participated in three of the four waves of the survey were poly-victims in all years; and 25.79% of the adolescents who participated in two of the four waves of the survey were poly-victims in both years. Statistically significant predictors of poly-victimization included having parents who have been in trouble with the police, offending, participating in community-related activities, being a boy, not managing income well, and living in an urban or deprived area. Offending had the greatest impact on poly-victimization. Findings highlight that adolescent poly-victimization in England and Wales decreased between 2003 and 2006 but some adolescents were more likely to experience poly-victimization due to individual, familial, and area characteristics. The findings therefore indicate that a holistic approach is needed to reduce adolescent poly-victimization and suggest that targeting area deprivation should be the priority.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance among Malaysian Firms

With the rise in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and greater awareness of sustainable development, CSR is rapidly evolving and firms’ involvement is increasing. However, the enforcement of mandatory disclosure does not necessarily mean firms will respond and go beyond these legislations. Thus, the underlying premise of positive financial outcomes could encourage firms to act beyond legislative compliance. This study first examined the current nature and extent of a firm’s CSR disclosure (CSRD), as measured by CSR dimensions workplace, marketplace, community, and environment. CSRD was measured through content analysis, through annual reports of 97 manufacturing firms in Malaysia from 2017 to 2019. A CSR disclosure index was adopted for this study. This study also determined the impact of CSRD on corporate financial performance (CFP) and identified which CSRD dimension had the greatest impact on CFP. Firm size, measured by the level of assets, sales, and market capitalisation, as well as earnings per share were the control variables for this study. Data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis. It was found that CSRD levels in manufacturing firms in Malaysia were still low and there was a mixed relationship between CSRD and CFP. The findings suggest that the relationship between CSR and CFP may be curvilinear. It was also found that community, workplace, and marketplace related responsibility activities affected ROA the most, whereas the marketplace affected Tobin’s Q the most.

Persepsi Masyarakat Terhadap Kegiatan Community Relations Dan Citra Lembaga STAIN Kediri

Perception is an important aspect in communication activities, interaction, and relation among human. Perception contains values about something that is divided into good and bad values. Therefore, an institution needs to conduct good sensations to create positive interpretation about everything showed to other people. Community relations activities for an institution are expected be able to rise a perception that the institution is really a true relation for all stakeholders; hence, there is a dialogue with a group of community which form a good perception of college having integrity, and rise open relation, justice, and fortunate each other.This research purposes to know community perception in Dusun Laharpang, Puncu, Kediri in relation with the implementation of community relations activities conducted by the college students and lecturer. This study employed quantitative-descriptive research design through survey method with purposive sampling. The samples were 56 people. From the calculation of the mean, this reveals that the score is enough for the perception of Dusun Laharpang community to the community relations activities conducted by the college students and the lecturer of STAIN Kediri, and the perception of the community to STAIN Kediri institution.

Use of Community Relations in Compensation Payment Process in Estate Management Practice: A Case Study of Kwale Industrial Park Acquisition

The engagement of a community in any project to be sited in it has always been recommended as the ideal step to take by government and organisations. However, bickering still ensues due to the non-diligent application of community relations, an arm of public relations, that guarantees a cordial relationship between an organisatio n/government and its host communities. Therefore, the principal intention of this conceptual study is on the relationship between Estate Management Practice and Community Relations. This study was conducted to examine what community relations activities are, and to investigate if community relations was applied in the compensation payment process in the case of Kwale Industrial Park Acquisition in Delta State, Nigeria. Persuasion theory served as the theoretical framework of the study. The researchers adopted the library research design and participant observation methods. Results indicate that community relations were partially applied in the compensation payment process. It was concluded that the Land Use Act, which prescribed the method of valuation to be used in acquisition and compensation, did not foresee the problem of gross inadequacies of compensation, and the pre-payment and post-payment disputes associated with it. The researchers, therefore, recommended, amongst others, that there should be public enlightenment from time to time to make the public understand the roles of estate surveyors and valuers, for this will, to a great extent, make the public cease patronising quacks in compensation exercises. Also, Government ministries, specifically the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Land, Surveys and Urban Development, Ministry of Housing, and other Ministries that have anything to do with communities, should have community relations department as an arm to handle community relations issues.

Promoting Sustainable Cities and Communities for Older Persons through Understanding their Preferable Social Activities

Abstract Malaysia is on track to become an aged nation by 2030, with older people accounting for 15% of the total population. Changes in a country’s demographic composition of older people have a significant socioeconomic impact, given that medical and long-term care services account for the majority of government spending. Promoting an active and healthy lifestyle among older people has become critical to their ability to live independently. Social participation among older persons is one way to encourage active ageing. The purpose of this study was to learn more about older people’s preferred social activities to better understand their preferences to promote sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11). A qualitative research approach was used in the study by using a semi-structured interview with a total of 41 older persons. Three states including Penang, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were selected as the main location to reach the targeted participants in the study. All the older participants were selected based on the inclusion criteria including; (1) older persons aged 60 years and above; (2) older persons who participated in the social activities; (3) activities centres located at three urban areas including Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. The findings of the study found five (5) types of preferred activities among older persons: (1) Leisure learning activities; (2) Religious activities; (3) Community-related activities; (4) Home-based activities; and (5) Job-related activities. In conclusion, there is an apparent need to provide aged–friendly areas and create a good built environment to assist the older persons, in keeping with the national agenda to achieve aged nation status and achieve the SDGs.

Social Support and Physical Activity in Older Adults: Identifying Predictors Using Data From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

This study examined which of nine forms of social support were the strongest predictors of physical activity in older adults, and to what degree these associations were moderated by eight demographic indicators of groups at increased risk of social isolation. Baseline data from 21,491 adults aged 65 and older who were participants of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were analyzed using multiple regression. Greater social network size, social contact with network members, and participation in community-related activities predicted greater physical activity, whereas being in a domestic partnership and perceiving more tangible support to be available were negatively associated. The strength and direction of these associations varied by sex, living arrangement, and income. Given the findings, various forms of social support should be incorporated in physical activity interventions but tailored to meet the needs of different segments of the aging population.

The use of public relations for forging mutual understanding between colleges of education and their publics in Nigeria

This paper explores how the public relations can positively influence the relationship between the colleges of education and their publics. The study which used the College of Education as a case study, argues that public relations as an important aspect of every educational institution management and consequently it could be used to build healthy relationships with the publics and erode unfavourable rumors and stories that could drive Colleges into crisis. The study which relied on personal interview and ethnographic study of public relations related documents of the College of Education discovered that the public relations unit relied heavily on notice board publications, internal and external memos, college events as major tools to disseminate information to publics of the College. The findings further showed that there was heavy use of community relations activities by the college to build healthy relationships with her host community.

Menjaga Stabilitas Perusahaan Bandeng Juwana Elrina melalui Perencanaan Program Community Relations Petani Tambak Wonoagung

<p class="Abstract"><em>The increasing number and development of companies and UMKM resulted in intense competition in the business world. To obtain support from various parties to maintain the survival of the company or UMKM, it is necessary to have Community Relations activities to maintain the stability of the activities of the company or UMKM. These activities are not limited to just looking for profit but also pay attention to the benefit of the surroundings or the target of Community Relations itself.</em></p><p class="Abstract"><em>This research is aimed at Milkfish Juwana Elrina with several proposed activity programs for the target, namely pond farmers in Wonoagung Village, Demak Regency with several programs such as training, empowerment, and the provision of other facilities.</em></p><p class="Abstract"><em>The purpose of this research is to create a relationship with the target audience, provide a new product for Milkfish Juwana Elrina and improve the welfare of the people of Wonoagung Village, Demak Regency.</em></p><p class="Abstract"><em>This study uses a descriptive qualitative research method. Descriptive research is to describes the quality of a symptom to make the reader know what is happening in the related research.</em></p><p> </p>

Sustainable Tourism in Svalbard: Balancing economic growth, sustainability, and environmental governance

AbstractThis commentary introduces a methodology and theoretical framework for studying how the tourism industry might balance the competing demands of economic growth and environmental governance. We focus on the “balancing act” Svalbard tourism industry must play among sometimes competing demands of climate change mitigation and emissions from tourism, and of strict Norwegian environmental management policy and demands for increased tourism. While these are specific to Svalbard, the balancing act of competing needs is the core challenge of the UN Sustainability Goals giving this research global and pan-Arctic relevance. Through collaboration between two tourism organisations, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and Visit Svalbard and an interdisciplinary team of scientists, we will co-produce knowledge about how to innovate new opportunities while protecting the wilderness, the very backbone of tourism. This collaboration considers how policy, climate change, and local attitudes together may affect the tourism industry and helps to define and develop sustainable tourism operations and products. For instance, tourists may participate in environmental and community-related activities or “micro safaris” rather than a sole focus on charismatic megafauna. Policy discussions about tourism growth need to consider how local and national governments anticipate and navigate rapid social, political, and environmental changes.

Perceived barriers and contributors to sense of purpose in life in retirement community residents

AbstractDespite the growing use of retirement communities and ageing care facilities, little is known about how residing in retirement residences may impact aspects of older adult wellbeing. Living in these communities may hold particular influence on residents’ sense of purpose, if they feel limited in their opportunities for individual action, or could serve to promote purposefulness depending on the social connections available. The current study sought to explore contributing factors as well as barriers to purpose in older adults living in three continuing care retirement communities. Using brief semi-structured interviews, 18 older adults were asked to describe their purpose in life, community-related activities and any perceived challenges limiting their ability to pursue this purpose. Thematic analysis was used to examine themes common across interviews. Interviews presented a mixed picture of the nature of purposefulness in retirement facilities. Residents espoused several benefits of community living such as social and leisure opportunities, while also noting several obstacles to their purpose, including health concerns and the belief that purpose in life was not relevant for older adults. These findings provide insight into how older adults can derive a sense of purpose from activities within their retirement community and how facilities can better tailor programmes to promote purposefulness and support personally valued roles for residents.

IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS OF SEKOLAH SIAGA KEPENDUDUKAN (SSK) IN EAST JAVA 2019

One of the ways to synergize various parties in anticipating and overcoming problems as a result of population dynamics is to increase the role of teachers through the establishment of Sekolah Siaga Kependudukan (SSK). This study aims to analyze the implementation of the SSK in East Java in 2019. The analysis was using descriptive analysis method. Secondary data on the number of schools that have SSK program is obtained through the area of population control by National Board Population and Family Planning Representative in East Java. Primary data related to problems and solutions in schools associated with the implementation of the SSK program were obtained by in-depth interviews conducted with heads of sub-fields and staff working in the area of Population Control. In 2017, National Board of Population and Family Planning Representative of East Java initiated the formation of SSK in 3 districts and cities. From 2017 to August 2019, the number of schools in East Java that have participated in the SSK program were 58 Senior High Schools and 24 Junior High Schools. Only 20.8% of schools that have met the SSK's criteria of success, namely (1) have a decree on the formation (2) have a nameplate, (3) the establishment of a population corner, (4) the integration of population material on subjects in the form of Lesson Plan (LP), and (5) community-related activities. Implementing SSK program in East Java still needs to be improved, especially in forming population corner. Students follow the integration of SSK materials into school subjects and the presence of population-themed activities through advocacy and coordination with stakeholders in districts and cities. The SSK program also requires increased socialization of activities at schools.

REVITALISASI MANAJEMEN SEKOLAH DALAM MENINGKATKANHUBUNGAN TERHADAP MASYARAKAT

Education is a shared responsibility between the family, government and community, for that the implementation of education requires good relations and cooperation between the three components. Starting from the existence of cases in the field and efforts to improve the quality of education programs in schools, the principal has a very strategic position. Principals can maximize the use of existing resources at schools to solve problems that arise and try as much as possible to utilize the resources available in the community around the school, therefore the need for management revitalization in improving relations with the community, thus solving problems can be overcome as well as possible. The techniques carried out are group meetings, face-to-face meetings, observation and participation, say in paper, the use of other communication media such as TV and telephone radio, planning, organizing, mobilizing, coordinating and controlling school and community relations activities. and schools that are able to make contact relations with their communities will be able to last a long time, instead can move forward. Even though in the beginning the school did not have many facilities, but its managerial ability to approach benefactors is influential people, people who love education and are accompanied by appealing and rational appeal for power, the school can last a long time.

What we learned from a medical education elective program at a medical college

What we learned from a medical education elective program at a medical college

Strategy and Management for Community Engagement and Investment

The first step in the process of designing, implementing and managing a company’s community engagement and investment should be developing appropriate strategies and policies. The development of a community-focused strategy is the time for the corporate responsibility committee of the company’s board of directors, and the company as a whole, to focus on three fundamental questions. First, the company should decide on the group within their community that will be the primary target of the activities (e.g., young people by improving primary education and/or providing recreational spaces, older people or community members with disabilities). The next thing that needs to be done is to determine whether activities should be focused on specific parts of the community, such as a particular neighborhood, or can and should be scaled to have an impact throughout the entire geographic area. Finally, in order to have a strategy the company needs to decide on the sector and related issues on which the community-related activities will concentrate. Sector refers to the broader community development area (e.g., education, health, the environment and job creation) on which the company’s community-related activities will concentrate, and issues are specific aspects of the selected sector (e.g., early childhood education in the education sector or entrepreneurship training in the job creation sector).

Status of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Nepal

Background: Although there has been a significant interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in recent years, there is lack of adequate studies regarding the status of CSR practices in Nepal. The existing studies generally suffer from the narrow conceptualization of CSR, focus on selected companies or industry sector only and from the relatively small sample size.
 Objectives: This paper aims to identify the status of CSR practices in the Nepalese context.
 Methods: This study uses questionnaire survey method by taking a sample of 168 listed companies of Nepal representing diverse industry sectors. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANNOVA and t-test have been used to analyze the collected data.
 Results: The overall status of CSR practices in Nepal is above the moderate level. The most common CSR practices in Nepal relate to corporate governance as well as customers whereas the least common CSR practices include environment and community related activities. Likewise, level of CSR practices is significantly higher among large firms compared to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). However, there is no significant difference on the status of CSR practices between banking sector and non-banking sector firms.
 Conclusions: While the overall status of CSR practices in Nepal is above the moderate level, Nepalese companies are not paying adequate attention on community and environment related issues. The results also indicate that size of the firm tend to affect the level of CSR practices in the Nepalese context though the difference on CSR practices between small and medium sized firms is not statistically significant.
 Implications: The government and policy makers may consider giving tax exemption or any other clearly spelled out incentives particularly to the environment and community related CSR activities. Likewise, managers and other stakeholders including the government may focus on identifying and overcoming the barriers for CSR practices among SMEs in Nepal.