Competitive Elements Research Articles

“DINO Vs. DINI” educational game to increase children's cognitive abilities—what are its level elements?

Games designed for children have the potential to serve as educational tools, incorporating learning components that promote engagement and facilitate the child's cognitive and developmental progress, tailored to their specific age group. The significance of Early Childhood Cognitive Abilities is in their association with everyday tasks and functions. The promotion of cognitive development in individuals with AUD necessitates the provision of many opportunities for cognitive stimulation. Children must attain fundamental competencies commensurate with their chronological age in cognitive development. The objective of developing this educational game is to assist early childhood education (PAUD) teachers and parents in delivering instruction through imaginative and inventive simulations. This study employs the Research and Development (R&D) technique, utilizing a 4D model. The instructional game incorporates many level features that assess difficulty, accuracy, memory, and thinking abilities. This educational game encompasses four distinct learning modules tailored for early infant development. These modules include word completion exercises, counting activities, picture guessing tasks, color identification exercises, and competitive elements. The utilization of educational games is anticipated to facilitate the enhancement of children's cognitive capacities, thereby preparing them for the subsequent stages of their primary education.

Competitization: the proliferation of competition as a multidimensional process

ABSTRACT Various scholars have noticed the increase of competition in the last decades and its essential role in contemporary social life. Their studies show the great variety of fields affected and are valuable contributions to understanding this process. However, they also represent a wide range of different conceptualizations and understandings of what exactly the increase of competition is and which aspects of social life it affects. Thus, to allow for a better understanding of this process and the commonalities and differences between the approaches that examine it, this paper presents a framework to grasp different dimensions of competitization, that is, the increase of competition in different social fields. Drawing on the basic elements of competition and the literature on the increase of competition, it discusses four dimensions of competitization: competitization by scarcity, by mechanism, by imaginary and by agency. Three main examples are used to demonstrate these dimensions: competitization in academia, market competitization and competitization in the form of rankings.

Competitiveness and technological capital as determining factors of exports in small and medium-sized companies

This study explores international business integration, focusing on Colombian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It delves into the crucial aspects of competitiveness and technological capital influencing the export models of these SMEs. Using a questionnaire, responses were gathered from 63 Colombian SMEs exporting to 74 countries with 333 tariff positions. This analysis examines competitiveness factors like innovation, productivity, and business structure, as well as technological capital components such as R&D management, technological processes, and equipment, all tailored to the context of Colombian SMEs. The findings establish a comprehensive model elucidating direct and indirect relationships among these variables. They underscore the importance of strengthening competitiveness elements, particularly the infusion of technology into process and product innovation, alongside productivity and business structure rooted in the value derived from information technologies. Simultaneously, the study highlights the importance of nurturing employees’ physical, financial, and language skills within Colombian SMEs. This study accentuates the pivotal role of investment in technological capital aspects, including research and development management, personnel, and leveraging information technology, especially within Colombian SMEs. These investments are instrumental in augmenting performance and ensuring success in the international business arena. The paper contributes to both theoretical understanding and practical applications in enhancing the international competitiveness of Colombian SMEs.

Do International Trade Frictions Influence the Competitiveness of Entity Enterprises? Evidence from the Perspective of Financialization

International trade frictions have changed the business environment of enterprises. However, how do these changes influence the behavioral decisions of enterprises, and will this further affect enterprise competitiveness? Exploring these questions will help determine the influencing mechanism of external negative impacts, such as international trade frictions, on the competitiveness of entity enterprises. In this study, the influences of China-U.S. trade friction, which served as an exogenous research event, on the competitiveness of entity enterprises were empirically analyzed via a difference-in-difference (DID) model with semiannual report information of Chinese nonfinancial A-share listed companies in 2016 to 2020 as research samples. Research results show that the China-U.S. trade friction promotes enterprises to enlarge their financial asset investment by changing the business environment of enterprises. Moreover, this friction further weakens the enterprise competitiveness, an essential element of industrial investments. As revealed by further heterogeneity analysis, the China-U.S. trade friction has generated heterogenous influences on enterprise competitiveness in the aspects of investment motives, industry, competition status, and internal governance mechanism. In this study, two types of enterprise competitiveness elements—environment and resources—were included into the same research framework, and the category of theoretical research on the connotation of enterprise competitiveness was expanded. Moreover, this research provided new scenes and evidence for identifying the causal relationships of the impacts of exogenous negative events with the financial behaviors and competitiveness of entity enterprises, Furthermore, it rendered countermeasure paths and policy suggestions for scientifically coping with international trade frictions and enhancing the competitiveness of entity enterprises. Subject Classification Codes: F51; G31; G32; L25

Improving English Language Class Learning Outcomes in Reading through the Implementation of Quizizz Application

The utilization of technology in education involves the use of tools and technological applications to enhance the teaching and learning process. In this context, Quizizz serves as a relevant application that enables teachers to motivate students through various types of questions and good competitive elements. This includes measuring students’ comprehension, providing instant feedback, reinforcing material understanding, and monitoring students learning progress, resulting in improved learning outcomes. This research aims to determine the improvement of students learning outcomes in English language classes, especially in reading, by implementing the Quizizz application. The samples are used by students from the even semester of the academic year 2023/2024 in Muhammadiyah University of Parepare, focusing on second-semester students. The research uses the Classroom Action Research (CAR) method. Data was collected through tests and observations from June 2023 to July 2023. The results of this study indicate an improvement in learning outcomes, with an average learning outcome increase of 38% in cycle I and in cycle II by 78%.

Exploring the Effects of Progression Mechanics in Competitive and Collaborative Gamified Learning

This study investigates how competitive, collaborative, and progressive game-based and gamification learning mechanics influence children's motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes. The research was conducted with primary school children in an e-learning context delivered by the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) eLearning platform – Learnvoy - and specifically explored how the sense of progression, competition, and collaboration in a gamified environment influenced learners' academic performance. This study involved groups of primary school learners in a quasi-experiment. The control group engaged in a traditional eLearning setup where they were asked to watch a few plain monologue tutorial videos and answer related questions. Two experimental groups participated in a gamified eLearning environment that used the same tutorial videos, but in which their answers powered up in-game characters: in one case creating a competitive experience and in the other a collaborative experience. After viewing each tutorial video, each learner answered the same questions as the control group, but here their rate of correctness powered up, or hindered frogs, from reaching a princess in a game based on the story of The Princess and the Frog. In this way, competitive, collaborative, and progressive elements were introduced in the game, where learners with higher accuracy in the question and answering activities had a better chance of winning, thus fostering an environment of motivation and achievement. The results indicate that both experimental groups exhibited improved motivation, engagement, and accuracy compared to the control group; there was no significant difference between the two gamified conditions. These results are interesting to schoolteachers and eLearning creators seeking to integrate innovative and effective learning strategies into their educational curriculums. The findings underscore the potential of competitive and collaborative game mechanics, particularly progression elements, in enhancing learners' learning experiences and outcomes. In conclusion, this research highlights the educational value of competitive, collaborative, and progressive digital game-based learning mechanics, suggesting that the sense of progression, competition and collaboration conveyed by such games can play a role in fostering learners' academic success.

Effects of Gamifying Mathematics Lessons at High School Level

Gamification encompasses the utilization of "playful" or "game-like" elements within non-gaming contexts. It finds diverse applications, primarily within the realms of education/training and the workplace, with the aim of enhancing teamwork and productivity. Nonetheless, the concept of gamification remains a topic of significant debate. Several authors caution that gamification may undermine intrinsic motivation to learn or perform, particularly among younger audiences. Furthermore, the research community increasingly emphasizes potential negative consequences resulting from specific gamification mechanics, such as competition. In this article, we present an approach to gamification that combines competitive elements, albeit at the level of student groups rather than individuals. The idea is to minimize the exposure of underperforming individuals while capitalizing on collaborative group dynamics, wherein stronger students provide support to weaker ones. We conducted a quasi-experiment, comparing motivation and performance between a gamified classroom scenario and a conventional, non-gamified scenario. The results indicate that the proposed gamification approach boosts motivation and performance in contrast to the non-gamified condition. These findings contribute to a deeper comprehension of the effects of gamification and offer a realistic perspective on its beneficial impacts within educational settings.

Competitive strategies and integration expanses in the large shipping container industry during an era of consecutive global crises

Purpose: This research aims to examine the competitive strategies and integration expanses of three of the largest shipping container companies worldwide, attempting to provide a helpful insight into the strategies adopted and implemented by the shipping container companies in question, in order to overcome the multiple significant obstacles resulting from the consecutive global crises of recent years (the post 2008 global financial crisis, pandemic, and war in Ukraine). Design/approach: The present paper (as a Case Study) examined three large shipping container companies that have played a crucial role in global trade over the years. These are three of the largest in 2023 (Hapag Lloyd, COSCO Shipping Lines, and Maersk). The criteria of these selected companies were mainly the authors’ focus on the significance for the industry of the mentioned three large shipping container companies, as well as the volume of information that could gathered by secondary data sources. Secondary data was collected by reviewing the existing branding literature as discussed in academic and trade journals, books, information databases, professional magazines, government publications, and specialized internet sites (Emerald, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scirus). Findings: This research identified that large shipping container companies do not solely adopt Cost Leadership, Differentiation, or Focus Strategy when planning their competitive strategies. Consequently, the decision of competitive strategy choice by large shipping container companies is not a trichotomous one between complete Cost Leadership, Differentiation, or Focus Strategy, but is a matter of combination. Many macro- and micro-environmental and organizational factors have a bearing on such decisions. This study identified that the balance of combination is dependent upon a number of reasons and factors, such as (mainly) macro- and micro-environmental factors, company resources and capabilities, customers’ willing to pay, barriers in the shipping liner industry, and revenue and cost approaches. Research limitations/ implications: The study contains several shortcomings. The theoretical view may contain conceptual elements which hinder more specific observations, e.g., the exhaustive examination of the industry’s competition elements based on Porter’s five forces rivalry view about competition between companies: (1) Rivalry between Existing Competitors, (2) Threat of New Entry, (3) Threat of Substitution, (4) Buyers’ Bargaining Power, and (5) Suppliers’ Bargaining Power. There is a recommendation for future research, which will be on how other large shipping container companies have dealt mainly with the post global financial crisis, as well as the post pandemic era, in terms of a competitive strategies approach having been adopted. This could include qualitative or quantitative research, along with a larger number of case study approaches (and not only large shipping container companies, but medium- and small-sized shipping container firms), which would produce useful results and insights. However, despite limitations, the study contains some managerial implications. Originality/value: The paper reports on the findings of one of the first in its kind (competitive strategies in large shipping container companies during an era of consecutive global crises) of research study carried out in the sector- in general, there are few research papers about competitive strategies in the shipping industry. The findings that emerged attempt to set the foundation for helping the various stakeholders in the sector, contributing towards building their strong international presence.

Thiourea resole polymers for recovery of noble element

The recovery of noble elements from secondary source, industrial effluent, which are classified as high concentrated noble elements solution are very essential. Liquid-solid extraction systems are an attractive process used for the separation and purification of noble elements. For this purpose, a solid-phase extraction system was investigated for the recovery of noble metals (Au(III), Pd(II), and Rh(III)). Chelating resins were synthesized by a polycondensation reaction between phenolic thiourea monomers and formaldehyde under alkaline conditions. The resulting polymers were characterized and evaluated for their chelating properties with regard to noble metal sorption. Also, the selectivity of sorption of noble elements was studied in the presence of competitive elements that can be present in effluent waste, such as Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, and Al. Here, we present a promising materials based on formo-phenolic thiourea resins as a potential candidate for high-capacity (> 350 mg/g for Au; > 50 mg/g for Pd; > 30 mg/g for Rh) and high-selectivity solid-liquid sorption of noble elements, particularly for Au.

The Role of Trust on Social Media Purchase Behavior: A Study on Young Consumers in the Context of the Technology Acceptance Model

In today's dynamic market conditions, it has become a critical competitive element for businesses to use social media platforms in their marketing activities in order to raise awareness about their products and services, improve their brand image, make their relations with existing customers sustainable, and reach new customer groups. Social media platforms, whose number of users is increasing day by day, have caused a great transformation not only in the daily lives of individuals but also in their businesses, especially in their marketing activities. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of social media marketing activities on young consumers within the framework of the technology acceptance model. In the research, the perception of trust in the social media purchasing behaviors of young consumers was emphasized, and trust in social media was adapted to the Technology Acceptance Model as an external factor. In this context, a research model was established as a result of examining the relations between the related theoretical and applied research and the related variables, and the research was designed quantitatively based on the cause-and-effect relationship in order to test the hypotheses put forward in the conceptual framework. Survey data collected from young consumers in Turkey was analyzed with PLS-SEM. The findings of the research show that young consumers' perception of trust in social media shows that the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of social media use positively affect and are an important determinant of purchasing behavior. In addition, it is among the research findings that the social media purchasing behaviors of young consumers are positively affected by perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, two important factors of the technology acceptance model

Tacit and Explicit Knowledge: Drivers of the Competitiveness of Universities

This research examines these two cognitive dimensions through a confirmatory factor analysis to determine whether their relationship with the competitiveness variable is suitable for generating genuine competitive elements. These variables have been reviewed based on available cutting-edge literature and collected a priori from Mexican higher education institutions. Cognitive elements serve as precursors to competitiveness; however, comprehending this necessitates an analysis of the cognitive asset from a dimensional perspective, wherein formal and informal knowledge criteria are scientifically established as explicit and tacit knowledge.

Характеристика конкурентоспроможності та визначення її сутності

The article is dedicated to the examination of competitiveness and the determination of its essence as a crucial concept in the field of economics. The author analyzes various approaches to defining competitiveness and explores its fundamental aspects. They shed light on the role of competitiveness in the modern world, particularly in the context of globalization and international trade. The article unveils the evolution of key elements of competitiveness, such as production efficiency, product quality, innovation, market position, adaptability, and others. The research emphasizes the importance of measuring and assessing the level of competitiveness. Furthermore, the article calls for further research in the field of competitiveness, focusing on the development of new approaches and the formulation of policies that strengthen competitive positions. Understanding the characteristics and essence of competitiveness is pivotal for achieving success in the global economic arena.

Culture of Meritocracy, Political Hegemony, and Singapore’s Development

Why have Singapore’s unique developmental state arrangements persisted in a region which has experienced democratic change? This paper argues that this is due to the PAP state’s successful legitimation of its unique brand of meritocracy, one which has both competitive and interventionist elements. During the colonial era, a culture of economic meritocracy evolved in a bottom-up process through social and commercial interactions between the British class and Chinese community. This was then transmuted by the PAP’s top-down imposition of the institutions and discourses of political meritocracy. This cultural hybrid allows the state to sustain its hegemony in the face of progressive social change. Accordingly, our emphasis on the wider institutional environment within which merit is conceived helps to better illuminate Singapore’s challenges of encouraging organic innovation, alleviating social stratification, and opening up its political arena. This paper suggests that the problems in these areas stem not from meritocracy per se, but from the PAP’s “monocentric meritocracy” where merit is narrowly defined and singularly imposed in the post-colonial era.

A preceptor development program using an interactive board game

Background and purposeColleges and schools of pharmacy and residency programs must be engaged in the purposeful development of their preceptors. Preceptor development needs vary widely from a new preceptor needing foundational preceptor skills to a more experienced preceptor who may wish to incorporate more sophisticated precepting methods such as layered learning or interprofessional precepting. It can be challenging to create preceptor development activities that meet these varied needs and keep preceptors of all levels engaged. Educational activity and settingThe Preceptor's Game of Life was developed to incorporate serious gaming into preceptor development to increase engagement and promote learning across all precepting levels. This game was designed to review precepting fundamentals and focused heavily on the application of these principles to authentic precepting scenarios. An element of friendly competition, collaboration, and storytelling created a safe and fun environment where participants could discuss solutions to scenario-based problems. FindingsThe Preceptor's Game of Life has been well received by state and national audiences. Audience members were engaged and invested as they discussed the scenarios presented. Individual, informal feedback following the session and formal session evaluations were positive. SummaryThough the Preceptor's Game of Life required careful logistical planning, the outcome was positive. High levels of engagement amongst the participants were noted in the form of note taking and audience participation. Audience members appreciated activating their prior knowledge and experiences and applying that to future scenarios. This manuscript serves as a tool for others interested in novel preceptor development methods.

Digital Double Diamond (DiDD) Model Analysis of National Competitiveness Under Digital Transformation: An Application to Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries in South Korea and Switzerland

The healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are rapidly changing under the digital transformation environment in the 2020s. Investments in this field are given priority, both at the business level and also at the national level, to enhance national competitiveness. However, a very limited number of studies examine the impact of digital transformation on the broader scope of the industry and national competitiveness. Furthermore, the existing studies and competitiveness indices focus rather on general country-level innovation indicators. To mend this gap and to provide a more specific framework to evaluate digital transformation in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, this study proposes a new model called the Digital Double Diamond (DiDD), which is an extension of Porter’s Diamond model for national competitiveness. The DiDD model consists of three factors: endogenous factor, centric factor, and exogenous factor containing nine variables and 36 sub-variables that capture the impact of digital transformation in healthcare and pharmaceutical industries to assess national competitiveness. The new DiDD model emphasizes the importance of having a balance between the traditional national competitiveness and digital convergence elements in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. As an illustration of the new DiDD model, we compare South Korea and Switzerland’s digital transformation competitiveness in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Autocracies and policy accumulation: the case of Singapore

AbstractThe tendency of vote-seeking politicians to produce ever-more policies in response to the citizens’ demands has been identified as a central driver of the process of “policy accumulation.” If we accept this premise, policy accumulation should be a central feature of modern democracies but overall be less pronounced in autocracies. Due to its highly ambivalent nature, policy accumulation and its implications may thus constitute an important but so far neglected facets of the new system competition between democracies and autocracies. In this article, we test this argument in the context of the authoritarian regime of Singapore. Singapore is one of the very few autocracies that display elements of political competition and has a level of socio-economic development that is comparable to advanced democracies. Singapore thus constitutes a least-likely case for low levels of policy accumulation. By studying changes in Singapore’s environmental policy over a period of more than four decades (1976 to 2020) and by contrasting the patterns observed with the policy developments in 21 OECD democracies, we find that autocratic regimes do indeed tend to accumulate less than democratic regimes. More precisely, we find that Singapore (1) has only produced about one-fourth of the environmental policy measures of an “average” democracy and (2) is constantly the country with the lowest level of policy accumulation in our sample. These findings hold even when controlling for alternative explanations, such as the effectiveness of the administration and the government’s ability to opt for stricter and more hierarchical forms of intervention.

Management skills as a factor of business competitiveness

Managerial skill is a crucial factor in the formation and performance of effective leaders. This capability fosters strategic alignment in organizational management, especially in adapting to market changes, which has driven new ways of managing, controlling, executing, assessing, and making decisions to achieve operational and mission-related objectives in companies. This article sought to analyze the importance of managerial skills as a key element of business competitiveness. A descriptive qualitative approach was used, drawing from freely accessible electronic documents. The results focus on three main themes: managerial skills as a competitive strategy, fundamental skills of a manager for business competitiveness, and managerial skills as a factor of competitiveness. The findings suggest that companies increasingly require management staff with knowledge, experience, and skills that allow them to achieve objectives and business success. Managerial prowess is, therefore, an essential aspect to foster competitiveness in the corporate realm.

ONLINE GAMES AND COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR OF MILLENNIAL MUSLIM TEENAGERS IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNICATION PSYCHOLOGY

The majority of young people in Kekalek now find enjoyment and intriguing things to play in online games. It is unquestionably impossible to separate this action from the consequences, particularly the negative impacts of online gaming. The goal of this qualitative research method is to examine gamers' motivations for playing games and how they relate to their social behavior. The study's findings demonstrate that gamers play for enjoyment and entertainment, particularly when there is a competitive element. The implications also indicate a detrimental effect on gamers' communication behavior, including negative or sluggish reactions, disobeying parental commands, and using inappropriate language. As a result, gamers' primary objective is to enjoy themselves, which has an effect on the way they communicate, as they frequently use poisonous language and make fun of their parents and other members of the community.

MOTIVATING ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZEN SCIENTISTS AND OPEN DATA ACQUISITION ON OPENSENSEMAP WITH OPEN BADGES

Abstract. Citizen science projects making the public part of scientific research are a growing trend and often have a strong geospatial focus with mapping and observation activities on biodiversity or environmental topics. To keep participants engaged, gamification is often used, adding elements of competition and rewards. Digital badges are a common gamification component that can increase participant motivation. Open Badges, an open standard for digital micro-credentials, can be used in citizen science projects to incentivize participants and showcase their achievements. They can also be adapted to open education, where learners can build a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their achievements and credentials. Open Badges can enhance the learning experience and increase motivation, leading to improved educational outcomes. The use of Open Badges in citizen science and open education aligns with the spirit of collaboration and transparency in science and technology. In this paper we propose a solution linking the openSenseMap, as an open environmental citizen science platform, to myBadges, an Open Badges infrastructure, to allow an automatic issuing of badges for achievements made. A short study reveals first impressions of the proposed solution, its motivational aspects to contribute and improve open data on the platform, and the potential for future work.

Competition and coordination in state intrapreneurialism: The case of South Korea's export of urban expertise

State entrepreneurialism in response to external market stimuli has a state intrapreneurialism counterpart – the entrepreneurialism found within public institutions. In moving beyond the case of Singapore from which the idea was proposed, this paper develops the concept of state intrapreneurialism by injecting a greater sense of the political and territorial heterogeneity of, and competition within, national states that fracture the identification of needs, the crafting of policy narratives, and the forging of domestic and international networks. With reference to the case of South Korea, this paper illustrates how state intrapreneurialism has generated domestic and international markets and reputation in the ICT-assisted city management domain despite elements of competition among public agencies. The case raises broader questions for future research on the relational geographies of politics and bureaucracy in stimulating or stifling state intrapreneurialism.