Context Of Management Research Articles

Common Challenges and Comprehensive Strategies for Utility Risk Management in Alternative Delivery Infrastructure Contexts

Common Challenges and Comprehensive Strategies for Utility Risk Management in Alternative Delivery Infrastructure Contexts

Data-driven approach to optimizing property management strategies: spatial modeling analytics of short-term rentals

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of locational and seasonal factors on the financial performance of short-term rental properties in Margaret River, Western Australia. It seeks to address the gap in understanding how these factors influence key financial metrics such as average daily rate (ADR) and occupancy rates, providing insights for property managers, investors and policymakers. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a mixed-method approach, integrating advanced predictive modeling techniques, such as Random Forests and Gradient Boosting, with spatial clustering algorithms like density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) and ordering points to identify the clustering structure (OPTICS). The study analyzes a comprehensive data set of short-term rental properties between 2012 and 2019. It focuses on locational attributes, seasonal variations and financial outcomes. Findings The findings reveal that properties located near tourist attractions and amenities consistently achieve higher ADRs and occupancy rates, confirming the critical role of location in driving rental demand. Seasonal analysis indicates significant fluctuations in both ADR and occupancy rates, with peaks during high tourist seasons and troughs in off-peak periods. The study underscores the importance of dynamic pricing strategies to optimize revenue and sustain occupancy across different seasons. In addition, it highlights the influence of property features, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, on ADR, while noting that larger properties do not necessarily achieve higher occupancy rates. Research limitations/implications Future research could expand the scope to include different locations and explore the long-term impacts of locational and seasonal factors on property performance. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature by integrating spatial analysis with advanced predictive modeling techniques to provide a nuanced understanding of how locational and seasonal factors impact financial performance in the short-term rental market. It offers a novel application of data analytics within the context of tourism and hospitality management, bridging theoretical frameworks with practical insights.

The effects of a dyadic empowerment-based heart failure management (De-HF) programme on self-care and HRQL : a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background The ever-growing epidemiology of heart failure (HF) and its detrimental impacts on patients’ quality of life and healthcare cost urge for effective interventions to ameliorate the modifiable prognostic factors. As substantial evidence suggests ineffective self-care as an important candidate especially for the post-discharge outcomes, various care approaches are developed to optimize this behavioral outcome. However, even family carers are heavily involved in the self-care process, dyadic approach to improve the health outcomes of both interactive partners are least applied in the HF transitional care model. Purpose To evaluate the effects of a dyadic empowerment-based heart failure management program (De-HF) on dyadic health and hospital service utilization outcomes. Methods This double-blind RCT randomized 88 HF patient-carer dyads to receive the De-HF program or a dialectic education program, after hospital discharge. Based on the Theory of Dyadic Illness Management, the 16-week De-HF Program, comprising i) a dyadic assessment, ii) five online empowerment modules and iii) follow-up telecare, integrated explicit strategies (scenario-based training, teach-back and goal-setting) to actively engage the care dyads in collaborative disease management. Figure 1 is the graphical presentation of the De-HF Program. The primary outcome is health-related quality of life (HRQL) of the care dyads. Secondary outcomes include patients’ self-care as well as shared care and perceived control of the dyad. Results The mean age of the HF patients was 76.8 (9.4). The patients were in moderate disease severity [NYHA II/II: 56/44%; mean LVEF = 42.5%]. Figure 2 shows the consort flow diagram. After adjusting the socio-demographic characteristic, two-way analysis of covariance showed that patients in the De-HF program showed significantly greater improvement in patients’ self-care domains [Mean difference in change of score (95% CI): Self-care maintenance = 7.15 (1.82-12.46),Cohen’s d = 0.26, p=0.009; Self-care management = 10.04(3.29-16.79), Cohen’s d=0.65, p=0.004; symptom perception = 15.59 (8.20-22.98), Cohen’s d=0.928, p<0.001] and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score [Mean different in the change of score (95% CI) = -11.45 (-18.24 - -4.66). Cohen’s d = -0.742, p=0.001]. The patient-carer dyads also have significantly greater improvement in perceived control (p=0.001) and collaborative disease management in terms of joint decision-making (p=0.001) and sense of reciprocity (p=0.026). Conclusion Dyadic science has evolved in self-care research for HF. This trial provides the first evidence to inform the positive effects of a theory-based dyadic transitional care program in improving the collaborative self-care management in a family context and patient health outcome. Longer-term evaluation on the effects of De-HF program on health service utilization outcomes and cost-effectiveness will be followed.The De-HF Managment ProgramThe Consort Flow Diagram

The relational recession in social work: adult social care in the age of austerity

ABSTRACT The primary resources available to social workers are themselves, with building and using effective relationships central to the social work task. More than a decade of austerity policies has impacted how social workers practice. The current barriers to relationship-based practice in work with adults are such that we are experiencing a relational recession – that is the inability to practice in a way that prioritises the relationship. The present article will evaluate two key barriers to relationship-based social work: 1) The current context of austerity and new care management, 2) The emotional demands of the role. Practice can emerge from the relational recession through a shift from case management supervision, towards a supervisory relationship which replicates the conditions required for relationship-based practice to flourish.

A Study on Enterprise Risk Management in the Chinese Context

Abstract: The establishment of the market economy, accompanied by the emergence of risks, requires enterprises to consider not only the economy and profitability but also the risk. Therefore, enterprise risk management problems arise. Many developed countries see risk management, strategic management, and operation management as the three main management functions of modern economic organizations, which will become a critical factor in the competitiveness of businesses in the future. Therefore, the paper reviews the development of traditional risk management theory, financial risk management theory, and internal control theory, with a focus on Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). After analyzing the current situation of ERM in Chinese enterprises, the paper proposes suggestions for improving risk management methods, strengthening the internal control system, and enhancing staff quality. Finally, the paper emphasizes the importance of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) development in China and suggests the need for a risk management system tailored to the countrys specific circumstances.

Taking knowledge exchange to practice: A scoping review of practical case studies to identify enablers of success in environmental management

AbstractA gap exists in the literature on how to implement theories of knowledge exchange (KE) into practice within an environmental management context. To support the improved practice of KE, we conducted a scoping literature review evaluating 56 empirical case studies globally to identify enabling conditions for implementing effective KE. Identified enabling conditions were organized into a core capacities framework, which highlighted essential elements of effective KE from organizational, individual, financial, material, practical, political, and social capacity dimensions. Results show that major enablers to effective KE relate to practitioners' individual and organizational capacity including the ability of practitioners (often boundary spanners) to establish trust with relevant actors through their interpersonal relationships and possessing sufficient background knowledge and skills to facilitate collaborations across disciplines and sectors. We also identified main challenges to engaging in KE (e.g., insufficient long‐ term funding for projects, lack of interpersonal skills for KE practitioners to build relationships and network, and inadequate background knowledge for practitioners to exchange knowledge in an accessible manner), and the outcomes and impacts that can emerge from effective KE work. We find that practitioners often perform quantitative evaluations that provide instantaneous and measurable impacts for the effectiveness of KE, but do not capture the impact of interpersonal relationships and trust that are best achieved through qualitative approaches. Lastly, the synthesis of enablers, challenges, outcomes, and impacts presented in this paper can be a resource for practitioners to identify what enablers may be missing from their KE strategies and in what capacity the KE work can be strengthened.

GestureGPT: Toward Zero-Shot Free-Form Hand Gesture Understanding with Large Language Model Agents

Existing gesture interfaces only work with a fixed set of gestures defined either by interface designers or by users themselves, which introduces learning or demonstration efforts that diminish their naturalness. Humans, on the other hand, understand free-form gestures by synthesizing the gesture, context, experience, and common sense. In this way, the user does not need to learn, demonstrate, or associate gestures. We introduce GestureGPT, a free-form hand gesture understanding framework that mimics human gesture understanding procedures to enable a natural free-form gestural interface. Our framework leverages multiple Large Language Model agents to manage and synthesize gesture and context information, then infers the interaction intent by associating the gesture with an interface function. More specifically, our triple-agent framework includes a Gesture Description Agent that automatically segments and formulates natural language descriptions of hand poses and movements based on hand landmark coordinates. The description is deciphered by a Gesture Inference Agent through self-reasoning and querying about the interaction context (e.g., interaction history, gaze data), which is managed by a Context Management Agent. Following iterative exchanges, the Gesture Inference Agent discerns the user’s intent by grounding it to an interactive function. We validated our framework offline under two real-world scenarios: smart home control and online video streaming. The average zero-shot Top-1/Top-5 grounding accuracies are 44.79%/83.59% for smart home tasks and 37.50%/73.44% for video streaming tasks. We also provide an extensive discussion that includes rationale for model selection, generalizability, and future research directions for a practical system etc.

Strengthening Community Resilience in the Face of Environmental and Economic Challenges in Southeast Mexico

Objective: The problems in the sustainable management of natural resources in their fishing practices in the community of Aztlán Quinta Seccion Palomillal in Tabasco, Mexico, are analyzed to develop community solutions and improve sustainability and socioeconomic results. Theoretical Framework: It is based on the theory of sustainability (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, p. 43), the natural resources management model (Natural Resources Commission, 2012, p. 3) and the theory of participatory research (Reason & Bradbury, 2008, p. These frameworks are the context in which fishing practices are developed in the community, serving as a relevant case study for southeastern Mexico, facilitating the analysis of the problems and proposed solutions. Method: A qualitative case study design focused on community-based participatory research was applied, involving key community actors, including fishermen and leaders of the fishing cooperative. Data collection was through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and participant observation. The interviews were designed to learn about challenges in resource management, while focus groups facilitated discussions about possible solutions. Participant observations were carried out during community meetings and the sociocultural and environmental context. Results and Discussion: The problems of sediment accumulation, the presence of invasive species, the lack of adequate infrastructure and low educational levels were identified. There is an urgency to implement strategies that combine traditional knowledge with modern practices to improve the sustainability of fishing activities. The importance of community participation is highlighted. Research Implications: It has significant practical and theoretical implications for sustainable resource management in rural fishing communities and can be applied in other similar rural contexts and contributes to the theoretical development of community-based participatory research. Originality/Value: An innovative community-based participatory research approach is applied for sustainable natural resource management in a rural fishing community, replicable for sustainable resource management in vulnerable contexts.

ONTO-TDM domain ontology population for a specific discipline

Ontologies play a vital role in organizing and constructing knowledge across various domains, enabling effective knowledge management and sharing. The development of domain-specific ontologies, such as the ONTO-TDM ontology for teaching domain modeling, is essential for providing a comprehensive and standardized representation of knowledge within a given discipline. However, to maximize the usefulness and relevance of such ontologies, it is crucial to automate their population with domain-specific information, reducing manual work and ensuring scalability. This paper presents a novel method for ontology population by extracting and integrating relevant information from diverse sources. The method combines the TextRank algorithm with Word2Vec to enhance keyword extraction, capturing both semantic meaning and textual importance. Keywords are then annotated and used to train a machine learning classifier, which aids in integrating new instances into the ontology. Experiments show that the proposed method achieves a precision of 63.33%, a recall of 61.29% and an F1-score of 62.28%, significantly improving keyword extraction and ontology population accuracy compared to existing methods. This validates the method’s effectiveness in semi-automatically extracting relevant instances from diverse data sources, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of ontology population, and advancing automated knowledge management in domain-specific contexts.

Impression Management and Employee Commitment in Akwa-Ibom Tertiary Institutions

General background: Employee commitment is crucial for organizational success, and impression management techniques may significantly influence this commitment. Specific background: Previous studies have examined the effects of impression management in organizational contexts, yet the specific dynamics in Nigerian tertiary institutions remain underexplored. Knowledge gap: The influence of exemplification, ingratiation, and self-promotion on different dimensions of employee commitment (affective, continuance, and normative) in Nigerian institutions has not been fully examined. Aims: This study aims to determine how these dimensions of impression management influence employee commitment and the moderating role of organizational culture. Results: Findings reveal a positive and significant relationship between impression management and employee commitment. Specifically, exemplification enhances affective commitment, ingratiation promotes continuance commitment, and self-promotion influences normative commitment. Organizational culture was found to strongly moderate these relationships. Novelty: This study provides new insights into the contextual effects of impression management on employee commitment in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Implications: The findings suggest that management should employ strategic impression management techniques to enhance employee commitment, fostering improved organizational performance and reduced turnover. Highlights: Impression management positively influences employee commitment in tertiary institutions. Exemplification enhances affective commitment, ingratiation promotes continuance commitment. Organizational culture strongly moderates the relationship between impression management and employee commitment. Keywords: Impression Management, Employment Commitment, Exemplification, Ingratiation, Self-Promotion

Principal–Teacher Relationships Under the Pressure of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Critical Factors and Implications for School Leadership During Crises

This paper aims to present the views of Greek school principals on whether and how working amid the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affected principal–teacher relationships. It mainly focuses on the factors that contributed to the quality and course of these relationships. A qualitative methodology was adopted. Data were collected from 57 principals of public primary and secondary schools who answered the open-ended questions of an online questionnaire. Written answers were analyzed using the method of thematic analysis. The analysis revealed that, given the adverse working conditions, principal–teacher relationships were affected to varying degrees and in different ways in each school unit. For forty-seven percent of principals, the relationships remained unaffected; for forty percent, the relationships worsened; and for thirteen percent, they became stronger. It was found that teacher-related factors (attitude towards increased duties/obligations and ability to manage stress and fear), as well as work climate-related factors (communication and interaction, togetherness, and pre-existing work climate) contributed to the course of principal–teacher relations amid the pandemic. The findings provide practical and theoretical implications for school leadership and human resources management in a crisis context.

AI-driven education: a comparative study on ChatGPT and Bard in supply chain management contexts

AI-driven education: a comparative study on ChatGPT and Bard in supply chain management contexts

Environmental Management in Lithium Extraction: Optimization of the Hydrometallurgical Process for Lepidolite with Focus on Eco-Efficiency and Life Cycle Assessment

Objective: Develop and optimize an eco-efficient hydrometallurgical process for lithium extraction from lepidolite, enhancing environmental management in the lithium mining industry. Theoretical Framework: The study is grounded in principles of eco-efficiency, life cycle assessment (LCA), and optimization of chemical processes applied to lithium extraction within the context of organizational environmental management. Method: A fractional factorial design 2^(5-2) was employed for process optimization. Mineralogical characterization was conducted using XRD and ICP-MS. Extraction efficiency, product purity, and environmental parameters were evaluated through LCA. Results and Discussion: Extraction efficiency increased from 91.0 ± 1.5% to 94.5 ± 0.8%, with a product purity of 99.62 ± 0.04%. LCA revealed a carbon footprint of 5.9 ± 0.3 kg CO₂ eq / kg Li₂CO₃ and a water consumption of 38 ± 2 m³/t Li₂CO₃. Implications in relation to conventional extraction methods are discussed. Research Implications: The study provides a framework for implementing more sustainable processes in lithium mining, potentially applicable to the battery industry and natural resource management. Originality/Value: The research innovatively integrates process optimization, LCA, and eco-efficiency principles in lithium extraction, contributing to the sustainable transformation of the lithium mining industry.

Middle Leadership in Educational Teams: Practices and Effects on the Development of Learning Communities

In a new context of management and teaching action, framed by the organisation of the school into educational teams, middle leaders can play a key role in promoting learning communities, teacher development and improving teaching. Therefore, it seems relevant to understand the practices of these leaders that make their leadership effective. To this end, we adopted a qualitative research paradigm, operationalised through a case study, combining a quantitative and qualitative approach. Thus, we articulated data analysis processes based on descriptive statistics, which we subjected to structural and semantic analysis and interpretation, with a qualitative approach, essentially based on content analysis, to delve into some unique contexts and the perspective of individual actors. After analysing the data, we conclude that educational team coordinators play a fundamental role in facilitating the interpersonal characteristics of learning communities, involving teachers in a more collaborative and collegial working environment. However, their role in facilitating teacher learning is weaker, which hinders their contribution to deepening teacher learning and changing classroom practices.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: The role of Growth-Oriented Leadership in Shaping Public Servants’ Work Experiences in the Post-NPM Environment

In recent years, growth-oriented leadership (GOL) has come to the fore as a salient predictor of positive employee outcomes in public sector contexts. This empirical paper examines the role of GOL in shaping perceptions of quantitative demands as a product of an evolved New Public Management (NPM) context and the subsequent impact on stress and well-being for 419 local government employees working in Western Australia. While latent in previous GOL-oriented studies, this paper is the first to explore the intersection of GOL and quantitative demands, noting that the former has an established positive effect on employee wellbeing, and the opposite case for the latter. Drawing on the challenge-hindrance framework, this article argues that GOL helps to shape employees’ primary appraisals of demands as challenges, rather than hindrances, in the post-NPM environment. The results indicate strong, direct negative relationships linking GOL with quantitative demands and stress, and a strong positive relationship between GOL and well-being. This study establishes GOL as a relevant capability for public leaders in supporting employees to deal effectively with public service demands and subsequently grow. Understanding how leadership capability, and particularly GOL, can shape the employee experience is important in ensuring the effective delivery of public services.

Coexistence through sustainable conservation strategies for sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii in African ecosystems

Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii is an antelope species adapted to the dense swamps and marshes of Sub‐Saharan Africa, where traditional population survey techniques have been ineffective and encountered difficulties in making estimations. The species formerly occurred alongside waterways throughout the lowland forest zone of West and central Africa, extending into swamp systems in the savanna zones of central, East, and southern Africa. In most parts of Africa, the sitatunga population is declining, and attracting the attention of conservationists. Furthermore, its geographical range has been recorded to have shrunk. The present study reviewed major threats to sitatunga, assessed previous and current management approaches, and proposed new approaches to effectively manage its declining populations in Africa. To achieve the study objectives, published literature, reports, online information, expert knowledge, and personal experience were reviewed to acquire relevant information. Results indicated that sitatunga are threatened due to increased habitat loss, population isolation, political instability, water level changes, habitat fragmentation, illegal hunting, and diseases. Current wildlife management approaches raise many doubts as to their effectiveness. National‐level management may unsustainably segment management actions while the protected area approach manages only part of the range of wildlife. The current tenure system in most parts of Africa discourages human–wildlife co‐existence, whereas human–wildlife conflict management approaches only treat the symptoms and not the root cause of the problems. If wildlife, including sitatunga, are to persist in Africa, management approaches should be changed and include re‐focusing of the management context at the ecosystems and landscape level; assessing the genetic diversity of sitatunga; promoting better wetland management, including the aspect of human dimension in management; using non‐invasive techniques to genetically estimate the minimum population size; assessing inbreeding; and enhancing the implementation strategy of wildlife policy in African countries. Changing the attitude of the local community may take time, but it is a pivotal point if humans and wildlife are to coexist.

Integrated Community-Based Tourism for Balanced Regional Development: A Case Study of Kayutangan Area and Kampong Heritage in Malang City

The tourism sector holds the potential to act as a mechanism for achieving balanced development within a region. The collaborative efforts between Kayutangan and Kampong Heritage area, a partnership established since 2018, have brought about substantial economic benefits for the advancement of cultural tourism in Malang City. This research is aimed at assessing the sustainability of destination management in urban contexts, with a particular focus on Community-Based Tourism (CBT) practices. To conduct this study, an integrated approach has been adopted, involving interviews with various stakeholders, including destination managers, local business owners in the Kampong Heritage area, entrepreneurs in the Kayutangan area, and local residents. The data collected from these interviews has been subjected to analysis using Inskeep’s theory, complemented by an interactive model of community-based management. The findings of this study underscore several management aspects, particularly the capacity to effectively oversee and provide necessary tourism facilities. However, the results also reveal a noteworthy limitation. There appears to be a lack of collaboration between Kawasan Kayutangan and the Kampong Heritage, with management efforts seemingly fragmented. Furthermore, community engagement in the management process remains relatively minimal. Keywords: community based tourism; collaborative effort, community engagement

Complementarity and sensitivity of benthic state indicators to bottom-trawl fishing disturbance.

Many indicators have been developed to assess the state of benthic communities and identify seabed habitats most at risk from bottom trawling disturbance. However, the large variety of indicators and their development and application under specific geographic areas and management contexts has made it difficult to evaluate their wider utility. We compared the complementarity/uniqueness, sensitivity, and selectivity of 18 benthic indicators to pressure of bottom trawling. Seventeen common datasets with broad regional representation covering a range of pressure gradients from bottom trawling disturbance (n = 14), eutrophication (n = 1), marine pollution (n = 1), and oxygen depletion (n = 1) were used for the comparison. The outcomes of most indicators were correlated to a certain extent with response to bottom trawling disturbance, and two complementary groups of indicators were identified: diversity-based and biological trait-based indicators. Trait-based indicators that quantify the changes in relative abundance of sensitive taxa were most effective in identifying benthic community change in response to bottom trawling disturbance. None of the indicators responded to the trawling pressure gradient in all datasets, and some showed a response that were opposed to the theoretical expectation for some gradients. Indicators that showed clear responses to bottom trawling disturbance also showed clear responses in at least one other pressure gradient, suggesting those indicators are not pressure specific. These results emphasize the importance of selecting several indicators, at least one from each group (diversity and trait-based), to capture the broader signals of change in benthic communities due to bottom trawling activities. Our systematic approach offers the basis from which scientific advisors and/or managers can select suitable combinations of indicators to arrive at a sensitive and comprehensive benthic status assessment.

Utilizing Blockchain Technology to Secure Database from Unauthorized Modifications

Centralized database-based applications are frequently susceptible to internal threats. The data stored in a relational database can be changed by any user who has administrative access to the hosting server or database system. Moreover, this kind of user may alter the associated log files, which would make it very challenging to identify any illegal alteration. It would also be difficult to attribute the assault to privileged users as well. In this study, we propose a solution to build a service on the context of student score management based on Blockchain technology. A database system based on the Blockchain platform along with accompanying services is built to allow storage and query of student learning outcomes. The database security system operates in parallel with the current system while still ensuring transparency, security and integrity of data. We develop a verification module that uses Blockchain to verify the integrity of the corresponding tuples and identify any unwanted modifications. Oracle database, RESTful API, and Hyperledger Fabric have all been used in the implementation of our method. Our findings show that the overhead of integrity checking remains constant per tuple in the results of a query and increases linearly using real data and SQL queries of different types and complexity.

Meta-Analysis of the Evolution of Sports Management

Sports management is a fundamental subject for anyone interested in the world of sport. This article addresses the systemic evolution of sports management as a discipline that integrates several aspects, from the organization of sports events to the management of teams and athletes. The methodology consists of a three-stage procedure: bibliometric analysis, identification of key words, critical analysis of the books, which includes the Prisma search engine used in the Scopus database and analyzed by the Bibliometrix Software. The initial sample was n=450 studies included in the review, only Scopus, in Spanish and English. Among the main results, it is important to highlight how sports management allows sports teams and organizations to function effectively and efficiently. In conclusion, it was possible to establish as important variables the impact of sports management in specific contexts, organizational culture, quality, level of satisfaction of the processes, training and professional profile, communication management in sports events and perception of sports managers, being fundamental for success in sport. Furthermore, knowing how its theoretical, legal and ethical conception has evolved, transcends anti-doping regulations and athlete safety, towards the transformation of traditional sport into digital sport. Currently, sports management is experiencing a series of significant changes that are transforming the way in which this discipline is studied and applied.