Durable Relationships Research Articles

Role of Technology-Enhanced Service Learning in Empowering Marginalized Communities in Malaysia

Service learning (SL) provides a fitting opportunity for students to engage with and learn from the larger community. Such engagements are fast becoming a crucial facet of student and academic activities within Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia. (SL) enhances pedagogical learning, fosters more durable relationships which extend beyond campus walls and appropriately prepares students for life outside the campus. The integration of community engagement within the (HEIs)’s curricula fosters an educational setting which facilitates the students’ academic, personal and professional developments. (SL) is a learning pedagogy that helps students identify issues within the community, work together and address some of the diverse challenges that have been identified. Today, without a basic knowledge of Information and communication technology (ICT) or digital literacy, it is very difficult to secure employment. Marginalized communities are faced with various socio-economic and environmental barriers which prevent them from obtaining such knowledge. This, in turn further perpetuates a vicious cycle that leaves them within a constant state of powerlessness. This study sought to explore the potential of (SL) in empowering marginalized communities by providing them with basic (ICT) training. A qualitative approach was utilized involving interviews with twenty respondents from marginalized communities. The respondents currently hold jobs which require a basic knowledge of (ICT). The findings indicate that basic digital literacy is becoming increasingly crucial toward the empowerment of marginalized communities in Malaysia. However, the relevant initiatives toward this are sorely lacking. Thus, service learning has a great potential to address the current gap.

Nexus between Resource Utilization and Environmental Pollution: Evidence from 23 Countries in Africa

As Africa becomes more open to trade and globalization, emissions in the region continue to increase steadily. In the context of the prevailing economic and political conditions in Africa, it is anticipated that climate change shocks will impede developmental progress and hinder economic growth within the region. This research endeavors to empirically investigate the interconnections among GDP per capita, renewable energy consumption, freshwater withdrawals, forest area, and greenhouse gas emissions across 23 African nations from 2001 to 2020. The analytical framework incorporates the Pedroni cointegration test and the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) method to establish a durable relationship among the variables under scrutiny.
 The outcomes of our investigation disclose that a 1% escalation in GDP per capita and freshwater withdrawals corresponds to an 87.75% and 16.93% increase in greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. Conversely, a 1% rise in renewable energy consumption and forest area manifests a decline in greenhouse gas emissions by 58.51% and 13.24%, respectively. The examination reveals a negative coefficient for GDP per capita squared, affirming the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Furthermore, the Pairwise causality test indicates bidirectional causation between renewable energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and between renewable energy consumption and GDP per capita. Additionally, unidirectional causality exists from GDP per capita to greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater withdrawals to GDP per capita, forest area to GDP per capita, and freshwater withdrawals to forest area. The study recommends the sustainable use of resources in order to achieve low emissions.

Simple relational contracts and the dynamics of social capital

This article proposes a dynamic model to examine the structure of “simple” relational contracts, obeying realistic properties that can be easily understood and audited by both parties. In such relationships, the need to offer each supplier a large enough share of future business to deter cheating limits the number of relationships a buyer can sustain. Trade is thus restricted to durable relationships, a form of social capital. Nevertheless, exogenous stochastic shocks sometimes prevent suppliers from fulfilling their promises and relationships are constantly dissolving and later renewed. Moreover, the coming of a crisis, where stochastic shocks are more probable, can lead to the quick rupture of some relationships as there is less expected future business to incentivize all suppliers. New relationships can later be formed, but this takes time due to search frictions. This suggests new connections between the theory of relational contracting and the macroeconomic analysis of recessions.

Mechanism substitution in preventive innovations: Dissecting the reproduction of health inequalities in the United States

In the last three decades, numerous studies in different countries have corroborated the main postulates of the Fundamental Cause Theory (FCT), providing evidence showing how health inequalities are reproduced as society increases its capacity to control disease and/or avoid its consequences through preventive innovations. However, documenting the reproductive logic proposed by the theory requires the development of a dynamic analytical approach to consider socioeconomic disparities in the incorporation of multiple preventive innovations over time, which could act as mediating mechanisms of the durable relationship between socioeconomic status and health/mortality. This study draws on data from different waves of the National Health Interview Survey and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to analyze the diffusion processes of various innovations in the U.S. The results of the study show that educational inequalities emerge, are amplified, and are reduced by the continuous diffusion of preventive innovations, supporting the meta-hypothesis of substitution of mediating mechanisms according to the interconnections of FCT and Diffusion of Innovation Theory.

Cultural Diplomacy as a Key Component of Economic and Political Diplomacy: The Lessons For Nigeria

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of cultural diplomacy as key component of economic and political diplomacy: the lessons for Nigeria using UAE as a benchmark for comparison.
 Methodology: The paper used liberal theory to demonstrate the link between cultural and economic diplomacy. This being qualitative research, the paper was anchored on secondary sources, which included textbooks, journal publications, government and newspaper publications. The secondary data collected was thoroughly subjected to content analysis.
 Findings: The study revealed that cultural diplomacy builds "trust" between countries. This lays the groundwork for political, economic, and military agreements. The goal is to develop durable relationships among the peoples beyond the changes in political leadership, and this is to be done via the trajectory of culture.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: this study's findings have far-reaching implications for diplomatic theory, policy formulation, and practical applications. By recognizing the power of cultural diplomacy in building trust, fostering economic growth, and preserving cultural heritage, nations and international actors can work collaboratively to create a more interconnected and harmonious global community.

Investigating the relationship between environmental innovation and strategic competitive advantage (Case study: Pars Oil Company)

Background and purpose: Today, institutions compete in a competitive environment; the requirement to survive in such environments is to create a suitable and durable relationship with the surrounding environment to improve organizational performance and productivity. Of course, communicating with the external environment requires formulating a strategy and coordinating other departments to implement it; Therefore, this study examines the relationship between environmental innovation and strategic competitive advantage. Methodology: This research is applied and descriptive. The statistical population of this research is the employees of Pars Oil Company in Tehran province, whose number is about 2800 people. Using Morgan's table, the sample size was determined as 361. A simple random sampling method was used to select the sample size, and finally, 361 questionnaires were selected for analysis. Findings: Based on the results of the structural equation modeling test and the partial least squares method, process innovation and product innovation based on environmental protection have a positive and significant effect on the competitive advantage resulting from differentiation and low costs. Conclusion: The results show that organizational innovation impacts environmental strategies and gaining a competitive advantage, and environmental strategies also impact gaining a competitive advantage.

Digital Orientation and Company’s Performance. The Mediating Role of Relational Capacity

Digital transition is an inevitable process for most of the companies. Transforming the operating activities, the internal processes or enhancing the relationships with the customers is vital for business success. However, the existing literature reveals gaps on how digital orientation and relational capacity can lead to performance gains. The study proposes a conceptual model by which companies’ digital orientation can lead to superior financial and non financial performance with the mediating role of relational capacity. Based on a sample of 224 companies the model was tested and validated through the Structural Equations Model. The results show that relational capacity is a key mediating variable between digital orientation and financial and nonfinancial performance. The study offers practical implications for companies about the importance of design digital marketing strategies to engage with customers if the company wants to increase performance. Moreover, the study stresses the value of maintain strong and durable relationships with customers and partners to enhance the relational capacity of companies. The theoretical contribution derives from testing a model that adds empirical evidence to the current state of knowledge and that could be used in future studies.

Institutions in Transition: Changing Trends in Marriage

Marriage is a wedded relationship between members of opposite sexes, except otherwise sanctioned by law of the land, to unite together for a durable relationship of responsibility and need gratification. It is an institutional arrangement, compliance of which is mandatory to obtain social approval. Traditionally marriage amounted to a union of families characterized by larger involvement of family and kin and reciprocal relationships built between each other and consequent enlargement of the family circle, rather than that of two individuals. In the caste-ridden traditional Indian society, caste and communities functioned as a boundary wall limiting the expansion of choices. Contrary to this are the sparingly few still relevant self-selection marriages or love marriages which are hailed for cutting across diversities and developing deeper mutual understanding that is at the core of relationships, an alarming number of them end up in failure very soon. Modern marriages are business deals involving investments and matching of mutual gains. The modus operandi stands out hosting in lavish hotels and halls with huge spending on food, clothes, ornaments, and arrangements. The matching process itself is complex involving a host of factors such as age, education, appearance and beauty, wealth, profession, family status, the value of dowry, and astrological compatibility. This paper seeks to bring out the transition from home-based to hall-based marriage practices and accompanying changes marking the shift from traditional to modern marriages. It also tries to expose the role of compatibility matching as an intricate process involving innumerable factors in which age assumes the role of a major bargaining factor. Qualitative analysis involving experiential surveys and focus group discussions with key informants was adopted for the collection of data.

Impact of socioeconomic status on customer e-loyalty under the moderating role of perceived self-efficacy

ABSTRACT With the rapid spread of e-commerce and fierce competition in the online shopping market, the development of durable relationships with customers has become a major focus for online retailers. This requires a better understanding of e-loyalty and its drivers. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework to provide a detailed explanation of the psychological processes which connect customers’ socioeconomic status, attitudes, and e-loyalty. The moderating role of perceived self-efficacy was also examined. An empirical quantitative study using the structural equation modeling method was applied using an online survey. A total of 314 Saudi participants’ data was analyzed through a convenience sampling method. The socioeconomic status of e-customers was found to be a significant predictor of both utilitarian and hedonic attitudes, which in turn influenced e-loyalty. Perceived self-efficacy was found to strengthen the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. The findings provide relevant recommendations to business owners to retain their e-customers.

Historical Redlining and Contemporary Racial Disparities in Neighborhood Life Expectancy

Abstract While evidence suggests a durable relationship between redlining and population health, we currently lack an empirical account of how this historical act of racialized violence produced contemporary inequities. In this paper, we use a mediation framework to evaluate how redlining grades influenced later life expectancy and the degree to which contemporary racial disparities in life expectancy between Black working-class neighborhoods and White professional-class neighborhoods can be explained by past Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) mapping. Life expectancy gaps between differently graded tracts are driven by economic isolation and disparate property valuation which developed within these areas in subsequent decades. Still, only a small percent of a total disparity between contemporary Black and White neighborhoods is explained by HOLC grades. We discuss the role of HOLC maps in analyses of structural racism and health, positioning them as only one feature of a larger public–private project conflating race with financial risk. Policy implications include not only targeting resources to formerly redlined neighborhoods but also the larger project of dismantling racist theories of value that are deeply embedded in the political economy of place.

Relationship Lending and Employment Decisions in Firms’ Bad Times

AbstractUsing firm-level survey information, we investigate whether relationship lending affects firms’ employment decisions in the face of negative sales shock. We find that firms with a durable relationship with their main bank display significantly less employment growth sensitivity to such shocks, especially where these are transitory. The result is stronger for younger and smaller firms that benefit from tighter bank-firm relationships, and for firms in sectors or economic environments where the costs of employment adjustment are greater. Our findings indicate that relationship lending provides liquidity insurance to firms to meet their demand for labor hoarding.

Patient- and Community-Oriented Primary Care Approaches for Health in Rural, Remote and Resource-Dependent Places: Insights for Eco-Social Praxis

Accelerating ecological and societal changes require re-imagining the role of primary care and public health to address eco-social concerns in rural and remote places. In this narrative review, we searched literatures on: community-oriented primary care, patient-oriented research engagement, public health and primary care synergies, and primary care addressing social determinants of health. Our analysis was guided by questions oriented to utility for addressing concerns of social-ecological systems in rural, remote contexts characterized by a high degree of reliance on resource extraction and development (e.g., forestry, mining, oil and gas, fisheries, agriculture, ranching and/or renewables). We describe a range of useful frameworks, processes and tools that are oriented toward bolstering the resilience and engagement of both primary care and public health, though few explicitly incorporated considerations of eco-social approaches to health or broader eco-social context(s). In synthesizing the existing evidence base for integration between primary care and public health, the results signal that for community-oriented primary care and related frameworks to be useful in rural and remote community settings, practitioners are required to grapple with complexity, durable relationships, sustainable resources, holistic approaches to clinician training, Indigenous perspectives, and governance.

Queer Fragmentation and Trans Urban Aesthetics from Cyberpunk to Cottagecore

Queerness and transidentity have had a durable relationship with cyberpunk aesthetics, reflected in both cultural works and academic reflections. There is an evident attraction in worlds where technological prowess allows one to evolve beyond one’s corporeal body, or to change it at will. The noir explorations of themes such as discrimination and sex work are also strong sources of resonance with common trans and queer experiences. Culturally, this aesthetic is indissociable from its urban component, with the serendipity, diversity, and density of the city often at the centre of the stories told. This reflects the observed tendency of queer people to congregate in urban centres, where minorities are present in sufficient numbers to create social communities with freer explorations around gender. This appeared to be one of the central aesthetic currents of the global trans community until the early twenty-first century. However, we now observe a change with the rise of more rural aspirations, exemplified by the recent popularity of the cottagecore aesthetic. There seems to be a growing desire to retreat from society at large and isolate in tight-knit homogeneous communities, replacing co-spatiality with online connectedness. This could be the result of multiple factors, among which two seem central: the assimilation of many queers linked to the dissolution of greater federated queer communities, and the increased prioritisation of online interactions. Drawing from human geography, literary analysis and a corpus from Tumblr (a microblogging network) this article thus seeks to explore how aspirational and representational depictions of queerness evolved in tandem with its physical and online practices, transforming the historically close relationship between queerness and urbanity.

K Street on main: legislative turnover and multi-client lobbying

AbstractThis study explores the consequences of legislative turnover for the hiring of lobbyists and influence of interest groups. We argue that lobbyists develop durable relationships with lawmakers in assemblies with low turnover. Such relationships allow lobbyists to attract clients. We use a new, state-level measure of multi-client lobbying to show that legislative turnover and multi-client lobbying are inversely related: decreases in turnover are correlated with more multi-client lobbying. In a second set of analyses, we find that legislative term limits are associated with less multi-client lobbying. Since multi-client lobbying poses risks to the representation of individual interests and magnifies the effects of resource differences between interests, our results suggest that turnover may help more diverse interests to achieve political influence.

Duration of Trade Relationships of Polish Enterprises on the Intra-Community Market: The Case of Vehicles and Automotive Parts Trade

International trade allows for wider access to goods and services in domestic markets. It contributes to socio-economic development, and it is an important factor in raising living standards. The aim of the study is to provide a duration analysis of trade relationships of Polish enterprises on the intra-community market and determine the influence of selected factors on the length of time the relationships last. We employ survival analysis methods to study the duration of Polish enterprises on the intra-community market (the case of 87 CN chapter—vehicles and parts and accessories thereof), separately for intra-community supplies (ICS) and intra-community acquisitions (ICA). Our research covers trade relationships at a level close to individual transactions—the data unit relates to a specific domestic company, a specific product group (combined nomenclature heading), a specific direction of the transaction (ICS/ICA) and exchange with a specific country. Differences in duration curves for ICS and ICA are statistically significant, and export (ICS) relationships are more durable over time than import relationships (ICA). The most durable relationships of Polish enterprises are with business partners from countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Updates in the Impact of Chronic Systemic Inflammation on Vascular Inflammation by Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

In this review, we focus on the clinical and epidemiological studies pertaining to systemic and vascular inflammation by positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and psoriasis to highlight the importance of chronic systemic inflammation on vascular inflammation by PET in these disease states. Recent clinical and translation advancements have demonstrated the durable relationship between chronic systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In chronic inflammatory states, this relationship is robustly evident in the form of increased vascular inflammation, yet traditional risk estimates often underestimate the subclinical cardiovascular risk conferred by chronic inflammation. PET has emerged as a novel, non-invasive imaging modality capable of both quantifying the degree of systemic and vascular inflammation and detecting residual inflammation prior to cardiovascular events. We begin by demonstrating the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, discussing how PET has been utilized to measure systemic and vascular inflammation and their effect on subclinical atherosclerosis, and finally reviewing recent applications of PET in constructing improved risk stratification for patients at high risk for stroke and CVD.

Reconstructing an Ancient Monument to Mid-Victorian Liberalism, One Annotation at a Time: John Stuart Mill’s Marginalia in George Grote’s History of Greece

Abstract John Stuart Mill inscribed nearly 1,200 individual examples of marginalia into his personal copy of George Grote’s twelve-volume History of Greece (1846–56). Of these, roughly two-thirds are verbal annotations ranging in length from a single letter to a short paragraph. Analysis of the 136 annotations found in volumes one and two, and comparison of each page containing annotations across five editions of Grote’s History, reveal not only that Mill was directly responsible for sixty revisions made to the text of volumes one and two but also that Mill read and annotated his friend’s “opus magnum” multiple times. Considered not just in terms of its significance in intellectual history—when ancient Greece, specifically Athens, was repositioned as central to modern Britain, particularly as it was being reimagined by Victorian liberal reformers—but also as a case study for how to approach the epistemological challenges posed by marginalia more broadly, Mill’s interactive and durable relationship with Grote’s History testifies to the ongoing influence of reading conventions inherited by the Victorians from their Enlightenment and Romantic predecessors and demonstrates the heuristic value of considering marginalia’s effects in order to discern its content, attribution, intent, and chronology.

Leveraging Expertise from Community Resources to Improve the Role of the Pharmacist in HIV Testing and Counseling.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic continues to be a major global public health issue. Moreover, disparities continue to persist in HIV among racial and ethnic minority populations, with the highest rates of new diagnoses in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men in the United States. Pharmacists are one of the most accessible and trusted health care professionals. Therefore, it is imperative that student pharmacists are educated on culturally-competent HIV testing and risk behaviors counseling. This study describes the development of a partnership between a pharmacy school and a community-based organization to offer an HIV counseling and testing training program to help develop skills in delivering HIV testing services. The HIV counseling and testing training program contains learning modules that provide a wide array of in-depth information about HIV patient care in the community. The partnership allows for the enjoyment of a myriad of benefits for students, the pharmacy program, the community-based organization, and the public health of the community-at-large. Students feel more prepared and comfortable working with patients in discussing HIV transmission risk factors and test results as a result of this training. Such partnerships support the pharmacist's role in the public health arena. A successful and durable relationship between a community partner and a school of pharmacy is a feasible strategy for pharmacy progress in public health.

Understanding the needs of low-income countries: how urologists can help.

Delivering urological humanitarian aid to countries with greater need has been provided by urologists associated with British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) Urolink over the last 30 years. Urolink has realised the need to understand where that need is geographically, what tangible help is required, and how assistance can be delivered in the most ethically appropriate way. The World Bank stratification of countries by per capita gross national income has helped in the identification of low-come countries or lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), the vast majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. The medical and socioeconomic needs of those country's populations, which constitute 17% of the global community, are substantially different from that required in higher income countries. More than 40% of sub-Saharan Africa's population is aged <14 years, it has a substantially reduced life expectancy, which influences the type of pathologies seen, and perinatal complications are a major cause of morbidity for both mother and child. There is a significant problem with the availability of medical care in these countries and almost a third of global deaths have been attributed to the lack of access to emergency and elective surgery. Urologically, the main conditions demanding the attention of the very few available urologists are congenital anomalies, benign prostatic hypertrophy, urolithiasis, urethral stricture, and pelvic cancer. The management of these conditions is often substantially different from that in the UK, being limited by a lack of personnel, equipment, and access to geographically relevant guidelines appropriate to the healthcare environment. Assisting LMICs to develop sustainable urological services can be helped by understanding the local needs of linked institutions, establishing trusting and durable relationships with partner centres and by providing appropriate education that can be perpetuated, and disseminated, across a region of need.

Relationships, sustainability and agri-food purchasing behaviour in farmer markets in Italy

PurposeThe study aims to demonstrate that farmers' markets can represent a model of environmental, social and governance reference for modern agri-food systems facing the challenge of post COVID-19 pandemic reconstruction, responding to consumer expectations in terms of health, safety and wholesomeness of agri-food products.Design/methodology/approachA sample of consumers was surveyed in farmers' markets and social network analysis (SNA) was adopted as a methodological approach to reconstruct the links between the worlds of production and consumption and to derive the relative importance attributed to various factors that promote relational structures.FindingsThe work demonstrates the importance of sustainability – as a productive and behavioural model of firms – for the construction of efficient and durable relationship systems in two farmer markets in Sicily. In particular, four fundamental components emerge in the construction of networks represented by consumer sensitivity to sustainability processes, the individual behavioural model of purchasing and consumption, the expectation of political direction and the level and factors of knowledge of the firm. The clustering elements of the relationships were found to be the territory and local products, the environmentalist attitude and the protection of resources, as well as the adoption of a rational waste disposal policy, the fight against food waste, the encouragement of healthier and more sustainable consumption styles, clear and transparent communication and the activation of sustainable supply chain processes in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Originality/valueThe paper aims to demonstrate how alternative food systems can become a useful model for large enterprises, which are committed to rebuilding their business strategy to overcome the current crisis.