Environment In Jordan Research Articles

Older adult supportive environment at home-a case study in Jordan: overall sense of control associated with home modification.

Modification becomes a critical issue in a supportive home environment for older adults. This study examined if modifications in different spaces at home are facilitated to provide a supportive environment for older adults to feel in control in a cultural context. Data was utilized using field research with a mixed method design: Structured and open-ended interviews as well as surveys using a questionnaire. The hypothesis states that older adults have a supportive environment at home when the overall sense of control is associated with home modification. The result reveals that overall sense of control with home modification and its components: kitchen, bedroom, living room, and reception room have a significant effect on older adults' wellbeing. Therefore, older adult supported environment in Jordan can only take place by boosting awareness about the existing problems in the physical environment, by describing the benefits of home modification and by reducing the barriers of home modifications. This process can enhance the housing market and provide better urban policies for urban design and urban planning based on cultural heritage and values.

The effect of tax avoidance on firm value with leverage as a moderating variable

This study investigated the effect of tax avoidance (TAV) on company value in Jordan, with a specific focus on the moderating role of leverage. The sample is 55 Jordanian industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange for the study period from 2005 to 2022. Given the evolving regulatory landscape and the importance of tax planning strategies for corporate performance, understanding these dynamics is critical. Employing panel data analysis spanning several years, the study examined the link between tax avoidance, leverage, and company value. The results indicated a significant negative association between TAV and firm value (the correlation between them is –29.3%), suggesting that firms engaging in higher levels of TAV experience lower market valuations. Additionally, the analysis reveals that leverage plays a crucial moderating role in this relationship, amplifying the negative impact of TAV on firm value. The study also found a strong correlation between firm value and size, and the relationship between firm value and ROA remains significant and positive. These findings provided valuable information for policymakers, corporate executives, and investors navigating the complexities of contemporary business environments in Jordan and beyond.

Vegetation diversity and composition in relation to different grazing intensity levels in an arid environment in Jordan

Grazing practices fundamentally shape plant community composition and biodiversity worldwide, more importantly in water-limited environments. This study aimed to investigate plant community composition, species distribution of occurrence and diversity indices in an arid rangeland under different grazing intensities. The quadrat method was used to select 90 × 1 m2 quadrats in heavy-grazing, light-grazing and ungrazed sites. Plant species frequency, relative frequency, abundance, relative abundance and density, as well as species richness, evenness, Shannon diversity index and Simpson’s diversity index were calculated. A total of 46 plant species belonging to 17 families were recorded. The Asteraceæ family was represented with the highest frequency (28%). Overall in the study area, around 95%, 70% and 40% of recorded plant families existed in light-grazing, ungrazed and heavy-grazing sites, respectively. The species richness of identified plants in light-grazing and ungrazed sites was 300% and 200% greater, respectively, than in the heavy-grazing sites. Around 85% of existing plants in heavy-grazing sites were therophyte plants. The species frequency, abundance, density and diversity indices were higher in light-grazing sites compared to those under heavy grazing, which indicates a more diverse, heterogenous and balanced plant community in the light-grazing site. Plant communities in light-grazing and ungrazed sites were similar, except for higher species frequency, density and evenness in light-grazing sites. This suggests that light-grazing intensities in the arid rangelands of Jordan enhance plant diversity more than grazing exclusion, which encourages decision-makers and environmentalists to implement regulations prohibiting intensive grazing in the arid rangelands of Jordan.

Healthy food and determinants of food choice on online food delivery applications.

Online food delivery applications (OFD apps) provide consumers with a wide range of options to choose from. The present study aimed to assess the usage of OFD apps and investigate the factors that affect food choices with a special emphasis on healthy food choices and hygiene. A cross-sectional study among food delivery application users in Jordan was conducted using an online questionnaire between March and May 2022. A total of 675 eligible subjects participated in the study. Consumers' demographic characteristics, data on consumers' use of OFD apps, consumers' perceptions of healthy food availability in OFD apps, and consumers' attitudes toward food safety and delivery hygiene were collected and analyzed. About 64% of the studied sample used OFD apps weekly. Fast food was the most popular option for ordering (87.1%) and lunchtime was the most preferred time to order food (67.3%) for most of the respondents. Respondents' perceptions of a "healthy meal" was associated with the presence of a variety of vegetables in the meal. Food price, food appearance, time of delivery, macronutrient content information, the availability of healthy options, and considering vegetables as part of a healthy meal were determinants of consumer food choice (p<0.05). The findings suggest that the online food environment in Jordan was perceived to be unhealthy. Nevertheless, the convenient nature and the popularity of OFD apps hold great potential to promote healthy eating among consumers.

The Predictors of SMEs and In-House Recovery of Pandemic: Employees’ Perspective Toward Challenges, Drivers and Government Responses from Jordan Context

Purpose: This study seeks to provide evaluations of the challenges, drivers and government responses that are provided for SEMs and in-house recovery in Jordan context in time of COVID-19, from viewpoints of owners and employees of SMEs and in-house businesses.&#x0D; &#x0D; Theoretical framework: This study reviews the literature for the challenges, drivers and government responses for SMEs to assemble the list that was used to gather respondents’ evaluations and provide an evaluation of the SME environment in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic.&#x0D; &#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach: Using a questionnaire, data was collected for this study, purposive sampling was applied, and a sample of 1,179 provides the assessments that were used to gather the results. SPSS was used to conduct data analysis that was based on the use of descriptive analysis.&#x0D; &#x0D; Findings: The findings show that owners and employees of SMEs and in-house businesses in Jordan express moderate levels of agreement toward all proposed challenges, with the exception of challenges related to market factors, which are at a high level of agreement. Additionally, all proposed drivers are at moderate levels of agreement, and the highest agreement level is for e-marketing factors.&#x0D; &#x0D; Research practical &amp; Social implications: The study suggests allowing government agencies, educational institutions, donor and support organisations, and owners and employees of SMEs to adopt strategic business plans that take advantages of possible drivers and mitigate the consequences of challenges in the business environment.&#x0D; &#x0D; Originality/Value: This study contributes to the emerging literature concerning SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic by targeting owners and employees of SMEs and in-house businesses in Jordan to gather their responses regarding a set of challenges, drivers and government responses that the literature proposed as characterising the business environment during the pandemic.

EFL Teachers’ Practices and Perspectives on Learner Autonomy in Virtual Language Learning Environments in Jordan

The current study investigated EFL teachers’ perspectives and practices regarding learner autonomy in the virtual language learning environment in Jordan. An interview and observation checklist have been used to collect data. Ten EFL teachers have been interviewed and one recording of their classes has been observed. Results revealed that teachers were aware of the psychological and they employed some strategies reflecting their views. Unlike the psychological perspective, the political perspective was not seen in EFL teachers’ practices. However, EFL teachers did believe in their importance. Based on the result, enhancing the pedagogy of autonomy should be a priority of policymakers while strategizing future plans. Besides, the national curriculum should provide teachers with the freedom to enhance learner autonomy. Further research should be conducted using a wider sample, and including further variables.

Rational speculative bubbles in the stock market - the case of Amman Stock Exchange

This paper aims at inspecting the existence of rational speculative bubbles in the Amman Stock Exchange market (ASE) along two sample periods, the first from 2004 to 2009, and the second from 2010 to 2018. The paper uses three different quantitative approaches to analyse the returns for ASE index over the selected sample periods. The first approach is the descriptive statistics, the second one is the explosiveness test approach, and the third one is the duration dependence test approach. The paper found evidence for the existence of a rational speculative bubble in ASE returns for the first sample period inspected and based on the three different approaches. This paper represents a contribution toward establishing an effective early warning system for predicting and mitigating financial crises. The paper represents a good contribution to improve the investment environment in Jordan.

Syrian Crisis Impacts on the International Refugee Education Fund in Jordan

This research evaluates the impacts of the international organizations’ fund on urban Syrian refugees’ educational environment in Jordan. It combines a mixed method theoretical and technical approach to answering the question of the research: what are the impacts of the international agencies’ resilience programmatic response on the refugee educational challenges induced by the Syrian crisis? The findings revealed that the donors have improved school buildings and enhanced the educational environment in terms of academic performance, sense of belonging, safety, and success. The results also show a high correlation between the spatial distribution of projects and the concentration of noncamp Syrian refugees in Jordan. The results revealed that schools and neighboring communities were not fully engaged in decision-making which left a gap in fulfilling the social and cultural needs. This research can be used as an assessment tool of refugee educational strategies especially when promoting education in host-sensitive conflict regions.

How do policy approaches affect refugee economic outcomes? Insights from studies of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

Abstract The vast majority of refugees globally are hosted in developing countries. In Jordan and Lebanon, nearly one in ten people are refugees. This paper reviews how different policy environments in Jordan and Lebanon have shaped economic outcomes for Syrian refugees, focusing on education, work, social assistance, and welfare outcomes. The review summarizes key research on how to improve refugee economic outcomes. We demonstrate that there can be effective service delivery for refugees, dependent on state capacity. For example, differences in policy led to better education outcomes for Syrian refugees in Jordan than in Lebanon. A variety of interventions can support refugee livelihoods, while generally doing no harm to host communities. Both countries also demonstrate the difficulties of achieving refugee economic self-sufficiency. Although Jordan has allowed (limited) legal work opportunities for refugees, Syrian refugees in both countries remain primarily in precarious work and supported by international aid.

Factors Influencing Students’ Intention to Use E-Textbooks and Their Impact on Academic Achievement in Bilingual Environment: An Empirical Study Jordan

E-textbooks are becoming increasingly important in the learning and teaching environments as the globe shifts to online learning. The key topic is what elements influence students’ behavioral desire to use e-textbooks, and how the whole operation affects academic achievement when using e-textbooks. This research aims to investigate the various factors that influence the behavioral intention to use an e-textbook, which in turn influences academic achievement in a bilingual academic environment. The research model was empirically validated using survey data from 625 e-textbook users from bilingual academic institutes from Jordan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was employed to test the research hypotheses by using Amos 20. To validate the results, artificial intelligence (AI) was employed via five machine learning (ML) techniques: artificial neural network (ANN), linear regression, and sequential minimal optimization algorithm for support vector machine (SMO), bagging with REFTree model, and random forest. The empirical results offer several key findings. First, the behavioral intention of using an e-textbook positively influences academic achievement. Second, attitude toward e-textbooks, subjective norms toward e-textbooks, and perceived behavior control toward e-textbooks positively influence behavioral intention toward using e-textbooks. Attitude toward using e-textbooks and perceived behavioral control both are positively influenced by independent factors. This study contributes to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing the impacts of e-textbooks on the academic achievement of university students in a bilingual environment in Jordan.

A study on the relationship between supply chain integration and firm performance

This study aims to develop a measurement scale for Supply Chain Integration (SCI) and Firm Performance (FP) in Jordanian SMEs. The study instrument was developed based on the previous studies and the survey included 284 companies in Jordan. A sample of 263 responses were used for exploratory analysis. Results show that the 46-item instrument was loaded on four factors. During this phase, the measurement scale was purified to 36 items, and characterized with a high degree of reliability. The results were confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis and showed that the 36-item measurement model met the empirical requirements namely, convergent, construct, and discriminant validity. The fitness indicators test for the model shows that it is applicable in SMEs companies’ environment in Jordan. The study presented implications for decision-makers in SMEs companies. The limitation of this study was presented which were relied on to develop directions for future research.

Special Education and General Education Teacher Perceptions of Collaborative Teaching Responsibilities and Attitudes Towards an Inclusive Environment in Jordan

The purpose of this study was to investigate how general and special education instructors perceive their collaborative teaching responsibilities and their attitudes toward inclusive environments. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 300 teachers in accordance with the social interdependence theory and cooperative learning conceptual framework. The survey was composed of two parts. The first section examined collaborative teaching duties for both instructors. It included 29 items and four categories (planning, instruction, evaluation, and behavior management). The second section included 15 items to assess attitudes toward inclusion. The study enrolled a total of 233 teachers (123 in special education and 110 in general education) with a response rate of 78%. The results showed that there was agreement between general and special education on only one of the four domains (instruction). Additionally, special education teachers expressed a more favorable attitude toward inclusion than did general education teachers. The current situation’s implications were explored with an emphasis on the necessity for additional shared practical activities among teachers.

The Impact of Customer Behavior on E-business during of the COVID-19 Crisis in Jordan

Aims: This study was conducted to study the impact of customer behavior on e-business in Jordan in light of the increasing spread of the virus.&#x0D; Study Design: A quantitative research.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Jordan, between January - September 2020.&#x0D; Methodology: The Statistical Analysis Software (SPSS) software is used by the researcher. The survey questionnaires framed by the researcher are helping the researcher in representing the data appropriately&#x0D; Results: The results showed that online purchase was acceptable and high during the Corona pandemic period despite the complete paralysis of movement Before the customer so that there is an alternative in emergency and necessary cases such as the Corona pandemic and the need to take into account the terms and behavior of the consumer when advertising, selling or promoting the commodity on electronic sales platforms.&#x0D; Conclusion: Through the foregoing according to the data analysis carried out above shows the negative impact on e-business in Jordan due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the negative impact created affects sales as well as the purchasing behavior of customers. The business environment in Jordan is seen as weak due to COVID-19. The challenges that retailers in the e-commerce business face is declining customer buying behavior. Also, lower buying behavior reduces bids and shipping as per the surveys carried out this will lead to the deterioration of the e-business as well as huge losses that the e-business will incur. Research questions as well as research objectives set by the researcher a greater impact has been made on the current e-business in the Jordanian market. Buy food products from food stock for this reason. And the hypothesis of the research papers he developed lies a change in food contamination. For this reason, human-to-human contact is restricted which leads to the deterioration of e-commerce sales. Thus the presented analysis supports for this reason a greater impact has been created on the existing e-business in the Jordanian market since there is a concern of the buyer that with Delivery of food products through the electronic company.

Food and nutrient intakes from school canteens and markets nearby schools among students aged 14-18 in Jordan

PurposeThe purposes of this study were to determine the food intake purchased from the canteens or markets nearby schools; to estimate the percent intakes of energy and nutrients from canteens and markets nearby the schools as a percent of total energy and nutrient intakes; and to evaluate the association between dietary intake of energy and nutrients eaten from school canteens and markets nearby the school and body weight status.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 398 students, aged 14–18 years, was recruited from schools in Amman/Jordan. Students’ body weights and heights were measured and socio-demographic data and three days food record were collected.FindingsThe intakes of boy students from school canteens were significantly higher than those of girls in carbohydrate (g) (125 ± 6 vs 106 ± 6; p = 0.015), energy from saturated fatty acid (Kcal) (97 ± 4 vs 84 ± 5; p = 0.006), sugar (g) (43 ± 3 vs 35 ± 2; p = 0.009) and fiber (g) (6 ± 0 vs 6 ± 0; p = 0.02). Regarding food groups consumed from markets nearby schools, there were significant differences between boys and girls intake (in which the higher intake was detected in girls as compared to boys) of sweets (g) (4 ± 1 vs 3 ± 2; p = 0.017), soft drinks (ml) (28 ± 5 vs 20 ± 5; p = 0.024) and milk (ml)/milk substitutes (g) (5 ± 2 vs 0 ± 0; p = 0.001). Sugar-sweetened beverages and crackers/snacks consumption was significantly higher in boys as compared to girls. There was a significant relationship between BMI and intakes of sugar, fat, vitamin E and calcium from school canteens.Originality/valueThe contribution of foods from canteens and markets nearby schools was high, with high content of fats, salt and sugar, implying that there is a vital need to establish a strategy and plan of action to fight malnutrition and reduce the intake of unhealthy foods in the school environment in Jordan.

The Functioning of The Hybrid Integrated Partially Solar-Vapor-Compression Fridge

The main purpose of our research is to increase the utilization of solar thermal energy to supply a refrigerator with vapor compression and reduce the refrigeration power needed for cooling. Combined Hybrid Solar - the vapor- compression refrigerating unit has been built and operates under Mutah University's environment in Jordan. The systems were made up of a capillary tube, condenser, evaporator, and collector. The vapor-pressure refrigerator was incorporated with the classic water-solar system to minimize the compressor's duty and to reduce power consumption in heating the amount of water held in the pipe to be sent along the tube outside the evaporator. After that, it will be returned to the compressor, But at a lesser temperature, to minimize compressor workload and enhance cooling performance. Before the compressor was developed, a solar collector system had been created to maximize its temperature before reaching the compressor to improve C.O.P, and the difference in temperature was remarkable. The vapor-compression refrigerator unit was powered by many generators: solar collector that has been discharged, photovoltaic system, flat plate solar collector. Two groups of tests have been performed experimentally on the partial solar compression refrigerator integrated into a hybrid system. First in the vapor compression refrigerator only, and the second in the Hybrid solar compression refrigerator incorporated. Total sunlight and different temperatures, current, and voltage were measured for many months each hour of the day. The performance coefficient was determined found 2.019, 2.432 respectively. Many auxiliary instruments are utilized to measure the temperature in irradiation networks, voltage, and night-time current every hour.

Country or bank-specific factors: A study to explain bank performance

Bank performance is an issue that has attracted so much research effort. Within this context, banks in Jordan and Palestine provide us with an interesting research issue. In Palestine, eight of the thirteen existing banks are Jordanian. Moreover, due to an obvious reason (Israeli occupation), one can argue that the economic and political environments in Jordan and Palestine could not have been more contrasting. This paper examines the determinants of the performance of banks in Jordan and Palestine. In addition, the paper examines whether the differences in the determinants of their performance are due to bank-specific factors, or country-specific differences. Using the financial statements of all thirteen Jordanian banks and the thirteen Palestinian banks (eight of which are Jordanian) over the time period 2009–2017 and panel data methods, the results indicate that factors like credit and expenses affect the performance of both sets of banks. Moreover, the results indicate that the differences in their impact are due to country-specific and not bank-specific factors. This result is probably not surprising given the relatively stable (unstable) circumstances that Jordan (Palestine) enjoys (does not enjoy)

Jordanian women\u2019s experiences and constructions of labour and birth in different settings, over time and across generations: a qualitative study

BackgroundOverwhelmingly, women in Middle Eastern countries experience birth as dehumanising and disrespectful. Women’s stories can be a very powerful way of informing health services about the impact of the care they receive and can promote practice change. The aim of this study is to examine Jordanian women’s experiences and constructions of labour and birth in different settings (home, public and private hospitals in Jordan, and Australian public hospitals), over time and across generations.MethodA qualitative interpretive design was used. Data were collected by face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 27 Jordanian women. Of these women, 20 were living in Jordan (12 had given birth in the last five years and eight had birthed over 15 years ago) while seven were living in Australia (with birthing experience in both Jordan and Australia). Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.ResultsWomen’s birth experiences differed across settings and generations and were represented in the four themes: ‘Birth at home: a place of comfort and control’; ‘Public Hospital: you should not have to suffer’; ‘Private Hospital: buying control’ and ‘Australian maternity care: a mixed experience’. In each theme, the concepts: Pain, Privacy, the Personal and to a lesser extent, Purity (cleanliness), were present but experienced in different ways depending on the setting (home, public or private hospital) and the country.ConclusionsThe findings demonstrate how meanings attributed to labour and birth, particularly the experience of pain, are produced in different settings, providing insights into the institutional management and social context of birth in Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries. In the public hospital environment in Jordan, women had no support and were treated disrespectfully. This was in stark contrast to women birthing at home only one generation before. Change is urgently needed to offer humanised birth in the Jordanian maternity system,

Green Architecture and Sustainability in the Complex Transformation of the Built Urban Environment in Jordan

Green Architecture and Sustainability in the Complex Transformation of the Built Urban Environment in Jordan

The Role of Customer Engagement and Relationship Quality toward E-Customer Loyalty in the Jordanian Online Environment

The digital world now is more dominant, and the customer shifts to online engagement and online practices. This paper aimed to develop a new framework to illustrate the impact of electronic customer engagement on relationship quality and e- customer loyalty in the online environment in Jordan. This study through reviewing the literature, extracted three dimensions of customer engagement; cognitive, affective and normative engagement. In addition to relationship quality and its mediating impact on customer loyalty.460 questioners were distributed to university student who confirmed following or liking at least one brand community on Facebook, (PLS-SEM)was used to analyze the data collected and the result showed that there is a significant impact of e-customer engagement on relationship quality and customer loyalty.in addition, relationship quality had partial mediation relation between customer engagement and e-customer loyalty.

Response of barley varieties to salt stress at different growth stages in arid environment of Jordan

Barley is a major crop grown under harsh environments, where water and salt stress are limiting factors which determine barley growth, development and yield. A total of 14 barley genotypes were exposed to salinity stress at different stages of plant growth (germination, seedling stage, vegetative phase and maturity). The experiment included three six-rowed (Rum, Acsad 176 and Athroh) and 11 two-rowed barley varieties (Yarmouk, Muta’, Tadmor, Arta, Morocco 9–75, WI 2291, Zanbaka, Harmel, Furat 2, Er/Apm and local barley landrace). Barley genotypes were irrigated with 150 mM NaCl (stress treatment) and tap water (no stress treatment or control). A group of genotypes was identified at different growth stages as salt-tolerant using salinity susceptibility index (SSI) as an indicator for salt tolerance. The most tolerant varieties at germination phase were Tadmor, ER/Apm and Harmel with SSI values-0.38, 0 and 0.12, respectively. The most tolerant varieties at seedling stage were Acsad 176, Athroh, Muta'a, Morocco 9–75, Furat 2 and local landrace with SSI ranged from 0.41–0.59, while Morocco 9–75, WI 2291 and Furat 2 were the most salt-tolerant varieties at vegetative phase and displayed the lowest SSI values (0.66, 0.75 and 0.69, respectively). Based on biological yield, the most tolerant varieties were Morocco 9–75, Yarmouk and ER/Apm with minimum reductions in biological yield (reductions= 30.3, 44.3 and 48.5%) and consequently the lowest SSI values (0.51, 0.74 and 0.81, respectively). Based on grain yield, the most tolerant varieties were Athroh (SSI=1.78) followed by Harmel (SSI=1.92) and Muta'a (SSI=1.78), where they displayed minimum reductions in grain yield under salt stress. It is worth mentioning that Morocco 9–75 salt tolerance rank remained consistent and unchanged during different stages of plant development even though it gave low grain yield under salt stress (0.46 g/plant) with medium SSI value (2.18) as compared with other varieties. Therefore, it might be concluded that this variety harbors a potential gene for salt tolerance at different stages of development.