Executive Committee Members Research Articles

Political Mobilization of Farmers in India: A Case Study of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) in Punjab

Growing agrarian contradictions and peasant protests globally are seen as outcomes of the commercialization of agricultural production systems. The Indian Punjab is one such site that has also witnessed a high degree of agricultural commercialization, and farmers’ movements and protests are attributed to growing discontentment among peasantry due to the emergence of agrarian crises. This has led to massive farmers’ movements and protests through their unionization over time. These protests received global limelight during the introduction of three farm laws by the union government of India in 2020, which were repealed in 2021. This necessitates understanding the organizational structure and functioning of unions; their social composition, mobilization strategies and role of gender. This article examines the evolution and strategies of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan, ekta meaning united), which is the largest farmers’ union in Punjab and one of the largest in India. Using a mixed-method approach of research, which included interviewing union member farmers and agricultural workers through a semi-structured schedule and conducting focused group discussions with block presidents and executive committee members, the study finds that the unionization of farmers has accelerated the process of rural democratization. However, active persuasion of social reforms along with other agrarian issues in rural society by the unions is needed to bring social inclusiveness to make rural development process pro-poor and inclusive.

The (in)visibility of deafness: Identity, stigma, quality of lifeand the potential role of totally implantable cochlear implants.

The disclosure of deafness is complex, given the historic and on-going stigma associated with being deaf. The aim of this study was to explore how identity, stigma, and quality of life may be impacted when using cochlear implants (CIs) and totally implantable cochlear implants (TICIs). The physical difference between these two assistive listening devices is significant, given many CI users opt to hide their sound processor behind hair or headwear, in contrast to TICIs (an emerging technology) whereby all components are implanted internally and thus invisible. This qualitative study involved semistructured interviews and demographic questionnaires with 12 adult participants with more than 1 year of experience using their CI. Participants were recruited Australia-wide through community organisations that support deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically, with the themes generated through an inductive process, with consensus generated through group working with three members from the research team. Four major themes were identified: (1) CI challenges; (2) The importance of social and support networks; (3) Identity and disclosure and (4) Concerns about TICIs. The underlying finding was centred around the construction of deaf identity. Participant attitudes were generally categorised as 'Loud and proud', with the recognition that displaying the CI was an extension of self, something to be proud of, and a means to normalise deafness; or 'Out of sight and out of mind', which sought to minimise the visibility of deafness. While both identities differed in how deafness is disclosed, they are fundamentally related to the same ideas of self-agency and empowerment. TICIs present a novel opportunity-the ability for CI users to control the visibility of their deafness and thus control disclosure. This study explored the impact of stigma and categorised two core identities that CI users construct. Future directions include investigating potential CI candidates, to explore if TICIs may be a facilitator to CI uptake. The semistructured interview guide was developed in consultation with adults with CIs. Feedback led to adjustments and improvement to the interview guide. In addition, F. R. has a lived experience with hearing loss, and C. Y. L. is an executive committee member for a nonprofit charity organisation that supports families that are D/deaf and hard-of-hearing.

THE EFFECT OF LOCAL REVENUE COLLECTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION IN KIBOGA DISTRICT. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background: The study intended to investigate the effect of local revenue collection on the implementation of universal primary education in Kiboga district. Methodology: The study targeted a population of 71 respondents comprising of 6 district Technical Planning Committee Members, 5 Sub-county Executive Committee members, 6 Sub-county Technical Planning Committee Members, 6 head teachers, and 48 School Management Committee Members. Simple random sampling was used to select School Management Committee Members who were the main respondents. The analysis was conducted in SPSS. Results: In the study it was found that the majority of the respondents represented by 62% were male respondents whereas 38% of the respondents were found to be females with ages ranging from 20 years and above the study was carried out on a 5 Likert scale where 4.47 strongly agreed that schools do budgeting and 4.65 also agreed that schools constitute finance committees, 4.31 strongly agreed that school finance committees are fully functional 2.45 disagreed that budgeting in schools is participatory, 4.01agreed that schools implement budgets,4.39 strongly agreed that that school budgets are monitored in schools, and finally 4.21 agreed that schools evaluate budget performance. This totals an average mean of 4.10 strongly agreeing to the study. Conclusion: The study revealed that sub-counties in their local revenue budgets don’t cater to schools at all. Recommendation: District and sub-county councils should consider allocating local revenue to schools to supplement the capitation grant which is always inadequate to meet the school needs. This will help to solve the problem of lack of pupils’ lunch that has led to defying the UPE policy and presidential directive which criminalizes collection of any fee from parents.

Advancing critical heritage studies: the next 10 years

ABSTRACT Advancing Critical Heritage Studies: the Next 10 Years, which focuses on the growth of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS) since 2012, and the development of and challenges facing critical heritage studies in general. The special issue is a collection of short articles that, rather than present academic debates written in expected academic uses and conventions, offers a glimpse into the discussions that define the growing field of heritage studies today. Minimally referenced but rich in archival information, the contributions are records of past and present motivations, solutions, and oversights that drove the first ten years of work by different members of the ACHS Executive Committee, ACHS Chapters, and other contributors. As the issue’s editors, we offer these discussions as a companion to the growth of critical heritage studies, and to encourage both support and critique for the ways in which an organization navigates the complicated landscapes of heritage expertise.

The triple glass ceiling: FinTech gender inequalities

Abstract While FinTech gets promoted as an innovative and progressive solution to meeting financial needs globally, it is afflicted by pervasive gender inequalities, only recently noticed in research. To explore these gender inequalities at the core of FinTech, we use a mixed-methods approach, combining data on 100 leading FinTech firms and 15 interviews with FinTech professionals, collected in the latter half of 2021. We argue that women in FinTech face the ‘triple glass ceiling’ at the intersection of financial, technological, and entrepreneurial gender inequalities. Our sample shows that women account for only 7.69% of (co-)founders, 18.2% of executive committee members, and merely 4.04% of FinTech companies are led by a woman. Gendered stereotypes and a privileging of masculine performances produce significant barriers to women entering and progressing within FinTech. Discriminatory practices are overt and implicit, everyday and exceptional, micro and acute. Shattering the ‘triple glass ceiling’ in FinTech represents an immense challenge.

Strategies for sustainable access to electronic resources during COVID-19 pandemic

The paper shares the strategies the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) adopted to provide access to electronic resources to its member libraries in COVID-19 pandemic era. It examines the challenges, opportunities COVID-19 brought and how CUUL managed to deliver its mandate during the pandemic. The study used a qualitative research approach and a survey research design. A structured online interview data collection tool was employed to collect the required information from the CUUL executive committee members and the electronic resources functional committee. Content analysis method, with coding and categorization, was used for data analysis and presentation of findings. This paper creates awareness of the challenges, opportunities COVID-19 brought and strategies the CUUL used to sustain e-resources subscription since the outbreak of COVID-19. Funding and licensing costs are among the challenges mentioned while the opportunities were that the funders’ awareness of the need for e-resources and the online learning needs justified the need for e-resources sustainability by the consortium. Embracing open access initiatives, remote access and longer licensing period were among the strategies for e-resources sustainability. This paper provides effects and strategies for responding to global hazards that have the potential to affect consortium’s income for sustainable subscription to e-resources. It also adds literature on the impact of COVID-19 on university libraries in developing countries which is minimal.

Reconstruction of the Biography of G. K. Ozhigov in the Context of the Revolutionary Events of 1905–1917 in Russia

Referring to regional material, this article actualizes the tradition of studying the biographies of historical figures in the context of an institutional concept, which makes it possible to describe and explain the controversial facts of political history of the new time in the era of mass social movements. The authors aim to reconstruct the later imperial period (until October 1917) of the life of Grigorii Kondratyevich Ozhigov, a representative of the national revolutionary cohort, who took an active part in the events that occurred in the Urals, Ukraine, the Baltics, Finland, and other areas of the former Russian Empire in the late twentieth century. Methodologically, the work relies on the modernization paradigm, the “new social history”, and related everyday discourse, including the anthropological approach, historical, and biographical methods. Since G. K. Ozhigov’s biography studied by a few Ural historians is replete with inaccuracies, the study is based on sources which have never been referred to previously, including official documents, periodicals, sources of personal origin, autobiographies, and memoirs by Ozhigov himself. The documents kept in the fund of the Ozhigov family of the Central State Archive of the Udmurt Republic are characterized by a complex nature. The study demonstrates that Ozhigov, who came from a peasant family, a worker of Izhevsk factories, managed to rise first to the interregional, and in 1917, to the all-Russian level, reaching the status of a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the first convocation. In the political sphere, he passed a difficult path of evolution from a militant of the Ural Lbovtsy partisans during the First Russian Revolution of 1905–1907, to a member of the RCP(b) and an active participant in the implementation of the project of the proletarian state.

Early Soviet Regional History in the Fates of Compatriots Through the Example of G.K. Ozhigov’s Biography

The early Soviet period in the life of Grigory Kondratievich Ozhigov (Ozhegov) (1878-1935) is reconstructed within the author’s paper. A native of a Vyatka peasant family, a worker at the Izhevsk defense factories, a Socialist-Revolutionary militant, as well as a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the first convocation, who was at party work in the Baltic States and Finland, Orzhigov had a varied career The authors through their work have introduced into scientific use new sources analyzed in the context of the theory of social adaptation, through anthropological approach as well as historical-biographical methodology. Of greatest interest are the materials of the: Revolutionary Civil Council of Izhevsk (1918), Soviet commissions on the affairs of former Red Guards and Red partisans (the 1930s), and the autobiography and memoirs of G.K. Ozhigov himself . The documents of the private origin fund of the Ozhigov family are stored in the Central State Archive of the Udmurt Republic, and are of a complex nature. The study of the biography of Ozhigov, who had turned out to be among the most revolutionary-minded citizens, as shown in other empirical material, does explain why he supported the left-wing radical societal project in Udmurtia. A region by the beginning of modern times which has been the largest agrarian and industrial region of Russia, while largely preserving its traditional way of life.

Managing a social business of Lilly Apartments’ Welfare Association – a tale of unending crises

Learning outcomes The learning objectives (or expected learning objectives and outcomes) are to be achieved by linking them with particular concepts, theories and models. These include conducting a situational analysis of the social business, namely, Lilly Apartments’ Welfare Association; explaining the characteristics and mindset of the leadership, particularly the social entrepreneurial leaders; analysing the conflict among the team members; and designing strategic solutions for combating crises and attaining operations’ effectiveness. Case overview/synopsis Lilly Apartments’ Welfare Association Karachi was registered under the Act of 1860 of the Government of Pakistan. The members established this Association to oversee the affairs of the maintenance of the apartments, including the provision of utilities, particularly water, sanitation, lifts, generators, parking, security and a park with a small play area for children. The front-burner issue of the Association consisted of mis-governance (causing underperformance), including maintenance of buildings within apartments; recovery of funds from the past executive committee (EC) members due to their massive corruption; managing defaulters’ issues (i.e., the members who did not pay their monthly maintenance fees) and deficiency of funds; inefficient and corrupt practices of the majority of the employees, including one manager and two supervisors; and task-related and personal conflicts between the leadership members. The EC of the Association was elected every year and presently it had only four months left. The research design used for this case study involved conducting 12 interviews, four each involving EC members, former EC members and senior residents, which were analysed to learn the challenges and achievements of the Association. Moreover, pertinent records of the Association were reviewed. The canons of research ethics and soundness were applied. Complexity academic level This case study is suitable for the students of social entrepreneurship or strategy or strategy and leadership. The study level is for graduates in management science, including MBA and EMBA students. This case study is suitable for teaching at any point but ideally near the middle or end of the aforementioned courses. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Tennessee Academy of ScienceDistinguished Secondary School Science Teacher Award 2022

Tennessee Academy of ScienceDistinguished Secondary School Science Teacher Award 2022

Talent Management Systems and Employee Retention in Devolved Health Care Service Delivery in Kenya

Employee retention and talent management concerns are quickly becoming the most pressing workforce management challenges of the near future as human resource management paradigms shift. This study was on Private hospitals which are health organizations formed and owned by individuals or organizations to provide health services to citizens. The general objective of this study was to establish the influence of talent management on employees’ retention in devolved health care service delivery in Kenya. Specifically, the objectives were to establish whether talent acquisition, and talent development influence employee retention in devolved health care service delivery in Kenya. The study adopted cross sectional research design where the target population comprising of all the employees in the hospital was used. The study population targeted administrators and doctors from all counties. These included County Executive Committee (CEC) Members - Health, Level 5 chief executive officers and Level 4 doctors-in-charge. This study employed both purposive and simple stratified random sampling technique to choose its sample. Primary data was collected using questionnaires, which were distributed to the officers selected to participate in the study. Questionnaires were the main data collection tool from the respondents. Multiple regression models were used for the purpose of analysing data (descriptive and inferential statistics) using SPSS Version 23 software. The findings from these statistics were presented in the form of tables. Inferential statistics in the form of factor and principal component analysis was also conducted. The inferences made were used to tell apart the major factors that influenced employee turnover in devolved health care service delivery in Kenya. The findings found out that, talent acquisition, and talent development significantly influenced employee retention in devolved health care service delivery in Kenya but to moderate extent. Therefore, recommendations focused on working on the maturity of employees, improving the working conditions as well as fostering the leadership. Future research should focus on determining specific factors that influence retention in institutions to assist companies deal with similar situations

Closing the Gender Gap Among Canadian Ophthalmology Societies

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate gender distribution in Canadian ophthalmology societies’ leadership and to determine associations between gender, academic productivity, and institutional rank. Methods We identified members and assessed their gender composition using publicly available updated webpages. SCOPUS database was used to gather research metrics. Results In this study, data was collected from 12 Canadian ophthalmology societies, which included 277 executive committee members. Of these, 70.5% (196) were male and 29.1% (81) were female (p < .0001). Males were significantly more prevalent in presidential leadership roles (39 males vs. 23 females, p = .02), while females were more represented in other leadership categories (77 females vs. 61 males, p = .03). The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) showed an upward trend in female representation from 19.2% in 2016 to 42.3% in 2021. Research productivity showed a positive correlation with society leadership rank, with a correlation coefficient of 0.732 for the m-index (p < .001) and 0.356 for the h-index (p < .05). Academic rank was also positively correlated with society leadership rank, with a correlation coefficient of 0.536 (p < .001). There was no significant difference in h-index (12.7 ± 1.0 for males vs. 13.8 ± 1.5 for females, p = .85) or number of publications (48.6 ± 5.1 for males vs. 60.0 ± 11.3 for females, p = .83) between male and female executive members, but females had a higher m-index (0.67 ± 0.05) compared to males (0.58 ± 0.03, p < .05). In academic rank, males were more likely to be associate professors (25% vs. 5% for females, p = .0001) or instructors (14.8% vs. 6.3% for females, p = .05), while a higher proportion of females held assistant professor positions (47.5% for females vs. 30.1% for males, p = .006). Conclusion In this study, we found that males were more prevalent in executive positions, particularly in presidential roles among Canadian ophthalmology societies. The gender distribution in leadership reflected the gender composition of practicing ophthalmologists in Canada. There was a positive correlation between research productivity and society rank, as well as academic position and society rank. Male and female executive members had similar h-index and number of publications, but females had a higher m-index. These findings highlight the need for continued efforts to address gender disparities in ophthalmology leadership.

New BADN Executive Committee members

New BADN Executive Committee members

EFFECTS OF TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT ON PERFORMANCE OF SUPPLY CHAIN FUNCTIONS IN TURKANA COUNTY GOVERNMENT

This study investigated the effects of top management commitment on the performance of supply chain functions in Turkana County. A descriptive research design was used for this study, with quantitative data being collected. The target population consisted of 137 respondents, including 10 Chief Officers, 18 County Public Service Board members, 41 County Executive Committee members, and 52 Directors in Turkana County Government offices. The sample size for this study was 102 respondents, and a structured questionnaire was developed and administered to the relevant departmental heads within the supply chain functions of the Turkana County Government. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were used to describe the data collected from the survey, while inferential statistics such as regression analysis and correlation analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Tables, graphs, and charts were used to present the data, enhancing clarity and ease of understanding. The findings of the study were presented in a comprehensive report. The study's hypotheses were examined by utilizing Pearson's Correlation Coefficient to determine the importance of the connections between the dependent and independent variables. The findings indicated a substantial and positive correlation between top management commitment and the effectiveness of supply chain operations in Turkana County. The study recommended that the county government should prioritize top management commitment to supply chain functions.

Sustainability Reporting Practices in Bangladesh: Insights from Upper Echelons Theory

The objective of this paper is to explore and understand how the top management team (TMT)'s, namely the CEO/ MD/ Board of Directors (BOD) and Executive Committee Members, observable attributes and cognitive traits influence the strategic choices, such as adopting the Sustainability Reporting (SR) practices in the organization. This qualitative study conducts 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews with the Top Management Team, including CEOs of publicly listed companies from different industries in Bangladesh. Using the Upper Echelons theory, the author provides an alternative theoretical lens to the motivations of SR practices in Bangladesh. There has been a number of studies on the relationship between CEO attributes and strategic decisions in management literature, primarily in the developed country context. However, the influence of CEO and TMT traits on strategic choices like SR practices in emerging countries is scant. The overall analysis reveals that cognitive bases like values and beliefs, philosophies, and vision of the top management team (TMT), as well as the observable traits like education and background, career track, functional and financial expertise, international exposure or orientation, views, and understanding of the SDGs and their disclosure influence the strategic choice of organizations like the adoption of SR practices. Demographic traits largely shape the values, views, and attitudes of the top management (Hambrick &amp; Mason, 1984), which help them develop or change their perceptions and eventually influence their strategic choice. This paper contributes to sustainability reporting literature by providing an insight into how the top management characteristics shape the SR practices in an emerging economy like Bangladesh.

Sustainability and interactive network branding in fast‐changing business environments

Sustainability and interactive network branding in fast‐changing business environments

Marcus E. Hobbs Award to Bhaskar Venepalli

Bhaskar Venepalli of CiVentiChem is the recipient of the 2022 Marcus E. Hobbs Award. This award was established in 1988 to recognize members who have made significant, long-term contributions to the American Chemical Society’s North Carolina Local Section. It is named for Marcus E. Hobbs, who was section chair in 1945. Venepalli has served as chair, councillor, and executive committee member for the North Carolina Local Section. He is also involved with ACS at the national level and is currently a member of the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs and an ACS Career Consultant. Venepalli was elected an ACS Fellow in 2017.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases was launched in 1988. It is part of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of infectious diseases is divided into 11 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned to a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Matteo BassettiMatteo BassettiMatteo Bassetti is Head of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the Policlinico San Martino University Hospital in Genoa and Full Professor of Infectious Diseases of the University of Genoa, Italy. Dr Bassetti studied at the University of Genoa School of Medicine and continued his medical education at the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA with an Infectious Diseases fellowship. Dr Bassetti is Chair of the Critically Ill Study Group of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), president of the Italian Society of Anti-infective Therapy (SITA) and member of executive committee for the battle against antimicrobial resistance of the Italian Minister of Health (PNCAR). He is member-elected (2018-2022) of International Council of the Immunocompromised Host Society (ICHS). From 2019, he is member of the council of International Sepsis Forum (ISF). He serves on the editorial board of several prestigious international journals. He is author or co-author of 750 papers (H index 85; 30000 citations) published in International peer-review journals and several chapter's book on antibiotic therapy, fungal infections, antimicrobial resistances, infections in immunocompromised patients and critically ill patients. Wei Shen LimWei Shen LimProfessor Wei Shen Lim is consultant respiratory physician at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and Honorary Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK. He is Chair of COVID-19 Immunisation on the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), UK and a member of various national advisory groups including the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) to the Chief Medical Officer for England. He was Chief Investigator of the hibernated ASAP Trial of Dexamethasone in Pandemic Influenza (2012-2022), and co-led the evaluation of Dexamethasone for COVID-19 in the RECOVERY TRIAL He has been involved with the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the development of various national clinical management guidelines for acute respiratory infections including community acquired pneumonia, pandemic influenza and COVID-19. He developed the CURB-65 severity assessment score for community acquired pneumonia and the BTS community acquired pneumonia care bundle. He was awarded the British Thoracic Society Meritorious Award in 2016 for contributions towards respiratory infections, and in 2021 the Moxon Medal by the Royal College of Physicians (London).

The prescribing safety assessment: Looking to the future.

The prescribing safety assessment: Looking to the future.