Formal Level Research Articles

Authenticity doubt on the Tomioka (Yishen Lun) manuscript: A discourse analysis

In 1918, Toru Haneda of Tokyo Imperial University published a brief article introducing the Tomioka manuscript as an ancient Chinese Christian (Tang Jingjiao) text titled ‘Yishen Lun 一神論 [Discourse on God]’. He noted that it originated from the Dunhuang Mogao Grotto and was acquired by Tomioka Kenzo through a bookseller in 1917. In subsequent publications, Haneda dated the manuscript to 641 CE and published the complete text. In 1930s, P.Y. Saeki translated the text into English and affirmed the manuscript’s authenticity. In his 2000 and 2005 articles, Lin Wushu raised questions about the manuscript’s authenticity, doubts that Rong Xinjiang echoed in a 2014 book chapter. Rong further recommended that the Tomioka manuscript be excluded from the Jingjiao corpus. These articles launched the authenticity doubt on the Tomioka manuscript and have since become central to the discussion of this issue. This article applies James L. Kinneavy’s discourse theory to analyse the nature and robustness of Lin and Rong’s arguments. While confirming or denying the authenticity of the manuscript is outside the scope of this article, it aims to shed light on the issues as raised and argued within Ling and Rong’s articles. The analysis concludes that Lin’s approach is primarily exploratory, but it lacks strong initial probabilities to advance the discourse to a more formal (or scientific) level. On the other hand, Rong attempted a scientific approach using deductive reasoning; but even if the facts he used are valid, they do not logically support the conclusion that the Tomioka manuscript is a forged ‘Aluoben document’. Furthermore, the article underscores the fact that the concept of ‘forging an Aluoben document’ is inherently problematic, as the notion of an ‘Aluoben document’ did not exist at the time of the alleged forgery.Contribution: The Tomioka manuscript, praised in Jingjiao scholarship for its originality and theological breadth and depth, and comprising half of the entire Jingjiao corpus, faces dismissal because of authenticity doubts. This article argues that the case for forgery is neither well-established nor proven, making the proposal for exclusion premature.

Dare to share: information and intelligence sharing within the UK’s anti-money laundering regime

ABSTRACT The UK's approach to combating money laundering extends beyond traditional enforcement authorities, encompassing diverse regulated entities mandated to monitor and share intelligence on suspected laundering activities. This study examines the UK's Anti-Money Laundering (AML) nodal institutional architecture, focusing on the significance of information-sharing mechanisms and structures among law enforcement, public institutions, and private entities. Different types of information – ranging from raw data to strategic, tactical, and operational intelligence, as well as evidence – dictate the appropriate structures and mechanisms for their sharing. This study introduces a nuanced framework for analysing these structures, assessing the spectrum from highly structured to organic approaches in state intervention, alongside varying levels of formality, incorporating mandatory or voluntary elements. The analysis identifies four main factors shaping the dynamics of information sharing in the UK's AML efforts: strategic resource allocation involving technology and human resources, the establishment of formal rules and standardised interpretations, cultural shifts towards trust and reciprocity, and state coordination and leadership. The findings reveal the central role of the state not only in setting legal frameworks but also in steering coordination, managing resources, and fostering reciprocal relationships among public and private nodes to enhance information sharing, reflecting a ´state-anchored´ approach to AML governance.

Navigating crisis through digitalisation and its impact on firm formality: the case of microenterprises in India

PurposeUsing an institutional lens and drawing on the arguments of the external enabler perspective, this study aims to examine the role of digital technology adoption on the performance of microenterprises, with a focus on their level of formality. It further explores these relationships in the context of an external crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses data from 7,510 Indian microenterprises collected by the World Bank and applies a mediated-moderation model to analyse the relationship between digital technology adoption, formality and microenterprise performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsThe results reveal a significantly positive relationship between digital technology adoption and microenterprise performance. Importantly, we argue that this relationship between digital technology and microenterprise performance is strongly mediated by the level of a firm’s formality. Moreover, this study also finds that the relationship between digital technology adoption and microenterprise performance will be positively moderated by the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on the microenterprise, suggesting that the pandemic enhanced the benefits of digital technology adoption for microenterprises.Originality/valueThis study expands on the positive relationship between technology adoption and microenterprise performance by investigating the moderating role of COVID-19 impact and the mediating role of firm formality. The key contribution of this research is the mediating role of formality between digitalisation and firm performance. By testing this novel mediating relationship, we theorise that the adoption of digital technology helps microenterprises to overcome certain institutional voids in an emerging market context, serving as a viable conduit for formalisation. In turn, higher levels of formality lead to higher microenterprise performance. We also contribute to the emerging stream of literature discussing the role of an external enabler, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in entrepreneurship. In the end, the study offers novel policy implications.

Traditionalist Catholicism: The Case of the Society of Saint Pius X in Argentina

Based on the case of the Society of Saint Pius X which I studied ethnographically for my undergraduate thesis, I aim to understand how traditional identity is constructed within this particular sector of Catholicism. As will be seen throughout the text, it is through various educational instances of different kinds and levels of formality and through sociability that certain notions about sexuality, expected family models, and gender roles are transmitted, based on specific moral values. Additionally, a sort of myth of origin is constructed to reinforce the idea of an ‘everlasting’ Catholicism. The Mass ritual, besides synthesising all these elements, helps to remember the myth and reinforce belonging. According to the arguments of its members, this demonstrates a willingness to preserve the forms and maintain a specific order – that of tradition.

Addressing the Decline of Traditional Students

It is common knowledge that the population growth of many countries is nearing a stagnation point. For nations such as Japan and South Korea which have already passed this threshold there seems to be almost a non reversible decline in births. This does not bode well for many sectors of society, especially that of education. As the younger ages decline there is a continuing rise in those of advanced age. Some institutions of higher learning have discerned this and for many years have begun offering more community classes to retirees on a variety of subjects. Additionally, a few universities have begun actively recruiting seniors in hopes that their return to the university campus could spark an uptick in overall enrollment. Many senior citizens have expressed interest in becoming students once more; allowing retired individuals to pursue a delayed university degree or to add to their life experience by acquiring a new credential. It is not as simple as it sounds though with actually a minority of senior citizen students, or SCS, who are willing or interested in pursuing more education on a formal level such as university attendance. With the decline in the number of 18 year olds are there enough seniors willing to continue their education to supplement the short fall in undergraduates? Are universities able to develop a business strategy that finds the human resources necessary to include those individuals who are in their early 20’s along side of those who are in their 60’s, 70’s, or older? Globally, the overall trend with higher education institutions are in a continuing drop in traditionally aged (18-24) student enrollment. Those universities that wish to stay viable must develop a widening enrollment strategy that is welcoming to anyone of university age be they in their late teens or twilight years. This paper discusses the feasibility of seniors actively attending universities in significant numbers and what may be necessary to accomplish this.

A Literature Review of Interpreting Studies on Culture-Loaded Terms Based on Cognitive Translation Theory

This paper revolves around the framework of Cognitive Translation Theory, exploring translation as a cognitive process. The Theory regards translation as a cognitive activity, encompassing three levels of cognitive processes: conceptual level, content level, and formal level. In Western academia, cognitive translation studies have become a research hotspot, involving fields such as psychology and cognitive linguistics, bringing new perspectives and methods to translation studies. However, in China, research on this field is still in its early stages and requires more scholars’ dedication and exploration. Meanwhile, research on cultural-loaded words in interpreting is gradually gaining attention, but its integration with Cognitive Translation Theory remains relatively weak and requires further exploration and research. Therefore, future research should focus on integrating Cognitive Translation Theory with the study of cultural-loaded words in interpreting to promote the development of translation theory and practice.

Substandard phonetic realisations and their functions in Stanisław Bareja’s comedies

The paper examines the substandard pronunciation of certain words in the comedies by a popular Polish filmmaker, Stanisław Bareja. The empirical material was obtained using the auditive method. The author claims that non-literary phonetic realisations that appear in the fi lm dialogues imitate: 1) colloquial mispronunciations; 2) dialectal pronunciation (especially typical of the urban dialect of Warsaw); 3) hypercorrect pronunciation; 4) speech defects and unfamiliarity with foreign words. Subsequently, he lists several important functions of the phonetic peculiarities. The filmmaker used them primarily to achieve humorous effects. However, the analysis has also revealed that they indicated: 1) the place of action; 2) the social affiliation of the characters; 3) the intellectual level of the characters; 4) the ethnicity of the characters; 5) the level of formality of the communicative situation.

Model Pengelolaan Ekonomi Pesantren dalam Mewujudkan Kemandirian Ekonomi di Pondok Pesantren Tanwirul Islam Sampang

Pesantren economics is an economic concept where pesantren manages and develops businesses with various innovations that can specifically benefit Islamic boarding schools and benefit the community in general in realizing economic independence. The purpose of this study is to find out the economic management model of the pesantren applied by the Tanwirul Islam Sampang Islamic boarding school and to find out the challenges faced by the Tanwirul Islam Sampang Islamic boarding school in managing the pesantren economy to realize economic independence. This type of research uses a qualitative descriptive approach, with data collection techniques in the form of interviews, observations, and documentation related to economic management at the Tanwirul Islam Sampang Islamic Boarding School. The results of the study show that the Tanwirul Islam Islamic boarding school implements the pesantren economic management model with an alumni-based economic development model, by utilizing the potential of alumni for the management of the pesantren business unit and implementing an entrepreneurship curriculum at the formal education level of students and involving external parties such as the surrounding community.

간호대학 교수의 이직의도 극복 경험

Objectives This study is to understand the experience of nursing professors overcoming turnover intention and to clarify the meaning and structure of the experience. Specifically, it is to derive a general structure by grasping from their perspective how nursing professors overcome the turnover situation. Methods This study is a qualitative study applying Giorgi(2009)'s phenomenological research method. The study participants are professors of nursing department who have worked as full-time professors for more than 5 years, and a total of 5 people understood the purpose of this study and voluntarily agreed to participate. Data collection was collected through individual in-depth interviews and observations from March 1, 2024 to May 18, 2024. The number of interviews for each participant was 2-4, and interviews were conducted at a place the participant wanted, and the time required for one interview was about 1 hour. Purposeful sampling was performed to select participants. The collected data went through a cyclical repetitive process of data collection and analysis based on the phenomenological research method developed by Giorgi(2009). Results The general structure of the experience of nursing professors overcoming the intention to turnover derived from the results of this study was ‘extreme situation that is difficult to endure’, ‘confirm reality’, ‘promoting stability’, ‘growth’, and ‘construction of place’, and a total of 5 upper themes, 8 lower themes, and 40 semantic units were derived. Conclusions Their experience was a series of processes in which they began to consider turnover through physical and psychological difficulties, confusion, and conflict while starting a nursing professor, but they identified their reality and promoted stability to build a position as their growth took place. Problems related to turnover of nursing professors are not limited to individual professors' problems, but it is necessary to carefully recognize experiences and difficulties at various levels. However, since coping with turnover is carried out on a personal level, it is desirable to seek systematic and concrete solutions at the formal level. This study walks the overall understanding of nursing professors who have overcome turnover by looking at the nursing professor's experience of overcoming turnover intention and provides evidence to understand the experience of nursing professors who have overcome turnover intention from a phenomenological point of view based on this result. It aims to contribute to improving the quality of nursing education for nursing students by allowing nursing professors to focus on nursing education without changing jobs.

Organizational formalization neutralizes the effect of leader trait anger and vision on follower trust in the leader

PurposeWe integrate trait, individual differences and substitutes for leadership theories to examine how leader trait anger influences leader vision and follower trust in the leader across high versus low levels of organizational formalization.Design/methodology/approachWe obtained data from two independent multi-source samples from different occupations and countries. Sample 1: leader–follower dyads (n = 179) collected over three measurement periods from the Philippines; Sample 2: cross-correlational sample of leaders (n = 166), their manager (n = 166) and their followers (n = 610) from Australia.FindingsWe tested our hypotheses using PROCESS (Hayes, 2018) and found that leader trait anger influenced follower trust in the leader both directly and indirectly through leader vision (Samples 1 & 2). We also found that organizational formalization neutralized the effect of leader vision on follower trust in the leader (Sample 2).Research limitations/implicationsWhile we used a time-lagged design in Sample 1, we cannot make strong causal claims as might be the case in an experimental study, for example.Practical implicationsOur results highlight the adverse effect of leader trait anger on perceptions of leader vision and follower trust in the leader, which we suggest should be considered in recruitment and promotion decisions. Our findings also suggest that high levels of organizational formalization may undermine the motivational effect of leader vision on followers, which should be considered in relation to organizational rules and procedures.Originality/valueThis research enhances our understanding of a previously unexplored boundary condition (i.e. organizational formalization) that appears to neutralize the motivational effect of leader vision. In addition, it highlights the ubiquitous effect of trait anger, in this case undermining the effectiveness of leader vision and trust in the leader, from two different observer perspectives (i.e. leaders’ followers and managers).

Impact of the Formality Level on the Strategic Planning Process of SMEs

The article identifies the barriers that hinder the implementation of strategic planning and the relationship with the level of formality in the preparation of strategic plans of SMEs in Quito. It focuses on the manufacturing sector and its different sub-sectors, including the manufacture of food products, textiles, clothing, as well as chemical, pharmaceutical, medicinal, and botanical substances for pharmaceutical use, in addition to rubber and plastic products. The existing literature reviewed on strategic planning and tools to address the process characterizes the small and medium-sized manufacturing sector as the object of research. The subsequent field study shows the results achieved by the companies with planning and the existence or not of barriers to strategic implementation. The most common barriers have been identified in relation to factors such as resources, culture, lack of technological support, among others. Once the barriers have been identified, they are linked to the use of planning tools to determine the type of existing relationship. There is a moderate correlation between the level of complexity and the level of execution of the strategic plan. The research results will enable further research on the importance of the use of management tools in SMEs.

Functional and Stylistic Equivalence by Translating the Facts of Code-Switching (on the Material of Russian Verbs in the Polish «Version R» of A. Burgess’ Novel «A Clockwork Orange»)

The article is devoted to the analysis of Russian verb inclusions in one of the Polish versions of the translation of A. Burgess’s novel «A Clockwork Orange» under the title «Mechaniczna pomarańcza. Wersja R» (1999) by R. Stiller. The Russian language is deliberately used by the translator to construct a special «slang» Nadsat in its Polish version in order to give the text an appropriate expressiveness within the language play. 117 verbs selected from the 1,000-item Dictionary of «Unintelligible Words» accompanying the translation represent Russian-Polish code-switchings and other hybrid contact phenomena. The analysis is intended to reveal the functional and stylistic equivalence of the translator’s strategies of introducing Russian verbal borrowings in the Polish text on the formal, semantic and communicative levels. Verbal borrowings of Russian origin are classified depending on the strategy of their incorporating into the text, as well as the degree and level of its adaptation.

Analytical and geometric interpretation of the flat arrangement of points by means of metric geometry in the study of metric spaces

Abstract When studying metric spaces, students of higher education often have difficulties with understanding the basic concepts and properties of these spaces. This, to a large extent, is a consequence of the significant level of formalization of such concepts on the one hand, and the preservation of the corresponding formulations and names familiar to students from a school mathematics course. To overcome these difficulties, it is advisable to use methods of geometric interpretation and visualization of these properties. At the same time, it is appropriate to use elements of metric geometry. Its methods make it possible to interpret the geometric features of the mutual placement of points of metric space in Cartesian (rectangular) coordinate systems, which are familiar to students of higher education. Moreover, it becomes possible to visualize these features with the help of graphic editors, since they, as a rule, use numerical values of the coordinates of points to visualize them. Based on the definition of an angle as an ordered trio of points of an arbitrary metric space, and the angular characteristic of this angle, the fact of the flat placement of four points of a non-Euclidean metric space is established, and examples of digital visualization of this arrangement using the dynamic geometric environment GeoGebra 3D are given.

지방자치단체의 감사제도와 자치권 보장

Currently, local governments operate various types of auditing systems. Audits by the National Assembly, the Board of Audit and Inspection, external audits by the central government, internal audits by local assemblies and internal audit bodies, and so on. In the case of foreign countries, since the autonomy of Korea is guaranteed, the internal audit system is well developed rather than the local or federal government. However, in Korea, rather than assuring the autonomy of the local autonomous entities, auditing at the central level is taking place, and self--audits by local assemblies and internal audit bodies are often carried out at the formal level. Local governments operate these types of auditing systems, but there are still many problems with the auditing system of local governments. Especially, there are many kinds of auditing system and there is insufficient division of the scope of auditing, and audits are conducted to make duplicate audits or unnecessary affairs. Self-audit There is also a lack of independence and expertise, so insufficient effectiveness of auditing and lack of support from self-audit bodies limits the ability to influence However, in order to guarantee the autonomy of the local autonomous entities of the local autonomous entities, Korea will examine the ways of improving the external audits and strengthening the self - audit, and discuss the audit system to guarantee the autonomy of the local autonomous entities.

Does enforcement style influence citizen trust in regulatory agencies? An experiment in six countries

Abstract Establishing and maintaining citizen trust is vital for the effectiveness and long-term viability of regulatory agencies. However, limited empirical research has been conducted on the relationship between regulatory action and citizen trust. This article addresses this gap by investigating the influence of various regulatory enforcement styles on citizen trust. We conducted a pre-registered and representative survey experiment in six countries (n = 5,765): Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and Norway. Our study focuses on three key dimensions of enforcement style: formalism, coerciveness, and accommodation. We hypothesize that a strict and punitive enforcement style with minimal accommodation will enhance citizen trust. Surprisingly, we found no overall effect of enforcement on trust. However, specifically high levels of formalism (strictness) and coerciveness (punitiveness) exhibited a small positive effect on trust. Furthermore, we observed no discernible impact of an accommodative enforcement style. Additional analyses revealed that the effects of enforcement style were not consistent across country and regulatory domains. This suggests we need to reconsider assumptions underlying enforcement theory, as our findings imply that public trust seems less conditional on heavy-handed enforcement than initially anticipated.

Dataset on Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion, Informal Financial Business Practices, and Intentions towards Formalization of Female Small Vendors in Lima, Peru

Abstract This article presents findings from a survey conducted in Lima, Peru, aimed at understanding the relationships between education, financial literacy, financial inclusion, and informal financial business practices among small female vendors. The study, which collected 118 valid responses, focused on the impact of these factors on vendors’ intentions toward formalization. Formality was assessed based on legal registration with tax authorities, emphasizing the informal practices viewed on a continuum. These practices were evaluated using a five-point gradation scale that depicted varying levels of formality. Financial literacy, financial inclusion, and formalization intentions were measured using a five-point Likert scale, while a dichotomous question captured the formality-informality of the businesses. The demographic variables included age, gender, business tenure, employee count, and business activity. Educational level, typically treated as demographic, was considered an antecedent to financial literacy. The dataset linked to this study included raw survey data. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, industry representatives, public authorities, and stakeholders from developing countries to deal with informality and formalization. The survey methodology and data are adaptable for use in different national contexts, facilitating comparative analysis in developing countries.

Politeness Variation: Politeness in Britain, Australia, and Hong Kong

British culture is often characterized by off-record or negative politeness (e.g., Blum-Kulka, 1987; Ogiermann, 2009) and norms giving prominence to social distance (van Dorst et al., 2024). It is worth exploring whether other English varieties exhibit similar characteristics within the field of variational pragmatics. This paper presents a corpus-based study that investigates politeness variation in Britain, Australia, and Hong Kong. This study seeks empirical evidence regarding variations among British English, Australian English, and Hong Kong English in terms of three different politeness types: tentativeness, deference, and solidarity, and three different levels of formality: informal, neutral, and formal. Twenty-one frequently occurred formulaic expressions regularly associated with politeness are chosen and retrieved from the GB, AU, and HK components of the GloBwE Corpus. A close analysis of the results revealed significant differences across politeness types and levels of formality among the three English varieties. Australian English exhibits the highest relative frequency of deference politeness, solidarity politeness, and both informal and formal politeness formulae, followed by British English, with Hong Kong English showing the least. In contrast, Hong Kong English has the highest relative frequency of tentativeness politeness and neutral formality politeness formulae. This study finds that several factors may influence the use of three politeness types and three levels of formalities, including urbanization level, population density, settings, culture, and pragmatic transfer. Overall, this study examines politeness variation in British, Australian, and Hong Kong English using corpus-based methods, contributing to both variational pragmatics and corpus pragmatics.

Numeracy Engagement Patterns of U.S. Latine Families

ABSTRACT Recently, there have been calls to build a more inclusive knowledge base of the home numeracy environment (HNE) by diversifying the populations in our descriptive research. Given that Latine children are the fastest-growing population in the U.S. it is of the utmost importance to include Latine families and children in these efforts. The present study examined how U.S. Latine families support their children’s early math learning by: (1) identifying distinct numeracy engagement patterns, and (2) examining if these patterns were related to families’ demographic characteristics. Participants were 488 caregivers (M child-age = 4.29 years, SD = 1.23). We found two profiles of Latine family numeracy engagement: a Balanced Numeracy Engagement and a Non-Play-Numeracy Engagement. Caregivers’ formal educational level and relationship to the child were significantly associated with the profiles. Findings reflect the importance of understanding the variability within Latine families when engaging in numeracy activities.

Cognitive performance in patients with neuromyelitis optica: clinical and imaging characteristics

This study aimed to identify the prevalence, clinical and radiographic characteristics, and risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in patients with Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Eighty-three participants who were diagnosed with NMOSD were recruited. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). The mean age of the patients was 47.78 ± 13.14 years, with an average of 12.05 ± 4.62 years of formal education. The majority (54%) exhibited cognitive impairment, defined by a MoCA score < 25 (mean: 22.96 ± 3.82). Disease severity (evaluated by the Expanded Disability Status Scale) and lower formal education levels were associated with cognitive impairment (p = 0.011 and < 0.001, respectively). The annualized relapse rate, disease duration, and AQP4 antibody status were not associated with cognitive impairment. Interestingly, informant-reported cognitive decline was associated with poorer cognitive performance (p = 0.027). Radiographic findings of lesion location and severity were associated with MoCA-assessed cognitive performance, particularly for lesions in the right parietal lobes (p = 0.023). Hippocampal atrophy was negatively correlated with FAB scores. In conclusion, approximately half of the Thai patients with NMOSD exhibited cognitive impairment, which was associated with age, formal education level, disease severity, relative perception, and specific radiological findings. Further studies incorporating comprehensive neuropsychological tests and subjective cognitive complaints are warranted.

Examining the Use of Address Terms among Postgraduate Students in an Online Speech Community and Their Implication

This paper examined the terms of address as an important part of verbal behavior through which the behavior, norms and practices of a society can be identified. As a classic study in sociolinguistics, Brown and Gilman (1960) pronominal address system highlighted the semantic power and solidarity in relation to address terms. Since then, several studies have emerged on address terms in various social domains notably academia, religion, politics and many more. However, most of these studies did not give much consideration to online speech communities. This study therefore focuses on sociolinguistic analysis of address terms among postgraduate students in an online speech community using ethnographic approach. The study selected three (3) postgraduate online groups from the University of Cape Coast. One hundred and fifty chats (150) were collected from each group and studied to reveal the key address terms used by the students to address each and also the factors influencing the choice of the address terms. The study revealed that the key address terms used among postgraduate students are personal names, descriptive phrases and titles. Again, the study revealed the following as the factors influencing the choice of address terms: situational and socio-cultural factors, level of formality, innovativeness and playfulness, gender and age variations.