Major Decisions Research Articles

Are Women Better Energy Managers in a Developing Country?

Energy Management at household level is multifaceted issue due to factorsinvolving gender, education and awareness to energy usage. This study wasconducted in Peshawar city, Pakistan which is capital city of the provinceand densely populated. This study identifies the role of women in energymanagement at household level keeping in view household’s characteristicsin an underdeveloped country. The key factors included were (1) educationand job status (2) characteristics of nuclear and joint family system (3)energy consumption pattern of the households and (4) awareness of energymanagement and its implementation amongst the females in the household.One-way ANOVA test shows that women spend more than three hours whileutilizing energy appliances. In addition, awareness of high billing cost perunit, electricity consumption during peak hours’ unit, idea of renewableenergy sources and their use cum awareness level was found to be extremelylow. The results show that the education of husband and wife is indistinguish-able and the females are the major decision makers in carrying the householdchores. Males are the sole bread winners of the house and majority of thefemales are housewives despite of attaining higher education. Despite thefact that women are aware of household energy management, there is still a need for full implementation and awareness among women in the household.Lastly, trend of nuclear family system is making pace in the Pakistan andenergy management and utility bills are handled independently. The resultscan be used for policy making in developing countries.

A Critical Analysis of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and the Consequences of Fetal Personhood.

In this paper, I will examine the Supreme Court of the United States' (SCOTUS) arguments in the majority decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, and I will show how some of those arguments are flawed. Primarily, I will show that the right to bodily autonomy is a well-established right, both in the courts and in societal practices, and that the right to an abortion should be understood as an example of the right to bodily autonomy or bodily integrity. Second, I will examine the justices' arguments that viability is not a reasonable place to restrict abortion access, in contrast to both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and will offer arguments that defend viability as a valid point to limit abortion access. Third, I will highlight some politicians' goals to enact a federal ban on abortion, and show how the attempt to pass Personhood Amendments is a pathway for doing so. The upshot of this essay to is show how the SCOTUS decision is flawed, and how granting personhood to "potential life" has consequences that extend beyond abortion access.

The changing landscape of fundamental alteration determinations

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act both exclude from otherwise required accommodations those that would fundamentally alter a course or program. Both courts and the Office for Civil Rights defer to academic judgments of universities that deny a requested accommodation as a fundamental alteration — provided universities engage in an academic process to make that determination. Two major court decisions, Wynne v. Tufts, 976 F.2d 791 (1st Cir. 1992) and Guckenberger v. Boston University, 8 F.Supp.2d 82 (D. Mass. 1998), established the framework for fundamental alteration determinations.

Wizje niepodległej Rzeczypospolitej na łamach „Wiadomości Polskich, Politycznych i Literackich” w latach 1940–1944

The question of the rebuilding of independent Polish Republic after the end of the Second World War is one of the main subjects raised by emigration press, which was also analyzed in Wiadomości Polskie, Polityczne i Literackie. In the beginning, referring to Poland’s future the necessity of critically reviewing the past was not forgotten. Hence, there appeared some publications in which the problem of the lost September Campaign was addressed. A lot of space in Wiadomości Polskie, Polityczne i Literackie is taken up by the topic of the organization of postwar Europe, in which a country on the Vistula was to play a significant role. Most of the paper’s columnists thought that after the end of the war, there would be some fundamental changes in the international policy with the result that the United States of America and Great Britain would become its major decision makers. In the analyzed journal the issue of the political and socio-economic restructuring of postwar Poland was also mentioned. The necessity of the industrialization of the whole country and the execution of agricultural reform among other things was brought to attention.

Ben-Gurion and His Attitude Toward the West Bank

In the provisional government that convened on September 26, 1948, David Ben-Gurion put forth a proposal asking his ministers to support the occupation of the territories extending from Latrun to Ramallah. The government rejected his proposal by a 7:6 majority. The majority's argument was that an attack at that time would be considered a provocation in the eyes of the world and would lead to sanctions against Israel under the auspices of the UN Security Council. Later, Ben-Gurion claimed that the rejection had become a "cry for generations." Some historians have interpreted this statement to suggest that Ben-Gurion regretted not conquering the Latrun-Ramallah area in particular and the West Bank in general. This article attempts to assess the accuracy of that interpretation. While there is no doubt that Ben-Gurion held national-emotional sentiments for the whole Land of Israel, and especially for Jerusalem, he was pragmatic and saw the situation as it was. The West Bank was not part of his agenda, not at that time nor at any other. He did not intend to conquer this contested area, although it is possible that the IDF could have done so, as he was well aware. Ben-Gurion's control over the course of the war was almost absolute; had this been his plan, he would have carried it out in the end. All he asked was to occupy Latrun and another strip of territory to its northeast, and when the proposal was rejected, he did not fight the majority's decision. It is highly unlikely that Ben-Gurion would have tolerated something in complete opposition to his principles. Although he was only the prime minister and the defense minister, he behaved in the style of a "generalissimo." He ordered the occupation of Latrun three times, despite the generals' resistance, and ultimately got his way. Had he wished to occupy East Jerusalem and the West Bank, he surely would have done so. Thus, it appears that this was not his aim.

Exploring the Practice of Social Work to Foster Rural Community Formation in the Context of Rural Revitalization—A Case Study of Village H in Jinwan District, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province

At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Organization of China (CPC), a major historical mission to construct a prosperous society and a modern socialist nation was undertaken, with the strategy of reviving the countryside being a major decision. This was in addition to the general comprehension of the "three rural areas" in the new era. On October 16, 2022, leader proposed in the report of the 20th National Congress to comprehensively promote rural revitalization. Social work, as a powerful professional team, is essential in rural construction. To ensure this, it is essential to prioritize agriculture and rural areas, integrate urban and rural areas, and facilitate the interchange of urban and rural elements. Additionally, it is essential to vigorously encourage the revival of rural industry, culture, ecology, and organization. This paper takes village H in Guangdong Province as an example to explore the practical experience of social work participation in rural community creation through professional techniques and also discusses the results of social work participation in rural revitalization.

Super‐priority lien challenged for its state constitutionality in the United States of America

AbstractThis note focuses on super‐priority liens (SPLs), which allow homeowner associations to foreclose a property over its mortgage. Twenty‐two states have so far implemented such liens, hoping to balance the interests of mortgage creditors and homeowner associations. The state of Nevada has been facing more challenges from both mortgage creditors and homeowner associations regarding the constitutionality of non‐judicial foreclosure than other states. This paper summaries the cases since 2000 and discusses the three major decisions that the Supreme Court of Nevada made involving SPLs' non‐judicial constitutionality, tender‐extinguishing SPLs, and federal creditors' role in SPLs.

The CRG for Vascular Services

The last decade has witnessed a number of changes in the delivery of vascular services nationwide. Vascular surgery attained speciality status in 2012, and is well recognised as an urgent and emergent speciality delivering time-dependent care for patients with aortic aneurysms, carotid surgery for stroke prevention and lower limb revascularisation for critical limb-threatening ischaemia. The National Vascular Registry (NVR), established in 2013, provides effective monitoring and reports on outcomes whilst also delivering a robust programme of quality improvement.1 The National Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme was fully implemented in 2014,2 and this coincided with a move towards centralisation of vascular services to a network model of care with elective and emergency arterial surgery concentrated in arterial hubs. In 2013, NHS England took full responsibility for all specialised commissioning which included all arterial surgery. Over the years, major vascular policy decisions make reference to the Vascular Clinical Reference Group (CRG), yet few clinicians are aware of who these groups are, who they are accountable to and how they are involved in organising, reconfiguring, delivering and monitoring of vascular services in England.

Analyzing Emergency News Comments to Assess Online Public Opinions: A Case Study of COVID-19

For the purpose of enhancing the online public opinion intervention mechanism, fostering a positive public opinion environment, it is crucial to examine the rules and traits of online public opinion dissemination from multiple perspectives. The paper proposes a fresh approach to measuring network public opinion by analyzing emergency news comments. In order to develop risk assessment indicators, we first employ the multi-round Delphi method. Then, we organize the "COVID-19" news comments using natural language processing and text clustering techniques, correlating the risk assessment indicators with the risk evolution of emergency events. Finally, we analyze the time evolution trend of users’ participation in network public opinion. Results show that the use of news commentary can effectively predict the tendency of social risk. Therefore, the risk assessment method in this paper can judge and warn the network public opinion in time, which is of great value in assisting major emergency management decisions.

A Modernized Framework for Transportation Decision-Making in a Hyper-Integrated Global Supply Chain Environment

Abstract At the turn of the century, firms struggled to make transportation decisions in increasingly integrated supply chains that routinely stretched around the world. In “A Framework for Transportation Decision Making in an Integrated Supply Chain” (Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 5 [2]: 71–77) T. P. Stank and T. J. Goldsby proposed an original transportation decision-making framework to address the need. The framework is cited over 250 times in the academic literature and referenced by firms seeking to optimize cost-service tradeoffs in an environment characterized by higher levels of market freedoms, service innovation, and supply chain collaboration. Since the year 2000, though, the digital revolution, customer expectations, and supply chain resilience concerns have given rise to new demands for transportation decision-making, with operations residing in a hyper-integrated and further globally entrenched state. Therefore, we revisit Stank and Goldsby’s original framework to review major transportation decision areas and devise contemporary mechanisms to address the modern business environment. Our framework highlights the rapid and interdependent nature of today’s corporate transportation decisions to help firms tackle current business needs and long-term strategic interests. We also seek to illuminate prospective avenues for research endeavor.

Market Power and Long-term Gas Contracts: The Case of Gazprom in Central and Eastern European Gas Markets

We explore a major European competition decision, the 2012–18 Gazprom case, using a global gas market simulation model. We find that access to LNG markets alone is insufficient to counterbalance Gazprom’s strategic behaviour; central and eastern Europe (CEE) needs to be well interconnected with bidirectional flow capability. ‘Swap deals’ created by the decision facilitate CEE market integration, while limiting Gazprom’s potential market power. Such deals may increase the diversity of contracted gas and number of market players, but do not improve physical supply diversity. In the next five years, swap deals could marginally impact negatively the utilization of strategic assets in CEE, but since Gazprom’s commitments expire by mid-2026, utilization of these strategic assets may fall considerably, especially if Gazprom withholds supplies. As an unintended consequence, CEE markets may disintegrate from the rest of Europe. Avoiding such outcomes will require further gas market reforms, particularly, market design for gas transportation.

Research on taxation policies for agricultural development under the rural revitalization strategy

The rural revitalization strategy is a major policy decision and plan for comprehensively building a modern socialist country in light of China's special national conditions. In recent years, with the continuous implementation and promotion of various policies such as urbanisation and new rural construction, the transformation and upgrading of agriculture has become one of the key constraints to the construction of a modern and powerful country in China. Therefore, in order to better implement the relevant policies on agricultural finance and taxation and to give full play to the positive role of agricultural finance and taxation policies in promoting the rural revitalisation strategy, this paper analyses the current situation of agricultural finance and taxation in the rural revitalisation strategy and puts forward suggestions on the policies related to finance and taxation to promote agricultural development in the rural revitalisation, so as to lay the foundation for the continuous promotion of the rural revitalisation strategy. This paper will lay the foundation for the sustainable promotion of the rural revitalization strategy.

The seasonal progression of the reproductive phenology of two southern highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum L. interspecific hybrids) cultivars in the Western Cape, South Africa

• The reproductive phenology of SHB cultivars ‘8-42’ and ‘9-02’ was documented for the first time in such depth and per whole plant. • The timing and peaks of the phenological stages quantified on individual plant basis were similar between the two locations - for both cultivars. • The duration of the phenological stages was influenced by micro climate. • The intensity of bud development was accurately illustrated per cultivar and location. • The differences in the intensity of phenological development on bud and plant level will serve as baseline for further studies on carbohydrate allocation to explain the differences in yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the timing and duration of selected flower bud phenological stages of two southern highbush blueberry (SHB) cultivars in a Mediterranean climate to optimize the management of commercial production systems. The experiment was conducted in commercial orchards during the 2020 growing season, in the Hex River and Wolseley production areas, Western Cape, South Africa. The timing (date) and duration (days) of selected flower bud stages were recorded on individual plants, from April to November 2020 for bud swell, bud break, tight cluster, closed flower, open flower, petal fall, green fruit, colouring fruit, and fruit harvest respectively. Standard commercial management practices were followed on both sites. Cultivar 8-42 flowered from April to mid-October, with a peak during early August. Cropping occurred from early August to mid-November, and volumes peaked in October, at both sites. Cultivar 9-02 flowered from April to late October, with a peak during early August at the Wolseley site, whereas flowering for this cultivar only peaked during late September, at the Hex River site, indicating a possible climate related response. Subsequently, harvest started two weeks later at the Hex River site for ‘9-02’, while the highest yield volumes were obtained during October to early November, at both sites. This paper provides a first report on the phenological categorization of the reproductive development of commercial SHB blueberry cultivars, as produced in the Western Cape, South Africa. As all major management decisions in blueberry cultivation depend on the phenological phases of the crop, this information will contribute towards decision making regarding production, but also via quantifying the progression of each stage in addition to the peaks, allowing for additional logistical management. The influence of growing conditions on the phenological development of these cultivars was also explored and indicated the need for supplemental research considering the influence of micro-environmental conditions in driving evergreen production blueberry systems.

From the Tsarevich to the Tsar, or the Metamorphosis of the Ascension of Nicholas the Second

The essay examines D. A. Andreev’s monograph “Autocracy at a turning point: 1894 in the history of the dynasty and power” dedicated to the process of transformation of Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich into Tsar Nicholas II. The monograph addresses the key problems of its topic: the formation of the bureaucratic competence of Nikolai Alexandrovich and the question of the political testament of Alexander III to his son; the perception of the interregnum of 1894 by representatives of the ruling elite and the oppositional public; the reflection on the relationships between Nicholas II and his entourage by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on the pages of her husband’s diary at the end of 1894; the circumstances of the first major personnel decisions of Nicholas II, which were the dismissal of the Minister of Railways A. K. Krivoshein and the appointment of Prince M. I. Khilkov as his successor. The paper draws a special attention to the central plot of the monograph — the speech of Nicholas II delivered on January 17, 1895, before representatives of the estate and local governments. The author of the essay comes to the conclusion that the January 17 speech symbolized the distancing of Nicholas II from the zemstvo, who sought to politicize local self-government, and from adherents of parliamentary constitutionalism, according to which, the monarch, as in England, “reigns, but does not rule”. In other words, the notorious speech did not mean the tsar’s refusal to cooperate with loyal zemstvo and to implement, at the same time, a reformist course aimed at gradually transformation the state system of the Russian Empire.

BOOSTING IN DISSENTING OPINIONS: TYPES AND LEXICAL REALIZATIONS

The paper explores the role of boosting as a metadiscourse feature used by justices in dissenting opinions to challenge the majority decisions and convince an audience. The aim is to identify the types of boosting and lexical items used for indicating certainty and commitment. As the study aims to analyze how boosting is realized linguistically, the methods of quantitative and interpretative analysis were applied. The study revealed that the justices make extensive use of boosters to show disagreement and persuade the audience to agree with their views. For this purpose, they use four types of boosting, including certainty boosters, intensity boosters, solidarity boosters, and extremity boosters with a quantitative predominance of the first type.

Relevance of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) and patient-reported experience measures (PREM) to assess disease status and quality of care in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

The 21st century has brough us a paradigm shift regarding patients care: the conventional physician-focused model of care has now changed into a patient-centered mode that puts the patient at the center of his own healthcare. Establishing a non-prescriptive and collaborative therapeutic approach, empowering patients to make major decisions on their management, and strict respect to the patient's autonomy are the major drivers of this patient-centered care. Among other multiple collectives, this change has greatly impacted patients and physicians who deal with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Decision making in large-scale language testing: Intersections of policy, practice and research

In this article, I delve into the intricacies of strategic decision making when a large-scale language test is reformed. Adopting a case study approach, I examine the activities involved in the reform of the College English Test (CET), an English language test for university students administered nationwide in the Chinese mainland (Zhang, 2022; Zheng & Cheng, 2008). In its 30+-year history, the CET has undergone several revisions and reforms (see Jin, 2010; 2020 for an overview). To illustrate how the major policies on test revision and reform have been formulated and implemented in this particular context, I present a brief overview of some major decisions that have been made over the decades. Through these cases, I hope to demonstrate the intricate interactions among policy intentions, professional requirements, ethical considerations, practical constraints, as well as the role of language testing professionals when strategic decisions are made to ensure a sustainable and healthy development of large-scale and high-stakes language tests.

Developing the return on workplace investment (ROWI) tool

Facilities managers and the wider corporate real estate (CRE) community have increasingly become focused on cost reduction, with organisations typically viewing property as a cost burden rather than an investment. Consequently, it remains rare for organisations to include performance benefits in financial investment appraisals of workplace projects. A change in narrative is required to one where value can be demonstrated rather than simply costs reduced. Previous attempts have been made to quantify workplace performance, but a tangible tool to assist in recommending major decisions regarding changes to the workplace has eluded discovery. Therefore, the authors joined forces with the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) to create the Return on Workplace Investment (ROWI) tool. The ROWI tool is a ready reckoner for calculating the impact of workplace projects (including planning, design or operation) on people performance. It can be used as part of a cost-benefit analysis to help professionals build a business case which accounts for positive factors other than cost alone. The initial step to developing the ROWI tool was to conduct an extensive literature review to determine the performance metrics that could be used to calculate a return on workplace investment. Some 105 unique and robust literature sources, with a total of 194 individual assessments of performance, were selected. Five dominant and recurring performance metrics were identified, along with nine recurring broad workplace design elements affecting task performance. Previously, there was little confidence in productivity research due to the range in performance data that various studies produce. A unique aspect of the ROWI tool, however, is that the performance data for each study was weighted to make it more relevant to real office work. The corresponding, more realistic, potential impact of workplace design on each of the performance metrics was calculated using the weighted results from all the research studies.

Environmental Degradation and Violations of Human Rights

Abstract: Human rights not only in India but also around the world environment is intrinsically linked: safe, clean, healthy. A sustainable environment is essential to the enjoyment of our human rights; even though a polluted, dangerous and otherwise unhealthy environment potentially violates our human rights. Environmental rights are not abstract, distant and irrelevant concepts; are measurable, distinctive and functional aspects of society and its ecology. When environmental rights are violated, people and the planet suffer from reduced health and well-being. According to the Article 21 of the Indian Constitution that everyone on the country has the right to a healthy environment. This major decision is the result of decades of mobilization of various stakeholders. States must now meet their commitments and step up their efforts. This article aims to list relevant information, research, data and press releases and other institutions

The Examination of Segway-Ninebot’s Decision-making Through Case Analysis, Strategies and Stock Overview

A firm’s development in its ability to execute key decisions more efficiently than its competitors could lead to an overall better performance. While investment decision results in outflows of cash and financing decision results in inflow of cash, dividend decision concert with how profits are distributed among shareholders. With the interest of shareholders, smart and appropriate decisions have been important to all businesses. This article decompose the company Segway-Ninebot’s decision-making process and its strategy, thereby how the company is ahead in the industry. Through looking at the company’s strategies, positioning, stocks and major decisions, the effectiveness of each investments carried out by the company is decomposed. Our findings indicate that the key determinants that lead to the success of Segway-Ninebot are its spontaneous innovations, technological improvements and adaptation to the demand of the customers. However, risks are present in investing in Segway-Ninebot, and this paper examine the possible solutions in minimising losses.